the of mirror eye

* ESG: Purely Physical (6.5 mb) | Keep On Moving (4.0 mb) | Gimme A Blast (5.5 mb)
From Keep On Moving : Soul Jazz Records : SJR CD138

I really hesitate to use the word Legendary when I describe ESG, because to me, legendary implies something historical, a qualifier that relies on things that already happened. But as this new release, almost 30 years on from their debut shows, they haven’t lost anything. But then again, everything about them is legendary.

The story goes that the Scroggins sisters formed the band in the early ’70’s due to the encouragement of their mother. They grew up in the rough and tumble South Bronx, so this was an alternative to the drugs, guns and sex that was ruling the streets at the time. After much practice, they entered a talent show where they caught the ear of legendary record store/label owner (99 Records), Ed Bahlman. He got them in the studio and they recorded a number of EPs and a full length including the song, UFO, which is one of the most sampled songs in history.

The new album features their trademark stripped down punk/funk style that has spawned a whole generation of fans and bands thirty years on from their first release, “Moody” EP on Factory Records (and the infamous 99 Records in America). First produced by Martin Hannett, ESG were instantly accepted into the worlds of punk/new wave, hip-hop and dance music, a unique position which still holds true today.
From playing at the opening night of Manchester’s legendary Hacienda to the closing night of Larry Levan’s equally legendary Paradise Garage in New York, ESG have remained one of the all-time cult-bands.
Their track “UFO” is one of the most sampled tracks in the history of hip-hop (Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Marley Marl) which lead them to record “Sample Credits Don’t Pay Our Bills” in the 1980s.
Courted by the punk/new wave community they played with groups such as The Clash, A Certain Ratio, Public Image, Gang of Four.
Through 99 Records in New York, they also became associated with the No Wave groups such as label-mates Liquid Liquid and others such as Mars, DNA, James Chance and The Contortions. (from Soul Jazz)

As I wrote before, this new release shows that they haven’t lost their touch, even 30 years down the road. ESG, now augmented by a couple of their daughters, still play their brand of low down, minimal funk. So, strap on those go-go boots and get ready to see how low you can go.

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* Syd Barrett: Terrapin (8.5 mb) | Octopus (6.5 mb) | Baby Lemonade (6.5 mb) | Dominoes (7.0 mb)
From Crazy Diamond : EMI Records : SYD BOX1

I decided that since I’m on a roll with the Syd Barrett postings, that I would just make it a hat trick and make this Mr. Syd week. The first post involved a demo of an early Pink Floyd live staple (look here), the second post was acetate versions of singles and Vegetable Man (look here). So, this post is about his solo studio releases.

These albums were recorded shortly after leaving Pink Floyd in 1968. While these songs date back to 1966-67, there are still amazing moments contained within. His first album was recorded in two sessions, with his long time producer on the first session and his former bandmates, Roger Waters and David Gilmour producing the second. His second album was even more fractured, as Syd Barrett was declining mentally.

These songs are absolutely riveting, though. The “barely held together” feel plus the inventive guitar playing makes for a great combo. Even without the fascinating backstory of mental illness/drug abuse/Pink Floyd, these songs would stand up on their own. So, we’ve got four songs here, two each from his first two albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Enjoy!
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* Syd Barrett: Arnold Layne (5.0 mb) | Currant And A Candy Bun (4.0 mb) | See Emily Play (4.5 mb) | Vegetable Man (5.0 mb)
From Have You Got It Yet?

Since I was only able to post the one song by Syd Barrett (look here), I decided that I would post a couple more of his shorter songs. These are still from the same compilation as last time.

So, we’ve got acetate versions of their first single, Arnold Layne (about a crossdresser) and Candy And A Currant Bun (originally named, Let’s Roll Another One). Next up is See Emily Play which was the A side follow up to their first single. And last but not least, we’ve got Vegetable Man. This one’s the real interesting one. It’s a fascinating document of the inner workings of Syd Barrett’s mind. Apparently, he wrote this song on the spot by simply describing what he was wearing at the time.

VEGETABLE MAN
(unreleased)

In yellow shoes
I get the blues,
So I walk the street with my plastic feet
with blue velvet trousers make me feel pink.
Theres a kind of stink about blue velvet trousers

In my paisley shirt,
I look a jerk,
and my turquoise wasitcoat is quite outta sight.
But oh, oh, my haircut looks so bad….
Vegetable man! Where are you?

So I change my gear,
and I bugger my knees
and I cover them up with the latest cuts
My pants and socks are all in a box
It does take long to find darn old socks
The watch,
black watch,
my watch
with a black face
and a date in a little hole

and all the luck,
its what I got,
Its what I wear,
Its what you see,
It must be me,
Its what I am!
Vegetable man! Where are you?

Ah, ah ah ah, ah ah ah
Hah, ah ah ah, ah ah ah - oh!
I’ve been looking all over the place
for a place for me
But it ain’t anywhere
It just ain’t anywhere.

Vegetable man, Vegetable man,
Vegetable man. Vegetable man,
Vegetable man, Vegetable man,

He’s the kind of fella you just gotta see if you can,
Vegetable man. (Syd Barrett)

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* Syd Barrett: Interstellar Overdrive (26.0 mb)
From Have You Got It Yet?

From 1965-1968, as Pink Floyd were still finding their musical legs, Syd Barrett (RIP) was the guiding light for the band. His innovative use of echo, distortion, effects and lyrical imagery were crucial in the eary years of the London Underground and have inspired countless number of musicians since then. Pink Floyd saw their popularity rise with the release of a number of singles as well as a series of high profile concerts at local clubs. With the release of their first album Pipers At The Gates Of Dawn, the Pink Floyd were on a super-stardom rocket. Unfortunately, the pressures of stardom and creativity were taking a toll on Mr. Barrett. Dabbling more and more in psychedelics and drugs, he started acting more erratically and signs of psychosis were more evident.

Barrett’s behavior became increasingly unpredictable, partly as a consequence of frequent experimentation with psychedelic drugs such as LSD. Many report seeing him on stage with the group, strumming on one chord through the entire concert, or not playing at all. At a show at The Fillmore West in San Francisco, during a performance of “Interstellar Overdrive,” Barrett slowly detuned his guitar, the audience seemed to enjoy such antics, unaware of the rest of the band’s consternation. Before a performance in late 1967, Barrett apparently crushed Mandrax and an entire tube of Brylcreem into his hair, which subsequently melted down his face under the heat of the stage lighting, making him look like “a guttered candle”. Nick Mason later disputed the Mandrax portion of this story, stating in the Barrett biography, Madcap, “Syd would never waste good mandies”. The image of Syd’s melting features would later be used in the Wall film. (from wikipedia)

Following this disastrous series of concerts Syd Barrett was, at first, confined to the studio. Pink Floyd attempted the “Beach Boys/Brian Wilson” move of keeping the erratic, but genius songwriter out of the limelight. Unfortunately, he still proved to be too difficult, so Syd was kicked out of the band.

He attempted a solo career, but after releasing a couple of albums, retreated from music completely. The ensuing years though, have not diminished his influence on the musical world. These tracks come from the massive 10cd set entitled Have You Got It Yet?, which is a fan curated set of demos, live material and enhanced stereo reproductions of Syd Barrett material. So, we’ve got a demo version of Interstellar Overdrive, the equivelent of Dark Star by the Grateful Dead. Have You Got It Yet? either shows just how influential Syd was, or it shows just how crazy his fans are.

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Well, the big news should be fairly obvious. I’ve finally upgraded to the newest Wordpress. Which is a huge relief for me, as I was really getting stressed out by having to deal with thousands of spam a day. This way, the spam filters are up to date and there’s much, much less that I have to deal with. Also, the look has changed slightly. And it might change more later.

* The Dauntless Elite: I am Ninja, My Life is Lonely and Difficult (4.5 mb)
* Rosa: Starch and Carbohydrates (2.5 mb)
* Erin Tobey: Follow the Trail (3.5 mb)
* Spoonboy: Aren’t All Songs Political? (2.0 mb)
From If It Ain’t Cheap, It Ain’t Punk : Plan-It-X Records

The other day I got to see my friend play at a basement house show. And it was totally awesome. I don’t get the chance to see too many of them, but I definitely appreciate the energy and the intentions involved. Their were four bands touring together, two punk rock, one folk-y, one country-ish. They were all flying under the “punk” banner though, and even though they sounded different, you could definitely see that they all had similar aesthetics.

I also discovered that Punk is probably the genre that I least identify with. In thinking about it, I realized that it has much less to do with the music produced and much more to do with the crowds involved. The kids (and they really are kids) involved are just so idealistic and full of wide-eyed energy. They still have the illusions that what they do somehow makes a difference in the world. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that type of idealism, in fact I wish I still had it, but I just don’t.

But I definitely support it. So, here’s a couple of songs from a compilation that I picked up at the show.

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P.S. I’m absolutely in love with the Erin Tobey song.

* Prefuse 73: Pagina Tres (5.0 mb) | Pagina Seis (8.5 mb)
From Prefuse 73 Reads The Books : Warp Records : WAP189

Even though there are no surprises with Prefuse 73 (look here) remixing The Books (look here), that doesn’t make this EP length remix project any less enjoyable to listen to. In fact, this seems to be a perfect mix of The Books’ electro-acoustic wizardry and the glitch-hop of Prefuse 73. When I first heard about this project, I wondered how Prefuse 73 would be able to add anything to The Books, as their music is packed chock full o’ cut up strings and samples as it is. But, ingeniously, Prefuse 73 stripped away many of the layers before adding his own incredible beats and glitches. Overall, a most satisfying listen.

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Just for comparison’s sake (and in case you’re not familiar with these musicians on their own) I decided to post a track each by Prefuse 73 and The Books.

* Prefuse 73: Uprock And Invigorate (4.5 mb)
From One Word Extinguisher : Warp Records : Warp105

* The Books: The Lemon Of Pink Pt 1 (7.5 mb)
From The Lemon Of Pink : TomLab : tom32