The Lounge Lizards - Voice of Chunk & Episodes # 908, 907, 906

Formed in 1978 by Saxophonist John Lurie and pianist and brother Evan Lurie, The Lounge Lizards were part of the underground New York music scene. The band went through line up changes throughout the years and had a devout following in not only the US, but in Europe and Japan as well. The Lounge Lizards were a jazz band, but not your typical jazz band. They challenged jazz conventions. The Lounge Lizards had been described as tongue-in-cheek jazz earlier in their career, but went on to combine different genres mixing elements of sophistication and chaos. John Lurie recently released The History of Bones, his memoir. In the book, he discusses his life as a musician and artist. He holds nothing back. The book covers recording and his time with The Lounge Lizards, his acting, several of the scores he created for films and many other things.

In 1988, The Lounge Lizards recorded an album called Voice of Chunk. A lot of work went into this album, but at the time they couldn’t get a label to release it in the US. It was released in Europe and Japan and selling well, but there was difficulty in the US. In order to promote and sell this album, Lurie decided to release it himself on his Strange & Beautiful Music label. But, to sell it in the US, he decided to record a few infomercials to sell it over the late night TV airwaves through mail order. Voice Of Chunk would be the last album to feature this particular line up of the band. Throughout their career only John and Evan remained constant. This line up on this album features Marc Ribot (guitar/trumpet), Dougie Bowne (drums), Erik Sanko (bass), Roy Nathanson (alto soprano/tenor saxophone), Curtis Fowkles (trombone), E.J. Rodriguez (percussion), Evan Lurie (piano) and of course alto/soprano saxophonist and main composer John Lurie.

The album starts off with the track “Bob the Bob,” a song that has a soulful tranquility to it and one that seems to also draw on jazz and world music rhythms. The song was a written as a tribute as John Lurie’s roommate and friend Kazu Makino, who would later go on to play with Blonde Redhead as the vocalist/rhythm guitarist. The title track is a bit more chaotic and is a good example of how the Voice of Chunk album and song capture a noisy anarchy while at the same time contrasting it with softer, more melodic melodies. The drums played by Dougie Bowne and the bass hold down the chaotic nature of the song as saxophones from John Lurie and Roy Nathanson move with erratic guitar from Marc Ribot to a certain type of sophistication that the listener gets lost in. The title of the song “One Big Yes” was inspired by a personal ad that appeared in the back of the Village Voice that Lurie read. The music on this track is truly captivating as it combines different time signatures and genres in a way that The Lounge Lizards did so well.

“The Hanging” has a cinematic feel to it that could be described as jazz noir. It pulls you in with its sultry charms. “Uncle Jerry” has a calming intensity to it, the song’s title is a reference to Lurie’s uncle of the same name. Halfway through the song, it switches tempos as it builds up to a manic rush before reaching its calming culmination. “A Paper Bag and the Sun” begins with a series of exotic, world music rhythms as noisy guitar and drums come in slowly and juxtapose themselves with the earlier melodies. As the song progresses they seem to carry on throughout the noisy elements of the song in a way that eventually overtakes everything in a feverish style. “Tarantella” changes the pace and stands out as quite different from the rest of the tracks found here. Dominated by the bouncy bass from Erik Sanko and piano played by Evan Lurie, the song exudes an eerie vaudeville nature while also drawing on Italian folk dance music. “Sharks Can’t Sleep” is a claustrophobic and truly frenzied track that is the second last track found on this album. "Travel" ends the album with otherworldly jazz sounds.

On Voice of Chunk, The Lounge Lizards display their avant-garde jazz sounds in what many feel is their best album. It’s hard to disagree with this statement. Every Lounge Lizards album has something to offer that is different. There are always shades of the avant-garde, melodious moments, something that is wild and unpredictable, but each one feels different. Elements of the experimental with the influences of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, world music and a noisy anarchy that crosses rhythms with more melodic melodies are found on Voice of Chunk. The adventurous nature of their earlier work is present here on this album, but the melodies are stronger, smoother and more sophisticated. With Voice of Chunk, The Lounge Lizards showcase their own inspired brand of beautiful anarchy.

Voice of Chunk Commercial:

John Lurie's memoir The History of Bones.

 

Show 908 (Originally Aired On November 13th, 2021)(Lounge Lizards, Marvin Pontiac, Heavy Trash, Odonis Odonis, Ty Segall):

1.  Andy Shauf - Judy
2.  Jon Mckiel - Cold Hand Becomes The Master
3.  Daniel Romano's Outfit - Tears Through A Sunshine
4.  The Sadies - A Steep Climb
5.  James O-L - East On Your Own
6.  Hot Garbage - X-Ray
7.  Spectres - To The Victor
8.  Odonis Odonis - Impossible
9.  Gal Gracen - Grass Mask
10. Heavy Trash - Bedevilment
11. The Blues Explosion - Rivals
12. Jon Spencer - Do The Trash Can
13. The Contortions - Contort Yourself
14. BADBADNOTGOOD - Mirror City
15. The Lounge Lizards - Incident On South Street
16. The Lounge Lizards - Fat House
17. The Lounge Lizards - My Trip To Ireland
18. The Lounge Lizards - Bob the Bob
19. The Lounge Lizards - Queen of All Ears
20. Marvin Pontiac - Small Car
21. Wavves - Thru Hell
22. Tough Age - "Walk!"
23. Amyl & The Sniffers - Freaks to the Front
24. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Don't Die
25. Ty Segall - Feel Good

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 13 file to download/stream the episode.
 

Show 907 (Originally Aired On November 6th, 2021)(Jarvis Cocker, Tricky Woo, Teenage Cavegirl, Parquet Courts):

1.  Jarvis Cocker - Dans Ma Chambre 
2.  Jarvis Cocker - Contact 
3.  La Luz - I Won't Hesitate
4.  Pointed Sticks - There's The Door
5.  Knoxville Girls - 50 Feet High 50 Feet Down
6.  Ada Lea - Damn 
7.  Possum - Gala at Universe City 
8.  Circuit Des Yeux - Dogma 
9.  Hand Habits - No Difference 
10. Illuminati Hotties - Joni: LA's No. 1 Health Goth 
11. Wolf Alice - Play the Greatest Hits 
12. Dogo Suicide - Ostrava 
13. Wine Lips - In the Clear
14. The Mystery Lights - Can't Get Through My Head 
15. Warm Drag - Butch Things 
16. Teenage Cavegirl - Space Girl 
17. Teenage Cavegirl - No Good/So Bad 
18. The 3Ds - Hey Seuss 
19. Ancient Shapes - My Adidas (Revisited) 
20. Ancient Shapes - Political Rain 
21. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Needle Boy
22. Tricky Woo - Get Around 
23. Tricky Woo - Teach Us American 
24. Tricky Woo - Fly The Orient 
25. Thee Headcoatees - Give It To Me
26. Visibly Choked - A Snake Called Ean 
27. Molchat Doma - Sudno
28. Parquet Courts - Black Widow Spider 
29. Guided By Voices - High in the Rain
30. Fontaines D.C. - Black Angel Death Song
31. RAYS - Lost in the Cage
32. Actors - Strangers
33. Fifth Column - Donna
34. Property! - Running Away 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 6 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 906 (Originally Aired On October 30th, 2021) (Horror Soundtracks Edition):

1.  Howard Shore - Welcome To Videodrome (Videodrome Soundtrack - Varèse Sarabande - 1992)
2.  Colin Stetson - Charlie (Hereditary (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Milan - 2018)
3.  Disasterpiece - It Follows (It Follows (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Milan 2015)
4.  Howard Shore - Head Full of Strangers (Scanners / The Brood - Mondo - 2015)
5.  The Garrys - Djavulen (Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages - Grey Records - 2020)
6.  The Garrys - Apelone's Dream (Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages - Grey Records - 2020)
7.  Stewart Copeland - Strange Things Happen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Music From The Motion Picture) - I.R.S. Records - 1986)
8.  Devo - Let's Talk (Fright Night (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Private I Records - 1985)
9.  Creedence Clearwater Revival - Sinister Purpose (Green Room (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Milan - 2016)
10. Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man (Zodiac Soundtrack - Lakeshore Records - 2007)
11. Colin Newman - Alone (Silence of the Lambs Soundtrack - MCA Records - 1991)
12. Tragically Hip - Locked in the Drunk of a Car (Devil's Mile (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - 2014)
13. Little Richard - Keep A Knockin' (Christine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Motown - 1983)
14. The Cramps - Goo Goo Muck (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Music From The Motion Picture) - I.R.S. Records - 1986)
15. Joe Tex - The Love You Save (May Be Your Own) (Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Maverick/Warner Bros. - 2007)
16. Willy DeVille - It's So Easy  (Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Maverick/Warner Bros. - 2007)
17. April March - Chick Habit  (Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Maverick/Warner Bros. - 2007)
18. The Cramps - Surfin' Dead (The Return of the Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Enigma Records - 1985)
19. Roky Erickson - Burn the Flames (The Return of the Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Enigma Records - 1985)
20. Broken Social Scene - Horses (The Tracey Fragments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Darla Records - 2008)
21. Fembots - Who's Gonna Know Your Name (The Tracey Fragments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Darla Records - 2008)
22. John Carpenter - Halloween 1978 (Halloween (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Columbia - 1979)
23. E.C. Woodley - Dream #1 (Antiviral (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Lakeshore Records - 2013)
24. E.C. Woodley - Hallucination (Antiviral (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Lakeshore Records - 2013)
25. Ralph Jones - Main Titles (The Slumber Party Massacre (Original Motion Picture Score) - Web Records - 1982)
26. Ennino Morricone - End Titles & Credits (The Thing: The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack) - LScores/MCA - 2010)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 30 file to download/stream the episode.

For those keeping track, episode 905 was a repeat of episode 904, which featured an interview with The Garrys. You can find that playlist here and download/listen to the episode here.

Get Thee To A Nunnery: An Interview with The Garrys & Show # 904

Get Thee To A Nunnery is the fourth full-length album by Saskatoon’s The Garrys. This three-piece sister trio features Erica Maier (guitar/vocals), Julie Maier (bass/vocals) and Lenore Maier (drums/vocals). They first started appearing on underground music radar with 2017’s Surf Manitou, which brought their prairie inspired surf dynamics and combined them with folk-like tales of Manitou Beach, SK, a family vacation spot that the Maier’s visited when younger. They also sung of sea monsters that lurked those parts. In 2020, The Garrys released their score to the 1922 silent film Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages, which was performed and recorded live as the film played in a theatre. They describe their music as “dreamy blood harmony surf rock doom-wop on morphine.” Surf, psychedelia, doo-wop, garage and cinematic sounds of composers such as Ennino Morricone influence the music, but it is so much more than that description. Produced by Dallas Good of the Sadies, Get Thee To A Nunnery was released on vinyl, cassette, CD and digitally on September 24th, 2021 via Grey Records.

“Get Thee To A Nunnery” starts off the album. The song begins with a splurge of organ sounds before the mod-pop sound of artists such as April March and Frances Gall filter in with the band’s surf dynamics. This album and this track specifically are influenced by stories of the band’s mother in her teenage years attending an all girls Catholic boarding school in the 1960s Saskatchewan. Lyrically, The Garrys delve into themes of Catholic guilt and the push and pull redemption that comes with it with words such as “You’re breaking your mama’s heart, baby/They hardly even know you lately/Could you straighten out now maybe?/Gotta get thee to a nunnery,” while at the same time there is an undeniable tension and nostalgic quality that runs through this track (and album). “Ambrosia Salad” provides an instrumental break in the early moments of the album, but one that is painted in cinematic tones of sepia. Although there are no lyrics in this track, other than the haunting vocal harmonies that drift in and out between surf riffs, the title of this song ties in with Greek Mythology and the folk-like tales that have familial and roots of the surrounding prairies that are present throughout Get Thee To A Nunnery.

“Sintaluta” brings in darker psychedelic surf vibes. Taking its title from a small prairie town in Saskatchewan, lyrics such as “And when I knew it was something good/I was afraid to leave where I stood/I called to you but you walked away/And didn’t notice, I guess that’s okay,” express a fleeting existential feeling in-between swirling guitars and otherworldly sounding vocals. “Devil’s Dip” brings in trippy, psychedelic surf guitar riffs mixing in with soulful basslines and laidback drumbeats. “Bury Me With My Money” is an on edge, yet melodic track that is surrounded in waves of darker lyrical thoughts of a greedy outlaw that wouldn’t be out of place in black & white western movie. With its B-movie horror inspired organ and descending basslines that lock in with the travelling drumbeats, “Hwy 11-Tumbleweed” floats with wandering surf guitars, as “Fallen Woman” comes in as the eighth track on Get Thee To A Nunnery. With its crunchy garage rock guitars and words such as “You keep tellin’ me but I can’t see the light/I can hear what you’re saying but it can’t be right/From the demon, liar, priest, and sacrificed,” this song questions a religious upbringing and oppression. It also operates on other levels as it analyzes trying to find your place within traditions and values you had growing up in the present.

“It’s Over” is a song that is heavily influenced by doo-wop music. Or as described by the band “doom-wop,” this catchy and melancholic track captures a 1950s atmosphere drawing on 1950s heartbreak songs and girl group aesthetics. It also swims with feelings of wistfulness. While it deals with lies and an ending relationship, it also ties in with other themes present on album when juxtaposing with stories and occurrences of the past. “R.M. of Wolverine” ends Get Thee To A Nunnery. The longest track on the album at four minutes and thirty two seconds, this track has instrumental interludes between sparse lyrics such as “Just a hole in the ground/nothing more” and “Just the wind/In the grass/Now it’s all in the past/Like we were before,” that creates a mood as it ebbs and flows with cinematic dark surf vibes, intense fuzz guitar and eerie vocals. Taking its title from the Rural Municipality of Wolverine in Saskatchewan, The Garrys take this small town setting and characterize it, giving the song and album some deeper metaphysical open-ended thoughts in its final moments.

Get Thee To A Nunnery presents The Garrys capturing that nostalgic feeling that they do so well, that exists both in the past and the present, as it questions topics relating to family roots in Saskatchewan, isolation and decay of rural life, worldviews and faith in different generations and oppression. It doesn’t just address the past saying everything is great because that isn’t how it was. While also taking influence from Shakepeare’s Hamlet, Get Thee To A Nunnery goes further in The Garrys’ songwriting abilities. It explores new and old themes placing them in larger contexts that drift out beyond the borders that we once knew.

Listen to the interview that Revolution Rock did with Erica, Julie, Lenore of The Garrys:

Show # 904 (Originally Aired On October 16th, 2021) (The Garrys Interview):

1.  The Mummies - The Thing From Venus
2.  The Goldstars - Stroll In Hell
3.  Raeburn - Bongo Dracula
4.  Mothership - Fire In The Sky
5.  BBQT - High Wasted
6.  Tricky Woo - Let Us Sing
7.  James Sullivan - Lea Bridge
8.  The Garrys - Ice Cream Sandwich
9.  The Garrys - Mike's Beach Bar

THE GARRYS INTERVIEW PT I 

10. The Garrys - Karna
11. The Garrys - Fallen Women

THE GARRYS INTERVIEW PT II 

12. The Garrys - Burger Buoy
13. The Garrys - Devil's Dip
14. The Garrys - It's Over
15. Illuminati Hotties - MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA
16. Low - White Horses
17. BADBADNOTGOOD - Signal From The Noise
18. The Replacements - I Hate Music (Studio Demo)
19. The Replacements - Takin' A Ride (Live)
20. The Zeros - Wild Weekend
21. The Zellots - Vampire Love
22. The Dishrags - I Don't Love You
23. Pylon - No Clocks (Channel One Version)

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.

Nevermind, Albums of 1991 and a Surf Music Special - Shows # 903, 902, 901, 900, 899 & 898

Here are the playlists for the six most recent episodes of Revolution Rock. You will find the playlists below, some of the episodes were special episodes such as one focusing on the 30th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind, a show devoted to albums released in 1991 and a September surf special that we did. Here is some info about some of the music featured on these shows:

Nirvana: Nevermind at 30

Recorded at both Sound City in California and Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin between May and June of 1991, Nevermind originally had the working title of Sheep. It even went as far as Kurt Cobain making up a fake advertisement for an album of this title, however, they eventually settled on the title Nevermind. It has been said that this was chosen because it reflected a metaphor for Cobain’s attitude on life and because it was spelled grammatically incorrect on purpose. When recording was completed, and the rough mixes were done by producer Butch Vig (these can now be found on the 20th anniversary edition of Nevermind), the band were unhappy with the initial mixes. These mixes were rougher sounding than how Nevermind would be presented when Andy Wallace was brought in to add his touch to the mixes. Chosen due to the fact that he had worked with Slayer, Wallace’s mixes made considerable changes to the sound of the drums and guitars of the album. Cobain stated himself that the sound Nevermind was going for was “The Knack and the Bay City Rollers getting molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath.”

Lyrically, the songs are dark, satirical, funny, powerful and unpredictable. It has been said that a lot of the songs on this album were influenced by a relationship that Cobain had been in that had ended, but a lot of songs were written way before any of them were recorded. The lyrics also were subversive, contrasting and criticizing the lyrical conventions of that time period. This was the first album to feature drummer Dave Grohl, who provided a power behind the kit that when combined with Novoselic’s melodic basslines and Cobain’s guitar/vocals created a unique chemistry. When the first single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released it got a combination of mainstream radio airplay and heavy rotation on MTV (when they still played music videos) that caused a stir. There are many reasons why it became an unexpected success. The music from the underground that was building in the decades prior to this, the time it was released. Although it has been written about many times, Nirvana’s 1991 Nevermind album really did have an impact on music in the mainstream and in general. In our 30th anniversary Nevermind episode (playlist/links are below) we played the album made up of alternate versions of songs to show a different side of the songs that would make up Nevermind.

Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet: Music For Pets EP (1991)

In 1991, Toronto instrumental band Shadowy Men On Shadowy Planet released Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham their debut album. Produced by Coyote Shivers, it is one of their best, however, in 1991 they also released an EP on K Records called Music For Pets. Only containing five tracks, the EP was recorded by Ormond Jobin & Alley at Reaction Studios. The EP opens with “Rover & Rusty” that begins with someone shaking their keys and then saying “Here boy.” This track like many of Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet is an instrumental track that ties in elements of surf with other genres. A music video for this song was made by bassist Reid Diamond for this track as well while the band was in Olympia, Washington for the International Pop Underground Convention in 1991. Buying a used Super 8 camera at a Goodwill store, Diamond shot footage of a pet parade that was occurring in town that weekend and well, it became the music video.

“Here Kitty” is a short interlude of someone shaking a box of cat food and shouting the song title before “The Cat Came Back” begins and dips into jazz contrasted with Brian Connelly’s surf/jazz inflected sounds. We hear the sounds of cats meowing come in towards the middle of the song, in fact there are animal/pet sounds throughout the EP. “Baby Elephant Walk" is a spruced up version of the Henry Mancini track, while “That Wuz Me Callin’ A Horse” ends the EP. This slower reverb drenched track is a track that has a title based on a joke about Slade’s 1972 live album, Slade Alive! As for the general EP’s title, it is possible that the band really was making music for their pets. On the EPs cover there is a cat in a basket with a Fender guitar amplifier in the background. The cat was apparently bassist Reid Diamond’s cat Pud (as in “Puddin’”) according to Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Web. While they are known for providing the theme song to the Kids In The Hall TV show, in addition to all the music found on it (and are rumoured to be involved with the new KITH reboot in the music department), Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet have many cool releases in their discography. This is one of many.

Show 903 (Originally Aired On October 9th, 2021) (Love, Andy Shauf, albums from 1981, Mononegatives, Billy Childish):

1.  Love - Emotions
2.  Courtney Barnett - Rae Street
3.  Buck Owens & His Buckaroos - You’ll Never Miss The Water (Till The Well Runs Dry)
4.  John Dwyer - No Flutter
5.  Chad VanGaalen - Changing River
6.  Andy Shauf - Jaywalker
7.  Foxwarren - In Another Life
8.  Ashley Shadow - For Love
9.  JP Lancaster - Southern Cross
10. Destination Lonely - I Want You
11. Trixie and The Trainwrecks - Too Good To Be Blue
12. Hot Garbage - Sometimes I Go Down
13. Huron Lines - Lost In Sarnia
14. Dogo Suicide - Ostrava
15. Visibly Choked - Mother Tongue
16. Slam Dunk - In Hell
17. Television Personalities - Look Back In Anger
18. The dB's - Tearjerkin'
19. Joy Division - Walked In Line
20. New Order - Dreams Never End
21. King Crimson - Thela Hun Ginjeet
22. Siouxsie & the Banshees - Monitor
23. The Police - Hungry For You
24. The Police-  Invisible Son
25. Mononegatives - Monoclonic
26. The Milkshakes - For She
27. The Mighty Caesars - All Night Worker
28. The Delmonas - I Feel Alright

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 9 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 902 (Originally Aired On October 2nd, 2021)(T.Rex Electric Warrior, Bob Dylan, The Liverbirds, Holly Golightly, The Delmonas, Amyl & The Sniffers):

1. Julie Doiron - You Gave Me The Key
2. Johnny West - Knee-Jerk Howl
3. The Garrys - In The Dawn
4. Shannon and The Clams - Leaves Fall Again
5. Bob Dylan - Too Late (Band Version)
6. Bob Dylan - Blind Willie McTell
7. Daniel Romano's Outfit - Sweetheart Like You
8. T.Rex - Rip Off
9. T.Rex - The Motivator
10. T.Rex - Monolith
11. T.Rex - Planet Queen
12. The Adam Brown - Indie Rock Has-Beens
13. Actors - Cold Eyes
14. Wine Lips - Eyes
15. A Place To Bury Strangers - Playing The Part
16. Dion Lunadon - Speed
17. Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs - Poison Ivy
18. The Liverbirds - Why Do You Hang Around Me
19. Holly Golightly - Run Cold
20. Thee Headcoatees - Stolen Love
21. The Delmonas - Dangerous Charms
22. Daniel Romano's Outfit - Animals Above Our Town
23. Motorists - Go Back
24. Sofa - Stress
25. Bad Waitress - Manners
26. Amyl & The Sniffers - Maggots
27. Amyl & The Sniffers - Knifey

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 2 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 901 (Originally Aired On September 25th, 2021) (Nirvana Nevermind 30th Anniversary Special):

1.  Dive (1989 Demo) (With The Lights Out - DGC - 2004)
2.  Token Eastern Song (1989 Demo) (With The Lights Out - DGC - 2004)
3.  Sappy (Smart Sessions) (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
4.  Here She Comes Now (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
5.  Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live) (From The Muddy Banks of the Wishkah - DGC - 1996)
6.  In Bloom (Smart Studio Sessions) (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
7.  Come As You Are (Live) (Live At Reading - DGC - 2009)
8.  Breed (Devonshire Mix) (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
9.  Lithium (Smart Studio Sessions) (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DCG/Sub Pop - 2011)
10. [New Wave] Polly (Incesticide - DGC/Sub Pop - 1992)
11. Territorial Pissings (Boombox Rehearsals) (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
12. Drain You (4-Track Demo) (With The Lights Out - DGC - 2004)
13. Lounge Act (Live) (Live At Reading - DGC - 2009)
14. Pay To Play (DGC Rarities: Volume 1 - DGC - 1994)
15. On A Plain (Live) (Live At The Paramount - DGC - 2011)
16. Something In The Way (BBC Session) (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
17. Curmudgeon (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
18. Even In His Youth (Nevermind Deluxe Edition - DGC/Sub Pop - 2011)
19. Verse Chorus Verse (Outtake) (With The Lights Out - DGC - 2004)
20. Old Age (Outtake) (With The Lights Out - DGC - 2004)
21. Molly's Lips (Hormoaning EP - DGC/Sub Pop - 1992)
22. Turn Around (Hormoaning EP - DGC/Sub Pop - 1992)
23. Anuerysm (Hormoaning EP - DGC/Sub Pop - 1992)
24. Endless, Nameless (Live) (Live At The Paramount - DGC - 2011)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 25 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 900 (Originally Aired On September 18th, 2021)(Albums of 1991 Special):

1.  My Bloody Valentine - When You Sleep (Loveless - Creation Records/Sire/Warner Bros. Records - 1991)
2.  Slint - Nosferatu Man (Spiderland - Touch And Go - 1991)
3.  Jesus Lizard - Mouth Breather (Goat - Touch And Go - 1991)
4.  Drive Like Jehu - Atom Jack (Drive Like Jehu - Headhunter Records - 1991)
5.  Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Hey, Hey, My My (Into The Black) (Weld - Reprise Records - 1991)
6.  Soundgarden - Somewhere (Badmotorfinger - A&M - 1991)
7.  Eric's Trip - Warm Girl (Warmgirl - Derivative Records - 1991 - recorded & mixed in 1991)
8.  13 Engines - Abandoned (A Blur To Me Now - Capitol Records/EMI Records Canada - 1991)
9.  Pixies - Alec Eiffel (Trompe Le Monde - 4AD - 1991)
10. Teenage Fanclub - What Do You Want Me To Do (Bandwagonesque - Creation Records/DGC Records - 1991)
11. Matthew Sweet - I've Been Waiting (Girlfriend - Zoo Entertainment/BMG Music - 1991)
12. R.E.M. - Near Wild Heaven (Out of Time - Warner Bros. Records - 1991)
13. Copyright - Dust (Circle C - Geffen Records - 1991)
14. Throwing Muses - Golden Thing (The Real Ramona - 4AD - 1991)
15. Julian Cope - Promised Land (Peggy Suicide - Island Records - 1991)
16. Eric's Trip - Too Perfect (Catepillars EP - Self Released - 1991)
17. Dinosaur Jr. - Blowing It (Green Mind - Sire - 1991)
18. Mercury Rev - Coney Island Cyclone (Yerself is Steam - Rough Trade - 1991)
19. Rheostatics - Chanson les Ruelles (Melville - Intrepid Records - 1991)
20. Sebadoh - Kath (III - Homestead Records - 1991)
21. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Exit From Vince Lombardi High School (Dim The Lights Chill The Ham - Cargo Records - 1991)
22. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Rover & Rusty (Music For Pets EP - K - 1991)
23. Spacemen 3 - Just To See You Smile (Ochestral Mix) (Recurring - Fire Records/RCA - 1991)
24. Fugazi - Long Division (Steady Diet of Nothing - Dischord Records - 1991)
25. The Tragically Hip - The Last of the Unplucked Gems (Road Apples - MCA Records - 1991)
26. Swans - Blind (White Light From The Mouth of Infinity - Young God Records - 1991)
27. Vampire Rodents - Friktion (War Music - Dossier - 1991)
28. Slowdive - Brighter (Just for a Day - Creation Records - 1991)
29. Nomeansno -Valley of the Blind (0 + 2 = 1 - Alternative Tentacles - 1991)
30. The Smashing Pumpkins - Crush (Gish - Caroline Records - 1991)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 18 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 899 (Originally Aired On September 11th, 2021)(Charlie Watts & Lee "Scratch" Perry Tribute):

1.  The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash (Live)
2.  The Rolling Stones - Shake Your Hips
3.  The Rolling Stones - Little By Little
4.  The Rolling Stones - Can't You Hear Me Knocking
5.  Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters - Kojak
6.  Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters - Return of Django
7.  Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters - Three In One
8.  Lee "Scratch" Perry - Big Neck Police
9. Gemstones - Perfect
10. Breeze - Our Scene
11. Slim Twig - Stone Rollin'
12. U.S. Girls - Jack
13. Colleen Green - It's Nice To Be Nice
14. Low - More
15. John Lennon - It's So Hard
16. John Lennon - Crippled Inside
17. Generation X - Gimme Some Truth
18. Patti Smith (feat. Tony Shanahan) - Oh Yoko (Live)
19. Willie Dunn - Pontiac
20. Willie Thrasher - Eskimo Named Johnny
21. Ron Leary - I Was Born
22. Jesse Fellows - Dead Gone Parade
23. Anxious Pleasers - Errand Boy
24. Mononegatives - Circuits In View
25. Mononegatives - Trauma
26. Knoxville Girls - That's Alright With Me
27. Sloks - A Knife In Your Hand

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 11 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 898 (Originally Aired On September 4th, 2021)(September Surf Special):

1.  The Chantays - Wayward Nile
2.  The Astronauts - Hot Doggin'
3.  The Pastel Six - Hot Dogger
4.  Wes Dakus & The Rebels - Dog Food
5.  Wes Dakus & The Rebels - Surf's U Rite
6.  Messer Chups - Dolphin Hill
7.  Bloodshot Bill - Gaggle Waggle
8.  New Shaker Sex Addicts - Too Early For Breakfast
9.  La Luz - Sunstroke
10. Shoobies - Dare
11. The Kilaueas & Surfer Joe - Surf Party
12. Huevos Rancheros - Jezebel
13. Makeout Videotape - Slush Puppy Love
14. Charlie and The Moonhearts - Thunderbeast
15. The Reverb Syndicate - Better Dancing Through Technology
16. The Langhorns - In Your Fez
17. The Centurians - Bullwinkle
18. The Centurions - Bullwinkle Pt II
19. Link Wray - Summer Dream
20. Baby Giant - High Tide
21. James O-L & The Villians - Kill The Devil
22. The Gories - Nautiloid Reef
23. Stereo Donkey - Tune From The Rangoon
24. The Gnarly Ones - The Storm Catcher
25. The Calrizians - Card Player, Gambler
26. Los Straitjackets - Hombre
27. Swami John Reis and the Blind Shake - Sets of Fire
28. Stereophonic Space - Unlimited Just Wastin' Time
29. The Mel-Tones - In Praise of Lime
30. Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - Boogie Board
31. Atomicos - Left Coast
32. Chuck (Big Guitar) Ernest with the Satellite Band - Blue Oasis
33. The Akulas - L'amour Chaud
34. The Bell Peppers - Bell Pepper Hop

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 4 file to download/stream the episode.

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge: An Interview With Mark Arm & Steve Turner & Show # 897

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge is the second full-length album from Seattle’s Mudhoney. Released on July 26th, 1991, the album shipped 50,000 copies when it was originally released. Just a few months later, Nirvana’s Nevermind would be released and the whole musical landscape would change. Prior to being recorded, Mudhoney recorded five tracks with producer Jack Endino (who also produced their Superfuzz Bigmuff EP and the Mudhoney album) in a 24-track studio. Unhappy with the results, guitarist Steve Turner pushed for a change of direction. Liking the results of Conrad Uno’s 8-track recording studio called Egg Studios on the Thrillsphere album by Tacoma, Washington’s Girl Trouble, the band decided to record a selection of punk covers with Uno to see what it would sound like recording there. Several of these songs came out on singles or on compilation albums, but not all of them. In spring of 1991, Mudhoney began recording Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.

“Generation Genocide” starts off EGBDF with moody Farfisa organ, fuzzy guitar riffs, fluid basslines and energetic drums that intensify as the track comes to its chaotic close. “Let It Slide” fades in with drumrolls, guitar and bass slides, as Mark Arm sings “They can make it sound so nice/Everybody’s got a price,” in what was the album’s first single. In these opening two tracks, Uno’s production and Mudhoney’s dynamics show a reflection of their new influences, most notably 60s garage and a snotty 80s punk energy. Still keeping the urgency and Arm’s potent lyrics, this track shows a sparser sound, not sounding so much like a traditional 90s recording, but more like a classic recording from the 60s. “Good Enough” brings some acoustic guitar into Mudhoney’s songwriting dynamics. With an infectious collection of drums, bass, guitar and maracas, vocalist Mark Arm sings in an earnest and direct tone. With lyrics such as “I've made mistakes/That I'm sure I'll make again” and “Everybody says/You must have lost your head/Well, one more time is good enough for me,” Mudhoney and co. embrace imperfections while balancing it with an honesty and growth in their songwriting abilities at the same time.

“Something So Clear” juxtaposes fuzzy and energetic rhythms with melancholic lyrics ”Should’ve seen it coming/Like a bird at a window,” and other lines such as “There's a certain comfort in being confused,” this track along with the track before it shows a different side of Mudhoney. “Thorn” leans to the influence of 80s punk with corrosive lyrics, with pummeling drums “Into The Drink” attacks with a fuzzy guitar, bass and acoustic guitar dynamic. The catchy garage punk chorus of “Into the drink” about a seemingly lethal relationship make this another standout on EGBDF. “Broken Hands” reflects a Neil Young influence as it clocks in at just over six minutes. As the song treads along it builds toward an anarchic coda of noise. “Who You Drivin’ Now” is another Mudhoney fuzzy garage punk track. With its heavy guitar, organ and bass riffs that lock in creating a retro vibe, Peters’ drumming keeps the song propelling on all cylinders. “Shoot The Moon” jumps into a punk direction with psychedelic reverb laden vocals as Arm wails words such as “Looking for a life in the back of your mind/Looking so hard, you're going blind/Swear you tasted it, down the sun/Sooner or later, darkness will come” that seems to tackle a complex range of topics such as ambition, ego and trying too hard. “Fuzzgun 91” provides a brief instrumental interlude before “Pokin’ Around” begins. This more psychedelic and mid-tempo track features harmonica and great candid, yet satirical lyrics such as “You used to miss him/Now you're so turned on" and “Pokin' around/Gotten out of hand/I feel for you.” “Don’t Fade IV” brings garage meets Black Sabbath riffs with guitar slides as existential lyrics deal with monotony, while “Check-Out Time” ends EGBDF with a brooding, thought provoking intensity.

Throughout Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, Mudhoney switches their focus embracing 60s garage influences such as The Sonics, Lollipop Shoppe, Neil Young, Spacemen 3, post hardcore, 80s hardcore and the sounds of bands such as Zounds and Hawkwind. With a 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition that was released on Sub Pop in July 2021, the album has been expanded with 15 additional tracks which includes singles, compilation tracks, outtakes and the original five 24-track demos. Generally considered to be their best album, Mudhoney stripped down their sound with Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. These fourteen tracks expand their sound and melodies while still attacking with an undeniable gut feeling.  

Listen to an interview that Revolution Rock did with Mark Arm & Steve Turner of Mudhoney:

Show 897 (Originally Aired On August 28th, 2021)(Mark Arm & Steve Turner Interview):

1.  Ty Segall - Rider
2.  Parquet Courts - Walking at a Downtown Pace 
3.  The Spits - Breakdown
4.  Mudhoney - Into The Drink 
5.  Mudhoney - Who You Drivin' Now? 
6.  Mudhoney - Paperback Life (Alternate Version) 

MUDHONEY INTERVIEW PART ONE

7.  Mudhoney - Something So Clear (24-Track Demo) 
8.  Mudhoney - Fuzzbuster 

MUDHONEY INTERVIEW PART TWO

9.  Mudhoney - Thorn 
10. Mudhoney - Good Enough 
11. Mudhoney - Move Out 
12. The Wipers - Taking Too Long 
13. Tunic - Fake Interest
14. Shearing Pinx - Called By The Wrong Name 
15. Blessed - Thought

16. The Effens - Venom Denim 
17. Golden Cinema - Little Sunscreen 
18. Spread Joy - Unoriginal 
19. The Gruesomes - Bikers From Hell 
20. Kitten Spitt - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker 
21. TV Freaks - Friend
22. The Leather Uppers - Hot Shot 
23. The Rats - Can't Stand Back 
24. The Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit - Summer's Almost Gone

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the August 28 file to download/stream the episode.

Fire Of Love & Shows # 896, 895 & 894

Originally released in 1981, Fire Of Love is the incendiary debut from The Gun Club.  Recorded over two sessions with Chris D. of L.A.’s The Flesh Eaters and Tito Larriva of The Plugz, Fire Of Love captures The Gun Club in their earliest, possessed, disturbing and raw form. Known as one of the first bands to bring together the blues and punk genres, they were one of the first blues punk bands. Fronted by the enigmatic Jeffrey Lee Pierce, bassist Rob Ritter and drummer Terry Graham, both of which played in L.A. punk band The Bags, The Gun Club’s lineup on this record was completed with Ward Dotson on guitar. The band had their beginnings following a Pere Ub concert in 1979 when Jeffrey Lee Pierce and fellow Chicano musician Brian Tristan decided to form a band. They morphed into Creeping Ritual. Lineup changes occurred often in The Gun Club, but their name origins came upon the suggestion from Keith Morris of The Circle Jerks. With a new name, Tristan exited the group shortly after and became Kid Congo Powers playing guitar in The Cramps (although he would later rejoin The Gun Club).  

Lyrically, Pierce dug deep into the American psyche that was exposed in the Delta Blues. Also, mixing elements of country, roots rock, folk and of course the energy of punk, Pierce howled taking on Southern Gothic characters and tales in the form of song like a man possessed by a haunted voodoo-like intensity. The band revitalized elements of the blues with punk creating something that was not heard before. “Sex Beat” begins with sizzling guitar riffs, slides, pounding drumbeats and mysterious basslines that provide the opening musical moments of Fire Of Love. Pierce sings of desire, the balance between that and a real connection with an intense bravado. On “Preaching The Blues,” The Gun Club’s take on the Delta Blues Robert Johnson classic, you can really hear the sound of the band playing in the moment exploding in bursts of punk and country as it slows down and picks up pace throughout. 

Other tracks such as “Promise Me,” adds elements of The Velvet Underground with its unsettling violin played by Larriva that creates tension with the more laidback blues/country grooves, “She’s Like Heroin To Me” is a bonafide blues punk track. One of the tracks that clearly sets The Gun Club apart from others in the genre, lyrics such as “She is like an eye-blue swimming pool/But she will never know that she is there/We sit together, drunk like our fathers used to be,” Pierce and The Gun Club deliver a addictive concoction pulling in themes of love, desire and existentialism. “For The Love Of Ivy” is surrounded by the tension as Pierce throws himself into the Southern Gothic characters that populate this song, sometimes taking them on too literally, that is an on the edge murder ballad. The song was co-written by Kid Congo Powers is also a part love letter to guitarist Poison Ivy of The Cramps. On this track, which commands your attention, you can also hear guitar parts that are uniquely Kid Congo-like (although they were played by Dotson on the album). “Fire Spirit” leaps forward with poetic lyrics and ramshackle lustre, “Ghost On The Highway” is a dark, terrifying track that is a rave up country punk track, “Cool Drink Of Water” is a hazy, swampy bass and drum track, as Jeffrey Lee Pierce sings with tormented swagger in this reworking of the Tommy Johnson traditional.  

Although an acquired taste by some, Fire Of Love set the path for future avenues in music. Joining the post punk world, the sounds experimented with here influenced artists such as Jack White, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Nick Cave, The Pixies and many other musicians. It helped invigorate the L.A. music scene and inspired others to start bands. Chris D. stated in 2014: “When you hear Jeffrey Lee singing, screaming, shouting, yodelling and generally warbling through this set of Southern Gothic blue/folk/punk rock anthems, you don’t hear Jeffrey alone – you hear a whole cast of characters venting their bursting spleen; You name it, Jeffrey assumed the mantle. A junior punk Brando hewing close to his tradition of country blues and garage band idols. In fact ascending to the timeless pantheon to rest alongside them.” 

Show 896 (Originally Aired On August 21st, 2021)(The Gun Club Fire Of Love, The Beach Boys Surf's Up, Can Tago Mago):

1.  The Gun Club - Sex Beat
2.  The Gun Club - Preaching The Blues
3.  Japandroids - For The Love of Ivy
4.  Jeremy Gluck - Gone Free
5.  The Gun Club - Goodbye Johnny (4-Track Demo)
6.  The Gun Club - Fire of Love (Alternate Version)
7.  The Gun Club - She's Like Heroin To Me
8.  Matt Ellis - Walk Alone
9.  CLAMM - Keystone Pols
10. Dog Day - Hell On Earth
11. The Smugglers - The B 'N' L
12. METZ - No Ceiling (Live)
13. Psychic Void - Terminal Vacation
14. The Beach Boys - Lookin' At Tomorrow
15. The Beach Boys - Till I Die
16. The Beach Boys - Seasons In The Sun
17. Chad VanGaalen - Where's It All Going?
18. The Unicorns - I Was Born (A Unicorn)
19. The Jesus And Mary Chain - Mushrooms
20. Can - Paperhouse
21. Can - Bring Me Coffee Or Tea
22. Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan
23. Ry Cooder - Dark Is The Night
24. Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds - He Walked In

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the August 21 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 895 (Originally Aired On August 14th, 2021)(The Who Who's Next, The Strokes Is This It, Dog Day Deformer):

1.  Ty Segall - Night of the Vampire
2.  The Black - Angels Don't Fall Down
3.  Jeff Tweedy - For You (I'd Do Anything)
4.  Nap Eyes - When I Come Around
5.  Sam Coffey - Hard Livin'
6.  Guided By Voices - Baba O'Reily
7.  The Dipsomaniacs - Bargain
8.  Pat DiNizio - Behind Blue Eyes
9.  Juliana Hatfield - My Wife
10. Pussy Riot - Won't Be Fooled Again
11. Pete Townshend - Getting In Tune
12. Pete Townshend - Love Ain't For Keeping
13. Pete Townshend - Goin' Mobile
14. Pete Townshend - The Song Is Over
15. The Strokes - Is This It
16. The Strokes - Alone, Together
17. The Strokes - New York City Cops
18. Dog Day - Daydream
19. Dog Day - Eurozone
20. Dog Day - Nothing To Du
21. Ashley Shadow - For Love
22. Packs - Holy Water
23. Cub - Your Bed
24. Cub - Chicho (Brave New Waves Session)
25. Fleece - On My Mind
26. David Chesworth & Bill McDonald - Delay
27. Tee-Vee Repairman - Patterns
28. Special Delivery - Not Three Bad
29. Dion Lunadon - Negative Energy

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the August 14 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 894 (Originally Aired On August 7th, 2021)(The Quiet Jungle, Jon Mckiel, Mudhoney, Ducks LTD, Kim Gray):

1.  The Quiet Jungle - Too Much In Love
2.  The Haunted - Mona
3.  Autogramm - Jody Is A Cop
4.  Peach Kelli Pop - Cherry (That's Not Her Real Name)
5.  CIVIC TV - Black Moon
6.  The Sunshiny Daze - The Night Knows (What The Day Don't)
7.  Rick White - Whatever It Is
8.  Magic Roundabout - She's A Waterfall
9.  King Khan & BBQ Show - What's Yours Is Mine
10. Jon Mckiel - Private Eye
11. Jon Mckiel - Management
12. Jon Mckiel - Brothers
13. Jon Mckiel - Turf War
14. Jon Mckiel - Chop Through
15. Liz Phair - Soap Star Joe
16. R.E.M. - So Fast, So Numb
17. R.E.M. - Texarkana
18. Modest Mouse - Heart Cooks Brain
19. Modest Mouse - What People Are Made Of
20. Mudhoney - Generation Genocide
21. Mudhoney - Into The Drink
22. Mudhoney - Let It Slide
23. Holly Golightly - Good Enough
24. Ash - Who You Drivin' Now
25. Motorists - Through To You
26. Body Breaks - Between The Heart and Mind
27. Memes - Funny Man
28. Ducks LTD - 18 Cigarettes
29. Kim Gray - Holiday

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the August 7 file to download/stream the episode.

Get The Band Back Together: An interview with Neil Jarvis & Show # 893

Get The Band Back Together is an album by Neil Jarvis. Perhaps best known as being in the Manchester band Sprinters, this album is the third solo album under the Neil Jarvis name. Prior to this Sprinters released two excellent albums, 2017’s Sprinters and 2019’s Struck Gold. Neil’s earlier solo albums were recorded the same was as this one was, on a 4-track cassette recorder. Weekends (2012) and Halloween Summer (2014) featured lo-fi, psych/surf influenced sounds that were sometimes experimental. Get The Band Back Together is more acoustic based, but it still features the sometimes haunting nostalgic feeling that is present throughout all of Neil’s songs.

“Spring, Again” starts off Get The Band Back Together. It is very much a soundscape recording as it features the sounds of someone walking outside and unlocking or locking doors before entering a fenced in area. Acoustic guitar fades in with dusty lax rhythms. The title track blends acoustic guitar, fuzzy electric guitar and looming, ethereal synthesizers. With lyrics such as “And I know you’ll never be the same/And I know we’ll never be the same,” they express a feeling that many people can relate to. The song shows a complexity and duality of two different feelings. One of the joy of a reunion and the other of how that even when this does happen, things just won’t be the same. In the opening moments of Get The Band Back Together, Neil Jarvis shows the listener how he is a master of his craft. “Green & Blue” brings forth acoustic guitars mixed with psych inspired surf riffs. The song features a more introspective mood. Without the drums, Neil’s voice with its reverb effect produces a melancholic feeling, one that is also positive looking towards something new and unexpected.

“Old House” features just an acoustic and vocal track. The reverb on Jarvis’ vocal this time adds more depth to the track. Although it has been compared to Daniel Johnston, the track feels different than Johnston. With lyrics such as “I’ll be here with you/Through the seasons/And through/In this old house,” and “The sun keeps on shining on us/And as sure as the rain keeps on falling on us,” Jarvis creates a character driven song that gives character to an old house as the main character in the song stays there with the house displaying a sense of isolation and togetherness. “Yosemite” features a drum machine and layered distorted psychedelic guitars. Lyrics such as “California/Your burning/Thought I’d warn ya/Don’t disappear” pop up through the haze of guitars and float back down again in this atmospheric track that adds more musical currents to Get The Band Back Together’s aural aesthetics.

“Song For David Berman” is a track influenced by Berman’s music and is directly influenced by the song “People” from Berman’s band Silver Jews. Featuring acoustic guitar and synthesizers that add character in the background, the song with lyrics such as “They say that you shouldn’t crest too soon/They say that you shouldn’t peak too soon,” contemplates the death of Berman by putting it in a larger context. The lyrics are repetitive and effective as they provide a deeper poignancy. “Near Miss” brings more ambiance to the dynamics of Get The Back Together. The reverb and echo present in this song seem to recall a Kurt Vile influence. You can really feel it on this song with its sparse open space sounds that provides the intimacy of seeing an acoustic musician at a small club, minus the people. “Jingle” is a short instrumental piece featuring acoustic guitars and cinematic sounding synthesizer. “Courage” features harmonica. In a more folk-like setting, Jarvis applies the harmonica to his nostalgic melodies in this song that call for bravery in difficult times.

“Time” ends Get The Band Back Together. This track tackles the “time is on our side” cliché, showing the opposite as it puts a spin on it calling for change before you regret it. In this subtle arrangement, Neil Jarvis wraps up Get The Band Back Together. Recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder during lockdown in April 2020-June 2021, Get The Back Band Together takes Jarvis’ earlier tried and true method of recording/writing songs, but adds a sense of maturity and poignancy that sets this collection of songs apart from both Sprinters and his earlier work. 

Grab a cassette/digital copy of Get The Band Back Together on the Neil Jarvis Bandcamp page:  

Continue reading for an interview that Revolution Rock did with Manchester musician Neil Jarvis:

RR: Let’s Get The Band Back Together was written during lockdown and recorded to 4-track like your first few solo albums. How did it feel to return to this recording method after using the standard band/studio approach for the most recent Sprinters albums?

NJ: It was fun. Recording in a studio can be very long winded and you really need to be patient with it. The last 2 Sprinters albums took a long time to record. Recording at home is a much easier process and you can write a song and have it finished the same day. I much prefer it organic that way and having more control of the sound

RR: What inspired the songs on this album. Were they written prior to the lockdown or during and do you think any of them might appear with Sprinters during live shows in the future?

NJ: All the songs were written in lockdown. I recorded an acoustic version of "Teenage Riot" by Sonic Youth during the start of COVID and really liked the vibe. I think I decided at that point I wanted to make an acoustic record. It is definitely a pandemic album as cliche as that sounds. Pretty much all the songs are inspired/galvanized by it in some way. I doubt Sprinters will be playing any of the songs from it though. But I would like to play some solo shows at some point.

RR: Last time we spoke you said that your solo stuff was a bit more experimental than the Sprinters material. Do you feel that is true of Let’s Get The Band Back Together?

NJ: Not really for this album. Once I decided I wanted to make an acoustic record, I was aiming to make something more sophisticated. In my head at the time I was thinking I wanted to make something like "Sea Change" by Beck. It didn’t really turn out like that in the end though.

RR: Having released your last solo record in 2014, what are the most significant changes in the process of writing and recording the songs on Get the Band Back Together, compared to Halloween Summer?

NJ: I’ve definitely learned not to think too much about the songwriting process. I was very precious about it for a while and would often not finish songs because I didn’t think they were good enough. I’ve learned to persevere and finish stuff. As this was just me on the album it was very much a loner thing; recording in my spare room at home. Half of Halloween Summer was a band playing together so I guess that was different. Some of these songs seemed to come really quick too. I would start them with lyrics in mind and they would come together very fast. None of the songs were work in progress songs that I wrote and worked on over time - like a lot of the Sprinters songs.

RR: I wanted to ask about a few of the songs on Let’s Get The Band Back Together, “Let’s Get The Band Back Together,” “A Song For David Berman” and “Green & Blue.” What inspired these tracks?

NJ: With "Get The Band Back Together" I had had the title in my head for a few months and at first wanted to write a Jeff Tweedy-esq kind of tongue in cheek track about getting an old band back together, and make it kind of funny. When I actually sat down to write it, it was around the time of the vaccines being rolled out, and it ended becoming something else entirely and more of sentiment of it’s time to return back to normality. But it’ll probably never be the same.

"Green & Blue" is about getting through the last summer. We have an allotment behind our house and that saved us during the first major lockdown. We spent most of our time there in summer. It was at the time when you couldn’t leave your garden. The green and blue is a metaphor for that but also finding new unexpected freedoms.

"Song For David Berman," is really a eulogy to David. The lyrics reference the Silver Jews song "People." 

‘‘People send people up to the moon
When they return, well, there isn't much
People be careful not to crest too soon’’

His death really stayed with me and I had the idea from hammering Silver Jews and the Purple Mountains record for weeks. The song is a twist on "People" and I think that’s really what tragically happened to David.

RR: Follow up to the previous question: What did David Berman's music mean to you? What stood out about his songs/poetry, and has it inspired your own song writing?

NJ: I always loved Silver Jews. I’m a huge Pavement fan, and that’s where the link came, but David’s lyrics really stood out to me. I was actually blown away by his final music he did with Woods, "Purple Mountains." It was my favourite record of that year and when he passed I was in total shock. The song "All My Happiness Is Gone" is really something else. His lyrics directly inspired "Song For David Berman." 

RR: You mentioned that the album’s cover is from the last live gig you were at before the pandemic. What do you remember of that gig and do you remember taking this photo at all?

NJ: I think the photograph was taken by accident on my old film camera. I had accidentally clicked when I was putting it away (it’s an old point and shoot camera) The show I think was the last Sprinters show we did in Manchester in March 2020, which also ended up bring the last live show I went to. The rest of the tour was cancelled. When I decided to go with the album title, I found the picture and thought it fit nicely.

RR: How do you think the process of writing/performing/recording with Sprinters will change now that you have created this new album entirely as a solo artist? Are there experiences from this creative process you will be applying to the next sessions with Sprinters?

NJ: I actually scrapped the third Sprinters album and started again. I realized it sounded too much like the first 2 records and wanted to do something different. I’ve been - trying - to write on a synthesizer and trying to work a new sound whilst also keeping it within a Sprinters style. It would be good to return to tape for this next album as it sounds so much better. But maybe not on the 4-track, but on a reel-to-reel or 8-track. 4-track recording definitely had its limitations. But I think none of us want to spend 12 months recording a new album (like we did on the first 2) we want to get it done fast next time.

Show 893 Playlist (Originally Aired On July 31st, 2021)(Neil Jarvis, The Wipers, Protomartyr):

1.  Dumb - Pizza Slice 
2.  Real Sickies - Give and Take 
3.  OBGMS - Outsah 
4.  Jesse Fellows - (The) Fly
5.  Heavy Manners - Flamin' First (2021 Fresh Mix)
6.  Torres - Last Forever 
7.  Torres - Hug From A Dinosaur
8.  Alan Vega - Nothing Left 
9.  Neil Jarvis - Get The Band Back Together 
10. Neil Jarvis - Green & Blue 
11. Neil Jarvis - Song For David Berman 
12. La Luz - Watching Cartoons 
13. Mario & Maria - What I Like 
14. Daniel Romano's Outfit - Nocturne Child 
15. The Descendents - Like The Way I Know 
16. Dead Fibres - Secret Handshake 
17. Fitness - Theme II 
18. Ryley Walker - Striking Down Your Big Premier 
19. The Lee Harvey Oswalds - Not You, The Blonde 
20. The Wipers - Window Shop For Love
21. The Wipers - Mystery (4-Track Demo) 
22. Mannequin Pussy - Perfect 
23. Worry - Acapulco, 2 AM
24. Anxious Pleasers - What Do You Care About 
25. Amyl & The Sniffers - Guided By Angels 
26. The Armed - An Iteration
27. Metz - Sugar Pill 
28. Greys - Minus Time 
29. Protomarytr - Born To Be Wine 
30. Protomarytr - Too Many Jewels

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.

Detroit Soul & Shows # 892 & 891

For a late/mid July episode of Revolution Rock we were joined by guest host Graeme Sylvio of CJAM FM’s Sylvio & Soul. Airing on July 24th, 2021, the episode featured a collection of obscure tracks from Detroit artists in the soul, R&B and funk genres. Here is some info about some of the selections that were featured on the show. The playlist is found below. You can hear Sylvio & Soul on CJAM FM every Sunday from 2:30-4 PM EST.

The Miracles – Got A Job (1958)

This is the very first single released by a at the time new emerging songwriter Smokey Robinson. The song was written by Robinson as a response to the 1957 hit Billboard Pop and R&B single “Get A Job” by The Silhouettes, an R&B vocal group from Philadelphia. In The Miracles track, Smokey sings a comedic song of a down-on-his-luck character finding a job in a grocery store, which they ultimately hate, but they keep doing it anyway. At the time that this song was recorded, it was the beginning of Robinson and Berry Gordy Jr.’s songwriting partnership (Gordy co-wrote this track). Motown didn’t exist yet. This “answer song” was originally released in 1958 on Smokey Robinson’s 18th birthday on End Records. Disappointed with the way the label operated, despite the record selling well, Gordy decided to start his own record label following the release of this single.

The Fantastic Four – Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster) (1975)

Recorded several years after their 1967 top ten US R&B Billboard hit “The Whole World Is A Stage,” “Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster)” was a song recorded for the Westbound label in 1975. The album of the same name, which the song is also found on only contained six tracks, but is a powerful late 70s soul album. Alvin Stone (The Birth & Death of a Gangster) is a concept album about a 1930’s gangster named Alvin Stone. It was meant to be a soundtrack/concept album to a film that never existed. The Fantastic Four started out in 1965 with ”Sweet” James Epps, the brothers Ralph and Joseph Pruitt and Wallace “Toby” Childs. Ric-Tic records released their first single. By the time they signed to Westbound in 75, the lineup had changed featuring Cleveland Horne and Ernest Newsome in place “Toby” Childs and Ralph Pruitt.

Dave Hamilton – Highland Sound (Dave Hamilton’s Detroit Funk: Rare and Unreleased Twisted Funk 1967-1973)

Dave Hamilton was a guitarist and vibraphone player that is perhaps best known for his work as a session musician at Motown during the 1960s. He was one of the original members of Motown’s house band that played on many, many Motown recordings, The Funk Brothers. Some of Hamilton’s early guitar credits include John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom Boom,” The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” and vibes on Mary Wells “My Guy,” to name a few. He left Motown to pursue a solo career in 1962. He continued to release singles and produce music. Hamilton released a jazz album in 1963 entitled Blue Vibrations. He also had several different labels and being a producer as well made a large amount of different recordings in the 60s and 70s, most of which remained unreleased for quite some time. Following his passing in 1994, Ace Records released several compilations of his unreleased material, which they acquired including the album Detroit City Grooves and Dave Hamilton’s Detroit Funk.

Show 892 Playlist (Originally Aired On July 24th, 2021)(Obscure Detroit Soul, R&B, Funk w/Guest Host Graeme Sylvio):

1.  The Satintones - Motor City (Going To The Hop/Motor City - Tamla Motown - 1959)
2.  The Miracles - Got A Job (35th Anniversary Collection - Motown - 1994)
3.  The Marvelettes - All The Love I've Got (The Sound of Detroit (Original Gems From The Motown Vaults) - One Day Music - 2012)
4.  Melvin Davis - I Don't Want You (Detroit Soul Ambassador - Vampi Soul - 2010)
5.  Don Hart and The Fyve - Keep Holding On (Lou Beatty’s Detroit Soul - Thirty Rare Gems from the vaults of La Beat Records - Grapevine - 2006)
6.  The Fantastic Four - Alvin Stone (The Birth and Death of a Gangster) (Alvin Stone (The Birth and Death of a Gangster) - Westbound Records - 1975)
7.  The Dynamic Superiors - Soon (The Dynamic Superiors - Motown - 1975)
8.  Chairmen of the Board - Skin I'm In (Skin I'm In - Invictus Records - 1974)
9.  8th Day - You've Got To Crawl (Before You Can Walk) (8th Day - Invictus Records - 1971)
10. Caroline Crawford - The Strut (Nice and Soulful - Mercury Records - 1979)
11. The Black Nasty - Party On 4th Street (Party On 4th Street - Big Hit Records - 1976)
12. Dave Hamilton - Highland Sound (Dave Hamilton's Detroit Funk - BGP Records - 2006)
13. Herbie Thompson - Jungle Time (Jungle Time/Let Your Love (Grow Stronger) - Big Hit Records - 1971)
14. The Dramatics - Don't Leave Me To Be Lonely (Funky Funky Detroit - Funky Delicacies - 2003)
15. Andre Williams - Mozelle (Mr Rhythm - Regency - 1996)
16. Nathaniel Mayer and The Fabulous Twilights - I've Got News (For You) (Going Back To The Village of Love - Fortune Records - 1963)
17. The Delteens with the Orbits - Listen To The Rain (Listen To The Rain/Why Don't You Love Me - Fortune Records - 1961)
18. Nolan Strong & The Diablos - Mind Over Matter (I'm Going To Make You Mine) (Mind Over Matter - Fortune Records - 1963)
19. The Holidays - Watch Out Girl (No Greater Love/Watch Out Girl - Golden World - 1966)
20. Rose Batiste - Hit & Run (The Golden Torch Story (A Collection of 30 Classic Northern Soul Shakers) - Goldmine Soul Supply - 1995)
21. The CombiNations - The Feeling Is Fine (While You Were Gone - Solid Rock - 1967)
22. Mary Wells - Drop In The Bucket (Tamla Motown Early Classics - Spectrum Music - 1996)
23. Richard Street & The Distants - Save Me From This Misery (Answer Me/Save Me From This Misery - Thelma Record Co. - 1962) 
24. Frankie "Sugar Chile" Robinson - I'll Eat My Spinach (Broke-Down Piano/I'll Eat My Spinach - Capitol Records - 1951)
25. Shorty Long - Night Fo' (Last Here Comes The Judge - Soul Records - 1968)
26. Pat Lewis - Can't Shake It Loose (Can't Shake It Loose/Let's Go Together - Golden World Records - 1966)
27. Lemont Dozier - Fortune Teller (Tell Me) (Dearest One/Fortune Teller (Tell Me) - Mel-O-Dy Records - 1962)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the July 24 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 891 Playlist (Originally Aired On July 17th, 2021)(The Beach Boys, Funkadelic's Maggot Brain (50th Anniversary), Smithereens Songtracks, The Blow Up, Swell Maps):

1.  The Beach Boys - Big Sur 
2.  The Beach Boys - Add Some Music To Your Day
3.  Martin Shiller - Future Prints 
4.  Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit - World Stopped Spinning 
5.  Century Egg - Ring A Bell 
6.  betaboys - So Shy 
7.  Paul Jacobs - The Boys Are Back 
8.  Chad VanGaalen - Golden Pear 
9.  Ty Segall - Hit It and Quit It 
10. Brittany Howard - You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks 
11. Mavis Staples - Can You Get To That One 
12. Funkadelic - Back In Our Minds 
13. Joe Strummer - Junco Partner (Acoustic)
14. Danny & The Darleans - You Colonized My Mind (Demo) 
15. The Ray Beats - Guitar Beat 
16. The Feelies - Original Love 
17. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Another World 
18. Squid - Pamphlets 
19. black midi - Slow
20. black midi - Hogwash and Balderdash
21. Pale Lips - Don't Take Your Switchblade To New York
22. Matt Ellis - Missing You 
23. Bloodshot Bill - Can't Dance Alone 
24. PRIORS - Astral 
25. Swell Maps - Vertical Slum 
26. Swell Maps - Off The Beach 
27. The Yardbirds - Stroll On 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the July 17 file to download/stream the episode.