This is a rather curious 7" single that showed up on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records in 1980, shortly before the band took a hiatus. The liner notes describe Dorothy as a 19 year old girl with no prior releases, but apparently she was an established 25 year old musician named Max who played in a band called Rema Rema.
The A-side was written with Alex Fergusson, and the B-side was written with the former and Genesis P-Orridge.
All I can say is that this is very different from what I've come to expect from Industrial Records. It's a rather catchy four or five minutes, however.
Download it here.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
B-32 - I Need A Bag Of Dope (1993)
Before skyrocketing to fame as one half of the Southern rap duo Big Tymerz, Birdman was using the name B-32, short for Baby With The 32 Golds. He had recently started an independent record label with his brother Slim, calling it Cash Money Records. Its first release was an album by Kilo G released in 1992.
In the following year he recorded and released his first album for the label, I Need A Bag Of Dope. It features guest verses by a slew of unknown southern rappers. The sound is typical early 90's bounce, recorded with analogue synths and ancient drum machines. Production is handled by Mannie Fresh, the other half of Big Tymerz, who is still producing occasional tracks for these Cash Money artists to this day. Three tracks are instrumental beat mixes he created for the record. I'm not sure if any other Cash Money albums have had this distinction.
The eight songs here aren't anything special and the release could easily be written off by most, but there are a couple catchy songs here and it's an interesting document concerning how the biggest record label in modern hip-hop got its start.
Download it here.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
GG Allin - The Troubled Troubadour + Bonus Tracks (1996)
GG Allin's infamous performance antics have probably overshadowed his recorded output, which includes numerous releases of gritty hardcore punk. In 1990, after a stint in jail for sexual abuse, GG put out one of his lesser known pieces, The Troubled Troubadour. Originally released on 7 inch vinyl, it included three Country-Western-inspired singer/songwriter numbers.
In 1996 the EP was repackaged with several out takes and live recordings, a few spoken word numbers and some lengthy recorded phone conversations that show a different side of GG. The whole album, in fact, could be described as showing a different side of him. Sex, drug abuse, alcoholism and other anti-social behavior take the forefront once again, but on these songs his words feel completely sincere. The exagerated depravity of his heavier material is absent.
There are certainly some good songs to be found here, particularly "When I Die," which is known from the Hated soundtrack. Any one interested in GG's legacy should try out this record.
Download it here.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Neutral Milk Hotel - Invent Yourself A Shortcake (1991)
Neutral Milk Hotel - Invent Yourself A Shortcake (1991, self-released cassette)
Before releasing the indie classic On Avery Island, there were a handful of self-released cassettes accredited to Neutral Milk Hotel. Most of the material was thrown together by singer/guitarist Jeff Mangum and exclusively distributed to other members of the experimental Elephant Six collective. One of the earliest is a piece from 1991 called Invent Yourself a Shortcake.
At this point, the Neutral Milk sound is radically different from what the band would come to be known for. There's a lot of sound collage / musique concrete to be found here with song titles like "Random Noise," "More Noise" and "Spooky Sounds." There are a few songs with no musical elements at all such as "Prank Call" and "Digestion Machine," and there are even a few pieces like "Charlotte" that are pure noise rock. However, there's still a bit of folky indie rock to be found, with pop songs like "My Dreamgirl Don't Exist," and "Synthetic Flying Machine" which eventually made it's way onto In The Aeroplane over the Sea.
While obviously not on par with their later, more official releases, this is a recommended listen for anyone into early 90's indie.
Before releasing the indie classic On Avery Island, there were a handful of self-released cassettes accredited to Neutral Milk Hotel. Most of the material was thrown together by singer/guitarist Jeff Mangum and exclusively distributed to other members of the experimental Elephant Six collective. One of the earliest is a piece from 1991 called Invent Yourself a Shortcake.
At this point, the Neutral Milk sound is radically different from what the band would come to be known for. There's a lot of sound collage / musique concrete to be found here with song titles like "Random Noise," "More Noise" and "Spooky Sounds." There are a few songs with no musical elements at all such as "Prank Call" and "Digestion Machine," and there are even a few pieces like "Charlotte" that are pure noise rock. However, there's still a bit of folky indie rock to be found, with pop songs like "My Dreamgirl Don't Exist," and "Synthetic Flying Machine" which eventually made it's way onto In The Aeroplane over the Sea.
While obviously not on par with their later, more official releases, this is a recommended listen for anyone into early 90's indie.
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