The Crazy Rider 横浜銀蝿 Rolling Special "ぶっちぎり II" 1981***

This one arrived recently together with some other J-Rock LPs, and after the first listen it's my favorite of the bunch. Or maybe the easiest to warm up to, because it's just plain old Rock'n'Roll in its purest form. I bought these albums from a discogs seller, based on some samples of music I could find on youtube. I'll try to present all of them here, which I think should be of interest as there's very little info on these groups available in English. I had to googletranslate everything, so apologies for any mistakes. This band apparently began under the 横浜銀蝿 (Yokohama Ginbae) moniker but added some English words to their name in order to have the longest name ever in the Japanese charts. Something they may well have achieved with the single included here, as any chart entry should read like this: The Crazy Rider 横浜銀蝿 Rolling Special "前サラサラサーファー・ガール おいらテカテカロックン・ローラー". ("You Sara Sara Surfer Girl Ira Tecateka Rock'n'Roller" - henceforth to be abbreviated as "Sara Surfer Girl", and the band as TCR Yokohama Ginbae RS). So these guys formed in late 1979 - I have no info as to where but I will hazard a guess that it was in Yokohama, Japan. They had a short but productive first run (1980-83), releasing 4 albums in this period and made a comeback in 1998 under an even longer name, The Crazy Rider Yokohama Ginbae Rolling Special Returns. This is their 2nd album, released at the same time as their biggest hit single "Tsupari High School Rock'n Roll (School attendance)" which unfortunately isn't included here. The album doesn't offer much variation, but that doesn't matter. This band has a winning formula and sticks by it: 50's-style rockabilly with a bit of a punk edge, similar to what Robert Gordon or The Stray Cats were playing around the same time. Think Chuck Berry meets New York Dolls. The LP title is pronounced Bucchigiri 2, which seems to mean the sound of a car/motorcycle engine rapidly accelerating. Side A starts off with a few seconds of that, leading to "だからいつもの Rock'n'Roll" ("So the usual R'n'R"), a very 50's sounding rockabilly with lots of sax and piano. The following tunes "ヒップフリフリRock'n Roll" ("Hip Furi Furi R'n'R"), "壱から壱まで Rock'n Roll" ("R'n'R from Ichi to Pickup") are louder with harder guitars and occasional harmonica, and "Johnny は Rock がお好き" ("Johnny likes Rock") is reminiscent of The Straycats, featuring female backing singers and nimble guitar and piano solos. "DJ Rock'n Roll" is a 6+ minute long track with 4 Japanese DJs talking while the band keeps playing in the background. Side 2 opens with "Sara Surfer Girl", which starts like a ballad before suddenly transforming into another wild rocker. "お前にお手上げ" ("Give up to you") reminds me of some 50's covers by The Ramones, while "I Love 横浜" ("I Love Yokohama") and "盗まれた魔法のランプ" ("Stolen magic lamp") are two more typical rockabilly songs and closer "気ままな One Way Night" ("Carefree One Way Night") a nostalgic retro ballad.  All in all a fun rockabilly record that any rocker would enjoy once they get used to the unfamiliar sound of Japanese vocals. Visually the band was quite striking, with their uniform Little Richard pompadours, sunglasses, white pants and black leather jackets - one is never sure whether they are serious 50's copyists or an elaborate parody like the Leningrad Cowboys. The album cover is a stylish black monochrome group photo on silver, possibly a pun on their name (Ginbae apparently meaning "silver fly"). Lastly, the band recently reformed once more to celebrate their 40th anniversary and is seemingly at the moment active under the name THE CRAZY RIDER 横浜銀蝿 ROLLING SPECIAL 40th. Check out this cool promo video on youtube:

**** for だからいつもの Rock'n Roll (So the usual R'n'R), ヒップフリフリRock'n Roll (Hip Furi Furi R'n'R), Johnny は Rock がお好き(Johnny likes Rock), お前サラサラサーファー・ガール おいらテカテカロックン・ローラー (You Sara Sara Surfer Girl Ira Tecateka Rock'n Roller), お前にお手上げ (Give up to you)

*** for 壱から壱まで Rock'n Roll (R'n'R from Ichi to Pickup), I Love 横浜 (I Love Yokohama), 盗まれた魔法のランプ (Stolen magic lamp), 気ままな One Way Night (Carefree One Way Night)

** for DJ Rock'n Roll

Sleater-Kinney ‎– Start Together // 1994 - 2006 // A Sampler (2014 comp)*****

This is a band I've been wanting to get into for quite some time. In the absence of a Best-Of compilation, which is usually my first approach, I started out with the "critically acclaimed" one, Dig Me Out. Then I stumbled upon this CD, which seemed to be what I was looking for in the first place. It's not commercially available, since it's no "Best Of" but a promotional tool for the 2014 re-release of their (up to that point) complete discography in vinyl on Sub Pop Records. A box set called Start Together//1994-2006 containing all the LP's on coloured vinyl plus a bonus 7', was released simultaneously. This 15-track sampler with selections from the box set was therefore not intended as an introduction for the novice, but as a reminder for old fans who could spare $125 to re-buy in a deluxe package albums they may already have on CD. It contains 2 tracks from each album (3 from Dig Me Out) in order to be representative of their catalogue, but it sounds like a greatest hits, even if the band didn't have any hits proper. Most of their singles are here, but in any case every song included sounds like a stone-cold classic: catchy hooks, powerful playing, passionate singing, intelligent lyrics. The CD is presented in reverse chronological order to front-load it with the most "commercial" tracks, but that's no way to tell a story, so we'll re-reverse it and start in 1994 and the nascent riot grrrl scene based in a Northwestern town called Olympia, Washington. Corin Tucker (lead vocals, guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (lead guitar, vocals) are members of two feminist punk bands - Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17, respectively. They embark on a romantic relationship and make a record together (Sleater-Kinney, 1995) From that album, "Be Yr Mama" is aggressive and sounds somewhat derivative to my ears, a bit too similar to the scene's de facto leaders, Bikini Kill. 

 

On "The Day I Went Away" they play angular new wave with the two singers perfectly complementing each other, setting the foundation for what would be their signature sound. The next year, they left their former bands and put all their creative energies into Sleater-Kinney. While Call The Doctor (1996) is certainly no mellower, the eponymous song and "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" are catchier, the guitar playing is more sophisticated, and outbursts more rousing . On third album Dig Me Out (1997) the band is completed with the addition of Janet Weiss on drums (before they had relied on various temporary drummers). The music and lyrics present more variation: the happy-go-lucky chorus of "Little Babies" mocks traditional maternity roles, while "One More Hour" is an emotionally raw breakup song (about the end of Corin and Carrie's own romantic relationship, thankfully the artistic one would go on) and "Words & Guitar" a celebration of the power of rock'n'roll. 1999's The Hot Rock tones down the anger of their previous albums, with single "Get Up" and "Start Together" presenting a more experimental guitar sound a la Sonic Youth - though still quite easy on the ear thanks to the now-familiar catchy choruses and intertwined vocals. All Hands on the Bad One (2000), represented here by the title track and "You're No Rock n' Roll Fun" on the other hand is more straightforward effervescent pop-punk. One Beat (2002) continued churning snappy and radio-friendly punk pop, mixing the personal ("Oh!") with the political: shouting to be heard above the post-9/11 nationalist paranoia, Sleater-Kinney dared to go against the flow and question America's "war on terror". Sample lyric from "Combat Rock": "They tell us there are only two sides to be on/ If you are on our side, you’re right, if not you’re wrong/ But are we innocent, the paragons of good? Is our guilt erased by the pain that we’ve endured?". Considering their origins, one might say they were preaching to the converted, which prevented a Dixie Chicks-style backlash - still it was a ballsy move that must have hampered their commercial appeal. Which brings us to album No.7, the last before they went into an extended hiatus: The Woods (2006) is another artistic triumph, quite removed from their punk rock beginnings. "Modern Girl" is a semi-acoustic Kinks-like tune with harmonica, the ironic chorus "My whole life/ Is like a picture of a sunny day" belied by elements hidden inside the verse (sample "Took my money, I couldn't buy nothin'/ I'm sick of this brave new world"). The grunge/Pixies-like rocker "Jumpers" also hides its darkness: despite its preppy arrangement, it concerns alienation in modern cities and was inspired by an article on suicides at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The quality of the songs crammed into this 15-song sampler is amazing. Compare it to any compilation by any rock giant of the era: Nirvana. REM. Pearl Jam. Green Day. Sonic Youth. Anyone. It proves that Sleater-Kinney were second to none. Though I should use the present tense: after a lengthy hiatus chasing other projects including Carrie's involvement in successful TV comedy series Portlandia, the band is back and apparently they're just as good as ever. It's too bad this compilation isn't commercially available to introduce them to younger audiences, but if its purpose was to persuade buyers to get the expensive vinyl box-set it was more than convincing. Consider me hooked.

***** for Jumpers, You're No Rock N' Roll Fun,  Little Babies, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

**** for Modern Girl, Oh!, Combat Rock, All Hands On The Bad One, Start Together, Get Up, One More Hour, Call The Doctor, Be Yr Mama, The Day I Went Away

*** for Words And Guitar

Laïs "Laïs" 1998****

This is one of few Belgian CD's in my collection, even though I've lived in Belgium for some time. I have a few Flemish pop/rock/indie bands, mostly singing in English, as well as some Walloonic chanson which can easily be mistaken for French, e.g. the most famous Belgian singer Jacques Brel, who is perennially misidentified as French - not unlike that famous literary detective, Monsieur Poirot.  But this is my only piece of "traditional" Belgian music - if one can call it so; Jorunn Bauweraerts, one of the singers (the other two are Annelies Brosens and Nathalie Delcroix), has complained that "traditional singing does not exist in Belgium". Of course this isn't exactly true, but there certainly hasn't been an old and distinctively Belgian music tradition, compared with that of its neighbours. Then again, Belgium is a sort of made-up country - once part of the Frankish kingdom of Lotharingia, then of Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire of the Habsburgs, and briefly of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands, it only came into existence in 1830 and remains torn by a linguistic and cultural divide. As for its musical history, we know that instruments like the hurdy-gurdy and bagpipes were popular there in the Middle Ages, as well as that Burgundy in the Renaissance was the epicenter of a less secular school of singing: polyphonic choirs or small vocal groups which, instead of singing in unison like e.g. in Gregorian chants, would be singing different melodies simultaneously. Of course polyphonic music wasn't a Burgundian invention: it is an ages-old tradition in The Balkans, Africa, and elsewhere, but it found a more scholarly expression in that time and place. Now, this kind of singing is not a tradition that travelled unbroken through time to the modern age, but was rather re-discovered by the girls of Laïs. They formed a vocal trio in a Flemish village and appeared at a few local festivals where they were befriended by Celtic folk band Kadril who encouraged and helped them at the beginning of their career, and who provide the instrumental backing in this CD. As for the origin of the songs, the texts are mostly Medieval Flemish, which the girls found in songbooks but for the most part the original music was lost and had to be written or arranged by the band. Many of them are sung acapella, while the ones with instrumental backing sound similar to folk rock bands like England's Steeleye Span or France's Malicorne. The jovial lead single " 'T Smidje" is probably the best example of the latter style. It remains the band's signature tune and has made them known internationally - apparently it's very popular in Poland and East Europe in general. "De Wanhoop" is a rhythmic song with a lot of percussion (or bodhran?) while opener "De Wijn" and Swedish traditional "Min Morfar" are similarly upbeat. On the other hand, there are some beautiful medieval ballads with discreet acoustic backing: "Isabelle", "Warme Garnars", " 'T Jeugdig Groen", and Scots traditional "Bruidsnacht". The latter is translated to Flemish but we do get some songs in other languages: Besides the Swedish "Min Morfa", there's English on the Sinnead O' Connor cover "In this Heart", French on Brel's "Grand Jacques" (both slow acapella versions) and Italian on a gay (as in "cheerful") traditional song called "Barbagal". Other playful and jovial acapella tunes include " 'T Zoutje", "De Wereld Vergaat" and "7 Steken" - well, the last one is about the seduction and murder of a young girl, so not exactly a happy song despite its frisky tempo. On the whole, this is a beautiful album that is hard to classify as either traditional or popular music. Despite the use of medieval texts, it's no more authentically medieval or Celtic than, say, Loreena McKennitt. But the arrangements, singing, and playing are excellent, so I'd highly recommended it to anyone who likes Celtic or New Age music and isn't put off by the use of Flemish lyrics. P.S. cute packaging detail: a small dice in the CD jewel case, a play on the label's name "Alea" which is Latin for "dice" (as in Caesar's famous quote "alea iacta est")

***** for 't Smidje

**** for De Wijn, Isabelle, De Wanhoop, In this Heart, 't Jeugdig Groen, De Wereld Vergaat, Bruidsnacht, 7 Steken

*** for Barbagal, t Zoutvat, Min Morfar, Warme Garnars, Grand Jacques (Live)

The Fuzztones "NYC" 2020****

As I may have said elsewhere, I've been a Fuzztones fan since I first heard their version of "Strychnine" in my teens. That started my love affair with Garage Rock, and even though my musical tastes keep evolving, I always return to them. So, of course, as soon as I learned they had a new album out there, I had to order it. I must admit the omens were not so good at first. First of all, this is their first LP that doesn't feature Rudi's own artwork on the cover. Instead, it's a leather bikers' jacket with the Fuzztones logo and initials NYC on it. The idea behind it being to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the original, New York-based, Fuzztones. The fact that it's all covers didn't worry me - after all, The 'Tones have a knack of discovering rare garage gems and making them their own. But this time, their choice of originals didn't make sense. First of all, they start with a butchered version of Sinatra classic "New York New York". It hardly resembles the original, and even judged on its own merits it's a pretty meh garage rocker. Usually The Fuzztones derive their inspiration from the 60's, but here we only get one song from that period: The Fugs' lusty "Skin Flowers", a fast tune with a lot of harp. The rest mostly come from the late 70's, when Rudi first hit New York to take part in the punk scene centered around the legendary club CBGB - he actually made his debut there as early as '76, auditioning for the Dead Boys before forming Fuzztones predecessors Tina Peel with organist Deb O' Nair. Most of the bands covered here are CBGB regulars, The Fuzztones' peers of the time. First of all, we get two Dead Boys tunes: "Not Anymore" and "High Tension Wire", similar but more melodic than the originals, partly because of the keyboards. The Ramones are another band Rudi was friendly with, and they are represented here by a cool, slowed-down, version of "53rd & 3rd". I believe it's the only song on this record previously available elsewhere (the Todos Somos Ramones and Snake Oil comps.). Next is Dee Dee Ramone's tale of junkie living "Chinese Rock". Rudi likes his drugs but draws the line on heroin, so he renamed it "Microdot" in honor of his drug of choice, LSD. They dredge up -and improve upon- a semi-forgotten Richard Hell tune called "You Gotta Lose", as well as Mink De Ville's "Let Me Dream". The latter, previously buried in the B-side of the Live At CBGB's 1976 compilation, was a Lou Reed-like tune that sounds groovier with the addition of organ and harmonica. Likewise, they psychedelicize Jon Collins Bands' only officially released track "The Man In Me", previously only available in a 1976 compilation curated by that other NYC punk club, Max's Kansas City. From the same compilation, they cover Wayne (now known as Jayne) County's "Flip Your Wig". Another rare recording they unearth is The Mad Violets' ode to hallucinogenic mushrooms "Psilocybe". Fronted by scenester Wendy Wild and The Fleshtones' Keith Streng, The Mad Violets broke up before releasing an LP. This song was originally included on 1984's Battle Of The Garages Vol. 2 compilation, and The Fuzztones' version features a typically atmospheric Rudi vocal and spooky organ motif. Then they turn their hand to more familiar fare: The New York Dolls' proto-punk "Babylon" gets the 60's garage treatment, while The Cramps' "New Kind Of Kick" is an obvious choice that suits their style well. They also turn in a muscular performance of Blue Öyster Cult's "Transmaniacon MC", the inclusion of which took many by surprise who were working under the misapprehension that B.Ö.C. are a "metal" band. Finally, the album closes by a track by a former B.Ö.C. associate (not to mention their keyboardist's former girlfriend), none other than singer/poet Patti Smith: "Dancing Barefoot" is given a Doors-y twist with lots of organ. I must admit that when I read the tracklist for this album I was unconvinced: until now they had mostly covered 60's garage and psychedelia, how would they fare leaving their comfort zone? Well, with the exception of "New York, New York", they manage to infuse these songs with their own psychedelic style without alienating fans of the originals. In the end I was won over, and even got to thinking about those left out. What about 60's NYC bands like The Velvet Underground, Rascals, Blues Magoos or Vanilla Fudge? The Greenwich Village folk scene? Or the rest of the CBGB crowd, including The Misfits, Dictators, Fleshtones, Suicide, Blondie, Television or The Talking Heads? Can I commission a sequel? I'd really really like to listen to Rudi's take on "Psycho Killer"...

**** for 53rd & 3rd (Ramones)  Psilocybe (Mad Violets), High Tension Wire (Dead Boys), Transmaniacon MC (Blue Öyster Cult), Babylon (New York Dolls), The Man In Me (Jon Collins Band), Let Me Dream (Mink De Ville), Microdot (Heartbreakers), Not Anymore (Dead Boys), Dancing Barefoot (Patti Smith Group)

*** for Flip Your Wig (Wayne County), New Kind Of Rock (Cramps), Skin Flowers (Fugs), You Gotta Lose (Richard Hell)

** for New York New York (Frank Sinatra)

Carly Simon "No Secrets" 1972***

Nothing beats some mellow soft-rock to start off the new year, especially after sitting through one of the worst years in recent history. Opener "The Right Thing to Do" certainly provides a soothing sonic balm: the gently rhythmical congas, the rich but not overly busy arrangement with piano and strings, and the sweet lead and backing vocals - not to mention the lyrical content, about how great it is to find true love at last. It's the album's second hit after "You're So Vain", one of the biggest hits of the 70's and perennial staple of oldies radios. Putting down a self-centered ex-lover, the song is ironic rather than vitriolic - the benefits of being able to look back at past relationships from the point of one who is satisfied with her current lot in life. The identity of the song's subject has been a topic of speculation ever since: it's not James Taylor, her lover at the time. Could it be Warren Beatty? Mick Jagger? the latter can be heard here on backing vocals, by the way. He's not credited, but after reading about it, I can now hear him distinctly. The tune is upbeat, with a killer hook and perfectly balanced: the guitar solo is just right, the strings play a catchy motif out of Spector-ish 60's pop, etc. The vocal is playful and self-assured. The only other song where she sounds as sassy and lively as here is the R&B-styled "Night Owl", written by Taylor and featuring the cream of session musicians: Rolling Stones associates Nicky Hopkins and Bobby Keys on piano and sax, Beatles associates Klaus Voorman and Jim Keltner on bass and guitar, and Paul and Linda (McCartney) on backing vocals. I guess having such company was reason enough to record in London, even though this is the quintessential soft-rock Californian record: easy going, melodic, well-played and immaculately produced ear candy. The intelligent autobiographical lyrics raise it above the usual pop standards by infusing it with a slice of real life - albeit a privileged, middle-upper-class, life. Still, the inclusion of a lyric like "Daddy, I'm not a virgin/ and I've already waited too long" on a commercial pop record must be given points for boldness - if Madonna caused such a fuss when she sang about feeling "like a virgin" in the 80's, surely this was much more provocative? Apparently, by the 80's the world had taken a turn towards conservatism. Musically, "Waited So Long" is a somewhat country-ish mid-tempo song, while most of the rest is pleasant but unexceptional country-ish balladry with confessional lyrics revolving around relationships. "Embrace Me, You Child" stands out somewhat, both thematically (it's a nostalgically sentimental song about her dead father, an affluent Jewish intellectual) and musically, as it's more complex featuring pace changes and a theatrical/semi-classical instrumentation. Finally, it seems that the songs were just one of the reasons behind the record's success. I researched the record a bit before presenting it, and many writers in online forums cite the album cover as one of the reasons for buying it. So what exactly is so special about it? Carly's pose is very natural, almost as if she's surprised by the camera (some call it a "paparazzi-style photo") - and sexy, even though she's dressed head to toe. One of course immediately notices that her nipples are showing; it'd be hard not to, as the photographer has strategically placed them at the center of his frame. But, contrary to the era's pin-up girls, this picture is equally appealing to men and women: it is the image of a stylish, confident and happy young woman with whom men would want to sleep with and with whom girls would like to identify - after all, not wearing a bra was at the time not so much sexually suggestive but rather a sign of feminist emancipation. Well, whatever the reason was, this record sold extremely well, which is why you can still find the original vinyl in bargain bins everywhere. And even though you probably won't play it often, and won't remember much afterwards except for the earwormy "You're So Vain", it makes a fine addition to any collection: a classic album of the singer-songwriter era, maybe lighter and not as sophisticated as Joni Mitchell whom she often resembles, but very listenable indeed.

***** for You're So Vain

**** for The Right Thing to Do, Embrace Me You Child, Night Owl

*** for The Carter Family, His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin, We Have No Secrets, Waited So Long, It Was So Easy, When You Close Your Eyes