BLOG TO COMM

Happy Presidents Day, that day when people who work for the government get a day off for reasons nobody seems to remember anymore. But it must be important considering all of the white sales that pop up around this time. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy your Presidents Day and will celebrate it in the way you find most deserving to do so, even if I do get the sneakin' suspicion that it may be in ways that are far from what any normal human being would call "moral". Also happy Valentine's Day even though what is there left to love anymore other than ourselves?

In other news, am I worried about the current rash of witch hunts being perpetrated by the powers that be (and their punque rock lackeys) against any form of speech that they may disagree with even in the slightest? Y'know, that whole "cancel culture" rigmarole which has led to a whole slew of left-wing McCarthyite tactics directed against individuals and groups alike, but I'm told that it's okey-dokey when they do it or something like that. It kinda reminds me of that old cliche about how they first came for the Proud Boys then they came for Lou Dobbs and then when they came for ME boy were they hootin' and hollerin' for joy! 

Actually I'm not to concerned o'er that big PC boulder rollin' down the hill takin' out every even slightly reactionary nabob inna way because hey, like with the French Revolution and other forms of Dictatorships by the Maladjusted Spoiled Children of Upper Class Do-Gooders things are MOST LIKELY to boomerang on 'em to the point where they wished they never thought up their supposedly watertight works of revenge! It did happen before in the former Soviet Union although a few million plus were obliterated in its path, but maybe not so many'll get offed this time around. Who knows? And besides, as I've said many a time they can only kill you once, but oh what a death! And if I do get offed in whatever purge just might happen to be comin' my way then what would I care about a buncha sissified pampered menials takin' over the entire world with their love through excessive hate campaigns anyway?

Frankly I think that the entire actions of the hard left seen today (along with their "right wing" lackeys) is a hoot, a sick hoot by a hoot nonetheless, and what they say about castles built on sand and ideologies that have the backbone of an éclair can certainly be made in these strangeoid sociopolitical times now, can't they?!?!?! 

Me, I give it a good three years before the entire reset agenda cracks right in front of our eyes giving way to the era of the New Man, one who is quite different from the ones the communists have been envisioning for well over a few centuries already. And in my own sick fashion I'm gonna be cackling at it the whole way through. Unless I really do get offed that is and if so well, that's my own tough turds!

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RIP ("Rest In Poop") Larry Flynt, the original "Diaper Dan" himself  who I know was an important being in many of you reg'lar readers' growth 'n upbringing 'n whatever it was that made you the kinda/sorta human specimens you are today. If you can, lock your bathroom doors at half mast.

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I don't have a lovely buncha coconuts, but I do have a nice batch of music to relay y'all's on this week. As usual, thanks be to Feeding Tube, Bill Shute, Paul McGarry and MYSELF for the contributions to the cause, a cause that might not be worth dying for but killing, that's another thing!

Dead Sea Apes and and Black Tempest-THE SUN BEHIND THE SUN LP (Feeding Tube/Cardinal Fuzz Records)

Another brilliant effort from this unheralded Manchester (dunno if that's the English or New Hampshire 'un) group working in conjunction with Black Tempest, whoever they are and whoever they are they are great! More of that beautiful hard kraut moan that continues to dazzle a good fifty years after its manifestation in the minds of pure heads and thirty after the rest of you dopes discovered it via the rantings of various fanzines that were in the know. If you went for their NIGHT LANDS album (reviewed a coupla weeks back) you just might go for this considering how they both have that masterful glob of experimental repetition that continues to drive corkscrews into your mind even at your advanced age. 

The shiny cover brings back memories of the first Silver Apples, the Rascals' FREEDOM SUITE and even Uriah Heep's LOOK AT YOURSELF in case you're the kinda guy who still like to stare at his reflection in the mirror on the front while perusing the album racks way back when! I know, because I sure was even though all I saw in the mirror was some overweight suburban slob!

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The Knowbody Else-SOLDIERS OF PURE PEACE CD (Arf! Arf! Records)

Remember back inna seventies when Black Oak Arkansas were the toast of the gonzoid (soon to be punk) rock crowd? I once mentioned how R. Meltzer called 'em the closest thing anyone's come to the Velvet Underground on record, while I believe Nick Kent was apt to draw comparisons with the Thirteenth Floor Elevators which I do believe makes a tad more sense'n some of the MC5 comparisons that were being tossed about. Of course that all fizzed into oblivion once the seventies rolled on and these guys ended up looking like total fanablas next to the newer breed of rock 'n rollers who were coming even closer to the Velvets and Elevators in their sound than these guys did. 

A blubberfarm like me who finds the early platters pretty hotcha somehow missed out on the '69 pre-BOA Knowbody Else album that came out at the height of their fame, That's on order, though I did get these demos that Erik Lindgren at Arf! Arf! released quite awhile which do help the need for late-sixties mid-South psychedelic rambles rather swell if you ask me (and why not?)

Some Elevators folk jangle can be discerned along with the various nods to San Fran and El Lay folkisms. It's pretty good too even though the need for some fine tuning and roughing up is needed. Nothing I would call a nugget if ya duggit here, though I expect more'n a few of those on the legit album once that wings it way to my door given some of the advance buzz (as well as my appreciation of the massive "Winged Horse of Louisiana" heard via an old Bill burn).

But if ya wanna hear the pipes of Jim Dandy Mangrum before he went all hoarse and hard well, what's stoppin' ya?

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Wayu y los Arrrghs!!!-VIVEN CD-r burn (originally on Munster Records, Spain)

The garage band revival rolled on long after Greg Shaw closed his Cavern Club, or so it would seem from this 2009 release from the infamous Munster record label. It's all in Spanish but that International Youth Language roars on in case you, like me, hadda struggle to pass high stool language classes which were required in case we happened to meet up with someone who only spoke Latin. Good rock 'n roll that's worth a spin or two if you can latch onto the thing somewhere on this vast storage bin they call the internet.

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THE HONEYCOMBS CD-r burn (originally on Repertoire Records, Germany)

Gotta say that these ozobs were a tad too twee to last too long, but the Honeycombs still made what I would call fairly decent British Invasion music. Especially when ya consider that they weren't that hot an act and hadda have their tapes sped up and embellished by their producer. The producer in question being Joe Meek who didn't quite care for the new beat sounds but did a whole buncha them kinda groups fine enough. The sap oozes well on these ballad-y efforts that I'm sure were guaranteed to get your average mid-six oh teenbo gal all reduced to pure jelly even while she was beating her little brother up.

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The Mess Makers-WIPE YOUR FACE CD-r burn (originally on Off The Hip Records)

It's too bad that I like this record. With a title like WIPE YOUR FACE I had a whole lotta good badgag puns I planned to use in this review. 

 

I don't find this platter a total winner, but it's sure a nice listen-to what with its rehash of various garage band and punk rock riffs that have been used over and over by a whole slew of acts o'er the past fortysome years. Then again when I listen to those exact same riffs I gotta admit that I'm way more excited and zoned to that area of pure rock 'n roll bliss than I am when listening to THE EXACT SAME PHONY POSTURINGS OF "CLASSIC" FM ROCK that still seems to be somewhat in vogue even these many years later. 

A whole lot more straight ahead than one would expect from some of these 21st century rockers, and there's two versions, one in stereo and one in mono available together on one disque in case you only have one ear.

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Ruby and the Rednecks-LIVE MAX's KANSAS CITY 1998 CD-r burn (Stigsounds Records)

Here's Ruby Lynn Reyner and the then-current version of the Rednecks playin' at that short-lived Max's Kansas City that got shut down after it was discovered that Mickey Ruskin's widow owned the rights to the name or somethin' like that. But whatever the situation may be it sure was a hotcha show...Ruby is of course in fine form doing her crazed frontwoman contortions and penetrating singing duties as is the group which, even with the slick techno-update electronics'n all (heck, there's a keyboard that sounds just like a vibraphone!) has a neat seventies-era pop-rock drive to it that kinda reminds of those seventies pop hits I actually liked! Lotsa new stuff as well as old faves (such as a tearful cover of Johnny Ray's "Cry") and yeah, Ruby even did her old maracas bit where she shakes her suckems!

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Jean-Pierre Kalfon and P.I.B.-EXTRAITS CONCERT DIJON 6/10/12 CD-r burn (Stigsounds Records)

Kalfon might have been a punk rock pappy over there in France not only with his MY FRIEND MON AMI EP, appearance in the legendary LES IDOLES play and film not to mention membership in acts as diverse as Crouille Marteau, Sugar Baby Bitch and Kalfon Rock Chaud, but it is kinda painful listening to the 74-year-old (now 82!) actor half-heartedly singing his way through a variety of numbers as his backup lays out alla the passion of a Holiday Inn touring band on the last stop before unemployment check time. 

Songs fade out fast enough that you just don't get the entire essence of where they would be able to go and frankly it all seems kinda futile. Now I could go for a good encapsulation of Kalfon's rock 'n roll career and if there is one I hope they leave this faded image of a guy who looks like an old Eyetalian grandfather singing like Maurice Chevalier to a pat backup band outta the thing!

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Various Artists-SPARROW CHECKER ELEMENT CD-r burn (Bill Shute)

Yikes, another holiday-oriented spinner from Bill that I just happen to pick up a good month after all the festivities have ceased! New Year greetings from Johnny Otis as well as Christmas tingalings from Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell (keenfully imitating the competition for Christmas Seals!) and Walter Brennan might not exactly be timely, but you can bet my tardiness will teach me a lesson!  Which I will forget about by next December but then again what else is new?

Starts out funzy-like with the Gentlemen Bleu doing the Association bit without getting too sunshine California folk rock bogged down like others might have done. From there it gets off on the usual tangents from avgarde fun 'n jamz to six-oh basement workouts and tough pop to seventies punk rarities which all hit these ears rather pleasing-like. Or let's just say they hit these ears a whole lot better'n the New Crusty Nostrils ever did! 

Of course Bill has to stick some more soul jazz organ on (this time from Rusty Bryant) to which I say....bravo job Bill!

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You're in a sinking boat with back issues of BLACK TO COMM and your mother, and you can only rescue one. Well I don't have to tell you what you will naturally do without any forethought, eh? Bye bye mom!