In actuality this was yet another one of my conjuring up via artificial
intelligence the booklet notes for as to what such an item would turn
out to be. Part reality (meaning facts I fed into AI) and part total
creation on AI's part (like f'rexample I never even brought Red Square up and besides they weren't formed until the mid-seventies) and well, I thought the results were imaginative enough to publish without making any editorial changes if only to get a few of you out there perked up somewhat. And do me a big favor, save all of those comments that I know I'm going to get about how you all think that AI should write ALL of my posts (sheesh, what a bunch of ingrates I have for readers).
Some of the information is pretty much legit. The background regarding the
section on the group COMET (who were actually called C.O.M.E.T before
becoming C.U.M then wisely enough C.V.M) was actually taken from some
information via an email interview I had with group guitarist and singer Deryk Barker (he's the one with the lambchop sideburns and Snoopy t-shirt) that was
abruptly truncated for one reason or another. C.O.M.E.T weren't just
any group...in
fact they were the rock 'n roll division of the famed English avgarde aggregation known as the Scratch Orchestra (there
were various fragments including a folk and protest group), and besides
various Scratch-related performances I believe they actually did at least one real
deal gig that was not connected with the art sphere in any wayshapeform. And
yes, C.O.M.E.T performed not a 25 minute like the post said but a
45 minute "Sister Ray" (the photo shows Barker with group
drummer Byrn Harris and a dancer during that very
performance!) as well as extended versions of "Come Together" and "Dropout
Boogie" (that much was truthfully relayed)...their lineup was a collection
of well-known names in the English avgarde world (I believe Michael Nyman
once sat in) and well, I'm sure a good portion of you readers would like to
hear an album of theirs one of these days and there
are
tapes.
It's the stuff AI seemingly tossed out at us willy nilly which really got me
going on wanting to share this with you. I think we'd all like to hear that
Godz "Electric Handshake" number as well as "Broken Radio Drone", both of
which never existed at least here on Earth One. And I sure wonder if it is
worth taking the time and trouble to pick up some Taj Mahal Travelers and
Zweinstein efforts which would set me back a pretty penny, but as usual I am
tempted. Any of you out there care to comment on these groups and if
what those liner notes said about them are for real-deal? Of course not.
But even with all of the interesting convolutions that AI went through to
create this collection there are some glaring omissions. I mean, what about
Toronto's Gass Company who created that soundtrack for the David Hofsess
films REDPATH 25 and BLACK ZERO which revealed a
strong EPI-era Velvet Underground influence? I believe that the actual soundtrack is available on
Youtube so if someone could jet a copy my way maybe I could discern for
myself? There surprisingly were many others...I mean Figures of Light should also have been tossed into the stew not to mention the Stooges, Mahogany Brain and early pre-beat box Suicide.
With various other rarities that really do
exist maybe some form of that box set will eventually see the light of day
even if it probably won't be in any of our lifetimes.
But I really have to admit that make-believe is always better than the real thing! I sure wish that the Chicago Art Ensemble Rock Unit and those other bands like the Hackamores (I wonder how AI was able to think that one up) were actually up and about and are just
waiting to be discovered for the longtime Velvet Underground obsessives that
all of us seem to be at one level or another! We can only hope and pray you
heathens you!
Ever since his wife removed the lock from the bathroom door Brad Kohler
has been forced to engage in other time-occupying pastimes. That's but one
reason why there's a third issue of the infamous cudzine
DUMB AND READY PIGMEAT out only a few measly weeks after the
last epic effort. Seven pages of rock 'n roll writing (instead of "criticism") is to
be found within and Mr. Kohler has done a pretty good job of
whatever it is he's supposed to be doing here, what with an article on
trudging through thrift shop bins filled with John Kennedy Memorial Albums
and West Side Story soundtracks for that oh-so elusive gem (give up
Brad...I've been pouring through piles of old records all over the place
since the seventies and have yet to find a Red Crayola album) plus an
article on Johanna Went which I doubt would please the famous performance
artist who undoubtedly sees herself as...well...an artist. Get yours from
802 Crystal St., Ames Iowa 50010.
***
ANOTHER MYSTERY SOLVED (albeit a good thirty years too late). For quite awhile I've pondered as to the who whats whens where and whys
regarding the mysterious rock group Passion Force, an act whose only claim
to any fame I could find was their appearance at the legendary Mont de
Marsan punk rock fest way back a good half century ago. Curiosity-laden me
wanted to know more than what was being given out as to who this
Afro-Amerigan three-piece who wowed 'em and then vanished was, and here
after just recently perusing through the first issue of the French
fanzine
I WANNA BE YOUR DOG trying to translate what I'm
reading I discover that Passion Force were led by none other
than guitarist/singer Titus Williams, a guy who sure figured into the
entire Skydog Records scheme of things.
This Williams fellow was definitely someone who didn't exactly fade out into
oblivion unlike his old group, continuing to have a career overseas while
recording tracks which have appeared on various Skydog samplers as well as
a couple of other labels. Naturally prices for some of these are hitting
the ceiling making me wish that I was aware of the guy decades back when I
could at least afford them but eh, maybe someday I'll get some of these
for a mere pittance and relay to you my usually on-target opinions
regarding them! Thankfully there's yet another forgotten punk rock hero
for me to do a whole load of research on, something which I must admit is
way more exciting than doing a term paper on the love life of the amoeba
for grade school sex education class.
***
Just a reminder regarding a recently deceased presidential candidate who
liked to spit in the hamburgers of white people:
Once again a mix of somewhat recent releases mixed with old items recently
procured. And guess what? I bought each and every one of them!
LINK WRAY SINGS AND PLAYS GUITAR LP (Destination Records, EU)
The better portions (meaning the more rocking out ones) have already
appeared in the Norton anthology series from way back when, but it sure is
nice to see this '64 album originally released on brother Ray Vernon's Vermillion label while Swan wasn't looking finally getting the royal reissue
treatment! This one is done up with all of the love, care and affection
one would hope of an album of such legendary (at least by Wray fans)
renown and given not only its rarity but the song selection this is a real wowwowWOW kinda thing that deserves to be placed in any true-blue fan's stack of records.
Sound's too cruddy even for a guy like me who usually doesn't care, but
the music sure is fine enough to make even the stodgiest of Hi-Fi nuts
throw away their copies of STEREO REVIEW, or at least in a just and righteous world it would. On the first
side Link roars through a bunch of numbers both familiar and not, all of
'em worthy of the attention of anyone who tunes into this blog or even is elderly enough to have been in on the Wray game since the very beginning. The Buddy Holly-inspired "I Wanta Get Married" was a nice
if mid-energy offering new to my lobes, while the rest is naturally boffo
enough even if you undoubtedly have heard it before and in better quality. Come to
think of it, I do like the distant AM radio sound of this in my own
cornball suburban slob way. Sure is a refreshing change from all of that
half-mastered hype that prevailed throughout the early eighties.
Flip it over and you get the tracks Norton wouldn't touch in a million
centuries, ballads that would have sounded like total pus in the
hands of most sixties crooners but at least get the life breathed into
them thanks to Wray's quite remarkable (especially for a guy with one
lung) vocalese. This side might not suit some of you more rock 'n roll or nothing types but it does act as a pleasant enough counterpart to the all-out
rockers that you just got through with and like, you don't have to hate
ballads just because Dick Cavett likes them.
I sure wish this came out during my OCD Wray days back when I was slapping
together issue number 18 of my old crudzine (now thankfully out of
print) but eh, music like this will affect me as long as I have the
ears to hear it. Definitely a must-have for all of you readers who used to
pour through Midnight catalogs and pay exorbitantly inflated prices for
European pirates of items that would eventually get the legit release
treatment...in twenty years.
***
Mammals of Zod-L'OF CD 9 (Lovesphere Records)
I've perused old CBGB (and Max's, Club 82 and Mothers) listings for quite a long time if only to find out if there were any out of the way nth string aggregations out there that might be
worth the trouble of delving into. I usually go by the name of the group,
the more unique the better, then pour through whatever books and magazines
I have access to (and naturally the internet) hoping for at least a shard
of interesting info to spark my nodes. You all know how much I still need
to find that long-lost item to brag up and down the blogpost and besides,
kicks are getting harder to find these days even more than they were these last
few decades which were rather kick-less if I do say so myself. I need my musical fix all the more dearly now that my days
are numbered...it may be quite a large number I will admit, but numbered
they are!
I guess all of the above is just exactly why I was overjoyed to find out
that a group that called itself Mammals of Zod (name espied in some 1996
VILLAGE VOICE cafes/clubs/discos section I found online) actually have a
couple of recordings out that might be somewhat available, and with a name like that
I just hadda pounce upon getting hold of this disque in the hopes that I
have discovered another one of those under-the-underground groups that
really do rescue me from the tedium of everyday existence.
The Mammals do create quite a cacophony of free form muck that you just might like. One thing that makes this act especially
tuned into my own wavelength is that the Mammals are heavily reminiscent
of the Earth People, this jazz/rock/experimental group that used to not
only play the old CBGB Lounge back during the final days but featured a
list of some some pretty impressive big names in the free jazz world
guesting at a number of their shows and on their albums. If you've been in on this blog since
the beginning you'd know a whole load about them but anyway, I heartily
recommend their releases for those of you who are still front and center
for the new jazz even years after it first tossed a nice li' ol' burr in
Leonard Feathers' saddle. Considering that both Mammals of Zod and Earth
People shared some of the same crew like vocalist "M", saxophonist
Sabir Mateen and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter the connections
should be somewhat clear.
However, while the Earth People soared through long and twisting aural
journeys that thankfully lacked the hippydippyness of the usual tie-dyed
mob, Mammals of Zod play short and somewhat disjointed tuneage that goes
from the new thing to abstract with even a touch of acoustic guitar strums
and cockeyed rockist moves sounding somewhat akin to a free jazz Faust.
It's a weird mixed bag that works on/off which makes me wonder just how
this music was presented in a live context. Somewhat fun on the first spin
but, unlike the Earth People, not suitable for repeated play. At least in
this decade.
A strange batch of soundage we got here bub. More lost NYC underground
music history unraveled before my very ears and like, if you are
interested in locating a copy I do wish you the best of luck.
***
Kraftwerk-SOEST LIVE CD (ISP Records, EU)
I really must be heading into the Age of Old because I totally forgot I
already had a CD-r as well as a bootleg LP of this recording in my spacious (lots of spaces needing to be filled in it) collection! Let that be a warning to you people who want to hold onto
your pennies...make sure your memory is sharp so
YOU
don't make the same bonehead mistake I did!
But still, the sound on this
1970 live show is a whole lot crisper if that means a thing to you, and
besides it is a pretty wild set revealing that early, punk rock side of
Kraftwerk back when they wore their love of the Stooges on their
brownshirted sleeves. I get the feeling that those techno types who
remember Kraftwerk from their TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS and
MAN MACHINE days on will probably end up totally confused
after giving this ball of Stockhausen-bred electronic frenzy a listen,
and who could blame them (while having a good laugh at their expense).
***
Deadline-DOWN BY LAW CD (Celluloid Records)
Naturally I would be interested in any of drummer Phillip Wilson's
"dissonance and blues" projects, but frankly these mid-eighties tracks
show strong signs of capitulation to the meek and mild miasma that
typified even the bolder jazz and rock moves that were being made during those days. At least the urban funk and android Yorubaisms
manage to make this a whole lot more listenable than some of the other
jazz/rock "crossovers" that were competing against it. Even with the technoslickness it's
good enough that it even makes me only want to hear Wilson's earlier
efforts not only with Deadline but "Magic" which might have just been an
early name for the same thing but wha' th' hey...
Still some smart and definitely trance-y playing emerges as does a
rather tasty lineup including longtime collaborator Olu Dara, Wilson's
former employer Paul Butterfield and Parlafunkamendelic organist Bernie
Worrell. Note that I left Jaco Pastorius's name out of it, and for the
usual tasteful reasons if I must say so myself.
***
STONEGROUND CD (Collectors' Choice Music)
A ten-piece group with Sal Valentino of Beau Brummels fame in it
sounded like a great idea. The fact that some members of Stoneground
later formed Pablo Cruise didn't. The appearance of future Jefferson
Starship bassist Pete Sears ditto (even though he was in Fleur de Lys
and Sam Gopal Dream, but a lot has happened since). Still, throwing
caution to the wind I snatched this reissue up and found it to be a
whole lot better and lacking in much of the West Coast hippydoodle I was
expecting from this group at this time in history and in one of the
worst places for rock 'n roll for quite a long time.
Valentino's in fine form sounding as smooth as he was with the Brummels, and that gal singer who thinks she's Janis is unique enough so that you
don't mind the proximity of the two in the history of toughass female
vocalists. Sixties fans might want to know that ex-Mystery Trend leader
Ron Nagle even helped out, and despite the usual jiveoid moments you
would expect (and do make their way into the stew) this actually is
listenable...not great, but you might be able to sit through it.
Most regular readers of this blog might also want to pick up the
soundtrack to the Stoneground tour film
MEDICINE BALL CARAVAN which contains a non-LP live version
of Alice Cooper and crew doing "Black Juju" that a whole
load of Cooperites never seem to mention for reasons quite unknown.
***
Faust-PATCH WORK CD (Staubgold Records, Germany)
Between this and the MOMENTAUFNAHME series there's a lot of
Faust rollin' around out there in krautrockland. Penny-pinching me has
to be careful where his hard-begged goes so I decided to latch onto this
PATCH WORK one which better satiate me until someone who loves the dickens outta me sends me these other releases.
Snatches of the familiar coupled with new efforts done up like
THE FAUST TAPES might not sound that funtime to you but I
enjoyed hearing different versions of various Faustian legends like
"It's a Rainy Day" chopped up and tossed in with various sonic
atonalities. Well, that's what krautrockers liked to do I guess.
Some new outright rockers even show up so don't exactly poo-poo this one
as yet another waste of somethingorother.
If you were one to latch onto the krautian aspects of rock back in the
nineties this should help tie a few loose nerve endings up. If you were
in it for a longer amount of time well, be thankful you actually
did live so long!
***
Hey are you rich? If so I would like to be rich too and the best way for
that to happen is for all of you guys with money to just toss around to
jet some of it my way and I'll jet back some back issues of BLACK TO COMM back. That's but just one thing which will undoubtedly fill my
coffers and make it so I can afford some of the finer things in life for
once. I mean, I would like to own a state of the art stereo system that
I never was able to get with the little dinero that was tossed my way
and really, I wouldn't mind if my vinyl collection was triple in size
just like those of all of you high falutin' collectors out there. Time
to share the wealth and help get the economy moving, and what better way
than to dump your hard-begged for a stack or two of my
mags?
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