MAZZY STAR (ABO #174)

MAZZY STAR
NIGHT VISION

A descrition of Mazzy Star's music? Allmusic has it:
"If psychedelic music had a voice in '90s post-punk, Mazzy Star may have been its strongest reincarnation. That doesn't necessarily mean that fans of the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead will find the band to their liking, however. Mazzy Star much prefered the dark side of psychedelia, as exemplified by the most distended tracks of the Doors and the Velvet Underground. Their fuzzy guitar workouts and plaintive folky compositions are often suffused in a dissociative ennui that is very much of the 1990s, however much their textures may recall the drug-induced states of vintage psychedelia."
As for biographical details, wikipedia says:
"Mazzy Star was an American alternative rock band formed in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith. Smith's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Smith left the band.
Mazzy Star is probably best known for the song "Fade into You" which brought the band some success in the early to mid 1990s and was the group's biggest mainstream hit, earning radio and MTV airplay. Roback and Sandoval were the creative center of the band, with Sandoval writing most of the lyrics and Roback composing most of the music.
After the release of Among My Swan, the band toured until early 1997, after which they would not be heard from for three years. During this time, Sandoval, who had appeared on The Jesus and Mary Chain's 1994 release Stoned & Dethroned, made another guest appearance on their final record Munki, and also collaborated with The Chemical Brothers.
In 2000, the band reunited for a mini-tour in Europe, which featured new songs that Sandoval later revealed in interviews would be on the new Mazzy Star record, which was also recorded during this time. However, these sessions were not released.
Although the band never officially broke up, Sandoval would go on to found the band Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, and appear on recordings by Bert Jansch, Air and Death in Vegas.
Sandoval made her solo debut in 2001 with Bavarian Fruit Bread ostensibly backed by the Warm Inventions, though really this is a pairing with Colm Ó Cíosóig (once of My Bloody Valentine), and with folk legend Bert Jansch on "Butterfly Mornings" and "Charlotte". Largely written by Sandoval, the album is more free-flowing and abstract than what was attempted with Mazzy Star.
In November 2003, Mazzy Star made their last appearance (to date) at Jansch's 60th Birthday party, when Sandoval and Roback joined Jansch, his son Adam, and O'Ciosoig to play three songs featuring Sandoval on vocals including her solo track "Suzanne".
Roback wrote songs that were later performed by actress Maggie Cheung in the 2004 film Clean, about a former drug addict who wants to become a singer."
This selection has been cooked by Pierre (who did a terrific job!) with an artwork by SFP... ENJOY THIS UNIQUE-SOUNDING AND MUCH UNDERAPPRECIATED BAND!

Fade Into You (1993)

Pierre's MAZZY STAR list:
1 - So tonight That I might see (1993)
2 - Among My Swan (1996)
3 - She hangs Brightly (1990)

SHOW ME YOUR DARK SIDE (VAC#021)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
SHOW ME YOUR DARK SIDE

I know I was waited for that part of the Pink Floyd cover project and I know no mistakes and no bad taste would be accepted. I know I can be hanged by the balls for that audacious artwork, but that made me so laugh!
However, everyone know that Dark Side Of The Moon is one of the most tributed albums. This is just another one... So many tributes to the Dark Side but a lot are forgettable: I have to mention an A capella version, a Jazz version, a Reggae version, a (good) bluegrass version, a lounge version, a female voices version, and many more as a version sung by children. It would have been so easy to make such a tribute, but the problem is, the more popular an album is the more stupid covers you find. And when it's not a stupid version, it's a so similar one that it does not have any interest (I first think of the Dream Theater version). So Dark Side, contrarily to what anyone would have expected, including me, was the most difficult PF tribute to compile. And even if I would not like difficulties, I also wanted the tacks to crossfade as the original ones do. Very uneasy for such different versions. But I made the crossfades and it seems to work out very fine for what could be the first side (until Money). After that, the tracks are so different from one another that you may feel uncomfortable with some transitions. I must apologize for it.

XTC (ABO #173)

XTC
THIS IS POP

In many ways, XTC are similar to The Beatles. Both bands have that typically British thing going on, both bands decided - at some point of their career - to stop playing live, both bands are undisputed masters of pop music... Really, it just is a shame XTC never got the huge chart success they deserved.

Their 12 albums all have enough gems so that I didn't have a choice but to display the band's finest tunes on a 3 cds set. Yeah, that's how good Partridge & co were! I even had to ignore the two Dukes of Stratosphear albums because there wasn't enough space to include it properly.
Here are 52 songs to catch up on this ô so sweet band, enjoy!

Making Plans for Nigel (1979)

The Mayor of Simpleton (1989)

The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead (1992)

My XTC Top 3
1 - Nonsuch (1982)
2 - Oranges & Lemons (1989)
3 - Skylarking (1986)

My XTC Bottom 3
1 - Go 2 (1978)
2 - Mummer (1983)
3 - White Music (1978)

UNIVERS ZERO (ABO#172)

UNIVERS ZERO
KERMESSE ATOMIQUE
(1979-2004)

So often compared with Magma, Univers Zero however belongs to the avant-garde scene (called Rock In Opposition, or RIO). The music is more tortured and sometimes less melodic. The approach of the listen is then very hard and may disturb a lot of people. This disturbance is amplified with the dark pessimistic atmosphere the music brings. So this is here a band that will not be easily subdued.
A Univers Zero Baistophe? What a surprising idea! that band never followed any commercial succes although they had a little one in that particular style of music and no one in the show business or in the record labels will have the idea to baistophe them. That's why we wanted to.
Caution: be prepared to listen an agressive and uneasy music, but if you take the time to appreciate it you will find it wonderful.
By this early 2009 year, UZ celebrate their 30th anniversary with an album called Relaps (archive 1984-1986). Nothing really new but great documents of the mid-80s for hardcore fans with live versions of great tracks like The Funeral Plain.

Extracts :
Présage


Toujours Plus A L'Est

My Univers Zero TOP3:
1. Uzed (1984)
2. Univers Zero (aka 1313) (1979)
3. The Hard Quest (1999)

My Univers Zero BOTTOM3:
1. Implosion (2004)
2. Ceux Du Dehors (1981)
3. Rhythmix (2002)

KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION (ABO #102)

KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION
ABNORMALITIES
(1989-1996)

Another "missing", #102 this time. And if some of you were wondering where #55 is, F.Y.I. it was Sophie Moleta's baistophe and it had to be removed when her management asked.
So, anyway, here's a sweet one: KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION!

The lush, dreamlike British pop trio Kitchens of Distinction was formed in London in 1986 by singer/bassist Patrick Fitzgerald, guitarist Julian Swales and drummer Dan Goodwin. Taking their name from a Hygena advertisement, they issued their 1987 debut single "Last Gasp Death Shuffle" on their own Gold Rush label, signing to One Little Indian after the record garnered "Single of the Week" honors in the pages of the NME. Two further singles, "Prize" and "The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule," followed prior to the release of their 1989 debut LP, Love Is Hell. Despite the critical acclaim given the album as well as a follow-up 1989 EP Elephantine, much of the early media attention afforded Kitchens of Distinction swirled around Fitzgerald, openly gay at a time when such public candor was quite rare. Though widely considered a cult band, their 1991 sophomore effort Strange Free World debuted on the U.K. Top 40, but quickly tumbled off the charts. The Death of Cool followed in 1992, but did little to improve their commercial fortunes, and after 1994's Cowboys and Aliens also failed, Kitchens of Distinctions were dropped by One Little Indian. Upon resurfacing in 1996 on Fierce Panda with the single "Feel My Genie" (released under the name Kitchens OD), the group split; Fitzgerald subsequently continued under the name Fruit.

Here's an intoduction to this underrated band. I hope you'll like it.

The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule

MARTIN CIRCUS (ABO#055)

MARTIN CIRCUS
CA LE FERA
(1969-2001)

#055 ? Yes! After a long sightseeing of our beloved blog, we noticed that we had forgotten two # : 055 and 102, so we had to fill in the holes with our next baistophes...
Martin Circus was a french pop band that begun in 1969 with a live record called "En Direct Du Rock'n'Roll Circus" (not to be mistaken with Rolling Stones one). That clever light pop had some wind instruments in it making a far comparison with Soft Machine: Only the sound could be barely noticeable. The music was completely different, much more simple and much more fun-oriented. But it was great music! Their second album was their best selling and best album although it was a double LP. But by the year 1974, everything came wrong: success disappearing, the band became a fashion-following low-quality band that successively sounded glam-pop, then disco and even Rockabilly in the early 80s. Much better selling with singles and with french-translated covers of Barbara Ann, their most popular (but silly) and many others that were much sillier. So they had become old-fashioned and everyone was making fun of them forgetting their great early 70s period... Martin Circus rapidly fell into oblivion after a poor 1980 album until Gérard Blanc, one of the major members of the band hit the charts with a new single in the mid 80s. That had nothing at all to do with the glorious past as it was variety-pop song but that success made the band reunited in 1987, supporting Ange. The public was there for Ange and nothing more, insulting Martin Circus. They couldn't catch back their early success nor their glorious inspiration and vanished for good.
Early this year, we heard that singer Gérard Blanc passed away. Even if we knew he wasn't the greatest singer nor musician around, we wanted to pay tribute to what made his name. RIP.

My Martin Circus TOP3:
1. Acte II (1971)
2. En Direct du Rock'n'Roll Circus (1969)
3. Acte III (1973)

My Martin Circus BOTTOM3:
1. De Sang Froid (1980)
2. Drague Party (1977)
3. n°1 USA - Hits des 60s (1975)

Martin Circus made many many non-album singles. Not included in that TOP/BOTTOM

THE CLASH (ABO #171)

THE CLASH
STRAIGHT TO HELL
1977-1985

I feel The Clash needs no introduction so I'll just give you the way this selection has been compiled:

- Every album (including 1985's controversial Cut the Crap) has been fully considered and the tracks selected for their quality.

- Double (London Calling) and triple (Sandinista) albums have respectively been considered as 2 and 3 albums hence the number of tracks from each of those two.

- There is no rarity nor live cuts in this compilation. However, a few of these tracks have only been released as singles.

- 39 songs may seem like an awful lot when considering the brief history of The Clash. I feel that's how much was needed to accurately describe The Clash's evolution on the bumpy road to hype, fame, stardom and fall.

Enjoy "Straight to Hell" for what it is: an honest work from an honest blogger that have no other ambition but to share his passion from one of the most important acts of the last 40 years.

White Riot (1977)


Train in Vain (1979)


This is Radio Clash (1981)

TRIUMPH (ABO #170)

TRIUMPH
MAGIC POWERS

1976-1993

Triumph is a Canadian hard rock band that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.
Like their fellow Canadians Rush and Saga, Triumph began building their reputation across North America as a live band, peaking in the early to mid 1980s. The band was formed by Toronto music veterans Gil Moore (drums, vocals) and Mike Levine (bass, keyboards, producer), after meeting guitarist, singer, songwriter Rik Emmett in a manager's office in Toronto in 1975.
Often called the 2nd best power-trio from Canada (Rush being first) Triumph, despite the commercial success, never got the artistic reputation of their country mates. Starting as a hard roc/blues/progressive band, they slowly turned to a more AOR sound allowing them an ever bigger success and a lesser reputation.
In 1988, singer/guitarist Rik Emmett left the band to pursue a solo career and got replaced by Phil Xendis for a final album (Edge of Excess) which hardly matched up expectations.
The three original members have since got together for concerts in 2008. No album is scheduled to this day.
Enjoy "Magic Powers", a compilation spanning the 17 years of activity of this much underrated Canadian piece of rock.

.

Lay It on the Line


Magic Power

My TRIUMPH Top 3
1 - Allied Forces (1981)
2 - Just a Game (1979)
3 - Thunder Seven (1984)

My TRIUMPH Bottom 3
1 - Edge of Excess (1993)
2 - Surveillance (1987)
3 - In the Begining (1976)

WALL OF VOODOO (ABO #169)

WALL OF VOODOO
THE LAST BANQUET
1980-1988

Best known for their alternative radio classic "Mexican Radio," Wall of Voodoo formed in Los Angeles in 1977, originally as a soundtrack company. Led by singer/songwriter Stan Ridgway and rounded out by guitarist Marc Moreland, bassist/keyboardist Bruce Moreland, keyboardist Chas Gray, and drummer Joe Nanni, the group issued their self-titled debut EP in 1980. With the additions of bassist Bruce Moreland and his brother Marc on guitar (replacing Noland), the band's sound crystallized on 1981's full-length Dark Continent, which couched Ridgway's highly stylized and cinematic narratives — heavily influenced by Westerns and film noir, and sung in the vocalist's distinctively droll, narcoleptic manner — in atonal, electronically-based settings.
In 1982, following the exit of Bruce Moreland, Wall of Voodoo released Call of the West, which featured "Mexican Radio," their biggest hit. After an appearance at the 1983 US Festival, Ridgway left the group for a solo career. The remaining members enlisted singer Andy Prieboy, and resurfaced in 1985 with the LP Seven Days in Sammystown which contained the minor hit "Far Side of Crazy". Happy Planet followed two years later, while 1988's live effort The Ugly Americans in Australia* (the asterisk denoting that a few tracks were recorded in Bullhead City, Arizona) effectively closed out the Wall of Voodoo story. (allmusic)
And so here's a compilation retracing the short history of one of America's most peculiar acts. Often compared to Devo, and Oingo Boingo in their later years, Wall of Voodoo remains a cult band more of today's kids should take notice of. Let's hope this Last Banquet will find a way to their ears and repair the injustice of seeing this awesome band summed up to his biggest hit and his Johnny Cash cover (Ring of Fire), they're worth much more than that.

Mexican Radio (1982)


Far Side of Crazy (1985)

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR (ABO#168)

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR
GRAAFOLOGY
(1968-2008)

Van der Graaf had 4 lives in their 40 years life, and with a gap of 27 years ! That band created by Peter Hammill made an unusual progressive for so many reasons. First because it was one of those rare rock bands to play either without a bass player nor a guitar ! The bass was played by the keyboard player with his feet, a bit like a church organist. The guitar was however sometimes played by Hammill, but it wasn't the true spirit of the band. Second, because it is one of the only bands not to be banned or hated by the punk era, Hammill being a great source of inspiration for members of the Sex Pistols.
The first life of Van der Graaf lasted from 1968 to 1971. A very short first life where the band managed to record 4 LPs. That first era is the most uneasy one as can witness Pawn Hearts (1971) which is the hardest-access album VdGG ever made.
The second life is a softer period where you can see the dream team, as pictured on the back cover of this compilation. During a much shorter life (1975-1976) the Graaf also made a great job with 3 studio albums.
Then everything turned wrong and arguments made everyone go seperate ways, at the exception of Hammill who wanted to go on with a new line-up : the band would be called Van der Graaf (without "Generator"). In 1977 was issued The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome which is more a Hammill-sounding album, but really great one! Saxophonist David Jackson joined back for a live LP to take place on older tracks violonist Graham Smith couldn't play.
Then, the Graaf disbanded and everyone thought it was for good. But in 2005, the Graaf was back again with a great double CD called Present and featuring the Dream Team!
In 2008, was edited a new album, Trisector, called so maybe to accentuate the absence of David Jackson who was fired because a participated to an unothaurized bootleg. Sad affair...
Thanks for great job to Pierre who cooked this Graafology "d'une main de maître".

Pierre's VdGG TOP3 :
1 Still Life (1976)
2 Godbluff (1975)
3 Pawn Hearts (1971)

Pierre's VdGG BOTTOM3 :
1. Aerosol Grey Machine (1968)
2. The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (1970)
3. Present (2005)