In my latest order from BMG, in which I was fleshing out my classic rock collection with Led Zeppelin’s I, II and IV albums, I had the sudden inspiration to go looking for an album that I listened to countless times when I was growing up…Harry Belafonte’s live performance from Carnegie Hall.
Much to my amazement, BMG carried it. Joy!! Rapture!!
It arrived a few days ago, but I haven’t had time to pop it in until now. I’d forgotten just how much I loved calypso’ing around the house, not only to that gold standard, Day O, but to Mama Look A Boo Boo and Man Smart (Woman Smarter).
[sup]…forming a congo line with the cat and strutting around the apartment, singing the chorus to Matilda along with the big spenders…[/sup]
My most non-mainstream album is Igor Koshkendey’s Music from Tuva, which is just, well… music from Tuva. It’s hard to describe. It’s got weird rhythms and lots of gutteral vocals.
Anonymous Buddhist monks sing on an album of mine called Tibetan Buddhism—Ritual Orchestra and Chants. I dig this one more than the Tuvan album.
Joel Grey—Black Sheep Boy. I found this record at a used record store. It’s 1960s Broadway sensation Joel Grey singing popular rock tunes of the day. I bought it because his lounge-y version of Cream’s White Room appears on that Golden Throats album that I have. Don’t look for this one to be rereleased on CD.
Frank Yankovic—Frank Yankovic and his Friends, vol. I. It’s polkas. What more do I need to say?
I’m currently looking for stuff by Iva Bittova. I heard that her previously delayed American release will soon come out. I haven’t found it yet, but I’m looking. She’s got a cult following in New York, and they do play her on the local NPR station here from time to time, but I haven’t heard her lately. If I owned that album, I’d put it on the list, too.
That would be Pyronecroboviphile by Livestock at Large. It’s a one man band from Manitoba, and the reason I have the album is that I know the guy. That, and he wrote a song about me. Listen: http://www.mp3.com/LaL/
For CDs on real record labels, I’d have to say Black Europe by Sol Invictus. Their CDs are hard to find because they’re a UK import, so I was surprised when I came across this one in a local used CD store.
Most non-mainstream would probably have to be one of my 4 Die Ärzte CDs. They’re a cool punk band from Germany with major songwriting skills:
Runter mit den Spendierhosen, Unsichtbarer!
13
Le Frisur
Planet Punk
Then there’s also the new CD by Joi, a cool artist I just discovered who specialises in Indian/techno fusion. The disc’s called “We Are Three” and I highly recommend it. Along with all the Ärzte CDs. Maybe jarjabyj, lover of all things German, knows about them?
“Fortune” by Giant Ant Farm. I picked this up at the merchandise table at a concert at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, and never heard from them again. I did a web search for them a while ago (and had to wade through a bunch of pages about real ant farms) and it looks like this CD in a cardboard slipcover was the high point of their career. You don’t hear a lot of alternative bands with a trombone.
“Bach, Bayless, Beatles” by John Bayless. Beatles melodies improvised on the piano in the style of J.S. Bach.
“Cuttin’ Their Own Groove” by Big Daddy. The alleged backstory for this band is that their plane crashed on a U.S.O tour of Vietnam in the early 60s and they were held prisoner until the late 80s, or something. And because they were musicians the Red Cross included sheet music in their relief supplies, which the band played in the only style they knew. “Memory” (from “Cats”) to the music of “Blue Moon”, “Welcome to the Jungle” to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, that sort of thing.
–A collection of greatest hits by the late, great band-singer Helen O’Connell.
–A CD (can’t remember the title) by Clannad featuring music from the 1980s British TV show “Robin of Sherwood.”
–“Golden Throats” (description painful and superfluous)
–“National Anthems From Around The World”
And these don’t count, but tons of Old Time Radio shows.
I have a good selection of Cole Porter (“Kiss Me Kate” and a couple of compilation albums), Harry Warren, and Fred Astaire. Those were mainstream once, but are pretty far out of the mainstream these days.
The album that’s furthest from more modern mainstream is Lol Coxhill, which consists of long and uninteresting jazz saxophone solos (think of what Lisa Simpson plays each week and go on with it for five minutes), remakes of smarmy tunes from the 30s (most notably, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born”), “A Series of Superbly Played Mellotron Codas” (that’s the name of the song), plus the most amazing version of “I Am the Walrus” ever recorded.
Probably one of my Half Japanese CDs. My boyfriend turned me on to the wonders of Jad Fair – at first I was like, “when does the microphone feedback end so the song can start?” He’s like, “that IS the song, if you listen carefully you can make out the lyrics.”
But it’s not as bad as I thought it was at first. In fact, it’s starting to grow on me (like a mold, or fungus).
When I was in Tally, the local alternative station did a compilation of local artists, called “Locals Only”. A lot of them had really good stuff, some has since gone mainstream. Creed, Sister Hazel, seems like there were a few others too.
Other than that,my friend Matt and his band made a CD a few years back, I bought a copy for like $5. Thw worst thing I’ve ever listened to…the whole thing was a tribute to the love of his life. I’m not thinking I won’t see it mainstream any time soon…
I used to have Dolly Parton’s early hits, and the Hee Haw Gospel Quartet CD’s. Can you believe someone broke into my house & stole these, along with everything else in music. John Denver(before he died), the Chieftains, and a bunch I don’t remember at this time. I certainly hope they were thrilled with the success of their theft.
<Looks at collection in bafflement>
It’s hard to say; it could be:
“Heralds, Harpers, and Havoc”–a collection of Valdemar-related filk by Mercedes Lackey.
“Patchwork”, “Three Times Round”, or “Gypsies, Beggars, and Thieves”–mixes of trad and original Renaissance/Celtic folk by Amberhawke. I actually have to track “Amber” (Linda King-Burdge) down personally to get copies of any new recordings. I bought a new disc today, “Through Amber Eyes”, because it has “The Selkie’s Lament” on it. Linda’s the best 12-string player I’ve ever met–I really wish these recordings were more widely available.
“The Corsairs”, by the Corsairs (imaginative lot, hai?)–a collection of traditional nautical songs like “Spanish Ladies” and the “Mingulay Boat Song”.
I did have a disc of music on Tibetan singing bowls and thighbone trumpets, but I gave it to my father. I also have a disc of Gregorian chants (a bit odd, given that I’m a Neopagan, but I like the sound), but it was so popular at one point that I would call it “mainstream”. Likewise, my TMBG collection is hardly going to raise any eyebrows on this board.
Is Blue Man Group considered mainstream? I just picked up one of their CDs today.
I also have a CD of a semi-well known Canadian punk group called SNFU. It’s a live album, and I was in attendance at the show (cool to think some of the screaming may be me).
Only other ones that really qualify are my Kraftwerk collection.
