Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 191

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

I've never been much of a singles hoarder. For every little record with a big hole in my collection, I probably have hundred or more LPs and CDs. Not sure why that is, but there you go. My tastes in music-sharing blogs are similar as evidenced by the abundance of full-album sites on display here each week.

But I would be derelict in my duties to not call attention to the many fantastic 7"-slinging blogs efforting to teach the Internet to sing one song at a time. So keep your eye on this space as I endeavor to do so in Motherlodes to come. To wit, check out our lead item, below, from the never disappointing spot The Devil's Music.

The Virginia's Employment Commission (Hire Through) ~ John Fuzz
(Blog: The Devil's Music)

Beat Cop
"'John Fuzz' is rockin' r'n'b that could be straight outta the early '60s. Opening with the theme from Dragnet, 'John Fuzz' lays out the misadventures of a sad sack cop who gets hit in the head with a mustard jar while trying to break up a domestic dispute, slips on a banana peel while walking his beat, and ends up in the hospital with a busted jaw after trying to recover a stolen car..." (Description from Funky Virginia, where this track and its flip side were originally shared)

Kwanjit Sriprajan ~ Bangkok Amplifier Proudly Presents Top Lae Songs
(Blog: Archive of Southeast Asian Music)

Luk Thung Folk
Shared previously at the Thai music blog Monrakplengthai here and here, Kwanjit Sriprajan (or, as sometimes anglicized, Khwanchit Siprachan) has now surfaced at the mighty Archive of Southeast Asian Music, which is now enjoying its 2nd birthday. What a way to celebrate!

Eric Bentley ~ Bentley on Brecht
(Blog: Zero G Sound)

Treasuring a Treasure Treasuring a Treasure
"Though the name of Bertolt Brecht has become a byword, and several Brecht shows have been put on disc, this record represents the first attempt to provide a glimpse of the man's life-work as a whole. Here Eric Bentley, the leading Brecht authority and translator-adaptor, provides excerpts from no less than eight of the plays, as well as presenting and introducing a group of poems and songs that describe the curve of Brecht's career. It is a matter of special interest that Eric Bentley not only reads the poetry but also sings the songs and accompanies himself at piano or harmonium. Lotte Lenya was perhaps the first to recognize Bentley's special talent in this field when he broadcast some of the songs. She will not be the last... On the present disc are such established Brecht favorites as 'Mack the Knife,' 'A Man's Man,' and 'Song of Mother Courage,' along with items that may well become favorites as a result of the performance given here. (From the jacket notes )

Olodum ~ Egito & Do Deserto Do Saara Ao Nordeste Brasileiro
(Blog: Flabbergasted Vibes)

Profits of Olodum
"...a little background is necessary to appreciate why Olodum is important, especially for when they first came into existence in the early 1980s during the first movements toward re-democratization in Brazil. It is not hard to imagine that in a “racial utopia,” movements centered around the articulation of a distinctly black identity were considered a de facto militant threat by the conservative elites that backed the military regime, and activists were subjected to surveillance and harassment not unlike, say, the Black Panthers in the United States. To have a group like Olodum out there in the public sphere doing community work, making records, and becoming a sensation both in Brazil and internationally means a lot of things for a lot of people. On the two records presented on this CD – their first album and their third album (don’t ask me about the chronological oddity, perhaps the second LP didn’t fit on the disc?) – their Pan-African social consciousness is in heavy evidence. Songs referencing the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, the Nagô and Yoruba people of West Africa, an imprisoned Nelson Mandela and the ANC, and solidarity between the struggles of people of color in Brazil and Cuba are some of the subjects touched upon." (Excerpted from a longer must-read description by Flabbergast)

Clarence Peters ~ The Magnetic Atmosphere
(Blog: Boxes of Toys)

Now Jazz
"Very rare private label LP by drummer Clarence Peters with JJ Avenel, Steve Potts (both longtime Steve Lacy sidemen) and JP Gauthier. Amazing early 80s studio session that is among some of the best Strata East style records...spiritual jazz with free jazz influence." (Description from a page at Popsike)

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