"We've all heard the same story - a young guy on acid thought he could fly, jumped out a window, what a tragedy...What a dick! Thought he could fly - why didn't he go up there, check it out first? You don't see ducks lining up for elevators to fly south! He's an idiot! He's dead! Good!"
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
Tracklist:
Tracklist:
