A Question of Degree ... Show # 131

This week I played songs by The Stooges and Awesome Color. The song I played by The Stooges, "My Idea of Fun" is a newly recorded Stooges track that will appear on their forthcoming release The Weirdness in March; you can hear a streamed version of the song at their myspace page. Awesome Color is a band that is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but relocated to Brooklyn. The band sounds like a combination of The Stooges, Black Sabbath, and Mudhoney. I played "It's Your Time" from their self titled 2006 release.

Finally I played two songs by a band called The Love Me Nots. The two songs, "Move in Tight" and "Voice in My Head" were from their album In Black & White. The band is a combination of various elements. They are influenced by garage rock bands such as the Sonics, and the Fuzztones, but also by surf music such as Dick Dale. They also have some punk in them, they use a lot of organ on their songs which reminds me of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. The Love Me Nots are a very cool band from Arizona.

This page used to contain a post about the band Wire.  A reworked more informative post on the band can be found in my Outdoor Miners Post. 

Here's the play list:

1. The Adverts – one chord wonders
2. The Only Ones – another girl, another planet
3. The Stooges – my idea of fun
4. The Furies – what do you want me to be
5. The Enigmas – teenage barnacle
6. Tell-Tale Hearts – I get up in the morning
7. The Damned – liar
8. Generation X – your generation
9. Sex Pistols – (I’m not your) stepping stone
10. Buzzcocks – noise annoys (BBC)
11. Ramones – it’s not my place (in the 9 to 5 world)
12. The Gruesomes –whirlpool
13. Pointed Sticks – waiting for the real thing
14. Gang of Four – armalite rifle
15. The Police – driven to tears
16. The Saints – looking for the sun
17. The Clash – clampdown
18. The Clash – rocker’s galore…UK tour
19. Marble Index – what we need
20. Sloan – work cut out
21. Wire – two people in a room
22. Awesome Color – it’s your time
23. The D4 – peepshow
24. The Rapture – crimson red
25. The Love Me Nots - move in tight
26. The Love Me Nots - voice in my head
27. The Hives - no pun intended

The Public Image...Show # 130

This page used to feature a profile on the Post Punk band Public Image Limited. I have expanded this post to include greater detail on PiL. It can be found in my Poptones: The Story of Public Image Limited post.

I played some songs this week by The Smugglers and The Shades. Both are Canadian punk bands from Vancouver during 1977-1988. I also played two songs from a John Peel BBC Session by Buzzcocks, and another BBC Session from Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Buzzcocks BBC Sessions are now out of print, and I don't think Elvis Costello released his BBC Sessions. The Peel Sessions for Buzzcocks can now be found on the expanded deluxe editions of their first three albums (Another Music in a Different Kitchen, Love Bites, and A Different Kind of Tension). Finally I played two songs by the Canadian band Sloan live on a Spanish TV show called ipop. The songs were "Try To Make It", a song recorded for A Sides Win, a greatest hits compilation from 2005, and "Judy is a Punk" which is a cover of a Ramones song. It is pretty cool to hear Sloan doing a Ramones song. You can actually watch the performance on you tube by clicking here

Here's the Play list from my show:

1. Generation X – from the heart
2. MC5 – teenage lust
3. Smugglers – revenge
4. The Wrong - prisons of our isolation
5. The Shades – new clientele
6. Undertones – true confessions
7. Buzzcocks – fast cars (BBC)
8. Buzzcocks – moving away from the pulsebeat (BBC)
9. The Saints – save me
10. Ramones – sleeping troubles (demo)
11. The Gruesomes – I need you
12. The Clash – justice tonight
13. Suburban Reptiles – Saturday night, stay at home
14. The Police – when the world is running down you make the best of what's still around
15. Talking Heads – pulled up
16. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – pump it up (BBC)
17. PiL – public image
18. The Odds – someone who’s cool
19. The Ride Theory – alright
20. Dirty Pretty Things – no signal, no battery (demo)
21. Rage Against The Machine – new millennium homes
22. The D4 – too stupid
23. Sloan – try to make it (live ipop)
24. Sloan – judy is a punk (live ipop)
25. Sloan - Iggy & Angus (Live 4 Nights at the Palais Royale)
26. The D4 - do no right

They Say What They Mean...

Hey I just thought I'd make a post about the Sloan show from Saturday January 20th. First off a band from Toronto called Spiral Beach, opened the show. They are a weird mix of music. They are quite an odd little band from Toronto.

Before Sloan came on stage, the music that was playing through the speakers was mostly old punk music, that I regularly play on my radio show I Heard MC5 "American Ruse", The Clash "Drug Stabbing Time", Buzzcocks, and Ramones. Sloan came on stage around 10-ish. They played a total of 30 songs. Most of the concert consisted of new stuff from Never Hear The End Of It, but that's not a bad thing. It was interesting to see the band members switch positions. It happened twice, when drummer Andrew Scott was to sing his songs, he went on guitar/vocals, Jay Ferguson went on bass, and bassist Chris Murphy went to drums, Patrick Pentland stayed on guitar. It was a great live show that rocked, and they sounded so good. Sloan played something from almost every album. Twenty songs from Never Hear The End of It, two songs from Navy Blues, three from One Chord To Another, two from Pretty Together, one song from Twice Removed, and one from their greatest hits compilation A Sides Win. It was a nice mix of material, and it was an awesome concert to see.

Here's their set list/what they played:

Flying High Again
Who Taught You To Live Like That?
Will I Belong?
Ill Placed Trust
The Other Man
The Lines You Amend
Fading Into Obscurity
Golden Eyes
Love Is All Around
Living With the Masses
HFXNSHC
Blackout
All Used up
C'Mon C'Mon (We're Gonna Get It Started)
Everybody Wants You
I Understand
You Know What It's About
Someone I Can Be True With
Money City Maniacs
I Can't Sleep
I Know You
Something's Wrong
I've Gotta Try
Everything You've Done Wrong
Can't You Figure It Out
Pen Pals
The Good In Everyone
Another Way I Could Do It

Encore
Chester the Molester
If It Feels Good Do It

Sloan-Mania! - Show # 129

This week I did a show devoted entirely to the band Sloan. Why? Well one reason is because Sloan is an awesome rock band, the other is simple. Sloan is playing a concert at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit this Saturday, January 20th. I played at least one song from every Sloan album and one rare track.

Sloan formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1991. Jay Ferguson and Chris Murphy initially played in a local band that was called Kearney Lake Rd. The other members (Patrick Pentland, and Andrew Scott) met and came together while at the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design. In 1992 Sloan recorded the Peppermint EP. It contained six songs one of which was "Underwhelmed" a song that would be a Canadian hit when re-recorded for their first full length album Smeared; it was also released on their own label, Murder Records. Smeared was released in 1992/1993, it was a very grunge-sounding album. It sounded very much like indie grunge bands such as Sonic Youth, but it also showed their pop Beatles-ish side. On my show I played "Take it In" and " Two Seater" from Smeared.

Next came what many people called at the time one of the greatest Canadian albums ever recorded, Twice Removed. This album was a different sounding record than its predecessor, it was not as grungy, it was more pop and indie sounding. The album featured songs like "Coax Me", " People of the Sky", and "Shame, Shame". These last two were played on my show this week. During this time Sloan was signed to DCG, Geffen Records. The label poorly promoted the band in the United States, the band did very well on the Canadian Market,but the US market was not promoted well by the label. Around this time Sloan took a break, and considered splitting up. During this time the band also pursued side projects, but decided to come back together and recorded 1996's One Chord To Another. The band switched label's, they signed to a division of EMI Records.

1996's One Chord To Another was a huge success in Canada, and the US when it was released there in 1997. This album was a dramatic jump in terms of musical ability by the band and remains one of their, if not their best albums to date. Also import version of this album came with a 10 track bonus disc titled Live At A Sloan Party. The disc featured two Sloan tracks and the rest were cover songs ranging from bands like Roxy Music, and Jonathan Richman, to the Everly Brothers. After this 1998's Navy Blues was recorded and released. The album was yet another expansion upon their Beatles-ish sound from One Chord To Another. It also featured the song "Money City Maniacs" which was a huge hit for the band. It was an album that is equally as great as One Chord To Another.

Next, came a double live album 4 Nights at the Palais Royale, and the album Between the Bridges. Between the Bridges was a more of a experimental record, it was very poppy, but more like retro pop songs. after this album came 2001's Pretty Together. This album featured the song "If It Feels Good Do It", a great rock song, that is very AC/DC-ish. The rest of the album was a mix of melodic songs, but it was different than their previous albums.

2003 saw the release of Action Pact. An album where Sloan attempted to make all rock songs. The album is the only album that did not feature any songs written by drummer Andrew Scott. All members of the band write and sing their songs (as The Beatles did), just not all the time. The majority of the songs come from guitarist Patrick Pentland and Bassist Chris Murphy. The album is not bad, but definitely not one of Sloan's best albums. In 2005 a greatest hits compilation was released titled A Sides Win. It featured two new songs "All Used Up' a distorted rocker, and "Try To Make It" a rock song with Irish sounding synthesizer parts.

Never Hear The End of It, was released in 2006. it features 30 tracks some not even being one minute long. It is another Beatles-ish album but also contains great rock songs. It features songs from every Sloan band member including Guitarist Jay Ferguson, who didn't have a single since 1996; the single from this album was "Who Taught You To Live Like That". "HFXNSHC" is another song I'd like to mention, it is a fast punk song and almost a hardcore song. It is about the Halifax, Nova Scotia Hardcore scene, and is not longer a minute and a half.

Sloan Play List:

1. underwhelmed (Peppermint EP 1992)
2. take it in (Smeared 1992)
3. two seater (Smeared 1992)
4. People of the sky (Twice Removed 1994)
5. Shame, Shame (Twice Removed 1994)
6. the good in everyone (One Chord To Another 1996)
7. autobiography (One Chord To Another 1996)
8. G turns to D (One Chord To Another 1996)
9. Can’t face up (One Chord To Another 1996)
10. dignified and old (Live at a Sloan Party 1996)
11. she says what she means (Navy Blues 1998)
12. money city maniacs (Navy Blues 1998)
13. sinkin’ ships (Navy Blues 1998)
14. on the horizon (Navy Blues 1998)
15. sensory deprivation (Between the Bridges 1999)
16. take care of the poor boy (Between the Bridges 1999)
17. if it feels good do it (Pretty Together 2001)
18. never seeing the ground for the sky (Pretty Together 2001)
19. ready for you (Action Pact 2003)
20. I was wrong (Action Pact 2003)
21. all used up (A Sides Win 2005)
22. living with the masses (Never Hear The End of It 2006)
23. HFXNSHC (Never Hear The End of It 2006)

Marble Indexing, and show #128

On this weeks show I played a variety of Canadian bands that I've never played before; I'll just mention a few of them. The Marble Index are a three-piece from Hamilton, Ontario. They first started in 2001, the band some say sound garage rock. They are just a good fashioned rock n' roll band, some of their influences range from The Clash, The Jam, The Who, and many other Canadian artists. Their most current release is Watch Your Candles, Watch Your Knives. I played the song "All That I Know" from this album.

Next up, The Ride Theory. They are yet another band from Hamilton, Ontario. They are also fairly newer, they first started out in around 2002, and released their first album, The Ride Theory that same year. The song that was played on tonight's show was "I'm On Board", which is a song from their current 2006 release, In This City. They sound kind of garagey like Marble Index, but they have more of an edge, they sound post-punk almost. You can tell by listening to the band that they liked Iggy Pop and the stooges, and early punk rock. They are also influenced by surf rock.  (Note:  The Ride Theory are now known as Young Rival.)

Two other quick notes, the song "Olio" by The Rapture is not the same version as on their 2003 album Echoes. It was a more rock version of the song from their 1999 album Mirror. Finally, the song "Love Reign O'er Me" was a cover that Pearl Jam did for a new Adam Sandler movie of the same name. It can be found on their most recent Christmas single.

Next week I will be doing a show devoted entirely to the Canadian band Sloan. Sloan are playing a concert at St. Andrews Hall on January 20th. So if you'd like make a request for next weeks show by leaving a comment at the end of this post, I will play the song you want next week.

Here's the play list from this week:

1. The Saints – the chameleon
2. The Scavengers – mysterex
3. The Kings – this beat goes on
4. The Kings - switchin’ to glide
5. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – water
6. Iggy & The Stooges – scene of the crime
7. Black Sabbath – rat salad
8. Ramones – come on now
9. Ramones – kicks to try (demo)
10. Buzzcocks – I look alone
11. The Clash – gates of the west
12. U2 – streetmission
13. Radio Birdman – didn’t tell the man
14. The Police – man in a suitcase
15. The Ride Theory – I’m on board
16. Tokyo Police Club – nature of the experience
17. Flash Bastard – bastard radio
18. The Rapture – olio (1999 mirror version)
19. The Subways – oh yeah
20. Marble Index – all that I know
21. Sloan – hollow head
22. The Hives – born to cry (dion and the belmonts cover)
23. The D4 – out of control (limespiders cover)
24. Pearl Jam - love reign o'er me (the who cover)
25. Rage Against The Machine - in my eyes (minor threat cover)

Scavengers, Nerves, and a Police Reunion? Show #127

As my first show of the year 2007 I played a couple of bands I've never played on my show before. First was The Scavengers. The Scavengers were a band from Auckland, New Zealand in 1977. They were influenced by bands such as Sex Pistols, The Stooges, and The New York Dolls. They broke up around 1978/79, and never had any album released officially. They did record a 12 song demo, that finally saw the light of day in 2003 (they have had various songs released on compilations before hand). The band split up and would go onto other bands, Brendan Perry would later form Dead Can Dance.

The Nerves were a band formed by Jack Lee, Peter Case, and Paul Collins. The Nerves EP would be released in 1979, it contained four songs. "Hanging On The Telephone" was the song played on tonight's show, but most people mistake it as a Blondie song. Blondie did cover the very same song, but it was originally done by The Nerves. After the short Nerves career, Peter Case would form the Plimsouls, and Paul Collins The Beat;Jack Lee had a short solo career.

Compulsive Gamblers are a band from Memphis Tennessee. They formed in the 90's, "Stop & Think It Over" was the song played on tonight's show. I first heard the song being covered by the Swedish punk band, The Hives. The song is taken from the bands 2000 album, Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing. I also played songs from various John Peel BBC sessions form Buzzcocks, The Cure, and Madness.


Also it has circulated around the Internet as a rumour that The Police will be reforming for a tour this year. It is just in the rumour stage, but it looks likely that this will happen. Along with a tour, a set of releases are set to come out as part of the 30th anniversary of their single "Roxanne".

Here's the play list:

1. The Jam – Billy hunt
2. The Nerves – hanging on the telephone
3. The Scavengers – true love
4. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers – flight (early demo)
5. Undertones – you’ve got my number (why don’t you use it)
6. Buzzcocks – what do I get (BBC session)
7. The Demics – the 400 blows
8. Teenage Head – brand new cadillac
9. The Saints – this time
10. The Clash – groovy times
11. The Clash – capital radio two
12. Iggy Pop – girls
13. The Cure – 10:15 Saturday night (BBC Session)
14. Talking Heads – who is it (1975 cbs demo)
15. Ramones – we want the airwaves
16. Ramones – you sound like your sick
17. The Police – someone to talk to
18. Hot, Hot, Heat – eyes ear mouth (demo)
19. Sloan – live on
20. The Rakes – retreat
21. Compulsive Gamblers – stop & think it over
22. The Specials – ghost town
23. The D4 – omerta
24. Madness - the prince (BBC Session)