MOG - SafeAsMilk's Posts

A Musical Christmas

SafeAsMilk — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 18:31:15 GMT

So I didn't get any music for Christmas. None. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. But I did get something even better....

Yay, my own little music hub with turntable, CD Player, reciever, and speakers! Until now, I've had to use my dad's turntable if I wanted to play any vinyl. He's now passed that turntable on to me along with his old CD player in favor for a new one (he's a hi-fi freak). The reciever is a refurbished 1972 Pioneer with blue lights. I'll eventually get the speakers off the ground, but that'll have to wait. The first vinyl to break in my new set was the awesome instrumental "Green Onions"

And to think, my birthday's tomorrow...

The Ultimate 'Best of 2006' List

SafeAsMilk — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 03:42:21 GMT

Since 2006 is coming to a close and all and everyone's making those neat little 'best of 2006' lists, I've decided to do my own.

Welp, here it goes:

1. Imaginary Diseases - Frank Zappa 2 - 99. ??? - - Some Band 100. 10,000 Days - Tool

That's right. I've listened to TWO whole albums from 2006. 2. As in 1 and then another 1. Pretty pathetic, eh?

Well, I've been tied up looking farther and further and feather back in time. Of the 100+ albums on my wishlist, I hit 76 of them (as well as 100 more not on the list), and then added about 50 more for next year. This year, I've really discovered deep into the 1960's psychedelic period and thoroughly had my fill of awesome jazz albums. I even started working on a 'classical' collection and 40's/50's blues. But as for keeping up with the times...

...it's not like I wasn't looking. I read plenty of album reviews and whatnot, but nothing really jumped out at me. I'm looking for something unique, really out there. Bands today are a dime a dozen and it's very hard wading through the crap to get to the good stuff. And I know there's good stuff out there. I've found gems from every year so far this decade, but... 2006? Hmmm...

Which is why I've come to MOG. Come on, MOGgos, what's the real gem of 2006? Which album this year made ya all tingly inside that NOBODY knows about? DON'T FAIL ME.

The 25 Essentials

SafeAsMilk — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 04:38:15 GMT

Forget Rolling Stone, Wire, or what-have-you, here's my 25 albums I absolutely love and think everyone should hear before they die. Yes, everyone.

25 - Volume Two (1969) - The Soft Machine

Jazzy, dadaist psychedelia from one of the most unique bands of the 60's.

24 - Songs for the Deaf (2004) - Queens of the Stone Age

Very accessable, very catchy, very nice.

23 - Mosaic (1962) - Art Blakey

One of many great albums from the man who all rock 'n' roll drummers wanted to be.

22 - We're Only in it For The Money (1968) - Frank Zappa

Scathing satire and astounding production - Zappa was the master of his craft.

21 - Red (1974) - King Crimson

Progressive rock that actually fucking rocks.

20 - Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (1994) - Mark Lanegan

Soulful and simple. A great late-night album.

19 - Blue Train (1959) - John Coltrane

Classy jazz for everyone.

18 - Spiderland (1991) - Slint

This might as well be the album all post-rock is modeled after.

17 - The Velvet Underground (1969) - The Velvet Underground

Far more refined than their first two albums.

16 - Rubber Soul (1965) - The Beatles

The epitome of the late-60's sound everyone was trying to duplicate.

15 - A Tribute to Jack Johnson (1971) - Miles Davis

Miles' best. Much more a rock album than anything.

14 - Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970) - Captain Beefheart

...it's like Trout Mask, only sharper.

13 - The Dealer (1966) - Chico Hamilton

A jazz album that knows no bounds - something for everyone on here.

12 - Elegant Gypsy (1977) - Al Di Meola

Beautiful Spanish-ish guitar work. Elegant indeed.

11 - Recorded Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival (1965) - John Handy

Jazz fusion a whole half-decade earlier than Bitches Brew. Wild performance.

10 - Saxophone Colossus (1957) - Sonny Rollins

Rollins is an absolute master of the Tenor... it makes me really jealous.

9 - Revolver (1966) - The Beatles

The production on here is amazing and the songs are terribly catchy.

8 - View (2003) - Bryan Beller

Usually the bass-man in the background, Beller shines with his own funky and original compositions here.

7 - Freak Out! (1966) - Frank Zappa

Way ahead of its time. Nothing even remotely sounded like this in 1966.

6 - The Universe Will Provide (2004) - Mike Keneally

I'd imagine if Stravinsky and Zappa ever met, it'd sound something like this.

5 - Far East Suite (1967) - Duke Ellington

Exotic Big Band sound. I mean, really big.

4 - Volume One (1968) - The Soft Machine

Humorous, unique, trippy, random...

3 - Safe As Milk (1967) - Captain Beefheart

Catchy bastardized blues. I quite like the name if you can't tell :)

2 - Hot Rats (1969) - Frank Zappa

Scalding hot jazz fusion as composed by the greatest guitarist ever. What more could you want?

1 - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1964) - Charles Mingus

Life in 40 minutes. The most powerful music you'll ever hear.

Mixtape en Regalia

SafeAsMilk — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 03:09:07 GMT

I find great excuses to make mixtapes. New month? Mixtape time. Halloween around the corner? Mixtape it up. Saving money on car insurance? Mixtape.

In this case, I made a mixtape for a certain lovely girl who I'd love to get to know better. Sad thing is, she's the sweet conservative, uber-Christian type with a big heart and pretty apathetic about music. That's everything I'm not! D'oh! Like a pompous, music-nerdy dick, I felt it my obligation to introduce her to some of what I like and maybe find some sort of connection between the two of us. That's tough, since I don't know her that well. I laid off the Beefheart (oh so hard to do) and any "scary" stuff seeing as she may not get past track 1.

1. "Peaches en Regalia" - Frank Zappa 2. "Mediterranean Sundance" - Al Di Meola 3. "Splane" - Mike Keneally 4. "For No One" - The Beatles 5. "Walking on Sunset" - John Mayall 6. "Here I go" - Syd Barrett 7. "Do You Realize??" - The Flaming Lips 8. "Summer: III L'orage (Presto)" - Vivaldi 9. "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark to Hillsdale" - Love 10. "Sunrise" - Mark Lanegan 11. "Max Ernst's Dream" - Mission of Burma 12. "Stroll On" - The Yardbirds 13. "Lament 1 'Bird's Lament'" - Moondog 14. "The Black Page (Live)" - Frank Zappa 15. "(Soul Fusion) Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries" - Charles Mingus

This is one hell of an eclectic mixtape. It starts and ends with jazz, but has blues, British blues, punk, classical, guitar virtuoso, and psyche in between. Despite the genre shuffling, it sounds extraordinarily well as one whole piece.

She didn't think so. She called the tracks "sad" and "hopeless" (they're not!). Pffftt, see if she ever hears a mixtape this unique ever again. Ah well, plenty of other fish in the sea. Let me grab my scuba gear...

Classic(al) Rock(s)!

SafeAsMilk — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:14:23 GMT

Yeah, I haven't MOGged for quite some time and I'm very, very sorry. Please forgive me, dearest MOG, by raising my neglected status from "Smoking" to "Fucking Hot" or whatever the highest thingy is. Are we friends again? MOG? Moggy?? Come on...

Anyway, I've been acting far too busy to have time for anything so lowly as listening to/buying/eating new music. I mean, I've got exams right around the corner and a job that might as well be full time the way they exploit me. Even when I'm sick. Like now.

The little bit of music I have been checking out the last few months have been mostly symphonic stuff ranging from Beethoven to Lizst to Ives to Stravinsky (he's the Wikipedia featured article today for some odd reason!) and back again, futhering my music nerdity into other centuries. Some of it's pretty neat/absurd/amusing, 'specially the early 20th century shit like Shoenburg. And I thought Beefheart was an odd fellow...

Not that this interests anyone here, but what symphonic ("classical") music have my fellow MOGgers taken to listening to, if any? If not, then why not? and does anyone have any suggestions on futher listenings? Mmmm?

Oh Dear, Another Mixtape

SafeAsMilk — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:04:52 GMT

Last weekend I hit up my old stomping grounds and had some fun. By "old" I really mean 1 year ago, by "stomping grounds" I actually mean to say George Mason University, and by "fun" I mean drinking a fair deal and having a day-long hangover on Sunday. Anyway, I'm always armed with a new mixtape or two to try out on any trip longer than an hour. No theme to this one (I rarely theme any mixtape unless it's for somebody else), but the tracks run together pretty damn fluently.

1. "Suction Points" - Captain Beefheart 2. "Stroll On" - The Yardbirds 3. "Run Run Run" - The Velvet Underground 4. "Alabama Song" - The Doors 5. "Derelict" - Beck 6. "Woe-is-a-Me-Bop" - Captain Beefheart 7. "Theme De Yoyo" - The Cinematic Orchestra 8. "Hibou, Anemone and Bear" - Soft Machine 9. "Theme Reprise" - The Cinematic Orchestra 10. "Why (And I Wish I Were Stoned)" - Caravan 11. "The Gumbo Variations" - Frank Zappa 12. "Ticket To Ride" - The Beatles 13. "Like A Rolling Stone" - Bob Dylan

Some notes after listening to this twice on my little trip: I should've probably dropped the last two songs off of it, but I had a good 10 minutes that I could fit more on there. Nothing can really end a mixtape much better than "The Gumbo Variations", but I tried. Also, I may be the only person who actually likes VU's "Run Run Run" as it's a pretty unanimously hated song on their debut album shrug.

And yes, the Captain's on there twice, again. Shutup.

De' Gems: The Universe Will Provide (2004)

SafeAsMilk — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 21:29:22 GMT

OK, so we're only 6 years and a half or so through this decade (the oh-oh's as I like to call them) and I think I've already made my decision for the best album of the decade.

"Oooh, what could it possibly be, John, O wise and alknowing music guru who always has his finger on the pulse of the music world. Please tell us!!"

Well, take a guess...

"Well... there's been a few good 'uns out there. Kid A was pretty good..."

No.

"Oh, it's gotta be one of those GYBE! albums. They're great, right? Terribly complex stuff, you know."

No sir.

"Ah, it's gotta be [insert any indie band's name] seminal release Pile of Crap"

Oh so close.

"Ah, I always knew you were a metalhead! It's gotta be Blackwater Park or... uh... one of those Tool albums. They're ROCKIN'!!!"

Fuck no.

"Give us a hint! At least tell us the genre... hip-hop, right?"

No. This music... well, it's... I guess most people would consider it classical?

"Classical... yeeeaaah I don't know why I've ever trusted your opinion. Ever.

No, no, no. Hear me out. This isn't just classical. It's like... if you could make a perfect fusion out of rock, classical, and jazz, and then make it totally kick-ass. Far from boring, Mike Keneally and the Metropole Orchestra's The Universe Will Provide simply BURNS. Frank Zappa had experimented a lot with the whole rock-meets-jazz thing with an orchestra, but even he never came close to sounding this crisp.

Mike Keneally is the best still-living guitarist I've ever heard. Period. He's been commissioned by an orchestra to compose, and boy did he compose his ass off. The orchestra is flawless - it's obvious a hell of a lot of practice went into making this. The performance is unique, the percussion is going fucking nuts, and every track is very different from the last: compare the short, soft opener "Blue 68" to the mindfuck "Four Slices of Toast". Compare that further still to the hard-rocker "Worrywart Spoonguy" or the absolutely divine and complex closer "Bullies".

Allmusic.com's review of TUWP sums it up a lot better than I can: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ugue4jo77wa4~T1

If you truly want to hear something that is nothing like anything else out there, TUWP is worth a listen (or a hundred). Be warned: this ain't for people who just can't take revolutionary music lightly. You may find yourself caught in many "OH SHIT" moments when listening. This is normal.

Easily one of my favorite albums ever... 5 out of 5 stars!

September

SafeAsMilk — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 19:31:30 GMT

I'm not a big fan of September. As far as months go, it's pretty crappy - probably second to worst month around. I mean like... fall is here, so what? Leaves, oh joy! Time to break out the rake and do a shitload of yardwork to prepare for winter. Oh, and where I work will now start playing holiday music in a week. Fun, not. Seriously , who honestly likes September?

In a sense, September is one "meh..." of a month. This is why I create mixtapes to relieve the boredom. Hence my new mixtape with the cryptic title: "The Mixtape I Made For September".

1. "Love Lies" - Captain Beefheart 2. "The Red Telephone" - Love 3. "She Said, She Said" - The Beatles 4. "The Zephyr Song" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers 5. "The Train Kept a Rollin'" - The Yardbirds 6. "Walk The Line" - Johnny Cash 7. "All Is Loneliness" - Moondog 8. "Facelift" - Soft Machine 9. "Gonna Leave You" - Queens of the Stone Age 10. "Promise" - Violent Femmes 11. "Run, Run, Run" - The Gestures 12. "Trust Us (Take 9)" - Captain Beefheart 13. "Who Does She Hope to be?" - Sonny Sharrock

I listened to this one driving back and forth and backforth again from school and it works really well. The Captain's in there twice because I've yet to cure my addiction for more Beefheart. "Facelift" is a little awkwardly placed, but at least it's not the 20 minute version found on Third. Otherwise, it's pretty good. Yeah, I like it. Good Septemberyish music. Moondog would be proud.

That Kind Ubbuhday

SafeAsMilk — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:42:22 GMT

I put in a dollar to get an 85-cent Sunkist in a soda machine and got 26 cents back in change and a fresh perspective on life.

It's been that kind of a day.

I Wish I Were Stoned Out' My Mind

SafeAsMilk — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 00:49:22 GMT

I'm so glad football season is here. I loathe summer so much because of baseball - it's a terrible excuse for a sport and it's the only one in town... save for the World Cup, which few of my friends seemed to care about.

"Hey guys, the World Cup final is on tonight and-"

"Shut the hell up - we're trying to watch the Red Sox/Yankees game, and they ONLY play against each other 100 times a season GUHHHH"

"But it's a 11-0 rout..."

"Yeah, well... soccer sucks"

Yes, my friends actually do say GUHHHH.

Last night I watched my two favorite college football teams (FSU and Miami, duh) play a very ugly game dominated by defence. FSU won, of course. That said, I think John Zorn should do a 'John Zorn' version of the 'Noles chant (I mean, come on... he elevated the James Bond theme from awesome to fucking absurd). How nice would that be? Very nice.

Sing it with me: DAAA DUH DA DA DUHH, DA DA DUHH, DUH DA DA DUH, DA DA!!!

Ernesto is my Best Friend

SafeAsMilk — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 12:39:13 GMT

I have no classes today, as it is miserable outside. That means I have ALL day to listen to mus...er, sleep. Muah.

Just Like Sister Ray Said

SafeAsMilk — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 01:11:51 GMT

My drive home from college is around 17 and a half minutes long down a very boring 2-lane highway on which you can cruise just about as fast as you want to (granted that you don't hit a furry animal on the way). 17:30 is just about how long "Sister Ray" is, a song which I've felt ruined the Velvet's second album. I hated "Sister Ray"... what a bitch. I'd often listen to White Light/White Heat minus "Sister Ray" and the still-obnoxious "The Gift" and considered the Velvet's second album a very nice EP.

But wow. Tonight I drove home, blasting "Sister Ray" at 90 MPH and felt possessed. I was loving it... really into it, you know? Doing the hole head-bobbing thing, tapping my fingers, toes, and other various body parts.

I can't imagine why I would do such a thing to such a terrible song. After all, "Sister Ray" is almost totally improvised (terribly), has the simplest beat to it, and is smeared with repetitive lines like "too busy sucking on a ding-dong". No reason I would like such a song. But I did, and I felt like everyone should know that.

I'm Broke

SafeAsMilk — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 21:39:46 GMT

I'm broke.

What music should I buy?

Another Crappy Mixtape

SafeAsMilk — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:58:49 GMT

I make a lot of crappy mixtapes, but I've been good enough not to make a purely jazz mixtape because I figure an hour or so of jazz will just put me asleep. And driving + sleeping doesn't really work out. Why does so much jazz put me asleep? I don't know. I love jazz - it's simply divine, but not all of it is what I'd call "exciting". I've done some thinking and decided that what is "exciting" for me is jazz with a lot of crazy drumming and/or guitar. So here is my "exciting" jazz mixtape, with most of the focus on the last two tracks:

1. "The Drum Thunder Suite" - Art Blakey, Moanin' Yes, the drums do sound like thunder. More proof that Art Blakey is one of the most powerful drummers out there.

2. "New York Girl" - Miles Davis, On The Corner I tried to find my Tribute to Jack Johnson CD and I can't find it anywhere!

3. "Amad" - Duke Ellington, The Far East Suite A nice short, powerful song. "It sort of sounds like James Bond", so says one of my friends...

4. "The James Bond Theme" - John Zorn, Naked City Almost on here as a joke, but I feel it fits in perfectly.

5. "Spanish Lady" - John Handy, Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival This track BURNS. Absolute brilliance for 19 minutes and never lets up. It's silly to me that Handy put out such crap like Hard Work afterwards.

6. "Mode D, E, and F: Trio and Group Dancers" - Charles Mingus, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady My favorite track off my favorite album. There's no better way to end than making all your hairs stand up at once, making you nearly say "OH, SHIT!".

I think it works out quite well.

De' Gems: Safe As Milk (1967)

SafeAsMilk — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 18:35:38 GMT

Few artists in history that have the kind of music career Don Van Vliet (AKA Captain Beefheart) had and are still (unfairly) known for only one album. Trout Mask Replica was good, yes, but I feel it makes as a poor introduction to the glorious land of Beefheart. If one was to listen to TMR, call it crap, and promptly demand their 15 or so bucks back, they would have sadly missed this more accessable and superior gem.

Safe As Milk, Beefheart and the Magic Band's first release, is the most FUN album I've ever heard. Full of infectious bass lines, lyrics about sunshine girls (and babbette baboons), and Vliet's unforgettable, Howlin' Wolfish voice, S.A.M. is an absurd, bastardized mixture of blues and R & B. You probably don't have a soul if you don't suddenly find yourself tapping your foot or whathaveyou a few times throughout the album.

The remaster on CD makes great use of adding bonus material, which includes a few instrumental tracks from the Mirror Man sessions, and superior, non-fuckedup versions of "Trust Us" and "Safe As Milk" compared to the "fucked-up studio verision"s found on Strictly Personal.

Safe As Milk is all the power of Trout Mask Replica without all the headaches. Though he'd come close in later releases after reinventing his sound over and over, Don could never top Safe As Milk - A true gem.

4.5 stars out of 5

OMG, MOG!

SafeAsMilk — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:35:45 GMT

I'm new to this site - it looks neat, so I'm gonna probe a little deeper. I don't like the fact that my "MOG Meter" says that I'm BELOW THE RADAR... and that makes me really sad. I'm a really cool person with really cool, unhip tastes in music. I like hearing new stuff, so feel free to turn me on to something different.