MOONDOG, ALWAYS THE GATEWAY

I don't have any kids, but a lot of my cronies do, but even as someone who doesn't, I still in awe of those years before "cool" becomes part of the decision making process. Kids, by and large, like something or don't. Until that age when peer pressure rears it's ugly head, the decision making process is simplified. Once what other people like becomes part of the equation, it takes years to shake it, if you ever do. So, since almost all of my friends with kids are into music, it's not uncommon for me to ask them what their kids listen to. So it was that I asked Espen, from the Better Men Than You, what his kids listen to. The reason is that his eldest, Isak, is the kid I mentioned several weeks ago as having done a school report on Moondog. Of course I'm going to be curious.

Turns out that they like stuff that involves robots, Godzilla, and "any song with 'Batman' in the title". Say no more. This is it. I may never get the chance to do this again...(exhale). It brings me great pleasure to say...,Isak, this is Link Wray:

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Listen:
Link Wray - Batman mp3 at Record Brother
Link Wray - Rumble mp3 at California Girls (?)
Other Batmans, both sufficiently tweaked::
Los Monjes - Batman mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
De Maskers - Batman mp3 (via DivShare) at The Devil's Music 

Note: Once you get to DivShare, click on the small green "Download" button (Not the larger green one that says "Download now"), and scratch your head for fifteen seconds while the timer counts down. When the button reappears, you're good to go.

Watch:
Link Wray - Rumble (live) at YouTube  1978
Link Wray - Rawhide (American Bandstand) at YouTube Late 50s, spitshined

TO EXCELLENCE

Well, it's happened. Glen Campbell, who has been battling Alzheimer's for the last few years has been moved into a care facility. One can only hope that he's reminded by his family and friends how much his music means to so many people. You might classify it as parents music, particularly if you grew up in the age when you were a counter culture upstart rocking out, and Campbell's music was inescapable, pouring out of both Top 40 and easy listening radio stations. But, check it out as objectively as possible and what you hear is near perfection in terms of content, often aided by the songwriting of Jimmy Webb, and sound, with Campbell's insanely clean guitar, and frequent backing by his buddies from the Wrecking Crew, of which Campbell himself was a member.

Just his session dossier would be enough for any musician. As a member of the Wrecking Crew, he played on sessions for Ricky Nelson, Nat King Cole, the Monkees, Nancy Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Jan and Dean, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and various Phil Spector sessions, not to mention the Beach Boys. He was actually a stand in for Brian Wilson when Wilson began sitting out the tours. As a way of thanking Campbell, Wilson wrote and produced his "Guess I'm Dumb" which sounds an awful lot like a Pet Sounds era outtake. (Link below). Campbell also hosted a variety show, the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which had among it's regulars John Hartford (writer of his hit "Gentle On My Mind"), Anne Murray, Mel Tillis and Jerry Reed, who all would become household names from the exposure.

Even after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Campbell put out two more albums and had a farewell tour. He may never record or play publicly again, but no matter how long he is interned or what lies ahead for him, without an ounce of clichéd corniness intended (and I don't give a shit if that's how it comes off), his music will live.

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Listen:
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman mp3 at Tsuru and the Bride Written by Jimmy Webb 
Glen Campbell - Galveston mp3 at Cold Splinters Written by Jimmy Webb
Glen Campbell - Gentle On My Mind mp3 at Rocky 52 Written by John Hartford
Glen Campbell - Guess I'm Dumb mp3 at Margauxville Written and produced by Brian Wilson 
Visit:
Glen Campbell Moved Into a Care Facility at Billboard.com 

WHAT MEMO?

Dig that photo. If you know them and their music, you know. That the photo has baddass written all over it. Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent in 1960, shortly before Cochran's death, (He was killed in a car crash. Vincent, who was also in the car, was spared.) I like the fact that it's got this ying-yang thing going on, with Vincent, clad completely in leather, rogue-like features and half a gallon of greasy kids stuff, juxtaposed with Cochran, all handsome and shit, looking like he's going to meet someone's mother. I ran into it yesterday and had to post it, hence the Gene Vincent cuts below (Cochran was posted yesterday). Hey, it's been a couple years since there's been any Gene Vincent posted here, so, you know, what the hell. (A much larger version of the photo can be seen here.) Note to first timers: Vincent reissues are insanely cheap, especially given the caliber of music they contain. I'd start with the first two, Blue Jean Bop, and the self titled Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, his second album, available together on a two-fer, for a paltry fifteen American dollars. Just consider the price of that fancy beer you're drinking, then make your decision. It's a litmus test, fool.

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Listen:
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps - Blue Jean Bop mp3 at RStrathdee
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps - Crazy Legs mp3 at RStrathdee
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps - Rollin' Danny mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps - Bop Street mp3 at Rocky 52
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps - Woman Love mp3 at Rocky 52
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps - Baby Blue mp3 at Mp3 Rockabilly
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps - B-I-Bickey-Bi Bo-Bo-Go mp3 at Mp3 Rockabilly

THE NATURAL

Last night I turned on the TV, and it happened to be on a channel showing the 1959 film Go, Johnny, Go, and it was at the exact moment that some MC was introducing Eddie Cochran. I was dumbstruck. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would happen onto an Eddie Cochran clip on TV, completely at random. It's really not a sort of planets aligned type miracle, I know, but hear me out. A lot of you monkeys may have grown up with the internet, and YouTube. I did not. I was listening to Eddie Cochran for decades before I saw moving any images of him, and then it was on a gazillionth generation copy of some old clip that had never been released on VHS. All I could think about when I watching the clip was how my teenage self would have absolutely flipped over seeing it. The song was "Teenage Heaven", and is a great song, though not his absolute best (though even the worst Cochran is worth hearing). There is a little bit of weirdness, when he Cochran dances with his guitar during the sax solo (see it at 1:00, full song linked below). It was only about three minutes, but it was another ten minutes of Cochran related memories.

Most of you probably know these songs well. They're really for those less familiar with Cochran. If you don't know him at all, a thumbnail is in order. He was a first generation rocker, expert picker, pals with Gene Vincent, dated a songwriter, died in a car crash and was practically deified by three young brothers in Ocean Beach, California. If you are familiar with Cochran, you still may not have seen him act. Check the first three minutes of the clip from the film Untamed Youth. He's no Brando, but it is novel seeing him play a twitching JD.

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Listen:
Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Eddie Cochran - Somethin' Else mp3 at Joe Sotroiano's Blog
Eddie Cochran - C'mon Everybody mp3 at Rocky 52
Eddie Cochran - Nervous Breakdown mp3 at  Mp3 Rockabilly
Eddie Cochran - Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie mp3 at Mp3 Rockabilly
Eddie Cochran - Sittin' In the Balcony mp3 at Joe Sotroiano's Blog
Podcast:
Eddie Cochran's Birthday Bash mp3 at Truckers, Shuckers, Freaks and Geeks Over an hour long!
Eddie Cochran's Birthday Bash (streaming) at Truckers, Shuckers, Freaks and Geeks Same as above, streaming
Video:
Eddie Cochran - Teenage Heaven at YouTube  From Go, Johnny, Go!
Eddie Cochran - Twenty Flight Rock at YouTube From The Girl Can't Help It. In color!
Eddie Cochran - In Untamed Youth at YouTube The first three and a half minutes.

THAT BUTCHER IS A DOG

So, I run into Roy Brown's "Butcher Pete" and...you know, sometimes it only takes a slight breeze to throw me way the fuck off course. "Butcher Pete" was recorded in 1949, right around the time that rhythm and blues was planting seeds for nascent rock 'n' roll (Brown recorded the original version of "Good Rockin' Tonight" just a year earlier). This one's got it all, a two sided song with enough double entendres for a half dozen more sides. Butcher Pete hacks, wacks and smacks and cuts meat all over town, yes, even in jail. That's some crazy shit no matter when it was recorded. At the end of part one, Brown sings "Turn this record over, you ain't heard nothin' yet." Fan-fucking-tastic, just what an easily distracted person needs six and a half decades later. I couldn't flip the record, but I did blow things off to go look for part two.

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Listen:
Roy Brown - Butcher Pete (Part 1) mp3 at ATumblr
Roy Brown - Butcher Pete (Part 2) mp3 at Brain Release Valve
Roy Brown - Good Rockin' Tonight mp3 at Rocky 52
Roy Brown - Up Jumped the Devil mp3 at Ole Miss Media

RATCHET MEANS KNIFE

Most of you who are into reggae, specifically the early stuff, know the Slickers' "Johnny Too Bad". It's a song about rude boys, on half of the reggae compilations that ever existed (really, I checked). It was on the soundtrack for The Harder They Come, which makes it about as entry level as it gets. Not to slight it, it's a badass song about bad badasses. Every time I hear it I picture Jamaican street toughs with period cool Kingston style and six rounds of swagger walking down the street like they owned it. It occurred to me that although I know that song like the back of my hand, as many of you might, I don't even know off the top of my head if I have any of their other stuff, which amounts to a roughly thirty 45s and one LP. So I did what we do, I went digging. I did find one other song by them, "Nana", which is great and awesome and all of that, but the real surprise was running into a cover of "Johnny Too Bad" by Taj Majal, It's great, far better than most covers I've heard. (Believe me, there are some awful ones out there. Don't get me started about UB40's cover, or anything about UB40 for that matter. I hate that band. Hate's a harsh word, let's just say I think they blow.)

It made me think, after all these years, about the Off's version, one that I haven't though about in at least ten years. The Off's (not to be confused with Off!), were an early (meaning late seventies) San Francisco punk band. Their version is that from that era of real (not posed) low budget, low circulation, raw, muddled, independent punk 45s. I love that sound. They were doing the best they could with the resources available, unlike stuff of recent years intentionally dumbing down the production. Listen to the instrumental break (starting at 1:23). You'd think you'd be in for a dub thing, or a real solo, but what you get is the Shaggs and Velvets churning out a reggae rhythm with (if you're still with me, and I know only the Mystery Suggester might be) Harley Davidson from Deadbolt gritting his teeth, playing lead over a music he hates. Yo, this shit's getting thick.

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Listen:
The Slickers - Johnny Too Bad mp3 at DJNoDJ
The Slickers - Nana mp3 at Bad Luck City
Taj Majal - Johnny Too Bad mp3 at A.Tumblr (?)
The Offs - Johnny Too Bad (streaming) at YouTube

GIVE ME INTENSE PERCY

It's happened again, and I see no end to these occurrences. Another unexpected rabbit hole, this time involving the dapper looking dude above, Percy Mayfield. He had a few hits in '50-'52, and somewhere around that time he got in an accident. He messed up his face and stopped performing regularly, but still went into the studio and wrote songs. A bunch were recorded by other artists, notably Ray Charles ("Hit the Road Jack", among others). He recorded for Specialty, Chess and Imperial. Yeah.

What got my attention tonight was that yellow, black and white label we all love, Specialty Records. Scrolling down the page at Dad's 45s, it stuck out like a beacon, or maybe a Bat-Signal. "Click now Batman." I'm glad I did. Now I'm headed down that rabbit hole, which is fine by me. One after another, the more the merrier. Like I said, there is no end to these occurrences. That's the cool thing.

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Listen:
Percy Mayfield - Loose Lips mp3 (via DiveShare) at Dad's 45s Once you get to DivShare, click on the green "Download" button (not the larger one that says "Download Now"), and scratch your head for fifteen seconds while the timer counts down. When the button reappears, you're good to go. 

Percy Mayfield - Hit the Road Jack (streaming) at YouTube
Percy Mayfield - Please Send Me Someone to Love mp3 at Jazz Online

Visit:

Percy Mayfield at Wikipedia

"I'LL LIFT THAT" SAID MICK

"Brother" Sullivan and Lola Pugh had some mighty pipes. I mean, they bellow. Listen to the song below and consider that it's two voices and one guitar. I didn't even realize it until I listened to it a few times. Now it's locked in my head and I'll never be able to hear the pilfered version in the same way again. Check out the video too. Poor quality but goosebump good.

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Listen:
The Consolers - It May Be the Last Time mp3 at Jukebox Mafia
Watch:
The Consolers - Three songs at YouTube

I'M WEARING LEATHER, I DON'T CARE

There's gotta be something in that Texas water, because the state produced more than it's share of wild sounds in the mid sixties. Maybe it's because it's a big state, and a long way from New York or L.A. where the hip shit was really going down, and there were a lot of kids itching to get out. Or it could be that there was nothing better to do than rope cattle and crank out crazy garage 45s. Whatever it is, there were a lot of garage bands, the majority of which never made it past a regional 45 or two. But those one non-hit wonders have had their share if hindsight appreciation, appearing on compilations and in the hands of the most fiendish of collectors. A few days ago, I posted a couple by Larry and the Blue Notes, from Fort Worth. Today it's the Gentleman, from Dallas, who also picked a generic, decidedly unhip, band name. But check out "It's a Cry'n Shame". I think you'll agree it has some hair on it. And head over to 1960s Garage Bands to check out the band bio, written by the drummer, with three more songs, two of them unreleased acetates. You might also want to take a look at the Teen Scene A Go Go site, for the documentary of the same name, about the venue with the same name, that packed them in in Fort Worth.

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Listen:
The Gentleman - It's a Cry'n Shame mp3 at 1960s Garage Bands
The Gentleman - It's a Cry'n Shame (via DivShare) mp3 at Diggin' It (in case the link above goes dead)
The Gentlemen - Three more songs and excellent bio at 1960s Garage Bands
Watch:
Teen Scene A Go Go - Trailer at YouTube
Visit:
Teen Scene A Go Go - Site for the documentary

THE WAY WE WEIRD

You never know what you'll find on some long dormant blog. When some people pack it in, they just delete their whole thing. Others will think that they'll get back to business at some point, and leave the thing online, often apologizing for a lengthy absence when they return, if they return. And some folks just walk away, leave their thing online an let someone else sort out what to do with it. Lately I've been revisiting old haunts to see if any of them have returned, if their old stuff still has working links, and if it's a particularly good, albeit stalled, blog, I read some of their posts that I never got around to checking out. Wasted a lot of blabbing right there just to say that I ran into a old Dr. John post on Moistworks, a blog that hasn't been updated for seven years. The backing on this alternates between sounding like an early Tom Waits song and Sun Ra. I guess. That's about all I can muster. Regardless, it's from 1969 and that's right about the time he started letting the weirdness creep out. Let it run it's entire eight minute length. Take it all in. It's kinda like Issac Hayes on weed.

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Listen:

Dr. John - Twilight Zone mp3 at Moistworks

TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF

How have I not posted Robert Parker's "Barefootin'"? The song has been a favorite for so long, it's hard to believe that possible. That right there is a bonehead omission. Why do I like the song? It's about taking your shoes off and dancing. What's not to like? Being shoeless is about as relaxed as you can be with clothes on. When I was a kid, we all went barefoot, and there was just as much dog shit, broken glass, and germs on the ground. What's changed? Flip flop mania has demonized the practice. We've been sold a bill of goods, wussified. Convinced that it's somehow uncivilized. I ask you, what could possibly be more civil than the couple in the photo above? I rest my case.

I haven't even gotten to Parker. We'll get back to him, sooner rather than later. In the meantime, check the Marvelettes' completely awesome cover. I've now heard two killer versions.

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Listen:
Robert Parker - Barefootin' mp3 at LZ Center
The Marvelettes - Barefootin' mp3 at Boogaloo Time

ICE COLD KEGS

It's almost here. You don't want to creep into summer without a decent stash of surf music do you? You probably have some of the better known classics, but hows about the obscure never cracked anything let alone the charts 45s that you wouldn't recognize in a thrift store if your life depended on it? You need to check out the collection at Big O. Fifty cool surf instrumentals by nutty named bands, most of whom will be unrecognizable to even you fiends. I recognized less than ten. The oddball variety and the well played surface noise is a nice mix. Makes you wonder what kind of party these may have been played at back in the day. Were they making out, of tangling with crashers? Did they come from the collection of a total square, or someone insanely badass? You could ponder this imaginary party all night long, or, what the fuck, recreate it. Do one of those historical reenactments, but do it of some forgettable party with a bunch of scratchy surf records. Go over there to check them out, or if you're too lazy, you can just cherry pick a few from the unrelated way more recognizable surf instrumentals above the big show.

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Listen:
Dick Dale and His Deltones- Surf Beat mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Astronauts - Hot Dogger mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Dave Myers and the Surftones - Aquavelva mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Belairs - Mr. Moto mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Al Casey - Baja mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People
The big show:
Surfer's Mood - 50 surf instrumentals at Big O Compiled by Philip Cohen, 50 individual mp3s

COVERT OPS

Just another generic looking band, eh? Fresh looking, clean cut kids. Yeah, keep on telling yourself that. Don't click that song because it's likely to be la, la, la overload. God forbid they should have some dirt under their nails.

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Listen:
Larry and the Blue Notes - In and Out mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Larry and the Blue Notes - Night of the Phantom (streaming) at Flower Bomb Songs

Larry and the Blue Notes - Night of the Phantom mp3 (via DivShare) at Furl Tracks Alternate Version. Once you get to DivShare, click on the green "Download" button, and scratch your head for fifteen seconds while the timer counts down. When the button reappears, you're good to go.

Visit:
Larry and the Blue Notes - Profile at Beyond the Beat Generation

HI DAD

Once you get past Stax and Sun, and start looking into other Memphis labels, the next one that's likely to pop up is Hi Records, home to Al Green, O.V. Wright, Syl Johnson, and Ann Peebles. Willie Mitchell ran the show during the salad days, functioning as producer, arranger, songwriter, and musician. He also put out his own solo stuff, and he was no slouch. Check "Bum Daddy". That's Memphis right there, like some weird cross between Booker T and the MGs and "Soul Finger", with a dash of Packy Axton between benders.

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Listen:
Willie Mitchell - Bum Daddy mp3 at Crate Diggers Gold
Willie Mitchell - The Champion mp3 at Soul Donuts
Willie Mitchell - Monkey Jump mp3 at The "B" Side
Willie Mitchell - Woodchopper's Ball mp3 at The "B" Side
Willie Mitchell - Up Hard mp3 at Royal Punkness
Willie Mitchell - Soul Serenade mp3 at LC Center
Visit:
Willie Mitchell at Wikipedia

CUT-OUT CONTENDERS

Do you know what a cut-out is? When an album doesn't sell and is sent back to the record company, they cut a chunk out of the corner, or a slit, and send it back out, bundled with others destined for cut-out bins to be sold at heavily discounted prices. (At least that's what they used to do. I've no idea whether or not cut-outs still exist. I haven't seen one in a long while.) As you'd imagine, if a record doesn't sell, that really doesn't mean anything. It just means that the public at large didn't buy it in droves. So, big deal, it's not a hit record, so what? If you're a record fiend you know that doesn't matter. The second New York Dolls album was a cut-out, as was the sole LP by Spring, the group that included Brian Wilson's wife (the LP was produced by him). Bob and Earl's LP with "Harlem Shuffle" was a cut-out. I think I remember the third Big Star LP being a cut-out. You see where I'm going? A lot of cut-outs later became hot shit, and collectable, not because they were cut-outs, but because if a record does so poorly that it becomes a cut-out, chances are that there won't be many on the secondary market later on. If you bought a cut-out and happened to like it, chances were you wouldn't part with it anytime soon.

So, there you are, a gazillion years ago, at the cut-out bin. you see a record with a band that looks sort of interesting. Not really punk rock looking, because there was a guy with long frizzy hair. That ruled out new wave too. And the clothes weren't flashy, so presumably they didn't have any illusions about being rock stars. The cover was in black and white with a tiny red star, and looked a little low budget. You flip it over and see the that it is in fact on Red Star, the same label that put out the first Suicide LP. Then you see one of the songs is a cover of "Rave On", another "My Way" (which could have been either Sinatra's or Eddie Cochran's). You take a chance. When you get it home and hear it, you rack your brain. What is this? It's not punk rock, it's not new wave, it's not arena rock, and it's certainly not disco. Oh, well hell yeah. It's good old fashioned on the cheap rock 'n' roll, circa 1978.

I'm yapped out, without even starting in about the Real Kids. Real quick: the band leader was John Felice who, as mentioned a few days ago, had been an intermittent member of the early Modern Lovers. He was in other bands too, and was a roadie for the Ramones for a time. You should just check the band profile at Rock In Boston.

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Listen:
The Real Kids - All Kindsa Girls mp3 at 8106
The Real Kids - Reggae, Reggae mp3 at Nevver Unlikely title
The Real Kids - Do the Boob mp3 at Whiskey Fun
The Real Kids - All Kindsa Girls (live) mp3 at Rock In Boston 2006 (Pretty much blows)
Visit:
The Real Kids - Profile at Rock In Boston
Cut-outs - Entry at Wikipedia

HEY BOBBY, WE'RE ON.

That tough looking lady above is Carol Doda. If you've spent a good amount of time in San Francisco, there's a high probability that you know who she is. She's kind of an icon up there. She was on the marquee at the Condor Club for years, the star attraction from the early sixties through the eighties. An exotic dancer who kept bumping and grinding into her mid-forties. Longevity is one thing, The real reason she's so well known is because she was the first topless dancer. Later when the sizzle started wearing off, she became the first bottomless dancer. But that's not why she's here.

While Doda was at the Condor, the singer performing the soundtrack to all of the carrying on was Bobby Freeman. Freeman had a hit at age seventeen with "Do You Wanna Dance" in 1958. He followed it up with a few singles and LPs, but nothing matched the success of the first record. By the time he ended up at the Condor he was two years removed from recording, and his window was closing. Then, in 1963, when Doda went toplesss, you can guess what happened. The crowds started getting bigger, and the shake meant added attention for Freeman. And that's where young A&R man for a new label, Autumn Records, spotted him. A twenty year old Sylvester Stewart, who would later be known as Sly Stone, signed him, wrote "C'mon and Swim", and got him in the studio, producing the session and playing organ on it. The song was a hit, and it may never have happened had Doda kept her top on. Hurray for boobs.

Hat's off to On the Flip-Side for hepping me to the Doda factoid. One last thing, check the last three songs below. Freeman's earlier stuff has wicked guitar all over it. If you tell me it's Mickey Baker, I'm gonna freak.

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Listen:
Bobby Freeman - Do You Wanna Dance mp3 at DK Presents 1958
Bobby Freeman - C'mon And Swim mp3 at Beware of the Blog 1964
Bobby Freeman - S-W-I-M mp3 at Junk Shop Juke Box 1964
Bobby Freeman - Big Fat Woman mp3 at Rocky 52 1958
Bobby Freeman - Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes mp3 at Rocky 52 1958
Bobby Freeman - Mardi Gras Rock mp3 at Rocky 52 1959

THE GREAT LOST ALBUM

In case you missed it a few years ago, here is The Great Lost Album by Hasil Adkins. Even if you did happen to see that post, I don't think Beware of the Blog had posted all fifteen cuts at that point. If you're not familiar with the Haze, I'm torn. I'd love to provide some context, and tell you why he's a big deal, because, hipster appeal aside, he is a big deal. But, really, you just have to hear him. You'll either be repelled, or amazed. He's one of those. The first three below are older 45s, and to those who dig him, they might as well be "Johnny B. Goode" for how familiar they are. The fourth cut below is a completely random pick from the lost album, "Go Go Go Down the Line (Lookin' Down That Highway". Hang on until :1:57. It makes "a-wop-bom-a-loo-mop" sound downright literary.

 

The story behind it The Great Lost Album is a great read. Check it out at The Hound Blog.

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Listen:

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
The whole thing:
Hasil Adkins - The Great Lost Album at Beware of the Blog 15 mp3s
Cover:
The Cramps - She Said mp3 at 53rd and 3rd
Visit:
Hasil Adkins - The Great Lost Album at The Hound Blog The story behind the album with phjotos and a video of a 1984 performance of "She Said"

BAND AS UNIT

Sometimes, it just a matter of clearing your head of all the crap that's distorted your hindsight to really dig a song again. That's certainly the case for the Faces' "Stay With Me". They were the band that propelled Rod Stewart to stardom, before he bailed for a solo career. I heard "Stay With Me" for the first time in a while today, and I gotta tell you, that there was a band. Emphasis on band. If you're familiar with the Faces, you know. The post-Faces Rod Stewart stuff blows. This is just a quick one, with a song that you may have heard a thousand times, but dig that guitar tone of Ron Wood, the drums when Kenny Jones comes in, and Ian McLagan keyboards. Man, what a party.

I just ran into a 43 minute live clip of them from the BBC, and even though some of it is their less rocking stuff, the quality, both resolution and sound, is amazingly good. It's 1972, pre-Tetsu, the Faces at their peak, with the late Ronnie Lane on bass.

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Listen:
The Faces - Stay With Me mp3 at Juke Box Junior
Video:
The Faces - Stay With Me at YouTube
The Faces - BBC Crown Jewels (complete set) at YouTube 43 minutes

THAT'S NOT HIS MIDDLE NAME

The baseball season started this week, and if you're in the states you know what goes along with that. Warmer days, peanuts, hot dogs, smack talk, and for those who dare, baseball related music. Boy, oh boy, when it comes to baseball related sounds, it's a mine field. They're good, or they are atrocious, with very little in between. Naturally, I have to include a couple of the atrocious, primarily because I was unable to find many good ones. Before you run your mouth and say "What about the Baseball Project?", let's get something straight. Though that band does music primarily about baseball, and includes former Dream Syndicate member Steve Wynn, the truth is, they kinda blow. I don't care what the subject matter is, it's gotta have some oomph, and from what I've heard of the Baseball Project, there isn't much of it. (You can take a test run with the Steve Wynn cut below, and if you dig it, hobble over to Big Rock Candy Mountain for another). The Edward Meeker version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" below is certifiably old school, as in 1908. It was recorded on an Edison cylinder, before records as we know them existed. Mabel Scott's "Baseball Boogie" is the only good one I found that can really stand on it's own, and I'm sure it's because Scott loved her boogie. It seems like half of her output had was "[this or that] Boogie". After that, strap yourself in for Pamela Neal, a tepid disco/new wave singer and hands down queen of the atrocious baseball song. About Pete Rose. Yeah. The king's crown would have to go to Ozzy Osborne, who was the featured seventh inning stretcher at a Cubs game a few years ago, and makes absolute mincemeat out of baseball's simplest, most recognizable song. Really, he gives new meaning to the word "mangle". (Dig the absolute "WTF?" look on Kerry Woods face at :48).

For those of you who actually play the game, check out Ted Williams's instructional record "How to Become a Better Hitter", and pay attention. Considered by many the greatest hitter in the history of the game, and the last player to hit .400. He knows of what he speaks.  

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

Listen:
Edward Meeker - Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908) mp3 at Folded Space
Mabel Scott - Baseball Boogie mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain
Steve Wynn - Ted Fucking Williams (live) mp3 at Archive.org
Pamela Neal - Charlie Hustle mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Five more baseball related songs at Big Rock Candy Mountain 
Spoken Word:
Ted Williams - How to Become a Better Hitter: Part 1 and Part2 mp3s at Beware of the Blog
Video:
Ozzy Osborne - Take Me Out to the Ball Game at YouTube

RANDOM SHAKE

Here's some random cool songs I ran into in the last 24 hours. At Aquarium Drunkard there's a handful that fall into the category of blue eyed soul, a term I've got issues with. It's soul or it ain't, eye color or skin color shouldn't enter into the conversation. Let me give you an example. Little Richard records "Tutti Fruiti", and it is rock 'n' roll. There's no debating that. But Pat Boone records "Tutti Fruiti", and what is it? Blue eyed rock 'n' roll? Is it rock 'n' roll? It is neither. It is pap, watered down, sanitized pap. There are no gimmees in rock 'n' roll, nor should there be in soul music. If it's watered down or half realized, call it watered down or half realized. Or clueless, or determined effort, or nice attempt or whatever, Anyway, whatever you want to call it, Aquarium Drunkard just posted some, uh, determined efforts, one by Leslie Gore and others by bands you probably never heard of. They're all really good, I'm totally digging the Leslie Gore cut.

I also ran into an instrumental of "Twist and Shout" by Neil Wolfe, a pianist. But what I like in that one isn't the piano, it's the rhythm guitar. Check it out, it has a kind of a reggae chunk-a-chunk. The drummer goes off in a couple places too. If you do want to here some really great piano, check Chuck Berry's "Wee Wee Hours" at Probe is Turning-On the People. Swear to God, Johnnie Johnson's fills are the star of that song.

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

Listen:
Wax Wonders: Blue Eyed Soul at Aquarium Drnkard Four songs: Lesley Gore, Bob Brady & The Con Chords, and two by Wakefield Sun. Go there to get them.
Neal Wolfe - Twisty and Shout mp3 (via DivShare) at De Disco y Monstruos  Once you get to DivShare, click on the small green "Download" button, and scratch your head for fifteen seconds while the timer counts down. When the button reappears, you're good to go.
Chuck Berry - Wee Wee Hours mp3 at Probe is Turning-On the People Scroll down to Session 481