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THE ANIMALS
"Retrospective" - CD
This is a very nice collection for those who love all eras of
the band and just want to hear the highlights from time to time.
The sound is great and I like the cardboard and plastic packaging
too. The CD kicks off with "House of the Rising Sun"
and ends with "Spill the Wine." While the twenty tunes
sandwiched in the middle might not have been quite as successful,
they are all wonderful examples of the kind of gritty pop blues
that has made this band the favorite of lots of us '60s freaks.
Few bands weathered so many changes in the public tastes and
made so many new converts along the way. Many Animals fans concentrate
on their favorite era, but it's pretty impressive to hear the
evolution of music and Eric Burdon's smooth delivery all in one
fell swoop or was that one swell foop?? (ABKCO Music www.abkco.com)
THE BIZARROS
"Can't Fight Your Way Up Town From Here" CD
I missed this band back in the early days of Devo, the Rubber
City Rebels and others from the fertile area of Akron, Ohio,
but I was into the scene they were a part of. I'm not sure what
the band was like in "the day," but they are solid
musicians now who play crunchy rock and roll with elements of
arty acts like Television and Talking Heads. There are also some
songs that owe more to bands like the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu.
It's no wonder the band is still singing with pride about their
neck of the woods. Though I have no idea what the group sounded
like in the late '70s, they sound pretty cool and new wave edgy
now. (Clone Records www.the bizarros.com)
COFFIN LIDS
"Rock 'N' Roll" CD
If the music of the Sonics seems just a tad too melodic, clean
and complex for you, this might just be the modern quartet you
have been looking for. This 14 track CD opens with one of the
most bare bones theme songs I've ever heard, "Coffin Lids
Rock 'N' Roll." The next track, "One Foot in the Grave"
sounds like it could almost be a Sonics outtake filtered through
the early Mentors' sensibility. It is par for the course. Many
of the songs have dirty, feedback enriched beginnings and/or
endings. The combination of third grade level sing song lyrics
and vocal distortion makes for a situation in which the banality
of the words is multiplied by a certain purposeful grittiness
factor. Taking a further cue from the Southwest's favorite sons,
the band's songs are mostly about girls, monsters, beer and rock
'n' roll music. This is not for the overly sensitive. (Bomp!
www.bomp.com)
"DEMONS"
"Demonology" CD
This is a great package for lazy and/or cash-strapped completists.
The Demons are the first band that Gearhead Records officially
signed. While they have put out several albums, they have also
done plenty of recordings for various singles and comps that
are just now being compiled. If you are into the kind of aggressive
hard rocking punk music this label is known for, you will delight
in this band from Sweden. The songs the group has chosen to cover
through the years are pretty telling about how they write and
perform their own material. The Pagans' "What's This Shit
Called Love," the Misfits' "She," the New York
Dolls "Puss N' Boots," Alice Cooper's "Luney Tune"
and the medley of Radio Birdman songs mirror the raw energy and
love of loud guitars that drive these Demons. (Gearhead Records
www.gearheadrecords.com)
JEFFIE GENETIC AND HIS CLONES
"Need a Wave" CD
I could be wrong (what, who me??!!!), but I believe this is one
of those one-man army kinds of projects almost. According to
the liner notes, Jeffery, Jeff, Jeffie and Jeffy were joined
by Marky on drums. This is a prime example of the punky new wave
bands that has put this new label on the map and made a lot of
clubs a lot more fun in the process. There was a time when a
whole lot of musicians felt comfortable enough mixing hard rock,
clever lyrics, pop fun and spacey keyboard flourishes that they
put up with being referred to as new wave as opposed to punk.
If your appreciation for late '70s music includes groups like
the Cars and the Clash as well as the Crass and the Cockney Rejects,
you will probably have a field day checking out all these skinny
tie clad, pogo happy retro kids. This band comes complete with
(phony?) British accent and in your face anthemic sound. (Dirtnap
Records www.dirtnaprecs.com)
THE GIRLS
Self-titled CD
Dirtnap seems to be spearheading the return to new wave of the
late'70s as one of the more predominant acceptable modern styles
of teen club entertainment. This latest group mixes the quirky
punk of Richard Hell and the Voidoids with the mechanized pop
of the Cars. The production is big and fun. Shannon Brown has
a vocal style that is as zany as that of Bowie, Bryan Ferry or
anyone who has ever tried their hand at the Rocky Horror Show
campy croon style. The band's tunes are spirited and usually
danceable, but they are often interspersed with starts and stops
and oddly timed breaks so be on your toes. If the photo spread
in the CD insert is any indication, the young gents are not above
playing live shows in nothing but Speedos and tasteful sneakers.
(Dirtnap Records www.dirtnaprecs.com)
HERMAN'S HERMITS
"Retrospective" CD
If this isn't Heaven on Earth, I don't know what is! When I was
a wee little lad, this was one of my favorite bands. I'm serious!
"I'm Into Something Good," "Can't You Hear My
Heartbeat," "Hold On," "Mrs. Brown, You've
Got a Lovely Daughter," "There's a Kind of Hush,"
et al. still have the power to make me swoon in ecstasy. This
is a terrific collection of 26 of the group's best-known tracks
and the sound quality is superb. I could do without a few of
the cuts from the end of their career, but no one ever seems
to ask me for my two cents when they put these sets out. I have
way too much Herman's Hermits music, including a best of CD,
but a few of these songs are fresh to me. I love their version
of "I Can Take or Leave Your Loving," which I know
from the Foundations. Even the wimpiest tracks are special. If
the fine folks who sent me this gem follow through with a box
set of Herman's Hermits albums on CD, I have one question for
them: Who loves ya, baby?!! Get your hands out of your pockets
and onto the wheel of your car; you have a new HH package to
buy my friend! (ABKCO Records www.abkco.com)
THE LINK QUARTET
"Beat.it" CD
This CD was released in 2002, but the label just now got around
to sending it to me and I like it so here goes. It is not mere
coincidence that the band released an album on a label called
Hammond Beat. The driving organ sound is key throughout the dozen
funky instrumental tracks. There have been a number of bands
mining the groove of old Booker T and the MGs records lately
and this one is every bit as tight and fun as the others. The
band is from Italy, but being as how there are no pesky vocals
to muck things up it doesn't really make a heck of a lot of difference
where they hail from. Half of the songs are covers and the band
is just at home getting funky with Jimi Hendrix as they are with
the Small Faces. The drumming is a little too precise and heavy
handed, but the overall vibe is cool. (Hammond Beat www.hammondbeat.com)
THEE LORDLY SERPENTS
Self-titled CD
This is the debut album release from a hard driving garage rock
band that has been gigging throughout the Mid-West for several
years. They are fans of all the punky barbarians that took over
their parents' garages back in the mid '60s and that is the most
obvious influence they bring to their own material. There is
also a dedication to over the top arena rock power and feedback.
The band's songs are simplistic, bombastic and heavy handed.
The vocals are just this side of out and out screams and the
music is both hypnotic and riff laden. The thunderous trio committed
their music to tape in the guitarist's basement over a period
of two and a half years, but is all of the same general stripe.
My favorite track is their cover of the well worn Thirteenth
Floor Elevators' tune, "You're Gonna Miss Me." (Pro-Vel
Records www.provelrecords.com)
THE MARKED MEN
"On the Outside" CD
This band is quite a bit different than most of the groups I
have heard on Dirtnap before. They have plenty of youthful energy,
but their sound reminds me more of that of the anthemic punks
of the early '80s than that of the art damaged new wavers of
the late '70s. The Marked Men are just about as stripped down
a crew as you could ask for. Like the Ramones, the melodies are
almost exclusively provided by the vocals. While they are not
that dynamic, they offer up more range than the power chords
and staccato bass notes that careen headlong throughout each
high-energy tune. Although there are two guitars, the lead breaks
are kept to a minimum and there are few guitar hero moments.
There are some songs in which the band approaches the complexity
and charm of the Buzzcocks, but the pace is always pushed a bit
beyond what most would consider pop. (Dirtnap Records www.dirtnaaprecs.com)
MUCK AND THE MIRES
"Beginner's Muck" CD
Fans of the Kaisers, Neatbeats and other Fab Four fanciers will
want to snatch this one up at their earliest convenience. All
the songs were written and recorded in 2004, but they have that
swinging early '60s energy that still drives me wild. Like the
aforementioned champions of Mersey beat pop and circumstance,
the production here has plenty of modern edges and subtle stylistic
flashes, but this music should resonate with '60s freaks. Lead
singer and rhythm guitarist Evan Shore is the brainchild of this
outfit and authored all the harmony rich and classic sounding
tunes. There is an album called "All Mucked Up," which
is a dozen songs Evan did as a one-man band, but his group of
crack musicians ably flesh out these twelve new blasts of instant
nostalgia. Evan has an edge to his voice that reminds me a bit
of Elvis Costello, but the music is a happy cross between bands
like the Searchers and Honeycombs with a little Rockpile thrown
in for good measure. (Amp Records www.amprecords.com)
MYSTERY GIRLS
"Something in the Water" CD
This is one of the slickest records I have ever heard on this
label. However, it is harsher and heavier than what I've heard
on most other labels. Head honcho Larry has always loved music
that is uncompromisingly ragged and rebellious. The band appears
to have approached their craft from another angle than I am used
to. I could be wrong (I was once back in the early '80s), but
I'm guessing this tough as nails quintet started out as noise
damaged progenitors of fucked up blues and have worked backwards
to get to the point where they have so much command, dexterity
and finesse in their songwriting and performance. Left to his
own devices, main tunesmith Jordan Dayvies can be rather polite
and melodic. When he is aided and abetted by Matt Kongher or
Casey Grajeck, though, the intensity level usually goes up. For
everyone who misses the good old days when the Oblivians were
all that and a salty bag, this group offers up a tasty blast
of in your face rock and blues. (In the Red Records www.intheredrecords.com)
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THE NEW PLANET TRAMPOLINE
"Curse of" CD
Modern psychedelic music from a six-piece collective. The anything
goes mentality and heavy influence from the likes of Syd Barrett,
XTC and every drug addled freak from the end of the '60s who
was shoved in front of a microphone is reflected in titles like
"Phantom Picture Taker," "Whirlpool Clyde"
and "ESP Medallion." Rather than just melt into space,
though, the band is rooted in fairly conventional riffs, standard
rhyming couplets and a steady beat. I hear shades of early Status
Quo in one song and Blodwyn Pig in another and the list goes
on to infinity and beyond as hip kids from the original LSD era
might say. There are some moments interspersed throughout in
which you could forget the band is from the here and now, but
they always throw some modern touch in which shatters the illusion.
Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. (Elephant Stone
Records www.elephantstonerecords.com)
NINE POUND HAMMER
"Kentucky Breakdown" CD
Hard rockin' country infused arena boogie with funny lyrics.
The illustration on the cover is of a trucker with cops in hot
pursuit. He has a hairy chest, a self-descriptive tattoo, a Nashville
Pussy cap and pictures in the cab of his momma and a couple porn
stars. Somehow that sums up the spirit of the band pretty well.
The band is from Kentucky and there is no telling whether their
songs about bad love, crazy drinking, cantankerous old folks
and truck driving are based on personal experience, astute observation
or a bit of both. This is a prime example of what I would call
guy music. Did I say funny? A lot of the lyrics are downright
hilarious! (Acetate Records www.acetate.com)
THE PILGRIMS
"Telling Youth the Truth" CD
I had heard about this band a long time ago, but was frankly
a little surprised when this CD collection of their music showed
up in my mailbox. Someone had played me a record by a Christian
beat group called the Crossbeats, many years ago, and told me
there was a whole bunch of other groups in England in the '60s
that tried to influence their peers with good rocking and a strong
religious message. This batch of righteous R&B kicks off
with a song called "Hey You!" It has a wonderful hook
and a fairly generic appeal to the listener to look beyond creature
comforts for inspiration. The band is quite forceful on this
and many other cuts. They bring to mind contemporaries like Them,
the Animals and other blues based groups with an edge. On most
of the songs, however, the lyrics are a bit too heavy on the
half sung/half spoken pleas to bring Jesus into ones life to
think of the vocals as just another instrument. The guitar sounds
(lots of fuzz scattered throughout), pulsating harmonica work,
solid rhythm section and songwriting are as good as on most other
great lost '60s obscurities. There are a few tunes, "He
Wants You" and "I Praise the Lord" that sound
like they could almost have been produced by Joe Meek. There
are some cheapo Beatlesque numbers too. The sound quality isn't
always the best, but most of these songs are taken from very
old sources. "I Found a Special Friend." (LRL
C/O Ed at nadoroznyed@hotmail.com)
THE POP RIVETS
"Empty Sounds from Anarchy Ranch" CD
When Billy Childish started making records it wasn't at the same
ferocious clip as with the Milkshakes, Caesars, Headcoats, et
al. The Pop Rivets were around from 1977 to 1980 and only managed
to put out two albums. Billy would evolve into a fine guitar
player, a memorable vocalist and a studied songwriter, but in
the early days he mostly just screamed out the group's bitter
and quirky diatribes about teen boredom and the like. I would
imagine the lads were not quite as universally worshiped as their
rowdy punk rock contemporaries because they didn't take themselves
or their music so frightfully serious. As was the case with their
earlier album, Greatest Hits, the band threw in clever anachronistic
into the mix, but on this sophomoric effort the boys seemed a
little more focused on advocating rebelliousness and distrust
of authority than just promoting having a good time. This album
contains a raw live set of four songs (possibly from Hamburg?)
titled "The Pop Rivets Mak Show." This is where they
let their "Louie Louie" roots shine through. This makes
for a wonderful history lesson for Billy fans that missed the
early stuff the first time around. (Damaged Goods www.damagedgoods.co.uk)
THE POP RIVETS
"Greatest Hits" CD
I am a huge Billy Childish fan and have an insane amount of records
and CDs by the various bands he has been associated with through
the years. The re-release of his first band's two albums on CD,
however, fills in some long vacant gaps in my collection. I have
the Fun in the UK LP from 1984, which contains over half of the
material the band recorded, but it's cool to finally have the
two albums in their original running order and have the other
tunes. The Pop Rivets were a punk rock and roll outfit that was
a decent mirror of all the other disgruntled kids of the late
'70s. At the same time, they appeared to be a bit more aware
of how ridiculous the whole punk annihilation scene was and were
a tad nostalgic for the cool bands and affectations of the '60s.
Or maybe I'm reading more into songs like "Beatle Boots,"
"Pins & Needles" and "Lambrettavespascooter"
than I should. This early band sounds a whole lot like a tongue
in cheek, angry because it's expected version of the Clash. They
even take a token side trip into rock steady ska in "Hipocrite."
(Damaged Goods www.damagedgoods.co.uk)
THE PULSES
"Little Brothers" CD EP
This band is quite possibly what I would consider the most representative
of those I have heard on Dirtnap. They remind me a little of
the Vibrators, but are a bit more quirky and spaced out. I would
imagine the British accents are a put on, but I don't know that
for a fact. The band is a three-piece outfit, but got lots of
help in the studio from various friends. They do a song called
"Frozen Love" that features some excellent bongos work
from Steven Roy. There is also some tasty trumpet and accordion
lavished on a few tracks courtesy of a few other studio musicians.
For the most part though, the CD is a collection of poppy tunes
with jagged edges and a dedication to the spirit of '79. (Dirtnap
Records www.dirtnaprecs)
RED PLANET
"We Know How it Goes" CD
I loved this band the first time I saw them and they have never
let me down through the years. The notion that I would be so
into a band that is influenced by the likes of the Cars, Gary
Numan and Van Halen is rather surprising to me, but man does
not live by Mersey beat alone. This third full-length release
is a bit more subdued and introspective than their first two
albums, but it is still busting with synthesizer whimsy, guitar
pyrotechnics and solid beat. I get the feeling that one or more
of the members have either gone through breakups with girlfriends
lately or have been contemplating the sad possibility. Jeremy,
Chris and Gordon are as solid and experimental as they were on
their last disc and newcomer James does a great job on drums.
The spacey edge is a bit more out front, but this is still powerful
rock and roll at heart. Find out why Budweiser was excited enough
about the band to use them for live commercials a few years back,
(Gearhead records www.gearheadrecords.com)
REIGNING SOUND
"Too Much Guitar" CD
The Oblivians were one of my faves for a while. Greg Cartwright's
latest band is a winner too. He has hooked up with Jeremy Scott
and Greg Roberson and together they carry the torch of manic
noisy rock and roll to ever-greater heights. I'm looking forward
to seeing them in September. Yahoo! Greg wrote most of the material
and his distinctive vocals are perfect for the primal blasts
of freeform blues-rock spasms. The covers are indicative of the
roots music that fuels the band between gigs and recording sessions.
"You Got Me Hummin'," "Get it!," "Uptight
Tonight" and "Let Yourself Go" are the kinds of
simple but effective songs I associate with the Oblivians and
most of the projects I have heard from the members since. The
band does a wonderful job reconstructing each one to match their
urgent and slightly askew vision of modern music. It's nice to
know the fire is still burning as hot as ever. (In the Red Records
www.intheredrecords.com)
THE SCREAMING TRIBESMEN
"The Savage Beat of the Screaming Tribesmen"
CD
If I had known about this band back in the early 80s I probably
would have been a fan. There were a number of other Australian
bands of that general era that I did get into, the Lime Spiders
and Celibate Rifles being prime examples, that mixed the feel
of '60s rock with''70s bad boy attitude and a neo-psychedelic
aural atmosphere. It sounds dated now, of course, but so does
most of the music I am gaga over. The band only released a few
singles. This package contains those songs as well as a bunch
of leftovers. There is a string of cool crude live covers midway
through that shows where the group got a lot of their inspiration.
While I like their versions of "Psychotic Reaction,"
"Anyway You Want It," et al., and feel they did a good
job in a live setting, I prefer the originals by far. For fans
of Australian rock and roll of the early'80s, though, this is
a must. (Shock Records www.shock.com.au)
THE SHAKES
"Gigantes del Pop!" CD
Another winner from Pete Gilabert and Janet Housden's good time
L.A. pop band. The pair are joined by Dan Collins and Andrew
Chojnacki on this, their second full-length release for Jim Freek's
Teenacide Record label. The production is better than ever and
Pete is a superb songwriter and rock and roll crooner. Dan brings
an ultra cool organ wash to the mix and Andrew (the newest member)
is a regular animal on drums. The band is still rooted in Pete's
vocals and innovative guitar work and Janet's fluid and adroit
bass work, but they have finally found the perfect members for
expressing all the beauty and depth of songs like "All Messed
Up," "In My hair," "I Don't Get it"
and "Here Comes the Grind." Dan takes over vocal duties
on "Crocodile Tears" and does a suitably over the top
job on a quirky number. The band rips through a version of the
Bobby Goldsboro classic, "Little Things" that is so
wonderful it must be heard to be believed. I never thought I'd
hear Janet playing on an instrumental track, but if there are
any vocals on "Manchester 90210," they are buried so
deep a Chihuahua couldn't hear them. The band is made up of friends
of mine, so this statement might smack of nepotistic, but this
is a terrific pop record! (Teenacide Records www.teenaciderecords.com)
SINGING LOINS
"Complete and Utter" CD
What you have here are 49 examples of "authentic raw folk
from the Medway delta." According to the liner notes there
are 50 tracks, but I only see 49 listed. I may have to hire an
accountant to sort this all out. This band called it quits years
ago, but Billy Childish and Ian Damaged have seen fit to compile
all their LP and cassette tracks onto a couple of jam packed
CDs. The band was officially just Chris Broderick and Chris Allen,
but they were joined in various makeshift recording studios (Billy's
toilet?!!) by Bruce Brand, Kyra La Rubia, Holly Golightly, Glenn
Barnes, Dave Gibbon, Jan Sears, Billy Childish and assorted others.
I couldn't have come up with a more descriptive phrase then the
one in quotes in my first sentence that the band coined; the
music is very British, very organic and very rootsy. (Damaged
Goods www.damagedgoods.co.uk)
THE SPITS
Self titled CD
Remember that weird interlude in the Doors song, "Horse
Latitudes," in which spaced out sounds and spooky voices
gave you the creeps? Of course you do! Well, this band opens
their CD with a track called "Witch Hunt" that starts
out every bit as unnerving. That's a pretty ballsy move when
you consider most bands try to hit their listeners with all the
hooks they can muster on track numero uno. It does seem as surprising
to me after hearing some other way out sounds interspersed within
the other hard driving proto new wave. There is a very crude
quality to the arty sounds the group uses to elevate their butt
simple tunes out of the realm of sing song rant. While I think
of Dirtnap Records as having a fairly homogenous sound, I'm finding
that most of the bands I listen to are exceptions to the rule.
These guys are absolutely nuts and seem uniquely capable of mixing
elements of bands like Joy Division and Sham 69 and coming up
with something neither would claim. It's hard to get a handle
on whether or not the band members take themselves seriously.
(Dirtnap Records www.dirtnaprecs.com)
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THE ULTRA 5
"Denizens of Dementia" CD
This is some fun! The long time surf and garage rock enthusiasts
at Green Cookie Records are pleased as punch to give the world
this twenty-four track collection of tracks by the Ultra 5. Leave
it to a relatively new independent label from Greece to chronicle
the exploits of a group of '60s damaged swamp zombies from New
York. The spooky organ rich tracks were culled from singles,
EPs and various other sources, mostly from the late '80s and
early '90s, that originally appeared on a veritable plethora
of Indie labels. If you were not a rabid collector of music from
folks like Munster, Screaming Apple, Whatwave, Moon King, Imaginary,
et al. when this stuff came out, this is probably the only way
you will ever have this music. The band was made up of two swingin'
cats and two groovin' chicks (hence the name of the band, Blondie!)
who were influenced by the Cramps, the Nomads, Satan's Cheerleaders
and lord knows what all else. This disc also includes video clips
of "Get Out of My Life Woman" and "Be." Quite
a loving tribute to a cool bunch of '80s/'90s retro ghouls with
class. (Green Cookie records www.colorcookies.moonfruit.com)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Garage Beat '66" CD first three volumes
For rabid '60s fanatics there won't be a whole lot of new song
discoveries found herein, but there are plenty of reasons to
get excited about this new Sundazed series. The first and foremost
is the fact that this is a legitimate project, which means many
members of the original bands were brought on board to add their
two cents. In most cases that means Sundazed was able to work
from the original master tapes rather than copies of almost forty-year-old
singles. It also means there is lots of new information in the
liner notes about the groups, the songs and the sessions straight
from the horses' mouths, so to speak. This series promises to
make the music we love from the US and Canadian rock underbelly
readily available again in glorious sound, twenty tracks at a
time. The first installment is called "Like What, Me Worry?!"
and contains signature tracks by 006, the Ban, Just two Guys,
the "In," John Hammond, the Fe-Fi-Four Plus Two, the
Country Gentlemen, the Executioners, the Olivers, the Kregg,
the Five Of Us, Fever Tree, the Odyssey, Neal Ford & the
Fanatics, the Century's, Words of Luv, Matthew Moore Plus Four,
Smokestack Lightnin' and the Sparkles. The second installment
is called "Chicks are for Kids" and features Things
to Come, the Best Things, the Litter, the Sonics, the Go-Betweens,
We the People, the Ugly Ducklings, the Bold, the Remains, the
Electras, the Menn, the Concepts, the Third Bardo, the Guess
Who, the Jynx, the Barbarians, Five Americans, the Gestures,
More-Tishans and Spiders. The third disc is sub-titled "Feelin'
Zero" and brings together killer tracks by the Purple Underground,
the Mourning reign, Rear Exit, the Great Scots, the Answer, the
Preachers, Butch Engle & the Styx, the Brogues, the Music
Machine, Moss & the Rocks, Southwest F.O.B., the Others,
the Answer, Mile Ends, Neighb'rhood Childr'n, Living Children
and the E-Types. Some folks might prefer the muddy mixes on the
original scratchy 45s, but others will marvel at how full and
crisp these decent budget productions sound. There are plenty
of songs on each disc that I was uninitiated to and I have more
Pebbles, Nuggets and Boulders compilations than my mom would
approve of. For young folks just getting into this genre, I think
this is an excellent place to start. (Sundazed Music www.sundazed.com)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"The Midnite Sound of the Milky Way" - CD
Yahoo! This is a super collection of oddball '60s music, most
of which was recorded at Midnite Sound studios in Danville, IL.
and/or released on the related Milky Way label. Dean Carter and
various friends started the studio and label in the mid '60s
to avoid having to travel 200 miles to civilization (Chicago)
to work up their demos and singles for the local market. The
seat of the pants technology coupled with the wild enthusiasm
and unique talents of the songwriters and musicians made for
some very
unorthodox recordings. Most of these tracks are just being released
because the original artists deemed the results too otherworldly
and intense to possibly click with record buyers. Thanks to the
dedication of the music lovers at Big Beat, we can all groove
to the way out and wiggy sounds of Kookie Cook, the Four A While,
George Jacks, the Cobras, Willie and the Travelaires, Kookie
and the Satalites, Dave Marten, the Grapes of Wrath and the 12th
Knight in all their twisted glory. Comes with great liner notes
by
Alec Palao and a side bar by Eric Welsch of the Cobras. (Big
Beat/Ace - www.acerecords.com)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Northwest Battle of the Bands Volume 4" - CD
I was in a band years ago with a chap we nicknamed Brain Damage
because he was hyper and a tad scattered despite being ranked
as a genius at school. One of his favorite phrases was, "The
Northwest, man!!" After I was turned onto the Sonics and
the Wailers and realized the common elements of their sound were
related to growing up in that part of the world and discovered
that the Ventures and Paul Revere & the Raiders also hailed
from the same region, I was a believer. The aforementioned were
just a handful of bands from a scene that encompassed rockers
from all over the region. This is the forth installment of CDs
that are devoted to exploring the wealth of material this area
spawned in the early to mid '60s. Like the first three volumes,
this is a total blast. From the opening strains of "I Think
I Love You" by Woody Carr & the Entertainers to the
last note of "High" by the Dynamics, this set offers
teen excitement of the finest ilk. The rest of the bands are
all worthy of mention. The New Yorkers, the Unusuals, the Stags,
the Raymarks, the Bumps, Merrilee & the Turnabouts, Jack
Horner & the Plums, the Bandits, the Mercy Boys, the Ceptors,
the Beachcombers, the Brave New World, the Express, the Rock-N-Souls,
the Counts, Rocky & the Riddlers, Don & the Goodtimes,
the Liberty Party, the Live Five, Tom Thumb & the Casuals,
the Emergency Exit, the Other Two, the Dynastys, the Sonics and
the Heirs all give their all to their craft and the results are
stellar. The liner notes are worth the price of admission alone.
Awesome! (Big Beat www.acerecords.co.uk)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Rock Against Bush" CD
26 blasts of punk rock and roll from a bunch of disenfranchised
people who have the guts to stand up to the biggest threat to
human values the U.S. has seen in its history. These folks know
that the forces of "evil" are winning as long as the
"Patriot Act" and "Presidential War Powers Act"
effectively strip all of us of the freedoms and democracy we
used to be guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
While the administration hasn't quite sewn up state run media,
they are working on it. With the administration's party controlling
the Courts and Congress, there are no longer any checks and balances
to protect us from the whims of the greedy incompetents in the
White House. There are moves being made right now to deny us
the right to vote in the 2004 election, in the name of protecting
the US from instability in the event of new attacks by "enemy
combatants." The acts doing what they can to help return
America to a more sane and humane form of government are None
More Black, Sum 41, Alkaline Trio, Epoxies, Anti Flag, Against
Me!, the Offspring, the Get Up Kids, Rise Against, Ministry,
Descendents, Authority Zero, the Soviettes, Jello Biafra with
D.O.A., RX Bandits, Strung Out, Strike Anywhere, the Ataris,
Pennywise, Denali, the World/Inferno Friendship Society, New
Found Glory, the Frisk, NOFX, Social Distortion and Less Than
Jake featuring Billy Bragg. Buy this one even if you don't intend
to play it; the cause is the worthiest I know of. If you think
Bush is just a harmless dopey frat boy, you are as delusional
as he is. (Fat Wreck Chords www.fatwreck.com and www.punkvoter.com)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Shakin' in My Boots: A Texas Rock 'N Roll Compilation"
CD
This is a wonderful bunch of music from a brand spankin' new
label that I hope to be hearing more from in the future. Right
out of the gate, they caught my attention with a CD release by
a band called Thee Fine Lines, the closest thing to the Headcoats
and Headcoatees without Billy onboard (see Unifying Theory of
the Universe elsewhere in the G&B web site). There is plenty
more rough edged rock with nods to the '60s here, but there is
also plenty of sloppy blues, homespun punk boogie and other cool
new wrinkles. I was already familiar with some of these groups
such as the Deadites and the Hard Feelings, but most are new
to me. Dig in and enjoy the undisciplined sounds of the Stepbrothers,
the Ugly Beats, the Hotrails, the Dragstrip Bros., the Crack
Pipes, the Golden Boys, Jesus Christ Superfly, the Sunday Drunks,
the ravens, Mclemore Avenue, 00 Spies (my initial faves
psycho instro swing!), White Heat and the Ka-Knives and the aforementioned
(but worthy of more props) Deadites and Hard Feelings. Crude
and cool tunes from the Lone Star State. (Licorice Tree Records
www.licoricetree.com)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Thingmaker" CD
This comp is worth it for the intro alone. I hadn't heard the
commercial for Mattel's creepy crawlie brainchild in more years
than I care to think about. Nostalgia plus! The rest of the CD
is a celebration of modern hard rock infused with various influences
from '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s guitar happy crazies. Gearhead
is one of the more successful labels sharing their visions of
what rock is to them. That success has made it possible for them
to work with some of the most exciting and popular punkers and
poppers on the scene. This CD offers an introduction to such
new tuff talent as Riverboat Gamblers and the Hives as well as
tried and true champions of raunch such as the Lazy Cowgirls
and the Nomads. There are some nice retro side trips too such
as the Dukes of Hamburg and the Hypnomen. The rest of the groups
are the Wildhearts, the Dragons, NRA, New Bomb Turks, "Demons,"
Million Dollar Marxists, Mensen, Red Planet, the Turbo A.C.s,
the Hellacopters, the Hunches, Rock 'N' Roll Soldiers and American
Heartbreak. Nice packaging too, including Gearhead Founders Michelle
and Mike camping it up with their ancient wiggly weirdo toys.
(Gearhead records www.gearheadrecords.com)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Wilson Chance the Sound of Danger" CD
If you are a fan of stereotypical spy music, modern bachelor
pad esoterica and/or Hammond organ driven'60s funky soul, you
will want to give this project the once over. I'm not sure if
there is a movie to go with the music, but the 26 tracks are
represented as a soundtrack. The music is interspersed with occasional
dialog and some tracks feature running commentary, but the bulk
of the tracks are straightforward instrumental interpretations
of chase scenes, dangerous liaisons, teen dance interludes and
other standard cloak and dagger fare. Vic Flick played with the
John Barry 7 (If you haven't seen Beat Girl you are missing out!)
and turns in three stunning tracks, one with Linda Jackson. The
other bands are made up of young bucks, but are in the same groove.
The Link Quartet, Mike Painter & the Family Shakers, the
Men From S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the Yards and the Special Agents play
vibrant and haunting music that will delight 007 aficionados
as well as fans of such groups as Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited.
Where else can you hear the "tiki torch mix" of a song
like "Munchimoo Boogaloo"? (Hammond Beat www.hammondbeat.com)
THE VIVISECTORS
"Case History of John Doe" CD
This is among the absolute best surf music I have ever heard
from modern Russia. The twenty-six songs on this CD run the gamut
from spy-surf to cowboy-surf and cover a lot of surf ground in
between. The ghastly ones have an organ player so there sound
is even fuller than the double guitar line up would have suggested.
I don't know how they manage to keep the titles and melodies
of songs like "Monkey Hunter," "Alien in a Government,"
"Hank, God Bless You!" and "Terrorofobia"
straight, but that is a skill that surf bands from all over the
world seem to have mastered. I'm not sure what to make of the
fact that the only cover "The House of the Rising Sun"
so I won't even try. Competent and evocative instrumental music
from our vodka swilling neighbors on the other side of the globe.
(www.thevivisectors.narod.ru)
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