The Prisoners - Live (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.10)

 

For those who for some reason haven't yet understood from any of the many previous posts and mentions, how fanatical I am about the Prisoners, let me state it again succinctly: VERY! To me, they were by far the best of the 80s garage revival and just take a moment to think about all the incredible bands the world had at that time (Tell Tale Hearts, The Creeps, Crimson Shadows, The Last Drive, The Stems, Miracle Workers, Chesterfield Kings etc). The Prisoners were a bone-juddering affair. The group came together at the close of the mod revival thing or the dawn of the new garage-psych resurrection and despite being perfect for both scenes, the group remained largely snobbish about such trends. In fact, they even snubbed their hometown and their friend Billy Childish by rejecting the Medway's recording methods.

If they had been willing to change their approach, the outcome might have been different. However, the band was set on doing things their own way and refused to heed any advice on how to achieve success. Consequently, The Prisoners never graduated from playing in smaller London venues. Quality over quantity, fuck you very much!

As you can see for yourself, I used the legendary "Live at Leeds" by The Who as a pattern for the cover of this compilation of live recordings of the Prisoners from a time when they and I were very young. Their sound brings more to mind, though, the Rolling Stones of the "Got Live If You Want It" era, if the latter had had a Hammond in their line-up and Steve Winwood on keys shortly before he left to join Traffic.

So, the idea behind this concept was simple, yet it has not been officially implemented until now. Every legitimate released live recording of them had to be collected, whether from the relatively rare split LP with the Milkshakes or the stray tracks included as bonus material on the CD reissues of the ever-top Big Beat/Ace label. The end result was a set of 18 songs, none of which had been used twice (except one, OK) and a time period that it seems to be their absolute peak: 1983–1988 (most probably, in some cases I wasn't sure about the date of recording). I made this to try and deceive myself since I never had the chance to see them live. 

I chose the order of the tracks purely chronologically, and I listened to it several times before posting it (as usually). I always try to consider every possible detail, such as sound matching and flow, as if it were an official release (I have quite a few issues with OCD, I am aware of that). You know what? I really enjoyed it and I hope you did too! Here's just another labour of love from this blog to some of the heroes of its youth.

Various Artists - Get Happy: Indie and Jangle Psychedelic Pop from the 80s Underground (WTS Popkid No.9)

I have always thought of the C86/indie pop scene as punk's softer, more delicate offspring. Both shared a DIY attitude, making their own rules and not caring what others might think. They printed their own fanzines, recorded their music (sometimes primitively/lo-fi) and most importantly, released it themselves. And the women who participated weren't just there for eye candy... It looks punk rock to me for sure. 

The term 'C86' was first coined by the legendary Brit newspaper, NME, for its eponymous 1986 cassette compilation, created to showcase new bands from the thriving underground pop scenes in England and Scotland. The term not only describes the groups' jangly, overblown sound, but also the shambling and emotionally fickle mentality behind it. I know it's hard now to imagine how a simple mail order tape could become such a controversial document but that's exactly what happened. 

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Jangle pop wasn't just a British phenomenon, nor did it emerge out of nowhere. The US made a significant contribution to this sound, with bands such as those in the Paisley Underground scene and some of the early '80s garage revivalists showcasing their milder side. Gene Clark-era Byrds and Big Star were genuinely worshipped on both sides of the Atlantic (along with Velvet Underground of course). As with their punk rock forefathers, another crucial element of their sound was their admiration for the Nuggets garage outfits. 

I'm not here to recount the whole story, which is rather long and has given rise to many subgenres (such as twee pop, dream pop, noise pop, chamber pop etc). Nor am I trying to create an authentic indie pop treasury. There are myriad around the market who hold the genre in higher esteem. My goal is to provide you with a compilation of jangle and indie pop songs from that period which draw heavily on '60s garage and psychedelic sounds. Some of the bands you'll hear didn't stick to indie pop and proved to be adventurous. Some were never indie or jangle pop to begin with but recorded a few songs in that style and finally, a few others, though they remained true to their roots, never hid the fact that deep down they were mod rockers with more sensibilities than they would have liked. 

Here you’ll find bands and songs from all the iconic labels of the era: Sarah, Flying Nun, Creation, Subway Organization and Lazy, to name a few. There are well-known tracks such as 'Just Like Honey' by the Jesus and Mary Chain with the legendary Ronettes-like intro, as well as b-sides that should have been on the other side, such as 'On the Hill' by House of Love featuring Andrea Heukamp's wonderful, Nico-esque vocals. There's also a lost track by the Stone Roses that never made it past the demo stage for a strange reason (it would easily have fit on their debut album and stood out!). The moment when Reni and Ian Brown sing a cappella is electrifying, especially for a rehearsal performance! 

There's the head honcho band of Creation Records, Biff Bang Pow, who should have been bigger. Then there's the embryonic and cutesy at this stage Primal Scream, my beloved Razorcuts, who took their name from Buzzcocks and sounded like if the Prisoners were trying to play the Beau Brummels and the one-offs The Clouds, who issued just a single with three fairly killer songs (and a young Teenage Fanclub member on their roster). There's also The Springfields, a short-lived but highly influential American indie pop bunch who were the first foreign group to release a single for Sarah Records and was led by Ric Menck and Paul Chastain, who would later find fame with the Velvet Crush. Or The Nashville Ramblers, whose members were previously involved in well-known San Diego garage punk bands such as The Crawdaddys, The Gravedigger Five and Mystery Machine. There are tons, anyway, of well-known and lesser-known bands that you should definitely search for if you're not already familiar with them and If I had the time, I could write a thick booklet about them. Have a look at the list below and I'm sure you'll get what I mean...

The cover I designed, the title of this comp and the overall aesthetic are a blatant rip-off of the fanzines of that period and scene (Are You Scared to Get Happy, Woosh, The Fine Art of Shoplifting, etc). 

As always, all the tracks have been ripped or taken from the best possible sources, for your listening pleasure. Over an hour and forty minutes of Rickenbackers doing the Pop!

1. Someone Stole My Wheels - Biff Bang Pow
2. Solace - The Sea Urchins
3. All Fall Down - Primal Scream
4. Turn It Around - Mod Fun
5. Get Out Of My Dream - The Clouds
6. Tomorrow's Time Today - The Reactions
7. Kim The Waitress - The Green Pajamas
8. Thru The Flowers (Single Version) - The Primitives
9. Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain
10. Secret Goldfish - Baby Lemonade
11. Sunflower - The Springfields
12. The Last Picture Show - Razorcuts
13. Love Is Blue - Hangman's Beautiful Daughters
14. Sun Still Shines (Demo) - The Stone Roses
15. The Trains - The Nashville Ramblers
16. Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh
17. Million Tears - The Pastels
18. Strawberries Are Growing in My Garden (And It's Wintertime) - The Dentists
19. In Love In Too - The Three O'Clock
20. Changing Every Day - The Nuthins
21. You Opened Up My Eyes - Fat Tulips
22. On The Hill - House of Love
23. Rolling Moon - The Chills
24. Sad Eyes Kill - Rain Parade
25. Kiss The Eclipse - My Bloody Valentine
26. Emma's House - The Field Mice
27. Honeypearl - The Summer Suns
28. In The Afternoon - Revolving Paint Dream
29. Heaven Sent Me an Angel- The Times
30. My Favourite Wet Wednesday Afternoon (Live BBC) - The Siddeleys
31. Back Between Places - East Village
32. It's Over - The Things

The Chesterfield Kings - The Greg Prevost Years, 1978-2002 Singles and EPs (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.9)

As I've said many times before, I'm just a rock 'n' roll nerd who likes to share my thoughts on artists who I think should be more well-known. I'm not preaching to the converted either. Most of the time, when I sit down to write I don't know how to start or finish the piece you're reading, but I do know that I don't want to be just another person telling the story of these artists. If you weren't aware of them but like them, then get off your lazy arse and do something, we're in the internet age for fuck's sake and everything's just a few clicks away, if you are not on magazines and fanzines already (too bad for you). So, I'm not going to tell you The Chesterfield Kings' tale.

I listened to the latest Kings album the other day. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't The Chesterfield Kings either. I don't know how Andy Babiuk should call his 'new' gang, but to me it's simple: No Greg Prevost - no Chesterfields! End of discussion, thanks for your attention. To be honest, I don't care who owns the rights to the name, although I'm pretty sure it was Greg who set up the band in 1978 in Rochester, ΝΥ. Prevost is a very important figure to me, even if you are trying to put aside the Chesterfield Kings. A culture vulture and rock 'n' roll enthusiast of the highest order, he has written hundreds of essays for legendary magazines such as Ugly Things and Kicks, as well as his own fanzine, Outasite. He liked the same way the 60s garage punk unknowns and the Brian Jones-era Stones as the New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers or Motörhead, Alice Cooper, Muddy Waters and Nancy Sinatra. To me at least he is as important as Lux Interior.

This compilation is a pissed-off take. Don't get me wrong, I love Andy almost as much as Greg, but I'm not going to change my mind. The Chesterfield Kings ended the day Greg walked away. And here's the epitaph. A much needed (I believe) compilation, encompassing all of their singles and extended plays, including those that that went unreleased or were bootlegs. Most of them (if not all) have been out of print for like ages, so if you're new to their game you won't be able to find them easily or at an affordable price. This is the Chesterfield Kings' heritage as recounted by one of their most devoted fans.

The Solarflares - That Was Then: Their Best 1999 - 2004 (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.0)

From 1999 to 2004, some really intriguing music was produced down in Kent, England. Half of the Prisoners or three quarters of The Prime Movers, have formed the Solarflares and by blending the influences of the hard-edged, late 60s mod soul-psych-garage sounds with strong '78 guitars, swirly Hammond organ, pounding Mitch Mitchell like drums and John Entwistle bass lines, plus Graham Day’s white soulboy shouting, created a sonic mayhem that could only be matched by their younger selves! In other words, the essence of the Prisoners is realised in the Solarflares, ladies and gentlemen. 

This quartet faced their mid-life crisis head on, took a handful of amphetamines as in the old days and hit it on again. In fact, this is some of the strongest material these guys ever put their names to. Sometimes I even have the blasphemous thought that they might be better than my beloved Prisoners, but I immediately dismiss it so that it doesn't become an obsession. But they were definitely better than 80% of the music of that period (I remind you that the late 90s/early 00s were indeed a good era), even if you didn't read about them in the media or the press and even if bands that had stolen everything they could from them, were glorifying them. It was no mean feat trying to create an unofficial 'best of' compilation about them, which had been missing for some time, but as usual I gave it my best shot. Cheers!

Five Thirty - EPs (WTS Popkid No.5)

 

As I have written many times before, I grew up in the '90s. Specifically, in 1990, I started middle school and was 12 years old. Although I tried to keep up with all the latest releases, it was very difficult in the pre-internet era unless you lived in a big city with specific radio stations and imported magazines and newspapers. Nevertheless, I presented my own radio show through which I tried to introduce as many people as possible to the music I thought was the 'best'. I clearly remember being very hostile towards dance music, especially techno (although that changed rather swiftly when 'Screamadelica' landed). I was completely immersed in '70s punk rock, and my life had just been transformed by discovering The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.

It was only much later that I discovered those 5:30 guys. I was all about Cool Britannia and Britpop, and when that scene came to an end, I was anxious to unearth hidden gems or forgotten jewels from that era. And, of course, this came through fanzines. I remember there being an indie record store in Athens dedicated to British music. Sometimes imported fanzines were displayed on its shelves as well, so I grabbed them. Alongside bands such as Studio 68!, the Aardvarks and the Stairs, Five Thirty combined the '60s garage punk that I had discovered only a few years earlier through bands like the Lyres and the Chesterfield Kings with the sounds of the Jam, the Small Faces, the Who and even the Stone Roses! Before these bands, I thought 'mod' meant looking casual. Of course, I used to wear Adidas trainers, Levi's jeans and football shirts. Actually, I still do.

Anyway...

5:30's sole album ('Bed') is a true lost classic. It sits comfortably alongside other UK and US albums that went massive, yet has bizarrely received no recognition from the crowd. The same was true of all the EPs that were released (remember those 12-inch records with their superb sound?). Their first material was dated in the mid/late '80s, but returned in 1991 as a mod and psych-influenced band wearing suits, striped trousers and Chelsea boots. Five Thirty's music was tough, gritty and rockin', yet highly melodic. They favoured a punky, edgy pre-Britpop/snot power pop sound with lots of the era Madchester influences and a gifted arsenal of two frontmen/songwriters plus a drummer as good as Keith Moon. Three years before Oasis, they exuded a rock’n’roll arrogance that rubbed people the wrong way and perhaps they were too mod for the times (mind you Paul Weller was still label-less back then). With their sharp edges and sub three minute songs, this band was clearly at odds with the early '90s shoegaze sound of their hometown (Oxford). In fact, they predated acts such as These Animal Men and S*M*A*S*H, who are often cited as the forerunners of Oasis/Supergrass/Manic Street Preachers/Libertines kind of supercharged pop and rock'n'roll.

I think you've got the idea - I won't bore you with more details. All their 'singles' (actually EPs) have been gathered here, along with some bonuses from recent reissues. 

PS: Don't be fooled by the awful production of this era on the mid-80s, third league, teenage punk debut that starts this compilation. By the time they re-emerged in the '90s, this band had exploded like a supernova.

The Lost Minds - Jerky Motions: Complete 1995-96 (WTS Popkid No.4)

Emerging from the ashes of the legendary Bogeymen, the Lost Minds have picked up where the Creeps of the 'Now Dig This' era (or perhaps the Prime Movers' debut) left off. They only released three records for the long-established garage mod label Detour: two singles and a full-length album. I remember reading reviews at the time recommending them to fans of Ocean Colour Scene or Paul Weller, but that wasn't really the case. These former garage punks had updated their sound to be more soulful, mod -beat and Hammond-driven, in a way that The Prisoners or the JTQ had previously done. And Laurent Bauer had a prodigious voice, typically associated with white (trash?) soul singers in the tradition of Robert Jelinek and Graham Day.

In my opinion, the comparison with the aforementioned Creeps is very apt. There are definitely more similarities with The Small Faces than with The Who during this period, particularly with regard to their Bogeymen days. Expect crunchy, organ-heavy grooves, foot-stomping tunes with funky strummed guitar and a soulful rhythm section eager to outdo the other instruments.

Various Artists - Lyres Under Influence

The truly great bands involved in or pioneering the garage revival scene of the '80s played the important role of archaeologist. They were the ones who, with their expertise, brought to light things we didn't know existed. As a natural continuation of DMZ, (the) Lyres carried on this tradition. They were the first to revive 60s punk, before everyone else saw the trend and claimed to be part of it. 

Jeff Conolly was/is quite a character! He completed this task even before Tim Warren, Greg Shaw and Billy Miller (perhaps) did. Compiling some of the songs that the Lyres have covered, instantly creates one of the best garage punk and freakbeat playlists around and that's what I have to offer this time. All I had to do was to decide which tracks to select and arrange them in a way that would make them flow nicely for all of you people. Either way, I had already done my job many moons back. Cheers!

1. The Witch - The Sonics
2. Take A Look At Me - Mr. Lucky & the Gamblers
3. Since You Been Gone - The Kingsmen
4. Little Sally Tease - Don & The Goodtimes
5. What A Girl Can't Do - Hangmen
6. How Can I Make Her Mine - Bobby Roberts & The Ravons
7. Gotta Find A New Love - The Yo-Yo's
8. Busy Body - Jolly Green Giants
9. Don't Tell Me Lies - Tommy Tucker & The Esquires
10. No Reason To Complain - The Alarm Clocks
11. Jezebel - Teddy Boys
12. Lily - Drusalee & The Dead
13. Stacey - The Hangmen Of Fairfield County
14. Baby (I Still Want Your Lovin') - It's Them
15. Soapy - Mickey & The Clean Cuts
16. I Don't Wanna Cry - The Buckinghams
17. We Sell Soul - The Spades
18. I Confess - The New Colony Six
19. What's Wrong With You - The Outsiders
20. Love Me Till the Sun Shines - The Kinks
21. Shake It Some More- Jay-Jays
22. She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies - Him & the Others
23. Go-Go Girl - John's Children
24. The Way I Feel About You - The Pete Best Combo
25. Grounded - The Syn
26. You'll Never Do It Baby - The Cops 'n' Robbers
27. Now I've Got A Witness - The Rolling Stones
28. Let's Talk About Girls - The Grodes
29. Don't Tread On Me - Kit & The Outlaws
30. Stormy - Jesters Of Newport
31. Hang Up - The Wailers
32. Let's Have A Party - The Rivieras

The Wylde Mammoths - Singles, EPs, Flexi 1986 - 1994 (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.19)

Here's an updated and expanded version of the post I did back in 2010. I've added everything I was missing back then. In fact I'm still missing the 'Before It's Too Late' two sider, but don't worry — it's here from another man's rip at a very good bitrate (thanks to Soulseek and its P2P digital heart). I asked Tim Warren about the possibility of an expanded/remastered reissue of their two LPs on Crypt when I met him about three years ago here in Athens, but he seemed annoyed, so I didn't pursue the matter. Geniuses like him and Peter Maniette have their own way of thinking, don't they? And I suppose, after Peter's sad loss, this will remain a 'should have been' kind of thing for all Mammoth fans. Of all the amazing bands that emerged after the brutal, savage and voracious monster that was The Crimson Shadows (The Stomachmouths, The Highspeed V and The Maggots, to name a few), The Wylde Mammoths were the most unique, thanks to Peter's rare songwriting brilliance. If you're looking for some perfectly executed garage beat in a 60s tradition, lo-fi  recorded and as straightforward and exciting as The Kinks in their early days, with an added 'Back From The Grave' fixation, here's another chance.

The Chesterfield Kings - The Chesterfield Kinks (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.8)

Having been here for such a long time, you obviously don't need a recap or a history lesson on Rochester's finest Frankensteins, the Chesterfield Kings, do you? I guess you're also familiar with their long-standing fixation on the Beatles/Stones dipole. Well, here's the thing: Greg, Andy and Co. have always had a soft spot for The Kinks as well — the most British of the British Invasion bands — and they've covered them no less than five times throughout their career. As the title betrays, the idea this time was to bring together all the covers they did for the Kinks in one place. The only thing missing is a performance of 'Party Line' from a 1985–86 video, which I have been unable to acquire all these years. Brief but satisfying... 

Lyres by Miriam Linna (Breakthrough No. 1, Todd Abramson, 1984)

 

(Right click and select 'open link in new tab' for full scans resolution)

The Untold Fables - The Untold Fables (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.17)

The Untold Fables were one of the few garage punk bands of the '80s who lived up to their name. Forget rock star mannerisms à la Fuzztones or wimpy jump wagoners. To me, they and The Primates remain the most underrated bands of the American scene back then. 

The Untold Fables consisted of Jon Niederbrach on guitar, Robert Butler (later of The Miracle Workers) on bass, Paul Sakry on drums, and Paul Carey on vocals. They grew out of a club called The Rave Up and later moved to Greg Shaw's Cavern Club. Their music was strongly influenced by '70s punk and '50s R&B. In spring 1985, they recorded their debut LP, "Every Mother's Nightmare", for Lee Joseph's Dionysus Records at West Beach Studios in LA. In summer 1986 and spring 1987, they held two more recording sessions at South Coast Studios in Santa Ana, this time with David Carey producing. The eleven songs from these sessions were later compiled for their second LP, "Aesop's Apocalypse", which was released in early 1989, around a year after the band split up. 

The Pretty Things' early work, along with the freakbeat of Ealing's The Eyes and some Nederbeat perhaps, were their main influences. Snottiness a plenty. Here are their two LPs combined. This isn't my rip; I found them on Soulseek at some point, so thanks anyway to the original uploader. I tried to normalise them a little and remove some noise because the transfers are obviously from vinyl, but in the end I decided to leave them as they were because I'm no pro at this, and besides, who cares — we're here for some punk sounds! The cover I designed was heavily influenced by the Mystery Scene EP and their demo. Dig the fuzz!

The Green Telescope - The Green Telescope Complete? (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.6)

The brilliant early '80s garage/psychedelic band from Edinburgh, Scotland. I mean, fuck yes! The Scots have produced so many amazing bands in so many genres and styles over the years, from garage punk and neo-psychedelia to C86, jangle pop, shoegaze and noise pop. I guess there must be something in the water.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lenny many years ago at a Thanes gig in Athens, Greece. Most of the conversation was between John Alexopoulos of The Sound Explosion and Lenny. I was just sitting there, watching in awe at how well-informed he was. Back then, I was more into the Velvet Underground-inspired bands than the Velvets themselves. But Mr. Helsing put an end to that.

Anyway, the band's original line-up consisted of Lenny Helsing on guitar and vocals, Bruce Lyall on organ, and Colin Blakey on bass. Before any records were made, Colin Blakey left and was replaced by Alan McLeann and the group then added a drummer, Gavin Henderson, soon after. Steve Fraser temporarily took over from Alan, playing bass on the three tracks the group recorded for the Psycho label compilation, 'The Waking Dream'. He also played on the recording of Pink Floyd's "Scream Thy Last Scream", which featured on the Syd Barrett tribute LP 'Beyond the Wildwood', released on Alan Duffy's Imaginary label a few years later, in 1988. The "Face in a Crowd' b/w 'Thoughts of a Madman" debut single was issued in 1986 with a new drummer, Mal Kergan on Wump.

The four-piece line-up of Helsing, Lyall, McLean and Henderson recorded the 'Two by Two' EP for Imaginary again. After this they would change their name to The Thanes Of Cawdor then shorten that to The Thanes. For some (really) strange reason, this outfit lacks a proper reissue treatment of their records or a complete works compilation, so I had to create one myself to secure new fans for them and their legacy.

Dig!

The Charlatans - The Early Singles: 1989-1994 (WTS Popkid No.1)

Let's go back to the 90s, when I was entering adolescence and taking my first steps beyond the Beatles and Elvis. That's when you start listening to other things besides what's in your parents' record collection (and mine didn't have much, they were mainly fans of the Greek new wave and obviously of Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis) and you unwittingly start getting into subcultures without knowing it, adopting their dresscode, hairstyles and behaviors.

The radio played mostly Greek music-let's say a good 90% of it, which made the whole endeavor even more difficult. Of the remaining 10%, 9% was mainstream nonsense. Those were difficult times. Until the indie scene boom came to MTV, we were literally living in a desert. The fanzines and clubs of Athens were two hours away from where I grew up, and it took me a few years to go there to study.

So, apart from what I've already written, the first song that blew my mind was 'The Only One I Know' by The Charlatans. I first heard it at a local disco at a dance held by my school. I don't know if the DJ was just playing whatever was a hit or if he knew what he was doing and managed to slip this into the programme, but either way, it did the job. The Hammond organ stuck in my mind. The vocals were unlike anything I had ever heard before: ethereal and carefree. I just started dancing in pure euphoria.

To cut a long story short, I came across that song again and finally found out what it was and who sang it while I was tuning in to one or two radio stations in Athens that played 'different' kind of music one weekend when I was visiting my grandmother. That's where I caught the virus. To this day, I still consider The Charlatans to be one of my favourite bands. Outsiders and survivors of any music trend of the industry. Baggy, Britpop, you name it.

Their early years, of course, still hold a special place in my heart. The way they married dance rhythms played by non electronic organs and 60s sounds are still unbeatable. Don't get me wrong; I love most of the Inspiral Carpets and like-minded bands, and I have them in my record collection, but the Charlatans did it better. Their neo-psychedelic, maddening drumbeat and the crazed Hammond pays tribute to both ? & The Mysterians and Deep Purple Mk1. It's no surprise that they were fans of The Prisoners.

I have collected all of their singles and EPs, along with all of the B-sides, from their early days until they changed direction while retaining their significance. At first, I had thought about including the demos too, but I decided that the musical journey is already long enough for those of you who decide to follow it.

Much love and respect to Rob Collins, Jon Brooks and all the surviving members who are continuing the legacy.

Knave - Detourists (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.4)

This band seems to have been forgotten by the gods of rock 'n' roll. Try doing a Google search and you'll find even fewer of the kids on your street who picked up instruments a week ago and are brazenly playing in their old man's garage. Even their label, the legendary Detour Records, which is well known in garage, mod and freakbeat circles, only shares two lines about them in their website and points that they were former members of The Clique. And that's it! Their two singles are available for download only and if you want something more, you should go to Discogs and try your luck there. And yet, Knave was a short-lived band that had nothing to envy from its cult ancestors, The Clique!

If the aforementioned had the mid-60s mod/R&B zeitgeist in mind, as well as the freakbeat that came a little later, Knave seem, to my ears at least, to be a missing link between the hard psychedelic soul of the late Small Faces and the garage punk that was revived by the Prisoners, the one who wasn't ashamed to say that he liked Jimi Hendrix and early Deep Purple as much as The Who, The Creation and The Fleur De Lys. 

As far as I know, the tracks you'll find here are all those that have been released in one way or another, officially. I'm pretty sure though that there are still some more in some old dusty box of tapes, but I'll have to wait until someone bets on a certain economic failure and makes a compilation with the ones you'll hear here and the ones all the rest of us haven't heard. Yet...

The Cannibals - Pure Trash (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.16)

 

A few days ago, I read online that Mike Spenser of the Count Bishops and the Cannibals is in poor health. I've made several posts about him and his bands in the early days of this blog. I guess it's time to restore some things, at least for the younger ones.

Mike Spenser grew up in Brooklyn and became an important figure in the British garage punk scene in the 80s. He played with The Cannibals, ran club nights, a record label and hosted radio shows. Before that, he had experienced far more than many of his peers, for instance he witnessed the original Rolling Stones and hung out with the New York Dolls. He was friends with Joe Strummer from the 101ers days and helped form The Clash by turning down Mick Jones to be the singer in his new band. Hell, even McLaren courted him for fronting the Sex Pistols!

The Cannibals are exactly what their name says. The most primitive thing to come out of England in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, and they were the founders of ‘trash'. The term was coined one day when the Cannibals—many of whom later formed the Inmates—were riding in his old van. They decided they needed a name for their music. They weren't punk in the conventional sense, but they certainly embodied the punk ethos. They were musicians steeped in the traditions of rock 'n' roll, R&B, and garage punk. Then Mike said, "We're trash, pure and simple."

This is an assortment of songs from every period of their career, showcasing a range of their lineups and releases. Some of these songs are rare, while others are more widely available. As with all the compilaltions I share, this one was created for my own joy at first. This is not wimpy stuff mate - it's all raw, raging real rock 'n' roll with lots of ripping guitars, tons of fuzz, and mostly screaming vocals.

Get well soon Mike!

Dead Moon - "Echoes of the Past" (2xCD, Sub Pop - 2006)

I woke myself up today to the sad news of Andrew Loomis departure. Dead Moon for us the few rock & roll infected here in Greece were and still are something special and something different. We knew and we cared about them when nobody else gave a shit around the world and I'm fuckin' proud for it. I mean, even the fuckin' local Metal Hammer back then, gave them coverage... 

I've seen them play live always with the same set-up (all three placed together in the same row right in front of the stage), from small venues to open air festivals luckily many-many times. And Andrew was always in the middle of Fred and Toody and you knew that the show was about to begin when this old Jack Daniels bottle full of melted candle on the drum kit, was catching fire again. He used to shoot beer on the drumskins quite often too, such a show off, he-he...

Dead Moon were the last true and pure garage punk outfit. Not garage rock. Fuck it, this is punk!  Forget all the lame ass retro shit bands full of squares in paisley shirts and beatle boots. They were crude, they recorded themselves even cruder and they pressed (themselves again) their own vinyls (CD? wtf are you talkin' about man?!) on the same ancient lathe that The Kingsmen cut "Louie Louie". I have always been fascinated by this tale but it was their dark (and I mean, DARK) rock & roll approach that made me a longtime fan. And their privitism. Man, they were cavemen enough to annoy even Tim Warren, but hey no surprise we're talkin' about a Fred Cole leading gang, remember? And they reminded the whole world that you didn't have to be a straight edge hardcore punk loyal to be a "D.I.Y." pioneer as well. And they stayed that way, way too long to have any right to call themselves "indie", but never cared much about it. But there's I guess where lies the difference between a way of life and a trend...

Anyway, this one here is a perfect example of what a perfect compilation is. I still feel strange looking at the label logo though but the guys over Sub Pop let wisely Fred Cole himself to pick up the material so no further questions about the quality I suppose. 

R.I.P. Andrew. Sex Murder Art...

The Berry Pickers - "Watcha Tryin' Todo/ All Aboard / Wee Wee Hours" (7" single, Dionysus - 1986/87)

The Berry Pickers were an excellent and dirty R&B band from East Hollywood, with a hard fixation for Chuckster as their name proudly announce (and two outta three songs on this slice), Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker. As far as I know as long as they were together, they released only this EP on Dionysus but there are rumors for some more recorded material that stays in the can and waits patiently to breath. I dig them obviously cause they chose the hard way back then for not going psych or garage as the trends ordered. OK, I dig them actually cause I'm too a totally R&B oriented one track mind prick but you know that already, don't you?! Very much in The Crawdaddys and Tell Tale Hearts style and look (Rolling Stones circa 1964 in fact). Don't know also if it's in real MONO, but any band that wore proudly its monophonic obsessions, are this blog's pets!


PS: Happy new year! Hope this new run of months to bring everyone better news and a better life. Health and joy, nothing else matters.

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The Prisoners - "Hurricane, The Best of The Prisoners" (CD, Big Beat - 2004)

The Prisoners were among the best (if not THEE best) European garage outfits of the last 25 years or so, period! And if this post would have to end for some reason on the previous quote, it would have been as well completed and justice given!
Really now, I don't know what else to say about them except of the same old cliché that luck was never on their side, as in (m)any of the cult heroes in the history of rock & roll... And that many of the 90s Britpop heroes had them as an obvious blueprint and icons. The Charlatans, The Stone Roses, The Inspiral Carpets, The Shed Seven and The Ocean Color Scene are for sure some among them. None of them though had the guts and the gusto The Prisoners had. I mean, look at The Strypes... Are they an imitation of a lower quality or what?! OK they're not, actually they're quite good but I had to abuse a little the current trends, you know...
Heavy influenced by the Pretty Things of the "Emotions" era and the Kinks (of course!) with a nice ad of Booker T & the MG's, were as much mods as garage revivalists.  Great songwriting skills, danceable rhythm section, raw sounding guitars and heavy Hammond grooves are (in) the Prisoners' DNA. And Graham Day's one of the best and most faithful Marriott students ever. There's a whole lotta soul in here, I'm not joking. These guys really knew where to look for inspiration in the midst of a decade full of bad taste. And as usual Ace/Big Beat guys, did a hell of a good job with this cause that's indeed band's "finest moments all wrapped up on a single CD". Forget Paul Weller, this is still Britain's best kept secret, this is the real shit! Then came the Prime Movers and the James Taylor Quartet...

Pic taken from Ace website

The Crushers - "Glory of the Day" (CD, Soyuz Music -2002)

Hi there. Not in a good mood, so right from the start I have to apologize my self to anyone that haven't got a reply yet by my side. I'm trying it but I'm not succeeding. I know this misanthropic cheer and when it gets me (thankfully not so often), makes a 'very difficult' person for someone to deal with but at least I know it (some people don't) and I'm warning public to not giving me any attention. This fuckin' situation, this collapsing society finally seems to come to an end... If you see anytime soon Greece on your TV screen in riot and our cities on fire don't get worry, THIS IS WHAT WE ALL NEED actually! Greece's the new 'Weimar democracy', a strange and outrageously experiment and if you haven't noticed it yet - I'm pretty sure you're gonna face it too quite soon...
Anyway, enough with that shit. I wasn't sure in what to post. Maybe some Strummer/Clash would be perfect for the occasion, but I'm parking this need when it's time for my Left-wing anger to come out, he-he! Looking through my CDs found this. And I must give credit to my friend Peris from Lost In Tyme for getting my attention to these cool Russians. The Kinks, the Hollies, the Who (of course!), the Troggs and the Animals are key influences for the Crushers, but the whole feel brings in mind a wild dimensioning American garage psych gang! I mean, this is a shit hot piece of wild rock & roll and came straight outta Moscow, who would have think it, right?! I'm definitely convinced that the Crushers some years from this moment gonna be treated like monsters of the garage genre for the 00s, believe me. Truly amazing combo!