SERIOUSLY

Has there ever been a band more cut out for Halloween than the Cramps? C'mon, really. I don't care, bring on Screaming Lord Sutch, bring on Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Bring on Bobby "Boris" Pickett, or anybody else. Any contender pales. The Cramps weren't playing dress up. Once they fully hit their stride and really became the Cramps we all know and love, '78 or so, they were just that, the Cramps, twenty four-seven. Particularly Lux and Ivy. Always striking in appearance, they had some attitude, they made some excellent music, and on top of all that, they shared their encyclopedic knowledge of forgotten, creepy, nutty, raw and sick records. All those thrift store finds, and along with them, stories. They didn't have to share. But they did, and what that really makes them is the consummate populist rockers. All inclusive. Just sharin' the love, The love of creepy maybe, but sharin' nonetheless. A big ol' Hee-Haw salute for these two.

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Listen:
The Cramps - I Was a Teenage Werewolf mp3 at Hey Cool Kid
The Cramps - Rockin' Bones mp3 at Johan Urban (?)
The Cramps - Confessions of a Psycho Cat mp3 at Review Stalker
A Lux Interior hosted radio show:
The Purple Knif Show -  Includes 28 Lux seletions at Aquarium Drnnkard Warning: slow download
Visit:
Interview with Lux Interior and Poison Ivy at Cool Pidgeon
More in past Cramps posts, including a mess of mixes of their favorites. Scroll down.

TEAR DOWN THE TRAIN STATION

I had forgotten all about Los Saicos, those Peruvian skull splitting rascals. I ran into their "El Entierro De Los Gatos" ("The Cats' Funeral") while poking around Halloween posts, and you know where that led. Listen to the first few down there and you'll see why I veered off course. So many wild things going on here, You will note the vocals, right out of the gate. Erwin Flores, the lead singer, sounds like the missing link between Clarence "Frogman" Henry and Reverend Beat-Man. There might be two of you who would understand that. I don't care. I'm not going to dumb it down to avoid sounding like an asshole. Just listen to them, This is some crazy shit. Let's just say that if you like 'em raw, you will eat these for dinner. And get a load of the photo below. Nice accessory. huh? Don't try to translate their name, just read it out loud. That's way more accurate.

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Listen:
Los Saicos - El Entierro De Los Gatos mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Los Saicos - Camisa de Fuerza mp3 at Raven Sings the Blues
Los Saicos - Fugitivo de Alcatraz mp3 at Berceuse Electrique
Los Saicos - Salvaje mp3 at Tape Wrecks
Los Saico's - Cemetenterio mp3 (via Box.net) at Pop Goes the Radio Download button at top right at Box.net
Los Saicos - Demolicion mp3 at Matula (?)
Video:
Was Punk Rock Born in Peru? - Los Saicos documentary at YouTude 13 minutes
Saicomania trailer at YouTube
Los Saicos - El Entierro De Los Gatos (live, Spain, 2010) at YouTube
Visit:
Where did punk begin? A cinema in Peru at The Guardian UK
Los Saicos at Wikipedia 

WHO NEEDS A WATCH?

Yeah, you know what time it is. Here's the full LP, really more surf than monster, but it does have the requisite corn. The title song is down there, just so you know what you're getting yourself into. But, really, can you resist? You know you want it. Of course it's been posted before. Who cares? It would fit neatly in that category too obvious to not post. Have at it, creeps.

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Listen:
The Deadly Ones - It's Monster Surfing Time (streaming) at YouTube Title song
The Deadly Ones - It's Monster Surfing Time LP (via MediaFire) at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban 12 songs is a zip, really fast download

THE LIFER

Damn. John Holt died yesterday. Outside of reggae circles, he's best known as the person who wrote "Tide Is High", the song that was a massive hit for Blondie. That's in about half of the headlines about his death. He was so much more than some guy who wrote a song that happened to stick. He was a reggae lifer, and when I say that I mean the guy started singing in talent shows at the age of twelve. His first record, recorded by Leslie Kong, was released by Island in 1962 when he was only fifteen. Within a few years, he a member of the Paragons, recording for Duke Reid, followed by solo recordings for Coxsone Dodd, and later Bunny Lee and others.

Dude made the rounds, for good reason, he had a silky smooth voice and was particularly adept at covers, sometimes a little too smooth for my tastes, but if you put those in the light of a reggae version of the Wall of Sound, or as close as reggae got, then it's easy to dismiss the cynicism. As much as we might dig them rawer, there's no denying that even Holt's slickest stuff are exceptional records, regardless of genre, Even after going rasta he sang with a symphony. Go figure. But, he had that voice. I told you, silky smooth.

Here's a few of his from over the years. Go on a real hunt. Go buy something. Early stuff, late stuff, I haven't heard a stinker yet. And the guy covered everybody. Even Slade. And for those of you already familiar with Holt's work, and the Paragon's "Tide Is High" and "Wear You To the Ball", and U Roy's versions toasting over them, you'll dig the last cut below "SWS Kill Your Sound Tonight", a semi-recent reworked version of "Wear You To the Ball" with a much older Holt and U Roy, going off, swapping lines, I know, huh? It is, it is that good.

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Listen:
John Holt - I Cried A Tear (streaming) at YouTube 1962, first 45, age 15
The Paragons - The Tide Is High mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Paragons - Wear You to the Ball mp3 at DJNoDJ
The Paragons - Happy Go Lucky Girl mp3 at Brobots!
John Holt - A Love I Can Feel mp3 at ATumblr (?)
John Holt - Help Me Make It Through the Night mp3 at Wireframes Antamix (?)
John Holt, King Tubby & Augustus Pablo - Ali Baba Riddim Dub mp3 at Fredeeky
John Holt - Police In Helicopter mp3 at Le Blog de la Grande Chose
John Holt and U-Roy - SWS Kill Your Sound Tonight mp3 at Dancehall Music
Visit:
John Holt at Wikipedia

THE HALLOWEEN BAND

If you're at all familiar with Rocket From the Crypt, you know they were big on Halloween, Their first gig was on Halloween, Their supposed last gig was on Halloween. (That was in '05. In recent years they've reunited.) They always wore matching outfits anyway, but on Halloween, they always took it up a notch. There were skeleton outfits, astronauts, the Village People, jumpsuit era Elvis, and I think one year it was mariachis, A lot of these shows were big, really big, particularly for a local headliner. They were like a coming out party. It wasn't a question of whether you were going, it was a question of who would be stuck with carting your particular group of soon to be drunk knuckleheads around. Good times.

Here's a couple on topic ditties, and a few other things If you're a completist, check out the link to Xtrmntr. There's twenty seven other oddballs. Speaking of oddballs, if you're familiar with them, check out "Rise From the Dead" below. That's some no wave shit baby.

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Listen:
Rocket From the Crypt - I Drink Blood mp3 at Xtrmntr
Rocket From the Crypt - Rise From the Dead mp3 at Xtrmntr
Rocket From the Crypt - 27 more songs at Xtrmntr
Video:
Rocket From the Crypt - RIP (full show) at YouTube Their "final" show, Halloween 2005, various voodoo-esque get-ups, Reis as an ersatz Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Rocket From the Crypt - Village People Medley/I Drink Blood at YouTube Halloween 2003, dressed as the Village People
Rocket From the Crypt - I Drink Blood, Sturdy Wrists at YouTube Halloween 2013, dressed as astronauts

MEET GLORIA WALKER

Gloria Walker, another random click, another name and bio I'll never commit to memory. That's okay, the whole reason for this post, and many here, is as a reference, a place to start more extensive digging later if I ever get around to it. So, I'm not going to rewrite what's been written, There's a short bio at Sir Shambling's, It's not much to go on, butt as exhaustive as anything out there. That's too bad, because Walker had a great voice, capable of slow soul burners and some real funky stuff. I highly recommend the first one down there, "You Hit the Spot Baby". The mix on that one is some kinda shit. Listen to the guitar on it, listen to the bass, and the drums. Dig the honking sax accents.. This is a piece, The slow ones are good too, but, hey, it's Saturday night, I'm gonna go shake something.

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Listen:
Gloria Walker and the Chevelles - You Hit the Spot Baby mp3 at Soul Garage
Gloria Walker and the Chevelles - Walking With My New Baby mp3 at Soul Garage
The Chevelles - The Gallop mp3 at This old post
Cloria Walker - Don't Desert Me Baby mp3 at Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven
Gloria Walker - Them Changes mp3 at Northern Soul Music
Visit:
Gloria Walker at Sir Shambkling's Deep Soul Heaven Bio and another song

LEVEL TWO PREREQUISITE

Here we go, another evening eater, Thank you Diddy Wah. Your post with Don and Dewey's "Justine" b/w "Bim Bam" sent me all over the place. Old links, new links, discographies and YouTube. The fruits of my meandering are below. There's something for everybody. If you're not familiar with the duo, for God's sake, get your head on straight. Listen to the songs. This is it. You should probably bone up over at The Hound Blog, there's an excellent profile. Hunt down that LP above, it's got to have been reissued. For those already familiar with them who have that LP or another compilation, you ought to check out YouTube for some pre- and post-Specialty sides. They'll have you tearing your skull inside out. Like hearing "Justine" for the first time. (You may want to take this with you.)

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Listen:
Don and Dewey - Justine mp3 at Beware of the Blog Specialty 631 A-side
Don and Dewey - Bim Bam mp3 at Diddy Wah  Specialty 631 B-side
Don and Dewey - Farmer John mp3 at Rock Town Hall Specialty 659 A-side
Don and Dewey - Jungle Hop mp3 at The Adios Lounge Specialty 599 A-side
Don and Dewey - A Little Love mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban Specialty 599 B-side
Don and Dewey - Kill Me (streaming) at YouTube Specialty SPS 2131 (LP only)
Don and Dewey - I'm Leaving It All Up To You (streaming) at YouTube Specialty 610 A-side
Don and Dewey - Stretchin' Out (streaming) at YouTube Rush 1002
Little Richard (with Don and Dewey)- Bama Lama Loo mp3 at Jeub (?) Specialty 699
Visit:
Don & Dewey - Excellent bio at The Hound Blog Unfortunately the mp3 links are dead.
Don & Dewey at Wikipedia
Don and Dewey Discography at Wang Dang Dula

TREATS ALL OVER THE PLACE

Oh yeah, Halloween, it's that time of year. All sorts of shit happens, If you're a kid, it's practically Christmas and Disneyland all rolled in one. You get to dress up, and you get free candy, a lot of it. Yeah, You go home, repair to your bedroom, and spread that shit all over your bed. Sort and eat. Gluttony is taught at a young age, As you get older, you learn to look for the homes of people who are out for the evening, those generous folks who leave a bucket of candy on their doorstep with a pleasant "Take one!" sign. "Well, fuck you lady, it's every man for himself out here!", you think, as you dump the entire bucket into your pillowcase (which, by the way, when half filled with candy makes for a very effective weapon). After a few years of stuffing your face, you decide to give the old toilet papering routine a try, That's a gateway if there ever was one, Pretty soon you're craving the harder stuff, and you start egging shit. Houses, moving vehicles, people walking down the street, it's all good, How did you get there? From candy to that? In just a few short years? You used to be such a good kid.

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Listen:
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Ryan N Bosetti Essential

Kip Tyler - She's My Witch mp3 at Hey Cool Kids Ditto

NO MATTER WHAT, IT'S ALWAYS WET

I don't know how many of you live in Southern California, probably very few, and even fewer that get in the ocean on a regular basis, Those of you who do, you know what kind of summer we had. Insanely warm water, unusually clear days (no June gloom), and a handful of good swells to boot (including the all time south swell a couple months ago). It really hasn't let up. There's yet another swell that is just now starting to die down, but still, with 72 degree water (about six degrees higher than normal) entirely do-able. If you know, you know, this shit never gets old.

After going the whole summer with only sporadic postings of surf music, you'll have to indulge me. I was poking around and found that a post at Big O with over forty obscuros is still up, and if you missed it the last time, and you're into oddball surf music, you know what to do. The bonus is that they're all ripped from vinyl, so there's the well played surface noise that us pre-mp3-ers find so comforting, You surf music dabblers can just check the few single songs scavenged from other sites below, but if you want to hear "Siboney" by The King Pins, or "High Wall" by the Debonaires, stuff like that, you really should head over there.

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Listen:
Aki Aleong & the Nobels - Panic mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People
The Hollywood Tornadoes - The Gremmie, Pt 1 mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban

The Torquays - Escondido mp3 at Office Naps

Dick Dale & the Deltones- Surf Beat mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Astronauts - Hot Dogger mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Danny and the Seniors - Banzai Pipeline mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Johnny Barakat and the Vestells - The Wedge at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
The Lively Ones - Surf Rider mp3 at The California Girls
The Chantays - Pipeline mp3 at Rocky-52.net

The mother lode:
Surfer's Mood - Forty plus songs, all at Big O Archive (Roio) Go there to get 'em.

CIVIC PRIDE HOUR

I knew the Rumblers' "Boss", I really dig that song. It is, as the title implies, boss. I knew that it borrowed liberally from another song, but had forgotten what the song was. I just ran into it today, "Caterpillar Crawl", by the Strangers, at On the Flip-Side. Now I also now know that the Strangers were from San Diego, which might interest some of my homies, But the big reason I'm even bringing them up is because they put out some damn fine 100% hot ass instrumentals. Really, check "Rockin' Rebel" and "Hill Stomp".

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Listen:

The Strangers - Caterpillar Crawl mp3 (via DivShare) at On the Flip-Side Note: Once you get to DivShare, click on the small green "Download" button underneath the streaming thing, and scratch your head for fifteen seconds while the timer counts down. When the button reappears, you're good to go.
The Rumblers - Boss mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban

The Strangers - Rockin' Rebel mp3 (via DivShare) at On the Flip-Side

The Strangers - Hill Stomp (streaming) at YouTube

The Strangers - Young Maggie (streaming) at YouTube

The Strangers - A Lost Soul (streaming) at YouTube

Visit:

The Strangers - Profile at Way Back Attack

SHAKE IT FLAKE MAN

Holy hell, it's Saturday night. Why would I begrudge myself a chance to flake off? Once I start thinking like that, there's no turning back. Worry not, scavengers. One of the reasons I'm flaking is because I'm digging on an A-1 selection of rocksteady and reggae, twenty two cuts, at Hearsay, Some are familiar, but there are some I've never heard. No surprise there. That era, from the mid -sixties to the mid-seventies, was so steeped in good shit that no one knows all of it. No one. Coxsone Dodd didn't even know all of the records his own studio churned out.

Here's enough to keep you out of my hair. The songs below are just a few samples. You really have to check that first one, by Karl Bryan and the Afrokats, That sucker just landed on my list of favorite hot ass weird unfamiliar instrumentals of all time. You should go there to get them all. All top notch stuff, some soulful, some raw, some familiar riddims, and a handful of unfamiliar names. All available as single songs, or as mix with the whole lot of them. Commence flaking.

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Listen:

Karl Bryan and the Afrokats - Money Generator mp3 at Hearsay

The Valentines - Blam Blam Fever mp3 at Hearsay

Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin - Jericho Rock mp3 at Hearsay

Alton Ellis - Something You;ve Got mp3 at Hearsay
The Mix:
For The Right Time at HearSay 22 song zip at the bottom of the post.

THE GIRL WITH THE BROWNIE

In case you don't know what a Brownie is (besides a dessert and a sneaky way to get stoned), it was a cheap plastic camera in the fifties. One of the first affordable mass produced cameras. Everybody had one, my Grandmother had one. They were super popular, like an Instamatic, Oh, wait, you don't know what an Instamatic is, do you? Okay, fuck, Brownie Cameras were like your damn phone, okay? Except they were cheap and they didn't have all that other shit on them.

Carol Coleman (née Mangham) had a Brownie camera. Back when she was in her mid-teens, she went to the Louisiana Hayride regularly with friends, the parents taking turns driving. She took photos with it, and has kept them for over a half century. I know what you're thinking, "Louisiana Hayride, so it was a bunch of photos of country and hillbilly acts." Though there are some (Webb Pierce, June Carter, Hank Snow, George Jones, etc), one thing you need to know is that this teenager with a cheap camera initially went to the Hayride to see a young Elvis Presley, She was into rock 'n' roll. Think of it, a stash of photos taken by a budding teenage rocker, at the Louisiana Hayride, in the mid-late fifties. Yeah. And despite the lack of any formal composition, or actual photographic quality, these are some of the coolest photos of some of these artists I've ever seen. Why? Because they're not staged, they're not professional at all. Because they were taken by a teenager just discovering rock 'n' roll. Oh hell yeah, I'm all in.

Listen to the handful of songs down there, and consider this was music teenage girls listened to, albeit only those with rocker tendencies. But still, what do kids that age listen to now? I don't care, but it's not this and is therefore, in all likelihood, inferior, I'd say that's a safe bet.

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The photos:
Portraits of the Fifties: Carol Coleman at Let's Keep the Fifties Spirit Alive NOTE: Many are high resolution. Click 'em.
Listen:
Little Richard - Keep A Knockin' mp3 at The New LoFi
Jerry Lee Lewis - High School Confidential mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Larry Williams - Slow Down mp3 at Mercury Paradise
Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps - Cat Man mp3 at LYWL
Bo Diddley - Who Do You Love? mp3 at Rocky 52
Ray Charles - I've Got A Woman mp3 at Rocky 52
Big Joe Turner - Honey Hush mp3 at Rockndog

WHO'S THIS GUY?

You can bet that eighteen year old Hayden Thompson did a fair amount of beating his head against a wall. He was one of many Sun Records second stringers. His first recording there in 1956 was pushed back for a year before it was released, despite being backed by Billy Lee Riley and his Little Green Men, and Jerry Lee Lewis. You just know that a kid who put out his first record at age sixteen, who finally had his crack at Sun, with that backing band, spent a lot of time thinking "Jeez, what does it take?!!" Take a listen to these and keep in mind that he was competing for shelf space with Elvis, Jerry Lee, Billy Lee Riley, Warren Smith, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and about four thousand others. He threw in the towel, jumped ship, moved north and signed with another label. And that's why you've never heard of him. Fiends excepted.

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Listen:

Hayden Thompson - Love My Baby mp3 at Rocky 52 Recorded at Sun Studio 1956
Hayden Thompson - Don't You Worry mp3 at Rocky 52 Ditto
Hayden Thompson - Mama, Mama, Mama mp3 at Rocky 52 Ditto
Hayden Thompson - Act Like You Love Me (streaming) at YouTube 1954, Von Records, age 16
Hayden Thompson - I Feel The Blues Coming On (streaming) at YouTube Ditto

THE RECORD IS BETTER

You may remember the BBC commercial from a few years back, a version of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" with Reed and about two dozen other artists. They've just made another commercial utilizing the same formula. This one is "God Only Knows", the Beach Boys song from Pet Sounds, written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher. (In case you've been living under a rock, Pet Sounds is a 1966 album that Brian Wilson created while the rest of the Beach Boys were on tour. Their vocals were added after all of the grunt work by Wilson and the Wrecking Crew was done,)  Wilson is in the video, along with Pharrell Williams, Elton John, Lorde, Chris Martin, Florence Welch, Stevie Wonder, Brian May, Chrissie Hynde, Baaba Maal, Dave Grohl and a bunch of others that, presumably, are better known in the UK then they are here. (The full cast is listed at the BBC.). As well done as the video is, and as well written as the song is, can it really be a fully realized interpretation if it doesn't employ Wilson's production? I mean, come on, that's part and parcel of its epicness. It may be part of some future "Great American Songbook" but what it really is, is a great American record. As in the original version, the context in which it was created. Sure, trying to add current relevance is well intended, but is it timeless? The record is.

What amazes me the most is that the song was written forty eight years ago, and Wilson is still around. Without gushing too much (dude's one of few that can get me gushing), it reminds me how lucky we are that he has survived, against all odds, and still performs. There was a time when Wilson all but checked out due to psychiatric and health problems. Even when he started to recover, it was under the watch of Eugene Landy, a controlling shrink fond of keeping him heavily medicated. That Wilson was able to break free of Landy's control is a story in itself. Which reminds me, there's a biopic of Wilson that covers that, as well as the boy genius years. It's Love and Mercy and it just debuted at the Toronto Film Festival. It's got John Cusak cast as the older Wilson, and Paul Dano, (the son in Little Miss Sunshine) as the younger Wilson. A review from the Los Angeles Times seems to be positive enough that it may be worth seeing.

Rather than continuing to stray all over the place, I'll just duck out now. Here's the original version of "God Only Knows" (remastered in stereo), along with a rehearsal take. There's also a couple annotated videos about the recording of the original, with audio from the sessions featuring the Wrecking Crew. You fiends ought to dig that.

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Listen:
The Beach Boys - God Only Knows mp3 at Illustr
The Beach Boys - God Only Knows (rehearsal) mp3 at Electric Adolescence
More Brian Wilson stuff in past posts (scroll down)
Video:
Behind The Sounds: God Only Knows Part 1 at YouTube About the original, audio from the sessions.
Behind The Sounds: God Only Knows Part 2 at YouTube
The Making of the BBC's "God Only Know" video at BBC
Visit:
God Only Knows - Wikipedia entry
Love and Mercy - Review at L.A. Times

SOCIAL STUDIES

Some of you casual reggae listeners may just know of Trench Town from the title of a Bob Marley song, without giving much thought to it. If so, this documentary is one you should see. It's a violence ridden place, not at all the reggae epicenter you might imagine it is between puffs on your giant ass bong. Even if you're a reggae fiend and know the reputation of Trench Town, you should find this interesting.

The songs below are just a few early pre-Island Records Bob Marley oddballs. The first two are Marley with the Upsetters (!), produced by Lee Perry (!). The third was produced by Leslie Kong and released on Jad Records.

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Listen:
Bob Marley and the Upsetters - Mr. Music mp3 at Club Cortez Produced by Lee Perry
Bob Marley and the Upsetters - Rainbow Country at Club Cortez Bass heavy version of above, produced by Lee Perry
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Concrete Jungle (streaming) at YouTube Produced by Leslie Kong. Jad Records release

FIFTY YEARS OF TRIANGLE HATS

You may have heard, Paul Revere of Paul Revere and the Raiders passed away yesterday. He'd been touring as recently as a few months ago with the current version of the Raiders, of which he was the sole original member, Just plugging along, keeping the Raiders thing going, in one form or another, for over fifty years, with, I think, one break of two or three years, Damn shame, to lose a trouper like that. He really earned his right to dress goofy.

I don't know, I kind of think that if I had been around and cognizant of them during their peak years, I'm not sure if I'd have been able to ignore there get-ups, the triangle hats and all that goofy stuff. They just seemed to kowtow to teenyboppers, which is kind of counter to the quality of their output, which was a little harder sounding, almost more adult. They were a part of the Northwest scene in their early years, the same circuit as the Wailers, the Sonics, and that whole mob, so there's a little of that in there, particularly their early stuff. But there's a whole lot more that you hear, They cherry picked parts of just about everything that was happening. They just threw the Kingsmen, the Monkees, Music Machine, the Turtles and Davie Allan, and everything in between into a salad bowl. They figured out the right portions. All that was left was memorable outfits and kowtowing, When it became apparent that vocalist Mark Lindsay was going to be the heartthrob of the band, they seemed to have had no problem billing the band as Paul Revere and the Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay. But their records hold up. Not all of them, but sure as shit enough.

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Listen:
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Just Like Me mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Hungry mp3 at LZ Center
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Good thing mp3 at Sabine News (?)
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Indian Reservation mp3 at LZ Center Written by John D. Loudermilk
Early oddballs:
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Like, Long Hair (streaming) at YouTube 1961
Paul Revere and the Raiders -Cisco Party/Walking the Dog (live) (streaming) at YouTube 1964
Video:
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Let Me at YouTube
Paul Revere and the Raiders on Batman at YouTube Old school shaker, this one.

TOUGH CHOICE HERE

Driving around with my sister a couple hours ago, El Chicano's "Viva Tirado" came on and I totally lost it. I was like the train fiend this video. I love that song, and figured that there might be one or two of you who hadn't heard it in a while that would dig it, so, you know, I do what I do, I also found the original version by Gerald Wilson and it just totally swings. You gotta hear it. Okay, add that guy to the list.

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Listen:
El Chicano - Viva Tirado mp3 at 78s
Gerald Wilson - Viva Tirado mp3 at Musica del Alma
El Chicano - El Cayuco (streaming) at YouTube
El Chicano - (Se Fue Mi) Chachita (streaming) at YouTube
Video:
El Chicano - Viva Tirado (live) at YouTube

THE COOL TEACHER

Dig the band from Dondero High School Their version of "Immigrant Song" has all sorts of earnest stuff going on. There are parts that are comical, particularly when the vocalist tries to hit the high notes, but everyone seems to be giving it their best. The bass player shows off his best Flea. The very audible drummer seems to be giving his kit a sufficient bashing, The guitarist, when given his opportunity, shreds, in the way that the best  guitarist in your school shreds. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something there that really is the essence, It's sloppy in parts, but can tell that these kids practiced their asses off, In a perfect world, that best guitarist on campus would see more action than the entire football team.

Oh hell yeah, I just took a side trip to Internet Archive, looking for more of that Dondero High's stuff. There's seven entire concerts, hours and hours of musicians on the cusp of confidence. Can it get more honest? And the song selection is varied, Abba to Lou Reed, with the requisite Fifth Dimension, which must be the band director's litmus test, because the "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In" medley appears at the end of several, if not all, of the concerts. (I haven't looked at all of them yet.). Their interpretations of songs are raw enough that I found a cover of "Roundabout" listenable, and I hate the original. Oh, and don't let the "A Capella Choir" in the titles fool you. There's a band on every one, and a pretty wicked one in places. This is good stuff, not all of it, but enough to let it ride while you go about your business.

Note: Once you get to the pages for individual concerts, the streaming versions are at the top, scroll down for mp3s.

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

Listen:

Dondero High School - Immigrant Song mp3 at Internet Archive From Pop Concert 2004
Dondero High School - I Hate My Generation mp3 at Internet Archive From Pop Concert 1996
Dondero High School - Fox On the Run/Sunshine of Your Love mp3 at 365 Days project 2004
The whole shooting match:
Dondero High School's A Capella Choir - Pop Concerts 1994 - 2004 at Internet Archive 
Note: Once you get to the pages for individual concerts, the streaming versions are at the top, scroll down for mp3s.
Video:
Dondero High School A Capella Choir and Pop Concert at YouTube A hour and a half, from the collection of band director Rick Hartsoe
Dondero Pop Concert Alumni Celebrate Rick Hartsoe at YouTube
Visit:
Viva Bondero! at Pop Music As Pornography Guess I'm late to the party
Band Director Rick Hartsoe at Facebook

THE REGGAE BOOSTER

Fu-huck, I was in a good mood earlier. And it's still lingering. That doesn't happen often enough. A combination of perfect weather (low 80's), warm ocean, and a chat binge with locals I see nearly every day on my way down the walkway, past the wall, and away from the beach. I was walking up the alley behind the pier when I thought about what song, of all the music I have at my disposal, would really be perfect to hear at that particular moment. Out of nowhere, Johnny Nash's "Hold Me Tight". Yeeaaahhh, I love that song.

Johnny Nash commands respect in this house. He was the first artist to make a determined effort to break rocksteady and reggae in the U.S. Okay, so Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop" was a couple years earlier, but that was a blip in the states, a freak occurrence. Nash tried repeatedly. He first went to Jamaica in 1968, with his Jamaican girlfriend. The woman's father, a local celebrity, introduced Nash to the Wailers, who were then unknown outside of Jamaica. The Wailers turned him on to the local music scene, and Nash dug it enough to sign the Wailers to his label, Jad Records, as both writers and performers.

His first post-Jamaica LP, Hold Me Tight, featured two Peter Tosh penned songs, "You've Gotta Change Your Ways, and "Love" a non-reggae ballad. But the big hit on the LP was "Hold Me Tight", written by Nash. Man, there's something about it's humble simplicity that just soothes. Depending on your mood, the LP itself could be heard as ho-hum watered down reggae with a little light soul, or one of those freak LPs where comparisons to other music is rendered irrelevant by the vibe. It's not challenging, it's not radical, it's just a simple vibe, It's barbeque music, sunburn nursing music. You know, a tall cool one, a slow dance with a foxy chick, that sort of stuff.

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

Listen:
Johnny Nash - Hold Me Tight mp3 at LZ Center 1968 from Hold Me Tight LP
Johnny Nash - Cupid (streaming) at YouTube 1968 from Hold Me Tight LP
Johnny Nash - Stir It Up mp3 at Janavision (?) 1972 from I Can See Clearly Now LP, written by Bob Marley
Johnny Nash - There Are More Questions Than Answers/Guava Jelly (streaming) at YouTube 1972 Dig the pedal steel on the first half.
Video:
Johnny Nash - Hold Me Tight at YouTube So insanely smooth, even with the out of step dancers.

TURN YOUR BRAIN OFF

I know what you could use. A little old school wildness, all scratchy and stuff, right? Before tonight, all of the songs below were unknown to me, but, oh man, do they hit the spot.. Particularly that first one, "Nameless" by the Rockin' Rs, for a good reason, and for that I must warn you. The record is scratched, but not to a distracting degree. Assuming that you're the type that likes the occasional scratch or pop because it makes it seems like you're listening to vinyl, you'll probably dig it, I do, a lot. A rockin' late fifties instrumental, with what is just about the perfect amount of tolerable wear, But here's were it gets sticky. It may have occurred to you, as it has to me, that, once these records have been digitally captured, theoretically the digital version will not degrade further. So what? I'll tell you what. I'm not sure if you've yet suffered from digital scratch guilt, but let me tell you what to look out for, Don't start asking questions like "Why do we like worn records in the first place?" Obviously, those of us with vinyl know that wear is a sign that the record has been played,, and presumably enjoyed, a lot. But it is also a reminder that any physical object is subject to wear, and is therefore temporary. Even the biggest boulder, the hardest diamond, will someday be dust, Maybe we like scratched records because we're reminded that they won't last forever, Maybe we should hang our heads in shame, that we enjoy listening to recordings of scratched records on a computer of all things, or worse, a phone. Okay, forget all of that, because you know what? This music wasn't made for worry warts,

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

Listen:
The Rockin' Rs - Nameless mp3 at Rocky-52
Rocky Holman - Wild Boy mp3 at Rocky-52
Jody Reynolds - Beaulah Lee mp3 at Rocky-52