Australian band The Whispers were probably the best & most successful blue eyed soul group in Australia during their original run of success from 1964-66. The band really loved the burgeoning soul scene coming out of the US at the time & laced their live sets with choice covers. They also had the fortune to [...]
Obscure acid rock stomper from Grand Rapids Michigan: fuzzy dual guitar shredding and psychedelic Leslie speaker vocals are backed by clattering drums & shaker action. An imaginative friend of mine once wrote that this group was likely “aiming for Cream, but ended up with something hipper, a band likely to appear on a 1968 bill [...]
Blerta was the brainchild of legendary New Zealand drummer, bandleader & actor Bruno Lawrence. He formed Blerta in 1971, with the name standing for “Bruno Lawrence Electric Revelation Travelling Apparition”. Blerta was held together as a band through to 1975 & it’s ever revolving membership included actors as well as musicians. It was conceived & [...]
Sweden had a pretty thriving modern jazz scene back in the fifties that produced a number of talented players. Many of the sessions recorded there by either visiting or expatriate US artists or local players were often recorded & performed to a high quality. I especially like the european penchant for releasing picture sleeve 45s [...]
Pzazz was a small label out of Hollywood that released a real variety of stuff in the few years it was in business. It was the baby of Paul Gayten who was a music industry veteran having been a force in the 1950s New Orleans R&B scene as a musician, bandleader & talent scout. Gayten [...]
Released on “Palace of Lights” in 1981, Savant was a group lead by Kerry Leimer, the head of the label and someone who still releases electronic/ambient music to this day. The record contains only two tracks, both with a decidedly Eno-vibe (each in their own way). The a-side’s “Stationary Dance” reminds me of something that [...]
If you’ve ever been sitting there watching Sesame Street & thought “damn, wouldn’t it be cool if Cookie Monster fronted a funk band?” Then this is the 45 for you, not only do you get two sides of nice Monk Higgins arrangements, you also get it all topped off with Big Daddy Crimson’s gruff, half [...]
American singer Herbie Goins found himself in London after leaving the US armed forces in 1963. In 1964 he formed a band called the Nightimers & set about bringing soul music to the UK. Herbie’s first documented recordings that I can track were a guest spot as a featured vocalist on Alexis Korner’s “Live At [...]
Wow, an 80′s library record that doesn’t sound like it belongs in a corporate training video for IBM! Unfortunately these types are few and far between, but thankfully for fans of floating synths and electronics, this one delivers. The first side mainly consists of gamelan jams that (for the most part) do a good job [...]
The budget Marble Arch label from the UK is one that I have a sort of love/hate relationship with. It’s one of those labels that some people actually try to collect the entire run even though in reality 85% of the releases on it are terrible. Here is their stab at a Reggaesploitation LP from [...]
There is something that is just so innocent & nice about a country like New Zealand back in the early 1960s. I think for me it is best summed up in some of the local records released here where local artists would often do their best imitations of overseas smash hits. This 45 is pretty [...]
This might have you crawling in peeholes as your cabbage slowly turns to coleslaw. My first experience with ye o fay was on a cold sunny day in georgia. I was sucking on an explosive cuban, thinking ‘any less than 8 and it’s not worth my time.’ But it was worth my time and I [...]
American pianist Freddie Redd arrived in Stockholm in June 1956 as a relatively unknown artist. He had taken up an invitation from swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson to be a part of an all-american rhythm section that Ericson would tour throughout Sweden in mid-56. The other musicians invited were bassist Tommy Potter & drummer Joe Harris. [...]
http://waxidermy.com/images/original_material.mp3
http://waxidermy.com/images/the_speech.mp3
I guess this is the kind of record that would scream “grab me” even to the most casual of record browsers so I feel extra lucky it fell into my greedy hands. This is a very rare compilation released in the Netherlands by some forward souls at Philips. The bulk of the 12 tracks, although [...]
Mid-70s jazz/funk out of New Zealand, released on the local Ode label. The Kevin Clark Group were the resident band on local television’s “On Saturday” show & this album showcases some of their varied repertoire for the show. There are a mix of covers & originals on here & it really criss-crosses a number of [...]
There is a distinct possibility that this is the greatest record ever recorded before 1968. Space age bachelor pad music meets concrete music. 1963 was the recording date ! Unbelievable. Strange synths, oscillators and custom made electric guitars with help of the lowrey organ. No words can really describe this record. Dick Hyman was prolific [...]
Without a doubt the greatest & most successful surf band to come out of Australia ever. Formed in 1961 “Bombora” was the group’s second 45 & was released in 1963. Produced by Sven Libaek, it was the band’s biggest hit & was one of only two 45s by the band to get released in the [...]
http://waxidermy.com/images/a_representative_visit_clip.mp3
http://waxidermy.com/images/Tableau_of_a_Lithotomy.mp3
Great mid-60s garage rock 45 from an icon of the Australian music scene. This was their second 45 & was released in 1964 on the Australian “Linder Lee” label. It was licensed to probably New Zealand’s biggest independent label of the time “Viking” for a New Zealand release after it hit in Australia & that [...]