Rolling Past Expiry Hard Rock 2010

So that '75 Greg Kihn debut that I mentioned in re: George's Berserkely comp appraisal a couple days ago wound up at the top of the pile quicker than I'd thought. Also sounds considerably less powerpop than I'd expected, at least until "Worse Or Better" at the start of Side Two. First side initially hit me as way too twee to bother with, though after a couple listens the guitar tapestries (at the end of "Any Other Woman" and "Kid From Louisville") and songs ("Kid From Louisville" again, plus "Emily Davison"'s movie-starlet-I-think suicide a la Hot Chocolate's "Emma") kicked in. Some very pretty folky-rocky melodies on that side too; George said "happy Lou Reed" about the comp tracks, and that might make some sense. Side Two rocks a little harder though not a lot harder, especially the aforementioned side-opener. After that Kihn does a decent cover of Jerry Butler/Righteous Brothers' "He Will Break Your Heart" with a good middle verse I'd never noticed before, then there's two songs that sound like precursors of, of all people, Electric Angels, the no-sell 1990 hair-glam band in Stairway's Top 40 (whose cassette maybe I should give a spin again soon.)

Anyway, an unassuming album, but likeably unassuming. And I assume Kihn might've got more into, say, Tom Petty or Rick Springfield territory later, though I'm not sure how many more dollar bills I'll expend figuring out when. What I mainly remember hearing on Detroit radio in pre-"Breakup Song"/"Jeopardy" days was the (I think) Springsteen cover "Rendesvous"; could've sworn he covered "For You"," too, but I'm not seeing it listed among his album tracks in Whitburn. Saw a whole bunch of different '80s Kihn LPs in the dollar bins at Waterloo today, though; if anybody knows whether any of them are worth that much, tell me. The 1986 one had a cover of the Only Ones' "Another Girl Another Planet," which surprised me. By then he'd apparently stopped charting.

Actually heard more Lou Reed, more seedy urban songwriting in general, on this '76 Elliot Murphy album Lost Generation (apparently his second) I've played a few times this week. Some Johnny Thunders and even Peter Laughner too, in ballad mode for both, in the melodies and songwriting, if not at all the guitars those names imply. Still seems kind of odd for a major label (RCA) album around that time, unless they were going for another Bowie or something. There's a real ambition toward glam decadence in the songwriting, Brian Jones namedrops and a whole song about Eva Braun (complete with reams of Hitler details which may or may not be supposed to be jokes, hard to tell) a couple years before the Boomtown Rats did one, but mostly lots of lyrics about urban teenagers having driven their lives off a cliff since nobody was watching, or whatever. White punks (and punkettes) on dope, I guess, except with way more pretensions toward poetry about it than the Tubes had. Tunes are good, though, especially on the second side -- "Lost Generation," "Manhattan Rock," and "Lookin Back" (seemingly his attempt at his own "Like A Rolling Stone") probably being the best. Not really hard rock, but somehow in the same headspace as a lot of stuff that was in the middle '70s. So how come nobody ever talks about the guy?

Actually, looks like Christgau talked about him (and unlike me spelled his first name Elliott correctly). He liked the debut, which I've never heard, best. Also gives no indication that Murphy had any connection to glam rock, though I swear I hear as much Reed and Bowie and Thunders as Dylan in his sound. (He does refer to the third album's production as "hard rock," though.) Maybe the glam's all in my head. Anyway, fwiw:

http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Elliott+Murphy

Marsh in the red Rolling Stone guide calls his lyric style "F. Scott Fitzgerald out of Lou Reed," so that's closer. (Still stretching it for this thread, though, so feel free to completely ignore all this.)

Oh okay, re: Kihn. Apparently he did "For You" on an album in 1977, but he didn't hit the Billboard 200 until his third album, in 1978.

i like that murphy album. that's a good one.

got the first steve gibbons band album yesterday. pub rock as seen thru the lens of the capricorn records roster. or something. i dig it.

http://www.musicobsession.com/Pictures/s/t/stevegibbons193825.jpg

got this yesterday and it makes me reassess how i feel about gong. i never listened to them much. had some later 70's albums that i never really listened to cuz they seemed too twee or something. (this was years ago though. i might like them more now.) anyway, this soundtrack is a mishmash of album stuff and god knows what else, but it's really cool. its got that propulsive jet engine thrust of krautrock/hawkwind/pink fairies. really like it.

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/848/cover_26141225112008.jpg

thanx for the CDs chuck! MUCH appreciated.

I've been on a Motorhead and Hawkwind trip for a month or so along with getting into some more rock organ/keyboard groups like ELP & The Nice along with picking up another Atomic Rooster CD "In Hearing of Atomic Rooster", all of these really inspired by watching a bunch of BBC documentaries on Youtube.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer was one of those 70s groups that was huge that I really never heard anything outside the radio. I got a couple of their albums and they are not quite as angry as I expected. There are moments on both Brain Salad Surgery and Tarkus that are have that drive, but I think the lack of guitar kind of brings down the violent sound. I do really like their version of "Fanfare for the Common Man" and that version of "America" by the Nice rocks. I just don't think a band like this one could ever make that kind of cash now.

Atomic Rooster definitely was a band with an identity crisis, but I guess ole Vincent was pretty much nuts, as the band and sound pretty much changes record to record. "In Hearing Of..." is interesting and has some good tracks, but it doesn't really hold a candle to "Death Walks Behind You" or even the first one with Carl Palmer.

Finally found a copy of "Warrior on the Edge of Time" by Hawkwind and also got "Quark, Strangeness & Time". Warrior is a pretty cool album, better than expected, as it is still really driving and psychedelic. Quark has some good tunes, but I do agree that a whole lot of the balls and drive must have left after Lemmy was gone. Maybe Hawkwind was just onto some other sounds, as Quark is a bit new wave sounding. I can hear a bit of Lydon in Calvert's singing, so I do get a where that comparison comes up.

I've been on a big Motorhead kick tied to Hawkwind and picked up four more of their albums going in order: "Another Perfect Day", "Rock n' Roll", "Iron Fist" & "Orgasmatron". I pretty much liked them all and really the one with Brian Robertson is really quite good, if his tone is a bit more rounded and not as edgy with all of the chorus. The band became less bluesy when Wurzel and Phil Campbell became the guitarists, but it is still pretty solid. I've liked it enough that I want to get into some of their later albums.

i always thought the best thing about The Nice was that every album had one or two killer pop/psych nuggets on them that completely overshadow emerson's wanking for me. you could make an album comp of Nice songs and it would be one of the best psych rock albums that people have never heard.

Re ELP, there's definitely guitar on the three-LP Welcome Back My Friends..." live thing. That was all over FM classic rock radio and even on TV when I was a kid, Lake playing a gold top Les Paul.

You can hear guitar on ELP's debut, too. And I'm sure there's some on [I]Brain Salad Surgery although it may be a bit indistinguishable from Emerson's fuzzy synthing.

The Isle of Wight live ELP CD that came out a few years ago has some violence to it. Comes with a TV broadcast of the performance, too. It's very similar to the Pictures at an Exhibition performance, the same year I think, maybe a bit earlier.

If I listen to ELP, I always go for Brain Salad or Welcome Back... first, the debut second, Tarkus if at all, third.

Here's me a couple years ago doing a wee bit of Keith Emerson imitation whimsically:

http://www.dickdestiny.com/blog/2008/12/rock-n-roll-party-in-box-made-in-china.html

Surprisingly, I probably listen to ELP more now than Yes when I reach for that kind of thing. Originally, it was the other way around. Lake's voice aged a lot better with me.

xp You're welcome, Scott! And welcome to the Steve Gibbons Revival club!

Played Rossington Collins Band's Anytime Anyplace Anywhere from 1980 while making and eating ham and eggs and turning down the volume during the Sunday morning politics show commercials. Dale Krantz sure could belt it out Janis-style, and there are definitely a few guitar solos playing it pretty for Atlanta and a couple real funky breaks (most notably, almost Babe-Ruthily again, in the middle of "Don't Misunderstand Me," the single that went #55 pop) and boogie-woogieing Billy Powell ivory here and there. But outside of the single, the Skynyrd survivors sure do seem to have forgotten how to craft hooks. The lack of memorable tunes almost seems like a precursor of jam bands -- as is their boring name, maybe. Still, not a bad listen, in total.

Dug out Alvin Lee's In Tennessee last night and re-listened. Like it even a bit more than I did a few years ago for the Voice (mostly because of the video from RockPalast last week):

Alvin Lee used to be famous, but now he's unpopular like Robert Kidney. His new CD, In Tennessee, puts him together with Scotty Moore and what amounts to the Sun rhythm section. They're on board to play either slim-and-slam dancing tunes or rockabilly and rapid-fire blues jams tacked onto minute ravers harkening back to Lee's "Hold Me Tight."

Lee and company are ductile and pointed, though they deliver one or two five-minute selections too many. In Tennessee closes satisfyingly with "I'm Going Home." It doesn't collapse into clichés, Lee's calling card getting solid revivification from a much-less-is-a-way-lot-more treatment.

Man really love the Memphis rockin' rockabilly and Elvis -- so the Sun rhythm section loves him back for it. Funny how one can make this spare material rock so hard, the growl of rhythm guitar, lone snapping snare and hi-hat, the plonked acoustic bass that thumps, and attitude being worth its weight in gold. You can literally learn all you need to know about pure rock 'n' roll guitar from this record. Plus Alvin throws in some of his jazzy R&B jumps into the mix. And one old timey country blues, "Gettin' Nowhere Fast."

Plus it always helps if you can say "Ah-owwww!" real good. Next to about three TYA classic recordings, this is one of his best. And it closes on a southern-fried version of "Goin' Home."

bought some records and shuffling thru them i thought i noticed a 12 inch single of plastic bertrand's ca plane pour moi but it turns out its the whole album. american copy on sire. never heard the whole thing before!

okay, this is attempt number #22823424 to dig be bop deluxe. listening to sunburst finish for the first time right now...

i give up. and i don't feel like putting on drastic plastic or modern music either even though i've never heard them.

i put on steve gibbon band's rollin' on album instead.

i'm digging this album a little:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/MStanley_Friends.jpg

pre-dates the first MSB album by a couple of years. good joe walsh guitar on it too. epic closing track "poet's day" is pretty cool. on the track "funky is the drummer" joe walsh is introduced as "Mahavishnu Joe Walsh". which is pretty darn funny.

i always have to remind myself that michael stanley was in Silk. they had one decent album on ABC called smooth as raw silk.

now playing: randy burns and the sky dog band. from 1971. not really digging it. and it doesn't really belong on this thread anyway. here's xgau's review:

Randy Burns and the Sky Dog Band [Mercury, 1971]
My friend from New Haven says, "Except for `17 Years on Your River,' I don't think I'd like this record if I weren't from New Haven." Exactly. This is the kind of testament every loyal local group ought to leave, with a few excellent songs (I also like "Living in the Country") and lots of memories for all the folks it's entertained. Unfortunately, few local groups ever reach this level of competence, but in any case the economics of the music industry discourage such moderate success--if your appeal isn't big-time, you're lucky to record at all, and if it is, chances are even or better that you're working a dumb variation on somebody else's gimmick. Which is not to suggest that I'd give up one great industry group like Crazy Horse for a dozen Sky Dog Bands, but merely to lament a paradox. B-

Played a very manly but very shittily produced 12-inch seven-song EP I'd retained from 2004 by these guys, the Petitioners, who I still know basically nothing about, today. The vocals are Danzig-brute cloddiness, but they manage to do a real good version of Roky Erikson and the Aliens' "Creature With the Atom Brain" and a passable one of Manitoba and Wild Kingdom's "Speedball" (actually not sure I've ever heard the original version of that one), plus they do a sort of death-metal parody called "Sweden," and then one called "Over 30 (Need Not Apply)" where they visit the Capitol Building and Jimmy Iovine informs them their bassist used to be in Bang Tango and is secretly 45 years old.

http://www.myspace.com/thepetitioners

Am now playing a CD that Smog Veil sent me by these guys, This Moment In Black History, who are apparently from Cleveland (it being Smog Veil and all), even though the CD came with no press release. Most of it is just hardcore tantrums, so what, albeit with surprisingly tasty noisy guitar parts by a guy (named Buddy Akita their myspace says) who is not at all averse to melody or rock'n'roll rhythm. 13 songs in 32 minutes, not bad, including a noisy Run-DMC parody (with Schooly D-ish clank beats) called "My Notes" about, uh, how the guy rapping likes to carry around notes in his pocket. But don't worry, that's the only rap thing they do. And it jumps out of the tantrums as much as the guitar solos do. (Actually just played the CD,Public Square, twice straight.)

http://www.myspace.com/thismomentinblackhistory

Also played Black N Blue's self-titled album, from 1984, today. Total dumbshits, obviously, but rocking ones. Most memorable songs: "School Of Hard Knocks" (rhymes with "we're gonna rock your socks off"); "Hold On To 18" ("Jack and Diane" reference?? Also they say "I know what I need but don't know how to get it" so maybe they should've asked Johnny Rotten. What they want, obviously, is to stay young, even though nobody understands them now, since they're so young. No idea if they were really that young, though -- Whitburn only says they were from Portland); fast blitz "I'm the King" ("of the concrete jungle" -- a Wailers/Specials reference?); and their cover of "Action" by the Sweet (which they don't improve but manage not to destroy either.) (Ha ha, just checked Popoff - three of those, all but "Hard Knocks," are his favorites too. He gave the album an 8.) Anyway, don't think I've ever heard a Twisted Sister album this good (though that's clearly what they seem to be going for.) Went to #116 in Billboard; two followups which I've never heard went #110 and #133. Allegedly got some MTV play, too.

And Scott, that Plastic Bertrand LP is loads of fun! Can't believe you've never heard it before. (Think I also used to have a second one by him that was more discofied, though that's been gone for decades.)

Also, I clearly like Be-Bop Deluxe more than you (and less selectively than George.) Just played their often-enjoyable live double last week.

And earlnash, yeah, Hawkwind's Quark Strangeness and Charm is kind of new wave, but try not to hold that against it. (As is the Hawklords album, if you ever find it; mine's long gone but Scott taped me his on the other side of the Gettovetts' Missionaries Moving a few years ago; thanks Scott!) Also think Motorhead's Iron Fist has always been underrated, though I definitely side in general with their early bluesier stuff over their later more metal stuff. The one song I always really loved from Another Perfect Day was "Shine."

I was a huge Black 'N Blue fan back in the day. I was 11 when the debut came out and my best friend and I thought they were amazing. The first is the most rocking - Gene Simmons really sunk his claws into them deep for the followups, and they are definitely poppier. The second album, Without Love, is still my favorite; I think it is because they are so blissfully cheesy - songs like "Nature of The Beach" and "Rockin' On Heaven's Door" are as idiotic as the titles imply, but the band doesn't care. It also has their masterpiece, "Bombastic Plastic", which is trying to be real metal and failing beautifully, once again living up to its name; and a credible cover of "Same Old Song and Dance". The third album, Nasty Nasty had a good title track and the ballad "I'll Be There For You", which was the closest they came to a hit.

There was an Ultimate Collection comp that has everything you need if you're not a fan from their heyday.

Actually, the more I listen to that This Moment In Black History CD (four times in two days! That may not be a recommendation, per se', but it's something -- definitely can't say that about any other new album so far in 2010), the more I wonder if they're actually even classifiable as a hardcore band. They definitely do lotsa slamdancey songs (though oddly listenable ones -- usually scream-yelped in an intense high register that doesn't grate on me), but even those don't necessarily stay slamdancey. Rhythm section knows how to roll; doesn't always stick to moshpit polkas (though there's that, too.) Some notable guitar parts are in "Pollen Count" (which isn't that fast to begin with), "MFA," "About Last Night," "Panopticon" (maybe the most classic Cleveland punk sound -- Pagans maybe? Electric Eels?? -- on the record), "Photonegative" (more Detroit in that one), "Precinct" (more Sabbath doom). Definitely hearing some surf and psychedelic and spy-movie-soundtrack influence, too. Would love (1) some hardcore expert to calibrate what hardcore bands they most sound like and (2) some guitar expert to calibrate what guitarist the guitarist most sounds like.

Meanwhile, Tom Ewing on the Spike Drivers (a "precociously psychedelic Detroit band from c. 1966," Frank Kogan calls them):

http://ittookseconds.tumblr.com/post/372870480/five-minutes-and-thirty-two-seconds-pressed

And Joshua Langhoff on Helloween's all-covers album from a few years ago (which I also liked a lot, though I've never connected with anything else they've done. Supposedly they have a career retrospective coming out, though, so we'll see what happens with that one):

http://joshlanghoff.blogspot.com/2010/02/best-thing-i-heard-today-helloween.html

That was a decent album. The strength of it came in the choice of songs they were actually good at. More than half of them, as it turned out.

Good version of "Faith Healer" by SAHB, "Locomotive Breath" by Tull, "Space Oddity" and the Beatles "A;; My Loving." In addition to those mentioned. Not so good, an Abba cover, a latter period Mahogany Rush thing, the Scorpions "He's a Woman, She's a Man" -- too close to home, and Faith No More.

I think Stradivarius might have done one of these collections, too.

listening to a punk comp from 1983. The Defiant Pose. well, mostly punk. the first side has the alarm and wall of voodoo and the fall on it for some reason. but the second side is one great anthem after another.

you know, i might change my mind tomorrow if you asked me, but "loud, proud, & punk" just might be my favorite punk anthem of all time. i couldn't even tell you how many times i've played it. and when i play it i have to play it at least five times in a row. just like demented teenaged scott would have.

1. Holy War - Lords Of The New Church
2. Drug Train - The Cramps
3. Marching On - The Alarm
4. Gone Are The Days - Crown Of Thorns
5. On Interstate 15 - Wall Of Voodoo
6. Fiery Jack - The Fall
7. The Crack - Cosmetics
8. Evacuate - Chelsea
9. Reality - Chron Gen
10. Loud Proud & Punk - The Business
11. Mr Nobody - Major Accident
12. Insane Society - Menace
13. Fascist Dictator - The Cortinas
14. Red London - Sham 69
15. The Freeze - The Models
16. Political Stu - Circle Jerks

Endtables reissue comp on Drag City is great! You need this, chuck. late-70's Louisville band led by giant transgender/transvestite singer who kinda sounds like david thomas. very stooge-y punky stuff. probably been reissued in the past, but this is from the original tapes and has great live stuff on it as well. 15 year old bass player rules. i'm gonna write it up for my Decibel column. all the recordings are from 1979.

http://a302.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/34/l_1b04c32e6f5ac605a2c791ded890c4d5.jpg

Also, I clearly like Be-Bop Deluxe more than you (and less selectively than George.) Just played their often-enjoyable live double last week.

Live in the Air Age pretty much spans the Bill Nelson gamut from pastoral to gymnastic on guitar. "Blazing Apostles" is probably my favorite from it. Jaunty and Euro and by the last third of it the band bites down.

My fannish enjoyment of Savoy Brown knows no bounds. A cover version of "Needle and Spoon" from Raw Sienna.

http://dickdestiny.com/blog1/2010/02/09/funky-rock-n-roll-needle-and-spoon/

Listening to Alvin Lee's Saguitar from 2007 which I kinda remember xhuxk reviewing but I couldn't find it.

His "Rapper" song eats it. Take that off and you have an album about as consistent if not quite as
good as In Tennessee although more hard rocked.

"Smoking Rope" is "I'm a Man" update and if you like the Memphis tapeslap sound, it's liberally sprink;ed all through the record.

There's a song called "Memphis" which is not the original, somewhere between Johnny Cash and Elvis doing hard rock.

First four tunes sound like the Ten Years Later band only Alvin's songwriting is better than it was on Rocket Fuel.

And there's a Live at Rockpalast CD of the Ten Years Later band containing almost the same set TYA was doing at the Fillmore Easts and Wests in the early Seventies. Only Ten Years Later covered
"Hey Joe".

It's Friday and this is too odd and funny for many words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHtatY7bOUY

The Savoy Brown track I really love is "Hellbound Train". It is a great doomy sounding blues tune, kind of unique sound to some of their other stuff.

Now you've made me want to pull it out and play the entire record. I think I will!

There was a copy of 'Street Corner Talkin' at the record store tonight. $6.99. I passed, even though I love 'Lookin In'. I predict Gorge will tell me the mistake I made..

i passed on a copy of savage return last night! and i need it too, but i just didn't have the cash cuz i was buying other stuff.

One of the more unusual Savoy Brown records. Actually leaning very strongly into heavy metal. Simmonds never repeated it. One number on it sounds exactly like Axl Rose is on vocals, years and years
early.

Nah, no mistake between Looking In and Street Corner Talkin'. Two totally different bands. First is Simmonds backed by Foghat with Lonesome Dave. SCT is Simmonds backed by Chicken Shack with Dave Walker on vocals.

I like them both. Looking In is brooding, particularly on "Money Won't Save Your Soul." Nothing like that on SCT which is one of the more jaunty SB records, turning out to be their best seller in the US and the one with the highest chart action.

Plus Savage Return is produced by Lange before he was 'Mutt.'

i know i would dig savage return a lot. i want all 70's savoy brown eventually. i'm almost there. maybe if i get a chance to go back to that spot, i'll pick it up. just a matter of finances. i picked up some power pop/new wave/punk stuff instead. here's what i got:

The Demons - s/t (Mercury - 1977)

Snopek - Thinking Out Loud (Mountain Railroad - 1979)

The Cortinas - True Romances (CBS - 1978)

20/20 - Look Out! (Portrait - 1981)

The Pop - Go! (Arista - 1979)

Pezband - s/t (Passport - 1977)

Brotherhood - s/t (RCA - 1969)

i'm always looking to upgrade my brotherhood albums. can never find perfect copies! i love those things. there are two if you don't count their experimental psych/krautrock album friendsound. post-raiders band for drake levin and phil volk.

Demons album is pretty cool. "I Hate You" is the best track by far. all about the horrible things the singer wants to do to some girl. mostly he just wants to kill her. but also open her mouth and fill it full of mace.

http://www.vinylrecords.ch/D/DE/Demons/Demons/the-demons-10.jpg

bonus back cover!

http://www.vinylrecords.ch/D/DE/Demons/Demons/the-demons-11.jpg

putting stuff out in the store and i come across The MCA Sound Conspiracy, a comp MCA put out in 1971 to sell its bands on various labels such as Decca, Kapp, Uni, and Coral. here are the bands they are promoting:

wishbone ash (love them)
help
matthews' southern comfort (love them)
melissa
american eagle
fanny adams
virgil fox (strangest act to ever be sold to a hard rock audience?)
chelsea
glass harp (love them)
jeremiah (had this album. terrible. really bad.)
raw

out of all them , southern comfort was the only one with a genuine hit.

i never tire of the fuzz sludge cover of california dreamin' on the brotherhood album. drake 4ever.

I had that Demons album. Don't remember a thing about it except the cover. I'd pay at least five dollars to know if Robbie Twyford and Martin Butler are still crossdressing.

robbie looks a little like wayne county!

you'd like "I Hate You". i wonder if GG Allin was a fan. the lyrics are totally proto-GG.

"She's So Tuf," "She's a Rebel."

the song "Hamburger Holocaust" on the Snopek album could easily be a Tubes song, a Crack The Sky song, or a Tin Huey song. Take your pick. so why would i rather listen to these bands than a Zappa record? it's a mystery.

Demons fellah:

http://martinbutlermusic.com/bio.html

curious about the Fanny Adams album sampled on that MCA sampler. serious slow bloooze thud rock stuff. and an aussie band too! guitarist played with the beegees apparently. and before they settled on Fanny Adams they were called Thighbone Howl! Wonder if they played any Buffalo gigs. They aren't that far off.

250,000 copies! really? seems like a lot. but what do i know.