Monthly Archives – February 2006

A “Top 5 Cotique” according to some, and I wholeheartedly agree…

Here’s the kind of oddball record I live to find, eat your heart out Langley School. This is a crazy one, Villa Park High School vocal music department presents: A Splendid Time is Guaranteed by all by The Trio which consists of Dan Bullock, Tim Reeder and Chris Caines. Pretty much the entire album consists […]

Sometime between the late ’70s, when he recorded Statements, and the late ’80s, when My Mother Said was released, Quinn Harris lost his mojo. I want to say that this LP isn’t all bad, I mean, it could possibly be of some interest to fans of cheesy, Christian modern soul, but to say that it […]

I’m not going to go into the differences between the cultures of Japan and the United States, specifically in the realm of education, but suffice it to say that they’re different. Very different. The Yamaha Music Education System exists to create accomplished musicians at a young age and bring out the full potential of musical […]

I’d never heard of David Pritchard when I picked up this mid-70’s lp on Island. It just looked interesting, so I gave it a try. Super duper great record! An other-worldly concoction of electronic and acoustic sounds simmering and bubbling over. Reminds me somewhat of Cluster in that there is sort of a playful quality […]

WARNING: I am not the biggest fan of “Spiritual Jazz” – to me it mostly sounds like freaky smooth jazz, usually with some woman, or Leon Thomas sound-a-like lamenting the death of mother Africa. I just have a hard time taking it seriously. I do however realize that this is an unpopular opinion. Anyhow, Infinite […]

Here’s a really nice double lp on Dat Richfield Kat from 1973. Richard’s vocals are very reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s to my ears. The album kicks off real nice like with the funky tune “Welcome to the cold duck”. The next few songs are nice mellow soul numbers. The following track “tears as big as […]

Mark Perry became an essential figure in the early UK punk scene in 1976, when he quit his day job as a bank teller to start the first, and likely most influential, British punk zine, Sniffin’ Glue (named for the Ramone’s “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” Perry’s first introduction to punk rock). Less than […]

Beach Boy Mike Love’s sister played the harp – who knew?

Dear Mr. Schnipper, Please consider this review for future re-publication in your zine (the pay here at Waxidermy is awful and I could use the extra $): Back when I was a kid in the UK, there was a commercial for the instant mashed potatoes brand “Smash”. It showed small kitchen appliance robot dudes who […]

AJ were a 3 piece from way out in the desert of Nevada. This was recorded Haloween night 1973 while they were tripping on acid or so the story goes. The album is comprised of two short tracks and two long medley’s. The lp shifts a lot from frantic tempo’s to jangly melodic stuff. The […]

Of course the cover grabbed my attention when I saw this one. This is a funky soul lp on the small private label Sun Moon and Stars outta Hollywood, CA. circa ’72. My favorite tracks on this are “maybe”, “beverly” and “forgotten”. To be honest though, the rest of the album is not that great […]

This is maybe my favorite record that I’ve ever purchased from a local junkmonger I call “Van Guy” – a guy who drives around to flea markets selling books, records, furniture, etc out of his van. Quite a character. Anyhow, I find that with this type of stuff you either “get it”, or don’t. Not […]

This is a triple LP greatest hits collection from this mostly crummy spanish pop folk group. If my Mom was born in Basque Country and not Pennsylvania she’d flip over this shit instead of Carly Simon or whatever the fuck she was listening to in 1972. Although I guess people in PA were feeling this […]

Rick Stanley’s musical presence in the late 60s was ethereal at best, with his most prominent recording garnering no less than three of Pokora’s coveted stars. The Gentle Soul’s (Rick Stanley and vocalist Pamela Polland) self-titled release boasted an association with Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder and Terry Melcher, and secured its place in the annals […]

Here’s a great duo record from 1978 on Philly Jazz records, Bill Lewis plays the vibraphone and Khan Jamal plays the marimba. This album basically consists of three long mellow tracks, “the river”, “the vanishing man” and “as salim”. I think the liner notes sum it up best: “The music on this album is called […]

All I really know about the Shriners is that they are old, were fez’, drive around in funny little cars, and make bad music.

I must admit I was a bit hesitant about posting this album on waxidermy. For one, it’s not necessarily an obscurity or an oddball album. As well, it’s relatively easy to find (providing one has an internet connection, which if you’re reading this you obviously do). However, aside from one song on a New York […]

Here’s the first of four volumes in Folkways’ New American Music series. You know it’s new American music because the Eagle on the cover is playing a harp. Eagles mean America, harps mean music and new means new. But this record is actually 30 years old, so I guess in this case new means old. […]

I think the best way to describe this is “family orientated xian psych from Edmonton, Alberta.” The album is interesting because the 12-member group obviously has some talent but seriously lacks in direction. Almost every song has potential: great drumming, organs, multiple male and female vocals, slow jams and fast jams. However, every song either […]

One of the four rare Dockstader lp’s on Owl from the 60’s. Haven’t heard the other 3, but this is supposedly the best. It is pretty darn great! Unlike many Avant Garde artists of his era, Dockstader was not really a composer – his background was in sound engineering – and his music very much […]

Honestly, don’t even waste your time taking the record out of the sleeve and playing it. The music is nothing special. Your standard 60s easy listening jazz cheese-fest. I’d be willing to go as far as to say it is horrendous. The cover on the other hand, is pretty great. Horace Grant wants his Rec […]

For those “in the know” you are probably aware of the fact that “Moggi” is actually Piero Umiliani. For those who are not, now you are. Anyway, I would just like to note that this is one of the creepiest library covers I have ever seen. Can anyone distinguish what that thing is? Maybe it’s […]

Spoken word LP for those looking to shed a few pounds through the use of “progressive relaxation.” It is pretty self-explanitory and I probably shouldn’t waste any time discussing it. Basically the dialogue is this: “You will relax.” “You will relax more.” “You will relax more and more.” (etc) I am willing to bet that […]

Canada is a bilingual country and owing to the distances trains traveled, it was necessary to understand both English and French. This is an instructional record to help CN Rail staff understand the most basic, common-sense French and English phrases. I had hoped to hear something funny or awkward, but it really is just basic […]