The "rock star" formerly and still to be known as Prince once did say "sometimes it snows in April", and he was right about this year that's for sure! Here it is Thursday morn in late April 2015, and as I look out the window of my formerly fart-encrusted bedroom (got a new paint job) I see them snowflakes fluttering down just as if it was still winter and all I hadda look forward to was a good three months of staying huddled inside watching old tee-vee show dee-vee-dee's, reading old fanzines, comics and whatnot, and listening to some pertinent hot sounds on my bedside boom box (too cold to venture down to the basement where my vinyl 'n turntable reside). Hmmm, after all that the only thing I can say right now is snow, keep on comin'!
Been doin' very little as of late 'cept the usual work/eat/snooze game, though maybe I should relay to you the fact that I (once again) made it through the entirety of that classic and oft poo-poo'd television series SUPERCAR and in one piece as well! Haven't touched my Dee-Vee-Dee set of this classic "Supermarionation" series (which was definitely one of my fave pre-school/socialization period programs) since 2002, so watching this 'un once again was quite a thrill and, given my sieve-like head, was almost like watching a new series considering I totally forgot about 75% of the shows presented therein.
But man, it's always great and downright LIFE REAFFIRMING watching a series like this which really reminds me of them days when tee-vee was certainly my best friend and not the cowering stranger it has since become. Believe-you-me, when I settle back and watch SUPERCAR I immediately zoom back to my funtime turdler years when the boob tube was perhaps my only real contact with the "outside world" (unless you count the funny pages!) and shows like this (and THE JETSONS, yet another show I can recall watching during its original Sunday evening prime time run) undoubtedly pointed the way towards a shining technological future which extrapolated on all of the fun comforts and energy that the early/mid-sixties had to offer. Sheesh, when I was a kid I thought we'd all be driving Supercars at least by the mid-eighties (around the same time we were supposed to be landing on Mars according to most scientific stroons in the know) which makes me wonder in retrospect..."wha' th' fanabla 'app'd???" Anyway, next stop...FIREBALL XL-5!!!
Here are the revooz for this week, and boy are they doozies! Got a couple of sure-fire winners here too, and if it weren't for Paul McGarry sending me these platters I probably never would have knowed they existed, let alone head them!!!! So it's YOU I thank Paul, and if you were here I'd give you a thousand hugs 'n kisses for sending these wonderful recordings my way! And if you were here, you'd probably bash my head in for doing just that, right??? Of course sweetie, but then again, aren't these records to die for???
Wand-GOLEM CD-r burn (originally on In The Red)
Hmmmm, this breed of hard rock heavy metallic prog stew is rather enticing. Thought I would hate it for dredging up some of the worst memories of seventies record bin ruminations but this act does 'em all up fine with the proper dose of tension and patented thug riffs tossed in to make it all the more worthwhile. The blitzed-out female vocals also add a particularly potent touch to this hard grind (though I coulda personally done without the seventies synthesizer growl), and if Kenne Highland were still doing his hard 'n heavy version of the Robert Christgau Consumer Guide (which appeared in GULCHER and other pertinent pubs of the day) I get the feeling he woulda given GOLEM a hefty "A+" and nothing less! But I could be wrong.
The Maharajahs-YESTERDAY ALWAYS KNEW CD-r burn (originally on Low Impact)
These Swedes look so old that I kinda get the idea that they were playing rock 'n roll even before you or especially I were born! They're still at it when others have petered out and gone the Coconut Inn on Rt. 47 way, and although they might have been charter members of the Flamin' Groovies fanclub for all I know they sure put out a good 'un. Maybe it is a little tiring in spots, but really hardly anybody has rock 'n rolled like this in a long time. Kinda like the Groovies with a touch of Feelgood and some of those eighties acts that got lost in the madness of it all, and the best thing about it is they pull it off so suave w/o looking like a buncha smug knowitalls who like to smirk at those who just ain't of their same sainted wavelength. Sheesh, when I get to be their age (which'll probably be a few years plus or minus) I sure hope I'm as cool and as snarling as they are!
THIS IS THE SONICS CD-r burn (originally on Revox)
Wow I can't believe it! The Sonics have recorded a new album after all these years (not counting the faux Sonics release on Bomp! which was a killer in itself) and boy is it great! There's none of the Jerden-era pop moves here (no matter how tasty they were)---just prime head-on hard Northwest Rock that puts 99.999% of the competition to shame now as well as then! Gerry Roslie still sounds as raw-throated as possible (perhaps even more---after all he's had a lifetime of screaming to contend with) while the backing band (which I presume consists of the Parypa brothers and some new hired hands) keep the old Sonics flame a-goin' with that hard rock fervor that used to get the Sonics tagged in the whole "there wouldn't be any new wave if these guys weren't around" hype back in the late seventies! Beyond-hot covers and treacherous originals including an ecological number you'll never hear Joan Baez doin' in a millyun years!
WIRE CD-r burn (originally on Pink Flag)
Wire's latest release sure drives that whole "post-punk" rigmarole home and nails down the door like shoulda been done years ago! Nice drone here which does recall the better moments of 1980 non-hardcore desire, coupled with hefty thank yous to the Velvets, Pink Floyd and of course the original Wire themselves. This actually had me zoning back to various old Rough Trade arrivals to my abode and the joy (and eventual dissatisfaction) I had with this particular breed and era of sound. But I'm sure this one'll stick around for a long time.
Lava Sutra-HARD AND HEAVY (WITH MARSHMALLOW) CD (Whitehouse Records)
Here's a forgotten favorite from the graveyard of gangrened goodies that I shoulda been playing a whole lot more o'er these past twenny years than I have. Co-led by former fanzine magnate Anthony Illarde, Lava Sutra might seem like more of that nineties grunge that you either couldn't get enough of or got way too much of, only I espy more of an early seventies heavy metal vibe to it that at least tames the more alternative rock instincts to a respectable low. The Badfinger/Raspberries pop moves also help enshrine Lava Sutra more in the early-seventies camp than it does the feigned nihilism of the nineties, and the Seeds references on "What You Gonna Give" still sound refreshing considering just how hated that band had been for years on end. It's got a little bit of something for everyone...who appreciates the grittier, less polished side of rock 'n roll that is.
Various Artists-KICKIN' THE QUEST AROUND CD-r burn (Bill Shute)
Hmmmmm, this 'un kept me in rock 'n roll jollies more'n I would have expected! The Hanna Barbara theme songs were boff enough for this spiritual suburban slob turdler, but the rest? Well, the Lorin Frank Productions radio ads were quite inspiring, reminding me of the days when classiness was the norm as far as the ol' commercial push goes, while the Neil Young and Crazy Horse track shows that although the former sounds as if he's turning into Walter Brennan the latter can still cook hot rock and they shoulda dumped Young ages back and become the Rockets again. Oddly enough my favorite tracks were by th' Faith Healers (pretty good electric drone indie rock that don't offend even if they have a typically indie-sounding gal singing on some of it) and the Ping-Pongs (strange neo-garage band sound that has this Ray Davies on ether feel---research sez it just might be one of those "song poems" that are all the rage in certain circles these days). The version of "Hey Ba Ba Re Bob" that closes the thing is a hoot...and gee, I never knew that it was such a dirty song!
But man, it's always great and downright LIFE REAFFIRMING watching a series like this which really reminds me of them days when tee-vee was certainly my best friend and not the cowering stranger it has since become. Believe-you-me, when I settle back and watch SUPERCAR I immediately zoom back to my funtime turdler years when the boob tube was perhaps my only real contact with the "outside world" (unless you count the funny pages!) and shows like this (and THE JETSONS, yet another show I can recall watching during its original Sunday evening prime time run) undoubtedly pointed the way towards a shining technological future which extrapolated on all of the fun comforts and energy that the early/mid-sixties had to offer. Sheesh, when I was a kid I thought we'd all be driving Supercars at least by the mid-eighties (around the same time we were supposed to be landing on Mars according to most scientific stroons in the know) which makes me wonder in retrospect..."wha' th' fanabla 'app'd???" Anyway, next stop...FIREBALL XL-5!!!
Here are the revooz for this week, and boy are they doozies! Got a couple of sure-fire winners here too, and if it weren't for Paul McGarry sending me these platters I probably never would have knowed they existed, let alone head them!!!! So it's YOU I thank Paul, and if you were here I'd give you a thousand hugs 'n kisses for sending these wonderful recordings my way! And if you were here, you'd probably bash my head in for doing just that, right??? Of course sweetie, but then again, aren't these records to die for???
Hmmmm, this breed of hard rock heavy metallic prog stew is rather enticing. Thought I would hate it for dredging up some of the worst memories of seventies record bin ruminations but this act does 'em all up fine with the proper dose of tension and patented thug riffs tossed in to make it all the more worthwhile. The blitzed-out female vocals also add a particularly potent touch to this hard grind (though I coulda personally done without the seventies synthesizer growl), and if Kenne Highland were still doing his hard 'n heavy version of the Robert Christgau Consumer Guide (which appeared in GULCHER and other pertinent pubs of the day) I get the feeling he woulda given GOLEM a hefty "A+" and nothing less! But I could be wrong.
***
These Swedes look so old that I kinda get the idea that they were playing rock 'n roll even before you or especially I were born! They're still at it when others have petered out and gone the Coconut Inn on Rt. 47 way, and although they might have been charter members of the Flamin' Groovies fanclub for all I know they sure put out a good 'un. Maybe it is a little tiring in spots, but really hardly anybody has rock 'n rolled like this in a long time. Kinda like the Groovies with a touch of Feelgood and some of those eighties acts that got lost in the madness of it all, and the best thing about it is they pull it off so suave w/o looking like a buncha smug knowitalls who like to smirk at those who just ain't of their same sainted wavelength. Sheesh, when I get to be their age (which'll probably be a few years plus or minus) I sure hope I'm as cool and as snarling as they are!
***
THIS IS THE SONICS CD-r burn (originally on Revox)Wow I can't believe it! The Sonics have recorded a new album after all these years (not counting the faux Sonics release on Bomp! which was a killer in itself) and boy is it great! There's none of the Jerden-era pop moves here (no matter how tasty they were)---just prime head-on hard Northwest Rock that puts 99.999% of the competition to shame now as well as then! Gerry Roslie still sounds as raw-throated as possible (perhaps even more---after all he's had a lifetime of screaming to contend with) while the backing band (which I presume consists of the Parypa brothers and some new hired hands) keep the old Sonics flame a-goin' with that hard rock fervor that used to get the Sonics tagged in the whole "there wouldn't be any new wave if these guys weren't around" hype back in the late seventies! Beyond-hot covers and treacherous originals including an ecological number you'll never hear Joan Baez doin' in a millyun years!
***
WIRE CD-r burn (originally on Pink Flag)Wire's latest release sure drives that whole "post-punk" rigmarole home and nails down the door like shoulda been done years ago! Nice drone here which does recall the better moments of 1980 non-hardcore desire, coupled with hefty thank yous to the Velvets, Pink Floyd and of course the original Wire themselves. This actually had me zoning back to various old Rough Trade arrivals to my abode and the joy (and eventual dissatisfaction) I had with this particular breed and era of sound. But I'm sure this one'll stick around for a long time.
***
Here's a forgotten favorite from the graveyard of gangrened goodies that I shoulda been playing a whole lot more o'er these past twenny years than I have. Co-led by former fanzine magnate Anthony Illarde, Lava Sutra might seem like more of that nineties grunge that you either couldn't get enough of or got way too much of, only I espy more of an early seventies heavy metal vibe to it that at least tames the more alternative rock instincts to a respectable low. The Badfinger/Raspberries pop moves also help enshrine Lava Sutra more in the early-seventies camp than it does the feigned nihilism of the nineties, and the Seeds references on "What You Gonna Give" still sound refreshing considering just how hated that band had been for years on end. It's got a little bit of something for everyone...who appreciates the grittier, less polished side of rock 'n roll that is.
***
Hmmmmm, this 'un kept me in rock 'n roll jollies more'n I would have expected! The Hanna Barbara theme songs were boff enough for this spiritual suburban slob turdler, but the rest? Well, the Lorin Frank Productions radio ads were quite inspiring, reminding me of the days when classiness was the norm as far as the ol' commercial push goes, while the Neil Young and Crazy Horse track shows that although the former sounds as if he's turning into Walter Brennan the latter can still cook hot rock and they shoulda dumped Young ages back and become the Rockets again. Oddly enough my favorite tracks were by th' Faith Healers (pretty good electric drone indie rock that don't offend even if they have a typically indie-sounding gal singing on some of it) and the Ping-Pongs (strange neo-garage band sound that has this Ray Davies on ether feel---research sez it just might be one of those "song poems" that are all the rage in certain circles these days). The version of "Hey Ba Ba Re Bob" that closes the thing is a hoot...and gee, I never knew that it was such a dirty song!
josef vondruska : rip .he died on december 2014.
ReplyDeletesad news.
Thank you for the sad news. Will have to write something about this for my next weekend posting.
ReplyDelete