August 18, 2015 Playlist

"Ege Bamyasi" by Can (1972)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Can  "Ege Bamyasi"  1972 (Germany/Japan)
The "jam band" has become a genre in its own right by the 21st century, but the root of this tree goes back to the end of the 1960's when pioneering eclectically-oriented musicians with serious chops and training took rock elements and instruments and essentially used a rock framework to improvise somewhat in the style of jazz musicians (and somewhat not; the whole point is that it's a new form of rock and not "jazz fusion"). American groups like The Band, Allman Brothers Band and of course Grateful Dead are probably the first groups that most would name, but around the same time a slew of great German groups were doing something similar "but more European."  The greatest "Euro jam band" was undoubtedly THE CAN (as they were originally known), consisting of four superlative musical explorers with backgrounds in classical, electronic and jazz music and a "foreign" singer making up lyrics. The group's first singer was an African American ex-G.I. named Malcolm Mooney who split by 1970, only to be replaced by the notorious Damo Suzuki, who is probably the only singer in the history of rock who always makes up his lyrics on the spot (being a Japanese fella in Germany singing mostly in English, it's pretty clear that his approach is more about the way words sound than what they mean). Ege Bamyasi (Turkish for "Ege brand okra", the title is pronounced something like eh-geh bum-yah-see) was the third of four releases during the classic Suzuki years, and in some ways is the most important of the bunch. Soundtracks had been what the title implied: songs from movies and TV featuring the final Mooney performances and the first by Damo. Next, Tago Mago is a masterpiece of psychedelic rock improv, but it definitely a bit of a period piece. However, this Okra album seems more of a piece with the futuristic post-modern music of artists like NEU! and Brian Eno. (The final Damo record Future Days of 1973 is also quite excellent but doesn't tread any ground they hadn't already trod by then; after that they became a quartet and focused more on instrumental music).
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THEESatisfaction RecognitionEarthEE (N)2015 (Sub Pop)USA
   
 
MagmaMekanik Machine7" single (Simples CD)1974
France
VangelisAlphaAlbedo 0.391976
Greece
   
 
CanVitamin CEge Bamyasi
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK 		1972
Germany/Japan
CanPinchEge Bamyasi
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK 		1972
Germany/Japan
OrganisationMilk RockTone Float1970
Germany
CanTurtles Have Short LegsB-side 7" single (Cannibalism 2 CD) 1971
Germany/Japan
   
 
Guru GuruDer ElektrolurchGuru Guru1973
Germany
FaustNo HarmSo Far1972
Germany
 
  
Suuns & Jerusalem In My Heart 2amoutu I7tirakanSuuns And Jerusalem In My Heart (N)2015 (Secretly Canadian)Canada (Quebec)
& Lebanon/Canada
John Carpenter VortexLost Themes (N)2014 (Sacred Bones)USA
Squarepusher D Frozent AacDamogen Furies (N)2015 (Warp)UK
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Four Tet Evening Side (excerpt)Morning / Evening (N)2015 (Text)UK
Eternal Tapestry Maidenhair SpleenwortWild Strawberries (N)2015 (Thrill Jockey)USA
 
  
S. Araw "Trio" XI TrellisGazebo Effect (N)2015 (Drag City)USA
      
   
   
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