Bam Caruso Records (Caff Fanzine No2, 1987)

Caff Corporation was a short-lived Brit indie label founded by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne fame. The label operated under the names Caff, Caff Records and Caff Corporation. Established in 1989, it ran until 1992, releasing seventeen 7-inch singles. The label grew out of a fanzine that Stanley produced with a fellow band member, Pete Wiggs. 

Here's a piece about the legendary (now) Bam Caruso label, founded by Phil Smee in 1983. Bam Caruso Records was a pioneering British independent label dedicated to reissuing rare '60s psychedelic, freakbeat, and garage pop/popsike music. The label is best known for its 'Rubble' series, a compilation of obscure British psychedelic tracks, quite similar in terms of quality to 'Nuggets' or 'Pebbles'. 

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The Windmills - Walking Around The World EP (Matinée Recordings - 2002)

 

I quite like the way older fans of this blog get furious when I post stuff that I grew up with nowadays and they're not that savage, or maybe not savage at all. Every coin has two sides, after all. I don't really care. As I said, I'm finding it interesting. As the old cliché goes: Minds are like parachutes, they work better when they're open.

Here's another band that is almost unknown outside indie pop circles. Hailing from Southex Essex, England, The Windmills were perhaps another cool pop band of the era, with jangly-sounding guitars and soft vocals. I bought this three-song single based solely on the front cover; I knew exactly what I was going to hear. The Windmills seem to be holding onto their C-86 roots quite well, as does to Britpop. There's Marr-esque guitar picking throughout, and a general House of Love feel with simple melodies and even simpler choruses. There's perhaps a hint of the wit of The Divine Comedy as well.

Sheer melancholic pop for the last day of the summer.

Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies (WTS Popkid No.2)

 

Once upon a time, Kris Kristofferson sat down and wrote "Me and Bobby McGee". My younger self would not have appreciated the reference, by the way. Punk rock put me through a fanatically anti-hippie phase, and this is something that I admit has not yet gone away. Could this humble blog post paraphrase this classic song as "Me and Bobby G"? After all, Primal Scream was a mainstay of my music diet since I left my parents' record collection to find my own way. Back when the internet was still the stuff of a sci-fi writer's imagination, I obviously didn't have the knowledge I have now. I grew up just by listening to a band that sounded like the Byrds at first and then like the MC5 and the Stones, and I had no problem with that. Even their acid house delirium seemed fantastic to me!

I now know though that Bobby Gillespie and I have a lot in common — more than I once thought. We both come from working-class families and our parents instilled in us a sense of political awareness, Marxism and pride in our social background. We are still fanatical supporters of the football clubs we grew up with and we love the music, books and films that shaped us as individuals with the same passion. Although Bobby is a little older than me, he is just as fanatical about rock 'n' roll mythology as I am. I imagine he still spends his money on records and books, just like he did back then — and just like I do.

We are also different in (many) other ways. He is the leader of one of the greatest British bands the last 40 years, while I am a network engineer doing nothing that interesting. He used to be the drummer in the most influential band of his generation, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and I am still a network administrator. An when I'm bored and have a little free time, I sit down and write little stories on my blog that probably no one cares about. OK I also share some knowledge and geekiness about the subcultures that shaped us and music that companies normally shouldn't chase. But we live in a capitalist society, so at least we know what to expect.

So, as my typical habits dictated, I wanted to make a compilation to transfer to my iPod for my summer vacation. I wanted it to contain a mix of well-known and obscure tracks. So I did just that and the more I listened to that selection, the more confident I became that this is perhaps the best collection of Primal Scream songs ever compiled by someone (the little devil on my shoulder tells me to relax, but I won't). Companies always concentrated on singles and greatest hits material, but I strongly believe that this one has everything for both newcomers and Primal Scream aficionados.

I then thought, "What's to stop me sharing it in my usual socialist way?" And here it is!

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.

Velvet Crush - "Teenage Symphonies to God" (CD, Creation - 1994)

If authentic pop music had a proper revival movement like the garage had back in the 80s, Velvet Crush would have been definitely its Chesterfield Kings or something! A classic power pop band from Rhode Island hooked in melodies and filled with hooks without being/sounding "retro" a bit. Based more though in the U.S. tradition of the genre instead of the Brit, they had both feet settled on what Big Star, the after surf Beach Boys and the early Gene Clark era Byrds have than say the Beatles or the Who. And for these recordings, to yours truly their best effort still, they assorted Mitch Easter for the producer's chair and hijacked for the album title the famous now Brian Wilson quote about "SMiLE", so I guess no surprise at all that this came out from the Creation Records producing line, right?! A really lost 90s classic to be placed along Teenage Fanclub and Gigolo Aunts records. Believe me, the "CONTEMPORARY POP MUSIC" decoration, has a very good reason hangin' up there! Amazing artwork on the sleeve too, I should make a tee someday with this Chucks wearing cool lad, right?!

Delakota - "The Rock" (CD-Single, Go Beat! - 1998)

Hey there! It's a Saturday night and I haven't made a Saturday night post since... who knows? There are good chances to have said the following again but I'm getting old and I guess it's typical for old people to forget things, so... I'm a 100% 9Ts kid! And I've spent my teens listening to many Brit bands and I developed a habit to like the "Rave" Manchester bands (Madchester anyone?) quite A LOT! And I used to like dance and club stuff the same as I used to like the rockin' and rollin' ones! I mean, back then I used to like even some "grunge" stuff  too (OK, go ahead now and shoot me!).
Delakota was a "band" of those "shoulda been, coulda been" phrases/old cliches but trust me, these guys were totally awesome! I mean, they're still better than most of them Kasabian dudes around (and I like Kasabian, I found actually the other day that I own their first CD!). "The Rock" was their debut (or it's "C'mon Cincinnati" their first one?) and it's a cool as fuck, laid back, stoned-sy Screamadelica meets "Second Coming" era Stone Roses with Charlatans' Tim Burgess on the mic, thing! I'm sitting also on the "555" single but it's a 45 and I'm too lazy to do the rip thing on vinyl... You know...