It's cold outside. It's cold inside. It's February in London, and temperatures are constantly in range of freezing. Our friends in Jamaica however, are experiencing temperatures in the are of 29°C! So what better way to warm up, than with a slice of classic Jamaican culture...
On an island famous for its multitude of talented musicians, it becomes tough to name one artist as being the most influential. Bob Marley always springs to mind, as does Jimmy Cliff, then one considers the other side of the mixing board - King Tubby, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry. The further back one goes, the name that lies at the beginning of the reggae movement more often than not remains Prince Buster. A man whose name is more or less synonymous with Ska, and certainly built the foundations for rocksteady, Buster's career began in 1960, with his producing the Folkes Brothers' hit single, Oh Carolina (which would later be covered by Shaggy of all people!) on the British Blue Beat record label. Buster's solo career began in '61 with several singles on the Stateside label, before ultimately signing to Blue Beat in time for his first LP, I Feel the Spirit, in 1963. Any way, this collection cuts straight to the point, and presents Prince Buster's most golden hits, and from the blowout simplicity of Madness, one can instantly feel Prince Buster's influence filtering down through generations of Jamaicans, whether it was a young Bob Marley listening to Prince Buster on a radio in Trenchtown, or the likes of Shaggy getting back to his roots. Highlights include, Buster's reading of My Girl , Ten Commandments of Man (Buster's rewriting of the commandments in accordance with rudeboy lifestyle) and Judge Dread (a courtroom drama set to a rocksteady beat, and also the song that gave its name to the British Reggae artist).
Get the sound of summer...only in winter time!
Prince Buster - Fabulous Greatest Hits
1. Madness 2. Wash Wash 3. God Son 4. It's Burke's Law 5. 10 Commandments 6. Blackhead Chineman 7. 30 Pieces of Silver 8. Hard Man Fe Dead 9. Earthquake 10. Judge Dread 11. Ghost Dance 12. Take it Easy 13. Too Hot 14. My Girl 15. This is a Hold Up 16. Shaking Up Orange St. 17. Big Five 18. Rough Rider 19. Wreck a Pum Pum 20. Julie on My Mind 21. Pharoah House Crach 22. Tie the Donkey's Tail
The eponymous debut solo album by Michael Polizze of Birds of Maya fame, brings us even more fuzzed out acid rock than we heard on 2008's Vol. 1. The Birds' debut was very similar to classic Sabbath (recorded on 1% the budget), and has also been described as sounding like a 'GG Allin demo played through a megaphone', but Purling Hiss takes an approach more akin to the sprawling acid rock laid down by Japanese underground groups such as High Rise, Les Rallizes Dénudés, or Marble Sheep. The opening notes of feedback, instantly melt into fuzz-riffing, and acid-soaked, wah-wah solos, all punctuated by a drum kit barely audible over the guitar onslaught. On top of all this, the occasional vocals are pure Mizutani (of Les Rallizes Dénudés) - delayed, echoed and distorted into a sea of god-like noise, overseeing the ass-kicking garage-jam going on in the foreground. Vocals aren't present on every track, but the ever-present face-melting guitar solos certainly are.
The album is essentially made up of three extended jams (Almost Washed My Hair, Montage Mountain, and Purple Hiss) with three brief tracks composed of noise, psychedelia and in-studio spontaneity (White Noise Machine, Dui, and Sound of Montage). Unfortunately, Permanent Records is listing this LP as "out of print" (guilt-free download anyone?), but it will surely gather a cult following, much like Vol. 1 did. Definitely one of the albums of 2009, I give you a modern masterpiece of homemade, acid garage rock....listen LOUD!
Purling Hiss - s/t (2009)
1. Almost Washed My Hair 9:19 2. Montage Mountain 11:10 3. White Noise Machine 1:47 4. Dui 1:17 5. Purple Hiss 14:28 6. Sound of Montage 1:32
Voted to be the 22nd greatest cartoon of all time, Der Fuehrer's Face (1943) was one of Disney's most revered cartoon shorts of the 1940s, winning the Academy Award for Short Film, and spawning the hugely popular cover of its Oliver Wallace penned theme song by Spike Jones (pictured below). Originally titled Donald in Nutziland, the name was changed in accordance with the song's popularity. Also, the film uses the word 'heil' 33½ times. See if you can spot the ½ by watching the film below. Here are some notes on the 'toon...
On the story
Donald Duck has a nightmare and finds himself living in Nazi Germany, where he is woken by a bayonet, can only eat miniscule rations of wood-hard bread, and works in a dreary, monotonous munitions factory, constantly being shouted at by the authorities around him. The cartoon bitterly criticizes the fascist regime, via mockery of the ideology forced upon the German people at the time - particularly the ways in which authority imposed itself upon the people. Ultimately Donald Duck wakes up back in the good ol' US of A, and embraces the Statue of Liberty.
On the director, Jack Kinney (1909-1992)
Beginning his work at Disney as an animator on Santa's Workshop in 1932, Kinney went on to work as a sequence director for several Disney classics such as Dumbo, Pinnochio and The Three Caballeros, but Der Fuehrer's Face is by far his most noted work. Read his obituary in the New York Times.
On the music and Oliver Wallace (1887-1963)
Oliver Wallace composed the music for a staggering number of the Disney classics between the 1930s and the 1960s. Oliver Wallace did for cartoons, what Leonard Bernstein did for the broadway, he helped to create a new language for the new medium of feature length cartoons. Although, as with all aspects of animation, his composition was more often than not done in collaboration with other artists. Wallace was born in London, but started his career as an organist, arranger and conductor in cinema orchestras along the West Coast of the USA, ultimately joining Disney Studios in 1936. He contributed to nearly 150 Disney films, but his song Der Fuehrer's Face - a parody in the style of Horst-Wessel-Lied - is probably what he's best known for as it was one of the biggest hits of the Second World War.
Spike Jones' Version of Der Fuehrer's Face
Der Fuehrer's Face (1943)
Also, check out the opposition and their propaganda from the factories....
JWEM and co makin' rock look like a pussy in another face-melting session somewhere in Manhattan. For fans of music en general, lo siento trusty rombone, Ramones, Paco Ibáñez and pyjama parties....this one's for you.....
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the excellent and 100% fresh biopic about Buddy Holly starring Gary Busey of all people in the title role! The film it turns out is rather formulaic, but doesn't fail to please with some excellent musical sequences, and a brilliantly loveable performance from the now-twisted Busey.... Highlights include Buddy receiving
tips from Sam Cooke, an appearance by the Big Bopper, and the performance of True Love Ways - which legend has it made Holly's widow weep during a private screening in the run up to the movie.
Some inaccuracies are present - namely that the three members of the Crickets are reduced to two, and the total absence of vital songwriter & producer Norman Petty - but who cares?! It was recently the 50-year anniversary of the day the music died, so why not remember the biggest loss of that day (Ritchie Valens was pretty good, but the Big Bopper was just a pervert, right...) by watching this lovely summary of the legend's brief life.
Here's a scene from the start wherein Buddy and the gang decide to rock out in a roller disco of some kind...(the songs are Rock Out with Ollie Vee and That'll Be the Day)
Tracklist
