The Who "Sell Out" 1967 (orig) 1995 (reissue)****

Again, Random Selection has chosen something really special: a Who album with plenty of backstory, compelling me to write a lengthy description — if only I were paid by the word! (Or even paid at all, for that matter).  The Who Sell Out is the band's third album, a gloriously bonkers affair, unprecedented at the time, yet one that retrospectively feels like a necessary step in the evolution from the maximum R&B sound of their debut to the sophisticated theatrical rock of Tommy. When I say unprecedented, of course, I don't mean that The Who were untouched by outside influences — far from it! Despite having perfected their own distinctive hard-rock style early on, they were not above incorporating elements from the competition. The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band seems to have been a major influence, at least in terms of structure and its whimsical, surrealistic humour. Townshend, despite having a bag of guitar tricks of his own, seems to have picked up a couple more from Jimi Hendrix. And The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds might serve as a counterpart in terms of sonic experimentation and vocal harmonies. For perhaps the first — and, I believe, last — time, The Who rely so heavily on vocal harmonies rather than Daltrey's more forceful lead vocals, and they pull it off remarkably well, although I'll admit I prefer listening to Daltrey's trademark growl. It was the era of psychedelic pop, with its exotic instrumentation and sonic experimentation, and the band embraced it all in this record. But in Britain, at least, it was also the golden age of pirate radio. At the time, the BBC was the country's only major domestic radio broadcaster, and its programming was too conservative for younger listeners. Things were made worse by needle time restrictions, which limited the amount of commercially recorded music the BBC could broadcast. These restrictions stemmed partly from agreements with the Musicians' Union, which wanted to protect employment for its members by ensuring that a substantial proportion of musical programming featured live performances rather than records.This left a gap in the broadcasting market, which was filled by pirate stations broadcasting from ships anchored just offshore from the British Isles. They gave young listeners exactly what they wanted: a steady stream of current pop hits, delivered with irreverence by DJs who spoke their language rather than uptight BBC presenters. One of those stations, Radio London, eventually succumbed to legal pressure and closed down in August 1967. The Who captured the spirit of the pirate-radio era on their next album, presenting it as a continuous broadcast complete with jingles and fake advertisements. In a move that would be unthinkable today, The Who re-created Radio London's jingles, wrote entirely new ones, and even composed full-length songs advertising products such as Coke, Heinz Baked Beans and Rotosound guitar strings. I'm particularly partial to “Odorono”, a fully fledged story song about the plight of a girl whose choice of deodorant proves disastrous for her romantic prospects (“Odorono could have saved her heart”). A shorter narrative, “Medac”, has a happier ending: the pimply youth actually uses the product, with the desired results (“face is like a baby's bottom”). The silly, exuberant “Heinz Baked Beans” sounds like something straight out of Monty Python. The shorter adverts interspersed throughout the album are often hilarious, too, and never less than catchy. The gimmick extends to the iconic album cover: Roger Daltrey luxuriates in a bathtub full of Heinz Baked Beans, while Pete Townshend applies deodorant from a ridiculously oversized container. Meanwhile, Keith Moon and John Entwistle advertise acne cream and Charles Atlas bodybuilding programmes, respectively. It's a brilliant satire of consumerism, perhaps even a comment on the commercialization of pop music — or are we reading too much into it? Maybe it's just harmless fun, as befits a band of young rockers, aged between 21 and 23 at the time. The opener, “Armenia City in the Sky,” is about as “psychedelic” as The Who would get, employing all the fashionable tricks of the era, including backwards guitar loops, horn arrangements, dense organ sounds, and trippy vocals from Roger Daltrey and John “Speedy” Keen. Who is John Keen, you ask? At the time, he was Townshend’s friend and chauffeur. Later, he’d enjoy his own 15 minutes of fame as a member of one-hit wonder Thunderclap Newman. Keen wrote the song and gave it to Townshend, but at the time, it was called “I’m an Ear Sitting in the Sky.” I know it doesn’t make any sense, but it has a certain surrealistic charm, à la Lennon’s “I Am the Walrus”. Apparently, Daltrey didn’t like it and changed the lyrics into something else that still doesn’t make much sense. "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" is a great pop single, with Townshend eschewing his usual power chords for a more sophisticated acoustic solo. And all that on a not-so-sophisticated lyric purportedly about a girl that was popular for giving the best handjobs! Cheeky, these boys! Another favorite from this album is “Tattoo,” another short story set to music, this time about two teenage brothers who decide to get tattoos as a way of proving their masculinity. Almost Kinks-like in its blend of humor, nostalgia, and old-school music-hall charm. But the ultimate favorite, of course, could hardly be anything other than “I Can See for Miles,” a quintessential Who single, with its thunderous drumming, layered vocals, menacing groove, and Townshend’s explosive power chords. Truth be told, the rest of the album had never made much of an impression on me. Listening to it again in its entirety, I felt as though I were hearing most of those tracks for the first time. I see now why: I've always been drawn to The Who's more aggressive teen anthems, like “Substitute” and “My Generation,” whereas The Who Sell Out is full of more mature, finely crafted songs, from the nostalgic, melodic pop of “Our Love Was” and “I Can't Reach You” to acoustic Townshend-sung ballad "Sunrise" to the psychedelia of “Relax.” The latter is a rather laid-back tune in the spirit of the Summer of Love, yet it features some wonderfully distorted, Hendrix-like psychedelic guitar. Through it all, Keith Moon is the absolute hero; his drumming is invariably forceful and imaginative, even if it's mixed a little lower than I'd like to keep it from overwhelming the songs. “Silas Stingy” is a whimsical Entwistle composition about a miser straight out of a Dickens novel, a theatrical little number complete with gothic organ, trumpet, and an almost church choir-like chorus. You have to love that about The Who: for all their unmistakable hard-rock muscle, they can also venture into such delightfully eccentric territory, with Entwistle's character-driven songs being some of the best examples. The grand finale, “Rael” is the band's second mini-rock opera, following “A Quick One” on the previous album. A complex piece built around dramatic shifts and a wealth of recurring musical motifs, it feels in retrospect like a dress rehearsal for Tommy. This 1995 CD reissue adds nine bonus tracks, along with a really nice booklet. None is essential, but all are above average. “Melancholia” is full of operatic drama, complete with Spanish-flavored vocals; “Someone’s Coming” is a pop tune spiced up with Mexican-style trumpets; and “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is a surf-prog-classical collision. The Who attack Edvard Grieg’s composition with all their might, as Keith Moon rains fire behind a barrage of horror-movie sound effects, turning this classical piece into something resembling the theme from The Munsters. The suitably aggressive “Jaguar” is an ode to the pride of the British motor industry. Rock music abounds with car songs, but given the album's advertising theme, this one could be considered another commercial — a pretty convincing one, too! After hearing it, I feel like taking a Jaguar for a spin. Then again, I'd probably want one anyway, if only I could afford it. “Girl's Eyes” is a slice of quintessential '67 psychedelic pop, sounding more like The Hollies than The Who, while “Glow Girl” is more characteristic of the band, with passages that once again foreshadow Tommy. The third “Girl” song, “Glittering Girl,” and “Early Morning Cold Taxi” are two more distinctly British pop gems. All four are finely crafted tunes that capture the spirit of the era, but they're a little too soft for my taste. In fact, the Coke jingle tacked onto the end of “Glittering Girl” rocks harder than the song itself! But who can blame The Who for going along with the spirit of the times? Even The Rolling Stones had their soft patch around then. As for the remaining tracks, “Rael 2” is little more than a coda to “Rael 1,” while the alternative version of “Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand” is noteworthy mainly for the guest appearance by American organist Al Kooper. The Who Sell Out is often hailed as a masterpiece of its era, but I wouldn't go quite that far. It's hard to stand out in a year that gave us the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, Love's Forever Changes, Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, and excellent debuts by the Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and the Doors. Still, The Who Sell Out deserves credit for its bold concept and inventive execution, its collection of well-crafted songs, and its sonic variety. More importantly, it marks a significant step in The Who's evolution towards the ambitious concept albums that would follow.

***** for Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand, I Can See for Miles

**** for Armenia City in the Sky, Odorono, Tattoo, I Can't Reach You, Relax, Silas Stingy, Rael (Parts 1 & 2), Melancholia, Jaguar, Glow Girl, Early Morning Cold Taxi

*** for Heinz Baked Beans, Our Love Was, Medac, Sunrise, Glittering Girl, Someone's Coming, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Girl's Eyes, Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand (Alternative Version)

Frank Zappa "Zappa Picks - By Larry LaLonde Of Primus" 2002(comp)***

This is one of many FZ compilations I have in my collection. I know that multiple comps are a messy way to get into an artist's work, with all the inevitable overlapping tracks and stylistic changes between different eras and evolutional stages in their life. Usually what I do is first get a good best-of comp (minimum 15 tracks). Then I go for the classic individual releases: the ones that combine great reviews and biggest sales. If I really like an artist, I work slowly through their complete discography. But that's not the way to go with Zappa: Allmusic lists 35 four or five-star albums, and some of his best-known songs aren't even included. At my pace, and with Zappa's extreme productivity, there's no way I'm getting all his "essential" albums in this lifetime. So I pick up comps ("Oh look: Here are a couple of great songs that I don't have, plus a few plain good ones, There are also 4-5 that I do already have, and 4 or 5 that I haven't heard yet. It's not too expensive, let's get it!").

Of all the Zappa compilations in my collection, this is probably the most idiosyncratic (which is, in any way, a word that perfectly fits this artist). Rykodisc, the label that has (or had?) the rights of the FZ catalogue, is renowned for the meticulous work they do on reissues and anthologies. Their first attempt to anthologize this material was in the old and tried "greatest hits" manner. That compilation, called Strictly Commercial, is of course brilliant and will be presented here later. But it's hardly representative, since FZ was anything but commercial. So they opted to ask musicians to compile their own favorites. The series (called Zappa Picks) didn't get further than 2 volumes, this one which is compiled by Primus's Larry LaLonde and another compiled by Jon Fishman Of Phish. These are a completely different beast to Strictly Commercial. FZ is famously a musician's musician, which accounts for the inclusion of many complex, experimental, almost impossible to play, instrumentals. On the plus side, LaLonde mixes it up a bit by including different styles and by mixing songs into a continuous medley that displays all the schizophrenic qualities of FZ's individual albums. Next to the instrumentals ("Five-Five-Five", "Alien Orifice", "Echidna's Arf", "Black Page No.2", the rocking "On The Bus", Hot Rats' jazzy "Little Umbrellas", and the synth-heavy "G-Spot Tornado" from the appropriately named Jazz From Hell), there are a few conventional rockers with smoking hot guitars and funky overtones ("Camarillo Brillo", "Fine Girl", "Wind Up Workin' In A Gas Station", "Doreen") and others combining rock, disco, avant-garde and general silliness ("St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast", "Wild Love", the comical/sleazy "Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt"). "Dog Breath" is a sample of the early psychedelic days containing comedy, pop, doo-wop, jazz, opera and the kitchen sink. "Sofa No. 2" is a pretty tune whose charm Zappa tries to mask with a splash of weird German pseudo-operatic vocals, "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" is a short poem reading over some nice piano backing, and "Village of the Sun" (about his hometown) the closer he gets to a heartfelt nostalgic ballad. According to the liner notes "Dumb All Over" was LaLonde's initiation to FZ, and what a powerful introduction it is: the hollow funky beat, scorching guitar, distorted vocal, and one of Zappa's best lyrics, a scathing rejection of organized religion and of fanatics on all sides. This is not my favorite version of the song though: I prefer the live one because the lyrics are more intelligible. Finally, you may want to ask whether this works well as an introduction to Frank Zappa. The answer is Yes, if you want to acquaint yourself with all the facets of his work and experience his glorious madness head-on; some of his discography's highlights are present, and LaLond made sure there's a lot of variation and a nice flow to the compilation. On the other hand, to the untrained ear (including mine) a couple of selections may seem overloaded to the point of cacophony. So if you're a song-oriented person who likes simpler, conventionally structured, tunes this is not where you want to start. Go straight for Strictly Commercial. You won't be disappointed.

***** for Dumb All Over, Little Umbrellas, Sofa No. 2

**** for Five-Five-Five, Camarillo Brillo, Fine Girl, St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast, Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt, On the Bus

*** for Alien Orifice, Evelyn, A Modified Dog, Wild Love, Dog Breath, Echidna's Arf (Of You), Wind Up Workin' in a Gas Station, Black Page No.2, Doreen

** for G-Spot Tornado, Village of the Sun

Bonzo Dog Doo/Dah Band "Gorilla" 1967*****

I have two versions of this LP (the second one was a gift with the express instruction to use for the blog). One is credited to Bonzo Dog Doo/Dah Band and the other to Bonzo Dog Band. This musical collective actually started as The Bonzo Dog Dada Band but they got tired of explaining Dada to people and changed it to the nonsensical "Doo/Dah" before dropping it altogether. In the meantime they had released their debut Gorilla which in subsequent reissues is released under both name variants. The result is a very English mix of comedy, jazz, music hall, pop, and everything else you can think of. It is upbeat, timeless, and good-naturedly funny - it never fails to make me laugh because it's all about the delivery, not just the jokes. It starts off with a short trad jazz hymn to "Cool Britannia", followed by one of the more conventional numbers: "The Equestrian Statue" sounds like that whimsical psychedelic pop of The Kinks and Beatles circa '66-'67. Next we get a cover of a 1929 novelty song called "Jollity Farm" and a parody of crooner classic "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". The band displays their ability in different styles by including a comedic calypso number ("Look Out, There's a Monster Coming"), trad jazz ("Jazz Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold") and rockabilly ("Death-cab for Cutie") - the latter song being one of their most famous, as it was included in the contemporary Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour. The Beatles were friends and fans of the group, they even endorsed a Beatles parody film featuring assorted Bonzos and Monty Pythons (Neil Innes played John Lennon's counterpart, Ron Nasty). So many different styles, and that's just Side 1 of the LP! Side 2 opens with "The Intro and the Outro", presenting the "members of the band" playing increasingly exotic musical instruments - apparently these bandmembers include Adolf Hitler, John Wayne and "Quasimodo, on bells". The multitude of instruments was such the studio didn't have enough channels to fit them all playing at the same time, so each instrument fades out after a few seconds to make way for the next. 30's cartoon tune "Mickey's Son and Daughter" is followed by jazz-noir parody "Big Shot". "Music for the Head Ballet" sounds like classical music played by one of those mechanical street organs still used here in the Netherlands. "Piggy Bank Love" is a Beach Boys-turn-psychedelic pastiche, and "I'm Bored" another manic music hall number. The album closes with "The Sound of Music" disparaging Hollywood musicals. While none of the abovementioned songs brought anything new musically, this particular melange, combined with the band's anarchic humor (The Monty Python connection should be indication enough) made it sound at once quaintly old fashioned and fresh. It sounds just as fresh (or timeless) 50 years later, especially the more joyful upbeat numbers. Perfect remedy for a bad day: if one listen to "Jollity Farm" doesn't improve your mood, nothing will.

**** for Cool Britannia, The Equestrian Statue, Jollity Farm, Look Out, There's a Monster Coming, Jazz (Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold), Death-cab for Cutie, The Intro and the Outro, Mickey's Son and Daughter, Big Shot, Piggy Bank Love, I'm Bored

** for I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Narcissus, Music for the Head Ballet, The Sound of Music

Cocky "Twelve Inches Of Cocky" 1976***

I found this record at my neighbourhood thriftshop (or, as we say here in Holland, "kringloopwinkel"). Nowadays you can scarcely find any good LP records in them, people don't give them away because they think vinyl is the new black gold. But someone did unload his collection of 60's/70's novelty records, including a few Bonzo Dog Band albums as well as this one by an unknown to me band called Cocky. The title 12 Inches Of Cocky "sounds a bit rude" as they say. Many of the songs are of a similar slightly naughty nature, which took me back to my first experience with British humor The Benny Hill Show, which aired on the state TV channel (we had no other kind) when I was a kid. Side 2 opens with a faithful cover of Bonzo Dog's "Jollity Farm", and if you're familiar with the original you will know what to expect from this album: a similar mix of country, trad jazz and music hall with a dash of Monty Python-esque humour. Country instrumental "Dallas Rag" is followed by Phil Ochs' anti-war satire "Draft Dodger Rag" which is played for maximum laughs, while another familiar tune is their jaunty version of jazz standard "Sheik Of Araby" (in which for some reason the chorus gleefully repeats "with no pants on"). Country folk and music hall tunes make up most of the rest, as well as some blues (Leadbelly's "Keep Your Hands Off Her", "Maggie Campbell", "You Can't Leave Me Now") though always played fast an' feisty. Side One closes with "Medley À La Cocky" comprised by "Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue/ Ain't She Sweet/ When You're Smiling". The internet, for once, doesn't reveal much information on the band so we'll have to make do with what little info is available on the album's back cover. The members are: Kevan (dobro, guitar, harp, bass, shiny banjo, well-scrubbed pine tables), Keith (guitar, base, madolin, jews harp), Clive (guitar, ukelele, bass, jug) and Mal (washboard, wooden bits and brass round things on sticks). It was "Recorded at Riverside Studios with the help of David Le-Neve Foster. Produced by Dave 'Hot Licks' Peabody." It has never been re-released on either CD or vinyl.

*** for Cocaine Habit, I'm Satisfied With My Gal, You Can't Leave Me Now, Medley À La Cocky, Supper At The Ritz, Draft Dodger Rag, Maggie Campbell, Sheik Of Araby

** for Keep Your Hands Off Her, Astor, Side By Side, Jollity Farm, Dallas Rag, Somebody Stole My Wife

Hayseed Dixie "Let There Be Rockgrass" 2004****

 

On hearing Hayseed Dixie were coming to Paard I apped my friends to keep their Tuesday night free and get ready for a honkin' good time. At that point I hadn't seen any live clips of the band but I had a couple of their CD's and so I had an idea of what we were about to witness. It turned out even better than I expected - the guys are experienced entertainers and know how to put on a show. Leader John Wheeler a.k.a. Barley Scotch has been at it for 18 years now. On stage he proved to be very articulate, not just funny but intelligent and well-informed as well. I usually have little patience for between song banter, but with Hayseed Dixie it's part of the show - though, of course, it's their turbo charged bluegrass/rock hybrid that everyone was there for, and they certainly delivered on that respect. The rest of the band (seemingly consisted by a dwarf from Hobbit on mandolin and hilarious posing, the long lost 4th ZZ Top member on bass and Arnold Swarzenegger's twin -yes, I do mean Danny De Vito- on banzo) were also great showmen. The turnout that night may have been low (at best 150 people, many of whom had never heard the band) but, by the end of the night, Hayseed Dixie had made 150 new fans, not to mention almost sold out their merchandise.

It was a crazy idea: let's marry two genres that were never supposed to meet, hard rock and bluegrass country. Ever wondered how would AC/DC sound played by acoustic instruments? I'm not just talking acoustic guitars, but some of the un-rock-iest instruments ever: banjos, mandolins and fiddles. John Wheeler and company (a different line up to the one we saw at The Paard) thought it sounded like a great idea. So they formed an impromptu hillbilly band they called Hayseed Dixie (sounds a bit like AC DC doesn't it?) and made a whole album of AC/DC covers just for the fun of it. Some would have thought a whole album of it is overkill. You know, a joke may be funny the first time you hear it, raise a smile the second time around, but how long can you keep up with it? Well, guess what: 17 years and 15 albums later, Hayseed Dixie are still going strong. It isn't just a testament to their stubbornness or determination to milk every last dollar from their original idea - people love their music (dubbed rockgrass) because it's funny, rowdy and exhilarating. Some of the songs from their debut are reprised here, mostly in live versions, while others come from their 2nd "Tribute to Mountain Love", one from their 3rd album "Kiss My Grass" and still others are new. The 5 AC/DC tunes -especially the live versions- are a hoot, with the Reno brothers' banjos providing an unlikely but worthy substitute for the Young brothers' electric guitars. The speedball banjo on Motörhead's "Ace of Spades" is a definite highlight but some of the other covers are just as entertaining: Aerosmith's "Walk This Way", Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" and The Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" have strong hooks that still sound great in these unfamiliar arrangements. Their version of Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" makes you think it was always meant to be sung by sleazy rednecks, while The J. Geils Band's "Centerfold" was, of course, already a rockfied country tune so they just had to return it to its natural state. Live staple "Will the Circle Be Broken" is typical country fare, as are the band's two originals, of which the scatological ballad "I'm Keeping Your Poop" is the better known - and Wheeler's own favourite among his compositions. He said it's a very personal song about his first girlfriend, which I frankly find mildly disturbing. Anyway it's a hugely entertaining album that combines nimble and buoyant playing with tongue-in-cheek humour, and a perfect introduction to the band. If it doesn't make you laugh, you may be suffering from depression. If it doesn't make you sing, dance and holler you're probably one of them Taliban music/life haters. Get it, and by all means if you have the chance to see Hayseed Dixie live, don't miss it.

**** for Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC), Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen), You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC), Ace of Spades (Motörhead), Detroit Rock City (Kiss), Walk This Way (Aerosmith), Touch Too Much (AC/DC), Highway to Hell (AC/DC) 

*** for Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC), I Believe in a Thing Called Love (The Darkness), Corn Liquor, Feel Like Makin' Love (Bad Company), Centerfold (J. Geils Band), I'm Keeping Your Poop, Will the Circle Be Broken (trad.)

T. Tex Edwards & Out On Parole "Pardon Me, I've Got Someone To Kill" 1989 (reissue 2002)***

Now if this cover hasn't convinced you yet, this album probably isn't for you. You may have already gathered that it isn't very sophisticated stuff. On the other hand, if you're expecting comedy you should know that this take on classic country murder ballads may be funny and irreverent as the cover would suggest, but it's no mere parody. The band are well versed in the genre and play it straight while singer T. Tex Edwards' redneck snarl of a delivery may be slightly exaggerated but it's authenticly embedded in his musical DNA. Even when he played with punk rockers The Nervebreakers his Texan cowboy heritage wasn't far beneath the surface. That band had a fearsome live reputation but never released an album and was delegated to a footnote of the rock history books for supporting The Sex Pistols during their suicidal tour of the Southern United States. Just as well, because this left Tex free to delve into the darkest corners of country music and come up with a collection of the most twisted country murder songs not written by Johnny Cash. Tex and his band the aptly named Out On Parole never try to give a punk or rock spin on the songs, just slightly raise the camp value by accentuating the hillbilly factor. The album opens with the straight honky tonk country of Wynn Stewart's "I'm a Gonna' Kill You" and contains similar fare by Johnny Paycheck ("Pardon Me I've Got Someone To Kill"), Port Wagoner ("The Cold Hard Facts of Life", the waltzy "Rubber Room") and Eddie Noack ("Dolores" and "Psycho"). The latter has been a favourite of mine ever since I heard the amazing Beasts Of Bourbon version, featuring that other Tex, Aussie and former Nick Cave collaborator Tex Perkins. By the way, I can totally imagine Cave listening to this album and going "Cool idea! I should make a whole album of murder ballads, too!" Former Fuzztone Rudi Protrudi must have been listening to Edwards too, as he knicked a few songs for his own country album "L.S.D. Made a Wreck Outta Me" - including the title track originally by Wendell Austin. A couple of rockabilly tunes lively up the collection (Leon Bass' "Country Hix", The Travellin' Texans' "Beatin' on the Bars" and "You Ain't Gonna Live..."), while there's also the swinging violin and twanging guitar of "Smitty", Lee Hazlewood's dramatic ballad "The Girl on Death Row" and the spoken word "Strangler In The Night" a novelty single credited to the infamous Boston Strangler Albert Desalvo. The original album was released by Sympathy For The Record Industry in the U.S. and New Rose in Europe. This 2002 reissue appends a contemporary recording by Tex and The Affordable Caskets, Howard Crockett's "Last Will And Testimony Of A Drinking Man". The album is a fun listening and a good introduction to some cult country artists. You won't regret adding it to your collection.

**** for L.S.D. Made a Wreck Outta' Me, The Girl on Death Row, Psycho, Smitty, Beatin' on the Bars, The Rubber Room

*** for I'm a Gonna' Kill You, (Pardon Me) I've Got Someone to Kill, You Ain't Never Gonna' Live to Love Saturday Night Again, The Cold Hard Facts of Life, Country Hixes, Last Will and Testimony (Of a Drinking Man)

** for Dolores, Strangler in the Night

The Punkles "The Punkles" 1998**

I found this CD cheaply at the 2nd hand Pêle-Mêle shop in Brussels and thought it'd be good for a few laughs. Obviously the cover is a spoof (or tribute?) of punk rockers Stranglers' Black and White, while the logo is derived from The Beatles, with the name being an amalgam of punk and Beatles. You won't be surprised, then, to learn that their music is consisted by sped-up, Ramones-style, Beatles songs. Now is this parody or tribute, and where's the difference? The songs, anyway, are played in earnest: faster and with more energy, but not mockingly - they're fun but they're not a joke. Do they sound good? Listen, they're Beatles compositions. You can play them in punk style, jazz, reggae, or classical - if you're not completely useless as a musician or don't actually try to mess them up, they'll never sound bad because those songs are immortal. Two songs are sung in German: "She Loves You/Sie Liebt Dich" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand/Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand". For those not familiar with The Beatles discography, the Fab Four themselves had actually recorded these songs in German and released them as a single in Germany to capitalize on their fame as a live band in Hamburg. Which is, incidentally, The Punkles' hometown. The band members' stage names consist of the first name of a Ramone and surname of a Beatle - except for bassist Sid McCartney who apparently chose to take his name from Sid Vicious from the Sex Pistols. I guess "Dee Dee McCartney" sounded wrong somehow. The manager's name is (of course) Malcom McEpstein. Among the better tracks here are those recorded live: ostensibly at the Hollywood Bowling Center, with added girls' screams to reproduce the Beatlemania ambiance of the "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" Beatles album, they do have that peppy live sound. "All You Need Is Love" is less punked-up, and appears in two versions. The second "All Star version" with backing vocals by other (mostly German) punk rockers, replicating the original's all star cast of backing vocalists (The Stones, Clapton, Marianne Faithfull etc). The album ends with "The Silence of the Amps", 1,5 minute of static noise. A bit of internet searching reveals that the Punkles were also known as Prollhead, a German-language punk/metal parody band. Exactly why there are so many German rock parody bands is difficult to understand. It is a scientific fact that Germans and humour are mutually exclusive, so why even give it a try - let alone repeated ones? In any case the Japanese apparently got the joke, as 2 Punkles albums reached the Top 50 there. To me this album is only another curio for my collection. They're not bad, their music rocks amiably and they do a half-decent Beatles parody, but I can't help but compare them to The Rutles, another Beatles spoof band that had the privilege of containing members of the Monty Python comedy team, Bonzo Dog Band and The Beach Boys - the Punkles couldn't hold a candle to them...

P.S. this album is also available under the title "Beat The Punkles". Different title, different cover, same songs (with the addition of 2 bonus tracks).

*** for Eight Days a Week, Help, I Should Have Known Better, Sie Liebt Dich, Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand(live), All You Need Is Love, A Hard Days Night(live), I Feel Fine(live), Ticket to Ride(live), Can't Buy Me Love(live) 

** for Please Please Me, I Saw Her Standing There, Twist & Shout(live), All You Need Is Love (All Star version)

* for The Silence of the Amps

The Fuzztones "Monster A-Go-Go" 1992💀💀💀💀💀

Oops! It nearly passed by me. I had prepared another post for tonight, but that would not do! I can't not acknowledge Halloween! Even though, as a child growing up in Greece, Halloween meant nothing to me except maybe the name of a movie I wasn't allowed to see. Kids (adults, too) masquerade and party wildly during the Apokries carnival season, but that witches-and-pumpkins stuff? Total American nonsense! (though Irish in origin, as it seems to have its roots in the Celtic pagan feast of Samhain.) Fun nonsense nevertheless and, as with other irresistible American inventions, we were swept away in the early 90's even if we weren't little kids anymore. Filmmakers like Tim Burton and rockers like Rudi Protrudi had a lot to do with it.

Not that Rudi was among the first to sing horror-themed rock'n'roll: there's a great tradition from the childish "monster" songs of Bobby Picket to English lunatic rocker Screaming Lord Sutch - the British have an unhealthy obsession with horror, ever visited the London Dungeon? But nobody delves into the Halloween spirit as deeply and gleefully as Rudi and his Fuzztones. They've been covering (and writing) "horror" rock since they began, so it was only a matter of time until they made the ultimate Halloween album. It was only released in the U.S. and Canada, but I was lucky enough to get one of the original orange vinyl copies, to which I later added the CD I got as part of the Psychorama Box Set. As Rudi says on the cover, his goal was to do for Halloween what Phil Spector did for that other holiday. He even closes his album with a parody of Spector's narration at the closing of his Christmas album. Being even more of a perfectionist than Spector, though, Rudi also designed and drew the album cover himself. For the LP he chose 13 (naturally) songs, some of which have been in the Fuzztones' repertory for quite some time. Here they are re-recorded for maximum campness, with even spookier organ, and a cornucopia of special effects: creaking coffins, thunderstorms, howling wolves, rattling chains, the works... Screams? Need you ask? The album opens with a radio announcement carrying some "tragic local news...a young girl has been found dead at Hyde Park. The body has been badly mutilated. Because of these murders police requests that all women stay inside their homes after dark"...and, of course, The 'Tones launch into their hi-energy garage punk cover of Sutch's "Jack The Ripper", followed by another monsterpiece of his, "All Black and Hairy". Rudi's psychedelic ballad "Charlotte's Remains" is introduced with a wailing musical saw and features his best "sensual" slow vocal and Doors-y keyboards. "Dinner With Drac" is the cover of a 50's R'n'R novelty, followed by "The Night Of The Phantom" by Larry & The Bluenotes. Originally called "Night Of The Sadist", the producer thought it'd never get played on the radio and had Larry and the band overdub themselves on the studio. The censored title is more Halloween-y, though, so Rudi kept it. 

CD cover art

Original LP and back cover art

Then, of course, what is a Fuzztones album without a Sonics cover? Here they choose "The Witch" as most appropriate, delivering a fast punk-rock version with lots of screaming vocals. "Happy Halloween" is a fun and festive song introducing all the stars of the holiday. Side 2 opens with Bloodrock's "D.O.A" a ghostly heavy psych song from '71 and continues with the 'Tones own garage stomper "Cellar Dweller", and rockin' romps through Round Robin's R&B classick "I'm The Wolf Man" and "Goin' To  Graveyard" (the latter is attributed to Carroll, Hill & Burton, but I couldn't find who sang on the original). We also get a slow sensual take on Kip Tyler's exotica/rockabilly "She's My Witch", and the LP closes with Roky Erickson's "Night Of The Vampire", all imposing organ and ghostly vocals. Roky is different to the other songwriters here as he wasn't just innocently playing with horror, but was actually living through it (incarceration, electro-shock therapy, terrible psychedelic trips) and channelled his experiences into his songs. The CD adds a cover of The Driving Stupid's surrealistic "Horror Asparagus Stories" and Rudi's Halloween message. All in all, The Fuzztones can be credited with producing the perfect Halloween party album: the band are rocking hard, audibly having a great time playing and sending good-time silly vibes all around the place. It's perfect for your Halloween party - and, saving the best for last, it has just been re-released on vinyl in time for Halloween 2016. It's a limited edition of 500 copies, so hurry up if you want to grab one "in your grimy little claws", as Rudi would put it. It's a 5-skull album, all the way!

***** for Jack The Ripper, Night Of The Phantom

**** for All Black And Hairy, Charlotte's Remains, Happy Halloween, Cellar Dweller, The Witch, She's My Witch, Goin' To A Graveyard, Night Of The Vampire, Horror Asparagus Stories

*** for Dinner With Drac,I'm The Wolfman

** for D.O.A.

Leningrad Cowboys "Go Wild" 1988-1997 (2000 comp)***

What do The Rutles, Spinal Tap, Blues Brothers and Leningrad Cowboys have in common? They were all fictional bands created for the needs of a musical comedy film, but they subsequently took on a life of their own, making records, touring the world and massing up TV appearances. Of all those bands, the Leningrad Cowboys carried the joke the furthest: They've recorded 10 albums in the space of 30 years - still going strong, 25 years after the city of Leningrad changed its name back to Saint Petersburg. Of course they never did come from Russia - they came from its icy Western neighbor, Finland. At least both countries make great vodka and, as we all know, vodka -much like rock'n'roll- connects people, enables communication beyond linguistic and political barriers and provides inspiration. Maybe it even inspired Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki to make a movie about a ridiculous-looking bunch of inept Siberian rockers seeking in the U.S. the success that eluded them at home. As stars of his movie, he chose the members of the Finnish rock band Sleepy Sleepers, who inhabited their roles so completely they transmogrified to the band they were supposed to parody. "Go Wild" is a German compilation culled from their first 4 albums, starting with the soundtrack of Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989). A tongue-in-cheek but definitely rocking version of "Born To Be Wild" opens the CD, while we also get some more songs from the film in diverse styles: rockabilly on "That's Alright", salsa on "Desconsolado", Tex-Mex country on "Chasing The Light" and funk on "Rocky VI (Short Film)".

From their second effort We Cum from Brooklyn (1992), we get "Sally Is Something Else", "Fat Bob Dollop" and "I'm Gonna Roll", all decent punk-rockers with ska and soul touches. There are also two songs from Mongolian Barbeque (1997), a parody of the Eurythmics' "There Must Be An Angel" and a remix of their version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". Too bad they didn't include the original from 1994's Happy Together album. Recorded together with The Alexandrov Red Army Choir in what proves to be a genius pairing, that album remains their finest hour. The Cowboys never slip into sheer parody, playing solid and enthusiastic garage soul versions of classic rock hits, using the world's most impressive all-male choir as mere back-up singers. This juxtaposition provides all the comedy you'll need, but above all some of the most buoyant feel-good music you're ever going to hear. In the case of the closing "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", even a genuinely emotive, almost transcendental, moment. More songs from this album include ZZTop's "Gimme All Your Lovin'", The Beach Boys' "California Girls", Motown classic "Dancing in the Street" and Wilbert Harrison's "Let's Work Together" as re-imagined by Brian Ferry. The two unlikely partners would reprise their collaboration for live CD's "Nokia Balalaika Show" and "Live In Helsinki". The latter was filmed by Aki Kaurismäki and released on DVD as "Total Balalaika Show". It really is something else, check out the clip below for a sample...

**** for Gimme All Your Lovin', California Girls, Dancing in the Street, Fat Bob Dollop, Happy Together, Let's Work Together, Knockin' On Heaven's Door

*** for Born To Be Wild, Sally Is Something Else, Desconsolado, Chasing The Light, That's Alright, I'm Gonna Roll 

** for There Must Be An Angel, Sweet Home Alabama (Stalker Mix), Rocky VI (Short Film)

Pat Boone "In A Metal Mood - No More Mr. Nice Guy" 1997***

This is the ULTIMATE ROCK AND TROLL RECORD! Yeah, I know that back in '97 trolling was not a part of our vocabulary but what do you call this CD cover? A 65-year old former teen idol-turned-religious singer and conservative media figure, suddenly donning an earring and black leather vest in order to deliver heavy metal covers? And I'm not even mentioning his posing on a Harley Davidson, Easy Rider-style, on the back cover. It must be a joke, just look at the glimmer in his eye. Someone had a lot a fun designing this cover just to troll us, didn't he? Yes, and no. Yes, I'm sure the graphic designer must have been chuckling all the time while he made this, but no - the record is legit. And if you think the cover is funny, wait 'till you hear the music - you will be ROFL. We're talking about the likes of Metallica executed in honest-to-God Big Band/ Las Vegas entertainer style. Now, some of us remember how Pat Boone built a super successful career in the 50's by taking hot black R&B and turning it into pop mush fit for consumption by white middle-class teens. Hell, he was that decade's second biggest selling artist, next to Elvis! So maybe he figured that if that approach worked with the blues, why not try it on heavy metal? They're both the devil's music, I'll grant you, but Pat Boone ain't afraid of the Devil! The Devil should be afraid of Pat Boone, after what he did to his favorite music! And the funniest thing is that it often works! The big band arrangements are done in earnest with top professional musicians and, surprisingly, some songs seem to lend themselves a little too naturally to the swing treatment, with screaming guitars a little too easily replaced by the catchy jazz riffs and solos and the sudden blasts of brass. As for Boone himself, back in the 50's he was already his generation's less talented singer and his voice hasn't improved with time. Sometimes he croons along to the song merrily and sometimes he just goofily recites the words. But what does it matter? It's precious enough just to listen to Mr. Christian Right-Wing spouting lyrics like "You think it's easy doing one-night stands? Try playing in a rock'n'roll band!". AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)", by the way, sounds great in this setting, with its cool Hammond organ and late-night saxes. Ozzy's "Crazy Train" also sounds fine as light jazz - and I dare you not to burst out laughing when the backup singers go "crazy crazy traiin!choo-choo!". On "Paradise City" Boone struggles to keep up while the band plays a fast Tito Puente-like mambo rhythm. In the middle of the song they let up a little to let him catch his breath and off they go again. For the (also Latin-tinged) lead single "Smoke on the Water" they really pull all the stops, even persuading The Man-in-Black himself, Mr. Ritchie Blackmore, to come down from the silver mountain and play some electric guitar. "Holy Diver" likewise has a high profile guest in Ronnie James Dio who adds some (almost inaudible) backing vocals. It is, together with Metallica's "Enter Sandman", the most surreal experience here - that nice easy listening music combined with those dark lyrics. Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" works well as swing jazz while "No More Mr. Nice Guy" is just hilarious - no other way to describe it. Of the ballads, Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" gets a passable performance, while "Stairway to Heaven" tries to swing unsuccessfully and "Love Hurts" is sappy even for Pat Boone standards. The faux-soul version of Van Halen's "Panama" is probably the CD's lowest point. The album eventually sold well as it became a popular joke gift for metalheads, but at what cost? Worried for his immortal soul (seriously!) Boone's Christian fans intervened to drag him back to the path of righteousness, and thankfully succeeded! I mean, Hell wouldn't be Hell anymore with the likes of Pat Boone around! P.S. Some guy on youtube had the idea of coupling Pat Boone's version of "Holy Diver" with Dio's official video. I'm posting it here, but I have to warn you it's dangerous. People have died of laughter - it's rare but it's been known to happen! I mean, the sight of the late hobbit-sized Metal God wielding a sword is cause enough for hilarity by itself, but when he opens he mouth and you hear Pat Boone's voice you'll be trying to keep control of your bladder...

**** for Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), It's a Long Way to the Top (AC/DC), Enter Sandman (Metallica), Holy Diver (Dio), Crazy Train  (Ozzy Osbourne) 

*** for You've Got Another Thing Comin' (Judas Priest), No More Mr. Nice Guy (Alice Cooper), Paradise City (Guns N' Roses), The Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix Experience)

** for Panama (Van Halen), Love Hurts (Nazareth), Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin)

Durwood Douché "Big, Banned & Blue: The Original Underground Sound Of Forties" 1997***

I got this at the platenbeurs (moveable open record/ cd market) in den Haag, never having heard of Durwood Douche but intrigued with the idea of original, banned, songs from the 40's - which it isn't. It's all new songs on -let's say- adult subjects, but impeccably played and produced, with a faux period charm that is utterly convincing. You see, Durwood Douché was actually the pseudonym of septuagenarian L.A. jazz pianist Dick Shreve, who's played all kinds of jazz clubs since the 40's and even worked with such big band legends as Benny Goodman. Supposedly the (uncredited) singers and musicians are also the cream of LA's jazz club scene. Based on the musicianship displayed, I tend to believe it. Opener "Why Me God" was Douche's first release with this name: It appeared on a 7' single as "Everybody's Fucking But Me" in 1979. Almost 20 years later, Douche's entire oeuvre was released on CD, in the US with the title "Everybody's Fucking But Me" and in Europe as "Big Banned & Blue". The result is utterly hilarious, mostly when the songs are seriously played. For example "Why Me God" is a blues ballad where the singer moans in deep emotional pain, Billie Holiday-like "Everybody's fucking but me/I just can't seem to get laid/And though it's well made, my pussy's useful only when I pee". It's followed by another winner, a music hall duet called "My Most Favorite Things" (a.k.a. I can't keep my mitts off your tits) and "Air For A Dinosaur", a combination of jazz, gregorian hymn and incessant farting sounds. "Mister Bumpy" is a jovial music hall number on exhibitionism etc. The cabaret style (complete with faux- Marlene Dietrich vocals) "Merrilou" deals with face-sitting and cunnilingus, while "I'm In A Pickle" is a fiddler on the roof parody about sex with vegetables - you get the idea. The music veers from big band swing ("Here You Are") to Sinatra ballads ("Front Naughty Nocturne") to Hank Williams C&W ("Crazy To Be Crazy Over You"), while the album ends with Doris Day-like holiday number "The Christmas Gift": "Just a little Christmas blowjob will brighten up his day". I've heard the CD quite a few times and never get tired of it: the comedy may not be to everyone's taste, but the tunes are so good you'll be humming them in the bus - just don't forget yourself and sing the lyrics out loud, people might take it the wrong way...

**** for Why Me God, The Christmas Gift

*** for My Most Favorite Things, Mister Bumpy, These Remind Me Of You, Merrilou, Duet In Blue And Brown, Here You Are, I'm In A Pickle, 'Front Naughty' Nocturne, Crazy To Be Crazy Over You, Without You, 

** for Air For A Dinosaur, The Limerick Blues

Die Roten Rosen "Wir warten auf's Christkind..." 1998***

Aaah, Christmas Eve... All over my homeland, children go door to door singing Christmas carols in exchange for the traditional holiday cookies (melomakarona or kourabiedes). Some prefer cash with which they can buy toys or alcohol or cigarettes (since in Greece adherance to age restrictions is a bit loose - as a matter of fact that applies to every other rule, too). But the worst kind of kids are adults like Die Roten Rosen-German punks with an adolescent's sense of humor. Open your door to them on a Christmas Eve and they will shower you with rude "sex and drugs" versions of your beloved holiday songs, sing in annoying voices or play punk-fied carols in breakneck speed. Die Roten Rosen (The Red Roses) is, by the way, the alter ego of Die Toten Hosen (The Dead Pants) which they use for "thematic" cover albums. The CD opens with an instrumental "Ave Maria" which leads to a fast-and-funny German version of Silent Night. "Ihr Kinderlein kommet" (O come, little children) is a melodic hardcore song, apparently inviting kids to take drugs. Holiday hits by 70's rock heroes like Lennon, Slade and Wizard are played almost straight while others like "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" are given the sped-up Ramones treatment. Medieval "Auld Lang Syne" is played in folk-punk mode with a drunken pub chorus and "White Christmas" starts with a slow mock-crooner voice and gradually speeds up to ska and finally punk rock. "Weihnachtsmann vom Dach" (Santa Claus from the roof) is a pleasant alternative rock song with a catchy chorus which was the album's lead single while "We Wish You..." and "Jingle Bells" are reggae with rude lyrics."Still, still, still" is sung in a silly voice and so is the holiday classic "Oh Tannenbaum" (Oh Christmas tree). Now obviously you won't want to listen to it any other day of the year, but for today make an exception  and press "play" on the youtube video below. If you don't like it, drink a few shots/beers and try again. I promise it'll sound better.

*** for Ihr Kinderlein kommet, Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht,Merry X-Mas Everybody, Weihnachtsmann vom Dach, Auld Lang Syne, Alle Jahre wieder, Frohes Fest, The Little Drummer Boy, White Christmas, Weihnachten bei den Brandts, Hark! The Herald Angels Singe, Wish You a Merry Christmas, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

** for Ave Maria, Leise rieselt der Schnee, In Dulci Jubilo, Happy Xmas (War Is Over), Jingle Bells

* for Oh Tannenbaum, Still, still, still