awesome. i love drag city these days, more than ever.
― one dis leads to another (ian), Friday, 10 February 2012 17:16 (twelve years ago) link
ha, just came to post about that. was frantically searching for live bootlegs of sandy and saw thishttp://www.dragcity.com/system/uploads/files/273/news.jpgcan't wait! been reading chronic city finally, sandy bull content is an interesting detail.
― tylerw, Thursday, 1 March 2012 22:40 (twelve years ago) link
very cool! i was just watching that clip on your blog!
― nerve_pylon, Thursday, 1 March 2012 22:42 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, i'd like to see that whole doc, even tho it seems like it might be a lot of talking head action. are there interviews with sandy in it? or is it just wavy gravy.
― tylerw, Thursday, 1 March 2012 22:43 (twelve years ago) link
Sandy's daughter is a stone fox, btw.
― Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Monday, November 17, 2008 5:36 PM (1 year ago)
― ian, Tuesday, November 24, 2009 12:31 AM (2 years ago)
― the late great, Thursday, 1 March 2012 23:16 (twelve years ago) link
ha, is she? good genes i guess. think this was the cover of teenbeat at some point. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/49/126545147_c51530fd09.jpg
― tylerw, Thursday, 1 March 2012 23:19 (twelve years ago) link
here's an mp3 from the drag city thang. sounds pretty rad, actuallyhttp://www.dragcity.com/system/tracks/downloads/5358/original/1-01_Oud_Edit_.mp3
― tylerw, Friday, 2 March 2012 16:31 (twelve years ago) link
listening to e pluribus unum right now, so classic. sandy bull rules.
― tylerw, Friday, 2 March 2012 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
sooo this new live thing RULES. seriously great stuff, sandy jamming with a drum machine. much better than that matrix show released a few years back (which has its moments but is also a mess). even the groovy tune sandy sings on is nice, shoulda been a hit!
― tylerw, Tuesday, 6 March 2012 23:51 (twelve years ago) link
should i start a thread on cosmic americana music? or is there already one?
― moonship journey to baja, Monday, June 29, 2009 1:05 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
where we talk about stuff that sounds like his version of "memphis, tn"?
― moonship journey to baja, Monday, June 29, 2009 1:06 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah start one so I can talk about Fahey's "Fare Forward Voyagers"
― sleeve, Monday, June 29, 2009
just by chance, i happened to pick up Inventions and Fare Forward Voyagers at the same time, just the other day! i haven't put anything else on the turntable since, i'm obsessed. i didn't know anything about sandy bull, tbh. barely recognized his name. whatever genre he might sort of fit into - cosmic americana? - is part of yet another giant gap in my musical knowledge. i just saw the Vanguard <Stereolab> logo, a rad looking fuzzed out dude with a squirrel on his head on the back, billy higgins (fuck YEAH) on drums, and decided to go for it. "Blend II" is something else, but his take on "Memphis, Tennessee" is the one that blows me away. Higgins is on the drums, of course, but otherwise it's just Bull accompanying himself. He recorded the underlying bass and rhythm guitar parts and then overdubs a smokey psych guitar lead in and around the simple vamps. the result reminds me of the vibe of Mulatu Astatke's recording of "Tezeta (Nostalgia)".
anyway, as part of my continued effort to slow the fuck down, i'm resisting the urge to check out his other stuff, at least for a while. Inventions is robust enough to reward dozens of listens, and that's enough for now.
― Z S, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:22 (eleven years ago) link
i mean how can you pass this up
http://i47.tinypic.com/2m5igzb.jpg
― Z S, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:28 (eleven years ago) link
he's the best! definitely times where i want to listen to sandy bull and sandy bull only. will reiterate my endorsement of that live record put out last year, it is killer.
― tylerw, Monday, 14 January 2013 16:30 (eleven years ago) link
xpost threads about cosmic American music? Ah, yeah! You might wanta start with these--sorry if links don't work
Takoma's one-offs and obscurities (started by JacobSanders on board I Love Music on Jun 15, 2011)
Laser Pace - Granfalloon (Takoma - 1974) Wow! (started by scott seward on board I Love Music on Nov 6, 2007)
Revolt of the ILX Brigade: New Post-Fahey Folk For PPL that post in the Takoma & Tompkin's Square Threads (started by Andrew WKRP (upper mississippi sh@kedown) on board I Love Music on
― dow, Monday, 14 January 2013 17:04 (eleven years ago) link
which bach bouree opens the live at the matrix album? anybody know?
― Crackle Box, Thursday, 17 January 2013 10:55 (eleven years ago) link
After thorough listening and consideration, I am prepared to pronounce "Demolition Derby" his finest moment.
― ian, Monday, November 17, 2008 12:18 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
cool! just found this record (sans cover) for $5. sounds dope.
― mizzell, Sunday, 20 April 2014 21:45 (nine years ago) link
I was listening to E Pluribus Unum yesterday, and I am prepared to pronounce it his finest moment.
― tylerw, Monday, 21 April 2014 17:23 (nine years ago) link
listened to the live valentines day thing today - some of it is a mess, but some of it is so good. the electric blends = c o s m i c
― tylerw, Friday, 30 January 2015 18:19 (nine years ago) link
definitely times where i want to listen to sandy bull and sandy bull only.
Tonight was one of those times for me. I put the "Reinventions" comp on (from Spotify), and when "Blend" got going my wife was like, this is amazing, who IS this? Guy was great.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 11 February 2018 04:46 (six years ago) link
inventions was the first sandy bull i heard, and it still remains my go-to for him. the 20 minutes of "blend" fly by, every single time, and his "memphis, tn" somehow sounds appropriate in just about any listening situtation.
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 11 February 2018 05:20 (six years ago) link
actually...the "blend" i know is "blend II" from inventions. i'm not sure i've heard the "blend" on the comp! i'll check it out, stat
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 11 February 2018 05:21 (six years ago) link
He was somewhat prominent in the recent Jann Wenner biography--Wenner listened to his music a lot before Rolling Stone was launched, and Wenner's wife Jane had a long involvement with him. Got me to download "Blend," which is nice.
― clemenza, Sunday, 11 February 2018 15:33 (six years ago) link
"coming together (a song of peace)" is ultimate stoner feel-good hippy protest jam.
― ian, Sunday, June 28, 2009 11:46 PM (eight years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― budo jeru, Sunday, 11 February 2018 22:01 (six years ago) link
Does anyone rate his later records, specifically 1991's Vehicles? I ask because this clip from around the time period (and similarly accompanied by Aiyb Dieng) is amazing, and there's a radio show from around this time floating around too that is really good
And I guess KC's documentary about her dad never did get a wide theatrical (or DVD) release, huh? Would love to see it.
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 11 April 2018 21:38 (five years ago) link
i just realized it's dennis charles -- the free jazz drummer who played with cecil taylor in the late 1950s and early '60s -- who's playing percussion on the LP "demolition derby"
what's more, if you look at rick lopez's william parker sessionography, you'll find there's an alleged recording floating around out there which features parker, sandy bull, don cherry, along with ed blackwell AND roger blank.
so that's a total of four (4) legendary free jazz drummers to collaborate with sandy bull, that i know of (including billy higgins on the "fantasias" LP, which gets plenty of mentions upthread).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo-p1oKoNPs
― budo jeru, Tuesday, 15 March 2022 19:30 (two years ago) link
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, April 11, 2018 2:38 PM (three years ago
i could ask her about it if you are sincerely curious.
― sarahell, Tuesday, 15 March 2022 19:41 (two years ago) link
okay i need to post one more thing, this was recommended to me by youtube after searching various SB things: his 1992 album, "vehicles"
fuck it's good! just give it a minute until the steel guitar comes in ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSesUxCgqjY
― budo jeru, Tuesday, 15 March 2022 19:42 (two years ago) link
― sarahell, Tuesday, March 15, 2022 3:41 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink
Of course! That would be great. I was just wondering what became of it. I'm pretty burned out on music docs in general but I feel like Sandy's is probably a story that actually deserves one
― Paul Ponzi, Tuesday, 15 March 2022 21:41 (two years ago) link
it's only a 40- or 50-min movie anyway, from what i can gather online
― budo jeru, Tuesday, 15 March 2022 23:09 (two years ago) link
Looks like KC Bull posted the documentary on Youtube last year -- missed it til just now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7nSx1oJySQ
― city worker, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 16:52 (three months ago) link
Seconding the praise for Memphis, Tennessee. Wish he'd done more in that vein.
― glumdalclitch, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 16:59 (three months ago) link
thx for the heads up on the doc — been wanting to see that!
― tylerw, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 17:02 (three months ago) link
hell yeah - i will be watching that soon, thanks
― z_tbd, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 17:15 (three months ago) link
thanks for sharing
― budo jeru, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 17:39 (three months ago) link
Anyone heard this recently released live album?https://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/bull-sandy-live-in-san-francisco-late-1969-lp/TDP.54111LP.html
I’ve pretty much given up on Drag City repressing the rhythm ace record
― mizzell, Wednesday, 6 December 2023 03:11 (three months ago) link
curious about that SF 69 thing ... but I can't find any info about it (other than the descrip on the FE page and elsewhere). seems like it'd be at least a slightly bigger deal.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 6 December 2023 16:00 (three months ago) link
biggest surprise of the Jann Wenner bio was Sandy Bull playing such a prominent role being Jane Wenner's longtime romantic partner, even while she was married to Jann. also didn't know he was such a bad junkie.
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 6 December 2023 16:06 (three months ago) link
just when you think sandy can't be any cooler, he cucks jann wenner
and yeah, he was, uh, a committed heroin user for a long time, i think.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 6 December 2023 16:58 (three months ago) link
but I can't find any info about it (other than the descrip on the FE page and elsewhere). seems like it'd be at least a slightly bigger deal.
idk, is it a bootleg label? the cover photo, pretty clearly from the 80s, doesn't inspire much confidence.
― mizzell, Wednesday, 6 December 2023 18:05 (three months ago) link
Trading Places appears to be a Radation sublabel, which afaik is legit
https://www.discogs.com/label/1624893-Trading-Places
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 6 December 2023 18:07 (three months ago) link
from Discogs comments:
For those concerned with questions of legitimacy, Trading Places appears to license many of their releases from Cherry Red, who does factually maintain rights to the several releases I checked. Cherry Red / Esoteric Recordings is fully legitimate, and if they grant the license then the releases are legitimate. One may contact Cherry Red to confirm this for themselves. Every Trading Places release I've viewed has some form of licensing claim, whether from Cherry Red or other parties related to the respective release. This does not mean they are legitimate, but are at the very least researching rights holders.
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 6 December 2023 18:08 (three months ago) link
what an amazing doc that was, and so real. loved it.
― budo jeru, Thursday, 7 December 2023 05:26 (three months ago) link