How'ya doin' holding up against this whole Coronavirus hoo-hah that's plagued the world these past few weeks? Sheesh, schools are closed yet you see lots of brats cloggin' up the aisles at supermarkets with their more susceptible grandparents...smart, hunh? Personally I find the whole concept of self-quarantine and diggin' into one's abode pretty fun, as long as the house is stocked with comic books, old fanzines and plenty of music (and classy old-tyme tee-vee), but for the most part don't you find the current hysteria kinda over reacting to a problem that just might die out within a week or ten?!?!?!? I mean, all of the fuss that's goin' on about catching the dreaded "Chinese Gongo" (as Dorothy Gish called it when she refused to kiss Wallace Reid over 100 years back!) compared with the Spanish Influenza of 1919 or even the sniffle epidemic that hit the grade school back when I was six and """""I""""" was blamed by my teacher for starting the whole thing (really!). I'm still gonna go get myself a big Chinese takeout (that's "takeaway" for you English speaking readers) in order to show my solidarity with those of East Asian extraction in the face of all this needless germophobia. Heck, as the mayor of Florence Italy suggested I might even hug a Chinese person as well, as long as she's cute and doesn't smell funny. In other words, as long as if she's THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ME!
THE GR RECORD HEAD LP (Opaque Dynamo/Cardinal Fuzz Records, France and England respectively)
This white-vinyl platter houses some interesting music, all played by this GR guy who undoubtedly would know about the whys and wherefores of his music given the way he looks on the cover. And those whys and wherefores just hafta be related to all of the hot, inner-mounting and downright BOILING attitude that made up the late-sixties music scene! Y'see, this long-player's got all of the high-spirited pounce that was part and parcel to the non-hippoid (and non-kiddie) matter that was known as rock 'n roll during those rather heated days. A tribute to black power somethingorother Fred Hampton proves this guy's got an MC5-inspired political credo while the rest doesn't seem to sound that far off from what a whole lotta kids in garages nationwide were doin' under the influence of Lester Bangs reviews. I find it all pretty cool myself especially in its low fidelity. A must to get for all you budding White Panthers out there!
IJI LP (Feeding Tube Records)
Every record by Feeding Tube is a soo-prize for the ears, and this one really takes the ol' cake and most of the icing as well for being a unique among unique offering in that label's catalog. Iji is a moderne pop group, really not that much different from a variety of electro pop rock acts that have been cluttering up many a record collection since the early eighties or so. And this album really throws me into a quandary, since the music that Iji provides recall not only some interesting 70s/80s electronic rock experiments but a whole load of pop pap that followed in its wake. Talk about having a love/hate relationship, and with a dang record as well!
So here I am with emotions more mixed than the time when Sam was yapping his head off in anger at the way I treated him and I would whip out some food and start eating it confusing my Canis Stoopis between thought of hate and a good treat. And if you too have trouble controlling the rockist and pop sides of your mind you too might feel the exact same ways Sam did oh so long ago!
Spykes & Parashi-BRAILLE LICENSE PLATES FOR SULLEN NIGHTS 7-inch single (Radical Documents Records)
Not much (if any) real info on the insert and no instructions on which speed to play it (I did 33 and it sounded just right), Spykes & Parashi are a duo who spend their Christmas Eves making bizarro sounds that I guess they find swell enough to issue on neat records like this, records which come complete with bee-youtiful abstract art sleeves that even you might find rather attractive.
Consisting of nothing but improvisational sounds with saxophone and electronics, Spykes & Parashi remind me of this group called Idiophonic that was playing out and about in the New York City underground circuit during the early oughts. Dark and waddling feedback-ish sound with deep sax holler, each side ending with a locked groove so satisfying that you'll wanna let it play until the needle wears itself right through the record. Maybe if the feller who sent me this can tell us all where you can get it.
Tin Huey-LIVE AT THE TOWNHOUSE, KENT OHIO 1973 2-CD-r set
Sure nice to hear this early under-the-underground NE Ohio rarity once again. The sound ain't as clear as it was on the actual tape that was goin' 'round back then but who cares especially when you finally get the opportunity to once again hear this LEGENDARY Akron group during their early days before the lure of gnu wave and major record contracts soiled the sound somewhat. Fans of the group's Clone records will surely enjoy hearing their renditions of the usual underground jukebox faves like "Waiting For My Man" and "Search and Destroy" placed alongside import bin finds like "Eye Shaking King" (its no surprise that Huey's original music at this time had a strong Amon Duul II influence) with even a cover of "Jerkin' Crocus" tossed in for good measure. A great slab of live seventies-vintage sonic experience, but what happened to the version of "Sister Ray" they did that was dedicated to Maureen Tucker and Peter Laughner?
Steve Marcus-GREEN LINE CD-r burn (originally on Victor Records, Japan)
Sheesh Bill, a bright guy like ya shoulda knowed that I already have a Cee-Dee-Are of this all-time fusion winner (which comes complete with the talents of Sonny Sharrock and Miroslav Vitous) snuggled somewhere in the leaning towers of tea coasters taking over my bedroom. Well, thank you for giving me an excuse to listen to this again!
Alan Jack Civilization-BLUESY MIND CD-r burn (originally on BYG Records, France)
Yet another one of those late-sixties whiteguy blooze things that really don't measure up to what that genre can produce when its pumping on all cylinders. Maybe the fact that one of the band members with out-stretched arms is wearing one of those leather fringe jackets should be a good tipoff, but then again Sonny Sharrock can be seen wearing one on the back cover of the all-time cruncher MONKEY POCKIE BOO! Maybe I shouldn't hold that form of hippoid expression against Jack despite those kinda coats dredging up a whole load of bad memories. This plain and uninspiring album I will hold against him, THAT'S for sure!
The Rolling Stones-REELIN' AND ROCKIN' 2-CD-r burn set
Two disques of the Stones in their mid-sixties prime in varying qualities and quantities for that matter. Serious fans probably have the original bootlegs but this might do for cheapos like me who still kinda cringe at the thought of these guys even existing after 1974. It does capture a lotta the unbridled fun and jamz that made those days exciting for fat gals crammed in their boudoirs popping blackheads as the radio spewed out Stones hits one after another. And you can do the same thing too!
Various Artists-HANGOVER HOUSE-PARTY POODLE GREASE CD-r burn (Bill Shute)
Wow, Bill must be doing something wrong because I like this one a whole lot! You'd think he'd throw in some tracks that I thought were from grade-z turdsville to get my goat 'r somethin', but there are loads of top notch winners here from the infamous "Green Mosquito" by the Tune Rockers (who are that good in that late-fifties ranch house Amerigan way that I posted their 1958 DICK CLARK appearance directly below!) to Gradie O'Neal's "Turkey Neck Stretch"! Yes, this 'un has all the makings of a one-man party in my bedroom to take place on one of these lonely nights when I get in the mood to absorb the darkness into my very soul.
Other winners include the Penguins' (of "Earth Angel"?) "Jingle Jangle" and the Youngsters' "Christmas in Jail" too late for the holidays but good enough any ol' way. Ike Turner goin' country on "Square Dance" (!), Slim Harpo's drivin' and talkin' blues and, getting back to the late-fifties birth of the suburban slob beat, the Sparkletones' "Cotton Pickin' Rocker" also manage to raise the roof around here! One spin and you'll be holed up in your fart encrusted bedroom in your stocking feet readin' yer old comics just like you woulda way back when, which coincidentally was exactly what """""I""""" was doin' when I slapped this 'un on my bedside boom box this very afternoon and ya better believe it!
***Somehow I get the feeling that Brad Kohler is home cryin' his peepers out about the death of Genesis P. Breyer-Orridge. Me, I'm not sniffling a-tall. Not that I don't enjoy that roar of those Throbbing Gristle disques that I only decided to buy a few years back after years of lethargy (and indifference), but I find it hard to feel any sorta emotion over a guy who was as SICKOID as B-O definitely was. The luster has gone out of all those decadents who seemed so trailblazing when you were a lot younger yet showed that they were just as staid and stodgy as you were all along, only in their own "inspired" and "meaningful" way! If I'm gonna get all weepy about any deca-hero of the past's demise it's probably gonna be R. Meltzer's an' NO ONE ELSE'S! Still, I might just give SECOND ANNUAL REPORT a spin, just to osmose myself into the current situation.
***Hey, if you really want one you can try to get it here, but hurry!
***Anyhoo, hope ya dig this week's bevy of bountiful beauties to coin a phrase. The GR album was a late-addition to the batch (thanks to Cardinal Fuzz, and say hi to the lieutenant for me!) but it was so good that I decided to sneak this one (to the front of the line!) just so's you can get your copy before everyone else! Don't go sayin' I don't do any favors for ya! Also thanks goes to Bill Shute, Sir Paul McGarry, Bob Forward, Feeding Tube Records and NO ONE ELSE (not even me!) for this week's offerings (burnt or not)...hope you can learn something here that you haven't known before which, given your collective IQ's, is a natural given.
This white-vinyl platter houses some interesting music, all played by this GR guy who undoubtedly would know about the whys and wherefores of his music given the way he looks on the cover. And those whys and wherefores just hafta be related to all of the hot, inner-mounting and downright BOILING attitude that made up the late-sixties music scene! Y'see, this long-player's got all of the high-spirited pounce that was part and parcel to the non-hippoid (and non-kiddie) matter that was known as rock 'n roll during those rather heated days. A tribute to black power somethingorother Fred Hampton proves this guy's got an MC5-inspired political credo while the rest doesn't seem to sound that far off from what a whole lotta kids in garages nationwide were doin' under the influence of Lester Bangs reviews. I find it all pretty cool myself especially in its low fidelity. A must to get for all you budding White Panthers out there!
***
Every record by Feeding Tube is a soo-prize for the ears, and this one really takes the ol' cake and most of the icing as well for being a unique among unique offering in that label's catalog. Iji is a moderne pop group, really not that much different from a variety of electro pop rock acts that have been cluttering up many a record collection since the early eighties or so. And this album really throws me into a quandary, since the music that Iji provides recall not only some interesting 70s/80s electronic rock experiments but a whole load of pop pap that followed in its wake. Talk about having a love/hate relationship, and with a dang record as well!
So here I am with emotions more mixed than the time when Sam was yapping his head off in anger at the way I treated him and I would whip out some food and start eating it confusing my Canis Stoopis between thought of hate and a good treat. And if you too have trouble controlling the rockist and pop sides of your mind you too might feel the exact same ways Sam did oh so long ago!
***
Not much (if any) real info on the insert and no instructions on which speed to play it (I did 33 and it sounded just right), Spykes & Parashi are a duo who spend their Christmas Eves making bizarro sounds that I guess they find swell enough to issue on neat records like this, records which come complete with bee-youtiful abstract art sleeves that even you might find rather attractive.
Consisting of nothing but improvisational sounds with saxophone and electronics, Spykes & Parashi remind me of this group called Idiophonic that was playing out and about in the New York City underground circuit during the early oughts. Dark and waddling feedback-ish sound with deep sax holler, each side ending with a locked groove so satisfying that you'll wanna let it play until the needle wears itself right through the record. Maybe if the feller who sent me this can tell us all where you can get it.
***
Sure nice to hear this early under-the-underground NE Ohio rarity once again. The sound ain't as clear as it was on the actual tape that was goin' 'round back then but who cares especially when you finally get the opportunity to once again hear this LEGENDARY Akron group during their early days before the lure of gnu wave and major record contracts soiled the sound somewhat. Fans of the group's Clone records will surely enjoy hearing their renditions of the usual underground jukebox faves like "Waiting For My Man" and "Search and Destroy" placed alongside import bin finds like "Eye Shaking King" (its no surprise that Huey's original music at this time had a strong Amon Duul II influence) with even a cover of "Jerkin' Crocus" tossed in for good measure. A great slab of live seventies-vintage sonic experience, but what happened to the version of "Sister Ray" they did that was dedicated to Maureen Tucker and Peter Laughner?
***
Sheesh Bill, a bright guy like ya shoulda knowed that I already have a Cee-Dee-Are of this all-time fusion winner (which comes complete with the talents of Sonny Sharrock and Miroslav Vitous) snuggled somewhere in the leaning towers of tea coasters taking over my bedroom. Well, thank you for giving me an excuse to listen to this again!
***
Yet another one of those late-sixties whiteguy blooze things that really don't measure up to what that genre can produce when its pumping on all cylinders. Maybe the fact that one of the band members with out-stretched arms is wearing one of those leather fringe jackets should be a good tipoff, but then again Sonny Sharrock can be seen wearing one on the back cover of the all-time cruncher MONKEY POCKIE BOO! Maybe I shouldn't hold that form of hippoid expression against Jack despite those kinda coats dredging up a whole load of bad memories. This plain and uninspiring album I will hold against him, THAT'S for sure!
***
Two disques of the Stones in their mid-sixties prime in varying qualities and quantities for that matter. Serious fans probably have the original bootlegs but this might do for cheapos like me who still kinda cringe at the thought of these guys even existing after 1974. It does capture a lotta the unbridled fun and jamz that made those days exciting for fat gals crammed in their boudoirs popping blackheads as the radio spewed out Stones hits one after another. And you can do the same thing too!
***
Various Artists-HANGOVER HOUSE-PARTY POODLE GREASE CD-r burn (Bill Shute)Wow, Bill must be doing something wrong because I like this one a whole lot! You'd think he'd throw in some tracks that I thought were from grade-z turdsville to get my goat 'r somethin', but there are loads of top notch winners here from the infamous "Green Mosquito" by the Tune Rockers (who are that good in that late-fifties ranch house Amerigan way that I posted their 1958 DICK CLARK appearance directly below!) to Gradie O'Neal's "Turkey Neck Stretch"! Yes, this 'un has all the makings of a one-man party in my bedroom to take place on one of these lonely nights when I get in the mood to absorb the darkness into my very soul.
Other winners include the Penguins' (of "Earth Angel"?) "Jingle Jangle" and the Youngsters' "Christmas in Jail" too late for the holidays but good enough any ol' way. Ike Turner goin' country on "Square Dance" (!), Slim Harpo's drivin' and talkin' blues and, getting back to the late-fifties birth of the suburban slob beat, the Sparkletones' "Cotton Pickin' Rocker" also manage to raise the roof around here! One spin and you'll be holed up in your fart encrusted bedroom in your stocking feet readin' yer old comics just like you woulda way back when, which coincidentally was exactly what """""I""""" was doin' when I slapped this 'un on my bedside boom box this very afternoon and ya better believe it!
***If you happen to be in the market for some sophisticated, deep-reaching rock journalism that exposes the deep inner thoughts and workings of those who have dominated the music realm these past few decades, I know where you can pick up some issues of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY for a pretty fair price. However if you want something a little more attuned to the darker side, the gritty underbelly of music as that driving force behind your own personal angst and desperation, I have some issues of BLACK TO COMM that I'm willing to part with for a mere song or better yet some long green that's desperately needed around here. Just click on the link and I'll promise you a magazine that reaches for the inner soul of a rock as a way of life kinda individual (which I assume you are), and we didn't even put any pictures of Meghan Markle on the cover!
Big fan of Tin Huey! Always great surprises on what has become my favorite e-zine. Cheers! Alvin Bishop
ReplyDeleteYeah, I couldn't pull the trigger on the Iji... not my thing. Got the Leaf Peepers, Banshee, Dire Wolves and Cherry Blossoms, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd stay out of the supermarket for a while. You can always buy your Cheetos, baby oil and cough syrup online.
Spykes is John Olson. Radical Documents has a web site...highly recommend the Hall/Dietrich lp...yow & howl!
ReplyDeletealso: re the Tin Huey dbl cdr- ?- my tape is 90m & includes a bit of studio stuff tagged on the end by Jim Clinefelter...how long is the 2 cdrs??? (curious B*b)
ReplyDeleteThe first Cee-Dee is about 65 minutes, the other over twenty. The whole thing can be found here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvjcP60d9u0&t=176s
ReplyDeleteGregory Raimo - yowsa! You still da man , Stiggy!
ReplyDeleteBtw, that article you linked to says:
"I don’t see much of a difference between extremist neo-Nazis and extremist Antifa-sympathizers."
That's right, innit? If someone smacks me in the face, or runs me over in their car, which side they're in is a moot point, right?
That's where Moe Larry & Jesus morality disgusts me, FWIW.
Chris, Any thought on the passing of Kenny Rogers? "My Condition" was a garage-psych monster, IMHO. Loved the backwards guitar in it. After that, meh. Didn't care much for the chicken, either! Perhaps, for you, the opposite? Cheers! Alvin Bishop
ReplyDeleteHey, Charlie, Antifa only punches Nazis, which is why I don't condemn them. Nazis have those punches coming. For some reason you have a soft spot for Nazis. Maybe your mum had swastika tattoos on her udders or some other phenomenon I can barely stand to think about? Most such disorders are rooted in rotten childhoods, which the UK is famous for, and you Scots have been gobbling the Queen's pudding for so long that you've forgotten how tyrants should be treated.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why spineless little gits like you disgust me, Charlie. I'll bet you'd give Hitler himself a sloppy rimjob for just a few more chips with your battered fish. Speaking of which, I'm sorry your dad beat your mom while you watched and did nothing. And that was just last week.
Now keep my name out of your filthy elven mouth. That's a Fall reference you won't get.
I was considering banning the above comment for the sake of less mindless screeching done in the name of communication, but somehow I think that Mr. Hodgson can handle himself. I'd throw my two centavos in regarding what the man above had written, but once I got down to it I thought....why bother?
ReplyDeleteHey Chris, the spineless creature who could pen such words shows himself for what he truly is, and that he knows how bankrupt is his own argument.
ReplyDeleteI hope his parents are hale and hearty, and in fine condition to pull down his frigid little panties and spank his festering bottom until it turns purple. Yet again. Some soap to wash out his dirty little mouth would also not go amiss.
('Elves' by The Fall? Of course I am familiar. I'm surprised he can tolerate them considering the lyrics to 'The Classical' and M.E.S.' opinion of (male) Syrian refugees, but maybe in the next leftist purge, eh?)
Hitler did nothing wrong.
ReplyDeleteI considered not responding to the little shot Chuckles fired, but I had a spare moment. And if the poor stupe isn't too tired out from kneeling in front of his portrait of the Queen all day I don't mind a little fun.
ReplyDeleteAlso I figured you'd like the bit about Hitler and The Rimjobs. Didn't you contribute handclaps to their LP?
Hey, Chuckles, throwing "spineless" back at me doesn't show much initiative on your part. Don't you have any words of your own, Ned?
ReplyDeleteA warning to MLJ regarding back-and-forth name calling etc. on this blog. Watch it or face yet another maybe not so temporary ban.
ReplyDeleteMoe, you creepy old fruit. Get back to your NAMBLA magazines and Clinton paedo worship, before what's left of your syphilis raddled brain explodes.
ReplyDeleteUh Charles---nicey-nice!
ReplyDeleteOkay, Chris. To make peace I'll throw a Snausage in Chuckie's direction. (It's probably better than anything he gets to eat in Kiltghanistan.)
ReplyDelete(((Jeffrey Epstein))) didn't kill himself.
ReplyDeleteML&J always has to have the last word.
ReplyDeleteIronic, considering his many boyfriends testimonies that he is a chronic premature ejaculator.