Strobe Talbot ‎– "Let's Born To Rock!" (MRW44 ‎– mrw4407) 2002

Basically, this is how to 'Rock!'....... in 15 easy lessons.
I say 'easy' because Jad fair makes it seem easy, but it ain't! Many have tried and this is why the work 'Rock' is now an utter embarrassment, when it is in fact the greatest musical form ever shat out of the arse of man and woman kind.
Its primal nature has been flushed away leaving the floating turd of 21st century rock'n'poop glistening on the surface in the crapper of meaningless entertainment.
You can't teach this kind of authenticism in those despicable 'Rock Schools' and Pop Music University courses, you've either got it or you ain't; and anyone who needs to be taught it, AIN'T GOT IT!
Its my Birthday today, so endure this charmingly untutored record and tell me I'm Right!

NB...three tracks feature cassette legend R. Stevie Moore on guitar.He was doing it himself as far back as 1969 for Chrissakes!

Tracklist:

1 Riverflow 3:39
2 Red & Yellow Stars 2:45
3 Nutrition 3:16
4 Love Is Here 3:03
5 Pear Tree 2:55
6 Drinking Time 1:43
7 Love Earthquake 4:46
8 Newyear's Day 5:07
9 Lifted 3:25
10 On The Go 2:09
11 Party Mix 2:21
12 Woooooo 2:14
13 Back On Track 3:40
14 Pretty Flowers 4:52
15 Love And Comfort 2:27

Lets Born to DOWNLOAD HERE!

Strobe Talbot ‎– "20 Pop Songs" (Alternative Tentacles ‎– Virus 273) 2001

Is there a group that Mick Hobbs wasn't in? Family Fodder, The Work, The Momes,Officer! Half Japanese and....the magnificent Strobe Talbot.Which is essentially Jad Fair,Hobbs and a drummer.
Jad Fairs childlike freedom is infectious.The tumbling time signatures liberate your mind forged manacles.The jumbled song structures erase the last thirty years of pop music in one stroke.
As far as I'm concerned this IS pop music, and one of my favourite records of the 21st century, which is a very exclusive list indeed.
The opening tune makes me happy and almost want to dance, and would be laughed out of any serious record company offices anywhere in the developed world.Its that good.

DOWNLOAD 20 unpopular pop songs HERE!

Officer! ‎– "Dead Unique" (Blackest Ever Black ‎– BEB CD006) 2014

Mick Hobbs with friends and acquaintances, subverting the medium of the 'Pop Song' in Baltimore, in 1995, and belatedly released twenty years later.
One must say, this is actually the best 'Officer!' album,and is strewn with minor celebs from the avant-rock hinterland; like most of The Work, Jad Fair, and Amy Denio ,among others who I ain't necessarily heard of. In fact all of the fabulous 'Strobe Talbot' appear on this,and will, coincidentally, be featured next, as fate may have it!?

DOWNLOAD and be dead unique HERE!

Fraser ‎– "Archaeology" (Anti Hero Records ‎– AH 008) 1989

The lost album from the Unrest,Work and Play archives wot I found on the interweb in an atrociously low bit-rate, but its still not too bad compared to some of the cassettes that are on here.
Its basically a solo album by Chris Fraser of UWP, but sounds exactly like said group.
If you don't know what 'said group' sounds like click here.
In words, disjointed Avant-Prog songs sung in a post-psychedelic style that was quite typical of the groups on Recommended Records.So don't expect melodies that have predictable sequences, or conform to 4/4 verse chorus verse standards.
Seems that Chris disappeared after this obscure magnum opus.

Tracklist:

A1 Archaeology
A2 Everything Looks Different
A3 Steep Descent
A4 Customs
A5 Clear
B1 Pointless
B2 Where And When
B3 0119
B4 Cellarman
B5 Misconstrued

DOWNLOAD from the avant-prog archaeological dig HERE!

Unrest Work & Play ‎– "Informs" (Recommended Records ‎– RR C19) 1984

Mick Hobbs of The Work etc, was in 'The Momes' with Andy Wake of 'Unrest Work and Play', along with Tim Hodgkinson, late of Henry Cow/The Work........so......as we went on a little Mick Hobbs trip,in fact we are still on it(!); here's UWP's only proper album. A typically disjointed Avant-Prog exploration of musical sub-genres, in the Recommended Records stylee.

Tracklist:

A1 Rockabilly
A2 Heavy Metal
A3 Ballad
A4 Folk
A5 Art-Rock
B1 Pop
B2 Swing
B3 Blues
B4 Ethnic

DOWNLOAD and be informed HERE!

The Lo Yo Yo ‎– "Extra Weapons" (Floppy Discs ‎– FLOP 1) 1985

The early eighties were full of generic groups and generic people like this who fitted in with the waves of fashionable right-on-ness, temporarily. What's surprising is that Mick Hobbs of The Work was in it,and it was recorded at Cold Storage by Charles Bullen(This Heat).
There is a Family Fodder connection however, Mick and Alig of The lo Yo Yo were guilty of this.
Nonetheless,"Extra Weapons" is a fairly weedy, late in the day attempt at hip chart-worthyness, like a  lo-budget Belle Stars or a more middle class Au Pairs or The Passions.Christ there are even a couple of 'white Reggae' numbers to add a rather unpleasant cherry to the top.The Beefheart inspired name is definitely a red herring left out of the fridge for too long.
Most of the members of The Lo Yo Yo would have disappeared back to their day-jobs at a Solicitors Firm, or as a senior member of the councils social equality department,or as a candidate for the Green Party, after this brief foray into pop music.But at least they could tell the kids that they were in a band once.
Weren't we all?....and ,sadly, still are!

Tracklist:

A1 Bad Intentions
A2 All The Atrocities
A3 I Can Hold My Own Hand
A4 Learning To Fly
A5 Petroleum
B1 More To Come
B2 China Blue
B3 Cache-Cache
B4 You Never Know
B5 Cog
B6 The History Of Weaponry

DOWNLOAD that lo yo yo stuff HERE!

Officer! ‎– "8 New Songs By Mick Hobbs" (AAA ‎– C01) 1984

Eight, thirty-four year old songs by Mick Hobbs, with chums from 'The Work' and others, recorded at This Heat's 'Cold Storage' studio, by Charles Bullen. You simply can't get any more post-punk Avant-Prog than that!?
It all sounds like if Caravan had formed in 1978 and mated with Henry Cow.....and Yes, 'Tunnels' is rather good indeed.

Tracklist:

A1 Join The AA 0:49
A2 Life At The Water's Edge 5:05
A3 Dogface 1:43
A4 Tunnels 3:49
B1 Way 3:23
B2 You 3:36
B3 Spooky 3:20
B4 All Reality Is Symbolic 2:38

DOWNLOAD 8 more mp3 files of mick hobbs songs HERE!

Officer! ‎– "Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes" (Officer! Self-released ‎– NO 001) 1988

Whereas "Cough" from 1985 reminded me of 'The Dirty Three', this lime green offering from the second summer of love reminds me of 'The Legendary Pink Dots' or maybe a more dysfunctional Deep Freeze Mice"?
This is an unfortunate comparison as I can't stand 'The LPD's', but love 'The Dirty Three',even'The Deep Freeze Mice' are growing on me,whereas they used to leave me cold (haha!?).
It's not quite as irritating as any LPD's release, and its eccentrically shambling and jaunty quality is actually rather charming.
The LPD's wore obvious influences on their sleeves, in their Casiotone Syd Barrett stylee, but I can't really identify Officer's specific inspirations, beyond perhaps some tuneful prog, like Caravan maybe?
Above all, this was one of the better records from the year that carved its name on the tombstone for the rock group forever,and the year zero of 'Chav' culture.I doubt Mick Hobbs was ever seen with a Brian Jones haircut shaking a pair of maracas or a tambourine ,dancing like a Twat!

Tracklist:

A1 Coma
A2 R Tune
A3 Simone
A4 Old St
A5 Remove Your Hat (Parts 1 & 2)
B1 (I've Got A) Nice Girlfriend
B2 (I Only Want To Make You) Smile
B3 Truck
B4 Hid It ('Cos I Wanted You To Find It)
B5 Gawping
B6 Bright Star

DOWNLOAD HERE!.....Yes or No?

Officer! ‎– "Cough" (Ayaa Records) 1985

I rather like this lo-fi outing for Mick Hobbs' 'Officer!' 
Dare one suggest that this sounds not unlike post-cave Australian trio 'The Dirty Three' in places, which I intend as a compliment.
A lot of the tunes are Violin led , like the aforementioned antipodean '90's threesome. Which seems to replace the Henry Cow-isms that tarnish Officer!'s other records.
Recorded in France, it says, and sounds as if it was either done at a concert where the audience didn't turn up, or in a rehearsal room with very little sound dampening.Either way it adds a very agreeable 'Live' feel to the proceedings.
On a more sombre note.....
I don't usually pay tribute to the Police,but....Play the 'sad' tunes in tribute to the Officer of the French Gendarmerie who was killed yesterday after selflessly signing his own death warrant and took the place of a hostage at the Carcassone Supermarket siege, by one of those Islamic Fuckwit Terrorist Twats!......and for any Flat Earth 'truthers' out there; no, it wasn't a fucking 'False Flag' attack!

DOWNLOAD some cough medicine HERE!

Officer! ‎– "Ossification" (Ayaa ‎– DT 1284) 1984

Mick Hobbs' post-prog post punky pop collective 'Officer!' made some slightly annoying but very eccentric song based Avant-pop. This is their/His debut disc, predictably distributed by old mate Chris Cutlers' Recommended Records. They all sounded like this on Recommended. Blatant echo's of the Avant-Prog days of the early 70's can be heard, tinged with folky, operatically trained upper middle class ladies, and classically trained musicians; all this blended with the new DIY prog of the post-punk era. Classically English sounding, but big in France apparently. I've heard Mick speak French with a heavy English accent(as I myself speak it), they (*the Frogs) like that y'know.When they 'like' you, you stay liked,one thing they* ain't is fickle.

Tracklist:

Side Alpha

Dynamite
Anagrams
Air
Telepathy
Spitter's Hooked (On Love)
Dogface
Some

Side Béta

Boxers V Wrestlers
Tunnels
Apply
Office Occasion
Origin
Hello
Top. Top, Top

DOWNLOAD some new bone for your hip bone HERE!

Mick Hobbs ‎– "Bandagen/Officer!" (No Records ‎– No. 002) 1989

The Quirky post-prog lunacy of Mick Hobbs on solo duty,as theatre score composer and as his 'band', 'Officer!'.
Side A sees our Micky as provider of an avant-garde soundtrack to Pergoletti's stageplay "Bandagen", and side B has some 'Officer!' songs masquerading as superior 'Filler'.
For the Theatrical side,I suppose you need the play to augment the sparsity of the minimal content for maximum effect?
The 'Officer!' side  is Mick's usual abstract post-punk prog inventiveness,as he regularly churns out for The Work, The Momes, and Half-Japanese.
Naturally he gets some help from the usual suspects Like Tim Hodgkinson and Andy Wake, both from The Momes.

Tracklist:

Music From Bandagen

A1 Undovetailing
A2 Heartwood
A3 Kindliche Kleidung
A4 Spewing
A5 Jasminduft
A6 Inflation
A7 Ballacodep
A8 Deflated
A9 Happy Days, Lonely Nights
A10 Arbeitstitel 

Officer! - Some Songs

B1 Good Cement
B2 Plan For Peace
B3 My Song About My Head
B4 Hunter
B5 Damage
B6 Good Citizen's Car

DOWNLOAD illegally HERE officer!

The Lowest Note On The Organ ‎– "Piggy Bank" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 008) 1984

This one contains most of the core line-up of 'The Work' plus Trefor from Camberwell Now.
"Piggy Bank" is the closest they ever got to making a commercial tune with a hummable melody,and doesn't get too 'weird'.It still wouldn't get played on mainstream media platforms however.

Tracklist:
A Piggy Bank 3:22
B Lambeth Salt 3:11

DOWNLOAD the contents of this piggy bank HERE!

The Lowest Note On The Organ ‎– "The Lowest Note On The Organ EP" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 006) 1983

A 'Work' related group, featuring Mick Hobbs of 'The Work',  Rick Wilson of 'The Work, and Trevor Goronwy of 'Camberwell Now' and 'This Heat';and completing our Avant Rock connections,  produced by Charles Bullen of,its them again, 'This Heat.
A quirky little e.p. which could easily be labelled 'Art Rock' by those who know better.

Tracklist:

A1 Thusly Routed We Gambol
A2 Jane
A3 Meddle-A-Beadle

B Trial By Silhouette

DOWNLOADest notes on the computer keyboard HERE!

The Work ‎– "The Worst Of Everywhere" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 005) 1982

A novel angle on the 'Live' album by our fav proggy punky avant rockers, The Work.
Capturing a whole tour schedule in 69 untitled short snippets from April 1980 to March 1982 in Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia.All roughly recorded and roughly edited using the medium of audio cassette.
It kinda works as one,or maybe two sidelong disjointed conceptual collages, in the tradition of Frank Zappa's 'Lumpy Gravy',or at least in its post-punk version thereof?

Tracklist:

1-69 - "Untitled 1-69"

DOWNLOAD the worst of everywhere to anywhere HERE!

The Work ‎– "See" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 015) 1992

I thought I'd posted this before,but I hadn't......I checked.
If you click HERE!.....you can find the rest my The Works posts from earlier in Blog-time......eg "Slow Crimes", "I Hate America" single, and 'Live im AJZ'........all rather excellent.
Just listened to it for the first time in years,and its yet another fantastic disjointed masterpiece of rock reinvention.If you like verse chorus verse chorus solo repeat, then don't download this.

Tracklist:

1 Blind 3:00
2 Steam 1:10
3 Eat 5:37
4 Disgrace 1:45
5 Shock 3:27
6 The Rim 4:41
7 Hive 5:32
8 Shine 4:54
9 Tell 3:58
10 Repossession 2:19
11 Warehouse 5:47
12 Pursuit 2:43 (for missing track 12 click here!)

DOWNLOAD see HEAR!

The Work - "Rubber Cage" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 012) 1989

Wasn't this the second 'official' Work album from the end of the decade......I think it was y'know.
It's up to the same extremely high standards of progressive chord structures and odd time signatures that we've come to love.Prog-Punk at its highest possible level. If you were to play this at your meet the neighbours fondue based dinner party, it could either make you look intelligent, or weird,depending on the neighbours.As most neighbours are part of the 90%ers,and feel uncomfortable with abstract concepts, they will inevitably look upon you as 'Weird',so you may as well be hung for a horse than a sheep and whip out some 'Whitehouse' or Merzbow.That should stop the fuckers from asking for a cup of sugar,or saying 'Hello' everytime you leave the house.

Tracklist:

Poise 0:57
Abdomen 2:26
Felt 1:20
Commerce And Despair 2:46
Dangerfish 4:33
1992 5:58
Coloured Water 3:10
Stone 4:19
Trauma 3:44
Knee 1:52
Jay 2:20
Quack 3:40

DOWNLOAD some rubber from jonny HERE!

The Work ‎– "Live In Japan" (Recommended Records Japan ‎– RRJ 05) 1982

Deconstructed rock from Henry Cow spin off's, The Work. 
This Live performance in Osaka, featured the one and only Jim Whelton,aka Amos, of Homosexuals fame, on vocals.Which gives this some added kudos.
The Work's special kind of Prog inflected Post Punk is always rather interesting,and this album seems to capture them at their best.
Remarkably,this was recorded on a cassette half way back in the hall, which belies the extremely hi-fidelity quality of this recording somewhat. 

Tracklist:

A1 State Room 3:40
A2 Like This 3:01
A3 Fingers & Toes 3:02
A4 Pop 4:40
A5 Crabs 4:29
B1 Duty 2:10
B2 Cain & Abel 3:50
B3 Do It 2:16
B4 Tuning 0:43
B5 Flies 0:58
B6 Benidorm 1:42
B7 Night By The Sea 4:54

DOWNLOAD some hard work HERE!

Ichiro Minawa And Toho Effect Group ‎– "Sound Effect Of Godzilla 2 - Godzilla's Rivals" (Toshiba Records ‎– T23-1074) 1984

Why were these guys soooo angry?
Most animals fight each other for breeding rights or food, but these creatures seemed to just want to fight each other purely for the right to smash up Tokyo. If they wanted to fight for the right to smash up cities that deserve smashing up like Coventry or any urban sprawl in the west midlands of the UK(except Leamington Spa),or 90% of the US Bible Belt, then I'd understand.
Admittedly, most of the destruction occurred during the fights,but that could easily have been avoided by moving the conflict to the countryside,or Monster Island,like they did in 'Son of Godzilla'; where Godzilla and Minilla(the son) got a royal pasting from a bunch of giant ants.Ants ,who were created by man's ill advised meddling with the atmosphere.....a very topical subject today I may add.
I absorbed all of these preposterous movies in the eighties on a Friday night after staggering home from the Pub.Through the haze of alcoholic excess they started to make perfect sense.
'Godzilla vrs Mechagodzilla' became the Citizen Kane of Monster movies.I watched open-mouthed as the seemingly endless battle went on and on.......and on. The medium of cinema couldn't get better than this I thought.....then I sobered up.
Alas the noises created for this series of nonsense had a certain essence that being sober couldn't remove, so here's volume 2 of Godzilla SFX.This time collecting together an array of the big 'G's 'Rivals' with whom he or she, had many a lengthy pitched battle.
If there's another Godzilla movies made outside of Hollywood, I would rather like the soundtrack to be made by Merzbow and chums from the Japnoise underground. Guaranteed to empty cinema's everywhere. 

Tracklist:

A1 King Ghidorah 1:24
A2 King Kong 1:44
A3 Giant Octopus 0:38
A4 Varan 1:22
A5 Magma 0:20
A6 Dogora 1:26
A7 Matango 1:29
A8 Baragon And Frankenstein 1:09
A9 Sanda And Gaira 0:42
A10 Ebirah 0:59
A11 Gorosaurus 0:28
A12 Kamakiras And Kumonga 1:19
A13 Ganime, Gezora, Kameba - YOG 1:35
A14 Gabara 1:11
A15 Hedorah 4:36
A16 Gigan 0:49
A17 Megalon 0:59
A18 King Shisar 1:20
A19 Titanosaurus 0:26
B1 MechaGodzilla 4:00
B2 MechaniKong 1:05
B3 Moguera 1:08
B4 Transmitto-Machine 1:42
B5 Human Gas 0:53
B6 Mysterian Dome 1:22
B7 Maser Tank Firing Sounds 0:32
B8 A-Cycle Light Ray 0:40
B9 UFO Flying Sounds 4:16
B10 Situation Dramas Utilizing Sound Effects 8:42

DOWNLOAD and destroy a small town HERE!

Akira Ifukube and Toho SFX ‎– "Sound Effect Of Godzilla 1 - Godzilla and his Friends" (Toshiba EMI Ltd ‎– T23-1073) 1984

Frankly, the best sound ever made,EVER, is,of course, Godzillas raking analogue screech/scream/roar, or whatever it could possibly be described as.
So, as our brief journey into the realms of Japanese noise comes to a reluctant end.It only seems natural to pay a tribute to the sounds that could only have influenced our noisy chums in Merzbow, Incapacitants and all, in their future endeavors.
Godzilla's original 1954 roar was created by composer Akira Ifukube, who dragged a resin-coated leather glove along the loosened strings of a double bass,to sound like a steel chair scraping over a polished concrete floor.Something similar was done to create the second best sound ever, the sound of Dr Who's Tardis when it de-materialises.

All this stuff can be done electronically now.....but it sounds shit.

So here's an album full of Godzilla and His/her(i think Godzilla was female,at least in the 'Son of...' movie?) Friends making a gamut of various screeches ,yells,and rasping noises.

If you remain sane after sitting through the whole of this then you deserve a certificate printed on the finest scent impregnated toilet roll.

Tracklist:

1. Godzilla(Gojira)

2. Minilla(Minira)

3. Mothra(Mosura)

4. Rodan(Radon)

5. Anguilas(Angirasu)

6. Jet Jaguar(Jetto Jyagaa)

7. Tank(Sensha)

8. Fighter Jet(Sentuoki)

9. Submarine(Sensuikan)

10.Helicopter and Explosion Sounds(Herikoputaa to Bakuhatsu-on)

11.Undersea Warship Gouten (Kaitei Gunkan Gouten-Gou) From Atragon

12.Earth Defense Force - Alpha (Chikyuu Boueigun - Arufaa-go) From The Mysterians

13. Alpha and Kurosame (Arufaa-go to Kurosame-go) from Latitude Zero

14. Violent Wind And Rain & Thunderbolts (Boufuu To Rakurai)

15. Earthquake (Jishin)

16. Volcanic Eruption & Rumbling (Kazan Funga To Meido)

17. Situation Dramas Utilizing Sound Effects

DOWNLOAD some of godzilla's radioctive steam HERE!

Jad And Nao ‎– "Half Monster" (Sakura wrechords ‎– CDR-10) 2006

This album is a Monster, in the tradition of Mothra and Godzilla (who gets a mention in the track listing). But this half monster is good for you, and has no intention of destroying Tokyo, but every intention of destroying musical etiquette and tradition, which it does most effectively.....without pretensions. This passes the famed 'Wyatting', as in Robert Wyatt, test of jukebox music that would empty a pub. Naturally, any music that passes the 'Wyatting' procedure, that is, actually empties a public house of  'Public', is undoubtedly music of quality and distinction; like the great Robert's lengthy canon itself. Jad and Nao comfortably fit into this lofty category, and treat us to a miserly 45 tracks of out-there lunacy that would.......well?.......empty a pub!

Tracklist:
1 Every Time 2:41
2 Kome Ninjin Daikon 0:49
3 You Do That 1:01
4 Fish 1:39
5 Man In The Moon 1:22
6 Mba Mba 1:09
7 1/3 American 0:53
8 Micro Love 0:32
9 Hot Water 2:36
10 Frankenchrist 0:48
11 Sugar Girl 4:15
12 Water 0:56
13 Suttoko Dokkoi 0:31
14 Super Beauty 0:45
15 Roll Over Beethoven 1:33
16 Sunshine By The Sea 2:50
17 He, She Or It 0:44
18 Snake Had Legs 2:28
19 Honjitsu Wa Seiten Nari 1:00
20 Lonely Song 2:16
21 Godzilla Invades Mars 1:16
22 Let's Fly South 2:16
23 Wayang Goreng 1:21
24 Drinking Machine 1:28
25 Unknown Knowledge 1:18
26 Big, Not Teeny 0:56
27 You Turn Me On 2:03
28 And Money 1:06
29 Wild Party 1:33
30 I Mean You Know 1:53
31 Koi In The Pond 0:54
32 Flowers In The Spring Time 1:13
33 Whatnot 0:42
34 No Evil Star 1:00
35 Santa's Knee 0:53
36 Food - Pro And Con 2:39
37 404 Error 0:52
38 Assholism 1:14
39 Color Green 1:48
40 Dead Man 1:14
41 No Sounds Like Yes 0:49
42 Free Thinker 2:08
43 T.V. Monkey 0:45
44 Color My World 2:45
45 Trend Setter 2:18
DOWNLOAD the other half of this monster HERE!

Jad And Nao ‎– "Half Robot" (Paperhouse Records ‎– PAPCD 15) 1992

Only seventy-five tracks of childlike wonder from outsider primitives Jad Fair and Nao Ishimuri. I hesitate to say that everyone of them are wonderful shards of intellectual freedom,but ...they are?
Neither of the chief protagonists can be called genuine 'Outsiders' in the 'Outsider Art' category, but they sound like they are, and that's good enough for me.

Tracklist:

1 Population Is Only 2
2 Walk Right In
3 Art? Ha!
4 Hope/Bogart
5 ETCs
6 Happy Together
7 Smile Pretender
8 Our Love Has Come
9 Neat Beings
10 I Like It
11 Gone With Window
12 Pu- 14 Is Ls- 4 Of gB- 10
13 Brigham's Coffee Shop
14 Distorted Moon
15 Kukaimanimani
16 Navel Cake
17 Intuition
18 Broom Of Love
19 Zuizuizukkorobashi
20 Amy's Smile
21 Coffee Me
22 Water
23 I Don't Know
24 April
25 Egg 'n' Ham
26 Haircuts
27 Do Hachamecha
28 Nihon No Otoko
29 999 Years Loan
30 Fresh Meat
31 Pepper And Salt
32 Fornever
33 Hana O Meshimasho
34 Junkful Junk
35 Made In Paradise
36 The Band
37 Do You Like America?
38 Debt For Debt
39 Beast Wishes
40 Charlie Chaplin
41 As Seen On T.V.
42 Oh! My Buddha
43 $1.99, $2.99, $ 3.99
44 Time
45 Protecting
46 Simon, Not Simon
47 Nynyusa
48 Bride With Cowboy Boots
49 Candy
50 Pornographies In The Safe
51 Happy Birthday
52 Can't Buy By Money
53 Typewriter
54 Curious Crowd's Faces
55 My Name Is Jad Fair
56 Morale Booster
57 Bob Hope
58 Industrial Refuse Freaks
59 Miserable Shit
60 Yes, I'm Not Tired
61 Too Much Car
62 Tatoo Of Hello Kitty
63 Cold Summer
64 Vegetarian Puts Leather
65 Kiss Tribe
66 Sleep
67 Newborn Babies
68 Tokolo De Kolewa Nani
69 Cato And Dogu
70 40 Monsters
71 Watch T.V. 'Til You Die
72 Taking A Bath
73 Rocky Mountain Oyster
74 Blue Suede Shoes
75 Homosexual Teacher

DOWNLOAD semi-robotically HERE!

Jad And Nao ‎– "Half Alien" (Sakura wrechords ‎– C-08) 1997

Two living legends of DIY outsider otherness, Jad Fair of Half Japanese and Naofumi Ishimura of Yximalloo , got together to make a triptych of albums in the nineties and noughties.
Picasso said, and i've quoted him before in these unhallowed pages:
"It took me four years to paint like Raphael,but a lifetime to paint like a child."
Now these two 'Artists',and they ARE indeed 'Artists', had one up on Picasso,and missed out the Raphael part.While dreary unit shifters like Marc Knopfler spend a lifetime trying to play like the musical equivalent of Raphael,whoever that could be(?).Jad and Nao came out of the womb already painting and playing like a child,but had the good sense to stick with it for a whole lifetime.
This, the second of a series of three (so far?),has more of a hint of Jad Fairs work rather than Nao's;but thats mainly due to Jad's singing spread all over the 40 tracks,not to mention his reasonably proficient drumming.I could in fact prefer this collaboration to either one's nineties solo work.

Tracklist:

1 Absolute Pure
2 Blue Horizon
3 It's Mot Fair
4 A Real Mix Up
5 Do You Know A Secret?
6 The Crown Of Love
7 Snakes
8 Star Trick
9 Demon Monster
10 Her Hair Was Red
11 Hawaii
12 Is It A Great People?
13 Muslc
14 Sea And Sand
15 Mickey Mouse
16 T.V. Monster
17 Cupid
18 Fortune Teller
19 Ice Cream
20 Jimmy
21 Big Money
22 Bunny When Hop
23 Gentleness
24 Television
25 So It Is Written
26 Pancake Box
27 Valentine
28 Half Robot
29 Roll Over Beethoven
30 Attchi Muite Hoy
31 Monkey In Tree
32 Candy Land
33 Pretty Princess
34 Cowboy's Life
35 Bread And Butter
36 All You Gotta Do
37 Big Fat Monkey
38 Radio City
39 Only One You
40 Tonight

DOWNLOAD two halves of the whole HERE!

Yximalloo - "15 Songs" (Sakura Wrechords) 1982

An album with 24 tracks that's called "15 Songs"?
More certified lunacy from the padded walled sound factory of Yximalloo.This time collaborating with the legendary inventor of 'House' (Not that that's something to be proud of!?), Sympathy Nervous.
Thankfully,there is no proto-dance culture on this cassette and is aimed more at the mind than the feet;but where that mind is is anyone's guess?

Tracklist:

A1 A Fire #12
A2 A Stone #26
A3 A Bird
A4 A Snake
A5 A Fish
A6 A Stone #16
A7 A Fire #4
A8 A Grass
A9 A Stone #25
A10 A Ghost
A11 A Star
A12 A Stone #27
A13 A Dance
A14 A Stone #11
B1 A Horse
B2 A Water #8
B3 A Wood
B4 A Cow
B5 A Water #10
B6 A Man
B7 A Stone #23
B8 A Moon
B9 A Water #9
B10 A Fire #6

DOWNLOAD 24 songs HERE!

Yximalloo - "Monnorhytha" (Sakura Wrechords) 1982

When you've finished your Chicken Vindaloo, Yximalloo ain't no chicken when it comes to using your plate,washed or unwashed, as a percussion piece for his next recording......well,at least he didn't in 1982 when he was too poor to afford proper instruments.
What we have here are 36 toytown DIY versions of early 'SPK' or the dreadful bandwagon jumping 'Test Department', but with pots , pans and buckets replacing the Angle Grinders and industrial springs;but crucially, with an injection of the sense of humour that was so woefully lacking in the metal banging Industrial trends of the early 80's.
This is a kind of sub-urban ethnic folk, utilising his surroundings to make music from whatever he finds.No trip down the local Music Emporium  for Nao Ishimura, oh no, that's the easy way out. Grab anything that goes 'ding' or 'clonk',start hitting it,then press play and record.

Note the credit to Jad Fair,of Half Japanese, on the insert,who draws all of Yximalloo's cover art.

DOWNLOAD and rattle those pots and pans HERE!

Yximalloo - "The Worst Of 1986" (Sakura Wrechords) 1994

Yximalloo makes music with small samplers,small synths and drum machines that suggests pre-emulator Residents.Sounds promising doesn't it?
Again one is bludgeoned to death with the sheer number of wacky and weird tunes that suffers from 'The White Album' syndrome.Mozart may have written too many notes in his symphonies but Ishimaru writes,if that's the correct term(?),far too many tunes.Although I guess this was just a small fraction of what he actually 'wrote' in 1986;he must have done this stuff everyday, all day, for his entire life so far?Prolific isn't the word for this obsession.
The recording quality has also increased into the Hi-Fi spectrum,which is a small negative.These minute and a half long events always sounded better in the fog of analogue tape hiss for me.

Tracklist:

1. Man's Man
2. Chinese Ballet
3. Millitarhythm
4. Papa Pencak Silat
5. Dt-On-On-On
6. Village of People of Farm of Normal
7. The Old Lady from The New Territory
8. Dance Dance Dance until The 3rd World War
9. He Talks to Ashtray
10. 100 en
11. Fundoshi Men
12. Russkoe
13. Picnic for The Hungry Ghosts
14. < + 1 ?
15. Local Opens Market
16. Magic for Avoiding Bomb
17. Gross National Welfare Rhapsody
18. Gas Ceremony of Local Society
19. Hi-Hy-Hi Tech Agriculture
20. J. P. N. Corps
21. Low Clouds
22. Retrocommission
23. Force
24. The Biggest War
25. Temple of 1000 Buddhas
26. Night Tripper Animals's Internal Organs
27. Dewisri
28. The Political Dynamics
29. Okama on The Hall
30. Erotic Shooting
31. A Few Brief Lines
32. Kintamani
33. Exchanging Semen

DOWNLOAD the greatest hits from 86 HERE!

Yximalloo - "The Worst Of 1984" (Sakura Wrechords) 1994

Another truckload of sub-two minute ditties from the Yximalloo day-centre for the mildly insane(1984 was a good year for Paranoia one suspects?).
Endlessly inventive,like a field recording from a lost village of schizophrenics in the Himalayas, or at least on top of Mount Fujiyama that exists only on public holidays(not many of them in Japan I wager?).
Any albums with a constant barrage of short tracks has a similar effect as a Drone.One tends to drift off into another dimension where time becomes irrelevant like a time-lapse movie of urban traffic.I listened to this but I'm damned if I can remember doing it!? 

Tracklist:

1. Traveler from Hopi
2. Why to Xmas
3. Russian Dance
4. Mahi Mahi Fish Song
5. Yximalloo Tribe's Ensemble #15
6. Pressure from Christians to Nudists
7. Aikoku Kousin Kyoku #3
8. Fire
9. Fuli Fuli #11
10. Cola Song
11. Gureepufuruutsu Juusu
12. The Song I Never Sing Again
13. Lotto
14. Inmarsat-Ati #8
15. Zicarbometxyvinylamine
16. The Border of South
17. Helen
18. Fuck Me,Beethoven
19. Inmarsat-Atl #9
20. Eel Fishing in Moon Night
21. Sweet Karen/Spare Us #33
22. Volks Sex
23. Hae #2
24. Fuli Fuli #14
25. Aikoku Kousin Kyoku #5.5
26. Life in a Quiet Village
27. Tori #33
28. Fr15z
29. White House Reaction
30. Dance Dance Dance Until The 3rd World #39
31. Sleep Well

DOWNLOAD 1984 at its worst HERE!

Yximaloo - "The Worst Of 1982" (Sakura Wrechords - C 05) 1994

A further compilation of Yximaloo's prolific output,this time from 1982.
Every country has their 'Residents', and ,arguably, Japan's 'Residents' is Yximaloo.
Abstract Lo-Fi Minimalism coloured with a wide pallet of sounds and rhythms,and all kinds of inexplicable weirdness filling up the spaces.
There are times when words are useless,but this isn't one of them.It's just that i'm fucking knackered and can't be arsed to write anything much....sooooo....the best way to find out what this sounds like is to download it and give it a listen.
I reckon its jolly good indeed,jolly strange,but then again what 'Strange' actually qualifies as is open to conjecture. Personally, the weirdest stuff I've ever heard is The Bee Gee's in their falsetto Disco pomp, but i'd sooner dance to Yximallo any day of the week.If 'The Residents' had come up with "Saturday Night Fever" we'd all be hailing it as an all-time Avant-Garde classic?
Fuck, I ended up writing more than I felt capable of after all?
Disregard my earlier statement, because I really can't be arsed to delete it......I'm going to bed to listen to "Diskomo" by The Residents.

Tracklisting:

1. A Fire #12
2. A Bird
3. A-E-A-E #1
4. A Water #8
5. Offer Incense Sticks #6
6. WA-MATSURI #10
7. Moon Loop #1
8. A Ghost
9. A Horse #9
10. A Wood #7
11. Offer Incense Sticks #9
12. A Dance
13. Ton-Ten-Kan
14. A Fish
15. Dead Soldier with Red Lipstick
16. O'Rhythm
17. A Horse #8
18. Fish Loop
19. A Fire #4
20. A-E-A-E #3
21. A Grass
22. A Moon
23. Jet
24. TI-TZU #2
25. Not So Easy #10
26. Moon Loop #6 + #7 + #8
27. WA-MATSURI #8
28. A Fire #6
29. A Horse #7
30. Reggae Kills The Weird Music in Jamaica #6
31. A Water #9
32. Plague

DOWNLOAD the best of 1982 HERE!

Yximaloo - "The Worst of 1981" (Sakura Wrechords (C 03) 1994

Enter the very special world of Naofumi Ishimura, also know as Yximaloo.
Japan has always produced a interesting brand of nutter, and Ishimura is no exception.
As the Japanese turned their creative juices away from warfare and world electronic gadget domination, their seemingly hard-wired eccentricity has inevitably leeched its way into the medium of music.
Yximaloo has released a Tsunami of home recorded cassettes, of which this is a cd-r'd example of his highly inventive work from 1981.
If you exposed a cassette recording of Coldplay in rehearsal to the exposed reactor core at Fukushima then ran it backwards, you may get something approaching the non-music preserved as magnetic waves on this digitized cassette from 1981.A nintendo soundtrack for the deaf that never happened.
Dis boy he good.

Tracklist:

1 Yximalloo Tribe's Ensemble 1:48
2 Try Try Try 4:00
3 Fela #7 + #11 4:46
4 Radio Style 5:26
5 Strange Charm 1:46
6 Speed In Tokyo 1:21
7 We Work 98 Hours For A Week 3:25
8 RZ15V 3:44
9 Not So Easy 3:08
10 I Hate Music #3 2:13
11 I Hate Music #4 12:37
12 Off Libya 22:59
DOWNLOAD the worst of 1981 but the best of 2018 HERE!