House of Freaks — Tantilla

• Artist: House of Freaks
• Title: Tantilla
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1989 – I got it for her from our store RIP Records in Norfolk, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

This music is better than I remember. My faves are the more bluesy cuts. This is the only other HoF record we have and so it concludes my little tribute to Bryan Harvey and his family. I still can’t believe their lives were ended that way. I’d like to get it out of my head.

Rest in peace.

House of Freaks — Monkey On A Chain Gang

• Artist: House Of Freaks
• Title: Monkey On A Chain Gang
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1988 – Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

Today is supposed to be a “P” day. Instead, I’m playing House of Freaks records for the next couple days as my small personal tribute to Bryan Harvey who was one half of the band. Bryan, his wife Kathryn, and their two small children were brutally murdered in their home in Richmond, VA on January 1, 2006. An article in the Washington Post made me aware of this tragedy. The two pathetic creatures responsible have been caught, but not before killing more people.

Mary and I have seen the band in person a number of times. Kathryn Harvey owned World of Mirth, a fun toy and gift store in Richmond that we enjoyed.

This is good music. Hard to explain, but let’s say Surf/Roots/Blues Rock. It’s high energy and fun, but not silly.

Of Cabbages And Kings — Face

• Artist: Of Cabbages And Kings
• Title: Face
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1988 – Bought it for myself when we had RIP Records in Norfolk, VA.
• Keeper: Maybe

This is not happy music. OCAK has had its share of stars from the music world underground. Including members of The Swans, Glenn Branca, and drummer Ted Parsons. Ted was the long-time drummer for one of my all-time favorite bands, Prong. I’ll drone on about Prong when we get to those records.

Like I said, it’s not feel-good music. It’s heavy, but not metallic, more primitive with some occassional jazzy “out” playing. That weird album cover looks like the Pixies’ stuff, but I don’t think it’s the same artist. Not sure about keeping it. If you search for them you might find another band with the same name from the ’60s. Try adding the album title.

Negativland — Escape From Noise

• Artist: Negativland
• Title: Escape From Noise
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 3
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987 – Bought for myself when I worked at Mother’s Records and Tapes in Hampton, VA.
• Keeper: Maybe

For the most part this isn’t music; it’s what I would call audio art. Lots of noise from various gadgets, talking voices, etc. I think in 1987 I was buying pretty much everything the record label SST was putting out. They have a following and maybe knowing that also prompted me to check it out. I would guess that their fans are what people from my planet would call “nerds.”

Noteworthy, and maybe another reason I bought it is the long list of artists who made contributions to Escape From Noise: Jello Biafra, Steve Fisk, Fred Frith, Jerry Garcia, Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten), Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead), Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), The Residents, and others.

I’m committed to playing all these records before I write about them. Mary asked me to please finish playing this one while she took the dog for a walk.

I don’t imagine I’ll ever play this again, but I’m on the fence about keeping it unless I can find someone who wants it. Like I said, they do have fans. And the teenager in me finds that “CAR BOMB” bumper sticker funny. Maybe I’m a nerd too.

MC5 — Back In The USA

• Artist: MC5
• Title: Back In The USA
• Year: 1970
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987 ? – Another MC5 platter with mysterious origins. I’m pretty sure I got this one at Vinyl Solution in London. Which is way ironic…
• Keeper: Yes

This is the second record by MC5 and it was stunning in its restraint compared to the freaked out Kick Out The Jams. Of course I didn’t buy their records when they first came out but I did buy them in order. So, I was just as baffled as the original fans. That said, this album has grown on me over the years. It’s still high energy, and I’m tapping my foot as I type this, a good sign. Very catchy stuff for the most part. Roots rock/power pop/proto-punk if any of those make sense.

I’ve read that their third album was insane, more like the first, and that nobody listened. I’ve never heard it. I really need to start looking…

Read Leg McNeil’s Please Kill Me for some funny background on MC5.

Laibach — Opus Dei

• Artist: Laibach
• Title: Opus Dei
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987 – Mary bought it when she worked at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

“Leben Heißt Leben!” And you can’t argue with that!

I had to start playing this one last night to flush that Kajagoogoo out of my head. It worked. These guys are hard to explain, and I’m not sure I even get the whole thing. But I like it. Laibach is probably the weirdest band I know of that has had any commercial success.

Eastern European/Wagnerian/Industrial/Stomp/Electronic/Orchestral/March Rock with the occassional pretty tune thrown in to keep you guessing. That’s the best I can do. It’s worth your time to click one of the search links to read more about them.

Kajagoogoo — Too Shy

• Artist: Kajagoogoo
• Title: Too Shy
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1982 ? – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Just to be clear, this is Mary’s. Not that I don’t like ’80s pop. I’m just saying it’s Mary’s record. Believe it.

Don’t get too excited; this is just a 12″, not a full album. The “Midnight Mix” of “Too Shy” is a reasonably listenable pop song, but the flip side is just plain irritating. It’s not even danceable. In case you’re wondering those band members on the back cover are all “men.”

Mary says it rates “above 5”, but I’m holding the line because of that flipside.

Joe Jackson — Beat Crazy

• Artist: Joe Jackson
• Title: Beat Crazy
• Year: 1980
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1981 – Kempmill Records in Annandale, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

This one’s more eclectic and experimental than the first two. I don’t know if there were any radio hits on Beat Crazy, but for some reason the title track is more familiar than the rest. Maybe one of my friends had it on a mix tape or something. Also, this record was released as “The Joe Jackson Band.” I think everything else was just Joe Jackson.

The John Handy III Quintet/Quartet — In The Vernacular

• Artist: The John Handy III Quintet/Quartet
• Title: In The Vernacular
• Year: 1976
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2005 – Inherited from Bob Bobala when he decided to book it to Cali.
• Keeper: Yes

My friend Bob Bobala gave me a nice stash of records when he moved. I think he even inherited some of these from an uncle. This double album is one of the good ones. It appears to be part of a series of jazz “best-of” records that were issued or re-released in ’70s.

It starts out sounding like some typical restaurant jazz, but as it goes on and you start to pay better attention you realize this is quality. Swinging and weird enough to keep me interested, but not too spazzed out that I can’t play it when the in-laws are visiting. Thanks Bob.

Game Theory — Lolita Nation

• Artist: Game Theory
• Title: Lolita Nation
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 4
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987 – Mary bought it for herself when she was working at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: No

OK, I played this one out of order. I played the second one first. Mary says the first is pretty good, but agrees with me that this one needs to go. She rated it only a 2 or 3, but I’m giving it a 4. The whole time I was listening to it I was thinking “this sounds a lot like Let’s Active”, which is not really a bad thing. And surprise, surprise, surprise! It was produced by LA main man Mitch Easter.

It wasn’t really bad, but it’s a freakin’ double album! Double albums in general encourage too much self-indulgence and noodling around, being arty or whatever. Unless you’re the Beastie Boys, Isaac Hayes, Metallica, Outkast, or Led Zeppelin, (and you are not) a double album is just never a good idea. Seriously. Don’t try it. Seriously.