Laughter Around The Table...The Story of The Laughing Clowns...Show # 259

In 1979, Ed Kuepper left The Saints. He would relocate to Sydney, Australia and form a new group, one that was very different compared to his work with The Saints (Chris Bailey would continue with the group The Saints in name only, they would have a different band line-up). The Laughing Clowns combined elements of Punk, Soul and Jazz music for a unique sounding band that lasted from about 1980 until 1985. While critics called the group Jazz-Punk, Kuepper has said that the band is more Soul and Blues influenced. The original line up of the band featured Ed Kuepper on guitar/vocals, Jeffery Wegener on drums, Ben Wallace-Crabbe on bass, Dan Wallace-Crabbe on piano, and Bob Farrell on saxophone. The bands first release was a six song EP titled The Laughing Clowns in 1980. The band would then record a series of singles and EP's.

In 1982 a compilation of the bands older material was released titled Reign of Terror/Throne of Blood. The band would have some line-up changes as well because it was also at this time that The Laughing Clowns moved to London, England. With only Kuepper and Wegener the band assembled other musicians to complete the line-up. The other members were Leslie Millar on bass, Peter Doyle on trumpet, and Louise Elliot on saxophone. Mr. Uddich-Smuddich Goes to Town, the bands first full length album was released in 1982. Containing eight songs, the album is now impossible to find and out of print. Another album came out in the same year titled Everything That Flies, a slightly different version was released in the UK under the name Laughter Around The Table. Law of Nature was another full length album in 1984 and The History of Rock N' Roll Volume 1, which was a best of compilation.

The last full length Laughing Clowns album, Ghosts of an Ideal Wife was released in 1985. Following this album, the band stopped playing together. Ed Kuepper went on to pursue a solo career, he also formed a group called The Aints. A compilation of Laughing Clowns material was released in 1995 called Golden Days: When Giants Walked the Earth. In 2005, Cruel But Fair a Laughing Clowns anthology was released. It collects all of the bands studio recordings totaling 48 tracks. In 2009, The Laughing Clowns reunited for the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival and a tour. Kuepper also reformed The Saints for a few live shows. Ed Kuepper also joined Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds as their touring guitarist for their 2009 tour. I would also like to state a slight discrepancy in Laughing Clowns release dates, some sites list the band lasting from 1979-1984 and some from 1980-1985. Ed Kuepper's official website (The Kuepper Files) lists the bands first EP as being released in 1979, and the bands final release in 1985.

The Play List:

1. Klark Kent - Too Kool To Kalypso
2. XX Teens - Onkawara
3. Alder Fork - Great Lakes
4. The Fall - It's The New Thing
5. Mando Diao - Gloria
7. Low Numbers - Keep In Touch
8. Ex-Boyfriends - Born To Be Kicked Out
9. The Demics - Talk's Cheap
10. Hot Nasties - Do You Know
11. Kasabian - Where Did All The Love Go?
12. Portugual. The Man - Everyone is Golden
13. The Beatles - Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8)
14. Flaming Lips - Bag Full of Thoughts
15. White Stripes - Black Jack Davey
16. The Dead Weather - Rocking Horse
17. The Kills - Wait
18. Marble Index - Not Impressed
19. Thrush Hermit - From the Back of the Film
20. Laughing Clowns - Law of Nature
21. Laughing Clowns - Sometimes
22. The Jam - The Place I Love

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on July, 28th 2009.

Laughing Clowns Videos:

Holy Joe (1980)
Eternally Yours (1984)

Album Art Clash!....Show # 258

This week my program featured a selection of some of my favourite album artwork. This included single artwork and album artwork. There was also a co-host this week, Adam from Fear of Music (on Tuesdays from 1-2:30 PM). I was also featured as a co-host on his radio program where he also did a show on artwork. You can check out his list on his Fear of Music blog. Below is a description of the choices made as well as some that did not make it onto my show this week due to time restraints.

Album Artwork Selections:

The Dead 60s - The Dead 60s (2005)


This album was released in the UK in 2005 and several months later in the US. The track listing differs from the UK and US versions and so did the artwork. The actual artwork is a pop art styled version of an actual building in Liverpool, where the band comes from. The Concord House is the office building on the cover and it is located near the Liverpool Lime Street railway station. The UK version of the album features a red background while the US version has a yellow one.






XTC - Go 2 (1978)


Designed by a group of British album artwork designers known as Hipgnosis, Go 2 features a different kind of artwork. In fact there is an essay on the front of the albums cover instead of any picture or artwork. Originally released in 1978, this album featured a different track listing in the UK than in the US. The albums title (Go 2) was named in part due to a Japanese strategy game called Go. The two was put after the word go because it was the bands second album.






U2 - 11 O’clock Tick Tock (Single 1980)

11 O’clock Tick Tock was U2's third single. It was released just before the release of their first full length album Boy. Produced Martin Hannett (known for his work with Joy Division), this single featured the bands early post punk influenced sound. The actual artwork features a close up picture of a clock (pointing to 11) with a blue/purple coloured background. Along the side of the single cover the words "U2 11 O’clock Tick Tock" are featured in blocks. Three versions of the song exist, all of which are different takes of the song. There is the original single mix, a slightly longer mix for a Martin Hannett tribute album and a version of the Pride single.



Devo - Be Stiff EP (1977)

The artwork for this six track EP was created by Barney Bubbles (a graphic designer) and Brian Griffin (a photographer). The cover featured a man holding up a letter "E" with his hands over the top of his head. The EP was produced by Devo themselves and features some different versions of songs that would be found on the bands first album. "Jocko Homo", "Mongoloid", "(I Can't Get Me No) Satisfaction", and "(I Saw My Baby Gettin') Sloppy". There are also two songs "Be Stiff" and "Social Fools" not featured on any of the bands original albums. All of these tracks can now be found on various compilations, anthologies and reissues of the bands albums.

The Cure - Boys Don't Cry (1980)


This album was actually a US version of the bands first album Three Imaginary Boys. It also features a different track listing than the original UK album. The albums cover features palm trees, a sun and burned/frayed looking bottom. The cover always reminds me of Egypt, maybe it's because of the song "Fire in Cairo", but either way it is an interesting album cover. This album is also an early representation of the band, who would later be known as Gothic. At this point in the bands career they were making Punk/New Wave sounding tracks.






Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)


The album artwork for Franz Ferdinand's second album is similar to artwork by Russian avant-garde photographer Alexander Rodchenko. It was inspired by his portrait of Lilya Birk. The album itself reflected a more punk inspired Franz Ferdinand than their first album.








The Diodes - Action-Reaction (1980)


The third album by Canadian punk band The Diodes showed off a more Power Pop and Hard Rock style. The albums cover is a variety of space looking ray guns, one is missing. It is another interesting cover from a Canadian band that is underrated. The album will be re-issued on CD in September. Currently it is available on itunes.







The Nils - Green Fields in Daylight (1997)


This album is in fact a compilation album from the Canadian punk and pop band The Nils. The Montreal band lasted from 1978 until 1994. The band started at a young age by Alex Soria and his brother Carlos. The compilation features more than 20 tracks collecting early demos, recordings, songs from the bands EP's and full length album. The artwork on the albums cover is a spilled over can of contact cement. Shades of green dress the albums cover.






The Professionals - I Didn't See It Coming (1981)


Formed by Steve Jones and Paul Cook (of Sex Pistols), The Professionals released I Didn't See It Coming in 1981. The album was actually a re-recorded version of the bands first album which was never released (it was eventually released in 1990 and in 1997). The cover is pretty simple, a guy getting punched in the face. An effective and eye catching album cover.








The Damned - Don't Cry Wolf (Single 1977)


Don't Cry Wolf was a single taken from the bands second album Music For Pleasure. This album would be The Damned's last with guitarist Brian James, it was also produced by Nick Mason (of Pink Floyd). The B-side to Don't Cry Wolf is the song "One Way Love". The B-side (which is also on Music For Pleasure) has some almost country like guitar licks on it. The song is an excellent example of the guitar work of Brian James. The single artwork features what looks like scalpels in a star shaped pattern surrounding the bands name and the songs title.






The D4 - 6Twenty (2001)


The 2001 album from New Zealand Garage Rockers, The D4 was named after a guitar amplifier. The cover features the band members silhouetted in black and red, while guitarist Dion Palmer aims his guitar in a gun-like fashion. The album itself is great representation of high energy Rock and Roll. The album had six singles released, none of which charted in the US. Some singles from the album did make it on to the UK singles charts.







Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (2007)


The artwork for Era Vulgaris features two light bulb characters, one which is a green light bulb that has an eye patch (known as "Patchy") and Bulby a yellow bulb smoking a cigarette. The light bulb cartoons were created by Liam Lynch and the overall art direction was done by Jason Nato & Doug Cunnigham of Morning Breath Inc. Josh Homme has stated in an interview that light bulb represents an idea that you think is really great, but in reality it is not. Era Vulgaris was the fifth album by Queens of the Stone Age.






Sloan - Navy Blues (1998)


Sloan's follow up to 1996's One Chord To Another was Navy Blues. The album featured songs such as "She Says What She Means" and "Money City Maniacs". Navy Blues combined elements of the bands 60s Pop/Beatles style with 70s Hard Rock. The albums artwork features a picture of each band member separated by lines that are similar to work done by Saul Bass (American graphic designer and film maker). For an animated, filmic extension of the album cover check out the video for "Money City Maniacs".






Neil Young - On The Beach (1974)


This was an album that has interesting things to pick out on the cover. There is part of what looks like a Cadillac buried in the sand, a patio table and chairs, a person out in the distance and a hanger hanging under the umbrella (there are more things too if you look closely). This album was originally released in 1974 and for a long time it was out of print on vinyl and it not available on CD. In 2003 it was finally released on CD.







Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Streetcore (2003)


The artwork to the third album by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros is credited to Art Dog and Joe Strummer. The album which was released posthumously showed the Mescaleros returning to a more Rock/Clash like form. Streetcore featured songs such as "Coma Girl", "Get Down Moses", "Long Shadow" and "All In A Day", all of which display differing musical styles while still staying true to the edge of Rock and Roll. The cover displays a coil that looks like it is dripping, five black stars placed in two different locations on a bright orange background.





The Strokes - Room On Fire (2003)


The Strokes second album was panned by critics when it was originally released. The albums cover features what looks like a black jack card table (or some sort of card table that would be used in a casino), two hands of opposing colours firing at each other and the bands album title. The album musically was influenced by New Wave music such as Talking Heads, The Cars and the bands previous Garage Rock influences.







The Kinks - Kink Kontroversy (1965)


Originally released in 1965, Kink Kontroversy mixed early Kinks Garage Rock style with Blues. The albums cover features five squares. The main square features a close up Dave Davies playing guitar. Atop of it there are four squares each of which has a different Kinks band member inside. The albums title is a play on the bands onstage antics, and fighting which led to them being banned in the US.








The Hives - Walk Idiot Walk (Single 2004)


The single to the Hives song "Walk Idiot Walk" featured two B-sides "Genepool Convulsions" and "Keel Hauling Class of '89". The single is a song that comes from The Hives 2004 album Tyrannosaurus Hives. The single also contains the music video made for the song. The video features the band in a white room with a scrabble board that changes letters in the background. The cover is a shot of the band members holding their instruments on a white background, which is a similar style to the music video for the single.



Sex Pistols - Nevermind The Bollocks (1977)

The one and only album by Sex Pistols featured cut out ransom styled lettering. In the UK the letters were outlined in pink, while the background is yellow. For the US release the colours differ. The letters are outlined in green with a light pink background. The cover was designed by Jamie Reed and has since been copied by numerous punk bands. Without an album like this, who knows what rock music would sound like today?






Buzzcocks - Promises (Single 1978)


All of Buzzcocks early singles have interesting artwork designs. Promises is one of my favourites, it is designed in a pop art style and features a green square outlined by a purple circle on a black background. The song was recorded just after the release of the bands second album Love Bites and was originally titled Children. The song was also added to the Singles Going Steady compilation in 1979.







Wire - Chairs Missing (1978)


This album cover is simple, there are no chairs on the front cover and there is a table with purple flowers on top of it. There are also brownish grey curtains in the background. The covers concept was created by Graham Lewis and Colin Newman (of Wire), while the cover photo was taken by Annette Green and the overall art direction was created by Brian Palmer. The albums title is derived from a British slang for a person that is a little bit disturbed. For example, that man has some chairs missing from his front room. The album featured more pop oriented compositions than the bands previous effort Pink Flag.



The Clash - London Calling (1979)


The artwork is to 1979's London Calling is now seen as an iconic image. The cover is reminiscent of Elvis Presley's first album and they both employ a similar font style. Elvis's album features Elvis raising his guitar up while London Calling features Clash bassist Paul Simonon smashing his bass down to the floor. The photograph on the cover was taken during a Clash concert in New York by Pennie Smith. The graphic design was done by Ray Lowry. I enjoy almost all of The Clash's album covers and single artwork, some other interesting ones to check out are Radio Clash, Bank Robber, Magnificent Seven and of course their other album covers.




Other interesting artwork:

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Model (1978)


The artwork to this album cover was designed by Barney Bubbles. The concept is simple, Elvis Costello standing in front of a camera with his right hand sticking out, the background is a golden brown colour. The US version of this album did not have the songs "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" and "Night Rally", instead of those tracks the song "Radio, Radio" was added. A slightly different album cover was also used for the US version.







Talking Heads - Take Me To The River (US Single 1978)

Talking Heads were another band that had interesting album covers. The US version for the song Take Me To The River is one of my favourites. The song was actually a cover of a song that was originally by Al Green. The cover of the US single was of a gospel tabernacle and lttle wavy lines at the bottom for the water. The UK version was a variation of the cover for the album More Songs About Buildings and Food, which is also interesting. Other great covers by Talking Heads include the Fear of Music album cover, and covers for the singles Crosseyed and Painless, Road To Nowhere, Life During Wartime and Psycho Killer.

Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed (1969)


Let It Bleed was a follow up to 1968's Beggar's Banquet. There are so many things that can be picked out on the cover. The cover displays a picture of a record player and spindle, on top of the spindle there is a variety of things stacked up. There is a stack of records, a reel to reel tape, a tire, a pizza and a cake. On top of the cake there are little figures of each band member.








The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (1964)

You cannot discuss artwork by rock bands without bringing up The Beatles. While they have many covers which are seen as innovative, There are two in particular that have always been interesting to me. First, The UK version of A Hard Day's Night which was the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The US version featured a different track listing. The UK cover features photos of every Beatle member in different poses. The US version featured four large photos of each Beatle, from the nose up. This was also the very first full length album by The Beatles that had all original compositions on it.




The Beatles - The White Album (1968)

My second choice for Beatles artwok is one of my favourite albums ever, The White Album. The artwork is also quite simple and inventive. Designed by Richard Hamilton the cover was white, with the bands named lightly showing on the cover. While the album was originally going to be called A Doll's House, the band decided on just calling it "The Beatles", but because of the artwork it is usually referred to as The White Album. Since it's release numerous bands have had self titled albums with a plain colour for its cover.




The Play List:

1. Dead 60s - Riot Radio
2. XTC - Meccanic Dancing (Oh We Go)
3. U2 - 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
4. Devo - Be Stiff
5. The Cure - 10:15 Saturday Night
6. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
7. The Diodes - Polaroid
8. The Nils - Freedom
9. The Professionals - Madhouse
10. The Damned - Don't Cry Wolf
11. The D4 - Come On!
12. Queens of The Stone Age - Make It Wit Chu
13. Sloan - Stand By Me, Yeah
14. Neil Young - Walk On
15. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Coma Girl
16. The Strokes - I Can't Win
17. The Kinks - The World Keeps Going Round
18. The Hives - Genepool Convulsions
19. Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
20. Buzzcocks - Promises
21. Wire - Outdoor Miner (Single Version)
22. The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on July, 21st 2009.

Phog Phest Post... Show # 257

On July 11th, 2009 Phog Lounge celebrated winning the best live music venue in Canada. Phog Phest featured 24 bands from Windsor, Ontario and other places in Canada. Today's show featued a selection of bands from Phog Phest (highlighted in gray). Congratulations Phog Lounge!

The Play List:

1. Polyester Explosion - Madeline
2. Link Wray - Fatback
3. The Kingsmen - The Climb
4. Elliot Brood - Write It All Down For You
5. Field Assembly - Old Spell
6. The Locust Have No King - Last Ride
7. Arkells - John Lennon
8. Orphan Choir - New Rituals
9. The Pack A.D. - Goldrush
10. Wylde Rattz - LSD
11. The Gruesomes - Out Of Our Tree
12. The Flamin' Groovies - Keep A Knockin'
13. Empire - Him Or Me
14. The Yauchts - Suffice To Say
15. Tubeway Army - That's Too Bad
16. Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning
17. Fire Engines - Everything's Roses
18. The Banned - Little Girl
19. Alternative TV - You Bastard
20. Generation X - Promises Promises
21. Dave Vanian and The Phantom Chords - Screamin' Kid
22. Deja Voo Doo - 48 Bucks
23. The Cramps - She Said

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on July, 14th 2009.

That's Their Style...The Lost Patrol Story....Show # 256

Lost Patrol were a band from Windsor, Ontario in Canada. The band was born out of another band that was known as Fireball XL5. They were put together by bass player Paul Langan. The rest of the band consisted of Bob Mitchie (drums), Dave Whitehead (guitar) and Karen Marrero on vocals. The bands musical influences ranged from bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Seeds, The Byrds, The Modern Lovers to bands like Big Brother and The Holding Co. The bands sound would be a mix of Garage Rock, Punk and New Wave.

Playing around places in Windsor, Ontario, Toronto, Montreal and Detroit, Lost Patrol built up a fan following. They recorded several EP's, and one full length album. Lost Patrol was released in 1988. It contained 14 songs and was released on the Stop It Baby Record label. Through this label, the band also gained an overseas following in places such as France.

A music video that was made for the song "I'm Not The One", received airplay on Much Music in Canada. They also appeared on the TV show Star Search. Lost Patrol lasted for five years and then split up following the recording of a Bobby Fuller song ("New Shade of Blue") for a compilation album. They have also been featured on numerous other compilation albums. In 2008, Windsor Arts & Music Magazine voted Lost Patrol's Second Time Around EP as one of the best Windsor albums ever. Unfortunately Lost Patrol's releases remain out of print, but for those who can find them they will not be disappointed. Lost Patrol is an example of a great band who was only around for a short period of time. More information, song clips and videos of the band can be found via their Myspace page.

This Week's Play List:

1. Simply Saucer - Dance The Mutation
2. Scenics - Do The Wait
3. 63 Monroe - Weekend Punks
4. Young Fresh Fellows - Suck Machine Crater
5. Chosen Few - Jokes On Us
6. Johnny Cash - Orange Blossom Special (Live Folsom Prison)
7. Bob Dylan - Million Dollar Bash
8. Pearl Jam - Santa Cruz
9. Vapids - Cause It Was You
10. The Horrors - Count In Fives
11. The Misfits - Static Age
12. The Vores - Forget That Guy
13. The Now - Into The 80s
14. Killing Joke - Eighties
15. Raptors - Last Train
16. Radio 4 - Quit Hiding
17. Andrew WK - Oh Canaduh
18. Ty Segall - Cents
19. Cage The Elephant - Tiny Little Robots
20. Lost Patrol - That's Your Style
21. Lost Patrol - I'm Not The One
22. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - It's Not Enough
23. T.Rex - Solid Gold Easy Action
24. New York Dolls - Private World

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on July, 7th 2009.

Show # 255

This week my show had a fill in host, Sarah Morris. Here is the play list:

1. Lydia Lunch - Boy Meets Girl
2. Whale - Darling Nikki
3. Cub - My Flaming Red Bobsled
4. O Stella - PJ Harvey
5. Kiss Me Deadly - Let's
6. The Smalls - Smike
7. The Organ - Brother
8. Japanther - Um Like Your Smile Is Totally Ruling Me
9. Handsome Furs - Radio Kaliningrad
10. Propaghandi - Dear Coach's Corner
11. Orphan Choir - Everything in Past Tense
12. Pack A.D - June
13. Peace Leaches - The Party
14. Black Mountain - Wild Wind
15. Mongrels - The Answer
16. Imperial Teen - Shim Sham
17. Cone Five - Painfully Shy
18. The Black Angels - Manipulation
19. Major Lee - Les Vieux Chums
20. Les Dales Hawerchuk - J'Monte Au Lac
21. Zebulon - Apocalypse
22. Eagles of Death Metal - I Only Want You

Today's Lesson...The Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Story ... Show # 254

Coming from Warracknabeal, Victoria, Australia, Nick Cave's first band was originally known as The Boy's Next Door. Consisting of Mick Harvey (guitar), Phil Calvert (drums), Tracey Bew (bass) and Nick Cave on vocals the group began playing Punk and Proto-Punk cover songs as well as originals. The band would play songs by bands like Lou Reed, Roxy Music, David Bowie, Ramones, and Alice Cooper. Rowland S. Howard joined as an additional guitarist in 1978, which would result in the band changing their sound. With Howard in the band, they began incorporating Punk, Free Jazz, Blues, Rockabilly and other genres into their music. The Boys Next Door released a full length album in 1979 entitled Door, Door. Following this release, in 1980 the band relocated to London, England. It was at this time that the band changed their name to The Birthday Party. The band brought a new aggressive element to their music. Nick Cave's vocal style was often expressionistic and called demented, scary Gothic and powerful.

The Birthday Party Album was released in 1980. Originally credited to The Boys Next Door, the album was late,r re-released crediting The Birthday Party as the band name (it can now be found on CD as part of a compilation titled Hee Haw). Several singles were released and two full length albums (Prayers On Fire 1981, Junkyard 1982). In 1982, Cave formed a spin off group with Lydia Lunch, the band also moved to Berlin, Germany at this time. With The Birthday Party/Nick Cave backing her, she recorded an album entitled Honeymoon In Red, although it would not be released until 1987. In 1983, The Birthday Party split up. In the later part of 1983, Cave and Mick Harvey put together a new band that would eventually call themselves Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. The groups band members would be consistently change throughout their long career. In 2009, Mick Harvey left the group. Ed Keupper (from Australian band The Saints) currently fills in on guitar.

The Bad Seeds also featured a shift in the song writing styling of Nick Cave. His lyrics would often reflect a more literate and lyrical prose structure. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds released their first full length album entitled From Her To Eternity in 1984. The album featured a cover of a Leonard Cohen song "Avalanche" and an Elvis Presley cover "In The Ghetto". In 1985, The Firstborn Is Dead was released. This album lyrically referenced the American South, Elvis Presley and several Blues musicians. Kicking Against The Pricks came next in 1986. The album was a collection of cover songs. The single "The Singer" was a number one hit in the UK. Another album came after this titled Your Funeral...My Trial. This album was more melancholic than previous Bad Seeds albums, partially due to Nick Cave's addiction to Heroin at the time. Following this album, the band went on hiatus for two years. Cave would appear in the film Wings of Desire. In 1988, Tender Prey would be released The album features the well known and signature song of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, "The Mercy Seat". The album also featured songs such as "Deanna", "City of Refuge", and "Up Jumped The Devil".

In the 90's the band kicked drugs and released an album in 1990 titled The Good Son. They also relocated to Brazil at this time. The album is often seen as a quieter album and initially disappointed fans of the band. Now they are more responsive to songs such as "The Weeping Song" and "The Ship Song", which are now standards. Henry's Dream came next in 1992, and Let Love In, in 1994. The Band was also featured at the 1994 Lollapalooza festival to promote this album. Murder Ballads was released in 1996. The album which featured songs about murder, was very successful for Cave (# 8 on the UK album charts). It also contained duets with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue. 1997's The Boatman's Call featured a lyrical shift. Instead of chaotic and violent lyrics, Cave instead focused on biographical lyrics and lyrics about relationships. Nick Cave then took a break from the band. During this time he got married, went to rehab and released a spoken word album, Secret Life of Love Songs in 1999.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds returned in 2001 with the album No More Shall We Part. In 2003, Nocturama was released. A double album was released in 2004 titled Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, and a 3 CD collection of B-Sides and rarities, called B-Sides & Rarities. In 2006, Nick Cave formed a Garage Rock inspired band called Grinderman. They released a self titled album the same year and are said to release a follow up. In 2008 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds released Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, it was the bands 14th studio album. Lyrically the album referenced the Biblical story of Lazarus of Bethany. The album featured excellent songs, such as "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!", "Today's lesson", and "Lie Down Here (and Be My Girl)". The album was another high charter on the album charts across Europe.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Saints - Memories Are Made of This
2. Pretty Vanilla - Paper Tiger
3. The Ugly - Stranded In The Laneway
4. The Action - Waiting For The Man
5. Beck - Sunday Morning
6. The Evaporators - Oh Non
7. Sebastien Grainger - It's A living
8. Death From Above 1979 - Too Much Love
9. The Zeros (UK) - Radio Fun
10. The Survivors - Baby Come Back
11. The Kids - Do You Wanna Know?
12. Blue Peter - Radio Silence
13. The Associates - A
14. The Visitors - Euro Girls
15. Crocodiles - Refuse Angels
16. The Boys Next Door - Somebody's Watching
17. The Birthday Party - Release The Bats
18. Grinderman - Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars)
18. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Lie Down Here (And Be My Girl)
19. Sonic Youth - Sacred Trickster
20. Blam Blam Blam - There Is No Depression In New Zealand
21. Brian James - Where Did I Find A Girl Like You?
22. Iggy Pop - Loco Mosquito
23. The Cigarettes - I've Forgot Your Number (Now I'm Telling You My Name)
24. Radio Birdman - What Gives?

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on June, 23rd 2009.

Journey Through The Past...The Neil Young Story and Archives Special...Show # 253

On June 2nd, 2009 Neil Young released Archives Volume 1. The set which comes in three formats (CD, DVD and Blu-Ray) chronicles Young's career from 1963-1972. This is a collection featuring previously unreleased material, alternate mixes and material previously found on Young's albums that has been in the works since 1989. The CD version of the box set contains 8 CD's, while the DVD and Blu-Ray sets have 10 discs. Also the DVD & Blu-Ray sets have previously unreleased live footage and bonus material not found on the CD version. Since the set only covers 1963-1972, that is what my profile on Neil Young will cover.

Born in Toronto, Ontario in 1945, Neil Young was the son of writer Scott Young and Edna Ragland. He spent his early childhood in Toronto, but grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Where the family relocated. One Neil Young's first groups were The Squires. Young formed the group while in high school. The instrumental, surf inspired group recorded a series of demos at the time. "The Sultan" was a local favourite. Another song Young recorded with The Squires was "I Wonder". The song is an early version of what was later to become "Don't Cry No Tears" on Zuma in 1975. During this time Neil would also play acoustically at local folk clubs. Eventually he would meet Stephen stills and Joni Mitchell. Neil Young would leave The Squires and in 1965 go on a tour as solo act. While playing in Toronto 1966, he met Mynah Birds. Fronted by Rick James, Young joined the group and they recorded an album for the Motown Record label. When Rick James was arrested, the group broke up and Neil Young relocated to Los Angeles to find sucess with bassist Barry Palmer. Once they got to Los Angeles, Young met musician and friend Stephen Stills and they formed the group Buffalo Springfield.

Buffalo Springfield's first self titled album was released in 1967. The album produced a hit for the band called "For What It's Worth". The band played a mix of Country, Psychedelic, Folk and Rock. Neil Young and Stephen Stills both played lead guitar. Despite their success, the band had constant arguments. Barry Palmer would be arrested and deported, which did not help matters. Buffalo Springfield Again was released in November 1967. The album contained the Neil Young composition "Mr. Soul". The heavy rock song had a riff similar to The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" and was a minor hit. Neil Young also contributed two other songs to the album ("Expecting To Fly" and "Broken Arrow"), but they were recorded without Buffalo Springfield as a backing band. They were recorded and intended for a Neil Young solo album. While recording this album tensions rose again amongst the group and after recording one more album (due to contract obligations), Buffalo Springfield split up. Last Time Around featured recordings previously made that year (1968). The album featured two more Young compositions "I Am A Child" and "On The Way Home". After this album, Neil Young acquired band manager Elliot Roberts (who still currently manages Young) and signed a solo record deal to Reprise Records.


Neil Young's first solo album (which was self titled) was released on November 12, 1968. The date also coincided with his 23rd Birthday. The album did not do very well, it received mixed reviews. It does despite the bad reviews, contain a few good songs most importantly "The Loner". Neil Young put together a different backing band for his second album. Collecting musicians Danny Whitten (guitar), Billy Talbot (bass) and Ralph Molina (drums), Neil Young put together a band that at the time were known as The Rockets. Changing their name to Crazy Horse, the band recorded with Neil Young for two weeks to complete the album known as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. This album features some of Neil's best known songs. "Cinnamon Girl", "Down By The River", and "Cowgirl In The Sand". These songs showed off his style and were apparently were written when Neil Young had a 103 °F fever. The album featured long jams, heavy rock songs and folk/rock based recordings. This album went to # 34 on the Billboard Pop Album charts.

Next up Neil Young joined the group Crosby, Stills & Nash. The band who had already released an album asked Neil to join the group as a sideman. Instead Neil became a full member and the group became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. They recorded one album together titled Deja Vu. Released in 1970, Neil Young fell into the same argumentative disagreements as when he was in Buffalo Springfield. Neil Young is not featured on all of the tracks, but the album does have some songs written by Neil. The album itself went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Album charts. Shortly after the album was released, Neil Young wrote the song "Ohio", which was written about the Kent State Massacre in May 1970. It was recorded fast and released as a single soon afterwards. The song went to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

After The Gold Rush was also released in 1970. The album featured musicians such as Stephen Stills and Greg Reeves (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bassist). When Neil began working on the album, the sessions did feature Crazy Horse. Due to a variety of factors, one being guitarist Danny Whitten's health problems, the band changed around a bit. The album did include some songs with Crazy Horse ("When You Dance I Can Really Love", "I Believe In You", and "Oh Lonesome Me"). The album is a mix of hard rock with folk and country, it also went to %8 on the Billboard Top Pop Album charts. After The Gold Rush has some great songs on it such as "Southern Man" (A song about racism in the south), "Don't Let It Bring You Down", and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" (#33 on the Hot 100 charts).


By 1971, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had broken up and Crazy Horse signed a record deal. Neil also embarked on a solo tour the same year, assembling a band of Country musicians to back him that would be known as The Stray Gators. Harvest would be the album he recorded with The Gators and it would be a huge success for Neil Young. The album, which was a Country/Rock album went to number one on the Billboard 200 charts. The single "Heart of Gold" would immediately become a number one hit. Other songs on Harvest are the song "Old Man" and "The Needle and The Damage Done". The song was written about the turmoils of Heroin addiction and how it destroys so many people. The song was inspired by Crazy Horse guitar player Danny Whitten, who was addicted to it at the time (he would later pass away due to an overdose). Also the song featured on Harvest, was actually taken from a live recording in 1971 at Massey Hall.

At this point Neil began working on the follow up to Harvest with Crazy Horse, but it would be halted by the passing of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten. A soundtrack to the Neil Young directed film would come next titled Journey Through The Past. Neil would continue recording and making music. His next three albums are referred to as his "Ditch Trilogy". They are referred to this name because of Neil's reaction after the success of "Heart of Gold". This quote from Neil Young about the song describes the titles origin:

"This song put me in the middle of the road. Travelling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there."

The three albums in the trilogy are Time Fades Away (1973), On The Beach (1974) and Tonight's The Night (1975). Neil Young's story does not end there, he still continues to record and release music. Most recently he released an album titled Fork in the Road. The Archives box set ends in 1972 and that is where this post will end. There is the promise of future volumes of the Archives series.

Neil Young Play List:

1. Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield)
2. Sell Out (Buffalo Springfield)(Previously Unreleased)
3. Down To The Wire (Neil Young)
4. Sugar Mountain (Neil Young)(Previously Unreleased Demo Version)
5. The Rent is Always Due (Neil Young)(Previously Unreleased)
6. I Am A Child (Buffalo Springfield)
7. Kahuna Sunset (Buffalo Springfield)
8. Aurora (The Squires)
9. I Wonder (The Squires)(Previously Unreleased)
10. Mustang (The Squires)(Previously Unreleased)
11. The Loner (Neil Young)
12. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (With Crazy Horse)
13. Cowgirl In The Sand (With Crazy Horse)
14. See The Sky About To Rain (Live Massey Hall 1971)
15. Down By The River (Live Massey Hall 1971)
16. Everybody's Alone (With Crazy Horse)(Previously Unreleased)
17. Dance, Dance, Dance (With Crazy Horse)(Previously Unreleased)
18. When You Dance, I Can Really Love (With Crazy Horse)
19. Don't Let It Bring You Down (Neil Young)
20. Tell Me Why (Neil Young)
21. Cripple Creek Fairy (Neil Young)
22. Harvest (Neil Young & The Stray Gators)
23. Wonderin' (Live Filmore East 1970 - With Crazy Horse)
24. Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown (Live Filmore East 1970 - With Crazy Horse)

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on June, 16th 2009.

Green Man Music Festival 2009

Last year I mentioned the Green Man Festival on my blog. This year they are once again holding voting for the public to choose for the bands they want to see play in London, England.

Here are the rules:

Calling all bands and artists – the Green Man needs YOU!

Fancy being the first band to play at Green Man 2009, standing on the main stage on Friday August 21st as the sun beats down over the Black Mountains and opening the festival with one of YOUR songs in front of thousands of people?

How about sharing the bill Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, Wilco, Bon Iver and Grizzly Bear, getting airplay on Green Man YouTube for a year, having an opportunity of being included in the festival promotion and press such as giving interviews to Radio 1 and the BBC, or being featured in the esteemed publications and websites such as Mojo, Guardian, NME and Drowned in Sound as well as the many others that follow Green Man?

What if we threw in 6 pairs of free Green Man tickets for your family and friends to witness your big moment live on stage, just for good measure?

Sounds good, right?

Well forget X Factor and all those rubbish TV talent shows - Green Poll 2009 is here and the search is on to find the best new band or act to get the Green Man party started!

How can I enter?

It’s easy! We are asking signed or unsigned acts to register on our special Green Poll microsite and upload a YouTube or MySpace video of your band performing a song. Anyone can enter as long as they do so before June 29 – better get your skates on!

What happens next?

The music-loving Green Man public will choose their favourite bands in two nail-biting rounds of voting. The top 6 acts then go through to a live Battle of the Bands final at The Camden Monarch, in London, on July 23rd where a panel of top music industry boffins will pick one lucky winner to open Green Man 2009!


What’s the catch?

There’s no catch my friends, it’s as easy as one, two, three. To recap:

Round 1 - Voting closes at midnight on June 28 and the top 20 bands with the most votes go through to…

Round 2 - Voting closes at midnight on July 12 and the top 6 bands with the most votes go through to…

Grand Final - A live Battle Of The Bands contest in London on July 23rd to find one lucky winner to open Green Man 2009 judged by a panel of music industry boffins


How can I vote?

The winning band / artist will open the Festival on the main stage on Friday 21st August.


What if I want to cheat?

Cheats never beat so don’t you even bother! Every single vote really counts and the Green poll site will be constantly monitored for irregular or suspicious voting patterns - any underhand activities will lead to automatic disqualification. What do you think this is, the Eurovision Song Contest?


Is there a limit on how often I can vote?

Each user is limited to one vote per day.

Good luck – may the spirit of the Green Man be with you!

Vote here.

Don't Push Me Around...The Story of The Zeros...Show # 252

Originally known as The Main Street Brats, The Zeros formed in 1976 in Chula Vista, California. The group consists of Javier Escovedo (guitar/vocals), Robert Lopez (guitar), Baba Chenelle (drums), and Hector Penalosa on bass. Often referred to as "The Mexican Ramones", The Zeros were part of the late 70's LA punk scene. While they played along with bands such as Black Flag, The Nerves, X, The Germs, and The Wipers, The Zeros were not as well received as their contemporaries.

The bands first single was "Wimp" in 1977 on Bomp Records. In 1978, Javier Escovedo left the group and was replaced by Guy Lopez. Guy would leave soon afterward. The band would relocate to San Fransisco and continue as a three piece band. In 1980, the new version of The Zeros recorded a single containing the songs "They Say", "Getting Nowhere Fast", and "Girl On The Block". After another tour, the band stopped playing. Since their split, The Zeros have reformed several times and released a full length album Right Now! in 1999. A compilation collection all of The Zeros early recordings was released in 1992. It was titled Don't Push Me Around.

Play List:

1. The Jam - In The Midnight Hour
2. Rezillos - Mystery Action
3. X-Ray Spex - I Am A Cliche
4. Alternative TV - Action Time Vision
5. The Prefects - Things in General
6. Modernettes - Static
7. SLYME - Crazy Glue
8. The Prince Brothers - Birds Eye View
9. Iggy Pop - King of the Dogs
10. The Mystery Jets - Young Love
11. Phoenix - 1901
12. The Sounds - 4 Songs & A Fight
13. XX Teens - B-54
14. Zro4 - Give Me Attention
15. Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol
16. The Zeros - Wimp
17. The Zeros - Getting Nowhere Fast
18. Joy Division - Leaders of Men
19. Subway Sect - Chain Smoking
20. The Gruesomes - Hey!
21. The Gruesomes - I Try (1985 Demo)
22. International Noise Conspiracy - Bigger Cages, Longer Chains
23. The Damned - Sick of Being Sick
24. Television - Marquee Moon (Alternate Version)

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on June, 9th 2009.

Rare Zeros Video from San Fransisco TV Show (1977):

Primary Colours...The Story of The Horrors....Show # 251

Forming in 2005, The Horrors were brought together by their love of music (60's Garage Rock, Punk and Post-Punk) and DJing in London, England. The band consists of Faris Badwan (vocals), Joshua Third (guitar), Tom Furse (bass/synthesizers), Spider Webb (keyboards/bass), and Coffin Joe on drums. Dressing themselves in Gothic fashion, the band began playing live shows in London. They soon gained notice for their live shows and were signed to Loog. Their first single was the song "Sheena Is A Parasite". This helped the band gain exposure. After releasing another single The Horrors signed to a US label (Stolen Transmission). They released a five track EP in the US in October of 2006.

The bands first album came in 2007. Strange House featured a selection of previously released material, but some of it was re-recorded for the album. It debuted at #37 on the UK album charts. The album contained Garage Rock and Punk influenced songs. It was also influenced by post post. The album contains tracks such as "Sheena Is A Parasite", "Jack The Ripper", "Count In Fives", "Horrors Theme", and "She Is The New Thing". The album is a fresh blast of originality. To support this album The Horrors went on a world tour supporting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in the US. The band played numerous live shows all over the world at this time supporting artists such as Arctic Monkeys and The Sonics. They also appeared on the British TV show The Mighty Boosh. They played a band called The Black Tubes.

Signing to XL Recordings at the end of 2007, The Horrors also began working on their second full length album. Primary Colours was released in May of 2009, reaching # 25 on the UK album charts. The album featured a different sound. It displayed the colours of Post-Punk bands such as Joy Division, Shoe Gaze and Goth music. The singles released from the album were "Sea Within A Sea" and "Who Can Say". The Horrors have also made a number of interesting music videos that are worth checking out.

Also on today's program, I played two bands from Japan. Both of these bands were discovered at .The Last Days of Man On Earth Blog.

The Play List:

1. XTC - This Is Pop
2. The Rapture - Echoes
3. The Crocodiles - Soft Skull (In My Room)
4. Crash 80s - Thrills
5. Spiral Scratch - Englands Burning 81
6. Boo Hoo - The Future
7. Pretty Vanilla - Lost in the Soda Shop
8. The Leather Uppers - Supercar
9. Meat Puppets - Rotten Shame
10. Luger Boa - On My Mind
11. True Lovers - Death Threat
12. The Demics - New York City
13. Tricky Woo - Hot Kitty
14. The Horrors - Horrors Theme
15. The Horrors - Do You Remember?
16. The Mirrors - Passenger
17. The Plastics - Top Secret Man
18. Devo - Red Eye
19. The Piranhas - Green Don't Suit Me
20. Gang of Four - I Found That Essence Rare
21. Rich Kids - Rich Kids
22. The Smugglers - Three Sides
23. The Adverts - One Chord Wonders
24. Nick Lowe - They Called It Rock

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on June, 2nd 2009.

The Horrors Videos:

Sheena Is A Parasite (Music Video)
Count In Fives (Music Video)
She Is The New Thing (Music Video)
Gloves (Music Video)
Sea Within A Sea (Music Video)
Who Can Say (Music Video)

Some Kinda Kinks....Show # 250

The year of 1968, was a busy one for The Kinks. Still banned from the USA (since 1965), the band was involved in a number of projects at this time. It was around this time that The Kinks would be working on material for The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. Originally Ray Davies intended the songs for his first solo album. He was also working on a stage play around this time that had a similar concept to Village Green. Since the material was so different, Ray did not know if it was appropriate for The Kinks. Despite his original thoughts, Ray and the group worked on the songs and it became the album known as The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. The album employed a concept (it would be the first of many concept albums done by The Kinks). The concept was about English life and the innocence of past times. It was also said to have been influenced by Dylan Thomas's Under The Milk Wood. Ray Davies also intended Village Green to be the last Kinks album. The last single was supposed to be the song "Days". Fortunately this did not happen. The album did not sell well upon its initial release, but has since then gone on to be a cult classic. It is often referred to as "The Most Successful Flop of All Time".

It was also around this time that Dave Davies recorded material for his first solo album. Davies had previously released successful singles such as "Death of A Clown", and "Susannah's Still Alive" in 1967. The backing band on these recordings were The Kinks. Dave had been recording songs off an on for a possible solo album since 1967. After touring and the recording of Village Green, Dave recorded a set of songs for yet another proposed solo album that was to be released in 1969. "Hold My Hand" was released as a single that would launch the album in 1969, but it failed to chart. The album was never released. Songs existed on bootleg from the sessions, but were never released officially. When the band re-issued their catalog, most of the tracks appeared as bonus material on the remastered editions of the albums.

Dave Davies first solo album would be in 1980 (although he talked of releasing a solo album in 1970 and again in 1974), Ray's first solo album would be in 1990. In 2004, Sanctuary Records released a 3 CD, deluxe edition of Village Green. It featured several outtakes and songs recorded around the same time, but not used for the album. In 1998, Dave Davies released Unfinished Business, which is a 2 CD set collecting material done with The Kinks and from his solo career. For more information on The Kinks and their releases, visit Dave Emulen's Unofficial Kinks website Kinda Kinks.

This week on my show I featured seven Kinks songs from this time period. Four songs from The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society ("Wicked Annabella", "Do You Remember Walter?", "Village Green", and "The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains"). "Creeping Jean" (found on the deluxe edition of Village Green) and "Mindless Child of Motherhood" (found on the remastered edition of Arthur) were both tracks that were considered for Dave Davies 1969 solo album. The final Kinks track featured on today's program was "Misty Water". This song was recorded in 1968 for a proposed US release that was cancelled (It was going to be titled Four More Respected Gentlemen).

Play List:

1. The Kinks - The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains
2. The Kinks - Wicked Annabella
3. Dark Knight Of The Soul - Little Girl (Featuring Julian Casablancas)
4. The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel
5. The Amboy Dukes - Baby Please Don't Go
6. Great Scotts - Ball and Chain
7. The Jury - Who Dat?
8. The Secrets - Cryin' Over Her
9. Painted Ship - And She Said Yes
10. The Brogues - I Ain't No Miracle Worker
11. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Diddy Wah Diddy
12. The Kinks - Creeping Jean
13. The Kinks - Mindless Child of Motherhood (Stereo Version)
14. The Gruesomes - The Deal
15. Terminal Sunglasses - Antenna Dilemma
16. Thrush Hermit - Hated It
17. Mood - Who Do You Love?
18. Velvet Underground - Venus In Furs
19. The Standells - Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White
20. The Kinks - Do You Remember Walter?
21. The Kinks - Village Green
22. The Kinks - Misty Water

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on May, 26th 2009.

Kinks Videos:

The Last of the Steam Powered Trains & Picture Book (Julie Felix TV Show 1969)

Juxtaposition Jukeboxing

Today I did a fill in show for Juxtaposition Jukebox. The show is usually hosted by Kyle where he plays a wide variety of music genres. For more information on his show you can visit the Juxtaposition Jukebox Blog.

The picture shown above is a piece of art created by Johanne Itten. It can be found in his Elements of Color collection. It came up randomly during a google image search for "Juxtaposition". It kind of looks like a set of speakers.

Variety Play List:

1. Sam Cooke - Summertime
2. Otis Redding - Security
3. Sonny Boy Williamson - Fattening Frogs For Snakes
4. Big Youth - I Am Alright
6. Jimmy Cliff - You Can Get It If You Really Want
7. Los Straitjackets - Challenger 64
8. Phonocomb - At The Niteclub
9. Louis Armstrong - Song of the Vipers
10. Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra - My Kinda Love
11. Diana Krall - Walk On By
12. Calidonia - Friday Night Rock Song
13. Field Assembly - Old Spell
14. Sunparlour Players - Nuclear
15. John Doe & The Sadies - Night Life
16. Gravity Wave - Nectar
17. Montag - Nord I
18. Fire Engines - Candyskin
19. The Diodes - Behind Those Eyes
20. Buzzcocks - Mad Mad Judy
21. The Victims - Television Addict
22. Jack O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers - Blood Bank Blues
23. Compulsive Gamblers - Two Thieves

To download Juxtaposition Jukebox visit the CJAM archives and select the files 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM on May, 25th 2009.

Don't Worry About Me...The Joey Ramone Story & Show # 249

Joey Ramone is best known for his role in the New York group Ramones. Being the lead singer of the group, Joey was also a song writer within the group. Born as Jeffery Hymann in Forest Hills, in Queens New York, Joey grew up on music such as The Beatles, The Who, The Stooges, bubble gum pop, surf music and Phil Spector produced groups. All of these influences would have a direct influence on his vocal style, but Joey started out playing drums. When his parents divorced, Joey became more focused on music and played drums with glam rock influenced rock and roll groups.

In 1974, Joey co-founded the Ramones with Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone) and John Cummings (Johnny Ramone). They adopted the stage surname Ramone (based on an early stage name used by Beatle Paul McCartney) and began playing as a group. Originally Joey was the bands drummer and Dee Dee was the vocalist. It wasn't until band manager Tommy Erdelyi suggested that Joey take the vocals (Dee Dee would shred his vocal chords after two or three songs) that they switched. Since the band had no drummer at the time, Tommy adopted the last name Ramone and became the groups drummer. Ramones were seen as the first punk rock group in America and influenced numerous US and UK music groups. While they have had cult status for a long time, the group never became a mainstream attraction. They did have some minor hits, but the band built up their following through their live shows. The band lasted for 22 years before calling it quits in 1996, after an appearance at Lollapalooza.


In 1994, Joey Ramone formed a group with his brother Mickey Leigh called Sibling Rivalry. They recorded an EP titled In A Family Way. Joey has collaborated with numerous artists. He produced a Ronnie Spector album titled She Talks To Rainbows in 1999. Joey put together a band featuring Daniel Rey (guitar), Andy Shernoff (bass) and Frank Frunaro (drums). Mickey would also help out on the recordings. Joey played a few live gigs before the album was actually completed. On April 15th, 2001 Joey Ramone passed away due to Lymphoma.

Don't Worry About Me featured 11 tracks. The album had two cover songs "What A Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong), and "1969" (The Stooges). It also featured original compositions such as "Don't Worry About Me", "Stop Thinking About It", and "Mr. Punchy". The album was released in 2002. The album featured guest musicians such as Marky Ramone, Captain Sensible, Helen Love and Jerry Only. A five track, holiday EP was released in 2002 titled Christmas Spirit...In My House. Beginning on what was to be Joey's 50th birthday (May 19th), a birthday concert is held in his honour, titled The Joey Ramone Birthday Bash in New York City. The music that has been created by both Joey Ramone and the Ramones has been vastly influential on the world of music.

This Weeks Play List:

1. Joey Ramone - What A Wonderful World
2. Joey Ramone - Stop Thinking About It
3. The Hipshakes - Never Enough
4. The Animals - The Girl Can't Help It
5. Ride Theory - On Fire
6. Simply Saucer - I Can Change My Mind
7. Mark Inside - There Is Nothing To Admit
8. Dream Dates - Mess your In
9. Hot Nasties - (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone
10. The Caesars - (I'm Gonna) Kick You Out
11. The Regulators - That's Right, Nothings Left
12. The Government - Paranoid Downtown Funk Pt.2
13. The Fall - Repetition
14. Only Ones - Programme
15. The Police - It's Alright For You
16. Franz Ferdinand - What She Came For
17. Arctic Monkeys - Plastic Tramp
18. Bush - My Engine Is With You
19. The Pixies - Alec Eiffel
20. Fiction Plane - Listen To My Babe
21. Dirty Pretty Things - Plastik Hearts
22. Babyshambles - Do You Know Me
23. Young Rival - Your Island
24. Carbon/Silicon - The Whole Truth

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on May, 19th 2009.

Joey Ramone Videos:

What A Wonderful World (Music Video)

Teenage Superstars...The Story of The Vaselines and Show # 248

The Vaselines formed in 1986, in Glasgow, Scotland. The band started out as a two piece group featuring Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee on vocals and guitar. The band released their first EP, Son Of A Gun in 1987. This would be released through 53rd & 3rd Records, which was an independent record label set up by Stephen Pastel (of The Pastels). The EP would feature three songs including the song "Son Of A Gun" and "You Think You're A Man", which was a reworking of a song originally done by the band Divine. The EP went to number 26 on the UK Indie charts. The band's 1988 EP was titled, Dying For It. This EP featured songs such as "Molly's Lips" and "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam", which showed off some Velvet Underground influence, the song featured viola. The song "Molly's Lips" has been said to be a tribute to the Scottish TV star/actress Molly Weir. This EP went to number 11 on the UK Indie charts.

The band would become more of a full band around this time adding Charley Kelly on drums and James Seenan on bass. The band would record only one full length album, Dum Dum. Released in 1989, the album was released on the 53rd & 3rd label, but the label would fall apart at this time. The album would eventually be released through Rough Trade, but the band had already split up by this point. In 1990, the band reformed briefly to open for the US band Nirvana when they played in Scotland in 1990. Nirvana were becoming a bigger more well known group at this time, and Kurt Cobain would cite The Vaselines as a major influence on the group. Nirvana would cover "Son Of A Gun" and "Molly's Lips" (featured on their album Incesticide) and "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" (renaming it "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam" and recording it for their MTV Unplugged album). Nirvana's covers of The Vaselines helped them become more well known than they were at the time.

In 1992, Sub Pop released a Vaselines compilation titled The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History. The compilation featured all of the Vaselines recordings and a previously unreleased song titled "Bitch". Eugene Kelly would go on to form the group Captain America (they renamed themselves Eugenius) in 1990. Kelly has also released some solo albums. Frances McKee formed the group Suckle in the late 90s. The Vaselines have reformed for a few live shows in 2006 and in 2008 played a series of live concerts. A live show was also played in London in the UK, on March 27th, 2009. In May of 2009, Enter The Vaselines was released on Sub Pop. This compilation features all of the bands recordings, plus a live concert and demo recordings.

Play List:

1. Nirvana - Son of A Gun
2. Nirvana - Molly's Lips
3. Vaselines - Son of A Gun
4. Vaselines - Teenage Superstars
5. Pluto - Expelled
6. The Thermals - You Dissolve
7. The Odds - Say You Mean It
8. Clues - Elope
9. Bureaucrats - Killing Ground
10. Guided By Voices - Everywhere With Helicopter
11. Dim Stars - Rip Off
12. Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick
13. Foo Fighters - Wattershed
14. Red Squares - Transmitter
15. Pointed Sticks - Marching Song
16. Tim Ray & The Druts - Dying in Brooklyn
17. The Buckets Of - 9 of 10
18. The Sounds - Painted By Numbers
19. Blondie - I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No
20. Okmoniks - Teenage Timebomb
21. Nickel Eye - Another Sunny Afternoon
22. John Doe - The Golden State
23. John Doe & The Sadies - Are The Good Times Really Over For Good?
24. X - Your Phones Off The Hook, But You're Not
25. The Nerves - Hanging On The Telephone
26. Elvis Costello - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on May, 12th 2009.

Evening standards...The Story of The Jags....Show # 247

Forming in the Yorkshire, England in 1978, The Jags consisted of Nick Watkinson (vocals), Steve Prudence (bass), John Alder (guitar), and Alex Baird on drums. In 1979, the powerpop group signed to Island records. They released a four track EP in 1979. In September of 79, they released a single "Back Of My Hand". It hit top forty in the UK (#17, where it stayed for ten weeks), but after the release of this single they would not have another hit. The bands first full length album Evening Standards, was released in 1980. The single to support that album was the song "Woman's World". It went to #75 on the UK singles charts. The ten track album was overlooked by critics, they tended to focus on Watkinson's vocal style rather that the musical material. While, Watkinson did have a voice similar to Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, the album had some good powerpop tracks on it.

Following the release of Evening Standards, The Jags released No Tie Like A Present in 1981. The album showed the band making a change in musical direction, but it was overlooked. The album contained a cover of a Tremolos song and the singles "I Never Was A Beachboy" and "The Sound Of G-O-O-D-B-Y-E". In 1982, The Jags broke up. "Back Of My Hand" was featured on numerous compilations in the 90's. The Jags wrote catchy songs and were a short lived powerpop band from the UK new wave era.

Play List:

1. Undertones - Here Comes The Summer
2. Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Blockheads
3. Rock and Roll Bitches - Broad Daylight
4. Young Canadians - Well, Well, Well
5. Subhumans - Urban Gorillas
6. Dishrags - I Don't Love You
7. Lowlife - Leaders
8. The Jags - Back of My Hand
9. Nervebreakers - My Girlfriend Is A Rock
10. The Passengers - Two Lovers
11. The Diodes - Polaroid
12. Wavves - Gun In The Sun
13. Plunt - Bowling
14. Teenage Head - Picture My Face
15. The Horrors - I Can't Control Myself
16. The Misfits - TV Casualty
17. Magazine - Shot By Both Sides
18. Buzzcocks - Lipstick
19. The Stimulators - Loud Fast Rules
20. The Spys - Last Generation
21. Ramones - Bumming Along
22. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - One Track Mind
23. Iggy Pop - I'm Bored
24. The Scabs - Don't Just Sit There
25. Nick Lowe - Shake That Rat
26. Generation X - Trying For Kicks
27. The Clash - Complete Control

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on May, 5th 2009.

Jag Vids:

Back Of My Hand (TOTP)
Party Games (Music Video)
Tune In To Heaven (OGWT)
Evening Standards (OGWT)

Great Sounds Great...The Story of The Clean and Show # 246

Forming in 1978, The Clean were an influential band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Brothers David Kilgour (guitar) and Hamish Kilgour (drums) joined forces with Peter Gutteridge (bass) and Doug Hood on vocals. This was one of the early incarnations of the band, they would go through a changing line-up until they settled on bassist Robert Scott after 1979 (Gutteridge would leave the group). The Clean soon created their own sound which was a mix of strange sounds, Ramones chords, and heavy organ sounds.

The first Clean single ("Tally Ho!") was released on Flying Nun records in 1981. The label was started by 1980 by a Clean fan named Roger Shepherd. The single went to # 19 on the New Zealand singles charts. When the band decided to record their first full length album, they ran into some difficulty. Since most record producers did not care for the bands sound, they recorded a four track EP titled Boodle Boodle Boodle themselves. Recorded with New Zealand musicians Chris Knox and Doug Hood, the album went to number four on the New Zealand charts. 1982 saw the release of the Great Sounds Great EP. The actual title of the EP was a bit longer, it's full title was Great Sounds Great, Good Sounds Good, So-so Sounds So-so, Bad Sounds Bad, Rotten Sounds Rotten. The Clean released one more single titled "Getting Older", which was also their loudest single at that point in their career before taking a break.

David Kilgour would leave the band shortly after this, with Robert Scott following soon afterwards. Hamish Kilgour would move to Dunedin and Hamish Kilgour moved to Christchurch, where the head offices of Flying Nun Records were located. Bassist Robert Scott formed his own band called The Bats. It wouldn't be long before Hamish started writing/working on his own material. David Kilgour would come up to help with the recording and the result was an album in the folk/acoustic musical direction. They named themselves The Great Unwashed (a pun on the name The Clean) and released the album titled Clean Out of Our Minds. They toured to promote this album, bringing Peter Gutteridge back into the music mix. While on tour, the band played quite a lot of material that was written by Gutteridge. They would in turn record another EP titled Singles, which came out in 1984. During this time the band would get a new bass player (Ross Humphries) since both Gutteridge and David Kilgour could play guitar. The Great Unwashed would break up and not last very long. They broke up with in a year of the bands formation.


Hamish Kilgour would form a new group called Bailter Space, Gutteridge formed Snapper and David Kilgour stopping making music for a couple of years. That would not be the end of The Clean though. The group would reunite for a few live shows in 1988, and record yet another EP. The Clean then embarked on a world tour. A full length album would follow in 1990 titled Vehicle. The album was more of a pop influenced album than their previous efforts. After another world tour the band would split again. They would reform yet again in 1994 and record another album titled Modern Rock. The Clean continue to record and produce music. They released Unknown Country in 1996, Getaway in 2001, and numerous other compilation albums. They also have numerous live compilations/EP's and as of 2008 have been working on material for a new album. Mister Pop was released in 2009.

While The Clean have done very well on the charts in New Zealand, they are virtually unknown in the US and other places of the world. They became part of Flying Nun Records which helped create the Dunedin, New Zealand sound. This included bands such as The Bats, The Chills, The Verlaines, and Sneaky Feelings. Flying Nun is New Zealand's biggest independent record company and have released several compilations featuring hard to find Clean material.

More information on The Clean can be found at:

The Clean - Anything Can Happen
The Clean Myspace Page

This Week's Play List:

1. White Stripes - The Union Forever
2. Sports - Warn Me
3. Neil Young - Fuel Line
4. The Clean - Point That Thing Somewhere Else
5. 3-D's - Hey Seuss
6. The D4 - Little Baby
7. Luger Boa - Don't Talk To Me
8. Clap Clap Riot - Thief
9. Valina - Idiom's Palace
10. 40 Thieves - Bangarang
11. The Unicorns - I Was Born (A Unicorn)
12. The Fresh & Onlys - Fog Machine
13. Ex- Boyfriends - To The Lowest Bidder
14. Sloan - Judy Is A Punk
15. The Killers - I Just Wanna Be Me
16. The Gears - Let's Go To The Beach
17. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Run Chicken Run
18. Atomic 7 - Chock Full O' Notes
19. Los Straitjackets - Kapt'n Krunch
20. Randy - Punk Rock High
21. The Takeover UK - Never Been So Sick
22. The Demics - The News
23. Jack O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers - Switchblade Comb
24. The Pointed Sticks - All That Matters
25. The Strokes - New York City Cops

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on April, 28th 2009.