Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand (1994)
Guided By Voices Bee Thousand was originally released on June 21st, 1994. At the time, GBV had already released several albums and Bee Thousand would be their seventh album. Prior to this, all of the band’s albums had been recorded in studios. Bee Thousand would be different. Instead of recording the album in a studio, GBV recorded this album on a variety of four track recorders in different garages and basements of the various band members. The results were very lo-fi, a lot of the recording sounds like it could be from an old bootleg. This was part of band leader Robert Pollard’s intention. He stated that he wanted the album to resemble Beatles bootlegs. Musically, the songs draw on British invasion rock, punk rock, pop, psychedelic and progressive rock influences. The majority of the music found on Bee Thousand was made up of overdubbed, re-edited versions of older, unused material by the band. Lyrically, the songs featured words that have drawn comparison to the cut-up technique that was once used by writer William Burroughs. The songs would draw on many themes that seemed fantastical, but due to the lyrical technique of Pollard, they are layered with many different potential meanings.
At this point in time Guided By Voices was more of loose collective of musicians. Pollard has stated that the band during this period was made up of whatever friends were available to play. In addition to the music created by Robert Pollard, there are also the songs written by Tobin Sprout, who would be part of the GBV classic lineup from 1987-1997 and again from 2010-2014. Songs such as “Awful Bliss”, “Mincer Ray”, Ester’s Day” and “Hot Freaks” all add to the uniqueness of this album and when combined with the other songs such as “I Am A Scientist”, “Hardcore UFO’s” and “Gold Star For Robot Boy” create something unpredictable and spontaneous. Originally Bee Thousand was going to be the last album for Guided By Voices, due to pressure to focus on Pollard’s teaching career and family, in addition to the financial issues that arose with being in a band. However, Bee Thousand pulled Guided By Voices out of obscurity and turned out to be a new beginning for the band.
Nirvana - Bleach (1989)
Originally released on June 15th, 1989 on Sub Pop Records, Bleach was the debut album by Nirvana. The album featured a heavier, grungier sound, as opposed to Nirvana’s Nevermind and In Utero albums. When Bleach was released it only featured eleven songs. It wasn’t until after Nirvana released Nevermind that Bleach would be re-released with two additional tracks. It would chart at number 89 on the Billboard 200 upon the re-release in 1992. The music on Bleach reflected the Seattle music scene at the time blending elements of punk, metal and classic rock.
Nirvana recorded Bleach with Jack Endino at Reciprocal Studios in sessions that took place between December 1988 and January 1989. Before Dave Grohl joined Nirvana as their drummer, the band went through a series of drummers. Prior to being called Nirvana, they went by several different band names and Aaron Burckhard played drums with them. He quit the band in December of 1987. In January 1988, Kurt Cobain asked Dale Crover (of The Melvins) to record a demo session with Nirvana so that it could help them find a new drummer. The band recorded ten songs on January 23rd, 1988, including vocal overdubs and had a rough mix of the songs done in roughly six hours. Dale Crover is featured on three songs on Bleach “Paper Cuts”, “Floyd The Barber” and “Downer” that originate from this session. Most of the others that he recorded during this session would be spread out over other releases such as 1992’s Incesticide and the 2004 box set With The Lights Out. Chad Channing joined Nirvana in 1988 and shortly after joining recorded the Love Buzz single with them. Other than the three noted songs, Channing is featured on the remainder of the songs on Bleach.
Lyrically, the songs on Bleach have a bleak and claustrophobic outlook. Cobain has said that most of the lyrics are about his life in Aberdeen. “Negative Creep” is one of the many tracks with heavy guitar riffs, “School” was said to be a critique of the Seattle music scene, and “Mr. Moustache” was inspired by Cobain’s dislike of macho behaviour. In addition to the heaviness found on Bleach, the song “About A Girl” shows the pop abilities of Kurt Cobain. This song has been described as a “Jangly R.E.M. type of pop song”, but also one influenced heavily by The Beatles. It stands out on Bleach, but also shows that Kurt Cobain and Nirvana were more than just another band in the Seattle music scene.
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)
On June 15th, 1979, Manchester band Joy Division released their debut album Unknown Pleasures on Factory Records. A high-water mark of postpunk music, this atmospheric release from the Manchester quartet made a significant impact in the realm of independent music. Before recording Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division was known as Warsaw. They signed a recording contract with RCA Records in 1977 and recorded demos for the label, however, they were unhappy with the results. The recordings were eventually released as Warsaw. Before that happened however, four of the songs from the RCA sessions were selected and self-released by Joy Division on their own Enigma label as An Ideal For Living. Heavily influenced by bands such as Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks, this EP reflected the band’s early punk sound. It was also around this time that Joy Division’s manager Rob Gretton convinced the band to sign to the label Factory Records. They signed to Factory Records in 1978 with Martin Hannett in the producer seat for their first album.
The recording of Unknown Pleasures took place at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England over three weekends in April of 1979. Martin Hannett, who had produced the first Buzzcocks EP Spiral Scratch as Martin Zero took Joy Division’s punk sound and added his sense of experimentation to it. Hannett added space and atmosphere to Joy Division’s sound, which when combined with the music of Joy Division and the lyrics of Ian Curtis created a world of mystery and darker textures to the Unknown Pleasures landscape. Unusual production techniques were employed by Hannett such as using the sound of a toilet, breaking glass, someone eating crisps (played backwards), in addition to the use of tape echo, digital delay (on the drums) and time modulators. Ian Curtis’ vocals for the song “Insight” were also recorded from a telephone line.
The music while punk based was different. It would be known as post-punk. The basslines played by Peter Hook were played in higher registers, in a way that had not been done before. The baritone vocals by Curtis combined with minimalist guitar by Bernard Sumner and the manic, precise drumming of Stephen Morris created something unique. The lyrics of Curtis influenced by writers such as J.G. Ballard, William Burroughs, and Gogol, touched on many topics that weren’t being addressed at the time and that people still identify with today. Although the band were initially displeased with the sound of Unknown Pleasures, the album has had a long lasting legacy. Hundreds of musicians would claim influence from this album, ranging from rock acts like U2 and The Cure, to hip-hop artists like Danny Brown and Vince Staples. Its influence does not stop at music. It has also inspired books, film and even graphic design. Unknown Pleasures is an album that has been written about many times. There is something different for the listener to discover when listening to it. Whether it is the darker themes addressing depression, existentialism, the sense of alienation that people identify with or the other themes that run through this album, Unknown Pleasures creates an air of mystery that is not easily defined. It is one that keeps people returning to it and will do so for a long time to come.
Show 781 (Originally Aired On June 29th, 2019)(Guided By Voices Bee Thousand - 25th Anniversary):
1. Guided by Voices - Hardcore UFO's (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
2. Guided by Voices - Buzzards and Dreadful Crows (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
3. Guided by Voices - Hot Freaks (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
4. Guided by Voices - Smothered in Hugs (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
5. Necking - Spare Me
6. Feels - Awful Need
7. Sebadoh - Vacation
8. Kiwi Jr. - Wicked Witches
9. Dumb - Columbo
10. Guided by Voices - Yours to Keep (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
11. Guided by Voices - Echos Myron (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
12. Guided by Voices - Gold Star for Robot Boy (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
13. Guided by Voices - Mincer Ray (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
14. Guided by Voices - A Big Fan of the Pigpen (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
15. The Electric Cows - Shattered Glass
16. Vondells - Snakes Eyes
17. The Mighty Swells - Runaway
18. West Ends - Belle v. Sebastian
19. Guided by Voices - Her Psychology Today (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
20. Guided by Voices - Kicker of Elves (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
21. Guided by Voices - Demons Are Real (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
22. The Oh Sees - The Great Crush
23. The Oh Sees - Ghost in the Trees
24. Little Girls - Delaware
25. Pottery - The Craft
26. Kim Gray - Hand in Glove
27. The Flowers of Hell - Destroying Angel
28. Guided by Voices - Queen of Cans and Jars (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
29. Guided by Voices - You're Not an Airplane (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
30. 3ft - 21st Century Drone
31. Cosmonauts - Medio Litro
32. Cate Le Bon - You Don't Love Me
33. Guided by Voices - I Am a Scientist (Bee Thousand - Scat Records - 1994)
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 29.
Show 780 (Originally Aired On June 22nd, 2019)(Nirvana Bleach - 30th Anniversary):
1. Nirvana - Floyd the Barber (Bleach - Sub Pop - 1989)
2. Nirvana - School (Bleach - Sub Pop - 1989)
3. Ty Segall - I Worship the Dog
4. Titus Andronicus - (I Blame) Society
5. Lungbutter - HONEY
6. Jinns - Death Wish
7. LTD - Get Them Talkin'
8. Fecal Matter - Downer (Illiteracy Will Prevail - 1985)
9. Nirvana - Spank Thru (1988 Dale Crover Demo)
10. Nirvana - Tolken Eastern Song )With The Lights Out - 2004)
11. Drive Like Jehu - Human Interest
12. Fontaines D.C. - Chequeless Reckless
13. Salt Horse - Weekend Medicine
14. The Space Plan - Trail the Rails
15. Atomic 7 - Skynrd
16. Rodriguez - I Wonder
17. Nirvana - About a Girl (Live) (Bleach: 20th Anniversary Edition - Sub Pop - 2009)
18. Nirvana - Love Buzz (Bleach - Sub Pop - 1989)
19. Nirvana - Papercuts (Bleach - Sub Pop - 1989)
20. Mudhoney - Blinding Sun
21. Lubriated Goat - He Moves in Mysterious Ways
22. Bad Hoo - Confuse Bouche
23. Alex Little & The Suspicious Minds - No Control
24. Foxhart Fishman - Ramblin' Dan's Righteous Manefesto
25. No Museums - Fangs That Once Were Teeth
26. Smokey and the Feelings - Fields of the Bored
27. Sturgill Simpson - The Dead Don't Die
28. Nirvana - Blew (live) (Bleach: 20th Anniversary Edition - Sub Pop - 2009)
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 22.
Show 779 (Originally Aired June 15th, 2019)(Joy Division Unknown Pleasures - 40th Anniversary):
1. Joy Division - Exercise One (BBC Session 1979)
2. Queen's Rug - Untitled Demo
3. The Organ Fire - In The Ocean
4. Blue Peter - Radio Silence
5. Dumb - Some Big Motor Dream
6. Joy Division - Living in the Ice Age (Warsaw Demo)
7. Joy Division - Disorder (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
8. Joy Division - Day of the Lords (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
9. Joy Division - Candidate (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
10. Joy Division - Insight (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
11. Joy Division - New Dawn Fades ((Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
12. Joy Division - She's Lost Control (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
13. Joy Division - Shadowplay (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
14. Joy Division - Wilderness (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
15. Joy Division - Interzone (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
16. Joy Division - I Remember Nothing (Unknown Pleasures - Factory Records - 1979)
17. Teenanger - It Works with my Body
18. Psychic Void - Gutter Butter
19. Leather Uppers - Slow Puke
20. Pretty Matty - Kicked Out
21. Odonis Odonis - Hollandaze
22. Protomartyr - Ypsilanti
23. Walrus - Fur Skin Coat
24. The Prefects - Faults
25. The Nightingales - Idiot Strength
26. Controller.Controller - PF
27. Joy Division - Transmission (Live) (Les Bains Douches 1979)
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 15.
Show 778 (Originally Aired On June 8th, 2019)(Dr. John, 13th Floor Elevators & Roky Erickson):
1. Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time
2. Dr. John - Jump Sturdy
3. Dr. John - Ice Age
4. Dr. John - Gut Bucket Blues
5. Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Al Greenery
6. Charles Bradley - You Think I Don't Know But I Know
7. Mark Sultan - The Other Two
8. Reigning Sound - What Did I Tell You
9. Kim Gray - Eugene Vampire
10. Constantines - National Hum
11. Women - Robert Starratt (Locust Valley) (CBC Radio 3 Session)
12. The Jam - Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
13. The Spades - You're Gonna Miss Me
14. The 13th Floor Elevators - Fire Engine
15. The 13th Floor Elevators - She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)
16. Roky Erickson & the Aliens - Night of the Vampire
17. Roky Erickson & The Black Angels - Thank God For Civilization
18. The Neins Circa - The Astoria Hotel
19. No Aloha - Generational Divide
20. Greys - These Things Happen
21. LTD - Chief Sleeps In The Park
22. Young Canadians - Where are You
23. Pow! - Connecting
24. Nots - Floating Hand
25. Outrageous Cherry - Sign o' the Times
26. Neil Young & Stray Gators - Time Fades Away (Live 1973)
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 8.
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