Various Artists, “Local Customs: Lone Star Lowlands” (Numero Group, 2016; original recordings 1969-74)The rock-and-roll Schlimanns of Numero here unearth a veritable buried city of sound, an entire community of post-hippie folk/country/rock musicians in Janis Joplin’s hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. And “community” is the operative concept: there’s a gentleness and warmth here, whether in the […]
Various Artists, “Lost In The Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill” (A & M, 1985)Hal Willner production featuring talent at the crossroads of Bohemia and the mainstream (Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Marianne Faithfull, etc.) paying tribute to the early- to-mid-20th-century composer who played a crucial role in mapping that particular intersection. Weill’s music welded Broadway […]
Various Artists, “Making Losers Happy” (Drag City, 1992; original release Xpressway, 1988-1991)Xpressway was a pioneer of the “lo-fi” indie sound that came to dominate in the ‘90s, but their version was tougher – a dour, dissonant, distant noise that filtered the John Cale aspect of Velvets-style strum-drone-pop through the wind-swept remoteness of the label’s New […]
Various artists, “Natures Mortes – Still Lifes” (4AD, 1997; originally recordings early 1980s)Some of 4AD’s earliest stuff, in a fine morbid/intense post-punk vein – razor-shard guitars, claustrophobic bass, inexorably steady drumbeats. Try 4, 8, 11, 13.2/14/13[Track listing inside booklet.]
Various Artists, “Pebbles” [don’t know which vol.]Legit release of the legendary original ‘60s garage-rock series. This volume is oriented around the “primitive” side of things, and this stuff is really raw, the best of it pressing hard against the boundaries of conventional totality and “good taste.”Try 1, 7, 9, 13, 15, 17, 18, 254/4/11
Various Artists, “Performance” (Warner Bros., 1970)Killer soundtrack for Nick Roeg’s sinister psychedelic flick. The Mick Jagger and Randy Newman cuts are dead-cool, vertiginous rock-and-roll burners; Ry Cooder’s rattlesnake slide guitar crawls all over the place; and the ambient music settings by producer Jack Nitzsche are like if, instead of peace and serenity, New Age music […]
Various Artists, “Punk Territory” (Anthology, 1990s; original recordings 1978-1981)Totally fucking excellent selection of West Coast punk, from the early Masque and Mab origins to the start of hardcore. The selections find the exact right spot between “obscure” and “classic,” and they all have that weird, enduringly alien feel that sets this stuff apart.Try 1, 3,6, […]
Various Artists, “Rare Punque Français, ’77-‘83” ([not on label], 1997)French punk has a really unique flavor—a combination of articulate, over-the-top snottiness and a pop sense rooted in classic ‘50s rock and roll—and this comp (actually an entry in the “Killed by Death” series) contains some fine examples.Try 1/1, 1/11, 2/1, 2/310/22/11
Various Artists, “Saigon Rock And Soul” (Sublime Frequenies, 2015; original recorings, 1968-74)Influenced by the Hendrix-loving GIs, South Vietnamese rock of the late ‘60s was much heavier and trippier than the other Southeast Asian sounds of the era, yet shares their delicate, angular melodicism and melancholy.Try 3, 8, 1711/10/16
Various Artists, “Sing Along with Millard Fillmore” (Time/Life Records, 1964)A retrospective of U. S. Presidential campaign theme songs going back to William Henry Harrison in the 1829s (two of the best!), as performed by studio musicians who sound like they had a good time. Kinda neat to hear it go from a kind of marching […]