March 2009

THIS POST got me thinking about the expanse of Jack Rose’s catalog. I was lucky enough to see him a few years ago, and he was in a number of ways, able to out perform Peter Walker, whose lone ‘60s recording is touted as a monumental folk/raga album. And while people’s opinion on that subject might differ, it would be agreed that the over reaching enthusiasm for all musics is what pushed Pelt to seek such a wide breadth of inclusion in its work.

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Growing up, Nickelodeon seemed to be my only friend (awww…). But the cartoons as well as the Mark Mothersbaugh scored themes were ample company for me. As TV raised me, my analog friends came and went, but some stuck with me in memory. Of course Rugrats is still on and Pete and Pete was released on DVD not too long ago – although I dare you to find a copy. But I have no idea if Doug made it to the digital revolution. Him, Skeeter and Patty Mayonnaise (who may have been my first love), are missing in action as we speak.

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With the dissolution of the Stooges, Iggy Pop sought to continue his life long journey through the many hued biz of rock and roll. His last band had broken up, reformed, released one of the finest albums of the decade, began working on new material that could have potentially proved financially useful only to fall apart amongst the flowing smack.

Fortunately (or not) for Iggy, David Bowie had stayed by his side as the duo worked on their respective albums. For a time, it even seemed that Bowie had, to a certain extent, hijacked Iggy’s career and steered it to his liking. Of course, even if this was the case, it proved to raise Iggy’s level of fame and yielded a few post-Stooges classics.

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Psych music has such a huge back catalog at this point, it is sometimes difficult to pick out artifacts from the original period that are authentic as opposed to folks who figured that it’d be a good way to make a name for themselves to record in this particular mode. But even some of those sham records have become scarce enough that collectors loose their collective minds when discussing them.

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As the Warped Tour continues to age, the crowds remain the same age. It’s kinda like that dude’s quote from Dazed and Confused minus the perversion. But regardless of that, even if you were an attendee of the festival during its formative years and have grown frustrated with the line ups of subsequent years, there are a number of old tyme bands slated to play this year. I can’t say that the following list of folks would make me want to shell out the ticket price, but it at least made me think twice about it.

The Adicts

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I haven't figured out most of the amenities and benefits of living in the Bay Area as of yet. I do know, however, that I live roughly five minutes away from Amoeba and Rasputin on Telegraph. And once I get over being denigrated by the sporadic outbursts from bums, going up there will probably be even more enjoyable.

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Growing up in Cleveland, one’s privy to a certain kind of folk lore not present in other cultural bastions. The people that ‘made it’ from this Midwestern town usually left or were soon forgotten after whatever modicum of fame doused them. It’s not as if one can claim that it’s really too bad. It’s just how it goes. And coming from this climate of decay, it’s actually to be expected. The physicality of what surrounds one during each day imports that message all too frequently. Perhaps it’s for this very reason that certain neighborhoods within the city sport the highest foreclosure rates in the nation.

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More often than not, any sort of dissection of Dan Melchior’s work refers to excessive use of odd noises and supplementary production foibles. And while those are unquestionably part of his repertoire, the basis for his work is Americana in its broadest sense. Now that probably seems an over statement due to his upbringing in Shepperton, England. But Billy Childish is from England as well and that gentleman has no qualms with exercising his far flung tastes. But in regards to Melchior, he’s even moved to the States to continue his career, whereas his former colleague still resides on that island over there.

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This might not be applicable in the future seeing as the US will most certainly have to become subservient to another financial power. But as Japan emerged from World War II, much of its popular culture began to mirror the States and other world powers. It was, obviously, an approximation through the lens of another country’s history, but Japanese popular music has taken cues from the west for roughly fifty years. Very frequently, the appropriations have some aspect that’s magnified to obscene heights and ends up making some of the work, while still valid and entertaining, a bit cartoonish. The Flower Travellin’ Band is a pretty good example of that. But as that group mirrored the psychedelic heaviness of Sabbath and others, it was able to transcend some of the obscene clichés as well.

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After parting ways with the Clash in 1983, thus excusing him from the 1985 garbage that was Cut the Crap, Mick Jones could have taken the last three decades off. He’s chosen not to do that.

After redefining and expanding what punk can and should be able to do, Jones founded the well intentioned, but really rather awful Big Audio Dynamite (B.A.D.). In some ways that group worked with the same source material as the Clash, or even its contemporaries in John Lydon’s Public Image Limited. B.A.D. was adventurous the way that these other acts were – not as noisy, but it just didn’t turn out that well. Again, though, the commercial success that Jones garnered with that act could have sent him into retirement. It didn’t though.

He began producing records.

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If you try really hard, you can place almost any adventurous rock band into the kraut category. Wilco could even be checked – after all “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” is all immense repetition. But the ever mysterious dudes in the Vas Deferens Organization more astutely can be referred to as purveyors of kraut madness. The music isn’t necessarily all rock based and from disc to disc, the band’s approach might differ. But more often than not, on the 1996 Saturation, the band opts to explore electronic expanses created by some olde tyme synths and intricate, if not over blown, guitar soloing.

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In some sort of bizarre accident of timing, Kid Congo Powers has released his new disc – Dracula Boots – just a month or so after the passing of his former band mate and leader of the Cramps, Lux Interior. This new disc represents the first recording from the former drummer since 2006. And while he might best be known for plying the depths of low brow garage and fuzz psychedlia with the Cramps – or the Gun Club for that matter – Dracula Boots seems to traffic in a funk inspired brand of juju rock.

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After posting this piece over HERE about Noisette by the Soft Machine, it prompted a conversation with a dude I know about Zappa and his work during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. And while we didn’t agree, it made me feel as if a written response was necessary.

The antagonist in this pseudo-intellectual debate is of the opinion that the heights that the Soft Machine hits aren’t matched – at least in any sustained manner – by Zappa and his various ensembles. He does site Uncle Meat as an acceptation. Of course, my initial response to that statement was something to the effect of, “There’s other stuff by Zappa that sounds like that…”

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When describing the varied work from guitarist Larry Coryell, eclecticism usually is mentioned at least a few times. And while that may well be an easy way by which to explain his frequent genre shifts over his forty plus years of work, the initial decade or so, that saw him working is probably the most rewarding.

Having been an avid jazz fan since a young age, Coryell decided to leave his journalism studies at the University of Washington to move to New York City and pursue a career in music. Upon his arrival, Coryell replaced another underrated guitarist, Gabor Szabo in Chico Hamilton’s band.

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The fact that Albert Ayler is buried in the same cemetery as my grandparents isn’t the reason that I feel some connection to him –that is kinda weird to say the least. But being a Clevelander surely influenced the sax player as much as any other environment could have – save for ‘Nam of course.

There’s no exact moment in my head as to when I knew that Ayler was on another level of creativity – beyond Coltrane. Although, I do recall looking through the jazz stacks at Case Western Reserve University’s WRUW and finding pretty much his entire catalog on vinyl – even the original pressing of the one sided Bells. Even if the cover of In Greenwich Village wasn’t some kinda of psychedelic ploy to grab fans, a cursory listen would have drug me in.

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There are now and always will be a great number of bands that are working within the confines of psychedelic music. Some come to it organically and some choose to incorporate this particular element into their music. But San Francisco’s Wooden Shjips simply exude it.

Made up of a quartet of players that, collectively, don’t have an overwhelming amount of band experience, Wooden Shjips at once command attention due to the wall of fuzz that is their sound, but also because the noise they make is nothing short of danceable.

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The most surprising aspect of this entire effort is the fact that Pete Doherty didn’t turn in something rambling and shambolic.  is the most overwhelmingly tasteful album rooted in rock from not just this young year, but the past few. In Doherty’s voice, listeners can still easily take away that uneasy feeling of early and unrelenting fame that the singer and guitarist encountered. Drug addled isn’t a way in which any of this could be described. And considering the fact that Doherty’s fame – in the press at least – is basically tied to his over inflated antics, that’s just short of bloody stunning.

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Of all the notorious producers that sprung up during the ‘60s – Joe Meek, Phil Spector, Big Boy Pete – Norman Whitefield seems to have alluded fame. Within the Motown universe, Whitefield cut a striking figure. Always dapper, and always demanding, the producer – perhaps more than label boss Barry Gordy, Jr. – defined the sound coming from the stable of stars. Detroit, as much as the players on these records, though, informed the music from the Temptations.

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In keeping with my recent focus on kraut related esoterica, the following is a run down of the, some would say indispensible Space Box. Considering the fact that I came to this collection after having been introduced to the vast majority of notable acts on it, it’s a bit less daunting. And since I’m a rather negative minded dude, instead of collecting the highlights herein, the following are some acts or tracks that should be avoided – unless you appreciate over bloated wanking and cheesy hard rock.

Zero Gravity – “Interferon”

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Out of all the non-stop worthless releases currently clogging up record store selves and the interwebs, it was really nothing less than pleasurable to hear the Crystal Stilts a few months back. The band’s combination of the Cramp’s simplicity, with a vocal laziness that can only conjure images of a smacked out Lou Reed, the Crystal Stilts have begun a European tour to lackadaisically spread their gospel. Maybe gospel isn’t the proper word here – how ‘bout rock veracity.

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Punk has some of the most voracious and obsessive fans in any genre. One of the best examples of their rabid clattering to find and acquire original artifacts from the initial punk explosion comes in the guise of “Hillside Strangler.”

The Hollywood Squares were made up of a few locals to the LA scene who had a rather well defined musical background. The band’s guitarist, Eddie, and drummer, Tad, at some point during 1977 found themselves accompanying Bernard Constantin at performances across Europe and other more exotic locales. In each other, they found musical camaraderie and once back at home sought to solidify the line up of the Hollywood Squares.

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When Dee Dee Ramone died in 2002 much of the mystique that surrounded the Ramones departed with him. Left now is the band’s guitarist Johnny – who not only is a vociferous Republican, but he stole and eventually married Joey’s first love – and Tommy, who only performed as a drummer on the first few albums from the group.

Dee Dee was easily the most engaging personality. And although there are countless instances of band members figuring that he needed to be kept quiet during interviews, fans were drawn to him. He was as frequently incoherent as he was urbane, but always friendly – unless you wronged him in a dope deal. But it’d be a travesty if his entire contribution to music was distilled in his addiction to smack.

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I seem to be wading through a haze of psych and prog discs of late – take a look HERE and HERE. And having gotten through some of the unsung masters has only exposed me to a few other folks that have as of yet to see the light of day. It’s not unlikely, though, that you’ve seen mention of Edgar Broughton and his band in the past. They seem to have occupied a rather high profile status in England during the later portion of the ‘60s and into the beginning of the next decade.

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We live in a world of curiosities. Some are meant to be understood, some are not and others are simple meant to be enjoyed. And to hear Blues Control is to enjoy it.

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Theatrical aspects are inherent in any type of performance. The act of playing instruments in front of a crowd, itself, constitutes a type of theater. And for some bands, that wasn’t quite enough. As the ‘60s wore on more and more acts sought to incorporate more visual aspects to their stage performances. Of course the Velvet Underground and the Dead had films projected to accompany them, and even if there wasn’t too much acting going on, there was enough of a bacchanalian setting for the spectacle to come off well.

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