Donnerstag, 31. Dezember 2015

Alton Ellis - Showcase

PhotobucketAlton Ellis was one of Jamaica's all-time favorite vocalists. Like so many other talented singers, he got his start and gained valuable experience under the tutelage of producer and Studio One label founder, Clement S. Dodd. Alton's singing career began in 1959, and he has maintained headliner status throughout his career. His best-known recordings are those he cut during the "rock steady" period of Jamaican popular music.

Ellis started his career in 1959 as part of the duo Alton & Eddie with Eddie Perkins. Ellis and Perkins recorded for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One before Perkins moved to the United States. Duke Reid took Ellis to his Treasure Isle label in 1962. By the mid 1960s, ska was moving on and the beat was slowing down and becoming associated with the rude boy subculture in Jamaican dancehalls. Recording with a backing trio, The Flames (consisting of his brother Leslie Ellis, David "Baby G" Gordon and a musician called Ronnie), Ellis scored big with the hits "Girl I've Got a Date", "Cry Tough" and "Rock Steady", which lent its name to the newer genre. As rocksteady dominated the Jamaican airwaves for the next two years, Ellis continued to score hits for Treasure Isle, working with artists such as Lloyd Charmers, Phyllis Dillon and The Heptones.

Ellis has lived in England since the 1970s. In England, Ellis established his own Alltone label, which he devoted to both new recordings and compilations of his early classics. The international popularity of Bob Marley and the rise of roots reggae meant that Ellis' considerable legacy was soon overshadowed, but over time, he remained a fondly remembered pioneer of Jamaican music. He made triumphant returns to Jamaica with well-received sets at the Reggae Sunsplash Festival in both 1983 and 1985, and recorded a new single, "Man From Studio One," for Dodd in 1991. Numerous compilations of his work appeared during the CD era, illustrating his stunning consistency. He died on Oct 10, 2008 in London, England.

Alton Ellis - Showcase (192 kbps)

Samstag, 12. Dezember 2015

Rüdiger Klose R.I.P. - 39 Clocks - Pain It Dark (1981)


Originally posted on September, 26th, 2010:

Rüdiger Klose, drummer in a lot of interesting music projecst like 39 Clocks, Cocoon, Kastrierte Philosophen, Mythen in Tüten, Dakota, rk2, Treson, Die Unheilige Allianz died September, 26th at the age of 58. Rest in peace!

The 39 Clocks were "the best German band of the eighties" (German pop scholar Diedrich Diederichsen). The Hanoverian band cultivated a heavy accent and invented the Original Psycho Beat: futuristic, hypnotic 60s psychedelia with a beatbox deferred to the early 80s.

Originally released in 1981, "Pain It Dark" was the debut album from the band and owed no small debt to the Velvet Underground, Suicide, and Nuggets-era garage rock. The band’s spare arrangements, cold German-inflected English vocals, and comfort with discomfort still sounds great today. 
It’s such a joy to discover something from the past that sounds so vital, so ripe for broader discovery and adoration. If the sometimes-harsh sonics and low vocal levels don’t offend, they’re not doing their job. For a band known in their time as tricksters and provocateurs, it’s simply their mode of operation. That’s not to say that songs like “Psycho Beat” and “Radical Student Mob in Satin Boots” aren’t “accessible”—it simply depends on your definition of the word. 

Although VU is clearly the band’s touchstone, the band simply uses them as a jumping-off point. "Pain It Dark" sounds like American garage and proto-punk filtered through some shadow-filled masterpiece of German expressionism.

39 Clocks - Pain It Dark (1981)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Samstag, 21. November 2015

Dakar Sound - Volume 1

This is the first in a series of collections of tracks from the famous "Dakar Sound" series.

It brings you some interesting representatives of Dakar´s new urban music of the 1970s to 90s as well as a mingling of passionate and very enchanting songs of Senegal´s most talented traditional singers.

"Dakar Sound" is pleased to invite you to an evening of finest entertainment with the Horoya Band, Madiop Seck, Sekou Diabate, Etoile 3000, Number One, Baobab and many more.

Dakar Sound - Volume 1
(192 kbps, ca. 100 MB)

Freitag, 20. November 2015

Blaze - 25 Years Later

This essential album is a journey thru the life of Lakim, a black activist in the streets of New York and we follow him thru his days - getting exposed to his emotions in songs from spiritual high on "YOU`RE SO SPECIAL" - maybe the best song to the angry and bitter "YOU`RE GONNA MISS MY LOVE" after his babymama told him to leave - he get`s ripped off by a 13 year old girl he is searching for their grandma and so on - motown didn`t like the concept of putting this spoken words interludes on the album , so it`s on the CD only ..respect to Blaze, this album still stands the test of time .

The New Jersey trio's '90 debut album for Maze. Blaze's roster featured vocalist Chris Herbert, keyboardist Josh Milan, and drummer Kevin Hedge, who came together in the '80s doing a good blend of gospel-tinged soul and East Coast dance. They got some attention from the single "So Special," and also the cuts "Get Up" and "Lover Man." They never really hit it big, but did have potential...

Tracklist:
1Get Up5:04
2So Special5:32
3Miss My Love5:20
4You Don't Really Love Me4:19
5Anything For Your Lovin'5:22
6We All Must Live Together6:43
7I Wonder5:59
8Gonna Make It Work6:45
9All That I Should8:24
10Missing You3:34
11Lover Man3:49
12Love Is Forever4:40
13Broad & Market, NWK2:13
14The Hope Song6:06

Blaze - 25 Years Later
(192 kbps, cover art included)    

           

Mittwoch, 4. November 2015

Country Joe & The Fish - Together (1968)

"Together", Country Joe & the Fish's third album, was the group's most consistent, most democratic, and their best-selling record. Unlike their first two albums, which were dominated by Country Joe McDonald's voice and compositions, "Together" featured the rest of the band - guitarists Barry Melton and David Cohen, bassist Bruce Barthol, and drummer Chicken Hirsh - almost as prominently as McDonald.

That's usually a formula for disaster, but in this case it gave the album more variety and depth: McDonald tended to favor droning mantras like the album-closing "An Untitled Protest," which worked better when contrasted with the likes of Melton's catchy anti-New York diatribe, "The Streets of Your Town," and the group-written "Rock and Soul Music."

Songs like the latter cast the group as a soul revue, true, and they couldn't quite pull that off, but "Together" had the charming quality of unpredictability; you never knew what was coming next. Unfortunately, what came next in the band's career was a split. Barthol was out by September 1968, Cohen and Hirsh followed in January 1969. Thereafter, McDonald and Melton fronted various Fish aggregations, but it was never the same, even when this lineup regrouped for "Reunion" in 1977.                

Tracklist:
  1. "Rock and Soul Music" (McDonald, Melton, Cohen, Barthol, Hirsh) – 6:51
  2. "Susan" (Hirsh) - 3:28
  3. "Mojo Navigator" (Denson, Melton, McDonald) - 2:23
  4. "Bright Suburban Mr. & Mrs. Clean Machine" (Hirsh, Melton) - 2:19
  5. "Good Guys/Bad Guys Cheer / The Streets of Your Town" (Melton) - 3:43
  6. "The Fish Moan" - 0:27
  7. "The Harlem Song" (McDonald) - 4:19
  8. "Waltzing in the Moonlight" (Hirsh, Melton) - 2:13
  9. "Away Bounce My Bubbles" (Hirsh) - 2:25
  10. "Cetacean" (Barthol) - 3:38
  11. "An Untitled Protest" (McDonald) - 2:45

Country Joe & The Fish - Together (1968)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Samstag, 10. Oktober 2015

Semer Reloaded

Semer Reloaded - Live Recording für ein musikalisches Denkmal

Maybe this project finds your interest and your support:

"A Golden Age of Jewish music almost forgotten - the songs captured in 30s' Berlin by Hirsch Lewin on his Semer label. “Semer Reloaded” brought this amazing music back to life with critically acclaimed concerts throughout Europe in 2012-15. Now it is our dream to record this music live in concert so that, 70 years after the Holocaust, the legacy of the Semer label can be passed on to present and future generations.    
CD cover

From Artistic Director, Alan Bern:

We're asking for your help to cover the basic costs of the recording of “Semer Reloaded." With your support we can bring Hirsch Lewin's Semer Label and the legacy of Jewish musicians in Berlin in the 1920s-30s back to life, 70 years after the end of the Holocaust, with fresh interpretations, re-workings and arrangements of originals, to be recorded live by a world-class ensemble of artists based in Berlin and New York, such as Grammy winner Lorin Sklamberg, Daniel Kahn, Sasha Lurje and others.

It's an almost incredible story. Berlin in the 1920s was home to a true Golden Age of Jewish music and musicians. Then, in the 1930s, even as the Nazis came to power and brutally repressed Jews and Jewish culture, Hirsch Lewin's Semer label recorded dozens of Jewish artists for posterity, before they were silenced by the Holocaust. On November 9, 1938, SA hordes destroyed Hirsch's Hebraica/Judaica shop in Berlin's Scheunenviertel district, including 4,500 records and about 250 metal plates and the Semer label was shut down. For decades, the recordings were lost and virtually forgotten, until they were heroically recovered and restored by musicologist Rainer E. Lotz. In 2012, the Berlin Jewish Museum commissioned me (Alan) to create a concert of new arrangements of the archival recordings. To realize the project, I put together a great band that unites senior pioneers of Jewish music like Lorin Sklamberg and Paul Brody with the new generation of amazing performers such as Daniel Kahn, Sasha Lurje, Mark Kovnatskiy and others. The result is Semer Reloaded.

With your support, we can present this incredible music not only as an archive of 80-year-old recordings or for a few lucky concert audiences, but as living music for the whole world through a state-of-the-art album release with great sound quality. We've got a strong a supporter in the Gorki theatre in Berlin, which has agreed to host our recording sessions live in concert. We'll team up with London-based music producer Ben Mandelson, and Berlin-based Piranha Records will take on the task of producing a high-quality recording as well as publishing and distributing it. Only 80 seats will be available for the concerts on on the 3rd and 4th November: by contributing only 30 EUR to the campaign you can witness the recording first-hand!"

You will find more information via https://www.startnext.com/en/semer-reloaded.

And here is a report about Semer Reloaded from "3sat" that shows some insights, musical performances and the musicians involved in Semer Reloaded - Alan Bern, Paul Brody, Mark Kovnatskiy, Martin Lillich, Sasha Lurje, Fabian Schnedler and Lorin Sklamberg:
_ www.youtube.com/watch?t=12&v=1Xky4Omql5g.

Mittwoch, 7. Oktober 2015

John Lee Hooker - I´m John Lee Hooker (1959)

Winding through the literally hundreds of titles in John Lee Hooker's catalog is a daunting task for even the most seasoned and learned blues connoisseur. This is especially true when considering Hooker recorded under more than a dozen aliases for as many labels during the late '40s, '50s, and early '60s.

"I'm John Lee Hooker" was first issued in 1959 during his tenure with Vee Jay and is "the Hook" in his element as well as prime. Although many of these titles were initially cut for Los Angeles-based Modern Records in the early '50s, the recordings heard here are said to best reflect Hooker's often-emulated straight-ahead primitive Detroit and Chicago blues styles. The sessions comprising the12-track album are taken from six sessions spread over the course of four years (1955-1959). Hooker works both solo - accompanied only by his own percussive guitar and the solid backbeat of his foot rhythmically pulsating against plywood - as well as in several different small-combo settings. Unlike the diluted, pop-oriented blues that first came to prominence in the wake of the British Invasion of the early to mid-'60s, the music on this album is infinitely more authentic in presentation.

As the track list indicates, "I'm John Lee Hooker" includes many of his best-known and loved works. From right out of the gate comes the guttural ramble-tamble of "Dimples" in its best-known form. Indeed it can be directly traced to - and is likewise acknowledged by - notable purveyors of Brit rock such as Eric Burdon - who incorporated it into the earliest incarnation of the Animals, the Spencer Davis Group, as well as the decidedly more roots-influenced Duane Allman. Another of Hooker's widely covered signature tunes featured on this volume is "Boogie Chillun." This rendering is arguably the most recognizable in the plethora of versions that have seemingly appeared on every Hooker-related compilation available. Additionally, this version was prominently featured in The Blues Brothers movie as well as countless other films and adverts. Likewise, a seminal solo "Crawlin' King Snake" is included here. The tune became not only a staple of Hooker's, it was also prominently included on the Doors' "L.A. Woman" album and covered by notable bluesmen Albert King, B.B. King, and Big Joe Williams, whose version predates this one by several decades.

"I'm John Lee Hooker" is one of the great blues collections of the post-World War II era. Time has, if anything, only reinforced the significance of the album. It belongs in every blues enthusiast's collection without reservation.                

Tracklist:
A1Dimples
A2Hobo Blues
A3I'm So Excited
A4I Love You Honey
A5Boogie Chillun
A6Little Wheel
B1I'm In The Mood
B2Maudie
B3Crawlin' King Snake
B4Every Night
B5Time Is Marching
B6Baby Lee

John Lee Hooker - I´m John Lee Hooker (1959)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Mittwoch, 29. Juli 2015

Mikis Theodorakis - The Faces Of The Sun - Happy Birthday, Mikis Theodorakis!

"Born on July 29, 1925 on the island of Chios, Mikis Theodorakis has seen nine decades of political developments in Greece - and continually responded to them in music. Often referred to as Greece's most famous living composer, he studied music in Paris under Olivier Messiaen and is known for writing the scores to films like "Zorba the Greek" (1964) and "Serpico" (1973). With his roots in classical music, he also pursued traditional Greek music, for many years in collaboration with talented singer Maria Farantouri.

Politically, Theodorakis was associated with the left-wing and became a vocal member of the resistance when the right-wing junta took power in the late 1960s, which led to a time in jail and exile for the musician. Theodorakis was elected to parliament three times - in 1964, 1981 and 1990 - and served as a minister in the 1990s.

Currently, Mikis Theorakis is suffering from the physical injuries resulting from a tear gas attack while he was participating in an anti-austerity demonstration in Athens in 2012. On the occasion of his 90th birthday, singer Maria Farantouri, who was his musical muse and long-time artistic colleague, tells DW what it was like to work with the composer and activist.

DW: Ms. Farantouri, Mikis Theodorakis discovered you as a singer during a performance in 1963. You were 16 at the time and quickly became the main interpreter of his music. Looking back, how would you describe this period?

Maria Farantouri: During the military dictatorship in Greece [Eds: 1967-1974] and just before it, I starting singing with Mikis Theodorakis and all my songs had to do with social justice, peace, solidarity, and humanity. Of course they also had an artistic message and nice melodies - Theodorakis was a very good musician, composer and conductor.

In the 1960s, music was very closely linked to politics and social struggles - it played a different role back then. We demonstrated against the political situation because we had neither freedom nor democracy.

Today, the finance crisis has made things difficult. We have somewhere around 1.5 million unemployed people. We still cannot believe that. The people are lacking basic needs and don't even have enough food.
I'm not a politician, but we - Europe and Greece - have to find a balance. Greece cannot continue like this.

There was a sense of upheaval in Greece in the 1960s, after World War II, occupation, civil war, and the wave of emigration in the 1950s. The young generation wanted to start anew. Theodorakis embodied this sentiment - politically, because he was part of the resistance and had been arrested, tortured and banned. But also musically through his songs, which were received with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, society had been divided even before the dictatorship and the left-wing was persecuted. At the same time, people held together…

Yes, not only the left, but all democrats held together, no matter which party they belonged to. There was a lot of discussion about democracy and everyone was supposed to fight for it. Those who were suspected of being too left-wing were forbidden from working. Only those on the right got jobs. Democrats and those who leaned to the left had big problems. Sometimes it was enough if you were just seen with a left-wing newspaper.

When Theodorakis discovered me, I was 16. That is what was happening in Greece, and we were young. The police knew what I did with Theodorakis. My family wasn't left, but center - democrats. But my colleagues, my friends, the circle of people around Theodorakis, the poets - they were all on the left, of course. However, they were not communists like in the Soviet Union; we were left-wing Europeans.

For us, humanity and peace were very important - especially peace. There were many wars at that time.

Your amazing voice played an important role, of course…

I was lucky. Mikis had an influence on me. He gave me a feeling for his convictions; he gave me everything. I was a young girl then and was to become a classically trained soprano at the music school. But Theodorakis said, "No, the best school is with me. You have to stay with me."

And so I followed him everywhere. I had some health problems in my younger years and was often in the hospital. But singing gave me access to the world.

In 1967, Mikis Theodorakis was arrested by the military junta and his music was banned because he'd joined the resistance. It was you, who - from exile in France - continued to fight against the dictatorship by carrying Theodorakis' songs into the world. It was through international protest that Theodorakis was able to immigrate to France in 1970 and you performed charity concerts there to support the families of victims of political persecution in Greece. When the regime was toppled in 1974, you had become a symbol of resistance and Theodorakis a national hero.

It's important to keep in mind that Greece is the source of Theodorakis' inspiration. Sometimes that is misunderstood and he is accused of being a nationalist. But he is not a nationalist. He simply believes that history and knowledge give him strength and energy to do great things.

This contradiction can be found in many charismatic personalities. I can only say that I was very lucky to meet this man. Otherwise I would have just become a good classical singer. With Mikis, it's a continuous journey - even now that he's 90 years old. He's alive, he's at home, and we communicate. And I feel at 66 like I was just starting - like a young girl. I would like to learn new things, understand and express myself. That's how I grew up with Miki, and that's why I say he's my father.

In honor of Mikis Theodorakis' 90th birthday, Maria Farantouri is going on tour in Europe, giving concerts in Berlin (25.09.), Amsterdam (27.09.), Luxemburg (28.09), and Brussels (29.09.)."

 - From: www.dw.com

"The "Faces of the sun" are based on the collection of poems: "Colours and vowels". They express my concept of greek song today, as much as it concers melody - vere - rythme - voice." - Mikis Theodorakis

Tracklist:
1The Way Of The Moon
2It's Been A Long Time Since I've Seen You
3The 3 Days
4Stop Here
5The Hide And Seek
6You Speak In A New Way
7At This Moment Of The Day
8Speak To Me In Another Way
9The Way You Talk To Me
10The Way You Look At Me
11It's Getting Dark
12The Faces Of The Sun
13To Come Here
14With A Half Moon
15The Time Of The Fire
16The Sea At Noon
17This Tree


Mikis Theodorakis - The Faces Of The Sun
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Montag, 13. April 2015

Jumpin´ With The Big Swing Bands

This one is made for dancin´. Made for swingin´!
It´s a Savoy Jazz compilation with some of the most famous and swingin´-est bands of that era, containing some rare and jumpin´ recordings.

"Jumping With the Big Swing Bands" collects various swing-era tracks by such popular dance band leaders as Louis Prima, Jimmie Lunceford, and Harry James. Included here are such rare cuts as Lunceford's "Sit Back and Ree-Lax" and "Shut Out."

Tracklist:

1. Call The Police - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
2. Robin Hood - Louis Prima & His Orchestra
3. Junction - Harry James & His Orchestra
4. Lester Young Tush - Earle Warren & His Orchestra
5. Cement Mixer - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
6. Hodge Podge - Harry James & His Orchestra
7. Margie - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
8. Down The Road A Piece - Ray McKinley & His Orchestra
9. Water Faucet - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
10. Boog It - Harry James & His Orchestra
11. Them Who Has Gets - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
12. Sand Storm - Ray McKinley & His Orchestra
13. Circus In Rhythm - Earle Warren & His Orchestra/Lester Young
14. Sit Back And Ree-lax - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
15. Headin' For Hallelujah - Harry James & His Orchestra
16. Hangover Square - Ray McKinley & His Orchestra
17. Shut Out - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
18. Brooklyn Boogie - Louis Prima & His Orchestra
19. Jimmies, The - Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
 
(256 kbps, front cover included)

Sonntag, 12. April 2015

VA - All That Jive (Savoy Jazz)

Image"All That Jive" (Savoy Jazz) compiles such iconic jive- and scat-oriented recordings as Dizzy Gillespie's "Oop Bop Sh'bam" and Slim Gaillard's "Flat Foot Floogie."

This is legendary stuff off the Savoy label and while it is available elsewhere, this is nonetheless a superb introduction to some classic jazz humor of the late '40s.

From the linernotes:"We hope this album brings back some of what´s often been missing in jazz for the past few decades - that sense of humor and lightheartedness which was there before the egg headed intellectuals discovered the music and started taking it - and themselves - way too seriously. Just have a ball and, while you´re at it, check out what´s being played, too. It´ll get you either way."

VA - All That Jive (Savoy Jazz)
(256 kbps)

Donnerstag, 2. April 2015

Howlin Wolf - Moanin´ In The Moonlight (1958)

Moanin' in the Moonlight was the debut album by American blues singer Howlin' Wolf. The album was a compilation of previously issued singles by Chess Records. It was originally released by Chess Records as a mono-format LP record in 1959. The album has been reissued several times, including a vinyl reissue in 1969 titled Evil.

The two earliest songs on Moanin' in the Moonlight were "Moanin' at Midnight" and "How Many More Years". These two songs were recorded at Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee on May 14, 1951 or August 1951. These two songs were sold to the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who released them as a single on August 15, 1951. The rest of the songs on the album were recorded in Chicago, Illinois and were produced by either the Chess brothers and/or Willie Dixon.

In 1987 Moanin' in the Moonlight was given a W.C. Handy Award under the category of "Vintage/Reissue Album (US)". Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album as #153 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Robert Palmer has cited "How Many More Years" (recorded May 1951) as the first record to feature a distorted power chord, played by Willie Johnson on the electric guitar.

An essential listening of the highest order!

Tracklist:
Moanin' At Midnight2:43
How Many More Years2:58
Smokestack Lightnin'2:32
Baby, How Long2:18
No Place To Go2:31
All Night Boogie2:16
Evil3:01
I'm Leavin' You2:29
Moanin' For My Baby2:17
I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)2:47
Forty-Four3:02
Somebody In My Home2:59

Howlin Wolf - Moanin´ In The Moonlight (1958)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Donnerstag, 19. März 2015

Howlin Wolf - In Concert (1964)

 
Of the myriad circulating live Wolf albums of dubious fidelity and legality, this is the best of the bunch, both from an audio standpoint and the pronouncement in the booklet that royalties were indeed being paid to Wolf's widow.

This is Wolf's portion of the show as part of the traveling American Folk Blues entourage, the first festival type presentation of the whole blues spectrum to invade Europe. This 1964 tour is the one that brought the real thing to locales where he had previously been only a name on a phonograph record, and the romantic notions projected into the sound that record gave off. With somewhat subdued but nonetheless solid support from right hand man Hubert Sumlin on lead guitar, Sunnyland Slim on piano, Willie Dixon on upright bass, and Clifton James on drums, Wolf runs through a 45-minute set loaded with classics and presented with a positively genial charm. The lack of Wolf's regular rhythm section (although Dixon played bass on many of the records from this period) lends a different flavor to these versions.

Many of the selections seem mistitled here ("Tell Me What I've Done" is "I Didn't Mean To Hurt Your Feelings," "Shake For Me" is "Shake It For Me," "May I Have A Talk With You" is "Love Me," etc.), but as this November 6th performance in Bremen, Germany unfolds, it becomes apparent that the odd titles come from Wolf's introductions. Everything is stretched to a nice, comfortable length here, as Wolf sets both mood and pace, with no tune clocking in at anything less than four minutes and "Goin' Down Slow" and "Forty-Four" reaching the six- and seven-minute mark. Even though the drums and Sumlin's guitar are perhaps muted in the mix more than they should be, the overall sound shows just how well these blues veterans worked together. Just how essential this performance is to a Wolf collection would be in debate, but once you're under the spell, you want to hear it all, and this is a fine addition for someone who's in it for the long haul.     
          
Turn up the volume, and after a little while you won't hardly notice the lack of 21st century fidelity. Any semi-serious blues fan should listen to this wonderful recording of Howlin' Wolf in his prime...

Howlin Wolf - In Concert (1964)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mittwoch, 11. Februar 2015

Woody Guthrie - Talking Dust Bowl (1950)

This is a Folkways LP that came out in 1950, but it collects some of the first commercial recordings that Guthrie made - for RCA Victor in 1940. On the A side you will find four classic dust bowl ballads; on the flip side, songs about the migrants who were chased from the southwest by the storms of the 1930s. These include a piece that Guthrie based on John Steinbeck's Tom Joad character.

It's interesting that Guthrie, thought of as a true folk artist, was influenced by Steinbeck's novel and (according to the notes to this album) even the film of the Grapes of Wrath. His work in turn became part of the collective consciousness, in a sense - I remember singing So Long and This Land Is Your Land in elementary school in the 1950s, well before I ever heard of Woody himself.

Guthrie's RCA session was tremendously successful artistically - this record doesn't include Do Re Mi, Vigilante Man, and Pretty Boy Floyd, all of which he recorded at the same session.

The cover of this album, by an artist named Carlis, is perfect for its contents. A great record and great package.

Thanks to http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/ for the original upload and the informative text.

Tracklist
Dust Bowl Ballads
A1Dust Storm Disaster
A2So Long (Dusty Old Dust)
A3Talking Dust Blues
A4Dust Can't Kill Me
Migrant Worker's Songs
B1Blowing Down This Road
B2Dust Bowl Refugee
Tom Joad (Ballad Based On John Steinbeck's "Grapes Of Wrath")
B3Tom Joad, Part 1
B4Tom Joad, Part 2

Woody Guthrie - Talking Dust Bowl (1950)
(256 kbps, front cover included)

Donnerstag, 8. Januar 2015

Bertolt Brecht - An die Nachgeborenen

An die Nachgeborenen

I
Wirklich, ich lebe in finsteren Zeiten!
Das arglose Wort ist töricht. Eine glatte Stirn
Deutet auf Unempfindlichkeit hin. Der Lachende
Hat die furchtbare Nachricht
Nur noch nicht empfangen.
Was sind das für Zeiten, wo
Ein Gespräch über Bäume fast ein Verbrechen ist
Weil es ein Schweigen über so viele Untaten einschließt!
Der dort ruhig über die Straße geht
Ist wohl nicht mehr erreichbar für seine Freunde
Die in Not sind?
Es ist wahr: ich verdiene noch meinen Unterhalt
Aber glaubt mir: das ist nur ein Zufall. Nichts
Von dem, was ich tue, berechtigt mich dazu, mich satt zu essen.
Zufällig bin ich verschont. (Wenn mein Glück aussetzt, bin ich verloren.)
Man sagt mir: Iß und trink du! Sei froh, dass du hast!
Aber wie kann ich essen und trinken, wenn
Ich dem Hungernden entreiße, was ich esse, und
Mein Glas Wasser einem Verdurstenden fehlt?
Und doch esse und trinke ich.
Ich wäre gerne auch weise.
In den alten Büchern steht, was weise ist:
Sich aus dem Streit der Welt halten und die kurze Zeit
Ohne Furcht verbringen
Auch ohne Gewalt auskommen
Böses mit Gutem vergelten
Seine Wünsche nicht erfüllen, sondern vergessen
Gilt für weise.
Alles das kann ich nicht:
Wirklich, ich lebe in finsteren Zeiten!
 
II
In die Städte kam ich zur Zeit der Unordnung
Als da Hunger herrschte.
Unter die Menschen kam ich zu der Zeit des Aufruhrs
Und ich empörte mich mit ihnen.
So verging meine Zeit
Die auf Erden mir gegeben war.
Mein Essen aß ich zwischen den Schlachten
Schlafen legte ich mich unter die Mörder
Der Liebe pflegte ich achtlos
Und die Natur sah ich ohne Geduld.
So verging meine Zeit
Die auf Erden mich gegeben war.
Die Straßen führten in den Sumpf zu meiner Zeit.
Die Sprache verriet mich dem Schlächter.
Ich vermochte nur wenig. Aber die Herrschenden
Saßen ohne mich sicherer, das hoffte ich.
So verging meine Zeit
Die auf Erden mir gegeben war.
Die Kräfte waren gering. Das Ziel
Lag in großer Ferne
Es war deutlich sichtbar, wenn auch für mich
Kaum zu erreichen.
So verging meine Zeit
Die auf Erden mir gegeben war.
 
III
Ihr, die ihr auftauchen werdet aus der Flut
In der wir untergegangen sind
Gedenkt
Wenn ihr von unseren Schwächen sprecht
Auch der finsteren Zeit
Der ihr entronnen seid.
Gingen wir doch, öfter als die Schuhe die Länder wechselnd
Durch die Kriege der Klassen, verzweifelt
Wenn da nur Unrecht war und keine Empörung.
Dabei wissen wir doch:
Auch der Hass gegen die Niedrigkeit
Verzerrt die Züge.
Auch der Zorn über das Unrecht
Macht die Stimme heiser. Ach, wir
Die wir den Boden bereiten wollten für Freundlichkeit
Konnten selber nicht freundlich sein.
Ihr aber, wenn es so weit sein wird
Dass der Mensch dem Menschen ein Helfer ist
Gedenkt unsrer
Mit Nachsicht.

Donnerstag, 1. Januar 2015

Happy New Year!

Euch allen ein gutes neues Jahr!
Bonne Année!
Feliz Año Nuevo!
Felice Anno Nuovo!
Happy New Year!
Sretna Nova Godina!
Godt Nytar!
Hyvää Uutta Vuotta!
Kali Chronia!
Shana Towa!
Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!
Um Ano Novo Feliz!
La Multi Ani!
あけましておめでとうございます !
Yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun !
שנה טובה!
Ευτυχισμένος ο καινούργιος χρόνος !
Новим роком !