The Microphones "Don't Wake Me Up" CD/LP (K Records, 1999)

(CD spine 1, spine 2, front, back, opened, inside of booklet, CD itself top, inner groove, play-side info)



(LP spine, cover front, back, LP inner label A, B)



(LP in shrink wrap, front, back, spine, UPC sticker)






The Microphones "Don't Wake Me Up" CD/LP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-Recorded between April 25, 1998 and March 1, 1999 at Dub Narcotic (Olympia) and The Business (Anacortes) By Phil Elrum. Also involved in the recording, Mirah Yom Tov Zietlyn, Khaela Maricich, Calvin Johnson ("all sang").

-Released in 1999 by K Records (kpunk.com) (KLP 99)

-IFPI Number: 6000*

*Actually just learned about this number. In my forever striving to chronicle down to the tiniest details for this page I recently decided I ought to be including the branding and coding on the play-side (silver side) of the disc. The inner grooves on CDs come with all manner of info, weird bar codes, label catalog info, strange symbols, info on the country where it was manufactured or the specific company that made it. (And seriously, if anyone out there knows how to decipher all that stuff please, PLEASE let me know, I'd love to be able to go through and list it all) For the most part, for this blog, I am going to suffice with just putting up pics of this info on the CD as best I can (it's hard as hell to take pictures of because it's generally very small and on a reflective surface), and not listing it in the album details. However, where I can, I am going to make one exception and that is for the IFPI number. This is the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. It's sort of like the ISSN number on a book. It's basically a weird anti-piracy league of some kind with, apparently, a very colorful history. Not too up on much of it but if you'd like to learn more I'd start here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Federation_of_the_Phonographic_Industry
for the sake of this blog I'm going to suffice with just listing the number as a relevant piece of information and not dwell on the politics of the organization.

-Barcode number: 789856109913

-Apparently the CDs were "Made in Canada"

-Cover art by J. Pogue, who we've seen several times before on the first couple Microphones 7"s.* I guess he was one of the people that was in and out of the "band" around this era.

*Original vinyl releases also included a special edition of the "Litne" art zine created especially for this LP by Justyn Pogue as seen here:

(Front/back covers and all pages)*



*It is worth nothing that most of the images seem to be themed around the idea of "sleep" as per the title of the LP. Also, we see the image that the graphics from the actual CD were taken from as well as, what seems to be one of Phil's favorites, the drawing of the billowing clouds (which we will see/have seen on many other releases).

-It's on LP and CD and on K so no clue how many of these there might have been, thousands of the CD I'm guessing and at least a thousand of the LP.

-Other details of note:

The CD features different cover art (though represented in the same fashion) from the LP. The CD features a new, unique black and white image, whereas the LP features the same picture that was on the "Moon, Moon" 7". The back cover on the CD seems to be another in the same series of pics, whereas the back cover of the LP seems to be another J. Pogue collage (including the "clouds" drawing).

The CD foldout art features a large "in color" photo collage (much like he one that accompanies the reissues of "The Glow Pt. 2") which is not featured on the LP. The pics are of all kinds of random things and people (Bronwyn Holm, Kyle Field, Phil, and Khaela seem to be recognizable as well as the source pictures used for the CD cover art).

The inside of the CD cover also features the famous "cloud drawing"

As is usual with the early Phil CDs there is a picture "hidden" under the plastic tray, viewable in my pics because there is a transparent tray rather than the standard opaque black (though, it is worth noting, that I am sure this CD originally came with a black tray and someone along the line replaced the one I have with a transparent tray). The pic underneath is an overexposed pic of Phil's face with his eyes closed, next to him, half off-cell, there appears to be someone else's face as well. I wonder who that is.

On the back of the LP, again, label addresses are listed for both K Records (P.O. Box 7154 Olympia, Wash. 98507) and KNW-YR-OWN (1717 Commercial, Anacortes, Wash. 98221) .

There is not an information insert with the LP, all the info is listed on the back cover (and it is worth noting that the LP version is the only one with any info other than the song titles. The CD lists none of the other info, anywhere, which is on the back cover of the LP). There is, however, the afore mentioned J. Pogue zine as well as a huge poster (which, interestingly, appears to be in-line with the rest of the LP art but, additionally, is a picture of a WINDOW). Perhaps a subconscious or intentional allusion to the "Window" CD which would follow and "accompany" this release. Poster seen here:


Inner groover info is pretty normal, though they, for some reason, actually write out the sides on this one. It is also of particular note that the inner groove info differs from all other release info. All over all the rest of the LP and CD this is clearly marked as KLP-99, however, on the vinyl inner grrove markings this is listed as KLP-101 (KLP-101 Side A, Side B).

The vinyl labels are, unlike most of the releases from this era, taken from the cover art images. Usually, as we have seen, Phil has a specific, hand-drawn, label design which he usually uses for the inner labels.

There's an interesting little review here: http://web.archive.org/web/19990101000000-20030131235959/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/m/microphones/dont-wake-me-up.shtml
from our friends at Pitchfork.



...............................



This was another of the first Microphones CDs I bought, back in the day at Newbury. Cannot recall any of the original circumstances surrounding this one, alas. I am certain at the time I was frustrated and intrigued by the fact that the back of the CD does not feature any song titles or recording info.

I also believe this is a record I have gotten to know very slowly over a long period of time and still do not really feel "familiar" with (as evidenced by the fact that, besides the "easy song" [I Felt You] the first appearance of this album on the mixes isn't until --035, the next ones being ten mixes later, and then next after than being about twenty to thirty mixes later). This may be attributable to the "early"-ness of the music. This is sort of the first "real" Microphones album. There was a lot out before this and the "Tests" CD, for sure. But this was the first real actual LP. It feels right exactly where it is in Phil's timeline. There is plenty of the old school tape-recording flavor here and also a heavy dose of the aesthetics that would carry into "It Was Hot...".

Also, lots of Phil's ongoing, confusing, self-referential repetition of song title themes ("Wake Me Up"/"Don't Wake Me Up", "I'll Be In The Air"/"You Were In The Air"/"You'll Be In The Air", "Ocean...").
(--237, --045, --068, --072, --046, --069, --052, --035, --008* and counting [still 6/7 songs on this album not yet used on mixes, stay tuned.])

*Two notes here, first off, this mix, by all rights would be mix number 9. It was made 9th (and hence, in literal actuality, all the mixes should actually be one number higher than they are). But since mix --008 (I Can't Believe You Actually Died) was made the floating, perpetual "last mix" and given its own, special, numbering designation (FIGURE 8 PLUS) that cleared the way for this, the actual 9th mix made, to become, de facto, the 8th mix.

Secondly, the version of this track which appears herein is an edit made by me (to leave off all of the near silent space after the song ends). Thus, the actual mix name of this mix is "--008(I Felt You [Edit]). To be fair, the actual last, fifteenth, track of this release has never been used for a mix, though I am marking it off here, and have always considered it to be "used".





Tracklist (Vinyl)
--------------------------
Side A:

Ocean 1,2,3
Florida Beach
Here With Summer
Where It's Hotter Pt. 3
I'm Getting Cold
I'll Be In The Air
Tonight There'll Be Clouds


Side B:

You Were In The Air
What Happened To You?
It Wouldn't
I'm In Hell
Don't Wake Me Up
Sweetheart Sleep Tight
Instrumental
I Felt You





Tracklist (CD)
--------------------
Ocean 1,2,3
Florida Beach
Here With Summer
Where It's Hotter Pt. 3
I'm Getting Cold
I'll Be In The Air
Tonight There'll Be Clouds
You Were In The Air
What Happened To You?
It Wouldn't
I'm In Hell
Don't Wake Me Up
Sweetheart Sleep Tight
Instrumental
I Felt You





















xo.

The Microphones: "Window:" the Series, plus 6 others CD (Yoyo Recordings, 2000)

(Spine 1, 2, CD cover, front, back, actual disc, insert front, back, picture hidden under the tray, play-side info)












The Microphones: "Window:" the Series, plus 6 others CD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-Recorded March 1998 through May 1999 at Dub Narcotic, The Business, and Yoyo by Phil Elvrum, Khaela Maricich, Jenn Kliese, Mirah Yom Tove Zietlyn, Karl Blau, Bronwyn Holm, Aaron Hartman, Dennis Driscoll, Erica Jacobs, Calvin Johnson, Pate Maley, Space Echo, J. Pogue

-Release date (close as I can seem to find) 2000

-Released by Yoyo Recordings (YOYO-CD13)* (http://www.buyolympia.com/yoyo/sid=406631426/)

*Though it lists the KNW-YR-OWN address as the "for more information" contact. (1717 Commercial Ave. Anacortes, WA 98221) Furthermore, there is a note appended below that that reads: For more on the "Window": KLP99 from K (Records), which is, in fact, the "Don't Wake Me Up" LP. "Window" was apparently an EP meant to augment the release of that full length and, indeed, many of the "windows" are, in fact, bits of recordings used on that album.

-This has only ever been released on CD.

-IFPI Number: Again, appears to have two (saw this on the Projector Comp. as well, and interestingly enough, the second number on both of them is the same) L533 on the silver and 9216 stamped in the plastic inner groov

-Barcode Info: 789856601325

-No info seems to be available or included about the cover art and design. No idea who took those pictures of the house, or whose house it is. On the other hand, the back cover and the spines and actual CD art all look very much like our good friend J. Pogue. That cloud on the CD might even be the same cloud from the "Feedback" and "Bass Drum Dream" 7"s. Moreover, the inside of the CD foldout also looks exactly like his work. It even seems to include that red circle laid over top of the black and white photos (which we last saw on the "Bass Drum Dream" 7"). I guess that would make sense since this is supposed to be an accompaniment to the "Don't Wake Me Up" LP and he was so closely involved in the art for that.

-It's a CD so, lord knows how many were pressed. I'd guess at least 1000.

-Other details of note:

This CD features another chapter in the "moon" series ("The Moon" from the 7" of the same name, "Moon, Moon" from the 7" of the same name, etc...)

This also features one of (I think) the first and only appearances of a Microphones song sung entirely by someone besides Phil ("Ocean", I'm guessing that that's Khaela, which may or may not be, in some way, related to "Ocean 1, 2, 3" from "Don't Wake Me Up". It certainly has a similar feeling/lyric/vocal performance. It actually feels like this might be some kind of sequel/reply, a little reminiscent of the two versions of the song "Tests" from the "Tests" CD and cassette, one sung by Phil the other by a "young girl".)

As Phil was once prone to, this CD features a picture printed on the back of the back cover (i.e. on the paper under the plastic CD tray). In this case the picture seems to be random and not at all related to the proceedings (an Asian woman holding an old camera).

The "windows" as best I can tell are bits from these songs (bear with me, I'll be filling this in over time as I figure them out, and, to be fair, I think a good number of them are unused...):*

*Ok so Phil recently put up what he described as a "big dump of Microphones stuff on iTunes". Which is wonderful for the world. Making it even nicer, I noticed, the version of Windows that is in the store now has names attributed to each "Window" track ascribing it's origin. So I am updating this section now with Phil's descriptions/track names...

Track 07: Ocean 1, 2, 3
Track 08: Florida Beach
Track 09: Here With Summer
Track 10: Where It's Hotter pt. 3
Track 11: I'm Getting Cold
Track 12: I'll Be In The Air
Track 13: Tonight There'll Be Clouds
Track 14: It Wouldn't
Track 15: Sweetheart Sleep Tight
Track 16: Don't Wake Me Up
Track 17: I Felt You
Track 18: Drums and Bass
Track 19: Archipelago by Mirah
Track 20: Cranberry Road by Dennis Driscoll
Track 21: Pollen by Mirah
Track 22: Wake Me Up
Track 23: Feedback Love




...................................




Another lucky early purchase in my Phil Career. This was surely bought in the big Microphones excitement of the early 2000's. I can practically see myself standing in fucking Newbury Comics looking at Microphones CDs trying to decide which ones to buy. Holding this disc in my hands now (the same one I held, all those years ago, in shrinkwrap, in the store, probably on a shift) it is mildly surreal. Phil seems to have a thing, personally, about artifacts, and that is something, I guess, that draws me to him, as I have similar feelings/hang-ups. Case in point.

I wish I could recall what my take on this was, upon hearing it. I am guessing it was just another in many very similar episodes with me and my early days with Phil, i.e. opaque, a real thing for percussion tracks/passage of sound as song, fragmentation, many ideas being thrown out there and sometimes realized, sometimes abandoned, elementary school chorus's, and, of course, at least one tiny, beautiful, delicate gem dropped into the middle of the miasma. Like a reward, a tiny diamond hidden amidst all this rock and rubble and cloud.

I am grateful that I got this when I did and have been carrying it with me ever since. I am glad this was an early piece for me to digest. It seems very time-appropriate. If, for no other reason, the proximity of "Ocean" in the canon of Phil's songs and my life and the KINGS mixes.
(--030, --006, --127a, --017, --041 [three times, track 7, 17, 21], --264, --265, --266, --267, twelve tracks still unused on this album, stay tuned.)


Tracklist
-----------
Moon Moon Moon
(something)
Ocean
Cover Me Up
Heart Lake Rd.
Drums and Birds
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window
Window























xo.

The Microphones: "It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water" CD/LP (K Records, Sept. 2000)

(CD Version, spine 1, spine 2, front, back, booklet inside/outside, CD itself, play-side info, hidden under tray pic)


(LP inner labels, side A/B)


(1st Press LP, front, back, four views of the "pop-up" gatefold, poster, insert front/back)


(2nd Press LP, front, back, outside of gatefold, inside of garefold, spine)








It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water CD/LP
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-Recorded September 24, 1999-March 6, 2000 at Dub Narcotic in Olympia, WA
by Phil Elvrum, Khaela Maricich, Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, Jenn Kliese, Anna Oxygen, Karl Blau, Jason Wall, and Calvin (Johnson)*

*This is the “Recorded by” list included in the CD release as well as the 2nd press of the vinyl (which have identical covers). On the first press of the LP (which has a completely different cover) Jeremy Bosworth is also listed in this section, right before Calvin Johnson

*The CD and 2nd press LP also attribute the cover design to Khaela Maricich. No attribute is made for the design of the first press LP

-Released September 26, 2000 on K Records (KLP116)*
-IFPI Number: L765

-Barcode info: 789856111626

-CDs apparently manufactured by some place called CD Forge (CDForge.com)

-1st press vinyl came in a gatefold cover with a picture of the ocean at sunset. The gatefold opens up into a “pop-up” collage of a beach and the ocean, similar to the covers of the 2nd press LP and the CD version. The 1st press also came packaged with an 8”x52” black and white poster of one of Phil’s paintings (presumably of “water”) which also has the name of the LP and The Microphones on it. There is K Records info on it as well which makes it look very much like it must have been the main promotional poster for the album. This LP also came with a black and white photocopied insert (6”x13”, one page folded over) which, on one side, has the usual song titles and lyrics written by Phil that often accompanies his releases. The other side has a poor copy of what appears to be people at the beach. It says, on one end “Sold Only By: American and International” and, on the other end “Stereoscopic View Co.” The inner label on the LP is the usual “Phil” style, hand-written. Identical on both the 1st and 2nd press.

-2nd press vinyl also came in a gatefold sleeve. This one, however, had no “pop-up”. Instead, the inner sleeve is covered in black and white line drawings, presumably of the people that recorded the album with Phil. The outside cover is a collage of cut-up pictures, forming an ocean at sunset. The gatefold opens up to make one continuous picture, back to front. Inner label on the LP is identical to the 1st press. No inserts.

-CD version has a cover identical to the 2nd press LP. The only difference being that addition of another photo on the back cover of some people (maybe Phil and friends) in the water. As is common on Phil’s releases there is a picture printed on the inside of the back cover which is hidden beneath the CD tray. It is a close-up of some of the sheet music for a song which appears to feature the lyrics “it was hot, we stayed in the water”, though I am not sure what song has those lyrics. In the CD (and only in the CD), in the liner notes, it claims that sheet music for the album is available through K Records (Box 7154 Olympia, WA 98507 www.kpunk.com) The CD itself has the usual design of Phil’s discs, all white with a black and white line drawing on it. In this case a pair of seashells made to look like headphones.

-The record plays at 33 1/3 rpms on both sides, both pressings. Inner grooves on both sides, both pressings are only marked with the usual label/numbering (KLP 116 A/B)

*No information at this time about numbers pressed of any format or what the exact release date refers to. Considering the drastic differences in the cover designs one would assume the first press of the vinyl was released by itself, a CD version only becoming available at the time of the 2nd vinyl press.

-All copies on black vinyl, as far as I know.

-A decent review here from our friends at Pitchfork:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5268-it-was-hot-we-stayed-in-the-water/


…………………………….




This was in the handful of Microphones records/releases that I was fortunate enough to pick up at the time, a million years ago, when I was first learning about Phil. I have to admit, if I haven’t already in these pages, that I was initially not into his thing. My first encounter with Phil was when I lived in Seattle, working at another in a chain of many record store jobs. One day the “Tests” CD arrived, and I think it’s safe to assume this would have had to have been when it was actually first released (more on this when we get to that CD), and I guess I was just not in a place in my life where I was ready for it.

Flash forward to Boston, another record store job, and a friend recommending The Microphones to me. I perused releases. I was continually baffled by Phil’s obsession with percussion and noise. Long tracks of drums and sound, occasionally interspersed with tiny perfect acoustic songs or, what sounded like, elementary school choruses. This LP being a good example of that format. This album for me has always had the feel of something like Unrest’s “Imperial ffrr” album. Something just really all over the map, songs, sounds, noise, sweetness, short pop songs, epics, all somehow united under a single banner and making a singular statement. I might also, more appropriately, compare it to Pink Floyd’s “A Saucerful of Secrets” which features a similar psychedelic murkiness, hard-to-decipher lyrics, inscrutable intentions occasionally interspersed with smaller “pop” songs, and a very long, somewhat noisy centerpiece song.

I have recently been introduced to the notion that each Phil record has dealt heavily with one of the “four elements” in this case “water” (the Mt. Eerie LP, “earth”, The Glow Pt.2 “fire”, and Wind’s Poem “wind” obviously).

This record was also my mysterious introduction to the mysterious Karl Blau, whose place in Microphones history is slowly coming into focus for me. I have always been a fan of naming a song in a very utilitarian way. Something terse and literal that describes it and Phil seems to love that too. On this album especially, “Drums” and all drum track, “Organs” and almost all organ drone track and of course “Karl Blau” a song, presumably, written by or featuring Karl.

Possibly the biggest single moments for me with this record so far have been:


1.


(laying with voice in headphones, next to the Charles River, a view, in the distance, of the BU bridge, watching the sky,

don't reach out, Phil...)





In my last days/weeks in Boston before moving to Atlanta I spent a lot of time walking around and riding aimlessly on my bike, just trying to get lost, end up in places in the city I had never seen. Often these would take place on beautiful sunny days off around the city or on grey not-quite drizzly, sleepy afternoons after work, out into far Cambridge, Sommerville, Alewife, Davis Square, etc… I took this time to listen straight through to many of Phil’s albums and really sort of hang out with them and get to know them, (we’ll visit these scenarios again on future releases).

On this particular day it was sunny and hot and beautiful and I was probably just hanging around all day until people got off work and what not. I rode down to the park that is next to the Charles, just before the BU Bridge, on the Cambridgeport side of the river. At that time, down there, it was sort of this lost wasteland, mostly inaccessible and no one cared. A jogging path went by it that people would frequent and I myself would use, on my bike, as access to the heart of the city or Comm. Ave. Alongside this path was park land that was underdeveloped and sometimes frequented by the homeless or quasi-homeless. There was a playground, benches, a baseball field and so on (it has since been sadly developed into something much more “official”).

At this time there was a huge soccer field of grass that opened up under the sky in an amazing way. I rode down there and laid my bike down and then laid down in the grass and listened to “It Was Hot…” from start to finish. It was very much a perfect setting to take it all in. One that I think Phil would approve of. I just laid there in the grass and looked up into the blue of the sky and the occasional clouds and felt far away and huge. I reached up to it. As the album was ending, I distinctly recall, while “Organs” was beginning its swell, I got up and started walking my bike back up to the path and whatever the rest of my day held. I walked beneath the canopy of a huge tree as the song grew and grew.


2.
On the morning I drove away from Allston, back to Atlanta, in a huge moving truck full of my entire life, all of me, my things and the entire last 10 years, I woke up in The Castle. I had planned my weekend/departure around this. At the beginning of the weekend I had rented the truck, loaded all my stuff in it and effectively moved-out of my apartment in Porter Square. I then drove the truck to Allston and parked it in Z and C’s driveway and spent my last epic weekend with all my friends, dancing and drinking (an epic story for some other time I suppose). The morning I was to leave it was what they call “moving day” in Boston. The day that all of the millions of students that flood into the city every fall for school show up, en masse, to move into their shitty apartments with the help and adulation of their confused families. Which is all well and good, but becomes a clusterfuck of Biblical proportions as everyone there is also trying to move in and out of their various homes all at the same time in the same space and moving vans are being waited on all over the city and the streets are literally covered and blocked and lined with trash from an entire year of debauchery as well as all of everyone’s possessions/entire lives. It is like trying to navigate a huge junkyard or the way they depict cities in post-apocalyptic movies (T4, Escape from NY/LA etc…) In retrospect, not the best morning to plan my departure for.

I awoke, hung over and very out of sorts from the night/weekend before, to find a living room full of people (most of which being my closest and most beloved friends in Boston, Coree, Zoe, Liz, Cabrie etc…) most of whom were in an also hung-over and very devastated state in regards to my departure/abandoning them. It was hot (and no water to stay in) as blazes and confusing and really too, too much to try to relate here and now (again, story for some other time and place).

Music needed to be put on to somehow alleviate the wretchedness, the crying, the zombie-like comings and goings. I think it was Coree that said “Bri Bri, what’s your favorite Phil album, or at least which one do you want me to put on right now?” In a strange moment for my brain this was the album that jumped out at me. I am really not sure why. I love it, but I would never have guessed that I’d ever present it as a “favorite” or a “last request” on my last day in town. And so it went on the stereo and we sat and we wallowed in the water, in the muddy murk, in the breeze and the crashing waves and it was extremely hard to leave.

At one point I went for a walk to say goodbye to Leslie and Karen up in Brookline which was painful, both because of the emotional gravity of it and because the streets were teeming with families and kids, lost in Allston, first timers with no idea, clogging the sidewalks and restaurants, dropping off their soon-to-not-be-innocent college-bound offspring. After awhile of that egress it was back to The Castle for the conclusion.

There was a lot of crying and hugging and I almost couldn’t get my truck out of their driveway and then when I did I was blocked into their street by the afore mentioned trash and moving trucks and much fretting happened and we tried to find the owners of the trucks and we all, as a team, went to the mouth of the street and, piece by piece, moved the trash and furniture to make an escape route. It was hard.
It was hot…
(--082, --021, --042, --011, was featured as the original title track for --005 but later replaced by “I Lost My Wind” [see the post for The Microphones: “Moon, Moon”/”I Lost My Wind” 7”] though this song remained on the mix itself], --059, --083, --096, --023, --254, [and one more track on this album yet to be used for a mix, stay tuned])





Tracklist (Vinyl)
--------------------------
Side A:

The Pull
Ice
Sand (Eric's Trip)
The Glow


Side B:

Karl Blau
Drums
The Gleam
The Breeze
(something)
Between Your Ear And The Other Ear
Organs





Tracklist (CD)
-----------------------
The Pull
Ice
Sand (Eric’s Trip)
The Glow
Karl Blau
Drums
The Gleam
The Breeze
(something)
Between Your Ear and the Other Ear
Organs







Furthermore...


(Kelp Monthly #11 [aka Karl Blau and Friends Perform "It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water" by The Microphones] front [with sleeve], back [with sleeve], front [no sleeve], back [no sleeve], full contents, CD front, back, inside of cover, insert)






It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water
(as performed by Karl Blau and friends) (KELP Monthly #11)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


From Karl’s website:
http://www.theconnextion.com/karlblau/karlblau_index.cfm?CatID=122
and
http://www.kelplunacy.com/
and
kelpmonthly@fastmail.fm/P.O. Box 1307 Anacortes, WA 98221


Prompted by the acquisition of Phil Elverum's written out score of the Microphone's "It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water" this version doesn't try to steer back to the shore by any means. That said, an element of the poppiness of the original Microphones record decided to stay. Karl Blau does much of the music and singing and is joined by Eddy Blau, Nate Ashley, Alexa DiSalvo, plus Phil himself singing with the Boomstand Singers choir in the first track "the Pull." Featuring the freshest Adrian Orange of Thanksgiving singing the epic "The Glow."



This was released as part of Karl’s monthly CD subscription service, which serves as an outlet for his insane prolificacy (there appear to be upwards of twenty something of these CDs in addition to Karls copious amounts of otherwise released CDs, collaborations and compilation appearances). I ended up with it through eBay and then discovered Karl’s site which has many, many of these available to order, physically and even more than that to order as digital downloads.

No clue what any of the release info on this or any of it is. Times, dates, places, numbers, amounts, it’s all a mystery. Certainly a project for someone for whom Karl is their Phil. I can at least say that, through accruing some of these releases, I have come to understand Karl a lot more and be blown away by him as a person, as a song writer, by his output and so on. I was trepid at first but it has all been worth it.

This in a hand-made/printed/painted/sewn cover with a xeroxed insert on blue paper. The CD itself appears to be a burned CDR.

Now, to the point. It seemed a fitting addendum to this entry to include this recent acquisition. It is exactly what it claims to be, Karl and friends, recording their version of the “It Was Hot…” album (well most of it anyway). And it’s really good. Pretty interesting stuff here. Very well executed, lots of care and love, well played and produced. Not at all dashed-off or sloppy. Really meant to be a loving tribute.

They don’t quite make it to all the songs, which makes the ones they do choose and don’t choose all the more interesting:




Tracklist:
-------------------
The Pull
Ice
The Blow
Karl Blau
The Gleam
The Breeze
(something)
Between Your Ear and the Other Ear
Study in Kelp #1
Study in Kelp #2
Study in Kelp #3
Study in Kelp #4
Study in Kelp #5


(The last five songs are, seemingly, unrelated to the album. Just weird, short tracks of, what amounts to, something clicking.)

In the end, the real draw here is hearing Karl Blau actually singing and performing the Microphones song called “Karl Blau”


Can you say “mirror facing mirror” anyone?






I had originally had a link here to a download of Karl's album. It was, however, brought to my attention that Karl still has this in print and that I should be directing people to supporting him rather than illegally downloading it for free. So, I have taken that to heart and removed the link. Olease patronize the amazing Karl Blau at his KELP site for this album and many, many, many others. The site info is at the top of this portion of the post. Cheers.
















xo