Various: The Arf! Arf! [El Cheapo] 2-CD Sampler 2001

 

Arf! Arf! Records is an American label specialized in Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Incredibly

Strange Music, and Radically Fresh Sound. Started as an indie label in the 1980's, since 1990 it has become a reissue label. Boston area label devoted to high-quality archival reissues of '60s Garage/Psychedelic Rock and Outsider/Incredibly Strange Music run by Erik Lindgren. Note: From 1980-1992, Arf Arf released over 3 dozen vinyl releases of New England-based bands, studio projects, and solo artists. (Arf! Arf! Records Here) 

                                            

LAZY  SMOKE

Dogs don't live to bark 20 years, but record labels do--and the Massachusetts mongrels at Arf! Arf! now have 20 candles burning on their birthday cake. You don't get to blow 'em out, but you can join in on the celebration with this bargain 50-song extravaganza that touches on pieces of the label's history. (20-Year Anniversary 1981-2001)

THE  LOST

Actually, this sampler is more of a parallel universe, as it serves up alternates, demos and outtakes from artists whose works have been emblazoned with the twin Arf! Arf! dogs, the twin birds of its budget line Cheep! Cheep! subsidiary, or the dignified font of its new music spin-off, sƒz.

FLAT  EARTH  SOCIETY

It is not, however, the bottom of the barrel; it's simply the stuff that, for one reason or another, didn't quite make it onto one of the imprint's many fine releases. But it had to come out eventually, and since the label's a year away from the legal drinking age, what else was it gonna toast with?

DRY  ICE

Whatever your choice of musical beverage, you will certainly get your fill on these two CDs. For less than the price of two beers in a bar (or a couple sodas if you're driving), you get two 78-minute discs crammed with the type of stuff that's had Arf! Arf! fans growling for years, whether the garage antics of the Litter and the Rising Storm, the psychedelic visions of Lazy Smoke and the Flat Earth Society, or the sheer strangeness of the Space Negros and Lucia Pamela.

THE  LITTER

Maybe an old mutt can't learn new tricks, but the brains behind Arf! Arf! don't need to. As the breadth of musical styles encompassed on this sampler prove, these people know plenty of tricks already. Kick out the dogs, motherfucker!

FLOWERZ

The Arf! Arf! line focuses mostly on 1960s (and occasionally 1970s) garage bands that are obscure even by the standards of this over-anthologized genre. It also takes in weird amateurish cult records and experimental, idiosyncratic rock (sometimes in projects including label head Erik Lindgren himself).

MORGEN

Released in commemoration of its 20th anniversary, this might at first glance look like the kind of label sampler-cum-advertisement that few would seriously consider buying. You'd be wrong, however, because in a refreshing exception to custom, none of these 50 tracks were previously available on CD, and many were previously unreleased in any form.

THE  RISING  STORM

This in turn isn't necessarily as exciting as it sounds, since a good deal of these unreleased items are demos or alternate takes/mixes of cuts by artists that don't exactly have devoted followings, even cult ones.

THE  SPACE  NEGROS

Garage band aficionados will probably have heard of the Lost, the Litter, the Flat Earth Society, and the Lazy Smoke; indie rock collectors might know about Space Negros and Lindgren; and "incredibly strange music" followers will have probably at least heard about Lucia Pamela and Jack Mudarian (the latter of whom is actually represented by a radio story on his ability to sing snippets of old pop tunes for 45 minutes at a time). Otherwise you might feel a little lost.

STEVE  ELLIS & THE  STARFIRES

Yet as for the garage stuff, which takes up well over half the set, there are some good selections: the Lost's moody "Everybody Knows" (an alternate version), the Litter's classic "Action Woman" (with alternate vocal), Steve Ellis' & the Starfires' uncanny Byrds imitation "Pride of a Man," and Morgen's "Of Dreams," a quite good heavy psych tune with helium whispery female vocals and inventive fuzz and wah-wah flutters.

ERIK  LINDGREN

Although the average merit of the garage cuts is just okay, there's so much variety, from frat rock and instrumentals to glam and power pop, that it actually ends up being a much more enjoyable listening experience than the ordinary Arf! Arf! single-artist or single-label compilation.

LUCIA  PAMELA

It's not quite certain whether the typical fan of such sounds will enjoy the wacky ineptitude of Lucia Pamela, or the post-'70s tracks like the creepy synth pop of the Space Negros. These don't mesh comfortably with everything else, though they do complete a representative portrait of the Arf! Arf! catalog.
                     

Various – The Arf! Arf! [El Cheapo] 2-CD Sampler
Label: Arf! Arf! – AACC-089/090
Format: 2 x CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2001
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Garage Rock, Rock & Roll, Psychedelic Rock, Novelty, Avantgarde

DISC 1.

                                 

  
01. New Breed – Wasting My Time (Instrumental)
02. Lost – Everybody Knows
03. Bourbons – Alyshia
04. Rising Storm – Baby Please Don't Go
05. Rich Weinberg – Pandora Wants Strange
06. Four Commandments – Can You Get Me Out Of This Place
07. Dry Ice – Mary Is Alone
08. Lazy Smoke – You Gave Me Light
09. The Lost – More Incidental Music
10. Flat Earth Society – Satori
11. Litter – Action Woman
12. Litter – Tallyman
13. Those Of Us – Without You
14. Steve Ellis And The Starfires – Pride Of A Man
15. Dee Jay & The Runaways – Instrumental
16. Chuck Barr & The Playboys – Espanie'l
17. Yankee Rebels – I Can't Take It
18. Traditions – My Life With You
19. Pat Farrell – Mojo Workout
20. Flowerz – I Need Love Now (Instrumental)
21. Six Feet Under – In Retrospect
22. Fredric – Country
23. White Lightning – Freedom
24. Legends – Rock And Roll Woman
25. TNT – Please Let Me Into Your Secrets
26. Pandora – King Queen
27. Moving Parts – House Flaming

Flac Size: 464 MB

DISC 2.

                        

  
01. Electras – Soul Searchin'
02. Lovin' Sandwich – No No No
03. Apollo's Apaches – (Boss) Be Good To Me
04. Males – Kiddie A Go Go
05. Black Diamonds – Let's All Mix Together
06. Morgen – Of Dreams
07. Dragonfly – Enjoy Yourself
08. 31 Flavors – Distortions Of Darkness
09. Id – The Rake
10. Soundz – Freako ut [Part One]
11. Space Negros – In A Gadda Da Vida
12. Space Negros – Happenings Ten Years Time Ago
13. Space Negros – Crossfire/Tea For Two Cha Cha Cha
14. Space Negros  – We Will Fall
15. Erik Lindgren – It Looks You In The Eye
16. The Beagles – Deep In The Heart Of Texas
17. High Voltage – Fancy Woman
18. Lucia Pamela – In The Year 2001!
19. Jack Mudurian – Sings
20. Ken Field – Insanity
21. Erik Lindgren – Changes
22. Erik Lindgren – Action Man
23. Erik Lindgren – Waltham Camera & Stereo 1 (1982)

Flac Size: 471 MB