NOT FIGHTING IT

I had it all planned out. I knew what I was going to post tonight. Then I ran into these old Tell-Tale Hearts songs and everything went out the window. I'd forgotten how great this band was.

None of these songs are from the LP pictured above. I just dig the photo.

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

Listen:
The Tell-Tale Hearts - It's Not Me mp3 at Mr. Suave
The Tell-Tale Hearts - I Get Up In the Morning mp3 at Che Underground
The Tell-Tale Hearts - Smokes (live) mp3 at Che Underground 
The Tell-Tale Hearts - At the River's Edge (live) mp3 at Che Underground

GARAGIFORNIA

This one hits close to home, literally. Besides being from San Diego, the Tell-Tale Hearts had among it's members two current neighbors of mine, Dave Klowden and Pete Meisner, an ex-neighbor, Eric Bacher, and another friend, Ray Brandes, often referred to in these parts as "The guy who always finds cool shit on YouTube". But I'm not posting it because I happen to know a handful of the guys. I'm posting it because it's well done early eighties garage, back when there were relatively few bands playing that sort of stuff. As the hosting blog of this fine song (On the Flip-Side) points out, the guitar by Meisner is baddass; particularly the solo. Compact with a crazy end, just the way solos should be. All of their earlier stuff has Bacher on guitar, and he's no slouch either. But if we're going to go down that road you should take note of the organ by non-neighbor Bill Calhoun too. And round that out with Brandes on appropriately snotty vocals, considerable skin bashing by Klowden, and Mike Stax (Crawdaddys, Ugly Things, the Loons) on bass and what you have is some kinda package.

Both of the songs are at DivShare. If you don't want to deal with the few extra clicks it takes there, check this old post for some other Tell-Tell Hears stuff. And, take my word for it, you'll want to bookmark On The Flip-Side. There's tons of good stuff there.

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Listen:
The Tell-Tale Hearts - Too Many Lovers mp3 (via DivWShare*) at On the Flip-Side 
The Tell-Tale Hearts - Crawling Back To Me mp3 (via DivWShare*) at On the Flip-Side
The Scorpions - Too Many Lovers mp3 (via DivWShare*) at On the Flip-Side
NOTE: Once you get to DivShare, click on the green "Download" button, and scratch your head for fifteen seconds. When the button reappears, you're good to go.
More:
Earlier post with more Tell-Tale Hearts Easy one-clickers here

NO SHIT, THESE BRICKS ARE FROM '66

Maybe we were spoiled. No, not maybe, we were spoiled. In the early eighties, right about the time punk rock had it's hardcore afterbirth, a San Diego band called the Crawdaddys were playing around town offering another route to wild sounds, steeped particularly heavy in early sixties UK rave-up rhythm and blues shit, with none of the knucklehead pit nonsense. For a few years, they were the only real purist outfit playing around town, and being so, they had their own crowd, total diehards, and not all of them retro nazis. Many were just disenfranchised punk rockers that were just not that easily sucked in by hardcore, and wouldn't go near new wave. It retrospect, we were lucky, because not every scene had an, er, alternative, let alone one that was hard to find fault in.

After a few years, as the Crawdaddys were starting to peter out, another related scene was getting wheels. Mirroring the sixties chronologically, a garage scene developed, spearheaded by the Tell-Tale Hearts, a five piece band that included among its members Mike Stax, the former bassist of the Crawdaddys (now in the Loons and top dog at Ugly Things). Like the Crawdaddys, the Tell-Tale Hearts were more fiendish about period nuances than you or I have the patience for, both musically and visually, and they were good, really good. There were others, namely the Gravedigger V, and later the Morlochs, but the Tell-Tale Hearts really got the whole thing rolling, and they were the real detail freaks. 

I ran across a couple live LPs and there's a good chance that these may not pop up again. Put out by an Australian label, they both had an initial run of only 500 pressed. So, take the single songs for a test run. If you dig them,...you know the rest.

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

Listen:
The Tell-Tale Hearts - It's Not Me mp3 at Mr. Suave
The Tell-Tale Hearts - I Get Up In the Morning mp3 at Che Underground 
The Tell-Tale Hearts - Smokes (live) mp3 at Che Underground 
The Tell-Tale Hearts - At the River's Edge (live) mp3 at Che Underground 
The Live LPs:
The Tell-Tale Hearts - A Bitchin Boss Rave Up With the Tell-tale Hearts (live, 1986) at Surfadelic Click on the green "Rave Up!" 
The Tell-Tale Hearts - Later That Same Night In Springfield (live, 1986) at Surfadelic Click on the green "Dig!"
Visit: 
Tell-Tale Hearts at Che Underground Band profile and discography 
Earlier post about the Crawdaddys

GIVE THE PRODUCER SOME

Following yesterdays post about the Evasions' "Lost Studio Sessions", this morning I received a message from David Doyle, who I know from years ago as the bass player of the Unknowns, a San Diego band from the early 80s. Back then, his band mate, Mark Neill, was just starting to record other bands, with equipment that was considered dated, though Neill's template was studios of the past, and his get-up intentional. That was a long time ago. After years of plugging away, recording scores of bands, Neill is finally getting his due recognition. You see, now Neill is officially recognized as hot shit, having produced the Black Keys' "Brothers" LP (of which, I presume, you've heard a song or two).

Doyle asked me if the Evasions' sessions were the same sessions that Neill recorded in a garage of band friend, Chris Davies (guitarist for another local band, the Penetrators). So, I asked about the type of tape Neill preferred back then, and after speaking with Neill, he answered that the tape reel would be either Ampex, or Radio Shack. The Evasions tape was indeed in an Ampex box, and Neill also confirmed recording one song ("Exodus") that was on the tape, but wasn't posted yesterday. So, the Evasions songs in yesterdays post were recorded by, I'll say it, hot shit producer Mark Neill. The songs are from roughly 1980 or 81, so they are some of Neill's earliest work. But, really, just a blip for Neill, who has recorded a fuckload of names you may or may not recognize: Deke Dickerson, Big Sandy, Rip Carson, the Paladins, Billy Zoom, Carl Rusk, the Tell-Tale Hearts, Los Straightjackets, Ricky Nelson, and his own band, the Unknowns. Oh yeah, he also helped Liam Watson set up Toe Rag Studio, which was where the White Stripes "Elephant" was recorded.

Recording notes about the Evasions songs in the previous post, and "Exodus" below, from David Doyle (added 1/15/2011): "In a conversation today, Mark mentioned he had never heard these tracks on actual speakers and only had a pair of David Clark headphones that I had loaned him at the time to listen and mix these tracks on! Also he is grateful to have the opportunity to hear them after all these years and sends his regards. I thought it was a Fender reverb unit he was using but it was the reverb in the Kustom PA head he was using to mix with! He also remembered only having enough mics for the drums and guitars and took the bass direct..."

Here's a sampling of Neill's work. A few notes: Doyle also said that Neill remembered the bass amp blowing during the recording of the Evasions' "Exodus", but there were a couple takes on the master, so the one below is most definitely not the final amp-blowing take. And the two Tell-Tale Hearts songs were recorded by both Doyle and Neill. To learn a whole lot more about Neill, I recommend the interview, and partial discography (extensive as it is), both completely honorable time sucks. Finally, a big fat thank you is due Doyle, for being invaluable in connecting the dots.

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

Listen:
The Evasions - Exodus mp3
The Tell-Tale Hearts - It's Not Me mp3 at Mr. Suave
The Tell-Tale Hearts - I Get Up In the Morning mp3 at the Che Underground
The Unknowns - Flip Your Switch mp3 at the Che Underground
Dan Auerbach - Heartbroken In Disrepair mp3 at Giant Panther
Dan Auerbach - Trouble Weighs A Ton mp3 at Quiet Color
The Black Keys - Next Girl mp3 at Jonk Music
The Black Keys - Chop and Change mp3 (via Box.net) at JP's Blog
The Black Keys - The Wicked Messenger mp3 (via Box.net) at JP's Blog
Read:
Interview with Mark Neil, producer at The Black Keys Fan Lounge
Soil of the South Recording Studio
Mark Neill - Incomplete (but exstensive) discography with song snippets
Mark Neill's Facebook
Previous post (1/11) about the Evasions
Previous post (12/09) about Neill and the Black Keys
The Unknowns at the Che Underground
The Tell-Tale Hearts at Che Underground
The Black Keys official site
The Black Keys Breakthrough Year: Here's How They Did It at the Chicago Tribune