Eros Plus Melody Vol. 30 (SC 139)

For me, image and music are irrevocably intertwined. From my first listening memories, I recall dissecting the details of album art, often through the entirety of an album, the cover having a profound effect on the way I interpreted the music. Today I could reference uncountable instances when I've heard a song sans artwork and was not at all affected by it, but then once seeing the album art, instantly hearing it with a fresh set of ears.

The relationship between sex and violence is at root in much of Euro and especially Italian cinema of the kind shared here (Think Elio Petri's Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion). Some of the tracks selected for the Eros Plus Melody series often had little outwardly sexual connotation. But once juxtaposed with an image suggesting sex, or eroticism, the songs, at least for me, altered their appearance. Ultimately, after listening to each of these volumes dozens of times, the songs have transformed and taken on an enduring eroticism in the way I'll hear and visualize them into the future.

Alas, the EPM series has fully exhausted itself. I accomplished more than I wanted with the series, and it's time to move on to other things. The blog will remain open until I'm struck with some other idea. It could be weeks, months, who knows... My love for music runs deep and through a multitude of genres, roots reggae, funk, blues, afrobeat, afrocuban, much of which is reflected in older entries of this blog. So we'll press hold and wait for this blog's apotheosis.

In the meantime, I promised to re-up older albums from the blog, especially those with the Sound Compendium label, so if you have a request, leave it in the comments below and I'll be happy to re-up. I will, however, limit it to a one-time re-up, so jump in and get it before it expires on zippy.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and check back every so often for the resurrection of the Sound Compendium Home Library.