A few good times in my life
Another round of songs I loved when they were released, I love still or just make fun to listen to them after a long time.
1978: Blondie
1977: Steve Miller Band
1977: The Jam
1983: Fun Boy Three
1991: Marc Cohn
1958: The Coasters
1968: Aretha Franklin
1966: The Temptations
1979: Joe Jackson
1984: Ultravox
1967: Jimi Hendrix
When I couldn't do anything over the weekend due to a bad cold, I watched the feature film September 5 - The Day The Terror went live by Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum. There are many films about the hostage-taking of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team by the terrorist group Black September, but this film focuses on the media's first takeover of terror (it got much worse in Gladbeck in 1988, when Rösner and Degowski held hostages for several days). Over 900 million people watched as hooded men pointed guns at innocent people, as overstretched police officers tried to control the situation and as politicians tried to act as negotiators.
I remember these days as young kid, when my father bought his first color TV and we watched together the Olympic games in Munich. To be honest I was far too young to understand the whole dimension of this terror attack but these pictures were burned in my mind since. On the peaceful days of the games there was one song who provided the musical accompaniment to the day's sporting highlights.
It was If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot, a Canadian singer/songwriter who had his best times in the seventies. I loved his songs and his baritone voice since then and come back to his songs regulary.
Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind
Gordon Lightfoot - Early Morning Rain
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Gordon Lightfoot - I'm Not Saying/Ribbon Of Darkness
When I take the time to listen to new rap, I notice that many musicians deliberately give themselves crazy names or alienate their names by replacing vowels with dollar or euro signs. However, I have not yet come across anyone who refers part of their artist name to Spongebob. KennyHoopla is a singer/rapper from Cleveland who released a song this week that is obviously atypical for him.
And the result surprises with a homage to shoegaze and references to Ride and Sonic Youth. We've had to wait a long time for an American rapper to show how shoegaze can work today.
PS: The video was directed by someone named Godsavethequeenbee.
To stand out as an unknown band from the mass of releases, you need a good cover and/or a title that arouses interest. The Ballistic Brothers have succeeded in this, as their album London Hooligan Soul has piqued my interest.
The Ballistic Brothers are a band around their mastermind Ashley Beedle who recorded the aforementioned album 30 years ago, which has now been re-released on the Acid JazzAcid Jazz label.
The outstanding song is A Beautiful space, which is really just beautiful and should have a place on every Cafe Del Mar record. Chilled out sounds with a gentle rhythm and an acoustic guitar make for a relaxed start to the weekend.
Today the sad news arrived that David Thomas died at the age of 71 after he suffered a long time at kidney disease. Thomas was the leading figure by Pere Ubu, a proto-punk band from Cleveland which was to be style-defining for post-punk.
A few years ago Pere Ubu appeared at this place and I wrote: Formed in Cleveland in the late 70's they created their very own version of rock music. Inspired by punk as a new form of music they added elements of krautrock and free jazz to their cosmos. Seldom heard a darker and dangerous sound like on their first albums. If any music can hurt than theirs. I know this is not the cup of tea for everyone and lots of people would annoy this kind of music but if you are willing to to go to the darkest chapter in punk/new wave influenced music you have to listen to this. A tour de force of experimental sound.
Let's finish with David Thomas last words: "‘My name is David Fucking Thomas, and I'm the lead singer of the best fucking rock 'n’ roll band in the world.' Long live Pere Ubu."
Rest in Pease David
Belfast's Deeply Armed released their debut EP The Healing a few weeks ago but I only became aware of them recently. I don't want to bet on it, but this gem will probably be overlooked.
The trio (Michael McKeown on vocals, synth and guitar, Aaron O'Neill on electronics and Kenny Whaley on bass) were active on Belfast's club scene for years and have found their unique style now. It is an intoxicating sound, put together with krautrock like Neu!, a Peter Hook like bassline and Sonic Boom sitting at the control. For me a highlight in relaxed psychedelia this year.
Keith Tenniswood made a remix of this song and minimized the sound, stripping away guitars and putting the bass in front of.
Yesterday's post was dedicated to the latest album by SAULT. Our friend Ernie has left the following comment: Good stuff but I thought from the title this would be your tribute to the pioneering LA punks of the same name. Maybe there is a follow up post there. Let his wish be my command, because it can't be that this band has never been mentioned here before.
X was one of the first punk band formed in Los Angeles in the late seventies by John Doe and Exene Cervenka. Doe was raised in Brooklyn and got infected to punk when he saw Talking Heads at CBGB's and The Heartbreakers at Max's Kansas City. He packed his things and moved to the west where he met Cervenka where they got friends and formed this legendary group together with guitarist Billy Zoom.
In 1980 they released their debut album Los Angeles which got some critical acclaim but it wasn't successful at it's release. I owned this album by recommendation of my local music dealer and not really knowing what kind of music awaits me. The album thrilled me right from the start because it doesn't just consist of three chords, but the musicians have mastered their instruments (although that shouldn't be essential). The fact that they have allowed other influences such as Eddie Cochran and rockabilly right from the start sets them apart from West Coast punks like the Black Flags.
Their songs, in which Doe and Cervenka alternate, are highly melodic and the quirky harmony vocals became the band's most distinctive element. With their following album Wild Gift they added more country influence to their sound and I think The Gun Club was inspired by their sound. In the mid eighties X vanished from my radar and I got aware of them again when they released their last album last year.
I don't know why they didn't got the reputation The Ramones got because their first records were highlights from this music/decade.
X - Johnny Hit And Run Paulene
X - Soul Kitchen Cover from The Doors probably because Ray Manzarek produced their first albums
X - Los Angeles
X - Beyond And Back
X - Some Other Time
SAULT have done it again and released a new album without further notice. For more than six years, the British neo-soul collective has been releasing one great record after another.
They don't tell us who exactly is behind the band, only that the great vocals are by Cleo Sol. SAULT also show us on this album that there are indeed ways to breathe new life into soul and R&B. Often minimalistically arranged and with bass lines that other bands would give their lives for, the magic of their songs is often only revealed on repeated listens, as there is always something new to discover. X is another album that could set the style for this genre.
Another sentimental musical journey into times long gone by.
1976: Thin Lizzy
1969: Bob Dylan
1969: Simon and Garfunkel
1986: Peter Gabriel
1972: Alice Cooper
1974: Paper Lace
1976: Steve Miller Band
1978: Elvis Costello and the Attractions
1979: Rickie Lee Jones
Last evening me and my oldest friend returned from a short trip to Krakov, a lively, youthful and, despite its historical significance, extraordinarily beautiful city full of green islands. A city that is well worth a short trip. What we didn't get to do was visit the Auschwitz concentration camp, the spawn of German shame, as more than 30,000 visitors wanted to see this place that day.
When we were on a pub in the evening time they played Hey You, a song by Dope Lemon, a project by Australian singer and guitarist Angus Stone. It is some kind of lo-fi pop with an affinity to indie-rock, dominated by a dubbed guitar. This song reminds me on a single from back in 2020 by Kevin Morby, an American singer/songwriter who played a similar guitar on I Was On Time, another fine piece of music.
Dope Lemon - Hey You
Kevin Morby - I Was On Time
The Vendetta suite is the project of Gary Irwin a well known name in Belfast's music scene. In 2021 he released his first album The Kempe Stone Portal and one year later some remixes. His long time friend David Holmes remixed Purple Haze, Yellow Sunshine into a gem of ambient tones and psychedelic electronics.
Today I'm off for a couple of days visiting Krakow, Poland. Will be back next week with more.
Another Wednesday and another journey through music history with songs that were famous at the time or that were simply part of my musical development.
1974: Golden Earring
1971: Carole King
1982: Africa Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force
1983: Tears For Fears
1965: Otis Redding
1966: The Troggs
1970: Neil Young & Crazy Horse
1962: Dick Dale and the Deltones
Without any reason I listened to The Boomtown Rats, a band formed 50 years ago in Dublin, a lot. They appeared when punk started but for me they were more new wave because they included elements of reggae, pop, rock and catchy melodies into their sound. Opinions are divided about this band, but I've always liked their music and I don't really care about Bob Geldorf's attitude. What matters is that they released a large number of songs that stayed with me in the early eighties.
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Almost five years ago Autotelia, the joint project of Damien Castellanos and Tom Relleen released their first and last album I. The title suggest that there will be further albums released but Relleen passed away quickly after he received a cancer diagnosis.
This album was on heavy rotation at my place when it was released because I seldom listened to an album that had such a warm sound and none of the five songs were boring. Although the record is a gently unfolding blanket of sound, Autotelia's cosmic sound forms are characterized by a lively effervescence. The suite-like instrumental pieces envelop the listener and encourage them to relax their thoughts and immerse themselves in another world.
Autotelia - First Flight
When a band crawls out of their holes again after 24 years, the first thing you think is that they can probably use the money to rest on their laurels. That's what I thought when I heard that Pulp were releasing a new album.
Spike Island is the name of Pulp's new sign of life. The song is named after an Irish island in the Bay of Cork. However, the song is not about a historical event. In 1990, The Stone Roses played a gig there that would go down in British music history. Back then, 27,000 people gathered to experience the quartet from Manchester on little Spike Island. Jarvis Cocker was not among this huge crowd, but he can still imagine the spectacle.
Jarvis Cocker has never been the great singer and still isn't, but the sound he still manages to produce is a seamless continuation of his last releases. In its best moments, the song is even reminiscent of David Bowie, which is meant in a positive way. In a comment on the video, it was written that 'it's like hugging someone you haven't seen for a long time and it still smells the same and good'. There's nothing more to add to that.
In the early eighties, Greg Ginn founded his label SST and signed the most influential bands of the post-punk and pre-Nirvana era. Alongside Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, his own band Black Flag, but also the Meat Puppets.
In the beginning, the Meat Puppets were still strongly oriented towards the hardcore punk of the 80's, but became more and more experimental and allowed other influences such as folk or blues rock. I became aware of them when they released their fourth album Huevos in 1987, which was a fast-paced country-influenced song with great hooks and harmonies.
That made me look into their beginnings and also buy their second album. On this record they got sick of the hardcore punk and they experimented with acid-rock and country and western sound. This record also featured their biggest hits, which made them unforgettable at the acoustic concert with Nirvana. Time to play this band again.
Meat Puppets - Lost
Meat Puppets - Magic Toy Missing
Meat Puppets - Paradise
Meat Puppets - Look At The Rain
Los Angeles located Death Valley Girls returned with a new single of cover versions. DVG are active since more than a decade playing their very own style of garage/psychedelic rock with often surf fragments in their sound. I don't know why their mastermind Bonnie Bloomgarden has selected this two songs with covers of two extremely sick classic rock songs but I have to admit that it was fun to see how good Stevie Nicks' song is when you add the right instruments and sound to it. Fire and Brimstones is just a reverence to Link Wray and they made a Phil Spector meet the girl groups sound out of it.
Another round of charting singles from the last decades, that are worth hearing again. Let's go.
1998: Air
1977: Television
1965: The Yardbirds
1974: Focus
1984: Huey Lewis and the News
1983: The Human League
1966: James Brown
1976: Patti Smith Group
1978: The Police
In the last few days I've been listening to a lot of Echo and the Bunnymen and then came across the solo works of Will Sergeant. The majority of his releases were instrumental albums on which he showed off his guitar to reduced synth sounds.
One of his solo projects was Glide, in which he turned to more ambient music. They released their first album Space Age Freak Out in 1997. And the title actually reflects the music. The tracks were recorded live and are characterized by ambient and psychedelic electronic keyboard sounds and the occasional guitar. The meditative mood may not be to everyone's taste, but it is relaxing and exciting at the same time.
Glide - Space Van
In the seventies, the cheapest way to travel to other countries was Interrail. For around 120 Euros, you could travel all over Europe by train for a month. My first travel was in 1976 and I explored France and Spain. There I learned to read the timetables and look for cheap accommodation. Of course, I got on the wrong train more than once, but that didn't matter, you just looked around where you were stranded.
A year later, I spent several weeks traveling through Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands with my younger brother. In addition to many impressions and getting to know other travelers, I will never forget Copenhagen. As we strolled through the wonderful old town, we spotted concert posters announcing the Sex Pistols for the evening. We then bought two tickets and went to Daddy's Dancehall, a medium-sized club centrally located in Copenhagen, in the evening.
To be honest, we felt a bit queasy when we saw heavy motorcycles and wild men in leather in front of the entrance. The venue was dark and the DJ, who played classic rock, was enthroned four meters above the ground. The first song playing as we entered was Faith Healer, one of Alex Harvey's best songs. We then made our way to the back area by the bar, where we also had the best view of the stage.
Apart from God Save The Queen, I had no idea what to expect. When the band came on stage, we experienced the energy of punk for the first time. It was wild, raw, loud and terribly mixed, but with a magic that I had never experienced before. From then on, everything was different for me musically.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Faith Healer
Today's song is by DJ Koze, a German DJ, producer and label owner from Hamburg. He's known for his minimal techno sound and a lot of remixes during the last decade. Now he's back with a new album and techno purist will wipe their eyes because he turned into spherical pop sounds.
It is a varied album that breaks with current listening habits with its playfulness and more or less poppy vocals. Perhaps one of the most beautiful experiments to be found in electronic music today. One example is Pure Love, on which Damon Albarn does himself the honor of raising his voice over a plucked guitar and an afrobeat.
The Mekons have always been a band I've appreciated and followed since their first single Where Were You. Over the years, they have released many records celebrating their love of country-inspired indie.
The Mekons have been fighting tirelessly against the forces of capital for almost 50 years. Now the British punk band returns with their new album Horror which was released today. The work deals with the darkest aspects of everyday life and combines a wide variety of musical styles such as dub, folk, new wave and Americana. Despite the serious themes, the indie veterans prove that you can still have a good time while reflecting on world-weariness.
Without going too far out on a limb, they manage to write an album that sounds relevant and fresh - with roots in punk and a foot each in folk and history. Horror is about what's in the papers yesterday, today and tomorrow. In other words, the horror of everyday life. But the Mekons wouldn't be the Mekons if they weren't interested in the causes. And as a decidedly left-wing band, they arrive at the original sin of the British Empire: imperialism. With Oliver Cromwell's concept of “The Western Design” as a starting point, the idea of viewing land as a business opportunity - and dealing with the people who live there accordingly.
Despite all the criticism, the album has a positive mood and once again they manage to make me enjoy listening to a record from start to finish.
A few days ago, the Soft Boys' second album was re-released to mark its release 45 years ago. Reason enough to bring this gem to mind once again. Robyn Hitchcock and Kimberly Rew founded the band at the end of the seventies in Cambridge in the wake of the punk wave and created their very own sound.
Like many others, their music was based on a few chords, but they knew how to write melodic songs spiced up with jangly guitars and a psychedelic touch like few others. Still a record I come back from time to time.
The Soft Boys - I Wanna Destroy You
The Soft Boys - Kingdom Of Love
The Soft Boys - Insanly Jealous
The Soft Boys - Positive Vibrations
Another Tuesday and a look back at which singles were released. And, as always, without words, because the songs speak for themselves, even if they only allow a sentimental look at days gone by.
1985: Katrina and the Waves
1977: Steve Miller Band
1982: Roxy Music
1989: Cowboy Junkies
2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers
1985: Eurythmics
1968: Small Faces
1988: The Smithereens
1988: Tracy Chapman
In the late eighties, Galaxy 500 released On Fire, an album that seemed to have fallen out of time. With their dreamy sound arrangements, dreamy indie, psychedelic influences and sparkling guitar passages, they struck a chord with the times, but went unnoticed by the masses.
Dean Wareham was the head of the band and knew how to create a symbiosis between Johnathan Richman, Spacemen 3 and Velvet Underground. After three albums, the band broke up and Wareham tried to gain a foothold with Luna, but was unable to build on his previous successes. He eventually retired to New Zealand and released several records with his wife Britta in recent years.
In the past few days, he has released his fourth solo album and in a few songs he really does manage to bring the magic of Galaxy 500 back to life. In his best moments, Wareham plays a casual dream-pop with his own guitar solos. Unfortunately, he doesn't manage to maintain this quality over the whole time and so, once again, only a few songs will be remembered.
