MP3 Download Dinner Bell for June

Les Blousons Noirs "Eddy Soit Bon Masterise" (MP3)
I was half expecting this LP that arrived featuring gobbledy-gook, electric-guitar-played-with-mittens French covers of "Johnny B Goode" and "Be Bop a Lula" to be some kind of elaborate prank on the Norton/Crypt crowd but the Born Bad label's JB Guillot assures us of the bona-fide primitive genius of Les Blousons Noirs, whose 1961 and 1962 EPs have just been issued on a single LP. If this is indeed the case, these guys have ascended to the automatic altar of Hasil, King Usniewicz and the U-Turns for pure stupe-rock greatness, and even predate the Shaggs by half a decade. Says JB: "Maybe it's the first proto punk/DIY in the world....????....If i have good memory, "Chicken Walk" (Hasil Adkins) is from 1961 too. Even in France, nobody knows Les Blousons Noirs, this band is really the great discovery of my life of records digger... :-)... I have search after member of this band for 5 years but never found a clue...(I have published "wanted advisertisement" in national magazine, talked with all the biggest French 60's collector etc.) but never found something. I met an old guy who work on sixties band from BORDEAUX and his area ...In his opinion, Les Blousons Noirs were some "Pieds noirs " ("black feets" - it means french people who lived in Algerie during the colonization by France. At the end of the colonization, "les pieds noirs" have been banned form Algerie  because of the war and then come back in france......They lost everyhing (lost their home, etc) and did some poor job in France to earn their life....The studio Guilain where both EP have been recorded where in a street with only fashion manufacturer in it.  The guy thinks the band worked in these manufacture...He thinks They were only in transit in Bordeaux...It could be one of the reason we have never refound them.."  Wowza.

Assorted Urban Target Market PSA's
Summer is here, which in radio terms usually means a lot more Ad Council public service spots on air telling you what not to do. Don't run over people in your speedboat while popping 'ludes. Don't climb electrical towers. And if you're in New Jersey, don't fuck around with the bears because they're really pissed off in that particular state. They've even invented Energy Hog (pictured left) who must be the result of meticulous research to portray the average SUV driver, I guess a cross between Dice and Ed Asner. At some point in the last decade though, the Ad Council decided it is best to get rid of their Pat Boone-style voiceovers, and get funky for some of the more urban radio markets, albeit unconvincingly funky. In 2001, WFMU got some PSA's for their Buckle Up America campaign that quickly got recalled after I suppose a lot of people got offended hearing them on radio stations and complained. Each spot sets the scene with some sexy downtempo grooves and an Isaac Hayes-style guy or sassy-gal saying things like: "You're layin' there in the bed, half naked. And you're not alone. You're surrounded by three women. They love you, and they wanna show you. Player, player!.... What are you gonna do now? (dismal piano): Nothin'. See you're in a hospital bed, and those women are here to comfort you, because you're paralyzed from the neck down." And each accompanying PSA paints a worse scene than the one before it. Whether it was the grimness of these PSA's (MP3 #1, MP3 #2, MP3 #3, MP3 #4, MP3 #5) or the faux-funk and direct targeting that got them recalled (I will guess the latter, since the participants' activities depicted include gettin' down, eating "Big Momma's cookin'", and playing basketball forgetting you lost an arm in an accident),  who knows, but it didn't stop them, that's for sure. Witness the latest Breastfeeding Health Awareness spot (MP3), and if you want true halfassed attempt to "connect" with the youth of the cities, you now have FEMA rapping about keeping yourself prepared for disaster (MP3). Clearly FEMA's budget is so tapped they couldn't even bring in a proper beatbox. Player, player, you forgot to move to higher ground. Yup. (Last two MP3s via Music For Maniacs).

Several Mouth Parts "Proposition" (MP3)
Here's a head scratcher, a bunch of guys from Redondo Beach, California from '72 claiming to be a jam band influenced by Deep Purple and Anthony Braxton. Looks like their only recording was from a high school dance and YMCA; the stupe factor can get pretty high at times ("Boogie on Your Woogie", "Can on a Hot Tit Roof", I leave that up to the Zappa SoCal influence), but there's some pretty great moments of stumbling primitivity going on here and there amidst the groan-worthy stuff. The line up: Lord Woo-Woo, Stanley L. Douad, Zildjian Rogers (on drums of course), G.R. Wardlo, Baby Gouda, Danny Zuchin. They're selling it here.

In case you missed out on some of our MP3 downloads from the past month, here's a recap (brought to you by Liz Berg):

- Catch thee up on the 2007 version of Otis Fodder's 365 Days project. Click here to reap the Hollywood Polka, lessons for speaking Hawaiian, a presidential campaign song for Ike circa 1952, and more.

- What happens when radio DJs transition into recording careers? Bad bad things. Thanks Ken, I think.

- Check out some early West Coast XXX rap from King Monkey.

- Music to wretch by. Chucked up by Brian Turner.

- Mike Lupica brings us unconventional versions of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood."

- Cassette rarities from Het Zweet and Odd-Ba, digified by William Berger.

- Pick up some angry tracks from Eugene Chadbourne's "Oil of Hate" 7" from back in the Bush #1 days. Presented by our anti-warrior, Lukas.

- Click here for some religiously fanatical and other MP3s from Clinton.

- Perhaps you were checked into an ADD-rehab clinic while Ken's Sixty Second Song Remix Contest was in progress? Now's your chance to catch up on the uber-abridged versions of your favorite pop hits.

- More insanely rare cassette-only releases: Phoaming Edison and Deficit Des Annees Anterieures, lovingly encoded by William Berger.

- Mozart a-la Kingsley (of Perrey and Kingsley), bring on that harpsichord, Lukas!

- Clinton hooks you up with MP3s of jazz guitarist Nick Lucas along with the Rebel Force Band (together at long last?)

- As if the first Shemp Meditation tape wasn't enough, Dave the Spazz has posted Volume 2 for your catatonic pleasures.

- William Berger's cassette culture continues: snag Wall Drug and Kwashiorkor right here, and then grab JFK and Joe Band over here.

- Eric Satie... moogified! Why not? Ask Lukas, but I fear he is only the messenger.

- Hatch dug up some modern classics from touring bands that we love: Standing Nudes, Entrance, Endless Boogie (deep cuts), and the Bush Tetras.

- Safety first, says Lukas. Heed the haunting lyrics of "Dead Little Surfer Girl," and be wary of that undertow.

Comments

[Pete]

This reminds me of these PSAs that have appeared on late-night broadcast television up here in the Commonwealth. If you watch after 12, you know the time I'm talking about -- a slew of spots from the Ad Council roll out each night in the least-marketable ad time (when the fewest people are watching), probably not doing their respective causes a whole lot of good.

They're for something Massachusetts has called "Baby Safe Havens" -- a program under which hospitals and police stations will accept newborn drop-offs, no questions asked, in order to prevent mothers of unwanted children from abandoning them or worse.

I can't be sure, but I seem to remember a version of this heavy-handed rap that used less slick, more realistic-looking actors. I don't know that either one has had much effect other than to cement the words "Baby... Safe Haven!" in the heads of late-night viewers statewide, but what do I know.

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NRNQmtUAUg

[Max]

Gonna have to get that Les Blousons Noirs CD--thanks for posting it. I liked the Several Mouth Parts too. As for PSAs, I would really like to hear the AIDs awareness PSA Luke Skywalker had to do as part of his community service--the WRSU record library used to have a copy that was released on a 12" so maybe you have one in your record library as well.
Max

[bartleby]

The only place I've seen the Energy Hog character is on bus shelters in downtown Newark. Seems kind of silly since the people who see the posters are taking the bus already. Though the posters do feature Energy Hog in the shower with his hair over his eyes. I guess this is to warn people against using too much hot water - in the summer. (Actually I think they've been up since spring)

[David]

The Energy Hog PSA is to get people to not waste things that use energy. Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers, etc. Check the furnace or air conditioner (AC) filter each month, and clean or replace it as needed. Dirty filters block air flow through your heating and cooling systems, increasing your energy bill and shortening the equipment’s life. During hot months, keep window coverings closed on the south, east, and west windows. In winter, let the sun in. Glass fireplace doors help stop heat from being lost up the chimney. Also, close the fireplace damper when not in use. Activate "sleep" features on computers and office equipment that power down when not in use for a while. Turn off equipment during longer periods of non-use to cut energy costs and improve longevity. When cooking, keep the lids on pots. Better yet, use a microwave oven instead. Dress appropriately for the weather, and set your thermostat to the lowest possible comfortable setting. On winter nights, put an extra blanket on the bed and turn down your thermostat more. In summer, use fans whenever possible instead of AC, and ventilate at night this way when practical. Using fans to supplement AC allows you to raise the thermostat temperature, using less energy. Fans cost less to use than AC. About 15 percent of an average home energy bill goes to heating water. To save hot water, take five-minute showers instead of baths. Do only full loads when using the clothes washer or dishwasher. Use cold water for laundry and save up to $63 a year—detergents formulated for cold water get clothes just as clean. Lower the temperature on your water heater. It should be set at “warm,” so that a thermometer held under running water reads no more than 120 degrees. Only heat or cool the rooms you need—close vents and doors of unused rooms. Install low-flow showerheads and sink aerators to reduce hot water use. Seal and weatherstrip your windows and doors to ensure that you're not wasting energy on heat or air conditioning that escapes through leaks to the outdoors. A water tank insulation wrap costs about $20 and helps hold the heat inside. Add pre-cut pipe insulation to exposed pipes going into your water heater—it is cheap and easy to install. If you’re starting with an uninsulated tank, the energy savings should pay for the improvements in just a few months. Duct tape works well on lots of things, but it often fails when used on ductwork! Use mastic (a gooey substance applied with a paintbrush) to seal all exposed ductwork joints in areas such as the attic, crawlspace, or basement. Insulate ducts to improve your heating system’s efficiency and your own comfort. Storm windows can reduce heat lost by single-paned windows by 25–50 percent during the winter. As an alternative, you can improve your windows temporarily with plastic sheeting installed on the inside. When buying new products, look for the ENERGY STAR® label, found on more than 40 different products such as TVs, furnaces, cell phones, refrigerators, air conditioners and more. Incandescent light bulbs are outdated; 95 percent of the energy used goes to heating the bulb, adding unwanted heat to your home in the summer. Replace your five most used light bulbs with ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulbs to save $60 each year in energy costs. These light bulbs use two-thirds less energy and last up to 10 times longer. Use dimmers, timers, and motion detectors on indoor
and outdoor lighting. Consider safer, more efficient ENERGY STAR torchiere lamps rather than halogen torchieres, which can cause fires. Halogen bulbs are expensive to use.

[Daniel]

^^^^
Its a public service comment!
I like it...

[m.c.]

some - very litle - info on Les Blousons Noir