Welcome to the Back of Beyond.  At long last, a website, courtesy of Ben Raskin, the man who brought you Eugene Chadbourne’s House of Chadula.  Since this is my first authorized website it seems a plan is in order. 

The purchase order numbers are in reverse chronological order.  The year of the release is followed by a number to differentiate it from other releases in the same year.  The letters that follow refer to the medium. CDs were mass produced. CDR means it was burnt in my home in real time on a professional dubbing unit.  All CDs and CDRs are between 50 and 70 minutes.  LPs are closer to 40 minutes.

Click on any title for additional info

NEW STUFF!!!!!

20043CDR Intermission 1 - Xenharmonic Gamelan - I believe we broke up (we never discussed disbanding) and I didn't want the lovely unreleased nuggets to become too dusty for consumption. Like the first, it features the tunings and home made instruments of clem fortuna. Music to meditate by.   $10

20042CDR Euphoniums - Solo - This could have been my most self-indulgent (after all, who wants to listen to a cd of euphonium oompahs except for fellow euphemists) but i decided at the last minute to record some unlikely covers (mancini, the beatles, cat stevens, neil young, the doors, beethoven) and mix them up with originals. Each cover was rescued from the Cranbrook Art Academy's dumpsters at year's end. Some are numbered and signed, some aren't, but they are all beautiful.    $10

20041CDR Dusty Nuggets - Only a Mother - I finally got around to compiling unreleased OAM tracks all recorded between 1988 and 1998. 17 gems in all ... the vast majority were previously unreleased w/just a few appearing on small compilations. The end result in my opinion beats Damned Pretty Snout hands down. Your OAM collection is not complete without it. Lovely recycled covers and a provocative drawing of us in our birthday suits by our friend Mary Fortuna.     $12

>>>>All 3 cdrs come with track info one sheets and fine covers. Buy all three cdrs and i'll drop the price to an even $25. That is a serious savings!$!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

A new Scavenger Quartet CD is in the works for the acidsoxx label.

20033CD   Musique Du Jouet - Various Artists (Novel Cell Poem - Japan)   Including Frank Pahl, Klimperei, Pascal Camelade, David Fenech, Itoken, Harpy & more. Japanese toypop label Novel Cell Poem releases a bunch of previously unreleased tracks in a beautiful package with informative book insert (if you read Japanese).  Limited Stock!!! $12

20032CD   Mayor Of The Tennessee River - David Greenberger & Shaking Ray Levis (PelPel Recordings)   David came down to Chattanooga in 2002 and interviewed local senior citizens while I joined up with those inimitable improvisational stalwarts, the Shaking Ray Levis. The results are 17 new standards. How can you pass it up?  NOW AVAILABLE!!!!! $10

20031CD   The Back of Beyond - solo (Novel Cell Poem - Japan)   This release alternates between friendly toypop and commissions for theater and dance. REDUCED PRICE!!!!! $12.50

20021CDR   Xenharmonic Gamelan - XHG   XHG is a six-piece band based out of Detroit and led by microtonalist Clem Fortuna.  Many of the instruments are home made. Equally influenced by traditional gamelan music and minimalism, XHG is capable of beautiful music to meditate by. $12

20011CD   Scavenger Quartet - Whistling for Leftovers (Snowdonia - Italy)   Scavenger Quartet (Doug Gourlay of Only a Mother, Tim Holmes of Major Dents, and Joel Peterson of Immigrant Suns and XHG) was originally formed to perform original jazz waltzes for the choreography of Peter Sparling. We got along so well we decided to call it a group. Dave Mandl of The Wire wrote "a chamber jazz hybrid that is much more intimate than Only a Mother but with an equally vast palette."  And Ralph Valdez of WDET added "Future-rustic might be an apt description of the Scavenger sound which achieves a fusion that is simultaneously antiquated and avant garde."  $12

20012CD   Music for Desserts - Frank Pahl and Klimperei (in poly sons - France)   What can I say? This is my favorite. All tracks began with home made automatic instruments.  Klimperei laid down their sympathetic magic and I mixed. The folks at The Wire liked it and Nate Cavalieri of The Metro Times wrote, "an achievement that depends on beautifully complex minds and beautifully simple machines."  Cover art by yours truly.   $12

19972CD   Boss Witch Shaking Ray Levis (Shaking Ray Records)  My favorite improvising duo on this here planet, Dennis Palmer and Bob Stagner get together with some of their favorites (JD Parran, Davey Williams, Frank Pahl, Mary Richards & Steve Beresford).  Limited Stock!!!  $10

19971CDR   In Cahoots (Vaccination Records)   As the title suggests, there are different collaborators on each track and the CD alternates songs with instrumentals. Pitching in are The Immigrant Suns, Eugene Chadbourne, Only a Mother, Shaking Ray Levis, Luc Houtkamp, David Greenberger, Missy Gibson, Brian Poole and more.  These CDRs are available in the original lovely covers by Dennis Palmer of Shaking Ray Levis.   $12

19981CDR   Damned Pretty Snout - Only A Mother A classic from 1998 brought back to life on Frank's own Back of Beyond CDR release. Guests Eugene Chadbourne and Luc Houtkamp join the usual cast for the fun. $10

19951CDR   I Still Feel Like Myself - David Greenberger with special guests (PONK Home Recordings) How's this for a lineup: Only a Mother, Eugene Chadbourne, Davey Williams, Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet (minus Amy), Tatsu Aoki and David and I. I produced this one years ago and found some copies with original covers by David Greenberger and layout by Pink Bob. All previously unreleased material. very limited release! $14

19952CDR   Loose Threads - One of my most successful dance scores to date. Commissioned by Terri Sarris as composer and dancer (that's my dancing behind on the cover) this sewing epic explored the connection between recorded images, history and memory. I'm keeping the price low on this one
because there is some re-released material and the covers are recycled.  $7

19891LP   The Romantic Warped - Only a Mother   The second release by Only a Mother is the folkiest of their five releases however there are plenty of the weird moments that brought us infamy (kind of) … and look at the low price!   $7

19892LP   Studio Animals - Various   In the '80s I began releasing cassette-only compilations.  This vinyl release was my foray into the big time.  Contributors include Eugene Chadbourne, Only a Mother, Rascal Reporters, Major Dents and more. Very few copies remain.  $12

►►Several of my Only a Mother and solo releases are currently out of print however please feel free to e-mail me with requests.  I might find myself inspired to re-release material as CDRs.     

Ordering info:  Send check or money order along with $2.50 for postage & handling to:

frank pahl
1783 fifth street
wyandotte, mi 48192