I'M A MONSTER

A few years ago, while visiting San Francisco, I found myself with a day to do nothing but eat, shit, and shop for records, so that's what I did. After scouting overpriced but excellent hole in the wall stores in North Beach, I trekked out to the end of Haight, for my second visit in two days to the huge ass record store that I cannot name. (They put a friend's record store out of business, so I should add that I kinda had it in for this store, like all predatory Goliaths.) It was huge, and its size offered a relatively broad selection. After checking the bins of disparate semi-obscure artists to get an idea of their selection, I eventually made it to the garage section, which is where I ran into the guy who smelled like cigarettes.

While browsing, he went from "the annoying recommender" to dyed in the wool rock n' roll heart, that smelled like cigarettes. One look at this guy told you everything you needed to know. He was older than me (which is to say, not young), with long sideburns, weathered face, and beat to shit leather jacket The "I've been around so long, all the hipsters my age went straight long ago" look. This guy was one real rocker, stealth, no showboatin'. While browsing next to each other, talk turned to the Nuggets boxed sets, then Kicks magazine and somehow segued to him telling stories about his buddy Cyril Jordan and the Flamin' Groovies. Up to this point, my most prominent impression of the Groovies was "Shake Some Action," a great record, but a little too polished for my tastes.

Years earlier, I, like many teenagers, bought "Teenage Head" as a cut-out, on the merit of the cool band shot on the cover, only to dump it later. But dang me if the guy that smelled like cigarettes didn't convince to give it another listen. What amazes me now is that this total stranger was so true to his old school cool, that his opinion carried merit; just based on the sense that he was that rare bird, the real thing. Now, every time I hear the Flamin' Groovies, I think about that guy, and the shit shooting session that lasted well over an hour. So these are for the guy who smelled like cigarettes, who was convinced that the Flamin' Groovies, in their prime, were the American Stones. I should have bought him a beer.

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The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Flamin Groovies - Shake Some Action (non-LP version) at Beware of the Blog
The Flamin' Groovies - Slow Death mp3 at Sibling Shot
The Flamin' Groovies - Have You Seen My Baby mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu

REGGAE VOCAL GROUP #136

The Pioneers early stuff has never let me down. These are from 68-73, when they were in their prime. The vocals are just unpolished enough, and the backing is your basic formulaic studio groove; thick but clear enough to single out individual instruments (and once you do, you're locked in). "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is a pretty funky deviation (the wah-wah and horns do wonders). These guys could really, really handle covers.

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The Pioneers - Long Shot Kick de Bucket mp3 at SoundBites
The Pioneers - Papa Was a Rolling Stone mp3 at Funky 16 Corners
The Pioneers - Mother and Child Reunion mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
The Pioneers Official Site

ZYDECO 101

Several years ago, on the day Clifton Chenier died, a musician/DJ I knew (who worked in a record store) told me he didn't know who Clifton Chenier was. I think everybody should know who Clifton Chenier is. Here's a short introduction:

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Clifton Chenier - Zydeco Sont Pas Sale .mp3 at Lets Polka
Clifton Chenier - Caledonia mp3 at Rocky-52.net
Clifton Chenier - Baby Please Don't Go (the porch video) at YouTube
Clifton Chenier - Les Biscuits video at Daily Motion
Clifton Chenier at Wikipedia

MEET LUIE LUIE

Private label recordings are always a little unusual. Sometimes the artists are sponsored by a hotel (or other tourist attraction), but most record and self release records themselves. And it's not for the same reasons that indie artists do (artistic control, not getting ripped of by record labels, etc.). They usually do it because they're determined to get their music heard, by any means necessary. Seldom does this process have an entirely happy ending. For lounge entertainer Luie Luie, though, it appears that it has. His cult-like fame has been percolating for years, prompting Companion Records to not only collect all of his works, but track down the man himself, receiving his blessing to reissue all of his decades old recordings.

Luie Luie is a one man band act, and he's been plying his trade in lounges and restaurants for thirty-plus years. But that doesn't really say it all. His music is so out there that it is hard to describe. "Herb Alpert on acid" might be as close as you get, but that doesn't even get it. Let's just say if you like Sun Ra, Captain Beefheart and Wesley Willis, you would probably like Luie Luie. In addition to his music, he does these spoken word introductions to his songs, with everything from his view on the world, to instructions on how to do his versatile "Touchy" dance (of which, he relates several variations). Everything about him is so heartfelt, that it's hard not to like him. He just seems like a really genuine sort of...oddball. There, I said it. A genuine oddball, but an oddball nevertheless. That is not a bad thing.

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Luie Luie - What a Wonderful World mp3 at Waxidermy
Luie Luie - Touchy mp3 at Doklands (Link removed)
Luie Luie bio, photos and sample clips at Companion Records
(NOTE: For instructions on how to do the Touchy, listen to sample of "Touch Me With All Your Heart")

THE FUCK YOU DID

You should know the song, "I Put a Spell On You." It's been covered a zillion times. The original by Screamin' Jay Hawkins is undeniably the best, at least it is over here. The man was nuts, especially when you consider he competed for airplay with far less out-there contemporaries. As great as the original is, some of the covers are cool too, especially if context carries weight. The first version I ever heard was by Creedence. It was on their first album, released right smack dab in the middle of the hippie era. There's one part of their version I've always liked. It's the single note sustained feedback, between 2:18 and 2:29 in the song. That's right, eleven seconds. And it doesn't scream like, say, Hendrix. It's more like it's on its last breath. When the solo resumes, the song stumbles to its feet.

Today I came across another version, by Os Rocks, a sixties garage band from Africa. How's that for context? (Aquarium Drunkard has another African garage cut too, by the awesomely named A-Cads).

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Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell On You mp3 at Music Is Art
Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Put a Spell On You mp3 at A Barrel of Nails
Os Rocks - I Put a Spell On You mp3 at Aquarium Drunkard

SOLOMON BURKE DEAD

Solomon Burke, one of the great soul singers to come out of the 60's stable of Atlantic Records, passed away this morning en route to Amsterdam. He was on his way to appear at the Paradiso (fittingly, a live venue in a converted church), making good on his promise to the Telegraph (UK), "I’ll sing as long as I have breath." He leaves behind an astonishing body of work (both as writer and singer), a ministry, 21 children, 90 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. His message was always positive, including the last posted on his website:

"This is a difficult time in the world, and I would like to ask each of you to find ways to be a part of positive solutions. There is something that each of us can do, and it's just a matter of searching your own soul to find the way that you can give to others. Some of us can give of our time and talent, and some of us can donate money or items. The trick is to give without looking to receive - to give of yourself to your family, your friends, your community, and the world community with love."

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Early Solomon Burke:
Solomon Burke - Keep Looking mp3 at Funky 16 Corners
Soul Clan - Soul Meeting mp3 at Funky 16 Corners
Solomon Burke - Uptight Good Woman mp3 at Funky 16 Corners
Solomon Burke - Five more related mp3s and excellent personal tribute at Funky 16 Corners
Late Solomon Burke:
Solomon Burke - None of Us Are Free video (with the Five Blind Boys of Alabama) at You Tube
Solomon Burke - Fast Train mp3 at Muzzle of Bees
Solomon Burke - Diamond In You Mind mp3 at Muzzle of Bees
Solomon Burke Official Website
Solomon Burke bio at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

I DON'T BELIEVE IN BEATLES

What can be said? Much respect from this corner. He had his hits and misses, but, before punk rock, he was the first musician to inspire me to question things. I always think back to something my brother told me, that Harry Nilsson had told him (during the course of a photo shoot). Nilsson told my brother that Lennon once advised him that if he had an idea, he should act on it, immediately and without questioning it. That would explain the misses, and the hits as well.

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John Lennon - God mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
John Lennon - Instant Karma video at YouTube
Dial scan of NYC radio, the night Lennon died at Beware of the Blog

PASS THE TERAUCHI

Takeshi Terauchi is a name that's probably only known to four types of people; guitarists, Ventures fiends, instrumental fanatics, and the people of his native Japan. Starting his career in a country and western band (Jimmy Tokita and The Mountain Playboys), he got the instrumental bug after the Ventures toured Japan in 1962, and left to start his own band, the Blue Jeans. In short order, he became Japan's first guitar hero. To the casual listener, his playing style is similar to the Ventures, but if you listen closely, there are a few quirks that set him apart. While his playing is exceptionally clean, he often squeezes in about four times the notes that are needed (think Dick Dale sans reverb), and he loves, loves, loves his whammy bar. His band has a cool farfisa thing going on as well. The hook? He's big on yelping things at the beginning of songs, and throwing in the occasional "yo!," which makes him just wacky enough to make it to the coveted Friday night slot here at Trastos HQ.

Someone at Beware of the Blog has it bad for Takeshi, because there's been a shitload of his stuff posted in the past few years, every one a hoot. Here's where:

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Takeshi Teraushi - Kanjinncyou mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Takeshi Teraushi - Genruko Hanami Odori mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Takeshi Teraushi - Sabre Dance mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Takeshi Terauchi - Caravan mp3 at Beware of the Blog

Takeshi Terauchi and the Bunnys - Let's Go Classics LP (classical covers, 11 mp3s, right click song titles) at Beware of the Blog
Takeshi Terauchi and the Bunnys - This is Terauchi Bushi LP (12 mp3s, right click song titles) at Beware of the Blog

RARE R.L.BURNSIDE VIDEO

Instructions: Get a beer. Turn off everything that could possibly be distracting. Put your feet up. or better yet, get on your feet. Turn the volume up. Click the bottom right corner to see full screen. Click play. Slide into one of the most awesome clips I've ever seen online.

Everything about this early '70's clip is great. A young R.L.Burnside playing at a party, a jukebox in the corner behind him. Everyone, everyone dressed in casual, stylish bar attire. Some sweaty, some drunk, some restrainfully sexed up. (Anyone from San Diego in the 80's who wanted something remotely like this went to the Texas Teahouse on Thursdays.)

Read about the clip at Aquarium Drunkard

I'LL NEVER CATCH UP

Neil Young is a real piece of work. He's had exceptional moments, and some questionable moments, but his output, taken as a whole, is pretty remarkable. He's recorded 32 "solo" albums (with and without Crazy Horse) since 1969. That doesn't include about a dozen albums with other bands, greatest hits collections, or any of his many live albums. He's a machine. Sure, a few of them have been less thought out than others, but most are interesting and even the less than stellar releases have been quixotic at worst. And that's part of his appeal. He takes chances, and moves on. If some of it sticks to the wall, that's good. They get put in set lists for a few years.

When I first heard that the music on his new album "Le Noise" (le annoying pun on producer Daniel Lanois' surname) would be primarily guitar and effects, my first thought was, "Oh boy, here we go. It's 'Trans' all over again." But, you know what? I'll give him "Trans," and all his other goofy ideas any day, especially if that allows him the space to work on another better album, which is always likely to be different than the last.

The first song of his that I remember hearing was "Cinnamon Girl," in 1970. I wasn't even buying records yet. But it was inescapable, on AM radio if you can believe it. The first record that I actually bought of his was "Harvest" in '72 (my first was listen interrupted by a stomach ache, so I still find it hard to listen to). All along the way, he's been right there. "Long May You Run" was given a new context when it was in the soundtrack of a surf movie, at the Strand Theater. "Tonight's the Night" was part of my personal soundtrack at the Front Street house. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" was the record that wouldn't leave the turntable for much of the 80's. That's another thing. With his catalog, unless you're a total completest, you find yourself skipping around chronologically. He's been there, good, uneven, and sometimes perfect, all along. And you know a winner, when you later associate it with something. I just got "Zuma." Way late, I know. Shut up, I was saving it.

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From Le Noise:
Neil Young - Love and War mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Neil Young - Angry World mp3 at Surviving the Golden Age
Neil Young - The Hitchhiker video at YouTube
Other Stuff:
Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl mp3 at The Rising Storm
Stills-Young Band - Long May You Run mp3 at Beat Surrender
Neil Young - A Day in the Life (Live) mp3 at Cover Me
Neil Young - Chicago Hurricane (1976 live bootleg) 20 mp3s at Captain's Dead
Neil Young Discography at Wikipedia

JACK ON FIRE

He came along at the right time, when the L.A. punk scene desperately needed to get past it's predominantly one dimensional scenester thing. Despite being untrained and primarily a musicologist and fan, in a most punk way, Jeffrey Lee Pierce just got up there and did it. He immersed himself in the music and imagery of the rural South, and he bucked the methodology of his peers. Instead of going all out to seem irreverent, he changed the way reverence sounds.

Pierce always took the leap. When he liked a band, he became the president of their fan club. When he became enamored with reggae, he spent a year in Jamaica. And when he thought a friend should front a band, he assembled members beforehand. By example, he encouraged others to take leaps, both figuratively and literally.

In the documentary, Ghost on the Highway, Henry Rollins describes the type of person that Pierce was. "Don't give them a real job. They can't even balance a check book, they can't do anything. But they can do that thing. Jeffrey was one of those guys." His passions were uniquely suited for doing what he did, regular day-to-day life be damned. When that meant touring, recording, and living and breathing music, it's no surprise that drugs and alcohol crept in. After bouts with hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, Pierce died from a brain hemorrhage in 1996, at the relatively young age of 37. We'll never know if he was predisposed to wrecking himself with or without music. All we can take is the music itself, as a gift, and testament to someone whose entire adult life was spent consumed in what he loved.

In interviews, one thing that rock n' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis is always quick to point out is the rarity of true song stylists, a performer who can really make any song their own. Lewis, humble as he is, points to himself, Hank Williams, Al Jolson and Jimmy Rodgers as the only real song stylists. With all due respect (which, for the Killer, is something I truly mean), I think it would be hard to deny that Jeffrey Lee Pierce was more than a singer. Listen to both his and Robert Johnson's versions of "Preaching the Blues" (below). Give it up, he was a bona fide song stylist.

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The Gun Club - Sex Beat mp3 at Eat This Grenade!
The Gun Club - Cool Drink of Water mp3 at Sous les pavés, la plage
The Gun Club - Preaching the Blues mp3 at Sous les pavés, la plage
Robert Johnson - Preaching Blues mp3 at More Things
The Gun Club - Jack On Fire video at YouTube
The Gun Club - Preaching the Blues video at YouTube
The Gun Club - Fire of Love video at YouTube
The Gun Club (Official?) site
Ghost On the Highway documentary (clips and such)
The Gun Club Discography

MAKE LIKE LINK HAYES

While you may not be all that into TV show theme songs, most of them are only 60 seconds long, so they can make for some excellent mix meat. I know, it's a given that quite a few are real dogs, but some can really liven up that shitty playlist you've got going (or DJ set). Take the Mod Squad theme for instance. If you play that sucker loud, you'll want to ass-slide over the hood of a car (or behave in some other cop-like manner). The horns, organ, pace and brevity will have you doing whatever the hell it is you do with gusto.

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Mod Squad Theme mp3 (right click to save) at Classic Television Themes
Classic Television Themes web site
(NOTE: Other themes can be downloaded by picking a letter and, once on that page, right clicking a screen shot in the column on the right.)

LARYNX SHRED FEST

Selective memory seems to correlate with priorities. By that I mean, I forget a lot of things; a lot. But one thing I'm remarkably good at remembering is when I was exposed to a particular band or song. I can go down the list of just about every record (or CD) I have and remember when I first heard it, or who told me to check it out. (The first recommendation came from a teenage, pre-Rolling Stone Cameron Crowe. No shit.) I actually started a list once and had to stop, because the recollections came remarkably easy.

This morning I had my most recent recommendation, in a very brief online conversation with a very good friend, one whose taste is, in my book, beyond reproach. As it had been some time since we last spoke, I asked her about a band she'd likely be in tune to, the Jim Jones Revue. She said, and I quote (or paraphrase): "Love them. Check out Bunker Hill." I did just that, and immediately heard the similarity. They both belong to the elite group of good ol' fashioned larynx shredders. A certain brand of shouters that if you were to try to emulate, you'd have to reach for some cough drops. Really, try to to sing all of the songs below and see if you don't do some permanent damage. Here then is a brief (rather spotty) history of larynx shredders, including Bunker Hill:

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Bunker Hill - The Girls Can't Dance mp3 at Secret Comics
Bunker Hill - Hide and Go Seek (with Link Wray) mp3 at Garage Hangover
Bunker Hill - You Can't Make Me Doubt My Baby mp3 at The Soul Girl
Bunker Hill bio @ Wang Dang Dula
Little Richard - Keep A Knockin' mp3 at Drummer World
Don and Dewey - Justine mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Sonics - Psycho mp3 (download at Mediafire) at Metal Bastard Goes Soft
Jim Jones Revue - Princess and the Frog mp3 at Sous les Paves, la Plage
Nick Curran and the Low Lifes- Kill My Baby mp3 at KEXP.org

AIN'T THAT SOME SHIT

I admit it, I'm a cusser. Not because I want to offend people, but because, well, when I say "I saw a big fuckin' tree," I'm convinced that anyone with half a brain would know I wasn't talking about a big tree that was fornicating. They would know that I was talking about a really big tree. And if they're offended by the word itself, then, logically, they should be offended by the word "fornicate" as well (and, I'm sure there aren't many people who are). So, I'm behind anyone who doesn't necessarily cuss just to press the issue, but doesn't shy away from normal usage of a slang word either, "dirty" or not.

Being constantly on the lookout for music I've never been exposed to, it's sometimes a crap shoot. I have, on more then a few occasions, gravitated towards band names or songs that are unusual, colorful or interesting. (This is how I first heard Pissed Jeans, a band I've come to like quite a bit.) So, when I saw a song called "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green, I had to bite. Good thing I did too, because it's an awful nice slice of Al Green-like seventies type soul.

As a bonus, I had to include the old school cussin' "Rated X" version of "Better Think Twice" by Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker. And what cussing post would be complete without "Seven Dirty Words," by George Carlin, who did more than any comic, short of Lenny Bruce, to thumb his nose at censors. Oh, and there's a link to the uncensored "Shit My Dad Says," which was turned into an unremarkable sitcom referred to as "Bleep My Dad Says" (which, yes, takes the punch out of the concept completely).

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Cee Lo Green - Fuck You mp3 (right click to save) at Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good
Cee Lo Green - I Want You mp3 (right click to save) at We All Want Someone to Shout For
Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker - Better Think Twice (Rated X) mp3 (right click to save) at Beware of the Blog
George Carlin - Seven Dirty Words mp3 (right click to save) at SnuhthingAnything
Shit My Dad Says
Seven dirty words at Wikipedia

HACKY SACKERS BE GONE

Here's a quick handful for your reggae quiver. First, the reason for the post: Linton Kwesi Johnson's classic "Sonny's Lettah" which was inescapable when it came out (about '77 or '78). Really, it's more spoken word over reggae (he was , after all, considered a reggae poet), but you forget about that once the rhythm hooks you. Following that is Bob Marley and the Wailers, who I'm usually hesitant to post because it attracts the hacky sack crowd, but I dig "Punky Reggae Party" because it's one of very few reggae songs to acknowledge the punk/reggae intermingling of the late 70's UK. Plus, I've always loved the line "no boring old farts will be there." The last link is one by Alice Russel, a cover of the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army," which I've posted another version of before, but this is a reggae version (probably a mash up). Damn, I forgot that she had such a great voice.

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Linton Kwesi Johnson - Sonny's Lettah mp3 (right click to save) at Mustard Relics
Linton Kwesi Johnson - Iron Bar Dub mp3 (right click to save) at Mustard Relics
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Punky Reggae Party mp3 (right click to save) at You Sound Like a Robot
Alice Russel - Seven Nation Army (Reggae Version) mp3 (right click to save) at Audio Muffin

THAI ONE ON

I don't know what's more awesome, the Impossibles' record cover or their song "Mr. Slow." I know absolutely nothing about Thai music; pop, funk, or otherwise. But, after running into a couple of Thai related posts, I had to put this up. "Mr. Slow" winds my weird watch in so many ways, I don't know where to start. First, it's totally foreign to me. Yet another unexplored genre, that's strange enough to spice up a shuffle. Then, there's the wah-wah. This song is so packed with wah-wah that it's as if it was the first pedal in Thailand. It reminds me of the early adopters of the ARP2000 synthesiser. They just knew it made weird sounds, but didn't really know how to incorporate it. (Think the Who's "Who's Next" LP and Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein"). Oh, and the song has much flair. Check the "WoooOOOoo..deeee!" at :47 seconds into it, followed by a very cool horn section. That's about where you fall under the spell of the Impossibles. You will either really dig it, or think I've lost it.

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The Impossibles - Mr. Slow (click through song title to download from DivShare) at Jo/No's Audio Delights
The Impossibles - four songs (click on "Tracklist" to download) at Monrakplengthai

Three Thai-Mes Dope - six various cuts, loosely described as Thai Funk, at SoulSides
This just in (11/3/11):

Chicago - Sing A Mean Tune Kid at YouTube In the comments, it was pointed out that this Chicago tune is practically the same song as "Mr. Slow." Listen for yourself. Prance, whoever you are, you've got a good ear. (In case you're wondering, both were released in 1971, but the Chicago song was released in January of that year, so it seems that the Impossibles were the borrowers in this case.)

BUT THEY LOOK SO BLAH

For whatever reason, I always kinda lumped Wire (from the UK) in the same category as the Middle Class (from Fullerton, CA). Though they sounded different, there were too many similarities between the two bands to ignore. Both were four piece bands; utilizing a guitar, bass, drums and vocals line up; and played really short songs. Both started in 1976 (though the Middle Class didn't record until a couple years later). Neither band paid a lot of attention to punk dress codes, instead going for a relatively utilitarian look. Both bands, while not really headline grabbing in their prime, are now recognized as far more influential than most of their respective punk scene contemporaries. And, both bands have records that I wished I still owned. (I hope my landlord appreciates the timely rent check some twenty years ago.)

Here's four from Wire's first, Pink Flag, and the entire first EP from the Middle Class. (It is now safe to take out your safety pins.)

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Wire - 12XU mp3 (right click to save) at The Golden Lanterns [??]
Wire - Reuters mp3 (right click to save) at MFR
Wire - Ex Lion Tamer mp3 (right click to save) at Let's Sexy Fighting
Wire -Three Girl Rhumba mp3 (right click to save) at Merry Swankster
Pink Flag, the Wire website

The Middle Class - Out of Vogue mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - You Belong mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - Situations mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - Insurgence mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - Homeland LP and compilation LP downloads at I Heard It Before
Suddenly in Vogue [About the Middle Class] at the OC Weekly
Alice Bag's L.A. Punk Rock 1976-1981 photo album
Photos: Wire by Annette Green, the Middle Class by Alice Bag

KAAAW! KAAAWW!

There's a good chance something from Martin Denny was in your parents record collection, if not a relatives. Or you might have picked one up from a thrift store. Maybe you didn't even know exotica existed until the lounge revival about twenty years ago. Regardless, there's no denying the appeal of the somewhat goofy sounds of exotica, with their white man imitates primitives rhythms, bird calls, monkey yelps, and a waterfall or two thrown in for atmosphere. If you've listened to a number of them, you know the formula.

If you think that anyone trying their hand at it nowadays is just a poseur, you might remind yourself that the original artists could easily have been identified as such when the exotica craze first hit in the late fifties. I mean, c'mon, some white guys going tribal without ever leaving the studio? So, before you can really evaluate any current artists doing the same thing, you have to throw out authenticity, because, really, in exotica it doesn't exist. It's all fake, in a Disneyland Jungle Cruise sort of way.

The Martin Denny Group 1961

So, in a way, todays artists are playing with the same sort of tools, but with more access to legitimate world culture and better technology, they really do have a opportunity to improve on the original exotica music. Still, naysayers would undoubtedly be suspect of the modern day technology and it's possible misuse in this sort of music. While it is a concern, one only has to hear Martin Denny's cover of his own "Quiet Village," done up Moog style, to see that those blunders have already been committed, by the Chuck Berry of exotica himself.

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The new:
Waitiki7 - Similau mp3 (right click to save) at Music For Maniacs
LoungeClash - The Mysterious Island Dub mp3 (Right click to save) at Music For Maniacs
The old:
Martin Denny - Exotica mp3 (Right click to save) at Earmilk
Matin Denny - Jungle Madness mp3 (right click to save) at Beware of the Blog
Martin Denny - Quiet Village (Moog stylee) mp3 (right click to save) at the Cargo Culte
The info:
The Martin Denny page at Space Age Pop Music
The Martin Denny Fund
Exotica entry at Wikipedia

SONG FOR SPATTING LOVERS

Just about every mention of the inanely named What Would Jesus Drive includes "electro-" something or other in the description. Whatever. All I know is The Girls Are In Charge is catchy as hell, and coarse enough to past muster. Don't know much about them other than they started as a two piece and are now a four piece. And the two singers are electro-married.

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What Would Jesus Drive - The Girls Are In Charge mp3 (right click to save) at LastFM
What Would Jesus Drive web site

TAKE THAT, ARENA ROCKERS!

In 1976, before punk rock really took off (at least in the states), the first Modern Lovers album was pretty much required listening to anyone growing dissatisfied with what is now known as classic rock. The only proper Modern Lovers album with the original line up (which included Jonathan Richman, a future member of the Talking Heads and a future member of...yikes, the Cars), it loosely updated the repetitive Velvet Underground vibe, with understated organ and some amazingly fuzzy guitar parts (listen to Pablo Picasso). Though later repackaged with alternative takes and demos, the original version with nine songs was, and still is, one of the most influential proto-punk albums ever. It's pretty amazing stuff, especially when you consider that some of the songs date back as far as 1970.

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The Modern Lovers - Someone I Care About mp3 (right click to save) at Electric Adolescence
The Modern Lovers - She Cracked mp3 (right click to save) at Recidivism.org
The Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso mp3 (right click to save) at Letters Have No Arms
The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner mp3 (right click to save) at One Sweet Song