Various -- No Age - A Compilation of SST Instrumental Music
- Artist: Various
- Title: No Age – A Compilation of SST Instrumental Music
- Year: 1987
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 6
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1987 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
- Keeper: Maybe
This SST compilation of challenging instrumental music is full of big names, cult names, and just names. Check out the list below and decide for yourself which artists belong in which categories. I have records by many of these folks and I’ve also seen a number of them live. I don’t know if I’ll ever play this double album again. Some tracks were fantastic, but some were just annoying post-prog-rock-for-nerds. Again, decide for yourself who belongs where.
- Black Flag
- Blind Idiot God
- Henry Kaiser
- Elliott Sharp
- Lee Ranaldo
- Lawndale
- Glenn Phillips
- Pell Mell
- Paper Bag
- Scott Colby
- Lawndale
- Paper Bag
- Universal Congress Of
- Steve Fisk
- Gone
- Alter-Natives
- Elliott Sharp
- Fred Frith & Henry Kaiser
- Artist: King Crimson
- Title: Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
- Year: 1973
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 8
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 2006 – A gift from Keith.
- Keeper: Yes
Today is a “K” day. Even though I’m playing 7-inches this time through I decided to go with King Crimson’s LP “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” because:
- my good friend Keith just bought this for me on eBay
- this K-day is also for K-eith, his wife K-erah and their un-alliteratively-named son Max
- and I get to postpone writing about another Kajagoogoo record
I don’t know much about King Crimson, but this one is Keith’s favorite. I like it too, and was surprised how “progressive”, in a good way, this record was and is. My favorite cuts are the title tracks that bookend the album. After a few minutes of almost ambient noodling the opening track slams you with a metallic riff in 7/8 time signature. I like surprises. Except for the vocals, in some ways this album reminds me a lot of the Gamalon record I’ve already logged here. But Gamalon came along over a decade later.
Did Gorillaz really sample the laugh at the end of “Easy Money”?
- Artist: Can
- Title: Sacrilege
- Year: 1997
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 5
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 2002 ? – My brother Grayson bequeathed this to me with a bunch of other vinyl.
- Keeper: Maybe
This one poses an alphabetizing challenge. The band is Can, but these are other artists doing remixes. Should it be under “various artists”? Nah.
I don’t know much about Can, but from a little reading I’ve done I wish I did. Very much ahead of their time and timeless at the same… time. Someone described them as a prototypical Radiohead. These remixes, all three records worth, I’m sure sound very little like the originals. On the whole it’s very electronic. If you’re into that you’ll like it. There are a few stunning tracks.
- Artist: Gamalon
- Title: Self-titled
- Year: 1987
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 8
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1987 – Promo when I was working at Mother’s Records & Tapes in Hampton, VA.
- Keeper: Yes
Just got back from house hunting in Oregon. Oh, yes. I think we’re moving there.
If you’re a guitarist you really should check this out. This is an instrumental jazz/rock or “fusion” album. I’m not usually into that kinda stuff but these guys shred. It’s hard to explain the sound, but once you’ve heard this record it’s even harder to not like it.
