THE SELECTOR FROM BEYOND

Every year I pause on January 13, for two reasons. One is that it is my late brother's birthday. He was the best rock 'n' roll friend I've ever had. Which brings up reason number two for pausing. It was on the day he was born that "Good Golly Miss Molly" by Little Richard was released, something he'd point out to you if he was still around. Guess what? In this dump that I call home, he is still around, and I'll be damned if he hasn't deemed it Little Richard Night. Fu-huck yeah.

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

Listen:

Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly mp3 at Internet Archive The A side

Little Richard - Hey Hey Hey Hey mp3 at Internet Archive The B Side

Little Richard - The Girl Can't Help It mp3 at Happy Parts
Little Richard - Keep A Knockin' mp3 at Beware of the Blog

Little Richard - Jenny Jenny mp3 at Internet Archive
Little Richard - Rip It Up (Rehearsal and Take 14) mp3 at Electric Adolescence

Little Richard - I Got It mp3 at Teenage Kicks USA (?) Different version of "She's Got It"

RETURN OF THE STONE COLD CLASSIC

I'm not even going to mess around with this one. If you dig vintage reggae and don't have Horace Andy's Skylarking LP, don't sleep on this. It's his first LP, released in 1969 when he was eighteen, his voice super smooth, before age did its work (minor as it was). It is post rocksteady, pre-roots, golden era, and all of that, recorded at Studio One, at a time when label owner Coxsone Dodd had everything dialed in. The studio and label of the same name were unstoppable, dominant enough that Dodd made up other labels so radio DJs wouldn't have to shy away fearing claims of favoritism. In short, Studio One was the most important record label in the history of the genre; the archetype, both in sound and riddims (rhythms). To put it in non-reggae perspective, the studio and label belong in the ranks of other legendary labels like Stax, Motown, Sun or Chess. And like those studios, a big part of it was the house band, in this case the Sound Dimension, whose riddims are still being used in reggae today. 

The LP has been posted here before, but the link went dead and it was a few years ago, so you probably missed it anyway. A heads up here, if you go looking to buy it, beware. There are Horace Andy compilations with the same title. Make sure it's the Studio One version, otherwise you'll be hearing a re-recorded version of the song, and other songs not on this LP. The album may be out of print, at least on CD. I haven't been able to find it anyways, and I've looked. (I have the vinyl, so no idea there.) The download linked below is fast, maybe a minute or two. Sleep on it at your peril.

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

Listen:
Horace Andy - Skylarking mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The full LP:
Horace Andy - Skylarking (streaming) at YouTube
Horace Andy - Skylarking (download) at Global Grooves Click on the green download button, fill in the captcha, and you're gold baby.
Visit:
Other Studio One posts (scroll down)

RESPITE VIA CHEAP ASS GUITAR

If you were around during the eighties, and by that I mean out of your mothers womb and of musically cognizant age, you'll remember what it was like. The music was shit. Hair bands, synth based or hair metal, they were everywhere. Less than a decade after punk rock, it seemed all of that back to basics stuff was for naught. Rock 'n' roll was just as bad off, if not worse, than it was in the seventies. One night back then, I'm flipping through the dial and see a nineteen year old, living in a shithole he refers to as "the mausoleum", giving a guided tour of the shack. He points out pictures he's got on his walls, Elvis, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Little Richard and James Brown. It was pretty refreshing to see youthful reverence, particularly on a channel that might be showing the Flock of Seagulls. Then there's a short clip of him and his drummer playing outside of the shack. Guitar, drums, and a good voice. Primitive as all get out, with virtually everything unnecessary stripped away, No bass player, rhythm guitarist, stage, or "proper" equipment. None of that nonsense. I was sucked in. It was my first exposure to the Flat Duo Jets.

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

Listen:
The Flat Duo Jets - Rockin' Bones mp3 at The Walrus
The Flat Duo Jets - Go This Way mp3 at The Datas In
The Flat Duo Jets - Harlem Nocturne mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Flat Duo Jets - Golden Stings mp3 at Leave You Wanting Less
Video:
Crazy Hazy Kisses at YouTube

PROPER ATTIRE? SURE...

Take a look at these guys. They look fairly tame. Maybe an instrumental combo, or a vocal group. If you gave them the benefit of the doubt, maybe you'd figure them as some early Northwest type garage band. That Night Raiders name does sound vaguely tough. Never would have I imagined though, that they were rockabilly or raw fifties rock 'n' roll, or whatever it is that you'd call them. I don't care, raw and rockin' is exactly what they are, and that's good enough for me.

Mickey Hawks was the singer on these, he's the guy in the back, a third or fourth tier guy in rockabilly circles. You might not know him, but you can get caught up real fast with a detailed bio over at the ever reliable Hound Blog. Now soak your skull in these.

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

Listen:
The Night Raiders - Bip Bop Boom mp3 at Mp3 Rockabilly
The Night Raiders - Screamin' Mimi Jeanie mp3 at Mp3 Rockabilly
Mickey Hawks - Rock and Roll Rhythm mp3 at Rocky 52
Visit:
Mickey Hawks and the Night Raiders at The Hound Blog

THE NEEDED FIX

Every once in a while I look at the stats to see if many of the old links are being visited on that particular day. Today someone had clicked a few times on an old post about the Weirdos (I notice these things). This is for them, the clicker. Because the links were dead on that old post, and I think you, whoever you are, should hear the Weirdos. Everybody should hear the Weirdos.

Los Angeles, 1977. The Weirdos were among the most active bands in the still motley scene. They could seem aggressive, but not really in a fist pumping way. More stealth. They kinda fucked with your head, particularly that first year or so, when there really wasn't much basis for comparison. Just a suffocatingly huge control group. And then, this.

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

Listen:
The Weirdos - Destroy All Music mp3 at Killed By Death Go there to get it.
The Weirdos - Life of Crime mp3 at Killed By Death Ditto
The Weirdos - Why Do You Exist mp3 at Killed By Death Ditto
The Weirdos - We Got the Neutron Bomb at Killed By Death Go here to get it.
The Weirdos - Solitary Confinement mp3 at Killed By Death Ditto

COLLECTORS USE SIDE DOOR

How many times do we go digging for old beat up records and end up coming home with some soul also-rans that, if we pick them apart, we can find some break, horn section, or bass line that we are convinced elevate them to some unheard classic. We're dipshits. Sharon Jones has put out readily available top notch, as good as any ever recorded, soul records since 2002. I mean really, what are we? Scarcity whores? I'm thinking that we all better check our digger's pride at the door. That shit doesn't mean anything when it comes to Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. You can buy their stuff brand new and they'll sell you all you want. Your digging skills are powerless here big boy. Try to find a reason not to dig them. It all comes down to availability. That's why they aren't some zillion dollar white whale. Why they aren't insanely popular, that comes down to the cold hard brutal fact that the public at large has shit for taste. Fuck 'em, and fuck poo-pooing soul collectors. I like good soul music, period. And I love Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

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

Listen:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - You're Gonna Get It mp3 at I Am Fuel You Are Friends
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Let Them Knock mp3 at KEXP
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Retreat mp3 at KEXP
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - How Long mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Greyboy with Sharon Jones and Quantic - Got To Be Love mp3 at Ear It Now  Snappy breaks
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Pick It Up Lay It In the Cup mp3 at Gemini Radio Funky, this one.
Visit:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Official Site
Daptone Records

THE REAL THING

These two songs were on two successive 45s released in 1954. I dig them. I got nothing else. Just digging on these two, over and over. Because I feel like it. I'm a wild man. I didn't wash the dishes.

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

Listen: 
Papa Lightfoot - Wine, Women, Whiskey mp3 at Mississippi en Conserve
Papa Lightfoot - Mean Old Train (streaming) at YouTube

THE TIRELESS GEEK

Deke Dickerson is one guy I don't even try to keep up with. His catalog is too vast, talent too tight, and he just doesn't slow down. I don't care how hard working you think you are, he'll make you feel lazy. Really, check the discography on his site. Plus he's a guitar geek extraordinaire, and you know how guitar geeks are, particularly those who can back up the vintage mumbo jumbo with expert picking. Dickerson took it one step further and hosted guitar geek festivals for ten or so years running. Just before you throw in the towel, add record collector and music historian. And he had a record label. And he's a writer. A good writer. Besides liner notes and bios, his blog, though seldom updated, is some good reading. By the time you finish one of his posts, you'll swear that you know him. It's that aw shucks.

His last post, which is over a year old, is titled "Why I Am Not A Punk Rocker" and runs down how he was into punk rock in high school and decided he wasn't cut out for it. The bonus of that post was a twenty minute movie he did while in still in school that is, okay, corny and lame, like most high school films are. But it's Deke Dickerson and he's a guitar geek's guitar geek, and it's him cutting his teeth, so it's worth watching. (The link on his blog is gone, but it's still up at YouTube.) There's a few other things down there too, including a video of his first band, Untamed Youth, on a public access TV show in the eighties, notable because it's got fellow fiend Ron Silva (Crawdaddys, Nashville Ramblers, etc) filling in on drums (Playing standing up. The nut!).

There's a tour diary down there two, in two parts. There are live music sequences and total fiend minutiae. Old sites of record studios, regional tidbits, plus the table that Merle Travis died while seated at, still in use in a guitar shop. Now that I think about it, that might just be why I've yet to fully dive in. Every time I put a toe in this Dickerson pool, I get totally distracted. Before I know it, I'm in amateur geek mode, wandering aimlessly through surf, hillbilly, multi-necked guitars, and aw shucks all over the place. That's why I like this guy. He makes me want to learn.

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

Listen:
Untamed Youth - Pabst Blue Ribbon mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Dave and Deke Combo - Deke's Hot Guitar mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Dave and Deke Combo - Chew Tobacco Rag mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Deke Dickerson - Muleskinner Blues mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-fonics - Tons of live stuff at Internet Archive
Video:
Deke Dickerson - Rock 'n' Roll High School at YouTube The high school film
Untamed Youth - Hey Elly Mae at YouTube Ron Silva on drums
Deke Dickerson - 2013 Tour Diary, Part 1 at YouTube
Deke Dickerson - 2013 Tour Diary, Part 2 at YouTube
Visit:
Why I'm Not a Punk Rocker - Deke Dickerson at Musings of a Mule Skinner His blog
Deke Dickerson - Official site Don't miss his gallery of bizarre LPs

A SOLID TEN

Unrelated photo of two ladies with big hair. (Ed van der Elsken 1968 Amsterdam)

Wow, that went by fast. Diddy Wah, the blog by the London DJ of the same name, just passed the ten year mark. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but very few music blogs last that long. And very, very few that aren't hack jobs kowtowing to the flavor of the week, with all sorts of annoying banners and ads. And that's key. Adam Weatherhead, his real name, is very much a purist. His blog exists because  he loves music, he loves records and he loves turning people on to music. And good music. Rhythm and blues, soul, rockabilly, surf, blues, the timeless shit. About as far away from [insert this weeks indie crap band here] as is possible. He is a true believer. The text is informed, and the records are on the obscure side, stuff you wouldn't have unless you're a digger of the highest order.

I don't want to get all sappy, but let's just say that it was Diddy Wah, and Rev Tom Frost (Spread the Good Word), who sucked me into the rabbit hole of music blogs, first as a visitor, and later when I started this here shit hole. They reminded me that release dates don't mean anything. Good music is good music, and current music can't be considered better by virtue of its newness. That shit is for teenagers. I'm not a teenager and Adam, despite his youthful good looks (bastard), isn't either. I am his audience and, if you're here, you likely are too. I linked to Diddy Wah on my second post ever, and it was the first blog I linked to when I added a blog roll. When he added me to his blog roll, let me tell you, I was doing back flips out on the front lawn. I've recommended Diddy Wah to you slobs before, and if you didn't look then and don't now, it's your loss. Just don't hang around here. I don't want to be seen with you.

Here's four random samples. I had to stop there because if I went any further, there'd be no stopping me. Check out his mixes too. They aren't downloadable, but, hell, just blast your computer speakers. His records are usually a little scratchy and road worn anyways, not that that matters. That just adds to the sound. You should know by now that 180 gram vinyl isn't allowed in this hemisphere.

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

Listen:
Otis Rush - It Takes Time mp3 at Diddy Wah
Larry Williams - I Wanna Know mp3 at Diddy Wah
Bert and Ray - Slow Drag mp3 at Diddy Wah Link Wray (Bert) and Ray Searce totally aping Santo and Johnny
Bobby Blue Bland - Love You Baby mp3 at Diddy Wah
Bookmark it:
Diddy Wah

RIFF BE GONE

Having a guitar riff in stuck in your head is worse than having a melody or a song stuck in your head, harder to shake anyway. If it's a good one, no matter how many times you hear it, you walk around for a day or two wondering if you've heard it in another song or not. The more it rolls around it your head, even if you know there's no link to another song, the tougher it becomes. It never becomes a cold case, as if you know someone had to have ripped it off, it's just not known yet who or when. The opening cords of the Creation's "Making Time" have been stuck in my head for the past few days and it's really starting to bug. Maybe subjecting you to it will exorcise it.

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

Listen:
The Creation - Making Time mp3 at The Helpless Dancer
The Creation - Cool Jerk mp3 at I Shot NY
Video:
The Creation - Making Time at YouTube Jimmy Page was watching. See why.
Visit:
The Creation at Wikipedia

LEAVE THAT OUT OF THE BIO

Here's an oddball you may not have heard, Bonnie Jo Mason's "Ringo, I Love You", released in 1964, obviously a Beatles cash-in. Mason, who's real name was Cherilyn La Piere, was seventeen years old at the time, four years after the mug shot above was taken. I have no idea what she was popped for, but any thirteen year old with a mug shot automatically qualifies for junior delinquent cred.

The song is notable for a couple reasons. One is that it is a Phil Spector production, without his trademark Wall of Sound, but presumably with the Wrecking Crew, because that's who he was using at the time, and those guys could play anything, so if Spector ordered up beat group, beat group is what he got. The other notable thing is that Bonnie Jo Mason, a name thought up by Spector, was such a lame stage name for a Beatles cash-in that it's pretty obvious Spector was working out of his safety zone. La Piere would find a great deal more success shortly after the record was released, when she changed her name back to her real name, Cher.

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

Listen:
Bonnie Jo Mason - Ringo, I Love You (streaming) at YouTube
Cher - Bang Bang mp3 at Blue-Lights

A DYING BREED

Jeez, just one more reminder that true country and western music is nearly gone. Little Jimmy Dickens died today. He was the oldest living Grand Ole Opry member, and a with that, the old, old guard. If you know anybody under, I dunno, fifty or sixty, their idea of country music probably doesn't include western, let alone hillbilly, or even Bakersfield. It's just rock star type posturing, crappy music with down home lyrics. It's only a matter of time before real country and western is relegated to retro bands with small followings, another reminder that the public at large has shitty taste.

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

Listen:
Little Jimmy Dickens - I Got A Hole In My Pocket mp3 at Rocky 52
Little Jimmy Dickens - Hey Worm mp3 at Internet Archive
Little Jimmy Dickens - Salty Boogie mp3 at Internet Archive
Little Jimmy Dickens - Hillbilly Fever mp3 at Rocky 52
Little Jimmy Dickens - Hot Diggity Dog mp3 at Internet Archive
Hank Williams with Little Jimmy Dickens - The Old Country Church (streaming) at YouTube
Little Jimmy Dickens - 30 more songs at Internet Archive Scroll down, mp3s under "VBR MP3" heading.
Visit:
Little Jimmy Dickens at Wikipedia

WHAT?! YOU'RE HUNGOVER?!!

Have a few too many last night? Then I have just thing for you. The soothing sounds of the Martinis. Perfect for a dull throbbing day on the couch, or at least a couple minutes of it. You'll want to stick it out until at least the :42 second mark. That's where Packy Axton comes in. He feels your pain. In fact Packy Axton probably felt your pain more than a few times, and probably to a higher degree than you ever will, amateur.

Axton paid the price for being King of the Party. He managed to get kicked off of Stax, the record label he had already had a hit on. A record label that was in full stride, coming into its glory years as a hit making machine. Just the fact that he got eighty-sixed is bad enough. It's worse when you consider that the label was co-owned by his mother and uncle. Oh, the indignity. Just soak on that aspirin hound. Packy Axton makes you look like a beginner.

Axton on the left. Post Dramamine.

Axton continued to make music regardless, with other bands on different labels, but without Stax on the label the records went nowhere. He died at the age of 32, in 1974, reportedly from cirrhosis of the liver. Yeah, it's all fun and games, isn't it? The lesson? Pace yourself. You only have so many drink tickets.

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

Listen:
The Martinis - Hung Over mp3 at Rare Funk On 45
The Mar-Keys - Last Night mp3 at Rock 'n; Soul Ichiban While still on Stax.
The Pac-Keys - Dig In mp3 at Office Naps
The Packers - Go 'Head on mp3 at Public Collectors
The Pac-Keys - Stone Fox mp3 (via divShare) at Burn Wood Tonight 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.

PARTY WITH WORDSMITHS

Here's two sides to an always spinning coin, two takes on a hot rod Ford and a two dollar bill, both catchy mood enhancers. Hank William's "Hey Good Lookin'" is a masterwork of poetic simplicity. One of those songs that you can't imagine being improved upon. If you're ignorant of Hank Williams, go do some digging, for crying out loud. Or just check his song below. It may fit your mood at your pre-party soirée tonight. Just keep those cloth napkins the hell away from me.

Let's fast forward to midnight, because that's when things go up a notch, and where the second song comes in. The intent is clear in the title of the Cramp's "Let's Get Fucked Up", but rarely does one song cover all the bases as on topic as this one.  But then, who better then the Cramps to articulate what it's like to go absolutely nuts? They know of what they speak.

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

Listen:
Hank Williams - Hey Good Lookin' mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The Cramps - Let's Get Fucked Up (streaming) at YouTube NOTE: Wasn't able to find an mp3, but Surfadelic has the whole LP. If you like it, go buy it.
Full LP:
The Cramps - Flame Job at Surfadelic Entire album in a zip. Click on "Burn!" at the end of the text.

BOTH VALID

Here you go. Two different takes on coffee, black coffee to be exact. Yeah I know, like you like your women. These are completely different, but I somehow like them both, a lot. I'd say equally, but I think Peggy Lee might win this one. All things being equal, Lee was pretty and she was sultry. I don't recall Black Flag ever being either. So she gets the edge. I have to go with her. I'm such a tool.

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

Listen:
Peggy Lee - Black Coffee mp3 at Robert Barone (?)
Black Flag - Black Coffee mp3 at Pretty Goes With Pretty

THE GOOSEBUMP INDUCER

Sometimes hearing a song when you're not expecting to, even if you've heard it hundreds of times, will bring an instantaneous gut feeling, something along the lines of "I forgot what a hot shit song this is." That happened today in a record store. The song was "Rumble" by Link Wray, two and a half minutes of real attitude. Being in a record store that normally spins much lighter weight stuff, it was kind of out of context. Context in this case being within the four walls of my apartment. It made me think about how long it had been since I'd heard it played anywhere other then in my apartment or car. Not that it's that obscure. It was a hit when it came out and is on a million compilations of fifties and/or instrumental music, in other words, readily available.

Wray, as twee as he got. He'll still smoke your ass.

Maybe I rarely hear it because everybody in my crowd, whatever the hell that is, have already heard it themselves hundreds of times. Maybe it's because I don't get out much. Maybe it's because it seems so simple. There really isn't much going on in the song other than a general don't fuck with me attitude. Or so it seems. Read the thing at Wikipedia for the technical anolmanies, of which there are a few. All I care about is the feel, and no amount of factoids or other mumbo jumbo can accurately describe that.

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

Listen:
Link Wray - Rumble mp3 at Joe Troiano
Link Wray - Run Chicken Run mp3 at A Tumblr (?)
Link Wray - Jack the Ripper mp3 at Joe Troiano
Link Wray - The Swag mp3 at Joe Troiano
Link Wray - Tijuana mp3 at Ray Carram

THREE FRIENDS CAN'T BE WRONG

Whenever I point you towards anything jazz related, it does occur to me that many of you may avoid the whole genre like a plague. To put it as mildly as I can, you need to get over it. I dig music as raunchy, distorted and mangled as the next guy, and I know well the whole thought process that non-jazz people go through, particularly those with out of control rock 'n' roll tastes. I swear to you, listening to jazz will not make you a Kenny G fan. That's like saying that the Stooges are the gateway to Kenny Loggins.

My first friend that was into jazz was a guy named Eric, knew him from the beach. He named his cat Miles and had a bumper sticker for the local jazz station on his truck. But, knowing Eric, I respected that he was so into it, but it still didn't appeal to me. It was too far removed from my hip shit. Then a few years later it was Dino, who dug jazz so much that he was always telling me what I was missing out on. Blah, blah, blah, get out of my face Dino. Some years later, my neighbor Denis was over one night and we were shooting the shit about music. Talked turned to jazz and I told him that I wasn't really into it, but I didn't dislike it. I was jazzgnostic. He said that he used to be the same way, he didn't get it. But, his dad was a jazz fan, so he had music on hand to check out if he wanted to. He said that it was while listening to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme that he "got" jazz. His description made it sound like a light bulb went off, like some sort of musical epiphany. He made it sound so desirable that it was hard not to want to experience the same thing. So, I went out and bought A Love Supreme. Yeah, I know, like lightning's gonna strike twice. But it did hit me, hard enough that the door had been opened.

A Love Supreme was recorded fifty years ago, in December of 1964. I ran into a mention of that on a blog, and went digging. Here's some cool stuff, starting with the first two movements of A Love Supreme, "Acknowledgement" and "Resolution", which also comprise the first side of the LP. I wasn't able to find the two from side two, "Pursuance" add "Psalm", but the full album can be heard streaming at YouTube. Also check out the video above. It's the only existing footage of Coltrane performing A Love Supreme, the only time he ever performed it live. It's only a portion of the entire piece. Footage of half of the performance was destroyed, lost forever.

There's a thing on the Smithsonian site about photos of the session. They'd gone missing for fifty years. There's also links to a documentary, and another blog with nine more notable songs from other LPs. If you're not in the mood, at least bookmark some of these. They may come in handy some day.

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

Listen:
John Coltrane - Acknowledgement mp3 at Get The Curse (?)
John Coltrane - Resolution mp3 at The Gio (?)
John Coltrane - Nine more songs at Rubber City Review
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (streaming) at YouTube Entire LP
Video:
Saint John Coltrane - BBC Documentary at YouTube
Visit:
John Coltrane - Official site

John Coltrane at Wikipedia
A Love Supreme at Wikipedia The album entry
New Photos of John Coltrane Rediscovered 50 Years After They Were Shot at Smithsonian 

FIVE AND COUNTING

Man, you can't swing an electric guitar without hitting some blues guy named King. There's Freddie King, B.B. King, Albert King, Earl King, and now I've just learned there's a Little Freddie King, who is no relation to regular Freddie King, but he is the cousin of Lightning Hopkins. Shit, I'm not even going to tangle with text tonight. Too many damn Kings.

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

Listen:
Freddie King - I'm Tore Down mp3 at The Riddell Family (?)
Freddie King -I'm Going Down mp3 at Dr. Mooney's
Little Freddie King -  Walkin' With Freddie mp3 at Bourbon Street

AND EXHALE.

I honestly don't know how you people who are running around all the time do it. I only had to do minor running around during the past few weeks, and it's really fucked with my normal routine of not planning anything and doing things when I feel like getting around to it. And to think that some of you had to travel over the holidays, or jet all over the place for your everyday job, and some of you have kids and their schedules to deal with...well, my hats off to you. Quite frankly, having half the duties you have, just for a short spell, has me pooped and ten kinds of discombobulated. So, while still digesting todays traditional family Christmas taco throwdown, it's time to regroup and get back into the non-holiday groove. Hey, there's Etta James! Let's flag her down!

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

Listen:
Etta James - I Just Want to Make Love to You mp3 at Tsururadio
Etta James & Sugar Pie Desanto - In the Basement (Pt 1) mp3 at Dr. Mooneys
Etta James & Sugar Pie Desanto - In the Basement (Pt 2) mp3 at Dr. Mooneys
Etta James - Seven Day Fool mp3 at Soul Garage

KILLJOY TO THE WORLD

Attention party planners: skip this one. Run. It's sort of a counterpoint to all of the holiday glee. Which, of course, means some of you miscreants will eat it up. I'm not particularly fond of it, but William Burroughs has never really been my thing. I know he's an all-time writer, part of our American fabric and all that sort of underbelly stuff, but jeez, dude, do you ever lighten up? One thing I realized after looking for a photo is that Burroughs rarely smiled. I ran into a lot of images of him and only one with a smile on his face. There's quite a few of him shooting guns, and more than I expected of him with rock stars (Patti Smith, Joe Strummer, David Bowie, Debby Harry, Jim Carroll, Lenny Kaye, Jimmy Page, Madonna, Mick Jagger...), but in most photos he looks miserable, or at least reluctant to pose. Fine. I hate having my picture taken too.

So, nothing about the man here, nothing you can take home with you anyways, just another sordid tale from his Smith Corona, The Junky's Christmas. The video is a claymation short, from the studio of Francis Ford Coppola, and might just be the most depressing animated film I've ever sat through. But, counterpoint it is, and that's the rationale.

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

Listen:
William S. Burroughs - The Junky's Christmas mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Video:
William S. Burroughs - The Junky's Christmas at YouTube
Visit:
William S. Burroughs at Wikipedia Enough to get you started.