Gee, another week's gone...aren't you glad??? Well, it wasn't that bad a week considerin' alla the goodies I got to listen to this go 'round, and given that nothing catastrophic has happened (much to your dismay I would surmise) let me just say that this was perhaps one of the better weeks I've had in quite awhile. Yes, the musical scene seems to be improving a bit at least as far as finding interesting records to give a listen to (I gave up on the ACTUAL musical scene as in currently made innovative and soul-encapsulating sounds ages back), and given the wealth of reissues and even a few new avant garde gropers to grasp your mind coming out (usually via Kendra Steiner Editions, ugEXPLODE and a few other outlets) things are perking up quite a bit. Anyway, settle back for a nice bevy of beauteous writeups that I hope have you heading for the nearest internet site so you can enrich YOUR life as be just as much of a fulfilled and total human being as I am!
***I KNOW YOU HATE IT, BUT ONCE AGAIN IT IS TIME FOR ME TO GET ONTO MY SOAP BOX AND LAY A LITTLE TRUTH ON YOU (BE FOREWARNED)!!!---as time rolls on into what seems like a pretty dark abyss of humorless scolding I gotta shed a tear over all of the things that I once held dear being either left to wither on the vine or "updated" to be meaningful and "relevant" (remember that early-seventies catch-word?) only to look as foolish as an adventure of YOGI'S GANG did once 1973 rolled around. With comic strips like NANCY now deader'n Zeppo things may be bad enough (even tho that strip pretty much caved in along with creator Ernie Bushmiller), it's sad to see the comic book heroes and good guys of the past reduced to politically pious kulcherkampf enforcers who have all the testosterone of the infamous pajama boy of yore.
And of you thought that Superman lecturing the Teen Titans about racism in some by-now ancient issue of WORLD'S FINEST way back in '72 was bad enough and that comics would NEVER AGAIN stoop to such self-proclaiming and downright pushy preaching ever again, you should see what has been done to THE PHANTOM, the first ever costumed (super)hero who hasn't been consigned to the dumpster as of yet but after hearing what I gotta say maybe you'll wish he had.
Now this ain't in the Amerigan edition of the strip/comic book but the Swedish one, which considering just how down the slope that nation has always been does figure. The mere cover says it all where one can see our by now Socially Conscious "hero" bashing in a moralistic and (while I'm at it) nationalistic Pole with a (what else but a) rainbow flag which I guess does say more about what's inside that I would dare to find out for myself.
From what I can make out via the link above, the eternal hero for some strange reason is in Warsaw and for some even stranger reason is present at a gay parade (gee I didn't know---guess this Phantom is the last of a 300 year reign!) which is about to be trounced upon by ugly locals who look like they just popped outta some SPLC wet dream! You know, just another day in one of those close-minded, European Identity-riddled nations we hear about every so often. Naturally the Phantom has to put a stop to the impending bloodshed in the name of (yawn!) tolerance, which has I have found out is a word that only had meaning for "thee" but not for ME! given some of the asinine opinions from readers like you I've had to put up with in quite awhile. As if I care about such handy catchwords anymore.
Yeah the story was written by some English homo living in Poland who of course has to twist and turn his views of the nationalistic tide there (and don't forget Hungary under the leadership of the much to be admired Viktor Orban) and tie it all in with those fabled brownshirts who always have to be brought up time to time lest we run out of neat bogeymen to shoot down. And of course such a saga is bound (perhaps said author is unaware of the consequences of his very nature?) to play down the very disturbing trends in gay culture, open borders and all forms of social engineering that have turned many a place into human garbage dumps filled with "No Go Zones" that you used to find only in the U.S. of A.!
Maybe the Swedes are too enlightened and don't mind the surge in refugees enriching their culture right into the ground and gay propaganda disguised as "being nice" tossed at their kids, but maybe there are some places left which had enough heavy handed government intervention into every aspect of life in that quest to create "The New Man" that just couldn't stand any more of it. You know, places like Poland and Hungary which had a good thirtysome years of social engineering to the point of nausea and just don't want any part of an ideal that led their nations to disaster. And in this day and age that sure is nice to know that there are these types of nationalistic and traditionalists left even if their presence is only a brief blip in that skid into yet another government by and for the smart elite who like to nosh finger foods all day.
Sure the entire comic strip industry have always taken those chances to be "hip" and "up to date" from the days of World War II to the space age and beyond. That's good enough only if the hipness and up to date-ness reflects a vision that doesn't cater to man's baser instincts. And for the most part this reflection just might be why the industry has taken such a tumble these past few decades what with the likes of DC, Archie and Marvel making their moolah in the film and TV mediums 'stead of via the comic racks. But dang if it just digs into my suburban slob soul seeing an eighty-plus-year-old character like the Phantom now a cheerleader for the "open minded" and "classier than thou" rainbow brigade who always did seem rather shit-smeared to me, in the process turning said character into a soul-less ideological automaton for the advancement of that global society that praises equality but always seems to shaft those who just don't fit in. But then again what could one expect from those who hold the likes of Karl Marx and Mao Tse Tung in esteem (and kid, I ain't exaggeratin'!) while continuing to berate Augusto Pinochet and Francisco Franco whose policies didn't run their countries into the ground?
Dunno about you, but I can remember when heroes weren't such clayfoot cause-riddled leftoids who reflected the worst aspects of the human condition but rather images of MAN AT HIS BEST! Something which I guess has become a controversial enough subject and I sure don't want to rankle the ire of you cowboy-comic hating, self-flagellating upper class white readers now, do I?
I expect the Phantom (or even his Swedish doppelganger Fantomen) to keep on in the comic page and in those outta-nowhere comic books that you see piled up at flea markets all over the place, but hey in no way can I see anyone who'd swing a gay flag at a man who is concerned about his future and his country a hero. He's nothing but a tool who thinks he's fighting the system while never realizing that he IS the system he so rails against. Let's face it, if you want a hero that is one, it's MR. A. and nobody else, y'hear?
***And now that I got that outta my system like a concrete turd lodged in my rectum, here are the reviews!
Sure good to have these tracks all in one place and sounding so good. The Who back before they traded their punk rock genius for rock opera schmalz and such clever and stand the test of time tracks like "Squeeze Box". These tracks are perhaps better than the actual numbers because they were recorded without any behind-the-boards production and come off straight and clear. Contains all the goodies (including two "My Generation"s) as well as a couple of neat jingles, although the "Happy Jack had some fun here on Radio One" one is sadly missing (or maybe I walked outta the room to take a tinkie at the time).
***
How many times am I gonna buy the same record dressed up in a different package you ask! Well, I'm gonna buy it as long as there are new and unique items added to said package that makes these things worth parting with the lucre to get! Here's the infamous 1976 Max's collection (sans Pere Ubu, who are probably still mad about some past indiscretion twixt they and Max) along with a bevy of beauts from not only the second (and less loved) Max's collection but various singles and other rarities that didn't get the royal treatment back then. There are even some items that didn't pop up on the recent two-record Max's set here and if you think it's all a waste of time well, I'll tell ya that I spun this last Sunday PM while reading old rock mags and I felt like some sixteen-year-old suburban slob in the mid-seventies getting a hefty dose of power-packed rock 'n roll music while filling my eyeballs with some of the greatest paens to the music extant! And if you don't get the exact same feeling may I call you...Jay Hinman???
***
Forced Exposure)
It's amazing how the Feeding Tube label can find these up and cummin' musical acts that, in many ways, defy a whole load of descriptions that we usually tag onto music that may be outside the realm of teenage doper comprehension. Take this interesting creation courtesy of the team of Delphine Dora and Sophie Cooper which sounds like a combination of "serious" avant garde classical and THE MARBLE INDEX which was a piece of serious avant garde if you trust Lester Bangs' infamous comments regarding said platter. The numbers present consist mostly of beautiful drones accompanied by equally wavering vocals, with splashes of vibraphone and other cacophony makers that'll conjure up memories of your favorite late-twentieth century composers. And best of all, it's all OUTSIDER stuff meaning that Dora and Cooper probably never spent a second inside a music conservatory and are about as outta the "professional" loop as you or I! Another outta nowhere surprise that I can get behind 100 (if not more) per-cent!
***
Like some of you readers undoubtedly have, I was wary about tackling this album by the Survivors if only because I thought it would be jambus packtus with soggy covers and unimaginative originals which make the "Expressway To Your Heart" blockbuster sound pallid in their company. SURPRISE! WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS ANYTHING GOES is a very punch-packed effort from these blue-eyed (I think...they look a little too Mediterranean for that) soul stirrers not only with their smasheroo hit but with the boffo covers ("Please Please Please", "Hey Gyp"...), the psychedelic effects and Gamble/Huff production giving it all that perfect 1967 sound without coming out looking silly. If you like the other white soul/rock acts of the day such as the Box Tops this will have you jumping up and down in no time flat.
***
You may think that McLuhan was some brilliant analyzer of the mid-twentieth century electronic revolution or just another crank of the age, but if you're not sure just give this 1967 platter a spin and judge for yourself. The suitable for radio announcing voice of McLuhan can be heard reading passages from his book of the same name while various strange musical and vocal cut-ins give a quite late-sixties "hip" aura that was put to great commercial use on LAUGH IN. The results can be both interesting and annoying, at times taking on the aura of one of those John Cage VARIATIONS albums or even some radical EXPERIMENTS IN TELEVISION/NET-unto-PBS hipper than hip special I always came across while on the lookout for MISTER ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD. So incomprehensible and deep that you know that just about every phony intellectual of the day just hadda have a copy!
***
Not being in whatcha'd call a late-sixties English rock mood maybe this selection didn't quite grab onto my inner spirit or whatever the hippoids call it like it shoulda. Still, this collection of various big names from the Immediate label roster does make for a good "taste" for those of you looking into the English blues boom of the day not to mention those who want to know what Keith Emerson was up to before forming ELP. Personal fave of the batch is album closer "Lazy Sunday" by the Small Faces, a track I've only known via the cover Jet did a good seven or so years afterwards (you can tell I am not a huge Small Faces fan...I mean, there's sooo much music out there and sooo little moolah!).
***
Although I prefer Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries because they only take one-fifth of the time to solve, these five minute ones are alright. Of course I still cringe over the fact that people can be arrested and perhaps even executed over some rather flimsy evidence, but it's sure fun listening to some detective slap the bracelets on some caretaker or victim's relative just because they didn't know that Florida does not have front bumper license plates or that there was no "r" in the month that the deceased supposedly ate those oysters (the first one is from these radio programs, the second from an old EC crime comic!). Sure it might seem so corny to all of you sophisticated New York VANITY FAIR types out there but I'll tell ya one thing...it sure beats sudoku!
***
This time Bill sends us all to the smoky night clubs of yore, the kinda clubs you used to see on tee-vee as a kid and think boy, do those adults got it made! Still, I never heard anything as cool on those old detective shows that I heard on this 'un, with some pretty neat offerings from the likes of Jimmy McGriff and Willis Jackson .OK, some of this was kinda snoozeroonie, but as far as a "theme" disque goes Bill couldn't have done better and like, I kinda feel like slippin' on a suit and hat and headin' down to one of those outta-the-way haunts where you get to see a whole lotta smoke and maybe some hotcha cleavage as well. Better not, I'd probably end up with a big konk on the head and end up in some alley with nothing but my undies on!
***In closing let me once again remind you that back issues of BLACK TO COMM are still available if you need to fill up those gaps you have in your collection. Just read the post and follow the directions and everything should go smoother than the top of my head. If yer interested in any out of print issues, I may be able to swing a deal with you as well so don't be shy.
Small faces start with hits and misses thrashers and Crashers, faces box set, humble pie rock on (feat Peter Frampton)
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, Chris, this country was screwed forever when we failed to stem the grotesque tide of Italiano terrorists coming here a century ago. These filthy overbreeders with their noodles and their Mafia and their messy Papist un-American ways ruined this clean country forever. Dirtbags, all of them. Pimps and drug dealers and anarchists. Send 'em all back.
ReplyDeleteMister Rogers was a commie creep.
ReplyDelete