Sunday, February 25, 2007

Neil Gaiman - MirrorMask

Helena, a 15-year-old girl in a family of circus entertainers, often wishes she could run off and join real life. After a fight with her parents about her future plans, her mother falls quite ill and Helena is convinced that it is all her fault. On the eve of her mother's major surgery, she dreams that she is in a strange world with two opposing queens, bizarre creatures, and masked inhabitants. All is not well in this new world - the white queen has fallen ill and can only be restored by the MirrorMask, and it's up to Helena to find it. But as her adventures continue, she begins to wonder whether she's in a dream, or something far more sinister.
Audiobook: here. About the author. Thanks again to the OTR-Messageboard.

Fahrenheit-451

David Calcutt's dramatisation of Ray Bradbury's classic story of a world ruled by a vast multimedia corporation, in which firemen are employed not to fight fires but to burn books.

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian soft science fiction novel

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Spliff - Radio Show












After "backing" Nina Hagen on "Nina Hagen Band" and "Unbehagen" Spliff were fed up with Nina. She wanted to do "her own thing" and have more "artistic control" and the band split with the lady. The Spliff Radio Show was the first release after Nina left. It became obvious that "the Queen of PunkRock" owed much of her fame to the brilliant backing band. Spliff was never regarded as a true Krautrock band - I guess they had too much of a "pop" appeal, but the members all had background in various legendary KR-bands, such as Lokomotiv Kreutzberg.
Radio Show (1980), is hilarious - it is somewhat of a record industry spoof. Totally over-produced. Packed with kitsch sarcasm, SRS really tried to bite off the hand that fed them; CBS. Or at least it seemed so. It is difficult to describe the album, it has elements of pop-rock, synth-rock, disco, prog-rock and krautrock. All with tongue in cheek. Enjoy this gem! Part1 and part2. pass: mercury. Thanks to this place, for sharing this moment in history. (go there for even more spliff)


Lyrics Producers:

WE ARE PRODUCERS
Turning all the knobs that move the music scene
WE ARE PRODUCERS
Cleaning all the tapes erasing what's obscene

We are the engineers
we call ourselves producers
Making records doing sounds
we're really the inducers
Take control ot music's Soul
we twist and bend to fit the trend
Compressor's in and reverb's out
we change the mix without a doubt

WE ARE PRODUCERS . . . . etc.

We'll route the drums in 1 and 2
then we take an FRQ
DDL with ABC
THD sounds good to me
Cut the bass and keyboards out
leave guitar but not so loud
An echo here an echo there
harmonizing everywhere

WE ARE PRODUCERS . . . . etc.

First class technics in our hand
––––––––––––––––?–––schwitz!
To get a hit is only luck
cause what we do's a filthy fire truck
We don't care about energy
the future will be warm
Overkill capacities
in our nuclear mixing board
mixing board
mixing board
Bang! bang! bang! bang! bang! bang! bang!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Now, will I go to Hell?

If there is a Hell, who would you like to see in it?
Dimmu Borghild
George Bush jr
Vladimir Putin
Dave Lesar
William Shatner
Paris Hilton
Gene Simmons
= view results =

Monday, February 19, 2007

problems getting your search right?

Van Halen's 40 gigs

Executives estimate the Van Halen reunion tour, based on a guaranteed fee of $850,000 per show, would likely generate sales of at least $34 million. Which in comparison, is the same as the GNP for the Republic of Vanuatu.
For that amount I guess most anybody could cope with some harassment at the workplace. Wolfgang - Eddie van Halen's 15 year old son, will replace Michael Anthony on bass.

Would you believe it, the guy in the corner is David Lee Roth

Btw, another Dave - Mr. Dave Lesar, CEO of Halliburton, has made himself a reputable $42 million for his gigs down in Iraq. Lesar's gigs are funded in full by the poor, the elderly, the sick, the needy and the future illiterate of USA - now THAT's generosity! Lesar is not much of a singer though, but the pyro is stunning.

Friday, February 16, 2007

YMA SUMAC "Mambo!"

A singer with an amazing four-octave range, Yma Sumac was said to have been a descendant of Inca kings, an Incan princess that was one of the Golden Virgins. Her offbeat stylings became a phenomenon of early-’50s pop music. While her album covers took advantage of her strange costumes and voluptuous figure, rumors abounded that she was, in actuality, a housewife named Amy Camus. It mattered little because there has been no one like her before or since in the annals of popular music. Dl here. Pass: elcrowley.blogspot.com. Original post provided by Elcrowley - a blog with all the partymusic you need if you're serving cocktails in tiki-surrounding.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Hippies in space

Kosmos

Now this is something different! Kosmos brings together a collection of music from East German Sci-Fi movies from the '60's & '70's. Composed by Karl-Ernst Sasse & Günther Fischer, two of East Germany's most important movie soundtrack composers, the music on this CD/LP is a real smorgasbord of styles; from groovy beat, to folk and through to ambient and weird electronic noises. Interspersed with vocal and electronic SFX from the movies themselves, listening to this collection is like taking a fascinating long and weird intergalactic journey. Turn the lights out, listen and get spaced out! RS link. Original post.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Twist in the DDR

A true gem from the marvellous Bear Family record-company. Remember that great box Atomic Platters? It is a must, go buy it! This time the Mister-Happy blog has a great glimpse into ostalgia with the compilation "Twist in der DDR". DL link here. Original link that also includes a second compilation; Twist in Germany here.

I can't wait to hear: Susi Schuster - Jodel-Twist

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Anna Politkovskaya

"Today, state-authorities are only interested in making money.
Really, it is their main objective!
If anybody think they can find comfort in "optimistic" warnings,
then let them do so. It is at least an easy thing to do,
but at the same time also a death sentence over our grand-children"
Anna Politkovskaya

Friday, February 09, 2007

Shatner

Alot of people seemingly HATE William Shatner. Why? I haven't got a clue... He has a book titled "Get a Life", and his new CD is called "Has been" he is at least blessed with irony. Now, the cd, produced by Ben Folds - is not bad at all! It is surely lightyears from Steven Segals attemts to produce Buddhist Blues or whatever... Shatner's earlier vinyl releases, solo and with Spock are hilarious, and can easily be found on the net.
Here's a link to a guy that really hates Shatner, all just because he didn't get his book signed in a pleasing manner, then he made this hate-page. He got his book signed - Get a life (sic) - but failed to act on the instruction conveyed in the title. (double sic)
Thanks to Stay Free (blog) - you can get Has Been Here. Original post here.

daba daba daba dum dum dum

A very cool group that's as groovy as their name! The Jumping Jacques were a 60s French vocal group who took elements of other French groups -- like The Swingle Singers or Les Double Six -- and worked in a mode that was very mod, and very 60s! The tunes on the set sparkle with inventive vocal pyrotechnics -- dipping bass parts, floating soprano lines, skipping scatting tenor and alto bits -- all coming together in a lovely blend of male and female vocals, dancing lightly with all the charm of Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66. Most tracks are non-verbal -- in that the vocals are working in more of a scatting instrumental mode, jazzily grooving on a set of original tunes by leader Jacques Hendrix. Very cool, and very much in the mode of mid 60s Michel Legrand soundtracks, The Gimmicks, and other bits of European grooviness!
Thanks to the ever excellent Martian Shaker - you can get it here. Original post and tracklist here. Btw, you might want to check out Weirdomusic if you're into this...

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Start your day Totally Fuzzed

Want to keep up with the latest of interesting audible entries on the net?

Well, do as I - and start the day with a pot of tea, and a visit to Totally Fuzzy .

It is a remarkable site that is updated several times daily.

Many of my "net findings" have often been through TF.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

Storytellers, patriots, beatniks, rednecks, zealots, activists, dreamers, poets, actors who can't sing, politicians, fans, commentators, and psychos. They all talk. And they do it to music.

I'm not sure exactly what to call this genre--spoken word is the closest, I suppose. Many of these tracks are amusing, a few intentionally so. Although much of the material here is a freak show, there is occasional talent, such as Ken Nordine. Some of the recordings are from my own vinyl, but the majority are from other sources, including 365 Days, Golden Throats, and other compilations. Thanks to mfooz, for compiling this pile of weirdness. Get it now, no waiting; Volume 1 and Volume 2
original post

Monday, February 05, 2007

Heinlein! (a lot of sci-fi lately...)

Thanks to the excellent Bongolong Land blog, you can get these two 1951 Heinlein short stories; The Green Hills of Earth and Space Jockey. Here. Both stories are read by Colin Fox.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Mrs. Miller

Mrs. Miller's success, like that of Florence Foster Jenkins and Wing, was undoubtedly due to the perceived awfulness of her singing. It seems that Capitol were keen to emphasize this—in a 1967 interview with Life magazine, she said that during recording sessions she was conducted half a beat ahead or behind time, and the worst of several different recordings of a song would be included on the finished record. She claimed to be initially unaware that her technical inability was being ridiculed, but eventually realised what was going on. At first she resented this, but eventually decided to play along with the joke. Nonetheless, she later attributed her split with Capitol to her wanting to sing "straight" and record ballads, and Capitol wanting to continue with the "so bad it's good" angle.

Dana Countryman, former editor of "Cool and Strange Music Magazine" has made this bio on Elva.

Thanks to Wiel's timecapsule, you can get Mrs. Miller's "Does Her Ting" on Rogerpost or Mediafire.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Philip K. Dick - A Scanner Darkly

A Scanner Darkly is a 1977 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. The semi-autobiographical story was set in a dystopian Orange County, California in the future of June 1994. The book includes an extensive portrayal of drug culture and drug use.

The title is a reference to a passage in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13, which states:

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.


The book's protagonist is required to view clips of his life on a "scanner", a holographic recorder/projector. In Chapter 13 of the book, the protagonist muses that he has seen his life with a scanner, but came no closer to properly perceiving his life than St Paul with his primitive mirror (or "glass"). True understanding, he suggests, will come only when "death" is defeated.

Read by Paul Giamatti - Files are mp3/64kbs/9.5hrs (Unabridged)
part 1 - part 2 - part 3 -
Password is 18rlp6xvy42

HP Lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu

"The Call of Cthulhu" is one of H. P. Lovecraft's best-known short stories. Written summer 1926, it was first published in Weird Tales, February 1928.[1] It is the only story penned by Lovecraft in which the extraterrestrial entity Cthulhu himself makes a major appearance.

It is written in a documentary style, with three independent narratives linked together by the device of a narrator discovering notes left by a deceased relative. The narrator pieces together the whole truth and disturbing significance of the information he possesses, illustrating the story's first line: "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents."

part 1(mp3/96kbps) part 2 (mp3/96kbps)