THE EYE HAS PASSED

Well this certainly sucks. Lorna Doom, Teresa Ryan to her parents, passed away a couple weeks ago. Cancer. She was the bass player in the Germs. She outlived Darby Crash, the singer who took his own life, by thirty nine years. She always impressed me as the quiet one, over to the left, in the shadows. I saw them a few times back in the day and it always seemed that when things got chaotic, which was often, she was relatively calm. Might just be an impression distorted by time. Regardless, she was my favorite. She was in a good band, the only women in the band, and it didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes. But it was the whole package, a presence more than anything else. Her obit at the NY Times made it sound like she had a decent post-Germs life. Good for her.

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Listen:
Germs - Communist Eyes mp3 at Modpoppunk Archive
Germs - American Leather mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Germs - Land of Treason mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Germs - Dragon Lady mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Germs - Not All Right mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Germs - The Other Newest One mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Visit:
Lorna Doom, Bassist in the Punk Band Germs, Is Dead at 61 at NY Times

OUR ROPE IS CLEAN, WE ARE MEAN

Really? Better rethink that brand new rope, and...no. Not going to go down that path. Let's just say this is one nonstop "really?" There are a thousand things wrong with the video. Why rip it? It's too easy. To someone, these guys are the real deal. Scary, that. To me it's just comedy. Or...shit, wait, is this a parody?

Right after posting this I thought I'd better check to see what kind of guys these guys were. What if they were neo-nazis? I couldn't understand what they were singing, but there was definitely something off. Then I saw this at Wikipedia: "Leaders are an American Christian metal band from Hollister, California.", Fucking explains everything.

TOGO PARTY

This is one that will last all of thirty seconds for many of you. A few will end up losing a couple hours. Hey, it's good and chances are you haven't heard it. I heard for the first time a couple days ago and I still haven't looked further, so have at it. Lazy week. I'll just bookmark something.

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Listen:
Orchestre Abass - Shamarin Banza mp3 at For the Sake of the Song

MOOG? SURE. WHY THE HELL NOT.

Surprise surprise. This time the search for something entirely different landed on Ananda Shankar, a sitar slinger and Ravi Shankar's nephew. At first listen his cover of the Doors' "Light My Fire" seemed a little corny, not because it was a sitar playing a Doors cover, but because the accompanying synthesizer seemed to add a bit too much retro synth corn. Regardless, I bit. It turns out that it was not retro synth corn, but the real thing, retro synth pre-corn, Moog. 1970, pretty early too, which makes it amazing. Not really. Well, maybe.

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Listen:
Ananda Shankar - Light My Fire mp3 at Enmadolu (?)
Ananda Shankar - Jumpin' Jack Flash mp3 at Rock Town Hall
Ananda Shankar - Mamata mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Ananda Shankar - Cyrus mp3 at ATumblr (?)

GENERAL ADMISSION $1.75

Whittier Blvd. Farmer John. Huggy Boy. That's the kinda mood I'm in tonight. I'll start you here and then you can go on your way. Thee Midniters' "Whittier Blvd", as good as it gets. It's one of those songs, for me anyway, that has sounded better and better over the years. You hear it differently the more you hear it. The Premiers' "Farmer John" is another one. Both of those were hits back in the mid-sixties. Go beyond those two and there's all sorts of good shit. Good shit like "I Found A Peanut" and "Get On This Plane". Yee haw.

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Listen:
Thee Midniters - Whittier Blvd mp3 at Dosrios (?)
The Premiers - Farmer John mp3 at Internet Archive
Thee Midniters - I Found A Peanut Blvd (streaming) at YouTube
The Premiers - Get On This Plane (streaming) at YouTube

PRANK MR. KNOW IT ALL

I've posted this song a couple times, the last time was a year ago. But, out of the blue, I thought of a good gag. The song is by pre-Monkee Mike Nesmith, recording as Michael Blessing. The song was supposed to be a throwaway instrumental. It is anything but. It's completely badass. It sounds like Davie Allan and Link Wray on the same record. That's where the gag comes in. It'll only work if you have a friend that knows Allan and Wray, as well as badass guitarists from all eras, someone you can lead to mentioning their names. If you know music well enough you should be able to do that. If not, I give up. Using your skills, whatever level you've got, steer them towards Davie Allan and Link Wray. Then, a minute or two later, "Oh, I just remembered! Have you ever heard the tape of them jamming?" Dig through your pile of unorganized burned CDs (you do have one, right?) and yank out "A Journey With Michael Blessing" (not labeled of course). Lay it on them. If you get them to believe it, continue with the biggest fat ass lie of a story that you can come up with. Plausible? They were jamming at so and so's house. It would had to have been a well connected gadabout, mid-sixties, probably L.A. Sonny Bono? Kim Fowley? Stephen Stills? Hey, it's your lie. Think of something.

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Listen:
Michael Blessing - A Journey With Michael Blessing mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People

MORE SOUNDS FROM THE HOOD

The kid across the street was playing soul music today, blasting it from one of those portable speaker things that you hook up to your phone. The Delfonics caught my ear, but it wasn't until Sam Cooke came on that I realized that whoever made the mix was casting a wide soul net. Spotify, I figured, or some other overly generic source. Despite the mix of eras, at least the kid was listening to good music. I took a look to see if he was singing along, tapping his foot, patting his thigh or showing some sign that the music was somehow familiar to him. No dice. Just like the guy across the alley that was listening to Duke Reid stuff without knowing it. Just find a mix and hit play. Fair enough. You gotta start somewhere. It's not all that far removed from turning the radio dial to an oldies station and letting that rip, which was my introduction to Sam Cooke back when I was younger, a few years younger than this kid across the street. Shit, I should have patted the guy on the back for at least test driving old soul music considering what crap it could have been.

It got me to thinking about ol' Sam Cooke. Yeah, the Delfonics are groovy and all that, but, man, that Sam Cooke was something. I've never been able to put my finger on just why I like him so much. Obviously part of it is his voice, smooth but not enough grit to hit you over the head. He didn't need it. But it was the overall feel of his music. Didn't hurt being backed by the Wrecking Crew on a bunch of his early sixties stuff, but you can't even chalk it up to voice and backing. No, Cooke had something that went beyond the mechanics of music.

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Listen:
The Delphonics - Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Sam Cooke - Twistin' the Night Away mp3 at Next Levelism
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come mp3 at Basement Rug
Sam Cooke - Wonderful World mp3 at WNPV

VIA SATELLITE, FROM ACROSS THE ALLEY

A few days ago a guy I know from across the alley was pulling out of his parking place and as he drove past, he was playing some Duke Reid produced rocksteady, I forget what song and what artist, but it was one I'd heard a million times. I just remember thinking, that might be the last time I'll ever hear a Duke Reid recording blasting out of a car. When I asked the friend about it later, because a neighbor into Duke Reid rocksteady is a neighbor worth talking shop with, he said that it was satellite radio and that he didn't know the song. Didn't have a clue who Duke Reid was. It was just one of those things. But I did hear it, and he did too, he just wasn't paying attention. Do people even invest themselves in music anymore? Is it just background noise to the 24/7 onslaught of ads and consumer gluttony? Fuck. But I did hear it.

I know the song I heard wasn't "Angie La-La" by Nora Dean, because I would have remembered that. It has to be the weirdest record that Reid ever put out. Reid was all about rocksteady. "Angie La-La" is, I don't know, just weird. Not even close to rocksteady. There's some Donna Summer-lite type gasping in it, spare but prominent percussion, birds chirping 'n' shit. Just listen to it and compare it too any song on the Duke Reid comp linked below. That compilation is great. It was my introduction to Duke Reid way back when I was about the age of the guy...across...the...alley. Oh.

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Listen:
Nora Dean - Angie La La mp3 at Art Decade 
Nora Dean - Barbwire mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Duke Reid - Golden Hits (streaming) at YouTube 12 songs

VENTILATOR BLUES? NOT OURS.

I was driving home today, listening to Exile on Main St., thinking what a zillion people have thought over the years, that it's a damn fine album. Then I asked myself the unanswerable question. Where were the American Stones back then? Who were the American Stones back then? Was there ever an American version of the Stones? No, not really. They were the Stones, at their peak. Who's gonna compete with that? Who's even close to the task?. I went through the checklist. Creedence? They were huge, hit after hit, and long jams on the LPs, they did cool covers, and there were a two guitar band. De-merits? They were a four piece and the lacked a certain je ne sais decadence.

Who else? NRBQ? Good songs, good covers, but one guitar. Terry Adams, one always in the spotlight, played keys. Shit, why go down the checklist. Thinking of them as an American version of the Stones is almost laughable. No danger apparent in NRBQ. Seems we're going to have to loosen the guidelines. Okay, Flamin' Groovies? Ooh, we're getting closer. Back around 1968-1970 before their power pop Beatle-y phase, they were two guitars, bass and drums, and a singer. Nice solid five piece. Again, well selected covers. Visually, in the medium-to-scrawny size, a little flashier on stage. Musically, some decent slide quitar, a reliance on Dan Armstrongs which could go either way. Still, there's something missing. They never really seemed to bang on all cylinders, and just where the fuck are the drugs? You can't scare parents with music alone. Fuck I give up. The Groovies were close enough, for tonight, for me to slide on out of here.

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Listen:
Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head mp3 at Chris Wireman (?) 1971
Flamin' Groovies - Headin' to the Texas Border mp3 at Melting Pop 1970
Flamin' Groovies - Golden Clouds mp3 at The Rising Storm 1968
Flamin' Groovies - Take Me Back mp3 at Flying Snail 1978
Video:
Flamin' Groovies - Slow Death (live) at YouTube ca 1972

2786? LIAR.

The first time I heard "Hey Ladies" by the Beastie Boys, my opinion of them when up a notch. It was because they name-dropped Sadaharu Oh. "I got more hits than Sadaharu Oh." Okay, so it's not poetry, but it's baseball. Japanese baseball. As a hitter, Oh fucking dominated, some of his stats up with the best ever. Over 868 career home runs. Even casually name-dropping him in an era when young people couldn't give a shit, that's brownie points right there. Shit like that, and their old Grand Royal magazine, are why I'm dying to read their recent book, but shit, even at the online mega-dealers it's something like thirty bucks. That's coffee table stuff. Shine that, I'll wait.

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Listen:

Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies mp3 at Snuhthing Anything

Beastie Boys - So Whatcha Want mp3 at Snuhthing Anything

Visit:

Old Beastie Boys posts Some of the links are still good.

Sadaharu Oh at Wikipedia

TUBA FATS. I DIDN'T EITHER.

Fuck me, someone backed into the front of my car today. It's not a big deal but it's big enough to not feel like hunting for stuff or blabbing, or putting forth any real effort. So here's a good post at Soul Sides. Cheered me the fuck up, Floyd Anckle and the Majestic Brass Band's "Hey Pocky-Way" in particular. After listening to that, I got sucked in.

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Listen:

Floyd Anckle and the Majestic Brass Band -Hey Pocky-Way mp3 at Soul Sides Go there to get it. Five more songs and good text. Shit, just go.

IN SPECTACULAR BRO-VISION!

Yesterday was my brother's birthday. Mine too, we were twins. He passed away years ago. That's fucked up I know, and it's a personal pity party around here every so often, and it can get heavy, but I don't bring this up to be a downer. Because there are still times where he's right here with me. That happens a lot. Twenty years gone and I can still feel him.

The Haze. Motherfuckin' Hasil Adkins. Every time I hear him, I don't even have to look up. My brother's right over there, a bemused look on his face, suckin' in noise. And loving it. So, to the dirty carpet, to dusty furniture and to scratchy records! To the elusive two beer buzz!

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Listen:

Hasil Adkins - Chicken Walk mp3 at Go Retro

Hasil Adkins - She Said mp3 at Beware of the Blog

Hasil Adkins - No More Hot Dogs mp3 at David Garlitz 

Hasil Adkins - The Hunch mp3 at Rocky 52

Hasil Adkins - Go Go Go Down the Line mp3 at Beware of the Blog

Hasil Adkins - Keep on Hunchin' mp3 at Beware of the Blog

Hasil Adkins - Kill 'em Rock mp3 at Beware of the Blog

DUDE WAS COOL FOR DECADES

Went on a Latin kick today, heavy on Tito Puente, Perez Prado, and Ray Barretto. Kinda poking around looking for something, I don't know, a little out of the classic Latin mold. A couple Ray Barretto cuts at Drummerworld really hit the spot. They're from his last LP in 2006, with his son playing sax. Not really Latin, but old school. These two did it for me, enough that I bought the CD in the middle of writing this. Check the bio there at Drummerwold. They would know.

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Listen:
Ray Barretto - Lean On Me mp3 at Drummerworld
Ray Barretto - Strange Music mp3 at Drummerworld
Earlier:
Ray Barretto - Acid mp3 at Ozgood

GO THERE. I DON'T CARE.

Aquarium Drunkard recently posted a Velvet Underground show from January 10, 1969. Exactly fifty years ago today. Man, the shit just keeps coming. Amazing that there's still stuff popping up all these years later. So, I went looking for some more VU meat and found a handful of different mixes from a pre-release acetate of the first LP. Posted here some time back, a little scratchy, but it you're a VU fiend probably no more scratchy then your worn out copy of the first LP, plus it's different mixes. All of this is probably only of interest to someone who's into the Velvets. Fuck it, I'm not going to rationalize things. I'm going to go listen to some alternate versions I've heard a dozen times, of songs that I've heard a hundred times.

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Listen:
The Velvet Underground :: The Boston Tea Party – January 10, 1969 at Aquarium Drunkard Live set, 12 songs
Velvet Underground - Acetates at Beware of the Blog Rough mixes of songs from the first LP
Velvet Underground - Rock & Roll (demo) mp3 at Review Stalker
Velvet Underground - Guess I'm Falling In Love (live) mp3 at Ernie Film The guitars on this one rule, near perfect amount of slop, licks and chunka.

MEANWHILE, EIGHT YEARS LATER...

Bookmarked in 2011. They're still online. And I don't remember ever listening to them. A couple awesome mixes, one Panamanian, the other international in scope. Vintage stuff, the good, bad and ugly, interesting enough to think "Fuck everything else. This has my full attention right now." So, I defer to this rascal DJ Papito.

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Listen:
DJ Papito - El Recolector: Panama Golden Nuggets at Soul Bonanza 46 minute mix, zip
DJ Papito - Out of Hell at Soul Bonanza 21 song mix, zip

INNUENDOS? WHATEVER FOR?

It happened again. I was looking for something entirely different, Big Youth to be exact, and got sidetracked by Lavern Baker. The happened again part wasn't getting sidetracked. It was seizing the opportunity to, at the mere mention of Lavern Baker's name, succumb to the force that is "Better Think Twice", more precisely, "Better Think Twice (Version X)", a duet with Jackie Wilson. Pardon me if you've heard it before, here or somewhere else. I've posted about four times over the years, but I always accompany it with something I haven't posted. So, among the  Baker songs below there are a couple that haven't been posted. But taste that song, it won't be around forever. If you don't know Lavern Baker, go do some research. By the time you get back you'll know why maybe you do need a song with her and Jackie Wilson volleying candy mouthed barbs.

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Listen:
Lavern Baker and Jackie Wilson - Better Think Twice (Version X) mp3 at Beware of the Blog 
Lavern Baker - Saved mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Lavern Baker - Give Me a Pigfoot and a Bottle mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Lavern Baker - Jim Dandy mp3 at Rocky 52
Lavern Baker - Batman to the Rescue mp3 at Alert Nerd
Lavern Baker – Bumble Bee mp3 at Soul Garage

OKAY SMART GUY, WHERE'S EVE?

Man, sometimes the wandering mouse clicks turn up some good shit. You blues fiends may know of Satan and Adam, but I sure didn't. Now I do. And now the list is longer. I'd given up on hearing anything interesting in blues, semi-recent blues, in years. Too much twelve bar hooey, all sounding the same, most with too much Blues Hammer. A seemingly easy music to play often makes for too little imagination. Not expecting to hear anything I'd like, particularly because the accompanying photo was of an old black guy and a much younger white dude. Looked like a kid dangling from a coattail. But "Satan and Adam"? Yeah, the name alone made me click.

Satan and Adam were an unlikely pair. Satan, real name Sterling Magee, was fifty something, playing on the street when he met Adam Gussow, a twenty something fellow busker. Somehow, the two clicked and a twenty two year friendship began. They were playing on the street when a film crew following U2 around New York (for the film Rattle and Hum) snagged a clip that was not left on the cutting room floor. After that they got noticed, got signed, toured, and stayed in touch. Their last LP Back In the Game was released in 2011. Seven years later, I took a chance and clicked. Catchy names work.

The two songs at Rollo and Grady are a good place to start. After you check those out, check YouTube for a shitload more, including a few earlier records by Sterling Magee. Oh yeah, he recorded for, among others, Ray Charles's Tangerine Records. No hack, this Satan.

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Listen:
Satan and Adam - Mother Mojo mp3 at Rollo and Grady Go there to get it.
Satan and Adam - Ride the Wind mp3 at Rollo and Grady Ditto above.
Sterling Magee - I Still Believe in You (streaming) at YouTube
Visit:
Satan and Adam at Wikipedia

SEND REVERB

I'm not one to bitch and moan, well, yeah I am. So I will. I hate bad surf music. Especially with cliché band names or song titles. I know there's good, authentic stuff being made, but I'm here to tell you, Surf Guitar 101 is not the type of site that you're going to find it at. At least in current "surf" bands. Nonetheless, I find it my duty to at check out their compilations every couple of years. The latest one I could find is 2016. A piece of work, that one. Rather then ragging on it at length lets just say that A) Most of these bands think any guitar instrumental is surf music. B) More than a few find it necessary to use surf type terms in their song titles or band names. C) Few have the classic tone, and D) almost none have the real dripping sort of reverb. Taken as non-surf music, some are interesting. One that is not surf at all but worth listening to, for curiosity sake, is Surf Manchu's "Pipeline Über Alles". If you're familiar with the Chantays' "Pipeline" and the Dead Kennedys' "California Über Alles", you can pretty much guess what they're trying to do here. As surf music, it pretty much blows, but as a mash up it's definitely got some interesting stuff going on.

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Listen:
Surf Manchu - Pipeline Über Alles mp3 at Internet Archive
The Chantays - Pipeline mp3 at Rocky 52
Dead Kennedys - California Über Alles mp3 at Ebianchi (?)
SurfGuitar101.com 2016 Compilation at Internet Archive 23 songs.

RIKKI DON'T LOSE THAT RIFF

Some of you have heard this song a million times. But more of you know the opening riff from somewhere else. Fuckin' Steely Dan. Did they play us for patsies? Shit, who knows, they may have credited Silver in one way or another. All I know is that a stashed a 99 cent beat up copy of the Silver LP is in the bins of the local wax shop and I better remember to go get it this weekend. I should have snagged it the first time. But, noooo, I was Mr. I Don't Want To Carry it Home. Such the hack digger.

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Listen:
Horace Silver Quintet - Song For My Father mp3 at Groove Addict
Steely Dan - Rikki Don't Lose That Number (streaming) at YouTube

WHERE YOU BEEN?

I hadn't thought about these guys in a while but I ran into a mention of them today. I had to hear one, did a random search and found one, at the Urban Outfitters site of all places. Where, over there I'm not sure. But it hit the spot for a quick fix.

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Listen:
King Khan and the Shrines - Outta Harms Way mp3 at Urban Outfitters Blog