The Outlaws (Joe Meek) - "Dream of the West" LP, Vinyl, Album, 1961 (His Masters Voice)

The Outlaws is an instrumental band and worked with Joe Meek being their producer and songwriter.  Meek wrote all the songs on this album under the name of Robert Duke, as well as writing the liner notes.  The two guitars, bass and drums on a Meek recording can sound like it was recorded somewhere on the other side of the moon, yet pretend to be human.  Which is ironic, because this is an album that has a theme of the wild west.  "Dream of the West" is a concept album, but not one with a narrative, but with a place, a time, and of course, since it's British, more about the cinematic Western than the real west. 

If one compares The Outlaws to another band, it will have to be The Shadows.  Twangy guitars that are more British sounding than say surf, yet it's almost like scientists studying the surf guitar sound, and somehow getting it wonderfully wrong.   There is not one authentic western song on this album. All of the material, written by Meek (Duke) is a western that is imagined than real.  It's a beautiful album in the sense that fantasy plays a great role in Meek's world.  Yet, I sense he feels that all of it is 'real,' at least to him.   

Jack Nitzsche - "The Lonely Surfer" LP, Album, Stereo, 1961 (Reprise)

More likely if one has Jack Nitzsche even in the studio while one is making a recording, there is a good chance that the record will be a masterpiece. Nitzsche was a brilliant arranger, producer, and on the classic Phil Spector recordings, the producer's right-handed man. It was his arrangements of "He's A Rebel," and "Da Doo Ron Ron" that gave it such magnificent power. "The Lonely Surfer" was Jack's first solo album, of his arrangments of various songs of that time. One can imagine "The Lonely Surfer" as a surf album, but it's surf as if it was arranged by a 19-century Russian composer. The fact is, I never heard such a sad sounding instrumental album before this one. Even an up-tempo "Baja" or "Puerto Vallarta" has a depressing aspect of exotica island music. The depth of feeling is Nitzsche's genius.

His version of "Da Doo Ron Ron," and as mentioned, he made the original arrangement, but here he slows it down that it's almost not identifiable. A sharp-suited man on the album cover, yet his eyes expose a certain hesitation or maybe even fear. There is a lot to read on this album, and it is one of my favorite records in my collection. I love all of Nitzsche's solo albums (three all together, then the soundtrack recordings, and of course production/arrangement works) and he gives any work that he's involved in a broad sense of feeling, which is unusual for a pop record of the 1960s. It's almost like he's giving the record a foot-note, giving it more depth or layer of emotion that is not yet settled. A classic Wrecking Crew era record album, but also one that I think is the best of the lot - including the Phil Spector recordings. Nitzsche was the real deal.

Jean Dubuffet - "Expériences Musicales 1961" Vinyl (Jeanne Dielman)

I just finished reading a David Toop book called "Into the Maelstrom," regarding the history of improvisational music.  Toop listed two categories: those who are master of their instruments or the very least have a concept to go on as their platform to do such music, and there's the artist Jean Dubuffet.   Who is like a child, and more likely goes with the first thought is the best thought school in music (sound) making.  His "Expériences Musicales 1961" was originally released as four 10" albums in 1961.  With the assistance of the great Asgar Jorn (founder of COBRA and an early member of The Sitauationsts), he made these incredibly charming, yet at times horrifying sounds by using obscure string, percussion, and wind instruments, with the addition of piano.  Mostly instruments that came from the shop of Boris Vian's brother, Alain.  It seemed his shop specialized in instruments from all over the world. 

Both Dubuffet and Jorn were fascinated with the art of the outsider.  Meaning those who made art that is not part of the art academy or schooling.  A lot of the art was produced in various hospitals, and some were made by children.  Dubuffet had a term 'art brut' meaning "raw art."  Musically speaking, Dubuffet and Jorn's work has a mixture of vocal work from the Letterists, as well as at times sounding very African or Moroccan sounding.   Also I suspect that their use of the tape machine was not only to record their music, but is also an additional instrument, among the others. 

Easy listening it ain't.  Still, if you allow yourself be pulled in Dubuffet's world, it's incredibly pleasing aural experience.    For those who are conducting an inquiry into the sounds of the 20th century avant-garde, "Expériences Musicales 1961 is a must.