The World's Strangest Record! (?)

[Jim Sangrey]

Or so claims http://home.teleport.com/~jfitz/music/oddb...allarchive.html

I don't know about "strange", but there's SOMETHING going on here, and I think I like it.

From the site, w/links to mp3 files provided

Wee Willie Shantz
Kings Bros. Trio

Hush Puppy Hush http://jfitz.laughingsquid.net/audio/oddba...shPuppyHush.mp3
Wm. Shanks ©19?? Spot Pub. B.M.I.; (mono 45rpm Mark Twain (St. Louis 18, MO.) 79568)

Coo Coo Bird http://jfitz.laughingsquid.net/audio/oddba...-CooCooBird.mp3
Sax. Leroy Harris
Wm. Shanks-H. Dixon ©19?? Spot Pub. B.M.I.; (mono 45rpm Mark Twain (St. Louis 18, MO.) 79569)


— Friends, you are in for a treat. This record is truly beyond description but I'll try. Can you imagine John Cage jamming with Negativland inside a moving boxcar full of victrolas... or perhaps an old backwoods codger, swigging mash whiskey from a facejar, has been working on these songs for 40 years and he finally got a chance to record them, but the only band he could find was a family of occultists who live at the junkyard. Anyway this record has it all -- prepared sound objects, recording manipulation, sing-speak vocal somewhere between nursery rhyme and shaman ritual, semi-aleatoric stringed instruments, and even a sublime saxophone solo.

Even the handwriting on the label tells a story. I can see the original owner writing her name on the label, and then putting the record on her turntable. After listening for about about twenty seconds, she tears the record from the player and slashes two marks on the label, to remind herself "Never play this record again!" She then stores the record in the kitchen and uses it to grate Parmesan cheese. Eventually, after the grooves loose their edge, she props open the screendoor with it. In other words, the condition of this vinyl is saddening. Add that the recording session and process were very noisy and chaotic. However, I did digitally repair the worst of the vinyl damage. Just be prepared to "eat your fried mush", OK?

If you know anything about Wee Willie Shantz and company, please contact me. I would love to learn any details.

If you know a slab of vinyl stranger than this one, please contact me, because until then, I declare this to be The World's Strangest Record!

[Uli]

far out, Jim!

Jim, Coo Coo Bird is my favorite of the two. One wonders what Old Smoky was smokin'. It reminds me a bit of early Yoko. Definitely a (or the ) most bizarre single.

Now I'm ready for the loosest of Ayler, the cagiest of Cage.

[Dr Dave]

Actually, it sounds like a guy with three or four reel-to-reel tape recorders, each one off-speed. He's turning the recorders on and off (I think that's the click you hear just before each new section of music) while reciting over the music (?). The sax solo is indeed wonderfully executed. The whole site is pretty neat. "Bombolero" by Dan Belloc and his Orchestra--Led Zep coulda really done something with this one.

[Sand]

This recording is strange, but is it cooler than Iceman Is?

[Dr Dave]

I think Terje Isungset has missed his calling. He has a great future in a gamelan orchestra.

[Sand]

Listened to "Hush" and "Coo Coo": This is mainstream strange, isn't it?

[graypencil]

At the urging of Dr Dave ( who has remembered my esoteric compost pile of terrible music ..which definitely qualifys as "strange" ), I will be gald to offer some examples of the very worst of people dealing with music ..if anyone is interested:

the problem is: I am not technically or mentally equipped to post mp3s of this dreck ..SO:

if anyone wants to contact me off list with a snail mail drop, I'll be glad to burn you a CD of some select musical smegma ..which you can in turn post at your leisure ..

WARNING >>>> DISCLAIMER >>>>>TOXIC MUSIC AREA >>>>>>

be sure to waer gloves, a face mask , ajnd ear plugs when dealing with this crap

thank ewe 4 ur sup hort ..

gp

[Sand]

Originally posted by Dr Dave
I think Terje Isungset has missed his calling. He has a great future in a gamelan orchestra.

Dave, you're in the middle of mist in this matter.