Rich's R'n'R Rants & Raves

BTW

2012-01-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

I don't know what happened with Blogger lately, but they seem to have changed their interface and have made it more cumbersome, less user-friendly (why is it that any changes made to an online company make it less user-friendly?), and just more difficult to read and navigate. Absolutely horrible!

Blogger - change back to your previous, sane layout! This makes me want to stop using Blogger altogether!

Acton Town/Party Talk at the Beauty Bar, Las Vegas Saturday Jan 28

2012-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

Even though I am now starting to play out in Las Vegas, it still takes a lot for me to check out new bands in the city, even on weekend nights. But, I finally got off my butt and went down to the Beauty Bar for this Saturday night free show. I have been meaning to check out Acton Town since becoming Facebook friends with the guitarist's father, John Fallon, who was in the 80's mod/psych/garage band the Steppes. I still find it odd that we both ended up in Vegas but never knew each other.

Anyway, this evening at the Beauty Bar was some kind of multi-media event with bands, DJs, fashion show and gawd knows what else. A ton of people came out for this and it was one of the more crowded shows I've been to in a long time. The live music was all provided by young bands (I think all of the musicians were under 21), but they were all influenced by early punk, mod & garage groups, which makes me feel better about the future of live music.

I arrived in time to see a couple of songs by Party Talk - not the best name for a band - who are a 3 piece that sounded to me like a more garagey take on "Boys Don't Cry"-era Cure. I always dug that sound and the sharp, piercing guitar, strong rhythm section, good vocals and rockin' tunes certainly made me want to see and hear more from these cats.

In between bands the awful DJ played some horrendous, mindless techno crap with soul-shatteringly loud bass, making it impossible to relax and positively impossible to carry on a conversation. Maybe I'm just too old, but I still want to hear music when I go to a club - not just a pulsing bass with nothing notable or memorable going along with it. OK, that's my old man rant...

In any case, Acton Town came up next and immediately stood out as a stylish trio of neo-mods with songs combining punk, mod & garage - not unlike bands did in the late 70's/early 80's. Unfortunately, the set was marred by a terrible mix - the Beauty Bar is not known for great sound - with Anthony Vitiello's bass overpowering and drowning out everything else. Thankfully, he is a good player and had a cool fuzz-driven tone, but it would have been nice to hear the rest of the band! Drummer Ron Paul Gavino & guitarist Cromm Fallon looked sharp in their suits, shared vocal duties and pummeled their respective instruments with tons of energy and precision, and despite the muddy mix you could tell that there were gems waiting to be heard in there. I will definitely make the effort to see them at a venue with better sound.

Again, it's good to know that at least some of the youth of Las Vegas are working to make a better music scene, despite the lack of venues that cater to all-age shows. Checks these cats out whenever ya can!

Lexicon Devil – The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs – Brendan Mullen, Done Bolles & Adam Parfrey

2012-01-23T12:20:00.002-08:00

I hesitated to even read this book for a long time because I was never all that interested in the cult of Darby. To me, he was that obnoxious drunk guy that kept asking for beer or a Bowie button or some such nonsense. I could never understand how anyone could be won over by his juvenile tactics – though, obviously, many people were. I was extremely surprised to actually read his lyrics, which are quite good, because in person he came off as a stoned, brainless, child-like idiot. As entertainingly anarchic as the Germs were live, they were not a quality band in any sense of the word – other than they were so bad that they helped to destroy the concepts of what a band could & should be. But, after reading Alice Bag’s fine book on the LA punk scene, I got nostalgic for the time (though I was never heavily into the scene) and thought I would see what these cats had to say.

Apparently, the initial idea was for Germs drummer Don Bolles to write the book, but, as anyone who knows Don would realize, that is probably unrealistic for someone with his amount of ADD (and I say that as someone who likes Don personally quite a bit). Brendan came in to rescue the book and publisher Parfrey flushed it out a bit.

Whether due to his contributions to the book or not, Bolles actually comes off as one of the more likeable and brighter members of this contingent. Everyone continually talks of Darby’s intelligence but he gives no sign of it in his words or actions here (other than, as I said, in his above-average lyrics). Lorna Doom is mostly just mentioned in passing and Pat Smear seems to be Crash’s accomplice in obnoxious antics. Again, in comparison to Alice Bag’s book, where she came off as a smart, engaging person who would be cool to hang out with, no one in this story is compelling in any way, and I am glad that I never did fall in with that crowd.

Considering the cast of characters, it is surprising that the Germs ever got it together enough to even play live shows (though these were hardly “together” in any normal sense of the word), much less to record. So, their short career and early demise were to be expected. I do find it funny that one of the issues leading to their breakup was that the gay lead singer thought that the straight drummer wearing a dress was so offensive that it warranted kicking him out of the band (or at least was indicative of the differences in direction and attitude). Don started playing guitar in drag in Vox Pop, which Darby considered to be a joke band, though I think it a much better - and far more entertaining - group than the Germs ever were. But, the Germs were never able to properly replace Don and fell apart and Crash’s attempts at a post-Germs band apparently were even more dismal (I never saw the Darby Crash Band myself, but even the group members say that it is better off forgotten).

Of course, Darby then committed suicide (some say in a weird homage to Bowie’s song “Five Years”) and created his bizarre legend and left as his legacy the jock/homophobic/brainless hardcore scene. Odd coming from a gay, supposedly intelligent young poet, but I guess you don’t always get to pick what comes in your wake.

While this does seem to be a pretty truthful story of the LA punk/hardcore scene, there is little that is fun or entertaining here, so it is not a light-hearted read or a tale that would make much of anyone wish that they were there. But if you are interested in learning how the LA punk scene (or the part of it that begat hardcore) started, this seems like a good place.

Mott the Hoople - Under Review (DVD)

2012-01-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

This DVD is simply an overview of Mott's career as told by rock writers and fans (including some famous, such as Mick Jones of the Clash) as well as a bit of commentary and even tour footage by later keyboardist Morgan Fisher. There are short pieces of later interviews with a couple of the band members, including Ian, from some previous TV show, but nothing done specifically for this DVD. As such, there is not much here that any fan does not already know. There are other Mott DVDs out there that I have yet to see and I knew that this did not get very good reviews, but it was cheap - and rightfully so. I don't think that this would make a fan out of anyone who wasn't already and this won't tell any fan anything new. There are some nice snippets of live shows, but all too short. Hopefully, someone else has done this band up right and has included band interviews and video footage of full songs. Pass on this one unless ya see if super cheap.

another talent gone - RIP Etta

2012-01-20T09:16:00.001-08:00

Legendary blues singer Etta James dies in Calif.
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Shillaly Brothers - Too Drunk To Fight

2012-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

I became friends with Shillaly Brothers lead singer, John Duffy, back when we played with Jeff Dahl for a while in the early-to-med '00's (with great drummer, Dave Nazworthy). John had been an LA stalwart for many a years by then and had plenty of r'n'r tales of everything from seeing Mott the Hoople to drug-addled debauchery with Dahl's Powertrip. These days he has toned down his act a bit and the Shillaly Brothers perform a terrific take on traditional Irish music (Duffy was always proud of his heritage).

The group uses acoustic instruments - mandolin, bouzouki, tin whistle, ukulele, acordian, banjo, etc - to create an atmosphere of an Irish pub, regardless of where you are when you hear it! Duffy has an excellently gruff, Shawn MacGowan-esque voice, which is complimented by harmonies from the rest of the combo (Chad Carter, Rex Bailey and Fred Studler - all multi-instrumentalists) and Bailey has a sweet tone to his singing when he takes the lead on "Orders".

This takes me back to times that I spent drinking in pubs in the 80's when Irish friends of mine would perform with one eye out for immigration. Really great stuff! The Shillaly Brothers are up for a much deserved Academy Award for their song "Pop" from the film, White Irish Drinkers - wish them luck and check out their Facebook page!

Sad

2012-01-19T08:36:00.001-08:00

Johnny Otis of 'Willie and the Hand Jive' dies
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this should be interesting

2012-01-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Johnny Ramone's autobiography to be released
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Violence Girl - Alice Bag

2012-01-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to LA in 1979, the Bags were one of the great punk bands on the scene and I especially enjoyed the way they mixed 60's garage with modern punk. Of course, having two dynamic and alluring women in the group (Alice and bassist Patricia) certainly was a plus, as well - and another example of the sexual diversity of the early LA punk scene.

I have not followed Alice's career closely since the demise of the Bags (though I saw a show here or there of bands such as the Castration Squad and Cambridge Apostles back in the 80's), but this book reveals that she is an intelligent, well-rounded person and a fine writer. She is close to my age, so I can relate to many of her pop culture references, though her tales of growing up as a daughter of Mexican immigrants in LA are quite enlightening for this Mid-Western white boy. Her family was dysfunctional, but they encouraged her in her quest for knowledge as well as her talent for singing. Self-image problems plagued her as a youth (apparently she was overweight - or at least thought that she was, as none of the pictures included show this, other than as a young child) and, along with her lack of fluency in English, contributed to her feelings of isolation. She became infatuated with rock'n'roll music (along with the traditional tunes that were played in her home growing up) and found her place with like-minded music junkies and even met future band members while stalking stars such as Elton John (her major crush as a teen).

This morphed into the early punk scene as many of these fellow fans, who were already interested in the more avant garde, glam bands, discovered the NYC and British punk bands and decided to try this on their own. The Bags had a number of false starts and a number of early members but gained popularity and momentum despite these set backs and became one of the more well-known groups of the time. Unfortunately, they never landed a real record deal and few recordings were ever attempted before they fizzled due to personality clashes and frustration at not reaching the next level.

Alice wisely distanced herself from the more self-destructive tendencies of the movement and, while remaining involved in a lesser sense (as a side-person in groups rather than the lead singer), she found steady employment, went back to school and eventually became a teacher.

I find that the book gives a fine, first-person account of the LA punk scene and many of the characters that it was composed of. Alice writing style is very personal and truly conveys a sense of the times - the good, the bad, the fun, the pain, the insanity and everything else that made up this wild period. She really is a fairly exceptional writer and this is a quite impressive effort. Get it!

The Sick Rose - No Need For Speed

2012-01-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Luca Re’s Sick Rose has been rocking and rolling for a number of decades now, with many different permutations and with a number of different styles. Luca has a wide range of tastes in music – all of it damn good – though has always had a foot in the garage world, whether he was playing straight classic 60’s garage, as he did when the band started in the mid-80’s, harder punk’n’roll or his current obsession, power pop. Re consistently has fine taste, great songwriting and a rockin’ voice. His singing has only improved over the years and he sounds better than ever now.

This disc combines all that is good in power pop – especially the “power”! Edgy, ringing guitars, hard-hitting drums, drivin’ bass and Luca’s catchy melodies and cool lyrics riding over the top of it all. These tunes will stick with you long after the CD is over. It’s hard to pick out a specific highlight, cuz it’s all good, but the single/video “Before You Go” is pretty exceptional (the video is included on the disc)!

Luca is aided and abetted by: Diego Mese: Guitars, Valter Bruno: Bass, Alberto Fratucelli: Drums, backing Vocals and the fab Giorgio Cappellaro (ex-Mouseblasters): Guitars, backing Vocals. I’ve known these cats for decades and consider them to be good friends, but that said, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves fantastic, melodic rock’n’roll!

You'll find the Sick Rose Facebook page here and their official website here.

Cheetah Chrome – A Dead Boy’s Tale from the Front Lines of Punk Rock

2012-01-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

Cheetah is certainly no literary genius, but his writing is much better than you would expect from someone who is known as a drug addled punk rocker with asshole-ish tendencies. In fact, he claims that, as a youth, he was in classes for “gifted” children – that is, until he became fascinated with drugs and alcohol and dropped out. Due to these proclivities he admits that his stories may not be completely accurate, chronological or necessarily even coherent, but he does do a good job of detailing his r’n’r life.

Growing up, he learned to love music at an early age and despite his fuck-ups, his mother encouraged his guitar playing. Due to the immense amount of amazing music that came out during his coming-of-age (he is only a couple of years older than I am, so he immersed himself in the great 60’s & 70’s r’n’r and got to see, and even meet, many of the greats), Cheetah learned from a variety of musical styles. As with most teenage guitar players, he jammed with his friends, joined a few bands, but then eventually became involved with the legendary Rocket From the Tombs from which Pere Ubu and Chrome’s Dead Boys sprung.

Of course, these are the tales that everyone wants to hear and he doesn’t let people down – the Boys were the evil punk-rock cretins that everyone thought they were – lots of sex, drugs, vandalism and pillaging. These cats were all quite young still, but weren’t afraid to act even more juvenile than they were – plenty of stories and mooning, pissing in hotel ice machines, drunken brawls, destruction, naked adventuring and much more.

He has very kind words to say about Genya Ravan and her production of Young, Loud & Snotty, which is good to hear, and she was instrumental in helping him clean up (his first time). Unfortunately, he doesn’t care for much else that he has released and has had all kinds of bad luck with bands, fights, lawsuits, health issues, etc. His story is not a particularly happy one, mostly of his own doing (his addictions), but also many things out of his control conspired against him. He did eventually marry a good woman and have a son, both of which have helped him to emerge a happier, more centered person.

All too many r’n’r bios these days have a very depressing side as people let the “drugs” in “sex, drugs and r’n’r” take over their lives and ruin their careers. But Cheetah does his best to remain positive and his story is captivating – you really find it hard to believe that he is still alive and by his own account, he probably shouldn’t be – and told in a conversational tone. No guarantee that you will come away from this liking any of the characters (including Cheetah), but it is a good, honest tale of the early days of punk rock. Certainly worth getting!

best of luck Tony Iommi - get well!

2012-01-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi diagnosed with cancer
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11 cool whatevers of 2011

2011-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Various things in completely random order:

New (to me) discoveries:
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - I Learned the Hard Way / Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - Tell 'em What Your Name Is & Scandalous and insane Gospel discovery: Isaiah Owens - You Without Sin Cast the First Stone

Good R'n'R Reads:
Patti Smith - Just Kids / Sonic Transmissions - Tim Mitchell / There's Something About Jonathan - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - Tim Mitchell / Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star - Ian Hunter

Guitar of the year (that I bought in 2011):
Epiphone 5102TE

Best Local restaurant (if you have some money to spare for an exceptional experience):
Botero

Best Las Vegas bands (that we've seen, which I admit has not been all that many):
Tinglerz - amazing garage/punk'n'roll (and damn nice guys)/ The Las Vegas Nines (ultra cool instrumental rock ala Booker T & the MGs)

Best Live Shows by out of town bands
Love Me Nots Dec 10, 2011 headlining the Double Down Saloon/ The Loons Oct 17, 2011 at Las Vegas Country Saloon, opening for the Flamin' Groovies

Best new(ish) r'n'r band:
Jim Jones Revue / Burning Your House Down

Best Blues DVD:
The American Folk/Blues Festival - The British Tours 1963-1966

Coolest Gallery in Las Vegas:
Gamma Gamma Gallery

Hippest new place to hang and play in Las Vegas:
Motor City Cafe

Most fun I've had in years (thanks Mel & Lenny!)
The Swamp Gospel

Happy New Year and let's see what 2012 brings!

Wishbone Ash - Argus

2011-12-30T09:32:00.001-08:00

Definitely one of my guilty pleasures, which is sure to get me kicked out of the "cool club", is Wishbone Ash! Having first heard and seen them in the mid-70's, I have always been attracted to their twin-guitar and vocal harmonies. Few bands have ever concentrated on both to such a degree. And, of course, my memories are helped by having made out with my first girlfriend innumerable times to their music!

This CD has many of the songs that I know best (mostly from their live album), including the beautiful "Blowin' Free", "The King Will Come", "Warrior", "Throw Down Your Sword", and, as bonus tracks, live takes of "Jail Bait", "Pilgrim" and "Phoenix".

No, this is not raw, raucous rock'n'roll. But this is cool pop music with excellent vocals and amazing guitar interplay. Nice stuff!

The American Folk-Blues Festival - The British Tours 1963-1966

2011-12-29T21:10:00.001-08:00

Wow - this DVD is nothing short of phenomenal! The British learned to appreciate American legends long before we did in our own country and they managed to bring some major superstars over on tours to supremely appreciative audiences. The performances on this DVD show just how breathtaking these masters were!

This set is a who's-who of American blues! Starting out with Sonny Boy Williamson, decked out in a bowler hat and umbrella as a caricature of a proper British gentleman - except for his missing teeth! - he blows his harp sideways and through his nose, and still remains a genius at the instrument! He later returns in a suit made of alternating squares of material, like a crazed blues Two-Face! Muddy Waters is the handsome prince of the genre, Lonnie Johnson amazes with his acoustic guitar licks, and Big Joe Williams is literally breath-taking and he mercilessly pounds his 9-string (!) guitar! I immediately picked up my laptop and ordered a CD of his after seeing this - incredible!

Lightnin' Hopkins is suave and dapper and Sugar Pie Desanto is raucously and blatantly sexy as hell. Howlin' Wolf is larger than life, even on screen - what a presence! Man, I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be in the same room with this cat! And he brought along Hubert Sumlin & Willie Dixon, along with Sunnyland Slim on piano and Clifton James on drums to back him up.

Big Joe Turner belts it out with none other than Otis Rush on guitar, Little Brother Montgomery on piano, Fred Below on drums and the super-cool Jack Myers on bass. Junior Wells does his best James Brown impression (kind of a bummer that he's not playing harp, but he is an entertainer!) and then the bonus tracks include more Muddy Waters and the ultra-talented Sister Rosetta Tharpe!

Not a bad note on here and some stellar performances! Absolute must-have!

Mott the Hoople – All the Way from Stockholm to Philadelphia – Live 71/72

2011-12-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

This 2-CD set shows just what a difference a hit record can make! The first CD is pre-All the Young Dudes and the 2^nd is post. While the first CD is hard-hitting, biting, energetic and sounds like they are pissed and gonna make the audience dig them whether they like it or not, the 2^nd shows that they are on their way to being stars and have a real confidence. Funnily enough, the Philadelphia show was recorded on the tour that Ian writes about in Diary of a Rock’n’Roll Star, that I just ranted about. (I'll have to go back and see what he said about this show).

I’ve gone on & on about how great the band’s early albums are and this all-too-short set is a testament to their strengths. They do a terrific cover of Mountain’s “Long Red” (they were all fans of Leslie West and even considered having him join the group when Mountain broke up!), then, oddly, slow it down to a crawl for “The Original Mixed Up Kids” (a cool tune, but unusual for a 2^nd number), blast back with “Walking With a Mountain”, give tribute to Sonny Bono with their hip take of “Laugh at Me”, and power through “Thunderbuck Ram” and “Keep a Knockin’”. Fantastic!

The 2^nd CD concentrates almost entirely on tunes from their then-current hit album – from the opening one-two punch of “Jerkin’ Crocus” and “Sucker” which then slows down for “Hymn For the Dudes” (that would be on their follow up album, Mott). Mick Ralphs is featured on lead vocals on “Ready For Love” (with its cool vocal trade-off with Ian) and guitar on its “epilogue” “Afterlights”, which has a really nice, dynamic build at the end. “Sweet Jane” moves nicely and then Ian’s ballad “Sea Diver” which prefaces Brain Capers’ “Sweet Angeline”, which became a much harder song in a live setting. A song that was always a hard rocker is “One of the Boys” (Ralphs later re-wrote it for Bad Company’s breakthrough hit “Can’t Get Enough”) and this is fantastically rockin’ here! Another tune from Brian Capers, “Midnight Lady” closes the set nicely before the guys come back for their encore of “All the Young Dudes” (with Bowie singing backup) & “Honky Tonk Women” (to finish on their own).

This is simply excellent all around – nice contrasts in gigs, good sound, great tunes. Another essential for any MTH fans!

Mott the Hoople - Original Mixed Up Kids

2011-12-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

This essential CD showcases the original line-up of MTH (with Verden Allen and Mick Ralphs) and highlights just how powerful their music was even before they became stars with the help of David Bowie. The songs are pulled from BBC sessions and a concert at the Paris Theater in or around 1970.

Both sides of the group are displayed, though this concentrates mostly on their heavy power - from the the opened "Whiskey Women" to the brooding "Darkness, Darkness" to "The Moon Upstairs", "Thunderbuck Ram" and "Death May Be Your Santa Claus". Ian's more delicate moments shine, as well, such as the title cut, "Your Own Backyard" (with it's heavy ending) and his epic, "The Journey".

While I love pretty much everything that Mott did (up through the album The Hoople, anyway), the pure rawness and energy (even on the ballads) of the pre-Bowie Mott always speaks to me. All fans should own this!

Newport Folk Festival – Best of the Blues 1959-68

2011-12-27T11:43:00.001-08:00

The Newport Folk Festival was more than a concert to many of the musicians who played here – this was a place where careers could be made, or at least re-born for a new audience. White college kids were discovering the blues and enthusiasts were tracking down legends – many of whom were thought of as long dead. Record executives would come to the festival and would hand performers contracts as they came off the stage. Modern rock bands would cover their material, thus ensuring the writers some sense of financial security. This collection highlights many of the legends who appeared at this important festival.

This 3-CD set is broken down into three section – Delta Blues, Country Blues and Urban Blues. The men who are showcased (and it was all men – despite the number of female blues musicians in the past, this was a very chauvinistic period for the blues) are now, at least mostly, well known and renowned.

The Delta Blues disc includes Mississippi John Hurt (actually more folky to modern ears than traditional blues), Skip James, Son House, Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Muddy Waters. Who today could imagine seeing all of these masters at one time in one place?

On disc 2, the Country Blues, there are some musicians that are a little less well known, but still legendary, nonetheless. Robert Pete Williams (who had recently been released from jail where he did time for murder) starts off with some terrific guitar work, making me want to look further into his discography. Mance Lipscomb is another great, followed by the more light-hearted Jesse Fuller (and his kazoo solos), the ever-amazing Reverend Gary Davis, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry and closing with Sleepy John Estes.

The final disc, featuring Urban Blues, showcases bluesmen that are likely the most famous of this package. Starting with the solo work of Lightnin’ Hopkins (though Samuel Lay joins him on percussion for “Shake That Thing”), he is followed by the boogie of John Lee Hooker, who is also uncharacteristically accompanied by bassist Bill Lee (Spike Lee’s father) on a couple of numbers. It wasn’t just guitarists who came to Newport and pianist Memphis Slim and his quartet thrilled the crowd with his boogie-woogie, rockin’ blues and Otis Spann dueted with Muddy Waters on a couple of fantastic numbers.

Another very cool tune is the Chamber Brothers (years before their hit with “Time Has Come Today”) doing a gospel/blues version of “See See Rider” – really different and truly phenomenal. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band takes the stage to what sounds like one person half-heartedly applauding, but they give a terrific, traditional blues set. Of course, just the fact that they were an electric band was enough to put off some purists who didn’t realize that by this time, bluesmen had been playing electric for years (though it does sound as if they won over the crowd).

This set shows the many faces and sounds of the blues and preserves concerts that were pivotal to the blues and to popular music in general. A fine collection!

Ian Hunter - Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star

2011-12-26T22:21:00.001-08:00

I have owned several copies of this book over the years, but they seem to keep disappearing, or at least getting lost among all of the other books, magazines and what-have-you that we own. But, it is always worth finding again and re-reading, because it is a true r'n'r classic.

Ian decided to keep a diary on this short American tour at the end of 1972, just after Mott the Hoople had released All the Young Dudes and were just starting their rise to fame. In America they were still opening most shows and here he tells the tales and travails of a band that were only at the beginning of their notoriety.

Of course, they had been to the states before (by this time the group had been together for at least 4 years, released 4 albums out and had almost broken up completely) but here they are getting some of the gain for their pain. But, it is still reasonably new to all of them and Hunter has a refreshing naivete about travel, American hotels, the sites of the cities and the excitement of the chase for guitars via local pawnshops. Presciently, he talks of Mosrites and Gretschs gaining popularity in the future and that young musicians should not shy away from such models (he played a Guild at the time and sings its praises, as well). Ha! I wonder if he has looked back at these musings and realized just how right he was!

Of course, the real charm of the book is the amazingly truthful and accurate way he talks of being on the road. From the boredom to the last minutes rushes to the re-routing due to weather (they were traveling commercially and at the mercy of the major airlines) to the bad sound checks to the gigs that they thought were going to be abysmal that turned out to be terrific. The one thing that I found odd was the number of gigs that they were willing to cancel - for good reasons, but with a willingness to disappoint fans with a no-show rather than a poor performance. Having missed all too many bands that I really wanted to see because of no-shows (that were either never rescheduled or I could not get to the new gig), this seems a bit callous, regardless of the reasons.

But, Ian is honest throughout, retaining several embarrassing moments of drunkenness and sloppiness and even - after innumerable complaints of fans not respecting his privacy - a funny tale of a drunken visit to Graceland after the final gig of the tour and literally sneaking into Elvis' house! He doesn't meet the man, but was thrilled to have done it, rather than being chagrined.

This is a great r'n'r read and one that you don't want to end. I only wish that he kept similar diaries on the subsequent tours - I would love to see the comparisons! This should be required reading for any musician!

Albert King - Live Wire Blues Power

2011-12-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

This 1968 release was King's first ever live recording from a gig at the Filmore West, featuring a group of session musicians who none-the-less manage to cook behind the King. Not quite the MG's that backed many of Albert's Stax recordings, but they hide their unfamiliarity with the material and keep a solid backing.

King is the main man, of course, and his wild string-bending solo work is as great as ever - this man was a huge influence on Eric Clapton and you can see why from his playing here. The tunes are his stock soul/blues numbers and his singing and slinging certainly rocked the Fillmore.

I haven't found any faults with any of Albert's releases and this is no exception - yet another fine blues album from one of the best of the 60's.

Jimi Hendrix - Hendrix in the West

2011-12-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

This record was initially a posthumous live release attempting to capitalize of the then-recent departure of this amazing talent. Luckily, long-time Hendrix engineer Eddit Kramer was involved in the project and it was a quality record.

Oddly, though titled Hendrix in the West, the original vinyl included two songs from England's Royal Albert Hall, which led to lawsuits from the company that was working on a film from that concert. The two tracks in question, "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and "Little Wing", have been replaced on this CD release with other live versions of the same songs. Also included on this release that were not on the original record are takes of "Fire", "I Don't Live Today" (both of which I am sure were released on other live records since) as well as an extended "Spanish Castle Magic", with a nod to "Sunshine of Your Love" in the solo section (which the Experience used to occasionally cover, due to Jimi's great respect for Clapton).

Among the other titles here is an interesting pairing of the British anthem (here simply called "The Queen") with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Red House", a super-charged "Johnny B. Goode", "Lover Man" and an oddly slowed down and subdued "Blue Suede Shoes", taken from a sound check.

Of course my love for Hendrix makes almost every release essential to me, but more casual fans should always start with the official releases. This, though, is a fine example of the beauty and insane noise that this man could conjure up in a live setting. It's very reasonable price tag makes it something that every fan should own.

The Black Keys - The Big Come Up

2011-12-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

Since I rarely (if ever) listen to the radio and don't keep up much with modern music, I know very little about the Black Keys. I knew they are a guitar/drum duo who were sorta blues influenced, but had never heard their music until I got the Black Snake Moan movie soundtrack, which featured one of their tunes. I was intrigued enough to pick up Attack and Release at the library which made me interested in hearing their earlier tunes. This is their debut release and is highly blues influenced, to the point of them making direct steals here and there - not unlike the original lues artists did.

Apparently this was all recorded live on an 8 track recorder which to me enhances this style of music. As best as I can tell, this is all just guitar and drums, with an occasional overdub, but mostly the group live as a duo. The guitars are raw and noisy and the drums are solid and the two worked together to make their own cohesive sound.

A version of the Beatles "She Said, She Said" is the most out of the ordinary track on the record, though still cool and made to be reasonably bluesy with a nice slide part.

Whoever handles publishing for these cats obviously do a great job, as they are featured on innumerable TV shows, commercials and movies, which has certainly helped their popularity. They do manage to overcome the restriction of their minimal line up and create a distinctive and rockin' sound. I am still surprised at the popularity that acts like these cats and the White Stripes have gained - who could ever have imagined this when garage bands were toiling away in small clubs in the 80's and horrible hair metal was ruling the airwaves? Are peope's tastes improving or is it simply a matter of mass marketing? Either way, it is a welcome relief from the drek that the radio normally plays!

This is a very hip and different and modern (while still sounding fairly primitive) take on the blues and I dig it a lot! I will certainly be checking out more from this prolific duo.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - Scandalous

2011-12-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

Scandalous' "Living in the Jungle" opens this record with a soulful horn line that breaks down to a guitar driven tune in the realm of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man" (the hit white r'n'b number, not the Bo Diddley/Muddy Waters blues tune) and tells you immediately what you are in for here - a blast of groove-ridden rock'n'soul.

"I'm Gonna Leave You" gets slow and sexy before "Booty City" rocks back in sounding like Sly and the Family Stone doing Edwin Starr's soul tune, "25 Miles", complete with wailing guitars and group vocals. "Black Snake" is a soul/dance number which is sure to get you moving - rockin', raw harmonica work, too!

The title track comes down a bit for an Issac Hayes-styled seduction before moving into "Messin'", a spot-on country blues acoustic guitar revival. Then they smack right back in with the energetic jumping' soul groove of "Mustang Ranch", based on a true story of traveling through the Nevada deserts.

Some of the punkier influences come through in "You Been Lying", which would fit right at home on modern punk/r'n'b band Dollhouse's releases, though this is a little more 70's soulful, as well. A cool, uptempo blues guitar groove propels "Ballad of Jimmy Tanks", which is far from a balls, though "Since I Met You Baby" is very much of one, with an interesting trumpet solo, conjuring up images of a heavier Herb Albert (at least in my demented mind) - though a surprisingly heavy guitar solo (for a ballad) reminds me of J.Geils sitting in!

This selection concludes with the pure garage funk of "Jesus Took My Hand", which meshes everything they are about all in one - bluesy, funky, raw, garage-y and totally groovy, in every sense of the word!

I don't know many modern bands doing funk music, but these cats do it absolutely righteously - with unashamed nods to the past yet with plenty of spunk and originality. This release sports a bit more variety than their debut and maybe slightly more polished (but only slightly and not in a bad way), but everything works and everything rocks in an r'n'b/soul kinda way! Absolutely recommended!

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Tell 'em What Your Name Is

2011-12-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

I came across BJL by happenstance when I picked up his latest release, Scandalous, at my local library. This knocked me out (surprisingly, I haven't written about that yet, which I will have to rectify) and my wonderful wife was good enough to get my this, his debut, for Xmas.

When I first heard Scandalous I wasn't sure if this was a modern artist or a rough-edged 60's or 70's group, but as I listened (and read up on him) I realized that this cat was mixing everything from funk, soul, blues and even punk rock into a fabulous modern brew. This debut is even rawer than the new record and the guitars bite and growl, though the excellent horn section can smooth over some of the harshness.

The musicians are all excellent and create quite a sonic storm. The music is full of punk energy and attitude with the dance-ability of funk and the raw emotion of the blues. Another great release that gives me hope for modern music!

Betty Davis - Betty Davis

2011-12-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure when I first discovered Betty Davis, but I know it was fairly recently, so I have not known much about her other than that she was a cool, stylish funk singer who had once been married to Miles Davis. This re-release of her first album has an extensive booklet along with several bonus tracks and lots of information and lots of great music!

Betty grew up with a love of music - her parents and grandparents apparently had an exceptional blues collection - and, unusual for a female, black solo singer, she started writing her own music at about 12 years of age. According to the booklet, she wrote every song that she recorded and arranged the tunes and even helped to produce them!

The musicians on this album are all exceptional and include members of Sly & The Family Stone, Santana, The Pointer Sisters and even Sylvester, among many others. The music is high-energy funk with rock'n'roll power and Betty's unique soulful growl on top of it all. Some people disparaged her singing, but I think she has a fantastic sound - not unlike modern music such as the BellRays at times. She dug a wide variety of music herself, from jazz to soul to funk to rock (she was a friend to many musicians, including Jimi Hendrix) and it all comes together is her tunes.

Davis was a lovely, sexy woman (she was one of the first African-Americans to break into modeling because she was so striking, though she didn't stick with it for long since it did not foster her own creativity) with a distinctive sound and her own vision and this record is a definitive funk milestone. Get it!

RIP Sean Bonniwell

2011-12-25T14:32:00.001-08:00

Of course, I loved "Talk Talk" as a kid when it came out, but also my first band in LA, the Unclaimed, based their entire look on this band - though we didn't don the gloves - too hard to play in, I guess.

But, what a talent Bonniwell was! Fantastic songwriter, conceptualist and producer. Way ahead of his time. I was lucky enough to meet him a couple of times (he even came to see the Unclaimed once - said we sounded more like the Seeds than the Music Machine!) and he was super nice guy, as well as being talented.

So sad to see him go as the too young age of 71.

See the MM lip-syncing on Where the Action Is.

Saturday, Dec 10th, Las Vegas, NV

2011-12-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

We didn't know how far we were going to get this night considering that we went out the night before for another anniversary dinner and then to the "Santa Rampage" on Fremont Street, but we ventured out to start the night at Second Saturday at Gamma Gamma Gallery at Emergency Arts in downtown LV. What once was a lonely hallway at EA has become the happening spot to hang, talk art and party! A fun time was had by all. And, of course, Krystal Ramirez's fine show Control was on display.

From EA we moved across the street to the Las Vegas Beauty Bar to catch our pals, the Tinglerz and, as usual, they did not disappoint! Action-packed garage-y/Heartbreakers-y punk'n'roll with super cool tunes by some of the best in LV! Catch 'em if you ever get the chance!

We stuck around long enough to see some of Deadhand (yes, a terrible name) and was impressed by their brand of pop-punk, high-energy, musicianship, songs and low-slung guitar! Good stuff!

Then off to the Double Down Saloon to catch the terrific garage-rock band, the Love Me Nots. Hot chicks, rockin' guys, plenty of fuzz'n'Farfisa and fantastic tunes - these cats'n'kittens are always a blast! They are a constant blur of motion, especially lead singer Nicole Laurenne who has an amazing voice and can man-handle her Farfisa with fab licks while dancing up a storm! Michael Johnny Walker calls up a whirlwind of fuzz while returning drummer Jay Lien pounds the skins like a Clem Burke clone and new chick on the block Sophie O anchors everything down while adding some extra vocals. Incredible band, a wild show and a fabulous way to celebrate our anniversary weekend and take the edge off of the X cancellation. Thanks to the Love Me Nots and the Double Down for a cool night of rock'n'roll!

Genya Ravan - Lollipop Lounge - Memoirs of a Rock and Roll Refugee

2011-12-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

A daughter of Polish immigrants who - barely - escaped the Nazi Holocaust, Genya came to America and learned to love the country and, especially, its rock'n'roll. A lovely woman, she eventually started doing "cheesecake" modeling to make money and then, after sitting in with a band in Greenwich Village, decided to start her own group. But not just any band, she wanted an all-female band! And so, Goldie and the Gingerbreads were formed. This was in the early 60's and this was so unusual (obviously long before the Runaways or even Fanny) that they had no trouble getting gigs, despite having problems keeping members. They became the toast of NYC and even moved to England for a while, playing with - and screwing - some of the biggest stars of the time. Eventually the band split up, moved back to the states and Genya decided to start a jazz-influenced group, Ten Wheel Drive.

While 10 Wheel Drive did quite a lot and played some huge shows, Genya was never completely happy since this was someone else's concept. Of course, having an affair with one of the main guys in the band wasn't the best idea, either, and, after a couple of years, the group split apart. From there she attempted a solo career, but had bad luck with producers and management and was not happy. Eventually she learned record production and made a name for herself with that.

One of her most well-known productions is the Dead Boys' Young, Loud and Snotty, though she worked with quite a few other NYC punk/new wave groups and even produced Ronnie Spector's Siren LP with many of those same NYC rockers as session players. She has some very unkind words for Ronnie, supposedly in retaliation to comments made by Spector in her auto-biography.

Genya also had another shot at a solo career with one of her best known records, Urban Desire, but record company, management and promotional problems caused another crash and burn and contributed to her alcohol and drug abuse, which got out of hand at this point.

She wasted a number of years of her life on drugs and alcohol and, in a sickly ironic twist, once she began to recover from substance abuse, she discovered that she had cancer. This almost killed her, but she learned of her own inner strength that she didn't know that she had and, with the help of friends and family, beat the cancer and regained her life.

This is a story with many ups and downs - lots of fun times with r'n'r music and stars as well as desperate times of addiction and sickness. This shows the reality of the music business from someone who lived most aspects of it and lived it in its most interesting times. A very cool read.

Supersuckers Live at the Las Vegas Country Saloon Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

2011-12-07T08:55:00.001-08:00

When the Supersuckers first appeared on the scene, their simplistic songs and egomaniacal schtick really didn’t do much for me and I thought that they were highly overrated. But, these days, with so little good rock’n’roll in the world (or at least in the LV music scene), the band’s twin Les Paul/Marshall attack was a welcome relief - and their tunes have grown on me over the years.

We were extremely disappointed when the Blasters cancelled their slot on this show (oddly, opening for the Supersuckers) since neither of us had seen them in years and years, and we got to the club late (LV clubs are notorious for not giving any kind of realistic set times) so we missed 3 Bad Jacks (other than a sappy, acoustic closing number), but made it for the main event!

The ‘Suckers were in fine form, with all of their prerequisite bravado, posturing, chant-along songs and LOUD guitars (one of the louder shows we have been to in a long time). The guitars riffed constantly, the drummer was terrific (didn’t catch his name, but he was a monster) and Eddie Spaghetti still has a cool r’n’r voice while holding down the bass – keeping it basic so that everyone else can noodle on top of it!

They did their “hits” – “Born With a Tail”, “Double Wide” and many more, along with a number of good new tunes as well as a fun cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Cowboy Song” (yes, a lot of others have already done this, but still rockin’).

Overall, well worth venturing out for, even on a cold, Las Vegas Tuesday night! Maybe not the “greatest rock’n’roll band in the world”, as Eddie repeatedly claimed, but still a good time!

very sad - another highly influencial, major talent gone

2011-12-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Chicago bluesman Hubert Sumlin, guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf, dies at 80
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Besides playing on some of the most amazing and influential blues songs of all time - his work with Howlin' Wolf is especially majestic - Sumlin released a solo album not long ago that is truly solid. Very sad to see him go at the too-young age of 80.

Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac Live at the BBC

2011-12-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Long before the ladies came into the picture, Fleetwood Mac was an all-male, hard-drivin', heavy blues band. Led by guitar virtuoso Peter Green (along with two other terrific guitarists, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer and, of course, the rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood), this group was known for high energy blues, original blues romps like the fantastic "Rattlesnake Shake" (much later covered by Aerosmith) and the superb "Oh Well" (along with tunes such as "Black Magic Woman", not included here, but, of course, made famous by Santana).

This set does show other sides of the band, as well, from 50's covers and steals (Elvis, Buddy Holly, Everly Brothers - which all makes that much more sense when you remember their "alter ego" band, Earl Vince and the Valiants, known for their amazing "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight") to cool instrumentals to soft ballads. But the blues is where they shine and numbers like both Robert Johnson's and Son House's "Preachin' Blues", "Blues With a Feeling", "Sweet Home Chicago" and many others show why this line up is still revered today.

Lots of variety and lots of great music - definitely a cool find (and highly recommended by Steven Tyler in his book)!

Steven Tyler – Does the Noise in My Head Bother You

2011-11-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

As I've said before, I've been a fan of Aerosmith since I first heard them in the mid-70's - most likely when Toys in the Attic hit. I know that they put out a lot of drek in the 80's, but they would have an occasional fun tune, like "Dude Looks Like a Lady" or "Love in an Elevator". Not all that long ago they even released a great record of old blues tunes, showing that they still have the spirit inside them. Sure, they're past their prime now and they are more rumours about them breaking up than there are about any new music, but they have been an institution.

Steven's book tells his tale in his own, unique way. Far from linear - Tyler bounces all over the place chronologically - it is still a cool and is told in his own jive-talking parlance. It would have been nice to have a little more cohesion to the story (he never mentions how Brad Whitford joined the band, for instance, and, in fact barely mentions him throughout) and a little more behind-the-scenes in the recording studio, but he does go into the inspiration for a number of his tunes, which is interesting. There are some inaccuracies, including - oddly - his claim that he wrote "Big Ten Inch Record", which is, of course, an old r'n'b cover that he never claimed authorship of before, and he says that "Pandora's Box", from Get your Wings, was on Rocks.

Several chapters are spent complaining about management, the other band members and his women not understanding his affairs, which all tends to be a bit tedious, though I suppose it is informative to those who think that playing in a band is all fun and games. There are many medical issues that he has had due specifically to his stage persona (not to mention his legendary drug use), which is something that I've sure most people don't think of in terms of "stars".

Overall, enjoyable, but a bit of a downer in places, as life can be. Certainly not a definitive story of the group, though I doubt that anyone in the group could manage that. An interesting point of view of rock'n'roll and stardom through the years, though.

well, duh - pretty obvious

2011-11-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone names Hendrix best guitarist ever
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The Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down

2011-11-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

This is the follow up to the self-titled debut and here the band has ever-so-slightly cleaned up their act (less over the top distortion, reverb and echo), but not lost any of their energy or excitement.

"Dishonest John" opens the record with a blast of Black Moses-sounding punk'n'roll, while "High Horse" sounds like the MC5 doing 50's r'n'r. They seem to be working more on their grooves than their noise on tunes like "Forhorn" and "Big Len", though their is enough fuzz-driven guitar to keep anyone satisfied! "Premeditated" has a fantastic driving piano and a rockin' beat that will have you bouncin' in your seat!

Startin' with an early Stones kinda riff and a heavy blues feel, the title track is a r'n'r dance party all on its own, which Jones just growls through. Mortimer's piano dominates "Shoot First", moving it from almost a poppy number to a cool r'n'b jam. Then "Elemental" pounds in like a 2x4 to the skull - non-stop action from everyone on this number creating a wonderful r'n'r mania. Again, some flashbacks to Black Moses here, which is never a bad thing!

I'll be damned if "Killin' Spree" isn't a cross between "Natural Born Killers" and "American Bandstand" - a dance number for psychopaths! Jim is at his preachin' best in the rock gospel of "Righteous Wrong" and the band closes with a boogie-woogie rocker, "Stop the People", which actually isn't that far removed from Aerosmith's best.

Not nearly as deranged as the first record, but still a powerful piece of rock'n'roll that should be in everyone's collection!

The JIm Jones Revue - The Jim Jones Revue

2011-11-14T18:07:00.000-08:00

Jim Jones' name has been synonymous with great rock'n'roll since the days of Thee Hypnotics and through his follow up combo, Black Moses. In this Revue, he continues with high-energy r'n'r, but now with a bit more of a 50's R'n'B revue feel to it. The driving piano of Elliot Mortimer gives this group a distinctive brand of punk'n'roll, whether plowing through originals, such as the blasting opening fairy tale "Princess & the Frog" or Rock'n'Roll Psychosis, or covers such as the mind-melting take on Little Richard's "Hey Hey Hey Hey" or the utterly psychotic version of "The Meat Man".

Some tunes are more rockabilly-ish than others, like "Fish 2 Fry", which sounds like it could be a more intense Roy Loney-era Flamin' Groovies number. "512" shows that they are masters of the rave-up, while "Another Daze" slows it down a hair, with a noisier "Roadrunner" kinda groove. Love the over-driven hollow-body guitars from Jones and Rupert Orton. The rhythm section of bassist Gavin Jay and Nick Jones on drums sure knows how to hold down a rockin' beat, as well.

Everything these cats do is over the top, whether it is the bluesy "Make it Hot" or the "Bama Lama Baba Lou" stylings of "Who's Got Mine?" or their version of Thunders' "Downtown" in "Cement Mixer". Everything is overdriven, everything is loud, and it all sounds great!

It don't get much better than this! Essential!

The Very Best of Little Richard

2011-11-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

This greatest hits CD probably really does contain the very best of Little Richard! There is one smash hit after another here and Richard shouts and shimmies and roars through them all! When he was good, few could beat him. Jerry Lee was rawer and more intensely sexual, but Richard has his own wild abandon.

There are a couple of clunkers here, as well, such as the Tin Pan Alley standards "Baby Face" and "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", neither of which could be saved even by his whoops and hollars.

Also included is a neat little live medley and a song from his original audition tape, a re-working of Billy Wright's "Don't You Want a Man Like Me", simply titled "Baby". Nowhere near as raucous as his best, but an interesting piece of history.

You can't argue with Little Richard's hits, so if you don't have anything by the man, or just want a great CD collection, this is a good one!

Jerry Lee Lewis - A Half Century of Hits

2011-11-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Obviously, I've been on a little bit of a Jerry Lee kick lately, so when I found this 3 CD box set at a reasonable price, I picked it up. This contains cuts through the 90's, including several previously unreleased tunes, which makes it worth its while.

Of course, the Sun sessions that Jerry Lee cut are all stellar and are some of the most exciting r'n'r of all time. The man had boundless energy, a crazed piano style and, I think this is often overlooked, a fantastic and versatile voice. Disc one concentrates on this time, but does not contain everything and it leaves out some terrific cuts. It does include the big hits, from "Whole Lotta Shakin'" to "Great Balls of Fire" to "Breathless" to "High School Confidential" and even numbers that Sun did not release during Lewis' tenure there, such as the rockin' "Lewis Boogie". JLL always had a country side to him and one of his first recordings was Hank Williams' "You Win Again", which would help lead him back to the charts (albeit, the country charts) in the late 60's/early 70's.

I must confess that I have never been a big country fan, though I have gained a bit more appreciation for the genre (only the real stuff - not the modern pop crap that calls itself country), so disc 2's domination of C&W numbers that revived his career really does not do a lot for me, especially since most of the tunes are "sweetened" (i.e. weakened) with strings and female backing vocals. There are still goodies, such as "Hi Heel Sneakers", "I'm On Fire", "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" and "Meat Man", though even those suffer from the production. But, the disc ends with 2 tracks from his Live at the Star Club album, which bursts with JLL fire.

The third disc wavers from rockin' numbers to C&W again, to varied results, but ends with two true collector items - the very first numbers that Jerry Lee ever recorded back in 1952 and rescued from an acetate disc. This was simply a test recording that Lewis paid $2 to record, but shows that he was ready even then! "Don't Stay Away" was a then-current country hit and "New Orleans Boogie" was an improvised boogie-woogie that highlights his pounding piano style and proves that the rest of the world just had to catch up to him!

Again, since I am not a big country fan, much of this set does little for me, but considering the rarities included, it was well worth the price. Overall, though, I would stick to the Sun recordings to catch his most manic moments.

Neil Young International Harvesters - A Treasure

2011-11-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

Young has always had country influences in his music, which has ebbed and flowed as he changed styles throughout his career. This live CD, recorded in 1984/1985, shows this influence in full swing as he toured with the International Harvesters, veterans of the Nashville scene.

This set includes 5 previously unreleased songs, as well the utterly appropriate "Are You Ready for the Country" (not sure why that wasn't the opener) and Buffalo Springfield's "Flying on the Ground is Wrong" (sounding like it came from the Heart of Gold sessions). Some tunes are more "straight" country than others - such as "It Might Have Been" and "Bound for Glory" - and other sounds creep in, such as the blues of "Soul of a Woman" and the bluegrass-ish romp of "Get Back to the Country".

The real stand out is the astonishing "Grey Riders" which combines country and hard rock to make an incredibly powerful statement that you can't help but be drawn into. This is a mix of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and Rust Never Sleeps. Wonderful and perfect and one of his best.

The musicianship is stellar throughout and Young's songs are strong as ever. If you only like Young's hard rock, then this is not for you, but if you appreciate his various personas, especially his acoustic/country side, then this is another bit of greatness.

Le Noise - Neil Young

2011-11-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

This 2010 release is a true collaboration between Neil Young and producer Daniel Lanois. I am not familiar with Lanois' work, primarily because most of the artists that he has worked with previously hold no interest for me. But here, Young performs by himself - just voice and guitar - and Lanois adds layers of sonic textures which can make you forget that Young is alone here - Lanois almost becomes the band.

That is not to say that Young's work couldn't stand on its on even if these songs were recorded simply and without any effects. I believe that Neil is one of the few artists who, while at times erratic, is still vital and creative and remains an incredibly talented songwriter as he ages. I love that he can still produce incredible noise as well as quiet, gentle ballads and everything still rings true. He is a true artist and a wonderful, mad genius.

I don't know if any of these songs will become classics as some of his past works have, but this is a fine album and something interesting and different. Not wholly unique, of course - besides harkening to some of his own past work, I hear things such as Spacemen 3 in the production - but original enough and this shows that Young continues to expand and try new things, which is an inspiration to this old man.

Lick Me - Cherry Vanilla

2011-11-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

The full title of this book by well-known groupie Cherry Vanilla is Lick Me - How I Became Cherry Vanilla (by way of the Copacabana, Madison Avenue, the Fillmore East, Any Warhol, David Bowie and the Police). This kinda explains the whole tome right there!

Cherry's tale starts as a child in the New York area, going to the city with her parents, standing on the side of the stage at the Copacabana and even meeting Dean Martin - beginning her fascination with the famous.

As a teen, she worked at Madison Avenue ad agencies and became friends with the many gays there who turned her on to drugs, including acid, which she claims was mostly in the hands of the Mad Men at the time - that explains some of the commercials that came out then!

She came enthralled with r'n'r as the 60's went on, started hanging out and fucking musicians at the Fillmore and other venues in the NYC area and across the country (she diagnosed herself as a nymphomaniac sex addict, though what better time to be one?) and was eventually introduced to Warhol and his crowd and played the lead role in Pork during its British run. Due to Bowie's interest in Warhol, she became involved with him (sometimes as a lover) and helped run the Mainman operations for a while. That further increased her desire to become a r'n'r star herself, which led to her being backed by the pre-"Roxanne" Police in England.

She leaves off her story just as she is about to be signed by RCA - and, of course, she never really did much as a rock star - and wisely, does not go on very much about her post-r'n'r life, although even that sounds like it is more interesting than most people's!

A very entertaining book (with enough pathos, as well) of an extremely exciting time by a woman who was both overtly self-confident and self-conscious and who, I'm sure, many can relate to in some form or another.

weird and sad

2011-11-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot found dead on tour bus
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I first saw GWAR in the late 80's in a small club in LA (with Celebrity Skin) with only a couple of dozen other people and was blown away - they had a massive show even in a tiny club. I saw them and their shows grow from there, but have not seen their resurgence.

According to the story, they still don't know the cause of death or even his age!

Jerry Lee Lewis Greatest Live Performances of the 50s, 60s and 70s

2011-10-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Reading Joe Bonomo's book reminded me of the footage of Jerry Lee that I have in a much-duplicated video tape of a TV show in which rabid fans are practically burying the Killer as he sweats and stomps through some of his best tunes. I wondered if this was available on DVD and, lo and behold, found this!

Great music abounds here, starting with the iconoclastic appearance on the Steve Allen Show where Allen was so possessed by "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" that when Jerry pushed back the wooden chair (no idea why he didn't have an actual piano bench here) that he was sitting on, Allen grabbed it and threw it back across the stage!

I assume that Dewey Phillips' Pop Shop was a local show and here we see "You Win Again" and "Great Balls of Fire" before Lewis' fabulous "Breathless" on The Dick Clark Show.

The afore-mentioned show from the 60's was a British TV special named "A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", with Lewis backed by a local group, the Flintstones (after an argument with the Nashville Teens, who would then back him on the rest of the tour and the Live at the Star Club album recorded during this same European jaunt). Jerry is just a few years older, but a bit puffier, a bit worse for the wear after his scandal and subsequent decline of his career and even looking a little more square, but he manages to put on a fierce performance.

The set is terrific - "Great Balls of Fire", "You Win Again", "High School Confidential", "I'm On Fire (his then-new single), "Your Cheatin' Heart" and the show-stopping closer, "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On". From the initial entrance from the ceiling via a hydraulic stage to the climatic ending, Jerry gives it his all and the kids respond in kind. They are dancing, jumping, surrounding the man and pounding their heads and their fists on the piano. It is almost bedlam - but just barely controlled! Apparently, the producers went into a panic when Lewis started the final number because they needed more time so the man puts on a show - drawing out verses, taking off his jacket and tie, doing solo after solo and ending up bellowing out the finale and dancing on top of his piano! Utterly fantastic!

The 70's numbers are from Pop Goes the Country, with a much more subdued Jerry Lee and a somewhat generic backing band, but he does a cool medley with his country star cousin Mickey Gilley (who I know nothing about) and while the cousin was apparently the bigger star at the time, Lewis takes over the show and lets no one forget who he is and what he is all about!

A great collection that can be found at a very reasonable price - get it, you won't regret it!

Jerry Lee Lewis Lost and Found - Joe Bonomo

2011-10-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Joe Bonomo did a great job in his book on legendary garage rockers, the Fleshtones, so when I discovered that he tried his hand on the Killer, as well, I had to take a look.

Of course, I've been a fan of Jerry Lee Lewis ever since he came onto my radar with his over-the-top personality and high-energy pioneering rock'n'roll. Despite his status as one of the first waves of rock'n'rollers, he was robbed of his stardom due to the provincial attitudes of many (though I must agree that marrying his 13 year old - 14 the next day! - second cousin was a bit much) and he never quite recovered from that, despite a lucrative country career a decade or so later.

Because so much has been written about this bigger than life character, Bonomo focuses on Lewis' musical resurrections in the form of his Live at the Star Club record from the mid-Sixties and his country records from the late 60's/early 70's. Joe's passion for the music is readily apparent in his writing and he has certainly made me want to search out some of this music - particularly the Star Club album with the pre-"Tobacco Road" Nashville Teens backing him.

I've never been a big country music fan, though I have grown to appreciate more of the real stuff, but I am interested in hearing some of Lewis' work now. Jerry also did a Gospel album which I am dying to hear, though it is currently out of print, so it looks like I'll have to do some searching!

Once again, Bonomo does a great job with his subject and though Lewis declined to be involved with this project, he should be grateful that a fan is doing his best to spread the word of the Killer!

The Modern Lovers – Precise Modern Lovers Order – Live in Berkley and Boston

2011-10-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Modern Lovers’ bassist Ernie Brooks worked with record label Rounder to compile this much-anticipated live set by the Lovers. Brooks includes the liner notes, which explains that he thinks that these cuts, while energetic and enthusiastic, are from shows plagued with technical difficulties and so are far from the band at its peak. But this is still a terrific find for fans of this group whose output is so small.

This set opens with “Someone I Care About”, from the studio album, and has reasonably good sound and plenty of passion – I especially love the group chanting towards the end of the tune. Richman interacts with the audience in between songs and this sometimes seamlessly segues into the beginnings of the next number. “Dance with Me” is a new one, and starts – and remains - extremely quietly (unusual for so early in the set), with sparse chords from Jonathan and keyboardist Jerry Harrison.

The volume is back with vehemence for “She Cracked”, one of Richman’s hardest rockers, with a wonderful, somewhat extended staccato, dissonant chord stomper in the solo before blasting into the final chorus. Subdued again for “Hospital” (with an odd spoken intro about “the Jewish princess concept”), but with the powerful repeating bridge (reminiscent of the Stooges’ “1969”), Jonathan sounds particularly vulnerable here. Also previously unrecorded is “Womanhood”, a simple, short, pop ditty, not unlike his later solo work.

Wrestling at times with depression, but still realizing that suicide is not the answer, he wants us all to live to be “Dignified and Old”. Again, fairly faithful to the recorded version is “Girlfriend”, with its hilariously misspelled chorus and nice, melodic guitar solo which blends into a duet with the keys to great effect. Showing his love for the Velvet Underground, the group takes on their “Foggy Notion”, which highlights the similarities between the two bands. An extension of “Roadrunner” is “Ride On Down the Highway” – a little poppier, but thematically the same (even lyrically, at times) and musically not unlike the better known number.

“Pablo Picasso” is a bit more dissonant and caustic, but pretty close to what we’ve heard before, though with a bit more extended guitar lead. Another unknown is Richman’s romantic (despite him telling the girl to “just shut up” and that he “doesn’t want to hear about her stupid cats”) “A Plea for Tenderness”, a slowish number that would not have sounded out of place on VU’s Loaded. It has a truly cool vocal build-up before breaking down again and changing once more – this time reminiscent of “The Ocean” – and ending. Neat arrangement!

The real joy of this release is the wealth of unheard tunes and “Walk Up the Street” is another, though it sounds like a less frenetic “She Cracked” – still very cool. More unique is “Fly Into the Mystery”, another slow-to-mid tempo tune that, unfortunately, does not really stand out. A long monologue begins an early, more vicious “I’m Straight” that is nowhere near as conciliatory as the studio take and still has “Hippy Ernie” as the character that Jonathan rails against, before he changed the name to Johnny so that people would not think he was talking about his bassist. This is powerful, emotional and excellent.

Showing again that the Velvets were not his only influence, he takes the chord riff from the Stooges’ “Loose” for “The Mixer”. With clean guitars and a bit bouncier bass line, this has a more groovy, 60’s vibe, as Richman harangues men & women who play relationship games. “Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste” gives a musical nod to “Girlfriend” and a lyrical nod to “Dignified and Old” – he didn’t mind revisiting themes. The record closes with Richman telling the audience that the band will overcome its technical obstacles and get back to “precise Modern Lovers order”, which never quite happens, but they do give an intense (though slow) “Roadrunner”, with verbal mania ending the tune.

Obviously, anyone who has not heard the MLs before should first get their studio album, but once you have that, you will want more, and this is a fun collection. I still can’t imagine what Boston crowds (most likely more familiar with Aerosmith, the J. Geils band and hard rock cover groups) thought in the early 70’s when these cats hit the stage!

The Loons – Red Dissolving Rays of Light

2011-10-26T14:17:00.001-07:00

After catching San Diego’s Loons at the LV Shakedown recently, and being knocked out (once again) by their unique take on garage /psyche /rock’n’roll, I had to pick up their latest CD. I believe that I have missed a record since their debut, Love’s Dead Leaves, but the band is now a tight, rockin’ combo with more garage than psyche elements.

Opening with “Between Grey Slates” and its simple, catchy fuzz riff, you know right away what you’re getting in for. But then they take it even farther with the feedback & fuzz drenched “I Wanna Get You”, moving at sonic speed, not unlike a super-charged take on the Litter’s “Action Woman”, with interweaving lead guitars as an extra added bonus!.

Not to be pigeon-holed, the group then adds 12-string (courtesy of Marc Schoeder) and tremeloed guitars (Chris Marsteller), fine harmonies by bassist Anja Dixson, some pounding drums (Mike Kamoo) and more fuzz onto “La Mesa Boulevard” – these cats are far from one-dimensional! “Orphan Wing” starts out with some moody guitar chords, harmonies and a mid-paced groove that harkens back to some of the band’s tunes from their first release.

They continue to mix it up with “Summer’s End” – a stomping beat with 12 string guitar and highly melodic vocal lines along with a cool, fuzzed-out solo. The title cut has a superb, sustained, feedback-ridden guitar line moving throughout the melody to create a terrific number – Chris (I assume) really out-does himself here. I can see why they named the record after this!

A neat acoustic guitar opens up “A Last Goodbye”, giving it a bit of a Soundtrack of Your Lives feel (like the Ebbot-produced debut album), and a nice groove and catchy melody propels it along. A welcome breather after the last tune and a great song. “Stowaway” has a cool back-and-forth from super clean guitars (sounds like Chris is using his Fender Mustang on the licks here) on the verses and fuzzing-up the choruses.

Another real stand-out is the pounding, staccato-chords and memorable chorus of “Diamonds, Garbage & Gold”, which is sure to have you bouncing around while singing along! More 12-string psyche combining with noise-drenched fuzz (love the tone he’s getting here!) in “Heyday”, which could be about any number of people!

The band pulls most everything together for the finale – “Losers Win”. Soaring harmonies, cool beat, 12 string working with the 6 string to create a full sound, fine melody and, I swear, even a nod to the Sweet, though that might be my imagination!

The Loons continue their growth as a band with many influences, so don’t expect a pure garage/r’n’b experience, but do expect fine, well-written songs and fantastic musicianship! Another highly recommended outing from these cats!

The Rats – The Rise & Fall of Bernie Gripplestone and the Rats from Hull

2011-10-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

I became a fan of Mick Ronson due to his work in the Spiders of Mars, of course, but never had a chance to hear his work before joining up with Bowie. This CD gives an overview of his band, the Rats, career (I haven’t had a chance to read the extensive booklet yet, so may augment this review later with more information) and shows how early Ronson’s talent developed.

The first few tunes are somewhat typical – though still quite good – British r’n’b, which certainly shows Mick’s roots – he was always the rocker to Bowie’s conceptual artist, which was a winning combination for them! Interestingly, the group does an organ-dominated take on a traditional number called “New Orleans”, one can assume as a response to the Animals “House of the Rising Sun” and with the hopes of riding on the success of that tune.

But next up is a dramatic change and a multi-layered, psychedelic production for “The Rise & Fall of Bernie Gripplestone” (apparently, later the influence for the similarly titled Bowie album), with backwards guitars, trippy melody and cool changes. They kinda throw the kitchen sink at this one, but it works, in a late 60’s kinda way. Very enjoyable!

Not quite as over-the-top is the poppy, Creation-esque “Stop Get A Hold of Myself” that has some nice fuzz licks from Mick. Then, showcasing Ronson’s Jeff Beck fixation are the great “Guitar Boogie” and “Morning Dew” – highly rockin’ and you wouldn’t be blamed for assuming that these were Jeff Beck Group outtakes. Continuing in this vein is “Early in Spring”, a cool riff-rocker followed by the more traditional blues of “Telephone Blues”.

Again showing his later influence over Bowie, the Rats covered “It Ain’t Easy” before it was added to the Ziggy Stardust album. This live take is heavier and much more of a Ronson work-out – even showing his slide technique. Same with the other live cut – a version of Cream’s “ I Feel Free”, with enough originality to maybe not make it their own completely, but to make you understand that these cats are not pure copyists.

In a sadly ironic twist, the untimely death of Ronson was the catalyst for a Rats reunion and the remaining members played a tribute show and then recorded 3 new numbers – the bonus tracks for this CD. All are nice, blues rock tunes, including a take on Free’s version of “The Hunter” and all show that they were worthy musicians even without Mick.

All said, I dig this a lot, but objectively, this is probably more for Ronson fans than anyone else. This does give a good overview of the British rock scene in the 60’s and early 70’s though!

Isaiah Owens – You Without Sin Cast the First Stone

2011-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

I discovered Mr. Owens through the phenomenal gospel collection Fire In my Bones (more on this later) and was immediately struck by his crazed, disjointed and, frankly, somewhat psychotic, take on gospel blues. I thought that this was some insane 50’s genius, but upon reading the liner notes, realized that the cut included (the title of this CD), was from 1998! When I then found out that Isaiah had a full CD of these recordings available, I ordered it right away!

The entire record continues in the same vein – Owens singing and mangling a dissonant, slightly out-of-tune guitar, with gospel fever and passion, in a manner, as the liner notes say, of a “sanctified Hasil Adkins”! Hasil and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy were exactly what came to mind when I first heard him, though, naturally, with more gospel and blues influences.

This is not music for the faint-of-heart or those who like clean, easily definable tunes. But for those who love passionate madness and enthusiasm over proficiency, then get this – you will not regret it!

The Flamin' Groovies, Las Vegas Shakedown, Oct 15, 2011 LV Country Saloon

2011-10-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

We don't have the stamina to endure entire weekenders any more, but this Saturday night show seemed like the best of the weekend anyway, so we made it a point to get out of the house after an afternoon nap!

We got to the Las Vegas Country Saloon in time to catch most of the set of Boston's Muck and the Mires doing their garagey power-pop. They've got a cool sound, great harmonies (they do a spot-on version of the Knickerbockers "Lies"), a neat look (matching black outfits with Beatle boots) and a rockin' female drummer, though, in general, I like my garage a little less slick. Still, a fun combo.

Up next was San Diego's fabulous Loons, featuring Mike Stax (ex of many bands, including the Tell Tale Hearts and Crawdaddies) and his lovely wife Anja (ex of the Diaboliks). They've gone through some changes over the years, but I've got to say that they are better than ever. Mike is in constant motion on stage, and his voice just keeps getting stronger, the rhythm section (Anja and Mike Kamoo) is tight and powerful and the twin guitar team of Marc Schroeder and Chris Marsteller gives the band many sonic options (from 12 string to slide to clean sounds to heavy distortion). While the songs are still multi-faceted, the group is a little more garagey and less psychedelic and a ton of fun on stage! Definitely see 'em if ya can and pick up the great new CD, Red Dissolving Rays of Light.

LA's Hangmen seemed slightly out of place on this night of mostly garage-oriented bands, but the crowd (sparse as it was - unfortunately, the Shakedown is not bringing in as many people as it once did) certainly did not mind as Brian and his crew (including ex-Supersuckers Ron Heathman) pounded their way through their own brand of sleazy Hollywood r'n'r. Brian has some excellent new songs, but still fits in old crowd pleasers like "Downtown". They looked terrific, sounded terrific and tore the place up!

Before the Untamed Youth took the stage, Deke informed the crowd that the bands were not getting paid that night, which was kind of a downer and seems like a death knell for any further Shakedowns. But, the band was determined to entertain and blasted out their wild'n'crazy beer-soaked frat rock to much audience adoration! Apparently, they reformed just for this show, but you would never know it as they were a strong, r'n'r unit!

Closing the night and starting well after 2:00am (I don't know why LV shows go on so late - nobody likes this custom - not the audience and certainly not the bands) were the Flamin' Groovies, staring Cyril Jordan and the incomparable Roy Loney! I never heard for sure (and I can't find anything online) but I think that other members were from the original band, as well. In any case, they only did Loney-era tunes - which is the stuff that I love (Flamingo and Teenage Head are a couple of my all time favorite albums) - with the exception of the set closer, "Shake Some Action". I didn't write down the song titles, but I don't think that anyone could argue with the song choices - all fantastic material. Unfortunately, the band was a bit sloppy - I assume that they have not played together in a long time - but they had spirit and seemed to be having a good time and Loney was in excellent voice. Roy has gained a number of pounds over the years and is nowhere near as spry on stage as he once was, but still has a cool presence and had no problem rolling around on stage (as he did in the encore, "Slow Death"). After hearing that the band wasn't getting paid, the audience (which grew considerably for their set, coming from the other Shakedown locations to see this historic event) showered the band with cash during their set to show their support and appreciation!

A fun night of cool rock'n'roll in Las Vegas! Whoo-hoo!

Agile, Mobile, Hostile - A Year With Andre Williams

2011-10-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

I probably first became consciously aware of Andre Williams when the Cramps covered his great "Bacon Fat", but of course, was aware of his tunes, such as "Twine Time" and "Shake a Tail Feather". Many people have done versions of his songs, from Stevie Wonder to Ike & Tina Turner to the J. Geils Band and innumerable others.

This 2007 documentary shows a year in the life of Williams during his current trials and tribulations and club tours. He has various (comparatively) young white boy semi-punk backing bands that he uses in different locations and the film follows him through the States and Europe.

Unfortunately, his career has been derailed many times in his life due to his addictions - drugs and alcohol. He has been homeless at times and he is caught on film repeatedly in an incoherent state and even goes to jail during the filming.

This is a man who has had many hits, has worked at Motown and Chess and is still in demand, and yet is an unhealthy, fairly sad, old man, who can sometimes barely perform (which he obviously still loves to do) because of his addictions.

I got to see him with the fabulous Flash Express a few years back and he seemed in relatively good shape (he certainly had no problem hitting on my wife!) but this film shows how rough his life has been.

Certainly not joyous, but a good overview of this eccentric mad genius' life.

photographer for Beatles' "butcher cover" and lots more, dead at 71

2011-10-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Robert Whitaker Dead: Beatles Photographer Dies At 71
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latest aquisition - Epiphone 5102TE Hollow Body

2011-09-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

Just re-strung it and digging it a lot! The big, crazy whammy bar means that it doesn't fit in a standard case, though. Regardless, a nice neck, good action, cool looks - if it sounds good at practice, this could become my main Swamp Gospel guitar!

The Modern Lovers CD

2011-08-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

Once again I am astonished to discover another ground-breaking record that I have never written about here. As I’ve said, I’ve been fascinated with the Lovers since the 70’s and this record has enough darkness and madness from the usually child-like Jonathan Richman to ensure its place in my r’n’r heart.

Besides Jonathan, the band consisted of Ernie Brooks on bass, Jerry Harrison on keyboards (later of the Talking Heads) and drummer David Robinson who left when Richman continued to ask him to play quieter and removed his drums until he had only one left that he had to cover with a towel to decrease the volume! From here he went on to the garage-punk band DMZ (where he could – and did – play loudly and viciously) before fame and fortune in the Cars.

This record opens with Jonathan’s classic tune – with its classic opening of 1-2-3-4-5-6! – “Roadrunner”. This has been covered by many bands including the Sex Pistols (they, along with many early punk bands, cited the Modern Lovers as an important influence) and Joan Jett. A paeon to the joys of rock’n’roll and driving through the emptiness of New England. Fueled by Robinson’s insistent drumming, Harrison’s fuzz-tone organ and Jonathan’s cool lyrics with chants of “radio on!” by the band, this blasts out right from the start and never lets up.

A bit darker is “Astral Plane” – a minor key fantasy of stalking, but never getting, a girl in the real world, but meeting her in another dimension and discovering their shared past lives. Richman’s solo work is rudimentary, but highly effective and piercing in a Velvet Underground kinda way (he was a huge fan and friend of the band), and he intertwines with the keyboard to create multiple levels of sound.

Unlike many of the time, he was not afraid of proclaiming his love for days gone by, which is the basis of “Old World” and one of his many departures from other young people. This has a fine guitar/keyboard harmony solo and more Velvet rhythms. Oddly, the cool, staccato ending of “bye bye bye bye old world” is only heard at the end of the fade out. This was only meant to be a demo, so maybe there was a technical issue, but weird none-the-less.

One of his better-known tunes – and one that he continued to play throughout his career, unlike many of the Lovers’ songs – is “Pablo Picasso”. Wicked fuzz-tone guitars come and go through pounding keyboards (again, not unlike “Waiting for the Man”) as Richman sings, spits and slurs through lyrics of the famous artist, with the memorable lines “some people try to pick up girls and get called an asshole, this never happened to Pablo Picasso”. Of course, producer John Cale later did an frighteningly powerful take on this, which would become even more extreme in live situations.

His awkward insecurities are firmly in place in “I’m Straight”, where he tries to convince the girl that he would be a better beau because of his lack of drugs. Funnily, he changed the name of the girl’s boyfriend from “hippy Ernie” to “hippy Johnny” so as not to offend his bass player! Still eerie enough to know that though he didn’t take mind-altering items, Jonathan was certainly not normal! Of course, this was a highly unusual position to take and sing about at a time when very few kids were straight – and it goes without saying that this was long before the punk “straight-edge” movement.

Looking to a future where his problems of the day are resolved is another unconventional message song, “Dignified and Old”, where he again bucks the then-popular youth message. It can also be seen as an anti-suicide tune, telling kids that things will get better with time. Propelled by a single persistent chord, “She Cracked” ironically follows with a tale of a drug-addled girl who ends up institutionalized. This actually sounds psychotic, especially in the dissonant chord bashing middle section. “Hospital” logically comes next, with a sad, quiet tune of hope for the girl that he still loves. Another wonderful line: “I go to bakeries all day long, there’s a lack of sweetness in my life”. While it never gets manic, there is also a nod to the Stooges’ “1969” in the break.

Practically reprising the rhythms of “Old World”, the guitar drives “Someone I Care About”. Here he craves a girl he can truly care about, not a “cocaine sniffing tramp” who “appalls” him. Once again, the song is based on rhythms, not leads, and there are compelling changes within the unrelenting beat along with terrific lyrics, which are sung by the entire group to great effect at the end. Continuing in this lyrical line is “Girl Friend”, again detailing his hopes for the right girl – “g-i-r-l-f-r-e-n” – and including a truly lovely, harmony guitar lead.

From that ballad the band moves into another driving rocker, “Modern World”, showing that he cares about the present as well as the past. Lyrics move from being in love with the USA, to “put down that cigarette and act like a true girl” to shouts of “drop out of high school” and entreaties to “share the modern world with me”.

The CD closes with a tune that did not appear on the original album (which came out long after the recording, since these were only meant to be demos) but was from a later session with Kim Fowley (as was “I’m Straight”) and is much more indicative of his later, solo work. “Government Center” talks of bringing the band to this building to bring some much-needed joy to the employees’ drab lives. This is much more light-hearted than most of the other tunes and shows a bit more of his child-like charm that is highlighted in his solo work.

Absolutely a classic album that should be owned by everyone who loves real rock’n’roll made by true eccentrics.

There's Something About Jonathan - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - Tim Mitchell

2011-08-19T14:37:00.001-07:00

As promised, after reading and enjoying the cool Sonic Transmissions, I picked up this book of Tim Mitchell's, as well. Having been a fan of Richman's Modern Lovers since one of my 70's bands covered "Astral Plane", I was interested in finding out more about the band and Jonathan's solo work. This eccentric character has been going strong since the early 70's and it's fascinating to discover the different changes he has gone through over time.

As with his other book, Tim does not indulge in gossip here, but does give the reader some personal information, such as Jonathan's obsession with a married fan of the Modern Lovers who later became his wife (and source of happiness) until the relationship dissolved (no details of either the seduction or the split are included). A great many of his songs are based on either his fantasy or the reality of this union.

Mitchell gives a good discography and overview of each record and the wildly varied styles and musicians involved (from full band to accapella songs, from country to Mexican - ! - to ballads to r'n'r) and recounts many live shows from personal memories as well as those of other fans.

Sometimes the details get hazy - I'm still not sure when John Felice, later of the Real Kids, was in the band, since he came and went more than once - but the tale is quite enjoyable and compelling and told from a real fan's viewpoint.

Through this book I also found out about a cool live Modern Lovers CD - more on that later!

Again, a good read for those who want to know more about Richman's musical journey - as long as you are not looking for dirt!

cool

2011-08-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

Vinyl Record Sales Jump 55% in the UK
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Blues You Can Use – A Complete Guide to Learning Blues Guitar – by John Ganapes

2011-08-12T12:29:00.001-07:00

This book is an excellent learning tool, with lots of theory and exercises as well as some cool tunes with some hip riffs. Most of this stuff is fairly easy for anyone who has played for a while, but – as with some of the other books that I have – this has given me some new twists and turns that I never came up with on my own. Again, there is a good variety of styles (major & minor blues, 9ths, dirty delta styles and slick urban licks), as well as plenty of information on theory, scales, chords, sixths, harmonies and more.

Each example goes through a complete blues progression (not just a snippet of a couple of bars as many of the books do) twice, which I like. So, the first time you can hear what it is supposed to sound like and maybe start playing and the second time through you can be comfortable with it. The sequences that they consider more difficult have a slowed-down version as well as a "normal" version. The exercises all build from the previous information and grow in difficulty as the book progresses.

I had little or no “proper” training when I started playing lo those many years ago, and this book has added a lot to my understanding of the licks that I already play, as well as giving me a lot to work on. I think this would be terrific for beginners and yet has a lot for everyone.

B.B. King Guitar Play Along (Hal Leonard Volume 100)

2011-08-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

This is a great book that is exactly what it says it is - a terrific lesson on how to play along with BB King songs (8 of them included) with the entire song tabbed for guitar. Everything seems accurate and so this is a great way to learn a lot of cool blues licks. No, BB is not a wild blues man like someone like Hendrix or Buddy Guy (though some of these are mighty speedy), but his riffs are right on the money and have plenty of soul.

Well worth the money! Songs include: "Just Like a Woman", "Paying the Cost to be the Boss", "Please Accept My Love", "Rock Me Baby", "Sweet Little Angel", "Sweet Sixteen", "Why I Sing the Blues" & "You Upset Me Baby". The CD sounds identical to BB's originals minus the vocals and each song has one version with the guitar and one version without so that you can play along with it. Great!

Solo Blues Guitar instructional book

2011-08-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

This Dave Ruben book is another deceptively simple instructional tool that actually covers a lot of different ground and gives you plenty of good musical information.

The concept of the book is to teach you how to play solo - not play lead guitar necessarily, but play the blues by yourself and keep it full sounding. So each piece is a mix of chords (and parts of chords) and licks combined to make a whole tune and goes over the entire blues progression - sometimes more than once, which sounds you the variations possible on a theme. A lot of it is simple - running up or down a scale - but then there will be unusual and creative bits tossed in that makes you do a double take and want to figure out how to throw that into your bag of tricks.

Again, there is a nice variety of blues styles showcased and with 55 exercises, there is plenty to keep you occupied for a good, long time. Not for experts, but if you were an expert you wouldn't need instructional books, would you?!

Until the Light Takes Us (documentary)

2011-08-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

I never knew much about the Norwegian Black Metal scene but had heard enough wild stories to be interested in learning more, so when this documentary popped up in Netflicks, I decided to check it out.

Black Metal started out much earlier than I imagined - in the 80's - and the originators are still revered to this day. Besides being an intense music genre that was the predecessor of the still-thriving Death Metal, it was also a philosophy and a way of life to many. This varies from extreme right-wing values such as white power, nationalism and anti-homosexuality to the other end of the spectrum with atheistic, pagan and anti-Christianity views. It was the former that caused much of the violence of the scene and the later that was the basis for the renown church burnings. Somehow this all fit together in the minds of some of these metal heads.

The film makers interview many of the originators, who speak frankly of one of their peers' suicide (a picture was taken of his brains spattered over the room which became an album cover - they thought it was too bad that he killed himself but at least they got some good photos!), of their violence (more than one murder is admitted to on film), and the burnings. Although I strongly disagree with the destruction of personal property, I can understand the latter as they are correct in saying that Christianity is the cause of much of the world's problems.

As it happens with many scenes, this one changed over time and is no longer what it originally was meant to be (including the additions of Satanic expressions - originally it was more Pagan and anti-Christian than Satanic) but many are still working in the genre - those who haven't been killed or are on the run.

This is a fascinating tale of extreme people whose music became their lifestyle - not unlike rap in some ways, though rap is less musical and sometimes even more violent - and how it transcended music to include politics, paranoia and anti-religious themes.

You're Gonna Miss Me - A Film About Roky Erikson

2011-08-10T09:29:00.001-07:00

I've been a huge fan of Roky's for decades and love his work with the legendary 13th Floor Elevators as well as his harder, more metallic solo ventures. This film documents his career, from the meteoric rise of his first band - with tributes from such figures as fellow Texan Billy Gibbons - to his prodigious drug use and subsequent marijuana bust, which landed him in a local mental institute (his chose this instead of jail). Between his diagnosed schizophrenia, drug use and electro shock therapy, he was never quite the same after this. He retired from music for a while, returned in the 70's and early 80's with super-strong but much darker tunes and then went on a more downward turn.

This film shows recounts these stories and more and interviews his very dysfunctional family, who all - even the more "normal" ones - seem to have issues of their own. His mother, who was his guardian for a time, seemed to barely be able to take care of herself (and seems to have her own mental issues) and due to religious convictions, didn't want Roky to take medication for his schizophrenia. He eventually started getting treatment, but never seemed to have fully recovered. He is making music again, though I have not heard anything yet.

This is a fascinating story of a true mad genius whose insanity gave this world a multitude of wonderful music, but at a huge cost to the creator. Once again showing the fine line - that is all too often crossed - between inspiration and madness.

New York Rocker - My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop and Others - Gary Valentine

2011-07-31T10:03:00.001-07:00

Gary Valentine is best known for his time in the original Blondie (after Television stole their first bassist, Fred Smith) and for writing/co-writing songs such as "X-Offender" & "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear". His biography naturally concentrates on this exciting time in New York as the first bands who were part of what became known as the punk rock movement started making the scene. Obviously, the sounds varied wildly, from art-rock such as Television and Patti Smith to proto-punk like the Ramones, to the retro sounds of bands like Blondie. Gary talks of his remembrances of the many well-known tales of the times and of the many famous and not so famous bands that he encountered.

After recording the iconic Blondie album and touring with the group, Valentine left the band and moved to LA for a number of years and formed his own band, the Know. Most of the time he spent in LA was before I moved to town, but many of the clubs and people he talks about were still on the scene, so it is interesting to hear him talk about these from his perspective. He hated what punk became and especially the hard-core movement and he continued in his more new-wave/pop direction. I didn't realize that after he left town, the group continued for at least a couple of years and were reasonably successful, though he could never get another "real" record deal.

He toured with Iggy - which gives him plenty of material to write about - and then retired from music for 15 years before - very briefly - being involved in the Blondie reunion, which he was then bitterly booted from. Apparently, now he mainly writes.

Another good read of the early days of the punk & new wave movements and especially interesting as he contrasts the NY & LA scenes (though he is definitely East Coast centric). I liked this as a follow up to the Television book (which actually referenced a couple of Valentine's reminisces) and it is generally filled with youthful, r'n'r enthusiasm, tempered as it is with some unkind words to those he doesn't care for.

Slow Blues: Blues Play-a-Long Volume 3

2011-07-29T14:02:00.001-07:00

I've already written about some of the other guitar instructional books that I have but I have to give a warning about this one - DO NOT BUY!

This is a complete rip-off and totally useless and a surprise coming from the usually reliable Hal Leonard series. The "easy-to-read, authentic lead sheets" are nothing more than the lyrics, melody lines and the name of the chords. Nothing that you could possibly use to learn the song, unless you want to sing it.

There is a CD that accompanies the book, but it simply allows you to play along with the song - just like you could do with the regular CD of the tunes. Yes, you can turn off a channel and turn off the guitar, but that doesn't do you a lot of good if you don't know what the guitar is playing!

Now I am no longer sure that I can trust any Hal Leonard book, despite having several very good ones. Very disappointing.

Stones in Exile (DVD)

2011-07-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

When I first started watching this documentary, the introductory footage of people like Don Was, Sheryl Crow, Jack White and one of the Kings of Leon basically saying "I don't know anything about this, why are you asking me?" made me worried that this would be another horrible MTV-esque doc where "stars" are interviewed who weren't even around at the time.

Fortunately, this was soon dispelled and there is tons and tons of period footage, interviews with the Stones and significant others (Bobby Keys, Anita Palliberg, etc) then & now and even some fantastic live footage. This tale is of a wild time in r'n'r and a fantastically creative time in the Stones' world with some extraordinarily talented extras. Yes, everyone knows the story of them having to leave England for tax purposes (hence the "exile") and ending up in France, where they recorded their first double album in the basement of a house that Keith was renting. But this shows the reality of it all and a lot of the day to day boredom and madness that made up their extravagant r'n'r lifestyles. Out of it all they managed to make one of the grungiest records of their careers, which was almost universally panned when it came out and is now considered one of the most significant records in rock.

I actually just saw the main doc part of this via Netflicks, so can't comment on the extras, but this is another fun, inspirational bit of r'n'r history and something that every music fan should see.

Sonic Transmission – Television, Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell – by Tim Mitchell

2011-07-22T14:27:00.001-07:00

This band bio gives an overview of Television’s career, from the rebellious school days of Tom Miller /Verlaine & Richard Meyers/Hell (where they met as teenagers and even at one point ran away together) through the later reunions. It appears that a lot of the information is taken from previously released interviews, but it is compiled in an interesting, entertaining and informative way. Mitchell seems to have done his homework well and tells quite a tale of these true characters that essentially started the NY punk scene and “discovered” CBGBs and turned it into a punk haven.

The men began their new lives in New York as poets (having moved there from Wilmington & Lexington) before deciding to attempt to mix their art with r’n’r, as peers like Patti Smith had begun to do. While they were consciously trying to create something different, I’m certain they had no idea that they be the progenitors of a new musical movement.

Richard Hell’s solo career is given in a simple outline form, as is Verlaine’s later work. This could have been fleshed out more, but, of course, the focus of the book is Television, the band, so that is excusable.

I enjoyed this enough that I have already ordered Mitchell’s book on Jonathan Richman – There’s Something About Jonathan. Hopefully that is as good as this was is!

Edgeplay – A Film About the Runaways – Directed by Victory Tischler-Blue

2011-07-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

As the title states, this 2004 movie is a documentary about the Runaways (as opposed to the recent bio-pic about the band) directed by their 2^nd bassist, Vicki Blue. She interviews everyone involved, other than Joan Jett and final bassist, Laurie McAllister (which is understandable as she was only in the band for a couple of months before moving on to another Kim Fowley project, the Orchids).

The flick spends some time on lyricist Kari Krome, which is interesting, as I have never seen her interviewed before and her contribution to the band is often forgotten. The rest of the women tell their tales pretty frankly, opening up about a number of emotional issues that I have never heard discussed before, although they demur about some topics. These are often brutally honest, from singer Cherie Currie talking about abuse from Fowley and affairs with Joan & Sandy, bassist Jackie Fox relating the story of her attempted suicide and eventual departure from the band, drummer Sandy West telling about years of drug abuse and time spent as a pusher’s enforcer and Lita coming off as a heartless bitch – literally laughing at the other’s horrific problems.

This appears to be a first attempt at direction from Tischler-Blue and it shows, from the extremely clichéd shots (Sandy attempting to “run from her problems” in slow motion being one of the most blatant examples), weird superimpositions, odd background music choices (she could not get the rights to use the Runaways’ songs, so, other than a couple of live covers – “Rock’n’Roll” & “Wild Thing” – most of the music is by Suzi Quatro – understandble, but not always fitting to the scene) and painfully shakey camera work, to the point of being reminiscent of Blair Witch Project.

Definitely not a fun rock’n’roll film, but a somewhat depressing tale of young girls who were taken advantage of, and in some cases, abused, but were able to live a dream that most people can only imagine and who left behind a legacy that to this day influences young women everywhere.

PS - Sadly, Sandy West succumbed to cancer in 2006 without ever getting her wish of being able to get the band to reform.

I was not familiar with his name, but certainly with his work

2011-07-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Jerry Ragovoy, Writer of Soulful Ballads, Dies at 80
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Wow - Time is on My Side, Try (Just a Little Bit Harder), Piece of My Heart, Cry Baby, and many more. Another talent lost...

Charlie Watts by Alan Grayson

2011-07-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is a nice little biography of the great Rolling Stones drummer, listing his accomplishments and projects before and during his time with the Stones. Not much juicy gossip here (even Watts' time dappling in heroin is almost an aside) but a cool overview of the man behind the beat. Not much to say besides that - it's a quite enjoyable read!

(PS - there's even a shout-out to Ugly Things/ Loons couple Mike & Anya Stax in the opening thanks section.)

another talent gone

2011-06-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Comic book artist Gene Colan dies at 84

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Gene Colan worked for both Marvel & DC and penciled many of the greats.

Not exactly rock'n'roll, but a definite pop icon.

I hate seeing so many talents from my youth leaving us. Very sad...

another mad genius gone - RIP Wild Man Fischer

2011-06-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Wild Man Fischer, Outsider Musician, Dies at 66

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Very sad - I loved his wonderful insanity. Even got to see him perform a couple of tunes at Rajis in Hollywood one time and would occasionally talk with him as he wandered the streets of LA. He will be missed.

RIP Poly Styrene

2011-04-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Far too young.

X-ray Spex were one of the best of the early wave of British punk bands and comparatively unique in their use of saxophone as a punk instrument (well before the NY No-Wave scene). Poly was a teenage girl fronting a punk band and writing her own material. Definitely a true role model. She is missed...

Click the link to see a video of their excellent "Oh Bondage Up Yours".

Happy ResErection Day!

2011-04-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

(Is that less offensive than Happy Zombie Jesus Day?)

Get Yer Ya-Yas Out - 40th anniversary edition

2011-04-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Finally got a good deal on this 40th anniversary edition of the classic Rolling Stones live record. This set contains 3 CDs and a DVD, as well as a beautiful, hard-cover booklet and a card-sized version of the tour poster that these recordings were taken from. One CD is the original LP, of course, one contains a handful of unreleased tunes ("Prodigal Son", "You Go to Move", "Under My Thumb"/"I'm Free" medley and "Satisfaction") and one contains tunes from BB King's & Ike & Tina Turner's sets. Cool stuff all, but it seems like there should be more than this. The DVD contains the same unreleased tunes as the CD - again, seems like there could have been tons more. But, not complaining - great set, great sound, love BB's & I&T's sets and the packaging is excellent. Worth it if you can get it discounted - not quite sure about the full list price of $51.49.

Happy Record Store Day!

2011-04-16T18:19:00.001-07:00

We had to make a stop at our local Zia for Record Store Day!
Also got a cool Zia pint mug and t-shirt!

Magic Dick & Jay Geils - Little Car Blues

2011-03-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

The cats from the incredible J. Geils Band have grown and matured since their time in the hottest (white) blues/r'n'b band of the 60's/70's but still have their hearts firmly rooted in the blues. They are now taking a bit mellower groove, though, and are creating a big band/swing/jump blues sound as opposed to the gritty Chicago blues the original group was based on. This is still fine stuff, but not as wild as dirty as the old days.

Magic Dick is singing lead here as well as playing phenomenal harp, but he is just ok as a vocalist - nowhere near as "magical" as he is on harmonica. The backing band includes a second guitarist, drummer and stand up bassist, which adds to the more trad/swing sounds.

Fans of the fantastic J. Geils Band should not be expecting more of the same, but if you dig variety in your blues (T-Bone Walker, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, etc), then check these guys out for more fiery licks!

Black Snake Moan - Soundtrack

2011-03-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have been fascinated with the bizarre, almost surrealistic movie Black Snake Moan since it came out and, of course, have totally dug the main character, Lazarus (played by Samuel Jackson), a retired bluesman who still falls back on his music in times of trouble and sorrow. This soundtrack, while flawed as almost all soundtracks are, is a cool companion to this very politically incorrect movie filled with twisted biblical allegories and wild symbolism (a space heater is one of the main characters in the story!).

The movie is dedicated to bluesman R.L. Burnside and utilizes many of his songs and even his sidemen. Jackson actually learned how to play guitar for the movie, though I'm not sure if he really appears on the soundtrack or he just used that so that he could be convincing on screen. Jackson does sing here though and there are some superb moody tracks ("Black Snake Moan" - a Blind Lemon Jefferson tune - and "Just Like a Bird Without a Feather") and outrageously upbeat wildness ("Alice Mae", "Stackolee"). Other artists on the soundtrack include Burnside himself, John Doe (of X), Precious Bryant, the Black Keys and more.

Not a perfect blues album by any stretch but some fun tunes worth checking out. Funnily, this soundtrack tends to be more expensive than the DVD itself, but both are cool blues!

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way

2011-03-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

I think I stumbled across this band via Crooks and Liars Late Night Music Club and was highly impressed by what I heard. This modern band perfectly mimics the fine soul sounds of the late 60's/early 70's with super vocals by Sharon Jones (with tones ranging from Petula Clark to Lisa Kekaula from the Bell Rays) and classy backings from the 8 piece (!) Dap-Kings, who are sometimes augmented by additional musicians!

Any fans of great, sweet soul should pick this up! I will definitely be looking into Jones' other records!

aww, bummer - RIP Pinetop Perkins

2011-03-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Longtime blues piano player Pinetop Perkins dies

Muddy Waters was looking for a new piano player when chain-smoking journeyman Pinetop Perkins showed off his aggressive keyboarding during a jam session.

"He liked what he heard. The rest is history," said Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, who was a drummer in Waters' band back in 1969.

By then, Perkins, an old school bluesman with the gravelly voice, for years had played the rickety bars among the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, and toured far beyond them with rock pioneer Ike Turner in the 1950s. He performed with the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson and slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk.

When he and Waters hooked up, Pinetop was in his 50s and never had recorded an album of his own but "had more energy than us younger folks did," Smith said.

That verve kept him jamming in the clubs and collecting Grammy Awards until shortly before his death from cardiac arrest Monday at his Austin, Texas, home. He was 97.

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The Big Horn – The History of the Honkin’ and Screamin’ Saxophone

2011-03-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have always been a big fan of the 40’s & 50’s sax-oriented jazz, jump-blue & R’n’B that was the obvious precursors of R’n’R. This music had the wild abandon and energy that would later epitomize r’n’r and which drove its own audiences into the same type of frenzy. The honkin’ & screamin’ saxophone was just as vitally important to this music as the guitar later became and, in fact, did much to influence the sound and style of the guitar and the guitarists. (For those who don’t know, the original fuzz boxes were meant to imitate the sound of a sax, due to that instrument’s popularity and the sax players were probably wilder and had more stage presence that 98% of all rock players.)

I have never been well versed in this music, though, other than a couple of compilations and knowing who Big Jay McNeeley was (and having had the privilege of seeing him in the late 80’s/early 90’s). This 4-CD set of over 100 songs contains many, if not all, of the important players of this phenomenon and is a fantastic overview. Again, I found this at a very reasonable price and again the packaging and huge booklet are terrific and informative.

Anyone who wants to learn where their favorite guitarist picked up his sounds and moves should grab & study this amazing set! (Great pick of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady tripping to the sounds on the cover, too!)

The Cosimo Matassa Story

2011-03-18T11:58:00.001-07:00

I just found out about this legendary New Orleans studio via the Dr. John book. When I discovered this 120 song (!), 4-CD set at a very reasonable price on Amazon, I had to pick it up.

This is a terrific collection for any lover of early r'n'r, R'n'B, blues and the New Orleans sound. Dozens of artists are showcased, from T-Bone Walker to Fats Domino to Little Richard to Guitar Slim to Pee Wee Crayton to Huey "Piano" Smith to Clarence "Frogman" Henry and many, many, many more.

This comes with a large, info-packed booklet and superb packaging. There are no negatives here (other than not one, but two versions of the tune that became Chuck Berry's biggest - and most annoying - hit, "My Ding-a-Ling") so grab it if you see it!

Under a Hoodoo Moon – The Life of the Night Tripper – Dr. John (Mac Rebennack)

2011-03-14T12:44:00.001-07:00

This autobiography of Dr. John, the Night Tripper (Mac Rebennack) draws you in right from the start with his tales of growing up in New Orleans and its food, street life, street characters, Mardi Gras traditions and, of course, the music. Mac writes in a cool, hipster, jivey way, keeping in the style of the times and the music scene. I love New Orleans in general and this sounds like it was a wonderful time to live and grow up in this fascinating city.

Apparently, nearly everyone in the town played boogie-woogie piano and his family was no exception - he grew up with cool music being played around him in the homes of his relatives and, of course, the local clubs, almost constantly. In a funny twist, seeing as I grew up a few years later with the emergence of the Beatles and the British Invasion, Mac, while drawn to the piano, thought that there were so many good piano players that he should learn to play the guitar - a less common instrument at the time! How things would change!

He infiltrated the music scene as a teenager and was soon gigging around town as well as on the famous Chittlin’ Circuit. Along with this came the vices and he was hitting heroin while still a teen. He still managed to become a producer as well as musician for innumerable New Orleans recordings while also gigging on a regular basis. This went on until an anti-vice politician shut down most of the clubs (and consequently, the NO music scene) and, at about the same time, Mac went to the slammer.

Upon his re-entry to society, Rebennack moved to LA (where many NO musicians moved to after the scene died in their home town), got another producer/songwriter gig, played on many pop tracks (including bands like Sonny & Cher and the Monkees, which he hated) and eventually scored some studio time and created his alter ego, Dr. John, with a number of other NO musicians who wanted to get back to their roots and have some fun after playing studio pap all the time. He hit big time with this for a while, but with the all-too-common management issues (along with his drug problem), he really didn't get to savor his accomplishments.

But, Mac continues to play to this day and has done many things, from winning Grammies to kicking dope. This is a terrific tale told in a compelling and entertaining way. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in New Orleans in particular and cool 50's/60's R&B in general.

Suzi Quatro – Unzipped

2011-03-01T08:21:00.001-08:00

This is a perfect title for an autobiography of the leather jumpsuit-clad 70’s rocker chick, which is told in a casual, unassuming way, giving plenty of personal as well as musical information along the way. Sometimes, especially as she tells of her early years, she gets a little overly cutesy, but not to the point of annoyance.

Suzi grew up in a musical family – her father was a working musician when she was a child (with all of the temptations and vices that come with that) and her siblings all played and sang – and consequently formed the Pleasure Seekers with her sisters and some neighbors. This all-female group recorded the 60’s garage classic “What a Way to Die” as their first single with Suzi singing and I get the impression that she has no idea that this is probably her most often covered song of her career! The band actually did far more than I suspected, lasting several years, procuring a recording contact with Mercury Records (which apparently did nothing), and touring the country before mutating into Cradle, an all-girl jam band, and then dissolving. Suzi was then picked up by producer Mickie Most, taken to England and given 18 MONTHS to get her act together! If only this kind of development was encouraged these days, who knows what kind of talent might emerge!

Of course her hey-day as a Chinn-Chapman glam rock leather girl was the highlight of her career for me, but then she moved on to even bigger success as Leather Tuscadero in the TV show Happy Days, and then had a couple of her biggest hits with some of the worst disco-pop-drek imaginable – shit that to this day I thought was someone like Olivia Newton John, not ricker-chick Suzi Quatro. I thought that her musical career had long been over by this time, but it was just because I would turn these songs off the second they came on the radio so I never knew they were hers!

Suzi is also a little over-the-top in her spirituality – including numerous ghost sightings, possessions and who knows what all. A bit much for this atheistic skeptic. She also gets somewhat whiny at times, not feeling appreciated, complaining about friends, family and lovers and generally not getting the treatment she felt she deserved (rightfully or not).

She moved on to acting – stage and TV – from music and actually seemed to prefer that, something that I find difficult to comprehend as a life-long rocker, who would have loved to have earned a living making music.

The book has a surprising number of typos, but I get the feeling that this is a small press. Otherwise, this is an engaging tale of a multi-talented - and certainly flawed - cult personality who has moved in many different media circles and never really gained major success or notoriety in her home country.

R.I.P. Rick Kulwicki of the Fluid

2011-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Article in the Denver Westword Blogs with some cool videos of the Fluid and his new garage band, the Buckingham Squares.

The Fluid was absolutely one of the best rock'n'roll bands of the late 80's/early 90's.

Another tragic loss at a far too early age....

Keith Richards - Life

2011-02-09T10:04:00.001-08:00

Keef has finally decided to tell his own story and he does it in an informal, casual way. For most of the book, it sounds as if someone was transcribing a conversation with Richards. He jumps around a bit, he throws in odd asides (towards the end he starts giving recipes for his version of bangers and mash!), gets a little snarky now and again, occasionally sounds like a bit of an ass (but don’t we all when looking back at our lives?) and even gives a glimmer into songwriting.

He has some harsh words for Mick, but also some high praise, as he does with most of the characters in the book. He has had relationships of all types, and his friends and lovers are quite varied. Not a lot of dirt here, but I for one, didn’t know about his intimate relationship with Ronnie Spector, which is enough to make most human males jealous.

I would have liked a bit more about the music and recording, though he does explain some bits and pieces, such as learning to use the open G tuning (which has been used on many of their biggest hits, such as “Honky Tonk Women”, “Brown Sugar” and “Start Me Up”) from banjo tuning! And he does go into his & Mick's songwriting techniques a little.

Overall, any fan should definitely own and enjoy, though don’t look for a lot of detailed info. Still, a fun read.

and RIP Gary Moore

2011-02-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore dies in Spanish hotel
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While not on their biggest sellers, Moore was a part of Thin Lizzy history and sad to see him go so young.

RIP Tura Satana

2011-02-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

Tura Satana, Cult Actress, Dies
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Besides the cult hit Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill!, Tura also starred in such B-movie greats as Astro Zombies, the Doll Squad and even Our Man Flint!

While she never made any music (that I know of), she was highly influential in r'n'r, from the Cramps covering the theme for Faster Pussycat to bands naming themselves after her.

She will be missed...

the science behind our love for music

2011-01-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Study: Love music? Thank a substance in your brain
NEW YORK – Whether it's the Beatles or Beethoven, people like music for the same reason they like eating or having sex: It makes the brain release a chemical that gives pleasure, a new study says.

The brain substance is involved both in anticipating a particularly thrilling musical moment and in feeling the rush from it, researchers found.

Previous work had already suggested a role for dopamine, a substance brain cells release to communicate with each other. But the new work, which scanned people's brains as they listened to music, shows it happening directly.

While dopamine normally helps us feel the pleasure of eating or having sex, it also helps produce euphoria from illegal drugs. It's active in particular circuits of the brain.

The tie to dopamine helps explain why music is so widely popular across cultures, Robert Zatorre and Valorie Salimpoor of McGill University in Montreal write in an article posted online Sunday by the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The study used only instrumental music, showing that voices aren't necessary to produce the dopamine response, Salimpoor said. It will take further work to study how voices might contribute to the pleasure effect, she said.

The researchers described brain-scanning experiments with eight volunteers who were chosen because they reliably felt chills from particular moments in some favorite pieces of music. That characteristic let the experimenters study how the brain handles both anticipation and arrival of a musical rush.

Results suggested that people who enjoy music but don't feel chills are also experiencing dopamine's effects, Zatorre said.

PET scans showed the participants' brains pumped out more dopamine in a region called the striatum when listening to favorite pieces of music than when hearing other pieces. Functional MRI scans showed where and when those releases happened.

Dopamine surged in one part of the striatum during the 15 seconds leading up to a thrilling moment, and a different part when that musical highlight finally arrived.

Zatorre said that makes sense: The area linked to anticipation connects with parts of the brain involved with making predictions and responding to the environment, while the area reacting to the peak moment itself is linked to the brain's limbic system, which is involved in emotion.

The study volunteers chose a wide range of music — from classical and jazz to punk, tango and even bagpipes. The most popular were Barber's Adagio for Strings, the second movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Debussy's Claire de Lune.

Since they already knew the musical pieces they listened to, it wasn't possible to tell whether the anticipation reaction came from memory or the natural feel people develop for how music unfolds, Zatorre said. That question is under study, too.

Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, an expert on music and the brain at Harvard Medical School, called the study "remarkable" for the combination of techniques it used.

While experts had indirect indications that music taps into the dopamine system, he said, the new work "really nails it."

Music isn't the only cultural experience that affects the brain's reward circuitry. Other researchers recently showed a link when people studied artwork.

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Just Kids - Patti Smith

2011-01-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

Obviously, Patti Smith is a gifted poet and songwriter, but this book proves that she is also a terrific story teller and author. Concentrating on the time that Patti spent with Robert Mapplethorpe as a lover, friend, confidant and fellow artist, she also delves a little into their early years to give the reader some background on the characters. Their time in New York City is the time that both of these talented outcasts grew – together and apart – through life’s experiences and many chance encounters.

Robert & Patti met simply because Robert was one of the people currently occupying an address Patti had for some old friends who had moved to the city. Another, later coincidental street meeting brought them together and they rarely left each other’s sides for years afterwards.

A random series of happenstance brought them to the Chelsea Hotel, which brought them into contact with such diverse and influential people as the poets Corso and Ginsberg, musicians such as Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin (Patti was there when Kris Kristofferson first sang Janis “Me and Bobbie McGee”), and Jimi Hendrix, as well as Warhol’s contingent and the likes of Sam Sheppard. These and others – and each other – encouraged both Patti & Robert and Patti convinced Robert to start taking his own pictures for his artwork (he was mostly doing collages and assemblages at the time) and Robert convinced Patti to do poetry readings.

From there, both grew as artists but also grew apart (to an extent) as Robert explored his homosexuality and Patti traveled and took other lovers (such as Jim Carroll, Allen Lanier of Blue Oyster Cult, Tom Verlaine and her eventual husband, MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith). They remained friends and continued to encourage each other and kept in touch throughout their lives.

I find it interesting that Patti waited until after her husband's death before writing this story, as she makes it sound as if Robert was her soul mate and the love of her life and she obviously cared a great deal for him right up until - and after - his death. In fact, he had her promise him that she would write their story and here it is - and it is well done, enjoyable and a terrific insight into the lives of these artists as they lived, loved and starved until they gained their well deserved fame.

Deep Purple – Fireball 25th Anniversary Edition

2011-01-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

I have already reviewed the American release of this record, which had a slightly different track listing – it included the terrific “Strange Kind of Woman” in place of the also great “Demon’s Eye”. Both of the releases should have contained these two songs and left out the painfully dreadful “Anyone’s Daughter”, which is a bad joke that they should have kept to themselves.

This 25^th Anniversary Edition has improved sound and also a bevy of bonus material. The original UK track listing is intact with “Strange Kind of Woman” added at the end, so you get the best of both worlds. The first bonus track is already better than the low points of the official release – “So Alone” has almost a Latin beat propelled by drum-master Ian Paice and fed with neat licks from Blackmore and Lord topped with a catchy melody. “Freedom” is purposely a mix of old school rock’n’roll (written to be a replacement of “Lucille” as an encore tune, with melodic references to this classic) and their brand of heavy rock and this works to great effect. Gillian stretches out with his patented high-pitched screams and Lord gets to work out on acoustic piano. Maybe they thought this was too derivative but again, this eclipses many of the previously released cuts.

Somewhat less successful is “Slow Train”, which has a great, rockin’ beat, and seems to be made up with bits and pieces that they instead used in other songs. Ian’s vocals and melodies are nothing special here, either – this one is understandable as an outtake. The re-mix of “Demon’s Eye” doesn’t change it very much to my ears, though I am not overly familiar with the song. “The Noise Abatement Society Tapes” show the band goofing off with familiar themes, such as the "William Tell Overture", but seemingly drunkenly and with much hilarity.

Also included is an instrumental version of “Fireball” (still mighty powerful), a solo piano track that was manipulated, taped backwards and put at the ending of “No One Came”, and, fittingly, a remix of “No One Came”.

Much improved from the original release, though still not the band’s best, by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not sure who was their producer at the time, but the final track listing of the LP would have been much better with a couple of these bonus tunes replacing some of the final tracks and this album would be remembered much more fondly. Ah, but such is hindsight…

(PS - the full color, 28 page booklet is a wonderful addition, too!)

Jimi Hendrix – South Saturn Delta

2011-01-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

A seemingly endless supply of unreleased Hendrix material apparently exists, though, of course, some is considerably better than others and none was completed to Jimi’s satisfaction and ready for release. But engineer Eddie Kramer has been involved in these new releases and has done his best to come up with quality material and items of interest. These really are just for fans as the “official” releases are still Hendrix’s finest moments.

That said, this CD gives another look into the mind of this guitar genius and shows some early takes on classics and previous versions of songs that changed dramatically before being “finished”.

“Look Over Yonder” was originally included on the Rainbow Bridge soundtrack and is a powerful piece with a lot of intricate guitar interplay. The early demo titled “Little Wing” actually has far more in common with the later release, “Angel” and very little to do with the lovely song from Axis, but shows the amount of changes that can go into a tune before it is molded into its final shape.

“Here He Comes (Lover Man)” is well known from live shows but this fine studio version was never released until now. The title track is unique and interesting in the inclusion of a 4 piece horn section – something that was never done on any official release. Unfortunately, this sounds like a fairly loose jam and was certainly never meant to be a finished piece.

After being featured on the live Band of Gypsys album, the studio “Power of Soul” was relegated to the tape vaults, except for an abbreviated cut on the Crash Landing LP, that had some new studio additions. This is the entire, original tune. Another Band of Gypsys tune is “Message to the Universe (Message to Love)”, though this take is with the expanded Gypsy Sun and Rainbows group and has some noticeable and enjoyable differences, including a ravin’ guitar crescendo.

An instrumental cover by an obscure Swedish group, “Tax Free” has never really hit home with me as a memorable track. Of course, Jimi’s playing is terrific and interesting, but regardless of its time changes and arrangement, it sounds like a jam. Not bad, just not up to par with Hendrix’s own compositions. An early mix of “All Along the Watchtower” has most of the components of the final release but with enough variation to again make it interesting in the comparison. “Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice” (STP/LSD) was a big reason that I wanted this release, as this tune has previously only been available on the UK version of the Smash Hits album, so I wanted a CD take. This is the original version of this fun and eclectic and wonderfully noisy, outer space song.

“Midnight” (aka “Midnight Lightning”) was an Experience tune proposed for their never-to-be-released fourth album and was eventually added to the War Heroes album. Another instrumental, this original composition seems to have more substance to it than, say, “Tax Free” and it would have been fascinating to see how Jimi would have fleshed it out (if at all). A four track demo of “Sweet Angel” featuring just Hendrix is more complete and sounds better than many bands finished products! This shows the song in practically its finished state and is a superb document. Unfortunately, the only surviving master tape is damaged at the beginning, so the track begins with the song already in progress.

Mitchell and Cox back up the man for another original take on the blues, “Bleeding Heart” which is followed by another Rainbow Bridge soundtrack instrumental, “Pali Gap”. This began as a jam but was augmented with extra guitar(s) but never officially titled by Jimi, but given this name as a connection to Hawaii, the locale of the Rainbow Bridge movie. This is a surprisingly strong composition, given its origin.

There are a number of Dylan compositions that were uniquely interpreted by these bands and “Drifter’s Escape” becomes a terrific guitar jam – quite different from anything Dylan has ever done! The finale is one of my favorites of this set – Jimi alone with his guitar creating a Delta blues version of “Midnight Lighting”, once again showing this man’s extreme, supreme talent and the fullness he could provide all on his own. A true master.

Hendrix can really do no wrong in my book, so my vision may be skewed, but once again, Kramer has put together a wonderful compilation of highly listenable, educational and entertaining tracks. Again, not for the casual listener but definitely for fans!

Patti Smith - You Light Up My Life

2011-01-05T16:21:00.001-08:00

This is another bootleg that I picked up in the late 70’s (this must have come out very quickly since the show was May 12, 1978 and I know I did a drawing from the cool cover photo within a year of that) that shows the band in reasonably light mood, with the entire first side of the album (presumably the first half of the show) made up of cover tunes.

Starting with “The Kids Are Alright” (with some vocal help from Lenny – I think Patti was still recovering from her broken neck at this point and so allowed the other members a little more spotlight than normal), they go to their girl group roots with “Be My Baby” before moving on to the Stones’ “Time is On My Side” (with a short poetic intro from Smith and spot on leads from, I think, Lenny Kaye).

The B-side to John Lennon's “Imagine” single, “It’s So Hard” comes next, with a literal shout out to Ivan Kral, who then trades lead vocals with Patti, followed by the title tune – “the Academy Award winning song of 1977” (the year that punk broke), Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life”. Introducing the song Patti says “we’re a top forty band, we’re the Patti Smith Group, we’d like to do a little top forty for you” – apparently referencing their success with “Because the Night” from the Easter album that they were promoting. I always assumed that this was supposed to be humorous, though you never know with Smith. She also admonishes the audience to give her next single the amount of applause and enthusiasm that the audience gives to this cover.

Side one closes with their iconic take on “My Generation”, this time without John Cale but still fabulously chaotic! Vocals are traded off throughout, with Kaye more or less on “lead”, as much as that is applicable in this case.

Side two is entirely made up of their own tunes and all from the then-new album. “Rock’n’Roll Nigger” has a slightly different introduction, though the song itself is pretty much as recorded. “Till Victory” and “Space Monkey” are also fairly true to the originals, though a bit rawer and with rougher vocals from Smith.

Opening with a noisy blast of feedback and distortion, “25^th Floor” is practically spat out and the middle section is sung improvisationally rather than done in spoken word, as on the vinyl. There is a nice build up to a loud and climatic ending! The boot finishes off with their own top forty tune that was previously alluded to, “Because the Night”, which is done quite traditionally.

Overall, another excellent bootleg and a fine window into the band’s influences and attitudes. This and Teenage Perversity are the only two Patti boots I have but both are high quality and utterly recommended.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

From the Crown and Anchor, Las Vegas, NV 12-31-2010!

Patti Smith Group - Teenage Perversity and Ships in the NIght

2010-12-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

I bought this vinyl bootleg when it came out in the late 70's, but hadn't pulled it out in ages. It stills stands up as one of the best 70's boots and a superb document of the PSG at their finest.

This was recorded at the Roxy in Los Angeles in 1976 - not long after the band's debut album, Horses, was released to immense critical acclaim. The set list for this show is, of course, mostly drawn from that record, but it has some nice surprises. Side one opens and closes with Velvet Underground covers - Patti was not afraid to wear her influences on her sleeves - starting with the appropriate "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together" and finishing with a spot-on take of "Pale Blue Eyes" that moves effortlessly into a short coda of "Louie Louie"!

In between, the band pulls out "Privilege (Set Me Free)", from the soundtrack of the sacrilegious movie of the same title that they did not record until the Easter album, "Ain't It Strange" (with Lenny's spoken intro audible, unlike the LP's version which has this buried in the mix), "Kimberly", and "Redondo Beach" (before which Iggy Pop jumps on stage to say how great the band is). All of these are given an extra intensity and some changes - especially lyrically - here and there.

Side two opens with "Pumping (My Heart)" from the 2nd record which goes into her two tour de forces, "Birdland" (beginning with a monologue where Patti is simply speaking to the audience that blends seamlessly into the song, almost without you realizing it) and "Gloria". Terrific audio trips of fantasy!

The climax is their punk-rock take on "My Generation" with John Cale on bass, sounding like he is simultaneously mangling and tripping over his instrument, and with such performed by everyone with such wild abandon that words become negligible but the energy is palpable. Fantastic!

These cats excelled in the studio, but their live shows were a true experience and this recording does its best to take you back to those times. Essential for any fan!

All the Young Dudes, The Biography - Campbell Devine

2010-12-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

Obviously, I have written about Mott the Hoople many times before and they have been a fave band of mine since discovering them when they hit big with Bowie's "All the Young Dudes". I went back and discovered their earlier works which are rawer and wilder, overall, and were the blueprint for the later British punk bands. Their 3 CD Anthology was a wonderful find for me and the live CDs of their early days are a continuing revelation.

This book recounts the guys' lives and careers, from their early days of rival bands playing through England and Germany to their days of stardom, headlining large halls. There are some terrific tales of recording sessions with Guy Stevens and tales of the road (though I think there could have been more lurid details that have been left out) told by each of the original band members. This is an authorized biography so each person had been interviewed and gives their points of view, though Overend Watts (his real - middle and last - name!) seems to speak more than most, other than Ian. Apparently Watts was a main instigator in their career, so this seems more than fitting.

Almost half of the book is about Ian Hunter's solo career which, while I admire his talent, was never that interesting to me. The rest of the guys in MTH went on to Bad Company (Mick Ralphs) and various spin-offs (Mott, the British Lions) before more-or-less retiring from music - or at least live bands.

Still, a fantastic tale of one of the best bands of the 70's. Get it!

Merry Xmas to Me!

2010-12-25T13:02:00.001-08:00

Presents from my wonderful wife!

A nice, black Mandolin and a new Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi (since my original ones are too beat to work any more)!

damn, the Captain is gone...

2010-12-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, dead at 69
SAN FRANCISCO – Musician and artist Don Van Vliet, who performed a complex brand of experimental rock under the name Captain Beefheart, died Friday. He was 69.

The Michael Werner Gallery in New York confirmed Van Vliet's death in California due to complications stemming from multiple sclerosis. The gallery exhibits his paintings.

Van Vliet was probably best known for the album "Trout Mask Replica," which was released in 1969 by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band.

The album's angular, dissonant take on blues rock and Van Vliet's growling, surreal lyrics put him outside the mainstream, but staked his place in rock history.

Rolling Stone magazine recently ranked "Trout Mask Replica" number 58 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album was produced by fellow experimental rock pioneer Frank Zappa, a high school friend from the desert town of Lancaster, Calif.

"Record producers have always been certain that Don Vliet was just a hype away from the big money," according to a 1970 profile in Rolling Stone. "But Beefheart stubbornly continues what he's doing and waits patiently for everyone else to come around."
By shunning commercial success and a more accessible sound, Van Vliet became a role model for subsequent generations of musicians. His music is cited as an influence on the rise of punk, post-punk and new wave. Beefheart is also claimed as a kindred spirit by free jazz musicians and avant-garde classical composers.

In the 1980s, Van Vliet turned full-time to art. He painted in a raw, expressionistic style and showed his acclaimed work widely even as he withdrew from the public eye.

He is survived by his wife of more than 40 years.

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Beefhart has been a fave of mine for decades and I've just recently converted Melanie to the cult of the Captain, so this is particularly sad...

Congrats Alice Cooper Band, Dr. John, Tom Waits, Leon Russell and Darlene Love!

2010-12-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

Alice Cooper, Darlene Love, Neil Diamond in Hall
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That point came on Tuesday, as the 2011 class for the Cleveland hall was revealed. Diamond, whose hits include "Sweet Caroline," made the list, along with the Alice Cooper Band, New Orleans musician Dr. John, Darlene Love and singer-songwriter Tom Waits.

Piano man Leon Russell was honored with a musical excellence award, previously the sideman category. Executives Jac Holzman and Art Rupe were given the Ahmet Ertegun Awards.

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Happy Holidays!

2010-12-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Elvis Costello – Live at Hollywood High

2010-12-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

Elvis hit Hollywood in 1979 promoting his first two albums and the upcoming release of his 3^rd record, Armed Forces. Originally, 3 songs from this gig (“Accident Will Happen", “Alison”, “Watching the Detectives”) were included as a limited edition EP with the new album, but this CD is the first official release of the entire, terrific concert.

This shows the Attractions at the absolute height of their power – more together and rehearsed than the (also great) Live at El Macambo gig that also just came out – and is a fantastic document of this amazing band.

Opening with the then-new “Accidents Will Happen” as an acoustic piano ballad, the group blasts into the frantic “Mystery Dance” followed immediately by “Lip Service”. They finally take a breath long enough for Elvis to speak to the adoring crowd to introduce the (comparatively) sedate “Living in Paradise”. They give a nod to the upcoming release with “Goon Squad”, one of the best from that record, though missing the ominous backing vocals. Actually, the backing vocals are nearly missing throughout most of this recording – it sounds like someone is trying throughout, but that is the one problem with the otherwise fine mix.

Continuing with a pretty faithful rendition of “…Red Shoes”, they then do another new one, “Party Girl”. “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” is updated with some new keyboard sounds and an extended, moody instrumental middle section. This Year’s Model is represented by cool versions of “This Year’s Girl” and “No Action” and after this Elvis performs his country’n’western tune, “Stranger in the House”, that I don’t think he ever “officially” released, though Rachel Sweet did a great version on her debut.

A high energy take on “The Beat” (with a newly added guitar part) precedes the lovely “Alison”, which leads into a speedy “Lipstick Vogue”, highlighting the crazy talented Attractions. Some nice feedback introduces “Watching the Detectives”, with one of Elvis’ catchiest guitar riffs ever. Film noir put to music highly successfully!

The set closes frenetically with crazed versions of “You Belong to Me”, the fabulous “Radio, Radio” and the powerful “Pump It Up”. They come back for rockin’ takes of “Waiting for the End of the World” and a rousing “Miracle Man”.

Another excellent live release from the best Elvis Costello time period! Definitely pick it up!

I really doubt that Jim cares these days

2010-12-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Doors' Jim Morrison to get pardoned in Florida

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Kinda funny that anyone even bothers with this kind of thing decades after the fact. Seems a silly thing for lawmakers to worry about...

The Insect Surfers – Aces & Ales, Las Vegas, NV 12-4-10

2010-12-06T16:39:00.001-08:00

Guitarist Dave Arnson has been leading various incarnations of the Insect Surfers across the country for over 3 decades now. Though the line-ups change, the quality always remains the same, for Dave manages to find some of the finest players to work with at all times. Arson himself is an excellent and imaginative guitarist who still ping-pongs and windmills across the stage without missing a note and while playing intricate harmonies with his fellow players.

The band this night was all new to me, but obviously were all seasoned players who fit right in with the vision of high-energy, instrumental rock’n’roll, played with finesse and style. Most of the tunes were reasonably new, though some classics, such as “Polaris” (borrowing slightly from Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot”) and “Tiger Shark” were also featured.

Along with fellow Los Angeleans, the Black Widows, the Insect Surfers are among the finest instrumental bands playing today.

Unfortunately, due to receiving inconsistent information regarding time slots and our need for a nap before going out, we missed the local opening band, Thee Swank Bastards and their hula-hooping go-go dancer, but they sounded damn good over the phone when I called for set times!

Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music

2010-12-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

Widely seen as Lou Reed’s “fuck you” to his fans, his record company and the music industry in general, MMM sees Reed playing amplifiers, effects boxes and tape machines, but no traditional instruments. This ends up being futuristic (still) robotic noise music, but is not completely random or unplanned (at least, Lou claims it isn’t). There are sounds similar to strings, horns and even bird calls throughout, making it reminiscent of many different genres – in fact, his record company wanted to release it on their classical label as an “experimental/electronic” album, but Reed insisted that it was a “rock” record and got his way.

This could easily be sci-fi soundtrack music – I envision some outer space opium den/bordello when listening to this. Or, maybe some far distant rave where people don’t need a beat to swing to.

The vinyl release was a discount-priced double album set, so the CD is composed of 4 “suites” of about 15 minutes each. I was thinking that it should just end abruptly and start over again as if on a loop, but the vinyl had a repeating run-off groove, so the CD ends with a minute or two of the repeat and then stops.

Certainly not for the weak of heart or the close-minded – this is pure noise as music and as such is quite interesting but not something that is easy to listen to on a regular basis. I did find it oddly soothing on my work commute, though!