Lost Patrol Reunion ...Show # 293

This Saturday April 3rd, Windsor's Lost Patrol will reunite for the first time since their split in the 90s at Windsor's FM Lounge. Lost Patrol mixed elements of Punk, Garage Rock, Post Punk, Soul, and New Wave for a sound entirely their own. They recorded one full length album and many singles and EP's. Their self titled album which contained fourteen tracks was released through the Stop It Baby label in France in 1988.

The folowing Interview was done between me and Paul Langan, the bassist/founder of Lost Patrol:

1. Prior to this reunion when was the last time that Lost Patrol played together as a band?

About 15 years ago

2. What were the series of events that led up to this reunion on April 3rd?

Our singer Karen Marrero's mother Dianne died and we are were all at the funeral. Dianne was a big supporter of the band. We were all still friends and everyone was in good health so we emailed back and forth and eventually picked a date for the show. We are dedicating the show in memory of Karen's mother.

For myself, my son Dylan (http://dylanlangan.ca/ ) plays guitar and he got to be back playing bass. We jammed in our basement to get me in shape again

3. The band had a connection with France and Stop It Baby Records. How did that come about?

I can't remember exactly. Back around the mid 1980s there was alot of people in Europe and North America putting out these small fanzines that included a free 45 7" EP record or cassette tape of a compilation of bands. We started getting put on them and somehow they heard of us through one of the zines. There was a great zine out of London Ontario at that time called WhatWave. They had a band compilation cassette with each issue.

4. Finally, is there anything else you would like to add or say?

Come out to the show at the FM Lounge on April 3rd, its probably the only time you can see the original Lost Patrol.

More of this interview can be found in the April editon of WAMM Magazine.

More information on Lost Patrol can be found at:

http://www.lostpatrolreunion.com/
Lost Patrol's Myspace Page
Paul Langan's Myspace Page
Thats Their Style: The Lost Patrol Story


The Play List:

1. Elvis Costello - Welcome to the Working Week
2. The Jam - The Place I Love
3. Leather Uppers - The Finger
4. Untied States - Holding Up Walls
5. Dr.Dog - Stranger
6. Carjack - Got What You Need
7. 63' Monroe - Henry VIII
8. Starshooter - Pin Up Blonde
9. 3D Invisibles - I Married A Monster From Outer Space
10. Deja Voodoo - Expresso Bongo
11. The Cramps - I Can't Hardly Stand It
12. Slow - Have Not Been the Same
13. Lost Patrol - I'm Not the One
14. Yachts - Secret Agent
15. The Atlantics - Lonelyhearts
16. The Scavengers - Twentyone
17. Flamin' Groovies - Headin' For the Texas Border
18. Prehistoric Cavestrokers - Urine Your Out
19. Ugly Ducklings - Hey Mama
20. Flat Duo Jets - Frog Went A Courtin'
21. Black Lips - Stranger
22. Wire - Feeling Called Love
23. Young Rival - Modern Life
24. Young Rival - The Ocean

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 30. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Harlem - Hippies...Show 292

Harlem is a Rock band originally coming from Tuscon, Arizona. Having now relocated to Austin, Texas Harlem features Michael Coomers (vocals/guitar/drums) and Curtis O'Mara (vocals/guitar/drums). Playing as a two piece, the band alternates between guitar and drums. Their sound is a jangly Garage/Punk sound mixed with strong Pop vocal harmonies that quickly got them recognition. The band recorded and issued their album Free Drugs in 2008 on Female Fantasy Records. The band was signed to Matador Records in 2009. Recently the band acquired Jose Boyer on bass and will release their second full length album Hippies in April 2010. Some stand out tracks on the album include "Friendly Ghost", and "Be Your Baby".

It is once again time to vote for the Jammy awards. My show Revolution Rock is nominated for the Best Indie/Alternative/Rock Show. Show your support for Revolution Rock by voting now. Clck here to vote.

Play List:

1. Almighty Defenders - Cone of Light
2. Psycotic Pinapple - I Want Her So Bad
3. Thee Headcoats - Louis Riel
4. Harlem - A Friendly Ghost
5. Harlem - Number One
6. Guided By Voices - An Unmarketed Product
7. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I Want You
8. Curse - Killer Bees
9. Poles - CN Tower
10. Miesha & The Spanks - Drop the Anchor
11. Ex-Boyfriends - In Revolution Clothes
12. The Pine Tarts - Mosel
13. The Neighborhoods - No Place Like Home
14. Nervous Eaters - Loretta
15. The Lyres - I Want To Help You Ann
16. Billy Karloff & The Extremes - Headbangers
17. X - Soul Kitchen
18. Pulp - Common People
19. Laughing Clowns - In Front of Your Eyes
20. Broken Bells - Vaporize
21. Blur - Coffee & TV
22. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 23. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Show # 291

This week Revolution Rock featured a guest host.  Clara of The Washing Machine filled in and played a mix of new Rock with some Punk and Alternative as well. Next week I will return and play music from Blur, X, Guided By Voices and much more. 



The Play List:

1. The Blue Van - The Time is Right
2. Black Kids - I Underestimated My Charm (Again)
3. Vivian Girls - I'm Not Asleep
4. Danko Jones - Soul On Ice
5. The Splinters - Motorcycle
6. Dandy Warhols - I Am Over It
7. Dandy Warhols - Rock Bottom
8. Boomtown Rats - Whitehall 1212
9. Shonen Knife - Muddy Bubbles Hell
10. Heat-Ray - Take It Down
11. Peace Leeches - Surfin' the Soil
12. The Editors - The Big Exit
13. Sterophonics - Brother
14. Nada Surf - Weightless
15. Modernboys Moderngirls - On the Line
16. Joy Division - Failures
17. Modernettes - Rebel Kind
18. Stereo Total - Ringo, I Love you
19. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Second Guessing
20. My Bloody Valentine - When You Sleep
21. Harlem - Three Legged Dog

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 16. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Rock n' Roll Animal...The Story of Lou Reed ....Show # 290

Lou Reed exited The Velvet Underground in 1970, prior to the release of their fourth album Loaded.  He did not immediately return to music, upon quitting The Velvet Underground Lou Reed moved back home with his parents and took a job as a typist at his father's accounting firm.  In 1971, things changed when Lou Reed signed a contract with RCA.  He then headed to London in the UK and began work on his first full length solo album.  Titled Lou Reed, the album featured ten tracks, eight of which were re-recorded versions of songs that were written while he was still in The Velvet Underground (those eight songs which were recorded with The Velvet Underground would be released on the Peel Slowly and See box set).  The other two songs were new compositions, "Going Down" and "Berlin".  The song "Berlin" would later be re-recorded for an album of the same name in 1973.  Despite the great interest in Lou's first solo effort, the album was overlooked by most critics.  The album was recorded with a series of session musicians such as members of the Prog Rock group Yes, Steve Howe, and Rick Wakeman.  Lou Reed was released in 1972. 

Lou Reed's next album would be produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.  Transformer featured primarily new compositions, but also featured a few songs that can be traced back to his days with The Velvet Underground, most notably "Satellite of Love", and "Andy's Chest".  The music reflected more of a Glam Rock direction than Lou's previous solo effort.  The first single released from the album was "Walk On the Wild Side", despite it's subject matter (which was edited and even caused the song to be banned in some countries) the song did very well.  The song is said to have many origins, it has been said that the characters featured in the song were influenced by real people in Lou's life and to stem from the novel Walk On the Wilde Side by Nelson Algren.  The single was backed by another Transformer album track titled "Perfect Day".  This Pop song was one of the songs that featured an arrangement by Mick Ronson, and it comes out beautifully.  Mick Ronson plays guitar and many other parts on this album, while David Bowie helps out with some backing vocals. 

"Vicious" opens the album and is said to date as far back as when The Velvets were working with Andy Warhol.  Apparently Warhol suggested that Lou Reed write a song about someone that vicious, when Lou inquired about what he meant by that statement Andy replied "Oh, you know, vicious like I hit you with a flower".  Another song on the album that has a similar demeanor to "Vicious" is "Hangin' Round".  All the songs on this album (which relfect Lou Reed's Pop and Rock song writing abilities) help to make it unique and with the help of Bowie and Ronson, Lou Reed finally recieved commerical success in the UK.  The now iconic image of Lou Reed that dawns the albums cover was taken by photographer Mick Rock. 

Berlin followed Transformer in 1973.  The album addressed drug use, depression, and a darker subject matter in general.  The album also featured more of an orchestral production style and featured numerous session musicians that included the likes of Steve Winwood, and Jack Bruce.  The album has been called Lou Reed's most ambitious project, people were excpecting another album similar to the uptempo Rock of Transformer.  The albums title track, was re-recorded differently for this album (previously it was recorded for the album Lou Reed) and the songs "Oh, Jim", which was a re-working of a song done with The Velvets titled "Oh, Gin", and "Caroline Says (II)", which was a reworking of the the Velvets song "Stephanie Says" were also featured on Berlin.  This album produced by Bob Ezin, was recieved badly by critics and US fans, it went to # 7 on the UK album charts. 

In 1974, Sally Can't Dance was released.  This album was a return to a more Rock based sound, it was also a huge commericial success reaching the top ten.  The album was also the first to feature all original compositions (none were perviously done or written while Lou was in the the Velvets), and the song "Billy" featured former Velvet Underground bandmate Doug Yule on bass.  Lou has said that he was unhappy with the production on this record and when his record company asked for a quick follow up album, he responded with Metal Machine Music in 1975.  This double album recorded in Lou Reed's New York apartment, was an Avant-Garde, Electronic, Noise filled album.  There is also said to be classical music hidden amongst the feedback and noise.  Some people claim that this album was an ultimate artistic statement, while other claim that it could have been to fulfill his contract, or just a an attempt to alienate fans.

Lou Reed's next album Coney Island Baby, would feature more of a stripped back approach to music and more traditional song structures and lyrics.  The albums title is said to have come from a 1962 Doo Wop song by The Excellents and a barbershop of the same name.  The songs on the album such as "Crazy Feeling", "Nobody's Business", and "Ohh Baby" are not over produced and have the classic song structure that has made Lou Reed so well appreciated.  The album also features the song "She's My Best Friend", which was originally a Velvet Underground song.  When Coney Island Baby was re-issued in 2006, it came with six bonus tracks, all of which reflect a Hard Rock nature similar to early Velvet Underground material, they also feature former Velvet Underground member Doug Yule on all six tracks.  Lou Reed's fisrt album on Arista Records was Rock and Roll Heart was also released in 1976.  A greatest hits compilation was released on RCA in 1977 titled Walk On the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed.  In 1978, Lou Reed released Street Hassle, a raw, uncomprimising album, that was released at the time of the 70's Punk scene.  On the album Lou at times parodies himself (opening the album with a parody of "Sweet Jane"), and it also features an eleven minute piece titled "Street Hassle".   A double live album titled Live: Take No Prisoners, was also released in 1978.  On this album Lou gives many explanations about songs (such as "Walk On the Wild Side") and even rants against music critics.  The Bells (1979), was recorded in Binaural sound and features some songs that were composed with Nils Lofgren.  It features songs such as "City Lights", a song paying tribute to Charlie Chaplin, "Disco Mystic", a funky track with only two words repeated through out.  The album also featured Jazz musician Don Cherry. 

In the 80's, albums were released such as Growing Up Public (1980), Blue Mask (1982), Legendary Hearts (1983), and New Senations (1984).  Songs from these album are said to contain some of the best love songs written by Lou Reed.  1982's The Blue Mask and 1983's Legendary Hearts both featured Robert Quine on guitar (who was previously in Richard Hell & The Voidoids).  In 1989, Lou Reed released New York an album that features literate interwoven lyrics and a Rock basics sound.  Many people have said that this is one of, if not Lou Reed's best solo works.  Lyrically the album addressed issues in New York at the time, in a conceptual form.  Another interesting fact is that the album features percussion from former Velvet Underground drummer, Maureen Tucker. 

Lou Reed continued to make music in the 90's even collaborating with former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale following the passing of Andy Warhol.  The Velvet Underground reformed briefly and even released a live album in 1993, but they would not stay together long.  In 1995, Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground guitar) passed away from cancer.  When The Velvets were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 (Lou Reed has not been inducted despite the fact that he has been nominated in 2001/2002), the original members played on stage and performed a song in tribute to Sterling Morrison titled "Last Night I Said Goodbye To My Best Friend".  Lou continued to release albums in the 2000's, in 2003 he released a double CD collection titled The Raven.  This album is a concept album that relate to the stories and poems of Edgar Allen Poe.  The album features guest vocals from David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Steve Buscemi, and Willem Dafoe.  In 2007, Lou Reed released Hudson River Wind Meditations, a four song sound collage.

A post that I did on The Velvet Underground can be found in my What Went On post.

The Play List:

1. Nick Lowe - So It Goes
2. Some Action - Some Action
3. The Primitives - The Ostrich
4. Lou Reed - Underneath the Bottle
5. Lou Reed - Romeo Had Juliette
6. The Barracudas - Barracuda Waver
7. Young Rival - Dead End Scene
8. The Gruesomes - What's Your Problem?
9. Painted Ship - And She Said Yes
10. The Caesars - Out of My Hands
11. The Fieros - To Pieces
12. Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash - Big River
13. Lonesome Lefty - Millionares
14. Boxcar Guitars - The Ballad of Mad Ave
15. Black Rebel Motorcyle Club - Ain't No Easy Way
16. Tyranna - Back Off Baby
17. Albert Hammond Jr. - Call An Ambulance
18. Simply Saucer - Bullet Proof Nothing
19. Harlem - Caroline
20. Velvet Underground - We're Gonna Have A Read Good Time
21. Velvet Underground - She's My Best Friend
22. Boomtown Rats - Straight Up
23. Big Audio Dynamite - The Bottom Line (Rick Rubin Remix)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 9. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Frustrated Buzz ... Show # 289

This week's show was a mix of new and old bands.  As a change of pace enjoy these three youtube videos from artists played on today's show. 







This week's play list:

1. Buzzcocks - I Don't Know What To Do With My Life
2. Nuclear Socketts - Riot Squad
3. Ultravox! - Radio Beach
4. Only Ones - Miles From Nowhere 
5. Passengers - One Way Out
6. Petroleum By-Product - Ain't Got Money
7. Spectres - Visions of a New World
8. Young Canadians - Where Are You
9. The Maynards - In the CIA
10. Meligrove Band - Ages & Stares
11. Good Shoes - The Way My Heart Beats
12. The Drums - Submarine
13. The Stance - Jet Fighter
14. The Knack - Frustrated
15. Subways - Oh Yeah
16. Lost Patrol - In Your Eyes
17. Lost Patrol -  Dead or Alive
18. Pearl Jam - Mankind
19. The Pixies - Bam Thwok
20. Hater - Wish On
21. Nirvana - Love Buzz  
22. Queens of the Stone Age - Tangled Up in Plaid
23. D4 - Joe Orton's Wedding
24. True Lovers - Cougar

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 2nd. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Original Rumble...The Story of Link Wray....Show # 288

Link Wray was an American guitarist that was originally born in Dunn, North Carolina as Frederick Lincoln Wray. His family would later relocate to Virginia. Link served in the US Army and was a veteran of the Korean War. During the Korean War Link got tuberculoses causing him to lose one of his lungs, the doctors said that he would never sing again, but they were wrong. While this was a huge reason for Link to focus on instrumental guitar based songs, Link would sing occasionally on some of his songs. By the end of 1955, Wray had relocated to Washington, D.C.

After playing in various combinations of bands involving his brothers, the band Link Wray and His Ray Men emerged. The band consisted of Link Wray on lead guitar, Doug Wray on drums, Vernon Wray was on lead vocals, and Shorty Horton on Bass. Originally starting out playing Country and Western Swing music, Link would begin to focus on instrumental based songs. In late 1958, Link Wray wrote the instrumental song "Rumble". Originally called "Oddball", this song is notable for its enormous influence on Rock music. Being the first song to use a power chord, distortion, and feedback it was banned from radio stations because they thought that the title promoted gang violence in teens. "Rumble" is also the only instrumental song to be banned from radio airwaves.  This song influenced bands such as The Kinks, The Who, Bob Dylan, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Marc Bolan, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young and more. "Rumble" was a favourite amongst live audiences often being played several times in one night due to the demand for it.

The band would sign a deal with Epic Records (previously being on Cadence). The next single that was released was the Surf and Hard Rock song "Raw Hide". A notable difference about this song was the fact that Link Wray switched guitars from his 1953 Gibson Les Paul to a Danelectro Longhorn guitar. The lipstick pick ups of the Danelectro added a blistering sound to Link Wray and His Wray Men. After several attempts by the bands label to make Link Wray into a mainstream artist involving the band with numerous different kinds of producers, Link Wray and his Wray Men were no longer on Epic Records. Instead of looking for another label, Link and Vernon Wray created their own label titled Rumble Records. The bands next release was "Jack the Ripper". The band was then picked up by Swan Records. A family chicken coop was turned into a recording studio and Link Wray spent more than a decade recording and experimenting with different kinds of musical styles. He recorded several albums including Link Wray in 1971, that incorporated elements of Folk, Blues, and Country, and Beans and Fatback in 1973.

In the 70's Link Wray was part of Robert Gordon's backing band, Gordon being a Rockabilly revivalist. He recorded two albums with Gordon, Robert Gordon w/Link Wray (1978) and Fresh Fish Special (1978). In the 1980's Link Wray got married and moved to Denmark. He recorded the odd album off and on and toured intermittently. Several of Link's songs were featured in films. He has had songs in films such as "Shadowman", "Twelve Monkey's", "Pulp Fiction", "Desperado", "The Warriors", and "Independence Day". Another important aspect of Link Wray was his Native American heritage. Being part Shawnee Indian, Link wrote several songs such "Shawnee", "Apache", and "Comanche". He also spoke of his ancestry in interviews and during live shows.

Link Wray passed away in Copenhagen on November 5th, 2005. In concert a tribute was done by Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, they both played the song "Rumble" respectively. There is currently a petition going around the internet to get Link Wray inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He for some reason has not been inducted despite his vast influence in the world of Rock music. However, tt should be noted that he is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Link Wray's music often blurred the line between Rock, Surf, Folk, Blues, and many other genres and styles. Link Wray has recorded numerous albums and singles and is known as being a highly influential, innovative musician, and the father of the power chord. Link Wray paved the way for Hard Rock and Punk Rock, the sounds of "Rumble" will forever resonate throughout the world of Rock music.

Surf Play List:

1. The Beans - Surfs Up
2. The Ventures - Surf Rider
3. The Fireballs - Bulldog 
4. The Rotations - Heavies 
5. Huevos Rancheros -Gump Worsley's Lament
6. Aqua Velvets - Guitar Noir
7. Spring Break Shark Attack! - Theme
8. Phono-Comb - Burnt Down With Feedback
9. Tiki Tones - Twister
10. Kon Tikis - 1000 Foot Wave
11. Surf Messiahs - Kilgore
12. Surf Trio -Beach Genius
13. The Torpedos - The Snake
14. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Zombie Compromise
15. Atomic 7 - Loving Not Gouging
16. The Wipeouters - Luna Goona Park 
17. Dean Drouilard - The Dragon
18. April March - Chick Habit 
19. The Mad 3 - Spy From Kyoto
20. The Cavliers - Le Ride Du Jugement Dernier
21. The Squiers - Mustang
22. The Surfdusters - The Reef 
23. Teisco Del Rey - Pier Pressure 
24. The Phantom Surfers - Banzai Run 
25. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - Surf Beat
26. Link Wray - I'm Branded
27. Link Wray - Raw-Hide

If you are looking for this program you may want to check the comments section.

Give 'Em Enough Rope Demo....Show # 287

Most Clash fans know that there are numerous bootlegs out there containing demos.  On today's program I played one of the demos from the Give 'Em Enough Rope sessions.  The song in question was "Safe European Home".  This version differs in many ways to the studio version, for one the lyrics are different and secondly, it seems slower than the album version. 

Produced by Sandy Pearlman who was known for this work with Blue Oyster Cult, Give 'Em Enough Rope was originally released in November of 1978.  The albums cover which depicts a man being eaten by vultures was designed by Gene Greif.  It was based off of a postcard that was done by Adrian Atwater titled "End of the Road".  Another interesting fact about the album is that on initial US pressings of the album the song "All the Young Punks" is labelled as "That's No Way To Spend Your Youth".  During the sessions the band was said to do several takes of the songs, leaving fans to believe that there could be more Clash material out there from these sessions.  On the Clash On Broadway box set "One Emotion" was included as an outtake from these sessions.  There has been demos and alternate versions of songs available on bootleg from just about every Clash album, the biggest being the alternate version of the album Combat Rock produced and recorded by Mick Jones titled Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg. 







The Play List:

1. Yardbirds - I Ain't Done Wrong
2. Dino, Desi & Billy - The Rebel Kind
3. Elvis Presley - I Got A Woman
4. The Missing Links - Wild About You
5. The Count Five - They're Gonna Get You
6. Quid - Crazy Things
7. The Jury - Who Dat?
8. Teenage Head - Top Down
9. The Saints - Lost and Found
10. Over Night Lows - Static Scars
11. The Deniz Tek Group - 1968
12. The Zeros - What's Wrong With A Pop Group
13. Alternative TV - How Much Longer?
14. Rude Norton - Gilligan's Island
15. Young Canadians - I Hate Music
16. U-J3rks - Naum Gabo
17. The Shades - New Clientele
18. Hot Nasties - I Am A Confused Teenager
19. Modern Lovers - Astral Plane
20. The Scavengers - Mysterex
21. The Hitmen - I Don't Mind
22. The Clash - Safe European Home (1978 Demo)
23. The Victims - Television Addict
24. Undertones - I Told You So
25. Cheap Trick - ELO Kiddies
26. The Gun Club - Preaching The Blues

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 16. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Outdoor Miners...The Story of Wire...Show # 286

Wire formed in London, England in 1976, the group consisted of Watford Art College students. Collin Newman was on vocals/guitar, Bruce Gilbert on guitar, Graham Lewis on bass/vocals and Robert Gotobed on drums. Influenced by the emerging UK Punk scene at the time, Wire began playing live shows and gained the interest of Mike Thorne, who was a producer that had connections with EMI Records. Thorne, who was recording local Punk acts at The Roxy for a live compilation album, recorded Wire and included two of their songs on the compilation (titled Live At The Roxy). Shortly after this, Wire entered a studio to record their first full length album Pink Flag.

Produced by Mike Thorne, Pink Flag featured 21 songs. The overall sound of the album is raw with blunt sounding guitars and a certain kind of atmosphere (as all of Wire's albums feature), while combining visual elements as well as musical ones. Lyrically the album is contains intelligent and contextualized lyrics. The album was recorded almost entirely of live takes with no overdubs. The only songs that featured overdubs were parts of the song "Lowdown" and the song "Strange". Some of the songs on the album are thirty seconds long, but the overall cohesiveness of the album is great. Pink Flag features songs such as "Three Girl Rhumba", "Ex-Lion Tamer" a song about Batman, "A Field Day For The Sundays", and "Champs" a song seemingly about car racing. The 21 song album is a series of short music explosions combined the stripped down elements of Punk, Power Pop, and Pop. The songs are so catchy and short that the songs are cut to their bare essentials and then usually end. Other great tracks featured on Pink Flag are "Fragile", "12 X U", "It's So Obvious", and "A Feeling Called Love". The albums cover is credited to Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert. It is a photo of a pink flag on a flag pole, blowing in the wind that was seen (minus the flag) on the way to a live show. The album received critical acclaim, but in terms of sales it did not do very well.

Wire's second full length album, Chairs Missing would be released in 1978. The album featured what some people may call more of a New Wave sound. The production was different, the band experimented with their sound branching out from the sound of Punk, incorporating more Pop and dimension to their sound. Influences of Psychedelia and 70's Prog Rock are apparent in addition to the production techniques of Mike Thorne (who also played keyboards on the album). Chairs Missing features songs such as the dreary "Practice Makes Perfect", the sparse and textured "French Film Blurred", the fast paced keyboard rocker "Another The Letter" and the song "Heartbeat", which literally replicates a heart beat (musically). In addition to these tracks (and others), there are the songs "I Am The Fly", which is a song featuring strange, spring sounding guitar effects and "Outdoor Miner". While "I Am The Fly" was recorded prior to the album and a great pop song, the song "Outdoor Miner" is also an interesting piece of Pop music. Lyrically the song, which is about a serpentine miner, was written by bassist Graham Lewis and the music was written by Collin Newman. EMI Records liked the song so much that they asked Wire to extend its length (which was 1:44), which they accepted. Adding a middle section that featured Piano, Wire released "Outdoor Miner" as a single and it started climbing the UK singles charts. It would only go to #51. Overall Chairs Missing would go to #48 on the UK album charts.

Wire began touring, basically non-stop. They also made their first US appearance in the summer of 1978. Shortly after, in March Wire began a European tour with Roxy Music. Wire were at a high creative peak at this point and their live shows reflected that. Most of the shows contained new material that had not been recorded, although most of it would appear on their next album 154. Named after the number of gigs the band had played at that point, 154 showed Wire once again going into a different direction. The album was very melodic, smooth sounding and features more synthesizers and keyboards than any other previous Wire album. The album features songs such as "Two People In A Room" and "The 15th", which are short Wire songs similar to their earlier albums, but display a new sense of structure. There are also other songs, that are often moody and dramatic such as "A Touching Display" and "A Mutual Friend". The album also features yet another Pop song, like only Wire could make. The song "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W" is a song that picks up where songs such as "Outdoor Miner" left off, the song is a multi-textured and layered track. This album shows off the evolution process of the band, which if you are comparing to their other albums is highly evolved. They started out with the stripped down, bare-essential Rock/Punk with Pink Flag, brought more Pop and experimentation with Chairs Missing, and finally developed into a the album that was 154. Initial copies of 154 came with a bonus four track EP, that featured the songs "Song 1", "Get Down (Parts 1 and 2)", "Let's Panic Later" and "Small Electric Piece".

154 (1979) & Map Ref. 41°N 93°W Single (1979)

Following the release of 154, Wire began having creative differences which would eventually result in the end of the first period of the group. The band played a live show at the Electric Ballroom in 1980, which was a chaos fueled show where the band played several new songs (some of which were never recorded in the studio). The show was recorded on an 8-track recorder that was not set up properly, so the mix from the show was mixed in a distorted mix with two tracks. Released as Document and Eyewitness in 1981, this live album marked the end of Wire. After the release of this album, Wire took a five year break.

In 1985, Wire came back together as a band, this time fully integrating electronic instruments such as synthesizers, keyboards, drum machines and sequencers into their music, even more so than before. The first evidence of Wire's new sound came in 1986, in the form of an EP, titled Snakedrill EP. A full length album came in 1987, that would be titled The Ideal Copy. The album featured Wire's new approach to music via more electronic music based instruments (some have said that it resembles New Order), and it helped gain them more exposure in the US. After a US tour, another album followed in 1988 titled A Bell Is A Cup...Until It Is Struck. The album, which has been called by some as one of Wire's best albums, takes the bands electronic based music into a Pop music style with stream of consciousness lyrics.

The bands next album It's Beginning To And Back Again was released in 1989. The album was a collection of reworkings of live versions of songs from their album A Bell Is A Cup...Until It Is Struck. "Eardrum Buzz" from this album became the highest charting single Wire ever had in the US going to #2 on the US Modern Rock charts (it went to #68 in the UK). After Wire's next album Manscape, drummer Robert Gotobed would leave the group due to all the digital techniques that they began to use. For Manscape (which was released in 1990) Wire embraced more studio and computer based recording techniques. Without Gotobed on drums, Wire dropped the letter "E" from their name and became Wir. They released an album titled The First Letter in 1991 as Wir. This album which many think was ahead of its time, featured electronic soundscapes and not many vocals. The band went on a hiatus again after this.  The individual band members pursued solo careers.

In 1999, Wire began rehearsing again with Robert Gotobed (who started going by his original name Robert Grey) back on drums. In 2000, Wire played London's Royal Festival Hall in the UK, a short tour of the US followed. During this tour a large majority of the bands live set was older Wire material. Following more touring Wire decided to continue as a band. Their first recording in what can be called the third phase of Wire (the first being 1976-1980, the second being 1985-1991) was an EP called Read & Burn 01. Released in 2002, the EP was the first in a series of Wire releases, the EP demonstrated a sound similar to Pink Flag-era Wire. The second EP came the same year and was titled Read & Burn 02. The EP was just as loud and angry as the previous EP (Read & Burn 01). Send was released in 2003. It featured seven songs from the Read & Burn EP's in addition to four new tracks.

In 2006 some of Wire's earlier albums were re-issued and in 2007, Pink Flag was re-issued. These newer releases featured no bonus tracks (unlike the 1989 and 1994 versions) because the band felt that bonus tracks distorted the original artistic statements that they intended to make. A third EP, titled Read & Burn 03 was also released in 2007. The EP had a sound reminiscent of the sound created during 154-era Wire. Object 47 was released in 2008. This album marked an number of things in the bands career. First it was the first full length album that did not feature guitarist Bruce Gilbert. Second it marked the 47th release in Wire's discography (hence the title of the album). The overall sound of the album is extremely catchy. The album features songs such as "One Of Us" a melodic Post-Punk song and the stop and start song "Perspex Icon". Wire is currently working on a new album. 

More information:

Pinkflag.com (Wire's Official Website)
The Making of Pink Flag (Mike Thorne's Website)
The Making of Chairs Missing (Mike Thorne's Website)
The Making of 154 (Mike Thorne's Website)
Wireviews.com

This Week's Play List:

1. Wire - Dot Dash
2. Wire - A Field Day For The Sundays
3. Elvis Costello - Less Than Zero
4. The Rezillos - Mystery Action
5. Lost Patrol - Outta My Mind
6. The Perks - Escape
7. Blue Peter - Living In The Eighties
8. Crash 80s - Thrills
9. The Diodes - Tired of Waking Up Tired
10. Klark Kent - Don't Care
11. Subway Sect - Exit No Return
12. Shrink - Valid or Void
13. Wreckless Eric - Take The Cash (K.A.S.H.)
14. Colin Newman - & Jury
15. The Stranglers - Walk On By
16. Public Image Limited - Chant
17. Raptors - Running Away
18. Relief Maps - The Water Song
19. XX Teens - Only You
20. Devo - Girl U Want
21. The Rapture - Whoo! Alright Yeah.. Uh Huh
22. Radio 4 - (Always A) Target
23. Wire - The 15th

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 9th. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Makers of High Grade Suites....The Upholsterers Story...Show # 285

In the late 90's Jack White was in numerous short lived bands such as, Goober and the Peas, The Go, Two-Star Tabernacle in the Detroit area, he was also working as an upholsterer. He was working in an apprenticeship with a family friend Brian Muldoon in Detroit, Michigan. The two formed a short lived band and released a seven inch. Jack White played guitar, covered vocals and piano, while Muldoon covered the drums and created sounds utilizing a worm gear saw. The seven inch, which would be titled Makers of High Grade Suites, was released in the year 2000 on the Sympathy For The Record Industry label.

The songs were recorded and produced by Jim Diamond in Detroit at Ghetto Recorders (White and Muldoon also did some producing too). The seven inch contained three songs all drawing on Blues, Punk, and Garage musical stylings. There were only three songs on this release, "Apple of My Eye" (a Jack White original), "Ain't Superstitious" (a Willy Dixon cover), and "Pain (Give Me Sympathy)"(a cover of a song by a Texas 60's artist Jack Star). It was given a limited edition run (100 copies), and featured numerous inserts all pertaining to upholstery. This now highly collectable side project featuring Jack White, is said to sell on ebay for around $400-$900.

Links:
Upholsterers Myspace

This Week's Play List:

1. The Soft Pack - Parasites
2. Soft Copy - Hot Cakes
3. The Doughboys - It's Alright
4. The Others - Revenge
5. Les Mods - Let Me Tell Ya!
6. Action Makes - Buddies (Rough Mix)
7. Surfer Blood - Take It Easy
8. Stanley Blacks - Whiskey Eyes
9. The Disraelis - On Earth
10. The Mark Inside - Nothing To Admit
11. Link Wray - Dinosaur
12. Upholsterers - Ain't Superstitious
13. Flat Duo Jets - Crazy Hazy Kisses
14. Sloan - Is It Never
15. Revolvers - Shuffle
16. White Stripes - Hotel Yorba
17. MC5 - Baby Won't Ya
18. The Stooges - Little Doll
19. New York Dolls - Chatterbox
20. The Jam - Art School
21. Ramones - She's The One

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 2nd. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

96 Tears ... The ? & The Mysterians Story...Show # 284

Taking their name from a Japanese science fiction film titled The Mysterians, ? & the Mysterians formed in 1962 in Saginaw/Bay City, Michigan. The band consisted of Larry Borjas (bass), Bobby Balderrama (guitar), and Robert Martinez (drums). When the band originally started out in 62, they played mostly instrumental songs that were inspired by Link Wray and Surf music. The bands lead singer and main song writer goes by the name ? (Pronounced question mark). His name was said to actually be Rudy Martinez, until he legally changed his name to ?. He also claims that he was born on the planet Mars and that he once lived in a past life with dinosaurs. This eccentric lead singer also is never caught without a pair of wrap around sunglasses.

Around 1964, the band relocated to Flint, Michigan and started building up a fan base. There was then a line up change because Robert Martinez was drafted, Larry Borjas was also enlisted. Frank Lugo took over on bass duties, Eddie Serrato became the Mysterians drummer and Frank Rodriguez was added as organist/keyboardist. With these new members in place, the classic "96 Tears" line up of ? & the Mysterians was formed. A poem by ? titled "Too Many Tear Drops" was brought into the band. It quickly became what would be known as "96 Tears", which would be the bands biggest hit. In 1966 the band recorded "96 Tears" for a local label that was owned by the bands manager Lillian Gonzales, Pa-Go-Go. The organ fuelled Garage Rock song became a hit locally in the Flint/Detroit area, which in turn attracted major record labels. The band signed to Cameo-Parkway Records because the labels logo was orange and that was ?'s favourite colour. With the band on a major label, they had more distribution and "96 Tears" became not only a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, but a Garage Rock classic. The song was also the first hit single by any Latino Rock band, and ? with his snotty attitude has also been named as a detrimental element in the evolution of Garage Rock and Punk music.

The bands first full length album was released in 1966, it was simply titled 96 Tears. The next single "I Need Somebody", also charted on the Billboard charts. "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" was the bands next single in 1967, it was minor hit on the Billboard charts. A second album followed the same year titled Action. This raucous album that featured many R & B cover songs, did not sell well and at the time the bands label Cameo-Parkway was dealing with financial difficulties. The label was absorbed by Allen Klein of ABKO Records, the Mystrians left the label and recorded more music for Capitol Records, Tangerine Records, and Super K Records. During this time there were line up changes in the group, Mel Schacher played briefly with the group, he would later go on to play with Grand Funk Railroad. The band also recorded an album for Ray Charles label TRC, that remains unreleased.

In the early 70s, ? & the Mystrians reformed with a different line up yet again, this time with two guitars and no organ/keyboards. They recorded again in 1972 and 1973 for different labels, but there was no real response commercially. ? eventually left the group to become a dog breeder, but the Mystrians would regroup again in 1978 to record some demos in New York with Kim Fowley. The tapes were eventually released as 96 Tears Forever: The Dallas Re-Union Tapes on the ROIR label. In 1984 the band played a reunion show in Dallas, Texas (where most of the band members grew up before relocating to Michigan) with original drummer Robert Martinez on drums. In 1997 the band reunited yet again playing at the CavesStomp Garage Rock festivals, they also played a variety of live shows in the US and Europe throughout the late 90s. In 1997, the band re-recorded their debut album 96 Tears. The reason that the band did this was that they were not able to get the rights to their original master recordings that were done in the 60s, the album was released on the Collectables label as Question Mark & The Mysterians. A live album as released in 1998 and in 1999 a new studio album was released titled More Action. After this release the band went on hiatus for awhile.

The band reformed in 2001 for a live concert event for Little Steven's Underground Garage, in 2003 they played for the final CaveStomp Garage Rock festival. In 2006, ? & the Mysterians were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Currently the Mysterians, without ? play live shows and a documentary is in the works on the band rumoured to be titled Are You For Real.

This Week's Play List:

1. ? and The Mysterians - You're Telling Me Lies
2. ? and The Mysterians - It's Not Easy
3. Northwest Company - Get Away From It All
4. The Haunted - 8 O' Clock This Morning
5. Ugly Ducklings - Just In Case You Wonder
6. Mark Sultan - Something Wrong
7. Dirty Pretty Things - Hippy's Son
8. Spoon - Got Nuffin
9. The Horrors - Count in Fives
10. Action Replay - Decisions
11. Slates - Empty Streets
12. Private School - Rock and Roll Radio
13. Dream Dates - The Mess you're In
14. The Dishrags - Past is Past
15. Generation X - English Dream
16. Vampire Weekend - Holiday
17. The Vores - Monster
18. The Adverts - One Chord Wonders
19. The Hives - Abra Cadaver
20. Fire Engines - Everything's Roses
21. The Crocodiles - Soft Skull (In My Room)
22. The Hot Rats - The Big Sky
23. John Lennon - I Found Out
24. Paul McCartney - Smile Away
25. Blur - M.O.R.

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 26. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Living World...The Story of The Visitors...Show # 283

Following Radio Birdman's split in 1978, Deniz Tek would form another band called The Visitors. This band was different musically from Radio Birdman, coming off with more of a New Wave influence. Deniz Tek was on guitar, Ron Keeley on drums, Pip Hoyle on keyboards, Steve Harris on bass, and Mark Sisto on vocals. In addition the New Wave vibe that was present on their material, The Visitors music also loomed with an ominous Doors influence. The band was made up of three former Radio Birdman members (Hoyle, Tek, and Keeley), Sisto was a long time friend of Tek's. The line up also was sonically different than The Birdmen, there was only one guitar (as opposed to Radio Birdman who had two guitar players), there was also a darker element to the bands music. Prior to the band forming, Tek and Hoyle were working as interns at a hospital, during their spare time they jammed on songs through piano and guitar and the songs for The Visitors were written.

In 1980, The Visitors released a four track EP entitled Phantom EP. Recorded in 1979 at Palm Studios in Australia, the songs on Phantom EP were originally intended as demos when the studio was booked by Charles Fisher. The band set up live and recorded to an 8-track and after an afternoon of recording, the best tracks were selected and put on the EP. The EP was produced and mixed by Charles Fisher and Deniz Tek.  The band only played about a dozen shows between 1978 and 1979, but they did make release more recordings. A full length album was also released, but it would not be released until 1983. The tapes remained unreleased for several years until the Citadel record label was convinced to remix the tracks.  All of the songs on the album were recorded at the same sessions as the Phantom EP.  Deniz Tek assisted in the remixes, and the artwork was done by bassist Steve Harris.  The album was simply titled The Visitors.

At this time Deniz Tek was also involved with The Angie Pepper Band and in 1981, he became part of the supergroup known as New Race. This band features Tek, Rob Younger, Warwick Gilbert, Ron Asheton (of the Stooges), and Dennis Thompson (of the MC5). The band was short lived (put together for a 1981 Australian tour), and only ever officially released one live album that was titled First and Last. Although the band was short lived, several live bootlegs exist of the band. Following this Tek returned to the USA (he was originally from Michigan) and became a physician and served in the Navy, he returned to Australia in 1991 and continues to play and make music. The Visitors was remixed and reissued in 1994 and has been remastered twice. The most recent edition was released in 2008 with bonus tracks and can be ordered through the Citadel Records website.    The Visitors have also reunited in 2005 and 2008 for select live shows.

More information can be found at:

Deniz Tek's Blog
Retro Kimmer: 48 Hours with Mark Sisto
The Visitors Myspace
Do The Pop (a post I did about Radio Birdman)

Play List:

1. The Doors - Take it As it Comes
2. The Griefs - Bored Outta My Goard
3. The Polymorphines - Bring Your Love Back Home
4. The Willowz - Repitition
5. David Kilgour - Nothing's Going to Happen
6. The Bats - Just Do It
7. Make Me Young - The First Summer After the War
8. Surfer Blood - Harmonix
9. The Action - Do The Strangle
10. Negatives - Echoes
11. Lowlife - Thinking Naturally
12. Luger Boa - Mutate or Die!
13. V2 - City Creatures
14. The Government - Zippers of Fire
15. Joy Division - No Love Lost
16. Pointed Sticks - On Fire
17. The Visitors - Euro Girls
18. The Visitors - Let's Have Some Fun
19. The Fall - It's The New Thing
20. David Bowie - Red Sails
21. Radio Birdman - Smith & Wesson Blues
23. Magazine - My Tulpa

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

New Damage...2010 Soundgarden Reunion...Show # 282

Soundgarden's last live show was in February of 1997. The last show was part of a tour the band was doing in support of their 1996 release Down On The Upside. At this point in the bands career, the tensions amongst them were rising and at that live show in February of 1997, after equipment failure, bassist Ben Sheppard threw his bass in the air in frustration leaving the stage.  The encore of the show was played not by Soundgarden, but by Chris Cornell solo. In April of 1997, Soundgarden announcned that they were splitting up. In November, the band released a greatest hits compilation titled A-Sides, they also talked of releasing a B-sides collection, but that never came.

In the years that followed the various members of Soundgarden were involved in other musical projects. Chris Cornell pursued a solo career, and played with Audioslave which featured members of Rage Against The Machine. Kim Thayil has played with numerous bands since Soundgarden split. He has played with Presidents of the United States of America, Pigeonhead, more recently he played some guitar for Probot in 2004 and with Sunn O))) and Boris in 2006. In 1999, he formed a Punk band with Krist Novesellic and Jello Biafra called No WTO Combo. Bassit Ben Shepherd played with The Wellwater Conspiracy in 1997, along with drummer Matt Cameron. Shepherd also formed the band Hater that released two albums, he also played bass for a song on a 2001 Mark Lanegan album titled Field Songs. Matt Cameron has been playing drums with fellow Seattlers Pearl Jam since 1998, he has released several albums with Wellwater Conspiracy, taking over as lead vocalist when Ben Shepherd left the group in 1997, and has contributed and collaborated with numerous artists.

Reunion rumours have been flying for some time now, but they were always put down.  Several band members have said that they did not see it happening, but around 2009 rumours started up again when Chris Cornell was interviewed by Rolling Stone to discuss a Soundgarden box set. There is said to be numerous outtakes, B-sides, alternate takes, demos and previously unreleased material available for the box set project, the band has also expressed an interest in releasing a B-sides collection CD in addition to the box set.  On March 24th, 2009 at a Tom Morello solo show in Seattle, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd, and Tady Doyle played two Soundgarden songs "Hunted Down" and "Spoonman", which served as a reunion of sorts (minus Chris Cornell).  Also in additon to this Temple of the Dog (which features Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron and members of Pearl Jam) in October of 2009 played the song "Hunger Strike" together, which served as yet another possiblity that a Soundgarden reunion would happen.  On January 1st, 2010 via Chris Cornell's twitter page Cornell stated that the band would be reunitng in 2010. Exact details are not known, but the reunion will at least consist of some live shows and hopefully some sort of music release. A new Soundgarden website has also been launched called soundgardenworld.com.  By signing up for the newsletter, you can see a new music video for the band's 1989 song "Get On The Snake".

Play List:

1. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Zig Zag Wanderer
2. True Lovers - Bang Bang
3. The High Numbers - Zoot Suit
4. Main Line - Don't Wait Around
5. The Staggers - Out of My Mind
6. Nick Lowe - Cracking Up
7. The Phantom Chords - Big Town
8. Television - Call Mr. Lee
9. Thrush Hermit - At My Expense
10. Paper Lions - Everything You've Done Wrong
11. Foam Lake - Underwhelmed
12. Myelin Sheaths - Do The Mental Twist
13. Miesha & The Spanks - Harem
14. Githead - All Set Up
15. Blue Peter - Do The Robot
16. The Regulators - That's Right, Nothings Left
17. The Dead Boys - Hey Little Girl
18. The Wolfmen - Mr.Sunday
19. Soundgarden - An Unkind
20. Foo Fighters - Mountain of You
21. Iggy Pop - Fall in Love with Me

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 12. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2009 Highlights...Show # 281

Today's program was composed entirely of albums that were released in the year 2009. The last nine songs on the show constituted my favourite nine releases from 2009. While re-issues were included in the list (The Beatles Remasters, Nirvana's Bleach 20th Anniversary Edition, and The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines), I did not count them in the top nine list, due to the fact that they have already been released prior to 2009. The following are my favourite nine releases from the year 2009:

1.  The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand

200 Million Thousand was the follow up to 2007's Good Bad Not Evil. This album differed from their 2007 release, instead of continuing with a similar sound the band went for a dirtier and darker Garage/Psychedelic sound. While the album does feature many great Pop moments ("Short Fuse","Drugs", Just Like Staring Over", and "I'll Be With You" ), the album has more of sleaze element than their previous album (Good Bad Not Evil). The 14 track album even features a Rap song "The Drop I Hold" and a cover of The Iguana's (Iggy Pop's first band) "Again & Again", that is mixed in with The Black Lips unique blend of fuzzy Atlanta, Georgia Garage Rock.


2.  Sloan - Hit & Run EP

Released fairly close to the end of 2009, this five track EP was released in digital form only. Of the five songs featured here two are from Bassist Chris Murphy ("Take It Upon Yourself", "Oh Dear Diary"), and one each from the other Sloan band members "Midnight Mass" (Jay Ferguson), "It Is Never" (Patrick Pentland), and "Where Are You Now?" (Andrew Scott). Overall the EP is a mix of Pop, 70's and 60's Rock, and is a great example of Sloan's excellent musical output of the last few years. A must for any Sloan fan and essential for anyone looking for a great underrated Canadian band.



3.  Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young. 

This was the first full length solo release from Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. The album is comprised of eight songs, all of which reflect a love for the 80's. While there are only eight tracks here, it still features some great enjoyable tracks that stand out on their own such as "Out of the Blue", "River of Brakelights", and "11th Dimension". This track seems like a nod to the New Wave influences employed on The Strokes album Room On Fire. The albums title Phrazes for the Young, is referencing Oscar Wilde's Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young.



4.  Pearl Jam - Backspacer


Backspacer is Pearl Jam's follow up to 2006's Pearl Jam. The songs on this album reflect more of a Pop and New Wave nature, the album was also produced by Brendan O'Brien (he hasn't worked with the band since 1998's Yield). Recorded at a variety of places in the US, Backspacer is said to be the bands most rehearsed record and the one with the most positive lyrics from front man Eddie Vedder. The album was released on the bands own Monkeywrench label and through Universal Music Group internationally. Cover art for the album was designed by editorial cartoonist Tom Tomorrow (real name Dan Perkins) and it features nine images created by Perkins. 


5.  The Almighty Defenders - The Almighty Defenders


Released in September 2009, The Almighty Defenders is a group made up of two bands King Khan & BBQ Show and The Black Lips. This 11 track album was recorded in Berlin (where King Khan was living) after The Black Lips had to cancel their tour of India following an incident on stage. In eight days, this new supergroup laid down the eleven tracks, it was released on Vice Records. The music on this album can be described as Gospel influenced Garage Rock.





6.  King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl

Released in November of 2009, Invisible Girl is yet another R &B and Garage Rock album, on my list, this one comes from King Khan & BBQ Show. While this duo (Originally from Montreal) has released several albums, this album is the bands third full length.  Elements of Sam Cooke, The Sonics, Chuck Berry, good old fashioned R & B, (not the new overproduced kind) and trashy elements of 60's Garage are all over this record.  





7.  The Dead Weather - Horehound 

In 2009, a band popped up featuring Jack White and Alison Mosshart of the Kills. The band consists of Jack White (drums/vocals/guitar), Alison Mosshart (lead vocals/guitar), Dean Fertita (guitar/organ/piano), and Jack Lawrence on bass. The group formed in January 2009, from a Jam session at Jack White's Third Man Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Following the session, the band began writing material and recorded quickly. Horehound was released in July of 2009, and did very well on the charts. The band was said to have been halfway done their second album in October of 2009.



8.  War Child: Heroes Compilation

This album is comprised of 15 bands doing cover songs. It features artists such as Beck (covering Bob Dylan), Yeah Yeah Yeah's (covering Ramones), The Kooks (covering The Kinks), and Franz Ferdinand (covering Blondie). The album also features a cover of "Straight To Hell" by Lilly Allen featuring Mick Jones of The Clash. Another interesting fact is that each song that was to be covered was selected by the original artist themselves. Artwork for the album was done by John Squire, former Stone Roses guitarist. For more information visit the Warchild Homepage. 



9.  Franz Ferdinand - Tonight

Produced by Dan Carey, Tonight draws on the bands earlier sound, bringing in elements of electronica, dub/reggae, 80's synthesizer music. The album is based around the concept of a night out partying and the morning after. The album cover photos (taken by Søren Solkær Starbird in Glasgow) have the look and feel of Berlin-era David Bowie. The album was well received and released by Domino Records in January of 2009, a bonus disc of Dub remixes was released in June of 2009 titled Blood.




Other interesting releases from 2009 were The Beatles re-issues.  This is an obvious choice, but these re-issues have been a long time coming.  The design and packaging are of excellent quality, and I highly recommend any of these albums.  The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines, is an excellent collection of all the material that The Vaselines have put out, it is complete with demos, live material and studio recordings.  Rhino released the Where the Action Is box set.  This four CD collection features 100 songs from the Los Angeles area from the time period of 1965-1968, this is yet another great addition to the Nuggets series.  As far as new releases go, The Crocodiles released an eight track album titled Summer of Hate that seems very new wave influenced, and The Howlies released a great 60's Garage influenced album called Trippin' With The Howlies. 

Best of 2009 Play List:

1. Portugual. The Man - Everyone is Golden
2. John Doe & The Sadies - Stop the World and Let Me Off
3. Spiral Beach - Domino
4. The Vaselines - Dum Dum
5. Arctic Monkeys - My Propeller
6. Nirvana - About A Girl (Live Pinestreet Theatre 1990)
7. The Beatles - Think For Yourself
8. The Mustangs - That's For Sure
9. Neil Young - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (45 Version)
10. Ex-Boyfriends - Born To Be Kicked Out
11. Yellow Wood - Chinese Women Unite!
12. The Crocodiles - Refuse Angels
13. The Horrors - I Can't Control Myself
14. Franz Ferdinand - Send Him Away
15. The Howlies - Sea Level
16. Beck - Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat
17. Dead Weather - 60 Feet Tall
18. King Khan & BBQ Show - Zombies!
19. Almighty Defenders - I'm Coming Home
20. Pearl Jam - Got Some 
21. Julian Casablancas - Out of the Blue 
22. Sloan - Where Are You Now?
23. Black Lips - Short Fuse

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 5th. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Fan Club...The Brian James Story...Show # 280

After his departure from The Damned in 1977, Brian James made recordings for a solo single featuring Police drummer Stewart Copeland. Titled Ain't That A Shame, the single was backed with the song "I Can Make You Cry (another single from these session was released in 1982 titled Why? Why? Why?). Brian James decided not to continue with a solo career. He instead joined up with the band Chelsea playing lead guitar on the track "No Escape", which would appear as a seven inch single and on a full length ablum the same name in 1980/1981. He joined up with Iggy Pop's solo band. While he played many live shows with Iggy, he was not featured on any studio recordings. He was however on live albums such as Heroin Hates You.

Brain James then teamed up with Dead Boys front man Stiv Bators to form a new band that would be titled Lords of New Church. Consisting of Bators on vocals, James on guitar, Dave Tregunna (of Sham 69) on bass, and Nicky Turner (of The Barracudas) on drums, the band lasted from 1982-1989.  They recorded three full length albums (The Lords of New Church (1982), Is Nothing Sacred? (1983), and The Method of Madness (1984)) and an EP. The music of the band reflects a Glam and Punk nature, but they are sometimes labeled as Goth Rock. In 1982, The Lords of New Church had a top 40 single (#32 on the Canadian singles charts) with the song "Open Your Eyes".

In addition to being in these bands Brian James also formed the short lived band, Tanz Der Youth. James also played guitar in a band called The Dripping Lips, who released an album in 1998 entitled Ready To Crack. He was also in a super group called Mad For the Racket, which featured Stewart Copeland, Wayne Kramer, Clem Burke, and Duff McKagan. They recorded and released an album in 2001 that was titled The Racketeers. Brian James has throughout the 80's/90's reunited with The Damned off and on, there has also been numerous Damned collections released featuring outtakes when Brian was still with the band. He currently plays with a new band titled The Brian James Gang (a self titled album was released in 2006) and he also plays with The Lords of New Church. They reunited in 2003, with a new singer Adam Becvare (Stiv Bators passed away in 1990). An album titled Hang On was released in 2003.

The Play List:

1. The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
2. The Dishrags - Carry On
3. Hot Nasties - Steppin' Stone
4. The Spys - Best That I Can Get (Demo)
5. The Diodes - That Was The Way It Was
6. Deja Voodoo - Call Link Wray
7. Christian D & The Hangovers - Vampire Rocker
8. The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
9. Harlem - Friendly Ghost
10. The Mink Chicks - I Can't Stop Being Foolish 
11. The Vores - Stress
12. Brian James - Living In Sin
13. Brian James - Another Time, Another Crime
14. The Brian James Gang - VIP
15. Tanz Der Youth - Delay
16. King - Baby Sign Here With Me
17. Carbon/Silicon - Make It Alright 
18. Devo & Neil Young - Hey Hey My My
19. Keith Levene - Cold Turkey
20. The Clash - London Calling (Vanilla Tapes Version) 

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 29th. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2009 Holiday Special....Show #279

Today's program featured all Christmas/Holiday based songs. Several of the songs were from newer bands, but many were older classic songs from the 60's Garage and 70's Punk era.

In 1966, on the Northwest coast three Garage Rock bands put together a Christmas album Titled Merry Christmas. This album was made up of almost all original compositions and the songs on the album are not your traditional holiday songs.  It featured three bands, The Sonics, The Wailers, and The Galaxies. On this album you will find three songs by The Sonics ("Santa Claus", "The Village Idiot", and "Don't Believe in Christmas"), three songs from The Wailers ("She's Comin' Home", "Christmas Spirit", "Maybe This Year"), and four songs from The Galaxies ("Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Please Come Home For Christmas", "Christmas Eve", "The Christmas Song"). Originally released on The Wailers Etiquette label, this album was re-issued on CD in 1991, but is often overlooked. It is a great Christmas album in true Garage Rock fashion, that now is very hard to find because it is no longer in print. On today's program I played a song by The Sonics from this album. I also played two other bands covering "Santa Claus" (The Gruesomes, and The D4), which is a song that is also on this album.  

Christmas Play List:

1. The Features - Christmas Wish Book
2. Pointed Sticks -X-Mas Time Again 
3. The Swimmers - The Christmas Sound
4. Duotang - Old Man Davie's Christmas Kingdom
5. Snow Globe-ins - Christmas Dog
6. Evaporators - Who Are You?
7. Atomic 7 - Senor Santa El Es El Monstruo
8. Johnny Cash - I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day
9. The Bicycles - Snow 
10. The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song
11. Los Straitjackets - Jingle Bell Rock
12. The Greedies - A Merry Jingle
13. The D4 - Santa Claus
14. The Yobs - Silent Night (Single Version)
15. Stiff Little Fingers - White Christmas 
16. The Kinks - Father Christmas
17. The Sonics - Don't Believe in Christmas
18. Joey Ramone - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 
19. The Pogues - Fairytale of New York 
20. Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today
21. The Gruesomes - Santa Claus
22. Pearl Jam - Santa God 
23. The Flaming Lips - Christmas At the Zoo
24. REM - Christmas Griping
25. REM - Parade of the Wooden Solider (Alt.Version)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 22nd. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Young Rival Interview...Show # 278

Coming from Hamilton, Ontario Young Rival started out in 2002 as The Ride Theory. The band features Aron D'Alesio (guitar/vocals), Kyle Kuchemy (guitar), John Smith (bass), and Noah Fralick on drums. Drawing influence from bands such as The Kinks, early Rolling Stones, Simply Saucer, Surf music, 70's Rock, and other 60's British Garage acts, The Ride Theory released their first album in 2002.

The Ride Theory, was produced by Jamie Andrew and features ten songs. The album introduced the world to jangly Garage songs such as "Alright", "Walk the Line", and "Can't Get it Right". The songs while they crunched with 60's Garage ethics, sounded fresh and original. Almost all the songs featured strong vocal harmonies that add further dimension to their music. There are also elements of Surf throughout their music too, that is evident on songs such as "Reflecting on A Foggy Day". In addition to this debut, the band has an explosive live show, which quickly built them not only a local following, but also a wider audience as well.

In 2005, Ride Theory released In This City. This album indicated a growing band, and the album displayed more musical dimensionality than on their debut. The album drew on 60's Garage, Surf, but also brought more Pop elements into their sound. Recorded at Chemical Sound Studios in Toronto on Reel-to-Reel tapes in 3 days, the album shined with a 60's gritty goodness. There are songs such as the riff filled "Dead Radio, Love", "I'm On Board" which emanates a Yardbirds/surf sound, "Parking Ticket", "Great White Shark", "Hey Sugar" Garage/Punk tracks, and finally "My Girl June". This song is an acoustic track filled with harmonious hooks, retro guitar licks, and handclaps, is clearly a highlight. After touring and being known as The Ride Theory since 2002, The Ride Theory changed their name to Young Rival in 2007.

Starting anew as Young Rival, the band took their sound to New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, where they recorded new material. They posted several demos on their myspace page, sold demo CD's at their live shows, and even started receiving airplay in the UK. Working with Emery Dobyns (Lou Reed, Patti Smith), Young Rival produced several tracks that would end up on their first self titled EP. Young Rival features six tracks all of which keep true to the bands jangly Garage Rock past, while venturing into to new interesting music territory. It features songs such as "Another Nobody" an energetic reverb drenched Garage Rock, crowd favourite, "Poisonous Moves" a sleazy rocker, "4:15" which takes on a Zombie's-like influence, and "The Haunt", which reflects a darker yet melodic mood. The opener of the EP is the catchy and addictive "Your Island", a 60's style Pop song with strong harmonies, flooding drum crashes, and visually appealing lyrics.

On April 13th, 2010 (in the US on June 8th) Young Rival released their first full length album under that band name. Signing to legendary Hamilton label Sonic Unyon, Young Rival is now alongside other Hamilton, Ontario greats such as Teenage Head and Simply Saucer. Recorded during June of 2009 with Polaris Prize winning Jon Drew, Young Rival's self titled debut has all the energy, excitement and depth of Rock and Roll. Compared to previous releases by the band this album reflects a more "rough around the edges" sound.  There are also two tracks dating back to the bands recording sessions with Emery Dobyns from 2007 for the bands EP. The band takes on a new dynamic with this album. It Picks up where the bands six song EP left off, containing high energy rockers and songs more melodic in nature. Lyrically the album contains upbeat lyrics, juxtaposed alongside darker and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Within the new sonic dynamics that are being displayed here, Young Rival will now operate a three piece. In December of 2009, rhythm guitarist Kyle Kuchmey left the group to pursue other interests, but he is featured on all of the recordings found on this album.

The album keeps true to their live sound. Songs such as "The Ocean", "Authentic", "T-Shirt and Shorts", "Workin", "Ghost in the Park", and "Just Can't Stay Here" all capture the essence of the band. Other songs on the album such as "At the Break of Dawn" which is an acoustic track similar to Velvet Underground with Surf Guitar elements, and "A Few Things Left" which is a Blues and Garage Rock track, add to the songs featured on Young Rival. Drenched in elements of 60's Garage, Surf, Pop and strong vocal harmonies, Young Rival is an eleven track album that you will want for your collection.

I was fortunate enough to get an interview with the band prior to their live show at Phog Lounge in November of 2009. It can be downloaded here. Be sure to check out their myspace to hear one of their new songs that will be featured on their upcoming album.

Interview

Band Links:

Young Rival Myspace
Young Rival Blog

This Week's Play List:

1. The Clash - Drug Stabbing Time 
2. Alternative TV - You Bastard 
3. The Sound - Cold Beat
4. Teenage Head - Get Off My Back 
5. Lou Reed - Hangin' Round 
6. The Killermeters - SX 225
7. VIP's - Suttgart Special
8. Rolling Stones - I'm Alright (Live)
9. Paul McCartney - I'm Down (Live)
10. Ugly Ducklings - Nothin'
11. The Shakers - Baby It's True
12. Guided By Voices - A Good Flying Bird
13. Link Wray - Slinky
14. Dead Drouillard - Chocolate Toupee
15. Young Rival - Authentic Child (Demo)
16. Young Rival - Poisonous Moves
      YOUNG RIVAL INTERVIEW
17. Young Rival - Got What You Need
18. Simply Saucer - I Can Change My Mind
19. The Saints - Untitled
20. Them - I"m Gonna Dress in Black (Version 2) 
21. The Standells - Riot On The Sunset Strip
22. The Guilloteens - For My Own
23. The Stooges - Loose
24. The Kinks - This Time Tomorrow

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 15th. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Young Rival Videos:

Your Island
My Girl June