WFMU's Beware of the Blog

King Leopold Of All The Belgians (MP3s)

On one of my recent random download sprees I found this "live radio play" King Leopold Of All The Belgians, supposedly recorded September 29, 2007, in Brussels, Belgium. It is credited to avant-retard geniuses Die Trip Computer Die, one of the countless projects that had its origin in British punk pioneers The Homosexuals, and certainly one of the most interesting.

This radio play features the characters of King Leopold, James Bond, and for some inexplicable reason Matt Damon and Bruno Ganz (who sounds quite a bit like Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove). Here it is, in six parts. It has a few instances of (FCC-unfriendly) dirty language, and it might make other people think you have gone completely insane, so I would classify it as NSFW. Use at your own risk.

MP3s: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

If you like this, you should definitely check out the Harmon e. Phraysier Show podcasts on Resonance FM, a more polished version of this sort of radio art, also produced by Jim Whelton (aka L. Voag aka Xentos "Fray" Bentos aka Xentos Jones aka Amos). Unfortunately, the show is not on the schedule anymore, but there are enough archived broadcasts to blow your mind.

If you have any more information about the background of this production, please leave a comment.

Kesäkatu (video)

In Finland there are always shadows, even in the middle of summer, and I don't think hot sidewalks are a problem either. However, all of this did not stop a Finnish singer named "Danny" to take on the Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City". A great music video, complete with gigantic letters, tambourines, go-go dancers, and Finnish street scenes.

YouTube: [link]

A Primer for Dental Extraction (video)

A 1999 short film by Carl Wiedemann. More info here.

Ralf Dörper's Eraserhead (MP3s)

Ralf Dörper is best known as a founding member of Die Krupps and Propaganda, but his musical career started earlier, as a member of avant-garde punk band S.Y.P.H. in the late 70s. When S.Y.P.H. broke up in 1980 out of protest against the commercialization of the local punk scene, he recorded his first solo project, the 7" single Eraserhead on the Rondo Biermeier label. He also collaborated with Jürgen Engler under the name Die Lemminge, releasing one 7" single Lorelei in 1981 on the Pure Freude label. In 1983 these two singles were released by UK label Operation Twilight on one 12" as Ralph Dorper's Eraserhead. Not available on the blogosphere before, here it is for your listening pleasure (if your idea of pleasure is dark electronic music from Germany...):

MP3s:
1 Ralf Dörper - Assault (some sources claim this is his tribute to John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13)
2 Ralf Dörper - Eraserhead (obviously a David Lynch tribute)
3 Die Lemminge - Lorelei (a fantastic version of this classic 19th century German song, lyrics by Heinrich Heine)
4 Die Lemminge - Im Himmel (supposedly another Eraserhead tribute)

Die Lemminge also contributed a great song to the 1980 Christmas compilation Denk Daran!, available at Mutant Sounds. (This one is worth getting anyway, contributors include S.Y.P.H., Der Plan, Pyrolator, and Xao Seffcheque.)

Chicha For The Jet Set (MP3s)

One of my current favorite CDs is the incredible compilation The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru, released last year on Barbes Records. I can't recommend it strongly enough, and you should really go out and buy it immediately, if you have not done so already.

Searching for more Chicha to satisfy my craving for irresistible good-times music, I recently found another compilation in a dark and dusty corner of the Internet. Called Chicha For The Jet Set, compiled by DJ Sonido Martines from Buenos Aires, it is apparently all ripped from vinyl 45rpm singles, and not available commercially (or on the blogosphere, for that matter). So here it is for free download, sure to cheer you up and get you dancing:

MP3s:
Amor Indio - Amor Indio | Los Esplendidos - Muchacha Provinciana | Los Clabeles de Pucallpa - Lamento del Maderero | Conjunto Génesis - Mi linda Haydee | Los Henry´s - Cumbia del Amor | Los Escorpiones - Los Sentimientos | Los Mirlos - La danza de los mirlos | Los Yabar Juniors - Marionetas | Grupo Rosado - El super corcho | Grupo Samoa - La Chinchilla | Amor Indio - Ave pa´ve | Manolo Avalos y su Conjunto Tropical - Cumbia la Cachaca | Mario Cavagnaro y Su Sonora Sensación - San Lázaro | Los Escorpiones - Igual me da | Manzanita - Serrano con orgullo | Los Iguales - Saca chaca | Los Mirlos - Lamento en la selva | Manzanita - Un sabado por la noche | Amor Indio - Chivato Bailarin | Los Iguales - El sonido de los mirlos

If you want more cumbias, check out DJ/Rupture's Mudd Up! show archives on WFMU. In fact, Sonido Martines dropped in twice in 2007 to answer questions and spin some music, on July 18 and on August 29. Listen to the archives and find out what the cumbia rebajada craze is all about. (My theory is cough syrup, but Sonido claims it has to do with bad batteries in Mexican sound systems.)

Music Furthest From The Sea (MP3s)

The city of Ürümqi, even though its name sounds like it was invented by Jorge Luis Borges, is actually a real place in northwestern China, the largest city in western China, and the capital of the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region. It holds the distinction of being the city furthest away from any sea, about 1,400 miles. What kind of music do people produce who are so far away from oceans? Surf music it isn't, that I can tell you. Fortunately for us, Fausto of the excellent Shirley & Spinoza internet radio stream spent some time in Ürümqi recently, and compiled a bunch of great tracks from the region under the name Music Furthest From The Sea - pop sounds from the unStan Vol. 1. I repost it here for your pleasure, but you can find the original post with more information (and lots of comments) over at Shirley & Spinoza. If these songs reminds you of Turkish music, you are on the right track. The people living in Xinjiang are mostly Uyghur, a Turkic people of Central Asia.

MP3s:
Dutarim | Arzigul Tursun - Yarbagi | Momenjan - Yakhsan | Anwar Turak - Seliga | Yasinjan Tokhti - Chatma Nakcha | Ablimit Ahmet - Kurai Dep Kaldum | Arzigul Tursun - Gul Garangza | Abdukadir Yar Eli - Levan Yarla | Yulduz Usmonova - Yigit | Tallangantansam Muzikiuiri 6a | Nadira - Hasret Cektim | Yurrekke Tolghan Dert - Hasret | Doslar | Shahrizoda - Guzel Ertek | Turghan Emir - Bulak Puyida | Mahmet Tursun - Utch Pada | Abdurehim Heyit - Rasjilukim | Kaxgar Kizi - Chirayliq | Anwar Turak - Tuman

Cover Art (to make your own CD): Front | Back

Be sure to also check out Fausto's mix Sounds Of My City: Ürümqi on the Shirley & Spinoza site. You'll be treated to the sounds of droning pigeons, air raid sirens, and much more. If you want visuals, there are a few short videos of field recordings in Xinjiang on the website, too. And leave him some positive feedback, maybe he'll compile a second volume eventually.

New Leader (video)

Kuolleena Haudattuja (MP3s)

In fact, the full title of today's post is Kuolleena Haudattuja - Sosiologinen Kartoitus Suomalaisen Nuorison Salaisista Musiikkiharrastuksista. Who could resist a Finnish DIY cassette compilation with a name like that? Certainly not me, and so I offer you this out-of-print gem, originally released in 2002 on the Lal Lal Lal label, in digital form.

MP3s:
Maniacs Dream - You Know Who´s The Boss
? - ?
Kemialliset Ystävät - Mustaa (cover of "Paint It Black")
Vikings Of St Loonie - Untitled
Hot Patongs In Paris - Hot Patongs In Paris
Pettinkisessio - 1,2,4,5,7,10
Arttu Partinen & His Partiers - Untitled
Office Building - Pubic Hair (For S.P.)
Reijo Pami - A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man; Animal Porn, Dead Jews, Humiliation Of A Nun And Some Autopsy Footage-pätkiä
Janne Martinkauppi - Smurffimusiikkia
Pylon - Broitskut
The Sailors - Down The Hill
Toni Laakso - Untitled
Rad Conservative - Over Much Before The Fat Lady
Munuaissymposium 1960 - Kuka Minä Olen?
Yuri - Muusia Ja Näkkileipää, Exaggerate, Shout, Kill Me
Roope Eronen - 3 Rukouskulhoa Ja 5 Lelukukkoa (This and the following might be switched)
Lullu - Kuuma Mirri
Mr. Onion - Wind Song
Garfields - Satisfaction, Light My Fire
Kukkiva Poliisi - Kukkiva Poliisi
Mausoleum - Kaikkee Voi Tanssia
Tero Kartastenpää - In My Backyard

By the way, the title of this compilation translates as Buried Dead - A Sociological Survey of Finnish Youth's Secret Musical Activities.

Lehrlinge halten zusammen (MP3s)

For Labor Day, here is a perennial WFMU favorite of socialist propaganda songs from 1960s West Germany, the compilation "Lehrlinge halten zusammen" ("Apprentices stick together"). Released in 1969 on the Pläne label, it has never been officially reissued, as far as I know. Most of the lyrics are somewhat failed attempts at sarcastic humor, pointing out the exploitation of German apprentices by evil capitalists, and the virtues of organized resistance against the system. The back cover contains a summary of Karl Marx's position on the question of youth in capitalistic societies, in six easily digestable points.

Why hasn't this faded into total obscurity, you ask? First of all, the music and delivery on many of these songs is original, to say the least, and in addition this has been featured on the famous Nurse With Wound list for the contribution of mysterious Lerryn & dadazuzu, Lehrlings-Machtgebeat. Also, who can resist obscurities from Germany or Japan anyway? Here is the whole album for your enjoyment.

MP3s:
01 Die Conrads - Hoch vom Dach (From high up on the roof)
02 Floh de Cologne - Hallo Stift (Hello apprentice)
03 Interpol - Schaffen Sie sich einen Lehrling an (Get yourself an apprentice)
04 Vorschlaghammer - Ballade von den bösen Lehrlingen (Ballad of the evil apprentices)
05 Vorschlaghammer - Armer Anton (Poor Anton)
06 Die Conrads - Nach Dreißig Jahren (After thirty years)
07 Die Conrads & Hannes Stütz - Dick und Doof in der Fabrik (Laurel and Hardy in the factory)
08 Dieter Süverkrüp - Das Lied vom Nutzen (Song of the benefit)
09 Floh de Cologne - Lehrherr unser (Our Employer)
10 Interpol - Ich bin so glücklich (I am so happy)
11 Die Conrads & Dieter Süverkrüp - Was ein Lehrling alles lernt (What an apprentice learns)
12 Die Conrads - Betriebsgeheimnis (Company secret)
13 Lerryn & dadazuzu - Lehrlings-Machtgebeat (also known as Lehrlinks-Machtgebeat. Honestly, I don't know how to translate this, it is a barely sensical play on words. Maybe someone else can help?)
14 Die Conrads & Dieter Süverkrüp - Lehrlingsbilanz (Apprentice's balance sheet)
15 Münchner Songgruppe - Lehrlinge zusammenhalten (Apprentices stick together)
16 Die Conrads & Dieter Süverkrüp - Wer hat den Lehrling gemacht (Who made the apprentice)
17 Floh de Cologne - Wir werden immer mehr (We grow in numbers every day)

As a bonus, here is the only other track I know by Lerryn & dadazuzu, a song against police brutality with killer horns and lots of sexual innuendo: Lerryn & dadazuzu - Gummiknüppelsong (Rubber baton song). Honestly, I have never heard anything like this, and if you know German, you'll be stunned by the sheer weirdness of the lyrics. If you don't know German, just enjoy the great music and imagine a Phil Ochs song with a bunch of penis references thrown in. Or maybe Siegmund Freud and Karl Marx jamming with some German hippies. Really, it is a great song.

Thanks to Andreas Michalke's blog Berlin Beatet Bestes for this song, snatched from this post (which has cover art for the Lerryn & dadazuzu 7" single).

The Great Society (video)

Created by Fred Mogubgub in 1967.

YouTube link.

Reverend Beat-Man Is Happy (video)

If you still feel sad, you can get 18 more uplifting music videos on Reverend Beat-Man's DVD Surreal Folk Blues Gospel Trash Vol. 3, available at Voodoo Rhythm Records.

YouTube link.

Altered States and Otomo Yoshihide (MP3s)

Altered States are a Japanese power trio formed in 1989, consisting of Kazuhisa Uchihashi on guitar, Mitsuru Natsuno on bass, and Yasuhiro Yoshigaki on drums. Starting as a jazz trio, they soon left the conventions of the genre behind and ventured out into avant-rock territory. In 1993 they played some gigs with turntablist Otomo Yoshihide in Lithuania and Estonia, resulting in the album Lithuania and Estonia Live, released on Trigram in 1994. All Altered States albums from the 90s went out of print, and this one even seems to be absent from the blogosphere. It is great music, though, so here it is in MP3:

Motif B | Chain Reaction | Improvisation #1 | Improvisation #2 | Motif B - Improvisation #3 | Improvisation #4 | Ground Zero | Arashigaoka | Lithuania Mix

I'll throw in some bonus tracks from two great Altered States studio albums. They are a little less improvised and slightly more polished and accessible, in a way...

From Mosaic (God Mountain 1995), featuring tons of guest musicians: Issai-Kai-Ku (with Koichi Makigami on vocals) | Motif A (with Junji Hirose on tenor sax)

From Plays Standards (Station Kids 1999), revisiting their Jazz roots: Blue Moon | A Night In Tunisia

From 1994 on, the three members of Altered States were permanent members of Otomo Yoshihide's project Ground Zero. Ground Zero also recorded an album called Plays Standards, from which you can hear a Victor Jara cover as part of a highly controversial earlier post of mine.

YouTube doesn't disappoint either: Altered States live, crappy sound and video quality, but still worth watching: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3. I don't know Japanese, but I assume this is a relatively recent performance.

Robbie The Werewolf (MP3s)

The late great Robbie "The Werewolf" Robison pioneered the genre of beatnik monster comedy folk, but not many followed in his footsteps. His one and only LP "At The Waleback" was recorded live in 1964, and while it is sort-of-famous for its great cover (look to your right), it is really hard to find. However, here it is in digital form, music and banter and all, as high-quality MP3s:

Vampire Man | Drums and Guns | My Little Brother | Frankie-Stein | That Judge | Censored Man | Count Dracula | Lucifer | Streets of Transylvania | Rockin Werewolf | Inside Story of Flamenco | Tiptoe Thru The Wolfbane | Censored Dooley

Later on, Robbie would be a founding member of the band Clear Light. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago. Read more about him here.

Old Computer Parts Play Nude (video)

No, this isn't what you think... This was a late entry for Radiohead's on-line contest to remix their song "Nude". I guess old computer parts aren't very good with deadlines.

Personnel on this one:

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars
Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums
HP Scanjet 3c - Bass
Hard Drive Array - Bad Speakers, FX, Vocals

Masterminded by James Houston, more info at YouTube.

Eyesore: A Stab At The Residents (MP3s)

It is hard to believe that there is a tribute album to The Residents that does not suck, but it exists: Eyesore: A Stab At The Residents was released in 1996 on Vaccination Records, and I think it is better than about 90% of the original Residents releases. (I never thought I'd say that about an album that has Primus on it.) Like so many great albums, it seems to be out of print, so here it is for your listening pleasure in digital form.

MP3s: Only a Mother / Unknown- Mahogany Wood / Untitled | Idiot Flesh - Bach Is Dead | Heavy Vegetable - Time's Up | Frank Pahl - Everyone Comes To The Freak Show | Borgia Popes / UBZUB - Constantinople / What Could The Matter Be? | Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - Electrocutioner | Mooseheart Faith - Firefly / Vinegar | The Splatter Trio - 6 Things To A Cycle Part 1 (Chew Chew Gum) | Amy Denio / UBZUB - Act Of Being Polite / N-Err-Gee (Crisis Blues) | Utotem / Greg Roe - Sinister Exaggerator / H.E.L.L. No! | Giant Ant Farm - Eva's Warning | Charming Hostess - Won't You Keep Us Working? | Richie West & Bomb Factory - Voices Of The Air | Silica Gel - Shut Up! Shut Up! | The Mommyheads - Moisture | Super Collider / UBZUB - The Walrus Hunt / Lord, It's Lonely | Snakefinger - Smelly Tongues | Fibulator - You Yes Yes Yes You | DramaGold - You Yes Yes Yes You (Reprise) | Shakin Ray Levis - Red Rider | Poxy Boggards - Santa Dog | The Splatter Trio - 6 Things To A Cycle Part 2 (Good Good Coffee) | Big Butter - Their Early Years | Cracker - Blue Rosebuds | Pink Floyd The Barber - Boo Who? | Non Credo - Nice Skinny Sinister Old Man | The Lungpigs - No One Laughs When They Leave | Eskimo - Happy Home | Primus - Hello Skinny / Constantinople | Stan Ridgway & J.E.D. / Greg Roe / The Residents - Excuse & The Booker Tease / Gingerbread Man / Benny The Bouncing Bump (live) | Unknown - Untitled

Some of the tracks are actually different songs running into each other, as indicated by the slashes. It might be a bit confusing at first, but I am sure you can figure out who plays what, where they stop and where they start pretty easily with the help of the Discogs info. And how could it be a Residents tribute if it wasn't confusing?

The Apple - BIM (video)

Among serious contenders for the title of Worst Movie of All Time, the winner in the Sci-Fi Musical genre is without any doubt Menahem Golan's masterpiece The Apple. In fact, it is hard to see how this film could be made any worse, so much attention is given to screwing up every detail, the plot, the music, the set decorations, the acting, and really everything else. Set in the USA in 1994 and filmed around 1980 in Berlin, Germany, this is highly concentrated trashy euro-disco aesthetics, although the music borrows heavily (and ineptly) from other genres like reggae, hip-hop, soul, etc. Here are the first 6 minutes, featuring the song "BIM".

You can download this video in higher quality here [ 44 meg MP4 ]. To get an idea of the horrors of the rest of the film, check out the trailer on YouTube. You can even get the whole thing on DVD at Amazon. By the way, George Clinton co-wrote the lyrics for the songs in The Apple.

Summertime Blues (video, MP3s)

Summer has finally arrived, and so here are a few versions of Eddie Cochran's seasonally appropriate Summertime Blues. First a video of The Who doing it at Monterey:

Of course, I can't leave out the most rocking cover version of them all: Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues (MP3).

Mick Farren of Deviants fame also did a great take on this classic: Mick Farren - Summertime Blues (MP3).

Instead of trying to stay true to the original or imitating Blue Cheer, the Flying Lizards do it weird and minimal. Here is the 7" single version: Flying Lizards - Summertime Blues (MP3).

The Human League (video, mp3)

According to Wikipedia, the original Human League was an "avant-garde all male synthesizer-based group from Sheffield". Johnny Rotten called them "trendy hippies" when their debut single "Being Boiled" appeared in 1978. In 1980, the original synthesizer players Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh left the group to form Heaven 17, and instead of playing trendy all male hippie avant-garde, The Human League suddenly made commercially successful co-ed electro pop with a fashion sense. They did not abandon the synthesizers, though, and they were still a band from Sheffield.

Here is the original line-up covering Lou Reed's song "Perfect Day", visually accompanied by some band photos so you don't have to stare at the wall.

The YouTube link is here. I really love the original Human League, so as a bonus here is another rarity, a Peel Session recording from August 1978: Being Boiled (MP3). The only ever protest song against the mistreatment of silkworms...

Millie Jackson's Indecent Symphony (video)

Millie Jackson is not only famous for her award-winning album covers, but probably also holds the record for the most FCC violations in a single symphony. Here is a live version from 1984.

YouTube link is here.

Jandek in Ann Arbor, MI (videos)

Yesterday, enigmatic outsider musician Jandek played a free concert at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, organized by the good folks at WCBN. He was playing bass and singing, accompanied by Christian Matjias on harpsichord, James Cornish on trumpet, and Biba Bell on voice and interpretive dance. It was a weird show, to say the least. It will probably be released (on CD and/or DVD) by Jandek himself in the near future, but here are two slightly shaky video clips to give you an impression of the event.

The first one is a really beautiful song, no idea what it is called. Unfortunately, it cuts off before the end. The second video shows Jandek walking off the stage, in his very own Jandek way.

YouTube links: Song | Exiting the Stage.

Sorry for the crappy sound and picture quality, I am looking forward to better quality official releases myself. By the way, some local events calendar only called Jandek's music "emotionally dissolute blues and folk songs", probably copied from Wikipedia or the press release. They did not mention that "blues and folk" in this sentence is used in a more than slightly non-traditional way. It seems that quite a few people at the concert didn't really know what they were getting themselves into, and left early. Or maybe they were all Jandek fans who preferred his earlier solo work on guitar...