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

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

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

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


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

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

More information on The Clean can be found at:

The Clean - Anything Can Happen
The Clean Myspace Page

This Week's Play List:

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

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

Canadian Voodoo...The Story of Deja Voodoo...Show # 245

In 1981, Tony Dewald and Gerard Van Herk formed the group known as Deja Voodoo in Montreal, Canada. Influenced by Rockabilly, Punk, Garage Rock, Blues and bands such as Link Wray and The Cramps, Deja Voodoo came off sounding different than most bands. Using 50's horror imagery (like The Misfits have done), Deja Voodoo helped to create a new genre that was known as Sludge-a-billy. Their music was primal and dirty, Tony Dewald would be the drummer and Gerard Van Herk would cover guitars and vocals. There would be no bass player. Deja Voodoo can be seen as Canada's answer to The Cramps.

In the early 80s, numerous bands were popping up all over Montreal, in turn making it difficult for Deja Voodoo to find a label. While they were popular amongst the Montreal communities, they decided to form their own label in 1983 called Og Records. Deja Voodoo released their first album Gumbo on Og Records in 1983; It was released on cassette only. The album sold relatively well by independent record standards, but it did not find mainstream success. The band continued to release their own albums and other bands on their label. In 1984, Cemetery was released. Being the bands third album it sold well in Canada and in parts of the US and Europe; It was also the bands first album to be released on vinyl. Og Records would release a total of twenty nine albums in its seven year run. The label also released a series of compilation albums featuring Montreal artists such as The Gruesomes. There were five volumes of the It Came From Canada series.

Deja Voodoo toured in parts of Canada and Europe once Og Records started doing well. They toured places such as Greece, Finland and Scandinavia. This was seen as being unheard of at the time. For an underground Canadian band to reach audiences in Europe this was a great achievement. As a result they built cult followings. They started putting on special outdoor events such as "Voodoo BBQ's". These were held mainly in Montreal and drew in large crowds. The last Voodoo BBQ was in 2008.

Despite doing relatively well in their musical aspirations, Tony and Gerard split up Deja Voodoo in 1990. They pursued other careers. Gerard Van Herk became a Linguistics professor and Tony Dewald opened his own brewery on the West Coast. While Deja Voodoo did not achieve mainstream success, they were a well known one of a kind Canadian band that helped define a genre known as Sludge-a-billy. More info can be found on their Myspace Page.

Play List:

1. The Golden Hands Before God - The Ladder
2. Bob Dylan and the Band - Odds & Ends
3. The Troggs - I Can't Control Myself
4. The Count Bishops - Teenage Letter
5. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Going Going Gone (Time Version)
6. Bad Brains - Sailin' On
7. The Heartbeeps - My Flash On You
8. The Charms - Action
9. The Haunted - Eight Hour Day
10. The Gruesomes - Leave My Kitten Alone
11. The Replacements - Takin' A Ride
12. The Replacements - I Will Dare
13. The Ettes - I Get Mine
14. Compulsive Gamblers - X-Ray Eyes
15. Rolling Stones - Complicated
16. The Leather Uppers - Say It In French
17. Young Rival - Poisonous Moves
18. Deja Voodoo - Shoobedy Hey
19. Deja Voodoo - My Girlfriend
20. The Cramps - She Said
21. Queens of The Stone Age - Battery Acid
22. The Locust Have No King - Goodman On A Strange Horse
23. Gun Club - She's Like Heroin To Me
24. The Stooges - Not Right
25. The Howlies - Sea Level
26. Black Lips - Drugs
27. The Collectors - We Can Make It
28. Libertines - I Get Along

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

Hungry Beat...The Fire Engines Story...Show # 244

Forming in Edinburgh, Scotland, The Fire Engines were an important part of the Scottish post punk music movement. They were playing at the same time amongst bands such as Orange Juice, Joseph K, and The Scars. Three of the band members (Davy Henderson (guitars/vocals), Russel Burn (drums), and Graham Main (bass)) were originally in the band called The Dirty Reds. Adding one more member (Murray Slade (guitars)), the band took on the name The Fire Engines, which was from a 13th Floor Elevators song. Their sound would not be as conventional as their musical contemporaries. They preferred anger and noise instead of pop hooks and melodies.

Their first release was the single Get Up and Use Me in 1980. It was backed with the song "Everything's Roses" (the single was # 9 on the UK Indie singles charts). Their first full length album was titled Lubricate Your Living Room (Background Music For Action People!). It was also released in 1980, and went to # 4 on the UK Indie Singles charts. What followed next was a series of singles in 1981. "Candyskin" would show off Henderson's unique nasally vocal style and featured a string section. It also did well on the UK Indie charts, but following the bands next single "Big Gold Dream", The Fire Engines broke up. In 1981, the band released a compilation album in the US titled, Aufgeladen Und Bereit Fur Action Und Spass. It featured live and studio tracks.


They have also released several other compilation albums. In 2004, the band released a split single with Franz Ferdinand. The single featured The Fire Engines covering Franz Ferdinand's "Jacqueline" and Franz Ferdinand covering The Fire Engines song "Get Up and Use Me". A compilation of demos and live material was released in 1995, titled Codex Teenage Premonition. A US compilation was made titled Hungry Beat in 2007. It compiled studio recordings from the band, that were previously unavailable in the US. Following the break up of The Fire Engines, Henderson and Russel Burn formed the group Win. David Henderson also had a group called Nectarine No. 9, in the 90's.

Play List:

1. New York Dolls - Vietnamese Baby
2. Ugly Ducklings - I Wish You Would
3. The Soft Pack - Bright Side
4. Dry Heaves - Portable
5. Metallica - The More I See
6. Black Sabbath - Wicked World
7. Motorhead - Tear You Down
8. John Doe and The Sadies - Detroit City
9. Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash - Guess Things Happen That Way
10. 13th Floor Elevators - (I've Got) Levitation
11. Lou Reed - Nowhere At All
12. Pretty Things - Come See Me
13. Big Town Boys - August 32nd
14. King Bees - What's Your Name
15. 49th Parallel - Citizen Freak
16. The Thermals - Now We Can See
17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
18. Drums and Wires - Basement
19. The Government - Complications
20. Condofucks - The Kid With The Replaceable Head
21. Fire Engines - Get Up and Use Me
22. The Scars - Horrorshow
23. Rezillos - Top of the Pops
24. Franz Ferdinand - Bite Hard

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

The Beatles To Re-issue Entire Catalogue

If you haven't heard the news already, it was recently announced that The Beatles will be re-issuing their entire catalogue on September 9, 2009. The albums have been remastered in stereo and will include new and extended liner notes. In addition to this the CD's will also include mini documentaries on the making of each album that is re-issued. The remastering and re-issuing of The Beatles catalogue is long overdue, in my opinion and it's good to hear that they are finally doing it. They spent a long time on the remastering of the catalogue to make sure that it was done right and now it is finally ready. There will be 14 albums released in September, including the Past Masters I & II, which will now be one CD set. In addition to all this, all of the CD's can be bought in boxed set form. There will also be a Mono mix version released in boxed set form for die-hard Beatles fans. The Beatles also plan to released their material digitally, but they are still in talks at the current time.

More information on this can be found in the following links:

The Beatles Official Website
Billboard

Just Play Music!...The Story of Big Audio Dynamite...Show # 243

In 1984, one year after being fired from The Clash Mick Jones formed a new group. Big Audio Dynamite would blend elements of Punk, Pop, Hip-Hop, Funk, Reggae and Dance into their music. The band can be seen as an extension from the work that Mick Jones recorded on The Clash's Combat Rock. Recruiting friend Don Letts to do vocals and sound effects, Mick Jones assembled the first incarnation of what was to be known as Big Audio Dynamite. Leo "E-Zee Kill" Williams would play bass, Greg Roberts the drums and Mick Jones would cover guitar, vocals and song writing duties. "The Bottom Line" would be the bands first single. Their first album This Is Big Audio Dynamite would follow shortly after in 1985. The album would debut at # 27 on the UK album charts and # 103 on the US album charts.

"E=MC2" would be the bands next single. The song employed sampling techniques and is often seen as one of the first songs to take advantage of sampling technologies. Lyrically the song made reference to the film Insignificance by Noel Roeg. Chart wise the song did not do well in the UK, but in the US it went to #11 and # 37 on the dance charts. Other great songs contained on the BAD's first album include "Medicine Show" and "Sudden Impact". The music video that was made for "Medicine Show", features former Clash members Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon, and Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols/Public Image Limited. The bands next album would contain producing and song collaboration with former Clash member Joe Strummer. No. 10 Upping Street, would be released in 1986. The albums title was a pun on the residency of the UK Prime Minister, whose address is 10 Downing St. Singles from the album would be "C'Mon Every Beatbox", "V.Thirteen", and "Sightsee MC". The album did well on the UK album charts (# 11), but was in the low 100's on the US album charts. It should also be noted that despite the low charting on the US album charts, it did well on the US singles charts.


Tighten Up,Vol.88 came next in 1988. The album used more free form song writing techniques as opposed to the earlier BAD albums. The albums first single "Just Play Music!" went to # 1 on the US album charts. The album artwork for Tighten Up,Vol.88 was also designed by former Clash bassist Paul Simonon. Megatop Phoenix followed in 1989. This would be the last album containing the original band members. The album would also produced by Bill Price (of Sex Pistols/Clash producing) and would have two high charting US singles, "James Brown" and "Contact". The album's title would be a reference to a near death experience that Mick Jones had during the recording of this album, which he successfully recovered from. In November of 1990, Big Audio Dynamite II (which was Big Audio Dynamite with new band members, with the exception of Mick Jones) recorded a song titled "Free", which was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Flashback. The song would be re-worked and re-titled "Kickin' It". The re-worked version of "Free" would be featured on the bands album Kool-Aid. The album was released in the UK only in 1990.

In 1991, The Globe was released. With the new line up (which featured two guitarists - Nick Hawkins and Mick Jones), the music took on more of a rock influence, while still keeping true to BAD's sampling techniques. The first singe from the album was the song "Rush". The song went to # 1 on the US Modern Rock charts. It should also be noted that around this time The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" went to # 1 as well, due to it being featured in a Levi's jeans commercial. "Rush" was placed as the B-Side to the Clash single. The album contained songs in edited or altered state from the UK only release Kool-Aid, it also contained the song "The Globe". "The Globe" was essentially a remix of the Clash song "Should I Stay or Should I Go". It went to # 1 on the US Modern Rock charts, and # 8 on the Australian singles charts. Next Mick Jones shortened the bands name to Big Audio and released the album Higher Power in 1994. The band acquired two additional members for this album, Andre Sharp on Keyboards and Michael "Zonka" Custance as DJ/background vocalist. Higher Power was not well received and did not do as well as the previous album released by Big Audio Dynamite. It did however contain the reggae track "Harrow Road". Following this release the band left their label (Columbia Records).


In 1995, Mick Jones changed his bands name once again to Big Audio Dynamite and released F-Punk on Radioactive Records. This album was not well recieved at all. Despite the negative comments that have been printed about F-Punk, it contains some hidden gems. Songs such as "I Turned Out A Punk", "Gonna Try", "Got It All From My TV", and "Singapore". As a bonus, there is even a hidden track, a cover of David Bowie's "Suffragette City". This would be the last official full length album release for Big Audio Dynamite.

The bands next album was titled Entering A New Ride, but the bands record label at the time refused to release it. The band line up at this point, also included Rankin' Roger of The Beat. In order to get the songs and the album out to the public, Mick Jones set up a website and made the songs available for download for free. It was one of the first albums to be made available for download for free (it was in 1997/1998). After this the band basically dissolved. There would be a few compilation releases for the band, but only two after the band stopped playing. They were greatest hits compilations, Plantet Bad (1995), and Super Hits (1999). In 2007, a live DVD featuring the BAD II line up was released. Following his BAD days, Mick Jones would produce albums/bands, most notably his work with The Libertines. In 2002, Mick Jones formed a new group with Tony James (Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik) called Carbon/Silicon. They have made several recordings available for free via their official website, and released one full length album titled The Last Post in 2007.

Also CJAM is still accepting votes for the 2009 Jammy awards (they will be until April 15th, 2009). If you are a listener of Revolution Rock or just a visitor of this blog, a vote would be greatly appreciated. You can vote by clicking this link.

This Weeks Play List:

1. The Saints - Lipstick Collar
2. Luger Boa - A Lonely Story
3. I Was King - Not Like This
4. Wavves - So Bored
5. The Nils - Fountains
6. Diodes - Cat Walker
7. 222's - Hold Up
8. Crash 80's - Waiting For The Heat
9. The Pretenders - The Phone Call
10. X - Adult Books
11. X-Ray Spex - Identity
12. Hot Hot Heat - Get In or Get Out
13. XX Teens - Only You
14. Lost Patrol - Commanche
15. Rudeboy - Midnight To Moscow
16. The Specials - Nite Klub
17. Dead 60s - Too Much TV
18. Wreckless Eric - Veronica
19. Magazine - Touch and Go
20. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden
21. Gang of Four - Why Theory?
22. Big Audio Dynamite - Gonna Try
23. Big Audio Dynamite - Get It All From My TV
24. Bob Dylan - Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
25. Radio Birdman - Crying Sun
26. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Johnny Appleseed

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

BAD Videos:

The Bottom Line
Medicine Show
C'Mon Every Beatbox
V. Thirteen
Innocent Child
Looking For A Song
I Turned Out A Punk
Rush

Related posts:

A Carbon/Silicon History
Hey Amigo: The Havana 3AM Story
All The Young Punks: Story of The Clash Part One
Revolution Rock: The Story of The Clash Part Two
Ghetto Defendants: The Story of The Clash Part Three