Missile Command – The Record
Even before I dropped the needle on the Asteroids record, I knew that the album’s creators probably had to stretch a bit to come up with an original story that could fill 20+ minutes. Asteroids has no plot. You shoot rocks. That’s it. Not much to go on there. Not surprisingly, the story they created for the Asteroids record ended up being pretty threadbare, but when you consider their source material, it’s amazing they were able to piece anything together at all.
So I was a little more excited when I found out that the same label, Kid Stuff, also put out a “soundtrack” album to Missile Command. Because, while you may not know it, that game is actually about something. Mainly, that game is about World War III.
You aren’t shooting down random missiles in Missile Command, you’re shooting down ICBMs. And the cities aren’t no-name metropolises from another word; they’re California cities Eureka, San Francisco, San Luis Obsipo, Santa Barbarage, Los Angeles and San Diego.
You can’t beat most games from that era, but in Missile Command that actually means something. No matter what you do, no matter how good you are, no matter how many extra lives you earm, eventually you’re going to lose in Missile Command. The missiles will fall. The world will end. Everyone will die. That is what Missile Command is about.
And then someone at Kid Stuff saw the game and said, “let’s turn that into a children’s record!”
Needless to say, changes had to be made.
Review: Astralwerks Music in 20/20
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Astralwerks, the American electronic music label responsible for bringing acts like Air, Fatboy Slim, The Future Sound of London and The Chemical Brothers to the states. Astralwerks was a major force behind America’s embrace of “electronica” in the mid-90s, and while the label’s relevance has diminished a bit since then, they’re still a dominant presence in the electronic music scene, with releases by artists like Empire of the Sun, David Guetta and NERVO tearing up dance charts today.
In celebration of their anniversary, Astralwerks put out a special limited edition Record Store Day release, a 20 flexi-disc box set, featuring 20 tracks by 20 different artists who supposedly best represent the label’s diverse sound (including their occasional forays into rock and folk music). It’s a very odd, and sadly disappointing release, one that fails to properly represent the label’s rich legacy while at the same time incredibly unpractical to play and unpleasing to look at.
Atari’s Asteroids, Now on Vinyl
Asteroids was released in arcades in 1979, and has gone on to be one of the most enduring examples of the golden age of arcade games. Although most would probably find it boring today due to its simplistic gameplay and lack of variety, at the time the game’s innovative control scheme (no joystick, just buttons) and momentum-based movement were revolutionary and helped arcade operators rack in quarters by the bucketload. Just two years later, the game made it on the Atari 2600 home console, and kids around the country were playing the game in the comfort of their own home, blasting rocks and competing against each other for the highest score (myself included).
In the years since, the game has been ported and converted to nearly every gaming platform in existence. You can play it on your phone, on the Xbox, the PS3, the PC, you name it.
But did you know that you can play it on your turntable?
Presenting Asteroids, the album. A 1983 release by Kid Stuff Records.
Review: The Flaming Lips – Zaireeka (4LP Record Store Day Edition)
I have a love/hate relationship with Record Store Day releases. On one hand, I love going out and getting some weird, ultra-limited edition album or single that I know most people will never see in person. I love the excitement. I love the hunt. I love the “specialness” of it all.
But on the other hand, I hate all of that too. I hate that an artist would purposely limit the number of fans who will be able to listen to their music. I hate the idea of “exclusive” tracks buried in limited edition, hard-to-find records, and I hate that most Record Store Day exclusives are typically either re-releases of old material or “timed” exclusives that will eventually see a wider release in an easier-to-find edition.
So this Record Store Day I decided to go light. I wasn’t going to run around the city and try to find the hardest-to-find, most sought after items. I was going to go to one record store, see what they had, and be done with it. By the time I got there it was nearly noon, so they didn’t have much. I picked up the Pulp remix 12″ single and didn’t see much else. I thought I was going to get off light this year and actually not spend a lot. Then I saw this.
A 4LP edition of The Flaming Lips’ 1997 experimental opus Zaireeka. A four-record set that requires you to play all four records at the same time. I bought it. Because when I go stupid, I go stupid hard. Continue reading
All Joy is Formidable if you try hard enough: The Joy Formidable, Pittsburgh, April 24th, 2013
This gallery contains 240 photos.
The Joy Formidable came to Pittsburgh last night and I took a shitload of pictures.
Are 238 pictures excessive for a concert gallery? Of course not, stop asking stupid questions.
This Week in Retro Releases
While I don’t plan on doing much in the way of “news” stories at this site, I will be doing these weekly updates showcasing new releases, new editions and re-releases of older films and albums. I may also expand this to games at some point.
I got kinks to work out with the layout still, but I wanted to get this up, so here you go: what new in the world of old movies and music for the week of April 21st, 2013.
It’s a pretty light one.
Video
Jurassic Park 3D (Blu-ray/DVD combo)
Experience the needless 3D-conversion of a classic in the comfort of your own home (provided you have both a 3D Blu-ray player and a 3D HDTV). Aside from the pointless 3D disc, this is identical to the Blu-ray that came out as part of the Jurassic Park Trilogy box set in 2011. That box set is only 10 bucks more than this new edition, so if you don’t like 3D and care at all about the two sequels, then you should probably just grab that version instead.
Storm Thorgerson’s Greatest Covers (That Aren’t Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin)
Storm Thorgerson passed away last week. You might not know his name, but you certainly know his work. Either as part of his design team Hipgnosis or solo, he created some of the most iconic and memorable album covers of all time, including Dark Side of the Moon, Houses of the Holy, Styx’s Cyclorama, and Def Leppard’s High ‘n’ Dry. The man was a legend, and it’s safe to say that some of his work was just as influential as the albums they appeared on.
Since his passing, most have only made note of his work with Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, but that was only a fraction of his amazing legacy. Here are some of the greatest covers he made for other artists. Some of these are famous, but many are not. All are awe-inspiring.
Anthrax – Stomp 442
One theme that Thorgerson seemed to employ repeatedly in his work was that of a massive circular object in a barren environment. The covers to Division Bell; Audioslave’s first album and Alan Parson’s On Air are all excellent examples of this recurring motif. None do it better though than this cover to Anthrax’s brutal 1995 record, which evokes feelings of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, or possibly the most metal game of marbles ever.
Also, the image of the giant ball of mechanical wreckage is so striking that it manages to distract you from the naked dude’s ass for at least 30 seconds. And that’s impressive.
Scott Miller: Dreams as Big as you Please
The chief songwriter behind one of the greatest albums of all time died this week.
His name was Scott Miller and the album is Lolita Nation by Game Theory.
And you’ve probably never heard it.
Record Sleeve Finds: Kraftwerk’s Megaposter
Kraftwerk released their third album, Ralf und Florian, in 1973. It was the last of their “krautrock” records. Just a year later they would release Autobahn and begin to create history with their pioneering electronic sound.
When Ralf und Florian was released in West Germany, the very first pressing of the album came with a giant-sized 24″ by 36″ comic book/poster by Emil Shult, a cartoonist who has since designed most of the artwork for the band and even played with them for a short while in the early 70s. This poster was only included with the first West German pressing. It never appeared in any British, American or Japanese editions, and it’s even lacking in later pressings of the album that came out of the band’s home country.
The Ralf und Florian album is rare as it is, having never been released on CD, but this poster is downright impossible to find. So imagine my shock when I discovered it in the sleeve of a copy I bought.
The Mostly Retro Guide to Buying Records in Japan
Editor’s note: This guide is now irrelevant. Please check out the much expanded update!
This January I went to Tokyo for the first time. It was incredible, Tokyo is an amazing city unlike any I’ve ever been to before. I loved the people, I loved the sights, I loved just walking around in the middle of the night and gawking at the beauty of it all.
Like big buildings and pretty lights? You need to go to Tokyo.
But most of all, I loved the record stores.
The record stores of Tokyo are awesome. Not only are they all jam-packed with rare records and CDs that you’ll never find in the states, but they also seem to be everywhere. I lost count of how many times I accidentally stumbled upon one record store while on my way to another. It’s amazing. However, with all the unmarked streets, confusing pedestrian alleyways and nary an English-speaking native to be found, a music lover could easily get lost in the back streets of the megalopolis losing themselves in wonderland of neon lights, never to find the record of their dreams.
It doesn’t have to be that way though.