Marc Myers at the Wall Street Journal writes on one of the most maligned genres, Easy Listening.
70s
[Article] Nina Simone Documentarian Reveals Singer’s Shockingly Violent Temper
Nina Simone was always worth celebrating as a wonderful musician. She was also, unfortunately, a bit of a monster to her daughter. What Happened, Miss Simone?, will show a balanced view of her public and private persona.
[Video] Fela Ramsome Kuti & The Africa ’70 – Afrodisiac
Quite a monster of an album by Nigeria’s finest, Fela Kuti. The track listing for this album is:
01 “Alu Jon Jonki” – 12:41
02 “Jeun Ko Ku (Chop ‘n Quench)” – 7:14
03 “Eko Ile” – 6:41
04 “Je’nwi Temi (Don’t Gag Me)” – 13:15
[Video] Heldon – In Wake Of King Fripp
I never quite agreed with Heldon (a.k.a. Richard Pinhas) being labeled as the French Robert Fripp. He’s his own man, and has come up with some rather amazing sounds on his own. Still, it’s quite something to hear Richard perform this paean to Frippertronics.
[Video] Nolan “N. F.” Porter – Keep On Keepin’ On
Nolan (then known as N. F.) Porter was an American Northern Soul singer whose hit, which we’re hearing now, would be the catalyst for Joy Division getting signed to a major label. While the band scrapped their attempt at covering the song, the guitar lick would serve as the foundation of their track, Interzone, as heard below:
For more on the story between N.F. Porter and Joy Division, check out this post by OpinEars.
[Video] Warsaw (pre-Joy Division) – At A Later Date
To think that the kings of post-punk, Joy Division, started as Warsaw, something not much greater than your typical pub band. Still, this is raw material, and it doesn’t sound too dated.
[Video] Ivana Stefanović – The Epistle of Birds (1976)
Less a piece of music and more a gaggle of birds having their caterwauling manipulated expertly by Ivana Stefanović, who composed this piece of sound art inside the studios of Radio Belgrade.
[Video] Bruno Nicolai – De Sade ’70
Does it get any trashier than the movies of Jess Franco? Maybe, but those probably aren’t legal to show anywhere outside of Europe.
Italian film-score maestro Bruno Nicolai is responsible for this slab of fuzz. For more on the film, read here.
[Video] The 8th Likely Faces – 誰１人愛してくれない (No One Loves Me)
There seems to be absolutely no information on this band except for an entry at their label, Branco Records, out of Japan. This was originally a private pressing, and it reminds me of some soft, hazy, prog-psych, with touches of bands like The Flower Travellin’ Band.
[Video] Max Roach / Archie Shepp – Force
Perhaps the greatest drummer jazz ever produced, Max Roach is heard here collaborating with the equally innovative Archie Shepp. The less I say about the politics of this otherwise awesome album, the better, however.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 