Don't Look Back..The Story of Them and Show # 202

Them are known for creating the garage rock staple/standard "Gloria" and for being the first band of Van Morrison. Coming from Belfast in Northern Ireland, Them originally started out as The Gamblers, playing at a R&B club in Ireland. The band contained Van Morrison (vocals/harmonica), Alan Henderson (bass), Eric Wrixton (keyboards/piano), Billy Harrison (guitar), and Ronnie Millings on drums. The band changed their names from The Gamblers to Them in 1964; The name came from a science fiction horror film titled Them.

Them would build a following playing at The Maritime Hotel. The band was known for their unique live shows. They are said to have gotten their energy from the various members on stage and the audience. Morrison would often make up lyrics and songs on the spot (that is how he came up with many songs) and play covers. The band would also sometimes do a twenty minute version of the song "Gloria", which was born on stage. When a fans recording of Them performing "Turn On Your Love Light" made it's way to Dick Rowe of Decca Records, he went to see the band live. Signing Them to Decca records, Rowe quickly put the band in the studio to start recording right away. To sign the two year contract the band members parents were required to sign and when Eric Wrixton's parents refused, he was replaced by another member. The band moved to England to correspond with their two year Decca recording contract.


Them first recorded in London, England in July of 1964. Studio musicians would be brought in for the records (a pattern that would occur through out Them's brief career). "Don't Start Cryin' Now" was the bands first single. It was released in August of 1964 and was backed with the song "One, Two, Brown Eyes". The single was not successful, so Dick Rowe and Them's band manager Phil Soloman brought in a different set of session musicians, which included the likes of Jimmy Page. The band's next single was a cover song it was "Baby Please Don't Go". This song got them an appearance on the Ready Steady Go UK TV show; The song charted at #26 in the UK. The B-side to the single was the song "Gloria", which would bring the band into the UK Singles Chart at number 10. The song charted higher when it was covered by the band Shadows of Knight.

The band's first album came out in 1965 and was titled The Angry Them. The band released their second and final album Them Again in in 1966. During this time the band also played live and had more hits in the UK with songs such as "Here Comes The Night" and in the US with "Mystic Eyes". In June of 1966, Them secured a three week residency at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles. At this time The Doors would play their first show and even perform a twenty minute version of "Gloria" together. Shorty after this in 1966, Van Morrsion broke up Them due to a dispute with the band and management over financial situations. The band would turn into the band The Belfast Gypsies and Van Morrison would go on to have a very successful solo career. Them were known for the blue print they left on rock. They used R&B and Soul influences along with rock to create a sound some would call garage rock. The bands two albums consisted of songs written by Morrison and cover songs of R&B and Soul songs.

The Play List:

1. MC5 - Call Me Animal
2. Ugly Ducklings - Nothin'
3. Marble Index - Anytime
4. Hentchmen - Psycho Daisies
5. Undertones - Teenage Kicks
6. Iggy & The Stooges - I Got A Right!
7. Them - Gloria
8. Them - You Just Can't Win
9. The Who - The Goods Gone
10. Munks - Long Time Waitin'
11. Great Scots - Ball and Chain
12. Collectors - We Can Make It
13. Ride Theory - Truce
14. Velvet Underground - Temptation Inside Your Heart
15. Golden Hands Before God - Communist Party
16. Revolvers - Shuffle
17. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blues
18. Mint Chicks - Walking Off a Cliff Again
19. Clap Clap Riot - Thief
20. White Stripes - Bone Broke
21. Luger Boa - What is Real?
22. The Hives - I Can't Give it to You
23. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Arms Aloft
24. Bob Dylan - New Morning
25. Compulsive Gamblers - Two Thieves

Hey, Bo Diddley!... The Bo Diddley Story and Show # 201

Bo Diddley was born as Ellas Otha Bates in McComb, Mississippi in 1928. He grew up with his mother's cousin and was adopted. He would adapt his name changing it to Ellas McDaniel. As a kid he took violin lessons and when moving to Chicago and hearing John Lee Hooker, he decided to take up the guitar. He would begin his guitar career playing on street corners and in 1951, he got a residency in Chicago at the 708 Club. His music was influenced by the likes of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Louis Jordan. Besides being a musician Diddley also worked as a carpenter and mechanic. He Changed his name to Bo Diddley. There are three places where the name is said to have originated from. One being a southern slang "He ain't bo diddley" which means nothing at all, the other is to have been from the nick name of a boxer, and the third is from a one stringed instrument known as a diddly bow.

In 1954, Bo Diddley and a set of musicians Clifton James (drums), Roosevelt Jack (bass), Billy Boy Arnold (Harmonica) recorded demos of the songs "Bo Diddley" and "I'm A Man". They would re-record the songs with a backing section at Chess Studios and in 1955 the single "Bo Diddley/I'm A Man" was released. It went to number one on the R&B charts. Bo was known for his rhythm style which was known as the Bo Diddley Beat. The style is said to have originated from street musicians and Rhumba/Clave beat. Regardless of it's origins it has been influential on rock music since Diddley started playing it. Along with fellow Chess artist Chuck Berry, Bo and Chuck could be seen as not only the founding fathers of rock and roll, but also innovators.

The Bo Diddley beat can be heard in the songs "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love?". The style somewhat resembling an oncoming train sound, rarely changes notes. Bo would use a variety of styles through out his career along with his Bo Diddley beat. Bo was also known for his homemade square Gretsch guitar which he called, "The Twang Machine". In November of 1955, Bo Diddley appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was asked to perform a cover song, but instead did his song "Bo Diddley". This made Ed Sullivan extremely mad who banned him from further appearances; He also said that Bo Diddley wouldn't last six months, he was wrong about that one.

He did have some minor hits with songs such as "Say Man" in 1959, and "You Can't Judge a Book By Looking at the cover" in 1962. Despite having a number one with "Bo Diddley" he did not do well commercially. He recorded at total of eleven full length albums for Checker (a sub-label of Chess). Bo also had interesting album titles such as Have Guitar, Will Travel (1959), Bo Diddley's a Gunslinger (1961), and Bo Diddley's Twister (1962). As the 60's came Bo's influence came through in the new form of rock. Bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, The Yardbirds, and The Animals. "Bo Diddley" was actually covered by Buddy Holly and when the Rolling Stones covered Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", they gave it a Bo Diddley rhythm.

In 1963, he toured in the UK with The Everly Brothers, Little Richard and Rolling Stones. In 1979, he opened for The Clash on their tour. He would continue playing live and recording off and on through out his career. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1983 he appeared in the film Trading Places, and starred in a series of Nike commercials with Bo Jackson. In the 70's he also spent some time in New Mexico where he worked as a Deputy Sheriff, he then moved to Archer, Florida.

On June 2nd, 2008 Bo Diddley passed away due to heart failure, he was 79. He left a large lasting effect on the world of rock music. His music has been covered by and influenced by many musicians. He was influential on the early punk scene by bands such as New York Dolls and The Clash, who covered a few Diddley songs during the London Calling Sessions. He was also influential to the likes of Elvis Presley, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Clash, The Pretenders, The Supremes, to The White Stripes.

The Play LIst:

1. Bo Diddley - Hey, Bo Diddley!
2. Bo Diddley - I Can Tell
3. Bo Diddley - You Can't Judge a Book By Looking at the Cover
4. Buffalo Springfield - Mr. Soul
5. Gruesomes - Get Outta My Hair
6. Faud and the Feztones - Cool Bird
7. The Diodes - Terminal Rock
8. Extroverts - Living in Poverty
9. Hot Nasites - Get Away From Me
10. Futureheads - Radio Heart
11. The Smiths - London
12. The Police - Truth Hits Everybody
13. Wire - Outdoor Miner
14. Black Lips - O Katrina!
15. Raconteurs - Top Yourself
16. Awesome Color - Already Down
17. Luger Boa - 1000 Hooks
18. Valedictions - Hey Lady
19. Mudhoney - I'm Now
20. Supergrass - Caught By the Fuzz
21. Sloan - Emergency 911
22. Sloan - I'm Not a Kid Anymore
23. Dirty Pretty Things - Tired of England
24. Ramones - Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
25. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Lowest Common Denominator
26. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Senior Service
27. The Clash - Koka Kola

Bo Videos:

Hey, Bo Diddley & Bo Diddley
You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
Road Runner/Mona (Live 1972)
I"m A Man (Live)
Road Runner/Bring It To Jerome/Mona (Live Whembly Stadium 1972)

The Auckland Four... The Complete D4 Story and Show # 200

The early 2000's garage rock revival spawned the likes of The Hives, The Vines, and The Strokes but The D4 were quickly dismissed as another garage rock band. The truth is the band contained elements of garage rock, but also 70's punk, soul, and classic rock; they also come from Auckland, New Zealand. Forming at a party in 1998, guitarists and lead vocalists Jimmy Christmas and Dion Palmer formed the group with other members Rich Mixture (drums), and English Jake on bass; Dion was previously in a band called Nothing At All. Drummer Rich Mixture would leave shortly after the bands first album to pursue a taxidermy career (then joining the band The Rock N' Roll machine) and English Jake left. The band would get Vaughan Williams on bass and Daniel Pooley on drums; They would just be known as Vaughan and Beaver.

In a Rolling Stone magazine interview Dion admitted the band got their name from a brothel that advertised in Auckland. "D1 was a massage, D2 was a hand job, D3 was fellatio and D4 was going all the way." In the same interview the band described their sound as this "some people call us garage rock, but we sound more like meat, glass and tires in a blender." The band started out playing around New Zealand building up a fan base and reputation for their live shows. Their shows were high quality and intensely fueled rock and roll. In 1999, The band released The D4 EP. Containing four tracks, the EP would also contain one of the bands best tracks "Come On!". The EP was a quick hard rocking, energetic EP leaving you wanting to hear more. "Girl", "Come On!", "Outta Blues" and "What U Want" were the tracks and it was released on the New Zealand label Flying Nun. In 2000, the band went on their first overseas tour to Australia and Japan; The tours were self funded.


The band then began work on their debut album 6Twenty. The album would be named after an old fashioned type of JansZen guitar amplifier. Recorded in New Zealand at Frisbee Studios, the album was engineered by Andrew Buckton, Co-Produced by Bob Frisbee, and The D4. It was released in October of 2001 in New Zealand. The rest of the world would see the album in 2002/2003 in the US (on Hollywood Records), in the UK on Infectious Records, and on Sony Music in Japan. 6Twenty starts off with the song "Rock and Roll Motherfucker" and it blares all the way to the end with the volume up all the way. Other great tracks include the punk influenced "Get Loose", the drum manic "Party", the flowing "Exit to the City", the crunchy "Ladies Man", and the descending "Little Baby".

The album also featured three cover songs, "Pirate Love" originally by Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, "Mysterex" originally by New Zealand punkers The Scavengers, and "Invader Ace" originally by Guitar Wolf; The band did them justice. Containing 12 tracks the album was a declaration of rock with the spirit of punk, sounding like an explosion; The US release contained 14 tracks, while the Japanese 2003 release contained 17 tracks.

The band spent about two years touring to support 6Twenty. They even played on late night talk shows David Letterman, Last Call with Carson Daily, and the Jimmy Kimmel Show. They also played a variety of festivals such as Reading, Leeds, Pukklepop, Big Day Out, and the South By Southwest Festival. The band would begin working on songs for their second full length album in 2004. Initially Jimmy Christmas and Dion Palmer went to Thailand and to different locations in New Zealand to work on songs. They came up with about 40 songs, but most of them weren't used. They weren't happy with the material. The band was dealing with producers and record companies as well so they had their work cut out for themselves. They decided in February of 2004 to go to England to work on their next album and get away from all the distractions at home. The band moved in together, sharing a flat and worked on songs.


A large majority of Out of My Head was recorded at two studios in London. They also used two studios in Auckland and Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne, Australia. The band also had a variety of producers The Dirty Geezers, Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails), and The D4 themselves produced one track on the album, "Stops Me Cold". The different locations and producers came at the recommendation of their manager Alan McGee (responsible for finding Oasis, and The Hives). The band was asked to play at Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival in August of 2004.

In 2005, Out of My Head was released. The album came off sounding a little different than 6Twenty. All of the songs on the album were recorded in live takes to give the band and the album more of a live feel. The band expanded their song writing and lyrical abilities on Out of My Head. The album opens with the fast and twisting "Sake Bomb" before being thrown into the next song "Feel It Like It", which is a song featuring a lot of bass work and short stabbing guitar parts. Other great tracks include the D4 anthem "What I Want", the punk induced "Trust Nobody", the Maraca shaking "Omerta", the slow stalker anthem "Stops Me Cold", and the fast and creepy "Peepshow". The album came out as a limited edition which included three bonus tracks. These songs were a Japanese sung version of "Sake Bomb", "Rock N' Rule", and the dirty Stooges flavoured "Diamond, Ruby, Stone".


Like the first album, the band included cover songs on Out of My Head. The band covered Australia's Lime Spiders on "Out of Control", and the Fun Things with "Savage". After touring for a little bit, The D4 announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus in June of 2006. They played their last show on June 9th of 2006 in Auckland, New Zealand. The band released this statement about the split :

"They are leaving the book open, but have no foreseeable plans for The D4 in the future and would all like to try other things, musically and otherwise. The band would like everybody who has worked with them and their fans to know that they have had the time of their lives being in this group and done so many amazing things, but at this point in time need to explore other avenues. Thank you all for being part of such an incredible trip."

Even though the band did not break it that big in terms of mainstream status, The D4 has toured with the likes of Oasis, Foo Fighters, and The Hives. Currently Jimmy Christmas has formed a new group called Luger Boa, Vaughan plays bass with The Shocking Pinks, Beaver moved to the UK and currently drums for the Valedictions, and Dion currently plays with his new band The True Lovers. What ever you want to call the band, The D4 were a great, honest, in your face rock band. They were straight to the point, played for the love of music, and rocked out like any band should with high energy and passion. I urge you all to check them out and the various musical projects that they are currently involved with.

D4 Play List:

1. Come On! (6Twenty 2001)
2. Sake Bomb (Out of My Head 2005)
3. Girl (The D4 EP 1999)
4. Party (6Twenty 2001)
5. Ladies Man (6Twenty 2001)
6. Invader Ace (6Twenty 2001)
7. What U Want (The D4 EP 1999)
8. Out of My Head (Out of My Head 2005)
9. Trust Nobody (Out of My Head 2005)
10. Out of Control (Out of My Head 2005)
11. Pirate Love (6Twenty 2001)
12. Running On Empty (6Twenty 2001)
13. Little Baby (6Twenty 2001)
14. Stops Me Cold (Out of My Head 2005)
15. Feel It Like It (Out of My Head 2005)
16. What I Want (Out of My Head 2005)
17. Omerta (Out of My Head 2005)
18. Exit To The City (6Twenty 2001)
19. Rock and Roll Motherfucker (6Twenty 2001)
20. Mysterex (6Twenty 2001)
21. Get Loose (6Twenty 2001)
22. North Shore Bitch (6Twenty B-side 2003)
23. Joe Orton's Wedding (6Twenty B-side 2003)
24. Peepshow (Out of My Head 2005)
25. Savage (Out of My Head 2005)
26. Diamond, Ruby, Stone (What I Want B-side 2005)
27. Evil Heart (Final Song released by The D4 2006)

I have tried to assemble the most complete history of the band since most of the info on them is scarce. Their home webpage is no longer active. I have also included some relevant links with good information on the band.

The D4 link round up:

Amplifier D4 Timeline
Rolling Stone Magazine Article
Sake Bombers : NZ Magazine Article
Launch Interview
My Previous Post on The D4 (not as complete as this post)

D4 Videos:

Party
Get Loose
Exit To The City
Sake Bomb
What I Want
Feel It Like It
Out of Control
Invader Ace (Live Yahoo Exclusive)
Yahoo Exclusive Interview

Other D4 related links:

The D4 Myspace
Luger Boa Myspace
The True Lovers Myspace
The Shocking Pinks Myspace
Valedictions Myspace
D4 Party Fan Site (No Longer Updated)

Harmonies in My Head: Buzzcocks Special...Show # 199

This week I did a show of all Buzzcocks songs. It was a mix of songs from some of my favourite albums by the band (mostly early ones). I already have done an extensive band history on the band. You can read that by clicking this link. Recently the band released 30. The album is a live CD containing 28 tracks, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band. Here's an interesting and Newer Interview with Pete Shelley.


Next week will be my 200th show. The show will focus on the music of the New Zealand band The D4.


In other news, The Green Man Music Festival which is in the UK from August 15th-18th, 2008 is looking for music lovers to help pick a band to open the festival. The festival is looking for the public to vote on the band that they want to see open the festival by voting using something called the green poll.

This is how it works:

- Bands register for Green Poll on their site
http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/greenpoll
- The public vote for the bands they like and get a chance to win a pair of tickets
- Band with most votes plays Green Man attended by 10,000 people and they also get 6 extra tickets

Anybody can enter Green Poll signed or unsigned. There's tickets to be won, and new bands to discover. This is a cool opportunity to choose who you'd like to hear open the festival if you are in the area. The festival includes the likes of Super Furry Animals and more.

The Play List:

1. Breakdown (Spiral Scratch 1976)
2. Boredom (Spiral Scratch 1976)
3. Lester Sands (A Drop in the Ocean) (Time's Up 1977)
4. I Can't Control Myself (Time's Up 1977)
5. Orgasm Addict (Singles Going Steady 1979)
6. What Do I Get? (Singles Going Steady 1979)
7. Fast Cars (Another Music in a Different Kitchen 1978)
8. Sixteen (Another Music in a Different Kitchen 1978)
9. I Don't Mind (Another Music in a Different Kitchen 1978)
10. Autonomy (Another Music in a Different Kitchen 1978)
11. Moving Away From the Pulsebeat (Another Music in a Different Kitchen 1978)
12. Love You More (Singles Going Steady 1979)
13. Promises (Singles Going Steady 1979)
14. Real World (Love Bites 1978)
15. Ever Fallen in Love (Love Bites 1978)
16. Sixteen Again (Love Bites 1978)
17. E.S.P (Love Bites 1978)
18. Everybody's Happy Nowadays (Singles Going Steady 1979)
19. Harmony in My Head (Singles Going Steady 1979)
20. Paradise (A Different Kind of Tension 1979)
21. Sitting Round At Home (A Different Kind of Tension 1979)
22. Raison D'etre (A Different Kind of Tension 1979)
23. I Don't Know What To Do With My Life (A Different Kind of Tension 1979)
24. What Do You Know? (Parts 1,2,3 1981)
25. I Look Alone (NME : C81 Compilation 1981)
26. Flat-Pack Philosophy (Flat-Pack Philosophy 2006)
27. Sell You Everything (Flat-Pack Philosophy 2006)
28. Reconciliation (Flat-Pack Philosophy 2006)

Drivin'...The Kinks Story Part Two...Show # 198

In 1969, The Kinks released King Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). Originally Ray Davies conceived this concept to be a soundtrack to a TV play. The play was cancelled and the Kinks recorded the album. The story of the album was based on the life of Ray Davies real life brother-in-law who moved to Australia named, Arthur. The album was also the album in which Peter Quaife left the band (he was one of the original founding members), he was replaced by John Dalton. The album was moderately successful in the US, the band who was on a four year US ban starting visiting the states and getting more notice (the ban was over in 1969).

The album King Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) contained alot of great songs. The starting track, "Victoria" is an upbeat excellent track. The drum work is simply amazing. The song itself did not chart in the US, but it did in Sweden and Canada. Other great tracks include "Brainwashed", "Australia", and "Shangri-La". When the album was re-issued on CD it contained bonus tracks. One of them being the song "King Kong" which is a rocking almost White Stripes sounding song. The album is also constantly being compared to The Who's Tommy. Tommy also is a concept album, the band was influenced by The Kinks. The truth is Dave Davies was friends with Pete Townshed, and the two bands both made a concept album; It doesn't really matter who did it first because both albums are great.

After adding John Gosling on keyboards, The Kinks recorded Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneyground Part One in 1970. The album was taking a look at the music industry, poking fun at it. The album also contained the hit "Lola", which was a huge hit all over the world for the band. "Apeman" also cracked the top ten in the UK. In 1971, Percy was released. The album was a collection of instrumental and non instrumental Kinks songs that was written for the British comedy film Percy. The album is seen as not as great as the bands other albums by critics. It was not released in America.

In 1971, the bands previous contracts expired and they signed to RCA. Muswell Hillbillies came next in 1971. The album was the first album recorded in the bands own studio titled Konk studios. The album was named after Muswell Hill in London where the Davies brothers grew up. The album is more acoustic than the bands previous albums. It contained elements of country, blues, and music hall. Despite the fact that the album wasn't successful commercially many regard the album as an example of Ray Davies best work.

Everybody's In Show-Biz came out in 1972 and it was a double album. The first disc is studio recordings, while the other is a live compilation of the bands two night stay at Carnegie Hall. The album also showed a shift in the musical stylings of Ray Davies. He was progressing towards a more theatrical, operatic style. These would be expressed in the bands next four albums Preservation Act 1, Preservation Act 2, Soap Opera, and Schoolboys in Disgrace.

The band would continue their career into the 90's; In the 80's the band achieved more success in the US. In 1995, X-Ray was released it was an autobiography written by Ray Davies, and in 1996 Dave Davies released Kink his own autobiography. Ray and Dave have since had solo careers. In 1990, The Kinks were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2005, inducted into UK Music Hall of Fame.

The Kinks were a band that were lumped into the British invasion of the 60s, that included the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and The Who. Despite the fact that they didn't do as well in the US as the UK, the band is an influential group that has influenced the likes of The Who, The Clash, The Jam, Richard Hell, Buzzcocks, The Knack, The Pretenders, Oasis, Blur, Libertines, and Franz Ferdinand. The Kinks created a different kind of platform for creating music that is still relevant today as it was back in the 60's. Recently rumours have been flying on whether or not The Kinks will do a reunion tour, but it is not known whether this will happen or not. In December of 2008, The Kinks released a 6 CD box set. It contains a 60 page booklet, demos, outtakes, and previously unheard material. The box set is titled Picture Book.

To see part one of my kinks history click Here. Also if you are looking for further Kinks information, the best site to go to is Dave Emlen's Unofficial Kinks Web Site. Next week I will be doing a show on the UK punk band Buzzcocks.

Kinky Play List:

1. Party Line (Face to Face 1966)
2. Got My Feet on the Ground (Kinda Kinks 1965)
3. Dancing in the Street (Kinda Kinks 1965)
4. Rosie won't You Please Come Home (Face to Face 1966)
5. Sunny Afternoon (Face to Face 1966)
6. I Need You (B-Side of Set Me Free 1965)
7. Come on Now (Kinda Kinks 1965)
8. You Shouldn't Be Sad (Kinda Kinks 1965)
9. Never Met a Girl Like You Before (Kinda Kinks 1965)
10. Situation Vacant (Something Else 1967)
11. Till the End of the Day (Kink Kontroversy 1965)
12. She's Got Everything (B-Side of Days 1968)
13. Harry Rag (Something Else 1967)
14. Dedicated Follower of Fashion (Single 1966)
15. Susannah's Still Alive (Single 1968)
16. This Strange Effect (BBC Session 1965)
17. Days (Single 1968)
18. Shangri-La (Arthur 1969)
19. Waterloo Sunset (Something Else 1967)
20. Love Me Till the Sun Shines (B-Side of Death of A Clown 1967)
21. Where Have All the Good Times Gone (Kink Kontroversy 1965)
22. Dead End street (Single 1966)
23. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy (Single 1965)
24. Victoria (Arthur 1969)
25. Brainwashed (Arthur 1969)
26. King Kong (Arthur 1969)
27. Starstruck (Village Green 1968)
28. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (Sunny Afternoon B-Side 1966)

Kinks Videos:

Victoria (Live 1979)
Days
A Well Respected Man
The VIllage Green Preservation Society
Commerical featuring I'm Not LIke Everybody Else

Waiting For the Real Thing... Pointed Sticks Story and Show # 197

The Pointed Sticks are a Canadian punk/power pop band that came from Vancouver in Canada. Forming in 1978, the band named themselves after a Monty Python sketch. The band was a mix of punk and pop and only lasted until 1981. They were the first Canadian band signed to stiff records, but the label never released an album by the band just a few singles. After releasing four singles, the band released their only full length album during their first incarnation, it was titled Perfect Youth. Coming out in 1980, the album was produced by Bob Rock (later of Metallica producing fame) and contained twelve tracks.

The band consisted of Nick Jones (vocals), Tony Bardach (bass), Bill Naper-Hemy (guitar), and Ian Tiles on drums. The line up would switch up a bit when Scott Watson went on bass and Tiles was replaced by Robert Bruce. They would also get a keyboard player named Gord Nicholl who was from another Canadian band called Active Dog; Bruce (also from Active Dog) would also be replaced by Ken "Dimwit" Montgomery on drums.

In 1995, the band released the Part Of The Noise Compilation. The album was a mix of unreleased songs and songs from their previous releases, serving as a greatest hits of sorts. In 2005, Sudden Death Records re-issued the bands Perfect Youth album and released the live bootleg Waiting For the Real Thing. All of the re-issues contained bonus tracks, but Waiting For the Real Thing serves in my opinion as the best release by the band. It is an energetic and exciting album and its loaded with songs, 24 of them.

In 1980, the band was featured in Dennis Hopper's movie Out of the Blue. In 2006, the band reunited for a series of shows in Japan, and in tours in Canada and the US in 2006 and early 2007. The band has plans to tour and record again. For more info on the band you can visit their official website. Next week I will continue counting down to my 200th show by doing a show focusing on the band The Kinks. Leave requests in the comments section if there's anything you'd like to hear.

The Play List:

1. What Do You Want Me To Do? (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
2. Somebody's Mom (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
3. Real Thing (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
4. Marching Song (Perfect Youth 1980)
5. Perfect Youth (Perfect Youth 1980)
6. American Song (Perfect Youth 1980)
7. Must Be Crazy (Part of the Noise 1995)
8. Nothing Else To Do (Part of the Noise 1995)
9. Shape of Things To Come (Part of the Noise 1995)
10. Man of the Crowd (Part of the Noise 1995)
11. Careless (1980 Demo)
12. Middle Aged Teenagers (1980 Demo)
13. When She's Alone (Perfect Youth 1980)
14. True Love (Perfect Youth 1980)
15. 1-2 (Perfect Youth 1980)
16. The Witch (Perfect Youth 1980)
17. Out of Luck (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
18. Lies (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
19. I'm Numb (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
20. It's O.K. (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
21. Apologies (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
22. New Ways (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
23. All That Matters (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
24. The Witch (Waiting For the Real Thing 2005)
25. Part of the Noise (Perfect Youth 1980)
26. Somebody's Mom (Single Version) (Perfect Youth 1980)
27. Way You Do (Perfect Youth 1980)
28. My Japanese Fan (7" Single 2007)

Pointed Videos:

Lies
Out of Luck/Somebody's Mom (From Out of the Blue 1980)

Let's Shake...Show # 196

This week was the first show as part of my 200th show count down (starting this week I will be doing a series of shows foucusing on a different band until i reach my 200th show). Recently Teenage Head released a new album this April comprised of re-recorded versions of their old songs with Marky Ramone from Ramones on drums. Teenage Head with Marky Ramone, as the album is called was released on Sonic Unyon Recordings. Produced by Daniel Rey (who has worked with Ramones) captured the Teenage Head with Marky Ramone sound on the 12 tracks featured in this collection. The album contains loud and energetic versions of Teenage Head songs ranging from their first 1979 self titled album (6 tracks), Some Kinda Fun (1980) (2 tracks), Frantic City (1982) (1 track), Head Disorder (1998) (1 track), and two tracks from 1988's Electric Guitar. 

For a more concise history of Teenage Head you can visit this post I did in 2007. Next week I will be doing a show on the Vancouver Canadian punk band Pointed Sticks. If you have a request for next weeks show feel free to leave a comment. 

 The Play List: 

1. Little Boxes (Teenage Head 1979) 

2. Get Off My Back (Teenage Head 1979) 

3. Top Down (Teenage Head 1979) 

4. Ain't Got No Sense (Teenage Head 1979) 

5. Picture My Face (Teenage Head 1979) 

6. You're Tearin' Me Apart (Teenage Head 1979) 

7. Total Love (Frantic City 1980) 

8. Infected (Frantic City 1980) 

9. Disgusteen (Frantic City 1980) 

10. Let's Shake (Frantic City 1980) 

11. Somethin' Else (Frantic City 1980) 

12. Let's Go To Hawaii (Some Kinda Fun 1981) 

13. Want You To Know (Some Kinda Fun 1981) 

14. Teenage Beer Drinkin' Party (Some Kinda Fun 1981) 

15. Some Kinda Fun(Some Kinda Fun 1981) 

16. Fist To Face (some Kinda Fun 1981) 

17. Wild One (Live 1978) 

18. Lucy Potato (Alternate Version) 

19. Disgusteen (Alternate Version) 

20. First Time (Teenage Head With Marky Ramone 2008) 

21. Full Time Fool (Teenage Head With Marky Ramone 2008) 

22. You're Tearin' Me Apart (Teenage Head With Marky Ramone 2008) 

23. You're The One I'm Crazy For (Teenage Head With Marky Ramone 2008) 

24. Little Boxes (Teenage Head With Marky Ramone 2008)

Neil Young Annouces Archive Project...Show # 195

Neil Young announced this week that he will finally be releasing his much anticipated Chronicles/Archives project. He is planning on releasing a 10 disc set on Blu-Ray disc only. This archive project has been in the works for many, many years (since the 80's). Young said that he wants this to be released on Blu-Ray so that listeners will also have visuals as they listen to the music. The 10 disc set is said to be comprised of unreleased Neil Young material ranging from 1963-1972. For more information on this release visit:

Neil Young rocks Java One
Neil Young to release Blu-Ray Archive
Billboard

In other news Revolution Rock is quickly approaching its 200th show. To celebrate this I will be doing a series of specialty shows focusing on certain bands. The shows will be on the bands Teenage Head, Pointed Sticks, Buzzcocks, The Kinks, and The D4. Next week will be a show focusing on the Canadian band Teenage Head. If you have any requests for Teenage Head or any of the above mentioned bands, leave a comment and I will play them on the corresponding shows.

Songs Played:

1. Beastie Boys - Remote Control
2. Big Audio Dynamite - Contact
3. Undertones - Here Comes The Summer
4. The Shades - New Clientele
5. The Jam - Set the House Ablaze
6. Locusts Have No King - Trench Song
7. Lou Reed - Hangin' Round
8. The Cigarettes - They're Back Again, Here They Come
9. The Strokes - You Only Live Once
10. Demics - New York City
11. LI 150's - Destiny
12. Gruesomes - Hey
13. Spiral Scratch - England's Burning, 81
14. Talking Heads - Who Is It? (1975 CBS Demo)
15. XTC - Statue of Liberty
16. Iggy Pop - Five Foot One
17. Magazine - Boredom (BBC Session)
18. Joe Strummer - Slant Six
19. The Saints - Church of Indifference
20. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - I Can Only Give You Everything
21. Bob Dylan - One More Weekend
22. Bob Dylan - I Wanna Be Your Lover
23. Neil Young - Song X

Young Videos:

Blu-Ray Archive Preview
Don't Let It Bring You Down (Live 1971 BBC Studios)
Mr.Soul (Live)

One Way Ticket...the Nerves Story and Show # 194

The Nerves formed in LA in 1976. the group consisted of Peter Case (bass), Jack Lee (guitar), and Paul collins on drums; all three wrote and sang the songs. The band did not last long (1975-1978) and only ever had one release during their time, an EP. The Nerves EP came out in 1976 and only contained four songs, the most notable one being "Hanging On the Telephone". A Lee composition the song was covered later by Blonde for their album Paralell Lines and became a big hit for Blondie cracking the UK top 5 in 1978. The other songs on the EP were equally as good "When You Find Out" (Case), "Give Me Some Time" (Lee), and "Working Too Hard" (Collins).

The band did do a tour and even supported the likes of the Ramones. The band was only around for a short period of time, but are still known (probably due to the excellent cover done by Blondie) and are classified as a power pop band, despite being around at the time of punk. After the Nerves broke up Case and Collins formed the short lived group The Breakaways, then the Plimsouls, and finally The Beat. In 1993, two songs from The Nerves EP were put on a compilation DIY: Come Out and Play - American Power Pop I (1975-1978). In 2005, an unreleased Nerves track was put on a compilation by Rhino Records called Children of Nuggets. In 2001, The Nerves released a compilation containing more previously unheard tracks.

Play List:

1. The Specials - Gangsters
2. The Slackers - Estranged
3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
4. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - The Beat
5. Strokes - What Ever Happened?
6. Young Canadians - I Hate Music
7. Evaporators - Where's The Butterknife?
8. Modernettes - Celebrity Crackup
9. Unknowns - Teenage Terrorist
10. The Negatives - Echoes
11. The Scabs - Amory Building
12. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - All By Myself
13. The Nerves - Hanging on the telephone
14. Diodes - Tennis (Again)
15. The Breeders - It's The Love
16. The Old Haunts - Sister City
17. The Black Lips - M.I.A.
18. Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
19. Compulsive Gamblers - Stop & Think it Over
20. Sloan - I Can't Sleep
21. Sloan - Ana Lucia
22. Queens Of The Stone Age - Infinity
23. David Bowie - Panic in Detroit
24. Ramones - Bad Brain
25. The Clash - The Leader
26. The Clash - Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)

Here Are The Sonics...The Sonics Story and Show # 193

The Sonics had their beginnings in the early 1960s and were from Tacoma, Washington. The band known for its raw driving garage fueled sound first got its initial start as part of other local bands. After going through some line up changes the classic line-up of The Sonics formed around 1963/64. The classic line up was Gerry Rosalie (Lead vocals), Larry Parypa (Lead Guitar/vocals), Andy Parypa (Bass), Bob Bennett (Drums), and Rob Lind on Saxophone. The bands sound can be described as R & B influenced, but also they took some of their influence from bands such as The Kingsmen, The Kinks, and The Wailers. Gerry Rosalie's vocal style has often been described as a white Little Richard. The band was quite influential on any band in the Seattle area, they were known for their energetic live shows. In 1964 the band released their first single which was the song titled "The Witch". The single was very popular with the local fan base and was one of the biggest selling singles in the Northwest; The song contained controversial lyrical subject matter (as are a majority of their original songs). The song was also considered quite strange by others compared to what was coming out musically at the time.

In 1965, The Sonics started recording their first album with recording engineer Kenny Barton. It would be titled Here Are The Sonics. Recorded in Seattle, Washington the album is known for employing different recording techniques which resulted in the bands unique sound. For the drums the band used only one microphone to capture their sound (usually when recording drum sounds bands use at least three or more mics). The actual album contains many of the bands well known songs which lyrically were very different with subject matter ranging from drinking strychnine in ("Strychnine"), to witches ("The Witch"), and psychopaths ("Psycho"). This was contrasted with more light-hearted subject matter dealing with 60s culture such as girls, surfing, cars, and guitars. The album also contains some cover songs by Chuck Berry and Little Richard as well as other originals that are equally as great such as "Boss Hoss".

The next album would be titled Boom and would come out in 1966. For this album the band reportedly ripped out the sound proofing of the studio they were recording in to give it more of a live sound. Many Sonics fans choose Boom as their favourite album, but the first and second albums are both very good. This time the band came in with more unique original songs such as "He's Waitin'", "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", and "The Hustler". The album was also balanced out with some covers of R&B classics such as "Louie, Louie", "Hitch Hike", Skinny Minnie", and "Let the Good Times Roll". After this album the band would go to another label (Jerden Records) and go to Hollywood to record yet another album, this time with a more polished, cleaner sound.

Introducing The Sonics came out in 1967, and did poorly. Because of its more conventional sound, it did not do as well; The band would later denounce this album calling it "The Worst Garbage'. After this the band was essentially over and in 1968, the band dissolved. Members of the band would go on to other bands or to school to lead more conventional lives. The Sonics would briefly fade into obscurity. The band reformed in 1972 for one live show and in 2007 the band reunited for the Cavestomp Garage rock festival. The Sonics are currently still together and in 2008, recorded a radio session for BBC 2. The Sonics have been influential on numerous bands, being known as unique garage rockers. The band has influenced the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Eagles of Death Metal, The Dead Boys, The Fall, The D4 and others. They are known for their raunchy, raw, garage rock, punk influencing sound.

The Play List:

1. Buzzcocks - No Reply
2. Sex Pistols - New York
3. Teenage Head - Picture My Face (With Marky Ramone)
4. Gruesomes - You Said Yeah
5. Munks - Long Time Waiting
6. Haunted - Eight O'Clock
7. Painted Ships - And She Said
8. Hammersmith Gorillas - My Son's Alive
9. Standells - Riot on the Sunset Strip
10. Pretty Things - Buzz the Jerk
11. Sonics - Strychnine
12. 13th Floor Elevators - Reverberation
13. Velvet Underground - What Goes On
14. MC5 - Looking At You
15. Modern Lovers - Modern World
16. Stooges - Shake Appeal
17. Generation X - Night of the Cadillacs
18. The Saints - Nights in Venice
19. Ride Theory - Alright
20. Young Rival - Authentic Child
21. Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave
22. Young Knives - Up All Night
23. Only Ones - City of Fun
24. The D4 - Omerta
25. The D4 - Trust Nobody
25. Dirty Pretty Things - You Fucking Love it

The Clash : Live Revolution Rock .. and Show # 192

This week, Sony/Legacy released The Clash : Live Revolution Rock, a new DVD showcasing some of The Clash's live performances. This collection covers the years 1976-1983 and features over 20 live performances from the band playing their unique brand of fiery punk rock in venues ranging from London's Lewisham Odeon to New York's Shea Stadium. If you're a long time Clash fan you've probably already seen most of these performances before (they were previously released on The Essential Clash and Rude Boy DVDs) but there are a few highlights that have never been seen on DVD before. The band's 1981 performance on NBC's Tom Snyder Show see them performing explosive live renditions of "The Magnificent Seven" and "This Radio Clash" that differ from the studio recordings; early 1977 performances of "What's My Name" and "Capital Radio" show them in all their awesome ragged, raw garage punk glory.

The only downside is there could have been much more to this DVD than there is. For example, The Clash played 4 songs on 1980's ABC TV show Fridays supporting their landmark album London Calling, however only one song is featured on this disc "The Guns of Brixton". It would be great if one day a DVD is released that is similar to the Ramones It's Alive DVD or the Led Zeppelin DVD, both great collections that contain way more live material and are more in depth. However, it's great to finally see something of The Clash's live performances released on DVD. They were, after all, one the best rock groups of all time.

The Clash Live Revolution Rock Trailer

Play List:

1. The Charms - Gimme That Shot
2. Pretenders - The Wait
3. Blondie - Detroit 442
4. Wire - From the Nursery
5. Pointed Sticks - You Must Be Crazy
6. Spys - Machine Shop
7. Sturgeons - Punk Rock Virgins
8. Fits - Bored of Education
9. Hot Nasties - Secret of Immortality
10. XTC - Science Friction
11. Rezillos - Flying Saucer Attack
12. Klark Kent - Office Girls
13. 4/4 - All Wound Up
14. 4/4 - Systematic
15. Bureaucrats - She's an American
16. Sinners - No Brains Required
17. Tricky Woo - Ring Sweet Mercy
18. Vic Godard & The Subway Sect - Rock and Roll Even
19. Rich Kids - Put You in the Picture
20. Devo - Secret Agent Man
21. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Date With the Night
22. Talking Heads - The Book I Read
23. The Cure - Fire in Cairo
24. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - New Pleasure
25. Television - See No Evil

Dread at the Controls.. The Mikey Dread Story...Show # 191

Mikey Dread (Real name Michael George Campbell) was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica on June 4th 1954. Mikey Dread was a producer, broadcaster, and an artist. He created an innovative Reggae style. In the late 70's Dread got a job being an engineer for the JBC (Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation). Mikey would eventually get his own radio show that would be titled Dread At the Controls. His show focused on nothing but Reggae music at a time when people weren't really playing that type of music in Jamaica. The show would become the most popular show on the JBC, but eventually Dread would quit (in protest) due to the conservative management of the JBC.

Around this time Dread was already well known in Jamaica as singer/producer (working with the likes of The Mighty Two and Lee Scratch Perry) and he started to record his own material too; He is also known for his work with King Tubby and Carl Patterson. Dread would release several albums starting in 1979 starting with Dread at the Controls, followed by African Anthem, Evolutionary Rockers, and Beyond World War III (1981). The Clash would gain interest in Mikey Dread and he would produced the song "Bankrobber" for the band. The song was initially a Ska song, but Dread producing the song would make it more of a dub track. Dread would also tour with The Clash. He also did his own even more dub version of the song "Bankrobber", it was titled "Rockers Galore...UK Tour".

Dread would also help produce and even play on Sandinista! with The Clash in 1980. Initially the band started recording in Jamaica, but would move the sessions to New York. He would also tour again with The Clash gaining a new audience. Dread would continue recording and producing acts after this. He would work again in the radio business and the TV business and go back to school, but he would still perform. Dread has performed live with the likes of The Clash, Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, and Junior Marvin to name a few.

In 2004, Dread did the soundtrack for the Adam Sandler movie 50 First Dates. In 2004 he would also work with The Blizzard of 78 to make a Clash Sandinista! tribute album; It was titled The Sandinista! Project. On March 15th, 2008 Mikey Dread passed away. Mikey Dread was a unique Reggae artist who started out in radio and went on to influence the UK music scene and others. He was a unique artist with a unique style.

Play List:

1. Neil Young - Revolution Blues
2. Black Keys - Remember When
3. Lime Spiders - Out of Control
4. Fun Things - Savage
5. Radio Birdman - Hanging On
6. The Furies - What Do You Want Me To Be
7. Scissors - Mystery Movie
8. Actionauts - Party Dog
9. Modernettes - Suicide Club
10. Smugglers - Bad Guys
11. Neon Boys - That's All I Know
12. The Specials - Little Bitch
13. The Beat - Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margret
14. The Madness - One Step Beyond
15. Mikey Dread - World War III
16. Beastie Boys - Gratitude
17. Urban Surf Kings - Phantom Riders of the Backlot
18. Clinic - The Witch
19. The Jam - David Watts
20. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
21. Bob Dylan - One Too Many Mornings (Live Royal Albert Hall 1966)
22. Raconteurs - Five on the Five
23. Raconteurs - Carolina Drama

Dready Videos:

Natural Roots
Bankrobber (Live with the Clash)
Choose Me
Money in My Pocket
Rasta in Control
Bankrobber (Live 2004)

Attack of the Killer B-sides...Show #190

A B-Side refers to the second side or track on a single. In the days of singles and when there was no such thing as Compact Discs or digital downloads, bands would release singles on records. The single would be comprised of an A-side and a B-Side. The A side was the song that was meant to be played on the radio and the B-side was the second song on the other side of the single that was not usually on the bands full length album, or LP.

When CD's dominated the music market, the B-Side became less important. Now while records are still available a B-Side refers to any song that is on an an album, or a song that is unreleased or even rare. That being said, this weeks show was comprised entirely of B-Sides. I have even listed for your convenience which single or where the particular B-side came from.

The Following are some interesting B-sides:



The I'm Stranded single was first released in September of 1976. It was first released on the independent label Fatal Records, but it would also be named single of the week by Sounds magazine in the UK. The single was responsible for getting the band a three album deal with EMI. The B-side "No Time" can also be found on the bands first full length album titled, I'm Stranded.

The Kinks - You Really Got Me/It's Alright (1964)

You Really Got Me was the third single by the UK band The Kinks, it was also their first number one hit. The song itself was one of the first songs to feature distorted guitar, which would change rock music forever. The B-side of the single was a song called "It's Alright", a bluesy rock song. It can be found on the re-issue of the bands first album, The Kinks.

Lou Reed - Satellite of Love/Vicious (1972)

Satellite of Love is one of Lou Reed's most known songs. It was actually written and recorded while Reed was in Velvet Underground. A version of the song by Velvet Underground appears on the Peel Slowly box set. The B-side was the song "Vicious" is a song that has clean guitar chords with heavily distorted garagey guitar riffs through out it; It also opens Lou Reed's 1972 album Transformer.

B-Side Playlist:

1. Magazine - My Mind Ain't So Open (B-Side of Shot by Both Sides 1978)
2. Saints - No Time (B-Side of I'm Stranded 1976)
3. The Damned - Sick of Being Sick (B-Side of Stretcher Case Baby 1977)
4. Ugly Ducklings - I Can tell (B-Side of Nothin' 1966)
5. Gruesomes - Things She Does to Me (B-Side of Jack the Ripper EP 1986)
6. The Kinks - It's alright (B-Side of You Really Got Me 1964)
7. Rolling Stones - Off the Hook (B-Side of Little Red Rooster 1964)
8. Lou Reed - Vicious (B-Side of Satellite of Love 1972)
9. Iggy Pop - The Passenger (B-Side of Success 1977)
10. The Clash - Stop the World (B-Side of The Call Up 1980)
11. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Clean Money (B-Side from Armed Forces 1979)
12. The Strokes - Hawaii (B-Side of Juicebox 2005)
13. Hot, Hot, Heat - Apt.101 (B-Side of Bandages 2003)
14. The Diodes - We're Ripped (B-Side of Red Rubber Ball 1977)
15. The Demics - Blueboy (B-Side of New York City 1980)
16. Forgotten Rebels - Rhona Barrett (B-Side of Tell Me You Love Me 1982)
17. Teenage Head- Teenage Beer Drinking Party (B-Side of Some Kinda Fun 1982)
18. Buzzcocks - Lipstick (B-Side of Promises 1978)
19. Generation X - shakin' All Over (B-Side of Valley of the Dolls 1979)
20. Young Canadians - No Escape (B-Side from Hawaii EP 1979)
21. Queens of the Stone Age - Who'll Be the Next in Line (B-side from Songs For the Deaf 2004)
22. Rage Against The Machine - Darkness of Greed (B-Side of Killing in the Name 1992)
23. Nirvana - Oh, the Guilt (B-Side of Jesus Lizard Split Single Puss 1993)
24. The D4 - North Shore Bitch (B-Side of Ladies Man 2000)
25. The Hives - Hell No! (B-Side of Tick Tick Boom 2007)

Steady, As They Go...The Raconteurs Story and Show # 189

The Raconteurs were formed in 2005 by Jack White and Brendan Benson in Detroit. Being friends White assisted Benson in a song that he was working on. The song would be known as "Steady, As She Goes". White and Benson recruited fellow musicians Jack Lawrence (Bass), and Patrick Keeler (drums); They are both from a band called The Greenhornes. White would become a vocalist, guitarist and Benson would be a vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist. Since various members were already involved in other groups Jack White being in the White Stripes, Brendan Benson a solo artist, and Lawrence and Keeler in the Greenhornes, the band would record whenever they had the time to do so. The band would record their first album, which would be called Broken boy Soldiers over the course of the year of 2005 in Brendan Benson's East Grand Studio.

The band first released the single "Steady, As She Goes" with "Store Bought Bones" as the B-side on vinyl in January of 2006; It was released on CD in April of 2006. The band then unleashed Broken Boy Soldier onto the world in May of 2006. The album debuted at #7 on the US Charts and #2 in the UK. The album was not like a White Stripes album, which I'm sure some Jack White fans were expecting. Instead it was a mix of 60's rock and pop, that came off sounding like a classic rock album, it has the feel of Led Zeppelin III, but elements from so many other bands such as The Beatles (Rubber Soul-era/Revolver), The Rolling Stones (Aftermath), and The Kinks. The album mixed together the styles of Jack White and Brendan Benson, which created a unique and interesting record.

The album starts off with the bands first single and the song that brought the band together "Steady, As She Goes". A short stop and go song with roaring choruses. "Hands" is the next track. It is a song with heavy ringing rock chords, melodies, and a pop chorus sung by Mr. Brendan Benson. The title track "Broken Boy Soldier" sounds just as the title describes broken, the song sounds like something off of a Led Zeppelin album, it has a strange eerie vibe while Jack White howls over the strange descending chords. "Level" is another interesting song, it has loud choruses featuring odd sounding keyboards during the verses. "Store Bought Bones" is a jagged rocker, that actually started out as an outtake from the White Stripes album Get Behind Me Satan. "Yellow Sun" is a 60's style pop song sung by Benson. "Call it a Day" is another slow, but catchy Benson sung number that drags and scrapes its way through your head with slow verses and heavy attacking choruses. The album ends with "Blue Veins" a song featuring backwards guitar effects ala-The Beatles, while the song is a slow and blues drenched. The album is a short ten track album, that has qualities of, as mentioned earlier classic rock.

The bands second album Consolers of the Lonely was released everywhere in all formats (download, CD, Vinyl) on March 25th, 2008. Prior to the release of the album, the band released a press statement out of the blue that the album would be released to everyone on March 25th, 2008 so that everyone could get the album as quickly as possible. Some have compared this move similar to what Radiohead did with the release of their album In Rainbows. I personally love the fact that the band finished the album and just released it as soon as possible, leaving the fans to make up their minds of how it is, not the critics. Despite the statement the band was trying to make, the album leaked onto the Internet on March 19th, days before its official release from a most unlikely source, i-tunes.

The actual album Consolers of the Lonely contains 14 tracks. The album still has a classic rock feel, but also brings in more elements, at times its difficult to tell who's singing Jack White or Brendan Benson. The album is a mix of loud rock numbers, balanced out with slower pop ballads. The album opens with "Consoler of the Lonely" it is a loud crashing rock song with Benson and White Sharing vocal duties. The first single "Salute Your Solution" is a song that sounds like a sped up AC/DC track, featuring fuzzy bass, and a fuzzy garage rock style ending. "You Don't Understand Me" is a slow piano doused number, while "Old Enough" is an upbeat song featuring organ and and crunchy guitar parts. "Hold Up" shows the band turning up the volume even louder, the song sounds heavily influenced by 70's style Ramones punk. "Many Shades of Black" brings orchestral horn sections into the Raconteurs fold, in the chorus Brendan Benson sings similar to Paul McCartney. "Five on Five' is a dirty twisted rocker, with stop and start riffs, heavy hitting drums, while "Attention" is another loud rock number with catchy keyboards, an excellent track. The album ends with "Carolina Drama" a song that lyrically reflects Bob Dylan, musically it is an acoustic, bluesy song. Overall, the album rocks as much as it pops, it brings in horn sections, more keyboards, synths, and violins.

Some would label the group another "supergroup", but the truth is that The Raconteurs are just a group of friends and music lovers that came together and formed an excellent group. Another interesting fact is that the band called The Saboteurs in Australia. The reason for this is that the band named Raconteurs, in Queensland in Australia refused the offer that was proposed for the use of their name, in hopes of getting more money.

Once again I have to mention the Jammies. Voting is done on April 4th, 2008 so get your votes in by voting here (Hint: Revolution Rock is the name of my show).

Songs Played:

1. Carbon/Silicon - The Global War on Culture
2. Joe Strummer - Island Hopping
3. Marble Index - I Believe
4. Mark Inside - Lost Your Appetite (Demo)
5. Easy Targets - If You're a Planet
6. Misfits - Where Eagles Dare
7. Black Sabbath - Lord of this World
8. The Subways - Girls and Boys
9. Frustrations - Overrated
10. Velvet Underground - The Gift
11. Dead 60's - Last Train Home
12. Ride Theory - Reflecting on a Foggy Day
13. The Government - Flat Tire
14. Neil Young - Dirty Old Man
15. The Horrors - She is the New Thing
16. The Strollers - Let Me Come On In
17. The Wipers - Let's Go Away
18. Greenhornes - Pattern Skies
19. Hentchmen - Carry Me Home
20. White Stripes - Aluminum
21. Raconteurs - Hold Up
22. Raconteurs - Many Shades of Black

Related Raconteur Videos:

Steady, As She Goes (Jim Jarmusch Version)
Steady, As She Goes (Version 2)Broken Boy Soldier
Hands
Level (Live Music Video)
Salute Your Solution
Broken Boy Soldier (Live Jools Holland)
Store Bought Bones (Live Jools Holland)
Blue Veins (Live)
Five on the Five (Live)
Bang Bang (Live Nancy Sinatra Cover)
Crazy (Live Gnarls Barkley Cover)
It Ain't Easy (Live David Bowie Cover)
Teenage Kicks (Live Undertones Cover)
White Light/White Heat (Live With Lou Reed)
The Seeker (With Pete Townshend)

New Traditionalists...The Devo Story and Show # 188

Devo had their beginnings in 1972 when they formed in Akron, Ohio. The name Devo came from a theory of De-evolution that Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, and Bob Lewis came up with while in art school at Kent State University. The idea came after reading a book titled The Beginning was the End: Knowledge Can Be Eaten. This book claimed that mankind did not evolve, but devolved from mutant man eating apes, which in turn was responsible for all the problems and dysfunctions within societies. The group developed this idea first as a joke, but took it more seriously after shootings took place at Kent State University in May of 1970. Devo's original band consisted of Mark Mothersbaugh (vocals), Gerald Casale (bass), Bob Mothersbaugh (lead guitar), Jim Mothersbaugh (drums), Bob Casale would also be another guitarist; Alan Myers would take over as drummer in 1975. Devo played at the Kent State Arts Festival in 1973 and 1974, but for the most part spent the early years of the bands incarnation developing their sound.

After having the support of David Bowie and Iggy Pop from the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 1976, the group would get a record deal after their short film The Truth About De-Evolution was seen (and won an award). David Bowie was originally supposed to produce the bands first album, but Brian Eno ended up producing it. The album would be titled Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! While some did not understand Devo's sound and dismissed it, others loved it making it popular in the underground. The album contained songs such as a robotic sounding cover of Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and songs such as the punk and new wave fueled "Uncontrollable Urge", and "Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy)". The song "Come Back Jonee" is apparently about president John F. Kennedy, and the song "Too Much Paranoia's" actually contains phrases form 1970's Burger King commercials. Other interesting songs include "Mongoloid", and "Jocko Homo". The album definitely was unlike anything out at the the time. It was a mix of what some would call new wave or post punk, punk, and rock. The band used synthesized electronic instruments as well; Devo also released the Be Stiff EP which was self produced in 1977, it contained songs that could be found on the band first album, but were re-recorded.

Devo would crack the mainstream charts in 1979 with their album Duty Now For the Future. The album further developed their synthesized pop sounds from their first album as well as containing a cover of the song "Secret Agent Man'. The album also contained songs such as "Devo Corporate Anthem" (which showed off their earlier Devo theories) and "Clock Out" (a drum based, more rock oriented song). In 1980, The band released Freedom of Choice. The album would be their most successful album, it contained the hit single "Whip it!". The song would climb to #3 on the singles charts in Canada, #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, and #8 in the UK. The song is also apparently based on a riff in the song "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison. The album itself reached as high as #22 on the Pop Album charts in the US. The album also contained the song "Girl U Want" that has been covered by numerous bands, including Soundgarden.

In 1981, New Traditionalists was released. The album was a perfect mix of rock oriented Devo, and synthesized pop Devo (it in fact contained more synthesized pop than any other Devo album). The album had some minor hits, but the bands popularity would fall to cult status. Some of the albums interesting songs included "Through Being Cool" which was a synthesized, funk oriented track which describes Devo in perfect lyrical sense, "Jerkin' Back N' Forth", "Beautiful World", and "Love Without Anger".

Devo were also known for their futuristic stage uniforms. Some of their outfits included yellow nuclear plastic protection suits, wearing plastic hair dos, and flower pot hats. During the New Traditionalists tour the band performed on treadmills while being surrounded in Greek Roman structures. Mark Mothersbaugh also created an alter ego called Booji Boy, which consisted of a strange baby looking mask. The character was used various times through out Devo's career and is supposed to represent the way in which culture was infantile in American societies. Devo also used to open their shows disguised as a band called Dove, The Band of Love. the band was actually Devo disguised as a Christian rock band. They would perform in suits with old fashioned green accountant visors.

The band is also known for their music videos. The "Whip It!" music video was a popular video in the early days of MTV. The group has made numerous creative music videos and videos pertaining to the band. The band has released several promotional videos such as the mockumentary The Men Who Make the Music and the previously mentioned The complete Truth About De-Evolution. Mark Mothersbaugh would be involved in TV and movie soundtracks after Devo, and Gerry Casale would direct TV commercials and music videos such as Foo Fighters "I'll Stick Around", and Soundgarden's "Blow Up the Outside World".

Devo's last full length album, Smooth Noodle Maps would come in 1990. The band has released numerous compilations and a boxed set in 2000 titled Pioneers that Got Scalped. The set was a collection of B-sides and rare Devo songs, serving like an anthology. Also in 2000, Devo released a double CD set of demos, alternate and unreleased versions of Devo songs titled Recombo DNA; It was a limited release of 5000 copies. In 2001, Devo formed a side project called the Wipeouters. They released an album of surf rock oriented music. In 2006, Devo 2.0. was released. It was a group of kids singing and recording versions of Devo songs for Disney. Gerry Casale also formed Jihad & The Evil Doers. Devo has reformed for numerous live shows and tours; In 1996 they played Lollapalooza, finding a new audience. The band also is also apparently making a documentary about the early days of the band, rumoured to be titled The Beginning of the End. It is to contain new music from the band. In 2007, the band released the single "Watch Us Work It" which was also used for a Dell TV commercial. They are also supposed to be currently working on a new albums worth of material. Devo is a band that developed a simple style of pop, New Wave-synthesized music by stripping music down to its essentials using not only guitar and traditional instruments, but also synthesizers, keyboards, and all sorts of electronic sounding instruments. The music also contained elements of rock too, but also strong messages. Devo are one of the most interesting and influential bands to come out during the late 70's and the 80's.

Also CJAM is still taking votes for the Jammies until April 4th, 2008. Visit CJAM's site to vote for your favourite shows.

Play List:

1. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Walking on the Water
2. The Cure - I'm Cold (Demo)
3. Public Image Limited - Public Image
4. Diodes - Shapes of Things to Come
5. Young Canadians - Where Are You
6. Gang of Four - Natural's Not In
7. Teenage Head - Picture My Face
8. Bureaucrats - She's an American
9. Animal Kingdom - Tension
10. Devo - It Takes a Worried Man
11. Devo - Beautiful World
12. Devo - Watch Us Work It
13. The Wipeouters - Luna Goona Park
14. XTC - Towers of London
15. XTC - Respectable Street
16. Roxy Music - Mother of Pearl
17. Talking Heads - Crosseyed and Painless
18. Young Rival - Don't Make a Sound
19. Young Rival - Ghost in the Park (Demo)
20. The Pack A.D - Gold Rush
21. Dirtbombs- Indivisible
22. Sloan - People Think They Know Me
23. Police - Nothing Achieving
24. Police - Dead End Job
25. Wire - Feeling Called Love

Devo Videos:

Satisfaction (SNL)
Mongoloid (French TV 1978)
Devo - Friday's 1980 (Whip it! & Uncontrollable Urge)
I Saw Jesus & Through Being Cool (Live Friday's 1980)
Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy Down (Live 1980)
Jerkin' Back N' Forth
Jocko Homo (Original Version)
Through Being Cool (Video)
Whip It! (Video)
Girl U Want (Video)

Beautiful World (Video)

That's Good (Video)

Devo as Dove - It Takes a Worried Man

Watch Us Work It

Make You Mine...The Stems Story and Show # 187

Coming from Perth, Australia, The Stems had their beginnings in the later part of 1983. The band started while Don Mariani was in a band called the Go-Starts. He was asked to give guitar lessons to Richard Lane, the lessons would then turn into more of a band situation. Gary Chambers would play drums and Julian Matthews would play bass. After a band was assembled the band recorded some demos and started playing live gigs. The bands first live gig was supporting The Saints and the Triffids. The band would be influenced by 60's garage rock bands such as The Standells, The Easybeats, and The Rolling Stones, they also had some R&B influences as well; The band falls under the categories of garage rock revival or garage punk. The band would continue playing live shows, securing a residency and in 1985 released their first single which was, "Make You Mine" with "She's A Monster" as the B-side. They would also record the song "Tears Me In Two" around this time as well.

The EP Love Will Grow came next in 1986. The EP was produced by Radio Birdman's Rob Younger and was released on Citadel Records. After touring to support the EP with the likes of the Flamin' Groovies, The Stems proceeded to record material that would make up their first full length album. After some complications in the studio and three months later At First Sight, Violets Are Blue came out in 1987. The album did quite well and went to number one on the Australian alternative charts, it even went to number 34 on the mainstream charts. The album was a mix of Mariani and Lane's garage rock and pop influences. The album was also on a different label Mushroom Records. There seemed to be interest in the band the song "At First Sight" was even featured on the soundtrack to the movie Young Einstein. After a tour to support the album and some TV appearances in 1987, they called it quits. The band did quite well for an Australian band that was only around for a short period of time, then released one full length album and a bunch of EP's; They have also been featured on numerous garage rock compilations.

After being in the Stems, Don Mariani would go on to form The Someloves, and DM3. Richard Lane would play with The Chevelles. In 2003, The Stems re-united for a tour and to promote the re-release of their first album. In 2007, The Stems recorded Head's Up, their second full length album.

CJAM is once again having voting take place for it's annual Jammy Awards. My Show (Revolution Rock) has been nominated for best punk/hard rock show. If you're a fan of the show and/or visit this website you can vote for my show (and your other favourite CJAM shows) at cjam.ca or by clicking this link Jammies 2008.

the Play List:

1. Collectors - We Can Make It
2. King Beez - Gloria
3. 409 - They Say
4. Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
5. Rolling Stones - Around and Around
7. Standells - Medication
8. Foxboro Hot Tubs - Ruby Room
9. Love Me Nots - Come on Over
10. The Stems - Sad Girl
11. The Stems - Tears Me in Two
12. Pointed Sticks - The Witch
13. Neil Young - After the Garden
14. MC5 - Future/Now
15. The Clash - Stay Free (King Biscuit Flower Hour 1979)
16. The Clash - Janie Jones (King Biscuit Flower Hour 1979)
17. The Clash - Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad (King Biscuit Flower Hour 1979)
18. Buzzcocks - Harmony in My Head
19. Saints - Run Down
20. The Dogs - Sleaze City (Live)
21. Modernettes - Barbra
22. Constantines - Easy Money
23. The Strokes - Fear of Sleep
24. Compulsive Gamblers - Rock and Roll Nurse
25. Black Keys - Wicked Messenger

Stems Videos:

At First Sight
Sad Girl