Author – Azrael Abyss

One more guy to look forward to meeting in heaven.

I picked this up at a local Goodwill recently and was driven to purchase it just so I could hear their cover of “Honkytonk Woman”. Also, I am a big fan of bands with matching shirts. To my surprise it actually turned out to be a pretty solid DIY Country Rock record. Not too overly […]

Another cool record on the Dimsa label. Their name translated into English is “The Crazy People of Rhythm”(?), and I ended up finding out that they were fairly popular in Mexico in the late 50’s/early 60’s – and are in fact regarded by some as one of the better non English language greaser-rock groups of […]

I’ve had like a million of these mind control/relaxation/meditation records, but for some reason I like this one better than most. Maybe it’s the guitar accompaniment. It’s also kind of unintentionally funny because he must say “deeply relaxed” about 300 times over the course of the 2 sides. [audio:deeprelax.mp3]

Really cool Mexican surf guitar lp on the Dimsa label. Lots of reverb/tremoloed out versions of 60’s pop hits. His version of the Beatles “Michelle” is especially nice. Love the cover too.

Quebecois record of cartoony guitar instrumentals that I recently got from Danno. Most of the info on the web about these guys leads me to believe they were a “beat-era” group, but this (later) lp sounds very much like one of those wacky-studio-musician-exploit-o type things that were pouring out of labels like Pickwick, Alshire, Design, […]

Totally bugged out (no pun intended) album that Douglas McGowan recommended to me recently. Ford Lile manages to sound, mystical, erotic, and really creepy all at the same time. Imagine if Barry White had taken a Paul Horn style career turn and ended up dabbling in new-age and Egyptology. One you’ll have to hear to […]

Another strange and wonderful Yamaha Electone keyboard record. This is the kind of stuff I live to find. Just peep the completely twisted Doobies cover and you’ll know what I mean. Maybe…

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 […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

Crazy record that probably scared Freddie Hubbard fans with it’s extreme Avant Garde-ness. Yet, does not seem to be super well known among Avant Garde enthusiasts – probably because it’s credited to Hubbard and was released on Atlantic. But, this is every bit as ruthlessly experimental as anything I’ve heard on any fringe Classical label. […]

Though this record is spoken in my native English (I think), I really can’t understand a damn thing he says on here. I guess these were to be used as teaching aides for Doctor’s who were learning how to cut up bodies and stuff. I really hope no one had to resort to dropping the […]

I grew up near Anaheim, CA, which is where Hope High the school for developmentally disable kids that spawned the Hi Hopes is. So, I’m sorta partial to them even though their records are not very good. Well, I mean they are “good” for records of music made by, to use the liner notes’ not […]

How this harsh electronic record sneaked into the catalog of ABC’s Classical reissue label Westminster Gold is definitely one of the great mysteries of our time. I mean, sure, they were hip to put pictures of naked chicks on the front of Bach lp’s, but that in no way could have prepared listeners for the […]

It has been brought to my attention that we have a shortage of “girlie covers” here on Waxidermy. So, here ya go. Hangovers – get it? Anyhow, this is one of the better covers I’ve seen on one of those gag records with the cardboard discs inside. Rear…

Awesome electronics from the coolest mustache man in the business, J.D. Robb! It’s basically just synth bleeps and crude samples of Opera, but it makes for a thoroughly compelling listen all the way through. I like how his sound is really mellow and spooky rather than a harsh Subotnick-like freak-out that is a trial to […]

Fairly cool mystical spoken word record from the “You Institute, Inc.” in Los Angeles, Ca. I’ve had this a few times, but it honestly doesn’t ever get much play. The cover alone makes it pretty worthwhile though… Here are the doctor’s instructions for preparing to “experience” this album… 1. Allow yourself total privacy (disconnect telephone, […]

Let’s hope not, cause this album is really horrible.

Writing about these largely unknown, home-made records can be tough. Take this private press hipster bluegrass lp here… which is particularly a head scratcher. If the cover (which as always is scant on vital info) is to be believed, these kids were from TN, and this record was released in “AD 1972”. What is very […]

Pretty bizarre record that I picked up recently on the strength of the cover. I was prepared for the fairly standard folky rock with country overtones that this record mostly is – but, was totally unprepared for the quirky, low-budget funk(?) jam that opens the record. SEE WHAT I MEAN!?!?! File under: HUH…???

First and foremost you should know that this record does not live up to it’s awesome cover. But actually, I really have no idea what a bearded man praising the lord with a Moog should sound like, so maybe I’m being unduly harsh. Anyhow, I was hoping for better, but for some reason I still […]