Sound from a flash of light

ART58Koen enters a dub-free zone...

 
In the late 1980s, I discovered second hand copies of an American magazine devoted to CDs (named, surprise, surprise: CD Review!) on the Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, and I was enthralled!

Thanks to this magazine I learned about Rykodisc…

If there was one record label to have made efficient use of the move from vinyl to cd it must be Rykodisc. Unlike most of the established record companies, they seem to have from the start in 1983 a very clear idea of the potential of this new medium of playing music. And even more important, the guys in charge had a real love of music which showed in varied ways…

Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label in the United States, Rykodisc was founded in 1983 in Salem, Massachusetts, by Arthur Mann, Rob Simonds, Doug Lexa, and Don Rose. The name "Ryko," which the label claimed was a Japanese word meaning "sound from a flash of light," was chosen to reflect the company's CD-only policy.
 
Rykodisc had some notable successes in the CD-reissue industry, as artists such as Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Frank Zappa, the estate of Nick Drake, Nine Inch Nails, Sugar, Robert Wyatt, and Mission of Burma allowed Rykodisc to issue their catalogs on CD. Rykodisc also re-released the SST Records-era recordings by the Meat Puppets. It also was responsible for the first release of the "I Am the Cosmos" LP by the late Chris Bell of Big Star, another band on the label. 

And especially those CD reissues set up a very high standard for other record companies, new and informative liner notes, bonus tracks, great artwork, etc.

Rykodisc Timeline:

1984: Rykodisc is founded to release music on compact discs.
1986: Frank Zappa reissue series is launched.
1989: Firm wins bid to license David Bowie catalog.
1991: Acquire Hannibal Records of England and music publishing affiliate.
1993: Elvis Costello catalog is licensed.

Another key person behind Ryko was Jeff Rougvie, who at present is trying to get his book on his experiences there published. Definitely something I’m looking forward to reading as the few excerpts he put on his website are intriguing to say the least.

Back to CD Review!

There I discovered that Rykodisc had released 2 special low-priced samplers with unusual titles: Steal This Disc 1 & 2. Immediately I wrote (snail mail!) an American buddy of mine and asked him if he could get those for me. And sure -  bless him and the Thai postal services - about 2 months later I got those discs delivered at home. Strangely enough, he had actually bought both CDs instead of stealing them… 

 

 Both Steal This Discs had 21 tracks and came out in 1987 and 1988, an amazing amount of music in those days. Later I managed to score No. 3 which followed in 1991 with 23 tracks...

It was quite a listening experience as the discs covered a huge variety of music, from The Residents to The Red Clay Ramblers to Zappa & beyond…

Over the years I got quite a few Ryko CDs and was seldom disappointed, excellent label!

There's a question below...you know the score!

Tom Verlaine 1949 - 2023

 Life in the hive puckered up my night
The kiss of death, the embrace of life

Stan Freberg and Mr Jinks

Let's go back to your childhood...childhood...childhood...

I recently needed an HDMI cable and just knew I had one "somewhere" amongst all my "stuff". That meant a lot of rummaging about in the various storage boxes in my studio.

As it happens, I didn't find that cable I knew I had, but I did stumble across some old hard drives and spent a happy hour or three discovering some music I'd forgotten all about.

One particular gem that emerged was a rather splendid four disc set of Stan Freberg recordings. Now, I'd known of him ever since the late 1950s when I first heard the "Banana Boat Song" on the radio, but most of the material was unfamiliar to me. 

Stan the Man

Freberg was a remarkable character, as a quick Google will confirm, and the more I read about him and the more I got into his recordings, the more intrigued I became. His 70 year career spanned puppetry, writing (for MAD magazine on a couple of occasions), acting, voice acting, radio, recording and TV. He was also involved in the advertising business, which provided plenty of targets for his acerbic satire. He made many TV and radio commercials for everything from prunes to lawnmowers, and he was responsible for a Heinz Soup advert which was the most expensive TV ad ever made at the time (1970).

"Let's face the chicken gumbo and dance!"

As I delved deeper, I discovered that one of his frequent collaborators was Daws Butler - a cartoon voice artist (as was Freberg in one of his many guises) whose name rang a distinct bell, and then came a blinding revelation - he was the voice of MR JINKS!

As a pre-teen, my favourite TV programme was "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "Pixie and Dixie and Mr Jinks" was my favourite segment. Above all, I loved Mr Jinks.

Cartoon gold

Mr Jinks was a calculating but not especially intelligent cat who hated those "meeces to pieces" and he spoke in this sort of hipster drawl while dropping all sorts of clangers with 'difficult' words - "ectoplastic" instead of "ectoplasm", for example. 

What really was the icing on the cake for me, after discovering the Freberg album, was finding every single one of the original Hanna & Barbera  "Pixie and Dixie and Mr Jinks" cartoons here. So, there I was, a 71 year old bloke, devouring every single one of the fifty-seven (57) available and, you know what, they're just as funny as they were when I was 7 or 8. In fact, they're probably funnier, as some of the humour is quite subtle - especially when it's coming from Mr Jinks - and I missed it when I was a kid. 

...but back to Stan Freberg...

Several of the Freberg recordings have a performer being hassled by his producer, played by Freberg. There's more than a touch of the SNL "More Cowbell" sketch about this, and several other tracks with Freberg and a hapless performer (often played by Peter Leeds) trying to record a track in the studio. I can't help but think that Butler got a lot of his Mr Jinks voice from Leeds - just listen to Freberg's luckless "Rock Island Line" singer. It's almost Mr Jinks.

"Never mind the sheep..."

Although Freberg made a lot of novelty recordings, there are more serious satirical items in his back catalogue - in particular, "Stan Freberg Presents The United States Of America, Vol. 1: The Early Years". Produced in 1961, this was once described as "the Sgt Pepper of comedy albums" - being the first comedy concept album - and lampoons McCarthyism, consumerism, commercialisation and chauvinism. amongst other national foibles. It's worn surprisingly well. 

Freberg never stopped working, and he carried on right up until he died in 2015 at the grand old age of 88 - a giant of US humour and still funny today.

 

To qualify for some Freberg goodies, just answer the simple question that's going to appear below - as soon as I find that pesky HDMI cable...

The Beatles in bed

When it comes to power pop, few acts can hold a candle to the now sadly defunct Jellyfish.  

If you haven't heard their "Bellybutton" and "Spilt Milk" albums, you've missed out on a real treat.

I have to admit a marginal preference for "Milk", even though the hugely talented Jason Falkner had left the band before it was recorded. It's a stunning album - punchy and melodic, although its predecessor is only a very short step behind.

The whole torrid Jellyfish saga is one worth investigating - but not here, and not now because there are other (jelly) fish to fry...

Since he went solo, Falkner has made some great solo albums that have gone essentially nowhere, although he is, as Jellyfish were, 日本で大成功 (TM) and he still has a very loyal following. He's also regularly in demand as a session player and has recorded with Noel Gallagher, Beck, Paul McCartney, Cheap Trick, Dwight Yoakam, Primal Scream, and many others.

As well as the many original tracks he's recorded, he's always been fond of a cover version or two in the overall mix (from Tom Waits through Be Bop Deluxe to Def Leppard), and amongst his back catalogue are a couple of Beatles covers albums, However, they're not yer usual hack jobs, they're instrumental lullaby-style Beatles songs - "Bedtime with the Beatles - Volumes 1 &2".

Simply but well played with acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, wordless vocals (apart from the words "Hey Jude" in 'Hey Jude'), an occasional string section and extremely minimal percussion (often none at all), the project sounds a whole lot better to listen to than it might seem on paper. Even though the arrangements are stripped right down and almost totally lacking vocals, Falkner's managed to keep not just the melodies, but also the richness of the harmonic interplay found in the originals, despite the simplicity of the instrumentation and the sparse arrangements. It's also worth noting that many of the songs are slowed down slightly, compared to the originals, but this isn't a distraction.

The choice of the songs favours the softer side of the Beatles - these are, after all, lullabies - but the albums achieve an overall naive charm and grace that is hard to resist. Above all, Falkner treats the Lennon and McCartney compositions with respect and allows the music to retain the essential qualities which first attracted people to it.

Adult listeners may find much to enjoy here.

Or not...see what you think.

Beware of Sharks!

Sharks (no relation) get the jonder treatment.  

 

Andy Fraser invited Chris Spedding to join a new band called Sharks after Free broke up, with Fraser’s friend Marty Simon on drums.  Robert Palmer and Leo Sayer auditioned, but a newcomer named Steve Parsons was chosen as vocalist.

  Sharks - with friend 

 

Sharks' debut album was First Water (1973).  The band wrecked their Sharkmobile after a gig, and Andy Fraser left the group.  Sharks continued without their founder, adding Busta Jones on bass and Nick Judd on keyboards.  This lineup released Jab It In Yore Eye in '74. After touring with Roxy Music, all Sharks members (save Parsons) appeared on Eno’s album Here Come The Warm Jets.

 

The Sharkmobile - actually Spedding's Pontiac LeMans 

 

Sharks began recording a third album in 1974, with John Entwistle as producer.  Busta Jones and Marty Simons left during the sessions (later forming the rhythm section of a Canadian disco group called Bombers).  Island Records didn’t like the demos and dropped the group.  Nick Judd joined the Andy Fraser Band.  Chris Spedding returned to session work and resumed his solo career.  

Steve Parsons fronted the Baker Gurvitz Army, then went New Wave under his nickname, Snips. Video King (1978) was Snips’ debut.  The album's bassist, Jackie Badger (formerly of the all-female band Mother Superior), married Parsons. Chris Spedding produced and played on the second Snips album, La Rocca! (1981). 

Steve Parsons spent the next decade making TV and film soundtracks.  In 1993, he and Spedding started working on a bluesy new Sharks album. Like A Black Van Parked On A Dark Curve appeared in 1995.  Jackie Badger (Mrs. Parsons) and Pete Thomas (of the Attractions) were the rhythm section.

In 2011, Parsons and Spedding formed a new band called King Mob with Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) on bass, and Martin Chambers (Pretenders) on drums. Spedding traded licks with a young guitarist who called himself Sixteen.  King Mob made one album, Force 9.

Spedding’s 2015 solo album Joyland featured an impressive roster of guests, including Andy Fraser, Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, Johnny Marr, and Arthur Brown (yes, the "Fire" man).  Most of the King Mob members participated. Steve Parsons sang two songs.

 

Chris Spedding - you've probably heard him more often than you realise!

 

Sharks' 1974 sessions with John Entwistle were released in 2017 as Car Crash Tapes.  An album of new Sharks songs called Killers Of The Deep also appeared in 2017, with Nick Judd back on keyboards, and Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook.  Spedding, Parsons, and Judd made a sixth Sharks disc (say that three times fast) called Ready Set Go in 2018.

Mick Jones may have nicked Chris Spedding's riff from the Sharks tune “Sophistication” for “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”, but Johnny Rotten stole the heart of Spedding’s girlfriend Nora Forster.  Nora and Johnny married in 1979. Johnny became stepfather to Nora's daughter Ariane (aka Ari Up).

Here’s a video of Sharks performing “Sophistication” live in 1974.

 

jonder will be along shortly to give you a link to his excellent Sharks compilation.

David Crosby 1941 - 2023

One more sad loss... 

We Are On A Dub Mission

Another dub post from ART58Koen...

One of the more obscure Island sub labels was Quango.

Set up in 1995, after Chris Blackwell heard a mix tape by Los Angeles DJ Bruno Guez, it was supposed to be ‘kind of lifestyle music’ and ‘global groove-oriented’, releasing all sorts of music: ambient, down-tempo, world, reggae, and more, it went all over the place.

I have a few Quango compilation CDs and most are a mixed bunch, but a few really stand out, despite me discovering them a few years after their release.

1996’s Dubmission consisted of 10 classic Island dub tracks (Sly & Robbie, Black Uhuru, Linton Kwei Johnson, Aswad, etc.) from the 70s and 80s put together by a dude called Tomas/Umoja of the Hi-Fi Soundsystem. Dreadful cover-art, minuscule printed info (but without any liner notes!) didn’t make it very attractive I guess, but it remains a solid dub collection.

One year later a follow up was released, Dubmission 2: The Remixes with a much more attractive cover AND liner notes (again printed as tiny as possible, why??).

 

Anyway, these 10 newly recorded ‘re-dubs’ of 6(!) Dubmission tracks feature a wide range of echo-soaked variety, so much that 3 versions of the same Black Uhuru dub track (Boof N Baff N Biff) sound completely different!

Other versions border on Drum N’ Bass, a genre I never learned to appreciate, but here works quite well.
When playing it (really!) loud paint starts flaking of the walls which for some reason my wife disapproves of…

Both CDs are discontinued, only available second hand and Dubmission 1 I have never even seen in any music blog for download (unlike 2).

A few years ago I got Dubmission 2 and only last week an old friend gave me the first one, so I’ve made a brand new 320 kbps rip of both CDs + 600 dpi scans of the covers, etc. which will enable you to read the liner notes without the aid of a microscope!

 To make it a bit more complete I’ve added a Pre-Dubmission selection featuring the original vocal tracks.

How to get this 3 Disc Dubmission special?  

Easy peasy! Just answer Koen's question down below in the comments.

Steely Dan guitars on tour

It must have been great to be Steely Dan in their heyday...

 Steely Dan being Steely Dan in their heyday...

They had their pick of the top session musicians, and those studio cats were just queuing up to grab a piece of the Dan action and wow Don and Walt with their playing.

One case in point involves the quest for the perfect guitar solo for the "Aja" album's "Peg". Seven guitarists, including Larry Carlton, Rick Derringer, Elliott Randall, Robben Ford and Walter Becker twice, laid down solos, but it was Jay Graydon who was eventually featured in the final mix. Even then, it took him six hours to nail the solo to Don and Walt's exacting satisfaction, and not until several months later did he discover that it would wind up being used on the album.

Not such a square peg...

...but what happened after that looong 12 year hiatus between "Gaucho" and the Dan's comeback in 1993? 

Well, Don and Walt settled on using an essentially permanent band for both live and studio work and eschewed the use of star session players, although a few lucky ones were called on for the two "new" studio albums. Even though the band would change over the ensuing decades, various players remained through several tour line ups. However, after 30 years, the Dan band is now different to the ensemble which started the comeback with the 1993 tour. I don't think anyone's stayed the course. although I'm more than open to being corrected [Yes, we have the photos,,,Ed].

Despite having the late Walter Becker on guitar - a more than capable player - the touring band has always featured a second guitarist over the years. 

(Apologies for any inaccuracy regarding the timeline here. I've also seen slightly differing credits - including one show with three (!) guitarists -  but I'm following what I think is the correct sequence.)

Drew Zingg was the first guitar recruit and he came to join the Dan band via his involvement with Fagen's "New York Rock & Soul Revue" gigs and the eventual album, which helped kick off Becker and Fagen's return. He's a classy player who can tackle the rockier side of things whilst contributing the required jazzier flavours. Only one solo album from him so far, but it's a good one, if a tad predictable. Well worth a listen, though, if only for the last track.

Drew Zingg with Fagen's "NY Rock & Soul Revue"

Next was Swede Georg Wadenius who was responsible for the dynamite solo (the first one) in "Bodhisattva" on "Alive in America". He's far quirkier than Zingg, as shown in the album I've chosen for this screed - a 1999 collaboration with US keyboard player Doug Katsaros. The more complex chords here help to facilitate Wadenius' extensive harmonic vocabulary and there are some stunning solos. Live with the Dan, Wadenius often scatted along with his lines to great effect.

Wadenius with Steely Dan - hear him scat along with his end solo!

The third second (!) guitarist was Wayne Krantz who'd already made a name for himself playing a very loose style of fusion, usually in a trio format when fronting his own band. His style is far more "out there" than any of the other Dan guitarists - think "Scofield" (not that Sco played with the Dan, just that his style is a good reference point!) rather than "Carlton". He didn't last that long with Don and Walt, but you can hear how effective he was with the Steelies from this video clip. Interestingly, Fagen hired Krantz to play on his solo album, "Morph the Cat" and also tour with his own band during some Dan down time a decade later.

Krantz during the Dan's 1996 Art Crimes Tour

Axeman Number Four is Jon Herington. Fagen was given a copy of his first solo album, "The Complete Rhyming Dictionary", by a mutual friend, Ted Baker, the keyboard player in the Dan band at the time. Fagen liked what he heard and hired him. Herington went on to play on the Dan's two subsequent album releases and tour with the band right up to the present day. He also played on Walter Becker's second solo album, "Circus Money", and Fagen's last two solo albums. It'd be hard to think of a better fit for the Dan than Herington, although I sometimes find his playing a bit on the generic jazz-pop side.

Herington with the Dan last year

When Walter Becker departed this life, his place was eventually taken by Connor Kennedy, who played in Fagen's band The Nightflyers for a couple of years, but he doesn't appear to have played very long with the Dan band. From what I can gather, he didn't last out his first tour with them.

Currently holding down the second guitar spot in the Dan touring band is Adam Rogers who comes from a very distinguished jazz rock background, including a five year tenure with Michael Brecker's band.

So, that's six guitarists. Personally, I find Wadenius and Krantz the most interesting players, as they tend to avoid the usual jazz rock guitar cliches - Wadenius with his ability to forge solos over complex chords (almost be bop style) and Krantz with his freer and spacier approach that allows scope for plenty of dynamics in his solo material, although some people claim that he "overplayed" with the Dan...

One album each from Zingg, Wadenius, Krantz and Herington, so you can judge for yourself. If you look on YouTube, you can also find clips of Kennedy and Rogers with Fagen and Steely Dan.

To get on this tour, answer the stupid question that'll wind up in the comments below.

Jeff Beck 1944 - 2023

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

 

O Lord, as I walk through the valley of the shadow of doubt, at least let me wear a Walkman

ART58Koen takes us back in time... 

Flashback to 1984, traveling overland from the Netherlands to Pakistan and continuing by plane to Sri Lanka, happily (but carefully) snapping away with my little Minox camera, only to receive a letter from my parents much later in Colombo that the last 3 rolls of film I’d sent homewards turned out to be all overexposed… The enormous amounts of dust in the border area of Iran - Pakistan probably screwed up my poor camera, bummer. 

Taking photos had lost its charm completely for a while and when I arrived in Singapore (*) I decided to buy - instead of a new camera - a cool metallic-looking Sony Walkman + a bunch of bootleg cassettes. Music kept me going for a long time, all the way through Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and China.

 

By the time I got home by Trans-Siberian, it didn’t take that long before I started visiting record shops again, talk about addiction…

 
Most of my purchases were on vinyl, but just occasionally I bought an original cassette and one of these was a 1982 EG Records compilation entitled First Edition, which introduced a whole bunch of intriguing new artists/groups to me: Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Jon Hassell, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, etc.  This cassette too often got played on my walkman!

That particular album was never rereleased on CD and doesn’t feature any ‘rarities’, but still holds up pretty well I think. While checking it on https://www.discogs.com/master/77118-Various-First-Edition I found out that there were UK and US editions with some track differences.

In the good old tradition of Willard (anyone remember him?) I decided to compile a digital Deluxe Edition with all tracks.

(*) Singapore airport official: “Are you a hippie?” Me: “No, of course not, why would you say that?”
Singapore airport official: “because you look like one…”

Koen will be along with a question when he's finished untangling a cassette that got chewed up by his Walkman...

Give my compliments...

...to Mr Harvey

By the time Alex Harvey -  once the winner of a "Scotland's Tommy Steele" contest - hooked up with members of the young hard rock band Tear Gas in 1972, he'd already had an 18 year musical career. This included fronting his own soul band, recording an acoustic blues album, holding down a four year gig in London's West End with the "Hair" pit band and forming various bands and releasing sporadic singles and albums in various styles. However, although he'd just about made a living during this time, he'd achieved almost no commercial or critical success. 

Alex in the Soul Band days

All this was about to change - with the exception of Alex himself...

Certainly, things changed for Alex but Alex himself didn't change very much, if at all, bless him. 

All it took for him to finally capitalise on his existing talents was the catalyst of a highly proficient band with a willingness to play a wide variety of material (including many bizarre covers) and a commitment to entertain. It was almost as if he'd been waiting all along for the right band. He still sang uptempo numbers in an often demented manner, played the lounge singer on the slower ones and delivered it all with no effort to disguise his thick Glasgow accent. Moreover, material that he'd played - original or otherwise - with previous backing bands suited the ex-Tear Gas guys just fine and became greatly improved by their involvement. 

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - or SAHB as they're usually known - comprised Alex on vocals and occasional guitar, Zal Cleminson on lead, Chris Glen on bass, and cousins Hugh and Eddie McKenna on keyboards and drums respectively. Visually, things were "interesting" - Alex usually wore his trademark black and white hooped t shirt, with either a pirate tailcoat or a biker jacket, Zal went white face dressed in green and yellow lycra, Chris wore brothel creepers and blue lycra with a huge codpiece, Hugh often sported a kimono and Eddie sometimes wore a bow tie with his shorts held up with braces,. Why they were sometimes called "glam" is a total mystery. They weren't remotely "pretty" and they came across as a motley bunch. 

SAHB

Their live shows were often sheer pantomime, with choreographed moves, props and lots of banter between Alex and the audience. This was also a band that could drop in a surprise cover like "Dance to the Music", "School's Out", "Cheek to Cheek" or "Jumpin' Jack Flash", as well as take liberties with their own repertoire as the situation demanded.

To take one SAHB set staple - the old Leiber & Stoller song "Framed" - this could vary from show to show. The protagonist could be Marlon Brando (as the Godfather), Hitler or Jesus - and, yes, they were all framed. One stand out clip has the band performing the number with Alex stuffing stockings in his cheeks and "doing a Brando" to the bemusement of a stoned Oslo audience.

Framed in Oslo

 Notching up seven studio albums in eight years (with Alex taking a two year break during this period), the band's recording career was quite brief and neither the band nor Alex did very much of note after that. However, their back catalogue is well worth investigating and a good place to start is their first two releases, which reveal how serendipitous their union was.

The debut album, "Framed", showed what happens when a musical dam bursts - in this case, a flood of pent up creativity from Alex. Six out of the nine tracks are either covers or Harvey originals that he'd previously recorded, but they'd never sounded as professional or energised as this. The title track, along with "I Just Want to make Love to You" and "Big Louie" were from his early Soul Band days, whilst the other three - "Hammer Song", "Midnight Moses" and "Hole in Her Stocking" - were from later unsuccessful 1960s album releases. They all sounded fresh, and boasted a blossoming theatricality that would be a hallmark of SAHB performances. The remaining tracks were equally good, featuring a carnally tempted saint, Scottish witchcraft, and Glasgow gang culture - indicative of the wide variety of lyrical subject matter to come in later albums. 

The "difficult" second album, "Next...", is slightly more polished than "Framed", and comes with the track that really made people sit up and take notice of the band - "Faith Healer". The track still sounds powerful today, with its ominous pulsing synth lines and Alex in full sexual/evangelical mood. There were a couple of  covers. Jacques Brel's "Next", which received a cabaret treatment, and "Giddy Up a Ding Dong" which played to Alex' 1950s roots, as it was also once recorded by Tommy Steele. The album also introduced the character of Vambo - a sort of Glasgow streets super antihero who would also crop up on the following album as part of the SAHB mythology. 

Nice moves!

 Although very popular in the UK and Europe, the band never really cracked the States, although they were very big in Cleveland, Ohio. The split, when it came, was acrimonious and, as stated above, no one emerged with any great popularity, although Alex' new band did release a new album - "The Mafia Stole My Guitar", which had a few good tracks.

Alex died in 1982, aged 46, and out of all the rock deaths I've known, his was the most upsetting of all. He was one of life's rebels, although there was always a sense of personal responsibilty behind his advocacy for societal change. As he once put it: "When you get your freedom, don't piss in the water supply" .

There'll never be another.

 SAHB's first two albums were reissued as a "two-fer" and that's what's offered here, with a neat bonus in the form of an epub bio of the band.

Just answer the question that'll eventually land in the comments below and these two slabs of prime SAHB will be yours.

I still miss the guy...