AMOEBA MUSIC HOLLYWOOD HIP-HOP ALBUMS TOP FIVE CHART 08:29:08         

1) Ice Cube Raw Footage (Lench Mob)

2) GZA Pro Tools (Babygrande Records)

3) Lil Wayne Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal)

4) MF Doom Volumes 1 & 2 Nastradoomus (HHS)

5) Arabian Prince Innovative Life: The Anthology 1984 - 
     1989 (Stones Throw)

Thanks to  Marques for supplying this week's top five  chart for the Los Angeles Amoeba store. Hometown rap veteran Ice Cube occupies the number one slot with his latest album, Raw Footage, which hit Amoeba shelves August 19th. The album simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and Top Rap Albums Chart, and at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart.

"Thank God the Gangsta's back... and we ain't got to put up with this brainless rap," spits Cube on the catchy new album track "Thank God" -- just one of many strong cuts on this eighth solo album from the 39 year old artist. Others include "Jack N The Box," "Here We Come" (feat. Doughboy), and the singles "Do Your Thang" and "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It." And speaking of gangsta rap: listening to some of these new Cube tracks remind me of old Ice Cube and also of how the original gangsta rappers (NWA, Geto Boys, etc.), while demonized at the time for being so lyrically violent and offensive, were actually quite political and socially aware, comparatively more so than the most  prominent current crop of gangsta rappers.

Other entries on the current chart include GZA, Lil Wayne, and the just released Stones Throw retrospective of the Arabian Prince's 1980's electro years. Last week the pioneering LA hip-hop artist and original NWA member did an instore at Amoeba Hollywood, which, according to Marques, included the artist playing a lot of electro and electronica. 

August currently occupies the number one spot on my top twelve list of favorite months of the year. Surely it has something to do with the fact that I’ve only just returned from a much-needed three week vacation; the dog days of summer are the new spring break. Also there’s something about the word “august” that really floats my boat. Really there is no other word that conveys a true and simultaneous sense of majesty and wisdom like the word august does: for example, “the jellyfish regulates its deepness by augustly changing the amount of gas in its float”-- how lovely. Still, with Autumn closing in on San Francisco with nary a thunderstorm nor scent of burning leaves wafting on the wind, the month of August has got me stunned, obsessed with the notion of slowing time until it stops. The easiest way to do this is to let the music take you to that magical spot where time stands still. 

Future Sound of London (FSOL), the duo comprised of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans, had their breakout hit with "Papua New Guinea" in 1991 and the track remains both the UK electronic group's best known and arguably best recording ever. It is one of those great records where the first time you heard it, it just grabbed you and pulled you in, leaving you thinking: WTF was that? Even now, all these years later, after just re-listening to it for the first time in ages, it sounds as tight (to these ears) as when it was first released 17 years ago. 

The song has the perfect balance of the slow rumbling bass, a trancey mix of breakbeats, plus the pitch perfect mix of dreamy vocals and sounds, all cascading into a dance pop masterpiece; one that has been remixed to death by DJs/producers all over the world who all helped make this a true rave/club classic. One of the great remixes I got of it back in the day was by the Twitch guys -- the SF remix crew that included Jim Hopkins, who used to put out limited edition double vinyl (later released on CD) sets at 45RPM of nearly always really great remixes of popular rave/techno tracks, including many UK imports.

"Papua New Guinea" also appeared on FSOL's album Accelerator as well on the 1992 soundtrack to the film Cool World.  Besides being remixed countless times, the song has also been released in various versions many times over the years since its original release (both bootlegged and legit versions + on countless compilations/DJ mixes) with the most notable including re-releases in 1996, 2003, and in 2001 when a five version EP of the song was released on FSOL's label Jumpin' & Pumpin featuring the original "Papua New Guinea" plus remixes by Hybrid, Satoshi Tomiie, Blue States, and Simian.

There are many bands over the years that I have been obsessed with. At one point it was Depeche Mode, The Cure, and The Smiths. Then it was Suede, Pulp, Blur, and The Verve. Once your obsession reaches a certain point, I think it never really goes away. Part of it is always there or it just builds and gets bigger and stronger. I have no doubt that these bands will be with me the rest of my life. Depeche Mode and The Cure are my Rolling Stones and The Who. The Smiths are my Beatles. My obsession can live on in Morrissey's solo career much like that of Paul McCartney does for fans of The Beatles. The Verve could not have come at a better time in my life. I sort of needed them. I needed a new band to latch on to and get obsessed with. My shoegaze bands like Ride, The Pale Saints, and Slowdive were starting to break up and dissolve away. The first Blur album had come out a couple of years prior to 1993, but I didn't really get into them until 1993. This was the year of the first Verve album, A Storm in Heaven and also the year of Blur's second album, Modern Life is Rubbish. The album that really made me a fan. 1993 was also the year of the self titled album by Suede and my first Pulp album, His 'N' Hers. Pulp had already been around for a decade or so but I had never heard of them until 1993. I suddenly had all these new bands to obsess over. The albums were all excellent and easy to get obsessed with. Many of my friends, and most everyone else in the world, were all into Oasis, but I remember seeing Oasis in some interview and right then deciding that I didn't want to like this band..but they obviously played a part in this period of music. Their debut album Definitely Maybe would come out a year later in 1994. These bands were also all over the magazines and a lot of my friends were also getting into the same bands. It was just an exciting time for music.

Korea's recent global rise in profile is sometimes referred to as "The Korean Wave" or Hallyu. Back in the early 1990s, Korean Drama underwent an explosive growth in popularity around East and Southeast Asia as well as in cities like Los Angeles, with large immigrant populations from these regions. Soon, Korean movies (beginning with Shiri) gained an audience among American critics who'd previously (with close-minded, snobbish prejudice) limited their viewings of Asian films to critically-canonized Japanese and/or (1980s) Chinese productions. And Hollywood has taken notice too, remaking numerous K-Horror films, the romcom My Sassy Girl, and the magic-mailbox drama The Lake House.


I'm told Korean music grew in popularity too. I guess I know a couple of non-Koreans who listen to K-Pop. Whilst flipping through the unparalleled multiculturalism of Los Angeles' AM radio band, I've occasionally stumbled across Radio Seoul (AM 1650) and Radio Korea (AM 1230). Just judging from the cadence and character of AM radio in general, I'd guess that the majority is Christian in nature, but they do occasionally play Korean pop music. Last year at the Hollywood Bowl, K-Pop was showcased in a program featuring BoA, Epik High, Fly to the Sky, Ivy and Super Junior.

In 1970, Detroit native Rodriguez released his auspicious debut album, Cold Fact. It failed in the charts. His follow up album fared even worse, and he was subsequently dropped from his label, his music doomed to obscurity.


Luckily for us, reissue label Light in the Attic has recently re-released Cold Fact, and it is a fantastic surprise, a cohesive, shrewd and confident record. Oh, and it sounds effing great too! The album is awash with late 60s-era production touches, along with Forever Changes-like horns and overall orchestration that add to the complexity of the songs. Rodriguez' vocals are plaintive and his delivery style somewhat Dylanesque, although I think his voice is much more consistent than Dylan's. A few of my coworkers have said the album sounds much like Donovan, but I think it sounds much, much smarter than any Donovan record. The songs are clear eyed views of poverty, city life, sex, drugs and rock n roll-- views of the muddled '60s. I love how in the album's second song, "Only Good For Conversation," he calls a woman out as "the coldest bitch I know" by the second line! I think the album is pretty bold for 1970. It also still sounds fresh to these ears, even today.

Rodriguez was born Sixto Diaz Rodriguez in 1940s Detroit to Mexican immigrant parents. He was discovered playing guitar in bars by Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore. Coffey was a member of the Funk Brothers, the incredible crew of musicians that had played on countless Motown Hits. The two signed Rodriguez to the Sussex label, where he would record his two albums before being dropped. The label folded a few years later.

Amoeba Music and Phil Blankenship are proud to present some of our film favorites at Los Angeles’ last full-time revival movie theater. See movies the way they're meant to be seen - on the big screen and with an audience!

 

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Saturday August 30

Don't Let The Title Fool You

Little Darlings

1980, 96 min

New Beverly Cinema
7165 W Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Midnight, $7

 

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September
September 6 Idle Hands
(9th anniversary for the 1999 stoner horror comedy! Special guests TBA!)
September 13 Showgirls
(Beyond your wildest dreams. Beyond your wildest fantasies!)
September 20 Michael Mann's The Keep
(25th Anniversary! Paramount Archive 35mm Print!)
September 27 Over The Top
(Sylvester Stallone. Big Rig Truckin'. ARM WRESTLING!)

 

October
October 4 Hard To Kill
(Steven Seagal is Mason Storm. Mason Storm is... Hard To Kill!)
October 18 All Night Horror Show!
(100% Movie Mania! New Bev Fundraiser! 12 Hours Of Movies, Fun & ??)
October 25 The Wraith
(If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear!)

November
November 1 Alien Nation
(Prepare Yourself for the 20th Anniversary!)
November 8 The Stepfather
(Daddy's Home and He's Not Very Happy!)
November 22 Waxwork
(20 Anniversary! More fun than a barrel of mummies!)
November 29 Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon
(Now, when I say, "Who's da mastah?" you say, "Sho'nuff!")

Often cited as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Man Ray, was born Emmanuel Radnitzky on this day, August 27, 1890 in Philadelphia. He significantly contributed to the Dada, Surrealist and Avant-Garde movements of the 20th century and was a significant voice in the Parisian art world after The Great War. Though he mostly considered himself a painter, it’s as a photographer and film maker he is best remembered, not only for his experimental photography and films of the 1920’s and 30’s but for his fashion and portraiture work also.

A side note, during the Second World War, Man Ray returned to America, settling in Hollywood from about 1940 until 1951 at 1245 Vine Street-- the Villa Elaine apartments, across the street from the old Hollywood Ranch Market, right around the corner from present day Amoeba Records in Hollywood.

In previous decades many department stores and record chains developed a pricing code system. They'd have a few different letters, each signifying a different pricing tier. There would be a little chart around the store giving you the price break down. I never really understood how this made things simpler or more efficient, maybe someone out there knows?

                                       JAMOEBLOG HIP-HOP TOP TEN: 08:27:08                                             

1) Homeboy Sandman "Opium" (Homeboy Sandman)

2) NaS feat Eban Thomas "You Can't Stop Me Now" (Def Jam)

3) Lee "Scratch" Perry  "$hine" (Narnack Records)

4) The High Decibels "Miss Cindy" (Rolling Jack)

5) Paris "Don't Stop the Movement" (Guerrila Funk)

6) Murs "Can It Be" (Warner)

7) Double Dee & Steinski "Lesson 3" (Illegal Art)

8) Foreign Legion "Come To The City" (Hunger Strike)

9) DJ Spinna "The Spirit of '94" (Colt 45)

10) The Bug "Freak Freak" (Ninja Tune)

The number one on this week's Jamoeblog Hip-Hop Top Ten (a subjective song-based chart) is from up-and-coming Queens, NY emcee talent Homeboy Sandman, whose totally unique flow and style is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise overcrowded sea of cookie cutter rappers. So far only available through his website, as well as at a few select East Coast record stores, Homeboy Sandman's self-released debut CD Actual Factual Pterodactyl offers up hip-hop like you've never heard before, with great songs such as the slow-mo flow of "Opium" or the funny uptempo rapid fire delivery of "Food Glorious Food" which draws its hook from the Oliver! soundtrack.

I have to say that I do understand how an album as solid as Surrendered could get lost in the shuffle. David S. Ware has been recording under his own name since 1988, and in groups led by legendary names like Cecil Taylor, Andrew Cyrille and Barry Harris since the early 70's. In these last 20 years of releases under his own name, Ware has released about an album per year. So, where to start? And what are the chances that an album or two might slip through the cracks and end up in Amoeba's Clearance section?

Ware is considered by many to be a technical (and perhaps theological) descendant of John Coltrane. His tenor is big and brash, in a mold not unlike Pharaoh Sanders, Arthur Blythe or Archie Shepp. His facility is masterful, never neglecting the changes and yet pushing and pulling at the melodic core of the composition. He plays the whole range: he dives off the pier and swims far enough from shore to nurture tension, but he never lets go of his lifeline-- the strong melody within a strong composition. In fact, that's what pulls me to Ware over and over again. His albums are always so full of real composition. Songs are what he and his teams bring to the table, in this case, the killer quartet made up of pianist Matthew Shipp, percussionist Guillermo Brown, and a man I consider to be essential listening any and every time one has the chance, bassist William Parker.

Surrendered starts strongly with a tone poem of sorts called "Peace Celestial." Matthew Shipp holds the core of the piece with piano meditations conjuring Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett at his more internal. "Sweet Georgia Bright" follows, and is the album's most traditional "bop" composition, and it's the lesser for it. This quartet's strength is in the idiom of the post-Coltrane continuum. Tracks like the aforementioned opener, "Theme of Ages," the loping title track with its slow, even build reminiscent of Charles Lloyd's "Night-Blooming Jasmine," and even, to a great extent, "Glorified Calypso," tour that greater territory of improvisational and textural possibilities that the legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago liked to refer to as, "Great Black Music," rather than bind it within the limits and collected baggage of the term "jazz."

If you find Glam too brainy, too challenging, too confusing, then perhaps you're what the press used to refer to as a Glitter Kid! These bands didn't take their cues from the androgynous, artistic pretensions of David Bowie, Bretty Smiley, Cockney Rebel, Doctors of Madness or Jobriath. They looked to the big, stomping beats and refined stupidity of T. Rex and sliced away everything til there was just a skeleton.
Enjoy!

Kenny



Slik



The Osmonds



The Glitter Band



Mud



The Sweet



Alvin Stardust

Continue reading

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of a personal hero of mine, the poet Guillaume Apollinaris de Kostrowitzky, better known as Apollinaire, who was born on this date in 1880. His greatest contribution to the 20th century, other than coining the term ‘surrealism’ and helping to publicize and define the Cubist movement, was probably his poetry, influencing many of the avant-garde, dada and surrealist writers in post-Great War France, such as André Breton and Tristan Tzara.

Early in the century Guillaume Apollinaire’s began to devise his Calligrammes, a term he used to explain his shaped poems.

It’s Raining

It’s raining women’s voices as if they had died even in memory
And it’s raining you as well marvelous encounters of my life O little drops
Those rearing clouds begin to neigh a whole universe of auricular cities
Listen if it rains while regret and disdain weep to an ancient music
Listen to the bonds fall off which hold you above and below

I first saw the above video a few months ago but figured that today -- the official first day of the 2008  Burning Man Festival, which runs through Sunday, September 1st -- would be the appropriate time to post this very funny clip.
Burning Man started 22 years ago on Baker Beach in San Francisco. As Burning Man gets more widely known with each passing year, it seems more important for the organizers of the event to reiterate the goals of this unique participatory arts event/mass party. This time round they pose the following to folks planning on attending the event in the desert: "Leave narrow and exclusive ideologies at home and carefully consider your immediate experience. What has America achieved that you admire? What has it done or failed to do that fills you with dismay? What is laudable? What is ludicrous? Put blame aside, let humor thrive, and dare to contemplate a larger question: What can America contribute to the world?"

Note that for this year's Burning Man the ticket sales timeline has been extended and it is possible to buy tix online through midnight tomorrow (Tuesday, August 26th) at this link.  Advance tix are always required. You can't just roll up on the event at Black Rock City, Nevada and expect admission without having your tickets arranged beforehand. Nor is it ever advisable to attempt to sneak in (as some try each year) to avoid paying the pricey admission.

The Bay Area and Sacramento walk-in ticket outlets stopped selling tickets yesterday but the Reno ticket outlet is selling tix through the end of the business day tomorrow.  Also, those with will call tix must collect them by noon on Saturday at the latest. Click here for last minute ticket info. And if you are one of the tens of thousands expected to descend upon the world renowned festival, remember to be safe and most importantly, drink lots of water (i.e., piss clear) and read over the essential official 2008 Burning Man Survival Guide.

I was watching the Argentina vs Nigeria game the other night and started fiending for some N.O. Bounce. Before long I was searching for some Hot Boy Ronald and I stumbled on this fan video that made me lose it.

But let me back up a little bit first. Hot Boy Ronald is a 9th Ward Bounce artist who's collaborated with Choppa, Juvenile and others. Some of his certified bangers have included "Shake it like a oink" and "Walk like Ronald." The latter is on Bounce Back (2005 - King's Ent.). Looks like he's got a new record called Bottom of the Map. I tried to do a little background on him but Wikipedia's got nothing. Allmusic's got nothing. His own myspace doesn't have a bio (although it's got more bells and whistles than the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics). At that point it becomes a cold case.

As with any Bounce hit, popularity isn't measured in terms of CD sales, but how many youtube videos people post of themselves dancing to your song.

First up you've got Ashley in San Antonio sort of lethargically doing the "Walk like Ronald" with some enormous slippers on.



And then you've got Christina and friends. Um... still a little rough.



Mark, Nick and Stacy are a bit better. But the image quality will screw with your eyes.

Cycling down a completely traffic-free Park Avenue in the heart of New York City over the weekend, I was reminded of the numerous futuristic or Sci-Fi movies in which the Big Apple is abandoned after some major disaster.

Last year's I Am Legend (available on DVD at Amoeba) -- in which Will Smith and his canine companion wandered a deserted midtown Manhattan -- specifically sprung to mind as myself and other cyclists, hikers, and skaters, unhindered by any autos, passed by the raised street level outside Grand Central Terminal at Park and 42nd Street, heeding the city's invitation to "Play. Run. Walk. Bike. Breathe." 

The reason there were no cars two days ago, and also on two previous Saturdays this month, was because it was the third and final weekend day in the first ever city initiated Summer Streets program. From 7AM to 1PM, all autos were banned on Park Avenue from 72nd on the Upper East Side all the way downtown, essentially connecting Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge -- a seven mile long distance, all traffic free!

But what made this whole cycling experience so special is that it is normally impossible to do a bike ride like that, at least in such a stress-free way.  Like most major cities, the best way to see New York is by bike, but the problem is that cycling round Manhattan is far from safe. Typically you take your life in your hands, maneuvering your bike through New York's congested auto-dominated streets, on weekdays especially, with erratic drivers (including lots of yellow cabs & buses) unpredictably accelerating and cutting you off or worse. And as for the few bike lanes on Manhattan's major thoroughfares: drivers notoriously ignore them and cut off cyclists all the time. I personally know of several NYC cyclists sent to the hospital due to negligent drivers.

This past Friday, August 22, while the rest of the civilized world was watching the Olympics, shredders from around the world had their head bangin’ attention fixed on the 13th annual Air Guitar World Championships Grand Final held in Oulu, Finland.

After a two year Air Guitar reign, Ochi "Dainoji" Yosuke of Japan was overwhelmingly crushed by Craig "Hot Lixx Hulahan" Billmeier, who hails from Alameda, California.

Hot Lixx scored highest on the First and Second Rounds, defeating his strongest opponent, Andel "John Sniffler" Soreen of the Netherlands, who took second place. Canadian Cole "Johnny Utah" Manson came in third.

In addition to the instant international recognition and the fame and glory, Hot Lixx Hulahan was awarded a Finnish hand-made Flying Finn electric guitar. He also received a laptop backpack by Golla.

For the 13th time the jury was chaired by Juha Torvinen, the Finnish guitar legend. Also on the panel were the 2005 Air Guitar World Champion, Michael "The Destroyer" Heffels; Amanda Griffiths, who is doing her PhD on the air guitar culture; and the Air Guitar contest organizers, Rita Cadillac and Mark DiPietro.

Of course, after the competition the night doesn’t end until, as tradition goes, Air Guitarists summon the whole world to go forth and play Air Guitar to “Rockin' in the Free World." According to Air Guitar Ideology, all evil, bad and unspeakable things on this planet will vanish if everybody, even for a moment, plays the Air Guitar.

For the Beatles purists out there who thought the worst thing imaginable was having the Bee Gees redo Sgt. Pepper's, here's something even worse-- Ozzy and Dweezil redoing "Stayin' Alive":

"Every man has his price" and every man discovers his threshold where Huey Lewis no longer sounds that bad. My threshold was reached upon rediscovering this video for "Summertime Girls" by Y&T:

The half-shirt, a sign of 80s masculinity. It made a comeback with Axl when he did this duet with Elton John on "Bohemian Rhapsody" (skip to the end where the two walk towards each other in 60s variety show fashion for the denouement):

I'm sorry for not being able to stay away from the Axl videos. However, the most holyfuckingshit moment comes from his ex-bandmate Slash's team-up with Puff Daddy for some vague, all-inclusive charity function. Note the "Ending Hunger" message dead center in big Broadway letters while Puffy raps "It's All About the Benjamins":

That kind of dimwittedness requires a purity of essence. One would have to go back to Tom Mix serials to find an equal lack in irony.

Born Elise Amelie Felicie Stern in Vienna in 1901, Lisette Model was schooled as a classical musician, but soon after arriving in Paris in 1926 she took to the visual arts, picking up photography. She moved to Manhattan in 1938. Later that year she was hired as a staff photographer for Harper's Bazaar, and began to photograph not only street life, especially the Lower East Side, but also the nightlife of New York City’s cafés and bars. Model, along with Berenice Abbott and Weegee, became the photographers who most captured the ebb and flow of mid-century New York and its anomalous collection of eccentrics, curiosities, elastic cityscapes and culture.

In 1951 Model was swayed by Berenice Abbott to teach at the New School for Social Research in New York. Several of her students would become some of the most prominent photographers of the second half of the 20th century, including Rosalind Solomon, Bruce Weber and her most famous protégé, Diane Arbus. Model would continue to teach until her death in 1983.

Lisette Model was said to be direct yet enigmatic at the same time, inventing her myth and simultaneously denying its existence. She had a knack for intimacy, and even when photographing her most unusual subjects she maintained and revealed their self-owned dignity. Then again, some of her photographs have a harsh, claustrophobic feeling, situated along a dark and troubling and misanthropic edge.

Esto es nuestro nuevo vidéo, para la canción Por Fin, que viéne en la edición 1.2 de nuestra serie de 12” EPs titulado isolated incidents.

No wonder Metallica is so successful and so goddamn terrible now. What were you doing in high school?  Here's what Cliff Burton was doing with Faith No More's guitarist, Jim Martin:

Mmm.  I never heard anything like that at my high school talent shows. Closest anyone came was a spot-on Night Ranger cover band.

Catholicism - Santa Rosa de Lima & Saint Philip Benitius' Feast Days.

Santa Rosa is the patron saint of the Peruvian Police Force and of people ridiculed for their piety. Phil B. was a Florentine who raised a couple of kids from the dead, exorcised a demon and smote some blasphemers. Don't ridicule!

           

Lithuania - Black Ribbon Day

A Day of Mourning in Lithuania, marking the Nazis' and Soviet's "political rearrangements" wherein they decided how to divide up Eastern Europe.

      

Rome - Vulcanalia

Vulcanalia is celebrated by sacrificing a red bull-calf and a red-boar to encourage Vulcan to keep the destructive power of fire in check. Maybe drink a red bull and pray that Griffith Park doesn't go up in flames this year.
Romania - Liberation Day

Forget about yer Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bonaroo, yer South by Southwest, yer what have you... once and only once a year it's time for a truly hallucinogenic celebration of musical mayhem, and it's called AMOEBAPALOOZA! Twenty Amoeba Music employee bands in 4 hours -- ten-minute sets, a cavalcade of rock, rap, soul, tributes, impersonations and uncategorizable strangeness! You are there!

The cavernous space of the King King in fabulous downtown Hollywood looms before you... seething with an assortment of delinquents, sickos and lovable kiddies... the red stage lights beckon! The gigantic extended family of Amoeba has gathered here to see what kind of musical freakiness they can come up with, while bewildered onlookers watch in wonderment. Let the show begin!

The festivities got started with the '60s sunshine lady pop of My Mellotron Summer, and rolled right along with the suave sounds of the Amazing Reverb Engine, until they crashed head-on into a white-noise raveup from a knockout Velvet Underground cover band! Very inspired performances from a demented first-time Lou Reed and a frosty Nico, a tom-pounding Mo Tucker and three wailing Sterling Morrison guitars.

Brooke Back Fountain featured the eponymous leading lady busting out some Four Non Blonde covers in a voice bigger than Linda Perry's ego! Folks were pretty bowled over by that (having unsuccessfully blocked those Four Non Blondes songs out of their memories all these years)... those '90s were a golden age of top hats and dreadlocks, lest we forget!

… once again I’m a day late and a dollar short, but that’s just the beginning…

Yesterday was the thirtieth and, oddly enough, the twentieth anniversaries of the deaths of legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames. Mostly known for their furniture design, their work also includes major contributions in industrial design, graphic design, architecture and film. Charles died August 21, 1978, Ray died on the same date, ten years later in 1988.

Architectural colleagues Charles Eames and Ray-Bernice Kaiser married in 1941 and moved to Los Angeles to open their own firm. In 1946, as part of the Arts & Architecture magazine's "Case Study" series that commissioned architects of the day to design and build inexpensive and efficient model homes, the groundbreaking Eames House design was selected. Built on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades, and once a part of Will Rogers' estate, this unique house, also called Case Study House #8, used pre-fabricated steel parts and was hand-constructed in a matter of days. The structure was entirely constructed from "off-the-shelf" parts available from steel fabricator catalogs. However, immediately after the Second World War, steel was in very short supply, which explains the three year delay in construction. The Eames house was completed in 1949.

Working from their office located at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice, Charles and Ray Eames’ hit their stride in the 1950’s in modern furniture design. Their landmark and highly collectible furniture includes early molded plywood chairs and their innovative use of materials, such as the fiberglass and plastic resin. Aside from the molded-plywood DCW (Dining Chair Wood), other classic furniture designs include the DCM (Dining Chair Metal with a plywood seat), the Eiffel Plastic Armchair and side chair from 1959, the Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman from 1956, the Aluminum Group furniture series and the wire mesh chairs designed for office furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, 1962’s Eames tandem sling seating, as well as the Eames Chaise designed specifically for film director Billy Wilder in 1968. At the time of Charles’ death they were working on what would be their final design, the Eames Sofa, which went into production in 1984.

AMOEBA SAN FRANCISCO HIP-HOP TOP FIVE:

1) GZA Pro Tools (Babygrande Records)
2) Immortal Technique The 3rd World (Viper)
3) Messy Marv Cake & Ice Cream (Siccness.net)
4) Ice Cube Raw Footage (Lench Mob)
5) Stacy Epps The Awakening (JapanNubianMuzzik) 

Thanks to Luis at Amoeba Music San Francisco for this week's hip-hop top five album chart. In the number one chart slot is Pro Tools, the latest from Wu-Tang's GZA, aka The Genius. Note that this is the fifth solo release from one of the founding members of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan, who dropped their groundbreaking debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) fifteen long hip-hop years ago. 

Although Pro Tools was originally slated to be a compilation overseen by GZA or a "GZA presents WU" type album (and it essentially still is, due to the numerous collaborators) it is officially listed as a GZA solo release. Taking its name from the production software popular with music producers, Pro Tools       features many contributing talents, including production from RZA, True Master, Mathematics, Black Milk, Bronze Nazareth, Arabian Knight, and Dreddy Kruger, as well as guest vocal appearances from RZA, Masta Killa, Sean Price, and GZA's son, Young Justice (Kareem), who joins his pops on the tracks "Groundbreaking" and "Cinema." The Pro Tools track that most hip-hop fans have already heard is the advance leaked track, the 50 Cent diss rap, "Paper Plate," which continues the artist's beef with the G-Unit main man.

Remember that band called Stereolab? Yes, they are still making great albums. They never really stopped, you just may have forgotten about them. They have a new album out this week called Chemical Chords. I think it might be like their 20th album by now. They were on a major label for a long while, but they are back on the indie label 4AD now. They had that EP collection out last year, but this is a real new album. I have not had a chance to listen to it yet, but I can't really wait. They are one of those bands that I got really obsessed with when they first came out. I had lost a bit of interest over the last 5 or 6 years, but I feel ready to be a Stereolab fan again. I just hope the album is as good as I want it to be. I like the song that I have heard from the album. I don't really see how you can't like a Stereolab album. They are always so fun and catchy. I am just glad there are some releases out this week that I actually want to bother listening to.

The Dandy Warhols also have a new album out this week. I have had sort of a love/hate relationship with the Dandy Warhols. I still don't really know how I feel about this new album. I am going to give it one more listen before I make up my mind. I also have been listening to that new album by The Uglysuit. It is slowly growing on me but I doubt it will turn into one of my favorites. There is also the debut album from Uh Huh Her. I have not heard this one yet either-- however, I do love Leisha Hailey. She plays Alice Pieszecki on The L Word. She is the funniest thing about The L Word and the only reason that I watch it. Many years ago she was in the Murmurs, so it's not like this is her first time making music. There are also some great other albums that are coming out this week that I just fell in love with.

Gang Starr, formed back in 1986 and comprised of DJ Premier and emcee Guru, are no longer officially a group -- at least according to Guru in an interview a little while back. But then, who knows if they ever will perform or record together again? A Tribe Called Quest have gotten back together -- more than once -- so maybe Gang Starr will too.

Regardless, the hip-hop duo's rich back catalog is enough to satisfy this hip-hop fan for hours on end. If you don't already have any of the incredible duo's six albums (plus two greatest hits compilations), I suggest you pick up the double CD retrospective Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (originally released in '99) at any of the Amoeba Music stores.

Full Clip is a great starting point, as it  includes all but one ("Arena") of the songs in the six Gang Starr videos below, including "Words I Manifest,"  "Step in the Arena," "Mass Appeal," "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?," "Take It Personal," and "DWYCK" featuring Nice & Smooth. Listening back the other day to this 2 CD set from start to finish made me realize not just how amazing Gang Starr's music is, but also how influential their work has been on hip-hop.

And are the videos/songs below a comprehensive best-of Gang Starr? Hells no! Just enough to whet a hip-hopper's appetite.

During the late 80's and early 90's, bands from the Spanish speaking nations started to get into Ska, Reggae & Punk. Bands like The Clash and The Bad Brains had a big influence on Latin Rock movement yet the bands of that era differed from the Roc En Espanol groups that came before them. No longer were they trying to emulate the music that came out of Europe and America; they started to get their own identity musically and lyrically. The groups weren't afraid to incorporate music they grew up with. Groups like Mano Negra, Todos Tus Muertos, Tijuana No! and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs fused Brazilian, Cuban, Middle Eastern, Jamaican and African influences into their music as well as the music from the countries they originated from. Lyrically, they spoke of oppression, revolution, self-determination and the need for change.

Mano Negra - "Sr. Matanza" - Spain
This was Manu Chao's band before he went solo.



Todos Tus Muertos - "Andate" - Argentina



Tijuana No! - "Pobre De Ti" - Mexico
This song was co-written by Julieta Venegas.



Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - "Matador" - Argentina

The current situation in the Caucasus prompted one of the loyal blog readers to request that I post about the confusing region and shed a little light. If you blog readers have any requests for blog topics, I always welcome them.



Caucasia is a mountainous region located between the two continents of Europe and Asia. While it's not the Nazi-imagined homeland (a concept invented by 18th century craniologists) to the blond & blue-eyed, it is home to some of the oldest human populations in the world as well as the birthplace of wine. It's also one of the most culturally varied regions in the world, where tiny populations of little-known peoples have somehow existed between some of the biggest, baddest imperialists of world history. Perhaps it's not surprising then that they seem or persevere by clinging tightly to cultural expressions like music and dance, as well as deeply-embedded xenophobia, mistrust, mutual hostility and self-preservatory instincts.

Just to name a few, in this tiny global neighborhood you've got Abazins, Abkazians, Adjarians, Adydhe, Aguls, Archins, Armenians, Avars, Azerbaijanis, Balkars, Bats, Chechens, Cherkes, Cossacks, Dargins, Georgians, Greeks, Ingush, Kabardins, Kalmyks, Karachays, Khinalug, Kists, Kumyks, Kurds, Laks, Laz, Lezgins, Mingrelians, Mountain Jews, Nakh, Nogais, Ossetians, Rutls, Svans, Tabasarans, Talysh, Tats, Trukhmens, Tsakhurs, Ubykh and Udins... my apologies if I've forgotten anyone... also my producer, my wife and so forth. I just know I'm forgetting someone!

Big ups to the female artists in the history of Bay Area hip-hop who, as it seems to be the case with the rest of the rap nation, are (and have always been) in the minority. Why? A variety of reasons-- the main one, in my opinion, is that women can never fare well in a male dominated field that is predominantly (but not exclusively) sexist and misogynist. If you have any strong insights into why you think there is still such a unbalanced female to male rap ratio, please share in the COMMENTS box below where I invite you to also list your favorite female emcees from the Bay Area or elsewhere.

By no means is this post inclusive of the many female hip-hop artists from the Bay; it is merely a salute a select talented few -- both new and old school -- who come to mind, including such old school emcees as 80's East Bay female rapper Cassidine. When she dropped her debut twenty years ago on 75 Girls (the Oakland label run by the Hodges Brothers), she was heralded as the female counterpart to (label mate) Too $hort. Cassidine's album, Man Handler, contains such hardcore tracks as "She Daddy." Unfortunately, the a killer collection of hardcore rhymes and beats from a bygone era in Bay rap has never been re-released. 

Also from 1980's Bay rap is Oaktown 3-5-7, the female rap crew who first came to fame as MC Hammer's backing singers/dancers on tracks such as "Let's Get It Started."  In fact, they performed this song with Hammer and the rest of his large entourage when they made their national debut on the The Arsenio Hall Show. When they released their own music on Hammer's label they enjoyed reasonable success but not enough to keep them from breaking up in 1992. Their 1989 Wild and Loose album was their most successful and made waves on the Billboard pop and black-album charts two decades ago when it spawned the singles "We Like It" and "Juicy Gotcha Krazy" (video below).

Virus - "Juegos Incompletos" - Argentina



Caifanes- "Matenme Por Que Me Muero" - Mexico



Mikel Erentxun - "A Un Minuto De Ti" - Spain



Los Prisioneros - "Tren Al Sur" - Chile

RBD, the band that came out of the hit Telanovela Rebelde, decided to call it quits over the weekend. Latina tweeners and their mothers alike are left in a state of shock.

Rebelde (Rebels) was a novela about wealthy students in a private school wearing revealing school uniforms trying to start a band. The novela was so successful that the actors formed their own group. Their first release, Rebelde, was an instant success. They played sold out arenas not only in Latin America, but also around the world, including a performance at the 2008 Pre-Super Bowl show & a sold out show at The L.A. Coliseum. They followed the success with four albums in four years that never quite managed to pull the success of the first release. Among the releases was an ill-advised self-titled English language release, Rebels, which just bombed.

The six members of the three-girl/three guy pop group, Alfonso Herrera, Christian Chávez, Dulce María, Maite Perroni, Christopher Uckermann, and Anahí Portill, all plan to pursue solo careers. My prediction is that Anahí Portill and Dulce Maria will be the most successful ex-members of RBD, much like Paulina Rubio & Thalia were the most successful ex-members of Timbiriche. Trivia question…can you name at least five former members of Timbiriche?? (Ahhh…not including the ones I just mentioned!) Answers below.

Here is the token break-up statement from their website:

"México DF, August 14th, 2008

To all our fans and media in the world:

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Amoeba Hollywood’s Top Selling Latin Music for the months of July & August:

Julieta Venegas - MTV Unplugged
Manu Chao - Clandestino
Eydie Gorme Y Los Panchos - Cantan En Español
Ximena Sarinaña - Mediocre
Manu Chao - La Radiolina
Quetzal - Die Cowboy Die
Thalia - Lunada
Mana - Arde El Cielo
Molotov - Donde Jugaran Las Niñas (reissue)
Belanova - Fantasia Pop

With the power of MTV Tr3s behind her and a great line-up of special guests, Julieta Venegas not only has sold the most CD’s but also DVD’s in the Latin Rock section. Manu Chao continues to sell a gazillion CDs, capturing the # 2 & 4 spots. A surprise at number