My love of Chicago's Numero Group Label was fairly solidified before they went & found the secret Wichita, KS soul scene of the mid to late 60's. I live in Kansas and had never heard about the soul scene in Wichita until this release came out. It's a wonderful collection based around the Smart Brothers and the Neal Brothers and the Smart's Palace club and restaurant they ran and played in. There are some crazy good soul sides on this release, especially by Baby Neal & The Smart Brothers. The compilation also includes other related acts like Fred Williams & The Jewel Band & Theron & Darrell. The liner notes recount the Smart Brothers tearing up the club night after night, playing the sax behind their back, jumping from table to table and just plain belting out a lungful of soul.

Here's my 3 favorite cuts from Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace. They'll put you on the floor.

Baby Neal & The Smart Brothers - I've Got a Funny Feeling (1966)

Baby Neal & The Smart Brothers - I'm Not Ashamed (1965)

Fred Williams & The Jewels Band - Tell Her (1969)

Buy this amazing album over at the Numero Group. I recommend the 2LP.

Hey everyone,

So its been awhile since I uploaded anything. But forget that and listen to this. Mississippi Records and Canary Records just released a vinyl only compilation called String of Pearls: A Collection of International 78's. On it is an 1946 release by Shalom Katz entitled Eil Malei Rachmim. It's breathtakingly powerful. According to the liner notes, Shalom was a Holocaust survivor and had been slated for execution. While digging his own grave, he supposedly sang this song and it stirred the guards so much that they postponed his execution. He was able to survive the war beyond that and emigrated to the USA following the war.

I know old 78rpm Jewish folk tunes are not the rage these days, but you have to hear this.

Shalom Katz - Eil Malei Rachmim [1946]

UPDATE: Smeg Pole from The Scrotum Poles has asked me to pull down a couple of these songs. I hope to continue sharing the rest and will update again in a few days.

The Scrotum Poles were a punk band from Dundee, Scotland and they had one real release, a 5 song EP called Revelation that came out in 1980 and its just about perfect.

Check it out here - [Closed Link] The Scrotum Poles - Revelation EP

Tracklisting:
1. Why Don't You Come Out Tonight?
2. Night Train
3. Pick The Cat's Eyes Out
4. Helicopter Honeymoon
5. Radio Tay

Its about as simple and wonderful as pop-punk can get at that time period.

Enjoy.

Hey everyone,

I caught Alabama band, Thomas Function, the other night at the Replay Lounge here in Lawrence and had a blast. They have a relatively new 7" out on Fat Possum Records called Belly of the Beast. Its a wonderful little pop diddy that reminds me of older perfected Poster Children. Check it out.

They also just started a very long European tour and I'm sure they'd love you to come out to a show if you live on that side of the pond.

Thomas Function - Belly of the Beast (MP3)

I've completely fallen in love with older gospel from the post war period that more or less is categorized as sanctified blues and soul and this love stems entirely from discovering the gospel compilations on Mississippi Records. MR only does vinyl and is a current obsession of mine.

Now last year, they released the LP, Life Is a Problem and I flipped my lid over it. It was probably my favorite release of all last year.

And here's why -
The Crumb Brothers - Seat In the Kingdom [MP3]
(This song is unf__king-believable. The lead vocalist is a 10yr old boy named Sugar and he will devastate you)

Other stand outs on the LP included

Elder Charles Beck - Rock & Roll Sermon 1 & 2 [MP3]
Rev. Lonnie Farris - A Night in the House Of Prayer [MP3]
Tom Dutson - Lil' School Song [MP3]
and for a very limited 1st Pressing, MR included a 7" Bonus with the LP that was
George 'Bongo' Coleman - This Old World is in a Terrible Condition [MP3]

THEN THIS YEAR, MR put out a followup LP, Oh Graveyard, You Can't Hold Me Always. And it was just as mind-blowingly wonderful as the 1st LP. This music will make you feel unlike anything else.

From OGYCHMA -
Mosby Family Singers - Eternal Life [MP3]
Laura Rivers - That's Alright [MP3]
James Carter & The Mighty Stars - You Don't Know [MP3]
Silver Quintette - Sinner's Crossroads [MP3]

Even if you've never enjoyed gospel, please give this music a listen. It's so worth it and next week I'll upload that awesome face-melting grindcore I've been listening to.

Hey everybody,

Thought I'd pop on real quick at Xmas time with a treat for you.

Black Christmas are a wonderful instrumental rock band from Lawrence, KS and they have a new album called "By Way of Decay" thats splendid in every genuine way. I recommend the warm sound of it on vinyl. Here's a cut from the A side for you entitled The Black Heva.

Black Christmas - The Black Heva (192 kbps MP3)

RIYL: Mogwai, GYBE, Bardo Pond.

Contact them to grab a copy before it's gone.

Black Christmas Myspace.

Jimmy Murphy - We Live a Long, Long Time [1951]
78rpm RCA Victor
Reissued: Sixteen Tons of Rock & Roll
Buy it Here.

{{{Sunset}}} - Dear Friend (Falling Domino) [2008]
Album: The Glowing City
Buy it Here.

Negativland - Perfect Scrambled Eggs [1987]
Compilation: Potatoes: Folk Songs From Ralph Records
Out of Print.

CPC Gangbangs - Teenage Crimewave [2007]
Album: Mutilation Nation
Buy it Here.

Anandji & Kalyanji Shah - Ganges a Go-Go [1999]
Compiled and remixed by Dan the Automator & DJ Shadow
Album: Bombay the Hard Way
Buy it here.

Alton Ellis & The Flames - Dance Crasher [1966]
Treasure Isle 7"
Reissued: Be True to Yourself: The Early Years
Buy it here.

The Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal [2008]
Album: S/T
Buy it Here.

Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause - Man in Love [2008]
Album: The Rustic Contemporary Sounds of ...
Buy it Here.

The Crumb Brothers - Seat in the Kingdom [19??]
Compilaton LP: Life is a Problem
Buy it Here.

Portishead - Deep Water [2008]
Album: Third
Buy it Here.

Abe Vigoda - Endless Sleeper [2008]
Album: Skeleton
Buy it Here.

Fallen World - Color Coded System (Epsilon Remix) [2007]
12" Epsilon/Maladroit "Dance Like You´re Spelling Gurdjieff"
Buy it Here.

Genghis Tron - Endless Teeth [2008]
Album: Board Up the House
Buy it here.

The Evil - I'm Movin' On [1966]
7" Norton Split w/ The Montells
Buy it Here.

Santogold vs Diplo - The Guns of Brooklyn [2008]
/ The Dixie Cups - Iko Iko (Diplo remix)
Album: Top Ranking Santogold - A Diplo Dub
Buy it Here.

Giant Sand - The Desperate Kingdom of Love [2008]
Album: proVISIONS
Buy it Here.

The Wilders - Someone's Got To Pay [2008]
Album: Someone's Got To Pay
Buy it Here.

Dion McGregor - The Great Waltz Party [1964]
Album: Dion McGregor Dreams Again
Buy it Here.

Pissed Jeans - I'm Turning Now [2007]
Album: Hope For Men
Buy it Here.

The French - Punk Rock's Going To Die [2003]
Recorded July 3, 2003 John Peel Session
No Commercial Release Available

Tom Dutson - Lil' School Song [195?]
Compilation LP: Life is a Problem
Buy it Here.

Alton Ellis & Eddy Perkins - We're Going Rollin' [196?]
Reissued: Nuclear Weapon: Duke Reid The Trojan
Buy it here.

Sad news.
Alton Ellis, the godfather of Rocksteady, passed away at the age of 70 in London over the weekend.

There's not a damn more splendid tune to dance and remember the man by.

Alton Ellis & Eddy Perkins -
We're Going Rollin' (MP3)

So I watched Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Loves of a Blonde) the other night. It's Milos Forman's breakout Czech film before he graced our shores here in the US. The film was genuine and nice, but what I couldn't get out of my head was the opening song played live acoustically by a woman who wasn't even a character in the storyline. She just appears and pounds out this rocking tune on the guitar and then the story starts. I can't read Czech, but I think that Evžen Illín wrote the song. If you know, let me in on it.

I ripped this MP3 straight from the DVD.

Evžen Illín - Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Loves of a Blonde) [MP3]