fuse - release

Another lovely thing from A Slow Rip, if I do say so myself :

"fuse-release"

A Procession

I've listened to a lot of music recently. In fact, I've listened to far too much music. As always, I've been trying to rediscover that enormous teenage rush when something completely vibrant and exciting seemed to appear every other week. Ofcourse that's not going to happen again because
(a) I'm substantially older than I was when I was a teen and
(b) there's just so much music out there to explore that I become overwhelmed and sick of it all

But then the 60's (which I pretty much missed) happen all over again...

And I feel stupidly like I'm sitting on my next door neighbours garage roof, catching 2SM on my crystal radio...

mp3: Big Boy Pete - The Procession
mp3: Big Boy Pete - The Treacle Days

Can anyone tell me why I've never heard Big Boy Pete until fucking FORTY years after these songs were put onto reel-reel tape? They're just spectacularly good. Tunes, tunes, tunes; excellent, tough production values (I initially couldn't believe that these were from 1966); strange sections that work when you think they shouldn't; uncompromising chord progressions and lyrics that don't numb you with stupidity. So a big thanks to all those weird obsessive collectors out there - yes, occassionally (only occassionally), there's something worth hearing amongst those myriad long lost "gems". All of these are available via his extensive website. Get them soon.

mp3: Gilberto Gil - Cerebro Eletronico
mp3: Gilberto Gil - Volks-Volkswagen Blue
mp3: Tom Ze - Me
mp3: Tom Ze - Toc

The Tropicalia movement has been so dutifully written about that I really have nothing much to add. Simply marvel at how fluid, innovative and just plain odd these songs are. (And, yes, the Tom Ze songs are from the 70s, not the 60s but, by christ, they sound like the 60s to me).

mp3: Judy Henske & Jerry Yester - Horses on a Stick
mp3: Judy Henske & Jerry Yester - Raider
mp3: Judy Henske & Jerry Yester - Farewell Aldebaran

These are all from the sublimely offbeat "Farewell Aldebran" LP, recently released for your aural pleasure. "Horses on a Stick" has an obsessively psychedelic pop sound surrounding it - if The Flaming Lips have NOT heard this track then I'd be enormously surprised because their whole schtick is based on this single song. "Raider" adds an unexpected down home Appalachian folk aspect and it hangs thinly on that delicious edge between artiface and originality. The title track reminds me of Gloria Gaynor' "I Will Survive" with it's keening, over reaching vocals and subdued backing but then adds more than a touch of ring modulator so that you can't understand a single word.

Jude! Jerry! If this is space, I don't wanna go.

Lisbon

Lisbon was one of my favourite cities all those years ago when I travelled (cripes, it's almost 20 years to the day). We arrived via train and got a tidy, shabby room near the terminus and spent days just wandering round - all that white stone blinding us; the natty trams up cobblestone streets; robust Fado singers and guitarrados (still reminding me of the theme from The Third Man). Nice people (I suppose) and we splurged a veritable fortune on a day long limosine ride in the nearby areas. Gattao wine aplenty. Ah, those were the days.

So it comes as no surprise that 2 of my favourite solo improvisors have been inspired by and recorded there.

mp3: Terry Riley - Island Of Never Anger

Riley's piece starts off all operatic and then turns into a lovely tango / blues with his typical flourishes and runs. His piano playing has never excited me as much as his organ work but it's really delightfull anyway.

mp3: Keith Fullertom Whitman - Recorded In Lisbon (edit)

KFW's is a full on journey - this edit starts with almost Fripp-like tones and builds heavily until it plunges into cracks and splats and radio tuning. Then it starts all over again. I've never heard a more stunning piece of digitally altered guitar.

And.. they're both coming out to little old Australia this month. They're even playing together in Brisbane but, in Sydney, they drift apart - Riley to the outer western suburbs (and the far south coast!) and Whitman to the still trendy inner south.

By jingo, I shall be there.