New home for DRRB
http://rockrollblog.wordpress.com/
Down at the Rock ‘n’ Blog is moving. Since I’m taking on new contributors to the blog, I wanted to move it from this location that uses my name in the url. DRRB now lives at http://rockrollblog.wordpress.com/.
Visit early and often!
Jackson 5 Minus One
Another RIP post. Michael Jackson, lead singer of late 60’s/early 70’s Gary, Indiana based all-brother band The Jackson 5, passed away today in Los Angeles, California. He was 50 years old.
Sky Saxon, RIP
Sad news today coming out of Austin, Texas: Sky Saxon has died.
One of the most intriguing figures to come out of mid-1960’s American garage-rock, Saxon emerged in 1966 as the charismatic frontman for The Seeds, and they had their two biggest hits right out of the gate with “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine” and “Pushin’ Too Hard”. Their first two albums, The Seeds and A Web of Sound, are both considered classics, but for me their high-water mark was the psychedelic masterpiece, Future, released in 1967. It still retains some of the “Pushin…” trademark sound, but delves deep into the hallucinogenic marsh. Despite it’s relative obscurity today, it belongs in the pantheon of ‘67 psychedelia.
Here’s a few tracks from the tough to find CD of Future:
Flower Lady and Her Assistant – mp3
I’ve been going back and listening to a bunch of Sky/Seeds stuff this morning, so I’m also posting a couple of bonus tracks. “Bad Part of Town” was the first single released by Sky and his revamped Seeds for MGM in 1970. “Wish Me Up” was the B-side. One more MGM single would follow, and neither would chart. Thus ended the Seeds major label career, though Saxon continued to perform and record both solo and with new versions of The Seeds until right before his death.
RIP Sky Saxon
DRRB now on Facebook
I’ve set up a page for Down at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Blog on Facebook, so if you’re on there, become a “fan” and get cool links and videos directly from DRRB central.
Stop on by and say hello!
The Ventures: Live in Japan ‘65
The Ventures made upwards of 300 albums in their career. If you can only buy one, it should be Live in Japan ‘65. Originally released as a double album exclusively in the far east (they might have been the first “big in Japan” group), it remained unissued in the US until a 1995 CD release. Over 70 minutes of the crispest, sharpest playing you’ve ever heard and sound quality that might be better than any other mid-60’s live album I’ve yet encountered.
I’ve picked out three songs to share from this killer set: the first two cuts of the concert, “The Cruel Sea” and “Penetration”, and the final cut, a superb 10-minute cover of Duke Ellington’s “Caravan”. The 27 songs on Live in Japan ‘65 include all of their peak hits at the time as well as covers ranging from The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine” to Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther Theme”, surf/instrumental chestnuts like “Telstar” and “Pipeline”, and a killer version of “House of the Rising Sun”.
RIP: Bob Bogle
Guitarist and founding member of the Ventures Bob Bogle passed away on Sunday. He was 75.
The Tacoma News Tribune reports:
Wanda Jackson: Hall of Famer
71 years old and still hitting the road (see her official website for her US dates through the Summer), the Queen of rockabilly is in. Better twenty years too late than never.
Here’s some vintage Wanda:
And from her I Remember Elvis album,…
For more on the incredibleness that is Wanda Jackson:
some tunes to keep things rolling
I’ll be using this space to post reviews, share songs and videos, point out things of interest on the net, and when time and motivation permits, longer pieces. In the interest of keeping it active in the meantime, a lot of posts on here are going to be brief, but in total will map out the kinds of stuff I’m listening to at the time.
So here’s some tunes (downloads are only up for 7 days):
Richard Hell & the Voidoids – Down at the Rock and Roll Club (alternate version) from Richard Hell and the Voidoids: Blank Generation (Sire/Warner CD).
It’s officially an “alternate version” because the CD reissue of Blank Generation switched out Hell and the Voidoids’ original version for this later take.
NoBunny – Chuck Berry Holiday from NoBunny: Love Visions (1-2-3 Go).
I had a post about NoBunny in an earlier version of this blog that’s been deleted. An almost one-man solo record by the Okmoniks drummer in a rabbit mask, delicious bubblegum garagepunk.
The Flamin’ Groovies – Shake Some Action
From the I’ll Have a… Bucket of Brains: The Original 1972 Rockfield Recordings for U.A. collection. Not for any special reason except that it’s been getting heavy rotation on my iTunes recently.
All about the Flamin’ Groovies (from Trouser Press)
The Kinks – Better Things from The Kinks: Give the People What They Want (Velvel)
Because it was our theme song for the crazy year that ended in March, 2009.
Eraserhead soundtrack – In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator)
Because everything is fine.
Eraserhead soundtrack (Ryko/David Lynch)
Enjoy. More soon.
Sunday Morning Radio: Preachin’ the Blues with Johnny Horn
Just sitting down with a cup of coffee and my favorite Sunday morning radio, Johnny Horn’s “Preachin’ the Blues” show on KEXP here in Seattle. There’s a loose format to the show: Johnny starts off at 9 am (PST) with a mix of country blues and old-time gospel, and gradually moves towards funkier soul and R&B. It’s a weekly trip that starts deep down in the delta, visits New Orleans and other points south, on to Memphis and Muscle Shoals, and then all the way up the Mississippi to Chicago and beyond. It’s on right now.
Sunday afternoon link – Lux and Ivy’s Favorites Vol. 12
Been busy this weekend, and off to work tonight, so for now I’m just going to pass along the link that’s made my week, Volume 12 of Kogar the Swinging Ape’s Lux and Ivy’s Favorites series on WFMU’s Beware of the Blog, this one subtitled The Lux Interior Memorial Edition – Journey Into Outer Space.
Get Volume 12 HERE
Get the first eleven volumes HERE
Enjoy digging into that treasure chest, I’ll be back on Monday with more songs.
