Mitchell Froom - Dopamine

If you know Mitchell Froom's name, you're probably just as familiar with Tchad Blake. These two production juggernauts used to be quite the duo, though they don't seem to collaborate any longer. Nonetheless, their work helped propel Los Lobos to fame and recognition, at least until they decided to sign with Hollywood Records and attack Paul Simon in the press. They've also been associated with acts as wide ranging as Soul Coughing, The Dandy Warhols, Cibo Matto, Latin Playboys (of which they were members), Sheryl Crow (I'll forgive them for that), Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega (to which Froom was married) and many more than I dare to list here. With a list of clients like those, it only made sense that there would be some kind of project to come out of their relationships with their many collaborators, and Froom capitalized on extra studio time by recording most of Dopamine literally between takes at other artists' sessions. Blake, of course, got the production credit.

Dopamine was initially green-lit by Geffen Records, certainly in no small part because of the amazing list of collaborators, but somewhere along the way they lost interest and gave Froom and Blake the album back. One listen and it's understandable why this happened, as it's not a commercial sounding album by any stretch, but its qualities are stunning nonetheless and they found a partner in crime with Atlantic Records when they agreed to issue the album in 1998, for better or worse. I note the better or worse part because it's not as though Atlantic promoted the album or gave it any push whatsoever. I was amazed when I stumbled upon it in a Best Buy over a decade ago, both for it's content and the cover art. How do you sell something like this?

All negative sounding commentary aside, if the artists making guest appearances grab your attention and you know the Froom/Blake sound, you should already have a good idea what to expect, and at just over a half hour, Dopamine never wears out its welcome, remaining a fascinating, gorgeous mess of bizarre collaborations and worldly vibes someone would probably try to play on NPR. Myself, I love it. It's an amazing album and nothing else really sounds like it. Hell, Froom and Blake make Sheryl Crow sound exciting on her bizarre freak-out, Monkey Mind. Elsewhere, Jerry Stahl, author of the drug-nightmare that is Permanent Midnight and one of the individuals responsible for keeping Alf in the public's consciousness throughout the eighties, provides mumblings on a song also named Permanent Midnight, Miho Hatori chirps in her wonderfully sexy and beautiful voice about a Wave that takes her clothes away, Louie Perez provides slightly clearer mumblings about who knows what on I'd Better Not, Ron Sexsmith conjures a by-gone era that might not have existed in the sad Overcast, and a stoned-sounding Doughty does that thing he does on The Bunny. The coolest collaboration on the album though might be the closer, Fruta Prohibida, where Froom samples one of his father's recordings for the introduction. How cool is that?

Dopamine is lounge music for paranoid shut-ins, though it's better than that. It's one of those albums that deserves a cult following and groups of people selling original copies for obscene amounts of cash, though that will probably never happen. Regardless, listening to this album will explain why I want to hear Froom's score for the art-house-porno, Cafe Flesh, as I'd love to know just how weird he was when he was younger. Listen to this while trying to get your lover hot and you'll fail miserably, but you'll probably be driven to learn some obscure dances and have some incredible conversations, and let's face it, that's what really leads things in a kinky direction! You'll thank me later!


Mitchell Froom - Dopamine

01 Tastes Good (feat. David Hidalgo)
02 The Bunny (feat. M. Doughty)
03 Kitsum (feat. Lisa Germano)
04 Dopamine (feat. Suzanne Vega)
05 Watery Eyes (feat. Mark Eitzel)
06 Monkey Mind (feat. Sheryl Crow)
07 Noodletown (with guitar by Steve Donnelly)
08 Wave (feat. Miho Hatori)
09 I'd Better Not (feat. Louie Perez)
10 Permanent Midnight (feat. Jerry Stahl)
11 Overcast (feat. Ron Sexsmith)
12 Fruta Prohibida (with violin by Mark Feldman)

"Name Your Own" Sampler

This is a Warner Bros. Records in-store sampler from 1995. Unlike the Trademark Of Quality promos and some of their other unique releases, this one doesn't have anything unreleased on it, though it is rather unique nonetheless. The cover image is actually a sticker and contains the rather amazing phrase, "Fuck 'em in the ear", as an option to name the CD. I suppose whomever approved the cover figured wherever this was getting played, the store wouldn't put the case up front for customers to see, though that seems rather naive. On top of that, the CD features the Deftones' 7 Words, a song which certainly sounds like someone is screaming "fuck" repeatedly in the chorus, as well as Backstrokin' from Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante, one of the most uncommercial albums Warner Bros. has ever released and also features some mumbled obscenities at the end. Overall though, the CD is actually a really great representation of WB's alternative themed releases from the mid-nineties. You've got appearances from Cibo Matto, Soul Coughing, Cornershop and many more. The Mouse On Mars and Long Fin Killie tracks are particularly good.

If I heard this disc in a store today I'd probably be asking about several of the releases, although I'm glad I already know the majority of them. That said, while I know Soul Coughing's The Brooklynites rather well, John Lurie's Let's Get Ready To Rhumba is rather excellent and I'm probably going to have to hunt down the Blue In The Face and Smoke soundtracks. Never seen either movie before, though I always wanted to. Guess I've got some research to do. Enjoy!


"Name Your Own" Sampler

01 Deftones - 7 Words
02 Mr. Bungle - Backstrokin'
03 Mouse On Mars - Bib
04 Long Fin Killie - Homo Erectus
05 Lisa Gerrard - Sunvean
06 The Flaming Lips - Psychiatric Explorations Of The Fetus With Needles
07 Son Volt - Drown
08 The Jesus and Mary Chain - I Hate Rock 'n' Roll
09 Cibo Matto - Know Your Chicken
10 Built To Spill & Cuastic Resin - Still Flat
11 Pedro Ramos - Luis di Kandinha (Luis, Kandinha's Son)
12 You Am I - Jewels and Bullets
13 Cornershop - Call All Destroyer
14 Soul Coughing - The Brooklynites
15 John Lurie - Let's Get Ready To Rhumba

INTERLUDE

So I was going to do a post on Cibo Matto, and I may still do just that, although it's going to have to wait a short while. I thought I had an arsenal of rare Cibo Matto stuff but I've found that the majority of it is readily available. Actually, if you're not familiar with Cibo, you should do yourself a favor and get their first album, VIVA! La Woman!, or the Pom Pom compilation on Rhino. That Pom Pom comp is nice as it has some rare tracks and lots of stuff from both of their full-lengths, but it has eight of the ten songs on VIVA and while that's most of the album, it's missing the track Theme. Man, that track is an ambient love-fest and should not be missed. I recall lots of fun with an ex whenever that track came on in mixtapes and such. What the hell, I'll put that track in this post, but a more detailed Cibo Matto post may be in your future.

As for the remainder of this interlude, I was rather upset to see that my Michael Jackson/Nirvana post was removed in it's entirety and I wasn't notified in any way that it happened. In the wake of Michael's death, I'm not completely surprised at it's disappearance, but I didn't say anything negative about him and I wasn't trying to benefit financially from his passing. Hell, I keep this blog ad-free because I don't think it's right to profit from things the artist may not have wanted released but found their way to the public regardless. So, I would have gladly removed the post if asked to do so, but when I don't even get a bullshit letter from the DMCA saying I pissed them off, I just see the post removed, that really boils my blood. So, if anyone is looking for the Michael Jackson Dangerous Demos, I'm not going to post the links here but, if you're resourceful, I'm sure you'll find them. They're in the same place they were earlier, just not visible from this site. And to whomever is going after people like myself for posting some interesting Jackson-related stuff for the public to enjoy, why don't you go after the people selling bootleg T-Shirts memorializing his death or the people trying to scalp tickets to the service at the Staples Center. I will respect your copyright if you've got an issue with what I'm doing, but send me an e-mail. Hell, I would have been less angry if I'd gotten a message from the DMCA or Blogger directly, but just doing this without telling me is WRONG. No ifs, ands or buts about it, it is wrong. I spend a lot of time writing the dialogue contained on this site and putting up interesting things for people to enjoy, and I don't see why you should be able to derail any of my work, apart from the removal of something you own the copyright to. You don't own my text or the thoughts contained therein, so leave those the hell alone!

Okay, the extremely angry and somewhat juvenile rant is now over. Enjoy some MP3s. Some MP3s more random than others!

Cibo Matto - Theme
Gloria Estefan - Everlasting Love (Classic Paradise Radio Mix)
Gloria Estefan - Everlasting Love (Classic Paradise Mix)


UPDATE: I don't think the post being removed necessarily had anything to do with Michael Jackson, but rather Nirvana. For whatever reason, the Michael Jackson tracks weren't removed from MediaFire, at least not in their entirety, but the Nirvana post was and twice. Can anyone give me some advice about things of this sort? I would like to know if there is some sort of retaliation I can take towards these actions, other than bitching, whining and kvetching like someone on Parking Wars. HELP?

The Unheard Music's June 2009 Mixtape

From the moment I started this blog I thought it would be cool to do a mixtape every month or two with interesting stuff that I wouldn't be doing full posts about. This is the first one and I feel pretty good about it. Please let me know what you think about it and, if you like it, I'll try to make sure I post one every month or two. Enjoy!


The Unheard Music - June 2009 Mixtape

01 Liz Phair - White Babies (Answering Machine Version)
Liz's twisted take on "My Bonny" was initially recorded for her Girly-Sound demo tapes. Those recordings are essential but this answering machine recording of the track is a fun alternative. As for the circumstances behind the recording, I've never heard an explanation, so if you know one please let me know.

02 Vanity 6 - Vibrator
We all know that Prince and Vanity were freaks, and this is the kind of track that would have furthered that reputation if it had seen release. Recorded during the early stages of the "Purple Rain"-era sessions that encompassed albums by Sheila E., The Time and Prince himself, Vanity was suppossed to be in the film and another Vanity 6 album was planned for release but Vanity made it clear she wanted more money from Warner Brothers or else she would leave. They didn't give her the money so she left and Prince got Apollonia to take her place in the film and the band, rechristening them Apollonia 6.

03 Beastie Boys - I'm Down
The Beasties and Rick Rubin recorded this tongue-in-cheek cover of the Fab 4's b-side of the "Help" single, but Michael Jackson, who owned a massive chunk of the Beatles' catalogue at the time, declined their request on the premise that he felt their version was a devaluation of the original. Eventually, a slightly different version ended up being leaked to a California radio station, but this was the version intended for "Licensed To Ill".

04 Ween - Where'd The Cheese Go? (Pizza Hut Demo 1)
Believe it or not, Pizza Hut came to Ween asking them to write a jingle for their cheese filled crust pizza. Despite making a rather catchy jingle, Pizza Hut turned it down flat. For a while this was available via the official Ween site.

05 Beck - Death Is Coming To Get You (Folk Version)
This is a funny Beck song in the vein of "Satan Gave Me A Taco". Two recordings of this exist, this being the folkier of the two. This appeared on the "Golden Leftovers" tape.

06 Pizzy Yelliot - Could You Be Loved (Mungolian Jet Set 303 Acid Mix)
It's rather unclear who Pizzy Yelliot is, although I've heard it may be another pseduonym for the Mungolian Jet Set. Regardless, this is a seriously freaky cover of the Bob Marley song. For those unfamiliar with the Mungolian Jet Set, their album is far jazzier than their remixes which are often rather long and trippy, but both sides of their styles are irresistible. If this is your first taste of MJS, you've got to get their remix of the Kreeps "I Just Wanna Break Some Hearts" and their debut album, "Beauty Came To Us In Stone".

07 Autolux - Future Perfect
Title cut for Autolux's first album that doesn't actually appear on the album. This song appeared on their "Demonstration" cd in slightly rougher form, but this version was included as the b-side of their "Here Comes Everybody" single. Great song!

08 J*Davey - Let It Bleed
It's pretty unclear what is up with J*Davey these days. Their two EPs, the first of which was described as a very rough demo despite being lush, dreamy and as sonically deep as anyone could hope for, are the only documents of their studio work as of right now. They signed to Warner Brothers records but nothing has come of that deal yet, so I guess we'll just have to keep waiting, but there are a few great songs they've recorded which don't appear on either of their releases and this is one of them. Let this groove hit you and get next to someone special.

09 Blackalicious - Cheezit Terrorist
This was featured on the original pressings of Blackalicious' "Melodica" EP but was dropped from later pressings due to sample clearance issues. The fidelity of the track is due to it having been taped from a live radio freestyle just as it sounds like it was, not from the track being copied from a bad source.

10 Ween - Where'd The Cheese Go? (Pizza Hut Demo 2)
After being turned down by Pizza Hut with their initial version of this jingle, Ween turned in this significantly more sarcastic version. I don't think I need to tell you what didn't happen next.

11 Steely Dan - The Second Arrangement
Recorded during the "Gaucho" sessions, the majority of the masters of the original version of this song were accidentally erased by an engineer. Becker and Fagen were devestated and initially decided to forget the song, but they were pressed to try to re-record it. They buckled and recorded this fabulous version, but they didn't feel it lived up to the quality of the original and decided not to release it. A sad decision, as this is a heluva song!

12 Cibo Matto - Know Your Chicken (El Diablo Version)
This version of "Know Your Chicken" was most likely a great part of the impetus for the creation of Butter 08, a Cibo side project with Russell Simins, drummer for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and their friends. Simins plays drums on this great version recorded for El Diablo Records. It was initially released on a 7" and eventually reissued as part of a cd featuring both of Cibo Matto's El Diablo singles and their then-unreleased improv "Crumbs".

13 Wordsound I Powa - Bury Dem
I'm a fan of my pal Skiz's label, Wordsound Records. This is from a Wordsound super-group, Wordsound I Powa. This did receive an official release and is still available at least digitally as part of their "Transmitting Live From Planet Crooklyn" album. This track is a little crazier than some of the other stuff on the album, but if you like spacey electro-dub stuff, you should definitely check Wordsound I Powa out. I can't seem to find this on iTunes but it is available via Amazon's excellent MP3 site.

14 DJ Brokenwindow - Shit On My Side
DJ Brokenwindow does manual mash-ups, rarely using computers to assist him in assembling his tracks. This is from his "Parallel Universe #1" compilation, of which a sequel is also available via kid606's Violent Turn label. I don't know if this is still in print, but the first volume is tons of crazy fun. This track is a meeting of the Thompson Twins and Eminem's crew, D-12.

15 The Pharcyde - Ya Mama (Matt Dike Remix)
I don't know for certain that this ever received an official release, but if it did I don't know how they got away with it! This is a Matt Dike remix very much in the spirit of "Paul's Boutique" and it tons of fun.

16 Nirvana - Onward Into Countless Battles (aka Dave's Meat Song)
This is basically a Dave Grohl solo track that he recorded during a Nirvana session in Januaryof 1993 while in Rio. Everyone always paints Kurt Cobain to have been rather gloomy, which is confusing since there was a lot of evidence to the contrary, but it's clear that Dave and Krist were always pretty up-beat guys. This is a funny and goody track that I wish had been released on the "With The Lights Out" box-set, but as it's pretty much just Dave, I can see why it would have been ignored.

17 Beck - Death Is Coming To Get You (Hip-Hop Version)
This is the second version of "Death..." and appeared on Beck's "Fresh Meat and Old Slabs" tape which he made for his mother. I don't know that anyone would call this proper hip-hop, what with walls of guitar feedback and pounding percussion, but there is a funky drum loop running under the track and Beck's flow is far more rhythmic than it normally is.

18 Ween - Where'd The Cheese Go? (All Request Live Version)
Ween recorded this nutty version of "Cheese..." during an online performance that was comprised completely of requests. This is easily the funniest and goofiest version of the song and should be enjoyed by all. The "All Request Live" show received an official release and is available via iTunes.

19 Marilyn Chambers - Benihana
This is the late Marilyn Chambers' attempt to enter the disco market alongside Andrea True and her classic "More, More, More". This track didn't really go anywhere and is kind of rare, but it's been mentioned quite a bit since her death earlier this year. I like this one and it should get more props for being what it is, a fun and catchy dance song with a good dose of sexuality. In fact, it might be too sexual, but it's still a great tune.

20 The Clovers - The Rotten Cocksuckers Ball
I learned of this song through a compilation of R&B singles that influenced the young Frank Zappa. It's just as dirty as it's name should make you think it is, which is still pretty dirty these days and had to be insanely dirty when it was originally released. So, if you're easily offended, skip this track. If you can laugh at obscenities, please check this out!