Black Thirteen - Awake and Asong

Ahhh, the namesake of this blog.

This album was an early record featuring the "classic" Black Thirteen lineup of Wesley, Simon and I. I think this was actually the album recorded immediately following Whiskey and Honey but don't quote me on that.

This record features the same setup as Whiskey and Honey, which is Simon in the center on the electric and Wesley and I on the right and left, respectively, with acoustic guitars.

It is a long album and mostly instrumental, but for me it is one of the most listenable albums we have. The third track is specifically of note, at thirty-three minutes it has several distinct movements beginning with Simon's solo electric guitar noise and ending with some kind of traditional sounding jam ostensibly titled "Blood-red Dress" that became the first Black Thirteen song that we were able to replicate on a later album, (the as yet to be un-posted Plate Tekroniks).

So enjoy, and if you listen to it please comment so I know if I really am talking to nobody here.



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Black Thirteen - Grounds of PLEASURE

As far as I know this is the only Black Thirteen album not featuring founding member Simon Sharp. If I remember correctly he had a test or a doctor's appointment or some thing else not very punk to do in the morning and so he couldn't play that night.

Wesley Rose and myself are on the album as is Joe McNeill, in (I think) his third Black Thirteen appearance. And joining the band for the first time is Ben Hurst. Ben is a very talented guitarist and songwriter who went to high school with us and afterward promptly moved to Arizona. He was back in town for the holidays and so we invited him to play.

With the involvement of both Joe and Ben the album has a bluesier flavor than the band has had on previous albums, to what is, I think, an interesting effect.

I'm honestly not sure who is playing what on every song. I know for certain that I played drums on the first two tracks, so based on what I hear and remember I will guess that:

Joe played acoustic on tracks 1 and 2, and electric on 3 and 4.

Wes played acoustic on tracks 1 and 2 and drums on 3 and 4

Ben Hurst played electric on 1 and 2 and acoustic on 3 and 4

Ben Collins played drums on 1 and 2 and acoustic on 3 and 4



It is a long album, but I think a rewarding experience.

Enjoy.


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SFCD - Something Else, Something Black

This was an album for a friend that died. It obviously has sentimental value for me, but I think it is a decent record as well.

1. Up to Some Good
2. Cooped Up
3. More Than I Meant to Say
4. Too Soon Whenever
5. My Love of Grey
6. Ride
7. 23
8. Slate Nov. 27

All songs played by me: Ben Collins

Dedicated to my friend Picasso.

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Random cool news

I am very excited about music and this blog. I received this is sudden surge of excitement yesterday after I had emailed Hiroyuki Usui of the band L and he actually responded to me!



For anybody who doesn't know Hiro was in Fushitsusha with Keiji Haino at some point and later made the album Holy Letters under the band name L. He has done a few things since, but most are difficult to find here in the states. Holy Letters was reissued recently thanks to enthusiasm from Ben Chasny of Six Organs and last year Chasny and Hiro made an album of through-the-mail collaborations under the name August Born, this album rules as well. Both of these albums have been very important to me and have certainly effected the aesthetic of this blog.

I had emailed him randomly and he responded and now he is mailing me some more records and I will be mailing him some things, some of which are things posted on this blog!

Black Thirteen - Firesteed

Finally a new post! Well for anyone who is keeping track I believe this will be the fifth Black Thirteen album to be posted here and the second in what I am starting to consider the "classic" lineup, meaning it features Simon Sharp, Wesley Rose and myself.

The album is titled Firesteed, named after the brand of wine we were drinking while playing that night. I think it is a pretty good album, with a nice balance of different sorts of playing and singing throughout. But for me the best thing about this record is that simultaneous to our playing, on the other side of town, our friends Travis and Martina gave birth to their son Odin Benjamin Knowles. So this album is dedicated to him and hopefully one day he can listen to it and appreciate that his father had a bunch of lazy friends who sat around drinking and recording improv folk music instead of getting up at a decent hour and having real jobs.

So here's the tracklist:

1. Sing for You
2. Don't Go Down
3. Two Hand Blues
4. Call Me Back
5. Never
6. Always Dancing
7. Baby

Simon and Wesley played guitars, and I think sometimes Simon's was electric. I played Banjo. We all sing at different times.


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Archives

Thanks to Lars' comment on my previous entry I am currently in the process of uploading all the records on archive.org

So far I have put up two of the SFCD records, The Brood and You Don't Need To check out their original posts for the links.

Also I should say that I am going to try really hard to catch up with this thing. I was on a roll there for a while and I have neglected this blog for a few months, I'm sorry and I will try to get more albums posted up soon.

updating

Hello,

It's been a while since I posted, and in that time most of the rapidshare links expired, so I am in the process of re-uploading all of the albums already listed and hopefully adding some new ones. Not that it really matters because nobody ever comes to this thing anyway...