I thought I'd kick the weekend off with a couple of my favorite high school-era punk bands: The Circle Jerks, Fear, and JFA. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that these bands are among the first to take punk in a dumber direction. Don't get me wrong; I love these bands and I mean that in the best possible way. I'm just saying, generally, there wasn't the angry youth feeling that came from some of the British punk bands. I get more of a feeling of poking a stick at the middle class from which they came. Maybe a recognition of the hypocrisy. I dunno. All I can say without a doubt is my skater buddies and I loved these bands and other LA-area punk bands. Their music was better suited to skateboarding, then was, say, the Clash.
The Circle Jerks The Circle Jerks formed circa 1979 in Hermosa Beach, CA. Lead vocalist Keith Morris was an original member of Black Flag, co-founding the band with Greg Ginn. He recorded the "Nervous Breakdown" EP with them before leaving the group in 1979. Morris formed the Circle Jerks along with guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Roger Rogerson (a classically trained guitarist), and drummer Lucky Lehrer. Their debut album, "Group Sex," was released in 1980 on the Frontier Records label; its fourteen songs totaled out at about fifteen minutes.
Fear Fear formed in 1977 with Lee Ving and bassist Derf Scratch searching for a drummer and guitarist. After the band's 1982 debut release, "The Record," Ving fired Derf and replaced him with Flea (yeah, that Flea). Guitarist Philo "The Foot" Cramer and drummer Spit Stix left after the band's 1985 disk, "More Beer." The two members cited financial disputes with Ving as well as personality conflicts with his "right wing" beliefs.
JFA JFA (Jodie Foster's Army) formed in 1981, rising out of the Arizona and Southern California skateboard culture. The original members were Brian Brannon (vocals), Don "Redondo" Pendleton (guitar), Michael Cornelius (bass), and Mike "Bam-Bam" Sversvold (drums). Pendleton and Cornelius knew each other from shows around Phoenix and from skateboarding. Bam-Bam later joined after meeting Pendleton at an "Industrial Dance" in Phoenix. He was responsible for the band's name, which is a reference to his second-cousin's, John Hinckley, Jr., attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan.
I'm pretty excited about the new Who album coming out next month. I've been a huge fan since I got "Who Are You" for my birthday many, many years ago. I had an opportunity to see The Who at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles in 1980. In the 26 years (has it really been that long?) since, I've seen probably hundreds of bands, but I'll always remember the power behind this legendary band.
"Endless Wire" will be the first release from the band since 1982's "It's Hard." In a press release Pete Townsend posted on his site, he says, "This is not the old Who; we never said it would be. It is something else."
So far there aren't any "leaked" tracks - at least none I could find. The track list is on Pete's site, so I'm not dropping any bombs when I post that. I just want everyone else to be excited, too!
1. Fragments (Townshend/Ball) 2. A Man In A Purple Dress (Townshend) 3. Mike Post Theme (Townshend) 4. In The Ether (Townshend) 5. Black Widow’s Eyes (Townshend) 6. Two Thousand Years (Townshend) 7. God Speaks of Marty Robbins (Townshend) 8. It’s Not Enough (Townshend/Fuller) 9. You Stand By Me (Townshend)
Tracks 10 – 19 comprise the full-length mini-opera "Wire And Glass".
10. Sound Round (Townshend) 11. Pick Up The Peace (Townshend) 12. Unholy Trinity (Townshend) 13. Trilby’s Piano (Townshend) 14. Endless Wire (Townshend) 15. Fragments of Fragments (Townshend/Ball) 16. We Got A Hit (Townshend) 17. They Made My Dream Come True (Townshend) 18. Mirror Door (Townshend) 19. Tea & Theatre (Townshend)
Also on his site, Pete has written some notes about the songs, giving a little insight to his thought process. In some instances, though, the notes only further obfuscate the thought. For instance, he explains "Mike Post Theme" first by saying it came about as a means of addressing people upset by the use of Who songs in TV shows and advertisements. Then he writes, "The larger theme in the background of this song is the statement that we are no longer strong enough or young enough to love." I'm not drawing the line between the two thoughts, so I hope it becomes clearer once I actually hear the song.
Anyway, in the meantime, I dug up some Who tracks that were included as a bonus disk on something I bought a few years ago. There are four of those, a remix of "I Can See for Miles" that I found somewhere on the Interwebs, and "Real Good Looking Boy," which was one of two new tracks on the 2004 greatest hits anthology "The Who: Then and Now."
John Entwistle's birthday is in early October. I've got a couple of his old solo albums, so I'm thinking I'll pull those out and share some of that. Be sure to check out Pete Townsend.com for any and all information about The Who. You can check here for Who tour information. And of course there are plenty of fan sites. Google it!
A few days ago I posted some stuff from "The Decline of Western Civilization." That film documented the Los Angeles punk scene circa 1980. Around the same time, Alan Moyle was directing a movie called "Times Square." "Times Square" purported to be based on a diary of a mentally-disturbed young woman. The movie told the story of two girls who form a punk band in New York. According to IMDB, it "was such an unpleasant experience for the neophyte filmmaker that he succumbed to a stress-related disorder that caused all his hair to fall out."
In the two-and-a-half decades since its release, "Times Square" has found a cult following among gays and lesbians because of the perceived relationship between the characters Nicky, played by Robin Johnson, and Pamela, played by Trini Alvarado. Moyle's commentary on the DVD release indicates the original cut of the film contained more obvious lesbian content, which was excised at the request of producer Robert Stigwood. Despite a critical panning, Moyle feels the film is important in that it captures the grittiness of Times Square before it was Disney-fied.
The soundtrack itself features an eclectic mix of artists ranging from Suzy Quatro to Lou Reed, with a little Robin Gibb thrown in - apparently to appease Robert Stigwood. I've picked a handful of the stuff I think is interesting.
"Times Square" was Robin Johnson's first film. There is an unofficial site here, dedicated to her career since. There is an unofficial site for Trini Alvarado here. And - IMDB's info about "Times Square" is here.
I've wanted to post this stuff for awhile, but just never seemed to get around to it. After the Rolling Stones finished the "Dirty Work" tour, Keith Richards was still eager to continue playing. He gathered some friends and recorded the tracks that would become "Talk is Cheap," his first solo album. Keith dubbed the collection of musicians The X-pensive Winos, and quickly scheduled some shows to promote the album. The next-to-last date on the mini tour was Dec. 15, 1988, at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, CA. The show was recorded on audio and video, but was shelved for a couple of years. Finally, in late 1991, Keith decided to remix and release "Keith Richards and the X-pensive Winos, Live at the Hollywood Palladium."
The album, writes Kurt Loder in the liner notes, is "a novelty: A live concert document that's not about flash pots, light cues, high-tech synthware, sleek choreography or - God knows - spiffy clothes. It's about getting into music, and getting off on it." The Winos: Waddy Wachtel, Steve Jordan, Charley Drayton, Ivan Neville, Sarah Dash, and Bobby Keys.
Gotta mention the passing of one of my favorite MP3 blogs. The Crutch is calling it quits. I've only been blawgging a couple of months, so I'm not sure how long Crutch was around, but I'll definitely miss it. I do know the blog stemmed from an eZine, also called The Crutch. At this point, it looks like the 'zine is still in service. Check it out.
Anyway, best of luck to the creator(s) of The Crutch.
UFO is one of the most underappreciated, underrated bands of what was the New Wave of British Metal. Their classic line-up (Phil Mogg, Micheal Schenker, Pete Way, Paul Raymond, and Andy Parker) released a half-dozen standard-setting albums through the late 1970s, including the phenomenal live album “Strangers In the Night.”
The band’s full history is available on Wiki, but I’ll try to summarize its beginnings for you. Mogg, Way, Parker, and guitarist Mick Bolton formed the band in 1969 as a blues-based rock quartet. Bolton left in 1972, and UFO went through a couple of guitarists looking for the right sound to take the band where they wanted it to go. In 1973, former Scorpions guitarist Micheal Schenker joined UFO, bringing his distinctive guitar sound. In 1974, UFO released “Phenomenon,” which displayed a new, harder sound. As I mentioned, through the latter part of the 70s, UFO released a number of classic hard rock albums, including “Force It,” “No Heavy Petting,” and “Lights Out.”
I’ve got a couple of tunes from “Phenomenon,” which could really be considered UFO’s second debut album, the one that launched their more recognizable sound. I’ve also got a couple from 1978’s “Obsession” album. And, mainly for comparison purposes, I pulled one song from “Misdemeanor,” recorded in 1985, after a two-year hiatus. Raymond and Mogg are the only original UFO members appearing on this album.
UFO still tours and records today. Their latest album, “The Monkey Puzzle,” should be released later this month. Check out their Web site here. And YouTube has an old video for "Shoot Shoot" as well as links to other UFO vids.
As a footnote, “Strangers In the Night” is absolutely one of my favorite live albums. Putting this post together made me realize it’s been too long since I’ve listened to it, so I had to dig it out and give it a spin. I think in a couple of weeks, I may post more UFO so I can share my love of this most underrated disk.
The soundtrack to "The Decline of Western Civilization" features live performances from several LA area punk bands at their peak. It’s an interesting record to listen to, and an even more interesting film to watch because of the moment in rock history it captures. “This is 1980,” Lee Ving of Fear says to an audience member. “Can’t you afford a fuckin’ haircut?”
Penelope Sheeris shot the film in late ‘79 and early 1980 for about $120,000. In an undated interview with Hip Magazine, she talked about getting the financing for “Decline”: “I had the first music video company in LA, it was called Rock 'n Reel. Cheesy name, but fuck, it was the '70s...A girlfriend was approached by these guys who had money and wanted to make a porno movie and I went to see them and said, ‘You guys really should give me some money to make the film I want to make. ‘Cuz punk rock is the next big thing after pornos... I swear.’ They bent to my will. So I made ‘Decline,’ but I didn't keep the rights, and never made any money off it.”
The New York Times seemed to get what Spheeris intended to convey, and wrote a positive review:
Not merely a compilation of concert footage, The Decline of Western Civilization compiles numerous viewpoints on the meanings of the punk movement, from journalists -- one of whom calls punk the folk music of the 1980s -- to club security guards, to the punks themselves. The center of the film, however, is the music, which is fast, loud, and abrasive and often played with purposeful ineptitude; the lyrics are intentionally controversial and shocking, often seeming to embrace violence, sexism, racism, and even Nazism, though usually in an ironic manner. The performances, by bands such as Black Flag, X, The Circle Jerks, and Fear, are mostly shot from within the audience, where the camera often becomes an unwitting participant in the crowd's slam dancing. Especially fascinating are the performances by The Germs, thanks to the antics of their violently self-destructive lead singer Darby Crash, who would later die of a drug overdose and gain a martyr status within the punk community. (New York Times review by Janet Maslin)
The The Decline Web site is under construction. Penelope Spheeris has directed a ton of movies, including the first "Wayne's World," and two sequels to "The Decline of Western Civilization." IMDB has more information about Ms. Spheeris.
Here's some weird stuff I found on the 'net: On John Lydon’s Web site, he's posted some free, downloadable audio tracks. What's weird is it's not the sort of music I expected. Maybe I haven't kept up with the erstwhile Mr. Rotten's career, but I expected something a little more, maybe PiL, or some live stuff from the Pistols v2.0, or something. Instead, these are various dance mix things. He claims some of this was sampled without his permission, but he put them on his site just the same. What's intriguing to me about these tracks is hearing the same voice that once snarled, "I wanna be an anarchist," in a totally different context.
So give this stuff a listen. And check out Johnny's site. There are a couple of other similar tracks, some video clips, wallpapers, audio from Rotten Radio, and plenty of other interesting things.
Sun (live).mp3 Psycho's Path Tour: The Palace in Los Angeles, August 13th, 1997 PiL - Socialist v Britney / Madonna - Me Against The Music!.mp3 Mash up remix bootleg by Go Home Productions, who also did the Pistols v Madonna 'Ray of Gob' & 'Submusic' mash ups. Blacksmoke Rising.mp3 Commercially unreleased Blacksmoke track featuring John Lydon on guest vocals (used without his knowledge or consent). Broadcast during a BBC Radio 1 'Breezeblock' session in September 2003. Order of Death (Blair Witch Mix).mp3 A unique 1999 mix of 'Order of Death' featuring dialogue from the movie mixed into the track. Rise (live).mp3 Psycho's Path Tour: The Palace in Los Angeles, August 13th, 1997
To me, Chrissie Hynde is one of the sexiest women around. Not only do I think she's somewhat attractive physically, but she has persevered through enormous obstacles to pursue her vision of a rock and roll band. That perseverence, that toughness, is what makes her so appealing.
The Pretenders originally formed in 1978. Chrissie, along with Pete Farndon, Martin Chambers, and James Honeyman-Scott, released a series of singles in '78 and '79, then released their self-titled debut in 1980.
The album I'm sampling today is sort of album number one-and-a-half for the Pretenders. "Originally released because of the heavy demand for new Pretenders music while the band was unable to get into the studio (due to their virtually non-stop touring), Extended Play allowed us a savoury taste of what was to come on the second album," according to the Pretenders Archives site. The five-song EP was released in March 1981 and includes the otherwise unavailable "Cuban Slide" and a live version of "Precious" (recorded in Central Park on August 30, 1980).
Original members Farndon and Honeyman-Scott died of drug overdoses in June 1982 and April 1983, respectively, just as The Pretenders were hitting their full stride. Chrissie has continued on, with mixed success, releasing a half-dozen new albums, along with various live and greatest hits compilations. Martin Chambers rejoined the band in 1993, and was with Chrissie last year when The Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fittingly, she recognized the original band and commented, "We are a tribute band … We're paying tribute to James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we would not have been here. On the other hand, without us they might have been here, but that's the way it works in rock 'n' roll."
I don't think The Pretenders have an actual Web site, but Chrissie does. And for more information, you can check the aforementioned Pretenders Archives, or check out Pretenders.org
Well, I didn't make it back last night, but I did root through my record bins and find some interesting things.
Thelonious Monster came from Los Angeles, led by singer-songwriter Bob Forrest. They were popular in the Hollywood area, playing clubs there in the 80s, but never achieving much commercial success. Trouser Press derided their first album, "Baby, You're Bummin' My Life out in a Supreme Fashion," as a "half-assed grab-bag of styles, some of them effective and others just plain lazy, unified by self-indulgent down-in-the-gutter lyrics and frontman Bob Forrest's whiny personability."
Not exactly a 5-star review. But there are some interesting things on the album, which to me has sort of a Replacements feel.
As a footnote, Thelonious Monster reunited in 2004 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA, and at the Sunset Junction Street Fair in Los Angeles. That same year they released "California Clam Chowder," their first new album in 12 years.
There really isn't anything at the Thelonious Monster Web site, but check out the Underneathica blog for some Monster info. You can also see the aforementioned Trouser Press page, which will link you to the right places to buy Thelonious Monster music.
I don't usually mess around much in the arena of new music. There are plenty of other bloggers who do that well enough, so I like to stick to my own little forte here. But I heard something I thought was good enough I needed to share it.
Howard Stern, on his radio show yesterday, played a cover version of Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down" and challenged the others in the studio to guess who was performing it. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but no one could figure out who was singing. This went on for a couple of minutes until I was screaming at the radio, "Tell me already!"
Finally - FINALLY - he told us the girl covering Neil Young was none other than Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley. Everyone was awed. She really was good, not just another child of a celeb putting out a record. The song stuck in my head, so this morning, I bought it and listened a few more times to the song. I still like it, and her version of "Don't Let It Bring You Down" has stuck in my head. The music has kind of a Joss Stone-type feel; white-girl blues stuff. It's funny that I liked this song, as it's not my usual taste, but, take it for what you will, I like it.
Visit Alexa's site here, for more information. ********* And with that said, I'm lugging out my record collection and may be back tonight to post some vinyl.
That's gotta be the coolest album name ever. I almost called this blog ".44 Caliber Horticulture," the name's so great.
At one point, Guns n' Roses was the greatest band ever. They epitomized everything rock and roll should be: loud, ugly, unpredictable, and always on the verge of self-destruction. They were the missing link between punk rock and heavy metal. Unfortunately, the band only released three studio albums before they finally imploded. But, as always, there are a few other recordings floating around.
The sleeve for ".44 Caliber Horticulture" indicates the tracks are from "the band's studio practice sessions." The only thing I could find on the Interweb about this album says it was recorded in 1986 at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles. The Gunners couldn't afford to buy the master tapes, so the studio kept them as collateral. From what I understand, they laid down a couple of disks worth of the material that would later make up "Appetite for Destruction," as well as a bunch of cover versions of other songs.
The disk I have is Volume 1 of ".44 Caliber Horticulture." I don't have Volume 2, and don't know much about it. ".44 Caliber Horticulture - Vol. 1" includes demo versions of about half of the songs on "Appetite." There are also versions of "Reckless Life, "Move To the City," and "You're Crazy," which were all staples of the early Guns n' Roses shows, and would later appear on the "Gn'R Lies" disk. There are also two versions of "November Rain," one acoustic and version two, which features the more familiar piano accompaniment.
The sound quality varies, but again, catching one of the greatest hard rock bands in its infancy is worth it.
My introduction to the Plasmatics came via Saturday Night Live, sometime around 1979-1980. I was hungry for music that shocked and outraged the middle class in which I was so firmly entrenched. I already knew the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, then here comes this bleach-blond woman with electrical tape over her nipples and a guitar player wearing a tutu. Then they blew up a bunch of stuff. Holy shit!
I've got a lot of Plasmatics music, digital and vinyl, but for today I'm going to go just straight Wendy O. I want to touch briefly on her story, because she is another rock and roll tragedy. Wendy Orlean Williams was born in Rochester, NY, on May 28, 1949. She appeared on The Howdy Doody Show when she was seven years old. After dropping out of high school in the ninth grade, she traveled around the US for a few years, then made her way to Europe, where she began stripping. By the mid-1970s she had returned to New York. That's where she hooked up with Rod Swenson, a sex show promoter. After shooting music videos for other bands, Swenson and Williams decided to create their own punk rock band. The Plasmatics debuted their outrageous act at CBGB on July 26, 1978.
Wendy died at age 48 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This is what she wrote regarding her decision:
"I don't believe that people should take their own lives without deep and thoughtful reflection over a considerable period of time. I do believe strongly, however, that the right to do so is one of the most fundamental rights that anyone in a free society should have. For me much of the world makes no sense, but my feelings about what I am doing ring loud and clear to an inner ear and a place where there is no self, only calm."
Some other stuff, just so ya know: "I Love Sex" and "Bump and Grind" both came from Wendy's self-titled solo album, which Gene Simmons produced. Ace Frehley plays lead guitar on "Bump and Grind." "You're A Zombie" comes from "Maggots: the Record," which was sort of a Plasmatics reunion album, but was billed as Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics. The other two songs are from "Kommander of Kaos," a Wendy O. solo album Rod Swenson produced, but also featured former Plasmatics.
Visit the official Plasmatics Web site for all your official Plasmatics merchandise and lots of other cool stuff.
For no good reason, I thought I'd break out some old Judas Priest tonight. I always admired the original Priest (before Rob Halford's departure) for being "Defenders of the Faith." While some of their peers lapsed into Spinal Tap-like self-parody, the Beast that is the Priest stayed true to form. Even when the music got slightly more commercial, it never went to Scorpions-type blandness.
Since we're probably all familiar with Judas Priest, I'll throw out a little bit of trivia, then we'll get to the music. The name Judas Priest comes from Bob Dylan's song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest." The original band, headed by Alan Atkins, was more of a blues-oriented group. Some evidence of that, albeit a little harder edged, was still present on their second album, "Sad Wings of Destiny."
My other little trivia nugget is a six-degrees of separation from Howard Stern. When Rob Halford left the band in 1991, he was replaced by Tim "Ripper" Owens, who had previously sung in the Judas Priest tribute band British Steel. When Halford rejoined Priest 12 years later, Ripper went on to join Iced Earth. One of Iced Earth's seven drummers was Richard Christy, a writer and self-professed porn expert on the Howard Stern radio show.
Again, like the Alice Cooper post, I just took the records I have and picked what I like. Hope you dig it too.
I hooked up on this Org Records sampler awhile ago. I’m not sure where it came from or how I landed it, but I ran across it recently while looking for something else, and thought I’d give it a spin to see if there was anything worth sharing.
The Organ is, well, it has a MySpace page that does a good job of descibing just what the Organ is and does:
“ORGAN is a creative type of music magazine that evolved out of a messy DIY fanzine back in the last century. We've been doing it longer than most and we'll be doing it long after most have sold out. Organ is for people who need to find the alternatives, underground music - it's always better down here in the dirt if you're prepared to make the effort and get involved rather than just be another consummer..... We like to avoid pigeon holes - that's what real punk rock should be - for far too many now it's just an MTV fashion parade - time to take it back! Music and it's associated culture should not be under the thumb of the corporations, there is a different way... first you need to communicate. TAKE IT BACK FROM THOSE WHO THINK IT'S A BUSINESS OPTION!”
They also periodically issue sampler disks, which was my point. The one I have, “Organ Radio 18 - Diversions Are In Place,” features a pretty wide array of bands, ranging from emo-sounding stuff to straight up thrash metal. I picked a few I like, maybe you will too.
Where possible, I’ve attempted to add links for more information about the bands and purchasing their product. I also highly recommend you visit OrganArt.com, where music matters and they’ve been kissing big ugly sharks since 1986 (visit the site). There you will find tons of info on up-and coming, mostly UK bands. You can also learn how to subscribe to The Organ.
I thought I'd kick the weekend off with a couple of my favorite high school-era punk bands: The Circle Jerks, Fear, and JFA. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that these bands are among the first to take punk in a dumber direction. Don't get me wrong; I love these bands and I mean that in the best possible way. I'm just saying, generally, there wasn't the angry youth feeling that came from some of the British punk bands. I get more of a feeling of poking a stick at the middle class from which they came. Maybe a recognition of the hypocrisy. I dunno. All I can say without a doubt is my skater buddies and I loved these bands and other LA-area punk bands. Their music was better suited to skateboarding, then was, say, the Clash.
