Going backwards

The recent set of Flesh Eaters lps reminded me that I had this as well, so I had to come and reconjigger my posting queue to elbow it into place.

Tooth and Nail (1979)

I really don't fully understand why these early compilations never seem to get the love that they deserve. I mean, individual contemporary singles by any of these bands (except maybe U.X.A.) would command a nice chunk of change, but this handy 1979 record with all of them together in one place, not so much.

Meh. Whatever.

I get me some affordable Controllers, Middle Class and some nice early Flesh Eaters recordings. Others get the Germs.

It's all good in the end, I suppose. Everybody gets something in the deal.

Punk Rock Rules.

This is a difficult listening kind of day

Difficult listening comes in many shapes and forms.

Here are two fine examples to listen to and cherish and induce migraines with.

Perhaps annoy roommates with repeated plays.

Use them wisely, Grasshopper

German Shepherds (1984)

The German Shepherds. Electronic fuckery and general irritating nonsense. Like them on Facebook and invite your friends to do the same. Music for all the bad times. Let "THC" be a warning to you while you're at it.

 

Little Red Corvette (1991)

The obvious temptation would have been for me to rush this to post in the immediate wake of Prince's untimely demise. I resisted. I respect Prince more than that with an easy and obvious cash in.

So I present it now.

It's a three song single where Minneapolis' own Gear Daddies attempt three different covers to varying degrees of success. 

First and foremost is a very passable version of the recently late Prince's "Little Red Corvette". It's not terrible and was/is probably still a good crowd pleaser.

They also make an under rehearsed pass at Marty Robbin's "White Sports Coat and a Pink Carnation"  Amusing, but not unenjoyable nor any improvement on the original.

And then they have to go and top it off with what can only be considered a crime against humanity. A dramatic reading of the lyric of "The Rose" perhaps and inarguably one of the worst schmaltzy crap songs ever written.

It makes "We Built This City" seem like fucking genius. (Starship at least ever so slightly redeem themselves by including the Residents in the video for the shitty song)

I'd rather listen to a Merzbow marathon than sit through "The Rose" in any form ever.

Fuck that.

My sleeping schedule is all messed up

Went out of town for a week and had to flip my schedule to normal people time now I'm in some weird twilight sleep where I'm neither completely night nor day and awake when I really shouldn't be. It's going to take weeks for me to sort this shit out.

In the meantime here's some oddities to wet your sonic whistle

Daddy LoLo (1958)

Yeah, so it's kind of hard to figure out what was going on here. This single released by Ganim's Asia Minors was the product of Charles Ganimian, and Armenian-American musician and virtuoso oud player whose parents had emigrated from Turkey in the early 20's

Here he applies his heritage and oud playing to making a novelty rock and roll song.
It works.

I Wonder Why (1967)

Here's Utah. 

At least that's what the intertubes says, and I for one, am inclined to just go ahead and trust it on that.

So imagine if you will that you are a young hip garage band from Provo, Utah and you've got a sweet raw garage fuzz number and something important to say to the world, but you don't trust that any radio station that might play your record will choose the song you want to share with the world. 

What do you do?

If you're the Gents the solution is to put a version of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" as the flip to the fuzz number. Ain't nobody going to play that shit.

(Or it could be that they only had the one song. Either is plausible)

That's Your Problem (1966)

A pleasant enough 60's garage number foisted upon an unsuspecting teen audience by the production factory at Bang records under the auspices of songwriter Jerry Ragovoy. This was in the days when there were still professional songwriters who would cobble together a track with studio musicians and throw it out to the radio stations like so much sonic chum. If somebody picked it up and it started gaining some traction, they'd quickly assemble a group of long haired youth to go out and be that group for as long as the momentum lasted. Bang had a few of these faux teen groups ( the Strangeloves being probably their most famous product)

Which isn't to say that this isn't a nice track. It is. It's a professional product and nicely done. Jerry knew what he was doing and his intended audience. That it was the product of a white collar dude in his 30's for a rebellious teenage market is just icing on the proverbial cake.

It's almost weirdly reversely subversive. The revolution will not be televised, but it will be packaged and sold back to you wholesale.

Have an issue with that and your delicate sense of authenticity?

As the song goes:

"That's your problem, it ain't mine..."

Hard Road to Follow

I'm not fooling anybody today. It's the  Flesh Eaters again.

 

A Hard Road to Follow (1983)

Fourth and final Lp for the original Flesh Eaters run.

It sounds like they mean it this time, except when they meant it every other time too.

Forever Came Today

Forever Came Today (1982)

Third Lp. New band. Reinvigorated. Good.

This is not an April Fool's joke.
That is all.