- Artist: Money Mark
- Title: Push the Button
- Year: 1998
- Format: CD
- Rating (1-10): 10
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1998 – Advance copy?
- Keeper: Yes
Genius! Genius I tell you! More Money Mark greatness today. This record is deep! Somehow this disk is even better than the first. I don’t know where or how I got this advance copy of Push the Button but it’s good to have friends that know what’s going on. This record has a lot more vocals and that’s just more to love. Mark’s lyrics are brilliant and at times poignant. His voice is perfect for his unique style of music. Noise, techno, electronic, gospel, soul, funk, rock and jazz are all in the mix.
I have played Push the Button for countless people over the years and I have never met anyone who didn’t love it. And if there are people out there who don’t dig it I doubt I want to meet them.
Push the button
Push the button
Open the door and let me come innnnnn…
Money Mark at MySpace
Proper cover art for Push the Button at Wikipedia
Clips and review at AllMusic
- Artist: Money Mark
- Title: Mark’s Keyboard Repair
- Year: 1995
- Format: CD
- Rating (1-10): 10
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1995 – Dunno where
- Keeper: Yes
Money Mark is the greatest. He’s played with everyone from Beck to the Beastie Boys, but the truth is, even though I love those artists, I play his music much more often. Mark’s Keyboard Repair has 30 tracks. You’re probably thinking “that’s too much” but I assure after one listen you’ll start thinking “I want more.” Some folks describe this recording as demo quality, but I disagree. It’s free and loose but the sound is perfect. Many of the songs are only about a minute long. In some ways it feels less like a typical album and more like the cue track to your favorite unmade movie. Give it a spin and pretend you’re the star.
Gimme more Money Mark…
MoneyMark.com
Money Mark at Wikipedia
- Artist: Elastica
- Title: Connection
- Year: 1995
- Format: CD
- Rating (1-10): 9
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1995? – Promo from…
- Keeper: Yes
I think I got this from Bob Schick when I was visiting Richmond. He was (is?) a buyer at Plan 9 Records (now “Music”) and always had more promo stuff than you can imagine. Anyhow, this is a fantastic single. When it was new I was turned off by the retro vibe, but I’m over that now. Bring the retro back! Make it double retro… or something like that. This is the only Elastica music I own, and it’s only two minutes long.
Tip: Elastica makes a great starting point for your next Jango station.
Jerry Van Rooyen -- At 250 Miles Per Hour
- Artist: Jerry Van Rooyen
- Title: At 250 Miles Per Hour
- Year: 1996?
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 8
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: Amazon? – 1998
- Keeper: Yes
At 250 Miles Per Hour was put out by a German label with a seriously painful name, Crippled Dick Hot Wax. Jerry Van Rooyen had a habit of writing original scores for strange late ’60s movies that were either horror or soft porn, and sometimes both. Maybe even weirder than that is the fact that this sub-sub-genre of swinging music has a solid cult following.
How did I hear about it? No, mom, I wasn’t watching “The Castle of Bloody Lust” when Mr. Van Rooyen’s grooving jazz caught my attention. It was a comedy from 1998 that featured William Shatner called Free Enterprise. The producers, wisely, chose to re-use Rooyen’s kicking number “The Great Train Robbery” to open the movie. I recommend the movie and the tunes. I play this CD all the time, all the time.
My favorite song is the exquisitely short “Fabienne Is Going Wild.” It’s barely over one minute and it’s the best strip music I’ve ever heard. If it were any longer people’s clothes would start flying. Check out the clips.
- Artist: Klaxons
- Title: Myths of the Near Future
- Year: 2007
- Format: CD
- Rating (1-10): 7
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 2007 – Christmas gift from Mary
- Keeper: Yes
Psychedelic? Well, that’s what I read about these guys, Klaxons. But it’s a modern psychedelic, not like The Music Machine (original) or Plasticland (neo-psych), or even like the current stoner rock bands. This is more original, although there are moments that remind me of Gaye Bykers on Acid. There are lots of strange sounds and trippy lyrics but absolutely no self-indulgent protracted freak out jam sessions. In fact, most of the songs are pretty rhythmic, even “sing-along” and dance-able. My favorite is “Gravity’s Rainbow.”
I mentioned Klaxons a good while back. And it’s taken me a good while to get into Myths of the Near Future, but now that I’m tuned in and turned on, I’m digging it… man. Just kidding! Nothing retro about Klaxons. Maybe they’re future-psychedelic.
Check ‘em out.
