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.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Good night!"

The above phrase belongs to Johnny Rotten on his last night on earth as Rotten. Then became Lydon....
Well, I don’t have much time lately to deal in general and this blog’s not an exception. To tell you the truth I’m not in the mood either.
Of course I didn’t get bored of this, and communicating with other people through music is something very revitalizing but… Just yesterday I discover that most upload links from this space are by now dead. It’s obvious now. The takedown notifications stopped but they targeted White Trash Soul as a “criminal”, “pirate” whatever anyway site. And it’s worthless to spend all this time from my spare with no cause.
I’m waiting for my second son's birth in a few days and my firstborn demon demands everyday more attention. And that’s fair. And I’m proud of him for every new thing thinks up to with a new day’s coming! I really like when he points with his tiny fingers on my records first and then at our home sound system. He REALLY seems to like what daddy puts on.
I’ve bought so many books and records during the last period that when I’m think of it I realise that I didn’t gave them a proper listen (or read) or a listen (or read again) at all. So I guess it’s time for slowing things down a little bit, for all the above reasons and re-arrange some things. Recharge my batteries and give some space to you guys and gals to miss me and to miss you. As I said many times before, White Trash Soul made me a better person (by sharing things and thoughts), and even if I wanted to I would never be able to dump it. And if I must be a down to earth kind of guy (I never was actually) I must face the blessed truth that with two little fellas ‘round the house, there’s not much time really to post with the previous rhythms. And there are many things to share and exchange here and hoping this time not to be chased. Be a follower of this blog to not miss a thing.
I’ve got some emails and comments by friends of the page for a new White Trash Soul compilation. Yeh, that’s a good idea. I'd rather do something more creative by picking an amount of tracks beneath thousands than just to pick a record and then shoot some words. And that’s a damn hard work to do! You have people in the one hand who want the classics, the well known tracks and on the other there are those who want the obscures. I never made separations like this one, but I can’t blame anyone for his tastes. Cool tracks are just cool tracks. Well known or not.  The only thing I always try to notice to avoid is the position of ‘em. I was guarded on this even when I was a little kid and made home tapes for my friends or the chicks (no one ever liked them anyway…). Just like if you’re playing music in a club. Which one goes first and which one should follow? This time I asked for help on the artwork piece cause sorry Bo, many times in life you can judge a book by looking at the cover. And Jean Philippe helped on this one too and with outstanding results! We are working on it still and hopefully in a few days you'll be able to dance to it... If they let it (of course) exist somewhere in the net...
We will not going to talk to each-other that often, but when it's time - we must have lots to say.
Take care all of you and thanks for supporting me.
I'll be back...

Mihaleez

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band - "Shake a Tail Feather Baby!" (Piccadilly, 1967)

Not to be confused with the Detroit igneous shouter Gino Washington, this Geno was not bad at all - even though my personal fave of the two, is the one with an "i" on his name. Geno Washington was an American Air Force GI, stationed in England during the period of the big R&B Boom! Clever enough to understood this, got involved with the growing day by day culture of the Mods and became the frontman of a well oiled machine under the name of the Ram Jam Band. His musical background had a healthy dose of Little Richard, Wilson Pickett and Don Covay and even though his voice was not something special to be remembered of, his energy and especially on stage, made him win with his own sword a secure place among this period's pantheon.
Geno with the Ram Jam early on scored a hit on Piccadilly in 1966 with the "Water" and even though never entered the highest positions of the charts, made some more appearances in there through the years that followed. Arguably their best were at concerts cause they had the skills to easily pack a place and make the sharp dressed crowd to sweat their suits. Of the last clause's truth -  people today usually stands (when it comes for recorded material) on their first two live records (" Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt...Live!" & "Hipsters, Flipsters, Finger-Poppin' Daddies!") but... the heretic lunatic of this space prefers their only (?) studio recorded long play, for a presentation. "Shake A Tail Feather Baby!" had it all! A great front sleeve and a good dose of Memphis Soul execution-ed in its RAWER and FUNKIER  instances! With Stax in mind ("Raise Your Hand," "Knock on Wood", "Who's Foolin' Who") or rock n' roll ("Bonie Moronie"), Geno and the Ram Jam delivered a classic of gritty vocals, wailin' saxes with pounding drums and phunky strings. The keywords on this, should be "Energy" and "Vitality". Perhaps, the best ever approach of the Stax sound, outside America.
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Phunky Butt!