posted 6/27/2007 5:34:33 PM

New Releases 6/7

by stormchild

Greetings all - we are very pleased to bring you a diverse selection of new titles to ease your way from Spring into Summer. A bit of UK folk, some Soul/Jazz, some classic Hardcore Punk, some spacey lounge oddities, a bit of Proto-Punk and some wonderfully psychedelic pop songs just to bring it all back home. So whatever your fancy when it comes to rare, undiscovered or under-appreciated gems we've probably got just the thing you didn't know you were looking for...

First up, we have Oneness of Juju's second (and yes, classic) album, "Space Jungle Luv". Released in 1976 (one year after the acclaimed "African Rhythms"), the album is a mixture of Soul, Free Jazz & Funk. Led by legendary saxophonist, J. Plunky Branch, the Space Jungle Luv set is a more atmospheric affair than the aforementioned African Rhythms and has the band venturing into more R&B infused jams while also adding vocalist Jacqueline Holman (aka Lady Eka-Ete).

Next up we have the space lounge oddities of one Attileo "Art" Mineo. "Man In Space With Sounds" is one of those legendary LPs many have heard about but few have ever actually heard or seen. A rare souvenir of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, this music served as the soundtrack to a ride called the Bubbleator, which transported fair visitors through an overview of the future, a technological utopia where science and space travel promised solutions to all of humanity's plights. Needless to say, that future never arrived and this music (actually recorded in the early 1950s) still sounds as futuristic today as it must have back then. This release has two different versions of the original album, one with sprightly introductory voice-overs for each song, and the other solely instrumental. The all-original compositions fall somewhere between nervous Philip Glass and 1950s sci-fi movie music, arranged with string orchestra in a sometimes rhythmic, polyrhythmic, or merely ambient cloud of odd electronic space noises. A unique document of this under appreciated composer and arranger.

We're gonna go back in time when a hairy young Briton was sleeping off a hangover called the 60's, a time unsure of directon for the coming decade. With it's stash all spent a generation was resting it's head, but not everyone had gone to bed. Three wild kids have stayed up to smash all the rules and rock-out. Deep underground could be heard a rumble - the Proto-punk throb of Crushed Butler. Playing prestigious gigs with the likes of Atomic Rooster, Third World War, Mott The Hoople, Osibisa and Kevin Ayers; Crushed Butler routinely blew the headlining act off the stage with their ferocious brand of hooligan rock and were described by one contemporary reviewer as being "three ugly, heavy musicians, making music to match. Often referred to as the first British Punk band 'Uncrushed' is a collection of recordings from their brief existance from 1969-71.

You may remember our release of Wizz Jone's essential album 'The Legendary Me' from a few months back. Well here is a second installment of Folk jams from the UK guitarist/singer, Lazy Farmer. This 1975 ultra-rarity was originally released only in Germany. Featuring guitar legend Wizz Jones as well as ex-COB member John Bidwell and multi-instrumentalist Jake Walton, it's a haunting collection of beautifully-arranged folk standards, along with a handful of glorious cover versions. This reissue has been produced with the full collaboration of the band - and, as originals are now highly sought-after, it's a chance to hear the album without paying hundreds of dollars! Comprehensive liner notes are available with the full album download.

Way ahead of its time, the Free Spirits' radical 1967 album has been a missing link in the combination of Rock & Jazz until fairly recently. Featuring the young Larry Coryell, who made his recording debut here, the band was only together briefly but dazzled all who heard them (including Jimi Hendrix, the Doors and the Velvet Underground) with their revolutionary brand of psychedelic jazz-rock. Produced with the band's full involvement, this package comes complete with a rare non-LP bonus track, previously unseen photos and detailed liner notes by Richie Unterberger available with full album download.

In the last newsletter, we mentioned a new collaboration with New Jersey Hardcore label Mad At The World records. The first in a set of releases with them is the classic sole EP by the enigmatic Queens band Urban Waste. Roger of Agnostic Front has said "they're the band that got me into hardcore!" Urban Waste was part of the New York renaissance of hardcore punk in the early 1980's. Much more raw, visceral, and overtly confrontational than their New York punk predecessors, these boys were contemporaries to Reagan Youth (bass player Andy Apathy was an early member), the earliest incarnation of the Beastie Boys, and the Bad Brains. This is a re-issue of the sole EP by one of the most sought after and enigmatic bands from the earliest days of New York hardcore.

Another early Hardcore classic from our friends at Mad At The World Records, The Nihilistics self titled debut album was originally released in 1983 and has never been available in any digital format before. The Nihilistics hailed from Long Island, but gigged around Manhatten in clubs like A7, CBGB's and the Mudd Club, and appeared on the legendary New York Thrash compilation with THE BEASTIE BOYS, THE MAD, and THE BAD BRAINS. Through their wild live shows, they developed a reputation as one of the most damaged and misanthropic bands in New York City.

Recorded in 1977 as a set of demos and never properly released at the time, J. Rider was Anonymous main man Ron Matelic's post Anonymous Band formed mainly to perform his songs live. They made one set of recordings appropriately titled 'No Longer Anonymous' which untill fairly recently sat quietly in his vaults and became the stuff of legends. While J. Rider uses a similar blend of upbeat westcoast style rock to his previous project 'No Longer Anonymous' differs mainly in the production style which is a slicker, more refined take on the bands sound, but still remains an essential piece. Frontman and chief songwriter, Ron Matelic, is still at the top of his game, delivering excellent songwriting in the vein of The Byrds and CSNY.

And here's a brief update on what you can expect in the near future:

We've got some amazing Turkish Psych from Ayet Aydin's grup Bunalim. You may have gotten a taste of these guys from the recent Shadoks CD reissue, but here we're making it available digitally for the first time. Since Bunalim only released a handful of singles, this release was extremely welcome. Hailed as one of the great Turkish acts of it's time, members of the band went on to work with luminaries such as Erkin Koray, Mogollar, Ter & Edip Akbayram. Great stuff!

We'll also be offering up a round of releases from the legendary Finnish label, Love Records. There will be five total - Mummi Kutoo, Wigwam's "Being", Piirpauke 2, Pekka Pohjola's "Pihkasilmä Kaamakorva" & Jukka Tolonen's "Tolonen!" - say that five times fast! We'll have more info on all of these great records in the next newsletter.

Please stay tuned for more news, and as always, thank you for your support.

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