Please be sure to check out the records on this snapshot of favorites worked on by GGR in 2020, curated by some of our employees and colleagues. Happy listening, and Happy Holidays!
Clint Holley (Well Made Music)
Koyaanisqatsi – Original Soundtrack Black Unity Trio – Al Fatihah Jeff Carney- Imperfect Space Journeys The Local Honeys – Little Girls Acting Like Men Black Market Brass – Undying Thirst Honorable mention: Christy Lynn Band – Sweetheart of the Radio
Dave Polster (Well Made Music)
The Horace Tapscott Quintet-“The Giant Is Awakened” (Real Gone Music) Philip Glass – Koyaanisqatsi (Orange Mountain Music) Robbie Basho-“Songs of the Great Mystery—The Lost Vanguard Sessions” (Real Gone Music) Christopher Young-“Invaders from Mars” 7″ OST (1984 Publishing) Emily Keener-“I Do Not Have To Be Good” (Self Released) GA-20-“Live Vol. 1” (Karma Chief) The Wild Giraffes-“Live at the Cleveland Agora” (Self Released) F**k Yeah, Dinosaurs!-“65 Million Beers Ago” (Self Released) The Aquabats!-“Kooky Spooky” (MVD) Man-“Revelation” (Real Gone Music) Midnight Syndicate-“Music of Halloween Horror Nights” (Self Released) Sad Penny-“Sun Cured/Nightside” (Soul Step Records) Mavericks-“En Español” (Thirty Tigers) The Awakening-“Hear, Sense, and Feel” (Real Gone Music) Loney Hutchins-“Appalachia” (Self Released) Dan Lacksman-“Dan Lacksman” (Real Gone Music) Morgan Ames-“Silent Night, Deadly Night” OST (1984 Publishing) The Bombillas-“The Bombillas” (F-Spot Records) Lauren Lanzaretta-“Deliverance” (Self Released) Ghost Funk Orchestra-“An Ode to Escapism” (Karma Chief) Fountains of Wayne-“Welcome Interstate Managers” (Real Gone Music) Red Devil Ryders-“Pour Me Another One” (Just Because Records) Factual Brains-“Scooter” (Self Released) Trans Siberian Orchestra-“Ghosts of Christmas Eve” (Warner) Malcolm Holcombe-“Tricks of the Trade” (Self Released) Rancid Vat-“Tableaus Of Human Drama Collected Like Food Stains On A Filthy Restaurant Tablecloth” (Greg Bailey) Black Unity Trio-“Al-Fatihah” (Gotta Groove Records) Black Market Brass-“Undying Thirst” (Colemine Records) Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band-“The Gordian Knot” (Blackrock Creative) Monophonics-“It’s Only Us” (Colemine Records) The Brother Moves On-“A New Myth” (Joyful Noise) A Black Rose Burial-“An Awakening of Revenants” (Wax Vessel) Woody and Jeremy-“Strange Satisfaction” (Self Released) Walter Bishop Jr.-“Coral Keys” (Real Gone Music) Matt Duncan-“Who Are You” bw “State Bird” (Soul Step Records) Throttle Elevator Music-“Emergency Exit” (Wide Hive Records)
Gio Ruvolo
Invent Animate- Greyview (Tragic Hero) Bask-Ramble Beyond (Self-Aware) Kelly Finnegan- The Tales People Tell repress (Colemine) Dead Horse- Horsecore: An Unrelated Story That’s Time Consuming Dr. Acula-S.L.O.B. (Total Deathcore) Mavericks- En Espanol (Thirty Tigers)
Michael Fanos
Tobacco – Fucked Up Friends Sen Morimoto – Sen Morimoto L7 – The Beauty Process NNamdi – Krazy Karl Luke Titus – Plasma Russ Meyers – Vixen OST The Du-Rites – A Funky Bad Time Black Unity Trio – Al-Fatihah Slow Pulp – Moveys
Matt Earley
Airto Moreira – Seeds On The Ground Ausklang – Chronos Bastards of Soul – Spinnin’ Doug Carn – Spirit of the New Land Bird and the Bee – S/T Black Unity Trio – Al Fatihah Bob Lefevre – & The Already Gone Brian Owens- Love Came Down Calvin Keys – Shaw-Neeq Charles Hill Jr – Old Loves and Old Memories Cleveland Eaton – Plenty Good Eaton Cole Degenova – Really Human Colter Wall – Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs Couple – Top of the Pop Dan Golding – Untitled Goose Game Dan Reeder – Every Which Way Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio – I Told You So Destroyer – Have We Met Emily Nenni – Hell of a Woman Ernie Johnson From Detroit – Live Vol. I & II Flat Five – Another World Fountains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers Ghost Funk Orchestra – An Ode To Escapism Golden Streets of Paradise – Throes Heavy Velvet – Sessions Holly Bowling – Seeking All That’s Still Unsung H.P. Lovecraft – At The Mountains of Madness Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Reunions Jeremy Fetzer – Mendocino Jerome Jennings – Solidarity Jerusafunk -JFUNK Jorge Trasante – Investigatcion Musical Desde Las Raices Folklore Afro Uruguayo Kellee Patterson – Maiden Voyage Kevin Krauter – Full Hand Loney Hutchins – Buried Loot, Demos From The House of Cash and Outlaw Era 73-78 Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels Mavericks – En Espanol Mayer Hawthorne – Rare Changes Me And Him Call It Us – Epilogue Mestizo Beat – Canoga Madness Michael Sarian – New Aurora Morricone Youth – The Last Porno Show Narayan Gopal – In Your Honor Nemegata – Hycha Wy Penrose Records singles Pete Milo – Mixed Up Shook Up Phase 7 – Playtime Richard Houghten – Sailing Through Rainbows of Sound Roland Haynes – Second Wave Sen Morimoto – S/T Shiner – Schadenfreude Sinn Sisamouth – Groove Club Vol 4 Steve Dawson & Funeral Bonsai Wedding – Last Flight Out Steve & Teresa – Catching a Wave Sweet Megg – Under the Moonlight Sweet Trip – Velocity: Design: Comfort The Awakening – Hear, Sense and Feel The Bombillas – S/T The Du-Rites – A Funky Bad Time The Fox Sisters – Bust Out! The Horace Tapscott Quintet – The Giant Is Awakened The Lees of Memory – Moon Shot The Power of Attorney – Chainging Man b/w I’m Just Your Clown The Wicker Man (Cadabra) Throttle Elevator Music – Emergency Exit Video Age – Pleasure Line Walter Bishop Jr – Coral Keys Wick Records Battle of the Bands LP Woody Goss – Woody and Jeremy
Mike Burrows
Black Market Brass – “Undying Thirst” (Colemine) Barbara Howard – “On the Rise” (Colemine) The Awakening – “Hear Sense and Feel” (Real Gone/Black Jazz) Horace Tapscott Quintet – “The Giant is Awakened” (Real Gone) Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra – “Che Che Colé Makossa b/w Che Che Colé” 7” (Daptone) Narayan Gopal – “In Your Honor” Kim Jung Mi – “Now” (Lion Productions) Actual Form – “Hyperzone” (Earthquaker) Philip Glass – “KOYAANISQATSI” Jeff Carney – “Imperfect Space Journeys” (Lion Productions) The Wild Giraffes – “Live at the Cleveland Agora” (Neck Records) Loney Hutchins – “Buried Loot: Demos From the House of Cash & ‘Outlaw’ Era ’73-’78” Möwer – “Grand Punk Railroad” 7” (Audacious Madness Records Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza “Prom Night” 7″ (1984 Publishing) Christopher Young- “Invaders From Mars” 7″ (1984 Publishing)
Ren Harcar
Black Taffy: Opal Wand Cor de Lux: Dream Life Devon Jon Goldberg / Morricone Youth: The Last Porno Show OST (Country Club Records) Falcon Jane: Faith (Darling Recordings) Ghost Funk Orchestra: An Ode to Escapism (Colemine) Jordan Romero: Call Me Sweet Flavor Lacerate: S/T L7: Slap Happy (MVD) Life Without Buildings: Any Other City repress (What’s Your Rupture) Mutant Strain: S/T (Sorry State Records) My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult: Confessions of a Knife (Wax! Trax) Obnox: Savage Raygun (ever/never) Strike Under: Immediate Action (Wax! Trax) Soft Kill: Memory Loss 7” (Cercle Social Records) Special Interest: The Passion Of Stolyette: Mach
Steve Sandley
Kyuss – “Blues For The Red Sun” and “….And the Circus Leaves Town (Warner) 2 of the best represses of the year. Classic Stoner Rock from Palm Desert, Cal. These 2 LPs have been on my play list for over 20 years, 1st time to hear them on vinyl- Wowzer! Cardiac Arrest- The Day That Death Prevailed (Boris Records) Total thrash attack grinders from Chicago. Best Death Metal record of the year. Perfect oOld school vs new school mash-up. Los Pinche Pinches- Best Album I Ever Heard- 7”. Heavy doom surf rock. It rocked my face off. Surf rock from hell- I loved it. Fluids- Exploitive Practices A+ Heavy as hell doom n’ grind. Has a mortician vibe. It’s a thrasher. Mad Max Elliot- The Blue Moon Goon (Nudie Records) Rock-a-billy one mand band rocker. Total repeat spinner. I played this one a bunce. Primitive early garage rock. Fight- A Small Deadly Space (Real Gone) Total 1980’s classic hard rock for the 2020’s. Rob Halford from Judas Priest side band Benjamin Finger & James Plotkin- We Carry the Curse (Roman Numeral Records) Total perfect lay-low mellow music. Ambient to dark ambient- it chills me out. A+ Duck Duck Goose- Noise, Noise and More Noise. (Wax Vessel) 1 sided LP of crazy metal slam grind. It’s a ripper. Pissed Earthmonkey- Underground Carousel Double LP of spacerock trip jams. Very e-z going mellow stuff. Smooth Ambient Murf- Video Nasties Snotty punk thrash with glam grind overtones. I dig it. Midnight Syndicate- Music of Halloween Horror Nights (Edward Douglas Entity Productions) Name says it all. Perfect graveyard music. Really creepy and spooky L7- Slap Happy-repress (MVD) Pop punk, rock party. Glam girls’ rockin
Tim Thornton
Accelera Deck – Crystalline Prickle Azure Ray – S/T (Reissue) Charles Bukowski – Reads His Poetry (Reissue) (Real Gone) Richard Devine – Untitled Electronic System – Vol. II & III (Reissue) (Real Gone) Factual Brains – Scooter (Contractual Gains) Fire-Toolz – Rainbow Bridge Jerry Paper – Toon Time Raw! (Reissue) (Bayonet) Clint Mansell – The Fountain (Reissue) (Mondo Tees) Milla – The Divine Comedy (Reissue) (Real Gone) My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult – Confessions Of A Knife (Reissue) (Wax! Trax) Nnamdi – Krazy Karl (Sooper Records) Nonlocal Forecast – Holographic Universe(s?)! Kellee Patterson – Maiden Voyage (Reissue) (Real Gone) Philip Glass – Koyaanisqatsi (Reissue) Ras Ivi & The Rastafari Family – Our History Strike Under – Immediate Action / One Eye (Reissue) (Wax! Trax) Tobacco – Fucked Up Friends (Reissue) (Rad Cult) Jorge Trasante – Investigacion Musical Desde Las Raices Folklore Afro Uruguayo (Reissue) (Lion Productions) Video Age – Pleasure Line (Inflated Records) Wolf Eyes / Blank Hellscape – Split (12 XU)
Vince Slusarz -SR
In no particular order and with the knowledge did not have enough time to listen to other pressings that would have made this list.
The Flat Five- Another World (Pravda Records) Mr. Gnome-The Day You Flew Away (El Marko Records) Lori Mckenna- The Balladeer (Thirty Tigers) Dan Reeder- Every Which Way (Oh Boy Records) Kyleen Downes- Come on Sit Down Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- Reunions (Thirty Tigers) Mavericks- En Espanol (Thirty Tigers) Rudy De Anda- Tender Epoch (Karma Chief) Sleeping At Last- Astronomy Volume 1 Chris Smither- More From the Levee (Signature Sounds) Black Unity Trio- Al-Fatihah (Salaam/Gotta Groove) Tennessee Jet- The Country (Thirty Tigers) The Fox Sisters- Bust Out! Ghost of Paul Revere- Good At Losing Everything (Crooked Cove) The Bangles- Sweetheart of the Sun reissue (Real Gone) Joan Osbourne- Trouble and Strife (Thirty Tigers) Steve and Teresa- Catching a Wave (Aloha Got Soul) Phase 7- Playtime (Aloha Got Soul) Guided by Voices- Mirrored Aztec (Rockathon) Ghost Funk Orchestra- An Ode to Escapism (Colemine) The Avett Brothers- The Fourth Avett Guild 7” (Ramseur Records) The Lees of Memory- Moon Shot Lucinda Williams- Good Souls, Better Angels (Thirty Tigers) Sweet Trip- Velocity, Design: Comfort (Darla Records) Wick Compilation- Battle of the Bands (Daptone) Obnox- Savage Raygun (ever/never) Emily Keener- I Do Not Have to Be Good Richard Houghten- Sailing Through Rainbows of Sound (Sly Vinyl) Wild Giraffes- Live at Cleveland Agora (Neck Records) Liz Longley- Funeral For My Past Stutter Steps- Reeling (Blue Arrow Records) Charles Hill, Jr. Old Loves and Old Memories (Armadillo Tail Recording) Rain- The Lost Album reissue (Saxon Recordings) The Bird and the Bee- S/T (Slow Down Sounds) Dr. Demento- First Century Dementia (MVD) Tobin Sprout- Supersonic Chairman 7” Phil Madeira-Open Heart (Mercyland) Eli Paperboy Reed- That’s Love/Anytime You Want Me 7” Lyn Stanley- The Moonlight Sessions Volume II Gene Russell- New Direction (Real Gone/Black Jazz) The Wicker Man (Cadabra) Brian Owens- Love Came Down (Soul Step) Matt Duncan- Who Are You On Your Own/Sate Bird 7” (Soul Step)
Made up of vocalist Inara George, who has been aptly referred to as ‘a modem day Audrey Hepburn with the voice of an angel,’ and keyboardist/producer Greg Kurstin, who has lent his talents to records by Beck, The Flaming Lips, Lily Allen, Peaches, and many more, The Bird and The Bee take elements of everything from the Beach Boys to 60’s Brazil to electronica, spinning them into this irrepressible collection of then sunshine-drenched, semi-psychedelic ditties.
This is a color vinyl reissue of their Self-Titled debut album – available exclusively from Slow Down Sounds.
This is the first official reissue of these recordings since their initial release as singles. Available now from Lion Productions.
There were no deluxe studios for the musicians who recorded the devastating tracks contained herein. Nothing so grand. Most of these tracks were recorded live, with traditional instruments finding a place alongside any keyboards or guitars that could be found. And yet, it was the experiments of Khmer rock musicians which transformed the nightlife of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh—and which many years later continue to seduce listeners around the world with their groovy sound. The music is wild and anarchic, rhythmic and undulating, or sweet and lyrical, but always moving and with that deep soulfulness, regardless of actual musical genre or style, that is the hallmark of the best and most important music. The lyrics often tell stories of angst, death, betrayal and sorrow. But there is a very real, deep, inescapable tragedy in these grooves as well.
Alas, in 1975 came an entirely different type of transformation: the rise to power in Cambodia of the fanatical, anti-Western, Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. Within roughly four years, implementing their “concept of Year Zero,” Pot and his regime were responsible for the deaths of an estimated two million Cambodians (roughly 21% of the nation’s population), many in the notorious “killing fields.” Even the most famous and beloved Khmer musicians could not escape. Sinn Sisamouth, the “King of Khmer music”; Ros Sereysothea, the “Golden Voice of the Royal Capital”; and Pan Ron — all featured on this collection of songs written by the majestic Sinn Sisamouth — met their deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Jon Swain, who was the Sunday Times war correspondent in South Vietnam and Cambodia at the time, said: “Educated people, musicians, people with glasses… a lot were taken to the killing fields… so the great singers disappeared.”
To us, the richness and deep soulfulness of Cambodian music is akin perhaps to what was excavated from Ethiopia and embraced worldwide over the years thanks to the “Ethiopiques” series — this despite the geographical and cultural distance between the two very different nations. It really is one world, not three.
Another World was produced by band member Scott Ligon and The Flat Five. It was recorded/engineered by Flat Five drummer Alex Hall at his popular Chicago studio, Reliable Recorders with some additional sessions done at Wilco’s gearhead paradise, The Loft, engineered by Mark Greenberg.
The charms of this band are manifest. These guys are all about vocal harmony — five hardcore vocal buzz junkies — and they share a vast range of influences from The Free Design to The Three Degrees to Captain Beefheart and a restless desire to explore a song from the inside out: to see just how far out it’ll go. This sophomore album showcases The Flat Five’s trademark keen musicianship and their slightly subversive sense of humor. It’s marked by the playful wide-eyed sweetness that colors all their music, tempered with their appreciation for how freaking good it feels to listen to a beautiful bummer on repeat sometimes. Like Charles Schultz said: “Happiness is a Sad Song.”
Penrose Records is proud to introduce the newest members of the family, the Inland Empireʼs own Vicky Tafoya and the Big Beat. Born in Santa Ana and currently residing in Colton, Vicky started singing a capella doo wop in the late 80s for the So. Cal. Doo Wop Society and went on to co-found the Big Beat in 2001. Their debut single on Penrose is a moody minor chord ballad featuring a reverb laden guitar solo and beautiful girl group harmonies behind Vickyʼs effortless yet haunting vocal about two people longing to be together… Forever.
Available November 20th. Pre-order via the US Daptone Shop (shipping worldwide) Pre-order via the UK-based shop (shipping within Europe, only)
We are very excited to announce the reissue of Black Unity Trio – Al Fatihah on vinyl. PRE-ORDER NOW!
As the next installment in our OHWax vinyl series, we present what was, quite possibly, the first ever independently-released free-jazz record. Originating in Oberlin, Ohio as the Black Unity Quartet, and ultimately becoming the Trio (Abdul Wadud, Yusuf Mumin, and Hasan Al Hut), the group recorded Al-Fatihah on December 24, 1968 at Agency Recording Studio (which was located upstairs in the building housing the legendary Agora Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio).
We have spared no expense in making this reissue – cut all analog and remastered from the original 1968 master tapes! Our friend Grammy-Award recipient Paul Blakemore’s restoration and remastering work cleaned random ticks from the original source, as well as greatly improved the balance to bring out some of the instrument subtleties which were barely, if at all audible, in the original pressing. The deluxe gatefold packaging features extended liner notes written by Ras Moshe Burnett.
On this limited-edition pressing, we also used Gotta Groove’s proprietary GrooveCoated stamper plating technology — This involves an additional electroforming step in the creation of the metal stampers used to press the grooves into the records. GrooveCoated stampers have a lubricious surface which helps high frequencies in particular to be held more intact during the course of manufacturing, verses traditional stampers.
Here is a sneak peak of the lacquer cutting session that took place on September 21, 2020 at Well Made Music – cut by Clint Holley and Dave Polster.
Pre-orderthe album now for arrival by its November 27, 2020 street date.
Album #5 in just as many years! But this one is quite unlike the others. Made in the midst of a pandemic with an onslaught of in-your-face racism, police brutality, death, homelessness, poverty, inequality, injustice and life as we know it changing forever all hitting with brute force at the same time, A Funky Bad Time was made under stress in a way the prior four albums weren’t. But just because times are bad, doesn’t mean they can’t be funky. In fact, the badder, the funkier. So funky you gotta spell BADD with two Ds! 12 slices of cold blooded instrumental funk (+ 1 Bandcamp-only digital bonus track) from Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) and Pablo Martin – with guest musicians Horn Diapersen (fka Ike “Time Wolf” Parker who played alongside Jay in Ben Pirani’s band) on bass and percussionist Bruce Martin (who joins the Du-Rites live and plays alongside Pablo in Tom Tom Club).
Available as part of RSD Drop #3, Saturday 24th October 2020.
Dig on track after track of superior sounds: the fuzz-fueled freak-outs of the Mystery Lights; the swirling, mind-altering melodies of Michael Rault; the troglodytic tune-smithery of the Ar-Kaics; the anglophilic grooves of Benny Trokan, and the Fame-Beats; the Link Wray-inspired madness of the Buzz Brothers; the soul-tinged savagery of the Jay Vons; as well as tracks from newcomers, Steady Sun and Eric McEntee; and beyond! Some of the tracks will be available for the first time on vinyl! This is one helluva compilation, folks. Don’t sleep on it – Wick is watching!
