Friday, May 29, 2020

Radio Birdman - Descent into the Maelstrom (documentary)

Truth be told, although I appreciate all of their influences and understand their importance, I have never been a big Radio Birdman fan. Their debut Sire Records album, Radios Appear, had the right idea but, for me, the production was flat and unexciting. I know from personal experience how hard it is to try to translate the live experience to vinyl, so I can't fault them, but the record just never did anything for me and since I could never see them live, I never became a convert.

This documentary, though, has some fairly incredible 70's live footage that is truly incendiary'n'explosive and I realize how many of their songs have been brought to life by other groups with rawer and more powerful recordings.

The story of the band is fairly wild, as well, with Deniz Tek immigrating from Ann Arbor, Michigan (where he witnessed the likes of the MC5 in person) and guitarist Chris coming from Canada and joining forces with like-minded Australians to form a Detroit-styled r'n'r band in the pre-punk mid-1970's, when the Australian music scene was pretty bland, by all accounts.

As it happens in bands, members came'n'went at various times but the documentary does its best to speak with everyone involved, including road crew and fans, to give a pretty well rounded picture. Despite not conforming to the styles of the day, the group developed a fanatical following who adopted their logo proudly and who packed houses wherever they went. They had difficulties recording - although they seemed to like their initial sessions - but did do a couple of releases with a small indie Aussie label before getting signed to Sire. They went to England to start a tour that was supposed to move on to America, but the band broke up and dissolved before they could capitalize on their momentum.

With 6 members of the band that recorded (along with other ex-members and future members), there are a lot of personalities involved and clashes were bound to happen, but Tek, particularly, seems to be a catalyst for a lot of the issues while also remaining the main creative force. He does not come off exceptionally well, overall, and is not all that empathetic to the others' feelings and affairs. Of course, the dissent does make for good filmmaking and the story is enthralling.

Definitely worth checking out and will make a fan out of the unconverted! Dig it!

Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different (documentary)


I am a huge fan of Betty Davis' style of hard funk, and while I have only discovered her over the last few years, I have become pretty fascinated with her and her fantastic music. A lovely, sexy woman who began writing her own music at the age of 12 and had written hit songs for others while still a teen, she also was a model, was friends with Jimi Hendrix and married Miles Davis - and was a major muse for his more radical music, as well.

While I've learned some background on her from the great booklets included in her reissue CDs, I was hoping for more pertinent info in this doc. Unfortunately, while obviously done with the best intentions and with real love for Betty, there is not a whole lot of new discoveries here. The creators even found Betty - who kinda vanished after her musical career stalled after 3 albums - but she is obviously reluctant to espouse upon those times in great deal and will not really say why she disappeared.

But there are interviews with her core band members (not really any of the more famous people who appeared on her albums like Bootsy Collins or Patti LaBelle, unfortunately) and old friends, but even they can't really shed a lot of light. Also unfortunately, there is very, very limited live footage or her performances - in fact, there only seems to be a few seconds from one show that is shown over and over - I would love to see more.

Again, I believe that this was done with the best intentions, but there's just not much here. Disappointing, really....

Thursday, May 28, 2020

recommended live streams & gigs!

Friday May 29 - 16 Again Livestream 8:00 pm
Friday May 29 - Le Beat Bespoke DJ Festival - 12:00 pm
Friday May 29 - Jesika Von Rabbit live stream for CoachellaValley.com

Wednesday Jun 3 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday June 5 - Johnny Zig and the Force LIVE at the re-opened Double Down
Friday June 5 - the Hypnotiques LIVE at the Usual Place

Friday June 5 - Jr Brown live Stream 6:00 pm Pacific time

Saturday June 13 - Fuckface and Suburban Resistance LIVE at the Double Down


The Graham Bond Organization - The Sound of 65 and There's a Bond Between Us

The Graham Bond ORGANization is today best known for their astounding rhythm section of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, who, of course, went on to fame'n'fortune with Cream. Here the group, led by keyboardist/singer Bond (who ironically looks a bit like a 007 villain - actually the guru from Get Smart - certainly not like a 60's pop star) along with Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax and John McLaughlin (who did plenty of incredible work with the likes of Miles Davis as well as his own Mahavishnu Orchestra) on guitar - actually, he was part of the band for a while but I don't believe that he appears of these recordings. The band concentrates on a mix of blues, R'n'B, soul and jazz in their own swingin' way, with excellent musicianship all around. Bond's vocals are a bit thin at times, but Bruce sings lead on a few numbers and while he isn't as strong as he became in Cream, he still has a special voice. Bruce's songwriting - collaborating with his then-girlfriend - also isn't up to his later work (and the lyrics are fairly forgettable), but they are good, bluesy tunes.

With songs ranging from classic blues like "Hootchie Kootchie Man" to the slow'n'sultry "Baby Make Love To Me" (one of Bruce's numbers) to the "Glendora"-ish "Neighbor Neighbor" to the prison work song-like "Early in the Morning" (which is really effective with Bruce again taking lead vocals) to the non-Spanish sounding "Spanish Blues" (much more mid-Eastern in tone), "Oh Baby" is a nicely dynamic jazz/blues with great Baker percussion (it's really a vehicle for him to solo in), although Bond's weak vocals mar it a bit and side one of the album closes with "Little Girl", a fun groover.

Funny, for me, with the sax replacing the guitar and the keys taking prominence, songs like "I Want You" are like movie soundtrack versions of R'n'B, but good ones. "Wade in the Water" has kinda everything but the kitchen sink thrown in - bits of classical, bits of Ray Charles, some excellent organ playing and interaction with the sax and hip, jazzy dynamics. "Got My Mojo Workin'" was getting overworked even by this time but their take, without guitar, and led by the organ'n'sax is distinctively their own. Bruce's harmonica-led "Train Time" would become a staple of Cream's live shows and is essentially intact here, "Baby Be Good to Me" is a jump'n'jive number of Bruce's, "Half a Man" is a hip slow blues and the closure is, strangely enough, a cover of Debbie Reynolds maudlin soundtrack number, "Tammy", which personally, does not work at all, especially with Bond's crackin' voice.

Funnily, the next album opens with another soundtrack tune, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", but this is much more successful as a swingin' upbeat, jazzy number with some wailin' sax and wild keys. Bruce takes lead for his jazzy "Hear Me Calling Your Name", "The Night Time is the Right Time" is kinda in a Ray Charles style with more soarin' sax, "Walkin' in the Park" has a nice, upbeat groove, "Last Night" is a solid cover by Stax's Mar-Keys, similar to Booker T and the MG's, natch, then they give a quiet, soul/lounge-jazz ballad in "Baby Can It Be True", they do their interpretation of "What'd I Say", sax takes center stage naturally for "Dick's Instrumental", they do a unique take on the hip hit from '58, "Don't Let Go" and the Chuck Willis' CC Rider-ish "Keep A'Drivin'", "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" is their own and not any other song by the same name and is another jazz/loungey tune, and they close out with another Ginger Baker tour-de-force, the mid-Eastern influenced "Camels and Elephants".

Certainly not rock'n'roll and not exactly blues, R'n'B or jazz, but a bit of an amalgamation of them all with some terrific musicianship, although I think they could have gone further is Bond's voice was a bit stronger. Still, hep stuff, for sure!

Dictators Forever, Forever Dictators


Dictators re-assemble 
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With Albert Bouchard from BOC on drums! Wow!

I assume that politics will not be discussed...

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Room to Dream - David Lynch and Kristine McKenna

This is an interesting concept/experiment for a biography - McKenna has done diligent research on Lynch's life and interviews family and friends galore and then writes a chapter about a period of his life after which Lynch gets a chapter to respond/reflect upon McKenna's work! Integrating it might make a bit more sense and keep it a bit more cohesive, but I like the approach, regardless.

Lynch did a bit of traveling around as a child, but apparently had a fine childhood with a loving family and lots of friends and, even at a young age, girlfriends. His memory is pretty incredible as he brings up names, places and incidents in great detail from 50-ish years ago. Curiously enough, his youth was astonishingly normal and not what you would expect from a man who created such odd works. Although, I have to say, as I continue to read, there were certain incidents that he describes that are far from anything I ever experienced in my small home town! I don't want to give things away, but they almost sound dream-like and I wonder about their veracity. As he grows and becomes interested in being a painter, his horizons expand a bit and he tries to balance his home life, school life and artistic life. Amazingly (to me, anyway), while going to the Boston Museum School, he ends up being roommates with Peter Wolf from the J. Geils Band for a short while! It's a strange, small world.

After becoming fascinated by film and eventually moving to Los Angeles to school at American Film Institute, he got a grant to make Eraserhead and was able to use expansive grounds there to create the film with the help of friends, new and old, along with thrift stores and his own ingenuity. From there, things moved pretty fast, with Lynch gaining huge notoriety with Elephant Man and, after a flop (Dune), he returned with Blue Velvet and moved into TV with the hugely popular phenomenon, Twin Peaks (which was so monstrous that I ignored it at the time out of principle), along with several other projects.

From then on, he never stopped working, but created in many different media and became known for being a visual artist, printmaker and photographer as well as a filmmaker and also became a musician who collaborated with numerous other artists and released numerous records along with visual shows around the globe.

His story is one of a man with a personal vision who was able to fashion his own world and become relatively famous and reasonably well-off by doing precisely what he wants to do with as little compromise as possible. He's led a pretty fascinating life and will hopefully continue to create for years to come.

Brian Eno - 1971 - 1977 The Man Who Fell to Earth

When Roxy Music burst on the scene in the early 70's as part of the glam rock movement, they became critic darlings in no small part due to their outrageous - even for the time - look, and Brian Eno was the most outrageous of them all. Androgynous, insanely attired, beautifully made up and - oddest of all - with a receding hairline! While he was the least musically adept of the group, his sonic weirdness made a distinctive contribution to the group's oeuvre. He left the band after two fairly ground breaking albums and went on to his personal solo career, collaborations with the likes of Robert Fripp and David Bowie, and many production credits.

This doc obviously concentrates on his most famous and expansive musical years and has an immense amount of fantastic video documentation from the time as well as innumerable interviews with Eno himself along with various participants in his sonic madness. With four proper solo albums, numerous collaborative projects and even more production work, this insanely short period of a mere 6 years is productive beyond any normal conception.

Super informative and quite entertaining, this doc on a hort period of time of a fascinating man is well worth looking into.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

recommended live streams

Thursday May 21 - Whistlestop Virtual Rock Festival 4:30 pm

Saturday May 23 - Punk Rock Bowling Locked In and Striped Down Live Stream starting at 9:00 am

Sunday May 24 - TSOL 40th Anniversary live stream 3:00 pm

Friday May 29 - 16 Again Livestream 8:00 pm
Friday May 29 - Le Beat Bespoke DJ Festival - 12:00 pm
Friday May 29 - Jesika Von Rabbit live stream for CoachellaValley.com

Sunday, May 17, 2020

The Damned - Don't You Wish That We Were Dead

As the purveyors of the first British punk single and the first British punk band to play CBGB's and to hit America's West Coast, as well as being the longest lived punk band, the Damned have certainly made a name for themselves and are rightfully thought of as part of the triumvirate of British punk, along with the Pistols and the Clash. While there are few fans who can say that they enjoy all of the transmutations that the group has gone through, they are still highly revered and remain a high class live act.

This doc gives a good overview of their career with lots'n'lots of fantastic photos and footage from their early days mixed in with more current footage - sometimes all in the same song and sometimes going back'n'forth so often that it can be hard keeping up with the continuity, but that's a minor complaint.

Pretty much any-and-everyone involved with the band is interviewed, concentrating on the original four, naturally, and there are lots of infighting and lots of back'n'forth with members coming'n'going and singer Vanien being the only constant. The Captain and Rat have a particularly contentious relationship these days which doesn't sound like it will ever be resolved, which is a shame as many people would love to see the original line-up again, which hasn't happened since the 80's - I believe it was their 10th anniversary tour, which ended badly, as well.

Love the great footage and their was a lot of new-to-me info on the workings on the band, but it does end on a bit of a sour note with the Captain and Dave whining about the lack of respect and money that the band has received, which I find funny as they are still making a living touring - a dream to most musicians - and they have had huge hit songs along the way, so they shouldn't really be hurting for cash. I guess you always wish that you could do more, but what they have done is truly extraordinary and they should revel in their accomplishments rather than complain about what might have been. But, that's me as someone who wishes that I could have made it to their level!

Anyway, check it out - lots of good rock'n'roll included!

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story

Of course, I have been a Bowie fan since hearing "Changes", "Space Oddity" and Ziggy Stardust, which means that i have been a Mick Ronson fan for that time, as Mick's guitar really defined Bowie's sound. Bowie certainly would have made a name for himself without Ronno, but he wouldn't have been the Rock Star that he became with his Main Man.

This documentary tells the tale of the gent from Hull and how he went from playing with a relatively nondescript (but fun) combo with the generic name the Rats to literal fame'n'fortune with Bowie and beyond. Of course, the Ronno biography goes into far more detail than any hour and a half docu can cover, but this has lots of interviews with Mick, Bowie, Angela, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed and the vast cast of supporting characters, as well as plenty of fantastic performance footage.

Pretty much everyone knows the basic story but bringing it to life in this most visual way for a most visual musical artist, really does give it a breath of fresh air. Ronno was just a likable bloke from Hull (along with the other Spiders From Mars), who wanted to be Jeff Beck and he fell into the Bowie camp and became the perfect down-to-earth foil for Bowie's outer space fantasies.

While he wasn't cut out to be a front man himself, he did do well backing the likes of Mott the Hoople (a shame they never recorded anything) and Ian Hunter solo, as well as producing various artists. Of course, he was cut down literally in his prime by liver cancer and was never able to truly capitalize on his talent.

All rock'n'rollers should see this doc to see what a truly talented  man is capable of, even while being (relatively) behind the scenes. Still a major influence to this day, his legend lives on!

Friday, May 15, 2020

Television Marquee Moon

I was kinda surprised that I hadn't written about this great album earlier - even the expanded CD - but I assume that it was a combination of always having the record and assuming that everyone in the world has heard this by now. But, what the heck, I don't have anything new right now...

I picked this up when it was first released as part of my purchases of anything coming out of the NY punk scene. I had read about the group, of course, but hadn't heard anything and was pretty surprised when I first put it on. There were none of the loud guitars that were prominent in most of the other punk bands - looking at the picture, they were sitting down (!) playing oddball Fenders through little combo amps, instead of Gibsons through Marshalls! - and they were incredible musicians with intelligent, intricately crafted songs. Certainly not a typical punk group! Naturally, I loved it for its uniqueness and for the amazing music and still listen to this regularly to this day.

The subtle and amazing interplay between guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd jump out immediately in "See No Evil", while Fred Smith (bass) and Billy Ficca (drums) drive and accent one of their more upbeat rockers. Named after the famed French poet, Verlaine's lyrics are poetic'n'clever with funny jabs like "I get your point, you're so sharp" and, in the following number, his classic arty/pretentious/hip line "I fell into the arms of Venus de Milo" along with his inside joke (that I actually got at the time, from reading so much about the scene) "Ritchie said, 'hey man, let's dress up like cops, think of what we could do', but something said "you better not". I was never sure which solos were Tom's and which were Richard's, but there some nicely sensitive volume control work on this one. More volume controlled leads spar with biting riffs and odd chords in "Friction" - the song is composed of guitar interplay, off-kilter chording offset by supremely cleverly odd leads and Tom's juvenile joke in the otherwise seemingly serious number when he intones "you complain of my DIC-tion". Dig the dynamically punctuated spelling towards the end, as well. In the legendary title track, the guitars truly intertwine in a way that is normally unheard and somehow the rhythm section locks in a strong groove behind it, making a truly gorgeous number with an amazing opening line "I remember how the darkness doubled, I recall lightning struck itself". The instrumental section is a true work of art and while there was definitely some improvisation, it is beautifully composed and the dynamic growth is fairly stunning, with an incredibly tight build up to a climax that bring chills every time I hear it which then dissolves into "birds" chirping and a refrain of the verse.

After that magnificent ending to side one of the vinyl, "Elevation" (I always took that as a homage to the 13th Floor Elevators, who they obviously dug and covered) opens side two on a bit mellower level, but still with quite intriguing, somewhat spastic accents on the choruses and more oddball guitar lines and a fairly soaring solo. "Guiding Light" is a truly pretty ballad backing a lovely poem, while "Prove It" opens lightly, as well, with a stronger chorus accented by fluidly melodic guitar licks and a nicely composed solo, and "Torn Curtain" is a pleasantly plodding bit of Hitchcock-ian noir - moody as hell, it feels like a fog-bound, storm-ridden night with crying guitars.

The expanded CD, besides including a terrific booklet with lots of info, gives us both sides of the "Little Johnny Jewel" single, a lengthy, strange, slow epic with lots of open space'n'noodling guitars, as well as pretty significantly different takes of "See No Evil", "Friction" and "Marquee Moon" - all pretty wild listening after hearing the originals for 40 or so years - and a fairly uninspired "Untitled Instrumental" that unsurprisingly didn't amount to anything else.

Truly a classic record in every sense - a must-have album!

RIP Astrid Kirchherr


The Beatles’ photographer and collaborator Astrid Kirchherr dies aged 81 
Kirchherr was renowned as the first person to photograph the Fab Four 
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Damn, not a good day, to say the least. Another amazing talent gone.

RIP Phil May


Phil May, frontman with the Pretty Things, dies aged 75 
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Well fuck, this is horrible news. One of the most influential bands of the British Invasion. So sad to hear.


Thursday, May 14, 2020

recommended live streams

All Times are Pacific Time

Thursday May 14 - 16 Again Pandemic Practice a Go-Go 8:00 pm
Thursday May 14 - Nathan James at 7:00 pm

Friday May 15 - Le Beat Bespoke DJ Festival - 12:00 pm

Saturday May 16 - LV Blues Society Live Stream at 4:00 pm

Thursday May 21 - Whistlestop Virtual Rock Festival 4:30 pm

Sunday May 24 - TSOL 40th Anniversary live stream 3:00 pm

Friday May 29 - 16 Again Livestream 8:00 pm
Friday May29 - Le Beat Bespoke DJ Festival - 12:00 pm

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Petting Zoo - Jim Carroll

Like many people, I learned about Jim Carroll when he came to prominence as a poet/singer with his strange "hit", "People Who Died". I read and enjoyed his The Basketball Diaries, but I don't believe that I've read any other literary works of his before now.

This tale is of a visual artist who is overwhelmed after seeing an Velazquez exhibit and goes through many strange adventures afterwards, including a short time in a psych ward, which he describes with enough detail to make me wonder if Carroll has spent time in one himself. Carroll does have a poetic gift for detail which enhances rather than diminishes the narrative, although there are times when he draws out the minute to an extreme measure and I find myself wishing he would get to the meat of the story. Admittedly that is meant to be a foible of the character so possibly it is deliberate.

There's lots of religious imagery, as Carroll, a former Catholic, would also put in his non-fiction works, along with drawn out (failed) sex scenes (the main character is a virgin), including a teenage hustler scene, which reminds us that Carroll was one as a teen. But mostly, the main character, though highly intellectualized (at times even pompous) monologues or dialogues, wrestles with his inner demons regarding his art, his success and his life in general. Sometimes these seems to devolve into the nonsensical but it does generally make for an entertaining read.

This was the man's final work and while it is nowhere near as captivating (for me, anyway) as The Basketball Diaries, it is a worthwhile read and another glimpse into the mind of the poet. His friend, Patti Smith, provides the forward.

RIP Richard Lane from the Stems


The Stems singer/guitarist Richard Lane has passed away 
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Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Sheiks of Neptune - Astrosurf and Come Drink With the Sheiks

The Sheiks of Neptune are one of the wackiest groups in Vegas, with live shows filled with frantic mania and props galore, as well as some of the best musicians in town. They are also one of the hardest groups to describe. They call themselves "sci-fi drunk surf punk" but that barely touches the surface. Definitely punk-powered but with hints of ska'n'funk, with high energy numbers driven by crazed drum'n'bass rhythms, they also are eclectic as hell, with the two guitars'n'violin intertwining constantly in a Zappa-esque way and goofy vocals with zany, absurdist lyrics on top of it all. Songs about "Plutonium Bombs", "Galactic Gurus of the Robot Graveyard", "Arcade Demon". "Cat Girls From Beta Prime" and "Space Herpes" (to name a few) gives you an idea of their state of mind here (Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" also makes an appearance here in a Star Wars-ian kinda way) and their theme song "The Sheiks of Neptune vs. the Space Squid of Argos" is an absolutely crazed ending to the proceedings.


The madness continues in Come Drink With the Sheiks, with more hard core energy and shouted/screeched vocals mixed with jazzy chords and sudden mellow breaks along with further ska/funk treaties and fusion bizarrities. The lyrical absurdity is abundant with the likes of "Groovy Wormhole", "Unexpected Orbital Interruptions", "Return of the Cat Girls". "Three Sheiks to the Wind" (nice one!) while there's a bit more horror/sci-fi themes here in "Mystery From Beyond the Stars", "Girls In Space" and "To The Moon". The music continues to change from minute-to-minute in a head-spinning way that can be hard to even grasp at a casual listen - hell, the whole package can actually make you ill-at-ease in its relentlessness. But power through it! You'll survive!

One of the more original bands around today - make sure you see their live show (when such a thing can happen again) for the full, insane experience!

Monday, May 11, 2020

Television

This self-titled 1992 reunion record rejoins the four members - Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, Fred Smith and Billy Ficca - for the first time in a decade or so which sounds like an incredibly exciting proposition, but unfortunately, the songs here never really jump. Nothing offensive, of course, but nothing nearly as strong as the masterpiece of Marque Moon (which I'm surprised that I have never reviewed - even the expanded CD, which is fantastic) - which would be difficult for anyone to match - or even the much weaker second album, Adventure. Of course, there is no faulting their instrumental prowess but the songwriting is pretty much devoid of hooks to my ears. I'm certain that others will disagree with me on this, but other than a few interesting sections here'n'there (the finale, "Mars", in particular), this falls flat, regrettably.

Gimme Danger (Documentary)

We finally got around to seeing this 2016 documentary by Jim Jarmusch last night, since we were not willing to pay extra fees to watch it previously. Of course, I have been a Stooges fan since the band first existed (although, admittedly, I didn't hear them until they were in their final days and I never got to see them) and we had heard the raves reviews of this doc so we were anxious to get a chance to view it.

The story is familiar to any casual fan and there are few revelations within, although hearing the tales from the mouths of the original characters - Iggy, the Ashetons, Williamson, Steve Mackay, etc. - breaths a little more life into them. The main attraction is, of course, the period footage of the group in their demented'n'debauched prime, along with some related combos (nice seeing some live footage of Destroy All Monsters, for instance), and the interviews.

In keeping with the theme of the movie, there is no real talk of Iggy's solo career - of course, he has had the most consistent musical career of any of the gang - or of some of the success that people like Scott Thurston had after leaving the band. Funnily, Williamson was highly successful in the Silicon Valley after the band broke up, making him probably the most financially secure person affiliated with the Stooges.

Absolutely worth seeing due to the footage but even much of that most real fans have seen at some point or another. Still, good that the story has been told on this legendary band that influenced so many others - damn near anyone who has performed anything similar to r'n'r since then - in so many ways.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

RIP Betty Wright


"Clean Up Woman" Singer Betty Wright Has Died 
THE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SOUL SINGER WAS 66 
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Saturday, May 09, 2020

RIP Little Richard


Little Richard, Founding Father of Rock Who Broke Musical Barriers, Dead at 87 
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I know that everyone has heard about this by now - literally every single person that I know has posted about him on Facebook - but this is sad to hear. A truly groundbreaking artist in so many ways, he was torn before music and religion, as were so many of the early rockers, but he never lost his coolness. I used to see him all the time at the Hollywood Post Office where we both had PO Boxes and he never appeared without being fully decked out in his glamorous gorgeousness. The world would have been a much less interesting place without him.

Friday, May 08, 2020

Alluring Strange - Will You Marry Me?

This is another spontaneous buy, most likely based on a description in Robert Gordon's It Came From Memphis book and the fact that former HellCats and Panther Burns Lorette Velvette plays guitar in this mostly-female combo. Recorded in 1994 (how is that 26 years ago already?!), Lorette is joined by Leah West on vox, Randy Reinke on guitar, drummer Misty White, bassist Su Ondine, percussionist Kristi White and keyboardist Katharine Rhodes. At first listen, there is a lot of different moods'n'styles goin' on here, but it all works together to make up their own rock'n'roll oeuvre.

The opening "Hard on the Inside" is pure punk-pop goodness, "He's Something" has bits ripped off from the 60's hit "Hitch Hike" and is a bit more garage-punk, "Beautiful Thing" is mid-tempo that starts off somewhat nondescript but builds into a rockin'ly catchy garage-ish number. Definitely more 60's influences in the folky/poppy "When You Were Mine" with maybe a hint of Wreckless Eric, they adopt some country/rockabilly in "Ain't Leavin' Your Love", their theme song, "Alluring Strange", is somewhat moodier with some fantastically noisy guitar work, almost in a Voidoids-kinda-way and "Walk Away" is kinduva 50's slow-dance, soulful crooner tune, complete with sexy sax and female backing/call'n'answer vocals.

A trashier, grungey, garagey side of the group comes out  in "I Need a Ride", complete with some Sonics' lifts'n'hip guitar licks followed by a slow, open-spaced ballad in "Big Black Car" and its little-girl, almost-whispered vocals, then a bouncy acoustic-pop number, "Cry To Yourself" (nice, electric rave-up guitar solo, though), creepy noises dominate the downright spooky "Torture King" and tie things up with fun, singalong, upbeat rock'n'roller, "Trashy Dog".

Memphis has had all kinds of wonderfully eclectic and rockin' groups for well over a half century and Alluring Strange is a hip addition to the city's bloodline. As best as I can tell, this was their only release and while they cover all kinds of musical ground here, it all fits together under a r'n'r roof. Super fun!

Peter Laughner Box Set

This limited edition, 5-LP box set comes from Smog Veil Records with a digital download and an amazingly huge, 12x12 hard cover book with an overview of Laughner's life along with an extensive grouping of selected writings (he was a renown r'n'r critic for years when not strangling his six string. I certainly read his words before I had a chance to hear his music). It is not cheap, but for what you get, the $100-ish price tag is actually pretty reasonable.

Laughner is, of course, best known for his time in the legendary Rocket From the Tombs (with my pal Craig Bell) as well as Pere Ubu, but he fronted and appeared in a number of other groups - garage bands, blues band, glam bands - and did acoustic performances, sometimes on his own, sometimes with other friends rounding out the sound. This heavily researched, 56 song compilation does its best to dig up plenty of rarities and give fans a well rounded view of this man's talents.

LP number one concentrates on acoustic numbers, showing the man's heavy Bob Dylan and Lou Reed influences, his original songwriting and a fantastic Jackson Browne-by-way-of Nico cover of "These Days". His voice may be a bit thin and his acoustic playing nothing fancy, but he certainly has r'n'r passion. The next disc, which is probably the most rock'n'roll of the bunch, has live takes from his glam band, Cinderella Backstreet (named after one of his songs), with more Velvet Underground covers (and an original titled "I'm So Fucked Up" in between "Heroin" and "White Light, White Heat"), Mott the Hoople's "One of the Boys", and an "All Along the Watchtower" that kind of mixes  Neil Young and Jimi Hendrix in a garagey r'n'r setting.

Back to acoustic workings on LP 3, with tributes to Robert Johnson as well as a number of originals - the previously mentioned "Cinderella Backstreet", "Baudelaire" and "Sylvia Plath" for the literary crew, and several other tales of debauchery, depravity and romanticism - along with more Dylan! Some more electric and eclectic musings on #4, with bands like Fins ("What Goes On"), the sole Rocket From the Tombs take ("Ain't It Fun"), "Amphetamine" performed as a duo, a few from his group Friction (named after the Television song and performing "Prove It", the Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso" and some originals) and more.

For the last vinyl outing, there are 13 solo, bedroom recordings on white vinyl, done late at night at his parents' house literally the night before he died! He does a few of his own, a couple from his pal Tom Verlaine (including an unreleased TV tune), Van Morrison, Richard Hell, Stones, Lou Reed (of course!), Robert Johnson ("Me and the Devil Blues", which some find particularly haunting considering the timing) but he has to end it on an up note with a short but rollickin' take on Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues'.

I assume that Smog Veil figured that any fan has the RFTT and Pere Ubu releases that are available so they strictly went for the rarities, which is appreciated. This does give a well rounded portrait of a man with varied tastes but generally in line with like-minded 70's rock'n'rollers and Creem magazine writers'n'readers. Don't come here looking solely for RFTT proto-pre-punk, but this is a pretty fascinating insight into this talented man's mind.

The book is particularly impressive, with hours of reading, packed with photos'n'fliers'n'clippings and other amusing musings. His rantin'n'ravin' from local, Cleveland-area mags'n'rags to the likes of Creem magazine concentrate on the amazing music coming out at the time - Lou Reed, Mott, Stooges, MC5, etc., etc.  - stuff that was underground then and now everyone alive references them as influences. Damn near worth the price on its own and particularly enjoyable for me as this brings me back to my teen days when I was discovering these wild sounds! As I said, it ain't cheap, but what you get for the price is pretty astounding!

Negativland True False

As I said in my last review, I know very little about Negativland but have been diggin' the two wacky discs that Rob Bell dubbed for me - Dispepsi and this one, their latest, released late last year. This one "experiments with the absurdity of everyday life, particularly the surreal reality of our political situation in America. It also samples things like Fox News hosts, Occupy microphone checks, and ecoterrorists." Timely, indeed.

This one may be slightly more musical than Dispepsi, but is still more of a sound collage set to a beat, with manipulated samples of what sounds like every and anything that they could get ahold of. While I understand that all of life consists of some form of manipulation, it is somewhat disturbing to realize just how most people let themselves be deluded by their preferred programming and Negativland seems to revel in this revelation.

Not "easy listening" or background music, this demands your attention and gives you plenty to devour'n'digest. Seeing as most of these tracks are more sound manipulations rather than "songs", I was actually a little surprised (naively so, I suppose) to find out that this was an outfit that does live shows and that tracks like "Discernment" have been a set staple for years. I would have thought that these were less controlled studio experiments more than planned out "songs". One of the more interesting combos around today.

Throbbing Gristle - Mission of Dead Souls

This is a recording of TG's last live performance on 5-29-81, before their initial breakup, with its chaotic, abrasive noize still confrontational and unusual enough at the time to cause audience confusion and anger.

Some of this reminds me a bit of Bauhaus, especially in the effected vocals, but without the song structure. There are a lot of sonic references to the band Suicide, in style and substance, as well as touches of Rema Rema and certainly hints of Hawkwind, free jazz, and even some of the more avant garde influences of the MC5, but some of these might all be simply similar minds working in similar directions at similar times.

There is lots of echo everywhere, plenty of cacophonous effects, at times there is no rhythm, others there is an incessant drum machine and there are always crazed aural waves of pain. The tracks here are not so much "songs" at soundscapes and do blend together in a relatively seamless whole.

Interesting to me that Don Bolles was the sound engineer for this show - I first met Don while he was doing sound at the Cathay De Grande - and he does a fine job here. I am not overly familiar with TG's material, but i absolutely dig this collection of mania.

RIP Genesis P-Orridge

Wednesday, May 06, 2020

recommended live streams

Wednesday May 6 at 8:00 pm - Franks'n'Deans Pizza Party!

Thursday May 7 - Atomic Video Jukebox at 8:00 pm Pacific time

Friday May 8 - Le Beat Bespoke live DJ sets starting at noon Pacific time
Friday May 8 Nina Coyote and Chica Tornado - check their site - should be 11:30 am Pacific time
Friday May 8 - Atomic Video Jukebox at 8:00 pm Pacific time
Friday May 8 - Double Down Radio at 8:00 pm Pacific time

Saturday May 9 at 4:00 pm Pacific time - LV Blues Society live stream
Saturday May 9 - Punk Rock Saves live stream at noon Pacific time

RIP Millie Small


Millie Small: My Boy Lollipop singer dies aged 72 
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RIP Florian Schneider


Kraftwerk Co-Founder Florian Schneider Dies at Age 73 
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Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Patti Smith - Woolgathering (book)

Yes, I've been on a bit of a Patti Smith kick of late so when I found this small volume online, I picked it up at a reasonable price. Originally a limited edition 1992 release by a small press company, Hanuman Books, it literally was minuscule - the size of a deck of cards. This time it is a somewhat larger 5x7-ish, but still basically a less-than-100-page pocket book.

Written at a time when she was happily married with two children whom she loved, she still found herself immersed in melancholy for no particular reason that she could discern, and her short tableaus mostly talk of her childhood and her young fantasies and innocence lost but also of some adventures as a young adult. She alternates between relatively straightforward narratives, although embellished with her unique poetic flourishes, and avant prose that is more lyrical than literal. She includes intricate details that others might ignore and interprets events in ways that most people would not and I find those to be fascinatingly captivating traits of her writing.

I enjoy all of her works, and while this might not be one of my first choices, it is well worth perusing if you of a like mind and find an equitable deal.

Monday, May 04, 2020

RIP Dave Greenfield


Stranglers keyboard player Dave Greenfield dies after contracting coronavirus 
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Damn, terrible news. Saw him just last year with the Stranglers and he was great.

Going Up - The Very Best of the 13th Floor Elevators

Of course, I have been a fan of the 13th Floor Elevators for decades now (probably really discovered them in the 70's, when you could find their records inexpensively) and have ranted'n'raved about their debut as well as Easter Everywhere (I have yet to get Bull of the Woods, which I need to rectify) and was recently gifted this best of CD.  A nice package with a small booklet giving an overview of the group, the songs mostly concentrate on the first two albums, which means that most fans are well acquainted with the numbers, although it's a good selection.

Of course, they have to include the ubiquitous "You're Gonna Miss Me", which is joined by greats like "Fire Engine", "Reverberation", "Tried To Hide", "You Don't Know", "Levitation", "Splash 1", "Slide Machine" and plenty of others, along with a live take on "Gloria" (included as a bonus track on the Psychedelic Sounds CD) as well as a selection from Bull of the Woods, which, as I said, I was not familiar with, so these are cool to hear, even if they may not be as mind-bendingly amazing as the choices from the first two.

This would be a great release to pick up if you are one of the few who are not familiar with the band, as the collected numbers are solid representations, and it's a fine hits comp for fans, as well.

Saturday, May 02, 2020

Negativeland - Dispepsi


I've never known much about Negativeland other than their name, but Rob Bell and I have been social-distance-trading a few things back and forth and he gave me copies of a couple of their albums to check out as we have both been wallowing in some noize bands lately.

A concept record about the rivalry between Pepsi and Coca-Cola, the title is a play on the word dyspepsia, a term for indigestion. Negativeland works with sound collages and montages more than music, although there are musical elements throughout, especially when they create their own, slightly twisted, jingles. Mostly, though, there are manipulated samples layered on top of each other to the point where you really just pick out certain phrases with each listen and other things will jump out at other times.

Of course, it is really a statement on the manipulative evils of mass advertising - with snippets of ad execs talking about their trade combined with bits of actual commercials joined with much more. Oddly, in a way it makes me wish for simpler times when people actually argued about the differences between Pepsi and Coke and Classic Coke and whatever other offshoot rather than whether it was acceptable to forcibly separate children from their parents, and put people into concentration camps, and that school shootings need to simply be accepted and it's ok that a president colludes with Russia and pays off porn stars...This all seems fairly innocent in comparison to today's world.

Regardless, it is a creative and innovative release and while it's not a record to put on for background music (I think it probably should be "enjoyed" with headphones in order to pick out the numerous layers), it sure beats today's news while making your daily commute!


Highway to Hell - The Life and Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott by Clinton Walker

I'm not sure exactly when I discovered AC/DC but it was during Bon's reign, while they were being covered by the same r'n'r magazines that were touting everything from punk rock to Van Halen. While they never became a fave-rave of mine, their goofily simplistic approach to heavy rock was always endearing and I still listen to them to this day.

While not originally a fan of the band, Walker definitely is on Bon's side here - which makes sense - and pretty much derides the band's accomplishments after Bon passed away, although that was their commercial peak. No other band member would cooperate with him regarding this book and Bon's friends did, so that could account for some of the bias, as well.

Born in Scotland, the Scotts (appropriate!) moved to Australian when Bon was a young child with a bit of a wild streak and he grew into a rock'n'roll fan as the music eventually hit the island's shores. Without the musical history of America or the dedicated research thereof by the Brits, Australia was slow to understand and embrace the new music, but, of course, it eventually did with a fever. Bon came from a musical family - he started by playing drums, emulating his father - and was soon playing with his first band, the Spektors, that evolved into the Valentines with him moving into a co-vocalist spot and a physical move to Melbourne. This band lasted several years and, despite just barely hitting the charts, was quite popular, gigged regularly, started some innocent-ish dalliances with pot and some not-so-innocent dalliances with multitudes of young, willing women.

From there, Bon moved onto the band Fraternity, who was successful in Australia, but when they tried their luck in England, pretty much nothing happened and they split up - along with several of their marriages - and returned to Aussieland. There were enough people looking out for Bon and when the new band AC/DC ditched their lead singer, everyone was convinced to give him a try and despite being considerably older and more established, everything clicked and they immediately fell into gigging and recording their first LP, High Voltage.

it actually took the band longer than I imagined for them to really hit the "big time", although they did manage to successfully tour England, Europe and the States regularly and with some major, major bands (as well as some not so major), playing everywhere from the Whiskey-A-Go-Go (and much smaller venues) to Madison Square Garden! Bon's dream was being a rock'n'roll star - as his lyrics will attest - but he was already succumbing to alcoholism to the point where his junkie girlfriend felt that she needed to intervene!

(As an aside, I find it kinda funny that the author feels the need to denigrate so much music - punk rock, especially - even to the point of calling a number of AC/DC songs crap, in so many words. And both he and the band had harsh words for the legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer, who was riding high at the time with many gargantuan groups and their record company wanted them to work together, but who AC/DC couldn't deal with. They found a relative unknown and created Highway to Hell, much to their credit.)

Highway to Hell became a smash and their touring schedule only increased and, on a rare night off in London, Bon was bored, got drunk, went out and got far more plastered and died from "scute alcohol poisoning" in early 1980. Of course, he was succeeded by Brian Johnson and the following Back in Black was their biggest hit yet and, while never matching that success, they continue in one form or another to this day.

This book was written specifically for the Australian market and while it eventually was published in the States, there are quite a lot of Oz-centric references and slang that Americans may not get (as least I didn't!). It doesn't really detract from the story, but is a little distracting. Regardless, Walker keeps the story moving, doesn't dwell in sensationalism and does his best to humanize this mythical party animal. Worthwhile.