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
