OK, I know it's been almost seven months since you saw the
last flippin' issue of this.  For that, I apologize (big-time).  Believe it
or not, I do feel badly about this.  I also feel bad about not including
a report from GarageRage The First back in December.  As it is, I
have enough old stuff in here, though, so I promise a report from
the next one.  Anyway, for my excuses, you can go on down and
read the intro.
       Keeping in mind that this is the e-mail version, there are
obviously no ads included.  However, the print version does have
them and I'd like to thank the following folks for helping out:  Mint
Records, Stanton Park/Vinyl Injections, Clamarama Records, and
360 Twist Records (who are putting on TrebleFest out in Denver on
August 1st thru 3rd.  E-mail them at [email protected] for more
info.)

*****************************************************************************
       This issue is dedicated to my grandfather, Frank Buscareno,
who died this past March at the age of 84.  He was one of the most
wonderful human beings I've ever had the fortune to know.  I'll
miss him always.

*****************************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS

BUSINESS STUFF - gotta get this outta the way early.  Just info on
how to get back issues, what's in them, advertising info, all that
crap.
---
INTRO - where I spout off about whatever I'd like (this time it's got
some apologizing)
---
WHO'S WHO IN THIS ISH - just so you know who we are and
what we're about
---
A LETTER - only one worth printing (would you people *please*
write more than a sentence or two when you ask for an issue by
mail... *please*).  Actually, I got another really nice one, but it was
too long to print.  (But thanks, Vic.)
---
IN MEMORIAM - as many of you know, Gun Club leader Jeffrey
Lee Pierce died this Spring.  LJ Cunningham recalls the effect Pierce
had on him.
---
GET ME BACK - Bob Kondrak takes Teengenerate to dinner as they
wind down their final US tour.
---
A KINDA KINK - I was lucky enough to see Ray Davies at the
Westbeth Theatre in NYC.  Now you get to read about it.
---
THE OUTSIDERS - If you've never heard this legendary Dutch
band, you've been missing out.  Here's a quick history lesson from
Filippo Dulio, who does a homepage dedicated to the band.
---
35 MINUTES WITH THE DRAGS - Uncle Bob chats with CJ
---
THE DEVIL DOGS NOW - the Devil Dogs were one of the best
groups of the 90s.  Unfortunately, they've been gone for about a
year and a half.  Here's what they're up to now.
---
THE NOMADS - a couple questions answered, plus some CDs
you'll want to pick up.
---
INSIDE BLACKTOP'S SHORT LIFE - Bob the K has an e-mail chat
with bassist Alex Cuervo.
---
THE MERCH TABLE - ruminations on the pricing of merchandise
at garage/punk shows.
---
COLORED SHIRTS - a call for people to bring some color into our
lives.
---
THE GREEK SCENE - Christoforos Kakkos hips us to the garage
happenings in his country.
---
THE AQUA VELVETS - "we're not the San Francisco surf band"
---
INTRODUCING THE OMEGA MEN - Bill Luther takes a look at
the latest group of coolsters to pop out of Harrisburg, PA
---
CLAMARAMA - meet the newest label on the garage/punk block.
---
UNTAMED MELODIES - a CD containing some (tho' not all) of the
Untamed Youth's best moments.
---
THE PRINTED WORD - lots of great 'zines to while away the hours
at the beach.
---
RADIO BIRDMAN - Michael Seman checks in with a report on the
reunion tour, stopped in Perth as part of the Big Day Out,
Australia's version of Lollapalooza.
---
LIVE AND OUTTASITE - There's been plenty stuff goin' on out
there and I've been to my fair share.
---
SHINY & ROUND, WITH A 5" DIAMETER - duh, CD reviews.
---
LONG PLAYING VINY RECORDS - do I need to explain this?
---
THE NUMERO UNO FORMAT - the 7" single still reigns supreme
here at TS HQ.
---
MORE REMOTE CONTROL-READY STUFF - here's a bunch more
compact discs.
---
ALSO HEARD - and here are a bunch more seven-inchers.
---
ALL TOGETHER NOW! - compilations, both CD & LP
---
TIME  TRAVEL - tripping back to the time when 45s dominated the
planet, some of today's premiere labels are re-issuing some
interesting stuff.
---
WHERE TO GET ALL THESE THINGS - the LPs, the CDs, the 45s,
whatever... here's the addresses you can write to
---
NEWS OF THE WORLD - no, not an exciting look back at a Queen
LP, but instead a peek at what's happening on our garage/punk,
power pop, surf lovin' planet.

*****************************************************************************
BUSINESS-TYPE STUFF

BACK ISSUES:
Since I've got the originals to every issue, I can still go out and
make copies of just about any issue you might want.  Personally, I'd
prefer you didn't go below #30 or so, 'cuz I find some of these
things to be an embarrassment, but the choice is yours.  Unlike
other 'zines, though, I'm not gonna go thru a huge list of what's in
each one.  This mag has come a long way in the past five years,
though I'd say we've stayed pretty true to the same sort of music
we started with.  (Ish #1 began with a review of The Gories trip to
NYC with go-go gal Margaret going all out... On the first night, her
top off at Maxwells, she went after rockabilly star Joe Clay on all
fours - he backed away.  On the next, she went after three members
of The Raunch Hands... yes, like Joe Clay, they were on-stage at the
time.)  So here's the deal (all prices include postage, but please
include a self-addressed envelope):

#1 - #21:  $1 for two issues.  Pick of this litter is #17 (Dec.,
'91), with a preview of The Mummies' first East Coast visit.
#11 (June, '91) includes my first taste of Estrus Crust.
#22 - #34: $2 for three issues.  A rant about CBGB's bullshit
(#26); review of Iggy at Continental (#30); story on
Nardwuar (#31); and a DMZ reunion at The Rat (#34).
#35 - #46:  $3 for four issues.  The Muffs & The Real Kids
(#35); The Swingin' Neckbreakers (#37); Eric tells a whopper
& gets away with it (#38); Joan Jett at Maxwells (#39); The
Spectors (#40); The Dictators at CBGB's (#42); Man or Astro-
man? (#44); Bluesman vs. Blair or Southern Culture on the
Skids Live (#46).
#47/48 - #51: $3 for two issues  (or $1, plus 55 cents postage
for one).  GarageShock, '94 (#47/48 - I thought this was a
double issue at the time, but...); the end of The A-Bones
(#49), story/review of the Fuck The Mummies CD (#50);
year-end review, '94 (#51).
#52:  $2, a whopping 22 pages!  Featured is an interview
with The Boys Who Make All The Noise - Fortune &
Maltese.  Also read about The Scientists one-off reunion in
Perth, what's up in the CA garage-Mod scene, trip thru 80s
San Diego, & hang with the Platterpuss.
#53: $2.50, as (at an astounding 32 pages) it was the longest
yet.  GarageShock, '95, The Texas Speed Trials, The Untamed
Youth, The Makers, The Muffs, The Kaisers, and tons more.
#54: $3 - at 44 pages, it's the longest (and best) of everything
up to this point.  Interviews with The Statics & Darin Lin
Wood, plus a report of The Muffs, Queers, Cub tour of
summer, '95.

Now that you've got that down, keep in mind that this is only a
skeletal view of what's in all these old issues.  Tons of reviews
(records, shows, 'zines, books, even films) and news in just about
every issue.  (Plus more than a few appearances by The
Platterpuss.)  Some fun stuff, some serious; it all depends on the
issue.  Enjoy.  And please give me time to go make copies.

Oh yeah, you can pick this mag up by writing to:  The Teen Scene,
34 Highland Cross #2, Rutherford, NJ  07070.

The Teen Scene is also available in text-only e-mail form F.O.C.
("That's Free Of Charge.")  To get it this way, simply send an e-mail
message to [email protected].  (Introduce yourself while
you're at it.)

In addition, throughthe help of my old pal, Harrison Bergeron, The
Teen Scene should also be available in various electronic formats.
E-mail me to find out how to get it.

The Teen  Scene is copyright 1996, Blair Buscareno.  The rights on
all writing and pics are property of the authors & photographers.
Any recordings found inside are provided courtesy of the bands
and the record labels.  If you'd like to pass the Teen Scene on to a
friend, feel free, just tell 'em where you got it and give them the
whole thing, not just some little piece.  If you'd like to include any
writings published in this mag for your own publication, just be
sure you give credit to both the Teen Scene & the author of the
piece.  And send me a copy.

AD RATES (print version only):
1/4  pg  - $20
1/2  pg  - $35
Full pg          - $65

Next deadline is August 15th.

Keep in mind that we will only take ads from companies / groups
whose products we believe in.  (So contact us before you send a
check.)  Speaking of checks, make them out to Blair Buscareno.

*****************************************************************************
INTRO

       So... what's been up in my so-called life?
       Well... on the Teen Scene front, I've been procrastinating.
(Just in case you hadn't noticed.)  As per usual, I've got a damned
good excuse.  This first year teaching stuff is a real bear.  I grew up
in a teacher family; Mom taught elementary school before I was
born, and Dad taught high school social studies.  I knew how much
work my father put into his job.  Later, I saw how hard my brother,
Glenn, worked at his job teaching fifth grade.  Even with all this
background, though, I had no personal experience with all the
work I'd have to do.  Honestly, though, I'm not complaining.  For
the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing a job worth doing.  If
that means that I'm putting in an average of 10 hours a day (rather
than the seven I'm required to be there), then so be it.
       Now that the excuses are over with, what else?
       Well, in January, as the Blizzard of '96 flurried a final good-
bye, Roberta and I decided to get engaged.  So I guess that's the big
news.
       It's been a snowy winter in the New York metro area, which
has meant a fair amount of delayed openings, early dismissals, and
snow days for me.  Unfortunately, that means that my district lost
its February break, plus one day of the week off in April.  So I
didn't get out as much as I would have liked.  On the positive side,
I got to see the shows that I was really wanted (needed) to.  Well,
for the most part.
       Roberta and I have spent that time reading books, mags,
'zines, watching movies, and playing video games.  Of the latter,
the demo version of Spectre Challenger was a hit until we started
beating it regularly.  And, about a week ago, the day when Apple's
on-line service, eWorld, closed down, I downloaded one last game,
Barrack.  This is the one we're currently addicted to.  (Yeesh, 30
years old and I'm addicted to video games again!)  But it's cool 'cuz
it's not some stupid shoot-'em-up.  This one could be big in the
arcades if they ported it over there.  (Hell, maybe they have.  How
would I know... I haven't been to one for a while.  Maybe I need to
check that place out that's about a 1/2 mile away.)
       Last time I played soccer regularly was the Summer of '87.
Translated, that says nine years and at least 30 pounds ago.  Since
then, I've spent two isolated years at a gym.  (The last of which
ended in July of '94.)  But when I heard the kids at PRHS were
doing a soccer marathon to benefit muscular dystrophy and
wanted a teacher team, I jumped at the chance to play again.  So...
after a week of working an average of 11-12 hours a day, I stayed
around once more and did work after school, finally changing into
my shorts and t-shirt about 45 minutes before game-time.  I headed
down to the gym and met the rest of my teammates, all but one of
whom coach one sport or another.  (Thankfully, at least two of
them were also in lousy shape.)  The kids were doing a 24 hour
marathon, playing a rotation of 1/2 hour games, with at least two
hours off between games.  But the teacher team was only supposed
to be there for an hour, so we were gonna have to do two of these
things in a row.  Not only that, there were only seven of us.  Which
meant we had only one sub.  (Actually, the kids were playing seven
on seven, but we convinced them that was unfair to us, since we'd
have no subs.  Besides, the gym isn't all that big.)  I'm happy to
report we won the first game, 3-1.  Pretty amazing, considering we
were playing 17-18 year old kids in great shape, who've been
playing this game on a regular basis for years.  (Heck, most of 'em
probably only learned the game after we had all given it up.)  And,
while I'd played a damn good game, personally, I came out of it
barely able to breathe.  Talk about out of shape!  Not only that, but
I'd made the mistake of going for a ball I knew I probably couldn't
win.  This was a ball that was about neck high when I saw it and
went for it (as I saw one of their guys winding up to blast the
thing).  I did what I'd always done as a kid... went after it without
caring what happened.  Of course, now (nine days later), I'm still
feeling that kick in the ribs.  The doctor thinks I fractured it.  I told
him not to take x-rays, since there's not much you can do for a
fractured rib anyway, except wait for it to heal.  Meanwhile,
though, I get pain when I walk, sit up, lay down... whatever.
       The second game (which started five minutes after the first
ended) they threw their best players at us  (after letting the other
gang wear us out in the first game).  Members of the guys and girls
varsity teams.  As it turns out, we only lost by three. (And then only
'cuz they threw seven on the field to our six.)  Not bad at all.  And,
honestly, even with the pain in my ribs, it was really worth it.  I
realize how much I truly miss the game of soccer.
       It's a couple months later now and time for the finishing
touches... My first year of teaching is over.  Except for one class of
eighth graders during the last quarter, it was a wonderful
experience.  Now it's summer, and I'm off.  I'm just as busy, but at
least I'm on vacation.  This means that I have time to take care of
stuff around the house (thereby relieving Roberta of many hated
chores), plus I've got time for my own projects (the first of which is
getting this issue done.)  Besides this and the next ish (#56), I'll be
learning Visual Basic (which I know pitifully little about), maybe
doing a Web page, and hopefully getting around to start learning
Java.  But I'm also planning to have a good time: reading a whole
lot (we've got a park a half block away that is perfect on a summer
day), going to the beach, tubing, maybe Action Park, plus
weeknights out, TrebleFest, and maybe even Sleazefest.  I'll let you
know next ish how it all turned out.
       Congratulations this time out go to my old roomie, The
Skeever, and his wife, Annette, who got married over Thanksgiving
weekend up at Bear Mountain.  (With the Bluesman as Best Man,
giving the toast.  Check out the latest ish of CapSoul Reviews for the
transcription.)  Yet more congrats go out to the two of them 'cuz
(only a couple weeks later), Annette got pregnant.  How about that?
Papa Skeever!

*****************************************************************************
WHO'S WHO IN THIS ISH

Blair Buscareno ...             your host, but not granting any fantasies
                               that I don't share.  Anything not
                               credited to someone else can (most
                               likely) be blamed on me.
LJ Cunningham ...               a major Gun Club fan laments the loss of
                               a hero
Bob Kondrak ...                 over, under, sideways, and down, Bob
                               does the interviews and takes pics
Filippo Dulio ...               maintains the Outsiders' Touch home
                               page on the WWW.  He consented to let
                               me print his history of the band.  Point
                               your browser to http://
                               www.abacom.it/utenti/duliof/
                               outsider/
Christoforos Kakkos ...         I met Mr. Kakkos, I think, on the Bomp
                               list and promptly asked him for a report
                               on cool groups in his country.  He quite
                               graciously consented.
Bill Luther ...         mod-man extraordinaire, ex-editor of
                               Smashed! Blocked!, contributor to The
                               Evil Eye, and host of the Mad Mod Ball
                               introduces us to a new group featuring
                               some old friends.
Michael Seman ...               Michael's becoming the regular
                               correspondent for the Teen Scene down
                               under.  This time he got to see Radio
                               Birdman, thereby making me very
                               jealous.

*****************************************************************************
A LETTER

Blair:
       I was reading the latest TS you distributed at GarageRage
(an all-day affair) and I'm puzzled.  I think that some of your
writers don't understand that not all instrumentals (and
instrumental bands) are surf.  And vice versa.  Please explain to
them that Link Wray doing "Rumble," and B. Bumble doing "Nut
Rocker," or the Shadows doing "Man of Mystery" are not surf just
because they're instrumental.  Same goes for Laika & the
Cosmonauts and Man or Astro-Man?  Doing TV/movie or space-
themed instros doesn't make it surf.  Surf could be vocal.  You know
that, 'cause you got the Beach Boys box set.  Surf instrumentals try
to recreate the feeling of being in the tube, paraphrasing Dick Dale
(who is surf).  At any rate, I'd like to know why so many folks
keeep referring to Man or Astro-Man? as "surf" just because they're
instrumental.  Your thoughts, please. --- Pat Lozito

Pat:
       Your point is well-taken.  I agree, not all instro is surf and
not all surf is instrumental.  However, I do believe that both Laika
& the Cosmonauts and Man or Astro-Man? have a definite surf
element.  As many have noticed, surf has burst out on a pretty big
scale, once again.  It can now be found all over soundtracks to
movies, TV, & commercials.  In addition, some surf-oriented/
influenced groups are actually beginning to get signed.  And, as
denizens of the Cowabunga mailing list on the InterNet will be sure
to tell you, surf is a much wider category now than ever before.
       As to "Rumble" not being surf:  I agree, at least most of the
time.  I'm certainly with you full-force when it comes to Link
Wray's original.  However, it's also true that surf versions have been
recorded.

*****************************************************************************
IN MEMORIAM - JEFFREY LEE PIERCE

      Can you remember? Go ahead.  Try.  For me, 13 years later, the
memory is a bit hazy and yet, quite appropriately, full of a larger
than life, mythologically self-inflated picture of importance within
the folds of my mind.  The first time I heard the Gun Club, the first
time I heard "Sex Beat", the first time I heard Jeffrey Lee Pierce let
out a soul-searing, hair-raising caterwauling primal enough to
exorcise the fucking demons within the excesses of your soul was
back in Albany during the summer of 1983.  A friend and I were
relaxing in his room listening to the sounds of WCDB--the better of
the two local college radio stations.  The exact date, I'm not sure of.
what songs preceded and followed, again, are obscure parts that
fall to the wayside.  One can only refer to them as the moments of
calm before the storm and the muted silence/shock after the
moment of terror.  Nothing...and then the guitar riff--meaty,
slightly distorted, foreboding and catchy as hell.  A tribal drum
beat followed pounding out a rhythm to match the intensity of the
thrashing chords and then... pure Jeffrey Lee:

Johnny's got a lot of his and eyes
Shirley's got a lot of her and lips
Jeb's got a monkeyshine on his head
and Debra Ann's got a tiger in her hips

they can twist and turn
they can move and  burn
they can throw themselves against the wall
but they creep for what they  need
and they explode to the call

and then they Move
Move!
SEX BEAT
Go!

      Wow!   What a buildup.  Music and words propped up at a
frenetic pace only to have the bottom drop out and set the stage for
another onslaught.  After one stanza and a chorus, my mind was
abuzz.  Questions crossed back and forth with no apparent answers
to satisfy--where the hell did this come from?  who the hell was
this?  Feeling quite alive, though, I opted to suspend all faculties of
reason -- what little an 18 year old has -- and tried to concentrate on
the sensory experience.  What a ride.
      Afterwards, following the dropped jaws, the dumbfounded
disbelief, and our utter silence, we tried to place the experience and
put it into words.  Here's what we came up with:  amphetamine
fueled, knife-edged, sexually pent-up fury; unsettling psycho blues
pop; the Cramps on a serious day; Bo Diddley meets Boris Karloff;
psychotically erotic.  They're just words, however.  A bit hollow,
they fail to sum up what we actually experienced and fail to
penetrate the essence of Jeffrey Lee.
       It didn't matter, though.  The next day,  I went out to buy the
record so I could relive the moment over and over again.  FIRE OF
LOVE.  What an appropriate title.  I devoured the album from top
to bottom.  Here, the connection with the Cramps sound was made
clear.  I noticed that Kid Congo Powers had co-written one of the
tracks ("For the Love of Ivy").  He also actually played with the
band prior to FIRE OF LOVE.  Later, he would rejoin with the
departure of Ward Dotson.  His presence, though, partially
explained the drum and guitar influence, but the voice... Jeffrey Lee
Pierce... was wholly original, unlike anything I had ever heard
before.
               From start to finish, there is not a single weak track on the
album.  Perhaps it's a bit sad that this would be the best thing that
Jeffrey Lee ever did, but I prefer to think of FIRE OF LOVE as a
hard act to follow.  The album is just that damned great.  When I
say this I don't mean to infer that what followed was terrible.
MIAMI, THE LAS VEGAS STORY, MOTHER JUNO and others are
full of wonderful moments.  Jeffrey Lee just never put together
anything quite as consistently satisfying again.
       Over the years, I tried to keep up with the travails of the
band by piecing together reports and various breadcrumbs.  In
1985, Jeffrey Lee dumped the band and decided to go it alone.  Out
came a solo album and along with it, rumors of heroin addiction,
alcoholic binges, basic self -destruction and the failure of his  live
act.  The latter was largely due to Jeffrey's insistence in
incorporating a trombone into the act.  Most fans just weren't
prepared for this bizarre departure.
       Two years later, in 1987, saw the band reform and put out
another record -- MOTHER JUNO -- which turned out to their
strongest release since their debut.  The record, however, was
difficult to find due to the lack of an American label.  Slash has let
the band go after THE LAS VEGAS STORY.  This problem would
plague the band until 1993 when Triple X re-released FIRE OF
LOVE, several compilations of material released only in Europe,
and new recordings.
       A tour followed and I caught them here in DC at the 9:30
Club.  I remember, in 1984, missing a chance to see them in their
prime at Scorgies in Rochester.  For the life of me, I cant remember
why I couldn't go.  In
hindsight, it was probably one of the biggest mistakes I've ever
made, because in 1993 Jeffrey Lee was fatter, his voice had lost
much of its urgency and the band's sound, stripped of its bluesy
low-fi drive, seemed too clean.  Still, it was great to finally see
Jeffrey Lee on stage; I was even rewarded with an encore of "Jack
on Fire".
       That show, though, seemed to end a chapter for me and, I
believe, many others.  After that moment, I never heard anything
else of Jeffrey Lee -- not until Blair called to ask me about his death,
a fact that  I'd been completely oblivious to.  Now, I'm sitting and
thinking about that first introduction to the sounds of the band,
their impact on my life, and their lost legacy.  Along with others,
the Gun Club paved the way for much of today's nubile,
alternative, angst-ridden shit.   Now, Jeffrey Lee, a true original, is
dead -- forgotten by some and completely unknown to many.
What a loss.  Do yourself a favor right now.  Take FIRE OF LOVE
off the record shelf, play the damned thing as loud as you can and
remember that first time.  Go ahead. Give it a try. --- LJC

*****************************************************************************
GET ME BACK - AN INTERVIEW WITH TEENGENERATE

       Teengenerate's 1995 USA tour started on the east coast in the
fall and ended in mid December in Seattle.  Reviews of shows
posted on the internet newsgroup called "alt.music.banana-truffle"
said that the Japanese hardcore/garage band performed with an
intensity unrivaled since punk rock had a heyday during the late
70s.  Descriptions of performances around the country came off
sounding the alarm for a buzz/punk attack.  The thing got dubbed
as "Teengenerate's Breakup Tour", or your last chance to catch Fink,
Fifi, Sammy and Shoe.  The New Bomb Turks headlined shows
back east & through the midwest.  Here in the Pacific Northwest
the Turks dropped off.  NW acts like Action Family, Mono Men,
Bum, Statics and Primate 5 opened for TG in clubs like EJ's, 3B,
Hungry Eye, Crocodile and Lake Union Pub.
       Years ago I'd seen Fink, Fifi and Sammy performing as The
American Soul Spiders, heavy metal fused with garage.   A steady
dose of Japanese garage/punk came to me over the summer when
groups like Guitar Wolf, Muddy Frankenstein, Supersnazz and
Registrators all played Seattle.  By then the exposure was addicting,
I began collecting records, reading what I could and talking to
those already into the tiny Japanese garage scene.  I found others
that also heard a raw intensity played out to practiced perfection
and sung with status quo breaching emotion.  So I waited for those
blazin' punk rock blasts from Fink and the boys and began listening
to the groups albums:  the SAVAGE 10" on Sympathy, GET
ACTION �(Crypt) and, finally, in the fall Estrus released an album
collecting the band's hard to find singles, calling the album Smash
Hits.  (Editor's Note:  Hey, Bob... you forgot the AUDIO RECORDING
disc released by Cruddy a couple years back.)
       I photographed the band's performances and went to all the
shows they did up here from Portland to Vancouver BC.
Teengenerate got an early dose of my flash in the face, point and
shoot, drunken master photo style.  For those five nights I was the
nuisance of the spiked leather boys in the crowd as I pushed past
for a hastily composed shot.  Fink is the band leader and is the most
physical on stage.  He screams, leaps and lashes out with kung-fu
kicks barely missing the faces of the front row fans.  His brother Fifi
wears a red leather dog collar and a Radio Birdman T shirt.  In big
black letters Fifi writes the names of old school punk bands like
Eater or Vibrators on his right arm; he labels the words "pogo" and
"pack" on his pant legs.  Both brothers wear punk rock '78 sun
glasses.  Sammy plays bass and looks confident, cut offs, a New
Bomb Turks T shirt, and a Mariners cap on backwards.  Shoe, his
head buried behind the drum kit, finally grins and sticks his tongue
out for posterity.  The band is almost straight-edge, so no booze or
drugs before a performance, so maybe they fuel up on Kudo bars to
help them deliver that hyper drive intensity from the first to last
song.

       I corner Fifi in Bellingham at the 3B and tell him I want to
talk with the band and would like to take them all out for dinner
when they play Seattle.  So on Monday, their last night in Seattle,
they roll down to a small sushi bar on Main street and we sit
looking at pictures I made from their past week of performances.
Mari Tamura arranged the interview and translates. The thing
works off six questions sent via email from Marylou Santos who is
a big fan.  Fifi smiles when he reads her message about the kick ass
shows she saw them do in California.  We order, wait, and sit
drinking big bottles of Japanese beer.  The conversation is polite
and friendly.

Fi=Fifi, Fk=Fink, Bk=Bob Kondrak, Mt=Mari Tamura, Ms=Marylou
Santos

Bk-- Has the tour been long?
Fi-- Too long almost two months.
Bk-- Is Teengenerate going to break up?
Fk-- I don't know.
Bk-- Who arranged the tour?  One person or many in different
sections of the country?
Fk-- Yes, yes, like two months before the tour was to start, I asked
five guys here in America if we could have a show over here.
Bk-- Did Crypt help out?  Your new record came out this past
spring so I thought Tim Warren of Crypt may have helped with the
tour.
Fk-- We paid all of our flight fees over here, but he gave us
something to sell, like product. They only took 20% and we can get
80% of what we sell.
Bk-- I noticed you had nothing to sell at the shows up here as the
tour ended.
Ms-- Did Greg Lowery of The Rip Offs help with the tour at all?
Fk-- He set up things in San Francisco, I asked him and he asked
other people.
Ms-- How did you hook up with him?
Fk-- Jon Von helped us at first, not Greg.  Jon came to see us in San
Francisco on the first tour and he loved us.  That was even before
Jon started doing The Rip Offs.  I think he told everybody we were
cool, including Greg Lowery.
Bk-- (to Fifi) How old are you?
Fi-- That's a secret, I cannot tell you.
Bk-- No don't tell me.
Fi-- I'm 31.  There are three over thirty people in Teengenerate.
Bk-- That's good.  When did you start playing music?
Fi-- Seven years ago.
Bk-- You said this one "Liquid Sky" is an older recording of yours.
Fi-- We made that in 1990; this (Casting Couch dbl 7") is kinda lost
tracks.  The guy who is running this label was a fan of American
Soul Spiders and he asked us if he could put out any unreleased
stuff.  So these are some out takes.
Bk-- Now this one ("Stink" a split 7" w/Supersnazz on Baylor), I like
alot.  The production on this single and the Teengenerate SAVAGE
10" on Sympathy are both done at Coyote in Brooklyn.  Mike
Mariconda and Mike Caiati did the production.  Did you guys have
any control on this production?
Fi-- They did everything and we just played.
Bk-- I ask because the Crypt record sounds so different.  You did
everything on that, played and recorded.
Fi-- Basically when we came to the states the last time we did that
recording over at Conrad Uno's Egg studio on 8 track.  We
recorded the whole thing for Crypt there.  Tim Warren didn't like it.
So we redid it over in Tokyo on a 4 track and Tim liked that.
Bk-- What happened to the recording you did at Egg?
Fi-- Too clean.
Bk-- Yeah, but what became of it, do you still have it and would
you think of putting it out?
Fi-- I think it's not too bad.
Bk-- I heard those recordings you and Joey Kline did, "Roadhouse"
on the Nardwaur comp and "Dirty Robber" on the Lucky single.
Fi-- Those were recorded in a basement here in Seattle.  The guy
called Jimmy from the Squirrels, his basement.  A live recording.
Bk-- Have you seen any bands on the tour that you like?
Fk-- Yeah, The Problematics from Chicago.  They have a 10" out
and plan to put out an album.  They will be big stars.
Fi-- I liked The Drags who we played with in Albuquerque.
Ms-- You have an energy when you play live that's absolutely
unstoppable,
how do you mange to get so pumped up before and during your
show?
Fk-- Because we are technically really bad we have to be
entertaining on stage so people can enjoy it.  We just can't play.
Bk-- Interesting, I thought it was all part of your plan to play raw,
loud and primitive rock and roll music.
Mt-- He was kinda joking, they play so bad they have to be
pumped up and act like that.
Bk-- No kidding, well if you play bad who plays good?  (laughter)
I've seen Muddy Frankenstein, Registrators and..
Fk-- Guitar Wolf, he has the Technique.
Bk-- The man with the sunglasses?
Fk-- Yeah he used to play in a heavy metal band.
Bk-- Four years ago I saw you play at the Crocodile and Supersnazz
opened.  Then you were in the American Soul Spiders and I
thought that band sounded like heavy metal Rolling Stones.
Mt-- He admits that is what they used to be like.  Does that have
anything to do with the presence of the lead singer?
Fk-- When we toured as The American Soul Spiders four or five
years ago we played New York and he went to live over there.
After the tour he told me that he wanted to work there.  We said go
ahead, he quit.  At that time we needed a singer.  I thought then
that me and Fifi couldn't sing and play guitar, so we tried to find
another vocalist and actually we tried five or six people but it was
no good.  So we broke up and six months later I asked Sammy and
Suck to form a new band, changing the name.  So we started
Teengenerate, three years ago.
Bk-- How did you find that name?
Fk-- You know the Dictators, New York Dictators?  It's from a
Dictators' song on their first album a song called "Teengenerate".
Bk-- Dick still performs.
Fk-- Yeah he showed up at one of our shows in New York.  The
name American Soul Spiders was taken from a Flamin' Groovies
song.
Bk-- Supersnazz did that as well.  That's why I went to that show, I
thought it odd that these groups are naming themselves after a
band that I like alot.  Then Snazz played old Sonics, Wailers and
Groovies songs and they sounded so good.
Fk-- When did you first see Supersnazz?
Bk-- That Crocodile show three years ago.  Then I bought the split
single on Baylor.
Fk-- We recorded that at Coyote in Brooklyn, but Supersnazz
didn't.  They recorded their side in Tokyo.  And it was remixed in
Tokyo.  People at Baylor think Coyote is cool so they put this out.
Bk-- Is Mike Mariconda still in Texas?
Fk-- Yeah but we couldn't meet him.  He is very busy producing.
When we were there he was in Madrid working with some Spanish
band.
Ms-- How was touring with New Bomb Turks?
Fk-- Really exciting, we are big fans of each other bands.  We are
homosexuals.  (laughs)
Bk-- No, New Bomb Turks are cool.  I was told that some people
liked you all more than the Turks when you both performed.
Fk-- Some people think Teengenerate is better than New Bomb
Turks because Turks are hardcore and regard us as basic rock and
roll.  So those people think we are better.  But I think we are at the
same level.  We are as good as each other.
Bk-- That distinction between garage and hardcore, I wonder what
makes the Crypt album garage?
Fk-- How it is recorded, we took riffs like the way Thee Headcoats
take riffs and recorded it with a garage nuance.  We took riffs from
the Vibrators' albums, almost everything.
Bk-- Have you heard of The Count Bishops?
Fk-- Fifi just got their first cd.
Bk-- The Chiswick stuff?
Fi-- Before Chiswick, on the French label Lolita, in 1975.  I can send
you a copy.  I have almost everything by The Count Bishops.
Fk-- He is a winner!
Bk-- Great, the only things I have are on Chiswick, you know
Screwdriver?
Fi-- (laughs and we sing)  "AN-TI-SO-CIAL I hate the world."
Ms-- What other bands from Japan should we be on the lookout for.
Fk-- We love The Registrators and The Playmates and a band called
Tonight who have something out on Wallabies.  Cocksratch is good
but have nothing out right now.
Ms-- What is the punk rock scene like in Japan?  Do the bands there
draw inspiration from American punk.
Fk-- There is no punk rock scene in Japan.  Over there British punk
is more important than American.  Ten years ago it was like that
and all people knew from American punk was Talking Heads and
no one knew anything about The Pagans or any minor American
punk bands.  We like Belgium punk bands and Australian punk.
Bk-- Have you heard the new Saints' PRIMITIVE LIVE?
Fk-- Live 1974, not yet.
Bk-- Then I have a tape for you to play in your van.  The Saints live
and raw on a 4 track in their mother's garage.  I like the Saints alot
and keep hearing them in the Japanese bands that play here.  But,
then, I like ? & The Mysterians too.
Fi-- Fink looks like ? when he wears his sunglasses.
Bk-- Those sunglasses are a weapon of choice.  People in America
like you guys.  Did you get that impression?  Was the tour
successful?
Fk-- Yeah, people like you buy us sushi so we figure it is successful.
(laughs)
Ms-- How big is your following in Japan?
Fk-- We have about 12 fans in Japan.  But America is good.  We
think we have a big following over here.
Bk-- Two records out, the Crypt thing at the beginning of the tour
and now Estrus has something out, things are progressing.
Fk-- It wasn't planned that way, it just happened.
Bk-- I liked the show last night at the Lake Union Pub.  Primate 5,
Statics and Teengenerate, was my favorite lineup and you sang
"138" with The Statics, whose song is that?
Fk-- The Misfits.
Bk-- I liked the shows in Bellingham and Vancouver BC too.  That
BC show had a real wild audience.  Those people really get drunk.
Fk-- Our band is totally sober when we go on stage.  But people
think we are drunk or on drugs, but that is not true.
Bk-- Would the show be better if you got drunk before, would you
enjoy performing more?
Fk-- I just do my best at each show so for me there is no difference.
Bk-- Where did you start the American tour?
Fk-- New York and Boston.
Bk-- Home of DMZ and Cheater Slicks, do you like them?
Fk-- No, too much like Jon Spencer.  I don't like Cheater Slicks or
Jon Spencer.  I used to like them, but for me now, they are just too
art.
Bk-- Mari will be promoting more Japanese rock in Seattle this
spring.
Mt-- Yeah I am hoping Teengenerate will come over for that.
Bk-- I heard you played before a big crowd in Denver.
Fk-- We opened for bands like Samiam and Lagwell and some ska
bands.  We played 3rd and nobody took care of us.  We played in
front of 1000 people.
Mt-- What do you think about your music being associated with
skater fashion.  People think Teengenerate is a skater band because
of magazines like Thrasher.
Fk-- The last Thrasher had "The Topics of Teengenerate".  I think
Eric of New Bomb Turks brought us to the attention of Thrasher
magazine.  The Turks will be the cover boys on the new issue of
Thrasher.  We don't like the association with skater music.  We
thought it was fun to be in the magazine though.
Bk-- I hope to have the pictures and the interview in small
magazines about garage and hardcore music.  I'll send you copies,
what's your address?  The only band I saw over here from Japan
that I didn't like was The Boredoms.
Fi-- They are a pile of shit.
Fk-- Too art.
Bk-- You guys have a lot of friends here in Seattle and I didn't think
I would have a chance to talk with you while you were here.  Did
you see the Lucky man at all?
Fi-- Jay Haskins, yeah.
Bk-- I like some things on his label and I buy his records.  On Bag of
Hammers you have "Fly Over You", where did you record that
track?
Fk-- Tokyo.
Bk-- Do any recording while on this tour?
Fi-- We recorded a couple of songs while in New York and they
will be out soon on a French label, maybe early next year.
Bk-- I notice Lucky had you backing up some other singers.
Fi-- Scott from Young Fresh Fellows and Conrad Uno is on that
record too.
Fk-- We recorded those tracks in my basement in Tokyo on 8 track
like karaoke and Scott and Conrad added the vocals.
Bk-- Did that happen as well on the Lance Rock release with Bum?
Fk-- Rob Younger asked us to record on 16 track and no one we
knew in Tokyo has that kind of equipment so we rented a
recording studio for two hours and did the tracks.  That's why the
songs sound in a hurry.
Bk-- You recorded on your own equipment when you redid songs
for the Crypt record?
Fi-- That equipment belongs to Wallabies.  We can use Wallabies
equipment any time because when the guy called Yosihiro founded
that label we gave him a small amount of money.  He has 4 track
and 8 track equipment so we can use that.
Bk-- I like the way you put out singles, something new for us fans
to check for.
Fi-- Do you know the latest album by The Squirrels? (I'm wearing a
Squirrels 10 year commemorative bong T shirt)?  We did some
yodeling for  one song on that album.  You can hear it on the cd.
Me, Fink and Tomoko from Supersnazz did yodeling on one song.
Bk-- Oh yeah, yodel for me, give me a little yodel?
Fi-- (laughs) No
Bk-- Thanks to everyone.

*****************************************************************************
A KINDA KINK

       I'm not sure exactly when it was that I first heard that Ray
Davies was going to be doing a couple week stand down in the
West Village.  I do recall that it was only about a week or two
beforehand... probably from the Sunday papers.  (I haven't been
paying much attention to the Village Voice since I stopped doing my
Concert Calendar.)  Anyway, when I read about this "intimate
evening" with Ray Davies, I was enchanted.  I've been a Kinks' fan
since my early teens, watching that fandom grow from the radio
staple, "Lola" to "Better Things", on into "Come Dancing" and
seeing The Kinks at the Nassau Coliseum in June, '83, only a couple
weeks before I graduated high school.  And, of course, by that time
I knew most of the bigger '60s hits the band had done.  (And,
actually, even a few of the slightly lesser known gems.)
       As I got into college, my Kinks' fandom grew, as I found
copies (cheap, too!) of THE KINK KRONIKLES, KINDA KINKS, &
KINKS KONTROVERSY, among others.  And I began to notice that
not only were popular groups like Van Halen "kovering" The
Kinks, but so were the newer wave, including The Jam ("David
Watts") and The Pretenders ("Stop Your Sobbing" & "I Go To
Sleep".)  But it went even further, as I noticed my friend Vance
(who led The Mosquitos out in my Long Island stomping grounds)
playing "This Is Where I Belong" and "Tired of Waiting" on his
Wednesday night solo gigs at what we euphemistically called "Club
G" (Gunther's, the seediest bar in town, where Kerouac had whiled
away the hours in his time in Northport).  Plus, I'd journeyed to
Record Stop in Lake Ronkonkoma one afternoon, with some of the
Secret Service guys (a fantastic Long Island mid-80s Mod outfit that
also dug The Kinks), finding a box of 45s underneath one of the
bins.  Inside I found about 17 cool 45s, including five by The Kinks.
(This find was all the more impressive in that I paid a total of five
bucks for all 17, including some Wreckless Eric pic sleeves.)  So,
yeah, I was into The Kinks.
       This past fall, it turned out that Ray Davies had written his
"unauthorized autobiography", X-Ray (Overlook Press).  Being a
Kinks nut, I pretty much had to own it.  I put it on my Christmas
list, sent my letter to Santa, and on Christmas morn, there 'twas.
       I soon sat down to read this book.  Fascinating.  Ray set the
book in the fairly near future, conjuring up a character to interview
him in his old age.  We get some fascinating insights into his early
life, as well as what it was like to be a Kink, especially in the 1960s.
Sometimes you're not sure what's real and what's not.  Does Ray
truly believe that there was a conspiracy to keep The Kinks from
achieving what they deserved?  At points, I started to wonder
whether the interviewer was actually Ray, not the older man.  In
fact, I came to believe both were the true "R.D."
       Any true Kinks' fan will want this book.  But that's obvious.
The question is, "What about everybody else?"  It's a fascinating
book; one that I had a hard time putting down each night, in fact.
Unlike so many other books about entertainers, this one doesn't just
give the information away.  Instead, it makes you search for it,
leaving you wondering even after you're done.  There are also the
personal moments you absolutely know are true.  These serve as
more than mere decoration.  Instead, they help to give us a more
complete picture of Raymond Douglas Davies than we might
otherwise have had.  We find out some of the stories behind the
songs; we learn what was going on in Ray's life at the time; we are
given a glimpse of the way Ray Davies views his life at this point in
time.
       There is one more truly important thing about this book (at
least to my way of thinking):  precious few pages are devoted to
anything after "Lola".  One gets the impression that Ray believes
The Kinks no longer existed after this.  In fact, there is evidence that
he believes the group had finished even before this.  (Note:  it's been
reported that Ray has said, more than once, that the group died when Pete
Quaife left the band.)    No matter what Ray's reason for spending
almost the whole book on the 1960s facet of The Kinks, it pleases
me to no end.  While I've admired some of the music that Ray has
made in each decade since, it is the 60s material that I constantly
look back to.  That's the stuff that seems the most vital.  Perhaps
Ray is telling us what I've always felt to be true:  that the 60s stuff -
that was The Kinks.

       So... as I said at the start of this, when I saw that Ray was
going to be appearing in a small space in the West Village, I was
intrigued.  More than that, I was thrilled.  I hadn't seen Ray play
since that Kinks' concert at Nassau Coliseum in June, 1983.  This
was my chance.  Or maybe it wasn't... the show was listed at 40
bucks.  Now, unfortunately, I just didn't have that kind of money to
spend at the time.  So once again I was set to miss Ray Davies.
       Or maybe not... I got an e-mail message from my pal, Rob
Farrell, on a Thursday.  There was a good chance, he said, that he
might have an extra ticket for the following night's performance.
And would I be interested in accompanying him, Free Of Charge!?
(You're damn straight.)  So, I called him the next day and, sure
'nuff, the ticket was mine.  All I had to do was meet him at the door.
(Thank you, Rob.)
       I'd never been to the Westbeth Theatre before.  The Untamed
Youth / Swingin' Neckbreakers show in January was originally
scheduled for it, but had ended up at Brownies.  Rob and I walked
in to find a nicely decorated lounge, with a piano player and a
number of tables done up in a very relaxed setting.  We then passed
through the next set of doors, to the performance space.  A bar was
on our right, the stage to our left, with about 300 seats arranged to
face it.  And we were handed copies of Playbill.  (That was weird.  It
got me wondering if they did that when The Clash played
Broadway in the late 70s.)

       I can't say exactly what time it was when Ray took the stage,
only that it wasn't too long after showtime.  The stage was fairly
bare:  a podium with X-Ray, seats for him and his accompanist,
Pete Mathison, and the guitars.  This was going to be an experience
to remember.  I'll warn you now, though, I wasn't there to take
notes, nor to keep track of which songs were played; I was there to
hear an artist I've admired for a long time and enjoy the hell out of
it.
       Ray walked on-stage, showed the audience the book (which
had many placemarks set) and we cheered.  (I'm guessing most of
the audience had read the book.  There were some major Kinks'
fans in the audience.  I heard one girl say she'd been there ten
nights already.  Must be nice to have money.)  The first song he
played (from my now-dim memory) was probably "Set Me Free".
Just Ray on guitar, playing for us.  This in itself was pretty heady
for me.  We also soon heard "Sunny Afternoon" and "Tired of
Waiting", two more of my favorites.
       "R.D." also read many excerpts from his autobiography,
often expanding on them in one way or another.  Hearing about
how the band found Mick Avory was especially fun, even after
having read the story in the book.  An audition was held and it
went well, but upon seeing the group's rather effeminate
appearance (remember, they were "Dedicated Follower(s) of
Fashion", which Ray did play that night) he told them that he really
liked playing with the group, but he just wanted them to know that
he had a girlfriend.  This was something Ray would come back to
many times both in the book and in the performance.  It was always
good for a laugh, something I believe Ray truly enjoys as much as I
do.  He enjoyed bringing up how Avory was so straight, yet gay
men seemed to find him irresistible.
       Another facet of Ray Davies that we got a nice view of that
night was the way he wanted to live.  The Davies family lived in
Muswell Hill, on what I suppose must have been the outskirts of
London, still fairly suburban at the time, I guess.  (Maybe it still is,
how would I know?  I keep getting a picture of it being something
like the eastern reaches of Queens in NYC.)  This was the life Ray
had grown up with and this was the life he wanted to have for
himself as an adult, rock star or no.  Simply put, I believe there's
part of Ray in another Kinks' favorite played that night, "Well
Respected Man".  We were also treated to a view of his internal
struggle on this score.  Brother Dave, the band's guitarist, was still
in his late teens at the time, and living the wild life, renting a true
bachelor pad, which was evidently rather wild, with young girls in
and out at all hours.  (I believe Mum Davies eventually put an end
to this.)  Ray couldn't help but feel envy, 'cuz there was his younger
brother, enjoying the wildness of fame, while he was sitting in his
place with his wife and baby, all tied down already.  "Two Sisters"
came out of this, with Ray not actually knowing what it was about
right away.  One sister, the settled housewife, looked at her
beautiful, single sister's glamorous life and then at her own, seeing
nothing to truly be happy about.  In the end, though, she realizes
that her life is fuller and more substantial.  That seems to be true for
Ray, as well (at least at that point.)
       We were also treated to Ray's view of England's setting sun.
His view that the England he loved, that of the Village Green and
small town life, was fast fading.  His family was branching out, to
America and Australia.  He longed for the era of "Victoria".
       The first we heard of "You Really Got Me" that night was
while Ray was still talking about his childhood.  About how the
Davies family had the piano in the front room, which was where
everything important in the family took place.  This was where he
and Dave would practice, with The Little Green Amp (which I
believe had about 5 watts of power.)  And this is where The Kinks'
signature song came to life.  We'd hear more about "You Really Got
Me" later, in the band's early recording career.  How they just let go
on it, not doing what they'd set out to at all, but instead just
blasting through.  And it became a hit!  In fact, they had a show the
night it hit number one.  At that one, he says, he thinks they must
have played "You Really Got Me" at least four times.  The crowd
just screamed for it.
       Later that night, back in Muswell Hill, he saw his father,
somewhat intoxicated already from a few pints with his mates.  His
dad told Ray that he was proud of him.  Ray said, "I'm sorry it had
to be this," not something like football or track (which Ray had
played and been fairly good at as a boy).  His father told him that
he was impressed with what Ray did.  He had always wanted to be
able to jump around a stage like that, but never really had the balls
to do it.  Then he told Ray to come along to the pub with him.  And
they did.  (I get the feeling Mum Davies probably wasn't too
pleased with the results of that jaunt.)  This may have also been the
time in the show when Ray launched into "Harry Rag", with the
whole audience singing along on everyone's favorite punter
number.
       Of course, the biggest group of the time was The Beatles.
(Duh.)  At one big package show, The Kinks were booked to be the
band right before the Fab 4.  He was psyched to see Lennon
backstage admiring his guitar.  Ray replied that it was... or it would
be once his Mum finished making the payments.  Lennon then said
something about The Kinks just being there to keep the stage and
the audience warm for The Beatles, 'cuz that's what everyone was
here for.  (Now, Ray was doing a truly fantastic Lennon imitation.)
John said, "Don't worry, laddie, if you run out, you can borrow one
of ours."  (Which is what everyone did at the time.)  Ray wanted to
say, "We don't know any of yours."  But (as he confided in us), they
did.  But this got Ray pissed.  After the first song or two didn't go
over too well, Ray yelled to Dave to do "You Really Got Me."  Huh?
Yeah, NOW!  So they did.  And the place went wild!  From then on,
the Kinks had the audience with them.  Ray wanted to  yell to John,
'That's one of ours!'
       This was truly a wonderful night, with Ray doing almost all
songs from the same time period that the book covered, the 60s.
Sure, there were songs from later on, but very few.  I got to hear my
favorite Kinks' song that night (indeed, one of my favorite songs of
all time), "Waterloo Sunset" (which I actually first heard when The
Mosquitos played it acoustically at Folk City in 1985, then promptly
found a Kinks' LP with it.)  Not only that, but he played "Apeman",
something completely different from "Waterloo Sunset", yet so
much a part of what I've always loved about The Kinks.
       The night, as I've said, was much more than just songs.  Ray
talked about The Kinks' business problems, their managers, their
producers, lawyers, everything.  What a mess!  But the biggest
problem of all, it seemed, was that The Kinks were banned from
America at the end of their first tour.  It seems they were sitting in a
hotel room, waiting to do some TV show, and some guy they didn't
know came in and told them to sign something.  Well, their
managers weren't around, they didn't know the guy, so Dave told
him to fuck off.  The guy came back and told him that they had to
sign it.  Dave threw him out.  The guy got pissed and told them
they'd never play in America again.  See, this guy was evidently the
rep for the musician's union in the good ol' US of A.  Whoops.
       So there was the US problem.  Then there was the
songwriting royalties... Ray had these big hit songs and he wasn't
getting any real money.  It turned out he was stuck in some pretty
piss-poor contracts.  He talked to the band's managers, a couple
upper-class guys about his own age, who were actually quite nice
about it, and lowered their own take (wouldn't want to lose your
number one client, would you?)  But that wasn't the main problem.
The problem was the contracts themselves.  So, Ray went off to
America to seek the help of a bigshot entertainment lawyer in NYC.
This, of course, laid the groundwork for Ray to add to his imitation
list.  Now, in addition to doing the upper-class accents of his
managers, plus the sorta shady streetwise American Shel Talmy,
and the Lennon bit, not to mention "David Watts", he added the NY
lawyer.  (More fits of laughter.)
       Many other songs were played that night ("20th Century
Man" and "That Old Black Magic", to name two), but it was the
appearance of "Lola" that reminded me of when I first fell in love
with The Kinks.  More importantly, it reminded me of what a
wonderful melody it is, what a fantastic song.  Ray used it to mark
The Kinks' triumphant return to America at Madison Square
Garden.  And somehow I felt transported there.
       Things had to end, of course.  And Ray did so in style, with
"You Really Got Me", jumping about the stage.  After all, this is a
song that you can't just sit down to and politely golf-clap for at the
end.  It warrants full body participation.  And so it was given just
that treatment.

       This was a truly special night.  So, once again, I'd like to
thank Rob Farrell for taking me.  Thanks, Rob.  --- BB

(Evidently, VH1 recently screened a one-hour version of this over-two
hour performance.  I haven't seen it, but I'd like a copy if anyone has it.  If
not, I'm sure one of you will catch it next time it's re-run and you'll tape
it for me.)

*****************************************************************************
       As time passes by memories fade, little facts enlarge, black
and white merge to gray, but you never know... maybe what you're
going to read is the real...

OUTSIDERS' HISTORY.

       But first I would like to answer a question you may be
asking yourself:  what's so special about these Outsiders anyway?
That's a tough question, as tastes are an opinion, but I'll try to
explain:  in the mid sixties many bands were "digesting" their late
50's / early 60's influences forever transforming the face of "pop"
music.  But while in the vast majority of the bands this process was
evident, when the Outsiders started recording they were already a
step further.  Moreover, the Outsiders quickly developed a very
personal - and immediately recognizable - style.  And, they never
recorded a cover!  While I'm sure other examples must exist, I can't
think of another sixties band (that made any decent number of
records) that managed that.
       But let's go on with the history.  Wally Tax, the Outsiders'
singer, said that he dreamed of the Outsiders in 1959 as a
reincarnation of Buddy Holly (remember, Holly died that
February).  In 1960, Jimmy Revon and the Outsiders were born.
This band already featured the definitive Outsiders' song writing
team:  Wally Tax and Ronnie Splinter (who were only 12!). The
"real" Outsiders began playing together in 1964, the line-up
consisting of:  Wally Tax (born in 1948, Voice), Ronnie Splinter
1948, Lead Guitar), Leendert "Buzz" Bush (1947, Drums), Appie
Ramers (1946, Bass), Tom Krabbendam (1948, Guitar).
       In 1965, the Dutch beat-magazine Muziek Expres launched
its own label and, at the end of the year, released the first Outsiders
single:  "You Mistreat Me /Sun's Going Down". "You Mistreat Me"
is probably the reason why the Outsiders were labeled as the
"Pretty Things of Holland", even if they quickly outgrew this
comparison. The song is a very wild number and its "feel" is very
reminiscent of the Pretty Things' "Rosalyn", but with a difference
(which is one of the Outsiders' trademarks): Wally Tax doesn't
shout!  The energy behind the Outsiders' music is often described
as "latent violence" and I couldn't agree more! The combination of
Ronnie's bone-crunching riffs and Wally's deep, calm and moody
voice creates a contrast which charges the listener up with a
frustrating energy, desperate for release. The flip side shows their
slower, more "romantic" side and marks the emergence of another
Outsiders' trait:  the ability to write GREAT ballads. Most of the
garage / beat band of the sixties were able to write great "punk"
songs, but their slower numbers were often lame, good only to flirt
at parties (well, they weren't so bad after all....!).  Instead, The
Outsiders' ballads are so deep and intense that they're almost
disturbing, as Wally's soulful voice hits you straight in the heart
while Ronnie's guitar wrings your stomach.
       In 1966 Muziek Expres published the band's second single:
"Felt like I Wanted To Cry / I Love Her Still, I Always Will".  Again,
an R'n'B stomper on side A and a heartfelt ballad on side B.  But,
although being wonderful, these singles were only an appetizer for
the wonders to come.
       At this point of their career the Outsiders were famed for
being the most  violent band of the country (both musically and
physically) and so were their fans and followers, to the point that
the band was banished from many clubs. I don't know to what
extent this is true, but The Outsiders were certainly wild looking,
especially because of their incredibly long hair.  Again, I think this
fame damaged rather than helped them, as labels always cause the
real value of a band to be overlooked.
       As their fame grew, The Outsiders started to draw interest
from other record labels.  Later in 1966, they signed with Relax
Records (a subsidiary of classical music label Iramak) and Relax co-
owner John B. Van Setten became their manager. The relationship
between the Outsiders and Van Setten wasn't the best possible
(Wally Tax later accused the manager of ripping the band off, but
that's common history in the sixties).  Nevertheless, the band
started a frantic period of activity, releasing one album and seven
singles between '66 and '67 for the label.  The first Relax single is
"Lying All The Time / Thinking About Today".  The A-side is a
touching tale of broken love (the dominant theme in Wally's lyrics
of that period) which, despite the apparent banality ("Love is blind
and my love was too blind to see / Love is blind and you made a
fool out of me / And then I fell for you 'cause I thought that you
loved me too / but you were lying, you were lying all the time"), is
one of the most moving love songs ever. The single peaked at #45
in the 1966 Dutch top 100 (which is not bad at all considering that
foreign bands outsold Dutch ones; the top Dutch band, the Golden
Earrings, peaked at #13, while Q65, another beat legend from
Holland, peaked at #35!)  This 45, along with the following two
("Keep On Trying / That's Your Problem" and "Touch / Ballad Of
John B."), shows The Outsiders at their best (and they were only
18!).  "Keep On Trying" is another wonderful slow number while
"Touch" and "That's Your Problem" are two classic examples of that
"latent violence" I was writing about. These songs are also the ones
that led to the Outsiders' rediscovery in the mid-80s, thanks to
covers recorded by great bands like The Lyres and The Tell-Tale
Hearts.
       1967 saw the release of the first Outsiders' album. This self-
titled LP has to be heard to be believed!  Side A features five killer
(and previously unreleased) live tracks.  The first song ("Story 16")
consists of the same slow, tormenting riff played over and over
with Wally raucously singing and playing harmonica, leading to a
frantic finale.  The rest of the side features Wally back to his typical
mood, a "latent violence" tour de force designed to drive the
listener mad!  The studio side, again, is a series of classics,
alternating slow and faster-paced numbers.  The same year the
band released 4 singles the second of which, "Summer Is Here /
Teach Me To Forget You", reached the Dutch top ten.
       While 1967 saw the band at the zenith of their success (they
even had a huge following in France), it also marked the beginning
of their decline, despite television promotion and the release of a
second album (SONGBOOK,  released by Teenbeat magazine's
label) consisting of a collection of songs already published by Relax
on 45s (and on the first album).  At this point things started mixing
up. Appie Ramers and Tom Krabbendam quit (or were they fired?),
replaced by Frank Beek (Bass, Guitar and Organ).  Even Ronnie
Splinter left the band for some weeks, while Wally Tax started a
parallel solo career in a totally different direction, clearly showing
the strong weight Ronnie Splinter had in their song writing
collaboration. The (awful) picture on the SONGBOOK cover
already shows the band as a four piece.
       In 1968, after a last Outsiders' single ("Cup Of Hot Coffee /
Strange Things Are Happening"), Relax closed down and Van
Setten sold the band to Polydor.  Their first Polydor effort ("I Don't
Care / You Remind Me") is "poppier" and very modern sounding,
yet it is another wonderful record.  This single also represents a
landmark in the band's career:  the music scene was changing at a
fast pace and the naivet� of the mid-sixties was over.  At the same
time, The Outsiders were maturing as musicians and needed to
explore new directions, focusing more on their artistic needs than
on commercial goals.  In fact, as all their contemporaries, they fell
victim of the "late 60's virus":  experimentation.  But while many
other bands produced boring, pretentious, and useless records, The
Outsiders came out with another amazing masterpiece, their swan
song: C.Q.  This album has it all.  Dominated by a creepy reverb, it
showcases all of The Outsiders' capabilities, featuring 13 wonderful
songs which must be savored as a whole.  The opening song,
"Misfit", is a real punch in the stomach, and probably the toughest
sounding Outsiders' song ever.  Tracks two and three bring a
sudden change in atmosphere, with their weird and scary
feel.  Track three, the title cut, in particular is the oddest song of the
album, depicting a man desperately trying to establish a radio
contact to report vital news ("Hello, this is the captain, ......, could I
speak to your leader please? Do you receive me? Do you receive
me? Do you receive me?  DO YOU RECEIVE ME???? ), complete
with white noises covering the words!  The rest of the album
consists of ten jewels, alternating rocking songs with gentler
numbers, all dominated by a strange psychedelic feel.  Some of the
the obvious instruments of that era are present:  flute, balalaika,
strange percussion and various effects (no sitar or strings though!),
but they are never used inappropriately and the arrangements
never distract from the songs.  The final result is a very modern
album, way ahead of its time (as opposed to many other albums of
that era which now sound outdated).
       The lyrics are more mature than in the previous recordings,
as well. "Daddy Died On Saturday" narrates the tale of a rich young
girl and a poor boy who are in love and want to marry.  Impeded
by the girl's father, they decide to poison the old man and marry
anyway.  "Prison Song" is the story of a man who comes out of
prison and finds his woman with another man.  Overwhelmed by
his emotions he shoots her and runs away in a confused state.
"Prison Song" may be the highlight of the album (along with
"Misfit"). It is told in the first person and makes the character's
emotions come to life:  the tension as he approaches the prison door
to exit, the overwhelming sensation when he's finally free
(underscored by actual street noises); the joy of going back home to
see his woman; the pain when he sees her with another man and
understands what's happened while he was in prison; the shot; the
heart pounding; and the despair of the escape.
       C.Q took six months to finish and all the care the band put
both in composing and in recording it is evident, making it a near
perfect album.  ("Now we take our time to record songs. A few
years ago we used to rush in the studio and cut a song as quickly as
possible, then back home. That was it! The music scene is changing
fast and so are we" - Wally Tax).  Of course, despite critical acclaim,
the album failed to sell, and the same was true of the featured
single: "Do You Feel Alright / Daddy Died On Saturday",
published in early 1969.  Later on, Wally Tax laid part of the blame
on Polydor, declaring that he felt that the Outsiders were
deliberately put aside by the label in favor of the Golden Earrings,
who had to keep on being Polydor's #1 band.
       Commercial failure and musical differences soon brought to
the end of The Outsiders.  They kept on experimenting together for
a while, but in the autumn of 1969, Ronnie Splinter decided to quit
his music career.  Wally Tax, together with Leendert Bush, started
his new project, Tax Free.
       But hey! There's no reason to be sad. Like The Remains used
to sing: "All Good Things Don't Have To End".  The Outsiders may
be gone, but their songs are here to stay!  --- FD

(* Filippo Dulio maintains the Outsider's Touch homepage.  It's
located at http://www.abacom.it/utenti/duliof/outsider/ *)

*****************************************************************************
35 MINUTES WITH THE DRAGS
C.J. for The Drags..
Bob Kondrak for what you're reading right now..

The Drags are a three piece from Albuquerque New Mexico.  Lorca
on bass, Keith on drums and C.J. sings and plays guitar.  They
create a sound that some say is a hybrid of The Trashwomen (Lorca
screams too), Supercharger (shouting lyrics from the basement),
The Gories (C.J. and Mick both play a version of Bo Diddley's
guitar style) and The Ramones (no song needs more than four
chords).  I call it garage-punk.  When I first heard the band it was a
cover of the Pagans' "Six & Change" contained on the "..Teenage Zit
Rawk Angst" comp and I was on the hook.  I checked them when
they played last May at Garage-Shock.  They reached back to a time
when rock songs were a frenzy of melody and rhythm.  A basic
Diddley/Holly/Berry thing pulled and pumped through a punk
sensibility.  C.J. acts like a dangerous goof ball on stage.  Working
in between songs with a gag about needing a knife to clean out his
eye.  Lorca has the specs of a playboy bunny but a swaggering kick
on the bass. Keith pushes the whole mess around from his spot on
the drums.  After opening on a bill with Sinister 6 and Rocket From
The Crypt I find C.J. sitting outside the Crocodile sipping a beer
and chatting with pals. His glasses are broken and the soles of his
black shoes are floppy.  He recognizes me from those in the face
flash shots I was taking during his performance.  We start to talk.


Bob.. What a hard working band.  Just came up from L.A. and your
going right back down there next week.
CJ.. We were just in Canada too.
Bob.. You played an all ages gig a few nights ago out in the
suburbs, how was that?
CJ.. Weird, not because it was all ages but because people had not
heard us before.  And we got there five minutes after they wanted
us playing.  Everybody was like "your on now".  We had to hustle
up there and felt a little off our stride.
Bob.. I was hoping the all ages crowd would get with a music like
yours.
CJ.. We aren't used to playing for all ages crowds.  It's weird.  I
didn't get a good feeling but then when I talked to some kids after
the show they said we were really great.
Bob.. I thought you sounded good tonight.
CJ.. Tonight I felt good, tonight's sound was amazing.  We got that
thick thing and we had that little skinny thing.
Bob.. Where else are you touring, I notice your name cropping up
all over the west and I see your going to play Chicago.
CJ.. We aren't touring over there but we will play there in the
middle of November.  November 17th at the Empty Bottle with the
Mono Men.  We played with them last week in San Francisco.
CJ.. Yeah with the Trashwomen and The Donnas.
Bob.. What did you think of The Donnas?
CJ.. They had their moments.
Bob.. Before The Drags what bands did you play in?
CJ.. I was in a band called Buttfull of Blues.  Just two of us in that
and a band called The Swizzle Sticks which morphed into The
Drags.  That was me and Lorca and Brenden.
Bob.. Lorca adds some sparkle, how did she get into the band?
CJ.. She kicks ass.  We got to talking one day, she used to play the
cello so I asked her to play bass.  She didn't know where to go with
the offer so a couple of days later I brought a bass over and she
gave it a shot.
Bob.. So you met in college?
CJ.. Yeah I was going to school to try and get a band together and
when that happened I had no use for school anymore.
Bob.. You guys have taken off.  What kind of recordings have you
done?  I have "Anxiety" an Empty 7", "Well Worth Talking About" a
Rat City 7" and "Dragsploitation-now" an Estrus 10".
CJ.. Do you have the first single called "I Like To Die"?  Keith did
that one back in Albuquerque.
Bob.. How many years ago was that?
CJ.. Maybe two years ago.
Bob.. You all seem really together and I thought you would have
more recordings.
CJ.. We were going to record more on this tour but Rocket From
The Crypt is running us ragged.  They are on a bus with a driver so
after the shows they like to party all night, let's get wild till 5am.
They go to sleep in the bus and wake up half way down the road.
We wake up at 9am and have to drive.
Bob.. I haven't seen RFTC but they came around before and played
with 68 Comeback.  People here dug Rocket and faded out on 68.
CJ.. Which seems weird cause 68 Comeback are awesome.
Bob.. You guys do that pumped up rockabilly thing too.
CJ.. We're looking to play some rock. Anything that's slow and has
too many chords we are not into.
Bob.. I spoke to Darin Lin Wood of Fireworks who says he reworks
older obscure blues, rock and rockabilly songs.
CJ.. Yeah that's what all this stuff is, but you usually figure it out
later. When you are half way done writing a song and go "oh that's
where I stole that from.  You go with that, take a couple of extra
steps there, depending on your mood.  So you try to steal more or
less, do something to make it less stolen.  Yeah its all ripped off,
whether you know it at first or not.
Bob.. I think the game is all putting that gloss on it and you do a
nice job with that.
CJ.. Which is where Lorca comes in.  Lorca is a great filter.  I show
her something I know is ripped off and she might not have heard
the song, she will play it in a completely different way.  She has this
attention span thing and I can show her a riff and she may get
bored with it.  She won't play it all and end up changing it.
Bob.. Have you seen Doo Rag, they are from the southwest too.
CJ.. From Tucson, we play with them a lot, they are supercool, great
guys.  I think we play a show with them on this tour.
Bob.. Vacuum cleaner music, yeah I have only read about Doo Rag.
CJ.. They are something to be seen.  That was the same deal with
Buttfull of Blues.  Two guys, I used to play the bass drum and had a
lunch box on a bass pedal on the other foot and then I played the
guitar.  A friend of mine played harmonic and hi-hat.  We would sit
down and rock out.  We played songs like "Low Rider".  "The
Jefferson's Theme" went over big in our set.  When we got to
"..movin' on up to the east side.." the room never failed to rock.
Bob.. Give the TV adulterated something to remember you by.  Do
you have
any new recording projects?
CJ.. Yeah but it's just coming out now. We got to get something else
goin' on.  We were going to record on this tour but Rocket is
driving us ragged and we got no time.  Probably when we get back
we will record a whole record.  With two or three more singles we
could make a record of all the singles and then just a full record, a
concept work.
Bob.. How did you get connected up with Estrus on the
DRAGSPLOITATION - NOW record?
CJ.. We sent them our first single and Dave liked it and started
selling it in his catalogue.  He wanted to make a record with us and
it took a while to get it together.
Bob.. Where did you record it at?
CJ.. In Tucson, we planned to record it all in two days.  We
recorded all the music and this guy who produced it for us... it was
weird having a guy tell us we had to do it over again and again.
We did like three 10 hour days, just in there working.  Frankly if I
wanted to work that hard I'd get a fuckin' job.  Then the fourth day
comes and I go to do my vocals and my throat was gone.  So I had
to go back and do the vocals.  We had that finished by August.
Bob.. The Rat City record sounds so different from the Empty
single.
CJ.. We did "Anxiety" up here on the fly.  Our van broke down and
we were staying at the Moore with nothing to do.  So we called
Blake and asked if he still wanted to do a single.  He was shocked
we wanted to do it right away.  We went to a studio he knew of and
recorded it in three hours.
Bob.. What about the Rat City single, that's another obscure label.
CJ.. He just came up to us, anyone that will give us $100, we will
record a single for.  Give us $100 and 100 copies of the record.
Bob.. I'd read about the record a few months ago and couldn't find
it.
CJ.. He won't press too many maybe 1500.  Which is why we want
to do a record of all our singles together, a 15 song CD of our
singles.  It would sound weird.
Bob.. How about a video?
CJ.. Someone was filming us last night in Victoria so we will have
one soon.
Bob.. Was it Nardwaur?
CJ.. No but we did a song for him on a compilation.
Bob.. The Pagans' "Six & Change".
CJ.. We are on the Gearhead compilation too.  We do an
instrumental track on that.
Bob.. You guys play a pumped up show, I would like to see a
video.
CJ.. We would have to have someone come on tour with us for a
week.  It would take three or four days before we forgot about the
camera and just rocked.
Bob.. No I just got a video of "SleazeFest '94" back in Chapel Hill
and he had three cameras and machine gun editing... people went
wild.
CJ.. That's the thing with The Sons Of Hercules and The Woggles?
Bob.. Strychnines and Bassholes
CJ.. You saw the Bassholes?
Bob.. They were filmed on stage but did not do an off stage
interview. You could see Hill Billy Frankenstein in a hot tub.  The
Woggles playing their record collection, but the Bassholes did none
of that.
CJ.. I've never seen The Bassholes
Bob.. I'm trying to get "Haunted Hill".
CJ.. That's supergreat.
Bob.. I have a Bassholes 7" on Bag of Hammers, which I like.  That's
an interesting label.
CJ.. We were supposed to record something for him, that "Anxiety"
single was supposed to be for him, but he never showed up.
Bob.. He is eccentric.
CJ.. We put him off for a while not having anything to ready to
record. So we thought let's call him up when we are up here and
invite him to a show and say that single we were promising you we
can record tomorrow.  He never showed so we went with Blake
instead.
Bob.. Yeah, Bag of Hammers just put out a Teengenerate and a Fells
7".
CJ.. Yeah, I saw that but haven't heard it yet.  The Fells are our
buddies.
Bob.. Yeah but they never come to Seattle and you guys are hard
working.
CJ.. Nothing else to do.  We have shitty jobs in town and we try to
make money so we can leave.  You play once a month in town and
nobody gives a shit after a while.  That's understandable.  I don't
need to see a band every four weeks.  This way we get to go
everywhere, make a lot of friends.  See all this stuff and have some
fun.  We get to play every night and people only have to see you
once in while.
Bob.. I talked with people tonight who came to see you guys and
that was it.
CJ.. Seattle has been very good to us.  We played over at the Lake
Union Pub a while ago.  Best show we ever had.
Bob.. Yeah it was the free beer, thanks CJ.

*****************************************************************************
THE DEVIL DOGS NOW

HYPOTHESIS:     All three of The Devil Dogs still know how to
                       rock and roll.

ASSERTION:      The Devil Dogs were one of the best rock'n'roll
                       groups of the past 10 years.
JUSTIFICATION:  Known Fact.

ASSERTION:      The band's breakup didn't stop a one of 'em.
JUSTIFICATION:  The Vikings, Los Primos, & The Prissteens.

       When The Devil Dogs broke up, it didn't seem much of a
surprise anymore.  There had been rumors flying around about the
possibility for at least six months.  In fact, I believe the band had
even gone on a bit of a hiatus for a while.  When they reunited, I
was hoping against hope that they'd manage to pull together.  But...
well, they didn't.
       By that time, though, I also knew that Steve had recorded
with some Norwegian pals (members of some of Oslo's wild and
woolliest, including TRBNGR, The Kwyet Kings, & The Yum
Yums), under the banner of *The Vikings*.  (Oslo scenesters had
groaned at the name, but...)  Actually, originally, this combo had
gotten its start playing the occasional one-off when Steve was in
Norway around the holidays.  For a while, they didn't have a name
and were billed as The Devil Frogs.  When the first single ("Rock
All") was being planned, it was supposed to be released by the
owner of Oslo venue Rock All (hence the song title.)  Back then, I
recall Steve telling me it would come out with the band being called
God Lived.  (Figure it out yet, super-sleuths?)  But I guess plans
changed.
       The Vikings were born and 45s were released by Screaming
Apple and Sympathy For The Record Industry.  And these things
raved all over.  This was proof positive (for the doubters out there)
that Steve was just as big a force as Andy G. in The Devil Dogs.  In
fact, The Vikings material is the most Devil Dogs-sounding of the
three bands we'll be talking about in this article.
       Last June, it looked like The Vikings might even do a show
or two on American shores.  Steve named August as a possible
target date.  Alas (and alack!), such was not to be the case.  And,
currently, there are no plans for the band to tour.  Life can suck.
       The Vikings GO BERSERK (1+2) is, as I said, quite like the
sound of his former group, although a bit more melodic and just
slightly more tied to his rock'n'roll roots.  Some of the 7" material is
included, meaning that not only are covers of The Accelerators, the
Bobby Fuller 4 (a real nice melodic version of "Let Her Dance"), The
Bay City Rollers, Chubby Checker, Joan Jett, and The Boys, but of
Cheap Trick ("Surrender", a fave of mine since I was 12), The
Nervous Eaters, & The Fun Things.  Even with all these fantastic
covers, it's the group's originals that make me wish they'd come to
the US and do a show.  It leads off with "My Friend's Little Sister", a
number that rocks along in pure D. Dog fashion with a fantastic
lead guitar to spice things up.  Another highlight is the slow,
romantic one, "Four Eyes", open chords backing the verses.
Happily, they've also included "Rock All" from one of their 45s.
This one's a classic along the lines of The Devil Dogs' "Baby I'm A
King".  All in all, I'm hoping these guys'll try and put together a
new record for us for some time to come.
       Meanwhile, Steve has also been busy with another project.
This one is done in Japan.  (This guy really doesn't wanna play on
the home front, does he?)  *Pearl Schwarz* features Steve with one
of the Jet Boys, plus a 5,6,7,8.  Not a bad combo and pretty much
about the sound you'd expect from this 3-way marriage, though a
bit heavier.  The band toured Japan some months back.

       Andy and Joe also started up before The Devil Dogs broke
up.  Recording was done down in Austin, with Candy Del Mar (ex-
Cramps) on bass and sax guy Pete Linzell (Vice Royals, ex-
Dragsters, ex-Cyclepaths), who'd done some work with the D. Dogs
here and there.  The group was christened *Los Primos*.
       After breakup of the group, I waited (and waited) for Los
Primos to make their first NYC appearance.  (Reports from Austin
say they played a show or two while in town for the recordings.)
However, this meant Candy had to be in town.  Luckily, Ms. Del
Mar finally made it here last Spring.
       While I enjoyed their first couple shows, they didn't seem to
have the spark I was looking for.  Of course, they were playing at
places that had barely a hint of life left in them.  Crowds didn't
know who was playing, so few people were showing up.  But the
music was there.
       Los Primos didn't sound like The Devil Dogs.  Which is
probably a good thing, since they'd probably be compared to them
if they did.  Instead, Andy took the core of The Devil Dogs sound
and put a new spin on it.  The greaser core, with jagged edges, but a
heart of gold and a depth of passion.  A few of the later D. Dogs
compositions appear in their sets, including "Get Up For
Rock'n'Roll", a particular fave from the last record.  Also included is
the song Andy wrote when Teengenerate asked him for a car song,
"My GTO."  But, like I said, the group's as much about the tough
Brooklyn 50s/60s street sound updated for now as anything else.
One need only witness their take on tracks done by faves like Little
Eva to be converted.
       Unfortunately, Joe left only a couple months into the group's
career as a live act.  Time for new blood, then.  After a bit, Mike
Zadroga (ex-Vacant Lot, Underachievers) seems to have settled on
the stool.
       These days, each one of their shows converts me more fully.
A recent show at Under Acme left me singing their praises for
weeks.  And another one at Maxwells just last weekend with The
Flat Duo Jets made me wanna testify.  (See the live bits for more
here.)  Every time I catch the group, I can't help but tell them how
much they're improving.  It's just a perfect mesh, with Pete's bari-
sax giving the sound extra flavor.  So good that I can walk in 10
minutes late, throw down my jacket and be immersed in the event
in under a minute.  Filled with the spirit and ready to dance.
       Los Primos first vinyl venture, "On My Floor"/"Pretty
Flamingo" (Crypt) has definite cool.  Upside, it's heavy-footin'
across the floor, playin' it down low, goin' for it the whole way.  For
me, though, the flip is the hit, a cover of Mannfred Mann's "Pretty
Flamingo" (though, honestly, I've never heard that version).  For
me, this one's always the high point of their live show, changing the
pace a bit, slowing it down, yet pouring it on with a soulfully
melodic vocal.  The only problem here, though, is that the
recording doesn't bring it out as well as it should.  Doesn't matter,
though, this one's still something you gotta get.  Can't wait to hear
the next one.

       Like I said, Joe left Los Primos pretty early on.  Last week,
though, I got a letter from him.  (Yeah, some folks still do write each
other via the US Mail.)  And it came with a tape.  As with all gifts,
though, it's important to read the card (or letter) first.  It's only
polite.  (Or so my mom said way back when I was still a little
golden-haired angel.  Hey!  I was, too!  Golden-haired, anyway.)
       It seems the Mighty One is playing drums for a group called
*The Prissteens*.  He says it began as a bit of a lark for him, but it's
"become something I'm quite proud of."  I have yet to hear them
live (well, that may change before you've read this... look towards
the end of the live section for more on that score), but this demo
tape's been keeping me company on my way to and from work all
week.
       The feel here is somewhere between garage and punk, with
The Headcoatees the closest reference.  (Joe is "the only non-
menstruating member.")  But this group's harder, more of an edge
and a bit heavier.  Still, you'll find them covering the Milkshakes,
The Sonics (a revved, punked, burn through "Shot Down"), and The
Dictators (their version of "What It Is" will appear on an upcoming
Dictators tribute LP.)  The tape also included five originals, my
current favorite being "Hercules" as the melody comes a bit more to
the fore and the backup vocals make me think Del Monas (or even
Sit N'Spin with Sue Stanley doing backups.)
       I look forward to seeing them.

       So, like I said, there's not a one of these guys who doesn't
still know 'bout the rock'n'roll thing.  Point proven.

*****************************************************************************
THE NOMADS

Back in '94, there was talk of The Nomads playing GarageShock.  As it
turned out, that didn't happen.  But they did end up making it to
G'Shock, '95.  Which is where I got to talk to some long-time musical
favorites of mine.  Being me, I didn't actually get around to doing a bona
fide interview.  Even so, I did remember  much of what Nik had to say and
wrote it down when I got back to NJ.  As a result, the measly couple
questions you see answered here are in my words,  not their's.  (Oh yeah,
forgive me for not having this in an ish last year.  No room, really.)

YOUR QUESTIONS (MINE, ACTUALLY) ANSWERED:
What happened to the Nomads after their mid-80s outburst?
       As it turns out, it had a lot to do with record labels.  Things
fell through with Homestead.  Whether the band felt they were
being cheated by the label or not, I'm kind of unclear on.  Either
way, they thought they'd be able to find another label with little
difficulty, as they'd had a fair amount of success with their records.
Well, as it turns out, they were wrong.  They didn't find another
label over here that was truly interested till Sympathy picked up on
them a few years ago.

The Nomads have played on the West Coast a few times now.  Why
not the East Coast?
       The West Coast has the advantage of being the home of both
Long Gone John of Sympathy For the Record Industry and Dave
Crider of Estrus Records.  So The Nomads have good contacts
there.  The same can't be said for the East Coast.  Still, Nik & Hans
both promised to try.

A DOUBLE-DISC SET EVERYONE NEEDS:
       I first heard The Nomads while DJing at my college radio
station, WRUR-FM, in Rochester, NY.  I think it was OUTBURST,
but who knows, maybe it was WHERE THE WOLF BANE
BLOOMS.  Either way, I remember going pretty nuts over 'em.
This was at a time when I was first freaking out over fuzz-filled
rave-ups and rock'n'roll at its wild-and-woolliest.  And these
Swedish stompers blew my brain to bits every time.  They kept a
pretty high profile throughout the mid-80s, but the years following
left them lurking in the shadows.  Some recording was done, but
only a few things really burned the way the earlier recordings had...
Until the "Primordial Ooze" 45, which saw them going thru what
many fans considered a bit of a change.  This was not the "garage"
Nomads they'd been weened on... at least not in the pure form.
Thing is, The Nomads never intended to be a "pure" garage band -
they just wanted to rock out as raucously as possible.  Hell, this was
a band as excited to cover Blue Oyster Cult as The Standells.
Granted, they did more Sonics covers than anything else, but The
Dictators ranked high on their list of favorites, too.
       I guess I'll never understand how anybody I hang with could
possibly write this band off (you know who you are, oh #1 "fan" of
Mr. Zimmerman).  SHOWDOWN! (SFTRI), a 2-CD comp of
recordings released between '81 & '93, gives 42 reasons why The
Nomads were one of the best rockin' groups of the past fifteen
years.  If you listened to the band in their mid-80s prime, then
you've got a good idea what all this is about.  The best description
I've seen of this comes from Julie LoveError on alt.music.banana-
truffle, "it's one-stop Nomads shopping for the uninitiated, or
uninterrupted kicks for those who already have a lot of this stuff on
vinyl."
       Now... I could go track by track on this one, but... anyone
who knows me will be sure to inform you that... I'm waaaaay too
lazy.  So - just back your butt up to the end of that last paragraph
and re-read Julie's quote.

LIVE, JUST LIKE ALL THOSE ALBUMS YOU BOUGHT WHEN YOU WERE 10:
       One of the latest Nomads' packages to become a part of the
Buscareno home is MADE IN JAPAN (RECORDED IN SWEDEN)
(1 + 2).  The title pretty much tells the story of this one, so I'll
dispense with the particulars and move on to the stellar selections.
First off, don't look for a completely different set of material than
you'll find on SHOWDOWN; that's not the point.   The point is so
the uninitiated can hear just what Sweden's aces can do live (at
least, as well as any recording can hope to capture a great live
group.)  And the Nomads do truly bring it on home to you.  Starting
things off with "Bad Vibes" (which references garage fave "Good
Times" by Nobody's Children) and seguing into "Primordial Ooze"
things are hitting pretty heavy, so they lighten the mood up with
"Surfin' in the Bars".  Back into the garage cover trickbag, then, for
The 3rd Bardo's "Five Years Ahead Of My Time".  A couple more,
then there's that proof of their love for the work of Mr. Adny
Shernoff, a cover of "16 Forever."  Now, tons of folks have done
their damnedest to do Alex Chilton's stuff, but few do any of them
nearly as well as The Nomads do "Bangkok".  And their version of
The Lyres' "She Pays The Rent"... well, this version is injected with a
real exuberance.  Now, lest you fools think all the Nomads are is a
damned great cover band (which, by the way, I'd have no problem
with), let's just remember that those first couple songs are band
originals.  Even so, it's "Wasn't Born To Work" that shows off what
they've got under their belts.  These guys have power, but (better
yet) they know how to make it do what it needs to.  And, honestly,
that's The Nomads for you... a powerful rock'n'roll group that
knows when to play it close and when to let things fly wherever
they need to.
       In addition, you can pick up "Dig Up The Hatchet"/"The
Goodbye Look" (1+2), yet another sonic blast from Sweden's finest.

ON TOUR IN THE U.S. OF A.:
       Well, as most of you no doubt know by this time, Dave
Crider is taking a well-deserved break this year and not doing
GarageShock.  This, however, gives him a chance to really organize
the Mono Men/Nomads West Coast tour.  I just wish they'd see fit
to bring it to NYC.

*****************************************************************************
INSIDE BLACKTOP'S SHORT LIFE

"A"--Alex Cuervo
"R"--Bob Kondrak
Interviewed the first week of January 1996 via Email.
C 1996 Bob Kondrak

"A".. If you are referring to Blacktop, then yes, I was in Seattle this
past summer. We played at the Jewel Box Theatre. If you ask me, it
was way  too small, the P.A. sucked, and as such, the promoter had
no right to charge so much for people to get in, but oh well, we had
a good time.  I'd love to get prints of any photos you may have
taken at the show.  I'm sure you know by now that Blacktop is no
more, but Mick and I just recorded in Austin with Tim Kerr and
Stephanie Freidman of the Lord High Fixers. (as King Sound
Quartet), an EP on In the Red should come out soon, & we're
pleased as punch w/ the new stuff. I'm probably not the most
interesting member of the band to do an interview with (most
people tend to gravitate towards Mick or Tim, you know how that
goes), but I'm game if you are.
"R".. You said the promoter for the Blacktop show @ Jewel Box
charged too much.  How much did she pay Blacktop?  I forked out
my $6 and caught  Darin asking her (she had a French accent)
something and got his autograph next to yours on the 7".
"A".. The promoter was some guy whose name I don't recall.  The
reason we thought he charged too much was that the PA sucked so
bad, so he obviously didn't pay all that much to rent it, and I'm sure
the going rate on a room that small wasn't too high either.  We got
our guarantee (don't remember exactly how much), but for 6 bucks
a head, and that place was packed tight, that guy made a lotta
dough.  It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't made such a point
of telling us he was heading off to buy drugs with the money he
made.  He kept saying that, it was really annoying.
"R".. How long and how far was that tour?
"A".. Six weeks, coast to coast.
"R"..Any memorable opening bands?
"A"..Quite a few, though we opened for about half of them.  We did
some shows with the Cheater Slicks, who are so fucking great it's
unreal.  Halfway into the first song of their set, 90% of the audience
leaves, buncha fuckin' sissies.  We also did a couple shows with the
Red Aunts who were great, and lots of fun to hang out with, (both
aforementioned bands are serious power drinkers - hoo boy!).
Other highlights were: The Drags, Speedball Baby, Sugar Shack,
The Satans, Supernova, Demolition Doll Rods, The Hookers, and
probably a couple more whose names I can't remember. It was on
that tour that we discovered Fuzzdolly, who are just about the most
god-awful band in existence.  Mere words cannot explain just how
totally nauseous I feel just thinking about them. They are sort of
this goth/metal hybrid with (get this) funk breaks intended to
showcase the singer/bassist's four string prowess. Totally self
absorbed, totally pretentious, and worst of all, they took themselves
COMPLETELY seriously. They had these smelly, half naked
bondage goth/mime dancers, it was so unreal.
"R".. Any  good crowds?
"A".. A couple really great ones, San Diego (The Casbah) being far
and above the best.
"R".. Who came up with that name?
"A".. Darin did.  He had a list of names and the rest of us liked that
one the best.  We came dangerously close to being called "13 Kinds
of  Sap".  We used to joke about names we should call ourselves at
rehearsals. "The Wounded Groovers" being a knee-slap favorite.
"R".. One critic I argued with last summer claimed the name
reminded him of MTV icons.
"A".. Funny thing, I've heard that more than once. It seemed pretty
obvious  to us, Blacktop is a reference to highways and roads.
(Hence, the LP  cover).
"R".. What is your sense of the creative thing that went on.  In
coming together the group was so short lived?  Or was it?
"A".. Well, the short-lived part was not something we foresaw.
Blacktop was to be the full time and primary band for all of us. I
don't really want to go into the ins and outs of what went down
between us, but at least Mick and I are still working together.  That
keeps me from beating myself up, or being pissed at Darin and
Janet about what happened.  Mick and I don't hate them or
anything, we just had some differences that were perhaps handled
inappropriately, but were pretty shitty nonetheless. I see Darin and
Janet from time to time, we're not as close as we used to be, but
we're still friends.
"R".. Where did you all record the "Bad Feeling" Blacktop lp?
"A".. We recorded in Denton, Texas at our friend Sam's house/8-
track studio.
"R".. How long did it take?
"A".. Well, Mick came to Dallas and stayed with our friend Clay.
We learned & wrote songs almost every night for about a month,
sending four track tapes to Larry (In The Red) all the while.  Larry
and Dave came to Texas and we did the whole recording session in
about a week.  Over twenty songs in all.
"R".. Why release certain stuff on the oz label?  Some material's not
on the In The Red label and some stuff is.
"A".. The Au Go Go stuff was originally going to be on Crypt (not
with the In The Red songs, just as a six-song EP), but Darin had a
really bad falling out w/Tim from Crypt so that was that.  Peter
from Au Go Go hit Larry up for the balance of songs, and they went
ahead and included 6 of their favorite In The Red songs as well.
We all like Au Go Go, and especially Peter, so it seemed really cool
to be on w/them and we hoped it meant we'd get to go to
Australia.  So much for that. Think of it as the Australian version of
the domestic LP, with extra songs.
"R".. I like the way the production comes off esp. with Mick's voice
and the nuances of the melody and lyric.  Are you pleased with
how the material sounds?
"A".. Completely.  I felt incredibly fortunate to be in with these
folks.  I'm more proud of that album that anything I'd been
involved with up to that point. It's really too bad that Blacktop
didn't work out.
"R".. What other places in music have you come from, say 5 years
ago before Blacktop?
"A".. I was yanked out of a fuzz-noise 3 piece surf/drag/instro
combo called the Oval-Teens when Blacktop formed.  Actually the
band broke up soon after.  I've been in lots of different bands since I
was about 16, none of which you've probably heard of.  My first
band foray was as a vocalist for a punk rock band in high school,
then onto drums for the next few years, mostly with "art-noise"
type outfits (silly tag, isn't it?).  I've noodled around with the bass
mostly for fun up until the Oval-Teens, but I still don't play it all
that well.
"R".. How did you meet Darin and Janet.
"A".. Through mutual friends.  A friend of mine and I used to have
this tiki bar/coffee house here in Dallas, Darin used to come dj on
weekend nights sometimes, he has a really great exotica/lounge
collection.  When Fireworks got going, I was a huge fan of theirs,
and they in turn dug the Oval-Teens, we'd play together all the
time.
"R".. He was in some other group in Texas before going to NYC.
"A".. Yeah, that was the Red Devils a super stripped-down dirty ass
rock-a-billy thing.  Actually, it was after he moved here from New
York where he was in the Blacksnakes with R. Kern and Natz (pre
Cop Shoot Cop) when he lived in up there Kern just re-released
their LP, good stuff.
"R".. That Oval-Teens instro group.. any recordings made?
"A".. Just some 4 track stuff that Darin and Chris (In Fireworks at
the time) did at Chris's house.  No releases though.
"R".. Where did the melody for "End Of The World" on the album
come from?
"A".. I'll have to be straight with you, it's a total lift off of "Vamp
Camp" by the Ventures. I don't like being credited with that even
though it was my idea to use it, cuz obviously I didn't write it.  I
wanted to do a straight cover of the song, but we ended up re-
arranging it and throwing some lyrics on top, oh well.  I am really
proud of the riffs I did write tho, Planet Earth, Flagpole Hill,
Tornado Love, and a couple more.  Mick and Darin had this
uncanny knack to take my stuff to places I hadn't even thought of,
which pleased me to no end. That's my favorite way to write songs,
and Mick & Tim and I work pretty much the same way.
"R".. I dig the melodies on the songs you mention as helping to
compose. Tornado Love, that short bass run in the middle is cool
and the way the melody hooks around the lyrics.. "standing on
sacred ground, tornado love will spin you round"..a stunning
image.  Who wrote that poetic line?
"A".. Our friend Clay Matthews (who Mick was staying with).
"R".. Does Clay write or record or write for anyone else that comes
to mind.
"A".. Nah, Clay's just this cool, sorta oddball friend.  He draws and
writes alot - pretty strong stuff.  The lyrics to Tornado were
adapted (by Mick) from some scribblings Clay had done in a
notebook.  It's pretty much word for word.  Do you read Eightball?
Clay sculpted these really great "Mr. Jones" and "Foot Foot" statues,
they're awful cool.  He said as soon as he got his shit together, he
would cast & paint a foot foot for me.  He's a real neat guy.
"R".. You mention doing a cover for the Fireworks live thing..
what's that called?
"A".. It's called "Off The Air".
"R".. Did you do the art work on the "Bad Feeling" lp?  I like the
montage on the front and those pix on the back..who took those?
Did they use existing light?  Like the blur on the black and white.
"A".. Yeah, I designed pretty much all the Blacktop graphics.
Everyone would sort of agree on the concept and I'd run with it.
The pics on the back were taken at a live show around the time we
were recording.  I can't remember who took them, and come to
think of it. I don't think they were credited on the album, that
totally sucks. They were pretty much just plain photos, I tweaked
the contrast and added alot of motion blur to them.
"R".. The album also honors the memory of a person whose name is
associated with yours.
"A".. That was my father, who passed away last february.  He was
my best  friend and one of my biggest influences.  He was a graphic
artist in the 50's & 60's.  I'm totally drawn to the stuff from that
period, shame it's become so common these days. I was pretty
shook up about it, so everyone agreed to let me put that on the
record.
"R".. What are the future plans for KSQ
"A".. Well, the deal with KSQ is that I'm in Dallas, Mick is in
Detroit, and Tim and Stephanie are in Austin, so we'll get together
when time permits. It's one of those "all of our time - some of the
time" arrangements. There is currently no plans for extensive US
touring; I think we're all into recording more than touring, but who
knows. We'll be recording sometime before the summer, so we'll
probably do some shows in and around Texas at that time.
"R".. If things begin to pop for KSQ.. any plans to do the coast
around G-shock time late May?
"A".. I have a feeling that alot of the people who liked Blacktop are
gonna be scratchin' their heads when they get a load of this stuff.
It's pretty different.
"R".. Comparisons and contrasts will abound, certain influences in
the foreground this time and others showcased last time out are
gone this time?
"A".. There's alot more Motown/soul going on and that's just fine
by me.  We're all pretty confident that the b-side to our upcoming
In The Red EP will flat out turn off some of the more purist garage
enthusiasts.  But you'll just have to see for yourself I guess. KSQ
comes from the same solar system, but the influences are a bit
broader, it's still really sleazy tho'.
"R".. LHF cover The In Crowd, Drags go ballistic with "Well Worth
Talking About", I'm gonna hazard a guess what that b side will be
(Lord Buckley meets C. Mingus with a tempo shift ala Sun Ra?  Or
are you gonna go unplugged and acoustic blues number that
crawls across the ceiling like a mutated black widow?)
"A".. Funny you should say that, it's a 10 plus minute version of
"Space Is The Place" by Sun Ra. Total jazz type freakout with a
bunch of guest  musicians doing horns & backing vox.  Mick laid a
vibe track on it as well as some moog/synth weirdness. It's
definitely an extreme departure.  Tim and Mick want to do at least
one fucked up number on everything we do and call it "the
freedom ride series".  I'm in love with the concept, but I fear others
may not receive it with such open arms, too bad.  People who get it
will dig it tho', it's pretty out there.
"R".. Please list your web site one more time with a short and
glowing description so as to save my feeble LSD drenched
imagination.
"A".. Six foot crow (e)zine is at:  http://www.hotweird.com/~crow.
Sights are focused on the lowbrow and below. It's not a music zine
tho'. I like to refer to it as the dark underbelly of geekspace.
"R".. List your top ten whatever.
"A".. Ten of my favorite things: (in no order)

1 - Anything by the Chrome Cranks (I suppose a nod to the
Scientists
    and the Birthday Party are in order too).
2 - TEKKEN on my Sony Playstation. A totally righteous fighting
game.
3 - John Lee Hooker
4 - City Of Lost Children, a film by the guys who did Delicatessen.
5 - The Misfits, especially the earlier singles.
6 - Girls that resemble Morticia, Vampira, or "Sally" from
Nightmare
    Before x-mas, but who aren't into goth.
7 - The Nocturnals, a killer short run comic by Dan Brereton.
8 - Mambo records, especially Cugat & Prado.
9 - Monster and robot toys, Frankenstein stuff tops the list.
10 - Jim Thompson, by far my favorite author.

*****************************************************************************
THE MERCH TABLE

       Just about every touring act that comes through town knows
enough to bring stuff to sell.  The problem, of course, is figuring out
what to charge.  Obviously, you've gotta price it high enough to
cover the costs of your raw material and the production (be it your
own labor or what you paid someone else to do it.)  And, you need
to make a profit on it.
       One thing, though, is it really a profit?  If a band is on tour,
it's likely they're not making any money from the shows.
(Especially the bands on the garage scene.)  Well, yes, they are
making money in some places... the major metro areas.  But a
Wednesday night in JustWhereIsThis, USA is not likely to be much
of a money-maker.  Quite likely, the band has five people watching
them (counting the bartender and the BettyBoop tattoo on his left
shoulder).  This is unlikely to make money for the group.  In fact,
it's a net loss.  They still have to sleep, eat, and get to the gig.
       Not only is the band not making money on many of those
mid-week shows, but they're also losing money 'cuz they're taking
off work.  (If they're lucky, they're employed by a company that
gives them paid vacation, but many are not.) And, yes, they still
have to pay the rent on the apartment back home.  And live.

       And that's where the merchandise table comes in.

       Here's where the bands sell their records, t-shirts, sweat
shirts, buttons, stickers, patches, hats, fridge magnets, water bottles,
condoms, posters, sugar water, snacks, and used socks.  This is how
the bands try and break even with this touring thing.
       But they've still gotta work out the pricing.  That's not easy.
Not only would it be tons of work to do a cost analysis on this
kinda thing (which nobody really wants to do, anyway), but it'd be
nearly impossible.  You have to come up with a projected sales
figure, then work out the costs per unit, plus the "missed-work"
cost, daily living allowance, etc.  Many of which are intangibles.
       Most bands come up with round figures... maybe $3 or $4 for
a 7"er (pretty much what you'd pay in the store, but sometimes
cheaper.  Besides, here it all goes to the band.)  Then about $8 for an
LP.  CDs range from $10 to $15, most of the time.
       T-shirts have a wide price range.  I've seen them as cheap as
$5 (but they were of fairly cheap quality, too.)  I've also seen them
cost $15.  It's hard to get me to pay $15 for a t-shirt.  Even if they're
nice.
       Now I'll let you in on what started this... When The Kaisers
& Neanderthals played Maxwells, I went over to the merch table.
Being a good consumer, I was ready to spend.  Since I had most of
the 45s on the table (both Kaisers & Neanderthals), I was mainly
looking at LPs and t-shirts.  Still, there were couple 7"ers I didn't
have that I would have truly liked to own.  But for $5 a pop???!!!
Now, it's true that an import will cost that at the store quite often.
But some of the 45s here weren't imports.  And there was no
differential in the pricing.  They were trying to make things more
reasonable for bulk buyers... any three singles for $10.  The problem
was, I had all but one or two.  And I didn't want another copy of
one.  So much for the 45s, then.  So I moved on to the LPs.  I already
had the Kaisers LPs being sold, so that was out.  OK, then, The
Neanderthals... $10 for an LP seems reasonable... until you see that
there's only 10 songs on the thing.  And that, of those 10, about half
are already out on 45.  So if you've got the 45s, you're paying about
$2 per song.
       Why is $2 per song a problem?  After all, don't I pay that
when I buy a 45 at a store, or through mail order?  Well, yes,
sometimes I do.  But one of the great things about 45s is that there's
rarely any filler.  And, besides, many 7"ers these days have three or
four songs.
       Now... the t-shirts.  They were pretty damned nice.
Especially The Kaisers tees.  As my friends know, I absolutely love
t-shirts.  I've got around 100 of the things, all hanging, nicely
alphabetized, in my closet.  (Believe me, records and t-shirts are the
only parts of my life that are organized.)  I wanted a Kaisers' t-shirt.
But it was $15.  Which is, to me, pricey.

       Look, here's what it comes down to... I understand the bands
need to make money to survive on the road.  And, for a band
coming over from the UK, it's going to cost more.  However, I keep
thinking that they'd sell more if they dropped the prices a bit.
Honestly, I would have gone for the t-shirt at $12.  I like to think
my upper limit is $10, but I'd go the extra couple simoleons for a
Kaisers' tee.
       Now, I brought this whole discussion up on
alt.music.banana-truffle.  I just mentioned I thought the prices were
a bit above where they should be.  A bunch of people agreed with
me.  However, many band members "argued" about the costs of
touring, etc.  And I understood that.  Which is why this article
mentions all those costs.  In fact, I understood all those things
before I posted in the first place.  However, I still believe that there
is an equilibrium point where maximum benefit is reached.  And I
don't believe $15 is it for a t-shirt.
       Here's where I am on this now (after more thought than it
was probably worth)... I believe a band deserves to charge what
they want for their product.  At the same time, I believe a consumer
has the right to decide that the price is just or unjust.  (S)he informs
the band of her/his decision by buying or not buying the product.
At least, that's one way of handling it.  Another is telling them that
(s)he thinks they're charging too much.  Most likely, this won't have
any effect that particular evening, but maybe if they see fewer shirts
being sold than they'd like, they'll drop the price next time around.
A third method of voting is by writing the band and telling them.
Of course, that can be a hassle in the Information Age.  Many of us
just hope the band has an e-mail address.  We can also discuss these
matters through public forums (for instance, alt.music.banana-
truffle); there will be arguments, but perhaps some ideas will come
forth.

       Oh yeah, I ended up buying that Neanderthals' LP.  This was
my personal choice; I really love their stuff.  It's fun.  However, I
feel a bit cheated.  Not enough new material for my money.  This
sort of dissatisfaction may keep me from buying another LP by
them in the future, especially if it's another one where half the
material is stuff I've already got.

*****************************************************************************
COLORED SHIRTS

       I love t-shirts.  I've got at least a hundred of the things.  But
as I go through them in the closest, I notice very few are printed on
anything but a black or white background.  And many of those are
simply black on white or the reverse.  No color... anywhere.
Granted, some groups at least do the band name in color.  But I'm
getting tired of so much black and white.  I'm always thankful for
groups like The Phantom Surfers, who did a red shirt, or Cub,
who've done a couple different colors (including that incredible
maroon one with the bear cub face on the front), or my orange
Estrus shirt, or the red and blue Empire State Soul Club tees.  It's
just a plea, I know, but I'd really be happy.  Pretty please?

*****************************************************************************
THE GREEK SCENE

       Here in Greece we have a very cool and growing scene. The
Greek garage-beat bands have their own legacy in beat history and
the right to establish themselves in general as a scene worthy of
your attention.

       First of all there is *Last Drive*. They started in the early 80s
as a garage band. Their first two records (UNDERWORLD
SHAKEDOWN in 1986 and HEATWAVE in 1988, both from Hitch-
Hyke Records) were highly acclaimed by garage-maniacs all over
the world. Their first LP showed the influences of The Cramps and
50s trash, including their versions of classic 60s gems like "Night of
the Phantom" and Human Expression's "Every Night". They played
live in Greece and abroad with monsters of punk such as the
Fuzztones, the early Creeps, the StomachMouths, etc.  Peter
"Fleshtones" Zaremba was the producer of their second LP, which
showed their turn to a more surf oriented style than garage-punk.
Music Maniac Records from Germany reissued both LPs as a single
CD, and did a European release for the second one ("Heatwave")
with a different cover. Voxx Records from the U.S.A. released three
songs from their first LP as a 7" EP ("Blue Moon"/"Sidewalk
Stroll"/"Every Night" in 1987), and used one of their songs for the
"Battle of Garages Vol. 4" compilation LP. An unreleased song was
featured in Music Maniac's "Gimmick Compilation" LP in 1989.
       In 1989 Hitch-Hyke Records released a 12" EP recorded in
Germany, in which they featured a cover of "Time Has Come
Today" by the Chambers Brothers.  Their third LP (BLOOD
NIRVANA) was produced by Dream Syndicate's Paul B. Cutler,
and marked their turn to heavier sounds.  Straight, hi-energy rock
'n roll was the "new face" of the Last Drive. Music Maniac issued
this LP for Europe, but broke their contract because it didn't like the
new sound of the band (in these days it was a "trend" for the old
garage bands to turn to harder sounds). Despite the fact that they
disappointed their old fans, the LP was very good and helped them
reach a wider audience.
       Their fourth LP (FUCKHEAD ENTROPY) was also
produced by Cutler and established them as the bigger rock band
in Greece. It was time for the big step.  From the independent
Hitch-Hyke Records, they signed a contract with the multinational
BMG Records. Their fifth LP (and first for the new label)
"Subliminal" is their best, a heavy psychedelic masterpiece,
produced by themselves.
       There is also a 7" EP ("Midnight Hop" with 4 tracks), released
at the beginning of their career, which is the rarest record of the
Greek scene (even the members of the band don't own a copy of it).
The Last Drive have done many tours (with their close friends Dead
Moon from the U.S.A.) and they are really good live (with a much
heavier sound than in their audio releases).  Lately, rumors say that
they broke-up, but nothing is yet confirmed.
       The *Sound Explosion* is another garage-beat band,
dedicated to the spirit of '66.  Real garage killers, they're
appreciated for their frenzied live appearances.  In 1993, they
released a 7" single with 2 tracks ("Hangover Baby"/"Some Other
Guy") on the local label Pegasus Records. After that they made a
deal with Music Maniac for a full length release, in the "Teen Trash"
series. In 1994, it was released as Vol. 14 of that series, an amazing
LP for garage freaks (one of the best LPs of the whole series). Next
was a 7" single for the mighty Dionysus Records, released in 1995
with 2 tracks ("I'll Shake the Universe"/"Why Can't You See") and a
cool cover. They also recorded 4 songs for a 7" EP from Germany's
Outer Limits.  In the beginning of 1996, they released their new 7"
single from a local label (Studio II Records). One of the two songs is
a Farfisa-ed version of "Misirlou", while the other is a real garage-
beat killer named "Another Lie".  Lately, they've changed their
sound from straight garage punk to beat and shake rhythm, and
their image from garage to mod. Their favorite bands include
Music Machine, Standells, Seeds, Cynics, New Colony Six, Q65,
Miracle Workers, Tell Tale Hearts, Chesterfield Kings and many
more.
       *The Frantic V* started in the summer of 1994 with the
intention of being a surf band. But in their first rehearsal they tried
the "Blues Theme" and realized that the "primitive sound" of 1966
was their future. After many changes in their line-up they released
their first demo tape. One of their songs (their cover of "She's Cool",
a classic Greek Beat track from the 60's) was featured in the
compilation LP "Transworld Garage Scene Vol. 1: Europe" released
by Italy's Misty Lane Records.  In the beginning of 1996, they
released their first 7" EP in 500 numbered copies from the local Ugh
Records. Actually, the 7" was given away free with the third issue
of the "Psychedelic Gew Gaw" 'zine (a cool local zine dealing with
garage/punk and psychedelic sounds).  By the time you read this,
they'll have also released a new 7" EP on Australia's Corduroy
Records.  The 7" EP features four cool instrumentals, two covers,
and two originals. The two covers are a spaced out "James Bond
Theme" and a fuzzed-out version of "Blues Theme".
       *The Walking Screams* were formed in Athens at the
beginning of 1994.  They took their name from the cult B-movie
"The Trip" (with Peter Fonda) and the phrase on the movie poster:
"Touch the scream that crawls up the wall!"  After their first gig
(March 1994 with the Sound Explosion) they released their first
demo tape with 5 songs. Two of these songs were featured in the
compilation tape that came with issue #11 of Italy's Misty Lane
fanzine.  Their set includes many covers, such as "Faster Pussycat..."
by the Bostweeds, "I'm Walkin' Babe"  by the Unusuals,
"Satisfaction Guaranteed" by the Mourning Reign, "I Tell No Lies"
by the Escapades, "Never Alone" by the 5 Canadians, "Get Me to
the World On Time" by the Electric Prunes" and anything from the
legendary "Back From The Grave" compilation LPs.  In the summer
of 95, one of their songs ("Yeah Yeah Yeah!") was featured in the
compilation LP "Transworld Garage Scene Vol. 1: Europe" released
from Italy's Misty Lane Records.
       A new band is *The Cardinals*, with a mod-beat sound.
Their influences come from bands like the Eyes, Who, Birds (from
England), Them, Stones, and the Boston scene. I heard that in the
summer they'll release their first 7" EP with 4 tunes.  The 7" will
also be the first release of a new label named Goblin Records, the
first label in Greece purely dedicated to garage/punk.
       Another very new band is *The Cretins* from Katerini (a
"small" town in Northern  Greece, near Thessaloniki). They
recorded one demo tape with 10 songs and I heard that they have
the best "60's male voice" in Greece.  More about them when I get
their demo tape.

       I think that it is fair to mention here two bands that played a
leading role in the Greek garage-beat-psych scene but now they've
split up. The first is *The Melting Ashes*, with an interesting LP in
1987, "Green Fuzz 1987" on Wipeout Records, covering, among
others, the classic Randy Alvey number, "Green Fuzz". The other
one is *The Mushrooms*, a band concentrating on psych-punk
roots mixed with the hard 80s rock feeling. They released two LPs,
but only the first, "Taste Of..." (Pegasus Records, 1986), is worth
remembering.  One of
the highlights of their career was the time when Sky Saxon himself
visited our country and saw them performing.  He didn't hesitate to
jump onto the stage and sing his classic "Pushing Too Hard" with
them!
       The best psychedelic band in Greece are *Purple Overdose*.
With 4 LPs and a 7" single they've garnered a strong following.
They started with a more garagey sound on their first LP (EXIT #4,
Pegasus Records, 1988) but their wide capabilities were shown by
their second LP INDIGO (Pegasus, 1990), a pure psychedelic
masterpiece, highly acclaimed by psychedelic collectors all over the
world. The 7" single, "You Lose It!"/"2008 Old View" (Fifth
Dimension, 1993), showed the poppier side of their music.  But
their best effort is the third LP, PURPLE OVERDOSE (Pegasus,
1994), which moves into more progressive dimensions.  The cover
of this LP is a giant folded psychedelic poster. They just released
their fourth LP, SOLEMN VISIONS (Pegasus), an equally excellent
psychedelic/progressive masterpiece, that has given the band a cult
following in the European psych/progressive network.
       *No Man's Land* was another cool psychedelic band. They
released one LP, ZALION (Pegasus, 1988) which is one of the best
LPs released ever by a Greek band (and definitely with the best
female vocals ever heard).  After that they split and their singer
formed a pop-psych band named *Echo Tattoo*, with one mini LP
out from Studio II Records. The other members continued on,
releasing another 4-track 12" EP under the band's name, mixing
blues and hard rock.  After that, nothing was heard for them.
       Another fine psychedelic combo is the *Jack of All Trades*.
In 1990, they released an excellent mini-LP from Pegasus Records
which showed their wide capabilities and created great
expectations from the psych-pop fans.  Unfortunately, the basic
composer of the group was killed in a car accident, bringing an
unexpected end to their career. But a few months ago Ikaros
Records released a full length LP from them with previously
unreleased material and some newer tunes.  A reunion of the
remaining members? I don't have any valid information up to now.
       From central Greece comes *The Stains*, with one 12" EP, "A
Fuzzin' Tone Show" (Enema, 1991), helped by the Last Drive's
frontman Alex, and a full length LP with a grunge sound that lacks
any interest for the garage fans that followed them in the
beginning, when they were covering the Remains, Larry and the
Blue Notes, and the Jefferson Airplane in their gigs.
       From northern Greece hail *The Dirty Saints*, a fabulous
garage outfit, at least on their first 4-song 7" EP, "Hi!" (Fifth
Dimension, 1990) and reviewed even by the NME.  In 1992, they
released a full length LP, "Elf" (Fifth Dimension) with a heavier
sound, featuring a Miracle Workers cover.  In the last two years,
they've moved to Athens, trying to make a new start.
       A new beat band is *The Permanent Show*. They released a
7", "Paris"/"Big Nose Trip" (Wipe Out, 1993) which showed their
beat roots mixed with some interesting melodies.
       *Blackmail* is a band formed by Last Drive's guitar player
G. Karanikolas.  They released two LPs, with a heavy "meta-
grunge" sound, while they introduced some psychedelic elements
in their new efforts.  G. Karanikolas left Last Drive so that he can
devote his time to Blackmail, and it is his departure that fired the
rumors about Last Drive's split. It is one of the bigger "future
hopes" for the Greek scene.
       *Nightstalker* are the Monster Magnets of Greece. They
released, after many problems their first mini-LP, "Side FX"
(delayed for about one year due to the label's unreliability) and
some months ago their first full length LP "Use" (from Creep
Records, an old "cult" label in Greece that made a new start this
year). Their live shows are "one of a kind", an orgy of heavy guitars,
intense drumming and angry vocals (their singer, main composer
and leader is the drummer!!!)
       For the indie popsters we have a label called This Happy
Feeling, built on the Sarah Records principles. They are releasing 7"
EPs from Greek pop bands with a psychedelic touch. Until now
they have released 7"ers from:  *Next Time Passions*, *One Night
Susan*, *Crooner* (with a jazzy feeling) and *Kissmatic
Lovebubbles* (power pop).  There is also a split 7" EP of Next Time
Passions and *Impossible Tymes* (from a Spanish label named
Elephant).
       Last year Sub Studio Records released one of the best
compilations in the history of the Greek scene.  It's titled "Toxic
Babies in a Rock 'n' Roll Land" and it is definitely a good starting
point if you want to explore the Greek scene. The bands featured
are:  Nightstalker, Deus Ex Machina, Nonmandol, Dirty Saints,
Headquake (the super group of the Greek underground), Ran
Xerox (a band raised from the ashes of the legendary gothic/new
wave band South of No North with four LPs), Party Spoiers (a
fun(k) project with a very personal sound), Rockin' Bones (a fast
garage/rock band with one 7" EP already out) and more. The first
500 copies contain an extra-free 7" of a new band called Jesus Toy
with a powerful personal sound. The record comes with excellent
artwork on the cover and the inserts (a full color promotional
poster and a four page illustrated booklet with information on all
the participating bands - even the extra 7" has it's own illustrated
card with the bio and other info for Jesus Toy).  Overall, it's an
overall excellent job from the guys that run Sub Studio, mainly a
rehearsal studio (this is the common ground for all the featured
bands).

Contact Addresses:
The Frantic V - Alex Klimentopoulos, Platonos 15, 54631,
Thessaloniki, Greece
The Sound Explosion - John Alexopoulos, Navarinou 13 &
Ipsilandou 30, 15122, Marousi, Athens, Greece.
The Walking Screams - George Rigas, Halkis 11, 13231, Petroupoli,
Athens, Greece.
Fifth Dimension Records -  P.O.Box 5, T.K. 20200, Kiato, Greece
Hitch - Hyke Records - Kosma Balanou 5, T.K. 11636, Athens, Greece.  Tel: (+30) 1 9233472
Fax: (+30) 1 9241840
Pegasus Records - Androutsou 3-5, T.K. 15772, Athens, Greece
Studio II Records - Trapezountiou 1, T.K. 11472, Athens, Greece
Sub Studio - Ifikratous 15, T.K. 11633, Plateia Pagratiou, Athens, Greece
Wipe Out Records - P.O.Box 80512, T.K. 18510, Piraeus, Greece

*****************************************************************************
THE AQUA VELVETS

       From Springfield, Illinois, meet... The Aqua Velvets!
       Wait!  Did somebody say "Illinois?"  That can't be right,
everyone knows The Aqua Velvets are a surf group from out in
California.  Well, umm... not necessarily.  In fact, as their latest
single, "Mean Old World", says on the notes on back, "We're not the
San Francisco surf band.  They won't even answer our letters."
       Lead vocalist/song writer/organ grinder Matt Dietrich used
to live in the NYC area in the mid-80s.  However, it wasn't until he
moved out to Illinois that he flipped out over the sounds of The
Fuzztones and their ilk.  The result of his obsession is The Aqua
Velvets.  To date, the group has done three 45s.
       The first 7", "Thrill To The Velvet Throb,"  shows their garage
roots more than either of the others, featuring covers of both The
Bees' "Voices Green & Purple" and Love's "Seven & Seven Is."  Two
originals are also included, "13" and "Vodka & Prozak", both of
which show Matt to be a guy who doesn't mind walking on the
seamier side.  "13" broaches a subject Jerry Lee Louis is all too
familiar with, while "V & P"... well, that's an obviously dangerous
combo.  (But it's got such a damn heavy drum whack that it'll beat
its way through your skull.)
       The group's next foray into the studio was a Christmas
single, "It's Christmas Baby (Why You Wearin' Black?)"/"God Surf
Ye Merry Gentlemen".  The first track has a poppy, mid-80s college
radio garage feel to it, with the organ solo being "We Wish You A
Merry Christmas."  The other one is an instrumental version of the
standard, with the organ playing the vocal line.
       The most current 7" is a 4-songer.  "Mean Old World" is more
pop than anything else, while "Brian Jones Haircut" is, oddly,
almost like a mid-late 80s hardcore number, but with organ.
"Bullet" features a more modernized garage sound (not modern in
the lo-fi sense), just modern as in more radio-friendly.

       The group would like to get out of their own environs, so
write 'em at 2104 South Glenwood, Springfield, IL  62704.

*****************************************************************************
INTRODUCING THE OMEGA MEN

       The Omega Men are a predominantly instrumental five piece
combo from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  The lineup consists of
Jonathan Sipes (lead guitar/vocals), Mark Ebeling (rhythm guitar),
Susan Mackey (organ), Ed Abolins (bass) and Eric Ebeling (drums).
Mark, Eric, and Susan are veterans of Harrisburg's late garage act,
The Cellar Dwellers, who played frequently in the NYC area in '87-
'88.
       The band's live set is a jumping mix of originals and covers,
mostly instrumental.  Staples of their stage act include readings of
Booker T & The MG's "Soul Dressing", an interpretation of
Cannonball Adderley's "Sack O'Woe" (via The MarKeys) and The
John Barry Seven classic, "Beat Girl".  Originals like "Manic For
Blondes" (one of the handful of vocal numbers, wonderfully
reminiscent of The Prisoners), "My Favorite Dean Martian", "Susan
Goes To Work" and "Spectre of the Gun" all have that eerie, spacey
feel of The  Tornadoes (UK sort), crossed with surf instro sounds.
Equally interesting is the spy film music feel that some of their
numbers have.
       The Omega Men have recently completed tracks for an
instrumental comp that's being put out by Philly's Musick label.
The band will appear alongside Los Straitjackets, Man or Astro-
Man?, Laika & The Cosmonauts, The Tiki Men and others on a CD
due out this summer.  In the meantime, they've been gigging in
their area and, with the completion of some recordings, they should
be branching out into the Eastern PA/NJ/NY flow soon.  The band
are clearly inspired by The Prisoners, 60s instrumental combos (UK
& US), Hammond organ jazz and 60s spy film music.  Not content
to mine the beaten garage track, this Vox amp (and Vox
Continental) equipped act are well worth catching at a venue near
you... like now! ---BL

*****************************************************************************
CLAMARAMA - NEW LABEL ON THE BLOCK

       Clamarama Records was formed in August of 1995, by Jay
Allen and Kerry Murphy, with the express purpose of putting
together an indie label that would promote power pop, punk and
garage.  Says Jay, "I was basically looking for an outlet for my own
band, Bosley, but didn't want to just put out my own record and
have 800 copies in my closet for the rest of my life.  Kerry, a
publicist at Rounder Records, was looking to start her own label,
but did not feel capable of going at it alone.  We both shared very
similar goals musically and financially."  Lo and behold,
Clamarama was born.
       Jay didn't have to look all that far to find other bands for the
label.  He was close friends with all of the (now sadly-defunct)
Voodoo Dolls.  When that group split, vocalist Cam Ackland ended
up reforming his pre-Voodoo Dolls group, The Prime Movers.
Meanwhile, VD guitarists Evan Shore and David Harrison formed
The Nines.  As Jay explains, "both (...) understood a pop hook or
two."
       The Bosley 45, "My Heroines" works a dark, edgy punk feel,
while the flip, "What About Me" moves on to more pop territory,
albeit still in the punk vein.  In fact, on the choruses (and even in
the guitar-line, to some degree) they remind me of The Deviators.
       The Prime Movers made their first appearance around 1981,
when they were most likely just out of high school.  Even at this
age, though, they were thoroughly into garage, covering "1-2-5" on
an early single.  They first came to national attention, however,
with their contribution to the BATTLE OF THE GARAGES, VOL. 2
comp on Voxx, "Come To Where It's At".  This one was a well-
paced garage battle-cry, and probably one of the best songs of that
era.  They soon followed this up with the "Matter of Time " EP on
Throbbing Lobster, which also included the "hit."  Other tracks
were also found on some of the Throbbing Lobster compilations.
Unfortunately, around 1987 or so, the band broke up.  Three of the
group's members formed a heavier combo called The Slaves, who
were somewhere between The Blues Magoos & Blue Cheer, but
with more pop smarts.  They released only one LP, but it had a
fantastic track on it entitled "Radio Daze", about the confiscation
and sinking of a pirate radio ship by the federal authorities, even
though it was anchored just outside US waters.  Singer Cam
Ackland, as we've already discussed, went on to co-found The
Voodoo Dolls.
       The reunited Prime Movers are almost the complete original
lineup, with the exception of the drummer.  On the group's single,
"Under Your Spell"/"Down & Out", they feature ex-Voodoo Dolls'
drummer, Bruce Pierce.  Unfortunately, Bruce has developed some
knee problems, I believe, and can't risk damaging them by playing
full-time.  The sound of this 45 comes as a bit of a surprise to the
group's long-time fans, as it sees the band in less of a garage-rock
territory and more on the folk-punk side of the genre.  In fact, the
songs are distinctly Byrds-like.  Jonathan Sprague's keys are
effective on the flip, conveying a lost splendor.  My only complaint
with this 45 is that the production doesn't quite have enough
punch.  I'm hopeful, however, that the group will record again
soon.  (Not to mention come down and play.)
       The Nines continue on in much the same style as The
Voodoo Dolls, due in no small part to the song writing of Evan
Shore.  While it still rankles me that The Voodoo Dolls never hit the
big-time, I'm still hopeful that Evan's songs will help propel The
Nines to the "next level."  Also evident in their recordings is the
easy interplay between him and David Harrison, thanks to a long
association.  Their first release for Clamarama (their debut single
was for Stanton Park), "Gonna Get A Ring"/"My Soul For You",
takes up the old Voodoo Dolls' tradition of going for a pop number
on one side and a harder-edged one on the other.  Up top is a
melodic favorite left over from the latter days of the old group,
winning me over with the dual lead vocal parts.  Underneath is the
one with the bite.

       The new batch from Clamarama is as follows, "a 45 from The
Rev'em Up Garagers, The Gnats, a CD EP from The Nines, and a
full length CD from a new band, 8-Ball Shifter, whose swampy,
Crampsy, tunes caught the ear of Kerry."   Both the Nines disc and
The Gnats 45 are out.
       The Nines' HI FI LO MEIN sees them mining much the same
territory they did on their singles, a fusing of garage and power-
pop.  The hit on this one (at least as far as I'm concerned) has got to
be "It's About Over Now", which kicks into an upbeat, yet fairly
simple, guitar riff.  Musically, it reminds me of the feel of some of
The Voodoo Dolls more powerful numbers, including "She Won't
Sleep Well Tonight" and, in a way, "Bad Feeling."
       The Gnats debut 45 shows these guys to be pretty into the
car thing.  (Not much of a surprise when you realize ex-Teen Scene
layout guy Quisp N'Quake is involved.  You'll remember his article
on the last page of TS #52, all about which music will provide a
suitable soundtrack for different racing classes.)  Up top, "(I Wanna
Be In Your) Car Crash" (reminds me of a certain JG Ballard story),
provides an up-tempo garage rager that pounds through your
head, though with a melodic-but-pure-rock'n'roll guitar lead that is
unfortunately not loud enough in the mix.  Down below, "Night
Ride" is more frenzied, begging to be blasted.  (Which I did.)

       Jay says the 8-Ball Shifter should be done by the time you
read this.  As for the fall, nothing's definite.  However, Bosley will
be recording in July.  In the meantime, start trying to find the stuff
they've already got out. --- BB

(Write Clamarama at PO Box 422, Allston, MA  02134, or e-mail them at
[email protected])

*****************************************************************************
UNTAMED MELODIES - from The Untamed Youth

       According to my CD player, UNTAMED MELODIES
(Norton) clocks in at a total running time of 76:08.  And that's
without including one of my personal favorites, "Girl And A Hot
Rod".  Now, to me, this is a major oversight, but I suppose we
should just give major thanks to the Norton Records crew for
gifting us with this disc in the first place.  After all, by now
everyone's copies of the three Youth LPs are probably worn all the
way down, barely playable.
       Broken down, nine of the tracks come from SOME KINDA
FUN, two more from the Christmas single, another ten from MORE
GONE GASSERS, five from SOPHISTICATED INTERNATIONAL
PLAYBOYS, and one from the ESTRUS HALF RACK comp.  The
other five are previously unissued: three were done in NYC at
Coyote (I'm guessing they're from the Gassers sessions); one was
done in Springfield, MO (and must be from the S.I.P. recordings);
and one was done in LA.
       First we'll talk about the unissued stuff, since that's going to
be more important to the Untamed Youth fanatic than anything
else.  (We fanatics already knew that we had to have this disc; some
of the rest of you - there couldn't be many - may need more
convincing.)  So, the three unissued tracks done in NYC, first...
"California Street" is pure Untamed Youth and sounds to these ears
like it would've been a perfect fit with the rest of the stuff on MORE
GONE GASSERS.  Was it left off for lack of space or because they
just didn't feel the recording was as strong as the rest of the
material?  'Tis true that the organ isn't as loud or full as I'd like to
hear it.  Even so, I believe it captures the shimmering, summer
feeling the song sets out to evoke.  "Hey Little Girl" is yet another
Youth classic, especially when it really kicks in.  And then there's
the part I'm waiting for each time, when the organ takes the melody
line.  Again, I would've liked more punch added to the production
here, but it's still a wonderful song.  A solid, smiling melody that'll
stay with me for quite some time.  The last of the NYC unished
tracks is a radio ad, including snippets of many of the favorites
found on the SOME KINDA FUN LP, complete with bad narrator
on top.
       From the S.I.P. session, we get "The Gasser", an upbeat with
the surf-party beat the Youth excel in.  This is one of those numbers
that nobody in their right mind could resist, especially in the live
setting.  There's little to say except, 'just listen to the damn thing.'
       Lastly, there's the track recorded in LA, with Wally Hersom
at the boards, "Drag Race Tragedy".  That this never got released as
a 45 was a major oversight on the part of the music industry, in
general.  This is beautiful surf vocal tragedy.  I've been stunned to
hear myself singing this one in the car, on walks with Roberta, and
even in the danged supermarket.  Especially the chorus and the
line, "He drove full bore / But no more... it was a Drag Race
Tragedy."  The surf guitar singing sadly of Johnny Rebel's demise,
and the narrator's admission of how this tragedy came to pass, "I
regret now what I've done / (...) his fuel lines just for fun."
       Now for those of you who are unlucky enough not to have
already know what the U. Youth are famous for.  The disc starts it
off the way most people were first turned onto the band, with the
title cut from their debut LP, "Some Kinda Fun".  Or maybe, like
me, you're one of the lucky ones who saw them live and then had
to have the album, the bumper stickers, the t-shirt, etc.  Either way,
"Some Kinda Fun" was a favorite right off.  The organ dances all
over this frat-rock favorite and the band gives it all they've got.
Start off with this one and you've won yourself fans already.  Now,
I'm extremely tempted to give the play-by-play, but I can't really be
sitting here for the next couple hours reviewing one dang record
(even if it is by one of my favorite bands ever).  My next stop is the
band's wild surf instrumental ode to their favorite liquid
refreshment, "Pabst Blue Ribbon", performed live in a medley with
"What'll You Have".  This one chomps thru the bit and just goes
from there.  The mid-point breaks are where they blast beer all over
the audience during their performances.  (Believe me, it's much
more fun than it probably sounds here.  Being baptized by the
Untamed Youth is a helluva good feeling.)  "Beer Bust Blues" shows
their love for the golden ale once again, but this time in a
supremely dumb teenage garage way.  Then it's on to another U
Youth classic, their version of The Apparitions' "She's So
Satisfying".  If you're a garage nut, this one'll have you doing
cartwheels, handsprings, and probably pulling a muscle or two.
This one's been responsible for me losing more water weight than
any other song I can think of.  Never do I jump around so much as
when the Youth blast into this one.
       I'm gonna wrap this up... what the Untamed Youth are all
about is summed up by Mr. Andy Shernoff in the immortal
Dictators' classic, "I Live For Cars and Girls", covered on MORE
GONE GASSERS and included in this prized collection.  The
signature line tells the story, "Cars, Girls, Surfin', Beer / Nothin'
else matters here."  Every one of the songs on this collection has to
do with at least one of those subjects in some way.
       I threw this disc on for my Computer Science I kids towards
the end of the year... one of the girls liked it so much, she started
dancing around the room.  If that doesn't mean anything to you,
just take my advice and buy the damned thing.

       There are also a couple 45s that have been ished off this disc,
including some unreleased material.  Search them out, as well as anything
you can find by The Untamed Youth.

*****************************************************************************
THE PRINTED WORD

       I think it was last ish (I'm too lazy to check) that I told you
about the zines I'd received from Andrew Palmer in New Zealand,
*Hipsters Quarterly Review* and *Where's the Snake?*  You may
recall that, while I thought HQR was a killer, the ish of WtS? had
seemed somewhat... well, it just didn't cover as much stuff I cared
to read about.  What should appear in my box about a month or so
back, then, but ish #16 of *Where's the  Snake? * It seems Andrew has
a "restless heart" and felt like changing the name back.  Which is
quite OK, actually, since this ish once again covers quite a bit of
coolness.  This 'controversial "Sex vs. Science Fiction" issue' actually
gets the ball rolling without dealing with either of the two topics in
the subtitle (at least not completely).  Nope, the whole first half of
this one is devoted to the responses to Andrew's survey forms from
last time (boasting the questions:  "How often do you get your hair
done?" "In what way was Fat Elvis superior to Young Elvis?"
"Who's the best superbitch: Shannen Doherty, Heather Locklear or
Joan Collins?" "What title would your autobiography and
unauthorized biography have?" "As if you'll be able to answer this:
what is your favourite song?" "What genre of music would you like
to hear more from?" and to come up with a haiku on a topic of your
own choosing.)  Personally, I wasn't positive about the format of a
haiku, so I looked it up in the dictionary before I came up with
mine.  Of course, most of the other respondents (including Steve
Albini, Mykel Board, Robert Dalley, Lisa Carver, Chuck Eddy, Eric
Friedl, Tim Gassen, Lindsay Hutton, Joe Johnson, Cub Koda,
Michael Lucas, Rev. Norb, Metal Mike Saunders, Mike Stax, Tesco
Vee, & Alan Wright, not to mention a whole host of others) just
wrote whatever came to mind.  As for the "Sex vs. SF" bit, I guess
that comes into play via the two mini-interviews - Man or Astro-
Man? & Sin Alley.  As with most zines, there are a good amount of
reviews.  What I like about these, however, is that, while Andrew is
certainly more than able to describe the music, he takes every
chance he gets to drift off into interesting little anecdotes brought
on by whatever phrase he's just turned.  Music (for those of us who
actually listen to it, rather than relegate it to background noise
status) is a personal thing.  Does it make you/me/Jane Doe feel
something?  So when Andrew flies off into a story about a local
strip joint after mentioning The Devil Dogs' "Higher The Heel", that
gives me a good idea where he's coming from and what the music
means to him.  So, which won?  Sex or Science Fiction?  I'd say sex.
Unfortunately, I've absolutely no idea how much this costs (kinda
like last time), so (again), I'll tell you to send a bunch of IRCs or
something worthy in trade.  New address is Andrew Palmer, Apt.
15, 66-70 Emily Place, Auckland, New Zealand.
       It's been a long time since I saw a copy of *multiball*.  In
fact, last time I even heard tell of it was at GarageShock when I met
co-editrix Brinda Coleman.  Anyway, what to my wondering eyes
should appear in my mail slot the other day, but ish #8 of said
pocket-sized tome.  I think what I've always loved about *multiball*
is that it's got a definite agenda: to promote pinball to the high
heavens.  Now, while I don't play nearly as much as I once did, I
still understand this completely.  (Look back to ish #50 for my personal
pinball timeline.)  Pinball is much more real than a video game.  The
ball has mass for one thing.  That is to say, it exists in the physical
world.  It isn't just a couple pixels on a screen, ready to disappear
once the switch is flipped.  Nope, you can influence it physically.
So... the current ish of *mb*  is once again chock full o'goodies.  This
one includes an interview with pinball backglass artist Greg Freres,
a trip to this year's GarageShock, as well as one to the Memphis
happening.  "The Lesser of all Hanks" is about a "country hummer"
by a guy named Hank Locklin, entitled "Pinball Millionaire."
Perhaps my fave part of the mag, though, is the brief letter to mb's
editors from Makers' manager, Vic Mostly.  And the reply from
Sam & Brinda.  Ah, a definite feud here.  Makes for good reading.
       Another measure of just how long it's been since my last ish
is the fact that I've gotten *mb*i#9 in the mail.  (With a note from
Sam & Brinda asking if I'm still kicking.)  This may be their best yet,
as it gets down to business in an interview with Tara Key of
Antietam.  Now, as most TS readers probably know, Antietam have
never been on my personal playlist.  (But, hey, as I said, this music
thing is extremely personal.)  What makes the interview worth
reading is that it really has nothing to do with music, concentrating
instead on mb's own theme... Pinball.  So this interview, for me,
becomes more of a chat with a pinball fan than someone beint
"interviewed" for their expertise on a particular subject.  More of an
obsessive passion for the game.  Next up is Brinda's essay, "Smoke
'Em While You Can."  It seems the city of Boulder, CO has banned
smoking in all buildings except "private dwellings, tobacco stores
and private functions."  Bars/restaurants can have smoking
sections "provided it is a separate room with an independent
exhaust system."  Brinda agrees that it stinks for non-smokers to
have to have smoke blowing in their faces during dinner.  What she
argues is that the law now prohibits a bar from being a "smoking
establishment."  Admittedly, this is something I'd never considered.
I don't smoke.  And I hate smoke coming into my lungs while I eat.
Heck, I'm not much of a fan of going out at night and smelling like
stale smoke when I return.  Or smelling my jacket the next
morning.  (Of course, it's kinda cool as I feel/smell the smoke
washing off me in the shower the next AM.)  But I do understand
that when I go to a rock'n'roll show there's gonna be smoke there.
Would I rather it wasn't there?  Yes.  Will I let it stop me from
showing up?  No.  Let's back up a bit.  Brinda does her damnedest
to take the whole issue into consideration, speaking of second-hand
smoke and carcinogens.  She also talks about inconclusive evidence
on the amount of secondhand smoke necessary to be harmful.  She
makes the point that a car's exhaust is bad for air quality, but car
owners are a large majority of the population and therefore cars are
not outlawed, while smokers are in the minority and therefore lose
the privilege of smoking in most places.  In fact, the only part of
Brinda's argument that I could find fault with was where she tells
us that the "leading cause of heart disease is eating red meat.  There
are no cities which have laws against serving red meat in
restaurants and bars."  Thing is, my eating eating a hamburger
doesn't adversely affect the health of someone dining at the next
table.  But this is a small flaw in Brinda's argument.  The rest is
argued quite well.  I would have to agree that there should be
establishments that are all-smoking.  Is it fair that all establishments
be non-smoking?  This brings us back to how this affects my own
life.  As I said, I don't smoke.  I would prefer to be able to go to a
show and not catch a whiff of cigarette smoke.  But if the only place
in town that'd be hosting my fave rockin' combo was a smoking
establishment, you can bet I'd be there in the midst of the fog.  Is it
necessary that we allow smoking in offices, workplaces, service
bureaus, government buildings, etc.?  I can't think of why.  Should
there be smoking-allowed establishments so that smokers might
enjoy their pastime over coffee, etc.?  Yup.
       Also included is a diary of their trip to the "world's only
pinball expo" in Rosemont, IL, as well as coverage of the event
itself.  Throw in mb's usual sporting house reviews, plus a bunch of
short takes on records and, once again, *multiball* drives the lane.
Send your buck to multiball, PO Box 40005, Portland, OR  97240-
0005.
       While *Pinto* is a new mag on the 'zine scene, I'd met editor
Ted Liebler on the 'Net last Spring.  The debut ish features a truly
personal touch.  I think just about everything in here is by Ted.
Pinto seems to be the story of his life and the things that surround it
as of the recent past, the present, and near future.  This life is
centered on garage-punk/pop, books (authors like Thomas Wolfe,
Richard Brautigan, Douglas Brinkley, Jim Carroll & 0-Pagan
Kennedy), 'zines (which pretty much reflect his musical taste). live
shows, etc.  He dips into a few record reviews, plus an interview
with a member of Professor Schmiddy & the Elements.  I couldn't
find the price on this one, so I'd say send about $1.50, to Ted
Liebler, 5517 Whitehall St., Midland, MI  48642.
       Another mag I'd neither seen nor heard of before it showed
up in the daily mail was *Suck!* , billed as "By Indie Rock Music
Snobs For Indie Rock Music Snobs."  And with  what looks like a
color transparency (I'll have to bring it to school and find out) for a
cover.  Makes it look kinda perfeshunull, but we all know it just
means they've got a printer that does transparencies.  Anyway, the
focus of this thing is to provide some sort of Indie Rock Music
Database for Upstate NY types, though they also include areas
surrounding Upstate NY... Pennsylvania, New England, New
Jersey, etc.  (Hmmm... where's Canada in this equation?)  Anyway,
the database includes not only radio (complete with wattage), but
distribution (they need some help expanding this section), record
stores, clubs (again, mucho help needed), bands (obviously
nowhere near complete; that'd be as close to impossible as really
matters), news media, magazines, and fanzines.  Also included are
various reviews and thoughts.  While this is a pretty good resource,
I should state that they don't seem to be all that interested in
garage-type stuff.  Mentions are made of it here and there, but it's
definitely not a focus.  $2 or $1 plus stamps to 298 Oxford St.,
Rochester, NY  14607.  Try e-mailing [email protected].
       Some of you folks probably know the name Pat Pierson.
You've seen him write for Yellow Pills, maybe.  Or perhaps those of
you around the New Brunswick, NJ area have heard his show on
WRSU.  Well, I ran into Pat for the first time in nearly six months at
Brownies in NYC, which is when he told me about his current
project, *Yeah, Yeah, Yeah*.  Having just finished up his studies,
Pat decided to pour his graduation money into a real, professional-
looking mag.  (I'd love to hear what Ma Pierson said when she
heard that!)  The plan for YYY, evidently, is that it be a bimonthly
thing dedicated to all that's wonderful in pop music.  For the most
part, that means power pop, but you will run into areas where that
may not be true.  No real garage content here, but at least they
mention The Muffs.  The best features in the debut issue would
have to be the column by Rodney Bingenheimer & "The Radio That
Ate NYC" (about Vin Scelsa).  I'd have to say that the top LP/CD
lists, which went on for 16 of the 50 pages (that's 32%!), was way
overboard.  Especially considering that a whole 'nother 13 pages
have something to do with either the editor's faves or the tabulation
of the lists, themselves.  Add it up and that's 29/50 = 58% of the
magazine being about Tops of The YYY Pops.  I'd prefer that next
time there was more signal, less noise.  But, hey, it's Pat's mag, so
it's up to him to choose what he wants to do.  I am impressed by:
(a) the layout (very well-done, especially the footer part; (b) the
staff page, a beautiful rip-off on The Dictators' Go Girl Crazy cast of
characters  (Pat, of course, is the one who "calls the shots"); (c) Pat
tells me he's printing up a few thousand of these buggers; and (d)
that he's getting enough advertising in #2 to just about pay for it all!
(Wish I had that kind of work ethic.)  I'll be looking forward to the
second one.  This is $2 to 89 Grant St., Boonton, NJ  07005.  But
those of you around NYC and New Brunswick, NJ may want to
check your local clubs & record stores first to see if there are any
complimentary copies sitting around.
       On, then, to an old favorite, *The Evil Eye*.  While Larry
includes the usual review sections, plus articles on the Pizzicato
Five, Urge Overkill, King Curtis, and a cool Top 10 of Immediate
Records by ex-Smashed! Blocked! editor Bill Luther, it's the cover
story, "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago", that gets me where it
counts.  Actually, I'd known about this feature a few months back
when Larry asked me to come up with my thoughts on the mid-80s
scene.  (Now that is something I never thought I'd be doing back
then.)  As per my usual M.O., I put it off... and put it off.  Till
(finally) I got around to it at the last possible moment.  Which
meant there really wasn't much time for niceties such as cleaning it
up and making it all flow well.  Or for cutting it down to the size
Larry had asked for.  Nope, I left that Herculean task for him to
take care of.  (Kinda unfair, wasn't it?)  However, Larry was more
than equal to the task, and did a fine job of chopping, clipping, and
sculpting so that something decent actually came out of it.  (Thank
you, Mr. Grogan.)  Anyway, there are three looks at the mid-80s
scene in here.  First up to bat is the esteemed editor, who does
perhaps the best job of describing the times as a whole, as he relates
not only his own introduction to the scene, but ably sums up one of
the most exciting things about the time,

"with the exception of some older folks, who had dug
the garage bands the first time around, we were all
discovering the same stuff at the same time.  As each
new compilation drifted in from as close as
Greenwich Village or as far away as London, we were
all grooving on the newly discovered sounds
simultaneously.  The musical learning curve had
literally gone off the chart."

Bill Luther takes a completely different approach, describing a trip
to the center of the NY garage universe, the Dive, with the NJ 'Mod
Mafia', taking time to notice what they were wearing, how they
were thinking, and the warm haze of cameraderie felt at the time.
(A nice touch is Billy's "Epilogue", a sort of Where Are They Now?)
Me?  Well, I was from the opposite side of the city.  Larry and Billy
were coming in from Jersey-side, while my hour-long (without
traffic) trek was from the North Shore of Long Island.  As with the
other two looks back, mine trips into Manhattan, but from the Long
Island side.  The whole reason me and my bunch went in was to
support our own local pals (groups like The Mosquitos and The
Secret Service).  But we also had a pretty swingin' scene out in
Huntington, Long Island.  The piece I sent Larry also took a look at
the scene up in Rochester, NY, where I spent my undergrad years,
but that stuff ended up having to be axed, 'cuz I still haven't
learned that "brevity is the soul of wit."  (You want evidence? Just
look at this review.)  Now, while the main thrust of this ish is the
memory of the mid-80s happenings, Larry also takes the time to get
in his political ideas.  Normally, I'd groan at a 'zine mucking
around with politics & social issues, but Larry's such a good writer
that this stuff (his thoughts on OJ, Newt Gingrich's "Contract On
America", and "Boycott Coors") is well worth your time.  And
money.  Speaking of which... you can send $2 to Evil Eye, c/o
Grogan, 3 Tulip Ct., Jackson, NJ  08527.  ([email protected])
       The new year also brings us a new ish of *Make Room.*  To
kick it off, Typo tells us how scary it is looking back at his first ish
at this point in time.  (Something I think any 'zine editor who's been
around for a while will quite agree with.)  He goes on to explain
that his original purpose was to just review his fave records.  (Me,
when I started I didn't even want to review records.  But, then, I've
been told everybody's different.  (Though I've started to doubt that
piece of "wisdom.")  Anyway...)  This time out, he's got a couple
interviews, both done by TS interviewer extraordinaire, Bob
Kondrak.  In fact, the Statics interview is the same one you saw in
TS #54.  But The Spider Babies piece you haven't read yet.  (Bob had
actually e-mailed it to me, but it was fun to read again, anyway.)
Also included are the "Top Ten Signs You've Gone To A Bad
Funeral Director", as well as the obligatory reviews.  (Pretty much
only the best garage and punk stuff for Typo, tho' he does have a
pal take care of some hardcore material for a page or so.)  Any mag
whose editor is completely nuts about the combo organ sound is
OK by me.  And it doesn't hurt to see his picks of the ish include
The Swingin' Neckbreakers, Spider Babies, The Chesterfield Kings,
& The Neanderthals.  I don't see a price anywhere (it says "send
records"), so I figure $1 should cover postage and copying.  MR c/o
Typo, 3118 Keller, Temple, TX  76504.  ([email protected])
(http://www.vvm.com/~case)
       Also in this issue's mailbag is *Schlock* #19.  Now, I got this
one something like a month or so ago, but what with the holidays,
guests, and all the snow, I just hadn't gotten around to reading it.
Well, not all the way through anyway.  So, here I am, January 9th,
my second day off thanks to the Blizzard of '96, and I figure some
writing is in order.  In particular, I've made it my mission to at least
finish reviewing the zines I've gotten to date, and maybe get a
couple live reviews in, too.  A modest goal.  Of course, before you
can review a zine, it helps to read it.  So I set about the task of
finishing up Mr. Chilson's latest offering.  I'd pretty much already
dealt with the first half, so it was time to go on to my fave Schlock
feature, Beth Accomando's "Asian Files."  This time out, she takes a
look at Hong Kong horror.  Some good stuff, too.  Flip then to the
final page, for "Video Miscellanea."  So I'm reading reviews of "The
Wild World of Batwoman", "Out of the Blue", "The Manster",
"Kronos", etc., but just kinda skipping around.  So I see one called
The Adventures of El Frenetico & Go-Go Girl.  Then I look at who
directed it: Pat Bishow.  Hmm... could that be the Pat Bishow who
was the original drummer for The Mosquitos.  I look at the names
of the stars.  One of them is Charlie Pellegrino.  Now I know it's the
same Pat Bishow, 'cuz Charlie is another old pal from Northport
High School.  So I read the (very positive) review and notice the co-
writer is Jon Sanborne, who I went to both junior high and high
school with.  (And was probably one of the best writers I knew at
the time.)  So, it took Schlock to let me know that some old pals had
made a flick that I should see.  So, instead of giving you John's
review of this one, I'm gonna get in touch with the old gang, find a
copy, and I'll give you a review myself.  In the meantime (since it'll
probably be eons before I actually get around to doing this), get a
copy of this mag ('cuz it's always worth your while.)
       ACK!  Another 'zinester that's managed to get a few issues
out before I've gotten this slug outta the hole.  Makes me long for
the olden days when I used to put this mag out once a month.  (Of
course, like me, the mag was nowhere near as bulky at the time.)
Anyway, this time out, the main feature is Sue Stax's "Swinging
London: Part One" (evidently, this'll be a series much like Beth
Accomando's superb "Asian Files").  This time out, Sue takes a look
at two films starring James Fox, The Servant (1962) and Performance
(1969), the latter also noteworthy for a love scene played between
two of the film's co-stars... Mick Jagger and Anita Pallenberg.
(Yeah, Keith's then-girlfriend.)  Anyway, Sue's done a fantastic job
here, as she's got me itching to find both of these.  Thank you, Sue.
Also to be found this time out are 'zine reviews, some video
miscellanea and the latest installment of Beth A's "Asian Files"
(YAY!) John says single issues are free with an SASE, but you really
oughta send the guy a buck or so.  Schlock, 3841 4th Avenue #192,
San Diego, CA  92103.
       I'd been seeing Sean Berry post about his mag, *Hmmm...*
for some time, so I finally got in touch and asked to do a trade.  I'll
publicly apologize to Sean right now for taking so long to send him
the TS.  I actually addressed it right away.  Thing is, TS HQ being
the mess it is, it kinda disappeared under a pile of crap before I got
it to a mailbox.  Then... a few weeks later, it kinda reappeared in my
mail slot.  Duh... forgot to put postage on it.  Actually, I guess that's
'cuz I'd stamped a bunch of copies of #54 and figured I'd just send
'em out as requests came in.  But when I wrote up Sean's copy, I put
the address on an unstamped one.  Not unusual for me.  So, once
again, this apology goes out to Mr. Berry.  This time out (#5), Sean
gets together for a chat with Los Straitjackets, who've been doing
some recording with Ben Vaughn at the helm.  That much I'd
known.  I'd also known that Ben has been working out west scoring
stuff for film and TV.  What I hadn't known was that, as Los
Straitjackets inform Sean (and he us with this ish), "He's scoring a
new television show on NBC with Jane Curtain and John Lithgow."
Hmmm... that'd be "3rd Rock From The Sun" wouldn't it?  Kinda
explains the sounds we're hearing, doesn't it?  Sean also includes an
interview with Dionysus' chief, Lee Joseph, plus scads of reviews
(live, recorded, and written.)  Send $2 to Hmmm..., 401 16th Street
#2, Bellingham, WA 98225.  (Checks to Sean Berry.)
       "A Rock'n'Roll Funzine For All Ages."  So proclaimeth the
subtitle of *Fruitbasket Upset*.  This (#5) is the second or third ish
I've gotten from Jim & Shaun, and I'd have to say it's probably their
best yet.  The major feature this go-round is on their "Adventures In
Poptopia", the big week-long pop-fest held in late January out in
La-La Land.  I gotta say, I'm not a big fan of LA, but, had I been
able to make this shindig, I surely would have done so.  This
coverage is blow-by-blow, and nice and personal.  Not only that,
it's given me a few groups I'd like to find out more about.  And, to
prove they're not just a bunch of damn reporters, they have fun
with the whole thing.  Entered into evidence:  (1) coverage/pics of
Beatle Bob of St. Louis & (2) the shot of Micky Dolenz at the bar.
(I've had a real bad taste in my mouth about that guy since I saw
him on the Nardwuar vid.)  The only thing pissing me off this
month is their "In The Echo Chamber" section.  I just kept wishing
I'd used that for a column name somewhere.  (Anyone else like me
out there that understands that The Hoodoo Gurus' Stoneage Romeos
is probably one of the best LPs ever recorded?)  Also included are
the usual columns:  Ron Wood Of The Month (this time it's Micky
Finn of T. Rex); Snack Attack (a fictional tale this time out, with
your fave snack food characters choosing up sides for an all-out
war); and reviews of 'zines, shows, & records.  A nice extra was
"My Purgatory Years", supposedly an excerpt from Out Of
Uniform, by Gwynne Garfinkle about these young teenage private
school girls on the wild side.  I just kept trying to figure out when
this was supposed to be taking place.  See, the one gal goes out with
the lead singer of a group called The Word, and the narrator is into
groups from the Seeds, ? & The Mysterians, Swingin' Blue Jeans, &
Kinks thru the NY Dolls & Sex Pistols - and idolizes an older girl
who goes for "boys in bands, boys with Beatle haircuts."  I kept
thinking... "Well, this has gotta be taking place no earlier than 1980
or so.  But how many girls did I know in high school who dug guys
with Beatle haircuts?"  But it was fun to read.  I'd like to see more.
Maybe FU will serialize it?  Add more points for reprinting Kim
Fowley's business card, a postcard from Cub's Robynn Iwata
(without Jim's address listed), the equations under the editors' pics
(calculus, at least on the first.  The second may have been going into
LaPlace Transforms or Fourrier Analysis, but I don't remember
much of that stuff anymore.), the Schoolboys In Disgrace style
cartoon on the cover, and The 3 O'Clock quote reprinted on the
inside cover up near the top.  ("With a cantaloupe girl you go
everywhere.") Anyway, send your $2 to Fruitbasket Upset, 1943
Sunnycrest Dr. #666, Fullerton, CA  92635.  Checks should be make
out to Shaun Stuart or Jim Freek. (E-mail to [email protected].)
       I put off reviewing *3:AM* till last.  Probably 'cuz I didn't
want it to end.  I think I've read Joe's editorial 5 times now (and I
just read it again!), trying to find a hole in his argument for calling
it a day.  I also think back to when Factsheet Five asked 'zinesters to
write in explaining why they *did* publish.  I wrote some rambling
discourse about why I kept doing it.  And, for the most part, my
reasons hold true.  But I read Joe's reasons for quitting (money;
time; pressure; so many other people are doing it; having to share
shelf space with so many whining complainers; etc.) and I
understand.  When I first started doing the TS it came out at least
once a month.  And that lasted for over 3 & 1/2 years.  Then I went
to grad school and my schedule went way off.  Heck... this one took
over six months.  (Sure, I had a fair excuse, but...)  I think about it...
the pressure.  Yeah, at this point, I do actually get a fair amount of
free stuff.  Not everything I'd like, and not as much as some friends
get (including one who gets stuff for what seems like no reason at
all, but I guess that's his business... even if it BUGS me!), but I get a
nice amount.  And since I've got less money than ever these days,
that's a real good thing.  But what Joe's talking about is the
pressure.  You get free stuff and then you feel like you need to say
something nice about it.  I solve this problem by not reviewing stuff
I really hate (unless I bought it).  So if you don't see something you
sent me reviewed in here, most likely I didn't like it.  That or you
missed my deadline (funny word, coming from me.)  Or the
mailman absconded with it.  Back to Joe's complaints... Money?
OUCH!  He's right, this 'zine biz is hard on the old pocketbook.
(Another good reason for not putting it out all that often.)  Time?
Obviously I haven't had too much of it.  All those other 'zines
whining about commercial competition, or looking down at xerox
rags?  Well, honestly, that's one thing I can't really talk too much
about.  I guess this is connected to the money thing.  If you've got
these things out on a shelf somewhere, then you're in competition
with these types.  I'm not.  I prefer to do these thru friends acting as
my agents in various places, or selling via the mail, myself.  Easier
than dealing with stores and mail-order folks.  And somehow I still
manage to get rid of a whole bunch of 'em.  So I'm lucky... I don't
think much about crap like that.  Now... this ish.  It's a good one,
with the usual low-brow movie and garage reviews, plus my
favorite feature, the CarterBerry tales.  Send your cash (I'm looking
for the mag again, so I'd say $2 should do it) to Joseph Johnson, 152
West 3rd St., Oil City, PA 16301.  And beg him to reconsider.

PICK OF THE ISH:
       Like everyone else on this garage-punk planet, I was
extremely bummed when Cryptic Times went the way of the
dinosaur.  Especially after the last blast, which not only included an
extensive Wailers' piece, but articles on some of today's greatest
rock'n'roll acts.  Well, evidently editors Alan Wright & Lisa
Lindstrom felt the same way.  They "missed having a fanzine in the
family."  Which brings us to *Do The Pop*.
       This time out, Alan and Lisa have decided to focus on 70s
punk.  First up, of course, is a big (BIG) Radio Birdman piece, with
tons of interesting info I'd never known, like the fact that Birdman,
after the Flamin' Groovies had to cancel the rest of the tour due to
Cyril Jordan cutting his hand, ended up playing with Van Halen (!)
in Amsterdam.  Following Lisa's Birdman story, Alan picks up with
"Where Birdman Has Flown", detailing much of the post-Birdman
work by the members.  Also included is a two-page discography of
the band and related material.
       The other features this time around are interviews/articles
with/on Wayne Kramer of the MC 5 and Ric Albin of The Droogs
(both of which also feature extensive discographies and exhaustive
research.)  Also to be found are articles on The Alan Millman Sect,
Alan's love of the Stooges (and a partial discography of bootlegs),
an Eaters interview, the 70s punk scenes in both Toronto & Seattle,
The Viletones, Satan's Rats, The Hates, Sham 69, Ralph Alfonso
checking out the Dead Boys at CBGB's in 1977, What? Records, and
tons more.
       Alan and Lisa have outdone themselves.  This is one of the
best, most comprehensive mags available.  Over 70 pages!  So...
send $5 to 1011 Boren Ave., Suite 114, Seattle, WA  98104-1300.  (Or
get more info by contacting [email protected])  By the way,
their new one should be out in the fall.

*****************************************************************************
RADIO BIRDMAN on a Big Day Out
4th February  Perth Football Oval

       These one day rock festivals have become rather popular in
the nineties; [in Australia] we seem to have at least two touring the
country each summer.
       The BDO may look like good value: 34 bands plus other
diversions for US $41, but when you realise there were four stages,
so you have two or three acts performing simultaneously, you can
only see about ten of your choice, often clashing with others you
also want to see.  There were a lot of Aussie bands playing,
including sixteen from Perth.  I'll only mention a few of them in this
report.
       Flanders were the unlucky bastards playing first.  The
bloody gates did not open until after their scheduled start time, and
they had to abort early due to sound problems, so I only heard four
songs. Was a great pity, as Flanders are the second best power pop
band in
Perth at the moment.  You can get their CD from Treadmill in
Minneapolis to hear why.
       Then I caught a few songs from the Tear Jerks, a country
rock group. I was surprised to recognise the drummer as none
other than James  Baker.  They weren't too bad actually, but didn't
excite the younger  members of the audience.
       About an hour later, Ammonia got the biggest crowd of the
local bands. Their grungy pop has made them the most successful
band from Perth since the Stems.  Soon after  performing here, they
fly off to the USA to promote their album.
       Second biggest crowd for a local act probably went to
Allegiance, who are a rather conventional heavy metal band.
       The DM3 were up against Elastica and Magic Dirt (a popular
Victorian group), and started earlier than the advertised time, so
had not many people there at the start.  They weren't troubled by
this at all, just got straight into it. They started with several songs
from
the next album "Road to Rome".  These were pretty good, so I will
be waiting until late March, when that is released {see the CD reviews
-- ed.). Then they  did High Rotations, Far From Here, Foolish, Blue
Thing and the Stems song Just Ain't Enough.  I wish they could
have played longer.  They had started earlier than scheduled, and
were forced to finish early as well.  But by the end, they had a much
bigger crowd.  A bloke next to me asked "what's the name of that
band?" so they have at least one new fan.
       I probably wouldn't have come here if it wasn't for the Radio
Birdman reunion.  Radio Birdman hardly played outside of Sydney,
so I never saw them first time around.  They also didn't sell many
records outside their home town, yet became an influence on many
punk, metal and grunge bands, even kids like silverchair, who
weren't even born when they broke up.
       Radio Birdman were last to play.  They had to wait half an
hour for Porno for Pyros to finish, so the fans were getting restless
by the time they came on.  There was quite a range of people there,
from about fifteen to fifty in age.  We weren't disappointed.  When
they started with Smith & Wesson Blues then Burn My Eye it was
the best blast of hard rock I've heard for ages.  I had to move back a
few rows as the moshing was very enthusiastic.  Then they
powered through What Gives, Man With the Golden Helmet,
Hanging On, then a medley of three songs: I-94, 455 SD, Down Into
the Maelstrom, then TV Eye, Aloha Steve and Danno and New
Race.  They had heaps of applause, even during the false ending to
TV Eye.  Apart from Aloha Steve and Danno, I reckon most of the
songs they played sounded better live than on the remastered
albums.  Unfortunately, they couldn't do an encore, as they had
already gone over the prescribed finishing time, but it was a great
way to end the day.  --- MS

*****************************************************************************
LIVE & OUTTASITE (well, mostly)

       In true procrastinator's style, I'm beginning this about two
months after the first shows I'm writing about.  Hopefully, I'll get a
bit better as this ish comes together.  In fact, I'm writing this on the
Monday of the "Blizzard of '96."  So this is how I'm thawing out.
       I guess it was Friday November 10th when cub reporter
Cunningham pulled into town to help celebrate my finishing off 30
years on our lovely planet.  There didn't appear to be much going
on in town, so we needed to take a closer look at the listings.  What
to my wondering eyes should appear, but a listing for *The
Picketts* down at the Mercury Lounge.  I didn't really know much
about them (I don't think LJ did, either), but we figured we'd go
check 'em out since Jim Sangster (of the Young Fresh Fellows) was
in the group.  Jim's a really nice guy and we've met a few times, so
LJ and I figured we'd go check 'em out.  Well... we got to the club a
little late, but it appeared we'd only missed a couple songs.  It was
pretty empty when we walked in and Jim spotted me right away
and smiled hello.  If I hadn't been sure if I'd like the group on my
way in, it only took a minute or so before I realized that this group
was pretty damn good.  Not usual Teen Scene fare, but that's not a
bad thing.  Kinda country, I guess, but with a definite pop-
rock'n'roll flavor.  And the vocals were just plain incredible.  One
thing I always like is when a band can capture me without me
knowing anything by them.  And I knew absolutely nothing by The
Picketts.  They did, however, play one song I knew.  Well, sort of.
They moved into this kinda slow thing with a nice melody and I
happened to be paying attention to the lyrics... By the end of the
first or second line, I was singing along - they were doing The
Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?", but completely in their
own musical style.  WOW!
       Next up was *Cindy Lee Berryhill*.  I hadn't seen her play
since the peak days of the NYC anti-folk scene back in the late 80s.
And I don't have any of her records, either.  So I knew just about
nothing by her.  She was fairly good, I guess, just nowhere near as
enjoyable as The Picketts (for me, but there were a bunch of folks
watching, so...)  And it really didn't do much for me when Lenny
Kaye came on to join her for a version of "Season of the Witch."
(Not a surprise, since I always thought the song sucked.)  Next up
were *The Bottle Rockets*.  This was who most of the place was
there to see, the reason the place sold out.  But after a couple songs,
I just couldn't see what the big deal was.  It seemed like a frat party
version of The Allman Brothers.  (Another group I've never had
much use for.)  Personally, I would've much rather heard Lynyrd
Skynyrd.  So LJ and I walked out, talked to Jim for a bit and then
left.  So, if the Bottle Rockets hadn't done anything for us, we'd
been turned on to The Picketts.  And that made the night
completely worth it.

       Next on the agenda was Saturday night, the 11th.  Only 4
days, then, till I hit the big Three-Oh.  Tonight was a tough choice:
The Fleshtones over at Brownies or *The Dictators* at CBGB's.  We
chose the latter.  I'm trying to remember just what was wrong this
night, why it wasn't as jammed as previous Dictators shows... Oh
yeah... it poured.  I mean, just walking the two blocks from my car to
the club, I got soaked.  Anyway, being that I'm writing this two
months later, I'll just hit the highlights... Three months later, your
humble host has returned to the driver's seat.  And picks up the
story from what remains of his memory.  As a result, you're not
gonna hear too much of a song-by-song.
       Those of us here in the NYC area are among the lucky ones -
we've gotten to see The Dictators just about every year for the past
5 years.  Sometimes, they've even played a few times.  1995 was no
different, with the 'Taters playing CB's twice in May, then this show
in November (plus, as I recall, a surprise mini-set appearance here
and there.)  They don't play in Peoria.  This New York luck means
we get to see one of the best live bands this planet has ever given
birth to.
       As most folks know, I've spent more than my fair share of
time in small, sweaty dives seeing live rock'n'roll shows.  And, as
such a person, I often tend to prefer that small, intimate club
feeling... There's still a line between performer and audience
member, but those lines tend to blur.  Most of us, though, grew up
with a much thicker line separating us from our musical idols; in
fact, in many cases there may even have been an actual barrier.
Hell, at the Jones Beach Amphitheatre (where Bill Jones & I saw
The Hoodoo Gurus & The Bangles back in '86 or so) there's a
friggin' moat!)  Part of the thrill, I think, of getting deeply into the
garage scene back when I was in my late teens was that the lines
could actually blur.  There was a sense that you were a part of
something that was really happening, something that was going to
explode.  You had the feeling that you were seeing The Next Big
Thing.  (To quote the group that I'm supposed to be reviewing right
now.)  And you knew them.  But in some ways, at least for me, the
lines were still there.  But you could cross them, to some extent.  As
time went on, the lines all but disappeared.  At this point, many of
my favorite bands include people I'm friendly with to some extent.
They include people that I invite to my parties, that I hang out with,
that I might go tubing with, or bowl or play miniature golf or go to
Coney Island.
       One guy I know has been in a semi-famous group for almost
20 years now.  I first saw his group play when I was about 18-19.
By then, they were already riding high.  At that point, the line was
still there for me, in respect to him.  However, when I finished
college and ended up just outside of NYC, I ran into him with
increasing regularity.  In early 1988, I'd started doing a Concert
Calendar of gigs in the NYC area.  I made copies at work and gave
them out to everyone I ran into.  He was showing up at many of the
same places, so naturally he got a copy, as well.  Meanwhile, I was
showing up, along with a few other friends, at his band's gigs from
Connecticut down to Pennsylvania, and sometimes down to DC.
At some point, the line blurred.  He had become a friend, rather
than someone I saw as being on the other side.  He was someone I'd
invite to my parties, and vice versa.  One night, we were at
Continental on 3rd Ave & St. Marks and there was another show
going on across town at McGovern's.  I gave him and his bandmate
a lift.  I don't remember quite how the subject came up, but he said
to me, "Blair, you don't consider me some rock star, do you?"  What
he was getting at was that our relationship was one of people who
hung out, not some rock god guy and a devoted fan.  Now, while I
still think his group is one of the best ever to hit the stage, my
honest answer was, "No."
       Finally, now... I'll get to my point.
       After that line has been blurred for so long, sometimes it's
nice to have it reappear in some way.  The Dictators can do that.
What's truly amazing is that they can do it in their hometown,
surrounded by friends.  I'm not sure, maybe it has something to do
with the fact that they aren't a full-time band.  Whatever.
       The Dictators have a certain presence on the stage.  When
they're up there, they capture it fully.  "I Stand Tall" indeed.  It's
true, though.  You keep remembering that album cover, with them
casting those long shadows.  But somehow it makes sense.
Together, they're much larger than life.  These guys have gotta be in
their mid-40s at this point.  Yet, they put more muscle into their
music than any group half their age.  I've probably mentioned it
before, but I remember hearing someone tell me about seeing the
group open for the Blue Oyster Cult back in the 70s up in
Poughkeepsie.  Afterwards, he heard someone say, "That opening
group... They were MEN!"
       The Dictators have fire, attitude, power... but best of all,
they've got talent.  Every single one of them is a part of it.  Top Ten
on rhythm, slamming out those chords; Ross The Boss, lead
virtuoso; Andy Shernoff on bass and songs, providing the big
bottom end, backups and the occasional lead vocal (and, of course,
the songs!); Handsome Dick Manitoba, need any more be said?
Drums, you ask... what about drums?  Well, it ain't Stu Boy.  No
Richie Teeter on the stool, either.  Nope, bashing the kit for the past
bunch of years is none other than Frank Funaro.  ("I can't believe a
guy from Long Island is in The Dictators," sayeth the Handsome
One.  "But we love him.")  Tonight included all your Dictators' faves
(yup, *including* "I Live For Cars & Girls".) And this year's two
new ones, "In The Presence Of A New God" and (what better name
for something Manitoba's mouthing?) "I Am Right", which slams it
hard and fast and makes its point.  Encores?  Lots... including two
with Joey Ramone, one of which was "Blitzkrieg Bop!"  If you'll
recall, it was around this time that it was becoming known that The
Ramones were getting ready to call it a day.  What was Joey gonna
do?  His answer tonight: "I'm gonna join The Dictators."
       Skipping over GarageRage Numero Uno, then, we find
ourselves in mid-December at the Continental on 3rd Ave, just next
door to St. Mark's Pizza, for an audience with *Jackie & The
Cedrics*.  If you've seen these three Japanese gents, you know their
show is a classy one:  the band are well-dressed, excellent
showmen.  More importantly, though, they really know how to rip
it up.  Their oeuvre (gotta love that word, huh?) is mostly Le Surf,
but they also make headfirst dives into such classics as "Justine".
Only real problem tonight was that the sound pretty much bit the
biggy... nowhere near enough guitar.  I mean, this is a friggin' surf
group; guitar does have a place.
       The weekend before Christmas, cub reporter Cunningham
was in town for his annual holiday layover.  A bit of rockinroll fun
before heading up to his Albany homeland for a roast with the
folks.  This time out we'd be in Hoboken (at Maxwells, where else?)
for a double-shot wing-ding.  Featured performers were *John
Felice & The Devotions* and *The Fleshtones*.  Now, last time I
saw John on a bill with The 'Tones was at the same venue back in
September, '92, when The Real Kids were reunited.  Last time I'd
seen John play since was New Year's Eve/Day at Brownies of
'93/'94, when The Devotions went on around 2 AM.  While I
enjoyed that performance, I found this one to be of a much higher
caliber.  Sure, John did a bunch of old Real Kids numbers... which
was great.  But the songs I enjoyed most were the new ones.  For
one thing, John really knows how to still write incredible rock'n'roll
songs; stuff with melody that still kicks.  I think what really sold the
new ones to me, though, was that I didn't have anything to
compare them to.  They were new, fresh... nothing to measure them
up against.  Actually, even the song I remember them doing from
Nothing Pretty, by John Felice & The Lowdowns, sounded new and
fresh.  (Probably because I don't listen to that nearly as much as I do
my Real Kids LPs.)  All I can say is, I'm looking forward to hearing
the Devotions LP (produced, by a nice quirk of fate, by Steve Wynn,
ex-Dream Syndicate.)  Afterwards, The Fleshtones came on and
really blasted out a good one, according to most folks.  By that time,
though, I was feeling kinda out of it, so I didn't quite partake in the
elevated moods as much as I might have liked.  Such is life.

       Moving on now to December 30th, the night before New
Year's.  This one went out to all *The Muffs'* fans who hadn't
gotten the $25 tix to see them on New Year's Eve.  And, honestly,
this was the better show.  Pretty amazing, considering bassist
Ronnie Barnett had just pulled into town at 6 PM after driving cross
country with his blushing bride, Ms. Lisa Marr and her bandmate,
Ms. Robynn Iwata.  I didn't really catch much of the opening group,
so I'm not gonna say much about them (I watched a little, didn't
like the singer much, but many people seemed to really like the set,
so maybe it was me.)  Since I'm writing this 4 months after the fact,
I'll just say that the Muffs tore the roof off this night, blasting thru
tracks from both LPs, as well as early 45s, PLUS a few new ones,
including "Honeymoon" and "Outer Space" (both of which, I hope,
will appear on their 3rd record.)  I was jumping up and down
throughout this set, which evidently registered as an odd thing in
the mind of one young lady.  See, she goes to the high school I teach
at and the idea of a teacher bounding up and down at a show was a
bit more than she was willing to put in the realm of normality.
Always fun to mess with people's stereotypes, isn't it?
       OK, now for the weekend's big event, New Year's Eve.   At
this point, I'm wondering when I'm going to NOT see a show on
New Year's Eve.  When is there going to be a year when my friends
and I are going to have to have a party, instead?  (Yeah, watch now
it comes *this* year.)  Actually, come to think of it, that might not be
all that bad.  Last time that happened, I went home a VERY happy
guy.  (Though that happiness faded within a couple weeks.)  But,
hey, I guess that's part of growing up, huh?  And it was something
like 7 years ago, so there's no point digging back into those
datastores.
       So, New Year's Eve... a show I'd been waiting for since I'd
first heard the rumblings about it some 4 months previous.  I think
this show had its roots in the Tour of '95, when Cub & The Muffs
hit the road together with The Queers.  I guess the subject came up
of *The Muffs* playing on New Year's at Maxwells, possibly with
*Southern Culture On The Skids*.  At that point, I guess, Lisa
Marr of Cub must have said she'd want to see that show, so it
seemed to make sense to book *Cub*, too.  Now, this, of course, is
what is known as a Blair Dream Bill.  Nothing like being able to see
three of your absolute favorite bands on New Year's Eve.  (Actually,
there's nothing like being able to see three of your favorite bands
play together on any night, but this definitely makes New Year's
more memorable.)
       Thing is, I'm trying to write about this stuff 4&1/2 months
later!  You expect me to try and remember  the details of something
that happened that long ago?  If I could find where I put the set
lists, I'd be able to help out.  (Yeesh, I've still got a Cub set list from
last summer within arm's reach, but I can't find something from
New Year's?!)  Here's the quickie version... Cub hit the stage first.
And they did themselves proud.  All your faves, plus the
announcement from Lisa that she'd "taken a wife" (which probably
put a damper on the evening for a couple Lisa-lovers in the crowd.)
       The Muffs were up next... which meant they'd be on-stage at
midnight, to count it down.  I seem to have a hazy recollection of
The Bluesman being up there... or maybe that was just from when
he was on-stage singing with the band.  (You've gotta wonder how
many people Kim would actually let bound up on-stage outta the
crowd and steal the mic from her.  But with Bluesman, it's a given.)
Anyway, the show was much the same as the previous night, but I
didn't think this one was quite as dynamic.
       Finally, Southern Culture were to bring it on home.  One
problem... Rick Miller had been in the emergency room most of the
day.  He was feeling (and looking) absolutely terrible.  Honestly, I
don't think most bands would have played this show when their
guitarist/main vocalist was in this condition.  They ended up doing
a pretty shortened set, but still fun.  I know some people were upset
about the length, but personally I thought it was more important
that Rick survive the night than some fan get to see the band play
for another half hour.  By the way, a great highlight was drummer
Dave Hartman's Baby New Year outfit.  (Yup, Dave in a diaper!)

       The next thing I remember (5 months, now, down the road),
is *The Untamed Youth* coming to the East Coast for the first time
since about 1990.  YIPES!  I'd been lucky enough to see them out at
GarageShock, '95, but few others in NYC had had said privilege.  At
this point, I don't even recall the dates (and I'm too lazy to go look
at a calendar), but it was a little past mid-January.
       The band was in need of an organ for Mr. Rager to do his
magic on.  Unfortunately, NYC's best organ source was in
California on a business trip.  And an organ owned by The Swingin'
Neckbreakers was in horrible condition.  The one sitting at Coyote
Studios in Brooklyn (where the Youth were rehearsing) was owned
by The Creatures... but it, too, according to Rager, wasn't stage-
worthy.  Now, I have a bunch of combo organs, myself.  None of
them, except my Vox Continental and my Acetone Top 8 are in
what I'd consider stage-worthy condition.  A couple old Farfisa
Combo Compacts (one a deluxe), the model Rager uses, have keys
that are just... off.  And if you've ever lifted up the hood on a
Farfisa, you've seen spaghetti the likes of which Mama Leone
wouldn't be able to unravel.  My Panther has the same problem.
And my "Combo Organ" was (is) still over at my friend Rory's from
the last time we jammed together a couple years ago.  But Rager
needed an organ for Friday night.  So I brought three... the
Continental and the Acetone, naturally (I figured Rager would go
for the Vox), and my Farfisa Fast Three, a sort of mini-organ that
doesn't come up high enough... kinda like something you might've
expected a junior high kid to play in '66.  But Rager surprised me by
saying it was just what he was looking for.  Uh... OK.
       Well, the band took the stage... and immediately started into
all the hits.  And I was happy.  Yeah, "Some Kinda Fun", "Pabst
Blue Ribbon"... all of 'em.  Now, while I know the guys will be
disappointed that I didn't write everything down and can't give this
show a true review (was tonight the night they did "KAPO" for Pat
Lozito?), I can say that it was fun... even if I did have to spend the
last 5 songs sitting on the edge of the stage holding the organ up.
See, my Fast 3 probably hasn't been used by anyone on-stage in
eons, and the legs were just about falling off.  Music really is LOUD
when you're sitting on the stage.  But I was happy... incredibly
happy.
       The next night began after a great party over at Ms. Pearl's
place.  This time I'd found a way around the falling organ
problem... I have a modern keyboard stand that would hide quite
nicely under the Farfisa, while the normal legs dangled a couple
inches above the floor.  This show, at Brownies in NYC, was
MUCH more fun for me.  I heard complaints about the club's
sound, but I stand right up in front of the stage anyway, so it didn't
affect me.  Kicking off with "Go Go Ferrari", moving on to the
moody surf sounds of "Overcast", then into one of their signature
selections, "Some Kinda Fun" (highlighted, as always, by Rager on
keys), on through many more of their "Untamed Melodies", like
their take on The Scotsmen's "Beer Bust Blues", and "Supercharged
Steamroller" (everyone needs a copy of the video for this one), "Girl
& A Hot Rod" (I know it's asked in the reviews section, too, but...
Why isn't this one on Untamed Melodies?), "Land Beyond The
Moon", "Adam & Evil", and The Dictators' classic, "I Live For Cars
& Girls".  I was dancing my head off, jumping around, smiling,
sweating and... EXPLODING! when I heard them tear into The
Apparitions' "She's So Satisfying".  And later on, a version of "Don't
Look Back" that made me think that maybe we don't have to, 'cuz
The Untamed Youth are still with us.  (See News.)

       The only thing I really remember from February was a show
by *The Insomniacs* at Maxwells at the beginning of the month.  I
can't review it, really, except to say that these guys are becoming
one of the best bands of today's scene.
       Either later that month of sometime in early to mid-May
(amazing how details get lost over a three-month layoff), *The
Smugglers* blazed through town.  They were slated to stay at my
house on both Thursday and Friday night, so (like a good host) I
went out on Thursday to Maxwells to see them do the Smuggler-
thing.  (Which they happen to do better than anyone else.)  This set
featured much of the new record (see the CD reviews), and, as a
result, was more geared toward the melodic punk side of things
than their older sound.  Of course, if you listen to even their first 7"
and something from the new disc side-by-side, you'll certainly hear
the same band - there are definitely many common elements.
However, there is also much growth.
       The Smugglers didn't make it over my house that night,
calling instead, at 3 AM, to inform me that it had been Beez' turn to
drive and he'd gotten quite ill.  Since the rest of the band was
happily intoxicated, they'd decided to lay their heads down at a
friend's place in Hoboken.
       The next night, they were playing Coney Island High in
NYC... a 7:30 show.  I was home in plenty of time, but it was dismal
out.  Still, I was planning on going.  Then I started feeling lousy.
Really lousy.  When the Skeever called to ask my deal, I told him I
was folding.  As it turned out, my dinner took a wrong turn that
night and ended up taking the wrong way out.  Grant called after
they finished to see what was up... I told them they were still
welcome.  Thanks to plenty of bed rest, I was up to talking when
they arrived and we had quite the enjoyable evening catching up
with each other.

       Another memory lapse... all I can remember in here is a
Friday night spent at Brownies.  I arrived to find *Tommy Keene*
on-stage, bangin' out powerful pop songs the way he has for years.
The only true surprise for me was finding the place so packed.  The
only thing that bummed me out was that most of them left before
*The Rooks* took the stage.  It was their loss, as the group did one
of the best sets I've ever heard them do.  They dove right in, hitting
some irresistible harmonies and interweaving them with a major
gravity well of melody.  Too many pop bands try and let the songs
do the talking in their live shows.  Luckily, The Rooks put on an
intense, energetic live show that only adds to their brilliant
songcraft.

MAY
       May was good.  Better than good.  Maybe not truly great,
but... much better than good.
       It started out with the WFMU Record Fair at a church on
East 12th St. between 1st & A.  Now, being the struggling artist I am
(well, OK, I'm not an artist, but teaching never made anyone I know
rich),  I wasn't really there for the records.  Once upon a time,
maybe, I might have been.  Though, truth be told, even back when I
was buying lots of records, I was never a big record fair type.  For
that matter, I rarely bought more than $50 in records at a pop - and
that would be a major spending spree.  (Note: this does not include
some of my old orders to the Estrus Mail Order Mecca, which went
to the C-note range more than once.)
       'Tis true that there wasn't any live music going on here, but I
figured this was a worthy event so I'd mention it.  (Maybe we
should stretch the definition of live, then, to include the fact that
'FMU was broadcasting live from the church basement, with Bill
Kelly spinning some pretty wild stuff - the REAL Rock'n'Roll he's
famous for.)
       So, if I wasn't there to buy records, then what the heck was
my excuse for showing up and paying the $3? (I had one of those
discount cards that got me a buck off.)  Well... I considered it a
social event.  I knew showing up would guarantee a day spent
talking to friends.  (And seeing some folks that I rarely catch sight
of during the day.)  And, of course, I was correct.  I ran into the
obvious ones, the folks from Telstar & Norton, hawking their
wares, plus some friends I expected to see.  But I also ran into Kurt
"PileDriver" Wood, ex-Woggles' pounder, up with his wife,
Gretchen, to do some selling.  (And doing well, too, he said.)  I also
ran into Jack from Lance Rock Records in Vancouver, who was
doing the show with his pal, Bruce, from Au Go Go in Melbourne.
A pleasure to run into both of them.
       Anyway, that was pretty much my take on the record fair.  I
bought a couple things, but, like I said, that wasn't why I was there.
And I definitely got in a fantastic afternoon of hanging out with
some friends and catching up.

       The next weekend, May 10th & 11th, it was time for *The
Kaisers* & *The Neanderthals*.  The first show was set for Friday
night at the Mercury Lounge, with *The Itchies* opening up.  I got
home from work a bit later than I'd like for a Friday night, about
5:30, to find a message on our answering machine from ex-Devil
Dog drummer Mighty Joe Vincent.  It seems one of the
Neanderthals had taken ill the night before and Joe's current group,
*The Blissteens*, had been asked to pinch hit.  Just one more
reason for heading down, I figured.
       We arrived about a third of the way into the Itchies' set.
Basically instrumental, but with as much of  the Link Wray thing
going on as the surf instro, they were pretty good.  Eventually, they
brought a gal up on stage to belt a few out.  Up there, she reminded
me quite a bit of the singer from The Monarchs.  I wasn't overly
impressed with her voice (or her on-stage mannerisms, really,
although more than a few of us noticed her legs), but I kinda liked
their cover of "The Witch" (rearranged as "The Itch.")
       Next up were The Blissteens, who sounded much like their
tape (mentioned elsewhere in this mag).  Along with Joe, they
feature ex-members of Junior High (who appear on the Live At
Brownies CD), and tend toward a harder (and slightly harsher)
Headcoatees/Milkshakes sound.
       Then The Kaisers.  Just about everyone was set to shake all
over, and so we did just that.  Honestly, though, I can't say it was
the group's best performance.  Yeah, the crowd danced it down, but
somehow it didn't seem up to last year's high standards.

       This was not true, however, of the next evening's fuzztivities
at Maxwells.  Tonight, *The Neanderthals* were playing.  And
they were even more fun than the last time.  Partially, so, I think,
because many of us knew some of the words.  (Much as the garage
underground - or any underground - would like to believe, we're
always happier when we know the song.  A new one is nice, but,
like everyone else, we like a handhold.)  Stuff from the singles had
us swingin' and yellin', and then there was a fan fave I'd only heard
last time they were in town, "Baby You Bust My Balls" (a true
garage classic!)
       Then came *The Kaisers*!  Tonight, they stomped.  And so'd
the crowd (including yours truly).  This was The Kaisers I'd been
looking for, real spirit behind their Beat.  And Ballads.  Those
ballads can be sooooo powerful when done by a band that knows
how to play it.  Which the Kaisers do.  ("Like I Do")  And when they
do "Soldiers of Love", I think everyone in the room wants to sway
and sing along.  And to finish it off... "Let's Stomp."  (A fave of mine
from a long time ago.)

       Yet another weekend I'd been looking forward to for quite
some time was May 17th & 18th, when the Southern Invasion
would take place.  The Friday night show took place at Maxwells,
and I got there only about a song or two into *The Hatebombs*, a
group I've been wanting to see for at least a year or so.  Though few
folks had shown up yet, these Floridians did their best to get things
moving.  Solid garage rockin' , as they spiced a set of mainly
originals with some favored covers.  Of these, my favorite was most
likely "Going All The Way", which had many old garagehounds
baying along.  Special thumbs up go out to the band's
guitarist/organist, who not only fractured the frets but made his
organ jump and dance whenever possible.
       *The Woggles* came on and did their thing next.  As usual,
a highlight was Manfred going out into the crowd during "Jezebel"
and serenading the many lovely ladies in attendance.  For me, of
course, it was also wonderful to hear their version of "Abba" (a
favorite of Roberta's that they didn't play when she was in
attendance the following evening.)
       Finally, it was time for the world's number one party band,
*The Fleshtones*.  Things seemed to be moving along fairly well
for a bit, but then Bill's bass drum broke.  Oh well... they ended up
having to drastically alter the character of the show.  Still, I enjoyed
seeing them on the edge of the stage, doing things quietly.  It
worked well for many songs, including "Beautiful Light."  I kept
wishing they'd go into Buddy Holly's "Well Alright" (one they used
to cover to maximum effect some years back.)  It would've been
perfect for this situation.

       The next night was at CBGB's... We arrived during the
*Human Tornados*, a local surf group.  They were OK, but more of
a gentle beach breeze than a tornado.  *Guitar Wolf* came up and...
well, I'm really not that into GW.  It's fun for a bit, but too noisy and
too little real music.  I seem to remember them going into The
Heartbreakers' "Too Much Junkie Business" (which seemed
apropos, for some odd reason).  I like the idea of Guitar Wolf,
grabbing great rock'n'roll from the 50s thru the 70s, putting it in a
pile and setting fire to it.  Unfortunately, it seems like they also got
some Sonic Youth in there, which gets me kinda disgusted.
Especially when Seiji handed his guitar to some guy up front... who
go on-stage, strapped it on, and just seemed to bang on it.  Yet some
people really loved it.  Go figure.
       *The Hatebombs* once again played an incredible set, easily
eclipsing their performance the night before.  I only wish more of
the crowd knew their material, since they were just so danged
good.  *The Woggles* are better known to the New York audience
and, as a result, had quite a slew of folks (including moi) dancing
like a madman.  Tiring myself out to the point where I wasn't sure I
could take any more.  Definitely better than the previous night.
       Finally, it was time for *The Swingin' Neckbreakers*.  As
I've talked about these guys so much over the past few years, I
think I'll skip the blow-by-blow, saying instead that they hit most of
the favorites from their LPs & 45s, while adding in a couple strong
new ones.  (Was "Linda" a title?  I seem to remember really liking
it.)  What stands out in my mind about this set was how I started
"jump[ing] up and down, baby, all night long" (doing, as The Statics
sing, the "Russell Quan") and suddenly noticed a bunch of folks
joining me.  With big, sweaty, deliriously happy smiles on all our
faces.

       Friday the 24th we weren't sure what we were gonna do.
*Southern Culture on the Skids* were at the Mercury, but we
didn't have tickets and the Mercury is small.  But we figured we'd
give it a go.  If it didn't work out, we could always head up Avenue
A to Brownies for the Fleshtones.  Well, Roberta and I got a late
start and didn't arrive at the Mercury till 11.  And, by then, it had
quite predictably sold out.  But we waited outside anyway.
Hoping.  And waiting.  Well, as luck would have it, we ended up
getting in around the 2nd song or so.  And, as the set wound on, we
got closer and closer to the front, with the major movement coming
when the limbo stick went out.  There's always crowd movement
then.  The show?  Fantastic, as usual.  This is a group that can be
phenomenal every time.  Rick is one of the best guitarists I've ever
seen, highlighted by the fact that he doesn't overdo it with stupid
virtuoso annoyances; he does his thing and keeps the song going.
Mary not only provides stellar bassing, but when she steps up to
the mic, you realize you're in the presence of a goddess.  I always
feel that she would have been a huge star in the 1940s.  And Dave
Hartman... this guy is just so fantastic back there bangin' on the
drums.  Tons of energy and cool backing vox when called upon.  I
just wish SCOTS played NYC more often.

       According to bassist Jim Sangster, it's been about 5 years
since *The Young Fresh Fellows* played the East Coast.  And it
had to be on a friggin' Tuesday night.  Still, it was The YFF, so I had
to go.  I guess what I found comforting was the amount of songs
they chose to do off the first couple records, including the original
YFF theme, plus numbers like "Big House", "Hang Out Right" and
my request for The Sonics' "You've Got Your Head On Backwards."
Basically, it was YF Fun the whole way through.  I just wish they'd
be around more often.

       There's an old saying, "Never doubt the Platterpuss."  What,
you don't know it?  Now you do.  When *Sit N'Spin* did that show
at Maxwells, I couldn't really say whether they'd been amazing or
not, having gotten there late.  I only had th'Puss word on it.  Now,
while I didn't disbelieve him, I just didn't know.  Well, on Saturday
June 1st, I was at Brownies with time to spare.  As it turns out, these
gals are really hoppin' these days.  While I still long for Sue
Stanley's backing vocals on "Lupine Valentine", I'm finding that
everywhere else the rest of the gals are more than making up for it.
Some truly wonderful backup vocals laugh along much of the time,
often two-fold, rather than just one lone voice in the background.
And, once again, the cover of "30 Days" had me jumping.  Next up
were Cul De Sac (notice I didn't make 'em bold); Th'Puss and I took
off in search of some company for our stomachs.
       After being gone about 30-40 minutes, I figured Sir Puss and
I had missed the worst of the court, but when we arrived back in
front of Brownies, they were still going (and going, and going... like
that damned Bunny that no one has gotten around to blowing up
yet.)  At least a couple friends happened by... one's that we hadn't
seen for a while, including Philippe Marcade of The Senders.
       Finally, *The Lyres*.  For some reason, the place wasn't as
packed as it should have been.  Either way, though, Jeff & Co. put
on a pretty damned good show, going through the hits, plus a
couple of newer additions to the repertoire.  (Unfortunately, it's
often hard to get a Lyres' set list, since Jeff always takes them
himself.)

       I've warmed to *The Hentchmen* over time.  They were the
major reason I was going to Maxwells on Friday June 7th.
Headlining were The Meices (who I seem to recall having seen on a
bill with The Vacant Lot and The Fastbacks a few years ago).  The
Hentchmen went on to a crowd of only about 20 people.  (Another
surprise for me, considering they've been pretty popular around
NYC in recent times.  Maybe it was the fact that the Meices don't
excite many garage types enough to get them to travel to Hoboken.)
I'm gonna cut this short.  The Hentchmen put on the best set I've
ever seen them do.  With Farfisa singing out the melody, guitar
banging the rhythm, and new drummer Mike pounding it hard,
they had me dancing like a maniac (and there was room to do it,
too!), singing along, sweating happily, and grinning from ear to ear.
And, while there weren't that many people up there watching
them, just about everyone who was (by mid-way thru, maybe there
were 30-40 folks watching, max) was truly into it, with a much
higher percentage than usual actually dancing.  Yes, they got an
encore.  In fact, we made them come back a second time.  Pretty
amazing considering the size of the crowd.  What blew my mind
was how they rose to the occasion without the benefit of a packed
house.  They pulled this one off without that jam-packed crowd
mania.  The one word review: WOW!
       After an agonizing morning of Saturday detention, I spent
the afternoon half-sleeping, half-reading.  My initial evening plans
had been to attend a truly cool-sounding party in the Mile Square
City, then head to Continental around 11:30 or so for *The Nines*.
Only one problem... The Nines were taking the stage at 9 PM.  So
much for the party.  Time has taken its toll on Continental... while
the place seems bigger than it ever did when The Senderthing was
in full force all those Monday nights from late '88 thru early '91, it
seems to have lost the charm along with it.  Now it's just this dark
space.  Depressing... especially early on when there aren't that
many people there.  Either way, The Nines came out and did a
strong set, highlighted with "Gonna Get A Ring", "With A Little
Twist" and a favored cover, "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet".  After they
were done, God is My CoPilot came on.  BLECH!  Just plain bad.
Some movie titles should remain just that.

       Now here's something amazing... I'm actually writing this
one hours after the show has ended.  It's 4 AM and I just got home.
Roberta decided to visit her cousins tonight rather than fight Friday
night traffic, so I can stay up and write for a bit.
       Mike Sin got over my place around 9:20 or so, I guess.  We
made the drive and even found a spot fairly quickly.  Upon
walking in, we found *The New Dynasty Six* had already taken
the stage.  All I knew about these guys were that the leader, Johnny
Chan, had been in The Covingtons with Freddy Fortune of Fortune
& Maltese.  As it turned out, they'd just begun... I thought it was
pretty cool hearing these guys cover "Little Black Egg."  It is, after
all, one of the truly great songs of the 1960s.  As it turned out, the
ND6 did a TON of covers, including "A Girl As Sweet As You", "Be
A Caveman" and... yeesh, lots of stuff.  The thing is, many of the
heavier garage numbers - well, they did 'em too fast for me.  For
instance, "Ain't No Friend Of Mine", to me, is a song that deserves
pauses, deliberation, then attack... with bark and  bite being vicious.
I guess, overall, it was cool hearing a band I hadn't seen before do
garage stuff.  But, at the same time, there were just too many covers
being done too fast.  I'm hoping that these guys will work on this
over time and develop their sound.
       Finally, what I'd been waiting for since GarageRage in
December... the return of *Fortune & Maltese and the Phabulous
Pallbearers*.  Tonight they'd foregone the suits, due to the heat,
maybe.  Either way, they looked cool with their matching shirts.
Very '64 surf vocal/'65 frat rock.  Which comes close to their
describing their sound, for that matter.  They came on right away,
blasting into one of the hits from their first 7"er, "No Dice."  On
then, into The Everly Brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone".  Next up were
a couple from their upcoming Hillsdale LP, "Blow Out" & "My
Baby's Hearse", both of which were solidly in the Untamed Youth
surf vocal mode that always gets me going.  Next up, they launched
into my fave rave from their Screaming Apple LP, "Bamboozled
Again", a true garage stomper.  This led into "I'm Gonna Chase You
to the Ends of the Earth", which had a trace of The Electric Prunes'
"I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" psychedelia.  Then it was
time to dip into their 2nd 45, with "Wig Wam".  Now, as I write, I'm
realizing I'm going song by song.  I think I'm gonna can that for
now.  Other highlights included... well, just about everything on the
dang set-list really, including covers of "Dirty Old Man", "Try It",
and "Action Woman."  Of course, versions of F&M faves like "Fools
Gold", "Don't Mind If I Do" (one of my faves by these guys), "Low
Man On The Totem Pole", and "Kent Berglund, Action Man" (the
"Soapy"-like number) got me going wild.  I had to love "Get Off
Your High Horse", a beautiful rip on "High Heel Sneakers", not to
mention "Just Don't Care" which had me jumping up and down as
they crashed through the same chords and rhythm as "Bad
Woman".  In essence, I found myself dancing my fool head off
throughout this set.  While Coney Island High wasn't too packed,
there were a bunch of us jumping around like mad.
       Then it was time for one of my favorite groups of the past 10
years, *The Original Sins*.  As it turned out, I ended up dancing
throughout their set, too.  (Not bad, maybe I lost a couple pounds.)
They were having fun with this night, dipping back for songs from
just about all their records, taking requests for "Juicyfruit", "Not
Gonna Be Alright", and "Beast In Me", throwing in "Now's The
Time" (one of the best garage-pop punkers ever written, as far as
I'm concerned), "Watch You Dance" and all four tracks from their
new seven-incher (see the reviews), among a host of others.  Also
included were a bunch of covers, including "Any Way You Want It"
by the Dave Clark Five and an encore of "Psycho", not to mention
the biggest surprise, a version of Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide
World."  And, oh yeah, one of the best pop-rockers anyone's written
in the past decade, "She's On My Side."  I'll never understand why
more people don't classify The Original Sins as one of the greatest
bands of our time.  I guess it pisses me off, too, to see some lo-fi
garage groups (many with little, if any, talent) get heaps of praise
from fans and critics while The Original Sins are all but ignored.
Some people really need to get a clue.  Hmm... maybe I need to do a
Sins web page or something.

       I toyed with the idea of waking up on Saturday around noon
and hopping in the Smurfmobile for a trek up to Portland, Maine.
Two problems... first, I didn't get out of bed till two.  Second, I
really didn't feel like making the trip.  Even if was for a Talismen
reunion.  (For those of you who've never heard the Talismen, I'd
suggest picking up either their 45 or mini-LP, both on Chaos,
available through Black Eye Records (see addresses) or maybe Get
Hip.  Really, some fantastic rockin' R&B/garage the likes of which I
haven't heard since.  What really pisses me off is that they're
playing a reunion in NYC on August 3rd at Continental with the
Insomniacs.  What's wrong with that?  I'll be in Denver at
TrebleFest, that's what.)
       So... what did I do on Saturday night?  Well, obviously I went
to Maxwells to see *Fortune & Maltese*.  It kinda got me ticked off
that they were on a bill with two bands that had nothing to do with
them, Probe (who I'd never heard of) and Every Damn Day (who I
had heard of, but didn't know a damn thing about... and had been
told I really didn't want to know about, anyway.)  But for Fortune
& Maltese, I figured, it was worth it.  Attendance was sparse, at
best.  While F&M were on, I doubt there were more than 15 people
watching them, at most.  And I got the feeling the only people there
to see them were me & Ms. Lisa F.  (Actually, a couple other friends
showed up, too, but only with about 5 songs left.)  Still, the "boys
who make all the noise" really did their thing.  They put on a great
show, with Freddie Fortune even going out into the "crowd" and
running around.  And the band was really on... the guitar just
roaring through, the bass solid and anchoring down the bottom,
Mike Maltese dancing around on the Vox Jaguar organ, and those
drums... WOW!  What a pounding those things were taking.  All I
can say is... you missed it.  Fools.
       By the way, for those of you who own old 60s combo organs and
(1) don't feel like shelling out the dough for a modern keyboard stand, (2)
can't do carpentry for your life, and (3) are not into hunting down a
vintage stand, well, Mike Maltese has the answer... an ironing board.
This will also come in handy when you're on the road and the band needs
to have its outfits wrinkle-free.

       Well... that's gonna have to wrap it up.  It's now June 16th,
1996, Grandma Katie Buscareno's 82nd birthday.  Happy Birthday,
Grandma.

*****************************************************************************
SHINY & ROUND, WITH A 5" DIAMETER

       "It's Washington's Birthday, but the gifts are for you!"
       Ummm... OK.  Actually, that's kinda what it felt like the
night of Skeever's bachelor party.  Originally, we'd planned to take
him to see The Cramps with Man or Astro-Man? up in his old
neighborhood, Hell's Kitchen.  But then he heard that the Red
Aunts were playing down at the Mercury Lounge and was much
more into that (something I personally couldn't fathom, but it was
him who'd be getting hitched a couple days later, so...)  And,
besides, the Flat Duo Jets were both opening and headlining this
one; how bad could it be? (Of course, nobody told me we'd be
moving on to other activities after the Red Aunts.)  Now, let's get to
the point.  Well, I'm hangin' out with The Skeever & Le Bluesman,
waiting for the other celebrants to make an entrance when Norton
Records kingpin, Billy Miller, walks in.  Upon seeing me, he tells
me he's got some stuff for me in the car.  (See the tie-in to the first
sentence, now?  Took a while, didn't it?  And completely not worth
it, right?  Well, folks, it's not like I actually make money at this.)
Anyway, one of the primo elements of this gift package was
CAMPUS PARTY (Norton, but I think we covered that) from those
Michigan madmen, *The Hentchmen*.  Now, I suppose I could tell
you for the 85th time (well, probably a bit less than that) about how
these guys didn't quite keep my boat buoyant those first few
times... but you knew that.  (So we'll get on with it.)  Simply put,
CAMPUS PARTY more than lives up to its billing.  This little
bugger just keeps on giving out with the good-time sounds.  The
organ sings along, dancing and soaring, with the guitar both
building a framework and going for a beer run when it gets thirsty,
obviously imbibing a bit before the rest of the gents get to partake.
As for fave tracks... well, I s'pose if I'm forced, I'll pick "So Many
Girls" as numero uno, but "Bag of Tricks" comes real close.  I guess
one of the things I like about these guys is all the songs about girls.
Or maybe it's the organ.  Maybe it's girls and organs.  (Oh yeah, the
Flat Duo Jets were pretty swingin' that night.  And I did NOT like
The Red Aunts.  But for those who want to know more about that
show, check out the latest ish of The Skeever's mag, CapSoul
Reviews.  Or maybe it's still on his home page on the Web.)
       *Mickey & Ludella* were/are members of The Milkshakes
& Headcoatees.  Knowing that, BEDLAM A' GO-GO (Vinyl Japan)
is exactly what you'd expect, musically speaking, except maybe that
you're not used to hearing both of them sing together.  Now, while
their voices aren't exactly Mickey & Sylvia, the effect still makes for
good rock'n'roll.  About 60% of the cuts here are originals, ones
that'll remind you that Mickey Hampshire was just as potent a force
as Billy Childish in The Milkshakes  (if you recall, the writing
credits were Hampshire-Childish).  Mickey still has much the same
sound to his material, a hard '65 Kinks feel that I've always been
nuts about.  One of the best of the originals is the title cut, featuring
a "Tequila"-beat, with maracas shuffling it up nicely, and some cool
call-response bits between the vocal and guitar.  "Do I Expect Too
Much" brings the beat to a Roman processional just short of mid-
tempo, with fuzz guitar dirtying things up.  Their choice of cover
material is stellar, including:  "Stop And Listen" by Chuck Berry,
with Mickey taking the lead vocal and Ludella mooning in the
background, longingly; The Rolling Stones' "Tell Me", Mickey once
again taking the mic; and Bo Diddley's "We're Gonna Get Married",
one that Roberta and I took to right away, as Mickey & Ludella just
whoop it up, trading the lead vocals.  This one'll have you dancing
all over the place, turning it up, getting the downstairs neighbors
banging on their ceiling thanks to the stomping you're gonna be
doing.  This one captures what it's all about.
       Seems like not so long ago people were telling me that the
*Flat Duo Jets* were a thing of the past.  But then came
INTRODUCING THE FLAT DUO JETS.  And now RED TANGO
(Norton).  What's more, they're as vigorous as they ever were.
Now, personally, I still believe WHITE TREES is their masterpiece.
That said, there are plenty of fans out there who'll argue with me
forever on that one.  For those, this one'll certainly fight for the pole
position.  And for those who agree with me, this'll certainly be
worth coming back to time and time again.  The recording boasts
all those things Flat Duo Jets' fans love about the band: wildness,
simplicity, directness, honesty, and a knowledge of where it comes
from.  There are rockers and ballads, instrumentals and vocals.
Personally, I don't skip around at all on this one.  I know there are
some people out there who could do without the ballads, but I not
only like them, but find them well-placed.  They're a welcome
change and make the next fast one that much more effective.
       The first time I ever heard of *The Motards* was upon
spotting their "I'm A Criminal" 7-incher listed in the Estrus catalog.
I must've liked the description, though I can't recall what the hell it
actually said any more (and am way too lazy to go look for it), and
bought it.  When it came in, it turned out to be raw and wild,
almost as jagged as The Oblivians.  Unlike those guys, though, this
was somehow thicker, heavier.  More meaty.  Like these were a
bunch of thugs who just didn't care who they threw out of their
way while they had their fun.  Definitely a good time.  Lately,
though, I hadn't picked up anything by 'em (mainly 'cuz I'm
extremely low on funds), so it was a pleasant surprise to find
..ROCK KIDS (Empty) in my mailbox the other day.  So pleasant
that I put it on a couple times in a row.  I figured I'd write the
review now instead of letting yet more stuff pile up in the musical
traffic jam by the stereo.  I kept trying to pick fave cuts to
recommend... but it just didn't work - every blasted one of these
buggers is packed to the gills with driving ferocity.  It's rude, don't-
give-a-bleep punk rock.  While I get the feeling that punk is their
aim, they've got a definite garage rockin' muscle to back up the
attitude.  Which makes it work.  And justifies the occasional
swagger.
       The Texas crowd are always mentioning *The Sons of
Hercules* (which is a damn fine name, by the way).  Finally, last
year, someone gave me a mag with a flexi inside that included
some of their stuff.  WOW!  Now, finally, I've gotten a full-length
release by them, HITS FOR THE MISSES (Unclean).  "Spittin' Fire"
does just that right from the get-go, with garage riffs banging away,
but not straight-ape style.  My favorites on here are ones like this,
that take their cues from 60s garage, yet imbue them with their own
spirit.  Perhaps the best example of this is "Long Way Down" where
they draw heavily upon an amalgam of Texas garage tradition and
inject it with new life.  I keep getting the feeling that this one must
get the crowd going absolutely nuts in the live setting.  Rumor has
it they'll be up here in late August.  No matter who they play with,
I'll show up.  (And beg for this one.)
       I first saw the *Lord High Fixers* in Seattle last May, the
night before GarageShock.  I was completely unprepared.  This was
a sonic onslaught that my NY-time body just wasn't ready for.  And
this was nothing less than an all-out assault.  These guys-and-gal
were not just playing.  Likewise, there's absolutely no fooling
around on WHEN THE REVOLUTION COMES (Au Go Go).
"Witch Doctor" blasts right through, lead guitar screeching up top,
rhythm playing the mainline.  On, then, to "Love The Life I Live", as
they slow it down and kind of smear the sound all over, coloring
outside the lines.  Come to think of it, that's about the best I'm
going to describe the LHF: they color outside the lines.  No matter
what kinda song they're doing, they choose to ignore the road well-
travelled, picking their own way, even if it means knocking off
whatever gets in their path.  So if you hear them playing a basic
blues riff underneath, you can be sure that's just their compass,
telling them their destination is somewhere... that way.  But they'll
be damned before they let Mr. Suit tell them the route.  Dig the way
the backing vocals on "Tired of Trying" are buried underneath.  But
if you choose to join the Young Lions' Conspiracy, you'll know that
only through your constant vigilance can you succeed in keeping
Mr. Suit from stealing the souls of you and yours.  (Meanwhile...)
Coming at this from a purely musical POV: the Lord High Fixers
are one damn powerful group.  They know their blues, their R&B,
their soul, their garage, and, yes, even their punk rock.  They know
what it takes to have an effect.  On here, they throw their influences
into a blender and then open the lid.  Whether they're going slow or
fast, it just doesn't matter, this is a group to watch.  (Oh yeah, and
there is a Young Lions' Conspiracy essay inside: this time by
Makers' manager Vic Mostly.)
       First I'd heard of *The Phantom Rats* was on a routine
phone chat with the Platterpuss.  As is always the case when we're
gabbin' away, keeping Ma Bell in furs, the topic turned to music.
(Hell, it usually doesn't stray far from it.)  We were talking about
recent acquisitions (sounds like big business, doesn't it?) when he
told me about this cool disc he'd gotten by this bunch, on 1+2.  He
described 'em as being kinda like Teengenerate and The Devil
Dogs, and warned me that this was one disc he'd suggest not
playing even after hours in my classroom.  (Kinda understandable
for a disc containing the title, "Suck My Dick.")  Also out by the Rats
is the "See You Tonight" 45.  These Tokyo punksters are movin' fast
and wild just like The Puss said, but their hearts lean toward the
melody of The Vacant Lot (though The Rats never quite get that
far.)  On "All I Want" I even hear a shade of Bum, as its on the
power pop side of the punk rock river.
       Last I heard from *Ten High* was a ten-inch EP that
included a version of the same Kim Fowley number, "Born To Make
You Cry", that The Friggs included on their own mini-platter.  That
one was decent, but they really kick it in gear with PARTY STORE
(Alive/Total Energy).  While it's got lots of my favorite garage-isms
(bet my spell-checker has never heard of a "garage-ism"), from real
killer harp-honking and organ smashing to that basic feel we all
love, it's obviously much more than a simple back-to-Pebbles bit.  I
listen to this one, cranking it loud, and realize that (with a little
luck) maybe there's a chance for this bunch.  Wendy Case has a
truly powerful voice and the band knows how to bang it out in all
the most pleasing ways.  At the same time, Wendy's writing some
fantastic melodies and they've got some strong harmonies, too.
(Check out the lead track, "Get On", with a cool guitar solo by
Bobby Balderrama of ? & The Mysterians.) They also know the
power of a good cover, including a reading of The Seeds "Satisfy
You" that capably captures the song's essence, yet does so with a
truly now sound.  Other covers are included, but perhaps the most
exciting is a version of The Beach Boys' "Do It Again" (with Fortune
& Maltese vocalist Freddy Fortune contributing backups).  Not as
basic as the original, this one picks up speed and muddies it up
slightly, but still gives me goose bumps, especially when the
harmonies kick in.  And then that blissful guitar flies along
underneath.  And the whistle.  Pure joy.  (Just wish it lasted longer.)
I think I'll be listening to this one quite a bit.
       At long last, *The Smugglers* have bestowed upon the
world SELLING THE SIZZLE (Mint/Lookout).  (I still think they
should've called it I Slept With The Bluesman.)  Anyway, right away,
Dos Schmugs let you know they're out "To Serve, Protect, and
Entertain."  (Uh, protect?  Or maybe they're really referring to the
Keystone Kops.)  Up-tempo pop with tons of energy and the band
way, way up.  They keep it going with "Especially You" and "Bishy-
Bishy!" (first time I heard it, I thought it was "Crucificia" about
some girl in Catholic school).  "Big Trouble" changes the tone, a bit
darker, but still a romp, with the guitars letting loose whenever
possible.  For me, this is easily the best Smugglers' record yet.
Everything on here gets me moving, does something good to me.
Everything.  Of course, there are special favorites (I mean, in
addition to the ones already mentioned): "She Ain't No Egyptian",
"The Dedication", and "The Pick 'Em Up Truck".  But these are only
my favorites right now; they change almost daily.  Get this.
       Cub reporter Cunningham has this extremely pleasing habit
of picking up CDs he likes on the cheap and sending 'em my way
so I, too, can thrill to the sounds found therein.  *The Shame Idols*
I GOT TIME (Frontier) is probably one of the best surprises
anyone's ever gifted me with.  This became a favorite of some of my
students this year, who would constantly ask for it to be played
when they were working in the computer room.  The first track,
"Superman" is overpowering in its appeal.  Beyond that, the
melody reminds me of another favorite, "Pirate Radio" by The
Slaves.  They keep things going with "Impossible", a bit harder, less
sugar, but this'll keep you shakin'.  Maybe my favorite track,
though, is "I Got Time".  Melody, melody, and some nice backing
vocals thrown in at all the right times.  The boys in the band also
know the value of letting the guitars buzz around.  Listen to "Sun
Ra" for yet another pop slam.  Geez, these guys are good.  Can't
wait to hear more from them.
       If you've been reading the TS for any length of time, you're
probably aware of how nuts I am for just about anything done by
Dom Mariani.  So when our Australian correspondent, Michael
Seman, told me that the new *DM3* disc, ROAD TO ROAM
(Citadel), was out in Australia, I had to have it.  Luckily, Michael
came through for me.  Somehow, he'd gotten his hands on an extra
copy and offered to send it my way.  I jumped at the chance.
(THANK YOU, Michael!)  So, after playing this thing non-stop for
about a week or two, I get another package from Australia.
Another copy of the disc.  This time from Dom Mariani, himself.
(This, for me, is kinda like having one of the Greek gods
acknowledging the existence of a mere mortal.  Seriously.  As far as
I'm concerned, Dom has recorded some of the absolute best music
of the 80s and 90s.  The Stems, The SomeLoves, The Stonefish, some
material with The Summer Suns, and now the DM3.  How can
anyone possibly argue?  The case is made.)  (Oh yeah, the extra one
went to an extremely grateful Platterpuss, so he can review it for
his faithful readers.)  OK, the disc.  Things begin with "Can't Get
What You Want", as pretty a pop song as any you're likely to hear,
with Dom's guitar ringing all over.  This is just a glimpse of things
to come, though, as the DM3 explore a wide variety of pop
territory:  the lonely, hurt vein ("Please Don't Lie"), the wanting
("Second Floor"), regretful ("I Thought You Were Foolin'"), and
many, many more.  What matters most to me, though, on any
record, is how the music affects me.  This does, especially tracks
like the first one, along with "Pleaze You", and "Dead Stars".  The
latter is laced with some soaring Hammond organ, flavored with
another beautiful Mariani melody, and sprinkled with the
occasional twinkling guitar, but mainly punched up nice and
powerful, guitar gushing around.  I'm also thrilling to the sounds of
"Soultop", forceful guitar playing its way around, a chorus I'm
singing along to, and a tasteful, searing guitar solo that melts
effortlessly into an equally worthy Hammond organ bit.  The disc
ends as it began, with a song co-written by Mariani with his
SomeLoves partner, Daryl Mather, entitled "TV Sound".  In fact,
that's probably why both this one and that first one both sounded
like they might have fit well on a SomeLoves LP, although this isn't
as lush as some of the SL material.  Even so, more than anything
else on this disc, you'll find yourself singing along to this.  (By the
way, if you're supremely lucky, you'll also manage to luck into a
copy of ROAD TO ROME that includes a second disc, a CD-EP by
the band called SOMETHING HEAVY.  If you can't manage to find
the double-CD, try and track down the EP, anyway, 'cuz it's chock
full of fantastic music, including some live material, a well as a
SomeLoves' song and a version of The Plimsouls' "Zero Hour".)
The only thing that bugs me is that the notes say that some of this
was recorded in North Carolina with Mitch Easter.  Now, I can't
change the past, but I can beg for the future - Dom, next time any of
your groups decides to record here, please-please-please do a tour
when you're done.  Oh yeah... a final note to all you power pop
fanatics out there: if you've never heard anything by Mr. Mariani...
Pick up all his stuff; it's exactly what you're looking for.  (By the
way, evidently there's a new SomeLoves' LP on the way later this
year.)
       I've heard a couple of my friends complain that CHIMES
(Not Lame), the new CD-EP by *The Rooks*, is too mellow for
them.  Personally, I believe it's just another facet of the band.  True,
these songs don't knock about with the same intensity as some of
their earlier material.  On the other hand, The Rooks have never
been known for banging.  Their claim to (relative) fame is the
beautiful melody-craft of Michael Mazzarella, thoughtful, effective
arrangements, and brilliant, well-placed harmonies.  This CD
continues in all of these fine traditions.  That being said, "It's A
Crying Shame" is closer to their tracks on A DOUBLE DOSE OF
POP (Not Lame), while the second track, "House of Fortune", is
perhaps one of the tracks that have given certain (obviously
unthinking) friends of mine pause.  However, on truly listening to
this one, it's breathtaking; cooler, with a Beau Brummels
harmonica-wistfulness underneath, sprinkled with some Spanish-
sounding guitar at all the right points in the background, it is
reminiscent of some of my favorite Permanent Green Light
material.  "War" puts me in mind of the colder, lonely elements of
Sergeant Pepper.  "Friends of Mine" picks things up a bit, but still
doesn't go for the upbeat, bouciness that some may look for.  The
EP closes with a "bonus" cut, "Christmas", a seasonal single the
band released a few years back.  For those of you that, like me,
don't have that one, this is a welcome addition.  Truly a bonus, as it
gives us a glimpse at what the band sounded like before they were
"discovered" by Not Lame.

*****************************************************************************
LONG PLAYING VINYL RECORDS

       If you've been in the NY/NJ metro area on a Saturday
afternoon in the last ten years or so, you may have spun your tuner
to 91.1 FM, WFMU, thereby finding a radio program full of
delightfully greasy R&B, hosted by a guy calling himself The
Hound.  Well, this favored NYC-area on-air personality does the
liner notes on GREASY, the new LP from *Andre Williams with
the El Dorados* (Norton).  This is music that's straight up The
Hound's alley.  It's also a wonderful breath of fresh air after
listening to tons of lo-fi garage and punk.  The El Dorados remind
us that the vocal sounds that could make a record happen in the
1950s still have a place, if only the world would take a listen.
Andre makes us realize that the R&B sounds of that period also
have great staying power, as does his spoken patter style vocal.  In
addition to the bacon-fat sizzle of the up-tempo numbers, there are
also slow ones, like "Lemon-Squeezin' Daddy" (with some nice
piano work) that'll hit you hard.  My #1 pick is "Back In Tijuana" (a
reference to Williams' hit, "Tijuana" from way back when), written
by ex-A-Bone Billy Miller with the guitarist on the record, one Dick
Taylor.  (Yeah, Dick Taylor of The Pretty Things.  If that doesn't
help, well... he was also an original member of The Rolling Stones.)
Extra points are also awarded for "Put A Chain On It" with
Studebaker John wailin' on the harp and Dick Taylor's guitar
singing along for all its worth.  Oh yeah, and a great new rendition
of Andre's classic, "Jailbait".  And a damn fine version of "Riot In
Cell Block #9".  Honestly, this LP is one you'll be happy to put on
over and over again, without having to worry about any annoying
filler.
       Yes, I do like *The Neanderthals'* THE LATEST MENACE
TO THE HUMAN RACE (No Hit).  Musically, anyway.  It's just the
philosophical side that pisses me off.  But we've already talked
about that elsewhere, so I'll ease up.  Four of the songs on this (eg.
"Arula Mata Gali", "Girl & A Hot Rod", etc.) have been reviewed
previously or in other parts of this mag, so I'll bypass those, saying
only that they're well worth having by any garage fan (esp. the two
examples just given, with Tarzan-garage and frat rock fun filling
out the two sides).  Of the other six tracks, I've got two favorites,
"Betty Lou's Got A New Tattoo" and "Too Many Nights In The Gin
Mill".  Both are taken from a frat rock perspective, though a heavier,
grittier (and older, maybe) one than groups like Fortune & Maltese
or The Untamed Youth bring to it.  The latter cut is my pick here,
sounds like they had an all-out drinking blast.  And if the lyrics are
saying they've spent too many nights like this, the music's saying
they're gonna keep the good times rolling.
       Finally!  An LP from *Fortune & Maltese and the Phabulous
Pallbearers* (Screaming Apple).  Actually, if you're nuts about
these guys, you've already got 8 of the 18 tracks presented here,
since they come from the first two seven-inchers.  In fact, the only
stuff included on the EPs that you won't find here are a couple of
the bonus tracks (like the band's Pepsi commercial), so this is a fine
place for anyone to get into the swingin' sounds of Fortune &
Maltese.  As for those of us who're already F&M fanatics, well...
there are 10 new recordings for us.  Side one will orient the
newcomer to this major new force on our garage-pop planet.  These
are the EP tracks, where you'll hear frat-rockin' fun, garage ravers,
harmony happiness, orgasmic organ, and some damn pretty pop
(60s style, of course.)  But side one isn't completely for the
newcomer, as it closes out with a version of Chris Montez' "Let's
Dance".  The clincher here (well, besides the incredible instrumental
blowout on the break) is the dual lead vocals by Messrs. Freddy
Fortune & Mike Maltese.
       Turn the record upside down and the wildness continues
with all-new F&M faves for your (and my) listening pleasure.  They
blast right off with "Bamboozled Again", starting off with a cool
organ bleat that soon reaches all-out mayhem, fuzztone set on
nasty-ass.  Things stay rough and wild right through "Low Man
(On Her Totem Pole)" and "Try A Little Harder".  Then it's time for
"I Just Don't Care", one that, when they launched into it live at
Coney Island High, I (quite understandably) mistook for a cover of
"Bad Woman".  On record, it's a bit faster and, hence, the tie-in may
not come as quickly.  Either way, though, this one's a monster.
"Chase You" changes direction, heading the band towards the
psych districts of Garageland, with shades of The Electric Prunes "I
Had Too Much To Dream Last Night".  But it's back to the fuzz for
"I Found A New Love", then straight-up garage-punk pounding on
"Golden Arm" (one with a miniature ghost story spoken in the
middle).  A track called "The Bummer" would make many folks
think there was an instro surf number coming their way.  Sorry,
gang, the surf is not up on this platter (though there will certainly
be something in that vein on the group's upcoming Hillsdale LP,
due in July).  Instead, the "boys who make all the noise" do just that,
demolishing everything in their path.  Every party's gotta end, but
not without one last blast.  "Black Hood" finishes things up, moving
back to the up-tempo district of Popville, one of Garageland's most
popular addresses.  The band does remind you during the instro
break that they've spent some time in Psychtown, but don't lay
their vacation on you too heavily.  Oh yeah, fans will also dig the
cool three-part vocal bits in the chorus.  Summing it all up, then...
this may be one of the premiere releases of the year.
       Any true fan of Fortune & Maltese will wish the group
would play at least once a month at their favorite hot-spot.  Of
course, F&M being the big showbiz stars they are... well, that just
isn't possible.  Luckily, a bootleg is available, which I'll call LIVE
AT HARVEY'S�(Don't Mind If I Do).  The way Professor Schmiddy
tells it (and he oughta know, he's a Professor, after all), the band
confiscated these recordings on their last European tour.  Some
Dutch guy was trying to peddle them outside a club the band was
playing.  The veracity of this story, however, must be called into
question.  Read a little further and maybe you'll understand why.
(No, I am NOT calling the kindly professor a fibber, just that he
may be a man who enjoys a good tall tale.)  Even if this bootleg is a
scam, it's nicely done, right down to the truly horrendous drawing
on the label (not to mention naming the label for one of the band's
songs).  The fun continues with the fake Crawdaddy interview
snippet on the back cover.  Then there's the couple mislabeled song
titles inside ("The Bummer" is "You know I'm Pretentious, Baby",
the song's first line, while "Kent Berglund, Action Man" becomes
"Can't Hurt Him, Action Man".)  Side the first closes with an
"interview" on an Amsterdam radio program.  This is where things
become truly suspect:  in the last line of the interview, they say,
"Girls & Gentlemen, please, no recording devices at the show
tonight, because we really don't believe in bootlegs."  I do
appreciate a band with a sense of humor.
       The only material contained on this "bootleg" that doesn't
appear elsewhere appears to be cover tunes such as "Try It", "Dirty
Old Man" and a Paul Revere track I couldn't identify.  There may be
one other, but, hey, I've got other things to do today than track this
stuff down.  Anyway, there is also the "bonus cut", called "Chevy
Man".  According to the liner notes, it's an "unfinished gem from a
latter F&M studio session."  In the "Crawdaddy"  piece, it is
mentioned that this is what kicked off the band's "Frown" sessions.
       Summary time, again... this is a fantastic document of
Fortune & Maltese live.  It comes straight outta their hometown of
Kalamazoo AND it has fairly decent sound.  Oh yeah, one more
thing - this bootleg, combined with their Screaming Apple LP, and
the shows they just did in the NYC area have them in contention
for Teen Scene Artist of the Year honors.  (That and a quarter will
get you a bad piece of bubblegum.)
       Of all the groups that I've heard from down Austin-way
(and, no, I haven't heard all the groups from that scene), *The
Cryin-Out-Louds* are the most 60s garage-oriented.  However, as
is proven on their LP for No Lie Music, they're definitely not
sticking to the sound of '66.  Still and all, one of my favorite
numbers on the album, "Mescal Rose" has some classic R&B-isms in
the guitar lines.  Also, "This Hammer" references folk-legend John
Henry, mixing in some blues-y lyrics.  Also worth checking out is
"Backroad Chase" which reminds me musically of 9 Lb. Hammer,
but visually of The Dukes of Hazzard.
       It's been a long time since I bought my first record by the
*New Christs*, vocalist Rob Younger's post-Radio Birdman group.
It's been even longer since old LI pal Bill Jones first told me about
them.  In fact, I believe The New Christs have been together in one
form or another for 15 years.  (Sometimes it amazes me that all this
cool stuff was happening and I was completely unaware, not only
of the music that was being made, but that music would become
such a large part of my life.  But back in 1981, I was finishing up
10th grade an hour out into suburbia.  And enjoying it.)  The first
single I got by The New Christs was "No Next Time"/"Headin'
South".  And it packed a real solid punch.  Well, here we are now,
1996, and the band has gifted us with WOE BETIDE (Lance Rock), a
10-inch mini-LP.  Rob Younger's gotta be in his early to mid-40s by
now, but obviously age can't keep him from playing hard.  While
"Only A Hole" sounds cool, with a sitar start giving way to big
drums, it's the title cut(hidden on the second side in the second slot)
that'll be getting heavy rotation on my personal playlist.  The band
burns, bangs, and soars on this one, moving quickly, slowing down
only briefly to make the jump back that much more effective.  This
is probably one of the best New Christs titles I know of.  I can't help
but wonder why it wasn't slotted as the first track on the record.
This seems like slotting your best TV show for 9:30.  "The Half
That's Left" follows it up as a strong second, taking the tempo
down, but compensating with some melody, giving Rob's vocal a
chance to come through.  Extra points awarded for organ use.

*****************************************************************************
THE NUMERO UNO FORMAT

       A ton of ye olde seven inch vinyl delights have accumulated
on my snacking table over the last bunch of months.  (For that
matter, the amount of shiny five inch things haven't exactly been
lacking.)  Anyay, while the task of absorbing all this aural candy
has been kind of daunting, it's a job that must be done.  (After all, if
I don't do it... who knows?  The world as we know it might end.)
       You're probably hearing it from me throughout this whole
damn epic issue, but *The Insomniacs* are finally taking their
rightful place in today's garage god pantheon.  Their latest 45,
"Already Down"/"Jump & Dance" (Estrus) is just one more reason
why.  Up top is a long-time staple of the live set, a mid-tempo
garage psych number that should leave you pleased with your
purchase.  When you flip it over, though, that's when you realize
you just got the deal of a lifetime.  The group's Mod side comes out
down there, a killer cover that blows the original to shreds.  This
one's based on the "Can't Explain" riff, but with tons more horses,
thanks in no small part to Mike Sin's power drumming.  When Bob
Woj takes the lead, his guitar's screaming.  This one'll have
everyone doing exactly what the title says, plus clapping hands and
stomping feet.  I defy anyone out there with a pulse to sit still
through this.
       Last Spring it was time for the fabled Scottish Invasion.  For
those of you who missed out, the goodly folk at Norton Records
have seen fit to let you in on the action, if only by vinyl proxy.  Just
in case you still have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about, the
subject at hand is *The Kaisers'* "In Americaa"EP.  Recorded live at
CBGB's on (as the liner notes put it) "New York's scenic Bowery" on
the last night of their tour, the four lads are introduced by none
other than Bill Luther of Smashed! Blocked!   After which, they rip
into "Hipshake Shimmy Kitten", one of their biggest hits.  Now, I'm
sure by now you've all dug their other fine vinyl outings, but unless
you've been lucky enough to see 'em do their thing in person, you
haven't heard The Kaisers.  On record, they make some of the finest
Mersey-styled sounds since those heady days in Liverpool before I
was born.  However, as reported in reference to many of those self-
same groups of 30-35 years ago, the live show tears that stuff to
shreds.  This record captures much of that.  Perhaps the best
evidence of that is the version of "I Can Tell" to be found here.
Usually, this one would be fairly slow; live at CB's, though, the
tempo is revved and the sweat pours through as the crowd goes
wild.
       A bunch of you probably already have *The Milkduds*
"Shake "EP (Square Target), but I only got it recently, thanks to a
posting by Syd Wayman on Modslist.  (Muchas Thanks, Syd!)
Anyways, I'd heard about these guys about a year ago... a bunch of
guys who were a Milkshakes tribute band.  Why can't more folks
do tribute groups to good bands like this?  Why must the world be
inundated with tributes to all the horrors of FM Rock?  (Easy
answer:  'Cuz FM Rock's so effing popular.  Ah, the power of
money.)  Imagine spending 15 years of your life playing the same
songs... ones you didn't even write.  And you don't even add
anything of yourself to them.  Heck... you consciously try to ape
exactly what the originals did.  Well, I guess it's a living.  But I gotta
wonder what these guys do when they turn 50.  Enough.  At least
people get together every once in a while to do the occasional
tribute to something good... a bunch in NYC has supposedly
formed to do Sonics songs.  San Diego used to have a pick-up
group (composed of members of the TellTale Hearts & Gravedigger
V) called The Sect Maniacs, who covered Downliners' Sect numbers
and raved all night.  Musta been great.  But we're here to talk about
The Milkduds (note: the group include members of The E-Types &
The Fallouts), who pay tribute to the best group Billy Childish was
ever in, The Milkshakes.  (Don't even think about arguing with me.)
The tribute begins with the cover, a perfect aping of The
Milkshakes Showcase, with the Milkduds monicker and faces.  Set
the needle to the grooves and whaddaya hear but five Milkshakes'
tracks: "Please Don't Tell My Baby", "Exactly Like You", "Hide &
Scatter", "The Best Things In Life", & "This Feeling Inside".  These
guys have really gotten it down well.  While their take on "Please
Don't Tell My Baby" has a more Mod/Soul guitar sound than the
original, that's perfectly OK, 'cuz it's damn good.  Plus, on every
track the boys prove to be adept students of The Milkshakes'
bang/crash chord guitar sound.  An added plus is their own
inspired original, "9/10ths (Of Your Love", a number Hampshire
and Childish forgot to pen.  (The writing credit goes to
Hamster/Boyish, as each of the four guys in the band has taken on
a sort of Bizarro-world Milkshakes ID.)  Anyway, this is a must-
have for all Childish/Milkshakes nuts, or for anyone who wants to
hear some great Rhythm'n'Beat bashing.
       When I saw *The Neanderthals* last Spring, I was pretty
much blown out of my Keds.  (Well, OK, I don't actually wear Keds,
but I did when I was a wee one.)  Here were a bunch of guys,
probably in their late 30s, who were obviously just out for a good
time.  And how could you fault a bunch of guys wearing caveman
outfits, anyway?  Especially with a bass player who looks like
Uncle Fester.  But (as I've said way too many times in the last bunch
of years), nothing matters if you can't back it up musically.  Which
The Neanderthals did.  Soon thereafter, I became the happy owner
of "Arula Mata Gali"/"Girl & Hot Rod".  And nooooow... the latest
from The Neanderthals... "Twinkle Toes" (Norton).  Right off, I
gotta say this is another great garage/frat pounder that's just as
good as its predecessor.  As for the flip, "2000 Lb. Werewolf", it's
pure Wray-vin' as the werewolf gets the girl.
       "Feel the Pulsating Grind and Rhythmic Beat!!!"  So
proclaimeth the latest offering from Fort Collins, CO's cave kings,
*The Element 79*, on their own 360 Twist Records.  This time out
they take on Murphy & The Mob's kult klassik, "Born Loser" with
an abandon all too rarely heard.  These guys have become one of
my fave garage groups of today 'cuz they head straight into the
thickest jungles of garage punkdom.  And it doesn't hurt that the
singer brings an early Miracle Workers sound to the proceedings.
In fact, I guess that's part of why I love this bunch so much, they
remind me quite a bit of the early-mid '80s garage sounds I came of
age with.  Underneath, they  offer up their own "Agent 38", a tough,
cool instro rumble at its peak.  I just wish they'd come east.
       What's better than one Element 79 seven-incher?  Hey, good
guess!  You're right... another one.  This time it's the My Love EP
(Screaming Apple).  The party starts with the title cut, a real raving,
down & dirty garage punker heavily rooted in the beloved sound
of '66, as well as the '84 reincarnation.  And the short guitar solo is
nothing less than searing.  The next number, "Hey" continues in the
same vein.  But then we flip it over and catch their version of The
Aardvarks "I'm Higher Than I'm Down".  They slow down the
tempo, getting more deliberate, understanding (unlike all too many
of today's garage groovers) that power is not a function of speed.
(In fact, speed can often work against a song, but we'll grind that
axe another time.)  This one comes on like a real powerful
locomotive chugging down the tracks.  Lastly, "She Can't Hide", a
bit more on the folk-punk side of things, playing more to the
melody than the snarl.  I'd say this is the best of the band's
recordings to date (and they've all been excellent).  In fact, this puts
them down in my book as serious candidates for garage group of
the year.  While I wish they'd hit my home turf, I guess I'll have to
settle for seeing them on their own in August.  (Yeah, I know... life's
tough.)
       I'm not sure what it was that made me turn up the volume
before setting needle to vinyl on *The Von Zippers* "Mighty Red
Baron" (Roto-Flex).  Some kinda intuition... or maybe more
mysterious forces.  Or maybe I'm just going deaf and have a
constant need for more volume.  Whatever, it was perfect.  A thick,
chunky garage number that oozes and thumps at the same time.  A
big, beefy sound that somehow reminds me of my German
grandma's thickest Bavarian beef stew.  The organ's mixed just high
enough to whistle in your ear the whole way and the fuzz is high
enough to be noticed, but not too much to intrude.  These guys
sound like a real party.  (And the photo of them with those great
spiked helmet things virtually guarantees it.)  Flip it over and you'll
find them doing it all again minus vocals on one called the "V-Z
Theme."  The only voice parts found here are an indecipherable (or
maybe I'm too lazy) spoken part.  Loved the organ part on this
one... just a constant BLAM... BLAM... BLAMming on what seemed
like the same seventh chord (like I would have a clue about that.)  I
bet even I could play that part!
       Ah, more Hentch.  And this time from our Japanese pals at
1+2.  Time goes on, *The Hentchmen* do more records, and I like
'em more and more.  Life has some pretty damn good moments,
doesn't it?  Yeesh, with all this great stuff to listen to, all I've gotta
do to chase the blues away is turn on the hi-fi.  "Gravel Bite" is
dominated by the Farfisa, like much of the stuff these guys do.
(Probably the reason I love 'em.)  Here, tho', it lazes along at slow to
mid-tempo, up on the high end till the guitar decides to take a brief
turn at the action.  Down under, they take on Chuck Berry's "It
Don't Take But A Few Minutes", starting with the organ feel of
"She's About A Mover", then letting the vocal take over the melody.
Finishing it out is "The Passerby", slowing things down, with the
organ up high and the guitar down below until (as with the first
track), the guitar makes the tag to give the organ a breather, then
settles down again as the star takes center stage again for the main
theme.  This one's perfect for when the night's winding to a close
and it's time for some cheek-to-cheek.
       I first learned of *The Tonics* thru a Smuggler news update
(Nick plays drums).  I first heard of (and flipped out over) them
when I played their track from the last Nardwuar comp on my old
radio show.  But I didn't get my very own Tonics recording till lead
Smuggler Grant took pity upon me and sent a copy this way.
(Thanks, Grant.)  This 4-songer (on Zapruder) is a real treat,
starting off with "Ups & Downs".  Here they offer up a catchy
melody with the organ riding no-hands up top of a real garage
pounder.  Kinda like when the Young Fresh Fellows do garage, but
a bit thicker and with a lighter heart.  "Comet Caliente" is more of
the same, but presses down on the garage pedal, while easing up
on the pop stick.  Kudos to the female vocals, just barely discernible
in the mix, but somehow intoxicating, nevertheless.  Flip it over for
"Tilt-A-Whirl", where they veer more towards The Vaselines &
Rezillos, although the strongest comparison that comes to mind is
to a forgotten Minneapolis group from a few years back on a song
they did called "Sweet & Low."  (Hey... I reviewed it for Jersey Beat ,
got it done in time, then procrastinated in getting the review to
editor Jim T., resulting in him getting kinda upset with me.  Sorry
about that, Jim.  Anyway, that's the explanation for why I can't
recall the group name.  That and I don't feel like picking thru every
single bleeding one of my 45s.)
       I'd only heard a song or two by *The Fireworks* up till now
(probably during my stint as a DJ down at WRSU.)  The stuff I
knew best by Darrin Lin Wood was the material he did as 1/4 of
Blacktop.  The top side of their latest 45, "Prime Mover" (1+2), is
low down and murky, a bit too brackish to get me in any way.  I
kept wanting to check if I'd remembered to switch the turntable to
45.  Luckily, the flip, "Loserville", picks up the pace, Cramp-ing out
like that bunch hasn't since, say, Psychedelic Jungle.  Better yet,
there's even a nice pop melody hanging out in the vocal.  This one
is worthy of many repeated spins and even being put on a few
comp tapes for various friends.
       Just in case it wasn't enough to get a whole new CD by *The
Flat Duo Jets*, Norton has also ished the "Jet Set"  EP.  The 'Mental'
side is electric, as they rip through an instrumental entitled
"Southern Drums".  But it's the cover of "Surfer Joe" that brings a
satisfied smile to my face.  I remember loving the goofiness of The
Surfari's original, awash in early 60s teenage fun.  The Duo Jets take
a different tack, still light-hearted, but playing more to the story-
song element of it, given more credence by Dex's sincere
soulfulness.  For the acoustically-minded, there's the 'Gentle' side.
"Blackbeard" reminds me of one of the more easygoing numbers off
White Trees, still my fave of all Duo Jets LPs.  "Mr. Moonlight"
reminds us that Dex on the slow side is at least as powerful as when
he's rough and wild.  He's got one of those voices that just makes
things ring true.
       *Barbeque Bob & The Spareribs* have been playing the
NYC metro area on a regular basis for a few years now, yet I've
only seen them a couple times.  (Must be that getting older thing.)
But if they've got more like "Bad Luck Boy" (DaDa), I'm gonna have
to check 'em out more often.  This one's just plain damned fun.  The
kinda stuff you wanna hotfoot to  till the bars close.  The guitar
takes its ride partway thru, taking turns on only half the wheels,
sliding across and whooping it up the whole way.  Add in a harp
that alternates blowin' lustily along and punctuating with full force
blasts and you'd have something extra special even without the
main course.  That being, of course, Bob's vocal, which brings it on
home with a western twang.  The flip (which runs at 33 compared
to the A's 45 RPM) slows things down to a swampy blues and, as
such, doesn't get me running as hot as its partner, but it doesn't
matter.  This one'll definitely be getting its share of hi-fi time.
       When I saw the cover of "Hooker Or King" (1+2) by *Jimmy
Keith & His Shocky Horrors*, featuring the band walking with a
surfboard under their arms on a background of blue and white
stripes, I thought this was gonna be pure surf.  They had the look of
The Barracudas.  And, for some reason, I was thinking this would
be an instro thing.  Nope.  Honestly, the promo materials compare
this thing to The Barracudas, too.  And I guess I hear a bit of that.
But it's faster, giving me more of a Vacant Lot with The Dictators
feel.  The chorus is damn hooky, too, so I'd say this one's a keeper.
While the English teachers at PRHS would probably cringe at the
grammar of "Little Old Wine Drinks Me", they'd probably scream
when they saw mine, so who'm I to talk?  Anyway, here JK & Co.
go more for a roots/trad rock thing.  Can't say I agree with the
promo folks saying it's like 9 Lb. Hammer, but I'm just the guy
writing this review.*
       I wasn't sure I was even gonna review The Forbidden
Dimension's* "No Sleep Till Altamont" EP (Roto-Flex).  I've got a
couple 45s by 'em, but while other garage pals have often heaped
praise upon them, I've never quite gotten it.  Basically, they've
always seemed a bit too '68-'71, instead of the prime '63-'66 years I
prefer.  The Forbidden Dimension were too much Blue Cheer and
too little Blue Stars.  And while the A-side is more to my liking than
some of their material, it still wouldn't have been enough to make
me recommend it.  But it's what's belowdecks that blew my top off,
a cover of G.G. Allin's "Don't Talk To Me" that reminds me why
some folks dug GG so much.  This one comes off very much in the
Heartbreakers' vein, eventually stripping down to the bare bones
bass-and-drum bit before letting the guitar ease its way in, intro-ing
the vocal... "CHATTER-CHATTER-CHATTER!!!"  It's a hit.
       I got *Catfight's* "Mamie Van Doren" (WorryBird) quite a
while ago.  True to form, though, I shelved it and went on with my
life.  Now that I'm going thru marathon record review sessions
(thereby upholding my Procrastinator's Oath), it's time to throw it
on.  The title cut's a fairly straight-ahead rock'n'roll tribute to
everyone's fave blonde bombshell, but down below is where the
action is.  These gals get it going on "Clover Girl".  The song itself is
fantastic, featuring a drop-dead melody and a chorus that has the
power to pound right through.  My only regret is that the vocal
doesn't quite do the song justice.  Even so, I'll be spinning this one a
whole bunch.
       *Mildred Pierce* have made quite a splash on the NYC-NJ
scene over the past couple years.  This latest offering on Feralette
features some faves from their live shows.  I've only ever known a
couple of their song titles when I've seen them, but I knew "Briss" as
soon as I heard the opening.  And who can resist a song that starts
off talking about circumcision.  Eileen's vocals are stark and
challenging - and perfectly offset by Cheryl's sweet harmonies.  As
for "Token Lady"... sounds like somebody had a bad day with the
subways.  "Landlord" shows off what I consider to be this bunch at
their best:  a genuine feel for melody and a real hooky chorus, while
retaining aggressive verses. Love the way the guitar solo feels so
fragile without being slow and frail.  "Wasting My Time" gets
mention for all that great dual vocal stuff on the choruses.
       I was digging around my car the other day, driving 17 South
just before rush hour, trying to find a tape that'd bring a smile to
my face.  After rooting around in a layer of trash about a foot deep
behind the passenger side, I found an old tape of DaWillys at
McGovern's in NYC, given to me by my friend Bobby some five
years ago.  When I arrived home, I found a package waiting for me
with *The Trick Babys* "Born 2B This Way" (Feralette).  Well, Ms.
Lynne Von definitely has still got it, but if you're into live rock'n'roll
in the NYC area, then you already know all about that.  This one
drives forward nice'n'rough, a cool four door, circa '72, but with
lotsa glitter scattered around the scrapes.  It's like DaWillys, but
with just a sprinkle of pop on top.  For those of you unlucky
enough never to hear one of NYC's finest bands of the late 80s, it'd
be easy to describe them as being a punk-swamp glam-slam on
R&B/Soul funk.  But that's just another stupid musical mish-mash
term that doesn't accurately describe a damn thing; it's trying to
cram it all together, and things work that way only rarely.
Sometimes it's more one thing than another; for instance, on the
flip, "Bad 4 Ya", I even hear a slowed-down Buzzcocks sound.
Bonus points given for the live cover of X's "Your Phone's Off The
Hook (But You're Not)".
       When I first tossed *The Evil Eyes'* "Guilty" (Screaming
Apple) onto the hi-fi set, I thought it was warped.  So I lifted it up
and checked.  Nope.  I put it back on.  Still that same whirr-rrrr-
mrr-whhhhh happening.  Now I was wondering if it was my
equipment (even though I'd just finished listening to another 45), so
I threw another 7"er on.  No problem.  Back then to "Guilty".  Still
that sound.  Hmm... maybe it's *supposed* to sound like that.  I
don't know how often I'll be able to spin it, but it's an interesting
hybrid of '66 guitar leads and a '77 feel.  Down under, they take on
We The People's garage classic, "You Burn Me Up And Down".  I
gotta admit, I didn't think these guys (ex-members of The Hoods,
TellTale Hearts, & Trebels) would be doing much garage stuff this
time out, since I'd heard they were going for the 70s punk sound.
Interesting version, 'cuz, while they leave the song itself intact, it
takes on a decided '77 edge.
       I first heard *Boss 302* when Sir Garrett sent me a tape a few
months before they made it to vinyl.  That tape still sits in rotation
in the BlairMobile.  So before I even heard Harry's Swingin'
Basement (Blue Lamp), I had a damn good idea what they were
about.  "Rubber Nixon" (remind me to ask Garrett about that title)
kicks off HSB with a real Dictators' feel... GO! and continues hitting
hard throughout.  You want an overall summary?  Well, the 302
boys are definitely garage hounds, but they must truly love The
Saints (and who can blame them?), 'cuz the guitar sound is often
right down under that alley.  The vocals, though, bring a touch of 9
Lb. Hammer to the fore.  At least, that's the way it hit me.  Roberta
came into the room while this was on and said the vocalist sounded
like a male version of Lynne Von from The Trick Babys & DaWillys.
Come to think of it, at times the guitar plays the same sort of style
as Leon Ross used to in the latter.
       I've been trying to work out this Colorado-Texas connection
thing for a while now.  And here it is on vinyl, as Boss 302 go back
to back with *Sugar Shack*, thanks to the nice folks at Blue Lamp
Records.  Boss 302 (the Colorado bunch) do one called "Rebel
Rebel" (no, NOT the Bowie song) that works out harder and louder
than their own EP.  As for the Texan contingent, they do themselves
proud with a snotty, TX-style garage monster, in "She's Not You".
One that hits the pure garage attitude straight on in the lyric, "The
best thing about her is She's Not You."
       Every once in a while I take a look at the amount of stuff I've
got by *The Original Sins*.   And then I realize just why... 'cuz
they're one of the best damn groups around.  And their latest 4-
songer, American Cheese Product (Bedlam), proves once again that
these guys still know how to do it.  While I can't say all four will get
me moving, that's more a matter of my own tastes.  ("C'mon Over"
explores a bleak psychedelic desert that I'll listen to, but not be won
over by.)  The other three, however, are well worth my time and
money.  I'll put them in order of faves, least to greatest.  "In Tune"
(which comes right before "C'mon Over" on the second side)
features a modified Diddley-shuffle and I occasionally hear '68
Stones, but with more harmony and an occasional shimmer.  The
first track of the EP is "Ego", a real chunky number, definitely
recorded in "Dair-eo" (as the sleeve suggests.  Cottage cheese
heavy, up-tempo, and just melodic enough for me to start singing
along.  Best of all, tho', from my oh-so-humble point of view, is "Get
Right Back", which'll get just about anyone tapping their feet, but
I'm betting most of you'll get off your lazy hindquarters and start
hopping around pretty soon after.  Again, a catchy melody, plus an
up-tempo shuffle.  Send $4 to Bedlam and thank me later.
       "Let me make one thing clear / We're a superior life form
here / You puny humans make us sick / You've been beat with an
ugly stick!"  So goeth the title track of Mants In Your Pants (Roto-
Flex), by none other than the (soon-to-be) world famous rock'n'roll
group, *The Mants*.  (Yup, Half-Man, Half-Ant!)  This is garage
rock with 70s punk slashing it up.  Kinda like a faster Trick
Babys/thicker Devil Dogs.  The tracks down below ("The Mants!
The Mants!" and "Rebel Set") are ever-so-slightly more on the
garage-side of the spectrum, but only that tiny bit.
       I still remember when I first heard Howl a couple years back.
I'd already heard some other materials by *The Makers*, but I was
completely unprepared for this one.  It blew me straight through to
next week.  I liked it so much, I wrote it up not only for the TS, but
for my friend Robin's glossy mag, Net.  There it was, a Makers'
review sitting right alongside all this alternative, hip-hop, deity-
knows-what crap.  Shinin' on.  Well, now they Shout On
(Sympathy).  And they do it so damn well that it's at least on par
with the aforementioned masterwork.  Due in part, no doubt, to the
production masterwork of Sir Tim Kerr, who gets it blasting out my
speakers and through the neighbor's walls.  Every single one of
these tracks is an example of the snotty sound these guys are best
known for, but it's "I Resent" and "Fat Old Man" that'll find their
way onto numerous driving tapes.  Both get it going with one of
those big, fat, LOUD guitar riffs that set the blood boiling and get
you moving.    The kinda stuff that DEMANDS to be cranked up to
11 (so of course I comply) and let Mike's vicious vocal assault the
eardrums.  I'd love to play this one in some sweaty club and watch
the kids get all charged up.  And "Fat Old Man" is more of the
same, but with even a nice touch of melody lurking in the shadows.
Don't hesitate, just go get this.
       I picked up *The Royal Pendletons* debut offering when
they played GarageRage back in December.  "Smokin'" (Goner) is
just that.   A cool instro, with Farfisa singin' out front, then dancing
around when the guitar takes its turn.  "Sheep Suit" steasl the
spoken part from "Li'l Red Riding Hood" then blasts in, with King
Louie beating those drums into submission as the Pendletons let
fly.  Flip it over for "Losing Hand" (another hit) and "Royal Blood
Part II", which finds them back on the instrumental trail, this time
with the guitar taking point.  The guys blast through, whoopin' it
up and getting me (and probably them, too) dancing.
       Just in case you're still unfamiliar with *The Boss Martians*,
they're into the sounds of the surf, both vocal and instrumental.
This, naturally, includes hot rod sounds, as evidenced by the vocal
side, "My Ford Sedan" (Roto-Flex), of their latest 45, "The
Mortician."  "MFS" is an ode to a beloved vehicle that admonishes
us not to put down said auto.  (Even though the description sounds
like it's only a few cuts above Jonathan Richman's "Dodge Veg-O-
Matic".)  "The Mortician" is the instro side, with a prominent guitar
and an organ playing the minor sounds suggesting the name of the
piece.
       Another one I got at GarageRage was a split 7" EP between
*Professor Schmiddy & The Elements* and *The Lustre Kings*.
Schmiddy & the boys first take us into surf heaven on "Shattered",
with the lead up high, really playing showman, hot-doggin' right
on the edge.  "Outbound" takes its cue from "Telstar", floating on
into space.  Finally free of the gravity well, it twinkles goodbye.  As
to the Lustre Kings, "Forbidden Planet" and "Bottlerocket" are two
more from the same genre.  Listen to this bunch smack that reverb...
real double-picking beauty.  Nice slow-down effect to see the sights
on the beach itself, but then it's time to jump back into the surf to
do what must be done.

*****************************************************************************
MORE REMOTE CONTROL READY STUFF

       I gotta tell you right off that The Cavedogs never really
excited me.  So if *Brian Stevens'*PRETTIER THAN YOU (Q
Division) doesn't get me shouting from the rooftops, you'll
understand.  I've tried listening to this one time and time again,
looking for some sort of personal handhold.  And while there are
occasional inviting window frames, they somehow close just as I
reach for them.  However, fans of smoother pop sounds may get
pretty into this.  The cuts that do get me reaching most are the ones
(like "Zasu Pitts" which is also on the 45) which have a '66-'67
Beatles feel to them... Some of you may remember that Rusty
Willoughby used to have a band called *Pure Joy*.  But they broke
up in 1989.  Well, Flydaddy Records have decided to right a wrong,
releasing some recordings by the band asUNSUNG .  This material
reminds me a fair amount of the sort of pop that was fairly popular
on college radio back in the mid-80s: there's a certain early 80s
English influence in there, including even a touch of the
Psychedelic Furs and Echo & the Bunnymen.  Enjoyable stuff...
Right off, I'm gonna say that I've never been a major fan of Posh
Boy.  So when I tell you that there are more than a few times on
*Famous Last Words'* FROM THE NATIONAL AFFAIRS DESK
that I can hear why it's on said label, you'll take that in stride.
There's a definite 80s punk sound to this, but there are also
moments that have kept if off my sell pile for the time being.  Points
where they call to mind The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers.  (More of
the latter, really.)  Times when I hear echoes of a band that gave me
a real jolt a couple years back - The Deviators.  But only echoes.
Not being a hardcore fan, I get the remote ready whenever they
veer towards that territory.  (Thankfully, though, they never fully
find it)... I remember hearing something or other by *16 Forever*
some six or seven years back.  Thing is, I really have no idea what it
was; maybe one of those 99-cent singles at Pier Platters?  Anyway,
TOO MUCH TOO LATE (1+2) goes a long way towards filling in
this missing piece of my musical knowledge.  The collection says it
covers the years '88 thru '91, and as such is interesting, considering
that the band sounds somewhere between The Vacant Lot & The
Devil Dogs, both of whom wouldn't truly form till '89.  Of course,
we can trace roots back to The Barracudas (tho' these guys take
things faster and owe less to summery sounds of '65 and more to
the swinging pop of '77)  But lets forget about the historical aspect -
what you've got here are 14 good tracks (four are unreleased,
including a nice rendition of The Dictators' "Loyola", later also
covered by The Vacant Lot)... I'm not sure when *Jesus Christ
Superfly's* moniker first slipped into my consciousness.  Maybe on
alt.music.banana-truffle, but it seems like I'd heard of them before
that.  Anyway, TEXAS TOAST (No Lie) was probably the first thing
I'd actually managed to hear by them.  Quite the nice first exposure,
too, beginning with the tough but sweet sounds of "Dead End
Days" and moving onto "Outta Sight", harder in the verses, but
even tastier in the choruses (not to mention a stinging lead that's
not loud enough for my tastes.)  Some of the tracks are harsher,
some are lighter, but the best of them kit-bash the two together for a
devastating effect (yeah, "Radio Friendly" pushes many of my fave
buttons)... I'm beginning to realize that, unless you really need
something to knock you out of a daze, it's just not smart to put
something like *The X-Rays* SPEED KILLS (eMpTy) on directly
after listening to something much more in the folk/beat poetry
vein.  It's just too much of a shock to the system.  "Racin' Outta
Napolis" references The Stooges, but much faster, while the next
one, "Good For Nuthin" gets its best moments from a
Heartbreakers' "Chinese Rocks" clobber.  Most of the disc, however,
is less derivative, a real speedball trash sound... You really want a
clue what LESS IS MORE (1+2), the latest from *The Gamma Men*
is all about?  Then go pick up an ish of  drummer Steve Gardner's
mag, Noise For Heroes (when was the last ish of that, anyway?)
NFH dishes it out full-on about all Steve's fave groups - from The
Stooges thru the Buzzcocks, with brilliant coverage of the Aussie
80s scene and the Finnish punk scene of the last few years.  On this
record, as with DRIVING MUSIC before it, he translates the written
word to sound.  It's hard, muscular and rolls over whatever gets in
the way.  And, just in case you need a touchstone, included are
covers of The Saints' "Demolition Girl" and Generation X's "Ready
Steady Go."... They call it a "maxi-single", I call it an EP, but either
way the title is Monsters of Rock (Precedent).  No, this isn't one of
those bloated metal tours by guys in their 40s playing to kids in
their teens.  Rather, it's the debut CD by *The Rockinghams*, three
guys in their 30s who've been in a number of underground-type
combos over the past 15-20 years.  Based in Seattle, the group is led
by Jim Basnight (of The Moberlys), and filled out by Jackie de
Hanan on bass, and Criss Crass (ex-Muffs, among others) on
drums.  But these "monsters" aren't rock per se, but more pop,
taken to heart by the fast-growing power pop crowd.  (A bunch
who, by the way, tend to be in their 20s & 30s.  So much for the 30
year age difference between performer and fan.)  Now, while I do
enjoy this EP (my mag = my terminology), I don't believe it truly
tells the band's whole story.  Sure, there's some solid material on
here, but it doesn't capture me the way their cut on the POP
MATTERS comp does (see Comps).  Even so, it'll get its turn on my
mid-fi set.  Especially "Rock and Roll Girlfriend", which reminds us
all of why so many guys first picked up a guitar... I've never been a
major fan of *The Droogs*, although many people whose musical
opinions I have great respect for hold them in high esteem.  People
like Alan Wright & Lisa Lindstrom at Do The Pop (who did a
fantastic Droogs' piece in DTP #1), not to mention Pat Thomas (of
Heyday Records, The Absolute Grey, Notebook, and tons of other
publications).  So when ATOMIC GARAGE (Lakota) arrived in the
mail, I figured the least I could do was give it a spin.  I'll be honest;
I'm still not completely sold.  But at the same time, this moved me
much more than anything I'd previously heard by them.  They still
have that psych-drone garage thing going, but there seems to be
more of an edge this time out.  The first track, "Puzzled Mynds"
also adds a hint of surf guitar.  However, it was "Guerrilla Love-In"
that truly surprised me, with much more of a pop sound to it, kinda
like something I remember playing on the air at WRUR in
Rochester, NY in the mid-80s.  This one's got some 60s roots, but it's
basically just a mid-tempo melodic rocker, with strength added due
to some pleasing harmonies and some truly inspired
instrumentation.  The musical layers in here remind me that good
rock'n'roll can actually be more than just a few chords and a simple
melody; that it is, indeed, possible to write interesting music that
still falls into my own musical sphere.  Which actually makes me
feel kind of good about myself.  Maybe I don't (completely) deserve
the A.I.P. (anti-intellectual provincial) status that my AP English
teacher claimed our class deserved.  No, I'm not talking a
symphony, just normal rock'n'roll instrumentation, but it's nice to
hear something interesting happening.  I also enjoyed "Talk Thru
The Night", the closer, a much simpler number that reminds me at
times of The Dream Syndicate in their mid-period... If you've read
Ralph, the Beat poetry monthly, you might have some clue of what
OLYMPIA '66 (Bongo Beat) by *Ralph* is all about.  In essence, it's
Ralph Alfonso reading his poetry with a guitar backing him in a
live setting.  "What we're gonna do is kind of a travelogue thru the
60s, thru 60s rock, thru the Mod experience, thru Beat music.  As
you can see, Steve's all decked out and I'm doing my best Phil May
impression."  They start off with Ralph reading the lyrics to The
Small Faces "My Way of Giving", after which they move on to
Ralph's poetry.  It truly is a tour of the cool sixties sounds, with
Ralph describing the sights and sounds quite well if you're paying
attention.  Titles like "Til The End Of The Day" (taken from the ish
of Ralph where each poem is named for a Kinks' song), "Brighton
Mist", "Vox Guitars", etc. should give you some idea.  The effect is
interesting; maybe not something you're gonna throw on at your
next party, at least not until most of the crowd drifts away and
you're left with your closest friends and you're just winding down
the wee hours till you all fade into blissful unconsciousness... *The
Big Bad Johns* kick off PLYMOUTH ROCK (Feralette) with a
rootsy bar-band stomper called "Funky Fu Manchu" that seems like
a natural set-starter.  An audience hears this one and they'll get out
on the floor and be won over pretty quickly.  "She's my trailer park
baby, and don't you know she's 'Double Wide'?"  This one's upbeat
and kinda fun, but I would've liked to hear some big backing vocals
shouting out the chorus.  Just to really bang the point home.
Granted, some of the material on this disc isn't as wild as I'd like,
but it sure ends right, with "Beautiful Girls", as they rev it up and
describe exactly what they like with a beat running wild and a big,
wide grin goin' right along with it.

*****************************************************************************
ALSO HEARD - More 7"ers

       Some folks have known of *The Great Mongoose* for quite
some time.  First I'd heard of 'em was when the Platterpuss played
me something by them on, I think, Giant Claw.  This Japanese
bunch mashes the best trash of the 50s, 60s, and 70s to come up
with something that'll tear thru you like a White Castles hamburger
at 4 AM.  Their latest is "Hellbound" (1+2), a 4-songer that finds
them in their favorite territory, with the sax screeching out their
mating call.  Personally, I liked the change-up, "Madness", best.  A
cool surprise, slowing things down with almost Link-like guitar
sounds... "Two Great Guitars", where've you heard that title before,
huh?  Well, it should come as no surprise that said moniker is justly
bestowed upon the two players found in these grooves, *Dex
Romweber & Simon Chardiet*, of The Flat Duo Jets and Simon &
The Bar Sinisters (quite respectively, of course.)  Well, the Norton
gang got these two together to record a couple old favorites,
"Torquay" and "Panic Button".  This stuff's proof positive that all
instro is not surf (as pointed out by Monsieur Lozito in his letter.)
Rather than that annoying dueling metal solo stuff, these guys just
let go and rip it up together... I haven't seen *Cherry Red* all that
much, but my pal Price has been raving about them for quite some
time.  While "Get Set"/"I Told You" (Feralette) isn't enough to get
me running out to see them, I'm certainly interested enough to
show up/stick around to see them if they're on a bill with someone.
A cool 70s Stones/glam feel, with extra points for the piano
sounds... If you're into stuff by Jason & Shane White, maybe you'll
enjoy *The Tight Fits* "All Balls"/"Pink Cake" (Rat City).   This
comes out as a lo-fi punk spoof cross between AC/DC & the NY
Dolls in a real Spinal Tap way.  Gotta love the way they don't even
bother with double entendre on the A-side.  Belowdecks, they
thinly veil their intentions.  (Very thinly).  Of course, down there,
you find a bit of confection in the sound, too.  To be expected,
though - it is "Pink Cake"... I kinda thought *The Cash Registers'*
singer's whiny voice would completely turn me off to them, but I
found myself growing used to it pretty soon, especially when it was
joined by a couple other voices on the chorus of "First Day Of My
Life" (Black Eye).  What does it for me with these guys on this one,
though, is the guitar's screechy careening and a relentless
drumming barrage.  I get the feeling that "Drain-O & Rat Poison"
exemplifies what they're all about, as it's obvious these guys are just
out to have a good time and make sure everyone else does in the
bargain... On "Hey Louie" (Snag Free), singer Martie Smedile of
*Blister* will remind NYC metro area scenesters of The Botswanas'
Eileen Ziontz when she's way up in her high voice.  Nice melody
here, floating on a feathered Blondie cloud.  I'd like to hear more
like this one... *The Shambles* have been popping up more and
more of late.  At least, it seems that way to me.  I keep seeing their
name bandied about in the finer print publications, as well as in
different electronic forums.  Some call 'em Power Pop, others say
Mod, and yet others claim them for the Garage crowd.  Me, I'd say
there are elements of all three, although lately it seems less of the
last.  Not a bad thing at all, since they're sounding great, as
evidenced on their Detour 45, "We've Got A Groovy Thing".  On the
title, they give a bit of punch to an old Paul Simon number.  Of the
two numbers found on the flip, I prefer the instrumental, "A Girl To
Kill For".  The sleeve says this is a movie title, but I'm guessing
they're just saying that 'cuz it really is pure movie soundtrack...
"Somebody Like You" (1+2) is the latest I've heard from *The
Kwyet Kings*, but not one I'd recommend highly, except to their
most ardent fans.  It just doesn't get me going the way, for instance,
the material on Firebeat did.  Slightly melodic mid-tempo garage,
but with nothing to make it special.  Pick it up if you're a
completist... *The Evil Hoodoo* gives us Arlly! Go Away! (Get Hip),
featuring deep, gruff vocals and a nice helping of ye olde combo
organ.  A band that loves its Vox instruments, this time from
Tokyo.  "Honey Dew" is a big, meaty instro with organ as the
flavorizer and a cherry up top.  Think a huge sundae with more
chocolate syrup than you can handle.  Hell No... this is Dinner.  I
just keep wondering who Arlly is... By the time I got to *The
Lunkheads* "Gore, Gore-A-Go! Go!" (1+2), I was pretty exhausted,
so I was ready to toss it on, give it 30 seconds, and take it off.
Surprisingly, though, I actually let it roll.  While it's not gonna be
getting heavy play here, I can see putting the title cut on a comp
tape.  This one cuts up Gloria's (as in G-El-Oh-...) miniskirt and
entertains quite nicely.  Somehow my mind pictures them coming
over here (I think they're from England) and playing this at The
Strip on West 14th St.  Never mind that the place has been non-
existent for 6 years now.  It's just that that room (with it's urine,
beer, and toilet water mix making the floor glisten) somehow seems
the perfect place to hear a group do this one to finish off the night
at about 3:30 AM.  Ah, memories...  As always, *The Go-Nuts* start
off their latest vinyl offering, "The Donut Prince & The Pauper"
(Planet Pimp), with their theme (updated, but of course), bringing
out the organ this time and stepping on the gas (that way you get to
the nearest Kwikkie Mart that much... kwikker.)  About halfway
thru side one, it's time for "Skinny Bones Jones", a mid-tempo spy-
surf organ garage rocker... then back to the theme.  Oh yeah,
"...Jones" is (of course) about a guy who's just too skinny.  And
therefore he must snack, snack, snack... I think I'd really love *The
Dupont Circles* if their singer didn't have such an annoyingly
indie-pop voice.  I mean, the beginning guitar chords of "Sarah, The
Weather Girl" (Cara Records) and drumming suggest a solid
garage, no-BS stoicism that's always gotten me psyched.  It's got
some strong instrumental sections, as well.  The flip tends more to
the light psych/pop area, but jangles nicely.  Here's to hoping they
get someone else to sing... I gotta say, it's gratifying to see all these
cool indie labels following the time-honored tradition of doing a
"single from the album."  Especially since so many of 'em are giving
us non-LP B-sides.  From *Fifi & The Mach 3* comes 1976 (1+2),
with a single of the same name.  While there's a strong '77
influence, they go for the hard/heavy side, with powerful female
vocals.  Honestly, though, besides the title cut, I probably won't be
playing this all that often - just not my style.  I did like the cover of
The Shangri-Las' "Heaven Only Knows" found on their Get Hip 7"
EP, though.  If you ever wondered what a tough punk version of
this one might sound like, then this is for you.  Their version of
"Cherry Bomb", however, lacked.  (Roberta wasn't as nice, she said,
"this is the worst version (...) I've ever heard!")  A decent take on
"Lost Highway", though.  If you've ever wanted to hear a punk
version of "Land of a 1000 Dances", then I guess you might want to
buy the "1976" 45 and flip it over for - "Land of 1000 Punk Dances."
While I get the feeling I won't listen to this too often, I couldn't help
but let it blast and get my legs shakin'.

*****************************************************************************
ALL TOGETHER NOW!

       We've all been beaten over the head with the fact that pop,
especially of the "power" variety, is back in a big way.  (Yeesh!
There's even been mention of it in Billboard.)  POP MATTERS
(Wagon Wheel) gathers together a bunch of the current
practitioners, sort of an "Today's Power Pop: An Introduction".  The
festival begins with *The Gripweeds'* "Salad Days", one that I'll
leave off mentioning since it's already had time in these pages.
*The Hippycrickets* tend more towards melody than harmony,
with a tambourine shaking in the background.  Now, obviously,
my review of this disc (or any, for that matter) is going to reflect my
prejudices.  I can't be objective about music.  I don't want to be
objective about music; it's way too close to my heart.  So, back to
the disc.  What this means is that you're going to hear more about
the band that get me wanting to sing along, the ones whose hooks
make me want to bite down and lose myself on them.  Well, there
are always exceptions to this, but they've gotta be... umm,
exceptional.  So, having said that, my next thumbs-up goes to *Big
Hello*, for "Your Mad Mad World", maybe not as hook-y as I'd
love it to be, but certainly enough for a snack.  Plus the vocals work
well.  As mentioned in my review of *The Rockinghams* CD, their
"More Than One Way" on this disc gets me craving more in a much
bigger way than their own "maxi-single" could ever hope to.  This
one is an up-tempo pop-rocker that sounds like a major hit to me.
Some smart major label ought to grab these guys and make this the
featured single.  (And, please, don't re-record it.  Just leave it, OK?
It's perfect as is.)  There are a few others I like, too (The Kicksouls'
"Chickie" and Jeremy's "I Want To Be With You" come to mind), but
I have a hard time calling this a must-have.  On the other hand, if
you're a huge fan of the current power-pop scene, this is probably a
necessary document.
       At the start of last summer, Brownies in NYC played host to
a bunch of nights of live recording.  (What, you expect me to
remember the exact number?)  After these were over, however, it
seems a few other bands expressed interest and were recorded, as
well.  The whole LIVE AT BROWNIES CD (Feralette) was mixed
live to 2-track "at the time of the performance."  As with most
comps that I didn't put together myself (and the only ones I've ever
done were tapes, so...) there are some things I could do without.
For instance, this starts out with *Jayne County* doing "Paranoia
Paradise".  I'm not much of a fan of Jayne's.  On the other hand, I
don't really dislike her, either.  Next up, though, are one of the best
bands in the NYC metro area, *The Insomniacs*, with a live
version of "Crystal Clear" that captures their sound admirably.  If
you've heard this one, you know it's a hard psych-mod number.
Next up are a band that have also been around NYC for, I dunno,
five years or so now, *Fur*, doing The Dead Boys "I Need Lunch."
Kinda cool hearing it done by a female voice.  A highlight is *The
Waldos* doing "Never Get Away", as Walter Lure and Co. play it
much like he did back with The Heartbreakers, with Joey Pinter's
guitar ripping out at all the right times.  I was just reading a
fantastic piece on *The Botswanas* in a Toronto weekly called The
Indie Eye.  It captured the band much better than I ever have, saying
that they have a "fuck them" attitude, as opposed to most NYC
groups, who go for either "fuck you" or "fuck me."  "I'm Dropping
Out" has been a live favorite of mine the past bunch of times I've
seen them, and this recording should tell you why, as Price gets
aggressive on the guitar and Eileen belts it out.  Next come *Los
Primos* with "Here She Comes", Pete Linzell's bari sax playin' it
low and sleazy, giving the band its signature sound.  Hey Look!  It's
a car song!  A rarity in this day and age.  This one, by *Junior
High*, is called "Dodge Dart" (we had a '69 Dart Swinger when I
was a kid) and is quick-step, rhythm-dominated number.  Just
about anyone who's been hanging around NYC in the past year or
two is probably familiar with *The Trick Babys* (if you want more
on them, see the singles reviews).  "Otto's Squid Pit" sounds like a
damn fine eatery to me, but more importantly, it's a real juicy
musical morsel, pure TBs, but with a nice melody (which, by the
way, reminds me at times of an old chestnut called "Haunted
House") plumping it up.  I also enjoyed *Mildred Pierce's* "Eat
Me", *Pillbox* doing The Saints' "Demolition Girl", and the
*Amazing Cherubs* take on "Have You Seen My Baby".
       I've had the SLEAZEFEST! CD and video (No Place Like
Home Productions) since late last fall.  Unfortunately, it didn't
make it in time for the TS 54 deadline.  Back then, though, I thought
#55 would be out in February.  I figured I had enough records for
the reviews, I was seeing plenty of shows, and Uncle Bob had
already given me some interviews.  But you've had my excuses
already, so let's move on.  It's hard to say which I like more, the disc
or the video, though I'm tending towards the latter, thanks to some
extra aural pleasure, not to mention some great interview segments
(especially the ones with Flesh Hammer, but there are plenty of
other knockout moments.)  Now, I could  start going band-by-band
on this one, but since just about all of it should make garage-sleaze-
trash-surf fans happy, I'll just mention the bands included: *The
Strychnines* (hard garage rockin'), *Chrome Daddy Disco* (who
do some even better stuff on the video), *The Woggles*, *Hasil
Adkins* (is there anybody reading this who needs a description of
The Haze?  I hope not), *Hillbilly Frankenstein* (whose name
describes them perfectly... and that's a good thing), *The
Subsonics* (with three songs, giving us a taste of them playing
instro surf, then a beautiful ballad, then on to tear it up), *The
Bassholes*, the Flat Duo Jets' *Dexter Romweber* (trying one that
he claims he can never get right, "You're Never Gonna Be Alone",
which he doesn't, not the first time; then quits about 2/3 in the next
go-round, moving on to "Hurricane's A-Comin'), the *Family
Dollar Pharaohs* (who bring us back to sacred instrumental
ground), *Santo's Helpers* doing "Shake It Some More" (I hear
members of both The Swingin' Neckbreakers and The Woggles on
here, but I'm guessing The Woggles were on-stage and were joined
by members of the Neckbreakers), *Southern Culture On The
Skids* (another group I shouldn't have to describe), then SCOTS
with the Haze, and finally, the Haze comes back to bring it all
home.  All I know is that there's been another Sleazefest since this
one was released.  And now I really want to go badly.  (Well, I
wanted to go to the first couple, as well.)  We'll see.  If I can't make
it down there, though, at least I can console myself with seeing
Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon over at Maxwells.
       Another event now long past is last year's TEXAS SPEED
TRIALS, which some of you will remember being reviewed by
Chris Hedlund for TS #53.  Those of us who don't live in Texas can
now thrill to the sounds of that night at Emo's (in Austin) courtesy
of No Lie Music.  The groups included are: *The Satans* (hard and
thick, with the guitars skidding all around), *The Inhalants*, *The
Lord High Fixers* ("Hoodoo Man's Pins" has Tim Kerr's guitar
flying over the top, swooping, dipping, rolling, and divebombing
all over), *The Cryin' Out Louds* (I was kinda bummed that all
three tracks were on their LP, but at least these help us see what the
group was like live), *The Motards* (at least one of these isn't on
their eMpTy disc), and *The Rip Offs*, who actually sound the
cleanest of any of the groups on here.  Maybe it's just that they've
got a different style than most of the rest.  Of their three, I'd pick
"Ugly" as the knockout punch.
       I didn't think I was even gonna bother reviewing TRASH
ON DEMAND (Ultra Under), a comp put together by Jeff Dahl, but
there were some interesting tracks.  My favorite is, surprisingly,
done by *Fifi & the Mach 3*, a version of John Fogerty's mid-80s
hit, "Rock & Roll Girls".  Fifi has a powerful voice and it adds
something to the song.  Also worth listening to are *The Hangups*,
from Newcastle, with "I Wanna Be A Hangup", punk with a hint of
a smile, sort of like The Nomads version of The Dictators' "16
Forever".  *Al Perry* comes in with something completely unlike
the rest of the album: twang.  Other than these, I thought *The
Spent Idols*, *Rick Blaze*, and *Jeff Dahl*, himself, sounded OK.
Will I, personally, be pulling this stuff out all that often?  No.  But I
might put a couple of them on a tape for the car.  And there are
many folks out there who like Jeff Dahl-styled punk rock (which is
what much of this is, as Jeff found many of these groups when he
played gigs with them, sometimes using them as his backing
bands.)

*****************************************************************************
TIME TRAVEL

       Reissues have been coming out for eons, I know, but I've
never spent much time reviewing them.  I doubt there were ever
any real reasons for that, except that I didn't actually have that
many to review.  This time, though, I've gotten a bunch of singles
from the Get Hip Archive Series, plus a couple cool ones from the
fine folks at Norton Records.  So here 'tis...

       In 1957, a young man named *Ronnie Haig* took his high
school doo wop group into a studio down in Texas to record a
couple numbers he'd written... something different.  The result,
"Hey Little Baby" is a fast rockabilly number, young and hungry,
clocking in at 1:40.  The Get Hip folks include another bit on the
same side, entitled "Minute Madness".  It turns out that, when
Ronnie went to record the flip, "Traveler of Love", about 20 seconds
in, a clutzy engineer flipped a switch by mistake and cut in a
monitor with a local radio station.  Eventually, the song got
recorded and given an all-out production job, jazzed-out, backups,
you name it (according to the liner notes, it was that version that
found its way onto the flip side of a half million ABC-Paramount
45s).  For this 45, though, the Archive Series presents Ronnie's
original version, which is a plaintive, effective ballad... 1959 comes
along and we've got Granada, Mississippi's favorite sons, *The
Sundowners*, doing "Snake Eyed Woman" (Norton), shakin' along
with piano rhythm and pure rockabilly guitar.  Evidently the flip
was kinda lame, so it was replaced with a live recording of the
band doing "Ubangi Stomp".  Considering that this was still the late
50s, the sound isn't all that bad (at least as listenable as those
Beatles at the Star Club LPs.)  And it does rock pretty nicely...
*Frankie Virtue & the Virtues* reminded me just how many
groups there must've been out there just trying to make a living
playing dances with this popular rock'n'roll thing.  (I keep thinking
of that Let's Dance To Rock & Roll LP where every song has the word
'rock' in it.)  The top side, "Penn State Twist" (Get Hip Archive
Series), is an almost complete rip-off of the Chubby Checker hit -
even some of the lyrics are swiped!  At times, it sounds like they're
poking fun at the Ivy League crowd, which'd be kinda funny, but I
just get the impression that a guy like Frankie Virtue would never
wanna risk alienating the fans.  Speaking of which, somebody please
tell me who the hell this guy was.  The liner notes on back are
hilarious, kinda Frankie's resume.  Evidently, Frankie studied with
Mr. Torrelli, bass player of the Philly Orchestra and one of the
finest bass players in the world.  Frankie also led a Navy big band
during WWII, then a trio of his own once he left.  He even had a
regular gig on Channel 6 (on a show that got dumped when Dick
Clark's American Bandstand hit the airwaves).  Not only that, he hit
all the national and world charts with "Guitar Boogie Shuffle".  Still
and all, I can see dancing to this one if it was playing and I was
already on the floor, tho' I like "Teem Mashed Potatoes" a bit more,
'cuz of a truly inspiring guitar warble... Moving on to Detroit,
around the same year, we meet the *Thunder Rocks*, going
instrumental with "Rampage" (Get Hip Archive Series), a raucous
sax-dominated number... From the same scene, *The Valiants*
(GHAS) are holding a "Wild Party", as a slide whistle starts it up
and the dive headfirst to a rhythm instro blast with electric piano
defining the sound.  Time to dance... 1961 brings us another group
from that Sabre Records crowd, the *Low Rocks*.  "Blueberry Jam"
(GHAS) is a rocked up, revised jam on "Blueberry Hill" that must've
been a major hit live, with a big guitar lead and sax taking the vocal
part.  Underneath is the number they must've brought out so the
guys could get close to their steadies, "Midnight Tears", with a
lonely sax lament... Now, everyone knows *The Trashmen* as the
wildmen of "Surfin' Bird" and "Bird Dance Beat", but evidently they
started out with a much rootsier sound.  The Get Hip Archive
Series gifts us with a rare look at this stage in the band's
development, as the band makes their way through a bunch of
covers.  On the flip, we hear them working the country spectrum,
doing George Jones' "Blue Must Be The Color Of The Blues", a soft
one with pretty vocals.  I wish my grandfather could hear this one,
'cuz he'd really love it.  Up top are a pair of Buddy Holly songs,
"Well All Right" (always a favorite of mine) and "That's What They
Say", showing them getting into a heavier, more rock'n'roll beat, but
the vocals are still kinda in the crooning vein... For our last number,
we'd like to move things up to the future (well, compared to where
we've been), meeting the most famous group ever to hail from
Lytle, Texas, *The Shades of Night*.  Now, here's a hint:  they
didn't become favorites of garage nuts everywhere for the flip side
of their single, "Such A Long Time".  This one's a soft little ballad,
pleading for some girl to come back.  You have to wonder how the
hell this came from the same buncha guys who gave us the A-side,
"Fluctuation".  Now, this one's been one of my garage favorites
since I heard The Chesterfield Kings do it on their first album.  But
the original is even better, possibly one of the best garage punkers
ever written.  It's a snarling, pissed off, this-is-my-life-and-this-is-
how-I'm-gonna-live-it vocal, and a stinging lead, backed by a
thundering rhythm.  And every time they come back in, another
chill screams up my spine.  This is it.  Primo stuff!

*****************************************************************************
WHERE TO GET ALL THESE THINGS

1+2 Records
thru Get Hip

360 Twist
PO Box 9367
Denver, CO  80209

Alive/Total Energy
PO Box 7112
Burbank, CA  91510

Aqua Velvets
2104 S. Glenwood
Springfield, IL  62704

Au Go Go
GPO Box 542d
Melbourne, Vic 3001
AUSTRALIA

Bar None
PO Box 1704
Hoboken, NJ  07030

Bedlam
323 W. Packer Ave #C
Bethlehem, PA  18015

Black Eye
PO Box 315
NY, NY  10276

Blue Lamp
1259 York St. #1
Denver, CO  80206

Bongo Beat
Box 505
1288 Broughton
Vancouver, BC
CANADA  V6G 2B5

Cara
1831 Ontario Pl. NW
Washington, DC 20009

Clamarama
PO Box 422
Allston, MA  02134

Detour
PO Box 18
Midhurst West Sussex
G U 29 9YU
ENGLAND

DM3
c/o 16 Chester Street
South Fremantle
Western Australia 6162

Empty
PO Box 12034
Seattle, WA  98102

Estrus
PO Box 2125
Bellingham, WA  98227

Feralette
306 W. 4th St.
NY, NY 10014

Flydaddy
PO Box 4618
Seattle, WA  98104-0618

Frontier
PO Box 22
Sun Valley, CA  91353-0022

Get Hip
PO Box 666
Canonsburg, PA  15317

Goner
PO Box 40566
Memphis, TN  38174-0566

Happy Hour
221 N. 1st St.
Ann Arbor, MI  48104

Lakota
(thru Get Hip)

Lookout
PO Box 11374
Berkeley, CA 94712

Mint
#699-810 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
CANADA V5Z 4C9

No Lie
2118 Guadalupe No. 216
Austin, TX  78705

No Hit
57 Greenway
London, ENGLAND
       SW20 9BQ

No Place Like Home
PO Box 464
Chapel Hill, NC  27514

Norton Records
Box 646 Cooper Station
NY, NY  10003

Not Lame
PO Box 9756
Denver, CO  80209

Planet Pimp
1800 Market St. #45
SF, CA  94102

Posh Boy
thru Get Hip

Q Division
443 Albany St.
Boston, MA  02118

Rat City
9014 45th Ave SW 20
Seattle, WA 98126

Rat Records
Page Publications
800 Steeles Ave West
Suite B10-138
Thornwall, Ontario
L4J 7L2 CANADA

Screaming Apple
Dustemichstr 14
50939 Koln
GERMANY

Snag Free
7510 Sunset Blvd #1206
Hollywood, CA  90046

Ultra Under
thru Get Hip

Unclean
PO Box 34627
San Antonio, TX  78265
[email protected]

Vinyl Japan (UK) Ltd.
Rear Yard
281 Camden High St.
London NW1 7Bx
ENGLAND

Wagon Wheel
PO Box 1115
NY, NY 10276-1115

Worrybird
PO Box 95485
Atlanta, GA  30347

Zapruder
Box 102.374
6110 East Mockingbird Ln
Dallas, TX  75214

*****************************************************************************
NEWS OF THE WORLD

       From *The Silly Pillows'* Jonathan Elwitt comes the
following.  "Well, we've just recently cut the first 3 tracks for our
next album, plus 1 track for a compilation being put out by Spare
Me Records.  Our current line-up includes me, Sam, our new
drummer Dave Joachim, and home-recording legend Linda Smith
(sharing vocals with me). Meanwhile, there are plans
afoot for me to sing on a trans-Atlantic collaborative track with the
Bartlebees; the song is a Television Personalities tribute/spoof I
wrote which I performed with the Bartlebees in their first N.Y.C.
show last month.  Also meanwhile, I'm awaiting the imminent
release of Pillow Image Ltd., an LP of old Silly Pillows home
recordings remastered for release
on Little Teddy."
       Way back when I was at the University of Rochester, I fell in
love with Game Theory thanks to a song called "24".  I first listened
to the record because I saw that then 3 O'Clock vocalist Michael
Quercio was pitching in, but I soon learned the band was led by
one Scott Miller.  Well, eventually Game Theory came to an end.
(And, honestly, a better one than the 3 O'Clock did.)  Miller
emerged a few years ago with a new group, *The Loud Family*.
Their first disc, PLANTS & BIRDS & ROCKS & THINGS was a
major hit with me.  Fantastic melodies, great production, cool
arrangements... stuff I lived for.  Really powerful pop.  However,
Miller has always been somewhat of an experimentalist, and the
band's next record did little to please me.  (In fact, I can't remember
its name.)  Anyway, they've got a new one coming, called
INTERBABE CONCERN (Alias), which leaves me hoping that it'll
be more like the first one.  In addition, the group will be touring
North America this fall.
       Reading bomp-list and other cool areas on the net, I came
across Steve Coleman's message that XXX Records would be re-
releasing *The Fleshtones'* THE ANGRY YEARS, as well as
SPREAD THE WORD by *The Love Delegation*.
       *The Untamed Youth* are a band, once again!  They're
doing a short Western tour this summer, hitting Las Vegas, LA, &
SF, and will also do the studio thing, recording a new long-player
(their first since SOPHISTICATED INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS
(Norton) died a premature death thanks to the Singing Palermos,
the geezers whose jacket cover they ripped off for S.I.P.)  Let's just
hope the boys decide that this is such a good thing that they'll tour
a couple times a year.
       It's been a bit of time now since the last full-length release by
*The Original Sins*.  As it turns out, you're going to have to wait a
bit longer yet.  (In the meantime, pick up the 4-song EP on Bedlam
mentioned in the 7" reviews.)  However, it promises to be well
worth the wait.  The Sins are back with Bar/None and their first
new project together should be a big one.  Last I heard, it was slated
to be a double-discer.  While I don't think this is the greatest
marketing ploy in the world (let's just hope Bar/None's smart
enough to price it affordably), it does mean you're going to get
quite a bit of Original Sin for your money.  Part of this will be a
group re-recording of BETHLEHEM, a solo LP recorded by JT some
years back, but never released.  The pre-release sampler of this
forthcoming release shows great promise, with the band exploring
spending much of its time on cold and loneliness.  However, there
are some smiling, upbeat pop numbers, as well, plus a couple
rockers.  Keep your eyes open.
       I just read a post from Trashwoman Elka Zolot on th'Truff.
Evidently, Ms. Z. has got a new group together, *The Spastics*,
which she described as "San Francisco's hot new garage-punk
band."  Elka plays lead guitar and does the vocal honors, while
Justin Sane handles guitar, Lisa "Devil Baby" does the bassing, and
Sir Ian "sour ass" McLean hits the drums.
       Mr. Michael Maltese of *Fortune & Maltese* had the
following info for TS readers... "The F&M Germany album is [out]
(see review in LPs section -- ed.).  And I'm fairly sure it's going to be
on Get Hip.  But be warned, the first two EPs have been re-released
on side one of the thing (for the European audience). The pressing's
better and you can hear it. There's 18 tracks total, so having the first
2 EPs, there's 10 ALL-NEW tracks.
       The Hillsdale album should be all pressed-up in a month or
so. That album contains, what, 14 all-new hits without covers. Now
we have to start recording again for Get Hip and [360 Twist].  We
will be making that scene, by the way.  (...) We're still deciding on
what the best vehicle will be to get across this great land.  We were
thinking of some sort of RV but got discouraged at the thought of
getting busted into.  Those aluminum screen doors aren't very
secure I hear."
       Greg Lowery of Rip-Off Records checked in a while ago to
tell me the following, "Just getting the new band going with Shane
from The Rip Offs.  We are now called The Infections.  Got some
new records lined up:  Loli and the Chones, Teengenerate live LP,
Registrators LP, all kinds of stuff."

       I'm gonna cut it off here, folks, 'cuz... I feel like it. --- BB

*****************************************************************************

       That's all.  Go home.  Leave.  Vamoose.  No, I *don't* know
what's gonna be in the next issue yet.  (But hopefully it'll be out by
the end of the summer... and there'll most likely be a report from
TrebleFest.)  Have a wonderful summer.

               --- Blair

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