I had so much fun doin' that previous "Singles Going Stroonad" a short while back that I thought hey, why not do another of these things?!?! I mean not only was it grand prowling through my singles collection after quite a spell of neglect but it was just heart-cockle warming to get back together with my TRUE friends down inna basement and talk about old times that are long gone and all. Well, they've turned out to be better friends than some of you turncoat backstabbers out there that's for sure!!!
Anyhoo, here's the latest go 'round. I believe a few of these have been reviewed on this blog about a decade back but given my sieve-like mind (and yours) it's like so what! Maybe you'll discover a new fave, or link up with a lost relic, or just be amazed at the wealth of singles that came out thus benefiting our lives, but then again maybe you'll find a millyun dollars under your doormat tomorrow.
Johnnie Allan-"Promised Land"/Pete Fowler-"One Heart One Song" (Stiff Records, or Ovalstiff as it sez onna cover, Holland)
This is one of those yellow vinyl singles that flooded even the more sophisticado record shops during the colored vinyl craze of the late-seventies. For some strange reason I passed on it, or didn't even notice it for that matter, but it was there next to the Klark Kents and Nick Lowes for all to see. Allan cooks Cajun on the a-side doin' Chuck Berry with an accordion and it all works ya over the same way one a them Justin Wilson cooking shows had ya droolin' all over the place. Fowler comes closer to the whole Stiff retro-cool mode that the label made its mark with---it's a wonder why this 'un didn't end up on the box set like it shoulda. Being too cheap to delve into either guys' careers any further this does make for a good taste.
Wurm-"We're Off", "I'm Dead"/"Time Has Come Today" EP (SST Records)
One can only thank God 'n with a big "G" at that that Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag fame was in this metallic trio before joining forces with Greg Ginn et. al., for if he hadn't would anyone know about Wurm 'r care for that matter? This reunion single from '85 had a whole slew of people who were searching for rock 'n roll life in the eighties ravin' to the roof with its perfect merging of the TRUE heavy metal aesthetic (clue---you won't hear about it from Andy Secher) and the hardcore blare which, come to think of it, WAS the logical end point in the whole HM game as it should have stood ten years after the fact. Too bad the LP entitled FEAST wasn't this hot even if it did scorch more than a few earholes including my own. Hope and prey that the 1973 rehearsal tapes will eventually see the light of day as a legit release 'n all boosted up soundwise t' boot!
Until GRECO RECORDS---THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS makes its way to my abode this is gonna have to do as far as this obscure New Jersey-oriented garage band (late-fifties division) goes. The "Little Mama" single sounds a whole lot more focused than the other which would figure since the other single never even got a legit release, but it still pounds on in a neo-rockabilly cum doo-wop fashion that even boasts an imitation Jordonaires backing vocal! Great piano work too that sounds like someone's been listening to a whole lotta Jerry Lee Lewis and admired Jo Ann Castle's tack piano sound via THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW. "Red Headed Woman" even sounds like it probably was recorded in the garage, or at least in Aunt Mabel's living room (hence the piano) while she wasn't home. She just don't abide by that raucous devil's music, y'know.
Rik L. Rik-"Meat House"/"I Got Power" (Posh Boy Records)
Can't see why BOMP! bomped Rik L. Rik but good in the final issue of that sainted rag because even though he was doin' the Ig of Stooge game he was sure doin' it a whole lot better'n many of the also rans who seemed happy enough ramming the whole sordid legend into the ground. Not quite raw power but maybe medium rare power'd rock that has a good enough drive to make you recall alla that sound and fury which most definitely signified something back during those best/worst of times days. Nice white vinyl in clear sleeve package that kinda makes me think about those days of yore, then get madder'n all fanabla because I was broke most of the time and couldn't afford everything I most dearly wanted to get into my mitts!
Anonymous-"Snake Attack"/"Corporate Food" (label sez "Flat Records", "cover sez "Mr. Brown Records"...take yer pick)
A lotta this college kid caper cut up experimental "Hey Mom Look At Me!" stuff never did sound more than the usual masturbatory doo-whiz with the lifespan appeal of a moth, but at least Anonymous created a noisy wall of late-seventies ka-POW! that sounded just as goofed up as those Smegma records that were also making the rounds at the time. Fast-paced, maddening and definitely avant garde as opposed to avant flub, Anonymous put out a crazed (as in Residents' "Satisfaction") record that lives up to the late-seventies aura of rock as madness and thankfully doesn't sound like an "art project". Kudos to R. Meltzer for giving this one some precious broadcast time on his long-missed radio program.
The Curse-"Shoeshine Boy"/"Killer Bees" (Hi Fi Records, Canada)
Toronto's all-gal Curse really knew how to tweak the cheeks back then, as this record was about as hot off the presses as an extra of THE DAILY PLANET regarding some greasy foreign-kinda shoeshine boy who learned an easy way to make a few extra buck by being friendlier than one would normally be to the local clientele! Only this time his junior achievement got the best of him as the rough trade got roughed up just a little too much leading to quite a big hoo hah and a lotta newspapers gettin' sold! But taste never did matter to this group because singer Mickey Skin was brave enough to actually taunt the dead li'l rascal asking how exactly did he make a hunnerd bux in one day and boy did this rec get the publicity because of it! Fair enough as a punk rock artyfact goes, or maybe I'm still amazed at that pic of Skin that popped in in THE NEW YORK ROCKER where she's not wearing a bra and like well, it's a little chilly outside 'n all and I think you can guess the rest...
The Slickee Boys-MAGNESIUM ANDROID PUPPIES EP (Dacoit Records)
For bein' one of those under-the-underground acts first sproutin' about inna mid-seventies the Boys sure lived a longer and healthier life than many of their compadres. Here's their first offering from '76, a nicely packaged platter that plays at 33 and gives you a lot more music that you'd expect outta such a small package. I gotta say that maybe the performance ain't as tippy top notch as I woulda liked these sixties worshippers to have cranked out but it's still a wild ride that ranks with other self-produced seven-inch offerings of that year like those from Sneakers, Pere Ubu and MX-80 Sound.
Mostly covers consisting of "What a Boy Can't Do", "Brand New Cadillac", "Psychodaisies" and the theme from EXODUS with the only original being the title track and it's a good 'un too. If you're hot for the mid-seventies refurbishing of the mid-sixties sounds that most of the hippoids of the day forgot about, and on purpose for that matter, try locating this 'n give it a try.
Monte Carmont-"Think Dance"/"Neat, Clean, Perfect", "In Another Land" (Bizart Records)
A 1980 wonder from Brian Sands' classic if short-lived record label. Boffo electronic pop that sorta sounds like Sparks veering off into various new wave pre "gnu" wave (thanks again Bill!) directions that don't suck one bit! A few sidesteps into Syd Barrett whimsy and a spec of Bolan help out a whole lot, and like it's too bad that this 'un hadda be buried under the weight of a whole load of lesser sounds that, strangely enough, seem to be remembered with a strange fondness these more screwed up than ever days.
Wayne Kramer's Gang War featuring Johnny Thunders-"New York City", "I'd Much Rather Be With The Boys"/"Endless Party", "Just Because I'm White" EP (Venus Records)
This is the short-lived act that got a whole load of NEW YORK ROCKER press because of the presence of the former MC5 and New York Dolls guitar villains (well, they sure ain't heroes in a world where every swivelhipped string bender with long flowery hair claims heir to the title). A hotcha night at Max's Kansas City was captured here what with the band doing some old Dolls faves as well as the Rolling Stones METAMORPHOSIS classic "I'd Much Rather Be With The Boys" which I remember Jane Scott comparing, if tangentially, to David Bowie in her review! That Jane!!! It all ends with the blooze number "Just Because I'm White" which got a few people yelling racist back in the old days though if it came out in the here and now you could just see the antifanabla types marching through the streets with the entire bands' heads on sticks! Sheesh, can anyone take a sick joke no mo'?
Window Pain-"Mindbender"/"Green", "Underworld" (Nuclear Waste Records)
There have been a lot of forgotten singles, EPs and such issued over the past half-century plus, and it's sure pleasing to the ol' pectorals when I uncover one of 'em that really holds up with time and continues to zoom your mind into places it's never been to and might never return to again! Of course you might need a little "stimulation" to achieve such mental heights, but with this Window Pain who needs Window Pane???
Neo-sixties psych meets early-seventies electronic Roxyisms to make for a music that sounds part Debris with a little Chrome tossed in. I'll bet Chuck Warner could tell you reams about these guys and who knows, they may even appear on one or more of his HOMEWORK Cee-Dees and I kid you not!
Soul Asylum-Tied to the Tracks"/"Long Way Home" (Twin Tone Records)
Gettin' a li'l too deep into the eighties with this 'un, but WHO CARES because these Soul Asylum guys really put a hotcha slice of seventies-styled hard pop transposed into the bleakness of the eighties on this potent puncher. True it's got that punk rock drive that made more'n a few parents abuse their Fourth Commandment privileges over it, but the influence of a good portion of what made the seventies sound so good can be discerned to the point where you kinda get the idea that Soul Asylum woulda made a grand signing to Capitol 'round '74 way before being unceremoniously dumped. Of course this kinda music would get kinda stale once the eighties clocked out but hey, enjoy it while you can.
Roky Erickson-"Mine, Mine, Mind", "Click Your Fingers Applauding the Play"/"Two Headed Dog", "I Have Always Been Here Before" EP (Sponge Records, France)
The French always knew, and no I ain't talkin' about them letting Jean Genet outta prison while the Amerigans left Wilhelm Reich to rot as Patti Smith once said. I'm talkin' 'bout ROCK N' ROLL and not only the bevy of hotcha acts that emanated from that saintly country but the magazines and people that promoted them. And the labels like Sponge who not only released this classic slab from the former 13th Floor Elevators frontman but a Real Kids platter I also have in the collection somewhere.
Roky in his post-Elevators prime as the legend grew even greater. Dark and ominous, kinda like the man was singing from the depths of the pyramids to every rock being extant at the time this was laid down and the effort still reverberates. And the best part about it is that the guy wasn't even trying to be a punk! Can you dig that as Tim Yohannon used to say!
Harold Kelling-"Jezebel"/"Harlem Nocturne" (Hib-Tone Records)
Ex-Hampton Grease Band guitarist Kelling was one of the stronger points in that particular band, and here he stretches out on his own on this early-eighties vintage single put out by the same people who also gave you REM. Both sides are covers of way-too-familiar numbers but are worth the purchase if only for their reverb-y surf sound that was a good twenny-years-old by the time this was laid down. Might not settle well with long-time fans but as far as being a true Southern Rock Artyfact you can't get any more artyfactier than this!
The Rolling Stones-"You Better Move On", "Poison Ivy"/"Bye Bye Johnny", "Money" EP (Decca Records, England)
Nothing special. You heard it all before and thought it was great from the get-go, but this EP (a reissue?) does come in handy for short Rolling Stones spurts. It might even rekindle some sorta sixties spirit in your soul, remind you of the days when rock 'n roll was a pretty good juice-spurter as far as generating some powerful force inside your already overcooked beanie and that you could suss out the world itself via the mere existence of the Velvet Underground. Of course that whole notion died out around the time Charles Manson was oozing meaning outta the white album and rock 'n roll morphed into rock and was too saturated with evil intent to mean anything cogent, but we can still bask in the warmth of innocence now, can we?
Rudolph Grey-"Implosion-73"/"Transformation" (New Alliance Records)
Long neglected sides from the former Red Transistor guy himself playing with jazz great Rashied Ali on the a-side and on his lonesome on the flip. If you were in on the man's game since at least the Blue Humans this should also swivel your snizzle, what with the no chord atonal sound the man ekes outta his Mosrite which, coupled with Ali's total clang, makes for one of the better jazz (and I do mean it!) duos since those Survival Records platters where Ali would team up with the likes of Frank Lowe or Leroy Jenkins! Now, those were some duo exchanges that really fire up the old soul like nothing since Old Grandad. I only hope that Grey got his money outta this particular platter because hey, from what I understand the guy sure got little outta his recording efforts.
Radio Stars-STOP IT EP (Chiswick Records, England)
Ex-John's Children/Jet singer Andy Ellison might not have meant for Radio Stars to be a punk rock band per se as they say, but you can't deny the overt punkian tones on the likes of "No Russians in Russia". The rest wafts between a more new pre-gnu-wave pop style and even a throwback to the mid-seventies Sparks-influenced glam that Jet was making themselves known with before the mode of the music began to change. If you were one of those glitter types who used to pose at Rodney' English Disco this might rekindle a few long lost feelings in your paraphernalia package!
PRIMITIVE: PRE-VELVETS ED (no label)
These here's them early Pickwick Records sides where Lou Reed cut his teeth on recording long before he became a twinkle in the eye of the one called Bowie. These tracks are so well-known amongst tribal maniacs like us that you could say they're just as legendary as those old Beatles platters are to the mid-sixties ironed-hair gals but hey, it's sure boffo givin' 'em another listen to once in awhile.
It's kinda crazy to know that these have actually been re-released legitimately, to which I say what's keeping you guys with the Velvet Underground exhumations that seem to have come to a complete stop! It's not like we have that much longer to live on the planet and like, I'm sure there's a great market for alla those early Falling Spikes efforts which I'd sure like to spin 'stead of the usual Velvets repackages being released in configurations that boggle the mind. C'mon Polyglot, you know that I'm not gonna dish out any money for anything else so like, why delay the ultimate pleasure???
The Creation-"Making Time"/"Painter Man" (Raw Records, England)
Like the above entry this record is old news, but for guys like me who were too late to get hold of the mid-seventies reissue on Charisma (which I never did see in the import bins) and didn't necessarily have the cash to buy the IF I STAY TOO LONG pirate that was parading itself around the TROUSER PRESS record ads, this was the only Creation readily available for a looooooong time. And in my own opinion these were two of the better tracks the group laid down, "Biff Bang Pow" being the third as if you really do care what I think inna first place.
But man does this sure bring back memories of those cash strapped days when even seemingly little things like self-produced and distributed singles sure made suburban slobs like me even happier than Allen Ginsburg marooned on a Crete Island with nothing but loin clothed boys for companionship (go see JOHNNY MINOTAUR if you think I'm kidding!). A nice bit of rock 'n roll legend released at a time when the legend was big enough but with all of those Toto amd Triumph albums out, who really cared?
Peter Tosh-"Legalize It", "Why Must I Cry"/"Till your Well Runs Dry" 33 rpm EP (Columbia Records)
Special white label promo sent out to "important people" in the biz, most of whom probably chucked this one in the wastebasket for being too drug-referenced for radio airplay or commercial appeal for that matter! Too bad because I like these numbers in a sorta mid-seventies singer/songwriter (tough SS for that matter) way as Tosh pushes forth an emotion that seemed barren in most of these seventies solo stars 'cept for a few (like maybe Dylan, most definitely Elliot Murphy). Some parts ain't even reggae in the strictest sense while even the more Jamaican of the batch have a nice lilt that doesn't bore me like this music usually does. Good enough surprise for a definitely non-rastafazoolian like myself.
Sneakers-"Ruby", "On the Brink", "Love is Like a Cuban Crisis"/"Condition Red", "Non Sequitur", "Driving 33 rpm EP (Carnivore Records)
Part of the first garde of major home-produced recordings documenting the big change to come (see Slickee Boys review above), Sneakers toss in every good thing you liked about rock 'n roll at the time from Big Star and the Raspberries to Roy Wood and Flamin' Groovies and come up with a platter that is rather...luxurious. Phony English accents make a welcome return as these guys cop all of their fave British Invasion moves and throw it into a nice little platter that says a whole lot about what 1976 meant to quite a few people looking for.............life. If you remember the Bon Vivants who put out some entertaining neo-new pop platters a decade back this is this same, only thirty years earlier than those ignored classics.
David Peel and Death-"Junk Rock"/"I Hate You" (Auravox Records)
Peel could rock out with the best of 'em even though most rock critics of the seventies would certainly not agree. On these sides His Cheapness himself screams his guts out to a maybe slicker than should be but still punkifying backing group. And it's all done up in a fashion that really wasn't at all different from the reams of competitors vying for precious stage time at your favorite New York rock club. A good cheap pounder that will stir up something in your musical soul, if you have one that is.
Bonjour Aviators-"The Fury in Your Eyes"/"Boston City Limits" (Romantic Records)
Boston sure had its share of hard-rockin', kickin' 'em out bands back inna seventies, and while Bonjour Aviators sure didn't get as much notoriety as the Sidewinders or DMZ they sure held up pretty swell as far as these kinda acts go. Singer's got this great doof voice that fits the overkill material quite swell while the rest of the group play it just like the teenage boys wanted their rock to be back then, at least before they all got turned on to Laurie Anderson in order to get closer to their gals. Kinda like Thundertrain's long lost brothers, or maybe even a garage band Aerosmith.
The Eight Balls-"Science Gone Too Far"/"When the Spirit Moves Me" (Underdog Records)
Along with Sister Ray and scant few others these guys were theeee best live under-the-counterculture band playing the Youngstown Ohio area back inna eighties, bridging the likes of Eastern Ohio pop rock, mid-seventies punkarama and even some heavy metal before that term became co-opted by the likes of Andy Secher. Thankfully they left us with this single which conveys part of their appeal...a-side is not the Dictators number but a straightforward midwest rock ode about the over-reaching effects of science, especially into areas where it shouldn't even traipse at all ifyaknowaddamean. Lyrics might not suit the precious pansy crowd so in vogue today (they're in the vein of "you think you've kissed Blanche but discover it's Blanche over there") but they stimulate my suburban slob pride all the more! Flipster's a good evocation of the neo-Nazz meets Circus mindset speeded up to punkified perfection. Of course it never went anywhere despite my help and support...hissssssssssss!
Various Artists-THE FUNNIEST OF MOXIE 33 rpm EP (Moxie Records)
If this stuff is funny then I'm Jay Hinman, but next to the kinda humor to be found these days this 'un's a verifiable LAFF RIOT!!! From a James Bond and nuclear radiation rocker to a tepid take on "Gloria" featuring all your fave ugly gal jokes this might be a comedy record you can play again and again. Personal faves from the batch include the remake of "Get off My Cloud" as a Christmas ditty and Nikita the K's "Go Go Radio Moscow" which is a good enough switcheroo AM spoof done up to Cold War perfection.
Treatment'"Stamp Out Mutants"/"Dontcha Know" (no label)
Did you ever wonder what alla those guys in English punk rock bands back during the seventies were doing before they spiked up their hair and got all outrageous? My bet is that a good portion of them were in a slew of Pink Fairies/Hawkwind-styled acts that certainly deserve a royal (re)issue treatment even as we speak. I know of a few like Bastard (the one Brian James was in, not the early Motorhead) that should be worth the while to uncover, but as far as groups who went the spacey rock route after them punk dayze you can't do better (or maybe even worse!) than Treatment. Great single that rocks and grinds, kinda reminding me of QUARK STRANGENESS AND CHARM of all things not to mention that Bad Religion album with the synths nobody likes to talk about. There's more Treatment available out there but I think I'll pass on it all for now.
Anyhoo, here's the latest go 'round. I believe a few of these have been reviewed on this blog about a decade back but given my sieve-like mind (and yours) it's like so what! Maybe you'll discover a new fave, or link up with a lost relic, or just be amazed at the wealth of singles that came out thus benefiting our lives, but then again maybe you'll find a millyun dollars under your doormat tomorrow.
This is one of those yellow vinyl singles that flooded even the more sophisticado record shops during the colored vinyl craze of the late-seventies. For some strange reason I passed on it, or didn't even notice it for that matter, but it was there next to the Klark Kents and Nick Lowes for all to see. Allan cooks Cajun on the a-side doin' Chuck Berry with an accordion and it all works ya over the same way one a them Justin Wilson cooking shows had ya droolin' all over the place. Fowler comes closer to the whole Stiff retro-cool mode that the label made its mark with---it's a wonder why this 'un didn't end up on the box set like it shoulda. Being too cheap to delve into either guys' careers any further this does make for a good taste.
***
One can only thank God 'n with a big "G" at that that Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag fame was in this metallic trio before joining forces with Greg Ginn et. al., for if he hadn't would anyone know about Wurm 'r care for that matter? This reunion single from '85 had a whole slew of people who were searching for rock 'n roll life in the eighties ravin' to the roof with its perfect merging of the TRUE heavy metal aesthetic (clue---you won't hear about it from Andy Secher) and the hardcore blare which, come to think of it, WAS the logical end point in the whole HM game as it should have stood ten years after the fact. Too bad the LP entitled FEAST wasn't this hot even if it did scorch more than a few earholes including my own. Hope and prey that the 1973 rehearsal tapes will eventually see the light of day as a legit release 'n all boosted up soundwise t' boot!
***The Jokers-"Little Mama"/"Say You're Mine"; "Red Headed Woman"/"I Ain't Gonna Be Your Fool (Greco Records)
Until GRECO RECORDS---THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS makes its way to my abode this is gonna have to do as far as this obscure New Jersey-oriented garage band (late-fifties division) goes. The "Little Mama" single sounds a whole lot more focused than the other which would figure since the other single never even got a legit release, but it still pounds on in a neo-rockabilly cum doo-wop fashion that even boasts an imitation Jordonaires backing vocal! Great piano work too that sounds like someone's been listening to a whole lotta Jerry Lee Lewis and admired Jo Ann Castle's tack piano sound via THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW. "Red Headed Woman" even sounds like it probably was recorded in the garage, or at least in Aunt Mabel's living room (hence the piano) while she wasn't home. She just don't abide by that raucous devil's music, y'know.
***
Can't see why BOMP! bomped Rik L. Rik but good in the final issue of that sainted rag because even though he was doin' the Ig of Stooge game he was sure doin' it a whole lot better'n many of the also rans who seemed happy enough ramming the whole sordid legend into the ground. Not quite raw power but maybe medium rare power'd rock that has a good enough drive to make you recall alla that sound and fury which most definitely signified something back during those best/worst of times days. Nice white vinyl in clear sleeve package that kinda makes me think about those days of yore, then get madder'n all fanabla because I was broke most of the time and couldn't afford everything I most dearly wanted to get into my mitts!
***
A lotta this college kid caper cut up experimental "Hey Mom Look At Me!" stuff never did sound more than the usual masturbatory doo-whiz with the lifespan appeal of a moth, but at least Anonymous created a noisy wall of late-seventies ka-POW! that sounded just as goofed up as those Smegma records that were also making the rounds at the time. Fast-paced, maddening and definitely avant garde as opposed to avant flub, Anonymous put out a crazed (as in Residents' "Satisfaction") record that lives up to the late-seventies aura of rock as madness and thankfully doesn't sound like an "art project". Kudos to R. Meltzer for giving this one some precious broadcast time on his long-missed radio program.
***
Toronto's all-gal Curse really knew how to tweak the cheeks back then, as this record was about as hot off the presses as an extra of THE DAILY PLANET regarding some greasy foreign-kinda shoeshine boy who learned an easy way to make a few extra buck by being friendlier than one would normally be to the local clientele! Only this time his junior achievement got the best of him as the rough trade got roughed up just a little too much leading to quite a big hoo hah and a lotta newspapers gettin' sold! But taste never did matter to this group because singer Mickey Skin was brave enough to actually taunt the dead li'l rascal asking how exactly did he make a hunnerd bux in one day and boy did this rec get the publicity because of it! Fair enough as a punk rock artyfact goes, or maybe I'm still amazed at that pic of Skin that popped in in THE NEW YORK ROCKER where she's not wearing a bra and like well, it's a little chilly outside 'n all and I think you can guess the rest...
***
For bein' one of those under-the-underground acts first sproutin' about inna mid-seventies the Boys sure lived a longer and healthier life than many of their compadres. Here's their first offering from '76, a nicely packaged platter that plays at 33 and gives you a lot more music that you'd expect outta such a small package. I gotta say that maybe the performance ain't as tippy top notch as I woulda liked these sixties worshippers to have cranked out but it's still a wild ride that ranks with other self-produced seven-inch offerings of that year like those from Sneakers, Pere Ubu and MX-80 Sound.
Mostly covers consisting of "What a Boy Can't Do", "Brand New Cadillac", "Psychodaisies" and the theme from EXODUS with the only original being the title track and it's a good 'un too. If you're hot for the mid-seventies refurbishing of the mid-sixties sounds that most of the hippoids of the day forgot about, and on purpose for that matter, try locating this 'n give it a try.
***
A 1980 wonder from Brian Sands' classic if short-lived record label. Boffo electronic pop that sorta sounds like Sparks veering off into various new wave pre "gnu" wave (thanks again Bill!) directions that don't suck one bit! A few sidesteps into Syd Barrett whimsy and a spec of Bolan help out a whole lot, and like it's too bad that this 'un hadda be buried under the weight of a whole load of lesser sounds that, strangely enough, seem to be remembered with a strange fondness these more screwed up than ever days.
***
This is the short-lived act that got a whole load of NEW YORK ROCKER press because of the presence of the former MC5 and New York Dolls guitar villains (well, they sure ain't heroes in a world where every swivelhipped string bender with long flowery hair claims heir to the title). A hotcha night at Max's Kansas City was captured here what with the band doing some old Dolls faves as well as the Rolling Stones METAMORPHOSIS classic "I'd Much Rather Be With The Boys" which I remember Jane Scott comparing, if tangentially, to David Bowie in her review! That Jane!!! It all ends with the blooze number "Just Because I'm White" which got a few people yelling racist back in the old days though if it came out in the here and now you could just see the antifanabla types marching through the streets with the entire bands' heads on sticks! Sheesh, can anyone take a sick joke no mo'?
***
There have been a lot of forgotten singles, EPs and such issued over the past half-century plus, and it's sure pleasing to the ol' pectorals when I uncover one of 'em that really holds up with time and continues to zoom your mind into places it's never been to and might never return to again! Of course you might need a little "stimulation" to achieve such mental heights, but with this Window Pain who needs Window Pane???
Neo-sixties psych meets early-seventies electronic Roxyisms to make for a music that sounds part Debris with a little Chrome tossed in. I'll bet Chuck Warner could tell you reams about these guys and who knows, they may even appear on one or more of his HOMEWORK Cee-Dees and I kid you not!
***
Gettin' a li'l too deep into the eighties with this 'un, but WHO CARES because these Soul Asylum guys really put a hotcha slice of seventies-styled hard pop transposed into the bleakness of the eighties on this potent puncher. True it's got that punk rock drive that made more'n a few parents abuse their Fourth Commandment privileges over it, but the influence of a good portion of what made the seventies sound so good can be discerned to the point where you kinda get the idea that Soul Asylum woulda made a grand signing to Capitol 'round '74 way before being unceremoniously dumped. Of course this kinda music would get kinda stale once the eighties clocked out but hey, enjoy it while you can.
***
The French always knew, and no I ain't talkin' about them letting Jean Genet outta prison while the Amerigans left Wilhelm Reich to rot as Patti Smith once said. I'm talkin' 'bout ROCK N' ROLL and not only the bevy of hotcha acts that emanated from that saintly country but the magazines and people that promoted them. And the labels like Sponge who not only released this classic slab from the former 13th Floor Elevators frontman but a Real Kids platter I also have in the collection somewhere.
Roky in his post-Elevators prime as the legend grew even greater. Dark and ominous, kinda like the man was singing from the depths of the pyramids to every rock being extant at the time this was laid down and the effort still reverberates. And the best part about it is that the guy wasn't even trying to be a punk! Can you dig that as Tim Yohannon used to say!
***
Ex-Hampton Grease Band guitarist Kelling was one of the stronger points in that particular band, and here he stretches out on his own on this early-eighties vintage single put out by the same people who also gave you REM. Both sides are covers of way-too-familiar numbers but are worth the purchase if only for their reverb-y surf sound that was a good twenny-years-old by the time this was laid down. Might not settle well with long-time fans but as far as being a true Southern Rock Artyfact you can't get any more artyfactier than this!
***
Nothing special. You heard it all before and thought it was great from the get-go, but this EP (a reissue?) does come in handy for short Rolling Stones spurts. It might even rekindle some sorta sixties spirit in your soul, remind you of the days when rock 'n roll was a pretty good juice-spurter as far as generating some powerful force inside your already overcooked beanie and that you could suss out the world itself via the mere existence of the Velvet Underground. Of course that whole notion died out around the time Charles Manson was oozing meaning outta the white album and rock 'n roll morphed into rock and was too saturated with evil intent to mean anything cogent, but we can still bask in the warmth of innocence now, can we?
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Long neglected sides from the former Red Transistor guy himself playing with jazz great Rashied Ali on the a-side and on his lonesome on the flip. If you were in on the man's game since at least the Blue Humans this should also swivel your snizzle, what with the no chord atonal sound the man ekes outta his Mosrite which, coupled with Ali's total clang, makes for one of the better jazz (and I do mean it!) duos since those Survival Records platters where Ali would team up with the likes of Frank Lowe or Leroy Jenkins! Now, those were some duo exchanges that really fire up the old soul like nothing since Old Grandad. I only hope that Grey got his money outta this particular platter because hey, from what I understand the guy sure got little outta his recording efforts.
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Ex-John's Children/Jet singer Andy Ellison might not have meant for Radio Stars to be a punk rock band per se as they say, but you can't deny the overt punkian tones on the likes of "No Russians in Russia". The rest wafts between a more new pre-gnu-wave pop style and even a throwback to the mid-seventies Sparks-influenced glam that Jet was making themselves known with before the mode of the music began to change. If you were one of those glitter types who used to pose at Rodney' English Disco this might rekindle a few long lost feelings in your paraphernalia package!
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These here's them early Pickwick Records sides where Lou Reed cut his teeth on recording long before he became a twinkle in the eye of the one called Bowie. These tracks are so well-known amongst tribal maniacs like us that you could say they're just as legendary as those old Beatles platters are to the mid-sixties ironed-hair gals but hey, it's sure boffo givin' 'em another listen to once in awhile.
It's kinda crazy to know that these have actually been re-released legitimately, to which I say what's keeping you guys with the Velvet Underground exhumations that seem to have come to a complete stop! It's not like we have that much longer to live on the planet and like, I'm sure there's a great market for alla those early Falling Spikes efforts which I'd sure like to spin 'stead of the usual Velvets repackages being released in configurations that boggle the mind. C'mon Polyglot, you know that I'm not gonna dish out any money for anything else so like, why delay the ultimate pleasure???
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Like the above entry this record is old news, but for guys like me who were too late to get hold of the mid-seventies reissue on Charisma (which I never did see in the import bins) and didn't necessarily have the cash to buy the IF I STAY TOO LONG pirate that was parading itself around the TROUSER PRESS record ads, this was the only Creation readily available for a looooooong time. And in my own opinion these were two of the better tracks the group laid down, "Biff Bang Pow" being the third as if you really do care what I think inna first place.
But man does this sure bring back memories of those cash strapped days when even seemingly little things like self-produced and distributed singles sure made suburban slobs like me even happier than Allen Ginsburg marooned on a Crete Island with nothing but loin clothed boys for companionship (go see JOHNNY MINOTAUR if you think I'm kidding!). A nice bit of rock 'n roll legend released at a time when the legend was big enough but with all of those Toto amd Triumph albums out, who really cared?
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Special white label promo sent out to "important people" in the biz, most of whom probably chucked this one in the wastebasket for being too drug-referenced for radio airplay or commercial appeal for that matter! Too bad because I like these numbers in a sorta mid-seventies singer/songwriter (tough SS for that matter) way as Tosh pushes forth an emotion that seemed barren in most of these seventies solo stars 'cept for a few (like maybe Dylan, most definitely Elliot Murphy). Some parts ain't even reggae in the strictest sense while even the more Jamaican of the batch have a nice lilt that doesn't bore me like this music usually does. Good enough surprise for a definitely non-rastafazoolian like myself.
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Part of the first garde of major home-produced recordings documenting the big change to come (see Slickee Boys review above), Sneakers toss in every good thing you liked about rock 'n roll at the time from Big Star and the Raspberries to Roy Wood and Flamin' Groovies and come up with a platter that is rather...luxurious. Phony English accents make a welcome return as these guys cop all of their fave British Invasion moves and throw it into a nice little platter that says a whole lot about what 1976 meant to quite a few people looking for.............life. If you remember the Bon Vivants who put out some entertaining neo-new pop platters a decade back this is this same, only thirty years earlier than those ignored classics.
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Peel could rock out with the best of 'em even though most rock critics of the seventies would certainly not agree. On these sides His Cheapness himself screams his guts out to a maybe slicker than should be but still punkifying backing group. And it's all done up in a fashion that really wasn't at all different from the reams of competitors vying for precious stage time at your favorite New York rock club. A good cheap pounder that will stir up something in your musical soul, if you have one that is.
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Boston sure had its share of hard-rockin', kickin' 'em out bands back inna seventies, and while Bonjour Aviators sure didn't get as much notoriety as the Sidewinders or DMZ they sure held up pretty swell as far as these kinda acts go. Singer's got this great doof voice that fits the overkill material quite swell while the rest of the group play it just like the teenage boys wanted their rock to be back then, at least before they all got turned on to Laurie Anderson in order to get closer to their gals. Kinda like Thundertrain's long lost brothers, or maybe even a garage band Aerosmith.
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Along with Sister Ray and scant few others these guys were theeee best live under-the-counterculture band playing the Youngstown Ohio area back inna eighties, bridging the likes of Eastern Ohio pop rock, mid-seventies punkarama and even some heavy metal before that term became co-opted by the likes of Andy Secher. Thankfully they left us with this single which conveys part of their appeal...a-side is not the Dictators number but a straightforward midwest rock ode about the over-reaching effects of science, especially into areas where it shouldn't even traipse at all ifyaknowaddamean. Lyrics might not suit the precious pansy crowd so in vogue today (they're in the vein of "you think you've kissed Blanche but discover it's Blanche over there") but they stimulate my suburban slob pride all the more! Flipster's a good evocation of the neo-Nazz meets Circus mindset speeded up to punkified perfection. Of course it never went anywhere despite my help and support...hissssssssssss!
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If this stuff is funny then I'm Jay Hinman, but next to the kinda humor to be found these days this 'un's a verifiable LAFF RIOT!!! From a James Bond and nuclear radiation rocker to a tepid take on "Gloria" featuring all your fave ugly gal jokes this might be a comedy record you can play again and again. Personal faves from the batch include the remake of "Get off My Cloud" as a Christmas ditty and Nikita the K's "Go Go Radio Moscow" which is a good enough switcheroo AM spoof done up to Cold War perfection.
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Did you ever wonder what alla those guys in English punk rock bands back during the seventies were doing before they spiked up their hair and got all outrageous? My bet is that a good portion of them were in a slew of Pink Fairies/Hawkwind-styled acts that certainly deserve a royal (re)issue treatment even as we speak. I know of a few like Bastard (the one Brian James was in, not the early Motorhead) that should be worth the while to uncover, but as far as groups who went the spacey rock route after them punk dayze you can't do better (or maybe even worse!) than Treatment. Great single that rocks and grinds, kinda reminding me of QUARK STRANGENESS AND CHARM of all things not to mention that Bad Religion album with the synths nobody likes to talk about. There's more Treatment available out there but I think I'll pass on it all for now.
***Expect another trek into the trenches in a month or two. Gee, this single prowling is not only fun, but GOOD for ya (and me) too!
1 comment:
Those Creation songs you cite are definitely 2/3/4 in their canon but #1 has got to be How Does It Feel to Feel, shurely!
PS "OvalStiff" is correct - it was a joint release by Charlie Gillett's Oval label and Stiff.
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