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Circle - Forest (2006)



Przedstawiam kolejną bardzo interesującą grupę - Circle - tym razem z chłodnej Finlandii. Mam jednak pewien dylemat - grupa ma spory dorobek płytowy - po przesłuchaniu którego bardzo trudno zdefiniować styl zespołu. W zasadzie każda płyta zawiera inną muzykę - od niezjadliwej i mdłej elektroniki po dziki psychodeliczo-kakafoniczny chaos. Pewne jest jedno - grupa moim zdaniem należy do najciekawszych zjawisk na scenie undergroundowej. Proszę na przykład zwrócić uwagę na wybitne indywiduum jakim jest wokalista. Ja - choć nie wiem czego spodziewać się po kolejnych płytach - jestem absolutnym fanem grupy. Wybrałem chyba jedną z najciekawszych płyt - "Forest", w której ewidentnie słychać wpływ jaki wywarł na muzyce Circle krautrock i grupy takie jak Can czy Neu.



Circle are probably the most well known band of the Finnish underground music scene. Formed in 1991 in Pori, the band started as a 3 piece making aggressive music with influences from Spacemen 3, Loop and grunge bands. The members that started it all were Jussi Lehtisalo (guitars), Juha Ahtiainen (drums) and Marko Taipale (bass). With the first line-up they only managed to make one EP, "DNA/Independence" and then Marko left the band and was replaced by Mauri Päivistö. After releasing another EP, "Point", in 1993 we saw the addition of a second guitarist, Teemu Elo, and released yet another EP, "Silver". The line-up in 1993-1994 (along with keyboardist Petri Hagner and lighting technician Juha-Pekka Hietaniemi) was considered the "legendary line-up". They released their first studio albums, "Meronia" and "Zopalki" under this line-up and they even invented a language like Magma called "Meronian". The live shows with this line-up were something like "psychedelic black masses". They often played with weird outfits or no outfits at all, fluorescent body paintings, strobes, police-car emergency lights and alot of blood (either fake or real). Things were getting a bit out of hand, but luckily it all stopped after the release of their third album.

When recording "Zopalki" guitarist Jussi Lehtisalo was getting more and more interested in the Krautrock scene and in their third studio album, "Hissi", Circle pursued that musical direction. This new sound is heavily influenced by bands like Can and Neu! with its repetitive and motorik way of playing that will become Circle's trademark sound. They also added another drummer to the band, Janne Peltomäki. Some of the band members didn't particularly liked the direction the band was taking and they left to pursue their own musical adventure. Ahtiainen, Hagner and former soundman Jussi Saivo left to form Ovalki.

With a new line-up also came a new musical ideas. With Harrivaara on bass, Niemelä on keyboard and Raitio on percussions they released the less electronic follow-up to Hissi, "Franten", the sophisticated, diverse and trippier concept album, "Pori", and the more aggressive and slightly more prog oriented "Andexelt".

With the release of "Prospekt" we see the band expanding even more with the addition of Mika Rättö, Jyrki Laiho, Pika Kontkanen and Tomi Leppänen. (Most of these new members were already collaborating with the band years ago). Jussi Lehtisalo also switched the guitar for a bass and has been the bass player of the band ever since. (After this release keeping track of the band's line-up has become a bit of a trouble since there's very scarce information, but the only permanent member is the brains behind the band, Jussi Lehtisalo).

After the bombastic progressive rock of Prospekt, Circle started to dive more and more into Krautrock with releases like "Taantumus", "Guillotine", "Alotus" and also in a folksier side of Krautrock with "Empire" and "Forest". They also delved into heavier territories at the same time as those releases with "Sunrise", "Tulikoira" and "Tyrant" being influenced by 80's heavy metal while still having its Circle sound. Those albums were labeled as NWOFHM (New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal). Live albums also saw the light around the same time with "Arkades", "Raunio" and "Mountain".



By the end of 2006 and with the release of "Miljard" Circle labeled themselves as the "NWONWOFHM" (the New Wave Of the New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal). The strange thing is that this NWONWOFHM doesn't have any metal at all. The next album labeled like that was "Tower" and while being musically different from Miljard it still didn't had any metal whatsoever. Since those releases Circle has been evading expectations and confusing fans after each consecutive release. "Panic" was labeled "Finland Speed-Kraut Pioneers" and the album after that "60's Black Metal".

Circle has secure their place as one of the best modern Spacer Rock / Krautrock exponents in recent years and now with every new release they're setting a goal for one of the best modern Experimental Rock bands in recent years. With such a varied discography and eclectic style, adventurous music fans will certainly enjoy this band. - Ruben Dario (Chamberry)



Oh yeah this is the Circle we like – full on psyche rock insanity! There must be something in the water over there in Finland, and I’m guessing it’s hallucinogenic, there’s just something so unashamedly odd about the music that emanates from those chilly shores. Do I even have to mention Lordi? Who else would have the guts to enter something so purposefully bombastic and hilarious into the poorest music competition in the world? Exactly… the Finns – they’re sitting their with their Nokia and their roasted Rudolph and they’re laughing at us! Still, we lap it up – and ‘Forest’ is no exception; a 4 track 45 minute monsterpiece, it loses Circle’s doomy retro metal leanings and swaps it for prog-folk… or something. There’s synth, there’s wailing, there’s probably a concept in there somewhere about goblins, mountains and elves… it’s all there and if anyone can do it, Circle can. The first track is a pulsing tribal jam, probably best compared to Sunburned Hand of the Man – drones and shaken bones which eventually erupt with synth stabs and Finnish vocal chants until you’re left with something closer to Rick Wakeman than maybe you’d think is possible within the realm of good taste. The second quarter of the album somehow brings to mind visions of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom… you know what I’m talking about, don’t pretend you don’t, and as we draw to a close on the final piece we have Circle at their most prog – driving rhythmic guitars and synths getting fuller and fuller until… until the 16 minutes is over and all we’re left with is creaking drones and empty space. Frightning, rousing and totally psychedelic, Circle have what it takes to throw your mind into another place entirely, thanks guys.

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Aqua Nebula Oscillator - Under The Moon Of (2008)



Taki tam zespolik. Można sobie ewentualnie posłuchać. Płytę przedstawiam z czystego obowiązku - co nowego we współczesnej psychedelii. Przyokazji tej płyty po raz kolejny nie mogę wyjść z podziwu dla krytyków muzycznych, którzy wygłaszają jakieś peany po adresem np. tej grupy, a w gruncie rzeczy chodzi tylko o to by wycisnąć jak najwięcej kasy.

***

"Shamans of all countries, unite! Aqua Nebula Oscillator is among you..."

"Aqua Nebula Oscillator is not a new band. Well, not really a new band.... There‘s already some kind of story, even of legend around them. A legend that begins in London, at the end of the previous millennium, when David Spher’Os bets on digging up the dark side of psychedelia. But closer to the Seeds than to the Beatles...

Step by step, by haunting the right catacombs, Aqua Nebula Oscillator finally made the right encounters, in particular the 2 following characters. The first is Juan Trip, an atypical musician and video maker, who was the drummer of the band before becoming the producer of the record Under The Moon of... The second being Romain Turzi, who signed the band to his label “Pan European Recording” in 2007 and published their first eponymous album immediately afterwards.



Since, the composition of the band did fluctuate. It took some time to David Spher’Os (fuzz guitar, organ, cithara, vocals) to meet the creatures of darkness that surround him today: Shazzula (vocals and oscillations), latex princess with a poisonous look, Vince Posadzki, tribal rhythms drummer that take the audience into an immediate state of trance, and, at last, Simon, a fuzzy bassist who plays lead permanently, in the great tradition of Lemmy Kilmister during Hawkwind period.

Under The Moon of... is nothing but a confirmation. The promises of the first album (out only six month before) have been kept. More than ever under the influences of MC5, Sun Ra, Hawkwind, and Silver Apples, Aqua Nebula Oscillator got locked up with Juan Trip to produce 50 minuts and 54 seconds of pure punkadelika. A music that recalls Theodore Sturgeon’s Cosmic Rape, the unlikely encounter of an extraterrestrial force and a human intelligence. Under The Moon of... lays the foundations of a sci-fi heavy metal music. A guilty but fascinating mating.

The music is furious, urgent and captured live in some improbable places, which let you think that no need of luxurious and sanitized recording studios when a band a has got that sound... Just listen to these mystical pearls, like Can you see or Beware.

Under The Moon of... is a blatant evidence of the vitality of this psychedelic renewal that no official medium had forecast. A bloody theater filling the concert halls (Aqua Nebula’s battlefield, of course) and that benefits from a (Pan) European audience hungry for ultimate experiments. Constantly oscillating between Hammer’s and Roger Corman’s films, between gothic aesthetic and US garage efficiency, Under The Moon of..., Aqua Nebula Oscillator’s last album is about to take possession of your decks and won’t let you walk away. Though, Bela Lugosi, the most famous of the undeads, had warned you: «Beware! Beware! They Came For Your Children!». In a word, you’re fucked up!" Pierre Mikailoff (HANK)

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Faust & Nurse With Wound - Disconnected (2008)



Wydawać by się mogło, że to niecodzienna kolaboracja. Jednak ci, którzy dobrze znają muzyczne gusta Stevena Stapletona (Nurse With Wound), wiedzą, że nie ma w tym nic niezwykłego. Wszak artysta nie od dziś zafascynowany jest krautrockiem, posiada też imponującą kolekcję płyt dokumentujących to osobliwe zjawisko. Powyższy album nagrany z jedną z legend nurtu, grupą Faust, wypada dość standardowo jak na radykalne eksperymenty obu formacji. Transowy, niemal plemienny rytm, do tego pulsujące, psychodeliczne tło. Co i raz wtrącają się charakterystyczne dla NWW surrealistyczne kolaże, jak np. w blisko 15- minutowym utworze „Tu M’Entends?”, w którym melodia zaczyna się nagle wyginać jak sprężyna. Całość ma psychodeliczny klimat, bez zbytnich ekstrawagancji brzmieniowych, co pozwala na relaksacyjną wręcz kontemplację tej muzyki. (Robert Moczydłowski)

***

"Considering the massive influence Faust have had on Nurse With Wound (with Stapleton as a young man famously travelling to the group's headquarters at Wumme only to find Faust were off on tour), it is nearly asking for either an anticlimax or a masterpiece yet it is neither. Yes, there are moments of absolute sonic majesty; the hypnotic, motorik rhythms of "Lass Mich" being blended into smoky ambiences is a stunning start to the album. This was the kind of magic I was hoping for. Yet from here on the album never returns to the sense of urgency and power of the opening song. This is not a problem or a major criticism but after getting so pumped and then left to stagger through the rest of the album wondering "Where has all the muscle gone?" is a bewildering experience. However, after a few listens I settled back in and the other three tracks reveal their own charming characters.

There are times when the music is unmistakably Stapleton and Potter—the time stretched vocals and ethereal drones of the title track being obvious hallmarks of Nurse With Wound—but it would be fallacious to suggest that they are the main drive behind the sound. Faust (in this case consisting of Jean-Herve Peron, Zappi Diermaier and Amaury Cambuzat) bring an awful lot to the table, some of the material here sounds like it could have come from the classic recording sessions at Wumme, the band sounding as vibrant now as in their youth. Diermaier's percussion (when it is not obscured under layers of post-production transformations) is full of raw energy but is as precise as a surgeon. Peron's bass on "It Will Take Time" is a simple two-note refrain but resonates like the hull of a ship hit with a very large hammer.

The symbiosis between the two groups comes naturally, although with all the studio trickery it is hard to tell where one band begins and the other ends. However, the studio trickery on offer is a bit old hat for anyone who is familiar with either group's repertoire. Granted it all sounds brilliant but at times I feel like there should be some sonic epiphany that lives up to the legend of both sets of artists. That being said, any Nurse With Wound fans who have not ventured out into the world of Faust should be inspired by this to go out and explore the jaw dropping back catalogue amassed by the group. Equally, I can only hope that curious Faust fans will pick up on Steven Stapleton's work on the strength of Disconnected and see where Faust might have gone if they did not lose their access to Polydor's generous chequebook. Of course, fans of both will probably spend hours wondering where to shelve the album.

Disconnected may not be a Faust Tapes or a Soliloquy for Lilith for the 21st century but at the very least it answers a big "what if" question. Its best moments shine brightly and at worst it is not a million miles away from some of Nurse With Wound's more recent output (and really that is not a bad place to be at all). Hopefully this will mark just the beginning of a long lasting working relationship between the various parties, more live shows and further studio experiments are, needless to say, welcome." -- Brainwashed

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Serge Gainsbourg - Les Années Psychédéliques: 1966 - 1971



Rzucam palenie co 5 minut. Piję i palę.
Alkohol konserwuje owoce, ogień konserwuje mięso
- Serge Gaisnbourg

Serge Gainsbourg, właściwie Lucien Ginsburg (ur. 2 kwietnia 1928 w Paryżu, zm. 2 marca 1991 w Paryżu) – francuski kompozytor, piosenkarz, aktor, scenarzysta i reżyser. Przyszedł na świat wraz z siostrą bliźniaczką Liliane jako syn Żydów Olgi i muzyka Josepha Ginsburgów, którzy w 1917 roku wyjechali z Rosji po rewolucji październikowej. Miał starszą siostrę Jacqueline i starszego brata, który zmarł jako dziecko. Na okres jego dzieciństwa przypadła hitlerowska okupacja Francji, w czasie której rodzina musiała się ukrywać.

Serge Gainsbourg zaczynał swoją artystyczną drogę od fortepianowych występów w paryskich barach. Już tam szerzył rewolucję seksualną, inspirując się muzyką Fryderyka Chopina. Jak na seksualnego rewolucjonistę przystało, Serge Gainsbourg miał cztery żony. Pierwszą była Elizabeth Levitzky, z którą rozwiódł się w 1957 r. Drugą żoną Serge’a była Francoise Pancrazzi, matka Natachy i Paula. W 1968 r. ożenił się z trzecią wybranką serca – angielską aktorką – Jane Birkin. Owocem ich ponad dziesięcioletniej miłości jest aktorka i modelka – Charlotte Lucy, znana z takich filmów, jak „Lemming” czy „Jak we śnie”.Czwartą żoną jednego z najbardziej znanych kochanków powojennej Francji była Bambou, z którą miał syna Lucienia. Spotykał się również Brigitte Bardot. Istnieje duże prawdopodobieństwo, że to nie jedyne kobiety Gainsbourga…

Mimo miłosnych podbojów, Jane Birkin zawsze twierdziła, że Serge był chorobliwie nieśmiały. Trudno w to uwierzyć, biorąc pod uwagę piosenkę, którą Serge stworzył w 1961. Piosenka „Je t’aime… moi non plus” wzbogacona została o symulacje odgłosów kobiecego orgazmu. Najbardziej znaną piosenkę Serge’a uznano za nieodpowiednią. W Hiszpanii, Jugosławii, Szwecji, a nawet w Wielkiej Brytanii zabroniono jej nadawania. Watykan uznał ją za przeklętą. Niedługo po premierze piosenki Serge i Jane uznani zostali za Yoko Ono i Johna Lennona Francji.



Serge Gainsbourg choć zajmował się różnymi dziedzinami sztuki, kojarzony jest głównie ze skandalem. Nawet niewinne teksty piosenek, pisane dla: Juliette Greco, Catherine Deneuve czy Vanessy Paradis miały podtekst seksualny. Utwór „Les Sucettes” był na przykład metaforą seksu oralnego, o czym jego wykonawczyni France Gall nie miała zielonego pojęcia. W popularnym talk-show, na oczach milionów widzów potrafił wypalić do Whitney Houston, że chciałby ją zerżnąć. Jego "Marsylianka" w stylu reggae wywołała oburzenie we francuskich kręgach konserwatywnych.

Występ w teledysku córki - Charlotte przynosiły kolejne dawki społecznego oburzenia. W 1984 r. nagrał teledysk „Cytrynowe kazirodztwo”, w którym jego 13-letnia córka ma jedynie bluzkę i majtki. Scena, w której Serge, ubrany w dżinsy staje naprzeciwko córki w rozkroku zszokował nawet Jane Birkin.

Wideoklip „Charlotte For Ever” choć nie pobił orgazmowego skandalu z lat sześćdziesiątych, wywołał sporo zamieszania. Na filmie widzimy wybiegającą z morza w kierunku ojca Charlotte. Ojciec i córka idą brzegiem niczym para kochanków. Ojciec dotyka jej twarzy… Teledysk otrzymał „łatkę” kazirodczego, dla młodej Charlotte, córki dwojga najbardziej znanych skandalistów we Francji, był to rodzaj pożegnania z dzieciństwem. Dorosła Charlotte o życiu swoich rodziców mówiła: Nie wiem co to skandal. Życie moich rodziców postrzegam jako normalne. Trzeba oddzielić życie od sztuki. Prawdę od kreacji. Wszystko, co jest związane z ojcem jest dla mnie bardzo intymne. Nie był skandalistą.

Serge Gaisnbourg zmarł na atak serca w 1991 r. Jego grób jest miejscem pielgrzymek, podobnie jak grób Jima Morrisona. Zdarza się, że jego wielbiciele zostawiają mu na cmentarzu ulubione papierosy – gitany. Prezydent Mitterand pożegnał go słowami: "Był naszym Boudelairem i Apollinairem". (pejada)


(music and words by S. Gainsbourg)

Les Annees Psychedeliques collects a variety of grooves from classic French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, charting "psychedelic" excursions from the heady years of 1966-71. Pulling together hard to find soundtrack work and more familiar material, the collection is a moody patchwork of theatrical pop and otherworldly, low-end freak-outs, all featuring the vivid arrangements of Monsieur Gainsbourg and frequent collaborators Michel Colombier and Jean-Claude Vannier. The psychedelic moniker, however, is not of the kitschy, disingenuous type or of the outdated hippie free-for-alls to which many people ascribe the term, but refers here to a tight yet expansive sound which swings between light-hearted, airy melodies and intensely passionate, sometimes dark and unsettled, musical expressions.

Familiar elements of psychedelia run throughout the disc: the frequent appearance of bright, funk-fused guitars and blown-out drum and bass swells, the Indian timbre of "New Delire" and "Psychastenie," the temperamental orchestral soul searching of the epic "Breakdown Suite." But with so much more substance than banal peace/love/acid stereotypes, the most pervasive element of the compositions is an atmosphere crafted alongside the two psychedelic stalwarts of the mid-'60s, the Beatles - especially circa Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour - and the matured and left field output of the Beach Boys. The variety of instrumentation and sound (check the in-your-face funk of the two closing tracks and compare that to "Bonnie and Clyde") is enough to make ones head spin in classic psychedelic fashion, while Gainsbourg's talent keeps things tight enough to keep the listener grounded in a highly engaging and enjoyable set of songs. Recommended for the unacquainted and the fanatics alike. [JW]

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The Misunderstood - The Lost Acetates (1965-1966)



The Misunderstood may just be the greatest lost band of the 1960s. They had the gifts, the creativity, the chemistry, the ambition, the drive—all the ingredients to make it, plus that extra indefinable 'magic' in their sound, which in its purest moments seemed tuned to a wonderful and strangely magnetic frequency. Torn apart by the Vietnam War draft the band was denied the breakthrough they deserved. Through reissues of tracks like "Children of the Sun" and "I Can Take You to the Sun" their name has become a legend with connoisseurs of sixties garage and psychedelia. The Lost Acetates features 14 mindblowing tracks recorded in Riverside, California and London, England in 1965-66, including the original demo versions of their classics “Children of the Sun,” “My Mind,” “Find The Hidden Door” and “I Unseen.” Lavishly packaged and lovingly remastered, the CD and LP contain some of the most exciting music they ever recorded, from raw, pounding garage blues to electrifying psychedelic rock.

Too little-known in their time to qualify as forgotten, the Misunderstood were, in all but riches and renown, the American Yardbirds: a panzer-garage quintet from Riverside, California, combining electric-blues lust with rave-up dementia and tight, flammable songwriting. After an early-’66 line-up change, the band boasted, in the country-raga invention and greased lightning of steel guitar prodigy Glenn Ross Campbell, its own Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page rolled into one.



The Misunderstood also had heavy patronage: Future BBC DJ John Peel caught the group at a shopping mall gig in San Bernardino, California (where he was a local Top 40 jock), and was instrumental in the group’s June ’66 move to London, where the Misunderstood made their few official singles and slowly fell apart.

These feral demos show why Peel went wild: singer Rick Brown’s deep, scarred bark, like Howlin’ Wolf swallowed whole by Eric Burdon; the searing psychedelic prophecy of Campbell’s pedal steel in the London audition takes of “My Mind” and “Children of the Sun.”

Two weeks after that September ’66 session, Jimi Hendrix arrived in the UK and became all the rage, the immigrant acid king. But the Misunderstood got there first. Hear the proof.---Rolling Stone, Sept. 2004

Tracklist:

1. She Got Me (version 2)
2. Don’t Break Me Down
3. Bury My Body
4. Why?
5. Got Love If You Want It
6. She Got Me (version 1)
7. End of Time
8. Thunder ‘n’ Lightnin’
9. I Unseen (version 1)
10. Who’s Been Talkin’?
11. My Mind
12. Find the Hidden Door
13. Children of the Sun
14. I Unseen (version 2)

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MU (1974)



MU to amerykańska grupa powstała w 1968 roku w Kalifornii. Założycielem zespołu był wokalista i gitarzysta Merrell Fankhauser grający poprzednio w Fapardokly i HMS Bounty. Do składu zwerbował gitarzystę Jeffa Cottona znanego ze składu Magick Band Captaina Beefhearta, basistę Larry'ego Willey'a i parkusistę Randy Wimera.

Nazwa grupy pochodzi od nazwy zaginionego kontynentu, którego obecnie jedyną ocalałą cześcią są Hawaje. Muzycy początkowo mieszkali na posiadałości Canoga Park w Kalifornii gdzie oddawali się medytacjom i kultywowali wegatarianizm. Tam też powstały pierwsze taśmy demo i materiał na debuitancką płytę, którą w 1971 roku wydała malutka wytwórnia RTV 300 wypuszczając bardzo ograniczony nakład. Po ukazaniu się tego wydawnictwa grupa w 1974 udała się w kierunku swojego legendarnego lądu i przeniosła się na Hawaje gdzie oddawałą się uciechom życia i jedzeniu ogromnej ilości bananów. Zarejestrowano też materiał na drugi longplay, a do zespołu przyłączyła się skrzypaczka Mary Lee. Niestety żadna wytwórnia nie była zainteresowana wydaniem tego matriału, który ujrzał światło dzienne dopiero w roku 1981 pod tytułem "The Last Album" wydany przez włoską wytwórnię Appaloosa. W między czasie grupa rozwiązałą się. Po rozpadzie Fankhauser zajął się karierą solową (współpracując m.in. z Mary Lee), Jeff Parker osiadł na Hawajach uprawiając orchidee, Randy Wimer pracował z trudną młodzieżą w Los Angeles.

Grupa grała bardzo ciekawą odmianę psychodelii połączoną z elementami folku, country i progressiv rocka.



Born December 23, 1943 in Louisville, KY; son of Reuben Fankhauser (a race car driver); married Josie c. 1965, separated c. 1976, childern: one son, Tim. Addresses: Ocean Records, P. O. Box 1504, Arroyo Grande, CA 93421.

Guitarist Merrell Fankhauser's career began in the early 1960s with the surf instrumental band, The Impacts. To the present day he has adapted to many of the trends in popular music along the way, each band making music of exemplary quality. Although Fankhauser has not enjoyed chart hits, he claimed that authorship of the rock standard "Wipe Out" was stolen from him and he finally won the publishing rights to it in the 1990s.

Fankhauser was born on December 23, 1943 in Louisville, Kentucky. His father played guitar and listened to country blues music. Merrell acquired a ukelele early in his teens. Around this time, his family moved to California, where young Fankhauser was intrigued by the rhythm and blues music he heard on the radio. He recalls, "I used to try to figure this stuff out on my ukelele and it was kind of interesting because there was no way you could get the same sound out of an electric or even acoustic 6-string guitar."

Soon Merrell acquired an acoustic, then an electric guitar. He and his school friend, Bill Dodd, won a local talent contest in 1960 and were invited to join the band The Impacts. After months of rehearsals, the band began playing around Pismo Beach, California. The band was one of the first bands to play upbeat, guitar-based instrumental music which would eventually become well known as "surf music."

The Impacts attracted the attention of a recording scout from Del-Fi Records in 1962. The band recorded its repertoire for the talent scout and was later surprised to see an Impacts album appear in stores. In early 1963, the band returned to the studio to record more songs, including a new arrangement of a song called "Wipe Out." After unknowingly signing away their royalties, the band members heard "Wipe Out" on the radio. Fankhauser recalled to Goldmine, though, "But when the announcer said it was The Surfaris, we all went, `Shit, they ripped us off!'"

Merrell left The Impacts in 1963 and got a job as an airport gas boy. While strumming guitar during a break, another employee introduced Fankhauser to his son, Jeff Cotton. Jeff was another young guitarist. The two got along well and formed a band, Merrell and The Exiles, with musicians who answered a newspaper ad. The Exiles were inspired by the recent British Invasion bands. The group attracted the attention of a local record producer who released an Exiles single on his own label. The record reached the top ten at a Palmdale, California radio station alongside records by The Beatles and Jan and Dean. The band recorded more singles and were becoming popular around Los Angeles. Fankhauser left The Exiles, however, when their agent sent them on tour near a logging camp in Oregon.

Through 1966, Fankhauser was recording with local musicians in southern California while looking for a record deal. The producer who released many of the Exiles' singles released an album of current Fankhauser tracks mixed with Exiles sides under the name Fapardokly, a name coined from the first syllables of Merrell's band members' names. Few copies were pressed, and it eventually became one of the most collectible rock albums.

Merrell Fankhauser's next band was closest to bringing him commercial success. H.M.S. Bounty formed in 1968 featuring dual lead guitars and three part vocal harmonies. Many of the songs incorporated mystical, psychedelic ideas but Fankhauser was also capable of writing more commercial material. The band was signed to Uni Records after Merrell auditioned for the label's president.

Opening with two straightforward pop songs, Things twists and turns through a survey of the hip sounds of 1968, from a mystical, sitar driven ballad to heavier rock numbers. Fankhauser's producers also released a solo single, a version of "Everybody's Talkin'," which alienated his bandmates. Later, Merrell found out that he'd signed away his songwriting royalties as well.

Upon the demise of H.M.S. Bounty, Fankhauser reunited with Cotton, who had been playing with Captain Beefheart, and two former members of the Exiles. The band played under different names until Fankhauser named it Mu, from a book he found called The Lost Continent of Mu , about an island that sank into the Pacific Ocean centuries ago. Fankhauser became fascinated with the mythology of this lost land and has been researching it extensively since. The influence of the book permeates Mu's lyrics, with many references to mysticism, soul searching, and an island paradise.



Mu is the maturation of Fankhauser's songwriting and bandleading talents. Mu developed an otherworldly avant-blues-rock sound, but with Fankhauser's keen command of melody and surf guitarist's penchant for pithiness, it is the most hummable progressive rock ever recorded. After releasing its first album in 1971, the bandmembers relocated to Maui, Hawaii. Mu settled into the island's laid back lifestyle, but Cotton and Wimer grew wary of the islands mythology which permeated the band's existence and quit.

Without a band, Fankhauser remained on the island throughout the seventies, recording with violinist Mary Lee as a duo. His 1976 solo album was too folky for the mainland music scene and he remained in Maui for the rest of the decade. In 1983, he met former Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cipollina; they collaborated on Doctor Fankhauser . Merrell was getting back into recording and touring when, during a 1987 concert he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had a heart attack on stage and was rushed to the hospital just in time. As his chances of recovery became slimmer, he repeated a Tibetan chant which improved his health.

During the 90s, Fankhauser has recorded with drummer Ed Cassidy from Spirit as well as three forthcoming albums continuing his fascination with the mythology of The Lost Continent of Mu , and an autobiographical disc, Psychedelic Dreams . Merrell Fankhauser has remained very resilient and optimistic despite the many obstacles he has encountered throughout his career. His albums, many of which have been reissued, are classic lost treasures of American rock. (Jim Powers)

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Chocolate Watchband - At The Love-In Live (2001)



I remember all the messages on the various e-mail lists about The Chocolate Watchband's performance at Cavestomp in 1999. Everybody was so knocked out that this band could just rise from the dead after more than thirty years and put on such an amazing show, and I was just so SO not surprised that I missed it. It seems to be my lot in life. Perfect irony on this one, too. When the Watchband sings "Are Ya Gonna Be There (At The Love In)" my answer is "probably not."

All is not lost. Somebody had the smarts to record and videotape it, and now here it is on ROIR Records, in great sound for a concert recording -- in fact, crank this thing up and get some serious chest thumps from the bass, like the good Lord intended -- and, best of all, offering proof of what everybody was saying... well, shouting, actually: The Chocolate Watchband was better than they'd ever been.

As you can guess from the above, the crowd is all the way in it from the start, and the band obviously senses it and feeds on it. You have to realize this band received one of the worst screwings in the history of rock and roll at the hands of their producer and label back in '66, and most of what we've heard was not at all like it sounded when they put it down in the studio. Which means this might be the one true Chocolate Watchband document. If that was the case with most bands 30-some years after the fact, it would be a disaster, but not in this case. I kid you not, this is a dynamic, exciting, explosive performance by a band that has more power than any group of people over 22 have any business having. It's in the delivery of front man Dave Aguilar, his voice still strong and, judging by the four kick ass videos included on the disc, the man commands the stage and captivates his audience. I'd like to have seen all of the available performance in those videos, but somebody thought it would be real artsy to obscure most of the screen with vintage photos of the band from time to time, sometimes in long barrages. Thanks, someone.



Aguilar is joined by fellow original Watchbands Bill Flores (bass) and Gary Andrijasevich (drums), and almost-original member Tim Abbott (guitar), along with guitarist Michael Reese, who replaces the deceased Sean Tolby. Also deceased is Ed Cobb, the producer who screwed the band so badly in what should have been their hour of triumph, releasing a debut album that sounded nothing like what they expected to hear. Aguilar actually pays tribute... sort of... to Cobb, noting his death just weeks before, pointing out that he was responsible for the good and bad things that happened to them, but that he wrote some great songs. Then he sang one, choosing "She Weaves A Tender Trap," definitely not a song I expected to hear him sing.



And that wasn't the only one. I didn't expect a cover of "I Just Wanna Make Love To You," which has been done to death to the point where I didn't think I ever wanted to hear it attempted again, is at once sultry and powerful, getting the message across in almost fatalistic tones, as if the whole thing is wrong but making love is inevitable. After all these years, after all that time and experience stolen from him, Aguilar proves he was just born with that unexplainable, unattainable "it."

Most people still don't even know who The Chocolate Watchband are. This CD leads me to believe that had they been handled correctly from the start, everybody would know, and Dave Aquilar would still be at it on a larger scale. Cavestompers always know what's really hip. Find out who they are and ask for lists of their record collections. Wise up. They all have this by now. (DJ Johnson)

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Korai Öröm (2005)



The new album was released in September 2005. The 2000 album was recorded and mixed in 3 days, 2001 in 3 weeks, the work on this one took 2 years. The first recordings started in the house of the drummer's grandmother. Since then she has passed, and on the place of her old house there is a new building now. The band moved to different places with its sound engineer Attila Drobek and his computer. The drums and the guitars were recorded also in different studios. Guests: Nevena and Vladislava are Bulgarian folk singers. They are familiar to the band through their work with Korai's keyboard player in the Bulgarian ethno-electronic project Trigrad. Veronika is a young Hungarian jazz singer. Szabolcs Toth, playing sitar on track 6, is an old friend. He studied sitar in India, later performed in numerous music projects. On the album there is video clip inspired by the old Czechoslovak 3-wheel car called Velorex, which you can see on the cover. A band's friend is a member of the Hungarian Velorex club, driving this unique antique piece everywhere he goes. The story of the clip is a kind of conquest: the band arrives in Hungary from Siberia, meets many strange things and then leaves it to Cyberia. As a result the 2005 album is the most well-done album of Korai Öröm, full of earth beat, humor and joy. -- Korai Öröm

Péter Szalai - Guitar
Gábor Szántó - Guitar
Miklós Paizs - Fuyara, Tilinkó, Jew's Harp, Trumpet, Whistle,
Throat Singing
Emil Biljarski - Keyboards
Tibor Vécsi - Vocals
Zoltán Kilián - Bass
Viktor Csányi - Drums
János Jócsik - Percussion
Zsolt Nádasdi - Percussion


It has been a long time since the mostly instrumental Hungarian band Korai Öröm has released a studio record. Burnt Hippie Recordings, in Denmark, released their last one, Sound And Vision 2002, on vinyl. This is the band's seventh studio effort since the debut cassette tape in 1993 (later released on CD) and shows the band with quite a new, maybe more mainstream sound at times, but very much the same cool Korai Sound. The band never have any song titles on their CDs, even though they have names for all the songs (otherwise you could never refer to or make a set list for a concert). So here are track 1, 2, 3, etc, up to 8. The sound is probably the best the band has ever had with the keyboards playing a more prominent role in the sound. The opening track is a very groovy song, almost jazzy in nature. The band features 9 musicians. The first two tracks feature a guest female vocalist. This is certainly some of the best stuff the band has made. The groove at the end of track 2 is totally killer and it is great the way it segues into track 3, which starts with some flute and a cool keyboard before the heavy guitar line and percussion kicks in. Track 4 begins very spaced out as all the instruments slowly filter into the sound. It is great to hear a lot more lead guitar work on this CD than the last few. Track 5 begins with a Jew's harp and an electronic drone and then some didgeridoo as well and is a sort of interlude track that leads into track 6, which is a very catchy track with an almost ska-like guitar. Track 7 is some sort of strange pop disco gypsy thing, which makes little sense. Track 8 features a sitar and some cool flute playing and an awesome track develops after the strange Hungarian vocals at the beginning. -- Scott Heller (Aural Innovations#32, Nov. 2005)


Their ability to fuse psychedelic rock, Eastern-European folk influences and shamanist tradition is stunning. The ingredients of this rich mixture are tribal percussion, pagan flutes, shamanist trance rock, ambient soundscapes, bizarre Hungarian voices harmonizing with burning guitar leads; it's all in there. The music of Korai Öröm is overwhelming, visionary and at the same time humane, natural, mindexpanding... real earth psychedelics. -- Crohinga Well (Belgium)


The group was formed in 1994. Their musical style is special and hard to describe, but surely will merit the attention of real music fans. It is essential for them to complement their music by using visual and special effects. They create their unique sound with a brilliant combination of synthesiser, drum, percussion, guitar, bass, pipe, Jew's Harp, bells, didgeridoo and marimba. -- Periferic Records

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Wooden Shjips - Dos (2009)



No i niestety - dla mnie ogromne rozczarowanie. We wcześniejszym poście poświęconym grupie wyrażałem nadzieję, że idzie ona dobrą ścieżką i, że kolejna płyta może być wydarzeniem. Nie tylko nie jest żadnym wydarzeniem, ale jest totalną klapą. Na płycie nic się nie dzieje - słychać wyraźnie, że muzycy nie mają pomysłu i zabrakło im wyobraźni. Każdy utwór przypomina poprzedni i nie ma na płycie ani jednego, który mógłbym wyróżnić. Wooden Shjips tą płytą stawiają chyba swoich fanów w kłopotliwej sytuacji. "Dos" jest pójściem na łatwiznę w stronę komercji na fali dobrze rokującej kariery. Z czystego obowiązku przedstawiam ten album, bo takie też trzeba.

***

Wooden Shjips, the San Francisco quartet who like playing loud rock 'n' roll in a style heavily influenced by the experimentalism of psychedelia, classical minimalism and garage rock excess, have announced plans for a new album. Their second full length to date, it'll be called Dos and will, apparently, embrace a "minimalist psych approach once offered by the likes of Neu and Loop". Whilst "their trademark whipping fuzz hooks have become groovier and their Deerhunter style dance-drone far more inducing."

"proof the San Francisco still throbs to the sound of spirited psychedelia" Mojo

"Captivating…" Uncut

"mindblowing…." NME

"It's a vaporous, effervescent, mesmeric groove" BBC

"subteraenean cool…." Stool Pigeon

"unashamedly beardy and sweaty, but with a real focus on groove that a lot of modern day Kraut-peddlers are missing - or at least, can't pull off." Fact Magazine

"I was a real fan of this band. The second album is just a piece of shit for me" ankh

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The Troggs - Trogglodynamite (1967)



Zespół The Troggs powstał w 1964 roku w składzie Howard Mansfield (gitara, wokal), Dave Wright (gitara), Reg Presley (bas) i Ronnie Bond (perkusja). Rok później Mansfielda i Wrighta zastąpili Chris Britton i Pete Staples.

W 1966 roku The Troggs rozpoczęli współpracę z Larrym Pagem. Dzięki temu powstał ich debiutancki singiel „Lost Girl” wydany przez CBS. Kolejny to już wielki przebój i najważniejsze nagranie grupy – „Wild Thing”. Znalazło się ono na 1. miejscu amerykańskiej listy przebojów w czerwcu tego samego roku.

Rok 1966 to także kolejne hity – „With a Girl Like You” czy „I Can’t Control Myself”. Z kolei rok później na listach przebojów królowało nagranie „Love Is All Around”. Po takim sukcesie mogło być już tylko lepiej. Jednak nie w przypadku The Troggs - po burzliwym procesie i rozstaniu z Larrym Pagem zespół mógł zapomnieć o popularności na następne kilka lat. Dopiero po powrocie do współpracy z Pagem formacja powróciła do łask. Zespół nagrał nową wersję przeboju The Beach Boys „Good Vibrations” i koncertowy album „Live At Max's Kansas City”.

W 1991 zespół w składzie Presley, Britton, Peter Lucas i Dave Maggs, przy współpracy z R.E.M. nagrali album „Athens Andover”. The Troggs mają na swoim koncie ponad 20 wydawnictw, wśród których są zarówno albumy studyjne, jak i składanki z największymi przebojami. Z twórczości The Troggs brali przykład m.in. Iggy Pop czy Ramones.



Remembered chiefly as proto-punkers who reached the top of the charts with the "caveman rock" of "Wild Thing" (1966), the Troggs were also adept at crafting power pop and ballads. Hearkening back to a somewhat simpler, more basic British Invasion approach as psychedelia began to explode in the late '60s, the group also reached the Top Five with their flower-power ballad "Love Is All Around" in 1968. While more popular in their native England than the U.S., the band also fashioned memorable, insistently riffing hit singles like "With a Girl Like You," "Night of the Long Grass," and the notoriously salacious "I Can't Control Myself" between 1966 and 1968. Paced by Reg Presley's lusting vocals, the group -- which composed most of their own material -- could crunch with the best of them, but were also capable of quite a bit more range and melodic invention than they've been given credit for.

Hailing from the relatively unknown British town of Andover, the Troggs hooked up with manager/producer Larry Page (who was involved in the Kinks' early affairs) in the mid-'60s. After a flop debut single, they were fortunate enough to come across a demo of Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing" (which had already been unsuccessfully recorded by the Wild Ones). In the hands of the Troggs, "Wild Thing" -- with its grungy chords and off-the-wall ocarina solo -- became a primeval three-chord monster, famous not only in its original hit Troggs version, but in its psychedelic revamping by Jimi Hendrix, who used it to close his famous set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

"Wild Thing" made number one in the States, but the Troggs' momentum there was impeded by a strange legal dispute which saw their early records simultaneously released on two different labels. Nor did it help that the band didn't tour the U.S. for a couple of years. As a consequence, the fine follow-up singles "With a Girl Like You" and "I Can't Control Myself" didn't do as well as they might have. In Britain, it was a different story -- they were smashes, although "I Can't Control Myself" had such an open-hearted lust that it encountered resistance from conservative radio programmers all over the globe.

The Troggs tempered their image on subsequent ballads, which utilized a sort of pre-"power ballad" approach. These weren't bad, and a few of them were British hits, but they weren't as fine as the initial blast of singles which established the band's image. "Love Is All Around," which restored them to the American Top Ten in 1968, was their finest effort in this vein. It was also their final big hit on either side of the Atlantic.

But the Troggs would keep going for a long, long time. In a sense they were handicapped by their image -- they were not intellectuals, certainly, but they weren't dumb either. They wrote most of their songs, and their albums were reasonably accomplished, if hardly up to the level of the Kinks or Traffic, containing some nifty surprises like the gothic ballad "Cousin Jane," or the tongue-in-cheek psychedelia of "Maybe the Madman." By 1970, though, they were struggling. They continued to release a stream of singles, most of which had a straightforward simplicity that was out of step with the progressive rock of the time, all of which flopped, though some were fairly good.

The Troggs' image as lunkheads couldn't have been helped by the notorious Troggs Tapes, a 12-minute studio argument that was captured on tape while the band were unawares. The Spinal Tap-like dialog helped keep their cult alive, though, and as punk gained momentum in the mid-'70s, they gained belated appreciation as an important influence on bands like the Ramones and (earlier) the MC5. They found enough live work (sometimes on the punk/new wave circuit) to keep going, although their intermittent records generally came to naught. In 1992, they rose to their highest profile in ages when three members of R.E.M., which had covered "Love Is All Around," backed the Troggs on the comeback album Athens Andover.


The Troggs' second UK album bore the hallmarks of a rushed affair, comprised largely of substandard original material and covers, and not even including a hit to stand out from the crowd. Only one of the tracks ("Cousin Jane") was even issued in the US in the 1960s, a shocking state of affairs for a British group that had recently topped the American charts, although a few would appear on later compilations (Archeology has five of the songs). Part of the problem was that the group didn't have enough good original compositions to merit an album's worth of material, necessitating the enlistment of other songwriters (including Albert Hammond for "Meet Jacqueline" and their manager, Larry Page) who largely weren't up to the task. Most of the disc is surprisingly tame, with little of the crunch or roar that motored their best classics, or (with the exception of the lovely "Cousin Jane") the left-field delicate balladry they were wont to have up their sleeve. The terrific cover of Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything" is, other than "Cousin Jane," the album's lone first-rate track, and both are available on Archeology (for that matter, both were on the excellent double-LP Sire compilation The Vintage Years). ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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The Resurrection Day



Kiedy Wielka Noc nastanie
życzę Wam na Zmartwychwstanie
dużo szczęścia i radości,
które niechaj zawsze gości
w dobrym sercu, w jasnej duszy
- wszystkie żale niech zagłuszy.


***
If not for Easter,
the chaos of this world
would be all there is
and all there ever would be.
If not for Easter,
the unfairness of life
would drive us to despair.
But God sent His Son
to give eternal life
filled with peace, happiness
and unimaginable blessings
to those who choose Him.
All we have to do is choose Him.
Happy, Happy Easter!


(Joanna Fuchs)
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Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares - Ritual (1994)



Bułgarska muzyka ludowa należy do wyjątkowo bogatych i żywotnych na terenie Europy. Stapiają się w niej elementy trackie, iliryjskie, greckie, bizantyjskie, starotureckie (z okresu przybycia Bułgarów – szczepu tureckiego – na Bałkany), słowiańskie, turecko-osmańskie i arabskie. Na terenie Bułgarii, podobnie jak w wielu krajach sąsiadujących, zachowały się pozostałości dawnej kultury śródziemnomorskiej. Muzyka ta wykazuje pewne związki z muzyką innych Słowian południowych (Macedończyków, Serbów), a także Greków; w muzyce miejskiej właściwości stylistyczne muzyki Bliskiego Wschodu (reprezentowane przez ludność turecką i cygańską) zaznaczają się w instrumentarium (zurna, bęben zwany tupan, darabuke).

Współistnienie tak różnorodnych elementów jest przyczyną występowania obok siebie właściwości związanych z odrębnymi środowiskami: rytmiki swobodnej i regularnej, pentatoniki (w Rodopach) i skal wąskozakresowych (dominujących na terenie Bułgarii). Niemniej jednak można mówić o specyficznie bułgarskim stylu muz. Do charakterystycznych cech muzyki bułgarskiej należy specyficzna barwa nosowa (nieco zbliżona do muzyki orientalnej) i bardzo dźwięczna. Ma charakter wokalny, przy czym z jednej strony instrumenty naśladują głos, z drugiej barwa głosu imituje efekty instr. (zwłaszcza w przypadku śpiewu z towarzyszeniem kavalu); brak jest schematów formalnych typowych dla muzyki Europy Środk. i Zach., formę kształtuje w pewnym stopniu wykonanie.

W niektórych wersjach pieśni obrzędowych, niewątpliwie dawnych, zwraca uwagę asymetria.Podstawą systemu tonalnego jest tetrachord diatoniczny (tzn. z półtonem, który występuje między I a II lub między II a III stopniem tetrachordu). Tetrachord może podlegać zmianom chromatycznym. Prymitywna wielogłosowość oraz recytacje na 2 dźwiękach występują w pd.-zach. i zach. Bułgarii. Najczęstszym interwałem w jest sekunda, zarówno jako krok melodyczny, jak i współbrzmienie (pochody równoległych sekund). Znane są melodie oparte na strukturach tercjowych (o charakterze fanfarowym), pentatonicznym i heptatonicznym. W strukturach melizmatycznych pojawiają się ćwierćtony. Podstawą wielogłosowości jest zasada burdonu lub technika antyfoniczna (śpiew responsorialny). W Rodopach występuje śpiew 3-gł., w którym główna melodia znajduje się w głosie środkowym, podczas gdy głos dolny realizuje dźwięki burdonowe, a głos górny ma charakter figuracyjny. Duże skoki interwałowe wiążą się zazwyczaj z krzykami swobodnie artykułowanymi, często o określonych walorach barwnych i instrumentalnych (gdakanie, ojkanie, sylabizowanie).

Dawne pieśni o melodii ograniczonej do kilku dźwięków i o prostej formie, opartej na powtarzaniu jednego wiersza przez chóry, odznaczają się wykorzystaniem efektów sonorystycznych. W niektórych odmianach pieśni żniwnej, o charakterystycznej długiej frazie i bogatej melizmatyce, istotnym elementem jest rozwinięta melodyka. Rytmika ma zasadnicze znaczenie w twórczości związanej z tańcem. Cechuje ją wielka rozmaitość struktur, zwłaszcza odmian addycyjnych. Rytmika wykazuje silne wpływy muzyki tureckiej (rytmy bułgarskie).

Dla pieśni bułg. znamienny jest element liryczny; występuje on w pieśniach solowych (miłosnych, balladach, lirycznych) i zespołowych (tzw. sedenki zastolne, pieśni „na tłokę”, pieśni związane z okazjami towarzyskimi, popularnymi zwłaszcza w okresie zimowym, a także pieśni zalotne i przyśpiewki). W pieśniach o charakterze epickim czynnikiem formotwórczym jest tekst. Oparte są przeważnie na utworach poetyckich o wierszach 10- lub 12-zgłoskowych; pieśni te charakteryzują się specyficznymi manierami recytacji. Pieśni epickie dokumentują wydarzenia hist. (tzw. pieśni wykonywane „za stołem”); typowe są dla nich zwroty do audytorium na początku pieśni w rodzaju „Mari, hej, hej, hej”; postacią szczególnie opiewaną jest królewicz Marko. Pieśni taneczne wykazują wpływy muzyki Bliskiego i Środk. Wschodu; wiążą się one z praktyką gry na bębnach, polegającą na prowadzeniu dwu płaszczyzn rytmicznych, obejmujących rytm zasadniczy (realizowany na wielkim bębnie) i rytm wariacyjny (realizowany na małym bębnie). Praktyka ta sprzyja rozwinięciu długotematycznych przebiegów rytmicznych (bez określonych schematów), których ostateczną postać kształtuje każdorazowe wykonanie. Występują również rytmy oparte na jednolitym metrum oraz wiele odmian rytmiki swobodnej o różnych rozmiarach fraz rytmicznych. Wiele pieśni bułg. jest wykonywanych zespołowo, wiążą się one z tańcem, obrzędami, pracą, zabiegami magicznymi. W wielu przypadkach brak jest specyfikacji funkcjonalnej pieśni, czego wyrazem jest wymienność tekstów i melodii w obrębie poszczególnych gatunków (w pieśniach obrzędowych, tanecznych).

Dużą grupę w twórczości pieśniarskiej stanowią pieśni o charakterze magicznym (np. wywoływanie deszczu, tzw. pieśń motyla). Wiele elementów magicznych występuje w pieśniach związanych z obrzędami dorocznymi (np. pieśni na dzień Św. Teodora, Św. Łazarza, Św. Jerzego, pieśni wiosenne, wielkanocne, tańce ognia); pieśni doroczne są równie liczne jak u Serbów, Ukraińców i niektórych ludów irańskich, np. Tadżyków. Elementy magiczne występują również w niektórych pieśniach pracy. Licznie reprezentowane są pieśni związane z obrzędami rodzinnymi, zwłaszcza weselne oraz pogrzebowe (lamenty pogrzebowe).

Tańce reprezentowane są głównie przez różnego typu korowody (hora), z tańców solowych słynna jest tańczona przez mężczyzn „raczenica”.Instrumenty b.m. lud. obejmują kilka grup: dęte – flety krótkie, flety długie zwane kaval, flety dzióbkowe, flety podwójne, zurny i oboje; strunowe smyczk. – gadułka, gusle, kemancza; szarpane – tanbura i jej odmiany; membranofony – wielki bęben, tamburyn, darabuke; idiofony – grzechotki, koszyczki wypełnione kamykami, klepalo. Bułgarska muzyka ludowa przeobraża się żywo pod wpływem nowych prądów; powstają nowe gatunki, teksty odzwierciedlają nowe zjawiska (wydarzenia hist., przeobrażenia społ.). (Anna Czekanowska)



The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir is an internationally renowned World Music ensemble that blends traditional six-part a cappella repertoire with modern arrangements. It is most recognized under the recording name Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares. First created as the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir in Bulgaria in 1952 by Philip Koutev, "the father of Bulgarian concert folk music," the choir is now under the direction of Dora Hristova. Koutev also created and conducted the Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic in 1951.

Singers are chosen from country villages for the beauty and openness of their voices, and they undergo extensive training in the unique, centuries-old singing style. Influenced by Bulgaria's Thracian, Ottoman and Byzantine history, their music is striking in its use of diaphonic singing and distinctive timbre, as well as its modal scales and dissonant harmonies (abundant second, seventh, and ninth intervals).

Though the choir became widely known when the trend-setting English alternative record label 4AD released a pair of anthology albums in 1986 and 1988 with the now famous title Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares, their recordings date as far back as 1957. The first pressing of the Voix Bulgares album was the result of fifteen years of work by Swiss ethnomusicologist and producer Marcel Cellier and was originally released in 1975 on his small Discs Cellier label. Ivo Watts-Russell (founder of 4AD) was introduced to the choir from a third or fourth generation audio cassette lent to him by Peter Murphy, singer from the band Bauhaus. He became thoroughly entranced by the music, and tracked down and licensed the recordings from Cellier. The group has since performed extensively around the world to wide acclaim and were honored with a Grammy Award in 1989 for their second album.

Three prominent soloists of the group have also performed together as the Trio Bulgarka, notably on the Kate Bush albums The Sensual World and The Red Shoes. The whole ensemble performed with the Italian comedy rock band Elio e Le Storie Tese in the single Pipppero off the album Italyan, rum casusu çikti. In 1992, the choir divided into two: one for radio, one for television. Bulgarian television signed a contract with the one half, which is the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir; the other half organized itself as a collective, and now performs as "Angelite - The Bulgarian Voices".

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Iggy & The Stooges - Metallic K.O. (1976)



"If I don't terrorize, I'm not Pop"- Iggy Pop

It's become an article of pat faith among today's so-called 'arts commentators' that Iggy Pop is something of a joke: the one-time real-deal embodiment of rock filth reduced to extolling the joys of domesticity, singing about how he wants to live "a little bit longer". What these smug excuses for amoebic pond-life fail to realise is that no-one has embodied rock'n'roll more totally than Iggy, nor come closer to paying for such utter commitment with his life. He can, therefore, do whatever he wants.

Conclusive proof for such exorbitant babble resides with 'Metallic KO'. Legend maintains this more-talked-about-than-actually-heard document of the last Iggy And The Stooges gig on February 9, 1974 (plus another show from October '73) offers a goo-drenched vantage point at what was, as Iggy himself gleefully yowls, a "riot in the Motor City!" caused by an entire Hell's Angel chapter bent on snuffing out these no-mark punks. In truth, however, the recording's limitations - two fans bootlegged the gig and sent the tapes to Stooges guitarist James Williamson - conspire to minimise the mayhem at Detroit's Michigan Palace. All we have are Iggy's words for it, but as ever, these speak more eloquently than the combined life's work of a million poets.

Musically, 'Metallic KO' is hardly a thing of beauty. At points, The Stooges sound like a barely alive bar band from hell - which, after years of internal rancour and merciless narcotic abuse, they essentially were - and indeed the '73 recording reveals a far more cohesive unit, with portents of all the bands who would subsequently claim these scrawny losers as prime inspiration. Yet as a portrait of a man simultaneously defined and doomed by his unquenchable desire for an adrenalin kick he couldn't find elsewhere, this is vivid, brutal entertainment.


Metallic K.O. concert

Iggy Pop’s story of the ‘Metallic K.O.’ concert.

"One time, we were playing in a place called the Rock and Roll Farm in Wayne, Michigan. I mean this place was a pit. I used to play a lot of pit holes. Nobody in the Stooges cared, we just played, you know. Well, we’re playing this pit in Wayne, Michigan, way out on a farm road - about 800 or 1,000 kids - and I was dressed in a floppy woman’s hat with three flowers on it and wearing long bleached blonde hair and a dancer’s leotard with little ballet slippers - practice slippers - and a sash affair around my waist: I think it was somebody’s curtain.

Eggs kept flying up on the stage, and as the set went on I was getting REALLY sick of it. So I said, "OK, stop the show RIGHT NOW!". I do this sometimes.

It's a funny thing - maybe it's common to other rockers, I don’t know - but the sort of music I do is very aggressive and intoxicating, and after a few songs I enter another state, probably an adrenal overload of some kind. I believe I can do just about anything. It’s not true, of course, and I often used to get into fights I just couldn’t POSSIBLY win.

So finally I say, "OK, stop the music!" Again, this is a low ceiling dump of a room - could have been a pinball palace. I want to know who’s the one throwing the eggs. Lo and behold, the waters part, and hundreds of people spread apart, and there before me - about 75 feet yon - really just standing there like man mountain Dean, just grinning, feet squarely planted, toes out, was this ENORMOUS youth with the most, the biggest, happy smile I’ve ever seen. Really, it was a wonderful smile, cause he KNEW he was king and was about to kick my ass (I’m hoping not too badly), with long flowing red hair. He must have been 6’ 5", huge shoulders, had this large plaid lumberjack shirt, this big grin. And this one arm had a knuckle glove on, a KNUCKLE GLOVE that went ALL THE WAY UP the arm, studded at the knuckles. He was carrying one of those dozen-egg cartons - his weapon. He’s clearly got his act, and he’s just standing there, a hand on his hip, just leering at me, you know, and in a deep resounding voice he says, "Hello".



So I had to make a show of it, and I’m on my toes like what I’d seen boxers do on TV, and I come out like David against Goliath to face my tormentor. Watching his fist moving toward you was like waiting for a train to hit you. He just squared off and decked me with one punch, right down on the ground, and I’m bleeding - I still have a scar, just dead between my eyes. I’m bleeding and everything. I saw stars. It was obvious I couldn’t win so I said, "Alright, well… on with the show."

And I went back and did "Louie, Louie".

That next day I went back to Detroit. I went to the radio station and challenged the entire gang, the Scorpions, of which the guy was a member, to come down and do their worst at my big show in Detroit - at the Michigan Palace - which they proceeded to do.

It became "the last ever Stooges gig" tape, ‘Metallic KO’, with a picture of me on the front of it knocked out cold - a picture of me lying IN STATE as it were. And you can hear all sorts of things on the tape flying through the air. Shovels, four-gallon jugs, M-80’s, blah blah; - but our lady fans in the front rows threw a lot of beautiful underwear, which I thought was sweet." (Extract from ‘I Need More’ by Iggy Pop)

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Atman - Personal Forest (2000)



O grupie Atman pisałem obszerniej w jednym z wcześniejszych postów. Nie będę więc się powtarzał tylko zamieszczę krótki angielski opis.

***

Atman's first American release, appearing three years after the original German issue of the record, was a wise choice, dovetailing as it did quite nicely with the post-rock and Krautrock revival scenes. While considerably more earthy in many ways than the often dry and dull tributes that appeared during the mid-to-late '90s, Atman's links to such acid-psych-folk legends as the original Amon Duul and the Incredible String Band, as well as more modern practitioners as Ghost, gave the threesome and associates both an instant audience and a chance to demonstrate their considerable abilities. The goal of Personal Forest, as its title, album art, and liner notes all indicate, is to promote connections to the Polish "deep ecology" movement, and the end result beats most of the watery, new age "rainforest" music out there by a mile. Opening track "Ovoo" is a brief amusement played primarily on Jew's harp, but the following "Forest of Karma" ups the stakes considerably. Marek Styczynski's haunting performances on various wind instruments blend beautifully with Piotr Kolecki's ruminative guitar and sitar lines, very much calling to mind the feeling of primeval woods. When Marek Lesczynski steps in halfway through on Polish dulcimer, the effect is breathtaking. From there on, the album progresses in the same gentle, haunting vein, working with circular melodies and rich production to bring out their mesmerizing performances all that much more. The drone/cries by Styczynski on various Tibetan liturgical instruments flesh out songs like "Wild Way" all the more impressively, while the low-key intensity in the concluding moments of "Green, Wild Blood" rivals that of songs at ten times its volume. As a bonus, the 1997 reissue includes three live tracks from a 1994 tour, with three guest performers from Guinea Bisseau and Germany participating. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

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New Faces In Jazz Jamboree 1969



Jazz Jamboree - warszawski, i najsławniejszy festiwal jazzowy w Polsce; a kiedyś zapewne i w środkowej Europie. Nazwę wymyślił Leopold Tyrmand, który do 1964 r. prowadził koncerty. Nazwa ta zaczęła obowiązywać od 1959 r.(pierwszy festiwal odbył się w 1958 roku i nosił nazwę "Jazz 58"). Był to Festiwal robiony przez pasjonatów - w komunistycznym państwie na dorobku - z wszelkimi tego konsekwencjami, aż do zapaści ekonomicznej włącznie... Na koncertach i materiałach z nimi związanych wychowało się kilka pokoleń fanów jazzu w Polsce i krajach ościennych… Było to przez lata miejsce spotkań coraz lepiej znających się ludzi, miejsce kontaktu z muzyką zwykle pozbawioną posmaku komercji z jednej, a tolerowanej przez cenzurujacych „socjalistyczną" kulturę tzw. decydentów - z drugiej strony…Festiwal wpłynęł znacząco na muzyczną świadomość wielu polskich słuchaczy oraz samych twórców.

Jednym z najbardziej zadziwiających zwyczajow tego festiwalu był zwyczaj „jednego klaśnięcia", nakazujący jedno klaśnięcie w chwili, gdy np. lider przedstawiał zespół, żeby nie tracić czasu. Muzycy krajowi o tym wiedzieli; ale dla muzyków ze świata – było to czymś… niespotykanym. a przy tym niesłychanie muzycznym.

Niestety, w miarę jak festiwal przestawał być imprezą dla kochających muzykę (czy tylko freak'owski styl życia; a więc bywania na jazzowych, a też folkowych imprezach) – a stawał się coraz bardziej salonem dla posiadających pieniądze – ta urocza tradycja zniknęła - jak zresztą cały piękny i szczery charakter tej imprezy. Tak, tak, jest to smutne, ale wartości wyższe gdzieś zniknęły i pojawił się wszędobylski pieniądz. Teraz jest to głównie impreza dla tych, którzy chcą się "pokazać".

Proszę nie pisać w komentarzach, że bitrate jest niski, bo o tym wiem i nic na to nie poradzę - tak jest i innego nie będzie. Dobrze, że jest.

Tracks:
  1. ŻEBRÓWKA (A. Przybielski) - Andrzej Przybielski—trumpet, leader; Ja­cek Bednarek-bass; Helmut Nadolski-bass; Janusz Trzciński-drums
  2. NOTICE (J. Coltrane)- Marian Siejka—violin; Wacław Rezler— guitar
  3. MISTY(E.Garner) - Urszula Dudziak-vocal; Michał Urbaniak -tenor sax, leader; Adam Makowicz-piano; Janusz Kozłowski —bass guitar; Andrzej Dąbrowski—drums
  4. ODEJŚCIE (M. Kosz) - Mieczysław Kosz—piano
  5. PLOTECZKI CIOTECZKi (Brzeski) - Paradoks: Andrzej Brzeski-trombone, leader; To­masz Sosnowski —bassoon; Michał Górny —cello; Zbigniew Kulhawczuk—bass
  6. WHO CAN l TURN TO (Bricusse, Newley) - Adam Makowicz—piano
  7. ZŁUDZENIE (J. Jarczyk)
  8. TANIEC GARBUSA (Z. Seifert) - Zbigniew Seifert—alto sax, leader; Jan Jarczyk —piano; Jan Gonciarczyk—bass; Janusz Stefański—drums
Jazz Jamboree is Poland's most important jazz festival that was started in 1958 by a few jazz enthusiasts from Warsaw's Hybrydy Club. The first event in Warsaw, simply called Jazz '58, was held in September 1958 at the Stodoła Club, though some concerts were also played in Cracow . Before long Jazz Jamboree became one of the biggest jazz festivals in Europe. Some of the world's greatest stars, such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis and Herbie Hancock, have performed at the festival.

I know that the bitrate is very low but I can't do anything with it. It must be like this. Sorry.

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The Story Of Michigan's Legendary A-Square Records (2008)



Jeep Holland's Ann Arbor label and agency A-Square was the flashpoint for the late 1960s Detroit rock revolution. "A-Square (Of Course)" features historic recordings by luminaries MC5, Thyme, Scot Richard Case and Frost, plus the rarely-heard Prime Movers, with a young Iggy Pop on lead vocals.

This collection features 25 recording by about ten different artists recorded primarily in the years 1966 thru '68 on the Ann Arbor based A-Square record label. It opens appropriately with The Scott Richard Case featuring a locally charting rendition of Skip James' "I'm So Glad", a slightly different take than the version from the previously released Fresh Cream album. For many in the greater Detroit AM Radio market, it was to be the first exposure to both the tune and SRC. The next track by this group is a superb cover of The Pretty Things "Get the Picture" featuring a faithful rendition of Phil Mays unique and breathy soulful white-Brit voice. The group's more muscular take of the Mays/Taylor "Midnight to Six Man" is more representative of a Detroit Style of music.

In "Who Is That Girl" there is some foreshadowing of what was to become the signature psyche sound of SRC in the soon to follow Capital recordings but the laudable Qualkenbush guitar tone is barely evident in any these four cuts. Why any right-thinking group of musicians that did not include Keith Moon would choose to record "Cobwebs and Strange" is beyond my understanding.

However this overlong ditty does feature as fine of Slide Flute work that could be found in Southeastern Michigan at the time. The MC5 were both underground and live legends when the originals "Looking at You" and "Borderline" were pressed. The first, a snazzy example of two-chord power rock and the latter serving up one of rock's greatest-ever intro's. If Jeep Holland had not been in such awe of John Sinclair, local activist and The `5's spiritual guru, those of us who eagerly awaited this record may not have been so disappointed in the recording quality, poor mix, clipping and out-of-tune bass. A shame, really. Perhaps if John Sinclair had stayed out of the control room is a wishful metaphor for a large part of the MC5's career.

And so are presented the two largest acts to come off this fractionally complete A-Square collection., The above were amongst the biggest five in town at that time which also included The Amboy Dukes, Bob Seger and The Last Herd or Bob Seeger System and The Rationals. All having had relations with the label at one time-or-another. Lots of local groups performed the quirky "Back in the Jungle". I always wondered where it came from and now the answer is known. And another by the Apostles is "Tired of Waiting for You" utilizing a B3 in place of the Davies guitars. "She is a Friend" (Rain) offer's up some California styling and features a tambourine accompanied by some occassionally fine harmonies, an annoying bass tone and even a Roger McGuinnish guitar break.

"Easy Way Out" by the Bossmen opens with an ominous guitar line and becomes remindful that it's still the mid-Sixties shortly after the first four measures. Some Knickerbockers inspired harmonies in here too. If there are any doubts about the decade, we are reminded again with the tight "I Cannot Stop You" which could easily have been a hit for The Buckinghams."Listen My Girl" gives us even more haunting guitar from one of Michigan's Masters. And speaking of Dick Wagner, an early version of "Mystery Man" by the Frost is included with less flair or polish than the more known Vanguard issue.

Odd's are good that this reviewer heard The Thyme's version of "Time of the Season" before the Zombie's album received FM airplay. It's a rhythmically complicated tune performed well with some semi-hollow body elec guitar pieces filling in for the lack of Rod Argent's keyboard. You'd have to guess there was some thyme and takes spent in the studio on this one. Nearly a third of the cuts on this disc come from The Thyme. Personally, I was in no ways willing to spend my hard-earned cash on anything this group produced but interpretations like "I Found You" (Gene Clark) and "Window Song" still speak quality and are nicely representative of the times. Perhaps the D.C,B,A digression of "Somehow" (an original) hadn't been used by every fledgling rock group at the time but somehow I doubt it. From the bolero start of "I Found a Love" (Cat Stevens) there is some suspicion this song could have been utilized by a Phil Spector girl group. "Very Last Day", a throw-back to an even earlier time in the `60's offers further proof that anything can be committed to tape for posterity.

The never released "No Opportunity...No Experience" is a little reminiscent of its writer, Richie Havens. The opening is also remindful of the Amboy Duke's anthem and includes some period style wah in the refrain. Pick it up, pick it up! Who was the original: Led Zep's first album or "Get Down" by Half-Life? Who cares, 40 years ago I'd have happily plunked down a buck for this 45. This is a nice piece of work including the near-monotone vocal. What became of these guys?
The Up were formed in 1967 but "Just Like an Aborigine" released late in the decade may have been their only "hit". Driving percussion, a hollow body bass, two-chords and some punky vocals pretty much covered things. And so to close with the Grandad of Punk and "I'm a Man" which one supposes is included not because it's fair enough cover but the not-to-be-confused with Keith Relf vocals of the soon-to-attain fame J. Osterberg.

As collection of representative Michigan R&R music, there is some gold to be mined here. As a tribute to Jeep Holland and A2, this collection probably only scratches the surface of the person that most of us knew only as the guy that owned the label to which we aspired and was also responsible for booking so much local (and National) talent into our Teen Clubs and High Schools (for cryin' out loud, The Who performed at Southfield High!) and later, the Ballrooms. Only those that knew him better were likely to understand what a complete asset he was to the overall health and state of the music community in general which, in Michigan, at that time, took a backseat to no other planet we knew.

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Andy Votel - Brazilika (2008)



Zupełnie nie znany mi wykonawca, a raczej DJ pochodzący z Brazylii, który stworzył przedziwną mieszankę tradycyjnej muzyki południowoamerykańskiej, psychodelii, hip-hopu, folkowej - ba nawet usłyszeć tu można echa krautrockowe. Nie jestem miłośnikiem brzmień latynoskich, ale do tej pozycji z przyjemnością będę wracać. Absolutnie polecam.

***

Andy Votel seems to be concentrating more on music as history, than releasing his own material, and why wouldn’t he? He continually uncovers long forgotten or rarely heard music from the past, allowing a fresh audience exposure to such wide ranging music from all corners of the globe.

Over the last few years he’s tackled folk from the far reaches, rock from Hungary, rare beat from Wales, and in this installment, psychedelia from Brazil. His Finders Keepers and B-Music labels are the perfect vehicle to giving these selections exposure, but his growing popularity has given him exposure to such a degree that other labels are interested in releasing compilations with the Andy Votel guarantee of quality, eclecticism, and diverse collections of music. He has worked in conjunction with Far Out Recordings for this release, which is an obvious choice as the label has been responsible for reissuing Brazilian artists such as Azimuth, who do make an appearance here. Hopefully appearing on the Far Out label will mean this compilation will be more readily available and stay in-print for longer than previous mixes.

As he tackled the 70’s UK progressive rock label Vertigo in the past, now he hops over to Brazil to unearth gems from the RGE and Som Livre labels, to create a ‘subtropical sun stroke psych out’ mix, not just content to compile a CD worth of rare tunes, but deliver a spell binding mix of many of the best songs from the two labels. Andy Votel once again shows his incredible mixing skills, even though the tracks are of disparate tempos, one thing you can always be assured of.

It is not just a fun ride through the Brazilian psychedelic underground; it’s a lesson in music history, geography and culture, opening up whole new worlds to explore musically, culturally and politically. Get your education now. (Wayne Stronell)

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Polish Funk – The unique selection of rare grooves from Poland of the 70’s



Z próbą skompilowania polskich utworów funkowych jeszcze nie mieliśmy nad Wisłą do czynienia. Wreszcie dokonał tego DJ-ski kolektyw Soul Service DJ Team.

"Polish Funk – The unique selection of rare grooves from Poland of the 70’s", bo tak brzmi pełny tytuł wydawnictwa, to pierwsza polska funkowa składanka. Stanowi początek dłuższej serii kompilacji. Jest to zupełna nowość na rodzimym rynku, bo i temat polskiego funku, soulu, nie jest przecież zbyt szeroki, no i co najważniejsze – popularny. Wydawać by się mogło wręcz, że coś takiego jak „polski funk” nie istnieje. Funk to przecież czarna muzyka, której stolicą może być Nowy Orlean, ale nie Warszawa. A jednak właśnie dźwięki ze sponiewieranej realnym socjalizmem, szarej Polski lat 70 nadają tej płycie unikatowy charakter!

„Artyści, których tu znajdziecie, to zarówno gwiazdy polskiej muzyki rozrywkowej jak i sceny jazzowej. W ich utworach znajdziecie ten funkowy rytm. Dodatkową atrakcją tej kompilacji jest jej unikalność – utwory te często nie miały reedycji na kompaktach i są wygrzebane z mroków polskiej fonografii. Również nigdy nikt nie zestawił polskich utworów w taki sposób, aby podstawą był funkowy groove” – piszą w zwięzłej, okładkowej informacji członkowie Soul Service DJ Team. Pamiętacie tę scenę z filmu „Scratch”, kiedy DJ Shadow grzebiąc w piwnicy ze starymi winylami w poszukiwaniu interesujących go breaków wspomniał, że leży tutaj prawdziwa historia muzyki XX wieku? Z czymś podobnym, oczywiście na mniejszą skalę, mamy do czynienia w przypadku tej płyty.

Artyści zebrani w kompilacji to, jako się rzekło wyżej, śmietanka ówczesnej muzyki rozrywkowej i sceny jazzowej. Mamy tutaj zarówno Big Band Katowice, Breakout, jak i ciętych na wszelkie możliwe sposoby przez zachodnich DJ Novi Singers. Dla sentymentalistów na płycie wśród 13 utworów pojawiają się także Kombi i Czerwone Gitary. Nie jest żadną tajemnicą, że ten okres i ten przedział gatunkowy polskiej muzyki stanowi nie lada pożywkę dla współczesnych producentów. Już po pierwszym przesłuchaniu odnalazłem kilka sampli, które tak mistrzowsko pociął na swoich płytach wrocławski Skalpel. „Polish Funk” to zresztą powiew świeżości również za granicą.




A definite "unique selection" of grooves here -- not just because the rare tracks are all from 70s Poland, but also because most of them have never been reissued either! The package is a wonderful introduction to the kinds of grooves we've been digging from Poland for years -- that mad mix of jazz, funk, fusion, electric, and vocal elements that somehow managed to flourish wonderfully during the 70s years of Soviet control -- a real musical marvel, considering the setting -- and because of tight border control, very few of these tunes ever made it out to the west! The track selection differs a fair bit from the kinds of full length Polish jazz albums that have been released to date -- as many of the titles here are groovier, funkier, and more electric -- and in case you're wondering, there's also very little crossover with the Compost Polish jazz set from a few years back. Titles include "Sorcerer" by Big Band Katowice, "You Want Too Much" by ABC, "Shaft" by Henryk Debich, "Note In A Crest" by Jerzy Milian, "Listen To The Rhythm" by Breakout, "Past The Pile Of Piles" by Grazyna Lobaszewska I Ergo Band, "Qualified Galley Slave" by Piotr Figiel, "Whatcha Doin Mister" by Bemibek, "Introduction" by Novi Singers, and "Coda" by Czerwone Gitary.

A heady second helping of funky grooves from Poland -- an unlikely source, to be sure, but one that's filled with a huge amount of great tracks just waiting to be discovered by a global audience! This volume may well be even better than the first -- as it features a wealth of tunes that have a really unique approach -- not just attempts to copy American styles of funk, but some really original ways of approaching a groove! All tracks are from the Polskie Nagrania catalog, but a good number of them are on un-reissued albums that are so rare we've never seen them in the original -- including some great fusion, funky rock, and vocal titles alongside the more expected jazz. CD features titles that include "Further I Go" by Halina Frackowiak, "Atma" by Niebiesko Czarni, "Live By Yourself" by Zdzislawa Sosnicka, "Something Familiar" by Kryszstof Sadowski, "Back To The Old Colorful Days" by Wojciech Skowronski, "Princess" by Andrzej Zaucha, "You Will Want Me" by Czeslaw Niemen I Enigmatic, "Apha Centauri" by Grupa Organowa Krzysztofa Sadowskiego, and "I Shall Cover Your Eyes" by Maciej Kossowski.
(heavyweightcrates.blogspot)

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