Super Raoul
Encyclopedia
Super Raoul is the debut LP from Fishtank Ensemble
. The album was recorded live at Fishtank in Oakland, California
in early 2004 and completed over the course of two weekends. At this time, the band had only been playing together for three weeks. Fare like this is what was originally meant by "world music": joyous (at least in this case), knowledgeable, definitely athletic indulgences in the melding of the best of several cultures, bent to the benefit of all.
on the disc.
The second edition was independently released. The album cover features a cartoon by Garth Kauffman on the cover and refers to the band as "Fishtank Ensemble".
Besides purely aesthetic differences, there are significant differences between the sound quality of the releases. Though both of the CDs have the same tracks in the same order, the Mimicry pressing of Super Raoul is inferior to the quality of the independent pressing; notably so on the songs "Hora di Bucharest/Hora de Fabrice" and "Suite Romaine". On the Mimicry pressing, these songs "skip
", then abruptly silence repeatedly. This is most likely due to an error in transferring the data of the tracks. On the second edition, these tracks do not have such problems. Though the first edition is technically inferior in quality, it is perhaps likely to become a collector's item.
Many consumers who have purchased the first edition CD from CD Baby
have been sent a replacement CD along with a short note of apology.
Fishtank Ensemble
Fishtank Ensemble is a Euro-American musical group that formed in Oakland, California in 2004. They perform a variety of traditional musical styles including klezmer, flamenco, Japanese folk and Roma music....
. The album was recorded live at Fishtank in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
in early 2004 and completed over the course of two weekends. At this time, the band had only been playing together for three weeks. Fare like this is what was originally meant by "world music": joyous (at least in this case), knowledgeable, definitely athletic indulgences in the melding of the best of several cultures, bent to the benefit of all.
Track listing
All tracks feature traditional music and/or lyrics except where noted.- "Bordeas" – 6:55
- "Itty Bitty Snitty Little Frenchman" (A. Seeman, 2004) – 3:44
- "Papirosen" (lyrics by H. Yablokoff, 1932) – 3:02
- "Troll Wedding" – 6:37
- "Pegasus Vaulters" (A. Seeman, 2004) – 3:33
- "Ringo Bushi" (Narita Unchiku, 1954) – 2:51
- "Arabu Andaluz" – 4:36
- "Hora di Bucharest / Hora de Fabrice" – 6:48
- "Le Kidnappeur"" (D. Smolens, K. Kmetz, 2004) – 6:22
- "Hopa di Bida" – 4:10
- "The Last Shamisen Master" (K. Kmetz, 2003) – 4:39
- "Suite Romaine" – 4:42
- "Doina Sonnambule" – 4:49
First and second editions
Super Raoul has been released in two editions. The first edition was released through a limited Mimicry pressing and has a cover with a photograph montage that refers to the band as "Fishtank". There is no copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
on the disc.
The second edition was independently released. The album cover features a cartoon by Garth Kauffman on the cover and refers to the band as "Fishtank Ensemble".
Besides purely aesthetic differences, there are significant differences between the sound quality of the releases. Though both of the CDs have the same tracks in the same order, the Mimicry pressing of Super Raoul is inferior to the quality of the independent pressing; notably so on the songs "Hora di Bucharest/Hora de Fabrice" and "Suite Romaine". On the Mimicry pressing, these songs "skip
Skip (in record player)
A skip occurs when a phonograph , cassette tape or Compact Disc player malfunctions or is disturbed so as to play incorrectly, causing a break in sound or a jump to another part of the recording.-Vinyl gramophone records:...
", then abruptly silence repeatedly. This is most likely due to an error in transferring the data of the tracks. On the second edition, these tracks do not have such problems. Though the first edition is technically inferior in quality, it is perhaps likely to become a collector's item.
Many consumers who have purchased the first edition CD from CD Baby
CD Baby
CD Baby is an online music store specializing in the sale of CDs and digital music downloads from independent musicians to consumers. The company is also a digital aggregator of independent music recordings, distributing content to several online digital music retailers.CD Baby has achieved recent...
have been sent a replacement CD along with a short note of apology.
Personnel
- Fabrice Martinez - violin, violumba
- Ursula Knudsen - vocals, saw, violin
- Kevin KmetzKevin KmetzKevin Kmetz is an American guitarist and shamisen player. He is best known as the front man of the shamisen-based rock band, God of Shamisen. He has also recently become a full member of Santa Cruz, California eclectic band Estradasphere along with fellow God of Shamisen member Lee Smith...
- shamisen - Aaron Seeman - accordion
- El Douje (Doug Smolens) - guitar
- Tim SmolensTim SmolensTim Smolens is an American bass player, most notably a contributor to the artistic output of bands such as Estradasphere, Secret Chiefs 3, and Fishtank Ensemble, primarily as a bassist and songwriter...
- acoustic bass - Adam StaceyAdam StaceyAdam Stacey is an American musician/composer best known for being in the bands, Estradasphere, and Secret Chiefs 3.Born in Los Angeles, California in 1981, he began playing the accordion at a very early age but eventually became more known as a keyboardist. During high school, he joined many bands...
- percussion, accordion on "Le Kidnapeur"