What's the *least* mainstream CD that you own?

In My Humble Opinion
41

Ah, Monty Python Sings, one of my favorite CDs.

Hmm… somewhere back in my parents’ house is a cassette by a group called Happy Flowers, made up of two guys who called themselves Mr. Anus and Mr. Horribly Charred Infant. 'nuf said.

The most obscure CD currently in my possession is probably an untitled album by Little Georgie and the Shufflin’ Hungarians. I found this disc in the ska section of a used CD shop in Boston and bought it because of the group’s name. They turned out to be pretty cool. Anybody know if these guys released anything else?

–sublight.

42

Glad to see that Sweet Honey in the Rock got a mention. I’ve seen them a few times. They also made it onto the “No Nukes” album that came out in late 70s.

My least mainstream CD story:

One month Playboy had an article about a guy who started videotaping he and his wife’s bedroom romps and how much fun it was, how it added a new element, etc. etc. etc. In the article he mentioned that during the first time he did this the CD “Silver Apples on the Moon” by Laika was playing. Light bulb goes off in my head - Laika must be good music to have playing while my SO and I are burning upthe sheets. I go the local CD store and buy a CD by Laika and the Cosmonauts, thinking its the same band. I get home, put it on, and what comes out of my speakers but surf music. Heavy whammy bar action, Wipe Out! style drumming, the whole shooting match. Plus, the band is from Finland! Must be some mistake, thinks I. I later found out that Laike and Laika and the Cosmonauts are not the same band. Laika is heavily looped electronica that is, indeed, wonderful music to have playing during sex (a little frantic, but sometimes sex is like that). Laika and the Cosmonauts, on the other hand, is not really appropriate for getting it on (unless you’re Annette Funnincello and Frankie Avalon).

43

Aah, but if we’re talking rare and obscure… There’s always my band’s (plug, plug, plug…Kurtz Lives - nothing to do with Kurt of Nirvana fame but rather he of Apocalypse Now notoriety) album: Revenge of the Drunken Master. That’s pretty obscure, only about 40 in existence. Then there’s our guitarist Paul’s CD: Me & Sarah. Probably about twenty of those. The there’s a demo CD by a band called Moneyshot who were briefly courted by EMI but never signed; given to me by the manager 'cos I was scouting for some indie label. Probably about a hundred of those. Most obscure signed act has to be an album called Brothers by The Peppercorns on Peacemaker Records. Surely nobody else has this.

Do they?

44

“Moneyshot”

Now that’s a great name for a band.

45

I guess my CD of Korean traditional kayagum music
would qualify as non-mainstream.

46

The one album that comes to mind is a 3-CD box set of Swedish fiddle tunes originally recorded on wax cylinders at the turn of the last century. It’s part of a large series from Caprice Records called Folk Music in Sweden, and one of my dreams is to own the whole damn thing.

Both albums by Geggy Tah could presumably count in this regard as well. Finally a CD of early Gothic music - stuff almost a thousand years old, when polyphony was just beginning to develop out of plainsong.

Now for the shouts:

From Chance the Gardener:

I’ve heard samples of the throat music. That is some freaky sounding stuff, ergo thoroughly awesome. Where did you pick it up?
From HalberMensch:

I’ve had a cassette of Red Wave for years but only last month got around to looking up the words to the songs. Tsoi was great!
From Jadis:

Is that Southern Culture on the Skids? I heard that song years ago and it’s stuck with me ever since. I guess I’m gonna have to pick an album up now.

[sub]Say baby, would you eat that there snack cracker in your… special suit?[/sub]
From Fiendish Astronaut

Ah, memories of my workin-‘at-McDonald’s, pot-smokin’, acid-trippin’ youth. If I didn’t have kids I’d probably have this album.
From Sublight:

Hey, is that the album with “My Frisbee Went Under the Lawnmower” on it? How much do you want for it? I first heard of them about twelve years ago; incredibly they were reviewed in People magazine, of all places.

47

For some reason that sounds very interesting…

Interetsingly I actually paid good money for the soundtrack to Deliverance, Banjo Music galore.

But Least mainstream would have to be Impact Unit’s Boston Hardcore which contains beauties such as, “Regular Boys Haircut” and “I’d Eat Your Shit”. Soon to be a classic.

48

I think I’ve mentioned this in one of these thread before, but it’s still my most obscure CD:

Akira Soundtrack by Geinoh Yamashirogumi. As you might guess, it’s the soundtrack to the anime film Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo. GY is a large Japanese ensemble, led by a guy named Yamashiro, and consists entirely of human voice and percussion. Oh, and they don’t “sing” all that much, either – it’s mostly grunts, breathing exercises and things like that.

I think it’s amazingly cool and have been trying to find other music by these guys from most of the past decade, with no luck.

49

Bone to Pick - The Gone Jackals
They’re a biker band that provided the majority of the soundtrack for the LucasArts game Full Throttle. (“I fixed your door. It was sticky.”)

I also have CD’s from Da Yoopers and Bananas at Large. I expect that Yooper bands aren’t exactly mainstream, eh? (FYI “Yooper” = from the UP = Michigan’s Upper Penisula)

50

Well, my two strangest are:

Oranj Symphonette and their album Oranj Symphonette Plays Mancini. I don’t even know how to describe it. Acid jazz interpretations of Mancini tunes: Peter Gun, Elephant Walk, etc. Pretty cool, but very…different. (I think I spelled their name right).

Oceania. Can’t remember the name of the album, but their music is modern interpretations of Maori songs/chants. Pretty cool!

51

Probably my Batmand Beyond soundtrack CD. Either that, or one of my several-dozen video game soundtrack CDs.

52

I had a CD by the Esperanto folk group Kajto for a while. But right now, it’s probably my Mylene Farmer CDs. She’s a pop diva in France but completely unknown in North America (except by gay Montrealers.)

53

Dr Dementos fan club membership CD= very strange & FUNNY!

54

The entire Steve Tibbetts collection, including his collaboration with Choying Drolma (Chö) and the one with the Norwegian hardangfele players (“Å”).

The first two Dread Zeppelin albums: a reggae band that does Led Zeppelin covers whose lead singer (“Tortelvis”) is an Elvis impersonator. Better than it sounds, if that’s possible.

Also pretty far out there (but quite a beautiful album) is “Passages”, a collaboration between Phillip Glass and Ravi Shankar.

(My brother has the Archies’ Greatest Hits. Talk about lunatic fringe.)

55

I’d say most of my non-maintream stuff is in either
metal or punk.
Mucky Pup - Boy in a Man’s World
Brutally Familiar / Boiling Man - Split 7-inch (great old school punk)
Collision with Tradition - 90’s alternative comp that leans towards hardcore
The Pist / TSS - Split cassette (old school punk)
Quest of the Moon Breed - Mares of Night 7 inch (industrial)
Crap, I could go on forever. Lets just say it leans towards stuff realeased in the early to mid 90’s and leave it at that.

56

Gaah – where do I start? A few highlights –

The Commercial Album and Stars and Hank Forever by The Residents – the big eyeball people.

Nihil by KMFDM – very loud, very metal, very German (but sung in English).

Singin’ in the Bathtub by John Lithgow, and Ol’ Yellow eyes Is Back by Brent Spiner – famous people sing old classics with varying degrees of success.

Cellobotomy by Gideon Freudman – one man, one cello, one record studio, and waaaaaaay too much free time.

On a similar note, Cello Submarine by the Twelve Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic – they’re excellent in concert, but unless you liked rehashed Beatles, avoid this CD.

Art of the Bawdy Song by the Baltimore Consort – it’s in the classical section (under “Early Music”, probably), but it comes with a Parental Advisory sticker. Need I say more?

The Sweet Sunny North – a collection of music from Norway, ranging from old Sami joiks to modern pop (in English, sung by Pakistanis, no less).

That Bulgarian women’s choir I can’t remember the name of at the moment.

Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego? by Rockapella and other artists. A strange combination of a cappella and other music by bands and artists I’ve never heard of (except for Tito Puente, who puts in an appearance). Features a cameo by the mayor of Pierre, North Dakota (or maybe South Dakota – I forget).

Nothing (But Blood) by This Mortal Coil – heard it in a record store and was entranced. I don’t know who these people are, but I like them.

Peter and the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals (part 2), as performed by Wendy Carlos and “Weird Al” Yankovic – pretty much what you might expect. Look for the new character in PatW of “Bob the Janitor”, as represented by the accordion.

Silver Apples of the Moon by Morton Subotnick – not the one previously mentioned. This is one of the earliest experiments in pure electronic music, and sounds like someone attempting to disassemble a plugged-in video game with a salad fork.

Merely a small sample of the weird shit I listen to…

57

A Tribute to Metallica by Die Krupps
Metallica as you’ve never heard them before - covers of their greatest (early) songs by an Industrial band from Germany. Incidentally, this is the only CD I own that has “Stop Fascism!” on the back.
The only other CD I can think of that’s probably not “mainstream” is You Eediot by Ren and Stimpy. Quite proud of that one. I “acquired” it from the ex. It’s so scratched that it will hardly play, but I had to keep it for the classics - Don’t Whizz on the Electric Fence, The Log Song, Happy Happy Joy Joy and * The Royal Anthem of the Canadian Kilted Yaksmen*.

58

Jadis. Good to see you’ve discovered Renissance. They still have a huge loyal group of fans. The woman whose voice is so haunting is Annie Haslem. They were quite popular in their time. I saw them at the Main Point in Philly in 1978 or 1979. Thanks for reminding me!

As for discoveries of bands that have been around awhile but you just never knew it…I’m listening to Runrig Live at Celtic Connections 2000. Apparently they’ve been around about a decade or more, but I just found out. Some good celtic stuff for those who like it.

Dave

59

The sheer appropriateness of this is stunning. I’m not sure I want to hear Spiner sing, though.

60

Not that bad, actually, and certainly better than Lithgow. Brent Spiner was in Sunday in the Park with George with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, after all, and I understand has done other musical theatre.

The highlight of the CD is Spiner singing “It’s a Sin (To Tell a Lie)” with his backing group, the “Sunspots”, consisting of Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Patrick Stewart. The last of these does a bit of declamation in the middle which is just hilarious.