I Never Play My Caspar Brotzmann Records! And Yet, I'll Probably Never Get Rid Of Them.

Alvin Lee, now there's a guitarist. Is that the one with the 10 minute "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" on it? i love that.

oh yeah, there was a British guy with the same name. Blue Horizon label, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, etc.

Here's what to do. Get ahold of Bob Brunning's "Blues: The British Connection : The Stones, Clapton, Fleetwood Mac and the Story of Blues in Britain" which probably has a holdover chapter on Mike Vernon from his earlier book. Pretty much gives you the names of all the records Vernon had a hand in which are worth owning.

Almost all the really good Savoy Brown records were Vernon produced. Then his assistant took over. Focus were produced a number of times by the guy. He had a knack for capturing warm, heavy non-metal guitar tone to tape in a way that sounded big and thick without crushing the rhythm section or the vocalist. He allowed people to push the amps and play loud, I think, capturing the live attack of his bands. This was very complimentary to that style of music -- white boy blooz just tumbling over into boogie rock and roll with the density of heavy metal. I don't think I have a single record produced by Mike Vernon that I don't like. Not only was the tone always great but also seemed to be discriminating in the people and material he wished to work with.

YES YES YES!!!! To everything you said, but especially about the tone that he got. Wotta sound! I really think my enjoyment of those early savoy brown records have a LOT to do with the sound he/they got. yeah, the internet actually has tons of info when i googled. Just marvelous. Crystal clear and yet there is depth and bottom as well! I really get excited by stuff like that. I wonder if the CDs sound as good? I've never heard any ten years after of savoy brown on CD. I can't imagine them sounding any better.

Possibly. He was in Fleetwood Mac and one of the first editions of Savoy Brown. I had the very first Savoy Brown record. It sucked. Start with "Getting to the Point." Scott, that should be easy to score on vinyl if you don't have it.

And, yep, Vernon produced Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac. I think my favorite is "Then Play On" although I could be wrong about the producer. "Pious Bird of Good Omen," certainly.

I have all the Savoy Brown CDs and I'm pleased with them. Never A'B/d them against the vinyl. "Blue Matter" really satisfies. There is a two-CD box that compiles the best of vintage Savoy Brown from the very first, and wretched, album to "Savage Return." It's an excellent place to start if you want to pick and choose which things to get in later shopping. It's also good, sequencing-wise, in its own right. The albums, you may have, that I recommend are "Point," "Blue Matter," "A Step Further," "Raw Sienna" and "Looking In." "Street Corner Talking" is also exceptional.

I do know the Ten Years After material has been through a few rounds of remastering. Never bothered to get the updates. One of the things I listened to most was "Alvin Lee & Company" which was a put together of Vernon leftovers after TYA left the label for bigger bonuses on Columbia, I think. Of course, most of the later stuff eats it compared to the initial recordings. Gotta have the fifteen minute version of "Boogie On," though.

yeah, don, vernon's solo records.

yes, sir. "black axis" is still pretty good to my ears, but i know he somehow lost cachet with music snobs at some point. maybe it was after the einheit collaboration. now i look at the same $4 used copy of "koksofen" every time i go to the record store and think "maybe when it's cheaper."

MAG EARWIG is a great record. "jane of the waking universe" --

cobra verde & pollard --- uh man.

But as long as we're talking Brötzmanns, I just gotta add that I recently was pleasantly surprised to discover the existence of a CD called Hyperion by Marilyn Crispell/Peter Brötzmann/Hamid Drake. It was recorded June 26, 1992 during the Du Maurier Jazz Festival in Toronto, and is (as far as I know) the only LP documenting a concert I personally attended.

afghan whigs - black love (listened to all of once. anything that doesn't get listened to in 9 years should probably go.)

man or astro-man? - experiment zero (ditto!)

butthole surfers - electriclarryland (double ditto! 1996 was a banner year for one-listen wonders!)

why do i own so many friggin' gary numan records? i don't think i've ever even listened to some of them!

This is a great thread!

I have owned records that took me 10 years to get into. I regret selling any and all of the ones I have sold over the years. Well, except maybe for Ellen Allien.

Koksofen has never stopped getting play around my house. I saw that tour with about 50 others at the Satyricon here in Portland. Engine Kid opened.

I heard of him because on the Black Axis tour, my buddy in Minneapolis saw him open for Morgoth and Kreator. I would kill to have seen that tour...

yeah he played at the old John Henry's on 11th in Eugene on that tour, I still have a guitar pick from it! I have Koksofen and The Tribe, but I have not listened in years. I think about them though! And I probably will never sell them.

I have sold over 1000 items over the past 24 years and only ever repurchased 3:

Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Scream
Gang Of Four - Songs Of The Free
Goblin Mix - The Complete

I've been curious enough to redownloaded a few things only to confirm the wisdom of selling them.

Scott - I sold that Man Or Astroman album too! But kept that Catherine Wheel, it's half good.

As long as there is at least one good song on a record, it needs be kept.

I have the duo lp with daddy. overdubbing suxxx (and i like the one with bill laswell better).

Wait, there's overdubbing on that record?? Kinda been wanting that but if it aint' straight up duo style I'm not interested

I'm a Caspar newbie - maybe I should stay that way? Am I going to be horribly disappointed if I'm expecting some sort of Stefan Jaworzyn full-on guitar assault?

i have waaaaaaaaaaay too many wendy/walter carlos records, that's all i know. like, a dozen! wtf? when do i ever play them? how about never!

Heads up:

Southern Lord is proud to announce the first in a series of CASPAR BRÖTZMANN MASSAKER album reissues -- beginning with the masterful debut The Tribe, originally released in 1988, and second album, Black Axis, originally released in 1989 -- both remastered and presented as they were when originally released. After reissuing the first five albums, they shall later be made available in a collector's boxed set complete with extensive liner notes, artwork by BRÖTZMANN, as well as a silkscreened print which will be hand numbered and signed by the artist. Full details of the series to be revealed in the coming months. CASPAR is also rumored to be working on brand new material.

Southern Lord will reissue CASPAR BRÖTZMANN MASSAKER's The Tribe on CD, LP, and digital platforms and Black Axis on CD, 2xLP, and digital platforms on January 18th, 2019. Watch for preorders to post shortly.

Just pump these directly into my veins

I will buy this despite the fact that most of these albums that can be easily found in almost every CD dollar bin in America

still have those first two records, they were great

Just got my copies of the reissues last night. Shouts to Southern Lord for the simple, straight forward quality presentation, no bells & whistles just the records. And the remastering /pressing, holy god Black Axis in particular sounds incredible. If I were still worried about getting my music recorded and pressed and sounding good this record would instantly be in my reference pile.

Does anyone know who did the remaster? I didn't recall a credit on the jacket and internet didn't turn anything up, whoever they are they did a great job.