B-Side of Life

  A beautiful voice of protest in a male-dominated world during the 70's in Turkey. Selda Bagcan was born in 1948 and started showing interest in music early and during the 70's became one of the most influential female figures in the Turkish folk scene.  This self-titled album was recorded when Turkey was politically polarized and Selda was sentenced to a total of 500 years in prison by the time the record was released. 

  Doris Wishman was an american film director, screenwriter and producer. Doris was born in 1912 and passed away in 2002, leaving behind a massive amount of films and her adorable and iconic quote "When I die, I'll make movies in hell". I've been completely "dorified" when a couple years ago I watched "Deadly Weapons" (1974) that had an incredible and interesting premise of a woman seeking revenge after her husband's murder. The gist of it is that she kills with her enormous breasts. Nevermind maternity, kill mobsters! After that I was never the same, I was even more "alien" than usual and decided to look for more Doris Wishman's movies to apease my curiosity. From nudie cuties to roughies to a horror film ("A night to dismember") Doris seemed to be an extravagant pirate forever looting for treasure and I was joining her in these exotic cinematic adventures.  This DVD BOX SET (part of a series of 3) sheds lights on some ...

The slasher was a powerful sub-genre during the 80's and this new release dvd box set by Vinegar Syndrome collects three films that were made during that booming era for masked killers and slashes of knifes. As per usual, the DVD Box Set looks and feels amazing and the restorations of the three films are absolutely perfect.  HANGING HEART released in 1989 is a surreal thriller with slasher undertones. It follows an up and coming actor who becomes a prime suspect in a series of murders. The atmosphere is almost dreamlike and there are a lot of oniric elements that give the film a unique mood. It was directed by Jimmy Lee a korean immigrant and American Film Institute graduate. Even though the movie is effective and engaging there are some problematic elements in the script that can be considered dated in today's lenses. The soundtrack is very mysterious and one of the standouts of the film.  DEAD GIRLS was my favourite from this BOX SET and I had already watched it before acqui...

  A beautiful DVD BOX SET released by Vinegar Syndrome that includes three horror films: Fatal exam, Winterbeast and Beyond dream's door. I'm a fan of 80's horror movies, most of them had original premises and used a lot of practical effects which are always great to look at and experience.  Vinegar Syndrome is well known for their quality releases, so I was immediately charmed when they announced they would release three regional horrors.  Beyond dream's door features one of my favourites subjects: dreams. It is about a guy who keeps having horrible dreams and reaches out to a professor to demystify his dreams. More than just a film, it's an experience due to its magnetic soundtracks and visuals. A neat low-budget that charms its way.  Winterbeast is a charmer too. This one I was already familiar with and enjoyed it quite a lot. This is one hell of a triumph of creativity and persistence. The movie centers around the investigation of missing people and it features ...

Wonderful and mindmelting compilation of films by director Bill Rebane. Before I acquired this beautiful dvd BOX SET released by Arrow Video, I was only familiar with Rebane's Blood Harvest that features a very iconic and menacing Tiny Tim in the lead role so I went into this completely in the dark and what a great surprise it was.  Bill Rebane was born in 1937 in Latvia and emigrated to the United States when we was just 15. He is the writer/director/producer of many feature films such as The demons of ludlow, Twister's revenge and Monster A go-go! among other jewels.  Rebane is also credited at having introduced the 360 degree (wrap around) motion picture process.  I watched these movies chronologically from the oldest to the more recent and what a trip it was.  Monsters a go-go! is Rebane's first feature released in 1965 and it is a science-fiction horror film about an astronaut who crashes back into Earth and becomes a radioactive monster. It is considered to be ...

Entertaining and amusing compilation of Shahram Shabpareh's groovy and colourful songs. Shahram was born in 1948 in Tehran to parents who played music. Music was his legacy and he started The Rebels, a rock n roll band who emulated the Rollin Stones but in Iran. His brother, Shahbal, also became a musician and founder of the band: The black cats.  Shahram began playing the drums at age 13 and played his first show at age 16. His band, The Rebels were heavily influenced by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and they were even called Rebel Kings for awhile, until Shahram moved on to a solo career.  The songs on this comp register Shahram's work as a singer/songwriter and produce. Groovy horn arrangments that can delight fans of afrobeat, melodic choruses, and complex layers of percussion make up for a very intriguing album.  Shahram eventually moved to California a bit before the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Since then, he has made plenty of collaborations alongside fellow e...

Delightful a nd surprising compilation of psych rock and pop bangers. The songs were all taken from 45s by several bands of the 60's and 70's and showcase a great variety of sounds and influences. It starts of with a very interesting cover of The Beatles's "It's for you" by Springwell and it only gets better after that. "In the corners" by Don Curtis is a fantastic moody track with addictive fuzzy riffs. According to the booklet - that is filled of interesting information about the bands and artists featured in this comp- Don Curtis centered his music on the North American Indian culture and he sold his records by going door to door selling them and signing them in the proccess, I don't know but it does sound like an original and quite charming sales strategy.  All 18 songs are equally great and there is not a filler in this comp. This compilation was released by Crazy Apple Boutique Records who also delivered some incredible comps in the past. I...

  Incredible psychedelic turkish jazz by legendary musician Okay Temiz. It is a reissue of the album originally released in 1980. "Drummer of Two Worlds" comprises songs recorded between Istanbul and Stockholm. At that time, Okay Temiz was already in a series of collaborations with Don Cherry, as a member of the Don Cherry Trio. The adventurous quality of the compositions, while also retaining addictive melodies, reafirm the status of an album that is considered a true landmark for jazz.

  Belíssima reedição limitada de temas gravados pelos Beatnicks entre 1971 e 1978. Os Beatnicks começaram oficialmente em 1965 e durante os anos mudaram de formação e de género musical. Em 1980 gravaram "Aspectos humanos", o único LP gravado pelo grupo.  Este álbum assenta em sólidos temas rock com laivos progressivos.A banda escolheu o inglês como língua para estas gravações, à excepção de dois temas, "Somos o mar" e "Jardim Terra".  Para mais info sobre a banda consultar este artigo: inide lusitano #14: Beatniks - by Andréia Martins (substack.com)

  Two fuzzy songs by Nichollas Mariano, who was Roberto Carlos's butler and accompanied him to most events. This single features two swingy songs with a generous amount of fuzz and catchy riffing. Reissued by the label and record store, Groovie Records, they really know how to rediscover classics and present us with real sonic treasures. "Não adianta nada" has charming and love-positive lyrics. "Dita Cuja" is a nice and humorous song about finding out our match in life. A definite winner and the vinyl is of a lovely pink. 

  A friend sent me this CD that he produced and edited under his indie label, Plancton music. I was unfamiliar with Jon Jost's work as a director  and after having listened to this CD, I decided to watch two of the feature films featured on this soundtrack: "Last Chants for a slow dance" and "Slow moves". Both films are as contemplative as they are rebellious in the showing of character's emotions and motivations, serving as characters studies of the drifter who seeks meaning and some kind of spiritual refuge in everyday life. The songs were composed by Jon Jost with the exception of one song, "Fixing to die" who was co-written with Kajsa Ohman. The soundtrack is comprised of bittersweet country songs intertwined with some audio excerpts from the films. There is a pervasive melancholy and longing for better times and the drifter ethos in searching and seeking eternally, meaning that the destination is never as enchanting as the travel. The audio ex...