Blunderbuss & Show # 403

Jack White's first solo release Blunderbuss was officially released at the end of April 2012. The album taps into Jack’s roots absorbing many Country, Folk and Blues influences, but the album began organically during one of the many recording sessions at Whites own studio in Nashville. The album unlike previous albums was written from scratch when Jack was planning to recording RZA from Wu Tang Clan, RZA couldn’t make the sessions and there was a band in the studio, so Jack took the opportunity to record several tracks in last few months of 2011. Jack White had this to say of Blunderbuss when speaking to Rolling Stone magazine

"I've put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas.”

The first single released to promote this album was “Love Interruption” in February 2012 with the B-Side “Machine Gun Silhouette”, it quickly climbed singles charts. The album Blunderbuss is a thirteen track affair that explores Jack White’s song writing make up, the result is several well crafted songs that emphasizes a certain mood, one that differs from previous releases that Jack has produced in the past with his bands. The only track that is reminiscent of Jack White’s White Stripe days is “Sixteen Saltines”, a song that was also released as the second single for the album, with a music video directed by Gary Oldham. All of the compositions here were written by White, with the exception of “I’m Shakin’” a song originally by Little Willie John executed in a woozy Blues fashion. Overall the album absorbs elements Jack has displayed with The White Stripes from Get Behind Me Satan and The Raconteurs while at the same time venturing into new territory. It’s obvious that Jack has learned some new tricks in the last five years recording and producing bands at his studio in Nashville. If you pick up Blunderbuss and expect a White Stripes album, that is not what you will get and why would you? On Blunderbuss Jack White displays a different side of himself musically and lyrically. Blunderbuss is a poignant well crafted album that furthers the mystique of Jack White by putting us into a different frame of mind

Blunderbuss if you look up the meaning is one of two things that can both be applicable here. Blunderbuss is one, a short musket that is used to scatter shots at short range and two a clumsy person that is often regarded as dumb or stupid. In terms of this album, the songs seem to scatter at a short range for the listener addressing many issues, while at the same time maybe that’s how Jack felt when expressing himself lyrically when writing these songs. Perhaps this was Whites intention when creating the album, but regardless Blunderbuss is a statement from Jack White, one that can fascinate even the most casual listener. Blunderbuss debuted at number one the US Billboard top 200 charts and across and went to number one in Canada, the UK and Switzerland.

This Week's Play List:

1. Beastie Boys – Gratitude
2. Beastie Boys – Remote Control
3. The Reply – I Must Stop
4. Frankenstein 5 – Go Away
5. Terrible Twos – Negative Drip
6. The Students – Somebody New Everyday
7. The Pin Group – Ambivalence
8. The Chills – Pink Frost
9. Doublehappys – Needles and Plastic
10. Leland Sundries – Monitor Arms
11. The Dandy Warhols – I Am Free
12. The City Streets – For All The (Doomed) Lovers
13. The Diamond Rugs – Gimme A Beer
14. Teenage Head – Wild One
15. Deja Voodoo – Big Pile Of Mud
16. 63 Monroe – Yumpin’
17. Teenanger – Tired Of You
18. Mystics – Play Your Game
19. MC5 – Over and Over
20. Nirvana – Dive
21. Jack White – Missing Pieces
22. Jack White – Sixteen Saltines

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 8. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Light Bulb Alley Interview & Show # 402

Light Bulb Alley is a three piece Rock band that formed in 2007 in Montreal. The band draws upon 60s Garage Rock, 70s Punk and newer groups such as King Khan & BBQ Show for their influences. Fronted by Allister Booth on vocals and guitar, Karlo Sno on bass and Ockert Greeff this three piece band played for a few years in Montreal building up a fan base. After about three years, Light Bulb Alley signed to Ricochet Sound a label that also features music from Montreal’s Garage Rock legends The Gruesomes, The Hook Up, The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey and Fuad & The Feztones. In 2011, the band recorded and released their album The Sound of Things. The sound on the album can be best described as “Swampy, Punk, Psychedelic, Live, Country, Blues, Trash. Melodic, & Dirty jingles to listen to on your rocking chair! “ as stated in the bands biography on their official website. The album contains songs such as “Pepper Spray”, “Long Time Coming” and reworked version of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?’ which puts the songs into a new context. Recently the group added a new drummer Sébastien de Champlain to their line up.

Light Bulb Alley plays the FM Lounge in Windsor on Thursday May 3rd along with Raised By Weeds, Weirdonia, Busker Bros, and Paul Caporino of M.O.T.O.

The following interview was done between myself Dave Konstantino (host of Revolution Rock) and Allister Booth of the Montreal band LIght Bulb Alley.

RR: How would you describe your music? One site described your sound as neo garage/psych music do you think this is accurate?

Allister: I think Rock N Roll is the best term like a nice smooth un-mossy rolling stone!

RR: What are some of the bands influences musically?

Allister: Anything that has desperation and Soul! A lot of 70's punk. As well as other stuff like The Troggs. Pretty Things, King Khan & BBQ Show, The Gruesomes

RR: The band formed in 2007, how did the band start and before forming this band were you involved with any other groups?

Allister: Me and Karlo had a mutual disrespect for our Nazi boss at our job and decided to write songs about it.

RR: How did you come up with the name Light Bulb Alley?

Allister: I cannot remember

RR: How and when did you get involved with Ricochet Sound?

Allister: Raye Biffen from Ricochet sound checked out our myspace. He came to one of our shows and we ended up signing a contract in blood!

RR: Where/when did you record your LP The Sound of Things? Who did you work with (ie: producers, engineers, etc.)?

Allister: Our Friend Andrew David helped produce it in his apartment. We had to stop at 5pm because his roommate was getting pissy, maybe he was inviting his parents over or something.

RR: What was the main inspiration lyrically behind the songs that make up The Sound of Things?

Allister: I really don't know, love gained and love lost I suppose.

RR: Are you working on any new recordings at the moment? What do you plan your for your next release? Will you work with anyone different or record it in a similar fashion?

Allister: we are planning to record in the near future. We hope to work David Andrew who produced 4 or 5 songs from our CD.

RR: Your band just added a new member recently, a drummer. What led to finding a new drummer and how did you find him?

Allister: Sebastien was an ex-Walnut Kid and he stepped in when our previous drummer (Ockert) decided to leave.

RR: What are your future plans for Light Bulb Alley and how can people access your music?

Allister: We would like to play a 500 000 people arena and take our shirts off to delirious fans!

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lightbulballey2
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Light-Bulb-Alley-New-Site/178335695553489
www.myspace.com/lightbulballey
http://garagepunk.ning.com/profile/LightBulbAlley

And all you kids make sure to tune into Revolution Rock!

This Week's Play List:

1. Cold Warps – Hang Up On You
2. Brazilian Money – Should’ve Known
3. Ghost Bikini – Summer Heat
4. Bo Diddley – Pills
5. The Pretty Things – Get The Picture?
6. The Black Sharks – Jokers Wild
7. The Bell Peppers – Golf Shack
8. The Ventures – Wipe Out
9. Exploding Hearts – Throwaway Style
10. The Mods – Step Out Tonight
11. Klark Kent – Too Kool To Kalypso
12. Jack Antonio Project – Sleeping Dogs Lie
13. Grinderman – Worm Tamer (A Place To Bury Strangers Remix)
14. The Count Five – The World
15. Weirdonia – Green Tables
16. Raised By Weeds – My Word (CJAM Session)
17. Light Bulb Alley – Long Time Coming
18. Light Bulb Alley – Who Do You Love?
19. Heroes & Villains – SDWC
20. Radio Birdman – Hand of Law
21. Skids – The Saints Are Coming
22. Sex Pistols – Problems
23. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - The Kid With The Replaceable Head
24. White Stripes - I Think I Smell A Rat
25. Ramones – Wart Hog

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 1. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Lost Patrol Interview, 25th Anniversary Reunion & Show # 401

Windsor's Lost Patrol was a Garage Rock inspired group that mixed in elements of Punk, Post Punk and Soul music, they were around in the late 80s and early 90s. The band has released several EP's and two full length albums Lost Patrol (1988) on LP and Tell No Lies (1990) on cassette, they were also featured on numerous compilation albums. The band built up a following in Europe, specifically in France through Stop It Baby Records who released their full length self titled EP in 1988.

Lost Patrol will be playing a 25th anniversary show Saturday April 28th, 2012 at the FM Lounge in Windsor.

Listen to the interview I did with Paul here (and in the show below):




More info on the band can be found at:

http://lostpatrol.ca/
http://www.myspace.com/lostpatroldetroit/


This Week's Play List:

1. Black Angels – Watch Out Boy
2. Trash Emperors – Blackout
3. Uzis – I Wanna Go
4. JB & The Playboys – Leave My Woman Alone
5. Jerry Jerry and the Sons Of Rhythm Orchestra – Radical Look
6. Levon Helm – Move Along Train
7. The Stig – Block It Out
8. Wreckless Eric – Grown Ups
9. Joy Division – She’s Lost Control
10. Lost Patrol – See Me Now

Paul Langan (Lost Patrol) Interview

11. Lost Patrol – Mister You’re a Better Man Than I
12. Lost Patrol – Kinda Sorta Miss Home
13. The Government – Flat Tire
14. The Lonesome Weekends – Kiss The Bottle
15. Pow Wows – EIO (During The Flood)
16. The Rolling Stones – Claudine
17. Bob Dylan – One Too Many Mornings
18. The Band – Tears of Rage (Live)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 24. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Like Flies On Sherbert & Show # 400

1n 1979, Alex Chilton released his debut solo album Like Flies On Sherbert. The album was panned by many critics and often labelled as a terrible album, but the album explored the very make up of Alex Chilton’s roots as he ventured into a Memphis Roots Rock territory combined with the energy of Punk. The album was also recorded rather loosely and is at times loose and sloppy Like Flies On Sherbert features a gritty, honest off kilter charm. It is an album that captured the songs in a moment, mistakes, chaos and all.

Produced by Alex Chilton and Jim Dickinson, Like Flies On Sherbert is a reflection of Alex Chilton’s life at the time, which is often called his “crazy” period due to many factors. He had recently re-located to New York after the break up of the Power Pop band Big Star and embraced the Punk scene recording and released The Singer Not The Song EP in 1977 and The Bangkok single in 1978. After producing music and working with The Cramps in Memphis, Chilton began work on Like Flies On Sherbert with Jim Dickinson which can be also seen as a reflection of his time working with The Cramps, who often embraced a Rockabilly Punk influenced sound. Like Flies On Sherbert was recorded at Sam Phillips Studio in Memphis and Ardent Studios. The sounds captured on the album are chaotic, sloppy and at times off beat. It was a sound that deconstructed not only the layered Pop and harmonies and myths of Chilton’s previous bands Big Star and The Box Tops, but also Rock and Roll music in general. This method was a conscious decision on Chilton’s part who had this to say of the album many years after its release in the book It Came From Memphis:

"My life was on the skids, and 'Like Flies on Sherbert' was a summation of that period. I like that record a lot. It's crazy but it’s a positive statement about a period in my life that wasn’t positive.”

The resulting twelve song album Like Flies On Sherbert was originally released in a limited edition 500 pressing run on Peabody Records. It featured several Chilton originals and many obscure cover songs. There is a cover of KC & The Sunshine Band’s “Boogie Shoe’s”, Jimmy Newman’s “Alligator Man”, and music by The Carter Family and others. Chilton’s version of Ernest Tubb’s “Waltz Across Texas” is executed in a lazy fashion, which resembles a drunken version of Elvis Presley’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” at times. Of the Chilton originals some of the highlights include “My Rival” a cathartic song which emphasizes the chaotic nature of the recording sessions featuring tape hissing, chunky guitar rhythms, and a broken minimoog synthesizer. The was song written the previous year while Chilton was still in New York, as the song draws to a close it falls into a chaotic bliss as guitars begin to feedback and broken minimoog rhythms provided by Jim Dickinson waver in and out. Dickinson had this to say of providing the minimoog synthesizer for the song in an article posted on Paste Magazine:

The Minimoog was sitting around broken at [the studio]. I played it and all I did was twist knobs."

Other highlights include the single released for the album “Hey Little Child”, which was recorded at Ardent Studio along with “Baron of Love Part II” on August, 16th, 1979, which coincided with the second anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. “Rock Hard” is a driving Memphis Rockabilly influenced track, while “Hook Or Crook” is a song that, which like “Rock Hard” has a driving, pounding drumbeat, but is mixed in with reverb drenched vocals, sloppy country guitar rhythms juxtaposed alongside a Garage Rock guitar sound that resembles a Rolling Stones influence. The album ends with the title tracks “Like Flies On Sherbert” a song that has an eccentric almost Psychedelic Pop influence that can be seen as an extension of Big Star's album Third/Sister Lovers. When the album was re-released by Aura Records in the UK, it differed slightly in track listing most notably adding Chilton’s version of “Boogie Shoes”. The song has since been included along with many others on recent re-issues of the album.

While Like Flies On Sherbert may not have been critically acclaimed by everyone at the time of its initial release, there were some positive reviews for people that did not just dismiss the album as a mess in Creem Magazine and in Sounds. It is now seen, as with the album Tonight’s The Night by Neil Young as a cult classic. The albums cover was a photo by William Eggleston, a photographer that also provided the photo for the now cult classic Big Star album Radio City. The albums cover is a collection of strange looking dolls sitting atop of a Cadillac, which can be seen as an indication of the albums contents. Like the dolls on the cover which appear out of place, Like Flies On Sherbert has many songs and sounds that at times seem to not fit right, but along with these songs there is like a Cadillac, a certain class and charm to them.

This Week's Play List:

1. Light Bulb Alley – Pepper Spray
2. The Reply – Memphis Train
3. The Movements – She Said
4. Red Light Driver – Celeste Celeste
5. Arctic Monkeys – The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap
6. Result - Suburban Addicts
7. The Primmers – Funny Stories
8. The Spelling Mistakes – Feel So Good
9. Devo – Space Junk
10. Dot Dash – Learn How To Fly
11. Brazilian Money – Lost All Sense of Time
12. Alex Chilton – My Rival
13. Alex Chilton – Rock Hard
14. Queens of The Stone Age – Outlaw Blues
15. Johnny Cash & The Avett Brothers – One Too Many Mornings
16. Indian Wars – Sitting On The Steps
17. The Mongrels – Play My Guitar
18. Cold Warps – Hole In My Head
19. X – Your Phones Off The Hook, But You’re Not
20. Simply Saucer – Bullet Proof Nothing
21. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Night Rally
22. Alex Chilton – Hey Little Child

23. Alex Chilton – Waltz Across Texas

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 17. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

And Now...The Last Pogo & Show # 399

In 1978, a documentary was made by director Colin Brunton chronicling what was billed as the last Punk Rock concert in Toronto. Titled The Last Pogo the short film featured performances from Canadian Punk/New Wave artists from 1977/1978, amongst the performers The Scenics, The Secrets, The Mods, The Ugly, The Viletones, The Cardboard Brains, and Teenage Head were in the film. The concert took place at the famous Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, which was run by Toronto promoters Topp and Cormier Gary at the time. In addition to the performances that make the film, police and firefighters kicked out the director and crew, but the soundman remained, it was originally released in 1979. After years of being out of print, the film was issued on DVD in 2008.

A soundtrack was also recorded and released entitled And Now Live From Toronto …The Last Pogo. Released in 1979, the soundtrack was made up of live performances from two dates at The Horseshoe Tavern. The soundtrack features performances from The Scenics, The Everglades, The Mods, Drastic Measures, Cardboard Brains, The Ugly and others. The soundtrack is further document of the bands and Punk/Post Punk scene at the time in Canada. All the recordings are live and the album, which is now out of print and features some excellent performances most notably the opening track, which is The Secrets version of “Shout”.

Currently director Colin Brunton and Kire Paputts have started a new project. Compiling more footage with 1978’s The Last Pogo as a starting point, the film makers are working on a new longer documentary which further explores Toronto’s cultural and musical explosion during the 1976-1978 time period. The film will be titled The Last Pogo Jumps Again: A Biased & Incomplete History Of Toronto Punk Rock Circa September 24 1976 To December 1 1978. The film is said to be released in a variety of formats soon. More information on the film can be found at http://www.thelastpogo.net/

This Week's Play List:

1. The New York Dolls – Trash
2. T-Rex – 20th Century Boy
3. The Shins – Bait And Switch
4. Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat
5. Cowboy Junkies – Fuck, I Hate The Cold
6. Papermaps – US And Them
7. Joel Plaskett Emergency – You’re Mine
8. Jaill – She’s My Baby
9. Link Wray – Commanche
10. The Secrets – Teenage Rampage
11. The Everglades – Rock n’ Roll Cliché
12. Teenanger – Cops (But Not)
13. Sloan - Living With The Masses
14. Ty Segall – Maria Stacks
15. The Angry Dead Pirates – Moon
16. Neil Young – Walk On
17. The Stooges – Little Doll (John Cale Mix)
18. The Gruesomes – For All I Care
19. The Black lips – Family Tree
20. Ramones – I Can’t Be (Demo)
21. The D4 – Mysterex
22. The Clash – Bankrobber (Live From Here To Eternity II)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 10. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Punk Mod Rockers Seven Story Redhead & Show # 398

Forming around 2004, Calgary’s Seven Story Redhead takes their influences from bands such as The Velvet Underground, The Kinks, The Who, The Jam and The Clash which makes up their own brand of Rock and Roll. Consisting of Kelly Sutherland on vocals/guitar, Franklin D on bass, Lonnie James on drums and Chris Bell on additional guitar, the band first release was the self recorded Super Fancy Hobo, which was followed by the Live From The At Work Home Institute in 2006. The song “I Was Yer Mate” received significant commercial radio airplay for a five month span, which only broadened their fan base. During this time the bands sound is often described as The Kinks, The Who, The Clash and Velvet Underground with a 60s Proto Punk R&B sound, became a fixture amongst the Calgary Garage Rock scene. A full length album simply entitled Seven Story Redhead followed in 2008, which was followed a years worth of touring across Canada. In 2010, the band released their Shake It Out! EP, and in 2011 the released their Uptight/Downlow 10 inch release.

For Uptight/Downlow, the band slimmed down to a three piece with guitarist Chris Bell moving on to other things. The band took a primary influence for this release from a trip that Sutherland took to Paris and London. The result was a British invasion of their influences reflecting an early Kinks Garage sound, while at the same time including the other influences that help round out their sound. Kelly Sutherland had this to say of Uptight/Downlow from an interview with CJSW’s Christine Leonard-Cripps:

“The whole process of assembling the album took a half-year,” reports Sutherland. “I didn’t write anything for quite about while because I had nothing to write about. Then, my significant other and I took a trip to Paris and London. It was a fantastic hanging around Soho and Camden and all of Pete Dougherty, the Libertines and Amy Winehouse’s favourite pubs. Travelling is the best source of inspiration and the trip really got things moving along for me in my songwriting. You can hear that in the lyrics: the British vernacular, the tube stations… Uptight/Downlow is a direct attack, like The Kinks’ early stuff. We’re not trying to reinvent wheel or create new genre here, we’re moving backwards in time. Rock and roll was perfected a long time ago rather than trying to be modern, we chose to revel in that.”

At any rate, the band shows no signs of slowing down as they head out to Western Canada to promote and play live shows. You can check them out  at sevenstoryredhead.com or via their facebook page.

This Week's Play List:

1. 999 – Quite Disappointing

2. Weirdonia – Masked Boy

3. Satelliters – Get Outta Here

4. Garage Sale – Ain’t So Groovy

5. Ghost Bikini – Spooks

6. Long Distance Runners – Election Day

7. Yukon Blonde – My Girl

8. Learning – There Is A limit

9. Ramblin’ Ambassadors – Pine Beetle Express

10. Mind Spiders – Wait For Us

11. ELK – Shaking Hands

12. Raised By Weeds – Money For The Grave (CJAM Session Jan 24, 2012)

13. Ex-Girlfriends Club – The Witch

14. The Wipers – Wait A Minute

15. Mudhoney – Good Enough

16. C’Mon – Easier Said Than Done

17. Seven Story Redhead - Punk Mod Rockers

18. Malibu Kens – Crude City

19. Wire – Moreover

20. Television – Prove It

21. The Rezillos - I Can't Stand My Baby

22. The Saints - One Way Street

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 3. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Oblivians To Record New Album & Show # 397

In Early February it was announced that Memphis, Garage Rock legends The Oblivians would be heading into the studio to record their first full length studio album since 1997’s Play Nine Songs With Mr. Quintron. The Oblivians consisted of Greg Cartwright, Jack Yarber and Eric Friedl, all three of the members would alternate between guitar, bass and drums, both live and in the studio. The band is known for their Garage and Punk infused sound which made them a popular and prominent band in the underground Garage Rock scene. They initially lasted from 1993 to 1998, where they released three full length albums and several singles and EPs. When deciding on a band name the band went through several different names before finally deciding on The Oblivians, taking a Ramones styled approach to their name the band each adopted the surname name Oblivian. They have played numerous reunion shows including a reunion tour with The Gories in 2009.

Greg Cartwright has been in numerous other bands since his time with The Oblivians including The Compulsive Gamblers (who also featured Jack Yarber), currently he plays with The Reigning Sound, Jack Yarber currently plays with Jack-O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers, but has also been in numerous other bands such as The Limes, The Cool Jerks, The Brand New Love Affairs, King Louie & His Loose Diamonds, the Natural Kicks and others. Eric Friedl started his own independent record label called Goner Records and currently plays with Dutch Master and The Sons of Thunder. It has been confirmed on that The Oblivians will re-unite and record another full length studio album, it will be released on In The Red Records.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Nevermores – House of Smoke And Mirrors
2. EX~PO – Tasty Bites (Live @ Chemical Sound – April 12, 2008)
3. Franz Ferdinand – Real Thing
4. The Evaporators – Bunk
5. Jack Antonio Project – The Moose Is Loose
6. The Bureaucrats – Crush You In My Arms
7. The Polymorphines – Double Down
8. The Gruesomes – Roadrunner (Live In London 1987)
9. Teen Runnings – Why Does Everybody Do?
10. Thee Oh Sees – Wrong Idea
11. Lowlife – White Lightning
12. Lost Patrol – I’m Not The One
13. Deer Tick – Walkin' Out That Door
14. Heartless Bastards – Parted Ways
15. The Gun Club – Mother Of Earth
16. Talking Heads – The Big Country
17. Magazine – Holy Dotage
18. The Waldos – Cry Baby
19. The Gories – Thunderbird ESQ (Live At CJAM 1989)
20. The Teardrops – Everything's O.K.
21. The Cramps – Primitive
22. The Oblivians – Hey Mama, Look At Sis
23. Supergrass - Caught By The Fuzz
24. The Velvet Underground – Lisa Says

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

TEENANGER FRIGHTS & Show # 396

Coming from Toronto, Ontario Teenanger released their first full length album Give Me Pink in 2010 and an EP prior to that. Their fourteen song debut album reflected more of a Garage Rock and Blues production style and sound, but with their new album, Frights the band did a few things different. The band worked with Howie Beck who is known for his mix engineering work on albums by Indie Rock artists Feist and Jason Collet. The paring was different, but Frights shows Teenanger finding a new voice by stripping their catchy well crafted songs down to the bare bones while at the same time reflecting a 70s Punk sound and approach. Just by looking at the excellently designed album artwork of red and neon green, you can tell this album is different . The songs are attacked with more aggression, the lyrics snarled out by singer Chris Swimmings as he sings about bank accounts, lawyers, security guards and cheap thrills. The songs are short, the album is shorter. At nine songs and clocking in at about twenty one minutes, Frights is one of those short albums that ends too soon, but one that warrants repeat listens. Frights was released on the bands own label Telephone Explosion.

This Week's Play List:

1. Pow Wows – Killing Me

2. Pow Wows – Worry…Don’t

3. Painted Ship – Frustration

4. TV Freaks – Casual Encounter

5. Ex-Girlfriends Club – Your Prescription

6. Energetic Action – Mud Hill

7. The Twilight Sad – Don’t Look At Me

8. New Order – Temptation
9. Public Image Limited – One Drop
10. Gang of Four – History’s Bunk (Peel Session)
11. The Stranglers – Hanging Around
12. Teenanger – Cheap Thrills
13. Teenanger – Frights
14. Fenster – Oh Canyon
15. Vic Godard & The Subway Sect – Split Up The Money
16. Joe Strummer – Leopardskin Limousines
17. Cake - Italian Guy
18. The Pointed Sticks – Born To Cry
19. The Ketamines – 1 Yr
20. Luger Boa – 1000 Hooks
21. Bronx Cheerleader - Camelot
22. The Hives – Go Right Ahead

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 20. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Angry Young Them & Show # 395

Them are often overlooked when considering at the career of Van Morrison, but with Them Van Morrison treaded his early R&B influenced Garage Rock roots. Coming from Belfast in Ireland, Them’s first full length album was released in two different versions in the US and the UK. The UK version of The Angry Young Them features a different track listing and cover than the one that was featured on the US version. The UK version of the album features fourteen songs. Songs found on the UK Decca release that were not found on the US release of the album are “You Just Can’t Win” an organ filled Bob Dylan influenced R&B Garage ballad about a gold digger, “Just A Little Bit” a slow and raucous shouter that would give any early Rolling Stones song a run for its money, “I Gave My Love A Diamond”, “Bright Lights, Big City”, and “My Little Baby”. In addition to these five tracks that were featured on the UK Decca release of The Angry Young Them, the cover also features the band in a standard 60s Rock album pose, not unlike album covers released by The Rolling Stones, it also has no titles or indication of the name of the band or album title.

The US version of The Angry Young Them was amended to add Them’s single “Here Comes The Night” a slow catchy ballad, “One Two Brown Eyes” the erratic Garage track which was originally the B-side of Them’s first single “Don’t Start Crying Now”, and another Them single entitled “One More Time” Now this wasn’t a strange thing for UK and US releases of the same album to have different track listings. In the US albums were often modified to better market the band based on their current charting singles. The cover of the US version of The Angry Young Them, is a more classic looking cover featuring the words Them in giant orange letters not unlike the style you would find on B-Horror movie posters. It also originally was released saying that the album featured the song “Here Comes The Night”. Following the release of the Them single “Baby Please Don’t Go” with “Gloria” as the B-side, the album was re-released with a similar cover advertising the song “Gloria”.

Despite these differences in the track listings of The Angry Young Them, the album is a statement, the first album to be released by song writer Van Morrison, it introduced the world to him. The album also serves as having historical Rock music status due to the fact that it features many studio musicians, as part of the bands ever changing line up, with the exception of Van Morrison, the album features many studio musicians including future Led Zeppelin and Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page. The Angry Young Them features the now iconic, Garage Rock standard “Gloria”. This simple chord structured song was originally released as the B-side to the “Baby Please Don’t Go” single, a cover song. Ironically the cover, while it is a standard and Them’s version is most definitely of high quality, was overshadowed by “Gloria”, which is now considered a standard, but was not a at the time. The single charted at number ten on the UK singles charts and number 102 on the US singles charts. Additionally the album contains the song “Mystic Eyes”, which is a highly regarded Them gem that was generated from a ten minute jam the band did in the studio while recording. The album is notable for its unique placing of R&B covers juxtaposed with Van Morrison originals for a debut album that is often compared and contrasted to debut albums released by The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Beatles. The Angry Young Them is an uninhibited, pure Rock and Roll album, often falling under the category of Garage Rock, making it a strong debut not only for Them, but for Van Morrison who would go onto further musical acclaim.
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It is Jammy Award time again. Every year CJAM FM holds an annual award ceremony in which programmers at the station can receive awards for the work they put into their shows every year. My program Revolution Rock is nominated for two awards in two different categories, best indie/alternative//rock/punk show and best on air personality. Vote for it here:

http://jammies.cjam.ca/index.php?sid=15639&lang=en

This Week's Play List:

1.  Mystics – Wasting Time
2.  The Famines – The First World War
3.  Vivian Girls – Such A Joke
4.  The Clean – Anything could Happen
5.  Mother’s Children – Dance To The Rock and Roll Band
6.  Beach Blankets – Greatest Hit
7.  The Diodes – Action Reaction
8.  Terminal Sunglasses – Could That Be People Crossing My Lawn
9.  Hunx – Private Room
10. Silent Movie Type - Pastels
11. BA Johnston w/ The Moby Dicks - McDonald's Coupon Day
12. Them – I Like It Like That
13. Them – I'm Gonna Dress In Black
14. Jack Oblivian –Rat City
15. The Libertines – Up The Bracket
16. Buzzcocks – Harmony In My Head
17. Generation X – Wild Youth
18. MC5 – High School
19. The Sonics – Dirty Robber
20. Deja Voodoo – Rock Therapy
21. Young Rival - Workin'
22. The Mark Inside - House of Cards
23. Long Weekends - Shame On You
24. Radio Birdman – Anglo Girl Desire
25. The D4 – Omerta

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 13. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Video Reactions ... Show # 394

This week let's take a look at some videos from some of the artists featured on Revolution Rock.

The first is from the Canadian Punk based band The Diodes. They have just reissued their long out of print third album from 1980 album Action/Reaction with bonus tracks. The following is a video for "Catwalker" on Action/Reaction, you can pick up this album via Bongo Beat Records.

SPORTS is a band that is hard to find online if you're just looking for the band via a simple internet search. They have recently released an album SPORTS. Based out of Rochester, New York SPORTS is made up of former members of The Sister Lovers, Baby Shivers Boutique, Power Douglas & Loud Magic make love. This indie band features elements of Soulful Power Pop with infectious harmonious grooves. If you're having trouble finding them online you can visit their facebook page or bandcamp page to stream their album.

A Place To Bury Strangers commonly referred to by the acronym APTBS have recently released an EP entitled Onwards To The Wall. This New York based Noise Rock band currently features Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals), Dion Lunadon (bass), and Jay Space on drums. The band has released two full lengths A Place To Bury Strangers (2007) and Exploding Head (2009)) as well as several EPs. Dion has recently joined up as the bass player having previously played in the bands The D4 and The True Lovers following original bassist Jono Mofo's departure in the Spring of 2010. APTBS is currently working on a full length release.

Finally the last video/band I will mention is from a relatively obscure band from Australia called The Riptides. Coming from Brisbane, Australia to be precise the band lasted from 1977 to 1983 and featured songwriter Mark "Cal" Callaghan who would later go onto play in GANGgajang. The Riptides became a cult band in their homeland with their Punk/Power Pop sounds, they have released several seven inches and some full length albums. Other members of this group went on to form the bands The Go-Betweens, Leftovers, and Divinyls. The Riptides have reformed several times.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Diodes – City of The Dead
2. The Diodes – Ghost Story
3. Bad Weather California – Skate Or Try
4. Bad Weather California – Freaks and Geeks
5. The Evaporators – Hate Being Late When I'm Early
6. Sports – Lawyers Singing Sweetly
7. The Submarines – Shoelaces (Folked Up 4 Track Version)
8. The Fires Of – I Can’t Sleep
9. Andre Williams and The Goldstars – Hot Coffee
10. The Hoop – You're Breaking My Spirits Down
11. Spooky But Nice – The Sun Goes
12. Indian Wars – Took A Trip
13. The Intelligents – Superdrain
14. Tigers – (Walk Tall) Do The Crawl
15. Rotten Tropics – Spectre Tectonics
16. A Place To Bury Strangers – So Far Away
17. The Growlers – Kick The Habit of Dredd
18. The Scientists – Last Night
19. The Riptides - 77 Sunset Strip
20. Davilla 666 – Obsessionao
21. The Stomachmouths – Teenage Caveman
22. Dr.Dog - Lonesome
23. Jay Reatard – Blood Visions
24. The Black Lips – Make It (Day Trotter Session)
25. The Hentchmen - Yesterday's Trash
26. The Mark Inside – The Bottom Line

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 6. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Hey! The Gruesomes Radio Special & Show # 391

When talking of Garage Rock in the 80s, in Canada it was nearly impossible to avoid the topic of The Gruesomes, a four piece Garage Punk band that would become a big selling underground act. Forming in 1985, the group initially featured John Davis (bass) and Eric Davis (drums) and guitarist/vocalist Bobby Beaton, while in their early stages the band were just learning their instruments, with drummer Eric Davis reportedly using trashcan lids and a snare as his drum set up, when the three met Gerry Alvarez (guitar/occasional vocalist), The Gruesomes were born. Taking influences from early 60s Garage Rock and R&B influenced Garage music from the likes of the Pebbles, Back To The Grave compilations and 70s Punk, the band decided to find a middle ground between the two genres. As a result, The Gruesomes fused together elements of 60s Garage Rock with the sneerful, snotty energy and attitude of 70s Punk. The band also has stated that they were influenced by bad television programs from the 60s/70s, which is rather fitting given the origin of their name. The band took their name from The Flintstones television program, they had some scary neighbours who were known as The Gruesomes. Armed with 60s styled mop top hairdos and vintage 60s suits from second hand shops, The Gruesomes began playing live gigs around Montreal shortly after their formation.

Being very young, all of the band members were between the ages of 17 and 19, the band relied on humour and banter onstage combined with their energy and enthusiasm for their music more so than their musical abilities in their early days. Their first two releases came in the form of EPs, first the Jack The Ripper EP and then the Unchained EP, both released in 1985 on the Primitive Records label. The band quickly built up a fan base, and by 1986 the band had released their first full length album, Tyrants of Teen Trash. Released on Og Records, Tyrants of Teen Trash sold well not only in Canada, but in the US and Europe as well. Combined with their large local following, the group hit the road, touring constantly and recording which resulted in two solid back to back albums, 1987’s Gruesomania, and 1988’s Hey! The bands status grew in popularity, they charted at number one on numerous alternative playlists and in high positions on many music based charts. 

In 1987, The Gruesomes drummer Eric Davis left the group with John Knoll joining The Gruesomes ranks. As a result Knoll brought more of a Soul and R&B backbeat to the group as opposed to Eric, who had more of a 70s Punk vibe. Despite this change up, the group remained enormously popular in the music underground, captivating audiences with their sweaty, energetic live sets.  From the very first Gruesomes release, they not only displayed their primitive Garage Punk stylings, but there was also an underlying Surf Rock influence that is not always brought up when discussing the bands music.  While it is not as prevalent on their first few releases, it pops up in a more dominate form on 1987's Gruesomania on songs such as "Whirlpool" and on 1988's Hey! on songs such as "Hey!" and "El Diablo". Towards the end of their initial releases in the 80s the bands sound leaned more towards an R&B direction, while still keeping a Garage/Punk ethic, partially due to their new drummer most likely. A sign of their ultimate expansion can be heard on the song "I Can Dig It", a song that is one of their longest recordings to date. The song explores a more Psychedelic nature in the vein of The Stooges and other 60s Psych groups. This style would later be explored in further detail with guitarist Gerry Alvarez's next group The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey.  In addition to The Gruesomes underground popularity, The Gruesomes had two music videos that received high rotation on MuchMuch and Musique Plus in Canada in the late 80s, the video’s were for 1987’s “Way Down Below” and 1988’s “Hey!”. Despite being at the height of their popularity, the rigorous effects of constant touring finally took its toll on The Gruesomes and in 1990, they called it quits.

Ten years later The Gruesomes returned with what is often called one of their best album's, 2000's Cave-In!. The album was just as good as their previous releases and even featured several songs that the band had played live in the late 80s, but never made onto an official studio album. The band headed to Europe for touring purposes and also toured in parts of the US and Canada. In 2003, a retrospective compilation of Gruesomes material was released on Sundazed Records entitled Gruesomology 1985-1989. 

Bobby Beaton and John Davis have since formed their R&B group Fuad & The Feztones, whose name Fuad Ramses originates from a pen name that Bobby Beaton used to use when writing Gruesomes linear notes. They released a seven inch EP entitled Valley Of The Kings in 2002 and in 2008 they released their first full length album Beeramid. Gruesomes guitarist Gerry Alvarez formed The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey, whose music takes influence from 60s Psychedelic music. Gerry has released two full length albums as The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey, Candy Prankster in 2006 and Omega Tea Time in 2010. In 2007, Ricochet Sound released Live In Hell a live Gruesomes album from a show they played at the Pub Flamingo in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1989. In 2008, all of The Gruesomes albums were re-issued on CD via Ricochet Sound with bonus tracks, you can even find their 1985 Garbage Pail Kids Demo done by Gerald Van Herk and Tony Dewald of Montreal’s Deja Voodoo on the Hey! Re-issue. In addition to The Gruesomes full length releases, they have been featured on numerous compilation album series including the Og Records series It Came From Canada and the What Wave compilation series. The Gruesomes perform live on occasion.

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The following interview was done between myself Dave Konstantino (host of Revolution Rock), Gerry Alvarez of The Gruesomes/The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey and John Davis of The Gruesomes/Fuad & The Feztones. We talk about The Gruesomes early days, Surf Rock, recording and both of Gerry and John's respective current musical groups the Gerry Alvarez Odyssey and Fuad & The Feztones.

RR: Let’s talk about the early days, how exactly did you guys meet and when did you decide to move forward as a band?

Gerry: We got to know each other from mutual friends who were into the same kind of music. I had been playing with different musicians for a while and was looking for a band to play with when I heard John, Bob and Eric got instruments and wanted to jam. That was back in the winter of 1985, we were between the ages of 16 and 19. I showed them three chord tunes such as “Gloria” in John’s basement in NDG. We came up with a name, practiced a bunch of times, till we were moldy enough to play basement parties and have a bunch of friends over to watch us play, including my old buddies Shawn and Stu. Back in those days we had no video games or DVD, so we didn’t do much else than play guitar and listen to vinyl records most of the time.

RR: The Gruesomes were known for having a large local fan base, but what do you remember about your first live gig? Where was it and why do you think your music appeals to your fans?

Gerry & John: Some guys from a local band called Terminal Sunglasses saw us play at a party in The Davis house basement and asked us to open up for them at Le Steppe on Parc Avenue in 1985. I was a bit nervous cause I overheard some guy say we were gonna be the next Rolling Stones. We got popular right away, a Local Paper, the MTL Mirror wrote about us a lot gave us favourable reviews. It seemed that every second weekend we another gig lined up. We played and toured constantly for years after. It all happened quite quickly. I guess it was cause we had a look, style and a different sound than anything going on… a schtick. Plus a lot of teenage energy to spare, you can hear it on those records. We dressed the part and played exactly what we were really into which was 60’s garage rock. We could perform anywhere from the toughest skinhead punk dives and college frat holes to the big venues and still get the crowds rockin’.

RR: Something that isn’t always brought up when talking about The Gruesomes is your Surf Rock influence. You have several straight up Surf Rock songs, was there a plan do Surf styled songs and do you think that Surf Rock and Garage are connected in anyway and why?

Gerry: Yeah, sure they are connected, it’s that guitar sound, the tremolo and the reverb, we loved that. They were simple to play, riffy, few chords and sounded great played loud, sloppy and dirty.

John: There was not really a surf movement back then so anyone who liked sixties tunes tended to also dig surf.

RR: What are some of your favourite all time albums?

Gerry: Amongst my favourites I would say “We Are Paintermen” by The Creation, The Standels “Dirty Water”, The Beatles “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver”, “Tomorrow”, The Seeds”, The Who’s “My Generation”, The Kinks Singles collection, Thee Milkshakes “19th Nervous Breakdown” and “Isolation Drills” from Guided by Voices.

John: The Gruesomes were really into the pebbles and back from the grave comps. That along with releases on the Midnight records label from NYC were our main inspiration.

RR: The Gruesomes recorded some demos with members of Deja Voodoo in 1985 referred to as the Garbage Pail Kids Demos. What do you remember about recording those demos and how did you get Gerard and Tony (of Deja Voodoo) to record them?

Gerry: We taped “For All I Care” in John’s basement with Gerard and Tony which was our first recording. I remember Bobby fiddling with my distortion pedal, while I had the guitar and earphones on, till a happy expression came on my face to signal him that the sound was good. The Voodoo guys had seen us play live and were interested in adding us to their “It Came From Canada” punk compilations on OG records.

John: We recorded a total of 5 songs which we handed out to clubs to get gigs. WE cut out the logo from the Garbage Pail Kids stickers (which were popular at the time) and stuck it to a photocopied photo of the band. It is really primitive!

RR: Gruesomania and Hey! were both released within a year of each other. Were the songs all recorded at the same time? Where and when were those albums recorded and how did the recording process differ from the recording of Tyrants of Teen Trash?

Gerry & John: Tyrants of Teen Trash was recorded on 8 track while Gruesomania and Hey! were recorded on 24 track. Hey! and Guesomania were not recorded at the same time, “Gruesomania” we did in 1987 and “Hey” was in 1988. We were supposed to go on a tour in the summer of ‘87 to promote Tyrants but got into a car accident, coming back from a show in Toronto at Lee’s Palace, wrecked our van, so we did “Gruesomania” instead. That was a good thing coming out of a bad one. They were recorded pretty much the same way.

John: In retrospect, we should have stuck to 8 track recording. We really had no idea what we were doing. “Hey” sounded better but people never dug it as much as “Tyrants”. “Gruesomania” had stronger song writing but terrible recording!

Gerry & John: Our best record is “Cave-In” I would say. We are all very proud of that LP.

RR: The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey differs musically from the music that was created with The Gruesomes, how would you describe your new groups sound?

Gerry: The Odyssey is an evolution of the genre or style, I’ve always been into the same guitar sounds and music, it’s just taking it further. Having my own band allows me to be more experimental and do things that are out of The Gruesomes mold which is a nice change. I don’t want to bend over backwards to recreate a copy of The Gruesomes, it would probably be impossible for me to pull off without the other guys anyway, not really interested in doing that. The Odyssey is who I am now with Flavio Monopoly as drummer and producer, it’s more psychedelic rock and pop with a bit of garage cause that’s were I come from. The Gruesomes were early to mid 60’s purists while the Odyssey is very 60’s influenced but with more of a contemporary sound and feel.

RR: How has the song writing process differed from your days with The Gruesomes as opposed to The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey? Is the process pretty much the same or different and why?

Gerry: The Gruesomes didn’t have computers or fancy demo recording equipment. These days I make demos at home on my Mac. After a while, I learned how to do it all on my own, it’s just a natural progression.

RR: What are your plans for the future musically? Are you working on anything new with any of your current music projects?

Gerry: We just played an Odyssey show in Toronto at The Sister and are planning on more gigs in the Ontario, Quebec area. I’ve been living in Toronto for ten years now. I’m always working on ideas for tunes, we’ll see when the next CD comes, we just released “Omega Tea Time” a year ago so no rush for a new one yet.

RR: Fuad & The Feztones differs musically from the music that was created with The Gruesomes, how would you describe your new groups sound?

John: The Feztones play music from a slightly earlier time-period that the Gruesomes. Bobby has really been into the 1960-64 twist sound for just about forever. The music we play is similar to what one might have heard at a frat house party circa 1962. We throw in this whole middle-east/ Egyptian thing as an excuse to make bad puns in our song writing. We had a real toga party last year that was a total blast.

RR: How has the song writing process differed from your days with The Gruesomes as opposed to Fuad & The Feztones? Is the process pretty much the same or different and why?

John: The process is about the same, only the reference points have changed. In the Feztones we ask ourselves "how would some dumb sixties teenager interpret James Brown?" as opposed to the Gruesomes where we imagined how the same kid would interpret the Stones and the Kinks. We have always loved early sixties R&B only now we get to play it exclusively. Also, we don't have to resist writing goofy contrived words anymore – in fact our wordplay and gag lyrics are so important we even included a lyric sheet with our CD. The Gruesomes never did that!

RR: Raye (from Ricochet Sound) tells me that Tyrants of Teen Trash is getting re-issued on Vinyl, do you prefer to listen to music on vinyl or digitally (CD/ipod) and why?

Gerry: Well, I grew up listening to vinyl and will always enjoy that but now I listen to my ipod for the convenience. Don’t really like mp3, much prefer CD quality, with a good pair of speakers or earphones. I got my computer hooked through the stereo.

RR: Are there any further planned Gruesomes releases in the future?

Gerry: Not really.

John: Not really but who knows.

RR: When was the last time that The Gruesomes played together and do you plan on playing anymore live shows in the future?

Gerry & John: The last time we played was in Montreal for a Garage festival with the likes of ? and the Mysterians, The Cynics and more in 2009. We don’t have anything planned for now, we’re all busy with our new bands,

Gerry: Bob and John have been playing with The Feztones for a while now. It just gets a little more complicated each time to get the old band together for a show once every two years, it’s how it goes. You never know.

More info on The Gruesomes, The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey and Fuad & The Feztones can be found at:

The Gruesomes Myspace Page
Ricochet Sound Facebook Page
The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey Myspace Page
Fuad & The Feztones Myspace Page

Gruesomes Play List:

1. No No No (Cave-In! 2000)
2. I Can Tell (Gruesomania 1987)
3. You Gotta Believe Me (Cave-In! 2000)
4. You're Not The Boss of Me (Cave-In! 2000)
5. Thanks For Nothing (Hey! 1988)
6. Won't You Listen? (Hey! 1988)
7. I Try (1985 Garbage Pail Kids Demo)
8. For All I Care (1985 Garbage Pail Kids Demo)
9. Bikers From Hell (Live In Hell 2007)
10. Jack The Ripper (Part II) (Jack The Ripper EP 1985)
11. No More Lies (Jack The Ripper EP 1985)
12. What's Your Problem? (Tyrants of Teen Trash 1986)
13. Things She Does To Me (Jack The Ripper EP 1985)
14. Fuad & The Feztones - Valley of the Kings (Valley Of The Kings 2002)
15. Gerry Alvarez Odyssey - No Man's Island (Omega Tea Time 2010)
16. What Wave (Mr. Garager’s Neighbourhood Compilation 1989)
17. El Diablo (Hey! 1988)
18. Undecided (Live In Hell 2007)
19. Leave My Kitten Alone (Gruesomania 1987)
20. Unchain My Heart (Unchained EP 1985)
21. Fuad & The Feztones - Welcome To My Castle (Nardwuar The Human Serviette and The Evaporators Present Busy Doing Nothing! 2012)
22. Gerry Alvarez Odyssey - Candy Prankster (Candy Prankster 2006)
23. Cave-In! (Cave-In! 2000)
24. Hip-no-tyzed (Cave-In! 2000)
25. Way Down Below (Gruesomania 1987)
26. I'm Down(Live In Hell 2007)
27. Hey! Live In Hell 2007)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 14. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Shadows, The Tornados & Show # 393

John Lennon once said in an interview that “before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music”, he was of course referring to the UK Rock and Roll and instrumental group known as Cliff Richard and The Shadows. Their sound isn't always specifially described as Surf Rock, but more of an instrumental Rock group with a distinctive sound, that in some cases leans towards Surf sounding material.  In the late 50s and early 60s Cliff Richard and The Shadows were very popular in the British music scene, The Shadows are often referred to as one of the most important bands in Rock and Roll history, not to mention a very influential one. The band got their start in the late 50s known as The Drifters, they quickly became the backing band for Cliff Richard and after making some recordings with his backing band were labeled as Cliff Richard and The Drifters. Their first single was the song “Move It” written by guitarist Ian Samwell which was initially intended to be the B-side to the song “Schoolboy Crush”, the song went to number two in the UK singles charts, the single is considered to be one of the first original Rock and Roll songs to be produced outside of the US. At this point the band consisted of Cliff Richard (real name Harry Webb) on guitar/vocals, Terry Smart on drums, and Ian Samwell on guitar. For the recording of “Schoolboy Crush/Move It” this line up also featured two session musicians, although it should be mentioned that the band went through many line up changes in their early days.

Regardless the band became very popular and it wasn’t until the band added guitarists Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, who were previously in a Skiffle group known as The Chesternuts that not only the bands name would change, but so would their sound. With the addition of these two virtuoso guitarists, Cliff Richard and The Drifters quickly became Cliff Richard and The Shadows (also as a result of a conflict with a US R&B Soul group with the name The Drifters). The band shortly after this line up change altered yet again with Jet Harris moving in on bass and Tony Meehan on drums. For the next four years Cliff Richard and The Shadows dominated the British Rock and Roll scene for the next four years that coincided with a series of number one albums and singles, it should also be noted that The Shadows released recordings on their own without Cliff Richard in the title and became a highly regarded band in their own right as well. Cliff Richard and The Shadows are perhaps best known for their 1960 single “Apache”, which was a song written by Jerry Lordan, but was recorded and released by The Shadows in 1960. The song is notable for Hank Marvin’s unique sound and use of the tremolo arm on his Fender Stratocaster, which would later be emulated by Surf bands for decades.

Another influential UK instrumental Surf based group is The Tornados, not to be confused with the other Surf group The Tornadoes who are from the US. The band is best known for the number one US/UK charting single “Telstar” which was produced by UK producer Joe Meek. The band was once considered the rival band to The Shadows, when they released their 1963 single “Globetrotter”. "Globetrotter" went to number five on the UK singles charts, but following bassist Heinz Burt's departure in 1963, the groups status began to decline. By the year 1965, The Tornados no longer had any original members in the group and were often billed as Tornados 65 or The New Tornados when playing live.

The Tornados were put together by Joe Meek, a visionary UK independent music producer who invented recording techniques that are still used to this day. The original line up of the group was made up of Alan Caddy, George Bellamy on guitars, Heinz Burt on bass, Roger LaVern on organ and Clem Cattini on drums. Their first single, “Love and Fury” did not chart when released in 1962. It wasn’t until producer Joe Meek came up with the idea for “Telstar” that the group began to receive attention. “Telstar” was named after the AT&T communications satellite of the same name, and featured several “space age” sounding effects and production techniques employing elements of echo and its use of the clavioline. The result of this high charting single sold roughly five million worldwide and it should have made Joe Meek a millionaire and the band very successful financially, but due to a French copyright infringement, the royalties were tied up for the next six years. The band were also prevented from touring internationally in the US in support of “Telstar” because of a contract they signed backing up UK musician Billy Fury from 1962 to 1963, they also recorded with him during this time as well.

Regardless of the outcomes, both bands Cliff Richard and The Shadows and The Tornados were crucial to the history of Rock and Surf music being not only successful in their own right, but also influential and still regarded as important bands in Rock music history.

Revolution Surf Play List:

1. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet – Customized
2. The Shadows – 36-24-36
3. Progressives – Hot Cinders
4. Space Plan - Tread Lightly
5. Los Straitjackets – Tarantula
6. The Dakotas – The Cruel Sea
7. The Boardwalkers – Bikini Drag
8. The Trashmen – Bad News
9. The Panasonics - Panther
10. The Ventures – Telstar
11. The Tornados – Life on Venus
12. The Incredible Mr. Smith – Heroes
13. The Marketts – Twilight City
14. James Eddie Campell – Comet Toast
15. Chiyo & The Crescents – Devil Surf
16. The Houstons – Solar Light
17. The Reverb Syndicate – Guadalupe’s Lab
18. Davie Allan & The Arrows – Outer Surf
19. Rockets – Apache
20. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Popcorn
21. The Shadows – Midnight
22. The Sadies – The Double Wide
23. The Challengers – Volcanic Action
24. The Gruesomes - Axe-Handle Cove
25. The Gruesomes - Whirlpool
26. The Robots - Ride The Surf
27. Link Wray – Drag Race
28. The Burnin' Sands - Typhoon
29. The Tornados – Hot Pot


To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 28. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy & Show # 392

Following the large commercial and critical success of Neil Young’s 1972 release Harvest, which charted at number one across the country, not only in Canada, but the US, the UK and other places, Neil Young’s music went into a transitional period. While the success of Harvest and the song “Heart of Gold” in particular did very well and brought Young success, there were a few other factors that would add to his personal situation, changing his outlook on music and the world.

While preparing for a tour in support of Harvest, Crazy Horse guitarist (of Neil Young’s backing band) Danny Whitten was fired from the band due to his inability to function properly in band rehearsals due to his drug use, shortly after he was found dead of a drug overdose. The vicious combination of success and loss changed something in Neil and it subsequently resulted in a series of three albums that at the time were not commercially or critically successful, often referred to as “The Ditch Trilogy”. The situation at the time can be best described by Neil Young himself as written in the linear notes to his 1977 compilation album Decade when discussing the song “Heart of Gold”:

“This song put me in the middle of the road. Travelling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there."

It was also from this quote in which Neil’s next three albums (Time Fades Away, On The Beach, and Tonight’s The Night) were given the title of The Ditch Trilogy. In addition to this a few months after the death of Danny Whitten friend and roadie Bruce Berry passed away in a similar fashion. Young’s next release was the live album Time Fades Away that was released in 1973. This album was not like other live albums in many ways for one, it was a live album composed of previously unreleased material, which was unheard of at the time. Time Fades Away was recorded directly from the soundboard onto a 16 track Quad 8 CompuMix, which was the first digital mixing soundboard. This was done at the request of Young, producer David Briggs was strongly against this method. As a result of this unorthodox recording approach (a proper master tape was never made) the album features a muddy sounding mix. Time Fades Away was released on Vinyl, Cassette and 8 Track tape in October of 1973. Neil Young has been very outspoken as his dissatisfaction with this album. He has stated that it is his “worst release”, as a result Time Fades Away has never been released on CD. In 1995 a CD release was planned and test pressings were even made, but it was shelved and not released. Recently, it has been stated that it will be released on Neil Young’s second volume of his Archives Box Set along with Time Fades Away II. Young has been quoted from Guitar World in 2009 as saying about Time Fades Away II “It's a completely different thing, with completely different songs”

Time Fades Away was a sign of things to come musically for Neil Young, while Time Fades Away ventured into different music territory, his following two releases would continue the trend of being recorded live, but in the studio. Neil Young recorded the album Tonight’s The Night next in 1973. The album was inspired by the deaths of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and Young friend/roadie Bruce Berry. For the album Neil Young put together a new backing group known as The Santa Monica Flyers, which was a band featuring the rhythm section of Crazy Horse and Nils Lofgren on guitar. The albums title track “Tonight’s The Night” mentions Bruce Berry by name and the track “Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown” features vocals and guitar from Danny Whitten (the song was a live recording from 1970). The album is known for featuring darker subject matter and for its raw, often crude production style. The album was recorded live with no overdubs and was meant to capture the band in the moment, with or without mistakes. Neil had this to say of the production values in Shakey: A Neil Young Biography:

"I’ve made records where you analyze everything you do 3,000 times and it’s perfect. I’m sick of it. I want to make a record that’s totally stark naked. Raw. I don’t wanna fix any of it. I don’t care if it’s totally out of tune, man, let’s play. Fuck it…. I like the idea of capturing something. Record something that happened. I’m a musician. I don’t wanna sit there and build a record. I built a couple of records. Big deal. Tonight’s the Night doesn’t care. And that makes you feel good about it. There’s no pretense."

Despite being recorded in 1973, Tonight’s The Night’s released was delayed Young’s record label, it would be two years (1975) before it finally saw its release. In the meantime during the delay of this release Neil Young recorded what would be his 1974 release On The Beach.

As opposed to the two previous recordings made in the trilogy, On The Beach was a more upbeat and melodic album. The album was recorded in a similar method as Tonight’s The Night and lyrically addressed more universal themes such as the collapse of the 60s Folk values and counter culture as well as addressing the underbelly of seedy California lifestyles. While The Ditch Trilogy is known for addressing darker and at time haunting themes lyrically and musically, the song “Walk On” which opens the On The Beach album is perhaps one of the most positive, yet cynical outlooks on life. The song can be seen as a sense of closure for this period stressing the need to move on and keep living. On The Beach was released in July of 1974, and despite being the third album recorded in The Ditch Trilogy, it was released second with Tonight’s The Night following in 1975.

The initial releases of the three aforementioned albums in The Ditch Trilogy are known for their haunting brilliance. At the time of their release they were for the most part negatively received commercially and critically, but are now seen as very important recordings in the career of Neil Young. In addition to this, these albums are seen as the key to understanding Neil Young’s body of work as an artist and can be seen as an ultimate artistic expression. The Ditch Trilogy shows an artist amidst overwhelming success and loss, expanding creatively, musically and lyrically, finding a voice.

Ditch Trilogy Play List:

1. Tonight’s The Night (Tonight's The Night 1975)
2. Time Fades Away (Time Fades Away 1973)
3. Walk On (On The Beach 1974)
4. World On A String (Tonight's The Night 1975)
5. The Bridge (Time Fades Away 1973)
6. For The Turnstiles (On The Beach 1974)
7. Yonder Stands The Sinner (Time Fades Away 1973)
8. Last Trip To Tulsa (Live) (Time Fades Away B-Side 1973)
9. Don’t Be Denied (Time Fades Away 1973)
10. Last Dance (Time Fades Away 1973)
11. Lookout Joe (Tonight's The Night 1975)
12. Mellow My Mind (Tonight's The Night 1975)
13. Revolution Blues (On The Beach 1974)
14. Vampire Blues (On The Beach 1974)
15. Ambulance Blues (On the Beach 1974)
16. Come On Baby Let’s Go Downtown (Tonight's The Night 1975)
17. Tonight’s The Night Part II (Tonight's The Night 1975)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 21. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Otis Redding ... The Soul Album & Show # 390

Otis Redding released The Soul Album in 1966. This eleven track album followed his 1965 release Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, which was considered one of his best. Being the prolific song writer that he was The Soul Album was recorded in the months of November of 1965 to August 1966. It was released on Volt/Stax Records in April of 1966.

The Soul Album featured a variety of different styles being juxtaposed within Redding’s song writing capabilities bringing together a collection of cover songs and originals, that he makes completely his own. The backing band on this album featured members of Booker T. & The MGs, who were the house band and featured on a large majority of Otis Redding recordings, a Memphis horn section and Isaac Hayes, who also produced the record. With a solid backing band and atmosphere, Otis Redding proves why he is considered a Soul legend, often referred to as “The King of Soul” with his passionate vocal performances and clever song arrangements. While the only single released from this album was “Just One More Day”, the album is notable for its re-workings of the Sam Cooke song “Chain Gang”, “It’s Growing” an upbeat version of a song originally by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “Everybody Makes A Mistake” by Eddie Floyd, Roy Head’s “Treat Her Right”, and Wilson Pickett’s “634-5789”. A lost gem found on this collection is the song co-authored by Eddie Thomas and Jerry Butler “Cigarettes And Coffee”. The originals on this album while there may be few (“Just One More Day”, “Good To Me”, “Any Ole Way”) combined with the other material found here create a Southern Soulful mixture of originality and a sign of an artist coming into his own, which he would do more of on his next release Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul. That release would also be his last full length release before his untimely death on December 10th, 1967.

While The Soul Album is not often referred to as the best album in Otis’ catalogue, it is an eleven track collection of unstoppable Soul that surges with Otis’ talents as a songwriter and performer providing the listener with a sample of lesser known Otis Redding songs. It transitions between an interesting point in his career, juxtaposing Soul ballads with straight up Soul stompers and musical styles, proving to any listener of his status as “The King of Soul”.

This week's play list:

1. The Miracles – Baby Don’t You Go
2. The Vonns – So Many Days
3. James Crawford – I Don’t Care, I Don’t Care, I Don’t Care
4. Willie C. Echols – Shimmy Shelly Shake
5. The JB's – Wine Spot
6. Muddy Waters – I Be’s Troubled
7. Sonny Boy Williamson – Fattening Frogs For Snakes
8. Etta James – I’d Rather Go Blind
9. The Autographs – Do The Duck
10. Ketty Lester – West Coast
11. Danny White – The Twitch
12. Albert Collins – I Don’t Know
13. McKinley Mitchell – You’re Not Gonna Break My Heart
14. The Equators – Baby Come Back
15. Tapper Zukie – MPLA
16. Lee Scratch Perry & The Upsetters – Curly Dub
17. Grant Green – The Final Comedown
18. Miles Davis – So What
19. Otis Redding – It’s Growing
20. Otis Redding - Cigarettes And Coffee
21. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – Little Demon
22. Little Richard – Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
23. The Action 13 - More Bread To The People
24. Chuck Berry – Beautiful Delilah

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 7. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Coming Up On Revolution Rock In February 2012!

Last February Revolution Rock hosted a series of special programming, and this year will be no different. Starting on February 7th Revolution Rock will celebrate Black History Month by playing a mix of Soul, R&B, Jazz, Funk and Blues. The remaining weeks will also feature a different type of program each week until February 28th, where I will coincide the month’s worth of programming with my annual Surf Rock show.

 Revolution Rock Celebrates Black History Month

February 7th, 2012

10:30 AM – Noon

CJAM 99.1 FM (cjam.ca)

To celebrate Black History Month, Revolution Rock will feature a variety of obscure Soul and R&B cuts as well as some Jazz, Funk, Reggae and Blues tracks.  This year's program focuses on Otis Redding's 1966 album The Soul Album. 

Hey! The Gruesomes Radio Feature

February 14th, 2012

10:30 AM – Noon

CJAM 99.1 FM (cjam.ca)

This Valentines Day Revolution Rock will have an entire show focusing on the 80s Montreal Canadian Garage Rock group The Gruesomes. Expect to hear music from the bands catalogue, solo projects, live recordings and more!  This show also features a corresponding post with an exclusive interview from Gerry Alvarez and John Davis of The Gruesomes!

Neil Young’s Ditch Trilogy Radio Feature

February 21st, 2012

10:30 AM – Noon

CJAM 99.1 FM (cjam.ca)

On February 21st, Revolution Rock will host a program focusing on Neil Young’s Ditch Trilogy. Often seen by fans of Neil’s being albums of haunting brilliance, expect to hear music from the albums Time Fades Away (1973), On The Beach (1974) and Tonight’s The Night (1975), which constitute the Ditch Trilogy.

6th Annual Revolution Surf

February 28th, 2012

10:30 AM – Noon

CJAM 99.1 FM (cjam.ca)

This February 28th will mark my 6th annual Surf program on CJAM 99.1 FM. Shows in the past have focused on new and old Surf bands and focus on one particular artist within the Surf genre, this year will be no different. This year's program will feature several recordings from a variety of influential UK instrumental Surf groups. The program will also feature a special segment with Derk Brigante formerly of CJAM’s Surfphony of Derstruction.