Tanz Der Youth & Show # 362

Following his departure from The Damned in 1978, Brian James (former Damned guitarist) formed a new group featuring members of Hawkwind and Warsaw Pakt. This band was called Tanz Der Youth. The group consisted of Brian James on guitar/vocals, Andy Colqhoun on bass, Allen Powell on drums and Tony Moor on Keyboards. Brian once described the band as "Transmagical; the sound of the eighties." The bands sound was not like the Damend per-se, but their sound built upon the foundations that James set for the group in their early days, also with the addition of keyboards, the songs seem to have more space and a New Wave Stranglers-like feel.

In September of 1978, Tanz Der Youth released their one and only single as a group, I’m Sorry I’m Sorry” backed with “Delay” on Radar. The band was very short lived, but they did play some live dates with Hard Rock group Black Sabbath, after seven live dates on a supporting slot for Sabbath on a major tour the band backed out partially due to the negative reaction from fans. In terms of recording the band never made any other official recordings before disbanding, with the exception of a John Peel BBC Session, which featured the band playing four tracks. The tracks included were the two from their 1978 single, “I’m Sorry I’m Sorry” , “Delay” and two additional previously unreleased tracks “Why I Die”, and “Mistaken” which can be currently found floating around the internet. Following the split James went on to form two other short lived groups, Brian James & The Brains featuring a variety of Punk personal including John Towe, Alan Lee Shaw, Alvin Gibbs and Stewart Copeland of The Police (who appeared on some recorded tracks). He would later play in the band Lords of New Church with Stiv Bators, one of his longest running post-Damned bands.  Currently Brian James plays in his new group The Brian James Gang. 

This Week's Play List:

1. Hot Nasties - Invasion of the Tribbles!
2. 63 Monroe - The Battle
3. Buzzcocks - Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore
4. City Sweethearts - War In My Head (Radio 3 Session)
5. Baby Shambles - French Dog Blues
6. Jerry Jerry & The Sons of Rhythm Orchestra - Radical Look
7. The Brains - We Gotta Go
8. Johnny Cash - The Man In Black (Live On The Johnny Cash Show 1971)
9. The Disappeared - Some Truths (Are Self Evident)
10. Speaking Tongues - Going Back To Memphis (Third Floor Session)
11. Dex Romweber Duo - Nowhere
12. Eddie Vedder - Once In A While
13. Portugal The Man - Floating
14. The Horrors - Monica Gems
15. Le Butcherettes - Tonight
16. Tanz Der Youth - I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry
17. Tanz Der Youth - Delay
18. UIC - 2+2=?
19. 999 - I'm Alive
20. Ramones - Havana Affair
21. Luger Boa - Lazy
22. Luger Boa - The Same Things
23. The Hook Up - Radar
24. Lou Reed - Crazy Feeling (Alternate Version)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for July 26. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Friday At The Hideout

This Friday I filled in for CJAM's Willy Wilson on the program Friday's At The Hideout. In the hideout this week at CJAM we took shelter in a collection of Garage Rock, Surf and Punk Rock. Willy Wilson also hosts the program The Motorcity is Burning every Tuesday at 7 PM, Friday's At The Hideout can be heard every Friday from 8-10 PM.  The program can be downloaded below.

Friday's At The Hideout Play List:

1. The Stooges - Real Cool Time (Alternate Version)
2. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - I Wanna Be Your Dog (Live Max's Kansas City 1978)
3. Thee Oh Sees - I Need Seed
4. The Sonics - Psycho
5. The Black Lips - Mad Dog
6. Ty Segall - My Head Explodes
7. Hooded Fang - Vacationation
8. Link Wray - Dueces Wild
9. The Surfdusters - Save The Waves
10. Les Jaguars - Shake
11. The Tornadoes - Moon Dawg
12. Jan Davis - Watusi Zombie
13. The Black Lips - Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah
14. Solomon Burke - Detroit City
15. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Ramshackle Day Parade
16. Undertones - Here Comes The Summer
17. Wire - Sand In My Joints
18. The Diodes - Behind Those Eyes
19. The Red Squares - Ottawa Today
20. Pointed Sticks - Lies
21. The Gruesomes - Cave-in!
22. The Invasions - She'll Let you Know
23. The Shakers - Baby It's True
24. Deja Voodoo - Cheese and Crackers
25. The Cramps - TV Set
26. Nirvana - Very Ape
27. Alex Chilton - Lost My Job
28. Magic Hall of Mirrors - Your Mountaintop
29. Compulsive Gamblers - Don't Haunt Me
30. The Black Angels - 18 Years
31. Fire Engines - Get Up and Use Me
32. Public Image Limited - Analisa
33. New Clientelle - Shades
34. The Fall - Fiery Jack

Download the show here.

Johnny Thunders So Alone & Show # 361

Following the split of his Punk Rock group Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers after the recording of their L.A.M.F. album, Johnny Thunders (real name Anthony Genzale Jr.) recorded his first solo effort with Steve Lillywhite producing. For this effort Johnny showed off his own style of heroin soaked Blues and Rock music. It blended elements of 60s Rock, Doo Wop, Soul and Punk, in Johnny’s unique sloppy fashion he pulls off not only one of the best releases in his musical legacy, but also one of his most focused. The album featured reworkings of songs originally by The New York Dolls, such as “Leave Me Alone” (originally recorded as “Chatterbox” with the Dolls), and “Subway Train”. Along with these songs the album featured a cover of The Chantays Surf classic “Pipeline”, and R&B rave ups of “Daddy Rollin’ Stone” (Otis Blackwell), “Great Big Kiss” (The Shangri-Las). There is also a version of “London Boys”, which comes off sounding like a Heartbreakers outtake (which it was), the song was written in response to “New York” by the Sex Pistols, which poked fun at The New York Dolls. Ironically and perhaps purposely the song features both Paul Cook (drums) and Steve Jones (guitar) of the Sex Pistols in instrumental form. The album also featured an all-star cast of guest musicians such as Steve Jones and Paul Cook of Sex Pistols (as previously mentioned), Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, Steve Marriot of The Faces, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, Peter Perrett of The Only Ones, as well as some of the members of The Heartbreakers (Walter Lure & Billy Rath) and of course Johnny Thunders himself who weaves in and out amongst the songs.

One of the standout tracks is the ballad “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory”, which is a song that is seemingly about Johnny’s battles with drug addiction. But the song has its origins in Johnny’s past, it was apparently written when he was 19 years old and before he was a member of The New York Dolls. The title also was taken from a line in the classic TV show The Honeymooners and written for a close friend of his Fabienne Shine. Regardless of these facts, the song which features backing guitar/vocals by Only Ones member Peter Perrett is a lost classic. So Alone was originally released with ten tracks in 1978, but when it was reissued on CD the album was appended to include four additional tracks, “Dead Or Alive" which was a 1978 single very much in the vein of a “London Boys” styled track was recorded with a backing band referred to as The Living Dead that featured members of The Sex Pistols, The Only Ones, and Eddie & The Hotrods (all of who are featured on different tracks found on So Alone). There is also the non album track “Hurtin’” and two previously unreleased album tracks the haunting “So Alone”, and the harmonica and almost Rockabilly fuelled “The Wizard”.

So Alone blends elements of Thunders musical projects up to that point, there are elements of The New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers and a sense of his R&B roots. The album is a mix of originals and covers, some of which at that point were just features of live sets that he played with The Heartbreakers. While it may not be as fast paced as The Heartbreakers L.A.M.F., So Alone displays Johnny Thunders at his musical best. Unfortunately Johnny’s later recordings were not as consistent, but So Alone stills stands as pure Rock and Roll moment in Johnny Thunders history.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Rezillos - Flying Saucer Attack
2. The Computers -Blood Is Thicker
3. The Ex-Boyfriends - Never Been Happier
4. Golden Hands Before God - Communist Party
5. Ride Theory - Motel Woman
6. The Staccatos - You Only Live Once
7. Standells - Sometimes Goodguys Don't Wear White (Album Version)
8. Thee Oh Sees - A Wall, A Century 2
9. Ty Segall - California Commercial
10. Surf City - Retro
11. Peter Kernel - Anthem of Hearts
12. Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
13. Sons & Daughters - Breaking Fun
14. Square Root of Margaret - Run For The Door
15. Blam Blam Blam - Battleship Grey
16. The Demics - The News
17. Blue Peter - Cloak & Dagger
18. Secrets - Take Another Look
19. Radio Birdman - Breaks My Heart
20. Johnny Thunders - You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory
21. Johnny Thunders - Dead or Alive
22. The Pixies - River Euphrates
23. Klark Kent - Thrills
24. The Black Lips - Noc-A-Homa
25. King Khan & BBQ Show - Truth or Dare
26. The D4 - Joe Orton's Wedding

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for July 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Interesting and Controversial Moments on SNL & Show # 360

This week I thought I would visit three interesting and exciting moments in the musical history of the television program Saturday Night Live. While a whole radio show could be made out of the excellent musical performances that this show has produced over the years its beginnings, and numerous TV specials have been made surrouding such performances, i'm not sure if a radio program has focused on these performances.  Today I will focus on three moments, two of which created controversy with the show and the shows producer Lorne Michaels.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Less Than Zero/Radio Radio (1977)

In December of 1977, Elvis Costello & The Attractions appeared on Saturday Night Live as a last minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, who were unable to get passports. This is perhaps the most infamous appearance that a band had on the show. There have been a few reasons thrown around as to why the band were not supposed to play the song “Radio Radio”. It has been said that his US record label wanted Costello to play an already known song “Less Than Zero” for an audience for better promotional purposes of the American release of My Aim is True and This Years Model. Another reason given was that SNL producer Lorne Michaels did not want the song to be broadcast because of its lyrics which negatively portrayed the commercialized state of radio and media, and also that it would put the show off schedule. Regardless of what happened, in true Punk Rock fashion Costello stopped the band from playing “Less Than Zero” after a few bars and then launched into a furious rendition of the then unreleased “Radio, Radio”. Costello was banned from the show for 25 years, until 1989. Also in 1999 as part of SNL’s 25th anniversary The Beastie Boys began playing “Sabotage” only to be stopped by Elvis Costello, they then ran through an energy high version of “Radio Radio”.

The Replacements – Bastards of Young (1986)

In January of 1986, The Minneapolis Punk band The Replacements appeared on Saturday Night Live to promote their new album Tim, released on Sire Records. They got banned after their performance, but it was due to a few factors. For one, they showed up wasted for their performance, the second thing that occurred was apparently during the performance of this song and the second song (“Kiss Me On The Bus”) the band were uttering profanities. While they may have been off mic and not heard very clearly, this was most definitely due to their inebriations. The most obvious slip was apparently before the solo of “Bastards of Young” where singer Paul Westerberg said the F-word to the audience. As a result, the band were banned from Saturday Night Live. In re-runs of the episode this part was edited out. Paul Westerberg appeared on the program later on to promote his solo career, redeeming himself.

The Specials – Gangsters (1980)

The Ska revival act The Specials appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1980. This performance was not controversial per-se, but rather a highly energetic and fascinating live moment that occurred in the TV show’s history. This version of the bands then single “Gangsters” featured a band jumping around with excitement and guitar solos that grip you and suck you in. The band is clearly on playing excellently, they would also perform the song “Too Much Too Young” in a similar fashion. After watching this performance you can see and feel the energy of not only Punk attitude, but Rock and Roll.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Dundrells - Big Chunk of Fudge
2. The Cassettes - Reverberate
3. The Dials - Get Up and Dance
4. Planet Smashers - Hippopotamus
5. The Specials - Gangsters (Live SNL)
6. Bob Marley - Punky Reggae Party
7. King Tubby - Dub Seven
8. Arctic Monkeys - The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
9. Hooded Fang - ESP
10. Pink Mountaintops - Single Life
11. Invasions - Rat Bastard
12. The Davey Parker Radio Sound - I Gotta Know
13. Chang A-Lang - Listen Up Buttercup
14. Young Circles - 2012
15. Audrey and The Agents - Don't Think Twice
16. Sloan - I've Gotta Know
17. Luger Boa - New Hot Nights
18. Dirty Pretty Things - Run Fatboy Run
19. Harlem - Gay Human Bones
20. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Radio Radio (Live SNL)
21. The Replacements - Bastards of Young (Live SNL)
22. Motorhead - Too Late, Too Late
23. Nick Lowe - American Squirm
24. Magazine - My Mind Ain't So Open

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for July 12. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Suffice To Say...The Story of Yachts & Show # 359

Forming in 1977, Yachts were a band from Liverpool. Consisting of Henry Priestman (vocals/keyboards), J.J. Campbell (vocals), Martin Watson (guitar/vocals), Martin Dempsey (bass/vocals) and Bob Bellis on drums, Yachts played a unique blend of Power Pop fuelled New Wave that fit in well amongst the music of Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello. After playing their first show as Yachts supporting Elvis Costello in Liverpool at a place called Eric’s Nightclub, Yachts got a recording contract with Stiff Records. The bands first single was the extremely catchy and witty “Suffice To Say”. Another single followed, but it was a novelty single titled “Do The Chud” the band was called Chuddy Nuddies. When Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe made the move to Radar Records, Yachts followed. Another single followed in September 1978, their first for Radar “Look Back In Love (Not Anger)” backed with “I Can’t Stay Long”.

Heading to New York, Yachts recorded their first full length album with producer Richard Gotteher. The songs featuring infectious organ provided by Henry Priestman complemented with Power Pop aesthetics. The album featured twelve tracks building on not only their New Wave/Power Pop style, but also on their at times humorous lyrics. “Mantovani’s Hits” which asks questions such as what if Rock music never happened and nothing had progressed since the 1950s Mantovani Light Orchestra and “Yachting Type” a cult classic which is about someone’s girlfriend running off with a Yachtsmen are good examples of thier lyrical style. Released in June of 1979 the album also initially came with a bonus 7 inch single featuring a live version of the bands first single “Suffice To Say” and the song “On and On”. When released in the US, the album was titled S.O.S, where it cracked into the Billboard top 200 album charts at number 179. A tour followed in parts of US and Europe, Yachts toured with the likes of Joe Jackson and The Who. The band also toured with XTC, Elvis Costello, Boomtown Rats, and Ian Dury.

The bands second album Yachts Without Radar, was recorded with UK producer Martin Rushent. It was released in 1980, the titled reflected their parting with the Radar label. The album was not as well received as the bands first full length album and musically it emphasized more of a 80s based sound. Yachts released one more single in 1981 “A Fool Like You” on Demon D Records before disbanding. Henry Priestman went on to play in other groups most notably It’s Immaterial. The Yachts are an example of one of the many bands from the Punk/New Wave era that are not always mentioned due to the overpopulation of bands, and they are another example of a great lost band from the New Wave era.

Thsi Week's Play List:

1. The Scavengers - Supported By The State
2. Tall Ships - Plate Tectonics
3. The Dole - New Wave Love
4. Martha and The Muffins - Hide and Seek
5. Thee Oh Sees - Block of Ice
6. The Griefs - They're Trying To Tell Me Something
7. The Sonics - He's Waitin'
8. The Harmonauts - Kick The Bucket
9. The Nefidovs - Animal Love
10. Ziggy Marley - Forward To Love
11. Son of The Sun - My Best Mistake
12. The Shondels - Don't Put Me Down
13. Simply Saucer - She's A Dog
14. Young Rival - Dead End Scene
15. The Who - Tattoo
16. The Soft Boys - Rock N Roll Toilet
17. Perky Pat - The Bells
18. The Government - Zippers of Fire
19. Yachts - Suffice To Say
20. Yachts - I Couldn't Get Along Without You
21. Riff Raff - Romford Girls
22. Thee Mighty Caesars - Loathsome 'n' Wild
23. Chad Vangaalen - Freedom For A Policeman
24. Undertones - Jimmy Jimmy
25. Wire - Ex Lion Tamer
26. The Adverts - Bored Teenagers

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for July 5. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Nirvana Nevermind 20th Anniversary Release... Show # 358

Originally released by Nirvana in September of 1991, Nevermind was the bands breakthrough album. It crashed into the Billboard charts shaking up the music industry and eventually went on to sell over a million copies, the sales figures are said to be around the 30 million mark currently. Now twenty years later Nevermind is getting the deluxe reissue treatment. Previously Nirvana's first full length album Bleach was released in 20th anniversary form in 2009 it came with a bonus disc featuring a live concert, but this release falls into a different category of deluxe reissues, it is super deluxe. It will be released on September 20th, 2011.

The reissue is more like a box set, featuring four CD's and one DVD of a Nirvana concert never before released in complete form officially. Rumours and speculation have already been made on internet sites as to what will be contained on this release some claiming that it may contain the original rough mixes of the album done by producer Butch Vig, but an official release confirmed that it will include B-sides, rarities, BBC radio sessions and live recordings. Dave Ghrol in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine had this to say of the release, even hinting at future Nirvana releases:

"I wouldn’t doubt it if something very special happens – we have a few things up our sleeves. I can’t really say anything yet. But you’ll see. It’ll be fun."

The latest info on Nirvana can be found at http://www.nirvana.com/

This Week's Play List:

1. The Stooges - T.V. Eye
2. Magic Hall of Mirrors - Coke Mountain
3. The Doughboys - Until The Clock Strikes Doom (Live)
4. Cat's Eyes - Over You
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - We Almost Lost Detroit
6. Neil Young International Harvesters - Get Back To The Country
7. Lonesome Lefty - Let's Go For Breakfast Anyway
8. Gunfight!- Sticks
9. Goldtones - Strike
10. Mark Malibu And The Wasagas - Wasaga Run
11. Link Wray - Deacon Jones
12. The Hook Up - Come Down With Us
13. Nervus Rex - Love Affair
14. The Donkeys - What I Want
15. Pointed Sticks - How Could You?
16. Active Dog - Fun While It Lasts
17. The Bureaucrats - Grown Up Age
18. The Subways - It's A Party
19. Nirvana - Drain You
20. Buzzcocks - Fiction Romance
21. Fire Engines - Everything's Roses
22. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - Milk Me (Live Max's Kansas City 1979)
23. The Gruesomes - What's Your Problem?
24. The Clash - Ivan Meets G.I. Joe (Live Amsterdam 1981)
25. The Clash - I Fought The Law (Live Amsterdam 1981)

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

Join The Professionals ... Show # 357

The Professionals formed in late 1979 after the demise of The Sex Pistols. After Johnny Rotten had left the Pistols, a make shift band was put together for a few recordings featuring session bassist Andy Allen and Steve Jones on vocals for the songs “Silly Thing” and “Lonely Boy”. Later on that year the Pistols officially split and this line up was converted into a new group that would call themselves The Professionals. In July of 1980, The Professionals released their first single “Just Another Dream” backed with “Action Man”. The music while people could make Sex Pistols references was different, reflecting a more Hard Rock based nature. The single “1-2-3” followed in October of 1980, it went to number 43 on the UK singles charts. The band then recorded a full length album that was to be self titled and released in 1980, but there were some issues that stopped its release and as a result, it had to be re-recorded and released under a different name.

So what happened? Well it was a combination of a few things, first of all bassist Andy Allen left the group following the release of their second single “1-2-3”, he was replaced by bassist Paul Myers of The Subway Sect and a second guitarist (Ray McVeigh) was added to the line up. Andy Allen sued their label Virgin Records, claiming that he had not been paid for the recordings he made. In attempt to avoid further complications with the matter, the new line up of The Professionals re-recorded previous material that the band had done so that he would no longer be owed royalties. The result of these recordings would be released under the name I Didn’t See It Coming, the bands' first officially released full length album. Recorded by Nigel Gray, the album was released in November of 1981. But the album wasn't a re-recording of every Professionals song per se.  It featured several new tracks such as "The Magnificent", "Payola", "Northern Slide", "Friday Night Square", and "Too Far To Fall".  These songs were mixed in with re-recorded versions of the songs "Kick Down The Door", "Little Boys In Blue", "All The Way", "Crescendo", and "Madhouse".  The songs on this album featured more of a production based sound, as opposed to the intended 1980 album The Professionals, which features a rawer, more based live sound. 

The band released a single in June of 1981 called “Join The Professionals” which was featured in the cult movie Ladies and Gentleman The Fabulous Stains. The single chosen from the I Didn’t See It Coming album was the song “The Magnificent”. The band set up a UK and US tour in support of the album, but the tour was cut short when Cook, Jones, and McVeigh were injured in a car accident during the American tour. The band regrouped in 1982 to tour in America. They were also offered a spot on The Clash’s tour, which they declined. Shortly after this they broke up.

The Professionals first full length album, with Andy Allen on bass was finally released in 1990 by Limited Edition Records in modified form, and then again by Virgin Records in 1997 in yet another modified form. Both releases featured slightly different track listings, the 1990 edition featured the song “Rockin’ Mick” and an alternate version of the song “All The Way”, but it did not contain the song “Just Another Dream”, which was their first single. The Virgin Records edition removed the song “Rockin’ Mick” and added two bonus tracks “Join The Professionals” and “Has Anybody Got An Alibi”, which were actually recorded with the second line up of The Professionals. Some say that the first full length album recordings by the Professionals are actually better than I Didn’t See It Coming featuring a rawer, more spirited sound, its hard to disagree. While I Didn’t See It Coming features a boxer getting punched in the face and musically is good in its own right, for some it’s the original Professionals album that knocks you out. A greatest hits was released in 2005, while the album I Didn’t See It Coming was reissued with six bonus tracks in 2001.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Vandelles - Summer Fling
2. Johnny West - I'm Optimistic
3. Joel Plaskett - Extradordinary
4. The Phonenix Foundation - Skeleton
5. Blue Stones - Star Killer
6. Private School - Money Guns and Power
7. Silicon Injection - Payday On Friday
8. Lowlife - Leaders
9. Crash Kills Five - Oddy Knocky
10. The Love Me Nots - Cheap Knockoff
11. The Coathangers - Chicken: 30
12. The Youngthings - All My Friends Are Junkies
13. New York Dolls - Looking For A Kiss
14. White Denim - It's Him
15. Novels - This Wouldn't Be The First Time
16. The Boys - I Don't Care
17. The Vibrators - London Girls
18. Blitzkrieg Bop - 9 till 5
19. Rolling Stones - Before They Make Me Run
20. Black Lips - Spidey's Curse
21. Black Lips - Raw Meat
22. The Police - Dead End Job
23. The Misfits - TV Casualty
24. The Professionals - 1-2-3
25. The Professionals - Join The Professionals

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

Washing Machine Fill In ... June 16 2011

Today I filled in for The Washing Machine, which airs every Thursday from 10:30 until Noon on CJAM 99.1 FM. I played a mix of Indie Rock, Garage, Punk, New Wave, Soul, and Blues music. You can also visit The Washing Machine Blog for more info.

Washing Machine Play List:

1. The Strokes - Gratisfaction
2. Dan Sartain - I Don't Wanna Go To The Party
3. Ugly Ducklings - I Wish You Would
4. The Detroit Cobras - Ya Ya Ya (Looking For My Baby)
5. John Lee Hooker - Jump Me One More Time
6. Johnny West - Purgatory Waltz
7. Papermaps - Reunion
8. Novels - Big Run
9. Novels - Record In Hand
10. Balkans - Edita V
11. Pluto - Cool Way To Feel
12. Eric's Trip - Follow
13. The Wipers - Tragedy
14. Booker T. Jones - The Vamp
15. Otis Redding - Down In The Valley
16. Tammi Terrell - What A Good Man He Is
17. Sloan - Follow The Leader
18. Hater - Blistered
19. Iggy Pop & James Williamson - Johanna
20. Dee Dee Ramone & The Chinese Dragons - Chatterbox
21. The Rapture - Out of The Races and Onto The Track
22. The Government - Real Computer
23. The Subway Sect - Ambition
24. The Kills - Satelllte
25. Black Lips - Mad Dog

You can download the show here.

New Direction ... Black Lips Arabia Mountain & Show # 356

On June 7th, Atlanta’s Black Lips released Arabia Mountain, an album that took over a year in the making and an album that marked the first time that they worked with an outside producer (Mark Ronson). But before you scream sell out, there are a few things that you should know. The band actually worked with two producers, Mark Ronson, who has been responsible for working with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen, and Duran Duran for the majority of the album and Lockett Pundt (of Deer Hunter) for two songs (“Bicentennial Man” and “Go Out And Get It!”). In addition to this, Black Lips have used a lot of different types of instruments to add to the songs structures such as Saxophone, Theremin, Muscle Saws, and a human skull which was used as an echo chamber. Guitarist Cole Alexander described the use of the human skull in terms of recording in an interview with SPIN Magazine in August 2010:

“Yeah. I'd been searching for a human skull and I found one in New York City. We used it as an echo chamber. One of our favorite bands, the 13th Floor Elevators, had a jug player who would makes noises into a jug and it would reverberate. So we used the skull the same way. When music reverberates in your head it has a certain sound based on the geometry of your head. So this resembles the echo you would hear in your head at a live concert. Also, if you believe in spirituality, it's cool with the trippy spiritual implications of the sound going through this particular person's skull. It's also straight up creepy. The eyes and the nose created a problem during recording because the sound escapes there. But I'd just put my hand over the nose and eyes -- problem solved. “

“Family Tree” opens up the album with a raw Sonics/Stooges swoon, infectious beats and aggressive vocals. “Modern Art” is a 60s Garage Rock styled number that lyrically was based on a true experience of tripping out at the Salvador Dali Museum in Spain. The humorous lyrics reflect the fact that they were tripping out on Ketamine at a surreal Art museum, feeling normal as a result. “Spidey’s Curse” is a 60’s Pop song that tells the story of Peter Parker being subjected to the sickness of society during his childhood. Songs such as the extremely catchy Garage Surf mix of “Bicentennial Man”, the Pop of “Go Out and Get It!”, and the 70’s Punk Stylings of “Raw Meat” all contribute to Arabia Mountain’s cause. Lyrically and musically Black Lips are un-relentless, keeping true to their gritty and at times strange lyrics which has never been more evident on songs such as “Raw Meat” a song about food poisoning, “Dumpster Dive” a song with splashes of Exile On Main Street era Rolling Stones, the sleazy fuzzed out “Noc-A-Homa” a song about the former Atlanta Braves Mascot Chief Noc’A’Homa. “Mad Dog” deals with subliminal messages that can be found in songs by Judas Priest and The Beatles, musically it features sleazy horn sections and Surf/Garage Rock riffs, while “Time”, the only song featured on the album written by guitarist Ian St. Pe, is Pop flavoured track with Surf guitar licks, “New Direction” is a positive song with 70s Punk sensibilities, “Don’t Mess Up My Baby” a song that at times seems to have Garaged up Bo Diddley like rhythms and Beach Boys styled vocals in the verses, and finally “You Keep On Running” is a slow Psychedelic track that ends Arabia Mountain on an eerie note.

Arabia Mountain features sixteen tracks, all of which sound fresh and exciting while at the same time staying true to the bands ethics. Working with Ronson helped Black Lips and their songs to reach their maximum potential. Lyrically the album features many songs that reflect a narrative based nature, sounding mature while at the same time keeping true to the unique tenacious style. Amongst the sixteen tracks found here you will find elements of Surf, 60s Garage, 70s Punk, and Psychedellic music. After six albums this album serves as a new starting point for the group, while fans often choose 2005’s Let It Bloom and 2007’s Good Bad Not Evil as the bands best work, Arabia Mountain serves as a new contender. The band has never sounded better on record and as a result, this may be not only one of the bands strongest produced efforts, but also one of their best albums so far.

This Week's Play List:

1. Sex Pistols - Satellite
2. Reatards - C'Mon Over
3. Lost Patrol - Grown Up Hard
4. Fatal K.O. - Inside Scene
5. E.B.S. - Glass Slippers
6. Ugly Motels - Not For Me
7. Disband - One Man Army
8. Thurston Moore - Bennediction
9. The Soles - Illusion
10. Mazes - Summer Hits
11. Crocodiles - Refuse Angels
12. Captain Sensible - Wot
13. Dee Dee King - Funky Man
14. What Seas What Shores - Pave The Oceans
15. Franz Ferdinand - What You Meant
16. Rich Kids - Ghosts of Princes In Towers
17. Wreckless Eric - Out Of The Blue
18. The Jam - Going Underground
19. Joel Plaskett - Radio Fly
20. Johnny West - Spider Ventriloquist
21. King Khan & BBQ Show - Animal Party
22. 49th Parallel - Missouri
23. Black Lips - Bicentennial Man
24. Black Lips - Family Tree

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

Big Audio Dynamite... Medicine Show & Show # 355

Following his departure from The Clash, Mick Jones formed a new group that would cater to a 80s New York Hip Hop sound. A full length album was released in 1985 titled This Is Big Audio Dynamite. The third single released from the album was the song "Medicine Show". The song which clocks in at just over six minutes is a song that features a lot of samples, all of which originate from movies. Within the song you can hear samples from primarily Spaghetti Westerns, A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Duck You Sucker, and samples from the film The Treasure of The Sierra Madre. The songs found on BAD’s first album, and a large majority of their albums all experimented with sampling methods and music that was at times Hip Hop, Dance and Rock. Part of the reason this song contains so many samples from movies could be due to the fact that Don Letts was a member of the group and he had a film background. He would often film events as they occurred in the late 70s British Punk scene as well as making music videos, and eventually documentaries (The Punk Rock Movie, Westway To The World which won a Grammy, and several others).

What is interesting about this song is the music video. It features many members from the British Punk community, the most obvious being Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon from The Clash. John Lydon is also featured at the end of the video. Big Audio Dynamites 1986 album No.10 Upping St featured Joe Strummer in the producing seat as well as the collaborating, which he did with Mick Jones. In January of 2011, fresh from playing with The Gorillaz Mick Jones reformed Big Audio Dynamite for several live shows, mostly at festivals.

This Week's Play List:

1. Radio Birdman - Descent Into The Maelstrom
2. Moon Dogs - Imposter
3. The Roughnecks - You're Driving Me Insane
4. 11 Lucky Strikes - Put Your Cat Clothes On
5. Teenage Head - You're Tearing Me Apart (45 Version)
6. Rock and Roll Bitches - Wild West
7. The Dirtbombs - I'll Be In Trouble
8. The Castaways - Liar, Liar
9. Michael & The Messengers - Romeo & Juliet
10. Folk Town Massacre - Idle
11. Cigarettes - The Wrong Parts
12. Generationals - Goose & Gander
13. Dan Sartain - Voo-Doo
14. Danger Mouse & Danielle Luppi - Two Against One
15. Swell Maps - Ripped and Torn
16. The Points - In The Park
17. V-Necks - Sand Overload
18. TBA - Through My Fingers
19. Kinetic Ideals - Me And The Sky
20. Big Audio Dynamite - Medicine Show
21. David Bowie - Repetition
22. The Stranglers - (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
23. Luger Boa - Asteroids and Satellites
24. The Saints - L-I-E-S

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

Ed Kuepper ... Electrical Storm & Show # 354

Following his tenure with The Saints, Australia’s Ed Kuepper went on to form The Laughing Clowns, a band that explored Kuepper’s more experimental Post Punk nature often venturing into the Jazz genre. The Laughing Clowns split just before the New Year in 1984, one final album from The Laughing Clowns Ghosts of An Ideal Wife followed in 1985. Kuepper then began work on Electrical Storm, his first album as a solo artist. The music on Kuepper’s debut album was a departure from the sounds that were exemplified with The Saints and The Laughing Clowns, it was something different that at times made a foray into the realm of Pop. The band on Electrical Storm was a three piece featuring Nick Fisher on drums, Louis Tillet on piano and Ed Kuepper on guitar, bass, and vocals. The album features eleven songs, all of which reflect a narrative, emotive like quality. Kuepper in addition to writing the songs plays nearly every instrument on the album. The music on the album is more traditional than his previous Laughing Clown efforts, the horns have been left behind instead there is a more straightforward, raw edged sound approach. Several of the songs on this album would later become staples in Kuepper’s live sets song such as “Car Headlights” a song often described as one his most enduring, “No More Sentimental Jokes”, “When The Sweet Turns Sour” a song whose title comes from a quote in the Spiderman cartoon series, displaying Kuepper’s sense of humour and at times having a riff not unlike the Spiderman theme, “Rainy Night” and the intensifying title track “Electrical Storm”.

The album itself has soft and more upbeat songs, but they ooze with a gritty mature honesty. Being the first proper solo album, it has been hinted that some of the songs found on this album were collected from over the years and then recorded quickly. Acoustic guitar runs throughout the album often in unison with electric guitar, a technique that was employed as early as the late 70s with The Saints, but this album comes off with its own unique quality. Electrical Storm has the energy that was evident in pervious bands such as The Saints and The Laughing Clowns, but at the same time is represents the new beginning and direction that Kuepper would take his music into. Electrical Storm would be the only solo Kuepper album that proved to be this stripped back and straightforward. In March of 2011, Ed Kuepper held several live shows in which he performed Electrical Storm in its entirety along with the album Today Wonder, which was originally released in 1990.

This Week’s Play List:

1. Young Canadians - Hawaii
2. The Evaporators - On Non!
3. Hot Panda - Mindlessnesslessness
4. The Pack AD - Deer
5. Le Butcherettes - New York
6. Chain & The Gang - Why Not?
7. Junco Partners - Swinging Sixties Boys
8. Frank Xerox & The Copy Cats - Judy In Disguise
9. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Spy School Graduation Theme
10. The Gamblers - LSD 25
11. Al Casey - The Hearse
12. The Pointed Sticks - Worse
13. Booker T. Jones - Everything Is Everything
14. Ed Kuepper - Car Headlights
15. Ed Kuepper - Electrical Storm
16. The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
17. The Gears - Let's Go To The Beach
18. The Marble Index - Everyone Else
19. The Modernettes - I Can Only Give You Everything
20. The Dead Boys - Ain't Nothin' To Do
21. The Victims - Television Addict
22. Buzzcocks - Time's Up
23. The Hitmen - Didn't Tell The Man
24. Exploding Hearts - Shattered
25. Gang of Four - Natural's Not In It (Live @ Second Chance Ann Arbor, MI 1981)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 31. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

You're Not The Law... Show # 353

In 2004, a band from Liverpool called The Dead 60s released their first single, the catchy Ska/Punk track entitled “You’re Not The Law”. Backed with the heavy Dub influenced track “Too Much TV”, it was released via the UK indie label Deltasonic Records. The Dead 60s signed to the label shortly after the split of the first incarnation of the band Pinhole, whose music was within the Pop Punk Parthenon. The Dead 60s drew Influences from bands such as The Clash, Gang of Four, The Specials and Dub and Reggae artists such as King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry. “You’re Not The Law” was released to a limited run of 2000 copies and musically it reflected a Specials and Madness like influence. With its siren sounds and ramped organ, some critics have compared it to The Specials “Ghost Town”. You’re Not The Law” was also issued on their first self titled album in 2005, along with a variety of other Punk, Ska, and Reggae fuelled tracks. Following the release of their second album Time To Take Sides, The Dead 60s split up. Members of the band have separated in to two projects some working with Paul McCartney’s son James McCartney and the others are playing with the group Venus Fury.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Rapture - Caravan
2. Vacant Fever - Always A Tourist
3. Erase Errata - Tongue Tied
4. Forgotten Rebels - Surfin' On Heroin
5. The Unknowns - Teenage Terrorist
6. Lowlife - Thinking Naturally
7. Stark Naked & The Fleshtones - I Broke Her Heart, She Broke My Arm
8. Neville Staple - Gangsters
9. The Nefidovs - Canadian Paradise
10. K-Man and the 45s - Wait For Me
11. Dead 60s - You're Not The Law
12. The Locusts Have No King - On My Way
13. The Gun Club - Ghost On The Highway
14. The Love Me Nots - Make Up Your Mind
15. Chang A Lang - Japanese Eyes
16. Bottletop Band - Fall of Rome
17. The Libertines - Death On The Stairs
18. Dee Dee Ramone & The Chinese Dragons - What About Me
19. The Clash - 1977
20. The Undertones - True Confessions
21. The Damned - Neat, Neat, Neat
22. The MC5 - Looking At You
23. The D4 - Evil Heart
24. The Regulators - What's In The City
25. King Khan & His Shrines - Land of The Freak
26. The Black Lips - New Direction

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

Sloan ... The Double Cross Interview with Chris Murphy & Show # 352

On today's program I interviewed bassist Chris Murphy of Sloan. The interview occurs at about the half hour mark into the program and can be downloaded in the links below at the end of the play list. But first some info on Sloan's newest album The Double Cross. More info on the band and their tour can be found at http://www.sloanmusic.com/.

This May Sloan released their 10th full length album The Double Cross, which also marked their 20th anniversary as a band. The album features twelve new tracks building on their addictive Pop Power formula. The Double Cross starts off with "Follow The Leader" a song penned by bassist Chris Murphy, the drum and tambourine heavy Rock song has a seventies flavour. The song segue ways into "The Answer Was You" which is a Pop song written by Jay Fergusson, it sounds as if it would have fit perfectly on their 1996 release One Chord To Another. The album also features "She's Slowing Down Again" a song by drummer Andrew Scott, which sounds like it could have been from the 1998 album Navy Blues. According to Scott, the song has been around for a while. Other interesting tracks include "Unkind", a Patrick Pentland number, which is the first single for the album and "It's Plain To See", which is yet another high energy Pentalnd song. In additon to these, other tracks of note include "Shadow of Love" a song in a similar vein as “G Turns to D”, the acoustic Pop of "Green Gardens, Cold Montreal", "Beverly Terrace", and "I've Gotta Know". There is also the song "Traces", a song written by Andrew Scott that features bassist Chris Murphy on drums. The Double Cross which in Roman numerals is XX means twenty, has many songs that fans can identify with and love, but at the same time it also has a fresh sound and feel to it. Sloan has now been around for twenty years and with yet another album and tour underway, they show no sign of stopping anytime soon.

The Play List:

1. Sloan - It's Plain To See
2. Sloan - Beverly Terrace
3. Johnny West - I Must Be Your Prey
4. Chocolate Watch Band - Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love In)
5. The Sonics - Dirty Robber
6. The Music Machine - The People In Me
7. Nick Lowe - Cracking Up
8. HIdden Pictures - Working On A Way Out
9. Square Root of Margaret - So Far Gone
10. Prehistoric Cave Strokers - My Baby and Me (Fast Version)
11. The Vagrants - Oh Those Eyes
12. XTC - No Thugs in Our House
13. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Down At The Rock and Roll Club
14. Sloan - Shadow of Love
15. Sloan - She's Slowing Down Again
16. The Strokes - Machu Picchu
17. The Fall - Rebellious Jukebox
18. Magazine - Recoil
19. Radio 4 - Dance To The Underground
20. The Papermaps - Can't Make A Living
21. Mark Inside - House of Cards
22. The Hives - The Hives Declare Guerre Nucleaire


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

Generation X ... Sweet Revenge & Show # 351

Generation X were a British Punk band that featured Billy Idol (vocals), Tony James (bass), Bob “Derwood” Andrews (guitar) and Mark Laff on drums. After releasing two albums of the Punk Rock variety Generation X in 1977 and the Ian Hunter produced Valley of the Dolls in 1979, which showed the band expanding their sound into a more heavy Rock style, disagreements arose amongst the band members. Some wanted to continue moving into heavy Rock territory while some wanted to stay true to their Punk roots. It should also be noted that Generation X were never one to follow the trends of the 70s Punk hayday, while they adopted the attitude and asthetics that were apparent then, they took inspiration from 60s British Pop bands and were the first UK Punk band to appear on the UK TV show Top of the Pops. By 1981, all the members of Generation X had left the group except for Billy Idol and Tony James. The band added additional members to record the album Kiss Me Deadly under the abbreviated band name Gen X. The band added drummer Terry Chimes (previously drummer in The Clash) and James Stevenson on guitar of the band Chelsea. The album Kiss Me Deadly would also feature several guest guitarists from the Punk community such as Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), John McGeoch (Magazine/Public Image Limited) and Steve New of The Rich Kids. The album is known for containing the song “Dancing With Myself”, which would later be used by Billy Idol when he became a solo artist, helping to launch his career. What most people may not know is that several of the songs on the album Kiss Me Deadly were recorded just before the original members Bob Andrews and Mark Laff left the group, including “Dancing With Myself”.

In 1979 with the original line up, Generation X recorded their third album which would not be released until 1998. The album would be titled Sweet Revenge. Some of the notable differences on Sweet Revenge are the early versions of songs such as “Triumph”, “The Stars Looked Down” and “Dancing With Myself” which as a whole is similar to the version found on Kiss Me Deadly, but there is less guitar and the ending is different. The songs also feature less of the production based sound that encompasses all of Kiss Me Deadly. Sweet Revenge has more of a raw Punk New Wave edged production style. Songs such as “Anna Smiles”, “Flash As Hell” and “Psycho Beat” are some of the offerings that were never re-recorded for the Kiss Me Deadly album, but remain essential in the Generation X catalogue. Overall, the album has a chemistry that is apparent between the band members, it has a unique energy that Kiss Me Deadly seems to be missing. When released in 1998, the album was titled K.M.D – Sweet Revenge and issued on the German label Empty Records. In 2003, Generation X released a three CD anthology. One of the discs was the Sweet Revenge album with bonus tracks and an interview with bassist Tony James, making it the first time Sweet Revenge was released officially. In 2004, K.M.D – Sweet Revenge Extra was released on a Japanese label expanding the 1998 version of the album.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Ride Theory - Parking Ticket
2. Munks - Long Time Waitin'
3. Painted Ship - And She Said Yes
4. Thee Mighty Caesars - You'll Be Sorry Now
5. The Great Scots - I Ain't No Miracle Worker (version 2) 

6. Phoenix Foundaion - Buffalo

7. Kurt Vile - Puppet To The Man

8. Beastie Boys - OK

9. Jolly Boys - Emmanuel Road

10. The Aggrolites - In The Cut

11. Rabble Rabble - Why Not

12. Sloan - Traces

13. 13th Floor Elevators - You Don't Know (Live)

16. Pointed Sticks - Found Another Boy

17. Statues - Signals 

18. Tranzmitors - Look What You're Doing

19. Tranzmitors - Glamour Girls

20. Generation X - Girls

21. Generation X - Dancing With Myself (Sweet Revenge Version)

22. Wire - Mannequin 

23. Dirty Pretty Things - The Weekenders

24. Bob Dylan & The Hawks - Tell Me Mama (Live Royal Albert Hall 1966)

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

Elvis Costello & The Attractions ... Get Happy! & Show # 350

The year 1979 was a busy one for Elvis Costello. He completed the album Armed Forces with his band Elvis Costello & The Attractions was on tour in American on the Armed Funk Tour and produced an album for The Specials. Controversy would be brought into his world, when in April of 1979 while on tour he made some drunken derogatory remarks about James Brown and Ray Charles that were taken out of context during a conversation with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett at a hotel bar in Columbus, Ohio. Costello apologized for the remarks at a press conference explaining the situation. At the same time The Attractions were working on and rehearsing material for their next album that would be titled Get Happy! The album originally had more of a New Wave sound in the same vein as Armed Forces, but the band were unhappy with the results. Elvis Costello & The Attractions re-arranged the songs in order to give them a Soul and R&B feel. It has been hinted at that perhaps the songs on Get Happy! reflected this influence because of the events that preceded it. Costello had this to say in the 2002 linear notes to the Rhino reissue of Get Happy!

“It might have been tempting to claim that I had some noble motive in basing this record on the music that I had admired and learned from prior to my brush with infamy. But if I was trying to pay respects and make such amends, I doubt if pride would have allowed me to express that thought after I had made my rather contrived explanation... I simply went back to work and relied on instinct, curiosity, and enduring musical passions. “

The band recorded the album in Hilversum, Netherlands at Wisseloord Studios to get away from the distractions and as Costello highlights in the above quotation, the band went back to work. The result was a twenty song canvas of songs painted with a Soul and R&B style. Get Happy! as a term has a few origins. In regards to Gospel music “getting happy” refers to receiving the Holy Spirit, but it is also the title of a song by Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler. The artwork for the album was designed by Barney Bubbles, who had done artwork for Costello and numerous other artists in the past, he worked as an art designer for Stiff Records, Radar, and F-Beat Records to name a few. It was made to reflect a retro worn out feel, complete with ring marks.

Regardless of the events the preceded it Get Happy! is an energetic Soul stomping album with twenty songs, many short, but straight to the point moments reflecting Costello’s rage, humour and Pop sensibilities. Songs such as “Opportunity” ooze with R&B and Soul, while “The Imposter” is an original Soul New Wave rave up. The album features two cover songs “I Can’t Stand Up (For Falling Down)” is a song originally by Sam & Dave and it was released as the first single for this album, and “I Stand Accused” which is a song that was regular feature of the bands early live sets originally by the 60s band The Merseybeats. “New Amsterdam” is a Pop masterpiece equivalent to the Pop stylings of “Oliver’s Army”, while “High Fidelity”, and “Riot Act” all stand on their own as Pop songs based on their own merits. The album features so many moments that highlight Costello’s ability as a song writer venturing in a different direction. The band is dead on, Bruce Thomas’ R&B grooves are amped up on this album and and they adapt well to the Soul inspiration on this record (a Soul groove was always dominant on Attractions records, but not as dominant as this one), while Steve Nieve adds Booker T. styled flourishes on organ and Pete Thomas solidifies the beat. Get Happy! also marked fourth album in Costello’s catalog of five amazing albums that were released in succession (from My Aim Is True to Trust), all of which were produced by Nick Lowe. When released in 1980, Get Happy! went to number eleven on the US Pop album charts and number two on the UK album charts.

This Week's Play List:

1. Television - See No Evil
2. Red Light Driver - Celeste Celeste
3. Starlites - I Can See You
4. The Sherlocks - Stefany
5. The Chessmen - Time Machine
6. Gorillaz - Hillbilly Man
7. Golden Hands Before God - The Ladder
8. Neil Young & The Sadies - This Wheel's On FIre
9. Street Chant - Scream Walk
10. High Mother - Tryin Too Hard
11. The Spys - Watching You
12. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - Don't Mess With Cupid (Live At Max's Kansas City 1979)
13. Ramones - California Sun
14. Bok Bok - Misfit
15. Buzzcocks - Paradise
16. Beastie Boys - Lee Majors Come Again
17. The Soles - Broken Ghost
18. The Smiths - Suffer Little Children (Troy Tate Sessions Version)
19. Undertones - You've Got My Number
20. The Kills - Getting Down
21. The Strokes - Taken For A Fool
22. The Doors - I Looked At You
23. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - The Imposter
24. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - I Stand Accused

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

Nick Lowe ...Labour of Lust & Show # 349

In 1979, Nick Lowe released his second full length album Labour of Lust. The album featured members of the band Rockpile (a band that had a strong Rockabilly and Power Pop influence), it was also recorded at the same time as Dave Edmunds (a member of Rockpile) solo album Repeat When Necessary. It should also be noted that Rockpile was Nick Lowe’s touring and studio band. They were sometimes referred to as Rockpile, Nick Lowe and Rockpile or Dave Edumunds and Rokcpile. Both albums were also produced by Lowe, which further adds to his reputation as "The Basher", which is a nick name Lowe was given for bashing out records because of his production style.  Lowe once described his production style as this to Rolling Stone to "bash it now; tart it up later".   Labour of Lust is notable for containing Lowe’s only US chart topping hit “Cruel To Be Kind”. The song originated from an earlier band that Lowe was in called Brinsley Schwarz and when it was released as a single it went to number twelve on both the US and UK singles charts.

After being out of print for nearly twenty years (it was released on CD in 1990), Yep Roc have reissued Labour of Lust, remastering it and including a bonus track (the country folk flavoured “Basing Street”) and a twelve page booklet. Originally the US and UK versions of the album had different track listing, the UK version of the album featured the song “Endless Grey Ribbon”, while the US album substituted that track for the song “American Squirm”, which was a B-side featuring members of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. This new edition of the album appends the track listing to include both “Endless Grey Ribbon” and “American Squirm”. Overall, the album mixed elements of Lowe’s Power Pop style, which is sometimes defined as New Wave as well as songs verging into Roots Rock territory at times. The album has remained out of print for so long, some people may have forgotten about it, but it stands as a strong document of a great song writer.

This Week's Play List:

1. Crystal Stilts - Through The Floor
2. The Moving Units - Until She Says
3. Arctic Monkeys - Brick By Brick
4. Elk - Shaking Hands
5. The Ascot Royals - Zap Zap
6. Wildlife - When I Get Home
7. Code Pie - Operator
8. Nicole Markham - Police & Thieves
9. Lonesome Lefty - Diga Diga Doo
10. Elvis Presley - Trying To Get To You
11. Prince Buster - Ghost Dance
12. The Specials - Concrete Jungle
13. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill - London Calling
14. Shake - Culture Shock
15. The Demics - The Least You Can Do
16. Elad's Guitar Army - Rattlesnake Tongue
17. Orphan Choir - Picture Book of Saints
18. The Misfits - Some Kinda Hate
19. Shannon And The Clams - Sleep Talk
20. Nick Lowe - Switchboard Susan
21. Iggy Pop - Curiosity
22. The Rapture - Notes
23. White Stripes - When I Hear My Name
24. True Lovers - Temptress
25. The Black Angels - Haunting At 1300 McKinley

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 26. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Modern Art...The Black Lips & Show # 348

Atlanta Garage Rock band The Black Lips will release their sixth full length album Arabia Mountain on June 7th via Vice Records. The band who describes their music as “Flower Punk” worked on this record with producer Mark Ronson of Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen, and The Kaiser Chiefs producing fame, making it the first time the band has used an outside producer. A large majority of the albums tracks were reportedly recorded in a ten day session, two tracks were also produced by Lockett Pundt of Deerhunter. This highly anticipated album has already had two singles released in preparation for the albums unveiling “Go Out and Get It”, a Pundt produced track is a song portraying the bands Pop style similar to the Good Bad Not Evil album cut “Bad Kids”, while “Modern Art” produced by Ronson, is The Black Lips at their dirty nugget styled Garage Rock finest, complete with a theremin. Two videos for these songs have been made available online, a tour is currently in progress to road test the material.





Todays show was also co-hosted with Derk of CJAM's The Surfphony of Derstruction. His last show will air tonight at 7 PM on CJAM 99.1 FM and can also be streamed at http://www.cjam.ca/

This Weeks Play List:

1. Bell - Hang Around
2. Sonic's Rendezvous Band - Electrophonic Tonic
3. Northern Primitive - One Click
4. The Bedwells - Karate Again
5. 63 Monroe - Side B 5
6. The Tranzmitors - Beating Up My Heart
7. Talking Heads - Cities
8. Ian North - Hollywood Babylon
9. Fast Romantics - Pretty Strangers
10. Twin Library - Beware of Bees
11. Johnny West - Blue Cheese Necklace
12. The Stranglers - Hanging Around
13. The Monks - Dear Jerry
14. The Sounds - Something To Die For
15. The Surfdusters - El Dementia
16. The Clash - Fujiyama Mama (Live Tokyo 1982 with Pearl Harbor)
17. The Dirtbombs - Cedar Point '76
18. The Psychotic Turnbuckles - Cool It Baby
19. Tommy Blake - F-Olding Money
20. Young Rival - At The Break of Dawn
21. The Rays - Elevator Operator
22. Nirvana - Turnaround
23. Tijuana Bibles - Reverse Psychology
24. The Diodes - Red Rubber Ball
25. The Cramps - Green Fuzz
26. The Black Lips - Modern Art

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Kinks ... Kinda Kontroversy & Show # 347

In March 2011, The Kinks released deluxe versions of their first three albums as part of a reissue campaign that will cover the band's first seven albums. The Kinks, Kinda Kinks, and Kink Kontroversy are now available in two disc deluxe format, featuring a plethora of singles, demos, outtakes, and BBC sessions from the band's catalogue. When discussing The Kinks catalogue, its no hidden secret that the master tapes from early Kinks recordings were not well looked after, they were often times destroyed, lost, or recorded over by Pye in the 80s, their record label. Unlike their 60s contemporaries (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.) whose recordings have been preserved, it is nearly impossible to determine how many recordings may have been lost due to this fact. But despite this, many outtakes and demos survived, several of which are found on these reissues. From the period that the band signed to RCA onwards, more careful consideration and documentation of the band's recordings have been kept. One of the good things about these reissues is the sound fidelity. If you have purchased The Kinks 1998 Castle reissues, and compared them to the new deluxe edition songs, you will notice the sound quality is of a greater improvement. There is an apparent muddiness sound on the 98 releases that has now seemed to be cleaned up, possibly due to the location of better quality master tape recordings. This week, we will discuss a little bit of the two of the deluxe reissues, Kinda Kinks and Kink Kontroversy both of which were originally released in 1965.

The Kinks second album titled, Kinda Kinks was recorded at a combination of studio sessions. It was recorded during February 16-18 in 1965 at Pye Studios No.2 in London, England, “Tired of Waiting For You” was recorded in August of 1964, prior to any of the albums main sessions and held back as an early single for the album, with guitar overdubs occurring in December of 1964. The songs “Come On Now” and “Something Better Beginning” were recorded between December 22-23 1963 at Pye Studios. The album was recorded quickly in a rush between the band's 1964-1965 world tour. In a matter of approximately two weeks, The Kinks completed their second album with Shel Talmy producing and it was released in March 1965 in the UK and August 1965 in the US.

Kinda Kinks is an often underlooked album in regards to the band's catalgoue. The album mixes the band's early R&B sound, with elements of Folk, and Motown. Kinda Kinks is notable for having numerous songs sung by lead guitarist Dave Davies “Got My Feet On The Ground” is an R&B rave up sung by Dave Davies featuring that early raw Kinks sound, “Naggin’ Woman” finds the Kinks delving deeper into a Blues groove, and “Come On Now” is a early Kinks Garage track, written by Ray Davies, sung by Dave and also included as the B-Side to "Tired of Waiting For You". The rest of the album mixes in a variety of the developing song writing style of Ray Davies. Songs such as “Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ About That Girl” reflects an atmospheric Folk nature with its flirtatious Jazz beats, “Tired of Waiting For You” was the lead off single for this album, the song reflects the band's early R&B influences while at the same time featuring a slower groove. When released as a single it went to number one on the UK singles charts, and number six in the US. “So Long” is akin to “Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ About That Girl”, with its Folk coffee house style, the song has prominent acoustic guitar and with lyrics such as “Got No Time For Tears/There’s Music In My Ears” it reflects the band's situation at the time, there are also songs such as “You Shouldn’t Be Said” which is a Motown influenced R&B track. The album ends with the rather poignant “Something Better Beginning” lyrically and musically it reflects the future direction in which Ray Davies and the Kinks would take their sound.

Kinda Kinks also produced numerous singles and songs that would be released on a variety of US only releases (Kinks-Size and Kinkdom) and Kywet Kinks which was an EP released in the UK. Among these, some of the non-Kinda Kinks album tracks include “Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy”, “Who’ll Be The Next In Line”, “Set Me Free”, “I Need You”, “See My Friends”, and “A Well Respected Man”. “Set Me Free” was released in May of 1965 as a single, it is a song done in a style similar to “Tired of Waiting For You”. The single is perhaps loved for its exciting B-Side “I Need You”, which is a raw uncompromising Kinks power chord filled Rock song right from the start of its initial bursting feedback and infectious harmonies. “See My Friends” is a pinnacle single indicating the maturing song writing style of Ray Davies. The song itself features Indian guitar raga styles, dipping into elements of Psychedelic Rock and notable for being released prior to The Beatles “Norwegian Wood”, which featured Sitar. Lyrically the song was placed under some scrutiny regarding the subject matter which have often been misconstrued, lyrically the song has been said to be influenced by a stop the band made in Bombay during their 1965 Asian tour where Davies witnessed a group of fisherman chanting on way to their morning work. The next set of singles released during this period were the piano driven “Who’ll Be The Next In Line” and “A Well Respected Man”, which lyrically addressed British class economics and musically drew from British Music Hall influences.

Kink Kontroversy was recorded in late October/early November of 1965 at Pye Studios no.2 in London, England. The album was once again produced by Shel Talmy and was released on November 26th, 1965 in the UK and in March 30th 1966 in the US. The albums title originates from the band's onstage reputation, which at times earned them the nick name Kontroversial Kinks. Prior to the album being recorded, one such incident occurred onstage between guitarist Dave Davies and drummer Mick Avory. After apparently being spat at by Dave Davies, Avory hit him over the head with the pedal end of his drum hi-hat, resulting in stitches for Dave. The media focused on the issue, but the band wanted to get away from it. As a result, Clem Cattini filled in as a session drummer for the majority of the Kink Kontroversy album sessions, Avory appears on approximately two to three tracks. Despite the drummer situation, Avory would re-join as the drummer quickly after the sessions.

Musically and lyrically Kink Kontroversy showed The Kinks developing into their own style and with a new sense of sophistication. The album displays elements of The Kinks previous R&B sound, but also transitional elements of what would become the band's future Kinks sound. A perfect example of this dynamic can be explained when looking at the first single released for the album “Till The End of the Day”, backed with “Where Have All The Good Times Gone”(also found on Kink Kontroversy). This strong single exemplified the end of The Kinks “You Really Got Me” style, with “Till The End of the Day”, but also contrasted it with the song “Where Have All The Good Times Gone” which demonstrates Ray Davies ability and development as a song writer. Not only do the two songs contrast each other musically, but they do so lyrically as well. While “Till The End of the Day” is somewhat upbeat and in a style most fans identified with (being one of the last songs in that style to do so), “Where Have All The Good Times Gone” is a lament, it can also be seen as a farewell to the Kinks previous musical direction and a step forward into the next, thus indicating the end of one of the band's first eras. Chart wise the single reached the top ten on the UK singles charts, and went to number 50 initially on the UK singles charts. Kontroversy starts off with the tense and raunchy R&B “Milk Cow Blues”, sung by Dave Davies, it is also complimented with the piano playing of session man Nicky Hopkins, who is featured on this whole album. Songs such as the ballad “Ring The Bells”, the laidback “The World Keeps Going Round”, and Calypso stylings of “I’m On An Island” all indicate the band's new sense of direction, which would be further developed on the band's next release Face To Face in 1966. “I Am Free” is a Dave Davies composition, in which he declares independence, “Too Late” an acoustic Blues number, and the final offering “You Can’t Win” that has dual vocals between Ray and Dave all add to the albums pivotal atmosphere.

The next single to follow was the song “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”, which is an angry, satirical song furthering the Music Hall influenced style first demonstrated with “A Well Respected Man”. The single charted high in the top ten on the UK singles charts and in the top 40 in the US. Following the albums release and Mick Avory coming back into the fold The Kinks continued to make albums and also got involved in more controversy in 1965, resulting in a five year ban from the touring in the US.

This Weeks Play List:

1. Jook - Aggravation Place
2. The Gorillas - She's My Gal
3. The Kinks - Time Will Tell
4. The Kinks - A Little Bit of Sunlight (Demo)
5. Boats - Drinking The Lake
6. Obits - You Gotta Lose
7. Cake - Long Time
8. This City Defects - Recycle Thief
9. Timber Timbre - Black Water
10. Jack-O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers - Make Your Mind Up
11. Les Jupes - Mathematics
12. 49th Parallel - Laborer
13. Martha & The Muffins - Saigon
14. The Space Plan - Tread Lightly
15. Link Wray - Fat Back
16. The Fleshtones - Comin' Home Baby
17. Mach Kung-Fu - Bamboo Twist
18. 999 - My Street Stinks
19. Supergrass - Caught By The Fuzz
20. The Howlies - Howlies Sound
21. Young Rival - Untitled (CBC Radio 3 Session 2009)
22. Alex Chilton - Can't Seem To Make You Mine
23. ASK - Have A Gun
24. The Kinks - I Need You
25. The Kinks - Till The End of The Day (BBC Session)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 12. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Wild Child ... Lou Reed 1972 & Show # 346

In June of 1972, Lou Reed released his first solo album. The self titled album featured ten songs, several of which were unreleased songs that he had previously written with Velvet Underground. At this point in 1972, Velvet Underground were not as renowned as they now are and the songs that are found on Lou's first solo album were not released in any form yet. The album was recorded in December of 1971 and January 1972 at Morgan Studios in London, England with Richard Robinson in the producer seat. The album featured five songs that were recorded during the Velvet Undergrounds Loaded album sessions (“Walk and Talk It”, “I Love You”, “Love Makes You Feel”, “Ride Into The Sun”, and “Ocean”) and “I Can’t Stand It”, “Lisa Says”, which would later surface on Velvet Underground outtake compilation album VU. There are also songs such as “Going Down” which is one of the two new compositions created for this album, and the song “Berlin” both of which would later be re-recorded for the Lou Reed album Berlin. One of the clear highlights found on Lou Reed, is the song “Wild Child”. This raucous track is done in the spirit of Lou’s influential Rock music style.

The album cover for Lou Reed was done by UK artist Tom Adams, who has a large body of work, but is perhaps best known for his work designing the covers for novels. He has created covers for the novels of Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, John Fowles, and many others. On Tom Adams website (http://www.tomadamsuncovered.co.uk) he had this to say of working with Lou Reed:

"It was good to meet Lou Reed and talk about his brilliant music and poetic lyrics. I'm not sure I did them justice but it was great to be involved in his first UK album."


The album as a whole has often been said to be an album that the record company Lou was on at the time, didn’t know what to do with. If you look at the studio musicians recruited for the album, among the ranks you will find Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman of the Prog Rock band Yes, which is perhaps an indication of the reason for the album sounding the way it does. But if you listen to the album closely, it is simply an album of discovery, Lou Reed is exploring several songs structures and arrangements within the songs found on Lou Reed. There are of slower, sparsely spaced song arrangements, but there are also upbeat Rock songs that rise and fall with the album. It was at the time a highly anticipated release, when Lou Reed was released it went to number 189 on the Billboard 200 album charts. The album, while it is often forgotten about, is a historical document of where Lou Reed would take his music and an indication of a musician in transition. Lou Reed’s next release Transformer, would be in December of the same year (1972) and was produced by Mick Ronson and David Bowie. Transformer had both greater critical and commercial acclaim.

The Play List:

1. The Spys - Welcome to the Cruel World
2. Prehistoric Cave Strokers - Urine You're Out
3. The Gories - I Think I've Had It
4. C'Mon - Mirrors
5. Papermaps - Exit
6. The Modernettes - Teen City
7. Dirty Looks - 12 O'Clock High
8. Jemmy Leggs - Fireworks
9. The Leisure Units - Best Way
10. The Raveonettes - Recharge & Revolt
11. The Wolfmen - The Cowboy's Dream
12. The Mekons - Abernant 1984/5
13. Ghost Wave - Sunsetter
14. Sun Wizard - Golden Girl
15. My Son The Hurricane - Honour Among Thieves
16. Peter Case - Round Trip Stranger Blues
17. The Mods - If You Got To Go
18. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - No Hiding Place
19. REM - Aligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter
20. Hater - Downpour At Mt.Angel
21. Lou Reed - Walk And Talk It
22. Lou Reed - Wild Child
23. The Damned - New Rose
24. The D4 - What I Want

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 5. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Strokes Angled & Show # 345

On March 22nd, The Strokes released their fourth full length album Angles. Before you listen to the album, its title and album cover art (originally done by Belgian artist Guy Pouppez) should give you a good impression of what to expect from the band on their most recent studio effort. Angles was recorded differently than the bands previous releases, the band began working on demos in 2009. The Strokes then began work with producer Joe Chiccarelli in 2010 recording 18 songs, but the band were not happy with the results. Relocating to guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s home studio the band recorded and produced their album with the help of Gus Oberg. The album was recorded in an almost fractured like state, the band worked together more as a whole, while singer Julian Casablancas kept his distance, recording most of his vocals at Electric Lady Land Studios on his own. It has been said that this method was used by the singer, who has often been the dominant song writer in the group, to force the band into the creative process becoming more uniform and collective in the process. Out of the 18 songs that were demoed for this album, ten made the cut, only one of which originates from the bands sessions with Joe Chiccarelli.

Many critics hailed this album as a return to form when The Strokes released their first single from the album “Undercover of Darkness”. While the song is a return to form of sorts, it sounds as if it combines elements from the bands first album Is This It? with songs from their second album Room On Fire. The song could be described as “Last Nite” meets “Reptilia”. It is a strong song found on the album, which shows off many different colours, sometimes leaning in the experimental electronic sounding direction. As a whole, Angles is heavily rooted in the 80s, the first track “Machu Picchu” is a song that was originally conceived by guitarist Nick Valensi and has a Reggae flavour in the verses with Rock sounding choruses, sounding fresh and retro at the same time. The first line “I’m putting your patience to the test” is a declaration of what is to come musically, the songs are at times familiar sounding, at other times different leaning either in an 80s influenced or electronic influenced direction.

Critics have also been fast to attack the album, but it has many strong moments. “Two Kinds of Happiness”, another Valensi original sounds like an 80s song from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, exemplifying The Strokes slower, but catchy groove, while “Taken For A Fool” sounds like an outtake from The Strokes Room On Fire album, “Gratisfaction” is a guitar heavy track, sounding like classic Strokes, but at the same time sounding like a song that could have been on their last studio effort First Impressions of Earth, “Life Is Simple In The Moonlight” ends the album and ties up all the loose ends. It is an encompassing, catchy track with lingering synthesizers, dual guitar lines, and lyrics from Casablancas stating “Don’t try to stop us, get out of the way” that brings the album musically and lyrically full circle.

The experimental and different structured songs fill in the gaps providing variety and songs of different shades, this is evident on tracks such as “You’re So Right” a track penned by bassist Nikolai Frature that is dominated with its dark, but heavy electronic sounding drums and digital guitar lines, “Games” which has an 80s Caribbean stripes and 80s futuristic sounds, “Call Me Back” is a slower melodic track that at times seems a kin to Radiohead. During the bands five year hiatus, all of the bands members have created solo efforts, with the exception of guitarist Nick Valensi, but now The Strokes have returned with Angles an album of many eclectic shades and colours, but also one with elements that fans have come to identify and love. Currently The Strokes will embark on a tour, and have already been said to be in the early stages of their fifth album.



The Play List:

1. The Horrors - Gloves
2. The Gruesomes - Way Down Below
3. Main Line - Don't Wait Around
4. Them - Bright Lights, Big City
5. The High Numbers - I'm The Face
6. Love - Skid
7. 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me
8. Arcylics - Molly's Vertigo
9. Les Breastfeeders - 400 Miles
10. Memphis - I Am The Photographer
11. Danny & The Rockin' Revelators - Forbidden Fruit
12. Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost
13. Harlem - Tila & I
14. The Mark Inside - You Can't Take Her With You When Its Over
15. Papermaps - Can't Make A Living
16. The Strokes - Gratisfaction
17. The Strokes - Life Is Simple In The Moonlight
18. The Crocodiles - Neon Jesus
19. The Atlantics - When You're Young
20. The Scraps - Gossip
21. Spiral Beach - After Midnite
22. Sick of Sarah - Over Exposure
23. Fire Engines - New Thing In Cartons
24. Dirty Pretty Things - You Fucking Love It

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 29. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.