The Clitter Clatter Of Skateboards In My Ears Redux

Jonny Manak And The Depressives

1.2 Jiggawatts

2008

Jonny sent me a nice note with blessings and the new happenin' with our favorite manaks. In addition to working on a new album in HIS VERY OWN STUDIO he managed to work on a new son!
A very happy man.

Jonny Manak is a busy man. The professional skater is a ridiculously prolific musician who not only performs in numerous bands on various instruments but also fronts his own pet project, Jonny Manak & The Depressives. JM&D is a wild combination of rock n’ roll influences from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. There are elements of surf rock, rockabilly, punk and 60’s/70’s garage rock littered throughout their songs. Imagine Chuck Berry and Dick Dale playing classic rock with members of The Ramones and you’ve got the right idea. The group started two years ago when Manak decided to go solo after having played guitar, bass or drums for The Cliftons, Clay Wheels, The Odd Numbers, The Forgotten, Fang and many others. He wrote and recorded his debut, Rebound Town, on his own, playing all instruments himself. The record proved to be a huge local and underground hit and received rave reviews from Razorcake, Rhapsody, Absolutepunk.net, Skratch and many others as well as airplay on college, satellite, internet and commercial radio. JM&D recently released their second full-length album, 1.21 Jiggawatts. This time around, Manak recorded the album with his live band a.k.a. bassist Kris Perez, drummer Steve Campbell and guitarist Jake Griffiths. The group has performed nearly 200 shows in their two years together as a band. They most recently performed at the Refreshing Sounds Session in Amsterdam hosted by Heineken. They played a full set and had one of their songs remixed by three different local DJ’s that same night as part of a competition. Manak is also a professional skateboarder with his own deck, courtesy of Beer Run Skateboards. He skates for E’s Shoes, Sessions Clothing, Kronik Energy Drinks, Halos Bearings, Gripped Ape and Circle-A.

Tracklist

01. Eat Me Alive
02. 1.21 Jiggawatts
03. Spend My Time
04. Rock n' Roll Penetration
05. Smashed
06. Got My Back
07. Hey You, Get Your Damn Hands Off Of Her!
08. Prettiest Girl
09. Paranoid Boy
10. They Got A Pool
11. Rock n' Roll Queenie
12. Kid Again
13. Enchantment Under The Sea
14. Future Ex-Wife
15. Acting Young

Get it HERE

 

What Dads Do When Mom Is Not At Home

Guys: It's wonderful seeing the "male mind set" torch being passed on to the next generation.

Girls: This video shows exactly why you get that feeling of apprehension and foreboding whenever you leave your children with your husband.

An Alternate Way To Get To The Other Side Of The Moon

Easy Star All-Stars

Dub Side Of The Moon

2003

*

Biography by David Jeffries

New York City's Michael G. (born Michael Goldwasser) and Ticklah (born Victor Axelrod) are the two longtime friends who form the Easy Star All-Stars. Goldwasser had been playing guitar with the R&B band Special Request, but after five active years the band broke up. Around this time, the guitarist turned his attention to reggae and formed the Easy Star All-Stars with former Special Request keyboardist Ticklah. Ticklah had been gigging with Cooly's Hot Box, worked with DJ Spinna and Dr. Israel, and created remixes for les Nubians and Mary J. Blige. The first release under the Easy Star All-Stars banner came in 1997 with the team's production on Rob Symeonn's "Anything for Jah" single, and a collection of their productions, Easy Star, Vol. 1, appeared in 1998. Working with Brooklyn sound system Twin Sound, the two organized three tribute concerts to Augustus Pablo in 1999 and backed the likes of Sugar Minott, the Meditations, and Sister Carol on-stage and in the studio. In 2003, the duo released Dub Side of the Moon, their reggae/dub version of Pink Floyd's most famous album. In 2006, they turned toward Radiohead's OK Computer and reimagined it as Radiodread.

Review by Rick Anderson

It was one of those really stupid ideas that we can all be grateful someone had the guts to follow through with. Yes, it's a reggae version of the Pink Floyd classic Dark Side of the Moon, every track drastically reworked and presented in the same order as on the original album. And yes, it works far, far better than you'd have any right to expect. The artists vary from the relatively obscure (Kirsty Rock, Dollarman) to the big-time (Corey Harris, Frankie Paul, the Meditations) and the musical styles range from roots to dancehall to jungle. Every track works well, but highlights include a very fine (and uncredited) jungle mix of "On the Run" and the great singer-deejay combo track "Time," on which Corey Harris' chesty baritone singing voice is nicely counterbalanced by Ranking Joe's speed-rap. There are several bonus dub mixes tacked onto the end of the program, and while none of them is revelatory they don't detract from the proceedings, either. At the end you realize that you were wrong to even think this was a dumb idea to begin with -- dub's psychedelic mysticism is a perfectly good match for Pink Floyd's mannered weirdness. Highly recommended.


*


1 Speak to Me/Breathe (In the Air)
2 On the Run
3 Time
4 The Great Gig in the Sky
5 Money
6 Us and Them
7 Any Colour You Like
8 Brain Damage
9 Eclipse
10 Time Version
11 Great Dub in the Sky
12 Step It Pon the Rastaman Scene
13 Any Dub You Like

Get it HERE

For Those Who Seek Beyond The Legend

Bob Marley
Songs of Freedom Box Set
1992
Ripped @ a dreadful 320
-

Review
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Originally released as a limited-edition box set in 1992, Songs of Freedom presents an alternate history of Bob Marley's career, tracing his progression with outtakes, rare singles, alternate mixes, live tracks, and album tracks instead of the songs that formed the bulk of his legacy, as it were. The question is, is this a reasonable track to take? For the most part, yes it is, even if it tends to be a little misleading. That problem isn't too great, since Songs of Freedom isn't targeted at the audience that would want just the basics — Legend already exists for them, and that sums up everything they need to know about Marley, the ambassador of reggae. The remainder of Marley's audience realizes this box exists just to get rarities to the diehards, and they're thrilled that it exists for that purpose. Because of its nature, Songs of Freedom isn't especially compelling to anyone that isn't a hardcore fan — although the first disc of ska and rocksteady material will be delightful to anyone that likes early reggae and isn't thrilled by Marley's rock-star posturing in the '70s — but for those very fans, it's a valuable addition to their collection, since it rounds up rarities with ease and purpose. What Songs of Freedom should not be seen as is a definitive overview of Marley's career — it's just for collectors and hardcore fans, the kind of listener who has memorized the original studio albums. For those listeners, it's hard to resist Songs of Freedom, but everybody else will be able to safely pass it by.

-

Tracklist:
-

CD 1

1 Judge Not
2 One Cup of Coffee
3 Simmer Down
4 I'm Still Waiting
5 One Love/People Get Ready
6 Put It On
7 Bus Dem Shut (Pyaka)
8 Mellow Mood
9 Bend Down Low
10 Hypocrites
11 Stir It Up
12 Nice Time
13 Thank You Lord
14 Hammer
15 Caution
16 Back Out
17 Soul Shakedown Party
18 Do It Twice
19 Soul Rebel
20 Sun Is Shining
21 Don't Rock the Boat
22 Small Axe
23 Duppy Conqueror
24 Mr. Brown

CD 2

25 Screwface
26 Lick Samba
27 Trench Town Rock
28 Craven Choke Puppy
29 Guava Jelly
30 Guava Jelly/This Train/Cornerstone/Comma Comma/Dewdrops/Stir It up/L'M
31 I'm Hurting Inside
32 High Tide or Low Tide
33 Slave Driver
34 No More Trouble
35 Concrete Jungle
36 Get up, Stand Up
37 Rastaman Chant
38 Burnin' and Lootin'
39 Iron Lion Zion
40 Lively Up Yourself
41 Natty Dread
42 I Shot the Sheriff

CD 3

43 No Woman, No Cry
44 Who the Cap Fit
45 Jah Live
46 Crazy Baldhead
47 War
48 Johnny Was
49 Rat Race
50 Jamming
51 Waiting In Vain
52 Exodus
53 Natural Mystic
54 Three Little Birds
55 Running Away
56 Keep on Movin'
57 Easy Skanking
58 ls This Love
59 Smile Jamaica
60 Time Will Tell

CD 4

61 Africa Unite
62 Survival
63 One Drop
64 One Dub
65 Zimbabwe
66 So Much Trouble In the World
67 Ride Natty Ride
68 Babylon System
69 Coming In from the Cold
70 Real Situation
71 Bad Card
72 Could You Be Loved
73 Forever Loving Jah
74 Rastaman Live Up!
75 Give Thanks and Praise
76 One Love/People Get Ready
77 Why Should I
78 Redemption Song [live]

Get them HERE HERE HERE & HERE

R.I.P. Junior

You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie

Allan Sherman

My Son, The Nut

1963

Review

by Mark Deming

Allan Sherman began moving cautiously away from the explicitly Jewish humor of his debut album on its follow-up, My Son, the Celebrity, and he all but abandoned it for his third long-player, 1963's My Son, the Nut. However, if Sherman was less eager to poke fun at Jewish-American culture as he grew more popular, his need to kvetch about the absurdities of modern life was stronger than ever, and My Son, the Nut unexpectedly proved to be Sherman's masterpiece, featuring 12 superb song parodies that take aim at the perils of suburbia ("Here's to the Crabgrass"), advancing technology ("Automation"), advertising ("Headaches"), and lots more. Sherman also indulges his passion for the quirks of the English language on "One Hippopotami," vents his spleen on "Rat Fink," and encounters a fanciful half-woman half-bunny on "You're Getting to Be a Rabbit with Me." But the album's two biggest laughs come from Sherman's biggest hit, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)," based in part on his own son's unpleasant experiences at summer camp, and the side-splitting closer, "Hail to Thee, Fat Person," in which Sherman explains to people who are "skinny or in some other way normal" how he gained weight "as a public service." Lou Busch's witty and full-bodied orchestrations are the icing on the cake for what would prove to be the best and most popular album of Sherman's career.

Tracklist

1. You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louie
2. Automation
3. I See Bones
4. Hungarian Goulash No. 5
5. Headaches
6. Here's to the Crabgrass
7. Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter From Camp)
8. One Hippopotami
9. Rat Fink
10. You're Getting to be a Rabbit with Me
11. Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue
12. Hail to Thee, Fat Person

Get it HERE

My Zelda

Allan Sherman

My Son, The Folk Singer

1962

Review

by Mark Deming

At his best, Allan Sherman was as perceptive an observer of the American Jewish experience as Philip Roth or Saul Bellow, and when he was on a roll he was a lot funnier than either, and that's certainly the case with 1962's My Son, the Folk Singer, Sherman's first album and the record that made him an overnight success, selling over a million copies within a few months of its release. Musically, Sherman's shtick was to take familiar melodies and fuse them to new lyrics that offered a very funny and openly Semitic take on contemporary American life, as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was transformed into the tale of a tailor named Harry Lewis, "The Streets of Laredo" became "The Streets of Miami," and the French ditty "Frere Jacques" accompanied a telephone conversation with "Sarah Jackman." While My Son, the Folk Singer was the most openly "Jewish" of Sherman's albums, the bulk of Sherman's humor was recognizable to anyone familiar with the absurdities of suburban life in the Kennedy era, and while many Jewish humorists treated their material as some sort of inside joke, by marrying his lyrics to songs familiar to everyone he gave them a universal appeal -- and it certainly didn't hurt that most of the numbers on his debut album are howlingly funny. While so many Jewish artists frequently focused on the often painful desire to assimilate into mainstream American culture, Sherman's characters were so innately Jewish that whether they landed in Scarsdale or the Old West, their accents and appetites traveled with them, and the unspoken but clear acceptance of the comic foibles of Sherman's twin cultural allegiances has much to do with why My Son, the Folk Singer remains both funny and potent more than four decades after it was recorded.

Tracklist

1. The Ballad Of Harry Lewis
2. Shake Hands With Your Uncle Max
3. Sir Greenbaum's Madrigal
4. My Zelda
5. The Streets Of Miami
6. Sarah Jackman
7. Jump Down, Spin Around (Pick A Dress O' Cotton)
8. Seltzer Boy
9. Oh Boy
10. Shticks And Stones

Get it HERE

Lively Up Yourself!

Augustus Pablo

Original Rockers

1979

Get down wih the Original Rocker

AUGUSTUS PABLO: ORIGINAL ROCKER

Born in Jamaica circa 1953 in the parish of St. Andrew, to the west of the island capital of Kingston, at night, from his bed, the young Pablo (born Horace Swaby) could hear the distant thump of sound systems playing out nearby, the music calling him as a shepherd might call a lost sheep to a flock, and he would steal away when his parents were asleep to take in the musical vibes.
As a youth he regularly skipped lessons to practice (hit-making Studio One organ player and arranger) Jackie Mittoo riffs on the school organ with his friend Tyrone Downie, later to achieve fame as The Wailers’ keyboardist, and thereby eliciting frequent beatings from the Masters who, in common with many middle-class Jamaicans, considered reggae music to be in the idle employ of ungodly hands.
Though his parents naturally disapproved of such behavior, the boy was obviously smitten and talented enough for them to acquiesce and purchase a second-hand piano for him to practice on. He abandoned his studies and began to pursue his calling, running a sound system and taking the bus to downtown Kingston on regular record-buying forays.
It was on one such expedition that destiny intervened in the form of a friend’s girlfriend. She was holding a melodica, a small, rudimentary keyboard with a mouthpiece at one end through which one blew, producing a sound somewhere between a harmonica and a kazoo, usually reserved for the musical education of primary school children.
Intrigued, Pablo asked if he could try it out, whereupon the girl told him she had no use for it and he could have it. Entering the Aquarius record shop in Halfway Tree, Pablo attracted the attention of the proprietor, Herman Chin-Loy, who asked him if he could play the instrument. Pablo replied in the positive and Chin-Loy took him to Randy’s studio in North Parade to record his first sides: “Iggy Iggy” and “East Of The River Nile” (an early version of his classic). The later minor-chorded epic inaugurated the nascent “Far East” style that was to become Pablo’s trademark, pioneered by Don Drummond and Jackie Mittoo on the old Studio One tunes that Pablo loved so much, such as “Addis Adaba” and “Drum Song.” Chin-Loy had been producing instrumental records featuring the organ work of erstwhile Upsetter Glen Adams over the past year or two, releasing them under the unlikely nom de disque “Augustus Pablo.”

Randy’s was owned by the family of an old school friend of Pablo’s, Clive Chin. Chin was fascinated by the new and unusual sound presented by Pablo and swiftly organized a session for Pablo which resulted in “Java,” his first hit in 1971. The tune became a big success, spawning a rash of imitators: Glen Brown, Joe White, Bobby Kalphat, Pablove Black, etc. and establishing Pablo and Chin at the forefront of the burgeoning bass-heavy skank sound, soon to be dubbed “rockers,” that was taking over from the faster, more energetic reggae that had prevailed since 1968. During the early Seventies, Pablo pursued a career as one of Kingston’s most prominent session musicians, arranging and playing for most of the top producers of the day: Bunny Lee, Clive Chin, who released Pablo’s classic debut album This Is Augustus Pablo, Leonard Chin, Derrick Harriot, Lee Perry, Keith Hudson and Gussie Clarke.

By 1972 Pablo had saved enough money through session work to finance his own recordings and embarked on a series of unsurpassed classic releases throughout the Seventies. Records such as “Skanking Easy,” “Cassava Piece,” “Frozen Dub,” “Warrika Hill,” “555 Crown Street,” “Pablo’s Theme Song,” “Pablo Satta,” “Memories Of The Ghetto” and more...an endless list. He also became a renowned producer of other artists, especially many newartists, including dee jays Dillinger and Big Youth, singers Paul Whiteman, Jacob Miller, Hugh Mundell, Junior Delgado and groups like The Heptones, The Immortals and Tetrack.

Pablo worked in close association with King Tubby’s studio during its formative years and in 1975 released the epochal King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown, “rockers” being the name of Pablo’s sound system and main record label, arguably the finest dub album extant, featuring wild Tubby’s dubs to a dozen of Pablo’s finest early rhythms. Other albums followed, most notably the instrumental East Of The River Nile. Pablo had only one real hit record in Jamaica, the afore-mentioned “Java,” which was versioned many times by many artists over the years. His recordings after “Java,” particularly those he issued on his own Rockers label, were generally too esoteric and rootsy for mass popularity amongst the island’s music lovers.

In the UK it was a different story. Pablo’s exotic sound, dominated by his frequent use of melodica as lead instrument, captured the imagination of a certain section of Black youth in Britain, some born here, but others migrating from the Caribbean with their parents, eager to find a musical identity of their own. They found it in the rebel rock sounds of the contemporary reggae music emerging from Jamaica. It was amongst this young audience that Pablo’s tough, militant music began to really find favour. His early self-produced titles on the Rockers label perfectly conveyed the required dread soundtrack…Roots fans and collectors in the UK have always considered Pablo’s music, alongside the finest productions by Yabby You, Lee Perry and Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One, as the peak of the roots reggae style…As the Eighties progressed, reggae music’s focus moved away from Rastafari towards a more light-hearted, hedonistic style known as Dancehall and Pablo’s music reflected this as he maintained that all reggae music is dancehall music. He scored a hit in 1986 with Junior Delgado’s “Raggamuffin Year,” which utilized a computer-originated rhythm, though Pablo had long been experimenting with drum machines and digital keyboards to create his rhythms.

In the Nineties, Pablo’s health deteriorated rapidly. He had suffered from ill health for much of his adult life, though he performed in Japan, England and even the United States to great acclaim in the late Eighties and early Nineties. Sadly, in 1999, he passed away from a rare nerve disorder and reggae music lost one of its most revered and innovative talents.This collection offers great tracks from Pablo’s entire canon, including many rare and previously-unavailable-on-cd tracks. Taken together, they are definitive evidence that Pablo was indeed the “Original Rocker.

Tracklist

1. "Rockers Dub"
2. "Up Warrika Hill"
3. "Cassava Piece"
4. "Tubbys Dub Song"
5. "Jah Dread"
6. "Brace a Boy"
7. "Thunder Clap"
8. "Park Lane Special"
9. "New Style"
10. "AP Special" (Adapted)

Get it HERE

Me Thinks The Poison Done Already Killed Billy Boy

Billy Boy On Poison

Drama Junkie Queen

2009

No word of any recent activity on Billy Boy On Poison. If you didn't watch closely you might have missed them altogether. They were a quick flash but I liked the tune I posted up a couple of years ago. Check it out HERE

New York scuzz-rock by way of the Sunset Strip, Billy Boy on Poison feel as if they were concocted in a laboratory, assembled from elements of every rock trend since 1994. Take a bit of the Strokes' tight, efficient new wave art-punk and downtown hipster sensibility; add a bit of hooks borrowed from Oasis, a little disco-rock from Franz Ferdinand, enough ironic hair metal thievery to get them on the radio à la Hinder, and a bit of Jet's three-chord bounce; and season with Jack White guitar solos and stairstep classic rock riffs reworked from Hendrix and the Beatles -- and you'll have Drama Junkie Queen, an exercise in trash-rock. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi Tracklist

1	On My Way
2	Saturday's Child
3	Happy Valentine's Day
4	4 Leaf Clover
5	Angry Young Man
6	Drive Me Insane
7	Higher Power
8	You're Too High
9	Standing Still
10	Another Lonely Start

Get it HERE

Who Stole The Damn Freeway??!

The Doobie Brothers

The Captain and Me

1973

Ripped @ 320

Another favorite of mine that I never get tired of.

The Doobie Brothers' third long-player was the charm, their most substantial and consistent album to date, and one that rode the charts for a year. It was also a study in contrasts, Tom Johnston's harder-edged, bolder rocking numbers balanced by Patrick Simmons' more laid-back country-rock ballad style. The leadoff track, Johnston's "Natural Thing," melded the two, opening with interlocking guitars and showcasing the band's exquisite soaring harmonies around a beautiful melody, all wrapped up in a midtempo beat -- the result was somewhere midway between Allman Brothers-style virtuosity and Eagles/Crosby & Nash-type lyricism, which defined this period in the Doobies' history and gave them a well-deserved lock on the top of the charts. Next up was the punchy, catchy "Long Train Runnin'," a piece they'd been playing for years as an instrumental -- a reluctant Johnston was persuaded by producer Ted Templeman to write lyrics to it and record the song, and the resulting track became the group's next hit. The slashing, fast-tempo "China Grove" and "Without You" represented the harder side of the Doobies' sound, and were juxtaposed with Simmons' romantic country-rock ballads "Clear as the Driven Snow," and "South City Midnight Lady." Simmons also showed off his louder side with "Evil Woman," while Johnston showed his more reflective side with "Dark Eyed Cajun Woman," "Ukiah" and "The Captain and Me" -- the latter, a soaring rocker clocking in at nearly five minutes, features radiant guitars and harmonies, soaring ever higher and faster to a triumphant finish.

Tracklist

Natural Thing Long Train Runnin’ China Grove Dark Eyed Cajun Woman Clear As The Driven Snow Without You South City Midnight Lady Evil Woman Busted Down Around O’Connelly Corners Ukiah The Captain And Me

Get it HERE

That's SIR Finks To You!

The Sir Finks

Instrumentals In The Key of BOSS!

2000

Ripped @ 320 Served by Teisco del Mar (I'm still here!)

Biography

by Greg Prato

The Sir Finks are an Austin, TX-based surf revival trio, comprised of members Mike Guerrero on guitar, Damien Llanes on drums, and Jason Gentry on bass and sax. Formed in the mid-'90s, the Sir Finks have issued a few full-length recordings for the independent surf-based Wildebeest Records label, Devil's Agent and Instrumentals in the Key of Boss!, as well as contributing the odd track to compilations, including a tribute to Memphis soul instrumentals titled Chinese Checkers, surf re-workings of songs originally played by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Surfin' Senorita, plus a four-song collaboration with Italy's I Cosmonauti, titled Guitars Don't Argue.

Phil says:

---

"Weird Beard"

"Weird Beard" is an ultra reverbed super chunk stomp, utilizing a simple progression that gets into your noggin and stays there. Somewhat monster movie-ish, and very fun.

"Heads Up"

This is a right honest delivery of "Heads Up," also known as "Shootin' The Pier." It's Freddie King composition. Much chunkier and more restrained than the original or the Lively Ones' retitled version, this retains the soul and adds ultra reverb.

"Mondragora"

This is a pretty chunky traditionally styled surf jam, mid tempo and infectious. The trad progression styled melody line, damped plucks, and definite surf tweaked structure provide ample interest and wet rhythms.

"Knights of the Long Board"

Groovy percussion, percussive surf guitar, extreme damped reverb, and a delightful riff driven by the infectious rhythm. "Knights of the Long Board" is a very cool tune, with lots of chunk and pure surf tone. I couldn't get this outta my head... excellent!

"The Ulrich"

"The Ulrich" is a delightfully playful piece, percussive and infectious, and very spunky. Mike Guerrero knows how to use damped reverb to it's fullest. In some ways, this can be compared to a speeded up Fireballs tune. Very fine.

"Double Buck"

Mexican village stomp, cowboy prancing, and surf reverb... this is a mighty fin tune, a border surfed masterpiece. Entirely cool, very infectious, and totally fun. Yee-haw!

"Penny Dance"

Cowboy dance hall prancery, with that quiet reverb and playful rhythm. "Penny Dance" speaks of innocent fun, a polka band, and gussied up country folks. Even the subdued chorus brings cheer. Excellent!

"The Ballad of Mike Fink"

"The Ballad of Mike Fink" is a splendid light weight stomp, a tale of guitaristry and chunk. Mike's plucking is just too fun, and the perfect blend of drums and bass keep it afloat on a sea of airborne flying fish. Very infectious.

"Moon's Theme"

Outstanding picking, suave percussion, solid bass, and a magnificent arrangement. The Farfisa underneath is subtle and adds to the ambiance. "Moon's Theme" is a splendid track, bouncy and infectious, and slightly dangerous, with spiffy whammy.

"Heartful Of Soul"

This is a full fuzz attack on the Yardbirds' grand and moody "Heartful Of Soul." I wonder why no one has done this before, it seems so obvious. Nasty and yet very fun.

"Action Reef"

"Action Reef" is a bluesy number with a chunky backtrack, and a familiar rhythm. The cool chops and infectious rhythm drive this one home. It may be a bit derivative, but it's just too much fun to pass up.

"Lost Wahini"

Almost laughing playfulness, chunky froth, pretty girl search music. Very enjoyable, infectious, and utterly cool. Wahine or haole girl, it makes no difference... it's just too fun.

"Jack the Ripper"

Big whammy chords, extreme damped surf guitar rhythm, tribal drums, moody bass... you know the drill. The thing is, this very different, like a speeded up variation on the Surfaris' version, but with the rhythm guitar out from and the whammy subdued, creating a new image for a well worn Link Wray classic. Excellent.

Tracklist

1. Weird Beard

2. Heads Up

3. Mondragora

4. Knights Of The Long Board

5. The Ulrich

6. Double Buck

7. Penny A Dance

8. The Ballad Of Mike Fink

9. Moon's Theme

10. Heart Full Of Soul

11. Action Reef

12. Lost Wahini

13. Jack The Ripper Get it HERE

The Sun & Sound Is Shining & MORE Vibrant

The Vibrants

The Exotic Guitar Sounds of The Vibrants

2007

Ripped @320 w/ 3% rec

Re-upped for Sidi

You`re drivin` a `63 Impala with a pin stripped board strapped to the side,wearin vintage jams and a fez on your head. There is no tomorrow because tonight you are going to a shindig with that dark haired honey who is always up for a good time. The sun is out,it`s hot and the beach is just over the bend. Surf all day,dance all night. The Exoctic Guitar Sounds of The Vibrants is the soundtrack to this dream date. Sure you dig a bit of rockabilly, but you love surf and garage. Some 60`s twisters turn your head around and make you want to find a dance floor. Maybe you have a guitar or six. Your best pal is drumming on anything and everything. This CD was made for you and about the music you crave.

A nod to Dick Dale,The Trashmen, Duane Eddy and The Crickets. Throw in The Ventures, The Fireballs and Los Straightjackets and you have the perfect mix for a killer sound. This is surf and roll. This is the twist and the stomp it`s "The Twomp." This is The Exotic Guitar Sounds of The Vibrants.Poundin`, twistin` garage frat meets surf slick...not done yet..take a do-wop crooner with "Pretty Girls" and make it a `63 twister. Absoultly brillant. "Snake Eyed Woman" a rockabilly classic turns on it`s forked tounge to slither into outerspace. Wild. Shimmy and shake to this explosive treasure. No stopping there with "Don`t Stop" the guitar work doesn`t stop, the sing along hook will catch you and reel your open mouth right onto the dance floor. "Firewater" the heat of this moonshine firewater is in your head then as it hits your belly you will soon be drunk on the sounds of The Vibrants. Surf City barroom brawl. Surftastic! The CD gets a smokin` starter with this shout out "Vibrant" Rips and whoops while curlin your short hairs. Simply Vibrant. Full of goodness.This band is Fender equipped, Rodger skinned and consists of top players that know exactly what they are doing. Alan, Enrique, Norton and Manolo you will want as your new best friends. Cool as your bachelor pad and shagtastic! Sing along, twist on down , put em on your MP3, you don`t want to go anywhere without the Exotic Guitar Sounds of The Vibrants. Come on, Latin Lovers Meet The Surf Champs. They mixed it all up and made one amazing trip to paradise. The Exotic Guitar Sounds Of The Vibrants are muy buenos!

1 Vibrant
2 Twomp
3 Stockade
4 Pretty Girls
5 Ginchy
6 Snake Eyed Woman
7 The Detective
8 Let's Go To Hawaii
9 El Cuatrero
10 Don't Stop
11 Quite a Fireball
12 Surfer Boy
13 Thunderbird
14 Dance the Carryface
15 Fire Water

*

Get it HERE

I Heard It, I Heard It, I Heard It On The X

Los Super Seven

Heard It On The X

2005

Ripped @ 320 w/3% recovery

ZZ Top’s 1975 hit “Heard It On the X” is a tribute to the radio stations known as “border blasters.” Switched on starting in the 1930s, the border blasters were stations transmitting from the southern side of the U.S.-Mexico border, blasting their AM signals into much of the southern half of the U.S.—and beyond (some could be heard as far away as Australia and Finland, according to Gene Fowler and Bill Crawford, authors of the book Border Radio). Being Mexican meant these 100,000+ watt behemoths (some with as many as 1 million watts) didn’t have to abide by FCC rules and regulations, and being on the border meant that they were often truly bilingual, mixing up a cocktail of conjunto, rock, country, tejano, jazz, mariachi, and R&B. Stations such as XER, XEG, and XELO ruled the border landscape until radio consolidation brought them down in the early 1980s. [The “X” in the song’s title stands for the fact that all of these border blasters, like all Mexican radio stations, had call letters that began with “X.”] “Heard It On the X” is now also the title track of the new album by the Tex-Mex collective Los Super 7, who’ve crafted an album-length tribute to those border blasters many of the group’s rotating cast of members grew up on. Albums this self-consciously diverse often fail to work precisely because of their diversity, but Heard It On the X works thanks to it. Mariachi horns (“Ojitos Traidores,” one of a pair of Spanish-language entries here) rub up against a western swing tune with Lyle Lovett on vocal duties (the Bob Wills song “My Window Faces the South”) and the aforementioned ZZ Top cover, while in the corner, a swaying R&B ballad (“Talk to Me,” very class of ’66) makes nice with a garage-rock rave-up (the Doug Sahm tune “I’m Not That Kat (Anymore),” sung here by John Hiatt). The Bobby Fuller cut “Let Her Dance” sounds positively Marshall Crenshaw-esque, taken on by Joe Ely. And it all works, reveling in its diversity and simultaneously making it kind of irrelevant. This is true Americana, American roots music, a 12-song honest-to-God musical melting pot, genres be damned (and ignored); none of these songs sounds jarring next to its neighbors. Producers Dan Goodman (the man behind Los Super 7) and Rick Clark (whose free CDs he compiles for Oxford American are much-loved by myriad music lovers) called in Texan guitar great Charlie Sexton to assist in putting together an album they hoped would be classic. He put together his own band (including Tin Machine’s Hunt Sales pounding the skins) for about half of the album’s tracks, recruiting the wonderful Calexico to backup most of the rest. Texas music legend Lloyd Maines—yes, father of Dixie Chick Natalie Maines—adds pedal steel to a track, and Flaco Jimenez plays accordion on another, while artists from Rodney Crowell and the Mavericks’ Raul Malo to Delbert McClinton and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown take turns on vocal duties. Malo’s “The Song of Everything” (another Sahm cut) is a particular highlight, a smoky, jazzy gem (thanks in large part to the West Side Horns’ playing) smack-dab where you don’t expect to find it (let alone betwixt Crowell’s Buddy Holly cover “Learning the Game” and Rick Trevino’s aforementioned “Ojitos Traidores”). But there’s not a weak link to be found here: the song selection is fairly flawless, as is the playing, as is the pairing of singers with songs. Sexton and company could have smoothed out this album’s rough edges, but they celebrate the cross-pollination from one genre to the next, in the process creating what should, in fact, go down as a classic American album. Heard It On the X is the best album 2005’s offered thus far. Tracklist 1 The Burro Song 2 Cupido 3 Talk To Me 4 I'm Not That Kat Anymore 5 My Window Faces South 6 Let Her Dance 7 Learning The Game 8 The Song Of Everything 9 Ojitos Tridores 10 I Live The Life I Love 11 Heard It On The X 12 See That My Grave Is Kept Clean Get it HERE

Nowhere Near Surf But Still A Damn Rockin' Sound

Little Barrie

King of The Waves

2010

Ripped @ 320 w/ 3% Recovery

Served by Terry C

Terry turned me on to these guys a little while back and from the very first track they grabbed me by the stones. It's definitely not surf but it is damn good rock that gets down to the bone. Enjoy.

Little Barrie is a power trio that originated in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, since relocated to London. Their sound could be described as stripped down R&B/Soul/Funk/Blues/Garage rock jamband. The band consists of Barrie Cadogan (guitar and vocals), Lewis Wharton (bass) and Virgil Howe (drums). Before Howe, Billy Skinner was playing drums. Before Skinner, Wayne Fulwood was playing drums and singing. The first Little Barrie single "Shrug Off Love" b/w "Reply Me (It Don't Deny Me)" was recorded by Barrie before the project became a full band with session drummer Chris Lee. Keys player Miles Newbold appeared on the B side Reply Me and also engineered the session.

Little Barrie released their debut album, We Are Little Barrie, in February 2005. It was recorded over a series of 23 Wednesdays in Edwyn Collins' studio.

Wayne left the band before the recording of their second album. According to Lewis "Yeah, it was a surprise... I didn't think it would ever happen. The constant touring was driving Wayne insane. He was away from home a lot... It got to the point where we were about to go the US to record the new album and it dawned on him that he'd be away again, and that we would be touring it the year after that. So he said he couldn't do it anymore."

Stand your Ground was recorded between New York with Dan The Automator on the producing skills and the help of Russell Simins (of Blues Explosion) on drums and London with Mike "Prince Fatty" Pelanconi as producer and new drummer Billy Skinner.Whilst in New York with Simins they landed a support slot with legendary blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin. The band toured the album in Europe, Japan and Australia throughout 2007. They also backed Paul Weller on the title track of his 2008 album 22 Dreams

In 2008 Virgil Howe, son of former Yes guitarist Steve Howe,^[1] joined the band on drums and the trio backed Mareva Galanter on her album entitled Happy Fiu in March 2008.

Between 2009 and October 2010 the band wrote and recorded their third album "King Of The Waves" working again in Edwyn Collins studio with Edwyn, Seb Lewsley at the controls and Shawn Lee mixing. Chris Potter mastered the album. The first single of "King Of The Waves" was "Surf Hell". This track has recently featured as the theme tune to the 2011 Channel 4 series - Sirens and is also playable on the multi-platform video game, Rocksmith. The album was released in the UK on June 27th, 2011^[2] and will be released in the US on February 28th, 2012.^[3]

After touring with Charles Bradley in Spain, Little Barrie was invited onto his North American Tour in early 2012.^[

^Tracklist

1. Surf Hell

2. How Come

3. Does The Halo Rust

4. Precious Pressure

5. King Of The Waves

6. Now We're Nowhere

7. Dream To Live

8. Tip It Over

9. I Can't Wait

10. New Diamond Love

11. Money In Paper

Get it HERE

A Little (More)Face Time

The Faces

Five Guys Walk Into A Bar

2004

Re-Up

Ripped at a glorious 320 for your ears delight

*

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

There has never been a better box set than the Faces' Five Guys Walk into a Bar.... There has never been a box that captures an artist so perfectly, nor has a box set taken greater advantage of unreleased and rare material, to the point where it seems as essential and vital as the released recordings. Simply put, there's never been a box set as necessary as this, since it tells the band's entire tale and explains exactly what the fuss is all about. Unfortunately, some explanations are in order, since the Faces never made it big, resigned to cult status in America and Britain alike. Nevertheless, if you love rock & roll with an all-consuming passion, you may consider the Faces the greatest rock & roll band ever. And you'd be right. Other bands were certainly bigger and plenty wielded a stronger influence, but the Faces were something unique, an endearingly ragged quintet that played raw, big-hearted rock & roll as hard as the Rolling Stones, but with a warm, friendly vibe that would have sounded utterly foreign coming from the Stones. At the turn of the '60s, that warmth was unusual in rock & roll, since most of the big bands were larger than life; even the Kinks, the quaintest and quietest of the titans of the late '60s, had a theatrical bent that lent them a mystique.

In contrast, the Faces were utterly without mystique. They were unpretentious to a fault, coming across like the lovable lads from the neighborhood who were always out for a good time, whether it was before, during, or after a gig. They were unassuming and mischievous, with their raggedness camouflaging a sweetness that flowed throughout their music; they were charming rogues, so endearing that even the infamously cranky, trendsetting British DJ John Peel had a soft spot a mile wide for them. That raggedness resulted in exhilarating music, but also made the Faces inconsistent on-stage and in the studio. At their peak, nobody could touch them, but even their greatest albums were sloppy, never maintaining their momentum. They would also throw away great songs on non-LP singles, and their live performances -- including BBC sessions for Peel -- often had a raucous energy not quite captured on their albums. All of these elements taken as a whole add up to a great band, but no single album, not even the first-rate 1999 compilation Good Boys When They're Asleep, captured each of these elements.

Five Guys Walk into a Bar... does. Produced and sequenced by their keyboardist, Ian McLagan, the set throws all conventional rules of box sets out the window. It's not assembled in a chronological order. A grand 43 of its 67 tracks are non-LP cuts and rarities, including a whopping 31 previously unreleased tracks. It has all the B-sides never released on CD. Several songs are repeated in alternate live or studio versions. Such a preponderance of rarities would usually mean that a box set is only for the devoted, but that's not the case here -- these rarities are the very reason why Five Guys Walk into a Bar... succeeds in a way none of their original albums do, since they fill in the gaps left behind on their four studio albums. This does mean that it features several Rod Stewart solo cuts that worked their way into the Faces' repertoire (partially because the band backed him on his solo albums, too), but that was an important part of their history (plus, the BBC version of "You're My Girl [I Don't Want to Discuss It]" is blistering hot), and while this showcases Stewart at his best -- he never was better than he was in the early '70s, whether it was fronting the Faces or on his solo records -- he never overshadows his mates on this box.

The focus is on the band as a whole, which means that the spotlight is shone on the late, perpetually underappreciated Ronnie Lane numerous times on each of the four discs, and that Ronnie Wood has his turn at the microphone on a wonderful live "Take a Look at the Guy." McLagan's song sequencing may appear to have no logic behind it, since it doesn't group recordings together by either era or scarcity, yet his seemingly haphazard approach makes musical and emotional sense, flowing like a set list yet remarkably maintaining momentum through its four lengthy discs. While it may sound like hyperbole, there's never a dull moment here, not a bad track among these 67 songs -- it's consistent in a way the Faces never were when they were together. It's a joyous, addictive listen, too. It sounds like a party, one where everybody's invited and where the music doesn't stop playing until the break of dawn. That makes a perfect tribute for a band that never got the respect they were due, and never made the great album they should have made. With Five Guys Walk into a Bar..., the Faces finally have that great album and not just that, they have a box set that's as infectious and satisfying as any classic rock & roll album and a box set that's quite possibly the greatest box set ever made. Plus, it's just one hell of a good time.

*

*

Key

[A]= First Step (March 1970)

[B]= Long Player (February 1971)

[C]= A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse (November 1971)

[D]= Ooh La La (March 1973)

[E]= Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners (December 1973)

[F]= The Faces' Last Sessions (January 1975)

*

Disc 1

"Flying" (Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [A]

"On The Beach" (Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood) [B]

"Too Bad" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [C]

"If I'm On The Late Side" (Ronnie Lane and Rod Stewart) [D]

"Debris" (Ronnie Lane) [C]"Jealous Guy" (John Lennon) [outtake from D]

"Evil" (W. Dixon) [Rehearsal, 1969]

"As Long As You Tell Him" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [B-side single, 1975]

"Maggie May" (M. Quittenton and Rod Stewart) [Live/BBC, 1971]

"Cindy Incidentally" [Alternate Mix] (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [outtake from D]

"Maybe I'm Amazed" (Paul McCartney) [Live/BBC, 1971]

"Insurance" (Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood) [outtake from D]

"I Came Looking For You"+ (Ronnie Lane) [Rehearsal, 1971]

"Last Orders Please" (Ronnie Lane) [C]

"Wyndlesham Bay (Jodie)" (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [outtake from D]

"I Can Feel The Fire" (Ron Wood) [Live, 1975]

"Tonight's Number"++ (Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood) [from Mahoney's Last Stand, 1976]

"Come See Me Baby (The Cheater)" (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [outtake from D]

+ performed by Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan

++ performed by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood

*

Disc 2

"Pool Hall Richard" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [A-side single, 1973]

"You're My Girl (I Don't Want To Discuss It)" (Dick Cooper, Ernie Shelby, Beth Beatty) [Live/BBC, 1973]

"Glad and Sorry" (Ronnie Lane) [D]

"Shake, Shudder, Shiver" (Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood) [Rehearsal, 1969]

"Miss Judy's Farm" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [Live/BBC, 1973]

"Richmond" (Ronnie Lane) [B]

"That's All You Need" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [C]

"Rear Wheel Skid" (K. Jones, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Ron Wood) [B-side single, 1970]

"Maybe I'm Amazed" (Paul McCartney) [A-side single, 1971]

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" (Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and R. Jackson) [outtake from D]

"Take A Look At The Guy" (Ron Wood) [Live, 1975]

"Flags and Banners" (Ronnie Lane and Rod Stewart) [D]

"Bad 'N' Ruin" (Ian McLagan and Rod Stewart) [Live/BBC, 1971]

"Around The Plynth" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [A]

"Sweet Lady Mary" (Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [B]

"Had Me A Real Good Time" (Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [B]

"Cut Across Shorty" (Marijohn Wilkin and Wayne Walker) [Live/BBC, 1971]

* Sorry but these 6 tracks are missing from this .rar. I will work to correct as soon as I can dig up the backups. Thks to Dr Hank for catching it. T  3/30/12

*

Disc 3

"You're So Rude" (Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan) [C]

"(I Know) I'm Losing You" (Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland, Norman Whitfield) [Live/BBC, 1971]

"Love Lives Here" (Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [C]

"I'd Rather Go Blind" (Bill Foster, Ellington Jordan) [Live, 1975]

"Hi-Heel Sneakers" (Robert Higginbotham) / "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" (Solomon Burke, Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler) [F]

"Gettin' Hungry" (Brian Wilson, Mike Love) [F]

"Silicone Grown" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [D]

"Oh Lord I'm Browned Off" (K. Jones, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Ron Wood) [B-side single, 1971]

"Just Another Honky" (Ronnie Lane) [D]

"Open To Ideas" (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [F]

"Skewiff (Mend the Fuse)" (K. Jones, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Ron Wood) [B-side single, 1973]

"Too Bad" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [Live, 1972]

"Rock Me" (Ian McLagan) [F]

"Angel" (Jimi Hendrix) [Live/BBC, 1973]

"Stay With Me" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [Live/BBC, 1971]

"Ooh La La" (Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood) [D]

*

Disc 4

"The Stealer" (Paul Rodgers, Andy Fraser, Paul Kossoff) [Live/BBC, 1973]

"Around the Plynth" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) / "Gasoline Alley" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [Live/BBC, 1970]

"You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (Even Take the Dog For a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board, or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings)" (K. Jones, Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood and T. Yamauchi) [A-side single, 1975]

"I Wish It Would Rain" (Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, Roger Penzabene) [Live B-side single, 1973]

"Miss Judy's Farm" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [Live/BBC, 1971]"Love In Vain" (Robert Johnson) [Live/BBC, 1971]

"My Fault" (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [Live/BBC, 1973]

"I Feel So Good" (Big Bill Broonzy) [Rehearsal, 1969]

"Miss Judy's Farm" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [C]

"Three Button Hand Me Down" (Ian McLagan and Rod Stewart) [A]

"Cindy Incidentally" (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [D]

"Borstal Boys" (Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [D]

"Flying" (Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [Live/BBC, 1970]

"Bad 'N' Ruin" (Ian McLagan and Rod Stewart) [B]

"Dishevelment Blues" (K. Jones, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [promotional flexi-disc, 1973]

"Stay With Me" (Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) [C]

*

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Get it HERE

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and

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I'm Sure You Know Where Your Children Are Tonight

My two grandchildren (15 and 14) clued the ol' man about this issue this morning. Kidnapping, rape, murder, and torture of children in Uganda and other nearby African countries.

The situation is not new but the methods and technology that are being used for this awareness campaign utilizes tools that the younger generation can utilize and act on. It might seem to some like a big giant "sad story of the week" but I think it should be looked upon as a new avenue to have voices heard. Remember, if the politicians can use technology to get us to vote for them, we have the ability to turn that technology to let them know how the people feel when we see atrocities like this.

Please watch this video, stop a moment and think about it, and share it with someone you love. I was totally unaware this morning. Those that I love opened my eyes along with my heart.

Get Your Dog N Drink And Listen Up

The Papaya Kings

Don't Fear The Reverb

1998

Phil says:

The Papaya King's debut disc is a surf monster. It is loaded with flair and power, solid writing, and exceptionally good playing. There are no dogs on the disc, and no relaxation either. Solid top to bottom. It also sports one of the best CD titles of the year! "Green Dodge Dart (with three chicks in the back)" (track 14) is a live vocal with pure surf backing and rockabilly vocal stylings, and a sense of the kinda tune that appeared in the soundtrack to Back To The Beach. This is a strong CD.

Tracklist

Theme
Hyperactive!
Goner
Chasing a Mermaid
Man or Mancini?
Zombie Creep
Adventure
Rippin'
On the Strip
Mr. Ed
Raki
Corny One
Alone at Midnite
Green Dodge Dart (With 3 Chicks in the Back)
Theme (Outro)

Get it HERE