The Vinyl Resolution

Trouble at Madame Dong's - Aphex Aural Exciter

2010-01-17T18:19:00.004-05:00

Trouble at Madame Dong's (1985) - Francis X and the Bushmen

In the 1980s, Aphex Systems began producing a device for music production known as the Aural Exciter. In short, aural excitement involves a process of enhancing the even-numbered harmonics in musical material which results in a 'warmer' type of sound. Keyboard Magazine ran an issue with an insert flexi-disc record that ran this advertisement for the latest Aphex product in their line.

There isn't a whole lot to say about this clip. I mean, its lowest-common-denominator overly-obvious double-entendre doesn't leave much to ole' gray matter. I love the totally dated quasi-post-apocalyptic sound of the musical material of 'Francis X and the Bushmen' seems..

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - Dylan Thomas

2010-01-03T18:08:00.003-05:00

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (1952) - Dylan Thomas

What is so great about this recording of the famed poet reciting his own material is that it reminds me of an obsession I acquired studying composition in University. I became fascinated with finding musical phrase patterns in natural speech and transcribing them. Steve Reich explored this quite a bit and I caught the bug as well. Dylan Thomas however, seems much more obvious in the way he recites. It doesn't take much listening to hear natural musical phrasing and cadences all over the place.

This album was recorded a year before his death.

Sound of the Main Artery of the Mother (A) - Dr. Hajime Murooka

2010-01-03T17:54:00.001-05:00

Sound of the Main Artery of the Mother (A) (1974) - Dr. Hajime Murooka.

How cool is this? I mean, really?! It is a recording from inside a mother's womb using a tiny 8mm microphone near the head of a fetus at approximately 8 months development. The purpose of this record is to help newborn babies sleep. According to the liner notes:

"Of the 403 sobbing babies who listened to the tape, every single one stopped crying, with 161 dozing off to sleep in an average of 41 seconds."

Considering the machine-like rhythm of the gushing sound, it gives pause for thought on the effect of Industrial music on sniffing emo-goths.

Dr. Murooka was (is?) a noted Professor of Gynecology at Japan's Nippon Medical University in Tokyo.

Po' Folks - The Singing Post Family

2010-01-03T16:54:00.009-05:00

Po' Folks (1967) - The Singing Post Family.

The Singing Post Family were a family country-singin' group from Prince Edward County in Ontario. I don't know much about them, but the oldest sister apparently still performs from time to time. The band consisted of Norm Post (father) and children Joanne (17), Debra (13), and Kenneth (7). What happened to Mom I don't know, but there are a few songs that seem to mention her in past tense.

What's funny about this song is mostly the title. Prince Edward County was originally where the Empire Loyalists settled when they immigrated from the U.S. during the American Revolutionary War. These days it's a vacation mecca for the Sandbanks Beach and local wineries, but it still maintains a very 'down home' country feeling to it with Bed & Breakfasts and 'quaint' curio shops and the like. The title "Po' Folks" obviously comes from the ebonicized version of 'poor folks'. No matter how poor and rural the area, I just find it funny that working-class whites would use the slang. Perhaps the lingo came north with the Loyalists and it was used naturally and not in some weird racist way..

Ask The Kids - Rusty Warren

2009-12-31T00:46:00.005-05:00

This clip called 'Ask The Kids' is from Rusty's 1964 album 'Sex-X-Ponent'.

Rusty Warren was a controversial and bawdy lounge entertainer in the late 50's and 60's whose comedy and music was based around one topic - sex. At the time she caused quite a stir, though today she seems tame relatively speaking. That being said, every now and then even by today's standards she'll hit you with something of questionable taste. :) Ultimately, she broke down a lot of barriers and is now considered a pioneer in women's comedy.

Catherine O'Hara as 'Dusty Towne' satirized Rusty in the early 80's on SCTV.

Rusty's site contains her complete discography and more information about her. CDs are available for sale.