"Greatest Album Ever" available on ebay!

Just last week we told you 'bout the greatest album we've ever reviewed on Electric Roulette, Victor C Lewis' 1969 seminal ornithological freak-out "Bird Sounds In Close-Up". Copies of this landmark work are rarer than "hens teeth"- though hens themselves do not feature on the LP - so it was with no little delight that I discovered a mint copy available on ebay this morning. It's on there for 99p at the moment, but expect that figure to skyrocket to like, maybe, £1.20 or something. Put yourself in the running for a chance to own the wildlife recording world's equivalent of Sgt Peppers, here. PF

The latest news on Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue reissue

Dennis Wilson's lost classic, 'Pacific Ocean Blue', as we previously reported, is set for re-release soon... well, now we have more details like, when it's released and what the hell is on it.

Disc one has the original 12-song album plus 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks with disc two featuring 17 tracks (all previously unreleased but one) from sessions for the never completed 'Bambu' follow-up album. Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters adds a newly-recorded vocal to the last track on disc two, the previously unreleased 'Holy Man'.

Original all-star collaborators include Beach Boys Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Billy Hinsche and Ricky Fataar; background vocalists Karen Lamm-Wilson, Christine McVie of Fleeetwood Mac, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America, Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, and more Full-color booklet includes previously-unseen photos and extensive essays by a variety of Beach Boys scholars.

First acts announced for Mighty Boosh Festival

First acts announced for The Mighty Boosh Festival.

Indie behemoths. Electronic wizardry. Wobbly jazz. Weird Texan rock. We all knew that The Boosh festival would be eclectic... and how.

Read over to find out everything you need to know, including where to buy your tickets from and places where you can get all multi-platform (which essentially means signing up to various social networking sites).

File sharing court case may get retrial

If you read various blogs and websites today, you'll see that most of them think it's okay to illegally download music. I'm not sure why. If everyone stole records, then there would be no need to hang around waiting for bozo writer reviews would there? No, it strikes me that the blogs want to appear like 'they're one of the fans', not like those big nasty magazines who side with the recording industry and all their sponsorship. Before I start ranting, you can have out thoughts on the illegal download thing by clicking here and here.

Anyway, all this talk of downloads is in the fore thanks to Jammie Thomas. Remember? In a federal courtroom in Duluth, Minnesota, Jammie was accused of using KaZaA to download and offer for distribution almost 2000 songs. She was in one corner, and in the other, the Legion of Doom tag team (or EMI, Sony BMG, Interscope Records and Warner. This was a case of copyright infringement based on the premise that offering these files through KaZaA, Jammie was distributing the music and they felt that was illegal. She lost... however...

Kevin Shields remasters classic My Bloody Valentine LPs

Kevin Shields has personally remastered two of My Bloody Valentine's acclaimed LPs... 'Isn't Anything' and 'Loveless'.

Both albums will be re-released through SonyBMG and enhanced with new mixing by Shields, touc down date, June 16, which just happens to be just before MBV's first live shows in years.

Sleeve notes for the releases have been been written by Shields, explaining what he has done to the seminal albums in the re-mastering process... which could make for thrilling reading for audiophiles or, the dullest thing ever for everyone else.

Both albums will be available as a CD digipack and heavyweight 180gsm vinyl. Read over for tour dates...
 

Suge Knight gets knocked clean out...

Okay, we're gonna get a bit tabloid here. Marion Suge Knight, former daddio at Death Row Records is not a man to be messed around with. For a start, he's fuggin' massive. Add to that, he's a well connected brutha who was involved in all that Crips business which saw Tupac gettin' shot. Well, Suge got himself in a rumble this week at the Shag Club in La-la-land and got himself knocked out cold. All 3000 pounds of the muvva. Now, here's a video of a blood splatted (and reelin') Suge.

Not only that, World Star Hip Hop have tracked down the guy responsible for the mightiest left hook in history... and you can watch an interview with him by gettin' yourself over the jump.

Musically Mad

A documentary about the soundsystem scene in Britain? Heavy dubs? Toasting? Reggae? Count me in! To be honest, I don't know more than what's in this trailer... if it's out and released, I'd love to see it. We'll get more news on this or alternatively, wait for a reader whose in the know to tell us in the comments. Oh, and it's called 'Musically Mad'.

Musically Mad Trailer

Like reggae? Step right this way...

Reggae can be a dodgy place to visit. For every great Dr Alimantado record, you can land square in a rotten Trojan cover of John Denver. Yes, it does exist ("taaake me hooome..."). So, if you don't have someone to call on for tips or a record shop that doesn't wanna play ball, you really need to pay ReggaeNews a visit.

Aside from reviews and articles, the site has a fistful of cracking podcasts which features killer dubs, jump up rocksteady, roots, ska, cool-ass digital reggae... pretty much anything that comes under the reggae umbrella. Thankfully, it doesn't stick to 60s and 70s, preferring to mix the old with the new. The only drawback is that you'll come away with a list of 'wants' the length of your arm. They've also got a great little interview with Jimmy Cliff.

Click here to pay ReggaeNews a visit.

Robot conductor leads Detroit Symphony

The lights dim. The sell-out hall quietens and out walks the conductor... who jus' happens to be shiny, white and 1.3 metres tall. That's right. ASIMO, a robot designed by Honda Motor Co., met its latest challenge: Conducting the Detroit Symphony in a performance of The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha.

Now, I've never been able to truly get into classical music for a number of reasons. Firstly, I don't dig the way everyone playing has to wear suits and penguin garb. Secondly; Where's the light shows and the dry ice? Classical music is a pain in the rump as they're the kinda puritans that make a muso snob like me feel shunned. A classical gig is ALL about the music... nothing else. Take it as it comes in all it's majesty. Yeah man, but make an effort. Gimme some lasers. Gimme some whacked out graphics on a big screen behind you. Knock out ALL my senses. It seems Detroit has got it right once again...

Leonard Cohen kicks off his tour... look.

Man, I dunno if Leonard Cohen had a plan way back, but the fact remains that his delivery of yore could've always been recreated in his vintage. Tim Buckley had to die. So did Lennon. They woulda been an embarrassment if they were still tryin' to sound like they did in their prime. Okay, they were probably quick enough to develop whole new styles that woulda make me cry tears of joy and say lame things like "oh... the innovation kills me" (we keep tellin' ya... us rock scribes are the lamest people you'll ever meet)... but... where was I? Yeah, Lenny Cohen. He's on the road again, and here's a video of him during his latest tour and he sounds pretty good. Even if the crowd insist on drowning out every little biddy thing with whooping.

Tim Burgess and Joaquin Phoenix team up for musical project

According to the NME, Tim Burgess has revealed some details of a collab. that The Charlatans frontman has done with Joaquin Phoenix. Joining them is Anthony Langdon of Spacehog... but to be honest, that means fu... all to me.

The trio have laid down tracks in a Los Angeles studio with the help of former Creation Records boss.... and... y'know... like... uuuuhhh... this has gotta be the most pointless news story ever y'know?

There's quotes about Joaquin being a perfectionist and all that... but seriously, it's not worthing beyond what's written in the headline. So, to make up for wastin' mine, and more importantly, your time I'm gonna make a list of musos and thesps that could, and sometimes have, collaborate. Maybe some aren't even actors. Read over schmucksack.

A Beginners Guide To...Jay-Z

Why Bother?

YEAH! Why bother, right? That's what I'd like to ask Micheal Eavis right now! "Jay-Z: Why bother?" Whydya bother desecrating the saced "Glasto" Headline Slot with This Sort Of Thing, huh? I mean, I've no problem with black artists playing Glasto, just as long as they're reassuringly old / reassuringly smiley / reassuringly part of some African dance troupe I read about in the Independent / and most importantly: Real Far Down The Bill, OK? Look at Jay-Zed in this picture: he just looks so angry! I mean, what if he's angry at us? Is Micheal Eavis really gonna take responsibility for inviting an angry black American to come over here, take our headline slots, and potentially BROADEN OUR HORIZONS AND OPEN OUR MINDS with SOME MUSIC I MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD BEFORE? Yeah! Like I really go to "Glasto" to broaden my horizons! The headline slot is for middle of the road white indie bands who happen to be doing well at the time: EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT!

Live Review: Black Diamond Heavies

The Live Music Review has gotta rank as the lamest, most unaccomplished form of writing in the history of Western literature. I'm more likely to win a Pulitzer writing the blurbs on the back of cereal packets than I am churning out this sorta thing. Seriously. When's the last time you read a live music review that was really worth anything to anybody? D'you even remember ever having standards for this typa thing? D'you ever think, "Gee, I'd really enjoy reading a record of gig attendance which actually stands up as a valuable, entertaining, envelope pushing piece of writing, rather than something that essentially boils down to an advert for some band's myspace, only with the inconvenience of havin' to read 'bout how the chump guy writing the damn thing got drunk or fell over or did something "gonzo" etc before I get to the bit that says "go to yaddayaddayadda/myspace.com" or whatever?

DVD Review: Radio On (1979)

A dark film about a dark era - but Chris Petit's Radio On is an incredibly striking movie, a fine period piece and arguably one of the finest road movies ever to come out of the UK.

It's a British movie, but with an undeniably German feel - hardly surprising with Wim Wenders pushing things along on the production side and Wenders collaborator Martin Schafer dealing with the monochrome photography. But it is a film very much about life in Britain, capturing the country at the dawn of Thatcherism - in the grip of economic and social decline.

The loose plot (with very sparse dialogue) follows Robert (David Beames), a London DJ who receives news of his brother's mysterious death. At a crossroads in both his personal and professional life, he takes to the road - heading for Bristol to find out the truth behind his death. On his way, he meets people as lost as himself - a squaddie on leave of duty from Northern Ireland, a wannabe rock star (played by Sting) and a German woman (Ingrid - Lisa Kreuzer) on the hunt for her child. All soundtracked by one of the finest selections of music ever compiled for as movie - including Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Devo, Robert Fripp and Wreckless Eric. Does he find out the truth behind his brother's death? Not really - but he does come to the end of the line as the plot jumps from whodunnit to a tale of a man (like many at the time) struggling to find direction in his life.

Spongebob Squarepants guitar

SpongeBob Squarepants, if you don't know, is a mental cartoon that defies most logic and is the natural successor to Ren & Stimpy. As a result, SpongeBob must be a big hit with the stoners of the world. Now, said stoners can rack up a Sonic Youth LP and plug in a SpongeBob guitar and strum along!

Bob Dylan to perform at World Expo

Bob Dylan has today (May 14th) been confirmed by organisers of this year's World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain, to perform at the event on June 23th. Not one to sit still and rest on his laurels (sometimes to a fault), Dylan had recorded a new version of 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' for use on adverts promoting the 2008 World Expo... now he's gonna perform it.

Wanda Jackson - The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice

US readers... read this. A documentary called Wanda Jackson - The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice will be on the Smithsonian Channel May 18th at 9pm Eastern. UK readers, be mightily depressed that you don't have access to American TV. We can only hope that someone sticks it online or something so we can all dig one of the most underrated artists in the history of rock 'n' roll music. Now, after watching this video, go and dig out 'Funnel of Love' and shimmy like your life depends on it.

Beck to rush release rushed album (not as bad as it sounds)

Beck will release a new album this summer... which is a bit of surprise seeing as there's been next to zero talk about it. The LP will comprise of material that's only just been written, as opposed to well crafted and pondered over.

The album has been produced by Dangermouse, and features 10 tracks and runs in at under 30 minutes in duration. 'Bout time too. Far too many bands see those 70+ mins and think 'FILL IT'.

This will be Beck's outing since The Information in 2006. He'll release it on his new home XL Recordings. The release is being called a below-the-radar release due to it's quick production time and release schedule. Apparently, Cat Power makes an appearance. A press release sez "Beck has recorded a new album, produced with Dangermouse, to be released this summer. The as-yet-untitled album contains 10 new songs,…a tightly assembled group…that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off-the-cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor…Musically, the album’s ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism." Go figure. Beck tour dates here.

Phil Spector cohort, Larry Levine, RIP

One of the most important people in rock 'n' roll history has joined the choir invisible. Engineer Larry Levine has died at the ripe ol' age of 80. Who is Larry Levine? Lemme tell you.

Larry is the man responsible for creating the ‘Wall Of Sound’ technique with producer Phil Spector.

Levine became Spector’s longtime recording engineer after the pair worked together on The Crystals’ ‘He’s A Rebel’, and they went on to work together on such classics as ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’, 'Be My Baby', ‘You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling’ and ‘River Deep, Mountain High’. And that's only the tip of the iceberg ladies and gents.

Gig Review - The Junipers/John Stammers, The Deaf Institute, Manchester

Okay. There were more bands on last night... but being the half baked idiot that I am, I completely missed 'em. Thanks to a combination of drinking and fawning. Instead of promoting the 'you really should see every band on a line-up because that's the right thing to do', I simply watched the two acts that demanded that I leave the house for once, and those people were The Junipers and John Stammers.

Leaving the house on a confusingly pleasant evening, I met up with the super cool people also bracing themselves for quite possibly the greatest gig Manchester will see this year, and sat down in the sumptuous surroundings of The Deaf Institute near the BBC in Manchester. Expectations were high as The Junipers' 'Cut Your Key' LP has now become firmly lodged in my psyche as The Best Debut Album Ever Made. Also, I'd seen John Stammers on numerous occasions and he's always cookin' with the good stuff. Metaphorically, my pen hovered for dishing up a kicking...

Scare your kids with Katkiller's pop culture dolls

Josmar Madureira (a.k.a Katkiller) is an artist and designer based in Brazil - as well as being the person responsible for these superb Katkiller pop culture dolls.

Take your pick from...well, just about everyone from Amy Winehouse (complete with tattoos), Joey Ramone and David Bowie (Aladdin Sane era) through to the Star Wars characters, Twiggy and Andy Warhol. All are approximately 21 inches tall and weigh around 195 grams. They're made of cloth (raw cotton and polyester), stuffed with synthetic anti-allergic fibre, then painted with silkscreen ink.

Check out the full range via the link below. We don't know the details of price and ordering as yet - currently chasing up the designer and will update as soon as I know more.

Find out more at the Katkiller website

Via Retro To Go

Possibly the greatest show on earth... The Junipers and John Stammers - Live! Tonight!

If you're in Manchester tonight, better get yourself down to the greatest show on Earth. Seriously. At Lee Gorton's (of Alfie fame) Down At The Redbricks night, tonight, you'll get the incredible sunshine popsike of The Junipers, promoting their new 'Cut Your Key' album (the album of 2008), as well as the pastoral jazz-folk of John Stammers, playing with full band (more here).

It starts at 8pm and Manchester's gorgeous and newest venue, The Deaf Institute on Grosvenor Street. [pic: Bob Stuart]

Roulette Pin-Ups - Françoise Hardy

Who?

Françoise Hardy. Singer, actor, model... star gazer.

Where can you find her?

Just about anywhere. She's down with the folkies, doin' the alligator with the Yé-Yé crowd, smokin' with the beatniks, a catwalk, lying on a hillside lookin' at the night sky... every hot blooded man's dreams.

Style

Too many to note here. Fran' dug Parisian chic as well as motorbike trash. She could flutter her 'lashes or kick you upside your head, jus' depends what mood you catch her in. Jus' don't chat her up... her feller is Jacques Dutronc.

Quote

"...tous les garçons et les filles de mon âge se promènent dans la rue deux par deux..."

Roulette?

Électrique et élégant!

Autechre to release 13 new songs

Autechre can be hard work... but then again, like Beefheart or Zappa, they can be hugely rewarding too. So with that, Autechre are to release 13 new songs digitally over the space of two weeks beginning on May 19.

In total the band will release over 140 minutes of new music. The tracks will be released digitally on bleep.com over a course of a fortnight either as a mini-subscription or individual track downloads as and when they become available. The tunes will then appear as EP Bundles on iTunes a week later. Although most people will probably wait a couple of weeks and pinch the lot from Bit Torrent or something. Anyway, the tracklisting is overleaf.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin to reunite

I've got absolutely no idea what to say about this news story. What I'll do is pad it out with a load of pointless procrastinations, making it look like a thoroughly researched scrawl about an indie band from the early 90s. From a distance at least. Of course, this stalling will only work for so long before you start foaming at the nostril and demanding some news. Well, the news is this: Ned's Atomic Dustbin are set to reform for a Christmas show. That's right, you heard. Ned's Atomic Dustbin have announced that they will reform to play a sole date at the London Astoria on December 6. Now, I can't drag that out any more, so here's a video to bulk up the page with.

Stevie Wonder to tour

Stevie Wonder has announced a short tour of the US and Canada, kicking off June 18 in Wantagh, NY. Wonder, who is backing Barack Obama (and the Choom Gang) in the race for the US President, will play 13 shows which wind up July 12 in Vancouver. Wonder’s most recent album ‘A Time To Love’ was released in 2005 and earned him his 22nd Grammy award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. For US tour dates, read over... if you live in the UK and are sick at the thought of not seeing, watch The Best Stevie Wonder Video Ever (TM ElecRoul) instead.

Mira Calix to perform live film soundtrack

Mira Calix, first lady of modern electronics, is to work with Augusto Contento, director of the film Onibus. Their project, also called Onibus, will see Mira Calix performing at Evolution Festival at Leeds Town Hall and the National Centre for Early Music in York.

The live performance will feature a film score performed for a screening of the film, with musicians Peter Sparks, Mark Norman, Oliver Coates and Mira Calix. "This unique performance weaves a hauntingly beautiful score for clarinet, marimba, cello and laptop around a trip into the depths of the Brazilian land and people," reads the Opera North web site, who commissioned the project. Mira Calix has performed with Radiohead, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Aphex Twin, if you need a point of reference. If you need another, there's a video waiting for you over the jump.

'Sonic Youth: Sleeping Nights Awake' documentary to be featured at CineVegas film festival

Man! I need to get me to Vegas. Not only can I watch the lizards in Circus Circus and maybe get someone to drop the melon in the bath with me when White Rabbit peaks, but I can also get over to The CineVegas film festival.

The film festival has announced it's line-up and one of the main films is an intriguing documentary on Sonic Youth, called "Sonic Youth: Sleeping Nights Awake." Produced by non-profit filmmaking patrons Project Moonshine, the twist with this digi-vid doc was that it was shot entirely by seven high school students and featuring interviews, backstage footage, and 10 songs that were filmed live in Reno, Nevada on back in July 2006. The other films stink of rock 'n' roll too...

Paul Weller announces even more live shows

Paul Weller. Some say he's post punk royalty. Others say he's king of the mods. To be honest, I've got no idea what he his. Either way, he's announced a load more dates around the UK. His new album, '22 Dreams' is out on June 24th, and features Noel Gallagher, Graham Coxon, Aziz Ibrahim (Stone Roses mkII), Steve Craddock (Ocean Colour Scene) and Little Barrie. Read over for dates and new track listing for his LP.

Exhibition of Bob Dylan paintings London

This lady, holding a painting by Bob Dylan, couldn't look less thrilled could she? I mean, she may well dig John Wesley Harding and Freewheelin', but chances are, she's got painters she digs a whole load more. Anyway, that's not the point of this article. So what is the point?

Well, an exhibition of Bob Dylan's art will be on display in London featuring drawings and sketches from the singer's time on the road between 1989 and 1992. The Halcyon Gallery announced Friday that fans will be able to peruse the art starting June 14, at an exhibit called The Drawn Blank Series. A gallery release described the works as invoking feelings of "anonymity, transience, rootlessness and sometimes loneliness." Hey! I get that sometimes!

"This is an incredible opportunity for viewing this powerful body of work, which gives an insight into the artist's soul and which have already been the subject of widespread critical acclaim," the gallery's president Paul Green told BBC News.

Spider named after Neil Young

Ironic this. This weekend, some guy in a white coat turned up at the Roulette offices with a spider trapped under a pint glass. He told us that it was a new breed and discovered by him while he sought some clarity in a pub down the road. He'd gone and named it Aranues Blogtipus Diadematus Creemripoffius. He got his £50, 40 cigs, one pair of shoes and some roll-on antiperspirant off us and left. Something to do with an 'admin fee'. Anyway, the irony of all this is that Mr Singer Songwriter Neil Young is immortalised in the bug world after an American biologist named a new species of trapdoor spider after his favourite musician.

East Carolina University biologist Jason Bond calls the new species Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. "There are rather strict rules about how you name new species," Bond said in a statement. "As long as these rules are followed you can give a new species just about any name you please. With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice."
No mention of a strange admin fee though...

New Releases, 12th May, with Rick Allen's missing arm

Hey man. Y'see this guy here? It's my old pal, Rick Allen. Rick's the drummer with Def Leppard. Now, The Deflep guys like to rock y'know? Not me. I've got other interests. Man. I dig jazz, rock, folk... but not really metal. I jus' can't buy into y'know? So, a while back, me and Rick split. It was painful at first, but y'know, after a while, we started writing letters and swapping emails and things are pretty good between us.

People always ask me if me and Rick will ever get back together, but it'll never happen. We're both happy doin' our own thing y'know? The last time I saw Rick was around the car crash... I was lying down, jus' laughing after our race with an Alfa Romeo, then, up comes Rick, blinking wildly and muttering "I'm a famous rock drummer!", "I want my mommy!" Crazy times. Well, now it's time for me to get reviewing for Electric Roulette... and there's LOADS of good records out today!

Beach Boys to re-release early singles set

The Beach Boys are going to release a collection of all their early US singles on Capitol Records, covering '62 to '65. Right up to, but not including, Pet Sounds basically. The collection will be released on June 16 in a limited edition boxed set of 16 CDs recreating the original 45s, including the original B-sides. As with all releases like this, there'll be loads of bonus material too. Read over for the details...

Stereolab to tour North America in the fall... Europe next?

Stereolab are planning a set of tour dates across the U.S. in support of new long player, Chemical Chords. Interestingly, the support act for these dates is Stereolab singer Laetitia Sadier's other project Monade. Chemical Chords is coming out on August 19th via 4AD. This will be the first Stereolab full length release since 2004's Margerine Eclipse. They'll also play the Synch festival in Athens on June 15th, and the Slottsfjell Festival in Norway this Summer. More dates for Europe are to be announced later. Read over for the dates, or, if you're not interested in American shows, watch this video.

Review - Portishead 'Third'

Like most, Electric Roulette has to wait a bit to get a record. Sometimes, we're a bit lazy and don't get 'round to doing something, buying an LP long after reviews are out... but that shouldn't stop us reviewing an album when we do get out arses in gear. Seeing as we didn't get a review copy of Portishead's 'Third', and I went and bought it yesterday, I thought it was time for a peer into the murky sky flickery.

I've heard a lot of snippets and leaked tracks, but that only served as a taster. I've always felt that Portishead were an album band and that the singles, or at least single-tracks, only told a bit of the story. Go back to 'Dummy' or the eponymous LP and you'll see that, as a whole, they make a lot more sense than grabbing a track on (the horrendous) shuffle function on an MP3 player. So, as a whole, what is 'Third' like?

Celebrate the weekend with video by The Junipers

It's the weekend and the sun looks like it's out for a few pints and a trip down the record/charity shops. Do, with that, let's celebrate with some sonic sunshine in the shape of The Junipers, THE band of 2008. Official. Read our review of their latest LP here. It's a masterpiece.

R. Kelly... finally goes to court over serious allegations

A while ago, we took the piss outta R Kelly with a snap, taken as he left court. Well, after a stupid amount of time, R Kelly now goes to trial, after 5 years waiting. Quite why there's been such a delay is something of a mystery.

The case revolves around R Kelly allegedly having sex with an underage girl. And allegedly filming it. And allegedly pissing on her. Now, right at the last minute, sources say that there have been secret hearings dealing with the potential trial testimony of the Atlanta woman, who allegedly had a threesome with Kelly and the girl who appears in the video for which he faces charges.

The Atlanta woman can identify the girl and testify she was underage at the time, sources say.    The same sources reckon that the Atlanta woman received immunity from state and federal prosecution in exchange for her testimony. Now, for the lengthy, and pretty grisly background on this case, read over. Trial starts today.

'Bird Sounds In Close-Up', and the Legend of Victor C Lewis

Released on Hallmark / Pickwick in 1969, 'Bird Sounds In Close Up'  is the possibly the greatest LP I've reviewed in Electric Roulette's entire 48 year history. BSICU, as it is referred to by absolutely nobody, features 100 different "sound items" from the vocabulary of 40 British Birds, live in their late 60s natural habitats around the UK including Meadow Pipits, Yellowhammers, Cirl Buntings, Corn Buntings and various types of Tits.

The man responsible for recording and compiling this seminal work was Nature Sound Recordist Victor C Lewis. 1969 saw the release of numerous "landmark" rock and roll albums. The MC5's debut. Led Zeppelin II. Miles Davis' 'In A Silent Way'. 'The Best Of The Easybeats - Volume 2'. Perched head and shoulders above them all is 'Bird Sounds In Close-Up', and yet despite the critical plaudits heaped upon the LP, the life of it's creator remains clouded in rumour and mystery. What follows is an attempt to shed a little more light on the Victor C Lewis legend, through a close study of this, his defining work.

Unreleased live LP of Frank Zappa out soon!

The Zappa family trust continue their archival excavation project with a previously unreleased 2CD concert album... 'Wazoo' which celebrates the 35th anniversary of classic Zappa LP, 'The Grand Wazoo'.

Vaulternative Records will release Frank Zappa's 2CD concert recording 'Wazoo' on May 27, 2008. The Trust - headed by Zappa's widow Gail Zappa - celebrates the musical legacy of Frank Zappa with new albums, DVDs and AudioDocumentaries.

'Wazoo' is the third concert release from Vaulternative Records, which releases whole concert albums and other miscellaneous Vault recordings. The Trust also runs Zappa Records, which consists of finished masters or album projects produced exclusively by Frank Zappa. Zappa Records releases include 'MOFO': two historic multi-disc packages on the making of Zappa's seminal debut album 'Freak Out!'