Friday, December 22, 2017

Short Rounds: Flat Duo Jets, Focus, The Original Blues Brothers Band, Uriah Heep & John Wetton (2017)

Flat Duo Jets' Wild Wild Love
New album releases in 150 words or less…

Flat Duo Jets – Wild Wild Love (Daniel 13 Records)
Formed by singer/guitarist Dexter Romweber and drummer Chris “Crow” Smith, North Carolina’s Flat Duo Jets have been kickin’ the can since the mid-‘80s. The pair has cranked out psychobilly jams with reckless abandon on almost a dozen albums since the 1990 release of their indie debut, influencing artists like the White Stripes and the Drive-By Truckers. That hard-to-find Flat Duo Jets debut LP is included on Wild Wild Love, a double-disc compilation that also includes the band’s 1985 cassette-only mini-album In Stereo and a slew of studio outtakes. The Jets’ raw-boned sound and the primitive production afforded performances like “My Life, My Love” (with Dex channeling his inner Elvis), the ramshackle “Tribute to Gene” (i.e. Vincent), and the New Orleans-flavored “Strut My Stuff” make for hi-octane fun. The ‘outtakes’ disc has its sonic charms also, especially the rowdy surfabilly instrumental “Bumble Bee Boogie.” Well worth your time to check out... Grade: B   BUY IT!


The Focus Family Album
Focus – The Focus Family Album (In and Out of Focus Records)
An odd little bird, this The Focus Family Album collection – two discs with 20 tracks by the Dutch band best-known for its 1971 hit “Hocus Pocus.” Presented in an eight-panel digipak with artwork by Roger Dean, the set features ten tracks by Focus along with two solo tracks by each current band member, including founder Thijs van Leer and longtime drummer Pierre van der Linden, plus two by associated band Swing. Fifteen tracks are previously unreleased – an offering for the band’s cultish fans – but overall the results are mixed. The crooning solo vocals of van Leer are a little disconcerting while van der Linden’s slight voice is nevertheless disarming on his two charming efforts. The band’s signature jazz-flecked progressive-rock sound is expanded and unpredictable on tracks like “Santa Teresa” and “Victoria” but Menno Gootjes’ solo acoustic instrumental “Two-part Intervention” and Focus’s “Mosh Blues” prove him a knowledgeable and innovative guitarist. Grade: B-   BUY IT!

The Original Blues Brothers Band's The Last Shade of Blue Before Black
The Original Blues Brothers Band – The Last Shade of Blue Before Black (Severn Records)
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s hit 1980 movie The Blues Brothers was a paean to their love of R&B, the film boosting the careers of idols Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and James Brown. The pair was backed by as talented a group of musicians as you’ll ever find, a few of which carry on as The Original Blues Brothers Band. The Last Shade of Blue Before Black is the latest from the Steve Cropper/Lou Marini fronted band, a fine fourteen-song collection of heartfelt soul and blues tunes that features guests like guitarists Joe Louis Walker and Matt “Guitar” Murphy as well as Dr. John and Eddie Floyd, whose “Don’t Forget About James Brown” is the booty-shakin’ prescription for funk we all needed. A raucous cover of “I Got My Mojo Working” is a joyous romp while the title track is a haunting blues ballad that does Jake and Elwood proud. Grade: B+   BUY IT!

Uriah Heep's Raging Through The Silence
Uriah Heep – Raging Through The Silence (Uriah Heep Records)
Critically-reviled but beloved by fans, Uriah Heep had the last laugh on rockcrit types as they’re still kicking out the jams for rowdy audiences worldwide almost 50 years since their forming. Raging Through The Silence is a super-duper 2-CD/DVD set documenting Heep’s “20th anniversary concert” in London, the 1989 show released on VHS once upon a time and long since forgotten. Touring in support of Raging Silence with fairly-new frontman Bernie Shaw on the microphone, the show offers up fan faves in the form of “Easy Livin’,” “Stealin’,” and “Look At Yourself” as well as lesser-known fare like “Gypsy” and “July Morning.” It’s a solid performance, with beat-keepers Lee Kerslake and Trevor Bolder providing a foundation for Mick Box’s stinging fretwork. Shaw’s vox are a little raw (he’s much better on newer recordings), but he hits all the notes and the show is a true celebration of rock ‘n’ roll. Grade: B   BUY IT!

John Wetton's Akustika/Akustika II
John Wetton – Akustika/Akustika II (Primary Purpose Records)
John Wetton was a true rock ‘n’ roll journeyman, the over-hyped and yet oddly underrated singer, songwriter, and musician enjoying a lengthy solo career along with notable stints in legendary bands King Crimson, Family, Roxy Music, and Uriah Heep. He also recorded excellent albums with Roxy’s Phil Manzanera and Geoff Downes (Yes), but Wetton is best-known as one of the co-founders of 1980s-era rockers Asia. The two-CD Akustika/Akustika II is a gem among Wetton’s solo albums, combining the 1996 live Akustika with a previously-unreleased 2005 performance, displaying Wetton’s immense talents in an intimate acoustic setting with just voice, guitar, and piano. The Akustika disc has some fine moments like “Voice of America,” “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,” and “Heat of the Moment” but Akustika II includes chilling takes on Crimson’s “Starless” and “Book of Saturday.” With these stark, beautiful performances, Wetton strips prog-rock bluster down to its rawest heartbeat. Grade: A-   BUY IT!

Previously on That Devil Music:
Short Rounds, November 2017 - Tommy Castro, NRBQ, Radio Moscow & the Replacements
Short Rounds, October 2017 - Action Skulls, Arthur Adams, the Nighthawks & UFO  

Bill Kopp’s Reinventing Pink Floyd

Bill Kopp’s Reinventing Pink Floyd
It’s only fitting that our final news story of 2017 should be about friend and colleague Bill Kopp. A veteran music journalist and critic, Bill has written for publications like Blurt magazine, Goldmine, Prog (U.K.), Ugly Things zine, and Record Collector (U.K.), among others, as well as tending to his own excellent Musoscribe blog. Now Kopp has another lofty credential to add to the list – his first book!

On February 15, 2018 Rowman & Littlefield will publish Kopp’s Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to the Dark Side of the Moon. In celebration of the 45th anniversary of the band’s groundbreaking Dark Side of the Moon LP (released in ’73), Kopp takes a look at Floyd’s reinvention after the departure of band founder Barrett as well as the musical evolution of the band that would result in the aforementioned breakthrough album that would subsequently spend an unparalleled 741 weeks on the Billboard charts (that’s better than 14 years!).

Kopp explores the band’s attempts to establish a fresh musical identity and style after the loss of their brilliant band leader, including the obstacles, experiments, creative missteps, and eventual development of the influential “Pink Floyd” sound that would result in a handful of bona fide classic albums (Wish You Were Here being my personal favorite). Kopp worked from archival interviews and reviews to put together a history of the band circa 1968 through 1973, adding information glommed from exclusive interviews with folks like Steve Howe (Yes), Jerry Shirley (Humble Pie), Davy O’List (The Nice), Robyn Hitchcock, and many others.

The result is a tome that every Pink Floyd fan or any lover of the classic rock era is going to want on their bookshelf! You can pre-order Revinventing Pink Floyd right now from Amazon.com...

Alice Cooper Guitarist Michael Bruce’s No More Mr. Nice Guy

Michael Bruce’s No More Mr. Nice Guy box set
Guitarist Michael Bruce was an integral part of the sound and fury that was the original Alice Cooper band. Co-writer of many of the band’s best-known and beloved songs, Bruce was around for classic Alice Cooper albums like Love It To Death, School’s Out, and Billion Dollar Babies. After Alice left the band to pursue solo stardom, Bruce and fellow bandmates carried on under the name Billion Dollar Babies at first, recording a single album titled Battle Axe. The guitarist would later forge a lengthy and impressive solo career that includes a half-dozen albums as well as a pair of recordings with the band Ant-Bee.

In February 2018, Gonzo Multimedia will be reissuing Bruce’s critically-acclaimed biography No More Mr. Nice Guy as part of a limited edition box set. The box includes the book, written by Bruce and his Ant-Bee bandmate Billy James, originally published in 1996 and recently updated; as well as a signed certificate, a 1996 interview CD, and reproductions of Alice Cooper group memorabilia. The box set is limited to 250 copies and is currently available for pre-order through PledgeMusic.

Michael Bruce’s No More Mr. Nice Guy
For Michael Bruce/Alice Cooper fans there are also a couple of other items on the Pledge Music page that might pique your interest. If you don’t want to pony up $67 for the deluxe box set, you can buy Bruce’s No More Mr. Nice Guy bio by itself for a very reasonable $13.50 (plus shipping) and/or pick up a copy of the very first show by Billion Dollar Babies on CD for a mere $12.15 (plus shipping). Performed in Flint, Michigan in 1977, Billion Dollar Babies included Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith from the original Alice Cooper band as well guitarist Mike Marconi and keyboardist Bob Dolin. The book and the CD are available in a bundle for $24 (plus shipping).

In a press release for the box set, Bruce says “it’s not often we get a chance to redo, remake or, in this case, re-release a book...my book. It is with much thought, great enjoyment, many thanks, and heartfelt appreciation for family, friends, and fans that I present the re-release of No More Mr Nice Guy, a compilation of hilarious rock ‘n’ roll stories and life events that made me the man I am today.” Check it all out on the PledgeMusic website.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

CD Review: The Searchers' Another Night: The Sire Recordings 1979-1981 (2017)

The Searchers' Another Night: The Sire Recordings 1979-1981
The Searchers were one of the leading lights of England’s 1960s-era ‘Merseybeat’ scene, the band holding its own on the charts with contemporaries like the Beatles, the Hollies, and Gerry and the Pacemakers. Originally formed in 1959 in Liverpool as a skiffle band by guitarists John McNally and Mike Pender, the band scored its first chart-topper with a cover of the Drifters’ 1961 hit “Sweets For My Sweet.” They’d subsequently enjoy hits with covers of songs like Jackie DeShannon’s “Needles and Pins” and “When You Walk In the Room”; the Orlons’ “Don’t Throw Your Love Away”; and the Clovers’ “Love Potion No. 9.” Best known as interpreters of other artist’s songs, the Searchers nevertheless scored the occasional hit with original tunes like 1965’s “He’s Got No Love” (#12 U.K.).

By the end of the 1960s, the hits had dried up as rock ‘n’ roll moved towards harder and more progressive directions. The Searchers continued to tour throughout the ‘70s, however, performing contemporary songs by artists like Neil Young and Loggins & Messina alongside their ‘60s hits. When rock music began to turn back to the past as younger ‘new wave’ artists incorporated ‘60s-era sounds and influences into their songs, the Searchers had hung around long enough to take advantage of the musical evolution. They were the real deal, ‘60s-era music-makers who had updated their sound with enough of a contemporary edge to land the band a deal with Sire Records. The Searchers recorded a pair of excellent albums for Sire – 1979’s The Searchers and the following year’s Love’s Melodies – both of which stand proudly among the best power-pop releases of the era. Both of these long out-of-print albums have been combined as the two-disc Another Night: The Sire Recordings 1979-1981 by archival specialists Omnivore Recordings, with seven bonus tracks added to the original albums.

The Searchers’ Another Night: The Sire Recordings 1979-1981


The Searchers' The Searchers
The Searchers’ trademark jangly-pop sound was tailor-made for the new wave ‘80s, and their ‘60s rock pedigree should have served them well in the new decade, but an audience was hard to find in spite of the overall high quality of the Searchers’ self-titled 1979 album. Take, for instance, the band’s cover of the Will Birch/John Wicks gem “Hearts In Her Eyes,” as delightful a slab of shimmering power-pop as will ever melt your ears. Pender’s wistful vocals are as smooth as honey and his and McNally’s cross-cutting guitars shine with the light of a thousand suns as the rest of the band joyfully bangs along with reckless aplomb. Wicks recorded the song a year later for the Records’ sophomore album, and while both performances will heal your soul, when released as a single, the Searchers’ version failed to move the needle at all.

The only other single released from the album – the kinetic “It’s Too Late” – also failed to chart in spite of its delicious start/stop dynamic, bouncy harmony vocals, and infectious melodic hook. The performance sounds like a new wavish take on British rockers Argent (with a dash of the Zombies, perhaps…), the band coming full circle artistically while delivering a solid radio-ready ‘should-have-been-a-hit’ that easily trounces rivals, er…contemporaries like the Babys, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Split Enz, Squeeze, the Rezillos, the Undertones, the Tourists, the Knack, and the Cars…all of which released similar ‘60s-flavored power-pop LPs during the year. The band’s cover of Nick Lowe’s transcendent “Switchboard Susan” (penned by his pub-rock pal Micky Jupp) is more languid and lusty than Lowe’s original and falls short of the mark only because Lowe’s reading is so definitive.

The ignorance of the record-buying public notwithstanding, there’s a heck of a lot of great music to be found on The Searchers. “Feeling Fine” is an upbeat rocker with downbeat lyrics about a lost love, the song’s protagonist lying to himself above the din of twangy guitars and propulsive drumbeats. A cover of Tom Petty’s “Lost In Your Eyes” takes the song into the stratosphere, Pender’s echoed vox achieving an ethereal tone while guest Bob Jackson’s gorgeous piano underlines the song’s pathos. The band does Dylan equally proud, a cover of the Scribe’s “Coming From The Heart” provided a heartfelt reading of the lyrics above lush instrumentation. Among the band’s few original tunes, “Don’t Hang On” offers a rockabilly heartbeat with the soul of the performance fueled by bassist Frank Allen’s jaunty vocals while “This Kind of Love Affair” buries Pender’s vocals beneath swirling guitar licks and heavy rhythms that do nothing to dislodge the song’s undeniable melodic hook.

Play For Today


The Searchers' Love's Melodies
In spite of its feeble chart showing, The Searchers evidently garnered enough critical acclaim that Sire put the band back in the studio for a second shot at the brass ring. Released in the U.K. as Play For Today and stateside as Love’s Melodies in 1981, the album displayed the same incredible mix of inspired cover tunes and timely originals as its predecessor. The album is best-known for its lead-off single, a cover of Ducks Deluxe’s “Love’s Melody.” Written by that band’s Andy McMasters – a skilled songwriter in a band that included similar major talents in Sean Tyla and Nick Garvey – the Searchers imbue the song with a larger-than-life performance, Pender’s lovelorn vocals teetering atop lush instrumentation and supported by lofty backing harmony vocals and Billy Adamson’s ricocheting snare-drumbeats. The band’s original “Another Night” was the album’s second single, a somewhat atypical choice of songs with skewed guitars, chaotic harmonies, and angry drumbeats propelling an otherwise wiry rocker.

Much like its predecessor, Love’s Melodies/Play For Today offers a plethora of solid cross-genre performances all anchored by the band’s innate sense of melody and the twin jangle-pop guitars of Pender and McNally. The album’s opening track, “Silver,” is as maximum ‘new wave’ as a band could crank out at the time, the song challenging similar outfits like Blondie, the Rubinoos, or Katrina & the Waves with a delightfully 1960s-era pop/rock vibe comprised of glimmering guitar strings, on-point harmonies, and solid percussion work. “Radio Romance” comes courtesy of the band’s pal Will Birch (The Records), the song seemingly handcrafted for FM airplay with taut fretwork, whipsmart lyrics, and a fierce jangly sonic vibe that could blast effortlessly above the din from a car radio. The Searchers’ choice of cover songs are among the best I’ve seen and heard in four-and-a-half decades of poring over rock ‘n’ roll vinyl and they picked some tasty treats for Love’s Melodies/Play For Today, starting with John Fogerty’s “Almost Saturday Night.”

Performed with the same sort of ramshackle charm as the original, Pender’s vocals on “Almost Saturday Night” mimic those of Fogerty’s original as the band lays down a mighty rhythmic bedrock embroidered upon by twangy guitarplay. Big Star’s “September Gurls,” recorded years before the Chilton revival, captures the magic of the original with echoed harmonies and melancholy guitars matched by rollicking percussion. Whereas The Searchers disc included bonus tracks in the form of alternative mixes of “It’s Too Late,” “Love’s Melody,” and “Silver” that display a different facet of the band’s talents, the bonus tracks appended to Love’s Melodies include the engaging band original “Changing,” the B-side to the album’s first single, while John Hiatt’s “Back To The War” is an electrifying take on a then-obscure songwriter. Released as a B-side to the “Another Night” single, the song’s angular dynamics and Pender’s vocal approach make it the most ‘new wave’ sounding tune they had recorded. The band liked Hiatt’s material so much that they also recorded his “Ambulance Chaser,” unreleased until now, the song a definite stylistic throwback with charming vocals and distinctive instrumentation that would sound more at home in 1968 than 1980.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line


With The Searchers and Love’s Melodies/Play For Today, the band reached the creative pinnacle of their lengthy career. More than mere interpreters of song, the Searchers imbued every recording with their own unique sound – gorgeous vocal harmonies, innovative use of twelve-string guitar, driving rhythms – making each performance their own, no matter who wrote the song. It’s no different with these two albums, the band rising to the occasion to deliver a pair of power-pop treasures that, while sorely overlooked at the time, nevertheless proved why the Searchers were a major influence on everybody from the Byrds and Big Star to Tom Petty and R.E.M. If you’re a fan of any of these bands, you owe it to yourself to discover the Searchers. Grade: A (Omnivore Recordings, released December 8, 2017)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: The Searchers’ Another Night: The Sire Recordings 1979-1981




Cleveland Rock Royalty The Choir’s Unreleased Album

The Choir's Artifact
Years before the Raspberries would tear up the charts with early ‘70s hits like “Go All The Way,” “I Wanna Be With You,” “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” and other tunes, its members performed with other Cleveland, Ohio area outfits like the Choir and Cyrus Erie. The Choir is especially notable as future Raspberries band members Wally Bryson (guitar), Dave Smalley (guitar/bass), and Jim Bonfanti (drums) were members; future Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen, a member of Cyrus Erie, had auditioned for the Choir but was passed over in favor of another vocalist.

A popular garage-rock outfit, the Choir is largely remembered for the band’s first single, the minor hit “It’s Cold Outside.” Released in December 1966, the song was featured on the garage-rock compilation Pebbles, Volume 2 and would subsequently appear on a number of dodgy import comps of garage and psychedelic-rock. Although the band would never release a full-length album during its tenure (roughly 1966 through 1970), Bomp! Records released a five-song self-titled EP in 1976, and Sundazed Records released Choir Practice on CD and vinyl in 1994, the album featuring the five songs from the previous EP along with a number of previously-unreleased tracks.

On February 16, 2018 Ominivore Recordings will release Artifact: The Unreleased Album, featuring ten tracks recorded by the Choir in 1969 and making their very first appearance in any format. Restored in the studio by Tommy Allen and Ducky Carlisle, who worked on the Raspberries’ recent Pop Art Live, the album includes new liner notes by Eric Carmen and Choir band members Denny Carleton and Phil Giallombardo as well as a Choir family tree and rare photos from the band’s collections.

In his liner notes for the album, Eric Carmen wrote, “I went to see the Choir when I was 16, and immediately wanted to join their band. They were a great group that had many lives and many members. This album was made by one of the last and final versions of the band. This recently discovered recording is sure to rekindle fond memories for the many fans of the Choir, including myself. Give it a spin, and enjoy a special piece of Cleveland rock history.”

Also on That Devil Music: The Raspberries’ Pop Art Live CD review

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: The Choir’s Artifact: The Unreleased Album


Sunday, December 10, 2017

Archive Review: Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town (2007)

Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town
Aaah...pub rock. A uniquely British construct – albeit one based on American music styles – pub rock represented a “back to the roots” aesthetic years before punk would rear its (often times) ugly head. Make no mistake, however…punk rock was heavily influenced by the pub rock scene, and the bands of the “Revolution of ‘77” benefited greatly from the trailblazing efforts of their forebears in opening up pubs and clubs to live performances (and rock music).

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, shall we? As reflected by David Wells’ comprehensive liner notes for Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town, a two-CD set subtitled “a Pub Rock anthology,” the origins of the so-called movement lie with the American band Eggs Over Easy. The band had traveled to England in late 1970 to record an album with producer Chas Chandler, but the coming of the new year found them stranded in the country with no record deal. Convincing the management of the Tally Ho pub in the London neighborhood of Kentish Town to allow them to play on normally slow Monday nights, Eggs Over Easy quickly developed a loyal following.

Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town


Among the growing legion of Eggs Over Easy fans were several musicians looking for a new direction. Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwarz attended many an Eggs Over Easy show at the Tally Ho, even sitting in with the band at times; other fans included ‘60s U.K. rocker Zoot Money and members of bands like Bees Make Honey and Kilburn & the High Roads. When Eggs Over Easy’s work visas expired, the band returned to the states, releasing a single album (Good ‘N’ Cheap) in 1972 before breaking up and disappearing into the rock ‘n’ roll ether.

Eggs Over Easy's Good 'N' Cheap
Although Eggs Over Easy would quickly slip into obscurity, the seed that the band had planted with its Tally Ho residency took root and sprouted into dozens of bands suddenly emancipated from the constraints of expectations. Providing an attractive alternative to the prog-rock and singer/songwriter fare of the day, pub-rock represented a welcome “back to the country” vibe, bands like Brinsley Schwarz (with Schwarz and Lowe), Bees Make Honey, Chilli Willi & the Red Hot Peppers, Dr. Feelgood, and others pursuing original mixes of rock, country, blues, and bluegrass, performing in receptive pubs and clubs in and around London. None of the bands got rich, or even made a lot of money, but they enjoyed playing the music they wanted to play while honing their skills, and the top-of-the-card performers made daring, original music based on old standards that hits the ears hard, even 30+ years later.

From start to finish, Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town provides a fascinating and entertaining glimpse into the world of pub rock. Kicking off with the title track, Chilli Willi & the Red Hot Peppers sound like Gram Parsons fronting the Flying Burrito Brothers with a British accent, the song’s innocence overwhelming its tentatively twangy instrumentation. The band’s “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” swings with a Western flair and jazzy undertones, kind of Cab-Calloway-meets-Bob-Wills in good old London town. Pioneers Eggs Over Easy deliver the simple, charming, countryish “Runnin’ Down To Memphis,” the band’s only cut on the anthology.

The Pub Rock Scene


Fronted by Ian Dury, who would go on to become a U.K. punk icon, Kilburn & the High Roads mixed a British Dance Hall sound with Dury’s keen lyrical observations and slightly-skewed sense of humour. Kilburn’s “Billy Bentley” is pretty snazzy while the band’s other cut here, “Rough Kids,” is a horn-driven blast of fresh air with honky-tonk piano and screaming guitars. Bees Make Honey could have just as easily come from Laurel Canyon circa 1971, with laid-back songs like “What Have We Got To Lose” showcasing delicious harmonies while “Indian Bayou Saturday” mixes Levon Helm and The Band with Goose Creek Symphony (?!). Perhaps the best-known pub rock band of them all, Brinsley Schwarz, is represented here by a single tasty cut, the free-flowing roots-rock “Country Girl.”

Brinsley Schwarz's Nervous On The RoadOne of the most interesting aspects of the short-lived pub rock phenomena was its inclusive nature; it was a big tent over a small scene, and everybody was welcome. Because of the honest, sincere nature of the music, old ‘60s rockers like Zoot Money, Mick Farren, Albert Lee, Stray, and McGuiness Flint found a new home within the genre. Session guitar-for-hire Lee, who was also part of the unabashedly country-honk outfit Country Fever, gets to show off his six-string skills with the transcendent “Best I Can.” Money’s “Arkansas” sounds like a throwback to the hillbilly ‘50s, a low-fi production with sparse instrumentation and wickedly somber vocals. Featuring members of Manfred Mann and John Mayall’s bands, McGuinness Flint pursued a guitar-driven rock sound with just a trace of rootsy influence on the band’s rollicking “Ride On My Rainbow.”

Some pub rockers would go on to find significant careers in the coming punk revolution. Aside from the aforementioned Dury and Brinsley Schwarz’s Nick Lowe, the raw, stripped-down sound of bands like Eddie & the Hot Rods (kicking out the jams here with the uber-cool garage rock vibrations of “Do The Monkey Man” and “All I Need Is Money”) or the Count Bishops (best known for their haunting Link-Wray-meets-Screamin’-Jay rave-up “Train Train”) finding a receptive audience for their hard-rocking tunes among the Mohawk-tressed masses.

Brinsley Schwarz, Dr. Feelgood & the Fabulous Poodles


The scene also embraced bands that didn’t subscribe to the typical pub rock band’s rustic country sound. The Fabulous Poodles, for instance, didn’t really fit in anywhere with songs like the boisterous “Roll Your Own” or a spot-on soulful cover of the Amazing Rhythm Aces’ “Third Rate Romance” offering slightly-tilted guitar, off-kilter vocals, and a sound that was more rock than roots. Elevated to royal status by pub rock fans, the influential Dr. Feelgood brought an R&B influence to the genre, although the band’s lone song here, “Roxette,” could pass for a ‘60s-era British blooze-rocker with distorted guitar and some dirty mouth harp work. Raucous ‘50s-styled rockabilly was a favorite route for many on the scene, the Brunning Sunflower Band crossing Jerry Lee with Duane Eddy on the track “Good Golly Miss Kelly” while Matchbox, which would kick around well into the ‘80s, kicks out the spirited and electric “Rock’n’Roll Band” here. Another ‘60s-era holdover, the Pirates, evince an anarchic blue suede sound with their rocking “Gibson Martin Fender” (an off-the-tracks live version, no less).

The Fabulous Poodles' Mirror Stars
Out of the 49 total tracks on Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town, there are a lot of lesser-known bands included on the anthology that nevertheless made good music and deserve mentioning, such as the Cartoons, Country Fever, Mickey Jupp, and the Kursaal Flyers. Late-period pub rockers like the Tyla Gang or Nine Below Zero made more of a splash amidst late ‘70s/early ‘80s audiences loosened up by the triumphs of punk rock while others, cult favorites like the Downliners Sect or Unicorn, recorded albums that have become a sort of holy grail to collectors who prefer a little well-intentioned obscurity as they dig through the crates.

There are some obvious omissions hereabouts, most notably Ducks Deluxe, who had a unique Chuck Berry-influenced boogie-rock sound and which later provided musicians to both the Tyla Gang and Graham Parker’s Rumour; the Motors, who scored several U.K. chart hits; soulful vocalist Frankie Miller, whose oeuvre would fit firmly into the pub rock milieu; and even Joe Strummer’s pre-Clash band the 101’ers. I would have dropped the third Kilburn & the High Roads song and included a second Dr. Feelgood cut, but it would be easy to have bumped the anthology up to a third disc considering the wealth of material available.

The Reverend's Bottom Line


Given the relative scarcity of much of this excellent music, however, and the unfamiliarity of American rock fans with most of these bands, Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town does a fine job of documenting the pub rock genre. The anthology provides newcomers with a valuable roadmap to bands worth checking out and, indeed, many of the bands mentioned here have import albums readily available. If you’re looking for an antidote to the brutal reality of what passes for modern rock these days, or if you’re a roots-rock fan thirsty for something new, I’d heartily recommend checking out the pub rock scene; this anthology is as good a place as any to start... (Castle Music UK, released April 16, 2007)






Country Joe & the Fish Celebrate the Summer of Love

Country Joe & the Fish's The Wave of Electrical Sound
Folk-rock outfit Country Joe & the Fish – formed in 1965 by singer/songwriter Country Joe McDonald and guitarist Barry “Fish” Melton – are best known for their infamous August 1969 appearance at Woodstock, McDonald leading the audience in shouting “The Fish Cheer” (“gimme an ‘F’…”) before launching into a memorable performance of the anti-war “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag.” One of the most innovative and popular bands in the San Francisco area, Country Joe & the Fish were steeped in the psychedelic-rock of the time, but tempered their flower-power excesses with elements of folk, blues, and even jazz to underscore their often politically-charged lyrics.

Country Joe & the Fish released their first two albums during 1967, their debut Electric Music For the Mind and Body appearing just in time for the “Summer of Love” while I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die, recorded in July, bookended the debut LP later that year. Both albums were groundbreaking, influential efforts by a then-veteran band, musically-adventurous with McDonald’s songs offering up intelligent political commentary and satire. On January 26th, 2018 Craft Recordings will celebrate Country Joe & the Fish’s “Summer of Love’ with the release of a limited-edition vinyl box set, The Wave of Electrical Sound. Both re-mastered albums will also be reissued as stand-alone LPs and have already been released digitally on iTunes and elsewhere.

Country Joe & the Fish's The Wave of Electrical Sound
Limited to 2,000 copies worldwide, The Wave of Electrical Sound is a four-album box set offering both mono and stereo version of Electric Music For the Mind and Body and I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die pressed on audiophile quality 180-gram vinyl. The albums are packaged in old-school-style tip-on jackets, with the mono versions of both albums sporting rare alternative cover artwork while the stereo versions of both feature replicas of their original cover art. The box set also includes a bunch of cool band memorabilia from the era including replicas of The Fish Game, a Fish Fan Club book, and a Fish calendar designed by Tom Weller as well as a DVD of How We Stopped The War, a 30-minute documentary film on the band and a 24-page book with rare photos and artwork and new liner notes from writer, producer, and musician Alec Palao.

In his liner notes for the box set, Palao writes, “what makes both albums Country Joe & the Fish recorded in 1967 so significant is not just the presentation, but the repertoire...the writing is extraordinary. Whatever influence from Dylan, Richard Farina and others McDonald might have absorbed, his muse was his own, and fully on display with idiosyncratic material that dripped with imagery and allusion.”

Buy the vinyl box set from Amazon.com: Country Joe & the Fish’s The Wave of Electrical Sound

CD Preview: Chris Hillman’s The Asylum Years

Chris Hillman’s The Asylum Years
The legendary Chris Hillman released his first solo album in seven years in 2017 with the Tom Petty-produced Bidin’ My Time. A charming collection of Hillman co-writes and inspired cover songs (including Petty’s “Wildflowers”), the album is just another gem in a lengthy, critically-acclaimed career that spans six decades and includes tenures with the Byrds; the Flying Burrito Brothers; Stephen Stills & Manassas; McGuinn, Clark & Hillman; and the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band (yeah, the dude has made a lot of great music...).

Sadly, a number of Hillman’s solo albums have long been out-of-print, including the artist’s excellent 1979 debut Slippin’ Away. Luckily, the folks at Omnivore Recordings are Chris Hillman fans, and the label’s upcoming 20-track collection The Asylum Years – scheduled for February 9, 2018 release – combines Slippin’ Away and Hillman’s sophomore effort, Clear Sailin’, on a single CD for the first time.

Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman photo courtesy Omnivore Recordings
For the recording of Slippin’ Away, Hillman dove into his rolodex and enlisted friends and former bandmates like Memphis soul legends Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn as well as fiddle-player Byron Berline, guitarists Al Perkins and Bernie Leadon, drummers Jim Gordon and Russ Kunkel, and backing singers Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (The Turtles). The assembled talents created a classic of country-flavored rock. A year later, Hillman went into the studio to record Clear Sailin’ with a band that included future star Richard Marx on guitar, keyboardist Skip Edwards (who’d played with Johnny Rivers), and drummer Joe Lala (Joe Walsh, Manassas).

Clear Sailin’ was produced by Jim Mascon (Poco, Firefall) and included a number of songs written by Hillman and Crawdaddy magazine co-founder Peter Knobler as well as covers of Smokey Robinson-penned Marvin Gaye hit “Ain’t That Peculiar” and Danny O’Keefe’s “Quits.” Hillman’s The Asylum Years also includes an essay by writer Scott Schinder featuring a new interview with the singer/songwriter. Kudos to Omnivore for rescuing these two fine examples of 1970s-era L.A. avocado rock from obscurity for a new generation of fans to discover!

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Chris Hillman’s The Asylum Years


Sunday, December 3, 2017

CD Review: Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers' More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows (2018)

Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers' More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Joe Grushecky is a music biz lifer, a survivor whose first band of note – the Iron City Houserockers – delivered four near-perfect albums of intelligent, unbridled rock ‘n’ roll circa 1970-1983. With a sound and lyricism inspired by blue-collar scribes like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger, tho’ often displaying more blues and soul influences, the I.C. guys earned a lot of critical acclaim but few record sales. When the band broke up after being dropped by MCA Records, Grushecky worked on his songwriting chops while pursuing a career as a teacher for “at risk” youths in his hometown of Pittsburgh. He would resurface in 1989 with the album Rock & Real, credited to “Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers.” Minor masterpieces like the Springsteen-produced American Babylon (1995) and True Companion (2004) would follow, yielding great reviews but providing no breakthrough.

After suffering through record deals with both major and minor labels, Grushecky launched his own indie Schoolhouse Records imprint years before many of today’s critically-acclaimed indie-rockers were born. When Grushecky wanted to explore other facets of his music, he recorded solo albums like 2002’s Fingerprints, 2006’s A Good Life, and 2013’s Somewhere East of Eden. He has always drifted back to the Houserockers, though, and this year’s model – More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows – finds Joey G. and cohorts in fine form as they deliver their first studio album together since 2009’s exceptional East Carson Street. In spite of an impressive body of work comprised of better than a dozen studio and live albums, Grushecky remains one of the best-kept secrets in rock music, forever marginalized by his association with a coterie of talented ‘70s-era rockers including Willie Nile and Elliott Murphy and bands like the Del Lords.

Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers’ More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows


From the new album’s title to the music in the grooves, Grushecky seems preoccupied with mortality and morality. Not a sort of Goth kid’s black-eyeliner and mopey obsession with death, but rather that of a middle-aged man staring down, as the title suggests, the reality that their existence holds “more yesterdays than tomorrows.” Turning 60 this year, I’m well aware of the Reaper’s stare – my father made it less than two months past his 60th birthday before passing, my mother a little more than a year and change beyond that before her death. The Oglala Lakota Indian chief Low Dog is famously quoted as saying “today is a good day to die” and I suppose that’s true, but many of us are dragged screaming to the grave. While the specter of death permeates our culture, it’s seldom addressed musically outside of blues and gospel songs.

Opening with the mid-tempo title track, Grushecky ponders the situation with his keen lyrical eye and takes stock of where he sits in life. Rather than mourning the days behind him, the singer’s joy at each “brand new day” soars atop a transcendent guitar solo and jangly instrumentation. Never a quitter, Grushecky wears his scars proudly as he soldiers on, headfirst, into whatever tomorrow has to bring. His reverie broken by reality’s intrusion, Grushecky launches into “Got To Go To Work Today,” a no-frills rocker with more than a little boogie backbeat hidden beneath the din. Burnishing his blue collar bona fides, Grushecky creates a protagonist who begrudgingly accepts his fate, the songwriter’s vague description of the workplace spinning a tale of an everyman’s curse, albeit one set to stinging guitar solos and clamorous rhythms.

That’s What Makes Us Great


Released earlier this year as a single, “That’s What Makes Us Great” is an incredible duet with Joe’s buddy Bruce (as in Springsteen), the song itself a call to arms for those resisting the loss of our country to greedy businessmen and craven politicians, the slipping away of the American dream to jackboots of fear and hate as refugees in need are turned away in our ignorance and the country itself seems under siege. The words are sung passionately, Grushecky and Springsteen’s voices surrounded by chaotic instrumentation, clanging guitar licks sounding like the Liberty Bell ringing the chimes of freedom.

Both men realize that we’re collectively witnessing a brutal turning point in our nation’s savage history, the song asking “is there a difference I can make,” its creators choosing love above all else in what may be Springsteen’s most overtly political statement yet (and I’m sure that I’m not alone in wishing that Bruce would record a full album with Joey G and the Houserockers). If “That’s What Makes Us Great” is an unabashed rocker with a political edge that pulls few punches, “Burn Us Down” is the body-builder’s roid-rage – a muscular, feverish, powerful cry from the darkness, the song’s bluesy undercurrent matched by Grushecky’s anguished vocals and empathetic, electrifying fretwork, both aspects of the song perfectly capturing the angst-ridden zeitgeist suffered by at least half of the country.

Joe Grushecky, Bruce Springsteen & the Houserockers
Joe Grushecky, Bruce Springsteen & the Houserockers, photo by John Cavanaugh

Blood Sweat and Beers


Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers have frequently been referred to as the best “bar band” in America, but they’ve always been much more than that. The core of the band has been playing together for decades, long past the point where rock ‘n’ roll dreams are realized, talented musicians reveling in the mere act of music-making. They’re professionals by any standard, with a lengthy history of thousands of performances and a couple dozen albums trailing in their wake. Grushecky and the Houserockers are the standard to which a “bar band” should aspire, but that doesn’t mean the Joe and his gang haven’t torn up a tavern a time or two. Grushecky isn’t above using a bar setting for a song, either (“Junior’s Bar” comes to mind), and “Blood Sweat and Beers” is really just a country song waiting for the addition of steel guitar to strut shamelessly down Nashville’s ‘Music Row’. A classic barroom tearjerker set to a twangy, rollicking rhythm, the singer lays out his romantic woes in a manner that would make ol’ Hank proud.

From haunting, 1970s-styled Southern-fried riffs and wiry fretwork to gorgeous, ethereal backing vocals, Grushecky imbues “The Voice” with an undeniable Stax soul sound. Singing above muted rhythms with his underrated, soul-drenched vox, Grushecky creates an incredibly charming vibe for a song that, lyrically, offers a light that pierces the darkness, the cosmos reaffirming that our inner strength and moral compass will win out in the end. A sort of thematic bookend to “The Voice,” the wonderfully poetic and insightful “Work In Progress” offers up a positive message riding upon an infectious melody with self-aware lyrics that are applicable to any of our lives, the reckless abandon of pure rock ‘n’ roll creating what would be a surefire hit if corporate radio – with its crippling playlists and overly-conservative consultants – hadn’t neutered the airwaves. Nevertheless, “Work In Progress” is a completely joyful slab of classic rock music.

Hell To Pay


With syncopated guitar licks, squealing six-strings, and explosive percussion pounding out a tribal Bo Diddly beat, Grushecky’s mesmerizing vocals leap out of the wall of sound with a sense of urgency on “Hell To Pay” as he sings of wasted lives and lost opportunities, praying for “love to conquer hate” and surmising that “something’s gotta change” or else there’ll be “hell to pay.” The addition of a wailing sax to the arrangement is sheer genius, the instrument offering a strident, sobbing counterpoint to the Bacchanalian instrumentation that bangs and crashes in the background, running amok as society burns. As many of us do, Grushecky sees a country that has strayed from its core values, teetering on the edge of decline with a conman at the helm.

Grushecky’s thoughts turn back to mortality with a contemporized cover of the 1930s-era gospel song “Ain’t No Grave,” which has most notably been recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Johnny Cash. Grushecky brings a gospel-blues spirit to the well-worn song with energetic acoustic guitar strum and locomotive blasts of high-lonesome harmonica before the entire band kicks in to take the song to the Promised Land, turning the performance from a plaintive plea to a tent-show revival complete with glossolalia. More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows closes with the acoustic “Don’t Mourn For Me Like That,” a hauntingly beautiful song where the protagonist says ‘goodbye’ to his loved one with words of reassurance and kindness, the belief in “today is a good day to die” reimagined as a gossamer ballad.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line


Forty years since the creation of the Iron City Houserockers, Joe Grushecky continues to create vital, complex music that is lyrically eloquent and relevant while remaining timeless in scope. After so many years, Grushecky continues to find new ways to express his muse in song, and while time-to-time he may revisit familiar themes that he first touched upon years ago, he does so with new perspective and insight. The music shows surprising instrumental flourishes that prove that old dogs can learn new tricks, and Grushecky’s status as an unheralded guitar hero is embellished by his fiery performances here.

More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows is an entertaining, exciting work that takes full advantage of the Houserockers’ immense musical chemistry – forged by decades of hard knocks and a shared faith in the religion of rock ‘n’ roll – to create a wonderful collection of songs that rock recklessly but pump the brakes when needed. Reunited with his longtime band after a handful of solo albums, Grushecky displays a renewed fervor and commitment to rock music as both soapbox and as a catalyst for social change. With More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows, Grushecky delivers a career milestone, outdoing himself once again. Grade: A+ (Schoolkids Records, released February 2018)

Get More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows through the band’s PledgeMusic crowdfunding effort

Related content:
Joe Grushecky’s It’s In My Song CD review
Joe Grushecky and the HouserockersAmerican Babylon Live CD review 


Wishbone Ash – The Vintage Years box set

Wishbone Ash's The Vintage Years

Revered British rockers Wishbone Ash join the ranks of the severely-anthologized with the April 2018 release of the band’s The Vintage Years limited edition box set by Madfish Music. Offering a band history on steroids, the whopping 30-CD collection is limited to 2,500 copies and features all sixteen of the band’s studio albums released from their self-titled 1970 debut through 1991’s Strange Affair, all remastered from the original master tapes for optimal sound quality. Three of these studio discs have long been out-of-print (1987’s Nouveau Calls, 1989’s Here to Hear, and Strange Affair) while many of the band’s other albums frequently pop in and out of availability depending on whatever way the wind blows. Each album will feature bonus material including rare studio outtakes, B-sides, and previously-unreleased tracks.

Wishbone Ash also released three studio albums during the span of decades covered by The Vintage YearsLive Dates (1973), Live Dates 2 (1980), and Live In Tokyo (released exclusively in Japan in 1979) – and all three albums are included here. The box set also includes eight previously-released live albums on eleven CDs, all recorded during the band’s prolific gravy years between 1973 to 1980, including performances from British tours for the albums Wishbone Four (1973), New England (1976), Front Page News (1977), and No Smoke Without Fire (1978), among others.

The Vintage Years box includes a swanky 156-page hardback book written by Classic Rock magazine scribe Dave Ling and featuring personal photos, rare posters and flyers, and collectors’ memorabilia. The set also includes a wealth of goodies for the hardcore Wishbone Ash fan, including a 36-page poster book covering the band’s early years through the Here to Hear LP, four reproduction concert posters from shows in 1973, ’74, ’75, and ’77; a facsimile MCA debut album promo pack; a 7” flexi-disc for the single “Blind Eye,” the first of the band’s 11 Japanese singles series; and individually-signed photos of each band member.

Wishbone Ash's The Vintage Years
Formed in 1969 by bassist Martin Turner and drummer Steve Upton, the classic early Wishbone Ash line-up came together with the addition of guitarists Andy Powell and Ted Turner (no relation to Martin). The band found its signature sound – a unique and ambitious mix of progressive rock and British folk fueled by their imaginative and influential twin guitar attack – with their sophomore album, 1971’s Pilgrimage. The band continued to explore new ground and outpace their contemporaries with pioneering albums like Argus (1972) and Wishbone Four. Band members have come and gone and come back again through the years, until Powell was the last man standing, both he and former member Martin Turner struggling for control over the band’s legacy during the ensuing decades.

Wishbone Ash continues to make vital, creative music as witnessed by the band’s most recent album, 2014’s Blue Horizon. All four members of the classic band line-up contributed to the construction of The Vintage Years, Martin Turner explaining in a press release for the box set, “I looked after most of these tape recordings for decades, wondering when they would ever see the light of day and I am very glad that they will at last be available for everyone to hear…It’s almost like having one’s whole musical life in one box. It certainly represents the most comprehensive Wishbone collection that I know of and I hope you enjoy it.”

Powell adds, “It’s truly amazing to look back at the musically fertile ‘70s and ‘80s and wonder at the sheer amount of incredible creative output from our band…I feel blessed to have played my part in it all and I’m truly thankful that it’s set the course for my entire life and all the music that’s followed, as the band continues to live on into the 21st century.” The resulting box set is a comprehensive and exhausting history of one of the more innovative and influential bands in rock ‘n’ roll history. Get more information on The Vintage Years from the Madfish Music website.

Related content:
Martin Turner’s New Live Dates CD review
Andy Powell’s Eyes Wide Open book review


Sunday, November 26, 2017

Cult Rocker Tommy Keene, R.I.P.

Tommy Keene's Based On Happy Times
We’re saddened to report on the death of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Tommy Keene of natural causes at the very young age of 59 years.

Keene is known for his melodic power-pop songwriting skills, and over the course of a career that spanned four decades, Keene released better than a dozen critically-acclaimed live and studio albums. Born in Bethesda, Maryland Keene was taught classical piano as a child before teaching himself drums and guitar. As a teenager, Keene performed in Blue Steel, a trio with Nils Lofgren’s younger brother Mike, before forming the Rage with singer/songwriter Richard X. Heyman. Keene left the Rage to join the Washington, D.C. area band the Razz, which opened for artists like Patti Smith and the Ramones.

After touring with singer Suzanne Fellini as a sideman, Keene decided to form his own band with former bandmates Ted Nicely and Doug Tull from the Razz. The band released their 1982 debut album, Strange Alliance, under Keene’s name on their independent Avenue Records label before signing with the Dolphin Records label in North Carolina. Keene subsequently recorded two EPs for Dolphin before getting signed to Geffen Records. The major label released a pair of well-received Keene albums in 1986’s Songs From the Film and 1989’s Based on Happy Times before dropping the artist from their roster. To be sure, Geffen had no idea of how to promote Keene’s unique brand of melodic rock and intelligent songwriting as they were literally printing money with Guns N’ Roses albums.

Keene built upon his major label exposure with a string of solid indie recordings throughout the 1990s and early ‘00s, released by labels like Alias Records, Matador Records, and spinART Records. In 2009 he was signed by Stephen Judge’s fledgling Second Motion Records label, which would release a handful of Keene’s recordings between 2009’s In the Late Bright and 2015’s Laugh In the Dark. Second Motion also released a career-spanning 2010 retrospective titled Tommy Keene You Hear Me.

I interviewed Tommy Keene once during his brief major label career, but never had the pleasure of meeting the artist who, by all accounts, was a helluva nice guy in addition to being incredibly talented. Our pals Stephen Judge (publisher) and Fred Mills (editor), who knew and worked with Keene, have put together an excellent remembrance of the underrated talent on the Blurt magazine website.




Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers’ L.A.M.F. Revisited

When guitarist Johnny Thunders struck out on his own from the infamous New York Dolls in 1975, he brought the band’s drummer, Jerry Nolan, with him and formed the Heartbreakers with former Television bassist Richard Hell. Guitarist Walter Lure was added to the band and, when conflict inevitably arose between Thunders and his bassist, Hell left to form Richard Hell and the Voidoids, replaced by Billy Rath. This is the line-up that, as Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers (to separate them from Tom Petty’s band), recorded a single classic punk-rock album in 1977’s L.A.M.F.

L.A.M.F. has been remixed and reissued numerous times over the 40 years since its original release, the album grabbing a new audience each time and cementing its status as a seminal work of the punk-rock era. In November 2016, sole surviving Heartbreaker Walter Lure was joined by friends like Blondie’s Clem Burke, Tommy Stinson of the Replacements, and the MC5’s Wayne Kramer on two nights at New York City’s Bowery Electric Club to perform L.A.M.F. in its entirety. The events, captured on audio and videotape, also included guests ‘Handsome’ Dick Manitoba of the Dictators, D-Generation’s Jesse Malin, Liza Colby, and Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys.

On December 8th, 2017 MVD Entertainment will release LAMF: Live at the Bowery Electric as a fourteen-track CD, a colored vinyl album, and as a full-length DVD which features bonus interviews with Lure, Burke, Kramer, and Stinson. These releases capture an energetic and reverent performance of the material by a group of talented musicians, coinciding with Lure’s touring L.A.M.F. show which kicks off at the end of November 2017 with gigs in Los Angeles, San Diego, Brooklyn, and New York City. Lure is joined on the tour by guitarist Mike Ness (Social Distortion), bassist Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), and drummer Burke. LAMF: Live at the Bowery Electric is a great addition to the Thunders/Heartbreakers canon and a perfect accompaniment to the recent 40th anniversary edition of the original L.A.M.F. album.

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: L.A.M.F. Live at the Bowery Electric

D.O.A. A Rite of Passage punk rock documentary film

D.O.A. A Rite of Passage
The notorious punk rock documentary D.O.A. A Rite of Passage will receive its first stateside release on December 8th, 2017 when our friends at MVD Entertainment issue the film on standard DVD and high-definition Blu-ray disc. The set includes a 12-page booklet with liner notes by John Holmstrom, founding editor of PUNK Magazine, as well as a bonus feature – Dead On Arrival: The Punk Documentary That Almost Never Was – a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the movie by award-winning filmmaker Richard Schenlman.

D.O.A. is, ostensibly, a documentary of the Sex Pistols’ 1978 tour, filmed by director Lech Kowalski with handheld cameras as the band performed dingy clubs across the South and Southwest United States. By the time of the film’s 1980 release, however, Kowalski had expanded the scope of his documentary to include footage of other contemporary punk bands like the Dead Boys, the Clash, X-Ray Spex, the Rich Kids (with former Pistols guitarist Glen Matlock), Sham 69, and Generation X (with Billy Idol), among others. The film also features interview footage with the Pistols’ Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen shortly before their deaths as well as interviews with audience members at various Pistols shows.

An essential slab of rock ‘n’ roll history, D.O.A. offers up the behind-the-scenes early history of punk rock, documenting the genre’s growing pains with footage from on and off stage, capturing the zeitgeist of the short-lived punk era on film for posterity. A number of theater screenings of D.O.A. are scheduled to promote the film; you’ll find a list of those shows below as well as a trailer for the movie.

Buy the Blu-ray from Amazon.com: D.O.A. A Rite of Passage

D.O.A. A Rite of Passage film screenings:
11/29 @ FilmScene, Iowa City IA
12/01 @ Brattle Theatre, Cambridge MA
12/03 @ Brattle Theatre, Cambridge MA
12/04 @ Carolina Theater, Durham NC
12/11 @ Belcourt Theatre, Nashville TN
12/18 @ Enzian Theater, Maitland FL
01/03/2018 @ Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers NY
01/12 @ Circle Cinema, Tulsa OK
01/12-1/14 @ Northwest Film Forum, Seattle WA
01/15 @ Alamo Drafthouse, San Francisco CA
01/15 @ Alamo Sloan's Lake, Denver CO
01/18 @ Speed Museum, Louisville KY


Friday, November 24, 2017

CD Review: Woody Guthrie - The Tribute Concerts (2017)

Woody Guthrie - The Tribute Concerts

Woody Guthrie is widely considered – and rightfully so – as the Grand Daddy of Americana music. Guthrie’s career was incredibly short, considering his accomplishments, spanning from the early ‘30s until the late ‘50s, when Huntington’s disease rendered him unable to perform until his too-young death in 1967 at the age of 55 years. Still, Guthrie wrote hundreds of songs during his relatively brief career: political songs, children’s songs, ballads, and folk songs, many of which have since become standards of the genre. Informed by his own Dust Bowl upbringing and westward migration during the ‘30s, Guthrie’s songs championed the working man, his left-leaning (and frequently political) lyrics biting the hand of company bosses and craven politicians with caustic wit and acidic poetry. Guthrie’s songs were extremely influential, and have been recorded by artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg, and the Grateful Dead, to name a few.

Guthrie’s influence can best be heard in Dylan’s lyrics, Woody teaching the young guitar player from Minnesota that songs could be poetically profound, and you can hear Woody’s influence echo in the music of such disparate artists as the Clash, Rage Against the Machine, and Ani DiFranco, among many others. Before his death, friends and family had begun organizing a tribute concert in the artist’s honor, with proceeds to be donated to the newly-created Woody Guthrie Foundation (established by his widow Marjorie, the mother of musician Arlo Guthrie) to create an archive for the singer/songwriter, and to support research into Huntington’s disease, an effort that continues to this day. Bear Family Records has a reputation for quality reissues, and they’ve certainly outdone themselves with this deluxe repackaging of the previously-released (albeit long forgotten) performances, which have been released on both vinyl and CD, but never like this...

Woody Guthrie – The Tribute Concerts


Woody Guthrie – The Tribute Concerts is a three-CD box set comprised of both performances that were given in honor of the singer/songwriter. The first disc documents a January 1968 show from Carnegie Hall in New York City while the other two discs feature a sequel, of sorts, as a second Guthrie tribute concert was held at the Hollywood Bowl in 1970. The Carnegie Hall show sounds like a wonderful affair, a veritable “who’s who” of ‘60s-era folk musicians performing including Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, the legendary Odetta, and Richie Havens (still a year and a half away from his Woodstock moment) as well as Guthrie acolyte Bob Dylan and his son Arlo. The performers were backed by the musicians who would become known as the Band, who had been playing behind Dylan circa 1966-67 and would release their debut album, Music From Big Pink, later that year.

Actors Robert Ryan and Will Geer (i.e. ‘Grandpa Walton’) – both friends of Woody and well-known Hollywood social activists – provide narration in between songs, offering a brief history of the Dustbowl Bard. A truncated version of Guthrie’s “This Train Is Bound For Glory” leads off the show, with the entire cast pitching in behind Seeger’s reedy vocals and Arlo’s wailing harmonica, before a bit of narration kicks in. Arlo tackles “Oklahoma Hills,” acquitting himself nicely, while Judy Collins does a bang-up job with “So Long, It’s Been Good To Know Yuh.” A vintage recording of Woody singing “Riding In My Car” is a rough-hewn, joyful thing displaying both the songwriter’s sense of humor but also his innate ability to create a melody with even the silliest of lyrics. Folk legend Odetta offers a mesmerizing read of “Ramblin’ Round,” with just her voice guitar weaving a spell that leaves the audience enchanted.

Tom Paxton brings his usual zeal to Guthrie’s “Pretty Boy Floyd,” an engaging story-song with real life inspiration, while Richie Havens delivers a haunting original, “Blues For Woody,” his sonorous voice and sparse fretwork capturing the audience’s attention. Havens’ version of Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man” is equally fraught with emotion, the singer’s otherworldly vocals perfectly capturing the song’s dark vibe. Reappearing on stage after a two-year hiatus from performing, Bob Dylan grabs the spotlight for three songs, his raw, unpolished take of “Grand Coulee Dam” barely staying on the rails; his rowdy reading of “I Ain’t Got No Home” is bluesier and more self-assured. Led by Odetta and Arlo, the entire cast closes out the show with “This Land Is Your Land,” as uplifting a performance of the classic song as you’ll ever hear, complimented by Geer’s fierce between-verses narration.

The Hollywood Bowl 1970


Woody Guthrie - The Tribute Concerts
A second Guthrie tribute concert was held at The Hollywood Bowl in September 1970. Although featuring mostly the same material as the original, this show offered performances by Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Country Joe McDonald, Richie Havens, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and, of course, Arlo Guthrie, with narration this time by Will Geer and actor Peter Fonda. The backing band for the concert included talents like guitarist Ry Cooder, and bassist Chris Ethridge and fiddler Gib Guilbeau of the Flying Burrito Brothers. With Cooder and John Beland providing a fine instrumental backdrop with mandolin and Dobro, respectively, Arlo delivers an even more affecting version of “Oklahoma Hills,” than in 1968. Joan Baez is joined by folk legend Pete Seeger for a lovely duet on “So Long, It’s Been Good To Know Yuh,” Seeger enlisting the audience to sing along with the well-worn lyrics.

Baez brings her hauntingly beautiful voice to bear on a chilling read of “Hobo’s Lullaby,” a song written by wandering troubadour Goebel Reeves and covered by both Woody and Arlo Guthrie. “I Ain’t Got No Home,” covered by Dylan on the 1968 show, is performed here by Seeger and Arlo to good effect, the pair swapping off vocals and bringing an upbeat tone to the wistful lyrics. Richie Havens raises thunderclouds with his powerful performance of “Nine Hundred Miles,” his tortured vocals matched by incendiary acoustic fretwork while Baez’s ethereal vocals on “Plane Wreck At Los Gatos” perfectly capture Woody’s tale of the plight of the immigrant laborer. Odetta provides “John Hardy” with a strong, upbeat vocal performance and Arlo leads the full band in a jaunty take on his dad’s “Do Re Mi.” Obscure folk singer/songwriter Earl Robinson is joined by Pete Seeger on Guthrie’s “Roll On Columbia” (based on a Leadbelly song); the two men’s vocal styles an interesting study in contrast.

More engaging is Robinson’s performance of “Mail Myself To You” on disc three, his unique vox perfectly portraying the song’s sense of whimsy. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s ramshackle singing of “Howdido” befits the artist’s reputation, while Country Joe McDonald’s “Woman At Home” is delivered as a raucous, electric blues-styled romp with Cooder’s stinging bottleneck guitar and a big-boned rhythm tracks that’s as scary as a fist. Arlo, Country Joe, Odetta, Baez, and Seeger gang up on “This Train Is Bound For Glory,” providing the folk classic with a gospel fervor, while the entire cast closes out the show again with “This Land Is Your Land.” The back half of disc three offers scraps of interviews, with artists like Arlo, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, Country Joe, and Jack Elliott offering memories of Woody and the concerts. Two lengthier interviews, with Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan, provide further insight and comments on Guthrie (with Ochs being his usual irascible self).

The Reverend’s Bottom Line


Woody Guthrie – The Tribute Concerts offers 100 tracks across three CDs in a slipcase with two beautiful hardback books. A 160-page book offers information on both of the tribute concerts, bios of the artists, and a brief history of Woody himself as well as a providing dozens of gorgeous B&W and color photos from the two concerts for the reader to gawk at. The smaller 88-page book is literally a Woody Guthrie songbook with words and music for the songs performed during the two shows along with rare B&W photos from across Guthrie’s life and career.

Altogether, this is an impressive packaging of documenting two glorious moments in American music history, a collection that belongs on the shelf of any Woody Guthrie fan or Americana music aficionado that wants the complete story. Guthrie’s importance and influence on the evolution of American music – folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll alike – is undeniable and the joy of these artists in honoring Woody with their performances is simply contagious. Grade: A+ (Bear Family Records, released October 13, 2017)

Buy the box from Amazon.com: Woody Guthrie – The Tribute Concerts

Monday, November 20, 2017

Short Rounds: Tommy Castro, NRBQ, Radio Moscow & the Replacements (2017)

Tommy Castro & the Painkillers' Stompin’ Ground
New album releases in 150 words or less...

Tommy Castro & the Painkillers – Stompin’ Ground (Alligator Records)
Blues veteran Tommy Castro made his bones with Bay Area roots-rockers the Dynatones before going solo in the early ‘90s. Castro has since become one of our most popular contemporary blue performers, his association with Alligator Records beneficial for artist and label alike. Stompin’ Ground is Castro’s fourth Alligator release, a joyful collection of fierce blues-rock originals and inspired covers wrapped in velvety R&B tones. Castro has always been more than another Strat-toting pretender to Stevie Ray’s crown and, as a vocalist, he’s found inspiration in the soul giants of the ‘60s. Tunes like the quietly raucous “Blues All Around Me,” the grits ‘n’ gravy boogie-rock of “Enough Is Enough,” or a funky, rollicking cover of Buddy Miles’ “Them Changes” (with guest Dave Hidalgo of Los Lobos) display a reverent throwback vibe honed to a razor edge by uplifting instrumentation, blasts of horn, and Castro’s electrifying fretwork and dynamic vox. Grade: A   BUY IT!

NRBQ's Happy Talk EP
NRBQ – Happy Talk EP (Omnivore Recordings)
It’s too bad that pop music isn’t more like the stock market, where a band’s fortunes could rise or fall on the basis of their most recent product. Sure, bloato-hype would still move units, but artists would have to deliver the real goods to grab sales and chart position. Recently celebrating 50 years in the trenches, rock ‘n’ roll stalwarts NRBQ have seen their stock rise in the wake of their High Noon career retrospective as a fresh generation of investors…er, fans…discovered the band’s immense charms. The five-song Happy Talk is a stopgap between the box and a full-length album, but you won’t find a more entertaining way to spend seventeen minutes. Tunes like “Yes, I Have A Banana,” “Blues Blues Blues,” and a cover of Roy Orbison’s classic “Only The Lonely” display what the band does better than anybody – mix rock, pop, country, and blues into a heady brew. Grade: A   BUY IT!

Radio Moscow's New Beginnings
Radio Moscow – New Beginnings (Century Media)
I’ve been following these guys for a couple albums now, but they’ve been knockin’ around since the mid-2000s with a half-dozen releases to their name. Radio Moscow’s latest, New Beginnings, follows the same sort of electro blues-drenched classic hard rock jams as their recent work, albeit with less psychedelic drapery and more street-walkin’ cheetah ferocity. Singer/guitarist Parker Griggs fronts a classic power trio, and New Beginnings displays the man’s uncompromising six-string skills that, while deeply-rooted in the ‘60s, offer up hi-watt tonnage more akin to Leslie West’s Mountain than Eric Clapton’s Cream (two obvious reference points). If you’ve wondered where loud ‘n’ proud old-school rock ‘n’ roll disappeared, look no further than Radio Moscow. Songs like the shimmering instrumental “Woodrose Morning” or the flamethrower dino-rocker “Last To Know” will singe your eardrums, kick yer ass, and trigger Jimi flashbacks like no other band rockin’ the scene today. Grade: A   BUY IT!

The Replacements' For Sale: Live at Maxwell’s 1986
The Replacements – For Sale: Live at Maxwell’s 1986 (Rhino Records)
The Replacements have a long-standing reputation – depending on which night you saw them perform – as either the best or the worst band in rock ‘n’ roll. The rabid fanboy mythology that has grown up around the ‘Mats is a large part of the band’s reputation as well, and well-deserved. Which begs the questions…why has it taken 30 years to release For Sale: Live at Maxwell’s 1986? The first legit Replacements live album, this double-disc set captures the band firing on all cylinders and cranking out 29 red-hot slabs of joyful noise. From favored originals like “I Will Dare,” “Left of the Dial,” “Answering Machine,” and “Unsatisfied” as well as their raucous reading of the Kiss gem “Black Diamond” and unexpected covers of Sweet’s “Fox On the Run” and the Beatles’ “Nowhere Man,” each performance here shines with reckless abandon and the ramshackle charm that was the Replacements’ trademark and legacy. Grade: A   BUY IT!

Previously on That Devil Music:
Short Rounds, October 2017 - Action Skulls, Arthur Adams, the Nighthawks & UFO