The last official weekend of winter has come and gone and snowstorm number 38 came through with a half inch of snow and 25 degree temps the next day. Hopefully winter is finally gone after this, although two more storms before the week is out and we can say we had 40 snowstorms this winter. Why not, we're that close anyway?
Facebook has been the major hangout for myself and I have plenty of friends and classmates that continue to follow the bitchings and crabbings that make me stand out like a 4 hour erection and not in a good way I guess. I tend to overbitch over there but have to relieve some anger. Sometimes it bothers me about friends unfriending due to a observation or comment that they didn't agree with (such as an over the hill radio personality that's been inducted in the IA Rock Hall of fame twice more than he actually should and plays in a so so blues band). Life goes on, but it seems this way that those who do that reminds me of rats leaving a sinking ship while the true friends that remain friends are the ones that will party with you till the final end. A fairweather friend so to speak. But it is true that most of who you know has or have had a facebook account at some time. Maybe it's a small world afterall.....unless your car breaks down in the desert, 50 miles from the nearest town. Then it's not.
So one of the earliest Mad City bargain hunts is now in the books and the usual cry of we came we saw and bought a few things, we went home was uttered. I'm sure the next one will be Davenport again when the car's oil change is due. No decision on the summer hunts in Arizona or maybe St. Louis. It depends on how I feel, health-wise. I didn't do so well on the Arizona trip last year with bad food at the former places I like to eat at a big issue.
The mayor of Turtle River Minnesota has died, Gary Burger better known as the lead singer for The Monks who made the cult favorite Black Monk Time back in 1966 passed away from pancreatic cancer at age 72. Black Monk Time was issued on Infinite Zero in the 1990s (later reissued on another label). The Monks, like the 13th Floor Elevators did with an electric jug, used a electric banjo for a different sound. The Monks did reunite for a few Cavestomp shows in the late 90s and early 00's.
The Jann Wanner Favorite Music Hall of fame (formerly The Rock and roll HOF (hahahahaha, quit laughing) has decided to tell Chad Channing to stay home when Nirvana takes their place with the others. They're getting to be like Disneyland, pick and choose who gets in and who doesn't. Chad played on Bleach, the first Nirvana album. Whoever in that HOF that decides who gets to show up are assholes. If I was Chad, I'd crash the stage and get up there or if I was Kris or Dave, invite him up there. That would be a FU to the Hall Of Fame Kremlin Powers To Be.
Scott Asheton passed away this weekend, the drummer for The Stooges, he was 64. Heart attack. Outside of Iggy Pop, the only original member of The Stooges, and this is probably end The Stooges as we know it. Their last album Ready To Die, the first to feature James Williamson back on guitar since Raw Power was better than The Menace, their messy 2006 album for Virgin, seems to the epitaph for Scott. Iggy and James has always had traumatic times in the band and hard to tell if they're work again. James is working on a new project of his own. Don't cry for Iggy, he'll stay busy.
Joe Lala, percussion drummer for Blues Image and later played on just about every album of the 70s also checked out Tuesday. Lung cancer at age 66. Chalk one up for the Marlboro man. Smoking may be cool and makes you look cool in pictures but it is a silent killer and eventually gets you if you don't stop or stop too late. Lala's help on the first Manassas album added more variety to the songs.
Big reissue news (if I can type it). Atlantic reissues the first three Led Zeppelin albums with a bonus disc. Hey Hey What Can I Do, not on the bonus LZ 3 CD. Doubt if I'll make any effort to rebuy the whole thing again.
Finally the Iowa Hawkeyes made it to the NCAA...as part of the First Four, which means they play in a Wed game against Tennessee. If they can win 7 games, the skies the limit but this season has been a disappointment. But they caught fire in the NIT last year so maybe it might happen again.....but it didn't. Tennessee with help from piss poor officials and yet another Hawkeye meltdown in overtime, got blown out 78-65 in OT in the NCAA play in game. If the Hawkeyes decided making the NCAA's in any shape or form was the way to go, then they succeeded but their piss poor second half showing and Northwestern whopping them in the B1G tourney turned out that this season was a disappointment. The Iowa Hawkeyes blew 9 (count em NINE) leads before the halftime only to lose which might be a record upon itself. Next season, they do have new players coming in to fine tune things and perhaps Aaron White and Adam Woodbury will show more signs of aggressiveness that was missing this season. We lose Roy Devyn Marble and Meshawn Basabe and the troubled Zach McCabe to graduation. Marble did have a pretty good season although none of his shots did go in during the NCAA Play in game.
Bob Lefsetz keeps thumbing his nose at PONO, the upcoming new and exciting idea from Neil Young, calling it pointless and thumbing his nose at you, the CD and record buyer consumer who is seeing less and less new product. If there's one thing I would love to see before I die, is to see a renaissance in buying records to the point that we can get some new stores started up. We want new and improve but some of us still like the 12 inch black disc moving around in a circle playing music. Bob's time here on the planet is even lesser than myself but he's always going after tomorrow's product today and people like myself cannot afford or have these things given to us as a promotion. I am not a fan of MP3's they sound like shit and even more so when i hear them on net radio. Give me the actual product instead of the great jukebox in the sky and in the damn CPU. This year, it's hard to even find the new stuff since Best Buy has cut back and from my time in Madison all of the record stores lacked certain new stuff for me to buy. But shut up already Lefsetz. I don't fucking care about your GD Spotify. Save that shit for the next lifetime. But in the meantime, SXSW has come and gone, the big story, some fucking drunk being chased by the police ran past a barricade and struck some people in the street and killed three of them. Throw the book at the stupid fuck. In the meantime feel free to waste your time on this article about the music sellouts or how Lady Gaga took the money and ran. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/business/media/a-new-model-for-music-big-bands-big-brands.html?hp&_r=0
Vinyl Lovin:
The Grass Roots-The Complete Dunhill/ABC Singles (Real Gone)
Not really a complete overview mind you (No Smoke Without Fire, We Can't Dance To Your Music and Stealin Love are left off) but the folks at Real Gone have done a much better job than the idiots at MCA or Universal have done with shotty half assed comps and for the first time since the long missed Rhino 2 CD anthology we finally get a good idea who the Grass Roots were and that was the main person in the band was actually Steve Barri, the producer. Beginning the early years when Phil Sloan was writing the hits and they showed a more commercial folk/rock sound like the Byrds or Dylan, dusting out their own version of Mr. Jones. And of course Let's Live For Today in two versions (one would have been fine, like the fussy old crabbass that I'm am, I would have lobbied for No Smoke Without Fire since it did score on the KCRG Super 30 in 1973). Certainly the late great Rob Grilli had the charisma charm of a lead singer but they had good songwriters in Dennis Provisor and Warren Entner, but Steve Barri focused more on getting key songs from other songwriters and the band started adding more horns and AM radio ready hooks for big hits of Two Divided by Love (written by Dennis Lambert/Brian Potter), plus Temptation Eyes, Heaven Knows and Midnight Confessions. By 1972 most of the public moved on but they had regional hits like The Runaway and ultra catchy Love Is What You Make It, to which I ended up paying 10 dollars for the 1973 Lotta Mileage album and getting ripped of the process. It's not that great of a record. Which probably shows that The Grass Roots were one of the best singles band at that time out there. And hopefully Real Gone can go one further and reissued the B sides as the next project. But in the end, The Grass Roots was mostly Steve Barri's project, kinda like his answer to Three Dog Night. The best (and cheaper) overview since the Rhino Anthology went out of print.
Grade A-
Laszlo Gardony-The Legend Of Tsumi (Antilles)
What I love about finding cheap music is discovering something that I would have never bought full price. I get bored with classic rock, I get bored with overplayed music and is always looking for the lesser known when I decide to waste 2 hours at Pawn America, sorting through shitty and tossed aside CDs for 25 cents. I have no idea who Gardony is but when I was reading the booklet, i had the impression that this would be new age. But since it had a piano bass and drums trio I decided to chance it. Released through Island/Antilles New Directions back when Island was still looking for real artists and not Justin Bieber, The Legend Of Tsumi when first heard reminds me a lot of Dave Brubeck although further research shows a more Bill Evans influence. Beginning with the 8 minute Orange City, the time signature reminds me of Take Five till a more avant garde arrangement takes hold between Laszlo and Bill Moses on drums. Second favorite song is the very brief Trickster to which sorry only lasts a minute thirty eight and shows more band interplay. Still the inner beauty of the mellow tracks (Sunrise, Anne's Dream) are dreamy without falling into boring new age territory, and are probably more Bill Evans than Brubeck For a late 80's jazz piece, this album might be considered a classic in its own way, Gardony's piano work is impeccable and the band of Dave Holland on bass and the aforementioned Bill Moses on drums compliments greatly. For paying a quarter for this is quite a bargain indeed.
Grade A-
Thousand Yard Stare-Hands On (Polydor)
A Britpop band that didn't make it, this was the first of two albums that they did and basically it starts out quite good with the oddball title 0-0 a.e.t. or No Score After Extra Time and their sound wasn't much different than The Mighty Lemon Drops or The La's although somebody there must have been listening to The Ocean Blue as well. Produced by Steven Street (The Smiths, The Dylans) who at that time was one of the go to producers of Brit Pop. The Dylans were a little bit more hooky and more perferrable to Thousand Yard Stare but this record does have some moments of brilliance. Another 25 cent special from Pawn America to which I think we picked the bones clean on that place anyway.
Grade B+
Renaissance (Elektra)
Keith Relf may have been the weakest link on the Yardbirds but then again that band was legendary for their guitar players be it Eric, Jeff or Jimmy, plus they had one of the best bass player and later producer to the starts in Paul Samwell Smith and Jim McCarty a great drummer, but Relf's vocals were good in the Birds. With the Yardbirds imploding, Keith and Jim jumped ship leaving Jimmy Page to fend for himself but Jimmy got replacements that would rewrite rock and roll history. What Keith and Jim came up was Renaissance, a piano driven prog rock outfit that made a meandering album for Elektra. The 10 minute lead off Kings And Queens really isn't that bad as John Hawken's classical keyboards dominate the song and for that matter the album. Side 2 doesn't go much anywhere and Bullet, the final track makes King Crimson Moonchild seem like a rock and roll song although the strange ending kinda compensates a dull track. I give it points for creativity but it's a C plus overall album.
Playlist:
Everything Happens To Me-Sonny Rollins
Tell Me Why-Noel And The Red Wedge
Mr. Jones (Ballad Of A Thin Man) The Grass Roots
Foolish Heart-The Grateful Dead
Please-The Kaleidoscope
Ich Bin Sin Auslander-Pop Will Eat Itself
Steal My Sunshine-Len
I'm Just Not The Man To Be Tied-Soup
Show Biz Blues-Fleetwood Mac
The Departed-Iggy And The Stooges
I have no idea what the hell happened to all the pictures posted. It's not worth the effort to repost them. again.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
The Last Bargain Hunt: Madison Under Snowflakes
Celebrating 20 years of going up to Madison, I have seen my share of ups and downs, but perhaps this trip may have been one of the strangest trips ever gone. When I first plan this trip the weekend was supposed to be nice and sunny but by Saturday a threat of the 38th snow storm this winter, I cut short the trip and went home in the afternoon only to get stuck in a snowstorm in Dubuque and two fucking idiot drivers tailgating in the process. The Chinese buffet next to CDs 4 Change is now out of business replaced by a cellphone company. The snowstorm finally let up after getting past the Cascade exit and dumbass driver number 2 getting off somewhere there.
Madison was hit and miss again, and I almost got my car towed since it was rush hour and you can't park in the street on Williamson Street and at the St Vincent De Paul. But I managed to start the car up and high tailed and made a face at the tow truck driver with boots in hand ready to steal Redd from me and probably another 500 dollar bailout. No thank you. But on the other hand, I got to see two lesbians make out at the Mexican place, and two trailer trash couples playing suck face at Pawn America, and basically what's left for CDs is junk although I did manage to find a few oddball bands that nobody gives a shit about. This time out, Mad City Music X had nothing for me to buy, and I discovered that the best place for vinyl is Strictly Discs on Monroe Street, and that the basement that I knew nothing about had plenty of records to choose from, I picked three from the dollar bins, including the Paley Brothers' 1978 album on Sire, that I have never seen before. The good stuff is hidden in the basement and although reviews of the help have been mixed, they were courteous and helpful. I didn't stopped in B Sides and Sugar Shack due to time and weather restraints but both Strictly Discs and Mad City Music X were much more busier than the last time I stopped in. Maybe the resurgence of vinyl is making a comeback.
Half Priced Books in both locations had a few dollar cds worth getting and the Friday Night 20 percent off sale helped me in buying the first Renaissance LP (with Keith Relf) on Elektra and the other Ruben And The Jets album that came out on Mercury but didn't have Frank Zappa helping out. But both St Vincent De Pauls, Goodwills and Salvation Army had nothing that I bought. I really haven't had much luck in the previous four or five times I stopped at the Goodwills, they always seem to be picked apart. The east side Pre Played had a couple of out of print CDs that I acquired Soup and Brian Auger Straight Ahead.
But for new music, I've never seen places so scattershot. Best Buy doesn't have shit anymore, so basically you're better off going Strictly Discs or Mad City Music X or B Sides for the latest. Since I didn't pick up the new Los Lobos album at Mad City Music X, I thought the others would have it but they didn't. In the end, Strictly Discs wins out on the best place to find the hard the find, including Best Of Ten Wheel Drive as a promo CD.
Last time I spent the night at Mircotel, their room sucked, but a return visit actually has some refurbished rooms, new plasma TVs and (less) More digital channels although I couldn't tell which was which but when discovered MeTV, I didn't watch anything else. WORT remains the best Madison station but it's getting to the point that I can't get into the new music although the track they played off Beck's new album was pretty good. I might consider buying that when i get paid. However, I did buy the new Grassroots Complete Dunhill Singles.....at Moondog Music on the way home.
Life in Madison, strange as ever; at 2:30 AM, the fire truck and rescue unit was outside the hotel, I ended up opening a bottle of root beer and have it sprayed all over my coat. Some old woman at Salvation Army had her car blocking the driveway, as some poor dude trying to push her car back, she kept hitting the horn. Probably would have made a bit more difference if she took the damn thing out of park. Gas prices were 3.59 up there, the temps on Friday was about 40 degrees but a chilly NW wind made me grab my winter coat out of the car. Both lakes still have their ice blanket and I did my usual walk around State Street and seeing new buildings replacing the old and of course having Ian's Pizza for a noon time snack.
For those who venture out this way looking for record stores. there's still a few to check out but for the professional digger, Strictly Disc and Sugar Shack remain the go to places, Mad City Music X this time seemed to be picked apart.
So I'm sure Mad City will see me again, but hopefully the next time, it won't be snowing.
Madison was hit and miss again, and I almost got my car towed since it was rush hour and you can't park in the street on Williamson Street and at the St Vincent De Paul. But I managed to start the car up and high tailed and made a face at the tow truck driver with boots in hand ready to steal Redd from me and probably another 500 dollar bailout. No thank you. But on the other hand, I got to see two lesbians make out at the Mexican place, and two trailer trash couples playing suck face at Pawn America, and basically what's left for CDs is junk although I did manage to find a few oddball bands that nobody gives a shit about. This time out, Mad City Music X had nothing for me to buy, and I discovered that the best place for vinyl is Strictly Discs on Monroe Street, and that the basement that I knew nothing about had plenty of records to choose from, I picked three from the dollar bins, including the Paley Brothers' 1978 album on Sire, that I have never seen before. The good stuff is hidden in the basement and although reviews of the help have been mixed, they were courteous and helpful. I didn't stopped in B Sides and Sugar Shack due to time and weather restraints but both Strictly Discs and Mad City Music X were much more busier than the last time I stopped in. Maybe the resurgence of vinyl is making a comeback.
Half Priced Books in both locations had a few dollar cds worth getting and the Friday Night 20 percent off sale helped me in buying the first Renaissance LP (with Keith Relf) on Elektra and the other Ruben And The Jets album that came out on Mercury but didn't have Frank Zappa helping out. But both St Vincent De Pauls, Goodwills and Salvation Army had nothing that I bought. I really haven't had much luck in the previous four or five times I stopped at the Goodwills, they always seem to be picked apart. The east side Pre Played had a couple of out of print CDs that I acquired Soup and Brian Auger Straight Ahead.
But for new music, I've never seen places so scattershot. Best Buy doesn't have shit anymore, so basically you're better off going Strictly Discs or Mad City Music X or B Sides for the latest. Since I didn't pick up the new Los Lobos album at Mad City Music X, I thought the others would have it but they didn't. In the end, Strictly Discs wins out on the best place to find the hard the find, including Best Of Ten Wheel Drive as a promo CD.
Last time I spent the night at Mircotel, their room sucked, but a return visit actually has some refurbished rooms, new plasma TVs and (less) More digital channels although I couldn't tell which was which but when discovered MeTV, I didn't watch anything else. WORT remains the best Madison station but it's getting to the point that I can't get into the new music although the track they played off Beck's new album was pretty good. I might consider buying that when i get paid. However, I did buy the new Grassroots Complete Dunhill Singles.....at Moondog Music on the way home.
Life in Madison, strange as ever; at 2:30 AM, the fire truck and rescue unit was outside the hotel, I ended up opening a bottle of root beer and have it sprayed all over my coat. Some old woman at Salvation Army had her car blocking the driveway, as some poor dude trying to push her car back, she kept hitting the horn. Probably would have made a bit more difference if she took the damn thing out of park. Gas prices were 3.59 up there, the temps on Friday was about 40 degrees but a chilly NW wind made me grab my winter coat out of the car. Both lakes still have their ice blanket and I did my usual walk around State Street and seeing new buildings replacing the old and of course having Ian's Pizza for a noon time snack.
For those who venture out this way looking for record stores. there's still a few to check out but for the professional digger, Strictly Disc and Sugar Shack remain the go to places, Mad City Music X this time seemed to be picked apart.
So I'm sure Mad City will see me again, but hopefully the next time, it won't be snowing.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Archives: Ragged Records Revisited.
A week after Ann Arbor, the bargain hunting mobile took a trip down to Davenport for the first time in almost a year. I was informed that there were two record stores that were in downtown, Tom told me about the Source Book Store and Jenna told me about Ragged Records, both within walking distance of each other and about a block away from the Mississippi River.
(KWQC Photo)
I didn't have time to stop at Stuff Etc, which is next door to Big Lots and Goodwill was closed at 6 but I spent about 2 hours at both Source Book Store and then at Ragged Records.
Source Book Store has been around for years but this is my first time of actually knowing it existed and I did managed to find a couple albums of note: Who Live At Leeds at 3 dollars and Detective It Takes One To Know One for 2, which replaced a warped copy that I got at Arizona and couldn't play. However The Sports 1980 And Suddenly cost 6 bucks, probably should have put that one back. The cheap LPs were up front and the back but the pricey albums were in the basement and there was lots of albums to sort and seek through.
Ragged Records has the most 45s that I have ever seen in this day and age. Call my crazy but had to get a replacement copy of Call Me Lightning by The Who for six bucks but Ragged also had a promo copy of that album and about 10 copies of Emmit Rhodes 1970 hit Fresh As A Daisy. They pretty let me sort through the ones not categorized to which I found Ted Casady's The Lurch for Capitol. Perhaps the find of the day was John Mayall's 1988 CD Chicago Line to which I had once and gave it away to somebody and could never locate a copy till Ragged Records had one for 25 bucks. I usually don't go all out on out of print stuff but this Cd has become so rare that I figured I better just pay it now and not waste gas making a second trip later. I think it was Bob that waited on me on the 45s and he's a expert in pricing them. The building is located before the bridge across the Mississippi to the Arsenal and it's so unassuming that you'd never know it is a record store although there's a small sign out in front. http://qctimes.com/business/article_b73ec14a-206a-11e0-9866-001cc4c03286.html
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ragged-Records/116230848442228
This is Bob Herington. Owner of Ragged Records, he got to meet me in 45 bins. Great guy. This is location of Ragged Records (past the iron bridge)
Moline still has the FYE store in the mall but I found nothing and got bored with them in a hurry. Same thing with the Books A Minute store on 53rd which takes over for Borders in the same spot. I don't think their selection is any more better than the Dubuque store. But after going to Source Book Store and Ragged Records, I really didn't see the need to go anywhere else. Ragged Records is for the hardcore music collector. To which I'm sure they'll be seeing me once again before the year is out.
http://www.sourcebookstore.net/
And there's Co Op Records in Moline. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Co-Op-Records-of-Moline/135926373139069
I figured the last time I went to Davenport I was complaining there wasn't any good music stores when I didn't pay much attention to what was downtown. Looks like Davenport has inched ahead of Dubuque and Iowa City in terms of music stores to speak of. I'm sure I'm due for a IC trip soon. Bargain hunters never sleep.
From Ragged Records
CD:
John Mayall/Bluesbreakers-Chicago Line (Island 1988)
The Silencers-Dance To The Holy Man (RCA 1989)
45's
The Who-Call Me Lightning (Decca 32288)
Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity-This Wheels On Fire (Atco 6593)
The Detergents-Double-O-Seven (Roulette 4603)
Ted Cassidy-The Lurch (Capitol 5503)
Earl Knight/George Kelley-Let It Roll Part 1 and 2 (ABC Paramount 10023)
Wadsworth Mansion-Sweet Mary (Long Version) Sussex SUX 209
The Dictators-Sleeping With The TV On (Asylum 45470)
Fats Domino-Red Sails In The Sunset (ABC Paramount 10484)
Don Gibson-I Let Her Get Lonely (RCA 47-8017)
45 not brought due to a crack:
The Wildweeds-No Good To Cry (Cadet 5561) (Features Al Anderson later of NRBQ fame)
http://www.wildweeds.net/index.php
Too scratchy to get from the Salvation Army
Jo Jo Gunne-Rock Around The Symbol (Asylum AS 11012)
Cd from Salvation Army
Johnny Mathis (Columbia 1956, 1996 Reissue)
(KWQC Photo)
I didn't have time to stop at Stuff Etc, which is next door to Big Lots and Goodwill was closed at 6 but I spent about 2 hours at both Source Book Store and then at Ragged Records.
Source Book Store has been around for years but this is my first time of actually knowing it existed and I did managed to find a couple albums of note: Who Live At Leeds at 3 dollars and Detective It Takes One To Know One for 2, which replaced a warped copy that I got at Arizona and couldn't play. However The Sports 1980 And Suddenly cost 6 bucks, probably should have put that one back. The cheap LPs were up front and the back but the pricey albums were in the basement and there was lots of albums to sort and seek through.
Ragged Records has the most 45s that I have ever seen in this day and age. Call my crazy but had to get a replacement copy of Call Me Lightning by The Who for six bucks but Ragged also had a promo copy of that album and about 10 copies of Emmit Rhodes 1970 hit Fresh As A Daisy. They pretty let me sort through the ones not categorized to which I found Ted Casady's The Lurch for Capitol. Perhaps the find of the day was John Mayall's 1988 CD Chicago Line to which I had once and gave it away to somebody and could never locate a copy till Ragged Records had one for 25 bucks. I usually don't go all out on out of print stuff but this Cd has become so rare that I figured I better just pay it now and not waste gas making a second trip later. I think it was Bob that waited on me on the 45s and he's a expert in pricing them. The building is located before the bridge across the Mississippi to the Arsenal and it's so unassuming that you'd never know it is a record store although there's a small sign out in front. http://qctimes.com/business/article_b73ec14a-206a-11e0-9866-001cc4c03286.html
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ragged-Records/116230848442228
This is Bob Herington. Owner of Ragged Records, he got to meet me in 45 bins. Great guy. This is location of Ragged Records (past the iron bridge)
Moline still has the FYE store in the mall but I found nothing and got bored with them in a hurry. Same thing with the Books A Minute store on 53rd which takes over for Borders in the same spot. I don't think their selection is any more better than the Dubuque store. But after going to Source Book Store and Ragged Records, I really didn't see the need to go anywhere else. Ragged Records is for the hardcore music collector. To which I'm sure they'll be seeing me once again before the year is out.
http://www.sourcebookstore.net/
And there's Co Op Records in Moline. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Co-Op-Records-of-Moline/135926373139069
I figured the last time I went to Davenport I was complaining there wasn't any good music stores when I didn't pay much attention to what was downtown. Looks like Davenport has inched ahead of Dubuque and Iowa City in terms of music stores to speak of. I'm sure I'm due for a IC trip soon. Bargain hunters never sleep.
From Ragged Records
CD:
John Mayall/Bluesbreakers-Chicago Line (Island 1988)
The Silencers-Dance To The Holy Man (RCA 1989)
45's
The Who-Call Me Lightning (Decca 32288)
Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity-This Wheels On Fire (Atco 6593)
The Detergents-Double-O-Seven (Roulette 4603)
Ted Cassidy-The Lurch (Capitol 5503)
Earl Knight/George Kelley-Let It Roll Part 1 and 2 (ABC Paramount 10023)
Wadsworth Mansion-Sweet Mary (Long Version) Sussex SUX 209
The Dictators-Sleeping With The TV On (Asylum 45470)
Fats Domino-Red Sails In The Sunset (ABC Paramount 10484)
Don Gibson-I Let Her Get Lonely (RCA 47-8017)
45 not brought due to a crack:
The Wildweeds-No Good To Cry (Cadet 5561) (Features Al Anderson later of NRBQ fame)
http://www.wildweeds.net/index.php
Too scratchy to get from the Salvation Army
Jo Jo Gunne-Rock Around The Symbol (Asylum AS 11012)
Cd from Salvation Army
Johnny Mathis (Columbia 1956, 1996 Reissue)
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Playlist 3-12-14
So here we are chomping at the bit but finally winter is beginning to lose its grip here and you can feel the subtle changes happening. Of course we gain an hour due to the Government approved Daylight Savings Time and get to hang out later on the trails but in the process losing an hour of sleep. Not that I sleep all that great without a elixir of ZZZquil and a couple of Tyenol PMs to knock me out till the next day, then and only then do I get the full 7 hours needed to get through the day.
Seems to me while reading Trucker Kitty's blog of the past year we're watching a meltdown unfold. With her returning to China next month we'll won't be hearing much from her, which is a shame. But I don't know, she's been more depressed than ever this year. It's been like that since George Jones left us.
Imagine that, another hang up, more data lost, a typical summing up the parts here. I could write a War And Peace Kindle novel with all the stuff that has lost due to "application hung up" or Plug in container hung up messages and fucking Firefox if I want to continue messages. A fucking piss off if you ask me, so let's type this again for the 44th time. The ratings here suck, we might not make it to 2,000, so forthcoming blogs (if things work and that's a big IF) will be a ICON series of Iconic artists and bands, maybe a singles going steady theme and another bargain hunt in the forthcoming months.
The college basketball tourneys have started which leads to the NCAA's and we have a tale of two teams. The Hawkeye women almost managed to beat Nebraska if the mighty corn ladies didn't help gratuitous help from three dyke referees and shooting 36 times from the free throw line to the lady hawks 14. Really Nebraska needed no help from the refs as they dominated the boards something like 56 to 27 rebounding and outlasted the exhausted but still fighting Iowa team 72-65 who could have been the first team ever to win four games in this exhausting format. Good job ladies.
On the other side of the coin, the men's team *sigh*. A pattern of inconsistency has dogged this team from going one of the best Big ten teams to who the fuck are we today, the team that shows up and dominates from start to finish as they did as they blew out Michigan and outlasted Penn State the next game to a bad clown team that would play one half and not the other and outside of a ho hum victory over Purdue, managed to get their ass kicked all over the place by Wisconsin, Michigan State and last place Illinois on a last second shot to really make me wonder if they will do a one and out in the Big Ten championship next week and NCAA's a week later. Roy Devyn Marble at times shows up as the leader, then next game doesn't and this schizophrenic play has turned this year's team into a disappointment. They actually won more regular season games this year but had they kept their leads in other games, we could be talking about a 28 game winning season instead of 20. Hawkeyes fans, spoiled as they are, I know I'm one, should remember five years ago of the chaos and missing pieces left by former AD asshole John Bowlsby's ill advised telling Tom Davis to take a hike despite the NCAA appearances Iowa enjoyed in Dr. Tom's era and getting pretty boy Steve Alford for seven seasons of ups and downs (the 26 wins season Steve had in 2006, ended of course in a first round NCAA loss) and watching him leave suffering through 3 head scratching seasons of Todd Lickliter and Fran McCaffery taking over and rebuilding through 3 stepping stone years (ending with a NIT title loss but still a title game nonetheless), which promised better things for this year? Not exactly, the Hawkeyes have been sleepwalking though most of the second half of the season and if they don't get their shit together, rest assured social media nation will be hearing a lot of territorial bitchings we haven't seen since Alford high tailed it right out of town to the arms of loving New Mexico fans before he pissed them off and bolted to UCLA this year........................where Bruin fans have been bitching about how lousy his coaching has been all down to a 20 loss team Washington State Cougars sweeping UCLA for the first time since 1936. A 72-55 drubbing. If you think that's bad Bruin nation just wait till the NCAA's when Alford does his fine one and done choke job in the tourney's. To which the ghost of John Wooden will be turning in his grave and haunting the UCLA booster club till they either fire Alford or he skips town. Either way he wins.
The annual Gordon Forcee town meeting took place this year and at this time last year, the idiot was telling that changes were coming and most of printing was going north in the mist of a reorganizing plan that has been a laughing stock this season with the printing problems of Minnesota being evident in shoddy forms and the other boss idiot from there Hal bitching we didn't train them right. Sorry Hal, but you guys didn't ask me to join the Minnesota training fun and the guy we tried to train took a 3 month vacation in the Philippines. So once it's the rah rah report and the major deal is how Minnesota is going to cope with these new and exciting projects that we have coming in. It's not like I give a shit, I've been working in the old printing department last week to help them get through the backlog of things needed to be done (no need to thank me Gordon, a nice pay raise will do) and not getting my own projects at home done. With the onslaught of springtime and testing at schools going full tilt, I familiarize myself with the Cal Starr project one last time (before it goes away for good) and separating countless sheets of AID1 headers and listening to some CDs I brought to work but didn't bring enough and ran out of tunes. I won't get into great details of Gordon's speech and state of the company I'll give you my assessment of things to be, and we will be busy from now till June. And I also think that Minnesota will NOT be able to handle the volume of things coming in and this might come into play that they may have to either rethink of bring printing back down here, or add more space to their cramped Owatonna home. Of course there's this bullshit they call Hoshin, or another of those half assed rah rah things that supposed to build up company morale or company planning. It's misspelled of course, it's Horseshit and trying to stomach through this with the robotic Minnesota dingbats from the other plant takes a certain style and skill to get through. My Hoshin is planning another bargain hunt for the month and going to somewhere I haven't been in about a half year. I have two places on consideration. Guess which ones? But as for Gordon, I await the next town meeting just to say we told you so. And you're still a idiot. The bottom graphic dedicated with love to the Packaging boss who kept giving me dirty looks as I got drafted into the old printing area last week. It's called Sharing Resources, something you approved wholeheartedly last year. Be careful of what you wish for....
Buren Fowler, guitarist for Drivin' and Cryin' passed away. unknown cause of death. He played on Whisper Tames The Lion through Wrapped In Sky.
The Drive By Truckers' English Oceans became the first 2014 new record bought and reviewed (see last week's playlist for review) but I do not forsee very many new releases this month. A lot of the new music sucks and since we're not around many record stores, I have fallen out of what's new and what's exciting. The SXSW festival in Austin is starting up but honestly, I have not paid attention to that either. I think there's a time in life that even myself has a limit in what to listen to and besides, I have plenty of music here to fall back to. It's just fun to discover something that I missed the first time. But if I work my way up to Madison or Moondog in Dubuque I'm sure that they or Strictly Discs or Mad City Music X will have something of value to take home. I don't hold much hope for Pawn America to have much for CDs anymore, last October's finds were shitty at best. CDs have become today's 8 tracks, hard to find except when you do find them, they're mostly shitty bands or shitty rappers of 5 or 10 years ago. Today's music has no lasting value despite what they tell you about The National or Arcade Fire or the flavor of the week. Bro Country is crap, worse than rap and the headache of the week is Cole Swindell's Chillin' It, yet another video that has a goofball in a baseball cap, lusting after a scantly clad cutie in a jeep. GAC seems to do that, show the same 10 videos of the same theme, beer, scantly clad women and horny guys with baseball caps on chasing them around and getting them. Swindell, once upon a time, Luke Bryan's merchandise guy, gets his own gig after making some Bro country inspired song that Bryan cowrote and Florida Georgia Line got a hit out of it. Enough said. Cole may considered next time not to wear a baseball cap with CS on it, yeah I know it's his name but I'm sure there's a few sarcastic motherfuckers out there would line those up with different names, me included. But that's the way the music rolls today. As refreshing as beer farts.
On that side note, here's a blog that keeps you up to date on the latest country stuff, both good, bad and bro. Somebody has to do it right? So trust Vickye. http://forthecountryrecord.com/
Vinyl Lovin:
Swinging Steaks-Southside Of The Sky (Capricorn 1993)
IMO, the 90s were the last truly good decade to discover new music and the Americana was still in its infancy, Uncle Tupelo the most known but they were imploding before our very eyes by the time The Steaks came into view. When Phil Walden was starting up Capricorn Records in the 90s he signed a few oddball bands along the way, 311 the best selling out of all bands Widespread Panic the best. The Swinging Steaks were one of the better bands, hailing from Boston and expressing a love for Gram Parsons and the Submarine Band...and of course The Rolling Stones with some Black Crowes thrown in for new music taste. But from what I have heard, that the majority of this album came from 1992 Suicide At The Wishing Well to which Gary Katz (Steely Dan, Root Boy Slim) produced and remixed some of the songs. At times a catchier Gear Daddies can be heard in Adelaide or Do Me A Favor, (Flying Burritos sounding song). It's all fine and dandy and when they catch fire on Right Through You, they even can out rock The Rolling Stones. A lost classic album to which I located a 50 cent copy at Pawn World in Kingman a few years ago.
Grade A-
1927...ish (Atlantic 1989)
Only claim to fame is the album jacket saying they won 2 Australian music awards including best new debut (..ish) and they have a sound not unlike INXS around the Kick period. The ballads suck but if they hit a rocking groove (The Mess, To Love Me) they hold my attention. Till they start doing more ballads and I lose interest.
Grade B-
Squeeze-Argybargy (A&M 1980)
I find them to be an acquired taste but this 1980 classic album is my go to when I want to hear Difford and Tilbrook with Jules Holland playing keyboards before leaving for a solo career and missing out on a big hit Tempted (Sung by Paul Carrack (ACE)) The only misstep on this album is a snoozer called Here Comes That Feeling but it has the hits Pulling Mussels (from a shell) and Another Nail In My Heart. Somehow I consider them to be the bridge to Rockpile to XTC to Elvis Costello when I put on this album. They're better than you think
Grade A-
Playlist
That'll Be The Day-The Crickets
Right Through You-Swinging Steaks
The Part Of Him-Drive By Truckers
Ain't She Sweet-Tony Sheridan And The Beat Brothers
Bootleg-Credence Clearwater Revival
What'll I Do-Johnny Tillotson
Doris Day-Sordid Humor
Huff N Puff-Parlet
Hostage Of Love-Razorlight
The Queen's Tattoos-Aztec Camera
Followup: The Iowa Hawkeyes lost to Northwestern in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament. The Purple Passion hit 11 3 point baskets in route to another lackluster performance by the Hawks although Roy Devyn Marble, in the final stages of his college career is going out in a blaze of glory. The logic thinking is that Iowa will be in the NCAA's to hopefully show up to play before doing the one and done that they have done so well in recent memory. But then again they caught fire last year in the NITs and made it to the Championship game. One could only hope to a disappointing season to which each and every team seems to shoot 50 percent or better from 3 point land on the Hawks' home court than the home team bouncing off the hoop like we have seen time and time again.
On a positive note the Lady Hawks will host the first two rounds in Iowa City on the 23 and 25 of this month. Good job ladies, I'm sure you could kick the men's ass around like every other team has the second half of the year.
Seems to me while reading Trucker Kitty's blog of the past year we're watching a meltdown unfold. With her returning to China next month we'll won't be hearing much from her, which is a shame. But I don't know, she's been more depressed than ever this year. It's been like that since George Jones left us.
Imagine that, another hang up, more data lost, a typical summing up the parts here. I could write a War And Peace Kindle novel with all the stuff that has lost due to "application hung up" or Plug in container hung up messages and fucking Firefox if I want to continue messages. A fucking piss off if you ask me, so let's type this again for the 44th time. The ratings here suck, we might not make it to 2,000, so forthcoming blogs (if things work and that's a big IF) will be a ICON series of Iconic artists and bands, maybe a singles going steady theme and another bargain hunt in the forthcoming months.
The college basketball tourneys have started which leads to the NCAA's and we have a tale of two teams. The Hawkeye women almost managed to beat Nebraska if the mighty corn ladies didn't help gratuitous help from three dyke referees and shooting 36 times from the free throw line to the lady hawks 14. Really Nebraska needed no help from the refs as they dominated the boards something like 56 to 27 rebounding and outlasted the exhausted but still fighting Iowa team 72-65 who could have been the first team ever to win four games in this exhausting format. Good job ladies.
On the other side of the coin, the men's team *sigh*. A pattern of inconsistency has dogged this team from going one of the best Big ten teams to who the fuck are we today, the team that shows up and dominates from start to finish as they did as they blew out Michigan and outlasted Penn State the next game to a bad clown team that would play one half and not the other and outside of a ho hum victory over Purdue, managed to get their ass kicked all over the place by Wisconsin, Michigan State and last place Illinois on a last second shot to really make me wonder if they will do a one and out in the Big Ten championship next week and NCAA's a week later. Roy Devyn Marble at times shows up as the leader, then next game doesn't and this schizophrenic play has turned this year's team into a disappointment. They actually won more regular season games this year but had they kept their leads in other games, we could be talking about a 28 game winning season instead of 20. Hawkeyes fans, spoiled as they are, I know I'm one, should remember five years ago of the chaos and missing pieces left by former AD asshole John Bowlsby's ill advised telling Tom Davis to take a hike despite the NCAA appearances Iowa enjoyed in Dr. Tom's era and getting pretty boy Steve Alford for seven seasons of ups and downs (the 26 wins season Steve had in 2006, ended of course in a first round NCAA loss) and watching him leave suffering through 3 head scratching seasons of Todd Lickliter and Fran McCaffery taking over and rebuilding through 3 stepping stone years (ending with a NIT title loss but still a title game nonetheless), which promised better things for this year? Not exactly, the Hawkeyes have been sleepwalking though most of the second half of the season and if they don't get their shit together, rest assured social media nation will be hearing a lot of territorial bitchings we haven't seen since Alford high tailed it right out of town to the arms of loving New Mexico fans before he pissed them off and bolted to UCLA this year........................where Bruin fans have been bitching about how lousy his coaching has been all down to a 20 loss team Washington State Cougars sweeping UCLA for the first time since 1936. A 72-55 drubbing. If you think that's bad Bruin nation just wait till the NCAA's when Alford does his fine one and done choke job in the tourney's. To which the ghost of John Wooden will be turning in his grave and haunting the UCLA booster club till they either fire Alford or he skips town. Either way he wins.
The annual Gordon Forcee town meeting took place this year and at this time last year, the idiot was telling that changes were coming and most of printing was going north in the mist of a reorganizing plan that has been a laughing stock this season with the printing problems of Minnesota being evident in shoddy forms and the other boss idiot from there Hal bitching we didn't train them right. Sorry Hal, but you guys didn't ask me to join the Minnesota training fun and the guy we tried to train took a 3 month vacation in the Philippines. So once it's the rah rah report and the major deal is how Minnesota is going to cope with these new and exciting projects that we have coming in. It's not like I give a shit, I've been working in the old printing department last week to help them get through the backlog of things needed to be done (no need to thank me Gordon, a nice pay raise will do) and not getting my own projects at home done. With the onslaught of springtime and testing at schools going full tilt, I familiarize myself with the Cal Starr project one last time (before it goes away for good) and separating countless sheets of AID1 headers and listening to some CDs I brought to work but didn't bring enough and ran out of tunes. I won't get into great details of Gordon's speech and state of the company I'll give you my assessment of things to be, and we will be busy from now till June. And I also think that Minnesota will NOT be able to handle the volume of things coming in and this might come into play that they may have to either rethink of bring printing back down here, or add more space to their cramped Owatonna home. Of course there's this bullshit they call Hoshin, or another of those half assed rah rah things that supposed to build up company morale or company planning. It's misspelled of course, it's Horseshit and trying to stomach through this with the robotic Minnesota dingbats from the other plant takes a certain style and skill to get through. My Hoshin is planning another bargain hunt for the month and going to somewhere I haven't been in about a half year. I have two places on consideration. Guess which ones? But as for Gordon, I await the next town meeting just to say we told you so. And you're still a idiot. The bottom graphic dedicated with love to the Packaging boss who kept giving me dirty looks as I got drafted into the old printing area last week. It's called Sharing Resources, something you approved wholeheartedly last year. Be careful of what you wish for....
Buren Fowler, guitarist for Drivin' and Cryin' passed away. unknown cause of death. He played on Whisper Tames The Lion through Wrapped In Sky.
The Drive By Truckers' English Oceans became the first 2014 new record bought and reviewed (see last week's playlist for review) but I do not forsee very many new releases this month. A lot of the new music sucks and since we're not around many record stores, I have fallen out of what's new and what's exciting. The SXSW festival in Austin is starting up but honestly, I have not paid attention to that either. I think there's a time in life that even myself has a limit in what to listen to and besides, I have plenty of music here to fall back to. It's just fun to discover something that I missed the first time. But if I work my way up to Madison or Moondog in Dubuque I'm sure that they or Strictly Discs or Mad City Music X will have something of value to take home. I don't hold much hope for Pawn America to have much for CDs anymore, last October's finds were shitty at best. CDs have become today's 8 tracks, hard to find except when you do find them, they're mostly shitty bands or shitty rappers of 5 or 10 years ago. Today's music has no lasting value despite what they tell you about The National or Arcade Fire or the flavor of the week. Bro Country is crap, worse than rap and the headache of the week is Cole Swindell's Chillin' It, yet another video that has a goofball in a baseball cap, lusting after a scantly clad cutie in a jeep. GAC seems to do that, show the same 10 videos of the same theme, beer, scantly clad women and horny guys with baseball caps on chasing them around and getting them. Swindell, once upon a time, Luke Bryan's merchandise guy, gets his own gig after making some Bro country inspired song that Bryan cowrote and Florida Georgia Line got a hit out of it. Enough said. Cole may considered next time not to wear a baseball cap with CS on it, yeah I know it's his name but I'm sure there's a few sarcastic motherfuckers out there would line those up with different names, me included. But that's the way the music rolls today. As refreshing as beer farts.
On that side note, here's a blog that keeps you up to date on the latest country stuff, both good, bad and bro. Somebody has to do it right? So trust Vickye. http://forthecountryrecord.com/
Vinyl Lovin:
Swinging Steaks-Southside Of The Sky (Capricorn 1993)
IMO, the 90s were the last truly good decade to discover new music and the Americana was still in its infancy, Uncle Tupelo the most known but they were imploding before our very eyes by the time The Steaks came into view. When Phil Walden was starting up Capricorn Records in the 90s he signed a few oddball bands along the way, 311 the best selling out of all bands Widespread Panic the best. The Swinging Steaks were one of the better bands, hailing from Boston and expressing a love for Gram Parsons and the Submarine Band...and of course The Rolling Stones with some Black Crowes thrown in for new music taste. But from what I have heard, that the majority of this album came from 1992 Suicide At The Wishing Well to which Gary Katz (Steely Dan, Root Boy Slim) produced and remixed some of the songs. At times a catchier Gear Daddies can be heard in Adelaide or Do Me A Favor, (Flying Burritos sounding song). It's all fine and dandy and when they catch fire on Right Through You, they even can out rock The Rolling Stones. A lost classic album to which I located a 50 cent copy at Pawn World in Kingman a few years ago.
Grade A-
1927...ish (Atlantic 1989)
Only claim to fame is the album jacket saying they won 2 Australian music awards including best new debut (..ish) and they have a sound not unlike INXS around the Kick period. The ballads suck but if they hit a rocking groove (The Mess, To Love Me) they hold my attention. Till they start doing more ballads and I lose interest.
Grade B-
Squeeze-Argybargy (A&M 1980)
I find them to be an acquired taste but this 1980 classic album is my go to when I want to hear Difford and Tilbrook with Jules Holland playing keyboards before leaving for a solo career and missing out on a big hit Tempted (Sung by Paul Carrack (ACE)) The only misstep on this album is a snoozer called Here Comes That Feeling but it has the hits Pulling Mussels (from a shell) and Another Nail In My Heart. Somehow I consider them to be the bridge to Rockpile to XTC to Elvis Costello when I put on this album. They're better than you think
Grade A-
Playlist
That'll Be The Day-The Crickets
Right Through You-Swinging Steaks
The Part Of Him-Drive By Truckers
Ain't She Sweet-Tony Sheridan And The Beat Brothers
Bootleg-Credence Clearwater Revival
What'll I Do-Johnny Tillotson
Doris Day-Sordid Humor
Huff N Puff-Parlet
Hostage Of Love-Razorlight
The Queen's Tattoos-Aztec Camera
Followup: The Iowa Hawkeyes lost to Northwestern in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament. The Purple Passion hit 11 3 point baskets in route to another lackluster performance by the Hawks although Roy Devyn Marble, in the final stages of his college career is going out in a blaze of glory. The logic thinking is that Iowa will be in the NCAA's to hopefully show up to play before doing the one and done that they have done so well in recent memory. But then again they caught fire last year in the NITs and made it to the Championship game. One could only hope to a disappointing season to which each and every team seems to shoot 50 percent or better from 3 point land on the Hawks' home court than the home team bouncing off the hoop like we have seen time and time again.
On a positive note the Lady Hawks will host the first two rounds in Iowa City on the 23 and 25 of this month. Good job ladies, I'm sure you could kick the men's ass around like every other team has the second half of the year.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Divine Madness-Bill Amesbury
Quick now what was the first album released on Casablanca? If you said KISS. WRONG. According to Larry Harris tell all book And Party Every Day-The Inside Story Of Casablanca Records, although KISS S/T album was NB 9001, it was Bill Amesbury-Jes A Taste Of The Kid that was the first record released on the upstart label, at that time distributed by Warner Brothers. Harris didn't think much of Bill's album, nor the hit single Virginia (Touch Me Like You Do) but in my youth, I found a 50 cent 8 track of Bill's album to help me through the trying times of high school. And would find the LP for a dollar later on.
I have ...The Kid in my top 10 all time favorite albums of all time, not that it matters to you but the songs were easy to sing along and basically told my life story as well.....BUT I never knew by the lyrics themselves that Bill was a woman trapped in a man's body and the song titles speak for themselves, Bill's Song in particular or That Close To Me which was wronged love songs in themselves. Bill in the mid 70s was a capable producer that produced a few other minor bands in Canada but for the most part he was the main producer and songwriter on his albums. And Virginia which reached number 59 on the charts (No 27 on the local station here) and is credited as the first Casablanca single NEB-0001. Followup single, the delightful Rock My Roll failed to chart and Amesbury was cut loose from the label, signing to Capitol for the forgotten but perhaps better put together Can You Feel It, to which the telling A Thrill's A Thrill (later covered by Mitch Ryder and Marianne Faithful in 1983) actually reveals more of a lesbian slant, (I know a boy growing tits, is he referring to himself?). I never knew this record existed till I found it at a big dollar sale in Target in 1980. It's more polished and a bit more professional sounding. On a side note: Lucky Day was playing in my cassette player when I saw my ex high school sweetheart walking with a new love interest sometime in 1980 so it actually has some meaning in my life. Unlike yours. Can You Feel It kinda lose it's momentum on side 2, to me it's slightly less better than Taste Of The Kid. And a bit more toward disco, as witness to the title track. Nevertheless after the failure of Can You Feel It, Capitol dropped him and Amesbury dropped out of sight and became the most famous transsexual in Canada and becoming a she. And retiring from music to go into artwork. Even with Google, there hasn't been any pictures of Barbra (Bill) Amesbury online anywhere although I'm sure with a more aggressive search they might be found.
Nevertheless it's a moot point anyway, and Amesbury although a minor artist, did made a major impact in my listening tastes in the late 70s with the goodtime sound of Virigina. He may have been very early in the party in terms of camp and bisexuality that would play a big role in the disco sounds of Casablanca, you could probably consider him as outrageous as the Village People although his was very low key. I wish I could piece together a much more concise picture between the then and now but there's really not much out there to go upon. But his albums told more to the story about him and nowadays I have a different viewpoint of listening to A Thrill's A Thrill or Every Women In The World Tonight. Maybe he was a true lesbian in a man's body.
Albums:
Jes A Taste Of The Kid (Casablanca 1974) A-
Can You Feel It (Capitol 1976) B+
I have ...The Kid in my top 10 all time favorite albums of all time, not that it matters to you but the songs were easy to sing along and basically told my life story as well.....BUT I never knew by the lyrics themselves that Bill was a woman trapped in a man's body and the song titles speak for themselves, Bill's Song in particular or That Close To Me which was wronged love songs in themselves. Bill in the mid 70s was a capable producer that produced a few other minor bands in Canada but for the most part he was the main producer and songwriter on his albums. And Virginia which reached number 59 on the charts (No 27 on the local station here) and is credited as the first Casablanca single NEB-0001. Followup single, the delightful Rock My Roll failed to chart and Amesbury was cut loose from the label, signing to Capitol for the forgotten but perhaps better put together Can You Feel It, to which the telling A Thrill's A Thrill (later covered by Mitch Ryder and Marianne Faithful in 1983) actually reveals more of a lesbian slant, (I know a boy growing tits, is he referring to himself?). I never knew this record existed till I found it at a big dollar sale in Target in 1980. It's more polished and a bit more professional sounding. On a side note: Lucky Day was playing in my cassette player when I saw my ex high school sweetheart walking with a new love interest sometime in 1980 so it actually has some meaning in my life. Unlike yours. Can You Feel It kinda lose it's momentum on side 2, to me it's slightly less better than Taste Of The Kid. And a bit more toward disco, as witness to the title track. Nevertheless after the failure of Can You Feel It, Capitol dropped him and Amesbury dropped out of sight and became the most famous transsexual in Canada and becoming a she. And retiring from music to go into artwork. Even with Google, there hasn't been any pictures of Barbra (Bill) Amesbury online anywhere although I'm sure with a more aggressive search they might be found.
Nevertheless it's a moot point anyway, and Amesbury although a minor artist, did made a major impact in my listening tastes in the late 70s with the goodtime sound of Virigina. He may have been very early in the party in terms of camp and bisexuality that would play a big role in the disco sounds of Casablanca, you could probably consider him as outrageous as the Village People although his was very low key. I wish I could piece together a much more concise picture between the then and now but there's really not much out there to go upon. But his albums told more to the story about him and nowadays I have a different viewpoint of listening to A Thrill's A Thrill or Every Women In The World Tonight. Maybe he was a true lesbian in a man's body.
Albums:
Jes A Taste Of The Kid (Casablanca 1974) A-
Can You Feel It (Capitol 1976) B+
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Record World Playlist 3-5-14
Another snowstorm of the weekend; eight straight weekends with some kind of clipper or major storm screwing things up. This winter is the worst I have seen since the infamous 2007-2008 mess and basically we're all sick of the snow and cold bullshit of once again below zero record lows. I'm beginning to think a weekend without any of the white shit or rain would be news upon itself. The picture pretty much sums things up. Another record low set Monday morning at 14 below zero, first time ever this late in winter. We shouldn't be having January weather in March. And the bullshit continues.
This brings up a argument of what was left off, Bobby Fuller nor Eddie Cochran shouldn't be any Drug addled albums in music history and mention of Hawkwind either? Something for you to read and consider.http://www.theweeklings.com/sbeaudoin/2014/02/26/the-50-most-drug-addled-albums-of-mania-dissipation-and-beauty/
Upon the winter of discontent, I've been busy stockpiling the Townedgers Music Emporium with plenty of snows (songs, I thought I leave that typo in since all I ever do is typos, the Harry Caray of blogging, which BTW he would have been 100 last weekend) but doing researching of what ever happened to certain people in my lives. But the one that intrigued me most was the fate of Isabella Marks, the famous snake lady of Spokane to which I spent some good times and the worst of times with in 2001, the best was during late June where I seen the bluest skies of Seattle and it never rained and we had lot of fun buying out Wherehouse Music and visiting the now gone Cellophane Square CD Store and living on a steady diet of Taco Time. However, the next time wasn't so great, which capped off a pet bunny rabbit that peed on about 4 pillows at the Motel 8 and a meltdown from her at a Pizzeria about some misplaced drug I never knew she had and with that, had enough and dropped her home and call it a Mingles failure. A acrimonious ending. It was thought that drugs would eventually get the best of her. Ah, but the miracles of social networking, Isabella is still alive and still living in Spokane and sounds like she cleaned up her act and is married. I wish her the very best.
In the meantime while Crabby retires from the E Harmony find me love sites all around net land, Bill Kopp has popped the question to Audrey Hermon and she said yes. Bill is also working hard on new liner notes to a Real Gone reissue of a Cannonball Adderley album The Black Messiah due later in the year.
I haven't been up to Washington State since 2001 and I know for a fact it's not what it used to be for music stores or bands for that matter, but Sub Pop Records continues to get the music to the people by opening up a store in the Sea Tac Airport. There's hardly any music stores at the airport anyway although I recall a Motown type store in the Detroit airport area. For Seattle, 14 years away means most of the stores that I went to are now gone. There was Sonic Boom to which I found Tommy Keene Songs From The Film on CD for 3 bucks, and a Half Priced Books not far from a long forgotten Djangos but then again, my mind is cloudy and pretty have forgotten where things are at. If all fails, they do have Hastings in a few locations and about three of them in Spokane. But Spokane had a shitload of pawnshops that had plenty of cheap CDs as well. 4,000 Holes is the best record store up there. As much as I would love to revisit the Pacific NW, I will not make it back up there in this lifetime. It's a four hour plane ride from here to there (pending spending time in major airport HUBs) and I think the only people I know up there are Serena (aka Seastarr in the old music chat room), and Starman. Plus I don't do well in planes, especially having a back that spams up if the wind blows right.
David Palmer, the original Steely Dan vocalist sued his old band for royalties not paid digitally, and other terms that lawyers use to get more money i.e. breach of contract, not being fair bla bla. Palmer was only in the band for a few songs off Can't Buy A Thrill then left to help out Carole King (Jazzman) and later joined Wha-Koo. While Donald Fagen's voice would be better suited for the lyrics, Palmer owns Dirty Work so much that Steely Dan don't play it in their live shows anymore.
This song sucks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rJlp26eplU&feature=youtu.be
KFMH, the pirate radio stations of the 90s celebrated their 1 year being back on the airwaves via net radio. I still believe that they would be better served on the 99.7 dial that they used to have before buyout after buyout that Cumulus/Clear Channel owns and plays the usual top forty crapola. Their playlist continues to rival KEXP in different types of music. https://www.facebook.com/ThePlusPirateRadio
The new amphitheater in Cedar Rapids will finally have their first of perhaps many concerts. The 90s hangover tour of Everclear, Soul Asylum, Eve 6 and Space Hog will play there the 5th of August. If you can't wait that long, you have at Riverside Casino Blues Traveler, Sugar Ray, The Gin Blossoms and Smash Mouth June 28th. The last gap of an bygone area before Limp Bizkit, Universal buying out Polygram and the Telecom Act of 1996 ruined music forever. And I still haven't reviewed anything new this year.
Vinyl Lovin:
Drive By Truckers-English Oceans (ATO)
The first new release of the year reviewed and of course we had to wait for some real good stuff to come out. The DBTs are very hit and miss for me, they came roaring out of nowhere with their classic Southern Rock Opera that Lost Highway had no clue to promote, the highwater album was Decoration Day, but once Jason Isbell left town, I didn't pay much attention although I did review a couple and traded them in. But English Oceans is their best record since Decoration Day in the way it starts out very strong with the Rolling Stone riff of Shit Shot Counts that sounded like Mike Cooley was listening to The Bottle Rockets as well. And the first 6 songs of this album just might be the best six songs that DBTs ever started out since Southern Rock Opera. Sometimes they can make a song so strong that I have to hear it again be it the strongest ones Cooley's Primer Coat and Patterson Hood's anti love song Pauline Hawkins (Fate always happens when nobody's looking). Second half of the album kinda goes by like a passing train, with the exception of Brad Morgan smashing cymbals on the first 4/4, which might explain of the album closer Grand Canyon, which like the song itself a grand statement and farewell to Craig Lieske and with Patterson Hood leaving this grand thought for the day: I'm never one to wonder about the things beyond control, I stare off in the distance as I feel the highway roll....I did that too while listening to English Oceans and think of things past and present before Morgan's cymbal crash wakes me back to reality and get my thoughts back on the road too. Of course it helps when Hood or Cooley takes a jab at some right wing nut job as well. (The Part Of Him). In the end, I actually do like having Mike Cooley return to songwriting and having a keen eye on life itself. The second half goes on too long and the gap between The Part Of Him and Grand Canyon, the songs between are more ho hum than hip hip hooray but on a whole English Oceans is their best in years.
Grade A-
Clyde McPlatter-Lover Please (Mercury 1962)
The original voice of The Drifters before he moved to a checkered solo career, having most of his success with Atlantic (A Lover's Question, Without Love There Is Nothing) and moving on to MGM and Mercury to where this album has his final top 30 hits, a number 7 charting of Lover Please (Written by Billy Swan-later of I Can Help fame) and a number 25 of the seldom heard on radio his version of Little Bitty Pretty One. An odd pairing of sorts, McPlatter going to Nashville and working with some of the finest musicians at that time (Boots Randolph, Pig Robbins, Bob Moore, Jerry Kennedy, Buddy Harman, Charlie McCoy) and Shelby Singleton producing the effort. McPlatter revisits some of the early hits that he had when he was with Billy Ward and The Dominoes and The Drifters, which may have at the behest of the label itself. Though some of the backing vocal arrangements are dated and corny (the high pitched whoever on Sixty Minute Man needs to be put out their misery) and the staggered 8 of Little Bitty Pretty One doesn't work either. I give Clyde credit for singing the hell out of Pretty Girls Every Where and Don't Let Go and he's channeling Ray Charles on I'm Moving On despite the Merrie Melodies Singers trying to do it Hank Snow's way. But in the end it Eugene Church and Roy Hamilton still have the definite version. Still it's an enjoyable album on its own merit, it's better than the disaster that was the MGM years but still pales to his Atlantic period.
Grade B
Bert Jansch-Rosemary Lane (Reprise 1971)
Between the Pentangle's principal guitar players, I always gave Bert the benefit of the doubt over John Renbourn and Bert's solo albums held my attention more, but Rosemary Lane is basically Bert himself doing the usual British traditional folk by himself. Love his work with The Pentangle, most of the the first 2 albums that they did which introduced the world to a completely acoustic band playing acoustic folk rock and doing it very well. Finding Jansch's solo albums is a bit trickier but I found this for a dollar and it's a promo copy that hasn't been played very much. It's a mostly subdued and low key effort but there highlights in Tell Me What Is True Love and Bird Song, the former making it on the 2 CD overview Light Flight. Whoever had this album before gives high marks to M'lady Nancy and (calling it a pretty song) Silly Woman. You won't be rocking out this album but it's nice background music if you reading a book, or in my case, writing out this week's playlist.
Grade B+
Playlist:
New Song-The Who
Give Me One More Day-John Mayall
Must Have Been Crazy-Chicago
Oceanside-Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians
Speakin' Out-Neil Young
Can't Get Through-The Tearaways
96 Degrees In The Shade-Third World
Groovy Situation-Gene Chandler
Another Gray Area-Graham Parker
Skateaway-Dire Straits
This brings up a argument of what was left off, Bobby Fuller nor Eddie Cochran shouldn't be any Drug addled albums in music history and mention of Hawkwind either? Something for you to read and consider.http://www.theweeklings.com/sbeaudoin/2014/02/26/the-50-most-drug-addled-albums-of-mania-dissipation-and-beauty/
Upon the winter of discontent, I've been busy stockpiling the Townedgers Music Emporium with plenty of snows (songs, I thought I leave that typo in since all I ever do is typos, the Harry Caray of blogging, which BTW he would have been 100 last weekend) but doing researching of what ever happened to certain people in my lives. But the one that intrigued me most was the fate of Isabella Marks, the famous snake lady of Spokane to which I spent some good times and the worst of times with in 2001, the best was during late June where I seen the bluest skies of Seattle and it never rained and we had lot of fun buying out Wherehouse Music and visiting the now gone Cellophane Square CD Store and living on a steady diet of Taco Time. However, the next time wasn't so great, which capped off a pet bunny rabbit that peed on about 4 pillows at the Motel 8 and a meltdown from her at a Pizzeria about some misplaced drug I never knew she had and with that, had enough and dropped her home and call it a Mingles failure. A acrimonious ending. It was thought that drugs would eventually get the best of her. Ah, but the miracles of social networking, Isabella is still alive and still living in Spokane and sounds like she cleaned up her act and is married. I wish her the very best.
In the meantime while Crabby retires from the E Harmony find me love sites all around net land, Bill Kopp has popped the question to Audrey Hermon and she said yes. Bill is also working hard on new liner notes to a Real Gone reissue of a Cannonball Adderley album The Black Messiah due later in the year.
I haven't been up to Washington State since 2001 and I know for a fact it's not what it used to be for music stores or bands for that matter, but Sub Pop Records continues to get the music to the people by opening up a store in the Sea Tac Airport. There's hardly any music stores at the airport anyway although I recall a Motown type store in the Detroit airport area. For Seattle, 14 years away means most of the stores that I went to are now gone. There was Sonic Boom to which I found Tommy Keene Songs From The Film on CD for 3 bucks, and a Half Priced Books not far from a long forgotten Djangos but then again, my mind is cloudy and pretty have forgotten where things are at. If all fails, they do have Hastings in a few locations and about three of them in Spokane. But Spokane had a shitload of pawnshops that had plenty of cheap CDs as well. 4,000 Holes is the best record store up there. As much as I would love to revisit the Pacific NW, I will not make it back up there in this lifetime. It's a four hour plane ride from here to there (pending spending time in major airport HUBs) and I think the only people I know up there are Serena (aka Seastarr in the old music chat room), and Starman. Plus I don't do well in planes, especially having a back that spams up if the wind blows right.
David Palmer, the original Steely Dan vocalist sued his old band for royalties not paid digitally, and other terms that lawyers use to get more money i.e. breach of contract, not being fair bla bla. Palmer was only in the band for a few songs off Can't Buy A Thrill then left to help out Carole King (Jazzman) and later joined Wha-Koo. While Donald Fagen's voice would be better suited for the lyrics, Palmer owns Dirty Work so much that Steely Dan don't play it in their live shows anymore.
This song sucks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rJlp26eplU&feature=youtu.be
KFMH, the pirate radio stations of the 90s celebrated their 1 year being back on the airwaves via net radio. I still believe that they would be better served on the 99.7 dial that they used to have before buyout after buyout that Cumulus/Clear Channel owns and plays the usual top forty crapola. Their playlist continues to rival KEXP in different types of music. https://www.facebook.com/ThePlusPirateRadio
The new amphitheater in Cedar Rapids will finally have their first of perhaps many concerts. The 90s hangover tour of Everclear, Soul Asylum, Eve 6 and Space Hog will play there the 5th of August. If you can't wait that long, you have at Riverside Casino Blues Traveler, Sugar Ray, The Gin Blossoms and Smash Mouth June 28th. The last gap of an bygone area before Limp Bizkit, Universal buying out Polygram and the Telecom Act of 1996 ruined music forever. And I still haven't reviewed anything new this year.
Vinyl Lovin:
Drive By Truckers-English Oceans (ATO)
The first new release of the year reviewed and of course we had to wait for some real good stuff to come out. The DBTs are very hit and miss for me, they came roaring out of nowhere with their classic Southern Rock Opera that Lost Highway had no clue to promote, the highwater album was Decoration Day, but once Jason Isbell left town, I didn't pay much attention although I did review a couple and traded them in. But English Oceans is their best record since Decoration Day in the way it starts out very strong with the Rolling Stone riff of Shit Shot Counts that sounded like Mike Cooley was listening to The Bottle Rockets as well. And the first 6 songs of this album just might be the best six songs that DBTs ever started out since Southern Rock Opera. Sometimes they can make a song so strong that I have to hear it again be it the strongest ones Cooley's Primer Coat and Patterson Hood's anti love song Pauline Hawkins (Fate always happens when nobody's looking). Second half of the album kinda goes by like a passing train, with the exception of Brad Morgan smashing cymbals on the first 4/4, which might explain of the album closer Grand Canyon, which like the song itself a grand statement and farewell to Craig Lieske and with Patterson Hood leaving this grand thought for the day: I'm never one to wonder about the things beyond control, I stare off in the distance as I feel the highway roll....I did that too while listening to English Oceans and think of things past and present before Morgan's cymbal crash wakes me back to reality and get my thoughts back on the road too. Of course it helps when Hood or Cooley takes a jab at some right wing nut job as well. (The Part Of Him). In the end, I actually do like having Mike Cooley return to songwriting and having a keen eye on life itself. The second half goes on too long and the gap between The Part Of Him and Grand Canyon, the songs between are more ho hum than hip hip hooray but on a whole English Oceans is their best in years.
Grade A-
Clyde McPlatter-Lover Please (Mercury 1962)
The original voice of The Drifters before he moved to a checkered solo career, having most of his success with Atlantic (A Lover's Question, Without Love There Is Nothing) and moving on to MGM and Mercury to where this album has his final top 30 hits, a number 7 charting of Lover Please (Written by Billy Swan-later of I Can Help fame) and a number 25 of the seldom heard on radio his version of Little Bitty Pretty One. An odd pairing of sorts, McPlatter going to Nashville and working with some of the finest musicians at that time (Boots Randolph, Pig Robbins, Bob Moore, Jerry Kennedy, Buddy Harman, Charlie McCoy) and Shelby Singleton producing the effort. McPlatter revisits some of the early hits that he had when he was with Billy Ward and The Dominoes and The Drifters, which may have at the behest of the label itself. Though some of the backing vocal arrangements are dated and corny (the high pitched whoever on Sixty Minute Man needs to be put out their misery) and the staggered 8 of Little Bitty Pretty One doesn't work either. I give Clyde credit for singing the hell out of Pretty Girls Every Where and Don't Let Go and he's channeling Ray Charles on I'm Moving On despite the Merrie Melodies Singers trying to do it Hank Snow's way. But in the end it Eugene Church and Roy Hamilton still have the definite version. Still it's an enjoyable album on its own merit, it's better than the disaster that was the MGM years but still pales to his Atlantic period.
Grade B
Bert Jansch-Rosemary Lane (Reprise 1971)
Between the Pentangle's principal guitar players, I always gave Bert the benefit of the doubt over John Renbourn and Bert's solo albums held my attention more, but Rosemary Lane is basically Bert himself doing the usual British traditional folk by himself. Love his work with The Pentangle, most of the the first 2 albums that they did which introduced the world to a completely acoustic band playing acoustic folk rock and doing it very well. Finding Jansch's solo albums is a bit trickier but I found this for a dollar and it's a promo copy that hasn't been played very much. It's a mostly subdued and low key effort but there highlights in Tell Me What Is True Love and Bird Song, the former making it on the 2 CD overview Light Flight. Whoever had this album before gives high marks to M'lady Nancy and (calling it a pretty song) Silly Woman. You won't be rocking out this album but it's nice background music if you reading a book, or in my case, writing out this week's playlist.
Grade B+
Playlist:
New Song-The Who
Give Me One More Day-John Mayall
Must Have Been Crazy-Chicago
Oceanside-Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians
Speakin' Out-Neil Young
Can't Get Through-The Tearaways
96 Degrees In The Shade-Third World
Groovy Situation-Gene Chandler
Another Gray Area-Graham Parker
Skateaway-Dire Straits
Monday, March 3, 2014
Reissues: The Big Crash Collection
Basically it's really pointless to talk about the reissues of the early Rodney Smith albums, now available on CD for the first time from the early 80s prior to So Much For That, the first and actual album of thought out songs. I admit that the majority of songs are one take, drum only numbers that harbor back to the primitive ways of recording albums and then the infamous 70s echophonic recordings that are better left in history.
But The Big Crash Collection (the term Big Crash was given to Smith by former guitarist Dennis Lancaster of the ways Smith would smash his cymbals with reckless disregard). focuses on the first three albums of Smith's career and basically a step by step from barely playing and keeping a consistent beat of Tonight to the forceful infamous drumming that echoed parts of Keith Moon and John Bonham into a loud mix that still sounds like thunder to this day that is on the 1982 Bizarre Behavior album.
Beginning with the clang clang clang of the cheap cymbals used for It's Me Tonite, R.Smith Tonight is your typical wanking around as Smith searches for a style to his one take ramblings and this record is no where near of the level of albums 3 decades onward, but to get to where Pawnshops For Olivia is at, one has to stumble through Tonight!. There are hints of novelty with Out Of Gas, containing some of the most goofy lyrics this side of Vanilla Ice but as the song progresses onward you can begin the feel of the beat is beginning to take hold as the alter ego Big R Rowdie raps out Get Up Get Down, Make Everything All Right, but it's not going to win any Grammys nor airplay in this day and age. It's a 19 year old, who has never played the instruments at all trying to make sense of it all. And some songs do take effect later on, Movin On To Better Things, one of only two tracks from the original Paraphernalia album and Black Wind, both guitar numbers, both ragged, the drum numbers too clumsy to add, but Tonight chooses the best tracks off 4 reel to reel tapes and warts and all begins the long 3 decade journey but half the time the wheels fall off.
The best of the three albums The Power Of Positive Thinking (1981) is still sloppy one take numbers but the flow of the album is much better with the adding of more guitar and actual attempted songs and the drum solos are cut to a minimum. All Night Dancing and Same Old Thing would be used later for 20 and There's Nothing Left, and playing on a old out of tune two string acoustic guitar, the minute and half Same Old Thing became the first true song that sounded like it was thought out, even down to the harmonica solo, something that Smith has abandoned using. The title track one of the best early guitar numbers and was even used for a time in the late 80s when Route 66 was playing but outside of that, the rest of the album suffers from thought up lyrics on the spot, and very one dimensional, but TPOPT itself, it has a better ebb and flow and a more steadier beat.
The final of the three Bizarre Behavior (1982) is where the infamous drum repetition and representation of what made Rodney Smith a terror on the drums. By now, Smith finally mastered the bass drum and was capable of keeping the beat as he went flying through the drums and cymbals, playing with a wildness to which Keith Moon is awaken from the dead. On some of the so called songs, wild drum sticks hit the microphone sending the sound going from one speaker to another. The thunderous roar of the old Zickos drums that were used, flies through the speakers like a train coming off the tracks. The stop and start of Thunderfoot, or the echo drenched Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can, this is the sound that you got if you were playing guitar or bass in front of the wild drummer, not exactly playing but rather taking his frustrations on the drums and getting all kinds of reaction from the drums or cymbals used. It took Smith 2 years to finally learn to play to the point that not only he could play but he could kick every drummer's butt in a 100 mile radius. While the drum solos were fine themselves, the rest of the actual songs once again lacked anything but another excuse to bash away on the drums, although Heart Of Stone would be reworked from a drum solo cop and plea into a power ballad that Paraphernalia would do for a song submission to a KKRQ rock song contest (later rejected by the radio station). There's really nothing that anybody would want to hear be it Roll A Rock or Sidewalk Sale Woman. If there's any of value of these reissues it's of the fact that Smith really became one of the best drummers in the area on the range and power of Thunderfoot or Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can, or even Drums On Fire from Tonight.
But things had to change and when Jack Orbit finally agree to produced what would become So Much For That, the original session work of continuing the one take process has to end and thing would be aborted and helped Smith write actual songs and play actual guitar chords to go along with the wild drumming that Smith was doing on the early album and in the bar bands that he was playing in. And finally made an honest effort with So Much For That but the next album would be the start of things to come, the 1983 classic Town's Edge Rock.
But before Town's Edge Rock and So Much For That, there was The Big Crash Collection, the three albums that showed Smith had raw talent and he had heart and soul but these albums were a big mess and he had a long way to go. But there are spouts of inspiration that begin to appear. But it would take three years before a consistency would take hold. It's not for everybody and even the hardcore would be put off by all the silliness but eventually Smith would find the right music and the right songs to persevere and become a fairly good garage rocker 34 years down the road.
But The Big Crash Collection (the term Big Crash was given to Smith by former guitarist Dennis Lancaster of the ways Smith would smash his cymbals with reckless disregard). focuses on the first three albums of Smith's career and basically a step by step from barely playing and keeping a consistent beat of Tonight to the forceful infamous drumming that echoed parts of Keith Moon and John Bonham into a loud mix that still sounds like thunder to this day that is on the 1982 Bizarre Behavior album.
Beginning with the clang clang clang of the cheap cymbals used for It's Me Tonite, R.Smith Tonight is your typical wanking around as Smith searches for a style to his one take ramblings and this record is no where near of the level of albums 3 decades onward, but to get to where Pawnshops For Olivia is at, one has to stumble through Tonight!. There are hints of novelty with Out Of Gas, containing some of the most goofy lyrics this side of Vanilla Ice but as the song progresses onward you can begin the feel of the beat is beginning to take hold as the alter ego Big R Rowdie raps out Get Up Get Down, Make Everything All Right, but it's not going to win any Grammys nor airplay in this day and age. It's a 19 year old, who has never played the instruments at all trying to make sense of it all. And some songs do take effect later on, Movin On To Better Things, one of only two tracks from the original Paraphernalia album and Black Wind, both guitar numbers, both ragged, the drum numbers too clumsy to add, but Tonight chooses the best tracks off 4 reel to reel tapes and warts and all begins the long 3 decade journey but half the time the wheels fall off.
The best of the three albums The Power Of Positive Thinking (1981) is still sloppy one take numbers but the flow of the album is much better with the adding of more guitar and actual attempted songs and the drum solos are cut to a minimum. All Night Dancing and Same Old Thing would be used later for 20 and There's Nothing Left, and playing on a old out of tune two string acoustic guitar, the minute and half Same Old Thing became the first true song that sounded like it was thought out, even down to the harmonica solo, something that Smith has abandoned using. The title track one of the best early guitar numbers and was even used for a time in the late 80s when Route 66 was playing but outside of that, the rest of the album suffers from thought up lyrics on the spot, and very one dimensional, but TPOPT itself, it has a better ebb and flow and a more steadier beat.
The final of the three Bizarre Behavior (1982) is where the infamous drum repetition and representation of what made Rodney Smith a terror on the drums. By now, Smith finally mastered the bass drum and was capable of keeping the beat as he went flying through the drums and cymbals, playing with a wildness to which Keith Moon is awaken from the dead. On some of the so called songs, wild drum sticks hit the microphone sending the sound going from one speaker to another. The thunderous roar of the old Zickos drums that were used, flies through the speakers like a train coming off the tracks. The stop and start of Thunderfoot, or the echo drenched Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can, this is the sound that you got if you were playing guitar or bass in front of the wild drummer, not exactly playing but rather taking his frustrations on the drums and getting all kinds of reaction from the drums or cymbals used. It took Smith 2 years to finally learn to play to the point that not only he could play but he could kick every drummer's butt in a 100 mile radius. While the drum solos were fine themselves, the rest of the actual songs once again lacked anything but another excuse to bash away on the drums, although Heart Of Stone would be reworked from a drum solo cop and plea into a power ballad that Paraphernalia would do for a song submission to a KKRQ rock song contest (later rejected by the radio station). There's really nothing that anybody would want to hear be it Roll A Rock or Sidewalk Sale Woman. If there's any of value of these reissues it's of the fact that Smith really became one of the best drummers in the area on the range and power of Thunderfoot or Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can, or even Drums On Fire from Tonight.
But things had to change and when Jack Orbit finally agree to produced what would become So Much For That, the original session work of continuing the one take process has to end and thing would be aborted and helped Smith write actual songs and play actual guitar chords to go along with the wild drumming that Smith was doing on the early album and in the bar bands that he was playing in. And finally made an honest effort with So Much For That but the next album would be the start of things to come, the 1983 classic Town's Edge Rock.
But before Town's Edge Rock and So Much For That, there was The Big Crash Collection, the three albums that showed Smith had raw talent and he had heart and soul but these albums were a big mess and he had a long way to go. But there are spouts of inspiration that begin to appear. But it would take three years before a consistency would take hold. It's not for everybody and even the hardcore would be put off by all the silliness but eventually Smith would find the right music and the right songs to persevere and become a fairly good garage rocker 34 years down the road.
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