Television Pollution

To shift gears to Italian prog, Franco Battiato’s output (along with that of Claudio Rocchi and Lucio Battisti), has long been a favorite around these parts. From his krautrockesque experimental pop to his Terry Riley-inspired electronic music to his 80's synth pop star days, we like it. Producer, composer, musician etc.

Battiato had an incredible run in the early 1970’s with lps such as “Fetus,” “Pollution,” “Sulle Corde di Aries” and “Clic.” Check out Franco during the “Pollution/Fetus” era taking over Italian television in 1972 on “A Tutto Pop.” Great on a lot of levels and I imagine what the tropicalistas in Brazil would have done in 69/70 without a military state and national television exposure:

The Last Heard/The System

All of the early Seger tracks were booted and comped in the 80's and these tracks were front and center. From a much maligned performer who did cut some GREAT 45s. Hat tip to the Boogaloo Omnibus of Brooklyn for the original tip in Los Angeles some time in the mid-80's. The drumming (coupled with the fuzz) KILLS:

1976 ESL Proto-Punk/I Just Don't Have "the Touch"/Movie Instead

A rustic Jonathan Richman lp cover photo. Check. Clanking Scotty Thurston piano playing. Good. Warped misanthropic lyrics to rival JW Farquhar on that sub-basement psych lp "The Formal Female." That too. There was point last decade where I was compiling an lp of non-native English speaking proto-punk and this track ("Movie Instead") was in the running. So maybe not the crusher you were hoping but I can safely say that this is the best proto-punk track from the Middle East from 1976 CE. The rest of Ariel Zilber's lp "Rutzi Shmulik" you can pass on like the b-side to Freestone's "Bummer Bitch." Trust me on that one.