Aquarius Records closed in 2016. This site is an archive — a place to rediscover their extraordinary music recommendations. Nothing here is for sale.
Showing results 101 through 139 of 139.
V/AHomework #7: US Experimental & DIY Singles, A-B(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
More "experimental" punk, No-Wave, and just plain goofy North American DIY in volume 7 of HTD's Homework series. Concentrating on 45s starting with the letters A & B, this collection features more obscurities than the last "experimental" volume as well as many
V/AInstitute of Sonology 1959-69: Early Electronic Music(Sub Rosa)cd$ 15.98
Collection of recordings made at this Utrecht, Netherlands as a studio for electro-instrumental music and attached to the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Contains your standard academic tape and electronics fare for the period. Features pieces composed
V/AIt Came from Memphis Vol. 2(Birdman)cd$ 13.98
This comp was recorded by a variety of artists from 1950 to the present. The music ranges from traditional blues to mid 60's soul pop to the rad blues rock that made bands like The Gories, The White Stripes, Demolition Doll Rods, and Black Top what they are.
V/ALove, Peace & Poetry: British Psychedelic Music(Normal / QDK)cd$ 14.98
Another new entry in Normal's Love, Peace & Poetry series devoted to giving a round-the-world tour of rare album tracks from the psychedelic era. Unlike some of the other volumes in the series (Latin American, Asian, the newly released Japanese volume, and There's a few heavy, rockin' tracks here too, like the Blue Cheer-ish acid rock of The Dark, or Bodkin's Deep Purple-isms, but mostly it's folkier fare (Parameter, Mark Fry, Oliver), spacey, proggy stuff (Forever Amber, Lightyears Away), and some late '60s pop-psych too (Gary Walker & The Rain). Also: Pussy, Dogfeet, Motherlight, Candida Pax, Andwellas Dream, and Red Dirt. Most come armed with a lot of fuzz-distortion. Not our favorite of the LP&P series, but definitely worthwhile for fans of drugged-out hippie rock!
V/ALove, Peace & Poetry: Japanese Psychedelic Music(Normal / QDK)cd$ 14.98
Following the excellent Latin American psych and Asian psych collections in the Love, Peace & Poetry series (and the not as hot American one) comes two new comps, one devoted to British bands and this one, dedicated to the wild and crazy sounds of As with the rest of the Love, Peace & Poetry series, it should be noted that all the cheesecake blonde girl photos decorating the cd package were taken by Bunny Yeager, the awesome woman photographer most famous for her work with Betty Page. That doesn't mean that they're terribly appropriate images to this comp, but still, Bunny Yeager, yeah.
V/AMessthetics #1: UK '77-82 DIY, R-Sh(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
Messthetics is a seven volume sub-series in Chuck Warner's massive Hyped 2 Death series of cd-rs compiling tracks from rare '70s and '80s DIY/Punk/Experimental 7" singles. The Messthetics discs cover British bands of the art-school punk persuasion, from While it would've been great if these 7"s could have gotten deluxe box set Rhino-style reissue treatment, with real cd pressings, full-color artwork repro, thick booklets full of learned essays, etc. that's not to be, and Chuck does a great job anyway -- first off, the black & white xerox/cd-r thing fits perfectly with the original DIY spirit/aesthetic, and Chuck's liner notes are well-written, enthusiastic, and historically informative. Concise they are, yes, but they're also augmented by updates, links, discographies etc. on the H2D website. And his notes are always backed by a collage of the original 7"s cover art, looking graphically very 'zine-like. Also, while these are technically "bootlegs", Chuck encourages the artists to contact him ("hey bands...don't get pissed off, get in touch!") -- basically, he doesn't want anyone to be on these discs who doesn't want to, and he'll gladly remove a track from future pressings if the artist complains. But none have. Uniformly, the artists who've gotten in touch with him are excited to have their old work dug up and appreciated (and in some cases, were excited to get a copies for themselves 'cause the no longer had the original vinyl themselves). So, kudos to Chuck for making this music available to the "masses". Grab a few volumes -- they're cheap! -- and hear for yourself. Historically, it's a whole world of pretty much unknown stuff -- what music fan/collector could fail to be fascinated? One listen will transport you to a time/place/scene where you've probably never been, while seeming somehow familiar 'cause of the web of influence to which these bands belong, historically. And the same goes for the other two H2D series we stock, Homework (USA DIY/Punk) and Teen Line (North American power pop).
V/AMessthetics #2: UK '77-82 DIY, Si - Th(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
Sl to Th, thus: Steppes, Spitfire Boys, Surgeons, Sods, Stockholm Monsters, Take It, Thin Yoghurts, Terraplanes, and 16 others, 26 tracks total. Allan's favorite volume of the Messthetics -- so far (thus he really splurged on the sound files for this one).
V/AMessthetics #3: UK '72-82 DIY, Ti-V(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
Or is it Th-to-Va? It says both here. No matter. 26 more gems compiled by Messthetics mastermind Chuck Warner. This batch includes one of our favorite song *titles* in the series: "Shark Fucks" by the Tronics. There's also tracks from Trwyano Coch (yep, they're Welsh), Thought Police, Toys, They Must Be Russians, Tiny Town, Vacants, U.X.B., and even some early 23 Skidoo, among others.
V/AMessthetics #4: UK '77-82, DIY, V-Z(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
Rounding up the end of the alphabet, Messthetics volume 4 includes a Young Marble Giants cut, but it's one you may already have, from their "Colossal Youth" album (which Chuck acknowleges isn't DIY, but belongs here to give credit where it's due). Their
V/AMessthetics #5: UK '77-81 DIY, A(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
Vol. 5's got the "A"s: The Arnold, Astronauts, Armed Force, Acid Drops, Avacados, Art Failure, Atoms, Anorexia, A Certain Ratio, Auntie Pus, Artery, Addiction, and lots more. These "A"s take up a whole disc (26 tracks) and Chuck wonders if these DIYers were
V/AMessthetics #6: UK '78-81 DIY, B(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
The brand new Volume 6 in Chuck Warner's amazing "Messthetics" series of rare British artpunk singles comps. This one's got the B's. Bloated Toads provide a couple of very nice Swell Maps meets Soft Boys angular pop tunes). As two bands that have ended up
V/AMessthetics #7: UK '77-81 DIY, C(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
Volume 7 in the "Messthetics" series of incredibly obscure UK punk and art rock features an alphabetical series of bands beginning with the letter "C." Highlights include: The Commercials, a Northern English group picking up a few pointers from Au Pairs as One of the best offerings from the huge catalog we've acquired from Hyped 2 Death -- but if you're going to have Vol. 7 "C" in your collection, our guess is that you probably will want to have the rest of the series as well!
V/AMission Voices(Southern Exposure)cd$ 8.98
This hiphop compilation is part of Horizons Unlimited, the San Francisco DJ project devoted to - as the cover states - "empowering youth through the arts". Students took the creative reins: writing, sampling, sequencing and mixing their own tracks as well as
V/ANew Sounds of the Old West volume 3(Loose)cd$ 17.98
Artists such as Grandaddy, The Handsome Family, Sparklehorse, Evan Dando and Mark Eitzel doing some covers of classic country tunes by the likes of Hank Williams and Kris Kristofferson, along with some old 'n dusty sounding originals.
V/AO Sister!(Rounder)cd$ 16.98
A wonderful compilation of the -- until recently -- under-exposed world of female bluegrass music featuring the lovely, familiar voices of such artists as Hazel Dickens, Alice Gerrard and Alison Krauss. Nineteen rich, rootsy numbers in all (18 taken from the
V/APoesia Sonora(Zona)lp$ 24.00
Deluxe gatefold and 180 gram clear vinyl reissue of the definitive collection of sound poetry. Originally released back in 1975 by CBS Italy, features Henri Chopin, Brion Gysin, Paul de Vree, Ernst Jandl, Maurizio Nannucci, Franz Mon, Sten Hanson, Bob Cobbing and more.
V/APopshopping Vol. 2(Crippled Dick Hot Wax!)cd$ 16.98
Aaah, the wonder of advertising jingles! Cleverly, insidiously hooking the consumer through the ear. Love 'em or hate 'em, we've all caught ourselves pleasantly humming a tune only to realize it's for some junk food we'd never ever lay a hand on. Pizza on a
V/ARingtones(Touch)cd$ 15.98
Well, it's an intriguing gimmick that piqued our interest when we first heard about it -- 99 ringtones for cel phones, contributed by a panoply of musicians and sound artists (many of whom AQ holds near and dear), compiled by the virtually always trustworthy The list of participants is certainly exciting -- everyone from naturalist soundcollectors Douglas Quin, S.E.T.I., and Chris Watson; to glitchsters Fennesz, Mika Vainio, and Pita; to soundwave conjurers Ryoji Ikeda, Carl Michael von Hausswolff; to pranksters People Like Us, Gilbert and George; to radio transmissions, a Conet Project snippet, New Order, Wire's Bruce Gilbert, and ever so much more. But honestly, even though all of the above have made full length records we've enjoyed, listening to more or less 10-second snippets from these artists' signature sounds is frustrating, you keep wanting to hear more from a particular contributor, to figure out where in the lineup you are, having to constantly check the cd player to see which track you're on, then ruin your eyes referring to the *tiny tiny* track listing on the cd digipak. It's a headscratching, sort of frustrating exercise. As one big listen straight thru (or even on shuffle) without caring who is doing which track, the experience is schizo but not unpleasant. But collage without any sort of sonic theme besides "short" and "wouldn't it be funny if this was a cel phone ringtone" falls squarely, for me, into the cool-concept-but-bad-listening-experience category.
V/ASounds Like 54(Smak Classics)2cd$ 18.98
This selection of long-forgotten disco favorites is surprisingly decent (not great, but better than mediocre) -- full of trilling organs, declamatory guitarpicking, solid bouncy bass, and barked lyrics a la Chic. The sort of stuff played at Studio 54, the
V/ATeen Line #1: Powerpop & Poprock 45s R & S(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
The third series of pop obscurities we've brought in from the folks at Hyped To Death begins with the letters R and S, and the years 1977 through '86. The focus, as the title tells, is on teen powerpop and poprock. As Chuck points out in the liner notes to
V/ATeen Line #2: Powerpop & Poprock 45s S-to-U(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
27 cuts from bands like Tearaways, Secrets, Ugly, Tools, US Mods, and many more...
V/ATeen Line #3: Southern & Midwestern LP Powerpop R-Z(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
Teen Line hits the end of the alphabet with these 27 songs (all LP tracks) by the likes of Sex Clark Five, Vertebrats, Nines, White Animals, Raves, and US Mods (a DIFFERENT US Mods from the band found on Teen Line #2, by the way), and more. These bands all
V/ATeen Line #4: LP Powerpop R-Z(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
The fourth volume of the third series of pop obscurities we stock from the folks at Hyped To Death focuses on '70s/'80s teen powerpop and pop-rock LPs (Q to Z: East, West & Canada). In my opinion (Cup), this volume sits at the top of the stack of seven
V/ATeen Line #5: Powerpop & Poprock 45s V-Z(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
While no single song on this fifth volume of Teen Line jumps out screaming "POWER POP GEM!" (unlike volumes 1 and 4), if you've got a penchant for jangly guitars, farfisa organ and garage-y yelps you just might wanna add this compilation to your collection.
V/ATeen Line #7: Powerpop & Poprock 45s B & C(Hyped 2 Death)cd-r$ 9.98
More B's, and C's too. American powerpop obscurities from the genre's heyday, presented for your listening pleasure (and reading, too -- did we mention how witty Chuck's well-informed liner notes can be?). In his estimation, the 26 cuts here tend towards the
V/ATrojan DJ Box(Trojan)3lp$ 28.00
The consistently popular Trojan box sets are now being issued on LP at long last. The sets all appear to be identical to their cd counterparts in design and content, only being slightly more pricey. "Initially little more than record selectors for sound systems, deejays assumed a greater role following the exploits of Winston 'Count Matchuki' Cooper, who in the early fifties began embellishing records with smatterings of live and aural effects. Others swiftly followed suit and by the late fifties the practice was widespread, with the deejay's profile considerably raised as a result." By the late sixties many deejays were beginning to acheive popular success through releasing their own toasted versions of songs. This set contains some of the best and most influential deejay toastings ever committed to vinyl, including works by Big Youth, U Roy, Dennis Alcapone, King Stitt, Sir Lord Comic, I Roy and much more. Like the farmer said to the potato, 'I'll plant you now and eat you later.'"
V/ATrojan Dub Box Volume 1(Trojan)3lp$ 28.00
The consistently popular Trojan box sets are now being issued on LP at long last. The sets all appear to be identical to their cd counterparts in design and content, only being slightly more pricey. In the late sixties the trend among producers to release b-side "versions" of songs, stripped of vocals, was intended to allow for DJ's to "toast" over the tracks with improvised vocals of their own and the end result is what we know today as Dancehall. The side effect to this practice was the inadvertent creation of what we also now know, love and embrace as Dub. Starting with King Tubby in the mid seventies, several studio engineers began showing off their talents by creating versions released strictly as instrumentals with added effects and instrumental solos to fill up the b-sides of singles. This box set serves to sample the pioneers of that era from the mid seventies on up to the early eighties, featuring dubs by King Tubby, Scientist, Lee Perry, Prince Jammy, Errol Thompson & Sylvian Morris of tracks by Sly & The Revolutionaries, Roots Radics Band, Upsetters, Gregory Isaacs, Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators, and much more.
V/ATrojan Rocksteady Box(Trojan)3lp$ 28.00
The consistently popular Trojan box sets are now being issued on LP at long last. The sets all appear to be identical to their cd counterparts in design and content, only being slightly more pricey. A collection of tracks from the relatively brief, but fruitful Rocksteady era (1966 - 1969), a genre sandwiched betwixt the end of ska and the beginning of reggae. Known for its down tempo rhythms, smooth soulful vocals, and the rise of the keyboard (organ) as lead instrument. The artists here speak for themselves: Alton Ellis, Desmond Dekker, The Melodians, The Maytals, Justin Hinds & the Dominos, The Ethiopians, Phyllis Dillon, Lee Perry, Tommy McCook, and much more.
V/ATrojan Ska Box Volume 1(Trojan)3lp$ 28.00
The consistently popular Trojan box sets are now being issued on LP at long last. The sets all appear to be identical to their cd counterparts in design and content, only being slightly more pricey. The genre that saw Jamaican music move from the heavily Rhythm & Blues and Soul influenced Blues Beat into its own unqiue and beautiful form - up tempo, punchy, and loaded with horns. Featuring tracks by: Lord Tanamo, Baba Brooks, Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Roland Alphonso, Derrick Morgan, Don Drummond, The Ethiopians, The Techniques, Jimmy Cliff, Clancy Eccles, Lee Perry and much more.
V/AVoodoo Drums(Universal Sound /Soul Jazz)cd$ 17.98
Drums, all drums. Recorded in Haiti and featuring the drummers from the Societe Absolument Guinin playing the complex rhythms of Haitian Voodoo. Pretty impressive stuff, along with the tricky polyrhythms employed in the pieces, you can hear little bass lines
V/AWizzz!(Musiques Hybrides)cd$ 18.98
This peppy French compilation is so good. So stylistic and classy, people in the store took notice immediatley when I put it on. The songs are fast and a bit psychedelic. There're silly backup vocals and sexy girl voices throughout. The years span 1966-1971,
VAN ZANDT, TOWNESLive At McCabes(Return To Sender / Normal)cd$ 15.98
Posthumous release of humble and down to earth folkster Townes Van Zandt recorded live at McCabe's, a musical instrument store in Santa Monica, in 1995. The performance is as intimate as the location would seem to dictate -- the small shop only held about a
VON SCHIRACH, OTTOEscalo Frio(Schematic)cd$ 14.98
Von Schirach's second long player of leftfield electronica, very schizo, following his spastic "8000 BC", also released this year. Quite prolific, Mr. Otto Von, for he could have edited the best parts of each release down to one powerful record. Features guest
WEGMULLER, WALTERTarot(Spalax)2cd$ 18.98
This 1973 krautrock rarity was reissued a few years ago as a deluxe box set complete with reproductions of the Tarot cards designed by German gypsy painter Walter Wegmuller. That uber-expensive deluxe version quickly went out of print, and now we have a
WHITEHEAD, PETERNow This(Out Of Round)cd$ 11.98
The local label Out of Round has been laboring quietly in the background, not calling a lot of attention to itself yet turning out record after record that are consistently of similar mood -- due to the fact that they all play on each others recordings. The Check out www.outofroundrecords.com -- we carry all of their releases. For a limited time only, get an Out of Round Records label sampler free with purchase any full length on the label. Peter Whitehead is my favorite artist on the label. This Mission-ite is British-born and a cool instrument-maker, who croons downer vocals over otherworldy stringed instruments just "off"-sounding enough to be delightfully puzzling. Piano, mandolin, zither, siren, "spike fiddle", lyre. Very cool layers of lush metallic sounds acts as climaxes to his Michael-Stipe-like haunting verses.
WRIGHT, SHANNONDyed In The Wool(Quarterstick)cd$ 14.98
Shannon Wright returns with a dozen new songs of dark, winding torment. Filled with deeply emotive and visual lyrics - poetic and bittersweet. Envision her wringing her hands, walking the floor - a dusty threadbare path the proof of her paces - as the lovely,
WU-TANG CLANIron Flag(Columbia/Loud)cd$ 16.98
Back again, with a burst of gunfire and the sound of sirens, and thankfully they didn't wait 3 years this time. And as far as we're concerned they're still at the top of their game. It doesn't hurt that the majority of the 'Clan are wicked lyricists and
XBXRX / MISS PUSSYCAT / QUINTRONMardi Gras(Gold Standard Laboratories)7"$ 4.50
Sadly enough, the spaz-bot combo known as XBXRX is no longer with us, but before their demise they did this collaboration with Miss Pussycat and Quintron, New Orleans' reigning art royalty - creators of the Drum Buddy, amazing, twisted puppet shows, and
ZEN GUERRILLAHeavy Mellow(Flapping Jet)picture disc lp$ 12.98
SF's finest R&B&Rockn'rollers offer up a gorgeous picture disc lp, in a limited edition no doubt, featuring a colorful painting three-eyed skeleton playing a watermelon mandolin, riding on a flying carpet...ok, so from a distance you might mistake it for a