The "Barack the Magic Negro" song parody has received mixed reviews. How hilarious do you think it is?

The "Barack the Magic Negro" song parody has received mixed reviews. How hilarious do you think it is?

A. Mixed reviews? Did some of them find it reprehensible while others thought it was "f**king reprehensible?"

B. My fiance and I have been looking for a first song for our wedding. It's either this or "One in a Million" by G n' R.

C. As a professional magician who is also extremely racist, I found the use of the term "magic" to be inappropriate. Aside from that, awesome.

D. Look, there's just no better way to address the concerns of marginalized civil rights leaders than through the universally respected art of racist song parody.

E. Limbaugh, you've done it again you obese, pill-popping imbecile!

POLL COURTESY OF 236.COM

Merry Christmas #9: Aimee Mann's Off The Wall Christmas Concert 2008

Here's a great little holiday treat for you (better late than never)... A Christmas Concert by Aimee Mann from just a few days ago... great sound quality, lots of christmas songs, lots of goofing around, lots of star studded guest appearances, lots of fun. Originally broadcast on WXPN, Public Radio, PA.


Aimee Mann's Off The Wall Christmas Concert
12/13/2008 - Glenside, PA
(FM broadcast)

01 - WXPN intro
02 - Show intro (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies)
03 - Calling On Mary [AM]
04 - Paul F. Tompkins intro & banter
05 - Sleigh Ride [AM & PFT]
06 - Nelly McKay (wearing a big red corset) intro & banter
07 - Sleigh Ride (cont’d) [NMK-sung in high voice]
08 - Grant-Lee Phillips (in snowman costume) intro & banter
09 - Sleigh Ride (cont’d) [GLP]
10 - Aimee banter & film introduction
11 - Film pt.1 (The Ghost of Christmas Past) [GLP, Michael Penn, PFT]
12 - Paul F. Tompkins comedy routine #1
13 - Snow Miser, Heat Miser [AM, PFT, GLP, NMK]
14 - Paul F. Tompkins comedy routine #2
15 - I’ll Be Home For Christmas [AM]
16 - Christmastime
17 - Take Me Away [NMK]
18 - Nelly with Rudolph toy
19 - A Christmas Dirge [NMK]
20 - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) [AM]
21 - Film pt.2 (The Ghost of Christmas Present)
22 - Wise Up [AM]
23 - Save Me [AM]
24 - Aimee introduces Amos Lee
25 - Winter Wonderland [AM & AL]
26 - Christmas In Prison [AL]
27 - Baby I Want You [AL]
28 - Paul F. Thompkins introduces “Willie Nelson”
29 - Voices Carry [as sung by “Willie Nelson” and AM]
30 - Film pt.3 (The Making Of The Christmas Movie) w/Michael Cera
31 - Aimee introduces Grant Lee Phillips
32 - You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch [GLP & AM]
33 - An Old Fashioned Christmas [GLP wAM]
34 - Winter Glow [GLP]
35 - Banter
36 - “The Hanukkah Fairy” (Morgan Murphy) appears
37 - The Immaculate Conception of the Hanukkah Fairy [MM]
38 - Film pt.4 (The Ghost of Christmas Future) [wJohn C. Reilly & Michael Cera]
39 - Freeway [AM]
40 - Dear John [AM]
41 - Long Shot [AM]
42 - Encore Break and Station IDs
43 - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) [All, including GLP in a Rudolph costume]

Download: Aimee Man: Off The Wall Christmas Concert 2008 (zipped)

Some Stuff Santa Brought

Some of the great stuff I got from Santa this year:

Music:

• Ryan Adams, Cardinology
(only 1 new album from Ryan this year? Slacker!)

• Against Me!, Acoustic EP
had a few songs from this, but not the entire thing... awesome

• Kings of Leon, Only By the Night
Am looking forward to hearing this whole thing... review to come

• TV on the Radio, Dear Science
Same with KOL...

• Ike Reilly Assasination, We Belong to the Staggering Evening
I posted 1 song from this a while ago on the blog, nice to hear the whole album!

• AC/DC, Black Ice
Walmart exclusive, and STILL one of Sony's biggest selling albums of the year

• Buckcherry, Black Butterfly
Josh Todd never disappoints!

• Wye Oak, If Children
Local kids (UMBC) make good... on Merge Records, too!



DVDs:

• Monster Road
(Doc portrait of Clay Animator Bruce Bickford)

• The Last 1948 Show
(The Classic Series that preceded and inspired Monty Python)

• The Dark Knight
(along with the rest of America)

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Season 6
(Food Items Solve Crimes)


Video Games:

• Dead Space (Xbox360)
Survival/Horror/Action in Space

• Gears Of War 2 (Xbox360)
Blockbuster Sequel to one of my favorite games

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox360)
dark side of the force... cooooool

• The Orange Box (Xbox360)
5 of the best games ever made (2007's game of the year) all on one disc, on sale for 20 bucks!


Libations:

• Lump Of Coal
(mmmmmm... favorite Chocolate Stout)

• Rogue Chocolate Stout
(mmmmmm...)

• Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
(had others from them, can't wait to try!)

• Porto Feist 1995 Vintage Port
(hand painted lettering on the bottle!)

• a Healthy mix of Old Dominion and such from Tim
(awesome! awesome! awesome! thank you!)



Various Awesomeness:

• NYT Obama Victory Issue, sealed in plastic
(GREAT IDEA, DAD!)

• 2 x Vintage Macintosh Ads (Think Different) Framed!

• Radioactive Octopus vs Frogmen

• Mad Magazine collection of Star Wars Parodies over the years

• Colored Pencils (w/ pad)

• Stuff White People Like (book)

• Clothes!

etc... etc... etc....

And the greatest gift of all?

• Delivering the Kidney Stone!
Sniff... It's a Cristmas Miracle!

Thank you everyone for what is probably my best "haul" of fantastic presents, I still can't believe this is the year we all decided to "cut back"!!!! I hope you all like what we got for YOU! I know we sure enjoyed giving them all to you! Merry, Merry Christmas, and I look forward to a new 2009 just around the bend! (Go Obama!)

Christmas Wishes DO come True (Merry Christmas #8)

Well, God Willing, it seems like I have passed my kidney stone, just about 10 pm Christmas night. The past 72 hours have been absolute hell, and every muscle in my body is pained and exhausted. The little F#CKER was about the size of a "Nerd" candy and predominantly black.

I don't have much music here with me while in Baltimore (other than the awesome new stuff I got and am still sifting through), so for a late Christmas Night gift, I am posting a collection of all the Pearl Jam Christmas Fan Club Singles from every year released (up until this year, of course!)

A great collection of fantastic rarities (Angel, Driftin', etc) and bizzare ramblings and b-sides (ramblings 1 and 2, Olympic Platinum) and some awesome covers (Ramones, Dead Boys, Split Enz, Elvis, etc), these Vynl 45's come every year* to a member of the Fan Club, and these are every one of them from 1991 - 2007.

Merry Chrismas. I will sleep like the Baby Jesus in the manger tonight.

Tracklist Includes:

1991
-Let Me Sleep (Unreleased)
-Ramblings I (Unreleased)

1992
-Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover)
-Ramblings II (Unreleased)

1993
-Angel (Unreleased)
-Ramblings III (live in Indio, CA 11/5/93)

1995
-History Never Repeats (Split Enz cover, live with Neil & Tim Finn)
-Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover, live with Joey Ramone)
-Swallow My Pride (Green River cover, live)
-My Way (Elvis cover with Elvis' cousin Terry, live)

1996
-Olympic Platinum (Unreleased)
-Smile (live in Barcelona, 11/21/96)

1997 (joint effort with R.E.M.)
-Happy When I'm Crying (Unreleased)
-Live For Today - R.E.M.

1998
-Soldier of Love (cover by Arthur Alexander)
-Last Kiss (cover by J. Frank Wilson)

1999
-Strangest Tribe (Unreleased)
-Driftin' (Unreleased)

2000
-Crown of Thorns (Mother Love Bone cover, live)
-Can't Help Falling In Love (Elvis cover)

2001
-Last Soldier (live)
-Indifference (with Ben Harper, live)
-Gimme Some Truth (Lennon cover, live)
-I Just Want To Have Something To Do (Ramones cover)

2002
-Don't Believe In Christmas (Sonics cover, live)
-Sleepless Nights (Everly Brothers cover, live with Beck)

2003
-Reach Down (live, with Chris Cornell)
-I Believe In Miracles (Ramones cover, live)

2004
-Someday At Christmas (Jackson 5ive cover)
-Betterman (w/ Walmer High School choir from South Africa)

2005
-Little Sister (with Robert Plant, live)
-Gone (demo)

2006
- Love Reign O'er Me (The Who cover)
- Rockin' In The Free World (N. Young cover w/ Bono and The Edge-U2)

2007
- Santa God (Unreleased)
- Jingle Bells (James Pierpont cover)

Download: Pearl Jam: Fan Club Christmas Singles 1992-2007 (zipped)

* 1994 was the only year they didn't send one, but 1995's made up for it with a double vynl version with 2 albums sent...

You Shall NOT PASS!

This exact scene is happening in my Kidney and Urinary tract right now.

The stone is still there, frolicking around, knocking me out for about 30-40 minutes every 4 hours or so. today has been better, but YESTERDAY was a nightmare. I had to excuse myself from Alicia's family's dinner to go upstairs on their sofa and shiver and teeth-chatter in utter misery. I fell sound asleep, then woke up feeling fine, came down for them to open presents, then we were off to Bob's house to exchange presents there. On the way in the car, I was hit with round 2, and I was down for the F'ing count. I seriously thought I was going to pass out in the car, and by the time we arrived at the house I was delusional and frantic, and I walked straight in, and straight upstairs immediately and fell asleep there for about a half hour or so. Again, I woke up feeling fine, and I came downstairs for presents and holiday merriment. Coming home I was rough, and I just collapsed in bed and fell sound asleep. Got a good night's sleep, and this am we got up early and went over to Grandmom Smiths, then off to Dayna's house in the evening.

6:30, and we are back in the hotel, and I am in for the night. Mild pain, but NOTHING like yesterday (yet).

Christmas presents have been fantastic though, I can't wait to share some of the new music, probably not until I return to NY though...

Tomorow we visit with Grandmom Luh in the hospital, then Mom and Amanda and Chris for early evening and dinner. All in all the pressure has been very low, and the visits have been very pleasant. With the economic downturn, we (along with most of the country, I suspect) just really all seemed to appreciate getting together, eating, drinking and being merry. ChristmasCrazyFest has been kept to a dull roar, and maybe it's just my majorly drugged up percoset outlook, but I sure do like it this year!

Merry Christmas to all. And to ME a good night (hopefully)

Q: When are 2mm more painful than 35mm?

A. When It's a Kidney Stone.

Yesterday evening Alicia and I had dinner with my Mom and Amanda, and during dinner (possibly before) I started getting a weird, dull ache in the lower portion of my back. I assumed it was from carrying presents for the past few days, especially the TV we got for Alicia's Mom and Dad for Christmas, which I was carrying all by myself. Although Back pain is not really a problem I usually have an issue with, I thought " Oh well, I guess I'm getting older..."

After dinner we did a touch more shopping, finishing off the complete list, but the back ache was a bit worse. I laid on the floor, and Alicia showed me some back stretching and relaxation excercises, which DID feel good, but nothing seemed to work.

I went to use the restroom, and while there, became CONSUMED with a ferocious pain now in my front and abdomen. I got a terrible chill, teeth chatering and most of my muscles spasming and contracting involuntarily.

I really wasn't that scared, because at this point I pretty much knew exactly what it was.

11 Years ago, at the ripe old age of 21, I had my first kidney stone. I took an ambulance to the ER in Brooklyn (a. I didn't have a car. b. seriously thought I was dying). Once I passed that one, the doctor told me that if I was 21 and havng a stone, then my body just is going to keep making them, and he could pretty much gurantee that I would have them for the rest of my life.

11 years go by with no incident, but the loaded gun has been pointed at the back of my head the entire time.

I came out of the bathroom last night, and told Alicia with nearly 100% certainty that I had a stone, and needed to go to the ER right now. (it was now 11:30 at night, David Letterman had just come on the tv) She drove us to St. Joseph's er, mercifully only a 5 minute ride (have I mentioned that the Holiday Inn we stay at is in just about the most convenient location in the world?)

Checked in to the ER, was in triage about 15 minutes later (15 looooong minutes of agony, as well as a TV in the waiting room blaring Mike Huckabee on False News) and they weeled me into a room where I proceeded to die and ressurect, not unlike the Phoenix.

4:00am the worst appeared over, so they sent us home with a doping of morphine, a prescription for Percoset, and a bunch of paper strainers to pee into until it passes.

Got a few hours of sleep, awoke for 2 x conference calls for work, and I am officially taking it easy today (not that my body would allow me to do anything differently, anyway!

And to my ever anxious parents, Congrats, you are now Grandparents for the second time! This new baby's name is "Calcie" and she is 2 mm...

let's hope I get 11 more years of peace after this one...

Merry Christmas to me.

Still (Crazy) Busy

My first full day "off" today in Baltimore had me on the phone, texting, setting up meetings, checking freelancer availabilities, turning down freelance work from other companies and getting FedEx info for sending out discs. Checking Animations for errors (found one!) revising and reposting, and coordinating others to send out the final delivered masters. Downloading and viewing boards, talking about them, and setting up 2 x phonecall meetings for tomorrow. (Whew.)

Christmas shopping for "ChristmasCrazyFest 2008" is officially done, as of 8:30 pm this evening. Probably the coldest day I could imagine, no less. (Although I can remember some cooooold days in High School Color Guard with the band for some St. Patricks Day Parades from hell!)

Although it's been stressful to manage, quite frankly I am relieved that it's happening... every year for the past 10 yeas has ended this way, and with the economy in total meltdown, I was getting nervous that this year's quiet phones were a sign of bad things to come. (I was reassuring myself that "steady" was the new "busy") But now I can sleep easy, knowing that all is right in the world, since my phone is melting and the office is on fire and everyone is in tears that I am not at the office for a few of the Holiest and most widely celebrated holidays in the United States.

No sweat.

Out With A Bang

After a truly terrible end of the year (Botulism Toxin, et al) the last project of the year that snuck in was for Sony Music / Epic / Legacy and it was not only for my favorite band of all time, but for the MASSIVE anniversary re-release of their classic debut album!

We were hired to direct and animate a 60+ second animation showcasing everything that's in the massive box set. It's simple, and fun, and a really nice reminder why I like doing motion graphics. I can't post it yet (since it isn't officially approved yet) but once it is, I will post it here for you to see...

Another reason to smile? this job wraps the last day I am in the city before taking 2 weeks off in Baltimore for ChristmasCrazyFest 2008. And this job was, drumroll, please.... number 111 for the year... In all my years of owning and running my own business (that is many a moon, now) I have never broken 100 jobs in a calendar year. I just broke the record by well over 10 percent, and you figure 2 of those jobs were 10-12 month nightmares.. imagine how many we could have done if THOSE giant turds weren't on the schedule?!??! Ha!

Thanks to all those who have worked with me over the past year, and I look forward to seeing you all in the fresh new year of 2009... let's put 2008 out to pasture, already!

An Offer I Couldn't Refuse

Last night after class I had a pretty terrific email sitting in my "inbox." I was invited to be one of the judges for I.D. Magazine's Design Annual! I had been asked to judge another (smaller) competition earlier this year but was unable to do so because of their last-minute invitation (somebody famous had to back out at the last minute, and they needed a replacement!) but this is a much bigger deal.

I will be judging the interactive segment, which is both fun and curious, because while my training and early career experience was interactive, my niche for the past 10 years has pretty much been Motion Graphics. I think they liked that though, that I am not wholly consumed by the Interactive world but participate in the discipline of Design at large, and hopefully will bring a fresh pair of eyes and a fresh point of view to the category. (Hopefully nobody will see the Botox piece of $.H.I.T. I have been doing for the past year, lest they rescind the invitation!)

Needless to say, I was blown away and honored, and I RSVP'ed promptly for the date of February 26th to judge. I will post more as it develops, but for now I can just be pleased.

Class Is Wrapped (10 Years Down)

Last night was the final critique for the Cooper Union class I teach, "Design In Motion." It wrapped pretty well, all things considered. This was my 10th year teaching, which really astounds me, since I have only been OUT of Cooper for 10 years. There has not been a September that I have not gone back to school since I was 3 years old. All the years at Cooper, the course curriculum has always been the same, but this year I gave them something new, which seemed to have a pretty good success rate. Their enthusiasm for the project, and the field of Motion Graphics in general was very high, which translated pretty well into the work, and most importantly, into their work ethic.

The assignment was to "Persuade. Change. Influence." Pick a cause. Anything. Political, sarcastic, comedic, social, anything you think you will be interested in for an entire semester. Then create 3 x promotional "spots" that advocate your cause, or change someone's mind or convince them of your cause. After all, what else IS a 30 second commercial other than someone trying to convice the viewer of something. Use the airwaves to get a message out that wouldn't normally be able to connect with a mass public.

The student solutions were great. We had a person champion (quite seriously) the plight of the oppression of Left Handed people in our society. We had a campaign maligning and criticizing the suburbs and sprawl. There were public service announcements about unwritten rules of courtesy for New York City (Don't walk four-side-by-side down the street). Cautionary spots about the dangers of Credit Cards. And my personal favorite, a propaganda campaign to convince people to move to Mars ("Red Is The New Green!")

Thanks to Joseph for being a terrific guest critic (especially on such short notice), and of course to Emily (who kicks butt as always with the final crit!) Sorry that Scott couldn't make it, but there's always next year! And thanks to They Might Be Giants, without whom the 10 years running of the 1-week assignments just wouldn't be the same!

After a Spring Semester hiatus,, I will return again in the fall, for another September spent in the world of academia. Here's to 10 more.

Happy Birthday Alicia!

Happy Birthday to Alicia! Go over to her blog and wish her a happy one!

Pretty Early Machine (Merry Christmas #7)

To any NIN fan who felt gypped by the last (funny) post, here is my apology...

the complete (?) demo recordings of Pretty Hate Machine, in all of their unfinished (and sometimes embarrassingly terrible) glory. PHM was a seminal album, and these demo tracks mostly represent that, showing a neat glimpse into the early creative process. But a few of them are simply 80s-pop-terrible! thank GOD they got majorly reworked!

But for the rarities-seeker, or the music fan or the demo track hunters out there, this is a rare find presented in fantastic quality. Your list of christmas gifts from this site continues to rise!

Tracklisting is as follows:
Nine Inch Nails
Pretty Hate machine Early Demos

01. Intro
02. Sanctified
03. Maybe Just Once
04. The Only Time
05. Kinda I Want To
06. That's What I Get
07. Purest Feeling
08. Ring Finger
09. Down In It

Download: Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine Demos (zipped)

Enjoy!

Nine Chip Nails

Anyone who has seen my wallet or has read this blog before pretty much know my obsessions with Nintendo and my fanboy worship of Nine Inch Nails. (the guitar hanging on our home studio wall is testament enough).

Well in a "you got YOUR chocolate in MY peanut butter" tradition, 2 of my guilty pleasures have just been merged into one bizzare creation...

A free album tribute to Nine Inch Nails made entirely with an 8-bit video game sound system... all trent's hits, sounding as if they are the final boss battle in the original Metroid.

It's weird. And Fun. Not terribly GOOD, but worth a listen and great for a laugh. Interested in either of the 2? then this DL is a no-brainer...

Download: Nine Chip Nails: Various Artists (zipped)

Rejected Commercials

This is old as the internet itself, but it needs to be shown.

Botulinum Toxin #1 (Merry F'n Xmas #6)

Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances, and it is the most toxic protein. Though it is highly toxic, it is used in minute doses both to treat painful muscle spasms, and as a cosmetic treatment in some parts of the world. It is sold commercially under the brand names Botox, Dysport, and Myobloc for this purpose. The terms Botox, Dysport, and Myobloc are trade names and are not used generically to describe the neurotoxins produced by C. botulinum. (-Wikipedia)

Even though I shipped the big broadcast project last week (the previous post has been edited since I posted it on the internet prematurely... sorry!) I am still saddled with the frights and horrors of This interactive CD-ROM, the other god-awful P.O.S. we've been dealing with for almost 12 months. Again, I can't stress enough how long 12 months is to be working on a single project for me... at least the Channel ID was with world famous Graphic Designers and will air across 22 countries of the Middle East. THIS? I wouldn't show this finished piece to my worst enemy, even if they were looking into getting some Chemical cosmetic work done!!! I mean, really... is this the sort of procedure that is BENEFITED by an interactive CD-ROM experience? I mean, does allowing the "user" to control a needle and inject an eyeball really illuminating in the medical sense? The amount of money these morons dump into this crap is staggering, and yet, with a 3 month budget that is now in month 12, all that cash is long dried up. Now I am just finishing it so I can have such an awesome piece in my portfolio. Because, you know, I haven't really been working on anything too good these past few years, I thought it was time to get some Botulism Toxin on the reel.

Sorry about the rant. things have been particularly bad and difficult over here with this crap, and I just wanted to rant and share my pain. Plus I thought it would give a good laugh or two! I kept muscling through hoping that I could finish it this calendar-year, but it seems the fates have aligned against me yet again. Oh well, you never know.... Christmas wishes DO come true sometimes I guess (although if I had only a single Christmas wish, I guess I'd use it for my lawsuit, not waste it on botulism!)

Anyway, a presription for this misery (take these 7 songs and call me in the morning):

Download: Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees (Live, Acoustic 2003)

Download: Foo Fighters: Stacked Actors

Download: Amen: California's Bleeding

Download: Bon Jovi: Bad Medecine

Download: Faith No More: Midlife Crisis

Download: Hole: Miss World

Download: Radiohead: Fitter, Happier

I'll post more as the turd continues to burn...

Merry Christmas #5: Paul Simon

Here is a fantastic 2-disc bootleg of Paul Simon Live at the Beacon theater in NY, December 2000. A fantastic show with fantastic sound quality. This will make a great gift for someone who's hard to buy for, trust me!

Paul Simon
Beacon Theater, New York, NY
December 8, 2000


(1) That's Where I Belong (3:31)
(2) Graceland (5:06)
(3) One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor (3:36)
(4) You're The One (5:02)
(5) 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (4:52)
(6) That Was Your Mother (3:31)
(7) Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard (3:11)
(8) The Teacher (4:14)
(9) Spirit Voices (4:38)
(10) Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes (7:18) =>
(11) You Can Call Me Al (5:13)
(12) Old Friends/Bookends (2:59)
(13) Homeward Bound (2:59)
(14) I Am A Rock (3:50)
(15) Darling Lorraine (7:02)
(16) Old (2:27)

(1) The Boy in the Bubble (6:39)
(2) American Tune (4:21)
(3) The Coast (5:35)
(4) Late In The Evening (6:48)
(5) The Late Great Johnny Ace (4:13)
(6) Hurricane Eye (6:07)
(7) Proof (5:48)
(8) Still Crazy After All These Years (5:52)
(9) Pigs, Sheep, and Wolves (4:09)
(10) Mrs. Robinson (5:11)
(11) The Boxer (6:58)
(12) Kodachrome (3:32)


enjoy!

Download: Paul Simon: Live at the Beacon Theater, NYC, December 2000 (zipped)

Merry Christmas #4: String Theory / Plush Christmas Party 2008

Merry Christmas #2: G 'N R First Sessions

Holy crap, the Christmas presents just continue... can I keep it up for the next 23 days? This site might just turn into an Advent Calendar of unreleased rarities!

Today I have the first complete 1987 recordings of Guns N' Roses before the release of Appetite For Destruction.

It is pretty damned thorough, and absolutely a fantastic rock treasure. check out some of the covers: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Heartbreak Hotel, Mama Kin...

And notice 2 songs that made the much-later Use Your Illusion albums: Don't Cry and November Rain! Amazing. I knew nothing of this stufff, till I found it quite by accident trolling around the intertubes.

Here's the description that came with it:

GUNS N'ROSES SESSIONS - Liberated Bootleg
Japanese Silver Pressed Discs
Label: 'Uzi Suicide' - Unofficial
Matrix: GNR871/GNR872

*PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE*

This 2CD Japanese silver set features almost all of the tracks recorded during Guns N' Roses 1987 demo sessions.
Hence the name "Sessions". The only tracks missing are 'Out Ta Get Me', an alternate take of 'Rocket Queen', and an acoustic version of 'Move To The City'. Why these tracks were omitted is beyond me.

These discs have also released as No Refrain (CD1) and November Rain (CD2).

The tracks on 'Sessions' seem to come from a better source/transfer as there are less audible artifacts present in the background.

Highlights of 'Sessions' include two completely unique versions of 'November Rain', as well as raw early versions of 'Paradise City', Nightrain', 'Don't Cry','Back Off Bitch', 'Shadow Of Your Love', and multiple takes of two unreleased covers; 'Heartbreak Hotel', and, 'Jumpin' Jack Flash'.

This incredible document of the early years of Guns N' Roses career is a must for any hard rock fan.

CD I 60:06

[01] Jumping Jack Flash
[02] You're Crazy
[03] Reckless Life
[04] Heartbreak Hotel
[05] Shadow Of Your Love
[06] Welcome To The Jungle
[07] Move To The City
[08] Mama Kin
[09] Mama Kin
[10] Heartbreak Hotel
[11] Instrumental Jam
[12] Jumping Jack Flash
[13] Jumping Jack Flash
[14] West Coast Junkie....
[15] November Rain

CD II 64:35

[01] Rocket Queen
[02] Night Train
[03] My Michelle
[04] You're Crazy
[05] Paradise City
[06] Move To The City
[07] November Rain
[08] Shadow Of Your Love
[09] Wreckless Life
[10] Think About You
[11] Welcome To The Jungle
[12] Don't Cry
[13] Nice Boys
[14] Back Off Bitch
[15] Anything Goes


Download: Guns 'N Roses: First Sessions (zipped)

as always, enjoy! (and we'll see what I can dig up tomorrow!)

Merry Christmas #1: Fecal Matter

Since it's December (already) I decided to start to break out some real rarities and nice finds from deep in my collection, the type of stuff that might even make a good Christmas present for someone you know!

What better place to start than Nirvana? Here is their first demo tape from 1985, called Fecal Matter. The sound is not great, but it sure is a piece of history.

From Wikipedia:
Fecal Matter was a short-lived band from Aberdeen, Washington, that formed in late 1985. It was the first band conceived by Kurt Cobain, who would become famous as the frontman of the seminal grunge band Nirvana. Other significant members included Dale Crover and Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, which would also become highly influential. The band's only known demo tape, entitled Illiteracy Will Prevail, has become a much sought-after rarity among Nirvana fans, as it features the first songs written and recorded by Cobain.

History:
The band was formed in late 1985 and consisted of Cobain on guitar and vocals, Dale Crover on bass, and Greg Hokanson on drums. In December that year, Hokanson left the band. Later that month, Cobain and Crover went to Cobain's aunt's house in Seattle with a large book of lyrics and recorded the demo Illiteracy Will Prevail on a 4-track.[1] Cobain performed guitar and vocals, while Crover played bass guitar and drums.
In January 1986, Buzz Osborne joined as bassist and Mike Dillard joined as drummer. According to Michael Azerrad's Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Cobain thought Osborne did not take the band seriously enough and refused to buy a bass guitar amplifier.[2] In February, Fecal Matter disbanded and the Melvins recorded their debut EP.
After Fecal Matter disbanded, Cobain began passing the demo tape around to friends and peers in hopes of starting a new band. Cobain was particularly proud of the tape. To him, the tape showed that he did have talent. He had wanted to start a band with friend Krist Novoselic for some time. After hearing the tape (and particularly liking "Spank Thru") Novoselic agreed to form a band in mid-1986. That band would later be known as Nirvana.
The song "Spank Thru" was the only one from the tape to be officially released; it featured on the 2005 Nirvana rarities album Sliver: The Best of the Box. However in March 2006, incomplete poor-quality clips of many of the songs were leaked on a Nirvana website. One week later, three full songs from the demo were briefly hosted on a MySpace site; "Sound of Dentage", "Bambi Slaughter" and "Laminated Effect". The clips were confirmed as authentic by Mike Ziegler (and others who have heard the demo) on a website popular with Nirvana collectors. The source of the three full songs remains unknown.


here's the tracklist:

01. Sound Of Dentage
02. Bambi Slaughter
03. Laminated Effect
04. Accusations (Clip)
05. Class of '86
06. Class of '86 (Clip Version)
07. Boatakk (Clip Version)
08. Boatakk (Full w/ Instrumental)
09. Anorexorcist (Clip Version)
10. Love My Family (Unknown) & Anorex
11. Vaseline (Unknown)
12. Spank Thru
13. Blathers Log (Clip Version)
14. Blathers Log
15. Buffy's Pregnant
16. Buffy's Pregnant (Part 2)
17. Downer


Download: Nirvana: Fecal Matter Demo Tape, 1985 (zipped)

Like I said, the sound quality is about what you would imagine the first recored demos of Kurt Cobain would be (rough at best) but for a collector or rock fan, this might just make their Christmas!

enjoy.