Boston ’75 (2)

Posted on Friday, 01/12/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

As promised, here’s the Boston 27/04/75 Late Show.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Friday Boots | 4 Comments

From Musical Telegraph To Synclavier

Posted on Thursday, 01/11/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Fascinating: a history of the electronic musical instrument, from 1870 to 1990 (including the Synclavier). (via Bernard)

Posted in Music, Pop Cult | Comments Off on From Musical Telegraph To Synclavier

The Future Of Pop?

Posted on Thursday, 01/11/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Essex rock band Koopa could become the first unsigned group to land a UK top 40 hit thanks to new chart rules.

The bulk of Koopa’s followers are teenagers who are buying the single using a mobile phone rather than an online store, Mr Raymond believes. It costs £1.50 to send a text message and receive a code to download the song on a computer. “The average 16-year-old doesn’t have a credit card but they’ve got a mobile phone,” the manager explains.

Who needs a record deal anymore?

Posted in In The News, Music, Pop Cult | 2 Comments

Bozzio in KoRn

Posted on Wednesday, 01/10/07 by Balint

Terry Bozzio is replacing Korn drummer David Silveria during his temporary hiatus from the band, as reported by Martini Republic.

For an album and a tour.

Posted in Music, Pop Cult | 8 Comments

It’s… De-lurking Week!

Posted on Monday, 01/08/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Yes, you heard right: it’s De-lurking Week here at KUR, as is the case all over the Blog-O-Sphere!

de-lurk

Are you a long-time reader, yet never commented? A first-time reader and want to say hi? A KUR-regular who comments all the time? Post a comment why don’t you — anything goes! Us here at the office have made a sacred vow whereby no biting shall occur in the event of a posted comment. After all: Would It Kill Ya To Comment?

Here’s to another zero comments entry! Huzzah!

Posted in Randamonium | 57 Comments

RIP Sneaky Pete

Posted on Monday, 01/08/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Steel pedal guitarist “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow, a founding member of The Flying Burrito Brothers and contributor to FZ’s Waka/Jawaka album, has died.

Posted in Frank Zappa, In The News, Zappa Misc | 2 Comments

Hit it, Zubin! (UCLA 1970)

Posted on Sunday, 01/07/07 by Balint

Here’s the Neujahrkonzert 2007: “200 Motels Suite” from frankzappa.at; a show that could not be recorded officially, featuring the L. A. Philharmonic and conductor Zubin Mehta. Here it is now as a bootleg, for our downloading pleasure. See the tracklist here! (Note: only the orchestral parts are included here, starting with Pound For A Brown.)

Posted in Frank Zappa, Friday Boots, Zappa Audio/Video | 10 Comments

The Captain, A Documentary

Posted on Sunday, 01/07/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Via Casper (thanks Casper!), here’s an interesting 1997 BBC documentary on the life and times of Don Van Vliet, Captain Beefheart:

Parts two and three.

Posted in Film, Frank Zappa, Music | 7 Comments

Velvet Acetate

Posted on Friday, 01/05/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

A rare acetate of the Velvet Underground’s lost Scepter studio sessions was recently sold on eBay for $25,000. Care to have a listen? The mp3’s are available here.

Posted in Music, Pop Cult | 4 Comments

3000 Faces

Posted on Friday, 01/05/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Check this painfully clear and accurate Flash-based presentation of the demographics of U.S. service members who have died in the Iraq war to date. These days I tend to avoid posting about “Operation Iraqi Freedom We’re Not Winning So Let’s Send More Troops” but this really shows its dire consequences.

Posted in In The News, Politics | Comments Off on 3000 Faces

Frank Zappa En El Infierno

Posted on Friday, 01/05/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Spanish author Manolo de la Fuente writes in about his newly published book “Frank Zappa En El Infierno” (Frank Zappa In Hell):

It analyzes the role that Zappa developed as a political activist in the 80s. In those years, Zappa ran intensively against the conservative government of Ronald Reagan. […] It’s the first time that an analysis on Zappa’s work is carried out in Spanish, and it’s also the first time that a book deals with the links of his songs in American politics, a totally new topic even for the bibliography in English.

Posted in Books, Frank Zappa | 1 Comment

Boston ’75

Posted on Friday, 01/05/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

For those of you interested in a slice of authentic Bongo Fury, this week’s boot should be a treat: Boston, 27 April 1975 (Early Show). The Late Show (which differs greatly from the Early one) will be featured next Friday. Enjoy!

Posted in Frank Zappa, Friday Boots | 2 Comments

The Penetrators: Shopping Bag

Posted on Thursday, 01/04/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

How this wonderful video got rejected by MTV I simply cannot fathom — The Penetrators, “Shopping Bag”:

… via KUR’s very own Thing-Fish, aka Jim Davies.

Posted in Film, Music | 4 Comments

Hendrix’ Welsh Anthem

Posted on Thursday, 01/04/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

It’s called Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau:

The version of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Land of My Fathers, was discovered on the end of a dusty eight-track tape which had languished for years in a forgotten tea chest in a north London recording studio. Experts believe the ear-rattling rendition may be Hendrix as the track appears on the end of a recording by a group which features a friend of his. He is believed to have been in London when the tape was made. And it does sound rather like him.

You can listen to it online here. (via FunkFiles)

Posted in Music | 13 Comments

Jaws & The Rite Of Spring

Posted on Thursday, 01/04/07 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Joe Queenan’s A-Z of classical music: Q is for quirkiness, R is for Rite of Spring:

It is impossible to list the number of movie scores whose soundtracks are either influenced by or lifted from The Rite of Spring (only Gustav Holst’s The Planets is more routinely borrowed from), but let’s just say this: when that shark showed up in Jaws, Stravinsky helped him get there.

That’s sort of how I perceive much of Zappa’s music: a quirky, hyper-cinematic soundtrack to a movie that is being written by nothing more than your imagination. And with that profound statement out of the way, I think what we need now is giant rabbits.

Posted in Music, Pop Cult | 7 Comments