warm up madness

I remember a while ago one of the cycling message boards had a thread about pre-race warm up music. I was surprised how bland some of the selections were. Maybe bland is the way to go, because I can't claim any great results after listening to this mix, but at least it gets the Heart Rate up. About 49 minutes.

Ted Nugent-Stranglehold
Queens of the Stone Age Regular John
Slapshot-What's at Stake
Slapshot-Another Mistake
Foo Fighters-Overdrive
Mobb Deep-Get Away
Monomnen-Murder City Nights(Radio Birdman cover)
Rancid-Stand your Ground
Agnostic Front-Peace is not an Option
Slayer-South of Heaven

Perhaps just the above photo of Pavel Brutt with resplendent mullet is enough to race the heartrate to success??

Bettini on the track

Do you think this is a stock Langster?
Those wheels are as out of control as his helmet.
There is also a good Berlusconi joke caption in here. Maybe, "put it down, it's not real gold"................


Crucial quote from Ballan
"Mamma Mia. It is better not to look," said Alessandro Ballan to La Gazzetta dello Sport when observing the banking of the short track. "Let's say, for a velodrome, it would be enough if I only rode the one at the end of Roubaix. Anyway, I will try to better myself – at least I hope."

props to cyclingnews.com for the story and photo

Ghostface Killah Doll

Anyone can have a blog(as demonstrated here) and almost anyone can get an action figure made, but how many people can get their doll a blog? Always a trend setter, Ghostface made sure his figure gets love and it's own blog. Check it and good luck getting your own Ghost doll!
Good look for Ghostdini

Xasthur VS Jandek

How long will it take for people to make the Xasthur Jandek connection? Loners who keep putting out the same record again and again and again. If the Jandek comparison holds, Malefic is in for a very long career as people seem more than happy to buy 20 plus Jandek records and still wait anxiously for the next. The blurrier the photo the better. Don't believe me? Play "defective epitaph" back to back with "sublimanl genocide" or "sgt corpse paint's lonely one man band" or whichever you choose. Vocals buried behind distorto feedback? Check. Plodding mid tempos? Check. Same drooling fans that grab it while still hot off the presses and spend hours analyzing it looking for clues. Check.
Musically they even explore similar plodding atonal depressive universe of sound.
As for me, I think one Xasthur record is more than enough and I would rather listen to Leviathan.

Universtiy of Illinoise Basketball Band Smith Walbridge LP

1979 was a good year for the University of Illinois' Basketball Band. Under the direction of Smith and Walbridge, they tackle so classics like Soul Man,Boogie Oogie Oogie and more. Yes there are breaks, not the thousand dollar kind, but breaks none the less. The "Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto" has a wicked groove at the intro.
Worth it for Soul Man which would be a mix tape moment supreme. Side Two keeps it hopping with the Boogie Ooggie Oggie into Macho Man into YMCA medely which is also fodder for mix tapes.
The breakdown in BOO is pretty wicked.
Some Lord of the rings references and a killer title "he's the wizard" on side two.
You often see college and high school band records like this going for big money and they are rarely worth it, but if you do ever see this one for 5 and under, it's worth your money.

Murari Band Dreaming LP Krsna Rock Part 22

This was an odd one for the Krsna series. 1981 recording puts it much later than the rest of the things recorded so far. Southern locale as well(Atlanta GA) separates it from the predominantly west coast origin of many previously reviewed records. No sign of Michael Cassidy or Hansadutta. The cover is an amazing drawing with what looks like Queen Elizabeth and Prabu in it as well as a cobra and a mushroom cloud. Super trippy. Are they named after the Tennesse Krsna temple/farm?
This is Murari's 2nd LP(and yes I am looking for the 1st one). 8 songs with alternating male and female vocals.
Female vocalist, Lynda Hynes, has a kind of Country Folk Rock feel.
"Can Somebody Tell Me" has a dude stepping to the mike for a very Bad Companyish track. Not bad.
Side Two opens with "Poltical Man" and they try to pump up the tempo a little-think the Eagles not Black Flag.
Nice lazy country rock shuffle with male/female vocals on "Things ain't what they used to be".
Overall side 2 is the winner.
Each song has a sort of "purport" breaking down the lyrics which are pretty straight forward.
This is not a terrible country-rock record, but it is an odd ball for 81. Laugh knowingly if anyone tries to sell you on this as some "acid-folk" or something cause it is not. It seems that despite being a "cult" with a wild history in America, the Krishnas have made some really mainstream records-just like this.
According to this review which came with liner notes, they had 3 records plus books! Damn I have got to keep searching. There also appears to be another version with different artwork-some serious airbrush action puts the mushroom cloud front and center with no Queen Elizabeth to be seen.
At least one member is still active.

Sufi Choir LP

Now this is what I expect out of cultish hippie commune bands. Right off the bat the album cover seems to be some kind of mandala featuring a Jerry Garcia'ish looking hippie playing a flute at the center. The back cover name checks everyone from Cecil Taylor to Pete Seeger. The back cover photo would make Devandra Barndoor jealous for the mid 70s beardo commune cred. Almost every drug rug, poncho, and robe variation is visible in the picture. These people were followers of Murshid Lewis a sort of Sufi proto-Univeralist known in the media as Sufi Sam.
Big choral vocals(male/female) but not a heavily produced feel. Runs the gamut from chorale folk to more Indian inspired rave ups. Understand It on side 2 is the killer on this one. A little more rocking with some bass/guitar/flute fireworks.
Akashic Records (surprisingly no relation to the GVB's book company) California 1973.

These hippies released at least four records right up into the 80s. Some killer photos here. A greatest hits CD is also available.
Probably should be part of the Krsna Rock Series.............