The thread for discussing the amazing Life Is A Problem comp on MISSISSIPPI records

irma thomas is here

CHANGE records (and LITTLE AXE) are MS records gag-labels

Anyways, Rats LP is fantastic.

yeah! it's a noisy pressing, though, don't know if that's to do with the original or what, but killer. are there plans to rerelease their other albums, anyone know?

Just posted a request on the moderator thread to have them correct the spelling and add Mississippi Records to the title of this thread

Thank you moderator for the quick thread title corrections

yeah! it's a noisy pressing, though...

-- GOTT PUNCH II

True. Sounds like it was mastered off an old LP. Noticed the same thing on that Sub-Pop comp from a couple years back. Lots of crackle. Artistic decision or just a side-effect of the Tombstone/Mississippi process? Dunno, both maybe. Anyway, yeah, I'd love to see the other 2 LPs repressed.

has anyone heard that why are we building such a big ship record? i might be getting the name off slightly. i think it's tangentially mississippi released.

has anyone heard that why are we building such a big ship record? i might be getting the name off slightly. i think it's tangentially mississippi released.

― schlump, Monday, December 29, 2008 9:36 PM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark

distributed through MS, but the matrix number is not like MR-XXX, which all the MS ones are, even the irma thomas ("change records") or the clean comp ("little axe records"). if you like gogol bordello, you might like it, but i think its wack.

OH GRAVEYARD is out, FYI. It's the debut release on Social Music, and is the sequel to 'Life is a Problem.' I think it came out OK.

Keep finding so much amazing music in this vein -- in fact we'll probably get a third comp. out soon that's also like it. I used to be worried that I didn't have enough material for this three CD box set (which will be called, as of today FIRE IN MY BONES) of post-war sanctified/ ethereal/ intense gospel I'm doing for Tompkins Square but now I'm not sure 320 minutes is enough.

Future Social Music titles: June Brides best-of comp., a Straight Street Group LP, a Jamaican gospel comp. (first time this stuff's ever been collected as far as I know), the first-ever album dedicated solely to the great bluesy gospel musician Boyd Rivers, the solo project of Frankie Rose which I do not yet know the name of, a killer white gospel comp., some other things.

Ohhh, and I did have a peek at that other Miss. Records thread on here, which was just stuffed with quite a lot of mis-information and then based on all of these crazy assumptions about other labels (i.e. show me ONE artist on Stern's that sees royalties), so I couldn't look at much of it. I'd much rather watch a 'House' rerun if I'm gonna listen to some asshole's opinion. But, in response to that there thread, I'll say that all titles on Social Music will be fully licensed, unless it's impossible to track an artist down in which case we'll hold stuff in escrow and cross our fingers.

Personally, I want to track down artists/ relatives, not only to give them $$ they fully deserve, but what if they have some other stuff lying around? For instance, the upcoming ABNER JAY release totally benefits from those guys having tracked down one of his kids.

Ohhhh, and not only has Mississippi started a tape-only label -- I think they're only available in the shop -- but I'm starting my own tape and CD-R label this month, too. Because I'm a no-good copy-cat, and because I found a professional dupe machine for super cheap.

yeah so any more RATS or what

distributed through MS, but the matrix number is not like MR-XXX, which all the MS ones are, even the irma thomas ("change records") or the clean comp ("little axe records"). if you like gogol bordello, you might like it, but i think its wack.

yeah, i know it's a whole mississippi multi-label franchise and all; i think there was some talk on here about something else coming out on domino, i forget what. i heard some samples and thought it sounded like the glut of gulag bands that beirut headed and drag city signed one of, like nice instruments but kind of a twenty first century pat boone thing.

since there was talk on this and the other thread about people buying up original music lps - i never thought that lipi kodi ya was culled from one, but what do i know. all the talk of the mysterious packaging made me wonder if anyone knew anything about the standout choral thing at the end of side one, by the notre-dame singing group. did anyone hear this before, or elsewhere, or anything?

social music stuff all looks exciting. post about anything coming out!, tapes and all.

hey mike, i was thinking after i messaged you the other day--do you have the rev. mcgee/rev. rice LP on Eden Records? if not i have a few copies.

i.e. show me ONE artist on Stern's that sees royalties)-Mike M

I was curious about this and found a Robert Christgau article on Sterns and the Tabu Ley Rochereau comp in the NY Times that suggest that the artists get some money (although in this case a flat fee and not royalties) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/arts/music/18chri.html?n=Top/News/World/Countries%20and%20Territories/Ghana&pagewanted=all

To break even Sterns needed to sell 6,000 physical copies of the package, which is available for $25.49 on amazon.com. Sales are now around 9,000, with money from downloads also trickling in. For a label like Sterns, “The Voice of Lightness” is a hit.
According to Mr. Urbanus, Mr. Rochereau wanted a flat advance fee rather than royalties on the “Voice of Lightness” compilation, so strong sales won’t benefit him financially. (Mr. Rochereau did not respond to requests for comment.) But Modero Mekansi, the singer’s music director from 1977 to 1997, said money wasn’t Mr. Rochereau’s only object. ”Even when you’re well known, you still want to be known by people who didn’t know who you were before,” Mr. Mekansi said. “You want to be better known.” He added that with so many European-based African labels going into bankruptcy, “it’s only Sterns that can do something good to keep people in touch with this music.”

Super glad to see Stern's pays royalties -- apparently I'm now talking out my ass as well. Yippe/ sorry about that.

Why Are We Building a Big Ship is the first release via the great New Orleans-based DOMINO RECORD SHOP, not got anything to do w/ the Domino label. It's a great shop, kind of a "sister store" to MS -- and, truth be told, the best place to find out of print Miss. Records for non-eBay prices in the world.

Dude also has his own little tape label which RULES.

Why Are We Building are clearly taking off from the second line tradition rather than all of this fake Aeroplane/ Bordello bullshit of the last few years. They're not the Hot 8, but they're not trying to be either -- I don't love that LP but I like ti a lot and can't wait to see what's next from them (including a song on the next YETI CD).

a Straight Street Group LP

HELL YES

p.s. Mike if u could email me about yr label it would be much appreciated.

What's the guy's tape label? I'm looking for some tapes!

The Miss. tapes are just crappy looking + cheap little comp.s of soul, gospel, etc. There are 5 or 6 thus far. I believe a batch is about to hit eBay (not via me).

my portland friend has been buying me the tapes! i got the first four over new year's, and they are so so good.

in addition to oh graveyard, MS records affiliate CHANGE records (still has MR on the matrix) repressed pandit pran nath's earth groove, and it is really really great. listening to it now, oh graveyard is next!

hey mike, thanks so much for your involvement in like half of the releases i was most excited about in 2008. you rule.

wonder if anyone knew anything about the standout choral thing at the end of side one, by the notre-dame singing group. did anyone hear this before, or elsewhere, or anything?

seconded!!! among my fave songs on the african comps!

whoa shit. towards the end of side two of earth groove, PPN straight up COUGHS. then he just gets right back to his raga. what a bro. maybe youve all heard this record before a thousand times, but its new to meeeee

man, i want the tapes. maybe it's in response to the records having become so internationally lusted after.

the traveling echoes song on oh graveyard is beautiful!

i don't think it's made it to ny yet, but i used to hear the traveling echoes on sinner's crossroads: such a great, apposite group name.

the host of sinner's crossroads is credited (along with mike m) with "providing tracks and education"

still waiting on our box of graveyard :(

d'you know if you're getting the earth groove lp too?

we've got Earth grooveeeee. which we kinda were stupid for getting from Forced Exposure, but whatever. other stuff coming soon? come by soon, schlump

for sure. you can be my official PREFERRED RETAILER of msx stuff. i tried to see if you had the animal collective record a couple of nights ago but it was late + you were closed. if you wanna bump this thread when oh graveyard's in, i'll come pick up.

the host of sinner's crossroads is credited (along with mike m) with "providing tracks and education"

i have a big bag of post-it notes i used to scrawl things down on when i started listening to fmu, and i know there's a url on one for a site kevin nutt used to mention - it's raregospelsides.com or something, and was the source of bunches of stuff he used to play i think. will post it up if i can find it. it is an INSPIRATIONAL show and i am a DEVOTIONAL listener.

http://www.rootstrata.com/rootblog/?p=840

This is only tangentially related to this thread, but recently I've been listening to the Rev Rice/Rev McGee LP on Eden records, which is a lot of really good material packaged in a sort-of lazy way. Thorough in one way, in that it cites all musicians & recording dates but doesn't provide any context or analysis in liner notes. This is an issue that amtst brought up on the more challenging ms records thread, and I don't take it as seriously as him, but I'm pretty much always of the sentiment that the more info the better. But anyway, that Rev. D.C. Rice & Rev. F.W. McGee record is really good.

I need --need-- a copy of the Eden Records comp "Early Country Gospel" (or something similar?) with lots of Two Gospel Keys material.

i think some of it's the register of the notes; fahey was mentioned in some light in the other thread, and his notes for american primitive strike a balance of being super informative but totally enthusiastic, ie on the rhythm track for 'woke up this morning with my mind on jesus'.

mississippi tape above is fantastic, by the way - great martin luther king lament, lovely quartet stuff, surprise lightnin hopkins blues. whether or not they surface in the same way, what are the others like?

fahey is far and away just a plain better writer than most of the folks who have written liner notes for the various 78 reissues of the seventies.

great great great mississippi tape....but what's the song between "Jericho" and "All Things Are Possible"?

in some cases with document releases (e.g. the lonnie farris thing) there just isn't very much info to go around!

but yes document is supremely lazy.

not as lazy as jsp can be; their "legends of the country blues" thing is actually a carbon (digital) copy of CDs from other labels (e.g. document's complete recordings of bukka white); pop in one of the CDs from that collection and itunes will think it is something else.

i guess "lazy" isn't the word for a label that aimed to (and nearly did) release the full brunt of af-am vernacular music pre-WWII on CD (and much country music besides). but they did cut corners with liner notes and mastering to achieve their goal. granted, their (nominal) market was different than mississippi's: they saw themselves as producing "reference copies" of historical material for libraries.

btw back when arhoolie was distributing document CDs (and before the file-sharing era), if you were at a radio station you could get any document CD for $9 and any arhoolie CD for $3. a fucking bonanza.

you can get any document LP that arhoolie still has kicking around for $5 apiece. the prices of their LP stock vary by number of copies remaining.

(that's how i got the aforementioned Rev. Rice/Rev. McGee record, as well as a nice Roosevelt Sykes comp, a few comps of obscure female blues singers, a Charlie McCoy LP etc.)

do you just email arhoolie or is it through the down home record store?

Crumb Bros killing me today

You can get a catalog by emailing them. It's not up to date, but I got some great stuff that way.

btw new yorkers we got the new MS comp in today. sleeve, send me a regular e-mail at dr.carl.sagan at gmail, i couldn't respond to your webmail.

i bought the ms comp a couple of weeks back and left it round someone's house. this serves me right for abandoning ilx championed retailers :/
i'm still in the state of mind where if i see them i assume they're about to sell out, but maybe this isn't the case anymore.

another tape here http://www.rootstrata.com/rootblog/?p=897
popular soul music

thx ian!

i visited the shop in portland today - so great.

picked up the "i woke up one morning in may" comp and a few tapes - "cumbia discos fuentes", "ibi na bo 60 africa 70" and "chaabi music from al-maghrib". now i need to get a tape player!

what is that new comp? i dont have that one yet!

yeah woah what?
tapes sound enticing too.

oh wait look:
January 15, 2009 - The "I Woke Up One Morning In May" LP is the final release that I will receive from Mississippi Records before I close the distro. The folks over at Mississippi Records are going to start doing mail-order for their upcoming releases (starting with their next release which is due out in mid/late February). They will be setting up an email update list for mail-order customers. I will post more info as soon as they are ready to start compiling the email update list.

Sequel to our Last Kind Words compilation. All country blues
recorded between 1927-1934. Features favorites such as Memphis
Minnie， Lottie Kimbrough & Robert Wilkins. This slab also has a few of our favorite obscurities like Little Hat Jones and Louie Lasky. Fourteen
songs- All Classics!!! Full color beautiful cover in the stylish
Tip-On sleeve.

the lottie kimbrough side on last kind words is something else, the guitar playing.

The folks over at Mississippi Records are going to start doing mail-order for their upcoming releases (starting with their next release which is due out in mid/late February). They will be setting up an email update list for mail-order customers.

Thank God, about time, etc.