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V/A- Lipa Kodi Ya City Council (MR013)
From J Spaceman,
This record has rare R&B, pop, highlife, ju-ju, and stuff recorded in the late 60s and early 70s in Africa. It runs from the Funkadelic/Bo Diddley stomp of Moussa Doumbi and Yeye Mousso through to the sublime highlife of Ester John and Fadhili William. The plain choral “Noviciat de Soeurs Misssionaires de Notre-dame d’Afrique” will give you chills.
To me, the record sounds like it was dropped from outer space and then filtered through Sun Ra.
A lot of records from Africa are genre- or region specific but this one is all over the place. It sounds alien, gluey, oddly psychedelic, and hopelessly beautiful.
The sleeve is two squares of printed paper and a black-and-white photo that’s wrapped round an old record so you can still read what the old sleeve belonged to. The one I have here is Bunny Berrigan I Can’t Get Satisifed, which is a Quintessence/Jazz Series record.
Again, another side of Mississippi. This is an excursion into music almost unheard of in the Western world. It’s also, as Spaceman points out, extremely beautiful in places. A real eye-opener. Highly recommended.
Plus, that photo on the cover is well cool.
7/10
Thanks to the amazing Rootblog for the download – they also have some of the tapes, but not split into tracks… Expect that here soon.
Next… I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore
Ok, so here is a list of all the Mississippi releases i don’t have as of yet. I’ll update this as and when i get more, and upload them here. For the moment, i don’t have….
MR-001–“Desire”LP by [[]] First solo album by multi-instrumentalist Alex Yusimov.
MR-002–“Life During Wartime-The Troubles” cassette by Erin Yankee
MR-003–“Nightmare Fantasy/Spooky Reality” 2xLP by Spooky Dance Band
MR-007–“To Trace a Raveling” LP by Tara Jane O’Neil
Compilation of Tracer EP (2005) and A Raveling EP (2005).
MR-009–“70s Thai Orchestra” by Thai Orchestra
MR-010–“Interacting Cautiously/Mold/Streets” 7″ep by Red Herring
MR-011–“Warning/Building Blocks” 7″ep by Red Herring
MR-012–“Whats Lost” LP by Evolutionary Jass Band
MR-015–“Mental Blocks For All Ages”
MR-018–“The Best Of The First Biennale Of Arts And Culture For The Young (1970) LP by Orchestre Regional De Kayes.
MR021/C-01–“Irma Thomas Sings” LP by Irma Thomas
MR-022–“Bongo Joe” LP by George Coleman, and MR017.5: A limited edition 7″ by Coleman packaged with Life Is A Problem
MR-023–“Soul Vein/The Nasty” 7″ EP by Cavaliers Unlimited
North Portland Music Series, Volume 1.
MR-024–“Never Bought Never Sold” LP by Animals and Men
MR-026–“North Portland Music Series, Volume 2” EP by Sad Horse
MR-028–“The Rats” LP by The Rats
Originally released by Whizeagle Records, 1980.
If you have any of these releases, please drop a comment!
Phillip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble – The Malcolm X Memorial (MR016)
From the Liner Notes:
“An early member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Philip Cohran went on to record & self-release this LP in 1968, originally in an edition of 1,000. Cohran was a personal friend of Malcolm X, & this is a concept album musically telling the story of Malcolm’s political & spiritual journey. It features a tight groove-oriented band (which later evolved into the Pharaohs, & then Earth, Wind, & Fire!) who explore soul, jazz, & Middle Eastern rhythms. A politically radical & intense recording not to be missed. Philip Cohran is a much under-appreciated musical genius, & we are proud to reissue this album for the first time on vinyl. “
From J Spaceman (Spiritualized),
I was given a Philip Cohran record by the owners of Other Music in New York when on tour with Spiritualized, and we played it solidly the whole time we were in America.
Cohran was a cornet player in Sun Ra’s 50’s band and also helped found the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, which had people like Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton as members. He created the frankiphone, which was his amplified take on an African thumb piano, and you can see films of it on YouTube. His music is slightly more grounded (and controlled) than Sun Ra’s but always melodic. This one is a tribute to Malcolm X in four parts. The reissue is made like a beautiful old gatefold and even looks like it’s laminated.
A bit of a different tack from Mississippi’s previous releases, this is a four song jazz tribute to the American Civil Rights leader. Taking in his childhood, through to his radical days at the height of the movement, what sounds like a load of pretentious old bollocks is actually quite effective due to the melodic gifts of all players involved. It’s a little like Gershwin, before turning into something a little more like you’d expect from someone who played with Sun – Ra It is recorded in front of an audience, but you’d hardly notice – the quality is crystal.
8/10
Make a stand! (Megaupload link)
I found this on some jazz blog somewhere, can’t remember now 😦
Up next…. Lipa Kodi Ya City Council
MR017. Life Is A Problem. V/A.
From the liner notes.
“Compilation of raw electric guitar-based gospel recorded between 1949 & 1976. Hard to find & unreleased gospel that makes most rock & roll sound weak & contained. Features Utah Smith, Rev. Lonnie Farris, Sister O.M Terrill & many lesser known artists. Fourteen tracks in all.”
From J. Spaceman (Spiritualized)
This is a collection of various artists singing heavy gospel. I like the way the cover and the back is all handwritten in crayon. It feels like the person who put it together is imparting some kind of secret knowledge. It has Utah Smith’s “Take a Trip” for that love/drug/religion combo that’s so irresistible to these ears (Utah used to wear wings in church!) and also features Elder Charles Beck’s “Rock and Roll Sermon Pts. 1 and 2,” which is the most rock-and-roll anti-rock-and-roll sermon in the history of such things. He’s saying all these lines about rock and roll being evil and the congregation is shouting “Yeah!” at him between every line. It sounds unwittingly like the best rock song ever made. The insert has a “further listening” list that name-checks the formidable Rev. Charlie Jackson’s “God’s Got It,” Fred McDowell’s “Amazing Grace,” and the Sinner’s Crossroads radio show on WFMU. It also comes with a seven-inch of George “Bongo Joe” Coleman’s street preaching. There’s a great line on the insert that says “ragged, raw, and beautiful,” and that sums up the whole record. Also, my copy has typo corrections written in black ballpoint.
I think this is my favourite Mississippi release. All cannot be recommended enough, but this has this loose, ragged quality. Check the filthy ‘I Pound A Solid Rock’, or the simply beautiful ‘Pray On’. The closer ‘Amazing Grace’ is perhaps the most original rendition i’ve ever heard of a stupidly familiar song. Features Mississippi stalwarts Sister Ola Mae Terrell, The Straight Street Group, and Utah Smith. It’s pretty much perfect.
9.5/10
As a side note, two tracks of this release are deliberately tagged wrong, according to a source. Whilst this doesn’t change the sheer quality of the music, it’s a bit curious. A hangover from the legal grey-area Mississippi Records occupies.
Spend A Night In The House Of Prayer! (Megaupload link)
Put your money down at Boomkat
Thanks to kicktokill.blogspot.com for the original download.
Next up…. The Malcolm X Memorial!
This is my feeble attempt at making a one-stop shop for all things related to Mississippi Records. Let’s have at it then…
Any Questions?
Q: What is Mississippi Records, then?
A: Mississippi Records is a record store/independent record label in Portland, Oregon, in the USA. It was founded by Alex Yusimov, who used his friend Greg Isaacson’s record store as a base of operations. The two put $3000 into the project, which is basically to compile rare and out of print records and sell them for cheap.
Q: What kind of music do they put out?
A: It’s varied. The two have put out (at the time of writing) 29 releases, which are mostly compilations of a certain type of music, long out of print and extremely difficult to find – varying from straight gospel , live jazz, African High-Life, to Portland bands. There are also a few releases from more ‘famous’ artists, such as Skip James and Irma Thomas. The first release was an album by label founder, Alex Yusimov.
Q: Do you think they won’t mind you shamelessly ripping off their work online? Have you heard of the RIAA? etc, etc…
A: Well, that is a point. I cannot claim to represent Messrs. Yusimov, Isaacson, or anyone else who helps them in their operation, or have any contact with them whatsoever. If anyone from Mississippi Records, or a record label demands to take this blog down, I don’t have much of a leg to stand on. However, I can profess a deep love of the music they put out on their label, which is why i’m making this blog. There are some things to consider.
- Mississippi Records is, in a very very crude sense, a bootleg label. They put out the songs they want to on their records. They do try to license their recordings whenever they possibly can, however.
- However, this is mostly irrelevant.
- This is because most of the recordings come before the 1950’s, weren’t put out on major labels, sold in large amounts or pressed in large numbers. The artists are many, they are (sadly) either very old or dead by now, they were (in almost all instances) not famous, the small labels they were on have gone bust…. it is in short, a nightmare. Someone who has helped put together a few of their LP’s, a Mr. Mike McGooney-Gal (His screenname on Ilxor.com), has this to say : “My understanding with music from this era, from the 20s and 30s and often even later, it is incredibly difficult to track people down. If you wanted to pay for Washington Phillips royalties, I don’t even know how you could. If you notice, Miss. LPs are very inexpensive, and they always attempt to license songs. To the best of my knowledge, a number of mississippi records have been either officially “cleared” of the need for royalties — as w/ the latest african disc, that one was fully public domain, or have a very high percentage of royalties going to the artists, as with the Philip Cohran album.“
- So hopefully that is some justification. As is the fact that i have literally never, ever, ever seen a CD by Washington Phillips. Or Utah Smith. Or Sister O.M. Terrell. You simply cannot find these acts anywhere, apart from Mississippi Records.
- That said, there are some releases that are quite easy to find on CD, or likewise. The most notable one is the Skip James 1931 release. As to avoid the WebBitch, I will not post that record here.
So that’s the legal crap sorted out. I think.
Q: What if i want to buy a record? Is it impossible?
A: It’s definitely possible. I shall put links with the album to an online dealer, like Boomkat or Honest Jon’s, where they have them for sale. However, these records are in steep demand, and are pressed in very small numbers, so the likelihood of them being in stock is low. Of course, you could always drop into the shop, which is at 4007 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, Oregon, say ‘Hi’, and pick up a few from there. Also, their new tape series (old school or what?) is available exclusively from the shop. Or eBay, where a set of 6 just went for $200.
Q: FLACS?
A: No. I do not own any Mississippi releases in a physical format, just have downloaded them from various blogs. This makes conversion a no-no. All releases posted will be in mp3 format, and when you are dealing with a grainy field recording, it doesn’t matter what format it is, it’s still grainy. Plus, you can’t put FLACS on your iPod. WTF?
Q: Who are you? Why are you doing this?
A: My name is Sam Black, and I’m a student in Brighton, UK. I”ve been listening to Mississippi Records for the last 6 months, on a recommendation from Spiritualized frontman, J Spaceman, who is my favourite musician. He loves Mississppi Records too, so I checked out Life Is A Problem, and it’s been love ever since. So, seeing as i gleefully stole this music from other bloggers, i thought it best to give a little back.
Q: You didn’t answer my question/Can you put such and such record up….
A: Well, come drop me either A) a comment or B) an email at sam(at)liquid6(dot)com. Don’t be shy! As for records, there is some i don’t have. There will be a ‘Wanted’ list posted after a while. If there’s a record you want next in the queue or can’t find, just leave a comment and i’ll get on it 🙂
First up… Life Is A Problem.
Thanks for reading, y’all.
Hello! I love the Portland, OR based record shop, label and musical explorers extraordinaire Mississippi Records, and all the beautiful music they put out on vinyl, cassette, and reel to reel (well, not yet). As do a large amount of people.
However, being based in the UK, and not blessed with the disposable income to take regular flights to America and buy it, i have taken to the internet in search of their releases. And, for the most part, i’ve been lucky. I’ve found a large portion of all they’ve released, but by no means all. And they don’t stop churning their ludricously high quality releases out.
But, you know what would have made my search easier? A compendium of their releases, with all proper track names, artwork, etc., all in one place.
So here we go. My next post shall be a biography of the label, with a background of them and their fantastic work. Then i shall post the albums in no particular order, and shall try to ensure the links never die.
Sam
Where The Sun Never Goes Down 