We're Late For Class

#90 Rank Hypnosis

No… you don’t have to stare at the animated cover while you listen to this collection of hypnotic, narcotic, psychotic and, frankly, sub-neurotic musical rhetoric. But, it might help. It’ll likely help anything you listen to. Just so you know, “Rank Hypnosis (In Easter Hay)” is a conceptual throwback to #38’s “The Dirge Experience (In Easter Hay)," where we first peddled the idea that no other artist (and especially our future kids) should ever perform a cover version of this tune after we die. Not that anyone actually would. This is really just about marketing. And we’re all about marketing. As much as your average L.A. hair band from the 80s, minus the abs. It’s a cut-throat world for those of us not shackled for life to corporations like Ticketmaster or Live Nation. This is about freedom, independence, the American way. Look at the animated cover… freedom …independence… the American way. Look at the cover again… freedom …indepe… oh, and while you’re at it, eat more greens. 320's are below, but those with discerning ears can get FLAC, AIFF, WAV and other file formats from our Bandcamp page (and/or the player below) for a measly buck.

Listen:

Ruptured Disk (Take One) (2:40)
In Anticipation Of The Whale Riders (5:28)
Rank Hypnosis (In Easter Hay) (8:28)

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#89 Concoctions For Stoners & Self-Inflictionists

What do criminals, poets and oddballs like Richard Nixon, Jimmy Swaggart, Christian Bale, Francis E. Dec, Jim Carroll, Gil-Scott Heron, Jesse Jackson, Dr. Noah Young and Sweet Valley High have in common? Don’t ask. But feel free to forward any Cease and Desist letters to our lawyers at Dewey, Cheatem And Howe.

We had planned this to be a short collection of our latest concocted anomalies, but decided to pad this set with a few oldies to plug our back catalog. It’s something we learned from big-time record companies, proving once again that we can be as greedy and self-serving as the best of them. In keeping with time-honored tradition, free 320's are below, while those whose ears are sensitive to the limitations of MP3s, can score FLAC, AIFF, WAV and other file formats from our Bandcamp page (and/or players) for a mere buck.

Listen:

Soundcheck (1:11)

I Know (Alt End) (6:13) Original On #66 Jazz From Outer Space, Vol. 2

“Is This One Of Your Long Playing Records, Chuck? Let’s Hear The ...Other Side” (1:35)

Ali Ali (Alt End) (4:53) Original On #27 Caravan Psoriasis

The Ultimate Cover-Up (3:14)

The Writings Of Francis E. Dec, Esquire (5:12)

The Stalker (Ronnie Don’t) (Alt End) (3:51) Original On #45 The Stalker 45

Confusion 2020 (6:01)

Tomorrow In March (Remix) (4:23) Original On #55 The Last Countdown 45

The Sinner (6:21)

The Military & The Monetary (5:24)

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#88 THE MANIPULATIONATORS II Birth Of The New Psychedelia

THE MANIPULATIONATORS BIO: Using a syncopated collection of re-interpreted themes, organized interruptions, subtly adjusted variations and unrelenting repetition, THE MANIPULATIONATORS re-configure a steady stream of obscure grooves, disguised DNA and questionable invention - meshed with random, magnetically impaled particles, technologically altered waveforms and a few resurrected past glories - into this undeniably trippy collection, boldly trying to establish itself as the spearhead of some rare new cultural movement suspiciously called The New Psychedelia.

Don't believe it for a minute. Although... it's true, we DO have a new release, THE MANIPULATIONATORS II Birth Of The New Psychedelia, and we ARE positing that this is the stuff that inspired a "new psychedelic movement." It's what we do. Spread the word. It's shelf-life is highly questionable. Dubious? Audacious? Call it what you will. We'll ask our tax guy to draw something official up. We humbly appreciate all you supportive types, and we apologize for the unsolicited emails and public shaming that comes with it. As is often the case, 320's are below, while the sonically picky among you can get FLAC, AIFF, WAV and various other file formats from our Bandcamp page (and/or players) for a mere buck.

Listen:

Side 1
Birth Of The New Psychedelia (5:56)
The Complex Complex (1:58)
El Pictorials (2:24)
Stitches (3:21)

Side 2
Vincent & Angie Conversing At A French Cafe: The Beginning (4:56)
Vincent & Angie Conversing At A French Cafe: The End (1:21)
THE OCTET OF ANGER Plays The Buddy Rich Songbook (9:08)

Free 320
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#87 The Seasonal Care And Feeding Of Tony Conrad's Surviving Cats

What's in a name? Is this psychedelia masquerading as something else altogether? Some might call it a slow-drip water torture. But, whatever you do, don't call it Krautrock... it upsets the cats. Is this piece loosely based on courtroom documentation, officially filed legal paperwork and long established care and feeding principles? How should we know? We're just paid here to play.

Listen:

The Seasonal Care And Feeding Of Tony Conrad's Surviving Cats
...(As Set Forth Herein...) (14:38)
The Nautically Themed FF Champion (7:06)

Free 320
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#86 Side 3 & Side 4

Is this phase two of Hold On A Second, I Gotta Take A Piss? More raw, live, on-the-fly sessions that tend to be short on brevity. Voted #1 by the "Headphone Abusers" Facebook Support Group. Over 35 minutes that can't be duplicated by one of those random noise generators, for better or worse. It might be psychedelic, but to be sure, you should probably consult your dictionary. Think of this as material that didn't fit on our last one (for acronym enthusiasts, #85HOASIGTAP:DAGRT&TGOFZ). As usual, 320's are below, but you high-maintenance types can get FLAC, AIFF, WAV and various other file formats from our Bandcamp page (and/or players) for a mere buck. Along with our cherished supporters & commenters, some thanks are in order - but, so as not to sully any reputations, we'll keep mum for the moment.

Listen:

SIDE 3
Sounds For Detuned Ensemble
...(w/ The Occasional Psychedelic Suggestion) (7:22)
"Is This Phase 2...?" (Moon Mix) (11:04)

SIDE 4
How Bizarre (5:58)
The Thumb Drum Variations (12:04)

Free 320
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#85 Hold On A Second, I Gotta Take A Piss: Drum Auditions, Guerrilla Recording Techniques & The Ghost Of Frank Zappa

Most of this was recorded over the course of a couple of weeks in various places... old school, guerrilla-style, hit-and-run-type sessions that took another couple of weeks to edit. It's got a bit of a theme that some might pick up on. Others won't care. A continuous 50 minutes, if that's not a deal-breaker. We do all this for you. We hope you know that. Believe it or not... there are follow-ups.

Listen:

Side One
200 Motel Room Keys (1:27)
Reptilian Manner (3:25)
Dark Prunes (Edgard's Apocalypto Mix) (2:32)
The Audition/The Curly Howard Tuning Method (3:30)
Nine Types Of Industrial Copyright Theft (5:34)
Glenn Miller's Luggage Is Missing, Too (Remix) (5:34)
Musique Concrète Mixer Pt. 3/Parenthetically Speaking
... (Live At Royal Albert Hall) (4:40)

Side Two
Return Of The Son Of Plywoods In The Dark (22:50)

Free 320
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#84 THE AVANT GUARD White Noise System

THE AVANT GUARD… Your Defense Against The Un-Avantful!

Therapeutically speaking, the WHITE NOISE SYSTEM might be precisely what you need to cure your numerous ills and ailments. Played LOW, this 55-minute gestation of pure, uncut, pre-street, white noise will mask bedtime sounds to give you a good night's sleep. But, it can even be used for sharpening your senses. Played LOUD, your faculties will reel at the imagination’s unlimited absurdity. As the static energy pulsates, your brain will attempt to make sense of it all. You’ll think you’re hearing voices, patterns, noises, howling animals,

alien communication and wildly non-sensical conspiracy theories. If you experiment by altering the volume levels of the WHITE NOISE SYSTEM, you’ll discover a plethora of differing results. We’ve also thoughtfully included a UK Bonus Track, "White Noise System (30m)," just for collectors... or the certifiable.

“Yeah, but… does it work?,” the skeptic in you might ask. Well, you can take our word for it (ahem). Just pay no heed to the FDA, since we were too broke to pay the necessary fees for government approval. Heck… the fascists even demanded our names before allowing us to make “unsubstantiated medical claims” on the web, can you believe that?

Besides, it will only cost you a click to find out for yourself (which, coincidentally, shields us from any prosecutorial fraud charges). However, being the kind of ardent collector we know you are - boasting unquestionable pedigree, refined tastes and at least one respectable pair of shoes - you could opt for the high quality FLAC, WAV or AIFF versions of WHITE NOISE SYSTEM available via Bandcamp or the streaming players for a mere buck. It's a great stocking stuffer. By the way, our lawyers have memo-ed us that we need to state, up-front, that anyone experiencing any unusual occurrences after listening to the WHITE NOISE SYSTEM - like suddenly waking up behind the wheel of a car going 85mph; clucking like a chicken whenever you drive past a fast food joint; or suddenly deciding to rob a bank and anonymously laundering the money though our Bandcamp account - we, THE AVANT GUARD, can not be held liable for your actions.

FYI: No surviving members of The Velvet Underground were harmed during the making of this release.

Listen

“White Noise System (55m)” (55:00)
“White Noise System (30m)” (30:00) (UK Bonus Track)

Free 320
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#83 THE MANIPULATIONATORS The New Psychedelia

THE MANIPULATIONATORS BIO: Using a syncopated collection of re-interpreted themes, organized interruptions, subtly adjusted variations and unrelenting repetition, THE MANIPULATIONATORS re-configure a steady stream of obscure grooves, disguised DNA and questionable invention - meshed with random, magnetically impaled particles, technologically altered waveforms and a few resurrected past glories - into this undeniably trippy collection, boldly trying to establish itself as the spearhead of some rare new cultural movement suspiciously called The New Psychedelia.

THE MANIPULATIONATORS should probably be considered the purest form of flattery, but until then, it’s our sincere hope, belief, and legal position, that the word "influence" carries very broad protections in a court of law. Thanks, by the way, to all you supporting types, and to Gregg & friends for the vox pinch. We've been told that this music has been certified compatible with government-grown medical marijuana currently available in 33 states (and DC).

Listen

Side 1
The Killer Awoke Before Dawn... (6:48)
The New Psychedelia (Headphones Not Included) (6:15)
Xenochrony (3:59)

Side 2
"Ladies And Gentlemen... A Psychedelic Circus" (7:08)
The Invisible Man (2:48)
Alive Alive Alive > Excerpt 47 (5:29)
Acted Out Epilogue (3:18)

Free 320
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PRESS THANKS...

Thanks to the late, great Fred Dellar at MOJO Magazine for mentioning Art Jackson's Atrocity AND We're Late For Class in two separate "Ask Fred" columns, where he called the Atrocity's Gout a "fine, percussion-fuelled, invigorating free-for-all," and also saying, "we at Ask Fred are glad WLFC exist." Thanks Fred!

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Many thanks to Jeff Fitzgerald over at Psychedelic Waves for including Art Jackson's Atrocity in his list of Top 30 Albums of 2019, calling Tribute To Sun Ra... "Some great, exploratory, tripped out Sun Ra inspired free jazz," and "a terrific album." Needless to say, we're shocked. Since we never sent the guy a dime. Thanks Jeff.

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Thanks to Roz Milner for the two interview/articles posted at Bearded Gentlemen Music, "Solving the Mystery of Art Jackson Atrocity’s Gout," and the most recent, "With His Back To The Crowd: Art Jackson’s Atrocity’s Live In Europe - Lost Live Jazz Recording."

We collectively appreciate the creative interest and the well-groomed ink.

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Thanks to It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine for the article, "Maybe It’s Time To Take Art Jackson’s Atrocity Seriously." Maybe.

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AN ACTUAL RECORD REVIEW...

ART JACKSON'S ATROCITY

Gout

(Unreleased 1974 Promo On Columbia Records)

Reviewed by Joe Kenney @

Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage

If, like me, your favorite era of Miles Davis is his electric era, specifically the 1973-1975 years in which Pete Cosey was his guitarist, then you’ve probably wondered why that super-fantastic lineup of his never cut an album together, after Miles decided to retire in late 1975. I mean, they were the greatest group in history, with Pete Cosey’s phenomenal, psychedelic guitar (the man was beyond Hendrix, that’s all there is to it), Reggie Lucas’ wah-wah’d grounding rhythm guitar, Michael Henderson’s dub-like basslines…hell, I can’t go through all of them, but if you know them, you love them. But if you’ve ever wondered what an album by this super group sans Miles would sound like, well my friends, I give you Gout, by Art Jackson’s Atrocity.

Only thing is, you’ll have to hunt the blogs for it. Recorded in 1974, the album was cut as a promo by Columbia, who then went on to drop both the group and the album, which is unreleased to this day. “The horror…the horror…” No one’s sure why (info is slim to none on this group and album), but most rumors have to do with Art Jackson’s drug abuse. In any case, the album has perfect sound quality – the only source is the promo LP, of course, and it sounds phenomenal.

The Miles connection surfaces again: Art Jackson was a twenty year-old guitarist whom Miles Davis himself recommended to Columbia records. Apparently Davis even funded the recording of the album. The Atrocity was put together around Jackson, an 11-member collective of hard-rockin’, psychedelia-lovin’, jazz-playin’ motherfuckers (two saxophonists, four drummers, two keyboardists, a guy on reeds, a guy on bass, a guy on “effects”), none of whom I’ve ever heard of (much like Art Jackson himself).

The five long tracks on Gout center around Jackson’s guitar, and the kid is Pete Cosey reborn; the stuff on here sounds almost identical to what Cosey was performing on the Agharta and Pangaea albums. That same sort of fucked-up, psychedelic distortion which goes from raging and chaotic one moment to spaced-out drones the next, the strange tunings, the works. Only thing is, unlike Cosey, Jackson’s not above playing a power chord or three, so the album packs a definite metal-rock punch. I mean, it’s fantastic, the whole thing.

The superbly-named “Shaft In Afghanistan” opens the album. Jackson’s guitar is on super-fucked mode, sounding like a cyclic tone. The rhythm section lays down a menacing, throbbing track, which Jackson and the sax & reeds proceed to riff over. Jackson soon leaves the actual “song” to the others, instead riffing and roaring with all manner of guitar sounds across the track. He’s everywhere, from wah-wah to thick distortion to cosmic fuzz. Things cool down three minutes in, but it’s only a fake-out; the track comes right back in. Jackson funks it up on wah-wah, with studio-tricked handclaps providing additional percussion. There's all sorts of electronic gimmickry on the album; this isn’t just some quickly recorded demo. This eventually calms down again into a sort of funky ambience – but it’s just another fake-out! The track rips right back up, the drums so superbly recorded (and no doubt closely-miked) that they seem to pound within the caverns of your skull.

“Arabian Fabian” (another great title!) comes in with total menace, until a faux-lite jazz tune pops up. Funky, proto-drum’n’bass drum kit and sax. But this soon becomes something altogether un-lite. Echoed murk creeps across the track, eerie wails, treated reeds, and dubbed-out sax bleats. Those close-up drums kick in and we’re in an altogether heavier, funkier groove. The first half of the track belongs to the Atrocity, with Jackson throwing in brief fills and licks on his mutated guitar. Things collapse into psychedelic ambience at the five-minute mark; free jazz with plinking guitar and tapped cymbal. But ominous guitar fuzz hovers in the distance, a starving wolf preparing to attack. John Carpenter keyboards arise and give the track even more of a horror-movie feel. But it’s a ruse; the piano takes over, playing a melancholy melody as the other instruments recede into the murk. This doesn’t last. Those ultra-loud drums kick the shit out of you again, jumping out of nowhere, and suddenly we’re into the strangest of strange: ambient free jazz with heavy metal drums. The track eventually wears itself out, descending back into the murk from whence it came.

“Available Bush” sounds like some early ‘90s industrial mash, with in-your-face drums and ripping and roaring Ministry-esque guitar. The track throbs on an off-kilter funk grove, Jackson heading the proceedings with the twists and turns of his guitar. The sax plays a faux-Middle Eastern counter-melody to his blasts and blares. The bassist throws in a few snake-like fills of his own, but his instrument sounds anemic compared to Jackson’s acidic distortion. This one humps along for seven minutes which quickly pass by, never establishing anything beyond that off-kilter groove, but never suffering for it.

“Tomato Reign” is the epic of the album, 16+ minutes of cosmic echo and free jazz. It crawls out of the murk in the opening moments, ethereal and disjointed fills from the assembled players. Things continue in this dubbed-out vein for a few minutes; nothing on the level of the Taj Mahal Travelers, but close…along the lines of the last half of Miles’ 1975 shows, when Cosey et al would let it all hang out in improvisatory bouts of experimental noise and abstraction. Pounding, tribal drums which pop out and then disappear. Bleated sax fills which float across the sound spectrum. Even animalistic grunts, growls, and screams from the group. This culminates in ultra-fucked guitar from Jackson, sounding again like some cyclic tone from hell, and then someone (a group member? a sample from some obscure film?) states in the calmest tones, “Fuck her. Let her rot.” A few more minutes of banging, echoed drums and bleating, mournful fills from the sax, and that’s it: the freest noise-skronk ever comes to a close.

“Let’s go!,” someone yells, and we’re straight into the pounding, pissed-off proto-metal of the title track, “Gout.” This is the rock version of the preceding track, another rhythmless excursion into all things free, only packing a wallop in the guitar distortion and overall menace. It pounds and snarls for six minutes, never finding a groove, preferring to live in its own sonic hellhole of chaotic din. Finally it builds to a climax of sorts, with a few final bashes on the drum kit, and the record’s over.

To be fair, you can see why Columbia refused to release this. Gout is the type of album you’d only find on some free jazz label or, if it was recorded today, some ultra-hip indie label. But Columbia in the mid-1970s? Releasing this groundless swell of jazz-metal ambience? Hard to believe. But those master tapes are out there, somewhere, as is the full story of what exactly happened to Art Jackson and his Atrocity. In the meantime, we can only listen to their one recorded album, and wonder.