Top Ten Of The Week:Hairball!

Halfway through July, Summer is running away from us and the daylight will becoming less and less but at least we been enjoying some nice sunny days rather than the rain every other day mess that was March, April, May and June.  This week is the time for Jones County Fair to which we get a wide variety of artists, Motley Crue, Toby Mac and Keith Urban with rising country star Sheryl Crow as well.  I'll be sure to get there to personally give her a kiss.  *Farts*.

For a good 80s hair metal tribute band Hairball can't be beat with their true to the original show of some of big hits of the 80s and main music characters although the Brian Johnson lookalike looked more like Ronnie James Dio than Brian, and the lead guitarist started hitting the wrong leads later in the show and the volume was very loud so my ears will be ringing for the next month or so. But I have to say that the Axl Rose guy and the Dee Snider guy may have better in delivering the original hits of Sweet Child O Mine or I Wanna Rock.  I think the crowd singing back was much later than the music itself but a fun time was had by all.  But I never seen so much spandex and so many older folks trying to fit into that type of fabric.  Plus the fact that most of the 40 and 50 somethings are a bit more pudgy and less appealing than we were back in 1988. I know this too, I can't jump up and down like I did back then either, my knees took a beating.  Some Icy Hot please.  A plus, the 20 something girl kept falling in back into me later on the show but apologized for it.  Told her not to worry, it's the only action I ever get anymore har har.



As you can tell, our motley crue of Hairball fans are really digging this show.  Alas, you can't see the pictures no more, the original source deleted them. My favorite coworkers, Sonya and Jenna with PJ are getting ready to head up to the front, I'm slightly obscured in the background with good measure. But still if you like a good 80s tribute hair metal band, Hairball can't be beat.  But as for myself  I'm still waiting for that alt rock 80s tribute band that does The Replacements, Paul Collins Beat and Husker Du plus The Dangtrippers.  The college rock scene was pretty fine too.


Frank Cho has finally finished his artwork of Ivy Doomkitty and basically it's NSFW even for a drawing.  so therefore if you want to see it... use this link: http://apesandbabes.com/dat-ass-ivy-doomkitty-art-print-2/




   
This week's pick hits:

1.  I Confess-The New Colony Six 1965  Getting back to my roots a bit, I had this on 45 years ago but it may or may not be over at the folks but my dad bought home a stack of a few 45s and this was one of them (others included Red Hot-Sam The Sham, something on Motown that was lost in the flood, Supremes maybe, rest I draw a blank) but this one stood out more due to the robotic beginning of song.  I don't think it charted here, but Jerry Schollenberger tells me it went to number 2 on the WLS charts of 1965,  Jerry also compiled the New Colony Six Anthology that Rhino released in the 1990s Colonization it's called and out of print but worth the money if you can find it. The B side was the spooky Dawn Is Breaking.  When they were on Centaur Records they were one of the best garage rock bands this side of the Five Americans but when they went to Mercury they became more of a pop band.  In Arizona I did find a Promo vinyl album of Attacking A Straw Man and debated about picking it up but in the end decided against it.  The TSA probably would have broken it when rummaging through my suitcase though on the last AZ trip, they actually didn't.  Probably didn't have time to look for the bomb, which I had in my carry on bag, U2's Pop CD.



2.  It's Heaven-The Railway Children 1990   I'm a sucker for 90's alternative Brit pop it seems and somebody dumped a whole bunch of that stuff at the Salvation Army over the weekend. Since they were under a dollar I picked up two CDs from this forgotten British band, they sounded a cross between The Smiths, Echo And The Bunnyman but more toward The Mighty Lemon Drops.  The consensus say Recurrence, their 1988 album is the better of the two and that Native Place was a attempt to cash in with the times with keyboards and dance music but I do notice a more polished sound to Native Place.  But will keep an eye open for Recurrence should I come across it at some pawnshop in the future.



3.  Take Your Hand Off My Mojo-Coot Grant And Kid Wesley Wilson 1932 One of the earliest CDs that I got was The Copulation Blues Compact CD (Jass CD-1 1987 later reissued via Mojo Records) which featured some of double entree sexual metaphors that in today's world would get them banished for life  (fucking GOP assholes from Texas) in the music world.  Real life couple Coot Grant and Wesley Wilson recorded a few of these bawdy blues and jazz sides for Okeh Records in the 30s, some of them making to some compilations of note although I don't recall this tune making it to any of the Columbia Roots N Blues' Series back in the 1990s. I don't foresee Sheryl Crow remaking this one anytime soon.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIfWuCRq28



4.  Fueled-Anthrax 1995  Back in the day I thought these guys were better than Metallica (a matter of taste ya kno?) and still think Among The Living can stand toe to toe with Masters Of Puppets (oh watch the inbox fill up now) but they fell out of favor with me after State Of Euphoria and Joey Bellandonna left and John Bush replaced him they were a much different sounding band and moving to Elektra didn't help them all that much since Metallica was there.  While Metallica make Platinum albums, the two Anthrax made went straight to the cut outs.  I kinda have a passing interest in them, picking up their Attack Of The Killer A's which splits the Bush and Belladonna years unto two different sides and I come to find that John Bush had his own growl and spirit although they became more harder rock and less thrash.  Anthrax' label at the time Beyond went bellyup soon after Killer A's was released and I got a copy for four bucks.  Odd to say that I'm The Man is the PG version whereas I Am The Law has the F bomb in the chorus. The dirty version of I'm The Man is funnier.  Anthrax, the first metal band to incorporate rap to their music. Just remember kiddies what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
 



5.  Our Love (based on a theme From Romeo and Juliet)-Don Elliott Sextet 1956  Diggy Kat pitched to me of an idea to do my own monthly radio show on his Radio Buzz'd radio station which would be fun and kind of a idea of what you'd be listening to if I did a radio show.  But I think the anything goes attitude and playlist would turn a lot of people off, take a look at this week's top ten and you'll see why.  Nobody else in this world would sandwich Anthrax between a old blues porn song and a jazz impersonation on Tschalkowsky's Romeo And Juliet.  One of those oddball 45's that I found, but his classic albums were made for Riverside later on.

 

6.  Small Town Big Time-Blake Shelton 2013  No I wasn't going to review his album, it's been a sore spot for some of my followers who thought that his big hit Boys Round Here was crap, Saving Country Music called it the number three  all time worst country single ever made. http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/saving-country-musics-worst-country-songs-of-all-time   For myself there's much worse out there coming from the likes of  Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line. Shelton can be hilarious on Twitter but he got into a pow wow with the Farce The Music guy over this sound and FTM hasn't let up after that.  While wasting time in getting ready for the Hairball concert, I spent a wasted Saturday Afternoon in Iowa City and finding his latest in the dollar bins already so I figured I review it just to see if it was all bad.  For what they call new country it fits KHAK very well although it owes more to Mellencamp and Georgia Satellites with the usual Nashville songwriters giving him songs (Craig Wiseman comes up a few times but no originals and none from Miranda Lambert either).  And the usual Nashville suspects as well (Craig Morrow seems to play drums on everybody's stuff).  He is more country than given credit for and Pure BS remains his overall best although he never writes much of his own stuff. Anything with Bobby Braddock as producer is worth hearing.  I know Farce The Music would love me to slam the new album but I find it to be a guilty pleasure and it does hold its own but I'm not about to hear the rap version of Boys Like Me anytime soon.  I don't do Hick Hop. BTW, how to write a country 2013 style: http://open.salon.com/blog/frank_michels/2013/07/13/you_can_write_a_hit_country_song_2013_edition

7.  Hate To Feel-Alice In Chains 1992  Ready for another left hand turn into the other side of music?  I'm sure you are, I would love to see the bastards that continue to spam one of my blogs for game codes or the Russian Lonely Hearts club post a link to this site. But I have listening to a lot of oddball music this week as you can tell and going to Iowa City I put on Dirt and that was a big mistake driving with idiots and road construction up the ass and this album ready for me to either punch somebody or drive head on into a speeder.  I always have had a love/hate with AIC over the years, can't stand Face Lift but loved Dirt the followup.  Loved The Jar Of Flies EP but didn't care much for the S/T album.  Even the reformed AIC has been hit and miss, thought Black Gives Way To Blue was a comeback album but the new album was a snoozer.  But that's the charm of Alice In Chains even though it's more Jerry Cantrell led than when Layne Staley was in it and trying to stay alive while doing all them drugs. (Can't type for I typed in drums instead of drums, FML....)  It wasn't pretty much but Dirt was their legacy and their best.  12 songs and reasons why not to do drugs.



8.  San Ber'dino-Frank Zappa/Mothers Of Invention featuring Johnny Guitar Watson 1974  Quick now, what was the most hard to find Zappa reissue of last year?  If you said One Size Fits All you win.  Couldn't find that damn album when Best Buy was selling Zappa reissues (now they're not, fuckers).  Zappa in the 70s was uneven as hell but not as bad it would get in the 1980s when he discovered the syn clavier and made unlistenable  albums like Jazz from hell and Mothers Of Prevention.  I love the part of the album to which legendary blues master Johnny Watson added some vocal flair on this song which did make a Rykodisc best of and found the One Size Fits All Rykodisc for five bucks at Zia's Tempe (My Favorite Zia's Store barring change zombies). Which beats the 11 dollars Record Collector had it for sale.  Used.



9.  Reconsider Me-Narvel Felts 1975  A rockabilly star in the 60s but became part of the 70's country music scene, Narvel had more R & B in him than twang as he almost did Johnny Adams' version note for note including the falsetto part which was very distinctive in its own way.  Even made it to number 67 on the record charts although neither KCRG nor KLWW ever played it to my recollection.  He would later revisit the Billboards pop chart with a number 62 showing of Lonely Teardrops.

10. Strawberry Letter 23-Brothers Johnson 1977  Suggested by the lovely Brooksie whose heart still remains in the 70s.  Kinda progressive rock in its own way, it sounded pretty good on the AM dial back in my Sophomore year in high school but never did get around buying it on 45 although I did get the Best of years later.  Surprised they never charted more than just this song, I'll Be Good To You and the classic Get The Funk Out Of Ma Face although I'm sure the Billboard concurs otherwise.  It's just these three songs were played on our radio station.



Yes Hairball was fun, but I would throw in some of new suggestions to make the next show better, unless the drummer can't play them.

Indians-Anthrax 1987
Ace Of Spades-Motorhead 1980
What I Like About You-Romantics 1980 Although some Pop Tarter did a whammy bar version of said song in the late 80s.
Wait-White Lion 1988
Holy Diver-Dio 1983

Wasting time in Iowa City, I ended up buying these LPs and CDs

Narvel Felts
Ray Price And The Cherokee Cowboys Reunited
The Coolies-Doug
Dream Theater-Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Blake Shelton-Based On A True Story

 

While George Starostin sings the praises, like everybody else on the last Alabama Shakes Boys And Girls, I cannot get into that album.  While he compares them to Janis Joplin and Big Brother,  I cannot bring myself to hear the record without falling asleep.  Still remains a B- in my book; worthwhile of praise if you're into the latest and hip but will you be listening to it years later?  My bet is no.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/genesis-debut-single-sells-for-3850/

A while ago I introduced The Silent Sun as a top ten number and thought it made a nice Bee Gees rip for a band that would reinvent themselves (Genesis) but a black stock copy of Silent Sun bought about a price of 3,850 on the EBAY market, a nice profit from the starting price of 9.99. Stock copies are more rare than the DJ copies but even I took notes on one of the bidders making a high bid of 1350 before three newbies came out of nowhere and jacked the price higher than oil speculators on Wall Street when a Arab farts. Imagine the dude bidding 3800 on a scratchy 45 and still lose out.  But then again the 45 came with the right Parrot record sleeve and if you have one laying around, you may want to put that out and see how far it goes for you. Sad to say in my vast collection of tunes, I don't have it.



You either liked it, hated it or loathe it but The Bob Dylan Bootleg Series now takes you to something called Another Self Portrait which shows different versions of said album and the followup New Morning. A confusing part of Dylan's music history before his Christian era, I think I probably would spring it for the 4th disc of a live concert with The Band at Isle Of Wright.  Not a total piece of shit as the critics would say. http://theseconddisc.com/2013/07/16/bob-dylans-bootleg-series-vol-10-answers-burning-question-what-is-this-shit/

The original Violet Femmes didn't stay together very long, troubled drummer Victor De Lorenzo out, replaced by Brian Vigilone  Vic's talks about his departure:  The Dream Is Over  http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2013/07/victor-delorenzo-on-his-departure-from.html



Finally, RAGBRAI starts next week. Better Than Ezra starts out the fun with a show in Council Bluffs. Overnight stops are in Harlan,  Perry, Des Moines,  Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Fairfield and ends at Fort Madison.

Before I forget, Tad at his website was talking about what he would do if he had a radio station which is pretty much what I would probably do myself.  Program the hell out of it by playing more obscure music than the tired old crapola that we're stuck hearing on Corporate Owned Radio.  In the coming weeks I will attempt to put together my own version of what a radio station would sound like I was Station and Programming Manager.  But in the meantime: http://tadsbackupplan.blogspot.com/2013/07/696-crossection.html

Hairball will still be playing around the area this summer/fall.  Next week, they'll be playing in Perry IA during RAGBRAI, 7-22, Algona at the Kossuth County Fair August 2.  and then on the 6,7,8 will be playing Sturgis in South Dakona for the great Biker get together.  August 15 in Owatonna MN, the new Utopia of the world but before then the 12 and 13th will be in Des Monies at the Iowa State Fair.  Later shows will be that National Cattle Congress in Waterloo and in Madison in September.  More info: http://hairballonline.com/shows.html 

2021 Update; It's amazing how many pictures disappeared from this blog.  The drawback of copy and paste, when the original source is gone, it's gone forever.