"Ruthann Friedman wrote the early bubble-pop anthem Windy for The Association while crashed out on Crosbys couch, swung with Zappas crew, and she almost got that Jefferson Airplane vocalist slot before bitch goddess Grace slunk in. Ruthanns 1970 LP, Constant Companion is a recording of sublime beauty and abstract folky ruminations which shouldve sent ol Joni running to Essra Mohawk and Judee Sill for consolation (and inspiration!) -- but sadly recognition was a long time in coming. Friedmans lone 45, Carry On (Glittering Dancer) is another bit of genius, fleshed out by captivating Van Dyke Parks arrangements a la Smile or Song Cycle. The two tracks on this single arent as densely arranged as that, certainly more of a piece with Constant Companion than the Hurried Life demos collection that came out in 2006 on Water. Still, any further recordings from this era should be recognized as a godsend... like these two! The A side, White Dove, is Ruthann naked amongst spiraling acoustic beauty, while the B is a rip-snortin west-coast style groover that sounds like Moby Grape or Big Brother (or late West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band!) backing one bad-ass biker mama. - Ether.
After nearly a decade of false starts, multiple game plans veering off the rails, and a handful of shattered hopes and/or dreams, the odyssey is finally complete—the new Fusetron site is here.
This is the first phase of a multipart rollout that will span the next few months: the currently browsable stock includes miscellaneous new releases from the past 8+ months (we have a lot of catching up to do), plus approximately a third of our backstock. Note that we’ve reduced/slashed prices on many titles and will continue to do so in order to make room for new stock. We’ll also be expanding / tweaking / improving / debugging the site itself (for example, we still have work to do on the automated international postage system, not to mention the inevitable inventory discrepancies that come with transferring an ancient and massive database to a new system).
Over the next few months, as we take inventory, clean house, and delve into our storage, we will be uploading thousands of additional items, gradually, on a near-daily basis. This will include the majority of the LPs, as well as many titles, in all formats, once thought long-gone. Many currently “sold out” items are likely to resurface.
Finally, once our general backstock is up (probably in the next two or three months) we’ll begin making our extensive stockpile of rarities available online for the first time: tons of random out-of-print titles, "deadstock," warehouse finds, secondhand collectibles, etc., accumulated over the past few decades.
Frequent/returning customers will be getting early access to these items. Details to follow on how this will work (a priority mailing list? a 'frequent flyer'-like program?), but it will not be based on dollars spent. We want to reward those who consistently support us, especially in the discogs marketplace era (to those who show up trying to poach five copies of a one-off rarity, and nothing else, ever… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).
So—we suggest you take some time to dig through the site—even we’ve been surprised by what’s been turning up, and there’s much more to come.
