Saturday, December 28, 2013

From the pages of MAD: IF LIBRARIES SOLD ADVERTISING SPACE

Somebody in greater Facebookland finally posted this, and I'm sticking it here for reference. Sadly, it omits both the credits and some more "books", mostly on the right. But, as it happens, I also found my physical copy of this, so I will list the omissions here as I have them in The MAD Bathroom Companion; the Mother Load. Otherwise, click the image to enlarge.

Volume Sales Dept.
Today, all over the country, libraries are closing due to a lack of funds. MAD suggests a way to make up those deficits, mainly, there'd be plenty of money...

IF LIBRARIES SOLD ADVERTISING SPACE

Artist: Bob Clarke
Writer: William Garvin



Titles omitted from the image:

the old man and the Seagram's 7 Crown
The Spy Who Came in From the COLD POWER
Strange (Fruit of the Loom)
The Last Angry MANISCHEWITZ
Anna and the <Chun King> of Siam
FOR WHOM THE Bell ☏ System TOLLS
THE COUNT OF MONTE Crisco
THE lemon fresh JOY detergent OF SEX

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Jason Crest - Black Mass

As long as I'm posting songs that I actually uploaded, the season is exactly right for this record. Absolutely nothing else Jason Crest ever did sounded remotely like this. In fact, absolutely nothing else anybody has done sounds like this.

Happy Halloween.


Joni Mitchell - Trouble Child → Twisted

I just discovered that I had actually uploaded this to the 'Tube about three years ago (almost to the day) and left it unlisted. Timeless classic, as with all of Court & Spark.

Sending this one out to Amber.


Friday, October 4, 2013

Steve Goodman - Election Year Rag

"The loser is always us."

An outtake from the late, great, Chicago-based singer-songwriter best known for penning "City of New Orleans". I have a low-digital-fidelity recording of him performing the song solo on XRT — something I forgot I had until today, when, in the midst of the stormy political climate around me, the above lyric surfaced from whichever crevice of my mind it was inhabiting. Turns out it extends beyond that every fourth year.....


Saturday, August 24, 2013

Fredo Viola - Rain or Shine (and beyond)

Featuring this cyberfriend of mine on his birthday. We met, as with Louise, via the Curve Ball community, a gathering for music that is varied and generally melodic, sophisticated, and otherwise description-defying. A featured artist on the show as well as a listener, Viola has rather a couple of websites showcasing his works. Of late, he has taken to exploring the realms and reaches of a cappella music and similar vocal exercises, including an exquisite, dark psychedelic venture that I unfortunately cannot find at this moment, and this rather lighter affair on Bandcamp, which induces mad meridian at certain junctions via headphones. Mmm, close-up a cappella. I may need to investigate that genre further.



More of Viola's works available for listening and viewing via The Turn and Fredo Viola. Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Louise Le May - Tell Me One Thing That is New

A discovery via The Curve Ball, this intricate, gentle, and delightfully English singer/songwriter/pianist is one I gladly call a cyberfriend. Comparison points are more or less nonexistent; you'll just have to listen for yourself.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Kingston Trio - The Merry (Little) Minuet

We don't seem to talk about "the big one" being dropped so much these days. Sometimes it's casually mentioned in discussions of North Korea and their apparently crazed royalty. Also, I think "hurricanes" in this song might more aptly be replaced by "lunatics" today. But this song is still pretty relevant, I think. Long time classic; enjoy.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Don Felder - Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)

Rock out.

Sir Psych - Hello Echo

A cyberfriend's latest. Enjoy!

The Alan Parsons Project - Time

From The Turn of a Friendly Card, apparently the second song from that album that I've posted now. Though I do not intend on registering at the fora, I'm sending this one out to those loyal xkcders.

"...flowing like a river²
to the sea¹....


Friday, July 5, 2013

The Dragons - Food For My Soul

Jazz-pop-psych-fusion recorded in '69 but released some time later. The album is called "BFI" (for "Blue Forces Intelligence") and is very much worth seeking for fans of organ-driven sounds with spacey polyphony.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Paperhead - Nicolaus Tuvek's Next Move

The psychedelic work of a long-time cyberfriend (under "Cellophane Rechordings"). Enjoy!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Philamore Lincoln - When You Were Walking My Way

These beautiful sunny late-spring days in Chicago, a vibe such as that of the Moody Blues song below and of this song here is just perfection. This song is from the lone '71 album The North Wind Blew South by a UK songwriter that has essentially vanished since. I understand Temma Harbour from the album became a mild hit by someone else a few years later. Anyway, the album has some totally gorgeous tracks on it (also some rock clunkers, including the interminable blues instrumental that ends the album), and of those, this is the one that has entered my head seemingly unprompted this evening. Enjoy.

Moody Blues - Voices in the Sky

After a nice, smooth late evening drive to Chicago, I had easily the best sleep I've had in a long time and awoke most delightfully to this record on the turntable of my mind.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Outer Limits - ZZZZZ

Before bees become a distant memory in this country, I have a curious desire to revisit this episode of the early Sixties' sci-fi exploration of human and non-human nature known as The Outer Limits — featuring Joanna Frank as the eerily captivating Regina, [SPOILER] a character whose poor grasp of human social norms sadly proves a fatal flaw. I think perhaps, having grown up with a light sort of autism, I see a bit of myself in her in that respect (minus the whole "species-advancing" agenda; I got no one to represent but me). Who knows. Anyway, IMDb/Hulu provides this with sponsors. They will control all that you see and hear.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Alan Parsons Project - Games People Play

"I don't want to live here no more
I don't wanna stay here
ain't gonna spend the rest of my life
quietly fading away"

Jus'bout sums it up.


Sondra Sun-Odeon - Ætherea

My thanks to Jasmine Dreame for passing this one along. Great other-worldliness. I don't know if I can describe this any further. Have a listen.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Juana Molina - Segundo

My thanks to Radioshoes for featuring this album in an installment of his radio show. How do I begin to describe this psychedelicized, gentle songwriter from Argentina? Like that, I suppose. Just listen, on MySpace. I think you'll remain interested, whether or not you know the language. (As I'm preparing to post this, Chrome is giving me a "Malware ahead"! message over the MySpace player. Bizarre....)

26th and Stark - White Walls With Silver Lining

Now, it gets really weird. A cyber-friend of mine plumbs the depths of their memory, with eerie, dream-like audio effects and sometimes appalling imagery. Trip in.......

Cherry Slush - I Cannot Stop You

Vintage garage-pop. I think one of the band members is the uploader here.

The Diogenes Club - The Diogenes Club

(Psych and garage people, move on to the next post; this is very probably not for you.) Atmospheric, harmonic, left-turn-taking, Eighties-retro synth-pop done right. My tip of the dancing bears cap to Eric for turning me on to this. Took a couple listens, but it's good.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

The Live Five - Who Knows (aka Hunose)

In an alternate universe, this was the music of the future. From 1967 Oregon and at least two years ahead of its time.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Steve Goodman with Jethro Burns - Lincoln Park Pirates

Thanks to Psy Guy for bringing this one to mind. Chicago's own folk singer-songwriter Steve Goodman takes on one of the major plagues of our fair city, with help from mandolinist Jethro Burns of Homer and Jethro fame (?).

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Dare to Be Stupid

I've never understood the cult appeal of DEVO. Somehow, I don't mind listening to the Valedictorian's take on 'em. Weird Al's best records are his original, general style parodies.

(The official video is unembeddable (yes, red squiggle, I know) and here.)

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Heart - Soul of the Sea → Dreamboat Annie

Most of Heart's really good stuff doesn't get radio airplay. Their Seventies albums contain some of the best "deep tracks". This is the one that's most recently wormed its way into my head. A curious cross-breed of folk, rock, and something I can't quite place. No full album available on the 'Tube for this one, it seems; shame, because this song is supposed to lead directly into the next. (Though I could just add that video right below; I think I will. [edits post title])


Friday, April 26, 2013

The Association - Birthday

Conceivably the harmony-pop band's masterpiece. Soaring, dreamy, other-worldly group vocal bliss. And great lyrics of Sixties love. This album really ought to have made it into one of Lucy in Cyberspace's "Eight Favorite Albums" posts. Maybe it's time for a third such installment. Anyway, enjoy!

"I took off my watch and found I have all the time in the world."


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Love - Willow Willow

From whichever cranial crevice it had been holed up in, this later selection by Arthur Lee's band has emerged and been making the rounds in my head of late. And I'm letting it breathe by releasing it to a dynamic audience. Enjoy.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Music Emporium - Two selections

Music Emporium put out one glorious album of organ-centric psych-rock in 1969 and seemingly vanished. From that album, the upbeat opener whose title may not be quite right (nevertheless, that's what it says on the album), and also a very "Gentle", beautifully sad piece....


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Sixth Day Creation - Cherry Pie

This one-off single from Cincinnati is one of the finest songs the Small Faces never performed (to my knowledge). No relation to any other tune with this title (according to one thread on the 'Book that inspired this post).

Monday, March 11, 2013

Friday, March 8, 2013

She Trinity - Climb That Tree

From the 'Tube account that gave us Ruth Copeland (post below), here's an all-female, tri-national rock band with their final B-side, from 1969. A real period piece, this features a crisp, hard, early-progressive sound drenched in guitar and an organ backing, and a kind of Carole King-esque lead vocal. Check out that solo. Psychedelic.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Ruth Copeland - Your Love Been So Good to Me

This slice of classic rock and roll was featured on a compilation called "Hippie Goddesses", though there isn't necessarily a strong sense of hippie culture here. There is, however, a solid rock sound and a soaring, soulful vocal. Wow. Great stuff. And as I look this up upon posting here, I learn of the Parliament/Funkadelic connection. Dig it.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Tame Impala - Lucidity

While I'm on somehow Beatlesque neo-psych, I just gotta add this one. Play, watch, rock out, space out, enjoy. (Song minorly edited from album version. Why is "minorly" not a word? Seems a major omission from our language.)

The Clientele - Bookshop Casanova

Some newer pop-psych here from a solid, easy band. I woke with this in my head the other morning. Not a bad wake-up at all.

Rainbow Ffolly - Sallies Fforth (video removed....)

Here's a delightfully playful pop album from 1968, full of great melodic songwriting, random soundbites, a sense of bouncy fun so rare in music, and a rather raw sound that can be attributed to the fact that the album was released before it was finished, so the mix can sound incomplete at times, particularly on the rocker "Hey You". Still, a great listen that even Grumpy Cat could get into (if only because one song is titled "No").

"I'm so happy to be loving you!"

Friday, February 22, 2013

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Move - Flowers in the Rain

An essential, original pop-psych band. A vehicle for Roy Wood, they fused such pop sensibilities with a classical sense of melody that surfaces on a number of their songs. Indeed, they would eventually evolve into the Electric Light Orchestra. But that was a bit of a ways after their first album, from which this song comes.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

H.P. Lovecraft - The White Ship

From the May 11, 1968 commercial live release. This Chicago psych band who moved to LA pays a tribute to the author for whom they are named. Sublime.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Boeing Duveen and the Beautiful Soup - Jabberwock

The A-side of the only single released under this band name. A Sixties UK psych pstaple. Boeing Duveen, aka Hank Wangford....

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Sweet Cherry - Funny Things Floating

...or, if you're Arf Arf or a strict follower thereof, "Funny Things Flowering". A strangely catchy hard garage-punk classic.

Axis of Awesome - Four Chords

The only purely pop song you'll ever need. This exists in a number of incarnations; I couldn't resist picking one that featured "Waltzing Matilda". (Also, one that didn't feature the use of autotune on one excerpt.)

Anonymous - Baby Come Risin'

The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, and power-pop come together on this 1976 LP out of Indianapolis, "Inside the Shadow". Excellent, surreal album, from the beginning to this 9½-minute ending track.

Savage Resurrection - Thing in E

A hard pop-rock classic.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Skip Bifferty - Money Man

Skip Bifferty is one of the great forgotten Sixties British pop groups. Enjoy this selection from 'em.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

The End - Cardboard Watch

From their pop-psych masterpiece "Introspection", recorded in 1967, released to utter silence in '69, and since emerging as a sort of cult classic in the digital age. Produced by Bill Wyman of the Stones.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Luyas - Montuno

"Animator" was released this past October and is quite an engaging and description-defying listen. This is the 8.5-minute opener for an album that is not easily represented by one song (the second cut is a decidedly up-tempo indie rocker). Thanks to Radioshoes for hipping me to this band.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Perry Leopold - Vespers

This is the closing track from "Christian Lucifer", an album recorded circa 1973 but not released until more recently, and an absolute masterpiece that defines "acid folk". I believe I discovered the album thanks to the old Lost~in~Tyme, back when that site was hosted here on Blogger. I couldn't resist a name like that, especially coupled with the "acid folk" descriptor. It is thanks to them that I have since pursued and gained ownership of a physical copy of the album, and it seems to be one of the few albums on the shelf that I actually play somewhat regularly — ever returning to these intricate yet meditative audioscapes. This actually belongs in one of my "Favorite Albums" lists on the main blog; I just looked, and it's a most glaring omission.

The compact disc package features lyrics:

"You walk on the lake
By the river of the See
Eye love you...."

Friday, February 1, 2013

Bent Wind - Touch of Red

Or maybe this is "Mistify". I'm not sure; I don't own this album. I only have the Internet to go by with this one. The original mp3 of this song that I obtained had it labeled "Mistify", but I sense that it's actually this song, if only based on the correlation between the lyrics and the titles of the two pieces. Anyway, true, original raucous garage psych right here.

The Twilight Zone: A Stop at Willoughby

Rod Serling's Twilight Zone is, quite simply, the greatest television show ever. Of course, looking at the televisual landscape today, it doesn't seem like there's much of a contest; nevertheless.... This is one of my top three favorite episodes. I still get emotional on Gart Williams' behalf. "Some people aren't built for competition, Janie."

Edit 2-24-2013: Cheers to IMDb and Hulu for this. Features limited commercials. Maybe it's just this operating system (Vista); maybe you have to open this post in its own window to see the embedded feature. Just click the title above.


Frank Zappa - I'm the Slime

These days more than ever.

"And you will do as you are told until the rights to you are sold."

The Aerovons - Resurrection

I've known the magical opening track from this album for a few years, but I'm only hearing the rest of it now. The resemblance between the title track and "Across the Universe" is quite stark, and now "Say Georgia" immediately calls "Oh! Darling" to mind. Make no mistake: these St. Louisians (is that how you say that?) had one fixed target when they hopped the pond to Abbey Road studios in London (and reportedly made off with some of the Fabs' equipment!). A "fab" listen so far indeed. Hear it now through the magic of YouTube.

"It's a new world of you, and I'm just a stranger here..."

Watch This Space

I've posted a number of links to a number of musics and other multimedia on YouTube and other such services, on my Facebook accounts, both now-abandoned and still active. Sadly, Facebook is not so good at being an efficient library, so I figured I'll just start anew on a service with good search and tag functions. What the heck, maybe I'll also make use of my old "headaches" URL while I'm at it. So, here shall appear a pléthora of videos, pseudo-videos, and other largely musically-inclined links. I hope you discover and enjoy.

~C.A.~