As much as we here at WFMU tend to reject characterizing ourselves as "nutty," "wacky," "boffo," "screwy," "batty," "balmy," "loony," "goofy," "jokey," "nutso," "waggish," "bonkers," "cuckoo," "harebrained," "zany," "daffy," "cockamamie" or otherwise anything even closely resembling a state of being "totally bananas," this can still be a pretty weird place to hang around. Case in point: WFMU's mysterious and now-legendary floating record album.
Yes, WFMU's alphabetically-arranged record library is not only home to some of the tools of our trade -- that trade being freeform radio -- it is also home to a genuinely nomadic record. A record that can not be filed alphabetically. A record that knows nothing about structure or boundaries and refuses to hemmed in by that whole limitations trip the other records and CDs are always trying to lay on it. Considered in this light, it is very much a microcosm of our mission here at WFMU. In another way, it's a corny Russian jazz record with a name I can't type out on this keyboard. What makes it truly unique, however, is that every time one of our DJs comes across it in the stacks, it is their duty to then refile it someplace else. Anyplace else.
As you can see by the detail of the jacket, this tradition dates back to 1990. No one around here will fess up to starting it, however... Even Irwin claimed not to know anything about it, and he constantly ribs me for being such a kid in comparison to his elder statesmanship at FMU. (He recently reasoned that he'd been into the band Grauzone (click to stream Real Audio) since "before [I] was born", which leads me to believe that Irwin thinks I am only 11 years old.)
But back to the matter at hand: Hokey Russian Jazz records. Here's an MP3 (right-click to download) of the second song on side one, the title of which reads something that (in Russian) looks like "Mpncmotpn Aahr MactylIok", which according to one of those online translation programs means "Electric Pork Tuxedo". (Other songs on the record not available for download include "Aeebea" ("Asphalt"), "By Abte Aoepbl" ("Lick my Boots"), and "Xaomanhte B AaaoIihn" ("Marmalade and Heroin".)
Word on the street is that this hot combo's LP was released in a limited, hand-numbered run of only 800 copies (ours is #49). In order to secure yours, I'd suggest you soon start jockeying for position at our next Record Fair, to be held November 4th-6th in Manhattan. In the meantime, I'm heading downstairs to re-file the LP. I'm feeling drawn to somewhere between the Creedence records and the last RJD2 12"...
You know you're officially an 'FMU family member when you come across the floating record, which is like being struck by lightning. It can happen once, but unlikely to happen a second time.
Strapping DJ White Russian http://wfmu.org/listen.ram?show=5573
gives us the translation for the floating record:
Here is what is on the cover:
D Zh. (or, maybe, he meant to say, DJ) Gershwin
Popular songs
Swan
Not for Me
Look After Me
My Cowboy
Would You Please
Embracing You
Put Your Hands Together
Lullaby
by Leonid Cizhik Trio
Posted by: Pseu | July 01, 2005 at 10:44 AM
Those poor Russians don't have a soft G in their alphabet. It's as hard as tundra. Dzh as in Dzhordzh Gershvin is as close as they get.
Posted by: Jaylefus | July 02, 2005 at 12:32 AM
No, I don't have anything better to do with my day. Besides which, I was quite enjoying it.
Posted by: Adam Sampson | July 13, 2005 at 07:19 AM
It doesn't take all day to listen to a single mp3 and I was quite enjoying this music. Innofensive and hardly groundbreaking, certainly, but palatable and in fact quite well played. Why does it bother you so much?
Posted by: Andrew | January 19, 2007 at 01:54 AM