European

Music from the continent where dudes wear weird bathing suits.

Ernst Reijseger / Alan “Gunga” Purves – Cellotape & Scotchtape

The other find from my time in Amsterdam worth presenting.  The sparse list of instruments on the back cover (cello, kalimba, drums, percussion and shakers) intrigued me enough to go for it, and I’m so glad I did. Cellotape & Scotchtape is the result of five sessions between November 1981 and July 1982 instigated by […]

Kimene: Cicek Pasaji

So I have this Turkish friend (not a record dude at all) from Istanbul that brings me random records whenever he comes to the states to visit his brother (a colleague of mine). I usually don’t get my hopes up too high for very good reason, as I have received more Turkish pressings of Salt […]

Victorie Scott: Hey Mamma/Brille, Comme Ellebrille

One of the benefits of accumulating records is finding a great record in one’s own collection without having any idea how it got there. This is an example. I have had this record for at least 15 years and never got around to listening to it until this week. I will buy any record from […]

Denise and the Jaguars – Accompagnandotti/Gone

I just thought this is a charming 45 and as of yet it doesn’t yield results on the Google. Pressed in italy and arranged by one Gioriano Baldassari.  It appears to be an Italian backing group with an English singer. Probably some lounge act, as this private record is signed by the whole bunch. Gone […]

Various Artists: Night Club 68

Released on the Czech Supraphon label, “Night Club 68” features not only a way cool mod pop art LP cover, but a nice sampling of the groovy young sounds from hip Prague nightspots. Pavel Sedlacek opens the proceedings by covering a couple of UK beat pop hits — his version of The Move’s “Flowers In […]

Various Artists: Made in Leverkusen

I was born in Cologne/Germany. Although Cologne is widely in peace with the cities surrounding it, there is however a strong rivalry with the neighbouring city of Leverkusen. Naturally, as a loyal citizen of my hometown I share this sentiment. This is fairly easy since Leverkusen is indeed a pretty boring city mainly consisting of […]

Die Laumäckse – Jazz geht’s los

“Die Laumäckse” was a school band from the small german town named Koblenz. I picked this album up at a local flea market. Although I had never heard of the record I gave it a try as one of the cover versions they do on there is a interpretation of a Mombasa song (German afro-funk […]

Eugen Thomass – Scarabea OST

A rare 7inch EP on Hans Wewerkas tiny Austrian Inmus-Label. It’s the soundtrack to Hans-Jürgen Syberberg’s Tolstoi adaptation “Scarabea – Wieviel Erde braucht ein Mensch”. Syberberg is one of the most obscure and controversial german independent moviemakers. Due to his neo-conservative and nationalistic views he plays a rather isolated role among the otherwise predominantly leftwing orientated […]

Duo Ouro Negro – Pata Pata

During my recent travel to Portugal I had quite some records of this group in my hands. I usually checked them out because of their cover art but most of the times the musical content was disappointing. After I already filed them in the don’t bother with section I gave two more 45s which I […]

Black & White – Samba-Soul-Beat

It’s not immediately clear to me what the correct name of this German group is. The graphic design leaves you the choice whether it’s Daniela und Ann or Black & White. I’ll take the latter. I’ve had the record for a while and always liked the music. Rumour has it the two girls, refered to […]

Ersen – Cakmagi Cak

Before I went to Istanbul in 2007 to study there for half a year I did some research about record stores in Istanbul. One Ebay seller from Turkey who I asked for info just moved from Istanbul to Ankara so he was so kind to share his knowledge of good spots with me. While some […]

Ximo & Judy – Via Brasil

I quite often go to flea markets, in the summer even as often as once a week. Nevertheless I never seem to find any good records on flea markets. Don’t ask me why. This record is a exception to this rule though. It was released on the tiny German Rillenschlange label in 1982. I heard […]

Fuesuen Oenal – Alo Ben

Fuesun was a well known turkish pop star back in the seventies. Most of her music might not appeal to many nowadays but this album has the great funk track “Ayyy Kacma” on it. While digging in Turkey ain’t that easy unless you want to spend serious money i found this LP for cheap in […]

Experiencia – Passo a Passo

I bought this LP in Lissabon some eight years ago. I’d never seen it before or since. Rock is not my expertise, but it seems to me this is a record that should be better known. I’m afraid it’s really rare though. They play folk-funk with some latin-rock influences, cool percussion in the mix. It […]

Jean Yves Tourbin – Gayan

Jean Yves Tourbin managed to peek out of his nest of gratuitous facial hair and somehow emerge with a tender eastern instrument augmented folk album. The grueling frenchness* of the vocals may repel most, but most tracks are filled with gorgeous finger picked guitars, harps, strings and flutes. For some reason this found its way […]

Anenzephalia – Lyse

First I’ll start off with a disclaimer: I borrowed this record from my girlfriend who used to be a big industrial fan. I am really not that knowledgable on industrial stuff at all, hell I don’t really like it even, but this one seemed too weird not to be shared. Thanks to her for the […]

Paulo de Carvalho – Nao de Costas Mas de Frente

I’ve had this record for some years now and had filed it away with the mental note that it contained some nice songs. Now that I listen to it again I must say it’s really good. Side one suffers from some uneven tracks but side two is nice all the way. A quick internet search […]

Corvina: S/T

Yet another pretty mediocre Hungarian rock record for your viewing/listening pleasure. I couldn’t help but get excited when I found this cause the cover is so foreign and cool, but it’s mostly sorta jaunty lightweight pop with some flutey sheep-herder moves. There are a couple pretty cool tracks that rock a bit harder though so […]

Odean Pope – Almost Like Me

Snap your fingers, slap your bass, blow your horn, Odean’s in the place. Recorded in 1982 in (cold war) West Germany. “Mwalimu” is the tune out of this eighty-ish sort of hard bop delivery. Odean Pope – Mwalimu.mp3

France Gall – Le Coeur Qui Jazze

In France, France Gall is what you call a superstar of “la variete” (i.e. pop music). This nice little jazz number dates from back in the days when she was working (or was made to work) with Serge Gainsbourg. Side 1 here was penned by Serge: “Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son” got France Gall […]

Yves Klein – Conference A La Sorbonne 1959

Edition limitee numero 448/500 no label but marked R.P.M. Paris in tiny print on the inner of the beautiful blue gatefold. Spoken word pressure direct from the sweat lodge of the Sorbonne June ’59. The anthropologists who recorded this go uncredited but no doubt they will have canoed up the Boulevard St. Michel and negotiated […]

L’Evangile Selon Saint Luc et les Recits de l’Enfance St. Matthieu St. Luc

A 1963 edition from the Office Catholique Du Disque with sleek cloth-bound good looks, chunky 24-page papyrus booklet insert and 5 discs all in superb condition despite coming from a dank junkshop corner amongst other stuff that was badly water-damaged. Imagine my delight when I open the box and see the fine print: Musique – Pierre […]

Illes: Illesek Es Pofonok

While poking around online looking for info in English on this group I came across something that said they were “The Beatles of Hungary!”… I have no idea how true this statement is, but it does remind me how vulnerable one is when trying to buy/get into foreign records. Cause yeah, these guys are not […]

Canti Comunisti Italiani

“Songs of the Italian Communists” – now there’s a title crying out for the pop charts. There was a little sequence of revolutionary songs released on 7″ singles by the Italian label ‘i dischi del sole’ in the early sixties, of which this is one. Quite nicely packaged in a fold-out sleeve (would have been […]