Anteater

4.

The Residents - Not Available (1978)

1. Edweena (9:29)
2. The Making of a Soul (9:59)
3. Ship's A'going Down (6:34)
4. Never Known Questions (7:00)
5. Epilogue (2:21)

Introduction:

"The way is a never for severing two,
For beginnings are endings for all but a few."

And with that, let me begin by quoting a part of my review of this album from http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-obscure.html-

It's been a bloody long time since that original review, but if anything my love of this little slice of surreality has only gotten better with age.Not Available really is something special, possessing something of an almost classical porn-jazz approach combined with atonal spoken word/sing-song lyrics, an amazing enough combination in and of itself. However, the eerie world beat elements are oddly prevalent here in both the electronica and percussion....nearly half a decade before any rock bands would even attempt to incorporate such things into their sound! And that's not even taking into account the hundreds of other little touches that push it over the line from from mere masterpiece status to being (in more ways than one) remotely incomparable to anything else you might find out there.

Basically, mis amigos, this is The Residents as their strangest, most musical and serious, and perhaps the closest they ever came to showing you, the listeners, in all honesty why they lived and performed music the way they have for the last four decades even while most of humanity remains blissfully unaware of their existence.

And now for the tracks!


The Album:

1. Edweena: Blistering horn and drums emerge from the womb of some lost 60's spy flick soundtrack, where the end of the Caribbean horizon may just as well mark the end of all we know and love. The Residents themselves cruely cackle and sometimes sing beautifully throughout this odd yet wonderfully jazz-tinged fragment of lunacy. A creepy flute motif marks high water whenever it happens to emerge, making the whole task of "confusing grace with outer space" all the more difficult. Gosh, what an amazint track!


2. The Making of a Soul: The creepy pagan folk-with-sax backdrop becomes offset by drumming from the dark continent. Some spoken word is broken into new glass by the surprising and poignant entrance of a piano, followed by some orchestra. Weird vocals abound with this elegant landscape crying on behind it, and slowly but surely it all comes together over the rest of the track. Seriously, is this really the same band who did The Commericial Album? You're damn right it is!


3. Ship's A'Going Down: A freak-folk/classical excursion with some some of the most jarring vocal sampling ever. You really got to hear this to appreciate the strangeness of its woven web!


4. Never Known Questions: Proto-New Wave electronica popping opens up vocal harmonies that aren't harmonious in any sense of the word, followed by more oddness. It's all quite compelling regardless though, especially when the strangely jazzy accordion comes in near the end.


5. Epilogue: The creepy flute from 'Edweena' returns, along with some sparse, yet thoughtful lyrics to send you on your dreaming way. After its spoken...there is only silence.

"Opulent givings are seldom a dread.
They help you relieve all them lies in your head.
But for the giving begets a sure vain,
Leave open a window and let in some rain."


Conclusion:

My favorite album by this band and near the top of my list if for nothing else than I simply love its overall sound. It's got an interesting status within The Residents discography also in that its a near literal realization of their Theory of Obscurity, which states according to the man who thought it up, N. Senada (who advised The Residents in their early career)-

In other words, this album's a self contained musical world, influenced by nothing and aspiring to nothing other than being itself. Hell, it wasn't even made to be weird: it all sounds spookily natural, and that makes it about as close to essential as one can get with a group this eccentric.

Do yourselves a favor and give this album a whirl!

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SATCHMO

This is album is pretty much God in my book. Great review. Keep up this awesome thread!

Anteater

1.

Cromagnon – Orgasm (1968)

1. Caledonia (4:22)
2. Ritual Feast Of The Libido (3:26)
3. Organic Sundown (7:11)
4. Fantasy (7:20)
5. Crow Of The Black Tree (9:40)
6. Genitalia (2:46)
7. Toth, Scribe I (10:39)
8. First World of Bronze (2:48)

Ah...here at last. The final review. Numero Uno. The Gourishankar of my collection...yaddahyaddahyaddah. Never mind the jabber, this video can illustrate the awesomeness better than I can.



*lets reactions sink in*

Scared yet? Interested maybe? For those who just watched this mindfuck, be aware that the above song was, unbelievably, released in 1968 and the opening track to the album you are about to read about.

Let's get on with the show!

Introduction:

Once upon a time and many years ago, in a magical decade where LSD was legal and love was free, there were two teen-pop producers, Austin Grasmere and Brian Elliot, who wanted to do something more with their lives than flood the radio with shit you could snap your fingers to. Hence, they met up Bernard Stollman, the legendary head of Godz and Sun-Ra distributing record label ESP-Disk, landed a production deal, recruited a mysterious band of demons from the depths of Hell known as The Connecticut Tribe, and working together birthed this disturbingly unreal release at the end of the age of Flower Power.

And thus, ladies and gents of MB, I am most happy to present to you the most fucked up and uncompromising slice of insanity to ever grace recorded form, a song lineup which in a mere forty minutes will absolutely rape and destroy any preconceptions you might have about what makes an album ahead of its time or not. For compared to this, Loud Reed's Metal Machine Music is small potatoes and Comus's First Utterance but merely an afterthought in a walk down Orgasm Lane.

Ultimately this is, quite simply, one of the most amazing albums one could own, for better or for worse. Whether you end up hating it, loving it, or give less than two craps about what I'm saying, everyone should nevertheless pick this up and shove it in some empty corner or their respective musical cesspools, especially if you're curious about the roots of early industrial and noise-rock music.

The Album:

1. Caledonia: Yep, this is the black metal/bagpipes industrial folk freakout you heard in my introduction video, hence I won't be reviewing it. People who study music history could spend their whole lives studying a track like this though, I'll say that much.


2. Ritual Feast Of The Libido: Poor guy, I think they're shoving his hand in a meat grinder. Three minutes of hell to your ears ftw!


3. Organic Sundown: If this doesn't give you nightmares, I don't think anything will. For seven minutes we are treated to some disturbing early variety of pagan psych-folk from some dark corner of eternity where human bones become drumsticks under moonlight and the dead crawl up from the sea to dance along the starlit shore. Pretty damn amazing if I do say so myself!


4. Fantasy: Hey look everybody, The Beach Boys are in town! Oh wait...they're dead. And what's with that rotting woman laughing in the corner of the room? Who's screaming? Why is the clock ticking so menacingly with the sound of sirens? Most importantly of all though...why am I so damn scared?


5. Crow Of The Black Tree: Folksy and almost idyllically psychedelic by these guys standards, this is a fantastic acoustic onslaught featuring Residents-esque call-and-response, and over the course of 9 minutes repetitively yet surely grinds itself to an incomprehensible nothing.


6. Genitalia: Pop music from the depths of Gehenna and beyond. If you haven't crossed over to being awestruck yet, I think this track will do it.


7. Toth, Scribe 1: 10 minutes of...ambient black metal? In 1968?? Holy fucking shit!!!!!!!!!


8. First World Of Bronze: A relatively normal song after all the mindraping the last seven tracks have given us. Hendrixean guitar shreds itself to oblivion as our two pop stars and The Connecticut Tribe sing into a rumbling stupor that fades off into a brief, yet wordless feedback.

. . . O.O!


Conclusion:

Screwed up beyond reason and perhaps thankfully obscure, Cromagnon's Orgasm is just one of those things you run across by reputation that you simply have to hear to believe. Even if it eschews anything and everything that makes most music enjoyable to listen to, the fact that it was doing so over half a decade before anyone else is certainly worthy of recognition.

And thus, even if you don't feel the need to obtain ANYTHING else that I have reviewed in this thread up til this point, get this. By understanding the nightmares of the past, you'll appreciate your own favorite music better, and perhaps even see it in new light as a result.

In conclusion: long days, pleasant nights, and thanks for reading!

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WeeLittleHobbit

You know, I absolutely love the Residents (based on the albums I've listened to so far), and I even have this album in my library, but I haven't given it a listen yet. Really, really need to get around to this, it seems...

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Tommy: I'm funny how? Funny like a clown? I amuse you? I'm here to f*cking amuse you? What do you mean, funny? How am I funny?
Henry: You know, how you tell a story.
Tommy: I don't know. You said it. You said I'm funny. How am I funny?

crazymenrunningback

woah residents are sick super trippyish

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Guybrush

Wow, you've been really productive lately. I've finally read through your thread and I must say I'm impressed with the diversity here! Also quite a few brilliant mentions here like Island, Pharoah Sanders and Caravan and then of course so much I don't know here .. I have a lot of your recommendations now in my collection and I don't think I ever got one I didn't like so I'm looking forward to checking this stuff out I can see I have a lot of work to do.

Also, kudos for great reviews! Of particular interest to me so far is that Genesis album. I'm surprised to see it mentioned here because I honestly haven't heard mention of it before (you know it's usually selling england and lamb) so I'm very much looking forward to checking that one out.

Also looking forward to see what your top 3 are gonna be. Keep it up!

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Something Completely Different

Anteater

3.

Level 42 – Level 42 (1981)

1. Turn It On (5:38)
2. "43" (7:03)
3. Why Are You Leaving (4:34)
4. Almost There (5:42)
5. Heathrow (4:43)
6. Love Games (7:26)
7. Dune Tune (4:50)
8. Starchild (6:52)

Introduction:

Better known for their 1985 funk-pop album megaseller World Machine and as a key player in the jazz-funk/New Wave movement that swept through the early part of the decade, most people who at least know Level 42 by name are unaware that they started out as a jazz-fusion band themselves here on this self-titled, proving that instrumental chops could be quite danceable given the right context. Even though they’ve always been a bit too bright and shiny for some tastes, my favorite work of theirs is also the one most unlike what people hear from themm, for it was here and only here on this self-titled debut where the jazzier aspects of their playing overrode their pop-craft inclinations, closer in spirit to mid 70’s Herbie Hancock or Return to Forever than, say, Duran Duran or The Cars.

So without gushing too much, the appeal of this album is manifold for me despite the occasional foray into 80's pop music they’d be infamous for later. At least on this once-upon-a-time release, the instruments and songwriting proves sharp where it needs to be and chill when the occasion calls for it as well, and rarely has that dynamic been played so cleanly and without pretense as here. Key moments show more spunk and bombast than anything the band would do later on in their career, driven by a snappy, improvisational flickering bass (courtesy of Mark King) and sparkly keyboards with propulsive drum rhythms to texture out the angular guitar. Edgier than most art-pop but lacking the complexity of earlier jazz-funk albums, Level 42 occupies a unique position in the timeline of an oft-disliked group who are unfairly relegated to “one hit wonder” status despite being the only group who ever merged jazz-funk and pop in a way that really stuck with people in a time where godawful smooth jazz was quickly displacing the likes of Miles Davis.


The Album:


1. Turn It On: Some quick horns and lazy bass n' keyboard lickings are the first thing that greets your ears here on this album's poppiest track. This is also the first time we hear Mark King and Mike Lindup alternate vocal duties. A fine start to a fine album!


2. "43": An instrumental track, but one of the best cuts on here by far. The bass alone will make you salivate, and the keyboard quirkily skirts around the beat in a clever way. Gels magnificiently and with plenty of memorability in its fading notes.


3. Why Are You Leaving?: Ballads are always hit or miss affairs, but this one hits thanks to the the presence of the awesome Dave Chambers on tenor sax and some particularly tasteful bass lines that sets the rest of the pace from the first minute out. Very 80's, but not in a bad way!


4. Almost There: The energy picks back up here, mixing the harder-edged bass stylings from "43" with some of the dancibility of "Turn It On" with a cool result. The keyboards get pretty spacious round the 3:40 for extra cool points. Basically, one of my favorite tracks overall when all is said and done.


5. Heathrow: Another instrumetal, this time based around a chugging bass and even thicker keyboards that grows more and more layered as the track piles forward, with surprise sax at the 2:34 mark. Thinking of making a ringtone out of this, lol!


6. Love Games: Semi-Eastern vibe in the keyboards elevate this funky little piece into coolness in places, though I have no idea how this became a single. Weakest track on the album by far though, and unfortuately hasn't aged as well as some of the other material here.


7. Dune Tune: The lowest point on the album is now followed by one of the highest! Droning synths with some real spacey sound effects are followed by bluesy guitar and some distant sounding flutesy keyboards. A chill bass and some congas of all things shape this track into something that sounds like an acoustic Ozric Tentacles cut, and its my second favorite track on the album. Pay attention to those grooves on the last minute especially!

8. Starchild: Tribal drums open up some real disco-sounding keyboards and some of the best vocals this side of Saturn, followed by some cool vocal breakdowns of sorts. You'd think this would all be pretty cheesy, but its strangely enough the strongest piece on the album overall, if for nothing else than the fact it manages to be complex, very funky and catchy all simultaneously. A fun closer through and through!



Conclusion:

Love it or hate it, its hard to argue against the fact that Level 42 had a very unique sound crafted back in 1981 before outside pressure would force them into more commercial territory, and its entirelly thanks to this debut that they're one of the few hook-heavy bands I've ever encountered who I've never felt guilty about liking. It's just one of those records I can't help but get wrapped up in!

Recommended to those who want to hear what a perfect synthesis of funk, jazz-fusion and pop-rock would be like in an era that was sorely lacking in all three genres quality wise, and for an outstanding listening experience in general.

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Anteater

2.

Terry Callier – What Color Is Love (1973)

1. Dancing Girl (9:03)
2. What Color Is Love (4:06)
3. You Goin' Miss Your Candyman (7:21)
4. Just As Long As We're In Love (3:42)
5. Ho Tsing Mee [A Song of the Sun] (4:21)
6. I'd Rather Be With You (6:40)
7. You Don't Care (5:29)

Introduction:

As annoyed as I am that my favorite soul artist of all time (and this album in particular) doesn't get mentioned at ALL when discussions of the genre arise here on MB, at the same time I am not really surprised that nobody here seems to know about this guy: unlike his childhood bud Curtis Mayfield, Terry Callier never enjoyed the sort of commercial success many fellow Motowners were enjoying back in the 60's and 70's despite his talent. We all know how stupid the industry is though, so such is far from a revelation for everyone reading this.

But then again, I guess anyone who blends jazzy soul with the best of folk, classical and blues isn't really destined for consumption by the masses anyway; What Color Is Love is a deliciously orchestrated gourmet meal for those with the stomach to digest it as a whole, and like the best of courses it will leave you asking for seconds the moment you finish.

And anyway, there's nobody out there who sounds like Terry Callier, and I love his discography to death!


The Album:


1. Dancing Girl: A windy acoustic guitar followed by the distinctively rich voice of Callier, lyrically propelled into a dream as the little orchestratal touches layer into a swell foundation that leads with the strum of a guitar into a magnificent jazzily vocal performance against a landscape of moody sax and spacious keys. The drums and keyboard and everything else come together wonderfully afterwards for the next several minutes as Callier's voice picks up and up with the tempo, fading back to the windiness that beget the song originally, lyrics and all. Overall, a cyclical yet brilliant piece!


2. What Color Is Love: Words cannot do justice to something as elegantly dusky as the title track here, the pentulimate highlight of this already steller album. The lyrics are simple yet musing, gorgeously crooned from a reticient and mournful Callier against lushful guitar, violin and harp. It's a throwback almost to the early soul of the 1950, but with enough Motown touches to make this a classic unknown piece of the 70's, and worth the price of admission in and of itself.


3. You Goin' Miss Your Candyman: Another favorite and highlight, a funk-rock excursion with some unusually bluesy delivery from our man Terry..and some killer tribal bongo drums to boot! It contrasts wonderfully to the prior title track, full of sunny vibrance and explosive percussion that stands out amidst the balladry. Probably my second favorite track overall.


4. Just As Long As We're In Love: How this rediculously catchy segment didn't become a chart-raping hit back in 1973 is a mystery to me; its easily on par with any soul classic of the period, if not all time. The chorus is certainly among the most memorable I've ever heard in ages anyway.


5. Ho Tsing Mee [A Song of the Sun]: The political lyrics aside, this track is another great one and combines a variety of instrumental moods together with some rather cool piano dispersed every once in awhile for good measure. Not as memorable as what's come before, but an amazing song nevertheless.


6. I'd Rather Be With You: Terry lets his folk inclinations out in full force here, letting his voice and some very chill guitar carry this lovely piece down the idyllic music stream for the most part. The harmonica is a particularly brilliant touch!


7. I'd Rather Be With You: A fantastic, if repetitive outro; Callier's voice isn't present at all! Rather, there's a choir of lovely females to serenade you a fond goodbye with the title verse. A fine finish indeed!


Conclusion:

This is a real treasure to me, and probably my favorite soul album of all time overall, and without a doubt the most essential thing you should own from Terry Callier's fantastic discography (which I recommend you all to check out if you enjoy/enjoyed this release).

Anyhow, I suppose what draws me to What Color Is Love the most is this uncanny unearthliness that lurks within each song. Musically ebbing into wistfulness, yet never forgetting the sun as the clouds pass over so high above it. It's a rare treat indeed to find romantic melancholy of such fine character in music of this kind, manifested without the overbearing pretense that has become so common in other genres of music these last few decades.

Soul, folk and jazz enthusiasts, move this one to the top of your "Must Have" list. Everyone else...check the videos below!

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Bulldog

So that's the Level 42 album I should get! My brother's been trying to get me into them for a while now but I've never really done anything about them. You've just prompted me to see about changing that soon, so kudos for that.

As for the rest of this list, rest assured that I am taking some names down. Looking forward to numero uno as well.

khfreek

You're only getting it because Anteater likes it, not your own brother...

I'll be telling him about this

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