November 11, 2003
Andrea Doria
title:: Bucci Bag label:: Star 69
'Bucci Bag' is a 60 minute CD single with eight versions of this summer buzztrack.
It might seem an incredible waste to devote so much vinyl and digital space to a single song, but Bucci Bag is one of those songs, like Felix Da Housecat's Silver Screen or Chicks On Speed's version of Mind Your Own Business, that have enough energy and spice to help the sucess of almost any compilation of electronic music with beats and vocals.
Electronicat
title:: 21st Century Toy label:: Disko B
The Electronicat sound is somewhat unique for the electro movement: Electronicat songs have a big, fat electronic synth bass sound which is usually quite prominent in just about every song. This often puts the rhythm in the backseat and is quite a changeup from typical electronic music.
It doesn't stop there though - because there are also guitars - often with a rockabilly or glam (a la T. Rex) sound to them.
-
Let's Cop A Groove
various artists label:: RPM
This is about as rare as they come. 27 tracks of rare soul grooves from the late 1960s and early 1970s recorded and released during an explosion of independent record labels. These kinds of rare sides are still being gathered up today into cd compilations like this one and RPM out of the UK has done a fine job of collecting together some wonderful sides from Beacon Records.
Beacon Records put out a slew of 45s between 1968 and 1972 and I'm sure these are sides that the likes of Eric Clapton was listening to and then watering down the sound of on his own records. There is that interesting mix of soul and reggae contained herein - a combination that could only have come to pass in the melting pot of the UK at that time period.
Section 25
title:: Always Now label:: LTM
Prefiguring Public Image Limited's sound by three months, Section 25 was a grossly underrated post-punk band from Northern England. The whole album has a spacey, raw, very live feel to it.
This album is essentially a series of in-studio improvisations that were later cut into tracks to form the end product. The genius of Section 25 can be found on the 9 extra tracks, including all tracks from the 'Girls Don't Count' (Fac 18) and 'Haunted' (Fbn 3) singles.
Brett Smiley
title:: Breathlessly Brett label:: RPM
Brett Smiley was prettier than Michael Monroe or Brett Michaels. While Michael Monroe was still practicing in a garage in pre-Hanoi Rocks bands and Brett Michaels hadn't even begun to conceptualize Poison, Brett Smiley was the hope-to-be-a-star ingenue of Andrew Loog Oldham, who discovered and managed The Rolling Stones. However, the fickle finger of fame did not cooperate. In 1974 Brett Smiley released his only single, Va Va Va Voom b-w Space Ace. Sadly, his completed album never did come out, and Brett got lost in a haze of liquor and pills.
RPM has done a great job of finally releasing this record, and of providing their usual great inserts and graphics. If you like T Rex, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, or glam, you will enjoy this record.
