MP3 Download Dinner Bell for March

Homer Simpson Says Pledge To WFMU! (MP3#1) (MP3#2)
As if supporting the premier freeform independent station in the USA during our annual fundraiser wasn't enough to get you to the pledge page or telephone (1-800-989-WFMU), and if the awesome piles of CD/LP/DVD/Book prizes and mega-premiums we're offering still isn't the fire to light up under yer keester, here is Homer J. Simpson himself telling you directly what to do! Yes, Homer took a moment from his busy schedule of sleeping through nuclear plant meltdowns, being shot out of cannons at Lollapalooza, and having peyote trips with Johnny Cash as a wolf to stop by the Oglio Records offices and give these humble pleas, as backed by Sonic Youth's inimitible take on the Simpsons' theme song. Now heed his words and give up the donut money!

Paul Stanley "Let Me Get This Off My Chest" (excerpt 1, 2, 3) (MP3)
How could I resist not downloading 80 MP3s of Kiss' Paul Stanley speaking inanely between songs at assorted concerts. It's a personal passion. “Sounding less like the frontman for an internationally known rock megaband than a shrill Christopher Street queen stuck outside a club at three in the morning, frantically searching on the wet pavement for the last few poppers that accidentally flew out of his hand onto the ground.” Is how Post Punk Junk (found via CSTB) accurately sums up the situation; they also offer up the whole damn zip file for download. Lick it up. (UPDATE: Post Punk Junk got overloaded and took down the zip file, so these 3 MP3s will have to do ya. They claim they may put it back up, so check back with them!)

Terje Isungset "Igloo" (MP3)
Thanks to this Norwegian avant-garde composer and percussionist for this MP3 from his latest release; when it comes down to real traditional sounds from Scandinavia, it's hard to beat ice as the vehicle for true roots music. Isungset's Iceman Is disc from 2002 complemented Terje's "isofon" and "ispercussion" with a variety of electronics, vocals and other instruments, this time out its basically percussion and vocalist Sidsel Endresen providing eerie ambience. This track was partially recorded live  in concert in 2004, mixed in with other recordings that took place inside a bonafide igloo at Jukkasjarvi, Sweden's "Ice Hotel." The All-Ice Record label has a site up here, and some photos from the Ice Festival (text is not in English) here. No word yet as of a Foreigner cover to be delivered in the future.

 

Thione Seck "Blain Djeguel" (MP3)
This track, recorded live in Dakar in 1980, is a stunning example of Senegalese Wolof tradition, heavy in Arabic flair. Seck was born to a family of Griots and made his way into the now-world-famous Orchestre Baobab in the early 1970's, absorbed even more influences (especially Afro-Cuban) and eventually started an electric combo called Raam Daam (translated "to achieve your goal little by little", but also a riff on the Muslim season Ramadan). This particular track is found on Seck's Chauffer Bi release, which has been issued as a bonus CD in the 5th compilation volume put out by the excellent Dakar Sound label called Double Concentre. It's acoustic-based but totally electrically charged with an undercurrent as cosmic as any Arkestra workouts.

Allen Oldies Band "Double Shot of My Baby's Love"/"Treat Her Right" Live on WFMU (MP3)
Fueled on RC Cola, Yuengling and the Fat Burger joint down the block, the Allen Oldies Band literally brought the dance party to WFMU in May of last year. They even wore their tuxedos for Three Chord Monte's Joe Belock, engineer Diane Kamikaze and a studio full of whooping and wailing faithful attendees. WCBS-FM may have taken a turn south, but well, there's always across the river for guys like this. If you didn't catch the show and can't get to the archive, the whole session is now out on CD on Freedom Records, hollering fully intact and great liners about the "accidents" that also stayed as-is. And of course lots of wordage on the POWER OF OLDIES. On left, photographed: the band on the street during Austin SXSW, Michael Shelley making sure Todd-O-Phonic Todd's head is the true star of the scene.

Super Distortion "Sunburst" (MP3)
And speaking of all that's fun and simple in the power of rock and roll, this odd little CD in a round plastic case sat around in the review tubs for a long time before it finally got a listen-to, and it's great! Basically, it's just garage instrumentals played via completely cheapo fuzz, distorted-to-the-max organ, and drums, yet all kept at a very listener-friendly level. Nothing more, nothing less. Not much more info at the label's site, Pointy Bird Records out of the UK.

Cassetteboy "Anne Frankingmachine" (MP3)
Seems that Bill Cosby is pushing more than Jell-O Pudding Pops these days!

Dave Chappelle's Rick James Rant Outtakes (MP3)
If you're not familiar with comedian Dave Chappelle's Rick James bit (and it's hard to believe you aren't, "I'm Rick James, Bitch" was the "Where's the Beef" of 2004), the concept revolved around a segment of the Comedy Central show where Dave put the spotlight on Eddie Murphy's brother Charlie, who would speak colorfully and candidly about his personal experiences in his brother's orbit during the mega-mega superstar years of the 1980's, which are then recreated visually underneath Charlie's monologues (one depicting the time Prince's posse brings Eddie's gang back to play basketball is unbelievably hysterical). When Eddie fell in with Rick James, Charlie became subject to all of the Super Freak's violent, coke-fueled outbursts and ultra-bizarre behavior (much directed at Charlie himself), so Chappelle's re-enactment in the role of James is needless to say, amazing. But even more amazing is the segment on the Chappelle Show's Season 2 DVD bonus disc, where buried deep in the menu is an unexpurgated, long record of Chappelle "sinking" into Rick James character by just free-spieling, progressively opening the doors to the inner-most bulb of absurdity imaginable. You don't even need the visual accompaniment (though it would help) to soak in one of the most insane comic sililoquies ever, to no one but the show's crew, who must have all had their jaws on the studio floor. I cleaned it up to play on the radio, so, you'll obviously need the DVD if you wannit all!

Sam Ulano "The Three Bears" (MP3)
It was great to hear the great drumming storyteller, Sam Ulano himself, on Irwin's show recently sharp as a tack at age 86 reminiscing about his long career that included appearing on Steve Allen, Ernie Kovacs, writing 2500 instruction books, recording with Moondog and opening for Public Image Limited (!) Ulano's incredible swinging attack on the drums went hand in hand with a free-spew beat-style recitation of Mother Goose fables on a CD called Drum Fairy Tales (culled from 1940's and 50's recordings) and this MP3 is taken from that. His books are also totally inspiring, lumping in his whole philosophy on life with drumming, summing it all up in a nutshell with short chapters with titles like Sinatra Once Said Taking Direction Makes a Professional, America Is the Greatest Country In the World, and Take Care of Your Legs.

Gimme Gimme Octopus (Kure Kure Tacora) (MP3)
Unknown, untitled song from a totally insane late 60's Japanes kids' show. 5 Minutes To Live has the DVD, and aptly sum it up this way: "An octopus and a peanut are in love with the same walrus. Playing like a kind of Sesame Street segment on an entire sheet of acid, Gimme Gimme Octopus boggles the mind with its impenetrable story lines and bizarro characters. In one segment the octopus and the walrus steal the sleeping dragon's smoking bowl. They then sit in a tree and sniff the smoke. Soon their eyelids are half open and they seem to be laughing and swaying back and forth. Makes the Mighty Mouse magic dust controvery seem tame in comparison."

Below is a digest of all MP3s featured in Beware of the Blog over the past month (breaded and fried by Liz Berg):

- Members of Sun Ra and the Blues Project had a secret obsession with Batman. Ken outs them.

- Don't drink the kool-aid. Cultish brainwash from the masters: MP3s of Jim Jones and the People's Temple Choir, presented by Lukas.

- Check out the Professor's continuing series delving into shortwave radio; embedded with many MP3s.

- Station Manager Ken hails Klaus Kinski! You should, too.

- Educational songs about food, posted by Lukas. According to these guys, there are only 4 groups: meats, fruits, vegetables, and desserts.

- The best snowy day MP3 ever. Don't even try to trump this one... instead, curse Mike Lupica's name when your skates give way and you become one with the ice.

- Yip-Yip aliens from Sesame Street wax poetic about modern appliances. From Liz.

- Rare Tangerine Dream tracks and bootlegs, unearthed by William Berger.

- Against everyone's better judgment, Scott Williams masterfully concocted a yacht rock megamix potion that'll have you biting that lower lip and nodding your head to the breeze.

- East German MP3 frenzy... well, as long as you dig that pinko stuff. Thanks Lukas!

- Japanese kiddie marimba. Don't ask what else is lurking in Ken's closet.

- You've seen the sign a thousand times: "Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work." Now hear it a thousand times in a song by R. Stevie Moore, posted here by William Berger.

Comments

[Mourner]

What happened to the Ail Symudiad MP3? I was really looking forward to that! Ah well, great site and keep up the good work like!

[Allan]

IM RICK JAMES BITCH!

[Eric]

Re: Dave Chappelle, Block Party is great. Re: octopus, 5 Minutes to Live is also great. Check out their article on Orson Welles!

[Woods]

If anyone's still looking for Paul Stanley, it's available here:

http://the21gunsalute.blogspot.com/2007/08/paul-stanley.html