Normal Bias

WMWC Carts, Station IDs, etc.

A lot of the stuff I post here is of limited interest to a limited number of people, perhaps no more so than this tape.

This is a 90-minute tape of station IDs, PSAs, carts, and random other nonsense from the Instant Replay system at WMWC, the college station of Mary Washington College the University of Mary Washington. I DJed at the station every semester I was in school there, from 1994 through 1998. I was station manager for a year and probably more involved with the station than anyone else during those four years. Even though our listenership was about three (not three hundred or three thousand… just three), it was still one of the best experiences I had during college.

The content from this tape comes from 1995(-ish) to 2000. This is definitely not a complete collection of carts from those years, but it’s a start. At some point, I intend to break these into separate files, dig up older stuff, and then post it all to wmwc.org. Someday.

Voices on here include me (way too much me), Chandra DasGupta, Matt Wright, Sally Bean, Danielle Richardson, Natalie Illum, Brady Wassom, Olivia Synnott, Matt Montgomery, Dave Wrubel, Pastor Daphne Burt, Matt Dawson, Brian Petrack (sp?), and a few others I couldn’t identify.

The track listing for this tape is very long, so I’ve put it after the jump, with some commentary.

 

 WMWC Carts, Station IDs, etc. (side A) [45:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 WMWC Carts, Station IDs, etc. (side B) [46:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

(more…)

Posted in 1990s, 2000s, Carts, News, Radio, WMWC | 2 Comments »

Armageddon In Domestic Society’s: “1987 Demo”

As far as I can tell, there’s not a single bit of information out there about unsigned mid-80’s New Jersey punk band Armageddon In Domestic Soceity’s [sic] (or just Armageddon In Domestic Society, depending on where you look on the J-card).

A.I.D.S. was made up of bassist/vocalist/partime guitarist “Sanchez” (perhaps Ramon Rodriguez, who was the group’s contact at 1108 North Ave, Elizabeth, NJ), guitarist John, and drummer Nelson. While Ramon Rodriguez is a common name, he may now be a realtor in North Arlington, NJ, just 10 miles from where A.I.D.S. received their mail (wrong guy - see comments).

This demo, made up of songs written between 1985 and 1987, was recorded at JMM Studios in NJ in August of 1987. It was engineered by Jerry Manno (currently a popular professor at DeVry). The cover a mixture of a hand-drawn logo and typewriter text, photocopied on standard weight paper. The cassette is a normal bias Radio Shack Supertape LN-60 with a typewritten sticker. The recording tabs are still in tact.

As is typical with demo bands, A.I.D.S. included a “no thanx” section in the liner notes. It read: “No thanx: Those of you who never took the time to listen or even tried to understand. You’re all uninformed!” They also offer “A Mighty F.O.A.D. [Fuck Off And Die, I assume?] to Peter Tursha and all at Billy O’s!” Billy O’s was apparently a venue in NJ. Please note, lastly, that “Unauthorized Reproduction [is] Prohibited. (But it makes us a hell of a lot bigger!).” I guess I’m helping to make them bigger by posting this?

In terms of the music, I’m not all that well versed in punk history. While this was recorded well after punk’s early 80’s heyday, it still sounds good and has some good tracks. I’m particularly fond of “Fuck the Cops,” which could easily be the motto of any punk band, ever. Here’s a link to the full album and a one song preview:

Download A.I.D.S.: 1987 Demo

 

 AIDS - "Fuck the Cops" [0:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted in 1980s, 1987, Demo, Punk | 3 Comments »

Quick update

I realize last week’s “rare hip-hop week” was only two posts, and that’s kind of weak. I had a third post ready for Friday, but I decided to hold off and contact one of the artists to see if he minded me posting the album. If I haven’t heard back in a few more days, I’ll go ahead and post it.

In the meantime, I have a punk demo tape from the mid-80s coming up soon, too.

Posted in Admin | 1 Comment »

A.Z.: “Street Wise”

This marks the first out-of-print commercial release posted here on Normal Bias, and it’s a pretty rare one, as far as I can tell. It’s a solo album by AZ, but not the AZ you’re thinking of. This is the 80s Harlem gangster Azie Faison who also recorded with the group Mobbstyle. AZ and two other Harlem compatriots, Alpo and Rich Porter, were portrayed in the 2002 movie Paid in Full and a documentary titled Game Over. I won’t go too much into the back story here, but it is pretty interesting stuff, so read up.

While this record is more interesting from a historical perspective than anything else, there are still some standout tracks worth checking. And there’s something about the dark, low-budget nature of this tape that gives it a feeling of gritty realness that you’re not going to find in any so-called gangster rap of today.

A few tracks worth mentioning:

• “What’s Going On Black?” has vocal samples from Chuck D and… is that Phil Collins?
• “Last Days” is a bizarre, yet engrossing, 7-minute posse-cut epic about the coming apocalypse with one emcee that sounds a lot like Ced-Gee. This track has perhaps the most confusing anti-gay message ever recorded:
  

  Man on top of man, I can’t understand,
  Me, myself, I’m not a fan.
  Throw ‘em all in the garbage can, ’cause they trash,
  Who like it in the ass.
  To each his own, you choose who you wanna bone,
  God bless the child that have his own.

• “Gangster Shit” was a minor hit, and with good reason. Featuring a guest shot by Pretty Tone Capone rhyming over the same loop that the Kings of Swing used on “Nod Ya Head To This.”

“Street Wise” was released on Espionage Records, which was located at 470 Lenox Ave, now home to the Lenox Terrace Podiatry Group.

AZ: “Street Wise”
Espionage Records, 1991 (est.)

Track listing:

1. Street Wise
2. What’s Going On Black?
3. Last Days
4. I Rock
5. What Does It All Mean
6. Another Contract
7. Gangster Shit (Re-Mix)
8. Don’t Dis Nobody
9. (The D.L.)
10. To Be Continued…
11. I Rock Again

Download (92 meg)

Posted in 1990s, 1991, Commercial Release, Hip-Hop | 7 Comments »

The Best of WPRB

I was stoked this past weekend when I came across a crate of tapes I’d misplaced a few months ago, before starting this site.  At the very top of the crate was my “Best of Raw Deal” tape (renamed for this post “Best of WPRB” since it goes back to the Club Crush days).  I think I had intended to build on this tape as time went on, but never got beyond the 45 minutes included here.

But, what a 45 minutes it is.  Here’s a run-down of what you get, all from 1990-1992 “Thursday Night Live” sessions:

• Intro
• Treach
  The Naughty By Nature frontman does some familiar verses that later wound up on albums.
• Supreme (?)
  Performing an interesting track titled “Delilah and Jezebel.”  Not 100% sure who the artist is.
• Tony D
  “I’m gonna do some TV stuff” he says before dropping into some lyrics that later wound up on the Crusaders for Real Hip-Hop album.
• Rza
  This here is the gem.  A pre-Wu Tang Rza (Prince Rakeem) kicks a clever rhyme with hidden meaning.  I’ve always wanted to ask him about this one.
• Tony D
• 2 Black 2 Strong
  “I ain’t messing up on the air, man!”  Um, too late?
• Tony D (w/ Dre and others)
• Tim Dog
• B. Chill
• B. Fine
• Mr. Law
• Tony D
• Zulu the One Man Gang
  Performing his LL parody, “Mama’s Gonna’ Whoop My Ass.”
• Zulu and Courageous Chief
  Zulu and Courageous Chief (who is still around, now going by Popa Chief) go back and forth.  An interesting bit comes at the end where they try to get G to rhyme.  G says, “I’m gonna hold off… maybe next week” and claims to have been working on something.  I don’t think this ever materialized.
• Zulu
  Performs “Drug Dealer Man.”  The second verse is pretty funny.
• Poor Righteous Teachers: “Rock This Funky Joint (remix)”
  This was released on 12″, but I loved it when it came out so closed out side A with it.

I looked forward to “Thursday Night Live” every week because you just never knew who was going to show up.  This tape is a good sampling of what came out of those sessions.

 

 The Best of WPRB [44:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted in 1990s, Hip-Hop, Radio, WPRB | 3 Comments »