Rich's R'n'R Rants & Raves

RIP Cheetah Chrome

Man, that first Dead Boys album blew me away with their brand of punk rock'n'roll mixed with garage rock'n'roll. When I finally heard Rocket From the Tombs I was knocked out as well. Certainly not the most technically brilliant player but beyond influential. Sad to hear.

The Velvet Underground (third album)

As I'm revisiting my VU recordings while I'm reading an extensive book on the band, it looks like I never talked about this one, oddly enough - unless the search function just isn't working! My faves are the brutal blasts on the first two albums (which showed their softer sides, as well, particularly the debut) but this album, while is certainly their quietest, also has some of their most enduring songs.

Of course, there are a couple of different theories as to why they changed their sound (even within band members) but I think (just based on being a musician) that Lou simply was writing more quiet songs that he liked - not like he hadn't written similar numbers before!

This opens with an ode to Warhol Superstar Candy Darling, simply titled "Candy Says", sung by newcomer Doug Yule - supposedly Lou's voice was tired from touring. This slight ballad is pretty melodically, but not something that really grabs your attention immediately - at least not for me. On the other hand, "What Goes On" is truly one of their best, an insistently chuggin' rocker with a great, melodic, multi-tracked guitar solo, catchy melody and existential lyrics. Another fave is "Some Kinda Love", driven by Maureen's bass drum'n'cowbell, it dictates a conversation where the two may disagree but basically agree that "no kinds of love are better than others". A simple progression - as Lou is wont to do - but incredibly memorable with terrific lyrics that are immensely quotable. The lovely ballad - as close to a true love song as Lou probably ever did, written for a former girlfriend who had since married, although they had a fling - "Pale Blue Eyes" is another, oft-covered classic. Probably the quietest of the quiet numbers, "Jesus" is an unusual subject for Jewish Lou but is apparently just referring to another type of love and is another lovely melody.

I think it might be a stretch to say that "Beginning to See the Light" is also about religion, but it is another good, mid-tempo rocker with sing-along refrains. "I'm Set Free" is kind of a Phil Spector-ish bit of pop, although not one of the best of the bunch here, nor is "That's the Story of my Life" - again not as memorable as some of the others. The true oddity of the bunch is "The Murder Mystery", with its kinda spooky backing and two (at least) simultaneous narratives going on, in different speeds, with melodic interjections from Maureen and Yule - kind of another experiment like "The Gift", but more jumbled and much less coherent, making it a difficult listen - I think it would actually be quite listenable without the vocals! Then the finale is one of the goofiest numbers they ever recorded, the vaudevillian "After Hours" with Maureen singing - I know this has become a fave with some people, but I always considered it a throwaway.

So, some of their most memorable and most forgettable tunes together in one LP. Flawed, for sure, but obviously worth owning!

Tom Verlaine - Dreamtime

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been reading and listening to a lot of Velvet Underground lately and when I was peering through our vinyl collection to see which VU LP's I still owned, this Verlaine solo album came along for the ride so I thought I'd give it a listen, since I can't remember the last time I heard it.

But before I even dropped the needle down I noticed the line notes with mentioned that the musicians on the record included drummer Ritchie Teeter (known for his work in the Dictators, of course), Fred Smith from Tom's band Television and Jay Dee Daugherty (Patti Smith Group, obviously). Impressive company to keep!

And while none of Tom's solo work has equaled his time in Television (in my personal opinion), this record is certainly one of the better releases of his that I have heard. Marque Moon is among my favorite albums ever and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to match the intensity of the performances or the songwriting, but this collection stands up on its own merits. Nothing as immediately memorable in either the songs or the playing, there are still catchy, patently Tom riffs and tunes that are quite enjoyable and impressive in their own right.

While nothing stands out quite to the extent that some of the best TV tracks do, this is still a fine album and worth giving a listen - I will definitely be pulling it out more and giving it more chances.

recommended gigs

Thursday 9-10-26 - the New Waves at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-12-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Monday 9-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 9-16-26 - Trombo's Wheel of Fuckery with special guests the Minges at the DOuble DOwn

Friday 9-18-26 - Evelyn's Casket, Life Rips, Damned by Night, Crimson Riot at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-19-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards l at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 9-24-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, the Starlite Wranglers, Screamin' Rebel Angels, Cherry and the Sours at the Swan Dive

Thursday 9-24-26 - Cromm Fallon and the P200, Superhiro, Honeychain and the Noidz at the Griffin

Saturday 9-26-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-3-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-10-26 - the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs with the Strains at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-10-26 - Wasted Youth, Shakewells, Soldiers of Destruction at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 10-23-26 - Bomboras, Deadbolt, Shakewells and Lost Cat at the Dive Bar

Tuesday 10-27-26 - Kepi Ghoulie with the Bloodtypes, Jerk! and Femaliens at Grey Witch

Saturday 10-31-26 - Special Halloween Treat at the Double Down with The Evil Ones - a tribute to Roky Erickson with Kevin Wilcox, Ron Hudy, and Melanie and Rich Coffee - along with Thee Implosions and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones! Costume Contest! Prizes! Fun!

Thursday 11-5-26 - Suburban Resistance, Hour 13, 3 Rounds at Red Dwarf

Friday 11-6-26 - the Merry Widows, the Shakewells, the Henchmen, the Limit Club, Vesper Rose and Cherry and the Sours at Grey Witch

Sunday 11-8-26 - the Hideaway, Three Bad Janets, Get In Loser, VaVaoom at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Friday 11-13-26 - Plague Vendor at the Usual Place

Sunday 11-15-26 - the Buzzcocks and Modern English at Brooklyn Bowl

Friday 11-20-26 - the Goddamn Gallows, King Sickabilly and the Riflemen at the Usual Place

Friday 12-18-26 - Thee Implosions at the Punk Rock Museum

The Implosions, Toe Tag, Rhythm Ace and the Nu Tones at Red Dwarf Friday September 4, 2026

Of course I try to see our friends the Implosions whenever I can and with this gig landing on guitarist Dave Post's birthday, I had to make the effort, despite it being quite a week for me for many reasons.

Knowing that the Imps were opening the night, I got to the Red Dwarf early for pizza and drinks and discovered a fairly packed house right from the start, and more people continued to show up as it went along. Plenty of friends'n'fans showed up to support and to wish Dave a happy day, and the band received an enthusiastic response to their rockin' set of Las Vegas-themed garage/punk/what-have-you tunes. They surprised Dave by switching instruments and handing out placards with Dave's face on it, then gave him a party hat and made him sing his own self-penned birthday song! Everyone joined in, and then helped out with their tune about cashing out and rocked appropriately for the closer about playing the ponies! Great start of the night!

SoCal's Toe Tag was new to me (although the Imps have played with them on their home turf before) but was a pleasant r'n'r surprise of hip 70's styled punk'n'roll that kinda reminded me a little of bands like the Humpers as they covered the Dicks, the Pleasure Seekers ("What a Way to Die"), and even Charles Manson! The lead guitarist also plays in the more 60's styled garage combo the Wyld Goons (who have backed up Ray Brandes from the Tell Tale Hearts at times), while the rhythm guitarist was sporting a Voodoo Records t-shirt (and is a fan of the Rev) so they definitely have a variety of influences that combine for their own sound. Really enjoyed them, but somehow managed to not pick up any of their merch - next time!

Vegas' own Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones closed out the night with their wild mix of rockabilly, garage and even weirdness like Suicide peaking out now'n'again. A three piece with guitar, vintage organ (and theremin) along with live drums, they blast out plenty of noise (always a good thing in my book) with cool songs and a healthy dose of uncontrolled mayhem. They have had a few different lineups at different times (the core being the font duo Jeremiah and Lindsay), but this was particularly cool set and a fab ending to the night!

Big thanks to Red Dwarf for hosting yet another hip, happenin' night of good time rock'n'roll!

(And be sure to see the Implosions and Rhythm Ace at the Double Down on Halloween night with our own Roky Erickson tribute band, the Evil Ones!)

The Velvet Underground Live at Max's Kansas City

I've been reading a rather lengthy book on the VU so, as I am wont to do, I've been listening to a lot of VU recordings and today I looked to see what I still had on vinyl and this is one that I hadn't heard for a while so I gave it a spin.

The first thing that any fan would notice is that it is definitely not Maureen on drums - they are far, far busier and more traditionally "rock'n'roll" than her usual style. It tuns out that she was pregnant at the time of these shows and was temporarily replaced with newcomer Doug Yule's (who had replaced John Cale on bass and keys) brother Billy. He's a good drummer (he also plays on some of Loaded - Maureen was not available for all of that album, either - which was recorded around the time of these shows) but a very different style, making this more of a rock band than the oddity that was the Velvets.

But, while the feel has changed, it's still a fun r'n'r show. Opening with a definitely more upbeat take on "I'm Waiting For The Man" (they did change this up even with Maureen in the lineup, but very noticeable here), they run through a fine version of "Sweet Jane", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" (never one of my faves) and a chuggin' "Beginning to See the Light".

Side two gets a bit quieter and more introspective (apparently, there was a decision to have one side more rockin' and one side the softer "pop" sounds) with takes on "I'll Be Your Mirror", the then-new "Pale Blue Eyes", "Sunday Morning", the powerful "New Age", "Femme Fatale" and the hokey (but one that lou was fond of), "After Hours", which he dedicates to Maureen, who he claims sings it better than he does, but he enjoys it. So, an obvious choice to combine old'n'new tunes.

Although recorded on a mono cassette player, the sound is surprisingly good (despite some on the internet who say otherwise) and while only half the band, it is still a cool artifact of a great show at the end of the group's career.

(Funnily, I just noticed that I had reviewed this record 13 years ago! I normally check those things! Ah well, I haven't read the old one but maybe I have some new "insights"! )

recommended gigs

Friday 9-4-26 - Thee Implosions with Thee Toe Tags and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Friday 9-4-26 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Monday 9-7-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki