Post by Dragonfly on Jan 4, 2010 15:45:59 GMT -5
After going through my various piles of music (both traditional and digital), I ran across a few things that could be considered to be "rare." I can't be the only one with odd stuff hanging around. So I ask: what are some more "unique" pieces in your music collection. As for me:
"The Best of the John Phillip Sousa Band" (Vinyl) - A four disc set of the Sousa Band doing what they do best: play marches. The first two discs were all-American, patriotic stuff (mostly Sousa, obviously), while the other two featured marches from Europe. The kicker? The band director was none other than Sousa himself. While I am not the biggest "march" fan in the world, there is something uniquely awesome about hearing Sousa's take on his own work. As for the question at hand, Sousa apparently liked his marches the way that many like their metal: Fast, heavy, and loud. (The "loud" could have easily been due to the recording devices used at the time, but the "fast and heavy" were definitely stylistic choices.)
Harvey Danger's Self-Titled EP (CD) - This was meant to be given away free to those who pre-ordered their second album, "King James Version." Since that no one actually bought that album, many stores ended up selling it for a penny. The disc itself features three tracks: "My Human Interactions," the Revelations-themed "Plague of Locusts," and the "musical experiment" "Defrocked."
"King James Version" by Harvey Danger (CD) - Thanks to a variety of factors (no support from the label, no airplay, no tour, etc), this album sold horribly. Because of this, it is nigh impossible to find on CD.
"Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)" by Harvey Danger (CD) - A five-track EP sold exclusively on their site. Aside from the title track, the EP featured the demos for "Wine, Women, and Song" and "Pike St./Park Slope," "Plague of Locusts," and a live "piano ballad" version of "Jack the Lion." In addition to the EP, the set also came with a bumper sticker, a T-shirt, and a Christmas card hand-signed by the band.
"Peter and the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals, Part Two" (CD) by Weird Al and Wendy Carlos - This is the one Weird Al album that even some hardcore fans don't even know exist. It's never talked about, it's barely mentioned on his website, and as far as I know, has never been played live. It is also the only one of his albums to be released on a major label (CBS). As for the tracks themselves, "Peter and the Wolf" is a "Fractured Fairy Tales" style retelling of the classic story, complete with dental floss, random bickering, and a few references to late actor Don Ameche. "Carnival of the Animals, Part Two," on the other hand, is presented as a "companion piece" to the original, covering the animal that were "left out." Unlike "Peter and the Wolf," "Carnival of the Animals" featured new musical interludes, each written and preformed by Carlos. It's different, but definitely worth tracking down.
"Disco Inferno" by The Trammps (Vocal track only; MP3) - I found this on Napster nearly ten years ago and held onto it ever since. As the title says, this track is nothing but Robert Upchurch singing the melody. In addition to the song that we're all no doubt familiar with, the track also includes banter between Upchurch and the producer and a full two-minutes of "extra material" that is usually removed from the radio edit.
"The Best of the John Phillip Sousa Band" (Vinyl) - A four disc set of the Sousa Band doing what they do best: play marches. The first two discs were all-American, patriotic stuff (mostly Sousa, obviously), while the other two featured marches from Europe. The kicker? The band director was none other than Sousa himself. While I am not the biggest "march" fan in the world, there is something uniquely awesome about hearing Sousa's take on his own work. As for the question at hand, Sousa apparently liked his marches the way that many like their metal: Fast, heavy, and loud. (The "loud" could have easily been due to the recording devices used at the time, but the "fast and heavy" were definitely stylistic choices.)
Harvey Danger's Self-Titled EP (CD) - This was meant to be given away free to those who pre-ordered their second album, "King James Version." Since that no one actually bought that album, many stores ended up selling it for a penny. The disc itself features three tracks: "My Human Interactions," the Revelations-themed "Plague of Locusts," and the "musical experiment" "Defrocked."
"King James Version" by Harvey Danger (CD) - Thanks to a variety of factors (no support from the label, no airplay, no tour, etc), this album sold horribly. Because of this, it is nigh impossible to find on CD.
"Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)" by Harvey Danger (CD) - A five-track EP sold exclusively on their site. Aside from the title track, the EP featured the demos for "Wine, Women, and Song" and "Pike St./Park Slope," "Plague of Locusts," and a live "piano ballad" version of "Jack the Lion." In addition to the EP, the set also came with a bumper sticker, a T-shirt, and a Christmas card hand-signed by the band.
"Peter and the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals, Part Two" (CD) by Weird Al and Wendy Carlos - This is the one Weird Al album that even some hardcore fans don't even know exist. It's never talked about, it's barely mentioned on his website, and as far as I know, has never been played live. It is also the only one of his albums to be released on a major label (CBS). As for the tracks themselves, "Peter and the Wolf" is a "Fractured Fairy Tales" style retelling of the classic story, complete with dental floss, random bickering, and a few references to late actor Don Ameche. "Carnival of the Animals, Part Two," on the other hand, is presented as a "companion piece" to the original, covering the animal that were "left out." Unlike "Peter and the Wolf," "Carnival of the Animals" featured new musical interludes, each written and preformed by Carlos. It's different, but definitely worth tracking down.
"Disco Inferno" by The Trammps (Vocal track only; MP3) - I found this on Napster nearly ten years ago and held onto it ever since. As the title says, this track is nothing but Robert Upchurch singing the melody. In addition to the song that we're all no doubt familiar with, the track also includes banter between Upchurch and the producer and a full two-minutes of "extra material" that is usually removed from the radio edit.