Strange Unearthly Creatures Podcast December 2010

Could this be the best one yet? It is my opinion that it is! Featuring matirial from The Acid Facists & Beware The Dangers Of A Ghost Scorpion. Plus loads more!!

Check It Out!!!!!!!!!!!

Strange Unearthly Creatures Christmas 2010 by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

The Super Guitar Of Lightnin' Red

Every now and then as you're idly flicking through a musty old box of records in a charity shop, boot fair or even your local musical disk emporium. You come across a record that makes you stop and think: 'That's got to be worth a go' Even more so when you notice the price is only 50p.
Most of the time you have no clue what it is about the record you are holding that has made you feel such a way, other than it is indeed, exactly that - a "feeling".  This feeling could be down to a simple case of a nice cover picture, or a name you are sure you recognise or have read about somewhere, something that makes you certain it is going to be good, on the other side of the coin of course, it can be that this record looks so ridiculous, you have just got to find out what its banter is.


For me upon my chance meeting with old Lightnin' Red at a car boot sale all those years ago it was definitely the latter: 
A combination of its title "THE SUPER GUITAR OF LIGHTNIN RED"  The wonderfully absurd cover art and the 50p price tag. was more than enough to make me think - 'Why on earth not?'


When you get these whimsically acquired oddities home however, you will quite often find that 'Professor Gilbert Plays Hits Of The 60s' on his Hammond organ' does not have that one, out of sorts drum heavy Hammond instrumental track that you had hoped it might and that record that really looked like it promised some acid tinged Hungarian Folk actually turned out to be some kind of Hungarian operatic gubbins.


So what makes this never ending dig through piles and piles of must and dust so worth while? Well sometimes, not always but sometimes you hit the jackpot! To quote the foot not at the bottom of the back of the LP's cover sleeve; " Folk down around Texarkana way say, 'Give ole Lightnin Red anything with strings on it an he'll sure as hell play it'. His use of wha-wha and other electronic gear is employed to the fullest measure - but his full artistry comes from the incredible speed of his fingering. Listen to his fingers pushing notes through his amplifiers. Add swinging brass and the colours of lush strings and you have a setting for the best of Lightnin Red"


Well that's got to be worth a go hasn't it? 


Lightnin Red may be another covering the popular hits of the day but he has served them up with a huge sugar coated dose of raw funk!


Tracklist


1) America
2) Put your hand in the hand
3) Frankie & Johnny
4) La Bamba
5) Pappa's got a brand new bag
6) Bahia
7) Jericho
8) Perdido
9) Funky Friday
10) Caravan




Funky Friday





Pappa's Got A Brand New Bag





Caravan

Funky Canned B-Sides

After recording the Funky Canned Meat Mixtape, I thought to myself 'what shall I do next?' Well what else could I do but flip um over and start again! 

This mix is mostly compiled of the B-sides of records from the Funky Canned Meat mix, with a few others thrown in. 

If you are wondering what the tracklist to Funky Canned Meat is? Try and work it out from this!

Funky Canned B-Sides by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

Subway - Subway (1972)

Looking at the cover of this album you would be forgiven for thinking that you were gazing upon the latest musical offering, from some kind of neo-medieval band of travelling minstrels or perhaps even the soundtrack to a 1970s film detailing the sexual escapades of a dragon slayer and his fiddle playing companion; who are on a quest to find a golden skull - all the time a-rootling and a-tootling throughout their merry journey. However, what you are in fact looking at my friends, is a rare and beautiful beast indeed. 

Subway were a half American half British duo that set out from here in good old Blighty in an attempt to make it in France, legend has it that with little money the duo resorted to busking in the Parisian subway stations in order to gain an income (hence the name of the band).  The duo, who played all of the instruments featured on the album then recorded and released it in very limited numbers.  Sadly, sales of the album were poor and the unsold copies were melted down and recycled (a common and often tragic practice of the time) now thankfully reissued, for those who have a mind too enjoy it.

Sweet, beautiful, progressive and dark around the edges, this uber rare folk gem may lie in the meadow face up smiling toward the first rays of summer sun but its feet are firmly planted in the dark cool shade of the gooseberry bush where mischievous Imps and Dark Elves congregate to play brooding bass lines, bang drums, brew up strange looking foul tasting mushrooms and raise hell. 

Turn off the lights, pour yourself a glass and remember: life is a strange and tasty brew.

Tracklist

1) I Am A Child

2) Song For Sinking Shelters

3) Warm You Are

4) All The Good Things

5) Enturbulaton - Free From

6) Arizona Sands

7) Rosanna Of The Roses

8) Can I Trade With You My Mind

I Am A Child

Song For Sinking Shelters

Enturbulaton - Free From

  

Strange Unearthly Creatures Podcast November 2010

Strange Unearthly Creatures Podcast November 2010 by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

Novembers edition of the podcast featuring a world exclusive of the new Black Jash material!

Lulu - Love Loves To Love

Every now and then a popular artist of the day lets down their plasticised shiny pop hair and does something truly incredible: records a song for the sake of music! Yes they forget about being commercially viable, throw caution to the wind, undo their top button and just go for it. 
The reasons for this sudden flit to the darker side of the cabbage patch is unclear but from time to time it does happen. As is the case with this here breakbeat, fuzzed up, Mod Soul offering from Lulu. 
What's even more exceptional is that for Lulu this crazy care free adventure is not just a one off! If your lucky (as I was) you may come across one of these for a few pounds from a charity chop or a seller unaware that this is not your average Lulu pop 45. But beware, most are in the know and I have seen this little beauty go for over £20 on a popular internet auction site.


Love Loves To Love

The Peddlers - Tell The World Were Not In

Mancunian Mod Jazztsers The Peddlers first met in a Manchester music shop some time in 1963. Each of the trio eager to for pastures new as their previous ventures in to life as musicians had fallen flat and disbanded. 


Their new trio (originally called The Song Peddlers) did well and were soon recording for Philips and realised there first single in 64.
This is my personal favourite of theirs its from 1970 and titled: Tell The World We're Not In. I agree, go away, we're not bloody in!


Tell The World We're Not In





Rainy Day London

Mondo Circus Bizzaro

A mix I did earlier today after smoking a funny fag. It is without doubt the strangest and most peculiar of mixtape I have ever created.

Mondo Circus Bizzaro by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

V.A Weiner Blutrausch

One day as you are flicking through a box of dusty old records - Val Doonican, Glen Campbell & 'Scottish bagpipe bands covering popular hits of the 60s' - thinking about what to have for your tea, when your eyeballs cast a glance across this shockingly striking album cover.  After the initial shocked pause subsides; the tiny little electrons have hopped in frenzied hurry into their Noddy cars and driven at full speed up the optic nerve, violently swerving in and out of the traffic shaking there fists and shouting 'GET OUT OF MY WAY MORONS, I HAVE POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE BRAIN!' 

However upon receiving this information, the brain is not sure what to make of it:

 'What on earth is this?' 


'Is it some kind of dark twisted Wurlitzer led circus music for lunatics?' 


'or, is it some kind of early 80s hardcore in a similar vein to the likes of Gang Green?' 

Well my friends, the answer is none of the above!  

This is actually some kind of rare subterranean mutant beast that dwells beneath a desolate battleground, somewhere between off kilter Zappa-esque prog and perverted post punk & new wave.  Flip the cover over and you will see, this is in fact a compilation; five underground  Austrian bands doing two or three songs each, almost like a showcase or record label sampler (as it were).  Each band (remarkably tight) seems to flit back and forth between avant guard progressive rock, jazz, punk, synth led new wave funk and virtuoso hardcore flip flop.

'What on earth?' 

After the initial shock subsides, the brain  has resumed normal function, and the electrons and their noddy cars have drifted back peacefully into going about their daily business.  

You surmise: 'by Jove I think I get it!'  'it makes sense!'  'in fact - I'm keen as mustard!'

Track list


1) Drahdiwaberl - Kaiseryhmne Pink Punk Shirt
2) Drahdiwaberl - Low And Order Man


3) Mini-Sex - Tropic Chaotic
4) Mini-Sex - Valium 
5) Mini-Sex - Dark Visions


6) Metzlutzcas Erben - Infrarot Klosett


7) Chuzpe - Panik Alanig
8) Chuzpe - Beislanarchie
9) Chuzpe - Terror In Klein-Babylon


10) Maudbuben AG - Maudbuben AG
11) Maudbuben AG - Mi Hat, Mi Hat Der Grossenwhan
12) Maudbuben AG - Heimatland


13) Metzlutzcas Erben - Weg Vom Fenster


Drahdiwaberl - Kaiseryhmne Pink Punk Shirt





Mini-Sex - Tropic Chaotic

Metzlutzcas Erben - Infrarot Klosett

Maudbuben AG - Mi Hat, Mi Hat Der Grossenwhan





Chuzpe - Terror In Klein-Babylon

Funky Canned Meat

"I know you got soul, or else you wouldn't be in here"


Funky Canned Meat, a supreme selection of late 60's / early 70's Funk, Soul and Boogaloo. Clear a space on the floor and start dancing!!!!!!!

Funky Canned Meat by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

Strange Unearthly Creatures Podcast Halloween 2010

Calling all Ghosts, Ghouls, Monsters, Vampires, Freaks and Geeks. The the third instalment of this monthly podcast is a Halloween special!

One whole hour of Rock & Roll Horror hits, Screeming Psychoblilly & Eye Popping Psychedelics!!!

Strange Unearthly Creatures Podcast Halloween 2010 by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

HALLOWEEN @ THE BRICKYARD SATURDAY 30TH OCTOBER

A staple in The Brickyard calendar, this notorious night sees zombies, ghosts and ghouls travel from near and far. A genuine alternative night for those looking for something different, featuring DJs Jonny Bordello, Jonny Sharpe, Mr Chipp & Sam P playing savage soul, eye-popping psychedelics and horrifying hip hop.

The Brickyard's henchmen will be pulling out all the stops to transform the venue into something the Twilight zone would be proud of. Entry is £4 and there's even free punch for those lucky enough to get there early

Ten Of My Favourite Computer Games From My Youth

After playing some Vintage arcade games earlier today, I felt inspired to rediscover some of my favourite computer games of the 80's and early 90's

1) Galaxian 

Possibly the first computer game I ever played. My uncle had it on his Commadore Vic 20. Originally released in 1979 this is the oldest game on my list. It does not stray far from the "Space Invaders" Formula. 

2) Paperboy

A truly original concept for a game, imagine its creators trying to pitch that sale, "So whats the premise of your game?" "Erm well, you errr, basically you err deliver newspapers" The funny thing is though that the game is amazing!! Throw papers from your bike to the mail box, try not to smash any windows, avoid all the cars and lawnmowers etc and tackle the BMX track at the end of each level. Mint!!! Hours of addictive juvenile fun.

3) Flimbo's Quest

Collecting scrolls and avoiding monsters is the name of the game in this addictive late 80's platformer for the Commadore 64.

4) Super Skidmarks

Race as a Motor Cow, race as a Motor Cow with a caravan attached, dont get lost and go the wrong way, hit "sweet" doubles and leave skidmarks on every corner in this crazy racing came for the Amiga. My personal favourite's were the pick up trucks (dont ask me why) My favourite colour was mauve (dont ask me why) One thing I can tell you is: I used up many hours of my life on this bugger!!!!

5) Golden Axe

Play as the Barbarian, the Dwarf or the other one. Ride dragons, collect potions, get the dastardly thieves! Hack, slash and burn your way through level after level of baddies and boss men. Surely everybody knows this classic side scrolling twat um up!

6) Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O'Fun 

Could this be the only circus game to have even been in existence? I'm not sure, probably not. But it may be the best. 
High dive, Juggle, Knife throw, Tightrope, Trapeze and Human Cannonball are all here to contend with, and if that was not enough, that fiendish old divil Freddy is trying to put a spanner in the works at every opportunity! Hours of fun in the big top!!!

7) Target Renegade

If you owned this on the C64 (which I did) then it was possible the hardest and most annoying Double Dragon imitation on the market. I think I only made it past the first level once! But that said for some reason I loved it. 
To be honest this game played far far better on the Spectrum. You could even play two player co-op on that and had an extra move where you could beat the turd out of people when they were sparked out on the floor. But alas, for that you had to sacrifice the quality of graphics and colours, which on the Spectrum were quite frankly poo!

8) Speed Ball 2

A new sport? or a hybrid of existing sports with added ultra violence? Smash and batter your opponent in to submission. Button mash your team to victory, if you beat um enough the medics will come and take um away!!

9) How To Be A Complete Bastard

Your at a party and the aim of the game is to be a complete bastard. You cant get better than that. Fill condoms with coleslaw, stab people with pens, piss in the plant pots, fart, eat frozen chicken causing you to catch salmonella, ratch through people's jacket pockets and open an umbrella in the house causing you to turn in to an oven! Enough said!!!!!! 

10) California Games

Surfing, BMX, Skate boarding, Frisbee etc. Surely every one knows the score with this one? For me it was all about the BMX!!!!!!!! (Although the rest were good too)

The Rock N Roll Horror Hop

Another chance to listen to and download my Halloween themed Rock N Roll mix CD that was given away free at the first Rock N Roll Horror Hop @ The Brickyard a few years ago!!

The Rock N Roll Horror Hop by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

Le Orme - Ad Gloriam

Le Orme - Ad gloriam



One always finds that no matter how many records you collect or listen to over the years that some never venture far fom your record player, they become etched into some part of your psyche. These albums are boxed and wrapped up in brown tape by little electonic beings that hold no physical form, they are loaded into some sort of transportation device and shipped off for storage in the great vaults of your mind ready to be recalled when ever needed. You never grow bored of these albums, you dont have to be 'in the mood' to listen to them, on the contrary they inflict their mood upon you.

Le Orme's debut album entitled Ad Gloriam, released in 1969 is one such album for me: I cannot listen to this wonderfully trippy psychedelic sunshine pop Lp without beaming from ear to ear and being transported to a world where the sun always shines, birds sing loud from the trees and Great uncle Bulgaria lives underneath my garden of wild flowers, herbs and fruits.Every morning old Uncle Bulgaria and myself lay around in the sun, drinking his home brewed wine, smoking special herbs and discussing the great topics of the day. Occasionally we will pop Ad Gloriam on to the record player and think that... 'life is not so bad'


Yes the lyrics are all in Italian so we (as in my eldery Wombly friend and I) have no idea what they are about but that hardly matters as the vocals and harmonies on the album's title track (and throughout the rest of the album in fact) are simply beautiful. Ad Gloriam is laced with; trippy guitar work, hammond organ, flute, piano, harpsicord, strings and percussion from start to finish and hops around somewhere near the centre of a crystal clear pond filled with ethereal instrumentals, moody psych and soaring sunshine pop.


I know this album may not be considered by some to be as good as some of their more 'Progressive' material that they released as a three piece band in the early 70's but I really dont care, I think this album is beautiful, it makes me smile a lot, the instrumentation and vocals are brilliant in every song. Go out and track down a copy for yourself, take it into the garden and give Uncle Bulgaria a knock; he will answer the door with a great big smile, a bottle of the good stuff and a bag of strong smelling herbs, put the record on, lie on the grass, chat rubbish and let the day drift away.

Ad Gloriam



Fumo
 

 
I Miei Sogni
 

Septembers Strange Unearthly Creatures Podcast

Strange Unearthly Creatures September 2010 by Jonny_Bordello on Mixcloud

Electric Holyland Compilation

Electric Holyland

For my first ever review I thought where better to start than my most recent acquisition. From the moment this little beauty dropped through my letterbox (or rather was handed to me by Mr Postman) I felt more eager than usual to get it open and on to the record player.  I'm not sure whether this was because of the extremely beautiful cover art, the sheer bizarreness of content etched on to this shiny black piece of wax, the concept of it all, or the hype that my own imagination had built up around it.  Let's just say I had a feeling that this was going to be good.

Let me put it to you like this: Have you ever been walking down the street, searching through you particular favourite brand of mp3 player for something, but not finding anything that is quite right? "What I really fancy" you think "is a dose of drum heavy, fuzzed out, psychedelic, god rock" - Well have you?  I certainly have not, I did not even consider for a moment that such a thing would even exist!  But it does and even better than that, some kind soul has waded (chest deep no doubt) through the vast pile of shite that I'm sure must reside in the realm of Christian Rock to bring you the most drum heavy, fuzz drenched, obscure  heaviest and most bizarrely wonderful Jesus rock gems from the 60's and 70's.

What on earth (or in the heavens above for that matter) made these freaky Jesus loving flower power evangelists break away from the more traditional formula of chrisian music and push the boundaries so far out in to the stratosphere I do not know, but one thing I can tell you is that I'm glad that they did! No doubt recorded in small studios and privately pressed in limited numbers the LPs in their original form are certainly obscure, rare and collectable, and the very nature of their content has left them overlooked by music lovers and record collectors alike. But no more! As Electric Holyland has just thundered in to town carrying a giant payload of Blues, Soul, Psychedelics, Acid Folk and Gospel.

However if you what you have read so far has tickled your fancy. If right at this moment your feet are itching to boogie on down to some of this obscure brand of breakbeat, psychedelic, genre bending, Halleluja soul rock then you had better be quick because this cracking compilation has been pressed in almost as limited numbers as the original LP's from which it draws its very essence. Only 500! Yes 500 have been pressed and all have been hand numbered.

Mine is number 297. Will you be able to find one?

Praise be brothers, praise be!!

Tracklist

The New Folk - Love comes down

Barrie Hobbie, Johanna Black & Sweet Destiny - Get Down On Your Knees

First Revelation - Where Could I Go

Wild Olive Branch Band -  High Times, Low Times

Earthen Vessel - Ive Been Walkin'

Shekina Glory - Ask

The Jesus Band - Jesus Is Mighty To Save

The Ark - Sidewalk Preacherman

Children Of The Lamb - Decisions

Renacimiento - Date Cuenta

Paul Clark - Jesus Is My Great Shephard

The Four Corner Gospel Experience - Put Your Spirit Inside Of Me

Sidewalk Preacher 

Love Comes Down

I've Been Walkin'