The Model Rockets- Hilux

After Stumpy Joe disbanded, John Ramberg formed The Model Rockets and released their first album, Hilux in 1993. The Model Rockets kept the spirit of power-pop alive with a touch of roots flavour. Produced by Scott McCaughey, their sound is not unlike the Fellows or the Fastbacks, this music is catchy and they have kept the spirit of power-pop alive with a touch of roots flavour, it's a brilliant debut! As a matter of fact, all The Model Rockets albums are amazing if you can track them down. They even released a live album recorded and (I'm guessing) only released in Spain. The good news is the band reunited for a show at the Tractor Tavern (opening for YFF's) in Seattle, July 4, 2008.

Hilux has been long out of print and it was one of those records I had been trying to hunt down throughout the 90's, until someone burned me a copy about 5 years ago. I've just found out it is now available as a limited edition 2008 reissue, though it seems it might be a burned CD-R, but you can buy it here. I highly recommend anything by The Model Rockets, another extremely underrated Seattle band lost in the shuffle when grunge became popular.
Enjoy!!

THE MODEL ROCKETS
Hilux (1993)
1. New Cinnamon Girl
2. Ditched At The Grand Illusion
3. Hitchhiker Jane
4. Queen Bee
5. Johnson's Plumbing Supply
6. Behind The Door
7. Untitled Transitional Instrumental
8. Daredevil Girl
9. Never New How
10. Carolyn
11. Cheerleader
12. Shapeshifter
13. Year Of the Sofa

THE MODEL ROCKETS- Hilux. rar

Stumpy Joe- One Way Rocket Ride To Kicksville!

Here's a underrated gem that I haven't seen too often. Back in the late 80's/early 90's I was heavily into ordering albums through mail order. I requested catalogs from smaller indie labels so I can buy their products directly from the label, because I found it difficult to track down certain records at my local record stores. The idea of browsing through a newsprint catalog (a couple of pages to a small pamphlet), making a list of what I want, going to the post office to get a money order, mailing the letter and waiting a minimum 2 weeks for my package to arrive, is so old-school, but fun. Nothing beats the feeling of receiving a much anticipated package full of music, t-shirts or posters!!

One of the labels I ordered from a lot was Popllama records in Seattle. I bought everything by the Young Fresh Fellows they had in stock, including shirts, 7" ers, LP's, tapes, etc. Over the course of only a couple of years I bought records by Jimmy Silva, the Squirrels, The Fastbacks, the 1st albums from The Posies and Dharma Bums, The Walkabouts, Bum, The Smugglers, Teengenerate, The Picketts, Pure Joy, and the one and only release from Stumpy Joe, One Way Rocket Ride To Kicksville. This is a great album of raw garage inspired rawk with songs about drinking and getting drunk...the perfect party album! At the time when I bought this CD (1992?), I knew nothing about the band, but it came highly recommended by Scott McCaughey (who co-produced, engineered and mixed the record) of the Fellows and staffer at Popllama. When Stumpy Joe split, front-man John Ramberg went on to form the Model Rockets, then later The Tripwires. John is also a member of McCaughey's, Minus 5.

"Forget it man and get with the countdown. Shake this square world and blast off for kicksville".

STUMPY JOE
One Way Rocket Ride To Kicksville! (1991)

1. Drunk Idea
2. Matriculated
3. Proverbial Straw
4. I Would
5. Dumb Lil' Song
6. I Get Drunk
7. Spins
8. Love Plumbin'
9. Crazy Woman
10. Halloween Song
11. Drop a Bomb

STUMPY JOE- One Way Rocket Ride To Kicksville. rar

Kathleen Edwards- Live In Philly 2008

Photo by Frailamerica Just returned from Ottawa and I must apologize for not posting anything while I was there. I was too busy checking out all the typical Ottawa tourist sites such as, the National Gallery, Canadian Museum Of Civilization, Parliament Hill, Scotiabank Place (to see a Senators hockey game) and the local record stores (Vertigo Records and Compact Music). When I go to another city I always try to seize the opportunity to see a band, but unfortunately I didn't see anything of interest in town, unless you count the Crash Test Dummies and of course, I won't! When I think of Ottawa all I can think of is Furnaceface and Kathleen Edwards. I have a whole bunch of Kathleen Edwards shows, but I came upon this good one the other day that is short, but sweet. It's from her 2008 tour, about a month before I saw her at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and it was broadcast on WXPN and posted at the NPR website. It sounds great and features just Kathleen and band member Jim Bryson (another Ottawa native). The reason the set is so short is because it was part of Philadelphia's NON-COMMvention, a showcase for non-commercial radio programmers and music industry professionals and also because Kathleen was opening for both Alejandro Escovedo and Jakob Dylan. Enjoy!! KATHLEEN EDWARDS Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA May 31, 2008 1. Back To Me 2. In State 3. Asking For Flowers 4. I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory 5. Oil Man's War 6. Six O'Clock News 7. I Can't Give You Up 8. The Cheapest Key KATHLEEN EDWARDS- NPR May 2008. rar

John K. Samson- Provincial Road 222

I'm heading out of town this morning to the nation's capital, Ottawa, Ontario. I'm taking the laptop with me, so if I'm not too busy between shopping at record stores (if there are any?), touring the National Gallery, cruising through the Museum Of Civilization, watching a Sens game and, oh yeah, attend a conference on the weekend, I'll add a couple of posts to this blog.

Of course, I'll miss Winnipeg, but to keep you feeling at home, I'm posting the latest offering from the Weakerthans', John K. Samson. Provincial Road 222 is the second in series of ep's thematically inspired by roads in his home province of Manitoba. The opening song is called Petition, which takes the form of an on-line petition to get Riverton's Reggie Leach into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. You can sign the petition here and I talk about this more on a previous posting.

Have a listen, it's different than the Weakerthans and if you enjoy what you hear, buy the limited edition 7" deluxe bundle package with 2- 7" ep's (one black vinyl, one white vinyl), t-shirt and digital download...this looks really cool!!

JOHN K. SAMSON
Provincial Road 222 (2010)

1. The Last And
2. Petition
3. Stop Error

JOHN K. SAMSON- Provincial Road. rar

Liquor Giants- You're Always Welcome

Continuing with my mini-tribute to Ward Dotson, I have the first record from his post-Pontiac Brothers band, the Liquor Giants. You're Always Welcome is musically not far off from the sound of the Pontiac's, but with Dotson fronting the band and providing lead vocals. This is an excellent debut, crunchy guitars, catchy hooks and influenced by 60's pop/rock. Their proceeding releases moved even more towards a retro 60's sound which lead to an all-covers album, Something Special For The Kids, released in 1998, that paid homage to English rockers and the British Invasion.

You're Always Welcome was also released in Japan under the title, America's #1 Recording Artists. I had the privilege of seeing the Liquor Giants perform live in Winnipeg at the Royal Albert in 1998 to a handful of people. It was an amazing show and I stuck around after the show to chat with the band and got them to sign my CD purchase. Nice real down to earth guys who weren't fazed by the small non-responsive crowd. For proof, I recorded the show on my recording tape deck and I had a listen the other day, great memories! If I get around to transferring the tape to the computer, I'll up it for a future post.

LIQUOR GIANTS
You're Always Welcome (1992)

01. Over the Hill
02. Mrs. Griffith
03. Greatest Hit
04. Paint the Whole Town Blue
05. Middle of Nowhere
06. Just Might Cry
07. I Wanna Get Drunk With You
08. The Little Song
09. Lost on Mars
10. My Teeth and Tongue
11. The Jokes On You
12. Fine Line
13. My World

LIQUOR GIANTS- You're Always Welcome. rar

Pontiac Brothers- Doll Hut

Since I had some requests for the Pontiac Brothers', Doll Hut (that I have on vinyl, see above), I will post the album. I didn't realize there were so many people that remember this great band. There's good news if you are a fan because the Pontiac Brothers will be playing at the Frontier Records 30th anniversary party at Los Angeles' Echoplex on November 7th with a lineup of label mates such as the Adolescents, Middle Class, Rikk Agnew and Flyboys. The Young Fresh Fellows will headline the Seattle show on October 16th at the Crocodile Cafe with the Dharma Bums (this will be an amazing show!!).

To be honest, I didn't think Frontier Records was still active and producing new product. Actually, most of their new releases are re-releases, compilations or previously unreleased material. Lisa Fancher founded the label in 1980 and has maintained it's indie-status and has survived the industry despite the digital market of iTunes customers, with a small roster of bands. I assumed the Pontiac Brothers releases were completely out of print, but only the vinyl and cassette format as you can purchase Doll Hut/Biblioteca together on one CD. If I knew this, I might not have posted these albums as they are still available from Frontier. I figure I'm giving the new listener an opportunity to be exposed to a band they might otherwise not heard of since the Pontiac Brothers were only active (on record) from 1985-92 and I can hopefully convert some listeners to fans. Anyways, buy something from Frontier, they have lots of great music and bands!!

PONTIAC BROTHERS
Doll Hut (1985)

1. Work With Me
2. It's Alright at Home
3. Out in the Rain
4. Straight and Narrow
5. Keep the Promise
6. Too Much Been Said
7. Whole Damn World
8. Almost Human
9. Judy's Problem

10. New Pusher Blues
11. While I Sleep

PONTIAC BROTHERS- Doll Hut. rar

Pontiac Brothers- Fiesta En La Biblioteca

I had a request a few weeks ago from a reader for some Pontiac Brothers and Liquor Giants. I accommodated his request, but since I transferred my vinyl and tapes to digital and I have these records uploaded on my on-line storage, I figured I should post some here.

The Pontiac Brothers were founded in 1983 by Ward Dotson formerly of the Gun Club and they released 5 albums between 1985 and 1992. I bought 2 of their albums, Doll Hut and Fiesta En La Biblioteca in the late 80's as a hunch because they were on the same label (Frontier Records) as my heroes, the Young Fresh Fellows. Their music style is kind of a Rolling Stones meets the Replacements, straight ahead melodic rock with a hint of blues and drunken playfulness. I liked them instantly and later bought their "comeback" album, Fuzzy Little Piece Of The World, after they took a 4 year hiatus between albums. When the Pontiac's broke up, Dotson formed another band, the Liquor Giants, but more on them in a later post.

It was hard to decide which album I should post, I have Doll Hut on vinyl and hadn't given it a spin in years, but after re-listening, it's really good! But, if I had to choose the album that best showcases the band's versatility and range, then Fiesta En La Biblioteca is their best album. I have Fiesta in cassette format, so as a treat the cassette version includes the bonus track, Movin' On, a Bad Company cover sung by Ward Dotson (The Pontiac Brother's lead vocalist was Matt Simon). Interesting enough, Dotson toured with the Fellows on their 1989 tour when he subbed for guitarist Kurt Bloch when he injured his wrist during a show. A live version of Movin' On, sung by Dotson appeared on the Fellows' cassette fan-club release, Gag Fah...very cool!

(If you would like Doll Hut posted as well, please leave a request in the comments or email me: teenagedogsintrouble@gmail.com)

PONTIAC BROTHERS
Fiesta En La Biblioteca (1986)

1. She Knows It
2. Old and in the Way
3. Look out for That Train
4. Be Married Song
5. Doll Hut
6. Movin' On*
7. Brown Eyed Women
8. She Likes to Rock

9. The Thing Just Goes

10. Can't Get out of Bed

11. Girl From El Reno

12. Don't Have to Die
* bonus track

PONTIAC BROTHERS- Fiesta En La Biblioteca. rar

HMHB- ACD

Half Man Half Biscuit (HMHB) is a UK band that has been around since the mid 8o's. Though they split-up in 1986, the band reformed in 1990 and have released an album every 2 years since. I figured since I've referenced this band at least on a couple of occasions, I should give you a taste of HMHB's satirical and sometimes surreal take on life. Their songs are filled with multi-layered pop culture references and a strange weird sense of humour. I instantly fell in love with this album, an expanded CD version of vinyl, Back Again In The D.H.S.S with many of HMHB's essential early tracks, additional singles and live versions. To be honest, I don't think I listened to any bands from outside of North America during the mid-80's, so obviously I must have felt something special (in my heart) with this band. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I first heard HMHB on a Canadian CBC radio program, Brave New Waves (or it might have been Nightlines?) where they did their nightly feature on the band and played 4 or 5 of their songs. I still have this on tape and I just listened to it again last week and it brought back great memories...Reasons To Be Miserable, I Was A Teenage Armchair Honved Fan, Reflections In A Flat and my favourite, Dickie Davis Eyes.
Enjoy!

HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT
ACD (1989)

1. The Best Things In Life
2. D'Ye Ken Ted Moult?
3. Reasons To Be Miserable (Part 10)
4. Rod Hull Is Alive - Why?
5. Dickie Davis Eyes
6. The Bastard Son Of Dean Friedman
7. I Was A Teenage Armchair Honved Fan
8. Arthur's Farm
9. Carry On Cremating
10. Albert Hammond Bootleg (live)
11. Reflections In A Flat (live)
12. Sealclubbing (live)
13. Architecture And Morality, Ted And Alice (live)
14. Fuckin' Ell It's Fred Titmus (live)
15. Time Flies By (When Your The Driver Of A Train) (live)
16. All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Plague Away Kit (live)
17. The Trumpton Riots (live)

HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT- ACD. rar

Don't Call Them Twinkies!

Last year around this time, I finally attended my first Minnesota Twins game. I've been to the Twin Cities almost every year for the last 20 years to see bands, go to galleries, shop and to see hockey games. Actually, I have yet to see the Minnesota Wild, only the North Stars before they moved south. It seemed whenever we were in town, the Twins weren't, or it was off-season, so I figured last year was my last chance to visit the Metrodome (unless I go to a Vikes game) before they moved to Target Field. The game and whole major league baseball experience was terrific, as where I live we have a minor league ball team, many many steps below the big leagues. I now have to go to the new ball field and watch the game as it should be, outdoors...the dome sucked! Nothing beats a hot dog, beer and a baseball game in the great outdoors without a roof overhead, I experienced that earlier this year at Wrigley Field.
In case your wondering why I'm babbling on and on about baseball instead of music, it's because these two passions can be enjoyed together with the latest song from the Baseball Project. Teaming up with Craig Finn, from The Hold Steady, the Baseball Project have released an anthem just in time for the Twins playoff run. Craig who is originally from the Twin Cities and is a big Twins fan wrote the lyrics, while Steve Wynn wrote the music. Drummer Linda Pitmon suggested they need a Twins song (she too is from Minneapolis, drumming in Zuzu's Petals) and here's what she had to say, "We couldn't be happier that he complied with some of the most anthemic sports lyrics ever written....name-checking no less than 8 Minnesota cities, 2 neighborhoods, 2 streets, 9 Twins players and 2 coaches in just over 4 minutes - Craig's specialty!"

Seems like a pretty cool coincidence I saw the Baseball Project play at the Turf Club in St. Pauls on the same trip I attended the Twins game last September and now the song, Don't Call Them Twinkies. A great tribute to a great team...Go Twins!!

The song is being streamed at 89.3 the Current-NPR website.
or if you want to listen to this song away from your computer I have the mp3 for download.

BASEBALL PROJECT (featuring Craig Finn)- Don't Call Them Twinkies. mp3

Arcade Fire Returns To Winnipeg

The last time Arcade Fire played in Winnipeg they performed at the Burton Cummings Theatre, a near perfect venue for the band, with it's antique ornate details and a classic red velvet curtain that opens to the stage. That show was truly one of the best live concerts I have attended and I thought the band's theatrics and very visual show was well suited to the old classic theatre. Fast forward 5 years to the much larger MTS Centre, a hockey arena, not an ideal venue for a concert, but to it's credit in 2008, the MTS Centre was the 19th busiest arena in the world (11th in North America and 3rd in Canada), so it's used for more than hockey games and tractor pulls. This was my second concert at this venue (it opened in 2004), the first was the Who and I sat in the far corner of the upper deck and the sound was horrible, but this was my first arena show on the floor.

The popularity of the band has soared since their last visit, as they have impressively sold out venues across the world. In August, they sold-out two shows at Madison Square Gardens in New York, I believe they are more celebrated outside of Canada (apart from Montreal, their hometown), they are big in the states and even more popular in Europe. Their latest album, The Suburbs, debuted at #1 proving they are no longer a cult indie-rock band, but now they have hit the mainstream which means radio play, TV talk shows and more buzz than ever. I predicted they would not draw more than 5,000 fans to the show in Winnipeg, as I noticed a day before the show Ticketmaster wasn't offering tickets in the 300 section (upper deck) anymore, probably hoping to sell out the lower bowl first. I'm not doubting their fan support here, I just think half the people at the show probably only heard of this band in the last month or two, like a couple songs on the new album and are caught in the hipster hype. There was 5,500 people at the show and with a 3/4 setup in the arena it didn't seem as cavernous. Once the show started with the crowd crammed together and the blinding lights, big sound and the large drive-in movie screen behind the band, it grabbed your attention and made you forget you were in a hockey arena. Visually it was stunning, the movie screen projected artsy images and live video of the band on stage perfectly meshing with the band's soundtrack. As expected, Arcade Fire was amazing, their hyper-energetic, grandiose, highly charged style is the only way this band plays. The band members continuously switch instruments and I don't think there was a song where the instrumental set-up was the same. Regine Chassagne moved between accordion, tambourine, keyboards and did a very commendable job on the drums.

Calexico opened the show and I was impressed with what I saw. I know they played at the Folk Festival a few years back, but I would like to see them at a smaller intimate venue as headliners. A band like Calexico that has been around longer than the headliner has lots to offer and they only gave us a small sample of their quite impressive catalog. I don't know if it's just me, though I've heard similar comments, but was the sound more clearer for Calexico than for Arcade Fire? I was standing fairly close to the stage for Calexico almost in line with the overhead speakers and thought maybe I was too close, not getting enough vocals in the mix. For Arcade Fire we moved back to the middle of the floor to find the "sweet spot" to get a more balanced sound. It helped, but the wall of sound from Arcade Fire sounded muddled and boomy, granted it must be challenging being the sound guy for a large 8-member band with various instruments and the arena acoustics don't help, but I thought the headliners were suppose to have the cleanest sound. You can judge for yourself with my recording.

Speaking of recording, there is good news and bad news. First the good news, I recorded the complete Calexico set (I'll post that later) and it sounds pretty good despite the loud talkers behind me, but that's expected during the opening band's set. I also captured the Arcade Fire set and it too sounds better than when I was standing at the show, but the bad news is it's incomplete. When I started the recording, I fiddled with the sound levels and jostled for position on the floor (I yelled at and shoved a tall guy that pushed his way in front of me then stopped inches in front of me as soon as the band began), but I forgot to hit the record button again, so it was paused for the first 3 songs! Fortunately, I noticed after the third song (Keep The Car Running) and I recovered to record the rest of the show. I still can't believe it, I gotta make a check list or something to remind me for the next concert. I got this digital recorder because it was suppose to make recording shows easier and more efficient...damn, human error! The other issue with the recording was the loud idiot behind me who screamed at the top of his lungs between songs and during the quieter parts of songs. His ear splitting, "yeahhhhhh!!!" got annoying very quickly and this attention whore must have felt great pleasure every time he bellowed and everyone around him glared at him...sorry, I should have moved.
I recommend the show in loss-less format, so if you are a member, the FLAC files are posted at Dimeadozen.

For "real" reviews of the show:
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Sun

ARCADE FIRE
MTS Centre
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
September 23, 2010
audience master- recorded on the floor (middle)

*Ready to Start
*Month of May
*Keep the Car Running
01. Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
02. No Cars Go
03. Haïti
04. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
05. Half Light II (No Celebration)
06. Rococo
07. The Suburbs
08. Ocean of Noise
09. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
10. We Used to Wait
11. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
12. Rebellion (Lies)
13.

Encore
14. Intervention
15. Modern Man
16. Wake Up

*not recorded

ARCADE FIRE- Winnipeg 2010-09-23 rar.

Scruffy The Cat- High Octane Revival

Here's one more from Scruffy the Cat, their first EP release, High Octane Revival. Super catchy and rootsy, Scruffy rocks out a bit more on this 6-song EP that would make a great disc teamed up with their first full-length, Tiny Days. I'm not sure if this is available on CD or not, but no matter, download this and enjoy. You'll be hard pressed to find any album (or EP) that is this consistently good, all six songs are "must-hear", too bad the band's not together anymore. This is another band I would be thrilled to see reunite in some form or another.
...and yes, life is fun!!

SCRUFFY THE CAT
High Octane Revival (1986)

01. 40 Days & 40 Nights
02. Land Of 1,000 Girls
03. Life Is Fun
04. Tiger Tiger
05. Buy A Car
06. Happiness To Go

SCRUFFY THE CAT- High Octane Revival. rar

Scruffy The Cat- Tiny Days

Here's some more music you should hear, the first full-length LP from Boston's, Scruffy The Cat. In the mid-80s, there was a local public access program called, Alternative Rockstand. The show was cheesy and low-budget with it's glasses-wearing geeky host that occasionally interviewed bands, but basically he played alternative/punk music with weird graphics or the album cover floating around the screen while the host sat in a chair in studio. Despite it's crappy look, the show actually featured some pretty decent music and on one of the episodes he played, My Baby She's Allright from the Tiny Days album. A great catchy rockin' song that instantly got my attention and led me to my local record store to track down the album.

To this day, Tiny Days is one of my favourite albums and as a bonus I have an autographed record jacket of Tiny Days framed on my wall. I put this album and the Young Fresh Fellows, Topsy Turvy on a TDK SA90 tape and I swear it's my most played tape in my collection. In those days (before iPods or mp3 players), you had to duplicate your albums onto cassette so you can play them away from home (the turntable), in the car or on the Walkman. I saw Scruffy when they opened for 54-40 (Canadian band from Vancouver) back in 1987 or 88, I didn't give a shit about 54-40 as I only went to see Scruffy The Cat's way too short set. That amazing 30 or 40 minutes confirmed my love of Scruffy, a great live band that I wish I had the opportunity to see them play a headline set before they broke up.

SCRUFFY THE CAT
Tiny Days (1987)

01. My Baby She's Allright
02. Shadow Boy
03. Upside Down
04. Time Never Forgets
05. Thomas Doubter
06. Never, Never
07. Hello Angel
08. Momma Killed Hate
09. When Your Ship Comes In
10. My Fate Was Sealed With a Kiss
11. Tiny Days

SCRUFFY THE CAT- Tiny Days. rar

Mr. T Experience- Everybody's Entitled To Their Own Opinion

Back in the mid-eighties, I discovered a great late night radio program that might be familiar to my readers from Canada. Brave New Waves ran late night during the week on CBC stereo (FM, now radio 2) and ran from 1984 to 2007. The show profiled alternative and indie music and since the local universities in my city didn't have a campus radio station, it provided a much need outlet for listening to non-commercial music. I discovered lots of good music and bands at this time, and each night I looked forward to laying in bed with headphones and listening to this program. Believe it or not, I kept a notebook beside my bed to jot down names of songs and bands that sounded interesting, so I would later search the import record store for any of these familiar titles. God, it would have been so much easier nowadays with Internet searches, myspace pages, iTunes and bit torrent downloading, it would have saved a ton of time. Around this time I started to send away to smaller record labels requesting their catalog or list of titles and receiving many hard to find records through the mail, again the Internet would have narrowed my search down dramatically.

Some of the bands I "discovered" (heard for the first time) on B.N.W are, Camper Van Beethoven, Volcano Suns, Half Man Half Biscuit, They Might Be Giants and the Mr. T Experience. I first heard the song, Danny Partridge on B.N.W and it was such a great song I had to find the album. Everybody's Entitled To Their Own Opinion was MTX's debut album and it was released on the Discorder label and re-issued on Lookout!. This wasn't their best album, but it's goofy and fun and it got me hooked on Dr. Frank and his dumb little band and with songs such as; One Big Lie, I'm In Love With Paula Pierce and a speedy cover of Pleasant Valley Sunday, this album rocks! It's their most punk album, as they gradually moved towards a more pop-punk sound after original guitarist, Jon Von left the band to join the Rip-Offs. The Mr. T Experience were one of the early bands from the Berkeley, Bay area, Gilman St. scene in the late 80s and 90s, the same scene that produced commercially successful bands such as Green Day. I think Dr. Frank was a much under-rated songwriter than people realized, his songs may seem like they were only, "about a girl", but his satirical and keen observation of life is a reason for the band's (or Frank solo) longevity.

MR. T EXPERIENCE
Everybody's Entitled To Their Own Opinion (1986)

1. One Big Lie
2. Just Your Way Of Saying No
3. Marine Recruiter
4. Sheep
5. Surfin' Mozart
6. Danny Partridge
7. Scientific
8. Disconnection
9. Surfin' Cows
10. I'm In Love With Paula Pierce
11. Big Mistake
12. Pleasant Valley Sunday
13. Mary Mary
14. The Empty Experience

MR. T EXPERIENCE- Everybody's Entitled To Their Own Opinion. rar

Jonathan Richman- Rockin' And Romance

This week, I have decided to post some albums that I deem, "music you should hear" and hold a special place in my heart. Some of these albums were debuts that I bought when they first were released and I have followed the band ever since, while other albums will be ones that are favourites by that particular artist and have been influential on the music I listen to and follow. As well, I'm a big fan of the 80's and 90's, so if it seems like I'm ignoring "modern music", this is only temporary...bear with me.

When I think of my favourite Jonathan Richman album, Rockin' And Romance always seems be the one I keep coming back to. I have every J.R. release from the 70's and 80's and though the first Modern Lovers album was great and one of the most influential albums of the 70's, the simple charm and humour of Rockin' hasn't been matched since. The first time I saw Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers (at the Winnipeg Folk Festival) was after this album came out, actually it was probably closer to when his next album It's Time For was released and he performed (in a small tent) many songs from Rockin' And Romance. Since this was my first exposure to live J. R. it was a thrill to watch him singing and miming the pitching motions of Walter Johnson and explain how he likes to write songs about almost anything...even a Chewing Gum Wrapper. He brought to life many of the songs from Rockin' and Romance with the enthusiasm and child-like wonder only Jonathan Richman can offer. The album is filled with gems such as UFO Man, The Beach and Vincent Van Gogh, all songs my band has covered at one time or another, so you know I love this album. The sound is sparse, but the sounds are heart-warming and real.

I've been looking for an upgrade for the cassette I made from a friends album back in the mid-80's, but since there was never an "official" CD release of Rockin' And Romance (and I haven't come across another vinyl copy), I've been content with the worn-out tape. I was tempted to buy a custom burned CD from Twin/Tone Records, who are offering it up for $15 on their website. As luck would have it, I recently came across a vinyl-rip on another blog and since I promised in my mind if I get a better sounding copy than the one I have, I'll upload it on this blog.
Enjoy!!

JONATHAN RICHMAN
Rockin' And Romance (1985)

1. The Beach
   
2. My Jeans
   
3. Down in Bermuda
   
4. The U.F.O. Man
   
5. I Must Be King
   
6. Vincent van Gogh
   
7. Walter Johnson
   
8. I'm Just Beginning to Live
   
9. The Fenway
   
10. Chewing Gum Wrapper
    
11. The Baltimores
    
12. Up in the Sky Sometime
    
13. Now Is Better Than Before

JONATHAN RICHMAN AND THE MODERN LOVERS- Rockin' & Romance. rar

The Minus 5 Gets Down With Wilco- September 15, 2001

Actually, it was more like Scott McCaughey and Wilco, on this night 9 years ago, today. Four days after the horrific events of 9/11 at the World Trade Center, the Minus 5 and Wilco performed a show at the Abbey Pub in Chicago to try out some new material they had just recorded together that would later surface as, Minus 5-Down With Wilco. During the first set, Scott fronted the Minus 5 with the members of Wilco as the supporting band (usually the band consists of Scott with Peter Buck and a rotating cast of band members which sometimes includes, John Ramberg, Ken Stringfellow and Bill Rieflin). They were more than a regular backing band, as earlier in the week that had been in the studio working on this collaborative album. The band showcased "never before performed" songs that would be on the album. One of the songs they recorded and performed on this night, I'm Not Bitter was in fact recorded on 9/11, which included the ironic line, "But I'm not bitter, I'm not bitter, not at all, just a lot". This song was written by Scott and Tad Hutchison (from the Fellows) 10 years earlier and Scott recorded it originally with the Young Fresh Fellows as a b-side to I Hate Everything, released in 1991.

The second set of music was Jeff Tweedy and Wilco, performing several songs from their yet to be released album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as well as earlier material. Scott returns for the encore with a few more songs from the Minus 5/Wilco band. An amazing night of music and it was probably a good break for the band after days together in studio and their it gave their fans a night to let loose after the intensity and devastation of the previous days events. This is a great sounding recording and one of my personal favourite shows!!

MINUS 5 and WILCO
Abbey Pub
Chicago, IL
September 15, 2001

Set 1
The Minus 5:
01: Intro: Wilco #2
02: Life Left Him There
03: Retrieval Of You
04: Where Will You Go?
05: Daggers Drawn
06: That's Not The Way That It's Done
07: Days Of Wine And Booze
08: I'm Not Bitter
09: View From Below
10: The Night Chicago Died
11: (I've Got) A Lyrical Stance

Set 2
Wilco:
01: I'm Always In Love
02: War On War
03: Pick Up The Change
04: Should've Been In Love
05: I'm The Man Who Loves You
06: Ashes Of An American Flag
07: Hesitating Beauty
08: Passenger Side
09: Shot In The Arm
10: She's A Jar
11: California Stars
12: Outtasite (Outtamind)
13: Sunken Treasure

Encore:
Minus 5/Wilco:
14: Break/Crowd Noise
15: Modern World
16: I Wish I Was Your Mother (Tweedy vocal)
17: Lies Of The Living Dead

MINUS 5- Live At The Abbey (set 1) 9-15-2001. rar
WILCO- Live At The Abbey (set 2) 9-15-2001. rar

The Jam- Live At The El Mocambo

Another well-known band that has played at the El Mocambo Club in Toronto is The Jam. The difference between the Rolling Stones playing in a small club and The Jam playing to the same venue is that The Jam were still a relatively new band. The band was gaining popularity in England, but in North America they were still less known, so the smaller club was appropriate to their draw. Interesting enough, Elvis Costello recorded his classic bootleg live album (Live At The El Mocambo) here in the same month as The Jam. This time period in music with the rise of punk and new wave, must have been a great time to see live music.

Though the sound isn't high fidelity quality and it sounds a little rough at times, the energy of the band and the small crowd makes this a great show. Listen after the 3rd song when Paul Weller gets angry after beer is thrown at him, sweet!

THE JAM
El Mocambo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
February 21, 1978

01. The Modern World
02. London Traffic
03. I Need You
04. The Combine
05. Standards
06. London Girl
07. News Of The World
08. In The Street Today
09. Here Comes The Weekend
10. Sounds From The Street
11. Bricks And Mortar
12. All Around The World
13. In The City
14. In The Midnight Hour

THE JAM- Live At The El Mocambo. rar

The Cockroaches (Rolling Stones)- Live At The El Mocambo

If you're a serious music fan, seeing a high profile band at a smaller (than usual) venue can be the ultimate concert experience. Instead of relying on the jumbo screen to see what the members of the band look like, a small club concert allows you to be up close and personal with the band. Often a band will play a smaller venue as a preview of new material (similar to Stars pre-Five Ghosts tour) or the band wants to get back to their "roots" and in the case of the Cockroaches, looking for an unprepossessing venue to record and they use a pseudonym name to hide the fact they are the Rolling Stones.

On March 4th and 5th, 1977, the Rolling Stones played their first live club date in 14 years, as they played at the legendary El Mocambo club in Toronto, Canada. The show was recorded and four songs were included on side 3 for their live album, Love You Live. The intention was to play a set of classic blues and R&B covers, similar to their early days. I believe this Toronto trip also led to Keith Richards Canadian drug possession charges, which led to all kinds of legal problems. The songs that are included in this post are from March 4th or 5th, with the last 4 songs, the versions (that's why the sound quality is much better) that appeared on Love You Live. I'm guessing the other versions of the same songs are from the "other" night.

Other big-name bands have recorded and played the El Mocambo over the years including, U2, The Police, The Ramones, Elvis Costello, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Blondie, Queens Of The Stone Age and, up next...The Jam!

THE ROLLING STONES
El Mocambo '77
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March 4-5, 1977

1 - Worried About You
2 - Crackin' Up
3 - Let's Spend The Night Together
4 - Route 66
5 - Hand Of Fate
6 - Around And Around
7 - Crazy Mama
8 - Little Red Rooster
9 - Dance Little Sister
10 - Route 66
11 - Mannish Boy
12 - Crackin' Up
13. Little Red Rooster
14 - Around And Around

THE ROLLING STONES- El Mocambo '77. rar

Sign the Petition To Induct "The Riverton Rifle" Into The HHOF

The second installment of John K. Samson's series of 7" releases that explore streets and highways in his home province of Manitoba, will be available September 21st through Epitaph/Anti Records. His latest 3-song solo EP, Provincial Road 222 is named for the road that runs up the side of Lake Winnipeg and leads to the town of Riverton, Manitoba. If this town name sounds somewhat familiar, this is where Reggie "The Riverton Rifle" Leach hails from, a member of the Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers in the mid-70s. The second track on the disc, Petition, takes the form of a real on-line petition started by John to induct Leach into the Hockey Hall Of Fame.

Help get the "Rifle" into the Hall and sign the petition here.

I did my duty and I urge all you fans of "old-time" hockey to sign your name to the petition. You gotta love John's passion for hockey and I always admire someone that displays this passion in song (Elegy for Gump Worsley, for example). The residents of Riverton have been trying for years to get Leach into the Hall, so maybe this will open up some wider publicity. I'm all for grassroots campaign petitions, but when I think "grassroots" usually I think of a piece of paper clipped to a board instead of a computer...oh, the progress we've made!

...More music tomorrow!

Superchunk- Majesty Shredding (Stream)

Here's your first opportunity to hear the new Superchunk album, Majesty Shredding in it's entirety. NPR.org is hosting this advanced stream only until the official release date on September 14, so I urge you whether you're a Superchunk fan or not to have a listen. The comments and responses have been positive and on first listen it sounds to me like it's a return to form on their long awaited ninth album and their first since 2001's, Here's To Shutting Up.

To get you in the mood, check out this interview with Superchunk's, Laura Ballance who talks about the re-issues of No Pocky For Kitty and On The Mouth, as well as the new album.

The Jam- Saturdays Kids Demos

This past week I have obsessively been listening to The Jam, I've been downloading their albums I already have on vinyl and cassette (and others as well) mainly because I want to listen on my iPod, but also to hear the bonus tracks on the deluxe CD versions. I listened to a lot of The Jam in my college days (mid 80's), and now I've built a decent collection of live shows and demos, so for some reason I felt I had to revisit this great, somewhat overlooked band. I know The Jam was huge in England in the late 70's and early 80's, but they never gained the same commercial success in North America, though Town Called Malice was huge everywhere and That's Entertainment made Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time.

The Saturdays Kids Demos is made up of unreleased, demos, alternative versions and Peel session tracks. It's a decent collection and some of these versions rival the released ones and especially notable is an early version of In The City. If anyone's interested I have more of The Jam, so leave your comments if you want more.

I'm off camping for a couple of days, but I'll be back Monday. Enjoy your Labour (Labor) day!

THE JAM
Saturdays Kids Demos

01. Time For Truth
02. In The City
03. Sounds From The City (demo)
04. All Around The World
05. Carnaby Street (demo)
06. Billy Hunt (alternative version)
07. To Be Someone (demo)
08. Worlds Apart (demo)
09. The Night
10. The Best Of Both Worlds
11. Innocent Man (unreleased Foxton)
12. Hey Mister (Weller solo)
13. When You're Young
14. Thick As Thieves (Peel Session)
15. Eton Rifles
16. Saturdays Kids (Weller solo demo)

THE JAM- Saturdays Kids Demos. rar