Here’s the playlist for 8-28-2022, in which the featured artist was the Rubinoos, the live segemnt was the Infamous Stringdusters, and once again, I failed to play the Appetite for Destruction demos:
King’s X, “Black Flag” [King’s X (1992)]
2 Live Jews, “Oui! It’s So Humid” [As Kosher As They Wanna Be (1990/2009)]
The Flamin’ Groovies, “Sometimes” [Shake Some Action (1976)]
The Rolling Stones, “Dance (Part 1)” [Emotional Rescue (1980)]
The Forty Nineteens, “Tell Me” [New Roaring Twenties (2022)]
Bill Lloyd, “Mama Told Me Not to Come” [We All Shine On: Celebrating the Music of 1970 (2022)]
New Music Express
Muse, “Compliance” [Will of the People (2022)]
Julia Jacklin, “Ignore Tenderness” [Pre Pleasure (2022)]
Julia Jacklin, “Moviegoer” [Pre Pleasure (2022)]
Tedeschi Trucks Band, “Soul Sweet Song” [I Am the Moon: IV. Farewell (2022)]
William Orbit, “Bank of Wildflowers (Feat. Georgia) [The Painter (2022)]
Goo Goo Dolls, “Loving Life” [Chaos in Bloom (2022)]
Lannie Flowers, “Lost in a Daydream (Remix)” [Digital single (2022)]
Hour 2
The Sex Pistols, “(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone” [Flogging a Dead Horse (1980)]
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another” [Reach the Beach (1981)]
David Bowie, “Modern Love” [Let’s Dance (1983)]
Featured artist: The Rubinoos
The Rubinoos, “Gorilla” [Beserkley Chartbusters Volume I (1975)]
The Rubinoos, “I Think We’re Alone Now” [The Rubinoos (1977)]
The Rubinoos, “Leave My Heart Alone” [The Rubinoos (1977)]
The Rubinoos, “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” [Back to the Drawing Board (1979)]
The Rubinoos, “Rock and Roll Is Dead” [The Rubinoos (1977)]
The Rubinoos, “If I Had You Back” [Party of Two EP (1983)]
The Rubinoos, “Revenge of the Nerds” [Revenge of the Nerds Soundtrack (1984)]
The Rubinoos, “Amnesia” [Paleophonic (1998)]
The Rubinoos, “Pump It Up” [Crimes Against Music (2002)]
The Rubinoos, “Shake Some Action” [Crimes Against Music (2002)]
Hour 3
Kim Fowley, “Bubblegum” [Outrageous (1968)}
Bobby Sutliff, “Indiana Wants Me” [We All Shine On: Celebrating the Music of 1970 (2022)]
Live segment: Infamous Stringdusters
Infamous Stringdusters, “Fire” [Harmony Park, Clarks Grove, MN 5-27-2022]
Infamous Stringdusters, “It’s Be Alright” [Harmony Park, Clarks Grove, MN 5-27-2022]
Infamous Stringdusters, “Not Fade Away” [Harmony Park, Clarks Grove, MN 5-27-2022]
Infamous Stringdusters, “Fork in the Road” [Fork in the Road (2007)]
R.E.M., “Pop Song 89” [Green (1988)]
Iron City Houserockers, “I Can’t Take It” [Love’s So Tough (1979)]
Here’s the playlist for 8-21-2022, in which I celebrated the birthday of Robert Plant and Ron Paul, the featured artist was Earthquake and the live segment was the Henhouse Prowlers:
Hour 1
Robert Plant, “Big Love” [Manic Nirvana (1990)]
Led Zeppelin, “Trampled Under Foot” [Physical Graffiti (1975)]
John Easdale, “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” [Sing Hollies in Reverse (1995)]
The Records, “Starry Eyes” [Shades in Bed (1979)]
Happy Birthday, Ron Paul
The Troggs, “Bass for My Birthday” [Wild Thing (1966)]
The Beatles, “Birthday” [The Beatles (1968)]
TAS 1000, “Birthday” [A Message for Marta (2001)]
New Music Express
Panic! at the Disco, “Viva Las Vengeance” [Viva Las Vengeance (2022)]
The Mountain Goats, “Training Montage” [Bleed Out (2022)]
Cass McCombs, “Karaoke” [Heartmind (2022)]
Panic! at the Disco, “Viva ” [Viva Las Vengeance (2022)]
Hour 2
Hot Chip, “Freakout-Release” [Freakout/Release (2022)]
Here’s the playlist for 8-14-2022, a show in which I encountered technical difficulties, paid tribute to Olivia Netwton-John, and for the live segment played Bela Fleck and the Flecktones:
Hour 1
Cat Power, “In This Hole” [What Would the Community Think (1996)]
John Fogerty, “Rockin’ All Over the World” [John Fogerty (1975)]
The RUdy Schwartz Project, “Pick a Booger” [Full Frontal Klugman (2013)]
A box set chocked full of Chess and its subsidiaries.
Before there was Chess Records, there were Leonard and Phillip Chess, two Jewish immigrants from Poland who came to Chicago in 1928. They were involved in the liquor business, and by the 1940’s, they owned several bars on the south side of Chicago. Of these, the largest bar was the Macomba, which had live entertainment. Many of the peformers were blues performers that had migrated to Chicago from the Mississippi delta in the 1930’s and 1940’s. They realized that these artists were not being properly recorded, so they started to record them.
In 1947, the Chess brothers entered into a partnership with Charles and Evelyn Aron, and formed Aristocrat Records. The Arons has formed Aristocrat Recods to record blues, jazz, and R&B. The most important artist on Aristocrat was McKinley Morganfield (a.k.a. Muddy Waters), who had several successful singles on the label in 1947 and 1948. The Chess brothers were able to build Muddy Waters into Chicago’s leading blues singer.
The Arons were divorced, and by 1948, Leonard Chess bought everyone out, so that only he and Evelyn Aron ran the label. By early 1950, Leonard and his brother Phil had become the sole owners, and in June, they changed the company’s name to Chess Records. The Aristocrat brand was discontinued in 1951.
In the meantime, Sam Phillips, a young record producer in Memphis, Tennesee, wa recording a 6’6″, 300 pound farm worker named Chester Burnette (a.k.a. Howlin’ Wolf). At the time, Phillips didn’t have a record label (he later established Sun Records), so he leased the Howlin’ Wolf masters to the Chess brothers. “How Many More Years” b/w “Moanin’ at Midnight” was a hit in 1951. Howlin’ Wolf soon moved to Chicago and signed with Chess Records. He would record a handful of singles which did not chart, eventually finding success which “Who Will Be Next” (#14 on Billboard’s R&B chart), and “Smokestack Lightning” (#8 R&B).
The brothers’ relationship with Phillips would bear more fruit. Phillips gave to Chess “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, which topped Billboard’s R&B chart. Soon the band signed Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, and others who were the basis of subsequent rock and roll.
In 1994, Chess released “Chess Blues”, a 4-CD compilation of the best blues recordings released by the Chess brothers. It represents an even distribution of material from over twenty years of Chess, including recordings from the Aristocrat Records era (1947-50), and from all of Chess’s subsidiaries, including Checker and Argo Records. It chronicles the entire era, from the begining of the partnership with the Arons to the untimely death of Leonard Chess at age 52 in October 1969.
I have to admit that I’m not that conversant with Chicago blues, and therefore may not be qualified to assess this compilation of music as representative of the entire genre. But we get a good sampling of music, including several tracks by Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. There’s also some excellent harmonica playing by Little Walter.
On the fourth CD, we get to hear some familar blues and R&B. On this CD, we hear some classics, many of them covered by rock artists: “The Red Rooster” and “Killing Floor” by Howlin’ Wolf, “Wang Dang Doodle” by Koko Taylor (we do not get the Howlin’ Wolf original), and “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Etta James. In retrospect, it’s hard to see what the fuss was about artists such as Led Zeppelin; they, for the most part, were just copiers of the old original blues artists.
If you wish to delve into Chicago blues and aren’t interested in tracking down the original albums, “Chess Blues” is a good start, and samples evenly from the era when Chess Records held sway. I would recommend it, along with some of the box sets representing some of the original blues artists (e.g. Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters). It represents a good education for the uninitiated.
Here’s the playlist for 8-7-2022, in which I expressed puzzlement in the Alex Jones verdict, played T-Bone Burnett in the New Music Express, paid tribute to Manny Charlton and Nichelle Nichols, and for the live segment played Airshow:
Hour 1
Dexy’s Midnight Runners, “Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache” [Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, 30th anniversary edition (1980/2010)]
Ian Hunter, “That Girl Is Rock ‘n’ Roll” [All of the Good Ones Are Taken (1983)]
Faith No More, “Falling to Pieces” [The Real Thing (1989)]
Blake Babies, “Girl in a Box” [Sunburn (1990)]
Starry Eyed and Laughing, “Going Down” [Miles Out to Sea: The Roots of British Power Pop 1969-74 (1974/2022)]
Nick Frater, “Dancing with a Gertrude” [Aerodrome Motel (2022)]
Hour 2
Midnite Cruiser, “Striker” [Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts from Northern Ireland 1977-1984 (1977/2020)]
The Purdins, “Psychedelic Day” [It Craweled from the Basment: The Green Monkey Records Anthology (1988/2009)]
J.B. Lenoir, “Mama Talk to Your Daughter” [Chess Blues (1955/1993)]
Sub Pop Set #2
Nirvana, “Love Buzz” [7-inch single (1988)/Bleach (1989)]
Screaming Trees, “Love or Confusion” [Sub Pop 200 (1988)]
The Flaming Lips, “Strychnine/Peace Love and Understanding” [7-inch single (1989)/Seeing the Unseeable: The Complete Studio Recordings of The Flaming Lips 1986-1990 (2018)]
Love Battery, “Between the Eyes” [7-inch single (1989)/Between the Eyes (1989)]
Tribute to Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols, “Know What I Mean” [Down to Earth (1967)]
Nichelle Nichols, “Feelin’ Good” [Down to Earth (1967)]
Tribute to Manny Charlton
Manny Charlton, “Say the Word” [Say the Word (2004)]
Manny Charlton, “Expect No Mercy” [Solo (2016)]
The Dirtbombs, “I’m Saving Myself for Nichelle Nichols (No. 3)” [If You Don’t Already Have a Look (2005)]
Hour 3
Pat Boone, “Paradise City” [In a Metal Mood – No More Mr. Nice Guy (1997)]
Jane Aire and the Belvederes, “Yankee Wheels” [The Stiff Records Box Set (1977/1992)]
Here’s the playlist for the 7-31-2022 show, in which I read an article about Rand Paul being on Ukraine’s enemies list, played the latest installment of the tribute to Manny Charlton, and played Aqueous on the live segment:
Hour 1
Yo La Tengo, “Tom Courtney” [Electr-O-Pura (1995)]
Webb Wilder, “Original Mixed-Up Kid” [Town and Country (1995)]
Dwight Twilley Band, “Shakin’ in the Brown Grass” [The Great Lost Twilley Album (1993)]
Joe “King” Carrasco and the Crowns, “Bueno” [78 RPM single (1980)]
Fats Domino, “I’m Walkin'” [78 RPM single (1957)]
New Music Express
Maggie Rogers, “Want Want” [Surrender (2022)]
Tedeschi Trucks Band, “Somehow” [I Am the Moon III. The Fall (2022)]
Josh Rouse, “Hollow Moon” [Going Places (2022)]
Amanda Shires, “Empty Cups” [Take it Like a Man (2022)]
Tallies, “No Dreams of Fayres” [Patina (2022)]
Elvin Bishop, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” [Struttin’ My Stuff (1976)]
Hour 2
Bo Diddley, “The Story of Bo Diddley” [ABC of the Blues (1959/2011)]
Howlin’ Wolf, “Howlin’ Wolf Boogie” [The Chess Box (1951/1991)]
Chuck Berry, “Maybelline” [The Chess Years (1955/1991)]
Muddy Waters, “Rollin’ Stone” [Chess Blues (1950/1993)]
Alex Chilton and Hi Rhythm Section, “Maybelline (Live)” [Boogie Shoes: Live on Beale Street (2021)]
Sub Pop Set #1
Sonic Youth, “Kill Yr Idols” [Sub Pop 100 (1986)]
Green River, “Hangin’ Tree” [Sub Pop 200 (1988)]
Soundgarden, “Sub Pop Rock City” [Screaming Life EP (1988)]
Mudhoney, “Touch Me I’m Sick” [7-inch single (1988)]
TAD, “Daisy” [7-inch single (1988)]
Tribute to Manny Charlton (part four)
Manny Charlton, “Rockin’ in the Free World” [Drool (1999)]
Previously, I reviewed two compilation albums devoted to small, independent labels: Ork Records and Bomp! Records. But both these labels were domestic (American) labels, so it’s interesting to see what was happening (music-wise) in the mother country.
As far as modern music was concerned, the U.K., much like the U.S. was divided. After the breakup of The Beatles, there was a split between those who wanted to take pop and rock to the next level (progressive rock) and those who thought that writing pop songs between 2 and 4 minutes long was an art to be emulated (power pop). In the meantime, pub rock bands were threatening to become the next big thing; groups like Brinsley Schwarz, Roogalator, and Ducks Deluxe were all the rage. It took a few years to deflate the ambitions of these bands, leaving Dr. Feelgood as the only group to become popular.
Dr. Feelgood would soon become instrumental in the launch of Stiff Records. Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera were well-known London music business characters. Robinson had worked for Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s and has also managed Brinsley Schwarz. Riviera managed Dr. Feelgood, which was starting to become popular. The label was started with a loan of £400 from Lee Brilleaux of Dr. Feelgood.
The first single issued on Stiff was “So It Goes” b/w “Heart of the City” by Nick Lowe, the bassist/vocalist from Brinsley Schwartz, which had just broken up. Lowe now became the in-house producer for the label, and produced many of Stiff’s early singles, including “New Rose” by The Damned, in what is commonly regarded as the first punk rock single in the U.K.
In 1977, Stiff Records signed Wreckless Eric, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, and The Adverts. After a series of disagreements with Robinson, Riviera left the label in early 1978, taking Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Yachts with him as a settlement package. He joined CBS Records, where he set up the short-lived Radar Records as a subsidiary label.
Deprived of some of their best talent, Stiff struggled on. In the meantime, Ian Dury’s debut LP, “New Boots and Panties!!” raced up the charts, keeping the label solvent the next few months. The next few years were Stiff Records’ salad days. Lene Lovich had several hits, including a cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Lucky Number”. Ian Dury released “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”, Stiff’s first #1 hit. Devo did not sign with Stiff (they signed with Warner Brothers), but released their first single on the label, and they released “The Akron Compilation”, which consisted of Akron-based artists. After an initial single, Jane Aire and the Belvederes ultimately signed with Virgin Records, but she wasn’t going to make it, anyway, and Madness signed with them in 1979.
The labels success proved, however, to be short-lived. Stiff Records was dependent on hits from a handful of established artists such as Madness and Tracey Ullman. Towards the end of 1983, Robinson cut a deal with Island Records in which Island would buy 50 percent of Stiff Records, and Robinson would end up running both labels. Island was essentially broke, and Robinson had to lend them money to fund the purchase of Stiff. The deal went badly, as Robinson essentially neglected Stiff. Dave Robinson regained control of Stiff Records in 1985, but the damage was done. Hits by the Pogues and Furniture helped Stiff to survive for another twenty months, but the underlying causes of the failure of the Island deal finally became too burdensome for Stiff. Ironically, Stiff signed Dr. Feelgood in 1986. Dr. Feelgood had been dropped by United Artists in the early 1980s; they had been bouncing between independent labels and by 1986, were unsigned. They released two albums on Stiff: Brilleaux (1986) and Classic (1987). Stiff was acquired by ZTT in 1987, and they deactivated the label in 1988.
Four years later, Stiff released “The Stiff Records Box Set”. It’s by no means an exhaustive chronicle of the Stiff era, but it samples from the entire Stiff era (1976-87). There are multiple tracks from Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Rachel Sweet, Wreckless Eric, Madness, Tenpole Tudor and other artists. There are also single tracks from notable artists like Dave Edmunds (who had a contract with Swan Song, but contributed to compilation albums), Richard Hell, Larry Wallis, Jane Aire and the Belvederes, Devo, and others.
I acquired this box set from a digital download. Having spent $7.68 for this set (thank you, Russian mp3 site), which is currently out of print and would cost $187.89 for new and $59.75 used, per Amazon, my expectations were immediately fulfilled. Those who acquired the box set in physical form, however, might have been a bit disappointed in the liner notes, as apparently there was very little real information about the label. I have not seen the liner notes, though. I would be somewhat disappointed as well; $187 pays for a lot of mp3s.
But for the casual fan, or someone who didn’t live through the era and wants to see what the fuss was about, “The Stiff Records Box Set” will likely be more than adequate. Completionists should seek out various compilation albums = those which did not get a CD release may be ripped from vinyl. [For the ones that have not been ripped to a digital format, there’s always thrift shops.] Also, there’s The Stiff Singles, which have been released in several volumes on Amazon. “The Stiff Records Box Set” may not be the final word on this label’s prodigious output, but it’s a good start.
In 1974, The Flamin’ Groovies, a garage rock band based in San Francisco, returned to the U.S. after some time in the U.K. They had recorded a set of Dave Edmund-produced tracks, including “Shake Some Action”. Founding member Ray Loney departed the band, and with Cyril Jordan as lead vocalist and guitarist, The Flamin’ Groovies moved away from the R&B of their early years and more in the direction of British power pop. They had no record deal in the U.S., and were shopping the recorded tracks to different labels, and, amazingly enough, there were no takers. Enter the late Greg Shaw, who with his wife Suzi Shaw started Bomp Magazine, a fanzine promoting underground music, in 1970. Shaw liked the band’s recordings, and decided to release the record, which was included with the magazine. The magazine sold enough copies to make the record break even. Through his contacts at FM radio stations, Shaw generated enough airplay, even though the band was unsigned. This was enough to get Sire Records to sign the band, and enough to convince Shaw to continue releasing records. Over the years, the label has featured punk, pop, power pop, old-school rock, neo-psychedelia, and other genres. Its impressive roster has included The Flamin’ Groovies, Iggy Pop, The Romantics, 20/20, Zeros, The Jook, Shoes, Stiv Bators, Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, The Plimsouls, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Shaw died in 2004, but Bomp Records lives on, and is still releasing music, though more sporadically than before. [The last release was a B-Girls compilation from August 2017, and although it was almost five years ago, I hesitate to say that Bomp Records has closed up shop.] Which brings us to the compilation album of the day: Destination Bomp (1994). To be sure, it makes a case for justifying the existence of Bomp Records, and it does include many songs from the label’s illustrious catalog. Overall, it makes for a thoroughly listenable experience. What is unclear, however, is the selection of material. Clearly, the compilation evenly samples music from the two decades for which Bomp Records was in existence – hence, although there is music from the punk era (The Poppees, Dmz, and Iggy Pop), there is also new wave (Shoes, 20/20, The Romantics), some post-punk, pre-grunge music (The Green Pajamas), and some new-ish garage rock (The Brian Jonestown Massacre). But that leaves some notable omissions. There’s no Venus and the Razorblades, who released “Punk-a-Rama” on the label in 1977. There’s nothing by The Jook, who released an EP in 1978. And nothing by The Modern Lovers, who released an early album on Bomp in 1981. And, I might add, nothing from “American Youth Report”, a compilation of L.A. punk rock which includes T.S.O.L. and Red Kross. Part of the problem is the vast catalog of Bomp Records. Unlike Ork Records, whose compilation I reviewed last week, Bomp released LPs, and is still active today, albeit with less frequency. Since the output of Ork Records was sporadic and consisted of singles and EPs and in any case was defunct by the end of the 1970s, there wasn’t much material and most of it was put on the 2-CD compilation. With Bomp, however, there was a lot more material to sift through, and unfortunately, much music was omitted. Anyhow, if you don’t mind what was left out, this makes for a melodious compilation, and I don’t have much of a quarrel with those who selected tracks for this 2-CD retrospective. Just be aware that it could have been so much more.
