In 1967 Philco introduced a 3 7/8 inches in diameter vinyl disc they called ‘Hip Pocket Records.’ They had a ‘hit’ song on each side and sold for 69 cents. Is this not groovy?
How did I miss this back in the sixties? As a kid, I would have loved this. In fact, I want some now.
More photos after the jump…
In my opinion Negativland’s 1983 LP, A Big 10-8 Place
Très freaky! Not recommended for the squeamish.
(via Street Anatomy)
Martin Circus was a hugely popular French group that had a string of hits in France in the late sixties and early seventies. Their stage show was glammy and Zappaesque, but their music was your typical testosterone-free French rock. They did adequate covers of American hits and later on, bad disco. But when they were good, they could be very good, as one can see in the video of the exceptional Je m’éclate au Sénégal . It’s so good I’ve included two versions of it here; a Scopitone and a live version.
The other video is Drague Party, Martin Circus doing Jan and Dean’s Surf City but with more of that redemptive Senegalese feel, which does give the song it’s distinctive flavor.
In the early 80s the band collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg. But not even the epically badass Gainsbourg could ignite a fire in Martin Circus. They were Simcas in the muscle car world of rock and roll.
The bottom line is that if Martin Circus had been as creative in the studio as they were good live, they might have been major league artists. While the comparison to The Mothers Of Invention has been made, it doesn’t extend beyond lead singer Gérard Blanc looking strikingly like Zappa. Still, these videos are fun and I hope you enjoy them.
more Martin Circus after the jump…
“We need a gimmick. Wait, I’ve got a great idea that’ll make us really stand out!!”
Via PCL Linkdump/Howie Pyro
I dunno, maybe I’m just a sucker for anything recorded in mid 70’s Germany with synthesizers and a disco beat. The name Mr. Walkie-Talkie doesn’t hurt, either ! The mind boggles…
The new Grinderman single, Heathen Child. Directed by John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition). This is excellent!
Unfuckingbelievable live videos of Vanilla Fudge. Mark Stein, Tom Bogert, Vince Martel and Carmen Appice - heavy metal thunder.
Music critics hated them, but time has proved them wrong. This shit rocks!
Turn up the volume.
Googoosh has been Iran’s reigning pop goddess for the past four decades. She recorded, toured and made movies until she was silenced by the Iranian revolution of 1979. From that moment on she was banned, as were all Iranian women, from singing or performing.
She remained in Iran until 2000. Where she currently resides is somewhat of a mystery, though it is rumored that she lives in California.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, Googoosh was on the cutting edge of pop music in Iran. And even though that doesn’t sound like much of an achievement, you’d be surprised. Her music would have held its own against any of her Western contemporaries.
In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in her music among young Iranians who circulate bootleg recordings and upload old VHS performance videos on Youtube. And while she has been touring for the past few years throughout Europe, Australia the USA and the Middle East, she still cannot perform in the country of her birth.
Here’s a collection of four songs by Googoosh. The quality of the videos are funky but considering they are illegal in Iran, it’s amazing they exist at all.
