Billy Childish versus H-O-F

Amphetamine Reptile Records, lengendary Minneapolis label (that brought Boss Hog, Chokebore, Cows, God Bullies & more to the world, under the NOISE etiquette), is quietly reborn. No "race for fame" agenda. Tom Hazelmeyer confidentially keeps in touch with old mates and releases limited material that goes from split 7" to 3CD box set. A die hard collector fans thing. Among these releases, a split single with H•O•F (aka Halo of Flies) featuring a nice Billy Childish's new song.

Wild Billy Childish and The Musicians of the British Empire versus H•O•F (7"-2004)
WBC & MBE's : Taking orders from the U.S.A. / H•O•F : The monster you made

Download it here.

Vegomatic : Surfing, robots and the correct use of rock'n'roll

Named after a Jojo Richman's song, Vegomatic mutated from folk-pop-rock to electro-pop-rock and multiplied parallel projects such as fashion clothes design. Quite unusual.

Vegomatic : Surfing, robots and the correct use of rock'n'roll (CD-2004)
Radio day / French up song / Danger surf (ouh ouh) / Sexy teeth / Chicken surf / Ocean safari / I smile at the world / Rock'n'roll star / Joel Tudor / The future is now / Sun cream / French up (queen of the surf guitar mix)

Download it here.

Ramones : Chorus 1980

The second national french channel broadcast "Chorus" show (ruled by Antoine DeCaunes) from 1978 to 1981. First gaze at what was called "New Wave", it featured high-quality live samples by Elvis Costello, The Clash, The Undertones, The Cure & many more. In the 00's Europe2 TV (now Virgin 17) broadcast it again. Here's a Ramones show.

Tracklist :
Rock'n'Roll Highschool / I Wanna Be Sedated / Do You Remember (Rock'n'Roll Radio) / She's The One / I'm Against It / Sheena Is A Punk Rocker / This Ain't Havana / Commando / I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend / Pinhead

Download Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 .

Triple Hex : Phantom Highway 13

Driven by strange connections, I considered, after the Gregg Turner/Metal Mike series, keeping on with the word "metal" (Heavy Metal Kids? Nino Ferrer & Leggs? Métal Urbain/Metal Boys?) for the following post. Then I spot on the record label that issued almost all of the three previous posts material : Triple X.
Which naturally(!) led me to this Brooklyn based band taken under Speedball Baby Matt Verta-Ray's wing : TRIPLE HEX. A really worthy crampsy-swamp rock'n'roll outfit.

Triple Hex : Phantom highway 13 (MCD-2005)
Strangers Kiss / Phantom Highway 13 / Greasy Comb / 5 Stops / Bedford Shuffle Nocturne (Cool For Sale) / Phantom Highway 13 (reprise)

Download it here.

The Mistaken / Blood Drained Cows

In the never-ending Angry Samoans History rewritings, Gregg Turner is largely epitomized as the bad guy. He has surely a strong and complex personality ("self-hating-jew-type", says Kevin Saunders). Burning bridges with all A.S. relatives, he did what he calls himself his "Jonathan Richman move" (oh, he also has a strong ego) with The Mistaken (solo record under disguise) and later two full-length with Blood Drained Cows (pure 60's garage psych-out rock).
He may still remain the bad guy. His music is awesome though.

Archive content
The Mistaken : Santa Fe (CD-1993)
Pale white surfer / Medication (the aktified song) / Santa Fe / 4st / My black dog / The kingdom of my mind / Another lost heartache / Tombstone / This house is not my home / Black sheep / Nowhere around / Sure it's good / Venus in furs
Blood Drained Cows : self-titled (CD-1999)
You're gonna miss me / A-bomb love / Medication (the actifed song) / Allison / Caveman / I heard you call my name / This crushing thing / Necrophiliac in love / Nowhere around / Stranded in some other time / I lost my mynd / Pale white surfer
Blood Drained Cows : 13 (CD-2003)
Hanta virus deer mouse blues / They took you away (Mt. Bonnell Rd) / Digging up my date / Someone took my house away / White faces / Little black egg / The kingdom of my mind / A new theorem / This house is not my home / Pretty poison / There goes the night / Chuppacabra rock'n'roll / A request for closeness

Download it here.

Angry Samoans : The Unboxed set

Reacting to a comment of his old partner (& A.S co-founder), Metal Mike rejected it as "one of Gregg Turner's 579th Samoans/VOM completely fabricated/imagined anecdote. All of which (for about 15 years now) always make all other members of the Angry Samoans sound like defective mental cases."
Easy to guess Mike's opinion on Gregg Turner's bitter sarcastic inlay notes coming with this release. Unless such third-part undirect correspondence is a promotional tool in a "see how they hate each other's guts" manner.
The CD includes the four "official" Angry Samoans' albums ("Inside my brain", Yesterday sarted tomorrow", Back from Samoa", "STP not LSD"), one of those things that is here to stay.

Angry Samoans : The unboxed set (CD-1995)
Right side of my mind / Gimme sopor / Hot cars / Inside my brain / You stupid asshole / Get off the air / My old man's a fatso / Carson girls / I'm a pig / Too animalistic (live) / Right side of my mind // Gas chamber / The Todd killings / Lights out / My old man's a fatso / Time has come today / They saved Hitler's cock / Homo-sexual / Steak knife / Haizman's brain is calling / Tuna taco / Coffin case / You stupid jerk / Ballad of Jerry Curlan / Not of this Earth // Different world / Electrocution / It's raining today / Unhinged / Psych-out 129 / Somebody to love // I lost (my mind) / Wild hog Rhyde / Laughing at me / STP not LSD / Staring at the sun / Death of beewak / Egyptomania / Attack of the mushroom people / Feet on the ground / Garbage pit / (I'll drink to this) Love song / Lost highway

Download it here.

Metal Mike : Next stop nowhere, the EP collection

"Readers who write to grumble against some critics, they only bestow those critics an importance they do not deserve. Take this crazy wacko Mike Saunders. I know the freak. May God have mercy of him." Mike Saunders, Austin (in Rolling Stone's love letters & advice, circa 1972)
Before founding the Angry Samoans, Mike Saunders was a "rock critic". More specifically : around his twenties, he regularly sent (from his native Arkansas town) record reviews for West-Coast Rolling Stone magazine (most of them rewrited or expurgated by editor Jon Landau). History doesn't tell if the review including the phrase "heavy metal" was rewrited or not but 'Metal' Mike Saunders has been given credit for the first inprint use of "heavy metal" as a musical term.
Compared to Angry Samoans, Metal Mike's solo stuff is often perceived lame and spineless. Personally I love this cheap-lo-fi-rock-beat better.
The CD collects entire EPs ("Plays The Hits Of The 90's", "Ted Nugent Is Not My Dad!", "Gnarly Xmas") and some other singles songs (not all of them, sadly).

Metal Mike : Next stop nowhere : the EP collection (CD-1994)
My girlfriend is a rock / Love don't last forever / I'd love you to want me / Next stop nowhere / Bad things inside of me / Slave to my dick / Deck the halls / South of modesto / Once together then / This man he weeps tonight / Night of the long Knives / Ain't gonna be your friend / Wig wam bam / I'm in my room / Love's memories / S&M party / I don't like this world anymore / Let's burn the flag / I'm a lonesome fugitive / The next big thing / High on drugs / I saw your face / Party with the devil (unlisted)

Download it here.

Mr. Airplane Man

I can't wait for the Margaret Airplane Man's first record. Demos streaming on the net sound promising.
Tara and Margaret went separate ways, so Mr. Airplane Man no longer exists as a duo. Tara joined the speedy garage rock trio Turpentine Brothers. The "wolf" laid-back blues spirit remains on Margaret's side. Here are the first two discs with some songs appearing on the SFTRI trilogy.

Mr. Airplane Man : self-titled (CD-1998)
Baby / Moanin' For My Baby / You Left Me Cold / Highway / My Hand / Sun Sinkin' Low / Rain So Hard / Jesus On The Mainline
Mr. Airplane Man : Primitive! (MCD-2000)
Could you Be my Man / All Alone / Johnny Johnny / Telephone / Blue As I Can Be

Download it here.

Poison Idea : Pajama party

New Rose records was founded in 1981. The label name was inspired by a Damned song's title. Soon after, a subdivision dedicated to anthologies & reeditions was called "Fan Club" (another Damned song's title). In the early 90's a hardcore-punk division was created and, never short of inspiration, named "Smash It Up" (from a song's title by a band called... ahem... I forgot). It was already the dying days of the label, that's why it is hardly remembered.
Lazy and some kind of hazy, the release of this Poison Idea's cover album compilation is a get go (licensed from UK Vinyl Solution which released it licensed from American Leather Records). I like it anyhow.

Poison Idea : Pajama party (CD-1992)
Kick Out the Jams / Vietnamese Baby / We Got the Beat / Motorhead / Endless Sleep / Lawdy Miss Clawdy / Jailhouse Rock / Flamethrower Love / New Rose / Doctor, Doctor / Up Front / Harder They Come / Green Onions

Download it here.

The Wire O.S.T.

"All is connected". "All the pieces matters". These are some mottos of the most brilliant show ever broadcasted on TV. Baltimore. A hundred credited characters. Several intertwined plots. Major script writings. Amazing playing.
What brought me to The Wire is : 1) George Pelecanos was part of the scripting work. 2) Alan Moore said : "The absolute pinnacle of anything I've seen recently has got to be The Wire. It's the most stunning piece of television that has ever come out of America, possibly the most stunning piece of television full-stop."
The theme song is "Way Down To A Hole" by Tom Waits (also covered by The Blind Boys Of Alabama, The Neville Brothers, Steve Earle, DoMaJe (local kids) along the 5 seasons).

Download it here.

Stanley Brinks & Howard Hugues : Wrong picture

Bad Stan, no cookie! This record is unavailable. Don't even bother asking Stanley Brinks directly, he'll remain mute & airy on it. This is a 9 songs self-produced collaboration between Stanley Brinks, Clemence Freschard and Howard Hugues (figurehead of french indie pop-folk collective "Coming Soon"). Showing immense magnanimity, Stanley Brinks let Howard Hughes sell it at Comin Soon's show and took neither credit nor glory for it. The song "War #1" also appears on the Kreuzberg Museum's "Calypso" album.

Stanley Brinks, Freschard, Howard Hugues : Wrong picture (CDr-2007)
Ha Ha Ha / Fishes / Wrong Picture / Dark Tides / Stick Like Glue / Opening For Iggy / War Song #1 / Alice in Bed / The Crooked Neighbor

Download it here.

Peter Case : Thank you St. Jude

Like his boss ones, the ways of Jude (Patron Saint of the lost causes) are incrustable. If you ever wanted to hear Peter Case yodeling, then your dream has come true. 14 tunes with former Plimsouls frontman Peter Case on acoustic guitar, accompanied by a fiddle player.

Peter Case (with David Perales) : Thank you St. Jude (CD-2001)
Ice Water / Beyond the Blues / Someday Blues / Put Down the Gun / Two Angels / Ginseng Blues / Hidden Love / Travellin' Light / Poor Old Tom / Leavin Home / Entella Hotel / One More Mile / 4th of July/Christmas Rag

Download it here.

The Giraffes / Chris & Tad

During the Presidents Of The United States of America (PUSA) indefinite hiatus, Chris Ballew butterflied here and there. Collaborating with many bands or going back to the 4-track tapes home made solo stuff. Here are two Ballew's side projects. An imaginary fictional band : The Giraffes (not to be confused with the Brooklyn band). An association with Young Fresh Fellow's Tad Hutchison.

Archive content
The Giraffes : The days are filled with years (CD-1999)
Giraffes in the Underworld / Kill the Cake / Black Shadow / Drunk on the Sweepings / Easy Phantom / Gone Again Gone / When She's Drunk / Bone Dry / Cypress Ghost / Mess of Doubt / Room Forever / Burned By a Summer / Headphone Sunset
Chris and Tad : Hand me that door (CD-2000)
Shelby Jenkins / Jilted on the Tarmac / I Made Up my Mind / Film Party / Radio Controll / Sunshine Pig / Bread and Butter / Bookstore / I Got the Blue / Hand Me That Door / PNW Blue / Sandra In Short Pants / Town And Country / When You're Dead

Download it here.

Blutt

Other Parisian veterans. A guitar/guitar/drums power trio. A 500 copies limited full-length has been issued in 2008 by "Les disques en rotins réunis".

Archive content :
Blutt : EP (2000)
Hors phase / Encore une fois / Elle aime ça
Blutt : EP (2001)
Bing bam boum (bam) / Pour si peu / Tell me now
Blutt : EP (2002)
Chutt... / Regrets éternels / Canapé / You don't want me
demos & more : LSD / Give it to me now / L'avant dernière / Canapé / Je ne dors plus / You better believe it / It's cold outside / Cool it down

Download it here.

Opération S

The so-called "Punk Wave" project of Cécilia Meneau. "S" is for suicide. "Opération" is for "O".

Archive content :
Opération S : self-titled (2004)
Paranoia mafia / Je suis une illusion / Je ne veux pas grandir / Jeunesse éternelle (with Daniel Darc) / Délinquante / Vince, mon amour / Rien de Spécial / Sang sans sens / Ne me touche pas / Nouvelle génération / Existence imposée / Art dégénéré / Programmation prévisible / Opération suicide
B-sides & more : Cauchemar / Je cherche (Lutins' cover) / Pogo in Togo / Rien de spécial (Live au Subsonic)

Download it here.

Anteenagers M.C.

When briefly living in Paris, my saturday ritual was the record shops tour. Taking the metro line heading to "Le Silence De La Rue" ("the silence of the street", 8 rue de la Fontaine du But, 18th arrondissement, Montmartre) was a delight. Behind the cash desk, future members of the No-Talents, unintentional founders of the soon to become "Happy Family" (whom last born are Cecilia Und Die Sauerkrauts or The Cavaliers... among others).
Laurent Bigot (read this interview, courtesy of psychotic reaction blog) played in many of these bands. Anteenagers M.C. are noteworthy as their sole album is made of AMC songs (side A) and AMC songs covered by Happy Family members (side B).

Archive content :
Anteenagers M.C. (7"-2003)
(The) future ('s coming tomorrow) / Down in Amsterdam
Anteenagers M.C. : Let's not have a party (EP-2005)
Let's not have a party / Blue steel / Les conformistes / Cars
Anteenagers M.C. & friends : self-produced (2003)
Krispy kream / What's wrong with you? / Where is Billy Idol now? / Red eye express / Lies is a 4 letter word / You are in my vision / Dark white (+ instru jam) // Down in Amsterdam (Wangs) / (Demain viendra) le futur (Opération S) / 99ème étage (Blutt) / Teens (Frustration) / Misty water (Real Gone Daddies) / Cailloux (Les Dragueurs) / Larry (Les Terribles) / Paradise (Men in the Moon)

Download it here.

The Walkabouts : New west motel

I needed a magnifying glass to point this out. A microscopic anomaly in the discography of a prolific band. "New West Motel" was released as a double LP in 1993 by Sub Pop's german headquarter. The fourth side includes 3 cover songs (Tom Waits' "Yesterday is here", Neil Young's "Like a hurricane" and "Prisoner of Texas", a traditionnal song). 2 out of 3 appears on "Death Valley Days, lost songs and rarities" compilation. The studio version of "Like a hurricane" is vinyl only. So here it is.

The Walkabouts : New West Motel (2xLP-1993)
Jack Candy / Sundowner / Grand Theft Auto / Break it Down Gently / Your Hope Shines / Murdering Stone / Sweet Revenge / Glad Nation's Death Song / Long Time Here / Wondertown (Part One) / Drag this River / Snake Mountain Blues / Findlay's Motel / Unholy Dreams // Yesterday is Here / Like a Hurricane / Prisoner of Texas

Download it here.

Thalia Zedek : The nature of drones

Laugh if you can. The first times I heard the band Come on records, I was unable to say if the singer was male or female. And when I saw Come live, I was still doubtful. Thalia Zedek is not the androgynous type. Masculine, yeah.
Come was an awesome band. Starting a solo career near 2001, Zedek refined her art musically. But that voice...
"The nature of drones" is quite a rare record (only sold during an australian tour).

Thalia Zedek : The nature of drones (MCD-2005)
Searchlight / Wind / Evil Hand (acoustic) / Too Much Shadow / JJ85 / House of the Rising Sun / Eastern Hue

Download it here.

Black Supersuckers : Sub Pop demos

Someone asked for the Black Supersuckers album. With all due respect to a human being (Eric Martin to name the guilty one), Eddie Spaghetti inherating the lead vocals is the best thing that could happen to this not fully grown-up band. And it happened. Save your cash for the Supersuckers' real thing.

Black Supersuckers : Sub Pop demos (1989)
Dance on it / Dirt / Black Supersucker Rock (extended version) / Four Stroke / Blow you Away / Girl I Know / Uncle Jim / Junk / Mudhead / Wake Me When It's Over / Girl I Know (acoustic version) / Monkey / Black Supersucker Rock (reprise)

Download it here.

The Grave Diggers : Move it!

Tim Warren may be a megalomaniac narrow-minded loudmouth but what he and Crypt Records did from the mid-80's to nowadays is no doubt an unquantifiable contribution to music History in general and garage-punk'n'roll in particular. Be it inborn or calculated, Tim Warren understood one thing : if you discover something good, it ain't enough to softly whisper that it is good and worth listening to it but, at some point, you have to shout out loud that there is nothing better around and that you and your lousy neighbours have to buy it dig it and pass the word you bunch of fuckheads. Ah. Those liner notes, those flyers, written by Tim's fine feather. Touching. If garage-punk held the sword all these years, Tim Warren had sharpened the blade.
Here is a one hit wonder from a "live fast/die young" californian band.
The Grave Diggers : Move it! (LP-1989)
Rumblin' Ubangi Stomp / The Witch / The Wild Kind / Black Cadillac / Love Me (Redux) / Thunder & Lightening / Hey Girl, Come See Me / Wild Mind / Move it! / Slippin' in / Insane / Say Goodbye Libby / Love's in Season / Get Off my Back / Cool Ghoul

Download it here.

Blag Dahlia

Listening to the Candy Now! album, a stupid thought crossed my mind : if Blag Dahlia was the Mike Patton of the lower class. Pretty stupid, I know. The crooner thing, I guess. Patton is such a pretentious "Art School Confidential" type (as mocked by Dan Clowes) while Blag Dahlia is a bumpkin. A smart gifted bumpkin. Smart enough to access bookstores (with the compelling spoken words record that goes with it). Let's get back to the main thing : the Dwarves are one of the best punk band of all time. Violent, shocking, decadent, inconsequent and messy only by reputation. If there was ever an autodestruction drive with them, it has been muzzled, measured and controlled all the way through. I mean : Blag Dahlia is still here to write it.
Here are two short plays (Blag's first escapes from the Dwarves) and one of the countless post "must die" unofficial bootleg.

Archive content :
Blag Dahlia : Let's Take a Ride / Lord of the Road (7"-1994)
Blag Dahlia : Venus in arms (MCD-1995)
Let's Take a Ride / The Wicked / Haunt Me / The Crucifixion is Now / Theme From the Vicelords (Everywhere That We Go)
The Dwarves : unofficial (2005)
Salt Lake City (censored version) / Over you / We Must Have Blood / Salt Lake City (x-rated version) / Salt Lake City (Live at Donnington 2005) / Live on Halloween at the Great American San Francisco 2002 / Live at the Troubadour Los Angeles 2002 / Drugstore (Live acoustic UK 2005) / Bitch I Love you (Live acoustic UK 2005) / How It's Done

Download it here.

Even bloggers get the blues

In my native language people referred to blues as "la musique des 12 mesures", which can be translated in "twelve bar music" or (word to word) in "twelve steps music", both semantically relating to my alcohol problem.
Erm... I guess I was supposed to write something important here.
My little home dramas should not interfer with what I'm doing here. I like the blues. I do not like my blues. Period.

Bob & Lisa : Crossfire Blues