Spacemen 3‎ - Transparent Radiation



I didn't intend to post anything today...it's my birthday and I've done just what any right thinking person would do. Get caned and listen to vinyl. I've ended up playing this 3 times straight...my best friend isn't happy...but she'll get her turn next month.

I've never posted Spacemen 3 before because I assumed that everybody knew about them. Then I realised that I bought this 25 years ago!

Shit, I'm old!

Anyway, I bought this thinking it was a 12" ep...that was how it was sold...I seriously wasn't prepared for the 38 minute psychonaut onslaught...it quickly became one of my favourite things. This must have been about the time that I saw them on one of their 1st ventures oop north...at the (improbably named) Electric Banana...

I assumed that everybody knew about this. And, then I realised that some of you weren't even born when I bought it.

It is quite simply a godhead piece of vinyl!

Transparent Radiation

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M. Geddes Gengras - Enduring Doubt



C25 from the tail end of 2010 on Matthew Sullivan's (Earn, Privy Seals, Deep Jew, etc) Ekhein label.

You might know M. Geddes Gengras a little bit better as plain old Ged Gengras and should know his work with the likes of Pocahaunted, Robedoor and Warm Climate.

I love his work. A lot. If you like it even a little bit...go and buy the Systems 1 boxset from April this year on 905 Tapes. 14 measly yankee dollers...how could you possibly go wrong...shit, buy two and give one to a friend. Seriously. I recommend all of his work.

Enduring Doubt

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M. Geddes Gengras - Aural Mimesis



C60 on Eric Hardiman's (Rambutan, Burnt Hills, Century Plants, etc) Tape Drift Records from 2009.

Aural Mimesis

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M. Geddes Gengras / A.M. Shiner‎ - The Blue Push / The Red Kush



Split C46 on Stunned from 2009.

Push Kush

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M. Geddes Gengras - Smoke Blower



C44 released on the immortal Stunned Records in 2009.

Whilst mourning the loss of this great label (which ceased in August last year), I really admire the way they went out. No fuss. Just, this is the end.

I own nearly everything they put out...there were no duds I can think of. You have to admire those that move on when they are at the height of their powers! No milking of the cash cow...no long slow decline of egotistical rubbish (SST Records, if you're old enough). Just...that was fun...bye! Quality from the beginning the the very end.

Smoke Blower

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Violent Onsen Geisha / Cock E.S.P.‎ - Split



Collaboration from 1995 between VOG (Masaya Nakahara) and the travelling circus that is Cock E.S.P. (and I really do mean that in a nice way). Released on one of Masaya Nakahara's earliest labels ... My Fiance's Lifework Productions.

This is listed on discogs as a tape...I only have it as a 6 track rip so I'm passing it on as I found it.

This also signals the revivification of the previous VOG posts.

However:

1. The last time I posted these, I missed the last 10 minutes from the Teenage Pet Sounds release. Yeah, I know...I have no idea. Mind you, nobody got in touch to tell me I'd fucked up. If you got TPS from me in the 1st place you need to go back and get the complete one...

2. I haven't re-upped the Shocking Early Works rip...entirely because I can't find where I've put the damn thing. Yeah, I know. Again. I'll find it soon...

Violent Cock

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M.B. - Archives



Five LPs of Maurizio Bianchi's work collated by one of the greatest labels out there, vinyl-on-demand. VOD's mission is to bring you beautifully packaged vinyl sets of the pioneers of electronic/industrial music. If I was ever able, I would own every single thing that they had ever produced.

There's a 10xLP boxset of Merzbow's work circa 1980-1982 planned for October...I'm already saving up...

This was released in 2006 in an edition of 500. 250 of these included a 7" for VOD members. Unfortunately, the 7" isn't here.

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

Archive 4

Archive 5

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Fushitsusha - Secret Black Box



6 x cdr release on the sadly missed aRCHIVE label. This is the most extravagent bootleg ever produced documenting an epic seven hour live performance at Hosei University in Tokyo on December 13, 2003. There were only 20 copies made and were never for sale, being given to Keiji Haino himself or traded with friends.

Apparently this had been floating around for a while and I had no idea. I found it on Enter The Mirror but the filehost had already pulled the plug. Luckily I knew somebody who had gotten there in time.

If there is a downside, the second track on disc four is missing. Whilst that means one track isn't here, you still get the other 6 hours worth. One day the missing track will turn up...but until then...

UPDATE: that was quick! A beautiful person has sent me the missing track...the boxset is complete!!!

aRCHIVE 1

aRCHIVE 2

aRCHIVE 3

aRCHIVE 4

aRCHIVE 5

aRCHIVE 6

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Check This Out!



What else would you need to celebrate the 80th birthday of Pauline Oliveros? Well, Important Records have done it again and you need to check it out here.

This is the start of the Brainwashed review that is linked in:

"This has got to be one of the most improbable, altruistic, and quixotic box sets ever produced, as it compiles 12 albums worth of almost entirely unreleased material from Oliveros' fertile early years. That, of course, means: 1.) none of her early masterpieces like "Bye Bye Butterfly" are here, and 2.) nothing at all is included from the wildly different (and superior) work that she has done over the last four decades. Those caveats, coupled with the inarguable fact that no artist on earth has a dozen killer albums worth of vault material lying around, makes this a pretty undesirable prospect for the merely curious or for anyone looking for a definitive retrospective. For serious fans of early electronic music, however, this is an absolute goldmine."

Obviously, you are a very discerning bunch so you will probably crack a smile. I've bought mine. Don't ask me to post it, that would offend me. You will need a different blog for that kind of thing.

You should also pass by here where you can offer a donation to the Deep Listening Institute or you can buy a Pauline at 80 shirt (mine's the Pauline on an elephant btw).

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Fumio Kosakai



Legendary figure within the Japanese noise "scene" if you really need to call it a scene.

Some of his work involves his contributions to Bustmonster, C.C.C.C., Club Skull, Hijokaidan, Incapacitants and Uchu Engine.

These represent a closer view of the man.



This is a C40 released on Fumio's own Anciant Records in 1987.

Earth Calling



This tape was again released on Anciant Records in 1993. Discogs offers the tracktime of Side A as 23:54. This is an actual rip of the actual tape and the tracktime of Side A is 14.08. Fact. Just goes to show you can't believe everything you see on the interweb...go figure!

The Warm Garden



This CD was released on Japan Overseas in 1997. It's a four way split featuring Fumio alongside Nakajima Akifumi (Aube), Katsumi Sugahara (Solmania) and Iwasaki Shōhei (Monde Bruits).

Untitled



Collaborative work with Takahashi Ikurō on Pataphysique Records from 1998. You should know Takahashi Ikurō from his work with Fushitsusha, High Rise, Kousokuya, LSD March, LSD Pond, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, and Overhang Party amongst many others.

...Of Dogstarman

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Nord - Abstract Moon



...and just when I thought that I would never get to hear any more Nord, a good friend gave me this!

Satoshi Katayama and Hiroshi Hasegawa on a cdr released on Alienation in 2003.

Abstract Moon

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Nord



Nord are one of the petri dishes upon which Japanese noise began to evolve. Obviously, you can trace it's origins much further back through many electronic, psych and experimental channels. Frankly you can make a case for various attitudinal and oppositional roots and the generational split that created such a schism in the Japanese psyche. The generation that grew up following the post-war new reality that rejected much of their forebears assumptions and were determined to recreate a new external and internal reality. Nothing comes fresh born out of a clear blue sky.

Anyway. Nord are almost the stuff of legend. You hear of them but never see anything by them. They also have a rather convoluted history so take the following as my best available distillation.

Initially, Nord were the duo of Hiroshi Oikawa and Satoshi Katayama and played together between 1979 and 1983. As far as I am aware, the only recorded output was the self-titled LP on Pinakotheca in 1981. When they parted company, both artists retained the name "Nord". It would appear that Hiroshi Oikawa focussed on recorded output rather than any live performances whilst Satoshi Katayama concentrated on live performances. From the mid-late '80s Hiroshi Oikawa retired to private life and his association with Nord ended. Subsequent recordings are led by Satoshi Katayama. Initially, he was joined by Makoto Ito, who left in 2003. Between 2003 and 2006 he was joined by Hiroshi Hasegawa (perhaps better known to you as Astro). As far as my limited knowledge goes, this incarnation only physically produced the Abstract Moon cdr (sorry...I don't have that...I would have already posted it if I did). Post 2006, Nord is only associated with Satoshi Katayama but I am unaware of any recorded output for this era.

Caveat Number 1: The early '80s recordings sound quite dated. This does not surprise me given the tech that was available at the time and the distance and directions that their inheritors have travelled since.

Caveat Number 2: I have found two totally different "versions" that have been tagged as the LSD LP. The clincher in my mind is the Ego Trip LP. It is a very clear rip with the tracks split and probably comes from the "unofficial" (i.e., bootleg) repress on PCP Records in 2008. Therefore the "2nd version" must be the actual LSD LP. I've spent a long time weighing this one up and have managed to convince myself that I am right. Mind you, I do this frequently with often disasterous results so feel free to think otherwise.



Nord lp [pinakotheca, 1981]



LSD lp [lsd records, 1984]



Ego Trip lp [lsd records, 1985]



Electronic Initiation [kinky music institute, 1999]

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Sperm - Ssh!



Mathieu referred to this album in his comments on the preceding Shit Spangled Banner banner release. Several years ago, I was making one of my periodic visits to his site to check on the latest Sunburned releases (John's not that good at letting folks know what is released...or maybe it's me). I already owned the No Dolby vinyl and had a look to see what he thought. One of my better decisions!

I had never heard of Sperm (the band obviously) and the reference intrigued me so I tracked it down. This is quite simply one of the most inspired releases that I have listened to!

This was released as Shh! Heinäsirkat on O Records in 1970. It was re-released on vinyl by De Stijl in 2008 (and is out of print there...I bought that edition and the sound from the vinyl is wonderful). It was also re-released by Dharmakustannus as a cdr in 1998 as Ssh! It has an extra four tracks that are right up there with the work on the original release. Naturally, I had to buy that as well...and this is what is posted here.

I know the names of these citizens of Finland. There is a cast-list here to rival Amon Düül. In quantity. I have never found any information on any other work by these people...I'm hoping that there may be other things out there that have been avoiding me. Maybe this is all that she wrote...but good god...what a ride!

This album manages to cover around 75% of the ground of the music I have ever posted here. On one album.

Shh!

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Shit Spangled Banner‎ - No Dolby No DBX



Shit Spangled Banner‎ were John Moloney, Rich Pontius and Robert Thomas. Their recorded output was very limited but it was here that they began to lay out the blueprint for what would become The Sunburned Hand Of The Man.

This was initially released on vinyl on Ecstatic Yod in 1994 and later re-released as a cdr on Manhand in 2006.

Mathieu: "No amount of preparation could get you ready for the sheer amount of weirdness on this album. From one track to the other, you are confronted by one aural assault after the other; from the tape cut-ups of What Makes Love Grow or the insane vocal grunts on Wooden Teeth (which sounds like it was recorded in an insane asylum) to the noise rock numbers. Cuntshine is the absolute highlight of the record, it's distorted guitar drones sound remarkably like the work of finnish psych-noise legends Sperm. Smallpant Fields, on the other hand, sounds very Melvins-influenced (and definitely kicks as much ass!)."

No Dolby No DBX

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Shit Spangled Banner ‎- Inflated With Self-Hatred



This protean masterpiece fits nicely snuggled up next to the Gnod disc. This was released on John Moloney's Manhand label in 2003 but surely features music recorded way before this!

This is taken from Mathieu Duval's My Record Collection. Given that he is the authority on all things Sunburned related, seems churlish not to!

"As expected though, this is some of the most confusing noise out there. The twenty-two minute long opener is a case in point: starting off with random noises and bits of conversation, we have no clue where this will all lead. A drone slowly sets in, but just when you thought it would remain like that for a while, poof in come the drums and we're off into a pounding heavy psych jam which, in it's turn, is interrupted by tape defects, peaking volumes and whatnot. Around the middle mark, the tune suddenly falls apart as the band struggle to build anew (and barely making it out of this one alive). The album's core is where things start to get really interesting as the tunes take on a Melvins-like pace and a distorted "Sebadoh/Dead C" sense of melody. The album ends on a light note with the silly (yet fucked-up) SSB Anthem. This is some pretty heavy shit!"

Inflated With Self-Hatred

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Gnod - Three Sticks A Penny



About 17 months ago, I posted a rake of Gnod. I think I made it quite clear how much I love these people!

At the time I said that 2011 belonged to Gnod. Yeah, I'm a prophet.

In the intervening period Gnod have given us: the split LP with fellow Manc psychonauts A Middle Sex on Blackest Rainbow; Ingnodwetrust on Rocket Recordings; the "The Long And Short Of It" tape on Colour Ride; and 2 vinyl volumes of Chaudelande on Tamed Records. As well as re-releasing the sublime Gnod Drop Out With White Hills II and re-self-releasing the Science & Industry tape as a cdr. All of these releases are really quite extraordinary! I don't think that I've missed anything on the journey.

Three Sticks A Penny is a self-released cdr that slipped out last year. This is my favourite release of all those listed here. For me, this is the more private side of Gnod similar to the freeform intuitive manifestation that you get to see live. Well, to be honest, this is when you have left and they shut the doors and get a groove on! The first track is nearly 40 minutes long...when I first played it the chimes reminded me of Carpenter's theme for Halloween...it sounds nothing like it but it set me up for the disturbing (but ultimately liberating) ride that awaited me. And, that is only the first track. Depending upon my mood, this is either Gnod setting sail for a new universe or retreating into a cave to start a new world order.

Oh yeah, nearly forgot...this also signals the resurrection.

2012 belongs to Gnod as well!

Three Sticks A Penny

This one always cheers me up...it's the start of Kuntz from Butthole Surfers'‎ "Locust Abortion Technician":



...and the discomeister has a string of posts on facetube...this is one of them...

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