Grateful Dead - Live/Dead

Grateful Dead, "St. Stephen" (YSI link)

Grateful Dead, "Eleven" (YSI link)

Wow, amazingly, we're back. I imagine that everyone has given up on Pound for Pound, as I kinda did too. But, things have calmed down and we are about to enter the Summer of Love '09 and you need Pound for Pound to guide your way through this epic season. That's right, 40 years later, it's time for a rebirth of the psychedelic vibes, epic jams and communal spirit. There's no better intro to that time than the Grateful Dead, those SF acid explorers who held it down on Haight-Ashbury and spilled LSD all over rock music.

These tracks are from the Live/Dead LP, possibly the greatest live record ever released (what are the other rock contenders?) It chronicles the peak of the band's psychedelic blues sound, early 1969 when the band was destroying various venues around San Francisco. The group was a septet at this point: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan, Billy Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Tom 'TC' Constanten. At this time, the band played a similar setlist every night and above are two of the staples from that time, "St. Stephen" and "The Eleven." I think that they are good openers for anyone knew to the Dead or this era of their music. Both songs stay away from the ether, staying on the rails for the most part. Coming in the wake of a massive "Dark Star," it's especially impressive to hear the band rein it all back and bring everyone back to earth with two of their most rollicking, fun songs.

The opening "Dark Star" is not to be missed; since I want you to buy the album, I'm not uploading here. You'll just have to trust me that this is one of the great versions the band ever did, a 23+ minute opus that starts with the band stating the theme and quickly ventures into outer space. Jerry leads the way, forcing the band to leave the safe confines of the opening verse. It's really amazing to hear the band interact, especially Jerry and Phil, sounds much more like a well-oiled jazz band than any rock band out there. Later, you get the more blues-y side of things, with a steller-as-always "Turn On Your Lovelight" with Pigpen as horny frontman and "Death Don't Have No Mercy".

Go immediately and buy a copy of Live/Dead now. We are gonna be giving you a soundtrack for the Summer of Love, this is the essential starting place.

Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel

Ash Ra Tempel, "Amboss" (YSI link) 320

Time to fly our German freak flag, as we begin to dip into the krautrock pool. I want to first have us worship at the Ash Ra Tempel, one of the most influential of the genre. Formed in the 1970s from the ashes of the Conrad Schnitzler's short lived group Eruption, the band featured Manuel Gottsching on guitar, Hartmut Enke on bass and Klaus Schulze on drums and keys. Those are some serious names, so it's not surprise that they would create some of the spaciest, most cosmic music ever made.

This track is the A side to their first self-titled LP, released in 1971. The only word that comes to mind is epic. Or is it massive? Or is it psychedelic? Ah, who cares? This is an amazing 20 minute journey that takes you through various stops, from quiet contemplative to loud shredding. It starts off with a drone-y soundscape that slowly but surely builds, as the drums get more active. You're nearly 6 minutes in until Gottsching's guitar starts to take the lead with some jams. I'm not gonna say too much more about this, other than to say that some of the most amazing moments come after the 15 minute mark, when the heaviest, sludgiest rock band ever shows up. Put it on, head to the park, lie down and drop out.

Go immediately and cop this album at Forced Exposure, as I promise it will be out of print soon. It's already gone at Aquarius and these krautrock gems come quickly and disappear for long stretches. Much more to come on this front, please send along any recommendations you have for me, as I am far from an expert.

Tropicalia - A Brazilian Revolution In Sound

Gilberto Gil, "Bat Macumba" (YSI link)

Jorge Ben, "Take It Easy My Brother Charlie" (YSI link)

Tom Ze, "Jimmy Renda-se" (YSI link)

G-d, it's been way too long since we had an update here. I'm really sorry, but I've been knee-deep in the grad school application process and have needed to reserve every brilliant thought and witty prose for my personal. We're coming to the finish line with that, so it seemed like a good time to jump back in here.

We may have been gone for a bit, but that doesn't mean our mission or radness has diminished. With the new year, I hope to bring the best disco and house tunes, while also expanding the parameters to include some more weirdo tunes that I think can connect into the whole dance music lineage. We're starting off with something a little new here, some tropicalia tunes from 1960s Brazil. I've been obsessed with this music for years now, ever since I first heard some stuff from guys like Caetano Veloso and Tom Ze. It was such a different sound, mixing samba, rock and roll, some folk, psychedelic, but not in a forced, showoff-y way. It sounded like this totally natural synthesis on some acidtripopculturexperimentalove vibe that sounded like nothing else. It flourished for a brief moment in the late 1960s, becoming more than just music, but also a cultural awakening, the Brazilian version of the freakout going on everywhere at that time. This did not go over well with the military goverment, which deported Veloso and Gilberto Gil and crushing the scene almost as soon as it got started.

The raddest of all labels, Soul Jazz, thankfully decided to come to the rescue and bring some of the genre's best music together on one CD. You get all of the heavyweights here: Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes and Gal Costa. You get all of the greatest hits from these acts, making this the perfect place to start as a beginner. I've tried to give you a flavor for the music in all its multifaceted glory while also highlighting some of the lesser known names like Jorge Ben and Ze.

Opening track "Bat Macumba" will make you feel LIFE, LOVE and ALIVE, a completely infectious number with percussion, guitar and Gil's repetitive vocals that sounds like a bunch of musicians in a jam session who come up with a great groove and lock in together. Put this one on every morning when you wake up or when you are on packed subway car or bus and I promise things will seem a lot better. Jorge Ben's "Take It Easy Charles" was completely new, a great surprise. The best description is that it reminded me of a Brazilian Burt Bacharach number, beautiful, bright, horns and lovely vocals all over a samba-y rhythm. Long-time readers know that I do not throw around Bacharach comparisons since he is one of the greatest composers of the past 100 years, so clearly I love this one. I had to add a little Tom Ze to showcase the more freak side of the genre, as dude has stayed on the avant garde side ever since these early days. In "Jimmy, Renda-se," Ze has put together something a lot less rhythmic than anything else on the album with numerous changes of pace. The real highlight are the vocals, as Ze loves repetitive phrases and words and he only adds to this effect by having backup singers repeat many of the lines too. It has a much more experiemental feel than anything else, something that Ze would continue these past few decades.

I highly recommend anyone interested in checking out more of this music pick up this compilation ASAP. It covers all of the players who formed the movement, provides a great history lesson, gives you a lot of bang for your buck and will help you figure out which paths you wish to follow in terms of specific artists. Trust me, this is seriously fertile ground that gave us a lot of great music in a short period of time.

Things are still going to be a little spotty for the next week or two here at Pound for Pound, but should pick up once the apps are sent out. Thanks for continuing to check in, your patience will be reward I promise. 200mine! Yeah!