The Recoup

SINCE 2013: Books and books and books and books and occasionally other things

Reviews

  • Ian McNabb: Truth and Beauty (Cherry Red)

      Former Icicle Works frontman Ian McNabb entered the 1990s without his long-running band, without a record deal, and, as the liner notes seem to suggest, a lack of confidence in his ability–one that would be bolstered by the minor success of a self-released single, recorded for little money and little expectation. It’s understandable, this Read more

  • Carol Kleyn “Return of the Silkie” (Drag City)

    If harpist Carol Kleyn‘s second album, Takin’ the Time, was her attempt to take her sound into a more mainstream direction, her third album, Return of the Silkie, released in 1983, brings her back to the sound she excelled at: haunting and hauntingly beautiful music that defies easy categorization. One cannot easily pigeonhole Kleyn; her Read more

  • Alex Chilton: Electricity By Candlelight NYC 2/13/97

      On February 13, 1997, Alex Chilton was to play the final night of a two-night booking at New York’s Knitting Factory. A problem arose, though: the power went out. Chilton, however, being a true performer, simply pulled out his acoustic guitar, while his drummer Richard Dwarkin set up a basic drum kit, and he Read more

  • Andy Kaufman: Andy And His Grandmother (Drag City)

        Andy Kaufman was a troublemaker, a clown, a goof, a prankster, a cretin, a curious mind, and, most importantly, a genius. This compilation, Andy And His Grandmother,  is a collection of some of the best of the reported  thousands of hours of his recorded conversations, dialogues, and experiments.  As you listen through the Read more

  • Maroon Town: High And Dry (Pressure Drop)

    In late 1980s England, Ska wasn’t quite in fashion as it had been earlier in the decade; with the advent of rap, hip-hop, and underground dance–all of which would build upon Ska’s rhythmic patterns and vocal styling. This, however, did not stop the multiracial, multi-culti band Maroon Town,named after clandestine villages set up by anti-British Read more

  • Surprize: “In Movimento” (Factory Benelux)

        In many ways, the short-lived Belgian band Surprize was one of the first Factory-influenced bands. In their brief career, this quintet released only two four-track EPs and one 12″ single, but there’s nothing on here that doesn’t sound un-Factory like.  Their first single, released in 1981, comes last in the collection’s lineup, and Read more

  • Kaleidoscope: Kaleidoscope (Now Again Sounds)

      This late 1960s psych-rock band Kaleidoscope is not to be confused with the English Kaleidoscope of the late 1960s…or the American Kaleidoscope of the late 1960s. No, what we have here is a much more potent little band. Hailing from Puerto Rico, this band’s sole album was released in Mexico in a limited edition Read more

  • First Choice: Hold Your Horses (Big Break Records)

      1979’s Hold Your Horses was a major sonic departure for R&B trio First Choice. Up until the release of this, their fifth album, the band specialized in a pleasant, albeit atypical Soul sound. For this album, producer Tom Moulton and label Salsoul sent the three ladies to Germany to record. If one instantly thinks Read more

  • The Bongos: Phantom Train (Jem Recordings)

    In the annals of rock history, the “unreleased final album” syndrome is a rather common malady. Such was the case for 1980s college rockers The Bongos. Signed to a major label, there were hopes of banking on the burgeoning college-rock/alternative rock scene. It’s not hard to understand why a label would want to take a Read more

  • Steve Hackett: The Tokyo Tapes (Esoteric Antenna)

    In 1996, veteran guitarist Steve Hackett fulfilled a long-standing desire to perform in Japan, so he put together a five-piece band of friends from his past, with a two-fold purpose. Not only would he be performing with mates, but the band would take excursions into their individual pasts, including visits to his work with Genesis Read more