Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 161

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

I am not a lawyer, and I don't play one on the radio, but for the life of me, I can't fathom the legal argument against music Web search engines like Chewbone, which was squashed like a bug almost two years ago, and Captain Crawl, which voluntarily went dark last week. If a search engine merely points to existing sites online but actually hosts no content, legal or otherwise, what is the justification for shuttering this service?

By this logic, the Post Office, which delivers millions of pieces of fraudulent mail each year, should be dismantled. Since bank robbers plan escape routes, how come road maps aren't contraband? Google provides a blog-specific search engine tool that points to innumerable sites hosting unlicensed material. What so distinguishes this service from others that have been forced to shut down? I mean, what the hell?!

My head hurts. Time for music.

    
Guelewar Band of Banjul  ~  Tasito
(Blog: Oro)

Guelewar, What Is It Good For?
"Guelewar Band of Banjul has been further developing the Afro-Manding sound of Ifang Bondi during a short period in the late 1970s and early 1980s. With strong percussion, a psychedelic tinge, prominent keyboards and saxophones, Guelewar's music is an "Aha-Erlebnis", but surprisingly enough, not a single album has ever been reissued on CD, whereas their LPs are sometimes offered at horrendous prices. Not much is written on the group apparently lead by Laye N'gom since the 1970s. Youssou N'Dour considers Guelewar as a main inspirational influence, partly because of the use of lyrics in a noble wolof as opposed to "street" Wolof, and partly because Guelewar had resolutely moved forward from Latin and highlife. Lead singer Moussa N'Gom has had a strong imprint on Guelewar's music with his expressive voice."  (Description by Frank Bessem, at Musiques d'Afrique)

John Holt  ~  Still in Chains
(Blog: I Made You a Tap)

Chain Male
"John Holt has the kind of sweet voice that makes me want to throw around words like earnest, earthy and robust. For me, John is up there with Alton Ellis as the Marvin & Stevie of Kingston, and I could listen to him sing the damn phone book. Fortunately, these songs aren’t just a list of names and numbers, they are about (and I’m quoting the liner notes here) “the changing times,” and 'reveal John’s inner emotions.' That’s putting it subtly, but that’s what Holt does best. Spotty grammar aside, I can’t disagree with Tommy Cowan when he concludes his copy with: “This album I am sure will please the many John Holt fans as it did me.” Word."  (Description from Bob Sled Ya'll, at I Made You a Tape)

 

Betsy Rutherford  ~  Traditional Country Music
(Blog: Cornbread, Molasses & Sassafras Tea)

The Lady Came From Baltimore
"This out-of-print LP was the only recording of Betsy Rutherford, from Galax, Virginia. Raised in a musical family (her uncle was Fields Ward, see my post of this great musician), she kept singing the old songs she learned from her parents or from the Carter Family at a time when many young Virginians turned their back on the mountain traditions and the music was revived by urban students in the Northern states." (Description from CM&ST)

 

Ribamar  ~  Dançando com Ribamar
(Blog: Flash Strap)

Pre-Bossa Boss
"Dançando com Ribamar is a delight and a pleasantness. Its charming, expert blend of both Brazilian and American popular music, jazz, and Bossa Nova align the album somewhat with the work of the fellows of Exotica; the influences are so similar, just approached from a different perspective. Reverse-Exotica in a sense. As such, the music would fit in on any Exotica playlist-- as well as one of Brazilian popular-music-circa-1950's, it should go without saying."  (Description by the mighty Flash Strap)

Jim Brewer ~  Tough Luck
(Blog: Don't Ask Me ….. I Don't Know)

Maxwell Street Maestro
"Tough Luck is Delta blues at its best—its words and melodies sing of the human condition in its most expressive manner. Listeners who enjoy Son House or Mississippi John Hurt will welcome the music of Jim Brewer. Brewer sang blues in the understated mellow manner that seeps inside of you even as you drink and chat; his deep soft voice and the light knowing touch of calloused fingers on the strings picked out many layered patterns of blue."  (Description by Xyros, at Don't Ask Me...)

 

Listen to my radio show Give the Drummer Some—Tuesdays, 6-7pm, and Fridays, 9 to noon—on WFMU's web stream Give the Drummer Radio.
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Comments

[Michael Yahwak]

Here is my solution for the blogosphere. Its the use of torrents insted of site like megaupload or the half or dozen that have shut down. The only drawback that i can see is getting enough seeders to keep said torrent alive. There are some very good torrent sites out there, some the suck donkey butt as well but for an example (uncle Gill's rocking Archives) He probably has a few hundred album listed there it would take a bit of hard drive space to store them but once they are seeded they should go on for ever as long as the seeds are alive.
Now a question>> Is there anything that come close to what Captain Crawl did? I have become fairly dependent on that site for finding obscure gems for my internet radio shows @ www.radiosatan666.com
especially my Devils Oldies show I have however re-discovered the public library and I can go on line order said albums and get them in a day or so from my local branch. Rip them and bring them back.

[Doug Schulkind]

Michael, I find that using Google's blog search to be serviceable. Nothing matches the utility of the old Chewbone site, but this is better than nothing.