Velvet Underground 1970 (In Color!)

Someone on the Velvet Forum posted these pictures of Lou Reed, taken at Max's Kansas City, NYC.  Nobody is sure of either the photographer or the exact date.  Any ideas?

American Trash

Ya know, it's always good to be proud of who you are and acknowledge where you came from.  However, I don't understand why some people choose to be proud of being third class.  No honor, no integrity, just sort of an "I was born in shit and I live in shit and I'm proud" attitude.  I've met rednecks with that attitude as well as ghetto thugs - they're different sides of the same coin.

Well, why are you proud?  Shouldn't you wanna better yourself?  Shouldn't you want to get out there and show the world what you're capable of?  Imagine if Muhammad Ali would have said, "I'm a poor negro from Kentucky and that's what I'm gonna stay!"  Or if Steve Jobs would have stayed put and not try to change the world...

Well, in America we have the "redneck," which stereotypically is someone who is uneducated, not very bright, lives in a trailer, doesn't care for blacks or Mexicans, and drinks a lot of beer.  Every country has their own "redneck," I suppose.

That said, rednecks have a history of makin' good music, and Rebel Son is right here singin' the praises of bein' a redneck.  Like it or hate it, you better respect it! 

Night Out In London (11/2010)

On my first night staying in London, my friend Gavin met me at the hotel - the Kensington Hilton - and we went out for an evening of food and drink.  Here's the tube receipt from our trip out.

"Teen Idol" Version of Steven Patrick Morrissey

Much thanks to Flax and Aly for letting everyone know these pics are up on ePay and removing the watermarks!

DKT-MC5 & Primal Scream - "Black To Comm" Box Set!

Photo lovingly taken from the Monkey-Picks blog - VISIT HIM!

Well, much thinks to Michigan-based Retro Kimmer and Easy Action label monarch Carlton for this 2CD/1DVD set of unadulterated Rock & Roll.  

First I'll give ya the details from the Easy Action website:

The complete performances by two of the world’s best and most renowned rock n roll bands captured on film using a 5 camera shoot and ‘surround sound’ performing in front of one audience. Shows like this rarely happen in rock n roll history but we caught this one and this is the documentative evidence of one the most explosive rock n roll gigs to be seen in decades!

Over two and a half hours of none stop premiere rock n roll

The legendary MC5 Davis Kramer Thompson played their final ever show in July 2011with the Stooges this being the only show they have done since this concert. Primal Scream have their profile higher now than it has been for ten years with the re issue and world tour of their seminal album “Screamadelica”!

The set list is pulsating with classic rock tracks such as ‘ Ramblin’ Rose’, ‘ Kick out the Jams’, ‘Looking at You’ , ‘Movin on up’ , ‘Accelerator’ , ‘Rocks’ ‘Sister Anne’, ‘Shoot Speed Kill Light ‘ and the encore sees BOTH bands on stage together for half an hour with guest and former MC5 manager John Sinclair. Handling lead vocals for the MC5 on this night was William Duvall ( Alice in Chains)

The Special package includes a 2xCD set of the complete show, plus a substantial booklet featuring photos from the concert and extensive liner notes by Primal Scream confidante Kris Needs including interviews with Bobby Gillespie and Mike Davis. This will also be housed in a de luxe package of 3 gatefold card sleeves with the booklet inside a specially designed box

The cover artwork is a painting by the late and very great and hugely missed MC5 bassist Mike Davis based on a sketch that was done whilst on the road in the sixties then redone exclusively for this release.

Massive Attack organized the 2008 Meltdown Festival and was able to bring Primal Scream (huge MC5-heads) and the Davis/Kramer/Thompson version of the 5 (DKT/MC5), who both put on blistering sets, culminating in a final 4 songs with both bands playing each others' songs together.  Sure, Kramer's voice is a bit tired, but his guitar sure ain't!  And how do you replace Rob Tyner?  Well, you don't...but you do get Alice In Chains singer William DuVall who does a fine job.  Actually, he sounds like Tyner with a little less vocal range.  He puts everything he has into the performance and by the time the show is over (as evident on the DVD) he is completely spent.

A worthwhile purchase!  Go to Easy Action and check it out:  http://www.easyaction.co.uk/index.php/artists/category/32-primal-scream

Today's Vinyl Purchase: Bow Wow Wow - "I Want Candy"

Ah, it was 25% off day at Blue Groove Soundz and I decided to drag my boys out there so I could check the inventory.  I'll say this:  Next time I go it will be when the wife can watch the kids...I was ready to strangle both of them!  I even said to the woman working the register, "I remember when I could just look at albums quietly for hours on end...(sigh)."  Well, I am promising myself I will make that happen a lot more, sooner than later.

Anyways, I grabbed this tasty 80s platter for just a few bucks.  In yet another slimy move by master Svengali Malcolm McLaren, three members of Adam & The Ants were convinced to leave Adam and form a new band, and the girl found to front this band was 14-year old sexpot (!!) Annabella Lwin.  Unsurprisingly, "I Want Candy" (their only hit here in the US) sounds exactly like A&TA did at the time, specifically the rhythm section.

And compare that to an Adam & The Ants track:

Becoming Johnny Ramone (via NYmag.com)

Becoming Johnny Ramone

By Johnny Ramone, From His Posthumous Autobiography (as posted on NYTimes.com)

For all my success with the Ramones, I carried around fury and intensity during my career. I had an image, and that image was anger. I was the one who was always scowling, downcast. I tried to make sure I looked like that when I was getting my picture taken. 

When I was younger, I was ready to go off at any time. My wife, Linda, and I would go out to the Limelight in New York, and I would see people and be able to freeze them with a look. People were even too scared of me to tell me that people were scared of me. 

I never felt out of control. It was just the way I lived my life. I was the neighborhood bully. I even beat up Joey, our singer, one time, before we were in the band. He was late to meet me—so I punched him. I was 21; he was 19. We were meeting up to go to a movie. There was no excuse for being late.

Tommy, Dee Dee, and I would go out to the clubs, which is really how the band got started. We were all friends. We had the same musical tastes, and we liked to get dressed up. Those were in the glitter days.

We lived in Forest Hills, and my parents were working class all the way. My father was from Brooklyn, he had three brothers, and they were all tough guys. They’d sit around our kitchen table and drink and talk about things like construction work and baseball. So, with all that macho stuff, they weren’t all that happy when I started to get really into music.

Tommy, Dee Dee, and I would go hang out at this place on Bleecker Street called Nobody’s. One night, the New York Dolls were hanging out there. They were already a band, but I hadn’t seen them yet. I pointed to Johnny Thunders and told Tommy that he looked cool. Tommy said that the band was terrible. But I knew, looking at him, that there was something there. To me, it’s always been about the look. 

Tommy really wanted us to form a band, and he would be manager, and it would be this primitive thing. I’d say, “Oh that’s ridiculous, I want to be normal.” But he kept bugging me, and finally it turned into “Oh, now I have to actually do it?” 

I wasn’t a rock star, but I liked to dress well. I was six feet tall and weighed about 150 pounds, so I could wear a lot of things. I didn’t spend a lot of money on clothes, but would always find stuff I thought was cool. I would get my clothes made at Granny Takes a Trip. I would have them make me velvet suits; I wore snakeskin shoes, chiffon shirts. I was working a construction job, and my life was putting on my jean jacket and going to work with all these union tough guys, then going home, changing into whatever clothes I was into at the time and driving into the city to see a show. 

I went through phases. In high school, I always looked toward Brian Jones to see what he was wearing and then tried to find the closest thing. I thought he was one of the best dressers in rock and roll. Corduroy pants and corduroy shoes and striped shirts and striped T-shirts. There was a two-year period where I would wear jean jackets with no shirt, jeans, a tie-dyed headband, and a tie-dyed scarf around my waist. I always wanted to be the best-dressed person anywhere I went...

[This blog entry was posted using the NY Magazine's "share this with friends" function.  The full article can be viewed by clicking the link at the top of this entry.]

VH1's 100 Greatest 80s Songs

I gotta say that having come of age in the 80s, in retrospect most mainstream music was pure shit.  This VH1 collection absolutely proves it.  Sure, there are a few golden nuggets, but by and large (probably 80 out of the 100) are garbage tunes that haven't aged well - at all.  Don't get me wrong, some of those crap tunes have a special place in my heart and can ignite a certain degree of sentimentality (Toni Basil's "Mickey" is a good example), but honestly - is it a great song that has aged well?  No.  For every "Welcome To The Jungle," there are about 8 "Only In My Dreams," by Debbie Gibson.

And since VH1 picked the tunes, if it didn't get airplay on MTV back in the day, it wasn't gonna make the list.  No Smiths?  You got that right - American MTV promoted fashion over creativity and innovation (and good music) and us Americans have been suffering for it ever since.  Cyndi Lauper or Culture Club, anyone?

DOWNLOAD HERE in 128 kbps

This Lady Takes Her Deodorant SERIOUSLY

My god, this lady is so concerned she may invade your private space with body odor that she uses a deodorant that magically senses when you MOVE and then it activates its anti-stank molecules!  Thank god Charlene put this up on YouTube.  Umm...dont your armpits sweat constantly - when you are moving or not - unless you walk around with your pits exposed and your arms up in the air?  Why am I even commenting on this crap?  Sorry I wasted your time.

John Bonham Is Alive, But Plays With A Shit Band

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.  Bonham is now playing in a shit cover-band.


 

Scott Morgan Benefit Show on 14 April

Scott Morgan (The Rationals, Sonic's Rendezvous Band) Is Ailing

Respect - and healing energy - for Scott Morgan

Scott Morgan from the Ann Arbor band The Rationals, in 1993. (Detroit News archive)

We were sorry to hear that our friend Scott Morgan , one of the finest blue-eyed soul singers to come out of Detroit, is battling liver disease and ascitis. To help with medical costs, Scotty's many friends and fans are coming together for a Saturday, April 14 benefit, "Sing a Song for Scotty," at the 1477 Grill (formerly Mario's) in Troy. Performers include Gorevettes Amy Gore and Nikki Corvette , Frijid Pink , Gary Quackenbush of the SRC and a Howling Diablos jam session including Detroit's best and brightest. Emceeing the evening will be WCSX's Doug Podell and Steve Kostan . "I read Doug's email (about the benefit) and I hopped right on it," said Frijid Pink's Rick Stevers , who played on many bills with Morgan. "We're going to learn one of his old songs and play it at the benefit, hoping he'll feel well enough to come up and sing it with us."

 

Morgan, who like Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, and soul singer Deon Jackson, came out of Ann Arbor's Pioneer High, produced many fine nationally-released singles with his group the Rationals , including a Cameo Parkway-released cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" (released in 1966, a year before Aretha Franklin 's version) evincing a garage band sound, and soulful ballads such as "I Need You."

There's a $10 cover charge at the 1477 Grill, located at 1477 John R (just below 15 Mile), or donate directly by going to Scott Morgan Music.

By Susan Whitall and Chuck Bennett, The Detroit News

Meme Of The Day: Musical Youth

Bootleg Time: Kings Of Leon - 9:30 Club, Washington DC (2005)

Before KoL were an emo band, they were a helluva Indie/Southern Rock band.  This was the second KoL show I went to - the first was as the opener for the headlining Strokes - and they continued to impress me with their alt/indie approach to foot-stomping hard Southern Rock.  Sadly, I have since refused to see them again - not out of an immature "they changed!" sense of betrayal - but they simply don't make music I enjoy anymore.  

My wife is in love with this band and drooled from the balcony front row the entire time.  I hope you dig this as much as we did! 

The opening act was the Secret Machines, and that was the LOUDEST concert I have ever heard!!  That show is still available at www.NPR.org, so you should go and grab it if you are into 'em!

I captured this 65kbps stream as an .aiff file, so don't expect high quality.  What you CAN expect is the only known recording of this show in circulation.

I have also included the front cover-art, some pics from that night, and a scan of the ticket stub.  Additionally, I have included NPR's 23-minute interview.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

01 NPR intro
02 Molly's Chambers
03 Taper Jean Girl
04 Pistol of Fire
05 Wasted Time
06 Razz
07 Bucket
08 Soft
09 Milk
10 Rememo
11 4 Kicks
12 Velvet Snow
13 King of the Rodeo
14 Where Nobody Knows
15 California Waiting
16 Spiral Staircase
17 Happy Alone
18 Trani
-----
19 NPR break for encore
-----
20 Holy Roller Novocaine
21 Head to Toe
22 Slow Night, So Long
23 NPR outro

Petition: A Proper Release For the Unearthed "Sheila Take A Bow"

By way of...

and...

In January 1987 the Smiths recorded what was to prove their final
session with longtime producer John Porter, a rousing and sparkling take
on their hit single "Sheila Take A Bow".  The version recorded with
Porter is one of the greatest showcases of Johnny Marr's guitar genius.  For reasons only known to the band, they then scrapped the Porter
recording and redid the track from scratch with producer Stephen Street,
resulting in the version known and loved by millions.

In 2010, an astounding set of unknown Smiths sessions was unearthed and
saw dissemination through fan websites and at least one bootleg physical
release.   Among these tracks was the long-thought-destroyed Porter
recording of "Sheila Take A Bow", in true studio and official release-ready quality.

You can stream this version over at Soundcloud.

It is our belief that, with the general renewed interest in the Smiths
of late, and the expected back catalog reissues in the pipeline, this
version of "Sheila Take A Bow" would make a fantastic and exciting
single if released as such by Rhino / Warner Bros.   Backed with at least
one of the other rare tracks unearthed in 2010, this would be a release
for the ages.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!

Syl Sylvain Does New York Dolls Radio Podcast!

I just discovered this (give it a few seconds to load).  Looks like Syl is creating his own Dolls podcast.  Here is the description for this one:  

Sylvain Sylvain dj's & kicks off this first broadcast that promises to be a killer set of New York Dolls songs, featuring musicians now & then that played in the band.  Tunes in this set: Personality Crisis, St. Valentine's day massacre show (15 February 1974), Trash, Cauze I Sez So (live BBC), Private World, and more...

My Old Crap: Best. Heater. Ever.

After working at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for a while, I met this chick from one of the departments named Rachel.  I needed a roommate to share the rent and she seemed pretty stable, so she moved in.  Well, this chick was anything but stable.

She was sort of a hippie and liked to dance around the house topless.  Not bad, ya say?  Well, I wouldn't touch this chick with YOUR 10' pole!  She had a crush on this guy in the museum's geology department who was cheating on his wife with hookers.  Let me repeat that:  Crush on married guy who screwed hookers.  She was a frickin' nutcase.

After a couple months she jumped ship and moved in with him, only to move out of HIS place a little while later.  When she bolted from my place, she left THIS space heater, which could heat a 12 story building in about five minutes - without making any noise.  After about 14 years, I think it is time to part ways with it.  Thanks for the mammaries, Rachel.

Meme Of The Day: Karate Kyle

Super Morrissey Bros.

Holy shit - fantastic way to waste your time!