I'm in the process of re-listening and re-evaluating my record collection, in no particular order. I'll be sharing the results of my evaluation and thoughts on the music in this blog.
This kind of CD is not usually one I look forward to reviewing: too many tracks from too many different bands mean a lot of work. But my human jukebox woke up humming the tune of Shocking Blue's "Send Me A Postcard Darling", which got me looking at my garage/psych shelves. When my eye fell on this CD I drew a complete blank: I couldn't remember ever listening to it before. Reading the booklet I was even more surprised: the liner notes started with the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on New York, combined with a strong denunciation of the U.S. invasions on Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the writer "The thousands of brave men and women who have died there is yet another repeat of a disastrous and flawed foreign policy. The economic ruin our country has suffered over these ten years further amplify the need to elect leaders who have the interests of American people (at heart), not the Wall Street capitalists that profit from this death and misery". Not quite what I expected reading in a booklet with the stars, stripes, and statue of liberty on the cover. But it gets one thinking about who is the real patriot: one who acknowledges that something is wrong with his country and tries to fix it, or one who says "my country, right or wrong" and "love it or leave it". A question that is just as relevant in the 21st century as it was when these songs were recorded (1965-1971).
Gear Fab is a relative newcomer to the 60's reissue campaign started by Lenny Kaye's legendary Nuggets compilation. Dozens of specialized labels have since unearthed 1000's of rare singles by unknown 60's garage bands. Gear Fab's Psychedelic States series takes the geographical approach, much like another favorite series of mine, Highs In The Mid 60's. They've been very thorough about it, always searching for unreleased -or, at least, lesser known- gems. One of the songs here immediately rang a bell: The Fugitives' melodic garage rocker "Mean Woman" was perviously included in the German Mindrockervolume 7 comp which has been in my collection for more than 30 years now. I also knew "Tripsy" from the Beyond The Calico Wall compilation, but the rest of the songs were new to me. This CD is the 3rd one dedicated to New York by the Psychedelic States series, and I'm happy to report that the quality of the material remains high. Soundquality, of course, is predictably poor: the source is old 7' singles or acetates, some of which are quite scratchy and noisy. Even if they weren't, the production values for this kind of garage records often are abysmally low. But the conviction and enthusiasm of the (mostly teen) performers is catching. Some of the lyrics are deliciously cheeky: the usual girl putdowns abound, while the Kinks-like "Doctor Friend" contains the hilarious line “I know you’ve never studied medicine as such…” - and then there's the unbelievable 10-minute epic "Destruction" by the fantastically-named Thrashing Butterflys Of Divine Happiness. Introduced by an organ playingBach's famous toccata in D minor, it unfolds with apocalyptic lyrics, anguished vocals, frantic drumming, and fuzzed-out guitar solos. To this they add various effects, screams, and someone pretending to smoke dope; everything but the kitchen sink. One discernsthe influence of fellow New Yorkers Vanilla Fudge, yet it's still one of a kind. Not that originality runs high in this collection, it's usually just more of what you've already heard in countless other garage comps. Fortunately, though, here you get more in-your-face garage rock than commercial 60's pop stuff. If you like The Standells, Music Machine, or Count V, you're bound to dig The Aggregation, Eric & The Smoke Ponies, Morning After, III And A 1/2, and Cucumber - what a name, Cucumber! One of the joys of these compilations is checking out inventive band names like the aforementioned Thrashing Butterflys Of Divine Happiness, Moustache Wax, or Household Sponge. Alternatively, some bands differentiate by using imaginative word spellings like Sonic Lyne, Luv Wons, or The Peepl. The latter contribute a psychedelic ballad from 1967, truth be told one of the lamer moments here. "White And Frosty" and "Love Me Girl" are a couple of cooler ballads featuring nice organ, while some of the highlights are provided by melodic mid 60's garage by the likes of The O'Aces, Luv Wons, and Fugitives. There's some more R&B-influenced stuff by The Tweeds, Chain Reaction, Jazzmasters, Sonic Lyne and Moustache Wax, and a couple of surf-a-delic instrumentals ("Tripsy" and "Velvet Acid", both recorded in 1967). The fact that this CD doesn't stop at 1966-67 as most garage comps do, allows it to include some more psychedelic/hard rock numbers like Household Sponge's Doors/Iron Butterfly-like "Second Best" and Glass's "And You Hurry" (from 1971, the most recent track here). Not forgetting the two excellent garage-fuzz-hard rock singles from1969 that open this CD, "What Ever Happened To Us?" by The Upward Movement and "Hide Your Face In Shame" by Sound Solution. All in all, a good job by Gear Fab that's bound to satisfy garage rock fans. Being one, I enjoyed listening to it even though I probably have a hundred 60's comps that are just as good or better in my collection. Like each one of them, this is worth getting if only for being a throwback to a magical time in the history of rock when neighborhood bands operating from their garage were every bit as vital, and produced more records than, professional musicians operating from high-end studios.
***** for Mean Woman (Fugitives)
**** for What Ever Happened To Us? (The Upward Movement), Hide Your Face In Shame (Sound Solution), So Good (The O'Aces), Tripsy (Pebble Episode), You Lied To Me (The Aggregation), I'll Give You More (Erik & The Smoke Ponies), White And Frosty (The Whether Bureau), Love Me Girl (The Tigermen), Don't Make Me Cry (Cucumber), Please Don't (Luv Wons),Second Best (Household Sponge), And You Hurry (Glass), Don't Cry To Me Babe (III And A 1/2), I Don't Need You Today (Morning After), Destruction (The Thrashing Butterflys Of Divine Happiness)
*** for We Got Time (The Tweeds), Home Type Girl (The Overtones), Ever Lovin' Man (The Chain Reaction), Velvet Acid (Tony Dee), Doctor Friend (The Druids), Walkin' (Jazzmasters), Last Time (Sonic Lyne), Summertime (Luv Wons), I'm Gonna Get You (Mustache Wax)
** for Freedom (The Peepl), The Real Thing (The Front End)
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)
This is probably a rare case of a singer whose autobiography is more interesting than her records. Cherry never had a great voice but she certainly had an interesting persona, and was one of those scenesters who are always at the right place at the right time. Having no theatrical training or background she found herself performing nude onstage in Andy Warhol's controversial play "pork" and becoming a permanent fixture of the New York art/music scene, befriending and sleeping with rock stars including Bowie for whom she also worked as a publicist/PR person. It wasn't long before she started her own band as a vehicle for her sexy persona and bold lyrics, becoming a regular performer at legendary club Max's Kansas City. In '76 she relocated to London where her backing band at some point included Sting and other members of Police. In late '77 she released the single "The Punk" and soon afterwards her first LP aptly titled "Bad Girl". On retrospect her arty New York brand of "punk" was a step too far from the thuggish mentality of British punks who, despite her U.S. scene credentials, probably regarded the 34-year old as a late bandwagon jumper. Sultry burlesque opener "I Know How To Hook" would certainly have been enough to put off any spiky-haired hooligans. "So 1950's" may have appealed to some Lou Reed fans while "Not So Bad" is 50's pastiche. The rest of Side 1 paid tribute to her New York punk peers Blondie ("The Punk") and Ramones ("No More Canaries"). Side 2 continued mixing up styles from the theatrical rock of "Hard As A Rock" to the teenybopper glam of "Liverpool", New York Dolls-style glam punk of "Foxy Bitch", and country "Bad Girl". The closing "Little Red Rooster" isn't a cover of the Howling Wolf classic but a Mott-style glam rocker with clanging piano and a silly but catchy chorus. The band, especially Cherry's boyfriend Louis Lepore on lead guitar, are more proficient than your average punk rockers but, despite Cherry's charm, Bowie endorsement and ample promotion, the record flopped. After a second LP ("Venus D'Vinyl",1979) she finally gave up her attempt at rock stardom. She appeared on a Roger Waters album and wrote a well-received autobiography but mostly spent the next years as PR/publicist for Greek synth wizard Vangelis. Her albums were finally reissued in the 2000's combined on a single CD which was met with the same indifference as the original LP's, yet she is still fondly remembered by many music lovers, and has earned her place in musical history if only as a footnote. If you're a fan of the Andy Warhol art scene or early New York punk, you'd probably want to own this LP. Shouldn't be too difficult, enough people have unceremoniously unloaded their Cherry Vanilla LP's at thrift stores all around Europe not long after they bought them...
**** for The Punk, Foxy Bitch
*** for I Know How To Hook, So 1950's, Not So Bad, No More Canaries, Liverpool, Bad Girl, Little Red Rooster
