Flip up steering wheel was found on a barn wall, NOS, in pristine condition... designed to allow fat guys to get into a model T, the Tiltlok

That wood is in the best condition of any old steering wheel I've ever seen...

Found this one at the LA Roadster Show, just like last year when I found a different one
http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/flip-up-steering-wheel-on-model-t-i.html

Steve has the keenest Checker knowledge I've ever come across! He knew a 1939 Checker Model A from the back window!

The above was all I had, and I wondered about the taxi, but Steve knew!
Not a good looking front, unique, but not good. The fenders and rear quarters are bad also. I knew I'd posted one years ago http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/06/before-big-boxy-taxi-checker-made-model.html With the flip of a switch, the electrically operated top goes into the trunk
This is the landaulet version of the Checker Model A, which was built from 1939 until Checker switched to war production in 1941. The back top was electrically operated and disappeared into the body. It also had a sun roof. During the war, Checker donated the body dies to be melted down and recycled for the war effort.
This is thought to be the only remaining survivor from the 1939-1941 Model A Checker taxi. Photos were taken at the Checker Car Club of America show in 2002 at the Gilmore Museum

A handful of unusual-looking snouts appeared on American vehicles during the late thirties but none matched the monstrosity that premiered on the 1939 Checker Model A. The equally bizarre Sharknose Graham is the only other vehicle that could hold a candle to the Model A.

Checker designer John H. Tuttle is credited with designing the Model A’s bodywork from the cowl back, but the identity of the person who designed the front end is the subject of much debate. Ray Dietrich served as a consultant to the firm starting in the late 30s, however he emphatically denied any involvement with the firm’s taxi designs rig up until his death.

Tuttle’s name also appears on the patents for the cars optional rear landaulet roof, and it’s probable that he also worked on the front end, however it’s entirely possible a third designer, perhaps even Morris Markin himself, designed the front end, whose main claim to fame was that it is so ugly, you could see it coming from up to half-a-mile away.

The headlights were modern oval units mounted to the front fenders in the typical fashion, however those beams were surrounded by massive chrome-plated art-moderne shields unlike any seen on any other vehicle. Body colored louvered valances provided cooling to the radiator which was hidden behind the solid beak that extender downwards from the center of the hood.
The short wheelbase Model A included a purpose-built 124-inch wheelbase chassis with a traditional solid front and live rear axles supported by longitudinal leaf springs. The independent front suspensions found on other manufacturer’s vehicles were easily knocked out of alignment and were far too fragile for taxicab use.

The Model A included a number of more practical innovations such as an automatic signal that alerted pedestrians when the cab was put into reverse, padded finger guards on the rear door edges and rear seats that were stuffed with synthetic rubber cushions.
The Model A was introduced mid-year and was powered by a Continental Red Seal Six, an engine that would become standard equipment until 1965 when the firm adopted a General Motors powerplant. The John H. Tuttle-designed sunroof and landaulet rear top were optionally available on either of the two available wheelbases.

A period review called the Model A:
"...the most radical innovation of the entire taxicab industry this year. Checker's disappearing top is attracting widespread attention in the larger cities where its Parmelee system fleets operate.... The all-metal landaulet can be opened or closed by the driver in 40 seconds, without moving from his seat...the cab is equipped with a glass roof that can be readily opened or closed by the driver at the will of his fare."

The model A was the last prewar Checker taxicab, and only a single survivor, a long-wheelbase model equipped with the landaulet roof, exists. At the start of the war Markin donated the Model A’s body dies to melted down for the war effort.

Info from and read all about the Check taxi cab manufacturer here http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/c/checker/checker.htm

1957 Chevrolet El Morocco, one of the rarest Chevs, it was customized with Dodge, Kaiser, and Willys parts

The primary reason for the low production numbers was the $800 conversion price which moved it too far out of reach for most consumers. It was too close to the base price for a Cadillac
It's the first time an outside contractor had designed and built a customized Chevrolet model which was later sold as a new car with a full factory warranty. The bodywork was restyled to resemble the 1955-1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, Seville and Brougham by R. Allender & Company

The primary reason for the low production numbers was the $800 conversion price which moved it too far out of reach for most consumers. It was too close to the base price for a Cadillac, which was the target to beat.

Cadillac introduced their Eldorado Brougham, not in spite or in competition with the El Morocco, but Allender felt the need to create a new El Morocco to emulate the new Brougham.
Allender was a longtime Cadillac owner who envisioned a smaller, easier to maneuver Cadillac that his grandchildren could learn to drive with. He purchased a new Eldorado Biarritz convertible in 1955 and reckoned that with some additional bodywork, the new 1955 Chevrolet could be re-styled to resemble the Eldorado.

Problems with the fiberglass body production for the 1956 cars led to the use of steel for the 1957 models. This required comprehensive metalwork changes, including removing and filling the 1957′s rocket hood spears with steel, and welding on the steel rear tail-fin extensions. The car’s interiors and exterior hardware was set aside for reuse or sale to local collision shops.

The first cars were created in 1956 on Chevrolet platforms and designed to resemble the 1955 and 1956 Cadillac Eldorado. The name ‘El Morocco‘ was from a popular Manhattan night club and had similarities to the name ‘El Dorado’.

The 1956 El Moroco’s featured body panels made of fiberglass. A host of trim parts and designed were borrowed from Willys, Dodge and Kaiser-Frazer to complete the package
http://caretro.com/1957-chevrolet-el-morocco/

Cars were purchased from Detroit’s Don McCoullagh Chevrolet at $50 over cost, and Allender used off-the-shelf parts wherever possible. The 1956 El Morocco included a Kaiser-Frazer horn button for its hood medallion, ’55 Willys dash panels for the door top saddle moldings and '55-'56 Dodge Coronet taillights mounted side-by-side above faux exhaust ports that resembled those used on the real Biarritz. The front bumpers included fiberglass reinforced ‘Dagmars’ made from reversed ’37 Dodge headlight shells and the rear fins were edged with trim supposedly sourced from a 1955 Ford.

How did Allender get to customizing Chevies for resale? He was a resale artist. He started his business career and fortunes by pitching fabrics for sale, he would cut off samples of cloths, then take them around and pitch his sales prices. Getting the contract, he'd go back, purchase at wholesale, and sell retail and pocket some profit, and build his business to the point he bought army surplus parachutes, and sold them back to the army at a huge gouging profit. He got into a lot of trouble for that, had to testify before Congress that he wasn't a crook.
http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/a/allender/allender.htm
Three El Moroccos were at Dick Clarks "57 Heaven" in Branson Missouri
http://www.bransonworld.com/branson-attractions/detail/branson-57-heaven-at-dick-clark-s-american-bandstand-theater.html

The Crawford Auto and Aviation museum in Cleveland

The AMX prototype, why anyone thought a rumble seat was a selling point in a car that would normally be driven over 50 mph... I doubt that anyone would enjoy that for very long.
Franklin in front, (Stanley Steamer in the back ) they look odd because they were aircooled, and didn't need the normal radiator looking front end
A 1910 Hupmobile that went around the world to prove it's durability
Owen magnetic... only 4 are said to exist, one is in this Cleveland Ohio museum, one is in the Nethercutt near Burbank Ca.

In 1900, there were over 1000 small auto manufacturers coexisting in the United States, over 70 of them in Cleveland.

The first auto sold in the US came from Cleveland's Winton Motors in 1897; the first car to make use of steel ball bearings was Cleveland's Baker Motors; and the first use of the French word "automobile" in conjunction with the US car industry was by Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter, Charles Shanks, in 1899.

The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum was formed in 1963 with the private collection of Mr. Crawford's company Thompson Products at its core. (Thompson Products later diversified and became TRW, Inc.) The museum showcases 200 classic automobiles, among them 80 cars that originated in Cleveland. An online quick look is at http://cleveland.about.com/od/clevelandattractions/ss/crawford.htm

the above photos are from http://www.carlustblog.com/2011/04/crawford-auto-aviation-museum.html#more

The Shelby GT 350 S, first non white GT 350, it was the Paxton prototype. By the time production would have started the idea changed to an option

found on http://www.paxtonauto.com/article.php?id=3

Click on the image for the full size to read the writing, but basically it's a publicity-press release shot in the event that the GT 350 S were put into production, like the GT 350 H (Hertz rent a racer program)

1934 150 Sport Roadster Mercedes Benz, one of 5 made, only one left just restored last year by the Irvine Merc. Benz Classic Center

Click on the above for the story of the finding of, and acquistion of this rare Benz, and final restoration by the Mercedes Benz Classic Center in Irvine - not the Stuttgart Mercedes Benz Center! Huh!

1971 Lincoln Continental Farm and Ranch special, some exec thought Lincoln owners needed a truck 30 years before the 2001 Blackwood

How about that? It's the earliest Lincoln truck I've ever seen, and the only Ranchero like Lincoln I've ever seen. The 2001 Lincoln Blackwood was the Neiman Marcus special 50, and in 2002 they made the truck for one year. Basically it was a upscale F150 cab with an outsourced bed.

Found on http://caughtatthecurb.blogspot.com/2011/04/1971-lincoln-continental-mark-iii-farm.html and on Ebay with a reserve that is higher than the bidding is ever going to get. $5855 so far.

1911 Oldsmobile Limited, series 27 / limousine, biggest tires ever factory installed on a car

The fine print in the above ID card tell us that this is the only one left in existance, and that the tires are 43".

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F.: Original Track Records Version

As I recently wrote a post about the varying versions of Iggy and The Stooges' classic Raw Power, I figured it was worth doing one about an album almost as controversial due to it's production issues, and that album would be none other than the sole full-length release by Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, L.A.M.F., which is an abbreviation of Like A Mother Fu..., I'm sure you get the point.

Johnny and Jerry Nolan were founding members of the New York Dolls, but after the Dolls' demise they formed The Heartbreakers with Richard Hell. Hell didn't stick around for too long though and The Heartbreakers carried on with Walter Lure on guitar and Billy Rath on bass. They tried to get a contract for several years with no luck due to their renown junkie status, but when Malcolm McLaren asked them to tour with the Sex Pistols on their Anarchy tour, they happily accepted the offer. Everything would have probably been great if most of the tour hadn't been canceled due to the Pistols' controversial status which left The Heartbreakers pretty close to broke in London, but their manager, Leee Black Childers, convinced them to stick around a while longer as it might be easier for them to get a contract in the UK. Childers' advice paid off and The Heartbreakers landed a deal with Track Records, but that was the beginning of the end.

The Heartbreakers recorded L.A.M.F. and continued to play live while trying to finish the album's mix. It's rather unclear what the issues in the studio were, but months were spent mixing and remixing the album to little satisfaction. Thunders' and his cohorts' drug habits may have been the main reason for the ridiculous length of time it took to finalize the album's mix, and I'm sure anyone close to the band would assume the same, but the album was finally finished and saw release on October 3rd, 1977 much to everyone's relief. Unfortunately though, the first thing everyone noticed was how muddy the album sounded. The mix was immediately blamed and everyone wondered how something so powerful could have been rendered so dull. But that was nothing compared to the next issue, the closure of Track Records. Now The Heartbreakers didn't have a label, their record sounded like crap and they were all nursing ridiculous habits, could it get any worse?

Thunders' and company actually weren't in as bad a situation as it may have seemed at first. They were able to maintain the rights to their recordings due to Track's surprising forwardness regarding their financial status and managed to score an audition with EMI Records. That audition didn't go anywhere though, Lure and Rath decided to call it quits and return to New York and the album remained out of print, so it might as well have been just as bad as it initially seemed. Again, the BIG H probably played a major roll in all of these issues.

In 1984, after gaining some much deserved recognition, Johnny Thunders was asked to remix L.A.M.F. for reissue. Finally the album would see a wide release in the US an internationally, but Johnny seemed to bury most of the album's energy with the nicer, friendlier remixes and a new tracking order. The remix, known as L.A.M.F. Revisited, earned a mixed reputation and L.A.M.F.'s legacy would remain buried another decade. During that time, Thunders' died in 1991 and Nolan in 1992, breaking the hearts of those who knew how much talent and promise they had held. Their deaths, while sad, opened an opportunity to exhume the remains of L.A.M.F. again, and this time it was a success!

In 1994, Jungle Records issued L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes, which contained unused mixes from the original L.A.M.F. mixing sessions. To say it was a revelation is really hitting the nail on the head, as these newly released mixes contained all the energy promised by The Heartbreakers' songs and live performances. The Lost '77 Mixes was also released as a two CD set with the second disc featuring pre-album demos, instrumental backing tracks, alternate mixes and the two demos recorded for EMI after Track's dissolution. All in all, it's essential listening for anyone wondering about the history of punk or anyone that love's real rock and roll.

You can find the two-disc version of L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes on iTunes and the single-disc version on Amazon for digital purchase, but there are still issues regarding the real cause of the muddy sound on the original pressings of L.A.M.F. on Track.

Despite being blamed on poor mixing, it appears the real issue may have been the mastering of the vinyl pressings. Apparently there was a cassette release of the album from the same time as the vinyl's release which supposedly sounds fantastic. I haven't heard the cassette release but I have heard a rip of an original vinyl issue of the album, along with a first-hand account by the kind individual who ripped it, a wonderful guy named JPStooges, that the vinyl was not a cheap pressing. It's also interesting to point out that most of the original album's mixes aren't terribly different from those on The Lost '77 Mixes, although there are minor details which devoted listeners will certainly notice. This does bring up another question though, if the album was poorly mastered but the mixes were fine, why not simply reissue the original mixes rather than alternate versions? The only thing I can assume is that the album masters, if available, would be considered unusable and there may not be detailed information as to which mixes were used, but this is all guesswork and we may never know otherwise.

So, tonight I am sharing a very high-quality MP3 version of JPStooges' rip of his original Track Records vinyl pressing of L.A.M.F., originally credited simply to The Heartbreakers, which of course should not be confused with Tom Petty's similarly named band. In my opinion, the record, while muddy, has probably had it's bad reputation overly reinforced. Yes, it sounds less than fabulous, but I've heard worse and I'm sure many of you have too. The only tweaking I've done to this rip was running the uncompressed wave files I made the MP3s from through iZotope RX's fabulous declicker. No re-EQing of any sort. Also, as I'm sure you've already figured out, if you enjoy this album you should really purchase a copy of L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes if you don't already own it, as you'll enjoy it a lot more than this original vinyl version. This version of the album is really important only for completists or for those who haven't heard it yet. And it's worth checking out L.A.M.F. Revisited too, but don't be surprised if you find yourself a little disappointed. If you'd like to read more about the specifics of the album's history you should check out wikipedia's reference page.

Massive thank you to JPStooges for his help! You are the man, man!


The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F.

01 Born Too Loose
02 Baby Talk
03 All By Myself
04 I Wanna Be Loved
05 It's Not Enough
06 Chinese Rocks
07 Get Off The Phone
08 Pirate Love
09 One Track Mind
10 I Love You
11 Goin' Steady
12 Let Go


By the way, please tell me I'm not the only one who finds it ironic that a bunch of heroin addicted rockers who sang about using heroin were signed to a record label named Track?

Iggy and The Stooges - Search and Destroy

I'm reminded of Johnny Mnemonic's words in William Gibson's Burning Chrome, although I may not get them completely right, so to paraphrase:

When everyone else is coming high-tech, you go low-tech, and vice-versa.

I don't know if I can always agree with that sentiment, but there is a logic there that can definitely enhance creativity. It almost sounds like one of Eno's Oblique Strategies, although it doesn't sound nearly as intelligent as any of those. Regardless, sometimes a drastic change in perspective is exactly what you need.

The funny part about the mention of Eno is this all ties back in with one of his best known collaborators, David Bowie, someone who has always been interested in modern technology and was partially responsible for one of the odder releases on a major label for it's time, Iggy and The Stooges' Raw Power.

In case you're unfamiliar with the history behind Raw Power, Iggy and Bowie met in New York a few years after the end of The Stooges as they were known for their first two albums. Bowie and his then business partner, Tony DeFries, signed Iggy and his collaborator, James Williamson, to their company, MainMan, and proceeded to try and get them with a new rhythm section. For Bowie and DeFries, any attempt to commercialize Iggy was thwarted when it was decided that Ron and Scott Asheton, the original guitarist and drummer, respectively, for The Stooges, would become the new group's rhythm section, with Ron taking over on bass, Scott remaining on drums, James becoming the lead guitarist and Iggy retaining his permanent position as vocalist and rabble rouser. They would be rechristened Iggy and The Stooges and return to the recording studio to create their third album, although by this point DeFries had distanced himself from the band, most notably after Bowie offered to produce the album and was turned down flat.

In the studio, The Stooges really didn't need Bowie. They had their songs readied and refined, but when it came time to mix the final product, CBS wanted Bowie's name somewhere on the final product. So, despite a number of band-prepared mixes, they were rejected and Bowie entered the studio with Iggy to mix the album. This was achieved in one day and has been considered one of the most controversial album mixes of all time. Bowie's mix, while dynamic and interesting, rendered a band known for it's full and loud sound tinny and full of treble. It's not as bad as my words may paint it, at least in my opinion, but many fans consider it a turd on a wedding cake.

For years since, fans traded bootleg tapes of alternate, unreleased mixes of Raw Power until 1997 when Sony enlisted Iggy himself to remix the album. Iggy's mix was supposed to put the power back in line with the raw, and he didn't do a terrible job apart from the fact he insisted on mastering the album so loud that it is now considered the loudest album in existence. On paper that probably sounds pretty cool, but when the album is almost entirely in a state of perpetual distortion, it becomes somewhat unlistenable. Actually, that might be putting it too kindly as I can't stand to listen to Iggy's mix, at least as it was released, and I know I'm not the only one.

Finally, Sony made the decision to issue a deluxe version of Raw Power this year. It would be released in two forms, the Legacy Edition which contains a remastered version of the Bowie mix with a previously unreleased live show and two leftovers from the era, and the Deluxe Edition containing everything from the Legacy version plus an extra disc of relics from the era and a documentary DVD. The remastered version of the Bowie mix was supposed to be a revelation and fans were thrilled about all of this until they found it to be just as tinny as before. The live show was a welcome addition though and the additional unreleased tracks looked to be wonderful, but it was all a mixed blessing. None of the outtakes were essential or terribly enlightening, but the liner notes to the Deluxe Edition claimed a completely unreleased, alternate mix, labeled the Embassy Reels, was found, but this too was misleading.

Sometime in the mid to late seventies, Raw Power was reissued on a British label named Embassy. There is a lot of confusion regarding this because apparently some versions of this reissue may have been pressed from a slightly different master, or the very first UK pressing of the album was accidentally pressed from this slightly different master, or both. On top of this, some cassette releases of the album also contained a variant of this master, just to make things more confusing. This version of the album was pretty much the same as any other release though, apart from an otherwise unreleased and significantly different mix of Search and Destroy. Now, one would think that if you're going to include a significant find from a different version of the album that it would be the one track that is significantly different, but instead they included two of the tracks which were essentially the same as the standard Bowie mix. Go figure, eh?

After all this, the only other interesting find on the Deluxe Edition were two of Iggy's 1997 mixes in a non-distorted state, which begs the question "why not include Iggy's remix in it's entirety in this state?", to which everyone seems to be saying "WHO KNOWS?????". In the end, an excellent opportunity to please a notoriously difficult to please fan base was lost and we're all left upset with another major label. No shock there, but when the major labels are approaching the end of their ability to release physical product regularly it's unforgivable. What happened, did they fire everyone who knew how to research their archives with more than a passing glance?

Bowie's mix is still the one to get, at least for the time being, although the other variants are worth finding as well. Rough Power is mighty fascinating with it's varying mixes of the whole album, although the WABX tracks sound like the were recorded with a dictaphone next to a boombox. The Iggy remix is cool, just don't try to listen to it with headphones or through a loud system. The "Embassy" version is pretty much the regular album, though that mix of Search and Destroy is worth hearing.

Now I'm not about to post every variant of the album for you to check out, especially with the Legacy Edition, Iggy remix and Rough Power all being readily available, but the one track where the differences are most obvious is Search and Destroy, and I don't think it will hurt anyone if I post some variants for you to compare against each other.


Iggy and The Stooges - Search and Destroy

01 Unmixed Version
This was played on Detroit radio station WABX. The general consensus is that it's unmixed so whether that's accurate or not, that's how I'm labeling it for now. This is taken from a superior tape copy than the one featured on Rough Power.

02 Rough Mix
Labeling this a rough mix may be inaccurate as this may be Iggy's original mix circa 1973, but we haven't gotten any straight answers about details like that. Anyway, if it's not the final mix, it's generally considered rough, so that's how this is labeled. This is taken from Rough Power.

03 Original Bowie Mix
The standard Bowie mix as featured on almost all original pressings of the album, the Sundazed vinyl reissue, the Legacy and Deluxe Editions as well as the late eighties CD issue. This rip is from the 180 gram Sundazed vinyl edition because it sounds AWESOME!!!

04 Alternate Mix
This is the version that is either on some copies of the Embassy version, the first UK pressing, possibly both and also on some early cassette releases. Some speculate that this may have been Iggy's final mix, though it could also be an alternate Bowie mix. It doesn't matter though because it's pretty damn cool all on it's own. I prefer the "Original Bowie Mix", but this is worthy of replays despite the echo on the drums.

05 Iggy Remix, Nice Version
Most versions of Search and Destroy that appeared on compilations post-1997 were the Iggy Pop remix, but they are almost all mastered significantly "cooler" than Iggy's "hot" version. This version is taken from Iggy's A Million In Prizes anthology which was released on Virgin Records. As it stands, there are now five tracks from the Ig's 97 remix that have been released as better mastered versions, and while that's great it's ridiculous that all eight aren't out there somewhere. Anybody got the hook up?

Richard Devine

I'm sure everyone has noticed my love for Schematic Records and it's roster of artists. The first things I heard that were released on Schematic was Richard Devine's self-titled EP and the Lily Of The Valley compilation, home to Richard's incredible track Anthracite T. Vari. So I thought it would be cool to ask Richard some questions about projects/releases that he is involved with that may or may not have seen the light of day. I sent him some questions via e-mail and he responded with the answers, all of which follow below.


Me: I got a copy of something labeled the Asect:Dsect EP from someone on soulseek. Two of the tracks are on the A:D LP but the rest of it seems to be unreleased. Rom (from Phoenecia/Schematic) didn't know about this but said I should definitely check with you about it.

Richard: Not sure what this could be. At the time that I was throwing around a few tracks to make up the Asect:Dsect record I know we had a large collection of stuff, and some of the earlier tracks might have leaked out somewhere. I made several versions before I decided on what the final record would be. For the Japanese release I did an extra track that wasn't on the US version. This track is now uploaded to my myspace page and is called Amber's Prelude.

Me: I remember and album labeled Lipswitch showing up a while before the finished version was released. It has a few tracks from the finished album, at least one of which is incomplete as it cuts off early. There is also a lot of ambient sounding stuff on it. You released a track or two from it on Native Instruments website back in the day and I think something else ended up on Cautella, but the rest of this is unlabeled and I don't believe was released.

Richard: Yea, there was a lot of tracks floating around during that time period. The original Lipswitch album was actually supposed to be more then the mini-album release. I originally intended it to be around 14 to 15 tracks. In the end, Warp decided to narrow it down to 8 tracks. I then took what Warp didn't use, and released them on other compilations/albums. There was some stuff that never was released. This was an interesting time for me as most of these tracks I wrote between 1998-2000 and I was in a transitional period from making music with hardware based machines to computers. Warp did a super limited run of 50 aqua clear colored vinyl copies of this release.



Me: There was also a collection of tracks labeled Lipservice floating around online prior to Lipswitch's release. It has three tracks, two of which were released on Lipswitch, and one which was an ambient piece. Apart from the mp3s, I've never seen any information about this release online.

Richard: Lipservice wasn't me =), I think this was something that someone must have misheard, or misread. Something that someone else came up with.

NOTE: Rom confirmed that Warp had mislabeled some early Lipswitch materials Lipservice. The content is definitely Richard, but the title is all wrong.

Me: A lot of people have been wondering about Sculpt/Audio Sculptures album. I have a decent quality rip of it but no one seems to know much about it.

Richard: Sculpt was a triple pack full album release I did for Woody McBride's Tape/Communique record label. This collection of works was some of my first recordings from 92-94. It was mostly music made entirely on hardware using only the Roland Drum machines, TR-808, 909, 707, 727, and TB-303. I was heavily influenced by early Detroit techno during this period. I remember hearing the music of Jeff Mills and his Purpose Maker series, Richie Hawtin, and Surgeon (Downwards Records).

Me: I've seen people wonder about the Polymorphic EP too since it, and Sculpt, sound so different from your later works.

Richard: The Polymorphic EP was my first release on the Drop Bass Network's "Six Sixty Six" Limited Record label from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I actually wrote these tracks before the Sculpt record, early 90-94 era. It was my first attempts at making music I really liked. Extremely crazy, mechanical violent machine music. It was heavily influenced by the early music of Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) and the legendary Rephlex Records label. I also loved Chris Jeff's (Cylob) first two Kinesthesia records. No one was making music like this in the states during this time, and I wanted to be able able to DJ a full set of music that was similar in this style. I didn't think that this release would do as well as it did. It sold out quickly, Drop Bass did a limited repressing of 300 copies in November 2002 to celebrate their 10th Year Anniversary. I was only 17 years old when I recorded these tracks, I remember recording these during my junior and senior years in high school, good memories this brings back."



Me: I know the Richard Coleman Devine EP came out on Schematic, but I've always wondered about it's mastering. I asked Rom and he told me it was mastered at the same facility as the other early Schematic vinyl releases, but I've always thought it sounded very tinny without much bass, especially when compared to the tracks you released on the Ischemic Folks compilation. Was it meant to sound this way?

Richard: I think this release was mastered by another mastering house we did business with in the beginning. If I remember correctly it was someone in Nashville, Tennessee. They never heard music like what I was creating and didn't know how to master it. Funny because it was so odd even I didn't know at that time how to go about mastering this type of music which was extremely heavy on the high end =). I don't think it was meant to sound this way. This was an interesting release for me. One of the first tracks on Side-A was my first track ever created with Cubase. The first track on side-B was the first track I ever wrote with Logic Audio. We did a short run limited clear colored vinyl (50 copies).



Me: I haven't met anyone who has heard the Digital Rawhide or Coefficients Of Friction EPs. Also, the Sort/Lave record didn't come out, did it? Can you give me any information on these and their availability? Oh yeah, whatever happened to the DVD?

Richard: The Digital Rawhide EP, was a release on Tommy Sunshine's record label, Xylophone Jones. It was a split EP with Chris Brann (Wamdue Productions ATL). I did the A-Side with two tracks, Burnt Toast and After Morning. Both produced and written in 1998, on just a Roland TR-909, Akai-S3200, and two Roland TB-303's. The sound of this record was purely acid. I was really into the late eighties acid. Big influences for me during this time was the sound of AFX, Kosmik Kommando (Mike Dread), and Universal Indicator. I was making hundreds of acid tracks, and still have tons of unreleased tracks that one day I will have to transfer from DAT tape to digital format.

The Coefficients Of Friction EP was a record I did with my friend Dan Kurzius of Sidereal Records. It was just two tracks on a B-Side with a heavy influence from the Basic Channel/M7/Chain Reaction dub sound. I was going for more static deep complexity for this release. It was only a white label, that never saw a proper release. I still have the original white label test pressings of this release.



NOTE: Richard didn’t talk about Sort/Lave in the original e-mail response so I wrote him another message about it. Here is his response:

Sort/Lave was to be a collection of tracks to be released after Asect:Dsect. Most of these tracks ended up on Cautella, although there were a few that didn't make it. I was going to release Sort/Lave as an EP, but never finished it completely, so most of those tracks ended up coming out on Detroit Underground, compilations and EPs. I was originally going to release them with Sublight, but when things went under I figured I would take the best of what was left over and release them on other labels.



Me: Last but not least, are you planning on releasing any more music or are you not really working in that field any longer? I know you're probably extremely busy with the new business and the sound designs, but I love your stuff and would love to see something new released.

Richard: I have been doing a lot of remixes for other artists (Ryuichi Sakamoto, BT, Kiyo, Mike Patton, and Telefon Tel Aviv), and have a new album of 5.1 material that I was planing on releasing. Unfortunately many of the labels that I was previously working with have all gone under within the last three years. Sublight Records closed its doors in 2007, and Asphodel went under soon afterwards. I was originally planning on releasing the DVD with Sublight. I was pretty bummed when I heard the news, so I have been sitting on this new 5.1 release trying to decide if I will just release it on my own, or somehow release it for free for all my fans to enjoy. I have gotten very busy more recently with working on sound design projects, and pushing my new boutique sound design company devinesound. I have been doing everything from doing music for TV/Film, Video Games, and music software/hardware. In 2007 I signed a deal with Sony Media to release my first two Sound Effects libraries, Pulse and The Electronic Manuscript which won 2009's Best Sample Library by Remix Technology Awards. In 2008 I was nominated the Cannes Lions Award for my sound design work on the Halo 3 Believe Site for Microsoft’s gaming division.



I'd like to thank Richard for taking time out of his schedule to answer these questions for me, it's truly appreciated! Also, while it would be cool if the 5.1 release came out for free, I'd certainly pay for a copy and I'm sure others would as well. Maybe you could take orders privately and press them in batches for mail order?

Make sure you visit devinesound and check out Richard's catalog as it will blow your mind! Lipswitch or Cautella are great starting points and are both available for purchase at Bleep.

I told Richard that I would like to upload some of the rarities that I've found floating around online and he was very cool with it, so cool in fact that he wrote some info for each track contained herein! Link and info below.


Richard Devine - Selections


01 Refractor
This is one of the tracks off the Drop Bass Network "Six Sixty Six" record.One of the first noise core recordings, pretty bad quality mp3 of this =). Funny to hear this again.

02 RSL-COM (Asect:Dsect Outtake 3)
This is actually track six, RSL-COM from Cautella. Although this track was written during the Asect Record, it actually didn't get chosen in the end to be put on this release, so it went to the Cautella record. Recorded this track late night at my old studio.

03 Ascisei
This is taken from the Scuplt record on Woody Mcbride's "Tape Record label" Side A2. created in 1995

04 Lipswitch Outtake 6
This is indeed an outtake of the track Route Increment, track 3 on Lipswitch. Don't know how this got out =).

05 Metval 72 (Asect:Dsect Outtake 2)
This is actually the track Metval 72 which was released on the Shitkatapult 50 - Special Musick For Special People compiliation DVD. This too was originally an Asect:Dsect track which didn't end up on the final release, so I released it on Shitkatapult.

06 Lipswitch Outtake 4
This is another DSP short processing outtake that I did in this software called "composer's desktop project". Short outtake here, from the Lipswitch file archive.

07 Necteric
This is taken from the Polymorphic EP on Six Sixty Six Records. It was taken of the B2 side. Another noisy Gabber Core track. This is another bad quality mp3 =).
(Sorry Richard, best quality version I could find!)

08 Chris De Luca - Two (Trapezoid Mix)
Richard did this remix that was released on the Chocolate Industries version of Chris De Luca's Unknown EP, Choc-04, released in 1999. Richard was nice enough to send me the proper track for me to post here.

09 Clear
Taken from the Sculpt 3xLP on Tape Records, TAPE 005, Side D1, 1995.

10 East Flatbush Project - Tried By 12 (Trapezoid Mix)
This was my Tried By 12 Remix that was released on Chocolate Industries/Ninja Tune. It was released in 1998. One of the most challenging remixes I had ever done. My first remix syncing vocals to beats, was a very interesting learning experience. I received praise from Sean from Autechre for this mix. I remember this being a wonderful moment for me =).

11 Amber's Prelude
This was an unreleased track that I released on the Japanese only version of Asect:Dsect. The Japanese version was released through P-vine records Tokyo, 2003-Schematic/Asphodel. Originally was just a little track I wrote for my girlfriend Amber, who I am still with. We will be getting married next year, it will 10 years we have been together. Nice little tune I wrote for her, back in 2003.
(Congratulations Richard and Amber!)

12 Horizontal Deflection Plate excerpt (Lipswitch Outtake 5)
This is actually the track Horizontal Deflection Plate, Track 11 on Aleamapper, Schematic Records 2001. Was originally a piece I wrote that didn't get used for Lipswitch and was later used for the release of Aleamapper. Strange experiment, trying to emulate the sound of Morton Subontick, but using completely digital computer synthesis. He was a huge inspiration to during the creation of this record.