It’s a two-fer Thursday! That’s because we have two versions of the exact same Falco 12 inch, “Der Kommissar.” One has the standard plain black DJ sleeve, and the other a vibrant color jacket with a picture of Falco, a.k.a. Johann (Hans) Hölzel. Both pieces of vinyl have the exact same songs, serial numbers, and the year, 1982. But the color sleeve is dated 1983. (?) In the US, people are more likely to be familiar with After The Fire’s cover version of “Der Kommissar”, which came out in 1983. This one is better. You can’t beat early ’80s rapping, in German!
Falco died in a vehicle accident in 1998. He was barely 40. I wish we had more of his stuff, at least “Rock Me Amadeus.” The video for that one is a must-see, and I’ve included it below. Lucky you!
Songs on these 12 inches:
“Der Kommissar (The Commissioner)”
“Auf Der Flucht (On The Run)”
“Helden Von Heute (Alles Wartet Auf) (Today’s Heroes)”
Ah yes, “Ocean Rain.” I could listen to this Echo and The Bunnymen record every day and not get tired of it. And that’s pretty much what I did when it came out in 1984. This record is maybe a little more pop than the first three, not a bad thing, and it also has a full orchestra going for it… which is nice.
This block print is of a 1924 Georgian Revival house that was recently bought and now inhabited by the Siglers. The artist Mary Earle-Sigler, who formerly signed her work as MC Earle, and early in her career MEARLE, has signed this piece with a concise “MES.” What is she trying to tell the viewer this new moniker? Does MES also serve as a terse, phonetic description of the state of the house?
A very limited number of prints were produced and then scattered across North America via the postal system. Most of these prints now reside with people previously unaware of the Siglers relocation, the reasons behind which are still unclear to even those close to them.
Acquired: 1986 ? – When she worked at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
Keeper: Yes
Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) and Mick Karn (Japan) teamed up to form Dalis Car in 1984. No, I didn’t forget the apostrophe. There’s no instance of “Dalis” with an apostrophe anywhere on this record. “The Judgement Is The Mirror” is the name of this three song 12 inch. They also put out on full-length album. It’s interesting music, but that fretless bass just gets on my nerves.
This is the first solo Nick Cave record. Most people would not recognize it as music. Of course, Mary and I do, but we’re not most people. “From Her To Eternity” is full of very original and very challenging music and lyrics, or stories. In many ways it sounds a lot like his work with Birthday Party. Mary can’t help but rate this a 10, even though she likes his later work more.
Below lies Black Paul
under the upper but
above and beyond the
surface flat-fall there.
Again, my favorite band ever, Bad Brains. This “Rock For Light” album has always confused me. A lot of the songs are re-recorded versions of stuff from their earlier self-titled release on ROIR Records. At the time ROIR Records was actually a cassette-only label. I used to have that “record” on cassette, but now I can’t find it. For some reason “Rock For Light” is mostly made up of songs from that cassette and the rare “I and I Survive” EP I’ve already posted.
Another 12 inch single, “How To Be A Zillionaire”, from the album of the same name. But I think this came out before the album. This record includes the original plus two solid remixes. I dig it.
I`ve seen the future, I can`t afford it
Tell me the truth sir, someone just bought it
Good ol’ Slash Records. This is a compilation of music from some of the great bands on Slash from 1979-1983. The presence of The Blasters and X (two songs each) is what pushes this rating up to 8. Another tasty bit is Fear’s “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones.” From the lyrics on that song, and others, it’s hard to tell if they’re homosexuals, homophobes, or just having fun making uptight people mad. Fear was always good for a little controversy.
Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction -- Interview Picture Disc
Artist: Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction
Title: Interview Picture Disc
Year: 1988 ?
Format: Vinyl 12 in.
Rating (1-10): 1
Owner: Tracy
Acquired: Not sure.
Keeper: No
If you’re a fanatic about Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction you may want to have this “Interview Picture Disc.” I was a pretty big fan, but even I don’t want it now. Sure, there are a couple cool pics of the band, in the record itself, but the “interview” is pretty unlistenable. I doubt this recording was intended to be released to the public. It sounds like it was conducted in a busy office, complete with people opening and closing doors, and phones ringing loudly and often.
In this piece regular thumbtacks have been used in their usual, intended way, stuck into cork bulletin boards, but with unexpected results. The Mona Lisa was used as the basis for these mosaics because it is very recognizable, as art, to most people (with money) in the industrialized world. It appears the artist’s intent is to call attention the latent, or potential beauty of mundane objects.
Each piece of the triptych uses a different zoom level, 1x, 3x and 6x. All of the panels use the same number of tacks to communicate an image. It’s possible the artist is trying to say “Context is really important” or maybe “Resolution is a funny thing.” Even though the third panel provides more detail in the face, it’s less obvious this is the Mona Lisa. The first, and coarser image with background, or full context, is more easily recognized as Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.
The highly ornate frame is an integral part of this piece. It has been severely burned, and then stabilized using space-age polymers. Statements the artist may be making with this frame:
Beauty in the “every day” should be recognized, appreciated, even celebrated.
Black is beautiful.
Maarten Baas is brilliant.
Smoke adds flavor.
Nothing is too good to mess with.
Some details:
Overall dimensions (including frame): 77.5″w x 43.5″h
Resolution of each panel: 49×76
Total number of thumbtacks: 11,172
Approximate weight: Very heavy
Details: burnt frame, left eye of third panel
Triptych sans frame with guitar for scale reference.
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