Ersen - Sor Kendine

Hello, and Happy New Year folks. It's good to be back. I picked this up last year at the Santa Cruz record show. I sold a small two boxes at that show and picked up quite a few gems. A few boogie tunes and a small handfull of Turkish Rock 45's. Turkish Rock is completely genius and I've sung the Turk-Rock praises before. All of my travels into the world of heavy rock and psych from Turkey have been fruitful. Erkin Koray, Baris Manco, 3 Hur-el, and now the savage head nodding rock of Ersen.

Ersen has gained some honorable mention and appearance on comps largely for the type of heavy break laden tunes like Gunese Don Cicegim. This is another gem of Ersen's and disguised in a Elton John rip off picture cover sleeve.



It's psych rock with eastern tinges and lesser heard instruments. Always pretty funky, rhythm heavy grooves and almost mathematical rock constructs. Somehow 60's psych and influences like Black Sabbath made its waves on the shores of Turkey, made an incredible impression and never left. And, I mean NEVER left. Turkey adopted the true spirit of psych rock for a lifetime committment and raised it like it's own.

Check out this killer clip of Ersen performing this song...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDqIqt6yUv0


This tune was one of the 45's I picked up at the record show, which was the last record swap I made it out for in 2011. I hope you enjoy this tune and please seek out the other Turkish Rock posts I have on this blog. I know I've posted something here by Erkin Koray Or Baris Manco but I can't recall which or where at the moment. There will also Be more Turkish Rock from Sound Boutique in the near future.

Oh! And another small important tidbit...I'll be post dating these next few posts including this one to days earlier in the year. Not as to claim I've been more productive, but rather to have more room for posts to appear in their own column. We will be posting everything again as a tradition on our three year anniversary which is coming up quickly as well.

Ersen - Sor Kendine

Giorgio Moroder - Underdog

From a really fun album by Italian disco grandfather Giorgio Moroder.
At this time he was known simply as Giorgio. These tunes pack the same glam rock - bubble gum punk punch as 'Police On My Back' by Eddy Grant. I know Europe was a killer place to be in 72. I'm just saying.

Giorgio was of course one of those pioneers of analog circuitry in pop music and it shows immensely in this early stuff.  Leading the way in early italo sound and pioneering the synthesiser like no one else. He's been behind everything from Donna Summer to Electric Light Orchestra. On film he's set a fantastic mood for everything from Scarface to Flashdance, Midnight Express to Metropolis.

This album is lesser know in the public eye, yet loved by at least two groups I can think of that are both worlds apart. It's liked by fans of early glam and bubble gum as a decent pop dance record and B-boys know this LP for the epic break beat organ number 'Tears' sampled by DJ shadow. Both of these songs (and any from this LP) could easily be the missing music for a dance club scene in Clockwork Orange. It's groovy and silly yet extremely enjoyable. This bubble gum pop with heavy fuzz and early use of synthesisers is brilliant in overall production sound. One could easily see that Giorgio was well on his way to becoming the huge music mogul we now know so well. His earlier work like 'That's Bubblegum - That's Giorgio' is more straight forward bubble gum pop. This album branches out into cosmic, the roots of italo and psych rock. Brilliant stuff.


Giorgio Moroder - Underdog
Giorgio Moroder - Son Of My Father

Antonio Carlos E Jocafi - Kabaluere

1-1-11 - Just wanted to say Happy New Year to everybody. It's gonna be a great year. There's lots in store for our little blog in this upcoming year. I've managed to scrape up tasty offerings from both new acquisitions and from foraging through the collection. I purchased some new shelves for the collection and have been surfacing titles I thought were long lost in the depths of the crates. So, good news all around to those faithful to diggin' through these posts. It's gonna get good.

To start the new year off on the right foot, I've got an offering from Brazil by Antonio Carlos E Jocafi. Kabaluere. Something I dug up the other day while sorting through my records looking for some things for my brother. I rarely take the time to dig through my own collection, but when I do it's pretty much like xmas. Anyways, I had to dig through a section I had set aside for some reason and it yielded some treats for this site. Both my brother and my dad had given me records over the years and just recently asked for a few of them back. Nothing that I would be posting up here, but nevertheless always good to fall back on my old rule...I really don't ever get rid of anything. My collection has and always will be inspired by family. My Mom had some incredible records, my Dad too. And, my brother was a humongous influence in my musical tastes, both in passion and expression.

This tune was effectively sample by the Jurassic Five, been comped a few times, and among some of the best stuff in my collection from Brazil. Unlike many of my colleagues, I've never been to Brazil. But, I've done a fair amount of pillaging from a distance. Connected online with several Brazilian collectors and sellers. I've also gone through several periods of getting Brazilian records for pretty stinking cheap from eBay. Those days seem to be long gone, much like finding sealed copies of 'Damn Right I Am Somebody' by the JB's.

So, here's a taste of Antonio Carlos E Jocafi's Kabaluere. Nothing that the 'heads' don't already know about. But, solid nonetheless. A bit of Brazil funk, and the first lesson of world rare groove 101. No prerequisites.


ALSO.....Big shouts to my boys Allen Thayer and Jacob Pena keeping that Brazilian heat bumping in SF at GOSTOSA. Every second Wednesday at the Casanova in the Mission.. 527 Valencia SF, CA

Antonio Carlos E Jocafi - Kabaluere

The Poppy Family - There's No Blood In Bone

A few of you may already know that my line of work, or rather that my day gig is 'moving'. The other day I worked my first 27 hour day. Probably highly illegal to work that long, but in this 'biz' 8 to 10 hour days are the 'norm', and 12, 16, and 18 hour days are not unheard of. But, this was truly a first for me. The amount of 'drivetime' alone included 16 hours. So, this particular day was a first.
It was also a first for observing our customers with quite possibly the deepest taste in tunes. It was a first that our customer was listening to The Poppy Family AND on vinyl. This was truly NOT an everyday occurrence. It's rare that anyone is listening to music when we show up. A good sign of course, but listening to music on vinyl is a step further and completely unheard of. When I first stumbled upon this LP it was in shiny mint condition. I knew that if I heard it and it was remotely good it would suffice for picking it up. The picture alone on the cover was worth the fare. A voluptuous blond in a serious hip bad ass bodysuit. A Poncherellie (Erick Estrada) lookalike in a western shirt. An Indian dude in a Turban. And, the world's first mutton chop serial killer. A bunch that looks like something truly good is in store. I thought even if the LP completely sucked, I would still be stick with this awesome cover.

Low and behold, this album turned out to be killer. A merging of pop, heavy psych, folk and country. Seemingly influenced by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, the Combo of Susan and Terry Jacks (pictured from left to right) wrote this amazing material. They later went on to make several solo efforts including the genius soft rock classic 'Seasons In The Sun'. The Poppy Family were incredible. The blending of congas, sitar, lush strings, heavy guitar all in an LP chock full of brain melting goodness. I believe they had one other LP after this. But, only two or three releases under Susan and Terry Jacks after that.'There's No Blood In Bone' is probably the best tune on this LP, but the rest of the album is still awesome too. I believe this song was sampled by someone familiar, though at the moment I can't place it. That would be hard to resist considering the banging relentless drums in this tune. There are many other tasty sounds on this one, and I would highly recommend picking it up. This is a great and obscure psych-pop LP and thanks to our customer I was reminded of it's brilliance.


The Poppy Family - There's No Blood In Bone

Lemi Aso - The Beginning

This track is some serious business.

This is pay dirt. The real deal as far as juicy nuggs are concerned.

In a slow deep KMEL announcer voice..."Here's another world premier Soundboutique exclusive..."

Again, you won't find this ANYWHERE else. I was hard pressed to even find a smidgin' of a trace of this on YouTube. Sadly searching for Lemi yielded little or no results. Who knows, she could be a household name in Japan, but Lemi Aso Lp's are hard to find. I'm not sure they ever came out in the states. I think there may be one or two, or perhaps this was the only one. If you know more about her, please share this info with us. I do know she was in the Japanese psych rock band 'Flowers' and that group is even harder to track down. Her American music history is seemingly non-existent.

This is the only 'really' interesting tune on the LP, but it is a complete head cracker. Different from anything else on the LP. Mellowed out hippie funk with a slow space funk back drop. The percussion, the robust bass groove, the synths, the treatment of special effects, it all floors me. I remember when I first heard it, I just about lost my shit. It's ripe for some sample treatment for sure. I can imagine a few hip-hop producers would love to flip this. Even might'a been Dilla material. It's strong point however being it's not just a sample and holds its weight as a banger from start to finish. A quality chune on it's own. More in a funk rock or psych vein than soul but really not lacking in any department. While it's tempo leaves room for only a enthusiastic head nod, it'll be on my play list for some time. Destined to be a soundboutique classic I hope you enjoy this exclusive jam just for you.


Lemi Aso - The Beginning

Heaven And Earth - Feel The Spirit

Extraordinary female psych offering here. It's quintessential hippy tunage too. This is a haunting song that starts slow and works itself into a frenzy. In fact this shit is down right creepy. You could say it might be right for the next Dario Argento witch trilogy.


Before I found this LP 'Refuge' on Ovation, I think I became aware of it via some kinda comp, can't remember the name though. It may have been 'Folk Funk', I don't honestly remember. But, I do know that since then it's been comped several more times, been featured on quite a few mixes, and may be in the works for a full re-release from the master tapes. Seems like they could have opened for Fifty Foot Hose or something back in the day. It's some of the best femme folk psych I've laid ears on. This track is amazing. Steady hypnotizing guitar chords, great string arrangements, a touch of staccato strings with just the right amount of delay, and all nicely wrapped up with only the finest in head melting, psychedelic lyrics. Then, they work it all up into a drug induced rave up storm complete with flute echoing throughout. Would you like snowflakes that sing? Sure, why not. Right? What a tasty little treat. I hope you enjoy.

Heaven And Earth - Feel The Spirit

The Shocking Blue - Inkpot

The Shocking Blue are one of my all time favorite bands. Originally hailing from the Hague, in the Netherlands they were one of few bands to become a pop success outside of their native homeland. They had their feet firmly planted in both the 60's and 70's and made an impressive catalog of tunes. From the first LP "At Home" on Pink Elephant in 1969 to this 1972 track it's all quality stuff.

Originally formed by Robbie van Leeuwen in 1967 they only had minor success until Mariska Veres took over the vocals. Her powerful voice lead them to a number one single with 'Venus' and commandeered their strong and passionate sound. Most Shocking Blue tracks rage with an unstoppable fire. Simple melodies, clear separation of elements and always with hard drums. The production on all of their material has a serious bite. Everything is loud in the mix and you can plainly hear each individual instrument, making it that much more powerful when things come together. For Shocking Blue it often does come together, and the end result and final package is hard rock with serious soul. If you like your rock and roll with fury and a punch, they're the band for you.
In the eastern melodies, regular use of electric sitar, and tablas, they laid the groundwork for an evil web of rock 'n roll. A sound that later would be harvested by groups ranging from Black Sabbath to Nirvana. Not to mention they became a favorite of beat diggers, funk collectors and rare groove DJ's world wide. Based on snappy drums, breaks, and general potential as a rock group to be sampled, they became even more desired.
Mariska's vocal talents are unbelievable, her vocals soar throughout each number. Those like myself that have an affinity for poorly pronounced english and unusual accents will be pleased with their material. As is the case with a lot of Dutch rock, some words sound even better when pronounced differently. It's not so much how it's said that's important, but what they say. And, there's a LOT of cosmic content to the lyrics here, referencing the sun, the moon and the stars. The lyrics are often heavy with metaphors and imagery.
I also became obsessed with them visually, collecting every 45 release and strange Japanese LP issue just for another cool pic of them. They do look super fab. Sporting the best threads and blending 60's swingin' London with the bright and colorful platform of the 70's glam trip.

This particular track is a light number with a bugglegum or pop feel, yet hardened up with wicked sitar and wah-wah electric sarod. They got a positive message here, and it's one of their less dark tunes..although you can still hear that it dips into that spooky feeling a bit too. The 'Shoe-be-do-wah' lyrics might lose a few customers here, but will more than make up for it with the eastern grooves and bangin' drums. It's psychedelic pop in it's purest form. The changes and grooves laid herein is a small sample of what Shocking Blue are all about.

I highly recommend ALL of SB's material. If you're already familiar with them, you may think why 'Inkpot'? It's partly because it's one of their under-played tunes. I'm a fan as much of this as I am of the smashing 60's punk fury of 'Long And Lonesome Road' Again, all of the Shocking Blue is good. 'Rock In The Sea' which sounds like an early Cure song, is another one from this same year that's incredible as well. There will be many more to post from them in the future. They've got so much good stuff, you could really begin anywhere. I'd start with the first LP, or any compilation of all of their singles.


The Shocking Blue - Inkpot

Fat Back - What Do You Want From Me / Take Your Time

Another Soundboutique Exclusive
You won't find this anywhere else...

Probably one of the best little 'rock' 45 rpm discoveries I've ever turned up. And, a good example of just how awesome the 45 format is. An example of how intricate and diverse a groups sound can truly be within the confines of the 3 minute art form.
I'm not sure which side I like better. They are both completely brilliant. I found nothing about this band 'Fat Back' other than both websites and people confusing them with the funk group 'The Fatback Band'. It proves frustrating when you hope for more offerings from a group of this caliber. They're funky as hell and prove they have some serious chops. From the sweet and pleasant harmonies to the sax solo they illustrate not only a rad take on things, but the skills of execution as well.
It's obvious they were inspired and influenced by Chicago, Grand Funk, The Guess Who and many others, yet they put their own stamp on it too. Back and forth with soft rock melodies to hard funk without a care in the world. Truly campy lyrics from a skewed psychedelic perspective. All of it makes for a hell of an odd ball experience. The musicianship is tops as far as I'm concerned. So much thought went into the production. A long lost era of music, nothing like it is made these days.
Let's take a closer inspection...

1. What Do You Want From Me
Part garage, part soft country, with a dash of hippie funk.
It starts off oh-so kinda sweet and soft. A perfect melody to trick us right into a seemingly angry little chant?! Early Bee Gee's style backing vocals. Amazingly tight and perfectly mixed horns..Excellent lyrics..'had a chance but I was a fool', and 'a paper tiger lives in a cage, rosey words perceived in a rage' Huh?? What the fuck! I love it. Honestly, I can barely make out what they're saying most of the time, but what I can pick up is fantastic. Scat whisper drum fills?? I'm truly floored by this number. Fades out with a goofy trumpet solo!? my goodness gracious folks..me thinks (with this outro) they may have out 'Chicagoed' Chicago. I gotta say I wanna know who the hell was behind the production on this one..because it's really incredible.

2. Take Your Time
oh good lord. Bell Bottom funk rock really hits like a ton of bricks. Almost thuggish intro, the singer pauses with a lazy bass voice 'yeah'. OK, this is all kindsa badassyness. Instantly the lyrics reference 'breakin' records' as if speaking about the DJ in the next room. Again, the production is massive. Congas, a wicked vibraslap, deep baritone sax, and is that Moog I hear in there?? Holy shit y'all!! I love the chorus.."Sometimes the hill's too steep to climb, sometimes it's hard to find a sign, you've got to learn to take the time". I'm not a huge sax solo lover, yet I love this one. More tasty psychedelic lyrics.. 'All the distortion you see along the way' well, they are truly on one. And, I love 'em. Dear Fat Back, I wished I knew which shelf your entire unreleased masterpiece LP was sittin' on.


Now if you've ever been diggin' in certain areas of this good ole' u.s. in a. (as Borat would say) you'll find tons of records that look like incredible funk records. Yet, you throw them on only to hear Jethro Billy Bob bangin' out a country knee slapper. Now, I've got nothing against knee slappers or country music in general. In fact I hope to illustrate that on this here blog (yup, yup yessiree) but, when your expecting unknown funk holy grail madness and you get 'kuntray pickins' it can be a bit deflating. I'm only mentioning this because this may be the story behind this little 45. If I remember right, I think I picked it up in Denver, Co. of all places. It was of many country titles I flipped through hoping for nasty funkiness. It is however proof that my ears are indeed wide open. All of you that think I'm a country or roots music hater, be warned! Alright fuckit.....I'll start working on the next post right now....YOU'LL SEE!




1. Fat Back - What Do You Want From Me
2. Fat Back - Take Your Time

Ananda Shankar - Streets Of Calcutta

From the synth boogie of Nigeria's Dizzy K to the break laden funk of India's Ananda Shankar, it's all in a days work when deep in the labs of Soundboutique.

When I first came across this LP, I had to pick my jaw up off the carpet of the record convention floor. Not that it's thaaaat rare, but for me at the time.. it might have been..well, a little 'grail-ish' let's say. It was in the box of a mostly rock and psych oriented seller. And as a result, he didn't really know why cats like myself sought after this particular LP. After engaging him in a lengthy conversation topped off with a little wheelin' and dealin' I took it off his hands. Nothing like a little charitable verbatim to grease the gears from one collector to another. It was necessary to wiggle a bit as his pricing was a bit high even though he blindly 'knew' about the record. It was priced high just because he could tell it was worth something. Not really knowing what exactly it was worth. Of course at the time, it was emerging in popularity on the rare groove circuit thus, climbing in price. I looked at it...yup, EMI India, yup, yup gatefold... that was it. I tried to keep it well concealed from other perspective buyers. We reached a livable price and now in the collection it sits.


Ananda has a staple of India funk and sitar bangers. His covers of 'Jumping Jack Flash' and 'Light My Fire' show his interest in The Doors, The Rolling Stones and other mainstream rock and roll in general. And, it was rumored he hung and played with Jimi Hendrix while in L.A. in the sixties. Ananda blended psych and sitar soul and did probably the best in his time at converging rock and eastern sounds.

Those familiar with Bollywood know the soundtrack sound and 'Streets Of Calcutta' is spot on. This is probably the best tune on the album, but it is an excellent LP and Ananda's best work. I'd say get the album if you can, its an enjoyable listen for sure.

Ananda became entirely less traditional than other sitar artists and chased a broader appeal for his music. He branched out with western 'rock' guitar and more 'pop' material. This LP, noted as his masterpiece, was recorded in 1975 marking his return to India from Los Angeles. He later gained exposure in London DJ circuits and enjoyed a considerable re-issue craze. His tunes have been featured on the Blue Note Break Beat comps and this LP has been re-released in a few formats. Hopefully making him a little more of a well known name and a lil' pocket change to boot. Before his death in 1999, he also enjoyed continued success blending sitar and eastern sounds with breakbeat and hip hop.

Please check out and enjoy this monster sitar funk track from Ravi Shankar's nephew Ananda Shankar... 'Streets Of Calcutta'





Ananda Shankar - Streets Of Calcutta

Erkin Koray - Estarabim

No where in the world is psych more potent, laden with eastern chords, and head nodding beats than in Turkey. Some of the most heavy and amazing psych has come from there. In the center of that musical scene there are a few musical heroes. Erkin Koray is one of those heroes. Electrified and modernized for the sixties and seventies Turkish artists recorded with traditional instruments. Stringed instruments like the Oud and Sarod were amped and electrified and the Nagara and Goblet Drum provided percussion.

Somehow eastern influenced psych found a home in Turkey and never left. I started developing interests in these eastern sounds when I caught a few episodes of the 'Namaste America' music videos. Mostly then it was Bollywood stuff. A few years later I shared my developing interests with my friend Bill. He was playing in the mid 90's with Turkish artists and making the trip there several times a year. I asked him to bring me the best record he could find. He brought me back this amazing 7 inch. That was it. I was all about the Turkish rock for some time after. Erkin Koray, Baris Manco, and 3 Hur-El to name a few. Their long hair, amazing electric sitar sound and Turkish language were all completely new to me. One of the great things about Turkish rock is I can't understand a lick of the lyrics. This somehow makes it better, not understanding, but imagining what ever you may. So, peep this 45 and delve into the world of Turkish rock. Hopefully it will work the same magic for you that it did for me.

Erkin Koray - Estarabim

US 69 - Yesterdays Folks

US 69 is a strange little outfit. They blended funk, rock, psych, and jazz together to make their own unique flavor. This is an excellent LP. Released on Buddah in 1969, birth year of yours truly, it's fantastic from start to finish. Even the finest psych Lp is rarely enjoyable throughout. The vocal stylings on this are great, as is the constant great lyrical references to plastic people and taking off of disguises. Other common fare of psych lyrical trends are here as well "making your mind up", and "open up your door". They were extremely experimental and one of several groups at the time blending rock with full horn sections. 

"I'm A Nobody" is an excellent fast jazzy groove that has a punk edge. It's a favorite of mine and just a tremendously killer track. I don't think I've heard anything quite like it before. A direct mirror of a track would be Gil Scott-Heron's "Free Will"

from his 1972 LP of the same name. "Yesterdays Folks" is a tuff and funky blue eyed soul scorcher right out of the hippie funk and psych rock camps. It's fat breaks and outrageous lyrics will keep you on the edge of your seat. "I Hear You Talkin'" is a gentle and affecting tune, and greatly reminds me of the group Chicago. It also reeks of being in need of being sampled. Oddly mostly all the tracks on this LP have the 'sampled' potential and there's even a rumored DJ Shadow loop within. I'm not versed enough with his material to find it, but pleased none the less for the stamp of approval. Or, should I say "Samp" of approval. Bet you no one has coined that yet! It seems those LP's worth sampling are truly rich with texture. I find this a harmonious affair, because I like the 'odd', 'bizarre' and 'texturally rich' music like nobody's business. So, a well sampled or potentially well sampled Lp is what I'm after.

 My first encounter with "2069 A Spaced Oddity" was through a compilation of folk funk and breaks which I believe was under the same name. It's a stellar pysch trip and a long slow spaced out groove. Not only epic in size, it's completely genius and fantastic, as is the whole Lp which you can find here.

At times they sound like an early Chicago and at other moments they sound like Gil Scott-Heron, which is a mighty impressive mish mash really. Yet, I think they predated both of those artists. Funny at times they even sound a bit like Kings Of Leon. I love finding exactly similar artists represented 10-20 years before. Like for example, The Cardigans and Blossom Dearie. Regardless, this is an above average psych LP with a lot of different directions represented. It's been reissued, which is good for you, but again adds to yet another story of me paying a pretty penny for something I HAD to have at the time. Not so good for me. I blame it on the compilation. But, be it a good comp or bootleg, it's totally worth it, sending you out in a manic fashion searching for something as golden as this LP. At that time, I NEEDED to hear what the rest of the LP sounded like, even if it only had one other gem. Enjoy!

US 69 - Im A Nobody
US 69 - Yesterdays Folks
US 69 - I Hear You Talkin
US 69 - 2069 A Spaced Oddity