WHO NEEDS LEATHER?

It's not all about looks, I swear. My appreciation of Lizzy Mercier Descloux stems from her track record, which was as consistently interesting as it was undefinable. Though she rubbed shoulders with the late seventies CBGB's crowd, no wave artists and the like, she resisted the easy tack. Too hip to succumb to hip. It just occurred to me today that part of the thing she had, part of the attraction, was something a few of my housemates had at roughly the same time I first became cognizant of her. That, admittedly, has got to have come into play at some point.

She moved to New York at the age of 18 as a writer for a French rock magazine. She became tight with Richard Hell and Patti Smith, performed with Lydia Lunch, knew Jean Michel Basquiat, had parts in multiple independent films, and hung out with Chet Baker. She was nomadic, traveling and recording in locations all over the world. At the time of her death in 2004, she had been living in Corsica, devoting her time to painting. She packed a lot into her life, and never stopped creating. Yet, she's but a blip on even the most fiendish radars.

I did a post about her roughly a year ago, but I just found a couple videos and a few songs that weren't online at the time. Her music had elements of disco, no wave, and South African music, but was not purist in any sense but her own. (Check out the sparse cover of the early Bob Marley song, "Sun Is Shining.")

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Listen:
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Funky Stuff mp3 at Planet People
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Sun Is Shining mp3 at New Dust
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Decryptated mp3 at Clumsy & Shy
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Wawa mp3 at Unpiano
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Fire mp3 at Unpiano
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Hard Boiled Babe mp3 at Altered Zones
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Funky Stuff (Kid Cole remix) mp3 at Waves At Night
Video:
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Fire at YouTube
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Ou Sont Passés Les Gazelles? at YouTube
Visit:
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Bio/eulogy at Lofiles (Moving...get out the hankies.)
Richard Hell remembers Lizzy Mercier Descloux

YOU BE THE JUDGE

If you would have told me any time in the last twenty years that, in the year 2011, I would find a Bangles song entirely listenable, I would have asked what you were smoking. Even if I would have read something favorable, I would have been so deep in doubt that I wouldn't give them a chance. But (there's always a but), I ran across a comment that a respected music egghead friend of mind posted saying that the new LP was "a stunner." Okay (deep breath), I wanted to find out what he was smoking. I hunted for the first new song I could find, which happened to be a cover of the Nazz' "Open My Eyes." Guess what? It doesn't suck. In fact, it's pretty good. The guitar tone and the cowbell are a nice touch. It could use a little more meat in the production, and of course, the riff that carries the song is all Todd Rundgren (the original is below). But my hat is off to the now three piece Bangles for getting me to listen to a whole song with my my normal "feh..." Bangles reaction. That came as I heard a second song, "I Will Never Be Through With You." Temporary pass revoked.

About the links: If you want to hear "Open Your Eyes" without committing to a download, head to Ace Musik Blogg. They've got it streaming, and a download link. There's a link to "This I Heard," the blog that Tim Ellison (the "stunner" guy) has. He dissects random songs, filling you in on all of the chords, and other shit that's going on, in songs as disparate as the Red Krayola, Hanson, Love, Teena Marie and others. Before you doubters question his CV, know this: Tim played in the Bonneville Music Machine (as in that Bonniwell, as in the Music Machine Sean Bonniwell, as in "Talk Talk."), and at one time was working on a Master's thesis on 60's psych. Like I said, a music egghead. (His brother's no slouch either. I wrote about his old band, the Rockin' Dogs, here.)

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Listen:
The Bangles - Open My Eyes mp3 (via Mediafire) at Ace Musik Blogg
The Nazz - Open My Eyes mp3 at Lumberjack Thief
Return to feh:
The Bangles - I Will Never Be Through With You (streaming) at Idolator
Video:
The Nazz - Open My Eyes at YouTube
Visit:
This I Heard

LET'S GET LOST

Seriously. Every once in a while, it's good to pull your anglo head out of your ass. There's some nice, different sounding, surprises out there, and it only takes a random click to become enveloped in stuff that makes the Hype Machine irrelevant. I really like stuff that doesn't sound like anything else (i.e. The Impossibles), and despite the Key Boys being described as the Korean Yardbirds, I think you'll agree that there's a little something else going on with them (and I don't thing it's necessarily musicianship). Listen to "My Love Is Distance" below. The fuzz, the organ, and the muddy production all add up to make it certified oddball mix meat.

After doing a little online milling about looking for some background info, I ran into a site that looks like it's going to be an absolute time suck sometime soon. It's Radio Diffusion, a site about international rock n' roll and assorted popular music from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Check out this list, crack your knuckles and go exploring.

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The featured song:
The Key Boys - My Love Is Distant mp3 at Waxidermy
Others:
The Key Boys - A Sailors Song mp3 at Waxidermy
The Key Boys - Let's Go to the Beach mp3 at Radio Diffusion
He5 - Lonely Sun mp3 at Radio Diffusion
Visit:
Radio Diffusion
The Key Boys at Psych Music
The Korean Beatles: He5 or the Key Boys? at Masterly Master Lee

STOP THE PRESSES!

I just got an email today from the folks who run the most awesome Ugly Things magazine, and it was a click-fest over here in a matter of seconds. Not only is there a new issue coming out in mid-October (which is always welcome news) but what sent me in a 45 RPM tizzy was news that they're reissuing the Sloths single above. Back in June I did short post, linking to Garage Underground, in which I was slobbering all over this single. Normally, I don't get worked up about reissues, but this sucker is as rare as it is raw. (Former Sloth Michael Rummans said that he knew of only three existing copies, and shortly after I wrote the post, one sold on Ebay for $6550.) They're only pressing 500 copies, and the first 100 will be autographed by the Sloths, so, yeah, hurry your ass up. There's a link to the Garage Hangover post below, so you can hear it before you buy it, and another link to my original post. And bookmark the Ugly Thingers. Not only is their magazine good for hours of fiendish perusing, they also released the only 45 version of the Nashville Ramblers' biggee "The Trains." Hell, just get your wallet out and go on a shopping spree.

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Visit:
The Sloths - Makin' Love, and You Mean Everything mp3s, and the story of the Sloths at Garage Hangover (They don't like direct linking to mp3s, but you should go there to get it. This sucker is worth the trip.)
Best Thing I've Heard All Week - The Sloths post (June 16, 2011)
Ugly Things main site
Ugly Things' online store
Ugly Things blog

THANK YOU ALAN WILSON

You know how it goes. One of your friends posts a video that it never occurred to you to look for, and it leads to digging out the records, rereading profiles, and basically boning up on someone you haven't listened to in a while. In this case it was the Son House video below, posted by my friend Joe. (Surprisingly, it was not Ray "the guy who always finds the cool shit on YouTube.")

Practically everything that's written about Son House touches on the fact that he played with Charlie Patton, and knew Robert Johnson, and that he influenced Muddy Waters (among many others). This was after doing two years (of a fifteen year sentence) for killing someone who had gone on a shooting spree in a juke joint he was playing. But, probably the most interesting thing about his career is one that involves a 22 year old Alan Wilson, who would later end up in Canned Heat. House had been recorded, in 1930 by Paramount's Art Laibly, and twice by Alan Lomax, in 1941 and 1942, for the Library of Congress. He moved to Rochester, NY in 1943, and retired from music, working as a railroad porter and as a chef. In the early sixties there was blues revival of sorts, and the hunt for Son House's current whereabouts was on. Once House was found, John Hammond Sr. recruited the young Wilson, an insanely learned blues freak, to head up to Rochester to reteach Son House the songs he'd recorded in the forties. New recordings and tours would follow, until he re-retired in 1974, due to health problems. Wilson died of an overdose in 1970.

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Listen:
Son House - Death Letter Blues mp3 at Those Who Dig
Son House - Grinnin' In Your Face mp3 at Those Who Dig
Son House - Levee Camp Moan mp3 (via Box.net) at Dr. Mooney's 115th Dream
Son House - Yonder Comes My Mother mp3 at Moistworks
Son House - Downhearted Blues mp3 at Moteldemoka
Video:
Son House - Grinnin' In Your Face at YouTube
Son House with Buddy Guy - My Black Mama at YouTube
Visit:
Son House at Wikipedia
Alan Wilson at Wikipedia
Honey, Where You Been So Long? - Excellent pre-war blues site
Hell Hound on My Tail - Another humdinger, all eras of blues

A TV OFF A BALCONY. REALLY?

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LUX & IVY'S FAVORITES, REMASTERED!

Yowza! Kogar the Swinging Ape has begun the arduous process of remastering his "Lux & Ivy's Favorites" mixes. There's eleven of them in all, and while most people who dig these mixes probably don't care a whole lot about remastering, I just listened to the first spit shine and there is a marked improvement. Here's a link to his post with the first batch, along with the song list so you know what you're getting into. (His download includes artwork and a pre-made CD insert with track listing.) Way down at the bottom is a link to all eleven mixes (pre-remastering) on Beware of the Blog, along with Kogar's explanation of what his intent was with this whole mess.

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Lux & Ivy's Favorites (Remastered) at Kogar's Jungle Juice
1. Sheriff and the Revels — Shombolar
2. Sid King and the Five Strings — Let ‘Er Roll
3. Ersel Hickey — Bluebirds Over The Mountain
4. Ersel Hickey — Hangin’ Around
5. Ronnie Dawson — Action Packed
6. Ronnie Self — Date Bait
7. Vern Pullens — Bop Crazy Baby
8. Donald Woods & Velairs — Death Of An Angel
9. Gene Maltais — Crazy Baby
10. Billy Ward & The Dominoes — The Bells
11. Bob Mcfadden — The Mummy
12. Forbidden Five — RFD Rangoon
13. Forbidden Five — Enchanted Farm
14. Medallions — Behind The Door
15. Nervous Norvus — Transfusion
16. The Clovers — Crawlin
17. The Pengiuns — Earth Angel
18. The Blenders — Don’t Fuck Around With Love
19. Sparkle Moore — Skull and Crossbones
20. Versatones — Bila
21. Versatones — Tight Skirt Tight Sweater
22. The Tornnados — Telstar
23. The Treniers — Poontang
24. The Clovers — Rotten Cocksuckers’ Ball
25. Collins Kids — Whistle Bait
26. The Chips — Rubber Biscuit
27. Jan and Arnie — Jennie Lee
Here's more!
Lux & Ivy's Favorites, Volumes 1-11 (pre-remastering) at Beware of the Blog
Long interview with Lux & Ivy, mp3 at Beware of the Blog

WHEAT FROM CHAFF #47

This, friends, is as essential as the air you breath. If you already have it, you already know. If you don't, take a little time out from your weeping about REM. Redemption is here. (Chin up shoegazers, and put them journals away. You need this too.)

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The Wailers - Out of Our Tree mp3 at Beware of the Blog

WITHOUT A "THEE" IN SIGHT

Just when I was about to give up on the hope of running into a new raunchy rock n' roll band any time soon, I happened to visit Big Rock Candy Mountain, a largely roots blog that always seems to find bands that I've never heard of. If the cuts below are any indication, these two bands, the Speaking Tongues and the Rue Moor Counts, are a couple that bear watching. Just remember, you heard it here...second? (Total credit to Big Rock Candy Mountain.)

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Listen:
The Speaking Tongues - Run To My Door mp3 (via Box.net) at Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Rue Moor Counts - I Went Out Last Night mp3 (via Box.net) at Big Rock Candy Mountain
Visit:
Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Speaking Tongues - Interview with video at Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Speaking Tongues official site
The Rue Moor Counts at Facebook

DUB JACKPOT!

Okay, casual dub people, this is for you. If you don't have much of any dub in your collection, you ought to start where it all began. Reggae. Dub. Analog. Before it became all that digital laptop nonsense. I ran into three fine mixes on a blog by someone named Vampyreverdi. This guy has a pretty good collection, and although there may be some songs on the three mixes that originated from the same LP, they're all pretty strong mixes. This isn't a case of me being too lazy to do my usual round up of mp3s. These collections are solid enough that if you don't have the wherewithal to download mixes, it's high time you learned. They're worth it. I've put the artists below, but not the titles. The complete listings are at his site. Dig in.

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Heavy Heavy Dub Serial Killers at Vampyreverdi's Blog

Volume 1:

Carlton Patterson & King Tubby, Scientist, Augustus “Gussie” Clarke, Drum Bago & The Rebel Group, Mighty Two, Tappa Zukie, Soul Syndicate And Niney The Observer, Michael Rose, King Tubby, Aggrovators, Glen Brown & King Tubby, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, Key All Stars, King Tubby & John Holt, Revolutionaries, Lee Scratch Perry & Prince Jammy, Niney The Observe, Scientist & Jammy & The Roots Radics, Sly & Robbie At Prince Jammy’s, Zoot Sims & the Aggrovators, King Tubby, Clint Eastwood

Volume 2:

Lee Perry & The Upsetters, Impact Allstars, Augustus “Gussie” Clarke, Barrington Levy, Rico Rodriguez, Scientist, The Upsetters, King Tubby, The Mighty Two, The Jahlights, The Revolutionaries, Carlton Barrett & Family Man, Augustus Pablo, Gregory Isaacs All Stars, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, Junior Delgado, Keith Hudson, Lloyd’s All Stars, Soul Syndicate And Niney The Observer, Ranking Dread, King Tubby & The Aggrovators, Bottlehead

Volume 3:

Revolutionaries, Augustus Pablo, Bunny Lee & The Aggrovators, Gladiators, King Tubby, Bigger T, Gregory Isaacs, Herman, Silvertones, Impact All Stars, Johnny Clarke, Mighty Two, Sly & The Revolutionaries, Morwell Meet King Tubby, Observers, Inner Circle, Joe Gibbs, Santic All-Stars, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, Scientist, Tappa Zukie, Roots Radics Band

THE MAN FOR THE JOB

Want to try to break someone into reggae? You know the type. The "I like all music, except (fill in the blank)." It could be reggae, country, classical, jazz, or rap (they always call it rap instead of hip hop, because they like it to rhyme with crap). The people that single out a whole genre, because it hasn't been presented to them by someone who can make them sit down and consider it. That's where todays guy comes in. Ken Boothe, the ol' standby. He never seemed to meet a song he wouldn't cover. The first five down below, are covers of (in order) Mungo Jerry, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Bread, and Neil Young. All the songs have one thing in common. They were all Top 40 hits on AM radio in the seventies. This is where you attack. Slip one into a mix. With or without a segue from a similar song. Put the mix on when hanging out with the unsuspecting hater. Works almost every time.

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Listen:
Ken Boothe - In the Summertime mp3 at Cubik Musik
Ken Boothe - Ain't No Sunshine mp3 at File Den
Ken Boothe - Let's Get It On mp3 at File Den.com
Ken Boothe - Everything I Own mp3 at 4Shared
Ken Boothe - Down By the River mp3 at Pop Culture Shock
Ken Boothe - Just Another Girl mp3 at 4Shared
Ken Boothe - Old Fashion Way mp3 at Daniel Johnson Writes

Video:
Ken Boothe - Everything I Own at YouTube
Visit:
Ken Boothe - Official site
Ken Boothe at Wikipedia
Earlier reggae related posts

WEIRDNESS ALL AROUND

Phew! The one-two punch of being under the weather (head cold, thank you) and the El Topo soundtrack put me in a different space today. I'd bookmarked the source post a couple years back and just ran across it again. I was surprised that it was still online, because it was posted five years ago (that's decades in blog years). It might be the soundtrack to the Alexandro Jodorowsky film El Topo, or it might just be music from the film, depending on where you're finding it. Confused? Try listening to "Freakout" (below), particularly the last half, and see if anything at all makes sense.

El Topo ("The Mole") is the film that started the whole midnight movie craze way back when. An isolated sound bite from one trailer says "It is miraculous and terrible," which pretty much sums up my tastes. I've never seen the film, but it seems sufficiently tweaked. The music is. If you're in a weird mood (and liking it), this might just be the thing to enhance it.

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Listen:
Shades of Joy -The Desert is a Circle at Dinosaur Gardens
Shades of Joy -Man of Seven Years at Dinosaur Gardens
Shades of Joy -Flute in a Quarry at Dinosaur Gardens
Shades of Joy -Together at Dinosaur Gardens
Shades of Joy -El Topo’s Dream at Dinosaur Gardens
Shades of Joy -Slowest & Saddest Waltz at Dinosaur Gardens
Shades of Joy -Freakout #1 at Dinosaur Gardens
Visit:
Music from El Topo - Complete LP and liner notes at Dinosaur Gardens
Shades of Joy, bio and such, at LastFM
Alejandro Jodorowsky at Wikipedia
El Topo at Wikipedia
Roger Ebert on El Topo
Video:
El Topo Trailer at YouTube
Other El Topo related clips at YouTube

GO BABY, GO!

Sometimes one serendipitous click can turn into hours of good music that you didn't know existed. Several years ago, while checking out a graphic designer's site (Rotodesign), I happened upon the Annex page and was stopped dead in my tracks by the background music. After emailing the site owner I found out that the tune was "Panic Button," by Edgar Allen and the Po' Boys, and that it was lifted from a compilation called Las Vegas Grind. Completely unaware that the compilation was but one in a series of six, the slow accumulation of the series began.

The Genteels - Take It Off

The Las Vegas Grind series consist of oddball instrumentals ranging from R&B, to surf-like, to just downright weird. Though, given the name of the series, they're all probably considered to be what is commonly referred to as, ahem, titty shakers. It would be hard to imagine even the most demented of strippers bumping and grinding to some of these, but you know what? If that's what gets someone to compile this many screwball instrumentals, they can call it Mantovani for all I care.

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Listen:
Edgar Allen & the Po' Boys - Panic Button mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People
The Rockin' Bellmarx - Torture Rock mp3 at X818
The Frantics - The Whip mp3 at Unnecessary Umlaut
The Gee Cees - Buzzsaw Twist mp3 at Rocky-52.net
The Hollywood Persuaders - Drums-A-Go-Go mp3 at X818
Freddy Scott & The 4 Steps - Same Ole Beat mp3 at Api.ning.com
Full LP's:
Las Vegas Grind, Volume 1 (via Uploading.com) at Rock It!
Las Vegas Grind, Volume 2 (via Uploading.com) at Rock It!
Las Vegas Grind, Volume 3 (via Uploading.com) at Rock It!
Las Vegas Grind, Volume 4 (via Uploading.com) at Rock It!
Las Vegas Grind, Volume 5 (via Uploading.com) at Rock It!
Las Vegas Grind, Volume 6 (via Uploading.com) at Rock It!
Video:
Light In Orbit's Burlesque and instrumental channel at YouTube
Visit:
Tittyshakers.com, streaming "titty shakers," forum and requisite postulating.
Whaddya Call 'ems - Earlier post about, ahem, tittyshakers

JIM, IT'S ON BACKWARDS

Here's a couple early Hendrix curiosities. I have no clue how I ran across these. It was just another one of those clicking frenzies. The Jimmy James and the Blue Flames was recorded live, but the sound is remarkably clear. It's from just before Chas Chandler dragged his ass off to the UK, to start what would become the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The other guitarist in the band is Randy California, who, after being left in the dust, would later be in Spirit.

The Early Years (also released titled Early Daze) was recorded with Lonnie Youngblood in 1963. I haven't listened to it yet, but it's a studio recording and with two songs with "Go Go" in the title, plus three takes of a song called "Wipe the Sweat," so, I'll be digging in.

Hendrix, backing Buddy and Stacy, 1965. Check him out on the far left, doing his over the top thing at 1:48.

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EP & LP:
Jimmy James and the Blue Flames EP at Rock On Vinyl
Jimi Hendrix -The Early Years (via RapidShare) at Unpocode Blues (Tracklisting and details can be found here)
Bonus, semi-related cut:
Randy California - Downer at Pinglewood (Direct linking disabled, go there to get it.)
Video:
The Jimi Hendrix Story at YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Candid footage, Paris 1966 at YouTube
Visit:
Jimi Hendrix and the Chitlin' Circuit at Soul Patrol
Earlier Hendrix posts

NICE TIPS

The Mystery Suggester is at it again, this time suggesting a guy who's been on the "dig into at some point" list for a while. It's this crazed Swiss guy, Reverend Beat Man. The song she suggested "Come Back Lord," was my introduction to him (whenever it was that I initially ran into him), one that I hadn't happened to share with anybody. The fact that the Mystery Suggester mentioned him, and that particular song, just goes to show why I trust her tips. She knows what I like, with amazing accuracy.

Reverend Beat Man is a piece of work. He lost his voice doing a lot of screaming and yelling in his "wrestling rock n' roll act," Lightening Beat Man. He had to stop wrestling due to the voice thing and an injured back. After having a hallucination in which Robert Johnson and Screamin' Jay Hawkins appeared, telling him to go preach, he began to do just that. In his own inimitable style. It's not pretty. But he doesn't seem to be here to be pretty. He's testifying. His lyrics are a bit over the top. Either he's nuts, or he's just trying to be outrageous. One song, "Jesus Christ Twist," suggests a new dance, wherein you nail your partner to a cross and dance around them, before shooting yourself. Sounds like a swingin' time. Regardless, there's no denying the quality of the music, I mean, shredded vocals and distorto-blues guitar? What's not to like? Like Howlin' Wolf, deprived of water for a few weeks, turned up to 11.

He also DJs, and he has a record label, Voodoo Rhythm, with some like minded nuts in his stable. All are, what he describes as, trash blues. They range from stuff that could be Mudhoney (the Monsters' "Go Away Fuck Yourself"), to good ol' fashioned garage (the Guilty Hearts). Let me tell you, there's a lot of irreverent beating going on over there.

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Listen:
Reverend Beat Man - Come Back Lord mp3 at Go Retro
Reverend Beat Man - I Don't Care mp3 at Shut Up and Listen
Reverend Beat Man - Get On Your Knees mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
From the Voodoo Rhythm roster:
The Monsters -The Love I Never Had mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
The Monsters - I'm a Record Junkie mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
The Monsters - Go Away Fuck Yourself mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
The Guilty Hearts - Turn It Off mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
King Automatic - The Model mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
Thee Butchers Orchestra - Don't Ask Me Why mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
Hipbone Slim & the Knee Tremblers - What Do You Look Like mp3 at Voodoo Rhythm
More music at Voodoo Rhythm (don't be discouraged by the dead links, there's plenty of live ones)
Video:
Reverend Beat Man - Jesus Christ Twist at YouTube
Reverend Beat Man - I See the Light at YouTube
Reverend Beat Man - Short profile from a German (?) TV show at YouTube
Reverend Beat Man - More videos at YouTube
Visit:
Reverend Beat Man profile and interview at No Depression
Reverend Beat Man interview at Blues In London
Letter to Beat Man from Hasil Adkins
Voodoo Rhythm Records

FULL ON STAX SWEAT

It might have been because Sam and Dave were the first Stax act that I latched onto. It might have been because I was seeing a choice video clip unexpectedly, without actually looking for it. Whatever the reason, last night, while working on the Packy Axton post, I ran into the clip below, of Sam and Dave and, literally, got goosebumps. Not the kind that go away in a few seconds. Folks, I looked at my arms halfway through the clip and it looked like I was breaking out in hives. As if I needed a reminder what good music is capable of.

It's not just Sam and Dave's performance that got to me. It was the sight of Booker T and the MG's backing them, with the Mar-Keys on horns. Take a look at it. This is what a groove driven, exceptionally tight band looks like. Check out Duck Dunn, the bassist; he knows. On the first song, "You Don't Know Like I Know," he's got it bad. And drummer Al Jackson is just as into it. You out to watch all the videos below. They're all from a Stax Volt revue, in Norway in 1967. Besides Sam and Dave, there are performances by Booker T and The MGs, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, the Mar-Keys and Otis Redding. Phew!

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Sam and Dave - Soul Sister, Brown Sugar mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Sam and Dave - You Don't Know Like I Know mp3 at Lumberjack Thief
Sam and Dave - You Got Me Hummin' mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Sam and Dave - Wrap It Up mp3 at The Soul Girl
Sam and Dave - It's a Wonder mp3 at Mr. Suave
Sam and Dave - When Something Is Wrong With My Baby mp3 at Eddie Watkins Jr.
Video:
Stax Volt Tour of Norway, 1967: Booker T and The MGs, Arthur Conley, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd, the Mar-Keys and Otis Redding.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Visit:
"You Know I've Got Soul": The Legendary 1967 Stax European Tour at The Selvedge Yard

PACKY SAYS "HI"

Roughly a week ago, the Mystery Suggester recommended the song "Hung Over" by the Martinis. Like a lot of songs that happen to hit the spot, it opened up a rabbit hole. That would be the Packy Axton hole. Axton was in the Martinis, and as it turns out, a compilation was recently released with a bunch of various projects that he was involved in. (The Mystery Suggester had sent me a YouTube audio clip, so I'm thinking it was a coincidence.)

As I sauntered down the Axton rabbit hole, it became apparent that his contribution to the Memphis R&B sound was pretty significant. He started out with high school buddies Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn (who you had better know), in a band called the Royal Spades. His mom, Estelle Axton, and uncle, Jim Stewart were just starting a record label, Satellite Records, which would become Stax. The band recorded "Last Night," credited to the Mar-Keys when released, right as the label was getting off the ground, and it became a hit. While his mom, uncle, Cropper and Dunn later benefited mightily from the Stax hit parade that would follow, Axton pretty much sabotaged his opportunity. As his drinking and partying becgan to escalate, he fell out of grace with Stewart and Cropper, and by 1965 he was persona non grata at Stax. He continued to record with several instrumental combos, the Pac-Keys, the Packers, and the Martinis, among others. His drinking finally did him in, and in 1974, while living back at his mom's, he died. He was 32.

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Listen:
The Mar-Keys - Last Night mp3 at Rocky-52.net
The Pac-Keys - Dig In mp3 at Office Naps
The Packers - Hole In the Wall mp3 at The Hound Blog
The Martinis - Hung Over mp3 at Rare Funk On 45
The Pac-Keys - Stone Fox mp3 (via divShare) at Burn Wood Tonight (At DivShare, click on green "Download" button)
Two more Packy Axton cuts at Soul Sides (One from the Pac-Keys and one from the Martinis.)
Other non-Packy Axton unrelated, yet also swinging instrumentals:
The Del-Rays - Night Prowl mp3 at Office Naps
Lorenzo the Hat & the Mad Hatters - Fun-Key mp3 at Office Naps
Visit:
Packy Axton - Profile at The Hound Blog
Packy Axton - Profile at Go Memphis
Packy Axton - Late Late Party compilation at Light In the Attic
Booker T. and Beyond at Office Naps

ANYONE UP FOR TWISTER?

This one isn't necessarily about the music, though any song about potato salad can't be all that bad. The Ross Sisters were a vocal trio from the forties, who weren't actually sisters. They were really contortionists who happened to sing. They appeared in musicals and toured, doing their thing, whatever it is you want to call it. Check out the video below and you'll see what I mean. It really is a visual thing, because it has to be seen to be believed (wait until the 1:00 mark). They pass the test over here, not only because they were easy on the eyes (which, of course, is a bonus). More important, they were weird, and that usually trumps just about everything else.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
The Ross Sisters - Potato Salad mp3 at Public Collectors (?)

HONEYBOY IS GONE

Sad news gang: David "Honeyboy" Edwards passed away last week, at the age of 96. He was one of the last, if not the last, of the Delta bluesmen. His background is about as textbook blues as they come. In fact, it sounds more like a movie script. Born in Shaw, Mississippi, he was the son of a share cropper, the grandson of a slave. His dad bought him a guitar (a Silvertone of course), and at 14 he left home, traveling with guitarist Big Joe Williams. By the time he was a young adult he was hitchhiking and traveling the rails with Robert Johnson, and was present the night that Johnson drank the poisoned whiskey that killed him. (He was the last living witness to the event.) He recorded for both Sun Records and Chess (among others). When he decided to settle down, he ended up in Chicago, working in factories and doing construction during the day, and playing at night. He played with, or knew, a Who's Who of bluesmen, spanning decades. And he kept performing into his nineties. Beat that, hotshot.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Spread My Raincoat Down mp3 at Swan Fungus
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Catfish Blues mp3 at Earwig Music
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Crawling Kingsnake mp3 at BobGentile
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Hideaway mp3 at Earwig Music (ending cut)
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Decoration Day mp3 at Earwig Music (ending cut)
Watch:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Gamblin' Man at YouTube
David "Honeyboy" Edwards radio interview, and song snippets at YouTube (at age 92)
David "Honeyboy" Edwards talks about Robert Johnson at YouTube
Visit:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Official site
David "Honeyboy" Edwards at Wikipedia

MY KIND OF COUGAR

If that photo above doesn't stir something up in you, you're either not into style, good music, or insanely cool women. Regardless, you had better know that it's Ronnie Spector. You may have already heard that she recently released a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," as a tribute (digital format only, damn it). For you cynics, it's not the opportunistic move that you might think. It was already in her regular set for the past few years. So, she's a long time listener, but not a first time caller. In the newest Mojo magazine, she wrote a sidebar tribute to Winehouse, and in it she says that the first time she heard "Rehab," she had to pull her car over to listen to it. Anyway, the proceeds go to Daytop Village, a NYC substance abuse center. It was produced by Richard Gottehrer, who produced the first Blondie LP (among others), and is a former member of the Strangeloves, the group that did the original version of "I Want Candy." (Did you really need to know that? No, but I'm flexing nerd muscle here.) So, here's some Ronettes, a duet with Joey Ramone, a link to the cover of "Back to Black" streaming, and a crappy quality video of her performing it live.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
The Ronettes - Be My Baby mp3 at The Pop Cop
The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You mp3 at Merry Swankster
The Ronettes - How Does It Feel mp3 at DJ No DJ
The Ronettes - I Can Hear Music mp3 at MBrown
The Ronettes - Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Ronnie Spector & Joey Ramone - Bye Bye Baby mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Ronnie Spector - Back to Black (streaming) at Rolling Stone
Video:
Ronnie Spector - Back to Black at YouTube
Visit:
Ronnie Spector - Official site