Chuck "Psychedelic" is a word used too often, but if you're into that Joe South, album for inst, you might wanta try THE LINK WRAY RUMBLE, from the mid-70s, on Epic (which I don't think exists anymore, and he's got others with RUMBLE in the title, that being where the rep as grandaddy of psych and metal comes from, the only instrumental I've ever head of being banned from the radio. Was thought to be the anthem of gang fights, as well it might have been). On this particular labum, he mixed his own rockabilly-blues-country-proto-psych-metal/psych thing with compatible approaches of mid-70s, with amzing results:"Country Boy", dedicated to Duane Allman, sounds like early/mid-70s Van Morrison, then at the top of his game, with solso by Duane; "Goodtime Joe" sounds kinda betwen Van and Joe South, the way Link sings the verses (riffs underbeath like mid-60s, Pete Townsend, who *did* write the liner notes, but not this song), then the solo kinda drones and keens and wraps its garrrison belt around my ankles, appropriately so(bout an old vet who needs some wine, real bad). "Backwoods Preacher Man" is I think written by Tony Joe White, and Link (acoustic, for once)and sings the shit out of it (he never just imitates, in fact he sings this album the way he sings 'em all, but always seesm to fit with younger people's stuff, so maybe he inspired 'em all). Doug Sahm did all styles with a non-standard mynd, and kind of erratic like some of Link's), but yeah MENDECINO, THE RETURN OF DOUG SALDANA TOGETHER AFTER FIVE, ROUGH EDGES, (and various more recent comps, like BEST OF THE ATLANTIC YEARS, which includes stuff, released and unreleased from his attempted supergroup LP, DOUG SAHM & BAND, but all that sounds a lot better here than before). Eddie Hinton has a wildass voice like Doug's, if not more so, but was a Muscle Shoals staff-writer-arranger-composer-muso, so more conssitently focussed than Doug, at least on DEAR YALL (THE SONGWRITING SESSIONS VOL.II)(blanking on VOL I's main title, but it's good too). Also got Tony Joe rhythm and, as he said himself, "Curtis Mayfield licks." Neko Case's albums are atmospheric as hell (listen on headphones), and got aforementioned Sadies, etc. backing her up. her frequent tour-partner Kelly Hogan's like that too, maybe not quite so cosmic (Neko can get a bit closer to Nico, enigmatic-lyrics-wise)If you don't like the noodly Dead, but I think you did like AMERICAN BEAUTY? Try the folkie-but-potent RECKONING and WORKING MAN'S DEAD, which does involve elctricity but sounds pretty ghost town (folkie in that sense)
-- Don A (
dmxz...), October 4th, 2004 3:48 PM.
There's a really good Pete Cosey feature in the Summer 2004 issue of Signal To Noise (don't know if it's still on newsstands, if it ever was, but see signaltonoisemagazine.org). He's got a new group, Children of Aghartha, with at least one other Miles vet, Gary Bartz, plus Melvin Gibbs, DJ Johnny Juice, and others. They've been playing in NYC, and Cosey's recorded that (also mentioned in passing to another reviewer that he had recorded all shows with Miles, and sometimes pulled the tapes out from under the bed when he couldn't sleep!). Cosey and other E.MUD cats have a reunion of sorts (behind Chuck D.) on the soundtrack of FATHERS AND SONS, the Chicago chapeter of the recent PBS MARTIN SCORCESE PRESENTS THE BLUES. Cosey's also on Greg Tate's group Burnt Sugar's new THE RITES, a psychedelicized meltdown of "The Rites of Spring." See xgau's recent vice.com on that 'un; having heard some previous Sugar, I don't fell Burnt, but *do* know just what he means about their need for editing. Still, I'm sure I'll get it (soon). How much money you got? I'd say check everything with George Clinton's name on it , esp. recent SIX DEGREES, which includes rarities, sounding better than ever, ditto most recent re-re-mastering of ONE NATION and other Funkadelics (altho' the ELECTRIC SPANKING re sounds odd, but I should check on headphones except I sold it damn). Ditto most anything by Sonny Sharrock except LIVE IN NEW YORK (unless it's real cheap), and with the underground supergroup Last Exit, and on JACK JOHNSON (he only gets credit, plus more mic time! on THE COMPLETE J J, but the orig disc is still the essential). His stuff can get really hairyassed: I love it, oyou might not, look for ASK THE AGES, HIGHLIFE, SEIZE THE RAINBOW, GUITAR hell look for it all. James Blod Ulmer's BLACK ROCK, ODYSSEY (also the sequel to that, billed as "Odyssey The Band"; can't rember title but they only got one), but really start with his two most recent, produced and played on by Vernon Reid (speaking of Vernon Reid! Kinda not that big on L. Color or even Yohimbe Bros but again need to check headphones. haven't heard Masque.) JOhn Mclauglin's DEVOTION with Buddy Miles and Larry Young. Larry also played with Jimi and MIles (as did Mcl, tho good luck finding boot-only with Jimi)and Larry and McL in great orig Tony Williams Lifetime.
-- Don Allred (dmxz...), August 24th, 2004 9:58 AM.
Uh you know that "vice.com" meant to be "villagevoice.com" and "James Blod Ulmer" is "James Blood Ulmer," right? Sorry. If you do care anything about the jazzier black rocking stuff, also check David Murray's SHAKILL'S WARRIOR (the first one; don't know how the second is), and James Carter's CHASING THE GYPSY. The Funky Delicacies label has a lot of kinda pyschedelicized, garage soul, and others tuff on collections like FUNKY FUNKY CHICAGO, FUNKY FUNKY DETROIT, and some other FUNKY FUNKYs I haven't heard. The affiliated Soul-Tay-Shus label has the Masters of Soul's RIGHT ON! more variety incl. mind-bloers (Masters a group, though, if you get tired of comps). Also in there is Ike Turner's HIS WOMAN, HER MAN, "Unreleased Funk/Rock 1970-1973," vol. 3 of The Ike Turner Diaries. Don't know how prev. volumes are, but this one's got him experimenting with Arp synthesizers added to what he and Tina had been doing, raw as hell, in good and bad ways (demos). Some of it's damn good though. Try tuffcity.com for all these
-- Allred (dmxz...), August 24th, 2004 11:45 AM.
Lotta god wahhhhhhhhhhhh on the Meters' CABBAGE ALLEY too, though ahcid it ahnt. Chuck, the CD sounds a lot better, or less primitive, than the normal-bias tape of the already-15-year-old LP, which I sent you abck in '87.
-- Don (dddxx...), August 24th, 2004 2:41 PM.
Dalek is kind of dub metal at times. Larry Coryell did do some very rowdy jazz-rock raveups with black music elements, provided in large part by actual black people, in Eleventh House and some other bands before and after. Joe Beck played with Esther Phillips, but before that alnum, she did PERFORMANCE, with Jon Sholle and another guy, who also played for Motown, and they did foreboding funk with metallic tendrils of bass and slide, weird tonality in the EQ too, like on "I Feel The Same," and "Disposable Society." But they didn't do that kind of thing on all the tracks. Etta James did that one (self-titled?) with "All The Way Down," that makes Mick Jagger "seem like" apussy in comparison, and her cover of Randy Newman's "God's Song" makes "black metal" of the Nordic persuasion "seem like" a pussy. Not a literal pussy, for that would be more than okay of course.
-- Don (dmxz...), August 24th, 2004 5:00 PM.
Flatlanders:MORE A LEGEND THAN A BAND (later attempts, as Flatlanders, not so hot, but try Butch Hancock's own collections of his solo work, Joe Ely's LIVE SHOTS, Jimmie Dale Gilmore's SPIINING AROUND THE SUN, his ex-wife Jo Carol Pierce's BAD GIRLS UPSET BY THE TRUTH ["the Laurie Anderson of Texas," some call her, but no synth: all this is more words, tunes, singing, than effects, although there are some of those too, esp. Flatlander's musical saw, SPINNING's setting) Holy Modal Rounders, who used the word "psychedelic" in a too-hillbilly-for-folk song in '62: try holymodalrounders.com and allmusic (via bn.com is the way I usually hit allmusic; lots faster on bn). Good roundup of Rounders and their buddies Michael Hurley and J.Fredericks on HAVE MOICY. No orkystraws, tho'. Bill Frisell's guitar instrumentals have often seemed like modern jazz-country chamber music last few years, but I haven't heard a whole album. Emmy Lou Harris's WRECKING BALL, one of Daniel Lanois's better productions, is worth checking, re the chamber Americana, all dressed in black (denim), ditto ones she's done since. Bob Dylan's OH MERCY, also (I think, but some say "producer's record," like Dan'l took over, anyway it's good). Dyl's BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME, HIGHWAY 61, BLONDE ON BLONDE got their country aspects, working well with otherness.
-- Don A (dmxz...), October 4th, 2004 6:48 PM.
― team jaxon (jaxon), Thursday, 2 March 2006 22:43 (eighteen years ago) link
sixteen years pass...