Rare CDs and Cambodian Lyric Booklets

WFMU's 2018 Fundraising Marathon is upon us, and this year I've got a special surprise for Bodega Pop Live listeners: I'll be giving away 18 CDs and two Cambodian lyric booklets plucked from bodegas and media stores catering to immigrants in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. 

This Wednesday, March 7, from 7-10 PM ET I'll be joined by my Give the Drummer Radio stream mate, DJ and visual artist Mayuko Fujino; in addition to playing some really great tracks, we'll be giving away the nine CDs shown above plus two beautifully illustrated Cambodian lyric booklets to lucky pledgers of $20 or more.

Here are a few details on what's up for grabs:

1. Two super-rare, gorgeous, illustrated Cambodian lyrics booklets plucked from the shelves of Battambang Market II in the Bronx. 

The scans on this blog are from my own personal copies. The two I'll be giving away are identical to these, but still in their shrink wrap, and in much better condition.

There are no others at the market; I bought both copies of both booklets. And I've never seen any like these before, anywhere else. You'll have a chance to win these gems this Wednesday night, shortly after 7:00 PM.

2. Our second prize will be Turkish rapper Ceza's unimpeachable 2004 album, Rapstar, found at Uludag Video in south Brooklyn. Your copy, unlike mine shown above, is a rare fold-out cover version, with complete lyrics so you can rap along with the fastest rapper in Eurasia. 

3. Up third, Sezen Aksu's remarkable debut album from 1977, in a special CD edition that also collects rare singles from 1976-79. Your copy, plucked from Uludag Video, includes a 16-page booklet with lyrics, photos, production notes, and bio (all in Turkish).

4. Up next is hands down one of the greatest pop albums I've ever heard, The Very Best of Ahmed Adaweya. Adaweya rose from the streets of Cairo to become the greatest sha'abi artist of all time. When I found a second copy of this long out of print collection of his early hits at the Nile Deli in my neighborhood, I snatched it up, knowing it would someday find a great home. (Yours, if you're lucky!)

5. Also from the Nile Deli, a copy of Oum Kalsoum's greatest song, "El Atlaal," from a live concert in the 1960s. That's my treasured copy above; the copy you could win on Wednesday is still in shrink wrap, with a different cover.

6. The 19 tracks on this electrifying collection of 21st century Egyptian street-level pop changed my life, and will likely change yours, should you be so fortunate to win it this Wednesday night. 

7. Our last three prizes of Week 1 focus on Soviet-era punk and avant-garde music from Russia, including the above, three electronic-religious albums from Yuri Morozov. I have no words to describe this record -- it's amazing. I found your copy at RBC Video in Brighton Beach.

8. These two Aquarium CDs, [Triangle] and Taboo, from 1981 and 1982, respectively, provide a rare window onto some of the most out-there music of the Russian post-punk movement.

9. And, finally, as if that weren't grand-prize-y enough, here's the real grand prize, a 2-CD set of some of Grazhdanskaya Oborona's most incredible tracks. Don't let the lackluster CD cover fool you; never mind the Sex Pistols, this is some of the most scorched-earth punk rock ever committed to recording media. 

Don't believe me? Tune in Wednesday night when Mayuko and I will be playing selections from each of the CDs above.

10. If all this weren't enough, listeners who pledge $75 or more will receive a copy of our 2018 DJ Premium, Burma Pop, a collection of Burmese hits and crazy cover songs from the 1960s to 1980s.

Bookmark the page and see you Wednesday night!

(Stay tuned for pics and descriptions of next week's prizes ...)