I'LL NEVER CATCH UP

Neil Young is a real piece of work. He's had exceptional moments, and some questionable moments, but his output, taken as a whole, is pretty remarkable. He's recorded 32 "solo" albums (with and without Crazy Horse) since 1969. That doesn't include about a dozen albums with other bands, greatest hits collections, or any of his many live albums. He's a machine. Sure, a few of them have been less thought out than others, but most are interesting and even the less than stellar releases have been quixotic at worst. And that's part of his appeal. He takes chances, and moves on. If some of it sticks to the wall, that's good. They get put in set lists for a few years.

When I first heard that the music on his new album "Le Noise" (le annoying pun on producer Daniel Lanois' surname) would be primarily guitar and effects, my first thought was, "Oh boy, here we go. It's 'Trans' all over again." But, you know what? I'll give him "Trans," and all his other goofy ideas any day, especially if that allows him the space to work on another better album, which is always likely to be different than the last.

The first song of his that I remember hearing was "Cinnamon Girl," in 1970. I wasn't even buying records yet. But it was inescapable, on AM radio if you can believe it. The first record that I actually bought of his was "Harvest" in '72 (my first was listen interrupted by a stomach ache, so I still find it hard to listen to). All along the way, he's been right there. "Long May You Run" was given a new context when it was in the soundtrack of a surf movie, at the Strand Theater. "Tonight's the Night" was part of my personal soundtrack at the Front Street house. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" was the record that wouldn't leave the turntable for much of the 80's. That's another thing. With his catalog, unless you're a total completest, you find yourself skipping around chronologically. He's been there, good, uneven, and sometimes perfect, all along. And you know a winner, when you later associate it with something. I just got "Zuma." Way late, I know. Shut up, I was saving it.

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From Le Noise:
Neil Young - Love and War mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Neil Young - Angry World mp3 at Surviving the Golden Age
Neil Young - The Hitchhiker video at YouTube
Other Stuff:
Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl mp3 at The Rising Storm
Stills-Young Band - Long May You Run mp3 at Beat Surrender
Neil Young - A Day in the Life (Live) mp3 at Cover Me
Neil Young - Chicago Hurricane (1976 live bootleg) 20 mp3s at Captain's Dead
Neil Young Discography at Wikipedia

JACK ON FIRE

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

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

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

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

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

MAKE LIKE LINK HAYES

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

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

LARYNX SHRED FEST

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

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

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

AIN'T THAT SOME SHIT

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

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

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

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

HACKY SACKERS BE GONE

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

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

THAI ONE ON

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

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The Impossibles - Mr. Slow (click through song title to download from DivShare) at Jo/No's Audio Delights
The Impossibles - four songs (click on "Tracklist" to download) at Monrakplengthai

Three Thai-Mes Dope - six various cuts, loosely described as Thai Funk, at SoulSides
This just in (11/3/11):

Chicago - Sing A Mean Tune Kid at YouTube In the comments, it was pointed out that this Chicago tune is practically the same song as "Mr. Slow." Listen for yourself. Prance, whoever you are, you've got a good ear. (In case you're wondering, both were released in 1971, but the Chicago song was released in January of that year, so it seems that the Impossibles were the borrowers in this case.)

BUT THEY LOOK SO BLAH

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

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

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

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

KAAAW! KAAAWW!

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

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

The Martin Denny Group 1961

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

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

SONG FOR SPATTING LOVERS

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

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

TAKE THAT, ARENA ROCKERS!

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

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

HERE'S TO THE REGULAR GUY

Photo: Jim McGuire

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

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

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

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Dave Dudley - I Got Lost mp3 (right click to save) at Beware of the Blog
Dave Dudley - Two Six Packs Away mp3 (right click to save) at Rocky-52.net
Dave Dudley - Six Days on the Road video at YouTube
Dave Dudley - Truck Drivin' Son of a Gun video at YouTube
Dave Dudley bio at Beware of the Blog
A baker's dozen of trucker songs at Beware of the Blog
Nashville Portraits by Jim McGuire

AN UNLIKELY COLLABORATION

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

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

A DEEPER SHADE OF SOUL

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

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

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

QUIEN ES MAS SKUZZY?

In the mid-80's there was a badass garage scene in San Diego, with more than a few bands that, years later, have well stood the test of time. Like scenes everywhere, there were pecking orders, and different levels of genuineness; and there were different levels of savoriness (or the lack thereof). You know, how some bands seem to be the ladies men, and some just seem to be a little more scuzzy? Back then, I saw quite a few of the bands and my general impression was always that the Gravedigger V, and later the Morlocks, were the really scuzzy ones. They just seemed to have a snottier profile, due in no small part to the lead singer of both bands, Leighton Koizumi. While some singers do a bang-up job of replicating the nuances of a garage-type attitude driven vocal, few are those who seem to be born with that type of voice. It's hard to imagine Koizumi singing anything else. So, far as it may be for me to deem any singer in a band playing music of a bygone era as the real deal, Koizumi comes damn close. And, who's to say it's a bygone era, when the Morlocks have survived, in some incarnation, roughly twenty five years?

The Morlocks have a new LP out, it's all covers of Chess artists (Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, etc), and it's a kick. It seemed like reason enough to throw up a bunch of Morlocks and Gravedigger V related links. Dig in scuzzballs.

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The Morlocks - I'm a Man mp3 (right click to save) at Cover Me
(plus album givaway drawing, ends 8/31)
The Morlocks - Killing Floor mp3 (right click to save) at Buzz Bands
The Morlocks - Wake Me When I'm Dead (The Lost LP) (zip) at the Che Underground
The Gravedigger V - She Got mp3 (right click to save) at Mr. Suave
The Morlocks - Teenage Head video at YouTube
The Morlocks - Media dump of the mid-80's at the Che Underground
(3 videos, 4 live mp3s [scroll to bottom of post], and links to photo & flyer pages)
The Gravedigger V - Don't Tread On Me video at YouTube
The Morlocks - Promo clip (ca 2008) at You Tube
"The Morlocks Play the Blues" at the LA Weekly
The Morlocks at MySpace
The Morlocks at Garage Punk Hideout

USE ME X 3 (PLUS ONE STINKER)

It's just one of those songs; Bill Withers' "Use Me," that is. When you listen to it intently, it can seem to improve with repeated plays. And, once you start dissecting it and picking away the different parts going on, it becomes hard not to hear them from then on. It's really worth it, to listen to the breaks, the clavinet, the seemingly effortless vocals. That there's only four instruments on a song that sounds this full, and no electric guitar (save the bass), is really testament to the arrangement and the production as much as it is to the singer and the song. And, as in reggae, part of the experience is filling in the gaps. It really pulls you in. It's almost impossible to think of a way to improve on Withers' laid-back-yet-funky tour de force. So, why would you try?

Surprisingly, a whole lot of people have. The Giant Panther has posted three of the attempts, along with the original on their well rounded blog. First, you have to get the original. That's a given. Then, you might try Grace Jone's reggae version, recorded with help from Sly & Robbie (two session players who know a thing or two about reinterpretations.) She plays it smart, avoiding the breaks and concentrating on the song itself. Then there's another version by a band called Coolbone, that's kinda interesting; if for no other reason than because it's got some neat horns on it (though I could do without the mid-song rapping). And then, then we come to Mick Jagger, whose effort is a laughable self-caricature. It's awful. No matter how small the mp3 is, and how little hard drive space it takes up (even if it gave you more disc space), it's not worth infecting your music collection. I tried to listen to it, I really did. He gets to the end of the first line, yelping "dooo-taaay," and I just lost it. It's possibly the most misguided cover I've ever heard.

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Bill Withers - Use Me mp3 (right click title to save) at The Giant Panther
Grace Jones - Use Me mp3 (right click title to save) at The Giant Panther
Coolbone - Use Me mp3 (right click title to save) at The Giant Panther
Mick Jagger - Use Me mp3 (right click to save) at The Giant Panther

I HEARD IT THROUGH THE BASS LINE

After the last post about the origin of U Roy's "Chalice in the Palace", I thought I'd add a quick post, with the origin of the bass line to Dillinger's "Cocaine In My Brain." (I posted "Cocaine" several months ago, but I think this is the original version.) Before recording "Cocaine In My Brain," Dillinger used to toast over Peoples' Choice's "Do It Any Way You Wanna" at sound systems, hence the lifted bass line. So, there you have it.

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Dillinger - Cocaine In My Brain mp3 (right click to save) at Giant Panther
Peoples' Choice - Do It Any Way You Wanna mp3 (right click to save) at Lulu.com

DOWN THE REGGAE RABBIT HOLE

This mixed bag all started with a post on Funky 16 Colors, with Junior Murvin's original version of "Police and Thieves." Near the end of the post is a quote from Max Romeo, on the loose Lee "Scratch" Perry A&R process, using "Police and Thieves" as a reference. According to Romeo, Junior Murvin was one of many who lurked outside of Lee Perry's studio, strumming guitars and singing their songs, hoping to get noticed. It was not unusual for Perry to wander out of his studio, hear an unknown singer, and drag them immediately into the studio to cut their song, which is just what happened with Murvin. Now, that all sounds pretty cool, but when you consider that an incidental discovery became a reggae classic, it's pretty amazing. Then, following the songs lineage, you might remember that the same song, once played unassumingly outside of Perry's studio by a complete unknown, was covered by the Clash , ultimately exposing millions of rock and punk fans to it. The whole thing becomes kind of mind blowing. Even if you, like myself, have heard both versions dozens of times, it's still hard not to appreciate them more in a different context.

Doing a little more digging, I ran across a few reggae mp3s on a blog called "Streetkiss," (it's written in French, so I'm assuming it's from France). Stuck between reggae cuts was the Impressions' "Minstrels and Queens," followed by a reggae version of the same, by the Techniques, retitled "Queen Majesty." It's a great reworking, but the song really got the treatment a few years later by DJ toaster U Roy. Using the same rhythm and backing vocals used by the Techniques (though rerecorded), his version is renamed "Chalice in the Palace," (from his 1975 LP, "Dread In a Babylon"). But U Roy takes radical liberties with the song, altering the storyline to include bringing a chalice (slang for bong) to the queen. So, today I learned something. I've been listening to the U Roy version for thirty years, and never knew the origins. This would probably explain why I spend an inordinate amount of time trolling music blogs.

I decided to hunt down the Heptones' "Book of Rules,", because it's a personal favorite, one of those rare songs that would be incredibly tough to improve on. It has everything that makes the golden era of reggae so enduring; multiple layers of rhythm, a simple bass line, super smooth vocals, trodding tempo, and the textbook chunka-chunk guitar. If the true test of a good song is listening to it with your eyes closed to give it your full attention, then "Book of Rules" has passed mine, many times. Continuing a Heptones hunt, I found myself back on Streetkiss, for the Heptone's cover of Sam Cooke's "Only Sixteen," on a post that included a bunch of other great early reggae tracks, including an unreal cover of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" by Tomorrow's Children.

Though most of us cannot read French, the three part series on Street Kiss is highly recommended. It's easy enough to figure out where the author is coming from, particularly in Part One, where he seems to be writing about early sound systems, posting some early R & B that influenced the tempo and rhythms of early bluebeat and ska, with Professor Longhair (yip, yip!), Lloyd Price, Wynonie Harris and others.

Part Two, has Prince Buster, the Skatalites, the early Wailers, and the Starlites. Part Three has a great bunch, including cuts mentioned above, Alton Ellis' cover of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale," Peter Tosh's cover of the Box Tops "The Letter" (retitled "Give Me a Ticket"), and cuts by the Sensations, more Price Buster, the Melodians and Derrick Morgan (among others). I just wish I knew French, because it looks like the guy put a lot of work into the series of posts.

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

Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves mp3 at Funky 16 Corners
The Clash - Police and Thieves mp3 at Audio Muffin
The Impressions - Minstrels and Queens mp3 at Street Kiss
The Techniques - Queen Majesty mp3 at Street Kiss
U Roy - Chalice in the Palace mp3 at Flea Market Funk
Heptones - Book of Rules mp3 at Town Full of Losers
Sam Cooke - Only Sixteen mp3 at Street Kiss
The Heptones - Only Sixteen mp3 at Street Kiss
Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang mp3 at One Sweet Song
Tomorrows Children - Bang Bang mp3 at Street Kiss
Alton Ellis - Whiter Shade of Pale mp3 at Street Kiss
Peter Tosh - Give Me a Ticket [The Letter] mp3 at Street Kiss

Reggae Culture 1: The Voice of the People at Street Kiss
Reggae Culture 2: Out of Many, One People at Street Kiss
Reggae Culture 3: People get Ready at Street Kiss

MUSIC FOR LAWNMOWERS

When I was growing up, we had to pay a penance to get to the beach. That meant that the weekends usually found my brothers and I out in the yard, mowing the lawn, clipping hedges, picking up snails (for a bounty of a penny each), and, every couple years, painting the house. My sisters would be assigned chores in the house (these were pre-women's lib days), my mom would be grocery shopping, and my dad would be working on something in the garage. My dad's radio would usually be tuned to a ball game, or a pop station (typically light pop). So, my aural associations of those days are of Jerry Coleman (Padres play-by-play), Vin Scully (likewise, Dodgers), and an amalgamation of cheesy pop. The music could be anything from Bacharach, to the Fifth Dimension, with some Herp Albert, Glen Campbell and Sergio Mendez thrown in. It took me a long time to appreciate the context of light pop, and when I finally did, I was roughly the same age as my dad during those years. (Though, I didn't fall prey to the flat top.) I don't remember if the radio in the garage ever played Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood's duets, but they were certainly the type of music that might have been played, so I'd lump them with the rest of Lawnmower Gold.

Now, as an full blown (well, maybe half-blown) adult, I have no children, no lawn, and no chores that I can't ignore. But I still have Jerry Coleman, Vin Scully and light pop. And when I hear any of the three, I can practically smell cut grass.

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Nancy and Lee - Summer Wine mp3 (right click to save) at For the Sake of the Song
Nancy & Lee - Some Velvet Morning mp3 (right click to save) at Everybody Taste
Who is Lee Hazlewood? (right click to save) at Probe is Turning on the People

PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

If you're going to get drunk and do something irrational, you couldn't do it much better than Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1976, at the age of 41, he was arrested for public drunkenness and gun possession, ordinarily a pair of offenses that would mark someone forever as an asshole. But not if you're Jerry Lee, and not if you get arrested on the grounds of Graceland. Apparently he was demanding to see Elvis. Just the thought of that makes me chuckle. Imagining Elvis peeking through the blinds, mumbling "Oohh, Priscilla, it's Jerry Lee again. This time he's got a gun... better get Red out there. Baby, why is he always acting like a nut? Priscilla,...you listening to me?" But, that's Jerry Lee. Any normal person would get locked up.

Jerry Lee Lewis is a flawed human being. That much has been established. So let's just get past the storied events of his life that make him less than perfect. More intriguing is the unapologetic, knowingly imperfect, swagger he has. He's just kept plowing through it, year after year. A few years ago, he released an album called "Last Man Standing." The title itself was like a "fuck you" to his contemporaries who had already passed (namely Elvis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins). His new album is called "Mean Old Man," a title that seems pretty appropriate, and, again, unapologetic. When he decides to hang it up (like that's ever going to happen), he may have reached the point where he titles his swan song, "The Asshole." But, you know what? I love Jerry Lee Lewis, the whole package, glaring warts and all.

The first three cuts below are vintage Killer, from his early years at Sun Records. The quality of the mp3s are less than great, but that's a moot point. You really need to get a Sun collection of his. A major online retailer has a two-fer with his first album,and his first "Greatest Hits" (from his Sun years), for twelve bucks. The last track below, "Over the Rainbow" from 1980, is Jerry Lee at his absolute softest. From his mid-career, it's a beautiful "Georgia"-class track. His voice (cracking in parts), his drawl, the phrasing of his vocals, his understated solos, hell, even the slick production; everything is near perfect. It's touching, like the resignation of his fiery youth.

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Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire mp3 (right click to save) at Bousculade
Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On mp3 (right click to save) at On the Spur of the Moment
Jerry Lee Lewis - High School Confidential mp3 at Metal Bastard Goes Soft
Jerry Lee Lewis - Over the Rainbow mp3 (right click to save) at La Caja de Pandora
Jerry Lee Lewis' Official site
Jerry Lee Lewis at Wikipedia