Nitro-Retro!

Sean Bonniwell R.I.P.

2011-12-28T21:25:00.001-05:00

Oh man, I wasn't ready for this one. Doesn't seem too long ago that Sky Saxon died. Now Sean Bonniwell. A legend, dead at 71 from lung cancer. (click for details here).
Here is a Nitro-Retro short tribute to the man and his music.

••• Mascluine Intuition - newly released video here...•••

The Misunderstood - Find The Hidden Door

2011-12-17T18:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays people - We heard this one while playing darts in the old Nitro-Retro bat cave. Wow.

Listen or download here: "Find The Hidden Door"- The Misunderstood

We present for your appreciation today, "Find The Hidden Door" by The Misunderstood.
What a great song from swinging London 1967.
A bunch of California dudes making waves in the emerging 1967 London club scene. See what you think. These guys were on to something. Dig the structure & arrangement of this song.

CRANK IT UP!

There is much online about This legendary band.
Here are some links for more.

http://www.themisunderstood.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Misunderstood

Here is the slide guitarist, Glenn Ross Campell & the singer Rick Brown keeping up with the times back in 1982. Pretty funny.

The Sonics - Skinny Minny!

2011-12-02T22:28:00.001-05:00

Listen or download here: "Skinny Minny" - The Sonics

CRANK IT UP!

The Shadows - Wonderful Land

2011-11-12T22:23:00.001-05:00

"Wonderful Land" is a near-perfect instrumental tune - released as a single by THE SHADOWS in 1962. It was recorded by The Shadows' original line up of Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan. The single reached number 1 in the UK Chart where it remained for the next 8 weeks.Get this - It stayed at #1 in the UK for more weeks than any other single during the whole of the 1960s - including all the number one singles released by The Beatles.

Listen or download here: "Wonderful Land" - The Shadows

The song was finally knocked off the top by another instrumental, "Nut Rocker" by B. Bumble & The Stingers. This was the first Shadows track to feature an instrumental backing. The lads had the song in the can for 9 months and while we they on tour, they hired the famous conductor, Norrie Paramour added French horns & strings. It was the first time that a rock group had used an orchestra and it was #1 for weeks." The title, "Wonderful Land" was a reference to America.

1963

1970

October Mix

2011-10-27T22:51:00.004-04:00

Greetings Rockers.
We've whipped up this new little 8-song mix for all you thirsty connoisseurs out there. Dig this:

1. The Sonics - Skinny Minny
2. Carl Perkins - Her Love Rubbed Off
3. Hondells - Haulin' Honda
4. Chants R&B - I Want Her
5. The Rapiers - Jack's Good
6. The Troggs - Butterflies & Bees
7. Santo & Johnny - Slave Girl
8. Mystery Monkees

TURN IT UP!!

listen or get it here:

"October Mix"

Breakfast at The Ace

2011-10-05T21:27:00.001-04:00

I bought my first motorcycle a few weeks ago. Inspired by the 60's British Cafe Racers, and not alot of money, I got a 2011 Suzuki TU250. Seen here. Granted it's not close to a Triumph Bonneville, Norton, Triton or a Royal Enfield, but one day...

So here is our Nitro-Retro tribute to the cult of the Cafe Racers. We present a tune by a current British band called The Rapiers -"Breakfast at The Ace". (The Ace Cafe London was one of the main stops and hangouts of the original cafe racers.) These guys have The Shadows down to a tee! Guys - When are you coming to the States!? Enjoy & ride well!

download or listen:

"Breakfast At The Ace" - The Rapiers

The Slaves Tribute Pt 2 - Panic/Get Out Of My Way

2011-09-18T22:54:00.010-04:00

I am very pleased to offer you this "part 2" tribute to one of my favorite European garage bands, The SLAVES from Vienna, Austria.
Recently, I was contacted by non-other than the daughter of The Slave's great lead singer, songwriter and leader of the band, Paul Fisher. (born Paul Lupp on Feb. 3, 1943 in Sierndorf, Austria).
She was gracious enough to share with me a great, never-before published band photo of The Slaves, and some personal pics and stories of her father and the band. So you'll hear it first here at Nitro-Retro!

Here is what we have learned:

One big thing we found out that most people may not know is that the lead guitarist of The Slaves was non-other than the famous Karl (Charlie) Ratzer. He is today a very popular jazz guitarist in his own right. (http://www.enjarecords.com/bio.php?artist=Karl+Ratzer)

Besides playing in Austria, The Slaves toured in Germany and Switzerland. Their biggest show was opening for The Who in Switzerland. An Austrian musician (his name has long-been forgotten) said in a television interview the day after the concert that the newspapers basically told all about how great The Slaves were, and they only wrote a few words about The Who.
The name "The Slaves" came about, because they saw themselves as "slaves of society" and they wanted to break out. Formed sometime around 1964, the band's main inspiration was The Kinks. The Slaves loved to play "You Really Got Me" live. Surely also The Stones. Them and The Pretty Things. Paul Fisher was also a big fan of Ray Charles.

Why did the band break up? According to our sources, the bands manager wanted them to write lyrics in their native language of German and they refused. (Such the rebels!)

Before The Slaves, Paul Fisher sang in a prize-winning cover-band called The Thunderstorms.

In our first post celebrating the music of The Slaves, (click here is see) We presented their most infamous songs, "Shut Up" & "Slaves Time". Here we focus on two lesser known, but equally as great single, "Panic" b/w "Get Out Of My Way" from 1966. Dig this cover. (click image below to see more detail)

download or listen:

"Panic" - The Slaves

download or listen:

"Get Out Of My Way" - The Slaves

A little story about the recording of "Panic". The reason why Paul Fisher's voice sounds different, is that at that time, the band had just finished a number of shows. The recording was made right after a gig–thus the hoarse voice.
After The Slaves, Paul Fisher never played in bands again. He became a master tailer and opened his own tailor shop specializing in leather clothing for traditional Austrian costumes (think "The Sound of Music").
He died in 1993 due to a a short illness.
Rhythm guitarist Lippy Behrends (wearing the striped shirt in the above photo) is also now deceased.
Karl Ratzer later played in a psychedelic band called Charles Ryders Corporation.

Signed in 1968 on DECCA Records Switzerland. This Vienna band released just 2 singles both on the Swiss Decca label. The great psych tune, "Six Ravens Must In The Tower Stay" sounds just like it was recorded by a UK band, it even uses the English National Anthem - God Save The Queen at the beginning.

Later Karl Ratzer joined a band called "Gipsy Love".

Later he played with a group called "High Voltage", later known as Rufus and Chaka Khan!

Paul Fisher and his wife - mid-70s.

Paul Fisher with his daugher

Long Live The Slaves!

Junior Saw It Happen

2011-09-03T09:40:00.013-04:00

I've always had a sweet spot for early period Steve Miller Band. Formed in the swirl of the amazing San Francisco 1966 music scene, "The Steve Miller Blues Band" were one of the standout acts among the other great groups of the city. In college, my roomate's and I used to play thier first 2 albums, "Children of The Future" and "Sailor" continuously. The other day I threw these 2 scratchy records on the turntable and rediscovered the greatness of this track off their first album,"Children Of The Future". The rockin' and slightly funky "Junior Saw It Happen" still holds up pretty well.

download or listen:

"Junior Saw It Happen" - Steve Miller Blues Band"

The son of a music-loving doctor, Steve Miller had a childhood that any young musician would envy: world-class jazz instrumentalists such as Les Paul, Red Norvo,Tal Farlow and Charlie Mingus would often drop by to visit his father while performing in the Milwaukee area. "They'd just come and eat and hang out on a Sunday afternoon," Miller has said, "I saw the respect my dad had for them, and it seemed like musicians were just the neatest people of all." By the time he was 12, his family had moved to Dallas and Miller had formed his first blues band, the Marksmen Combo, soon to include later Miller Band stalwart Boz Scaggs. The pair continued to be bandmates while attending college at the University of Wisconsin, where Miller led local blues-rock combo the Ardells in the early '60s. Following a brief period as a student at the University of Copenhagen, Miller returned to the States and moved to Chicago, where he spent nearly three years playing blues guitar and jamming with some of the Windy City's superlative blues talent. He briefly formed a group with keyboardist Barry Goldberg, later of the Electric Flag.Upon Miller's 1966 arrival in San Francisco, he put together the Steve Miller Blues Band, whose earliest work can be heard backing Chuck Berry on his 1967 Live At The Fillmore album; additionally, the band supplied three songs to the soundtrack of the 1967 film Revolution. By the time the Steve Miller Band flew to England to record their memorable 1968 debut Children Of The Future, the group consisted of Miller, Scaggs, drummer Tim Davis, bassist Lonnie Turner, and organist Jim Peterman. That version of the band lasted long enough to record both Children and its remarkable follow-up Sailor; Scaggs then left to begin his solo career.

Dandelion/Sometimes Happy...

2011-07-14T21:47:00.000-04:00

We're on a big "Dandelion" kick these days down here in the Nitro-Retro garage-lounge. The song, which I haven't heard in years, stuck with me like glue after hearing it on the "Technicolor Web of Sound" online radio station the other day. Beside being a strikingly catchy tune, and one of the best examples of their their short-lived psych-period, there is in fact a great mystery associated with the song. Is that The Beatles- John & Paul on backing vocals? I swear I can hear them both back there singing during the, "Blow away Dandelion!" and the "Aahhhhh's" in that Octopus's Garden falsetto-style. See what you think...

download or listen:

"Dandelion" - The Rolling Stones (1967)

Furthermore, you have to hear this GREAT early demo-version of "Dandelion" by a young Keith Richards. The song has not been 'psyched-out' yet, but it's great to hear Keith's rockin' seed of the song! Working title: "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue". Enjoy.

download or listen:

"Sometimes Happy Sometimes Blue" - Keith Richards (1966)

This demo-version of "Dandelion", was originally written by Keith during the 1966 "Between the Buttons" sessions. "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue"would remain unfinished until after the "Between the Buttons" album was released and the Stones' were in need of a compatible B-side to the single, "We Love You".
"Dandelion" held a special significance for Keith, who would name his daughter "Dandelion", born during the accursed sessions that would eventually culminate in the album Exile on Main St.
(Footnote * Her mother Anita Pallenberg would later change her name to the more normal, Angela.)

The End - Introspection Pt. 1

2011-05-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

Hey gang - Here's a great new discovery to our ears. Thanks to Sara for the turn-on. Produced by The Rolling Stones Bill Wyman, this UK group was know as The End. This great tune, "Introspection (Part One)" is off thier 1968 album Introspection. Enjoy!

download or listen:
"Introspection (Part One)" - The End

From the music blog Chocoreve:

"Over the years of their existance, The End enjoyed the active help of Rolling Stone, Bill Wyman. They had been previously introduced to Wyman by producer Glyn Johns who had spotted them backing Elkie Brooks and were amongst the support acts for the Stones September '65 tour following the release of 'Out of Our Heads' along with the Spencer Davis Group; Unit Four Plus Two and The Moody Blues. A debut single 'I Can't Get Any Joy' had duly flopped and any plans Wyman had regarding the band were then thwarted by lack of action on the part of the Stones manager Alan Klein's office. So it wasn't until nearly three years later on signing to Decca (ironically the Stones label) before any further releases kicked off again. In 1968 'Shades of Orange' / 'Loving, Sacred Loving' appeared, both songs were built up during the sessions for the Stones album 'The Satanic Majesties Request' and have appeared over the years on various Stones bootlegs which seems a little odd as apart from Wyman the only other connection is Charlie Watts who plays tabla. 'Shades' was a wonderful song with dreamy atmospheres whilst 'Loving' featured Nicky Hopkins on harpsichord. In the same year, the album 'Introspection' also appeared and is one of the highlights of the English psychedelic scene, no collection should be without."

Don't Make It So Hard

2011-04-27T23:40:00.005-04:00

I know it's been a while since we've thrown together a good 'ol Nitro-Retro post. Thanks for checking in. We're still here - just waiting for the time and inspiration!
We heard this the other day and it hit just right. So here you go: From the great soul duo, Sam & Dave in 1966 bringing it down a bit with a smooth and groovin' deep cut off their "Hold On, I'm Comin" LP. "Don't Make It So Hard" was co-written by the great Eddie Floyd. Enjoy.

download or listen:
"Don't Make It So Hard" - Sam & Dave

• • • • •

The Bougalieu Do Wrong!

2011-03-30T23:30:00.005-04:00

Always loved this one. The great "Let's Do Wrong" by The Bougalieu working only 1 year together ('67-'68) out of Albany NY. I used to think this was a rare blend of 60's garage-punk and funk! Featuring a beautifully twisted vocal performance by a dude named Parker Kennedy. He sounds like a cross between a tripped-out Mick Jagger & drunk Van Morrison! I don't know what he's singing about, but I like it! It's easy to dig this totally dancable groove until the weird freak-out middle & end parts that take you places I'm still trying to figure out. See what you think:

download or listen:
"Let's Do Wrong" - The Bougalieu

Here is a video of the 45's flip side "When I Was Children":

Click HERE for the lead guitarist's Michael Havelin's website! Where is he now?

If you want more, here's what sounds like an early alternate version:

download or listen:
"Let's Do Wrong" - The Bougalieu (early Alt. version?)

••••

Anita O'Day rocks the '58 Newport Jazz Festival

2011-03-28T22:49:00.005-04:00

So I was watching this great documentary the other night called "Jazz on a Summer's Day". It was all about the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival on a bright sunny day in Rhode Island. Acclaimed as one of the best jazz films ever made, it featured classic performances from many of the late 50's jazz-cats, such as Gerry Mulligan, Dinah Washington, Louis Armstrong, Chico Hamilton, Sonny Stitt, George Shearing, Big Maybelle, Mahalia Jackson & Thelonius Monk. But one performer stood out to me over than all the rest. This was the 2-song performance by the late singer Anita O'Day (Born: October 18, 1919 – Died: November 23, 2006). She sang two songs in the film, "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Tea For Two".
Watch here and enjoy the talent: (Be patient, she kicks it in around 1:50 on the first video)

Like many jazz-cats during the 40's & 50's, miss O'Day had her share of drug problems. Beginning in 1947, when she and her husband were arrested for possession of marijuana and sentenced to 90 days in jail. In 1952 she was again arrested for possession of marijuana, but found not guilty. Later that year she was arrested for possession of heroin. The case dragged on for most of 1953, and she was finally sentenced to six months in jail. It's interesting to note she admitted later that she was probably high on heroin during the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival concert. (Can you tell?) She also said that it was the best day of her life in that hers was the star performance of the festival and she made the cover of national magazines for it. She nearly died of a heroin overdose in 1968, but shortly after finally kicked her drug habit for good. She performed almost up to her death in 2006.

Nilsson!

2011-02-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

I watched a great music documentary on Harry Nilsson the other day. I admit I didn't know much about this guy beyond a small number of soft hits in the late 60's/early 70's. ("Everybody's Talkin'", "Me & My Arrow", "Without You", "Courtship of Eddie's Father Theme", etc.) I also had heard about his infamous L.A. debauchery with John Lennon in the early 70's. But this documentary gave me a new respect for this artist. Without going into any detail about the film, I would just highly recommend it to any of you 60's music lovers out there.
It's called "Who Is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)".

Here's an interesting take Nilsson does with a Beatles collage-medley. From his 1968 album with the cool album cover, and that caught the attention of The Beatles, Pandemonium Shadow Show's, "You Can't Do That". Dig it!

download or listen:

"You Can't Do That"- Harry Nilsson

Question Mark and The Mysterians - Unleashed Videos!

2011-02-12T21:10:00.000-05:00

Just saw these 2 rare and recently uploaded to YouTube videos the other day and wanted to share with everyone out there if you haven't already seen these:
LONG LIVE QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS!

The Birminghams! Part 2

2011-01-24T21:39:00.005-05:00

Here is part 2 of Nitro-Retro's tribute to Berkeley, California's late-80's mod heroes, The Birminghams!
Not only have I digitize another Birminghams tune to share, but I've discovered & scanned a bunch of old Birminghams flyers I kept from the late 80's. (click on the flyers to see the enlarged versions). I drew the caricature of Bart Davenport and The Birminghams in the above flyer back in 1988. Anyone remember this one?
The tune presented here is called "City Lights", and I believe it might be an original? In any event, it's an energetic slice of harp-drivin', guitar-choppin' maximum R&B! Kinda reminds me of The Pretty Things, "Oh Baby Doll" on speed.
I have many fond memories of my band, Los Creeple Peeple playing shows with The Birminghams. For such young dudes at the time, those guys could rock.
Most of you know that Bart and Xan have both gone on to enjoy quite successful music careers, but here they are in their early days. Enjoy!

download or listen:
"City Lights"- The Birminghams

The Birminghams! Part 1

2011-01-22T16:26:00.001-05:00

I'm please to present a rare recording of one of my favorite mid-to-late 80's garage/mod bands. Out of Berkeley CA, The Birminghams! Featuring a young Bart Davenport and Xan McCurdy. This was one of my favorite tunes they did and really showed off Bart's harmonica skills. Enjoy!

download or listen:

"Bald-Headed Woman" - The Birminghams

Linda!

2010-12-13T23:06:00.023-05:00

Many loyal viewers here have heard the classic 60's garage 1965 nugget, "I Never Loved Her" by The Starfires. A truly great song indeed. But this post is dedicated to it's lesser know, and more 'frat-raucous' flip-side entitled simply, "Linda".

I'm sure most of you music freaks out there first heard "Linda" on side 2 of Highs In The Mid-60's L.A. Vol. 1 '65 Teenage Rebellion! The Starfires were from Long Beach, CA. The boys even made an album entitled "Teenbeat A Go Go", (see pic below) consisting of greasy frat-rock standards of the day. While "I Never Loved Her" is the classic side everyone points to, when we feel like really shakin' it, we flip it over and play "Linda"! Enjoy:

download or listen:
"Linda"- The Starfires

Fast forward 24 years to Sept. 1989. Inside 1 month's time, my brother and I got together with a couple of musician pals to lay down a set of obscure sixties-punk covers and play a few shows around town just for the fun of it. We casually called ourselves "Matt and The Gnats". One of the songs we did was a cover of The Starfires song, "Linda". It was one of our more fun tunes and probably learned it after only one take. But one particular night we renamed it in honor of our friend, Lisa. You can hear us playing the tune live, drunk and sloppy here:

download or listen:
"Lisa"- Matt and The Gnats

The Three Suns

2010-12-01T22:33:00.005-05:00

I admit, being interested in all things mid-century, I was hit rather hard by the space-age bachelor-pad lounge music 'revival' back in the early to mid-90's. I must have combed through every thrift store record section from here to Kalamazoo - looking for that hidden treasure, that undiscovered nugget of music greatness. I did manage to gather a pretty significant collection of mid-century foolery.

But since then, I've gradually parted and let go of most of my lounge music, keeping only my most favorite and prized discoveries. At the top of this heep have always been these two obscure tracks from a pretty well-known mid-century instrumental 'lounge-music' trio known as
The Three Suns.
Their music has been featured on many "space-age/bachelor pad" comps over the years, but I've never seen these two tracks anywhere,
except on their 1964 LP, "One Enchanted Evening".

Cast off as obscure album filler, these two mysterious and moody cuts stood out as something that went beyond the normal Three Suns sound. Rather than their happy, rollicking accordion-driven foder, "No Blues At All" was much different, more towards a lonesome, haunting, organ-drenched mysterio-spooky groove. Dig it here...

download or listen:
"No Blues At All" - The Three Suns

"Whispering Shadows" is just as great. A sinister sister-song to "No Blues At All" in that it has all the same spooky space age qualities. Enjoy in a dark room late at night.

download or listen:
"Whispering Shadows" - The Three Suns

Click here's a site dedicated to The Three Suns.

Here's a pretty funny video (The only one I could find)
of The Three Suns in action.

Autumn Almanac

2010-11-28T21:18:00.003-05:00

Autumn is coming to a close. Winter is just around the corner, but wait!
The gang over here at Nitro-Retro enjoyed the fall colours so much this year, we felt the urge to give a little props to the colour-saturation of nature that the Autumn season brought to us this year.
I rather enjoyed the acorns, all the leaves that needed raking, the skin on my fingers cracking,

Autumn colour fun fact: Where does all that colour come from? The longer nights of autumn. The longer nights of autumn trigger biochemical processes which cause leaves to change colour. Sometimes, when late summer and early autumn weather is just right, leaf colours of various trees, especially the Maple trees can be truly stunning.

A dry, number of warm sunny autumn days and crisp nights intensified the colours, turning trees into a chromatic kaleidoscopes of vivid reds, oranges, yellows, greens, golds and browns.

The Exciting Bossa Nova Jazz Samba Rhythms of Walter Wanderley!

2010-11-12T22:18:00.008-05:00

Ya dig some vintage Hammond grooves? Ya dig the Bossa Nova rhythms? Before it gets too cold this winter, try taking a warm dip into this sweet Walter Wanderley 4-song mp3 mix. This is why the cats over here down in the Nitro-Retro lounge-cave dig us some Walter Wanderley. Enjoy!
Click here for info on the man.

download mp3 or listen:

"Walter Wanderley Mix"

Song List:

1. Crickets Sing for Ana Maria

2. Chegança (The Great Arrival)

3. Batucada

4. The Lonely One

Angola Soul

2010-11-06T14:34:00.020-04:00

If you enjoy vintage World music, check this out:
We just recently discover this great comp– a mix of Angolan musicians, entitled "Soul of Angola – anthologies de la musique angolaise 1965-1975", a 2-cd released by the French label Lusafrica back in 2001. There are few words to describe the rich, feel good, as well as melancholy sound of the voices and echoey-electric guitars of this music. We've put together this 5-song mp3 sample-mix to give you a little taste of this music. See if it doesn't make you feel good! Enjoy.

download mp3 or listen:
"Angola Soul Mix"

Song List:
1. Quim Dos Santos - "Ambula N'Gui Zeka"
2. Paulo 9 - "Fazer Bem"
3. Os Bongos - "Lena"
4. Paulo 9 - "Genro Ciumento"
5. Paulino Pinhiero - "Pachanga De Juventade"

If you like music and want to learn and hear more, click here.

Deep Cuts / Hard Funk

2010-09-24T22:48:00.014-04:00

Continuing with the soul-funk buzz, here's a couple of tunes that should get you started. We heard these 2 nuggets off the highly recommended "Midwest Funk" comp.
This first one is "Epitaph" by a funk outfit called, Epitaph Movement. This funk-punk, latin-tinged pressure cooker is like Santana on speed and almost out of control.

download or listen here:
"Epitaph" by Epitaph Movement - mp3

This other one is from an unknown to us soul mama, a Miss Barbara Howard doing her best Aretha on this very danceable, put-down titty-shaker, "I Don't Want Your Love"; complete with sum good 'ol cheesy keyboards putting together a winning combination for all you vintage funksters out there looking for a nugget you may not have heard before.

download or listen here:
"I Don't Want Your Love" by Barbara Howard - mp3

As usual, we recommend an increased volume and a cold drink in hand while enjoying. Dig it!

Latino Soul Shot!

2010-09-17T21:57:00.010-04:00

download or listen here:
"No One Else Will Do" by Sunny & The Sunliners - mp3

Hola Amigos ! Here's one that will stick to your brain like melted cheese to an enchilada on a hot summer day. From San Antonio, Texas – Sunny & The Sunliners, with their classic Chicano Soul Stomper– "No One Else Will Do" from 1964. Dig that cheesy keyboard!

SLAVES TIME! - SHUT UP!

2010-08-01T16:42:00.037-04:00

Over here at the Nitro-Retro lounge cave, we have many favorite groups and favorite songs, but it's a strong consensus that one of our all-time top favorite European bands from the mid-60's was Austria's THE SLAVES. Simply because of these 2 singles we present to you here:

download or listen here:
"Slaves Time" by The Slaves - mp3

download or listen here:
"Shut Up" by The Slaves - mp3

There is not much information out there on these guys. Maybe this adds to the mystery, obscurity and dark quality to The Slaves? Comparable to the rawness of The Pretty Things & The Q65, and often listed as a Swiss garage band, they were an originally from Vienna, Austria. These guys were deeply entrenched in the local Swiss band scene in the mid-60's. There were actually two Swiss musicians that played with the SLAVES for a while: Jelly Pastorini (of later SHIVER fame) and Peter Rietmann (of The DYNAMITES and The SAUTERELLES fame) on bass. The core band members, however, were from Austria. But the band lived, played, recorded and released their records in Zurich, Switzerland - at least until they were forced to leave Zurich due to the use of "forbidden substances". At that time they returned to Austria where they slowly faded away into the history books.
The SLAVES only released 3 singles in their short life-span, (all incredibly rare and very expensive) but what a trio! All 3 singles were recorded and released exclusively on the Philips label in Switzerland, with great picture sleeves of the band - looking very cool indeed. Mysteriously, all 3 singles were apparently released at the same time, not helping sales & promotions.
"Slaves Time" is a masterpiece. A classic mid-60's primitive, maraca-laden mod-punk workout. But what can one say about the singer's vocal style in the song "Shut Up"? It sounds like he's a disgruntled and/or demented drunk, mumbling through his lyrics and continuously trying to catch up with the band's tempo - finally catching up at the end of each verse. Just Beautiful.
Footnote: "Slaves Time" was compiled on the second Rhino Nuggets boxset.
Turn it up and ENJOY!!

Here's a YouTube video/jukebox of their 3rd single, "Panic".

Derrick Harriott!

2010-06-03T20:30:00.012-04:00

Summertime is here kiddies, and it's time to take a trip!
So find some time to relax and enjoy some sweet-soul vintage reggae. Check out "Let Me Down Easy" by the legendary Derrick Harriott recorded in 1972. To these ears, this nugget sounds like a throw-back to the earlier rock-steady sound. See what you think. Thanks Jordy! Very infectious mon!

download or listen here:
Derrick Harriott - "Let Me Down Easy" mp3

I Can Take You To The Sun.

2010-05-28T20:48:00.050-04:00

Many of you may already be aware of the outstanding group, "The Misunderstood". So this post goes out to those of you who have not yet experienced these powerful and atmospheric sounds. I also highly recommended and encourage you to explore the band's crazy story. It's one of the best. click here for a quick glimpse. Here's a 7-song mix from the bands immortal "London Sessions" giving you a taste of the essentials. Dig it.
download or listen here:
The Misunderstood - "Children of The Sun mix" mp3
1. Children of the Sun
2. My Mind
3. Who Do You Love?
4. I Unseen
5. Find a Hidden Door
6. I Can Take You to the Sun *
7. I'm Not Talking

I first heard the Misunderstood back in 1986-87, thanks to my roomate at the time, Matt. We listened to alot of garage music back then and this one was one of the absolute best. Matt found this record somewhere, and you'll see what I mean after a listen, but we played the hell out of it. We knew this one was different. The band was clearly not like most of then run-of-the-mill garage bands. There's even a book published on the bands fascinating story, featuring the amazing life-journey of singer Rock Brown.
This record by The Misunderstood, "Before the Dream Faded" turned out to be, as I've heard it said, "...may be the closest thing to the Dead Sea Scrolls for devotees of early psychedelic music and garage rock. The "Before the Dream Faded" compilation LP is a rare document of a semi-famous band that was at ground zero of the underground music movement. download or listen here:
BBC DJ John Peel speaking of the band - 1967 mp3

The lack of recognition the Misunderstood from rock critics with a shallow knowledge of rock and roll shows that "misunderstood" has evolved into an almost prophetic name for this great band.
The expert playing and musical finesse of the Misunderstood made them way more than your average garage band. The Misunderstood had a bluesy, psychedelic sound well in front of the big guns of UK Sixties psychedelica, like Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and even the Yardbirds. The Misunderstood's music was a Molotov cocktail mixed with equal parts raw blues and mind bending psychedelic guitar. One need only to listen to the Misunderstood to find the point of inspiration for Jeff Beck when he'd play his ear splitting, guitar shattering "rave-ups" with the Yardbirds.
Glen Ross Campbell (not the "Witchta Lineman" dude) was an expert guitarist who doubled on steel guitar. The addition of UK guitarist Tony Hill when the Misunderstood moved to London in '66 gave the band a full throttle guitar sound. Steve Whiting on bass and Rick Moe on drums provided a muscular rhythm section that gave the Misunderstood a sound as powerful as a roundhouse punch." - online researchFootnote: Beware of the later period Misunderstood music, with Glen Ross Cambell as the only remaining original member, was a different band entirely.

"The Misunderstood may just be the greatest lost band of the 1960s. They had the gifts, the creativity, the chemistry, the ambition, the drive - all the ingredients to make it, plus that extra indefinable 'magic' in their sound, which in its purest moments seemed tuned to a wonderful and strangely magnetic frequency. Torn apart by the Vietnam War draft the band was denied the breakthrough they deserved." --- Mike Stax

Click here for The Misunderstood's simple website
Click here for The Misunderstood's MySpace Page.

FIND THE HIDDEN DOOR.

Who Influenced The Ramones?

2010-05-10T22:36:00.012-04:00

I've been on a serious Ramones kick over the last few weeks.
The question I keep pondering is why?
Why these 4 weird, loner outcasts (punks?) from Queens started a band way back in 1974 and decided to play their music super-fast, super-loud and super-hard.
Was it a backlash against disco music? I think not because disco was just getting started then and wouldn't peak until 3 or 4 years later. Was it their musical heros? They often site The Stooges, MC5, New York Dolls and Slade, as groups they were listening to, but these bands didn't play hyper-fast, short songs like The Ramones. Maybe it was their primitive answer to over-produced 70's progressive rock. It is often mentioned the Ramones music harks back to the Phil Spector-era, girl group, Beach Boys, mid-60s' pop sound. Maybe, but it's so far removed! And what's with the long mop-top hairstyle of Johnny & Dee Dee? Were they garage-heads before The Chesterfield Kings? Were they big fans of The Blues Magoos and their hair styles?

I recommend taking the time to check out The Ramones documentary: "End Of The Century". All of which is on YouTube. Here's Part 1:

*Now compare this SLADE video from 1972. (2 years before The Ramones)
Influence?

Here's another influence. I read somewhere this song helped inspire Blitzkrieg Bop's "Hey Ho, Let's Go!"

Here's a great example of The MC5. You can imagine Johnny Ramone watching this.

IGGY!

THE DOLLS!!

Its's Les Sauterelles!

2010-04-27T18:59:00.021-04:00

Hey Gang -
Who was one of the biggest and most popular Swiss beat groups from the 1960's?
Who had some of the longest hair north of The Q65?
Along with other great beat groups like the Dynamites, The Sevens, & The Slaves, I present to you - Nitro Retro's tribute to...
Les Sauterelles!!
Widely known for thier 1968 flower power single, "Dream Machine", I recently first heard this killer, obscure track simply called "Janet". This tune was the B-side to their 1966 single, "Hong Kong" (see them here, performing "Hong Kong" live at a recent reunion show - they still got the power!) See what you think of this: Dig that Bo Diddley fuzz guitar!
download or listen here:
Les Sauterelles- "Janet" - mp3

You can check out their website here.

The Boy with The Beatle Hair

2010-04-10T11:45:00.027-04:00

Beatle Fans! This one's for you.
I heard a great old tune the other day on an online Beatles radio station. Some of you may have already heard this one, but it was new to my ears until last week! Musically it's very typical of the early 60's girl group soft-pop. Somehow it reminds me of "Mr. Sandman". But this is so much cooler. The Swans - "The Boy With The Beatle Hair" (US - Cameo-Parkway 302 - 1964). The dreamy-like quality to the melody is really addictive. Singing from a high school girl's perspective, the girl's lament about wanting(needing) to meet the "Boy with the Beatle hair" in their class during the height of Beatlemania & the longhair craze that sweeped through the country in 1964. Crazy to think these girls are all about 60 years old now! Check it out:
download or listen here:
The Swans- "The Boy with The Beatle Hair" - mp3

The Swans tune actually made the charts for 4 weeks in March 1964, not going any higher than number 85. Can someone tell me any more about them? The picture below is not them.
HOLD ON!! While I'm at it - there's another one - this time more rockin', and equally as addictive! Featuring a similar reflection in song about the longhair craze sweeping the nation. The Outsiders - "The Guy with The Long Liverpool Hair" (New York City [New York] - Karate 505 - 1965). Dig it!!
download or listen here:
The Outsiders - "The Guy With The Long Liverpool Hair" - mp3

Incidentally, another obscure Beatles-inspired tune from 64 is the first record ever by Cher. Going by the moniker of Bonnie Jo Mason, "Ringo, I Love You" is a powerful, driving rocker!

Click the above image to play Video

The Hep Stars!

2010-02-07T11:30:00.014-05:00

Snowed-in, I was watching a bio on ABBA. I forgot that the keyboardist, Benny Andersson (2nd from right in above photo) was earlier in Sweden's top 60's beat group, the long-haired Hep Stars.
There are many video's of the group on YouTube.
This one shows the group at their wildest!
Doing Jerry Lee Lewis's, "Whole Lotta Shain' Going On"
Click the picture...

Richard & The Young Lions! Lost Video!!

2010-01-09T20:41:00.021-05:00

Hey People! Have you seen this?
A rare video of Newark New Jersey's Richard & The Young Lions live on a local teen TV show "Swingin' Time" in 1966 has recently been unearthed and now Back From The Grave! Check it out!

Amazing! Richard Tepp's outrageously long hair must have brought him alot of trouble back then. The band has a pretty interesting website. Check it out here:

There has even been a recent documentary film made on the group: Click here for info.

* Click the sleeve to read the liner notes. They're great!

THEN & NOW

On June 17th 2004, Richard Tepp - lead singer for Richard and the Young Lions died of leukemia. R.I.P. Thanks!

Ode To The Soulman!

2009-12-10T20:22:00.019-05:00

Not James Brown the soul man, not Sam & Dave soul man,... but Syl Johnson! Dig this Funky as-poop Deep soul get-down' slice of sweaty raw power. Take it from Syl when he says, "Now, come on baby, with your little 'ol skinny legs, show 'em what you can do! Shing-a-ling Booglaoo, Funky Broadway!!"
Play this at your next dance, shindig or DJ gig, and watch 'em work it!

By the way, I'll be testing out my theory on this song Saturday night Dec. 22 @ Cous-Cous in Richmond. (see flyer below)
Come on out and SHAKE IT WHILE YOU GOT IT!
Here's a little of what I'll be spinning...
Click here to listen, or right click to download mp3:
Syl Johnson - "Ode To The Soulman" - (1967)

From Wikie:
Born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf in the 1950s, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.
He then began recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in the mid 1960s. Beginning with his first hit, Come On Sock It to Me in 1967, Johnson dominated the label as both a hitmaker and producer. His song "Different Strokes", also from 1967, featured recently on the Ultimate Breaks and Beats breakbeat compilation.

* A Footnote.
This post is dedicated to the memory of my uncle Courtney who recently passed away too soon. We called him The Jazzman. He called me The Rocker.
He called my brother Juke. (due to his Jukebox guitar ability to play any song off the top of his head). He taught me alot about music and had more stories than anyone I knew. He was passionate about life and his music and was a real influence on me. This one goes out to a true Soul Man.

ZouZou!

2009-11-11T22:06:00.018-05:00

download or listen here:
Zouzou - "Tu Fais Partie Du Passe" - mp3

Who was the beautiful ZouZou?
Zouzou (Danièle Ciarlet) was/is an iconic French model, actress and singer of the 1960s and early 1970s. She dated several famous men back in the day, including Brian Jones, and Jack Nicholson. Born on November 29, 1943 ZouZou was a model, actress, singer and icon of the 1960s and early 1970s mostly known for her beauty and for her lead role in Éric Rohmer's "Love In The Afternoon". Her career, however, was constantly hampered by her addiction to heroin and other drugs. The nickname "Zouzou" is due to her lisp.

Being a French model, actress and singer in the 1960s, she didn’t have to seek out work – it came to her. With her slim, almost masculine frame, she was perfect for the androgynous styles being designed by Jean-Paul Goude and she was offered modelling work for him and, later, for Yves Saint Laurent. She gained notoriety for her private life as much as for her work. Of an evening she would frequent the top Parisian nightspots, and her tireless clubbing led to her being dubbed “Zouzou la twisteuse” by Paris-Match magazine . Almost inevitably, she was offered a recording contract with the Vogue label. Her first EP, released in April 1966, comprised four songs composed by the then unknown Jacques Dutronc (he became an extremely successful singer himself shortly afterwards). The lead track was the excellent folk-styled "Il Est Parti Comme Il Est Venu" (see above video).While promoting the release she met Marianne Faithfull and the two became firm friends. The British singer and actress was just one of the stars that Zouzou counted amongst her entourage. That year she became romantically involved with Brian Jones and lived with the Rolling Stones guitarist in London for about a year - even though they did not speak each others language!
In 1967 she returned to the studio to record a follow up EP, featuring Petit garçon as the lead track. Again, she supplied the lyrics, including a French translation of Young girl blues, which folk singer Donovan had offered her and which became Ce samedi soir.
Here's a fairly recent music video of ZouZou & Donovan doing a duet. It's always amazing what time and passing years can do to the young and beautiful.

Latino a Go-Go!

2009-09-24T21:59:00.008-04:00

Ola Amigos! I'm not sure what inspired me to put together this 5-song mix of Latino Garage tunes. Maybe it's my longtime love affair with The Sounds single, "Little Joe" (Sunglow 126). Those mystery rockers from somewhere in Texas put out this nugget in 1967. If anybody can shed some light on these guys...PLEASE DO!
But also this other great tune I've just recently discovered. Gene Ricky & The Swingers doing "What You Wanted Most".
I'm not even sure if Gene Ricky is Hispanic or not. He almost sounds like it. He may have been a Rockabilly artist trying something new in the mid-60's. But to me the song sounds like a mix between ? & The Mysterians and an early demo for Sam Sham & The Pharoah's. Great stuff!
So these tunes helped kick this mix in gear. So I had to throw in Thee Midnighters, Question Mark & The Mysterians and The Blendells! Not to outshine other greats like The Premiers, Sir Douglas Quintet, Ritchie Valens, Sam Sham & The Phaorahs, Cannibal & The Headhunters & The Sentinals.
Dig it!

download or listen here:
The Latino A Go-Go Mix - 11 MB mp3

- Thee Midnighters - "Whittier Blvd."
- Gene Ricky & The Swingers - "What You Wanted Most"
- The Sounds - "Little Joe"
- Question Mark & The Mysterians - "Don't Tease Me"
- The Blendells - "La La La La La"

Jesus Christ Superstar - 1970

2009-08-16T14:33:00.008-04:00

Hello music fans. This one I can remember rocking out to back when I was around 7 or 8 years old right after it came out. My parents had this record and I used to listened to it on our big wooden stereo hi-fi record player cabinet. I can still remember playing on the backyard swingset and singing 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. (Along with The Jackson 5's "Rockin Robin", The Raiders "Indian Reservation", The Carpenters "Close To You" and Curtis Mayfield's "SuperFly".
I once read that Dave Brockie of GWAR, loves this record too. This little 3-song mix is all you need to go back for a bit, and get a taste of the music. Starting out with my favorite track on the album, the funk-rock (dig the subtle Hammond organ touches) Sly & The Family Stone-ish, "What's The Buzz?". Next we go right into that superfunk workout, "Superstar". Ending out with Yvonne Elliman's (I can't believe I've got her on my blog!!??) "Everythings Alright".

The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera was first heard as a 1970 album before being staged on Broadway the next year, and then a 1973 movie. On the original album, the part of Jesus was sung by Ian Gillan, the lead singer of Deep Purple who later also worked with Black Sabbath and others, and that of Judas by Murray Head. The future Gary Glitter had a one-liner as a priest and Michael d'Abo appeared as King Herod. The title song, "Superstar", sung by Judas (Murray Head), and "I Don't Know How to Love Him", sung by Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman) about her relationship with Jesus, were both big hits. Now Testify!

download or listen here:
Jesus Christ Superstar 3-song mix

RAW SOUL PARTY!!

2009-08-05T22:08:00.006-04:00

It's Summer and it's hot. Now it's time to get down and sweat! To give you some help, here's a little mix to put you right on the skillet and fry you up with some hot buttered soul!
So Dig it ya'll! These are some ultra-rare slices of greasy, super-fried soul bucket early funk butt-shakin' nuggets that will melt your brain and in fact... they're gonna tear you up!
So get down with it and testify! It's a SOUL PARTY!

download or listen here:
Raw Soul Party Mix!!

Track List:
1. "Soul Party Pt. 1" - Billy Clark & The Maskmen
2. "Crossin' Over" - Pervis LaVawn & The Commanders
3. "I'm Walkin' High" - Evolution
4. "No, No, No" - Los Pops
5. "Can't Buy Soul" - Hebrew Rogers
6. "A Little Bit Hurt" - Julien Covey and the Machine
7. "Shang Foo Pt.2" - Danny Freeman & The Soul Superiors

Some of these tracks were off these incredible albums:

A Tribute to The Warlocks

2009-07-30T22:13:00.036-04:00

download/listen here:
The Warlocks Mix 1965-66

Tracklist:
1. You Can't Come Down
2. Mindbender
3. Early Morning Rain
4. Cream Puff War
5. Cold Rain & Snow
6. New, New Minglewood Blues

Long time no see faithful viewers. We come to you now with an early infatuation of ours here at Nitro-Retro. The first incarnation of The Grateful Dead. The Warlocks were true punks in their own time, scaring the hell out of people when they walked down the street together. Proudly sporting long-as-hell hair, chicken bone necklaces, iron cross pendants, black leather boots, and probably stinking like they hadn't bathed in days. These early recordings represent the first sounds they layed down. My favorites being "Can't Come Down" and "Mindbender". It's always amazed me that the 'Garage/Psych' community has never really acknowledged these recordings, fully represented on the highly recommended "Birth of The Dead" CD. Their first 1965 Autumn Records sessions, made when they were known as "The Emergency Crew", were not released at the time, but give a clue as to what was going on in the great pre-Summer of Love Haight-Ashbury scene.
They would play to more people than any performing act in history, but at their first concert the musicians who two weeks earlier had been called The Warlocks had trouble persuading the promoter even to put their new name on the bill. Bill Graham had invited them to play December 10, 1965, at the Fillmore auditorium in San Francisco, but their new name “gave him the creeps.” The group begged and placated, and finally Graham relented. The new name went on the posters, with “formerly The Warlocks” in place of a group photo. So it was that, exactly 40 years ago today, the newly dubbed Grateful Dead played the first of more than 3,000 concerts.

Their original incarnation was as "Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions", formed in San Francisco in 1963 by the banjoist Jerry Garcia, guitarist Bob Weir, and keyboardist and harmonica player Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. They “played anyplace that would hire a jug band,” Garcia said, “which was almost no place, and that’s the whole reason we finally got into electric stuff.” Adding a bassist, Phil Lesh, and a drummer, Bill Kreutzmann, they became the Warlocks. A new sound came with the new name, as Garcia recalled: “The minute we get electric instruments it’s a rock & roll band.”

On November 27, 1965, author Ken Kesey & his 'Merry Pranksters' threw the first acid test, an all-night house party with light shows, tape-loop sound effects, and plenty of LSD, which had not yet been outlawed. The Warlocks, who first met Ken Kesey through a friend of Lesh’s, attended, and as Lesh later wrote, ”It ended up being just like every other acid party—people getting high and doing pretty much what they wanted. . . . The energy was too spread out. It seemed as though some kind of focus was needed to transform diffuse individual energies into coherent collectives. Clearly, music was the answer.”

So when partygoers conducted their experiments at the next acid test, on December 4, the group provided the soundtrack. They became Kesey’s house band, and the Pranksters, the original hippies, now became the original Deadheads. The acid tests formed the blueprint for all future Dead shows. The line between performer and audience, star and event, swirled like everything seemed to at Kesey’s parties and remained indistinct even as the band morphed into a professional touring act. Free-form improvisation, through which the band glorified the experience of the present moment that was so vivid at the tests, became the Dead’s signature.
A few weeks earlier, Lesh, browsing the racks at a local record store, had found a single by another group called the Warlocks. Never quite satisfied with the name anyway, the group brainstormed for days in search of a new one. Kreutzmann suggested “the Vikings,” Weir “His Own Sweet Advocates,” Garcia “Mythical Ethical Icicle Tricycle.” None stuck until the band pored over Lesh’s reference books one afternoon. While Lesh paged through Bartlett’s, Garcia opened the Funk & Wagnall’s dictionary and poked his finger at a random spot. “Everything else on the page went blank,” he recalled, “diffuse, just sorta oozed away, and there was GRATEFUL DEAD, big black letters edged all around in gold, man, blasting out at me, such a stunning combination.” Lesh remembers “jumping up and down, shouting, ‘That’s it! That’s it!’” Others were not so pleased. Weir found it morbid, and of course Bill Graham thought it creepy enough to put off his Fillmore audience.

Bill Graham was wrong. By 9:30 p.m. on December 10, the ticket line circled the block two abreast. The show, which also featured the Jefferson Airplane (as well as acts destined for less eminence, like the Great Society and the Mystery Trend), was a benefit to raise money for the leftist, avant-garde San Francisco Mime Troupe. The Dead played in a hall decorated at either end with signs bearing the word “Love” in three-foot letters. Owsley Stanley, the chemist who almost single-handedly supplied San Francisco with acid in the mid-1960s, sat in the audience. The Dead “scared me to death,” he said. “Garcia’s guitar terrified me. I had never before heard that much power. That much thought. That much emotion. I thought to myself, ‘These guys could be bigger than the Beatles.’” Rock Scully, the band’s future manager, concurred: “We’d never seen anybody play like that before. Jerry was lifting the roof. Of course, we were slightly stoned.” Scully and his friends weren’t alone. “I’m absolutely sure Jerry was tripping, too,” Scully said. “Every now and then, he’d look down at his guitar and I though he was seeing some kind of monster. He was all surprised. Looking over at his hand down the neck of his guitar like ‘Wait a minute. Where is the end of this thing?’”

PUNK!!

The Wylde Mammoths - A Tribute

2009-01-30T23:04:00.017-05:00

Now back to the music. Sweden's The Wylde Mammoth's 1987 album on Crypt Records, "Go Baby Go!!" is one of my all-time favorite 80's garage albums. Mainly because of 3 songs. All 3 are presented here.
The minimalist tour-de-force is "Hooked". Enjoy.

download/listen here:
Hooked - mp3

One of the first bands to record for Crypt Records (creators of the legendary 'Back From The Grave' comps) On this LP, the boys from Sweden really captured the vintage, echoed, lo-fi sound of the original garage masters. Are exemplified by "Gone Away". Dig it.

download/listen here:
Gone Away - mp3

Finally we have "Won't Make Up Her Mind". What a great sound these guys put out. Hail the Mighty Mammoths!

download/listen here:
Won't Make Up Her Mind - mp3

Reminder: With many thanks to my old pal DJ Lord Thomas, I'll be spinning a very hot set of original & deep garage and psych cuts next Saturday at Richmond's IPANEMA.

***

The Painted Ship - A Tribute

2009-01-07T22:07:00.026-05:00

download/listen here:
Frustration - The Painted Ship -mp3

Among my all-time favorite garage/psych record from the 60's is undoubtedly "Little White Lies/Frustration", the first release by Vancouver's THE PAINTED SHIP.

A self-described "contemporary electronic-folk rock unit", there were 4 different versions of the group over the years, but the one consistent member was their charismatic lead singer Bill "The Captain" Hay. To quote the liner notes of the "Afterthought/History of Vancouver Rock & Roll" comp, "... Their sound was outright no-compromise hard rock, somewhat in the same vein as American acid-punk groups, complete with Arabian organ and abrasive guitar.
I would even go as far as saying these guys were like a Canadian version of The DOORS. A dark, charismic lead singer. No bass player. Heavy on the keyboards. 1 awesome guitar player and a drummer. I wonder if they ever played shows together?
Both sides of their first single were big local hits, featuring Hay's spoken, almost whispering vocal, great drumming and an organ straight from the Far East. Bill Hay had an unorthodix spoken word singing style, but when they played live, could he ever project! Dresses totally in tassled buckskin he'd come hovering over the stage, spitting and snarling out the lyrics. This is one of the most powerful double-sided singles ever unleashed from a Vancouver group."

download/listen here:
Little White Lies - The Painted Ship -mp3

check out their MySpace page!
They did one more single - this time featuring a more primitive, snarling piece of punk rock called "And She Said Yes". (Is it me or does Leighton from Gravedigger 5/Morlocks completely copy Bill Hay's singing style??)

Love is Like A Ramblin' Rose!

2009-01-01T20:51:00.013-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!
In honor of the new year, I wanted to post a whole mix of some of my favorite discoveries over the course of the year, but ran out of time. So...I'm going to post the one song out of all the others that I treasured discovering the most. Some of you may have already been aware of this one, but for those of you who are not - get set.
If you thought the almighty MC5 wrote their classic song "Ramblin Rose" (the opening song on the great 'Kick Out The Jams' album) you, and I were both mistaken! It's actually a cover of a soul tune by an obscure soul singer from Oklahoma named Ted Taylor. Three years before the MC5 released Kick Out The Jams, soul singer, Ted Taylor unleashed his version to some mild R&B chart fanfare, but not nearly what it deserved. Though not as high energy as the MC5 remake, Taylor’s rendition makes up for what it doesn’t have in intensity in soul. Putting his tenor to the top its range (if you’re wondering why Wayne Kramer sang it that way), Taylor glides and cuts into the clear-water horns and funky uptown R&B band as his guitarist steps out of the pit for a kick-ass solo. Two minutes of early soul perfection, which is undoubtedly why the 5 Detroit punks dug it so much. Ted Taylor died at age 50 in a 1987 car accident. Turn it up!

download/listen here:
Ramblin' Rose - Ted Taylor -mp3

Here's an amazing live video of Wayne Kramer and The MC5 doing Ramblin' Rose from Wayne State University's Tartar Field in Detroit - 1968? ... Dig it!

MOD Hammond Instrumental Madness

2008-12-11T22:22:00.021-05:00

Sorry I've been absent from the blogosphere lately - I know it's been a while. But We're BACK!
I've been in a Hammond mood lately, so I'm offering up 4 smoking-hot Hammond instrumental monsters.

First up is one that caught me off guard today when I heard it. It's one you gotta play it again, but louder - after you hear it the first time. Thanks to Funky 16 Corners for turning me onto this gem. It's the mysterious Art Butler and his amazing instrumental organ wailer, "Soul Brother". Enjoy.

download/listen here:
Soul Brother - Art Butler mp3

Next up is one of my favorite Small Faces songs - the great instrumental from 1966, "Grow Your Own". These English boys were big fans of Booker T & The MG's and this one is an awesome tribute that is sure to pack a dancefloor everytime. Featuring keyboardist Ian McLagan's magic fingers. Dig It!

download/listen here:
Grow Your Own - Small Faces mp3

The Rhonda Scott Trio did a smoking single back in 1962 called "Hey, Hey, Hey!" It's got a great reverby-echo laden stomper - TWIST!

download/listen here:
Hey, Hey, Hey - Rhonda Scott Trio mp3Lastly we have The James Taylor Quartet doing "Blow Up!" The James Taylor Quartet's first single, "Blow-Up" a funked up version of Herbie Hancock's main theme from the seminal 60s film of the same name, was released in 1985. For you 80's garage fans, James Taylor was the keyboardist in the UK group The Prisoners. Dig on it!

download/listen here:
Blow Up!- The James Taylor Quartet mp3

The Allman Joys

2008-11-08T19:58:00.013-05:00

download/listen here:
Spoonful - The Allman Joys mp3

(Florida 1960) - Greg & Duane Allman took their electric guitars to Ted Connors, "a really intense cat who knew how to teach. He's probably still down there. He didn't teach any of that bullshit minute waltz business. I said, 'Man, I want to learn some goddamn Chuck Berry music,' - and he taught me."

While Gregg muttered and cursed his way through Sea Breeze Senior High School, "Duane stayed at home in the woodshed and got very good. Very fast. The local R&B station was always on and he had some old Kenny Burrell, Robert Johnson and Chuck Berry albums that he'd listen to over and over again to get the structure down. Duane Allman was the best guitar player I ever heard who didn't read a note."

After a year of practice, Duane and Gregg were playing with the local bands like the Shufflers, the Escorts, the Y-Teens. "The social scene in Daytona Beach was simple," Duane Allman once said, "the white cats surf and the blacks play music." The Allmans, of course, played music, and in 1963, in the era of civil rights marches and murders. Duane and Gregg joined a mixed band, the House Rockers.

"That's when the trouble started in the family," Gregg recalls. "Going to play with them niggers again? We had to turn my mother on to the blacks. Took awhile, but now she's totally liberated."

Duane never quite finished high school, but Gregg graduated in 1965. "That summer we went on the road as the Allman Joys. We had our own sound system, amps and fucking station wagon. Big time. Our first gig was in Mobile, at a place called the Stork Club. Boy, it was a nasty fucking place. I was homesick and the band had broken up about 14 times before we got there."
Significantly, the internal bickering and the homesickness faded away as soon as the band began playing live club dates. It is as if the band draws its strength and determination from being "the hottest band around." They not only stayed on the road, they worked seven nights a week, six sets a night. Joe Tex's manager caught the Allman Joys at one of the Southern teen clubs and they eventually recorded two albums worth of material for his label, Dial Records. One single was released, a "terrible psychedelic" version of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful" which went mercifully unnoticed. After listening to the other tracks, Killen advised the band to "go look for a day job."

While a year of constant playing and touring strengthened Gregg and Duane's determination and musicianship, it devastated drummer Manard Portwood, who was eventually fired. The bass, Bob Keller, was in and out of the band, trying to strengthen up troubles with his wife. One of the two percussionists in the present Allman Brothers Band, Butch Trucks, played the same club circuit with his band the Bitter End and sometimes sat in with the Allman Joys.

The Allman Joys crumbled in St. Louis in early 1967. They were drummerless, and the new bass, Billy Canell, enlisted in the Navy to beat the draft. The pickup bass was caught trying to make off with the brothers' equipment. "We stole his bass and told him to get the fuck out," Gregg says. "Sent his ass home."

Which is pretty much the way the Allmans handled such problems a few years ago. Things have changed a bit. When they hired drummer, Portwood, went out on the road a few months ago, he billed himself "the original drummer of the Allman Brothers Band," a cheap but embarrassing gimmick that raised the hackles on Gregg's neck. "We sent an attorney out there to talk that over with him," he says without particular emphasis, as if this is the way civilized folks deal with the irritating problems.

In '67, following the demise of the Joys, Gregg and Duane were living out of a van without so much as a telephone to contact a lawyer, or anyone else. They cruised on down to Nashville, and combined forces with drummer Johnny Sandlin, keyboard artist Paul Hornsby, and a "cat called the Wolf" on bass; part of another fragmented band called the Five Minutes. "They were a strong outfit," Gregg says, "and they were stuck without a singer or a guitarist. It all fell together and we started cooking." The new band played Nashville as the Five Minutes, then rambled back up Highway 41 to St. Louis and used the name Allman Joys.

"There were posters all over," Gregg says. "THE ALLMAN JOYS ARE BACK! That band was really tight, playing R&B and Yardbirds tunes by the hundreds. Duane loved the early days of Jeff Beck."

download/listen here:
You Deserve Each Other - The Allman Joys mp3

One night, the then high-riding Nitty Gritty Dirt Band stopped into a St. Louis club to hear the Allman Joys. Their manager, Bill McKuen, was impressed. He told the group that they didn't have to play the Southern club circuit, and they could easily make it nationally. All they had to do was come out to California and he would take them under his wing. "Just come and see what you think..."

Gregg wasn't so sure it was all that good an idea. He was happy playing live club dates to wildly enthusiastic audiences and had the gut feeling that he wasn't going to get to play in California.

"I said, 'No, Duane, that's a jive lick. Let's don't do it.' He said, 'C'mon, man, we'll go to L.A. We'll see all those pretty women and fine looking cars.' What could I say? It was unanimous."

In the end, it was Gregg who was right. The group signed with Liberty Records under the name of Hour Glass. "The record company's line," Gregg says, "was, 'We'll make you the next Rolling Stones.' All we wanted to do was play, but they wouldn't let us do live dates. We would have done small clubs in the valley, but they told us we'd blow the whole image if we did that. What did we know? They'd dress us up in these funny duds and we just felt silly."

Liberty picked the material for the two Hour Glass albums, Hour Glass ("a pendulum of psychedelic and soul..." read the liner notes), and Power Of Love. Though the material was good - Jackson Browne and Carole King compositions were included - it was not the Allmans' music. Furthermore, they hadn't played enough to live audiences and it sounded stiff, like the tracks on the Liberty LPs.

- The Allman Brothers Story - From Cameron Crowe's website

COME ON BACK!

2008-10-28T23:03:00.016-04:00

download/listen here:
Come On Back - Paul & Ritchie & The Cryin' Shames mp3

Decca recording artists, The Cryin' Shames were a mid-sixties pop/beat group from Liverpool, England, produced by non-other than the legendary Joe Meek. The Sextet was initially called The Bumblies. (Named after a UK children's TV show) Legend has it that the band was one-time approached by Brian Epstein, who wanted to manage them, but they refused!
This song is so cool! It can be found among other great freakbeat classics on the GREAT "Maximum Freakbeat" comp found here.

click here to see them in Action!

Devil In His Heart

2008-10-24T22:37:00.012-04:00

The Donays were a 1960's R&B group from Detroit. They released the original recording of the song Devil in His Heart (1962). The result was a beautiful example of early girl-group pop. The song did not stir much interest in the record buying public, and the group split up soon afterward. This obscure song was found a year later by George Harrison, who heard it in manager Brian Epstein's record store & recorded it with The Beatles, becoming Devil in Her Heart. It was issued on their second LP, With the Beatles in November 1963. The recording was completed in three takes, plus overdubs. It became the rarest song covered by the Beatles.
Needless to say, The Donays soon found themselves back in the spotlight after the Beatles became so big. Unfortunately, The Donays did not reunite or tour to promote their original version, however, lead vocalist Yvonne Allen soon found her way to Motown performing with a group called The Elgins.
Though the Donays' original version was never a hit in the US or the UK, it has become quite popular with the Northern Soul crowd, in part due to the exposure given it by the Beatles' cover. The Beatles' version, with George on lead vocals is faster than the original, and emphasizes its Latin flavor a bit more, but is otherwise identical. Some say The Donays version is the better of the two. You decide! Here's both versions...

download/listen here:
Devil In His Heart - Donays mp3

download/listen here:
Devil In Her Heart - Beatles mp3

13th Floor Elevators Tribute

2008-09-19T21:27:00.081-04:00

Friends, here's a twisted piece of lysergically fueled vintage garage rock for your listening pleasure. Turn it on and start your trip...
As their 1st albums explains – "This song expresses the position of a person who has just discovered that he no longer belongs to the old order".
download/listen here: Monkey Island mp3

This post was a long time coming. What can one say about the world's first psychedelic rock and roll band? A talented group of young, brave & dedicated pioneers from Texas?
Nitro-Retro ranks the 13th Floor Elevators up there with the Stones, the Seeds and the Beatles. I've been a long-time Elevator's nut since first discovering them during the early days of the 80's garage revival. Lately I've come across some interesting web-articles regarding the groups 'spiritual' leader & electric jug player, Tommy Hall. He was no musician, but rather a mathematically minded student of psychology & literature at The University of Texas in Austin. He was playing jug in a jug/skiffle folk group in Texas called The Lingsmen, when he met Roky Erickson, an 18 year old high school dropout & local rocker in a popular local group called The Spades. The rest is history. What a great movie thier story would make.
While their big hit "You're Gonna Miss Me" (click to see the video) was essentially a Roky Erickson vehicle brought over from The Spades, their first LP "The Psychedelic Sounds of..." has Tommy Hall's signature all over it. It is the first fully realized incarnation of his philosophy, as expressed in the trippy lyrics, psychedelic liner notes & way-out sleeve design.
Still living in San Francisco as recently as '04, and maybe still there for all I know, Tommy Hall is alive and "well"? Amazingly still experimenting with chemically-enhanced altered states, looking like a ZZ-Top video hermit. click here to read an interesting/sad article from 2004 on what's new with Tommy Hall.
I'm saving Roky Erickson for last. Then there is Stacy Sutherland. A highly talented guitarist & a haunted man. He's got a crazy story too. From coming over with Tommy Hall from The Lingsmen to form the Elevators, to being responsible for creating the trademark Elevators echo-guitar sound, to his sad personal story with the devil and women in his life, and ultimately being shot and killed by his wife in a 1978 domestic dispute.
You can listen to a very interesting audio-clip interview concerning Stacy Sutherland as told by Elevators bassist Ronnie Leatherman. Click here.
Stacy was the guiding force behind their last album, released after the band broke up, "Bull of the Woods". Despite the near absence of Roky Erickson (his appearance was on only 4 out of 11 songs), it's a remarkable album for its moody, dreamy, fuzzed-out psychedelic sound. My most favorite cut off the album is the awesome "Street Song". This is described by bassist Danny Thomas as "...what a day was like in the 13th Floor Elevators - how tuff it was to survive, one storm after another".
download/listen here: Street Song mp3
I especially dig the middle rhumba/tango part that sounds like a galloping "Ghost Riders in The Sky". Dig Stacy's heavy use of the echoplex guitar distortion.
But of course, singer/guitarist Roky Erickson was the star of the show. His story is probably well-known to most of you readers so I won't go into any depth of his story here. However I do recommend watching the 2005 documentary "You're Gonna Miss Me - A Film About Roky Erickson.

Roky's unique vocal delivery is said to be influenced by
Little Richard & James Brown
Below: A rare shot of the young rocker Roky -
I'm guessing when he was 15 or 16.

Imitation is the greatest flattery. In honor of this post, I've put together a 5 song mix of other groups clearly inspired by The Elevators sound.
1. The Golden Dawn - Starvation
2. The Lost and Found - Let Me Be
3. The Remaining Few - Wait a While
4. Tom Thumb - You're Gonna Miss Me
5. The Clique - Splash 1
6. * Larry Kane TV show audio clip

download/listen here: Elevators Influenced Mix mp3

International Artists labelmates, The Golden Dawn were friends with the Elevators and shared many shows with them. The great single "Starvation" successfully imitates the Roky Erickson vocal style. Many people were greatly influenced by Roky's vocal style including fellow Texan, Janis Joplin. Next up is another International Artist labelmate group,
The Lost & Found. This group sounded like the Elevators too. Not only did they use the electric jug sound, but they imitating Roky's wild monkey calls he does at the end of "Monkey Island".
Next we have The Remaining Few.
A great Texas garage group mainly known to collectors for the classic psyche nugget "Painted Air". These guys also used the electric jug sound on this cut.
The group Tom Thumb were from New Zealand. I'd love to hear the story as to how they decided to do this rocking cover of "You're Gonna Miss Me".
The Clique were also from Texas. They are known for doing the original 60's version of "I Am Superman" later a hit for R.E.M.

The 13th Floor Elevators were:

Roky Erickson, vocals, guitar, songwriter
Tommy Hall, electric jug player, songwriter
Stacy Sutherland (May 28, 1946 - August 24, 1978), lead guitarist
Benny Thurman, bassist (1965-August 1966)
Ronnie Leatherman, bassist (August 1966 - July 1967)
John Ike Walton, drums (1965-July 1967)
Danny Thomas, drums and backing vocals (July 1967-)
Danny Galindo (June 29, 1949 - May 17, 2001), bass (July 1967-)
Powell St. John (born 1940) member of The Conqueroo who occasionally contributed lyrics ("Slide Machine", "You Don't Know", "Monkey Island", "You Gotta Take That Girl", "Kingdom of Heaven")
Clementine Hall, wife of Tommy Hall, song-writing contributions

Here is one more MP3 for you to ponder. This is one of the most blatent god-redefining psychedelic songs you'll ever hear.
download/listen here: Kingdom of Heaven mp3

"Kingdom of Heaven" is a Powell St. John song which evokes the feeling (with its guitar and slowness of its vocals) of someone in the middle of an LSD trip and seems written around the religious metaphor that LSD is God (i.e., "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you"). The song is highlighted by the electric jug that has an ever-so-slow spaced-out "oooh" and the unbelievable wail by Roky at the end of the song. Long Live The Elevators!

Comments?

Roky Erickson 2007

IT'S A STAMPEDE!

2008-08-18T22:13:00.040-04:00

No, I'm not posting the never before released Buffalo Springfield album, "Stampede". I just love this cover. The orginal cow-punks! Anyway, I hope we have some Buffalo Springfield fans out there. Sure, we all love and everybody knows their big hit, "For What It's Worth". (click to the link to see them on TV in 1967 playing For What It's Worth and then suddenly ripping into a driving acid-punk version of Mr. Soul that just may have inspired Sky Saxon to write Evil Hoodoo!) But thanks to one night stumbling across 2 never-before-seen vintage videos of the group recently posted on YouTube, I am now on a huge Buffalo Springfield kick right now.
So here they are, playing what I think may be their earliest single (late '66?). Also done by The Mojo Men, as Stephen Stills innocently announces before the boys rip into a good 'ol lip-sync of the nugget, "Sit Down I Think I Love You". (Hey, where's Neil? Who's that bass player?)
Then, I ran across the boys performing a song I've known for many years, but hadn't paid too much attention to– until after I got to see them playing it live! This one's from some TV performance, (are they actually playing live?) They rock! Where's the go-go girls? Who's that fool blowing bubbles? Dig Stephen Stills & Ritchie Furay's tight harmonies. These are some of the earliest and best country-rock sounds ever made. I wonder how tight they were with Gram Parsons? Check out the awesome "Go and Say Goodbye".

Here's 2 links to some interesting Buffalo Springfield retrospective videos: Stephen Stills & Neil Young reminiscing. (think they're stoned?) and Ritchie Furay & Jim Messina talk about the old days.
How great would it have been to have seen them playing at their peek as the house band at The Whisky a Go Go on The Sunset Strip, June of 66. Probably during the same weekend catching The Seeds, Byrds, Love, Doors, Sonny & Cher - all in their prime for 2 dollars admission and 50 cent beers.
Here's 1 more video that demonstrates the power of their sound & tightness of their harmonies: "Rock & Roll Woman", intorduced by Flip Wilson.Here are 3 mp3's for your downloading & listening pleasure.
download/listen here:
Bluebird mp3 One of the best Buffalo Springfield songs and a signature and highlight of their live performances. Here are the 2 songs in the before mentioned videos:
download/listen here:
Go & Say Goodbye mp3

Sit Down I Think I Love You mp3

P.S. The ultimate flattery for the Stampede album was Sig Griffin and The Long Ryders mid-80's "Native Sons" LP.

Los Creeple Peeple!

2008-02-15T21:03:00.141-05:00

80's Garage-punk anyone? If you like garage-music and maybe followed the garage-scene back in the 1980's, you may be interested in this special-tribute post.Back in the day, before grunge made it big, competing with the big-hairsprayed, spandex-wearin' 80's metal bands, you had down the street and going strong the great American garage groups like The Chesterfield Kings, The Fuzztones, The Fleshtones, & The Lyres on the East Coast, and The Gravedigger 5, The Tell-Tale Hearts, The Unclaimed, The Pandoras and The Mummies on the West Coast. These groups and many others lead the charge of the U.S. garage bands back in the 80's.
This post will hopefully be especially interesting to Mummies fans. The San Francisco Bay area Mummies rocked the socks off their audiences from 1988 into the early 90's. The band featured the legendary Russell Quan on drums and Trent Ruane on keyboards. Their exploits and music are well known in garage-circles, but not many people know about the long lost garage-punk band Russell & Trent were in - right before the Mummies formation.

This post is dedicated to LOS CREEPLE PEEPLE.
A short-lived band of four 60's-punk enthusiasts from the Bay Area and one import from Virginia. Los Creeple Peeple were:
- Russell Quan - Drums
- Trent Ruane - Keyboards
- Christof Certik - Guitar
- Matt Brown - Lead Vocals, harp, tambourine
- Jules Sabenorio - Bass
Named after the creepy-crawly 'Thingmaker' Mold Pak toys from the 60's, Los Creeple Peeple played only 1 kind of music: loud & loose 60's garage-punk. All five members had the 60's-charmkin look down pat, and gallantly lived it as a lifestyle 24 -7. The group had alot of talent. Russell and Christof were previously from a great band called The Horseless Headmen. Matt Brown had come from The Organ Grynders out of Richmond, Virgnia. (I have tapes of both bands I'll post one day!) Los Creeple Peeple had a wild authentic live sound, but before they were able to reach their full potential, the band snuffed out quickly after only playing about a year (1987-1988) without ever properly recording their music. Fortunately, as some collectors and people who were there know, there is in existence a rare, hard-to-find 'demo' tape. Recorded in all their raucous glory, live in their rehearsal space - not long before the band eventually split.

Heard only here, and for the 1st time anywhere,
Forgotten & unheard for 21 years...
Back from the Grave, they were once called...
Los Creeple Peeple!

Berkeley, 1988

Los Creeple Peeple only played in the Bay Area - Berkeley and San Francisco. (*But there was that one crazy mod show in San Jose!)
They were pals with and played many-a-show with The Birminghams, which featured a young Bart Davenport (The Loved Ones) and future CAKE guitarist, Xan.

They played what you would expect - covers of their favorite obscure 60's punk songs of course! They did create a few originals tunes. 2 are featured here.
"Step Aside Girl", (a likely candidate for what might have been thier 1st release) is a non-stop rave-up. In my humble opinion, this cut stands up to the best of 'em.
Listen/Download: "Step Aside Girl"

Next we have the great cover they did of The Caravelles, "Lovin' Just My Style". This, my friends, is Los Creeple Peeple doing what they did best, and very much represents their sound: authentic, wild, and pounding. Dig Russell's mad-man drumming.
Listen/Download: "Lovin' Just My Style"

Another great original they conjured up was the minor chorded & spooky-favored "Looking For Love". Making an intellectually sophisticated, but somehow innocent and introspective point in prose; "...I'm-a lookin' for love- I can't stop, until she's mine! Yeeeaaaaahhhh!!!!"Listen/Download: "Looking For Love"

"Suicide" was a lost nugget originally done by a band called The Royal Flairs, and was one of the first songs the eager Creeple-lads learned as a group. The hard-driving tune was often used as the opening song of their live set.
Listen/Download: "Suicide"

Finally we have the great "Won't You Listen". Arguably their wildest effort - From the opening note, letting it all hangout at breakneck speed, they attempt a cover version of the great dutch Outsiders rocker.
Listen/Download: "Won't You Listen"

Los Creeple Peeple 1988

comments?

Postscript:
Out of the ashes of Los Creeple Peeple, Russell & Trent soon formed the Mummies and went on to garage-immortality. Russel is still very active in the Northern California garage-scene as many readers know. Christof would soon evolve his musical interests more towards celtic- folk, baroque and renaissance music. He is now living in LA and still active musically. Check out, Winter Flowers! Jules played in a few bands post-Creeples and is now selling real estate in Maryland. Matt played in a few more garage-punk bands back east, The Last Respects (NYC) and The Shakedowns (Richmond, Va). *Both bands will be featured here in upcoming tribute posts). He is currently "retired" from music and is a full-time daddy.

Viva Los Creeple Peeple!!

•••••

POST #8 - A Vampyros Lesbos Party!

2007-11-27T21:18:00.001-05:00

Get ready true believers! I've been away for a while doing the family man thing and getting the house ready for the arrival of the new baby. But I've slowly but surely made progress in putting together a blog mix that will sum up 10 years of music searching. I'm excited to present my version of a DJ Franc O's Vampyros Lesbos Party!
A what? - you may ask. Well, most hipsters who lived in NYC's east village in the late 90's will know what I'm talking about. Vampyros Lesbos was an Italian movie from the late 60's. DJ Franc O, AKA Frank Conakry, AKA Soulpusher was the mastermind and DJ of the infamous sleazefest parties who named them after the movie. His parties were wyld to say the least.
Complete with sixties-style go-go girls in hanging cages, multi-screen video-shows on the walls featuring rare European sexplotation movies, and DJ Franc O spinning some of the coolest music I'd ever heard. He called it: "Sleazy listening, redlight-groove & French 60's pop"- much of which is taken from late 60's and early 70's French & Italian sexplotation movie soundtracks. Featuring music by soundtrack composers like Piero Umiliani, Riz Ortolani & Armando Trovaioli. The dance music presented here comes from various comps I have picked up over the years. All of which I'm trying to recreate the one night I was fortunate enough to catch a Vampyros Lesbos party back inaround 1998. That night I was so blown away by what I was seeing and hearing that ever since then, I've been trying to search out as much of this kind of music as possible. If anyone out there can shed some more light on the Vampyros Lesbos Partys I would appreciate it! ie. Set lists, any mixes available, videos, etc.
So let's get it on! Shake your bones and enjoy.
(I've tried to tie all these songs together in one mp3 mix, but don't have the software to do it. So download all these to iTunes and make a Vampyros Lesbos cd!)

1. Manfred Hubler & Siegfried Schwab - Dedicated To Love
Vampyros Lesbos Soundtrack (Sexadelic Dance Party)

2. Gianni Ferrio - Amanda Blues
Easy Tempo Vol. 7

3. The Paris Studio Group - Tic-Splash
Up! A Brief Excursion Into The 70's Sound

4. Mondo Di Domani - Mondo Di Domani
Up! A Brief Excursion Into The 70's Sound

5. Pierro Piccioni - Per Le Strade Di Roma
Beat At Cinecitta: Volume 2

6. Riz Ortolani - I Travestiti
Easy Tempo, Vol. 1: A Cinematic Easy Listening Experience

7. Piero Piccioni - Shake 2000
Easy Tempo Vol. 7

8. Mario Molino - Shake Psyco
Easy Tempo, Vol. 2: The Psycho Beat

9. Hawksworth Big Band And String - Don't Let Go
Up! A Brief Excursion Into The 70's Sound

10. Fred Bongusto - Il Divorzio
Easy Tempo Vol. 7

11. Nora Orlandi - Soho
Beat At Cinecitta: Volume 2

* Final Note #1
DJ Franc O/Frank Conakry has moved to Guinea on the coast of West Africa, where he has mostly retired as a DJ and dedicated his entire time to the pursuit of African Funk Records. He has an amazing blog site full of music he has found and stories of his many adventures there. I highly recommend taking a trip to his site: Voodoo Funk.

* Final Note #2
DJ Franco is currently back in Manhattan where he does a weekly radio show called Radio Freetown on WFMU which airs live every Monday from 7:00-8:00 pm NY time.

Every Thursday he throws the Voodoo Funk Party at a club called Santos which is located at 100 Lafayette Street between White and Walker just a block and a half below Canal Street on the southern tip of China town. CHECK IT OUT NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN NYC.

POST #6 - Cover Me MOD

2007-10-23T10:28:00.000-04:00

We're back again with another installment of Nitro-Retro! We've kicked back and relaxed in the country, but now it's time to get back to the Modern World. As a music collector it's always a great thrill to discover and listen to the original version of a song that you've always heard before, but by a different artist. Such is the case with the following 11 tracks. Except the last one, all these songs are the overlooked, original versions of classic songs performed by the American artists and were covered and made famous by mod, English groups during the British Invasion. I could write more about the Mods, would rather get right into the music. This is still a work in progress...
Click here for more indepth mod info and history.
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Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side

The Stones were introduced to the American audience covering this Irma Thomas song back in 1964 on the Ed Sullivan show. Many people say they like this original version better than the Stones version. I can't decide- I like both. What do you think? See The Stones do it here on YouTube. Irma still plays today regularly in New Orleans where she is from.

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Billy Boy Arnold - I Wish You Would

Few Chicago blues artists have been as intimately involved with the city's blues scenes over the last five decades as Billy Boy Arnold has. One of the first Windy City blues singers who was actually born in Chicago, Arnold was learning harmonica from the original Sonny Boy Williamson in the late 1940s, before even entering his teens. By the early 1960s, he was performing with an unknown Bo Diddley on street corners, playing the classic stop-and-start harmonica riff on "I'm a Man." A stint as a solo artist on Vee-Jay in the 1950s yielded some fine sides, especially "I Wish You Would" and "I Ain't Got You," both to be covered by the Yardbirds when Eric Clapton was in the band. ..............................................

The Shirelles - Putty In Your Hands

Another song made famous by The Yardbirds. I didn't discover this original version until fairly recently. I was so surprised that one of my all-time favorite Yardbird songs was really a cover of a Shirelles song!

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Eddie Holland - Leaving Here

Big song for the UK Mod bands. The Who covered this song as well, but before he was in Faces & The Stones, Ron Wood and The Birds did the definitive version of this rare Eddie Holland song back in 1965. Although Holland was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hits such as "Leaving Here", he started working behind the scenes due to stage fright. He is best known as a member of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown Sound and numerous hit records by artists such as Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Isley Brothers.
Here's rare footage of the The Birds, featuring Ron Wood, from the film "The Deadly Bees" (1966). on YouTube.
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Mose Allison - I'm Not Talkin'

I love Mose Allison. I was fortunate to seeing the pianist perform in a small blues & jazz club in DC a few years ago. I always wondered how The Yardbirds came to choosing to cover Mose's song, I'm Not Talkin'. I think I read Mose was an English major which explains his witty, often humorous lyrics. He also wrote the often covered "Parchment Farm". Anyway, here is the often overlooked original version.

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Eddie K-Doe - Certain Girl

From New Orleans, Ernie K rose to fame in 1961, when his original tune, "Mother-in-Law" was the No. 1 song in the nation. This track is his lesser known gem and under-appreciated hit, "Certain Girl" which was of course immortalized by a certain band Eric Clapton was in. ..............................................

Bo Diddley - Diddy Wah Diddy

My man Bo. We almost lost Bo back in May '07 due to a stroke. Now 78 years old, Bo used to tear it up! I am amazed how many of his songs were covered by 60's garage bands. Who Do You Love, Road Runner, I'm a Man, Pretty Thing, Mona, You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover, and many more. I had a bit of a Bo-rediscovery a few years ago and heard this song for the first time, thinking- Whoa! I thought The Remains wrote this! See it here on YouTube! ..............................................

The Marvelettes - I'll Keep Holding On

This one is a little more obscure for some of you not too familiar with the original Mod soul sounds. Motown's Marvelettes had many huge hits; this lesser known nugget actually made it to #11 on the R&B charts in '65. But I first heard it done by England's 60's Mod lads, The Action who made the definitive version. ..............................................

Don Covay - Mercy Mercy

Covay's 1964 single "Mercy Mercy" ( with a young Jimi Hendrix on guitar), established his earthy bluesy style. Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for her performance of his composition "Chain of Fools" He is a legendary composer and singer, best known for his R&B classic compositions "Mercy Mercy", "Chain of Fools", "See Saw" and "Sookie Sookie". His songs have been recorded by such varied artists as Wilson Pickett, The Small Faces, Steppenwolf, and The Rolling Stones which did the definitive and almost identical version of Mercy Mercy.
Check it out here on YouTube! ..............................................

Bessie Banks - Go Now

This one kinda blew me away when I first heard Bessie Banks' version of "Go Now", because I always thought The Moody Blues wrote it. I first heard Denny Laine singing it with Paul McCartney & Wings on the Wings Over America album back in the late 70's. Later in the 80's during my garage days, I found out that Denny was in early period The Moody Blues and had their first hit with it - seen here.
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The Ronettes - I Can Hear Music

Here's one more I wanted to add. I always liked the Beach Boys version of this song and was reallky surprised recently when I found out that it was really a Ronettes song! The boys didn't take too many liberties either - with only a few small differences, it's almost the same arrangement. Check it out here - Does Carl Wilson not sound just like his brother Brian?

Alright, that's enough. I could go on, but I want to get ready for my next installment:
Pre-Pistols Punk! Stay tuned.
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POST #2 - Rare Hard Funk & Soul Nuggets

2007-09-29T20:40:00.000-04:00

WASSUP! My Funky Soul Bruthas & Sistas? Are you ready to get down wit it?! Are you ready to shake yo ass?! If you like James Brown, if you feel like a Superfly every now and then, if you used to have an afro, or just think they're cool, if you used to watch Fat Albert and if you like raunchy, sweaty, movin' and groovin' gutbucket rhythms that will flip yo lid,
then get a load of these muthuz!

(Click the song to listen - right click to download)
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Boys In The Band - Sumpin' Heavy

To quote Dusty Groove: (www.dustygroove.com) "Sumpin Heavy is a monster instrumental! The cut's got a flanged-out groove, with a slow heavy funk sound, bass lines that pile up on each other, and descending horn riffs that slice through the whole thing!" This is one of the songs that originally got me into listening to rare, hard funk in the first place! Dig dat dirty wah-wah, babay!
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Curley Moore & The Kool Ones - Shelly's Rubber Band

For some reason, I like this song so much, if I was ever to DJ somewhere,
I would consider playing it first. This where I can plug one of my greatest inspirations
(besides HeavySoulBrutha DaveB.) to do a blog: Funky 16 Corners turned me on to this and MANY other choice funk treasures. Click his link to read more about Curley Moore & The Kool Ones. Now...Is Everybody Ready?! - Now HIT it!!

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Chuck Edwards - Downtown Soulville

WHoa boy... What can I say? Where were you when you first heard "Downtown Soulville" by Chuck Edwards? It's like the epitome of garage-funk. (Is that a new term?) This is pretty much it. Baby, put on your soul clothes, let's do the boogaloo downtown! If you dig this song, check this GREAT post on Chuck Edwards at Funky 16 Corners.

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Brother Jack McDuff - Wade In The Water

Oh yeah mama. This is another one that helped get me hooked on the stuff. Brother Jack McDuff is awesome here. I got into Brother Jack via my interest in Soul Jazz (More on that in a future blog!), Jimmy Smith and a certain lounge music obsession. (More on that in a future blog!) Brother Jack rarely dissapoint's, so I bought his LP, "Tobacco Road" for 3 bucks at Plan 9's bargain basement vinyl cellar. I love Hammond grooves (More on that in a future blog!) but this cut is the hardest and funkiest non-stop groove-thing I've heard him do yet.

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Lee Dorsey - Four Corners Pt. 2

Not all that rare or obscure, Lee Dorsey had many hits: He's arguably most famous for his hit, "Ya Ya" which made it to #7 on charts in 1961. But true believers more favor his mid-sixties hits like, "Ride Your Pony" (1965), "Get Out Of My Life, Woman"(1966), and even "Working In The Coal Mine"(1966). But if you're a music snob and student like myself, you'll love this much lesser known Hammond workout. OOh yeah, Alright! 4C's!

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The Winstons - Amen Brother

Collectors know this one well, but I'm puttin' it out there again.
The B-side to their great single "Color Him Father" from 1969, The Winstons were a soul group based in DC. I recently read that "Amen, Brother" could be the most sampled record in history. Apparently the drum solo half way thru has been sampled and used in thousands of hip-hop songs. That doesn't impress me half as much this rollin' machine-Hammond workout.

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Willie Mitchell - Buster Browne

Does anybody hear the similarity to 'Downtown Soulville' here? Not as raw, but it's happenin' nonetheless. Just read an interesting article on Willie Mitchell.

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Whitefield Brothers - Fifty Yards of Soul

When I stumbled across this CD in a "Misc. Soul" bin at a used record store, there was a piece of paper taped to the cover stating "Beware of this one, it is an ass-kicker" which turned out to be the most accurate description of this sweaty collection of vintage soul/funk grooves. Taken from the "vaults" of Hotpie Candy Records, Original Raw Soul appears to be a just-uncovered archival find of rare '70s uncut James Brown-style funk. The telltale fat bass and porno wah-wah guitar, augmented by golden horn sections and gritty Hammond organ vamps, are straight out of the era of denim suits and wide lapels. Upon further examination, the compilation (featuring the hip-droppin', soul-sockin' Soul-Saints Orchestra, the Poets of Rhythm, and the Woo Woo's, among others) seems to be a creation of modern-day acid jazz label Instinct Records. While this seems almost to be a cruel trick, the bands and liner notes do such an accurate job of being faithful to the funk of that era that it is impossible to be certain about the origin of this material. In the end, where the stuff comes from isn't important because it grooves like none other. Literally the perfect party album, Original Raw Soul is obscure enough to keep vinyl-philes scratching their heads and familiar enough that anyone who has heard "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by the Godfather of Soul will be able to follow along. [Instinct released a second volume, More Original Raw Soul in 1997, and a third volume, Even More Original Raw Soul in 1998.] - Zac Johnson, All Music Guide.

The Whitefield Brothers are actually a project put together by German funk players the Poets of Rhythm!

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Orchestre Poly Rythmo - Wodeka Doe

At first listen may make you wonder, "what the..."
Call it African Voodoo Funk. Thanks to DJ. Soulpusher AKA Frank Conakry. Currently doing vinyl archeaology and record digging in West Africa.
I was lucky enough to once witness DJ Franco, as he was called then, in the East Village back in 1998 hosting the infamous sleazefest 'Vampyros Lesbos' party. (Was it at Lucky Changs?) I walked into this place and he was playing the coolest songs I'd ever heard that night, and it just about transformed me. It was Mod 60's French and Italian Cinema/Porn/hammond Soundtrack Music or something. They had the mod go-go girls dancing in cages suspended from the ceiling. I was in the twilight zone. I actually walked up to him while he was DJ-ing and asked where the hell did he find all this great music? He just said, "In Italy". Anyway, I've been on a quest to get my hands on that kind of stuff ever since - (not with much luck I might add, unfortunately). But I finally searched him out online and recently discovered him and what he's up to these days and he's got a blog! And what a blog it is. He's got a great story, check it out.

If you dig this tune, then you gotta check out this disc:

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Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - How Can I Let A Good Man Down?

U know it. But don't we need to spread the word about this music? For those of you who have not been blessed by hearing this music and if you dig any of the tunes presented here, you must try to see this woman and her band perform - even if you have to travel a long disctance, do it. I saw them about 2 years ago in Richmond and all who were there are STILL talking about it.
I first heard this song on Chris Bopst's radio show. I was instantly hooked.
Thanks Chris!
Here they are on YouTube.

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Sugarman Three - Double Back

I love these guys. My old roomate Chip, turned me on to their first album back in 96-97. Then I got to see them with my new bride in a small, and I mean SMALL, little local club in DC back in 2001. They were awesome. The Sugarman Three are labelmates with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. All their stuff is great. Here's their MySpace page. If you haven't already, check out Daptone Records.

That's all for now Soul-Fool! Now tear the roof off the mutha sukka!

Stay tuned - I've got some interesting posts in the works...

Gimme a shot-out when you can and throw me a comment.

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