Just some quick updates on what was writ before:

- Soundtrack sale ended Saturday. Sign up to the mailing list to get the lowdown on future sales.

- We're almost completely sold out of the Numero Group titles. I'm trying to get more--not sure if it'll be at those introductory prices though. Cross your fingers. Speaking of soul... should have restock on James Carr's first two Goldwax LPs soon.

- The Black to Comm came in and quickly sold out. I did some email swapping with Richter and he's hooked me up with some of his early catalog. Should be soon. However, it'll be your last time to get them--very small print runs on all this stuff.

- More Mississippi Records stuff should be in soon: Mississippi Fred McDowell, Clara Rockmore ("features the eerily beautiful theremin accompanied by piano--a record of stark simplicity & emotional intensity"; first time on vinyl), restock on Abner Jay and Mortika, all at the best prices in Toronto. I've also got a few of MR's out of print titles coming but they'll be a bit more expensive as my regular source for Mississippi Records stuff was out of stock on 'em. Since they're currently out of print this'll be your last chance to grab 'em: Various Artists - Love is Love, Bishop Perry Tillis, Various Artists - String of Pearls, Various Artists - Last Kind Words.

- Two titles from a very small USA'n press in Maine that specializes in folk: Shep & Me ("Simple folk songs with some experimental touches; beautiful hand screened covers"), and Uke of Spaces Corners ("Dan Beckman & Amy Moon play off kilter original songs & a Sun Ra cover--this record evokes the idillic life lived by the band").

- I've placed a small order for SST records so in the next week or two we should see the better releases from Black Flag, Minutemen, fIREHOSE, and Bad Brains, as well as the label's early Soundgarden titles. They'll be cheap--all under $13, I think, with the exception of Double Nickels on the Dime which is a 2LP.

One thing we never see enough of is good blues on vinyl. A very few of our customers have been lucky enough to snatch up the limited edition releases we've managed to bring in on Mississippi Records, a small imprint out of Portland, Oregon. Though MR has done a few repressings, for the most part their initial runs are rather limited, usually to just 1000 copies, making them rather difficult to get hold of. They've also done some non-blues releases of an international focus as well as some folk and gospel recordings. We've had a few of their blues compilations, as well as their Abner Jay and Cecil Barfield releases, and they've all sold out instantly.

However, that's all about to change as I've now got a reliable source for the label who'll be able to provide us with all Mississippi Records releases as soon as they become available... and, at by far what I think will be the cheapest price around. My initial order will probably be in in about two weeks and should consist of:

Abner Jay - True Story of Abner Jay
This is one of my favorite blues albums. It comes with an archival photo (pictured at left), typed notes, and a lovely flyer that looks like it was made in the '70s. Outstanding.

Fred McDowell - Fred McDowell
Reissue of the Arhoolie LP originally titled "Fred McDowell - Volume 2". A beautiful set by the Mississippi blues legend. One of Fred's best. Intense Delta blues.

Various Artists - Fight On, Your Time Ain't Long
Fantastic comp of blues featuring Bukka White, Bo Weavil Jackson, Blind Joe Taggart and more.

Cecil Barfield - South Georgia Blues
I've written about this album in a previous post. See below.

Various Artists - Mortika (2LP)
2LP set of Greek underground folk music sometimes called "rembetica" or "Greek Oriental Music." Compiled by Tony Klein. Songs about drugs, sex, crime, poverty, & heartbreak. Housed in a box & includes 20 page notes with extensive archival photos & full lyric translations.

Michael Hurley - Parsnip Snips
Originally released in 1997 in Germany in a press size of 500. These original copies were seized by the government shortly after the record's release. Only 150 or so were sold before the seizing, but copies have leaked out of whatever dank German bureaucratic basement they were relegated to. Still, a very hard record to find for years, now back in print. This release is remastered from the original tapes and has superior sound quality to the original. Culled from Michael's unreleased output between his 1964 'First songs' LP and 'Armchair Boogie' in 1972. All tracks feature just Michael and guitar.

Joseph Spence - Bahaman Guitarist
Reissue of the Arhoolie LP recorded in 1971. Joseph Spence was a highly original guitarist & vocalist from the Bahamas. His music is hard to describe - extreme guitar runs with joyful vocalese rambled along with it. This album includes hits such as "Out On the Rolling Sea" and "Sloop John B". Silk screened cover glued over a hand manufactured folkways style cover.

Various Artists - Mata La Pena
Compilation focusing on music from around the world -- from Calypso to Flamenco to Thai ballads to Indonesian instrumentals to American country to Hawaiian music. Designed as a sort of sequel to the out of print I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore comp. Heavyweight sleeve with paste-on Folkways style cover. Limited run of 3000. Cover design by Eric Isaacson, featuring a painting by Chris Johansson. Project direction for cover and sleeve construction and assembly by Pow Wow.

Mississippi Records also has some interesting things in the pipe, and we'll be sure to get them as soon as they're available:

Clara Rockmore - Theremin Virtuoso LP

Various Artists - five LP releases to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Lomax's Southern Journey--a mix of released & never before released material straight from the Lomax Archive!

Various Artists - Madagascaran field recordings LPs

And while I'm writing about limited releases from a small label... we're also bringing in a few releases some similar outfits:

Various Artists - A Orillas del Magdalena (Coastal Cumbias from Colombia's Discos Fuentes)
Radiant cumbias from Colombia in the 50s and 60s. Soft accordions with snaking melodies, an inistent rhythm said to sound like the bouncing shackles on the ankles of slaves, and also horns, chants and tons of unusual percussion accents. If you travel to Colombia today, this would be the equivalent of listening to 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay'--you can easily hear why it spread hastily through the rest of Latin America. Compiled by the fine New Orleans store Domino Sound Record Shack.

Bobby BeauSoleil with the Freedom Orchestra & The Magick Powerhouse of Oz - The Lucifer Rising Suite 4LP Set
Remastered recordings spanning 11 years, from the ‘67 recording to the Tracy Prison recordings of ‘78. Four full-length LPs worth of ‘Lucifer Rising’ material with half being never-before-heard sessions personally selected by Bobby BeauSoleil. Nine new pieces of art from Bobby: eight record sleeve panels and one 2′ x 3′ poster. Two posters, one by Bobby BeauSoleil and one by Dennis Dread. A much-extended version of the ‘Fallen Angel Blues’ piece by Bobby that originally appeared in the Kenneth Anger DVD set. ‘Hymns to the Solar Temple’ - impressions on a visit to Bobby at the Oregon Correctional Facility in Pendleton, Oregon by Dennis Dread. The Saga of a Soundtrack by Michael Moynihan. Art from Dennis Dread for the back of the LP box, also included as a 2′ x 2′ poster. Art from Dennis Dread for the front lid of the box which will provide a window into the works of Bobby’s to be found within. Remastered by Robert Ferbrache, well known for his work with Blood Axis, 16 Horsepower and others.”