BLOG TO COMM

Guess what pudendas! For a short while, there probably wasn't gonna be any weekend posting here, not because of any blackberry jam-ups or general lethargy but due to the strangeoid fact that my computer was not able to get on to AOL for a good three days runnin'! Yes, I will admit that panic did ensue, but after much fretting and dribbling I did what any boy scout woulda done day one, that is disconnected my modem and waited a minute. And whaddaya know but AOL was back up and running which I must say really did tingle my tootsies even if that also means I hafta look at that horrid Huffington Post gossip and precocious political goo page they always shove in your face when you sign in. But at least the blog's "out of traction and back in action", and  so here are just a few of the interesting items that have been catching my fancy as of the past seven that I know you'll just love reading about!

JACK RUBY CD; Weasel Walter-OMINOUS TELEPATHIC MAYHEM CD (both available via
ugEXPLODE)

Real stop-the-presses material here! Yes, the infamous Jack Ruby, a group often spoken about in hushed and not-so tones by the few who were lucky enough to witness one of their rare live appearances, have finally been granted a reissue thanks to the weasel-y efforts of one Weasel Walter of ugEXPLODE  records fame. Considering just how obscure most of these no wave-era recordings are (in fact I was once told, by an expert on the subject no less, that hardly any of the no wave groups had recorded their live material nor saved their rehearsal tapes making these finds a whole lot more special as time erodes whatever evidence is left), it would be wise not to up one's nostrils at an effort like this...hard-edged New York rock that takes whatever grand accomplishment there was goin' on in the burgh already (Velvets, Heartbreakers, Television...) and warp-drives it into massive electronic rock churn which refuses to let up. In many ways these recordings (some dating back as far as '74 and thus predating the entire no wave mindset by a good three years) come off more like the post-no wave aggregations that were cluttering up the post-snarl radical schmooze NYC of the eighties (remember God is my Cop Shoot?), but just when you're ready to accept the total noise impact using a jaded 1986 sense of arrrgh what should appear but ACTUAL POP ROCK STRUCTURES that'll certainly send you for a loop. And this package really does have a number of interesting surprises in store for you info-wise, like did you know that none other than Boris Policeband was once a member???

While we're on the subject of ugEXPLODE here's the latest Weasel Walter effort showing the master drummer in duo settings with a number of up and coming performers making a nice hunk of noise that reminds me (naturally) of those Rashied Ali duo albums with Leroy Jenkins and Frank Lowe that appeared on the former Coltrane member's Survival label back in the seventies. The folks who perform with Mr. Walter are whatcha'd call some of the brightest new stars in whatever there is left of an avant garde jazz scene, and for those of you who just can't get enough of the second era of new jamz ca. 1967-1975 these tracks certainly will fill the bill. I must admit that the biggest surprise regarding these duos are the three concluding ones featuring Walter in consort with an Alex Ward who plays not only guitar but clarinet doing (get this!) three Pere Ubu covers, "Non-Alignment Pact", "Final Solution" and "30 Second Over Tokyo" in a manner which deconstructs the original versions which were pretty well deconstructed mid-sixties psych gems in themselves!  Pretty nice sense of self-contained anarchy ya got there, Walter!

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Larry Young-HEAVEN ON EARTH LP (Blue Note)

The next to last in the Larry Young collection of recently-purchased platters, this 'un (sad to say) doesn't quite excite my nodes the same way the others had. Don't know whether to blame the lackluster album cover or the presence of George Benson, though I woulda thunk that the appearance of famed free player Byard Lancaster'd brightened the platter up at least a li'l bit. One of those albums you just know woulda skidded the shorts of at last five DOWN BEAT jazz critics upon first play, definite five-star material and don't forget to put the thesaurus back when you're done, boys.

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Les Rallizes Denutes-DOUBLE HEADS 6-CD set (Phoenix)

I know that I could be spending my money on more fresh and undiscovered material rather'n another Les Rallizes Denudes reissue, but this particular one seemed so promising despite being recorded  a good five years after what I considered this mysterious Nipponese group's best moments (the mid-seventies in case you're taking notes). Well, just goes to show you how wrong having presupposed ideas can be, for DOUBLE HEADS is a boss set of live Denudes shows done at a time ('80/'81) when the group seemed to have recovered much of the high energy I thought they had lost, perhaps due to the addition of second guitarist Fujio Yamaguchi who had previously clocked in time with Murahachibu, yet another Japanese underground rarity that I might look into if only to help complete the Les Rallizes Denudes roadmap of groups and  influences that I have been working on this past decade or so.

The sound's surprisingly crisp considering how many of this group's supposed "soundboard" recordings come off as if they were taken offa wax cylinders that were hitched up to the PA. Performance is equally stunning as Mizutani and crew take the old Denudes standbys and once again rearrange and remodel 'em just so's you don't get bored hearing "Ice Fire" done the same way over and over (not that you would). Some great feedback-induced moments pop up as well which only goes to prove that, if anything, these guys were the perfect distillation of Velvets unto Blue Cheer screech that never did get its fair shake, though not through the fault of Mizutani who I guess in his own self-righteousness didn't care one whit! Whatever, yet another nicety that any real fan of this stuff  for the past XXXXX # of years should grab up, and praise be to Phoenix for gettin' it into our paws and at a fair price too.

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Sandy Bull-VANGUARD VISIONARIES CD (Vanguard)

Yeah, since I already own the entire Bull Vanguard catalog on vinyl and disque this particular collection (Vanguard's second Cee-Dee collection of Bull dooky, not only done within the course of eight years but with mucho repeats from the original!) ain't exactly crucial. However, this 'un does conclude with Bull's rather tasteful rendition of Floyd Cramer's "Last Date" which I sure don't mind hearin' without having to lug myself down to the basement and having to sift through years of vinyl residue to find it. Hey Vanguard, wouldn't you have thought that reissues of Bull's first and final for your grand 'n glorious label are whatcha'd call mandatory and yeah, you're probably making more money in a day with Joan Baez regurgitations than your average Polish plumber does in a year to care about giving Bull a proper retrospective, but that doesn't mean you have to treat the rest of your back catalog like dirt!