The Pogues – A Pair of Brown Eyes 7″

Short on personal commentary which may be for the best as I think I should start every post with “Dear diary…”.  There’s always some issue, it seems, and the quiet country life is always interrupted, if not externally by some asshole vomiting their bullshit all over me, then those pesky internal, mind fuck issues pop up.  For now it seems that by quitting the bottle I have gotten rid of a truck load of selfishness, but I’m still more selfish than I thought.  As the Beatles said, “I, me, mine”.  Oh well there’s always music to reflect on.

In my wanderings recently found myself making a big circle again (shit happens all the time with music [which is a metaphor for life]) and finding myself some twenty years later listening to King Crimson.  You know if they weren’t so huge their 80’s stuff would have made a great later Touch and Go band, with the likes of Killdozer, Jesus Lizard, the Butthole Surfers and Big Black .  Brother Davrick gave me about 50 records, most of which should have been in my possession, one of them was Crimson’s Discipline.  I used to listen to that album with my music buddy back in the late 70’s early 80’s, Alexander Wallace III.  Rumor has it he killed himself, which makes me wish I would have stayed in touch with him, maybe he would have take a different path.  Dedicated to him,
King Crimson – Elephant Talk (live Philidelphia 07.30.82)
Such an insanely good tune especially if you like that snotty sarcastic progressive jazz rock and roll thing that they had going in the early 80’s.  Rewind a decade or so with some of their many line up changes and they came out with, the year I was born, these far the fuck out tunes from their 1st album (the songs are a bit longer than I have patience for these days, but if you’re into it, smoke a bong load think of your old pal Mustard who hasn’t smoked in 10 years, sit back and enjoy).
King Crimson – The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man

Trying (maybe too hard) to get to know this guy on the internet, and I don’t know about anybody else but there’s a method to that and I just don’t have it.  Face to face over a cup of coffee or back in the old days over a pitcher of beer rapping with someone is easy, especially over a common interest.  Either the guy is just too busy or my own special brand of passive insanity is just to overwhelming, like being wasted at a bar and trying to put the moves on the ladies…not subtle.  Anyway was just wanting to pick his brain as the guys is an encyclopedia when it comes to Japanese hardcore.  Sent him a rip of this 7″ I just picked up with three different versions of the same song (kinda lame), not really worthy of dedicating a whole post to, but still a fucking rager of a tune…this version’s my favorite…
Rydeen-You Are Not Me

Posted this one on Facebook a while back.  Now there’s a place that leaves me feeling like I’m a stray dog waiting in the alley behind the butcher shop for scraps.  I can honestly say that I’ve never clicked on a single one of the ads, which is after all what that place is really about.  Off course endless psycho dramas make up a good part of it as well.  Anyway this is the master of avant jazz Albert Ayler playing at another master, John Coltrane’s funeral.  Classical music does not make you sophisticated, this shit does, or maybe you could drop a tab of cid and REALLY trip out.  This is from the Holy Ghost…box set.
Albert Ayler – Love Cry/Truth Is Marching In/Our Prayer
The only album I have of his is Witches and Devils, again my buddy Alexander turned me onto him, here’s the title track but maybe we’ll post the whole thing sometime,
Albert Ayler – Witches and Devils

Got into the The Pogues somewhat late, probably ’87 or ’88 when I was in college. Kind of cool because you go to this new place and all these people from all over with different tastes expose you to all kind of interesting stuff (first thing I learned was how to roll a joint and the fine art of inhaling nitrous oxide). It was that way with my late exposure to bands like Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, Violent Femmes the Stooges and SPK.  I just found out recently that Shane McGowan the lead singer was in a snotty as hell band called the Nipple Erectors (later the Nips), you can get all their stuff from a fine little diddy of a site called Digvinyltal.  For now here’s one of their better tunes I posted in passing a while back,
The Nips – All The Time In The World
Have a ton of the Pogues shit on dubbed cassettes, but this 7″ ,that I recently got, is the first time I’ve gotten my grubby little hands on some actual vinyl.  It’s not secret that the singer Shane McGowan is a raging alcoholic and when he finally is dead I’m sure he will be the drinkers saint.  That was my appeal to them and listening to them probably with a pint of stout or a bottle Irish whiskey (the argument Catholic vs Protestant, Bushmills vs. Jameson is solved here).  Now that I don’t drink at all, I still have an appeal to them.  Maybe it’s nostalgic or a reminder of a place I don’t want to be again.  Whatever your thoughts, these guys are huge and have a knack for writing songs that are deep, with music that captures the listener.

 

A Pair of Brown Eyes

Whiskey You’re The Devil

As usual, feel like I haven’t put enough out there to sample, it’s going to a fancy restaurant, spending $50 and getting a tiny plate of food…this ain’t no fancy restaurant.  This here’s a buffet.  Some of my favorites off their Just Look Them In The Eye and Say…Pogue Mahoney!! box set, which would be well worth looking for if you fancy these guys.

 

Dirty Old Town (Live)

Pair of Brown Eyes (Live)

Hockaloogie – Houses of the Oly cassette

My wife had surgery in Denver this weekend (all went well). Half the population of Northwest Kansas can handle a knife good enough to gut, skin and dress a deer, but we have to drive 5 hours to find a surgeon who can handle a knife. Probably for the best.  On the way back my wife was passed out hopped up on oxycodone so I decided to see what kind of radio stations I could find. Most of the trip is on interstate 70 and at the time I was passing through almost non existent, Flagler Colorado. Hit the search button and it went clear though the numbers twice with no discernible radio station within earshot. It made me think, which I get to do a lot of on that drive, that as isolated as I am, there is a whole shitload of this country that is even more desolate than I am. And is that such a bad thing? I mean what is radio but a repeating playlist, sensational hand picked news headlines and lame ass commercials. A little peace and quiet may not be such a bad thing. But…there’s always a but, the world does not stop churning just because you aren’t exposed to it. We watched a newer movie last night called Black Death, roughly set in 1350 England that has been ravaged by the plague. Word has reached the Bishop that there is one village that has not been effected by the plague and so he sends out some inquisition type guys to go investigate, because they are sure that there must be some kind of witchcraft involved. Pagan vs. Christian type of stuff. In this world you are either Christian or of the devil, no in between. These guys had taken a message of peace and turned it into suspicion, dogmatism and torture. It turns out there really is a witch, really just a pagan good with herbal concoctions, but the reality was that these villagers had been spared, the “pestilence”, because of their isolation and by coming there these “men of God” had brought the black death with them. So even if we are spared the evils of mankind in our isolation, it’s still out there waiting the opportunity to find a way in. Like that poor little heathen lost tribe in the jungle, being discovered and allowed the great opportunity that “civilization” has in store.
A true and fairly new friend of the Relics, in the form of RAYMOND S. of the great province of British Columbia, mailed me this cassette which I should have already had. The memories are very hazy on these guys even though my band played with them at least 5 times and I must have seen them a dozen or more times besides that. All I can remember is Steve, the guitar player, who was in the dorms at Humboldt State (first floor Redwood?) the same year I was. Good looking, kind of normal guy and I can see his girlfriend’s face in my mind. And that is it…hahaha. Maybe some of my buddies will fill in their own experiences and memories to at least fill in some kind of picture for at least the posterity that this place provides. I did post them along with a bunch of other Humboldt bands a while back here. Their two tunes on that will not be found anywhere except here (as I pat myself on the back and rub my belly simultaneously).  Couldn’t find any web presence for these guys, which is a bummer because they were a pretty good band.

Fishy
Temper Tantrum
People
Bumping Uglies
Duh
She Tans Greatly
Gracefall

A couple of flyers (I think I made the yellow one) from, I’d say ’91 or ’92. Don’t remember the Angelos Pizza one, although those were a blast and we got paid with as much beer as we (our entourage included) could swill and pizza we could chow, which was always a shitload of both. The Angelos shows all run into one big show with Hockaloogie, One Man Running, Grimace, a few others.

Bob & Doug McKenzie – Take Off 7″

Last pothole of the day or maybe a tutorial in how to fill potholes?  I’m giving them way too much credit and this idea has been beaten to death, as it’s no mystery that your average municipal type is a lazy fuck, but some things are always entertaining.  I’ve worked for both the state of California and the city of Lemon Grove in grounds/public works so I have first hand experience. These guys appear to be from somewhere in Europe (just a feeling) so maybe it’s not just a US phenomenon.  Based on my own experience, the guys that have some kind of tool in their hands or have perhaps found a shovel to lean on, have the right idea, you have to at least look ready to work.  Some other pieces of advice…first, sunflower seeds, “spits”.  If you don’t have those, you’ll be so bored that you’ll go from a one pack a day habit to 2-3.  Another one…look pissed.  It sets you apart from the other guys who just want to shoot the shit.  You are not happy to be there and would rather be doing something good for your community…hahaha.  Lastly, if you get the chance…volunteer for traffic control.  Grab the “stop/slow” paddle, trade off between smokes and sunflower seeds, pretend you have authority and people watch (most of them are pissed off because you have inconvenienced them, but would be the first to complain if the road was not smooth as glass).  My boss’ boss once told me that I needed to hold the paddle with authority and proceeded to give me a lesson on “effective” traffic control, it was pretty funny and from then on I mocked him by being a total clown.  To this day I am a “total clown”.

By request from my bro Shawn, he saw this one in a pile of records I just got (this one for a buck).  Saw the cover and knew I had to have it, if just to be teleported back to 1983.  Anyone seen Strange Brew? Stupid question, because if you were around in ’83, and you knew what was fucking funny…you saw that movie.  The scene in the shock therapy room…the padded room…the line up.  Blah, blah, blah…if you’ve seen it you know what I’m talking about and if not go see it…eh.  This little 7″ is interesting, the title track isn’t on the soundtrack, so I guess it’s just part of their continuing act.  Despite having Geddy Lee (this is not a Rush tune) Take Off suffers badly from being stuck in everything that was lame about early 80’s pop music.  I wouldn’t if I were you, unless you’re a glutton for punishment, but if you don’t believe me, give it a listen.  Elron is cool, it’s a little bit thing, typical of their humor and I suppose if you need a simple lesson in morality it’s got some value there too.  I think what I like most is the cover, it reminds me of laughing hard.

 

Take Off (featuring Geddy Lee)

Elron McKenzie

Tried to find the official soundtrack to the movie, but no luck…did manage to find the ‘hit’ (yeah right) title track.

Ian Thomas – Strange Brew

Haven’t watched the whole thing in ages but I have a feeling it was funnier when I was stoned and 14.

Caterwaul Of Sound – Stabby Road

Some records that have come my way recently, thank God for capitalism and cheap records to be found on ebay.  Even getting some of the Record Store Day 2011 releases at cost, although some of them (not the ones I’m buying) are going for 3x what they did at the stores (Doors, Velvet Underground and ACDC).

So they killed Bin Laden today and I felt a chill, not the joy that so many felt around me.  A sadness for all the lives he was responsible for ending and anger at the world for being a breeding ground for people like him.  A buddy of mine had this quote up,

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”–Martin Luther King, Jr.

A part of me wants to be happy that “we’ve” gotten rid of of such a vile person and really the world is a better place without him, but nothing has been a changed about the petri dish.  What makes a tree grow, where do mosquitoes breed, how do you build a fire.  But as I told one of my buddies, “I gave up leading rebellion a long time ago my friend. I’ve retired and, now talk out of my ass and quote from people that were better than most human beings are capable of being.”

On a lighter note, some fucking insane, not your run of the mill hip hop, from ’05, a buddy (one of those internet ones that I’ve never actually met) just turned me onto…

Nazz of the killer Bleedin’ Out blog who has stopped in here and left a comment or two, did me (us) a huge favor and turned me onto his band Caterwaul of Sound. I’m still up in the air about the name they chose but that means nothing when you give these guys a listen. On a Butthole Surfers post I did a little while back he left the comment, “speaking of drug addled Butthole Surfish-ish stuff, My band (Caterwaul Of Sound) just released our first album (Stabby Road) – it’s here for your perusal. Play it and watch all the animals in your neighborhood commit ritual suicide.”  They have quite a few videos (where I took the snapshot from) and even their own page on youtube and not to leave anything out a myspace page too.  You can download their album and give them a complete listen and I suppose do them right and buy it as well, but I’ve selected what I thought were my favorites.  Several of the tunes are covers, but I kind of favored what I thought were originals (or maybe they’re all covers, I just didn’t recognize the rest).  Not sloppy enough to be 70’s punk but they definitely are influenced and have a punk sound with a lot of other shit going on as well.  Silly, snotty, and satirical, like laughing at a guy who’s puking.  The vocalist sounds very familiar, like a blend of some of your classic punk singers but he has his own sound (a little bit of Jello and definitely Johnny Rotten on the first tune when he says “problem”).  The last tune on the album (not posted here) was a little over the top for me with the whole abortion and “sweet sixteen and I had to bang her”, but that just shows that I’m getting old, can’t handle pushing it to the edge and maybe I was never that punk rock to begin with. Overall the whole thing is well worth a listen, my favorite tune was “The Ballad of John List”.  Thanx Nazz.