Diadem (?)

"Variety is the keynote of this album of well loved gospel songs played by Lester and Grace Place, nationally known evangelistic team...

This recording is produced at the time when the Places have completed 25 years of itinerant evangelistic ministry including the preaching of God's word and the presentation of music...

Features in this album are the Marimba, bells, saxophone, guitar, and the antique triple octave bells. An interesting feature is the song "Cleanse Me" as Lester plays a saxophone solo with himself...

Their life story, conversion and testimony was presented recently on the worldwide broadcast "Unshackled", produced by the Garden Mission of Chicago Illinois."

This record has a really strange sound to it. I love it. I listen to it a lot. Whenever I play it for people, they tell me it's "creepy" and ask me to take it off. There's no accounting for taste, I guess.

heru productions (1978)

I found this small press New Age record in a stack left on the sidewalk. Homemade sounds. Hey look Aeolian! I'm back to where I started! Thanks everybody!

Takoma (1968)

OK, gotta keep this going. Mm. The Takoma label. So nice to look at. This was also recently found in the dollar bin. Is it because they made a zillion of them? All those sought after John Fahey records used to sell cheap, too. Not just the Christmas one. Now, if whoever I lent my yellow wax copy of The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party to in 1995 could kindly return it, I'd like to cash in... Sigh, shut up you bitter old nerd...

Kicking Mule (1973)

Ahem, ditto. Well, actually - I just got this one in the dollar bin, so it's OK pops. You can still shuffle in & pick up some ragtime guitar music to drag back to your hovel to listen to all alone.

kaleidophone (1972)

Hm, should I say anything at all? Anything I have to say makes me sound like a loser. Sigh, OK. I used to like to buy records of African music, world music, folk music, etc. Not just because I like the music, but because they used to always be so cheap. I'm kind of a cheap bastard. Not just because I'm always broke, but... well, I'm not always good at taking care of nice stuff, so why have it at all? ...and once I have everything all cozy & set up, I'll end up moving to yet another city, and jettison half the stuff I own. So, why bother? OK... (oh, why am I saying this?) See kids, I used buy records like this because no one else wanted them, and they always cost less than $5. The last time I was in the record store, every single recording of old African music was kind of expensive. So were the Bollywood soundtracks, and the weird old asian pop records. That's what the kids like these days, eh? Good for them. Those records use to sit there for a dollar, because it seemed like nobody wanted them but me. I'm so cool. I was there first, so there. blah blah. I remember when. Oh, man. What am I doing here. Where am I?

100% Breakfast! (2006)

The Oskarrensaga. Translated from the Bemidji stone, and performed by Fat Day, with artwork by PShaw

CHIMP (1994)

Hired today
Fired today

Perhaps one day, some excited young record collector will track us all down, and discover the true story behind Trollin Withdrawal. Perhaps he will find the Homeless Valet, and somehow - like Daniel Johnston, or Jandek, or something - people will appreciate the insane power of his music, and he will agree to sing his songs for them. I don't think so, though. He doesn't want you to hear his songs. He doesn't trust you.

We were a wild group of young friends with nothing to lose, and nothing to gain. We all had our own agendas, and our own young egos to contend with. I wanted to make the records sound as weird as possible. He did too, on the nights that we recorded them, but certainly not the next morning. His former friends fought and argued amongst ourselves for over a decade about how the LP would eventually be sequenced and released. It never was, which is a very good thing. We never asked him what he wanted, or would even listen to him when he did tell us "because he was so crazy." That was no excuse. There were four 7 inch records. The A side of the last one is the only one that actually sounds like Trollin Withdrawal. His jaws once clamped down on my hand, and he fell into a fetal position on the floor until I let go of the tape. How could I snatch it back and still let it be made into a record against his will? It was only 200 copies, released in a format most people didn't even realize were still being made at that time, but that's not the point.

I'm sorry. Are you listening to this? I don't think so.
There was a real reason though, that we did this, and that we still talk about it. It is because we were so very in awe of the beauty, and visceral nature of the sad stories and poetry of The Homeless Valet. If only we could have somehow helped him. He could have easily had a career making records, maybe even a successful one, who knows? In some other twisted way of untangling the universe, The Homeless Valet could have been the voice of a generation. We really felt this. For a couple of years, recently, no one could find him, and we thought maybe he was gone. He isn't. He's still there. He is still as paranoid, and bitter, and resentful about it all. More so, I guess. Oh.

I'm so sorry, and I wish you could understand. We were young, and stupid, but underneath it all, we were amazed by the way you sang your songs. All we really wanted was to somehow help you see that so many people wanted to hear what you had to say. We didn't want to steal your spotlight, or exploit you. We wanted to bang the drums, and shout your choruses along with you, yes. We just wanted you to show up, to sing into the mic, and to notice that the last couple of shows were selling out, not because of anything we did, but because of you.

I'm sorry.

Akashic Records & Tapes (1999)

What a sweet looking little 7". The music is ethereal and nice. The titles and the design remind me of Sun Ra. I know 3 of the guys in this band, from three different periods of my life. I don't remember which one of them gave this to me, or when. I think it was Neil. How nice! Thank You!

SST (1984)

Sometimes people think I am being coy when I don't recognize that they are playing Led Zeppelin, or Dark Side of The Moon, or Sabbath or whatever. They don't understand how I could have grown up as an artist, how I could be so interested in music without having an early phase of listening to Classic Rock. This is why. I heard this before I ever got the chance. Black Flag obliterated all other kinds of "bad" music in my young consciousness. It all sounded stale, it all sounded well... limp, bloated, pompous, fake, insincere, and well... light compared to the power that I heard in this.

You're NOT evil. I've got rat's eyes. I'm trapped behind the bars.
Slip It In.
BLACK FLAG
...thank goodness I didn't hear Damaged until a few years later

Post Present Medium (2004)

I saw this record sitting in the sun in the pile of crap in the back of her car for months and months and months. It became so warped that it must have straightened itself out again, because somehow I got a hold of it, and it pretty much looks OK. I know, she has the most beautiful voice you've ever heard. She can sing hundreds of jazz standards from memory. She just saw your band play and she loved it so much! But unless you've really got more copies than you know what to do with, you shouldn't bother giving her your record. She doesn't have a record player, or a CD player. She doesn't own any recorded music - well, except for all of the things that people have given to her. Yes, she'll listen and sing along to the radio, or play that Ella Fitzgerald tape over and over for weeks, but it's to learn the songs. She lives, and breathes in song - every moment of every day is music, and it is happening right now, in the present. It is a beautiful thing to experience. It is a wonderful way to live. Everything in the universe is vibrating. Every aspect of every thing is made of music. She channels all of it, the beauty, the pain, the light and the darkness, every last bit of it can be heard in her voice.

Droll Yankees (1960's?)

Really the nicest hand drawn label art I've ever seen. My lettering style is totally influenced by this. I suppose I'm partial to this material. I was born in Quincy, and raised in Plymouth, Mass. 100% Yankee. - South Shore!

Most of the labels I am posting are from records I've owned for many years, but have never bothered to look up online. The history and catalog of Droll Yankees records is incredible! I want them all!

from http://www.blackbirdsf.org/dy/

"while very obviously a droll yankees lp, this one is a bit of a mystery, as no reference to it is made on any of the other records or inserts, and it duplicates the catalogue # from "swearing in the bushes".

droll yankees was a record label founded around 1960 to document "the sounds of old new england", and released records covering material ranging from sounds of the natural world and old trains or boats, to off-color new england humor and farm life. founded by peter kilham and alan bemis, it eventually took a sidelight to droll yankees' burgeoning bird feeder business, and now only a few of these records are available from them as cassettes (albeit with completely different cover art).

the original purpose of the record label is well-explained in the liner notes from dy-1, "the casket sinkers/caused by rum":

"now that the true yankee dialect is disappearing it suddenly becomes of value as does any rare book or scarce commodity. bemis and kilham and a few of their friends, who are real old-time yankees, feel that what little remains of the old-time humor and quaint language should be recorded before it disappears forever. with this in mind the company droll yankees inc. was formed by bemis and kilham, and a series of records is planned, all authentic, and on many different themes."

the later recordings, starting with dy-14, "birds on a may morning", switch to a different type of documentary recording, with the goal of creating a "picture in sound" of old new england, whether it be of the sounds of a particular wild habitat, or those of the disappearing steamboats and steam trains."

Canadian Music Heritage Collection (1980)

"This recording presents the katadjait or throat songs, of the women of Povungituk, a village on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in the Canadian Arctic. Katadjait are duets performed by women who stand close together to produce guttural vocal sounds through voice manipulation and breathing techniques. In some communities katadjait have texts with intelligible meanings; elsewhere 'meaningless' syllables are used. The women perform standing face to face"

Eskimo women's music is wonderful for so many different reasons. The arctic is a place of such stark contrast, and this music is the most basic and instinctual that I know of. It is some of the most casual music that I have ever heard, and it is also so evidently female in nature. The "songs" are sung by two women, breathing and chanting into each other's faces, until one of them cracks up. Each track on this record ends with giggling and laughing. It's obviously done as a form of play, and a way to keep warm!

It's the most evident, and extreme example of playful feminine music that I know of. Much of the world's music seems to descend from a seemingly patriarchal tradition. I don't necessarily mean controlled or performed by men, but containing traditionally male attributes - the construction of complicated machines or systems of producing incredibly specific sounds - the idea of practice & perfection of the minutia of creating these sounds, and critical examination of musical performance.

I'm not saying that I don't like these things! I just find these sounds so refreshing and exciting because of their beautiful sense of playfulness!

I was introduced to this record in a world music class that I took while on a semester exchange at Otis/Parsons in 1991. The instructor made cassettes of her record collection which we checked out of the library. I made my own mixtapes from these cassettes, which I still listen to from time to time. I was introduced to so much amazing stuff in that class! I was so happy to come across this record a number of years later at a store in Texas while on tour.

Hi-Tone (60's? 70's?)

"In this modern era of television, radio and phonographs, little is heard of the old music box that thrilled the young and old of the '80's. The brilliant tones and colorful rendition of old familiar tunes skilfully punched on metal discs and played on the old music box, still preserve a rare entertainment quality unfamiliar to many of the present day generation"

This 10" is such a perfectly designed, simple object, right down to the large spaces between the identically sized bands. I love recordings of old mechanical instruments. Every other record I have presents a survey of different machines from a specific collection. This one is all recordings from the same kind of machine. This kind of music box uses metal discs that look like records, which are placed under a metal rod that holds several sets of "combs". I've only ever seen one at the Museé Mécanique in San Francisco.

The Aeolian Company (1916)

Hello! Being invited to contribute to this blog has made me think quite a bit about my relationship to the nature of many aspects of culture - records, music, writing, journalism, the internet - knowledge, facts, storytelling - collecting, materialism, fetishism. I'm excited to muse about these things in public for the next 2 weeks, as I present the labels of 14 records that happen to be in this apartment with me right now, for one reason or another.

I used to "collect" 78's - or well, seek them out at least. They were (are?) always so cheap, and are a great way to educate yourself about old music, the early days of recording, manufacturing and design. They can also sometimes be an astounding way to glimpse at the very end of an era in humanity's relationship to music. The way that these discs instantly rocketed to every corner of the globe, and changed the way that people relate to the music that they are playing, as well as their methods and reasons for listening to music will always fascinate me.

Well, I move around a lot, and this is the only 78 I have at the moment. It was given to me by Brian Belot. Brian's art & life seems to be centered around the amassing & re-purposing of a vast amount of stuff. I love this about him, and was psyched to see his huge pile of old records while visiting him in NYC. I thought this label looked amazing. He just handed it to me, and told me I could have it. It was so nice to meet someone who appreciated and was excited about old records, but also saw these objects as things that should be shared, and passed on. I had a feeling this record would get cracked in my luggage, which it did. Oh well. I apologize to historians if thing is rare, but I kind of doubt that it is.

The labels of 78's are always the most beautiful. I've come across some sites similar to this one that are dedicated to displaying them. It's not just that old things are always prettier, I think it's just that it was so much harder & unique to make things back then, that so much more care went into them? Well, printing was of course so much better and carefully done in the past. I used to live in Cambridge, and there were of couple of 78 collector dudes who showed me how to tell where & when certain ones were made, how to tell which were recorded with electricity, what the different colors of the labels meant, why silver ink was used, etc.

So, an "Aeolian harp" is an ancient idea of music that is played by the wind, right? Cool... So, as I am looking it up now, it seems that the history of The Aeolian Company is also quite fascinating. They produced piano rolls, built player pianos & organs, and introduced the first one that also could also record what was being played by punching holes into the rolls? There's a lot of early jazz & stuff that was only recorded in this way, right? So - this record would have been their way of attempting to adapt to a new, emerging technology, eh? This record originally cost 85¢. That would have made it quite expensive in 1916, right? I notice that the company, and this label was later absorbed into other larger corporations - AND!

"It was Congressional suspicion of the market power of the Aeolian company during the early 20th century that prompted adoption of the first compulsory license system in U.S. copyright law, for the mechanical reproduction of musical compositions, a category that included piano rolls."

Hm! I didn't mean to start writing about this, but please remember people - the recording, selling, and concept of "owning" music, even the music we create ourselves, is still very new in the history of humanity. Don't get too upset about it. We will always be able to play & listen to music - and best of all, we can still make & listen to records!