Raw Power & Show #113

This week I'm going to be talking about The Stooges on my site. The Stooges started off in the late 60's, they are Iggy Pop's first band for those of you who don't know. They came from Detroit, Iggy (real name James Osterberg from Ann Arbour, Michigan) formed with Ron and Scott Asheton (who were the drums and guitars of the band) and bassist Dave Alexander. They were raw pure rock and roll music. Their sound is very garage-rock and primitive, very stripped down and honest rock. Their influences range from The Velvet Underground to old blues musicians, and The Doors. They got signed to Elektra Records when a record executive was in Detroit to see the MC5 (who also got signed).

Iggy Pop is known for his crazy onstage antics such as smearing peanut butter over himself and rolling around in glass on stage, but it was their music the influenced so many bands. Their first album was released in 1969, featured 8 songs, some psychedelic (because of The Doors influence). In 1970 came Fun House, which was just as good as the first self titled album. After that they sort of split up for a while they reformed with new guitarist James Williamson as Iggy and The Stooges and released Raw Power in 1973. Their 3rd and final album. Original bassist Dave Alexander died of drinking related causes during The Stooges first separation. One of the Asheton brothers took over on bass. After Raw Power Iggy & The Stooges split, Iggy Pop went to Europe with David Bowie and created some of his best solo albums ever Lust For Life, and The Idiot. The Stooges have recently reformed minus James Williamson and with bass player Mike Watt. They are currently recording an album with producer Steve Albini. The Song I played was I Got A Right!, which was a song that was recorded just before Raw Power and released as a separate single. I also played an alternate version of the song that can be found on the Heavy Liquid box set. The Stooges are one of the best bands to ever come out of Detroit area (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and there will never be anything like them again.




In 2003, The Stooges reunited and contributed three tracks to Iggy Pop's solo album, Skull Ring. The band also toured again. In 2007 the band released an album featuring new material titled The Weirdness. The band consisted of the original Asheton brothers (Ron and Scott) and Mike Watt from the Minutemen on bass. The album was recorded by Steve Albini, and the band was said to have recorded 30 songs (only 14 appeared on the album). Also, before picking a producer it was reported that White Stripes Jack White was going to play bass and produce/record the album, but the band chose Albini instead. For an extensive, more complete history of The Stooges and Iggy Pop visit my A Million in Prizes Post.


Some of the other bands I played were The Pointed Sticks a Canadian band from Vancouver. The Witch is actually a cover originally done by The Sonics, it's a great version of the song with organ, and harmonica. Dirty Pretty Things are a band I have been playing a lot of lately. They formed after the split of the UK band The Libertines. Carl Barat, the guitar player formed this band along with Libertines drummer Gary Powell. The album Waterloo To Anywhere is a loud raunchy, punkish album.




Here's what I Played this week:

1. The Saints - river deep mountain high
2. Sex Pistols - bodies
3. Teenage Head - ain't got no sense
4. The Diodes - headache
5. Generation X - triumph
6. The Who - anyway, anyhow, anywhere (alternate version)
7. The Who - baby don't you do it
8. Iggy & The Stooges - I got a right ! (alternate version)
9. Buzzcocks - a different kind of tension
10. Buzzcocks - I believe
11. Young Canadians - hullabaloo girls
12. Ramones - I just wanna have something to do
13. Ramones - I wanted everything
14. The Police - shadows in the rain
15. The Clash - sound of the sinners
16. The Clash - police on my back
17. Pointed Sticks - the witch
18. Wire - I feel mysterious today
19. The Specials - man at c & a
20. Dirty Pretty Things - doctors and dealers
21. Dead 60's - a different age
22. Green Day - 86
23. Nirvana - stain

A Quick One...

Hey, just a quick note, you can post comments by clicking comments at end of each post. Any feedback would be appreciated.

In other news The Who are planning on releasing new material despite the loss of their bass player John Entwistle in 2002. Wire & Glass, which contains two songs from their upcoming release titled Endless Wire was released in August. Wire & Glass is a 7 minute mini-opera, like A Quick One While He's Away and songs found on the album Tommy. This is The Who's first full length album release since It's Hard in 1982. For full tracklisting and cover art visit Pete Townshend's Website http://www.petetownshend.co.uk




The Who influenced many of the early punk bands I've played on my radio show such as The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Generation X, Ramones, Buzzcocks,and even newer bands like Pearl Jam and Green Day. Green Day for those of you who don't know, took The Who's idea of a rock opera and applied it to their punk-rock opera and album, American Idiot. It did extremely well. I think i'll play some Who on this Wednesdays upcoming show.

Show #112 and The Clash

Every week on my blog (or as often as I can), I will post the play list from my radio show and some information about some of the bands I play. This week I will talk about The Clash.




The songs I played from The Clash this week were from their album Sandinista!,which was released in 1980. The album was recorded in New York at Electric Ladyland Studios, and showed The Clash going even further than they did on their brilliant album London Calling. It showed The Clash covering all styles such as their usual reggae and punk. They also experimented with jazz, gospel, dub, rockabilly, among other styles. Let's Go Crazy is a more of a reggae/Caribbean song, while If Music Could Talk, is definitely jazz influenced. Sandinista! is definitely an underrated album. Some fans believe that if it was released as a single album it would have been The Clash's best album, but it was released as a triple album (on vinyl) in 1980. This is an album that is hard to get used to all at once, but after a few listens it sounds great.




After the album Combat Rock, guitarist Mick Jones was fired from the band, along with drummer Topper Headon and The Clash were essentially over. They made one more album Cut The Crap with a different line-up and only original members Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon, and was more of original band manager Bernie Rhoads creation. The album was followed by a short busking-type tour, then they split. Mick Jones would go on to form Big Audio Dynamite, Paul did a one off project Havana 3AM, and Joe did films. He returned in the late nineties with a new band Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. I played the song Cool n' Out from the album Global A-Go-Go, which is one of the three albums released by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. Joe unfortunately passed away in 2002, just before The Clash were inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. The Clash's music still stands the test of time.

A series of two radio specials I did on The Clash can be found here:

The Clash (1976-1979)
The Clash (1980-1985)



Other bands i played were Sublime. They just released a 10th anniversary version of their Sublime album. It contains two discs, with alternate versions of songs, outtakes, demos, and the original sequence of the album. It also contains a cover of the Bob Marley song, Trenchtown Rock. The Talking Heads song i played Unison, is an outtake from their album Remain in Light, which was recently remastered with bonus tracks.

Heres the tracklist from my show on September 20th:

1. Teenage Head – top down
2. Diodes – time damage
3. The Damned – fan club
4. Ramones – I remember you
5. Ramones – California sun
6. Young Canadians – well, well, well
7. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers – I love you
8. The Clash – let’s go crazy
9. The Clash – if music could talk
10. The Police – other way stopping
11. Sex Pistols – problems
12. Iggy & The Stooges – death trip
13. Undertones – nine times out of ten
14. Buzzcocks – I don’t know what to do with my life
15. Buzzcocks – money
16. Buzzcocks - hollow inside
17. The Saints – international robots
18. Magazine – Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
19. Talking Heads – unison (remain in light outtake)
20. Wire – I am a fly
21. Nirvana – old age (nevermind outtake)
22. Neil Young – downtown
23. Sublime – April 29th, 1992 (Miami)
24. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – cool n’ out
25. Dirty Pretty Things – deadwood

Welcome!

Hi,
Welcome to my blog. Revolution Rock is the name of a radio show that I do on CJAM 91.5FM in the Windsor/Detroit area. I play 60's/70's punk rock, 80's new wave/post-punk, as well as some new rock too. I've been doing the show now for about three years and have just completed my 111th show. I'm on every Wednesday night from 9PM-10:30PM, so don't forget to tune in. You can also stream it online from the cjam website, www.cjam.ca

Here is a track listing of what was played on my most recent show:

1. Undertones – my perfect cousin
2. Sex Pistols – did you no wrong
3. Iggy & The Stooges – shake appeal
4. The Saints – this perfect day
5. Ramones – carbona not glue
6. Ramones – havanna affair (live 76)
7. The Diodes – china doll
8. Young Canadians – don’t bother me
9. Buzzcocks – mad mad judy
10. Buzzcocks – raison d’etre
11. Radio Birdman – subterfuge
12. The Clash – up in heaven (not only here)
13. The Clash – corner soul
14. Big Audio Dynamite – contact
15. Talking Heads – seen not seen
16. The Police – voices in my head
17. Wire – outdoor minor
18. Television – ain’t that nothing
19. Magazine – Philadelphia
20. Teenage head – let’s go to Hawaii
21. Neil Young – truth be known
22. Pearl Jam – grievance
23. Audioslave – revelations
24. Dirty Pretty Things – gentry cove
25. Bob Marley & The Wailers - trenchtown rock
26. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - kid with the replaceable head