Sunday, March 27, 2011

Electric Flag - The Trip (OST) (1967)


One of the greatest exploitation movies of all time, The Trip was the "vision" of Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson (who wrote the original script). The finished film didn't turn out exactly the way Fonda and Nicholson wanted it to, but it certainly had it's moments...all in Psychedelic Color. This, the soundtrack, was pretty cool, too. It contains the first studio recordings of the Electric Flag, Michael Bloomfield's swaggering soul/jazz/rock ensemble. Writing and performing trippy music was a bit removed from this fine ensemble's area (they were, in fact, a serious and funky band), but they succeeded admirably. Considering that it came out on Mike Curb's Sidewalk Records (a Capitol subsidiary) and it was an American International film, one wonders if the Flag saw any dough from this? No matter, as some of the music is excellent. "Fine Jug Thing" and "Peter Gets Off" are wild, jazzy rockers, which perfectly score Fonda's Sunset Strip/trip adventures. The album's closer, "Gettin' Hard," is a variation on "Hoochie Coochie Man" and closes the album out in funky style. Also, there are a few early efforts from synthesizer pioneer Paul Beaver, such as "Synesthesia," which is quite similar to David Bowie's work on the Man Who Fell to Earth/Low projects -- eight years later. ~ AMG

01 Peter's Trip
02 Psyche Soap
03 M-23
04 Synesthesia
05 Hobbit
06 Fewghh
07 Green and Gold
08 Flash, Bam, Pow
09 Home Room
10 Practice Music
11 Fine Jung Thing
12 Senior Citizen
13 Home Room
14 Peter Gets Off
15 Practice Music
16 Fine Jung Thing
17 Senior Citizen
18 Gettin' Hard

Friday, March 11, 2011

Maureen Tucker - Playin' Possum (1981)

Trash Records TLP-1001 (1981)(US)

Trash Records(1981)(US)

Moe Tucker is the whole show on her 1981 debut, singing and playing drums, guitars, bass, and a variety of other instruments. Consisting mostly of raw and primitive covers of rock & roll oldies by Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry, she also throws in a version of "Heroin" and covers of Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" and Vivaldi's "Concerto In D Major," as well as the "original" "Ellas," which is a six-minute extrapolation of the basic Bo Diddley beat. This inspired lesson in rock & roll auteurism is probably her best effort.

1 Bo Diddley
2 Heroin
3 Slippin' and Slidin'
4 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
5 Louie Louie
6 Slippin' and Slidin'
7 Concerto in D Major Vivaldi
8 Around and Around
9 Ellas