Grateful Dead

Repost from 2008...

Now you're thinking I'm nuts, so I will promise you, this is the only Grateful Dead post I will do (EDIT: although now I am reposting it...does that count?).  This is from the Avalon Ballroom 1969, the year I was born.  This post is not as much about the music as it is about how I got a hold of it.  I've already talked about my first day of college in another post and how I met some guys, some of whom are friends over 20 years later.  On day two, Saturday there was several of these new friends hanging out together, Sang J., Alex E., Gage F., Tony D., Will H. and Ricky M.  We were probably just talking and hanging when this hippy guy from New Haven, Connecticut, Jason B., got into the mix.  I can't remember too many stories about Jason except I do remember that he was very down to earth and easy to hang out with.  Anyway he ends up asking all of us if we wanted to dose and everyone agreed that would be a the thing to do on a Saturday afternoon (Gage may not have, but he did go along for the ride).  It's weird how you remember some things and others you don't, but I remember those hits being from a sheet called Poison Apple. I probably did acid more than a hundred times and mushrooms many more than that, but these are the ones I specifically remember.  They had little green apples on them. Apparently they had come from Berkeley, Ca. and then gone all the way to New Haven on the East coast and then come all the way back to the West coast, via Jason and his panel truck, to Arcata, Ca.  That stuff had done more traveling than I had...to this day I've only spent time in Miami and New York to be stuck in their airports, as far as the East coast (EDIT: I have since made the drive from Kansas to North Carolina for my Son's high school graduation).  Anyway about a half hour later we were all feeling it coming on and for Tony and Alex at least, this was their first time tripping.  If you've ever been to Humboldt State you would know that the Eastern edge of the campus is bordered by a Redwood forest called the Community Forest, if my memory serves.  Well somehow as a group, I don't think we were totally peaking yet, we decided to, literally, go get lost in the forest.  We walked for a while, I don't know how long and ended up in a clearing as the sun was getting ready to set.  Jason takes off his back pack (bag of tricks) and proceeds to pull out all kinds of tripping hippy toys.  Beach balls, bubbles, incense, sparklers, weed and so on.  Well we, who barely knew each other 24 hours, had a blast through the sunset and into the evening with these toys.  By the time we decide to head back it was so dark that you could barely see your hand in front of your face.  We all realized that no one knew how to get back to campus and that we were essentially lost.  Of course tripping, no one really cared anyway.  I don't know how long we wandered around in the dark but all of a sudden I saw these shapes in the distance. Again, trippin.  I spoke up and asked, "are you people"?  There was no answer, so I asked again.  This time a guy answered in a disappointed voice and just said "yes".  We walked up and it was a guy and a girl who were probably looking to make out or whatever out in the woods.  Definitely not as noble an act as tripping.  He said it was down around this bend and sure enough we were only about a 200 yards through the woods to campus.  After that we ended up on the men's floor of Redwood Hall, where several of the guys were living.  I don't know in whose room, but we ended up doing some more tripping when Jason popped in this cassette.  I had only heard the Grateful Dead once before, but had always been sure that they sucked.  Well on acid they were just about the coolest thing I had ever heard.  That kind of, everything in the world makes sense, type of music and everything is going to be alright.  We kicked back there listening to this tape over and over till the buzz wore off. I don't really remember much else.  I did manage to get a copy of the tape we were listening to, from Jason and as you would expect it is a tape of a tape of a tape (to the umpteenth generation).  To this day I don't really much like the Grateful Dead when I hear them on the radio, but every once in a long while I can play this recording of this tune.   Of the guys there back in 87, I am still in touch with Sang, Gage and Alex (EDIT: and now Ricky M. and Jason B. thanx to Facebook).  Maybe they can remember more of the story but for now I'll just leave you with this song. EDIT: Here we (I) are (am) 7 years later and I've come a ways since this post was written.  Today on Facebook (wasn't a FB user 7 years ago) a buddy was talking about a Grateful Dead flashback and I remembered this tune and that experience, my response, "My 2nd day of college in 1987, I dropped acid with a bunch of guys. The guy who provided the doses was a Deadhead from New Haven, CT. We went off into the woods and proceeded to have one of the best trips of my life. The Deadhead came fully prepared, a backpack full of trippin' material, beach balls, bubbles, incense, sparklers, etc. When we got back to the dorms, about 4 hours into the trip, Deadhead says he's got some good Dead tapes. Being the stereotypical punk that I thought I was, I was like oh brother, what a great way to ruin a trip, but I kept my mouth shut. He puts on a tape from the Avalon Ballroom 1969 (coincidentally the year of my birth. When the tune Morning Dew cam on I was quite simply amazed and in the deepest sense utterly blown away. What a fucking beautiful, perfectly trip-worthy song. The murkiness and tape hiss of the late generation tape just added to the whole vibe. Still have a dub of that and when I listen to it, I am immediately taken back to that wonderful moment."  I lost all my files on my computer a couple of years ago so this song was no longer in my virtual crate.  Downloaded and listening, I forgot how bad the sound was.  7 years later and I've gotten acquainted with Audacity, so decide to see what I could do about the tape hiss.  It's still pretty murky, but I managed to clean it up a bit.  The 2015 version of a 1969 song, originally posted in 2008 and first heard in 1987...

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7SaC-iHN5I&w=560&h=315]

Freddie T & the People - Gypsy City LP

This time around we've got a little something from the Sick Room Records pallet, in the form of a pretty interestingly soulful group of guys, Feddie T. and the People. Something a little different from my usual fare, which leans towards the angry and uptight, this is music to hang out and have a good time to.  Their Bandcamp tags them as "r&b/soul rock & roll rhythm & blues Indiana"...works for me.  Based on my own limited backround, the heavy use of horns makes me think of ska, but this has more of a 70's vibe ala Earth Wind & Fire without even a hint of disco though...this is more rocking.  The horns are a big selling point for me, there's a latin vibe to them.  The singer kinda reminds me of Brad Nowell of Sublime, their voices don't sound alike, just stylistically, but once again without the heavy use of reggae/ska themes.   The band itself has no weakness unless you consider a soft spot for making you groove.  Here's what the band has to say about themselvesThe music of Freddie T. and The People is, “gritty, bulldog soul†(Rivierfront Times), an upbeat take on rock and classic rhythm and blues. Fred writes songs about working hard at work and at home, as a husband and father. The songs avoid the cliché of the world-weary musician, and rather provide a soundtrack for long summer nights of back yard grilling with friends and loved ones. These are desperate songs with a shout of promise for the future."  I love that last line there.  Overall a pretty rockin record... http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2722696753/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dUAc86xQ8s]

The Underlings - Edgy CD

My old bro and bandmate Ed came through big time with this one...perfect timing as I got the Walking Dead Compendium (issues 1-48 of the comic book) on the same day.  My needs were definitely satisfied.  This, the newest release from Eugene Oregon's The Underlings, as Mork from Ork would say, is THE SHAZBOT!  I listened to it twice in one sitting and could not find a bad moment in it.  It's all over the place with this one, they hardly leave a genre unturned...rock, hard rock, garage, punk, hardcore and maybe even a little power pop.  I had Ed do a little write up for me to give you the band in the band's own words... The Underlings have been operating with the current line-up since late 2006. I met Bryant at work and Dave responded to a craigslist ad I posted for a bass player influenced by Television / Minutmen. Bryant was in a bunch of Seattle-area bands including Hai Karate and the Putters and other bands in Ellensberg before that. Dave was in a hardcore band in Memphis back in the 1980s. I've been in a few bands, including Garden Weasel and my own Ed Cole and the College Girls of Tora Bora, which was a very self-centered songwriter-type band, but I was determined to make a real BAND band when I set about starting the Underlings. I appreciate the steady nature of the Underlings' rhythm section dudes. We seldom miss a gig, we practice weekly most of the time and we try to have a good work ethic about what we do. I envision us punching in every time we play a show. We are in it for music, friends and food. We all dig MC5, New York Dolls, Hendrix, X and the Wipers and 70s rock as well as metal and punk and garage, but we really are not any of those kinds of music - I always think we are just plain old Rock and Roll with Punk leanings. We recorded this album - "Edgy" - on tape at a legendary Portland studio called Smegma. The engineer is Mike Lastra (assisted by Mark Ellsworth). Mike has a long history of recorded music in Portland - many of the best groups ever, such as Poison Idea, Turbonegro and the Need as well as our bros the Pass Out Kings all have recorded there. The picture on the center fold of the CD is of the St. Johns Bridge, which is what we viewed out the window while we were recording. After we recorded and mixed our CD, we played a ton of gigs, saved all of the proceeds and released the CD with no fuss and no official label or BS. I think the funnest thing about making a CD - or any band endeavor - is that it is really fun to actually finish something you start, especially if you are working as a team, and I think that really happened this time around. We intend to keep gigging, even though I recently moved to Portland and the other members live 2 hours away in Eugene. We have upcoming gigs at Slabtown in Portland on June 16 and then we are playing again at  our favorite Eugene bar Luckeys on June 22. We haven't booked any other gigs lately, but stay tuned to Underlingsrockandroll.com for shows and news and shit. If people want to download our music and give us $$$ please check out theunderlings.bandcamp.com . We will soon have our physical CD for sale at cdbaby.com/Artist/TheUnderlings           PEACE. Seriously, if you are some kind of purist and can only handle a genre or two, this is bound to have at least something to satisfy that for you.  I think they've improved upon their previous CD Operational Excellence but I really liked that CD too.  As I said before these guys are no bullshit green amateurs to creating music and there is a sophisticated tightness through out.  They are fucking around or dabbling, this is the real deal, Northwest Rock and Roll.  Go and get this thing, you will not be disappointed.  I had a hard time picking tunes for your sampling pleasure, they are all good in their own way so here's just the first three tunes as they appear on the CD (I'm going to go listen to it again)... Not Like You Speedway Edgy

Disguised As Birds - Black Circles CD EP

Brand spanking new stuff up for review again and this is the fourth release I've done from the almighty Phratry Records.  We share a kinship as we are both midwest outfits, but that's such a vague and broad location, as the north midwest is worlds a part from where I'm at in the mid-midwest.  This time we have a band that goes by the name of Disguised as Birds, a name I really dig, thoughtful and interesting you know what I mean?  It's refreshing to hear a band in the here and now play good old fashioned no bullshit rock and roll.  Not young people regurgitating something from days gone by and not senior citizens trying to recapture a moment 40 years past, this is good clean, fresh rock and roll, without the distraction of things like heavy metal, punk, hardcore, glam or any other sub-genre you can think of.  There's a lot of leeway within that solid rock and roll base, and DBB explore that world quite well with a mixture of harder and softer tunes.  Once again a band that's no stranger to their instruments, they obviously didn't just pick them up the other day.  Phratry hasn't let me down yet.  Here's the press release I got:

DISGUISED AS BIRDS was born in 2004 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their new double EP is the band's fourth release and the thirty-first from Phratry Records (Cincinnati, Ohio). It is available as an 8-song vinyl record with a 10-song download. It features the brand-new "Black Circles" EP as well as a re-release of the 2009 "New Demons" EP. RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Shiner, Jawbox, Fugazi, Thin Lizzy. Although the band possesses a dreamy, shimmering quality, Disguised As Birds have built their sound on a foundation of explosively heavy rock with frequent comparisons to Shiner, Regulator Watts, Jawbox, Shipping News and Juno. And despite their artsy leanings, Disguised As Birds unquestionably has the vibe of a classic rock band. In spirit, if not in incessant riffing, they pack a great deal of soul into every measure of every tune. The band has been touring off and on throughout the MidWest for years. Influenced by all things rock and roll, art, and the often cold and bleak environment in which they live, this is a band that can pummel, sprint and soar. PRESS QUOTES "pledging allegiance to '90s noise rock and post-punk" -- The Onion AV Club "this Milwaukee-based group's sound is aggressive while lyrically introspective; a truly difficult musical feat to master." -- Music Examiner STREAM: http://disguisedasbirds.bandcamp.com MORE INFO AND VIDEO http://phratryrecords.com/bands/detail/disguised_as_birds CONTACT Jerry Dirr, Phratry Records: press@phratryrecords.com PHRATRY RECORDS, LLC P.O. Box 14267 : Cincinnati, Ohio 45250 www.phratryrecords.com : phratry@phratryrecords.com distributed by STICKFIGURE P.O. Box 55462 : Atlanta, GA 30308 www.stickfiguredistro.com : info@stickfiguredistro.com

I'd like to post all the tunes as this thing rocks from beginning to end but that leaves yall without a mystery and some kind of motivation to go out and get this bad boy.  The first song I have up for you, for some reason, upon first listen, the thing that came to mind was the band New Model Army...maybe it's the vocals...(there's even an old U2 vibe on some of the tunes, but if you're not a U2 fan don't let that distract you, give these guys a listen)...

Black Circles Glad Hands

The promo copy I got just has the "Black Circles" EP but you can get that and their "New Demons" EP from 2009. together on one 12"...my favorite tune from that older EP...

Cigarette Ghost

A live tune from a very underpopulated club (what happens around here unless you can play country or 80's rock covers)...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q06mBvdJbms&w=560&h=315]

King Automatic vs. Bud McMuffin 7"

THE SENILITY PRAYER : God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and The eyesight to tell the difference.

Silly mindless facebook games have been occupying my precious time as of late.  I'm so easily hooked on shit.  Nothing mind opening/altering, plain silliness.  I guess there's nothing that says a human being's time has to be occupied by something thought provoking or world changing.  Without that though I have nothing going on in between the synapses to share here.  Oh well no loss, there's always music to reflect on and that speaks for it's self.

This buddy of mine at work (the only far right fundamentalist Christian who isn't a relative, that I call a buddy) was talking about KISS the other day and we were reflecting on having been fans when we were kids.  He mentioned that Paul and Gene had a band together before KISS called Wicked Lester, so of course I had to hunt that down (and I thought I WAS a fan).  Not KISS, as that band was a response to Alice Cooper, the New York Dolls and the like, in an effort to play a little harder and to have a gimmick.  WL is has more of a funky vibe with a definite 60's hippy influence.  Their album has never been released, I suppose at one time because it might taint the KISS image. I got the whole thing at The Metal Missionary, but here's the first track and in my opinion the best... Wicked Lester - What Happens In The Darkness I hate to direct people to other places especially when they're cooler than mine, but I would not be your chum and your pal if I did not recommend that you go and check out this site that an old trippin' buddy of my turned me onto, The Acid Sweat Lodge. Not sure where they get all their pics from but, I'm in awe. Ever heard of this guy, Jandek? I was trippin on old Son House vids... "you know I didn't feel so bad, until the good Lord sun went down. I didn't have a soul, to throw my arms around." ...and I don't know how I ended up with Jandek, something along the lines of someone calling him "avante garde atonal blues", which peaked my interest, so here I am. Trippy stuff, I'm not sure what to make of it, but his story makes good reading. I'm not done exploring yet but this was a pretty good tune off his first album from 1978... Jandek - Show Me the Way, O Lord In the process of hunting down music from Mr. Jandek, a pop up page happened and started showing the first episode of the Jackie Chan Adventures. My son and I used to watch that cartoon...enjoyable. One man band time. Picked up this one for cheap without knowing anything about it. I like those mystery purchases when the music turns out to be enjoyable. Both these guys do the one man band thing which must be popular in France as that is where these guys are from (I think). Kind of a bluesy vibe, definitely rockabilly with a little hipster thrown in (the kind of guys in San Diego who drove 40's and 50's bombers slammed to the ground, whitewalls, a spotlight, chop-topped, painted primer black and where dress, tatted, and side burns, like Mike Ness these days). I dig both of them although I think I favored Bud McMuffin. These guys have style though, something I have always pathetically lacked. King Automatic-Road Crash Fascinating Bud McMuffin-Black Mamba King Automatic-Black Magic Bud McMuffin-Do Anything But Do It Yourself

L7 - Keep Rocking EP (John Peel Sessions 1989)

Anybody else watch Coraje, El Perro Cobarde (Courage, The Cowardly Dog)? Like Mustard Relics, set in NoWhere, Kansas.  Always been a cartoon fan, of course going back to the days when it was all about Looney Tunes and Hannah Barberra.  It wasn't so long ago that I was watching them with my son...it was all about Pokemon at that point.  That cartoon either lost something in the translation or was stupid in Japanese too.  With grandkids now, I'm still watching cartoons, I would anyway, but probably of the more adult variety as opposed to Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer.  One the adult variety that I have on DVD, which is highly recommended, Rob Zombie's The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. If your down to give it a whirl I hunted down the file for it here.  My buddy Davrick has been in the animation world for years and years, and I've always been a fan of his work and really of him as a person too.  His latest project as animatic editor on the TV version of the all around killer Kung Fu Panda.  Be sure and watch that. Had this one ripped for a while because I really wanted to share it's bad-ass-ness, but it got lost in the shuffle as I float through life. I didn't really get that into L7 back when they first came out, friends in college thought they were the shit and got caught up in that sort of hard rock thing (dare I say grunge, although L7 was from LA) circa 1987. Even though I thought of myself as pretty open minded musically at the time, I just didn't get the groove with these ladies.  These days this shit is right up my alley though as I crave a hard rhythmic type of thing over the screaming chaotic mess.  When I ripped this 7", which as stated in the title of this post, and was limited to 500 copies, I had just found and posted this ripper of a tune, L7 - Stick To The Plan So I came to realize that this band was well worth listening to and therefore posting.  This particular record is kinda cool in that it captures some of their earlier stuff in the form of the always cool, live Peel Session form.  Mentioned it a hundred times, but I'll be damned if it isn't cool to hear a live set through a soundboard and the Peel Sessions really capture that.  My favorite tune on here is the first one and I really like the Dead Kennedy's cover, but not one of these four songs stinks.  As Suzi Quatro said, "Rock Hard"...

Scrap Packing the Rod Shove Lynch the Landlord

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx2nYNJKOGg&w=560&h=315]

L7 and Karen Black doing "Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down)" originally done by Sonny and Cher, although Nancy Sinatra's was really good. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI-RB9FDI3Q&w=420&h=315]

The Trip - s/t 7"

I got this record solely because of the in-fuckin-credible artwork...having no idea what was in between the grooves.  Trip out... Mr. World-01 Mr. World-02

Turns out it's an educational record from 1962 that must have come with a globe.  I remember growing with these educational records, in fact that's how I learned we learned our times tables.  What's so cool about this little 7" (I know nobody will bother to listen to the whole thing), is that it really marvels at the world.  No nationalism, no racial pride, just human beings occupying this wonderful planet.  Kind of made me fell good about our situation in life...for a second.  As far as globes, if you click on my little spinning one off to the right, you can see who, from where, is checking out what, here.  At this moment, coincidentally, a person from Mumbai India and a person from Nashville Tennessee, are both checking on Ill Repute.

Speaking of schooling, just rediscovered an old junior high school buddy of mine, Mr. Lee Powers.  Yet another incredible person with a love for music.  On top of being a killer artist he plays in a couple of LA (actually Burbank) bands that are worth mentioning here at the Relics.  Death on the Radio, is this hard rockin' thing fronted by a lady, Bloody Mary Powers, with some serious as fuck vocal chords...a nice breath of fresh air for me.  There's an interview here at youtube. Then there's Friends You Can Kill, an industrial metal conglomeration, that calls to mind the word "compelling".  Again, the vocals take it to the next level, but that doesn't take anything away from the fact that the music is fuckin' rockin'.  There's a whole series of videos from this live set, one of which is here. If you live in the LA area you can catch both these bands gigging all over the place, tell Lee, Justin sent you...it won't entitle you to anything except he might wonder who the fuck Justin is...hahaha Spent several thousand dollars (wait I haven't spent it...I owe it), even with insurance, to find out that I didn't have cancer (yet...but at this point I'm VERY thankful...not quite ready to deal with the inevitable), but I do have the outset of COPD.  Yeah I know I should quit smoking, but between that and coffee it's all I have left of the self indulgent lifestyle (if you don't count record collecting and just generally being a fan boy).  Funny thing is, I'm out of shape, overweight and several other things, but with this diagnosis I feel VERY out of shape.  I could start working out again, but that leaves me feeling VERY out of shape.  Haha...if you haven't noticed yet, I enjoy bitching about the little things, while ignoring the bigger picture. I used to be in the "in", so many years ago, these days I'm just late to the party.  Can't blame that on my most recent situational circumstance...isolation, for a lot of years it was just a drunken stupor. Just discovered this band Sloth (there's at least 6 bands with that name, this is the "sludge" one).  The first track from their first release, 1994's "We Put The Massage in Misogyny" 7"...a little ditty about vengeful necrophilia... Sloth - Sassy Pants Soooo...heavy. This takes me back to my love of the great Saint Vitus.  A couple of years ago I realized there's a whole genre of bands, sludge, stoner, doom. Kind of a gloomy feeling you get a little like that drunken stupor I was talking about, that anticipation, waiting, wondering, "what next". Kind of an uneasy feeling, but as with anything stoned, I guess if you add a little weed, it's probably a more laid back groovy kind of thing. Another record I got just because of the cover...cute and sad at the same time.

Released in 1994 on the label Sympathy for the Record Industry, a label that has released a lot of cool and not so cool shit, and sort of fills the void in between DIY and major record labels.  In other words for bands, with a poppie edginess, that could be big and this band falls into that category.  Did some searching around and could find out nothing about this band, except that the next year they released an album called "Supersonic Roller Coaster".  I kind of like that they are a mystery as I don't want to be posting shit that people have heard before, sort of allowing something lost to see the light of day again.  I was pleasantly surprised by the stunning female vocals on the first track, while the second is a not uninteresting instrumental.  Both tunes follow the same formula bouncing back and forth from mellow strumming to harder driving.  Give The Trip a try, it won't hurt you...

Help Me Capitain Poland's Bolero (in D Minor)

 

Hawkwind - Motorhead b/w Valium Ten 7"

Unfortunately this woman doesn't need some computer nerd's creative manipulation of a video clip, in the form of a GIF, to paint an image of a self serving lunatic, but it's good for a laugh.  I work with adults with developmental disabilities so maybe I shouldn't laugh, but for this lady it's a choice not an unavoidable circumstance. It's a shame for the women (and I guess everyone really) of this country that the women that receive that most attention are Palin, Lady Gaga and Oprah.  Speaks volumes about the state of the nation, but I guess you can get that from the guys at the forefront as well.  For a minute there several years ago it was Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love at the forefront.

Been scratching my head for a few days now trying to think of something to write, but coming up with nothing. It's not like I'm Ernest Hemingway anyway, but this is the thing I do, a chance to speak up from my relative seclusion. Life is just life, it just goes on and on, rarely is there a dull moment. I have some things going on, but believe it or not, in the midst of all the babbling and blathering that goes on around here I do keep some things to myself.  I will say it seems to be a constant struggle of second guessing myself.  Life is so much easier when you don't give a fuck and letting the booze dictate your actions.  Even still very grateful for what I have.

On the last post I put out there a few King Crimson tunes and buddy Brian mentioned a tune that a mutual friend of ours was fascinated with. Kinda one of their "hits" from the 80's or at least much so as a non-pop band could have. King Crimson - Thela Hun Ginjeet and then there's my favorite CC tune... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQrlDzqUCA] Feel like I should add a little segment to these posts, along with a tune, to pay homage to the guys who without their existence so much of what I listen to would have never come to be.  These godfathers could sure make a guitar sing and in my opinion you must listen to them in order to fully appreciate rock and roll (and all it's myriad of sub genre's). >Son House - Country Farm Blues Hawkwind is a relatively new phenomena for me, nobody over the course of my 42 years had the occasion to turn me onto those guys.  Still kind of feeling them out really as they have a shitload of material they've released in their 42 years.  What struck me of course was the Lemmy connection and that they kicked him out of the band after a few years because he was such a loser.  Been after a cheap copy of Hawkwind's "Motorhead" on vinyl for quite a while and recently got this.  Was a little disappointed at first because it wasn't the version I had on mp3 with Lemmy on vocals, but really it's got it's own tasty flavor too.  Turns out there's several versions of the tune. This was released in 1981 and the B-side, which is pretty good hadn't been released anywhere else. Motorhead Valium Ten ...the original "Kings of Speed" b/w "Motorhead" single King of Speed Motorhead ...from Epocheclipse -The Ultimate Best Of Motorhead ...from the Warrior on the Edge of Time lp (same as the single?) Motorhead ...from Live and Rare: Onward Flies the Bird (with the cool motorcycle revving) Motorhead ...from Motorhead's original single Motörhead - Motorhead ...from Motorhead's "Keep Us On The Road live 1977" LP Motörhead - Motörhead ...a couple of covers Poison Idea - Motorhead(I wouldn't expect anything less but PI shreds it) Cockney Rejects - Motorhead ...some other Hawkwind tunes I've recently gotten into, Quark Strangeness And Charm Night Of The Hawks Needle Gun ...and finally, of further interest? Lemmy - Thirsty And Miserable(believable coming from Lemmy) Saint Vitus-Thirsty And Miserable(and to wrap it all up, as insane as Sarah Palin)

Rocket From The Crypt - Plays The Music Machine 5"

Tripouttaniss (haha, love this GIF!)...is the Colbert Report considered liberal media?  Never really looked at media as being left or right wing, as it is it's own beast, selling sensationalism and not concerned with any kind of social responsibility.  I guess these days though with Fox on the right and MSNBC on the left, the news can be a little more black and white.  Fascist and Communist...hahaha. Love the Colbert Report though where anything political is fair game, left or right, and open to being exposed for it's hypocrisy and fallacy.  Actually a fan of satire in general because we can find humor in just about everything we do, although I guess we can find our lives/points of view to be a pathetic travesty as well.  This is a good week for optimism though because a jaded view of humanity can become a burden and it gets boring to listen to someone bitching all the time.  It has warmed up here in the sparsely populated, desolated, isolated, pseudo wasteland that is Northwest Kansas and the snow has all but melted.  The guy I get hay from thinks the worst of winter is over, but of course being the pessimist that I am, I feel like we haven't paid yet for the fact that winter got such a late start.  Life is like that too, when it's been especially hard you look for that light at the end of the tunnel that signals that you crossed over to the other side.  On the other hand when things are going great you've got to be careful and not let your guard down because that's when the shit will hit the fan.  To use an AA cliche, "one day at a time" right?  In case you're a "friend of Bill W." or you're looking to be enlightened/entertained, check this out for 400 AA Slogans! [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZLpZtcMAoU&w=560&h=315] Music imitates life too...I guess people imitate music as well.  Lately I've been "spinning" a lot of garage music.  I don't know too much about the mid 60's garage scene, except that maybe on ebay, when a guy is trying to sell a record and he puts in the description that it's garage, you can count on him adding another $10 to the starting price (same thing if you list it as "Northern Soul").  I suppose as a genre, historically those bands are considered proto-punk and in the late 70's early 80's you see a garage revival thing going on.   First thing I think of is the Cramps, the masters.  My bro Jefe mentioned The Music Machine in the comments on a Troggs post a while back...felt like I should have heard of these guys a long time ago, but I'm no expert and the day you stop learning is the day they may as well cut off your oxygen.  "Dig" Music Machine, have them on the ebay radar, but in the meantime have downloaded everything I can find..their hit, Talk Talk slightly lesser known, but still two killer tunes Trouble Masculine Intuition miraculously that little bit of garage sweetness somehow led to another little diddy, by an equally killer band, The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard be sure to check my buddy Peter's Killed By Death Records you get a punk cover of that one. Go figure that the 60's garage sound was popular and influential in the late 70's, early 80'. Pogue's frontman Shane McGowan's earlier band the Nips (aka Nipple Erectors) had a sock full 60's padlocks to split your head open to.   On a side note,,,Mr. McGowan is proof positive that some can be sloppy shit faced 24/7 drunks for 30+ years and somehow maintain (not me), anyway...'66 garage done in '70 punk rockness, The Nips - All The Time In The World In 1984 the Damned did an album (and a 7") under the name Naz Nomad & the Nightmares, a bunch of covers and a couple of originals that are worth some time for you reckless 60's junkies who know how to dance "the jerk". She Lied (the Bittersweet cover) Action Woman (the Litter cover) So on the Music Machine tip we have Rocket From The Crypt. Saw them play at least once in San Diego (The Casbah), but the memories are hazy as apparently they did not withstand the brain cell genocide associate with being excessively drunk, or maybe they just didn't impress me that much.  Reflecting on that, up to a point I sure had a blast partying, but damn, what's the point of being pass out drunk, you can't even remember if you had a good time.  On the other hand maybe "remembering" isn't all it's cracked up to be.   Saw a hell of a lot of bands over the years, but for the most part I don't remember if they were good, who played with them or even who I was with, sometimes.  Anyway this 5" EP is from 1995 and to be honest with you it's alright, but the originals (up there) just have something more authentic and original, obviously...still cool though.  This is what I've been listening to so...

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AHZCCoKbRA]

Just so you can get a sense of the "real" Rocket from the Crypt (and it's kinda worth it), here's two tunes (originals) from these guys off their first LP "Paint as Fragrance" in 1991... Maybelline [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdO42K36suE]

The Troggs - Wild Thing b/w From Home

EDIT:  This post was (is) jacked after the great Mustard Relics pock eclipse, the move from a rented server to WordPress (it had to be done). I just don't have time to deal with all these jacked posts, but when someone visits one I try to update that to the best of my ability (which is hindered by many factors). Anyway... Wanted to start this off with my bros Jeff and James' band Splinter Cell.  I've posted tunes by them here and there, but I think they deserve mentioning again.  Jeff sent me a few more tunes, but here's everything I've got again.  I think a split 7" with the Underlings would be killer but...  I play the lottery because like everyone else, I too would like to be filthy rich.  Actually all I'd do is some practical things and leave the shiny objects for the fools.  I'd make sure my son Liam was set up for college.  Buy my house and property outright, get it fenced off properly so the horses could have complete and total free range.  And for the sake of guys like these, I'd start my own label, called "No Prophet" and just give the records away.  I'd start off with...Splinter Cell. This tune rocks the fuck out... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4diwfuZRTQ&w=790&h=593]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7v1F616ie8&w=790&h=593]

[gallery ids="4708,4707" type="circle" columns="2"]

Record Store Day fell on April 17th and the Wife and I just happened to be in Salina, Kansas dropping off the Grandaughter with her Dad. If you follow my boring site here chronicling my subjectively boring (I prefer laid back) life, you know that's 150 miles from home and the nearest city that provides me with the opportunity to thumb through records. The pictures there are of that big distributor, manufacturer, retailer and acoustic studio called Acoustic Sounds that I talked about a post or two back. My camera-phone sucks, but on the left are the CD's that go back a ways and on the right is the side with the records, that goes way back and has about 15 foot ceilings. Incredible, but maybe you just have to be there to see what I'm talking about or maybe these days I'm easily impressed by what you city folks take for granted.  Most of the shit is out of my price range and how great are these superior slabs of vinyl going to sound any better than anything else I have on a $50 turntable.  If you're rich (which you probably don't deserve to be) and you love music, you need to go check out what they have in terms of not just music but equipment.  HIGH END SHIT!!!  Go here if you want to see what a $20,000 cartridge for your turntable looks like.  You know if there weren't filthy rich people a lot of people would be out of work.

I know Elliott is not going to find one tune he digs in this post (maybe you too), this one's for him (you), and if you don't like Bone Awl (come jump on the bandwagon now) YOU SUCK, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUU47_bOd8w&w=790&h=593]

Mike over at Strange Reaction (I know I've mentioned this before, but his place is one of my regular haunts), mentioned that in early 80's LA there was this Black Flag/Adam Ant thing going on.  He kindly sent me a scan of the sticker that was being passed around.  I was secretly an Adam Ant fan back in the day.

Heard this on the radio and it's accurate these days, "I don't skinny dip I chunky dunk". Anyone else?

Ran across an Ebay seller the other day who stated that "all my records have been in my collection since purchase". You know except when I've loaned mine out (sketchy practice), ever since I bought them, they have been in my collection.

Speaking of Ebay, lately I've been trying to pick up "classic" stuff, that in my opinion had an influence on punk and just hard music in general.  In doing that I've noticed that any time a seller puts "garage" in the listing, it automatically adds $10 to the asking price.  Everywhere you turn you are confronted by idiots.  So I'm trying to keep everything around a $1 and I've gotten stuff like the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black", the Kinks' "All Day and All...", Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues", and so on.  The Trogg's "Wild Thing" kind of fell into that category for me.  Everybody knows that song I'm sure.  The first time I heard it was Hendrix's Monterey Pop cover of it, this one here is equally as rad... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FehfuJIabqM&w=790&h=593] Something I just found out recently was that the Trogg's version is in itself a cover of a tune that had only been out for 6 months when the covered it.  The original is kind of cool. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rxDOncgSrY&w=790&h=593] The tune has been covered by everybody and his brother, most of which have been pretty lame.  The lamest may be, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPIsv7j4fKQ&w=790&h=593] A close second in lameness, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxGKdiBQDvk&w=790&h=593] Another shitty 80's cover, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_TO-dDPNRE&w=790&h=444] How about a cheezy pop/reggae version (sorry Sister Carol)? [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrBWgJ83b84&w=790&h=593] I'm not too fond of the Boss, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9AiWv6wGw&w=790&h=444] I'm not ashamed and it doesn't make me a rocker to say I like Mr. Petty, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4qjfSLpNNc&w=790&h=632] This version's kind of cartoony trippiness (in a good way) to it, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr4HpC2luKs&w=790&h=593] The best cover after Hendrix's, in my opinion, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEuh93d7e-E&w=790&h=593] The reality though is that the Troggs are the one's who made the song one of those "garage' hits.  They're version, 44 years later still has a sort of a hardness to it.  It's sad because even though the Troggs had some other "hits" besides Wild Thing, they spent three decades trying to recapture that glory. Check it from my beat up old 1966 single. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSWInYFVksg&w=790&h=593] So after all that babbling about Wild Thing, and I bet not one motherfucker listened to a single one of those tunes, if you made it this far, you've made it to the oasis after a long trek through the desert.  It's the B-SIDE of this bad boy that fuckin rocks.  I only do posts about once a week and I figure some time in the next week you can listen to this one tune until next time.  Seriously, do this, as "garage" as it gets, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QB6xjpOhk0&w=790&h=444]

Wanda Jackson

I've been MIA around here lately and I'm sorry about that.  My Grandma died on Friday and the funeral was on Monday so there's been a lot going on.  Not necessarily a sad event as she had been fighting cancer for 8 years with surgeries, almost non-stop chemo, and constant pain.  She said it herself, she was ready to go.  So I've been thinking about what would be a good tribute to her, but most of what I listen to would not be to her liking and would most likely scare, bewilder or anger her.  Johnny Cash was a maybe but I just did two posts on him and really except for the stuff he did in the Highwaymen, I think I've represented him well.  To be honest with you I really don't know what kind of music she liked, whatever old French Canadians born and raised in No Where, Kansas listen to I guess. What I came up with was Wanda Jackson.  The time frame is about right so what the hell, she also just got inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and for the time she was a pretty seriously rockin lady (The Queen of Rockabilly).  I don't know too much about her except for what I've read.  Out of about 30 songs I listened to, there was one that stood out.  Not something I would personally go out and buy, and you guys will probably just skip over it, which is okay too, but I can't deny this lady's place in rock and roll history and definitely her place in the progression of harder and harder music.  I did actually really like this tune how it breaks from the Rockabilly into a country riff. I Gotta Know Edit:  Well Josh a regular visitor and commenter around here, who just always seems to add great suggestions for other tunes related to a particular post, came through big time.  He mentioned Funnel Of Love with the Cramps backing up Wanda Jackson and then took it one step further and sent me the tune.  Just perfect with that Cramps vibe, check it out. Funnel Of Love (featuring the Cramps) Also I found a tune that is something traditional my Grandma may have listened to.  Even though it is Cajun it's still Acadian.  This tune was in the movie Southern Comfort (1981), if anyone remembers that great movie. Balfa Brothers - Parlez Nous Borie (Let's Talk About Drinking) Sweet Crude - Parlez-Nous à Boire Sarah Savoy and the Francadians - Parlez Nous a Boire

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzysRahEXs&w=560&h=315]

The Underlings - Operational Excellence cd

  My bro Ed sent me his bands new(ish) CD the other day and I was pretty stoked. Definately much more mainstream than anything we ever did with Garden Weasel but that doesn't mean it doesn't rock. I know it's a bad word but indie rock is the first thing that comes to mind, but these guys are no music virgins trying to make it big with some pop record. This is solid rock and roll with a lot of influences and a wide variety of tunes. There's a sort of medium intensity review over at another blog, Fire Drills, that compares them to early Cheap Trick. I don't know too much about Cheap Trick except that our classic rock station plays that live version of "I Want You To Want Me" way too much. The first tune on here immediately got stuck in my head, which to me means it's a damn good catchy tune, but I'm psychotic enough that sometimes getting things stuck in my head is not a good thing. I like all the tunes on here, all but two were written by Ed and actually the two tunes written by the bass player almost lean into a melodic punky hardcore thing.  I've known Ed for over 20 years now and one thing that has always been clear is his love of music and it shows on this record.  For the first time ever I got a chance to hear his "nice" voice, which translates to some really soulful singing. So what I may be saying with this is that I may be a little biased and you in fact may have a totally different impression, which is okay. I got the okay from Ed to post this because as he said they will probably never sell out of it (maybe you will dude) and this is just a good way to get it out there at least to the 5 or 6 who read and listen at MR.  You can get this for yourself at their label Daily Records.  Enjoy. Born In A Boxcar Pure Genius Abandoned Baby, Please Runnin' From The Cops Victim (I Only Wanna Be A) Waiting For The Bomb Plastic-Coated Fairy Getaway Shake

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5pgfQU586Q&hl=en&fs=1]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoAqSd2_P6o&hl=en&fs=1]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3DMde9OewQ&hl=en&fs=1]

Nazareth - Hair Of The Dog

  The old lady woke me up at 6am this morning to a little surprise.  We only got about 2 inches but first thing this morning in the dark, it was blowing around pretty hard and you could hardly see.  I gave her a ride to work because I don't like her driving when it's shitty out and I'm being nice to her because our anniversary is tomorrow.  ;-)  I was so tired that I couldn't understand why the head lights weren't working on the car (covered in snow and ice).  With the wind it's butt cold.  Well Kim mentioned something about Nazareth's Hair Of The Dog, prompting Brian to request more cowbell, which Jeff thought was pretty funny, so here we are.  Definately a classic but not one they play on our local classic rock station enough.  In case you don't know what hair of the dog is, it's a drink the next day to help the hangover.  It actually works quite well.  I'll tell you when I made that a regular practice it was the beginning of the end for me as an alcoholic.  When you start drinking in the morning it's easy to go from being a functional alcoholic to just a plain old drunk.  When it got really bad for me I knew which liquor stores were open early and how far I had to walk or drive (or ride my bike after my truck was stolen).  Airpalne bottles, pints, fifths, multiple fifths a day, all day.  Certainly a low point in the loserdom I called my life and one I hope yall never have to suffer through.  Dig the song though. Hair Of The Dog Hair Of The Dog (single version) Hair Of The Dog (extended version) Hair Of The Dog (Live 2002) Hair Of The Dog (live 2007) Okay now you've heard Nazareth do it all kinds of ways, let's see who else can do it. Guns n Roses - Hair Of The Dog Warrant - Hair Of The Dog Britney Fox - Hair Of The Dog This one's my favorite version featuring Paul Di'Anno (Iron Maiden) on vocals. Michael Schenker's Heavy Hitters - Hair Of The Dog This version kills me, I can't tell if these guys are serious or not, either way it's pretty funny. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnGbMJitmQA&w=425&h=344] This one's just kinda cute. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md7jnCfdZiI&w=425&h=344]

The Runaways - S/T Lp

Another one of those curious moments where I'd heard a lot about a band but never actually took the time to give them a listen.  Every once in a while the old lady and I watch those Top 100 things on VH1 and whenever they talk about Joan Jett or Lita Ford they mention these ladies.  The internet being what it is, it was easy to aquire some (actually all) of their stuff to satisfy that curiosity and I'm always up for something different.  Of course along with listening to the music I had to read this first.  If you read all of that then you know more than I do because I forgot most of it in a relatively short period of time.  It's been pretty quiet around here and I'm not feeling too motivated so I'm having a hard time coming up with something to say.  Let's keep it simple, it's pretty obvious from the sound of these ladies and definately their haircuts that this is some late 70's stuff.  Punky hard rock.  Somehow they pull it off in a way that no one else does.  The fat guitar sound especially on the live album really does it for me.  Actually everyone rocks in this band.  Still though, I'm not sure if it's as good as later Joan Jett stuff (I was never a Lita Ford fan), but what do I know.  So far the tune Gettin' Hot off the live album is my favorite.  Okay I'm done, listen to the music or not. Cherry Bomb You Drive Me Wild Is It Day Or Night Thunder Rock And Roll Lovers American Nights Blackmail Secrets Dead End Justice Queens Of Noise California Paradise All Right You Guys Wild Thing Gettin’ Hot Rock-N-Roll You Drive Me Wild Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are Cherry Bomb American Nights C’mon

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfXh1kDGodU&w=790&h=593]

The Velvet Underground & Nico

  Another one of those curious moments made me go and search out this one.  Always heard about these guys and how influencial they were so I gave it a go.   As always this was enlightening.  So listening to it, and all I could think was, heroin music.  Damn I can taste it right now.  I know I've listened to these guys before but I just never paid any attention and they probably never made much of an impact.  These days I'm curious, less close minded and willing to give anything a chance.  Mood music might be another way to describe it but no matter what I think they were obviously important.  I guess in that sense they had to end up being a Mustard Relic although a very recent one.  To get more of this kind of jingle jangle junkie rock check one of my previous posts and favorites in Sparklehorse.  I actually like Sparklehorse a bit better but what does my opinion count for?  It's weird how music can be associated with moods, feelings, and even states of mind.  This one is kind of hippy maybe in time but also kind of has that beatnik place going on.  You guys have all probably heard this before but in any case here it is. Sunday Morning I’m Waiting For The Man Femme Fatale Venus In Furs Run Run Run All Tomorrow’s Parties Heroin There She Goes Again I’ll Be Your Mirror The Black Angel’s Death Song European Son

 

Just for the hell of it here is an early thing from Reed and Cale called the Primitives that I stole from here. The Ostritch Sneaky Pete

 

Hawkwind - Epocheclipse

Taco night at the farm (NDN tacos that is, I forgot to lay out the key ingredient...fry fucking bread), I can't wait til summer when I can make my own salsa fresh from the garden.  I had plans to post some vinyl tonight but that didn't work out, but I'm feeling like a short one after that epic 200th post.  Thanx for the awesome comments guys. Another one of those curious moments came to me the other day and I guess for a long time I've been curious about the band Hawkwind.  All I knew was that this was the band Lemmy was in before he started Motorhead, but of course there is so much more to the story than that.  You can read all about that at my usual source Wikipedia.  Okay now that you've read that (hahahaaha, you know as much as I fucking do.  It was interesting why Lemmy left the band and I didn't realize that he was only in the band for a short time.  Pretty epic band in their own right and I guess, if you're in the know,important to the history of rock and roll.  This is a sort of best of thing I've got going for you and to be honest with you I'm not sure what to make of it.  Maybe it will require a few more listens to really get into it and actually maybe someone who is more familiar with the band can recommend some other tunes.  I did really like the tune "Motorhead", maybe because it seemed like some sort of long lost version of a tune I'm already very familiar with.  Do yourself a favor and at least listen to that tune.  If it doesn't grab you that's okay because I've already posted the all time best that Lemmy had to offer in No Sleep Til Hammersmith.  Let me know what you think. Silver Machine Master Of The Universe Urban Guerilla Sonic Attack Psychedelic Warlords Assault & Battery Motorhead Back On The Streets Quark Strangeness And Charm 25 Years Motorway City Angels Of Death Night Of The Hawks Needlegun Right To Decide Alien I Am Love In Space Silver Machine EDIT: Oh well no server anymore and the copyright police would get me anyway...god damned MP3 collectors anyway...I've sold my soul to the capitalist whore, that is fucking Youtube...totally random Hawkwind greatness... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhWArBhPWu0&w=560&h=315]

I've got an orgone accumulator And it makes me feel greater I'll see you sometime later When I'm through with my accumulator

It's no social integrator It's a one man isolator It's a back brain stimulator It's a cerebral vibrator Of orgones It's made out of orgones

Energy stimulators Just turn your eyeballs into craters But an orgone accumulator Is a superman creator

It's no social integrator It's a one man isolator It's a back brain stimulator A cerebral vibrator Of orgones Of orgones Orgones

I've got an orgone accumulator And it makes me feel greater I will see you sometime later When I'm through with my accumulator

It's no social integrator It's a one man isolator It's a back brain stimulator A cerebral vibrator Of orgones Of orgones Of orgones It's all gone It's all gone It's orgones It's orgones

Stooges / MC5 - 07/18/70, Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.

A rockin New Year on the new farm deserves a rockin post.  It's taken me a little while to get this first post of the New Year, but I haven't been so busy that I wasn't wishing you guys the best the New Year may have to offer you.  Once again I'm not feeling like posting something I already have ripped from vinyl and to be honest I haven't had the time to look around to rip something post worthy.  This one took about a month and a half to download in a torrent, so in some kind of dorky computer pirate kind of way I felt I earned it, but when I got it I was a little disappointed.  The sound quality even at lossless was not that great, but being a piece of history it is definately post worthy.  What had originally happened was that I started to record one of my Blue Cheer records and was extremely bummed when in the first minute it had a terrible skip.  Now my records have been through a lot with me and even though they haven't been treated like priceless works of art, I have kept them in their sleeves with plastic covers.  Do they just spontaneously develop skips and scratches?  Anyway, I was on a mission to post some of that early edgy stuff that paved the way for the punk and hardcore that was yet to come.  My first thought was the Stooges and like Blue Cheer I may post them yet, but I have already run across some incredible Stooges stuff like my bro Jason had here, http://loresviscera.blogspot.com/2008/11/stooges.html .  The next band that came to mind was MC5, which is a band I know very little about and haven't heard a lot music from, so they seemed ripe for a little personal exploration.  Basically everything I know about them is from the tiny bit of word of mouth that I can remember, a few rock documentaries and of course http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC5.  Seeing them live from all accounts must have been something else.  According to this incredible Stooges database, http://goto.glocalnet.net/igged/Stooges%20Playlist.htm , the Stooges and MC5 played together quite a bit, along with some other bands that deserve some exploration as well.  Anyway I could go on and on, when you all can read for yourselves so just give the music a listen. Stooges Loose Down On The Street 1970 Fun House L.A. Blues MC5 Ramblin’ Rose Tonight Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa (Rocket Reducer No. 62) Looking At You I Want You Right Now Black To Comm

Tyrannosaurus Rex - Peel Sessions

Cold as a... (insert appropriate metaphor or simile here).  I know, not as cold as other places visitors may come from, but with the wind chill it is plenty cold enough for me.  Still staying in the old house until the 1st and we're limping along on barely any propane until tomorrow when the guy comes to fill up.  So although there is some relief coming in from the cold it seems like it is just to get out of the wind into a somewhat milder coldness.  Tough weekend all the way around, the stuff country songs are made of.  The power steering pump is leaking on my truck and the auto parts store wasn't open, the hoses and faucets were frozen so I had to use buckets to get the horses water and one of my dogs disappeared for 24 hours only to be found with another man in his truck.  Getting everything sorted out though, feeling like I need to spread the joy of music and wish everyone a good holiday.

 As you guys know I've been playing with other sources of music, so I thought I would check out something I had heard of, but never actually heard.  Expect these now and again.  Tyrannosaurus Rex or T. Rex as they came to be called were a total mystery to me and in fact I thought it refered to a person who played music and not a band.  If they're music has been played for me, I don't remember it, but I do remember being told they were influential.  Rather than go to one of my fellow bloggers for info and music, I decided to have a go of it alone, so I could do my own post.  I found something sufficiently rare and not officially released in a torrrent and then went to my usual reference here, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T.Rex_(band)&oldid=258506543 .  I'm not going to regurgitate all of that but I will say it was a very interesting article and by all accounts an important band.  The orignal duo were Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrin Took and you can find more stuff about them here, http://www.marcbolan.net/  and here, http://www.steve-took.co.uk/ .  Apparently the band was really popular on the John Peel show, which is where these recordings are from.  I'm not sure if Steve Took is on this recording as according to Wikipedia, "By 1969 there was a clear rift between the two halves of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Bolan and his girlfriend June Child (ex-girlfriend of Syd Barrett) were living a quiet life, while Took had fully embraced the anti-commercial/community spirited/drug-taking ethos of the UK Underground scene centred around Ladbroke Grove. Took was also attracted to the most anarchistic elements, such as Mick Farren/Deviants and members of the Pink Fairies Rock 'n' Roll and Drinking Club."  Took was replaced by Mickey Finn who some considered inferior to Took.  My first thoughts on T. Rex was they sound like a mix between Syd Barret and Tiny Tim, which to me is cool as I dig both those guys, especially Syd.  If you read the wikipedia article though, this was an early incarnation and the band moved on to bigger and better things.  Maybe I'll do a post on that later early glam stuff another time.  The way I got these files was as two big files without being seperated into tracks and with talking in between songs.  I went ahead and seperated, editted and labelled the songs, but after each set you can get them in their original form and at a higher bit rate.  This was kind of a fun process getting this to you so let me know what you think Set One 01/04/70

 

Hot Rod Mama Deborah Pavillions Of Sun Dove By The Light Of The Magical Moon Elemental Child The Wizard Set Two 12/10/70

 

Deborah Woodland Bop Ride A White Swan Jewel

Van Halen

Before thoughts start running through your heads, I need to say that I am NOT a Van Halen fan.  In fact if I was to start a list of rock stars that I hate, David Lee Roth would be a good starting point.  Not to put you down at all if you are a fan, in fact I make a conscious effort NOT to put anyone down for their musical taste.  Damn, if you are a music lover of any kind, you have something good going for you.  I can not stress that enough.  I think I've mentioned it before, that when I was a kid living in a shitty part of L.A. during the late 70's there were two brothers who were friends of mine living in the apartment downstairs.  One was a big time Led Zeppelin fan and the other had picked out Van Halen as his favorite.  They used to fight over who was a better guitar player, Jimmy Page or Eddie Van Halen.  I'm not much of an expert on that but what I would always say was that Jimi Hendrix was better than both.  Now one of the tunes I have for you here is the only tune that I really like by Van Halen, Atomic Punk.  There's something about the tune going way back to those childhood years that made it a standout among the various rock tunes being played back then.  Maybe kind of stupid if I really stopped to think about it but I try not to do that too much.  It popped in my head recently when I heard it on the classic rock radio station that I've talked about the old lady and I listening to around these parts.  KFIX, "the Fix".  They play too much Van Halen in my opinion, which brings me to the other tune I've included for you.  They play the song Eruption followed, as it is on the album, by the Kinks' You Really Got Me all the time.  Now the song Eruption brings back memories for me too.  When I moved to Burbank in 81' we lived across the street from this stoner park, Monterrey, that I've mentioned before.  There was this guy who was constantly on acid or something equally mind altering that would bring his Pig Nose amp along with a guitar and would rock out tunes all the time.  His favorite thing to play apparently was Eruption.  Maybe you guys have memories attatched to those songs as well (or not).  Here they are. Atomic Punk Eruption

 

 Just for fun I wanted to see if I could find live versions of the tunes for you.  Just goes to show you can find just about anything these days on the internet.  I found the Atomic Punks Bootleg here, http://vivalesbootlegs.blogspot.com/ , which has mostly mainstream stuff, but is a pretty good resource for bootlegs.  Funny thing is that the S/T Van Halen album was released in 1978 and this bootleg was from 1977.  Maybe not funny at all, but here's those live versions for you. Atomic Punk (live) Eruption (live)

 

AC/DC

 When you say we're going "bye bye" they go nuts.  Interesting going 70 mph down the highway with both of them sitting in your lap.  Looking down the driveway from the front yard of the pad we'll be getting in January.  Pretty solid driveway and road so it doesn't look like it's going to get too hairy during heavy snow and rain.  Things I never thought about living in the city.  The house and the garage.  The house is fairly new but my family has some history on this property.  My great grandfather was born here and his dad homesteaded it back in the mid 1800's.  Where we're going to keep the horses about a hundred feet from the front door.  It looks pretty dry out there because it's gotten cold with winter upon us but it will green up real nice in the spring.  Kim's new ACDC tat.  The picture from my less than perfect camera doesn't do it justice becuase it did turn out really nice.  She's been after me to do another ACDC post so here we go.  It's been almost a year (tomorrow) that I've been doing this blog so it's about time to repeat myself (like I haven't done that already).  I did a very minimalistic ACDC post for my 50th post so I thought I would do something a little more substancial this time.  I've gotten a lot more of their stuff since that time and they just came out with a new album.  The new one is pretty good and actually a lot better than their last few releases, but most people are die hard Bon Scott fans and probably won't give this much of a chance.  Oh well, there's a ton of music out there and nobody is going to like everything.  My personal favorite is Back In Black anyway.  I remember when I was a kid, I was told ACDC stood for Anti Christ Devils Children.  Did anyone else get told that?  KISS was Knights In Satan's Service, right?  Well I've got several selections for you guys to cruise through so let's get to the music.  These are Kim's favorites, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Stiff Upper Lip Thunderstruck from the new album Black Ice, War Machine Money Made from the Peel Session 06-21-76, but I can't remember where I got them, High Voltage Live Wire

 

pretty sure I got these, In Memorium, from Erich over at http://www.goodbadmusic.com/ , Let There Be Rock T.N.T. live stuff from 10-16-79, forgot who the uploader was, Highway To Hell Sin City pretty rude of me not to know where I got these from.  I guess it shows that on top of uploading stuff from my personal collection fro you listening pleasure, I do download as well.  Fully involved in the music if you know what I mean.  This stuff is from 11-02-79, just turned 29 years old, Walk All Over You Shot Down In Flames We have this Donnington show on DVD and it really is amazing.  Impressive when a band acheives stadium status although I much prefer the closeness of small clubs.

 

EDIT:  These guys fucking suck!