Artists starting with V

Beat Fräuleins

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Various Artists, “Beat Fräuleins” (Grosse Freiheit, 2012)
Long-overdue comp of German girl-beat-pop from the mid to late ‘60s. This follows the “yé-yé” stylistic template the French created, but with a distinct national twist: there’s something simultaneously sour, tender, frosty and a bit mysterious here that makes me think of Nico, if she was a Beatles-obsessed teenybopper.
Try 5, 10, 13, 17.
7/26/12

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Awakening: Women In Extreme Music

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Various Artists, “Awakening: Women In Extreme Music” (Dwell, 1997)
Comp of women performing the gamut of non-commercial metal styles. Not as “extreme” as I’d hoped but still pretty interesting, rockin’ stuff.
Try 5, 7, 11
7/29/12

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American Graffiti

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Various Artists, “American Graffiti” (MCA, 1973; original recordings 1954-65))
The movie is great (in its own way as grand a mythic evocation of a Galaxy Far, Far Away as Lucas’s next pic would be) and the soundtrack-as-soundtrack was so perfectly fitted to the film that it’s a bit diffuse as an actual album-as-album. Still, the vintage tunes are the cream of the crop from the period, and they balance the romantic and rockin’ aspects of the thing in a way that’s unique among ‘50s comps.
Try 1/ 4, 2/5, 4/1, 4/2, 4/4, 4/5
4/7/19

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Alternative Funk: Folie Distinguée

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Various Artists, “Alternative Funk: Folie Distinguée” (Vox Man, 1985)
This is billed as “alternative funk,” a term the original early ‘80s compilers refused to define (see back cover), but which would seem to encompass Rick-James-on-Valium bass workouts, morbidly cold walls of synthesizer hiss, and found-sound spoken interludes in a variety of languages. Being at least somewhat batshit-insane apparently helped in producing this music, as well.
Picks; A/3 (exotica), B/2 (cut-up), B/5 (Francoise Hardy on Mars).

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Nuestra Soledad Nera

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Vera Sienra, “Nuestra Soledad Nera” (Lion Productions 2013; original releases 1969, 1972)
Psychedelic-inflected Latin/European-style folk from this Uruguayan singer. Really stark, affecting, beautiful stuff, especially the first album. The somber mood and sense of distance/dislocation recall Nico, while the luminous minimalist intensity anticipates Angel Olson.
Try 1, 5, 6, 10. 16.
4/19/13

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American Thighs

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Veruca Salt, “American Thighs” (Minty Fresh/DGC 1994)
Great, underrated Chicago band, sometimes compared to the Breeders, but more like a cross between the Go Gos (effervescent female harmonies, twistily delicious song structures, streamlinee punkish propulsion) and Big Black (machine-tooled rhythmic impact, shattering guitar (RUNCH).
Try 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
1/23/14

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Women and Children First

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Van Halen, “Women and Children First” (Warner Bros., 1980)
Their third LP, and my favorite. Features their most hard-hitting teenage-rampage anthem, wildest sex-maniac safari, most twisted speed workout, and most organic blues toss-off – respectively 1/1, 1 / 2, 1 /4, 2/4.9/6/13

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Van Halen II

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Van Halen, “Van Halen II” (Warner Bros., 1979)
Listen beyond the hits (great enough in themselves) and you’ll hear one of the most dynamic, unpredictable, fluid and explosive hard rock acts of all time – influential on everyone from Slayer to Poison to the Bad Brains and beyond, but in a category of their own. This LP finds them simultaneously getting harder, poppier and weirder, and is one of their best.
Try 1/2, 2/1.
9/6/13

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Walls

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Viola Willis Ashmun, “Walls” 12” (Wide Angle, 1977).
Great electro-disco, several years ahead of its time with its proto-freestyle slamming beats and synth-horn blasts.
Try 1/1.
11/12/12

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