Host: Blair B.
I know you’ve been waiting for this. Here’s Blair with his third installment of The Speed of Sound.
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Posted by blair in Other Shows, Podcast | 2 Comments »
2006-04-09 at 01:16
The Playlist:
The Demands – “Long Time Woman” – Play For You (Deep Eddy)
Is it uncool to play your girlfriend’s band on your radio show? Not that I give a rat’s petootie, ‘cuz I really like this one. It’s nowhere near her favorite on the record, but I love the whole feel of it. This is one of the grittier things on here and the vocal sound blows me away every time. Uncle Mitro did a damn good production job on the whole record, but I’m a huge fan of the sound he got on this particular track. (Another one I love is the soft ballad, “Running Out Of Fools”. Some great vocals on that song.) This is a damn good record, actually. Don’t tell Jahna, but I’d’ve paid for it. (The record, I mean.)
The Sermon – “Time Has Come” – Volume (Alternative Tentacles)
Some of you may remember Mike Gabriel from his time in The Mt. McKinleys. Well, after that band said its final farewells, Mike picked up and split for SF, where he formed The Sermon. This is one visceral bunch, if the sounds on this disc is any indication. The dark lyrics display naked, raw emotion.
The Paybacks – “Bright Side” – Harder and Harder (Get Hip)
Back in the mid-90s or so, I reviewed Wendy Case’s band, Ten High, in the pages of my fanzine, The Teen Scene. I raved about their full-length disc. A year or two after that, Freddy Fortune introduced us at a show in NYC. Maybe a year or two after that, I ran into Wendy again, this time at a Cavestomp at the Westbeth. She handed me a disc, saying that it wasn’t really garage. I listened to it on my way home and flipped out. This was GREAT!!! Rock candy. Hard, but with some great melodies. Those songs ended up on the first Paybacks’ disc. “Bright Side” comes from the second one. It’s another great pop song.
The Dirtbombs – “Motor City Baby” – Dangerous Magical Noise (In The Red)
I’d love to be able to tell you when I first heard about The Dirtbombs. I know Mick started the group in ’92, but when The Gories did a one-off reunion at The Bank down on Houston and Essex back in ’93, I had no idea he had another project going. But sometime in the 90s, I knew he was doing The Screws, and Blacktop, and the King Sound Quartet, etc. But I’ll be damned if I can remember when I first became aware of The Dirtbombs. Of course, if you read the liner notes of If You Don’t Already Have A Look, you’ll find Mick didn’t think the band had truly coalesced in a way he was happy with till ’95. But I know it was awhile after that before I heard of them. Whatever.
I was, however, definitely a fan before they ever got to NYC, because I remember being thrilled that they were coming. I also remember that it was pretty thrilling to me, in ’02, that a band that I loved was able to sell out a venue the size of the Bowery Ballroom a couple times in a year. And that by then it was all too apparent that The Dirtbombs are one band that gets women all hot and bothered when they play a live show. This, guys, is a damn good thing.
Bob Moore & the Temps – “Braggin’” – The Daisy/Tiger Records Story (Sundazed)
This is actually Leiber & Stoller Present The Daisy /Tiger Records Story. It seems these are two labels the great songwriting team had going for awhile. Much of the material is Soul/R&B, but this 1963 instro monster features a young Roy Buchanan raging on the guitar.
The Swamp Rats – “Louie Louie” – Disco Still Sucks (Get Hip)
Any garage fan worth his straight-up salt knows the delightfully deranged Swamp Rats evolved out of the sweet Beatles-obsessed Fantastic Dee-Jays. One wonders if it wasn’t like a flower garden rotting… Regardless, this may well be the most demented version ever of this classic. (The only other version I know that’s this beautifully screwed up would have to be from The Outta Place, some 18 years down the timeline.) Of course, don’t go thinking the Swamp Rats only hit the hard stuff. I mean, sure, they trashed the hell out of the already raw “Psycho”, beat the crap out of “Tobacco Road” and bashed their way through tons more… But. Yeah, but. They also had a few downright pretty numbers, including an original called “I’m Going Home”, which I may well feature in the future.
The Downbeat 5 – “Cryin’ In The Night” – Gotham Garage (Enoch)
Sometimes my mind is blown when I realize that JJ Rassler has been playing rock’n’roll for 40 years, playing his first-ever gig in ’65 with The Deserters (at a Quartermaster’s Club, no less!) The thing about JJ is… He still rocks like mad. And he’s a damn nice guy. The Downbeat 5 play a ton and put on a damn good rock show. Although this comes from the Gotham Garage comp (with many other cool NYC and other Northeastern area bands) done a few years back, they’ve got a couple full-length discs of their own out. Look for ‘em.
Rex Garvin & the Mighty Cravers – “Emulsified” – At The Party (Candy)
In ’86, Candy Records (from the fine umbrella organization providing shelter to Satan and Telstar) released a killer comp entitled At The Party. “Emulsified” was one of the biggest hits on it. This one’s been a dance floor favorite for years. Do you know what it means to be emulsified?
Alvin Robinson – “Searchin’” – The Daisy/Tiger Records Story (Sundazed)
Yep, another one from this fantastic Leiber/Stoller comp. Most of you probably know Alvin Robinson. You certainly know this track, if not from Alvin, then from one of the myriad other versions. A classic.
Andy G. & the Roller Kings – “Dance Last Night” – s/t (SFTRI)
If you don’t know Andy G., you haven’t been around rock’n’roll much in the past two decades. I can forgive you not having heard The Thugs, or even The Rat Bastards, but the latter gave birth to The Vacant Lot and The Devil Dogs. The latter of those is where you damn well BETTER know Andy from. Now, if you haven’t heard what Andy’s done since – first, Los Primos, then, for quite some time now, the Roller Kings – you’re way behind the 8-ball. So get with it.
The Improbables – “I Can’t Tell” – demo (self-released)
It can’t be easy trying to put together a rock’n’roll band in Atlantic City. I mean, just about nothing happens in that town except, well… OK, I guess it’s fine if you’re gambling and don’t want to hit Vegas, but when was the last time you heard about a touring band hitting AC? Too bad, too, ‘cuz it’s not too far from Philly. The Improbables were together for a few years, but they are no more. This was one of my favorites.
2006-04-10 at 14:19
I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment on the Demands selection.
Sounds great!