MU, MU (side A)

The famous member of MU was Jeff Cotton, better known as Antennae Jimmy Semens from the Magic Band. After Trout Mask Replica, he reconnected with old friends/bandmates to form MU. They completed their only album in 1971 with John Golden engineering, and a second album's worth of material was released after their breakup. MU was reissued in 1988, and it's not just interesting as an historical footnote. It has bits of Buddy Holly, Bay Area hippie jams, and Cotton's blues abstractions all melded together. The other guitarist in the group, Merrell Fankhauser, continues to attract a post-hippie audience for the work he creates in Maui (where Cotton also still resides). Golden did a great job engineering, even as he's best known today for his mastering work. The 1988 reissue was an inspired choice and is a better vinyl pressing than was common at that time, but the cover image looks particularly bad.

Chris Knox, Seizure (side A)

Listening to Chris Knox's music is of course a different experience with knowledge of his current health issues. Since he brought so much life to his performances, and to just life in general, his records take on a different light knowing that the energy is no longer available. Fortunately, the records still stand on their own. Seizure is one his early albums, from 1989, and it feels a bit less mature and polished than the ones that followed (despite having been recorded mostly in studios). It features plenty of Chris's magical energy, but the performances aren't quite as controlled, and the storytelling is a bit less focused. A highlight of Seizure, "Not Given Lightly" remains one of Chris's most memorable songs. The songs are constructed mostly from guitars and cheap drum machines, so it's a bit bright, and Chris's voice manages to sound appropriately thin even when recorded by professionals. My copy has the simple yellow/black striped cover.

The Residents, Not Available (side A)

If we believe the Residents' official history, Not Available is one of their earliest recordings, dating from 1974. It was definitely released in 1978, and it's an early example of the group's conceptual works from either year. The story is not easy to follow, but the track structures obviously follow a narrative flow without resembling songs. The instruments blur organic and synthetic, with obvious use of organ sidecar/drum-machines and some sort of cheap string synthesizer. The vocals even sound synthetic, so it can be hard to tell how things were made. The sound is clear enough to convey the group's ideas, but there's little low-end impact. The iconic cover art is primitive but instantly recognizable.

Revolutionary Ensemble, Revolutionary Ensemble (side A)

1977's Revolutionary Ensemble marked the trio's final recordings until their 2004 reunion. It continued to reflect the diversity and distinctiveness of the group's music. While maintaining its distinctive identity, Revolutionary Ensemble seems to have evolved with the avant-jazz community in New York. When they released their ESP debut in 1971, the energy-jazz of the 60s was still a prominent influence, and elements of chaos and abandon crept into their work. By 1977, abstraction and texture seemed more prominent, as illustrated by the Wildflowers compilations from Sam Rivers's loft the previous year. Revolutionary Ensemble's use of texture also reflects Jenkins's background in Chicago's AACM—the flute trio at the beginning is not a far leap from the "little instruments" on Roscoe Mitchell's debut Sound. The recording is quite clear for having captured a live concert, but the low end is a bit weak. It's also definitely the group's worst-looking album.

Sisa, Orgia (CD)

It's hard to know much about Jaume Sisa. He was from the Catalan region of Spain, perhaps Barcelona, and he made two albums in 1971—one with his group Musica Dispersa, and then this solo album Orgia. They've both been reissued on CD, and they're both a bit perplexing. Orgia is vaguely psychedelic and vaguely folk-y. The closest comparisons might be Syd Barrett's solo records or Tyrannosaurus Rex, and it occasionally falls apart even more than those albums tend to. (I've also found blurbs on-line that mention Incredible String Band, which is also a valid reference). There's plenty of tabla, and weird keyboards, and the vocals don't leap out to the front in melody or mix. The CD remaster sounds particularly good, and the reissue is well-packaged with a nice Digipak and booklet with lyrics & pictures.

The Philistines Jr., Analog vs. Digital (CD)

2000's Analog vs. Digital predates Peter Katis's fame as a recording engineer/producer (Interpol, the National), though Interpol's drummer Sam Fogarino does make a brief cameo near the end. Analog vs. Digital is certainly well-recorded, but its idiosyncratic sound doesn't hint at the commercial success that Katis's handiwork would find soon after this album was made. The Philisitines Jr. represent a weird fork that indie-rock chose not to take, with more references to 70s rock and an extroverted personality that was already out of style in 2000 (and is even moreso today). The album alternates catchy and memorable songs with some more extended tracks that evolve more slowly, and there are many strange keyboard and guitar textures strewn throughout. Katis's cover collages are impressive too, though they're a bit hard to see in the context of a simple jewel case CD package.

The Work, Live in Japan (side A)

Tim Hodgkinson's early-80s output feels like the closest the post-Henry Cow crowd got to rock music. The Work is noisier and less melodically accessible than the Momes album, but its aggressive energy places it squarely in the rock camp. Chris Cutler sounds particularly unlike himself, with far more propulsion and less texture than is common in his drumming. The music reminds me a bit of Blurt, in energy, structure, and weird/flat 80s production (and there's even some saxophone). Given that it was originally recorded to cassette (as indicated in more than one place in the liner notes), 1982's Live in Japan sounds surprisingly good, with very present/clear treble and enough bass impact for the kick drum to come through. There's also a nice fold-over cardstock insert.

UT, Griller (side A)

UT's final album, 1989's Griller, is generally considered their weakest, in part because of an added male drummer identified as Charlie, whose steady pulses sometimes diminished the group's eccentricities. Griller nonetheless displays plenty of UT's weirdness, and as one of Steve Albini's early recordings, his focus on capturing the detail in their awkward and inventive guitar parts really shines. Many of Albini's signature tendencies were already manifest—the drums are very prominent and the violin (where Sally Young plays it) is a bit low in the mix. There are moments where UT seem to be trying to achieve a bit more accessibility and losing a bit of their vision, but Griller is still a strange, inventive, and remarkable album.

Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come (side A)

1959's The Shape of Jazz to Come was the first of Ornette's canonical albums, and the first with Haden and Higgins as his rhythm section. Its importance, which has been well-documented, has not diminished in the 50+ years since its release. My biggest note on this listen was the impact of the bass and especially the kick drum. A recent listen on earbuds had me convinced that the album was far too bright, but on proper playback, the bass parts had both clarity and a nice vintage feel, and the bass and kick drum combined nicely to provide low-end energy.