From: Karl Ikola <anpheles AT slip.net>
Subject: Karl's Top Twenty 
Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 23:54:43 -0800


Doug:  here's the somewhat painfully trimmed top twenty.  I had to do 
some gut checking, but here's what I came up with.  I feel bad about 
leaving some of the others out, but, what can you do.  I tried accessing 
your link for the 1996 poll, and came up with a "not found" response.   
Dunno if you've had anyone else have that problem.  Anyway, my feeling 
about these types of lists is 1)  I'd like to help out newer/less 
recognized artists 2) represent my own personal "world view" in 
microcosm through some of my music choices, and 3) be honest about the 
music that really moved me.  So here's an amalgamation of all three 
criteria.  As I said in my droneon poll, some of my favorite records of 
last year were picked up for a buck or not much more in the used bin 
(re: the QUAZAR single I discussed on Terra, though it was a couple 
years ago when I dug that up).  Anyway, here tis, lemme know if 
something doesn't look right.  Karl.



My Top Twenty (in no particular order):

Cul de Sac w/John Fahey 'The Epiphany Of Glenn Jones' CD, (Thirsty Ear).
Despite all the controversy, I never fail to enjoy throwing this on.
Their best since 'Ecim'.

Tono-Bungay 'Wunderkammer' CD, (Twisted Village).  Beautiful package,
great music.  A fine day for Bob B. and company.

Radiopuhelimet 'Avaruus' LP, (Bad Vugum -- Finland). Seventh LP (excluding
their anthology LP, '2 and a half') by this towering Finnish group.  The
definition of uncompromisingly great music.

Oxford Circle 'Live At The Avalon 1966' CD, (Big Beat -- UK).  Legendary
Davis, California group in all their glory at ground zero of the SF
sixties scene.

Electric Prunes 'Live In Stockholm 1967' CD, (Heartbeat -- UK) Affirming
the legend. 

Vertical Slit 'Twisted Steel And The Tits Of Angels' CD, (Spirit Of Orr).
Jim Shepard spits another one out.  What, you weren't paying attention?

Liquorball 'Live At Hitler's Bunker' LP, (BlackJack)  One of the most
hated bands of the SF Bay Area doesn't do anything to increase the love
vibes.

F/i 'Helioscopium' CD, Ceres. Return to form for these Dairy State vets.
Their best outing in at least six years.  Even includes one vocal number
(a reprise from their box set).

Brother JT and Vibrolux 'Doomsday Rock' CD/LP (Siltbreeze/Bedlam).
Original Sins 'Suburban Primitive' CD, (Blood Red Vinyl and Discs).  JT is
one of my heroes.  I've been a fan for over ten years and still have
never seen him perform live. Pity me.

Mick Turner 'Tren Phantasma' CD, (Drag City).  The always underrated Mick
Turner surprises those who don't know him very well.

Cheater Slicks 'Forgive Thee' 2XCD, (In The Red).  Their version of "Child
Of The Moon" brings tears to my eyes, and is worth it alone.  But
there's plenty more.

Davis Redford Triad 'The Mystical Path Of The Number Eighty-Six' LP,
(Holy Mountain).  Steven Lobdell goes apeshit on the guitar.  Anyone 
whose ears come close to this thing can't avoid feeling the heat waft off the strings.  A detuned mind produces revelatory eruptions.

Fortune And Maltese and the Phabulous Pallbearers "Leave No Stone
Unturned/Time Has Gone" 7", (Get Hip).  Great 12-string folk-garage from
Michigan, sounds like the Stillroven or the Rationals at their best.
Surely one of the lost gems of '97.

Vox Pop 'More Drugs Than Elvis - Live KPFK 1980' LP, (Very Bad Trip).
Sounds much better to my ears than anything from the 'No Wave' revival
(or from anything on 'No New York', for that matter).  Almost as good as
the Primitive Calculators in their prime.

Bohemian Vendetta 'Enough!' LP, (Distortions). Long Island garage
legends open their vaults for some wonderfully damaged and tuneful
sounds.  Recorded 1966-7.  Alternate material to their Mainstream LP
from 1968.

Charalambides s/t CD, (Wholly Other).  Raw and live (in Tx and Michigan)
the way it was meant to sound.

Wellwater Conspiracy 'Declaration Of Conformity' LP, (Super-Electro).
Great garage/pop/psych from these veterans, who seem to be reinventing
themselves with this project.  Lots of fuzz, lots of surprises.

Electric Eels/Mirrors/Styrenes - 'Those Were Different Times' 3x10"
(Scat).  For those of us who've been waiting for this for years, one can
only say, "Hallelujah, it's finally here!"

Zombies 'Zombie Heaven' 4xCD, (Big Beat -- UK). Includes one disc of
previously unissued (great!) 1964 Decca demos. This is everything that
this St. Albans group recorded between 1964 and '68, and is my choice
for absolutely classic and perfect pop music, for this or any other
year.  Definitively mixed, compiled, mastered and annotated.  Wow.


[Karl also listed the five below, which he trimmed out of his main list
when I asked him to keep it to twenty --dougo]

Primordial Undermind 'You And Me And The Continuum' LP, Camera Obscura 
(Australia).
Eric Arn and company go all out and don't disappoint.  

Last Days Of May s/t (No-Fi).  Karl Precoda reemerges after years of 
non-visibility and delivers a wonderful dose of trance-out, warm guitar 
layers.  Three tracks, all instrumental trio.

Dead Moon 'Hard Wired In Ljubljana' CD, (Empty).  An alltime favorite 
band that gets mandatory mention, even if this isn't even the best 
performance/recording by them that I've heard.

Howth Castle 'Good Morning, Mr. Nobody' LP, (Father Yod/Blu Bus).  
Italian male/female duo plays wonderful tranced out Folk-Psych.  Their 
second LP.
 
Kim Fowley 'Outlaw Superman singles '62-'77' CD, (Dionysus).  Fowley's 
vaults are so deep that it would be impossible for me to say that this 
touches more than the tip of the iceberg, but a welcome release 
nonetheless, even it's slanted a bit more to his production work than 
his (more interesting) solo work.

Kaleidoscope s/t, (La Ciruela Electrica, Mexico, reissue of 1969 LP).  
Some of the best and wildest garage/psych I've ever heard.  Keep on 
bringin' em over, a little more respect is due to the legacy of our 
neighbors to the south, and that's an understatement.  Karl Ikola