The Hypnomen • Crystal Skies

 

 

Bizarre Discotheque: The Shaggs • Philosophy Of The World

 

The Shaggs’ Philosophy of the World became an enduring classic for its beguiling amateurism. But in its 2016 reissue, it’s easier to hear the darkness and sadness behind the Wiggin sisters’ story.

The Wiggin family of Fremont, New Hampshire were an all-American bunch. Father Austin Wiggin Jr. and Mother Annie were blessed with a lovely brood of six: Two boys, Robert and Austin III, and four daughters, Dorothy (Dot), Betty, Helen, and Rachel. However, in Austin’s eyes, his traditional-seeming clan was anything but—their existence was actually a case of cosmic circumstance. When Austin was a young child, his palmistry-practicing mother predicted that he would marry a strawberry blonde woman, have two sons after she died, and that his daughters would form a successful music group. Having witnessed the first two prophecies come true, Austin decided to give his preordained fate a little push. In the mid-1960s he pulled his three eldest teenage daughters, Dot, Betty, and Helen, out of school, equipped them with guitars and drums, and dubbed them the Shaggs.

Though Austin had no real musical experience, he took quite naturally to the role of a Svengali-type manager. He demanded that the Shaggs practice all day in the family basement: While he was at work, when he came home, after dinner, and occasionally before bed (sometimes, this pre-bedtime practice was replaced by calisthenics). The Shaggs would play a song over and over and over again, until Austin deemed it perfect (or as close to the level of perfection an untrained group could reach). As Dot later explained in Songs in the Key of Z, “He directed. We obeyed. Or did our best.” Wanting to get the girls while their sound was “hot,” in 1969 after about five years of practice, Austin dragged the Shaggs to Fleetwood studio in Revere, Massachusetts, to record their first album, Philosophy of the World.

“Even if you took a few years and learned all the chords you’d still have a limited number of options,” Half Japanese’s David Fair writes in his brief manifesto “How to Play Guitar.” “If you ignore the chords your options are infinite and you can master guitar playing in one day.” Even though they barely learned any chords, it seems safe to say that even after countless hours of practice the Shaggs never mastered their instruments. But the essence of *Philosophy of the World *lies within Fair’s words: that technical limitations can equal musical freedom.

By all accounts, the Wiggin sisters’ voices are painful—not nails-on-a-chalkboard unlistenable, but bizarre, like hearing early Animal Collective for the first time. Dot and Betty’s guitars are cheap and off-key. Helen’s drums have no consistency and jump from rumbling rolls to soft and stuttering taps for no apparent reason. The Shaggs are literally the sound of teenagers without any real training who are suddenly tasked with creating pop tunes. “It just came out of my head,” Dot explains in the reissue’s liner notes. “When I wrote the lyrics, I already had the way the song was supposed to be, the tune of it, so then I matched the melody with words and then chords with melody.” As such, the guitars follow the warbling vocals note-for-note, and since each accented word receives its own unique pitch, the plucking is acrobatic and difficult to follow. Rarely is there a moment on Philosophy of the World that feels cohesive. Yet, even though each sister moves at her own tempo, somehow the structure never falls apart. There’s something intriguing about the noises the Shaggs create and the way they become catchy; chaos is negated in the same way that after enough contemplation the violent splatters of a Jackson Pollock painting become calming.

As the voice of the band, Dot wrote about the things she knew, the life her sisters lived, the world they dreamed of discovering. The Philosophy of the Shaggs, as explained via the chorus of the album’s self-titled opener (“you can never please anybody in this world”) is one of moxie, faith, and pragmatic emotional compromise. While the longings of other girl groups of the late 1960s were also marked by melancholy, an unsettling sense of darkness permeates the Shaggs’ songs, especially when one considers the forceful conditions under which they were created. Perhaps if the same lyrics were Spectorized and accompanied by some claps or twinkly piano they would come off as less nervous. But instead, the combination of the Shaggs’ creaky chords, jumpy vocals, and irregular melodies ring an alarm that something is off. Take “Who Are Parents,” a creepy call-and-response ditty about the righteousness of guardians, the ones who really care, the ones who are always there. “Some kids think their parents are cruel/Just because they want them to obey certain rules,” Dot sings, sternly beseeching other youths to stick to their morals. “Then they start to lean from the ones who really care/Turning, turning from the ones who will always be there.” “Who Are Parents” fails as a family anthem and instead is a haunting example of the pressure and fear Austin instilled in his daughters.

Most of the Shaggs’ lyrics reflect their strict upbringing and ensuing social anxiety. On “I’m So Happy When You’re Near,” Dot and Betty unite to sing about the sadness that arrives when the song’s subject departs. In between verses, the Shaggs’ countless hours of practice truly shine with some intricate guitar work. Shortly after, “Sweet Thing” delivers a tale of woe and is perhaps the strongest display of anger the Wiggin sisters  muster. “You used to make me happy/Now you make me sad/You’ve told me many lies/I’ve never told you one,” Dot points out in the same, even voice used throughout the record, even though she’s sharing a deep moment of betrayal. The pain truly shines when Betty squawks “Hurt you, hurt you,” like a stuck toy. Out-of-tune, sharp moments like these could be overlooked as amateur, but they are really the rare occasions when fervor seeps out.

The Shaggs’ introspection is best explored on “Things I Wonder” and “Why Do I Feel?.” The former slogs along with the simple chorus “There are many things I wonder/There are many things I don’t/It seems as though the things I wonder the most/Are the things I never find out.” Even from reading those words in your head, they are so clearly jumbled, so unbalanced. Beneath Dot and Betty’s stiff, severely accented vocals, Helen’s drums rumble and clang. Yet these elements are so unchanging that “Things I Wonder” becomes hypnotic. “Why Do I Feel?” is less repetitive and rather than just discussing the unknown, the Shaggs seem to be truly wondering. “Why do I feel the way I feel?,” they ask, drawing out each word with longing. “My Pal Foot Foot” has become a Shaggs anthem of sorts: a drawing of the legendary cat adorned the cover of a 1988 compilation album as well as many arms and legs of ardent fans. Their clumsy search for a roaming cat sounds like it is being delivered at the edge of a cliff. “Foot Foot…,” one of the sisters nervously murmurs. It’s sing-songingly charming in the way that nursery rhymes are until you realize the dark underlying message. All of this considered, there are perhaps only two purely innocent songs on Philosophy of the World, the radio-worshipping  “My Companion” and “It’s Halloween.” “It’s Halloween” and its talk of ghouls seemingly could have been sung by the Peanuts gang three years earlier in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

When Austin died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1975, the Shaggs immediately disbanded and resumed normal lives, working blue-collar jobs and starting families. “We figured when we ended it and we went on with our own lives, that that was the end of it,” recalls Dot. “That was one life, and now another.” But destiny had other plans for the Wiggin girls, who had yet to become the popular group of their grandmother’s prophecy. Even though 900 of the 1000 copies of Philosophy of the World produced disappeared immediately, the record managed to fall into the hands of influential obscure music fans who were drawn to discordant sounds produced by three sisters from New Hampshire. By 1980, new fans were introduced to Philosophy of the World thanks to a reissue campaign led by the band NRBQ.

The Shaggs were quickly embraced by the exact opposite audience Austin desired: the longhaired avant-garde intellectuals. Listeners were amazed by this music that seemed ahead of its time, and totally different than what one might expect if they handed three teenage girls instruments with little instruction. The Shaggs pre-dated the trend of making music that sounds untrained; they probably would have hated Beat Happening. “I don’t know anything about music,” Captain Beefheart told Lester Bangs in 1980. But the big difference between Beefheart and the Shaggs comes down to intention. Whereas Don Van Vliet was improvising and experimenting, the Shaggs were simply surviving.

On top of the musical strangeness, there are the universal sentiments that the Wiggin girls capture, their juvenile dreams and desires illustrated as intimate. Big ideas become small and accessible in their voices: Don’t you remember when you felt scared, sad, or alone? So do the Shaggs, and it’s comforting to relate. Kurt Cobain called Philosophy of the World one of the top five records of all time—what did he hear in the Shaggs? Perhaps he was entranced by what he saw as raw innocence.

But in truth, contemporary listeners and critics will never identify with the Shaggs because their words are not for us.

Since Philosophy of the World became a cult classic in the ’70s and ’80s, critics have been quick to label the Shaggs as outsider musicians. But if the outsider music genre is meant to be the logical counterpart to outsider art, the Shaggs do not quite qualify. Yes, their bumpy music pays no attention to conventional practices, yes, by all means they are amateur. But they had certainly heard mainstream music like Herman’s Hermits and sources differ on whether or not they received music lessons. Outsider art, and therefore music, is meant to come from an undisturbed place. “Here we are witness to the artistic operation in its pristine form, something unadulterated, something reinvented from scratch at all stages by its maker, who draws solely upon his private impulses,” said Art Brut founder Jean Dubuffet.
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The Shaggs were forced to make music by a father who physically removed them from school. While the Shaggs may have been expressing genuine emotions, it was not of their free will. “It’s just something we had to do,” one sister recalls in an interview with the BBC. One might consider the anecdote that the Shaggs would occasionally sneak away from practice to a nearby lake and then rush home as if they had been rehearsing. Calling them outsiders negates the trauma that is deeply rooted within their music. Austin emphasized over and over how “pure” the Shaggs were, how they were “unaffected by outside influences.” But their purity is that of claustrophobia. Outsider artists are expected to possess a degree of unconsciousness that acts as a path into the profound psyche. But the Wiggin sisters were self-conscious teenagers. Their peers tossed soda cans at them. Even though Dot’s lyrics clearly come from a significant place within (her adolescent anxieties) the difference is that of writing a daily journal to share with a classroom of peers versus writing a diary entry before bed.

If new or old fans wish to experience a pure version of the Shaggs, check out 1982’s Shaggs’ Own Thing, a collection of unreleased recordings and covers. Shaggs’ Own Thing finds the Wiggin girls to be playful and free of anxiety, perhaps because there’s no clear-cut purpose behind the recordings. The covers (which include versions of the Carpenters) are faithful, graceful even. It’s a drastic shift from Philosophy, which comes off as even more abrasive and awkward in comparison. But Philosophy of the World is the realest version of the Shaggs, flaws and force in full-view. A teenage symphony this is not.
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22404-shaggs-philosophy-of-the-world/

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Philosophy of the World es el único álbum de estudio de la banda de rock The Shaggs.

La banda The Shaggs estaba compuesta por las hermanas Helen, Betty, y Dorothy (o "Dot") Wiggin, de Estados Unidos. Quien hizo de manager para el grupo fue el padre de las hermanas, Austin Wiggin, Jr., también algunas veces eran acompañadas por otra de las hermanas, Rachel. Se presentaron casi exclusivamente en el ayuntamiento de Fremont y en una casa de asilo local, empezando en 1968 y dejando de presentarse en vivo en 1973.

Aunque a la mayoría de la gente en Fremont no le gustaba el sonido de la banda, su padre todavía creía que serían estrellas, y en 1969, usó gran parte de sus ahorros para grabar un álbum. Austin llevó a sus hijas a un estudio en Massachusetts, decidido a grabarlas "mientras aún estaban frescas". Después de llegar a un acuerdo con una discográfica local (Third World Recordings), The Shaggs grabaron su disco en un día, con el que publicaron doce canciones escritas por Dot.

Luego de ser lanzada la primera edición original, 900 de las 1000 copias que se publicaron desaparecieron, y poco después, el productor y presidente de la discográfica también desapareció, a la vez que el sello cerró rápidamente.

A pesar de la mala o incluso nula recepción del primer álbum, además del hecho de que solo quedaban 100 copias en circulación, los coleccionistas de música rápidamente se apoderaron de las copias restantes y el boca a boca comenzó, y aquellos a quienes les gustó elogiaron de gran manera la música, pero muchos otros se quejaron de la forma descuidada, casi sin sentido, en que se hicieron los arreglos, así como la forma en que las hermanas son incapaces de seguir un tempo definído. Algunos afirmaron que esto se hizo intencionalmente a instancias de su padre (un rumor que persistió durante muchos años, aunque él lo negó, y la idea sería discutida aún más cuando las canciones que grabaron en una sesión de 1975 fueron lanzadas en 1982, ya que en esta grabación mostraban un sonido mucho más pulcro y cuidado). Las propias hermanas Wiggin han expresado su consternación con el producto terminado, señalando que varias de las peculiaridades de la musicalidad eran, de hecho, errores de ritmo que se dejaron; este fue un factor en la ruptura de la banda y su renuencia a reunirse a raíz de su nuevo éxito.

A mediados de la década de 1970, WBCN, una estación de radio local en Boston, Massachusetts, comenzó a reproducir algunos temas del disco, lo que ayudó a llevar al grupo y al disco a la fama tardía. Se hizo más conocido en 1978 cuando la famosa banda de música independiente NRBQ escuchó, buscó una copia y luego relanzó el álbum en 1980, a través de los sellos Red Rooster Records / Rounder Records. Más tarde, Dr. Demento, un locutor de radio estadounidense y coleccionista de discos que se especializa en canciones novedosas, comedia y grabaciones extrañas o inusuales, comenzó a reproducir el álbum casi exclusivamente en su programa de radio en todo el país, especialmente alrededor de la fecha de Halloween, cuando tocaba la pista del álbum que hace referencia a esta festividad, y durante muchos siguió reproduciendo canciones del disco en su lista de "Funny Five" de la semana. Las hermanas Wiggin han expresado constantemente confusión y sorpresa con respecto a por qué su música se había vuelto tan popular, y señalaron que el trabajo fue, en gran parte, un accidente.

Posteriormente, saldría una versión en CD del álbum, que incluiría también el segundo disco Shaggs' Own Thing, esta versión con ambos álbumes fue publicada en 1988 por Rounder, también otra versión en CD -únicamente del primer álbum- saldría en 1999, por parte del sello RCA Victor

Light In The Attic Records relanzó el disco en vinilo, y en septiembre de 2016 publicó una edición especial en un vinilo tricolor de 180g, del cual únicamente salieron 500 copias, e incluía un folleto con fotos inéditas y un extenso ensayo sobre los antecedentes, la historia de la banda y la grabación del álbum.

La canción que le da título al disco aparece como canción inicial en la primera versión de Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music.

"Philosophy of the World es el disco más enfermizo, asombrosamente espantoso y maravilloso que he escuchado en años: el purgante mental perfecto para cualquier tipo de estancamiento", escribió Debra Rae Cohen para Rolling Stone en una revisión de la reedición de 1980. "Como un Trapp Family Singers lobotomizado, The Shaggs gorjean serias letras de tarjetas de felicitación (...) en un cuasi-unísono feliz y desventurado a lo largo de líneas ostensibles de melodía mientras rasguean sus pequeñas guitarras como alguien que se preocupa por la cremallera. La baterista golpea animosamente a la llamada de una musa diferente, como si tuviera que adivinar qué canción estaban tocando, y se perdiera cada vez. " "Sin exageración", Escribió Chris Connelly en un artículo posterior de Rolling Stone," puede ser " el peor álbum jamás grabado". En un artículo para The New Yorker, el álbum fue descrito como "inquietantemente malo".

El cantante de Nirvana, Kurt Cobain escuchó Philosophy of the World y lo puso en su lista de sus 50 álbumes favoritos de todos los tiempos. La grabación también ha sido citada como una gran influencia para Frank Zappa, Kimya Dawson de The Moldy Peaches, y Deerhoof.

El álbum aparece en el puesto 100 de la lista de Blender (magazine)'s de los 100 mejores discos de indie rock. en 2010, fue incluido en NME "Los 100 mejores álbumes que nunca escuchaste". En 2016, Rolling Stone puso el disco en la posición 17 en su lista de "40 mejores One-Album Wonders".
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_the_World


Nota sugerida:
https://elpais.com/elpais/2020/07/16/icon/1594909127_104445.html

VA • Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! Funk Music in India 1970-1983

Review by John Bush 
By the end of the 2000s, compilations of non-Western psychedelic music were becoming a dime-a-dozen propositions, while Bollywood compilations were getting even cheaper yet. Psych-Funk Sa-Re-Ga! Seminar outdoes the low expectations of both, stretching the boundaries of Bollywood exploitation music, and also featuring a set of '60s/'70s Indian pop at its finest, courtesy of producers extraordinary R.D. Burman and the brothers team known as Kalyanji Anandji (with multiple tracks each). Unlike most discs of this sort, the compilers at World Psychedelic Funk Classics are experts, well used to digging deep into the dustbins of history throughout Southeast Asia. Aptly, this collection is structured more like a film soundtrack than a run of singles, beginning with two scene-setting instrumentals (including a surfsploitation gem by a group called X'Lents) before splashing in with five tracks from the producers above in all their frenetic, chaotic multi-layered glory. True playback singers aren't common here (just Asha Bhosle on several tracks), but that serves the disc well; digging as deep as this, and providing a seminar on Bollywood soundtracks and the psychedelic scene around India during the '70s makes for a much more distinctive compilation. Highlights will vary from listener to listener based on whether your tastes lie in traditional Bollywood, psych-funk curios, or '60s exploitation (here courtesy of some remarkably garagey instrumentals), but shining above the pack are discoveries like Burman's "Freak Out Music" (which is exactly that), and Bappi Lahari's "Everybody Dance with Me" (reminiscent of "In A-Gadda-Da-Vida" gone Indian). https://www.allmusic.com/album/psych-funk-sa-re-ga%21-seminar-aesthetic-expressions-of-psychedelic-funk-music-in-india-1970-1983-mw0002082661

 

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Reseña de John Bush
A finales de la década de 2000, las recopilaciones de música psicodélica no occidental se estaban convirtiendo en una propuesta de diez centavos por docena, mientras que las recopilaciones de Bollywood eran aún más baratas. ¡Psych-Funk Sa-Re-Ga! Seminar supera las escasas expectativas de ambos, ampliando los límites de la música de explotación de Bollywood y presentando también un conjunto de pop indio de los años 60/70 en su máxima expresión, cortesía de los extraordinarios productores R.D. Burman y el equipo de hermanos conocido como Kalyanji Anandji (con varios temas cada uno). A diferencia de la mayoría de los discos de este tipo, los compiladores de World Psychedelic Funk Classics son expertos, bien acostumbrados a escarbar en los basureros de la historia de todo el sudeste asiático. Acertadamente, esta colección está estructurada más como una banda sonora de película que como una serie de singles, comenzando con dos instrumentales de ambientación (incluyendo una joya de surfsploitation de un grupo llamado X'Lents) antes de salpicar con cinco temas de los productores mencionados en toda su frenética y caótica gloria de múltiples capas. Los verdaderos cantantes de playback no son comunes aquí (sólo Asha Bhosle en varias pistas), pero eso sirve al disco; cavar tan profundo como esto, y proporcionar un seminario sobre las bandas sonoras de Bollywood y la escena psicodélica en torno a la India durante los años 70 hace una compilación mucho más distintiva. Lo más destacado variará de un oyente a otro en función de si sus gustos se centran en el Bollywood tradicional, en las curiosidades del psych-funk o en la explotación de los años 60 (en este caso, cortesía de algunos instrumentales notablemente garajeros), pero brillan por encima de la manada descubrimientos como "Freak Out Music" de Burman (que es exactamente eso), y "Everybody Dance with Me" de Bappi Lahari (que recuerda a "In A-Gadda-Da-Vida" convertido en indio). https://www.allmusic.com/album/psych-funk-sa-re-ga%21-seminar-aesthetic-expressions-of-psychedelic-funk-music-in-india-1970-1983-mw0002082661

VA • Cambodian Rocks

 

Cambodian Rocks es una compilación de 22 canciones de rock psicodélicas y garage camboyano, de finales de la década de 1960 y principios de la de 1970. Wikipedia (Inglés)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Rocks

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Cambodian Rocks is a compilation of 22 uncredited, untitled Cambodian psychedelic and garage rock songs from the late 1960s and early 1970s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Rocks

Phil Upchurch • Name Of The Game

 

Artist Biography by Ron Wynn

A prolific guitarist who is comfortable playing blues, soul, R&B, and jazz, Phil Upchurch has been a prominent figure in Chicago music circles since the mid-'50s. He initially did freelance sessions with such musicians as Jerry Butler before becoming house guitarist for Chess. Upchurch's sensitive, often funky chording, riffs, and licks were heard on numerous releases by such artists as the Dells, Howlin' Wolf, Gene Chandler, and Muddy Waters. He frequently teamed with drummer Maurice White, who later headed Earth, Wind & Fire. He formed the Phil Upchurch Combo in the early '60s, and had a hit with the instrumental "You Can't Sit Down" in 1961. They did some follow-up singles, but none equaled the initial record's success. Upchurch did several soul-jazz and funk dates for such labels as Sue and Cadet in the mid- and late '60s. He signed with Blue Thumb in the '70s and split his time between sessions with the Crusaders and Ben Sidran and making his own albums. Tommy LiPuma produced Darkness, Darkness and Lovin' Feelin in 1972 and 1973. Upchurch did one LP for Creed Taylor's Kudu label in 1975, Upchurch Tennyson, with pianist/vocalist Tennyson Stephens. He returned to studio work, but recorded as a leader for Palladin in 1985, Ichiban in 1991, and Ridgetop in 1995 and 1997. He remains active as a session musician and bandleader, returning in 1999 with Rhapsody & Blues. Tell the Truth appeared in spring 2001.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-upchurch-mn0000286479/biography

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 Biografía del artista por Ron Wynn

Un guitarrista prolífico que se siente cómodo tocando blues, soul, R&B y jazz, Phil Upchurch ha sido una figura prominente en los círculos musicales de Chicago desde mediados de los años 50. Inicialmente hizo sesiones freelance con músicos como Jerry Butler antes de convertirse en guitarrista de Chess. Los acordes, riffs y lamidas de Upchurch fueron escuchados en numerosos lanzamientos por artistas como Dells, Howlin' Wolf, Gene Chandler, y Muddy Waters. Frecuentemente se asoció con el baterista Maurice White, quien más tarde dirigió Earth, Wind & Fire. Formó el Phil Upchurch Combo a principios de los años 60, y tuvo un éxito con el instrumental "You Can't Sit Down" en 1961. Hicieron algunos sencillos de seguimiento, pero ninguno igualó el éxito del disco inicial. Upchurch hizo varias citas de soul-jazz y funk para sellos como Sue y Cadet a mediados y finales de los años 60. Firmó con Blue Thumb en los años 70 y dividió su tiempo entre sesiones con los Crusaders y Ben Sidran y haciendo sus propios álbumes. Tommy LiPuma produjo Darkness, Darkness and Lovin' Feelin en 1972 y 1973. Upchurch hizo un LP para el sello Kudu de Creed Taylor en 1975, Upchurch Tennyson, con el pianista y vocalista Tennyson Stephens. Volvió al trabajo de estudio, pero grabó como líder para Palladin en 1985, Ichiban en 1991 y Ridgetop en 1995 y 1997. Sigue activo como músico de sesión y director de orquesta, regresando en 1999 con Rhapsody & Blues. Tell the Truth apareció en la primavera de 2001.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-upchurch-mn0000286479/biography

 

www.philupchurch.com ...

 

Colaborador / Contributor:  Ketmokin

VA • Sitar Beat! Indian Style Heavy Funk [Vol. 1 & Vol. 2]

 

M. Fusciati • Urbanistica

 

Gerardo Iacoucci's Urbanistica is one of the most elusive LP from the very sought after Octopus series. Released in 1971 as a non-commercial album of background music specially recorded for cinema, radio and television, Urbanistica is now come back to life in a special 180gr limited edition of 500 copies. Gerardo Iacoucci is one of the men behind Flipper's sound scene, also known for L'avventura and Simbolismo Psichedelico (both published for Deneb label), but this is definitively his grooviest record, totally psych-beat, with jazzy-breaks, killer hammond, stunning drums and soul-jazz brass section. 

Italian golden age sounds from 60s and 70s obscure and underrated vaults. Music specially recorded for cinema, radio and television.

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Traducción Automática:

Urbanistica de Gerardo Iacoucci es uno de los LP más elusivos de la muy buscada serie Octopus. Lanzado en 1971 como un álbum no comercial de música de fondo especialmente grabado para cine, radio y televisión, Urbanistica ahora vuelve a la vida en una edición limitada especial de 180gr de 500 copias. Gerardo Iacoucci es uno de los hombres detrás de la escena sonora de Flipper, también conocido por L'avventura y Simbolismo Psichedelico (ambos publicados para el sello Deneb), pero este es definitivamente su disco más genial, totalmente psicológico, con jazzy-breaks, el asesino Hammond. Tambores impresionantes y sección de metales soul-jazz.

Sonidos de la época dorada italiana de los años 60 y 70 bóvedas oscuras y subestimadas. Música especialmente grabada para cine, radio y televisión.

 

 

 

Dengue Fever • Swallow The Sun

 

Dengue Fever is a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock.
more ...

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El tecladista Ethan Holtzman oriundo de Los Angeles, de viaje por Camboya, se subyuga con el sonido de viejos temas de los sesentas de desconocidos y hasta anónimos grupos locales, lo que le da la idea de recrear dicho sonido en su pais natal. Fruto de ello es Dengue Fever, que aparte de tener una vocalista camboyana, nuestro amigo tecladista fiel al sonido interpreta los temas de la banda con el mítico órgano Farfisa y el Optigan, un teclado de fines de los 60 que utilizaba pistas pregrabadas.

denguefevermusic.com ...

 

Vladimir Cosma ‎• Ultra Pop-Op

Vladimir Cosma (born April 13, 1940) is a Romanian composer, conductor and violinist, born in Bucharest, Romania.

He was born in a family of musicians, his father Teodor Cosma was Orchestra Electrecord conductor.

Vladimir Cosma studied music in Bucharest and in September 1962 emigrated to Paris, France with his family.

There he continue his musical education at The École Normale de Musique de Paris under Nadia Boulanger's guidance. He has written the music for many well known French movies. Since 1963 he lives in Paris, France.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/15501-Vladimir-Cosma

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Vladimir Cosma (nacido el 13 de abril de 1940) es un compositor, director y violinista rumano, nacido en Bucarest, Rumania.

Nacido en una familia de músicos, su padre Teodor Cosma fue director de la Orquesta Electrecord.

Vladimir Cosma estudió música en Bucarest y en septiembre de 1962 emigró a París, Francia, con su familia.

Allí continúa su formación musical en la École Normale de Musique de Paris bajo la dirección de Nadia Boulanger. Ha escrito la música para muchas películas francesas muy conocidas. Desde 1963 vive en París, Francia.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/15501-Vladimir-Cosma

Bizarre Discotheque: Brainticket • Cottonwoodhill

 

The LP's original inner sleeve warns: "After Listening to this Record, your friends may not know you anymore" and "Only listen to this once a day. Your brain might be destroyed!"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwoodhill

Note:
The band was actually called Cottonwoodhill, and the album Brain Ticket, but somehow the project name got switched!

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La funda interior original del LP advierte: "Después de escuchar este disco, es posible que tus amigos ya no te conozcan" y "Escúchalo sólo una vez al día. Tu cerebro podría quedar destruido".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwoodhill

Nota:
El grupo se llamaba en realidad Cottonwoodhill, y el álbum Brain Ticket, pero por alguna razón se cambió el nombre del proyecto.

Bizarre Discotheque - Tom Scott • The Honeysuckle Breeze

 

Review
by Scott Yanow
Tom Scott's debut recording as a leader (he was 19 at the time) set the "standard" for much of his solo career. The ten selections on this obscure and long-out-of-print Impulse LP match Scott with a rather mundane nine-piece vocal group called the California Dreamers. The dated effects (Bill Plummer's sitar, the electronic devices on Scott's tenor, alto and soprano, and the primitive electric keyboards), weak material (mostly current pop tunes including the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" and Joan Baez's "North"), and the brevity of the performances (clocking in between 2:14 and 4:30) make this a rather forgettable commercial record. Only of historical interest.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-honeysuckle-breeze-mw0000897408

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Reseña
por Scott Yanow
La primera grabación de Tom Scott como líder (tenía 19 años en ese momento) estableció el "estándar" para gran parte de su carrera en solitario. Las diez selecciones de este oscuro y largamente agotado LP de Impulse emparejan a Scott con un grupo vocal de nueve piezas bastante mundano llamado California Dreamers. Los efectos anticuados (el sitar de Bill Plummer, los dispositivos electrónicos en el tenor, el alto y el soprano de Scott, y los primitivos teclados eléctricos), el material débil (en su mayoría temas pop actuales, como "She's Leaving Home" de los Beatles, "Mellow Yellow" de Donovan y "North" de Joan Baez) y la brevedad de las interpretaciones (que oscilan entre 2:14 y 4:30) hacen de éste un disco comercial bastante olvidable. Sólo tiene interés histórico.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-honeysuckle-breeze-mw0000897408

Dengue Fever • Venus on Earth

At last, Dengue Fever has made an album that quite nearly matches their incredible live performances. The group began at least as a tribute to the playful yet heavy psychedelic pop scene that flourished in Cambodia before Pol Pot came to power and silenced countless suspected dissidents in that country's infamous killing fields in the mid-1970s. Like the Cambodian pop music that so enamored them, Dengue Fever began by revitalizing strong elements of '60s surf and garage rock in their sound. Over time, they've expanded their influences to Ethiopian funk and modern dance-rock. Once a multi-culti California band with a Cambodian-born singer paying homage to the past, Dengue Fever now plays original, swirling, psychedelic pop. With Western audiences ever more open to hybrid sounds, it will be a huge surprise if Venus on Earth doesn't allow Dengue Fever to quit their day jobs for good, especially after the film about their trip to Cambodia, Sleepwalking through the Mekong, hits the festival circuit in 2008. --Mike McGonigal

Artist Biography:

Dengue Fever is a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock.

The band was formed in 2001 by Ethan Holtzman and his brother Zac after Ethan was inspired by a trip to Cambodia. As Ethan and Zac were searching for a vocalist to sing in Khmer, lead singer Chhom Nimol was discovered in a nightclub in the Little Phnom Penh area of Long Beach. She was already a well-known karaoke singer in Cambodia, but decided to move to the United States after visiting her sister, and thought it was a good chance to make more money to send to her family back home. Zac is a vocalist and guitarist, formerly with Dieselhed, while Ethan plays the Farfisa organ. Rounding out the band are bassist Senon Williams (who played in Radar Bros until January 2009), drummer Paul Smith, and David Ralicke on brass.

Their self-titled debut album was released in 2003. All lyrics on the earlier albums are sung in Khmer, while the third album introduces some songs in English. Many of the songs are covers of 1960s Cambodian rock tunes by such artists as Sinn Sisamouth, Pan Ron, and Ros Serey Sothea, but some are originals, first written in English by the Holtzmans before being translated.

In 2005, the band toured Cambodia during the Bon Om Thook water festival, to critical acclaim. The documentary film Sleepwalking Through the Mekong documents the band's touring in Phnom Penh and other major Cambodian cities. There, singer Chhom Nimol, whose family included renowned singers from the 1970s onward, reconnected with the Cambodian fanbase, many of whom remembered the heyday of Cambodian rock from that era. The trip was a transforming experience for the rest of the band as they performed with master musicians and recorded new songs along the way, providing the band with new material. The film also reveals aspects of modern Cambodia, as the band crosses a cultural chasm with the same spirit as Cambodia's original rock pioneers.

Also in 2005, their second album, Escape from Dragon House, was released, containing more original songs. Escape from Dragon House was one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. It was re-released on limited edition colored vinyl on August 26, 2008.

In June 2008, Real World Records released Venus On Earth in all territories outside of the U.S. and Canada. Peter Gabriel, founder of their new label, said of the deal, "We have Dengue Fever coming out on Real World Records (outside of the USA) - it’s really cool stuff, with the small Cambodian singer and big American guys behind! They’re California based but have taken 60’s Cambodian pop as their main source of inspiration and it’s done with a lot of style. It’s spirited, impassioned stuff." Venus On Earth was selected as one of the best world music records of 2008 by the iTunes Store.

Dengue Fever has entered into partnerships with a number of charitable organizations to support causes in Cambodia. They are involved with the wildlife and forest conservation organization Wildlife Alliance, and have donated recordings for charity records with the Sweet Relief Fund, a charity that aims to provide financial assistance to musicians dealing with illness, disability, or age-related issues. The group also compiled a collection of Cambodian rock music from the pre-Khmer Rouge era, entitled "Electric Cambodia", in 2010. All proceeds from this album were dedicated to Cambodian Living Arts.

Dengue Fever were winners of the 8th annual Independent Music Awards for best World Fusion Album.

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Por fin, Dengue Fever ha hecho un álbum que casi coincide con sus increíbles actuaciones en directo. El grupo comenzó al menos como un tributo a la juguetona pero pesada escena pop psicodélica que floreció en Camboya antes de que Pol Pot llegara al poder y silenciara a innumerables sospechosos de ser disidentes en los infames campos de exterminio de ese país a mediados de la década de 1970. Al igual que la música pop camboyana que tanto les entusiasmaba, la fiebre del dengue comenzó revitalizando en su sonido elementos fuertes del surf de los 60 y el rock de garaje. Con el tiempo, expandieron sus influencias al funk etíope y al dance-rock moderno. La que fuera una banda californiana de múltiples culturas con una cantante nacida en Camboya que rinde homenaje al pasado, Dengue Fever toca ahora un pop original, arremolinado y psicodélico. Con el público occidental cada vez más abierto a los sonidos híbridos, será una gran sorpresa si Venus en la Tierra no permite que Dengue Fever deje sus trabajos diurnos para siempre, especialmente después de que la película sobre su viaje a Camboya, Sleepwalking through the Mekong, llegue al circuito de festivales en 2008. -Mike McGonigal

Biografía del artista:

Dengue Fever es una banda de seis miembros de Los Ángeles que combina la música y las letras del pop camboyano con el rock psicodélico.

La banda se formó en 2001 por Ethan Holtzman y su hermano Zac después de que Ethan se inspirara en un viaje a Camboya. Mientras Ethan y Zac buscaban un vocalista para cantar en Khmer, el cantante principal Chhom Nimol fue descubierto en un club nocturno en el área de Little Phnom Penh en Long Beach. Ya era una conocida cantante de karaoke en Camboya, pero decidió mudarse a los Estados Unidos después de visitar a su hermana, y pensó que era una buena oportunidad para ganar más dinero para enviar a su familia en su país. Zac es vocalista y guitarrista, anteriormente en Dieselhed, mientras que Ethan toca el órgano Farfisa. Completan la banda el bajista Senon Williams (que tocó en Radar Bros hasta enero de 2009), el baterista Paul Smith y David Ralicke en los metales.

Su álbum de debut autotitulado fue lanzado en 2003. Todas las letras de los primeros álbumes están cantadas en jemer, mientras que el tercer álbum introduce algunas canciones en inglés. Muchas de las canciones son versiones de canciones de rock camboyano de los años 60 de artistas como Sinn Sisamouth, Pan Ron y Ros Serey Sothea, pero algunas son originales, escritas primero en inglés por los Holtzmans antes de ser traducidas.

En 2005, la banda realizó una gira por Camboya durante el festival del agua Bon Om Thook, que fue aclamada por la crítica. El documental Sleepwalking Through the Mekong (Caminando dormido por el Mekong) documenta la gira de la banda por Phnom Penh y otras grandes ciudades camboyanas. Allí, el cantante Chhom Nimol, en cuya familia había cantantes de renombre a partir de los años setenta, volvió a conectar con la base de fans camboyanos, muchos de los cuales recordaban el apogeo del rock camboyano de esa época. El viaje fue una experiencia transformadora para el resto de la banda, ya que actuaron con músicos maestros y grabaron nuevas canciones a lo largo del camino, proporcionando a la banda nuevo material. La película también revela aspectos de la Camboya moderna, ya que la banda atraviesa un abismo cultural con el mismo espíritu que los pioneros del rock original de Camboya.

También en 2005 se publicó su segundo álbum, Escape de la Casa del Dragón, que contiene más canciones originales. Escape from Dragon House fue uno de los 100 mejores álbumes de Amazon.com de 2005. Fue relanzado en una edición limitada de vinilo a color el 26 de agosto de 2008.

En junio de 2008, Real World Records lanzó Venus en la Tierra en todos los territorios fuera de los Estados Unidos y Canadá. Peter Gabriel, fundador de su nuevo sello, dijo sobre el acuerdo: "Tenemos la fiebre del dengue que sale en Real World Records (fuera de los EE.UU.) - es un material realmente genial, con el pequeño cantante camboyano y los grandes tipos americanos detrás! Tienen su sede en California, pero han tomado el pop camboyano de los 60 como su principal fuente de inspiración y lo han hecho con mucho estilo. Es un material enérgico y apasionado." Venus On Earth fue seleccionado como uno de los mejores discos de música del mundo de 2008 por la iTunes Store.

La fiebre del dengue se ha asociado con varias organizaciones de beneficencia para apoyar causas en Camboya. Participan en la organización de conservación de la vida silvestre y los bosques Wildlife Alliance, y han donado grabaciones para discos de beneficencia al Sweet Relief Fund, una organización benéfica que tiene por objeto prestar asistencia financiera a los músicos que se ocupan de enfermedades, discapacidades o cuestiones relacionadas con la edad. El grupo también compiló en 2010 una colección de música rock camboyana de la época anterior a los jemeres rojos, titulada "Camboya eléctrica". Todos los ingresos de este álbum se dedicaron a las artes vivas camboyanas.

Dengue Fever fueron los ganadores de los octavos premios anuales de música independiente al mejor álbum de fusión del mundo.

 

 

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