Tinnitus Mix Link

Here it is at long last, a mix posted in MP3 format. I viewed the excellent Flea Market Funk blog and used some of his ideas to post this. I took all of the records that I used for my CDR comp and then mixed them via the excellent shareware program, djay. This was mixed live on my macbook. I would love to hear some commentary on both the mix as well as the hosting service.

Here is the playlist:

01 Jimmy Castor Bunch Troglodyte (Cave Man) RCA 48-1029
02 Archie Bell & The Drells Tighten Up Atlantic 45-2478
03 Bobby Blue Bland Gotta Get To Know You Duke 447
04 Bob Seger & Last Heard Heavy Music I Cameo Parkway C-494
05 Dyke & The Blazers Funky Broadway Parts I&II Original Sound 64
06 George Semper Rhythm Committee It’s Your Thing Rama Rama 7799
07 James & Bobby Purity You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down Bell 660
08 James Brown Lowdown Popcorn King 45-6250
09 Funkadelic Music For My Mother Westbound 148
10 Jean Knight Mr. Big Stuff Stax STA-0088
11 Lavell Hardy Don’t Lose Your Groove Rojac 117
12 Jbs Gimme Some More People 602
13 R. Dean Taylor There’s A Ghost In My House Tamla 896 (Import)
14 Cliff Nobles & Co. Love Is All Right Phil LA of Soul 313
15 Ramrods Soultrain Rampage 1000
16 Aretha Franklin See Saw Atlantic 2574
17 Edwin Starr Stop The War Now Gordy 7104

iowahawk's coupe of justice

I had the pleasure of spending the other evening with Iowahawk at a swell BBQ session, and for dessert, I had the chance to see and take some shots of the recently completed Coupe of Justice. This is the coolest ride- a 31 coupe that has been modified in the Alexander Bros. vein.

The interior is a work of art, notice the glass shift knob. A Pontiac theme is carried throughout the vehicle, hence both the Poncho wheel and abbreviated dash.

The Poncho theme continues to the engine wherein a Pontiac V-8 dwells.

Notice the 3 mechanical Saaty fuel injectors, apparently these are late 50s vintage and are extremely rare.

Seeing this car only fed my need and desire to have a hot rod of my very own at some point. Especially after having the ride around the block, those injectors really scream.

Lee Perry Jamaican E.T.

I checked this more recent (from 2002) CD out from the library. I am not sure what I was expecting, but to listen to this set is disconcerting to say the least.

Scratch produced and composed all of the tracks, but a Black Ark production this is not. He does give a shout out via the track Message to Black Ark Studios.

The production is clean and buries the competent beats and grooves pretty far below Lee's vocals. He utilizes a technique of sorts throughout this set wherein he puts his voice is both left and right channels simultaneously. In effect he layers his vocals, spouting random stuff (as you would expect.)

The end result is that the listener gets a feel for what it is like to have voices in the listener's head. Well, Lee Scratch Perry's voice in the listener's head at least.

I fully realize that not every Scratch album can be Africa's Blood, but still this was pretty disappointing.

White Rabbit

This is a pretty bonus clip.

Using footage from Star Trek, the creator synched it to White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane.

The facial expressions on Leonard Nimoy are especially appropriate. The Shatner doesn't let the audience down, either.

From the land of der Fledermaus, a new 45 rack for the cratedigger shack

I am always on the lookout for good ways to store records. The cardboard boxes from Ikea and elsewhere are OK for long term storage, but what if you want to grab a couple of handfuls of discs to spin, and you don't just want to stack them on a table?

I saw this Pepsi crate calling my name at a garage sale. Each side of the partition is approximately 7.5 inches, so there is some give. My thought is to put a stack of 45s in either side of the crate, and still be able to flip among the discs to pick the next one to play. This set up should allow for browsing, an all too important aspect of spinning these old pieces of vinyl.

I spent about 3 minutes cleaning up the box a bit and then another ten minutes to cut some corrugated cardboard to line the bottom of the box. It turned out nice and is very sturdy. I think it may have been made in 73 based on some markings that I noticed while working on the box.

The Deutschland reference in my post title refers to the fact that the people that I bought the rack from were from Germany and were both very crabby and very inflexible with the garage sale pricing model. They had some records, but nothing even remotely decent, not Krautrock or James Last.

Quincy Punk Episode

I have not seen this since the reruns, 20 or so years back.

Klugman at his most classic as Quincy ME, looking for help in the punk scene to find a killer.

I remember writing about this in a zine 10 years or so ago, would love a dvd of the whole episode.

Tinnitus Cratedigger Mix

Finger licken', Chubb Rock.

Here is my first attempt at a funk and soul mix, it is called Tinnitus.

Here is the playlist:

01 Jimmy Castor Bunch Troglodyte (Cave Man) RCA 48-1029
02 Archie Bell & The Drells Tighten Up Atlantic 45-2478
03 Bobby Blue Bland Gotta Get To Know You Duke 447
04 Bob Seger & Last Heard Heavy Music I Cameo Parkway C-494
05 Dyke & The Blazers Funky Broadway Parts I&II Original Sound 64
06 George Semper Rhythm Committee It’s Your Thing Rama Rama 7799
07 James & Bobby Purity You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down Bell 660
08 James Brown Lowdown Popcorn King 45-6250
09 Funkadelic Music For My Mother Westbound 148
10 Jean Knight Mr. Big Stuff Stax STA-0088
11 Lavell Hardy Don’t Lose Your Groove Rojac 117
12 Jbs Gimme Some More People 602
13 R. Dean Taylor There’s A Ghost In My House Tamla 896 (Import)
14 Cliff Nobles & Co. Love Is All Right Phil LA of Soul 313
15 Ramrods Soultrain Rampage 1000
16 Aretha Franklin See Saw Atlantic 2574
17 Edwin Starr Stop The War Now Gordy 7104

The mix was made via collecting the 45s, none of which set me back more than $8 each, then tracking them on my Rega 3, and getting them into my MacBook and into GarageBand and then iTunes to burn to CDR.

If you would like a CDR copy, shoot me an email and we can set up a trade. In the meantime, I will work on getting a link for some flacs.

Funky 16 Corners New Orleans Box Set

Larry at the Funky 16 Corners has a new "box set" available for d/l. I have been reading his blog for a while. He knows his stuff when it comes to soul and funk. He also punctuates his informative posts with MP3s.

Drop by his blog, take a read and support his drive for soulfunkinformation distribution.

WENG WENG Mini James Bond kung fu dude

This is pretty intense.

Basically Weng Weng is a Phillipino Interpol cop that has a way with the ladies, and likes to live large on his pocket bike.

I am not a fan of the rap SDTRK, but the video is edited into some nice cuts.

Thanks to M. EJ for the link.

The Bachs Live @ Skokie Valley Jr. High 1967

Wow, a live tape from the Bachs just appeared in my post box. The fidelity is not really that bad considering all that is involved-40 year old tape, garage band, recording technology, and recording at a Jr High. There is hiss and the varying sound levels that would make an audiophile cringe. But hey, I survived through most of the original Pebbles comps.

I wrote about a cdr that I got of their only release Out of the Bachs... a while back, so along with this cdr, I think that you can get pretty much the complete Bachs story. These lads hailed from the Lake Bluff and Lake Forest towns (30 miles north of Chicago) in 66-67 and they attended Lake Forest High School.

There is very little overlap with the material @ Skokie and their LP. Although, they slyly slip You're Mine from the LP into Run for Your Life. The multiple part harmonies come through on this original. The cymbal bashing is epic.

The Bachs intro Fortune Teller as a new track by The Rolling Stones, on Got Live If You Want It. Cool. They also perform an original tune called Silhouetted Summer Dream that doesn't appear on Out of The...

They mine cover material pretty extensively. Live for Today uses their multiple voices pretty well, I think, even though I am not a big fan of the song. The Bachs kick out the jams on Stepping Stone, I can detect a boss guitar tone buried in the "mix." The level of sarcasm and angst in the vocal delivery is most excellent.

That's The Way It Goes takes the festivities in another direction. It starts in a moody mode and then erupts for a few bars of Bachs vocal fury, and then quiets it back down to moodiness. Then there is a guitar break that unfortunately is way down in the mix. The counter to this song is their take on Just Like Me, that shows signs of being a great version. It features a wiggly guitar break, but this song sounds more muffled than some of the others.

Their take on Satisfaction, appears to have the F word thrown in for good (bad?) measure. I wonder if the chaperone heard that?

I think that this tape allows the listener to step back in time to feel and hear what a "real" North Shore garage band sounded like back in 67, and recorded in a school as well. Quite authentic.

Donovan BBC Sessions 65-68

Got a dupe of this CD recently. Anyone that has perused this little blog has probably seen my posting related to Donovan Leitch. The tracks that are contained on this wee disc paint a much more folk shade over his work.

This set has OK sound, and includes intros from the late and GREAT John Peel. At times there is pretty heavy tape hiss, such as on the Mad John track. Just don't dig the strings added to this material.

A softer acoustic track like Turquoise seems to be the perfect accompaniment for the first cuppa black tea of the Sunday morning.

But his self penned blues, Bert's Blues might even be better. Elements of fairies and bright green lawns appear when hearing this down home mode. Just Donovan and a dude on bass.
"I been looking for a good girl, but it's taken time."

Hurdy Gurdy Man does not let the listener down. The vocal bridge has a cool special effect into the twinges on a sitar. Then the vocals sound as if they are double tracked. The fuzzed out break is tops, and the warbley vocals pitch a solid stance above the pummeling drums. The tone on that axe is stretched, while still having enough of a low end to not get lost. The intro interview to Hurdy Gurdy Man, Don says that he is tired. Then they let the tape roll of this live performance. I wonder if it is really live? Phenomenal.

Other songs sound too show tunish for me.

Mr. Leitch, when he hits, he hits large, when the strings become too prominent, my ears lose interest. I prefer the softer acoustic sound and of course when Donovan goes "eleckeral." I kept thinking, "What no Atlantis on the set?"

Maybe I am just a fair weather fan, but cherry picking his catalog is apparently what I like to do.

Standing in The Shadows of Motown

Finally the Funk Brothers get some recognition. It took me five years but I finally had a chance to see Standing in The Shadows of Motown.

What a great story.

As just about everyone knows at this point, The Funk Brothers were the musicians on all of the 60s Motown hits. The film takes an interesting tact as it intersperses live performances from the 00s (featuring contemporary vocalists) with interviews and still shots from back in the day a la Ken Burns.

One of the highlights was the brief segment that featured Dennis Coffey. He speaks a bit about the addition of wahwah and guitar effects to the Motown sound. He even cranks up his Vox pedal a bit. Is this where Ron Asheton got his hometown wahwah influence?

Seriously, this is a great use of your time, even if you are not the biggest Motown hit fan.

Djay 1.2 Very cool Download

I don't have much experience moving a fader between two turntables, but in working on a project I came upon the desire to be able to actually mix the tracks that I am playing with.

I did some searching and came up with this freeware piece called Djay 1.2. I have been playing with this shareware for a couple of days now and I am impressed.

The user selects a track from the list on the right (populated by iTunes) and places the track on one of the platters. The platter begins to spin and the track begins to play. You can also grab the record with the cursor to stall or even scratch the record if so inclined.

I have tried to do some beat matching, but I need a bit more practice. I was able to put two versions of Scorpio on the decks and extend the breaks for quite a long time. This is way easier than trying to accomplish the same thing with two copies of the vinyl record, some headphones and a mixer.

Damn impressive.

Critical Mass Chicago 04.27.07

OOO Wee, What do we have here? Looks like another installment of CCM Chicago. Below is an action shot, featuring the "art Bike" of the HiGuy on the left and various other riders. Note the vintage Raleigh a bit right of center.


Heading west along Wacker Drive with the river to the left, I was determined to follow the tunes on the trailer directly in front of me. A pretty impressive soundsystem, I may add, consisting of a car amp, and ipod and some vintage speaker cabinet that looked as if it could have been from an old jukebox. Loud and blaring JB (and possibly TooShort). Nice.

Here is a shot of a tall bike rider using a paddy wagon as an armrest. This shot helps to sum up the sights and sounds of this Mass. Pretty laid back, good turnout and from my perspective, few if any problems.

MAKE IT FUNKY 1/6 (sub jp)

Here you go for your viewing pleasure is the first installment of a 6 installment video called Make It Funky.

To get the context, it may be helpful to brush up on your Japanese.

Some great clips of JB et al.

NIMBY jet powered wheelchair

This is a bit old, hang on the wait is rather long until the payoff, but check the G Force here!

Earth Day 2007 Vinyl Finds

Well, I did something environmentally friendly yesterday for Earth Day, I rescued some old vinyl from the landfill. Recycle, Reuse, Repeat.

I made the venture to the Great White North on the warmest day of 2007, as it was 85 degrees and very sunny. Vestax portable in tow, the quest was funk, soul and garage 45s. The garage ones are hard to find. But I always manage to score a couple.

While I don't feel like sharing my source for these 45s, I will share a list and the prices paid. Despite the location, I feel that at least the first set of discs mentioned below were found "in the wild." While the conditions were great and the prices were low, it took a couple of hours digging through boxes of un sleeved 45s to turn them up.

Archie Bell and The Drells Tighten Up If you have ever heard a funk comp, you have heard this disc , solid. Part II is on the flip.
Jimmy Castor Bunch The Bertha Butt Boogie, He even name checks his other "hit" on this one- Troglodyte...
Jimmy and Booby Purity Wish You Didn't Have to Go, This seems an attempt to hit the gold that is their previous side I'll Be Your Puppet. The bass on this disc will not let you down.
Wilson Pickett Funky Broadway Dot ever think it is only about Midnight Hour with Mr. Pickett, this track is a solid winner.
Booker T & The MGs Green Onions
Michael & The Messengers Midnight Hour Solid garage R&B disc by these Chicago(?) lads, on USA records, home of both The Cherry Slush and Don't Wanna Cry by The Buckinghams.

All of the above records cost a total of US$1.25. The conditions range from VG to NM. Some solid cranking options.

Here are some more sides that I scored:

Bob Seger System The Last Song. I liked the flip Ivory better. Seger liked to drive the R&B. Not so much garage, and definitely not Like a Rock.
George Semper Rhythm Committee Its Your Thing This one is credited to the Isley Brothers. The other side sucks but this one is a sold funky number that also features a nice organ break.
Booker T & The MGs Time is Tight. Mint copy with the cool Stax snapping fingers sleeve. You can't go wrong with any of their stuff can you?
Bob Seger System Heavy Music (PT I & II) This is a driver, another reason to totally hate Mr. Silver Bullet. Found listed under "Non Chart Northern Soul." Um, wrong.

The above discs were US$8.00. I feel as I am finally starting to get my legs under me. I have bought only one CD in 2007. Finding awesome 45s feeds the audio jones and the CD Reference System prefers 45s. The low end doesn't even compare.

I heard some bottom feeders saying that it "was starting to dry up." And that they may need to head to Chicago to find more vinyl. Good luck with that. Even scratchy 45s are US$5 here.

heimatliche klaenge

Here is an incredible series that came across the virtual transom recently. Older readers may recognize the above image as being a scan of a cassette tape cover...

In fact this series (heimatliche klaenge) ran to six (!) volumes back in the late 80s when the series appeared. Thanks to the communication channel of the internet, now most of this cassette series is available for MP3 download.

Many of these songs were familar to me from comps (that were probably somewhat influenced by HK) such as Trans World Punk, Prae Kruat, Hide & Seek, et al.

I can't hear Chicago by the Phantom Brothers enough, though. They rock. Read about them in the latest Ugly Things.



Of course the monks are also in the house on v. 1 playing their uber beat opii Cuckoo and I Can't Get Over You.

Many other bands explore high energy rythm and beat. The Boots, and The Countdowns being noteable on side a of this "cassette release." The Countdowns do a song called Sex Maniac, and hearing their pronunciation of Sex maniac is worth a listen.

A great intro to Deutsche Beat, or a great continuing journey. Check the tracklist and leave a comment.

Download here.

M U S I C M A C H I N E

Dig Casey Kasem doing the intro to this Music Machine clip of the Eagle Never Hunts the Fly.

Great fuzz break and psych visual effects!

Totally boss with the morning Cheerios.

The Stooges Congress Theatre Chicago 4.15.07

DA AUM!

Jim Osterberg, (Igster) really defeats any preconceived notions about age. He is crazy, animated onstage, and he is at least 20 years older than me and he runs about and stagedives like someone in their early 20s.

I am still breathless after seeing the Stooges. Ron, Rock Action and "Minuteman" Mike Watt put on one of the best shows that I have ever seen. This is no nostalgia act.

I have to type a few words about the opener and featuring the knob twister for the latest Stooges CD, which I have yet to hear. Opening for the Stooges is like opening for James Brown. Not good. It seemed like M. Weston, on bass felt as much. M. Trainor on the small drum kit was hitting them quite hard and seemed like he wanted to perform for the hometown Shellac fans. As a whole there just wasn't enough oomph there for me. The handpuppet and questions from the audience went over like an inebriated Letterman.

Back to business, Iggy and the Stooges came out and started everything out with Loose. I was jumping up and down to the point that the rustic Thai food that I had feasted on an hour prior to the show was becoming a bit unruly in my stomach. To say that I was able to see Loose performed live by the originals (sans the late Dave Alexander, RIP) in a most convincing manner was unbelievable. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to see this!

Material was centered on the first LP, Funhouse and the new LP. I guess Raw Power is a sore point with Ron Asheton, I am just guessing here. For me Funhouse is the best followed by the self-titled LP, so leaving Raw Power out of the setlist was not a big deal.

TV Eye, was also performed after the lights went up and Iggy declared, "I can see you."

One of the more bizarre events of the evening was when at least 50 audience members jumped up onstage for Real Cool Time. I was standing next to a diminutive guard who could only shake his head at the spectacle.

The Congress Theater is an old joint from the 20s I am guessing. I don't think that I have been there since the 80s. Most alarming upon entry was the fact that they are using Portapotties as the toilets in this joint. All I could think of is that a regular payoff to city inspectors must occur to allow a venue without sufficient plumbing to stay open and sell beer to music fans. Quite odd even in a city that seems to embrace and celebrate the odd and crooked. It truly was a cool place to see The Stooges. The crowd seemed to support this as there were faces that I have not seen at a show in many years.