Hip-Hop for the Summer

So I got a tweet from link343 aka Mark asking if I knew of any good hip-hop albums for the summer. He didn't specify new or old so I sat down and made a list. In no particular order, the following ten albums should kick the summer doldrums and put you in a great place. That said, you can't download these albums here, apart from the last one which is dead out of print, but you should be able to find them easily enough as the first nine are still in print and they're all sure-shots!


1) Dr. Dre - The Chronic
What ride for the summertime would be complete without The Chronic? It's not about whether you smoke or not (I don't), and you don't have to be a G to enjoy it (I'm certainly not), Dre simply has the beats and the MCs to keep your car groovin'. Of course, it's thoroughly politically incorrect, especially that skit in the "doctor's office", but if you've got a good sense of humor you'll love it. That said, you've probably already heard this album a thousand times before, but if you haven't, what are you waiting for?
PRIME CUT: Let Me Ride



2) The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
I don't know if you can have more fun than with Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. These guys sound like they were having the time of their lives! Every rap is funny, every beat is funky and every MC has skills that will leave your mind blown. Seriously, there isn't a bad track on this record. It's almost like the second volume of Paul's Boutique, albeit without as many samples. Get this NOW!
PRIME CUT: I'm That Type Of N***a



3) Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
How could this not be on the list? Paul's Boutique is like a frantic jigsaw puzzle that you'll never finish assembling but you'll never get sick of trying to put together. The Beasties were quite possibly in the best form of their career and it shows. The rhymes will leave you scratching your head like a seriously engaging episode of Jeopardy while the beats will have you trying to figure out where you heard that before. This record NEVER gets old! One of the best hip-hop records ever, one of the best party records ever, simply one of the best EVER!
PRIME CUT: Shadrach



4) Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Chuck D has a voice like the horn on a sea liner, as in you'll never miss it when it hits. One of the most powerful voices in hip-hop gives you lyrics that educate and inform while entertaining endlessly. The beats, produced by The Bomb Squad, are truly explosive and can still blow up a party today. Put this on while stuck in traffic and watch the stress peel off as you're gripped by Chuck's intensity and Flava's odd ability to entertain.
PRIME CUT: Louder Than A Bomb



5) De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
Completely different from just about any other hip-hop record you'll ever hear, 3 Feet High is an otherworldly trip through the stratosphere that will entertain fiercely, all the while painting a completely chilled vibe. De La Soul were unfairly labeled hippies for their positive lyrics and attitudes, something they dealt with on the equally essential but significantly darker follow-up, De La Soul Is Dead, but this is still amazing stuff that will put a smile on your face and keep you cool on hot summer days.
PRIME CUT: Say No Go



6) MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday
Recovering from the ashes of his former group, the under-appreciated KMD, the former Zev Love X donned the mask of Marvel Comics villain Dr. Doom and restarted his career as only he could. DOOM has a voice deep enough to dig a man out of his grave, jokes old enough to make you and your grandfather laugh and beats that sound like recycled quiet storm jams but will nonetheless leave you wanting more. DOOM is an entertainer, through and through, and that's what this record does, it consistently entertains. You'll also find yourself saying "where have I heard that before?" throughout, wondering how he got away with that Beatles sample or the theme from Scooby Doo.
PRIME CUT: Rhymes Like Dimes



7) Handsome Boy Modeling School - So... How's Your Girl
Prince Paul and Dan The Automator became this Get A Life inspired duo almost as a joke, but their music is anything but a joke. With beats like only they can make and appearances from guests as wide-ranging as El-P and DJ Shadow to Sean Lennon and Father Guido Sarducci, this will have you laughing and jamming all summer long. Seriously, this is wonderful stuff!
PRIME CUT: The Projects (PJays) (feat. Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Dave of De La Soul)



8) Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dan The Automator does it again, this time with Kool Keith, and the results are utterly disgusting and hilarious at the same time. Rapping about gynecological exams gone wrong, shark/alligator men, and surgical procedures that only aliens would consider performing, Keith could make you lose your lunch if you don't have a firm grasp on his perverse sense of humor. That said, he's so ridiculous you'll probably be thinking about how laughable his strange flow is. Keith is relentlessly entertaining, but it wouldn't mean much if the beats weren't top-notch too, and they most certainly are. The Automator brings it all, from classical pieces to old school boom-bap beats, so it's never like you're wondering if the next track will be good or not. Sew your tongue to your cheek and let Keith and Dan freak you out.
PRIME CUT: I'm Destructive



9) J Dilla - Donuts
Donuts is a wonderful heartbreaker, released just days before Dilla's death, it's an instrumental juggernaut that plays with your mind and never sits still. Put this on for a long ride and listen to the kaleidoscope that is Donuts constantly change its mind and go in a hundred different directions, all the while keeping heads bobbing and people wishing Dilla was still here so they could buy some beats from him.
PRIME CUT: Lightworks



10) Bombshelter DJs Z-Trip and Radar - Live At The Future Primitive, Vol. Two
A document of Z-Trip and Radar's amazing abilities, this is also a party rocking mix throwing everything you could want for your car into over an hour of mania. The duo mixes Pink Floyd and Aerosmith alongside LL Cool J and Black Sheep, among many others. That last sentence should be reason enough for you to grab this, but if you need another reason just take my word that it's awesome!
PRIME CUT: ALL OF THEM!

Download Live At The Future Primitive, Vol. Two HERE!

March 2011 Mixtape: Summer Night Dreams

Ever find yourself longing for a long lost time, only to wonder if it ever really existed?

Around 1996 I was driving a silver-primer painted 1977 Buick Le Sabre, a car older than myself, and blowing almost all of my summer paychecks on gasoline. I complain about gas now, but when you had an hour drive one way to your job and an hour the other and it required almost an entire tank of gas each way, that was a hard job and a giant waste of my paycheck. My mother would ask me to contribute to the family's bills but I had a hard time giving up my paycheck when at least 75% of it went to driving expenses. I could be stupid though, finding several hours between my morning and evening shifts to drive home, sleep for a few hours and then drive back, whereas it was summer and there was an empty school parking lot in a good neighborhood not far away that I could read, listen to music or nap in. Nevertheless, it did afford me a lot of time to perform one my most consistent activities, record shopping, and there was a great indie store named Quonset Hut nearby where I could still buy current releases on cassette and also get CDs and vinyl at great prices. All of the Quonset Huts are now gone, bar one that is pretty much a head shop and sells nothing musically related, but between there, the Record Exchanges throughout the Cleveland area and other indie stores, I bought a lot of great music that summer. I found myself listening to Tricky's Maxinquaye a lot and grabbed Nearly God as soon as it became available, but that year I found a record that really changed my perspective on music, Throbbing Pouch by Wagon Christ aka Luke Vibert. What a trippy record, conjuring visions of darkness and the unknown, all the while remaining wonderfully mellow. I'm not a pot smoker but, if I was, that album would have been my soundtrack. I also found a promo cassette of Everything But The Girl's Walking Wounded which is an immensely beautiful album that, while essentially completely different from the Wagon Christ album, had a similarly dark vibe running throughout. I would drive home around 11pm on the dark Cleveland highways listening to Tracey Thorn singing Walking Wounded or Single, having my heart ripped out every time, or vibing to Throbbing Pouch from start to finish because I didn't want to miss a moment of it. For me, this was the beginning of a regular hunt for midnight music, as I sometimes called it, and I later made a mixtape named 3am Eternal (I'm sure you get the reference) that stayed in my car forever.

Lately, I've been thinking about those warm summer nights, though it's funny how time blurs things. I feel like I lived through those records, but I'm not sure how accurate that statement is. When I look back I remember a lot of other music that had nothing to do with that world, a lot of experiences that were simply awful, and I have to wonder if I'm wearing rose-tinted glasses or not. The love of the music hasn't changed though, and I still find myself attracted to those summer grooves, and they were the inspiration for the mix this month. There are some tracks I thought about including that I've had here before so I passed on them, but I'm going to at least mention them. I hope you find this as enjoyable as I do.


The Unheard Music - March 2011 Mixtape: Summer Night Dreams

01 Still Going - Still Going Theme
Piano house returns! What a wonderful summer record, perfect for driving during a sunset.

02 Beck - Where It's At (Make Out City)
The Dust Brothers do a simple, more party oriented remix of Beck's re-breakthrough single.

03 Common Factor - Horizons
I first heard this on the Planet E Geology compilation. What a great track! Planet E, in general, is an amazing label and the first Geology compilation is essential house music.

04 DJ Shadow - Changeling
Endtroducing... is essential ephemera, though I always remember this track as sticking out. It's just so dreamy. Mutual Slump, on the other hand, doesn't get a lot of mention but is funky like nobody's business!

05 Q-Tip - That's Sexy (feat. Andre 3000)
This is an unreleased cut from an early version of Q-Tip's The Renaissance, back when it was named Live At The Renaissance and scheduled for release on Dreamworks. I'd much rather had an instrumental version of this one as Tip's flow takes away from the romanticism, but it's still a great track.

06 Massive Attack - Exchange
I don't fully understand why everyone was so "on" about Massive Attack's Mezzanine. It's a really depressing record. This is a beautiful track though and I always found myself skipping to it or the reprisal at the end of the album. Don't get me wrong though, I do love some Massive Attack, though I've always been more into Blue Lines or Protection, and the No Protection dub remix album is incredible!

07 Luke Vibert - Get Your Head Down
Wagon Christ's true identity, Luke brings hip-hop funk mixed with easy listening chill. An ex-girlfriend bought me a Ninja Tune comp with this track on it. This might sound cruel but that's the only good thing I want to remember about dating her.

08 3rd Bass - Gladiator (Easy Mo Bee Remix Instrumental)
I remember finding a lot of Easy Mo Bee productions that had a wonderful groove about them, but all I can seem to recall now is Craig Mack's Flava In Ya Ear and this. Maybe he didn't have that many incredible tracks. Anyone wanna refresh my memory?

09 Quasimoto - MHBs (Instrumental)
I played this to my girlfriend recently and initially she was loving it, until the lyrics kicked in! Beautiful groove.

10 The Pointer Sisters - How Long (Betcha' Got A Chick On The Side)
Never heard it on the radio and didn't hear it until listening to a Pointer Sisters compilation, though this would be in regular rotation if I had my own radio station. What a funky groove!

11 De La Soul - Breakadawn
This is an incredible track, though I'm glad De La never tried to make a career out of tracks like this or Ring, Ring, Ring. They're great on their own and don't need to be replicated, although I'm not sure how many people would want them to be. Still, you can't help but think of some after dark fun when you hear this.

12 Tigercity - Let Her Go
How did these guys perfectly capture the eighties in a record from only a few years ago? Their full-length, Ancient Lover, was a minor let down, but the EP before it, 2007's Pretend Not To Love, from which this is taken, is utterly perfect. It is available for purchase on iTunes and is worth the entire $5.94 they're asking.

13 The Pharcyde - Passin' Me By (Instrumental Edit)
I chopped a small portion from this so the mix would be under eighty minutes and burnable to a CD. Please forgive me!

14 Everything But The Girl - Good Cop Bad Cop
Shiv, the manager of the music department at WFAL, didn't see eye to eye with me, though that was really all my fault as I was young, cocky and thought I knew everything. He was much more informed than I was and I'm glad I eventually got smart enough to apologize and he was cool enough to accept it. This was one of the first tracks we agreed on, as he loved it just as much as I did. Tracey Thorn has such a sexy voice, though it's not the type of voice most people probably swoon over when they first hear it. This was one of those tracks I listened to on those summer nights while driving home, hoping to meet a girl who would make out with me while listening to Wagon Christ or Nine Inch Nails. That girl was a year or two off, but it was worth the wait. It's funny in retrospect, everyone always says they want to meet someone to make out with, but how long do you actually spend making out with them before you're trying to get their clothes off and put more than just your tongues together?

15 Amon Tobin - Nova
Oooh! Wouldn't have expected such a make-out classic on an album full of breaks and beats like Amon Tobin's Permutation, but I guess that's the secret. Amon knows just as much about rocking a party or wrecking your speakers as he does about sensuality and smooth grooves that set the mood! Bebel Gilberto later added vocals to this track and released it as Samba da Benção on her Tanto Tempo album. That's some make-out music, for certain, though the original instrumental is just as essential. Put this on at home around that certain someone and see what they say. Or do!



BONUS: Summer Night Dream Outtakes
These are tracks I considered for the mixtape but decided to leave off. They're in the main archive so you don't have to download this seperately. Enjoy!

01 Janet Jackson - When I Think Of You (David Morales House Mix '95 UK 7" Edit)
02 The Pharcyde - 4 Better Or 4 Worse (Instrumental)
03 Lucky Pierre - Cool Summer Night
04 The Herbaliser - The Blend (feat. What What aka Jean Grae) (Peanut Butter Blend by Peanut Butter Wolf)
05 Everything But The Girl - Walking Wounded

The Pharcyde - Remixes and Rarities

My indoctrination into the world of rap and hip-hop began at an odd point of entry. I remember a fascination with the Fat Boys which made me a target for taunting quite regularly at my school. Guess I didn't see enough of Krush Groove, otherwise I would have been worshiping Run-DMC. Later on, much to the surprise of my potential taunters, when asked who my favorite rapper/rap-group was, this lily-white boy from the suburbs proudly announced it to be Public Enemy, and I was completely serious. The smile drained from my questioner's face and I was never asked such a question again.

My taste for hip-hop expanded with the aid of Yo! MTV Raps and the suggestions of people I knew in Junior High, and I found myself listening to Nice N' Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest and 3rd Bass among others and tuning into the "urban" radio stations for new tracks. Oddly enough, I missed out or ignored some really groundbreaking stuff until the mid to late nineties like the Beastie Boys (my suburban mother wouldn't let me listen to their records and, if I'd bought their tapes or records, she would have thrown them out. Guns N' Roses though, that was acceptable.), Black Sheep and The Pharcyde.

The Pharcyde were pretty special for me and I found out about them, as I often have, completely backwards. I'd heard Passing Me By on MTV and thought it was great, but when you don't have a job or cash it's kinda hard to grab your favorite tracks, especially when they weren't available as singles or played on the radio very often. Well, after hearing Runnin' from their follow-up album, Labcabincalifornia, and finally having a full-time job, I decided it was time to pick up one of their records. Thankfully, upon visiting the Oberlin Co-Op Bookstore, I was convinced by their helpful staff (Why can't I remember their names? The only one I can remember was a guy named Dave and he was the least friendly employee there!) to ignore Labcabin... and pick up their debut, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. I was told it was a classic, and lord knows that was the truth.

Easily comparable to Paul's Boutique or 3 Feet High and Rising, Bizarre Ride is a universe in and of itself. Filled with in-jokes, silly sex raps, a great attitude and awesome beats courtesy of J-Swift, The Pharcyde, consisting of Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown and Fatlip, were an infinitely entertaining alternative to the gangster rap that seemed ubiquitous at that time. Even four or five years after it's release, it sounded so fresh and alive compared to the canned production of most of the hip-hop of the mid to late nineties and continues to shine today. The follow-up, Labcabincalifornia, was great in it's own right, featuring more production from J-Swift as well as then up-and-coming producer Jay Dee, better known as J Dilla, but the mood was darker and it certainly wasn't as much fun. Historically, at least from my viewpoint, Bizarre Ride is The Pharcyde's high-water-mark with Labcabin..., apart from a few tracks, being a memorable footnote but nowhere near as awesome.

In the years after Labcabincalifornia's release, Fatlip left the group due to internal struggles, they continued on as a three-piece for a few years, then a duo, and now are pretty much no more. Rumors constantly swirl about a full-on reunion and in 2008 all four founding members went on tour for the first time in years, but who knows if anything else will come of The Pharcyde. Stories of failed reunion attempts have been around for years, but even if another album never surfaces, at least we've got Bizarre Ride and Labcabincalifornia.

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde and Labcabincalifornia are both readily available for purchase physically and digitally so I won't be posting either here, but I wanted to share a few remixes which are not widely available, if available at all any longer. All of these tracks are taken from a compilation of uncertain legitimacy named Sold My Soul and features most of the B-Sides and Remixes from their first two albums. If you're a hip-hop head or you know where to look I'm sure you'll find a copy, but I'm featuring a few choice cuts for your enjoyment.


Ya Mama (Matt Dike Remix)
One of the standouts from Bizarre Ride gets a full-on Paul's Boutique style work-out courtesy of one of the parties responsible for that classic. Matt Dike, simply put, is THE MAN and here he builds an incredible backing track that doesn't get in the way of the crazy raps at all while still remaining integral to the track. On top of that, more Ya Mama jokes than you'll ever need!

Soul Flower (2 Tha 3 Mix)
This mix was created by J-Swift and Fatlip and came out as a promo only due to it's excessive number of samples. It was apparently beloved by the group and label, but everyone knew there was no chance of it getting an official release. Too bad, because it, like the Matt Dike remix, is an essential!

Soul Flower (Brand New Heavies Version)
Soul Flower was originally recorded for the Brand New Heavies debut album, Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol. 1, and is considerably different from the version that appeared on Bizarre Ride with it’s full-band backing track.

She Said (Jay Dee Remix)
This doesn't really fit with the rest of the material featured here as the original version is taken from Labcabincalifornia and is available on a few different releases, but it's such a good remix of an equally good track that I had to throw it up here! RIP Dilla.

October 2009 Mixtape: The Kitchen Sink

I put this together at one in the morning and thought it would be a good mix for the site despite being kinda discombobulated and suffering from the weirdness. As usual, it's mostly rare, unreleased or bizarre stuff that most people have never heard. The rule for my mixtapes has always been that they have to fit on an 80 minute CD, and this one barely makes the cut, coming in at 79:51 when I burnt a copy off this morning. Enjoy!


The Unheard Music - October 2009 Mixtape: The Kitchen Sink

01 Anal Cunt - Theme From Three's Company
Anal Cunt, yes you read that right, is the brainchild of Seth Putnam. I'm sure if you listen to their tracks that you'll find the word brain is used loosely in describing their music, but damn it if I don't find these guys entertaining as hell! Full of openly nasty and disgusting jokes, their tongues have been surgically implanted in their cheeks. Don't take much seriously about them, they're pretty fucked up. Check here for more info. That said, I'm not racist, prejudiced, homophobic or whatever nasty things these guys have been incorrectly labeled in the past, and I don't think they are either, so don't start looking at me sideways.

02 Jega - Fireball
If you didn't download the Variance: Roughs, this should give you an idea what you missed out on. Awesome shit! Also, anyone know what program I can use to create the Soundwave effect as sampled in this track? That's Soundwave from Transformers. Anybody? I wanna write a song with that vocal sound all over it!

03 Avenue D - My Dirty South
Avenue D are some kinky girls who write all about being sexy and doing sexy things. These girls are filthy and I love 'em for it! This is pretty good stuff, funky and funny at the same time. Don't play this at work or around the easily offended though, you'll be in deep shit. Actually, this whole mixtape is kinda like that. WARNING: PLAY IN THE PRIVACY OF YOUR CAR, HOME, OR WITH HEADPHONES ON. ONLY PLAY IN PUBLIC WITH LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS WHO FIND SONGS LIKE THESE ENTERTAINING! Unfortunately Avenue D have split up, but you can still hit their website and buy some stuff! All of their releases are now available on iTunes.

04 Dink - Green Mind (Pure Organic Edit)
Kent, Ohio's very own! God bless Bob Serpentini!

05 Anal Cunt - Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
There is going to be a post about these idiots at some point in their future. Their Howard Is Bald tape, which is less than ten minutes long, is hilarious. It's also almost completely devoid of noise, which is rather exceptional for them.

06 The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy (Pete Rock Remix)
Apparently this was the version of Juicy originally slated for Ready To Die, but it instead was released as a remix. Puffy supposedly had the album version created after hearing this so he wouldn't have to pay Pete as much cash. Would anyone be surprised if that's true? As good as the album version is though, Pete's version is the winner!

07 The Pharcyde - Soul Flower (2 Tha 3 Mix)
I'll have to dig out the interview about this remix. Fatlip was directly involved with it's production and the group, as much as they loved it, figured there was no way this mix could ever get a proper release. It was issued on a promo-only 12" and later appeared on the Sold My Soul compilation, an import-only collection of rarities, b-sides and unreleased tracks. Great sample-heavy remix!

08 Boris The Sprinkler - Kill The Ramones
These guys were great and totally weird. Rev. Nørb was their frontman if that means anything. Actually, if you know who he is you probably already know who Boris The Sprinkler are, but if you don't, enjoy their pop-punk craziness. Also, despite this song's title, they really do love the Ramones. More on Boris here.

09 Tigerboy - With Attitude?
Tigerboy is really kid606. He put this thrashing of the Misfits' Attitude out as the b-side of his remix of NWA's Straight Outta Compton. The single actually credits kid606 on the a-side and Tigerboy on the b-side, and your guess is as good as mine as to why the kid had to complicate matters so deeply.

10 69 - Desire
I was saddened to pull down the 69 stuff. It really is some of Carl Craig's best work and I wish it was easier for people to get a hold of. Carl's PR people hinted that a track or two shouldn't be an issue, so I figured I could post the amazing Desire in this month's mixtape. Remember, if you like this, you can still order the 69 boxset at the Planet E website. This track is also available on a few compilations and, if you can find it, The Sound Of Music CD which compiles the 69 EPs Lite Music and Sound On Sound.

11 Jega - The Girl Who Fell To Earth
This is from the finished Variance album and is a stunner! Go to Bleep and get a download of this NOW!!! Awesome album!

12 Violent Femmes - Breakin' Up (Demo)
Recorded in the early eighties, the 1994 version is almost identical. Just shows that you shouldn't mess with perfection!

13 Anal Cunt - Stayin' Alive (Oi Version)
Yep, more stupidity.

14 Mi Ami - Echononecho
SHIT! These guys are awesome! Prepare for spastic dub/rock noisiness! I don't know too much about Mi Ami but they have a sweet album named Watersports and are formed from the now-defunct Black Eyes. Check 'em out over at Quarterstick Records' website. You can also get Watersports on iTunes or Amazon.

15 Apotheosis - O Fortuna (Apocalypse Chorus Mix)
I knew a guy in college who went nuts for this track. He made a music video out of stuff he taped off the Discovery Channel that documented the evolution of the human race, all set to this track. It's kinda cheesy in the way that a lot of early nineties rave stuff is, but it's still a cool track.

16 Ol' Dirty Bastard - Give It To Ya Raw (SD50 Remix)
SD50 are/were Dante Ross, John Gamble and Geeby Dajani. They did a lot of hip-hop production and remixes in the nineties and pretty much everything they touched was blessed. This remix appeared on the O.D.B.E.P. which is, as far as I can tell, an import and promo-only collection of Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version remixes and b-sides. As is the standard with ODB, prepare for the weirdness! Oh, how wonderful the weirdness that ODB and Wu-Tang is!

17 Anal Cunt - Theme From The A-Team
Seriously! The A-Team Theme! That doesn't make it good, but it certainly is notable!

18 Pete Rock & Large Professor - The Rap World
Awesome collaboration between Pete and Extra P! This appeared on the High School High soundtrack with a number of rather good tracks from members of the Wu, ATCQ, D'Angelo & Eryakh Badu (!!!AWESOME!!!), The Roots and a bunch of other great artists. Great soundtrack for a shitty movie, and I'm a fan of Jon Lovitz! Check the Discogs reference to see the track list for yourself.

19 Wilco - The Good Part
Wonderful leftover from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Jeff Tweedy cut most of the overly poppy tracks, like this one, from the album as they didn't fit with his vision, which is understandable, but when the tracks are this good they really should be released in some manner eventually.

20 Beck - In A Cold Ass Fashion
Beck wanted to name Mellow Gold after this track, but the label didn't want the word Ass on the packaging. Their loss. Essential track! I will eventually do a few Beck posts as I have so much of his stuff lying around.

21 Jahmbi Joe and The Pimps - This Song Is Called Uh-Huh
Explanation pending.

22 Anal Cunt - American Woman
Probably their cover that's truest to the original. That's not saying much though.

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!