Psychedelic Phinland-Finnish Hippie & Underground Music 1967-74/(Love Records)
What is most fun about being a music obscurist is discovering new things, and even better how a reality you understood elsewhere applied in a far off place. In this case I am referring to one of my favorite forms: psychedelia. We all know what was happening in Frisco (Jefferson Airplane, The Dead), L.A. (The Doors, Love), London (Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, Traffic), and Germany (Amon Duul II, Can). But how about...Finland?

Like most ugly Americans it has never occurred to me what perhaps was the deal with Psych-rock in Finland, but thanks to the exhaustive efforts of the industrious folks at Helsinki's Love records, we now have our answer.

Culled from Albums, Singles and T.V. appearances this two-disc set offers a broad overview of pharmacological sounds ranging from 1967-74. It takes a long time to absorb the treasures here, but well worth the effort. Disc one offers us such highlights as the very-Canterbury Blues Section's "Cherry Cup-Cake Twist", The R&B infused psych of Wigwam's "Must be the Devil", Baby Grandmothers' "Being is More than Life" which recalls Blue Cheer and seems to pre-date Sonic Youth, and the freakish Arthur Brown-esque meltdown of Apollo's "Ajatuksia". Disc two shows a more mature experimental side with The Sperm's "Heinasirkat", Kruununhaan Dynamo's "Simple Things", and Sikiot's "Side One".

No, this record is not for the casual listener, and no it's not for the faint of heart. But if your record collection boasts anything from Soft Machine, Caravan, Zappa, or Ash Ra Tempel, it may not leave your CD player for the rest of the year.-Trout

Mix Tape Song: Baby Grandmothers-Being is More than Life

I must have some Gaelic blood in me. Music from Scotland strikes me like few other regions (I have a similar relationship with Australia). Specifically music recorded between 1978-82 over there hits me like few others and remains with me like a drug.

Similarly the music made in Europe and the U.S. during this period was arguably the most exciting period in popular music. Conventions had been shattered and simplified with punk, but the artistic spirit was too great and soon it became necessary to shatter these brand new conventions, drop the uniforms and abandon all order (See Joy Division or The Fall for verification of these claims). In Glasgow bands went to extremes. Orange Juice (one of my very favorite bands ever) amplified romanticism and heartache to hysterical heights, while removing any hint of machismo or even masculinity, meanwhile Josef K sought to create angles and strip rock and roll down to a near mechanical jitter. The other great band from this period The Associates were about to unleash The Affectionate Punch, the most brutally romantic nightmare ever recorded.

Which brings us to the other great band of that time and place, Fire Engines. Completely bewildering, consciously abrasive and willfully obtuse they also managed to be oddly engaging.

Fire Engines existed for no more than 18 months. A mere blink when it comes to the ever changing musical landscape. During that time they released one record Lubricate Your Living Room (still one of the greatest record titles of all time) and a handful of singles. This new collection, Hungry Beat collects the aforementioned record, some singles and outtakes.

Three tracks here pretty much sum up the Fire Engines sound, and in essence embody post-punk. “Meat Whiplash” begins with a simple riff, that grows to an even simpler interplay between Murray Slade’s guitar and Graham Main’s bass. Shortly thereafter a primal beat is added by Russell Burn’s drums and soon come Davy Henderson’s artless vocals. It creates a din not unlike what the Gang of Four in England, and Pylon in Athens, Ga would be doing just a few years later. It sounds like a Jackson Pollock action painting come to life. “Get Up & Use Me” sounds like Iggy and the Stooges after a lot of coffee and a haircut. Once again utilizing the angular rhythm method of songwriting (as opposed to bothering with verses and choruses), it gets in you and swear you can still hear it hours after its gone. Finally we have “Big Gold Dream”, sort of epic for the Fire Engines employing female vocals, keyboards, an extra drummer and a refrain. It sounds like the harbinger of the direction bands like XTC and Shriekback would shortly be taking, a sort of nervous funk.

So I think we should all go to Scotland and thank the Fire Engines. Without them we wouldn’t have latter day Talking Heads, or bands like the Jesus & Mary Chain. We certainly wouldn’t have Franz Ferdinand.

Walter Jackson-Speak Her Name(Walter Jackson)(Ace Records)
When I first moved to Philadelphia in 1992 I lived atop a little bar on the cusp of South Philly called Bob & Barbara's. It was a place of red vinyl, Christmas lights and canned beer where time seemed to stop in 1967. The clientele was almost exclusively African-American and over 40. All good-natured, all having a good time and more often than not reminiscing about the good old days sometimes stopping me to tell me an anecdote about 15th street in the 70's. I haven't thought about that place in years but when I discovered Walter Jackson's Speak Her Name it was the first place that popped into my mind.

Walter Jackson performed a passionate strain of Soul music that is all but relegated to the extinction list anymore. Tight, disciplined backing and efficient, urgent vocals. His tender smoky voice seems to roll over you and lull you and then grab you the second you relax. This is strong, serious soul.

1967 was not an easy year to be a black man, not that its any better now. But underneath the tales of heartbreak and longing there seems to run a thread of deeper despair, of extreme resignation.

Walter Jackson was a stalwart Chicago soul-man. His music never scraped the top 100. But listening to this, while you may question the justice of this, you will get the feeling that this was soul music by and for black audiences. His sounds and style are so authentic and even specific its tough to think of white pop audiences getting it.

As an old school soul junkie and aficionado I can say that tracks like 'Speak Her Name', 'Not You', 'They Don't Give No Medals', and 'My One Chance to Make It' rank with the powerful sounds of Pickett, Brown, and Green.

Specific, beautifully Black and lush this record belongs in any soul lovers collection. In fact it's essential.

Mix Tape Song(s): After You There Can Be Nothing & They Don't Give Medals (to Yesterdays Heroes)
(But truly any song on this record will melt even the iciest heart.)