Franz-Josef Degenhardt - Da frierst du vor Gemütlichkeit (1967)

Learned and versatile, German poet, novelist, folksinger, and noted attorney Franz Josef Degenhardt was born December 3, 1931. He began releasing records in the early '60s and hasn't let up, with some 50 album titles in his personal discography, the most recent appearing in 2006. Degenhardt is also an accomplished novelist, with a half dozen largely autobiographical novels to his name.

This is a compilation of chansons by Franz-Josef Degenhardt.


Tracklist:

A1 Tante Th'rese
A2 Horsti Schmandhoff
A3 Weintrinker
A4 Rumpelstilzchen
A5 Väterchen Franz
B1 Spiel nicht mit den Schmuddelkindern
B2 Armer Felix
B3 Tonio Schiavo
B4 Deutscher Sonntag
B5 Umleitung

Franz-Josef Degenhardt - Da frierst du vor Gemütlichkeit (1967)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Dig This - A Tribute To The Great Strike (1985)

This album was dedicated to the British miners who went on strike during 1984 and 1985. The album features a head-spinning stylistic variety; the driving folk-punk of The Men They Couldn't Hang, the twisted art-country of the Mekons, the loping reggae-punk of Omega Tribe, the frightening anglo-synth rap of Akimbo, the accusatory goth-rock of Leningrad Sandwich, the fierce noise-punk of The Ex, the anarcho-weirdness of The Posion Girls, the hard-to-classify Steve Lake and, of course, the only band on earth who can be described as both Crass' heirs and one-hit wonders, Chumabawamaba.

Side A features live recordings from Southbank Poly, side B has some studio recordings.

Musicians became involved in the strike in three basic ways. Firstly, some wrote and recorded songs dealing with issues related to the dispute. For example "Soul Deep" (Council Collective) was a call to action in the name of class solidarity with the miners. Others emphasized the physical and emotional hardship endured by the miners. Robert Calvert recorded "All the machines are quiet", in which a fictional miner delclared, "The winter´s coming / We need new shoes / I´m selling the car".

Secondly, some groups went one step further and gave the profits from songs or albums to striken miners or their supporters. The most significant example of this was "Soul Deep", 100.000 copies of which were sold. The raised money was donated to the Women Against Pit Closures organization and the wife of the taxi driver who had been accidentally killed while taking a working miner to his colliery. Other benefit songs were made by Chumbawamba, Robert Wyatt, Henry Cow or The Ex. Numerous compilation albums were released, including the featured "Dig This - A Tribute To The Great Strike". Many musicians also performed at benefit concerts, the proceeds from which were donated to striking miners or used to support them.  

Finally, a smaller number of artists attended picket lines and demonstrations in support of the miners. These included Paul Heaton of the Housemartins, Jimmy Somerville of Bronski Beat (later of the Communards), The Redskins, the Flying Pickets, Paul Weller and Billy Bragg.

Thanks a lot to http://musicruinedmylife.blogspot.de for inspiration and words.

Tracklist:
A1 Poison Girls - Cry
A2 Poison Girls - Voodoo Pappadollar
A3 Mekons - Flitcraft
A4 Mekons - Trouble Down South
A5 Men They Couldn't Hang - Jack Dandy
A6 Men They Couldn't Hang - Rawhide

B1 Akimbo - The Rap
B2 Steve Lake - Turn Out The Lights
B3 Leningrad Sandwich - We Will Rise
B4 The Ex - We've Got Everything We Never Wanted
B5 Omega Tribe - Young John
B6 Chumbawamba - The Police Have Been Wonderful
B7 Chumbawamba -   Fitzwilliam



VA - Dig This - A Tribute To The Great Strike (1985)
(320 kbps, front cover included)

Hugh Masekela - I Am Not Afraid (1974)

In 1974, Hugh Masekela had already scored a chart-topping hit in the USA, where he’d been living in exile since the early 1960s. He was hanging out with jazz greats: John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Dizzie Gillepsie are names that pepper the pages of his biography Still Grazing - a nod to his Grammy-winning crossover hit ‘Grazin’ in the Grass’. He’d essentially ‘made it’ - he was living the American dream and no one could tell him otherwise. Suddenly, he found himself right in the middle of America’s high-brow society. With commercial success came the trappings of fame. He left a trail of bad decisions and broken promises, and these eventually caught up with him in the 70s. He was in need of an exit strategy, a remedy to the mounting distractions and dissatisfaction.

It was in the midst of this self-loathing that he walked to his piano and started playing the tune to what would straddle generations and continues to reverberate with music enthusiasts. ‘Stimela’, a staple in his live sets, appears as the last track on I Am Not Afraid. It was the impetus Hugh needed to wean himself off the trappings he’d grown to despise. Elsewhere on the album, every song demonstrates a stylistic leap in Masekela’s abilities, aided by his new backing band, Ghana’s Hedzoleh Sounds, who he’d met through his friend Fela Kuti. Congas set the tone on album opener ‘Night in Tunisia’. More percussive instruments follow - shakers, calabash, then a bassline groove and a crunchy, funky guitar lick. It’s a reworking of a Dizzy Gillepsie composition that infuses the original with refreshing ideas. ‘Been Such A Long Time’ is less psychedelic; more contained. Hugh’s raspy voice coasts atop Joe Sample’s piano. The result is a subtle tribute to his home, South Africa, a place he’d been absent from since leaving on a one-way ticket in the quest for creative and political freedom.

Masekela spent a considerable amount of time travelling and living in countries across Africa, from his palatial lifestyle in Liberia, to then-Zaire, where he was involved in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, the legendary stand-off between boxing greats Mohammed Ali and George Foreman. The result of these extended stays are songs that give accurate portraits of how people live across the continent - from women going about their duties (‘In the Market Place’) to insight into Liberian initiation rituals (‘African Secret Society’).

I Am Not Afraid is Masekela’s way of reclaiming his being, of charting new territory and not holding back. The album stands as a time-tested testament to the great things that result when artists push themselves to new heights. - http://musicinafrica.net

Tracklist:

01. Night in Tunisia
02. Been such a long time gone
03. In the market place
04. Jungle Jim
05. African secret society
06. Nina
07. Stimela (Coaltrain)


Hugh Masekela - I Am Not Afraid (1974)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Soledad Bravo‎ - Canciones De La Nueva Trova Cubana Vol. 2

Soledad Bravo is born in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain. Her father was a Spanish republican, moving to Venezuela with his family when his daughter was still at an early age. At 24, Soledad began studying architecture and philosophy at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where she also began performing.

One year later, in 1968, she released her debut titled Soledad Bravo Canta (Soledad Bravo Sings), which made her a star in Venezuela and other parts of South America. In the years that followed, she cooperated with Atahualpa Yupanqui, Gilberto Gil and others, having lived and performed in Europe and the Americas.

Her repertoire is a vivid mixture of fiery, vivid Caribbean and Latin rhythms, Sephardic elegies and heartwarming ballads.

Considered to be one of the best voices in Latin America, one of her most popular and best known songs is Hasta Siempre, a cover of a Cuban hymn by Carlos Puebla to Ernesto "Che" Guevara.


Tracklist:

La Vida No Vale Nada	3:05
Ya Pisaré Las Calles Nuevamente	3:43
A Salvador Allende En Su Combate Por La Vida	4:02
Sueño Con Serpientes	4:45
Campo De Amor	3:04
El Tiempo El Implacable	2:20
El Colibrí	3:00
Esta Canción	3:20
Mariposas	4:35

Soledad Bravo - Canciones De La Nueva Trova Cubana Vol. 2     
(320 kbps, cover art included)                              

Patti Smith - Bicentenary Blues - Boarding House, San Francisco 1976

This December sees Patti Smith’s 73th birthday. She is still going strong, remaining as relevant as ever. Happy birthday!

This bootleg captures Patti Smith performing at the Boarding House in San Francisco, on 15 February 1976. The Boarding House was a club in downtown San Francisco that held about 500 people.

The show was broadcasted on FM radio and illustrates perfectly the strange power of this pioneering band and its dynamic, talented and foresighted lead singer and main songwriter.

Tracklist:

01 We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together
02 Privilege
03 Ain't It Strange
04 Kimberly
05 Redondo Beach
06 Free Money
07 Pale Blue Eyes
08 Louie Louie
09 Pumpin
10 Time Is On My Side
11 Flying Saucers Rock And Roll reading
12 Gloria
13 My Generation


Patti Smith - Bicentenary Blues - Boarding House, San Francisco 1976
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Schroeder Roadshow – Wir lieben das Land (vinyl rip)

Ten years ago, Jesus Canneloni, the wonderful and wild sax player of the german polit rock band Schröder Roadshow, died. To remember Jesus and his far-out sax sound, we like to post this Schroeder Roadshow gem.

With their anarchistic slogans and subversiv statements, their great live shows and their sarcastic humor Schröder Roadshow were a very important part of the german polit rock subculture. Schroeder Roadshow was – besides Ton Steine Scherben – the german political rock band in the seventies and eighties of the last century.

This album was released in 1983 and never re-released on cd.

1983 – that was the year a lot of us took part in the great peace happenings all around Europe, we were part of the “human chain” and die-in´s against atomic weapons. And the more ironical and sassy approach of the Roadshow was a very welcome antidote to the sometimes unbearable affected and whining mood in the west german left wing political scene of these days. Thanks a lot for this and all the great gigs!

Schröder Roadshow – Wir lieben das Land (1983, vinyl rip)

(192 kbps, front cover included)

Jesus Canneloni, R.I.P.!

Woody Guthrie - Archive Of Folk Music (1966, vinly rip)

"A folk song is what's wrong and how to fix it or it could be
who's hungry and where their mouth is or
who's out of work and where the job is or
who's broke and where the money is or
who's carrying a gun and where the peace is." - Woody Guthrie

Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists" displayed on his guitar.

In the spring of 1944, fresh off a torpedoed merchant marine ship, Woody Guthrie began showing up at the offices of Moses Asch´s Asch Records, where the record company owner let him make recordings informally; Guthrie would appear either alone or with a friend, usually his merchant marine partner Cisco Houston, but also Sonny Terry, Bess Hawes, and/or Leadbelly, and they would cut dozens of old folk songs, some with newly written lyrics by Guthrie, plus some of Guthrie's outright originals. The masters quickly piled up into the hundreds, far more than even a major label could release, and Asch had only issued a fraction of them by 1947, when he went bankrupt. That had ominous implications for Guthrie's discography, since some of the masters were retained by Asch's creditors, including his former partner, Herbert Harris of Stinson Records. The two disputed ownership of the material, but neither seems to have had the money for a legal battle. Asch, returning to solvency, put his Guthrie tracks out on his newly formed Folkways Records, while Harris released his on Stinson, and they also turned up on other labels, including the one on which they appear here, Everest. Guthrie sings alone only on "Gypsy Davy," "Pretty Boy Floyd," "Buffalo Skinners," and "Ranger's Command," while Houston provides a tenor harmony on the choruses and sometimes even the verses of the rest, in addition to serving as an instrumentalist. (It's not clear who plays what, although some tracks seem to have two guitars or a guitar and mandolin on them.) Although not credited on the disc, Terry plays harmonica on "Hey Lolly Lolly" and "Lonesome Day." The sound quality is iffy, indicative of possibly second-generation masters, and, of course, the performances have a first-take, near-rehearsal feel. That doesn't keep the music from being stirring on occasion. But folk music fans should note that this isn't really the Woody Guthrie of "This Land Is Your Land." Most of the songs are traditional ones, and the musical approach is closer to that of an old-timey country string band like the Monroe Brothers than it is to the urban folk that took its inspiration from Guthrie.


Woody Guthrie - Archive Of Folk Music (1966, vinly rip)
(192 kbps, front & back cover included)

Woody Guthrie - Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs (1962)

In April 1944, 31-year-old Woody Guthrie discovered a recording outlet when he hooked up with record company owner Moses Asch, who agreed to let him cut a virtually unlimited number of masters informally. Guthrie simply would turn up at Asch's studios alone or with such friends as Cisco Houston, Sonny Terry, Leadbelly, and Bess Lomax Hawes, and record his repertoire of original and traditional songs. The repository soon grew to hundreds of titles, far more than even a major label, much less a tiny independent, could release contemporaneously.

Over the decades, Asch did release many of the tracks, but by 1962, when he assembled the LP "Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs", he still had a significant caché of unissued material like that found on this disc. In the ensuing 18 years, the folk revival had kicked in, and such artists as Joan Baez were taking folk music into the upper reaches of the charts. Guthrie was considered the godfather of the movement, and "Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs" played right into that, as he could be heard singing songs like "The Rising Sun Blues" (aka "The House of the Rising Sun") and "The Boll Weevil," the same songs that the new generation of folk singers were performing in coffee houses.

In truth, with the combination of guitars, mandolin, harmonica, and fiddle, plus Houston's rough high harmonies, the arrangements often were more evocative of the old-timey country string bands of the '30s, such as the Monroe Brothers, than early-'60s urban folk. Then, too, although some of the songs were credited to Guthrie as a songwriter, this was not the Guthrie of "This Land Is Your Land," but rather Guthrie the traditional folk singer. Still, "Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs" was an excellent representation of rural folk music that consolidated Guthrie´s position as the newly fashionable genre's main progenitor.

Tracklist:

01. Hard Traveling

02. What Did The Deep Sea Say?

03. The House Of The Rising Sun

04. 900 Miles (Instrumental)

05. John Henry

06. Oregon Trail

07. We Shall Be Free

08. Dirty Overalls (My Dirty Overhauls)

09. Jackhammer John

10. Springfield Mountain

11. Brown Eyes

12. Boll Weevil Blues (Boll Weevil)

13. Guitar Blues (Instrumental)

14. Will You Miss Me?

Woody Guthrie - Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs (1962)
(192 kbps, front art included)

Slapp Happy - Sort Of (1972)

Slapp Happy were formed in Hamburg with Dagmar Krause on vocals, Anthony Moore on guitar, keyboards and vocals and Peter Blegvad on guitar and vocals. Blegvad was an associate of the German group Faust and this recording was made in1972, in the band's studio, using their musicians and producer Uwe Nettelbeck. It is a passionate debut, with witty melodic songs offset by Dagmar's unique vocals. Blegvad proudly proclaimed it as "Naive Rock, the Douanier Rousseau sound".

Slapp Happy's debut unveiled a band that was not so much an avant-rock group as one that seemed primarily interested in toying with rock conventions, as if such subversion was more inherently worthwhile than playing it straight. That meant that at its least impressive, it didn't qualify as either good avant-rock or good conventional rock, instead lumbering along with self-consciously jagged tunes. It sounds best when Dagmar Krause's vocals come to the forefront, as on "Heading for Kyoto" and the downright poppy "Blue Flower," a pretty folk-rockish number that lifts a hook from the Velvet Underground's"Femme Fatale." "Who's Gonna Help Me Now?" is strange roots-rock, and "Sort Of" a surfish instrumental that sounds like a postmodern "Telstar," all contributing to the feeling that the band was more concerned with tongue-in-cheek eclecticism than moving toward a settled identity.

Tracklist:

1 Just A Conversation 4:07
2 Paradise Express 2:38
3 I Got Evil 2:33
4 Little Girl's World 3:34
5 Tutankhamun 2:16
6 Mono Plane 6:52
7 Blue Flower 5:22
8 I'm All Alone 2:52
9 Who's Gonna Help Me Now 2:29
10 Small Hands Of Stone 4:44
11 Sort Of 2:21
12 Heading For Kyoto 3:11
13 Jumping Jonah (Bonus Track) 3:08

Slapp Happy - Sort Of  (1972)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Dinah Washington - Sings The Blues

Born Ruth Lee Jones in 1924, Dinah Washington was a band singer with Lionel Hampton from 1943 to '46. After this she went solo, signing with Mercury records in 1948, remaining with that label until her death in 1963. It's been said that Dinah's hard-edged approach to love songs was due to seven failed marriages.

True or not, it's a certainty that Miss Washington had a unique highly-pitched, clipped delivery and handled blues, jazz, R&B and pop songs with equal skill.

Dinah Washington is one of the all-time great jazz singers, and she staked that claim with a whole lot of blues in her delivery.

This roundup of blues-heavy sides from her Mercury heyday, then, is a welcome addition to an already impressive catalog. Cut during the '50s and early '60s, the 16 tracks include such usual suspects as "Trouble in Mind," "You Don't' Know What Love Is," and Bessie Smith's classic "Backwater Blues." Nicely augmenting these fine renditions, Washington transforms pop numbers like "Since I Fell for You" and "Soft Winds" with some juke-joint heat. And with plenty more gems to be had and fine support from arranger Quincy Jones, tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, drummer Max Roach, and many others, one can't lose gettin' real lowdown with the swingin' (and bluesy) "Miss D."


Dinah Washington - Sings The Blues
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Poet And The Roots ‎– Dread Beat An' Blood (1978)

Originally released in 1978 in the UK on the Virgin Front Line label credited to Poet And The Roots this album was soon reissued worldwide with the credit going to Linton Kwesi Johnson.

Poet is Linton Kwesi Johnson; the Roots are Vivian Weathers (bass guitar, vocals), Dennis Bovell (guitar, keyboards), Desmond Craig (keyboards), Winston Cumiffe (drums), Lloyd Donaldson (drums), Everald Forest (percussion), John Vamom (guitar), and Lila Weathers (vocals). All but two songs first appeared in Johnson's 1975 poetry book, Dread Beat An' Blood. The poems are political in nature, dealing with England's racist regime and the way some dealt with the oppression: doping, fighting, and wasting one another in bars, as depicted in "Five Nights of Bleeding (For Leroy Harris)." Johnson does little singing, he simply delivers his poems in cadence to the music. Only on a couple of tunes like "Song of Blood," led by Lila Weathers, does any real singing occur, but Johnson's powerful, inspirational, descriptive words needs little embellishment.


Tracklist:

Dread Beat An' Blood
Five Nights Of Bleeding
Doun Di Road
Song Of Blood
It Dread Inna Inglan (For George Lindo)
Come Wi Goh Dung Deh
Man Free (For Darcus Howe)
All Wi Doin Is Defendin

Poet And The Roots ‎– Dread Beat An' Blood (1978)

(254 kbps, cover art included)

Floyd Westerman - The Land Is Your Mother (1984)

Like most Native Americans of his generation, Floyd Westerman was wrenched away from the arms of his family at the age of five and sent off to a government boarding school nearly 100 miles away. These blatant attempts to destroy Indian civilization by breaking up families and making traditions obsolete became one of many subjects Westerman would take on when he developed into an important Native American protest singer and actor.

A Dakota Sioux, Westerman remained at the boarding school for the next 12 years, until he had finished high school. By this time he had learned guitar after watching the older students play and picking up some basic chords from them. Like many players who begin with rock or folk music, he sensed that learning three chords was enough to perform much of the music that was circulating at the time, and he was right. He enjoyed music and he continued playing and singing after graduation. He was influenced by both the folk music of Bob Dylan and fellow Native American Buffy St. Marie, but, like many Native Americans, deeply loved country & western music and had a sincere fondness for one of its most expressive geniuses, Hank Williams. In a tribute to his own family dynasty, Westerman began using the name Red Cloud, which he had inherited from his grandfather and which had important spiritual connotations among the Sioux people.

Westerman began performing in the Colorado area, his guitar playing improving considerably. At this time he established a friendship with the young author Vine Deloria Jr., also a songwriter. The subject of many of their discussions was the lack of songs about Native American issues and traditions. A collaboration began, as Westerman took sections of Deloria's book, Custer Died for Your Sins, and created profound, sometimes humorous songs from the subjects. This work led to signing a recording contract in 1969 in New York City, and the eventual release of the first of two albums Westerman has recorded, titled after his friend's book. The album had a strong country flavor that suited Westerman's voice and has remained a sought-after classic ever since. It went out of print and was eventually released by Westerman himself, mostly distributed directly at his concerts and personal appearances.

Westerman has performed all over the world, including large benefit and festival appearances with Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, Harry Belafonte, Kris Kristofferson, and Jackson Browne. He has been heavily involved with AIM, the American Indian Movement, during his entire career and has testified at congressional hearings on Native American issues, such as uranium mining. Although highly respected for his musical and songwriting accomplishments, he has actually had more time in the mainstream spotlight with his work as an actor. He made his screen debut in Renegades, playing the father of Lou Diamond Phillips. Since that time, his list of credits includes roles in Dances With Wolves, The Doors (he was Jim Morrison's spiritual guide), Lakota Woman, Clearcut, and Grey Owl. He has also shown up on the small screen, playing the role of Uncle Ray on Walker, Texas Ranger as well as leads on Northern Exposure, L.A. Law, X-Files, Millenium, Roseanne, and appearances as Sitting Bull in the four-hour miniseries Son of the Morning Star.

Westerman kept up an active schedule, his work as both an actor and musician focusing on "...the institutions that have destroyed our rights," he says. "That's what our struggle is all about, our spiritual rights and the Indian point of view...And they're so old, they make the Bible look like it was recently written." - Eugene Chadbourne

Floyd Westerman - The Land Is Your Mother (1984)
(256 kbps, front cover included)

Carambolage - same (vinyl rip, 1980)

Carambolage was a German, Berlin based, all-female band active in the late 70s and early 80s featuring Angie Olbrich on guitar, Elfi Esther Steitz on vocals and Britte Neander on drums. They released several records on Ton Steine Scherben's label David Volksmund Produktion. They played fairly stunning female art punk and were connected to the polit-rockers Ton Steine Scherben.

This forgotten album is a little jewel in the avant-punk canon. It starts with "Rampenlicht", an elliptical funk/ lounge/ art-punk exercise, which makes the Young Marble Giants sound like tame kittens. "Tu Doch Nicht So" is more traditional, albeit with a gurgling post-punk/ punk-rock dissonance lurking beneath. "City Grossmarkt" is almost a tribute to the erstwhile hippie anthem, although viewed from the perspective of the post-punk/ dub elastic looping (a la Public Image Ltd. circa Metal Box). "Das Männlein" assumes the guise of the silly snippet, in what is basically a cross between a TV commercial and goofy music-hall. Again, "Je T'aime" is fairly traditional, but they inject a healthy (an oxymoron) dose of angst in it. Another oxymoron, "Die Farbe War Mord" is a constrained electronic freak-out, all the while "Johnny" is a satirical take on the noir/ swing theme. Stepping things up a notch, "Fussgängerzone" is among their most disjointed and spastic moments. Then the Arabic chanting and tribal menace of "22 Rue Chenoise" is also quite neurotic, with "Bretter Bretter Bretter" also being one of their most inventive juxtapositions. In general the album is pure Neue Deutsche Welle oddball nervousness, somewhere between the Slits, X-Ray-Spex and Kleenex.

Tracklist:

A1	Rampenlicht	2:20
A2	Tu doch nicht so	2:35
A3	City-Großmarkt	3:50
A4	Das Männlein	2:15
A5	Je T'aime	3:30
A6	Die Farbe war Mord	3:00
A7	Johnny	3:05
B1	Was hat das für einen Sinn	2:05
B2	Fußgängerzone	3:50
B3	Roxan	5:00
B4	Der Reigen	3:45
B5	22 Rue Chenoise	4:00
B6	Bretter, Bretter, Bretter	3:20

Carambolage - same (vinyl rip, 1980; David Volksmund Produktion)
(192 kbps, front cover included)

Tanz grotesk - Schreker - Schulhoff - Hindemith ("Entartete Musik")

This collection is from London's "Degenerate Music" series, works by composers attacked or suppressed by the Nazis. Schreker's score for The Birthday of the Infanta, based on a story by Oscar Wilde, is in his typically lush late Romantic style. Some listeners love this music, while others get seasick. Schulhoff's Moonstruck is a relatively brief dance piece, full of Schulhoff's beloved jazz and immediately striking. Hindemith's The Demon, typical of his acerbic early style, is a challenging and eventually rewarding piece, previously recorded a couple of times. It's a luxury to have one of the world's great orchestras playing this obscure, fascinating program for us; the conductor does well with everything but particularly with Schreker's decadence. --Leslie Gerber

This amazing idea is an act of artistic justice - to say at least - about a set of recordings destroyed or banned by the political disruptions of the twentieth century and most specifically by the Third Reich. Besides, it's also a representation of musical evolution, trends that never reached plain maturity. But also, it concerns with the music of exile: the inward response to a different world after such the well reminded bloody and devastating WW1.

The first work presented here is the marvelous composition of Franz Schreker "The birthday of the Infanta" , an innovative ballet based on an Oscar Wilde's play.

The second work belongs to Erwin Schulhoff labeled "Moonstruck", a prodigious composer who barely lived 48 years (died of tuberculosis in 1942). The seeds of the diverse influences by then, blend the rag, jazz and the presence of the tango take place all along this interesting orchestral suite.

Finally we have Paul Hindemith with "The demons" , a work that undoubtedly has had major luck than its predecessors.

On the other hand, the presence of Lothar Zagrossek in the baton conducting the renowned Gewandhaus orchestra of Leizpig, has been a colossal finding. The members of this prestigious Orchestra display all the gamut of eloquent expressiveness and vibrant rhythm the works demand.

A magnificent finding and hoping the harbingers of such innovative and challenging project undertake that required mission in order to preserve and bring it us back the necessary space in those times of first rate technology.


Tracklist:

Der Geburtstag der Infantin = The Birthday Of The Infanta (19:40)
1 Reigen 1:48
2 Aufzug Und Kampfspiel 2:19
3 Die Marionetten 2:40
4 Menuett Der Tänzerknaben – Die Tänze Des Zwerges 2:51
5 Mit Dem Wind Im Frühling: In Blauen Sandalen Über Das Korn – Im Roten Gewand Im Herbst 5:02
6 Die Rose Der Infantin – Nachklang 4:58

Die Mondsüchtige = Moonstruck (23:49)
7 Introduzione – Ragtime 5:14
8 Valse Boston 6:31
9 Shimmy 2:32
10 Step 1:40
11 Tango 5:07
12 Jazz 2:46

Der Dämon = The Demon, Op.28 (34:28)
13 Tanz Des Dämons 1:16
14 Tanz Der Bunten Bänder – Tanz Der Geängstigten Schwalben 5:51
15 Tanz Des Giftes – Tanz Der Schmerzen 4:08
16 Tanz Des Dämons (Passacaglia) – Tanz Der Trauer Und Sehnsucht 5:54
17 Einleitung Zum 2. Bild – Tanz Des Kindes 3:36
18 Tanz Des Weiten Gewandes – Tanz Der Geschlossenen Orchidee 6:51
19 Tanz Der Roten Raserei – Tanz Der Brutalität 2:17
20 Tanz Des Geschlagenen Tieres – Finale

Tanz grotesk - Schreker - Schulhoff - Hindemith ("Entartete Musik")
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Schroeder Roadshow - Deutschland, Deutschland (1982)

Formed in 1976, the german oddball political cabaret and rock group "Schroeder Roadshow", played music in the tradition of Floh De Cologne, Checkpoint Charlie and Ton Steine Scherben - but always a little bit more crazy and dada-inspired than the classic polit rock bands with their straight agit prop songs.

The album "Deutschland, Deutschland" was recorded live December 25th-27th,1981and was released in 1982 on the Trikont label.

Credits:

• Bass, Vocals– Rich Schwab
• Drums– Richard Herten
• Guitar, Vocals– Franz Hocker, Gerti Beracz
• Saxophone– Jesus Cannelino
• Vocals– Gerd Köster

Tracklist:

Türkis, Türkis	2:41
Anarchie In Germoney	4:50
No Future Blues	5:55
... Aber Dalli	0:22
(Heute Ist Der) Tag Meiner Träume	7:10
Deutschland! Deutschland!	1:24
Speed	0:34
Speed	3:24
Ich Hab Wut	4:00
Die Bullen Schlagen Wieder Zu	5:45
Die Brüder Der Romantischen Verlierer	4:55
Allein Machen Sie Dich Ein	6:30

Schroeder Roadshow - Deutschland, Deutschland (1982)
(256 kbps, cover art included)   

Cochise - Wir werden leben (1981)

Cochise from Dortmund played folk and rock music with mostly political lyrics inspired by a left wing perspective. The band was founded in 1979 and became one of the musical voices of the alternative movement in West Germany. They developed an unique lyrical and musical language connecting the political contents of the 70s and 80s with powerfull, delightfull music and the rebellious attitude of a whole generation.
"Wir werden leben" was their second album. Alongside Ton Steine Scherben, Checkpoint Charlie or Schroeder Roadshow they were important protagonists of the "Polit-Rock" scene, playing at every hotspot of the social movements in the 1980s - like Wackersdorf, Starbahn West, Mutlangen and squattet houses.

Tracklist:

A1	Wir werden leben	4:15
A2	Das Haus	4:45
A3	Die Indianer sind noch fern	4:50
A4	Atemnot	3:05
A5	Platanen statt Autobahnen	1:31
B1	Is das nich gemein mit diesm Gesangsverein?	4:54
B2	Rock´n Roll Rentner	4:10
B3	Resolution	4:42
B4	Letztn Somma warn wa schwimmn	1:52
B5	Jetzt oder nie - Anarchie!	3:05

Cochise - Wir werden leben (1981)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Tropicalia Ou Panis Et Circensis (1968)

This is the compilation that helped to define the sound of Tropicalia, whose artists made huge and influential strides in creating exotic pop that was as influenced by psychedelia as it was by samba, bossa nova, and more traditional South American genres.

"Tropicália" not only includes tracks from the label's most important acts (Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa), but presents a large number of collaborations between these artists, many of which are simply amazing.

Given the fact that many of the original Tropicalia releases have not been reissued or are not widely available, the compilation stands as a near-definitive package for the sound, and a great opportunity for anyone unfamiliar with the artists to experience an amazing and hugely important genre.

The title of this record translates to “bread and circuses,” a phrase denoting cheap political handouts used to gather support. If you have any interest in the Tropicália movement, which was more recently popularized in the states by artists like Beck and David Byrne, "Panis Et Circenses" is the place to start. It’s the original and essential Tropicália comp. One that changed the world.

VA - Tropicalia Ou Panis Et Circensis
(192 kbps, front & back cover included)

Various Artists - Lieder für Instandbesetzter (1981, Mood Records) - Solidarity with Rigaer 94

Originally posted on July 13, 2016:

The "Rigaer 94" is an alternative house project in Berlin-Friedrichshain. The house was squatted in 1990 and legalized in the next years. On June 22nd, 2016, some parts of the building were evicted by the police, since that event Berlin sees an ongoing militant protest. Today the Landgericht, a Berlin court, decided that the eviction was not legal... You find more informations via http://rigaer94.squat.net/.

For more than 26 years a handful of housing projects in Rigaer Strasse have been places of selforganisation in an area massively affected by gentrification. The struggle and resistance of people living in the projects together with their neighbours are the reason why the Rigaer Strasse doesn’t look like other parts of Berlin which are dominated by luxury housing and mirror finish fronts.

In solidarity with the people at "Rigaer 94" we post an album which is an great document of the West-Berlin squatter movement of the early 80s of the last century. "Lieder für Instandbesetzer" was recorded at a solidarity concert at "Metropol" with Bettina Wegner, Walter Mossmann, Teller Bunte Knete, Fliegende Blätter and IG Blech. The album was released in 1981 on "Mood Records."

VA - Lieder für Instandbesetzer (1981)
(ca. 150 kbps, cover art included, sadly two tracks from side 2 are missing...)

VA - Musik zum Instandbesetzen (Stechapfel, 1981)

Here´s another fine document of the 1980s squatter movement in West Berlin. It is a recording of a solidarity concert at "Quartier Latin" on Mai, 10th, 1981.

It was released on the "Stechapfel" tape label, the earnings were used to finance lawyers supporting the squatters.

Thanks a lot to Victor and to http://tapeattack.blogspot.de for making this posting possible.

We post this tape in view of the fact that today the Landgericht Berlin decided, that the eviction of the ground floor of the alternative housing project "Rigaer 94" was not legal. If you want to learn more about this issue, here´s an interesting interview with the sociologist Andrej Holm.

Side 1:

01. Es wird instandbestzt (Chaotencombo)

02. Lass die Leute frei (Chaotencombo)

03. Kriminaltango (Rotkehlchen)

04. Kopischstrassensong (Rotkehlchen)

05. U-Haft Rock (Andi, Mischa & Marek)

06. Mike Krüger Song (Andi, Mischa & Marek)

Side 2:

07. Wir wollen keine Polizisten (Chaotencombo)

08. Als wir jüngst am renovieren waren (Volksmund)

09. Überall wird instandbestzt (Volksmund)

10. Auf Kreuzbergs grauen Straßen (Sorgenhobel)

11. Weine nicht, wenn der Regen fällt (Schmidt & Co)

12. Severing (Schmidt & Co)

13. Tanz (Sorgenhobel)

VA - Musik zum Instandbesetzen (Stechapfel, 1981)

(192 kbps, tape cover included)

Tom Paxton - Ain´t That News (1965)

Tom Paxton proved to be one of the most durable of the singer/songwriters to emerge from the Greenwich Village folk revival scene of the early '60s. In some ways, he had more in common with the late-'50s generation of folksingers such as Dave Van Ronk (who was 16 months his senior) and even older performers than with the new crop of singer/songwriters with whom he tended to be associated, such as Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs (both of whom were several years his junior). But like Dylan and Ochs, and unlike Van Ronk, Paxton was a songwriter caught up in the left-wing political movements of the time and inspired to compose topical and protest songs. In general, his tended to be more lighthearted than theirs (the musical satirist Tom Lehrer was at least as much of an influence on him as Woody Guthrie), though he could be just as witty and just as harshly critical of his opponents. Like such mentors as Pete Seeger, and unlike Dylan, he never cared to make much of a transition to the mainstream, never picked up an electric guitar and tried to play rock & roll.

Tom Paxton's second album was one of his most earnest efforts, and that serious narrative tone, combined with the fading of the issues it addresses (the Vietnam War, the draft, the Civil Rights movement) off the national radar, makes much of it dated and some of it stilted. Nonetheless, it does have one of his most effective anti-war pieces; "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation," in fact, is one of the better anti-Vietnam folk songs of the 1960s. There's also "Bottle of Wine," one of Paxton's best and most tuneful compositions, and one of his most-covered ones (by Judy Collins at the tail end of her folk era and then by the Fireballs a few years later for a pop/rock hit). Felix Pappalardi (on bass) and Barry Kornfeld (on second guitar and banjo) do add a bit of depth to the arrangements, yet many of the songs are a dry listen, though Paxton's observations are consistently well-thought out and well-intended. He could have used more lighthearted moments like "Bottle of Wine," or more romantic ones like "Hold On to Me Babe" (which Sandy Denny covered on an unreleased 1967 recording). And, in fact, he would use more such moments on his subsequent albums.

Tracklist

A1	Ain't That News	1:32
A2	The Willing Conscript	2:32
A3	Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation	3:00
A4	Hold On To Me Babe	3:10
A5	The Name Of The Game Is Stud	1:55
A6	Bottle Of Wine	2:21
A7	The Natural Girl For Me	2:37
B1	Goodman, Schwerner And Chaney	2:41
B2	We Didn't Know	2:22
B3	Buy A Gun For Your Son	2:30
B4	Every Time	3:09
B5	Georgie On The Freeways	3:09
B6	Sully's Pail	3:11
B7	I'm The Man That Built The Bridges	2:47

Tom Paxton - Ain´t That News (1965)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Interzone – Das süße Leben (1985)

Interzone was a German blues-rock group, founded in the beginning of 1979, headed by vocalist Heiner Pudelko. In the beginning Pudelko was not writing his own lyrics, but was fascinated by the poems of 'Wolf Wondratschek', the great poet for all eccentrics and loners. After the success of their self-produced single 'Kinderlieder aus Beton' (children's songs made from concrete) Pudelko and Interzone wanted to publish their first album completely with Wondratschek's lyrics in 1980, but the poet withdrew his consent for this cooperation. The album 'Chuck's room' was finally released in 2019.

In early 1981, Interzone went into the Berlin 'Audio' recording studio and recorded with co-producer Udo Arndt their first album, still unsigned. Shortly before the end of the production, it came to an agreement with a record company and mid-June 1981, the self titled debut album was released. The 'Music Express' presented the formation by a Flexi-disc with song excerpts. Shortly thereafter Interzone played live at Berlin Waldbühne in front of 22,000 fans and were broadcast live on TV. With increasing awareness the band decided to start a 7-day-7-city tour in November of the year, in spring 1982 shows with Spliff, Prima Klima and Extrabreit at the Levi's Rock Festival' Tour followed. This festival tour was well attended, but mainly from a very young audience.

In September 1982, the second album by Heiner Pudelko and Interzone, "Aus Liebe", hit the market. The album got generally enthusiastic critics. Although it did not make the official charts, the sales figures were impressive.

In the summer of 1985, Interzone presented themselves with a new sound. But the third album 'Das süße Leben' (The Sweet Life) sold not very good in spite of the relatively expensive advertising campaign. The 'Interzone' clan at this point had almost resigned. In Germany 1985/86 different artists like Nena, Falco or Grönemeyer were hip. In the summer of 1986 the band broke up.

Tracklist:
01. Sie wartet schon so lange 4:55
02. Laß mich rein 4:20
03. So was Süßes wie du 3:22
04. Rita 3:47
05. Ich & mein Freund die Katze 3:44
06. Glückskind 2:51
07. Böser Vati 4:00
08. Ruth 4:34
09. Kamikaze 4:33
10. Ich würd's wieder tun 2:48

Interzone - Das süße Leben (1985)
(ca. 256 kbps, cover art included)

Ewan MacColl - Broadside Ballads, Vol. 2 (London: 1600 - 1700) (1962)

This second volume (see Folkways FW03043, Broadside Ballads, Volume 1) continues Ewan MacColl’s exploration of English broadside ballads. 

It features songs about the exploits of women, from a woman who dresses in highwayman’s clothes for nefarious purposes (and comes to no good end) to the story of Constance of Cleveland, who was betrayed by a disloyal knight.

Tracks & Artist/Performer:
101 Female Frolic, The (Female Frollick, The) Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, Alf Edwards
102 Give Me My Yellow Hose Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, Alf Edwards
103 King and No King, A Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, Alf Edwards
201 Constance of Cleveland Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, Alf Edwards



Ewan MacColl - Broadside Ballads, Vol. 2 (London: 1600 - 1700) (1962)
(128 kbps, cover art included)

Ambros, Tauchen, Prokopetz - Der Watzmann ruft (1974)

The Austrian musician and composer Wolfgang Ambros was born in Pressbaum, Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) in 1952.

Best known for his popular tunes sung in Austrian dialect, Ambros has also been active in other art forms, including radio plays, theater, and films. His 1971 debut single ("Da Hofa") went to number one on the Austrian charts. The 1976 hit anthem to skiing, "Schifoan" (Skifahren), may be his most popular song of all time in ski-crazy Austria. In 1978 he released his tribute album to Bob Dylan ("Wie im Schlaf") with Dylan songs such as "Forever Young" or "Like A Rolling Stone" ("Allan wie a Stan") sung in Viennese dialect.

Ambros has also worked with the team of Manfred Tauchen and Joesi Prokopetz. Together they produced the highly successful comically satiric musical "Alpendrama" album entitled "Der Watzmann ruft" (1974). To date the "Watzmann" album has sold over 250,000 copies and there have been several live revival performances of "Der Watzmann ruft".

Ambors, Tauchen, Prokopetz - Der Watzmann ruft
(ca, 200 kbps, cover art included)

Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa (1972)

Manu Dibango is Cameroon's, and perhaps Africa's, best-known jazz saxophonist. Starting in the 1950s, he became a globe-trotting musician, living and performing in France, Belgium, Jamaica, Zaire, and Cote d'Ivoire, as well as in Cameroon. 

In 1960, Dibango was one of the founding members of the Zairean band African Jazz, with whom he spent five years. World attention came to Dibango with the release in 1972 of "Soul Makossa", a work that actually had precious little of the makossa sound in it, and scored later hits with "Seventies" and "Ibida". Dibango's output has been prodigious and multi-faceted. He has worked with musicians as diverse as Fela Kuti, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Don Cherry, and the Fania All-Stars. In addition to being one of the leading jazz saxophonists of his generation, Dibango has also run nightclubs, directed orchestras, and started one of the first African musical journals. 

A later release, "Polysonik" -- featuring English rapper MC Mello, Cameroonian singer Charlotte M'Bango leading a choral section, and sampled pygmy flutes -- shows that Dibango is continuing to flourish and expand in challenging new directions.

Tracklist:

A1 Soul Makossa 3:58

A2 Lily 3:20

A3 Dangwa (Three Points) 6:00

A4 O Boso 5:23

B1 New-Bell (Hard Pulsation) 6:51

B2 Nights In Zeralda 4:38

B3 Hibiscus 6:23

Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa (1972)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Georges Moustaki - Ma Liberté (1972)

Although he achieved his greatest fame in France, singing French-language songs in a distinctly French style, singer/songwriter Georges Moustaki was more a citizen of the world - or, as he often put it, a "citizen of the French language."

Christening himself a cultural "mongrel" in his signature hit "Le Métèque," Moustaki's first love was the classic-style French chanson, but he often appropriated bits of world folk musics from Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Brazil (bossa nova and MPB), Argentina (tango), and other parts of Latin America, the United States (blues and jazz), Holland, and anywhere else his travels took him.

Simplicity was a hallmark of many of his own recordings; possessed of a soft, warm voice, he often sang with only his own guitar for accompaniment, creating an intimacy that translated to his live gigs as well. A successful artist in his own right, Moustaki initially made his name as a songwriter of some renown, composing material for many of the top French singers of the late '50s and '60s (including Edith Piaf's classic "Milord"). He moonlighted as a poet, actor, novelist, and journalist at various points in his career, and remained one of France's more ambitious artists as his trademark beard and long, flowing hair turned white.               

This is a fine compilation with some of his "greates hits".

Tracklist:                           

A1	Ma Liberté
A2	Marche De Sacco Et Vanzetti
A3	J'ai Vu Des Rois Serviles
A4	Dire Qu'il Faudra Mourir Un Jour
A5	Nous Sommes Deux (Imasto Dyo)
A6	Margot (Instrumental)
B1	Voyage
B2	Nos Corps
B3	La Pierre
B4	Pourquoi Mon Dieu
B5	Rue Des Fosses Sain-Jacques

Georges Moustaki - Ma Liberté (1972)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Songs of the Spanish Civil War, Vol. 2 (1962)

Written in July 2011:

July 18 marks the 75^th anniversary
of the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.

Time Magazinze, Monday, Aug. 04, 1941, writes about "We Behind the Barbed Wire":

"World War II has yet to produce a great song, but last week some of its saddest were heard in the U.S. The League of American Writers produced an album of records ($2.75) called "Behind the Barbed Wire" - six songs of the French, Spanish, Italian and German anti-fascists who now rot in the French concentration camps of Gurs, Vernet d'Ariège, Argelès-sur-Mer.

The six songs were recorded in Manhattan by a Netherlands-born fighter in the Spanish Civil War, Bart van der Schelling. He wears his chin in a brace, is called "official singer" for the U.S. survivors of the International Brigades of the Loyalists. Singer van der Schelling is backed by an "Exiles Chorus" directed by Earl Robinson (Ballad for Americans). Some of the songs - the Spanish "Joven Guardia", the Italian "Guardia Rossa", the German "Thaelmann-Bataillon", the French "Au Devant de la Vie" (music by Soviet Composer Dmitri Shostakovich) - were composed during the Spanish War. Most of them are in rough, plodding march time. The one which gives the album its name was composed by a German, Eberhard Schmitt, in the camp at Gurs. Its chorus, translated (not quite so lame in the original):

Behind the wire, our courage is unbroken

We yield to no one! We're not broken reeds!

Jail or internment, we're masters of our lives,

Nothing counts with us but deeds!
For where Germany's and Austria's sons may be,
One goal they cling to: Liberty! . . ."




Tracks:

Woody Guthrie and Ernst Busch accompanied by Chorus and Orchestra01- Jarama 2:55

02- On the Jarama Front 2:46
03- Ballad of the XI Brigade 3:10
04- Hans Beimler, Comrade 2:55
05- The Thaelmann-Column (German) 2:45
Songs We Remember
06- Santa Espina 2:21
07- Sevilllanos 2:24
08- The Road to Aviles 2:41
Behind the Barbed Wire, by Bart Van Der Schelling and the Exiles Chorus directed by Earl Robinson
09- La Guardia Rossa (Italian) 2:24
10- Wie Hinterm Draht (Behind the Barbed Wire)  (Composed in French internment Camp of Gurs by Eberhard Schmitt) 2:49
11- La Joven Guardia (Spanish) 2:20
12- Au Devant de la Vie (French) Music by Dmitri Shostakovich 2:48

VA - Songs Of The Spanish Civil War, Vol. 2 (1962)
(320 kbps, front cover included)

Malaria! - Weißes Wasser (1982)

Malaria was a German all female new-wave band, formed in Berlin January 1981 and together until 1983. 

The EP "Weißes Wasser" was recorded in Brussels and released in 1982 on the the label "Les Disques Du Crépuscule" and contains the classic "Kaltes klares Wasser". 

Tracklist:

01. Kaltes Klares Wasser  3:45 02. Weisser Himmel, Weisses Meer / White Sky, White Sea
	8:32

Malaria! - Weißes Wasser (1981)
(192 kbps, cover art included)