Greetings everybody! I hope the day is treating you well. Are you 'slowing it down' this weekend? Well, for those still caught up in the frenetic ways of the world, bliss out with this: The Drywater re-issue has landed and Nemo is taking orders.
Jump on this quickly, as it is a one time only vinyl repressing.
Nemo's Time-Lag update is a beautiful document, the confluence of the past and present in wild sounds and jams. In addition to Drywater, the new update includes the reissue of the rare private-press nug Jungle s/t album, from 1969
Before rolling on with Nemo's list, a little Saturday sweetness:
Now... For those which have not subscribed to the Time-Lag list, here is the full update:
hey folks,
~ here were are again. somehow a new year already?! and well into it at that... winter has been more like spring around these usually frigid parts. pretty strange, but not unpleasant... hope 2012 is off to a good start for all of you...
~ been a long time in the work, but very happy to finally have our DRYWATER reissue ready! taking orders now and will start shipping by the end of the week...
~ for all you kickstarter folks, the majority of your packages have already shipped and should be arriving shortly... for some of you regular mailorder customers who also pledged through kickstarter i figured i’d hold your packages for a day or two incase you want to add anything else from the update...
~ so, here ‘tis...
DRYWATER ~ BACKBONE OF THE NATION ~ lp & 7inch (TIME-LAG 057/058) $30.00
first ever reissue of this massively cool & hideously rare 1973 rural pennsylvania private press jewel, originally released on the legendary RPC custom label in an edition of only 25 copies. this one might slip right by you on first listen, but there is a subtle brilliance buried in these grooves that’s captured the hearts of the lucky few who’ve had the chance to spend some time with the album... and once you’ve connected, there’s no turning back... like the very best of the upper echelon 60s & 70s private press benchmarks, ‘backbone of the nation’ is a crystal clear snapshot glimpse into a precise time & place, a unique moment captured, a lost reality preserved... small town working class teen ethos expressed with raw precision. zero hippie hangover or arty posturing here... the sound is essentially split between the two dominate modes of polarized male youth psyche : alternating moody, dejected, love scorned melancholy folkrock with wasted, howling, proto-punk garage fuzz brain fry... all together it’s a totally sincere lost in time vibe, delivered with gobs of naive charm & executed with almost zero resources. the album was recorded and mixed direct to tape in just a few hours, without overdubs or even the option to mixdown. you can hear the clearly unprepared recording engineer frantically flipping switches & tweaking knobs in a state of near panic as these kids tear furiously through a rapid fire album worth of original songs, always teetering on the edge of total collapse, yet never quite imploding. while the end results are, to say he least, very crude, the band pulls together a distinct and wonderful sound. underpinned by ken turcic’s dry, low, rubbery bass lines and greg cheplick’s wildly raw & cool drumming (he’s only 15 at the time) dennis cheplick (greg’s older brother) and jack sarvis trade off vocal duties, guitars licks, and writing credit. rhythm guitars chug excitedly, acoustic 12-string adds a sweet, chiming, folky texture, and sarvis switches between a great, slightly surf-tinged ringing reverb tone and frenetic fuzz figures. what really sets this one apart from the crowd, though, is a surprising sophistication lurking deep within. there’s real depth and staying power to the song writing that sneaks up on you with repeated listens, combined with the sort of subtly clever vocal and guitar arrangements that imply a band maturity well beyond their amateur exterior. a grower if ever there was one... and totally essential if the sound of “rural”, “real people”, and “garage” all in the same sentence peaks your interest... pressed on highest quality 180gm virgin vinyl. packaged in an exact reproduction heavy weight reverse tip-on cover, with exact repro label art, a heavy double sided insert with loads of vintage color photos and extensive liner notes, plus a bonus heavy vinyl 45rpm 7inch. the 45 contains two non-lp tracks featuring both cheplick brothers and recorded in nashville, tennessee just months after the ‘backbone’ sessions, and preserved only on a single copy acetate demo disc. while due to the original format the sound quality of the 45 is less then ideal, it’s an awesome pair of songs and a wonderful complement to the lp, clearly hinting at the brooding folkrock masterpiece these guys could have pulled off had drywater ever entered the studio again... one time vinyl only pressing of 500 copies.
and for those especially curious, or already serious fans :
DRYWATER ~ BACKBONE OF THE NATION + THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS - 1974 ~ lp & 7inch & bonus cdr (TIME-LAG 057/058) $33.00
exact same lp & 7inch as the above version, but in addition also includes a 10 track bonus cdr ‘THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS - 1974’ for the fully exhaustive drywater experience. the disc includes various post drywater oddities from dennis cheplick’s 1974 stint in nashville. included are : the two acetate tracks from the bonus 45, four acoustic demos, and four tracks from the ‘backbone of the nation’ tapes to which dennis added vocal overdubs shortly after the lp was released. beyond the two great acetate tracks, the acoustic demos are also quite good moody folk, and include one track co-written with jack sarvis and considered for inclusion on the lp. the overdubbed ‘backbone’ tracks aren’t exactly a revelation, but the ghostly layered vocals and odd low fidelity have a certain charm of their own... packaged in tri-fold offset printed b&w cover with yet another great vintage photo... available only direct from time-lag, in limited quantity, for just 3 bucks extra.
~ once again, a surprising large amount of high quality distro goodies :
AHMED, ILYAS ~ WITH ENDLESS FIRE ~ lp (immune) $20.00
since 2005 ilyas ahmed has been blurring the folk/drone/raga/rock realms into a sound that is uniquely his own. a string of self-released cdrs in 2005/2006 brought ahmed immediate attention and he soon released landmark albums on time-lag, digitalis, and root strata. in 2010 immune began working with ahmed first giving his first two albums between two skies & towards the night a deluxe 2xlp vinyl release and then in 2011 releasing a split 7” between ahmed and steve gunn for record store day. ahmed’s brand new album with endless fire was entirely written, performed and recorded direct to analog tape by ilyas ahmed in portland, or. it is ahmed’s first album since his 2009 release goner (root strata) and continues the much fuller sound presented there, giving us his unmistakable voice with a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, harmonium, organ, and drums. ilyas ahmed on with endless fire : “this record started out during an extended period of decline and gradually shifted focus to let more light in, to reconcile the murky depths and the ecstatic highs of everyday life. i wanted to make music that was “of” rather than “by”. it was the first time i felt there was no separation between head & hands, instruments & speakers, microphones & air, fuzz pedals & tape machines. the songs are inspired equally by memory, loss, love, and electricity.” with endless fire was mastered by timothy stollenwerk in portland, or and cut to vinyl by roger seibel at sae in phoenix, az. the album is housed in a heavy-duty old-style tip-on gatefold jacket printed by stoughton and includes a free download coupon. the lp is limited to only 1,000 copies. also included is a free download coupon... awesome new album. looks and sounds totally hot. highly recommended!
ANGER, KENNETH & BRIAN BUTLER ~ TECHNICOLOR SKULL ~ one-sided lp (anja offensive) $25.00
this multi-media sound and video project features kenneth anger on theremin and brian butler on guitar, effects, and related gadgets, released to coincide with angers icons opening at the museum of contemporary art in los angeles. twenty-one minutes. pressed on 180-gram red vinyl in an edition of 666.
BRAINSHADOWS ~ WILD CHERRY / RIPE ~ 7inch (l'animaux tryst (field) recordings) $6.00
debut single from this new "hard pop" duo of d. aquarius and m. lajoie, which smothers spector-era space-echo pop in the psychedelic technicolor grit and grime of a bakshi / corman urban sewer. wah'ed synths and fuzz guitars lift up heavy basslines and off-kit percussion, with nice & ruff soft-focus vocals appearing like phantoms, all produced in engulfing heavy mono. a-side "wild cherry" brings home some tuff teenage motorcycle gang love-in vibrations; an intravenous alternate soundtrack to a beyond the valley of the dolls party scene. on the flip, "ripe" is genuine lovers rock dub-pop, with plenty of wah and hazed & hushed come-ons: an abstracted ode to the magick of early keith hudson and horace andy sides. recycled black vinyl 45rpm 7" held in a pro-printed full-color sleeve. limited to 200 copies.
CICCADA ~ A CHILD IN THE MIRROR ~ 2lp (missing vinyl, greece) $30.00
ciccada is a progressive folk rock band from athens -greece. it was formed in april 2005 by flutist nicolas nikolopoulos and guitar player george mouhos. very soon, female singer evangelia kozoni joined the duo and this is the core of the band until today. the line-up also includes a bass, cello, drums, clarinet… several organs, played by trully good musicians. “a child in the mirror”, their debut album, was released in 2010 on cd on the italian fading records label and became immediately a success. the first 1000 pieces pressing was sold out in just a few weeks and there is also a japanese cd pressing available. one of their new songs has been chosen to be included in a forthcoming musea compilation, containing the best progressive contemporary european groups. a child in the mirror was voted 8th best progressive album worldwide for 2010 at progarchives.com. distinctions well deserved by this progressive rock album containing original songs, with breathtaking female vocals and great harmonies by a group of excellent musicians. highly recommended!! first time on vinyl, deluxe 180g double lp, thick gatefold cover, limited edition, mostly english lyrics. side four contains 4 unreleased tracks, among them great versions of spirogyra’s old boot wine and steeleye span’s the blacksmith.
CRYSTAL THOUGHTS ~ TOXIC PHENOMENA IN KOSMIC FIELDS ~ lp (missing vinyl, greece) $26.00
crystal thoughts formed in 1999, as a psych folk duet by spiros rouchotas & vassilis stavrianakos. the same year they recorded a number of songs, part of a jam session, and the next year the duet splits. as years went by, spiros r. decided to reform crystal thoughts remaining under the same music aesthetics, but this time as a 4member unit. authentic psych-folk characterises 4 tracks on this album, with the first song excluding from the genre, jumping deep into heavy dope of psychedelia with progressive touches. four new tracks and one from crystal thoughts beginning era. spiros rouchotas is known from his first solo project lp titled "ta paichnidia tou iliou" (tricks of the sun / 2007), but also in 1996 with his band "dedalos" (daedalus) in their debut 7"single. 500pcs limited and numbered, deluxe unipack cover, 180g vinyl.
CURSILLISTAS ~ OBSERVE EMBER WEEKS ~ lp (l'animaux tryst (field) recordings) $18.00
observe ember weeks is the final cursillistas "studio" album, momentarily lost to time as herbcraft took flight, now seeing a brief light-of-day. written, recorded, and mixed concurrently with wasp stings (digitalis), joint chiefs (digitalis), and several small-run/tour-only releases between 2007-2009, o.e.w. touches on elements and styles of all these while also marking a return to a more song-based rural folk psychedelia. nylon-string minor-key folk-pop commingles with naive noise experiments, breathless first-take improvisation, multi-tracked "full band" jams, wah'ed fuzz guitar abandon, electric slide glide, heavy tom-thumps & tambourine shakes, all presented with cursillistas' trademark rich reverb treatment and multi-layered vocals. this is perhaps the peak cursillistas experience in all its bedroom glory, the fitting final chapter to a project that never stayed still for too long, and the definitive collection of the tunes that made up much of cursillistas' live set from 2007-2009. deluxe 150-gram virgin black vinyl held in a 4-color, 5-layer silkscreened art paper jacket, with two-sided full-color pro-printed glossy heavy stock insert, hand-numbered to 225... sweet one!
DOROGA ~ S/T ~ cdr (ikuisuus, finland) $8.00
debut cd by a new finnish duo. slow ritual gongs, metals, percussions, loops and free clarinet/sax meditations, etc. slow and intense...a study in evolving emptiness and truly a hypnotic trip. comes in a 7" size sleeve. released by nekorekords and ikuisuus.
ELEPHANT MICAH ~ LOUDER THAN THOU ~ lp (product of palmyra) $22.00
louder than thou is the latest album from underground folk mainstays elephant micah, a rotating-member band headed up by one joseph o’connell. the record will be released on o'connell's own product of palmyra label on january 31, 2012. bridging the minimalist rock and sonic experimentation of early work for time-lag records, louder than thou is the clearest statement yet of the elephant micah sound. where past releases have been a matter of stylistic tinkering, louder settles into a meditative, avant-americana that o’connell and friends make fully their own. soaring harmonies and ringing lap dulcimers nod to ‘70s songwriter-ism while simultaneously recasting the genre through textural play and ensemble improvisation. with louder than thou, elephant micah secures its place alongside other masters of post-roots mood music such as califone and sun kil moon. the record follows an already extensive catalogue of limited, home-produced, and otherwise difficult-to-find recordings, which have circulated far and wide among a small, dedicated online fan base. this music’s cult also includes peer musicians like magnolia electric co., dark dark dark, and breathe owl breathe, who have toured with, accompanied, or covered the songs of elephant micah. louder than thou is closely tied to the musical life of bloomington, indiana and the greater region. the musicians that contribute to the record are part of a longstanding and celebrated underground music scene in this college town, which harbors more punk and indie bands than anyone can count. o’connell, originally from the adjacent area of “kentuckiana,” now resides in bloomington and works as a folklorist with grassroots music communities around the state. these efforts helped earn o’connell a grant from the state of indiana in the field of folk and traditional music for 2012... packaged in with lovely cardstock sleeve, with insert / lyric-sheet and heavy plastic picture disc sleeve. edition of 400. includes free download. highly recommended!
FORSYTH, CHRIS & KOEN HOLTKAMP ~ EARLY ASTRAL ~ lp (blackest rainbow, uk) $22.00
chris forsyth has recently been touring around europe with his paranoid cat band in support of their excellent lp on family vineyard as well as playing with meg baird on her recent record and a continuing member of the peeesseye. koen holtkamp plays as part of thrill jockey's mountains, as well as releasing solo material on aformentioned thrill jockey and type. on early astral forsyth and holtkamp team up, playing guitar and synthesizer and modular electronics respectively. the record consists to two tracks, each with a great kraut guitar groove, but frequently rocking into a blissed out epic psychedelic smog of wailing riffs and bubbling electronics tones. pressed on heavyweight black vinyl.
FORTUNE TELLER ~ INNER-CITY SCREAM ~ lp (anazitisi, greece) $35.00
restock... fuzzy underground album recorded back in 1978, and released as a private pressing of 500 copies... the band formed in baltimore, maryland by danny amburn, john holt, joe klimas, mark beyder and bob wells. their album, heavy at places, is full of fuzz-guitarwork with 60's garage & british invasion influences and low-budget production (think of boa or shadrack chameleon albums) while a couple of songs have a wild and underground approach to rural rock. this album exists in a time warp. it’s from the midst of the first punk era, but sounds genuinely 60s garage the way no neo-garage band ever did. the fuzz guitars are everpresent, and the songs are pure garage pop and garage rock, rocking hard without ever sounding remotely “hard rock.” the sound is as cheap as can be, which only accentuates the coolness of the fuzz. despite some awkward singing, there are a lot of catchy melodies here, and i can imagine that baltimorians who discovered “nuggets” in the late 70s went nuts over this band. a few songs flirt with rural rock, but basically it’s teen-sounding angst, just as cool as their punk peers. - [am] taken from the acid archives. first ever official reissue, fully licenced by danny amburn and the band. exact reproduction for the cover and labels. it includes extra 4-pages laminated insert with bio, lyrics and photos. pvc protective outersleeve. 180gr. vinyl as usual... limited edition of 400 (plus 100 on colored vinyl). great crude private press album!
FRANCE ~ UNTITLED ~ one-sided lp (les potagers natures / poutre apparente, france) $20.00
another awesome one from these guys. this came out before the recent amazing ‘pau’ lp and charts the same sonic path. limited to 500 copies in a cool hand made multi-color spray-paint stenciled clear covers. recommended!
FRANCE ~ DECHARGE A BREST ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
live recording, february 2008. one track, 30'42" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ DO DEN HAAG CHURCH ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
recorded live 2008 in den haag. one track, 43'32" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ LA MÊME COULEUR DE PEAU ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
live recording, february 2008. one track, 31'23" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ OCCITANIE ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
recorded live 2009 in pau. one track, recorded by the collectif pagan. 49'08" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ RADIOTAPED LIVE IN C-FD ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
recorded live in november 2006, mastered from original tape material. one track, 33'11" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
GARM, BR. ~ THE 78TH MORNING TIDE ~ lp (dontrustheruin) $14.00
here it is our first vinyl release. br. garm is a member of visitations and founder and owner of our local universe “strange maine”. "the 78thmorning tide” is truly a fantastical listen that is simultaneously foreboding and inviting. side a opens with the title track and is a complete psychedelic journey unto itself, followed by a lady losing her mind and smokin’ on rainbows, a face off with jesus and the devil, a tale of windham maine, a bombed out apocalyptic country song and a fuzzed out doomy cover of gordon lightfoot’s “wreck of the edmund fitzgerald”. side b begins with “can you feel it” which sounds like a loners take on damo era can. followed rapidly by a duo of songs that cover the apocalypse and getting stoned, a song that sounds as if black sabbath never made it out of the bedroom, a sort of childs prayer called “so many men” (which we got to play on!), a deceivingly dark folk song called “pretty red pony”, and finally a truly haunting and beautiful song called “at the end of the world”. locked grooves end both sides! this whole record is a complete joy to listen too, infectious and hard to get off the record player. one of our all time favorites! this is garm’s second release on dttr (other releases can be found on mangedisc, and time-lag). cover artwork by hillary irons, printed on thick old style jackets, accompanied by a pamphlet with lyrics and chords for those who want to play along. limited to 500 copies... great first vinyl release on big blood’s rad micro label. nice!
HIGNEY, KENNETH ~ ATTIC DEMONSTRATION ~ lp (one kind favor) $16.00
often considered the holy grail of "real people" records, kenneth higney's "attic demonstration" was never actually intended to be an official release. it was recorded in new york city by higney and his accompanist gordon gaines (r.i.p.) as a vehicle with which to sell higney's songs to other artists and was only pressed to vinyl in 1976 when he grew tired of duplicating cassette tapes. apparently the jandekian dissonance of the "a. demo." sound was an unintended by-product of the one take demo sessions. be that as it may, "attic demonstration" is a strange sonic world all of it's own. it is neither too weird to be unappealing to "regular" music listeners nor is it one of those "discoveries" that leaves you wondering what all the hype was about. acoustic guitar ballads of nearly atonal desolation mix readily with rock 'n' roll numbers featuring hiccuping drums and alien sounding electric guitar. hingey's vocals are by turns sneering and mournful as he sings about lost love and the desire for fame all filtered through his uniquely bent worldview. although a few ads were placed for the record in the village voice and the aquarian, the fame that higney sought illuded him (a semi-positive review in trouser press notwithstanding). that is, until the album was discovered and distributed by record dealer paul major. "attic demonstration" has been featured in the acid archives and copies of the original lp have soared in price over the years, but you no longer have to pay $100, $200 or even $300 to obtain a copy of this monumental album on vinyl. one kind favor and kenneth higney have teamed up to bring you an official reissue of "attic demonstration" remastered and with all the original artwork. lp edition of 500 copies
ISENGRIND ~ NIGHT OF RAINING FIRE ~ lp (blackest rainbow, uk) $23.00
solange gularte (natural snow buildings) returns for her second solo lp for blackest rainbow. a dreamy psychedelic haze of shimmering drones, minimal string plucking with barely-there vocals, gularte's sound is somewhat more far out in comparison to say twinsistermoon or natural snow buildings. night of raining fire showcases this with tracks like the almost medieval sounding still voyager, or the outsider folk sound of nadirs of the sun. the record comes packaged in a stunning full colour sleeve covered in gularte's strange surreal illustrators. limited to 500 copies.
JUNGLE ~ S/T ~ lp (red lounge, germany) $26.00
restock... the first legitimate re-issue of this mega rare californian psychedelic monster. this is one of the best and most sought after psychedelic gems ever recorded, with amazing and fluid heavy fuzz guitars, superb organ, drums and fantastic songwriting. recorded in new york in 1969 while the band was living in a farm in vermont. the original was pressed in a run of 50 demo copies only! no names or hints are given on the original lp but after over a decade of excruciating search, miguel rodriguez, the man behind finding darius, garrett lund, stonewall and many more, finally found the band members! so here is your chance to listen to one of the great mystical albums of the psychedelic private press collectors' realm at the fraction of the cost of the original, in amazing sound. this gem comes in a gatefold cover with unseen pictures and full band history, released in full collaboration with the surviving band members... great to see this finally get a high quality legit reissue! been a long time fave ‘round time-lag since way back. recommended!
KEIJO ~ SONGS OF LUCK ~ cdr (ikuisuus, finland) $8.00
keijo's songs draw from country-blues sources, as is often the case with his releases, there's a couple of woody guthrie interpretations included here. harmonicas whine and woe, but also keep up the rhythm of keepin' on. in these songs, people get up early and travel in a land "that used to be your land." it's a place where luck comes and goes, just like the people that you meet. the girl knows how to hit you like rolling thunder, the workers are left unpaid (the boss ain't), the ones with no work are standing in the welfare line, your "true love" throws you a suitcase and shows you the door, there's working in the country and in the cities, an anonymous wanderer carries the blues wherever he goes - but it's bigger than just being down: you don't see me worrying, 'cos i've got nothing left to lose. that's why we all share the blues... packaged in a full color 7inch sized cover.
KOSMONAUT ~ KOSMONAUT I ~ lp (deep distance, uk) $18.00
this one’s a real tasty way to kick off a new label. ‘deep distance’ was created as a side project to the great pop supplement, a way of releasing some of the demos and planned releases within gps head dom’s primary love of all things motorik and kosmische themed… the first few releases are broadly based on the killer series of konrad schnitzler private press / gallery edition series of lps from 1974. borrowing the deliberately minimal single colour themes for sleeves and labels with all release details contained over a series of inserts and stickers. with some fabulous releases currently being discussed and negotiated, the series in the meantime kicks off with the incredible first volume of 2 planned 'kosmonaut' full lengths. released in a blue edition of 250 lps on vinyl only, kosmonaut is the brainchild of texan patrick r. park, whose stunning cassette and cdr releases on his own “ethereal mother” label point at some holy kosmische collision of schulze, froese, ash ra / gottsching, and latter day celestial synth explorers expo 70, jonas reinhardt and mist, amongst others. a fabulous lp in a numbered edition of 250, not expected to sit around long…. a second volume follows as does the previously gps destined ‘karen novotny x’ full length of killer previously discarded 1978 synth experiments partly inspired by chris carter / tg, cabaret voltaire, the normal et al... contrary to much web based mis-info these are all black vinyl, not blue vinyl... just so you know!
LITTLE WINGS ~ MADE IT RAIN ~ lp (piaptk / gnome life) $22.00
ltd ed of 300 lps in covers that were hand-painted by kyle field of little wings, who is as renowned for his art as he is his incredible songwriting. a split release with the awesome gnome life records in big sur, ca, made it rain was originally released on cassette as part of their echomancy series. piaptk, gnomelife, and kyle each have only 100 copies available. gnome life said it best when they said: made it rain is a direct transmission from the mind of kyle field (a.k.a. little wings)... brain waves reflected off a storm cloud and the nearby ocean... song droplets from kyle and the windy mother. a chill out tape of eclectic covers, little wings classics remixed, a little story telling, and a fully new song to boot. recorded on cassette tape live in the dream yurt, high on the cliffs of big sur, california, above the pacific ocean, one late night in may 2011, in the midst of a gentle but unrelenting rain storm which eventually cut the party short by outing the power. "made it rain" is a wild artifact from the wild west... great stuff and sure to vanish in a wink. very limited stock.
~ here were are again. somehow a new year already?! and well into it at that... winter has been more like spring around these usually frigid parts. pretty strange, but not unpleasant... hope 2012 is off to a good start for all of you...
~ been a long time in the work, but very happy to finally have our DRYWATER reissue ready! taking orders now and will start shipping by the end of the week...
~ for all you kickstarter folks, the majority of your packages have already shipped and should be arriving shortly... for some of you regular mailorder customers who also pledged through kickstarter i figured i’d hold your packages for a day or two incase you want to add anything else from the update...
~ so, here ‘tis...
DRYWATER ~ BACKBONE OF THE NATION ~ lp & 7inch (TIME-LAG 057/058) $30.00
first ever reissue of this massively cool & hideously rare 1973 rural pennsylvania private press jewel, originally released on the legendary RPC custom label in an edition of only 25 copies. this one might slip right by you on first listen, but there is a subtle brilliance buried in these grooves that’s captured the hearts of the lucky few who’ve had the chance to spend some time with the album... and once you’ve connected, there’s no turning back... like the very best of the upper echelon 60s & 70s private press benchmarks, ‘backbone of the nation’ is a crystal clear snapshot glimpse into a precise time & place, a unique moment captured, a lost reality preserved... small town working class teen ethos expressed with raw precision. zero hippie hangover or arty posturing here... the sound is essentially split between the two dominate modes of polarized male youth psyche : alternating moody, dejected, love scorned melancholy folkrock with wasted, howling, proto-punk garage fuzz brain fry... all together it’s a totally sincere lost in time vibe, delivered with gobs of naive charm & executed with almost zero resources. the album was recorded and mixed direct to tape in just a few hours, without overdubs or even the option to mixdown. you can hear the clearly unprepared recording engineer frantically flipping switches & tweaking knobs in a state of near panic as these kids tear furiously through a rapid fire album worth of original songs, always teetering on the edge of total collapse, yet never quite imploding. while the end results are, to say he least, very crude, the band pulls together a distinct and wonderful sound. underpinned by ken turcic’s dry, low, rubbery bass lines and greg cheplick’s wildly raw & cool drumming (he’s only 15 at the time) dennis cheplick (greg’s older brother) and jack sarvis trade off vocal duties, guitars licks, and writing credit. rhythm guitars chug excitedly, acoustic 12-string adds a sweet, chiming, folky texture, and sarvis switches between a great, slightly surf-tinged ringing reverb tone and frenetic fuzz figures. what really sets this one apart from the crowd, though, is a surprising sophistication lurking deep within. there’s real depth and staying power to the song writing that sneaks up on you with repeated listens, combined with the sort of subtly clever vocal and guitar arrangements that imply a band maturity well beyond their amateur exterior. a grower if ever there was one... and totally essential if the sound of “rural”, “real people”, and “garage” all in the same sentence peaks your interest... pressed on highest quality 180gm virgin vinyl. packaged in an exact reproduction heavy weight reverse tip-on cover, with exact repro label art, a heavy double sided insert with loads of vintage color photos and extensive liner notes, plus a bonus heavy vinyl 45rpm 7inch. the 45 contains two non-lp tracks featuring both cheplick brothers and recorded in nashville, tennessee just months after the ‘backbone’ sessions, and preserved only on a single copy acetate demo disc. while due to the original format the sound quality of the 45 is less then ideal, it’s an awesome pair of songs and a wonderful complement to the lp, clearly hinting at the brooding folkrock masterpiece these guys could have pulled off had drywater ever entered the studio again... one time vinyl only pressing of 500 copies.
and for those especially curious, or already serious fans :
DRYWATER ~ BACKBONE OF THE NATION + THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS - 1974 ~ lp & 7inch & bonus cdr (TIME-LAG 057/058) $33.00
exact same lp & 7inch as the above version, but in addition also includes a 10 track bonus cdr ‘THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS - 1974’ for the fully exhaustive drywater experience. the disc includes various post drywater oddities from dennis cheplick’s 1974 stint in nashville. included are : the two acetate tracks from the bonus 45, four acoustic demos, and four tracks from the ‘backbone of the nation’ tapes to which dennis added vocal overdubs shortly after the lp was released. beyond the two great acetate tracks, the acoustic demos are also quite good moody folk, and include one track co-written with jack sarvis and considered for inclusion on the lp. the overdubbed ‘backbone’ tracks aren’t exactly a revelation, but the ghostly layered vocals and odd low fidelity have a certain charm of their own... packaged in tri-fold offset printed b&w cover with yet another great vintage photo... available only direct from time-lag, in limited quantity, for just 3 bucks extra.
~ once again, a surprising large amount of high quality distro goodies :
AHMED, ILYAS ~ WITH ENDLESS FIRE ~ lp (immune) $20.00
since 2005 ilyas ahmed has been blurring the folk/drone/raga/rock realms into a sound that is uniquely his own. a string of self-released cdrs in 2005/2006 brought ahmed immediate attention and he soon released landmark albums on time-lag, digitalis, and root strata. in 2010 immune began working with ahmed first giving his first two albums between two skies & towards the night a deluxe 2xlp vinyl release and then in 2011 releasing a split 7” between ahmed and steve gunn for record store day. ahmed’s brand new album with endless fire was entirely written, performed and recorded direct to analog tape by ilyas ahmed in portland, or. it is ahmed’s first album since his 2009 release goner (root strata) and continues the much fuller sound presented there, giving us his unmistakable voice with a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, harmonium, organ, and drums. ilyas ahmed on with endless fire : “this record started out during an extended period of decline and gradually shifted focus to let more light in, to reconcile the murky depths and the ecstatic highs of everyday life. i wanted to make music that was “of” rather than “by”. it was the first time i felt there was no separation between head & hands, instruments & speakers, microphones & air, fuzz pedals & tape machines. the songs are inspired equally by memory, loss, love, and electricity.” with endless fire was mastered by timothy stollenwerk in portland, or and cut to vinyl by roger seibel at sae in phoenix, az. the album is housed in a heavy-duty old-style tip-on gatefold jacket printed by stoughton and includes a free download coupon. the lp is limited to only 1,000 copies. also included is a free download coupon... awesome new album. looks and sounds totally hot. highly recommended!
ANGER, KENNETH & BRIAN BUTLER ~ TECHNICOLOR SKULL ~ one-sided lp (anja offensive) $25.00
this multi-media sound and video project features kenneth anger on theremin and brian butler on guitar, effects, and related gadgets, released to coincide with angers icons opening at the museum of contemporary art in los angeles. twenty-one minutes. pressed on 180-gram red vinyl in an edition of 666.
BRAINSHADOWS ~ WILD CHERRY / RIPE ~ 7inch (l'animaux tryst (field) recordings) $6.00
debut single from this new "hard pop" duo of d. aquarius and m. lajoie, which smothers spector-era space-echo pop in the psychedelic technicolor grit and grime of a bakshi / corman urban sewer. wah'ed synths and fuzz guitars lift up heavy basslines and off-kit percussion, with nice & ruff soft-focus vocals appearing like phantoms, all produced in engulfing heavy mono. a-side "wild cherry" brings home some tuff teenage motorcycle gang love-in vibrations; an intravenous alternate soundtrack to a beyond the valley of the dolls party scene. on the flip, "ripe" is genuine lovers rock dub-pop, with plenty of wah and hazed & hushed come-ons: an abstracted ode to the magick of early keith hudson and horace andy sides. recycled black vinyl 45rpm 7" held in a pro-printed full-color sleeve. limited to 200 copies.
CICCADA ~ A CHILD IN THE MIRROR ~ 2lp (missing vinyl, greece) $30.00
ciccada is a progressive folk rock band from athens -greece. it was formed in april 2005 by flutist nicolas nikolopoulos and guitar player george mouhos. very soon, female singer evangelia kozoni joined the duo and this is the core of the band until today. the line-up also includes a bass, cello, drums, clarinet… several organs, played by trully good musicians. “a child in the mirror”, their debut album, was released in 2010 on cd on the italian fading records label and became immediately a success. the first 1000 pieces pressing was sold out in just a few weeks and there is also a japanese cd pressing available. one of their new songs has been chosen to be included in a forthcoming musea compilation, containing the best progressive contemporary european groups. a child in the mirror was voted 8th best progressive album worldwide for 2010 at progarchives.com. distinctions well deserved by this progressive rock album containing original songs, with breathtaking female vocals and great harmonies by a group of excellent musicians. highly recommended!! first time on vinyl, deluxe 180g double lp, thick gatefold cover, limited edition, mostly english lyrics. side four contains 4 unreleased tracks, among them great versions of spirogyra’s old boot wine and steeleye span’s the blacksmith.
CRYSTAL THOUGHTS ~ TOXIC PHENOMENA IN KOSMIC FIELDS ~ lp (missing vinyl, greece) $26.00
crystal thoughts formed in 1999, as a psych folk duet by spiros rouchotas & vassilis stavrianakos. the same year they recorded a number of songs, part of a jam session, and the next year the duet splits. as years went by, spiros r. decided to reform crystal thoughts remaining under the same music aesthetics, but this time as a 4member unit. authentic psych-folk characterises 4 tracks on this album, with the first song excluding from the genre, jumping deep into heavy dope of psychedelia with progressive touches. four new tracks and one from crystal thoughts beginning era. spiros rouchotas is known from his first solo project lp titled "ta paichnidia tou iliou" (tricks of the sun / 2007), but also in 1996 with his band "dedalos" (daedalus) in their debut 7"single. 500pcs limited and numbered, deluxe unipack cover, 180g vinyl.
CURSILLISTAS ~ OBSERVE EMBER WEEKS ~ lp (l'animaux tryst (field) recordings) $18.00
observe ember weeks is the final cursillistas "studio" album, momentarily lost to time as herbcraft took flight, now seeing a brief light-of-day. written, recorded, and mixed concurrently with wasp stings (digitalis), joint chiefs (digitalis), and several small-run/tour-only releases between 2007-2009, o.e.w. touches on elements and styles of all these while also marking a return to a more song-based rural folk psychedelia. nylon-string minor-key folk-pop commingles with naive noise experiments, breathless first-take improvisation, multi-tracked "full band" jams, wah'ed fuzz guitar abandon, electric slide glide, heavy tom-thumps & tambourine shakes, all presented with cursillistas' trademark rich reverb treatment and multi-layered vocals. this is perhaps the peak cursillistas experience in all its bedroom glory, the fitting final chapter to a project that never stayed still for too long, and the definitive collection of the tunes that made up much of cursillistas' live set from 2007-2009. deluxe 150-gram virgin black vinyl held in a 4-color, 5-layer silkscreened art paper jacket, with two-sided full-color pro-printed glossy heavy stock insert, hand-numbered to 225... sweet one!
DOROGA ~ S/T ~ cdr (ikuisuus, finland) $8.00
debut cd by a new finnish duo. slow ritual gongs, metals, percussions, loops and free clarinet/sax meditations, etc. slow and intense...a study in evolving emptiness and truly a hypnotic trip. comes in a 7" size sleeve. released by nekorekords and ikuisuus.
ELEPHANT MICAH ~ LOUDER THAN THOU ~ lp (product of palmyra) $22.00
louder than thou is the latest album from underground folk mainstays elephant micah, a rotating-member band headed up by one joseph o’connell. the record will be released on o'connell's own product of palmyra label on january 31, 2012. bridging the minimalist rock and sonic experimentation of early work for time-lag records, louder than thou is the clearest statement yet of the elephant micah sound. where past releases have been a matter of stylistic tinkering, louder settles into a meditative, avant-americana that o’connell and friends make fully their own. soaring harmonies and ringing lap dulcimers nod to ‘70s songwriter-ism while simultaneously recasting the genre through textural play and ensemble improvisation. with louder than thou, elephant micah secures its place alongside other masters of post-roots mood music such as califone and sun kil moon. the record follows an already extensive catalogue of limited, home-produced, and otherwise difficult-to-find recordings, which have circulated far and wide among a small, dedicated online fan base. this music’s cult also includes peer musicians like magnolia electric co., dark dark dark, and breathe owl breathe, who have toured with, accompanied, or covered the songs of elephant micah. louder than thou is closely tied to the musical life of bloomington, indiana and the greater region. the musicians that contribute to the record are part of a longstanding and celebrated underground music scene in this college town, which harbors more punk and indie bands than anyone can count. o’connell, originally from the adjacent area of “kentuckiana,” now resides in bloomington and works as a folklorist with grassroots music communities around the state. these efforts helped earn o’connell a grant from the state of indiana in the field of folk and traditional music for 2012... packaged in with lovely cardstock sleeve, with insert / lyric-sheet and heavy plastic picture disc sleeve. edition of 400. includes free download. highly recommended!
FORSYTH, CHRIS & KOEN HOLTKAMP ~ EARLY ASTRAL ~ lp (blackest rainbow, uk) $22.00
chris forsyth has recently been touring around europe with his paranoid cat band in support of their excellent lp on family vineyard as well as playing with meg baird on her recent record and a continuing member of the peeesseye. koen holtkamp plays as part of thrill jockey's mountains, as well as releasing solo material on aformentioned thrill jockey and type. on early astral forsyth and holtkamp team up, playing guitar and synthesizer and modular electronics respectively. the record consists to two tracks, each with a great kraut guitar groove, but frequently rocking into a blissed out epic psychedelic smog of wailing riffs and bubbling electronics tones. pressed on heavyweight black vinyl.
FORTUNE TELLER ~ INNER-CITY SCREAM ~ lp (anazitisi, greece) $35.00
restock... fuzzy underground album recorded back in 1978, and released as a private pressing of 500 copies... the band formed in baltimore, maryland by danny amburn, john holt, joe klimas, mark beyder and bob wells. their album, heavy at places, is full of fuzz-guitarwork with 60's garage & british invasion influences and low-budget production (think of boa or shadrack chameleon albums) while a couple of songs have a wild and underground approach to rural rock. this album exists in a time warp. it’s from the midst of the first punk era, but sounds genuinely 60s garage the way no neo-garage band ever did. the fuzz guitars are everpresent, and the songs are pure garage pop and garage rock, rocking hard without ever sounding remotely “hard rock.” the sound is as cheap as can be, which only accentuates the coolness of the fuzz. despite some awkward singing, there are a lot of catchy melodies here, and i can imagine that baltimorians who discovered “nuggets” in the late 70s went nuts over this band. a few songs flirt with rural rock, but basically it’s teen-sounding angst, just as cool as their punk peers. - [am] taken from the acid archives. first ever official reissue, fully licenced by danny amburn and the band. exact reproduction for the cover and labels. it includes extra 4-pages laminated insert with bio, lyrics and photos. pvc protective outersleeve. 180gr. vinyl as usual... limited edition of 400 (plus 100 on colored vinyl). great crude private press album!
FRANCE ~ UNTITLED ~ one-sided lp (les potagers natures / poutre apparente, france) $20.00
another awesome one from these guys. this came out before the recent amazing ‘pau’ lp and charts the same sonic path. limited to 500 copies in a cool hand made multi-color spray-paint stenciled clear covers. recommended!
FRANCE ~ DECHARGE A BREST ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
live recording, february 2008. one track, 30'42" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ DO DEN HAAG CHURCH ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
recorded live 2008 in den haag. one track, 43'32" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ LA MÊME COULEUR DE PEAU ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
live recording, february 2008. one track, 31'23" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ OCCITANIE ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
recorded live 2009 in pau. one track, recorded by the collectif pagan. 49'08" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
FRANCE ~ RADIOTAPED LIVE IN C-FD ~ cdr (standard in-fi, france) $8.00
recorded live in november 2006, mastered from original tape material. one track, 33'11" long... tiny original edition is long gone, this is new edition of only 6 copies made just for time-lag records! sealed cardboard cover with sticker art and paint splatter. don’t miss out!
GARM, BR. ~ THE 78TH MORNING TIDE ~ lp (dontrustheruin) $14.00
here it is our first vinyl release. br. garm is a member of visitations and founder and owner of our local universe “strange maine”. "the 78thmorning tide” is truly a fantastical listen that is simultaneously foreboding and inviting. side a opens with the title track and is a complete psychedelic journey unto itself, followed by a lady losing her mind and smokin’ on rainbows, a face off with jesus and the devil, a tale of windham maine, a bombed out apocalyptic country song and a fuzzed out doomy cover of gordon lightfoot’s “wreck of the edmund fitzgerald”. side b begins with “can you feel it” which sounds like a loners take on damo era can. followed rapidly by a duo of songs that cover the apocalypse and getting stoned, a song that sounds as if black sabbath never made it out of the bedroom, a sort of childs prayer called “so many men” (which we got to play on!), a deceivingly dark folk song called “pretty red pony”, and finally a truly haunting and beautiful song called “at the end of the world”. locked grooves end both sides! this whole record is a complete joy to listen too, infectious and hard to get off the record player. one of our all time favorites! this is garm’s second release on dttr (other releases can be found on mangedisc, and time-lag). cover artwork by hillary irons, printed on thick old style jackets, accompanied by a pamphlet with lyrics and chords for those who want to play along. limited to 500 copies... great first vinyl release on big blood’s rad micro label. nice!
HIGNEY, KENNETH ~ ATTIC DEMONSTRATION ~ lp (one kind favor) $16.00
often considered the holy grail of "real people" records, kenneth higney's "attic demonstration" was never actually intended to be an official release. it was recorded in new york city by higney and his accompanist gordon gaines (r.i.p.) as a vehicle with which to sell higney's songs to other artists and was only pressed to vinyl in 1976 when he grew tired of duplicating cassette tapes. apparently the jandekian dissonance of the "a. demo." sound was an unintended by-product of the one take demo sessions. be that as it may, "attic demonstration" is a strange sonic world all of it's own. it is neither too weird to be unappealing to "regular" music listeners nor is it one of those "discoveries" that leaves you wondering what all the hype was about. acoustic guitar ballads of nearly atonal desolation mix readily with rock 'n' roll numbers featuring hiccuping drums and alien sounding electric guitar. hingey's vocals are by turns sneering and mournful as he sings about lost love and the desire for fame all filtered through his uniquely bent worldview. although a few ads were placed for the record in the village voice and the aquarian, the fame that higney sought illuded him (a semi-positive review in trouser press notwithstanding). that is, until the album was discovered and distributed by record dealer paul major. "attic demonstration" has been featured in the acid archives and copies of the original lp have soared in price over the years, but you no longer have to pay $100, $200 or even $300 to obtain a copy of this monumental album on vinyl. one kind favor and kenneth higney have teamed up to bring you an official reissue of "attic demonstration" remastered and with all the original artwork. lp edition of 500 copies
ISENGRIND ~ NIGHT OF RAINING FIRE ~ lp (blackest rainbow, uk) $23.00
solange gularte (natural snow buildings) returns for her second solo lp for blackest rainbow. a dreamy psychedelic haze of shimmering drones, minimal string plucking with barely-there vocals, gularte's sound is somewhat more far out in comparison to say twinsistermoon or natural snow buildings. night of raining fire showcases this with tracks like the almost medieval sounding still voyager, or the outsider folk sound of nadirs of the sun. the record comes packaged in a stunning full colour sleeve covered in gularte's strange surreal illustrators. limited to 500 copies.
JUNGLE ~ S/T ~ lp (red lounge, germany) $26.00
restock... the first legitimate re-issue of this mega rare californian psychedelic monster. this is one of the best and most sought after psychedelic gems ever recorded, with amazing and fluid heavy fuzz guitars, superb organ, drums and fantastic songwriting. recorded in new york in 1969 while the band was living in a farm in vermont. the original was pressed in a run of 50 demo copies only! no names or hints are given on the original lp but after over a decade of excruciating search, miguel rodriguez, the man behind finding darius, garrett lund, stonewall and many more, finally found the band members! so here is your chance to listen to one of the great mystical albums of the psychedelic private press collectors' realm at the fraction of the cost of the original, in amazing sound. this gem comes in a gatefold cover with unseen pictures and full band history, released in full collaboration with the surviving band members... great to see this finally get a high quality legit reissue! been a long time fave ‘round time-lag since way back. recommended!
KEIJO ~ SONGS OF LUCK ~ cdr (ikuisuus, finland) $8.00
keijo's songs draw from country-blues sources, as is often the case with his releases, there's a couple of woody guthrie interpretations included here. harmonicas whine and woe, but also keep up the rhythm of keepin' on. in these songs, people get up early and travel in a land "that used to be your land." it's a place where luck comes and goes, just like the people that you meet. the girl knows how to hit you like rolling thunder, the workers are left unpaid (the boss ain't), the ones with no work are standing in the welfare line, your "true love" throws you a suitcase and shows you the door, there's working in the country and in the cities, an anonymous wanderer carries the blues wherever he goes - but it's bigger than just being down: you don't see me worrying, 'cos i've got nothing left to lose. that's why we all share the blues... packaged in a full color 7inch sized cover.
KOSMONAUT ~ KOSMONAUT I ~ lp (deep distance, uk) $18.00
this one’s a real tasty way to kick off a new label. ‘deep distance’ was created as a side project to the great pop supplement, a way of releasing some of the demos and planned releases within gps head dom’s primary love of all things motorik and kosmische themed… the first few releases are broadly based on the killer series of konrad schnitzler private press / gallery edition series of lps from 1974. borrowing the deliberately minimal single colour themes for sleeves and labels with all release details contained over a series of inserts and stickers. with some fabulous releases currently being discussed and negotiated, the series in the meantime kicks off with the incredible first volume of 2 planned 'kosmonaut' full lengths. released in a blue edition of 250 lps on vinyl only, kosmonaut is the brainchild of texan patrick r. park, whose stunning cassette and cdr releases on his own “ethereal mother” label point at some holy kosmische collision of schulze, froese, ash ra / gottsching, and latter day celestial synth explorers expo 70, jonas reinhardt and mist, amongst others. a fabulous lp in a numbered edition of 250, not expected to sit around long…. a second volume follows as does the previously gps destined ‘karen novotny x’ full length of killer previously discarded 1978 synth experiments partly inspired by chris carter / tg, cabaret voltaire, the normal et al... contrary to much web based mis-info these are all black vinyl, not blue vinyl... just so you know!
LITTLE WINGS ~ MADE IT RAIN ~ lp (piaptk / gnome life) $22.00
ltd ed of 300 lps in covers that were hand-painted by kyle field of little wings, who is as renowned for his art as he is his incredible songwriting. a split release with the awesome gnome life records in big sur, ca, made it rain was originally released on cassette as part of their echomancy series. piaptk, gnomelife, and kyle each have only 100 copies available. gnome life said it best when they said: made it rain is a direct transmission from the mind of kyle field (a.k.a. little wings)... brain waves reflected off a storm cloud and the nearby ocean... song droplets from kyle and the windy mother. a chill out tape of eclectic covers, little wings classics remixed, a little story telling, and a fully new song to boot. recorded on cassette tape live in the dream yurt, high on the cliffs of big sur, california, above the pacific ocean, one late night in may 2011, in the midst of a gentle but unrelenting rain storm which eventually cut the party short by outing the power. "made it rain" is a wild artifact from the wild west... great stuff and sure to vanish in a wink. very limited stock.
~ and on with PART TWO...
LIVING SACRIFICE BAND ~ BEAUTY FOR ASHES ~ lp (anazitisi, greece) $35.00
the living sacrifice band was the continuity of the legendary last call of shiloh which anazitisi records had released some months ago (see arlp70-40f). in 1975 pastor john murray founded the living sacrifice band with john rosenberry, member of the last call of shiloh too. the band headquartered in spokane washington. the band would play out of the sonshine inn, a coffeehouse that would pack out hundreds of young people. often people were turned away in great number for there was no room to enter. a more detailed account of this time can be found in pastor murray’s book of his life story, chosen to honour thee. from 1975 to 1982 the living sacrifice band would play literally hundreds of concerts from the west coast to the east coast and privately produce 3 albums between 1977 and 1981. "beauty for ashes" is their second one, from 1979. side a contains 5 pleasant xian folk-rock ballads, with beautiful female vocals and excellent flute and keyboards work, reminiscent of early 70's uk bands. side b seems to be different enough, containing 3 extended rock (you could even call them heavy rock) tracks with female and male vocals as well and lots of fuzzy, distorted guitars, and wild flute leads. 3 tracks of the album are (co-)written by jim and vicky tsapatoris of last call of shiloh fame. the "catching away" is a reinterpretation of the "rapture" included in the lcs lp.... "mellow folk praise dominates side one, a more or less pleasant and peaceful sound highlighting acoustic guitar, a pair of flutes and female lead vocals. the title track especially has a lovely minor-key beauty. the three extended tracks that make up side two, however, are where the real edge kicks in. ‘conquered death’ has a mid- tempo classic rock feel with harmonica, hard rock guitar, flute and electric piano each getting a solo turn. more tasty guitar leads follow on ‘the catching away’ and ‘the great day’, both excellent lengthy progressive tracks re-interpreted from last call with positive results (a touch jazzier, with the addition of lead flute and keyboard passages).two cover variations exist: one featuring simple black lettering over a white background, the other an old-fashioned photograph of a girl holding flowers, again both pressed in micro quantities." (ken scott -archivist)... this is an officialy reissue, represented here with the original b/w cover which is much rarer than the second edition from 1980, with the well-known "flower girl" cover. fully laminated cover. includes extra triptych (6-pages lp-sized) insert with bio, photos, lyrics and memorabilia and a reproduction of the second 1980 edition's ("flower girl") front and back cover. reproduction of an lsb original poster is also included. limited to 200 black and 100 coloured copies. 180gr vinyl as usual. pvc protective outsleeve... black vinyl version.
MAJUTSU NO NIWA ~ SYLVANIA 7027 LIVE ~ lp (8mm, italy) $22.00
debut vinyl release for majutsu no niwa, band led by guitarist and songwriter rinji fukuoka, already funding member of tokyo’s legends overhang party. making their own the formula that if a band rocks, then it rocks live, majutsu no niwa (litterally ‘magical garden’) recorded this new album live in concert, in order to recreate on lp the astonishing experience that their live set is. four tracks of pure sonic catharsis, epic songs, cosmic rock, psychic delirium, including a classic tokyo-style ballad, for one of the loudest bands in the planet. already a cult! 250 copies, pro printed photo artwork.
MARIJATA ~ THIS IS MARIJATA ~ lp (academy) $16.00
hard-hitting, hair-raising, afro-fuzz from ghana, this is marijata is the heaviest and most sought-after african funk record of them all! recorded in 1976, this album is the standard by which all other afro-funk albums are measured -- its power, vitality and rawness have been emulated, but never equaled. fully licensed and lovingly remastered, the academy lps/voodoo funk re-issue presents this is marijata in all of its rough-hewn glory.
NASH, BEN ~ OH LORDY ME! (MY HEART IS WANDERING AGAIN) ~ lp (blackest rainbow, uk) $22.00
it's been quite some time since a full length solo ben nash release, and it's finally here, and so,what different from his more psychedelic folk drones he showcased way back on 'the seventh goodbye'. probably best left for ben to explain this one for you... "i recorded this new full-length record during downtime from playing with chora and after a long break from recording any solo music. having become somewhat disillusioned with the process of overdubbing conventional “physical” instruments repeatedly in my solo work i have spent a lot of time experimenting with different ways of inputting, manipulating and arranging sound electronically, both in a variety of computer based environments and also using an apple ipad. this release is the first in a series that will document these experiments. all sounds on the album stem from and are sequenced within yamaha’s tnr-i app with some minimal mix processing in logic" - ben nash, camberwell green, september 2011. edition of 250 copies pressed on heavy weight black virgin vinyl.
NGOZI, PAUL ~ THE GHETTO ~ lp (shadoks, germany) $40.00
paul ngozi (nogozi means danger) with his band gave a popular voice to what later was called 'zamrock,' a cool fusion of older african rhythms and '70s rockish underground modes -- never too polished, but with a tightness that might have made anglo groups up in london sit up and take notice. the guitars are razor-sharp here which sounds great next to the harder rhythms at the bottom, and the album's mix of english and zambian lyrics. paul ngozi recorded at least ten albums, another one which is famous among collectors is chrissy zebby tembo & ngozi family. you will love this one if you liked the witch and amanaz. great album, great artwork, a masterpiece from zambia... hand-numbered edition of 500, 180gm vinyl, extra thick cover.
OAKEATER / YELLOW SWANS ~ SPLIT ~ lp (black horizons) $15.00
a rather appropriate unearthing takes place on this record, as yellow swans are posthumously paired up with chicago's oakeater. first up is yellow swans, with a single side-long track that should please fans of their later, brighter more psychedelic sound as well as those of the more rigid, structured and even melodic sound found on their final lp. masterfully mixing huge guitars, shards of mixer feedback and discreet loops. oakeater on the flip side performs the funerary rights with three tracks that fall somewhere between a satanic ritual and a cosmic synth trip, with meditative vocals, throbbing synthesizers, and distant piano lines. on the label and art/design end this was a collaborative effort between black horizons and dead accents. comes packaged in a custom euro-style sleeve, offset silver ink on black linen paper. black vinyl with silver on black center labels in an edition of 500 copies.
OLAUSSON, JAKOB ~ MORNING AND SUNRISE ~ lp (destijl) $16.00
at some point all great explorers, from amundsen to kishan singh rawat, come to an opening up and cast their minds across a big space. a clearing, a promontory, a look out from a place no one’s been before. jakob olausson ventured deep on moonlight farm, his debut for de stijl in the winter of 2005. his singular expression returns on morning and sunrise, an explorer’s codex, a gaze through to what’s more important and less seen. the path yet traveled and the sun arcing over it. morning and sunrise is a different record from moonlight farm. neither “progression” nor the preferred “natural progression” describe how. there is more electric guitar and it really whisks at your earbones, the playing is beautiful. jakob’s singing glows more. it gives light and shows love as it reassures, makes no false promises, says: you can be understood. honest as the elements, whether you count four or 118. words like "loner" will be hung on morning and sunrise, and that’s okay, we associate clarity this potent with solitude. and this could be the most lucid psychedelic record ever, morning is just so clear, and anyway, it’s not really loner, because you are there all along. don’t we all just want to know how the next person gets along? come out into the morning and see... fantastic new album, at last! highly recommended!
ORCUTT, BILL ~ HOW THE THING SINGS ~ lp (editions mego, austria) $20.00
yet another essential, cracking new set of songs from bill orcutt, showcasing a further development of his unique, visceral acoustic style. the language that orcutt uses looks familiar at first glance, but cuts deeper and it's a myriad of twisted audio that's both full-on and drenched in melancholy, usually in the same gasping breath. while a lot of it is the classic face-melting style, some quieter segments counter balance on the title track as well the epic closer "a line from ol'man river" and "heaven is closed to me now." recorded spring 2011 in the living room, san francisco. gatefold lp version.
OXFORDS ~ FLYING UP THROUGH THE SKY ~ lp (missing vinyl, greece) $30.00
oxfords sole 1970 privately pressed album is one of the best late 60s us psychedelic soft rock albums. excellent male female vocals and complex original songs. it contains 4 bonus tracks from their pre-lp 45, which were not included in the original album. highly recommended! limited edition, gatefold, deluxe 180g vinyl, from the original analogue master tapes, exact reproduction of the original first pressing
PERHACS, LINDA ~ PARALLELOGRAMS ~ 2lp (sunbeam, uk) $32.00
single copy restock, first pressing... deluxe 2lp format, 180 gram pressing. combining fragile and beautifully melodic acid folk with perfectly-rendered electronic effects, this remarkable album consists of what its creator describes as "visual music." first released in 1970, parallelograms by california's linda perhacs has gone on to become one of the most legendary and well-loved recordings of its time, assuredly sitting alongside vashti bunyan's just another diamond day as a lost folk gem that should never have been cast aside. summoning the shimmering sunlight of topanga canyon, and resonating with the same strength-in-fragility as joni mitchell, it's presented here for the first time as a double lp, with the full collaboration of its enigmatic creator. the deluxe gatefold sleeve contains her own detailed liner notes, as well as rare illustrations and eight bonus tracks (including one previously-unheard out-take), making it the most definitive vinyl edition of this timeless classic ever released.
PIAZZA, ARMANDO ~ SUÀN ~ lp (missing vinyl, greece) $35.00
restock... singer-songwriter armando piazza from naples was joined by renowned us guitarist shawn phillips on bass, acoustic and electric guitar for this rarity, originally released on the obscure black beautiful butterfly label in 1972; since it was sold only at concerts and by mail, it was difficult to find even then. and what a pity! acid-psychedelic ballads in english, with bursts of fuzz guitar and excellent use of electric instruments as well as abundant acoustic guitar (the good people at missing vinyl say that the fuzz bass on ‘the house on the hill’ will blow your mind and… speakers away)! this is an album considered to be one of the best, and is certainly one of the rarest european psychedelic albums, with original mint condition copies going nowadays for 1,000+ euro. a heavy, yet subtle record, folky, with oddly inflected vocals and deliciously crunchy guitar. limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, in a deluxe double gatefold cover that is a replica of the complex original jacket... beautiful high quality reissue of this awesome album. recommended!
RAMBLING BOYS ~ S/T ~ lp (ikuisuus / no home, finland) $16.00
recorded at old slaughterhouse in keljo jyväskylä finland 2009. rambling boys on this lp: keijo virtanen, jukka nousiainen, sami virtanen, j. koho... great lo-fi underground folkrock that sounds 80 years old. very limited pressing in screen printed recycled lp covers.
SANDSTONE ~ CAN YOU MEND A SILVER THREAD? ~ lp (missing vinyl, greece) $30.00
restock... sandstones sole 1971 privately pressed album is one of the best and rarest early 70s us psychedelic folk rock records. although only recently rediscovered, it is very sought after from worldwide collectors both for its rarity and musical quality. great male female vocals in an early 70s uk psychedelic acid folk rock sound similar to tudor lodge, jade etc. it contains 2 previously unreleased bonus tracks, not included in the original album. highly recommended! limited edition, deluxe 180g vinyl, from the original analogue master tapes, exact reproduction of the original first pressing.
SIX FEET UNDER ~ INSPIRATION IN MY HEAD ~ lp (anazitisi, greece) $35.00
first ever vinyl release and this is fully lisenced. this garage-driven heavy psychedelic band formed in 1968 out of the ashes of the marc 5 and sonix in colonia, nj. they captured the changing times and sociological upheaval of the pre-woodstock nation and like the jefferson airplane, neighb'rhood childr'n and united states of america, 6 feet under was blessed with a dynamic diva who soared amidst searing fuzz leads, swirling organ chords, and gifted songwriting with prophetic lyrics. this release contains 3 tracks from their singles, one alternate version of the 4th single track and 6 unreleased -back in the late 60's- songs. all recordings made between 1969-1970. a must have album!!! high-quality paper (canvas-like) cover. includes 4-pages full-coloured insert with story, photos and comics. limited to 300 black and 200 coloured copies. 180gr vinyl as usual. pvc protective outsleeve... black vinyl version.
SMACK ~ SMACK ~ lp (shadoks, germany) $40.00
smack was recorded in late july and early august 1968 in lawrence, kansas usa. the four smack members were all summer scholarship music and arts students attending kansas university in lawrence, kansas. all music tracks were cut live, only over-dubed lead vocals and background vocals. that year there were some 2800 summer students attending a 6 week summer arts scholarship session - 1800 females and 900 males. smack was born and played a gig several weeks later and the next thing you know they were all 'stars' of the campus. someone from the university arranged for them to go in and record an album. an original smack lp is rare as gold dust. we have only seen 2 copies for sale the past 15 years for massive money. the music is great covers played with extra heavy fuzz guitar, vocals, bass & drums. those versions of cream and hendrix songs are killer. the whole album (very well produced) has a one of a kind psychedelic feel. there are not many cover albums which gives you another perspective on those known songs. this album does for sure... hand-numbered limited edition of 500, heavy sleeve, 180gm vinyl, double-sided insert.
SOUND CEREMONY ~ S/T ~ lp (one kind favor) $16.00
canadian born guitarist and songwriter ron warren ganderton self-released three lps with his group sound ceremony while living in the united kingdom during the 1970s and 80s. first came "guitar star" (1973), then "sound ceremony" (1979) and finally "precious as england" (1981). despite some modest distribution and frequent gigs, the band never seemed to really take off and ganderton eventually returned to his native vancouver (where he still resides), leaving hundreds of unsold records in the attic of his house. while these copies seem to have been lost to the ravages of time, the second sound ceremony lp will now be reissued by one kind favor. while all of the group's efforts are undeniably unique, "sound ceremony" (1979) is the true brain-damaged winner of the bunch. the record surely fits somewhere into the uk punk explosion of the day, but it's also looks back to the mid-sixties rock that ron cut his teeth on and ahead to some sort of maniac future form of entertainment that perhaps has not been invented yet. ganderton's truly "out of it" stream of consciousness lyrics show a clear lack of self-censorship and that's really one of the albums strongest assets. he has created this character of himself as a huge rock star and a sex symbol, and who are we to deny his claims? this stuff is eerily convincing. like lou reed, the man's ideas can't be contained by something so limiting as the bar line. the band chugs amiably along as ganderton's vocals wander all over the place. if you've never heard a singer do a count-off all the way up to seven, then now is your big chance! features what is perhaps the greatest anti-cigarette song of all time. lp edition of 500 copies.
STEPHEN, ONE ST. ~ S/T ~ lp (anazitisi, greece) $35.00
restock... the first ever official reissue of this highly-rated and very rare us album. don l. patterson (aka one st. stephen) wrote the music and lyrics, was lead vocalist, played electric guitars, directed and produced the album 'one st. stephen' in march of 1975. the music was originally intended for a film don was developing with the working title 'the devil's reservation'. due to a famous jazz musician with the same name, don used the alias of one st. stephen. the music was recorded at the legendary owl studios (columbus, ohio), using the same 8-channel analog recording deck that was used to tape the audio at woodstock in 1969. because everyone who heard the lp wanted a copy, don pressed a very limited amount from queen city record company (cincinnati ohio). he also designed the album sleeve and label. the response by regional disc jockeys was phenomenal. the album got a lot of regional air play. a few months later, don was offered a recording contract from two major record companies in new york city. don was asked to tour. don was never interested in the world of rock and walked away from a music future. since then, the album has been sought by many record collectors around the world and bootlegged several times on cd and vinyl in europe. one of the finest examples of mid-70's us psych-acid music. great vocals with some jim morrison "colour", heavy and sometimes fuzzy acidelic guitar work and excellent musicianship overall. fully licenced by don patterson (who did half of the remastering work). exact reproduction for the cover and labels. it includes extra poster/painting (45x65cm) and large 12-pages booklet (30x30cm) with bio, lyrics, paintings,drawings and photos. all fully laminated. pvc protective outersleeve.180gm vinyl as usual. it will be a 400 black and 100 coloured copies, vinyl edition... black vinyl version.
TRUTH ~ OF THEM AND OTHER TALES ~ 2lp (missing vinyl, greece) $42.00
restock... one of the best examples of late 60s us psychedelia, in almost every collector’s top-twenty list. truth was a post-them (as in van morrison & them) irish-american outfit consisting of three members of the version of them which had recorded the band’s two terrific tower label lps ("now and them" and "time out, time in for them"): jim armstrong, who according to wikipedia was once voted third best guitarist in the world, kenny mcdowell and ray elliot, plus two americans, curtis bachman (ex-buckinghams) and reno smith (ex-baby huey). truth's adventurous late sixties' sound is a bit hard to categorize, but it's all here: sitar, flute, exotic studio effects and (most important) great songwriting. as patrick “the lama” lundborg has said: “ if this sounds a bit like vintage grateful dead then all the better, because there is a distinct similarity between the dead of, say, ‘china cat sunflower,’ and the airy, good-natured guitar psych of truth. not much is said about the band's influences in the liner notes but if i were to define them in terms of a pin placed on a wall-map of the usa, the spot would be highway 1 halfway between la and the bay area. there is already a pin there, marked stalk-forrest group, and apart from the dead that's one band that truth remind me of. impressive credentials for sure, but truth needn't be embarrassed in this company, because their music is faultless and at its best outright stunning.” these tracks from 1969-70 (14 tracks, 68 minutes in total) were unearthed in the early 1990s and were released on cd in 1995; eleven come from master tapes, while the other three come from the acetate from a studio session for a prospective epic label deal that never came to fruition. the packaging is lavish, with in depth liner notes, including many photos and archival images, which tell the them/truth story as never before. limited edition, deluxe 180gm vinyl double-lp package, heavy gatefold cover, extensive group history and photos. previously unreleased on vinyl.
TURMAN, ROBERT ~ FLUX ~ 2lp (spectrum spools, austria) $30.00
flux is the 1981 debut solo outing of robert turman, an american multi-instrumentalist and avant-garde composer. until recently, turman was perhaps best known for his contributions to the ballistic non project with boyd rice, as well as other obscured u.s. industrial acts such as z.o. voider. in the summer of 1981, turman decided he would take a drastic turn from the noisy/electronic/industrial work of his compatriots, and began work on what is now the classic flux cassette. flux was originally self-released in extremely limited numbers. weary of the noisescapes of old, he set out to create long-form minimalism utilizing kalimba, piano, "mini-pops jr." drum machine, and tape loops to create a complex bed of interweaving micro-stasis. the results of these new experiments were as beautiful as they were perplexing. a curious, dusty fidelity carries these classic tracks across four sides of vinyl, including all of the original flux content. these compositions glow with a sprawling, slow-motion haze that's light years ahead of its time. flux reveals wide spectrums of sound from melancholic kalimba and percussion patterns to slowed-down, syrupy exotica. turman had complex ideas in his mind, yet only the simple technologies of the day were at hand. hear the click of the stopping and starting tascam 3340 open-reel tape machine as one hand presses the "record" and "play" buttons and the other plays piano phrases. while there are similarities in style to classical minimalism, turman's sound and vision is his own and is exclusive to his limited discography. released in a limited edition 2xlp set. lovingly remastered and cut by rashad becker at dubplates & mastering from the original c-60 cassette master. original cassette artwork and scans provided by aaron dilloway... really great deep zoner trance sounds. recommended!
UMBERTO ~ FINAL EXIT ~ one-sided (blackmoss, italy) $20.00
do not expect the "goblinish" umberto that you’ve listen in his past records. the aim of this track, the only one, that compose the record is to accompany the last moments of your life. 15 minutes to reach that peace of mind that you need to abandon the temporal and embrace the great unknown. every b side is needless: who will turn the record? ... really cool one here for all space / trance / drone / new age fans. beautifully packaged with metallic ink cover and silver screenprinted vinyl b-side, and limited to only 150 copies! better move on this one...
UP-TIGHT & ANLA COURTIS ~ HAMAMATSU POWER ~ one-sided lp (8mm, italy) $22.00
fantastic meeting between tokyo’s heroes up-tight and cosmic traveller anla courtis. recorded february 18th, 2011 at lucrezia in hamamatsu, tokyo, here you have the rare chance to listen to these folks jamming completely free and at monstrous volume, perfectly alternating great explosions of electricity and quiet moments of dream-like psychedelia, for the real deal celestial burn-out! limited to 200 numbered copies, with handmade covers.
VALENTI, DINO ~ GET TOGETHER (THE LOST RECORDINGS) ~ 2lp (missing vinyl, greece) $42.00
dino valenti was one of the most fascinating figures of the san francisco 60s psychedelic scene. he was the frontman of the quicksilver messenger service, and became famous with his hippie anthem get together, that has reached the usa top-ten, when played by the youngbloods. he made a solo album with columbia, and recorded a lot of other material, that he has been storing in various warehouses in the late 60s. this record comes from some of these tapes, which were recently found and delivered to valenti’s family. they are of superb sound quality, and of even greater musical value – excellent never before issued gems, as well as his own version of get together presented for the first time here on vinyl. it is unknown, who else is performing in these tapes, although sound and great acid guitar in several tracks strongly remind of early qms albums. limited, deluxe 2lp extra heavy gatefold cover, 180g vinyl... pretty great archival release here.
VISITOR (GROUPER & ILYAS AHMED) ~ UNTITLED ~ 12inch (social music) $18.00
this is so good, holy shit. here we have four collaborative recordings made in portland, or by elizabeth harris aka grouper and ilyas ahmed. who doesn't need any aka's... great new project from these two, that sounds just like, and just as good, as you’d imagine. very limited and subscription only, we scored a small pile direct from ilyas. so act fast.
WRAY, VERNON ~ WASTED ~ lp (sebastian speaks) $15.00
recorded in the mid seventies, vernon wray’s “wasted” is a prime artifact of sublime country rock, dusted with fuzz and fatigue. though perhaps not as famous as his brother link, vernon was an integral part of his brother’s recordings, including link’s own self titled 1971 record on polydor, with which “wasted” shares a certain kinship. part kristofferson and part hazelwood, “wasted” touches on a broad number of elements; a singular and until now virtually impossible to find collection of perfectly crafted songs. sebastian speaks has undertaken a remastering of the lp, along with an insert featuring track notes by vernon’s daughter sherry.
YETI ~ YETI TWELVE ~ magazine & 7inch (yeti) $18.00
the debut of yeti’s new, larger, square format, with an awesome carson ellis cover, and including a hard vinyl 7-inch ep featuring 4 killer unreleased songs: two 1959 lomax recordings by MISSISSIPPI FRED MCDOWELL; the TIKI MEN’s blown-out cover of duane eddy’s “first love, first tears,” recorded ca. 1994; plus a new recording by dreampop slayer GROUPER of dead moon’s “demona.” (there’s also a sweet, 100-minute, free digital download for those who miss the long mixes that came with previous issues.) inside the book: photos from the alan lomax archives ca. his 1959 ‘southern journey’; poet margarita shalina’s recollections of the nyc 1980s hardcore scene; kim spurlock’s annotated trove of neal cassady ephemera; photos by nina dudoladova of abandoned forts in kaliningrad, russia; epic essay on forgotten ‘90s surf band the tiki men; an interview with translator/author susan bernofsky; a great short story by mimi lipson; chris kirkley on african sign-painter thiam bellou; jamaican gospel 7-inch labels; drawings by tim miller, james trotter, and shana cleveland.
VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ AUFBRUCH - SONGS FROM CHRISTIAN LIFE COMMUNITIES WEST-GERMANY 1968-1974 ~ lp (no label, germany) $30.00
tiny restock... this lp collects songs from west-german christian music recorded during the early years of the sakropop movement (1968-1974). undocumented until now these fourteen songs are strikingly original and create a unique portrait of krautrocks christian devotees. all of the artists on aufbruch released their records independently, either by themselves or through custom press labels of christian origin. the recordings are beautiful and somtimes messy explorations before recording studios, their producers and aor tendencies destroyed their lovingly d.i.y. by accident aestethics. what was originally intended to bring you closer to the lord is now a weird and twisted tale for non-believers and record geeks. you`ll hear a stunning outer worldly robbie basho/jack rose style folk rendering, german sung versions of acid archived folk psych from conneticut, velvet induced beat ramshackle by a monk quintet, a heavy fuzzed out rock instrumental, two unknown heavy drumbreaks cut chemist would kill for, church library music, early zick zack style recitation that goes completely over the church top, a choir credo reminiscent of fengers work at langley and psych/heavy rock from seventyone heavenly influenced by ton steine scherben and hartmund enke. authentic packaging, with near minty black coloured thrift store covers, double b/w paste-ons and hand stamped label. included are two inserts (one unique for every record). one time pressing of 100 copies, dedicated to erika and matt... very cool and super mysterious private press kraut psych garage folk comp. great packaging. 100 copies only!
VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ MENAGERIE #3 ~ lp & zine (blackest rainbow / tor press, uk) $20.00
jake blanchard's third volume of menagerie finally shows up just over a year after #2... the concept this time is slightly different, not only do the artists create imagery based on the musicians music, but this time the musicians also create a track based on an image created by the artist. two exclusive new tracks from each of these artists: BEN NASH, ISENGRIND, C JOYNES and TWINSISTERMOON. and exclusive new artwork by jim stoten, simon fowler, adrianne neal and jake blanchard. the sleeve is a collaboration between jake and jim and it is incredible! the lp is pressed on heavyweight black virgin vinyl, packaged with a a5 12 page litho printed full colour booklet. limited to 500 copies... pretty great.
~ as always, everything on this list is in limited stock, so please email for confirmation before sending any money. all prices include shipping in the usa. all lps will be shipped MEDIA MAIL, cds/tapes go FIRST CLASS... but if you want priority, or have any other shipping needs just let me know and i’ll sort it out. same goes for all you overseas folks. anyone who wants to be removed from this list, just let me know...
thanx & best as always,
~nemo
TIME-LAG RECORDS
po box 222
belfast, maine
04915 usa
WWW.TIME-LAGRECORDS.COM
