★4 Men With Beards
The Seal Of The Blue Lotus
180-gram vinyl, Tip-on cover. Originally released on John Fahey's Takoma Records in 1965, The Seal Of The Blue Lotus is the debut album from American guitar soli legend Robbie Basho. In college Basho immersed himself in the study of Asian art and culture, even changing his last name to that of the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho, and his music shows a much greater Eastern influence than contemporaries like John Fahey and Peter Lang. Basho was particularly entranced by the raga form which is apparent …
S/T
Exact repro on 180gm vinyl w/ original art. All-analog mastering from original tapes. Upon the breakup of legendary Krautrock duo NEU!, drummer KLAUS DINGER formed LA DUSSELDORF w/ his brother THOMAS & keyboard player HANS LAMPE. This, their S/T debut, was recorded in 1975 & is a staggering mix of Dinger's trademark motorik rhythms & accessible experimentation.
s/t
REISSUE on 180gm vinyl! Originally released in 1969, COSTA's 2nd album is one of the finest releases to come out of Brazil's Tropicalia movement. Feat. songwriting & vocal help from 2 of the original Tropicalismos, CAETANO VELOSO & GILBERTO GIL, she flows effortlessly between shredding psychedelia & smooth bossa nova. An essential record for anyone that appreciates the far reaches of Brazilian popular music. Incl. the classic trks "Baby" * "Não Identificado." Such a pleasant surpise to se…
Flammende Herzen
Michael Rother (half of the influential Krautrock group Neu! and a founding member of Kraftwerk and Harmonia) recorded this first solo album with producer Conny Plank in 1976. Rother's signature guitar sound, the mechanical percussion (Jaki Liebezeit of Can) and the simple yet outerworldly anthemic melodies make Flammende Herzen an outstanding and visionary record."Finally reissued on vinyl, this is the 1976 solo debut from from Neu!/Harmonia guitarist Michael Rother. This would be the fir…
Ask me no questions
"Her first classic album originally released in 1969 on John Peel's legendary Dandelion Records. A wholly acoustic, almost wholly solo folk affair like a female Nick Drake or Nico recording a folk album. A calm, beautiful and somewhat melancholic batch of songs sung in that sunny low register always associated with Bridget make up this beautiful but criminally forgotten debut album. John Martyn adds second guitar and backing vocals while John Peel serves as producer. A magnificent sound p…
Songs for the Gentle Man
"Originally released in 1971 on Dandelion Records this was Bridget St. John's second and, arguably, best album. Produced and scored by Pink Floyd collaborator Ron Geesin, Songs For The Gentle Man was recorded at Sound Techniques in Chelsea (where everybody from Fairport Convention to Nick Drake had made albums) and is a far more sophisticated work than its predecessor. Organized around a small chamber orchestra, Songs For The Gentle Man is a set of cool, pastel songs that simultaneously h…
America
Originally released in 1971, this is one of the artistic high points of his career. And yet, for nearly 30 years it was not heard in its entirety, as what was originally intended as a double album was pared down to a single LP. Now, thanks to 4 Men With Beards, the complete double album is available on vinyl for the first time
More Moondog
2nd LP, originally released in 1956. Continues the NYC street performer's exploration of minimalist composition & field recording, mixing percussion & sparse melodies w/ piano solos, street sounds, & monologues. Surprisingly accessible despite it's avant-garde nature, bridging the gap between the familiar & the bizarre. Another all out masterwork from one of 20th century America's most unique minds.
Story of Moondog
3rd LP from NYC street performer & avant-garde/minimalist composer, originally released in 1957. Perhaps the least accessible of his early releases, this album is made up of percussive jams, usually on instruments of his own creation, street sounds, poetry, & Far East melodies, despite opening w/ a swinging number that is, oddly, the most bizarre thing on the album.
Moondog
Debut album, originally released in 1956. The blind Kansas native showcases his talent for the minimal & avant-garde here, w/ compositions driven by percussion & Japanese-inspired melodies, complimented by street sounds, recitations, & animal noises. Bizarre even for today's standards, it's a wonder this was released over a half-century ago.
Cluster 71
First reissue of this one in many years; this is first Cluster (w/ a "C") album (following the 2 Kluster albums: Klopfzeichen & Zwei-Osterei), originally issued by Philips in, yes, 1971. The 2 equally classic albums that would follow this (II & Zuckerzeit) have pretty much always been available, but 71 has mostly languished (although it was reissued at times by Sky). Reissued here w/ original cover art (not the inferior Sky art), nice booklet of photos and new liner notes, no unnecessary bonus j…