BLOG TO COMM

I just don't know. Here I am older than your grandpappy's tijuana bible collection snuggled under his mattress yet I sure feel as young and spry as I did back when I was a teenbo discoverin' that wild, unabashed and downright HIDEOUS (in a life-reaffirming way) thing called music as a means of existence that was unfolding before my very ears. The good memories of those sometimes dour days that is, like the excitement I got wading through the "BUY ONE GET ONE FOR A PENNY" cutout cassette section at Musicland on the search for that elusive whatchamacallit that usually turned out to be rather feh (one reason I sold my tape of Miles Davis' ON THE CORNER...just didn't jibe with me!) but occasionally brought surprises and thrills (like the AMM/MEV split tape on Mainstream). And now I'm at a stage in my existence that has a li'l voice in my head tellin' me not to buy too much more rock 'n roll gunk because hey, how much longer do I have on this planet of ours I tend to feel a tad cautious of where my funds are goin'. But despite all that I still have that affection and downright LOVE for the same kinda sounds that got me all hot and bothered back when money was really scarce and that pittance of mine hadda go a long long long long long lllloooonnnngggg way.

Thankfully I now have a lot more grub to throw away on junk like this and although the music that rearranged my in a downright life re-affirming way is all but buried it still rings in me the same way it did when I first spun such classics as "Gloria" and "You're Gonna Miss Me" thinking that little if anything could top this breed of sound as expression! I know I know....eventually I'll get OVER it but for now well, I'm gettin' an even bigger thrill thumbing through my old albums thinkin' about all the joy and pleasure they've given me over the years. And who knows, maybe you can too! Just call me up and I'll let you thumb through my albums all you want!

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I'll betcha that yer won'drin' just how well I'm doin' in my quest to copy the best of the articles on ROCKSBACKPAGES for current and future reading pleasure, eh? Of course you don't but I'll tell ya anyway. After copying what I thought were the best snips 'n snaps from the big name good guys on the rock screeding front I began searching for pieces that I thought I might enjoy and found quite a few. Didja know that Greg Shaw actually reviewed the Velvet Underground's LIVE AT MAX'S KANSAS CITY platter for THE BERKELEY BARB? But I am far from done...after copying down a whole slew of finery I think will suit me well during the upcoming long winter nights whaddaya know but I remembered I didn't copy any articles by or about Lenny Kaye! This I promptly began runnin' off a few paper reams of articles dealing with one guy I sure wish I looked like back when I was in High Stool bringing back more'n a few fashionable memories inna process! Will keep ya posted regarding future endeavors.

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WHAT DO YOU THINK? DEPARTMENT: A couple of people, for reasons that might not seem vague at all, wrote in requesting that I ban Debbie Downer and the entire lol 'n ((())) crowd from posting in the comment section. Perhaps these definitely anti-Downer types do have somewhat of a valid point in wanting me to do so given that DD etc. really don't contribute much to the entire BLOG TO COMM cause, but as I wrote in the Mission Statement anyone is allowed to post as long as they don't get into major pissoff areas as the likes of Mister Self Righteous himself MoeLarryandJesus has done quite a few times o'er the past few years. Now MLJ is welcome as long as he doesn't "get to me" with his mostly asinine whining especially when I'm in a rather bad mood (which can hit me with the drop of a hat), and I think that Debbie is way less bothersome even if she and her various cohorts (all one 'n the same) get into the same tired ol' rut lol 'n all. I do as well, but who am I to cast any stones as The Good Book ('n I don't mean STUDIES IN EROTIC ART!) says. So, do you think Debbie 'n Co. should get the coathanger or be free to pepper up a comment section that needs a li'l more spice? Lemme know...as usual your recommendations will be totally ignored.

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RIP PETER GREEN OF FLEETWOOD MAC, whose demise might have been brought on after reading my review of THE END OF THE GAME  (the one with the pussy showin' off her pussy onna back cover) last June 20th. For people who remember Fleetwood Mac as something other'n that group with those two broads singing wispy country rock I'm sure his passing means more'n just a wee bit.

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Free items (noted by the designation "CD-r burn") courtesy of Bill Shute and Paul McGarry. The rest I dished out for myself.

Robert Calvert-CAPTAIN LOCKHEED AND THE STARFIGHTERS CD (Atomhenge/Cherry Red Records, England)

Last week's Alan Davey writeup had me searchin' out my collection for the original Starfighters effort, turning up nada after sifting through boxes of disques I doubt I'll ever listen to again. I took my loss as a hint from higher up to get hold of the 2009 deluxe edition with not only the addition of an all-new extended "Right Stuff" but the "Ejection"/"Catch a Falling Starfighter" single which I am ashamed to admit has never passed my ears if only due to depression-era wages. The enclosed booklet with notes from Nik Turner was also a nice carrot danglin' in front of this mule's eyes. Sheesh, what else can I say other'n this is my fave rave "concept album" (not counting KNOCKERS UP) and the new stuff is different/unique enough to dissuade you from thinking that you've just dumped more moolah on material you've already had in the ol' collection for years.

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The Suburban Studs-SLAM LP (Pogo Records, England)

These guys got dumped on a whole lot even if they were part of the early English punk rock moo-ment! Y'know, the one that gave us alla those groups the same critics who hated 'em young whippersnappers back in '76 now revere with a holiness usually reserved for Van Morrison reissues. Dunno why this is because the Suburban Studs weren't anything awful even if their repertoire might have leaned towards the more superficial aspects of punk as in "punque" at least some of the time. Sorta like X-Ray Spex who might have been goin' outta their way annoying, but perhaps that can be the reason to like it all the more.

Not bad at all straightforward rock 'n roll that might not stand so well besides some of the more memorable punk groups comin' outta England at the time, but when stacked up against some of the minor Raw Records acts or even those Downliners Sect knockoffs they sounds pretty on-target to me.

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999-BISH! BASH! BOSH! Cd-r burn (originally on Cleopatra Records)

And while we're talkin' 'bout English punks of the past howzbout this strange item that slipped into my collection while nobody was lookin'! Yeah, a new album from '77 punksters 99 and boy is it a good 'un. Now I was never enthralled by those kinda bands back then because my interests leaned more towards the Amerigan acts that added a li'l gnarl to the rock 'n roll canon, but this recording is pretty good considerin' just how lousy it coulda been with the right amount of meddling. Sounds just as young and as fresh as the stuff 999 and other acts were doin' way back when and altho these guys have achieved geezerhood quite awhile back they sound way younger'n whatever it is that's supposed to pass for youth these days is supposed to sound like! I get the feelin' that at least 55% of the reg'lar readers who tune in here will like it. The other 45% can go pound salt if they like...hey it's their ears that they're wastin'!

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Iggy Pop-HEROIN HATES YOU CD-r burn (originally on Other Peoples Music Records)

By this time (1979) Iggy was headin' straight for the glue factory along with all of those other sixties saviors who sobered up and turned for the worse because of it. But I still like HEROIN HATES YOU even if the thing lacks the zip zoom and spark that made earlier Iggy boots like SUCK ON THIS total winners. Iggy still comes off as cool as he did inna mid-seventies when everyone thought he was a total loser and even with the at times patented performance and general slickness the original Iggy intent comes through loud 'n clear. Most of you can probably get more than your share of throb thrills outta what with the freeform synthesizer solo at the end of "Funtime" (sorta like an electronic "LA Blues" to cap off the decade) as well as the great Iggy insults and general El Lay sleeze which reeks throughout.

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Sonic Boom-ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL CD-r burn (originally on Car Park Records)

This brand newie from former (?) Spaceman 3 member Boom sure takes all the influences and LAYS 'EM ON THE LINE! Izzat a cop from the Silver Apples, or Emtidi, or an Eno outtake, or ALL of 'em? And sheesh, talk about a DIRECT steal from Suicide's "Girl" on "Tawkin Techno" which I hope gets Boom sued but good! Then it's back to izzat Faust, or Tuxedomoon (or any breed of eighties electronic rock bleep that managed to stir the souls of many a trust-fund kiddie with a superiority complex) or... With ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL stuck in the pile who needs alla them other records anyway?

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Dimitri Tiomkin and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, narration by Gary Merrill-RHAPSODY OF STEEL CD-r burn

Lovely orchestral music on the first side. Kinda reminds me of something that the fambly would have spinning on the stereo turntable inna rec room or whatever it was supposed to be some winter evening when mom was doing the ironing, dad was in his workshop and cyster was teasing the bejabbers outta me. Considering this was probably some sorta freebee given out by US Steel it just very well might have ended up in the short stack of albums acquired o'er the years. The flip has Gary Merrill givin' us the lowdown on the birth and growth of steel from its humble beginnings to the industry that's been known to soil many a window in the Pittsburgh area and it reminds me of something we woulda hadda listen to in fourth grade. Sheesh, them bad memories are hard to shake!

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Various Artists-ROYAL PLUM BLASSIE SASSOON CD-r burn (I mean, who else but BILL SHUTE would come up with a title like that!)

As if Bill ever sent a dud my way. Maybe a few dum dum bullets, but never a dud. Another good 'un here what with the likes of Fred Blassie remindin' us of what manhood used to be like to a High School band doin' "Beat It" with about as much verve as Karen Quinlan farting. Surprises galore (old durty moom pitcher radio ad, a really cornballus Elvis "song poem", Chet Baker tryin' to cash in on the Herb Alpert bandwagon doin' Chad 'n Jeremy...) make this one a keepie, as if I an ever gonna discard any of these burns Bill sent me inna first place. Lemme tell ya, you haven't lived until you heard Maxwell Plumm doin' "Helen Wheels". That is, haven't lived heavily sedated in a nursing home but that's beside the point.

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One of these days yer gonna wish that you could have owned these rare back issues of BLACK TO COMM and you won't be able to get any! That is, unless you happen to find out which landfill they've all been dumped into. Beat the rush and get hold of yours TODAY!