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LP
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MR 438LP
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$27.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/19/2023
"A different perspective of women's music!", as the original subtitle reads, comprises 11 tracks by uncompromising experimental music artists, all women, ranging from electro-acoustic to industrial sounds. Originally released in 1986 on the iconic Spanish record label Auxilio de Cientos (also home to Diseño Corbusier, pioneer Belgian EBM/Industrial band The Klinik, and the amazing compilations Pas De Deux and Terra Incognita). It is now reissued for the first time, including the work of: Wendy Chambers, Emily Faryna, Neo Zelanda, Anne Gillis, Dagi Bernhard, Sue Ann Harkey, Tara Cross, Ericka Irganon, and Audio Letter. Most of them known in the minimal/synth-related wave-music and cassette-culture scenes. Femirama opens with "Star Spangled Banner" played by Wendy Chambers with a car horn organ, unveiling the unconventional music paths this compilation was focused on. Emily Faryna is a solo multi-format Vancouver artist who was very prolific in Canada's cassette scene and features two tracks on this record. Neo Zelanda is the personal project of Ani Zinc, member of the Spanish experimental duo Diseño Corbusier and co-founder of Auxilio de Cientos, the Spanish label this compilation was originally released on. The album is completed with cuts taken from various cassettes released by the artists in the first half of the '80s that were available on vinyl for the first time in this compilation, having a somewhat wider distribution than the underground cassette scene. Femirama, a pioneering compilation showcasing the recordings of women in the underground experimental music scene of the '80s, is now reissued for the first time, with a replica of its original insert and artwork. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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MR 321C-LP
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$27.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/5/2023
2023 reissue on splatter vinyl. "Like many young Europeans at the time, the first real taste I had of Lyres -- aside from copious blastings of a second generation cassette tape of their exhilarating Dutch VPRO radio broadcast from 1983 -- came when their debut long-player, the sensational On Fyre, was released the following year. Nothing we'd heard previously coming out of the USA around that time could have quite prepared us for the sound of Lyres. You see, theirs was born of an altogether different mother strain. Yes, there were those groups that were part of the still-burgeoning scene that was beginning to happen, and yes, most other contenders that came our way at that time were also said to be heavily influenced by the wildly intoxicating sounds of the 1960s garage bands; but the majority weren't cut from the same raw and inspiring framework that Lyres were. Not the kind of group who deemed it more important to look like they stepped out of a Rolling Stones photo shoot circa '65, or could be bothered with parading any uniform look such as any of their own heroes, like say Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Kinks, or even The Wailers, presented back in the mid-'60s. Lyres were just gonna let the music do all the talking, and so for them jeans, tee-shirts, leather jackets and a pair of sneakers would do just fine. Producer Rick Harte's Ace Of Hearts label was already known for their attention to detail regarding presentation of sound and artwork, through releases by the likes of Mission Of Burma and Classic Ruins. They also issued a stunning 12" EP of the earlier Lyres, and pre-figured On Fyre with the release of a crackshot double-deck 45 with 'Help You Ann' and 'I Really Want You Right Now,' both stone-cold killer tunes. On Fyre itself is a royal succession of unstoppably great selections, all with inventive use of major/minor chord switches, ear-bending tremolo gear, and/or relentless in-motion rhythmic sequences -- sometimes all at once. Home base for Lyres, nearly always, has been Boston, Massachusetts, where the majority of the group's early personnel had already experienced a pretty strong taste of group life, having played a major part in one of the foremost punk-era outfits the city had earlier thrown up; they were, of course, the legendary DMZ. Both DMZ and Lyres were spearheaded by lead vocalist, organ/piano player and tambourine-basher extraordinaire, Jeff Conolly, whose own individual performances have a direct lineage that can be traced back to the unbridled abandonment displayed by none more so than the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis. That the raw sonic exultation captured throughout On Fyre was unleashed almost 30 years ago now is quite an astonishing, terrifying statistic given that, it's a record that still sounds as fresh, bold, new and exciting as it did back in 1984..." --Lenny Helsing
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LP
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MR 307-4LP
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$25.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 4/21/2023
Black vinyl. Includes a big poster. Munster Records proudly reissues Eskorbuto's first LP from 1985, one of the most influential punk albums in the Spanish and Latin American scenes, which showcases what they are known for: radicalism, a self-taught style and crude lyrics. When asked to describe the album tracks in an interview at the time of its release, band member Iosu preferred instead to tell some anecdotes about the band and share his views on a few issues. Some excerpts from that interview give a good idea of what this record and band were about: "Many bands have good ideas and I like what they're saying, but when it comes to it, they're just a lie. You're not alive, you're not dead, just condemned. It's worrying, you're part of what you most hate: the system. It's unbelievable. The earth is a big toilet where we all survive and if it's flushed we'll all go to shit. When we were recording 'Rogad A Dios A Los Muertos' and listened to the vocals without music, it seemed like a sort of evil ritual. If we've used the Simmons electronic drums it's because it suited us during the recording. If it's good, hurray for science! The last lyrics we've written say: 'Ignorant people that were afraid of us before/become friendly without our permission/cowards pretending to be brave/badmouthing us in front of people/but careful, we warn you, we're the same as when we started'."
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MR 437LP
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$23.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 4/14/2023
MAG has been, since its foundation in 1953, an essential label in the music scene of Peru, allowing the development of the careers of both tropical artists and musicians of other genres. At the head was Don Manuel Antonio Guerrero, its founder, whose name comes from the acronym of the label itself (M.A.G.). In 2021 MAG was acquired by the Spanish company Distrolux SL, owner of the Munster and Vampisoul record labels, after years of previous collaborations in which some of the most emblematic titles in the catalog were already reissued for the international market: Nils Jazz Ensemble, Sonora Casino, Traffic Sound, Al Valdez, Pax... Following 14 MAGníficos Bailables (VAMPI 260LP), comprising some of the best tropical music on MAG, this new compilation brings together 12 songs recorded between 1971 and 1976, reminiscent of sunshine pop, folk psych, and soft rock but with Peruvian touches. The lyrics range from youthful reflections, environmental awareness, paradigm changes to all shades of love that the youth of the day experienced. Unusual instruments and exceptional vocal play also feature in the ten original songs and two cover versions, all performed by Lima-based groups. In chronological order, the earliest song comes from Telegraph Avenue, who recorded their debut album on the MAG label in 1971. Next comes "Tiempo de sol" (1972), by the Peruvian-Argentinean band Tarkus, which included in its line-up the bass guitarist and drummer of Telegraph Avenue. Again from 1972, We All Together (WAT) is the project that Saúl and Manuel Cornejo started after their last album with Laghonia, together with Carlos Guerrero, the son of MAG's owner. WAT originally intended to cover McCartney, taking advantage of the fact that the Wings records took a long time to be released in Peru. The female vocals on this album are provided by Monik, the artistic pseudonym of Mónica Guerrero, MAG's A&R director and Carlos's sister, who encouraged her to record some "test" songs that were soon released, including the anguished "The World Is Getting Worse", written by Carlos. "Estoy Brillando" is a gem of sunshine pop in Spanish recorded by FE 59 in 1973. Grupo Amigos also recorded an LP that year with their own songs in English and Spanish, again with the collaboration of the Cornejo brothers. "Mujer" is a nostalgic slow rock song accented by a melodious synthesizer. "Cariño Grande" is a blistering huayno-milonga with Moog synthesizer by Miguel Ángel Ruiz Orbegozo, known as Zulu. And the list goes on and on... Also features Innovations, Sudamérica, Traffic Sound, Telegraph Ave, Monik, Illicit, Grupo Amigos, and Cerro Verde.
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MR 7359EP
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Los Angeles band The Puddin' Heads, feat. ex-Wailers member John Greek, recorded their only single in 1964. "Now You Say We're Through" is an outstanding garage rocker with a stinging fuzz guitar and a rousing Bo Diddley-fied groove that was originally released on Catch Records and later included in the Back From The Grave series becoming a DJ favorite. First time fully licensed 7" reissue.
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MR 307-3LP
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Black vinyl. Includes a big poster. Munster Records proudly reissues Eskorbuto's first LP from 1985, one of the most influential punk albums in the Spanish and Latin American scenes, which showcases what they are known for: radicalism, a self-taught style and crude lyrics. When asked to describe the album tracks in an interview at the time of its release, band member Iosu preferred instead to tell some anecdotes about the band and share his views on a few issues. Some excerpts from that interview give a good idea of what this record and band were about: "Many bands have good ideas and I like what they're saying, but when it comes to it, they're just a lie. You're not alive, you're not dead, just condemned. It's worrying, you're part of what you most hate: the system. It's unbelievable. The earth is a big toilet where we all survive and if it's flushed we'll all go to shit. When we were recording 'Rogad A Dios A Los Muertos' and listened to the vocals without music, it seemed like a sort of evil ritual. If we've used the Simmons electronic drums it's because it suited us during the recording. If it's good, hurray for science! The last lyrics we've written say: 'Ignorant people that were afraid of us before/become friendly without our permission/cowards pretending to be brave/badmouthing us in front of people/but careful, we warn you, we're the same as when we started'."
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MR 435LP
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First time reissue, originally released in 1986 on Spanish experimental label Auxilio de Cientos. Formed in 1981, Neo Zelanda was the way of expression of a woman, Ani Zinc, who since then began to experiment with vocal music, manipulated tapes or sound collages. As a child, radio had been her only contact with music. She received her first shock listening to "Remember Love", the repetitive song by Yoko Ono. She later found out about Llorenç Barber, Spanish experimental music pioneer. After recording a single ("Paso Hambre") and several cassettes ("Radio-Sabotage", "Ese Lenguaje"), which helped her to gain international recognition, and the inclusion of her work in various contemporary cultural centers (Juan March Foundation, among others), her first LP saw the light of day in 1986 on her own label, Auxilio de Cientos (also home to Diseño Corbusier, pioneer Belgian EBM/industrial band The Klinik, and the amazing compilations Pas De Deux and Terra Incognita). Mix Zelanea brings together part of her experimental work with voices and sound effects ("Si Esto Es Amor" or "Il Drama"), together with new compositions, in which she is accompanied by some friends and welcomes the use of conventional instruments such as drum machines, keyboards, etc., resulting a richer and more diverse outcome ("Alemana Mix", "Extenso Mundo Brillante", etc.)
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MR 7358EP
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First time fully licensed 7" reissue. By the mid-60s, Kenny Johnson and several of his Bakersfield (California) acolytes had relocated to Los Angeles and were playing gigs all over. "See If I Care" is a killer 1966 organ-led snotty garage punker that was credited to the pseudonymous Ken & The Forth Dimension. At the time, this song was considered a relative throwaway compared to its pop A-side, "Rovin' Heart". However, an error with the original pressing that reversed the 45 labels meant that anyone that might have played the record expecting the schlocky sentiments of the main track, got an earful of garage band insolence instead. Many years on and "See If I Care" reached a cult status after being included in the Back From the Grave series becoming a popular spin in the garage scene.
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MR 7357EP
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First time reissue. When the Alessi twins saw their heyday in 1976, their moderate hit "Seabird" resonated strongly in the head of Javier Guerrero, son of the Peruvian label Discos MAG's founder Manuel A. Guerrero. The luminous melody of the song fits perfectly into the daily scenes of Lima surfers, establishing a curious parallelism with the idyllic Californian landscape and its traditional surfer way of life. It was not long before Guerrero entered into the recording studio accompanied by Ernesto Samamé, bassist in We All Together, the band led by Javier's brother, Carlos Guerrero, as well as a member of Laghonia, Fe 59, and a few other musical projects. In his hands, "Seabird" became an even brighter song than its original version, a potential perfect soundtrack for a scene taken from The Endless Summer, musical gold for any yacht-rock fan despite its less sophisticated and rawer production. The single was completed with another version, "Put A Little Away", a late hit by Frankie Valli's The Four Seasons, and was released in 1997 on MAG Records, with a tiny distribution most likely limited to Peru.
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MR 434LP
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First time official reissue. Originally released in 1967. Los York's became the epitome of Peruvian garage sound, and the kings of the multi-group concerts which teenagers flocked to on Saturday and Sunday mornings in Lima's main movie theaters. The group was in tune with the youth from popular districts who were gradually turning morning concerts into dynamic gigs as the fashion for solo rock-ballads waned and garage sounds by bands like Los Shain's, Los Derbys, Los Juniors, Los Flyers, and, of course, Los York's took over. Their supportive fans would follow them to every gig. After releasing their three first singles on MAG, featuring covers of popular hits, it took them a year to turn their ideas into songs for their first LP that was successfully released at Christmas in 1967. The band was backed by Melcohita on vibraphone and Mario Allison on percussion. It features a beat-influenced go-go twang guitar garage psych tone throughout, including a bunch of covers like Alan Y Sus Bates' "Pronto Un Doctor" or The Box Tops' "The Letter", and amazing originals like "No Puedo Amar" with an intense garage beat.
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MR 433LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1986. In the mid-80s Granada, a small city in the south of Spain, was a redoubt of avant-garde resistance. While Madrid bragged about being the capital of the new wave scene -- the much-trumpeted Movida madrileña --, away from any media interest the Andalusian city was part of a European wide network where the free circulation of ideas and knowledge could be linked to the current copyleft movement. They exchanged music following that do-it-yourself philosophy in which the cassette had an ideal role as the vehicle of music diffusion. Ani Zinc would become an expert amateur of such activities. As a child, radio was her only contact with music. She received her first shock listening to "Remember Love", the repetitive song by Yoko Ono. She later found out about Llorenç Barber. Only when she arrived in Granada to study psychology did she discover that she wasn't the only one that liked a kind of music that didn't resemble anything. Granada's proximity to Africa made it possible to tune into Arabic, flamenco, and pop radio stations. Unable to get that Yoko Ono song off her mind, she started discovering the possibilities of her voice. Diseño Corbusier was born out of that obsession. Also, out of the electronic explorations of Javier G Marín, then a first-year law student. They had met in 1981 after an ad in the music magazine Vibraciones. If their first record ("Pérfido encanto", 1985) was a vibrant experiment where the rhythms weren't yet muscled up, with El alma de la estrella (1986) the duo took a step ahead. They renovated some electronic equipment and signed a distribution deal between their own label, Auxilio de Cientos, and one of the most prosperous Spanish independents of the '80s, Nuevos Medios, who were working with labels such as Factory at the time. "Golpe de Amistad" came up as the most international track of a brilliant, expressionist and charmingly domestic repertoire. More confident than ever, Ani Zinc manipulated reality as if it were plasticine. El alma de la estrella gathered all her obsessions. On "Chiquillo" she imitated the angry women's voices which filled the streets of the poor neighborhood where she had grown up. "Ritmo 21" can't hide her admiration for Yoko Ono's vocal register and the records by French female singers that her sister used to bring her from Paris. "El club del ruido" came about as a fragmented document of an interview they did on the radio show of the same name. Rather than electronic or even industrial music, Diseño Corbusier's second album was a vibrant piece of domestic craftwork.
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MR 432LP
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Officially reissued for the first time, originally released in 1968. By 1968, Colombian rock had left behind its affinity with yéyé and go-go music. In Medellín, Discos Fuentes had terminated its contract with Los Yetis, whose farewell record Olvídate (1968) set a strong anti-establishment tone. While the fire of protest that had spread rapidly among students in Paris was dying out, young people in Bogotá voiced their discontent. Aware of the effervescent political climate across the world, Los Speakers wrote their last record between June and September of the convulsive year of 1968. In order to give shape to these new songs they needed a space where they could experiment freely with sound. The music historian and critic and sound engineer, Manuel Drezner, made a providential appearance and offered the innovative Ingeson studios to the trio under one condition: that his company's name was included in the title of the record. For four months, Rodrigo, Manuel, and Roberto created a record that was completely different to anything on the Colombian rock scene at that time. Los Speakers used cutting-edge equipment to record and mix El Maravilloso Mundo De Ingesón. It was the first time local musicians had access to a multichannel mixing desk where they could experiment with all kinds of bold sound effects. The silences between songs were replaced with brief intervals of sound including the noise of a train running over a passer-by, a bomb exploding... Although it's often labelled a conceptual record, the four compositions that each of the band members contribute reveal different aesthetic personalities. From the strong influence of Renaissance and Baroque poetry and music to the virulent social critique and pacifist statements, suffused with religiosity and mysticism. Armed with the demo tape, Los Speakers presented the project to CBS, Philips, Sonolux, and Bambuco. The labels' verdict was unanimous: not very commercial and very costly. The group reacted to this negative response by pooling their personal savings, inventing a fictious record label called Kris and released the record just as they had imagined it. This led to the creation of a graphic concept unheard of in Colombia: the record included a booklet containing photos, texts, and illustrations. Although there was a big media roll out, which included TV appearances and features in newspapers and magazines, as predicted the album was a commercial failure... El Maravilloso Mundo De Ingesón is one of the most brilliantly whacked-out psych LPs to emerge from South America. An almost impossible to find cult record.
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MR 7354EP
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Regulars on the '60s Sunset Strip scene, Hamilton Streetcar played with The Doors, Buffalo Springfield, and Love. At the height of their popularity, seemingly on the cusp of stardom, the group also shared the stage with acts like Jefferson Airplane, Captain Beefheart, The Kitchen Cinq, The Sunshine Company, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and Steppenwolf. They released two singles in 1967 and 1968 on Lee Hazlewood's LHI Records that have become highly sought-after among garage and psych aficionados. Fuzzy psych rock and trippy, layered grooves combined to form Hamilton Streetcar's signature sound, a vibe that Hazlewood masterfully produced on their first single Invisible People/Flash. The tracks were recorded at United Recorders in Hollywood where Lee cut songs like "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and "Some Velvet Morning" with Nancy Sinatra. Hazlewood's psychedelic production is filled with backwards guitars, haunting reverb and a trippy dose of echo, complementing the buzzing organ, fuzz guitar and lysergic pulse of the band. Following the recording of their first single in June of 1967, guitarist Tom Fannon was replaced by Michael Georgiades, who would play on their second and final LHI single, Your Own Comedown/Confusion, which was recorded in December of 1967. After the two singles were released, the band and LHI parted ways in 1968.
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MR 7353EP
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One single was all it took for the Buddhas to attain garage-psych nirvana. "Lost Innocence" and "My Dream" were produced by Gary S Paxton and released on the Shel-Dee label in September 1967. The Buddhas were from Bakersfield, a hundred miles north of Los Angeles in California's San Joaquin Valley. They were active in 1966-67, playing many events sponsored by the dominant "boss" radio station in the area, KAFY, including opening for big name acts at the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium such as the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, and Sonny & Cher. A KAFY show at the Civic on June 2, 1967 was promoted with the slogan Flower Power is Coming, and saw the Buddhas playing alongside the Avengers (of "Be A Caveman" fame), the Words, the Donnybrooks, the Reptyles, and the Black Glass to raise money for the March of Dimes. While some of that Flower Power pollen had evidently permeated the Buddhas' sound, they remained essentially a hard-driving, dance-inducing rock n' roll band, short-haired and smartly-dressed in matching double-breasted suits. The members were Dennis Roark, Dane Nelson, Rick Starr, Larry Meadors (or Meadrows, according to the band's business card), Gary Lettiere and Larry Kirby. The single was recorded at Paxton's studio in the Bakersfield suburb of Oildale, and mixed in Hollywood, where the producer made good use of Capitol's fabled echo chambers. "Lost Innocence" has a tight, compact arrangement, its thumping rhythm track supported by handclaps along with some heavily-reverbed backing vocals. The stinging, reverb-cloaked guitar break hits a sonic sweet spot somewhere between Drake Levin and Jorma Kaukonen. The flowery poetry of the lyrics relates a cautionary tale of teenage lust and its consequences. The outcome of this "story of short-lived glory" appears to be a shotgun wedding: "Cause her daddy and the sheriff did both agree 'twas I for the blame." On the flipside, the eerie, languorous "My Dream" boasts a clear, melodic lead vocal, reverb-swathed backups and plenty of tingling fuzz guitar floating through the veils of mist. The Buddhas disappeared into the mist soon afterwards, and their single slipped into obscurity, until Greg Shaw exhumed "Lost Innocence" for inclusion on Volume 2 of Pebbles, disclosing its immense wonders to a new generation of sixties rock n' roll enthusiasts. Now both sides can be enjoyed on seven-inch vinyl for the first time this century.
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2LP
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MRB 350LP
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Los Demenciales Chicos Acelerados is Eskorbuto's fourth studio album, originally released by Discos Suicidas in 1987. It was their most ambitious project, a double LP rock opera in the vein of Quadrophenia by their beloved The Who. It tells the story of an unscrupulous young man who wishes to achieve power at all costs, stepping over everyone and everything in order to do whatever he wants politically. In the end, he falls due to his ego and is betrayed by those around him. Hence lines such as "crowds are a nuisance", "I'll come unscathed out of the attacks planned by my image consultant", or "shouting in front of the scum". In 1988 band members Iosu and Juanma narrated the album's concept and story on a Radio Euskadi show, the Basque Country's public broadcaster. This satirical political plot also explains the controversial Nazi pictures on the front and back covers. Eskorbuto were equalling the unprincipled politician of their rock opera with the Nazis and Franco's dictatorship. It's a conceptual record that attacks any kind of dictatorial political regime. Although Los Demenciales... came out on Discos Suicidas, in typical Eskorbuto fashion the band stole a copy of the master and sold it to the Twins label, which also released it a few months later with a different cover. The original sleeve caused some trouble, to say the least, with its combination of Nazi photos and the Spanish flag on the back accompanied by the words "Of national interest". The album contains new versions of a few previous tracks such as "Ratas Rabiosas" and "Enterrado Vivo" plus the studio version of "Más Allá Del Cementerio". For the recording the band enrolled keyboardist Aitor Amezaga, who would also collaborate on their next album. This is the first facsimile vinyl reissue of one of the most piercing albums in Spain's rock history, by a band whose significance has crossed all kinds of borders. Gatefold sleeve.
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MR 7352EP
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Empire was an offshoot of Generation X, and their only LP Expensive Sound remains an obscure (yet highly rewarding) listen. Originally released in 1981, the same year Gary Numan and Soft Cell were raking in big bucks with their noir-flecked brand of retrofuturism, Expensive Sound was out-of-step with the climate of commercial music. Their music was raw, bare, warm -- distinct from the glacial, antiseptic pop that would dominate the decade. The album was neither totally forward-looking nor nostalgia embracing. Instead, Expensive Sound does what great albums tend to: preserves a specific moment in time. While Expensive Sound may be better known for the bands it inspired -- the neo-psychedelia of The Stone Roses and the athletic fretwork of Fugazi -- they deserve appreciation on its own merits: one of the finest guitar pop records of the era. These two previously-unavailable-on-vinyl songs were recorded in 1981 for a second album that wasn't finally released.
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MR 7346EP
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Mainly known for his career as an actor, especially during the post-dictatorship years and through his "soft-erotic" comedy films, the popular Spanish comedian Andrés Pajares also recorded several records since the mid-1960s. Among them, "Dracula Yeyé" is the song that has conquered selected dancefloors worldwide and has been on the wants lists of '60s sounds collectors and DJs for years. A rare artifact that was originally released in 1968 and whose original copies are very scarce and currently fetch exorbitant prices in the second-hand market. The later version recorded by the Spanish band Doctor Explosión in the '90s helped to make this record better known so that has already achieved the status of Spanish garage-yeyé holy grail. The single is completed with another fun and surprising yeyé song on the B-side that could well be the main track of this release since it brings together some of the best artists of the Spanish-sung yeyé scene of the '60s: singers Marta Baizán, Miguel Ríos, and the Venezuelan garage band Los Impala. All of them were the uncredited artists involved in this recording that was originally released as a children's record, with the musicalized narration of the classic tale "Little Red Riding Hood" that these musicians turned into a stunning garage-beat hit. Both songs are reissued here on a 7" single for the first time.
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MR 430LP
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Munster Records present a first time reissue of Ana y Jaime's Diré A Mi Gente, originally released in 1969. An essential Colombian album that connects the new generations that grew up after the fall of the socialist block. It's a classic with one foot in protest song and the other in acid rock, harsh sounding but also current, raw and sincere. It's reminiscent of Nadaism via Pablus Gallinazo, the bittersweet tenderness of Elia y Elizabeth and the post Yetis duet of Norman y Darío. It was recorded by the brothers Ana and Jaime Valencia and originally released in 1969 on the local label Discos 15. The messages it conveys are still fresh and the blend of superb songs, arrangements and the candor of the duo's performance proves the relevance and importance of re-listening to this album in an increasingly nihilistic and depoliticized world. The teenage voices enhance the truthfulness and power of conviction of the classic songs of Alí Primera and Daniel Viglietti. The endearing song "Cuántos Momentos", originally recorded by Iván Darío López from Los Yetis-Norman y Darío, stands out on the album. "Es Largo El Camino", with more stark lyrics by Nelson Osorio backed by Astudillo's screeching guitar, sends shivers down your spine. Diré A Mi Gente reaffirms that the transformative power of music is still there, latent, waiting to be unleashed. Even though the road traveled to get there is sometimes long. Liner notes by Mexican DJ and collector Carlos Icaza aka Tropicaza (Dublab, Worldwide FM.)
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MR 431LP
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Munster Records present a reissue of Empire's Expensive Sound, originally released in 1981. Empire was an offshoot of Generation X, and their only LP Expensive Sound remains an obscure (yet highly rewarding) listen. Originally released in 1981, the same year Gary Numan and Soft Cell were raking in big bucks with their noir-flecked brand of retrofuturism, Expensive Sound was out-of-step with the climate of commercial music. Their music was raw, bare, warm -- distinct from the glacial, antiseptic pop that would dominate the decade. The album was neither totally forward-looking nor nostalgia embracing. Instead, Expensive Sound does what great albums tend to: preserves a specific moment in time. There's an arid, unvarnished quality to the recordings -- typified by front man Derwood Andrews's voice and words. He sang with uncommon fragility and in a soft, almost diffident voice. There's little reverb, almost no double tracking, and absolutely no attempt to Americanize his delivery. The subject matter is rendered in a similar, disarmingly plain way. Boredom, depression, unrequited love, and existential dread are treated in equal parts -- sans one song about playing the electric guitar (the aptly titled "Electric Guitar"). While Derwood's lyrics exhibit some of the doom-and-gloom sentiment of post-punk progenitors Joy Division, they are almost Holden Caulfield-esque in their simplicity. Empire's response to adversity is delivered with a shrug and a sigh. If Andrew's bashful vocals are part of the charm, his expressive guitar playing is the main attraction of Expensive Sound. As the sole guitarist on the record, he demonstrates a versatility unusual for the band's punk roots -- deftly maneuvering between chunky, minimalist riffing (like on "Hot Seat"), vast swathes of dark noise ("Empire"), and lacerating, tightly coiled leads ("Safety"). While Expensive Sound may be better known for the bands it inspired -- the neo-psychedelia of The Stone Roses and the athletic fretwork of Fugazi -- they deserve appreciation on its own merits: one of the finest guitar pop records of the era.
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MR 428LP
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Munster Records present a first-time vinyl reissue of Telegraph Avenue's Vol. 2, originally released in 1975. The story of Telegraph Avenue, the Peruvian band whose name takes you back to the countercultural San Francisco of the sixties, began with guitarist, vocalist, and composer Bo Ichikawa's journey of initiation to the United States in 1969. After attending many live shows of rock stars, including the emerging Latin artist Carlos Santana, Bo returned to Peru at the end of 1969 to form Telegraph Avenue with friends. They performed a repertoire that mixed the main branches of psychedelia with the novel Latin sounds of Santana. Thanks to their performances in discotheques, parties, school celebrations, festivals and across different regions of the country, they quickly gained a devoted audience and their 1971 debut LP: Volumen 1 (MAG) sold out in days. Despite the success of the album the group disbanded soon after. They reunited again in 1974, adding another guitarist to the band who also contributed his own songs to the repertoire. In their second LP, on the MAG label too, they returned to the sophisticated vocal interplay and polished compositions of the first album. It was released in 1975. Bad timing. Political instability prevented it from being distributed properly. Volumen 2 is considered the last album of the golden age of Peruvian rock spanning the decade 1965 to 1975, starting with Los Saicos' early recordings and ending with Volumen 2 by Telegraph Avenue. It's the swan song of a young generation, which like all youth was misunderstood and found redemption and transcendence in music. First time vinyl reissue, including a bonus track and liner notes.
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LP
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MR 429LP
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Munster Records present a reissue of The Many Moods Of Ben Vaughn Combo, originally released in 1986. The Ben Vaughn Combo blazed the trail for American music that was way off-kilter compared to the competition. Their tri-state type Tex-Mex sound really shook things up. Their reputation as a live act grew exponentially with every show they played. Theirs was a twist on the roots rock scare with a reach something like The Fleshtones, outside of the standard '80s ranch stash. The sort of thing that has a tendency to get written out of history despite being timeless, it doesn't easily fit into any premeditated narrative. When The Many Moods Of Ben Vaughn Combo appeared in 1986, the Combo literally had the world at its feet. Many of the hits you hear when you see him (and the quintet) today are on this platter. Long out of print and somewhat sought after, this was the first time that Ben's Rambler car was heard on a record. And not the last. The Andy (then Adny) Shernoff inspired "I Dig Your Wig" is like The Cramps with a Doug Sahm infusion. The accordion is the secret weapon here. Little used in rock n' roll and often scoffed at, it allows these songs a setting that your conventional instrumentation would just flatten. Reading the sleeve info you'll see the legend "DEDICATED TO THE GEATOR", a nod to the legendary Philly DJ that inspired Ben to come up with his sound. It sounds just as fresh now as it did back then. Perhaps you're too young to have been around when this record album was first available? Maybe you wore your three copies out? Whatever your story is, these Many Moods... will lift yours in these perilous times. Don't end up sorry (like Brenda Lee).
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7"
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MR 7351EP
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In California in the mid-sixties, with the British Invasion raging, having an authentic Englishman as the lead singer of your band was an ace in the hole that gave you an edge over the competition. Such was the case with Limey & the Yanks a quintet from Buena Park in Southern California's Orange County. Limey was young Steve Cook, and his Yanks by 1965 were guitarists Gregg DeLorto and Tim Gunne, bass player Bob Batman and drummer Wes Hunsinger. With his blonde Keith Relf-style hair, Steve was a striking front man who fortunately also possessed a decent voice, and with his father managing the group they were soon making waves throughout the area. A victory at a Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Palladium put them on the map in Los Angeles, attracting the attention of producer Gary Paxton. By this time Wally Downing had joined on lead guitar, replacing Gregg DeLorto who had defected to the Spats. Paxton produced their debut single in late 1965, and it was released in January of the following year on his Starburst label. Paxton's business partner in Starburst was Lloyd Johnson, and the single's A-side was written by Lloyd's son Ken, who also recorded for Starburst with his group Ken & the Forth [sic] Dimension. Paxton had already produced a version of "Love Can't Be A One Way Deal", a couple of years earlier with the Rev-Lons, a girl group from Bakersfield, but the version by Limey & the Yanks took a completely different approach, turning it into a lovelorn garage number with a sound pitched somewhere between the Beau Brummels and the Beach Boys, with bright harmonies, mournful harmonica and a melodic twangy guitar solo. Swinging on a guitar hook based on Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step", "Guaranteed Love", took a bluesier approach with a confident Limey vocal, stinging fuzz guitar, a concise harp solo and a rousing Bo Diddley-fied groove. The single was not a hit, but it added heft to the group's growing reputation. A second single, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind", was released in October, but it would be the group's last, although they did continue, through several lineup changes, into 1967. Limey's legacy lives on...
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MR 7349EP
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Discos MAG was one of the most important Peruvian labels of the '60s. It was owned and directed by Manuel Antonio Guerrero who would also put together bands and get involved in the recording sessions. His son Carlos Guerrero also followed the music path and so did his daughter Mónica "Monik" Guerrero. Members of the bands We All Together and Traffic Sound would take part in the recording sessions at MAG studios in 1972, when Monik managed to record a few songs that would eventually release as a 7" single on his father's label. She would return into the studio one year later and record two more songs: "Maybe I Know" -- first brought to fame by Lesley Gore in 1964 -- and "Forgiveness" an original song composed by Ernesto and Félix of We All Together. This EP comprises Monik's complete discography and get s a vinyl reissue for the first time.
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MR 7350EP
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In the mid-sixties, Colombian label Codiscos placed its bet on some of the emerging figures of Colombian pop and two exciting wild bands: Los Flippers and Los Streaks. After the fleeting brilliance of the so-called "new wave", the four-song EPs released by the label -- mainly for promotional use -- lay forgotten on the shelves of radio stations or stored in the musty trunks of the fans who managed to buy the few copies that were distributed by the record label. Today it's incredibly difficult to find any of these EPs released by Codiscos between 1965 and 1967 in mint condition, with the original sleeve. Los Streaks didn't just come out of nowhere, it was the brainchild of the radio DJ, manager and promoter Édgar Restrepo Caro. Towards the end of 1966, while working as the manager of Los Flippers, Caro became fascinated with the idea of creating a group made up of some of the most talented musicians on the Bogota rock circuit. On January 20, 1967, Los Streaks made their debut at the discotheque El Diábolo as a warm-up act. They then appeared on national television, starred at matinee sessions at two major venues in Bogota, and headlined at the concert organized by the music magazine Juventud a Go 67. During this short period, they established a powerful stage presence, combining exquisite musicianship and a sharp sense of humor. Their repertoire was also bold, encompassing Giuseppe Verdi, The Beatles, Pérez Prado, The Ventures, or Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels. The band's solid sound was perfectly aligned to Codiscos' interests. They signed a contract to release two LPs. In mid-1967 they traveled to Medellín and recorded eleven tracks that would shape the first of these albums. One of these songs was kept back for "El Disco De Oro A Go-Go", while the rest were included in OPERAción A Go-Go. It included four songs that the label had released on an EP, which decades later has become the holy grail of Colombian garage music. The stunning Reacción Sicótica EP includes the stellar "Cosmos 901" composed by Manuel Jiménez, the sparkling "Escápate Mi Amor" (cover of "Get Away" by Georgie Fame, probably heard by the band in the version by Spanish band Los Ángeles) and two wonderful covers of the Californian garage band Count Five: "Psychotic Reaction" and "They're Gonna Get You".
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7"
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MR 7345EP
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Brazilian psych gem! No matter how many covers of the "Batman Theme" you may have heard before, this is really something else, as crazy and psychedelic as the tale of Batman traveling to Mars could suggest... Cosmic sound effects, drum breaks, organ riffs and a snotty voice-over building an increasingly chaotic atmosphere that eventually let the "Batman Theme" explode... Célio Balona is a pianist and composer whose very long recording career has been mainly focused on MPB (Brazilian popular music). By the late '60s he would also embrace modern pop and would eventually experiment with the challenging sounds of psychedelia. To round off this fab compacto, the B-side hides another gem: "Tema de Ônibus", a brass section-led instrumental jazz track for the dancefloor with Farfisa sounds, just perfect for those into mod jazz. First time 7" single reissue.
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