the "big note files" project is getting shape. cdr-copies (to show what it will look like, eventually) are ready. meet the latest entries:

* mats / morgan: live (5)
(2001, cd, swe, ultimate audio entertainment uae disc 13)
finally, a new album by mats öberg and morgan agren! "live" was recorded during their 1999 sold out tour of sweden. the 5-piece band shows some excellent musicianship, playing both older and new material. this is what contemporary rock should sound like. i only whish they'd visit belgium on their next tour.
1. hollmervalsen (agren)
2. en schizofrens dagbok (agern)
3. ta ned trasan (öberg)
4. jigsaw variations (agren)
5. guardian pitch (öberg)
6. paltsug (öberg)
7. etage a41 (agren)
8. min häst (öberg)
9. banned again (agren)
10. igloo (öberg)
11. kintörnen (agren)

* the du-tels: no knowledge of music required
(2000, cd, usa, shimmy disc records shm-5103)
the du-tels = gary lucas and peter stampfel. a bit too smooth for my taste, although you can tell that gary lucas has fun playing his dobro.

* jimmy agren: glass finger ghost
(2001, swe, ultimate audio entertainment uae disc 12)
anyone looking for a reason to quit playing the guitar? here's one. five years since his debut, and now he's back. "glass finger ghost" is an incredible album. after a couple of seconds, the bluesy beefheart beat gets going and just doesn't stop. a pulsating rhythm, like a train rolling by, and on top jimmy agren plays the meanest slide guitar i've heard in years. brother morgan agren (drums) and gunnar gustavsson (guitar) take care of the rhythm section, freddie walding does most of the vocal stuff. essential listening.

* mike keneally & beer for dolphins: dancing (8)
(2000, 2cd, usa, exowax records)
keneally's eight (!!) release already. how time flies... "dancing" is double album including one studio disc and one live recording (2000/05/26 - concert 'baked potato', hollywood, la, usa). the studio (= first) disc is mike plus bfd, the second one starts of as a solo acoustic thing, although he is eventually joined by the band. if you know keneally's latest albums, you know what to expect. limited edition of 2000 copies.

* mauro: songs from a bad hat (1)
(2001, cd, bel, play it again sam pias 941.00110.020)
after two excellent singles, expectations were high for mauro 'evil superstar' pawlowski's first solo album. well, to put it in a few words: this is one great album. true, it doesn't have all the musical madness that i appreciated so much in the evil superstars, but it does present a bunch of very fine songs. the album makes it very clear that mauro got his first musical impressions in the seventies: lots of (almost) familiar sounding riffs & tunes. listen to this a couple of times and you won't be able to get it out of your head. essential.

* steve vai: the 7th song
(2000, cd, usa, epic 501093 2) - feat. mike keneally, terry bozzio, tommy mars
vai's new album is about to come out (a live one), but this previous one is a part of a big project called "enchanting guitar melodies archives". it's a compilation, collecting the 7th song of all of his albums, and as a little commercial teaser, 3 previously unreleased tracks.

* doctor nerve with the sirius string quartet: ereia
(2000, cd, usa, cuneiform records rune 126)
in the booklet nick didkovsky tells the story of "ereia". it is a piece in three movements, of which the third movement was recorded in 1997: a live improvisation between doctor nerve and a string quartet. later on, in 1999, nick added the first movement: a piece for string quartet only, and the second movement: a 'morphological bridge' bridge between the first and the third movement.

* angelica: angelica
(1997, cd, usa, atlantic records, 83048-2) - feat.steve vai, dweezil zappa
completist's stuff. opera & rock unite.

* z: music for pets
(1995, cd-promo, usa, zappa records 6970p-3)
the cd-promo for music for pets. comes in a single cardboard sleeve. same tracks as the regular u.s.-edition.

* dweezil zappa: automatic
(2000, cd-promo, usa, favored nations fnp 2050-2)
another dweezil promo - same tracks, just different artwork.

* zita swoon: life = a sexy sanctuary
(2001, cd, eec, wea 8573 86832 2)
the latest album by zita swoon. this is pop-muzik, good sounding pop-muzik. i like it a lot. one of belgium's hottest bands.

* jay phlitman & kim kangaroo: sapori
(2000, cdr, bel, lama recordings 006)
sapori is a new album by belgium's best kept musical secret, jay phlitman & kim kangaroo. you have never heard this, and that's a shame. if you were wondering what the residents would sound like if they had been raised in a small belgian village...

* rich woodson's ellipsis: control and resistance
(2000, cd, usa, cuneiform records rune 132)
rich woodson, self-taught composer and guitar player, formed his ellipsis ensemble in 1997. "control and resistance" is his debut album. it's a beautiful, contemporary jazz album. both woodson's parents were jazz musicians and he grew up on hard rock and heavy metal. in the late 80's and early 90's, woodson played in various austin rock bands at night while spending his days researching avant-garde jazz and contemporary classical music in the austin public library. he says his main influences are jazzman tim berne and frank zappa.

* the lama home band: ma sacoche
(2001, cdr, bel, lama recordings 007)
from the same source, on the same label, this is "ma sacoche". the latest product by the lama home band. "ma sacoche" is a two item thing. it's an album and a purse, a handbag. actually, it's an album in a purse; and that should give you a fair enough idea of what the music sounds like. this is experimental stuff. fun to listen to, but rather experimental.

* phlitman & kangaroo: dancin man ep
(2001, cdr, bel, lama recordings 008)
there are six tracks on this mini album, and each of them is called 'dancing man'. i don't know if there's a story or concept behind this, but the total sounds really good. short fragments, very fresh.

* rejected erections: sperm galore
(1999, cdr, bel, lama recordings 005)
i almost forgot this one. the booklet says: "sperm galore" is a collection from three mavelouslp's by sweden's most wanted porn-core band the rejected erections. recorded live in stockholm in 1974. to me it sounds more like a bunch of lama artists having a lot of fun. i played it real loud, let the neighbours enjoy it as well...

* phlitman & kangaroo: the x-mas with hugo ep
(1998, cdr, bel, lama recordigs 003)
here's another phlitman & kangaroo product: 18 minutes of x-mas time.

* phlitman & kangaroo: elbow me gently
(2001, cdr, bel, lama recordings 008 1/2)
this latest phlitman & kangeroo album was released to celebrate "100 years of lama". a very limited edition.

and don't forget:
* previous big nOtes, 'hot barfs' and other news at the fabulous Black Page Website:
http://www.oocities.org/SouthBeach/Jetty/3640/index.html

(©peter van laarhoven - belgium)

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