Probably the first time Cromagnon has been mentioned in the NYT

April 24, 2015 12:17 PM

Bernard Stollman, founder of the influential, otherworldly ESP-Disk label, has passed away this week at 85. New York Times obituary. The independent label was home to blazing, provocative recordings from avant-jazz greats like Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, and Sun Ra, as well as underground rock outsiders like the Godz, the Holy Modal Rounders, and the Fugs. The label's discography is deep, strange, and still largely unexplored by everyone but hardcore music geeks (who tend to be highly passionate about it). From Stereogum: Remembering Bernard Stollman: 10 Essential ESP-Disk Albums.
posted by naju (24 comments total)

Thank you for this.

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posted by mykescipark at 12:26 PM on April 24, 2015

Yes.
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posted by LeLiLo at 12:32 PM on April 24, 2015

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posted by mintcake! at 12:34 PM on April 24, 2015

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posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:38 PM on April 24, 2015

Was not aware of this --the label of the force behind it-- but being an avowed "hardcore music geek*" this is simultaneously sad news (for the passing) and welcoming for the potential rabbit holes.

AND I see that Sun Ra was on the label so yeah this is right up Creature Alley.

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*Minor point: I swap out "geek" in favor of "dork". Being a dork of anything holds less cachet then being a geek these days and I think it more accurately reflects the spirit of obsessive interest and unhinged evangelism.
posted by Doleful Creature at 12:58 PM on April 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

Peter Stampfel (Fugs, Holy Modal Rounders) was less charitable:
  ‘bastard thief lying piece of shit bernard stollman is dead …’
posted by scruss at 1:04 PM on April 24, 2015 [8 favorites]

(oh, and ESP Disk on MetaFilter previously: The Yodeling Astrologer)
posted by scruss at 1:05 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

...as well as underground rock outsiders like the Godz , the Holy Modal Rounders , and the Fugs

Not to mention Pearls Before Swine.

Although White Cat Heat by the Godz was memorable enough.
posted by y2karl at 1:20 PM on April 24, 2015

I have a few of the ZYX CD reissues of ESP records - the East Village Other compilation, GODZ, etc.

I'd always heard he didn't pay the artists (ironic considering that line about "The artists alone decide what you hear on their ESP-Disk".) The NY Times obit seems to reflect that pretty well.
posted by larrybob at 1:27 PM on April 24, 2015

That Patty Waters record I have is pretty special. Fifteen minutes of her moaning "BLAAAAAAACK" [slyt] over the freest of free jazz. You never got that on Verve or Columbia. And somehow it worked.
posted by Fnarf at 1:34 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Peter Stampfel (Fugs, Holy Modal Rounders) was less charitable:
‘bastard thief lying piece of shit bernard stollman is dead …’

That's the real Peter Stampfel. I'm on his Facebook friends list, and he posted the exact same thing.
posted by jonp72 at 1:56 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

For the pioneer recording label, the "creative accounting" not so much,

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posted by jonp72 at 1:57 PM on April 24, 2015

From the Stereogum article

"...let’s be honest, nobody’s that interested in the Fugs or Cromagnon in 2015."

Them's fightin' words! Besides, both Pitchfork and Cracked have already rediscovered Cromagnon for its proto-industrial sound.
posted by jonp72 at 1:59 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yeah, that sentence and thinking is waaay off! The outre rock/folk aspects of the label are some of the most exciting.
posted by naju at 2:26 PM on April 24, 2015

Cromagnon - "Caledonia" (1969)
posted by naju at 2:27 PM on April 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:31 PM on April 24, 2015

As Marc Masters said on Twitter, it would be hard to make a bad list of 10 ESP releases, but that Stereogum list is definitely a good list.
posted by OmieWise at 2:38 PM on April 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yeah, that sentence and thinking is waaay off! The outre rock/folk aspects of the label are some of the most exciting.

I prefer not to think of it as an either/or thing. I'm just of the mindset that, when a pottymouthed band like the Fugs is the most commercially successful act on your label, you're way more cutting edge even now than a lot of more hipster-than-thou record labels these days.
posted by jonp72 at 3:25 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

My old room mate had 'Contact High with The Godz', good times, yeah.
posted by ovvl at 4:39 PM on April 24, 2015

"...let’s be honest, nobody’s that interested in the Fugs or Cromagnon in 2015."

well, not a lot of people are interested in free jazz, either - a couple of other lists of 10 could have been a nice addition to this
posted by pyramid termite at 4:52 PM on April 24, 2015

Here's Marc Masters' top 5 (via Facebook):

what are your 5 favorite ESP Disks? impossible to choose, but off the top of my head: 1) Albert Ayler "Spiritual Unity", 2) Frank Lowe "Black Beings," 3) Marzette Watts "And Company", 4) Sun Ra "Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 2", 5) The Godz - "Contact High With". And now I can think of 20 more that are just as good...‪#‎RIPBernardStollman‬
posted by naju at 5:11 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

"...let’s be honest, nobody’s that interested in the Fugs or Cromagnon in 2015."

What Stereogum knows about it.
posted by kenko at 7:23 PM on April 24, 2015

After looking at the obituary, I realized that Bernard Stollman's brother is Steve Stollman, who was responsible for setting up the "Spontaneous Underground" events at the London Marquee club. One of the bands that Stollman introduced to the UK underground at this venue was a relatively unknown, unsigned band from Cambridge called the Pink Floyd Sound, later to be known as simply Pink Floyd.
posted by jonp72 at 9:12 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

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posted by On the Corner at 12:50 AM on April 27, 2015