As some of you know, a complimentary month’s subscription to eMusic is available through the link on the right column of Rock Town Hall. Some of you might find it worth a try, and some of you might stick with it. I’ve been a subscriber for about 6 months now, and as a rock ‘n roller I’m usually disatisfied with the ample selection of crap modern music that the indie rock reviewers/publicists tout. As an older head, eMusic is not loaded with those elusive reissues of Eric Burdon and the New Animals b-sides that are so easy to buy when faced with a Hobson’s Choice. Most months I need to do a little work to fill my shopping cart with 30 downloads, but I always come home satisfied with some cool stuff I might otherwise have never tried.
Sometimes I try on a Neu! for the fifth time and and find that, after having thought little of them the first four times I was exposed to their music, they now work like a charm! Lately I’ve been dipping my toes in international waters, primarily music from various parts of Africa I, sadly, could not identify on a map lacking labels. This month I downloaded a heap of Ethiopian music from something eMusic featured called The Éthiopiques Series. As I listen back and forth to Townsman Hrrundi’s latest edition of Thrifty Music and these new, old finds from Ethiopia, I thought I’d share a few with you. I know nothing about these artists and the songs, although I read that one of the artists is a key to the extremely groovy soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers. Remember that cool music that plays throughout? Some of that stuff is from this Ethiopia scene from the late-60s through mid-70s. But I know nothing about any of it. Other than what I’m spinning this week. Enjoy the following tracks, about which I cannot even discern the artist vs track name!
Mahmoud Ahmed, “Almaz Men Eda New”
Tlahoun Gessesse, “Tezalegn yetentu”
Getatchew Mekurya, “Almaz Yeharerwa”
You can read about this series here.
Having taken a bunch of the Ethiopiques comps out of the library, I can attest that Volume 4: Instrumentals, and a two disc set entitled Live From Addis Ababa are pretty awesome throughout.
I hope some of you more adventurous types try these tracks out before this post slips off the Main Stage. Cool stuff, I tell you!
Cool stuff!
Mr Mod, I’m not ignoring the Ethiopian tracks. I already have vols 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, and 13 of the Ethiopiques series. I’m always meaning to fill out my set, but unlike you I never have any problem finding stuff to download every month from emusic, and I have the 90 tracks/month deal. My fav is #8 — Swinging Addis.
I can see why you have so many of those sets, BigSteve. I’m really digging this stuff. Good to know that you are not having difficulties fulfilling your allotted downloads!
Hey, Moddie — I’ve been grooving on this stuff; thanks for sharing. I like!
Good to hear, Hrrundi. I was hoping you’d dig it. I haven’t heard a stinker yet among the tracks I’ve downloaded. There’s one volume of a form of Ethiopian music that almost sounds like Mississippi Fred McDowell that I really like. That “Milhnu” number I put up there might be from that one.
There’s also that Vol. 4, Instrumentals album that I’m going to download in its entirety. I would think a Kentonite like yourself would especially dig that stuff. I think “Nostalgia” is from that one. That number really hits my soul!
Speaking of good downloads, Mod-dude, have you checked out the recent Tom Verlaine stuff they have at emusic? I grabbed Songs And Other Things this month, and I quite liked it. It’s no Dreamtime, but it sounds good. And as Duke Ellington once famously said, “If it sounds good, it is good.”
As you may know they have all the old Stiff material. Plus all the Kinks albums from the RCA and Arista eras.
If you want advice on more African stuff just let me know. For starters they have the legendary collaborations between the two giants of the Congoloese style — Omona Wapi by Franco and Rochereau.
I didn’t know about that Verlaine album. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks. I’m sure I will keep in touch on the African stuff. I’ve already grabbed a few songs I like from that Kinks period as well as some Stiff stuff I needed.