The Troggs - Archeology (1966 - 1976)

I know we make the claim here often that these artists we post were tremendously underrated, criminally overlooked. Well, if you're looking for a felonious (monk) overlooking please refer to The Troggs.

I'm drawn to music that upon first listen confuses me and, maybe, repels me a bit. Can't put the classic finger on what it was about the Troggs that first threw me for a loop and made me suspicious. Maybe it was the variety of textures and sounds coming from a band almost exclusively known for Wild Thing. Well they had much wilder things up the Troggs sleeve. See what I mean with this box set.

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Allmusic.com: A double-CD, 52-track box set that proves there was a lot more to The Troggs than "Wild Thing" and "Love Is All Around." This archetypally primitive British Invasion quartet scored many hits in the U.K. that barely dented the charts in the U.S., like "With A Girl Like You," "Night Of The Long Grass," and the notoriously racy "I Can't Control Myself." They're all here, along with notable album cuts, B-sides, and worldwide post-1968 flops. Primitive they may have been, but The Troggs — who wrote most of their own material — did not lack a flair for hard pop hooks, and could display a surprising delicacy in their ballads. Several of their obscure singles and album tracks are equal in worth to their hits, like the gothic but pretty "Cousin Jane," and the witty light psychedelia of "Maybe the Madman" and "Purple Shades." Some of the '70s hard rockers and glammish novelties are unimpressive, and 52 songs is arguably excessive. But there are a fair number of obscure gems to be found on this well-annotated package.

HEAR DISC 1

HEAR DISC 2

Etta Jones - Fine And Mellow/Save Your Love For Me

Back in 1991 I got the chance to see Ms. Jones at a club in in San Francisco. She didn't disappoint. Among female singers, Jones and Dinah Washington stand out above almost all others for me. Jones can sell a song.

Obviously influenced by Billie Holiday (her imitation of Holiday at the end of Fine and Mellow will send chills down your spine), she sits back on the beat, sometimes til the last moment. Yet she can jump out in front of the beat too, and that is hard to make work. She sings like a horn player, moving her tone off the center, shifting and sliding. Sincerity is her forte, and a sense of humor.

This record (a combination of two albums, one recorded in 80 and the other in 86) comes from the middle-late period of her career, when she had nailed the process, but before age had taken its small toll on her pipes (she adjusted her style slightly as she got older). Her bands are superb, particularly her husband, Houston Person, on saxophone, and pianist Cedar Walton on the Save Your Love album.

Jones died in October of 2001 from complications due to pneumonia. That same day her final recording was released, Etta Jones Sings Lady Day. She was 72.

These are exquisite.

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note: This is Etta Jones, not Etta James. The two are often confused to the detriment of both.

The Equators - Hot

I slipped into my favorite local record store one morning in 1981. I was on the hunt for something that would lift my spirits. The lone employee stood behind the counter reading a magazine and bopping his head to a piece of vinyl that was playing when I came in. He was bopping for good reason. It was getting to me as well. It was muscular, and melodic and damn if it wasn't utterly infectious. "What the hell is that," I asked. The counter guy held up the album cover. "Yeah, this is good," I said and went back to the racks. Song after song got to me until finally I asked, "Got any copies of it?"

"I got five in this morning," he smiled, "I put it on and now I have two left. One's mine. So, yeah, I got one - just one."

I snagged it and played it for most of that week.

I sometimes think those were the only five copies ever sold. It was out of print in a couple of years.

Long a namecheck for hip third-wave ska revivalists, the record developed a cult following as cassette copies - sometimes 3rd and 4th generation - made their way around. In 2002 the band reformed and in conjunction with some of those admiring third wavers actually re-recorded the album. They should have left it alone. The remake was dreadful and utterly self-concious. The original remains the best.

I have loved this record for almost three decades and fully expect my scratchy vinyl will carry me through another 30 years. I defy anyone to listen to it and not feel the groove.

amg:

Besides being one of the forgotten castoffs of the 2 Tone scene, the Equators were also one of the most neglected signings to the "oh so hip in its day" Stiff label. Listening to their music nowadays, one wonders just why they never hit big. Their Hot album seems to have it all, epitomizing the breadth of the early-'80s U.K. scene — ska, reggae, rock, and new wave all rolled into one big, ebullient sound. But back then, most Brits preferred their music pretty pure, and the band was blending too many disparate styles into its sound for comfort. This seems to have worked against them in the 2 Tone scene, where by rights they should have made their home, an all-black counterweight to the all-white Madness. But perhaps their biggest problem was simply that they were just too accomplished for their own good. Keyboardist Rocky Bailey obviously had classical training, and wasn't afraid to showboat it; lead guitarist Dennis Fletcher was proud he learned his licks listening to a blizzard of '70s hard rock; lead vocalist Donald Bailey hankered toward American soul; while guesting trumpeter Dick Hanson apparently studied at the feet of American jazzmen, not Jamaicans. So where were the Equators' true musical roots — Jamaica, the U.K., the U.S., the rock scene, the reggae sound systems, the jazz clubs, the U.K. discos, or beyond? So slick is their sound, it's impossible to tell. Everything is given equal weight in the arrangements: the new wave synths, Leo Bailey's frenetic ska beats and Cleveland Clarke's thumping bass, the searing guitar solos, the soul-styled vocals, the jazzy horns. "Where Did Johnny Go?" exemplifies their approach — it takes its musical inspiration from "Johnny B. Goode" (but served up in rollicking ska fashion), then kicks in the rockabilly guitar solo, then simmers into a long groove before fading into oblivion. The lyrics turn "Goode" on its head, as tough guy Johnny bows out of the competition and bolts for the hills. The infectious "Rescue Me" is even more of a musical smorgasbord, a ska-wave hybrid that stirs in both classical and proggy keyboards, with smooth-as-silk vocals from Fletcher, who takes the lead here. "Age of 5" is a skinhead stomp, but the group can't stop from tinkering, and tosses in smooth, lush sections that would have the skins calling for their heads. "If You Need Me" is a lush synth-love song delivered at a breakneck pace. If the Equators had seemed less sure of themselves, one would have forgiven them these sins, and assumed that next time around they'd sort out a specific style and stick with it. Unfortunately, so evolved was their sound that change seemed unlikely, and the British public rejected them out of hand. In 1981 they were out of step and out of time; a few years later they could have been wowing U.S. college crowds across the nation with their tight and startling hybrid musical style. And so, all that was left of Hot was a pile of ash, and this stunningly original and exciting album disappeared without a trace from the racks. It's so unique that decades later it still sounds fresh. Find it if you can, and try to convince your friends that it's not a hot new band, but rather a 20-plus-year-old dead one.

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Shrimp Boat - Cavale

So much music in the '90s seemed designed as if we all had ADD. It slipped into the brain and then disappeared, rarely holding interest beyond the 45 minutes or so it took to get through one play. It was a wasteland of so much chaff.

This one wasn't chaff. This one remains one of my favorite recordings. This is on my desert island list. This is just so good. It led Sam, and then me, to Sea and Cake. It is magic. It matters like few others. It is also out of print, so...

This one is my gift to you...

amg:

Shrimp Boat's final album is also their best — a brilliantly concise and colorful distillation of the group's myriad influences, Cavale is somehow both unassumingly charming and rigorously complex, a record which by all rights should buckle under the weight of its lofty aspirations but instead seems almost to float in mid-air. While the rootsy rhythms and textures of the previous Duende are still intact, they've also given way to an even greater palette of sonic accents ranging from jazz to Afro-Caribbean to blue-eyed soul, often all in the mix at the same time — from the skittering opener "Pumpkin Lover" to the shimmering pop of "What Do You Think of Love" to the jangling funk of "Free Love Overdrive," no two songs sound even remotely alike, but the album easily hangs together on the strength of the group's complete command of mood and atmosphere. A fittingly great farewell.

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Stiff Records - Various

Stiff was, without a doubt, the quirkiest record label of them all. It picked up the outsiders and the outcasts. It was fearless and damned goofy. It barely made money and any time one of its acts made good a major showed up and whisked them away. Its short history was a potpourri of musical choice, some good and some not, but it made for one hell of a ride.

Any hipster band worth their cred could mine these four discs for covers and put a shine on their act with ease. There's just so much here. Try Wreckless Eric's Whole Wide World, or the power pop of Rachel Sweet - I promise there is something here that will ring your bell.

amg:

Stiff Records was a maverick among British independent record labels, partially responsible for starting the punk and new wave revolution of the late '70s. Under the guidance of house producer Nick Lowe, Stiff turned out an enormous number of seminal punk and new wave singles in their first years, including classic tracks by the Damned, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Adverts, Ian Dury, and Lowe himself. But what really gave the label its wild, original flavor were minor artists like Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric, Tenpole Tudor, the Yachts, Lene Lovich, Rachel Sweet, and Mickey Jupp, who turned out a series of raw pop gems that were everything good rock & roll singles should be — catchy, energetic, and memorable. Over 100 of Stiff's finest tracks are collected on this wonderful four-disc box set. While most of these songs weren't hits, they are classic rock & roll. The first three discs are excellent; the fourth disc contains some bright moments, but by that time, their artists were pretty much spent. However, the box remains one of the most compulsively listenable sets ever assembled, providing the definitive retrospective of arguably the most important and influential British record label of the late '70s.


Disc 1
1. So It Goes - Nick Lowe
2. Heart of the City - Nick Lowe
3. Between the Lines - The Pink Fairies
4. Cincinnati Fatback - Roogalator
5. Styrofoam - Sean Tyla
6. New Rose - The Damned
7. Blank Generation - Richard Hell
8. Stab Your Back - The Damned
9. Less Than Zero - Elvis Costello
10. England's Glory - Max Wall
11. Maybe - Jill Read
12. One Chord Wonders - The Adverts
13. Alison - Elvis Costello
14. Jo Jo Gunne - Dave Edmunds
15. Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
16. Kill - Alberto y los Trios Paranoias
17. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll - Ian Dury
18. Razzle in My Pocket - Ian Dury
19. Suffice to Say - The Yachts
20. Let's Loot the Supermarket Again (Like We Did Last Summer) - Mick Farren
21. Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello
22. My Old Man - Ian Dury
23. Police Car - Larry Wallis
24. Yankee Wheels - Jane Aire
25. Back to Schooldays - Graham Parker

Disc 2
1. I Love My Label - Nick Lowe
2. Marie Provost - Nick Lowe
3. What a Waste! - Ian Dury
4. I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself - Elvis Costello
5. Whoops-A-Daisy - Humphrey Ocean
6. I Think We're Alone Now - Lene Lovich
7. Jocko Homo - Devo
8. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury
9. Semaphore Signals - Wreckless Eric
10. I'll Get by in Pittsburgh - Jona Lewie
11. B-A-B-Y - Rachel Sweet
12. Lucky Number - Lene Lovich
13. Solitary Confinement - Members
14. Frozen Years - The Rumor
15. Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.) - Wreckless Eric
16. They Don't Know - Kirsty MacColl
17. You'll Never Get Me Up in One of Those - Mickey Jupp
18. Who Does Lisa Like? - Rachel Sweet
19. Drive Friendly - Motor Boys Motor
20. Win or Lose - Lew Lewis & Reformer
21. Hop - Theatre of Hate Listen
22. One Step Beyond - Madness
23. Emotional Traffic - The Rumour
24. Inbetweenies - Ian Dury
25. Lucky Seven - Lew Lewis & Reformer

Disc 3
1. My Girl - Madness
2. Israelites - Desmond Dekker
3. Buena - Joe "King" Carrasco
4. Stupefaction - Graham Parker
5. You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties - Jona Lewie
6. Trouble With Love - Any Trouble
7. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted - Dave Stewart
8. Mercury Poisoning [*] - Graham Parker
9. Let Go - Dirty Looks
10. Baggy Trousers - Madness
11. It's My Party - Dave Stewart
12. Green, Green Grass of Home - John Otway
13. Three Bells in a Row - Tenpole Tudor
14. Stop the Cavalry - Jona Lewie
15. Going Left Right - Department S
16. Is Vic There? - Department S
17. If You Need Me - The Equators
18. Wunderbar - Tenpole Tudor
19. Allamana - Desmond Dekker
20. Pretend - Alvin Stardust
21. Loud Music in Cars - Billy Bremner
22. Throwing My Baby Out With the Bathwater - Tenpole Tudor
23. Just One Cornetto - Pookiesnackenburger
24. Who Likes Jazz? - Via Vagabond
25. You Broke My Heart in 17 Places - Tracey Ullman

Disc 4
1. Sign of the Times - Belle Stars
2. Sweet Memory - Belle Stars
3. Language Problems - Electric Guitars
4. Breakaway - Tracey Ullman
5. Like Dust - Passion Puppets
6. Dangerous Dreams - Jakko
7. Destination Lululand (Humdiddlededumhoowahayha) - King Kurt
8. Sick Bed of Cúchulaínn - The Pogues
9. Pick Me Up - Inspirational Choir of the Pentecostal First-Born Church of the Living God
10. Here Is My Number - Makin' Time
11. Dark Streets of London - The Pogues
12. Wild Child - The Untouchables
13. New England - Kirsty MacColl
14. Pretty One - Jamie Rae
15. Free Yourself - The Untouchables
16. Sally MacLennane - The Pogues
17. Brilliant Mind - Furniture
18. Don't Wait Up - Dr. Feelgood
19. Killer Joe (Right Cross) - Tommy Chase
20. Shake Like Judy Says - Furniture
21. Hunting Shooting Fishing - Dr. Feelgood

Hear 1
Hear 2
Hear 3
Hear 4

Iggy Pop - New Values

Not sure what the new values are that are being discussed here. I can guess. Doesn't matter really. This is just an anthem album for not wearing a shirt. rOCK OUT WITH YOUR IGGY OUT.

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AMG: From the time the Stooges first broke onto the music scene in 1967, Iggy Pop was rock's most remarkable one-man freak show, but by the mid-'70s, after the Stooges' messy collapse, Iggy found himself in need of a stable career. The rise of punk rock finally created a context in which Iggy's crash-and-burn theatrics seemed like inspired performance rather than some sort of cry for help, and in 1979, with everyone who was anyone name-checking Iggy as punk's Founding Father, he scored a deal with Arista Records, and New Valuesbecame his first recording since the new rock gained a foothold. These days, New Valuessounds like Iggy Pop's new wave album; while former Stooges associates James Williamsonand Scott Thurston worked on the album, the arrangements were dotted with synthesizer patches and electronic percussion accents that have not stood the test of time well at all, and the mix speaks of a more polite approach than the raw, raging rock of Iggy's best work. But the growth as a songwriter that David Bowie encouraged in Iggy on The Idiot and Lust for Life is very much in evidence here; "Tell Me a Story," "Billy Is a Runaway," and "How Do Ya Fix a Broken Part" are tough, unblinking meditations on Iggy's war with the persona he created for himself, and "I'm Bored" and "Five Foot One" proved rock's first great minimalist still had some worthy metaphors up his sleeve. If New Values wasn't a great Iggy Pop album, it was a very good one, and proved that he had a future without David Bowie's guidance, something that didn't seem so certain at the time.

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