To Each His Own

I would like to say that we all have lapses of taste (sometimes) when it comes to music,but usually those moments should be at a minimum. Now i do realise that Current 93 or groups coming out of the Industrial quagmire may not suit evryone's tastes,and that it gives them a shiver or bad taste in the mouth,etc,etc. Christian POST-GOTH industrial music per se lyrically don't mean a fig leaf to me - it is the sonic bricolage i focus my attention on first,and then the lyrics (if there uis any). David Tibet's post-goth Christian aesthetic will not suit everyone,and like gospel,may be a turn off totally. At best i could say i am an agnostic quavering on the atheist side of things. I just find the sonic appeal of the latest Current 93 opus as dense and interestting as Scott Walker's latest "The Drift". Music that challanges is the name of the game.

We all have our pet hates anyway - mine is Queen and Identikit-pop-stars manufactured by a record label - Lorna loves them (Queen that is)- i found them oh so f***ing pretentious,and boring that i am lost for words adequately printable to say what i think. I suppose i too will get a barrage of abuse from Queen fans - I DON'T CARE!

So like the old adage of old - to each his own.

Dull day on the whole - finished off two days of an insurance survey for social renters (or low income families) which GC thankfully gave me some of her groupies to help me out
on the job.

As to her suggestion i have a card index record system (at last) for people who i contact just in case there is a job which they will fit into in the near future. It does help to make this fraught job of MR somewhat easier -esp. for groups.

I am glad that musically Bagrec and i are on similar wavelengths musically speaking(apart from C93 aand those post-industrial gloops) but then differnce is more intersting sometimes than similarities.

For eample, I think the best Pink Floyd was the early stuff (say up to Meddle) and after that too much stadium rockish for my likings. (Again i might upset soemone else i konwo but that is how i feel). Wheeras someone like Robert Wyatt is absolutely peerless.

I suppose what you could say i prefer artists that constantly push the boundaries,and if this seems snobbish,do not fill stadiums of craving fans (eg. U2,Rolling Stones,blah blah) Like my mate Steviecat i prefer the small to the big and that is often reflected in ticket prices at gigs. Initially when i first saw Sunburned Hand Of The Man live it was the cheap price of £3.50 and not the £17.50 to see Cheikh Lo and Toumani Diabate,which on principle of price alone,i konw Stephen would not see.

Best live gigs i have seen under a tenner are -

Sunburned Hand of The Man
Jackie O Motherfuckers
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Vitamin B12
Chicago Undegroound Duo
Jaga Jaggist
David Toop
Faust
The Chap
Lawrence Casserley
Tritram Carey
Zoviet France

Or when there is two or three groups /artiss on the same bill which i like such as

The Chap / Why?

Devendre Banhart / Espers / Josephene Foster

Electrolane / Scout Niblett


Well the list could go on but from the gist of it you will get what i mean.

By the way the reissued BILL FAY GROUP CD is totally recommended ,and also, his other earlier albums that been reissued.His albums came from the seventies and until now i have not heard of him before.What a wonderful discovery. Discovery is good - it is invigorating. Again thanks to WIR or PLAN B for pushing me to discover Bill.

SONIC YOUTH have a new album out and it's definitely on my wants list. Another peerless group now into their middle years but still being totally creative,never boring.

Musical pet hates? You sure don't wanna know - okay teh here is the list -

Queen
Bee Gees
Westlife
Oasis
Spice Girls
Il Divo
Charlotte Church (good looking though)


Sorry too painful to go on. i need to lie down.

Ligeti (again)

Two links to the recent passing of Ligeti.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1796918,00.html and strangely in the Guardian leader too at http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,1796797,00.html

A composer that defined the 20th century.

Re-arranging The Library

Having read Steveicats' rejigging of his collection and mentally catalogueing them for disposal / dispersal and working out criteria for owning things lead me to rethink what ones i could weed out and prune.

So here is how i select them:
a) Smart Concepts - ideas record/artists:
The Residents (true identities the subject of much specultion),Can's Ethnological Forgery Series,Zappa's doo-wop tribute and faux Mozart music,pataphysical recordings,plunderphonics.

b) Strong Identity:
Jandek,Daniel Johnston,Captain Beefheart,Moondog,Lol Coxhill,Ivor Cutler,Harry Partch,Ron Geesing,Robert Wyatt,Van Dyke Parks,Sun Ra,Bob Cobbing,Wild Man Fischer,Kim Fowley,Jad Fair.

c) Strong Compilation Themes:
The Pig's Big 78s,London is The Place For Me,Thai Beat A GoGo,Popshopping,Mood Mosaic,Barry 7's Connectors,Robert Crumb compiled CD's,German film commercial exotica.Soundtrack compilations like EasyBeat,Go Cinemania Reels,Fonotone,old blues,hillbilly,blugrass folk stuff.

d) Historical Importance:
Raymond Scott,Carl Stalling,Revue OU,Fluxus and Dada compilations,BBC Radiophonic Workshop,Musique Concrete,Early Electronic,various Nonesuch Explorer,Topic,Folkways and Trojan and Blood & Fire releases.

e) Miscellaneous Bag:
Exotica,Martin Denny,Les Baxter,Yma Sumac,Robert Mitchum,Field recordings,The Spartacus Stargazer (Ian Ordeal's gran reading Peggy Lee and Beefheart poems),Improv,Vitamin B12,plunderphonics.

These are the basic outlines of a reappraisal of the genre i am into.

Exotica Top Ten

1/ Vampyros Lesbos Soundtrack (Crippled Dick Hot Wax CD)
2/ Voice of The Xtabay - Yma Sumac (RevOla CD)
3/ Le Coeur qui Jazze - various (Partners In Crime CD)
4/ Barry 7's Connectors 2 (Lo Recordings CD)
5/ End Titles : Easy Beat vol.10 (Right Track CD)
6/ Go Cinemania Reel One (Polystar japan CD)
7/ Go Cinemania Reel Two (Polystar Japan CD)
8/ Go Cinemania Reel Three (Polystar Japan CD)
9/ Mondo Exotica - Various (RCA CD)
10/ Popshopping 2 (Crippled Dick Hot Wax CD)