Various Artists - "Teenage Shutdown: Jump, Jive and Harmonize" (CD, Teenage Shutdown / Crypt in reality - 1995)

Howdy people! Back from a couple of days off (thankfully there are few more on September's starting) but still in a slacking mood... You know, Greece's having many reasons to be in heat except for the summer, he-he...

Anyway as most (if not all of them) posts here are the results of things I'm crashing in daily and kick me to write and present to you stuff I had previously led my hands on and wasted my ears to and so is this one. My good friend JP once introduced me to the Steve Hoffman forum and even though I hate purists, it has many interesting moments if not educational or funny!

I came yesterday across a TEENAGE SHUTDOWN discussion that if these semi-boot Crypt series are any good and as most conversations ends up, it got bigger and wider on garage/60s punk comps mixing along (what else?) the sound qualities matter... Don't know if any of these guys there are following this jerk behind this blog, but if they do please do yourself a favor and go somewhere else guys for sounding matters. I mean, rock and roll is everything else but fidelity! And even if these next words sound/look/are a cliché, are 100% true as well. Rock and roll is sweat, sex, rawness and sloppiness. It's moving and grooving and having a good time. How this old mod punk song goes? Ah yeh: FUCK ART, LET'S DANCE! 

For me the Shutdowns, are even better than BACK FROM THE GRAVE volumes! Actually Shutdowns are better from anything else except for the iconic NUGGETS (yep, PEBBLES included).  I'm not going to enter into the 'legit' discussion. Of course there lying many well pointed opinions, but firstly I don't know actually what's what and secondly, I don't care as long as these are so well packaged and mastered (yes, even if it's from the bands 45s directly and not from the master tapes).

Here's the first volume and probably my fave one! The "Pounding, Pulverizing, All-Out Punk Dance Ravers" sub sets from the word go, the recipe for this. And what I like THE MOST on these (as the legend says, Moptop Mike owned but Tim Warren chosen) 45s it's the all American feeling into! These frat punks are deeply rooted on the black R&B and Soul acts of their country and day than the British Invasion gangs. Chuckster, Bo, Little Richard and the less known Rhythm and Soul acts (listen to the Shandells' "Gorilla" version or the Us Four "Alligator"). And of course it includes some very well known now tracks like the comp's subtitle of the east L.A. garage legends Thee Midniters or the Lyres well covered and strongly Kingsmen influenced "Busy Body" from the Jolly Green Giants. For fuck's sake it has a prime Del-Shannon mover also!

Don't know if they're still around but if they are, grab 'em with no second thoughts. Trust me, I know my rock and roll... 

******* Closed for Summer Holidays! *******

Teen Johnny Thunders at the beach!

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!

***********************************DIG!************************************

 

 

 

Mother's Children - "Dance To The Rock'n'Roll Band" (7" Pink marbled, Going Gaga Records/ Shang-A-Lang Records - 2009)

I never really liked bands like Jellyfish or Weezer or Teenage Fanclub... OK, I'm lying here a bit. Teenage Fanclub were great actually and Weezer had their good moments sometimes (Jellyfish are still shite though) but these bands are definitely not what I have in my mind as "powerpop". As far as I know, the term belongs to the great Greg Shaw and even though he liked stupid things like ABBA thankfully never released something like it... So things like the Romantics, The Rubinoos, The Shoes and The Nerves are what from day one I too tag as "powerpop" in my vocabulary. Pop bands with a well hidden (sometimes) smell of raw rock and roll!

Among the very best the last few years are Mother's Children from Ottawa Canada. In fact Canada rules the powerpop game nowadays and has quite many and quite excellent gangs around (The Mandates, Fashionism, First Base and Nervous Talk are the first my mind brings swiftly - try them, without question WTS approved outfits) but Mother's Children topped them all with their glamified powerpop n' roll! What really makes these guys special (except for their amazing hooks, harmonies and riffs) are the drumbeats. Seriously now, this guy here's the best thing I've heard behind the kickdrum since the early days of the Hellacopters (respect to Robban, Keith Moon's Swedish lovechild). 

That's their first and it's probably long ago out of print and I'm still not having it psychically. This rip belongs to the departed friend of mine Patrick, of the SOTD fame. Shit man, almost everyday I think of him and the legacy he left behind. There are bands recently discovered by me and it turns out that Pat had them way before me on his site... Anyway, these guys, Kurt Baker's projects, The Cry! and The Connection are combos Joey Ramone would be proud of, trust me! Support them fanatically.