THE OLDE LAMPLIGHTER
""Live" at the Norwood" - CD
I caught the Olde Lamplighter at this year's Hillbilly Fest. This CD brings back all the magic and charm of the 90 year-old gent with the walker and the foul mouth. He rode into the club on a Rascal, one of those motorized vehicles that seniors are known to terrorize some communities with, sort of a cross between a wheelchair and a minibike. Since this is karaoke, it is no surprise that the CD is faithful to the live renditions. But the Olde Lamplighter doesn't just do tired readings of familiar songs, he jazzes them up Weird Al style, and creates his own new numbers. Thus "Gentle on My Mind" becomes "Jello on My Mind," a song about one of the few joys left for his ancient gums and digestive system. His main love is country music and there's a mix of dusty cowpoke angst and relief evident as he relates the tale of his "Six Days on the Commode." He also dabbles in rock and roll, however, so expect a ration of abuse if you should ever step on his "Orthopedic Shoes." A rare talent. (P.O. Box 304 L.A., CA 90078)

THE RAUNCH HANDS' BIGG TOPP
"Feel it" - CD
This is a blast from the past for me. I was totally into this band in the mid '80s. Like many of my friends from that period, I was enamored of the album with "Whap-a-Dang" on it. I truly relished my one live encounter with the band. The group, in one form or another, has resurfaced through the years, but they had completely left my radar until this wild CD showed up. I'm happy to say that Mike Chandler, Mike Mariconda and the bunch of musicians they are currently working with have still got "it." This set is comprised of seven originals that are as good as anything they did the first time around and four interesting covers. They do Andre Williams' "Mojo Hannah," The Equals' "The Skies Above," Arthur Alexander's "You Don't Care," and their own arrangement of the traditional number, "Big Boat." This expanded band also includes Edison, Jeff Linton, Matt Smith and Patrick Pestorius. They even coaxed a stellar sax performance out of Walter Daniels for one track. Kick back, sip a brew and dig The Raunch Hands doing "The Sophisticated Screw." (www.licoricetree.com)

REVEREND BEAT-MAN
"Surreal Folk Blues Gospel Trash - Vol. 1" - CD
I might find religion a little more palatable if the services were conducted by the likes of Reverend Horton Heat and this odd gentleman... and they just played music rather than trying to explain what God wants me to do with my money and bullets. This is a very eclectic batch of songs and performances. On some tracks Mr. Beat-Man does the singing, guitar work and any other instrumentation all by his lonesome, but on others he is joined by fellow rebel blues rockers Robert "Pantichrist" Butler, Delany Davidson, Olifer M. Guz, Niculin Barandun and Sibylle Aeberli, in a variety of groupings. The title of this disc is about as apt a description as I can offer, but I'll add a few more descriptive phrases anyway. The lyrics are all in English and it's obvious the good Reverend is not as comfortable with English as he is with whatever language his mamma taught him. His guttural delivery adds to the general bastardization of his songs, but the words are as clear as anything Captain Beefheart ever spewed forth. Put this on and dance the "Jesus Christ Twist" with a true loon. (www.voodoorhythm.com)

REVEREND ORGANDRUM
"Hi-Fi Stereo" - CD
Speak of the Devil!! No sooner had I finished the review above (to be honest, a week had gone by), and what should I receive in the mail but a new CD featuring Reverend Horton Heat. How do ya like that?! This is a new project for Jim Heath and it features his prodigious guitar skills melded with the Hammond Organ stylings of Tim Alexander and the big-boom drum beat of Todd Soesbe. If you noticed I haven't mentioned anyone's vocals, that's because this is mostly an instrumental workout. If Zappa hadn't already cornered the market on "Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar" that would have been a dandy title for this cross genre affair. The Reverend does step up to the mic for "Bim Bam Baby" and "Ain't that a Kick in the Head," but for the most part he is perfectly content to let his axe do the talking. "A Shot in the Dark," "Experiment in Terror," "Theme to Route 66," "Hang 'em High," "Night Train," "Strollin' with Bones" and ten others of the same caliber are given an exciting Booker T & The MGs meet Chet Atkins on steroids sound. A joy from start to finish. (www.yeproc.com)

RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP
By Domenic Priore - Book
The subtitle of this groovy coffee-table book is "Rock'n'Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood." Domenic does a superb job of explaining how 1966 was thee year and Sunset Strip thee place in which youth culture reached its glorious apex, only to be beaten down by thee man. This premise is certainly debatable, but a '60s lapdog from L.A., such as myself, has no problem with it at all. Music, film, visual art, journalism, architecture, TV, dance and anything else you could think of that would interest young adults is explored through scholarly words and stunning pictures. Domenic has his own favorites in these various fields, and they are depicted in somewhat more glowing tones, but he's more evenhanded than a lot of folks might have been if asked to assess the same era. The big stars are only given marginally more ink than the smaller fish. This book was a bit of a dangerous read for me, though. I made notes as I went along and picked up all kinds of CDs and whatnot by the groups I wasn't hip to yet. My pocketbook is still smarting! The last chapter deals with the coordinated harassment of the kids and the clubs that catered to them. Bummer, man! The genie was almost out of the bottle when L.A. County Supervisor Ernest E. Debs stepped in and put the cork back in, keeping the younger generation from getting its wish. With a forward by Arthur Lee. (www.jawbonepress.com)

THE SICK ROSE
"Blastin' Out" - CD
This band has been together for twenty years and they are still mining the same mid '60s vein of pop and rock and roll. I can understand bands like The Chesterfield Kings that go through phases in which they explore various aspects of the rockin' continuum, but I can also see sticking with something familiar. Ten guitar-fueled, rocking originals with snarled vocals and a cover of "I Give You Lies" by the Dixies make up the band's latest album. "Cigarette Girl," "Go and Ask Your Mother," and "It's Gettin' Bad" are rife with edgy lyrics about love that's gone sour. The bad boy attitude that The Rolling Stones brought to pop music in the early '60s lives on through retro bands like this Italian mainstay. (www.mistylanemusic.com)

THE SIRENS
"More is More" - CD
If any one tries to tell you that less is more, put this blast of '70s glam excess on and you and the Sirens will instantly straighten them out. The band photo on the back cover speaks volumes about what this five-piece, mixed gender rock and roll juggernaut is all about. In their platform boots and skimpy gold lame outfits (one cat is even sporting a studded codpiece, for crying out loud!), and with their guitars proudly displayed, the band appears to be ready for some high kicking action. They power through energetic covers of songs by The Sweet, Crabby Appleton, David Bowie, Slade, The Bay City Rollers and all your other Mott rules!! era faves. Lead vocalist Muffy has the perfect voice for reanimating the crude charm of Noddy Holder and all the other glam rock belters that aspired to his magnificence. The band is tight too, a prerequisite for this kind of music. Fun for days. (www.musickrecords.com)

THE THINGZ
Self-titled - CD
It's hard not to love this band. They've been slinking around Long Beach and the "greater" L.A. area for a few years and have always brought a smile to my face. The music is as simple as the instructions-for-use found on the back of your shampoo bottle. Three piece garage rock and punk roll with an even mix of nonchalant female vocals and rather agitated male vocals is given more life than one might expect from such a straightforward formula by a healthy infusion of cleverer-than-thou lyrics. The band wears a variety of obsessions on their collective sleeve. If there is another way to express mealtime angst it will probably surface on the next Thingz CD. "Manicotti Massacre," "Picnic Table Massacre" and "Mastication Blues" ("I got caught, I'm just saying; Mom caught me masticating") will have to suffice for now. If it weren't so close to the Nirvana follow up band's name, they might consider renaming themselves the Food Fighters... Naw!! You'll have to get their CD for yourself to explore some of their other left-field themes. These Thingz offer up choice fun stuff from the sleazy neighborhood bar capitol of Southern California. (www.peladorecords.com)

THE THUNDERCHIEFS
"Dig" - CD
I do "dig" this CD. The songs are mostly surf rock instrumentals, but they are catchy, varied, inventive and downright pleasurable. Vocal numbers on surf records often sound like filler thrown on to add some spice. That is not the case with these Thunderchief chaps. Three of the band members sing and are quite adept at harmony. They write fun love songs that Buddy Holly fans will appreciate. In fact, after a few studied listens I have come to the conclusion that the group is composed of four gentlemen who are obsessed with The Bobby Fuller Four, a Buddy Holly-inspired group after my own heart. After soaking up such manna as "Comanche Moon," "Buzzard Coupe" and "Pretty Eyes," I have a desire to pull out KRLA King of the Wheels to see how it compares. I'd be pleased as punch to see these dynamos play live some day. (www.myspace/wormtonerecords)

THE UGLY BEATS
"Take a Stand With..." - CD
This is the best blast of '60s inspired pop yet from this five-piece vocal group. All five members, Joe, Jake, Jason, Jeanine and... er Jstephen are listed as vocalists and I believe they actually manage five-part harmony on more than one track. The primary thrust of the band is garage punk, but the tight harmonies lend even the hardest numbers a soft edge and there are some tender moments. Like many American albums of the original paisley era, this set is comprised of twelve songs. I'm not sure exactly why, but that seems to help root the whole in the proper past for me. Nine of the songs fell from the collective pens of the band mates. The other three help illustrate where the group is coming from. They do an organ-heavy version of The Ventures' "Action Plus" and jingle-jangle takes on Nikki & The Corvettes' "You're the One" and "Let Me Through" by The Remains. (www.gethip.com)

UNKNOWN INSTRUCTORS
"The Master's Voice" - CD
Fans of Joe Baiza and Mike Watt will be all over this project. Joe and Mike go way back and both were part of the late '70s/early '80s punk scene and yet were always outsiders too. Saccharine Trust and the Minutemen were anything but cookie cutter, uniform wearing punks. This album also features George Hurley on drums. The three provide a solid schizophrenic groove throughout and are graced by the vocal talents of Pere Ubu's David Thomas on three tracks, Dan McGuire on five and Raymond Pettibon on one. As one would expect, this is not very commercial. If you are a fan of well-executed envelope-shoving music with an edge, "This Black Hat is Rage," "Twing-Twang," "Maggot Sludge" and the other seven mind-expanding tunes should be on your wish list. Electric eels of white light zapping? You bet yer sweet bippy, buddy! (www.facemop.com, www.hootpage.com, www.saccharinetrust.com, www.ubuprojex.net)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Mondo Girls" - CD
This one is pretty stunning, even though it took a few listens to fully grow on me. I was initially put off by some of the horn and/or strings happy numbers, but the late '60s were responsible for a bunch of exciting sounds even if things were moving away from the days when a fuzzy guitar was the only star in a band besides the singer. Most of the girls on this comp are talents I wasn't familiar with before, and some of the ones I was already into such as Lulu, Brenda Lee and Sandi Shaw are doing songs I had never heard before. Part of my ignorance springs from the fact that there are so many European singers here that sing in their native tongues and I have a woefully limited knowledge of non English-speaking acts. One common thread is that all the gals have powerful voices. There are no whispery squeakers here. There are twenty tracks by Nita Rossi, Renata Pacini, Sylvie Vartan and a bevy of others who I'm happy to finally be acquainted with after all these years of not knowing what I was missing. (Mondo Girls Records)

NEIL YOUNG
Living With War ­ CD
In my opinion, this is the best body of work Neil has recorded since the Viet Nam era. Musically speaking, this is no Tonight's the Night. "Hey, Hey, My, My" is a much better approximation of the general vibe of the songs. But, in an age when so few national acts are willing to speak truth to power, it's incredibly inspiring to hear Neil Young list some of the George W. Bush Administration lies. He suggests that impeachment is the method the constitution proscribes for the type of treasonous activity that is the hallmark of the current inhabitants of the White House. "Let's Impeach the President" is one of the catchiest tracks on this set and features snippets of George W. Bush explaining how Saddam had something to do with 9/11, how he doesn't worry much about Osama, how he feels the insurgents in Iraq should "bring it on," how a wire tap requires a court order, how the Patriot Act contains guarantees of personal freedoms In short, telling America that the check is in the mail. As Neil points out, one of the most egregious lies that has passed George's lips is that the President is a Christian. Who would Jesus torture? Neil explores the effects war has on families in America and abroad, reminisces about his youth when peace was on the minds of a majority of folks of his generation and fantasizes about a world in which America is led by moral, truthful and just people. Rather than wait for some operative to rush to the White House to blab about his "private" conversations with loved ones, Neil has put his thoughts to paper and music. I wish more mainstream musicians had his guts and integrity! (Reprise Records ­ www.repriserecords.com)