I love the story of Mathias Schneeberger telling Brant Bjork to re-record Ché‘s Sounds of Liberation (discussed here) because, “the music is great but the recording is shit.” Saying that kind of thing to somebody can end a friendship, and the level of trust that it won’t is hard to come by, whether we’re talking artist egos or pretty much anybody’s anything. You could say to someone their cooking tastes like crap go back and make it again and lose a spouse. I don’t know if that’s the verbatim quote, but even paraphrased that’s a hell of an impression to make.

Some historical reorganizing here. I remember seeing Brant Bjork and the Bros. touring to support Saved by Magic, and I dug that 2CD outing a lot but would definitely be interested to hear it divided between its two component sessions, one solo, one with the full band, split up as sans and avec-Bros. offerings billed as Saved by Magic Again. The coming of that and a reissue for Ché are part of an ongoing series of catalog reissues from Bjork through Heavy Psych Sounds. I don’t know how much is left, but the good thing about there being a bunch of Brant Bjork records is you can probably circle back to do a new edition of Jalamanta by the time you finish with the rest.

You like records, right? Here’s some records:

Heavy Psych Sounds to announce BRANT BJORK – Saved By Magic + BRANT BJORK & THE BROS – Saved By Magic + CHE – Sounds of Liberation – presale starts TODAY !!!

Today we are stoked to start the presale of 3 REMASTERED ALBUMS !!!

BRANT BJORK – Saved By Magic Again

BRANT BJORK & THE BROS – Saved By Magic Again

CHE – Sounds Of Liberation

RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 22nd

ALBUMs PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

USA PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

HPS278 *** BRANT BJORK – Saved By Magic Again ***

– REMASTERED REISSUE of Brant Bjork’s legendary album in brand new coloured vinyls and artwork –

RELEASED IN
15 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
200 ULTRA LTD SIDE A – SIDE B GREEN/YELLOW/PURPLE VINYL
600 LTD ORANGE SOLID VINYL
BLACK VINYL
DIGIPAK
DIGITAL

TRACKLIST
Magic Vs. Technology
Get Into It
Kiss Away
Sweet Maria’s Dreams
Sunshine Of Your Love
Freak Levels
Let The Truth Be Known
Avenida De La Revolución
Arcade Eyes
2000 Man

New album cover by Maarten Donders.

Remastered by John McBain !!

______________________________________

HPS279 *** BRANT BJORK & THE BROS – Saved By Magic Again ***

– REMASTERED REISSUE of Brant Bjork’s & The Bros legendary album in brand new coloured vinyls and artwork –

RELEASED IN
15 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
200 ULTRA LTD TRANSP. BACK. COLOR IN COLOR RED/SPLATTER BLUE VINYL
600 LTD GOLD NUGGET VINYL
BLACK VINYL
DIGIPAK
DIGITAL

TRACKLIST
’73
Lil’ Bro
Dr. Aura
Inside Of You
Paradise On Earth
Gonna Make The Pony Trot
The Messengers
Dylan’s Fantasy
Moda
Cool Abdul

ALBUM DESCRIPTION

“I had just got off the road and went right into the studio out in the desert at Rancho de La Luna. I was living in the house just behind at the time making sessions super convenient. I was set to record with my band the Bros in a couple weeks but I decided to go into the Rancho early and get some sounds. Tony and I ended up recording a bunch of songs that I was writing on the fly. A week later the Bros showed up and we recorded another batch of songs with the band playing live in the front room. After we wrapped I combined both my solo session and the Bros session and released in as one record called Saved By Magic on my label Duna records. That was 2005.

Now I’m rereleasing this record on HPS and I’ve decided to separate the two sessions into their original bodies of work. My solo session and the Bros session. I mostly did this because I feel the Bros deserve to have something of their own as they were a magical band. I also just thought it would be cool. I call both records Saved By Magic Again.” Brant Bjork

New album cover by Maarten Donders.

Remastered by John McBain !!

___________________________________

HPS261 *** CHE – Sounds Of Liberation ***

– REMASTERED REISSUE of the legendary super-band debut album in brand new coloured vinyls and artwork –

RELEASED IN
15 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
100 ULTRA LTD TRANSPARENT SPLATTER RED/BLACK/WHITE VINYL
400 LTD HALF HALF WHITE/RED VINYL
BLACK VINYL
DIGIPAK
DIGITAL

TRACKLIST
Hydraulicks 04:23
The Knife 03:39
Pray For Rock 05:16
Sounds Of Liberation 06:11
Adelante 05:13
Blue Demon 06:13
The Day The Pirate Retired 04:39

ALBUM DESCRIPTION

“It was late 1999. I was living in Palm Desert with Dave Dinsmore. Dave had just left Unida and Alfredo Hernandez was in town and had just left Queens of the Stone Age. I had a rare bit of downtime from touring with Fu Manchu. The three of us started jamming at the house. I had just got over a bad relationship and songs were pouring out of me. Frank Kozik heard about us jamming and called me up and said he wanted to put out whatever we come up with. Within two weeks we were already recording on an 8 track reel to reel. I took the recording to brother Schneebie to mix in LA. He said the music is great but the recording is shit. He asked to re-record it. I asked when? He said now. We re recorded right there on the spot and finished everything in 2 days. We decided on the name CHE and called the record Sounds of Liberation. ” – Brant Bjork

Artwork made by Maarten Donders.

https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork
http://www.brantbjork.com

https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com

Brant Bjork & the Bros., Saved by Magic (2005)

Ché, Sounds of Liberation (2000)

Ché, Sounds of Liberation (2000)

By 2000, Brant Bjork was half-a-decade out of Kyuss. In 1997, he’d released his first album as the drummer for Fu Manchu, The Action is Go (he’d also produced their 1994 debut, No One Rides for Free), and in 1999, he released his own solo debut in the form of the landmark Jalamanta, bringing his funked-out, soulful desert rock songwriting front and center with laid back tones and nodding cool that dripped from the platter front to back. When Ché issued 2000’s Sounds of Liberation, Bjork was still with Fu Manchu — his final album with them would be California Crossing in 2001 — and it’s clear part of the drive was to be a bandleader in his own right. Having drummed in Kyuss and Fu Manchu and performed everything on his solo record, Ché was an outfit that could get out on stage and perform in a traditional band sense, and that seemed to be the idea behind it.

Bringing together Bjork in guitar and vocals, a post-Queens of the Stone Age (also ex-Kyuss) Alfredo Hernandez on drums and Unida‘s Dave Dinsmore on bass, Ché was an exciting if short-lived prospect. Man’s Ruin, which also put out Jalamanta the year before, issued Sounds of Liberation, and even 15 years later it sounds like an album with considerable promise. In light of what Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band — which also includes Dinsmore — were able to accomplish with 2014’s Black Power Flower (review here), Sounds of Liberation seems like a precursor to a similar kind of expression, Bjork‘s songwriting, tone and voice very much at the fore, but well complemented in a fashion that, at least going by the sound of it, seemed sustainable and tour-ready. That didn’t turn out to be the case, but with tracks like the jamming “Pray for Rock” and ultra-swinging “Blue Demon,” Sounds of Liberation stands the test of time. It didn’t prove to be the kind of rock and roll freedom Bjork was looking for, and the album has become kind of a footnote in the history of desert rock, but there’s nothing about the results that didn’t work.

Sounds of Liberation was reissued in 2008 by Bjork‘s Low Desert Punk Recordings and there are still copies around for those who’d find them. Hope you enjoy.

—

Still in Jersey. Going to Brooklyn in a little bit to see Conan, then up to Connecticut immediately thereafter. Plan is to drive back to Massachusetts during the day tomorrow, then up to New Hampshire to see Gozu. Reviews of both of those and the new The Machine album at some point next week, but I start work on Tuesday, so I honestly can’t say when or what that’s going to look like.

I’m a little nervous to start work again, but I think it will be good. I’ll have my own office and a little space to figure things out, so that’s good, and you know I’m going to do as much Obelisk stuff as I’m able all the while, whatever it costs me in mental stability or hours of sleep. If I could make a living doing this site, I would. Nobody’s cut me that check yet, so off to work I go. I’m happy to have a job.

Monday is Memorial Day, and I might review the Conan show, but there probably won’t be much more going on than that — four bands on the bill, so I’m sure that will be plenty — and Tuesday, since it’s my first day at the new office, I’ll have a podcast up and maybe a news story or something but that’s probably it. I said the same thing last week, but I ask you to please bear with me while I get settled. It might take a little time.

I hope you have a great and safe weekend. If you’re in the States, enjoy the extra day off. Be safe and thanks for reading. Please check out the forum and radio stream.

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