Potatoes (MP3s)

Twenty earthy and nutritious MP3s after the jump.

Inspired by Lukas' post of the Ralph Records Goobers album last week, here's a companion album: Potatoes, an out-of-print collection of folk songs that was released on vinyl in 1987 and on CD in 1989 with a slightly different lineup. Here's the complete collection of material from the CD version (including folk songs by Reverend Howard Finster, Mark Mothersbaugh, Half Japanese, Bongwater, The Tinklers, The Residents, Snakefinger, and Negativland), along with a couple bonus Potatoes tracks sliced from my vinyl version of the album (the version pressed with potato-brown vinyl).

All file links are to 128kbit MP3 files. Each link is followed by the artists' notes, if any, from the CD release.

1. Howard Finster - Brief harmonica interlude

2. Renaldo and the Loaf - Haul on the Bowline
Here is an old sea chantey from Liverpool adapted in multicultural fashion for your multi-coloured pleasure.

3. Rhythm and Noise - Bertas Hammer
A medley adaptation of two southern state prison songs. Portions released as Berta and All teamed up in Angolas mule lot, used by kind permission, Chris, Arhoolie Records.

4. Half Japanese - T for Texas (Blue Yodel #1)
I'd rather be in Westminster than in earthquake ravaged San Francisco with the Memphis blues again.

5. The Residents - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

6. Tom Cora and Hans Reichel - Premonitions
Put your tows in the ocean and set them free. Rest up premonitions but keep in touch with me. Tom Cora - Cello  Hans Reichel - Guitar and Dachsophone

7. Terra Incognita - Rank Stranger
We would like to dedicate our recording to Carter Stanley who passed away December 1, 1966.

8. Howard Finster - When the Saints Go Marching In
"Sometimes I hear a sound ya know like comin' down from above. God may give me a sound someday that just a charm the hearts of the world. You don't never know. God can do that."

9. Mark Mothersbaugh - My Home Town
It's my home town, it's my home town, it's Akron, Ohio!

10. Artist Unknown - The Billy Bee Song
When scorned, a woman might drink to forget about it, sing to tell about it, or both. (Ed. note: song credited to Sheenah Fair)

11. Snakefinger - The Ballad of Sawny Bean (Sawney's Death Dance)
My offering on this outstanding collection is a cheerful little self-penned ditty, gruesome above and beyond the call of tradition, and best of all...it's all true!

12. The Tinklers - If You Want Nice Kids Be Nice To Your Kids
Kids will do as they are shown by those whom they respect so it stands to reason, it's so important to be nice...especially to kids!

13. Negativland - Perfect Scrambled Eggs
If it sells to turn a horse upside down and beat it with a stick, it's good advertising.

14. Blitzoids - Fire on the Mountain
Legend has it that this song got its name when an old time fiddler played so fast that his instrument caught fire, burning a whole mountain down.

15. Bongwater - Splash 1
We chose to do this song because Roky Erickson is the greatest living folk hero working in America today and we love the shit outta this song! Bongwater = Ann Magnuson + Kramer + Dave Rick

16. Clubfoot Orchestra - Japanese Song Too
An adaptation of an ancient traditional Gigaku folk song.

17. The Step One Just Plain Folk Singers - Potatoes
As performed by some of the teachers at the Step One Nursery School, Berkeley, Ca. (Line-up listed on LP as Sue Britson, Mark Hosler, Betsy Nachman, Jane Timberlake, and Charlie Vincent.)

Extra spuds:

Maria Marquez and Frank Harris - Canto del Pilon (from the LP)
Gossip is the dialogue in this traditional Venezuelan folk song of a woman at work mashing corn. While preparing corn for mealtime, the woman talks in pitch and rhythm about the current events of the local town. Except for the voices, all of the sounds were created and performed on the Synclavier digital music system.

Voice Farm - Mamma made me do it (from the LP)
This song was inspired in part by the Calogero Salvos film La Juarija. Mamma made me do it is dedicated to Helen Brown-Hansen.

Mark Hosler - The Mashed Potatoe
A razor tape by Mark Hosler of Negativland, using bits from the above songs. Created as a promo piece for Potatoes, it was included as a bonus track on the CD release.

Comments

[Krys O.]

Graham Kerr's cooking tips on the Negativland track are still in use in my kitchen to this day! One of my favorite rekkids.

[illlich]

that's "Ghost Rider", not "Frankie Teardrop", and I guess because it's in a Spanish-speaking country they dont care what the lyrics are about.

[Barrett Golding]

this came out on CD too; out-of-print now but i have a copy. you want a rip of the CD trax for posting?

[Norton Zenger]

So I take it next up somebody's gonna cough up a post of "Beets"?

[Aljaz]

I was lucky to buy the vinyl version from Ralph way back when, then about three years back I snapped the cd copy offa Ebay. I distinctly remember listening with amazement to the vinyl, Haul on the bowline stucking in my head for days and days. Come to think of it, I¨ll hang up in the air a little plea of mine, if I may. Remember Renaldo and loaf and the Residents ¨Title in limbo¨, it was similarelly as Potatoes pressed on cd in about 1989 in very limited numbers, impossible to get now. One of the best records the Residents had a hand in so far, is there any chance you can put it up on your site with songs in mp3. Hope so, anyway, it was well worth a try, no two ways about it.

Keep up the good work and hope the summer is treating all of you well.

[vince]

Thanks for the Maria Marquez & Frank Harris track. If you could find the album Ralph put out of theirs, would LOVE it! I had a track of theirs from one of the "Buy or Die" 7"'s called "Compensina". I miss that song.

[Listener Oddio Katya]

Was working for them when this was in production, and was given a silkscreened POTATOES potato sack. It is LP sized, and to this day it hangs framed in the Oddio House kitchen. Did the general release (LP in paper sleeve and jacket) come in these burlap sacks? Is this yet another limited edition Uncle Willie's Eyeball Buddies item? What IS this thing? Thanks.

[Hell's Donut House]

Just because I love the song so much, here's "Canto Del Pilon" again, this time ripped from CD:
http://rapidshare.com/files/49238542/canto_del_pilon.mp3

[Hell's Donut House]

If I remember correctly, the burlap sack was a limited-edition thing made exclusively for Ralph's mail-order fanatics. I think the LP for that version was the potato-brown vinyl mentioned above.

[JohnnySansCulo]

I have a copy of Beets if needed

[Peter]

Thanks! I've ripped my lp to mp3, but am looking forward to the extra tracks that I don't have on the lp.

[Rick Garcia]

Wow, I've been trying to hunt this down for years. 15 years ago, I filled in for the overnight shifts at KOTR in San Luis Obispo with my "pal" Gretchen, and would occasionally torture the insomniacs with "The Billy Bee Song" or "My Hometown". I've played this several times since I downloaded it. Like a potato, if you put it in a dark place it just starts to grow on you.

[Neal]

let's get Beets Jazz Songs on the interwebs please