Thursday, September 30, 2010

JACK ON FIRE


He came along at the right time, when the L.A. punk scene desperately needed to get past it's predominantly one dimensional scenester thing. Despite being untrained and primarily a musicologist and fan, in a most punk way, Jeffrey Lee Pierce just got up there and did it. He immersed himself in the music and imagery of the rural South, and he bucked the methodology of his peers. Instead of going all out to seem irreverent, he changed the way reverence sounds.

Pierce always took the leap. When he liked a band, he became the president of their fan club. When he became enamored with reggae, he spent a year in Jamaica. And when he thought a friend should front a band, he assembled members beforehand. By example, he encouraged others to take leaps, both figuratively and literally.

In the documentary, Ghost on the Highway, Henry Rollins describes the type of person that Pierce was. "Don't give them a real job. They can't even balance a check book, they can't do anything. But they can do that thing. Jeffrey was one of those guys." His passions were uniquely suited for doing what he did, regular day-to-day life be damned. When that meant touring, recording, and living and breathing music, it's no surprise that drugs and alcohol crept in. After bouts with hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, Pierce died from a brain hemorrhage in 1996, at the relatively young age of 37. We'll never know if he was predisposed to wrecking himself with or without music. All we can take is the music itself, as a gift, and testament to someone whose entire adult life was spent consumed in what he loved.

In interviews, one thing that rock n' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis is always quick to point out is the rarity of true song stylists, a performer who can really make any song their own. Lewis, humble as he is, points to himself, Hank Williams, Al Jolson and Jimmy Rodgers as the only real song stylists. With all due respect (which, for the Killer, is something I truly mean), I think it would be hard to deny that Jeffrey Lee Pierce was more than a singer. Listen to both his and Robert Johnson's versions of "Preaching the Blues" (below). Give it up, he was a bona fide song stylist.

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The Gun Club - Sex Beat mp3 at Eat This Grenade!
The Gun Club - Cool Drink of Water mp3 at Sous les pavés, la plage
The Gun Club - Preaching the Blues mp3 at Sous les pavés, la plage
Robert Johnson - Preaching Blues mp3 at More Things
The Gun Club - Jack On Fire video at YouTube
The Gun Club - Preaching the Blues video at YouTube
The Gun Club - Fire of Love video at YouTube
The Gun Club (Official?) site
Ghost On the Highway documentary (clips and such)
The Gun Club Discography

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

MAKE LIKE LINK HAYES


While you may not be all that into TV show theme songs, most of them are only 60 seconds long, so they can make for some excellent mix meat. I know, it's a given that quite a few are real dogs, but some can really liven up that shitty playlist you've got going (or DJ set). Take the Mod Squad theme for instance. If you play that sucker loud, you'll want to ass-slide over the hood of a car (or behave in some other cop-like manner). The horns, organ, pace and brevity will have you doing whatever the hell it is you do with gusto.

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Mod Squad Theme mp3 (right click to save) at Classic Television Themes
Classic Television Themes web site
(NOTE: Other themes can be downloaded by picking a letter and, once on that page, right clicking a screen shot in the column on the right.)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

LARYNX SHRED FEST


Selective memory seems to correlate with priorities. By that I mean, I forget a lot of things; a lot. But one thing I'm remarkably good at remembering is when I was exposed to a particular band or song. I can go down the list of just about every record (or CD) I have and remember when I first heard it, or who told me to check it out. (The first recommendation came from a teenage, pre-Rolling Stone Cameron Crowe. No shit.) I actually started a list once and had to stop, because the recollections came remarkably easy.

This morning I had my most recent recommendation, in a very brief online conversation with a very good friend, one whose taste is, in my book, beyond reproach. As it had been some time since we last spoke, I asked her about a band she'd likely be in tune to, the Jim Jones Revue. She said, and I quote (or paraphrase): "Love them. Check out Bunker Hill." I did just that, and immediately heard the similarity. They both belong to the elite group of good ol' fashioned larynx shredders. A certain brand of shouters that if you were to try to emulate, you'd have to reach for some cough drops. Really, try to to sing all of the songs below and see if you don't do some permanent damage. Here then is a brief (rather spotty) history of larynx shredders, including Bunker Hill:

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Bunker Hill - The Girls Can't Dance mp3 at Secret Comics
Bunker Hill - Hide and Go Seek (with Link Wray) mp3 at Garage Hangover
Bunker Hill - You Can't Make Me Doubt My Baby mp3 at The Soul Girl
Bunker Hill bio @ Wang Dang Dula
Little Richard - Keep A Knockin' mp3 at Drummer World
Don and Dewey - Justine mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Sonics - Psycho mp3 (download at Mediafire) at Metal Bastard Goes Soft
Jim Jones Revue - Princess and the Frog mp3 at Sous les Paves, la Plage
Nick Curran and the Low Lifes- Kill My Baby mp3 at KEXP.org

Saturday, September 25, 2010

AIN'T THAT SOME SHIT


I admit it, I'm a cusser. Not because I want to offend people, but because, well, when I say "I saw a big fuckin' tree," I'm convinced that anyone with half a brain would know I wasn't talking about a big tree that was fornicating. They would know that I was talking about a really big tree. And if they're offended by the word itself, then, logically, they should be offended by the word "fornicate" as well (and, I'm sure there aren't many people who are). So, I'm behind anyone who doesn't necessarily cuss just to press the issue, but doesn't shy away from normal usage of a slang word either, "dirty" or not.

Being constantly on the lookout for music I've never been exposed to, it's sometimes a crap shoot. I have, on more then a few occasions, gravitated towards band names or songs that are unusual, colorful or interesting. (This is how I first heard Pissed Jeans, a band I've come to like quite a bit.) So, when I saw a song called "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green, I had to bite. Good thing I did too, because it's an awful nice slice of Al Green-like seventies type soul.

As a bonus, I had to include the old school cussin' "Rated X" version of "Better Think Twice" by Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker. And what cussing post would be complete without "Seven Dirty Words," by George Carlin, who did more than any comic, short of Lenny Bruce, to thumb his nose at censors. Oh, and there's a link to the uncensored "Shit My Dad Says," which was turned into an unremarkable sitcom referred to as "Bleep My Dad Says" (which, yes, takes the punch out of the concept completely).

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Cee Lo Green - Fuck You mp3 (right click to save) at Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good
Cee Lo Green - I Want You mp3 (right click to save) at We All Want Someone to Shout For
Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker - Better Think Twice (Rated X) mp3 (right click to save) at Beware of the Blog
George Carlin - Seven Dirty Words mp3 (right click to save) at SnuhthingAnything
Shit My Dad Says
Seven dirty words at Wikipedia

Friday, September 24, 2010

HACKY SACKERS BE GONE


Here's a quick handful for your reggae quiver. First, the reason for the post: Linton Kwesi Johnson's classic "Sonny's Lettah" which was inescapable when it came out (about '77 or '78). Really, it's more spoken word over reggae (he was , after all, considered a reggae poet), but you forget about that once the rhythm hooks you. Following that is Bob Marley and the Wailers, who I'm usually hesitant to post because it attracts the hacky sack crowd, but I dig "Punky Reggae Party" because it's one of very few reggae songs to acknowledge the punk/reggae intermingling of the late 70's UK. Plus, I've always loved the line "no boring old farts will be there." The last link is one by Alice Russel, a cover of the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army," which I've posted another version of before, but this is a reggae version (probably a mash up). Damn, I forgot that she had such a great voice.

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Linton Kwesi Johnson - Sonny's Lettah mp3 (right click to save) at Mustard Relics
Linton Kwesi Johnson - Iron Bar Dub mp3 (right click to save) at Mustard Relics
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Punky Reggae Party mp3 (right click to save) at You Sound Like a Robot
Alice Russel - Seven Nation Army (Reggae Version) mp3 (right click to save) at Audio Muffin

Thursday, September 23, 2010

THAI ONE ON


I don't know what's more awesome, the Impossibles' record cover or their song "Mr. Slow." I know absolutely nothing about Thai music; pop, funk, or otherwise. But, after running into a couple of Thai related posts, I had to put this up. "Mr. Slow" winds my weird watch in so many ways, I don't know where to start. First, it's totally foreign to me. Yet another unexplored genre, that's strange enough to spice up a shuffle. Then, there's the wah-wah. This song is so packed with wah-wah that it's as if it was the first pedal in Thailand. It reminds me of the early adopters of the ARP2000 synthesiser. They just knew it made weird sounds, but didn't really know how to incorporate it. (Think the Who's "Who's Next" LP and Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein"). Oh, and the song has much flair. Check the "WoooOOOoo..deeee!" at :47 seconds into it, followed by a very cool horn section. That's about where you fall under the spell of the Impossibles. You will either really dig it, or think I've lost it.

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Three Thai-Mes Dope - six various cuts, loosely described as Thai Funk, at SoulSides
This just in (11/3/11):
Chicago - Sing A Mean Tune Kid at YouTube In the comments, it was pointed out that this Chicago tune is practically the same song as "Mr. Slow." Listen for yourself. Prance, whoever you are, you've got a good ear. (In case you're wondering, both were released in 1971, but the Chicago song was released in January of that year, so it seems that the Impossibles were the borrowers in this case.)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

BUT THEY LOOK SO BLAH


For whatever reason, I always kinda lumped Wire (from the UK) in the same category as the Middle Class (from Fullerton, CA). Though they sounded different, there were too many similarities between the two bands to ignore. Both were four piece bands; utilizing a guitar, bass, drums and vocals line up; and played really short songs. Both started in 1976 (though the Middle Class didn't record until a couple years later). Neither band paid a lot of attention to punk dress codes, instead going for a relatively utilitarian look. Both bands, while not really headline grabbing in their prime, are now recognized as far more influential than most of their respective punk scene contemporaries. And, both bands have records that I wished I still owned. (I hope my landlord appreciates the timely rent check some twenty years ago.)

Here's four from Wire's first, Pink Flag, and the entire first EP from the Middle Class. (It is now safe to take out your safety pins.)

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Wire - 12XU mp3 (right click to save) at The Golden Lanterns [??]
Wire - Reuters mp3 (right click to save) at MFR
Wire - Ex Lion Tamer mp3 (right click to save) at Let's Sexy Fighting
Wire -Three Girl Rhumba mp3 (right click to save) at Merry Swankster
Pink Flag, the Wire website

The Middle Class - Out of Vogue mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - You Belong mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - Situations mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - Insurgence mp3 (right click to save) at Killed By Death
The Middle Class - Homeland LP and compilation LP downloads at I Heard It Before
Suddenly in Vogue [About the Middle Class] at the OC Weekly
Alice Bag's L.A. Punk Rock 1976-1981 photo album
Photos: Wire by Annette Green, the Middle Class by Alice Bag

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

KAAAW! KAAAWW!


There's a good chance something from Martin Denny was in your parents record collection, if not a relatives. Or you might have picked one up from a thrift store. Maybe you didn't even know exotica existed until the lounge revival about twenty years ago. Regardless, there's no denying the appeal of the somewhat goofy sounds of exotica, with their white man imitates primitives rhythms, bird calls, monkey yelps, and a waterfall or two thrown in for atmosphere. If you've listened to a number of them, you know the formula.

If you think that anyone trying their hand at it nowadays is just a poseur, you might remind yourself that the original artists could easily have been identified as such when the exotica craze first hit in the late fifties. I mean, c'mon, some white guys going tribal without ever leaving the studio? So, before you can really evaluate any current artists doing the same thing, you have to throw out authenticity, because, really, in exotica it doesn't exist. It's all fake, in a Disneyland Jungle Cruise sort of way.

The Martin Denny Group 1961

So, in a way, todays artists are playing with the same sort of tools, but with more access to legitimate world culture and better technology, they really do have a opportunity to improve on the original exotica music. Still, naysayers would undoubtedly be suspect of the modern day technology and it's possible misuse in this sort of music. While it is a concern, one only has to hear Martin Denny's cover of his own "Quiet Village," done up Moog style, to see that those blunders have already been committed, by the Chuck Berry of exotica himself.

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The new:
Waitiki7 - Similau mp3 (right click to save) at Music For Maniacs
LoungeClash - The Mysterious Island Dub mp3 (Right click to save) at Music For Maniacs
The old:
Martin Denny - Exotica mp3 (Right click to save) at Earmilk
Matin Denny - Jungle Madness mp3 (right click to save) at Beware of the Blog
Martin Denny - Quiet Village (Moog stylee) mp3 (right click to save) at the Cargo Culte
The info:
The Martin Denny page at Space Age Pop Music
The Martin Denny Fund
Exotica entry at Wikipedia

Saturday, September 18, 2010

SONG FOR SPATTING LOVERS


Just about every mention of the inanely named What Would Jesus Drive includes "electro-" something or other in the description. Whatever. All I know is The Girls Are In Charge is catchy as hell, and coarse enough to past muster. Don't know much about them other than they started as a two piece and are now a four piece. And the two singers are electro-married.

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What Would Jesus Drive - The Girls Are In Charge mp3 (right click to save) at LastFM
What Would Jesus Drive web site

Thursday, September 16, 2010

TAKE THAT, ARENA ROCKERS!


In 1976, before punk rock really took off (at least in the states), the first Modern Lovers album was pretty much required listening to anyone growing dissatisfied with what is now known as classic rock. The only proper Modern Lovers album with the original line up (which included Jonathan Richman, a future member of the Talking Heads and a future member of...yikes, the Cars), it loosely updated the repetitive Velvet Underground vibe, with understated organ and some amazingly fuzzy guitar parts (listen to Pablo Picasso). Though later repackaged with alternative takes and demos, the original version with nine songs was, and still is, one of the most influential proto-punk albums ever. It's pretty amazing stuff, especially when you consider that some of the songs date back as far as 1970.

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The Modern Lovers - Someone I Care About mp3 (right click to save) at Electric Adolescence
The Modern Lovers - She Cracked mp3 (right click to save) at Recidivism.org
The Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso mp3 (right click to save) at Letters Have No Arms
The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner mp3 (right click to save) at One Sweet Song

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

HERE'S TO THE REGULAR GUY


Photo: Jim McGuire

Just look at the photo. Cigarette in hand, customized windbreaker with initials and a PBR patch, and a little greasy kids' stuff in the hair. It's a perfect portrait of a regular guy, and that's what makes it a perfect portrait of Dave Dudley (the full size portrait can be seen here). The man who started the whole truck driving music craze. He had it down to a formula, and made good use of the truckers' vernacular. And, on one of his lesser albums, he was backed by Link Wray and the Wraymen. (Without even glancing at a resume, that rates high on the Trastos cool scale.)

As I get older, and I find my breast pockets full of pens and scraps of papers, and my clothes slowly becoming more practical, it makes me feel okay when I see a photo like the one above. There's something to be said about older people who are just...themselves.

Here's a couple tunes by Dudley, a couple videos, a Dudley bio, a truck driving music post, and a link to a great album of Nashville portraits by Jim McGuire.

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Saturday, September 4, 2010

AN UNLIKELY COLLABORATION


If you're a Miles Davis or John Lee Hooker completist (which I'm not) you may already have known about this one (I didn't). It's from the soundtrack to Dennis Hopper's "The Hot Spot," which features collaborations between these two giants, along with Taj Majal and Roy Rogers (not the cowboy). Leave it to Jack Nitzsche, who wrote the score and put these guys together.

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John Lee Hooker & Miles Davis - End Credits mp3 (right click to save) at When You Awake

A DEEPER SHADE OF SOUL


I always kinda dug "A Deeper Shade of Soul" by the Urban Dance Squad. It might had something to do with not knowing anything about the band, other than what I could derive from a single video. What I do remember about it was the guitarist had a Flaco Jimenez t-shirt on, which gave them a point or two on the cool scale. And I remember that the video had some guys skating in a pool (which I found odd when I learned the band was from the Netherlands). It got lumped with those laid-back groove type of songs that I don't really clamor for, but dig when I hear.

I'd thought about posting it before, but when I found the original source material at Funky 16 Corners, I found the rationale. Funky 16 Corners is a dyn-o-mite blog that you'd do well to bookmark. Larry, the host, seems like such a nice guy, it always seems like you're in his living room when you read his posts. He posted Ray Barretto's original "Deeper Shade of Soul," the source of the sample on the later not-quite-a-cover.

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Urban Dance Squad - A Deeper Shade of Soul mp3 (right click to save) at Giant Panda
Ray Barretto - A Deeper Shade of Soul mp3 (right click to save) at Funky 16 Corners