The Challengers Surfbeat & Show # 549

The story of the surf band The Challengers first began with the formation of The Bel-Airs from South Bay, Los Angeles, who broke up in 1963. Out of the ashes of this instrumental surf rock group several bands were formed. Guitarist Paul Johnson would later go on to join Cat Mother & The All Night Newsboys and be involved in a variety of other musical avenues. The group’s other guitarist Eddie Bertrand formed Eddie & The Showmen. Another interesting note is The Bel-Airs first drummer was Dick Dodd who later went on to play with the garage rock band The Standells as a drummer/vocalist. It was the band’s second drummer Richard Delvy (who replaced Dodd) that would go on to form The Challengers. The Bel-Airs were known for their 1961 single “Mr. Moto”, which is notable for being one of the very first surf instrumental songs recorded. The band split in 1963. Apparently an argument about the use of heavier reverb in their sound led to their split. At the time, The Bel-Airs and Dick Dale were both very popular in their regions, Dale in Orange County, The Bel-Airs in South Bay. These two factors are important because the bands formed out of The Bel-Airs and Dick Dale’s music would strongly influence popular culture and the surf music genre. When Delvy formed The Challengers in 1962, the band was made up of Glenn Gray (lead guitar), Don Landis (rhythm guitar), Randy Nauert (bass) and Nick Hefner on saxophone. Additionally, Jim Roberts (from The Bel-Airs) was added to the line-up on keyboards.

After earning enough money to enter a recording studio, The Challengers recorded the album that would be known as Surfbeat in a 3 ½ hour session at a jazz recording studio owned by World Pacific Records. The songs recorded were basically the band’s live set, but the selection of songs that were recorded for this release were mostly covers. This set included covers of songs by Duane Eddy, The Fireballs, an instrumental version of The Beach Boys song “Surfin’ Safari” that was released just a few months before The Challengers album and a nod to future surf icon Dick Dale with covers of “Let’s Go Trippin”, “Miserlou”. The band even re-recorded The Bel-Airs hit “Mr. Moto” and two songs on this album are actually recordings by The Bel-Airs (“Kamikaze”, “Vampire”).

Surfbeat was originally released on Vault records in January 1963. The album was one of the very first all instrumental surf albums. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones had released a surf album prior to this (Surfers’ Choice), but the album had songs that contained vocals. Surfbeat sold 200,000 copies and would go on to become the best selling surf album of all time. This album also featured electric bass. Prior to this recordings were made with mostly stand-up bass. With the electric bass, it contributed to a harder more driven sound. The Challengers Surfbeat also helped to bring surf from the West Coast into the mainstream subconscious and popularize the genre in other parts of the US and the world. This in conjunction with the reverb drenched ramped up versions of rock and surf instrumentals helped to lay the foundation of surf music. Reverb may be what have broke up The Bel-Airs, but it helped to propel The Challengers and surf music to new volumes. And while 1963 may have been decades ago, the Surfbeat lives on.

This year's Revolution Surf program featured a guest segment from "Hollywood" Derk Brigante of the Surfphony of Derstruction 2000.  He helped me out on this episode with a selection of sleazy surf instrumental tracks.  If you're looking for a good selection of surf music check out his podcast the Surfphony of Derstruction 2000.  You can hear his podcasts over at his Surfphony of Derstruction blog and also like his page on Facebook.  

Revolution Surf Play List:

1. The Metalunas – X-Minus One (X-Minus One - 1999)
2. The Marketts – Other Limits (Outer Limits! - 1964)
3. 9th Wave – Time Tunnel (Time Tunnel - 2003)
4. The Nation Rockin’ Shadows – Anesthesia (Diggin' Out - 1997)
5. The Newport Nomads – Blue Mallard (Diggin' Out - 1997)
6. The Goldtones –Gutterball (Diggin' Out - 1997)
7. Jan Davis - Snow Surfing Matador (Jungle Exotica Vol 1- 1997)
8. The Urban Surf Kings – The Phantom Riders Of The Back Lot (Bang Howdy Partner - 2008)
9. X-Ray Cat Trio – I Was Cruel To You (Medium Stop) (Bloody Deeds - 2014)
10. The Orions – El Don Compressor (Always Clean And Fresh EP - 2012)
11. Les Fanatics – The Spotnick Theme (Portuguese Nuggets Vol 3 - A Trip To 60's Portuguese Psych, Surf And Garage Rock - 2007)

Surfphony of Derstruction 2000 Segment:

12. Langhorns - Awesome (Langhorns - 1998)
13. The Majestics - Big Noise From Makaha (The Surf Creature - 2000)
14. The Original Surfaris - Ghost Riders in The Sky (Surfs Up! At Banzai Pipeline - 1963)
15. Pastel Six - Take it Off! (The Cinnamon Cinder/Bandido - 1963)
16. Fathoms - Groovy Boots (Fathomless - 1996)

17. The Twilight Stringers – Pale Face Twist (Sleazy Surf Vol 1 - 1995)
18. The Telstars – Topless (Sleazy Surf Vol 1 - 1995)
19. The A-Jacks – Fury (Sleazy Surf Vol 1 - 1995)
20. The Mockers – Maledona (Sleazy Surf Vol 2 - 1995)
21. The Zombie Surfers – Zombie Drums (It Came From The Garage Vol II - 1987)
22. This Machine Kills Robots – Salty Wave (This Machine Kills Robots - 2011)
23. James O-L & The Villains – Kill The Devil (On The Banks Of The Detroit River - 2014)
24. The Revels - Six Pack (Intoxica!!! The Best Of The Revels - 1995)
25. Ramblin’ Ambassadors – Standoff At Califobe Bridge (Ramble On - 2012)
26. La Luz – TV Dream (Brainwash/T.V. Dream - 2013)
27. The Challengers –Kamikaze (Surfbeat - 1963)
28. The Challengers – Ramrod (Surfbeat - 1963)
29. The Challengers – Surf Beat (Surfbeat - 1963)
30. The Echo Tones – Lowdown Guitar (Inland Surfer/Lowdown Guitar - 1963)
31. The Pharaohs – The Friendly Martian (The Friendly Martian/Unknown Planet - 1964)
32. Davie Allan & The Arrows – Sulkin’ (Cycle-Delic Sounds - 1968)
29. The Plugz – Reel Ten (Repo Man: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 1984)
30. The Traditional Fools – Layback!!! (The Traditional Fools - 2008)
31. Dead Ghosts – Tea Swamp Rumble (Can't Get No - 2013)
32. The Huaraches – I Guano Rock (The Huaraches Steal Second - 2014)
33. The Sentinals – Big Surf (Big Surf! - 1963)
34. The Torpedoes – The Snake (Good For The Country - 1996)
35. Jim Messina & The Jesters – Yang Bu (Bustin' Surfboards - 1996)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 28. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Bob Dylan & The Band The Basement Tapes Unravelled & Show # 548

After the hectic and controversial live shows during his “Dylan goes electric” phase in which Bob Dylan switched from a one man acoustic folk artist to an artist with a full out rock and roll combo, everything came to a halt after an incident in 1966. In July 1966, Bob Dylan was said to be involved in a motorcycle accident, which in turn caused the cancelation of scheduled live shows and a step back from the public eye that seemed to be watching his every move.

Prior to the incident with his motorcycle, Dylan was playing a series of live dates with his backing band The Hawks, he was working on a manuscript for a book entitled Tarantula, he was assisting with the direction/editing of a documentary of his 1966 world tour entitled Eat The Document and there were recording contract/publishing issues that Dylan was dealing with. To add on top of that Dylan also welcomed the birth of his son, Jesse. Following his accident in July of 1966, Dylan sought solace in West Saugerties, New York and from roughly June-October 1967 The Basement Tapes Sessions were recorded.

The Hawks sans drummer Levon Helm, who was working on an oil rig, were recruited for the Basement Tapes Sessions. For inspiration, Dylan looked to music from the past, which would in turn influence the present in a time when the world of music was dominated by a kaleidoscope of psychedelic music. The sessions featured rearranged traditional folk songs, blues, country and several roots rock songs as starting points. In addition to covers, original material presented itself and those songs were also recording during these sessions. The sessions were recorded with no expectations. The recordings that were made during this time were not initially meant for release officially and for many decades they were not. Garth Hudson, The Band’s organist, recorded the sessions although at the time they were not yet referred to as The Band, they were still The Hawks. It was also during this time that the once raucous R&B driven Hawks began to develop the foundation for the music that would be created by The Band.

In October 1967, fourteen Basement Tapes songs were made available so that other artists could cover them. The result was a series of successful covers of these songs by other artists, but it was during this time that the mythic quality of these songs grew in status. People wanted to hear the real thing. As copies were distributed, reports began appearing in a variety of music magazines, which added more of an awe and interest in the music that was created with Dylan and The Band during this time.

In October, Dylan began work on a new album featuring stripped down acoustic performances that would become known as John Wesley Harding. Around this time The Hawks drummer Levon Helm returned and joined the Basement Tapes Sessions. Additionally, It was also during this time that The Hawks began to really find their own voice and they would eventually settle on the name The Band. They would take their newfound style and release their album Music From Big Pink in 1968. An album named after the location where a large majority of the recordings during The Basement Tapes took place. It was also in 1969 when what is considered the first rock bootleg became available to the public. The Great White Wonder spearheaded the bootleg music industry and featured material from The Basement Tapes Sessions, material recorded by Dylan in 1961 and on The Johnny Cash Show.

In 1975, The Band culled sixteen tracks from The Basement Tapes reels and overdubs were added. Additionally, eight original Band recordings made specifically for this release were added to the mix. The Basement Tapes from 1975 featured a rough, yet more concise representation of the songs made in 1967 with Dylan. But even though a greater picture was presented, it still added to the desire to hear the original recordings from 1967 in a larger context. Bootlegs appeared in a variety of forms throughout 1969 up until about 2001 when the A Tree With Roots: The Genuine Basement Tapes appeared. Several songs also appeared on Dylan’s own official Bootleg Series releases. In 2014, all of the surviving and salvageable recordings from these much talked about months in 1967 were put together as The Bootleg Series Volume 11: The Complete Basement Tapes. The recordings were made available in a six CD box set and in other more abbreviated collections.

Despite withdrawing from the public and keeping a lower profile during this time period in his career, a mythic like quality was built up around Dylan at this time. It only helped to add to the ever-changing character of who Bob Dylan was. Never one to follow popular trends, Dylan always did his own thing and in 1967 his music changed again. Now even with the tapes being released officially, the songs created during this time, which “summon sea chanteys, drinking songs, tall tales, and early rock and roll” as stated by Greil Marcus in the 1975 Basement Tapes liner notes are like a ubiquitous musical text or document. However, that mythic quality that first presented itself decades ago still remains. This triumph led Bob Dylan down a different path in the road. It was a path that was not predictable to others, one that could change direction at any time and one that he is still riding.

The Basement Tapes Play List:

1. 900 Miles From My Home (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
2. One Too Many Mornings (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
3. Bells Of Rhymney (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
4. Under Control (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
5. This Wheels On Fire (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
6. Open The Door Homer (Take 1) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
7. Tears Of Rage (Take 1) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
8. Tupelo (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
9. Kickin' My Dog Around (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
10. See You Later Allan Ginsberg (Take 1) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
11. See You Later Allan Ginsberg (Take 2) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
12. I'm Your Teenager Prayer (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
13. Song For Canada (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
14. Don't Ya Tell Henry (The Basement Tapes - 1975)
15. Don't Ya Tell Henry (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
16. Apple Suckling Tree (Take 2) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
17. Lo And Behold! (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
18. Sign On The Cross (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
19. Belshazzar (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete – 2014)
20. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Take 2) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
21. Bonnie Ship The Diamond (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
22. Million Dollar Bash (Take 2) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
23. Odds & Ends (Take 2) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
24. Instrumental Jam (Even A Tomato) (A Tree With Roots - The Genuine Basement Tapes – 2001)
25. I'm Not There (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)
26. I Shall Be Released (Take 1) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 - The Basement Tapes Complete - 2014)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 21. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Actual Water Calls 4 Fun & Show # 547

Toronto’s Actual Water released their most recent full-length album Call 4 Fun in the summer of 2014. Like the band’s previous efforts it offers something different, some say this is their most realized effort to date. On Call 4 Fun, Actual Water fills an album of nine tracks with power pop sounds from the 60’s, 70’s and also attaches elements of punk, garage rock and 90s Halifax oriented rock ala Thrush Hermit and Eric’s Trip. The album is not a carbon copy of the aforementioned influences, instead they serve as reference points throughout this twenty-three minute trip. Lyrically, the album operates on a completely different level at times, but more on that later.

“Take The Stairs” opens Call 4 Fun with its jagged power pop punk complete with smooth melodic rollicking basslines and strong vocal melodies. Lyrically the song is a witty comment on overweight North American societies as the lyrics state “When you go anywhere/I bet you never ever, ever take the stairs/You can be whatever you please/But you gotta workout you gotta bend your knees.” The album’s title track “647-445-1141 (Call 4 Fun)” draws melodies and riffs reminiscent of the sounds of 90s Halifax bands Thrush Hermit and Eric’s Trip, without the 90s sounding production, while a song like “Fire On George St” ignites the listener with a Jam meets Exploding Hearts-like pop mod glory. Lyrically the song portrays the anarchy of Toronto’s troubled George St amongst the stop and start riffs and guitar leads and solos. Another song found on Call 4 Fun, is equally short, under two minutes packing pop and punk influenced potency too, it is titled “Three O’ Clock Kids”. As the song develops we hear of disillusioned youths “eating McDonalds” and staying up all night amongst Paul Simonon sounding basslines and garage rhythms. “Power Pop Radio” features loud chunky windmill guitar riffs, while lyrically the song seems to be identifying with some form loneliness.

Elsewhere on Call 4 Fun, we find the songs “Latoya” and “Waldo Jackson”, two characters within the album’s lyrical and musical construct. “Latoya” first appeared in more frenetic form on the B-side of the 2012 She’s A Priest single, a song about Toronto’s The Burger’s Priest establishment. The theme of Toronto and different parts of it appear scattered throughout Call 4 Fun as well. “Latoya” appears here in a steadier, more refined groove. The song tells the story of summer love, driving and a sense of undefined freedom. Musically the song features tambourines, jangly guitar, power chords in a Big Star meets Guided By Voices fashion. “Waldo Jackson” seems to pull from the sounds that Actual Water experimented with musically on their previous album, The Paisley Orchard. The songs lyrics tell the story of Mr. Jackson who seems to be stubborn and so stuck in his own sense of self worth that he prevents himself from having any actual fun. The band does this with their own sense of reverb-drenched satire, as they do throughout the nine-track Call 4 Fun release. The music video for this song features a discussion between the band members Anthony Price and Gary Arthurs as they discuss rock n’ roll music in a different philosophical context.

On Call 4 Fun, Actual Water’s two chief collaborators Anthony Price and Gary Arthurs construct what some might call a power pop, party rock album. Musically there is a blurry, undefined line somewhere between Nick Lowe, Thrush Hermit and garage rock. The album’s cover provides even more clues as we see images of Ringo Starr, The Strokes, a Lou Reed 8-track cassette, Paul Weller, Bob Dylan and a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, among other paraphernalia. On the surface the album’s lyrics seem to convey the simplicity of a party atmosphere, but there is also a certain mysteriousness that seeps into the songs found here. To coin a term from the “Waldo Jackson” video there are many different verbal arpeggios found on this album. Underneath the surface for those that listen a bit closer there could be another message entirely for listeners to discover under the album’s nine-song guise.

Saturday Night Toronto Play List:

1. A Neon Rome - The Magical Summer Of 85 (New Heroin - 1987)
2. Cardboard Brains - Living Inside My Head (White EP - 1977)
3. Death From Above 1979 - Black History Month (You're A Woman, I'm A Machine - 2004)
4. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Get Pumped Up (Gates Of Hell - 2014)
5. Supreme Bagg Team - If You Could Read My Mind (The Supreme Bagg Team - 1989)
7. PONY - Somethin’ About You (Somethin' About You - 2013)
8. Mexican Slang - Double Trouble (Twerp EP - 2013)
9. The Secrets - Crying Over Her (Wyld Canada Volume 1: Crazy Things - 2005)
10. Canadian Squires - Leave Me Alone (Wyld Canada Volume 3: Endless Dream - 2005)
11. Bobby Kris & The Imperials - A Year From Today (She Belongs To Me/A Year From Today - 1966)
12. Buddy Burke & The Canadian Meteors - That Big Old Moon (That Big Old Moon/Street Of Sorrows - 1957)
13 Jay Sad - Noodle & Egg (Jay Sad Goes - 2009)
14. Papermaps - There Are Wolves (Interior Ghost EP - 2012)
15. Change Of Heart - There You Go (Smile - 1992)
16. Actual Water - Floorboard Speculation (Double Negatives - 2008)
17. Actual Water - Brighton (The Paisley Orchard - 2010)
18. Actual Water - Take The Stairs (Call 4 Fun - 2014)
18. Actual Water - 647-445-1141 (Call 4 Fun) (Call 4 Fun - 2014)
19. Actual Water - Waldo Jackson (Call 4 Fun - 2014)
20. The Viletones - Screaming Fist (Screaming Fist EP - 1977)
21. No Hands - Conquerors (Conquerors/Dirty Water - 2015)
22. Leather Uppers - Carne Mysterioso (Carne Mysterioso - 1993)
23. Arson - Coho Coho (Smash The State: Volume One - 1994)
24. The Government - Flat Tire (The 33 1/3 EP - 1979)
25. The Fits - Bored Of Education (Smash The State: Volume One - 1994)
26. The Diodes - Tennis (Again) (Tired Of Waking Up Tired: The Best Of The Diodes - 1998)
27. Teenanger - Frights (Frights - 2011)
28. Pow Wows - Hidden Future (Broken Curses - 2015)
29. The Ugly Ducklings - Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut (Somewhere Outside - 1966)
30. The Underworld - Love 22 (Unreleased Single - 1968)
31. The Ardels - Piece Of Jewelery (Wyld Canada Volume 2: Shake Yourself Down - 2005)
32. Handsome Ned - One Hundred Miles Of Open Road (The Name Is Ned: Anthology - 2000)
33. Hooded Fang - Too Late Night (Album - 2010)
34. The Poles - CN Tower (CN Tower/Prime Time - 1977)
35. Zro4 - Gimme Attention (Punk History Canada Presents: Only In Canada, Eh 77-81 Volume 1 - 2005)
36. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Zombie Compromise (Savvy Show Stoppers - 1988)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 14. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Chuck Berry Maybellene & Show # 546

When Chuck Berry released his first single Maybellene on Chess Records in July of 1955, North America (and the rest of the world for that matter) was a very different place. Colour TV was still a relatively new thing and not many people owned one. The culture was also a very different place, there was no such thing as a Compact Disc, computers were large over-sized contraptions, the internet was not even in existence yet, America was dominated by fast car counterculture and it was in a state of transition.

After playing in local bands in St. Louis, Missouri most notably the Johnnie Johnson Trio, Chuck Berry had a chance meeting with one of his musical influences when he took a trip to Chicago. Chuck met Muddy Waters who in turn suggested he go see Leonard Chess. After recording a demo tape, the song “Ida May” was seen as potential commercial hit at the time. The song was loosely based on the song “Ida Red” which was one of the many songs Berry had played prior to this and was best known at the time for being recorded by Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys in 1938. This song had roots in country as well as featuring Berry’s R&B dynamics. This was something that set Chuck Berry apart from others in those early days in the mid fifties, he mixed elements of country and western music with blues that appealed to audiences. The song’s lyrics were adjusted and its title was changed to “Maybellene”. Its title was rumoured to have come from either a discarded mascara box laying on the floor of Chess studios or from a cartoon cow that Berry remembered from a third grade reader. Regardless, “Maybellene” became a sensation being played across radio stations in the US and jukeboxes alike. It also charted on the rhythm & blues and pop charts of the day. Maybellene sold one million copies by the end of 1955.

The B-side of this single “Wee Wee Hours” was a blues track that showcased a slower blues groove with smooth vocals provided by Chuck Berry and piano work by Johnnie Johnson. It should also be noted that although this bluesier track was released on this single for Chess Records who were known for their blues recordings, Leonard Chess was more interested in the fast paced A-side “Maybellene”. The single tapped into the popular culture at the time as it moved along with a locomotive rhythm doused in country and western and blues influences. The lyrics told the story of a young man chasing his unfaithful girlfriend around in his V8 Ford. This song helped to lay the foundation of rock n’ roll music, Berry is one of the pioneers in this sound. Just as new technology was on the rise and would soon be featured in every living room in America, Chuck Berry helped to start and establish the wild beat of rock n’ roll music that would influence music for decades of the future generations to come.



Saturday Night Play List:

1. Chuck Berry - Reelin' And Rockin' (Alternate Version) (Five Classic Albums Plus Bonus Singles And Rare Tracks - 2012)
2. Chuck Berry - Thirty Days (To Come Back Home) (Thirty Days/Together - 1955)
3. Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Otis Blue - 1965)
3. T-Bone Walker - You’re My Best Poker Hand (Midnight Blues - 2014)
4. Robert Petway - Catfish Blues (Catfish Blues/Ride 'Em On Down - 1941)
5. Robert Johnson - Me And The Devil Blues (King Of The Delta Blues Singers - 1961)
6. Muddy Waters - Big Leg Woman (Folk Singer - 1965)
7. Andre Williams - I Still Love You (Jailhouse Blues/I Still Love You - 1958)
8. Joe Weaver & His Blue Note Orchestra - Cool As A Cucumber (Going Back To Chicago/Cool As A Cucumber - 1956)
9. Joe Tex - You Said A Bad Word (I Gotcha - 1972)
10. D'Angelo And His Vanguard - 1000 Deaths (Black Messiah - 2014)
11. Prince - Partyup (Dirty Mind - 1980)
12. Tricky - Black Steel (Maxinquaye - 1995)
13. Clancy Eccles - Bangarang Crash (Bangarang Crash/Deacon Don - 1968)
14. Charlie Parker - K.C. Blues (The Essential Charlie Parker - 1992)
15. Matana Roberts - Was The Sacred Day (Coin Coin Chapter Two:  Mississippi Moonchile - 2013)
16. Jelly Roll Morton - Winin' Boy Blues (Winin' Boy Blues/Honky Tonk Music - 1938)
17. The Marvelettes - Locking Up My Heart (Locking Up My Heart/Forever - 1963)
18. The Gories - Charm Bag (House Rockin' - 1989)
19. Death - You’re A Prisoner (... For The Whole World To See - 2009)
20. Staff Benda Bilili - Je T'aime (Tres Tres Fort - 2009)
21. Chuck Berry - Viva Viva Rock and Roll (San Francisco Dues - 1971)
22. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode (Alternate Take 2 & 3) (Johnny B. Goode:  His Complete Chess Recordings - 2008)
23. Chuck Berry - I Wanna Be Your Driver (Chuck Berry In London - 1965)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 7. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Waterloo Persuasion & Show # 545

The Black Angels - Waterloo Waltz

“Waterloo Waltz” is a heavy psychedelic track recorded by the Austin, Texas band The Black Angels for inclusion on the Riley Hawk: Northwest Blow Out EP. Released for free download by Scion AV, the tracks on the EP will accompany an upcoming video series by skateboarder Riley Hawk. Titled Scion X Riley Hawk: Driven, the video series will feature Hawk and The Shep Dawgs visiting their favourite skate parks in the Pacific Northwest. Download the EP for free here.

R.E.M. - Pretty Persuasion

“Pretty Persuasion” is a song from the 1984 album Reckoning by Athens, Georgia band R.E.M. The song displays slow melodic post punk influenced basslines amongst Peter Buck’s jangly guitar rhythms and darker lyrical content from vocalist Michael Stipe, which seems to dominate this release. This album was recorded over the course of sixteen days in December 1983-January 1984 at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, who produced R.E.M.’s first album Murmur, produced this album in a way to capture the band’s live sound. Binaural recording techniques were also used during the recording process for this purpose. Additionally, a short film was made entitled Left Of Reckoning by Athens filmmaker James Herbert. The short film covers the first five songs on Reckoning in a non-traditional style featuring slow motion footage, close-ups and the use of rephotography that was utilized during the edition process of the film.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. The Raevins - The Edge Of Time
2. The Nocturnals - Detroit
3. The Black Angels - Waterloo Waltz
4. The Go-Betweens - Lee Remick
5. Reverend Horton Heat - Bales Of Cocaine
6. Run Coyote - Stranger (In My Own Home)
7. Peter Doherty - Broken Love Song
8. Muelkik - Savage Company
9. Energy Slime - Bustin’ Up
10. Nocturnal Projectors - Moving Forward
11. Five Pound Snap - I Tell Myself
12. Buzzcocks - Don’t Mess Me Around
13. Guided By Voices - Fly Into Ashes
14. REM - Pretty Persuasion
15. Reigning Sound - Falling Rain
16. The Prehistoric Cave Strokers - Make You Mine
17. The Velvet Underground - There She Goes Again (Live)
18. The Pointed Sticks - My Little Red Book (Live 1980)
19. The Gruesomes - Cry In The Night
20. Johnny & The Canadians - A Million Tears Ago
21. Light Bulb Alley - Roll Over Hang Over
22. The Bell Peppers - Rhinestone Rock
23. The Unusuals - Saving My Best
24. Jets - Original Terminal
25. The Dark - John Wayne
26. Subway Sect - Watching The Devil (BBC Session)
27. The Cramps - Beautiful Gardens
28. The Damned - Melody Lee
29. Richard Hell - You Gotta Lose (Live at CBGB 1978 with Elvis Costello)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 31. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Coming Up On Revolution Rock in February 2015!

February is theme month once again for Revolution Rock. I will be doing a different themed program for each of the four weeks in February 2015. Each program will air on a Saturday from 7-9 PM and can be streamed/listened to online via www.cjam.ca or on the FM dial at 99.1 FM in the Windsor/Detroit area.

Here is the scheduled line up:

Rock & Roll Music: Revolution Rock Celebrates Black History Month
February 7th, 2015
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

As with every February, Revolution Rock celebrates Black History Month. This year the program will delve into genres that are not always played on the program such as jazz, reggae, funk, blues, R&B, as well as a mix of some garage and everything in between. Join Dave Konstantino and co-host Adam Peltier for this program that will also feature a focus on the music of Chuck Berry. Being a pioneer of rock music, the program will showcase a selection of Chuck Berry recordings from 1957-1979.

Toronto Then and Now
February 14th, 2015
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Toronto’s Actual Water has been releasing music of differing genres since 2008. Revolution Rock will feature a selection of recordings from this band’s catalog which spans the genres of noise pop, post punk, post-rock, paisley garage jangle pop and most recently the band's foray into power pop on their album Call 4 Fun. In addition to music from Actual Water, the show will also showcase music from Toronto, Ontario’s past and present with garage rock and punk as a main focus.

Unravelling The Basement Tapes
February 21st, 2015
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

In 1967, Bob Dylan and a group of musicians that would eventually be known as The Band began recording what would be known as The Basement Tapes. The sessions, which ran from approximately May - October of 1967 occurred after Dylan had withdrawn himself from his Woodstock home and following his motorcycle accident in July 1966. Recorded in a house known as Big Pink, songs from these sessions would be bootlegged for decades. Join Dave Konstantino and co-host Adam Peltier as they dig deep into the recently released Bootleg Series volume 11, which compiles a plethora of previously unreleased and greatly sought after recordings from the legendary Basement Tapes Sessions that Bob Dylan recorded with The Band in 1967.

Surfbeat: Revolution Surf (The 9th Edition)
February 28th, 2015
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

The February 28th edition of Revolution Rock continues its tradition featuring a program composed entirely of surf music. This year’s program will feature another guest segment from Derk Brigante of The Surfphony Of Derstruction 2000 as we feature selections of sleazy surf tracks. The 9th edition of Revolution Surf will also feature a focus on the album Surfbeat by LA’s The Challengers. Recorded in a whirlwind 3 ½ hour session, Surfbeat was originally released in January of 1963. This album is notable for its historical importance of helping to bring surf music from the west coast into the mainstream subconscious. It is known as the best-selling instrumental surf album of all time.

Viet Cong & Show # 544

Preoccupations’s debut album Viet Cong starts off with “Newspaper Spoons” featuring distorted pounding drums, while reverb vocals penetrate the listener’s subconscious. As the song picks up we hear an icy fuzz pedal that provides a stinging intensity to the song. Towards the end of this track, a synthesizer creeps in and ends the song on a beautiful, somewhat celestial note. The band’s sound has been described as having a post-punk influence and while that is obvious, the remnants of the sounds of Gang Of Four, The Jesus & The Mary Chain, Wire, The Pop Group, This Heat, Joy Division and New Order creep in among this album’s seven-song landscape. Cited as a “winter” album, Viet Cong also takes on an almost industrial aesthetic.

“March of Progress" starts off with an electronic sounding drum pattern, echoing the distorted rhythms of the album’s opening track before a strong melody creeps in with stereo bouncing guitar arpeggios that sound as if they are being played on unplugged instruments. The song shows glimpses of melodies that until this point seem lost amongst the jagged, iced rhythms. Vocalist/bassist Matt Fiegel pours out an impassioned vocal melody near the song's end in between a propelling bassline with lyrics that state “What is the difference between love and hate/We build the buildings and they’re built to break”. This is somewhat appropriate because with each track found here, Viet Cong literally builds and then deconstructs their sound.

“Bunker Buster” appears here in an array of jagged post-punk guitar riffs that bounce back and forth between your speakers in stereoscope. The sounds on this track could be described as Gang Of Four meets Station To Station-era David Bowie. “Continental Shelf” was the first single released for this album back in October 2014. This menacing track could perhaps be best described by the visuals provided by the music video created for this song. In the video a man in a space suit travels through a building as a silver suitcase looms with mysterious smoke pillowing out of it. 80s styled navigation graphics cut in and out, as the character gets closer, the suitcase reveals itself to be rather like a more extreme version of what was found at the end the film noir Kiss Me Deadly. On the surface, some may see Preoccupations’s Viet Cong album as just that, another album by a band that delves deep into their influences. But when you look closer the contents of this album prove to be mysterious, alluring, dark and at times explosive.

“Silhouettes” attacks with up-tempo venom, downplayed with darker sounding bass and vocals as the lyrics “There is no connection left in your head” reverberate within the song's instrumentation. “Death” ends the album appropriately, but in epic proportions. This song is fitting in terms of the subject matter found throughout this release, but it is also notable for melding a series of the band’s influences. This song progresses like an automobile moving through a tunnel on grainy film. It combines the band’s post punk, industrial soundscapes and pop influences all in one. The song ends in a series of aggressive attacks, smooth melodies and dissonance.

Viet Cong is different than its predecessor. The seven song EP entitled Cassette released in 2013, displayed elements of the sounds that would be found on Viet Cong, but on a smaller scale. This album also sets Preoccupations apart from their past. Prior to this album, two of Preoccupation’s members (Matt Fiegel, Mike Wallace) were a part of the band known as Woman. After releasing two albums, Woman split in 2010 and the band ended ultimately with the untimely death of guitarist Christopher Reimer in 2012. When looking at the image on the cover of Viet Cong, we see what appears to be scissors cutting a wrapped up bandaged hand. With seven songs, Calgary’s Preoccupations exposes us to something new as the other hand is revealed.

Saturday's Play List:

1. Dee Dee Ramone - Bad Little Go-Go Girl
2. The Jam - Set The House Ablaze
3. The Fall - Mr.Pharmacist
4. Blitzen Trapper - To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)
5. The New Pornographers - Another Drug Deal Of The Heart
6. Mike Watt & The Missingmen - Up To My Neck In This
7. Manic Street Preachers - Revol
8. Paul Jacobs - Sharp Dress
9. The Missing Lynx With Lloyd J - 13 Reasons
10. Crododiles - Picture My Face
11. James O-L & The Villains - The Old And The New
12. Silent Movie Type - Souvenirs
13. Orphan Choir - Gene Tierney
14. The Lemonheads - Pittsburgh
16. Viet Cong - Silhouettes
17. Women - Locust Valley
18. Chad Vangaalen - Leaning On Bells
19. Viet Cong - Newspaper Spoons
20. The Government - Portrait
21. The Radiators - Contact
22. The Adverts - My Place
23. Sleater-Kinney - No Anthems
24. Iggy & The Stooges - Till The End Of The Night (Detroit Rehearsals Spring 1973)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 24. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Unseen Green Obscene & Show # 543

Christian Bland & The Revelators released their third album, The Unseen Green Obscene in the summer of 2014. The album continues Bland’s trend of digging into mid 60s garage and psychedelia nugget styled sounds. On this release he pays tribute to many of his influences, wearing them on his sleeve. “Syd Barrett Blues”, “Diddley Stomp” and “Brian Wilson” all echo Bland’s influences through his own psychedelic filter. Elements of The Black Angels, Bland’s main band are heard sporadically throughout this release, but The Unseen Green Obscene shows Christian Bland & The Revelators standing on their own. Songs such as “The Last Summer” drip with echoes of reverb, the sounds of 13th Floor Elevators and The Beach Boys, “Daughters Of The Sun” is a six minute drone featuring reverberations blurring the lines of psychedelia and The Cramps, and “Gnostic Blues” features crunchy guitar fuzz and sliding basslines. Bland pays homage to his love of reverb literally, with the sounds explored on “The Reverberation Appreciation Society” with the lyrics and its title. It is also the name of his own label. In a fuzzed out fashion, The Revelators pay tribute to their love of motorcycles on the track “CB160”.

“Alone In Deer Park” is a lethargic trip, which reveals a haunting melody amongst the guitar lines that sound like they are from a 60s horror film, just before the enemy attacks. “Lifeboat” ends the album in a psychedelic folk fashion. At times the vocals on this track and on several others reflect a distance or disconnect from the songs. This is something that is noticeable on The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, but on this album Christian Bland & The Revelators combine this with sunnier sounding rhythms and dark lyrics for dramatic effect. The album’s artwork features a combination of white, red and green colours, which look like they could be abstract sound waves or birds, The Unseen Green Obscene takes flight in a wave of sounds. The sounds on this album separate this band from Bland’s other projects, most notably The Black Angels who do incorporate all the elements mentioned here, but they also seem to a attach a different type of heaviness to their music. The Unseen Green Obscene shows Bland taking his songwriting to a different place. The songs found here take us to a place that blurs the lines that we have known, a rearranging if you will. The Unseen Green Obscene takes us somewhere in between.


Saturday Night Play List:

1. Christian Bland & The Revelators - Gnostic Blues
2. UFO Club - Wolfman
3. Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - Haunted Head
4. The Echo Bombs - King Of Uncool
5. Run Coyote - Only Human
6. Guitar Army - Cruel World
7. The Stray Cats - Built For Speed
8. Paul Camplain - Nicotine
9. The Pretty Things - Get Yourself Home
10. The Black Delta Movement - Ivory Shakes
11. The Aquadolls - Tweaker Kidz
12. The Ketamines - Stay Awake
13. Modern Vices - Keep Me Under Your Arms
14. The Mandates - Wastin’ Time
15. Butthole Surfers - Sea Ferring
16. Scratch Acid - The Greatest Gift
17. The Dirty Nil - Cinnamon
18. Viet Cong - Pointless Experience
19. The Nelsons - Never Hated Fun
20. Those Rogues - Wish I Could See You Again
21. Bradfords - Together We Have Stayed
22. Dum Dum Girls - Bhang Bhang, I”m A Burnout
23. Tire Swing Co. - Happy Valentines Day
24. Beastie Boys - Something’s Got To Give
25. Generation X - Stars Look Down
26. The Hot Nasties - This Is Unlove
27. The Dirty Pretty Things - Deadwood
28. The Libertines - The Delaney
29. The Libertines - The Boys In The Band
30. The Velvet Underground - European Son (Alternate Version)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 17. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Jack White's Lazaretto & Show # 542

Jack White’s Lazaretto starts off with the piano, organ and heavy drum filled “Three Woman”, which on the surface appears to be a song about, well, three woman. It has been hinted at in old interviews that this is what Jack refers to his guitars as. In the song he states, “I got three woman/Red, Blonde and Brunette”, each one apparently one of the guitars he uses in the different bands that he plays in. When looking at the song in this context as the words “How come I gotta have a woman/To blow these blues away?” hover between the organ riffs, perhaps this song is a subliminal telling of what’s to come from Jack musically in the future, or maybe it is simply about what the song’s title suggests. “Three Woman” is carefully disguised and structured not giving too much away, but it also leaves enough for the listener to think about to keep you wondering. The song ends in a rave up of blues guitar riffs, dizzying organ, bass and drums.

The title track “Lazaretto” is a combination of funky rhythms and distorted guitar riffs. The song, which was apparently based off of some old poems that Jack wrote at the age of 19, builds up with a solo before ending out in a combination of slow lumbering riffs, distortion and violin. Lazaretto is an old term that references a quarantine hospital that housed people of disease and it dates back to the late 1700’s and decades prior to this. Within this dynamic, the album takes on a new form as we are quarantined through eleven tracks, with subjects and music structures falling within Jack White’s song writing abilities.

“Temporary Ground” starts off with folk and country sounds. It features piano, pedal steel and female vocals from Little Mae Rische. The song has the same lighthearted feeling that we heard on Elephant and on some of the slower songs on earlier White Stripes recordings. “Would You Fight For My Love?” starts off in a cinematic way of sorts, as tom fills, piano and female harmonies start off the track. When the chorus hits we hear loud volumes of electric guitar. The sound is intense and reminiscent of the feel of early guitar riffs from Link Wray and gritty White Stripes recordings. This blends in with haunting organ and backing vocals as throughout the song we hear lyrics such as “I’m getting better at becoming a ghost” which shows us a transparent feeling lyrically. The instrumental “High Ball Stepper”, apparently was written when White had a day off from touring. It sounds like it could be from a Western, as heavy guitar riffs drift amongst backwards sounding pedal steel and creepy chants.

On “Alone In My Home” Jack sings of “Becoming a ghost/Becoming a ghost/So nobody can know me” and “Lost feelings of love/They hover above me”, bringing us back into the transparent feeling that was first reflected on “Would You Fight For My Love?” but in a different context here. “Entitlement” is a slow country ballad. This is another song that showcases the space in which Jack White fills on Lazaretto. He adds more instrumentation and production values filling out the stereophonic gaps, upgrading the once ramshackle lo-fi garage-blues recordings he’s been known for. With lyrics such as “Stop what you’re doing get back in line/If we can’t be happy then you can’t be too” and “Don’t they feel like they’re cheating somehow” Jack expands on bitter feelings of being told you’re wrong, being told what to do and of peoples sense of entitlement amongst the lush country arrangements that float softly like blades of grass on an old Hank Williams record.

“Just One Drink” lyrically seems to address alcohol and bad relationships as musically the song features a foundation built of rock dynamics as a house of country arrangements sit atop. “Want and Able” ends the album musically, by featuring basic bare bone instruments. The track features, piano, acoustic guitar and vocals only as lyrically the song is a folk tale. We hear about two characters that seem to represent the greedy and sensible sides of one’s consciousness as they get entangled in societal conventions.

On Lazaretto, the listener floats from song to song, stuck if you will, until the album’s conclusion. When released on vinyl, Lazaretto was featured on what was called the “Ultra LP”. The album featured one side that plays in reverse, continuous loops of feedback and birds crowing on each side of the album respectively and, a hologram of an angel. The vinyl literally takes on a journey physically like no other record has before and lyrically it is different than 2011’s Blunderbuss. As the needle drops on Lazaretto, the listener is exiled to a haunting, vicious, at times beautiful place we’ve never been before, until we get cast adrift and turn the record over again.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. Marshmallow Overcoat - Groovy Little Trip
2. The Night Beats - 18 Glowing Phantoms
3. Neil Jarvis - Shred Met
4. Denise & Company - Boy, What’ll You Do Then
5. Luke & The Apostles - Been Burnt
6. Los Straitjackets - Fury
7. Parkay Quarts - Pretty Machines
8. The Replacements - I.O.U.
9. The Nils - Banditos Calling
10. Alex G - After Ur Gone
11. The Heart Attack Kids - Platonic Love Bomb
12. Silent Movie Type - Spillkit
13. Lowlife - Leaders
14. The Flesh Columns - Time's Up
15. Marshmallow Overcoat - 13 Ghosts
16. Tara Watts - S.O.S
17. The Mallard - Over And Under
18. Andre Williams - I Still Love You
19. Johnny Bell - The Third Degree
20. White Heat - Nervous Breakdown
21. The Swollen Members - I Like Living In Scarborough
22. Tricky Woo - Rock 'n' Roll Vs. The World
23. Death - Freakin Out
24. The Flesh Rags - Night Stalker
25. REM - Rotary Ten
26. Bad News Boys - Alone Again
27. Deja Voodoo - Wall Of Paisley
28. Ariel Pink - Put Your Number In My Phone
29. Useless Eaters - American Cars
30. Indian Wars - Who Needs A Girl Like You
31. Jack White - Temporary Ground
32. Jack White - Would You Fight For My Love?

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 10. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Roy Orbison At The Rock House & Show # 541

Roy Orbison’s At The Rock House was first released in 1961 by Sun Records at the same time Orbison started gaining success with his singles on the Monument record label. At the time of this album’s release, Orbison had not yet released a full-length album with the Monument record label. Prior to this, a young Roy Orbison cut his early roots in the orbit of Sun Records with the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. In his brief period with Sun from 1956-1958, Orbison first found success with his single “Ooby Dooby” recorded with his backing band The Teen Kings. The song got Orbison a deal with Sun Records, however, The Teen Kings disbanded shortly after the singles success. Orbison remained on the label as a solo artist recording songs, but also wrote songs for other artists. It wasn’t until he provided The Everly Brothers with the song “Claudette”, also the name of Roy’s first wife, that he was able to buy himself out of his Sun Records contract.

At The Rock House begins with the song “This Kind Of Love” which sets the tone for the album and can be seen as setting the tone for Roy Orbison’s musical style to come. With the lyrics “Our love/Won’t die/Can’t die/This kind of love was meant for you and I”, Orbison reveals a certain emphasis within the song’s structure and context in his voice. It is undeniably Orbison, but at the same time it is more upbeat and more in the presentation of early Sun Records recordings. “Devil Doll”, another early Sun Records song and single cut by Orbison gives us a glimpse of the first signs of the future darker ballad style Orbison would be known for. This song is credited to Sam Phillips, but it was actually written by Roy Orbison. There are several songs on this album that were written by Orbison, but were credited to Phillips. These songs include “This Kind Of Love”, “You’re Gonna Cry”, “I Never Knew” and “Mean Little Mama” to name a few. In addition to this, songwriting credits on this album also feature songs that were written by Johnny Cash “You’re My Baby” and a Harold Jenkins collaboration on “Rock House”. Jenkins is perhaps better known as Conway Twitty.

“It’s Too Late” originally recorded in 1956 and “I Never Knew”, both portray more dramatic elements. “I Never Knew” in particular has the feeling of the Elvis Presley song “Blue Moon”. “You’re Gonna Cry” is a mid-tempo rockabilly ballad showcasing the lyrical style that Orbison fans would identify with. The guitar on this track, (most likely added as an overdub after the fact), adds extra intensity to the song. Other tracks of note here are “You’re My Baby”, a frenetic stop and start track in Sun Records rockabilly style, “Mean Little Mama” with Orbison boasting in a style similar to Elvis Presley and “Rock House”. This song, which is where the album’s title originates from is as mentioned earlier, a song collaborated on with Conway Twitty. This song recorded with The Teen Kings as the backing band, jumps with its rolling treble loaded drum fills and Scotty Moore styled electric guitar licks.

“Problem Child” is the last song found on At The Rock House. On this song Orbison lays his distinctive, impassioned, delicate vocals overtop the tracks wild rock ‘n’ roll foundation. Although the song can be seen as a love song about a problematic relationship, it could also be seen as how Orbison viewed himself at the time. With lyrics such as “Well I do believe in my soul/You’re Out of control with this rock ‘n roll”, these lines emphasize that this could also be a love song in disguise, pulling in more subject matter than it appears when you look beneath the surface. Roy Orbison may have said that he wasn’t comfortable within the rockabilly dynamic, but this song and the eleven others on this release serve as an important document. “Problem Child” and the rest of the songs found on At The Rock House show that Roy Orbison was capable of playing rockabilly, but that he was also a songwriter that had his own distinctive style. His songwriting would eventually be focused on in greater detail, which would lead to Orbison’s own successes in the world of rock music. This album shows his early beginnings with a dash of Sun Records echo and twang.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. 999 - I’m Alive
2. The Tomboys - I’d Rather Fight Than Switch
3. The Len Bright Combo - You’re Gonna Screw My Head Off
4. Young Rival - Elevator
5. Acid Baby Jesus - Who’s First
6. John Otway - Baby’s In The Club
7. Wazmo Nariz - Tele-Tele-Telephone
8. Queen’s Rug - Like A Plague
9. AKA & The Charlatans - 634 Dog
10. Little Richard - Keep A Knockin’
11. Jack Scott - Midgie
12. The Gestics - Invasion
13. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Theme From TV
14. Davie Allan & The Arrows - Blues Theme
15. CJ Ramone - Last Chance To Dance
16. Fifth Column - Like This (Brave New Waves Session)
17. The Animals - Don’t Bring Me Down
18. Tire Swing Co. - Time Away
19. The Black Angels - Molly Moves My Generation
20. Sonic Jesus - Lost Reprise
21. The Electric Vomit - Treasure Hunt
22. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - You Belong To Me (Live)
23. The Government - Telephobia
24. Ty Segall - It’s A Problem
25. Actual Water - Waldo Jackson
26. Dead Ghosts - Summer With Phil
27. Dead Ghosts - Cold Stare
28. Roy Orbison - You’re Gonna Cry
29. Roy Orbison - I Never Knew

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 3. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2014 Highlights & Show # 540

The following is a collection of some of my favourite releases from 2014. Songs from these albums plus several others can be heard in the podcast below. It can be downloaded below the play list.

As a bonus, this year Revolution Rock featured a co-host on several occasions. I have included Adam’s (my occasional co-hosts) top ten in this post as well.

1. Thee Oh Sees - Drop

After announcing that the band will be taking a hiatus last year, Thee Oh Sees released their eighth full-length album at the end of April. Entitled Drop, the album brings in an intense focus to the band’s already established San Franciscan psychedelic garage sound. Apparently recorded in a banana ripening factory, there’s gritty garage sounds with scruffy guitars, psychedelic solos, a bit of kraut rock and elements found on 2012’s Putrifiers II and 2013’s Floating Coffin. Drop is victorious in its savage, primitive and unrelenting garage psych riffs, while the pop elements sink in deeper amongst the synthesizers and crude album cover artwork.

2. Teenanger – E P L P

E P L P is Teenanger from Toronto’s fourth studio album. The album has an undeniable garage punk sleaze to it. The sound on this album is one that is difficult to describe specifically, it is the sound of a band in their element. On E P L P the new wave/post punk influence from previous albums is still apparent, but there seems to be more voluminous guitar riffs that are like shards of shrapnel. Basslines sound thick and at times fuzz addled, as analog sounding drums, snotty vocals by Chris Swimmings and backing vocals provided by Melissa Ball add to the overall battlefield of dynamics found here. With E P L P Teenanger does not misfire. Throughout this nine-track launch the band hones their sound and are right on target.

3. White Fence - For The Recently Found Innocent

Aesthetically, For The Recently Found Innocent finds a balance between the last two releases from White Fence, 2013’s Cyclops Reap and Live In San Francisco, the later of which was an album that showcased White Fence in a full band and in a more revved up fashion. The album features not only Segall on some drum tracks, but also Nick Murray from White Fence’s live band further connecting his last set of releases. On the album’s front cover we see a painted self-portrait of Presley, not unlike Bob Dylan’s own self-portrait cover image from the 1970 album Self Portrait, but those two albums only have a connection with the artwork, not the music. We can see the same gritty canvas beneath the smeared messy painting on the cover, it is still the same White Fence. On For The Recently Found Innocent, Tim Presley has merely stepped out of his home and upgraded to a more proper studio environment utilizing an 8 track recorder (instead of a 4 track) with the help of Ty Segall and in the process, displays a new type of innocence.

4. The Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow

Recorded with Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) and Tommy Brenneck (Budos Band), The Black Lips take their “flower punk” garage sound adding some southern and country influences. There is a brief moment in the music video that was created for the song “Justice After All” that perfectly describes what to expect from Black Lips on this album and more than likely in the future. In the video, we see shots of the band performing live and running down a street. At one point during the solo we see a shot of guitarist Ian Saint Pe playing a solo as another shot of guitarist Cole Alexander slides in and he pukes on the ground. This moment shows the listener and viewer that while they are trying new things, they are still the same band that we have all known. They may have branched out on Underneath The Rainbow, showcasing a slightly different spectrum of sound with Southern twang influences, but they are still the same Black Lips.

5. Ty Segall – Manipulator

Manipulator is a double album that contains a multitude of layers. This 56 minute double album also took fourteen months to record, every other Segall release was recorded and released quickly. Musically the album combines elements of Segall’s most recent projects Fuzz, sounds from the album Slaughterhouse with the Ty Segall Band, acoustic elements, and the garage sounds that he has been known for. Additionally, the influence of 70s glam rock and classic rock sounds dominate this seventeen track release.



6. James O-L & The Villains - On The Banks Of The Detroit River

On The Banks Of The Detroit River was recorded in Kingsville, with Brett Humber at Sound Foundry Studios and overall the album has “More of a bigger sound” and “In general the songs have gotten more aggressive”, as James tells me. Lyrically, this album pulls inspirations from its surroundings. Songs on the album seem to evoke a certain tone, one that comes with living in Essex County. Musically this album draws from the folk/country dynamic that James O-L & The Villains have displayed in the past, but it also mixes with an aggressive, punk/90s rock edge. The songs that make up this album portray the subtleties of a band mixing elements of folk, country and the heavy rains of aggressive feedback.

7. Paul Jacobs - Do It Again

Do It Again was the fourth release by the prolific garage rock machine Paul Jacobs in 2014. His first two releases, a split with Vaguess entitled I’ll Listen To This Later and the full-length I Need A Place To Keep My Stuff, both featured Paul Jacobs in his one-man band setup. Paul released the Mouldy Love EP in June of 2014, doing things a bit differently recording with a traditional full band set up and bass, something that has been absent from his solo recordings. Released in October 2014, Do It Again featured the same full band more traditional setup. This release was a collection of re-recordings from Paul Jacobs back catalog even featuring a song from Raised By Weeds, a three-piece band that he played with back in 2012. With Do It Again, Paul Jacobs reworks some of his best songs, presenting them in a compilation-like fashion. The songs still sound as fresh, exhilarating and sometimes better than the original versions. Paul Jacobs does it again, in more ways than one.

8. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Gates Of Hell

Four of the album’s tracks were recorded with Ben Cook of the band Fucked Up. Sam Coffey covered the rest of the production, recording in the band’s practice space and a variety of other locations adding to the album’s character, as he has done with previous Iron Lungs recordings. Gates Of Hell covers a lot of topics lyrically and musically adds to the Iron Lungs palate. Sam Coffey originally from Waterloo, Ontario, recently relocated to Toronto and expanded his band to a six-piece group. More people in the band means there could be more complication in the overall sound of the group. The band does not fall into this trap here. The band’s sound may have expanded with more members and higher production values, but on Gates Of Hell, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs deliver an album that deals with many hellish complex subjects, whether metaphorically or bluntly throughout the album’s lyrical content. Musically they still keep the rowdy, pub-crawl spirit that drew us to them in the first place.

9. Guided By Voices - Motivational Jumpsuit

The first of two albums that Guided By Voices released in 2014, before their eventual split. This album finds the band in one of their unique, prolific creative pockets featuring songs drawing comparison to 1994’s Bee Thousand, 1995’s Alien Lanes and 1996’s Under The Bushes Under The Stars. With Motivational Jumpsuit, Guided By Voices zip up all the loose ends, but not too tightly. Featuring twenty tracks under forty minutes, this album proves that they can still make a great album twenty-one albums into their career.



10. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Sunbathing Animal, the band’s third full-length album was recorded in between touring, the sessions also produced an EP beforehand entitled Tally All The Things You Broke. With Sunbathing Animal, Parquet Courts lean more towards the punk, post punk and garage elements of the band with hints of their early noisy beginnings. The band also released another album Content Nausea near the end of 2014 under the band Name Parkay Quarts. The band features a slightly different line-up, but is primarily the work of Andrew Savage and Austin Brown from Parquet Courts.



Adam’s Top Ten for Revolution Rock:

1. Sun Kil Moon – Benji
2. Swans – To Be Kind
3. Perfume Genius – Too Bright
4. Iceage – Plowing Into The Field Of Love
5. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
6. Aerial Pink – Pom Pom
7. Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
8. Ty Segall – Manipulator
9. White Lung – Deep Fantasy
10. Ought – More Than Any Other Day

Best of 2014 Play List:

1. Parquet Courts - Instant Disassembly (Sunbathing Animal - What's Your Rupture? 2014)
2. Parkay Quarts - Content Nausea (Content Nausea - What's Your Rupture? 2014)
3. Guided By Voices - Planet Score (Motivational Jumpsuit - Guided By Voices Inc. 2014)
4. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Hold Me Close (Gates Of Hell - South Paw Records 2014)
5. Paul Jacobs - Waking Up (Do It Again - Self Released 2014)
6. James O-L & The Villains - Late Night Drive (On The Banks Of The Detroit River - Famous Last Records 2014)
7. Ought - Weather Song (More Than Any Other Day - Constellation Records 2014)
8. White Lung - Just For You (Deep Fantasy - Domino 2014)
9. Ty Segall - Connection Man (Manipulator - Drag City 2014)
10. Mac DeMarco - Blue Boy (Salad Days - Captured Tracks 2014)
11. Ariel Pink - Nude Beach A Go-Go (Pom Pom - 4AD 2014)
12. King Tuff - Magic Mirror (Black Moon Spell - Sub Pop 2014)
13. OFF! - I Won't Be A Casualty (Wasted Years - Vice 2014)
14. Chad Vangaalen - Leaning On Bells (Shrink Dust - Sub Pop 2014)
15. The Black Angels - The Flop (Clear Lake Forest EP - Blue Horizon Records 2014)
16. Kestrels - Wide Eyes (The Moon Is Shining Our Way EP - Noyes/Sonic Unyon 2014)
17. Ty Segall - Manipulator (Manipulator - Drag City 2014)
18. St. Vincent - Birth In Reverse (St. Vincent - Loma Vista/Republic Records 2014)
19. Iceage - Forever (Plowing Through The Field Of Love - Matador 2014)
20. Perfume Genius - Longpig (Too Bright - Matador 2014)
21. The Black Lips - Dorner Party (Underneath The Rainbow - Vice 2014)
22. White Fence - Anger! Who Keeps You Under (For The Recently Found Innocent - Drag City Records 2014)
23. Swans - A Little God in My Hands (To Be Kind - Young God/Mute Records 2014)
24. Sun Kil Moon - Pray for Newtown (Benji - Caldo Verde Records 2014)
25. Teenanger - Sky Saxon (E P L P - Telephone Explosion 2014)
26. Thee Oh Sees - Drop (Drop - Castle Face 2014)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

For those keeping track, episode number 538 was a repeat of show number 531.  It can be downloaded here.

The Clash Live - Joe Strummer Day 2014 (Show 539)

For CJAM FM’s 5th annual Joe Strummer Day marathon, where the station addresses issues related to poverty in the Windsor/Detroit area surrounded by the music created by Joe Strummer and The Clash, I hosted a two-hour program featuring a selection of live Clash recordings. These recordings range from a wide variety of Clash bootlegs to material from official Clash live releases From Here To Eternity: Live (1999) and Live At Shea Stadium (2008).

Here are some recordings of note that were featured on this program:

Bonds International Casino 1981

In May-June of 1981, The Clash played a series of live shows in New York City. Initially the band were to play a series of eight live shows throughout the end of May and in early June 1981. Due to the venue reaching over capacity because of tickets being oversold by promoters, the fire department had to intervene. This resulted in a planned May 30th show being cancelled, but the band decided to extend the amount of shows they were to play. The Clash wound up playing a total of 17 live shows during this May-June period, sometimes playing two shows in a day. While widely bootlegged, some of these shows were recorded professionally. Performances from the bands June 13th date turned up on the 1999 From Here To Eternity: Live album. This album compiled various recordings from 1978-1982 from the band’s career. The band’s time at Bonds was also documented in Don Letts’ Westway To The World documentary.

Live At The Agora Theater, Cleveland, Ohio 1979

In February 1979, The Clash embarked on their first US tour. Playing with Bo Diddley as support on this nine-show tour, the band dubbed this tour the “Pearl Harbor” tour. This show features many songs from the band’s Give 'Em Enough Rope period and the songs and singles from the band’s first titled album. All of these songs are prior to the release of the Cost Of Living EP released in May 1979 and London Calling, which would be released in December 1979. Other facts of note during this period in the band’s career are that the first self-titled album was not initially released in the US. As a result, the album was a high selling import album, reportedly selling 100,000 copies. A modified version of The Clash’s first album was released in 1979 for the US market expanding to the original track listing. In reference to the recording of this live show at the Agora Theater, it is from a soundboard source, but it is however rough sounding at times. Despite this, The Clash’s show at The Agora Theater on February 13th, 1979 features an early example of the band in their explosive live glory on one of the dates on their first US tour. Some of these recordings have also been broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio program.

JSD 2014 Play List:

1. What’s My Name (Music Machine, London, England - July 27th, 1978 - From Here To Eternity: Live)
2. English Civil War (The Lewisham Odeon, London, England - February 18th, 1980 - From Here To Eternity II)
3. Safe European Home (The Lyceum Theatre, London - December 28, 1978 - From Here To Eternity II)
4. Jail Guitar Doors (The Lyceum Theatre, London - December 28, 1978)
5. Guns Of Brixton (Bonds International Casino - NYC - June 13th, 1981 - From Here To Eternity)
6. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais (Reital France - June 14th, 1980)
7. Police & Thieves (The Agora - Cleveland, Ohio - February 13th, 1979)
8. The Prisoner (St. Paul, Minnesota - June 12th, 1979)
9. I Never Did It (The 100 Club - London, England - August 31st, 1976)
10. How Can I Understand The Flies (The 100 Club - London, England - August 31st, 1976)
11. Remote Control (Mont De Marsan Festival - France - August 5th, 1977)
12. Cheapskates (The Lyceum Theatre, London - December 28, 1978 - From Here To Eternity II)
13. City Of The Dead (The Agora - Cleveland, Ohio - February 13th, 1979)
14. Jimmy Jazz (The Capitol Theater - Passaic, NJ - March 8th, 1980)
15. Stay Free (The Capitol Theater - Passaic, NJ - March 8th, 1980)
16. Magnificent Seven Armagideon Time Medley (Shea Stadium - October 13th, 1982 - Live At Shea Stadium)
17. Ivan Meets GI Joe (Japp Edenhall - Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 10th, 1981)
18. Bankrobber (Brixton Fair Deal - London, England - July 30, 1982)
19. One More Time (Japp Edenhall - Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 10th, 1981)
20. London Calling (Japp Edenhall - Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 10th, 1981)
21. Radio Clash (Bonds International Casino - NYC - June 9th, 1981)
22. The Call Up (Bonds International Casino - NYC - June 9th, 1981)
23. Complete Control (Bonds International Casino - NYC - June 13th, 1981 - From Here To Eternity)
24. Koka Kola (The Palladium - NYC - September 21, 1979)
25. I'm So Bored With The USA (The Palladium - NYC - September 21, 1979)
26. I Fought The Law (The Lyceum Theatre, London - December 28, 1978)
27. Janie Jones (Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, Illinois - September 14, 1979)
28. Garageland (The Capitol Theater - Passaic, NJ - March 8th, 1980)

Download this program here!

Check out and download some of the other programs from CJAM FM's Joe Strummer Day 2014 here!

Motivational Jumpsuits and Cool Planets & Show # 537

The ever prolific Robert Pollard reformed Guided By Voices with their classic 1992-1996 line-up featuring Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos, and Kevin Fennell in 2010 for a series of live shows beginning with Matador Records 21st anniversary. In 2012, they returned in recorded form with this line-up for three albums (Let’s Go Eat The Factory, Class Clown Spots A UFO and The Bears For Lunch), in 2013 they released the EP Down By The Racetrack and the album English Little League. This album was rumored to be their last, but 2014 saw the release of two more albums with this line-up Motivational Jumpsuit and Cool Planet (minus Kevin Fennell on drums). This myriad of releases rivals some of the prolific material that the band released during the 90s, but these albums mixed more modern recording techniques with the band’s lo-fi tendencies. After six albums and an EP, Robert Pollard with the reformed line-up announced announced that the band has finally called it quits.

Released in February 2014, Motivational Jumpsuit rivals some of Guided By Voices best material drawing comparisons to material found on 1994’s Bee Thousand, 1995’s Alien Lanes and Under The Bushes Under The Stars from 1996. As with these aforementioned albums, Motivational Jumpsuit features a collection of sometimes ramshackle, lo-fi sounding recordings alongside some more studio-produced sounding efforts. This album also features plenty of Tobin Sprout written songs in conjunction with material by the irreverent Robert Pollard. The album starts off with the echo filled drums and the guitar driven sound of “The Littlest League Possible”. As Pollard alludes to baseball and the music industry at the same time this song features catchy and witty lyrics in less than two minutes (one minute and 18 seconds to be exact). But this song exemplifies what Guided By Voices do best, which are short and straight to the point songs with strong melodic hooks.

“Writer’s Bloc (Psycho All The Time)” features garage rock and post punk jabs as Pollard sings tongue-in-cheek about a subject that we might not ever have thought Robert Pollard would utter. “Planet Score” has to be one of the top songs in the bands catalog as Robert Pollard sings of the haunting musical memories in the present tense with a melodic crunch. Tobin Sprout struts a psychedelic swing in “Jupiter Spin”, a candy coated Byrdsian sound in “Record Level Love”, while “Shine (Tomahawk Breath)” features a slow pop melody with fuzzy distorted Big Star nostalgia. Additionally, Sprout adds to to several of Robert Pollard sung/written tracks on Motivational Jumpsuit such as “I Am Columbus”. These songs in addition to “Vote For Me Dummy”, “Bulletin Borders”, the lo-fi tape flutter Who influenced “Evangeline Dandelion” and the gritty hook-filled “Alex and The Omegas” all count as highlights on this release. With Motivational Jumpsuit, Guided By Voices zip up all the loose ends, but not too tightly. Featuring twenty tracks under forty minutes, this album proves that they can still make a great album twenty-one albums into their career.

In May 2014, Guided By Voices released what is now said to be their last album, Cool Planet. This album differs from the previous five that were released during this 2010-2014 period of the band. It was recorded in a proper studio. While the hiss and fuzziness of their lo-fi style may be missing from this album, the scrappiness and ubiquitous nature of Guided By Voices remains strong here. This album also differs in the line-up, drummer Kevin Fennell is not behind the drum kit for Cool Planet, but Kevin March is. March originally played with GBV from 2002-2004 and was featured on what was labeled their last release in 2004, the psychedelic melancholic Half Smiles Of The Decomposed. Fittingly he returns here for what is said to be the band’s last album, again, but a decade later.

“Authoritarian Zoo” starts off Cool Planet with a gut punch of guitar riffs and drums with a sound somewhat reminiscent to 2004’s “Everybody Thinks I’m A Raincloud (When I’m Not Looking)”. This song sonically and lyrically provides something different from the opening moments of the softer dimensions of Half Smiles Of The Decomposed and even Motivational Jumpsuit’s “The Littlest League Possible”. Elements of the song “Motor Away” from 1995’s Alien Lanes pops up on “Hat Of Flames” where Pollard sings of a mysterious character with a “Magic code to the parading masses”. This song ignites with its spark inducing fuzz garage riffs amongst Robert Pollards pop hooks. Amongst the eighteen tracks on Cool Planet, we are also visited by more Tobin Sprout originals. “All American Boy” is a spiraling pop gem featuring vibrating guitar leads and pounding piano, “The Bone Church” shows Sprout spreading his wings on the heavier side of rock, tipping his hat to Black Sabbath and the piano induced “Narrated By Paul”. This song along with several of Sprout’s recent contributions to the reformed GBV have had Beatles references, whether musically or in song title variations. This influence/reference pops up again in the echo and acoustic driven “Ticket To Hide”.

Other tracks worth of note on this album includes the windmill rush of “Pan Swimmer”, “Cream Of Lung”, which seems to compliment Sprout’s “The Bone Church”, and “Males Of Wormwood Mars” which proves to be Cool Planet’s strongest pop success. With its watery verses, and Keith Moon styled drums provided by Kevin March, this song tucks itself away near the end of the album. “Bad Love Is Easy To Do” starts off in a fashion similar to “Teenage FBI”, but showcases the songwriting abilities of Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout as they sing of a love song in a way only they could. This song comes off with an effortless success as it balances jittery verses, pop choruses and calming breakdowns supplied by Tobin Sprout. The album ends with its title track, “Cool Planet”.

On 2004’s Half Smiles Of The Decomposed, “Huffman Flying Field” ended a chapter in the GBV discography as Bob & company sang of visiting mysterious fields and being “Closed and locked up for far too long”. In 2014, “Alex & The Omegas” ended Motivational Jumpsuit with the lyrics “Get out alright/Nothing’s on/Everything’s over/It’s the living end” drawing a gritty connection between the band and their status. Finally on the title track to Cool Planet, the band executes a ramped up fuzzy Who-like pattern in less than two minutes as Pollard sings the abstract lines of “Heroes do matter/Insects do scatter”. If these three songs can show us anything, they reveal a sense of wanting to travel down the same path, but at the same time a desire to stop and change course. Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices have achieved a rarity in music. While at times people identify sameness in the GBV sound there is also diversity in the band’s catchy, aggressive and at times lo-fi approach to music. Lyrically, GBV has ventured into all kinds of territories. We may be saying goodbye to Guided By Voices again, but after the hiss and fade out of another chapter in the Guided By Voices catalog ends, a few lines of “Littlest League Possible” from Motivation Jumpsuit provides us with an abstract clue for Robert Pollard’s approach to music and what GBV fans having been thinking for a long time. “And Meanwhile and after too much/You’d run out of gas/But that’s not possible”.

Guided By Voices Play List:

1. A Salty Salute (Live) (Hardcore UFOS - 2003)
2. Hot Freaks (Bee Thousand - 1994)
3. Everywhere With Helicopter (Universal Truths And Cycles - 2002)
4. Postal Blowfish (Brain Candy Soundtrack - 1996)
5. Draw(In)g To A (W)hole (God Save The Clean - 1997)
6. Cut-Out Witch (Under The Bushes Under The Stars - 1996)
7. Weed King (Propeller - 1992)
8. A Good Flying Bird (Alien Lanes - 1995)
9. The Unsinkable Fats Domino (Let's Go Eat the Factory - 2012)
10. Worm W/ 7 Broken Hearts (Class Clown Spots A UFO - 2012)
11. Liar’s Tale (Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia - 1989)
12. Demons Are Real (Bee Thousand - 1994)
13. Kicker of Elves (Bee Thousand - 1994)
14. Robert Pollard - Back To The Farm (Superman Was A Rocker - 2008)
15. The Other Place (Forever Since Breakfast - 1986)
16. Captains Dead (Devil Between My Toes - 1987)
17. Taco, Buffalo, Birddog and Jesus (Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft - 2000)
18. My Valuable Hunting Knife (7 Inch Version) (Tigerbomb EP - 1995)
19. Shocker In Gloomtown (The Grand Hour EP - 1993)
20. #2 in the Model Home Series (Vampire on Titus - 1993)
21. Drag Days (Under The Bushes Under The Stars - 1996)
22. Drinkers Peace (Same Place The Fly Got Smashed - 1990)
23. Little Whirl (Alien Lanes - 1995)
24. Shine (Tomahawk Breath) (Motivational Jumpsuit - 2014)
25. The Sudden Death Of Epstein’s Ways (English Little League - 2013)
26. Crybaby 4-Star Hotel (English Little League - 2013)
27. Surgical Focus - (Do The Collapse - 1999)
28. Sister, I Need Wine (Isolation Drills - 2001)
29. Girls Of Wild Strawberries (Half Smiles Of The Decomposed - 2004)
30. Can’t Stop (Sandbox - 1987)
31. Sensational Gravity Boy (Briefcase - Suitcase Abridged: Drinks And Deliveries - 2000)
32. I Am A Tree (Mag Earwig! - 1997)
33. I Am A Scientist (Live at X-Fest 1999) (X Fest 99 - 1999)
34. Smoggy Boy (The Bears For Lunch - 2012)
35. Males Of Wormwood Mars (Cool Planet - 2014)
36. Teenage FBI (Original Version) (Wish In One Hand EP - 1997)
37. Game Of Pricks (Alien Lanes - 1995)
38. The Ugly Vision (Alien Lanes - 1995)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 13. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.