White Trash Soul Presents: "Romp, Stomp & Grind!" - 25 Wicked 'N Obscure R&B and Soul Stomps! (WAXCD001)

Hi there! It’s been a while since the last time we talked in depth, right? In these days of absence, our second son came to rule (along with our first) our lives and if you’re already a proud parent, you might know probably what this thing means! A full 24/7 attempt to re-direct and re-organize the new parameters of your life. I’m not complaining but really there’s no time to hear a record or to read some lines of a book and due to this I was thinking that I was right ‘bout the frequency of posting up stuff here.  Just as Jerry Lee Lewis said,”I’m right! I’m always right! Once I thought I was wrong but I checked it out…I was right!” Ha-ha!

Well, this is a “project” that started ‘bout 3 months ago and ended a few weeks back. Many of you guys and ladies asked for a new White Trash Soul compilation, and this time I thought to do it better. Which means, a cool crack to produce a decent collection of mostly 45 rpm originated songs from my fave kind of music. Rockin’ & Rollin’ R&B or Soul stompin' shakes, some obscure some not , well chosen (I hope…) and placed, in order to create a cool soundtrack for one (or maybe more) of your next parties. I know, that’s some REALLY hard work for someone to do but what the hell, it worth the shot! I always loved compilations in the vein of “All Night Soul Stomp!”, “Downtown Soulville”, “Jump & Shout!”, “Shakin’ Fit” or “Pow City!”. Amazin’ gatherings of obscurities, perfectly suitable for (what else?) dance! But I wanted also these shakin’ and tremblin’ screamers to be in a package well designed plus some liners (well, kind of…) that was lacking of the aforementioned boots. The ‘liner notes’ unfortunately, didn’t make it to the ‘CD artwork’, but you can copy 'em if you still want, from the piece that follows (I’m no Billy Miller anyway and if you don’t have 'em, you’re not missing something actually). I had many ideas but I didn’t know how to generate an end result like the one you are now able to see. And there came to picture my French connection! My beloved and faithful partner in crime, Jean Philippe. We exchanged about 40 emails (at least) to come to an end for this artwork thing, but I’m totally happy with the final results! Completely true to our ideology, we have borrowed/stole things - but as once a teacher of mine told me back in the high school days, “there’s no parthenogenesis in art at least…”. There are also some semiotics for the more hooked that I dig the most! Don’t know when I’ll found the time to do again something like this – but til then hope to like, dance, scream and vibrate to this comps’ songs! All the best,

Mihaleez

                                    

Sugar Pie DeSanto - "Go Go Power" (Checker 1160, 1966) – Sugar Pie DeSanto 's a cousin of Etta James. This family for sure had tons of talent in its circles! Don’t know why Sugar Pie never hit big, but she was a hell of a writer and performer! She was one of the first black women in the industry that created and at the same time introduced so STRONG material! Chess/Checker should have use this weapon better… “Go Go Power” is one of her best songs but wait a minute… Mrs. DeSanto never wrote or performed a weak tune! If you buy the recent Ace comp of her Chess material you’re gonna know the reason why!

Holly Maxwell - "Philly Barracuda" (Star 100, 1966) – One of the best examples of the Chicago Soul/Boogaloo dance craze! Never mind the “Philly” on the title, this is a pure and well executed Chi- town stomper! I always thought of the drums as the basic instrument on R&B/Soul records. This is a good case to vote positively on my above statement!

Baby Jean - "If You Wanna" (Stacy 505, 1962) – OK, that’s MY ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE DANCE/R&B/SOUL record EVER! I still need information ‘bout who was/is Baby Jean and her recording career if this existed anyway ( I hope so)… On the flip there’s the equally frantic “Oh Johnny”. Driving beat, manic force and LOUD female vocals compose the best (for White Trash Soul…) 45 ever! I really can’t think of any party with one of the two tracks of this monster not playing twice at least!

Big Maybelle - "Quittin' Time" (Rojack 118, 1968) – Randy Cozen’s and Norhern Soul fans in general fave female, is mostly known for her Okeh sides even though she tried many ‘different’ things on her brilliant career. She even covered the ? & the Mysterians garage classic “96 Tears” and with outstanding results! That’s one of her most memorable 45s in the sixties, on the Rojack label and it’s a monster for all the fans of the upbeat R&B/Soul dancers! “Quittin’ Time” 's on the pantheon of White Trash Soul’s toons for both known (by me…) versions. I dig both the same and just because I had previously shared the “All Night Soul Stomp!” compilation with the Kansas City Playboys take inside, this time took on Big Maybelle’s dynamite interpetation!

Lewise Bethune - "Chitown Boogaloo" (Sack, 196?) – That was a mysterious track for me. After many tries I came to conclusion that this Lewise is actually the same Louise that with her sister Kendra Spotswood were for a moon part of the great Shirelles’ history! This Sack 45, is the well known now anthem “My Baby Likes To Boogaloo” of Don Gardner, but with female vocals plus those “Ooh-Ah!” backings, obviously inspired/taken by the king of the all black R&B boogaloo-ers, Jerry-O! A very COOL take and for sure a good reason to shake your ass a little!

The Antennas - "Be Yourself" (Clay 201, 1962) – I’m owing MANY thanks to the Detroit Cobras for letting me know (and) this song! The Antennas were probably from Chicago and if not, they sound like a Chi-Town’s group. At first an all male doo wop group who found in the face of Shirley Shelton an Etta James female vocalist and created in their sole release a hell of dance track but unfortunately made also two serious mistakes…1^st they put it on the flip…2^nd They were too much a head of their time. Mind you this song got out in 1962, try found a song by this year sounding like “Be Yourself” and I’m gonna give you my Excello Records t-shirt!

Marsha Gee - "Peanut Duck" (Joker! 0001, 1965) – That’s another mystery… Recorded in Philadelphia back in the sixties and there are many theories on who’s the singer behind these animal (duck) noises… Found ‘accidentally’ by some dj in the 70s and released til then many times, mostly as a boot 45 or as a member of compilations like this, but remains though one of thee best laid back and at the same time killer dance tracks ever committed on tape! There was around a ‘true’ Marsha Gee vocalist but it’s almost identified that had absolutely no relation to this tune’s singer. I really wonder how and why remained for so many years on a back corner of a dusted studio…

The Bar-Kays - "Bar Kays Boogaloo" (Volt S417, 1967) – As important as Booker T & the MGs for the Stax/Volt labels, the Bar-Kays are to this day known to the most of the world as ‘the Otis Redding’ band. Of course that’s a medal they fairly (and proudly) wore but are more to this combo if you’re interested…Their original line up (and best) had James Alexander (bass), Jimmy King (guitar), Ronnie Caldwell (organ), Phalon Jones (sax), Carl Cunningham (drums) and Ben Cauley (trumpet) and sadly recorded only one LP before Alexander and Cauley follow Otis in death on this tragic plane crash back in 1967… “Soul Finger” remains a stone cold classic at least for the Funky Soul genre and no record collection is broad without it. “Bar-Kays Boogaloo”‘s my fave track from it and the only tune here make it from a long play and not from a 45. Unmistakably swingin’!

Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers - "Emulsified"(Okeh 7174, 1963) – A NYC/Bronx original, started out in music business in the early 50s not only as a singer, but also as a bandleader, pianist/organist, songwriter and arranger for other artists. By 1959 Rex Garvin launched his own recording career and in 1961 formed the famous Mighty Cravers. With the Cravers on his side changed many labels and released about a dozen singles, with “Sock It To ‘Em J.B.” as the most famous. Many mistakes “JB” for James Brown but in truth were it for James Bond! Anyway, “Emulsified” is maybe the second most known and came out through  Okeh's etiquette. In my head Rex Garvin & the Mighty Cravers are a HUGELY underated group and I still wonder why someone (even a bootlegger) not gathered all of their sides on a sole release. I still also need to hear their one and only (?) LP on Tower (1968). As I read many times it was Funky as Hell! Anyone can share it? Dig throughout the song the organ riffage!

Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - "The Whip" (M-PAC!/MAR-V-LUS 7207, 1963) –   A true R&B pioneer but unfortunately, overlooked. This tune has both legs nailed to a soul ground, but The Kid walk through blues, R&B and rock & roll with the same high quality standards. On his first steps had by side Ike Turner. Actually Ike was the one that brought him to Sam Phillips attention and at Sun cut many classic sides. He never got high on charts but his songs covered by many big names with most notable example the one of Elvis Presley (“When it Rains it Pours”). "The Whip"’s for sure one of the best laid back and cool as f*ck soul songs ever waxed.

Stacy Lane - "African twist" (Excello 2293, 1967) – If you try to google a little for this Wilson Pickett-esque lunatic, be sure to add by side keywords like ‘soul’ or ‘r&b’, otherwise you’re gonna get a thousand results of porn material due to the same named busty ‘star’! Don’t know much about him and there’s hardy nothing on him in the net. I only got this Excello single ( I know also he got at least one more), and it’s a part of a late 60s dance craze about  motherland Africa.  Imagine a boogaloo Wilson Pickett, in a rawer (!) situation and you’ll be close to the crazy sounding world of Mr. Lane. Ungawa indeed!

Wilson Pickett - "She's Lookin' Good" (Atlantic 584183, 1968) – What more can I say or add that never been said ‘bout HIM before? I did a couple months a tribute to his excellence and I really got no words to put on. OK, let’s go then to why pick on this. Stacy Lane had another record on Excello under title “No Brags Just Facts” that’s actually “She’s Lookin’ Good” with different lyrics. And it’s another winner by the Man and a half! In a manner kinda like “1000 Dances” and with tons of attitude, it’s certainly a toon with guts about facts on gals!

J.J. Barnes - "Chains Of Love" (Groovesville 1006, 1967) - If there's one thing I like the most for/from the punk n' roll bands originated from the Detroit area, is their full appreciation on the city's soul tradition. From the Five to the Gories this element make an appearance almost in all bands recordings or concerts. So, in my post-teens and through Mick Collins band, I've learned this classic! “Chains of Love” is one of J.J.'s “toughest” sides. The song's written by the great Melvin Davis and released via the Groovesville label. And I said toughest cause J.J. Barnes is mostly known to the UK Northern Soul fans for his “mellower” sides (“Our Love Is in the Pocket” etc). A heavy soul dance floor filler with raw & fat production.

Eskew Reeder - "You Better Believe Me" (Crosstone 1007, 1969) - The impact of a figure like Esquerita (Eskew Reeder, SQ Reeder Jr., Fabulash, Magnificent Malochi etc…) was instant when I first look at him on the Norton website some ages back! So much that I made him too (I know, I'm not that original right?) White Trash Soul’s key face. That's probably my fave Esquerita tune of his “second phase”, cause as we said many times in here; the Capitol material is simply untouchable! A Benzedrine-like soul stomper of the few of the era in those heights of energy that makes you wonder why SQ didn't cut more of the same clothe.  No wonder Northern Soulsters made this song one of the scene's trademarks!

Nat Kendrick & The Swans - "(Do The) Mashed Potatoes" (Dade 1804, 1959) - “Ladies & gentlemen STAR TIME, are you ready for STAR TIME?” Those famous words in the beginning of “Live at the Apollo” LP fit perfectly in this case! In fact, this is James Brown and his Famous Flames plus King Coleman! For more on this you can look back on a previous post about our sadly missed King.

Nathaniel Mayer with The Fortune Braves - "I Want Love And Affection (Not The House Of Correction)" (Fortune 567, 1966) - The master / originator of the unproved term 'garage soul'? Definitely! Nathaniel Mayer helped by three facts. His voice which at a very young age had somehow a gritty croon, his label (Fortune) that still today no one succeed to re-create the sounds captured in the small Detroit record store of D. Brown, and last but not least, his band (the Fabulous Twilights) who had an exploited sound and to these ears only the Emperors had the ability to catch. This masterpiece (along with “Village of Love”) remains to this day excellent examples of how black Detroit sounded outside Motown's embraces! A whole great and wide chapter you NEED to discover if you consider yourself a soul/R&B fanatic!

The Emperors - "Searchin'" (Mala 561, 1967) - Philadelphia's heaviest, rockinest and most danceable group, hands down! I fuckin' love the Emperors! I dig them the most cause they really were a 'garage soul' group! Actually was the total definition of the term! Imagine the Coasters playing boogaloo instead of R&B add by side a groovy as fuck, garage punk like organ with heavy percussion beats and boom, you'll have the Emperors! This is probably their most rare 45 in their catalog. And it's indeed the Coasters' masterpiece, adopted, blended and twisted via their unique sounding angle!  I must say more on them on a future piece…

Combo Kings - "Mish Mash Soul" (Flo-Jo 4095, 1962) - A brilliant example of boogaloo, they way cooked then in cities like Philadelphia or Chicago. From the little I know for these Combo Kings, were a very energetic group of youths (age of the members varied from 11yo to 17yo!) who rule the clubs of their city. They were wide known in their area and used to back up 'bigger' names of the era such as the Isley Brothers, Sam Cooke and Gary US Bond when these came to show up on the American Bandstand shows.  The kind of band I always wish to witness in a dance, if I had a time machine!

Earl Palmer's Party Rockers with The Jay Hawks - "Johnny's House Party" (Aladdin 3379, 1957)– Oh, that’s quite a gathering! Earl Palmer was the BEAT behind countless sides of rock & roll, and when I’m saying countless I mean it! From Little Richard and Don & Dewey, to Eddie Cochran, Jan & Dean, Beach Boys, Larry Williams among others ( to these “others” put on names such as Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits or Neil Young but that’s no rock & roll at all). The JayHawks of-course were the doo wop/r&b group that’s mostly known for the “Stranded in the Jungle”, a song  the New York Dolls took and transform into a sleaze-fest! In the “session” was also present  the GREAT Rene Hall putting up some FILTH on guitar. What we have here is thee ABSOLUTE TITTYSHAKER of all time! And good party song like this must be drunk sinked, sloppy and with a loose atmosphere all around it! And that’s the definition of the above!

Mary Hankins With The Tiki-Turbans - "Ants In My Pants" (Continental 12451, 1964) – Ants in your pants indeed! A floorfiller soul/ r&b track like no other! Forget James Brown, this is a hot smokin’ piece o’ wax! Not much info for these maniacs too, but who cares really? The first time I’ve heard this, I knew I had found the slogan I needed for my WTS logo!

The Valiants - "Frieda Frieda" (Keen 4008, 1958) –  An amazin' rockin' R&B track that even Little Richard would have killed for! Actually the Valiants version of “Good Golly Miss Molly” released earlier than the Master's even though Mr. Penimann's take was earlier recorded. I learned the song via the Barry Whitfield & the Savages album “Dig Yourself”, searched for it a while, found it, grab it and till then remains at the height of my Little Richard soundalikes ever! You'll gonna know why in a little! 

Paul Peek & His Peek-A-Boos feat. Esquerita - "Rock-A-Round" (NRC 001, 1958) - That's the only song in here that's from a white dude. BUT… 1. This white dude was a Gene Vincent's Blue Cap! 2. Co-written by Peek and Esquerita featuring the key slayer himself pounding those 88s! And it's a hell of a tune! The drums and the keys are trying to beat each-other in song's favor and ours flavor! Cycling rhythms, exploding in your face without further warning! I wish sometimes Gene was involved too… 

Wailin' Bill Dell & His Bachelors - "You Gotta Be Loose" (OJ 1003, 1958) - Don't know shit 'bout Wailin' Bill Dell except for the fact that he's WAILIN'! Τhis thing totally rips! Two notes, less than two minutes, a monster & a storm! Wicked & breathless example of what today is called "black rock & roll"! 
Don Covay - "Ooh, My Soul" (Firefly 313, 1958) -  A legend in its own right, Don Covay may be more known as a Soul maestro but in his earliest was no less than a Little Richard type, electrifying rock & roller!  He cut some CLASSIC two-siders sometimes under the nickname of Pretty Boy and he was one of the few that got Richard's personal OK for what he was doing. Tracks like "Bip Bop Bip" (with Richard's "band" the Upsetters accompanying), "Switchin' In The Kitchen", "Rockin' the Mule" or this hard edged Penniman's cover, prove there was more to him than just another one of King's imitators or throne claimers.
Elder Charles Beck - "Rock & Roll Sermon Pts 1 & 2" (?, 195?) -  Totally raw, primitive, electrifying and testifying guitar amp driven gospel! Forget the MC5, this is the real shit! A anti-rock n' roll tune, completely possessed by the devilish rock n' roll spirit! A Luciferian attempt to eulogize God's goods...Ha-ha! As diverse as this sound, believe me, it is! If this preacher was God's soldier he sure did it the wrong way! Thanks Devil for putting his nasty tail on this hot smokin' piece of soul disarray! Let's face it, NO ONE can beat the evil powers of Rock & Roll! 

Dave Edmunds, The Rockfield Rebel + The Rockfield Story (By Greg Shaw - Bomp! Magazine Issue 15 - Spring 1976)

“Roots-rockers are seldom as purist as Dave Edmunds. Throughout his career, he stayed true to '50s and '60s rock & roll – for Edmunds, rock & roll history stopped somewhere in 1963, after the Beach Boys’ first singles but before the Beatles’ hits.”

The above piece was taken from the allmusic.com site on the overview of the great artist, sorry rock & roller named Dave Edmunds. Cause rock & roll is no art, it’s more than this! Anyway, of course I have a boundless respect for the Beatles but as a music fan I’m more to Dave Edmunds side of things. And you know it’s cool to like better the Ronettes than the Beatles, right?  Dave is an underappreciated guitarist. If you already witness Love Sculpture records’, you know what he was/is able to do with this weapon in his hands (“Sabre Dance” gives the boot to all the Claptons of this world). When the blues outfit of Sculpture called its quits, Dave on his small recording studio, launched a kind of successful career just by recording and playing all the instruments by himself, pickin’ almost entirely on ‘oldies’ covers.  And what job he did! He was the ONLY ONE that tried and succeeded to re-create the unique sounds of Sun, Chess and Philles, a subject that MANY (if not all…) tried and of course FAILED! Don’t get wrong on him, he was no revivalist. At least in the way we all think of revivalists today. He was/is a PURE fan of the golden age of American rock & roll. I’m not sure what I like more on him, cause he was excellent bandleader just like he was the best maybe producer of the genre after Phil Spector. I never understood why the Stones never tried something with him behind the boards. Their sometime evil twin (the Flamin’ Groovies) got him to produce monsters, and “Shake Some Action” is (at least) a good example. Brian Wilson listening to an Edmunds recording said was “God behind the drums”! Really now, there are tons of things I could say ‘bout the brilliancy of Mr. Edmunds and I really don’t know where to start and where to finish. The Rockpile were probably the best pub rock band of the 70s and is a chapter that also needs further investigation for most of the rock & roll fans. This is a GREAT piece on Dave Edmunds by the mighty pen of Greg Shaw as it published with Bomp! Magazine back in Spring 1976.  That’s essential reading and it’s truly a pity we don’t have today writers or musicians with a passion like theirs!  Hope this excerpt is the start for all those never looked on Dave Edmunds brilliant career for both of his personas, musician & producer. As long as Dave’s still around, there’s hope for roots rock & roll to survive.

Norton turns 25! Vintage Billy Miller Interview (What Wave #19 - 199?)

Everybody's got a favorite label, right? Well, more than one actually but everyone's got some small record industry to support with a passion similar to his fave football/basketball/whatever anyway team! Of the "modern" labels White Trash Soul's darling is Norton! I know you know it but i need sometimes (OK, most times) to repeat myself. And Norton just marked 25! That's right, A quarter of century full of rock & roll. And rhythm & blues. And soul. And gospel. And surf... I have picked last week my latest copy of Ugly Things fanzine. Actually a magazine now (or a pocket tome). I'm sure you all know Mike Stax's brainchild but as i said, i have to repeat myself. Ugly Thing's the last great fanzine til some other (hopefully) of the currents, start to characterize his self just like KICKS did, or Bomp! or Ugly Things... And i tell you guys & gals, it's a winner for one more time! And it has a 21 page tribute to the mighty Norton/Kicks empire! And i read this piece three times in a row before go further. So, i guess you all understand what should do next huh?
Anyway, i found a Norton tribute/interview on a cool zine of the late 80s/early 90s scene. What Wave hailed from Canada (Miriam's homeland) and it was a very cool read. On issue 19 (came out probably in 1990 - but i didn't found anywhere a date to confirm this), Billy Miller gave an interview to the guys and i thought to scan those pages, as a good coincidence to celebrate the label that had/has in its arms "A six and a half foot Cyclops drag queen, a pair of singing Siamese twins, an Indian with a lung, at least three murderers, the nation's number one art thief, the world's first wheelchair confined bad guy wrestling manager, a hillbilly who sings about the joys of chicken, cheese and decapitation, at least three pimps, an elephant thief, a convicted pornographer, about a dozen guys that wears turbans for no apparent reason, one guy who claims to be from Saturn and another who claims to be from Mars, and we even gotten to Kim Fowley"!
Happy Birthday and thanks a lot for changin' my life (in a way)!

-Click pics to enlarge-

Kent Morrill of The Fabulous Wailers (R.I.P. 1941-2011)

I just found out that the organist/vocalist of the NW legends and proto-punk masters, the (Fabulous) Wailers, died a few days ago after some years battle with the fuckin' disease... His wife said that the night before sang in his sleep "Louie Louie", a song the Wailers had an equal share in fame as the song's own writer the mighty Richard Berry! You can actually read more on this on the Louie Report... If you don't own already the Wailers material, you should start immediately. White Trash Soul sends his boundless respect to Kent Morrill for what he achieved in life. The Wailers, The Sonics and the Louie! Its' all about THREE CHORDS, a CATCHY TUNE and a bunch of UNDECIPHERABLE WORDS! R.I.P.

The Sonics - "Live - Fanz Only" (LP, Etiquette/Fan Club - 1987)

Imagine this. Let's say there's somewhere a lexicon with words explaining pictures (or sounds...). And somewhere in it there's this classic photo shoot of the Sonics "BOOM!" front sleeve, OK? So, let's give it a try and put aside all these words perfectly fits 'em...
"Savage", "ferocious", "explosive", "mayhem", "vulgar", "dirty", "motherfuckers", "bumps", "strollers", "hooligans", "tough", "gritty", "hard", "thump", "powerhouse", "energy", "raw", "stripped down", "manic", "splinter", "punchy", "bust", "fuck", "young", "juvenile", "devilish", "tilt", "distortion", "fuzz", "buzz", "drunk", "earthquake", "dangerous", "venomous", "lethal", "uncontrollable", "sweaty"...Gosh, it's endless...
Or you can abstract all the above with just one......Punk! That's right, the one and only true punk band ever stomp feet n' boots on this planet. The Stooges looked like lame imitators and the Black Flag as an orchestra of wind and string instruments compared to the Sonics. Hard boiled, rock n' roll thugs that took genre to another level. Don't frazzle it, this is where the action is! Period.
PS: That's a very rare item of the Sonics discography. Came out in 1987 by Etiquette (their original company) in the States and the French New Rose/Fan Club label for the Europe. Three tracks here, recorded during the 60s decade ( James Brown's "Please, Please, Please", the Seeds "Pushin' To Hard" and Bo Diddley's standard "I'm a Man") and three more from a 1972 reunion show (Little Richard's "Lucille" in a version that RIPS, and their own "Psycho" and "The Witch" - the later two outcropped on the "Psycho-Sonic" compilation and the Norton's reissue of "BOOM!"). That's the only record by them i don't own. Thankfully Jean Philippe did and made the rip for our listening pleasure (and unpleasantness for your neighbors!), exclusively of course for White Trash Soul!
FLAC

Aaaahhh Wooooo! 

Otis Redding & the Pinetoppers - "Shout Bamalama" W/ "Fat Gal" (Orbit & Confederate, 1960-61)

Sometimes we must invent (in a way) new terms for helping us describe things, even if these are unproved. For our next subject, the tags 'Rhythm & Blues", "Rock & Roll" or "Soul" can not describe in its full glory, the mayhem captured on tape, half a century ago. We should really call this "garage soul" or maybe "punky R&B" and still we're not going to be 100 % correct.
The great Otis Redding stays to this day as one of the finest! He really got it. Angry and at the same time smooth. Passionate and true. His idol though was no James Brown, but the real king of Rock & Roll, Little Richard. If this was a math equalization, the specific two-sider must had no unknown X. A frantic, pounding, frenzy and deliriously stomping soul hard drive for what is made in a hurry and proposed for butt shaking!
I even like the myth that surrounds it. Otis was Pinetoppers' driver. The Pinetoppers were a kick ass combo. Seriously, these fuckers were as mean and tough as Little Richard's Upsetters! Many times and just from that single judging, think of 'em as the black Raymen! Yeah, that MEAN! So, they went to Memphis for a session at Stax, things not worked properly, Otis grabbed the mic and BOOM! The rest is history! Rock & Roll simplicity and brilliancy have hided most times in such occasions. Primitive rawness that makes Iggy & the Stooges sound like your parish choir boys! No Shit! If you're looking for the most Wild & Savage records ever, have in mind this and the Bunker Hill's "Girl Can't Dance". No wonder after these, Little Richard turned to God... I only wonder what the savage young Sonics would (or could) have done if they had touched their filthy hands on?!
PS: I have seen this single with many different labels. King, Confederate, Orbit and Sue... I think Orbit's the original but it's easier to find King's re-print. I can't remember clearly but, I'm sure for King and Sue issues  this credited to Otis Redding only and not with the Pinetoppers but it's the same screamer (well OK, King's single has overdubs and it's slightly different but anyway...), so if you ever see it watching you, grab it!
VBR

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

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

Run, Uncle John, Run! 

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

I fuckin' hate the Turtles! I can't stand the hippies anyway - so imagine if these hippies were fat stoned singing altogether with "pom-pom-poms" and shit,  "So haaaaappy togeeetheeeerrrr!"... Grrrrrrr!!! I need an uzi and a clip of bullets!
Ain't life full of contradictions? The Crossfires were one of these repugnant things. I mean, take a serious look on these photos here. OK, did you check them carefully? Awright, then give a listen to these fuckers recordings. I tell you people and before you can take a judge for yourself, the Crossfires were a bunch of strolling savage teenagers! One of the USA's most killer surf-instro combos! And actually were the first incarnation of the...Turtles for fuck's sake. As a one track mind i am there was no chance to give a shot on this CD if i knew first who got involved. I know, I'm a sucker but at least respect my honesty. That's another out of print compilation and don't know why these good folks at Sundazed HQ didn't re-reissue yet, gems like this one (preferable format this time, vinyl).  From the known surf hymns of "Fiberglass Jungle", 'Chunky","Inferno" and "Silver Bullet" to inspired rockenrollers like Buddy Holly's "That 'll be the Day", "Justine" and the mean lean "One potato two potato", the 'fires just sets dance-halls on (what else?) fire! All these sides along with the Flo & Eddie produced DMZ Sire LP, gives you some reasons to respect something of the Turtles history and proves that none was born a square, he becomes one later! 
320Kbps

Fiberglass Jungle! 

Eddie Bo - "In The Pocket With Eddie Bo" (Vampisoul, 2008)

In my mind there's no underrated R&B artist ever, than Eddie Bo (along with Eddie Taylor - my two Eddies). Eddie was sadly in the package of the least known greats. A funkster and a soulman, a rock n' roller and boogaloo-er, there's really no piece of black music that didn't touch his talented hands on. And what was created by these, were at least perfect examples of what New Orleans' music parade had to offer. Everybody knows Little Richard's "Slippin' & Slidin'' I'm sure. Does everyone know that was actually an Eddie Bo's tune (a local hit on Apollo under the title of "I'm Wise")? From 1955 to his recently departure, he had recorded and changed more than 40 record labels. From Ace and Apollo to Chess, Backbeat or Instant, Eddie created quite simply; sounds cool enough to move your body and touch your soul. He had worked also with great musicians of the era or the region such as Johnny Adams, Bobby Williams or Art Neville, but still remained a man behind the curtain and the headlights. Eddie was a unique mixture of voodoo rhythms and this compilation is as far as I'm able to know, the best way to start and to finish an important but yet criminally overlooked journey in New Orleans music tradition. If you wanna go deep down and dirty, well, here's your pill!
320 Kbps

In the Pocket with... 

PS:  Check here Soul Generation's brilliant feature on Eddie Bo.

The Senders - "The Living End b/w No More Foolin'Me" (S.R.I. Records, 1978)

I know, writing someone's bio it's a good thing for people came last minute for the picture, but I’m not that good at it plus it bores me to death!

The good thing here is that i did an interview some months ago with Philippe Marcade of the Senders fame, telling more or less lot o' things for the band we're about to talk here. I guess it's a cool one so give it a chance if you haven't already.

The Senders may be the first and the best of all the roots rock & roll revivalists of the seventies. A tight as hell incarnation of the golden age of American R&B and rock & roll. They had a huge range of influences, from Little Richard and Chuck Berry to Howlin' Wolf and the Crazy Teens, resurrecting a music that at the time was totally forgotten. You can add them on the pub rock circuit if it ever existed such a movement for the west side of the Atlantic. If the one side of the coin were Dr. Feelgood, then the other for sure were the Senders. Not as speedy as their British comrades but in a way, an edgier approach of what was R&B, at least for them. Wild Bill is a hell of a guitarist, something of a 50s version of Johnny Thunders. Did I say Johnny Thunders? Well, Johnny wasn't just a friend that jumped in for a while, but a long time fan! Go figure, you're in a band and among your followers is Mr. Genzale himself! Not a bad credit for your CV, right?

I dig all of their stuff, the earlier naturally more, but the re-united versions were totally cool also and it’s a worthy adventure to try gather their entire recording output. What we got here is their self produced first release. And it's a BLAST if I must put it in a few words (well, one). BLOG TO COMM has a review of this with something I liked enough to adopt and use. On the above two-sider you can actually hear a "1959 version of Heartbreakers". Speaking the truth, that's exactly what you are going to hear on this. The sad similarity that the Senders shared with the Heartbreakers, was the heavy drug use and the tragic loss by some of their members. There's a new cool compilation out in the streets under the title of "Outrageous and Contagious". I didn't bought it yet cause I own the lot of the Senders discography, but I will, cause it has two cuts with JT on guitar and this alone hits me enough to make it mine. But it's a sure shot for the newbies. Check it out here.

Along with the Fleshtones, the Zantees and the Raunch Hands, NYC’s best kept secret!
320Kbps 

 The Living End...

 

Link Wray - "Link Wray" (Polydor, 1971)

Maybe Linkster got tired somewhere in the early 70s of the known rock n' roll sound helped created and tried something else. And "old" fans at the time were at least in a buzz with this. I always thought that the culprit behind this direction was God. He always was a religious person. I don't know why but he was. Don't get me wrong here, but i always "blamed" devil for Rock & Roll. You know blasts like "Rumble" or "Ace of Spades" CAN'T BE God's work... But who knows.

I learned via the great Swedish garage punkers, the Nomads, the apocalyptic, cataclysmic and in a way mystical "Fire & Brimstone" hymn. Almost instantly mumbled "i gotta find this" and in the short period of half a year finally this LP came to my ownership. It wasn't easy as it is now with the net, then. I'm not gonna tell you lies here. At first felt a strong disappointment. OK i was just 20 y.o. and all i wanted from Link was FUZZZZZZZZZZZZ. The fact that in this Wray era, musicians like Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead got involved in his works looked to me something of a blasphemy! I mean, what in the hell a stinky hippy looking for, in a studio with the punkster of them all? But that was then. This LP got a bluesy and country feeling, the way Stones adopt these genres and through their twisted view, created monolithic epics like "Beggars Banquet". "Rawhide" and "Jack the Ripper"'s spirits still here but with different guts and balls. Did you ever thought that acoustic guitars, mandolins or pianos may had the same dynamics as a pencil stabbed Fender amplifier? And believe me, they HAVE! The Swanee front sleeve wasn't there for no reason. All the blues Link felt as a kid growing up in the South are here. Listen to Willie Dixon's closing number, "Tail Dragger" and hear Link make hoodoo voodoo leaving behind Keith and Mick obviously in jealousy. That's not country rock. It's fuckin' ballsy rock n' roll disguised in melody and sorrow. I was foolin' around the net the other day and came across of the following piece on the reissue actually of this great and underrated record. Christopher's from BLOG TO COMM writings were always waaaayyyyy cool, and what's next is just a small sample of his brilliant "work"! Oh it's also definitely what i had in me mind for this long play, but i was unable to express it in a way so elegantly fluent as his! Thanks mate and sorry if i hadn't get your prove for using your words!

320Kbps

Self Titled 

"Ya wanna know why I actually bought a fresh copy of this Link Wray "comeback" album even though I could have listened to at least most of it if I had only bothered to search out that comp of Link's Polydor years wallowing somewhere in the collection? Well, if you're curious enough all you have to do is click here (WTS note : the last pic in this post), and if the answer doesn't strike you deader than Tim Yohannon then you just haven't been reading my obsessive/compulsive screeds regarding a certain underground groundswell of raw psychosis that I've been prattling on about these past twenty(thirty!)some years! And yes, even this far down the line I must admit that coming across hotcha references such as this 'un just goes to remind me as to what a real hotbed of under-the-gulcher punkism even the oft-loathed early-seventies were, and how in many ways the fifties originators and their music were just as important to the entire hard-edge as the up-and-comers blending all together even at that early stage in the game!

You probably would think this a Jesse Ed Davis album by the cover with Link playing up his American Indian roots to the hilt. No more pompadour and suit and tie here. I do wonder what the typical instrumental rock fan of the day'd have thought seeing this photo of Link...probably woulda believed the guy was going "hippie" with the new long locks and def. loose dress code, but if even the most hard-hearted rocker'd look beyond the updated "trappings" he'd easily enough see this album for what is it. Mainly a pretty durn good sublimely-high energy effort on par with the best garageisms of the early-seventies! It's loads better'n I remembered and if anything this platter, riff-drone and all, proves that maybe Patrick Carr was right with his comparisons twixt Wray's early-seventies act and a certain batch of En Why Icons goin' the opposite way on that train 'round the bend. And sure it ain't the Link Wray sound of the early-sixties but it ain't the James Taylor sound of the early-seventies either and if Wray had been a lot more weak-willed who knows what this longplayer might have ended up like! I shudder at the thought.

Surprisingly enough for a man who only had one lung, Wray sings on all of the tracks here sounding less ferocious than he did on those once-in-awhile vocals of yore, kinda like a real-life version of what Jagger was trying to project at the time with just enough Captain Beefheart thrown in at the right time to really make this sound deep-South voodoo (even on the way-above par Jesus numbers!). Come to think of it this album is pretty much everything the Rolling Stones were trying to ape with their rural trek to Muscle Shoals making me think they would have done better to stop at Wray's Shack instead. Really, this outdoes STICKY FINGERS on a whole load of levels and it ain't funny that people remember that 'un and sorta pass on this as merely another comeback effort.

Great backing band too...not exactly the Raymen in stature even if brother Doug is on drums but pleasant enough in its backwoods surge of electricity stylings which fits in with the swamp-punk utterances of Link and his various gear. The high-pitched background vocals are also the best heard since the Primitives, and the general rural underground feeling is only accentuated by Wray's bloozey playing on dobro which shoulda at least made this a running contender with TEENAGE HEAD for some sorta punkabilly romp of '71 award. Best thing of all is that every track's a winner perhaps because Wray does not fall into the dreaded relevancy trap of the day even when he does get heart to heart on "Ice People" (no cheap Leonard Jeffries references here!), which is more or less a commentary of isolation and alienation in the early-seventies and not a timely anti-war piece of fluff. I should know because this one still stands the test while the outright "meaningful" right-on hits of '71 were already seen as the jokes they were right around when 1973 clocked in. Trust me...I remember "One Tin Soldier" and "Things Get A Little Easier (Once You Understand)" so I know what hippie relevance pandering is!

The die-cut cover repro on this LIMITED EDITION (hurry up get one kiddoes!) is a nice touch if you go for that kinda stuff, but even if this came in a sleeve showing nothing but an up-close shot of each and every one of Dave Lang's beloved hemorrhoids LINK WRAY would be what I'd call all-important rock & roll listening, an especially welcome addition to any collection considering the rock dearth-y period it came outta. It's rare to come in contact with an album that never lets up with its hard-edged attack and the fact that it was a buncha rural middle-agers doing the retro-rural rock trip (some of 'em well pushing forty!) only adds more karmik brownie points to its inherent meaning. And best of all, this is not yet another nostalgia trip many would have thought Wray would have whipped up for some easy bucks but a downright real rock & roll CONTENDER, something we could have used a lot more of back in those wimpass times that's for sure!"

The Sid Presley Experience - "Cold Turkey" (SPE, 1984) & "Public Enemy No.1" (I.D. Records, 1984) Singles

I guess most of this blogs' visitors probably know who the Godfathers were/are, right? Well, to those not in the know, the Godfathers were the last true rock n' roll outfit that came out of Britain. Perhaps a punkier version of Dr. Feelgood or a rhythm & blues edition of Sex Pistols. Anyway, I must do and say more things on these lads in the near (hopefully) future. The Coyne brothers (Peter - guitar, Chris - vocals) always were the core of this terrific gang. But before the gangster suits and band name, lead a more (!) aggressive and passionate group, the Sid Presley Experience. Obviously, a three word tribute to some iconic figures of rock n' roll. Still sharp dressed, still rough and most importantly, in a more high octane state than their later “famous” effort. On their short lived "career" as far as I know, put out only two singles (“Public Enemy No.1” and “Cold Turkey”) and even though had numerous fans and cool/good coverage from the English music press (not the best lads in the world, especially for a rock n' roll band) for some reason unknown to me, they disbanded.

Due to my age, I discovered them many years later and of course the reason why was the Godfathers. I always liked their version on John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey”. It was rougher and rawer. One day some record store owner played me Sid Presley’s version and from that specific day, this early incarnation of Godfathers became something of an obsession to me. Last night got down to my basement to dig up an old Zig Zag magazine (January 1984) with the Sid Presleys inside. On a small piece of the interview you can actually read and understand the reason why these guys were Britain’s last chance to rock n’ roll (see last picture)…

320Kbps


Tracks:


"Cold Turkey"

A Side: "Cold Turkey"
B Side :"Firewater", "F For Fake"


"Public Enemy No.1"
A Side: "Public Enemy Number One"
B Side : "Hup Two Three For"

The Singles

Ducks Deluxe - "Ducks Deluxe" (RCA, 1974)

It's hard to pick up a favorite record among so many others and twice as hard is to pick up a band as your fave among all those out there. True as it is from all the so called 'Pub Rock' scene for me at least,  it's not hard at all to pick on on Dr. Feelgood, the Count Bishops and Ducks Deluxe.
And you can't do no wrong with a band that had Sean Tyla (at the time ex Help Yourself) and a bunch of ex roadies (Martin Belmont road-ed for Brinsleys, Nick Garvey for the Flamin' Groovies!). I strongly believe that Ducks should have been bigger! I'm sure i read somewhere sometime, that Keith liked them so much that offered them a record deal with the Rolling Stones Records but... they were too punk rock even for an opportunity like this! On a good night Ducks were a "straight ahead hard driving punk rock band, drawing on the uptempo drive of the MC5, the true street drawl of Lou Reed, and the precocious teen angst of Eddie Cochran!" (source: Mojo magazine, May 1996). They sure not invented anything. A friend once moaned about them as a Chuck Berry recycling band... OK. I agree. But i can't see a bad thing on this statement! And that's what they were. A great band with a strong loving on American rhythm & blues and boogie! Dave Edmunds produced them (I'm pretty sure you might guess the end results, huh?), the Stones tried to grab them and the fans (what else?) adore them. They put out three classic albums, and when they finally split out, they transformed into great outfits like the Tyla Gang, the Rumor and the Motors! A couple of years ago re-united and still plow every little city across  Europe. An 'odds and sods' album is out there ("Side Tracks & Smokers") if anyone's interested.
That's their same name debut. Still the best, still the strongest of the three. Give a shot a lemme know...
320Kbps

Ducks Deluxe 

Ian Dury - "New Boots and Panties!!" (Stiff, 1977)

I always had a thing for unusual people. I trust 'em. I like the way they looked weird at least for most of the other people. I like people too that have a "problem" that makes them unique. From a small child still, i was unable to follow the other kids on school and make fun of them and their uniqueness. I didn't pity them. I pity people that's racists, money hunters and liars. I have no bad word for all the others, and especially those with kinetic problems.
Gene Vincent was one of my ultimate heroes. And he had a "bad" leg. That didn't stopped him to be thee Gene Vincent we all like and admire. The first time i confronted Ian Dury was in a club. Not in person. "Wake Up and Make Love to Me" blasted through the place's speakers and i left there stunned! No dance! Go figure, with a track like this i remained something like a statue. And that incident took place about 15 years ago. Still this sucker on his late teens. There was no internet and there was not much money in my pockets. So i had to wait for years to catch this long play.
Ian Dury had a "bad" leg too and he liked Gene Vincent at least as much as me (i still believe I'm No. 1 fan on most of my favorite artists - so i believe i can make a compromise here and let Billy Miller & Ian Dury be on the same table with me on this)! And that's a great coincidence! On a second thought this must not be a coincidence, it's fate. So i bought sometime later "New Boots and Panties!!" and from that moment never really recover. A bizarrely energetic amalgam of Pub Rock, Rock & Roll, Funk and Calypso... Brilliant lyrics and danceable beats to make a thousands assholes under an artist name that starts with a "D.J", sample him and cash on his back.  C'mon, span classics here: "Wake Up and Make Love With Me", "Sweet Gene Vincent", "Sex & Drugs & Rock N' Roll", "Blockheads", "Razzle In My Pocket"... You won't be wrong if you count this as a "Best Of" record.... One of the most underrated artists ever, just like our idol, Gene.
320 Kbps

New Boots and Panties!! 

Flamin' Groovies - "California Born and Bred" (Norton, 1995)

I consider myself a HUGE Flamin’ Groovies fanatic and almost daily google a little with their name putted on the search box to see what’s new or not.

Some days before I checked on Hounds’ blog (always a pleasure reading him) and found him raving about Norton’s Groovies compilation “California Born & Bred”!  Indeed an excellent add on for the band’s loyalists. As usual, Jim was right.

That's the Roy Loney era line up and has many previously unreleased tracks including the killer versions of "Texas Border" or "Dr. Boogie".

Since it’s a 1995 release I thought to post it here. Of course Norton has copies available and I assume you know what you must do next huh? 

TEENAGE MONSTER BOOM BLAST!

320Kbps

Born & Bred!