THE KURIER RETURNS

Just a few weeks ago, I did a couple posts about Musik Kurier, a blog by a guy named Axel that was kind of an anomaly in my link list. It didn't feature rock 'n' roll, vintage soul, garage, or, really, any music that would be deemed cool by most people I know. But it was a regular stop on my rounds because it did what so many blogs fail to do. It consistently featured all sorts of music that I didn't own, hadn't heard, and in most cases didn't even know existed. Some genres were familiar, but most artists were not. International pop, disco, funk lite, oddball jazz, soul, boogaloo, funk, Philly soul, reggae pop, ballads, and atmospheric type stuff were all crammed in there, and he posted with amazing regularity. And you know what? His online host pulled the rug out from under him and deleted what must have been years of hard work. To put it in context, this was a guy who I would love to have visited and gone through his record collection, because the stuff he posted is stuff I would probably have never given a chance if it wasn't posted on his blog.

The good news: Musik Kurier is back. He said that he's probably going to concentrate on mixes, and they may be just streaming. You cherry pickers that have to have stuff on your own chosen gizmo may be disappointed, but I'm not. I'll take the Kurier's stuff any way he dishes it out. The first three posts are what he deems "Soft and Tender," but don't let that put you off. Bookmark it, and visit it periodically. Break out of your rut. It's a big ass musical world out there, and the Kurier will take you places you never thought you'd go.

Visit:
Musik Kurier
The Sleepy Lagoon - His other blog, exotica and lounge
Musik Kurier on Facebook

HIPSTER MEAT, BUT I LIKE IT TOO

Say what you will. Go ahead, get it out of the way. (Blabbady blah blah blah.) As I was about to say, I rarely listen to Serge Gainsbourg, and have a general impression of him as a total asshole. But, you know what? He did a lot interesting stuff, a lot, without ever kicking rock 'n' roll ass. Dude barely raised his voice. Which might normally be terms for exclusion here. He did have relationships with beautiful women. Some might consider that bonus points. The real reason why, asshole or not, I marvel at the dude's whole schtick? He made records with Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot...and Nico..and Rita Marley. Landslide. He's in.

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

Listen:
Serge Gainsbourg - Couleur Cafe mp3 at Sadko-Martin
Serge Gainsbourg - Baudelaire mp3 at Fleurs du mal
Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin - Je t'aime Moi Non Plus mp3 at Flash Mob Maker
Serge Gainsborg and Nico - Strip Tease mp3 at 8106
Serge Gainsbourg - Comic Strip mp3 at Pretty Goes With Pretty
Serge Gainsbourg - Laissez-Moi Tranquille mp3 at Selfstarterfoundation
Serge Gainsbourg - Elisa .mp3 at Georges-Alain Jones
Serge Gainsbourg - Ford Mustang mp3 at Carmenvera
Serge Gainsbourg et Brigitte Bardot - Bonnie and Clyde mp3 at Stop Okay Go
Oddball:
Scarlett Johansson and Lulu Gainsbourg – Bonnie & Clyde mp3 at Done Waiting
Video:
Serge Gainsbourg, Le Poinçonneur des Lilas (1959) at YouTube
Serge Gainsbourg with Jane Birkin - Histoire De Melody Nelson at YouTube 27 minutes
Serge Gainsboug with Brigitte Bardot - Comic Strip at YouTube
Visit:
Serge Gainsbourg at Wikipedia

PRETTY VIA UGLY

As a young teenage music fiend, I bought a lot of records, read a lot of magazines, listened to a lot of radio, and talked music with my brothers and friends constantly. I was in the position to know, but not once did the Pretty Things ever come up. They were all but unknown in the US. Like a lot of people in the states who bought records prior to prominence of fanzines and reissues, my first exposure to the Pretty Things came from the two covers of theirs that Bowie did on Pin Ups, and hearing them wasn't impetus enough to go exploring. I already had a backlog of leads and recommendations for scads of other bands from sources I trusted much more than Bowie.

Enter Mike Stax, an English guy who had moved to the states to join the Crawdaddys, a local band. In the early eighties, after he was securely transplanted, he started a zine called Ugly Things. It was apparent from issue one that he had it bad for the Pretty Things. In issue two of UT (which, as unbelievable as it seems, I just retrieved from a bookshelf five feet away from me), he interviewed Pretty Thing Phil May. In the introduction, he refers to them as "the greatest band of all history." Now I was listening. That was well over twenty years ago, and every time the Pretty Things come up, I think of Mike, and how a gangly kid from across the pond imported his fiending. We are the better for it. Ugly Things is still going strong. Visit the site for a physical copy, stuff by his band the Loons, or something from his record label (including 45s by the Nashville Ramblers and the Sloths, both of which I've gushed about before).

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

Listen:
The Pretty Things - Rosalyn mp3 at X818
The Pretty Things - Roadrunner mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Pretty Things - Come See Me mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Pretty Things - Buzz The Jerk mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Pretty Things - Midnight to Six Man mp3 at Merry Swankster
The Pretty Things - Cold Stone mp3 at Bedazzled
The Pretty Things - Balloon Burning mp3 at Cargo Culte
The Pretty Things - All Light Up mp3 at Smokers Club
Visit:
The Pretty Things at Wikipedia
Ugly Things

YAY FOR MILLIE!

If you watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics last night, you'd probably agree that there were some interesting moments for music freaks. If you watched the show in the U.S., you probably noticed that right when they got to the Sex Pistols part of the UK pop history segment, before you good say "My, how times have changed," it cut to a commercial. (It figures, eh?) I was curious about how that part was handled, so I went looking. I found a rather crude clip, filmed from a TV screen, and it's goofy. The performers had these big giant heads with spikey hair, and were pogoing on those springy prosthetic things that amputee athletes use. Like I said, it was goofy, not at all like the serious pogoing done by people with normal sized heads with spikey hair back in the day. It was kinda weird seeing the video images of the Sex Pistols on the big screen, with the lyrics flashing from the seats. Anyways, here's a clip.

The highlight of the music segment, for me anyways, was the inclusion of Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop." It was totally unexpected, primarily because, even though the song was a huge hit in the UK, she's from Jamaica. She was the only artist included in that musical journey type segment that wasn't from the UK. And dang me if it wasn't nice to see her cute face singing on the big screen. Just think about how many people were viewing the opening ceremony. It was probably the most viewed single performance, albeit fleeting, of any Jamaican song ever.

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

Listen:
Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop (English) mp3 at Le Blog de la Grande Chose
Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop (German/English) mp3 at Dust On the Stylus
Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant mp3 at Review Stalker

HEY YOU! ENJOY YOURSELF!

Want a dossier? How about bouncer, boxer, singer, bandleader, sound system operator, record store owner, record label owner, and jukebox company owner? Prince Buster has seen R & B and Mento collide, bluebeat, ska, rocksteady, reggae, and beyond. He's been in music, in one role or another, for a staggering fifty six years, performing as late as 2008. You want a dossier? Survivor. He lives in Miami. He is alive. Dig it.

This Is Ska 1964

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

Listen:
Prince Buster - Enjoy Yourself mp3 at Audio Drums
Prince Buster - Al Capone mp3 at Street Kiss
Prince Buster - Judge Dread mp3 at Cubik Musik
Prince Buster - Madness (live) mp3 at Leaf and Lime
Prince Buster- One-Step-Beyond mp3 at Mustard Relics
Prince Buster - Danny Dane and Lorraine mp3 at Jaliskoska
Prince Buster - Fowl Theif mp3 at Jaliskoska
Prince Buster - The Fugitive mp3 at Jaliskoska
Prince Buster All Stars - Desafinado mp3 at Jaliskoska
Prince Buster All Stars - Prince of Peace mp3 at Jaliskoska
Prince Buster - Blackhead Chinaman mp3 at at Jaliskoska
Video:
Prince Buster - Whine and Grine (Top of the Pops, 1998) at YouTube
Visit:
Prince Buster at Wikipedia

TWO REALLY GOOD SONGS

Just a quick one. If you don't have any George Jones, you now have no excuse. These two songs are a good place to start, you could consider both essential. As a song, the complete package of "The Race Is On" is about as perfect as they come, in any genre. The solo doesn't have a note out of place. Really, dig on it. (Make yourself useful around here.)

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

Listen:
George Jones - The Race Is On mp3 at David Fullmer
George Jones - White Lightning mp3 at Rocky-52
Video:
George Jones - The Race Is On (Hee-Haw) at YouTube
Visit:
George Jones official site
George Jones at Wikipedia

MEMPHIS WINS AGAIN

The Mystery Suggester done sent me on another wild goose chase. Knowing my affinity for some things Link Wray, she informed me that he had a brother that also did music. He was a guitarist in his brother's band and put out a country rock LP, Wasted, in '72, years after he played rhythm rumble. There were only 400 copies originally pressed, which may be why most people didn't know it existed. It's been reissued, and if you go for the seventies country rock stuff, or are some sort of Wray completist, you can pick up a couple tunes from Aquarium Drunkard (they disable direct linking, so yeah, you'll have to go there to get it).

I'm not all that into country rock, so my hunt for Wray mp3s was admittedly half-assed. I got sidetracked, because one of the blogs I'd landed on had some stuff that screamed detour. It was two complete LPs by '68 Comeback, the band led by Monsieur Jefferey Evans, a Memphis fixture of the garage variety whose raunchy unpretentious rock 'n' roll is something like what Pussy Galore would have sounded like if they were from the South and being cool was not part of the equation. In other words, not perfect, just sloppy and original, even when they do covers, which is often. They interpret American roots (like Creedence or the early Stones), as if locked in a garage, not concerned in the least with finding the key.

That led to digging around for mp3s of '68 Comeback's stuff, which I've looked for before. As per usual, I wasn't able to find any single songs, but the video above will give you a rough idea (really though, it doesn't do them justice). I did, however, run into mp3s of Jack Oblivian's, another fixture of the Memphis scene, who was once a '68 Comebacker (as was half of Memphis at one time or another). His stuff is equally dyn-o-mite, so that will be what the immediate gratification party will be served tonight.

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

Listen:

Jack Oblivian - Rat City mp3 at Big Legal Mess Records Slow download but worth it.
Jack Oblivian - Mad Lover Pt II mp3 at Big Legal Mess Records ditto
Jack Oblivian - 'Til the Money Runs Out mp3 at Big Legal Mess Records with the Tennessee Tearjerkers
Jack Oblivian - Make It Hard mp3 at Big Legal Mess Records with the Tearjerkers
Vernon Wray - Tailpipe, and Facing All the Same Tomorrows mp3s at Aquarium Drunkard Direct linkingdisabled, go there to get them.
LPs:
'68 Comeback - Love Always Wins LP (via MediaFire) at Audio Detox
'68 Comeback - Mr. Downchild LP (via MediaFire) at Audio Detox

THE PACKAGE

I would certainly hope that the man pictured above is well represented in your record collection. I have no clue how in tune to this sort of essential stuff some of you may be. Let's just say this, if you like rock 'n' roll, you have Little Richard to thank. End of story. There were other early rockers, but he was the one who pushed the envelope when it mattered. He made lightweight crooners irrelevant, and kept Elvis on his toes. Radio DJ, bandleader and singer Johnny Otis once said "Little Richard is twice as valid artistically and important historically as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones put together." It would be hard to argue with that, particularly in a historical sense. He was the catalyst that hardened the foundation of rock 'n' roll.



All of the stuff below was on Specialty Records. Stick to that label and you'll have the damn Book of Genesis. There's an excellent box set, The Complete Specialty Sessions (or something like that) that would take a good long time to digest, although it may be out of print (it's pricey, even used). It includes alternate takes, a few of which are posted below. Just hearing the studio chatter from a classic Specialty session is worth hearing. Yeah, you know it is.

A tip of the hat here, in the general direction of DJ and blogger Diddy Wah, a top notch true believer, who's post of an early Specialty 45 started tonight's buffet. I've said it before, bookmark his site. Visit it regularly. Believe.

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

Listen:
Little Richard - Rip It Up mp3 at Diddy Wah
Little Richard - Rip It Up (Rehearsal Take 14) mp3 at Electric Adolescence
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally mp3 at One Sweet Song
Little Richard - Slippin' and Slidin' mp3 at Stolen Records
Little Richard - Keep A Knockin' mp3 at The New LoFi
Little Richard - Ready Teddy mp3 at Diddy Wah
Little Richard - The Girl Can't Help It mp3 at Happy Parts
Little Richard - I Got It mp3 at Teenage Kicks
Little Richard - Heebie Jeebies (undubbed) mp3 at Teenage Kicks
Little Richard - Poor Boy Paul mp3 at Teenage Kicks
Video:
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally at YouTube
Little Richard - Ready Teddy (from The Girl Can't Help It) at YouTube
Little Richard - Tutti Frutti video at YouTube
Little Richard - Lucille/Good Golly Miss Molly (live, 1966) video at YouTube
Visit:Little Richard at Wikipedia

SWEATIN' TO THE OLDIES

Well, oh well, I just ran into a cover of "You're A Grand Old Flag" by the Germs, and thought it might be of interest to you passive Germs folks. You know who you are, the ones who don't have to hear everything they ever recorded but still get a ping of nostalgia when you hear them butcher a song (and butcher it they do). I was going to just leave it at that, but thinking that it might give first time listeners the impression that they sucked (which they often did), I thought it might be prudent to include some of their studio releases. There's also songs from the sessions that produced "Lion's Share" from the soundtrack to the film Cruising. Those recordings are somewhat muddy, coming from a bootleg before they saw an official release years later. One thing that is notable is that they were produced by Jack Nitzsche, who had worked with Phil Spector, recorded some wicked solo stuff and was responsible for putting Miles Davis and John Lee Hooker together on a couple cuts. Get out the peanut butter, this shit is messy.

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

Listen:
Germs - Richie Dagger's Crime at The Adios Lounge
Germs - Communist Eyes mp3 at Punk Sounds
Germs - Lexicon Devil mp3 at 7 Inch Punk
Germs - Lexicon Devil (45 version) mp3 at KBD Records
Germs - No God mp3 at Good Bad Music For Bad Bad People
From the Cruising soundtrack studio sessions:
Germs - Throw It Away.mp3 at KBD Records
Germs - Not All Right.mp3 at KBD Records
Germs - Now I Hear The Laughter.mp3 at KBD Records
Germs - Going Down.mp3 at KBD Records
Germs - Entire Cruising session zip at Good Bad Music For Bad Bad People Five songs, includes "Lion's Share"
Oddballs and live:
Germs - Sugar Sugar (live) mp3 at Kid America Club
Germs - You're A Grand Old Flag mp3 at Cover Freak
Germs - Lexicon Devil (live) mp3 (via Box.net) at Pogo Goes The Radio At Box.net, click on the "download" button in the to right to download.
Visit:
The Germs at Wikipedia

MIX MEAT FROM THE EAST

Holy hell, sometimes it starts with just one click. I did not expect to spend half of my evening digging on hopped up sixties tunes from China and Jakarta. It began at Bodega Pop's China A Go Go post, which sucked me right in with the title alone. They had a link to a mix, and three test-run songs streaming. The one that caught my eye was a cover of "Shakin' All Over," by Nancy Sit. C'mon, a cover of that song, by someone with that name, released in China in the sixties? Who wouldn't bite? I dug it enough to post, so I went in search of a photo of the swingin' Ms Sit. I ended up at Garage Hangover, who had a whole post with nine songs of hers, including covers of "Hanky Panky," "Love Potion No. 9," "Hippy Hippy Shake," "Hang On Sloopy," "Wooly Bully," and "I'm a Believer." You'll have to go there to get them (they disable direct linking to mp3s), but it's worth the ride. But that's not even the good part.

When I got to the end of that post, there were links to two other posts by the same guest author. I was ready to call it a night, but figured what the hell. So, I clicked, and was off to Jakarta, to dig on the crazy sounds of Koes Bersaudara (pictured at the top of the post). One song in particular wound me up so much, that I postponed posting it to let it digest, to see if it might be my mood that made it so interesting. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Now, I don't know your taste, but if you know me, or are at all familiar with what kind of oddball records wind my watch, I implore you to go to the post, and take a listen to "Poor Clown" by Koes Bersaudara. While the singer ain't no Gerry Roslie, he's definitely got some sort of Indonesian gravel in his throat. While you're at it, listen to the other cuts, and most definitely read the text. Among other things, you'll learn that the band was locked up for three months for playing "I Saw Her Standing There."

I think I've finally distilled what it is that I get from this sort of music. I'm not going to lie to you. I know that there isn't anything here that, at the end of the day, is earth shattering. I like it because it's challenging. Not in an egghead sort of way, but in a "What the hell is going on here? Let's check this out." sort of way. Enough jibba jabba. There's two more you should check out below, posts on other Indonesian artists, Dara Puspita and Pattie Bersaudara.

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

Listen:
Koes Bersaudara - Poor Clown (streaming) at YouTube
Koes Bersaudara - Six songs at Garage Hangover Go there to get them. They have direct linking to mp3s disabled. The same goes for the other Garage Hangover links below. It's worth it.
Nancy Sit - Shakin' All Over mp3 (via DivShare) at Bodega Pop Plus two other songs
Nancy Sit - Nine songs at Garage Hangover
Pattie Bersaudara - Three songs at Garage Hangover
Dara Puspita - Four Songs at Garage Hangover
The mix:
China A Go Go at Bodega Pop

TO LONGEVITY

Jimmy Cliff has a new record out, you may have heard that. But think about it. The Harder They Come, the film (and soundtrack) featuring Cliff, came out in 1972. That was forty years ago. What's really amazing is that Cliff had already been recording for over ten years when he did The Harder They Come. And now the man has a new record, over fifty years later. Take that Stones.

The new one is produced by Rancid's Tim Armstrong, which...hey, good for him. In a recent interview, Cliff gave Armstrong props for his knowledge of Jamaican music, session musicians and studios. That may be all fine and dandy. I've only heard a handful of songs on the new one and, while it's good, it's not Cliff good. Well, you might think it is. I prefer his early seventies stuff. Maybe it just bugs me, for no particular reason, that Armstrong produced it. Whatever. (Dude, Lee Perry's just hanging out acting weird in Switzerland, or wherever it is he lives nowadays. Get him to do it. Lee Perry producing Jimmy Cliff? That I would dig.). Regardless, he's still singing, and appears to be healthy with all his wits about him. And that makes me feel good.

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

Listen:
Jimmy Cliff - One More mp3 (via Box.net) at The Slow Drag At Box.net, click on the "Download" button in the top right to save.
Jimmy Cliff - Bang mp3 (via Box.net) at Surviving the Golden Age
Jimmy Cliff - Ruby Soho (streaming) at Cover Me
Older stuff:
Jimmy Cliff - Miss Jamaica mp3 at Dinosaur Gardens 1962
Jimmy Cliff - My Lucky Day mp3 at Jaliscoska 1963
Jimmy Cliff - One Eyed Jacks mp3 at Jaliscoska 1963
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come mp3 at The Cargo Culte 1972
Jimmy Cliff - You Can Get It If You Really Want mp3 at 2 Bean or Not 2 Bean 1972
Jimmy Cliff - Sitting In Limbo mp3 at PopDose 1972

TURN ON THE BUBBLE MACHINE

Here's a delightful ditty from a band I'm sure you're all going to enjoy. Performing the popular standard "My War," with his wonderful combo, the Blues Explosion, here's the effervescent Jon Spencer. And a-one, and a-two...

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

Listen:
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - My War mp3 at Aquarium Drunkard They disable direct linking, so you'll have to go there to get it.
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Daytrotter Session (6 songs) You have to register to hear these, but it might be worth going over there just to read the gushing write up.
Filler:
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Money Rock’n’Roll mp3 at Review Stalker
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Right Place, Wrong Time at Soundtracks.cz
Black Flag - My Way (Radio Tokyo Session, live) streaming at YouTube

YOU NEED THIS

Okay, this may take a little effort, but I wouldn't forgo mp3s if it wasn't worth it. If you like stuff that's somewhere between Sonic Youth and the Ramones, you will probably dig Seagull Screaming, Kiss Her, Kiss Her. It is very rare that you come across their music online (which is why there are no mp3s below), and I can't fathom why, because they're good, really good. Just about everything I've heard, which is a respectable amount at this point, is something that a) features loud distorted guitar, b) has odd lyrics, and c) hits me as familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Bodega Pop, a site I just ran into today, looks like it's mostly international music. I found it through a link about Middle Eastern music, and the Seagull Screaming, Kiss Her, Kiss Her post was just the serendipitous coin in the dirt. There's two things posted; one is a six song mini-mix, which is good to taste test the biggee, a mammoth 50 song mix. If you already know this band, you know how awesome that is. If you don't know, them check out the six song thing, it's posted in a streaming widget (click on the DivShare logo and you can download it).

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

Listen:
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her - 6 song mix (via DivShare) at Bodega Pop
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her - 50 song mix (via DivShare) at Bodega Pop

THE KILLER'S COUSIN

Did you know that Jerry Lee Lewis had an older piano pounding cousin? I did not. But now I do. I'm not talking Mickey Gilley, or Jimmy Swaggart, who were also piano playing cousins of the Killer. The guy I'm talking about was Carl McVoy, and his missed opportunity, spelled out at Mellow's Log Cabin, is an interesting story that you may never get the opportunity to read about again. This is exactly why I wander online. Really. I was just looking for Billy Lee Riley stuff to put up last night, and ran into this on a site that looks like it'll take a while to devour. You know the drill.

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

Listen:
Carl McVoy - Tootsie mp3 (via DivShare) at Mellow's Log Cabin Go there to preview the song streaming style.

ESSENTIAL... AGAIN, ESSSENTIAL

Billy Lee Riley's "Red Hot" and "Flying Saucers Rock 'n' Roll" should be elementary to most of you. Step aside if you don't want to be reminded how awesome they are. You peagreens, pay attention. This is what excellent early rock 'n' roll sounds like...no, make that nearly perfect rock 'n' roll, of any era. Period. This is how it's done. All the stupid ass haircuts, weird get-ups, gimmicks and posturing were added later. This is the rockabilly equivalent of Howlin' Wolf smashing wah-wahs to bits. Hang it on your ear.

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

Listen:
Billy Lee Riley - Red Hot mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Billy Lee Riley - Flying Saucers Rock n' Roll mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu

I'VE NO CLUE

Back in the nineties, there was a couple that lived down the street from me, Shannon and Allison. They kinda stuck out, because they looked pretty unique, in that they had style, but it was a style that was hard to put your finger on. It wasn't a rock 'n' roll or music oriented style, but an I'm into my own thing style, if that makes any sense. I'd seen them around the neighborhood, but didn't meet them until I had a garage sale. After getting to know them (you know what comes next), I found out what type of music they listened to. Allison was really into Jamiroquai, which wasn't all that surprising. Shannon, on the other hand, had a thing for Tower of Power. He had it bad, and although he didn't have a lot of records, he had just about all of Tower of Power's. He had been snapping up their records on the cheap, because being the nineties, they weren't seen as cool. Nobody was listening to funky horn driven stuff with bitchen breaks, nobody but Shannon. But you know what? His fiending led to me listening to them again with open ears. Ever since then, whenever I hear anything remotely like Tower of Power, I silently thank Shannon for doing what fiends do. This song seemed too apropos to not pass on.

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

Listen:
Tower of Power - What Is Hip? mp3 at Ockstompingmeteorock

HEY OPRY, SUCK ON THIS

You may have heard that Kitty Wells passed away today. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I have much in the dark recesses filed away about her, so here's a scant few factoids. She was contemplating retirement in 1952, after only three years as a solo singer, when she was approached to record "It Wasn't God That Made Honky Tonk Angels." She agreed to record it because she was to receive $125, union scale at the time. It was an answer song to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life." Thompson's song was your basic woe is me type country song, with wimpering about his woman leaving him, how he's the only one who ever loved her, and lamenting about her partying tendencies. Wells's song basically cried bullshit on that, saying that cheating men are to blame for women leaving. Doesn't sound like a big deal does it? Well, the Grand Ole Opry thought so, banning Wells, and the song. That is, until it became a #1 hit on the country and western charts, the first by a woman. (Remind me, who made the Opry the experts anyway?) Wells went on to record some fifty albums and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1976. I guess she showed them.

Here's two Kitty Wells answer songs, and the dudes who inspired the comebacks (courtesy of Carnival Saloon), along with some Wells what not.

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

Listen:
Hank Thompson - The Wild Side of Life at Carnival Saloon
Kitty Wells - It Wasn't God That Made Honky Tonk Angels at Carnival Saloon
Webb Pierce - Back Street Affair at Carnival Saloon
Kitty Wells - Paying For That Back Street Affair at Carnival Saloon
Kitty Wells - My Big Truck Drivin' Man mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Kitty Wells - I Heard The Juke Box Playing mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People
Kitty Wells- Release Me mp3 at Rocky-52
Visit:
Kitty Wells at Wikipedia

WTF DEPT.

There are hair brained ideas, and there are really hair brained ideas. Marshall Chess, top dog at Cadet Concept, a subsidiary of Chess Records (owned by his pappy and uncle), had one helluva hair brained idea. Showing dwindling returns on Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, both on the Chess roster, he had to come up with something. The blues revival of the early sixties was shot. Bands that had leaned on the material of Chess artists, like the Stones and the Yardbirds, were moving on, and they were the ones selling beaucoup records. Without any idea of what future appreciation of the blues might be, he took a gamble.

Chess brought in a backing band to update the sound of the two artists; Pete Cosey, and Phil Upchurch on guitar, Louis Satterfield on bass, and Morris Jennings on drums. (I only mention this because after hearing a few of the cuts below, you may be curious. I was.) To say the sound was a departure for the Waters and Wolf would be an understatement. It would be what's now referred to an "epic fail" (Where do you kids come up with this shit?) In hindsight they might be okay, if you compared them to, say, Cactus, Led Zeppelin or other blues-based rock bands of the era. But Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf should have been above that. It's like trading a '57 Chevy in for a new Honda.



To his credit, Howlin' Wolf knew he was above it, and hated the idea from the git-go. He called the album "dog shit," and, according to guitarist Cosey, said "Why don't you take them wah-wahs and all that other shit and go throw it off in the lake — on your way to the barber shop?" The album cover of his LP, another Marshall Chess brainstorm, just made things worse. In big bold letters it said "This is Howlin' Wolf''s new album. He doesn't like it. He didn't like his electric guitar at first either." Not only did it have a negative effect on record sales, it had a negative effect on Wolf (and you do not want to piss off a 6'2" 300 lb drinking, smoking blues man). He had been playing electric guitar since the early fifties, and actually embraced it.

Muddy Waters, in contrast, seemed to go quietly for Electric Mud. He even allowed himself to be subjected to a make over for the inside album cover, the glorious results of which you can partially see above at the top of this post. What you don't see is that, in the full gatefold image, he's wearing a robe and sandals. So, obviously without resistance, his is not as colorful a story. But Waters and Wolf weren't the only ones caught in this chase for long hair dollars. Bo Diddley, also a Chess artist, had his LP, The Black Gladiator, a funky sample of which is below. Even twist nazi Chubby Checker got into the game with an LP of psychedelic mush, a couple samples of which are below. (Sadly, I couldn't find the complete "Stoned In the Bathroom.")

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

Listen:
Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You mp3 at Nodo50 (?)
Muddy Waters - Let's Spend the Night Together mp3 at Voiceblog (?)
Howlin' Wolf - Spoonful mp3 at Voiceblog (?)
Howlin' Wolf - Evil (streaming) at YouTube
Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightning (remix) mp3 at Feems Gads! The remixer of this one ought to be glad that Howlin' Wolf isn't around.
Bo Diddley – Go For Broke mp3 at Funky 16 Corners Go there, it's a good post.
Chubby Checker - He Died mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Chubby Checker - Stoned In the Bathroom (:43 snippet) mp3 at Bongo Music
Visit:
Electric Mud at Wikipedia
The Howlin' Wolf Album at Wikipedia
Hot Lunch - Reviews of Electric Mud and This is Howlin' Wolf's New Album. Note: There are download links for both but I've tried neither. Click at your own risk.

THEY CALLED SHOTGUN

It's not always all about the music. Sometimes it's partly because of the goofy ass shit behind the music. That would be the case for the Speakers' "Un Sueño Magico" ("A Magic Dream"). I have no idea how I came across it, it could have been the fuzz divining rod at work, but I had to post it because it's got a few qualifiers. It's from Colombia, it's old, it's weird and it has fuzz. Colombian psych to be a little more exact. Actually, if you want to get exact, it's whacked out shit. And look, the dudes aren't wearing any clothes. Lovely visual guys. Despite being from Colombia, where you would think they'd be called "Los Speakers" they used "The". They must of thought that international stardom was not far away. Yeah, listen to it and tell me it doesn't sound like a Top 40 hit. Seriously, these guys have "we don't give a shit" written all over them. Awesome. Viva la don't give a shitters. Anyway, if you bother going to the post, which you should because it's a good one, you'll find out what they did as payment for studio time. Even that's whacked out. Nope, tonight's all about the weirdos. Music on its own merit will have to take a backseat.

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

Listen:
The Speakers - Un Sueño Magico (A Magic Dream) mp3 at Super Sonido
The Speakers - Si La Guerra Es Un Buen Negocio Invierte a Tus Hijos at Super Sonido
Visit:
La Colmena de Humo - This is the blog of the guy who did the guest post at Super Sonido. I haven't checked it out, but a quick scroll tells me I will. Look in the right column for a "translate to English" link.

THE PLAID AND BEARDS MEMO?

I give. They wore me out. They're three brothers and a cousin, from San Antonio, and I can't for the life of me figure out whether I like them or not. This doesn't usually happen after hearing a band over the course of a few years and three albums. Being the tightwad that I am, I haven't actually heard every song on those three albums. That said, there is no verdict forthcoming. I will say this: the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach produced them, and you can sorta tell. What comes to mind, is the what-if, as in, what would they have sounded like if Pat Carney (the other Black Key) had produced them? If you've heard the first Black Keys LP, which was produced by Carney, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's got a raw punch that their other LPs kind of lack.

A couple years ago, someone called Hacienda the Mexican-American Beatles. Someone was wrong. One song off of their latest sounds like the Velvet Underground meets TRex, with some pop shit thrown in ("Let Me Go," the first song below). Another sounds Strokes-ish ("Don't Turn Out the Lights"). Another sounds like Beehive and the Barracudas, with "Dirty" Milsap singing ("Don't Keep Me Waiting"). (If you get last reference, you win bonus points.) In short, they're hard to peg, that's why I'm posting them. I've been trying to figure out if they're good, bad, or just different. They do have something. What it is, I'm not sure.

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

Listen:
Hacienda - Let Me Go mp3 (via Box.net) at The Slow Drag (Once at Box.net, look for the "download" button in the top right)
Hacienda - Don't Keep Me Waiting mp3 at The Wheel's Still In Spin
Hacienda - Don't Turn Out the Light mp3 at Ace +
Hacienda - Who's Heart Are you Breaking mp3 at Dr Mooney's 115th Dream

PAYBACK'S A MIX

It's party time: another brainstorming session at HQ

I know, I know, there's been more mixes posted as of late, but there's a reason for posting this sucker. The mix below, posted at Versions Galore, is based on selections by your humble hack host here. To make a long story short, it's payback of sorts, because I've linked to his stuff regularly after coming across his all-covers blog a year or so ago. His blog just passed the four year mark and he asked me, along with a handful of other people, to put together an hour of covers each. I couldn't say no, and to be honest, I was kind of jazzed to be asked. The bonus, that might temper things for you who don't necessarily like full length mixes, is that some of the songs are pretty hard to find. So, here's the song list, the mix, and links to his other mixes. Party on.

NOTE: THE HOSTING BLOG HAS REMOVED THIS MIX (9/26/2012)

Lee Perry – Jungle Lion (Al Green’s Love & Happiness) While not a straight forward cover, this is about as close as the Upsetter gets.

Lulu – Feelin’ Alright (Traffic) Surprisingly funky, she definitely had her eye on Dusty in Memphis.

Ricky Nelson – Summertime (George Gershwin for Porgy and Bess) Interesting in that it predates the Yardbirds by several years. Chicken or egg?

Tommy McCook – Goldfinger (Shirley Bassey) No shortage of early reggae/ska covers of Bond themes. McCook was a sax player for the Skatalites, and the go-to guy for Duke Reid anong others.

Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents – Shake Some Action (Flamin’ Groovies) Nice try to duplicate the Motown sound. What’s it missing? The Funk Brothers. What the hell, an “A” for effort.

The Pioneers – Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Temptations) As long as we’re on a Motown tangent, what if Norman Whitfield was Jamaican?

The Supremes - Come Together (The Beatles) Proof that Isaac Hayes wasn’t the only one who stretched out on covers.

Horace Andy – Where Do the Children Play (Cat Stevens) Classic Studio One. From Horace Andy’s first, a stone cold classic of the golden age.

Eli “Paperboy” Reed & the True Loves – Ace of Spades (Motorhead) If someone would have told me about this one, I wouldn’t have believed it. Believe it. Instant cred for the kid.

Ricardo Ray – Sookie Sookie (Don Covay) A song that’s been covered 14 million times. This one won out over Steppenwolf’s surprisingly good rock meets soul take.

Solomon Burke – Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan) Seriously, he could sing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” and you’d think he wrote it.

Marcia Griffiths – Band of Gold (Freda Payne) Before singing back up for Marley as one of the I-Threes. Sweet.

Celia Cruz - Yo Vivire (I Will Survive) (Gloria Gaynor) You can’t hear this one without seeing Celia Cruz’s big ass smile. Azúcar!

Sharon Jones & the DapKings - Just Dropped In to See What Condition Your Condition Was In (Kenny Rogers & the First Edition) An unlikely cover for anyone, but it works. Jerry Lee Lewis once said that he, Al Jolson, Hank Williams and Jimmy Rodgers were the only true song stylists. Someone needs to clue him into the Daptone mob.

Richie Knight & the Mid-Knights – Homework (Otis Rush) Famously covered by the J.Geils Band, this sucker just sounds so creepy.

Jack O’ Fire – Branded (Link Wray) The first time I heard this I had to pull over to find out who it was. From the amazing stable of Sympathy For The Record Industry.

Black Randy & the Metro Squad – Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (James Brown) One thing that usually gets ignored when talking about the early L.A. punk scene is how varied and musically educated the bands were. Often seen as something of a court jester, Black Randy’s baddass back up band turned more than a few Krazy Kolored spike heads onto JB via this happening jam.

Kashmere Stage Band – Take Five (Dave Brubeck) High School kids. Yes. And they beat out the Skatalites version.

The Viscounts – Harlem Nocturne (Earl Bostic) I had to end with this one. Back in the day, a older friend told me that bands at his high school dances would always play this as their last song, enabling couples to get chummy without any worries about getting kicked out of the dance. So it was that I, along with other DJ friends at a popular watering hole, took it upon ourselves to end our last sets of the night with it. Prelude to grab ass.

NOTE: THE HOSTING BLOG HAS REMOVED THIS MIX (9/26/2012)

WE'RE NEW HERE

Well folks, this is how it's done when it's done well. Boogie Woogie Flu just posted their third in a series about the Stones' early years, from 1963 through 1965. They do it up right, with some interesting factoids, Stones songs from the period (including some unreleased), and a bucket load of original versions of songs that the Stones covered. If you're at all a fan of their early stuff, these posts should take care of a good chunk of your allotted lurking time. I'll just leave it at that.

Here's a sip, just a few of the original versions of the Stones covered songs. There's a whole lot more where these came from. While you're over there, dig around a bit. If it's good enough to make it to the Get Lost list, that's just what you should do. As on Hee-Haw, "Sal-luuute!"

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

Listen:
Chuck Berry - Come On mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Muddy Waters - I Want To Be Loved mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Coasters - Poison Ivy mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Valentinos - It's All Over Now mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Visit the posts:
Gather No Moss - Rolling Stones post, Part 1 at Boogie Woogie Flu
England's Newest Hitmakers - Rollings Stones post, Part 2 at Boogie Woogie Flu
2120 South Michigan Avenue - Rolling Stones post, Part 3 at Boogie Woogie Flu