#76 soundsbox

Sound experiments. It's arguable whether this stuff is even listenable. If that's the case, you might actually be able to call it "art." Don't bet on it, though. We've released all of this stuff before as individual posts in our ongoing soundseries. But we're now boxing it up with a spiffy new cover for easy consumption. 15 tracks, approximately 78 minutes, almost like one of those CDs your favorite rock star might release when he's slumming in the "experimental music" field. We all know that just means he finally made enough money to buy some new gear, and he's paying for it by selling his fans the noise it makes when he turns it all on at once. We already had the gear. All tracks previously released.

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soundsone
soundstwo
soundsthree
soundsfour
soundsfive

#75 The Singles Box

The original idea was to release a new single every few weeks and then sell our less-than-impressed fanbase some Limited Edition hard copies at inflated collector's prices. We envisioned including some droll postcards, like The Pixies might do, to justify the exorbitant price tag. In this new age of the music business, bands now know that they have to give away their albums to web-leggers, just to be able to sell the $100 Deluxe Expanded Import Box Set (with some more pieces of paper and, perhaps, a free mini-CD of a bad rehearsal gathering dust on DAT). So... here's our digital version of one such redundant box set, just like the big stars' record companies might concoct. The Singles Box includes our first digital 45 (#45 The Stalker), along with our consecutive series of digital 45s (#52-#56). Click titles for details. All tracks previously released.

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#45 The Stalker 45
#52 Clash On Broadway 45
#53 I Wanna Be Your Man 45
#54 Metal Machine Music 45
#55 The Last Countdown 45
#56 The Trouser Variations 45

#74 "I Wanna Be Your Man (Mono Master)" Official Digital Online RE-Release!

I WANNA BE YOUR MAN 45
"Most people aren’t aware that Lennon & McCartney's 'I Wanna Be Your Man' is actually a re-write of an old blues tune of the same name. 'Blind somebody' recorded it in the early 1950s, and collectors know of a few records out there that have survived. A sure clue that it's not a Lennon/McCartney original is illustrated by how seriously John & Paul treated the song. For a larf, they pawned it off on The Rolling Stones (theories abound that it was a blatant attempt to derail their career). But, Lennon & McCartney ended up laughing even louder at the bank when the Stones accidentally had their first hit single with it. Then... they gave the song to Ringo to sing - a sure sign of something, to be sure. But because copyright laws were so loose in the 1960s, 'I Wanna Be Your Man' has long been considered just another old, co-opted blues tune that got ‘borrowed’ and goosed-up by a band of upper-poppin' punks with a Merseyside beat. Hey, they were kids, what did they know? So, we stripped the song back to its original Mississippi blues roots. This is why we don't do vocals. Consider yourself warned."

We first debuted an edited variation of this recording via the multi-artist, web-only project, The Beatles Complete On Ukulele... before posting it ourselves as #53 I Wanna Be Your Man 45. But now, in a misguided stab at crossover acceptance, we're re-releasing "I Wanna Be Your Man (Mono Master)" to respectable digital outlets like iTunes, Amazon, Shazam (and other big time retailers). That's right, we've gone legit - even springing for the necessary licensing so that Lennon & McCartney get their splits for "writing" this 1964 hit for The Rolling Stones, though (as you can read above) their authorship has been irresponsibly challenged and questioned (ahem). The Record Store Day people didn't appreciate any of it, either (and, given our rep, probably didn't believe the MOJO quote was legit. It is, thanks Fred). Those of you who require FLAC, AIFF, WAV or other lossless formats can grab it from the Bandcamp player below. Those deciding to get it from a big time digital distributor (hint hint), and thus helping to push this track into Billboard and Soundscan's Top 10... we humbly thank you.

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I Wanna Be Your Man (Mono Master) (3:04)

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#73 The Behest Of We're Late For Class - Big Time Digital Mega-Store Release!

In yet another attempt to inflict what we do on the masses, we are (for the first time) officially releasing a compilation of previously-released material to big league, professional, corporate digital retailers - like iTunes, Shazam, Amazon, CD Baby and others. Who'll collectively have no warning about what is secretly infesting their sites and playlists. Precisely what you'll find here is 80 minutes of grooved-out jams, short bursts of nonsense, a mind-numbing 22:44 opus, and even a taste of our jazz-blistered alter-ego, Art Jackson's Atrocity. All thoughtfully sequenced and ever-mindful of your blissed-out smoking jacketed listening pleasure.... just like the sub-header says. None of which should be any surprise to our devoted and loyal followers... if that's indeed who you are. Your kind already know where to grab 320 files of this material, while those with sound fetishes requiring FLAC, AIFF, WAV and other high-quality formats can visit Bandcamp (or any of our streaming players). Full releases are a mere $1. Click the linked #'s behind each title below to visit our original posts. Virtually all of this was recorded live, without rehearsals, without much thought and without much sobriety. We advise adopting the same mindset.

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1000 Islands (Two) (1:24) #4
Burden Bearers (Of Aristocracy) (4:54) #15
Trippin' In A Plymouth Belvedere (w/ College Sweater Breach & The Misplaced Prelude) (10:25) #32
Final Moments Of Barry Cowsill (Redux 4) (10:08) #14
Fukhausen (Excerpt) (2:22) #3
The Air In Another Country (Soundtrack To An East Berlin Spaghetti ...Western) (11:00) #51
(Another) Summer Of Heigel (8:22) #9
Jazz Interlude (0:33) #46
Bob Can Hear Us (22:44) #29
Available Bush (from GOUT, by Art Jackson's Atrocity) (7:16) #71

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#72 ART JACKSON'S ATROCITY Live In Europe (1975)

The long-lost second LP from Art Jackson's Atrocity. Recorded live in Germany, just months after Gout (the band's 1974 debut album for Columbia Records) was shelved, deemed unsellable by the label's corporate hierarchy. Turning down a January, 1975 invitation to support Miles Davis in Tokyo, The Atrocity decided instead to blitzkrieg Germany, finding a receptive audience for their incendiary style of improvisational jazz/noise/rock. First issued as an independent LP in St. Louis, circa 1975, Live In Europe is the only known live document of Art Jackson's Atrocity - though… all of the Atrocity's work was recorded live as it happened. Live In Europe, however, captures the frenetic energy that can only be found in a live setting, as artist and audience face off for an anticipatory clash of unknown expectations and improvisational possibilities. The enthusiastic response from the jazz-hungry Germans in both Düsseldorf and Berlin provides an exhilarating backdrop to The Atrocity's only overseas performances. Now, for the first time in over 40 years, a new generation of listeners has the opportunity to hear the musical madness of a close-knit collective of anti-social misfits with no corporate goals. What might have been... had label indifference, drug abuse and multiple incarcerations not derailed one of the 1970's more unpredictable forebears of a futuristic musical dystopia few were willing to believe could possibly exist.

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#31994 (4:22)
The Continuum (4:55)
Death Train To Nuremberg (4:06)
Birds On Fire (7:59)
Birds On Fire, Part 2 (11:14)

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#71 ART JACKSON'S ATROCITY Gout (1974)

"This is the tale of one of the great lost experimental jazz/rock albums. According to legend, Gout was bankrolled by Miles Davis in 1974, delivered to Columbia Records and pressed for promotion… then summarily abandoned by the label. Reasons, besides its lack of commercial potential, are unclear. Though theories range from guitarist Art Jackson’s already developed heroin addiction to Columbia’s desire to distance themselves from a band that may have included a few radical Black Panthers. Reportedly, when Miles (with his own drug problems) began withdrawing into seclusion, so did the desire to release Gout. Specializing in free form, live-in-the-studio, jazz/rock experimentation, The Atrocity was a chaotic, 8 to 11 piece collective fronted by the 20-year-old Jackson – whose guitar explorations were prone to both violent outbursts and spacey sonic excursions. No charts, no songs, no rhyme or reason. Driven by heavy-propulsion drumming, the musical interplay between the players suggests a drug-fueled free for all." - Willard, Never Get Out Of The Boat

"I've heard Gout and, whatever the provenance, it's a fine, percussion-fuelled, invigorating free-for-all." - Fred Dellar, MOJO Magazine

Listen

Shaft In Afghanistan (7:36)
Arabian Fabian (9:02)
Available Bush (7:15)
Chimps Do Five (Bonus Track ) (8:54) - Gout (Remastered & Expanded) Only
Tomato Reign (16:11)
Gout (6:21)

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Limited Edition CD Release...

Art Jackson's Atrocity *SOLD OUT*
Gout (Remastered & Expanded) Promo CD 

#70 "8 Gigs In Kingston - The Complete We're Late For Class" (USB Flash Drive)

SOLD OUT!

Our catalog is officially out of control. This "complete" USB Flash Drive release first began as 4 Gigs In Kingston, but has exponentially expanded into a behemoth we're now forced to call, 8 Gigs In Kingston. As before, it contains the entire We're Late For Class catalog - almost two days worth of so-called "music," designed to soundtrack your blissed-out mindset (or... up the ante on your ongoing audio wars with the neighbors) - all on a single 16 GIG 3.0 SE9 G2 Kingston Data Traveler USB Drive. Every track available on this blog (and even one track that isn't). This collection (all @320) comes with a Rich Text File containing all the artwork and text found in this blog's nooks and crannies - including... all of our numbered releases, our ongoing soundseries, even alternate personas (aka Art Jackson's Atrocity, The Manipulationators & The Avant Guard) and... "Pregnant Tight Rope Walker In Santa Ana," a track that only appeared on an offsite compilation album. Such a deal at $16.99, plus $3.92 Media Mail shipping (USA SHIPPING ONLY! ). The good news is that (for a while anyway) you'll get an extra 8 gigs of free space, which is probably more valuable than the chaotic 8 gigs we're hawking here. After we foot the bill for the drive, Paypal fees and sundry expenses, we'll probably wind up with a six-pack of imported brew for ourselves - which we're confident you'd happily treat us to if we ever came over to your house to play. And, in a way we are... in the form of a discreet Media Mail package, shipped within 24 hours (except weekends & holidays). Can you beat that? If we sell enough of these, we might even buy a van and tour. Then we just might show up at your place to hang out long enough to empty the fridge. That's cool, right?

8 Gigs In Kingston
The Complete We're Late For Class 
USB 16GB 3.0 FLASH DRIVE Only $16.99 + $3.92 Shipping (USA SHIP ONLY!)

#69 Space

“Beyond the edge of the world there’s a space where emptiness and substance neatly overlap, where past and future form a continuous, endless loop. And, hovering about, there are signs no one has ever read, chords no one has ever heard.” ― Kafka On The Shore




Listen:
Space (35:33)
The Orchestrated Art (6:05)

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#68 The Tim Leary Seance Experience

This was actually our 5th seance. The first, an attempt to contact Screaming Jay Hawkins, resulted in massive property damage and some outstanding fines and liens that have yet to be satisfied. Our next attempt had better results, and was released as #30 The Jim Morrison Seance Tapes. After that, we tried to communicate with Captain Beefheart, but that didn’t pan out, and we found out the hard way that our seance with Courtney Love was... uh, premature. Of course, we’re confident that our spiritual guide, Madame Jodi, really does make contact with the people we’re paying her to find... and she’s not just downloading old voice tapes from the internet and passing them off as new spiritual connections. But we noticed she does always demand payment up front. Just like our Jim Morrison seance release, we’re also offering an instrumental version of the proceedings, minus the good Doctor, just in case you're one of those who aren’t buying into the whole seance premise in the first place. Frankly, we can't blame you.

Listen:

The Tim Leary Seance Experience (Comet Watchers) (22.50)
The Tim Leary Seance Experience (Instrumental) (22.50)

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#67 VGER

Reconstructed through highly advanced technologies as a vast space-faring artificial organism, VGER was augmented with a three-dimensional data collection and storing apparatus magnitudes beyond anything previously known to Federation science. Likewise providing it with effectively immeasurable defensive and sensory capabilities, the inhabitants of the machine planet gave VGER the ability to fulfill its programming in a far more complete fashion than the scientists who originally built and launched the vessel at its core ever imagined. Recorded live and made up on the spot. As if you couldn't tell.

Listen

Tuning (0:27)
VGER Love Theme / VGER (10:38)
VGER VEGR (11:54)

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#66 Jazz From Outer Space, Vol. 2

So it is written, that in this, the year of our Lord, we reconvened to celebrate the 4 year anniversary of "The Premiere And Final Performance Of Jazz From Outer Space" (#35), a ten minute shock to the nervous system that should have ended the possibility of any future encores. Well, this Jazz From Outer Space music has nothing to do with the first Jazz From Outer Space. We just thought we'd toss another "series," or marketable brand, up against the wall and see if it sticks. You never know, one of Johnny Depp's or Tom Hanks' daughters might tweet "those Jazz From Outer Space guys are cool," and we'll become internet sensations, able to call our own shots at the next Comic-Con... or maybe, some Westinghouse Appliance Trade Show Convention gig.

Listen

Audacious (9:11)
The Original King Heroin (8:06)
I Know (6:15)

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#65 The Insect Year

Wouldn't it be something if - for all our talk about aliens, other worlds and UFOs, etc. - we had already been invaded by beings from other planets. But they were only able to multiply enough to shift the balance of our eco-system, not take over mankind. I mean... look at the guy on the cover. He's clearly a together kinda guy, an intelligent creature, who also carries an elaborate set of built-in tools to help him analyze and survive the hostile world around him. He looks like he might even be a Commander of something. What we're putting forth is the proposition that we are already living amongst alien beings, just as shrewd and just as talented, that are ruling entire parts of the planet - whether inches under the ground, deep beneath the sea or floating in the air. One day they'll take over... that's sort of what the title track is all about. Kneel before your future leaders.

Listen

The Insect Year (Full Blown) (6:07)
Fake Skim One (3:06)
The Insect Year (Thawed) (6:26)

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#64 The Year Of The Snake

We were going to call it The Year Of The Cat. But, when the news hit the trade magazines, we got a call from Al Stewart's management threatening us with a "whazoo-sized lawsuit." Our mouthpieces talked to their mouthpieces, but nothing substantial was coming from the all night meetings, which were growing strained as the February 10th release date neared. That's when Al Stewart himself walked in, dressed in white and wearing a little too much makeup. He said he was suspicious of his lawyers' outrageous bills and decided to "drop in and see how my money's being spent." After listening to the pros and cons of the legal predicament for a few minutes, Stewart stood up and said he didn't care one way or the other about the title, but that we should keep in mind that on Feb 10th, after the new moon enters Aquarius, the Chinese Zodiac was ushering in the Year of the Snake, and we should probably consider that title instead. "The monkey is the only animal that really knows how to handle the snake," he said... cryptically. So, we followed Al's advice.

Listen

The Snake (11:52)

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#63 I'm Gonna Die... Today

Bullying can affect you in many ways. You may lose sleep or feel sick. You may want to skip school. You may even be thinking about suicide. If you are feeling hopeless or helpless or know someone that is, please call the LIFELINE at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or, coming soon, simply dial '988'.





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I'm Gonna Die... Today (7:15)

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#62 Moon My Peers

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like "I feel a bit light headed, maybe you should drive...." And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, and a voice was screaming: "Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?" We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all this for the trip, but once you get locked in a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. And I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon. - HST

Listen

Dog Killer (Evening Run) (4:24)
Moon My Peers (Composite Sketch) (8:50)
Dog Killer (4:44)

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#61 Frankenstein Tree

From that fateful day when stinking bits of slime first crawled from the sea and shouted to the cold stars, "I am man," our greatest dread has always been the knowledge of our mortality. But tonight, we shall hurl the gauntlet of science into the frightful face of death itself. Tonight, we shall ascend into the heavens. We shall mock the earthquake. We shall command the thunders, and penetrate into the very womb of impervious nature herself. For what we are about to see next, we must enter quietly into the realm of genius. Alive! It's alive! It's ALIVE!

Listen

Frankenstein Tree (Who Shall Separate) (7:52)
Dennie's Kegger (Remix) (7:34)

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#60 John Carpenter's Blue Hawaii

We've never mentioned this before, as you'll soon learn why, but Rudy insists he can travel to the future via thought transmissions. Sort of like an out-of-body experience, but out-of-mind. Anyway, on one of Rudy's recent trips (side note: he does extraordinarily well on NFL betting sites), he told us he went to see a John Carpenter movie (in 2030) called Blue Hawaii. He clued us into the plot and we concocted this live soundtrack in the hopes of sufficiently freaking out John Carpenter - once he gets around to film pre-production and does a web search. Then he'll have to consider the idea of our soundtracking the film as some kind of pre-ordained fate. Some divine intervention. Which will eat away at him like a burrowing creature from one of his movies, gnawing at his brain like a persistent unanswerable question. Either that or he'll just chuckle and let loose the hounds. Second in a series. Recorded live.

Listen

Venusian Caravan Mirage (3:09)
Theme To John Carpenter's Blue Hawaii (8:02)
Theme To John Carpenter's Blue Hawaii (Reprise): Titling Rights (4:57)

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#59 Gravitas

"Episode In Argyle, Parts I & II" is, as the title suggests, two back-to-back takes. You'll hear the end of the first take at the 5:22 mark, when we break out The Art Chord. The Art Chord is our musical "uncle." When played, it means any given player is spent, has given up, has nothing more to offer, is bowing out, etc. So, after The Art Chord was signaled we just started bashing around, you know, before wrapping everything up and, inadvertently, we started a new take. Happens all the time, actually. The Art Chord reappears at the very end of the track, and also signals the conclusion of the nearly 17-minute title track, "Gravitas #68 -3," chiming in at 16:36, just prior to going black. It's just a little two note sliding blues thing. We left them in the mixes this time just to draw attention to the gravity of the situation. Recorded live in 33 minutes.

Listen

Episode In Argyle, Parts I & II (10:11)
Outside The Opium Den (Oscar Coverage) (5:34)
Gravitas #68 -3 (16:46)

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#58 Caterwaul

Our task is to set your nightmares to the finest music ever offered the public. So, in keeping with that tradition, here are some more stoned excursions, edited for your convenience. Just so you know, we worked for about 10 minutes on that funk break near the end of "The Asian Autobahn," and when the time came we still blew it. What is that? Is... that... my... haaaaannnnnnnndddddd?

Listen

Caterwaul (Late Version) (5:21)
The Asian Autobahn (5:48)
Microbiotics (Sept 5) (4:35)

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#57 Music Of The Spheres

Cool space pic? Check! Mystical but meaningless title? Check! Needlessly provocative song titles? Let's see... blood, queens, Sun Ra? Check! 16 minutes of semi-spacey, noodling that seems to take on a life of its own? Hmmm! Hooks? Where are the hooks? I don't hear any hooks! What the hell was that? A what? Is that even an instrument? Who's that guy in the corner eating coconut from a can with a fork? Is he in the band? Then, what's he doing here? Get him out. I mean it! Get him out now, he's creepin' me out big time. In fact, why don't all you guys get out of my office... and take your roaches with you. Tammi, call security.


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Blood Queen Of Sun Ra (8:22)
SOL's Time And Space (7:54)

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