Better An Old Demon Than A New God

by Joe Wallace

I like strange experiences. Weirdness. So the title of this vinyl record promised me a great deal and it DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. Jim Carroll’s  “A Peculiar-Looking Girl” is worth the price of the record alone, and I’ll buy just about anything with William Burroughs reading on it.

Better An Old Demon Than A New God has fascinating backstory–it’s the one result of John Giorno’s Dial-A-Poem, which started in 1968 after a great deal of audio experimentation and recording with Beats and other artists.

Giorno recorded a lot of these sessions over the years and this album is only one result. You can also check out the Dial-A-Poem 15 Year Anniversary Album You’re A Hook for more of this sort of thing–You’re A Hook features Burroughs, Ginsberg, Phillip Glass, and Frank Zappa among other luminaries.

But what was REALLY creepy and fun to do was to put this record on along with a simultaneously-spinning Coil disc, Unreleased Themes From Hellraiser.

Hearing Jim Carroll doing “An Unusual Looking Girl” while the Coil tracks for the main titles and the Hellraiser Box theme played was absolutely priceless. Mash-ups are great fun, and it was an experience to be had–I strongly recommend it.

While flailing around to find an audio excerpt from Better An Old Demon Than A New God, I found the most excellent Chromaphobia blog, which has the Jim Carroll cut in its entirety. So check out that, but also, I thought, why not try to share my Coil/Carroll mashup experience?

Here’s what you can do–open one browser window with the Chromaphobia blog page for Better An Old Demon Than a New God, then open this page on Discogs.com for the Coil Unreleased Themes For Hellraiser 10″ disc. Start playing the Jim Carroll track first, then start the Hellraiser Box Theme clip so helpfully provided and you’ll get about the same experience I did when I did my version of this…I enjoyed it so much, I did it again using the method just decribed–great spooky fun.

(Transparency alert: I also have a copy of Better An Old Demon Than A New God available for sale on Discogs.com. Just sayin’.)

Chris and Cosey, John Lacey: Elemental 7 Soundtrack

This is a rare vinyl record released on Cabaret Voltaire’s Doublevision label back in the 80s. The soundtrack to a Doublevision video of the same name, Elemental 7 features Chris and Cosey and John Lacey performing as CTI, Creative Technology Institute.

Lots of analog synth action going on here, with dialog and other vocal sampling going on with tracks like Meeting Mr. Evans. The music won’t shock fans of Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Coil, and the likes, but for me, the real draw for this record is in both its cross-pollenation with Cabaret Voltaire and the fact that it’s for intents and purposes an archive of material that no longer exists.

The masters for this release have since been destroyed due to poor storage. The sounds were saved from oblivion at the last moment for a CD reissue of a set of projects on Conspiracy International, but this album is the OG release–an artifact of original multi-track tapes that have given up the ghost.

Check out this sample from the album. “Meeting Mr. Evans” is definitely something I would have been attracted to then, and still am now. I’ve always had a soft spot for this sort of thing, which is why anything released on Doublevision has my full attention–even when it’s not that great overall, there’s still a certain quality about the material that keeps me coming back for more.

(and yes, I do have a copy of Elemental 7: The Original Soundtrack for sale on Etsy.com, for FAR CHEAPER than it is selling from other people on places like Discogs.com where this record is listed for upwards of $70 or more. Yowza.)

–Joe Wallace

Join Turntabling at Cinema Wasteland April 1-3 Strongsville, Ohio

Join Turntabling at Cinema Wasteland, one of THE best movie-related conventions in the USA. The Turntabling booth will be running full steam ahead with a huge pile of vinyl and CD obscurities, rare titles, and lustworthy releases. Looking for Skinny Puppy’s Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse? There will be ONE COPY available at the show. Do you need some Boris Karloff on vinyl? How about Vincent Price? Peter Lorre? All there waiting for you in VERY limited quantities.

Cinema Wasteland is three days of cinema (non-stop screenings!) and nostalgia in a monster-sized show with some of the best vendors and collectibles you’ll find at any show, anywhere. This is Turntabling’s first appearance at the show as a vendor so we are very excited to be taking part and bringing the vinyl finds to you.

Once Wasteland is over, Turntabling resumes its online sales in a major way–stay tuned for more information on that and much more. See you at the show–which is at the Holiday Inn in Strongsville,  minutes from Cleveland. As the Cinema Wasteland site says, it’s located off the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90) & I-71.

Back From HorrorHound Weekend 2011 Indianapolis

It was a crazy, fun-filled weekend at HorrorHound 2011 in Indianapolis. If you weren’t there you missed Dawn of the Dead’s Ken Foree, Sid “Captain Spaulding” Haig, Barbara Steele, and tons of other horror luminaries…and you also missed the Turntabling vinyl junkie heaven as pictured above. Many thanks to all who stopped by to chat, buy rarities on vinyl and trade war stories.

We had tons of great stuff flying off the table this time including rare Goblin, Keith Emerson soundtrack music, Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone and Peter Lorre on vinyl, plus soundtracks from a wide range of films including The Wraith, The Shining, Young Frankenstein, Beetlejuice and too many others to name. Congrats one and all for your vinyl finds…plenty of great feedback from people saying they loved the selection. You are all awesome!

Next Turntabling prepares for Cinema Wasteland April 1-3 in Strongsville Ohio. Turntabling will have a ton of awesome rarities and fun stuff on vinyl and CD including more Goblin, Morricone, Vincent Price, Karloff, Riz Ortolani, Pino Donaggio and tons of others. Do NOT miss it.

Once we’re back from Cinema Wasteland, Turntabling will be offering vinyl and CDs here once again with a new approach and possibly a new look for the site (going back and forth on changing the presentation a bit, still working on that.) We had put things on a hold for a bit pending some decisions and logistics but after Wasteland we’re back in business with a whole new way of doing things that should make for a more efficient ordering experience all around. Stay tuned.

Peter King’s Home-Made Record Lathe

Lately a lot of my free time has been dedicated to researching how to build a home-made DIY record lathe. I’m fascinated by the video clips I’ve seen of people making their own records using sheets of acetate or transparency film for flexi-discs, cutting records on compact disc, even plastic plates!

The thing about home-made records that is the most intriguing–the end product does not have the indefinite lifespan that ordinary vinyl does–every play potentially reduces the lifespan of the DIY recording. This ‘destructible music’ is a wild concept–and one that is strangely attractive to me. I plan on investigating this further as it would be great to put out some crazy Turntabling Records RECORDS and see what happens.

In the meantime, here’s a look at Peter King–who apparently has a very good reputation in these circles and even cuts records for others using his setup–operating his own DIY record lathe. Amazing stuff. This video is a bit chaotic and crazy, hoping to locate some more instructive or informational clips to pass on here. I think the band having its record cut is some kind of Power Electronics noise outfit, like you’d find in the pages of As Loud As Possible.

Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers Spanish Version

The Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers was released in America with a cover designed by Andy Warhol, the iconic “zipper” cover which originally had a real, working zipper.

Warhol biographies say two models were used to shoot the cover image–the zipper unzips to reveal another crotch clad in boxer shorts–and nobody was definitively told whose (covered) junk it is. Hope that doesn’t keep you up at night…some sources say Warhol actor Joe Dellasandro and Warhol boyfriend Jed Johnson are the crotches in question.

But for the Spanish release of Sticky Fingers, a less “pornographic” cover was required…so what THOSE lucky stiffs got was this vaguely Burroughsian (to me) cover…

The original Spanish edition of Sticky Fingers, in addition to the alternate cover art, omits Sister Morphine (can’t imagine why, heh). Some sources say the Warhol zipper cover had its problems in some American chain stores because of the prominent outline of the model’s junk.

Seeing a prominent bulge in a pair of jeans was apparently was enough to send some uptight dingbats into a frenzy of moral outrage. People were dumber back then.

–Joe Wallace

Alsip Record Collectors Show

Alsip Illinois is not what you’d think of as record collector’s heaven, but for one day in November–Saturday November 20, 2010 to be exact–it is EXACTLY that. The Alsip Record Collectors Show was a goldmine for me—I dropped a nice pile of cash here on some obscurities that make my fellow collectors drool.

The thing I truly enjoyed most about this show were the deep discounts. A vinyl junkie buying large numbers of titles can get a good markdown from these very friendly dealers…and I didn’t even ask!

Contrast that to some of the people at the show who seemed, well, a bit too pushy for my tastes when they tried to negotiate discounts on stuff that was already going for half price.

A dealer’s got to turn SOME kind of a profit at these shows and I respect that–otherwise why go into the business in the first place? I was well pleased with the titles, selection and discounts I got from this show.

From the Tones on Tail colored vinyl 12-inch of “Lions” with GO! as the b-side to the Skinny Puppy LP Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse, I cleaned up.

I highly recommend the Alsip Record Collectors show. Whenever I find a new-to-me record show to attend, I hop on Facebook to see if they are listed there–the most savvy record shows take full advantage of Facebook.

I was stunned to see only TWO people like the Alsip record show FB page, which is sad…this is a show well worth attending even if it is on the outskirts of Chicago and an hour-ish drive away. Friend ‘em on Facebook and give them some love. This is a small, easy to navigate and above all FUN TO SHOP record show.

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The Mood Mosaic 12 Mondo Porno 12-Inch Vinyl LP

I scored this while out and about collecting last minute vinyl purchases for my Paisley Babylon show at Transistor tomorrow night (Friday October 15 at 5045 N. Clark 8PM). It is chock full of heavy breathing, moaning, and some excellent wacka-wacka funk sounds that you’d be quite right to expect from a piece of vinyl called Mondo Porno.

This is one of a very long series of mood music releases from the excellent Partners In Crime label, who are also responsible for plenty of other Mood Mosaic releases including the highly recommended Hascish Party, which is my favorite of the collection.

I’m a huge fan of the Mood Mosaic series, and the very naughty picture disc for Mondo Porno is no exception–these are some excellent grooves and I’m definitely including them in my performance tomorrow night at Transistor…feast your ears on this!