Release of the Day: Zenith Effluveum - Almost Made It In The USA

Here's another private press gem I picked up from Permanent. This one is a lo-fi psychedelic gem from a band out of Rochester, NY in the late 70s. The band was a trio: Carl Mack, Michael Ferrera, and Kim Fabis. Before this record saw the light of day, the band had performed at CBGB in '77. Almost Made It In The USA eventually came out in 1978. Composed of three long songs, and one reeeeeally long side-length song, which is the real killer on the record, AMIITUSA is an example of the mental diaspora of German psych sounds into the collective unconsciousness in the US.

By the late 70s there were a couple movements that were resonating: prog and punk and CBGB was a massive hub for the punk, no-wave, and art rock movements with bands like the Talking Heads, Mars, The Ramones, and Suicide being mainstays. Those are some my all-time favorite bands, but Zenith Effluveum was on another wavelength. I'm no expert, but I often think that psychedelia and punk are kind of doing the same thing - breaking free from something - but they expect different end results. The samsara from Psych rock is an expanded consciousness. The nirvana of punk rock is a collapsed system. And because the respective idea "liberation" is defined as such opposites by genre tycoons, it makes a juxtaposition where there really isn't one. Let me put it this way. Krautrock was a punk movement in ethos - those cats were sick of the schlager music going around Germany, stilted renderings of the Beatles by way of Oktoberfest and lederhosen. Just think of Klaus Schulze's expression from seeing that? Dude was not about to put on lederhosen and do a bullshit karaoke version of a pop song.

Anyway, it seems to me that Zenith Effluveum was kind of doing the same thing - liberation from the expected type of music coming out of New York at the time. Krautrock worship simply didn't sell and it's a damn shame because this record is really great and if it had been a marketable music style, we may have had more come out of this band. Yes, there's a 7" that the band put out that is less "out there" than the LP (and there are rumors of recordings from a reunited band that have never made their way out of the netherrealm where hidden LPs, EPs, and singles sustain themselves), but there really could have been more. Who can say if it would be good, though? Well, a boy can dream. And as I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord more records will seep [out of hiding].

Release of the Day: The John Street Rockets - Rock and Roll the Hard Way

I'm a total sucker for private press records, for better or for worse. I'm also a sucker for bad records - I can enjoy a weirdo lounge record as much as a psychedelic masterpiece for completely different reasons. It's a great way to listen to music because I can get something out of exposure to even the worst of music. So I picked up a copy of this John Street Rockers record at Permanent yesterday knowing that I typically like private press stuff and even if it were bad I would get something out of it (and to be completely transparent, I know that I can generally flip it on Discogs if it doesn't jive with me and not lose any money).

But this record totally rules! In 1979, these five cats going under the name The John Street Rockets created a focused blues rock record called Rock and Roll the Hard Way. Now what I know about the band is limited to what's on the back of the record, which says that the five members of the band are Bud Moore, D.T., Terry St. Louis, Dave McKee, and Laura Chorba. The record is comprised of six somewhat long songs that sometimes make their way into instrumental jams, though for the majority of time, they maintain their cohesive song structure. And there are some genuinely catchy tunes here as well for the classic rock fiend.

There's not a ton of information on this band, but I know that Permanent in L.A. and Chicago have copies for $50, which is a heavy price, but I actually think it's totally worth it. I highly recommend picking it up because once these are gone you may never see one again! That's the beauty of the private press, folks! Act now or forever hold your peace.

 

Release of the Day: The Bachs - Out of the Bachs

I've been digging into private press albums ever since my pal Dave McCune hipped me to the Acid Archives, luckily with the help of some buds more in the know. It's been like uncovering a treasure chest - I've had the opportunity to learn about and listen to so many new records, many of which were impossible to track down before the spread of the internet. Out of the Bachs, for instance, was only pressed in an edition of about 150 copies privately. And now you can hear it on Spotify or YouTube or use discogs for a reissue without having to rely on rare record catalogs, books, or word-of-mouth.

So does this detract from the mystique of rare records or enhance it? Well, that's the million dollar question. Is it now easier to develop a mental encyclopedic reference list of records anymore? Yes and no. The process of getting to know a record is still to listen more than once, become familiar with its backstory, and hopefully grace your fingers and eyes with its cardboard sleeve. Listening and familiarizing are the more easy and affordable parts of this learning experiencing, which are hands-down easier feats with the internet. The tactile part, though, requires time and place. There is nothing like holding a record, if you ask me. This feeling for collectors is much more than a simple reward, but an accomplishment. The process of tracking down a record may be made easier with discogs or ebay, but holding or touching a record must still be done in person.

Enough philosophizing: the Bachs were a garage rock band that came out of the Chicago suburbs Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, and played for private parties and dances in the 60s before releasing this record and then calling it quits. The vocals and instruments were recorded at different times, which accounts for some of the shaky balance - sometimes the music will switch speakers if you're listening in stereo or on headphones, but I think that's part of the charm.

Doing a little extra research was really funny to me: for instance, Ben Harrison of the Bachs made an appearance on Rihanna's "Rated R." How weird is that?! It's easy to look up little trivia like this now, which can make the experience more enjoyable, but it can also disprove some of the record legends you might hear. Like, the other day, I was talking to Jamie at Permanent about record trivia and discogs and he told me that that story about Anton LaVey being in the back of the artwork for Hotel California was completely fake and it took away a little bit of the magic or at least the intrigue. The partial truths of record collecting folklore are just as valid and important as the reality, as much of it used to be spread in ways not dissimilar to folk and blues songs of old, perhaps around a campfire o at the saloon.

There is more magic in communion than in loneliness.