'We'll Park At 7-11 And Look For Some Beef'
I have, over the past couple of months, gotten a lot of hits on
a Runaways post I did more than two years ago (the links are still up if you want to check it out). Oddly, the referrals are almost exclusively from Google images, which made it hard for me to figure out at first. The conclusion I finally came to is that the spike in hits has more or less coincided with the attention to The Runaways, which opens nationally April 9, and people searching images for the band.
Whatever the reason for the uptick, as always, I welcome it and, as always, I hope that people visiting my blog for that particular post will look around and decide to come back.
With that, never let it be said that I’m not a whore: If one Runaways post is good, two has got to be even better.
I did some searching and found
Flaming Schoolgirls, an oddly named disk that is a collection of outtakes from the
Queens of Noise and
Live in Japan albums. Originally available as a Japanese import, the Cherry Red label released it in the U.S. in 1980.
Flaming Schoolgirls features the classic Runaways lineup of Lita Ford, Joan Jett, Cherie Currie, Jackie Fox, and Sandy West.
I picked a couple of what I think are pretty representative songs from the album: “Don’t Abuse Me,” a Joan Jett-penned song, features Cherie Currie on vocals (Joan would rerecord it later for her
Bad Reputation album); Joan herself is out front on the live version of “I Love Playin’ With Fire.”
In an interesting choice, there are two Beatles covers on
Flaming Schoolgirls – “Strawberry Fields” and “Here Comes the Sun.” Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But Joan’s version of “Here Comes the Sun” is really not bad and it’s a rare occasion to hear her accompanied by just piano and strings. What kept going through my mind as I listened is, Thirty years down the road, there would be kids the same age Joan was then, singing their little hearts out on American Idol, maybe trying the same song, and not even coming close to turning in as good a performance. Yet ironically, I doubt Joan could have even “made it to Hollywood.”
Don’t Abuse Me.mp3 I Love Playin’ With Fire.mp3 Here Comes the Sun (Beatles cover).mp3 Labels: Beatles, covers, glam, outtakes, rock
Music from My Mailbox
Wow. I just can’t get the motivation or inspiration lately to post. I look through my CDs and the stuff on my computer and think, Nah, that’s all been done. Then I look through the 100-plus emails clogging my inbox and think, There’s gotta be something interesting in there. So out of those hundred-some emails, this is what I culled. Can you see why I’m not feeling too inspired these days?
My pick of the litter this go-round is Univox’s “Pi,” which I think I had attempted to post before but there was a problem with the link they sent me. Whatever the issue, I’m glad it showed up again, because it’s a rockin’ little number.
A song I almost passed on is Marc Robillard’s “Butterscotch High.” I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t know much about Marc, but there’s something about this song that I really like and it reminds me of someone else, but I can’t quite put my finger on who.
And just to mix things up a bit, I also want you to check out Dominique Young Unique. This is something you might hear thumping in your local strip club this summer.
As always, follow the links for more information
Science Fiction TheaterRock / Indie / Melodramatic Popular Song
From: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Band
MySpaceGasoline.mp3 Marc RobillardPop / Rock / Acoustic
From: Venice, Calif.
Band
MySpaceButterscotch High (acoustic).mp3 UnivoxGlam / Soul / Folk
From: Philadelphia, Penn.
Band
MySpacePi.mp3 ThoughtRock / 2-step / Funk
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band
MySpaceThe Hardest Thing.mp3 
Lloyd’s GarageRock / Indie / Blues
From: SF Bay Area, Calif.
Band
MySpaceReturn to Sender.mp3 Hunters & RunnersRock / Indie
From: New York, N.Y.
Band
MySpaceSociology.mp3
Dominique Young UniqueR’n’B / Hip-Hop / Electronic
From: Tampa, Fla.
Band
MySpaceShow My Ass.mp3 ~~~~~
(
pictures, top-to-bottom: Science Fiction Theater, Lloyd's Garage)
Labels: acousticness, electronic, hip-hop, indie, pop muzik, RnB, rock
'Fell In Love With A Girl'
This past weekend I bought the new White Stripes live disk,
Under Great White Northern Lights. I went the route of going to my local big box retailer to get a physical copy so I could get the bonus DVD.
The set documents the White Stripes’ 2007 trek across the Great White North, and while the CD is the expected collection of live hits, the DVD contains a few surprises. During the three-week tour, Jack and Meg made stops at several out-of-the-way towns and played some unorthodox venues, such as local cafes and bowling alleys. Hardly settings where you’d expect to find one of the biggest bands in the world. Snippets of these stops, along with the infamous one-note show in St. John’s, Newfoundland, are all on the DVD.
One other thing that came from watching the DVD is a new appreciation, or perhaps sympathy, for Meg. Fans generally know very little about her. She mostly keeps quiet, allowing Jack to speak on behalf of the band. Because of her taciturnity, it’s hard to know where Meg stands. In every scene with Jack, she’s walking behind him, rather than alongside him. The primary focus is always on him, in all meetings with reporters, fans, and public officials. They talk about that at one point on the DVD, and Meg says the decision to let Jack do all the talking is hers; she doesn’t want to talk. She’s very soft-spoken and is actually sub-titled throughout the 90-minute film.
But I think her feelings come out at the end of the movie. In the final scene, Meg is sitting beside Jack at a piano as he plays a solo version of the ambiguous “Holy Ghost.” She’s at first swaying slowly, in time with the music. After a while, the camera catches what looks like a tear on her cheek, but it moves away too fast to be certain. But the next time the camera zooms on her, she’s unmistakably crying. When the song ends, Jack gives her a quick, one-armed “cheer up, pal” kind of hug, which quickly becomes a real hug and you see the affection between them. That unexpected moment of intimacy is something that made the entire movie for me, and made Jack and Meg seem real, not just a “deserted cartoon” that Jack wrote.
I ripped “Holy Ghost” from the DVD, so the sound isn’t 320 kbps quality, but it’s decent. It’s also, as I mentioned, a solo piano version, so it's different than the
Get Behind Me Satan version.
White Moon (solo piano version).mp3 Labels: Detroit, movies, new stuff, White Stripes
Beatles - Atlanta '65
I found this Beatles “recording of indeterminate origin” a while ago and was impressed by two things: First, the sound quality is almost at a professional level; and next, the fact that they tear through 10 songs in less than half an hour. I wasn’t sure if I was hearing the Beatles or the Ramones.
This recording comes from the Aug. 18, 1965, show at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., the third stop on the tour. Beatlemania was at its peak and the band was just coming off one of the most amazing concerts ever – the Shea Stadium show.
This is the last tour while the Beatles were still “moptops”; at the end of the year, they would release
Rubber Soul and the music and band would start to take a new direction, showing new influences and growing up, as it were.
Almost four years ago I posted from a vinyl version of the Beatles at the Star Club, a recording from 1962, before they were
the Beatles. I commented about the “the absolute rawness and pure unvarnished rock and roll energy” of the recording. Three years later, the Beatles were a worldwide phenomenon, but the live energy was still there. They tear through their set with a force and vitality we wouldn’t see from England for another decade.
Introduction – Paul Drew.mp3 Twist and Shout.mp3 She’s a Woman.mp3 I Feel Fine.mp3 Ticket to Ride.mp3 Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby.mp3 Can’t Buy Me Love.mp3 Baby’s In Black.mp3 I Wanna Be Your Man.mp3 Help!.mp3 I’m Down.mp3 unzip 'em all
here.
Labels: Beatles, live music
Sláinte!
I considered a fair number of songs for this St. Patrick’s Day post. Had I managed to get around to it earlier in the day, probably any one of them would have been apropos. But, seeing as it’s going to be after 9 p.m. (EST) by the time this post sees daylight, the Dropkick Murphy’s “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced” seemed the most appropriate.
Here in Miami, St. Patrick’s isn’t the event it is in other cities. Sure, there’s green beer, and people wearing green, and bars with Irish names, but the spirit isn't here. In Miami, St. Patrick’s Day is just another beer company-sponsored night out. That, plus the fact I have to work tomorrow morning, has kept me indoors tonight, celebrating
Lá Fhéile Pádraig at home with a couple of bottles of Guinness.
But whether you're at home yourself or you've ventured out, I hope you’ll raise a glass and join me in a little toast:
Here's to a long life and a merry one;
A quick death and an easy one;
A pretty girl and an honest one;
A cold pint – and another one.
Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced.mp3 Labels: holiday, punk
Music from My Mailbox
Happy SXSW week to you and yours. Once again I will not be attending, although I recently wondered if I could have gotten a record label or PR firm to cover my airfare and bar tabs while I whore myself for whatever bands they have in attendance. On the other hand, I harbor a dislike for much “indie” music and can see where it may have ended up as a “Fear & Loathing on 6th Street” type of occasion. “We were somewhere over Louisiana when the drugs began to take hold...”
Anyway, as you might guess, my inbox was full of notices about appearances at SXSW. Probably the majority of the bands in today’s post will be there, but I can’t be arsed to dig up schedules for you. If you like the band and you’re going to be in Austin this week, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.
This is a pretty small inbox purge because a lot of the stuff I received was electronica or whiney, self-indulgent indie/emo stuff or some mash-up/remix of the two genres, and I’m really not in the mood to hear that.
The top stuff today is easily The Choke and The Ex-Girlfriend’s Club. Both bands bring the garage rock sound that I so enjoy. Also, if you think back to my last
mailbox post, you’ll recollect Pack A.D. Well, as the fates would have it, The Choke are on tour with Pack A.D. You’ll definitely want to check out that bill if they come to a town near you. The Koot Hoomi track comes from a Hall and Oates tribute album the group did. It’s called
The Dark Side of Hall and Oates and is bizarre enough that it warranted inclusion here.
As always, follow the links for more information.
The ChokeGarage / Punk / Soul
From: New York, N.Y.
Band
MySpaceTuff Kids.mp3 Shaka PonkRock / Electro / Experimental
From: Berlin, Germany
Band
MySpaceDo.mp3
Cary Ann HearstFolk Rock / Southern Rock / Roots Music
From: Charlotte, S.C.
Band
MySpaceAre You Ready to Die.mp3 
April SmithMelodramatic Popular Song / Pop / Folk Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band
MySpaceMovie Loves a Screen.mp3 Koot HoomiExperimental / Indie / Acoustic
From: Tempe, Ariz.
Band
MySpaceManeater (Hall and Oates cover).mp3 The Ex-Girlfriend’s ClubGarage / Rock / Glam
From: Portland, Ore.
Band
MySpaceDevil Eyes.mp3 ~~~~~
(
Pictures, top-to-bottom: The Choke, April Smith)
Labels: acousticness, covers, electronic, folk, garage rock, glam, indie, pop muzik, rock
'Gotta Keep Things Moving...'
For David Lee Roth lightening struck twice when he tapped guitar virtuoso Steve Vai for his first full-length solo album, 1986’s
Eat ‘em and Smile.
Following a decade alongside Eddie Van Halen, anything less would have seemed as if Diamond Dave were just settling for what he could get. Instead, he dove into his solo career with a big splash, introducing to the world one of the few guitarists who could arguably out-Van Halen Eddie Van Halen.
Steve Vai had, of course, been around for years before DLR brought him on board: He’d been working with Frank Zappa since 1979 and was often credited on Zappa’s albums as performing “stunt guitar” or “impossible guitar parts.”
Vai left as Zappa’s fulltime guitar player in the early 80s, releasing a solo album and serving a short time as Yngwie Malmsteen’s replacement in Alcatrazz. Then, in 1985, he made the career move that would catapult him onto rock’s world stage.
In an old interview with the
DLR Army fansite, Vai reminisced about how he ended up joining forces with Diamond Dave. Billy Sheehan, who would play bass on
Eat ‘em and Smile, recommended Vai to Dave. “I’ll never forget,” Vai said. “I was in the shower, covered in soap, and a call came in: ‘Hey, this is Dave Roth, man!’ I was like, ‘No, it's not!’ He said, ‘Yeah man, we’re putting a group together.’”
Eat ‘em and Smile came out to mostly positive reviews. Critics agreed the album was fun in the style of the early Van Halen albums and was actually better than the slick pop rock coming from Dave’s old band mates. Some even called it the “real” follow-up to
1984.
Shy Boy.mp3 Labels: guitar heroes, hard rock, rock
Can You Go a Little Deeper: AC/DC
In this age of iPods and iTunes and random singles, it’s unusual to sit and listen to an entire album. This past week, though, I’ve been in the mood to put on an album (OK, a CD, whatever) and listen to the whole thing. Call it random song burnout, but I’ve gotten tired of hearing whatever comes up on “shuffle.” I want control over my musical destiny.
One of the disks I listened to this weekend was AC/DC’s U.S. debut,
High Voltage. I specify the U.S. debut, because that’s the one I have, and also because this version was actually a compilation of AC/DC’s first two Australian releases,
High Voltage and
T.N.T. Their Aussie debut release also had a much different track list than what the rest of the world would get. The album that hit these shores in May 1976 included only two tracks from the original Australian release, with the rest of its songs being pulled from
T.N.T.The track I’m reaching out for today, “Little Lover,” is one of the two from the original release that made it onto the international version. Typical of many AC/DC songs from this era, it’s a sleazy, bluesy romp about a groupie (“When the band said goodnight, I had to say hello”). It’s also one of my favorites from this album and one you probably never hear anymore.
Little Lover.mp3 ~~~~~
(
Can You Go a Little Deeper is an irregularly recurring feature here wherein I resurrect old favorites, lost songs, and other things you maybe haven’t heard in a while)
Labels: AC/DC, Australian, classic rock, deep tracks
'Through Being Cool'
When I was back there in seminary school....
Oh wait, that’s a different story. How about “when I was back there in high school...”
... I saw Devo make their network television debut on Saturday Night Live. Although many of my tastes were very white bread and mainstream, I was also drawn toward music that was outside of that box. In the harsh world of high school, those tastes were seldom met with approval.
Such was the case when, the Monday after their October 1978 appearance on SNL, I went to school raving about this band who had quirkily covered “Satisfaction” and had the gall to appear dressed in yellow jumpsuits like some freaks from another planet, while preaching de-evolution. And all this just a week after the Stones themselves had graced the stage at Studio 8H.
SNL was still relatively new and hip then, so everyone watched it and everyone had seen Devo and everyone hated them. Those of you who are still just a few years removed from high school will remember how fear of the unknown and different is a potent virus that pervades every school, everywhere. So of course a couple of weeks later, when I showed up at school sporting a Devo t-shirt, it was greeted with hatred and derision by the cool kids rocking their Mahogany Rush tees.
tl;dr? I’m posting Devo, not Mahogany Rush.
This is a collection of live Devo, recorded at various venues and at various dates, from the 1978 SNL appearance through a 1988 performance of “Girl U Want.” Unfortunately, other than rough dates, I don’t have any additional information on where the songs come from.
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.mp3 ~ SNL, 1978
Mongoloid.mp3 ~ 1978
Uncontrollable Urge.mp3 ~ 1978
It Takes A Worried Man.mp3 ~ 1980
Gates of Steel.mp3 ~ 1980
I Saw Jesus / Through Being Cool.mp3 ~ 1981
Working In A Coalmine.mp3 ~ 1981
Smart Patrol / Jerkin’ Back and Forth.mp3 ~ 1981
Patterns.mp3 ~ 1982
Girl U Want.mp3 ~ 1988
That’s Good.mp3 ~ 1988
Labels: covers, live music, new wave, TV
'How'd a White Boy Get the Blues?'
Is it too early in the day to star drinking whiskey? ‘Cause dammit that’s what Popa Chubby makes me want to do.
Popa Chubby (more on the name in a bit) plays the kind of raunchy blues / rock-a-billy / old-school country that you want to hear in a bar, not sitting on the couch in your living room at 10 in the morning. Last year he released his 19th album,
Vicious Country, a disk that not only showed off his talent on the guitar, but also paid tribute to the legendary music that has influenced him along the way. The album, while not attracting much mainstream attention, continued to build on the legend that is Chubby.
Ted Horowitz came out of the Bronx, raised on Clapton, Hendrix, and the Stones. By the time he was in his early 20’s, he had found his love for the blues, but had also found his way into occasional work with Richard Hell. Ted’s first big break was winning a national blues talent search sponsored by KLON, a public radio station in Long Beach, Calif.
I’ve found two versions as to how Ted Horowitz became Popa Chubby. The first comes from something Chubby himself said. He was jamming one night with Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic, he says, and, “He was singing a song called ‘Popa Chubby’ and he pointed at me.”
“Popa Chubby basically means to get excited. The core of my music is about excitement. I think music should make people feel alive.”
The other version – unsourced, I might add, but on the Popa Chubby Wiki page – claims the name is a variation of the term “pop a chubby.” My guess is that, as usual, the truth is somewhere between the two versions.
Popa Chubby’s 20th album,
The Fight Is On, is due out March 22. If you can’t find it your local big box retailer (haha!), you can order it from the
Popa Chubby website. In the meantime, here are a couple of things from the
Vicious Country LP. The woman on vocals is Galea, Chubby’s sometime bass player and longtime collaborator.
Break Me Down.mp3Satan is Real / Straight to Hell (Hank III cover).mp3Harper Valley P.T.A. (Jeannie C. Riley cover).mp3Labels: alt.country, blues, covers, rockabilly
Izzy's Still Smokin'
Right now seems as good a time as any to bring you up to speed on erstwhile Guns N’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin.
Of course you know Izzy left the Gunners in late 1991 to pursue other interests. He released his debut solo album,
Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds within a short time of leaving G n’ R, seemingly disappeared for six years, then released a second solo effort in 1998.
The next year, Izzy released the Japan-only
Ride On, followed in (relatively) quick succession by two more albums, both released on independent labels. Since then, Izzy has stuck to Internet-only releases, supported by a small but loyal fan base.
His latest disk,
Smoke, was released last November with no real media attention, but a lot of excitement from Izzy’s fans: Comments such as “Simply Izzy.... signature,” and “guaranteed Izzy, nothing more, nothing less,” were posted on the
ChopAway Website following the album’s release.
I haven’t listened to any new Izzy Stradlin music in probably 10 years. Once in a while I’ll pull out the
Ju Ju Hounds disk, which I love, and give that a spin. And I’ve always appreciated Izzy’s serious Ron Wood influence. In fact, if memory serves, they actually did a song together many years ago.
Smoke picks up where I left off with Izzy 10 years ago. He still plays bluesy rock ‘n’ roll and still flaunts his Stones influence. With no industry suits breathing down his neck, Izzy is free to make the music he and his fans enjoy. Sometimes it's refreshing to hear something that hasn't changed to suit the times.
Comfort Zone.mp3 To my knowledge,
Smoke is available only through iTunes, although some of his older albums are on Amazon.
Labels: rock
Whatever the reason for the uptick, as always, I welcome it and, as always, I hope that people visiting my blog for that particular post will look around and decide to come back. 
I picked a couple of what I think are pretty representative songs from the album: “Don’t Abuse Me,” a Joan Jett-penned song, features Cherie Currie on vocals (Joan would rerecord it later for her Bad Reputation album); Joan herself is out front on the live version of “I Love Playin’ With Fire.” 
