Factory Records: Communications 1978-92
I love Joy Division. I think that the bass lines and synths set them apart. A rich part of the Joy Division story is their label, Factory Records. Factory signed groups such as ESG, Joy Division, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and A Certain Ratio to just name a well-known few. It is no small feat that one record label was nearly responsible for a whole pop music style. With the later musical talents of New Order and The Happy Mondays, Factory seemed to head into the land of huge labels and huge record stars.
As an homage to the great taste of the Factory artists, Rhino records has released one of their fantastic (albeit huge) box sets. This one includes some interesting tracks, such as the Cabaret Voltaire doing “Baader Meinhof,” Section 25’s “Girls Don’t Count,” and 52 Street’s “Cool as Ice.” But there are the occasional duds, included as reminders of the time… I think. Like Quando Quango’s “Love Temple.”
Find it on Amazon: click here.
People Under the Stairs rockin some new beats, soon to be followed by another album - "Carried Away!"
I’ve been a huge People Under the Stairs fan fo’eva! Their new album “Fun DMC” rocks. It’s not just an homage to the old school styles of the East Coast (see “GrandMaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc, et al.) It holds a spectrum of brand new ideas that PUTS have been growing since their “O.S.T” release. The rhymes are upbeat to say the least, with a laid back take on their fame and fortune. They have seemed to relax more since the Om records days, when they seemed devoted more to the battle rap.
But where this album shines, in my opinion, is the huge amount of samples that Thes One and Double K have used as a basis for their swinging rhymes. These guys have never stopped diggin.’ And still they use samples that make music freaks go “HMMM!!” In the quest for NOS beats, these guys really take the cake.
Maybe one of the most beautiful women to ever sing!!
I went to the movie theater to see “Soul Power” and it truly rocked! The movie shows a place and time of change for the black community. The music dramatically reflects that change like no other music can: with funk and class!
I am not going to list all the players because you need to see it. But here is a spoiler alert: I wanna talk about one of the performers, Ms. Celia Cruz.
This woman is a phenom of charisma and skill. She takes “Soul Power” and gently lifts the film up beyond what it would be with all the other performers. A scene in the film shows her beating her shoe on the airplane luggage carrier as she keeps time and sings with her group during the plane ride to Africa. And she is so happy. Does she sleep?
It looks like no one in this movie ever sleeps. And Ms. Cruz keeps her dynamite charisma going and going. Sometimes she looks so awed to be performing and that seems to wear off on her audience.
African Scream Contest - Screams galore, and some very funky jams.
Most compilations seem to have one or two gems and a bunch of crap. But there are a few out there – in these days of crate diggin fiends – that really rock the roost. “African Scream Contest” is one of those that make you say “Why have I not heard this?”
This album was released by the Analog Africa label. This label looks like it has more than its fair share of real sweet recordings from the the afro-delic and afrofunk varieties.
One of Liza's gems
During our last party – a wedding party – I was being the anti-social bug. That means I was hiding down in the Lab with the vinyl spinning some music for the guests. I get kinda scared of all the people sometimes and the music helps soothe my natural reaction – drink, drink, drink.
So I was down there with the vinyl, and picked out a few gems from the shelves for the folks to listen to. Some of the vinyl was already out, making it easy to chose. Al Green’s self-titled LP (Bell 6076) was one of the beauties.
For this party, we needed two things: Dance (provided by the illustrious DJ Buttafly) and some soul. Al Green’s album fits in perfectly here. It is a great compilation from the late 60’s/early 70’s Green. As it says, it includes “Back Up Train,” along with others like “Let Me Help You.”
Most of the songs on the album include simple melodies backed by funky drums, and fine organ and guitar instrumentals. After burning this to digital, I realized yet again the value inherent in the grooves: the sound is just so inviting that it makes the music even more genuine, in some cases, than seeing the artist live. Or maybe it is being able to participate in the music by dropping the needle and watching the record spin…
