Re/Search #15: Incredibly Strange Music, Volume II - Softcover

Juno, A.; Vale, V.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0940642212 ISBN 13: 9780940642218

Publisher: Re/Search Publications, 1994

Synopsis

Examines such overlooked works of music as Hawaiian music, sound-effects recordings, electronically synthesized music, and offbeat titles such as "How to Strip for Your Husband," and "Muhammad Ali Fights Tooth Decay"

About this title

Reviews

This is the second volume of the publisher's very popular Incredibly Strange Music series (LJ 3/15/93). Editors Vale and Juno's interview format allows the collectors to discuss their favorite strange records and how they found these treasures. Several of the interviewees are the performers who produced the "strange music," notably Yma Sumac and Ken Nordine. Robert Moog's history of electronic music is particularly interesting. Jello Biafra, a performer, collector, and freedom of information activist, details many facets of his collection, including exotica, strange country, apocalyptic, and international music. The first volume is not a prerequisite for the current edition. Like most titles from RE/Search, this will appeal to the Generation X crowd who may feel disenfranchised by traditional publishers. Recommended for public libraries with interesting patrons.
A. Arro Smith, San Marcos P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Re/Search continues its exploration of the tackiest, most bizarre, most outrageous artifacts of the recently bygone vinyl era. Rescued from garage sales and thrift stores by dedicated (and disturbed) collectors, these oddball treasures reflect such genres as ethno-exploitation (e.g., fake Polynesian exotica music); celebrities-gone-wrong (The Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy); occupation-specific albums by singing policemen, singing wrestlers, and the one-of-a-kind Singing Logger (Where Walks a Logger, There Walks a Man); right-wing folk music (The Goldwaters Sing Folk Songs to Bug the Liberals); and the unclassifiable (unspeakable?), such as an entire album of flatulence (incredibly strange, to be sure, but music?). The second helping offers more interviews with some of the artists responsibleamong them, blue comedienne Rusty (Knockers Up!) Warren, word jazz artist Ken Nordine, synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog, and legendary five-octave vocalist (and purported Inca princess) Yma Sumacand chats with prominent collectors. Adding to the fun are reproductions of the covers of dozens of camp classics, from Jerry Falwell's Where Are the Dead? to a Barry Whitestyle disco single by Louis Farrakhan. Gordon Flagg

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

INCREDIBLY STRANGE MUSIC VOL.2 #15

Incredibly Strange Music, Volume Two, continues the exploration of the territory spotlighted in Volume One: mostly out-of-print vinyl recordings from the '50s-'70s which do not fit into the already critically scrutinized genres of rock, jazz, and classical music. (See the introduction in Volume One, which need not be repeated here.) As in Volume One, we have included collectors who have remapped their own musical aesthetics (taking chances on records for a quarter or a dollar at garage sales and thrift stores). We also interview original artists responsible for some of the most unusual and imaginative recordings since the invention of the 12" LP: Bebe Barron, Juan Garcia Esquivel, Robert Moog, Ken Nordine, Korla Pandit, Yma Sumac, Elisabeth Waldo and Rusty Warren.

This is not a completist's volume: there are thousands of undocumented recordings which have yet to be unearthed and appreciated-many of which were produced and distributed only locally. A record may be worth owning if it has just one outstanding track, or perhaps just beautiful, provocative cover artwork (especially if it's cheap). A universe of unusual 45s awaits an encyclopedic overview, not to mention countless vinyl records from other countries. Readers (and travelers) are encouraged to have fun inventing their own categorizations and collecting specialties as they uncover an "incredibly strange" sonic past they never knew existed, and which yets awaits rediscovery in the garages, attics and storerooms of the world.-V.Vale & Andrea Juno

Edition details

• Publisher: Re/Search Publications
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0940642212
• ISBN 13: 9780940642218
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176