Sunday, February 24, 2008

Damien Youth-Fluttering Briar,LP,1984+The Man Who Invented God,LP,1990+Festival of Death,tape,1995



A mysterious cassette-only artist who began putting out material on tape in the late 1980s, although some of it started to appear on CD in the late 1990s. His music is haunting, acoustic rock with a sense of British whimsy akin to Robyn Hitchcock or Donovan (although, as his tapes were distributed from Louisiana, it's uncertain whether the singer is British). It's solid, melodic stuff that would most likely appeal to Hitchcock fans, despite the sparse production. His Bride of the Asylum CD of 1998 put some of his work into slightly larger circulation, in better fidelity. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
His music is haunting, acoustic rock with a sense of British whimsy akin to Robyn Hitchcock or Donovan.Damien Youth is an independent singer/songwriter/musician who works in a number of rock sub-genres. He has been a part of various musical projects including The Cosmic Cult Of Adam Strange, Featherbox, Kyte, Magic Island, Surprise Symphony and Walter Ghoul's Lavender Brigade. He has also recorded with Peter Daltrey of the classic '60s band Kaleidoscope. The common quality in all of Damien Youth's music is his uncanny understanding of the melodic heart of the song.Damien Youth's songs are like yellowed pictures from another time. But as it's true with old pictures they come alive - contradictingly so - out of the yellowness, colours seep through - clear and imagination invoking, like a DALI painting.
Sometimes reminding early Julian Cope,Paul Roland,of course Syd Barret,while on the tape "Festival of Death " some dark metal hints can be found(but so beautifully composed that you will not even be a bit bothered)
get them here and here and here


Doxa Sinistra-Via Del Latte,tape,1982,Netherlands






Excellent ,astonishing minimal synth/experimental release by this legendary electronic band.Released in 1982 packed in a milk box(!) as you can see on the pics above on Trumpet Tapes label. Rereleased as cd-r in 1999 by Trumpet tapes(seems to be already sold out).

get it here


Hoola Bandoola Band-Discography 1971-75,1971-1975,LPs,Sweden

Garanterat Individuell,1971
Vem Kan Man Lita På? ,1972
På Väg ,1973
Fri Information ,1975

Hoola Bandoola Band was, together with Nationalteatern, the biggest band of the Swedish progg movement. And where Nationalteatern put social realistic lyrics to rock songs, Hoola Bandoola had more political lyrics and swerved further from traditional rock.
The name is inspired by a fictional language spoken by ants in a Donald Duck short cartoon, most likely "Tea for Two Hundred", directed in 1948 by Jack Hannah, with ant language spoken by Pinto Colvig.
The band was formed in 1970. In 1971, they had their first radio hit and were immediately contacted by two record companies, one commercial and one alternative, MNW. In the political climate of the 1970s, the choice of side was crucial, and by choosing the alternative company, Hoola Bandoola came to be the most well-known band on the alternative side in Sweden.
Their debut in 1971, Garanterat individuell, (Guaranteed to be individual) was hailed as the start of a new era for Swedish pop and was elected the album of the year. It was not overly political when it came to lyrics, but on the second album Vem kan man lita på?, (Who can you trust?) released the next year, the socialist message was clearer. It still sold very well and included long-lasting hits like Keops pyramid.
With På Väg, (On the way) recorded with a balalaika orchestra, Hoola Bandoola became one of the best-selling groups in Sweden. In 1975 they released the forth album Fri information (Free information), where the socialist message was more outspoken than ever before. And this time, Afzelius had written half of the songs, where before it had been Wiehe writing almost everything.
In 1975, the alternative movement gathered in opposition to a tennis game played between Sweden and Chile, which at the time was under the military dictatorship of Pinochet, and for that event, Hoola Bandoola released Stoppa matchen (Stop the game) as a single. This was to be their last studio recording. In 1976, the band broke up and Wiehe and Afzelius started very successful careers as singer/songwriters, both together and by themselves.
After 20 years' absence, Hoola Bandoola reunited in 1996, playing warmup for Bob Dylan and going on their own nationwide tour. On this tour, the live album För dom som kommer sen (For those who come later) was recorded. But in 1999, Björn Afzelius died, making further reunions more unlikely.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoola_Bandoola_Band"
Great polit-rock band from Sweden.Musically the style varies from crazed folk,to stretched out country rock to demented blues rock and psychedelic compositions.This is almost their complete discography (there are 2 more less interesting LPs released in the 90s). Personal faves are :På Väg and Vem Kan Man Lita På?.
get them all here and here


John Sase -Aessence,1975(rec)/1985(rel),LP,USA

Great dreamy acid folky psych LP released in limited 300 copies circulation in 1985 although it was recorded in 1975.Great LP utilizing a plethora of intruments including String Bass, Nylon String Guitar, Indian Bells, Hand Percussion, Noseflute and Harmonica with deep vibe and similar to Arthur Lee Harper ,Bob Trimble and the likes ....
Tracklist:ZOTHIQUE, WINTER SONG, INDUSTRIAL AGE, LAUGHING AND FREE, ONLY A PLAY, GET IT TOGETHER, KING ALFRED, GRAND ILLUSION, SILVER WINTERS MORN.

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Malombra-st,1991,LP,Italy

You may all have noticed that i really enjoy dark organ dominated LPs,in Jacula,Antonius Rex,etc. vein. One of the most representative labels of this genre is the Italian Black Widow records.This LP was released by this label in 1991 and is long sold out.Stunning dark atmosfear in Black Widow meets King Krimson guitarworks meets early Black Sabbath(!) jamming together with Jacula and Robert Smith or Peter Murphy on vocals. Anyway,some categorise it as black metal...i disagree,this is pure organ driven dark progressive music with some Black Sabbath hints. Searck within blog for Jacula,Antonius rex and other Black Widow records releases posted.

A band bio from Black Widow homepage:
"Based in Genoa and one of the historical acts of Black Widow Records, MALOMBRA has become an institution among non-commercial music fans since their first self-titled release back in 1993. Their incredible mix of gothic and darkwave influences, as well as progressive and avant-garde moods took an even more professional shape with the next "Our Lady of the Bones", which spread MALOMBRA's name world-wide and let the band start playing tons of live gigs. Led by the charismatic figure of the frontman Mercy, MALOMBRA passed a troubled period of radical line-up changes while the band worked to some tribute albums and side projects like IL SEGNO DEL COMANDO and HELDEN RUNE. Eventually new members were found and MALOMBRA started concentrating on their new opus, "The Dissolution Age", a modern come-back which will be an enthusiastic surprise for old and new fans!The long-awaited "The Dissolution Age" witnesses a deep change in MALOMBRA's sound, different from the past but still personal and recognisable. "If my band happened to turn foreseen, I'd rather shut it down" states Mercy, and voilà: the superb vocals by Mercy are supported by a wall of sound as never before by Roberto Lucanato and Francesco La Rosa, while the eclectic bass lines by Diego Banchero deal with the incredible synth-work by Franz Ekurn, which explores symphonic atmospheres as well as electronic and even EBM-oriented ambiences. With lyrics ranging from philosophy to politics, from religion to socio-cultural problems, "The Dissolution Age" is the perfect soundtrack for new millennium's decadence!"

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Armando Piazza -Suàn/Naus,CD,1972-73/2001,Italy




"Very few people probably knew these album until some years ago, as they went totally unnoticed at the time. Armando Piazza was a singer-songwriter from Naples and released these albums with curious titles on the local B.B.B. label (that also released the Showmen 2 album), selling them by himself in concerts and through magazines. The albums contained acid-psych ballads, all english-sung and mainly based on acoustic guitar but sometime with good use of electric instruments, they're also notable for the help of american musician Shawn Phillips (who lived in Naples for some years) on guitar and bass.
A welcome reissue by Akarma couples both albums on a single CD."
Superb acid folkish psych from Itally,with excellent guitarwork and stunning vocalparts. Darkish mystical mood all through..
get it here


Black Sun Ensemble-st,LP,1985,USA

ABSOLUTELY stunning psych LP ,first released in limited edition in 1985 on Pyknotic label and reissued in 2000 by Camera Obscura(already sold out). Stunning fuzzy guitar,eastern tunes,chanting,some horns here and there....Absolutely spacey psychedelic music.

Jesus Acedo is the quixotic leader of Black Sun Ensemble who, on the basis of his enigmatic recordings, has been hailed by critics as one of the most innovative guitarists of our time.Born on Christmas Eve, 1962 in Tucson, Arizona, to Mexican immigrant parents, Acedo was one of eight children, the only one with an interest in music. After the death of his father in 1975, Acedo grieved by immersing himself in music. He spent most of his early adolescence at the Tucson public library listening to Ravi Shankar and Led Zeppelin records. At this time, Acedo bought a guitar. In high school, he began experimenting with the unique tunings of his guitar that give his music what one reviewer reverently called "peculiarly mystical, twangy, meditative, Middle Eastern rock sound". Muze, in describing his style, said he can "spit blasts of dragon fire or conjure the exotic, iridescent mystique of peacock feathers with a single stroke."A self-titled debut album was released by Tucson's Pyknotic Records in 1985. Its extraordinary qualities led Acedo to sign a five-year contract with England's Reckless Records, and in 1988 the label released "Black Sun Ensemble" (1988), "Lambent Flame" (1989) and "Elemental Forces" (1991). These records were a critical and commercial success. At the time, Offbeat exclaimed that BSE was "possibly, the world's coolest band." After touring the West Coast with Camper Van Beethoven in support of "Lambent Flame" the Ensemble was captured live on the first side of "Tragic Magic" (1992) for Rough Trade. The second side was a magical suite of mostly acoustic pieces that presaged the extensive title track of the later "Sky Pilot" CD.The inexorable weight of personnel changes, drugs and unexpected success eventually unbalanced Acedo's mental stability. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1992 and spent the next two years in and out of local hospitals. During his breakdown, the band recorded the ill-fated "Psycho Master El" album for Tucson's San Jacinto Records (1994). This record was remixed and remastered in 1998 for Camera Obscura Records. The results were issued as "Sky Pilot" in 1999, which also included rare Black Sun singles tracks and a brand new 20-minute work called "Sky Pilot Suite". "Sky Pilot" got rave reviews by critics and sold well locally and internationally. The Ensemble began playing regular gigs, impressing a whole new generation of listeners. News of Black Sun's return to the stage was appreciated by grunge-rock legend Mark Arm of Mudhoney, who engineered a shared performance at Tucson's Club Congress in early 2001. In February 2001, Camera Obscura reissued the debut Black Sun Ensemble recording from 1985, again to extraordinary reviews.On the wave of recent success, Acedo has brought himself back from madness, poverty and potential obscurity. He is now recapturing his old fire by re-inventing himself, and is working to re-establish his rightful place as one of the key guitarists of our time. This was reinforced by the 2002 CD "Hymn of the Master", and even more so by the 2003 CD "Starlight". BSE continue to be a hit at annual SXSW festivals and have complete a new album, "Bolt of Apollo" for release on Camera Obscura in the second half of 2006.
Biography from Camera Obscura website

" Black Sun Ensemble offers sensual, aerial, sonic magic carpet rides laced with the steady flavor of India that will take you high above the Himalayas in your head. But this isn't plinky, incense-burning,catatonic hammock music, nor does it smell of hippie backwash and flashbacks (thought the music can be hypnotic and psychedelic). You can see forever with the Black Sun Ensemble." -CMJ NEW MUSIC REPORT
For band bio and many infos visit their website: http://www.blacksunensemble.com/

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Frankie Dymon Jr.-Let It Out,LP,1971,Germany



Fantstic and rare German psych Kraut LP,appeared about a year ago in Mystery Poster blog(THANK YOU MATE!).A friend of the blog asked me for reposting it since MP link was dead.Meanwhile MP re-up it recently....but what the hell ...this item's got to be known by as many people as possible.
"This was a kind of 'project' album led by Frank Dostal and Achim Reichel, previously members of The Rattles, one of the most well-known German beat groups, and Wonderland. Reichel wrote most of the songs and produced the album (engineering was by a certain Konrad Plank). Most of Reichel's then backing band also took part in the recordings: Rolf Kohler (bass), Norbert Jacobsen (clarinet), Lemmie Lembrecht (percussion) and Helmut Franke (percussion). Additional musicians were Wolfgang "Zabba" Lindner (drums, ex-Wind), Peter Hecht (piano, from Lucifer's Friend), Elga Blask (vocals) and Olaf Casalich (congas). Also strings were dubbed on at certain places. Let It Out (1971) comprised a great variety of styles, perhaps ending up a little over-involved. Those of you who know the early Achim Reichel albums will know what to expect here! There were certainly many tracks to enjoy here, like "Aftermyth", an 11 minute track with manipulated electric guitar and awkward anti-war and anti-racism lyrics. Many of the tracks had very unusual arrangements. It's the sort of album that sounds better after several spins. The psychedelic cover art, recalling the Ikarus album on Plus, was also notable. In the same year, Dostal and Reichel also made another complex, but vastly different project album together, this time as "Wonderland Band". Dostal and Reichel have produced countless albums over the years. "
So guys got to Mystery Poster and grab it as soon as possible or get it here (analternative link since MP's links seem to "die" very quickly)


Lars Hollmer-XII Sibiriska Cyklar,1981+Vill Du Höra Mer,1982,LPs,Sweden


Following Eric's post of Från Natt Idag ,(3rd personnal LP) of Samla Mammas Manna/Von Zamla mastermind Lars Hollmer,here are presented his 1st and 2nd solo efforts. Having to disagree with Eric here,as i have Vill Du Höra Mer as my faviorite.But one way or another all those 3 LPs are close to masterpiece characterisation,isn't it so Eric?
get them here and here

Floating Flower-Floatingflower 2 ,CD,1999,Japan


Great release from the depths of Acid Mothers Temple family tree.Actually a band formed in 1998 ,including Kawabata Makoto.Beautiful,spacey,ambient folk music with ethereal,wordless,female vocals,violin improvisations,tablas and guitar. Dark trip in the inner self.Reminds me Agitation Free,Kalacacra,and some Ash Ra Tempel spacey psych excurtions.Reissued in 2001 along with 1st,but long out of print.Don't miss this gem!
get it here


Thursday, February 21, 2008

ELOHIM-A L'AUBE DU VERSEAU, LP, 1975, FRANCE



The utterly odd and absolutely riveting conflation of stridently anthemic choral prog and queasy malevolence concocted by these French kooks sounds something like a Kobian Comus fronted by Anissette from Savage Rose. Barring one truly unholy Wakhevitch/Massiera-worthy bit of acid fried lunacy that alone is worth the price of admission, the guys and gals of Elohim (not to be confused with the later French neo-prog band of the same name) are equally at ease plying both capering bounciness and prog thunder, but whether they're serenading you like some rustic prog swains with flutes a-tootlin' or righteously intoning their stentorian elfin vocalese, there's always a weird nagging tension at the heart of their endeavor and for those with a taste for the idiosyncratically twisted, it's a thrill to be in it's thrall.


***************NEW LINK POSTED SEPTEMBER 2012***************

Get it here  

HENRI-MICHEL RASCHLE-DAEMONIA-THE MAGIC TRIP THROUGH YOUR SOUL, LP, 1981, FRANCE




Thanks to blog friend Tony Pradlik, this potently ridiculous and utterly winning lost slab of top tier fromage can now be yours to simultaneously scratch your head and shake your booty to. Regular blog visitors will know by now that I've got a big soft spot for good cheese and the combination of prog and disco is always hard to top in that department, especially when it's of French provenance, like this quasi-satantic little clusterfuck; a pagan Euro disco/prog mongrel of the highest order, which Tony succinctly summarized as sounding like "Goblin meets Horrific Child meets disco style Laibach". I can't vouch for that last bit, but he's right on the money with the rest of it; much of this ploughing a similar furrow to Maledictus Sound/Horrific Child mastermind Jean-Pierre Massiera's furry freaked tweaks on disco from this era, specifically his cheese supreme second self-titled Visitors album from 1981 (posted here a while back), a masterstroke of high camp that this frequently comes within spitting distance of.


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AG GEIGE-YACHTCLUB + BUCHTELN, TAPE, 1986, GERMANY (DDR)




Wild and brilliant Ata-Tak style Neue Deutsche Welle moves from these crazed cats from the other side of the wall whose machinations may have arrived a few years too late to ride the NDW zeitgeist of years prior, but who were intent of flying the post-Ralph freak flag for cartoonish fuckery 'til the cows come home anyway. AG Geige featured one Frank Bretschneider, whose coolly beautiful reductionist electronica has made him a central figure of European electronica culture this last decade, but back in the day, ol' Frank was proffering something rather more unfettered. Extracted from the out of print late 90's reissue of this tape release (as it came complete with bonus tracks), the vibe here is very much of a piece with their Trickbeat LP from a few years hence which I posted a while back (and which, as with this one, comes courtesy of blog friend Helga Cruel) and anyone who gets hot and bothered by giddy eccentricity should soil themselves with glee over this freakshow.


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HIRO YANAGIDA-MILK TIME, LP (CD REISSUE: 1998), 1970, JAPAN







One of the central fixtures of the the 70's Japanese psychedelic underground, wailing keyboard wiz Yanagida was a member of Nurse With Wound listers Foodbrain, Masahiko Satoh and Souondbreakers, Apryl Fool and the completely mental Love Live Life + 1, whose mindbomb I posted a while back. Milk Time was the first of four album under his own name and though it contains a handful of the pedal-to-the-metal howling hammond psych/proto-prog attacks that he's notorious for (and which was lacquered on rather thicker on his eponymous second album that Jim posted a while back), this one casts it's net further afield; outwardly bound Journeys Through Burning Brains playing footsie with harpsichord-laden moves located somewhere between Carnaby Street and Rischkas' Soul occupy equal space to the propulsive acid thunder, much of it garlanded by the stinging acid guitar of the legendary Kimio Mizutani. This scene is now finally getting it's day in the sun via Julian Cope Japrocksampler and Milk Time is one of it's stone cold classics.

Get it Here

***NOTE: THERE'S A MIRRORED MEDIAFIRE LINK IN THE COMMENT FIELD*** 

LA OTRACINA-FAUNA & ANIMATED FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS, CDR, 2003, USA




This 50 copy debut CDR by these New York space cadets (probably best known for their album on Holy Mountain) is a lovely wallow in an ever expanding 40+ minute psychotropic slurry, hollowed out early Kluster/Cluster atmospherics congealing into threshing pools of Black Dice-d turbid technicolor before giving way to outsized sequencer pulses and distended jazz rock, the lot getting sucked through the ass end of a time tunnel by the last quarter of this warped affair.


***************NEW LINK POSTED SEPTEMBER 2012***************

Get it here  

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Brigitte Fontaine Et Areski- L'incendie,LP,1974,France


Following my post about a year ago of Brigitte Fontaine with Art Ensemble of Chicago LP here's her legendary LP with Areski.Psych folk music with weird music explorations on the background. 2 of the most beautiful voices worldwide combined here ,giving a unique masterpiece.

***************NEW LINK POSTED SEPTEMBER 2012***************

Get it here 

Symphonique Elegance-Act One,LP,1983,Sweden


Legendary minimal synth LP by this Swedish ac. In the great vein of Transparent Illussion/Polyphonic Size/Moral/L' Aventure Imaginaire with female and alternating male /female vocals. A masterpiece!
get it here

The Metronomes-Regular Guys,LP,1985,Australia

Legendary minimal synth Aussie band that featured Ash Wendesday on it's line up.This is their 2d LP .Pure minimal synth/synth pop melancholic,much Bowie influenced ocal parts.
"The second album, recorded after a break in which our various lives and careers took left and right hand turns, was more premeditated in that most songs arrived already written. Each writer had creative control over their respective songs, a long-standing Metronomes road rule. Only one track had what you might call a spontaneous birth.
The reviewers were pretty much right - results are mixed, some highlights in amongst some dross. It certainly wasn't as quirky as the first, or as funny, but it had its moments. Production values were high for an indie release. Rick Lewis's sleeve was also a highlight.
This LP featured the next wave of synth toys like Oberheim synth, Oberheim drum machine and Prophet 5. Once the programming was set up, the instrument tracks (ie. their digital data) were dumped via a PCM box direct to video tape, a process which almost entirely eliminated tape hiss. Welcome to the digital age!"
Visit their website,read their history and BE SURE to purchase their new CD.

get this gem here
Dear friends please find the 2 missing tracks(2 & 5) here
sorry for the mess

Cold Sun - Dark Shadows ,LP,1989/1969,USA


Great and fantastic psychedelic LP ,recorded in 1969 but released just in 1989 that Rockadelic uearthened it!Fantastic dak psych explorations sometimes reminding 13 Floor elevators ,sometimes the darkest Doors sounds ,HP Lovecraft,etc.Very unique and much recommented.Read extensive Cold Sun history on the page Lysergia dedicated to them!
get this gem here

Liquid Sound Company - Exploring the Psychedelic ,CD,1996,USA

Liquid Sound Company is lead by John Perez of the DOOM metal band, Solitude Aeternus. The LP also features the amazing Solitude vocals as well. It is a classic record with eastern influences and a great psychedelic feeling and mix.This is a serious slab of take-no-prisoners spaced out, fuzz laden mindfucked psychedelia. Fantastic. On their 2nd release,Inside the Acid Temple, if i'm not wrong a Vas Deference Org/Muz member is involved too(Eric should know better).

get this gem here

Kopfschmerztablette - Die Gezeiten Der Zeit,tape,1991,Germany/France




Great German project of Michael Wurzer,this tape was released on Sounds For Conciousness Rape in 2001.Noisy electronic experimentations,sometimes dark ,sometimes in the great Japanese tradition vein.Reminds me much of Christan Renou mid/late 80s recordings but also some late 80s Merzbow hints can be found.
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Gas Giant vs. WE - Riding The Red Horse To The Last Stronghold Of The Freaks,LP,2001,Denmark

Great and rare nowdays space psych stoner split LP by these two legends of stoner/space rock from Denmark Released in limited edition of 500 copies in 2001. Space excurcions ,psychedelic music acrobatics,some eastern influences ,much Hawkwind inspired but also unique in its weirdness.

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Kozmic Muffin-Nautilus,LP,1994,Spain


Very rare Spanish progressive psych LP from the 90s.Released in limited edition of 500 copies and long deleted. This 70's sounding progressive rock quintet from Galicia made one of the best 90s albums in Spain. Six extended tracks plenty of superb dual guitar, Hammond organ,spacey effects... and sung in English.
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Maurizio Bianchi(M.B.)-Mectpyo Blut, tape,1979,UK

Here's the very first release of the legendary Mauricio Bianchi,under the name M.B.,from 1979.Not that harsh industrial noise outputs that can be heard in other releases ,but electronic experimental music, claustrophobic in the vein of Asmus Tiechens, early 80s recordings.Was re-released by Slaughter Productions in Italy ,in the early 90s in limited edition of 30 copies.
" Bianchi began to produce music in 1979, and since 1980 has used electronic equipment with the avowed goal "to produce technological sounds and in such a way to work on complete realising of the modern decadence".
In the beginning, he published tapes under the alias Sacher-Pelz. In 1981, William Bennett, head of the band Whitehouse and the British Come Org. label, offered Bianchi a record contract, which Bianchi signed unchecked. It was based on a "joke contract" that Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound had sketched. The contract assumed all rights to Bianchi's work. After delivery of the tapes Bennett edited-in speeches by Nazi leaders, and instead of the relatively unsensational name MB, it was published under the alias Leibstandarte SS MB, named after the SS unit that worked as bodyguards to Adolf Hitler.
Until 1984, Bianchi published on other labels intensively as either MB or simply Maurizio Bianchi, sometimes several albums and/or tapes per year, as well as numerous tracks to compilations.
Bianchi became religious and withdrew from the music business. Much of his work is sought today by collectors, especially as they appeared in extremely small editions. In 1998, encouraged by Alga Marghen label head Emanuele Carcano, who offered him a label of his own, Maurizio Bianchi started again to make music. The label is EEs'T Records, through which he released new editions of all old MB albums, as well as many new releases.
Therefore, since 1997, he was back on the underground scene, working on several projects both in solo or in collaboration with other Italian artists (Giuseppe Verticchio/NIMH, Arnaldo Pontis and Corrado Altieri/TH26, Davide Femia/MDT, Saverio Evangelista, Matteo "Hue" Uggeri/Sparkle in Grey, Emanuela De Angelis and Eugenio Maggi/Crìa Cuervos) and international (Klaus e Danijela Jochim/Telepherique, Sandro Kaiser/Frequency In Cycles Per Second, Akifumi Nakajima/Aube, David van Ravesteijn/Land Use, Siegmar Fricke, Nobu Kasahara e Hitoshi Kojo, Maor Appelbaum, Jozef Van Wissem, Craig Hilton, Philip Julian/Cheapmachines)."
From Wikipedia

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For further M B releases please visit the Direct Waves blog

Michael O. Shea-st,CD,2001/1982,USA/UK



Here's one of the most obscure Wire related releases. This gem was released by Wire specialists WMO in 2001 and it's already out of stock. Music is eperimental folk ,was originaly released in 1982 (partially) and was produced by Gilbert & Lewis. Concerning Micael O' Shea:
"Michael O'Shea was an eccentric, maverick world musician. He was a virtuoso of the Mo Cara, a 17-string instrument he invented and built, on which he created hauntingly melodic works combining elements of Celtic and Asian musics. Although primarily a busker, in the early '80s he enjoyed a brief legitimacy, releasing one album and even opening for Ravi Shankar at London's Royal Festival Hall.
O'Shea was born in Northern Ireland in 1947 but grew up in the Irish Republic. Keen to see the world, he joined the British Army at 17. However, military life didn't suit him; he went AWOL for two years and was court-martialed. On release from jail, he moved to London where he gravitated toward the folk scene, mixing with musicians like Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.
In the mid-'70s, he went to Bangladesh as a volunteer, returning with dysentery, hepatitis, and a sitar. While convalescing he learned to play the sitar and then busked around Europe and the Middle East. In France he traveled with an Algerian who played an instrument known as the zelochord. O'Shea hit on the idea of building a hybrid of a zelochord, a hammered dulcimer, and a sitar; the result was the Mo Cara (Gaelic for "my friend").
Back in London, O'Shea busked with the Mo Cara, the bizarre sight and sound of the instrument instantly attracting crowds. In early 1980, he was spotted by a talent scout for Ronnie Scott, who was fascinated by the Mo Cara's mix of East Asian, South Asian, and Irish sounds. Scott offered the Irishman a residency in his club's prestigious Downstairs Room and became his agent. This led to his opening for Ravi Shankar at the Royal Festival Hall and he even played on a Rick Wakeman project, although his contribution was subsequently discarded.
Despite encouraging signs, O'Shea's career did not take off and he returned to busking. While playing in Covent Garden, O'Shea was noticed by Tom Johnston, an early member of The The. Johnston introduced O'Shea to Wire's Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, who asked him to record for their Dome label. Due to his previous disappointments, O'Shea was ambivalent about others' efforts to launch his career and was convinced that his music was best-suited to spontaneous street performance. An invitation to Blackwing Studio was nonetheless extended. A year later, he appeared unannounced, saying his horoscope augured well, and recorded the album.
In 1982, O'Shea worked with Tom Johnston and Matt Johnson on a projected album, but nothing came of it. Later that year, he collaborated on two tracks for John Denver Stanley's Content to Write in I Dine Weathercraft. In 1985, he played on the title track of Larry Cosgrave's Easter Island. (Material from the Stanley and Cosgrave projects appeared on the 2002 CD reissue of O'Shea's self-titled album.)
In the late '80s O'Shea became involved in the burgeoning rave scene and rarely performed. In December 1991, he was struck by a van in London and died two days later.
~ Wilson Neate, All Music Guide "
get this gem here