Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation

Where did it go? Why isn't this in print anymore? Why did they change the version of Down At The Rock and Roll Club on the CD? Why the revised album cover? I don't have any answers, but I do have this on vinyl and it's just as important as Television's Marquee Moon, albeit from a completely different world.

The story goes that Hell, as a member of Television, left after every one of his contributions was removed from their set list, except for Blank Generation, and when that went there was no reason to stay. With that said, it's easy to understand the familial lineage between these songs and Television's, although it seems less likely that Hell's ousting was due to a rivalry and more because his songs were far poppier than what Verlaine and company were creating. Live and learn, for better or worse. In Hell's favor, he got Bob Quine and the future Marky Ramone, as well as the song that made him famous.

This is punk when it wasn't a catch-all buzzword, this is when it was rock and roll with an edge. Tom Petty said punk was rock without the sex, though I'd imagine he might not have been paying that close of attention, or maybe he simply didn't listen to Richard Hell.

This is a rip of an original US Sire Records pressing of Blank Generation. It's been declicked but I'm picky about my settings so I'm sure you'll be satisfied. Enjoy!


Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation

01 Love Comes In Spurts
02 Liars Beware
03 New Pleasure
04 Betrayal Takes Two
05 Down At The Rock and Roll Club
06 Who Says?
07 Blank Generation
08 Walking On The Water
09 The Plan
10 Another World



Anyone else think Betrayal Takes Two sounds like it could have been a Television song?

No New York

It's 1978, you're Brian Eno and you're in New York to master the new Talking Heads album, More Songs About Buildings and Food, which you've also produced. While in town you visit an underground festival at a venue named Artists Space and are taken by the "No Wave" bands performing. You decide this music should be documented, so what do you do? You record four of the bands and put out a record on a small subsidiary of Island Records, that label you have a friendly relationship with, called Antilles. You name the record No New York and history is changed or something like that.

Seriously, that's basically what happened. Eno got Lydia Lunch's Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, James Chance and The Contortions (credited simply as Contortions), Mars and Lindsay/Crutchfield's D.N.A. to hunker down at the Big Apple Studio in New York for some quick sessions with minimal production and the album was all but complete. At that time it was probably assumed that none of these bands would go on to anything big, and while their then current incarnations never had any substantial success or hits, you can't underestimate the influence Lunch, Chance, Lindsay and their associates had on modern music. The spastic punk/funk/noise of their works remains important and has been documented in books like Please Kill Me. At times catchy and fascinating, at others ear damaging and scream inducing, everyone here was truly unique for their time and there really aren't many records like it. A number of unrelated compilations have even been issued to pay tribute with names like Yes New York, Yes L.A. and Maybe Chicago?, but they all kind of miss the point. While those compilations feature bands of their eras and scenes, there was NOTHING like No New York at it's time, nor is there much of anything similar today. Truly great stuff that proves you don't have to be number one to change the world.


No New York

Contortions
01 Dish It Out
02 Flip Your Face
03 Jaded
04 I Can't Stand Myself

Teenage Jesus and The Jerks
05 Burning Rubber
06 The Closet
07 Red Alert
08 I Woke Up Dreaming

Mars
09 Helen Fordsdale
10 Hairwaves
11 Tunnel
12 Puerto Rican Ghost

D.N.A.
13 Egomaniac's Kiss
14 Lionel
15 Not Moving
16 Size



R.I.P. Anya Philips: 1955-1981

Tape-Toons - Gravel Love in Kent, Ohio

Late in the summer, I paid a visit to my friend Bobby at KSU. We talked music, video, work, etc. and then I mentioned that, at least at that time, I was considering starting a small record label. He asked me if I was looking for talent and I answered that the label would only handle small reissues. He was a little disappointed but then told me I had to hear this band he had been shooting a video for. We went into one of the computer labs and he punched up the myspace page for the Tape-Toons and proceeded to play their song, Mice In The Walls. It was bluesy in a way similar to the Black Keys but the performance was a lot rawer, and I mean that in every instance of the word. The vocals could have been recorded in a professional studio or on a hand-held recorder, the guitars are beautifully rough as though positioned somewhere between Kurt Cobain and a brain-damaged Jimi Hendrix and the percussion keeps you at attention as it gently moves a little off beat only to come back solid as hell. I was excited to say the least!

I asked to hear more, but what Bobby played me sounded like David Yow from the Jesus Lizard singing alongside unmixed, out-of-sync multitracks from a noise band. I wasn't sure what to make of that other than to say I was intrigued. Turns out something must have been wrong with the computer because that's NOTHING like what Tape-Toons sound like, but it didn't turn me off in the least. I asked him to see if he could get me a copy of their album and a week or two later he brought me a fully packaged and mastered CD. The package was actually created from newspaper with a handwritten track list and a giant stamp imprint on the front with the band's name and that of the CD, Gravel Love. I asked if this has been made specifically for me as it looked so unique, to which he explained the band wanted all of the CDs to be unique unto themselves so they had created the stamp, used different inks for each cover and created each case from newspaper themselves. I was impressed, but then I listened to the CD. It fulfilled on the promise of Mice In The Walls, coming across like a personalized performance from the band in your living room. It's by no means overly produced but rather an accurate representation of their sound, loose and beautifully ragged. Tracks like the heavy rave-up of She Drove A Spike, the slowed-down throwback rock of Rush To The Cemetery with it's insane drumming, the grungy depression of CEO Blues, they all got under my skin like so many heartfelt records have before. And then there is their beautiful cover of Pavement's Grounded. By now, I was reconsidering the whole not signing anyone to the label thing. Of course, shortly thereafter I lost my job and the dreams of a label went up in smoke, for the time being at least, but I knew I had to write about how great these guys are.

The Tape-Toons are Andrew Bittaker on guitar and vocals, Allen Bittaker on bass and Dylan Gomez on drums. Their album, Gravel Love, is available for purchase at their live shows with a digital release soon to be issued, and they also have an EP on iTunes named Blah BlaH which features two songs from Gravel Love and four more not on the album. They've got Facebook and MySpace pages they update frequently and are performing live at the Europe Gyro in Kent, Ohio alongside The Lorax Tree and Shank Bone, so you should get yourself there and let these guys blow you away!

And now, for your listening pleasure, with the blessing of Tape-Toons I've got two tracks from Gravel Love for you to check out. I've already posted Mice In The Walls but Rush To The Cemetery is new to these parts so grab 'em and enjoy! When their album becomes available online I'll be sure to post a link for you to check it out. Now go see them Thursday!

Tape-Toons - Mice In The Walls

Tape-Toons - Rush To The Cemetery

Misfits - Static Age and Bullet tapes

You want some Halloween mayhem? This is what you really need! The Bullet roughs are supposedly taken from Danzig's personal collection and were intended for an album that essentially turned into Static Age. Static Age has since been released, and I would suggest picking up the individual CD issue for the studio snippets hidden at the end, but this version is from a 1978 mix-down tape when the band initially prepared the album for release, a release that wouldn't occur until 1996. It's got a few VERY MINOR differences from the official issue, but if you haven't heard it before or just want to hear it again, it's essential! I've included the notes from the original uploader in the archives as they have some interesting details. Enjoy!


Misfits - Bullet LP Rough Mixes

01 Static Age
02 TV Casualty
03 Some Kinda Hate
04 Return Of The Fly
05 Hybrid Moments
06 Come Back
07 Angelfuck


Misfits - Static Age: Mix-Down Tape

01 Static Age
02 TV Casualty
03 Some Kinda Hate
04 Last Caress
05 Return Of The Fly
06 Hybrid Moments
07 We Are 138
08 Teenagers From Mars
09 Come Back
10 Angelfuck
11 Hollywood Babylon
12 Attitude
13 Bullet
14 Theme For A Jackal

Shudder To Think - Hit Liquor EP

Prior to the release of Pony Express Record, Epic Records decided to unleash a little nugget of joy to grab the attention of the alt-rock consumers of the world. That nugget, the Hit Liquor EP, contained the same version of it's title cut that appeared on Pony Express Record as well as four exclusive recordings. Those tracks weren't new songs, but rather demos and re-recordings, giving an unpolished perspective on the soon to be released album. Fortunately, as is the case with Pony Express Record, no one will hold it against you if you missed the Hit Liquor EP. Luckily, Sony was in the habit of sending out oodles of promos back in 1994 and now you're more likely to find one of those than an actual retail copy of the EP.

For the sake of details, the demo of Kissi Penny was produced by Ted Nicely and recorded by Steve Palmieri at Oz Studios in Baltimore, MD. The Full Body Anchor demo was recorded at Craig's apartment with Nathan. As for the re-recordings, they were both produced by Nick Pellicciotto and recorded live to 2-track at Sorcerer Sound in New York on January 10th and 11th, 1994. Red House, which was re-recorded again for Shudder's next album, 50,000 BC, originally appeared on 1991's Funeral At The Movies while Heaven Here was originally featured on 1990's Ten Spot. Hit Liquor's credits are the same as the Kissi Penny demo although it was mixed by Andy Wallace.

Regarding the demos that were later shared on PonyExpressRecord.com, I've been trying to find them but all I've been able to get my hands on so far was an instrumental for an unreleased tune named Circus Metal. Pretty sweet stuff so I've included it as a separate file for download. When I find the rest of those demos I'll make sure to share them too. Enjoy!


Shudder To Think - Hit Liquor EP

01 Hit Liquor
02 Kissi Penny (Demo)
03 Red House (1994 Re-Recording)
04 Heaven Here (1994 Re-Recording)
05 Full Body Anchor (Demo)

Shudder To Think - Circus Metal (Instrumental Demo)

Robert Fripp & The League Of Gentlemen

One thing about Fripp that bothers me is he seems to be a serious revisionist. As with the God Save The Queen / Under Heavy Manners album, rather than accept those works as the final product, Fripp remixed Manners and reworked The Zero Of The Signified enough that he renamed it God Save The King. The new versions ended up on the God Save The King album with tracks from The League Of Gentlemen album, but the other three tracks and original versions from GSTQ/UHM remain out of print and seem unlikely to be reissued. On top of that, half of The League Of Gentlemen album also remains out of print with only half of it appearing on the God Save The King album, all of which is apparently remixed and missing all of the vocal samples. Of course, this leaves the original League Of Gentlemen album out of print and otherwise unavailable, just like GSTQ/UHM. Why? Revising art is completely understandable, but why act like the original works don't exist? Fripp seems to be revising this action as well with his recent reissue of Exposure which features the original issue, pretty much everything from the supposed definitive edition and the remaining unreleased Daryl Hall vocal tracks, but that was four years ago so where is the rest of his solo works? Yes, I understand the reissue of the King Crimson stuff, but what about the Frippertronics works? I would GLADLY pay for this stuff as it's quality, and I know I'm not the only one.

Anyway, with my confused little rant now over, I present the original League Of Gentlemen album, not to be confused with God Save The King. This version features a vocal appearance by Danielle Dax on Minor Man as well as a number of sound collage pieces featuring the voice of J.G. Bennett among other unidentified participants. Regarding the rip, I found this on slsk so I don't know who to credit for their hard work, but it is appreciated. That said, this is the best version I've got so my apologies if anyone was hoping for a higher quality version.

It's worth noting, if anyone else listening to this thinks it sounds a little like The B-52's, that band's future bassist, Sara Lee, was a member of the League. Dance/punk indeed.


Robert Fripp & The League Of Gentlemen - The League Of Gentlemen

UPDATE: Okay, it's back up, but if it goes down then it stays down. Sorry guys, but I have to assume if it disappears again it's Fripp's folks watching for content like this, and I will respect their wishes.

01 Indiscreet I
02 Inductive Resonance
03 Minor Man
04 Heptaparaparshinokh
05 Dislocated
06 Pareto Optimum I
07 Eye Needles
08 Indiscreet II
09 Pareto Optimum II
10 Cognitive Dissonance
11 H. G. Wells
12 Trap
13 Ochre
14 Indiscreet III

Robert Fripp - God Save The Queen / Under Heavy Manners

Oh how I am tired. Ever woken up at one in the morning to find you might be suffering from a potentially severe sleep disorder that causes you to scream out for no logically clear reason about things that make no sense? Didn't sleep well after that, although the fact I couldn't NOT sleep means I'm not suffering from insomnia which I suppose is a good thing. Anyway, the funny part is I was listening to this very record while falling asleep which leads me to wonder if it might have affected my state. I suppose one shouldn't listen to things which might affect them but this is some good shit! Maybe I need Breathe Right strips or something.

Anyway, in the recent Bowie post I mentioned my lack of knowledge regarding Fripp and Belew and requested some guidance. I want to thank everyone who wrote me which includes Roger Camden, Stanley, Anonymous (beefheartfan) and Nathan Moore (I'll be responding to you soon Nathan!), for your advice which has been quite helpful. I've found that the King Crimson stuff really isn't my thing as it just doesn't add up for me, but Fripp's work with Eno, his productions for Daryl Hall and Peter Gabriel, his group the League Of Gentlemen and his solo records are all pretty incredible! (No Pussyfooting) kinda drags but the music is so beautiful and Fripp's later pieces with Eno are amazing. Fripp's supposed AOR trio of albums are rather good if not totally off the wall, with Peter Gabriel's PG 2 ("Scratch") probably being the most sensible of the three, Hall's falling somewhere between his work with Oates and Fripp's Zen Garden vibes, and Fripp's Exposure being totally insane to the point I have no idea how it could have been labeled AOR by anyone. Exposure is incredible though, and from there I listed to the League Of Gentlemen album which is excellent and very much of it's early eighties dance/punk era. But that's when I finally heard some solo Frippertronics recordings and fell madly in love with God Save The Queen / Under Heavy Manners, one of the only albums Fripp has not reissued since it's original release.

I haven't gotten to do much research as to why GSTQ/UHM remains unavailable, but I suppose it has something to do with Under Heavy Manners, the song, also appearing on the League Of Gentlemen album and a reworked version of The Zero Of The Signified, the album's closer, also appearing on the League album as God Save The King. It's a shame though that the Frippertronics pieces haven't been reissued as they are stunningly beautiful. I've read commentary from other listeners that many see those pieces as repetitive and boring, but for myself they were just the opposite. Relaxing, beautiful, stretching out as far as they need to, it's the type of thing Eno would be proud of. And the non-Frippertronics tracks, labeled by Fripp as Discotronics for featuring bass and percussion augmenting his guitar loops, I've also seen get bashed for supposedly not changing very often, but The Zero has all kinds of little subtle shifts before the rhythm drops out leaving only Fripp's loops, and David Byrne's vocal appearance on Manners, odd and more disjointed than usual with all the lyrics written by Fripp, is stunning. Maybe Fripp thought this album, which is clearly meant to be taken as two separate sets of recordings, was damaged by this split, but I thoroughly disagree.

After having found some low bitrate MP3s of this album, a friend on a private site (who wishes to remain anonymous) hooked me up with a beautiful lossless rip that sounds so clear it's almost not believable that it's a vinyl transfer. He also gave me the artwork and liner notes for the album which are very informative, and I decided to share these all back with you, my beloved readers! So, please enjoy this ridiculously clean rip of the God/Manners album and I hope you are just as enchanted as I am. Now I'm going to do some research about sleep disorders in my family tree.


Robert Fripp - God Save The Queen / Under Heavy Manners

UPDATE: Sorry guys, but Fripp's lawyers are becoming mighty feisty regarding his solo material. With that said, I'm not going to be posting any Fripp for a while, but I may post this again down the road as part of something special. Keep an eye peeled!

01 Red Two Scorer
02 God Save The Queen
03 1983
04 Under Heavy Manners
05 The Zero Of The Signified


PS - Gotta drop you a line and chat Michael! Thanks again for the kind words.

No Age - Glitter

Summer is winding down even though the weather is still pretty nice. All in all, there has been a lot of cool stuff so far this year and I'm finally getting back into the groove after keeping things a little slower than usual this August. With that said, I'll get back to a more regular habit of posting in September. August isn't done yet though, and I will do that small Fripp post Monday or Tuesday. Today though...

I went out to my boss's house to help with a tech thing only to return home two or three hours later and find that a DVD screener of a movie I wanted to see leaked in that time and another one the night before (of course my two favorite movies from this summer haven't leaked yet though. Why can't I get DVD screeners of Scott Pilgrim and Inception? C'mon! I promise not to share them! SERIOUSLY!!!), but the new No Age album, Everything In Between, also leaked! There are a few albums on my want list that I am eagerly awaiting but the No Age album has been at the top of that list since it was announced a few months ago. Now, if you've been reading my site for a while I'm sure you know that I don't share albums that have an impending release and I don't want to see money taken from folks who put their hearts into what they do, so while I downloaded the album I'm not gonna share it and I'm going to pick it up upon it's release. If you download it and like it I hope you do the same, but even though No Age are becoming quite the popular band in some circles, I realize that not everyone is familiar with them so I wanted to share a little info about them and give you an idea what they sound like.

No Age are the duo of Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt. They were initially part of the hardcore punk group Wives, but after that group dissolved they decided to continue on as a duo with in different direction. It's probably easiest to describe No Age's sound as dreamy, shoegazer punk with a joyous edge to it. They use noisy guitar loops for texture and trade off on instruments regularly making for a great live show. Lyrically they're more stream of consciousness than anything really deep, but those lyrics and vocals are like another instrument, further adding to the texture of the band's sound. I'm being lazy saying this, but the first thing I think of is a punk version of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. I feel like a hack saying that, but that doesn't make the description inaccurate.

For me, if I was 18 or 19, going to college and djing at a college radio station, I would be playing this all the time. No Age is not an overtly commercial band, no matter how catchy some of their songs may be, and I don't ever expect to hear them on popular radio, but that's popular radio's loss. Their new record and it's first single, Glitter, sound a little more polished, but that doesn't hurt anything and they don't sound like anyone else out right now.

I'm not going to continue rattling on endlessly about how great I think No Age are, rather I'm going to give you some evidence so you can make up your own mind. Below you'll find a stream from Sub Pop's SoundCloud page for Glitter, and here are links for Amazon and iTunes where you can purchase that single and hear samples of it's b-sides. On top of that, if you get yourself over to No Age's page at RCRD LBL you can download Glitter and three other songs there for free! How about them apples?

If you're feeling No Age, their new album, Everything In Between, will be released on September 28th, but you can also get the excellent Nouns and Weirdo Rippers now at your favorite indie record shop or digitally online. The CD issue of Nouns is particularly nice with a booklet filled with photos and artwork of the band on tour, doing art things and such. If you like these guys, please support them by buying their album, going to one of their shows or grabbing a t-shirt. They're a true indie duo and I know they'd love your support. Hope you enjoy!

No Age - Glitter by subpop


By the way, you can visit No Age's official website here.

Brainiac - superduperseven

The story of Brainiac is pretty sad, but only because it was so promising up until its end. They were from Dayton, Ohio, had released three albums and a number of singles, and were on the verge of a contract with Interscope Records when Tim Taylor, their lead singer, was killed in a bizarre auto accident. From there, no reissues, no posthumous releases, the band simply faded away and the remaining members went on to new projects. Truly sad.

If you're not familiar with Brainiac, they were kind of like a spazzier Devo with a taste for noise. My suggested starting points are the Hissing Prigs In Static Couture album, then check out the Internationale EP, which was produced by Kim Deal, and the Electro-Shock For President EP which is more of an industrial/noise experiment than their previous releases. Their first two albums, Smack Baby Bunny and Bonsai Superstar, are both worth checking out but Hissing Prigs and the two EPs are truly excellent.

There is also an excellent EP/single released on Limited Potential Records called superduperseven, their actual first release, but it's been out of print for years despite fans of the band looking for it feverishly. So, it is with great pleasure that I share with you today a fresh vinyl rip of the excellent superduperseven single/EP/release/thing. It's really a solid release and if you like this, don't hesitate to get Hissing Prigs with the quickness! You can also find more information about the band at their wikipedia reference. Enjoy!


Brainiac - superduperseven

01 Ride
02 superdupersonic
03 Simon Says

Boris The Sprinkler - Kill The Ramones

Not my link, so go to either of these sites and check out this great single.

Boris The Sprinkler are no more but that doesn't mean you shouldn't support them if possible, and you can grab Kill The Ramones on their Mega Anal album. Also, no real negativity towards the Ramones or Sex Pistols is present. Tongues firmly planted in cheeks.

Grab it at Ramones To The Bone or The Lost and Found Music Blog. These are two great songs and props to these blogs for sharing them, but as I said earlier, support the band if you can.

Oh yeah, credit to Lost and Found for the image scan. I'm not ripping them or anyone else off, I just love this stupid single and wanted to share my joy with anyone else interested.

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F.: Original Track Records Version

As I recently wrote a post about the varying versions of Iggy and The Stooges' classic Raw Power, I figured it was worth doing one about an album almost as controversial due to it's production issues, and that album would be none other than the sole full-length release by Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, L.A.M.F., which is an abbreviation of Like A Mother Fu..., I'm sure you get the point.

Johnny and Jerry Nolan were founding members of the New York Dolls, but after the Dolls' demise they formed The Heartbreakers with Richard Hell. Hell didn't stick around for too long though and The Heartbreakers carried on with Walter Lure on guitar and Billy Rath on bass. They tried to get a contract for several years with no luck due to their renown junkie status, but when Malcolm McLaren asked them to tour with the Sex Pistols on their Anarchy tour, they happily accepted the offer. Everything would have probably been great if most of the tour hadn't been canceled due to the Pistols' controversial status which left The Heartbreakers pretty close to broke in London, but their manager, Leee Black Childers, convinced them to stick around a while longer as it might be easier for them to get a contract in the UK. Childers' advice paid off and The Heartbreakers landed a deal with Track Records, but that was the beginning of the end.

The Heartbreakers recorded L.A.M.F. and continued to play live while trying to finish the album's mix. It's rather unclear what the issues in the studio were, but months were spent mixing and remixing the album to little satisfaction. Thunders' and his cohorts' drug habits may have been the main reason for the ridiculous length of time it took to finalize the album's mix, and I'm sure anyone close to the band would assume the same, but the album was finally finished and saw release on October 3rd, 1977 much to everyone's relief. Unfortunately though, the first thing everyone noticed was how muddy the album sounded. The mix was immediately blamed and everyone wondered how something so powerful could have been rendered so dull. But that was nothing compared to the next issue, the closure of Track Records. Now The Heartbreakers didn't have a label, their record sounded like crap and they were all nursing ridiculous habits, could it get any worse?

Thunders' and company actually weren't in as bad a situation as it may have seemed at first. They were able to maintain the rights to their recordings due to Track's surprising forwardness regarding their financial status and managed to score an audition with EMI Records. That audition didn't go anywhere though, Lure and Rath decided to call it quits and return to New York and the album remained out of print, so it might as well have been just as bad as it initially seemed. Again, the BIG H probably played a major roll in all of these issues.

In 1984, after gaining some much deserved recognition, Johnny Thunders was asked to remix L.A.M.F. for reissue. Finally the album would see a wide release in the US an internationally, but Johnny seemed to bury most of the album's energy with the nicer, friendlier remixes and a new tracking order. The remix, known as L.A.M.F. Revisited, earned a mixed reputation and L.A.M.F.'s legacy would remain buried another decade. During that time, Thunders' died in 1991 and Nolan in 1992, breaking the hearts of those who knew how much talent and promise they had held. Their deaths, while sad, opened an opportunity to exhume the remains of L.A.M.F. again, and this time it was a success!

In 1994, Jungle Records issued L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes, which contained unused mixes from the original L.A.M.F. mixing sessions. To say it was a revelation is really hitting the nail on the head, as these newly released mixes contained all the energy promised by The Heartbreakers' songs and live performances. The Lost '77 Mixes was also released as a two CD set with the second disc featuring pre-album demos, instrumental backing tracks, alternate mixes and the two demos recorded for EMI after Track's dissolution. All in all, it's essential listening for anyone wondering about the history of punk or anyone that love's real rock and roll.

You can find the two-disc version of L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes on iTunes and the single-disc version on Amazon for digital purchase, but there are still issues regarding the real cause of the muddy sound on the original pressings of L.A.M.F. on Track.

Despite being blamed on poor mixing, it appears the real issue may have been the mastering of the vinyl pressings. Apparently there was a cassette release of the album from the same time as the vinyl's release which supposedly sounds fantastic. I haven't heard the cassette release but I have heard a rip of an original vinyl issue of the album, along with a first-hand account by the kind individual who ripped it, a wonderful guy named JPStooges, that the vinyl was not a cheap pressing. It's also interesting to point out that most of the original album's mixes aren't terribly different from those on The Lost '77 Mixes, although there are minor details which devoted listeners will certainly notice. This does bring up another question though, if the album was poorly mastered but the mixes were fine, why not simply reissue the original mixes rather than alternate versions? The only thing I can assume is that the album masters, if available, would be considered unusable and there may not be detailed information as to which mixes were used, but this is all guesswork and we may never know otherwise.

So, tonight I am sharing a very high-quality MP3 version of JPStooges' rip of his original Track Records vinyl pressing of L.A.M.F., originally credited simply to The Heartbreakers, which of course should not be confused with Tom Petty's similarly named band. In my opinion, the record, while muddy, has probably had it's bad reputation overly reinforced. Yes, it sounds less than fabulous, but I've heard worse and I'm sure many of you have too. The only tweaking I've done to this rip was running the uncompressed wave files I made the MP3s from through iZotope RX's fabulous declicker. No re-EQing of any sort. Also, as I'm sure you've already figured out, if you enjoy this album you should really purchase a copy of L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes if you don't already own it, as you'll enjoy it a lot more than this original vinyl version. This version of the album is really important only for completists or for those who haven't heard it yet. And it's worth checking out L.A.M.F. Revisited too, but don't be surprised if you find yourself a little disappointed. If you'd like to read more about the specifics of the album's history you should check out wikipedia's reference page.

Massive thank you to JPStooges for his help! You are the man, man!


The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F.

01 Born Too Loose
02 Baby Talk
03 All By Myself
04 I Wanna Be Loved
05 It's Not Enough
06 Chinese Rocks
07 Get Off The Phone
08 Pirate Love
09 One Track Mind
10 I Love You
11 Goin' Steady
12 Let Go


By the way, please tell me I'm not the only one who finds it ironic that a bunch of heroin addicted rockers who sang about using heroin were signed to a record label named Track?

Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come: DVD Remix

If you asked me how I feel about punk rock, you'd receive a positive response, although my taste for punk generally veers towards it's earlier generations. I love The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, the MC5 and The Sonics, all of which could easily be labeled pre-punk or stepping stones for punk as we know it. I also love the Ramones, The Clash, Public Image Ltd., Talking Heads, X, Misfits, New York Dolls and lots of other bands from the late seventies and early eighties which were labeled punk, which really shows the breadth of the label. There is a lot of punk from the eighties and beyond that I also adore like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys, but as the definition of punk became far thinner I found it a lot less interesting.

I remember my brother turning me on to NOFX with their I Heard They Suck Live CD, and at first I thought they were wonderful until I found out how much of an uninformed loudmouth Fat Mike is, and that element of loud, fast and stupid has permeated the scene so greatly that it's destroyed a lot of what was wonderful about punk. Punk as a concept, to me at least, is a bit like anarchism, with standard rules falling to the side so people can wave their freak flags in search of fellow souls. With that said, you don't have to like or agree with what the people in question are saying or doing, but when everyone starts sounding the same or carrying the same beliefs, then it's no longer punk.

It's funny now, as punk is looked at like a growing process for a lot of people. It's easy to learn a lot of the music and so many people can relate to the messages contained therein, but there doesn't seem to be much growth, if any, in the punk community these days. It's considered very normal to have tattoos or piercings, removing a lot of the danger and stigma of being punk. Nowadays, in the US at least, I see kids turning goth more often than punk, which is becoming just as middle-of-the-road, but there is also a strange trend for both styles to crossover with each other, turning people into goth punks. For the kids, I understand needing something to connect with, but it's a shame that something all about individuality has become so bland and generalized, especially when it has been so strong in the past. It's even stranger to see the church going kids looking more punk than the actual punks.

All of this rambling about the current state of punk brings me back to the last new punk record I heard that lived up to the true ideals of the punk label, Refused's The Shape Of Punk To Come. I first became familiar with Refused when my brother brought their video for New Noise to my attention one night while watching Alternative Nation or 120 Minutes in 1998. It was a little difficult to figure out where the band was going, what with keyboards and drum machines in the intro, all left behind moments later when the band roared in with lead vocalist Dennis Lyxzen asking "Can I Scream?", although it sounds a lot more like a declaration than a question. All the while the song left me feeling like I'd been punched in the gut and kicked in the head with a roundhouse while buckling over in pain, what with Dennis' incredible ability to scream without pause while the band were furious with a rage more like metal or hardcore than straight punk. Oh yeah, the video rocked too, with the band dressed like assassins of some sort, carrying automatic weapons, sometimes dressed in animal masks and savaging their instruments, and Dennis dancing like a possessed James Brown, complete with jump kicks and the splits. It was easily the punkest thing I'd heard or seen in years, although it didn't sound much like traditional punk. It left quite the impression, leaving me a little scared even.

For Christmas that year, my brother asked for one thing, a copy of Refused's The Shape Of Punk To Come. I can't remember what I asked for, which should tell you a lot about that Christmas, but I have clear memories of that Refused CD. When my brother went to go see his girlfriend later that day, I ripped the CD to my hard drive and made a copy which became a permanent fixture in my car and home stereo. It was somehow the most intense and inspired music I'd heard in forever and still remains an essential part of my collection.

The first thing my brother and I said to each other after having listened to it all the way through was "We've gotta see these guys live!", but we were too late. Refused's breakthrough was also their swan song, and they'd broken up before the album's release. It actually made a lot of sense, because we weren't sure if anything this inspired could be taken further, but we could hope. I hunted down their earlier releases but was disappointed to find them to be mostly straight hardcore punk without the jazz, screaming vocals, intense rhythmic breaks or heavy layers. My brother looked into Dennis' new group, The (Inernational) Noise Conspiracy, which was quite catchy but more about bringing mod vibes to punk grooves and poppy melodies. Then there was TEXT, the group the other members of Refused formed, which was very hard to define nor did it sound like their intentions were rather defined. Maybe the closest thing to Refused was 93 Million Miles, a very short-lived side-project not to be confused with the shoegazer band of a similar name, but even that didn't satisfy the craving. All in all, the joy of finding Refused was diminished quickly by not finding much more of their sound other than two b-sides and a remix.

After years of people raving about The Shape Of Punk To Come, it's finally getting a deluxe reissue with an unreleased 1998 live performance and a documentary on the band's live performances and dissolution, Refused Are Fucking Dead. It's a nice set and truly worth a purchase, although I wish there were outtakes included or at least the non-album tracks from the era. Oddly enough though, this isn't the first time the album was reissued. In 2004 a DVD-Audio version of the album was produced. It included a high-resolution version of the original stereo album mix as well as a 5.1 surround remix, but that remix was much more than a simple restructuring of the album. Rather, it included lots of compositional alterations to many of the songs including instrumentation not heard in the original mix as well as rearrangements of select portions of the compositions, like the verses of the album's opener, Worms Of The Senses, being reversed although the music was left in it's original shape. One of the biggest changes was to the song Refused Are Fuckin Dead, which now included a significant extension from that song's remix which was included on the New Noise EP.

The DVD-Audio reissue of the album wasn't available for too terribly long, most likely due to the failure of the format. At the time of it's release there was talk of an eventual stereo issue of the remix on CD, but this never happened. Despite being a band approved and curated remix of the album, it was probably looked at disapprovingly by fans, mostly due to the significant number of changes. It's pretty shocking to change something so beloved so significantly, but how many bands or artists have the balls to change a beloved standard?

In the end, because of the DVD-A format's death, the album's 5.1 remix is largely forgotten, probably for the better, although the remix has it's fans and it definitely has it's positive features. Everything in the mix sounds crystal clear and hits like a jackhammer, which is saying something as the CD sounds pretty incredible to begin with. So, since a lot of people have never heard this version and may never otherwise, I present to you a stereo mixdown of the 5.1 remix for your listening pleasure. As to how I created this version, let's just say my technique is probably primitive compared to most, but it's still clean and sounds awesome. Hope you enjoy it and don't hesitate to purchase the deluxe reissue of The Shape Of Punk To Come at your favorite record store or via Amazon or Insound or wherever you prefer. It's really worth it. REALLY REALLY WORTH IT! You can also find additional details about the album at the official Refused website and the album's wikipedia reference.


Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come: DVD Remix

UPDATE: Sorry guys, it is now down for good, at least here.

01 Worms Of The Senses / Faculties Of The Skull
02 Liberation Frequency
03 The Deadly Rhythm
04 Summerholidays Vs. Punkroutine
05 Bruitist Pome #5
06 New Noise
07 The Refused Party Program
08 Protest Song '68
09 Refused Are Fuckin Dead
10 The Shape Of Punk To Come
11 Tannhäuser / Derivè
12 The Apollo Programme Was a Hoax

Iggy and The Stooges - Search and Destroy

I'm reminded of Johnny Mnemonic's words in William Gibson's Burning Chrome, although I may not get them completely right, so to paraphrase:

When everyone else is coming high-tech, you go low-tech, and vice-versa.

I don't know if I can always agree with that sentiment, but there is a logic there that can definitely enhance creativity. It almost sounds like one of Eno's Oblique Strategies, although it doesn't sound nearly as intelligent as any of those. Regardless, sometimes a drastic change in perspective is exactly what you need.

The funny part about the mention of Eno is this all ties back in with one of his best known collaborators, David Bowie, someone who has always been interested in modern technology and was partially responsible for one of the odder releases on a major label for it's time, Iggy and The Stooges' Raw Power.

In case you're unfamiliar with the history behind Raw Power, Iggy and Bowie met in New York a few years after the end of The Stooges as they were known for their first two albums. Bowie and his then business partner, Tony DeFries, signed Iggy and his collaborator, James Williamson, to their company, MainMan, and proceeded to try and get them with a new rhythm section. For Bowie and DeFries, any attempt to commercialize Iggy was thwarted when it was decided that Ron and Scott Asheton, the original guitarist and drummer, respectively, for The Stooges, would become the new group's rhythm section, with Ron taking over on bass, Scott remaining on drums, James becoming the lead guitarist and Iggy retaining his permanent position as vocalist and rabble rouser. They would be rechristened Iggy and The Stooges and return to the recording studio to create their third album, although by this point DeFries had distanced himself from the band, most notably after Bowie offered to produce the album and was turned down flat.

In the studio, The Stooges really didn't need Bowie. They had their songs readied and refined, but when it came time to mix the final product, CBS wanted Bowie's name somewhere on the final product. So, despite a number of band-prepared mixes, they were rejected and Bowie entered the studio with Iggy to mix the album. This was achieved in one day and has been considered one of the most controversial album mixes of all time. Bowie's mix, while dynamic and interesting, rendered a band known for it's full and loud sound tinny and full of treble. It's not as bad as my words may paint it, at least in my opinion, but many fans consider it a turd on a wedding cake.

For years since, fans traded bootleg tapes of alternate, unreleased mixes of Raw Power until 1997 when Sony enlisted Iggy himself to remix the album. Iggy's mix was supposed to put the power back in line with the raw, and he didn't do a terrible job apart from the fact he insisted on mastering the album so loud that it is now considered the loudest album in existence. On paper that probably sounds pretty cool, but when the album is almost entirely in a state of perpetual distortion, it becomes somewhat unlistenable. Actually, that might be putting it too kindly as I can't stand to listen to Iggy's mix, at least as it was released, and I know I'm not the only one.

Finally, Sony made the decision to issue a deluxe version of Raw Power this year. It would be released in two forms, the Legacy Edition which contains a remastered version of the Bowie mix with a previously unreleased live show and two leftovers from the era, and the Deluxe Edition containing everything from the Legacy version plus an extra disc of relics from the era and a documentary DVD. The remastered version of the Bowie mix was supposed to be a revelation and fans were thrilled about all of this until they found it to be just as tinny as before. The live show was a welcome addition though and the additional unreleased tracks looked to be wonderful, but it was all a mixed blessing. None of the outtakes were essential or terribly enlightening, but the liner notes to the Deluxe Edition claimed a completely unreleased, alternate mix, labeled the Embassy Reels, was found, but this too was misleading.

Sometime in the mid to late seventies, Raw Power was reissued on a British label named Embassy. There is a lot of confusion regarding this because apparently some versions of this reissue may have been pressed from a slightly different master, or the very first UK pressing of the album was accidentally pressed from this slightly different master, or both. On top of this, some cassette releases of the album also contained a variant of this master, just to make things more confusing. This version of the album was pretty much the same as any other release though, apart from an otherwise unreleased and significantly different mix of Search and Destroy. Now, one would think that if you're going to include a significant find from a different version of the album that it would be the one track that is significantly different, but instead they included two of the tracks which were essentially the same as the standard Bowie mix. Go figure, eh?

After all this, the only other interesting find on the Deluxe Edition were two of Iggy's 1997 mixes in a non-distorted state, which begs the question "why not include Iggy's remix in it's entirety in this state?", to which everyone seems to be saying "WHO KNOWS?????". In the end, an excellent opportunity to please a notoriously difficult to please fan base was lost and we're all left upset with another major label. No shock there, but when the major labels are approaching the end of their ability to release physical product regularly it's unforgivable. What happened, did they fire everyone who knew how to research their archives with more than a passing glance?

Bowie's mix is still the one to get, at least for the time being, although the other variants are worth finding as well. Rough Power is mighty fascinating with it's varying mixes of the whole album, although the WABX tracks sound like the were recorded with a dictaphone next to a boombox. The Iggy remix is cool, just don't try to listen to it with headphones or through a loud system. The "Embassy" version is pretty much the regular album, though that mix of Search and Destroy is worth hearing.

Now I'm not about to post every variant of the album for you to check out, especially with the Legacy Edition, Iggy remix and Rough Power all being readily available, but the one track where the differences are most obvious is Search and Destroy, and I don't think it will hurt anyone if I post some variants for you to compare against each other.


Iggy and The Stooges - Search and Destroy

01 Unmixed Version
This was played on Detroit radio station WABX. The general consensus is that it's unmixed so whether that's accurate or not, that's how I'm labeling it for now. This is taken from a superior tape copy than the one featured on Rough Power.

02 Rough Mix
Labeling this a rough mix may be inaccurate as this may be Iggy's original mix circa 1973, but we haven't gotten any straight answers about details like that. Anyway, if it's not the final mix, it's generally considered rough, so that's how this is labeled. This is taken from Rough Power.

03 Original Bowie Mix
The standard Bowie mix as featured on almost all original pressings of the album, the Sundazed vinyl reissue, the Legacy and Deluxe Editions as well as the late eighties CD issue. This rip is from the 180 gram Sundazed vinyl edition because it sounds AWESOME!!!

04 Alternate Mix
This is the version that is either on some copies of the Embassy version, the first UK pressing, possibly both and also on some early cassette releases. Some speculate that this may have been Iggy's final mix, though it could also be an alternate Bowie mix. It doesn't matter though because it's pretty damn cool all on it's own. I prefer the "Original Bowie Mix", but this is worthy of replays despite the echo on the drums.

05 Iggy Remix, Nice Version
Most versions of Search and Destroy that appeared on compilations post-1997 were the Iggy Pop remix, but they are almost all mastered significantly "cooler" than Iggy's "hot" version. This version is taken from Iggy's A Million In Prizes anthology which was released on Virgin Records. As it stands, there are now five tracks from the Ig's 97 remix that have been released as better mastered versions, and while that's great it's ridiculous that all eight aren't out there somewhere. Anybody got the hook up?

Sire Records: Just Say Yesterday

Recently I found myself in the city of Mentor for work. There used to be a decent indie shop named Ultrasound there and I figured, in my spare time, I'd drive by and see if it was still there. Well, I didn't find Ultrasound but I did find a Record Den!

I don't know if Record Den was ever a national chain but it was at least state wide in Ohio and I remember shopping there as a kid. There were plenty of Record Den's in the malls and most had a good selection of records, but this store was incredible! Not since Westlake's dearly departed My Generation have I seen a store as loaded with well-priced CDs that actually represent a diverse collection of music, and the people there knew the answers to my questions! It was awesome! I ended up getting a sealed copy of the Miles Davis On The Corner box as well as the first two Crazy Horse albums!

The coolest find was their ridiculous selection of Warner cut-outs that they purchased en masse from their distributor. Greatest hits collections, deluxe Rhino Records box-sets, all kinds of goodness! I ended up purchasing the Just Say Sire compilation, covering the Sire label's punk and new wave years all the way to it's early nineties releases. It's a very nice package with three CDs and a DVD but, as nice as it is, I didn't feel it did a proper job of telling the story. For one thing, the set ignores the label's existence prior to the late seventies and the DVD has a rather limited selection of videos. None of the songs on the DVD appear on the CDs, and there are several glaring exceptions like M's Pop Muzik, the Pretenders' Brass In Pocket and Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy. On top of that, there are TONS of quotes from artists and people involved with the label, which sounds nice on paper, but there are so many quotes that it seems like they're patting themselves on the back.

Now don't get me wrong, it's a very nice compilation, just maybe a bit self-indulgent. That said, the powers that be at Sire may have done a better job over fifteen years ago, although that attempt was flawed too. In 1992, as volume six of Sire's Just Say Yes sampler series, Just Say Yesterday collected sixteen not-quite classics spanning the years 1977 to 1984. Several of these tracks have become legitimate classics in their own rights since the early nineties, but at the time of this compilation groups like the Normal, Plastic Bertrand and the Rezillos hadn't received their pop culture badges of honor quite yet. Overall, this makes Just Say Yesterday a great overview of early Sire releases that may not have become giant hits but should have been, and it's even better for leaving out the obvious hits that appeared along-side these great not-quites.

As great as this compilation is, it's missing practically any information about the artists and their songs beyond publishing and production info. There isn't even info as to what albums these songs may have been available on, which is odd since, at least until that point, the Just Say Yes comps were overflowing with information about the featured artists and their previous and forthcoming releases. The advent of the internet has made this task so much easier than it ever could have been in 1992, but there really should be no excuse for a label as notoriously diligent to researching their artists and sharing such details as Sire leaving this blank.

Anyway, regardless of the lack of information about the contained artists and releases, this is an awesome compilation and you should download it tout suite! I've also tried to give a little info about everything contained here but please forgive me as that's a lot of research to compile and I can't guarantee it's as complete as I'd like it to be. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this post and I want to give a big shout-out to all the artists and people involved in the release of this compilation. It's releases like these that really inspired me to dig deeper in music in my teen years.


Just Say Yesterday: Vol. VI Of Just Say Yes

01 B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
B-Movie only had one album, 1985's Forever Running, but Nowhere Girl could be easily labeled a New Wave staple. With Graham Boffey on drums, Rick Holliday on keyboards, guitarist Paul Statham and singer Steve Hovington, the band formed in 1979, yet that album is the only document of their sound.

02 Tin Tin - Kiss Me
Stephen Duffy was a founding member of Duran Duran but left to go solo as Tin Tin. Odd career move, eh? Great song though, which was followed up with the 1984 album The Ups and Downs.

03 Tim Scott - Swear
I had a lot of difficulty researching Mr. Scott. Apparently his full name is Tim Scott McConnell and Swear later became a hit for Sheena Easton. You can get more info at his official site.

04 Blancmange - Don't Tell Me
Blancmange consisted of singer/guitarist Neil Arthur and keyboardist Stephen Luscombe. Don't Tell Me is from their second album, 1984's Mange Tout.

05 Madness - One Step Beyond...
The nutty boys themselves, Madness were a big name of the early eighties ska revival. One Step Beyond is from the 1979 album of the same name. You've gotta see the video!

06 Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi (This Life's For Me)
Plastic Bertrand is better known as Roger Jouret. A native of Belgium, he was the drummer for Hubble Bubble. Ca Plane Pour Moi is kind of a cross between the Beach Boys and the Ramones with apparently nonsensical French lyrics. Thoroughly unforgettable, this track eventually appeared on an album of the same name. What's not as widely known is that the backing track is identical to that of Jet Boy, Jet Girl, a song by the band Elton Motello. Jouret was involved with that song's creation, although it's still a bit odd how the backing track went on to be used for a completely new song. It's also worth noting that Jet Boy, Jet Girl had pretty raunchy lyrics about sexual relations between two boys when one leaves the other for a girl.

07 M - Pop Muzik
Robin Scott is M. M is catchy. Not much else to say. See their wikipedia reference if that disappoints you.

08 Specimen - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Who? What? Here.

09 Dead Boys - Caught With The Meat In Your Mouth
Glam punk snots from Cleveland whose debut album, Young, Loud & Snotty, is appropriately named. Expect sex, bad attitudes and VD and you have a good idea what you're getting into with the Dead Boys. Drugs and death lead to their end, but their debut and it's follow up, We Have Come For Your Children, are worthy of your attention.

10 Patti Smith - Piss Factory
I respect Patti Smith's works and give her credit for what she has done, especially in regards to Horses, but she's not a favorite of mine. Suffice it to say I'm probably a little prejudiced here as I get the impression most people know everything they need to know about Ms. Smith already, especially if they've heard Gloria, but if you're unfamiliar, be prepared for some slightly pretentious poetry reading and angry tone. Nice piano though which I'm assuming gets credited to Lenny Kaye's production. Okay, let's move away from Ms. Smith. Slowly, slowly...

11 The Rezillos - Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight
The Rezillos might be better known for their hit Top Of The Pops, but Kicked is just as memorable and also appeared on their album Can't Stand The Rezillos. Their style varied from song to song so don't expect them to sound as mean the next time you hear one of their jams. They broke up in 1978 but the album is still available and still a lot of fun.

12 Aztec Camera - Jump
Roddy Frame is essentially Aztec Camera. His songwriting has been compared to Elvis Costello but I don't know about the sound. Jump is a cover of the Van Halen classic. Yes, that Van Halen. It's VERY mellow compared to the original, so it might seem like a bit of a novelty, but it's actually a rather pretty take on the original.

13 The Bluebelles - Cath
Consisting of guitarist Robert "Bobby Bluebell" Hodgens, singer Kenneth McClusky, drummer Dave McClusky, guitarist Russell Irvin and bassist Lawrence Donegan, the Bluebelles were from Scotland and formed in 1980. They only had one full-length release, 1984's Sisters.

14 The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Noted by John Peel as his all time favorite song, the Undertones' Teenage Kicks is a certifiable classic! The band originated from Northern Ireland and released their eponymous debut in 1979. Definitely worth looking into a little further, that album and a career spanning compilation are still available.

15 Silicon Teens - Memphis Tennessee
Daniel Miller is the founder of Mute Records. Apart from that, he is probably best known for producing early Mute releases for bands like Depeche Mode, but he had his own musical intentions in the late seventies. The Silicon Teens were marketed as a group who covered a number of early rock n' roll records, but in reality is was purely Mr. Miller. They released one album, Music For Parties, which is a lot of fun.

16 The Normal - Warm Leatherette
Once again, Daniel Miller provides us with a minimal electronic classic, although this one is notably darker than his work as Silicon Teens. This was the A-Side of the Normal's only release, the Warm Leatherette single, which contained T.V.O.D. on the B-Side.