The Cramps featuring Miriam Linna on drums (Excerpt from "How to Make a Monster", Vengeance - 2004)

OK, I'm bored to death to repeat my self even though i do this thing constantly. Well, is there anyone of you guys out-there that you don't already know who Miriam Linna is? OK, if you 're a newcomer on this blog I'll give some tags to google a little and find out for yourself her brilliancy! These are : KICKS magazine, Norton Records, Flamin' Groovies Monthly, The Zantees, The A-Bones and... The Cramps!
Many mistake Miriam as the original drummer of our beloved and mighty cannibals, but... actually the first was Pam Ballam (whatta a great nick was that!). But she was the first the Cramps did a recording with. Officially some of them found its way to the public through 2004's "How to Make a Monster" Cramps CD compilation with lotsa previously unreleased tracks of the band and with various line ups included. If my memory serves me well, that brought some tension between Lux, Ivy and Linna, cause the first two never get permission from the last to release this stuff; but the sad loss of Lux made the ones that left behind to bury the hatchet. It's obvious on Miriam's blog entrances about her early days with the Cramps. If you didn't already read and save on you HDDs these pieces, do it swiftly here, here and here! That's history, written in the unique "KICKS" way and essentially given to the fans with great pictures and stuff! I have made pdf files of every post so far Miriam uploaded on Kicksville 66, as a letter of administration to my children when they grow up and must catch on the right chapters of rock & roll! I advise you to do the same, before it's too late...
So, these recordings here not the complete with Miriam behind the traps but sure are the better sounding! I use most times, the Wang Dang Dula site for a deeper knowledge on things i like and i found some boots with more or less, most of the tracks they did together. The one i really need to catch is the "1976 Demo Session" produced by the Flamin' Groovies soundman Richard Robinson!... Any of you guys got it? If yes, please share and I'll be an eternally grateful bastard! 
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Don't Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk! 

Tracks:
- Live at Max's, Kansas City, on January 14, 1977 -
Don't Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk / I Was A Teenage Werewolf / Sunglasses After Dark / Jungle Hop / Domino / Love Me / Strychnine / TV Set / I'm Cramped
- Studio, October 1976 produced by Richard Robinson -
I Was A Teenage Werewolf / I Can't Hardly Stand It

 

Downliners Sect - "Nite In Gt. Newport Street" EP (Contrast Sound RBC SP 001, 1964)

The Downliners Sect had no common ground with all the other British R&B bands of the era. Although many puts 'em in the same can with the Rolling Stones or the Yardbirds, the Sect were rawer and punkier. The only band could match them, were the early Pretty Things. They had obvious similarities. Both bands were edgy. Both bands were punky in sound and attitude. Both bands blew them all cause they were too filthy to be superstars and both bands understood exactly what Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry were trying to say with their unique sound! The parents and the tabloids of the era complaining about the Stones and the Beatles long hair... C'mon, are kidding me?! Mick and Paul were too cute and pretty and in a big way even though their fans deny it, much of their impact on gals wasn't for their music. Don't get me wrong here. I'm a huge Stones fanatic and i respect Beatles melodies and harmonies brilliancy like not much other things in the world, but hey, Don Craine or Phil May never going to be everyone's darlings! And that's the reason why i rated them so high in my mind's hierarchy! And their sound...Gosh that CRUDENESS! I mean, those two gangs were the only from the entire British empire that could easily put their selves in the garage punk intelligentsia!
The "Nite In Gt. Newport Street" EP was the Sect's first release. They had previously recorded on studio Bo & Chuck's "Cadillac" & "Roll Over Beethoven", but for some strange reason this took turn on 1965 if I'm right. Penniman's people have it on the streets again, and i tell you, especially on Bo's tune they kick some serious asses. I strongly believe that this along with the Liverbirds version of "Mona", are the best ever approaches by white people, if not any, on Big Bad Bo (even though i remember clearly John from the Sound Explosion disagree with this opinion, cheers mate)! So, this EP was a self financed release on the large amount of...400 copies. And it worth's a fortune today. If you don't picked up already Penniman's 1000 copies reissue, i guess you'll have to wait for another one pick it up and make it available again in all its crude and raw excellence! Oh, i forgot to tell you that this shit, recorded live in the street's club Studio 51 and i guess you might guess what's happening in here, right?! As the front cover warning, the Downliners Sect PREACHING Rhythm 'N Blues! The hard way i must add... But don't expect something less from people with such bad behavior and their name taken from a Jerry Lee Lewis song... 
This is the most primitive record came outta England, and that's enough reason to pay some respect to its savageness!
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                                                          Nite In gt. Newport Street

Jerry McCain - "Turn Your Dumper Down With..." (Black & Allright LP - 001, 1996)

Jerry McCain is for harmonica just what he's for guitar Link Wray and for piano Esquerita! A wildman. If you'll ever have a chance to meet an alien and this green lamp headed creature ask you the one million dollars question, "What's Rock & Roll you back-warded scum?" you should say, "Jerry McCain, Link Wray and Esquerita"! That's right. OK you should add next Bo, Chuck & Little Richard but we 're flapping our mouths now. Anyway, if you ever wondered by whom barfed the wildest sides and then putted on vinyl plastic, that's the unholy trinity!
Jerry "Boogie" McCain is a key figure for this devil's music. He speed-ed up the blues in a way that make them instantly and without knowing it, punk! On  the well known label of Excello created mayhem. The same thing happened and a little earlier for the Trumpet. And what I'm offering here it's a whirlwind bash. Raw as hell and bad to the bone. Don't know if the young Rolling Stones or Pretty Things have known then, Jerry. I'm pretty sure though that even if they knew him, they wouldn't want to touch their hands on. Cause he's DIRTY!
I used the word "punk" somewhere. That happened not only for the attitude of his music. McCain purchased and cut by himself with a cheap record machine (remember, we're talking about the 50s, OK?) his earlier tracks like the one that sent to Trumpet Records, Little Walter's "Crazy 'Bout You Baby". He took Uncle John's side on "Run, Uncle John, Run!" as an answer to Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" ("Gonna tell aunt Mary, about uncle John..."), recorded a session with the Shindings (better known now as Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs!) and to this day along with Kid Thomas, are the coolest cult figures of Rhythm & Blues and the punks of the idiom. D'ya really need more?
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Run, Uncle John, Run! 

Various Artists - "Ugly Things, the CD" (Raven, 1992)

On the last UGLY THINGS magazine (issue #30 - Summer 2010), have placed a cool article by Johan Kugelberg on great (at least) and influential 60s punk compilations that grew up generations of misfits (here's another one) which makes a passing through the "Back From The Grave" series of Crypt, "the Chosen Few" volumes (by A-Go-Go), the "Garage Punk Unknowns" Volumes by Stone Age (Hmmm, OK - Crypt) or the small "Nuggets" brother, the "Pebbles". Of course there are (thank God!) millions out there and with all these blogspots around, day by day become zillions. Sure the article has "missings" but hey, this guy wrote his favorites. Everybody got some. More or less i agree with all the selections that Johan made, but I'm still wondering why he'd left out an obvious choice... The one that has the same name with the magazine that extends hospitality on the aforementioned piece. The one that turned our heads to Australia and had inside his grooves all the bastard kids of the Pretty Things (don't forget what the pretties did there...). And I'm talking about Raven's "Ugly Things" series! Originally on LP format (4 volumes) with the first one (and the best of them all) on the streets back in 1980 and the last in 1989. Here's the "best of" CD version of the four; and believe me the one you really need to chase. From here have started my obsession with the Missing Links, the Chants R&B and the Purple Hearts. 26 over the top R&B savage punkers, the way Phil May and Dick Taylor taught 'em. Dirty riffs, pounding drums and walking screams in a 70 minutes full throttle mayhem!
Many thanks to the original ripper of this (at first a torrent), I owe him a lot.You NEED this album!
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Ugly Things!

The Crossfires - "Out Of Control" (Sundazed, 1995)

I fuckin' hate the Turtles! I can't stand the hippies anyway - so imagine if these hippies were fat stoned singing altogether with "pom-pom-poms" and shit,  "So haaaaappy togeeetheeeerrrr!"... Grrrrrrr!!! I need an uzi and a clip of bullets!
Ain't life full of contradictions? The Crossfires were one of these repugnant things. I mean, take a serious look on these photos here. OK, did you check them carefully? Awright, then give a listen to these fuckers recordings. I tell you people and before you can take a judge for yourself, the Crossfires were a bunch of strolling savage teenagers! One of the USA's most killer surf-instro combos! And actually were the first incarnation of the...Turtles for fuck's sake. As a one track mind i am there was no chance to give a shot on this CD if i knew first who got involved. I know, I'm a sucker but at least respect my honesty. That's another out of print compilation and don't know why these good folks at Sundazed HQ didn't re-reissue yet, gems like this one (preferable format this time, vinyl).  From the known surf hymns of "Fiberglass Jungle", 'Chunky","Inferno" and "Silver Bullet" to inspired rockenrollers like Buddy Holly's "That 'll be the Day", "Justine" and the mean lean "One potato two potato", the 'fires just sets dance-halls on (what else?) fire! All these sides along with the Flo & Eddie produced DMZ Sire LP, gives you some reasons to respect something of the Turtles history and proves that none was born a square, he becomes one later! 
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Fiberglass Jungle! 

Los Saicos - "Wild Teen-Punk from Peru 1965" (Electro Harmonix, 1999)

Much hype lately for the psychos from Peru under the same name due to the great compilation got out by Munster. And not without a reason. They were a killer punk combo, probably the best 'round the world in its era (leave outside for obvious reasons, US and England). Of course they never came close to monsters like the Sonics or the Trashmen, and please don't bite the bate I've seen often lately that they were equal of the above, but... They sure were A grade ass kickers!
I bought this some years ago from Norton. I saw it on their catalog and when you're reading something like this,
"Title tells the whole loco tale! Mere words cannot begin to describe the sheer insanity of the 12 brutal bashings on this ten inch LP!" you just can't help yourself to not place an order! Their cult hit 'Demolicion" it's the evil twin of the Trashmen's "Surfin Bird"! Yes, that good! On rave-ups like "Intensamente", "Fugitivo de Alcatraz"or "Salvaje", Los Saicos sound like a street gang menacing people on the hood's corner and even when they "mellow" a little a bit on tracks like "Te Amo" or "Ana", their love words sounds like threats and not like promises! Their guitars snarling at every turn, and the drums have a pure deep and evil cannibalistic tribalism that makes most surf combos sound like fags!
Don't be fooled, if you're looking for real 60s Punk don't try find it on the Seeds or the Music Machine... Here's the real deal!
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TATATA...YA,YA,YA!

The Kingsmen - "In Person" (Originally on Wand 1964, reissue by Sundazed, 1993)

So, here’s an ancient math equalization.

Small kids + full time job = no personal time at all

I’m trying to read three books at the same time. I’m trying to listen to every new record I bought (that’s why i-pods exists, God bless their little digital heart!) and when this little devil goes to sleep, I remember my undergraduate years writing words like these, in the late hours. Of course my wife’s moaning constantly, but hey, I’ve got a life too!

So, one of these books is Dave Marsh’s “Louie Louie” and I tell you, it’s a good one. Until now has a good structure and even though dealing with the most popular rock & roll tune ever, has lotsa more to tell you than the song’s history. Anyway, I maybe own about a hundred different “Louie Louie” versions but I’m sure I heard already more than 500 (at least). If anyone’s interested, my faves are by Motorhead, the Troggs (actually I strongly believe Lemmy had as blueprint Troggs’ version), the Sonics, Black Flag…gosh it’s endless. If you’re in a real rock & roll act, simply you can’t fail with a song like this. Everybody knows that “Louie” was a Richard Berry’s song. The first that adopted it and transformed it into a protopunk hymn were the Sonics’ fathers and idols, the Wailers. Rockin’ Robin Roberts was a key figure on this for sure and turn out of turn this Wailers’ version was the landmark for the Kingsmen.

Ahhh, the Kingsmen! OK, I think that even my mother knows them. Landis’ “Animal House” carried the torch to the younger generations and at the time Kingsmen recorded this menace, got a big hit (no 2 – November 1963). The youngsters got crazy, the parents got scared and the cops tried to understand if this two and a half chords, hided communism behind. The picture lower down is one of the many by the FBI files on rebellious "Louie"! How much stupid these @#$^$# were they?!

“In Person” was the LP (originally by Wand) that included “Louie Louie”. It also has "Ben Scepter", a Don Gallucci composition that got it with him after leaving the Kingsmen and forming the magnificent Don & the Goodtimes, which is a crude R&B stomper perfectly designed for garage and mods hops! I don’t like that much the other Kingsmen’s platters (too clean-cut frat for my tastes), but this one for sure a must have. Tough and dirty R&B punkers on a pre-Beatles era and with a strong NW influence all over it! Not bad at all, right?!

The many R&B and Soul covers in it via their garage aspect makes “In Person” a sure shot and a protopunk classic, that has all the important elements to be on the White Trash Soul’s pantheon! And remember this, for this blogger any primitive record that makes people wanna go insane and get drunk, is an ESSENTIAL. 

PS: I did this rip from the Sundazed's CD reissue of 1993 with the bonus singles cuts of "Haunted Castle", "the Krunch" and "the Gamma Goochee" . As i checked on their site it's sadly an out of print item. I can't wait for a big fat vinyl reissue of this and i promise to get rid of this digital copy!

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In Person