Panneaux decoratifs (1900) by Manuel Orazi at NYPL.
• Ghostsigns: “a collaborative national effort to photograph, research and archive the remaining examples of hand painted wall advertising in the UK and Ireland.”
• Golden Age Comic Book Stories posts some Alphonse Mucha.
• Voyage Fantastique – An illustrated guide to the body and mind at A Journey Round My Skull.
• The gallery of the International Exhibition of Calligraphy.
• Trevor Wayne Pin-Up Show, a new photo collection of the tattooed Mr Wayne which includes photos and a foreword by Clive Barker.
• Phallophonies, a gallery exploring the penis in religious art. Related: “Churchgoers are outraged over a crucifix in a Catholic church that they say shows an image of genitalia on Jesus.”
• Hollingsville: “Expect live and unscripted wanderings around voodoo science parks, examinations of cities as battle suits and thoughts on pods, capsules and world expos.”
• Phantom Circuit #33 is a Ghost Box special featuring an interview with Jim Jupp (Belbury Poly) and Julian House (The Focus Group). Related: Ghost Box films at YouTube.
• Eldritchtronica and Wyrd Bliss, a mixtape by Simon Reynolds.
• Avant garde music and cinema meet at The Sound of Eye.
• Make your own newspaper with Newspaper Club.
• Drawdio: A pencil that lets you draw music.
• Yoko Ono collects rare books.
• Song of the week: The Four Horsemen (1972) by Aphrodite’s Child.
Aphrodite’s Child!
I grew up in a small town south of Atlanta, Ga and one of the few escapes from Jesusland was the availability of two wonderful college radio stations in Atlanta, WRAS from Georgia State U and WREK from Georgia Tech. One of the DJs from WRAS would play this song all the time. I remember the thrill of going into a record store and seeing the album with its bright red cover with the ominous 666. We all new what that meant!
I was scared shitless but I bought it. $6! Actually a lot for a little kid in those days (the early seventies). Somehow it survived my fundamentalist Christian parents and I still have it.
I found out some interesting things later on. Apparently the singer couldn’t speak english so they spelled out the lyrics for him phonetically and this definitely gives the singing a weird quality.
And my understanding is that this LP was recorded before either Dark Side of the Moon or those early seventies Yes albums. Somebody was listening!
666 is a berserk masterpiece, for sure, although I didn’t get to hear it until the mid-1980s despite knowing people who owned it. I think the presence of Demis Roussos inspired suspicion following his success as a cheesy pop singer. However, I liked Vangelis’s solo albums and you can hear directions to his future music on the album, even hints of the Blade Runner soundtrack in places.
This site has a fascinating section of articles about 666, including details of Salvador Dalí’s plans for a happening to coincide with the album’s premiere in Barcelona.
John, I wonder if you could clarify something for me. A friend made me a mix with a track that he attributed to Aphrodite’s Child. I believe it’s a single percussion instrument and a woman chanting, “I am, to come, I was.”
Have you any idea of the name of this track, and if it is in fact an Aphrodite’s Child piece?
Wait, I found it. Ne’er mind. It’s the “infinity” track from the second album. Why don’t I ever look harder for these things before asking someone else?
Heh, yes, it’s Irene Papas doing some orgasmic shrieking. The album starts to go off the rails at that point. There’s another song then they rather pointlessly reprise everything you’ve already heard on All the Seats Were Occupied before getting back to the music for the final track.
Mate, one of the best linkrolls around! I’m stealing from teh best now …
Thanks, David. Having a well-stocked RSS feed helps.