Big Ups

By request, some Sound Compendium pieces sure to make you nostalgic. Linkage in das Commentz.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 30 (SC 139)

For me, image and music are irrevocably intertwined. From my first listening memories, I recall dissecting the details of album art, often through the entirety of an album, the cover having a profound effect on the way I interpreted the music. Today I could reference uncountable instances when I've heard a song sans artwork and was not at all affected by it, but then once seeing the album art, instantly hearing it with a fresh set of ears.

The relationship between sex and violence is at root in much of Euro and especially Italian cinema of the kind shared here (Think Elio Petri's Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion). Some of the tracks selected for the Eros Plus Melody series often had little outwardly sexual connotation. But once juxtaposed with an image suggesting sex, or eroticism, the songs, at least for me, altered their appearance. Ultimately, after listening to each of these volumes dozens of times, the songs have transformed and taken on an enduring eroticism in the way I'll hear and visualize them into the future.

Alas, the EPM series has fully exhausted itself. I accomplished more than I wanted with the series, and it's time to move on to other things. The blog will remain open until I'm struck with some other idea. It could be weeks, months, who knows... My love for music runs deep and through a multitude of genres, roots reggae, funk, blues, afrobeat, afrocuban, much of which is reflected in older entries of this blog. So we'll press hold and wait for this blog's apotheosis.

In the meantime, I promised to re-up older albums from the blog, especially those with the Sound Compendium label, so if you have a request, leave it in the comments below and I'll be happy to re-up. I will, however, limit it to a one-time re-up, so jump in and get it before it expires on zippy.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and check back every so often for the resurrection of the Sound Compendium Home Library.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 29 (SC 138)

And then there were two.

The last but one in the fine-as-wine Eros Plus Melody series gets all synthi and '80s sounding on your ass.

If you don't like synthesizers or hot babes, stay away from this one. For the nerds out there, see if you can spot two Pink Floyd homages here. They're in back-to-back songs, the end of one and the beginning of another (Echoes and Wish You Were Here are referenced). The first is clearly intentional; the second I'm not totally sure).

If you like your cheese nice and thick n' smelly, go straight to the comments and never look back.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 28 (SC 137)

The countdown (count up?) to 30 recommences. We present the third to last installment of the renowned Eros Plus Melody series.

In mood, Volume 28's closest sibling in the series would be the dark, foreboding Volume 8. EPM 28 is a bit different, though, in that it includes a collection of modern and classic tracks from the Eastern Bloc, Scandinavia and South America, a smattering of Italian Giallo and France. Special thanks goes to Easywind once again for the image that perfectly fits the mood I was aiming for. We somehow manage to read each others' musical minds for images and sounds...

A joyously dark album.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 27 (SC 136)

EPM 27 goes off the beaten path to bring you the very best in hip hop instrumentals. If you're thinking of taking a pass on this one because hip hop ain't your bag...big, big mistake! This volume is drenched in erotic sounds that rival anything in the series.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 26 (SC 135)

Eros + Melody 26 = Hindustan

I do not profess to know a lot about Indian soundtracks, but over the last 10 years I have acquired a healthy collection of Bolly-styled albums that have piqued my interest. Unfortunately, I don't listen to them nearly as much as I'd like.

EPM 26 takes a slight detour to explore some of the more adventurous erotic and melodic tastes of Indian soundtracks that have been on and off my turntable over the last decade.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 25 (SC 134)

More big ups to my friend, Easwind, who sent me this classic erotic photo. I hope I did it justice with the cover art. Also a few more tracks from Easywind's awesome collection (Blonksteiner, Bixio/Frizzi/Tempera, Continiello, Oddi, Rizzati make appearances here) I can't thank him enough!

Funk and groove return to the series with a vengeance on EPM 25. This volume has a bit of an edge from the get-go. Groove-worthy!

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 24 (SC 133)

EPM 24 is dedicated to my good friend Easywind who has provided me a wealth of incredible tunes over the last months. Most of the songs on this mix come from his formidable library of Italian cinetrax and were completely unknown to me until recently. Thanks brother! Maybe we can convince him to do a guest mix of his own on Sound Compendium...

This half-and-half mix starts out with some groovier early period tunes and progresses into a slicker late '70s vibe on the second half of the album.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 23 (SC 132)

This one was released way back in the day as Euro Groove and Electro Soul and repackaged here to jive with the SC series. Several "classics" on this one as much of it serves as the very first cine-trax I fell in love with.

Eros Más Melodía 22 (SC 131)

22.

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 21 (SC 130)

Eros Plus Melody #21 goes east...

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 20 (SC 129)

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 19 (SC 128)

Last week the nation, nay, the world mourned as the EPM series took a week off without warning and replaced it with [gasp!] Chinese rock???

However, I'm glad to report that today we're back with still many come!, and likely without further interruption.

EPM 19 is an eclectic mix, and exactly what you've come to expect from these volumes.

Goodbye, Beijing

Goodbye, Beijing. Goodbye, China. What will I miss about you? In a word, it's hard to imagine having more complicated feelings about the people and place I've called home for the last 10 years. When I return Stateside, I'll understandably be endlessly bombarded by the question, "What did you think of China?" And just as I am unable or unwilling to pen my thoughts here, I'll be incapable of relating a satisfactory answer to a question that has no tangible answer in my own head.

The best way to answer it, though, is (of course!!) with an album. This week we hit the pause button on the Eros Plus Melody series and say farewell to the Middle Kingdom by featuring the best Chinese rock album ever made. The Godfather of Chinese rock, the rebel, occasional dissident, and perennial thorn-in-the-government's-side, Cui Jian released Balls Under the Red Flag in 1994. I must admit that outside of random forays into Peking Opera and attending a few underground shows, I never much cared to explore the musical side of China. But Balls Under the Red Flag has been the major exception, an album that I will frequently return to for the rest of my life.

Not without its blemishes, Balls... features fantastic progressive songwriting and some of Cui's best ever guitar jamming (Of the eight songs, six clock in at over seven minutes long; the other two are over five). The title track (Track 3) and The Last Complaint (Track 6) come most highly recommended for their edginess and unique take on "western-influenced" rock. To me at least, they rival anything produced anywhere in the rock world. If you don't listen to anything else, listen to those and tell me I'm wrong.

Whether or not you care about Chinese rock, head over to the comments give this one a spin, even if only as a curiosity piece...

Eros Plus Melody Vol. 18 (SC 127)

Just when you thought it was safe to return to the erotically warmed waters of the Sound Compendium Home Library...Eros Plus Melody is back!

Another Friday, another gem, this one with touches of synthi-sounds and some tracks that straddle the '70s-'80s decades...No worries, just when you're becoming concerned this volume is headed into the unwanted, masturabatory '80s-sounding self-absorbtion of synth, you are pulled back in, resting arousedly in the classy grooves you have come to expect in the EPM series...always tasteful, always hot!