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Sphunx


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Description
Odd song, odd time signatures. It was originally written for my AP english high school class as an instrumental "creative response" to Dante's Inferno. You gotta love the Catholic school system. Later a buddy of mine (Chris Lee) put lyrics to it and it became "The Sphunx". It is an Egyptian/Funk/Jazz Fusion kind of a thing. This was back in the early 70s. I recently rearranged and rerecorded it with modern synths/sounds. It starts out with a "James Brown for Pharaoh" which is the only part of the original recording that I used in this production.

Strong Zappa and Captain Beefheart influences in this one.
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Lyrics
James Brown for Pharaoh.

Sacred wisdom of the ages.
Deep Atlantis, far Tibet.
Take a mind expanding potion
Smoke them funny cigarettes.

Escape in flying saucers
Leave the earth with no regrets
One ritual remains if you cover all the bets

Cheat the maleficium
Sacrifice three skunks
and do the sphunx,
do the sphunx

Baby come upstairs and check out my hieroglyphics
The girls say they're terrific when they get down to specifics

Join the flagship of the Nile
Mother Africa awaits
Grim Anubis in his blue bus
Waits for he who hesitates

Grab yourself a mummy mama
Go to the Aeonic drama
Fast approaches hour of Rama
Salvadore the Dali Lama

Issues the divine decree
to his madcap monks
to do the sphunx
do the sphunx
Song Stats
Hits: 298
Comments: 15
Fans: 7
Plays: 41
Downloads: 14
Votes: 1
Uploaded: Aug 08, 2009 - 04:54:09 PM
Last Updated: Aug 08, 2009 - 04:54:09 PM Last Played: Nov 20, 2009 - 12:34:47 AM
Song License
Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

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Comments
Feter said 109 days ago (August 8th, 2009)
Sphunx
Incredible riff ...what an arrangement for a
crazy fusion work ..very creative ..reminds me
of the Mahavishnu orch ..with extra vocal singing
this is all so good ...kudos ...with that guitar
thnx alot for sharin !!!!
Wummimann said 109 days ago (August 8th, 2009)
...
good riffs, very good harmonies and chord changes - i like it!
Check out my latest song called Delusion
NewInfection said 109 days ago (August 8th, 2009)
this level
is rarely seen here. thank you for playing. i loved the zappa-esque rhythms, and the kind of jazzy nod. great post, fantastic mix. thanks for being here, and playing some great, strange music!
AD09
Check out my latest song called Tuesday One-Take
Reggie_Pole said 109 days ago (August 9th, 2009)
Mummy mama
Check out my hieroglyphics. Hahahaha. Great stuff. Your vocals have a bit of the Les Claypool treatment in places. Somewhat similar to MJ's own NomadicMind, also. Unusually interesting lyrics. Good to hear this kind of music at MJ. Love the complexity. More please.
Check out my latest song called Examination Dream
tonestones said 36 days ago (October 20th, 2009)
Reggie,
Thanks. Les Claypool is brilliant. He was born and lives not too far from where I live now. I'm hoping some of his california quirkiness rubs off on me somehow.
Check out my latest song called Damballa
The_Shoe said 100 days ago (August 17th, 2009)
Wow
Great Stuff!
Why did you not play this for me back in the 70's? All I remember is " I Love Your Hotpants"
Which was a great tune unto itself...but...
Love the blend of music and lyrics! MORE!
Vick is IMPRESSED!
tonestones said 36 days ago (October 20th, 2009)
Hot pants
I'd love to do another version of hot pants. It transcends the 70s. Timeless.. It just wouldn't be the same without 30 or so of my frat brothers joining in with the chorus.
Check out my latest song called Damballa
Daugrin said 89 days ago (August 29th, 2009)
Rocking Good Time
Extremely well conceived and executed. Stop raising the bar so high!

Daug
Check out my latest song called Daphne w/ Andy Wigzell
tonestones said 36 days ago (October 20th, 2009)
Ancient Egyptian Ritualistic Groove
Thanks, Daug. Where there is a bar we should seek to not only raise it but destroy it!
Check out my latest song called Damballa
Char said 89 days ago (August 29th, 2009)
Wow!
I kept seeing Steve Martin in his Egyptian get-up. Inspired lyrics: "Grim Anubis in his blue bus" I'd ride up the down escalator with you anytime. Thanks.
Check out my latest song called Break Away (Mark Holbrook & Awigze)
tonestones said 36 days ago (October 20th, 2009)
Aw Char,
You make me blush. I'd love to get Steve Martin to star in the music video for this tune. I've never seen him dance in 7/4, but I bet he'd have great fun with it.
Check out my latest song called Damballa
MarkHolbrook said 37 days ago (October 19th, 2009)
Ok you convinced me!
I gotta get out of my 4/4 rock rut and try some of this wild stuff! it just sounds like so much fun!!!

Check out my latest song called Never Say Goodbye - Bond Challenge
tonestones said 37 days ago (October 19th, 2009)
ahh... another odd time sig convert
I love odd time signature pieces, especially the ones where you can never quite identify one. It just needs to sound natural.

Check out my latest song called Damballa
davisamerica said 37 days ago (October 19th, 2009)
zappa
must approve
Check out my latest song called No Son(egobandit band)
tonestones said 37 days ago (October 19th, 2009)
Zappa
I love Zappa. I never met the man, but he gave me the best concert experience of my life. It was on Mothers day back in 1973 (I think..). The opening band was Mahavishnu Orchestra, right after Birds of Fire came out. Zappa (with Jean Luc Ponte) played Apostrophe.. Great concert.
Check out my latest song called Damballa
Artist Info
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Name: Steve Stone
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My name is Steve Stone. I live in the San Francisco bay area, originally from Louisville, Ky. College at Indiana University. My focus in school was between music, math and computer science. I played music professionally off and on during the earl... [see more]

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Progressive rock (shortened to prog, or prog rock when differentiating from other "progressive" genres) is an ambitious, eclectic, and often grandiose style of rock music which arose in the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the early

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