Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 111 (1980s special)

 

This Spaghetti Tree volume is a little different, consisting entirely of songs released in the 1980s, a decade which my old pal moonglum insists is the worst ever for music. Yes, there were plenty of awful artists/songs in the 1980s, just like any other decade, so I compiled this "80s special" as my argument against his claim. I think he was just listening to the wrong music...!
The cover art was inspired by the lovely Sarah, joing up 2 photos taken by her, which I've manipulated somewhat. Hope you all enjoy this latest volume!!


Disc 1:
  1. Opal - Supernova (4:17)
  2. Bird Nest Roys - Ain't Mutatin' (2:42)
  3. Zag and The Coloured Beads - Truckhouse (2:33)
  4. Modern Art - Light Comes Down (3:17)
  5. Daevid Allen - Afraid (2:00)
  6. Bobb Trimble - When the Raven Calls (6:35)
  7. Moral - Juice (3:18)
  8. Au Pairs - Love Song (2:48)
  9. Big Black - Kerosene (6:01)
10. Sardine v - Minutes (5:06)
11. Mekons - Dora (4:38)
12. Plasticland - No Shine for the Shoes (2:27)
13. The Mommyheads - Cactus Farm (3:28)
14. The Chills - The Great Escape (2:28)
15. Viv Stanshall - Terry Keeps His Clips On (3:37)
16. Violeta de Outono - Declínio de Maio (4:59)
17. Dark Day - The Metal Benders (2:46)
18. The Ex - Kachun-K Pschûh (3:40)
19. Guided by Voices - The Qualifying Remainder (2:55)
20. Mick Wills - She Looked Down (9:40)

Disc 2:
  1. Marden Hill - Masque (2:51)
  2. Crispy Ambulance - We Move Through the Plateau Phase (5:41)
  3. Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band - Sue Egypt (2:53)
  4. The Green Pajamas - I Feel That Way All the Time (4:11)
  5. Throwing Muses - Hate My Way (4:03)
  6. Bill Laswell - Lowlands (4:18)
  7. Colin Newman - Alone (3:57)
  8. The Kiwi Animal - Blue Morning (2:16)
  9. Solid Space - Tenth Planet (2:52)
10. Camberwell Now - Working Nights (7:41)
11. A.R. Kane - Suicide Kiss (3:35)
12. Spacebox - Session Groove (3:49)
13. This Kind of Punishment - After the Fact (4:44)
14. The Durutti Column - People's Pleasure Park (4:55)
15. Edu Passeto & Gui Tavares - Menino de Pindorama (3:55)
16. Family Fodder - Cold Wars (3:36)
17. The Bats - North by North (4:04)
18. Pauk - Pozlilo od Strasti (2:51)
19. Tangle Edge - The Approaching Triptykhon Sunset (3:42)
20. Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians - Goodnight I Say (3:10)

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Homunculus Res - Sogni in Tasca (Anthology 2013-2023)

 

Short bio:
Homunculus Res are a progressive rock band from Palermo, Sicily, founded in 2010 by multi-instrumentalist Dario D’Alessandro. Their music draws heavily from the Canterbury scene of the 1970s (Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North, Caravan) while infusing it with Italian wit, surrealism, and Mediterranean warmth.

Their debut, "Limiti all’eguaglianza della Parte con il Tutto" (2013), immediately won praise for its playful, labyrinthine miniatures. Follow-ups such as "Come si diventa ciò che si era" (2015) and "Della stessa sostanza dei sogni" (2018) expanded the band’s palette, introducing longer suites like “Ospedale Civico” while maintaining their trademark mix of quirky pop sensibility, intricate counterpoint, and whimsical lyrics.

Over the course of five albums (most recently "Ecco l’impero dei doppi sensi", 2023), Homunculus Res have become a cult favourite in modern progressive circles. Critics often note how they balance complexity with lightness: unusual time signatures and adventurous harmonies delivered with humour, melody, and a refreshing lack of pretension.


Thinking about which artist to feature for my next anthology, I looked back through the blog to see which names crop up most often in my mixes. Two immediately stood out: Homunculus Res and Beautify Junkyards. After some deliberation I decided to start with Homunculus Res — though I hope to put together a Beautify Junkyards anthology before the year is out.

As mentioned in the short bio, Homunculus Res have released five studio albums to date. Their 3rd album, "Della stessa sostanza dei sogni" was my first introduction to them, and I was instantly hooked. Favourite album by them? I couldn't possibly choose, they're all excellent. If you have any affection for the Canterbury Scene bands of the early 1970s, I’d recommend exploring all of them.

As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download folder. I hope you enjoy this latest collection as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Cheers! 


  1. Il gran finale (3:50)
  2. Dopamine (3:47)
  3. Preparazione Bomba H (3:11)
  4. Vesica Piscis (6:21)
  5. Supermercato (6:16)
  6. La casa dei sogni (2:48)
  7. Viaggio astrale di una polpetta (5:14)
  8. Dogface (3:40)
  9. La Salamandra (6:21)
10. Il papa buono (2:51)
11. Mentre dormi (4:13)
12. Ottaedro (2:44)
13. La ballata dell'amore stocastico (3:10)
14. Fine del mondo (4:04)
15. Se la mente mentisse (4:14)
16. Paum/ (1:52)
17. La Luccicanza (4:23)
18. Doppi sensi (10:00)

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Dedicated to You... (Manerg's Canterbury Mix)

 

Deviating from my usual compilations/anthologies, I originally asked my pal Manerg if he wanted to do his own "Desert Island" mix. After thinking about it he came back to me with an idea for doing a compilation of bands who were either originators or inspired by the Canterbury Sound. I agreed it would be an excellent idea, he's much more of an expert on the Canterbury Scene than me. I asked him to say a few words on this mix.

Manerg wrote:

"The tracks and bands I chose for this compilation are what I think is the natural organic movement of the style. The DNA and its mutations if you like. Starting with the originators, members of Soft Machine and Caravan forming the band that was the source of the genre, that band being The Wilde Flowers. The Canterbury Sound was an amalgam of free jazz, classical, pop and a dose of psychedelia. The early Mothers of Invention albums can also be heard as an influence.

The Canterbury Scene spread its tentacles further afield, many groups and artists in The Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain and all points of the compass have 'that sound', which has travelled throughout the years always remaining underground. Some musicians linked to the scene have at times raised their head above ground and even had a modicum of chart success, Robert Wyatt and Dave Stewart (not The Eurythmics guy but a member of National Health) being examples. The latter had a hit with a cover of Lesley Gore's 'It's my Party', accompanied by Barbara Gaskin, who was once a member of Canterbury group Spirogyra (not the jazz funk outfit).

The Canterbury Sound is still alive and thriving. The last few tracks on this mix are recent recordings by bands that pay homage and wave the flag for a scene that even its original movers and shakers can't quite describe.

Vive l'école de Canterbury"

  1. Caravan - Cecil Rons (4:05)
  2. The Soft Machine - Why Are We Sleeping? (5:32)
  3. Kevin Ayers - Song for Insane Times (4:01)
  4. Khan - Stargazers (5:32)
  5. Uriel - Garden of Earthly Delights (2:44)
  6. Egg - A Visit to Newport Hospital (8:24)
  7. Spirogyra - A Canterbury Tale (4:04)
  8. Matching Mole - Instant Kitten (4:59)
  9. Robert Wyatt - Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road (6:08)
10. Moving Gelatine Plates - London Cab (7:30)
11. Cos - Fanfan la Tulipe (2:38)
12. Supersister - She Was Naked (3:43)
13. Hatfield and the North - Fitter Stoke Has a Bath (7:33)
14. National Health - Clocks and Clouds (6:42)
15. Daevid Allen and Kramer - Song for Robert (3:49)
16. Homunculus Res - La Cabala (3:58)
17. The Winstons - Nicotine Freak (4:31)
18. Magic Bus - Distant Future (7:06)
19. Big Hogg - Little Bear (1:16)

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