Fela Kuti - Upside Down b/w Go Slow (1976)

originally heard

via durwood's older brother

on a cassette copy...

still got it.

(that took yrs t sink in)

and since, sure

i heard a hella Fela

but man, this riff

it still

stands

out

way out

/there.

funny story: guy walks inna bar t'other night (me)

hears a groove, says to tender, "this be fela, no?"

tender grins largely, says you got this beer on me!

i din't know what the song was, but it was fela...

then he poses a challenge -- hey he says, switching

the tune to another... i just got this one on my ipod

but don't have a title for it (love it tho!): know it?

hilarious to me that it's the one fela i know best

fuck yeah i say, this is upside down. its the best!

he says yeah, its got such a groove and then them

lyrics pound you in the fucking face, ma politico...

thanks, says he. next beer's on me too. mmm.

and m nxt thought? ...why ain't this on the roxx?

Note: This is regarded as ununsual in the Kuti oeuvre

because of the guest vocals by Sandra Ankake Isidore.

She comes in at the 8:27 mark, and her lyrics kick ass.

hear

or here

Liquid Liquid - Liquid Liquid (1981 - 1983)

this blog!

ain't dead!

shk djibouti!

rown-n-roun!

ahem.

like d man say:

liquid liquid

hear!

Dog Faced Hermans "Mental Blocks For All Ages" (1991)

rocky says:
the last time i saw these guys
it was the basement of some SF bar.
we were playing pool, drinking beer.
it was after their last show ever there.
they were giving up the ghost for good.

i didn't understand and was heartbroken.
they were kind enough to invite me along
(on the pretense that i was writing a piece
about them for one of the local rags)
but in reality i was just another startstruck fan
(who still has a half-dozen lovingly recorded
cassette boots in a closet somewhere).

i recall that Gert-Jan lived in our house a few days
and gave me a shirt as recompense, and that
we talked about the international squatters community

(he was in the process of writing a book about it...)

i recall having beers with Andy and Colin;
they were enamored of some Bukka White records
they'd found up at Amoeba, and amazed
that I'd never heard of Bukka White.

They also turned me on to bIG fLAME
and The Honkies (now, where did that CD go?)
and Dawson (gotta get that vinyl ripped!)

oh, and to think this was all fifteen years ago.
The Hermans were always such a sweet spot for me
and I don't think their records have lost an ounce of verve,
a sliver of punch, or a decade-and-a-half of time

~~~

amg saith:

There's something in the accessibly deconstructive sound of the Dog Faced Hermans that's both immediately likeable and long-term gratifying — their combinations of scratchy guitar work, liberal use of horns and other instruments uncommon in rock, and ultra-political vocal rants fall somewhere between very angular neo-punk and the most experimental sides of new wave, but in a fashion that's more likely to engage than distance the listener. Mental Blocks for All Ages' tight performance and groovy, rhythmic construction fit perfectly with the sharpness of their free-form guitar attack and political commentary, recalling everything from the Scissor Girls to the Family Fodder's more aggressive side. The band rampages through compositions so fiercely and effectively that the record lives up to its fractured, deconstructive ambitions. An excellent release.

HEAR

Busted at Oz - Album recorded live at OZ, Chicago, March 9, 10, 11, 1981

Not sure how the sublime punk doc You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk, 1977-1984, escaped me considering I grew up in the exurbs, knew these bands at arm's length or intimately, and was nut-deep in the culture on the tail-end of this doc's date range and beyond.

After being supremely disappointed in the American Hardcore doc my standards are pretty low for a film such as this. But I was really impressed (and i'm a dick!)... except with (surprisingly) Albini who just validated the GodsHonestTruth that he's just an unpleasant (albeit veddy smart) cat. He also demonstrated that there was a real chip on the shoulder of these first wave Chicagowegans and that chip entitled them to blatantly dis one another at the drop of a fedora. The same confirmed for me a lingering belief, the scene not so much existed for the comfort of others but as an arena for sparring and schlong-wagging. Just a notion. And yes it seems Vic Bondi is a sad, frustrated man desperately in need of shrink time (fer reals what 45+ year old man is still publicly threatening a nemesis from 20+ years ago?)

Onward... here's the Busted at Oz comp referenced frequently in the film. It contains some really great moments: The Effigies musically bury all comers; a weird, amateurish Naked Raygun before they became formulaic/boring/male models, a slanted Urinals-like performance by Silver Abuse, Strike Under laying out a template for the sound to come, DA's pre no-wave rusty gothy-dance thing.

Yes, Chicago didn't spawn the best faces of the genre but it's still a nice artifact and worthy of study to see how the Second City handle the explosion and crafted it into a totem of themselves.

Naked Raygun 1. Bomb Shelter 2. When The Screaming Stops Strike Under 3. Fucking Uniforms Subverts 4. March Forth Effigies 5. Quota DA 6. Fish Shit Silver Abuse 7. Anti-Hot Dog 8. Pink Port Now 9. Bomb Shelter Effigies 1. Guns Or Ballots Subverts 2. State of the Union Naked Raygun 3. Paranoia 4. Libido DA 5. The Killer Strike Under 6. Anarchy Song Silver Abuse 7. Jigaboo Jump Recorded live at OZ, Chicago, March 9, 10, 11, 1981 Album concept by: Dem Hopkins Produced by: Timothy R. Powell, the bands, and Autumn Records Recording facilities by: Metro Mobile Engineered by: Timothy R. Powell Mobile crew: John Groppi and George Kapoulas Sound by: Jeff Pezzati Album design by: Ann Brumbach Back cover photo by: Larry L. Logman All other photos by: Matt Prendegast for S.M.P. Studios Special thanks to: Stacy Kmetyz, Gary Burrell, Bobby Vasquez, and Bill Morby ©1981 Autumn Records 2427 N. Janssen Chicago, IL 60614
	Strike Under Chris Bjorklund Steve Bjorklund Bob Furem Pierre Kezdy Subverts Greg Cress Mike Crown Brian Green Steve Ross Effigies Steve Economou John Kezdy Earl Letiecq Paul Zamost
	Naked Raygun Jim Colao Santiago Durango John Lundine Jeff Pezzati Marco Pezzati Silver Abuse Paul Chabala Bob Damrau Camilo Gonzalez Bill Meehan DA Lorna Donley Dawn Fisher Gaylene Goudreau David Thomas The license at this premise has been SUSPENDED By Order of the City of Chicago RICHARD J. DALEY, Mayor

HEAR

Gunhill Road - Gunhill Road

I had never heard "Back When My Hair Was Short" despite my advanced age. This morning it rolled out of my radio and I immediately assumed it was something recent, perhaps from Sloan.

Gunhill Road was a trio of popsters whose second album in 1972 was produced by Kenny Rogers. It included their only hit.

The song has a mildly subversive element to it and is pretty clever. I did some hunting around and discovered that it was once much more subversive, but was re-recorded with different (and more radio friendly) lyrics because in 1973 Mercury wanted to put it out as a single. Once it became a hit they re-pressed the lp and pulled the existing versions. Very rare indeed, and despite my efforts I was unable to come up with one of the original pressings.

The original lyrics were:

Back when my hair was short
I was a white sock sport,
Only beer parties till three.
College appealed to me,
eastern philosophy
Feeding my mind.
LSD, THC, STP

I was into a heavy scene,
reading screw magazines,
Seeing three concerts a week
An honest to god hippie freak,
too busy eating to speak

Except about Love
I knew all kinds of Love,
Love of a man for his brother,
And love to rip off one another,
while screaming right on!

Back when my hair was short
before I'd been to court,
for selling dope to some kids,
Only a couple of lids,
they stood around and made bids

And talked about Love,
they were experts on Love,
Love of a man for his vision,
and Love to make no real decisions
when they're called upon

Soon when my hair is short
I'll make a full report,
Of how I came back alive,
And what it takes to survive,
wringing the truth out of jive

I'll tell you of Love,
I knew all kinds of Love,
Love of a man for his neighbor,
and Love to put nails in your savior,
then cry when he's gone.

If anyone can find the 72 pressing let us know. In the meantime, satisfy yourself with this version. The rest of the LP is interesting and, though not nearly as blatantly undermining as the hit, still maintains a sense of mischief. Try She Made A Man Out Of Me.

Hear