The Misfits - Static Age, Mix-Down Tape Feb. 1978 (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.18)

 

It's hard to imagine just how much of an impact "Static Age" would have had if it had been released in 1978, as originally intended. Considering the hostility between the Misfits members, however, we should be grateful that it ultimately saw an official release in 1996. What I really like about that era is the absence of the campy horror punk aesthetic that they later developed and became widely known for. The Misfits look pretty much like every other punk rock band of this period but this hasn't stopped Glenn Danzig from ignoring the sociopolitical issues of the time. In his Elvis/Jim Morrison style, he sang about JFK's bullet-ridden body, Patty Hearst's kidnapping turning left-wing guerrilla bank robber and every other perverted thought that had occurred to his teenage brain. Now that I think about it, perhaps he did write political songs after all... Anyway. 

At the time, both Mercury and the Misfits were using the name 'Blank Records'. Our New Jersey psychos had already released their embryonic "Cough/Cool" and "She" recordings through their Blank imprint and Mercury wanted full ownership. In exchange for the name, Mercury suits offered them a swap: 20 hours of free studio time and the recordings has began. The end result made the band feel proud but they had a problem, no label was willing to release it. According to Jerry Only, they talked to every label - even Sire, which had The Ramones, Dead Boys, DMZ and the Voidoids on their roster but they passed on it! The (legendary) "Bullet" EP, released via Danzig's own label (Plan 9), featured four of the "Static Age" tracks: 'Bullet', 'We Are 138', 'Attitude' and 'Hollywood Babylon'. After Franché Coma and Mr Jim left in the middle of a tour in 1980, Only and Danzig decided that the "Static Age" was cursed and shelved it.

The 14 tracks of "Static Age Mix-Down Tape Feb.78" as I said in the first lines, were supposedly intended for release on the "Static Age" LP that same year. In 1986, Curtis Casella of Taang! Records made and distributed a tape containing eight songs from Glenn's vault. Of course, this was done without permission. This tape and a later CD-R bootleg of the same name were the only sources available to fans. (This is the CD-R that I am offering you in this post, which contains the complete set of songs). So, when Danzig finally provided the original multi-track masters for a standalone release, hardcore Misfits fans and completists took note that the original 1978 mix-down sequence of "Static Age" had actually been used on disc 4 of the Coffin shaped Misfits box set (based on Franché Coma's copy), rather than the remastered and overdubbed versions on "Legacy of Brutality" from 1985-86 or the re-remastered editions on "Collection II" (1995). 

In any case, this is the best place to hear the Misfits' best line-up as intended: Undubbed, unremastered and raw. This recording, originally from the 7.5 ips reel-to-reel, includes the microphone pop at the end of 'Come Back' or the conversation before 'Theme for a Jackal', both of which were edited out of the officially released versions. I would put these recordings at the very top of the list of the ten best punk rock ever produced, no matter what period or decade you look at.

The Hellacopters - Maximum Supershit! (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.17)

The Hellacopters' early years are the punkier thing of the '90s, up to the release of "Suprshitty To The Max!", when the "Raw Power"-era Stooges, MC5 and Radio Birdman were the only bands that mattered to them. I still clearly remember picking up "Supershitty To The Max" based solely on the SST Records-like front cover and the band shot in the back of CD. There was a guy wearing a Motörhead cap and another wearing a Nomads t-shirt. There was also a glam-punk giovine and someone at the back who looked like Rob Zombie's Nordic cousin. As I said, I still didn't know shit about them. The Thing, the only local fanzine that could have written about them (and has written about them countless times since), hadn't even picked them up on its radar yet. As I usually did on the bus ride to my bachelor pad, I popped in to see what it was and the references to everything I loved only multiplied. There was a Coop-like sketch featuring a helicopter on a 7-inch record with Gene Simmon's KISS-style makeup, a collage of photos clearly evoking the punk aesthetic and yet another sketch of the band alongside little devils wearing Converse All Stars or leopard-print creepers. There was also a direct reference to The Stooges with the words 'Jesus Loves The Hellacopters'. I was FUCK ME, MAN! Even before I played this, the manifesto on the inner sleeve about loathing CDs and the famous Johnny Rotten quote 'Ever Got the Feeling You've Been Cheated?' as headline, left me floored...

And I wasn't wrong - always trust your sences kids, what came out of the speakers when I pushed the play button was the most fucked up thing I have ever heard! "If there's a higher power, it must have taken pity on me and sent me this band!", thought my younger atheist Marxist self. A little later, the reviews started to come in. On his website, Jack Endino wrote: "Everything is massively distorted including the drums! (And the drummer's better than Keith Moon!)" and MRR added: "I am now a believer. I have seen the light. The Hellacopters are worth all the hype. They’re so punk, they even make maracas punk." I went hunting for everything they had released, which was no easy task back then and today I have a massive collection of Hellacopters stuff. Maybe I should tell my kids about them in case something happens to me, so they can sell them at the right price. At the moment, none of them seem to like rock 'n' roll. I know I failed miserably on this but there's always hope, right?

For the next few months I was unable to switch to another band. All my best friends have always been basically metalheads. They still are. I wanted to convert them. I told them about this Swedish group that the ex-Entombed drummer had formed to play punk rock and they seemed suspicious at first. They weren't though, right after the first run and they're now also huge fans. OK, from "Grande Rock" onwards, their sound became more hard rock-friendly, so I guess that helped too. 

Echoes of the late '60s Detroit punk scene, as I said in the first lines are clearly audible in those early releases. No other group aside from Teengenerate has managed to turn the sonic liability of needle in the red oversaturation into a convincing aesthetic trademark. What set the Hellacopters apart from any other band of that era (and beyond) was their incorporation of every rock'n'roll instrument into their sound, instruments that all the other punk rock bands seemed to ignore. The distinctive language of down and dirty rock'n'roll is more widespread here. It has the elements of MC5's maximum rhythm and soul. These take the beat beyond the pogo stage. There are wailing harmonicas and crusty slides, not for show off but for the sheer enjoyment of it. Handclaps, maracas and one-note pianos... It was as if Lemmy and his bandmates were trying to play 'Shake Appeal'. Besides, he said himself that after Hawkwind he wanted his new band to sound like the Five from Detroit.

Anyway, here's another White Trash Soul Special. As you probably understand from what you've read, it contains all of their singles from the beginning up to "Supershitty". I've added the New York Dolls' only on vinyl cover of 'It's Too Late', as well as the cover of 'Bullet' that was featured on the Japanese edition (which at the time was only available elsewhere to a Scandinavian Misfits tribute that is worth tracking down). For their early singles, they chose to cover 'The Creeps' by Social Distortion, 'Low Down Shakin' Chills' by The Nomads (Hans and Nicke are featured on their debut) and 'I Got a Right' by Iggy and the Stooges. I suppose that sums up what your poor ears are going to hear. Of course, I've made the required changes to the front cover and the title while trying to stay as close as possible to the original concept. 

PS: I was fortunate enough to interview my favourite 'copters member, the drummer Robert/Robban, twice, and finally to see them live with all my buddies in July 2022. Kick Out The Jams Bastards!

New Bomb Turks - Four Times Nine (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.16)

 

In my previous post about Teengenerate, I mentioned the New Bomb Turks as one of my favored punk rock bands of the '90s. The first time I saw and heard them playing this suprecharged rock'n'roll, there was a look of obvious surprise on my face, see I was expecting guys in leather jackets with long or spiky haircuts and other such dumb clichés. I hadn't even heard of the Descendents or Milo yet (this was the pre-internet era, as I've mentioned many times already) and I also didn't know that the members of Bad Religion were college graduates. Learning through fanzines that these four guys had English degrees from Ohio State University was quite a revelation for me. I was myself, too, something in between because I wasn't a nerd definitely but I also wasn't someone who didn't like to read, especially literature and history. As you might have guessed, I felt completely at home.

The band took their name from Robert Wuhl's character in the early-'80s cult classic comedy 'The Hollywood Nights', which also marked the screen debut of Tony Danza. I remember them uploading a letter to their embryonic website from an Armenian guy complaining about the name because he believed it had something to do with Turkey and genocide. Afterwards, he told them to fuck off and sent him some patches or pins, it was hilarious!

It was the "Destroy-Oh-Boy!" album that first blew me away on Tim's Crypt. The New Bomb Turks combined the rawest '50s rock 'n' roll with the snotty '77 punk and the intense warp speed of '80s hardcore, a winning formula copied by at least two other great bands of the era, The Dirtys from Michigan and Los Ass Draggers from Spain. From that moment on, I felt that things were going downhill for me. I was hooked on like a heroin addict. I couldn't wait for their next single or LP and that continued until they decided to split. They reformed thanks to some evil rock'roll power and I got to see them on stage here in Greece about ten years back. 

The homegrown stuff I made especially for you once again was inspired by the Rolling Stones' "12X5". Somehow, I had to force myself to narrow it down to just four songs from each of their albums and three compilations of singles and other tracks. It turned out to be a real challenge. If you think the job of a serious compiler is easy, just try doing the same thing with the Ramones or Motorhead smart ass... But I think I've cracked it. The more I listen to this, the more I like it. For the cover of the comp, I used the stunning sketches of Arturo de Leon, the man behind the artwork for N.B.T.'s debut and a '90s t-shirt that I found on eBay and bought without hesitation. I believe it is his too. 

Bear in mind that these guys are from the same region as Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys and Mike Hudson of the Pagans. Their punk rock 'n' roll has some serious bloodline and DNA. I don't know about the Epitaph stuff but Crypt have reissued multiple times their first two albums, so do yourself a favor if you're not sitting on any of these and go fuckin' buy everything with their name on. 

Teengenerate - The Singles, 1993-1996 (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.15)

 

The other day, I finally found the time to sit my old ass down and start watching the Teengenerate documentary ("Get Action!!"). Along with the Devil Dogs, The Hellacopters of the "Supershitty to the Max"-era, The Infections, New Bomb Turks and The Humpers, these Japs were my favourite garage punk rock 'n' roll band when I was young, loud and snotty myself! 

The story goes like this: Fifi and Fink, two brothers with an addiction to all things punk rock, grew up in a rural port town located about two hours outside Tokyo. They thought capital was something of a Mecca for rock 'n' roll and figured that if they moved there and started a band, they would find other fanatics like themselves. This wasn't the case, though. They formed the American Soul Spiders in 1987. The band -of course- took its name from the Flamin' Groovies' song. They released a single on 1+2, which led to them being signed by Long Gone John's legendary now, Sympathy for the Record Industry label. Surprisingly, things went more than well and they released even more material and toured the States with punk rock icon Jeff Dahl. However, the American Soul Spiders music was heavily influenced by Detroit bands such as MC5 and The Stooges, and the two brothers wanted a more traditional rock 'n' roll sounding outfit. The opportunity arose when Dezaki, the singer of the Spiders, revealed that he was staying in New York after the tour ended and the band split up.

Impressed by the Devil Dogs' records, Fink started Teengenerate with the remaining American Soul Spiders members in 1993. This time they named themselves from a song by the Dictators. In May, a college friend of Fink's named Warabi founded Wallabies Records, with the 'Get Me Back' EP serving as the initial release. Teengenerate set off on their first American tour under their new name. They were loaded with an amazing 7inch and their first stop was the Estrus Records' Garage Shock festival. This led to offers from a large number of labels and the rest is history.

For a band that was only active for three years, their catalogue suggests they were around much much longer... They released two LPs and numerous singles on Australian, Japanese and American trademark garage punk labels such as Crypt, Dionysus, Rip Off, Estrus, Dog Meat, etc. They built a reputation in the US and beyond thanks to their rowdy live performances and supercharged punk rock 'n' roll recordings. Singing in (half?) english also helped them gain a steady and rapidly growing fanbase.

For me, Teengenerate was another important case study. It was through them and their mind-blowing cover versions that I first became intensely interested in bands like The Pagans, The Nervous Eaters, Angry Samoans and The Fun Things, to name a few. Their sloppy '50s rock 'n' roll attitude and utterly unhinged song execution, reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis played by the early Black Flag, made me a lifelong fan. I mean, really now, these skinny Japs made The Mummies sound like a cheap Damned imitation (and maybe they were, who knows?). Anyone and everyone who hears Teengenerate for the first time feels as though their eardrums have been blasted by a nuclear bomb or something. I remember doing this to my father's expensive, high-end stereo and him coming in, furious and yelling that he hadn't built this sound system to play that shit!

Here's another homemade compilation for your listening pleasure and your neighbour's disapproval. As the title suggests, it contains all of their 45s (except for "Bum vs. Teengenerate", I wasn't able to find it anywhere and obviously, I don't have it), including tracks shared with other bands on split single releases. While I am unable to pinpoint a particular release as the most outstanding, I must make an exception in stating that the EP "Wild Wild Teengenerate", featuring Steve Baise from the Devil Dogs/The Vikings, it's the very definition of punk rock: Lo-fi, high-octane and with unparalleled ferocity, the drums and the bass struggle and strain to keep up with the slashing guitars! They managed to improve three of the best songs that The Kids ever wrote and performed, man!!

Anyway, not all my rips, but as always, I carefully processed the audio, mostly balancing it, to make them all sound as if they were made by one person. Many thanks to everyone, who helped me create this by sharing many of these singles. 

The Dimestore Haloes (Hit List Vol. 1 No. 5, November-December 1999)

 

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

The Jim Jones Revue - B-Sides & Rarities (White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.12)

 

When did you last hear a real rock 'n' roll band? Since the Devil Dogs split up? Or was it back in the 'Soulseller' era of the Hellacopters? After the Jim Jones Revue broke up, Nick Curran and the Lowlifes were the only ones who could keep the fire burning. I mean, I can't think of anyone else since Nick's untimely death. Don't get me wrong, I love The Righteous Mind and the All Stars and Jim Jones seems to be the only guy around doing this ramalama bamalama loo thoroughly, but as much as I like the post-Revue bands, they don't have the manic '50s rock 'n' roll energy of Jerry Lee Lewis amplified through the MC5 with Gerry Roslie on vocals sound, that Revue had. 

The Revue was a rock'n'roll intelligentsia full of fundamentalism. It was a group of punk rock jihadists who managed the considerable feat of being both serious and tongue-in-cheek and who drank diesel and poured out smoke. Little Richard's leather-clad gospel evangelists and Johnny Thunders' mourners. Imagine Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs with velvet waistcoats and sideburns doing funerals. The Jim Jones Revue was a stark reminder of just how dangerous rock 'n' roll used to be. 

This compilation brings together all of Revue's b-sides, as well as a few other rarities and it's as hot and dry as a desert wind.

Rocket From The Crypt - Scream, Dracula, Scream! - White Trash Soul Edition

 

Fact is a lot is written already by me about the '90s, but that's the era I grew up in - be kind (or fuck off). Now that I have enough distance to draw reliable conclusions, I believe it really was a fantastic time to be a young prick! There were so many incredible bands and records around floating almost every week, If you had been there, there would be no way you could have forgotten it. As that impartial judge called time has shown, many of these have stood the test of time and are now rightly considered just as essential as their '60s and '70s predecessors. Right? Right!

Punk rock was no exception to this. A healthy underground scene existed globally that put to shame the bands under that tag that did make it commercially. OK, "Dookie" was fantastic record, and Rancid did well too, either by rejecting Madonna's offers or by releasing "And Out Comes the Wolves" but I couldn't stand bands like NOFX and I still can't stand them. After gaining momentum, Epitaph was no different to the majors in terms of what it was putting out. The last great band to come out of Bad Religion's CEO label was The Humpers, but the crowd and the establishment needed caricatures, not a rock 'n' roll band with a name like that and that junkie Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers feel and attitude.

To this day, amazing and most importantly, genre-defining groups are still under most people's radars. When I talk about gangs like The Stitches, The Infections, The Rip-Offs, The Devil Dogs, Teengenerate, Bladder Bladder Bladder, Dimestore Haloes, The Riffs, New Bomb Turks or Chinese Takeaway, only a handful of people are willing to rant along. And when I mention names like Mudhoney or Rocket From The Crypt, I usually get a "that's not punk" reply. You morons! Mark Arm and Co. were more garage punk than your Fuzztones and RFTC were the reincarnation of the first three Saints albums.

This leads us to the main subject of this post, which is the unsurpassed punk rock mayhem of "Scream, Dracula, Scream!" By the time this record was released, I was already a fan and had acquired "Circa Now". This Stax-abilly sound was right up my alley and it was epitomised by a band with greasy pompadours. Man, you just can't get cooler than this! Named after the infamous '70s black horror b-movie "Scream, Blacula, Scream!" and featuring the band's name and record title in the font of (San Francisco’s First and Only Rock 'n' Roll Band) Crime, you knew instantly what you were holding. The liner notes on the CD couldn't make it clearer: Our desire is to Rock 'n' Roll. Punk is dead.

In the midst of the '90s highly commercialized "punk", RFTC rejected their father in favour of their grandfather and kept the rock 'n' roll torch burning. Much to my surprise, 'On a Rope' dared to breach the charts. For a moment, I thought there was hope for humanity, there wasn't, let it all burn. These San Diego motherfuckers mixed rock'n'roll guitars on the same channel with horns in order to blow your ears and speakers and they succeeded. From start to finish, this album is the hottest garage punk and '50s R&B since when Bailey and Kuepper were still on good terms and would get shitfaced before heading into the studio.

Rocket from the Crypt released three singles from "Scream, Dracula, Scream!", all with great b-sides that deserve to be heard. There's even a cool Real Kids cover among them! I don't understand why such a high point of '90s punk/rock 'n' roll hasn't received an expanded reissue yet, which is why I decided to do it myself. Here's the complete classic release, including all the songs missing.

Re-Up: Iggy & the Stooges - Unrough Powder: The Trueborn Raw Power Mixes (WAXEP001)

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!

Gang War – These Boots Were Made For Fighting / Rumbling In Ann Arbor Michigan (Missing In Action Records, 1989 - White Trash Soul Real R'n'R No.5)

Johnny called me up, one night, all excited, to tell me that he was starting a new band with Wayne Kramer, which, of course, I thought was fucking great. They wanted to start recording right away and needed a drummer. I was in New York and they were in Michigan but before I could blink they had me on a plane that very night and in a studio in An Arbor moments later. I was thrilled to meet Wayne who turned out to be even cooler that I had imagined. There were no rehearsals or anything. Ron Cooke, a friend of Wayne from Detroit was on bass, great guy too. I just sat at the drums having no idea what we were gonna do. They rolled the tape and Johnny just looked at me and said “Bo Diddley” and so I started ..Bam-ba-bala-bam bam-bam.. and we recorded Who Do Voodoo on the spot. Then we did M.I.A., then it was Just Because I’m White, Fats Domino’s I’m Gonna Be A Wheel and I’d Much Rather Be With The Boys, from The Stones. They didn’t like the studio we were in, so the second night we went to another one. One funny thing that happened was that when we got to that studio, the guy who owned it got a little freaked out when he saw us arrive and asked to see everybody’s I.D! Gang War’s “manager” told him:

“You must be joking! These guys happen to be very famous musicians! This is Wayne Kramer from The MC5, and you got Johnny Thunders from The New York Dolls over here!” The owner didn’t seem convinced at all and spat back “Don’t try to pull a fast one on me, buddy, my son was a big fan of The New York Dolls and he’s right here!”. He then proceeded to call his son “HEY, BILLY, COME DOWN HERE A MINUTE, WOULD YOU ?!” and out comes the fat kid in bermuda shorts, eating a sandwich.. “Is this one from the New York Dolls?” he asked, pointing at Johnny. The kid took a close look, hesitated a bit, then declared, amazed “It’s Johnny Thunders, dad, their guitar player!!”. So they let us in…

Johnny put me up in this real nice house where he was staying with his wife Julie and their two babies. We recorded for three nights in a row. The band being brand new, Wayne and Johnny were obviously thrilled to be playing together and sparks were flying! Back in New York, I wasn’t sure what to do, but I couldn’t just dump my own band, you know, we were totally into it.  Gang War wanted to tour and The Senders were already booked here and there, so it would have been hard to be able to do both. In the end, for some strange reason, I kinda concluded that, with Johnny on board, Gang War may not survive very long, and decided to stick with my own droogs. But my three nights in Michigan as Gang War’s first drummer remains one of the best memories of my life.

Excerpt from...

Special thanks to Steve!

A Mike Mariconda interview, a legendary route in rock'n'roll.

It is quite hard to listen to this kind of music, reading this blog space and still not recognize his name, isnt' it? The original A-Bones guitarist, then in The Raunch Hands and The Devil Dogs. He has produced hundreds of records since 1984 and has recorded countless garage-punk and rhythm & blues outfits around the world (USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia and Europe). He was a student of electronic music pioneer Reynold Weidenaar and one of the first producers to graduate with a  Bachelor of Science in Music Technology from New York University. He currently lives in Spain. Mike Mariconda is a living legend of the underground rock'n'roll scene globally as you might already know or guess. 

Many thanks Mike for taking a few moments to answer my questions. I usually start with this: What actually got you involved with rock'n'roll? I'd like to know if there was anything before The Raunch Hands.

Well, thanks for asking as I have been a fan of your writing and the White Trash Soul website for many years. I had been playing in bands since 1977, I started when I was 15 years old with friends from High School..We started out doing covers of The Who then we heard the first The Damned record and The Victims (NOT the Australian band,) the one from NJ near where I grew up who did one LP called "Real Wild Child", for or Golden Disc )-a label from a Doo Wop record store in Greenwich Village where Lenny Kaye worked) and we got into a more punk style. I joined the Raunch Hands in winter of 1984 after seeing them play their first gig at some funky illegal after hours club called No Se No. Shortly before that they were just a duo called Tchang and Chandler so we put a full band behind them. They played as a duo at Tim Warren's wedding in late 1983 and Club 57 on St, Marks place a few times.

Is it true that you stole Mike Chandler from Outta Place in order to create a band similar to Peter Greenberg's original Barrence Whitfield and the Savages?

No, not true, Chandler was in both bands but playing more with The Outta Place and the other 3 members of The Raunch Hands were frustrated and jealous and  approached me to do an instrumental band without a singer called The Slaymen as Chandler got busy when The Outta Place LP came out on Midnight Records in 1984... After a few weeks we integrated The Raunch Hands and The Slaymen into one group and we had 10 songs total, 5 originals and 5 instrumental covers, enough to play a full show. We learned "What I Say" and " I Got a Woman" (The Maddox Brothers and Rose's version) to make it 12 although the group was better writing originals as they weren't at the musical level to do cover versions very well. We only saw The Savages about a year later when we played with them at Irving Plaza and they made us look like fools. We had to have a special band meeting the next day and we decided to play faster with more R and B screaming and sax and promised we would never let a band step all over us like they did that night.

What's the story behind Raunch Hands appearance on Back From the Grave Vol. 3? Was it a Tim Warren's joke or an attempt for making the Hands more known?

Well Tim loved us and knew Tchang and Chandler for years and I guess he was hungry for new bands and we fit the bill. We had just recorded our first 3 songs and he flipped out. I owe a lot to him, he really changed my life.

Did the Raunch Hands borrowed their name from Link Wray?

No. Vince came up with that as PJ Proby did a single under the pseudonym Jett Powers with Vince Parle and The Raunch Hands called " Go, Girl, Go" so he named us after that one-off single.

I'd like to know any worth mentioning untold stories from the Hands and Devil Dogs life. By the way, on the Dogs fist LP you've been credited as additional musician, when you officially joined the band? 

There are too many stories to tell and with time it gets difficult to remember..What happened was when Tim did The Bad Music Seminar "Music Festival" in NYC he was the first to bring Billy Childish to the USA... Billy  agreed to record the Double Naught Spies, The Gravediggers and The Rat Bastards at Coyote Studios out in Brooklyn, Those 2 records came out but The Rat Bastards (who later transformed into The Devil Dogs),thought the recording was too trashy and lo-fi sounding, Tim got me to try to remix it, but they still hated it. So I went into the studio with them to re-record the LP and after a few days the group split into 2 as Pete didn't think Andy saying "Fuck" on the songs would get played on the radio. This was my first real production job after a few songs by the Raunch Hands and we were all in a panic. As guitarist Pete Ciccone left the group but the drummer, Paul Corrio, (the group always had Italian/Americans or Jewish guys in it. Sometimes we disagree, haha) stayed on just to finish the recording and me and Andy overdubbed the 2nd guitar parts as Pete didn't want to be on the record. They had a gig booked the following week at The Pyramid Club as The Rat Bastards and they were going to cancel as they didn't have a drummer or second guitarist- but as the engineer Albert Caiati from Coyote Studios was a great drummer and I was a guitarist we said "Hey- keep the show, me and Albert can play with you (Steve and Andy)" as we had been listening to the songs all week. So that was the first Devil Dogs gig after they changed the name from The Rat Bastards. As I was a member of The Raunch Hands I didn't want to be in the photos or credited as guitarist to avoid confusion, but I did do all the gigs with them and several European and a Japanese tour with them and played on most of the Crypt records up until they did "Saturday Night Fever" as a trio. I stayed in the band but Albert didn't so after trying out a few drummers we took on David Turetsky who was previously in The Headless Horsemen and Justin Trouble.

Are they any unreleased recordings from both bands with you playing in (or not)?

Yes, but as we can't get authorization from the other  group members to release them they remain on cassettes I have at home and there are some great moments that unfortunately the public will probably never hear it. Tim paid for the sessions, maybe someday he will release them, if he gets permission from the "artists" haha...

So you're telling me that there are somewhere Rat Bastards recordings still sitting unreleased in some drawer or something that been produced by Billy Childish and remixed by you? Wow! I thought that session never took place.

Yes-Billy wrote Suck The Dog, Hosebag and Pussywhipped on the spot. The titles came from American slang he heard as it was his first time in the USA. The group played them a few times and record them a few hours later.

I guess I’ll have to ask someone from The Mummies about it, but you know why you’ve been immortalized on these loonies song? Has anything to do with the rejected recording by Tim Warren?

Tim flew me out to San Francisco to record them. I guess they were a little disappointed as they wanted Billy Childish but Tim wasn't paying to fly him from the UK. I had never met them and they weren't particularly friendly when I did. They wasted a lot of time and said their guitarist Larry was in Utah on vacation, so we didn't get much done except recording on 8 track in a cold warehouse a couple of days. We really didn't get beyond recording about 10-12 songs which I didn't have time to mix. Tim paid for a finished LP, which he didn't get and wanted a more guitar oriented punk record with less organ and less 60s retro garage sound which they didn't seem to agree on. As much as their fans really love them I thought they were extremely unwelcoming, gimmicky and didn't really have any anything but stupid costumes and a lot of show. I don't think Tim rejected them so much because he didn't like the songs, which were OK. He felt they were problematic to work with which was my impression. I'm not sure if I was "immortalized" but happy someone disliked me enough to write about me. Good or bad response to something is always better than being ignored.

Speaking of your work as a producer, you’ve been behind the desk for countless garage punk and R&B/Soul outfits; tell me the main reason that got you choosing this as a post-musician job. Tell me also the recordings you enjoyed the most working as an engineer or a producer.

Well, after The Raunch Hands split up I had already started moving more towards producing... I was tired of the touring and being in 2 groups that were always on the road. Plus I started to develop a problem with the nerves in my hand and had difficulty playing.

The most memorable sessions and groups were The Phantom Keys (done in a house in Galicia), all of The Limboos stuff I did. Recording Sonny Burgess in Spain, live in the studio in one day. New Bomb Turks was a great 2 day session. Los Assdraggers another fast, fun and really drunk session and The Devil Dogs sessions were always a blast, I like when we are all having fun and laughing in the studio and working without any doubts... Recently Nervous Shakes from Brussels was a great session.. Fun and laughs all day and an excellent record. The best sessions always are the groups that do their job well as musicians and let me do my job as a producer and we can all relax, drink and have a good time without it feeling like work... stuff that just comes together fast and naturally. I don't show up with an attitude, so I don't expect to get that in return from anyone I work with-don't care if you are a "star" or a 15 year old kid making his first record. I treat anyone who is not full of shit with respect and would like the same. I currently moved to Valencia and am starting to play live again with a group called O.J.O. after swearing I never would get on stage again. But like smoking or eating, playing music is a tough habit to quit. And why should you quit something  if it gives you pleasure no matter how bad it is for you? Haha.

I know you’re hipped as me to the idea of different pressings with different mixes by bands. Which are the most interesting you ever crashed on? Are you a Mono or Stereo pressings fan btw and what's the reason behind this?

When I was working at Venus Records in NYC in 1984, I remember record collectors discussing mid 60s mono pressings had different mixes than the stereo pressings. For a few years records were mixed completely differently for the 2 formats and in some cases sounded quite different.Later we started realizing that European pressings of USA bands USA pressings of UK bands were also very different as the EQ curve standard (RIAA/Teldec/IEC) was different. You must remember that the master tape had to be sent by mail across the Atlantic, then they would be mastered and pressed in their respective country. These masters were often 2nd or 3rd generation analog "safety masters" 1/4" tapes (it was too risky to send the first generation mix tapes by mail-they could get lost or damaged) that could also sound different depending on what machine they were recorded and what machine they were played back on. With all of these variables pressings in various countries sound different. "I Can See For Miles" by The Who is a good example. It was pressed as a 45 (which also sounds different from the 33 RPM LP version) in about 8 different countries and they all sound a bit different and also sometimes the speed is slightly different. And the quality of the vinyl also accounts for a different sound. Chess LP vinyl was not that great so sometimes Chuck Berry records sound better on the French pressings.Also of course the artwork and photos differ from county to country, along with the track sequence. The Rolling Stones "Between The Buttons" US has different songs than the original UK version, and there are stereo and mono copies from both countries that sound very different. The vinyl made today, 60% of like sounds like shit and better in digital if you listen with the right equipment.

I need to know your thoughts on Tim Warren and Billy Miller. I believe they are as important to rock'n'roll as many artists and bands.

That's true. Their impact on bringing unknown artists and obscure styles of rock and roll is overwhelming. Not only as fantastic people and great friends they educated a lot of bands after they started putting out compilation records in the 1980s. They turned the unknown  losers into the heroes. Their endless search for the weird, the different, the craziest records every recorded that no one seemed to have known about certainly changed my life along with many others. Being close to both of them, also in a band with Billy and being Tim's "technical and production support," haha, was a blessing. I am very lucky to have been around them and still talk to Tim all the time.

Tell me a few bands that you wish had you as a producer.

Most of the bands that are currently active that I like I have worked with already but new groups are coming all the time. I am currently talking to Barrence Whitfield and The Savages and The Peewees about doing some records in the future and I like and respect both bands. I would have loved to do The Deadly Snakes or 68 Comeback when they were around but never got the chance. I wanted to do The Rolling Stones but without Charlie, I wouldn't do. I would maybe work with Keith on a solo record but not on Mick's next solo record. Now you tell me a few bands that would wish they had me as a producer! I bet you can't.

Haha, The Sonics are the first that comes in me mind. They're still great fuckin' dirty oldmen, aren't they? I'll definitely handed you the tape of L.A.M.F. also for a possible upgrade sounding reissue if I was sitting on the band's rights. The Coyote Men or Teengenerate were some bands taylor made for you also. There are many man. So, any recordings with you as a guitarist in The A-Bones?

No, I left before they recorded the first EP. I gave the job to my college friend Bruce Bennett who stayed with the group the whole time. I was getting busy as the Raunch Hands started making records and touring I couldn't be in both bands.

I'm sitting on an unreleased LP by Los Primos, Andy gave it to The Thing fanzine editor back then and Demetrius passed it to me too - he knew I was such a big fan. What happened and this one stayed in the can? I believe it's still one of your best productions. Tell me more about this band, they're definitely underrated. 

During the last Devil Dogs tour of the USA (I had already left the band) Andy met Candy Del Mar in L.A. Steve and Andy were having huge fights and Steve left to play with The Vikings and some other projects. Joe stayed with Andy and Candy came in then they used Pete Linzell as sax player as he was free, The Raunch Hands had already split up. They came down to Austin to record with me at Sweatbox and left me to mix it after they went back to New York. After they heard the dry rough mixes I did for a month they hated the final mix i did, they said it had too much reverb and effects and wanted it to sound dry like The Ramones (?), which was weird because they were moving away from punk into almost Brill Building/Bert Berns /Raspberries/Glam kinds of songs, so they remixed that at Coyote in Brooklyn... A few of the songs came out on 2 singles then Andy and Candy started fighting with Mighty Joe and threw him out of the group. They brought in Ron Salvo on Drums and Steve Greenfield on second sax and called it Andy G and The Roller Kings and a 10" was released. As far as I know, these are Andy's last recordings before he disappeared.

Are you still in touch with the other surviving Raunch Hands guys? 

We wrote to each other after Michael Chandler died, then we kinda lost contact.

Have you ever met Johnny Thunders or any other form the Dolls/Heartbreakers gang? 

Yeah, only Johnny and Walter. Walter was very nice, cultured and funny, he a a Wall Street job during the day and enjoyed going to the opera. A real gentleman. Johnny on the other hand was funny but somewhat dangerous. Me and Stevie Baise saw the last show he ever played shortly before he moved to New Orleans and died. He was hanging out at the Pyramid club after he had gotten back from playing in Europe. Jack Tragic was working there and talked him into playing an unannounced show (surely for drug money)... I think there were less than 30 people there, It was on a Tuesday, unannounced. He played good but physically he looked terrible, really sickly with almost green skin. Johnny loved The Senders (and why not? they were one of NYC's finest) and he would usually turn up at their gigs and play "Daddy Rolling Stone" with them. One night around 1990 it was a freezing winter night with snow and he showed up at the Continental Club near St. Marks and played with them. The "backstage" of The Continental was in the basement, where they kept the stuff for the restaurant which they tried to serve some kind of "food" in order to avoid paying the bar tax or something. Anyway we went backstage after the show to say Hi  and Johnny was doing cocaine of the top of a guitar. He asked us if we had a joint and Stevie did so we smoked a joint with him then it was getting late like 6 AM and we were getting ready to leave. Johnny had on this big vintage overcoat and as he stumbled up the stairs he bumped into the bouncer and 2 frozen chickens fell out which he stole from the freezer. The bouncer grabbed him and threw him out the door into the snow. Pretty typical Johnny. David Jo and Sylvain were always nice guys, David was cleaning up with his Buster Poindexter lounge thing at the time. He was playing a lot at Tramps and being somewhat professional, avoiding the rock and roll scene.

A last one, what's your thoughts on the so-called 80s garage revival? Any bands you dug except of The Outta Place?

There were pretty good groups playing at The Dive near Midnight Records at the time. The Tryfles, Vipers and Optic Nerve were both OK, but a little soft. Fuzztones always bad and silly, Lyres always great. Chesterfield Kings didnt move me too much...

Cheers mate!

Whatever Happened to: New York Dolls by Morrissey - Look At The Time issue #1 (1977)

Hi-Res, click to enlarge

Hi-Res, click to enlarge

Scans by Jake - Thanks for sharing 

Various Artists - "Born To Lose - A Tribute To Johnny Thunders" (3xCD, Skykrebs Records - 2009)

Oops, here I am again!
How many tribute albums have you bought people and how many of them are worthy of your hard earned spent money? Not much right? OK, let's make it easier. How many tribute albums have you downloaded so far and you've been bored to death for the time you spent on 'em hearing? Not so much, again, am I right?
Well, for some very strange reason this one even though was probably of the best around and surely the best on our beloved Johnny Thunders, never got the credit. I mean, even fuckin' Discogs doesn't have it on (wtf)! And if the producer had it reduced to a single disc it would have been the ultimate, but what the hell, the more Genzales the better, right? RIGHT!
And thanks to the old pal of the blog, Steve, came to my own hands too a couple of years behind. Here's the story: I was looking for material The Waldos haven't had anywhere else and I came across this. Three tracks man! The Waldos on "Jetboy", Walter on "Short Lives" and Tony Coiro with "Blame it on Mom"! I remember myself searching for it for quite a lot but I wasn't able to track it down in a reasonable price, cause you know they weren't many places have it on their vault. So I asked Steve if he was sitting on and the reply was a link with full scans and 3 CD rips! The tags was a mess but who cares, do something for yourself you lazy prick and so I did! The performances doesn't go below good and the names are at least underground scene thugs. My beloved Devil Dogs with a rip-roaring version of "I Wanna Be Loved", Blanks 77 with "London Boys", The Stiffs take on "Crime of the Century" (with a lil bit of Sex Pistols...) or Nine Pound Hammer ("Let Go") and New Bomb Turks ("Bad Girl"). Impressive, huh? Except for the Waldos familia, there are plenty of other people who knew and played with Johnny over the years (Buddy Bowzer, Jeff Magnum, Andy Shernoff, Alison Gordy etc) or people with more maintream creds (Jesse Malin, New York Loose). And oh, there are also a few surprises (listen for yourselves for 'em) and many a guest star if you read the extensive liner notes carefully. In other words people, this boxset is a must for anyone who is a fan of Thunders or The Dolls or The Heartbreakers.

Cheers!
 

The New Race - "The First And The Last" (LP, Line Records - 1983)

OK, let me clear this: This blog isn’t dead... I’m just going through a phase of terminal boredom! It happens sometimes, you know…
Anyway, for this post you’ll have to thank entirely Jean Philippe! And I’m sure no introduction is needed by my side cause really does exist anyone (regular visitor of this space or not) not knowing the names of Radio Birdman, MC5 and/or the Stooges? I don’t fuckin’ think so. So, this is an amazing high energy one off document – gathering of teachers and students! Detroit Punk Rock & Roll anyone?!

MC5 - "Back in the USA" b/w "Tutti Frutti" (7" Single, Atlantic - 1970; German Mono Mix)

Hi there! Let's go on this quickly just like the rock and roll tradition commands! Here's another one of the super cool Jean Philippe findings. One of those that only my pal from somewhere in the south of France and his mighty pair of ears are able to dig and emerge through the dustbins and the eBay auctions. The well known 5ive two-sider on Chuck and Little Richard has now a very good reason for you to be heard (again) through the WTS gateway. Here's what was waiting for me in the mailbox, this morning:

"...Another fact: our favorite 70's LP are sonically fuck*d-up: Raw Power, LAMF... the MC5 2nd LP is not great either. Very thin-sounding, with virtually no bass. The French pressing is a little bit bassier, but that's not a night and day difference. I recently ripped the German mono single shown below. If you have decent speakers, the bass on this one will put a smile on your face (on side 1 at least). It has wall-shaking sub-bass (but you really need speakers that can handle deep bass)."

 Blast on and have a great weekend! MC5 with BASS!!

 

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - "Vive La Revolution! + LAMF Outtakes" (10", Munster/Skydog - 1999)

This one was recorded live (12/8/1977) by our pet band here at the much talked these days (sadly, for the wrong reasons) Bataclan. Jean-Philippe thought this must be a proper tribute and he was right, so...

Various Artists - "Savage Evangelists, The GaragePunk Gospel According to..." (WAILCD 02)

Heeeeeyyyyy, everything's OK? Hope so! Quickly: as you can easily guess, that's another shitty WTS compilation for your listening pleasure! Don't know about your neighbors' though, he-he... Anyway, the process remains the s(h)ame. Your host here in a dervish kinda mode, opens the vaults and rips the stuff the way exactly he listens to them! Ooops, I've gone too far this time, right? I'm so way out of ma head that I speak for myself in third person, not a good thing... So, I tried to keep a balance and not to include "mainstream hits" like Psychotic Reaction or Pushin' Too Hard but not go the other way too with stuff way to geeky. Fuck man, we're talking 'bout garagepunk here, rock and roll's ultra crude, primitive and mindless prick so no fuckin' geeks allowed!!! Hope you enjoy yourself with this as much I did when I was creating this obviously Tim Warren influenced little monster!!! 100% Teen Unpsychedelic 60s Teen Punk!!! Cheers!!!

The Bobbyteens - "Fast Livin' & Rock N Roll" (CD, Estrus - 1999)

In diverse with the situation in my country nowadays (key word: dramatic) my spirit's quite alright. After all I get to used to it with all that shit... I belong to the "lucky" 40% of the population that still has a job but we have to fight for all the others that sank long ago and their lives are deep in misery... I think my beautiful family and rock & roll are some real strong weapons to keep me agile and sane...

Anyway,Tina Lucchesi was and still is the coolest/greatest rockarollah of my generation! She drummed, sang and wrote some seriously catchy songs and oh, she supervised a way cool label for more than fuckin' two decades man! Don't wait up from me to tell you the tale, I'm here to provide just a piece from the brilliant route of she and her many outfits.

And so that is The Bobbyteens! An hormone driven underground "supergroup" with all eyes on boys and bubbleglam pop with demented Chuckster licks, sweet and wet 60s girl group vocals ala Shirelles and an full on attractive amateurish delivery. Imagine an updated Nikki and the Corvettes version with a lot of The Dictators early spirit!! If you still trust my taste (and you should, I've never let you down) believe me this is better than Joan Jett and you know what, I LUV Joanie...  Ultra classic 90s debut with Joey Ramone / Greg Shaw 100% approved teen rock & roll!

WANTED BY THE SHAH'S SECRET SERVICE... STIV BATORS

The Victims (NYC) - Excerpt from Ugly Things Magazine, Issue No 27 by Laurent Bigot (2008)

Many Thanx to JohnnyQ for sending me this piece some moons back!!!