CHRIS YAMBAR - AMERICAN ARTIST, WRITER, PUBLISHER, SPEAKER - 1961 - 2021
CHRIS YAMBAR - AMERICAN ARTIST, WRITER, PUBLISHER, SPEAKER - 1961 - 2021
You’ll notice several noteworthy repeat audio associations and for a good reason. Over the years, Chris has done some extensive work with certain artists, bands and labels. These stand-out associations should be mentioned and noted here for historical purposes.
This massive 3 CD sampler from the UK based Filthy Little Angels Records is absolutely free as a download by going directly to www.filthylittleangels.com . Among the 70 selections are songs by such artists as ShiSho, Punk Bunny, Ant, Das Wunderlust, Hyperbubble, Couchgrass, The Utopians, Akira, Popkiller, Girl In A Coma, and many more! The cover (which comes in 3 different colors) is downloadable too …which brings us to the reason why this sampler is listed here. Yep. That’s our Yambar dressed in a Santa suit with a professional artists model. Ask him how this came about sometime. Proof positive that he can be both naughty and nice!
This 9-song CD from the ever prolific Mr. Blair is filled with every slice of cool that can be slapped onto a disc. Guest vocals include appearances by Michael Row of the 77s and Monkees frontman Davy Jones. With a project title as odd as this one, only Yambar could have designed its cover art. (OOP)
This single song CD was created as a promotional premium for the national release of Yambar’s MEOW WOW! #1 comic book and Layne Toth’s 8th birthday party …which were held at the same exact time at Harper’s Restaurant & Brew Pub in East Lansing, Michigan. Oddly enough, the disc (released by Sister’s Comics) had nothing to do with Yambar’s Itsi Kitsi - Happy Adventure Cat, who starred in the comic being released and although the words ‘Meow Wow Pow Wow!’ were right smack on the cover, an image of Faith Warrior Princess was featured instead. We suppose that makes sense since the lone song produced by Project Grooveyard was, in fact, a live version of the ‘Faith Warrior Princess Theme Song’. The whole night was pretty much like that. Levi Krause provided the cover character image and Yambar’s name appeared beside Layne’s in the TM & copyright legals. Abstract marketing at its best. (OOP)
As everyone knows, The Residents are an avante-music performance and art act from San Francisco, California. They are famous for their public image as 3 giant-sized eyeballs and a skull in tuxedo garb. This 2-CD set was organized by the band’s fan club, The Smelly Tongues. It includes numerous covers of the band’s material and a single song offering by Marc Plainguet and Yambar called “Birthday Boy.” It’s so wrong that it’s right! (OOP)
This 2-CD live performance by audio terrorist act Negativland centers on ‘The Weatherman’s Dumb-Stupid Come-Out Line’ episode and includes “cover art based on a painting by Chris Yambar from a drawing of The Weatherman by Richard Lyons.” The original painting was obtained by the band in 1992 during a Cleveland tour date. (OOP)
This raunchy 6-song country novelty CD was issued by H&H Record and Film Works and features a full-color cartoon cover jam with Yambar and fetish artist pal Joe Thomas. (OOP)
This 8-song adult contemporary acoustic gospel cassette was packaged by Yambar with photo by Deb Cattoi. (OOP)
This cassette only Corpqii Productions release by acoustic rocker Dyer was put together by Yambar in minutes so that Randy could have a cover to sell with his tapes during a live performance. With no time to think, Yambar grabbed the image you see here and whipped added some scratch on lettering. Years later it was discovered that the image was from a photo of the late U.S. President Gerald Ford as a baby who somehow managed to live longer than President Ronald Reagan. It should also be noted that Ford tended to fall down a lot. (OOP)
This 10-song cassette of art-punk music features Yambar cover art where a bunny gets run over by a church bus. (OOP)
This 10-song gospel rock LP features packaging by Yambar in a bold black and white comic style where light rays are tearing out of a man and zapping demons. This design was pre-approved by the band but scared them when they saw it completed. Collectors have been buying copies of this LP for years and paying between $20 and $30 for them. (OOP)
This cassette-only release featured cover design by Yambar and photographer Deb Cattoi. The vocal group performed in churches throughout the Youngstown, Ohio, area. The cover was printed in black and white on professional stock. No image is available at this time. (OOP)
This 3-song EP/LP came in a wraparound cartoon cover poster print featuring the band’s Blind Tooth logo character dressed as various Marvel Comics superheroes. Limited to a mere 120 signed and #d copies, this truly odd Yambar packaging is a must-have item for fans of Zappa-esque, Dr. Demento styled Christian art rock! A rarity even among collectors of one-off music!
Yambar returns to furnish this happy blind tooth illustration for the cover of the final Blind Teeth Victory Band project which features live and studio out takes from their career. This CD is limited to 300 copies and was produced in accordance to the wishes of band front man Delbert Nave who passed away in 2014. The project was compiled and produced by his son in Paul Nave.
This live beat performance CD was only available when you bought a copy of THE COMPLETE MR. BEAT (Vol.3). It included a full event of improv music and spoken word/poetic recital conducted under the guidance of Yambar and Johnny J. Blair, who took on the mantel of Mr. Beat for the night. The disc also includes an extended ‘Mister Body Story’ spoken word performance by Yambar, a studio acid house mix of ‘Dangerous Coffee’ by producer Marc Planet, and a Mr. Beat opening theme song by independent comics legends Tim Corrigan and Steve Keeter. How cool is that, baby? (OOP)
This signed and #d limited-edition, cassette-only release was produced to commemorate the opening of the BANANA RODEO GALLERY and Yambar’s acid house painting exhibition ‘Beatrix Unleashed.’ Side one contains ‘The Tale of Peeper Rabbit’ which was written and read by Yambar and scored and produced by Plainguet. This highly twisted but powerful morality play retells the Beatrix Potter classic ‘A Tale of Peter Rabbit,’ showing it in a far darker light. On this recording when young ‘Peeper’ disobeys his mother and goes into a pornographic movie house, he sees the fate of his missing father in a snuff film and is nearly killed himself. Side two features 2 Plainguet tunes about animal experimentation and mutilation for fun and profit.
WARNING: This rarity contains naughty words and extremely graphic situations and may not be suitable for sensitive listeners!
This strange audio collage includes sound bytes from Yambar’s 1980s ministry period (public speaking, teaching, stand up, interviews, and skits) coupled with Plainguet’s production and additions of sound effects, techno, acid house music, and even snippets from Yambar’s home answering machine. This collection was originally issued as a 45- minute cassette-only project by The Furnace Room Records label in 1989 (with a special fold out interior cover/mini-poster created by Justin Davis - age 6). Upon acquiring the master tapes, Corpqii Arts added an additional 15 minutes of material, including Yambar’s bone-breaking lyrics and vocal performance on ‘100% Pure Beef’ which shocked the hell out of everyone who ever heard it performed live, including Ivan Stang and attendees of a devival hosted by The Church of the Subgenius in Cleveland, Ohio. This, too, was a cassette-only release. (OOP)
This odd 4-song CD was ultra limited to 40 signed and #d copies worldwide. Hot on the heels of the F.E.S.T.E.R. - TRIBUTE TO THE RESIDENTS compilation, Marc Plainguet and Yambar dished up this 10-minute item that included Residents covers of ‘Hello Skinny,’ ‘Die In Terror,’ ‘Constantinople,’ and ‘Birthday Boy.’ Marc produced, arranged, and performed the music, while Yambar added this twisted vocals on ‘Birthday Boy’ and ‘Hello Skinny,’where he also played a giant sheet of metal. Creepy cool. Yambar also designed the Residents eyeball cover art. This CD was never intended to be sold but was created to be ‘2001 Millenium Gifts’ for their friends and clients. For awhile these were available as free MP3 downloads, but no more. A few have ended up on Ebay - you should see the prices.
Originally released in 1992 as an 8-song cassette by Plainguet’s performance art and music group and later reissued on CD, this project included an alternative raw version of Yambar’s industrial anthem, ‘100% Pure Beef.’ The two-headed skeleton logo image was also created by Yambar for the cover as well as a few dozen t-shirts to promote the troupe. (OOP)
This compilation cassette sampler included selections from the ever expanding Corpqii catalog and features vocals and writing by Yambar on two of its tracks: ‘Word To The Herd’ a rap number with The Martin Luther Experience, and a studio version of Yambar’s ‘100% Pure Beef’ with Skeleton Soundworks. The cover art was by Marc Plainguet. (OOP)
This live concert, cassette-only release was recorded in the second story warehouse of the original ARTATAK STUDIOS complex on August 27, 1990, when the band joined Marc Plainguet for a 2 ½-hour multi-media jam. Captured at their raw and enthusiastic best, this rarity showcases the true spirit of the original ARTATAK artist community. The cover features Yambar’s Mad Puppy logo and a band cartoon by Kris Barnette. (OOP)
The original art on the cassette-only edition was designed by Yambar with photo by Deb Cattoi, but was altered when this project was reissued for a brief time on the now-defunct Corpqi Arts label. Like the ‘35 Little Ducks in a Basket - Live at Artatak’ project, the contents of this CD captures the heart and soul of the Artatak/Corpqii alliance in the 1980s. Every key member of that art community was on hand to assist Marc on this historic live performance gig which took place in a packed out airplane hanger at the Cornerstone Music Festival near Chicago, IL. Yambar made sure all the multimedia and film ran on time while Marc delivered the goods. (OOP)
This 11-song industrial masterpiece was powerfully atmospheric and aggressive. Gadget was one of Marc Plainguet’s creative alter egos. When unleashed, this subterranean, techno-primitive would sample industrial sounds beneath the city and mix them into a musical language all their own. Gadget was the guy you sent in to rearrange the grey mind-matter. To assist Gadget, Yambar became ‘dD7,’ the terrible mutant gorilla who helped him gather his samples while at the same time penning and delivering vocal tracks on ‘Don’t Give Up Now’ and ‘100% Pure Beef.’ Originally issued as a cassette-only project, this collection was reissued for a brief time on the now-defunct Corpqii label. (OOP)
The packaging for the original 14-song cassette only release of this project was completely designed by Yambar and came with an activity book and props so you could actually participate in the ‘physical adventure’ as well as the audio experience. There was even a phone number for you to call in order to get a secret message from Marc (aka: Pastor Smilin’ Jack Stomach Pump) which got updated every once in awhile and was available to callers for several years. The cassette and booklet package also included a pair of signed and numbered surgical gloves. The original packaging was overhauled for a new millennium CD release but still kept plenty of Yambar’s artwork intact, including the infamous ‘Prayboy’ logo parody. This project was also available with a variant electronic book for more hi-tech listeners. The Prayboy logo made its way onto several dozen t-shirts which raised even more eyebrows than those gloves! An ever-evolving and maddening audio magic moment! (OOP)
This delightfully moody and abstract salute to the late Salvadore Dali was originally a cassette-only project until it was reissued on CD. On the original cassette cover, Yambar designed the simple but effectively haunting ‘clock head’ art which did find its way onto the new millennium release. (OOP)
Before Marc Plainguet went solo, he was the keyboard player for a pop-punk act called the Crazed Bunnyz. This cassette-only release featured 4 songs by the band on side 1 and a lengthy interview with Plainguet and then bandmate Mike Futch (aka: Bing Futch) on side 2. The interview was conducted by ACTIVIST publisher and journalist, Chris Yambar. (OOP)
This cassette came with four cat related covers: 1) Catnip dealing cartoon pimp cat. 2) Cartooned cat with claws that scratched up everything on the cover. 3) Photo of cat sitting in sunshine. 4) and the most popular - An image of Lee Harvey Oswald sitting in the window watching as the Kennedy motorcade passed by underneath. Beside him sits a shadow cat whispering, “Here he comes now.” These covers were on the ‘Corpqii Productions’ cassette releases only and never made it onto the CDs issued later by ‘Corpqii Arts’ in the 1990s.(OOP)
Sky Pilgrim Records. Go to www.myspace.com/terrydianemccabe
www.mccabestunes.com
to order this item.
Terry and Diane are back with a new 13-song CD of music, including a cover of Larry Norman’s ‘Watch What You’re Doing’ where they are joined by Yambar as the legendary bluesman ‘Scapegoat Hawkins Lee.’ This disc also includes a remixed version of ‘In Love with the Bomb’ which originally saw release on the Manna Live Music! Label in 1984.
Go to www.myspace.com/terrydianemccabe
www.mccabestunes.com
to order this item.
This 9-song CD by Christian modern rock combo Primal Blinkk has complete graffiti styled graphic packaging and disc art by Yambar as well as an image of his character Mr. Beat on the back cover. Mr. Beat also appeared on various gig flyers for the band.
This 9-song cassette-only release of acoustic rock studio tunes featured Yambar cover art and an 11th anniversary remake of ‘Newave’ entitled ‘Newage’ which was penned by Yambar and McCabe who also collaborated on the vocal chorus. Produced by Plainguet. (OOP)
This live concert cassette-only recording includes Yambar cover art and a pre-45 live performance version of ‘Newave.’ Originally recorded in 1981 and previously issued by The Furnace Room Records. (OOP)
This cassette-only release featured a Yambar cover, the 1982 ‘Newave’ single, and selected skits by Yambar and McCabe (aka: The World Famous Lamb Chop Players) from Asphalt Invasion. (OOP)
This live concert recording by McCabe was originally released as a cassette-only project until its re-release on the Corpqii Arts label some years later where the original Yambar cover art was discarded. (OOP)
This rare cassette-only release was created and produced by Manna Underground Press as a premium for its readers and was ultra limited to only 100 copies worldwide. In addition to music by McCabe, there were several audio skits by The World Famous Lamb Chop Players written by and with Yambar who also designed the cover art. (OOP
This 45 record had a 500 disc pressing and was loaded with cool swag ! Yambar not only co-wrote the A side with McCabe but sang harmonies and added a weird talking baby voice on the track which cracked people up whenever it was played. Yambar produced a neon slipcase cover which held the 45 and its sleeve along with a lyric sheet and neon colored sticker. A rare find! (OOP)
This 3-tape collection included the following live concert recordings: Conviction Of Sin - U.S. Decay, Moral Majority Live, and Conviction Of Sin - Live. The project was originally created to showcase the development of the California Godcore Music scene by highlighting the bands at their creative live best. Due to unexpected technicalities, the project was scrapped but not before less than 100 sets had been produced and distributed to reviewers around the globe. These sets are super rare and are highly prized among audiophiles. All three covers were designed by Yambar who was also executive producer for the project. (OOP)
This cassette-only release was too ‘in your face’ for most CCM airplay and was even banned by some gospel bookstores until its Yambar designed cover art was redesigned to read, ‘Cut The Garbage.’ Even after the alteration, some southern states refused to carry or display the cassette at all. There were actual reports of some stores keeping the tape ‘behind the counter’ and selling it without any cover art sleeve at all. This gave the band immediate international cult status, and the tape became a must-have item. Many critics have called this project “…the most cutting edge moment in 1980s independent Christian music.” They may be right. The cassette art was matched with an oversized promotional poster/newsletter designed by Yambar and some stickers of the cover art produced by the band. (OOP)
This over-the-top cassette release literally shook the CCM community when it openly and blatantly went gunning for popular religious media personalities by name! Critics freaked out over the band’s raw boldness and call to radical holiness and over Yambar’s controversial cover art that depicted a dead Christ draped in the arms of PTL Club hosts Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker, Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart, whose faces topped the bodies of giant writhing serpents. Voted the best independent CCM release of 1986 by numerous underground critics and publications the world over! (OOP)
Half way through its shelf life, Radicals commissioned this new cover design from Yambar so their entire line of cassette tapes would have ‘that look.’ (OOP)
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