Oh yeah! Lorna! Jamie said:

Bunker Hill or Adrian Lloyd I would think.

Damn you beat me to Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill or Adrian Lloyd I would think.

I guess I was thinking of garage and psychedelic bands. I prefer to hear them in English even if they are from France or Spain, or Italy. Some people find Japanese bands hilarious when they sing in English, but personally, I think they are being totally sincere and honest. And it's those bands I find charming. Or even the Hives, Nomads, or Wylde Mammoths from Sweden. To some, it sounds a little hokey (funny in a bad way), but again, I think they are being honest to a music they really love. Mike Humsgreen said:

Cringing accents are one thing but the lyrics are another. I've heard recently 2 really poor celtic punk bands one called Mr Irish Bastard and the other Paddy and the Rats. The names alone are offensive to Irish people (both bands hail from central Europe). And their lyrics are laughable not least because they are singing about a culture they nothing about outside of stereotypes. A lot of Europeans whos first langauge isn't English will miss much of the irony I expect but any Brit or Irish person would quickly hear the bullshit.

Cringing accents are one thing but the lyrics are another. I've heard recently 2 really poor celtic punk bands one called Mr Irish Bastard and the other Paddy and the Rats. The names alone are offensive to Irish people (both bands hail from central Europe). And their lyrics are laughable not least because they are singing about a culture they nothing about outside of stereotypes. A lot of Europeans whos first langauge isn't English will miss much of the irony I expect but any Brit or Irish person would quickly hear the bullshit.

I guess it's just not my style. I never cared for that band. My college roommate loved them (it was an 80s thing I guess). I never heard this then but I think someone on the old forums shared this or I found it when looking for the Seeds version and seeing if any other bands played it on youtube. But I had to hear this. I just didn't like it. Lubna Barracuda! said:

come on! this version is not so bad!

Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Well Cabaret Voltaire were weird so I'm not surprised they knew it. I'm sure their fans didn't.

Here's what it sound like.

yeah, but what about "pushing too hard"??

actually the "no escape" cover's been in my head all day now.

"funky town"! ha, yes!

come on! this version is not so bad! Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Well Cabaret Voltaire were weird so I'm not surprised they knew it. I'm sure their fans didn't.

Here's what it sound like.

You're right indeed, I was lookin for the Kinks one,and I check this other song that at the beginning looked to me like a heavy re-arranged version. No,nothing in common except the title. Never liked Pretenders. Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I get a feeling you didn't actually listen to that "Louie Louie". That's actaully a Pretenders original despite using everyone's favorite song title.

I actually don't mind their Stop Your Sobbing. It's just over produced.

FREDDI said:

Just got to choose..

Yeah, that's pretty bad. Sounded like Funky Town at the beginning there. S.Law said:

I seem to remember it being a tad more fruity but...this might be it:

I seem to remember it being a tad more fruity but...this might be it:

no, that's not it at all. actually that's pretty cool for what it is.

I am not shocked cabaret would do a cover of "no escape".those early albums of theirs are freaky. I just meant if I heard a Erasure-type cover of it, that would be kind of untypical enough to get my attention. there was no goth or darkwave leanings to this pushin' cover. just your generic gay techno stuff.

Cheesy usually means this:clearly of cheap quality or in bad style like cheesy hotel music or cheesy advertisements or describes anything which is not sincere "She gave a cheesy grin to the cameras". You're right in that the Tenth Anniversary album of the Ventures is cheesy. It's really bad. I know they'd play a few hits of the day even on their early albums, but that album in 1970 was just bad hits of the day of THAT day. As for The Trashmen and Surfin' Bird, first of all, it's not typical of them. They knew it was a gimick but it got the crowd moving even before they recorded it, which is why they chose it as their debut. Most people in later years consider THAT song cheesy and wonder why they couldn't be more like the rest of their album. It's only after groups like the Cramps and Ramones recorded it and early oldies radio that it would be seen for the genius that it is. Second, you should like the Trashmen cuz it's still rock and roll and it's played real well, AND the songs are good. It's a great collection of tunes which I can't say for a lot of albums from between 1962 - 1964. Doc Sanchez said:

Hi S.Law,

well, ok, I guess I don't know The Trashmen enough, but the late Ventures ARE cheesy (whatever that expression means...), at least this 10th anniversary album, on which they play all the greatest hits of back then, with a sound that's not cool or wild or stingy at all. But I really LOVE the early Ventures that are nothing of what I said about this album.

But apart from that I agree with you about internet discussions. Maybe I should've put it another way from the beginning on and ask, why is it that I thought I really should like The Trashmen, and when I heard this album I was disappointed that it sounded so much different from what I expected from only knowing Surfin Bird, because I expected something more hard and wild and not so much this sunny fun thing (and I don't mean modern sound here, because I prefer this vintage sound to anything indie or rock nowadays).

So, would you say that Surfin Bird is a rather atypical song for the Trashmen?

And, by the way: What does "cheesy" really mean...?

Hi S.Law,

well, ok, I guess I don't know The Trashmen enough, but the late Ventures ARE cheesy (whatever that expression means...), at least this 10th anniversary album, on which they play all the greatest hits of back then, with a sound that's not cool or wild or stingy at all. But I really LOVE the early Ventures that are nothing of what I said about this album.

But apart from that I agree with you about internet discussions. Maybe I should've put it another way from the beginning on and ask, why is it that I thought I really should like The Trashmen, and when I heard this album I was disappointed that it sounded so much different from what I expected from only knowing Surfin Bird, because I expected something more hard and wild and not so much this sunny fun thing (and I don't mean modern sound here, because I prefer this vintage sound to anything indie or rock nowadays).

So, would you say that Surfin Bird is a rather atypical song for the Trashmen?

And, by the way: What does "cheesy" really mean...?

that is like, so cool, like ya know, like ya... you know... wtf... bbq... They had an add on tele the other night with those dicks going on about their new song. It was amazing, I really couldn't believe my eyes or ears when the band (bland) members were telling someone who didn't exist that their new song was a rock song... For some reason I was buckled over laughing my arse off... I mean, really, a rock song? what is this rock song thing? I feel so backwards and silly... man... S.Law said:

will do.

OMG!!!

lookey dookey!

will do. OMG!!! lookey dookey!

Instead of listening to the fucking Eagles, I listen to The Fucking Eagles... and you should, too.

man, that could buy a lot of CDs of real groups. I'd take you up on it Kopper, but erm....I think I gotta work that night! maybe we can hook up for the Molly Hatchet/REO Speedwagon show at BigWin Casino? kopper said:

Dude, the Eagles are playing here in St. Louis in a coupla weeks.... at Busch Fucking Stadium. ALL ORIGINAL MEMBERS. Tickets are only like $150,000, too. Wanna go?


S.Law said:

what I want to know is if 38 Special still has the guy with the beard....

Dude, the Eagles are playing here in St. Louis in a coupla weeks.... at Busch Fucking Stadium. ALL ORIGINAL MEMBERS. Tickets are only like $150,000, too. Wanna go? S.Law said:

what I want to know is if 38 Special still has the guy with the beard....

LOL........ Giannis KRI said:

OK calm down everybody i just said it to make a conversation.Jesus.

OK calm down everybody i just said it to make a conversation.Jesus.

I love these types of albums. There always seems to be a new title lurking around, so I was curious what all is out there. I know of:

THE BIG ITCH

MELLO JELLO

WOWSVILLE/WEIRDSVILLE/WILDSVILLE

MAYHEM & PSYCHOSIS

MADAME RITARD'S HORRORS OF THE WAX MUSEUM

more?   thanks in advance for any recommendations...

Ah, and then I like Tremolo Beer Gut, and there's another band from around where I live called The Kilaueas, I think they're surf, too, but I only saw them once on a festival, so I'm not that sure. It was a cool gig though.

Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I'm starting to think that Kopper's default pic is a look of disgust.

* Humpty Dumpty LSD by The Butthole Surfers. Here they are, in all their Butthole splendor.

But this is a pretty decent little British garage band. You can easily detect their influences -- The Kinks and The Standells among them. And singer Mike Whitaker sounds like The Troggs' Reg Presley with a sinus condition.

Here's something cool: Thee Vicars are playing the Eysines Goes Soul Festival this month in France with The Standells, The Zombies and Charles Walker & The Dynamites. My kinda show!

* Dangerous Magical Noise by The Dirtbombs. This is the third album from Detroit's premier rock 'n' soul band. It kicks off with a high-charged tune called "Start the Party" ... and the party never ends. To use my podcast pal Michael Kaiser's favorite word, every one of these tunes is a pounder.

Highlights here include "Motor City Baby," (which has a little T Rex in it), "I'm Through With White Girls," and "Stuck in Thee Garage," a nod at being pigeonholed in the genre game.

Displaying the group's wide array of influences, this version of Dangerous Magical Noise includes a cover of a Robin Hitchcock song ("Executioner of Love") and a Brian Eno tune, "King's Lead."

Just about all the reviews of this album I've read stresses that coming right after the soul-soaked Ultraglide in Black, (the first Dirtbombs album I ever heard), this was supposed to be a hard rocker. But the thing is I find such such distinctions useless. Frontman Mick Collins has soul in his voice that comes through on just about every song. But he's rocker at heart -- and that was true on Ultraglide as well.

PLUS:

*13 songs from (Not)Your Standard Spike Jones Collection. Sometimes the only music that makes any sense to me at all is that of Spike Jones. I was hooked as soon as I heard the first pistol fired in "Cocktails for Two."

With perfect comic timing (and impeccable musicianship) Jones skewered the classics as well as the hot hits of his era. Descriptions of his stage shows sounds like Vaudeville gone berserk -- jugglers, midgets, honking horns, bells, whistles, farting trombones, crazy homemade instruments (a toilet seat with strings), and usually a beautiful blonde playing harp.

Jones became famous for his anti-Hitler song "Def Fuhrer's Face" back in 1942. One of the tracks I downloaded here was directed toward another member of the Axis -- "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap." (Yes, politically incorrect, but hey, we were at war and they did bomb us ...)

I downloaded a few cockeyed cowboy songs here like "Dodging a Gal From Dodge City," "Barstool Cowboy, " and "Big Bad Bill" (from the Badlands), And there's a fine little polka full of slide whistles and horn honks, called "City Slicker Polka."

But I think my favorites here are American chestnuts like "Hi Neighbor" and "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye." Jones makes them even chestnuttier.

This is a gigantic collection - 88 songs. I already had a bunch of them from the Rhino box set that was released in the '90s. But there's still plenty I don't have, so this'll be a musical well on eMusic I'll be drawing from in months to come.

* "Billy Richardson's Last Ride" by Grandpa Jones. I just wish I'd found this before I wrote that column suggesting theme songs for our governor's presidential campaign.