Here is the first Obscuro! Mixtape. It contains a song off every album I've played all the way through on the show, as well as a track by every artist that has been featured for whatever reason. I don't really give a shit if anybody listens to it, because I'm bored at work. Here is a tracklist, with a brief description of each tune. The download link is below.
1. Bobb Trimble - "Selling Me Short While Stringing Me Along" - Harvest of Dreams, 1982
This dude made two albums of homespun psychedelia in the early 80's. Then he started a couple bands with mostly 12-year-old kids. Dark, disturbing and surprisingly catchy tunes featuring Trimble's unique voice and multi-layered harmonies.
2. Countryside Unitarian Fellowship - "Fear I Feel" - Hey Jesus Christ Welcome to This World, 1971
Basically insane song-cycle type recording from a church group. The whole thing was written and performed by members of the church and feels like if the Shaggs were cooler and wrote a rock-opera about the birth of Jesus.
3. Snakefinger - "The Man in the Dark Sedan" - Greener Postures, 1980
One-time Residents collaborator goes out on his own and puts out a record that sounds...well, a lot like the Residents...but different. Dated drum machine beats, 'snakey' guitar playing and often humorous lyrics. Too bad he's dead.
4. The O - "Walkmann" - Junk in tha Trunk, 2004 (Originally recorded in '94?)
Strange mix of the Beatles, Replacements, and bedroom-rap. This group is still active under the name gONNA gET gOT and came through K-zoo about a year ago.
5. JW Farquhar - "My Bundle of Joy" - The Formal Female, 1972
Dude gets dumped by his wife. Dude buys instruments and soundproofs his Philly apartment. Dude makes REALLY angry psych LP by himself, for himself, about how much he hates women. Obviously, the LP in question is awesome. Misogynistic as hell, but awesome.
6. Black Randy and Metrosquad - "Theme from Shaft" - Pass the Dust, I Think I'm Bowie, 1980
Sure, it's offensive. However, I think this group is funny as hell and I couldn't ever play this track on the radio. For the record, Black Randy is a white dude. This group can be seen in the film "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains."
7. Stone Harbour - "Ride" - Emerges, 1974
More basement jams. Two dudes from rural Ohio who knew how to make a Radio Shack tape recorder sound pretty freaky.
8. Kenneth Higney - "I Wanna Be the King" - Attic Demonstration, 1976
Kenneth was a truck driver during the 70's who decided to record some of the ideas he had and try to sell them to musicians. Nobody bought them, but his versions rule harder than any cover would. Jagged lo-fi proto-punk tunes. He was a guest on the program and discussed this album at great length with me.
9. Grand Nutz Da Ladies Man - "Girlfriend (Rubber Duckie)" - Grand Nutz Da Ladies Man, 200?
(Possibly) Retarded wigger dude singing a Capella R and B with ad-libbed words. This song very obviously steals the melody from that Sesame Street rubber duckie tune, and damned if he doesn't give a shit. I probably would never feature this album on the show, but it's sure to clear a room...if that's what ya wanna do.
10. Virgin Insanity - "Time of Sorrows Gone Soon" - Illusions of the Maintenance Man, 1971
Ridiculously creative husband-and-wife group from Texas who cut a couple homemade records in the early 70's. Apparently they can now sell original copies for hundreds, while back in the day it was a challenge to get rid of them for $3. Sounds kind of like the Violent Femmes, which is fucked up since this is an entire decade before those guys did their thing.
11. Proyecto A - "A Venus" - Proyecto A, 1970
What-the-fuck tropicalia/psychedelia concept LP that appears to have something to do with the solar system. It's from Spain and is pretty nutty.
12. Tommy Jay - "Village Idiot" - Tommy Jay's Tall Tales of Trauma, 1986 (Though this track could be as old as '74)
Local Columbus, OH rock and roll renaissance man who's been in a lot of bands, including Mike Rep and the Quotas. This is a collection of solo recordings done between '74 and '86. Lots of different styles, but a strong Velvet Underground influence.
13. Brian Wilson - "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" - Adult/Child, 1976
Unreleased solo LP from Mr. Wilson that features songs about eating healthy, little tomboys turning into girls, and shortenin' bread. I love the Beach Boys, and this LP is definitely better than a lot of the admittedly shitty light-rock stuff they put out around this time.
14. First Chips - "Pieces" - Volume One, 1972
Chicago weirdo Vyto Baleska's first recording project, which is mostly just him. He has a couple 'solo' records I like to play as well, but this stuff is the weirdest and coolest. Kind of reminds me of Pere Ubu and early Pink Floyd with some Krautrock shit and some out-there production. The broken English that sometimes appears and Vyto's accent make the whole thing even stranger.
15. Mark Tucker - "Sideways Love Forever" - Batstew, 1975
Encinitas, CA's own Syd Barrett. This album is an interesting mix of field recordings (mostly Mark's car, The Bat, and his then-girlfriend Eva) and strange tunes like this one. Piano-driven ballads that are often relentlessly depressing...this LP has a weird mood to it, but it's one of my favorites to play on the show. He will be doing an interview with me next week.
16. Copernicus - "Dust" - Immediate Eternity, 2001
Street-poet-type-dude who also organizes controlled-chaos jam sessions for him to recite his stuff over. The mood throughout is generally intense and apocalyptic. He was a guest on the program a couple weeks ago.
17. Harvester - "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" - Hemat, 1970
Stoned-out Swedish group that sounds totally loose and wasted. This is an interesting take on the song in question, and sounds near-collapse at all times. Kind of like Can if they didn't even have ideas for songs and just jammed the fuck out on mad drugs.
18. Alien City - "Older Men" - Alien City, 1979
Apparently a one-man project from Seattle...this album took 5 years to complete. It's a little glam-rock-ish, but is totally out of the ordinary. Especially this tune...
19. The Manson Family - "Is There No One in Your World" - Manson Family Jams Vol. 1, 1970
While Charlie was on trial, his family put out a record of campfire-style songs in his honor. I played this during the Charlie Manson-themed show. A lot of the songs are actually more structured and catchy than Charlie's own, although I think he wrote a decent chunk of them.
Download this collection!
It's a .zip file, and it's SUPPOSED to be in the order listed above, but I suppose you could put the tracks in whatever order you want. I also included a little front-and-back-cover action that I made myself! Hopefully I'll be on the air long enough to put out a second compilation. Who knows?
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