Until then, feast your eyes on what could prove to be the biggest feat in Numero history up until this point.
The assorted ramblings of an emotionally-charged neurotic.
Monday, November 21, 2011
A Much-Belated Update....
As promised, here's the long-awaited unboxing of what could prove to be one of the biggest boxed sets of the year -- and it comes to us from none other than Chicago's very own purveyor of the woefully obscure, the fantastic (if not cocksure) archival label Numero Group! Due to an unforeseeable delay, the release was pushed back about roughly a week (and it took nearly two after having been shipped off to get into our hands here at Inlands), but luckily, the packaging is impeccable and the music contained within is equally appealing, if not slightly offbeat and packing a bit of sixties kitsch to boot. Seeing as we just received our copy this afternoon, a review will not be posted for at the very least a week, but keep your eyes on this page for when it's published.
Until then, feast your eyes on what could prove to be the biggest feat in Numero history up until this point.
Until then, feast your eyes on what could prove to be the biggest feat in Numero history up until this point.
Friday, November 4, 2011
East of Underground: Hell Below Boxed Set/Re-Issue Unboxing and Review
It's been several weeks since my last post, and thankfully "Odd Ryan" has been keeping things afloat with his recent posting of the excellent poem "Hollow Men" by acclaimed author T.S. Eliot -- I'm in your debt, friend -- but now it's time to get back into the business of regularly updating the weblog. As often it does, life has a tendency to get in the way of what we truly wish to be doing, and a great deal has occurred offline since my last true update ("The Rise of the Social Behemoths"). From familial issues to simple procrastination, I vow never to fall in such a slump again. If I do, slap me. Send a horse's head to my doorstep. Anything!
Today's unboxing (and I hope to post more in the future, including Numero Group's highly-anticipated Boddie box due in a week or two's time) focuses on the fairly recent Now/Again re-issue of the cult "East of Underground" LP originally released by the United States Army as a means of boosting morale and garnering the support of troops, their families, and new/potential recruits in the midst of the Vietnam conflict. The result of several Army musical talent showcases held in Europe for those stationed there throughout the years 1971-72, "East of Underground: Hell Below" features albums by the winners of 1971's (the eponymously titled "East of Underground" and "Soap") and 1972's ("The Black Seeds" and "The Sound Trek") showcases, respectively. The latter three (Soap, Black Seeds and Sound Trek) have never seen release on any other form of media, until now.
All three discs/four LPs are chock full of mainly amateurish, plodding, and barely-managed covers of popular tunes of the era. The most musically proficient of the groups also seems to have the best production on their LP....it's no surprise that "East of Underground" is as renowned in some circles as it is. This was a talented group of young men, especially apparent on their fast-paced, paranoia-inducing cover of the Mayfield classic "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go". The harmonies throughout the record, while not always pitch-perfect, are sufficient and speak of a chemistry that could only be achieved by those who've had a great deal of experience in the business or who performed with one another for several years. What's impressive here is that the members of "East of Underground" played together for mere months and accomplished what many notable bands take years to do: borrowing from a vast array of influences, yet combining these to give rise to a sound and attitude all of their own. Other cuts of note are a moody take on "Smiling Faces Sometimes" and a great, harmonious take on another Mayfield composition, "People Get Ready (There's A Train A-Comin')".
The second album featured in the collection, "Soap", isn't nearly as impressive musically and frankly, the tracks range from mediocre to outright cringe-worthy. The featured vocalists aren't the least bit impressive, and the female singer sounds as though she'd be more comfortable wailing through "La Traviata" than cooing "I Don't Know How to Love Him", a portion of which is featured briefly on a track simply entitled "Medley". Caterwauling wives of soldiers aside, there are some decent attempts at composing something listenable, such as the surprisingly coherent and dare I say soulful rendition of Neil Young's "Southern Man", thankfully sung (though I apply this term loosely) by a male lead with a sense of seventies hip. Most of the other songs included on "Soap" don't bear mentioning, save for the odious "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" which is laughable in its sense of lyrical melodrama.
The final disc/LPs consist of the 1972 Sound Trek/Black Seeds split, which is a studio recording passed off as a live performance. Sounding more like a collective of friends sitting around and having themselves a jam session fueled by copious amounts of hash and wine, they're occasionally off-key, sloppy slices of psychedelic soul. The Black Seeds' iteration of "Go Outside In the Rain" is portrayed here as a hazy, melancholic ditty filtered through the lens of someone strung out on opiates, not regretting the loss of a love but instead jonesing for their next shot of liquid heaven, their bodies wracked with an intense longing, and that nothing short of death will keep them from their next score. Conversely, the Sound Trek's "Walking In the Rain (With the One I Love)" comes across as a far more buoyant affair, employing an orchestra and somehow managing to be more endearing (especially the banter between two bandmates midway through) as a whole than Love Unlimited's version of the same tune. All in all, these two acts are not nearly as musically intriguing, nor do they hold one's attention as firmly as the East of Underground's set, but they are miles beyond the tepid offering that is "Soap".
This boxed set serves not only as a snapshot of a tumultuous, yet musically fortuitous era that many would rather soon forget than to experience again, but of the determination of those dwelling amidst this hell to make something of it, despite the uncertainties of tomorrow, much less the next hour. Though many of those responsible for the music contained on these discs did not see battle directly, there's a sense of tentativeness and paranoia, as if each member were awaiting the next shoe to drop and to be drawn into the frontlines of a conflict that, to this day, remains an ever polarizing piece of our history as a nation. These records are the story of young men and women who stood for something, even if they didn't quite know at the time what that particular something was.
Music aside, these discs/LPs are packaged lovingly within slip cases reminiscent of and true to their original vinyl sleeves, complete with quality cardboard and even plastic inner sleeves for the compact disc version of the set. Housed in an equally sturdy box featuring the ominous cover of the "East of Underground" disc, it adds to the aura of uncertainty and discomfort the music contained therein presents to the listener. Just a terrific deal all around, and highly recommended if you can bear to part with the thirty dollars (at most retailers) that it's going to run you. Definitely worth the money, and more than worthy of more than an initial listen. This is, dear reader, American history -- commercialized in the finest way imaginable.
Unboxing:
Today's unboxing (and I hope to post more in the future, including Numero Group's highly-anticipated Boddie box due in a week or two's time) focuses on the fairly recent Now/Again re-issue of the cult "East of Underground" LP originally released by the United States Army as a means of boosting morale and garnering the support of troops, their families, and new/potential recruits in the midst of the Vietnam conflict. The result of several Army musical talent showcases held in Europe for those stationed there throughout the years 1971-72, "East of Underground: Hell Below" features albums by the winners of 1971's (the eponymously titled "East of Underground" and "Soap") and 1972's ("The Black Seeds" and "The Sound Trek") showcases, respectively. The latter three (Soap, Black Seeds and Sound Trek) have never seen release on any other form of media, until now.
All three discs/four LPs are chock full of mainly amateurish, plodding, and barely-managed covers of popular tunes of the era. The most musically proficient of the groups also seems to have the best production on their LP....it's no surprise that "East of Underground" is as renowned in some circles as it is. This was a talented group of young men, especially apparent on their fast-paced, paranoia-inducing cover of the Mayfield classic "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go". The harmonies throughout the record, while not always pitch-perfect, are sufficient and speak of a chemistry that could only be achieved by those who've had a great deal of experience in the business or who performed with one another for several years. What's impressive here is that the members of "East of Underground" played together for mere months and accomplished what many notable bands take years to do: borrowing from a vast array of influences, yet combining these to give rise to a sound and attitude all of their own. Other cuts of note are a moody take on "Smiling Faces Sometimes" and a great, harmonious take on another Mayfield composition, "People Get Ready (There's A Train A-Comin')".
The second album featured in the collection, "Soap", isn't nearly as impressive musically and frankly, the tracks range from mediocre to outright cringe-worthy. The featured vocalists aren't the least bit impressive, and the female singer sounds as though she'd be more comfortable wailing through "La Traviata" than cooing "I Don't Know How to Love Him", a portion of which is featured briefly on a track simply entitled "Medley". Caterwauling wives of soldiers aside, there are some decent attempts at composing something listenable, such as the surprisingly coherent and dare I say soulful rendition of Neil Young's "Southern Man", thankfully sung (though I apply this term loosely) by a male lead with a sense of seventies hip. Most of the other songs included on "Soap" don't bear mentioning, save for the odious "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" which is laughable in its sense of lyrical melodrama.
The final disc/LPs consist of the 1972 Sound Trek/Black Seeds split, which is a studio recording passed off as a live performance. Sounding more like a collective of friends sitting around and having themselves a jam session fueled by copious amounts of hash and wine, they're occasionally off-key, sloppy slices of psychedelic soul. The Black Seeds' iteration of "Go Outside In the Rain" is portrayed here as a hazy, melancholic ditty filtered through the lens of someone strung out on opiates, not regretting the loss of a love but instead jonesing for their next shot of liquid heaven, their bodies wracked with an intense longing, and that nothing short of death will keep them from their next score. Conversely, the Sound Trek's "Walking In the Rain (With the One I Love)" comes across as a far more buoyant affair, employing an orchestra and somehow managing to be more endearing (especially the banter between two bandmates midway through) as a whole than Love Unlimited's version of the same tune. All in all, these two acts are not nearly as musically intriguing, nor do they hold one's attention as firmly as the East of Underground's set, but they are miles beyond the tepid offering that is "Soap".
This boxed set serves not only as a snapshot of a tumultuous, yet musically fortuitous era that many would rather soon forget than to experience again, but of the determination of those dwelling amidst this hell to make something of it, despite the uncertainties of tomorrow, much less the next hour. Though many of those responsible for the music contained on these discs did not see battle directly, there's a sense of tentativeness and paranoia, as if each member were awaiting the next shoe to drop and to be drawn into the frontlines of a conflict that, to this day, remains an ever polarizing piece of our history as a nation. These records are the story of young men and women who stood for something, even if they didn't quite know at the time what that particular something was.
Music aside, these discs/LPs are packaged lovingly within slip cases reminiscent of and true to their original vinyl sleeves, complete with quality cardboard and even plastic inner sleeves for the compact disc version of the set. Housed in an equally sturdy box featuring the ominous cover of the "East of Underground" disc, it adds to the aura of uncertainty and discomfort the music contained therein presents to the listener. Just a terrific deal all around, and highly recommended if you can bear to part with the thirty dollars (at most retailers) that it's going to run you. Definitely worth the money, and more than worthy of more than an initial listen. This is, dear reader, American history -- commercialized in the finest way imaginable.
Unboxing:
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