this saturday, we will be celebrating record store day once again. we’ll be opening at 10 am and be having a sale all day long. more importantly, we will also have a ton of the limited exclusive record store day releases available. below is a list of nearly everything we’ve ordered (there are probably more than a few things that i forgot to include on this list). there are is a good chance that some things on the list won’t show up at all (or perhaps next week). if there is something on this list that you must have, then get in here early. there is no limit to how many of these item you can buy, but we will limit each item to one per customer. Continue reading
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Edmonton's Eclectic Music Emporium
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…..news letter #530 – spring cleaning = more records…..
howdy all,
yikes, this is a lot later than i’d hoped. but there’s a lot to write about this week, and piles of records everywhere. some of you have made it in and rifled through the cbc stuff i grabbed last week, but there is still lots here and some really great stuff. see below for some more highlights that are still here. loads of new stuff to today and more tomorrow. and i bought more used stuff, but that will have to wait for a bit as there’s just too much right now. anyway, some great stuff for your listening pleasure, i’m super stoked to have a reissue of ‘joy of a toy’ in, definitely one of my favorite records.
…..pick of the week…..
*kevin ayers – joy of a toy – vinilisssimo – lp
- yes! finally a vinyl reissue of this amazing album. i dare say this album is perfect. “in 1968, after a u.s. tour with the jimi hendrix experience, the soft machine’s founding member kevin ayers decided to leave the band. unsure about their artistic direction, worn out by an exhausting schedule and reluctant to become another part of the music business, he sold his bass to noel redding and moved to ibiza. however, soon after he started writing the songs that would make up his first solo lp, joy of a toy. his departure from the soft machine had been amicable and robert wyatt, mike ratledge and hugh hopper all took part in the recordings at abbey road in july 1969. the resulting album meanders in and out of its own affecting mood, taking wonderful pop, folk, psych and prog turns during its course. It starts with the joyful, circus-like title track and veers from the gentle beauty of “girl on a swing” and pastoral gems like “eleanor’s cake (which ate her)” to ominous, experimental moments like “oleh oleh bandu bandong,” based on a malaysian traditional song, and the driving jam of “stop this train.” it also features “the lady rachel,” a beautifully-arranged track with a haunting atmosphere and one of ayers’ most representative tracks. on 180 gram vinyl; housed in a gatefold sleeve.”
…..new arrivals…… Continue reading
…..news letter #529 – interweb killed the radio archive…..
howdy all,
huh, snow. and me and the boy biked to school this morning. oh well. not a heck of a lot of new stuff in this week, but that’s quite alright cuz you should be more interested in the used stuff we got this week anyway. read on….
…..pick of the week…..
cbc archives!!!
- you may have read or heard in the news that the cbc was liquidating their music archives. what maybe wasn’t clear in what you may have read, was that a lot of stuff was being sent to toronto to keep one centralized and as complete as possible. so after that happened, i was able to go in and pull some stuff for the shop. now, contrary to what one would think, and likely due to the fact that this archive has been moved a few times prior to this location, it was not necessarily the treasure trove that one would expect, not to say i didn’t pull some pretty cool records, but there were not any truly mega rare canadian gems or anything like that. but there are over 500 really cool used records sitting here just waiting for you to rifle through and take home a part of the cbc’s edmonton archive. everything i grabbed is in vg+ or better condition as far as the vinyl itself is concerned. hell, many of these things have never been played. the covers are a different matter, while they are all intact and in reasonably good condition, they did come from a radio archive, so they are taped along the spines and have cataloging stickers on the covers. some a lot more than others, some it all peels off and leaves nary a trace, others it’s on there for good, but things are being priced accordingly, so as long as you are more concerned with listening to the record than putting the cover in a frame on your wall, there are some really great lps here at really nice prices. due to the quantity of stuff, i’m not going to list everything, but i have listed some below in the …..used….. section to give you an idea of what is in here to motivate you to come and dig through this stuff before it’s all gone.
…..new arrivals….. Continue reading
…..news letter #519 – prog actually is a four letter word…..
howdy all,
well, it may be january, but there are still some cool new things in for your listening pleasure, and we are slowly starting to see some much needed restocks as well. also, to make up the difference, we bought a few used records this week to keep you busy. if you trust the weather man, it’s supposed to get much colder next week, so stop in before you’re afraid to leave the house…
…..pick of the week…..
*bruce haack & miss nelson – the way-out record for children – mississippi – lp
- “recorded in 1968, a true psychedelic masterpiece for the kids. ms. nelson (a child educator) and bruce haack (an early electronic music pioneer) designed this record to open the minds and hearts of children to deeper levels of insight and culture. not condescending in the least and with a childlike sense of wonder, bruce and ms. nelson lay into some heavy songs about everything from robots to indian mysticism to motorcycle riding fantasies. it’s all in here. the music is all generated by bruces’ homemade electronic instruments which churn out proto hip hop beats and straight up avante garde moments left and right. the kids in ms. nelson’s community chime in with their voices here and there and the record ends with a haunting existential twist that’ll leave you screamin’ for more. a great record for children and adults of all ages.”
*bruce haack & miss nelson – electronic record for children – mississippi – lp
- “recorded in 1969 , early electronic music pioneer bruce haack and child educator ms. nelson go bravely and deeply into psychedelic music compositions designed to open the minds and hearts of the young. truly far out electronic music that evokes a space age alternate universe. bruce and ms. nelson are joined by pianist praxietellis pandit and their relaxed sounding friend chris to bring you songs about everything from ancient folk tales to outerspace to what the world sounds like when you listen with your inner self. real great stuff, not for the faint of heart. avante garde music by and for the people.”
…..new arrivals….. Continue reading
…..news letter #518 – in the cold january rain…..
howdy all,
hope you all survived new years… i know it’s early in the year, but fortunately, a bit of stuff has started to trickle in. it’ll still be a few weeks before a lot of out of stock stuff will all be back in, but in the meantime, here’s some cool new stuff for you to enjoy….
…..pick of the week…..
*ash ra tempel – s/t – mg.art – cd
*ash ra tempel – schwingungen – mg.art – cd
*ash ra tempel – join inn – mg.art – cd
*ash ra tempel – starring rosi – mg.art – cd
*timothy leary & ash ra tempel – seven up – mg.art – cd
*manuel gottsching – inventions for electric guitar – mg.art – cd
*manuel gottsching – e2-e4 – mg.art – cd
- what a way to start the year! it’s not very often i hype cds, but this stuff is sooooooo essential that it has to be done. some of the absolutely best kraut-rock/kosmiche music to ever be released is finally available again and has been completely remastered by manuel gottsching himself, as well as released on his own label. these albums date from 1971 – 1981, and bands today still can’t pull off what gottsching and crew (and what a crew… klaus schulze, hartmut enke, conny plank, etc) were able to pull off on these records 30-40 years after the fact. the first ash ra tempel is a blistering guitar freak out of the highest order… completely mind-melting. inventions for electric guitar is a staggering feat that sounds like it was made in a room full of synthesizers, yet there is only guitar used to create these early dance sounding tracks. then of course you have the seminal e2-e4, which is considered to be one of the most influential electronic pieces ever recorded. needless to say, these are must haves for any collection, and considering the price of original lps of this stuff, these cds reissues are your most economic way to acquire these albums. highest possible recommendation!!!!
…..new arrivals….. Continue reading
…..news letter #517 end of an (y)ear…..
it appears that it’s that time of the year again… days off, lots of food and drink, and year end lists. so once again i deliver to you my little list of things i loved this year. as usual, i’ve stuck to things that are a little less talked about, cuz well, i think that’s what y’all like about what we do here… so with out any further adue….
alvarius b – baroque primitiva - poon village/abduction – lp/cd
- if i were to rank this list, this one would be at the top. hands down. the first solo record from alan bishop of the sun city girls in 6 years, consisting largely of ennio morricone tracks, this is easily alan’s finest solo outting to date. sold out on vinyl in the blink of an eye, but still around on that smaller silver disc. just plain awesome.
anworth kirk – avonwaith – pre-cert – lp
applehead – applehead – pre-cert – lp
– two new albums from the marvelous pre-cert label. while similar both are fairly different. the second anworth release is another great slab of vhs sound collage. applehead delivers a slab of dark library style grooves. both awesome, and both, pretty much sold out.
barn owl – shadowland – thrill jockey – 12″
- before their new album this year, they released this ep, which really out shines the album for me. maybe it’s because the tracks are longer, maybe it’s because the tracks are drone-ier, maybe it’s because the vinyl is clear with smokey whisps, maybe it’s maybelline.
evan caminiti - when california sinks into the sea – handmade birds – lp
- this solo album from pne half of barn owl isn’t all that different from the newest barn owl album, but to these ears, it’s way better. masterful dark, brooding, expansive guitar explorations.
master musicians of bukkake - totem 3 – important – lp/cd
- the final instalment of the totem trilogy by this seattle based ethno/soundtrack/doom ensemble. this one finds the group really coming into their own and thus producing their most focused release to date.
jakob olausson - morning & sunrise – de stijl - lp/cd
- as always, there’s a late last-minute addition to these lists, and this one having only come out a few weeks ago has hit hard. real nice 70′s private press mellow folk vibes, with great layers of guitars, and olausson’s haunting voice, making this a late night winter favorite.
bill orcutt - how the thing sings – editions mego - lp/cd
- second full-length from this former member of harry pussy. easily the most original man working in the solo guitar field, with his modified four string guitar, aggressive style, and gutteral vocal stylings. the second side on this stunning.
oneohtrix point never – replica – software – lp/cd
- i was a big fan of his last album, returnal, and while the heavy use of a sampler makes this one a big departure from his more synth based sound, this one still has real cool nostalgic vibes going on.
part wild horses mane on both sides – low fired clay escape – carnival – lp
- this euro improv duo create a really lush and psychedelic soundscape with not a whole lot. percussion, voices, electronics and flute. parts remind me of the hinterland who’s who commercials. all parts are awesome.
matana roberts - coin coin – constellation – 2×10″/cd
- the other great constellation album from this year, this is a fantastic free-jazz, spiritual saga. this album mixes all sorts of jazz elements which each on their own could alienate some listeners, but the way they are mixed throughout this album makes them all utterly enjoyable.
……reissues…..
mark hollis - s/t – ba da bing - lp
index – black/red/yesterday – lion – 2cd
erkin koray – mechul – sublime frequencies – lp/cd
les rallizes denudes – great white wonder – phoenix – 5lp/4cd
talk talk - laughing stock - ba da bing - lp
ghedalia tazartes - box – vinyl on demand – 4lps+10″
throbbing gristle – 20 jazz funk greats – industrial – lp/cd
trad gras och stenar - gardet 12.6.1970 – subliminal sounds – 2lp
twinsistermoon - when stars glide through solid – blackest rainbow – 2lp/cd
…..compilations…..
bollywood bloodbath – finders keepers – lp/cd
shin juung hyun - beautiful rivers & mountains – light in the attic – lp/cd
ongaku 70: vintage psychedelia in japan – hiruko records – lp
princess nicotine – sublime frequencies – lp
thai? dai! – finders keepers – lp/cd
hopefully these little lists bring something to your attention that you haven’t heard of, or forgot about, or something to that effect. there was a lot of great stuff out this year, both new, and as reissues. it’s hard to keep up sometimes.
and that wraps up another year here… it’s been a wild one, lots of new friends, good times with old friends, and of course lots and lots of records. thank you all for your patronage over the last 12 months, with out you and your business, we wouldn’t exist, and wouldn’t that be a shame. so again, thanks, and have a happy and safe new year…..
best,
kris and staff
listen records 10443a – 124 street edmonton, alberta t5n 1r7
780.732.1132
…..news letter #513 – makeshift swahili…..
howdy all,
you know, even when it happens on a weekly basis, i’m still somewhat shocked and annoyed when ups decides once again to not deliver one of my shipments on time. oh well, less work for me today, twice the work tomorrow. anyway, if you haven’t noticed, christmas is creeping up quickly. if you are looking for something specific, be sure to come pick it up sooner than later as it will get harder in the next couple of weeks to get some stuff back in before christmas.
…..pick of the week…..
*omar souleyman – leh jani – sham palaces – lp
- first release on sham palace, a new label from key sublime frequencies conspirator mark gergis. “leh jani” — the legendary omar souleyman track — was originally released in syria as a sprawling 30-minute epic groove, alongside two additional tracks. the entire 60-minute cassette album was recorded live to tape in 1998 at the home studio of producer zuhir maksi in the village of ras al ain in northeastern syria. many of omar’s early tapes were recorded in this fashion to replicate the feeling of his live wedding party performances while minimizing the inherent recording chaos and distractions of those parties. the full track — featured here, reveals plenty more twists and turns from synth and saz during its hypnotic course. “leh jani” appeared in slightly edited form on the original syrian-issued tape, which was distributed throughout the country for a short period of time. the song was further truncated for omar’s debut western compilation, highway to hassake and a concurrently assembled internet video clip of the track helped earn omar his first attention in the west. the album begins with a lively introduction followed by a majestic mawal, before showcasing the incredible uptempo and previously-unreleased “salamat galbi bidek.” all tracks are embellished with the virtuosic folk stylings of longtime collaborators rizan sa’id on keyboards and hamid souleyman on electric bozouk. this complete version of the original leh jani cassette album features an hour of music, and ensures an all-night syrian dabke party no matter where on earth you rest the needle.
…..new arrivals…… Continue reading
