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Saturday, August 31, 2019

Radio Speed
Trump Train's A Rollin'
single track


Homespun,irresistably infectious country that rollicks unstoppably for a noble cause: That of the world's most powerful man, and savior (in the desperately needful moment) of the real American Way.

"You can hear the whistle all across the plains,
all the way from Denver down to New Orleans.
She's rollin' from the mountains down to the sea,
even California, all that they can see..."

Now appears a mystery: Exhaustive research turned up nothing about the musicians involved -- no social media presence, recording label, or identifying and contact information.

For reasons unknown they're hiding their light beneath a bushel. Save for this fine song.

Video: "Trump Train's A Rollin'"



itunes 99¢ ordering

Amazon 99¢ ordering



The Heartbreakers
Yonkers Demo 1976 (2 CD)
(Cleopatra Records)



In that year, for those of us new to the razor and not yet battered by the restrictive realities that doom to obscurity pretty much every one of us (later on, one learns to take each minor thrill available, and conclude victory, of a sort) everything seemed within grasp.

Johnny and Jerry had left the New York Dolls. Walter was fresh from the Demons. And Richard had yet to front the Void Oids. Four outlanders, so beyond the world they were excruciatingly of it. (Billy Rath would later replace Richard.)

This demo is raw, crude, and illustrative of the wonder potential in guys with sordid appetites plugging in, daring to dream, and churning wickedly slapdash / meticulous rock and roll that brazenly proclaims its validity.

In enduring accomplishment lies immortality, for uneven souls who create within a derisive clime.

Recommended: "Love Comes In Spurts," "I Wanna Be Loved," "Blank Generation," "Chinese Rocks," "Can't Keep My Eyes On You," "Pirate Love," "Flight," "Hurt Me," "You Gotta Lose," "Goin' Steady" 

Video: "Chinese Rocks," "Pirate Love" (live 1975, unknown location, Thunders, Nolan, Lure, Hell.)


https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/the-heartbreakers-yonkers-demo-1976-2-cd/



The Hyperjax
Bringing the Bad Back Home
(Wolverine Records)




Alacritous, economical, and witty describe the Hyperjax as aptly now as in years previous. Theirs is a forcible onslaught, but one judiciously directed and of dangerous effectiveness. A satiating jounce.

Time's passage has brought acidic retrospect -- "I was a desperado with a bit of bravado, on the way from boy to man!" -- but dig that the salad days are still transpiring.

Recommended: "Bringing the Bad Back Home," "Roaming the Dead End Streets," "Shadowbrawler," "The Blind Leading the Blind," "Age of the Addictive Personality," "Going Down Smilin'."

Video: "Bringing the Bad Back Home" 
            "Roaming the Dead End Streets"
            "Going Down Smilin'"



Hyperjax site

Hyperjax Facebook


Wolverine Records

Wolverine Records Facebook



Amazon full disc ordering page


Amazon single track ordering page



The Writhers
Ghastly Reminders
(Nothing But a Nightmare)



This slamming punk cacophony is too brusque and eccentric for above-ground radio. But that died long ago, anyway. And no one cool cares to leave flowers.

Recommended: "Down My Spine," "Kill the Monster," "Point Pleasant 1966"

Videos: "Down My Spine"
             "Kill the Monster"


https://www.facebook.com/pg/thewrithers/posts/?ref=page_internal

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/thewrithers


https://thewrithers.bandcamp.com/album/ghastly-reminders


http://www.nothingbutanightmare.com/releases/ghastly-reminders/


https://music.amazon.in/albums/B07W7PDFVW



Friday, August 30, 2019

The Kings of Outer Space
Ghost Radio
4-track EP
(Greystone Records)



Imagine somehow combining an observatory telescope and a Criswell Ouija board, then hooking the whole thing into a monster amplifier. 

Recommended:
"Ghost Radio," "T Minus 5," "Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll," "T Minus 5" (instrumental version)

Video: "Ghost Radio"


https://www.facebook.com/thekingsofouterspace/

http://www.greystone-records.com/



https://music.amazon.com/albums/B07VG5CMS9

https://open.spotify.com/album/5Wgs2jeEpOSeUVNUumIjaU?fbclid=IwAR2ump8ElpkucwqcUVr09Jj5fbWf-KSLosLJNJ8EOCvCYL4W5BfjxI8xU38#_=_



Greg Townson
More! Travelin' Guitar
(Hi-Tide Recordings)



So conversant in multifarious voices is Greg that he exhorts confidently, as he imbues instrumentals with surfside character, exotic mien, and dual-pipes vivacity. 

Recommended: "Day O (The Banana Boat Song)," "Venus," "Girl From the North Country," "Joy Ride," "Old San Juan," "Gone Fishin'" "Speed Bump," "We'll Meet Again"

Videos: "Day O"
             "Venus"
             "Girl From the North Country"
             "We'll Meet Again"



http://www.gregtownson.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gregtownsonmusic/


Hi-Tide Recordings 


Amazon ordering page

itunes song-ordering page




The Lucky Devils
News From Earth
(Lucky Devils Records)




Flat-out, stomp-trio psycho, into which is incorporated piquant elements exotic and age old: "Banzai's" introductory riff recalls (for me, at least) the Dolls' "Bad Detective" cover. And the amphetemine reinvention of "Greensleeves" takes the timeless classic, based on a 1500s English folk air, to a unique map-point.

Elsewhere, barrel-chested bop stakes territories with forceful and memorable decisiveness.

Recommended: "Rasputin," "Grendizer Surf," "Ride For My Life,"  "Banzai," "Greensleeves,"  "We're All Gonna Die," "Psychos"

Video: "Rasputin"


https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-Band/The-Lucky-Devils-49070857307/


http://drunkabilly.com/mailorder/product.asp?idproduct=4992



Joe and the Hill Valley Boys
Don't Stop the Bop
(Sleazy Records)




Keeping things uncluttered allows the beat to seize dominion, to the hardwood's creaky remorse and our elation.

Recommended: "I Will Write a Letter," "Wastin' Time," "I Want You," "Don't Stop the Bop"

Videos: "I Will Write a Letter"
             "Wastin' Time"
             "Night Train To Memphis" (live, non-CD)


https://www.facebook.com/joeandthehillvalleyboys/

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/joethehillvalleyboys12#

https://sleazyrecords.com/es/




Saturday, August 24, 2019

P.P. Arnold
The New Adventures of...
(earMUSIC)


Brass swells, precise strings cut capers, passages enjoy hue from dignified ivories, and a voice at turns evocative, declarative, and lullingly graceful soars with grand panache. One is overwhelmed by immaculateness.

Pivotal guests in soul legend P.P.'s decades-spanning career included Ike and Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, and Billy Ocean. Two compositions contributed by longtime admirer Paul Weller are breathtakingly interpreted by her.

earMUSIC says this is P.P.'s first solo record in some 50 years. The lion's share of her efforts since her 1960s Immediate Records gems have enriched others' endeavors. (Immediate numbers for which P.P.'s global audience revere her include "The First Cut Is the Deepest," and "Angel of the Morning.")

Records like this make listeners feel elegant for the experience.

Recommended: "Baby Blue," "Though It Hurts Me Badly," "The Magic Hour," "Different Drum," "I'm a Dreamer," "When I Was Part of Your Picture," "Shoot the Dove," "You Got Me," "Daltry Street," "Still Trying," "I'll Always Remember You"

Videos: "Baby Blue"
             "Official pre-listening"



https://pparnold.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pparnoldofficial/



Pre-order from earMUSIC


https://www.amazon.com/New-Adventures-P-P-Arnold/dp/B07RS92DRV

https://music.apple.com/gb/album/the-new-adventures-of-p-p-arnold/1463202910



Guitar Slingers
Psycho Cop
4-track EP
(Diablo Records)





The subculture-vs-authorities theme was prevalent in rock 'n roll's halcyon years. (See any 1950s drive-in JD flick.) And it's since loomed whenever outsider cultural phenomena challenge the zeitgeist.

In this futurist fabulation, battle rages between Mega City Punks and Psycho Cops. Abuse of power always merits a pants kick. As depicted in the video, one titular enfant terrible is exaggerated to risibly cartoon proportions -- not unlike Judge Dredd or Robocop.

Swerving psychobilly rockets with the assist of perfectly lunatic guitar savagery. Whenever  Doyley's involved, fierce fun will erupt. Hyper-twists and textured facets abound in arrangements that rivet. 


Recommended: "Psycho Cop," "Mega City Punks," "Blackout," "Whatever Happened To Rock 'n' Roll?"


Video: "Psycho Cop"
             

Audio clips: "Mega City Punks"
                    "Whatever Happened To Rock 'n' Roll?"


https://www.facebook.com/guitarslingers/


https://www.reverbnation.com/guitarslingers?fbclid=IwAR3CmK5s0ynTyTRdP_Sa_r2IWqlXo8tl5EDpgwmPoeOnMXKu4sQ1fd2nSbs



https://www.facebook.com/diablorecordsuk/

https://diablorecords.store/



Jonny Barber
s/t (self)



From the moment the stylus touches down, a technicolor cohort of hooks and melodies bounds in jangly power pop affirmation. Variegated song constructions are witty and uncommonly clever. 

Earthy ebullience in the Land of 1000 Dances. Plunge, too, into the assuasive, White album-redolent "Because I'm In Love."

Online, Jonny elaborated about "Dirty 15:" "I read a newspaper article about a 15 year-old girl who fell into a life of prostitution on Colfax." That Denver avenue was portrayed in Kerouac's On the Road and once described by Playboy as "the longest, wickedest street in North America." 

"A concerned family found her, and helped her get off the street to realize her dream of going to college...far from the Dirty 15 [area bus]. The story inspired me to write this."

The former sparkplug of the Rhythm Razors and Living Deads also observed that "I absolutely love this song, and am flummoxed at why it isn't a hit, yet."

Given its union of agile pop majesty, harmonies 'til Tuesday, and frank human-experience realism, greater acknowledgement is its due. 

That reckoning applies with equal aptness to the other selections.

Recommended: "Go For the Moon," "The Dirty 15," "Because I'm In Love," "Don'tcha Know," "Goddess Surprise," "Day-Glo Miniskirt" 

Video: "The Dirty 15"
            "Go For the Moon"
            "Don'tcha Know"
            "Because I'm In Love"




https://www.facebook.com/jonnybarber/


https://www.amazon.com/Jonny-Barber/dp/B01NBMIDVQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Jonny+Barber&qid=1566530386&s=dmusic&sr=1-1

https://music.apple.com/us/album/jonny-barber/1188121833

https://soundcloud.com/colfaxavenue/jonny-barber-the-dirty-15





Colin Mee
Why Baby Why
(Skip Records)



A spirited honky tonk entertainer of hot order, Colin strums up a swinging acoustic rhythm atop which his agreeably down-home vocals tell of travails and good-times familiar to all. 

Recommended: "Why Baby Why," "Pistol Packin' Mama," "Crazy Arms," "But I Do," "Setting the Woods On Fire," "Blue Blue Day," "Walk On By"

Videos: "But I Do"
             "Why Baby Why"
             "Pistol Packin' Mama"
               


https://www.colinmee.com/

Skip Records



Amazon ordering page

itunes page


Friday, August 23, 2019

Os Catalépticos
One More Tattoo
(self)



Compiled are EP cuts and unissued material. The dungeon echoes with chained souls' lamentations and the remorseless grindstone's revolutions.


Recommended: "One More Tattoo," "A Gift For You," "You Must Die," "When the Sun Goes Down," "Psychopath Fever," "You'll Remember Me"

Videos: "One More Tattoo"
             "A Gift For You"
             "When the Sun Goes Down"


https://www.facebook.com/Os-Catal%C3%A9pticos-102870419796329/?ref=page_internal

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/oscatalepticos#


https://www.amazon.com/One-More-Tattoo-Os-Catalepticos/dp/B000BO87S2/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_3



Roadhouse Roosters
s/t (self)




The icy moon stares down as sunken-eyed wraiths murmur incants. And as crafty guitar slides in and out of blues animation, a risen beat declares consequence.

Recommended: "Do Whatcha Do," "The Train," "Cock-a-Doodle-Do," "Ain't It a Shame," "Mean Town Blues," "Honey Bee" "I Got the Funk"

Video: "Cock'a'Doodle Do"
           "Mean Town Blues" (live, 2013)


https://www.roadhouseroosters.com/

https://www.facebook.com/The-Roadhouse-Roosters-257048401033246/

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/roadhouseroosters12



Kerr Donnelly Band
Top of the Bill
(KDML Records)




Elvis knew it. So did Roy. Like those icons-from-humble-circumstances, Kerr takes up understated material advanced by tasteful accompaniment. And, knowing the power possible in crooned subtlety, he realizes august elegance comfortable with its plebian well-spring.

Recommended: "Top of the Bill," "I'll Leave This World Loving You," "Stolen Heart," "Idiot," "The Lips That Broke My Heart"

Video: "Top of the Bill"
           "I'll Leave This World Loving You"
           "Idiot"


https://www.facebook.com/kerr.donnelly.band/

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/kerrdonnellyband41#



https://www.amazon.com/Top-Bill-Kerr-Donnelly-Band/dp/B07VWTK4R6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Kerr+Donnelly+Band&qid=1566522253&s=dmusic&search-type=ss&sr=1-1

https://open.spotify.com/album/71lpYnKe0rlzCchrECGZIz

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kerr-donnelly-band/476483930









Zumbis do Espaco
O Lobisomem Que Eu Sou 
single
(Thirteen Records)




Lurid monster-mayhem that screams down at high throttle, all a-seethe with vim and hooks.


Video: "O Lobisomem Que Eu Sou"


https://www.facebook.com/zumbisdoespaco/

https://www.facebook.com/13rex/

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/zumbisdoespaco




Tuesday, August 20, 2019

headcat 13
Rockin' Route 66
(Headcat Records)



Drummer Too Tall Paul Vezulis from the Frantic Flattops; ex-Hawkwind bassist Alan "boomer" Davey; and six-string superhero Danny B. Harvey from the Rockats, 13 Cats, Headcat with Lemmy and Slim Jim, Wanda Jackson, and more other bands, of more bents, than the Poindexters in white lab coats can calculate.

This is their maiden single.

As the inimitable Dave E. used to sing: "From small things, Mama, big things one day come." And this already ain't no small thing.


To sample and purchase "Rockin' Route 66": 
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/headcat13


Videos: "Rockin' Route 66"
                    "Crossroads" (live, March 2019)


https://www.facebook.com/pg/HeadCatOfficial/posts/




Headcat 13, with guest singer Annie Marie Lewis
Go Go Killers
I-565 3-track release
(Go Go Killers Wreck and Roll)



A mass of esoteric exotica. Or exotic esoterica. 

The Go Go Killers spew satiating trash-incantations whose antecedents include Hasil and Lux. And that, alone, would be enough to recommend them to cats who dig kicks on the wild side.

But the Go Go Killers, fired up with those inspirations, surge on blazing wheels down their own avenue paved with marvelous enticements.

Recommended: "I-565," "The All or Nothing Days"

Videos: I-565
I-565 (Radio Edit)
The All or Nothing Days


https://gogokillers.com/

https://thego-gokillers.bandcamp.com/album/i-565

https://www.facebook.com/GoGoKillers/

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/gogokillers8



https://open.spotify.com/album/38CNQSGW7uPbqfxpgN6JjQ

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/go-go-killers/1054731777




Love Tattoo
When Life Comes Knockin'
(Foot Tapping Records)




Airtight.

Johnny J spins from roots-idioms to contemporary inclinations, and never casts a backward glance. His guitar has many voices; each of remarkable distinction.

In moments, Nicola Carla's exquisite sonorisations recall Blondie's Debbie Harry. She imbues passages as is appropriate, whether with delicate nuance or strength formidable.

Drummer Dave West proves direct and efficacious at every turn. Each downbeat, crackled pop, and resounding crash is in character with the dynamic presentation.

Meanwhile, unobtrusively sure doghouse-manipulator Kurt Fox maintains confident guides. His efforts are crucial to the success of the whole. Adamant, but ever nimble.

The imaginative writing is assured of its stride. Material sometimes bespeaks ground long-broken -- no slight, that -- but also dares to explore in more modern, inventive fashion. 


Recommended:
"When Life Comes Knockin'," "One More Blissful Night," "Just Like Before," "Anybody Else But Me," "How Love Is Meant To Be," "Not My Style," "Find the Key," "If I'd Only Known."

Videos: "Anybody Else But Me"
             "When Life Comes Knockin'"
                   "One More Blissful Night"
                 

https://lovetattooband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Lovetattooband/

https://www.musicking.co.uk/collections/foot-tapping-records/products/love-tattoo-when-life-comes-knockin-cd

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/lovetattoo



The Devilish 3
s/t (self)




Shot through with footloose, good-times rockabilly. And of that, there can never be an overabundance. 

But at the end comes something otherwise remarkable: "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" derives especial ambiance by coupling its rallying message with an understated "Hit the Road, Jack" air. Haunting background voices enrich.

The breakdown, in which acoustic bass and pensive, minimalist drums work their charms, indicates depth worth respect.

Recommended:
 "Mud and Blood," "Workin' For the Man," "Black Cat (With a Knife Tattoo)" "Pile Your Hair Up High," "Eat the Worm," "Root of It All," "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down"

Videos: "Workin' For the Man"  "Eat the Worm," "Pile Your Hair Up High," 

"Mud and Blood" clip (live)




https://www.facebook.com/thedevilish3/

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/thedevilish33#


https://open.spotify.com/artist/0vzSm27Dgkp1hyWdw8Ys2v





Friday, August 2, 2019

Johnny Ramone
The Final Sessions  purple vinyl
(Cleopatra Records)



Though elements from a thousand bubblegum and bargain basement subcult roller coaster rides lurked in the Ramones' storied  amphetamine-demolition oeuvre, there had never been a band like them. Nor has there, since. Their influence will surely prove of the ubiquitous, eternal class.

It was fitting that, once Johnny's Ramones days lay behind him, he threw in with Lemmy, Danny B. Harvey, and Slim Jim Phantom to revivify Elvis. 

Their spiritual and physical unity evoked inimitable specialness. And a mighty, loudly forcible presence burst in every direction at once, never forgetting the kicks at the heart of the whole proposition.


Videos: 

"Good Rockin' Tonight" (Includes concert footage and scenes from 2005 Picturehouse biopic The Notorious Bettie Page.)

"Viva Las Vegas" (Includes numerous onstage and candid stills)



https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/johnny-ramone-the-final-sessions-limited-edition-purple-lp/


https://www.amazon.com/Final-Sessions-Johnny-Ramone/dp/B07J35GDGY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=johnny+ramone&qid=1564356391&s=music&sr=1-1








JLT: John Lindberg Trio
Rhymes and Rhythms
- A Pile of Rock, Vol. 1
Rock and Roll Business
- A Pile of Rock, Vol. 2
(Enviken Records)







The smoldering rock and roll essence kindled in countless wee-hours joints so thrives, here, that no one within earshot will stand unshook. And there goes the roof.

Recommended Rhymes and Rhythms: "Promised Land," "Lover's Advice," "The Fool"

Recommended Rock and Roll Business: "One Track Mind," "Under the Moonlight," "One More Saturday Night," "Rock and Roll Business"

Videos: "Promised Land"
                    "One Track Mind" (live)


https://johnlindberg.se/

https://www.facebook.com/johnlindbergtrio/?ref=br_rs

http://envikenrecords.com/artist/john-lindberg-trio/



https://www.amazon.com/Rhymes-Rhythms-Pile-Rock-
Vol/dp/B07CJ14WJP

https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Roll-Business-Pile-Vol/dp/B07RSL7NQ9/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=john+lindberg+trio&qid=1564352830&s=dmusic&sr=1-4



Lucky 757
Memphis Sun  3-track EP
(self / Scad Publishing)



Successful symbiosis, in these tracks recorded live at Sun Studio.

There surely are mystery elements floating unseen at Sam Phillips' stomping ground. Inspirational ones that produce wondrous efforts. But they cannot do it alone. 

Only when coupled with talent of authenticity and exceptional worth can the spirits be most efficacious. Standard met. The beat compels allegiance.


Recommended: "Memphis Sun," "Enough To Make a Grown Man Cry," "She Ain't Afraid of No Man"

Video: "Memphis Sun" (live clip in Sun Studio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkZt7CeH3Yo


https://www.lucky757.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lucky.757.music/

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/lucky7576

https://soundcloud.com/info-686826062/memphis-sun

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q6PVJ4K/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

https://soundcloud.com/info-686826062/memphis-sun

https://open.spotify.com/album/1NKNk5JvBHCcEJ46hW8Mgs




Miles End 
Ten 
(Richard Simmons and 
Steve McLean / Miles End)



Towering guitars flashing and chunka-chunking through arrangements utterly of the classic rock vibe. The primacy of the RIFF is in these grooves reestablished. Bow down.

 Recommended: "Choice," "Shout," "Flying Machine," "The Writer," "Rock On," "Lady Batty"

Videos: "The Writer"
             "Flying Machine"
                   "Choice"





https://www.facebook.com/steve.mclean.1238/timeline?lst=100010389815287%3A683396995%3A1564362825


https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/milesend11#



https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Miles-End/dp/B07VKQDV6T/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Miles+End&qid=1564266043&s=dmusic&search-type=ss&sr=1-5


https://music.apple.com/us/album/ten/1473985149




Richard Simmons / Youtube



Steve McLean / Facebook

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About Me

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FORMER staff writer for Rockabilly and Pin Up America magazines. FREELANCE credits include Daily Caller, American Thinker, Free Republic, Huffington Post, Counterpunch, Dissident Voice, Independent Political Report, USA Today, Des Moines Register, Iowa City Press-Citizen, Waterloo Courier, Cedar Falls Times, Marshalltown Times Republican, Cincinnati.com, IndyStar, Arizona Republic, No Depression, Goldmine, Blue Suede News, Rock and Rap Confidential, Crackerjack, Blues News, Wrecking Pit, Punk Globe, Prairie Sun, Music and Sound Output, BAM, New Music, and 1980s NYC fanzines Shake, Rattle, and Roll, Rebel Rouser, and Off the Wall. AUTHOR: Shake, Rattle and Rocket!, Ghost Saucers in the Sky!, Stratosphere Boogieman!, Flesh Made Music, That a Man Can Again Stand Up: American spirit vs, sedition during the incipient Trump Revolution, and Ideas Afoot: Political observations, social commentary, and media analyses. WORKED as 2004 Iowa coordinator for Ralph Nader independent presidential campaign; co-founded Iowa Green Party, also served as statewide media coordinator; press coordinator, 2002 Jay Robinson (Green) IA gubernatorial effort. Wrote extensively re Trump campaign..