Alex Chilton - "Dusted in Memphis"

and to flesh everything out



this completes the best of chilton's solo career. "dusted in memphis" exists somewhere between "like flies on sherbert" and "bach's bottom" for me, as it trumps the latter while being subservient to the former. aside from the excellent seeds cover, another great song is "walking dead," appearing here in its most stark version. "windows motel" is also wonderful - disarming, but wonderful all the same. i can't say enough about any of these three records, despite some of their obvious failings. anyway, enjoy any or all of them as you may.

here's a link to a great blog where this can be nabbed:

http://knowyourconjurer.blogspot.com/2010/03/alex-chilton-dusted-in-memphis-1980.html

Alex Chilton - "Bach's Bottom"

continuance of a theme (of sorts)



and yet another installment from the "troubled genius whose life was derailed by self-destructive behavior and emotional instability" category...honestly, that's such an anonymous story, one hardly befitting a person whose music was as intuitive and wonderful as chilton's; yet, his "legend" (for lack of a less pious and platitudinous term) seems wreathed by such descriptions. sadly, chilton became less inclined to write and perform his own material as the years went on, leaving a surfeit of albums blemished with cover versions and the implacable suspicion that he'd kind of ceased to care. however, his first few solo albums - "like flies on sherbert" happily included - were more than adequate, approaching a different kind of feeling from that of big star. forsaken though his early solo records are, i think both of them are wonderful in their own delirious way. "bach's bottom" is admittedly inferior to "sherbert," but whereas that album espouses the same scattershot, disintegrating brilliance that gave birth to "3rd," "bach's bottom" settles for more modest aims, instead merrily announcing itself as a fun, albeit highly strange and alternately disturbing record. the first four tracks - "take me home and make me like it," "every time i close my eyes," "all of the time" and "oh baby i'm free" - are actually well-assembled pop songs with humorous lyrics, especially the first track with its line about "call me a slut in front of your family." by the time the beatles cover arrives, though, everything has fallen straight to hell, with spaces opening in the music, mistakes, incidental noise - documentation of things going horribly wrong. the music kind of falls apart after that, making it an uneven record that doesn't reward as nicely as "sherbert" or - from the same period of time - the wonderful "dusted in memphis" album. "bach's bottom" is less essential than either "sherbert" or "dusted," but it serves its purpose, as to my personal psychology: any chilton is better than no chilton.

here's a link from recessed filter (the actual album ends at track 9...everything thereafter is supplemental):

http://recessedfilter.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/alex-chilton-bachs-bottom/

Alex Chilton - "Like Flies on Sherbert"

something different.



it's almost hysterical trying to count how many times "shambolic" is used in conjunction with this and several other chilton-related albums ("bach's bottom" and big star's "3rd" especially), but as to what such a thing genuinely expresses fails me on any level - the language seems impenetrable, moribund and inflexibly grey. many, many derogatory and shitty things are said about "like flies on sherbert," seemingly on the basis that it bears scant familial resemblance to big star. well, if i may affect a bit of an ironic pose momentarily, i could easily riposte that little music on earth sounds like big star, but i don't judge everything with a guitar by whether or not it sounds like big fucking star. that aside, yes, this album sounds like one unending, cacophonous mess that seems extemporaneous, performed without rehearsal, see-sawing in whichever damned direction with the rudderless, directionless tumble of a drunk and seasick man, both of which mr. chilton could have conceivably been - but what matter? it's alive, unpleasant, poorly-recorded and self-negating; it effortlessly creates black vortices in which any listener sinks, profaning your ears and sensibilities with its complete lack of aesthetic concern, aim of composition or attention to form. the lore signifies that this album - recorded after the beautiful, bleak "3rd" - was truly the epitome of alex chilton vocalizing nothing short of oblivion and excess, drifting into the blah-blah-blah-blah. it helps never to read anything anyone ever writes about anything meaningful, especially pertaining to music, as most people cannot help but write about it ineffectually, with supreme, unsettling crudity and self-promotion.

eek. i probably sound as inane as anyone else - i never have been able to properly illustrate or cohere myself in regards to music, and i feel all the better for it (lest i use the word "shambolic" in a sad, half-hearted foundering for adjectives). i love this record. there. let's be terse and pretend anything other than the music matters.

download link casually grabbed from GOOGLE...(is that fine administrators? can you cease pestering me with your copyright laws? nobody gives a shit about cds anyway...even the toddlers have abandoned them)

http://www.mediafire.com/?g5wwmyfxwlj

please download this and piss off the pedants and demagogues who are so worried about this nonsense.

Albert Ayler - "Love Cry"

somehow, no accompanying videos for this album can be found on youtube - rasing many more questions than it answers.

though it's a bit removed from his earlier recordings and signals a slight alteration of his approach, this is one of my favorite alyler recordings.

enjoy!

care of forestroxx

http://www.mediafire.com/?f2zz5mkimzm

Skip James - "1931 Sessions"

as with many others, the first time i encountered skip james' music was when it was prominently featured in terry zwigoff's "ghost world," and my emotional reaction was not unlike the protaganist's - i felt a deep, guttural reaction to his voice, the labryinthine and vermiform melodic lines of his guitar playing, and felt myself dissolve amongst the atmosphere it created. it's nearly impossible to overstate the dramatic, gravitational power of james' musical voice, as its qualities are as intangible and phantasmal as its darkness and beauty. for years i've tried to pry for biographical information on james to little avail, but the most constant fixture of all my sundry searchings proves that he was an intractable, solitary man who felt little need to socialize or keep himself amenable to other bluesmen, distancing himself and concentrating solely on the music. this innate hermetism is evident in some of his compositions, which would be seemingly uncomfortable when heard in the presence of another person. listening at times feels like a private act of solitude.






download "1931 sessions"

http://www.mediafire.com/?ljyimvzbmwt

Rev. Robert Wilkins - "Prodigal Son"

when everything else is a bit too sallow and lacking in conviction



the past two months i've been religiously immersed in old blues music - most of it predating the common penumbra of what properly constitutes the "blues" as it is currently known, instead sharing similarities with folk or (as they were lamentably called) "race" records; primarily, mississippi john hurt, skip james, blind lemon jefferson, blind willie mctell, memphis minnie, blind willie johnson, blind boy fuller, memphis slim...obviously leadbelly is a prominent force within all of this, and i honestly think i could listen to his music for the rest of my life with the same perpetual kind of wonder, affection and beautiful sadness. rev. robert wilkins is a bit new to me, as i just came in contact with his music a few weeks ago. initially, i became interested through the rolling stones cover of "prodigal son" on "beggars banquet" and felt determined to seek out its progenitor. happily so, i must say. wilkins' music collates nicely with all the aforesaid names and artists who are still so sorely neglected, despite the immensity of their influence. it's hard to resist calling this music anything other than brutally honest - it is, almost painfully so. much of the greater capacity for benevolence and beauty - the larger possibilities of music as a form of intimate communication - are reflected perfectly in music of this kind. i have such overwhelming, zealous affinities for this old music (i could probably talk exhaustively about skip james for hours on end like a proper dullard) that i hope to convey that enthusiasm and expose it to others, as i find its charms so undeniable.

there's a 7 volume set of leadbelly that i'll upload soon - to the best of my knowledge comprised of all his various recordings. marvelous.

here's a fabulous blog and rev. wilkins' collection. please do enjoy.

http://onmuddysavariverbank.blogspot.com/2010/10/robert-wilkins-prodigal-son.html

Half Japanese - "Sing No Evil"

hark the oblong angels sing! and they all suspiciouly sound like jad fair....



"sing no evil" is possibly half japanese's greatest - and most accessible - album, attaining vergitinous heights with their evolving mixture of exotic percussion, feral jazz horns and guitar noise. within that frame exists perfect little pop songs, exceedingly memorable and illustrative of the unique, somewhat precocious perception of jad fair. i remember reading something that kurt cobain said, something to the effect that in a perfect world, people would walk around shopping complexes singing half japanese aloud. though my other favorites - "our solar system" and "music to strip by" - are objectively a bit too abstract and abrasive to be latched onto immediately, "sing no evil" has a singular warmth and inviting presence to it, permitting an easier listening experience to the uninitiated listener. without debate, this is the best introduction to half japanese and their fabulous little world.

download "sing no evil"

http://www.mediafire.com/?ktoijmmk2oz

if this suits your taste, by all means go back and download "our solar system," which was posted a few months ago here.