H. L. Mencken was wrong. Politics isn't the worship of jackals by jackasses, rock 'n roll is. And on that note once again let us head on into more of that jackal-worshiping which I gotta say has kept me from going totally bonkers these past few decades.
But before we get into alla that music review stuff you tune into this blog for, maybe a li'l personal chat is in order, everyday stuff in order to humanize me in the eyes of people who wouldn't know what humanity is even if it bit 'em on their naturally oversized consciousnesses. First off I DID IT, not what you think I did but actually broke down and bought myself an expensive three months subscription to ROCK'S BACKPAGES. Yes, I'm talkin' about that site for sore eyes which has collected and categorized a whole load of rock scribblings from o'er the years, mostly feh stuff but a few good things in-between which I am most interested in. I'm talkin' a lotta the better British Weaklies stuff that I never could afford way back when yet was all but dead by the time I could...writings by the better minds that England hadda offer and you can just BET that I will be spending the next entire three months copying and collecting the best of the batch for my own personal enjoyment, and to rip off ideas from 'em while I'm at it as well!
So far I collected (and mis-collated making reading a real jumble) the Giovanni Dadomo articles that I was very anxious to read considering how I find his Velvet Underground history in SOUNDS as good as the better NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS items of the same strata. I was a really busy beaver this past Tuesday copying almost all of the available Dadomo pieces on Rock's Back Pages, even the stuff I thought would be comparatively grade-z turdsville like his piece on Orleans as well as some items on Jesse Winchester, a surprise on my part considering just how much I loathe not only gruffy singer-songwriters but draft dodgers to boot! (Not that I have an animus towards draft dodgers considering that maybe the body that's gonna be put on the front lines should have a say about being there inna first place, but I sure hated 'em back when Winchester was getting all this Sick White Liberal press about being one and how ashamed we should be because he was one boo-hoo cry-cry...and people who pride themselves on how they were "Conscientious Objectors" should also fit in somewhere, not for objecting, but for being so SANCTIMONIOUS about it!)
Next go 'round'll probably be Charles Shaar Murray and then who knows, either Nick Kent or Jane Suck depending on my own particular disposition towards ex-junkies or wannabe feminists that particular day.
Sun Ra-CALLING PLANET EARTH 3-CD set
Hawkwind-SPACE RITUAL 2-CD reissue with extra tracks.
Les Rallizes Denudes-LIVE MAY 25 1975 YANEURA CD
Tim Buckley-STARSAILOR CD
Musica Orbis-TO THE LISTENERS LP
Kim Fowley-THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL LP
The Velvet Underground-PEEL SLOWLY AND SEE CD box set (disc one only)
Nico-THE MARBLE INDEX CD
Rashied Ali Leroy Jenkins Duo-SWIFT ARE THE WINDS OF TIME CD
Moon Pool-ECLIPSE CD
Max Neuhaus/John Cage-FONTANA MIX-FEED LP
Eno-ANOTHER GREEN WORLD LP
James White and the Blacks-SAX MANIAC LP
Mahogany Brain-SOME COCKTAIL SUGGESTIONS LP
Chrome-HALF MACHINE LIP MOVES CD
Suicide-THE SECOND ALBUM + THE FIRST REHEARSAL TAPES CD (disc two only)
John Coltrane-THE AFRICA BRASS SESSIONS VOLUME TWO LP
SUISHOU NO FUNE CD
The Who-WHO THE FUCK?! LP
Mahogany Brain-SMOOTH SICK LIGHTS CD
Dr. Mix and the Remix-(1979-1982) CD
Amina Claudine Myers-SONGS FOR MOTHER E LP
Jimi Hendrix-SMASHING AMPS LP
Jango Edwards and the Friends Roadshow-LIVE IN EUROPE LP (side one only)
SUICIDE CD
The Grateful Dead-MASON'S CHILDREN CD
FUGS FOUR, ROUNDERS SCORE LP
Soft White Underbelly-UNRELEASED ELEKTRA ALBUM CD-r burn
Mahogany Brain-WITH (JUNK-SAUCEPAN) WHEN (SPOON-TRIGGER) CD
JACK RUBY CD
The Astronauts-PETER PAN HITS THE SUBURBS LP
Various Artists-LES PLUS GRANDS SUCCES DU PUNK CD
David Bowie-CHANGES, RECORDED LIVE AT THE SANTA MONICA CIVIC AUDITORIUM OCTOBER 20, 1972 CD
SOFT MACHINE VOLUMES ONE AND TWO CD
The Red Krayola-COCONUT HOTEL CD
BLACK PEARL CD
The Velvet Underground-disc one of 45TH ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE EDITION SET 4-CD set
Steve Reich-FOUR ORGANS/PHASE PATTERNS CD
Erica Pomerance-YOU USED TO THINK CD
CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY VOLUME TWO LP
The Pretty Things-DEFECTING GREY 10-inch EP
Art Ensemble of Chicago-BAP-TIZUM LP
Various Artists-LES PLUS GRANDS SUCCES DU PUNK II CD
Alice Cooper-PRETTIES FOR YOU/EASY ACTION CD
The Flamin' Groovies-SNEAKERS 10-inch LP
Cabaret Voltaire-THREE MANTRAS CD
Joe McPhee-NATION TIME CD
The Deviants-PTOOFF! CD
Les Rallizes Denudes-ELECTRIC PURE LAND 1974 CD
Pink Floyd-THE MIDAS TOUCH LP
The Sniveling Shits-I CAN'T COME CD
Roscoe Mitchell Sextet-SOUND LP
Magma-KOHNTARKOSZ CD
ROXY MUSIC CD
THE GOOD RATS CD
Various Artists-PUNKS FROM THE UNDERGROUND CD
BERLIN AIRLIFT LP
The Gizmos-RAW FIRST TAKES 1977 CD-r burn
Syd Barrett-MY HEAD KISSED THE GROUND CD
Tim Buckley and the Starsailor Band-VARIOUS LIVE 1970 CD-r burn
Red Noise-SARCELLES - LOCHERES CD
E. Power Biggs-FESTIVAL OF FRENCH ORGAN MUSIC LP
Black Pearl-LIVE LP
Kim Fowley-LIVING IN THE STREETS LP
Magma-INEDITS LP
Air-AIR RAID CD-r burn
Sun Ra-THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE 4-CD set
Bruce Gilbert/Ron West-FREQUENCY VARIATION LP
Mary Lou Williams-THE HISTORY OF JAZZ LP
The Flesheaters-GREATEST HITS - DESTROYED BY FIRE LP
The Soft Machine-BUNDLES LP
Mary Lou Williams-MARY LOU'S MASS LP
The Trashmen-SURFIN' BIRD LP
Art Ensemble of Chicago-CERTAIN BLACKS CD-r burn
The Frenchies-LOLA COLA CD
John Cale and Terry Riley-CHURCH OF ANTHRAX CD
Various Artists-ATLANTIC JAZZ - THE AVANT GARDE CD
Various Artists-HIGHS IN THE MID-SIXTIES VOLUME 3 - LOS ANGELES 1967 LP
Siouxsie and the Banshees-LIVE AND RARE 1977-1978 cassette
And here you were making masks outta old sweaters for da fambly!
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Francoeur-AUT'CHOSE CD (Unidisc Records, Canada)
The ever omnipresent "they" have called Lucien Francoeur the Canadian Lou Reed. Well, it does make way more sense than handin' the title over to Lewis Furey. Anyway, this '78 reish does have that by-then fading decadent air to it not only with the VELVET UNDERGROUND 1969 LIVE ripoff cover but Francoeur's devil-may-care swagger permeating this effort. And to add to the ultra swank chic of it all not only does a Serge Gainsbourg toon but a Gallic "Be Bop a Lula" done Roxy Music style pops up. I guess with tracks like those the guy has more of a claim to the Slag Heap title than anyone else north of the border. AUT'CHOSE is definitely one of those albums that naturally would get lost in the big upheaval of the day, but it does have a certain bossy sway about it that would appeal to those of you who were busy trolling the new release racks of the day trying to find something to ease them disco doldrums.
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Bagatelle-11 PM SATURDAY LP (ABC Records)
Well, it was worth what I paid for it, 'n I got it for FREE!!! The Bosstown hype obviously went way beyond its MGM origins with this ABC release featuring a soul/funk/rock conglomeration that just ain't able to get it up the way that James Brown and even some second-string r 'n b shouters could, what with the overall orchestrated goo and general pop slurp gettin' all inna way. Thing is that this group coulda amounted to something had none of the usual post-production technoglitz been used in order to make it palatable enough for your Unca Eb to like, an' ya know he wouldn't like it anyway them bein' long-haired creeps 'n all! Features the talents of noted Boston scenester Willie Alexander on piano, and from what I am told this is not a record to be mentioned in his presence.
But before we get into alla that music review stuff you tune into this blog for, maybe a li'l personal chat is in order, everyday stuff in order to humanize me in the eyes of people who wouldn't know what humanity is even if it bit 'em on their naturally oversized consciousnesses. First off I DID IT, not what you think I did but actually broke down and bought myself an expensive three months subscription to ROCK'S BACKPAGES. Yes, I'm talkin' about that site for sore eyes which has collected and categorized a whole load of rock scribblings from o'er the years, mostly feh stuff but a few good things in-between which I am most interested in. I'm talkin' a lotta the better British Weaklies stuff that I never could afford way back when yet was all but dead by the time I could...writings by the better minds that England hadda offer and you can just BET that I will be spending the next entire three months copying and collecting the best of the batch for my own personal enjoyment, and to rip off ideas from 'em while I'm at it as well!
So far I collected (and mis-collated making reading a real jumble) the Giovanni Dadomo articles that I was very anxious to read considering how I find his Velvet Underground history in SOUNDS as good as the better NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS items of the same strata. I was a really busy beaver this past Tuesday copying almost all of the available Dadomo pieces on Rock's Back Pages, even the stuff I thought would be comparatively grade-z turdsville like his piece on Orleans as well as some items on Jesse Winchester, a surprise on my part considering just how much I loathe not only gruffy singer-songwriters but draft dodgers to boot! (Not that I have an animus towards draft dodgers considering that maybe the body that's gonna be put on the front lines should have a say about being there inna first place, but I sure hated 'em back when Winchester was getting all this Sick White Liberal press about being one and how ashamed we should be because he was one boo-hoo cry-cry...and people who pride themselves on how they were "Conscientious Objectors" should also fit in somewhere, not for objecting, but for being so SANCTIMONIOUS about it!)
Next go 'round'll probably be Charles Shaar Murray and then who knows, either Nick Kent or Jane Suck depending on my own particular disposition towards ex-junkies or wannabe feminists that particular day.
***(Now that the all-clear has been sounded...) MY "CHINESE GONGO" QUARANTINE PLAYLIST (beginning April 5, 2020---seven-inchers excluded because most if not all will eventually be reviewed in an upcoming "Singles Going Stroonad".)
Sun Ra-CALLING PLANET EARTH 3-CD set
Hawkwind-SPACE RITUAL 2-CD reissue with extra tracks.
Les Rallizes Denudes-LIVE MAY 25 1975 YANEURA CD
Tim Buckley-STARSAILOR CD
Musica Orbis-TO THE LISTENERS LP
Kim Fowley-THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL LP
The Velvet Underground-PEEL SLOWLY AND SEE CD box set (disc one only)
Nico-THE MARBLE INDEX CD
Rashied Ali Leroy Jenkins Duo-SWIFT ARE THE WINDS OF TIME CD
Moon Pool-ECLIPSE CD
Max Neuhaus/John Cage-FONTANA MIX-FEED LP
Eno-ANOTHER GREEN WORLD LP
James White and the Blacks-SAX MANIAC LP
Mahogany Brain-SOME COCKTAIL SUGGESTIONS LP
Chrome-HALF MACHINE LIP MOVES CD
Suicide-THE SECOND ALBUM + THE FIRST REHEARSAL TAPES CD (disc two only)
John Coltrane-THE AFRICA BRASS SESSIONS VOLUME TWO LP
SUISHOU NO FUNE CD
The Who-WHO THE FUCK?! LP
Mahogany Brain-SMOOTH SICK LIGHTS CD
Dr. Mix and the Remix-(1979-1982) CD
Amina Claudine Myers-SONGS FOR MOTHER E LP
Jimi Hendrix-SMASHING AMPS LP
Jango Edwards and the Friends Roadshow-LIVE IN EUROPE LP (side one only)
SUICIDE CD
The Grateful Dead-MASON'S CHILDREN CD
FUGS FOUR, ROUNDERS SCORE LP
Soft White Underbelly-UNRELEASED ELEKTRA ALBUM CD-r burn
Mahogany Brain-WITH (JUNK-SAUCEPAN) WHEN (SPOON-TRIGGER) CD
JACK RUBY CD
The Astronauts-PETER PAN HITS THE SUBURBS LP
Various Artists-LES PLUS GRANDS SUCCES DU PUNK CD
David Bowie-CHANGES, RECORDED LIVE AT THE SANTA MONICA CIVIC AUDITORIUM OCTOBER 20, 1972 CD
SOFT MACHINE VOLUMES ONE AND TWO CD
The Red Krayola-COCONUT HOTEL CD
BLACK PEARL CD
The Velvet Underground-disc one of 45TH ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE EDITION SET 4-CD set
Steve Reich-FOUR ORGANS/PHASE PATTERNS CD
Erica Pomerance-YOU USED TO THINK CD
CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY VOLUME TWO LP
The Pretty Things-DEFECTING GREY 10-inch EP
Art Ensemble of Chicago-BAP-TIZUM LP
Various Artists-LES PLUS GRANDS SUCCES DU PUNK II CD
Alice Cooper-PRETTIES FOR YOU/EASY ACTION CD
The Flamin' Groovies-SNEAKERS 10-inch LP
Cabaret Voltaire-THREE MANTRAS CD
Joe McPhee-NATION TIME CD
The Deviants-PTOOFF! CD
Les Rallizes Denudes-ELECTRIC PURE LAND 1974 CD
Pink Floyd-THE MIDAS TOUCH LP
The Sniveling Shits-I CAN'T COME CD
Roscoe Mitchell Sextet-SOUND LP
Magma-KOHNTARKOSZ CD
ROXY MUSIC CD
THE GOOD RATS CD
Various Artists-PUNKS FROM THE UNDERGROUND CD
BERLIN AIRLIFT LP
The Gizmos-RAW FIRST TAKES 1977 CD-r burn
Syd Barrett-MY HEAD KISSED THE GROUND CD
Tim Buckley and the Starsailor Band-VARIOUS LIVE 1970 CD-r burn
Red Noise-SARCELLES - LOCHERES CD
E. Power Biggs-FESTIVAL OF FRENCH ORGAN MUSIC LP
Black Pearl-LIVE LP
Kim Fowley-LIVING IN THE STREETS LP
Magma-INEDITS LP
Air-AIR RAID CD-r burn
Sun Ra-THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE 4-CD set
Bruce Gilbert/Ron West-FREQUENCY VARIATION LP
Mary Lou Williams-THE HISTORY OF JAZZ LP
The Flesheaters-GREATEST HITS - DESTROYED BY FIRE LP
The Soft Machine-BUNDLES LP
Mary Lou Williams-MARY LOU'S MASS LP
The Trashmen-SURFIN' BIRD LP
Art Ensemble of Chicago-CERTAIN BLACKS CD-r burn
The Frenchies-LOLA COLA CD
John Cale and Terry Riley-CHURCH OF ANTHRAX CD
Various Artists-ATLANTIC JAZZ - THE AVANT GARDE CD
Various Artists-HIGHS IN THE MID-SIXTIES VOLUME 3 - LOS ANGELES 1967 LP
Siouxsie and the Banshees-LIVE AND RARE 1977-1978 cassette
And here you were making masks outta old sweaters for da fambly!
***Anyhoo, here are them rekkids ya wan-ned to knows abouts. Bill, Paul, Bob, you did your doody and now you must have to lay in it...
The ever omnipresent "they" have called Lucien Francoeur the Canadian Lou Reed. Well, it does make way more sense than handin' the title over to Lewis Furey. Anyway, this '78 reish does have that by-then fading decadent air to it not only with the VELVET UNDERGROUND 1969 LIVE ripoff cover but Francoeur's devil-may-care swagger permeating this effort. And to add to the ultra swank chic of it all not only does a Serge Gainsbourg toon but a Gallic "Be Bop a Lula" done Roxy Music style pops up. I guess with tracks like those the guy has more of a claim to the Slag Heap title than anyone else north of the border. AUT'CHOSE is definitely one of those albums that naturally would get lost in the big upheaval of the day, but it does have a certain bossy sway about it that would appeal to those of you who were busy trolling the new release racks of the day trying to find something to ease them disco doldrums.
***
Well, it was worth what I paid for it, 'n I got it for FREE!!! The Bosstown hype obviously went way beyond its MGM origins with this ABC release featuring a soul/funk/rock conglomeration that just ain't able to get it up the way that James Brown and even some second-string r 'n b shouters could, what with the overall orchestrated goo and general pop slurp gettin' all inna way. Thing is that this group coulda amounted to something had none of the usual post-production technoglitz been used in order to make it palatable enough for your Unca Eb to like, an' ya know he wouldn't like it anyway them bein' long-haired creeps 'n all! Features the talents of noted Boston scenester Willie Alexander on piano, and from what I am told this is not a record to be mentioned in his presence.
***
You'd think that "they" woulda learned their lesson what with all those horrid late-eighties tributes to the Velvet Underground. But noooooooo...here's even more trampling on all our musical faves of the past done up in a "present" (in this case 2012) where all of the feral majesty and total abandon that made the originals sound so fab inna first place has been long lost. This ain't the death of garage band transistor AM radio teenage thrills, it's the aroma.
***
Massively enjoyable late-sixties psychedelic pop that I'm sure some doof would wanna compare to the Doors. Much better'n 'em...think a less streamlined Association mixed with Montage and the Soft White Underbelly and you'll be there farther than you'd expect. Fits in perfectly with all of those 1969 smart sounds that were too commercial for the burgeoning hippie market yet rather sophisticated for the AM dial, plus it sure doesn't sound as bogged down as LEFT BANKE TOO.
***
Shee-yucks Bob, you didn't hafta reburn that live bit of Huey for me. But it helps. The Industrial Wasteland show where they blab about their experiences recording the album was interesting especially since I don't even recall this particular program having been aired inna first place! And although it was sure hard making out what was bein' said most of the time what with all of the band members seemingly talking all at once I got enough good information outta it to make me happy! A nice li'l slab of rock history right around the time that new wave was transmorgrifying into gnu wave (copyright 1982 Bill Shute) and things sure looked different then than they had for manic rock fans only a good six years earlier.
***
A big soo-prise from the bigwigs at WMMS-FM since they dropped all pretense of high-energy musical catering loooong before these radio shows hit the airwaves back '80's way. Chi-Pig actually sound a whole lot better in this live setting (even if any audience reaction is edited out to the point where it might as well been a studio sesh). None of the more new-unto-gnu wave (see review above complete with Bill Shute copyright) that really ruined things for us can be discerned...a downright nice blend of sixties-germinated pop with late-seventies rock 'n roll structure that doesn't make ya wanna puke at the crass commercialization that followed.
It was sure great that WMMS finally gave 15-60-75 some broadcast time and this particular live slab captures all of that hard-edged pow'r that set this bunch apart from the rest of those white blues guys who really couldn't capture anything that the Numbers delivered in droves. BUT WAIT!---this sounds like a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SET than the 'MMS Numbers Band show I already have on tape---could those FM radio hippies have been astute enough to give these guys two"Ohio Homegrown" broadcasts? I thought that honors like that were only given to the more $$$-minded acts in the tri-city area!
***
Another great example of just why Red Dark Sweet were perhaps thee only Cleveland survivors of the First Wave who successfully made do in the Third Wave when a lotta the other members of that strata got wooshed around in the cesspool of success deprivation. Charlotte Pressler does a pretty good if nice-natured Patti Smith here while Andrew Klimek fills in the sound with his guitar playing and once again the best artistic moments of the sixties live on a good twenty years after you thought everybody on earth forgot. Heck, were my ears deceiving me or did I catch 'em doin'"Kandy Korn"??? Kinda makes me proud that I spent a good portion of my life searchin' out and listenin' to records 'stead of devoting myself to hard work and academics.
***
Lots to talk about on this 'un Beginning with a mishmosh of sound clips from various old Sci-Fi films, Bill really prepared me for a nice get away from the usual turdsville way of living with this fine collection.
Devota Clemmon's "Danger Undertow" sounds like a Ted Mack reject complete with a guitarist who strums with all the hesitation and confusion of someone with my musical abilities! No need to tell you how much I prefer a song like this to yer typical fodder. The home disc featuring someone's aunt circa 1955 also gives EVERYBODY'S PSYCHEDELIC DECISION a real homebody sorta feeling, though I kinda feel like I'm intruding on someone else's old time memories by listening to "I Hear Music" done up by people I never met and who have probably been dead for years on end.
For you Beach Boys fans, father Murry's "Colonel's March" KFC jingle might just get you goin' out for your own bucket, or taking out your glass eye so you can show the socket to your kids in order to freak them out. And those Psychedelic Guitars sound about as psych as Ding Dong School, but you fans of the Duane Eddy/European instro vein might just get a kick outta 'em.
Neighborhood Watch...more of that eighties faster'n fast hardcore punk that the goofs at MRR seemed to enjoy, and maybe they were right for once! :Love how "Oh Susanna!" was worked into "Urban Fashion Punk"!
Johnny Sea's "Day For Decision" is a surprise, the surprise being that it came out on Warner Brothers who had also put out platters by the Grateful Dead and Peter Paul and Mary around the very same time. A spoken word speech regarding the mire of the late-sixties, its a wonder the whole world didn't just collapse shortly after this was recorded. Considering the depths we have sunk to, maybe it shoulda. It all ends with a chorus of "America the Beautiful" which once again reminds me of when we sung this 'un as kids in grade stool and some jokers thought the lyrics went "God shit his grace on thee!"
Johnny and the Jumper Cables...sheesh, where have I heard this one before? Amazing how these tracks get around!
The Bucks seem to borrow more from the late-seventies punk rock groups of England, after those acts started to get the feel of their instruments thus ruining the overall gist of the thing.
Oh no...not ANOTHER sound collage! Smegma did this stuff much better. At least the Holy Spirit School Choir doin' the MIDNIGHT COWBOY track was a nice suburban slob hoot, even tho I get the idea that nobody in that choir knew what that particular moom pitcher was about. Maybe they saw a few James Bond ones, and if they did I'm sure they would really appreciate Ed Kearney's accordion-addled medley of various themes from those mooms that I used to sneak peak when nobody was around when they were on tee-vee back when I was an adolescent suburban slob curious about what "that thing" looked like!
Well, in these times of shortages I can relate to that old spoof of GOLDFINGER that I recounted a while back. Y'know---"BROWN-finger, he's the man, who ran out of toilet paper!"
***I know you haven't gotten enough of your high energy daily supplement with this mere post, so why don't you do what many health-conscious rock 'n roll types do and latch onto one (or maybe even more!) old issues of BLACK TO COMM! Patti Smith once said that it was rock 'n roll magazines that made her happy during her New Jersey youth, and if you wanna feel good in that old, pre-stodgy way that permeated the sixties and seventies why not get a dose of rock screeding that should fit it swell with your nervous system! Merely click on the link, and (best of all!) have enough money to buy whatever you want and I GUARANTEE you'll be happy! Not as happy as ME but happy enough. Remember, if you need a copy of an out-of-print issue I would me more than happy to make one for you, given that you have the big bucks to support the printing of some of those later on biggies featuring well up to (and over) 100-plus pages!