Eugene McDaniels "Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse" 1971****

Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse is one of those cult albums that get labelled as "legendary" although few people have actually heard them. In contrast to some mainstream hits of its time and despite (or because of?) being unavailable for decades, the album's fame is constantly growing. Rappers from Eric B & Rakim to the Beastie Boys have raided it for samples and mentioning it has become a sure mark of hipness. Even so, it's not every day you find a copy at the racks of a record store. So when I recently found a reasonably priced Japanese import at an electronics chain store, I put it in my basket. I was aware of the album's reputation but what really convinced me was the cover: A naked-torsoed screaming black man superimposed on the picture of two sword wielding samurai? And that title? Is this for real or just something Quentin Tarantino came up with between "Kill Bill" and "Django"? It had to be the work of either a genius or a madman... After listening to it, my verdict is: Genius all the way...and a bit of a madman, as well. When he made this album McDaniels had already penned many hits, including the socially conscious "Compared to What" and Roberta Flack's Grammy winner "Feel Like Makin' Love". But he certainly wasn't aiming for the hit parade when he made Headless Heroes..., an amalgam of jazz, soul and psychedelia inspired by the Apocalypse as well as the evils of Nixon's America. "The Lord Is Back" seems like a hopeful way to open his album until Eugene adds "The Lord is mad/ His disposition's mean/ He's travelin' the road to mass destruction". No rejoicing yet, then... Funky piece, though, so at least it's an Armageddon you can dance to. "Jagger the Dagger" is a slow doped-sounding soul jazz song about you-know-who and "Lovin' Man" another funk dynamite. "Headless Heroes" combines the Apocalyptic theme with social commentary: "Jews and the Arabs/Semitic pawns in the master game/The player who controls the board/Sees them all as the same/Basically cannon fodder...Nobody knows who the enemy is/Cause he never goes in hiding/He's slitting our throats/Right in front of our eyes/While we pull the casket he's riding/Better get it together/And see what's happening/To you and you and you". The Beastie Boys sampled it in their Ill Communication album. "Susan Jane" is a short Dylanesque folk song about a negro-loving hippy chick and "Freedom Death Dance" radical jazz. In the satirical "Supermarket Blues" a black man is beaten senseless by a mob of white middle-class folk for trying to return a can of spoiled food to the supermarket (a comment on consumerism as well as racism?). It reminded me of Gil Scott-Heron, probably the closest comparison to Eugene McDaniel I can think of. Great drum breaks too, by Weather Report's Alphonse Mouzon! "The Parasite (For Buffy)" is an outspoken 10-minute condemnation of the white settler's treatment of the Native American population, fittingly ending the album with screams of agony in a cacophony of instrumental noise. Not an album for the faint hearted certainly, but one I can wholeheartedly recommend to any adventurous soul/jazz fan...

**** for The Lord is Back, Lovin' Man, Supermarket Blues, The Parasite (For Buffy)

*** for Jagger the Dagger, Headless Heroes, Susan Jane, Freedom Death Dance

Black Sabbath "Seventh Star" 1986(orig) 2010(deluxe edition) ***

Black Sabbath's "Seventh Star" was never one of my top choices but I just had to get the Deluxe Edition, since it's a bit of a curiosity, sporting the two vocalists with the shortest career in Sabbath: Glenn Hughes and Ray Gillen (And don't remind me of the Ian Gillan period: I have that monstrosity, too). To be fair, neither "Seventh Star" nor "Born Again" are quite as bad as they're supposed to be. They're rejected by Sabbath fans because they simply aren't what Sabbath's supposed to sound like. Seen as standalone heavy metal CD's they have their (limited) merits. "Seventh Star" was actually never supposed to be released under the "Black Sabbath" moniker. It was supposed to be Tony Iommi's solo debut. The "Born Again" tour fiasco had left everybody with a bitter taste in their mouth. Ian Gillan left to join the reformed Deep Purple and Sabbath cornerstone and main lyricist Geezer Butler also quit the sinking ship. Iommi had some tunes ready that he thought didn't fit Sabbath and set about recording them for a solo album. He recruited old associate Geoff Nichols and a couple of Lita Ford's band members and started seeking an appropriate singer. The initial idea of using several different guest singers fell through but he hit it off very well with former Purple Glenn Hughes. Hughes was at the time a cocaine addict and had just been sacked from the Gary Moore Band for that reason. Iommi decided to give him a second chance and Glenn sang his heart out on this album, committing one great performance after another. Iommi is, of course, a legendary guitarist and his riffing and soloing in this album is beyond reproach. Unfortunately the material isn't first class. Not bad either, but mostly run-of-the-mill 80's Heavy Metal. The record company refused to release it as a solo album and it eventually circulated as "Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi" and a photo of the mustachio'd guitarist on the cover. It starts off well with "In For The Kill", a hard rocking number with fast metallic riffs where Hughes proves his vocal ability beyond doubt. Ballad "No Stranger To Love" is a curious choice for a single since it's as un-Sabbath-etic as possible. It actually sounds like a Whitesnake ballad and features a soulful performance by Hughes (Remember how he and Coverdale were Deep Purple's vocal Dynamic Duo?). "Turn To Stone" is another good metal number, ditto with "Danger Zone". "Sphinx" is just the introduction to the "Seventh Star", an epic song that cries "Ronnie James Dio". Glenn does his best but he's out of character. The bluesey "Heart Like A Wheel" and "In Memory" suit him much better. "Angry Heart" is another hard rocker but to tell you the truth, like other songs in this album, it reminds me more of late period Rainbow than Black Sabbath. The Deluxe Edition adds the single mix of "No Stranger To Love" and a whole live performance from 1986. Meanwhile Hughes had managed to waste a second chance to be in one of the world's top rock bands. The album had proved commercially successful but his behavior and performance was so appalling that halfway through the tour he was replaced with complete unknown Ray Gillen. It's him we hear in the bonus disc and, although the recording quality is rather bad, he proves to be a worthy successor, handling material from the Hughes, Dio and Ozzy eras with ease. An amazing feat, considering he had virtually no time to prepare himself. Notwithstanding, pretty soon he was also history, to be replaced with Tony Martin, then Dio for the second time, only for the circle to close with Ozzy back at the mic. This album should satisfy friends of 1980's metal and just about nobody else. To the curious Sabbath fan I'd suggest to get The Deluxe Edition to get an idea of the scarcely heard Ray Gillen line-up: Not bad at all, I assure you...

*** for  In For The Kill, No Stranger To Love, Turn To Stone, Seventh Star, Danger Zone, No Stranger To Love (Alt. version)

** for Sphinx (The Guardian), Heart Like A Wheel, Angry Heart, In Memory

Live Album: (for performance, not sound) *** for Danger Zone. War Pigs, Die Young, Neon Knights, Paranoid

** for Mob Rules, Seventh Star, Black Sabbath, N.I.B

Built To Spill "Live" 2000***

Built To Spill must be one of those indie bands that have never even remotely thought of pop stardom. Judging at least from this album, they seem to be content with groping for the edges, trying to find out what sound possibilities the electric guitar can offer them, fascinated by distortion and feedback noises. In this respect, they sound a lot like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Neil Young in his more adventurous excursions with Crazy Horse. Fortunately, just like with 80's shoegazers My Bloody Valentine and Jesus & Mary Chain, a melody often lurks just beneath that noisy surface. Lots of references to other groups, I know, but Built to Spill are one of those bands that wear their influences on their sleeve as evidenced by their tribute to Young, an epic 20-minute reworking of his "Cortez the Killer" in which singer-guitarist Doug Martsch manages to emulate the original's vocals and reckless guitar playing. This cover is also probably the highlight of the album, which truth be told, does not bode well for the band. Of their own songs, "Cars" is the better one. It opens the second cd with some rare acoustic guitar and is the more pop-oriented of the bunch (sorta like The Cure meet early Radiohead). Other highlights include "The Plan" and two more covers: Love as Laughter's "Singing Sores Make Perfect Swords" and The Halo Benders' "Virginia Reel Around the Fountain". My own version of the album is a special reissue for Record Store Day 2013 (great institution, by the way, worth your support) and features 2 fine bonus tracks: "Forget Remember When" and "Now & Then".

**** for Cortez the Killer, Car
*** for The Plan, Stop the Show, Virginia Reel Around the Fountain, Singing Sores Make Perfect Swords, Forget Remember When, Now & Then, Broken Chairs

** for Randy Described Eternity, I Would Hurt a Fly

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis "The Third" 2015****

I spent last weekend in Brussels (which I'm going to be doing a lot from now on) and had the chance to catch Kitty, Daisy & Lewis live at the Ancienne Belgique. Great night and a powerful performance. I left the club with a smile and a copy of their brand new CD (it hit the shops less than a month ago) which I'll be presenting here. But first a few words about the concert: What is usually referred to as a "sibling trio" takes on tour the form of a fully fledged R&B revue. I swear sometimes they had more people on stage than the Blues Brothers! Besides the three siblings, constantly alternating between lead vocals, guitars, piano and drums (not to mention banjo and harmonica), there was another guitarist, a bassist, a Jamaican trombonist and the world's most useless string quartet (only really heard on a couple of numbers). Lewis looked like he just stepped out of "Boardwalk Empire" (or some other stylish 20's show) and the girls provided the necessary eye candy dressed in a gold skinsuit (Kitty) and a leather Batwoman/Suzy Quatro outfit (Daisy). Now, I was familiar with the trio's utterly enjoyable debut but hadn't listened to anything recent of theirs. I was pleasantly surprised to see them expand their aural palette beyond blues/rockabilly: "Turkish Delight" and "Ain't Always Better Your Way" are closer to Ska and "Feeling of Wonder" contains a funky nod to Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and sports a contribution by The Clash's Mick Jones (who also made an excellent job producing the record). Daisy's "No Action" is another funky number somewhere between Chic and Amy Winehouse - surefire hit material! Opener "Whenever You See Me" has a Nancy Sinatra-meets-Holly Golightly vibe and first single "Baby Bye Bye" by Lewis is calypso jazz with some light and breezy piano. "Good Looking Woman" is a straight Chicago blues with horns and "It Ain't your business" jumpin' rockabilly (My, that Kitty sure blows a mean harp!). "Never Get Back" is a cinematic ballad with prominent strings and "Bitchin' In The Kitchen" sassy soul. The album closes with "Whiskey" (a country song given the R&B treatment) and "Developer's Disease", a Woody Guthrie-ish folk song lamenting the extinction of London's urban character by the intervention of greedy land developers. After listening to this album and witnessing Kitty, Daisy and Lewis's performance, I could almost declare that "A star is born"! Almost, because there's actually three of them... 

**** for Whenever You See Me, Baby Bye Bye, Feeling of Wonder, No Action, Bitchin' in the Kitchen

*** for Good Looking Woman, Turkish Delight, It Ain't Your Business, Ain't Always Better Your Way, Whiskey, Developer's Disease

** for Never Get Back

Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians "Element Of Light" 1986****

Robyn Hitchcock had, in the 70s, led Cambridge's post punk/psychedelic Soft Boys. He subsequently made a lot of interesting and uncommercial records either solo or -as in this case- with his band The Egyptians. This specific album should by rights have been successful. His pop instincts are as sharpened as ever and psychedelic weirdness kept at bay. John Lennon and Syd Barrett seem to be his main sources of inspiration, other influences being Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground, Byrds and The Doors. Opener "If You Were A Priest" is psych-punk with jangly guitars and vocal harmonies, as catchy as anything created by the same period R.E.M. "Winchester" is a dreamy psychedelic ballad while on "Somewhere Apart" Hitchcock sounds like John Lennon and on "Ted, Woody And Junior" like Bowie. "The President" is aimed at the U.S and Ronald Reagan and has biting lyrics: "The President is talking to us through a microphone/Like he's trying to pack his mother off/To an old people's home...He's the president of Europe and he's talking to the dead/They're the only ones who'll listen or believe a word he said". "Raymond Chandler Evening" is a very English melancholic song with nods to Dylan and Barrett. "Airscape" is the centerpiece of the album, an indie pop masterpiece that sounds at once anchored in the 60's and of its time. "Never Stop Bleeding" is also acid folk and "Lady Waters & The Hooded One" a dark song drawing inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and Pink Floyd. Overall an extremely well crafted album, this particular version of which is embellished by a number of interesting bonus tracks including psych ballads "Black Crow Knows" and "The Leopard", garage-punk "The Crawling" and "Tell Me About Your Drugs", rockabilly "Upside-Down Church Blues" and demos of "Bass" and "Lady Waters".

**** for If You Were A Priest, Winchester, Ted Woody And Junior, The President, Airscape, Lady Waters & The Hooded One (both versions), Tell Me About Your Drugs

*** for Somewhere Apart, Raymond Chandler Evening, Bass, Never Stop Bleeding, The Black Crow Knows, The Crawling, The Leopard, Upside-Down Church Blues, Neck

** for Sprinkling Dots, Into It, Bass (demo)

Ten Years After "A Space in Time" 1971****

Aaah, Ten Years After...A very special band for me. Not because we share a love for the blues, nor because they embody the myth of the sixties with their incendiary Woodstock appearance and rebel songs like "I'd like to change the world". Neither for the fact that Alvin Lee is the most underrated guitar hero ever. That's all true, of course, but my reason is much more personal: Ten Years After is the first rock concert I ever witnessed, back in 1988. It was a magical moment, actually standing a few meters from a great rock band - one that had played Woodstock no less - and witnessing their music being made, Lee's fingers moving up and down the fretboard and the sound of his electric guitar filling the air through those big speakers... The place where the concert took place was an unexpected one - the annual Fall festival of KNE - Odigitis (Greek Communist Youth and its official magazine)! I know the Americans among you cringe at the thought, probably recalling images from North Korean parades, goose-stepping soldiers and students in kitschy folk uniforms waving red flags. Well, it wasn't quite like that - except of course from the red flags, there was an abundance of those... Actually, the Greek Communist Party of that time was very popular in the artistic circles and the KNE festival was their chance to invite many big name sympathizers from the music and theater world and allow people to see some high quality shows for a very low price. You would be right, nevertheless, to assume that the Communist Party officially despised Rock. Folk was good. Jazz and Blues was OK, it was the expression of the oppressed minorities in the imperialist U.S.A. Rock, on the other hand, was a sign of Western decadence - it led to drug use, free sex and delinquency. At least such was the official party line until then. But by 1988 things had started to change. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev had promised more openness and was carrying out a "charm offensive" towards the West. Remote-controlled by Moscow as they were, the Greek communist leaders decided to go with the times and allow KNE to open the doors of its festival to rock. Serendipitously, Ten Years After had just reformed and were on tour. Somebody in KNE must have heard their "tax the rich, feed the poor" slogan and found it a worthy sentiment. (If so, he failed to ask his instructor: It is a reformist slogan and reformists are a true communist's worse enemy, after anarchists and trotskyists of course). So, half hour before the concert was programmed to begin, a throng of leather-and-denim clad rockers started to flood the grounds of the festival like a bunch of hooligans crashing someone's birthday party. They looked rather uneasily at the unfamiliar surroundings: Lenin posters, huge red banners, book fairs, podiums with folk singers and political agitators. And they did receive some dirty looks from some commie festival goers. But, miraculously, it was perhaps the first time in Greece that a rock concert did not end in chaos, riots and tear gas (a venerable tradition started by the very first Athens rock festival, a 1967 Rolling Stones concert violently broken up by the police). Ten Years After spread their positive vibrations around, everyone had a great time and went home smiling and with their head full of music - me, first and foremost...

Now, to the album at hand... It came out in 1971 and was Ten Years After's sixth and best-selling album. For those familiar with the band's style, it's a bit of a departure: Less bluesy and less reliant on lengthy solos showcasing Lee's extraordinary dexterity at the electric guitar, it contains many acoustic numbers, psychedelic sound effects and studio tricks. Opener "One of These Days" is a heavy blues song a la Cream with stellar guitar and harp work by Lee."Here They Come" is a ballad featuring spacey studio effects as befits a song forseeing the coming of extra-terrestrials (they had some strong acid, back then). "I'd Love to Change the World" is, rightly, their greatest hit and one of the defining singles of he sixties (although released in the 70's). Beautiful acoustic guitar and soft choruses are juxtaposed with harder passages featuring fiery electric guitar, a combination reminiscent of  Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". The lyrics covey the confusion of a young man acknowledging the wrongs of the world around him and unsure of how to change it (no such confusion for the young festival goers listening to the concert, though: Join the Party, follow the leaders, demolish capitalism and bring about communism - what's there to think about?). "Over the Hill" is a whimsical piece of 60's psychedelia with a Sgt.Pepper-style string section."Baby Won't You Let Me Rock 'n' Roll You" is one of those TYA specialties, wild rock and roll with lightning speed guitar solos. "Once There was a Time" is a country rocker that curiously reminds me of Jack White. "Let the Sky Fall" seems to reprise the riff from "Goodmorning Little Schoolgirl" within the frame of a Floydian psych ballad. The album continues with "Hard Monkeys", an anti-drug electric blues that reminds me of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the inspirational Zeppelin-ish "I've Been There Too", concluding with "Uncle Jam", a jazzy instrumental with boogie woogie piano and Django-like guitar. Overall a great classic rock album featuring a perfect rock ballad. Dedicated to you all: "Everywhere is freaks and hairies/Dykes and fairies/Tell me where is sanity?/Tax the rich/Feed the poor/Till there aren't rich no more/I'd love to change the world/But I don't know what to do/So I'll leave it up to you/Population keeps on breeding/Nation bleeding/Still more feeding economy/Life is funny, skies are sunny/Bees make honey/Who needs money? Monopoly/World pollution/There's no solution/Institution,electrocution/Just black and white/Rich or poor/Them and us/Stop the war/I'd love to change the world/But I don't know what to do/So I'll leave it up to you"

***** for I'd Love to Change the World, Baby Won't You Let Me Rock 'n' Roll You

**** for One of These Days, Let the Sky Fall, I've Been There Too

*** for Here They Come, Over The Hill, Once There Was a Time, Hard Monkeys

** for Uncle Jam

Left Alone "Lonely Starts and Broken Hearts"2005***

Left Alone is a punk band from Wilmington, California. They record on Tim Armstrong's Hellcat label and are as good as possible within the narrow punk genre. This album (their debut) sports catchy choruses, fierce but precise playing and ska injections for variety. The problem is that their labelmates Rancid have been doing the same thing for so long, it's easy to dismiss Left Alone as derivative. Sure, you have the Madness-meet-Green Day ska of "Another Feeling", Motorhead/Offspring hybrid of "My Whole Life" and rockabilly-ish "Heart Of Mine", but that's nothing new for the genre. Neither are the excursions towards ska ("By My Side","Dead Red Roses") and oi! ("Heart Riot","My Way") or Stiff Little Fingers-referencing "Would You Stay Now". So, this is my suggestion: buy it if you like Rancid or classic British punk & ska, go see them if they play your town (I'm sure these tunes sound best played live) but if you're not a serious punk fan, I can think of a couple dozen punk albums that are way more essential to your collection...

**** for Another Feeling, Would You Stay Now

*** for Lonely Starts & Broken Hearts, Broke My Heart, Monday Morning, By My Side, My '62, Heart Riot, Dead Red Roses, Heart Of Mine, Wasted Time

** for My Whole Life, My Way

Harmonium "En Tournee" 1977(rec) 1980(released)*****

Harmonium is the second Quebecois Prog band presented in this blog, after Morse Code. I've become quite a fan of that scene. Which is weird since, until a year ago, all I knew of the Quebec music scene came from English-speaking Canadian artists like the McGarrigle sisters and Courage of Lassie who occasionally also sang in French. Harmonium on the other hand, were a Quebec band that sang exclusively in their native language and even -like on this live album- addressed their English-speaking audience in Vancouver (Canada) in French. This must have irked them somewhat, since the nationalist division between the two communities had reached its climax around that period. Nevertheless, music bridges these gaps and the recorded concert seems to take place in a very warm atmosphere. During their 5-years existence Harmonium released 3 studio albums showing a gradual shift from simpler folk forms to intricately arranged prog rock. This CD is a posthumous release and constitutes a live re-creation of their supposed magnum opus, a symphonic prog concept album called "L'Heptade". They make up for the absence of a symphonic orchestra by creating complex but tight arrangements and making good use of the mellotron, moog and other synthesizers, piano, flute and saxophone. After a short intro, they open with "Comme Un Fou", an intimate folk song with beautiful harmonies and some heavy keyboards towards the end. "Chanson Noire" is jazzy and playful and consists of two parts: the bossanova-tinged "Le Bien, Le Mal" and the piano-and-sax dominated "Pour Un Blanche Ceremonie". The first disc closes with a 21-minute suite named "Le Premier Ciel" which opens with an emotive flute solo to continue with some loud electric guitar over a funky beat. Long saxophone and keyboard solos abound and vocals are scatted as much as sung. Friends of the then nascent punk scene would be horrified. Even for the modern pop/rock listener, it is an exercise in patience, but fans of jazz and jam-oriented music will be pleased. The second album begins with "L'Exil" a song with a dramatic delivery in the rein of traditional French chanson, albeit with an electronic synthesizer backing. "Le Corridor" is a beautiful ballad with a simple melody and gorgeous vocals by Monique Fateux, while  lead singer Serge Fiori assumes here a supporting role. Proof that Harmonium didn't really need those bombastic arrangements to win their audience. The song segues into the similarly styled  "Lumiere de Nuit" and "Lumiere de Jour". "Lumiere De Vie" is composed of 4 parts featuring, in succession, long Floydian guitar solos, Tangerine Dream-like synth soundscapes and romantic piano. "Comme Un Sage" is another 15-minute tour de force with atmospheric piano and vocals. Towards the middle and again at the grande finale, it sports some loud synths and guitars, but otherwise it's a smooth ride. A more realistic rating would be 4,5*, but I'll go ahead and award it a perfect score for its sheer ambition, complexity and impeccable -for a concert recording- execution. Bravo!

**** for Comme Un Fou, Le Premier Ciel, L'Exile, Le Corridor, Lumiere De Vie, Comme Un Sage

*** for Le Bien Le Mal, Pour Un Blanche Ceremonie, Lumiere de Nuit, Lumiere de Jour

The Fuzztones "Salt for Zombies" 2003*****

Tonight's Friday the 13th as well as the weekend of the carnival (at least in Greece). So, the Fuzztones, true Halloween freaks that they are, fit right in with the night's theme. "Salt for Zombies" (Why salt? Anyone got any idea?) came 13 whole years after the previous one, "Monster A-Go-Go", a Halloween record of strictly horror-themed garage rock. Not that they've been away, but Rudi Protrudi kept changing his home base and went through a zillion different band line-ups, before deciding to return to the recording studio. Deb O' Nair, organist of the original band, makes her appearance here, next to the ghoulish Batlord on guitar and the Hammond/Kusten rhythm section. I must admit that my initial reaction at the time (being a huge Fuzztones fan) was one of mild disappointment: This album sees them making a slight shift towards psychedelic hard rock rather than their usual Sonics/Count V garage. Listening to it again now, I can't make a single complaint. So what if it took them 13 years to progress musically from 1966 to 1967-68? Their choice of covers is, as always, inspired and their own interpretation often surpasses the originals (dare I suggest their cover of "Strychnine" is superior even to the Sonics' primal original? No I dare not, lest the garage gods strike me down. I'll leave it to your judgement). Opener "My Brother The Man" is one of those perfect covers with its "Bolero" organ solo and fervid delivery. "Get Naked" is another outlet for Rudi's overactive libido and features the late great Sky Saxon in the role of the mad hippy prophet, chanting "Nude...let's all be nude...let's get out on the streets of love". Snippets from what seem to be 50's horror/si-fi movies intercept the flow of the album, introducing the groovy "Face of Time" and then the ominous heavy psych (think Monster Magnet) "Be Forewarned". "Johnson In A Headlock" features cheesy organ, lusty vocals, a funky middle section and ridiculously catchy backing vocals. It has since rightly gained a place in the pantheon of garage classics. "This Sinister Urge" is a horror-psych ballad and "Black Lightning Light" another 60's cover, sounding like The Doors jamming with Jimi Hendrix (Only better: I've heard a bootleg of Jim Morrison jamming with Hendrix and it was goddamn awful! Jim was completely wasted...). "Idol Chatter" and "A Wristwatch Band" are rather more atmospheric psychedelia and "Hallucination Generation" is a pro-drugs original featuring The Electric Prunes' James Lowe. "Group grope" by 60's hippie revolutionaries The Fugs seems to fit well with Protrudi's beliefs "You ask me about my philosophy, baby, yeah/Dope, peace, magic gods in the tree trunks/and a group grope baby/Backseat boogie for high school kids/Students fuck the teacher and the daughter fuck the preacher". "Don't Blow Your Mind" is a cover of a monster garage single by a pre-Alice Cooper band called The Spiders and "What Ever Happened To Baby Jesus?" is an overlong psychedelic horror song with lots of feedback, which they used to end their concerts with at the time: "Beware!Beware!Baby Jesus is coming your way..." - now that's scary! Not to mention blasphemous; I can't help but picture Baby Jesus like Chucky the evil doll from "Child's Play". Now, what could be more appropriate for Friday the 13th? I'll give it 5* 'cause I wouldn't want to risk Baby Jesus' anger by downgrading His favorite band. Plus, did I mention I'm a huge Fuzztones fan? Last seen in Berlin in 2011, The Fuzztones make surprise appearances from time to time, led as always by the last guru of garage grunge, Rudi Protrudi. Don't miss them, or you will be sadly missed...

***** for My Brother The Man, Johnson In A Headlock

**** for Get Naked, Face Of Time, Be Forewarned, This Sinister Urge, Black Lightning Light, Hallucination Generation

*** for Idol Chatter, A Wristwatch Band, Group Grope, Don't Blow Your Mind

** for What Ever Happened To Baby Jesus?

Tumor Circus "Tumor Circus" 1991**

Jello "Dead Kennedys" Biafra has described this album as "...my most criminally overlooked album... That total noise-grog-semi-grunge-amphetamine-reptile kinda-sounding thing I made with Charley Tolnay of Grong Grong and the guys of Steel Pole Bath Tub...my most demented project". It certainly isn't one for the weak at heart. For the most part it's grungy and muddy noise, with Jello's trademark obnoxious vocals and subversive lyrics. Opener "Hazing for Success" is a cacophonous, hilarious and offensive fantasy about George Bush Sr.'s initiation in the "Skull and Bones" secret society that ties his membership in it with oil companies and the Gulf War "For kicks we kick around the globe/Start a war if we're going broke/Supply both sides, watch 'em choke/Blood of the WASP runs thick as oil". "Human Cyst" is more conventional punk rock a la Stooges, "Fireball" and "Calcutta a-Go-Go" grungy lo-fi noise metal and "Take Me Back or I'll Drown Our Dog (Headlines)" is the lead single, a satire of modern living inspired by the headlines of the "yellow press". "Meathook Up My Rectum" is an attack on censorship and the album's 2nd single. For those not in the know, Biafra is a head figure in the anti-censorship movement and very active politically, although he has "softened" his former anarchist views to the point of joining the eco-socialist US Green Party (See his bio here). "Turn Off the Respirator" is the story of a dying man: "Kept alive/By sick machines/Doctors know/I ain't got a chance/Wanna see our home/One last time/But, it's too late/And our savings are gone/I love you all/I'm so sorry/But someone's gotta pull the plug". It's a tragic situation told over 15 minutes of such a slow and agonizing distorted guitar noise that will have you wishing someone does pull the plug soon, just to shut him up!

**** for Take Me Back or I'll Drown Our Dog (Headlines)

*** for Human Cyst, Fireball, Meathook Up My Rectum, Calcutta a-Go-Go

** for Hazing for Success, The Man with the Corkscrew Eyes, Swine Flu, Turn Off the Respirator

World Party "Egyptology" 1997****

There are master painters and master forgers. Some forgers can paint a perfect Van Gogh copy by duplicating every last stroke of the brush. A master forger can create a new painting in the familiar style and fool critics into thinking they're looking at a hitherto unknown Van Gogh. Former Waterboy Karl Wallinger belongs to the latter category. What he's done in "Egyptology" is really impressing: He's created an original album which sounds like a compilation of hidden gems from the 60's and 70's and not only does he play almost every instrument himself but the quality of the results is stunning: If "Call Me Up" was an outtake from the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper", it'd be a collector's dream and the centerpiece of another "Anthology" collection. Opener "It Is Time" is pure Byrds circa 1965-66. "Beautiful Dream" is garage in Troggs/Stones mode and "Vanity Fair" orchestral 60's pop (imagine the Walker Brothers or the Monkeys singing an imaginary James Bond song). "She's The One" is a piano ballad and the first song that doesn't sound like it comes straight from the 60's: instead it sounds like one of those million-sellers Oasis singles from the 90's. And, although World Party did not have a hit with it, Robbie Williams did pick it up and took it straight to No.1 of the charts. "Vocal Interlude" is a short Renaissance choral piece and "Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb" sounds like Dylan covered by George Harrison. "Hercules" is a soulful number (I had to re-check if it's a cover of Aaron Neville's song of the same name-it isn't). It sounds a bit like Stevie Winwood's Traffic or that other retro-rocker Paul Weller (a.k.a. The Modfather). "Love Is Best" is another beautiful ballad and "Rolling Off A Log" is the first song that reminds me of The Waterboys and in particular of the epic orchestral "Red Army Blues". "Strange Groove" is psychedelic funk with oriental flourishes and "The Whole Of The Night" another Oasis (or Beatles?) sound-alike. "Piece Of Mind" is funk, "This World" an orchestral ballad and the album closes with "Always", a song that reminds me a lot of Beck. As far as I'm concerned, this album is just short of perfect. A lot of other reviewers seem to disagree, as they say they've heard it all before. Sure, by The Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Beach Boys, Sly Stone etc. But they don't make them like that any more, so hang this beautiful forgery on the wall and don't concern yourself with the authenticity: It didn't cost you millions, after all (actually, it only cost me 1 euro)...

**** for It Is Time, Beautiful Dream, Call Me Up, Vanity Fair, She's The One, Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb, Hercules, Rolling Off A Log

*** for Vocal Interlude, Love Is Best, Strange Groove, The Whole Of The Night, Piece Of Mind, This World, Always

Neil Young with Crazy Horse "Psychedelic Pill" 2012***

Tonight I decided to present another album which I've had the pleasure to listen to live, Neil Young's "Psychedelic Pill". Wonder whatever happened to random selection? Me, too. It'll be back, I guess... Seeing Neil Young live (and with Crazy Horse, no less!) had been a dream of mine for quite some time. So when he played Amsterdam's huge Ziggo Dome, I rushed to buy a ticket for the cheap seats. I'll have to admit that, although the aural part of the concert was very rewarding, his stage act verged on the ridiculous: huuuuge speaker-towers and some kind of pantomime with the road crew and band members dressed as mad scientists, for chrisshakes! This is my advise to you, if you ever go to a Neil Young concert, take one of those sleeping masks with you, put it on and immerse yourself in the music! You don't believe me? Listen to his classic "Live Rust" album, isn't it one of the best live albums ever? Now watch an excerpt from the live dvd, have you ever seen anything sillier? Spinal Tap, you say? OK, maybe yes, but still a close match... Back to the album: I don't know what to make of the title. Does it suggest the album was made under the influence of hallucinogenics? Or that music is itself a hallucinogenic? I'm inclined to think the second. Well, if music is a trip then this album is a transatlantic one: New York-London with return. Am I exaggerating? Take the first song "Drifting Back" as an example. Its duration is over 27 minutes. Just like during a flight, you have time enough to take a nap and when you wake up you feel like you're passing through the same clouds as before. If you loved those long songs like "Cortez the Killer" and "Like A Hurricane", this is more (way, way more) of the same. Sonically, it's the best Neil Young and Crazy Horse album for 20 years and many songs could become future classics. Yes, they do sound like you've heard them before, but what do you expect from a dude that's been around for 50 years? I, for one, am content when he can echo his old self, which is what he does here - with the novelty of the absolutely epic duration of some songs. "Psychedelic Pill" is a short song that sounds like an effect-laden "Cinnamon Girl", while "Ramada Inn" is a 16-minute epic of dueling guitars. "Born in Ontario" and "Twisted Road" are rather short and nostalgic country. "She's Always Dancing" is another long song with sprawling guitars and "For the Love of Man" a ballad that provides a change of pace before the album's highlight, 16-minute "Walk Like a Giant", a song with a great melody, good backing vocals, whistling, lots and lots of guitars and romantic lyrics about the end of hippy dream: "I used to walk like a giant on the land/Now I feel like a leaf floating in a stream...Me and some of my friends/We were going to save the world/We were trying to make it better/We were ready to save the world/But then the weather changed/And the white got stained/And it fell apart/And it breaks my heart/To think about how close we came/I wanna walk/Like a giant on the land...". Great song, but it overstays its welcome by adding 4 minutes of pure noise. And, as further anti-climax the second cd (yes, it's a double album) closes with a useless "alternate mix" of "Psychedelic Pill". An extra torment is the lyrics booklet. Quite nice of them to include one, but did it have to be so small? (it's about the size of an old cassette tape). I'm near-, not far-sighted, but I still have to really strain my eyes to make out the words. I'd like to see Neil try to read it! Had this album been a single cd of about 50 minutes, it would definitively go to the top of my list. But whoever said that "you can't have too much of a good thing" obviously hasn't taken up that offer for unlimited spare ribs for €15,99. If you have, then you know what I'm talking about: sometimes less is more. So, despite all my praises, I'll give the guys just *** stars...

**** for Ramada Inn, She's Always Dancing, Walk Like a Giant

*** for Driftin' Back, Psychedelic Pill, Born in Ontario, Twisted Road, For the Love of Man

** for Psychedelic Pill" (Alternate Mix)

Neil Young & Crazy Horse in Amsterdam: The view from the cheap seats

Peter Wolf "Sleepless" 2002****

The name of Peter Wolf didn't sound that familiar. But the cover I knew I had seen in one of those All Time Greatest lists (#427 on Rolling Stone's Top 500). Had I known he was the lead singer of J. Gelis Band I may not have bothered to pick this one up. I mean, J.Gelis had that silly country-pop hit "Centerfold". But I'm glad I got it, because it's a thousand times better than his old band was (at least the 80's version of it). The music is a timeless mix of country, soul, blues and rock'n'roll that acts as a veritable showcase of an album for everything that's good about American music. Opener "Growin' Pain" is a Dylan-meets-J.J. Cale song with mandolins and "Nothing But The Wheel" sounds like a brother of the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers". Well, no wonder: That's Mick Jagger singing backing vocals there. "A Lot Of Good Ones Gone" is a soulful ballad with a Van Morrison vibe and "Never Like This Before" a Stones-like rock and soul romp. "Run Silent, Run Deep" is a lyrical Dylanesque track with a beautiful piano and violin. Otis Rush's "Homework" is an absolute delight with its Tom Waits-like delivery, "Five O'Clock Angel" a forlorn ballad and "Hey Jordan" folk-soul. "Too Close Together" is a raucous modern blues with Keith Richards on guitar and backing vocals and "Some Things You Don't Want To Know" (this time with Steve Earle) honky-tonk country. "Oh Marianne" is Mexican-flavored doo-wop and "Sleepless" a modern country soul ballad with pedal steel guitar and great horns. It's often said - but rarely true - about an album that it's all killer no filler. Well, Peter Wolf's "Sleepless" is the real thing. Not only that, it transcends genres creating what I hitherto will call an Americana Panorama (catchy name or what?) of music. I'm going to be checking more of Mr. Wolf's solo work. Who knows, I might even go back to old J. Gelis Band CD's to listen to them with fresh ears...***** for Homework   **** for Growin' Pain, Nothing But The Wheel, A Lot Of Good Ones Gone, Run Silent, Run Deep, Too Close Together, Oh Marianne  *** for Never Like This Before, Five O'Clock Angel, Hey Jordan, Some Things You Don't Want To Know, Sleepless 

Aerosmith "Toys in the Attic" 1975****

This is a cd that really sticks out in my shelf and the reason is that it's hosted in a metal box that looks like those old-fashioned cigar cases. The album cover is printed on the tin and the Aerosmith logo engraved on the front. Now, according to wikipedia, Aerosmith is considered by many to be "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". It sounds preposterous until you start wondering: The Rolling Stones? English. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple? English. Dylan and Springsteen are singers and not bands. I can think of better and more influential American rock bands, but no-one else has sold close to Aeromith's staggering 150 million albums. Not to mention their "rock'n'roll lifestyle" of non-stop parties, drugs, groupies and excess in all areas. Their 3rd album "Toys in the Attic" is widely considered their best, so how good do you expect "the best album of America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" to be? It would have to be pretty fuckin' awesome! Hold your horses, that's no way to approach an album. Remember what Public Enemy said: "Don't believe the hype" and approach it like I did: These are the guys whose biggest hit was that horrible ballad from the movie Armageddon, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", so maybe the best thing about it is the cover... Well, in that context "Toys in the Attic" isn't half bad. The music is blues based hard rock, with guitarist Joe Perry referencing Jimmy Page and singer Steven Tyler being closer to Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. It starts promising enough with the fast hard rocker "Toys in the Attic". "Uncle Salty" has more of a 60's British vibe and "Adam's Apple" reminds me Alice Cooper's heavy glam. "Walk This Way"'s funky riffs are instantly familiar but don't wait for RUN-DMC to start rapping, that hit version of the song is from ten years later. "Big Ten Inch Record" is a hilariously "naughty" blues with clanking boogie woogie piano and "Sweet Emotion" a monster of a rocker, Zeppelin-style. "No More No More" is a Stones-like rock'n'roller, "Round and Round" flirts with metal and "You See Me Crying" a power ballad of the kind they'd be serving us a lot in the future. With the exception of the latter, we're talking about an excellent down-and-dirty bluesy hard rock album, maybe even one worth of its frequent inclusion in those all time top-500 lists.

***** for Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion

**** for Toys in the Attic, Adam's Apple

*** for Uncle Salty, Big Ten Inch Record, No More No More, Round and Round

** for You See Me Crying

Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey "Going Back Home" 2014****

Everyone loves a story with a happy ending, don't we? Well, this cd has exactly this type of back story. Wilko Johnson was the guitarist of English pub-rockers Dr. Feelgood. He always cut an impressive figure on stage with his jerky movements, long limbs, angular face and wild stare. The producers of the Game of Thrones series recognized his imposing presence when they cast him on the role of Ser Ilyn Payne, the mute and menacing royal executioner. His guitar playing was equally no-nonsense angular r&b, indebted to the great Mick Green of 60's rockers the Pirates who could play simultaneously lead and rhythm guitar. After leaving Dr Feelgood, he briefly joined Ian Dury's Blockheads and subsequently led his own band with moderate results, since his vocal abilities did not match his guitar playing. In 2013, he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and given a few months to leave. He responded with speeding up his plans to play and record as much good music as possible and reached out to one of his youth's inspirations to help him: The Who's Roger Daltrey. The two men had talked about co-operating before but pressing commitments meant that it kept getting postponed. This time they both rushed in the studio and came out one week later with the songs that make up this cd. As the months went by, Wilko gave his best time after time, playing every time what he thought was his last performance. His tumor kept getting larger and more painful but did not kill him. In the end he went into surgery and the operation that was deemed impossible proved a success. The doctors removed a tumor that was the size of a soccer ball and weighed 3 kilos! Today Wilko Johnson is declared cancer free and successfully recuperating from the extensive surgery he had. And the cherry on top of the cake is that his album with Daltrey was a huge hit, reaching No.3 at the UK chars, the highest since 1976 and Dr Feelgood's "Stupidity" album. And rightly so, because it is a very enjoyable album by two seasoned veterans enjoying themselves, playing rhythm and blues and rock and roll with the energy of men half their age! With the exception of an obscure 1965 Dylan single, the songs are chosen from Wilko's long career. The opening sentence of the album is an emphatic "I Wanna Live" followed by "...The Way I Like!" from "Going Back Home", written by a young Wilko in 1975 with the help of his idol Mick Green. Wilko's razor sharp riffs and Daltrey's swinging harp and roaring vocal combine for a rendition that equals, if not betters, the original. Overall, Daltrey's vocals are incredibly strong and youthful for a septuagenarian. If I hadn't recently seen him live with Who I'd doubt it's actually him singing. "Ice on the Motorway" references The Pirate's "Shakin' All Over", a song also frequently performed by The Who. "I Keep It to Myself" is another rock and roller that sounds like Elvis backed by an early version of The Rolling Stones. "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" is a treat for Dylan fans and "Turned 21" a soul ballad that provides a breather before the funky "Keep On Loving You". "Some Kind of Hero" is the second Dylan-influenced track, but this time an an original composition. The Feelgood's "Sneaking Suspicion" is given a heavier and funkier twist, ditto for "Keep It Out of Sight". "Everybody's Carrying a Gun"'s highlight is its rolling piano and the closer "All Through the City" reminds us why Dr. Feelgood were such a big influence on punk. Overall an excellent album and such a natural pairing that I can't wait for the sequel, when Wilko's health permits it...

**** for Going Back Home, Ice on the Motorway, I Keep It to Myself, Some Kind of Hero, Sneaking Suspicion, Keep It Out of Sight, All Through the City 

 *** for Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?, Keep On Loving You, Everybody's Carrying A Gun
 ** for Turned 21

  

Dengue Fever "Venus On Earth" 2008****

The sticker on my cd box advertises Dengue Fever as "The world's premier Cambodian psychedelic rock band". An assertion of dubious worth, given that the originators of that sound were executed by Pol Pot during the Khmer Rouge period and almost all evidence of its existence wiped out during the late 70's. This particular band's roots don't go that far back of course. Their beginning can be traced to organist Ethan Holtzman's backpacking holiday in that country in the late 90's, which saw him acquainted with both the infectious dengue fever and the (also infectious but much less malign) sounds of 60's-70's Cambodian psychedelic bands. These played a hybrid of exotica, lounge, surf and garage rock. Only a handful of records were saved from the vengeful Pol Pot regime, but they sparked the Holtzman brothers imagination to the point of inspiring them to form their own Cambodian psychedelic band. Miraculously, they stumbled into Chhom Nimol, a Cambodian-born singer of exquisite looks and even better voice, and Dengue Fever were born. This third release sees the band mixing their faithful 60's Cambodian psych sound with alternative rock and introducing English lyrics for some songs. Yes, chunky guitars, swirling farfisas and late-night sax are still present, but the whole thing is less retro and informed by an indie pop sensibility. Yes, Nimol's high-range vocals remain dominant but she sounds less exotic in English and even shares lead vocals with guitarist Zach Holtzman for "Sober Driver" and the collection's semi-hit "Tiger Phone Card", a song dealing with a long distance love affair. Opener "Seeing Hands" is a more typical DF song, with psyhedelic guitars and exotic vocals sung exclusively in Khmer, while "Clipped Wings" is slow and sensual and "Woman in the Shoes" a bilingual ballad combining 60's sounds with Belle & Sebastian-like indie pop. "Monsoon of Perfume" is a melodramatic ballad which could have escaped from a corny 60's movie or a night club where American GI's get drunk between bombing Vietnamese villages. "Integratron"'s funky exotica seems to have been inspired by Ethiopian jazzist Mulatu Astatke and features yet another excellent vocal by Nimol. "Oceans of Venus" is a surf instrumental ("Twilight zone" with ripping sax), "Laugh Track" soul and "Tooth an Nail" a corny bi-lingual ballad. "Mr. Orange" comes closer to my favourite kind of music, Nuggets-style garage rock with lots of farfisa organ. My version of the album closes with a kick-ass live freakout rendition of their "One Thousand Tears Of A Tarantula". ''Ocean Of Venus" found Dengue Fever renewing their sound and attempting to broaden their audience and achieve mainstream success. I sincerely hope they do, because they're better and more original than most of the bands dominating the charts.

**** for Seeing Hands, Tiger Phone Card, Intergratron, Mr. Orange, One Thousand Tears Of A Tarantula

*** for Clipped Wings, Woman In the Shoes, Sober Driver, Monsoon Of Perfume, Oceans Of Venus

** for Laugh Track, Tooth And Nail