Udo Jürgens - Traumtänzer (1983, Ariola)

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I picked this one up from the sale table at my local library (St. Louis County--Tesson Ferry). Judging from the cover, I figured I was in for some mid-'80s Scandanavian synth-pop (kind of a Nordic Chris DeBurgh). Instead, I got mid-'80s German synth-pop ... with a quasi-island reggae flavor and the occasional Jacques Brel-style vocalisms (kind of a German Chris DeBurgh crossed with Sting at his phoniest). Nowhere is the faux-reggae thing more ingratiatingly retarded than on "Hallo Promille." Although, at times he seems to be stretching for a Jacques Brel vocal impersonation. All in all, not bad for 25 cents.

Apparently, Juergens is kind of an old stand-by in the German-speaking music world. According to the Babel Fish translation of die offizielle WEB-site,

"Over 5 ½ million spectator mobilized Udo Juergens alone on his 19 tours in German-language Europe in the past 40 years. Now it sets with its 20. Tour a positive signal for all, which can be pleased in a time of the changes about the stability of an entertainer, which never oriented itself at short-lived trends."

Whoever owned this before I check-marked "Die Sonne und du" and "Angela." I cannot disagree--these are fantastic. Also, the "Traumtanzer -- Finale" is pretty stirring (even if my rip is a bit distorted).

Finally, this bit of trivia from the Wikipedia entry on Udo is priceless:

"In the early 1990s, German thrash metal band Sodom released a 'metalized' cover of Aber Bitte mit Sahne (I'll have whipped cream with that) an Udo Jurgen's song about unattractive girls making up for amorous delusions with desserts-eating binges."

The Ampol Aires - They Keep Going and Going (1996, Ampol Record Co.)

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Sorry it's taken a while since the last post. I just got a new job and blah blah blah.

According to their web site, the Ampol Aires are currently in their 50th year. And with this gem, you can hear why. The Ampol Aires are masters of the polka...or something. I don't know. I actually picked this one up at CD Warehouse as a birthday present for a friend. Luckily they didn't have the CD loaded into their system, so I got it for free. Otherwise it would have cost a dollar.

The dorky-ass Energizer parody is really the star here. Also, I recommend the band history on their web site, which will teach you fascinating trivia such as the fact that "Ampol" is a portmanteau for American and Polish. Who knew?!

Listening to this CD, one can't help but muse on images of geriatrics creaking out onto a dance floor at some forsaken county fair. A painful thought and, all in all, a painful CD. Even if you like polka.

Iron Butterfly - Live (1970, Atco)

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So, you always liked "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" but it just wasn't long enough for you. Well, problem solved. I give you Iron Butterfly's 19-minute live version which covers the entirety of side 2. The song is longer than all five tracks on side 1 combined, and unfortunately it makes the file too large to post on box.net, so I've divided it in two.

The tracks I've posted all come from the original vinyl, which I picked up at Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis for 99 cents. Obviously I knew "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," but what really enraptured me was the horrible/great cut-and-paste collage artwork that adorned the album. It features the band members' heads on animal bodies and other moderately inept proto-Gilliam collaging.

The side one tracks are a pleasant surprise, each one is nearly as strong as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" in terms of melody, groove, and heaviness if not in ponderous musicianship. "You Can't Win" is the obligatory anti-Vietnam song while "Soul Experience" is the obligatory "open up your mind" song and so on.

The whole recording is really bass-heavy and features Darryl DeLoach's absurd vocal intonations (e.g. "Be-uh your-uh se-uh-ye-uh-elf" rather than "Be your self.")

All Music Guide had this to say:

A dull document of Iron Butterfly's thundering live show, Live is notable for its second side, which contains a 20-minute version of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." Even though it's only three minutes longer than the original version, it's three times as tedious.
--2 stars--

Aww. It's not that bad. Also, of note: The lead singer of Iron Butterfly Darryl DeLoach looks remarkably like Wayne Coyne:

Single Bullet Theory - Single Bullet Theory (1982, Nemperor/CBS)

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Not to be confused with the metalcore band of the same name, Single Bullet Theory plays some poppy New Wave synth-rock, the kind of music that would be playing at a high school dance in a Corey Haim movie. The lead-off track "Keep It Tight" was actually a (very) minor hit, rising to the 78 spot on the Hot 100.

The story of SBT is an archetypal struggle between artistic ambition and record company incompetence that has plagued so many other coulda-beens and also-rans. They started out as X-Breed and played synth-based art rock. Then they started garnering some buzz and it was all simultaneously uphill and downhill from there (until it was all just downhill).

For my money, "Neutralizer" is the best song if only for the poignant line "She's neutralizing herself."

The Lyrical Laurences - Through It All (197?, Crusade)

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This is one of those rare items which remains completely unmentioned on the internet...Until Now. Googling "Lyrical Laurences" turns up zero results, meaning this gem of rural whitebread religious folkiness was probably published in a run of about 150 or so, and all those copies now exist in thrift stores and garages. I picked it up at the Salvation Army in Kirksville, Missouri because of its beautifully dorky cover. (Note to Gary and Donna: Using the Future Shock font for the album title was perfect. It melds nicely with the matching harvest pageant outfits you picked out for the cover photo.)

The album does contain some stellar vibes playing and some remarkable drum machine programming (on "Runaway," "The Prodigal Son," and "Medley"--which has the same beat as "Runaway" except sped up to about 300 bpm). "Runaway" is the only original, and it's the real stand-out. I've listened to it several times and it still remains vaguely upsetting with its lonely vibes and If you only listen to one Lyrical Laurences song in your lifetime, make it "Runaway." "Through It All" contains some slick Al Martino-esque vocal flourishes by daddy Gary, and "Holy, Holy, Holy" is a stirring a capella track.

Overall, this album has that real traveled-the-country-in-an-RV-playing every-podunk-Baptist-ministry-in-the-lower-48 kind of feel.

Liner Notes:

This Is The Record You've Asked For...
GARY and DONNA -- As They Sound In Person

Gary and Donna, with their two sons, Dustin and Shane, travel in evangelistic work in their bus motor-home almost every day of the year. Dustin, who is five, has completed first grade and made his own record.