Hollertronix Vol. 8 - "Welcome To Hell" (Mad Decent, 2008)

Well, this is my last post here. I wanted to find something Christmassy but I guess I don't own any holiday music. I blame working in retail stores over the holidays for this gap in the collection. Anyhow, I thought I'd close it out with a touch of Satan instead. Thanks Alexander for letting me guest blog over here for a couple weeks. I thought that by going through all of my vinyl to look at the labels I would start to weed out the stinkers. But hey, go figure, I love those stinkers! Happy Axe-mas to all!

The Free Design Redesigned The Remix EP Vol. 1 (Light in the Attic, 2004)

stencil love from Light In The Attic

Outlander - "TZ 5" (TZ, 1992)

Honestly I don't know much about this release. I found it in the dance section on our vinyl shelves here at home. It has a Gramaphone Records price sticker from 1992, so I assume Nick bought this one. Sometimes with white label dance records you can look in the dead wax to see which is Side A and at what speed it should be played. This had nothing written on it except for the printed TZ 5. I suppose with these kinds of records it matters more the mood you are in, rather than the speed of the music. It's quite good. The label is pretty and swirly and colorful and spirograph-ish.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – "The Message" (Sugar Hill, 1982)

When my parents had parties they would put this record on and have me and my sister come entertain guests by singing along. It wouldn't be until years later that I fully understood the lyrics to The Message and see just how funny it was to have little toddlers singing along to it. "Rats in the front room, roaches in the back, Junkie's in the alley with a baseball bat" ha ha ha!!!

Young MC - "Bust a Move" (Delicious Vinyl, 1989)

ok smarty, go to a party

Bauhaus - "Bela Lugosi's Dead" (Small Wonder Records, 1979)

I had a bass guitar for one whole year and this is the only song I bothered to learn.

Mercury Rev - "Yerself Is Steam" (Mint Films, 1991)

These dudes make me think of grunge and the moment when alternative became a genre and a section in music stores. Like college rock, alternative was suddenly popular rock and made dudes with flannels and white guy dreadlocks super cool. (ew, hippies...) These guys got over shadowed by the Flaming Lips... their guitar player went on to play on their albums, leaving Mercury Rev in the dust. "Chasing a Bee" is really rad when blasted from your Chevette's cassette player. I'm just sayin'.

Pizzicato Five - "Happy End of the World" (Matador, 1997)

happy!

Mongo Santamaria - "Tacos b/w Hammer Head" (Riverside, 1963)

the fabulous boogaloo man

Big Black - "Racer X" (Homestead Records, 1985)

Big Black is so big their name won't fit on both sides of the record... (and shit)

Nervous Records

I love the Nervous Records label. It's a very hard, dirty house label out of New York. There are more imprints then Nervous Dog Records (Wreck Records and Weeded Records) but each of them have the cartoon head. So awesome.

White+Outs - "Solid State b/w Coffin Nails" (Shit Sandwich, 2003)

shiny punk rock on shit sandwich

Stax/Volt Records

When doing the Stax tour in Memphis I have to admit I got a little choked up. I am madly in love with Otis Redding but being there in the studio hit me like I never expected it would. There I was with some families and old people weeping like a little girl. Ahhhhh Otis. These are just a couple 45s from Stax and Volt. I do like the earlier Stax label with the records flying out from the pile.

The Rub Party Medleys Volume 2 (Smelly Fatso Records, 2008)

If you never want to sort through all of your party 12"s at the club you can just throw this dude on. The party has started. It's the bathroom break record if you forgot to bring your Steely Dan LPs.

Bobbi Humphrey - "Blacks and Blues" (Blue Note, 1973)

Bobbi was one of the first ladies to be signed to Blue Note. "Chicago, Damn" is an amazing song. I mean, well, all of these are amazing songs. Get this and get into some jazz flute, it's very worth it.

Boris With Merzbow - "Walrus/Groon" (Hydra Head Records, 2007)

Heavy cover of "I Am the Walrus" by the Beatles. Music to clean your house to...

Tittsworth - "The Afterparty EP" (Vicious Pop Records, 2007)

Yeahhh, here's a good lookin' label for the weekend. It's Baltimore Dance Party time! The first song contains a sample of PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on a Memory Bliss" which in itself contains a sample of Spandau Ballet's "True". Yep, a sample in a sample in a sample, this is an ouroboros of a song. Happy Friday!

Subhumans - "EP-LP" (Bluurg Records, 1985)

the essential high school album

Linval Thompson - "Abortion" (Ujama, 1986) Sly and Robbie - "Drunk and Disorderly" (Power House, 1987) Gregory Isaacs - "Hard Drugs" (Tappa, 1988)

Oh boy, I sure do love reggae. It might be surprising coming from someone who can't handle the grass, man. These 45s came into Reckless Records one day when I was working and I got all insane about it. There were about 75 records in the trade and poor Clive, who wrote his name on all of his records, had to sell these for cash. Not only do I love the independent nature of the reggae label, what with the crooked artwork and made up production companies, but the beats are amazing. Fortunately, I am not that well versed in the Jamaican slang, so I can overlook the overt and intense racism and sexism that appears in almost every song. I mean... "Abortion"... I wonder what that song's about? sheesh...

Parts & Labor - "A Great Divide" b/w "Take Us Back" (Plastic Records, 2005)

Birds and buildings are pretty neat-o.

The Mekons - "Where Were You?" (Fast Product, 1978) and "Slightly South of the Border" (Sin Recordings, 1986)

I wanted to start off my set with one of my favorite bands of all time.. the Mekons! They have changed labels quite a lot in their career but I'm only showcasing two here. First I have their single for "Where Were You?" Rough Trade distributed this one and the songs would eventually appear on the full-length, "The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen".

Next is this 10" "Slightly South of the Border". While you listen to this fantastic EP you can watch the little horses run around the outside of the label.

Coachwhips - "Peanut Butter And Jelly Live At The Ginger Minge" (Narnack Records, 2005)

The best part of this label is it goes along with a Peanut Butter and Jelly swirl colored vinyl.

George Harrison - "All Things Must Pass" (Apple Records, 1970)

Another creative Apple variation from the bonus "jam sessions" LP in Harrison's debut solo album. Purchased Winter 2009 at Euclid Records in St. Louis, MO.

Various - "Background Music For Home Movies, Vol. 1" (Folkways Records, 1964)

I suppose the best part of this label is not the design, but the unusual "bands" and categories covering all types of home movie situations. Purchased Spring 2010 at Joe's Record Paradise in Silver Spring, MD.

Michael Yonkers - "It's Only Yonkers" (Galactic Zoo Disk/Eclipse Records, 2004)

This one is pretty minimal, and I almost didn't post it. However, I dig its simplicity and lettering (unmistakably) by Plastic Crimewave.