• Sisters of the Society Devoted To The Sacred Heart – You Are My Friend

    This is from a group of accoustic guitar playing nuns from Los Angeles who sing about friendship and Jesus. I really like the cover with the design and clashing colors. The sisters are still active in missionary work according to their website. I take it this LP recorded in 1973 was a suppliment to their [...]

  • Diann Franklin – Celebrate (Daystar)

    This comes from a live 1983 concert in Baltimore, MD. Musically, this is gospel soul with a ‘modern’ feel to it. “Even So, Come, Lord Jesus”, with it’s Revelations-based lyrics, moves me as she lets her sweet voice really belt it out. Also, for someone who is celebrating, Diann looks a little worried on the [...]

  • Lifetones – For A Reason

    1983 solo outing from Charles Bullen, the former guitar player of the always-relevant experimental rock outfit This Heat on his own private Tone of Life imprint, of which this is the sole release. Like other British post-punk contemporaries (Slits, Pop Group, et. all) Bullen immerses himself deep in zoned dub territory on much of this [...]

  • Units – Digital Stimulation

    Duel male/female vocal and synth attack backed by some angular drumwork with the seed of Kraftwerk sewn so deep that it barely even manifests itself. Released in San Francisco circa 1980, this album is a much rawer and down to earth precursor to often painfully overproduced and empty genre of “synth-rock” that would dominate in [...]

  • Mofungo – Out of Line

    Part of the often overlooked (and borderline oxymoronical) “second wave” of the New York No-Wave scene (which birthed bands like Sonic Youth and Swans), Monfungo certainly fits in line with many of the pioneers of the movement, though a little more polished (comparatively) with more attention given to song structure. Skronky, danceable, and full of [...]

  • Los Christians: s/t (Dicesa)

    Latino Xian Rock and covers. I know nothing about this group. I’m sure you can find some stuff on the web. This record has a few nice cuts like “Los Reyes Magos” which rocks out, a terrific cover of Tom Jones’ “Ella Es Una Dama” (She’s A Lady), and “Mi Camino” that has a great [...]

  • Hear And Now: For The First Time (Terry)

    Great California group (I’m assuming) doing covers of Rock, Country, and Gospel tunes. Rocking covers of Hoyt Axton’s “Put Your Hand in the Hand”, and “Joy to the World”, Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas”, CCR’s “Proud Mary”, and Riz Ortolani’s “More” are just some of the great tracks on here. Awesome looking cover and I think [...]

  • Randy Sharp: First in Line

    I like country music. Those sad songs that end with heartbreak, a sixer of Budweiser on the lap, and mans best friend in the passenger seat. I’ve sang “On the Road Again” so many times in my head and outloud during a trip that I can sing most of the song word for word. Like [...]

  • Mel-Vonne: Be Still (Celesta)

    Absolutely stunning! Really it’s the only words that I can come up with for this record. Released in 84 it’s a Modern Soul Gospel burner that is quite unfuckwithable in my opinion. Melvin & Yvonne (Mel-Vonne get it?), handle the vocals, the writing of the tunes, and the producing duties. Great backing band too with [...]

  • Misty Moore – This Girl’s In Love With You (Pzazz)

    On the small Los Angeles label, Pzazz, this is a Petula Clark soundalike with soulful instrumentation which gets funky in places. Her voice doesn’t really gel with the musical backing, in my opinion. That’s a seductive picture of her, though. Listen

  • Victor Uman – The Celestial Visitor From Planet Wisdom

    This comes to us from ‘The Scientific Peace Builders Foundation’ out of Santa Monica, CA. On side one, narrator Charles Evans explains to us how the world is and always has been: war, power struggles and greed pitting human against human, racism, disease, etc. Side two has the nasally voiced alien-human Mr. Uman explaining how [...]

  • Caterina Casselli – Bagnata Come un Pulcino

    The entrepreneurial biography of Caterina Caselli cannot go disgiunta from her artistic biography. The same passion that moves her, the same energy, the same suffering participant, the same stubborn engagement in the search of the best in a field, that one of contemporary popular music, where if it is true that fatturato it is bello [...]

  • The Lemon Dips – Who’s Gonna Buy

    The best library LP i found for 1 euro, released on De wolfe in the end of the 60s, this one is not the instrumental library LP you can often find on KPM or De Wolfe. This one is a record by an unknown british garage-psych band who can be compared with “The Deviants”. Side [...]

  • Various – Pornophone / Sänghingsten

    Oh Oh, this cover is quite explicit, when i bought this 45 i thought it was punk underground stuff, it was written in swedish, the only thing i understood was “pornophone” and “Made in Sweden”, the rest is swedish, anyway i bought it. Back home, i listened to it and i was disapointed: only spoken. [...]

  • Philippe Nicaud – Erotico…Nicaud

    With an artwork by the famous painter “Aslan”, this one is my french Holy Grail. The music is as good as the cover. Philippe Nicaud is a french comedian from the sixties who acted in wack parisian plays. The music go from bossa to jerk or funk orchestra. Nicaud doesn’t sing he speaks, the lyrics are [...]

  • Pax Quartet – Chantez un Chant Nouveau

     To continue in the Xian section, here is a french one: The Pax quartet, not really famous but quite prolific. It’s not just Church songs it’s also very jazzy, the orchestra is conducted by Christian Chevallier who was also known for his works with library labels. In fact the voices are similar to “Les Compagnons de [...]

  • Truth of Truths – A Contemporary Rock Opera

    Yeah, there were a bunch of these “rock opera” records back in the early 70s, but how many can you name with Jim Backus playing the part of God? That’s right, as if Thurston Howell III and Mister Magoo weren’t enough, he also has “Creator of the Universe” to add to his impressive acting resume. [...]