Somewhere shy of the live feedback outbursts of Quicksilver Messenger Service and The Grateful Dead, yet heavier, more demented and sludgier than The MC5 or The Stooges, lays Chicago’s Plastic Crimewave Sound. Named after their vocalist, Plastic Crimewave, the crew draws from ’60’s garage punk psychedelia, the stoned-out desert mirages of Kyuss and Fu Manchu, the mid-80s thunder of Volcanosuns, the “Who gives a fuck if it’s been done before?” attitude of Roky and the 13th Floor Elevators and the polar opposites of Pink Floyd’s “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” and “The Nile Song.”
Archive for May, 2009
Tuner – “Muut: Live In Estonia 2007″
Pat Mastelotto. Perhaps you aren’t familiar with his name, but trust me you’ve heard him play drums at least 100 times so far in your life. Even if you weren’t aware that he was the other percussionist alongside Bill Bruford in the “double trio” lineup of King Crimson and onward, you’ve still heard him. Maybe you’ve somehow dodged his spectacular studio work with XTC, Matthew Sweet, Scandal or The Sugarcubes, but you’ve still heard him. Now ‘fess up! You were listening to a lot of radio back in the ’80s and were tapping your toes to “Kyrie” or feigning pained emotion along with “Broken Wings,” both by Mr. Mister. That was Pat Mastelotto laying down the beats. Pat now hangs his hat in Austin, Texas, and is still crazy busy like he’s always been. Amid the numerous studio commitments, live gigs and King Crimson projects, Mastelotto jams with a former student of Robert Fripp in a duo named Tuner. The other half of Tuner is a German fellow named Markus Reuter. His story is also interesting.
Van Morrison – “The Healing Game”
I blame myself. For more than a decade, I ignored Van Morrison’s The Healing Game, always tuning in instead to other albums such as No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, Veedon Fleece, Beautiful Vision and Back On Top. Let’s face it, Morrison is prolific, and keeping up with his catalog can be challenging. But challenges bring rewards, and I’m happy to discover this unheralded record so many years on.
Lord Sutch – “Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends”
What’s not to love about Sundazed Music? Their re-release of recordings considered essential by collectors, yet out of print for decades, never ceases to astound. Their High Definition Vinyl output is especially impressive. Let’s give a listen to an infamous record that has been slagged by some critics and ignored by Atlantic Records nearly since its first release back in 1970 – Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends. Sundazed knows the importance of this record and so should you.
Dickey Betts – Live at New York City’s Concert Hall, May 11, 2009
Legendary guitarist and songwriter Dickey Betts (of Allman Brothers Band, Great Southern and Dickey Betts Band fame) was captured on film by Arnie Goodman at a recent concert in New York City. Whether toting a Gibson Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster, Betts makes the guitar sing. Check out the nearly 100 images of Betts and bandmates tearing it up.
Tony Joe White – “Deep Cuts”
Every now and then an artist that’s been lurking around on the fringes of the music scene will step out of the shadows with a record that completely blows us away. Tony Joe White is one of those artists, and Deep Cuts is one of those records. Hipsters from back in the day will remember White from his 1969 monster hit “Polk Salad Annie.” Since then, he’s been involved in all sorts of interesting projects, such as serving as the opening act on tours by Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, and writing and producing for Tina Turner, and has been given much love by fans throughout Europe. White’s music has been slowly building a new following in America, and Deep Cuts might just be the record to bust everything wide open for him.
Nico – “The Marble Index”
Eight songs that read more like German folk-tinged, experimental dirges than pop or rock music; such is Nico’s second solo record, 1969’s The Marble Index. With arrangements by her former Velvet Underground cohort John Cale and production by the enigmatic Frazier Mohawk, there have been few major label releases since that have cast commercial potential aside in pursuit of the artist’s skewed vision. Elektra first took the chance by releasing the record four decades ago, but Sundazed has reissued the long out-of-print vinyl edition of this influential classic for renewed consideration. The record is not for those looking for something to tap your toes to or sing along with, but if you’re looking to trace the influence of Karlheinz Stockhausen on pop music or find one of the starting points for blending the gloom that would coalesce into latter day goth rock, The Marble Index is a “must have.”
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