JOHN FAHEY - THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE (ORANGE LABEL VERSION)

Takoma 1968

01. Bottleneck Blues
02. Bean Vine Blues
03. A Raga Called Pat, Part III
04. A Raga Called Pat, Part IV
05. The Little Train That Couldn't
06. Kuolema
07. Leaving Home
08. Lo How a Rose
09. Texas and Pacific Blues
10. The Bastrop Waltz


Fahey’s greatest joke?

Released in 1968, “The Voice of the Turtle” has perplexed Fahey fans ever since. Half truths, in jokes, self mythologizing and some plain old lies.

Some of the tracks are credited to Fahey and the ficticious blues guitarist, Blind Joe Death. Most fans were aware that BJD was an alter ego of Fahey but those tracks were actually other artists old 78’s. Fahey plays over the top of some, others he doesn’t even appear on.

The Fahey originals are stranger still. “A Raga Called Pat, Part IV” features gongs, slide and chanting monks.

Fahey, ever keen to puzzle his fans, goes further in the liner notes. The first sentence is 561 words long and the photos and captions seem to be completely made up. Fahey later stated that “The whole record was a hoax”.

However, there's more...

There are two versions of this album.

Fans only became aware when listening to other copies of the L.P. There are some completely different tracks across the two versions. There are no clues in the notes and there seems to be no explanation available.

The two versions have different coloured labels. One black, one orange. The Takoma cd reissue is a remasterd version of the black label.

I do not have the time, space or mind to go further into this joke within a joke. If you wish to read further I suggest you visit http://www.johnfahey.com/ and read their excellent article on the matter.

But for now, enjoy the alternative punchline...

EGISTO MACCHI - VOIX

Gemelli 1970

01.Pensée
02.Phonèmes
03.Diaphragme
04.Voix
05.Moonsong
06.Timbres
07.À Plein Gosier
08.La Memoire
09.La Calme
10.Le Cauchemard
11.Chanson De La Nuit
12.Chanson Du Matin
13.Reflexions
14.Gouttes
15.Inquiètude


A brief introduction to library/production music - Unlike popular or classical music production companies, music production libraries own all of the copyright of their music. A composer would create music on a work for hire basis, hand over the results to the production company and they could then license it without the composer’s permission.

This music is generally used for film, television and advertising.

It is, however, of interest to lovers alternative music.

In return for handing over permission to use the recordings, the artist could record whatever they wanted. (and without the pressure from record companies, labels etc to come up with commercially viable product) Perhaps a new musical direction doesn’t fit with the record label, a soundtrack composer may have an idea but no film to work on or the artist may wish to record something that’s downright freaky.

My favourite library album is Voix by Egisto Macchi. It was Macchi’s first library record and was released on the Gemelli label in 1970. The label specialised in the avant garde and only pressed 500 copies of each album.

The music is sparse, percussion heavy and ominous. Light is glimpsed occasionally with choir and piano only for the menace to return with scraping noises, thundering percussion and fuzz bass.

Dark, humorous, scary, haunting and truly wonderful.

A masterpiece of Italian classical avant garde.

DAMON - SONG OF A GYPSY

Ankh Records 1968

01. Song Of A Gypsy
02. Poor Poor Genie
03. Don't You Feel Me
04. Did You Ever
05. Funky Funky Blues
06. Do You
07. The Night
08. I Feel Your Love
09. Bird Fly So High
10. The Road Of Life

I recently span 'Don't You Feel Me' at a party. Enquiries of origin ensue.

Rare as fuck.

Californian.

Psych.

A private press release from the west coast, it's impossible to obtain an original copy. Real rare psychedelic funk that lives up to the hype. Fuzz guitar, wicked drums, finger cymbals, deep bass and some real soul vocals. Smoky groove.

"Tranced out gypsy Arabian acid fuzz crooner psych with deep mysterious vocals, an amazing soundscape and excellent songwriting." - Acid Archives.

I can't really add much more to that, other than who would of thought that psych and crooning would make such a good match? Also, how can a record that has a member that only plays finger cymbals be bad?

Check out those drums.

THE CHILDREN OF SUNSHINE - DANDELIONS

KBK 1971

01. Dandelions
02. The College School
03. Tuffy
04. War
05. They Call It Love
06. The Children Of Sunshine
07. Uncle Harry
08. If You Are Lonely
09. Talking
10. It's a Long Way To Heaven
11. Harmony
12. Talking


Tres Williams and Kitsy Christner were both 10 years old when they recorded the album ‘Dandelions’. Encouraged by their guitar teacher, Tres and Kitsy wrote, arranged and recorded 10 songs. They used a picture from their school photography project for the cover, enlisted local musicians to help out and privately pressed 300 copies to sell to friends and family.

This album is beautiful. Confused observations about war, divorce and god sit along side joyful ditties about dogs, uncles and school. Contemporary folk is an influence (Judy Collins, James Taylor) but the songs and performances are utterly free of pretense. The voices and playing contain the kind of joy and charm that could only be written and performed by children as yet unburdened by the responsibilities and stresses of adult life.

This will be your new favorite record.


From the back of the L.P. :

"It was just two years ago when we met each other — that’s when it all started. Jim CURRAN started giving us guitar lessons. After a while we always played together at the shows at school. Then we had a photography class with Frank. He taught us how to develop pictures and what a photographer should know. One day it was very nice out so we went over to the college to ake pictures and there was a great big dandelion field and so we thought why don’t we take pictures here. So we all picked some dandelions and posed in them. Frank took our picture and we developed it. In a few weeks we were together at Kitsy’s home for the weekend and Uncle Scott and Aunt Judy were there when we started to make up some songs. Uncle Scott said, “Why don’t you two make an album since you’re so good?” We said, “O.K.!” So we started making up songs and Kitsypractice doing our songs, so Jim said we should have a show of our own for the school just to get used to crowds. We did and we sang all our songs. Finally we had a whole bunch of rehearsals for the album and we had background people like Wendy and Mike — Mike played the drums and Wendy the bass. It really started to sound good so we had our first recording sessions. On our first recording session we recorded 4 songs but we only used two: “Dandelions” and “Tuffy”. In our second recording session we were tired of rehearsing and recording so we decided we were going to do them all that day. They all turned out good. The following Monday night at 8 o’clock we chose which songs we wanted to do which finished the album. We had everybody who wanted an album at the College School send in $5.00 to us. When we got pretty much money we finished the album and that made us very proud. We’d like to say “Thank you” very much to Jim CURRAN, Wendy KATZ, Mike KIEFFER, John MacENULTY, Uncle Steve (Uncle Harry?) and all the people who helped us make our whole album. TRES and KITSY"

Think The Shaggs, Beat Happening or The Vaselines but as two girls in the seventies.

No kitsch, total charm. Total obscure classic.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - VOR DER FLUT (HOMMAGE AN EINEN WASSERSPEICHER)



Eigelstein Musikproduktion 1985/De Campo Records 1988

01. Christian Bollmann, Doris Zeman, Gerd Kappelhoff, Helmut Scherner, Jochan Vetter,
      Roberto Laneri, Stephanie Wolf - Invocations                        
02. Dario Domingues - Pacha Siku 
03. Pauline Oliveros - Watertank Software
04. Budi Siebert & Joe Koinzer - Trüffeltanz
05. Jochen Vetter, Doris Zeman, Gerd Kappelhoff, Helmut Scherner - Praevocationes
06. Dario Domingues - The Spirit of the Wind
07. Pauline Oliveros - The Gentle (Short Version)
08. Budi Siebert - Wal-Hall-A
09. Saxophon Mafia - Kellerdschungel
10. Conrad Bauer - Bötz
11. Butz Dahn, Michael Hohler, Wolfgang Hamm - Unter Der Stadt
12. Heiner Goebbels - Ein Vorfilm Für Herbert Achternbusch

Twelve tracks of out there free improvisation recorded in a temporarily disused water tank. The minimal compositions perfectly exploit the incredible reverb and acoustics of this unique recording location resulting in total organic avant garde ambient.

From the liner notes of the reissue :

"In December 1984 musicians from different countries and the 'Tanzforum der Oper/Köln' met in the almost 100 years old drinking watertank (Wasserspeicher) SEVERIN (which had been emptied for refurbishment) located on the southside of Cologne for an exceptional music and dance project. The recordings of this CD testify for the unique acoustics of the subterraneous colonnade. All takes have only been recorded with microphones distributed throughout the tank, without using any additional studio effect equipment before it was finally flooded again (german title - vor der flut : before the flood).

Mixed at Studio Zuckerfabrik, Stuttgart; Soundexpress Studio, Köln.
Mastered at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg."

Both the reissued cd from 1988 and the original vinyl from 1985 are out of print and hard to find.

MIKE TINGLEY - THE ABSTRACT PRINCE

Decca 1968

01. A Real Fine Time
02. Begin The Sun
03. Connected To Nothing
04. Emotions And May
05. Monotony's Message
06. See The People
07. Abstract Prince
08. Of Sand
09. Of Soul And Deed
10. I Weep
11. It's Time To Leave Her
12. Crossroads


Californian Mike Tingley recorded and released his only L.P. in 1968. ‘The Abstract Prince’ is a very sixties fusion of folk and psychedelic pop enriched with Spectoresque strings and tight arrangements.

Still essentially unknown, this record is ripe for a reissue (Sundazed perhaps?)

On first listen, some listeners may find the songs a little light. The production is pretty and there is a whiff of teenage pop. However, repeated spins reveal lyrics of existential angst, social commentary and personal observations.

Here’s the artist himself :

“I have been asked to write a few lines for this LP. But where do I start? I think I am just now realising what has taken place. I will start by thanking to everyone who was involved in the making of this record. And there are so many that added so much to it. My producer, Tony Vos, whose guidance and supervision I couldn't have done without. My recording technician, Gerard Beckers, whose skill in a control room was consistently outstanding. The drummer, Cees Kranenburg and the bass player, Jan Hollesteller, who both demonstrated the only thing that only a good musician can...talent and plenty of it. And speaking of musicians, I really owe a special debt gratitude to Bert Paige, who did all the orchestra arrangements and to all the studio musicians participated in this LP. There is only one word to describe their contribution to this music...beautiful. There are so many other people directly or indirectly involved, that I could never write them all down on this jacket. But my heart felt thanks go out to each one of them just the same. I was also asked to explain each of my songs. I thought a lot about it and decided that it wasn't fair, in a way, to you the listener. Although, when I wrote each song I had a definite idea in my mind, these were only my impressions. I feel that if I were to explain each song to you, it wouldn't give you an honest chance to develop your own impressions. And this is what I think is one of the most important parts of any music: the capacity to be interpreted differently, depending on who the listener is. I would like to end by thanking you, the listener, for giving me this opportunity to express the many emotions and thoughts that are contained in each and every groove of this LP.”

I suspect record company fecklessness is behind the record having no success. Released only in Holland and confusion over how to market Mike Tingley ensured this record would be lost and forgotten.

Find it, dig it and let the sunshine in.

ROBBIE BASHO - BOUQUET

Basho-Productions 1983

01. The Golden Medallion

02. Khalil Gibran

03. The White Swallow

04. The Polish Rider

05. El Cid

06. Lightening Thunder

07. Land Of Our Fathers (Hopi Hymn)

08. Tears Of Teresa

09. Blues From Lebanon

10. The Song Of Leila

11. The White Princess

For those new to the artist - Robbie Basho was a pioneer of contemporary acoustic guitar. He took his name from  Japanese haiku poet Matsuo Basho, adopted the steel string acoustic guitar from John Fahey and was introduced to folk music by Max Ochs. After hearing Ravi Shanker, Basho used dropped tunings and developed his 'Esoteric Doctrine of Color & Mood for12 & 6 string guitar'.

Basho released several albums between 1965 and his death in 1986. These records covered Eastern mysticism, the old west and European folk. The majority of this discography has yet to be reissued.

'The Seal Of The Blue Lotus' (1965) and 'The Grail And The Lotus' (1966) were Basho's first two offerings and remain his most well known work. Both of those albums were instrumental and focused on Basho's long raga inspired guitar workouts.

Bouquet was Basho's penultimate album and by this time he had incorporated vocals, piano and spoken word into his music. 

Cassette only private press release.

This album has since been re-issued. Check out a post about it here.