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Top 10 Albums 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 03:32:00 +0000

1. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
2. Blonde Redhead - 23
3. Interpol - Our Love to Admire
4. The National - Boxer
5. Radiohead - In Rainbows (CD 1 + 2)
6. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
7. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
8. Black Francis - Bluefinger
9. The Good, the Bad & the Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Queen
10. Deerhunter - Cryptograms/ Fluorescent Grey EP

Mixtape this time in T

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:19:00 +0000

Talking Heads - Life During Wartime

Tapes 'n Tapes - Insistor

Teardrop Explodes - Passionate Friend

Teenage Fanclub - Sparky's Dream

The Thermals - No Cultural Icons

They Might be Giants - Ana Ng

Tom Waits - Whistlin' Past the Graveyard

Townes Van Zandt - No Lonesome Tune

Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric

TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me

Television - Venus

Turbonegro - All My Friends Are Dead

Enjoy.....

Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:44:00 +0000

Head over to the movie review section to read my review of the Ian Curtis biopic 'Control'. Its great and to celebrate I've uploaded the relatively rare Joy Division complete Peel sessions. For both the download and the review clickhere.

Another mix tape, this time in 'D'....

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:27:00 +0000

Been really busy of late so apologies for lack of attention. To tie things over here's another mixtape, this time with acts starting with 'D'. Though it may appear that I've stopped writing for this blog I haven't, new pieces will be up soon. They include a celebratory piece on the reformation of My Bloody Valentine and a similarly themed observance of the Died Pretty reformation. They will be performing their classic 'Doughboy Hollow' album as part of the Australian 'Don't Look Back' shows throughout Australia in January.
Anyway for now enjoy the Ds....

The Damned - Smash it Up

Dandy Warhols - Heroin is so Passe

David Bowie - Quicksand - Demo version, a bonus track on the CD of Hunky Dory.

David McComb & Adam Peters - Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On

De La Soul - Eye Know

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 3 - The Crane Wife is a wonderful (if not a little disturbing) Japanese traditional tale. A naive illustration of the story can be found here.

DEVO - Uncontrollable Urge - a very rare live version recorded at Brisbane's Livid Festival in 1997

Died Pretty - Blue Sky Day

Dinosaur Jr - Almost Ready

Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man

The Drones - Jezebel

Dusty Springfield - Son of a Preacher Man

Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles

And finally the hilariously bad first single from Dee Dee King's (nee Ramone) ill fated hiphop career. Dee Dee himself later admitted its awful, though very funny.

DeeDee King - Funky Man

A mixtape in S

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 06:42:00 +0000

To follow a bunch of random songs from acts whose name begins with "S". I seem to have a disproportionate amount of "S" acts so picking these was a little difficult. Is it just me or there or are there a lot of "S" bands out there?
Anyway enjoy......

Screamfeeder - Wrote you off

The Saints - Private Affair

Smudge - Don't want to be Grant McLennan

Sebadoh - Skull

Secret Machines - Nowhere Again

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Hong Kong Garden

Sleater Kinney - I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

Sly and the Family Stone - Everyday People

The Shins - Kissing the Lipless

Sonic Youth - Youth against Facism

Special aka - Free Nelson Mandella

Stiff Little Fingers - Tin Soldiers

Straightjacket Fits -Sparkle that Shines

The Stranglers - Nuclear Device

Squeeze - Up the Junction

Suede - Animal Nitrate

Swervedriver - Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn

Spoon - Rhthm & Soul

Sunnyboys - Happyman

Follow up on Oink.....

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 10:02:00 +0000

Sorry have been really slack of late bunch of stuff going on.....

Just a quick post following up on Luke's comments below about the demise of Oink. I share his sentiments (though with a more family friendly adjoining image!!) its terribly sad that Oink has folded, I'm sure it won't be long till an alternative springs up (The Pirate Bay people are starting up a new site called 'Boink' though at this stage I know none of the details).

Record companies are the major losers in the digital age. I have little sympathy for them, they had the opportunity years ago to restructure their outdated business model, but they chose instead to chase after kids downloading in their bedrooms. Of course it would be easier to sand bag a Tsunami. Arrogance, complacency and stupidity were the catalyst for their downfall.
If your told that bands are suffering financially don't believe it. It makes a mockery of the Lars Ulrich (Metallica) led musician coailition of a few years back. These over paid rock stars leading the charge to sue downloaders was a gluttonous, embarrassing sham which highlighted the participants lack of understanding of the business they are in. It was greed pure and simple and did none of their reputations or their fan's support any favours. They may be losing revenue from record sales but the increased exposure their output is recieveing has other equally (or greater) rewarding consequences. Placement opportunities for the music is now immense. Seminal American act DEVO recently were given millions to record a song for a Dell computers ad, this despite not putting out a new record for over 15 years. As a consequence of the ad they were offered a new deal with interscope but knocked it back as 'pointless'. Radiohead released 'In Rainbows' to the 'net with a donation box as the payment method. Sources have reported that they had over a million downloads in the first 3 days with the average donation being four pounds. Retail in the UK is about 8 pounds and after the record company, retail, distributors etc have put their hands out there is no way the band would of collected 4 pounds. Radiohead are not a great example however, they are one of the biggest bands on the planet and have a fiercely loyal fan base and though the experiment should be commended it was always likely to succeed. Further they have just announced they have signed a deal with XL to release the CD version of the record. A curious development, one I'm sure retailers are applauding, I would of thought a purer spirit of independence would of seen them do some sort of mailout service.

Of course band income is not limited to extra publishing opportunities. The largest and most demonstrable benefit to bands is the strength of live music and the subsequent extra revenue. Obviously peoples access to the music is now at a an unthinkable level from just 10 years ago. I've been working in live music for almost 20 years and crowd numbers bands are enjoying now is like nothing I've seen. In fact its probably twice as strong now then it was 10 years ago. Club shows are now selling out with ease, bands who previously would of played clubs have graduated to theatres, theatre acts to halls or exhibition centres and bands who would of played halls are now playing arenas...it really is staggering. Simply, the old excuse when a band comes to your town 'I've never heard of them' or 'I don't know there music' is now superfulous as their music is a click away. (or at least streamed via myspace). On a more obvious level the more people that hear your music the more people that will enjoy your music and wish to see it live. Further the old economic chestnut of supply and demand has allowed acts to increase ticket prices disproportionalty to other sectors vying for the entertainment dollar, far outstripping the normal market CPI rate. Of course merchandising sales, will also benefit from increased exposure. Don't discount the financial benefits of successful merch. In all its guises its lucrative. We may see more and more knew lines of merch. (Maybe my Ramones lunchbox will finally have a companion!)

So I suppose the million dollar question is where to for the multinational record companies. As shown with their attacks on Oink they are still chasing the long dissipated genie, embarrassingly trying to replug the bottle. A significant clue of the rest of their long term stratergy had emerged in the UK over the last few months. Universal Music, have tried to diversify their operations. They have identified live music as a growth sector (geniuses!). They recently purchased one of the more significant live music agencies in England and are currently in negotiations to purchase a relatively large festival. This at least shows they are trying to think out of the box however their actions could have sinister outcomes. How will a company that has worked in recorded music for 50 years approach the live medium.....more then likely with the unscrupulous, monopolistic attitude that they have created an empire on. In practical terms what this means is that record companies will still sign bands, but rather then just signing them for recording they'll also be after control of their live schedule, the merchandise and even management, effectively creating a monopoly over an acts career. One of the benefits of having a team of people involved is varied input by a group of people whose personal success is linked to the acts so there is tangible motivation to have the act work. Personally I think it will only work in the realms of the top 40 chart fodder acts, all but the most insipid of acts will diversify their management structure and maintain a true sense of independence afforded to them with the help of technology. Getting signed to a label was the dream of millions of bands slogging it away in their parents garage, in times gone by it should of been. Record companies offered money to record, an established distribution, contacts in media that helped in getting your record played. I never really got the cry of 'they've sold out' when bands signed to a major, to me it was subversive for cool bands to be signed to a major, my favourite band reaching a much wider audience all from inside the belly of the corporate beast. I was generally delighted that a band I was into found success (Presuming they didn't drastically change to make it happen). Signing in the future under the model I proposed seems not only pointless but detrimental. Live music isn't dominated by big companies in many cases its small(er) business who get into music because they are passionate. If the multi nationals attempt a move into live music they'll be successful to a degree but with many festivals and live agents they will find strong resistance. When you build something from the ground, risking your meagre resources and brain cells to create successful business you become staunchly protective about its survival. Also for an act who have been with such an agency loyalty is major factor. Despite opinions to the contrary the rock business is generally a loyal endeavour. Based on this I doubt the multi national has the street smarts to compete in live music.
The rest of what is offered on a contract of the future looks equally irrelevant. Recording is no longer the enormous expense it once was, technology has advanced so much that many are now preferring the home studio option and recording to their PC's hard drive. The record company offer distribution into retail etc however their established network is a far cry from the internets efficiency to do the same thing. Record companies offer a promtional team and campaign another role the digital age offers an alternative to. The Arctic Monkeys are the poster kids for the new way of approaching publicity and promotion. From nowhere they launched an International career using predominately myspace and other net based promotions. A few years ago promoters wanting their events to be cool talked of a 'street' campaign to promote their event, now this grass roots promotion has been trumped by the incredible power of myspace, facebook, youtube etc.

The future looks bleak for the multi national record company and the blame is theirs. Their inability to reinvigorate the business model and themselves has proved their great undoing. Of course an idea maybe hatched that re-ignites them but if this is to occur they have to give up on trying to kill the internet. The opportunity to take a leading role in the the way music and the internet co-existed has well and truly past. The incredible amounts of energy and money they are blowing on this farce needs to be redirected immediately into a plan for tomorrow. There is no doubt that music fans owe the big companies a lot, they've been instrumental in introducing us to great music, I doubt that music fans of the future will echo such an utterance.

Vale OINK!

Come Back Little Piggy!

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 01:37:00 +0000

With the demise of the greatest music download site in the world over the last week my life has fallen into utter turmoil. OiNK was not just a fantastic download/upload site it also ensured excellent quality and a strict ratio that ensured everybody shared. The quality(nothing less than 192kbps) was exceptional which has been highlighted by Radiohead's latest release, In Rainbows. Radiohead have tried to move with the times and release their latest album online for a voluntary fee but stupidly released it at an inferior quality so as to ensure that the obsessed listener buys the better quality CD. Dickheads - if you're going to do it do it properly and don't piss people off. I waited while the download took what seemed like hours - at OiNK a 70MB album could download in less than 2 minutes - only to receive a crackly piece of poo. FUCK OFF! Don't insult me like that and I'm sure there are many listeners out there of the same ilk.

I have being buying music since I was 8 years old(I'm now 41) and I have experienced many music revolutions but none has affected me like this latest gambit on behalf of the major labels. Sure OiNK was technically illegal but so was taping music when I was a kid. So was taping movies from the TV. So was listening to bootlegs. It goes on and on. The new music I heard through OiNK was exponential. I would travel through complete catalogues of bands and then buy those I really loved. I have bought hundreds of CDs because of OiNK as I like to feel and look at something when I'm listening but never again. I WILL NEVER BUY A CD AGAIN. I WILL NEVER PAY FOR A DOWNLOAD AGAIN. I will only buy CDs or pay for downloads when I know the money is going directly to the musicians. Music is primarily for listening and those who wish to continue to manipulate the system so as to make a squillion have had their day. I encourage everybody to do the same so the major labels have their teeth extracted by us, their consumers. We are the frontline of music distribution and therefore, we have control and like OiNK it will only work if we do it together.

Read this excellent article to get a more detailed grip on this farce: The Future of Music

Bit of fun even though I'm very pissed off:The Beatles - Piggies

Radiohead's Latest.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 01:10:00 +0000

Radiohead have returned with their first album in four years. They have produced their finest work since .... See the rest in our Record Review Section.

Sunday Morning in B….

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 02:22:00 +0000

It’s Sunday morning, feeling very sensitive. Australia got booted out of the Rugby World Cup and I had a few to many ‘drowning my sorrows’ ales. So here’s a mix of Sunday Morning hungover tunes….I didn’t get any further then the letter B on my itunes so all the songs are from acts starting with B…enjoy.

Band of Horses - The Funeral

The Bats - Smoking her Wings

Belle & Sebastian - The Model

Billy Bragg and Wilco - Way over Yonder in the Minor Key

Bob Dylan - One more cup of Coffee

Bill Withers - Ain't no Sunshine

Bob Mould - Heartbreak a Stranger

Brian Eno - On Some faraway Beach

Bright Eyes - First Day of my Life

Box Tops - The Letter

Buffalo Springfield - For What its Worth

Buffalo Tom - Tail lights Fade

Got It Covered - The Top 40 Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:46:00 +0000

For every great cover there's 20 awful ones. What exactly it is that makes a great cover is hard to say. If it improves or reinterprets the original it's a good start. The cover is often scoffed at but as I realised while assembling this list there are a lot of great covers out there. I originally wanted a list of 20, but I kept remembering more until reducing it to 40 was a real challenge. Putting the songs in order was difficult and in many cases it was close enough is good enough. The criteria was more about how the song worked as a cover, rather then the songs artistic merit.
All songs are available for direct download.

40. Nico - The End : Nico's take on the Doors epic.

39. Camper Van Beethoven - Pictures of Matchstick Men : Great version of Status Quo's first hit.

38. Oasis - Cum on Feel the Noize : The brothers Gallagher's fun take on Slade's mid 70s monster.

37. Soft Cell – Tainted Love : Originally recorded by Englishwomen Gloria Jones in '64. Its been many times including four times before Soft Cell (including the Blue Oyster Cult)

36. Camera Obscura - Super Trouper : A particularly melancholy reinterpretation of the ABBA hit. Tracyanne Campbell's vocals are as beautiful of any women in music today.

35. David Bowie - Sorrow : Originally recorded in 1962 by Indiana band the The McCoys. In '66 UK band The Merseybeat had an Englsih top 5 hit with it.

34. John Lennon - Stand By Me : Originally written by Jon King in 1961. He wrote it for the Drifters but when they passed on it he released it himself. Its been covered many times since (including Otis Redding, U2, Marvin Gaye, Green Day, Isley Brothers, Sam Cooke and the Fugees). Lennon's version was released on his covers album 'Rock'n'Roll'. If any readers are unaware of the dramas Lennon had with Phil Spector while recording this its worth the research!

33. Pixies - Winterlong : Neil Young's Winterlong from 1977s triple album Decade gets the Pixies treatment

32. Urge Overkill - Girl You'll be a Women Soon : Neil Diamond's 1967 hit. Recorded by Urge for the Pulp Fiction soundtrack

31. Lemonheads - Different Drum : Written by Mike Nesmith, it was first recorded in 1967 by the Stone Poneys, Linda Ronstadt on lead vocals.It was her first hit.

30. The Rolling Stones - Route 66 : Originally recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946. The Stones rework appeared on their debut record - The Rolling Stones.

29. White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself: Burt Bacharach classic, most famously recorded by Dusty Springfield.

28. Sonic Youth - Superstar : Oddly to some (myself included) the original version of this song was not the Carpenters, it was actually recorded a few times before that. The Sonic Youth take on it is in keeping with the Carpenters version. Thurston's vocal pushing the songs original theme, a tale of groupies.

27. Shonen Knife - Top of the World : Japan's wonderful all girl, power-pop trio redo The Carpenters.

26. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence : Siouxsie Sioux's dramatic goth pop take of John Lennon's classic.

25. Husker Du - Eight Miles High : The Huskers awesome punk rock rework of the Byrds classic.

24. Aztec Camera - Jump : Aztec Camera recorded their version of Van Hanlen's Jump in 1994. A radical reinterpretation, V.H's version makes you want to jump in air, Roddy Frame's jump off a cliff.

23. Futureheads - Hounds of Love : The futureheads amazing re working of Kate Bush.

22. Gary Jules - Mad World : Gary Jule's transformed Tear's for Fears early 80s new romantic hit into an emotive ballad. Recorded for the Donnie Darko soundtrack.

21. Johnny Cash & Joe Strummer - Redemption Song : a moving rework of Bob Marleys reggae classic. Interestingly both Joe and Mr. Cash had recorded versions of this individually before doing it together

20. Ryan Adams - Wonderwall : Ryan Adams introduces a level of emotion not evident in Oasis's original. Noel Gallagher a fan of Adam's version, has since performed the song live in keeping with Ryan Adam's cover.

19. Talking Heads - Take me to the River : Talking Heads rework the Al Green classic. It first appeared on More Songs About Buildings and Food, but it became a hit for the Talking Heads after appearing in 1983 concert film, Stop Making Sense.

18. The Specials - A Message to You Rudy : Originally by Jamaican Reggae/Ska pioneer Dandy Livingstone. On release by The Specials it became an instant ska classic.

17. Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane : Canada's Cowboy Junkies, redo the Velvets classic. A beautiful version

16. Patti Smith - Gloria : Patti Smith's cover of Van Morrison. A great version of an oft covered song.

15. Butthole Surfers - Hurdy Gurdy Man : San Antonio's bent rocker's reinvent the Donovan's hit. Awesome!

14. The Clash – Police And Thieves : The Clash's classic version appears on their eponymous debut. It was originally released by Jamaican reggae performer Junior Murvin who wrote it with legendary Jamaican producer Lee Scratch Perry.

13. The Cramps - Goo Goo Muck : I often forget just how much I love the Cramps. Here they take an obscure 60s garage song by Ronnie Cook & The Gaylads and for all intensive purposes make it there own.

12. DEVO - Satisfaction : A DEVOlved cover from Akrons finest spuds. A brilliantly bent version of the Stones' classic.

11. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - In the Ghetto : In the Ghetto was written by Mac Davis for Elvis in 1969. Nick Cave's version was recorded during the From here to Eternity sessions. Its a lot darker and more sinister version of what was a bleak song to start with.

10. The Fall - Victoria : Ah, Mark.E.Smith, the worlds most lovable miserable git. Here he gives The Kinks Victoria The Fall treatment with spectacular results. A superb version.

9. Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes : The song was written and originally recorded by Carl Perkins. It was the first thing Elvis recorded in 1965 after having his Sun contract bought out by RCA. Perkin's version was released only a short time before the Kings and was actually considerably more successful. As with most of Elvis' songs it oozes cool.

8. Dirty Old Town - The Pogues : This Pogues classic was original recorded by the Dubliners in the 1950s. Weirdly considering the two acts who had the most success with it was written by a Scotsmen, Ewan MacColl.

7. Nirvana - Man Who Sold the World : Bowies early classic gets the Kurt treatment. Nirvana recorded it for the MTV unplugged show. Its not dramatically different to the original showing that a dramatic reinterpretation isn't always necessary to create a great cover.

6. Aretha Franklin - Respect : Written and recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. He had moderate success with it. Aretha Franklin's huge voice made the track a world wide no.1 hit in 1967. Its now one of Aretha's signature tracks, R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

5. Johnny Cash - Hurt : Mr.Cash pulls out all the stops on this wonderful re work of the Nine Inch Nails song. Its said that when Trent Reznor first heard it he was in the studio and was so moved that he couldn't continue with the days session. Mark Romanak's video is perhaps the best ever made

4. John Cale - Hallelujah : People often talk of Jeff Buckley's version of the this Leonard Cohen classic. They obviously haven't heard John Cale's take on it. Its without doubt the definitive version.

3. This Mortal Coil - Song to the Siren : An amazing take on Tim Buckley's song. Cocteau Twin's Elizabeth Fraser's vocals deliver an ethereal and haunting interpretation.

2. I Heard it Through the Grapevine was originally penned by Motown staff writers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and was first recorded in 1967 by Gladys Knight and the pips. It's been covered dozens of times, three of which share the no.2 spot on my countdown. A great example of how individual acts can stamp their own style on a cover.
a) I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye : Recorded in 1967 Marvin Gaye's version was a number one hit. A beautiful smooth, soul take.
b) I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Creedance Clearwater Revival : Creedance's version is an 11 minute psychedelic rock epic. Vastly different from previous takes its a classic.
c) I Heard it Through the Grapevine - The Slits : The Slits were an all girl UK post punk band. Their version of Grapevine was dub heavy punk rock interpretation. Once again it was far removed from the previous recorded takes.

1. Jimi Hendrix - All along the Watchtower : I've never been a great fan of Hendrix but to me this is the most startling cover of them all. It shows the cover can make a strong artistic claim. Bob Dylan originally recorded it on 1967s John Wesley Harding. Dylan's version is typical of the time with acoustic guitar and harmonica solos playing off a lyric full of biblical and apocalyptic references. Hendrix replaces the harmonica with intense guitar solos and even wah wah interludes. Its force brings more venom to the song and adds an almost demonic overture to Dylan's lyrics. Dylan said on hearing it that it was a far superior version to his own. Dylan's own live versions of the track are now a lot closer to Jimi's then his original version.

Came close but no cigar songs :

The Flying Burrito Bros - Wild Horses, Youssou N'Dour - Chimes Of Freedom, Dead Kennedy's - Viva Las Vegas, The Sports - All the Tired Horses, The Clash - I Fought the Law, The Stranglers - Walk on By, The Beat - The Tears of a Clown, Jim Reid - (I'm) Stradard. A lot of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes tracks which I chose to ignore as picking one was to difficult

A few videos of some of the tracks...

Camera Obscura - Super Trouper. Live in Berlin

The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love

DEVO - Satisfaction - Live on Saturday Night Live, 1978.

Movie Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:12:00 +0000

Movie Review Section.....

Today we are going to start including a few movie reviews. Its not my intention to do a lot of movie reviews, only ones that are deemed relevant. Today its 'Joe Strummer : The Future Is Unwritten'.The link to the movie page is
here
Enjoy

New York I Love Ya But Your Freakin' Me Out...part 2.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:41:00 +0000

Continues from Part 1 below.....

Disco was the punks arch nemesis, it was despised by the alternate crowd as much as it was loved by the club culture. Disco genesis was 60s soul and motown, the sound was urbanised and moved inside the New York and Philadelphia clubs. I don't pretend to me an expert on all things Disco but the little I know backs up NYC role in its development. Giorgio Moroder the influential Italian producer had been working an early form of disco in the early 70s creating a buzz in the European club scene. His development of the genre didn't reach full potential until he begun working with American acts, most notable NY native Donna Summer. From 1974 she had a run of Moroder produced hits : 'Love To Love You Baby', 'I Feel Love' and 'MacArthur Park' to name a few. Perhaps NYC's most overt influence was John Travolta's 'Saturday Night Fever', a film designed to showcase the disco culture. Set in New York and featuring music by the Bee Gee's 'Saturday Night Fever' solidified disco as a cultural phenomena. Though in its self a significant movement perhaps discos most important legacy is its roll in the rise of the 'D-J' and the club culture that mirrored the DJs rise. Suddenly the the DJ was no longer an anonymous face behind the console. The DJ now became a bonifide star, an attraction in his own right, drawing huge audiences to each 'performance' and demanding large salaries. Their rise also heralded the dawn of the super club, massive clubs with huge sound and light systems. Perhaps the most famous was Manhattan's 'Studio 54'. Made possible by disco's popularity Studio 54 had a capacity of 5000 people. It was one of forerunners in the super club phenomena that still dominates club culture today. Without disco one would doubt that the impetus would of existed for the explosion of house and techno in the 80s and 90s. Its influence of hiphop was significant also.

Hip Hop developed into music genre in New York in the mid to late 1970s. It began by taking the percussion beat out of disco tunes and mixing that sound with Jamaican rhythms. Finishing the sound is an MC who raps over the top. Lyrically it rarely strays from discussing the plight of African American issues and lifestyle. Gil Scott-Heron a New York based poet who started recording in 1971 is often credited as being one of the pioneers of hip hop. His jazz fuelled beats are the perfect foil for his politically charged spoken word. 'The Revolution will not be Televised' is perhaps his best known piece. Many say that fellow New Yorkers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were in fact the first true exponents of hip hop with their 1981 song 'The Message'. Hip Hop by its nature is fiercely urban, what better breeding ground could there be then the worlds leading metropolis. During the 80s hip hop developed and then flourished in NYC, a great many of the genres greatest names residing there. Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys were some of earlier players. All these acts were signed to Rick Rubin's incredibly influential Def Jam Records. Rubin was a significant player in getting the music heard. Eventually hip hop metamorphosed to the west coast leading to the infamous clashes between the rival coast.

Commercially the 1980s was a vacuous musical time, big production and even bigger hair dominated. As is often the case the alternate scene rallied against the mundane and in contrast to the mainstream was socially and artistically buoyant. Across the US scenes developed everywhere. Minor Threat and Bad Brains (Washington), The Replacements & Husker Du (Minneapolis), The Minutemen (San Pedro), Dead Kennedys (San Francisco), REM (Athens Georgia), Black Flag (LA) and the Pixies (Boston) were some active acts in the 1980s. In New York City Sonic Youth lead the charge. Formed in 1981 Sonic Youth were originally exponents of the no wave genre, drawing influence from a diverse collection of artist including, The Stooges, the Velvets and Patti Smith through to Krautrock and the more avante garde work of John Cale. Sonic Youth's staying power and influence has proved immense. Musically the influence of their guitar driven angsty rock is everywhere. Perhaps nowhere more prominently displayed them in the grunge movement of the early 1990s.

More then a musical influence Sonic Youth have developed an almost religious persona amongst the American alternate rock scene. As survivors and role models to the the new 'youth' coming through they have proved invaluable. Thurston Moore especially is renowned for his advice and generosity of time. This is beautifully highlighted in 'The Year that Punk Broke' a Moore created doco showing the Sonics on tour through Europe with Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr, Babes in Toyland, Mudhoney and others. Through the film and beyond it its obvious the respect which the younger acts hold Thurston and his fellow sonics. Conversely a very real solicitude radiates from Moore, especially towards Kurt Cobain. Cobain spoke often about the influence Sonic Youth had on him both musically and personally. Sonic Youth are a great band, their records (Daydream Nation especially) are some of the best ever recorded but their influence is an equally significant part of their legacy.

The late 90s wasn't a great time for lovers of guitar music. Electronic music was the vogue. Big Beat, Drum and Bass, Trip Hop, Jungle and other variations were the popular sound of the day, with acts such as the Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim and The Crystal Method some of its most popular exponents. Further what seemed to pass for rock'n'roll during this time was the nauseating rap/metal sounds of Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Guitar music needed a scene to develop to re establish its position. It should be of little surprise that that movement developed in NYC. The Strokes released their debut album 'Is this It' in 2001, with a level of hype unseen for a significant time. I recall a line from the Melbourne Age review claiming that "the Strokes have been sent to save Rock'n'Roll". The Strokes write clever songs with a strong garage influence. Rock was interesting again. As is often the way a scene developed around them. The Walkmen, TV on the Radio, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, We Are Scientists and The Bravery are some of the prominent NYC indie rock acts playing today.

Dance music is not my strongest suite, much of it I find soulless and unsatisfying. There are exceptions a significant one is my final case study on New York. Electro Punk is the title given to the sound of LCD Soundsystem. 'LCD' is the vehicle employed by James Murphy. Murphy is a former drummer in New York guitar bands and a comedy writer who once turned down a job writing for Seinfeld as he didn't think it would be successful. Although vocally his 'borrowing' of the Mark.E.Smith delivery can become unnerving, LCD Soundsystem are one of the more interesting acts performing today. Vital records with interesting structure and intelligent, witty lyrics as well as being a dynamic live act. The title of these two articles "New York I Love Ya But Your Freakin' Me Out" is a line from the final song on LCD's 2nd album 'Sound of Silver'. Murphy is also one of the directors of DFA records a record company specialising in like minded acts. Probably the most significant of these (other then LCD) is fellow New Yorkers 'The Rapture' who along with LCD Soundsystem are the leading lights of the genre.

It may not be a complete theory but none the less I believe its a compelling arguement to justify New York's place at the head of the table in relation to musical influence over the last centuary. I started the article by saying its hard to imagine contemporary music without NYC, writing the two pieces has only enhanced the original synopsis, I hope you agree.

To downlaod : Sonic Youth's Goo, LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver and for direct download Gil Scott Heron's 7" masterpiece The Revolution will not be Televised. Also some videos of the acts discussed in this piece....enjoy!

Sonic Youth's Goo

LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver

Gil Scott Heron's The Revolution will not be Televised (4meg)

A Saturday Night Fever Medley

Sonic Youth's amazing video for Teenage Riot

The fantastic clip for Interpol's Evil

LCD Soundsystem live on Letterman - North American Scum

New Review

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:42:00 +0000

The Pixies frontman, Black Francis has released a new album. Check out what we think in the Record Review Section.

New York I Love Ya But Your Freakin' Me Out...part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 10:15:00 +0000

Its hard to imagine contemporary music without New York City. Its seems that the big apple has trail blazed just about every musical innovation in modern music. A strong argument can be made that a healthy New York scene is imperative for contemporary music to flourish. From the early days of Jazz, through to the Greenwich Village Folk clubs, the CBGBs punk rock scene, disco, rap and hip hop to later day Indie rock have all found, if not their origins, then their leading lights in NYC. The image of New York City as the most vibrant city in the world has proved irresistible to the culturally aware and curious.

The origins of Jazz can be traced to the late 1800s in America's south, particularly New Orleans and Louisiana. In its purest form it combines traditional African and European sounds. During the first 1/4 of the 20th century it grew into a legitimate and influential movement. It was not until the 1930s that it started to fracture into its various sub genres. The Big Band sound, BeBop and Swing are a few exaplmes. Jazz had reached New York and through a combination of New York natives and migrants it flourished.The swing sound was the first to prosper. Swing is generally characterised by a strong rhythm section, usually double bass and it has a distinctive more upbeat style then traditional jazz. Almost all of the major exponents of swing lived in NYC. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Artie Shaw, Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Chick Webb (to name a few) all spent the vast majority of their working lives in New York.

The frenetic improv that is BeBop also can trace its roots to New York. All the major players, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Bud Powell all worked out of New York. Miles Davis and John Coltrane the genre busting exponents of modal jazz also spent most of the careers in New York. The hauntingly beautiful Jazz vocals of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald spent their careers as New Yorkers.
The genesis of Jazz may belong to the south but it took NYC for it to explore its diversity and reach its potential

The concept of New York being the precursor to all things music is not a complete theory and a resounding exception to the rule is the birth of Rhythm and Blues and ultimately Rock'n'Roll. The Blues was almost exclusively a creation of the black underclass of the south. Early bluesman like Robert Johnson (Mississippi), Blind Blake (Florida) and Blind Willie Johnson (Texas) never ventured far from their birth place. When the white folk got involved in the mid '50s they to were predominately from the Southern States. Elvis (Tennessee) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Louisiana) are but two examples. However it shouldn't be forgotten that Jazz (especially BeBop) played a significant role in the formation of the Rhythm and Blues sound. Further there is a theory that rock'n'roll lineage can in fact be traced back to 1850s at the notorious 5 point slum district in Manhattan. It's said that it was the first time that African rhythms were fused with European melodies, specifically those associated with the Irish Jig.

The 1950s were dominated by the explosion of Rock'n'Roll. Elvis, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley to name a few erupted into the worlds consciousness. NYC was a bit player in the paroxysm, its under belly was moving in a very different direction.
Greenwich Village had for some time been known as the avant-garde capital of the US but it was the emergence of the 'beat' scene in the 50s that solidified its reputation. 'Bohemians' from America wide converged on the Village. Some of the most important contemporary writers in America traded their wares in the village. Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, Alan Ginsberg, William Burroughs, E. E. Cummings, Neal Cassady, Diane di Prima amongst others became known as the 'beat poets'. Coffee houses became performance spaces and the bars became the nightly venue for debate and parley. The Village scene was not limited to poets it was also the centre of the bourgeoning folk scene attracting many of the genres most important protagonist. Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Tim Hardin and Dave Van Ronk were a few of the growing scene. As in the tradition of American folk they spoke of the times, highlighting the issues pertinent to their environments. As a culture movement the Village Beats of the 50s was truly significant, their cultural legacy is still strong today but for many their most lasting legacy was the magnetism that drew the 1960s generation to the Village.
Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan were amongst the early 60s wave. Of these Dylan was the most significant. I've written more on Bob Dylan then anyone would care to read over the course of this blog but the Greenwich Village scene was a vital piece of what followed in the 60s and Bob was its leading light. Its almost impossible to truly qualify his musical, social and political relevance. Without Dylan's early landmark songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" (1962), "Masters of War" (1963), "Talking World War III Blues" (1963), "Only a Pawn in Their Game" (1963), "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (1964) would the 60s still have galvanised as they did. They were anthemic speaking of the times. Were they prophetic rallying cries motivating people to the cause or were they simply a portrait of the world that already existed. Certainly the themes of which he spoke were not at the mass protest point at the time of recording them. That this question can even be posed is testament to his lyrical power. Musically his influence is equally contentious. Would the Beatles have progressed from "I want to hold your hand" or would the Beach Boys have remained at "Surfin' USA". As I said its impossible to properly qualify this, its undeniable the influence was immense and that 60s would of been at least somewhat different without his recorded output.
In fact the entire Village scene was vital in creating the 60s, Dylan migrated there to meet his idols and once there adopted their philosophy for mass consumption.
Later 60s New York certainly benefited, Leonard Cohen, Tim Buckley, Peter, Paul and Mary, Joni Mitchell and Simon and Garfunkel were just some of the acts.

Jimi Hendrix was another immensely influential musician who lived his creative life in NYC. Without Hendrix would we of got Sabbath and Led Zeppelin? Without those two acts would we have heavy metal today?

Of course New York also produced Andy Warhol's factory scene. The Velvet Underground were its musical stars. They are probably the most oft acknowledge band in the world. Never has a band been so influential and sold so few albums. In a time of LSD and flower power they wore leather and wrote songs of heroin, bondage and despair. A direct link between the Velvets and the mid 70s CBGBs scene is easily exposed (all be it via the Stooges in a few cases). Their overall influence is almost impossible to gauge - garage, punk, indie rock and pop would of been very different if not for the Velvet Underground.

With a few notable exceptions the first half of the 70s was dominated by acts who had created profile in the 60s, English Glam Rock and awful prog/art rock bands. Through the early 70s NYC was relatively quiet musically. This was to change by the mid 70s, a change that would alter popular music forever. The Country, Blue Grass, and Blues club (CBGBs) was opened in the Bowery district of Manhattan by Hilly Kristal in 1973. As its name implied, Kristal intended the bar to feature Country, Bluegrass and Blues music, in actuality the bar played host to a very different musical genre. It became famous as the birthplace of the punk movement. Ramones, Television, Mink Deville, Suicide, Patti Smith, The Dead Boys, The Heartbreakers, The Dictators, The Fleshtones, Blondie, and Talking Heads were all major players in the CBGBs scene. For a club that can lay a very serious claim to being the most important live music club ever, the reality was it was dump. It was tiny (in its original incarnation only holding 250 people), graffitied and crumbling. That aside from 1974 until '77 it played host to a remarkable scene. The first 'alternative' gig there was a one off by Suicide in late '73. It didn't really solidify into an alternative venue until March '74 when Television were given a weekly Sunday night residency. The NYC punk scene spread to England primarily via the efforts of Malcolm McLaren. In '74 he spent time in New York, during which time he managed the New York Dolls and made an ill fated attempt to manage an early incarnation of Television. On his return to the UK he recruited the sex Pistols and the rest is history.
It was reported that Hilly Kristal actually died last week at age 75. New York Times tribute can be read here. Rolling Stone's tribute is here . It includes this great Patti Smith quote : “Hilly dying made a flood of things come back to me. On that last night [at the club], he knew that we loved him. He stood up and we saluted him. I’m not trying to romanticize anything because in some ways it was a shithole. The sound was crappy, there was always things breaking down and glasses breaking and people vomiting and the rats scurrying around in the back, but it was our shithole and that was the greatest thing."

Tomorrow : Part 2 - NYC gives us Disco, rap and hip-hop, Sonic Youth and relaunches the Indie rock guitar music with The Strokes, Yeah Yeah, Yeahs, Interpol etc. Also electro can be cool - LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture.

To Download : The wonderful Ella Fitzerald's two disc set 'Recordings from 1936-37' and Television's seminal 1997 album 'Marquee Moon'

Ella Fitzgerald (Disc 1 of 2), Recordings from 1936-1937

Ella Fitzgerald (Disc 2 of 2), Recordings from 1936-1937

Television - 'Marquee Moon'

Some Videos :

Miles Davis & John Coltrane - 'So What'

Woody Guthrie from 1946

The Velvet Underground - 'Sunday Morning'

And 'Venus in Furs'

Patti Smith performs 'Elegie' at the final night of CBGBs, October 15, 2006

The Gun Club: Dressed up like an Elvis from Hell.

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 04:28:00 +0000

{When reading this article - download and then listen to this music at maximum volume}
Run Through the Jungle - The Gun Club
Fire of Love - the Gun Club
Carry on Home - The Gun Club
Devil in the Woods - The Gun Club
Sex Beat - The Gun Club
Fire Spirit - The Gun Club
She's like herion to me - The Gun Club
For the Love of Ivy - The Gun Club

The Gun Club evolved from the mind of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the punk scene of early 80's L.A.. This highly under-rated band forever seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, always a step in front or behind the recognition they deserved. It wasn't until the advent of the web and the extraordinary availability of music that the howling excess of The Gun Club became a must for every serious collection. A new generation has caught the bug and people are starting to discover one of the greatest voices in rock music. Sure, The Gun Club could be construed as punk, rockabilly, punk/blues and country/punk but essentially they are just a great rock outfit. Even though the line up was like a checkout at the supermarket there was always the man with the enormous ego thrashing about out front. That man and that ego belongs to one of music's greatest fans, Jeffrey Lee Pierce. This short, half mexican with the flamboyance of beached goldfish was once a music journalist for the L.A. punk rag, Slash and president of the Blondie fan club. A music tragic without doubt. He took his love of music and convinced himself, as well as Kid 'Congo' Powers (The Gun Club, The Cramps and The Bad Seeds), to begin a style of music that would rip the guts out of the tradition of American music. This band was doing covers of the old master himself, Robert (sold his soul at the crossroads)Johnson, when most in the alternative music scene had never heard of him. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for The Gun Club as JLP was a difficult customer, to say the least, and the band's personnel changed as regularly as JLP's moods. JLP had a difficult time being professional as he had a wee problem with the booze and drugs and consequently his live performances are best described in this New York Times article by Robert Palmer:

Members of the audience were angry, and saying so, because for people who follow the Gun Club, the band has always been special. They were particularly incensed that Mr. Pierce was making slapstick comedy out of "Preachin' the Blues," an old Mississippi blues song recorded by Son House and Robert Johnson, and given new life by the Gun Club's version on the band's first album, "Fire of Love" (Ruby Records, 1981). Mr. Pierce's arrangement of the song, which alternates sinister pauses and sudden bursts of wildly flailing slide guitars and drums played at a manic tempo, is already a rock classic, and when listeners began to complain that it was not being performed seriously, Mr. Pierce stopped and squinted out at the crowd. "Oh, you want us to be serious," he said, and as he kicked into the next verse, howling like a banshee, it was evident that tonight, at least, "Preachin' the Blues" was going to be as serious as the Gun Club could make it. It was a wailing, inspiring performance, the sort the Gun Club is capable of giving every night.

Unfortunate but true - The Gun Club were under-achievers. This doesn't exclude us from buying a copy of Fire Of Love or Miami and sitting back and falling in love with the energy that JLP had in his singular voice or the great guitaring of Ward Dotson on these first two albums. They were a band that led you to unexpected places. The vibrating tremelo of JLP's voice moving steadily out of time with the slide guitar is unique and once heard will never be forgotten. I can play The Gun Club to people who haven't listened to them for twenty years and they immediately remember and a smile returns to their faces as they realise they are back in the fold. Back on the train because that's what listening The Gun Club is like. You feel as though you're travelling through the freak shows of a badly-run circus or the seedy underbelly of any overpopulated city. Amidst this unsettling ride there is always the lurking feeling that you have no control over your destination yet realising that it is most probably hell.

The band started under the name of Creeping Ritual (which pretty much describes their music) but under the influence of Keith Morris (The Circle Jerks) they changed their name to The Gun Club. After an arduous apprenticeship in L.A.'s alternative club scene and then losing Kid 'Congo' Powers to The Cramps, the band managed to string together enough songs for their debut album, Fire Of Love. Surely, one of the most significant debut albums of the 80's. A timeless piece of distorted blues and a platform for JLP's distorted personality. He wails and moans in orgasmic throes to Ward Dotson's singular guitar work. The train-like beat set by Terry graham (drums) and Rob Ritter (bass) give the album a sense of journey as each song moves seamlessly into the next. We are being led to the dark side but only to meet JLP and his voodooesque lyrics. When he sings "Bury way down deep in hell" or "Buy me a graveyard on my own" in one of the finest songs on the album, For the Love of Ivy, we get the feeling that perhaps he's not joking. Each song on this album stands alone. From the imminently danceable Sex Beat to the vicious but sweet She's like Herion to me (one the greatest titles for a song) this band achieved well deserved cult status. (It should be noted that the cover art was different in Australia).

The second album released by The Gun Club was Miami. It was another piece of murky brilliance and the band had extended their cult status with a beautifully crafted piece of mayhem. Miami was more subdued than Fire of Love but no less an album. JLP's links to Blondie become immediately evident when we notice that the producer was Chris Stein and that the background vocals are attributed to D.H. Lawrence jr. a.k.a. Debbie Harry. Billy Idol apparently based his huge hit White Wedding on the last track of the album, Mother of Earth - bit of a stretch but interesting. There are many questions surrounding the production of this album but it remains a favourite with The Gun Club fans. Their version of Creedence's Run Through the Jungle is superb and guaranteed to blast the wax from your ears. Miami was recorded in New York and the band continued its strange separation from its fan base which was situated firmly in L.A.. The critical reception of this album was less than brilliant and the band once more fell under the vicious spell of JLP's fluctuating personality and experienced yet another personnel change. Exit Ward Dotson and Terry Graham. Dotson describes the relationship in an interview:

Jeff kicked us out of the band because I could no longer tolerate his idiotic behaviour. He could be charming when he wanted to or when he had to, but that would make me resent him even more. He was also a huge liar; sometimes he'd lie just for the hell of it. This may all sound whimsical or romantic, but you try being in a van with someone like that and you're going to start dreaming of killing him. I don't care how good a songwriter he was.

Enter Jim Duckworth (guitar) and Dee Pop (drums). Unfortunately, this line up wasn't to last very long either. This manifestation of the band recorded one E.P., Death Party, and went their separate ways. The clip below is from this E.P. and highlights the singularity of JLP's voice and rollicking rhythm of The Gun Club. The Lie is the best song on the E.P. and an impressive example of what JLP could do considering his half-arsed approach to just about everyhting except booze and drugs. The worm was boring its way to the heart and the band or JLP was a quickly fading force.

Although the band had a new label and were receiving some well-earned critical success there was to be an inevitable change to the line up. Exit Duckworth and Pop. Re-enter Kid 'Congo' Powers and Terry Graham with the new addition of Patricia Morrison on bass. This all happened accidentally as the band was booked for an Australian tour but Duckworth and Graham refused to hop on the plane with JLP due to his exasperating behaviour and the band was reformed with the help of the Australian support band of the tour, The Johnnys. JLP put out a distress call to Kid 'Congo' Powers and the tour went ahead with Powers staying until the band's split in 1984. The band returned to L.A. and recorded their next album, The Las Vegas Story. A strange mixture of Gershwin come Creedence, the album pales in comparison to their earlier work. The dark edge seemed more artificial on this record but, nonetheless, still worth a listen. There are some great tracks here, particularly, JLP's version of My Man's Gone Now from the Gershwin opera, Porgy and Bess. Only JLP would think of covering America's seminal opera work under the guise of swamp influenced rock music. During their farewell tour in London JLP was introduced to Romi Mori by The Scientist's front man, Kim Salmon. Mori was to become the love of his life and she joined the band in the reformed line up in 1986.

It was end for The Gun Club although they released Mother Juno in 1987. Again this album had none of the force of Fire of Love or Miami but there are still some great tracks. Lupita Screams and Araby are indicative of The Gun Club at their best. They struggled on devoid of any purpose for a few more years and released Pastoral Hide and Seek(1990), Divinity E.P.(1991) and their final album, Lucky Jim(1993). The front man had become an unworkable mess and the covorting, moaning and screaming were a fading reminder of what might have been. This was a band that had the ability to transport their audience. JLP was a master of the macabre and his life was the performance he should have saved for the stage. It is not uncommon to read reports of JLP's extreme dress sense whether it be drag or mock-military, he was not a man to pass by unnoticed. After a couple of solo works and some spoken word works JLP's body had had enough and packed it in in 1996. He left us with his predominantly fictional memories in his book Go tell the Mountain and a wonderful body of work which seems to be gaining new momentum. I often look through the greatest album lists of all time and am continually amazed that The Gun Club never get a mention. I feel it is only a matter of time because something this good can't remain a secret forever. If JLP hadn't been such a self-destructive mess this band would have their due kudos many years ago. Yet, I can't help but feel that they never would have been what they were if it wasn't for the unpredictability of Jeffrey Lee Pierce.

New Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 06:54:00 +0000

Check out the record review section for new reviews from Okkervil River and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs....

Whoops forgot The Hardest Working Man in Rock'n'Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:27:00 +0000

I did say that I probably forgot a lot in my greatest live albums list below but how I forgot James Brown's 'Live at the Apollo' is beyond me. It can be argued it deserved to top the list.

The set was recorded at the Apollo Theatre on October 28th, 1962 and released the following year. It's the Godfather of Soul at his dynamic best. The album spent almost 70 weeks on the US charts peaking at #2. It was said that the only reason it didn't hold the #1 one spot is because its success was unexpected and stores simply couldn't supply the demand. Prior to 'Live at the Apollo' Brown had solidified himself on the R&B charts with a number of charting songs but was still to find wide spread success. 'Apollo' changed that an enhanced his growing reputation as the most electrifying performer in the country.

Brown was signed to 50s music honcho Syd Nathan's King Records. Nathan was one of the first American entrepreneurs to invest in 'Black' music. James Brown and Famous Flames had a less then stellar beginning for King's label with their first 9 singles failing to make an impact on the charts. It wasn't until 1958 when he released 'Try Me' did Brown and the Flames finally taste success. What followed for Brown was a string of successful singles. His reworked live outfit 'The James Brown Revue' solidified their standing as the greatest live act in America with Brown as the genres finest front man. Brown wished to reinforce his live reputation with a live recording but was meet with resistence from Nathan. In typical fashion Brown took matters into his own hands and paid for the album himself.

The recording predates many of the chunky grooves that would become Brown's trade mark instead presenting a collection of his earlier more 'conventional' hits. the building blocks of his pioneering sound are all here in high-octane live versions of 'I'll Go Crazy', 'Think' and especially the frantic closing performance of 'Night Train', while the ten-minute-plus rendition of 'Lost Someone' captures the sound of Brown baring his soul with an almost unbearable intensity, which drives the audience into a manic chorus of shouts and screams.

Brown would do 4 live records at the Apollo, 'Live at Apollo Vol. 2' was released in 1969, 'Revolution of the Mind: Live at the Apollo, Volume III' was released in '71 and 'Live at the Apollo 1995'. Fittingly his final show at the famous venue was his memorial service following his death on Christmas Day last year. A memorial like none other, an open casket was placed in the middle of the stage as his later day band the Soul Generals (this day featuring one time Brown band member Bootsy Collins) ran through a series of his hits with some of America's most prominent black performers guesting on vocals. It was a James Brown memorial!!
As an historical piece 'Live at the Apollo' is an invaluable reference to the soul/funk genres genesis, as a live record by the greatest live performer of them all its magic.

James Brown Live at the Apollo is available for download below. Further a few youtube videos of the great man at work.

James Brown Live at the Apollo

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:55:00 +0000

Record Review Section

Record reviews section is now in place. Link to the page is here
Reviews are updated every Friday with latest reviews, links and ratings listed in the top right hand corner of this page....enjoy!!

'Alive She Cried' - the 15 greatest live albums...

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 04:21:00 +0000

There seems to of been a movement away from the live album since the formats illustrious days in the 1970s. Back then albums like 'Kiss Alive', Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Night' and Peter Frampton's 'Frampton Comes Alive' were among the biggest selling albums of the decade. Today they seem to be more after thoughts or contract fillers. To celebrate the genre and highlight that live albums can be significant musical statements in their own rights here's a list of my 15 favourite. To make the list they have to be official releases. Oh and despite the title the Doors missed the cut!

15. Stage - David Bowie

'Stage' was originally released in 1978. Bowie was at the height of his Eno inspired Berlin soul period and this live set captures it beautifully. It was recorded during the '78 tour of the US.

14. The '68 Comeback Special - Elvis Presley

This is probably better known as a TV special/video then as an album, but its stands up on vinyl incredibly well. The television show was aired in the US in December 1968. It was Elvis's first live show since 1961. In the interim his reputation had taken a pounding following years of disney B grade movies. Dressed in full leather and looking fit, tanned and healthy the show was a triumph. It marked a musical reawakening for the 'King', but as we all know it wasn't to last very long.

13. Big Time - Tom Waits

This is probably not where someone new to Tom Waits should start. It's a challenging collection of songs as only Waits could deliver. It was (much like Waits himself) a divisive records with many critics writing it off. It was released as a movie - part concert footage, part play and all odd!!

12. 1969: The Velvet Underground Live

'The Velvet Underground Live' was recorded to 4 track over the last months of 1969 in Dallas and San Francisco. It eventually surfaced in 1974. There are probably better bootleg recordings available (see 'The Basement Tapes') but as far as official releases go this is the best. The two album set is probably most notable for the previously unheard tracks that appeared on it ('We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together', 'Over You', 'Sweet Bonnie Brown — It's Just Too Much') as well as a number of other songs that had only been heard as Lou Reed solo outings.

11. From Here to Eternity Live - The Clash

I both love and am frustrated by this collection of live tracks from The Clash. Its the Clash, one of greatest live rock bands ever and the performances of this record are stellar. I just find that as a collection of tracks recorded live over 5 years that the track listing could of been stronger. That being said. Its still the Clash and its still great live versions of awesome songs.

10. The Name of This Band is Talking Heads - Talking Heads

Others may argue that the wildly popular 'Stop Making Sense' was a better live record but for it me its not a scratch on 'The Name of this band is the Talking Heads'. A double album released in 1982 it captures the band at their two creative peaks - The first album is the 4 piece performing between 1977-79 (songs from '77 and More Songs About Buildings and Food) and the second record is an expanded 10 piece outfit (including Bernie Worrell and Adrian Belew!) - including tracks from 'Fear of Music' and 'Remain in the Light'. I sometimes forget just how good the Talking Heads were, a quick spin of this record is a thudding reminder.

9. Kick Out The Jams - MC5

'And right now it's time to... KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHERFUCKERS!' - with that line introducing the albums title track singer Rob Tyner, created one of the most famous live utterances in the history of live rock'n'roll.
Not to many bands put out a live album as their debut but then not to many bands are the MC5. Along with fellow Detroit natives "The Stooges' they were the punk rock God Fathers. 'Kick out the Jams' was recorded live in in late October '68 in Detroit and released the following year.

8. Rock 'n' Roll Animal - Lou Reed

The classic Lou Reed live album. It demands inclusion for the version of 'Sweet Jane' alone. It was recorded in New York in Dec, 1973 and released in '74. The original vinyl version only consisted of 5 tracks, but with three of them 'Sweet Jane' (7.57), 'Heroin' (13.16) and 'Rock'n'Roll' (10.08) all in extended versions it had no trouble filling an album. The remastered version included two extra tracks.

7. It's Alive - The Ramones

The Ramones famously played 2263 live shows. 'It's Alive' was a recording of one of those shows, on New Years Eve 1977. It was released a few months later in April' 98. In typical Ramones fashion the double album rips through 28 songs with many of them failing to break the 2 minute barrier before Dee Dee jumps in with "1234!" heralding the start of the next song. A punk rock masterpiece!

6. Live at Carnegie Hall - John Coltrane & Thelonius Monk

Its hard to see how the Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane's combined talents could produce anything except genius and this live set recorded at Carnegie Hall on November 29th, 1957 doesn't do anything to dispute the notion. Monk the piano playing 'father' of bebop and Coltrane the saxophonist who is often credited with inventing modern Jazz were both at the top of their game. Spectacular!

5. Get Yer Ya Ya's Out - Rolling Stones

Those who have read this blog from its inception will realise its from this album I stole the blogs title. 'Ya, Yas' is a recording of a live Stones show recorded at Madison Square Garden in November, 1969. I love the cover, not often you see Charlie Watts having such a good time!!

4. At San Quentin - Johnny Cash

Of his two recorded prison shows, Folsom and San Quentin, the later is the most impressive. Cash was urged by Columbia Records and close associates not to do the show for fear of becoming typecast. Instead he had the project filmed and funded by Granda Television for documentary release. Johnny was at the height of his power when the show was recorded in '69 and it shows. Cash shows a deep understanding and empathy for his audience and riles the prison authorities with humorous innuendo. Significantly it marked the first performance of 'Boy named Sue' and 'San Quentin' (its said that Cash wrote San Quentin in a matter of minutes the night prior to the show). Columbia did release the album initially as a 10 song vinyl album eventually releasing the show in its entirety a few years back

3. Unplugged In New York - Nirvana

'Unplugged In New York' was recorded in November, 1993 as part of the MTV unplugged series. I personally always thought Nirvana were a great band and Kurt Cobain a great song writer but it took hearing this to truly understand the extent of Cobain's genius. Nirvana run through some of their classic material drastically reinventing them for the unplugged format. Kurt's voice cries with a haunting beauty allowing the scope of his lyrical prowess to come to the for. It also includes a memorable version of David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold the World'.

2. Live Rust - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

'Live Rust' was recorded on October 22nd 1978 at the Cow Palace, San Francisco. Its an outdoor venue and during the early stages of 'The Needle And The Damage Done' thunder and then rain can be heard pelting down. Neil humourlessly implores the audience to 'think really hard' to get the rain to stop. 'Live Rust' features Young at his acoustic best and as the rocking leader of the powerful Crazy Horse. When on song few bands can claim the power of crazy horse and this set sees them at their peak.

1. The Royal Albert Hall Concert - Bob Dylan

For so long the holy grail of bootlegs The Royal Albert Hall show was finally released as Volume 4 of the official Bob Dylan Bootleg series. Far more then just a gig it represents one of the most significant moments in contemporary culture. Dylan goes electric and rock music is changed forever. 1000s upon 1000s of acts may of never formed or at least been vastly different if Dylan had never picked up the electric guitar and got the Hawks (later The Band) to back him. Of course everyone knows the story, Dylan plays the first half of the show acoustic, returns to the stage for the 2nd set with the hawks in tow, plugs in and an audience member yells out 'Judas'. Dylan retorts and then turns to the band and says 'play it fucking loud!' before exploding into a rocking version of 'Like a Rolling Stone'. The strangest thing about 'The Royal Albert Hall Concert' is that it was actually recorded in Manchester at the Free Trade Hall. Early bootleggers made the mistake and history and Dylan himself have maintain the illusion. Despite that oddity May 17, 1966 should be a day commemorated by fans of rock music as its one of its most significant dates.

*Honourable Mentions -
George Harrison - Concert for Bangladesh
Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall,
The Fall - A Part of American Therein, 1981
The Jam - Dig the New Breed
Japan - Oil on Canvas
Otis Redding - Live in Europe
King Crimson - Absent Lovers
The Band - The Last Waltz
Live Seeds - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Bird at Birdland - Charlie Parker
My Funny Valentine 1964 - Miles Davis
The Who - Live at Leeds
- and probably 100s I've forgotten......

For Download below 3 albums :
1. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane
2. Ramones - It's Alive
3. MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane

Ramones - It's Alive

MC5- Kick Out The Jams

House keeping

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:58:00 +0000

Few little house keeping announcements here at The Greatest Rock'n'Roll Site in the World...

Firstly we have a new contributor, Luke. His first post is below. He looks at the riff, that magical note that makes a song. Hope you enjoy his enlightened observations. More contributors will be coming on board over the coming weeks.

Also over the next few days we'll be launching a review section. First up will be the new Interpol and Spoon records so look out for that. Thanks and keep reading...Cheers, Peter.

The Greatest Riffs of All Time.

noreply@blogger.com (Luke) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:56:00 +0000

A great riff captures everybody, every time. If you’re standing at the bar, waiting at a red light, walking across a bridge, sitting at your computer, digging for a beer at a party or sipping a cup of tea in the morning the great riff will transport you. It will grab you by the lapels and shout in your face and demand your attention AND it will never be forgotten. That first experience is bottled and put away in the recesses of your mind. Each time the guitar explodes from the speakers you relive that first experience and (unfortunately) the imaginary plectrum appears between your thumb and forefinger, your jaw stiffens, your top lip lifts into a Sid Vicious sneer and you start playing against your lower thigh. Just because you’ve never played guitar before in your life means nothing. You're a God! The great riff can do that to you without blinking an eye. You'll be up on stage prancing around like Jimmy Page or methodically working the strings like Joey Santiago. It will possess your soul and, suddenly, you will become a dickhead.

Here is a list of what I consider to be some of the greatest riffs of all time. A couple of provisos were: no particular order and Guns and Roses were not considered because I hate them. I also doubled up on a couple because I couldn't decide which was the better riff from that particular band.

1. No Fun - The Stooges

2. Wild Thing - The Troggs

3. All the day and all of the night - The Kinks

4. M - The Cure

5. Money - Pink Floyd

6. Day of the Eagle - Robin Trower

7. Queen Bitch - David Bowie

Cracked Actor - David Bowie

8. Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin

Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin

9. The Changeling - The Doors

Peace Frog - The Doors

10.Kundalini Express - Love and Rockets

11. Sunshine of your Love - Cream

12. Can't you hear me knocking - The Rolling Stones

13. The Passenger - Iggy Pop

14. Sex Beat - the Gun Club

Run through the jungle - The Gun Club

15. Vicious - Lou Reed

16. Smells like teen spirit - Nirvana

17. Another girl, another planet - The Only Ones

18. Two States - Pavement

19. Debaser - The Pixies

Where is my mind? - The Pixies

U-mass - The Pixies

20.Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols

21. Enter Sandman - Metallica

22. Teenage Lust - The Jesus and Mary Chain

23. You only live once - The Strokes

24. Youth against Facism - Sonic Youth

25. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

The Return of Robert Forster - Danger in the Past

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:24:00 +0000

Robert Foster, one half of Brisbane's Go-Betweens made his return to the stage last night (25/7/07) as part of a 4 night series, 'The Four Ages Of Robert Forster'. Wednesday nights show was a rendition of his superb first solo outing 'Danger in the Past'. 'Danger' was recorded in 1990, a year after the initial breakup of the Gobs. It was his first full live show since the death of his Go-Betweens' cohort and great friend Grant McLennan in May last year.
Shortly after the bands initial demise Robert relocated to Germany and along with his new wife Karin Bäumler-Forster moved into a Bavarian farm house. A number of the songs that appeared on the first solo outing were intended for inclusion on what would of been the 7th Go-Betweens album 'Freakchid'. Of course that album never happened. The band disbanded, Grant went on to record the over produced 'Watershed' with Dave Dobyn and Robert recorded 'Danger in the Past' with the Bad Seeds' Mic Harvey at the helm. 'Danger in the Past' is certainly Robert's strongest solo outing and there is an argument to be mounted that its the strongest collection of songs that Robert ever recorded.
The concept of the 'Four Ages of Robert Forster' is 4 nights of Robert playing three of his solo albums (DitP, Calling From A Country Phone and Warm Nights with the fourth night being the best of the Go-Betweens from 2000 until 2006). To add authenticity each album is to be played with the musicians who appeared on the record (or as close as humanly possible).
This of course meant that for last nights show Robert was joined by Bad Seed's Mic Harvey and Thomas Wylder.
The show opened with an understandably nervous Forster giving the audience an outline of the machinations that led to the album's creation before inviting the various musicians on stage to join him. Harvey (piano, keyboards) and Wylder (drums) were joined by later day Go-Between Adele Pickvance on bass. Harvey and Wylder were a revelation. The venue (Brisbane Powerhouse) is relatively intimate. In the predominately seated mode as it was last night the capacity would of been around 400. It allowed the audience to get a look at the talents of the two Bad Seeds that under normal circumstances larger venues would prevent. Nick Cave is one of rocks great front men and as such he demands attention at a Bad Seeds show often at the expense of his fellow band mates. Wylder especially is often over looked, as Robert said when introducing him he is one of the great drummers in world rock and after seeing him last night its hard to argue the point.
Robert chose not to play the album in the order they appeared on the album, rather in an order that "would work better in a live setting".

The live order was :

Robert introduces the album
The River People
Is This What You Call Change
Leave Here Satisfied
Baby Stones
Justice
Danger In The Past
I've Been Looking For Somebody
Heart Out To Tender
Dear Black Dream

Encores :

Lime Tree Arbour (Nick Cave)
The Prisoner (The Saints)
German Farmhouse (The Go-Betweens)

Robert has settled into the elder statesmen role with dignity and style. Watching the show I couldn't help thinking about Forster fronting the Go-Betweens in the 80s. The over the top stage antics and costumes. His mid eighties 'Prince' stage. In fact Robert jokes that Prince stole his image. During the late 80s Robert often appeared on stage in dresses with full make up. Infamously Australian Music honcho Michael Gudinski went up to Grant McLennan during the REM/Go-Betweens tour of Australia in 1989 and said "Great riffs man but dump the dude in the dress!!" No idea!
The Robert Forster of today and indeed since the the 2000 reformation of the Go-Betweens is a more circumspect performer. What's impressive is that the idiosyncrasies are still there today they're just a little less obvious. Present day Robert dressed in a dark suit can do with a dart of the eye and subtle mouth pouts what he achieved in the 80s with costumes and makeup.

Danger in the Past is a wonderful record and last nights performance of it was a truly memorable. The return of Robert Forster was an historic moment and Bobby delivered on the Hype!

Danger in Past is available for download below as well as the video for Baby Stones the albums only single...enjoy.

Danger in Past

Baby Stones Video :

The Decade of the Triffids

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:59:00 +0000

Australia was blessed with some great indie rock bands in the 1980s and 90s. The Triffids were amongst the very best. The band was formed in Perth, Western Australia in the late 70s, the most isolated city in the world. This isolation and insulation had a profound effect on the development of the band and its members. Its remarkable that bands can so completely encapsulate their environment, a trait they can hold onto long after departing the city for greener pastures. In an early post I spoke of the Go-Betweens and Brisbane and it was a very similar scenario for Perth and the Triffids.
The band grew from the ashes of an early David McComb outfit 'Daisy'. It also featured fellow Triffid Alsy MacDonald and Black Eyed Susan Phil Kakulas. Following the release of a 'tape' release the band disbanded and McComb put together the Triffids. (obviously the name was adopted from the sci-fi classic 'The Day of the Triffids'.) In the early 80s McComb relocated the band to Sydney and the lineup settled. McComb (guitar, vocals), his brother Robert (guitar and violin), Martyn Casey (bass), Jill Birt (keyboards), 'Evil' Graham Lee (pedal steel, guitar) and Alsy MacDonald (drums). By the time they arrived in Sydney they had developed their distinctive lofi postpunk jangle with McComb's unique voice developing into a powerhouse. There was a definite Bob Dylan and Television influence in their music but more significantly was the Velvet Underground, a band which the Triffids covered constantly as part of their live set.
While in Perth the band had released a number of cassettes and a solitary vinyl 7" 'Stand Up/Farmers Never Visit Night Clubs'. Though 'Stand Up' was unmistakably the Triffids, it was musically naive (not necessarily a criticism) with a 60s bubble-gum feel. It wasn't until they reached Sydney that their releases started to show the maturity and beauty that would soon become synonymous with the Triffids. The first single was a 4 song outing released in early 1982 featuring Reverie / Place in the Sun // Joan of Arc / This Boy. To this day Reverie remains one of my favourite tracks from McComb and co, a beautiful song a testament to a band beginning to reach its potential. Later in '82 the delightful Spanish Blue single was released followed in '93 by 'Bad Timing and other Stories'. 'Bad Timing' was another 4 track ep, apart from 'Bad Timing' the other standout track was the fantastic 'Being Driven'.
'Treeless Plain' the debut album for the Triffids was finally released in late 1983. 'Treeless Plain' refers to the Nullabor Plain, a desolate area between Perth and Adelaide a trip that the Triffids would of done more then once. Nullabor is an Aboriginal word meaning no tree. Its more a record of great promise rather then a great record. It certainly has some great tracks though, 'Red Pony', 'My Baby Thinks she's a Train', 'Rosevel' and a great cover of Bob Dylan's 'I Am A Lonesome Hobo'

One of the first NMEs I ever bought and one I hold dear till this day.......

More singles followed 'Treeless Plain' they included some of my all time favourite Triffids' songs - 'Beautiful Waste' and 'Raining Pleasure'. It also marked the Triffids' relocation to the UK. They followed in the footsteps of The Birthday Party, Go-Betweens, The Moodist, The Saints and more in what was one of the most significant cultural exodus in Australian History. For McComb, still in his early 20s, it was the beginning of a great (and ultimately tragic) adventure.
Their first gig in the UK was supporting the Go-Betweens and as Robert Forster later noted they were brilliant and in fact blew a lacklustre Go-Betweens off the stage. It was the beginning of a great friendship and an unspoken rivalry between the two bands. It was late 1984 and the Triffids were at the precipice, 1985 was to prove the bands best and it couldn't of begun better then with NME making them cover stars and declaring that the year would be theirs. (see above).
The band quickly established themselves on the live circuit, they started playing festivals and toured with Echo and the Bunnymen. They also released the monumental psychodrama 'Field of Glass'. It was another multi tracked single with the lead track being an epic 8 minute cacophony unlike anything else being released at the time. It was a delicious appetiser for the bands classic album 'Born Sandy Devotional' which they spent the last half on '85 recording. 'Born Sandy Devotional' was released in 1986 to rapturous reviews. As an Indie rock band they had two unique intruments, Evil Graham Lee's Pedal Guitar and Robert McComb's violin (extra string musician were included on the sessions) and its was a clever use of these instruments that pushed what would of been an otherwise great album into a masterpiece.

The Masterpiece 'Born Sandy Devotional'. Cover art shows a spectacular aerial cover photograph of Mandurah Township

Whereas 'Treeless Plain' used its title to set a geographical context, 'Born Sandy Devotional' establishes it with cover art. It shows a photograph of the Mandurah Township, some 80km south of Perth. Its set alongside the Peel-Harvey Estuary, bordering the Indian Oceon. Manddurah is an Aboriginal word and is roughly translated as the meeting place. Lyrically the album is dark, tales of love, loss and despair, it shows McComb's coming of age as a lyricist. Many of the songs paint pictures of the West Australia of his youth. To pick out highlights is lessening the albums overall impact, but the songs that I personally keep returning to include : 'Seabirds', ' Estuary Bed', 'Tender Is the Night (the Long Fidelity)' and the single (and semi hit) 'Wide Open Road'. For a record that was recorded in the UK, 'Born, Sandy Devotional' is a true 'Australian' record and its one of the greatest records Australia has produced.

In 1986 the band returned briefly to Australia, specifically to a remote West Australian Woolshed and in a 24hour period recorded their follow up, 'In the Pines'. Rumour has it that the total album budget was just over a $1000, $350 of which was spent on booze. Recorded onto an eight track it sees the band incorperate what ever instrumentation was on hand, brooms, water tanks, tin cans and even the floor boards. Understandably the album is a lo fi affair but it holds up surprisingly well. '25 to 5', 'Better off this Way', 'One Soul Less, 'On Your Fiery List', 'Once a Day' and the title track, a disquieting love song that with an unusual provenance are highlights. Weirdly for me the albums finest moment is 'Born Sandy Devotional' a haunting piece, lasting less then a minute, it was obviously meant for the bands previous effort with which it shares its title. Though the record was approached with a sense of fun, its holds up and it sits comfortably with their other releases. David McComb himself never really understood why fans liked the album so much, explaining the band had songs and time off and 'In the Pines' was the result. Genius can be hard to hide.

1987 saw the Triffids finally sign to a major, Island Records. It came a little to late though. By this stage the band were facing issues with almost constant poverty, burn out, alcohol and drug abuse. McComb though still a young man as the band leader was said to be its greatest victim. 'Calenture' was their first release for Island. If the band were suffering from burn out they still managed to push out a great record. Major label meant more money and more responsibility. Craig Leon who had worked with The Fall, The Ramones and Blondie to name a few was drafted in to produce the record. The sessions were as Robert McComb later claimed 'a waste of time', more preciously they were a disaster. Leon actually requested of Island that the rhythm section of Casey and MacDonald be fired. Eventually sanity prevailed and the band returned to former producer Gil Norton to complete the sessions. Calenture is an attempt to develop the sound established on 'Born Sandy Devotional". The string section is larger then 'BSD' and the sound is lush and textured. 'Bury me Deep in Love' was the leading single and was another almost hit for the band. 'Hometown Farewell Kiss' is an ode to McCombs love/hate relationship with his hometown of Perth (its actually a reworking of 'One Soul Less on Your Fiery List' which appeared on 'Pines.) 'Kelly's Blues', 'Holy Water' and 'Save what you can', are the albums other standouts.

1989s "Black Swan' would prove to be the bands swan song, it was also their weakest record. The black swan is the official animal of Western Australia it's featured on the Western Australian flag and their Coat of Arms. They were a band in decline, with a number of its members battling demons. Its a less symphonic affair then its predecessor. 'Goodbye Little Boy', was the single and saw Jill Birt return to vocal duties. My problem with 'Black Swan' is its attempt to genre hop. Traditional Triffids' territory was joined by attempts at Jazz, hip hop inspired naratives and even a Synth/Beat attempt. Amazing if it can be pulled off but unfortunately it fails here. Critics were generally unimpressed when compared with previous efforts. (Though we are talking about a pretty high bench mark here). Its not without highlights though, 'Blackeyed Susan' and country-flavored ballad 'New Year's Greetings' are the Triffids at their very best.

The band disbanded in late '89. Alsy MacDonald is now a lawyer and is married to architect Jill Birt. Robert McComb teaches at Melbourne State High School. Martyn Casey joined the Bad Seeds, Evil Graham Lee joined the Black Eyed Sussans and for the last ten years has dedicated vast amounts of his time to keeping the Triffids' flame burning.
After the band disbanded David McComb returned to the UK unsuccessfully attempting to launch his solo career. Returning to Australia in late '92 he performed with the wonderful Black Eyed Susans and formed Coaster. He saved most of his best post Triffids work for his next band, The Red Ponies, a band that included Warren Ellis (Dirty Three/Bad Seeds/Grindermen, etc). He also returned to University in Melbourne, studying Art History.
In 1996 after battling ill health for a while David McComb was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that was seen to be a direct result of alcoholism and heroin and speed abuse. He successfully under went a heart transplant shortly after diagnosis. Three years later on February 19th, 1999 he was involved in a car accident and was hospitalised over night and released. Doctors believed his injuries were of a minor nature. Three days later McComb was dead. In February the following year the State Coroner of Victoria handed down his findings The West Australian Newspaper reported "McComb's mental and physical condition had deteriorated after his accident but his death was due to heroin toxicity and mild acute rejection of his 1996 heart transplant". He was only 36.

Due in no small part to the efforts of Evil Graham Lee the Triffids legacy is immense.
*Australian broadcaster SBS is about to run a series entitled 'The Great Australian albums', they've selected five of which 'Born Sandy Devotional' is one.
*A few years back the Australian Performing Rights Association compiled the 20 greatest Australian songs of all time, 'Wide Open Road' was included.
*In 2006 the entire back catalogue of Triffids Albums was re-mastered and re released, all selling well.
*A plaque commemorating the band, specifically 'Born, Sandy Devotional' was unveiled in 2006 at the Mark Angelo studio in Farringdon where the album was recorded.

To download below is the incredibly rare 'Jack Brabham' tape. Only 50 copies of the tapes were produced and were sold by the band at Perth shows on the 19th and 20th of December 1988. To quote the sleeve notes - "Ninety minutes of rare (and under cooked) snippets of tunes allegedly attributed to the Triffids. Beware of wildly fluctuating recording and performing quality."
Its a treasure chest of wonderful songs, some released in alternate versions some never heard before or again.
An odd thing about the Triffids is that some of their best songs were only ever released as singles, in recognition of this I've included a few for download below.
I've also included a number of clips for your viewing pleasure.

Jack Brabham Tape Side A

Jack Brabham Tape Side B

And some early singles:

Reverie

Spanish Blue

Being Driven

Beautiful Waste

From 1983s 'Treeless Plane' - 'Red Pony'

The 1982 single - 'Spanish Blue'

From the 1986 'Australian Made' concert tour - 'Wide Open Road' live - from the 1986 studio album 'Born Sandy Devotional'

Neil Young - Chrome Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:22:00 +0000

The old expression, "One man's garbage is another man's gold" has never rung truer then with Neil Young's 1976 bootleg 'Chrome Dreams'. Neil Young was at creative peak at this time. The last three albums Young had released 'Time Fades Away', 'On the Beach', and 'Tonights the Night' were some of his darkest and best work. Then came the return of raw Crazy Horse rock in 1975 with the LP Zuma. Chrome Dreams was slated to be its successor. Its a combination of rock and acoustic. - one reviewer claimed, "it was Harvest after a visit by the Darkside". In effect it was a collection of songs that Neil recorded but for whatever reason decided not to release. Lots of these songs would remain unheard by the public until quite a while later, but by late ’75, Neil had already written and recorded versions of such future classics as Like A Hurricane, Powderfinger, Sedan Delivery, Pocahontas and Ride By Llama. It also feature's some classic tracks that until the acetate's discovery in 1992 remained unheard.

The acetates accompanying paper work (click to enlarge).

In truth there was a lot about this period that till this day remains a mystery. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were supposed to be returning to the studio to record what would later be the Stills/Young 1976 release 'Long May You Run'. The sessions were said to be tumultuous with rumours that Crosby and Nash snuck into the studio and wiped their respective vocals.
At the same time Neil was supposed to be readying a triple album greatest hits collection entitled 'Decade'. It even went as far as displays in record stores and press releases and advance copies being sent being sent out to media. When the October release date came and went a rumour spread that Young had died of an over dose. In contradiction to these rumours 'Rolling Stone' magazine ran an article in their November '76 edition that Neil was in fact putting the finishing touches on a new album to be entitled 'Chrome Dreams'. However both 'Decade' and 'Chrome Dreams' failed to materialise as the slated Christmas release period came and went (Decade eventually appeared in October, 1977).
'American stars n bars' was release in June 1977 and many assumed that this was the album previously known as 'Chrome Dreams' - in fact a number of the songs do appear on both (Will to Love, Star of Bethlehem, Like a Hurricane, Hold Back the Tears and Homegrown)

A run through of the tracks :

1. Pocahontas: The same take as heard on Rust Never Sleeps, minus overdubs. An acoustic tale of massacred Indians. American Star 'N' Bars back cover shows an Indian women, perhaps indicating that this was originally slated for inclusuion as no other tracks have an Indian theme.

2. Will To Love: Released as is on American Stars N' Bars. An almost creepy atmospheric love song.

3. Star of Bethelem: Same take and track as on Decade.

4. Like A Hurricane: As heard on American Stars N' Bars.

5. Too Far Gone: A stripped down version of the track that wouldn't appear for on 11 years on Neil's 1988 album Freedom.

6. Hold Back the Tears: A more slowed down bluegrass version of the song heard on American Stars N' Bars.

7. Homegrown: This take is the same as the one on American Stars N' Bars but it is a different mix. The guitars crunch more, emphasizing Neil's love of the domestic life.

8. Captain Kennedy: Eventually was released on the album Hawks and Doves in 1980.

9. Stringman: 'Stringman' didn't see the light of day until a 1993 unplugged session. This is a touching piano ballad caught live about the loss of the old ways taken over by the counterculture. Beautiful song, incredibly emotive.

10. Sedan Delivery: Totally different version then the one that appears on 'Rust Never Sleeps'. One review describes it as - "This version is less cow-punk and more slowed down country metal. Even its whole tone is different in that sounds less like the dumb Buford punk rock we know it as and more like a heavy slap from a biker."

11. Powderfinger: An acoustic version of the song later electrified on Rust Never Sleeps. The story of a boy shot down as he protects his family. The acoustic version empowers the lyrics to a much greater degree then the "Rust Never Sleeps' rock version. Australian band 'Powderfinger' tell a story of playing the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan which Neil and Crazy Horse headlined, Neil discovered a band named after one of his songs were on the bill and not only did he play it (something he rarely does of late) but he dedicated it to them...career highlight or what?!?!

12. Look Out For My Love: Later heard on 'Comes A Time' - a beautiful track of love and lament.

In many ways Neil Young is the unrecognised 'soul' of the Northern American working man. He's remained relevant and rarely has his work faltered. His approach to his music has been unconventional. Holding onto tracks for years often releasing them in live takes. It makes him even more exceptional. 'Chrome Dreams' is available for download below, its a must have for any Neil fan.
Also a number of Neil clips from over the years with loads more at the this blogs youtube site.

Chrome Dreams

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Down by the River

'Old Man' - From Harvest - Live 1971

'Rockin' in the Free World' - Live on Saturday Night Live

With Crazy Horse - 'Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) - From Rust Never Sleeps

Let's Impeach the President

All the way with the USA!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 05:57:00 +0000

Fourth of July tomorrow, America's Birthday.....hmmm how sweet. Here's a mix of 25 songs inspired by the good ol' US of A. No rhyme or reason for selection, though I stayed away from acts I've blogged about before. Available as single downloads or grouped together at the bottom...enjoy.

1. Living in America - James Brown

2. Help Save the Youth of America - Billy Bragg

3. North American Scum - LCD Soundsystem

4. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart - Manic Street Preachers

5. I'm So Bored With the USA - The Clash

6. Young Americans - David Bowie

7. Radio America - The Libertines

8. Ashes of American Flags - Wilco

9. The American Ruse - MC5

10. America Is Waiting - Brian Eno & David Byrne

11. Amerika - Rammstein

12. Little America - REM

13. When the President Talks to God - Bright Eyes

14. The Ugly American - Big Black

15. Independence Day - Elliot Smith

16. Democracy - Leonard Cohen

17. 'Merican - Descendents

18. We're An American Band - Yo La Tengo

19. American Trilogy - Elvis Presley

20. The body of an American - The Pogues

21. The American - Simple Minds

22. Last Great American Whale - Lou Reed

23. Kids In America - The Muffs

24. Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World

25. Look Inside America - Blur

And a bonus track....fuck yeah!!

America, Fuck Yeah - Team America

Alternate Download -

Fourth of July Mix, Disc 1 Songs 1-13

Fourth of July Mix, Disc 2 Songs 13-26