Happy Holidays

hello all-

Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful holiday and have fun :)

love,
sickb(oy)

personal johnny christmas cash collection

Johnny Cash Personal Christmas Collection

Every artist relishes the opportunity to record an album made up entirely of songs that they've loved listening to over the years. Johnny Cash, whose own songs probably land on plenty of other folks' wish list, is no exception--and this charming holiday set sees him treat his favorites with reverence even as he adds his own stamp. There are plenty of venerable carols here, but Cash really hits home on the less-aired ones (like "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"), as well as more personal songs, such as "Christmas with You," a duet with wife June Carter. --David Sprague

The songs you'd expect Johnny to sing on a Christmas album, a delightful listen :)

(buy)

Whiskey on a Tuesday

I keep thinking it's Wednesday. I kinda wish it were, then I'd have studied for my last final and I'd be one day closer to going back to California where it is 60 degrees. It actually hasn't been cold in New York this year the way it was last year, so I'm thankful. But ready to go home and sleep.

Here's the repost of Whiskey on a Sunday, hope the lovely individual who requested it still has use for it, sorry it took so long!

Whiskey on a Sunday - Flogging Molly

And some linkssesess-
Head on over to TWILIGHTZONE! for the Cramps n Stray Cats.
Hangover Heart Attack has a very fun album up - the Radicts' Rebel Sound.

If you are near a poor Tower Records the CDs are all $5 or less. I checked out the Lincoln Center one, hard pressed to find any good CDs or DVDs left, but they are also selling all their posters, so got some Christmas shopping done over there :) Nice big posters. And lots of movies nobody's every heard of.

I'm glad people/person liked the Vandals post (thanks for the comment, festive indeed :) !). I'll be putting up another Christmas album soon.

Oi the World!

Let's get these Christmas posts started.

Oi to the World! - the Vandals

"the turkey might have made the children vomit the tree burned down and torched up all of our gifts but i will grin and bear it and this nightmare we will share it till i get my only wish- it's nothing's going to ruin my holiday no act of god or family fight cuz if you try to ruin my holiday i swear you will regret it for the rest of your fucking life"

And for more festivity, check out Gimmie Back My Head's advent calendar, Regnyouth's holiday category, and all the other kids posting Christmas music via totally fuzzy.

Aluminium

Hmm, so it's 230 am here, and there's this place near where I live called Tom's Restaurant, and every time I eat there, I get sick, which is what happened tonight. I really do try to avoid the place and the food isn't even good, but that's what happens when your friend asks, "Where do you want to eat?" and you say "I don't care" and it's 20 F out and Tom's is the first thing you come across. Basically, don't go to Tom's if you're in New York City. Booo Tom's and all that and so here I am. But I do want to recommend Aluminium and to encourage you to dash over to Musikdesire and grab it. Crazy and fun and excellent. I'm listening to it right now while writing a paper and it's fantastic.

Gimmie Back My Head: The Clash - Clash On Broadway

All three discs! Jim rocks! Go go go!

Gimmie Back My Head: The Clash - Clash On Broadway

and if you're looking for some Christmas music, grab some Bing n Dean n Glenn from LoungeTracks :)

Rat Patrol Disc 2!

So an anonymous saint at some point made the following comment, and I just saw it-

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post, for Disc 2 go here:
http://www.clashcity.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=11580

9:55 AM

I recommend the Megaupload link on the 2nd page. And thank you so much to the fabulous individual who posted the link- and sorry, everyone, for just noticing it. Good thing I'm avoiding hittin the books and saw it! Also, if you made a comment way back when and I never attended to it, and you'd still like it to get attention, please repost it at the latest post. Even if you're just gonna yell at me for touching temples at the Met :)

And I'll try to get Whiskey On A Sunday up again by the weekend. Again, sorry I didn't see the comment/req!

An Asch Load of Woody Guthrie

No, I can't believe it either.

So, some nice people at a Radiohead? forum posted The Asch Recordings: Woody Guthrie. Unfortunately, Vol 4's link isn't working anymore, which is incredibly disappointing.

Each CD in this set has a different emphasis, and together they are a powerful statement about Woody Guthrie the man and Moses Asch the producer. They are also the richest and most representative set of Woody Guthrie recordings ever assembled -- carefully selected, lovingly remastered, and richly annotated by Jeff Place and Guy Logsdon. VOLUME 1 presents many of what have become Guthrie's best-known songs; VOLUME 2 is a selection of the more traditional folk music repertory Guthrie had learned and made his own over the years; VOLUME 3 is selected from the enormous number of songs he wrote about current events; and VOLUME 4 presents songs about cowboys, outlaws and other western themes.

More information can be found at the source of the above quote, located here, from the Woody Guthrie foundation.

The Asch Recordings, Vol 1-3
Buy

**Anybody have Vol 4?

9

This was requested a little bit back.

Damien Rice - 9

III

Oh man, I had a whole post and then it went away. . . Also, I hope everybody's holiday (if applicable, and if not, at least the weekend) was fun, back to the working week I'm afraid. I went to Texas and now I have a cold, but it's all good :)

'Kay- So- since we've got Hank Sr down there and Jr over at the wonderful Gimmie Back My Head. . . here's some Hank Williams III with Lovesick Broke & Driftin.

Right here!

Definitely a different sound from Jr, more of a return to Sr, if only because III sounds uncannily like his grandfather.

While the third-generation rebel strives mightily to find his own sound by wedding the spooky, old-style country blues and dark themes of his grandfather (Hank Sr.) to the Southern rock and boogie of his dad (Hank Jr.), at times he's guilty of trying too hard to buck Nashville ("Trashville") and re-create the misery of the Williams family tradition. Song after song packs danger and despair between the lines, in drinking to kill the pain, in wallowing in depression, in walking the "low road" of life. That said, III knows how to conjure a gutbucket rhythm ("7 Months and 39 Days") as well as a mournful tearjerker ("5 Shots of Whiskey"), and his touring band keeps things spare, raw, and honkin'. Not everything comes together, but there's no doubting this is a fascinating snapshot of a magical performer struggling to make his own legend. (amazon.com review)

Hank Williams

You're about to read something sad- this is the only Hank I've got on my computer, so donations will be enthusiastically and gratefully greeted :)

Here are nine outstanding tracks from the man himself. Fantastic songs, wonderful if brief collection, this is one of the first albums I remember hearing. . . I think. . .

The Hits - Vol 1

1. Hey, Good Lookin'
2. Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
3. Move It on Over
4. Long Gone Lonesome Blues
5. Settin' the Woods on Fire
6. Honky Tonk Blues
7. Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do)?
8. I Saw the Light
9. Lovesick Blues

Buy it (used for 2$).

Many thanks for C for sending this too me.

For those it applies to, have a fantastic holiday. I'm off to Texas for bbq.

Ocarina of Time - Hyrule Symphony

Ok, first, I am not buying a Nintendo Wii. As if that will help my image now that I'm posting this :)

My friend gave this to me yesterday, and it's great listening for writing a paper to, except that it makes you want to play Ocarina of Time. This album runs through Koji Kondo's major Ocarina themes (Kokiri Forest, Lon Lon Ranch, Title Screen, Hyrule Castle, Hyrule Field, Gerudo Valley, others), but now it's in an orchestration from the Hyrule Symphony. This will probably only appeal to those geeky Zelda fans, but I can catiously recommend it to people who are still going Ocarina whaaa-? just cos it's pretty.

Because the pieces are closely based on the original scoring, there isn't much drama or story to the songs- keep in mind that these are background themes that are played over and over as long as you are stuck in one location. Still, the music is lovely, and the easily recognizable themes are set into full, though simple, pieces.
Review

Link
ha hah. ok, we're stopping that right now.
Tracklist in comments.

Cats Not Dogs

Described as "heavily influenced by punk music, the stooges particularily." Check out their myspace and homepage and then grab some of their music! Fun swagger to their music, Stooges influence definitely present.

20th Century Masters (newest EP)

Trade Secrets Demo EP

(I can post them as one upload, if anybody wants.)

If you find that you're really liking the music, they request that you- "Pass this on to anyone you think would like it. burn thousands of copies if you want. GIVE IT AWAY."

Official Bio reads:

Piss and vinegar rock and roll out of Madison, Wisconsin. It will burn the skin off your face. We have shared stages with Metric, The Kills, Los Straitjackets, The Shocker, The Paybacks, The Fever, The Bamboo Kids, The Heroin Sheiks, Rockit Girl, The Impossible Shapes, and too many other amazing bands for us to count. Our influences include but are not limited to: urinary tract infections, cigarette butts, greyhound racing, sickle-cell anemia, and anything else that will piss off the comfortable living style of Americans. The scene in Madison is dead, we like it that way, because it makes us look better. We have toured the Midwest more times than we say "the" in this bio. We have toured the East Coast twice with incredible crowd response and sales. Slept in our van too many nights to count. Last June we rocked the North by North-East Festival in Toronto, Canada. Got hassled by the man at the border, slept in the van some more, made some "friends" and then we got the hell out of dodge. We have independently released three records: two EPs and an LP. Our LP is played on radio everywhere. We are the real deal. Soon we will have to run a re-press and re-stock of our newly released EP, 20th Century Masters because they sell faster than your favorite record. Rock N Roll is not dead, it's just hibernating in a nice warm placental sac.

He's the - he's the dopest trip

"He asked for a 13 but they drew a 31"

Here's the Offspring's Greatest Hits. I ended up with the album the other day after one of those fun night where we all were looking for/lisnin to/singin along to music from back in the day. . . Maybe there's something to be said in that they were one of those bands you really liked in high school, and now there's a nostalgia element, but listening to it now-- truly enjoyable music :p I was going to say something like "Remember the Offspring?" but I guess they're still putting out music- now I feel bad. But you know how it is. Have fun with this one :)

It's of course a crime that "Bad Habit" isn't on here.

[edit] Grab "Bad Habit" here!

Reqs

Okaay kids. Filling out some reqs.

First, some John Lee Hooker is posted up at 360Grauss. I'll put the link/pw below because you have to scroll through a fairly lengthy post, but make sure to go visit the blog, because it has a lot of great stuff, including a ton of other blues recordings. Unfortunately, the tracks are all unlabeled. I think it's this album, but I'll see what I can do about all that. Zip, Badongo.

Link; Link para download>OBS: Usar senha: 360grauss.blogspot.com

I'll get some PiL up in the next week, for now, you can still head over to PunchDrunk for lots of PiL, looks like the links were re-upped.

And, from my sister-- "can you (or anyone else) think of a song that is scornful of love. I have a dumb PowPow/BP assignment that I am really stoked about-- make a soundtrack for the whinny Chaucer poem Troilus and Crysede... any suggestions would be appreciated"

(PowPow/BP is the name of the teacher of the class. Ha ha. I hadn't heard that first part before.)

Toy Dolls

So hop on over here for a ton of music- including tons of live Clash (some dead links, I'll try to sort through them) and more Vandals than you can shake a stick at.

And grab the best of the Toy Dolls, which will be my specific recommendation for this Tuesday. Even though it totally doesn't have the asthma song on it. . .

The Best of the Toy Dolls

Happy Halloween!

Browse around and you'll find lots of festive posts today- including over at Gimmie Back My Head.

Get some Misfits from detectiefvanzwam.

And definitely definitely get this little broadcast- Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater's War of the Worlds. Find out about the broadcast here.

Have a safe holiday! But most of all have fun :)

Misc!

This is just a quick link round up to let you know I'm still alive and will be even more so when midterms are over :p

Grab yer beautiful selves some Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards (Viking and s/t) from Suburban Terror.

And then some "Townes motherfuckin Van Zandt" (as the guy who introduced him to me put it) from Blood on the Tracks.

Cagey Tigers

Reposting the Cure's Greatest Hits, thanks to Caitlin for uploading it :)

Greatest Hits!

And then, we have Shakira, thanks to Jim because for him, it isn't a guilty pleasure :p

Fijacion Oral, Vol 1

OK Oh No Go

Some Ok Go for what is a rainy day over here. Enjoy!

Oh No

Der Likedeeler: Mando Diao - Ode To Ochrasy

The fabulous Der Likedeeler has posted the newest Mando Diao album!

Der Likedeeler: Mando Diao - Ode To Ochrasy

Don't forget to thank the kids over there :)

Blanche

Finally got my ass in gear, made a new post, and then my browser shut down! But I'm a trooper-so here we go again-

If We Can't Trust the Doctors

Blanche ("Gothic indie-country-folk medicine show revivalists") plays haunting, melancholy, gorgeous Americana. NME calls the album "a strange and beautiful delight" and Vanity Fair labeled it "sparkling, elegant, and smart." If the Cure ran smack into Townes Van Zandt, is what I'm thinking right now. You probably saw frontman Dan John Miller in Walk the Line as Luther Perkins, with his wife Tracee as Perkin's wife Birdie. Little Jack Lawrence (the Raconteurs, the Greenhornes) recently joined the band, and Jack White, who was in a band with Miller, appears on track 8.

It's a collection of near-spooky gothic country-blues, dirges for sanity and laments for optimism wrapped in reverb, banjos, autoharp, pedal steel, and dank Poe atmospherics. Led X-ishly by the husband and wife duo of Dan and Tracee Mae Miller, Blanche plays old-timey Midwestern twang with one foot in authenticity and the other in well-versed satire.

If you like it, buy it! And check out the new EP in October and the new album early next year (nowhere near soon enough). I hope they swing by NY, would love to catch them live.

And grab all the PiL you'll need at PunchDrunk! And Direction Reaction Creation (5 discs of the Jam) from All Night Thing!

Joe Strummer!

From the fabulous Jim and his new layout/blog--

Gimmie Back My Head: Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Rock Art & The X-Ray

Grab it! Say "thanks" to Jim!

Also grab the Slackers from You & Me on a Jamboree!

Social D!

Go get yourself lots of great Social D boots/rarities from Hangover Heart Attack, including a concert from Germany, promos/demos, EPs- also get the Supersuckers while you're at it.

Here's my current guilty pleasure :)

My Head!

I haven't been online recently, so I finally went on today and found out that it had really happened- but, we've got Gimmie Back My Head, so don't be too sad. Go visit Jim's new project!!

Ta Dah

Here are a few links to the new Scissor Sisters album, it may be that not all of them will be working by the end of the day-

Rapidshare, Rar dead

Rapidshare, Zip

http://www.load.to/

The Clash En Español

So if you're disappointed with the list that Jim was kind enough to post, here's a different Clash tribute. Because I'm an idiot and didn't take Spanish in high school (I said, I live in SoCal, I can learn it any time, I'll take French now, cos I'm an idiot.), I can't say whether it's more enjoyable if you understand all the words. Naturally, you can make a lot of it out since you already know the lyrics. . . it's fun, and it comes with the original Clash versions, for comparison. All-in-all, not a bad listen, and probably even better if this your kind of thing. It's all very true to the original version. Enjoy!

Thanks to the outstanding individual who uploaded it in the first place!

Clash Tribute En Español.

Janie Jones from Pete and Carl

-who got back together for the time it takes to record Janie Jones. Grab it from the Rock Snob, here.

From strummerville.com-

Janie Jones Single to Raise Strummerville Funds
05/09/2006
Pete Doherty and Carl Barat are just a few of the artists currently working on a cover of the Clash's "Janie Jones" for release later this year. More details will be forthcoming about other artists who are also participating in this project which is intended to raise funds for our charity.

I don't know if I like it-- it lacks energy? It's like. . . let's make a tribute. . . to the, uh, Clash. . . we love them. . . so much. . . Sorry, I'm just sick of Pete Doherty/his antics, so now it's rubbing off on everything he does music-wise, which isn't fair. That's a cute picture though :) I'm excited to see who the other artists are.

Brian Setzer x2

I've been inspired to post some Brian Setzer, since the wonderful TWILIGHTZONE! has got up Brian Setzer's "Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy" (and don't forget to tell him thank you!).

And if you like what you hear, pick up The Dirty Boogie from the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Bring Me The Heads: The Pogues & Joe Strummer - Live, Dublin, 16.12.1991

-and some math.
Probably a bad picture to accompany the link, since you'll be getting the Pogues without Shane, but it's such a fun picture I can't help it.

Sprint on over to Jim's blog and get yourself some live Joe and the Pogues. No Shane, but, as Jim says, it's "splendid" :)

Bring Me The Heads: The Pogues & Joe Strummer - Live, Dublin, 16.12.1991


Also, if you want info on the last post, check out entirety of the fabulous Chairman Ralph's comment

Other highlights include Mick's acoustic guitar work on "English Civil War" (which is pretty easy to pick out against Joe's choppy rhythmic style), and "Jail Guitar Doors," and "Koka Kola," among the tightest, tautest versions I've ever heard...while "Armagideon Time" is starting to take its own identity in the set (thanks to Mickey Gallagher's swirling organ rolls, and Topper's rhythmic flourishes: he understood dub like few other drummers did, before or since).

One other feature to bear in mind: of the 22 songs, six are from LONDON CALLING, an album that wouldn't appear for another three or four months (December '79/January '80, UK/US versions, respectively)...can you imagine a major band devoting nearly a third of its set to songs nobody had heard yet? Food for thought, but nobody had a problem hearing 'em on that night...because the Clash were moving forward, simple as that. 'Nuff said.

No Leafs or Thieves

Hey guys. Sorry that took so long. I labeled the tracks in iTunes, but it doesn't appear on the file name. If you stick them in iTunes or Windows Media Player, they're labeled. I'm not sure why that happened.

No Leafs of Thieves

Also, grab 12 Hits from Hell from Open Your Arms and Welcome, if you haven't got it yet. He's also got up two Gogol Bordello albums.

The Clash - No Leafs or Thieves (Toronto 1979)

Thanks to the always fantastic Regnyouth for posting the link.

Part I
& Part II
edit: If you can sit tight til tomorrow, I'll post the live Clash in one file with tracks labeled.


Also from Regnyouth, grab Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' The Boatman's Call [sendspace, zip]

Mozzzers

Spent all week trying to buy a mini fridge, my gosh. Finally got it and it had cat hair inside of it. But it works fine :p I'm a lazy lazy fuck and I haven't gotten my external HD plugged in, but when I do (I know, it takes all of two minutes) I'll put up some stuff from the La's.

As per usual, I can't find anyone to go to the Social D show with me (it really is an West Coast thing, I guess). Probably won't go this year, but I'm listening to Live at the Roxy now (moved in last Saturday and I just finished setting up my audio system) and it's making me want to go.

Anyway, grab some Morrissey from Ape Shall Never Kill Ape- he's got an EP from Japan up, as well as Viva Hate.

And- since I've been passing the link around to the Seu Jorge/David Bowie/Life Aquatic people I know, I had better post it here (and because I'm the unofficial PR person). Go grab The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions from Bring Me the Heads.

Check out Chairman Ralph's thoughts on LRW and live shows.

the Cure

Hey guys. I'm back at school, so posting will be more frequent. Summer's over, so back to work.

Here's Greatest Hits from the Cure. I didn't get a chance to rip it before I moved back cos I was distracted by the packing and Robert Smith's hair, so my lovely little sister uploaded itand sent it to me and kindly agreed to sharing the link. We've been listening to it in the car all summer. If you don't have it, you can grab it or buy it here. Enjoy!

The Cure - Greatest Hits

Mr Strummer

Go grab Streetcore courtesy of Serial Slingshot- it's Joe's birthday!

Idlewild

I'm excited about the movie. Can't tell you how good the soundtrack is, reception seems lukewarm.

Here are two links, with thanks/credit to the original uploaders who I think are hanging out at a Radiohead board (?) :

Link 1
or
Link 2

Sleeping Beauty soundtrack

Thanks to all this talk of Disney (all three lines), I'm going to post the soundtrack to Sleeping Beauty, which is my favorite Disney princess movie. And it's got the best prince and villain. Ha ha.

It's a lush and gorgeous orchestration from George Bruns, who worked off of Tchaikovsky's ballet score. Mary Costa sings the parts of Aurora. It's classic Disney, really very lovely.

Two decades after releasing the world's first soundtrack recording with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney achieved another milestone by releasing Sleeping Beauty, the world's first stereo soundtrack album. Nominated for an Oscar in 1959, George Bruns's lilting orchestral score was adapted from the Tchaikovsky ballet and recorded in Germany, where the most state-of-the-art recording equipment could be found. (Disney spared no expense on the tale of Aurora and Maleficent--it cost a then-unheard-of $6 million to make the film.) Featuring Mary Costa's ethereal vocals on "Once upon a Dream" and "I Wonder," Sleeping Beauty's combination of songs and score set a standard that soundtrack releases would follow for decades to come. --Bill Forman

I'll be using Megaupload again because Rapidshare has been taking forever to upload. . .

Sleeping Beauty Soundtrack!

Bops Babes Booze & Bovver

Nips 'n' Nipple Erectors - "The inimitable Shane MacGowan's debut recordings made for Soho Records when he was a punk rockabilly. Also featuring future Men They Couldn't Hang bassist Shanne Bradley" (product description).

The rockabilly and R&B influenced Nipple Erectors (they had to change from that charming name to the more public-friendly the Nips), lead by Shane MacGowan, released a batch of singles under both names.

The next couple of years saw a change in the band line up and two more singles were released as well as a live recorded LP "Only the end of the Beginning" (1980). According to the "Bops, Babes, Booze and Bovver" record folder, the line up had changed from Roger Towndrow to Gavin Dougles (guiter) and from Gerry Mcllduff to a guy named Grinny (drums). In addition to their live LP from 1980, they released yet another single, "Gabrielle" w/ B-side "Vengeance" on Chiswik Records. "Gabrielle" was sort of a poppier love ballad which wasn't all that bad but it didn't make it to the top of the charts like the band had hoped for. The B-side, "Vengeance" on the other hand was sort of a "You screwed my girlfriend, so I'm gonna break your head" type of song. Their last single "Happy Song" w/ B-side "Nobody" to Love" was released in 1981 on Test Pressing Records and was produced by the well known singer of the "Jam" Paul Weller (source).

Gabrielle is a beautiful song, King of the Bop lotsa fun. It's a different Shane, if you will, but it's still Shane, and a great listen all around.

Here

Also, go grab some live Latino Rockabilly War from Silence (is a rhythm, too). Heading that post is one of my favorite pictures of Joe :p

And- more Havana 3am goodness from Chairman Ralph. The four lost songs sound fantastic. I like the sound of this one- "'You Can Win,' a straight-up rockabilly anthem that didn't make it to record, but was played live regularly (the chorus starts with 'Wash your face, grease your hair,' what other instructions do you need?)" "Wash your face, grease your hair"- love it!
And for some words of wisdom about age which helped me out and a reminder that Paul is doing some new stuff with Damon Albarn. Can't wait to see how that turns out!

And for to hear punk/hardcore from Belgium and Sweden and the US, check out xrevolutionx. Some interesting looking stuff up there! And go look at Jim's guilty pleasures.

Cutest album cover ever

Whiskey on a Sunday

I really can't get over how cute this kid is. I also can't figure out if it's Dave King. . . Fans have probably already run out to buy this release- it includes a DVD documentary, a new studio track, and lots of live/acoustic favorites. Which further reinforces that I need to see these guys once they come to New York and aren't playing at a fancy, technologically advanced venue that requires real, scannable IDs for the show. Or aren't playing in New Jersey. Tracklist-

1. Laura (4:15)
2. Drunken Lullabies (acoustic) (4:55)
3. The Wanderlust (acoustic) (3:37)
4. Another Bag of Bricks (acoustic) (4:05)
5. Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon (acoustic) (3:39)
6. The Likes of You Again (live) (4:08)
7. Swagger (live) (2:14)
8. Black Friday Rule (live) (11:57)
9. Within a Mile of Home (live) (4:34)
10. What's Left of the Flag (live) (4:13)

Havana 3am
Also, check out some great anecdotes and insight from the fabulous Chairman Ralph in the Havana 3 am post. My favorite part is-

Once I'd got past asking him [Paul] the standard stuff ("When ya comin' to the States, Paul, 'cause we really need ya there?" "When we can afford it!"), I moved to bigger game (in the spirit of one bass player to another): "Paul, what are the chords to 'Red Angel Dragnet?'" Paul scratched his head, and laughed: "Oh, God, I dunno...I forgot." Pause. "If I sat down, I could probably work it out..."

I hope I didn't give the impression that I don't like the album, though. I probably should have included a review that didn't depend on Clash comparisons. As Chairman Ralph points out--

Looking back now, it seems that some writers had trouble getting past what I call the "resume" aspect of the band (y'know, "ex-this, ex-that")...but I don't remember the audiences having a problem with it (which is what counts, when you're up there playing).

Of course, now I'm incredibly envious of those who did get to see them. I'm afraid I came a little too late in the game, not to date myself or anything. . . :p Oh well. Off to see Talladega nights.

Havana 3am

First, because I'm not over it yet, go get Earthquake Weather, provided by the fantastic Jim of Bring Me the Heads. If you're going Earthquake What- isn't it that thing that. . . ?, check out a great review courtesy of Chairman Ralph in the last post- he says-

I always felt Earthquake Weather got unfairly shrifted at the time, because Joe hadn't been out too long from under the shadow of the Clash...and the mood seemed punitive towards him, for the way the group had broken up. . . I've always liked the more straightforward songs --"Gangsterville," "King Of The Bayou," and "Shouting Street." On the more obscure tracks (such as "Highway One Zero Street"), I think he felt like he was "giving the people what they want," so to speak. However, "Leopardskin Limousines" and "Sleepwalk". . . are two of Joe's finest ballads.

So today we have- Havana 3am, Paul Simonon's post-Clash project. Product description has the album as the "1991 debut for rootsy alternative rock act formed by ex-Clash bass player Paul Simonon, conjuring up a blend of Latino flavoring built on a solid base of rockabilly."

The self-titled effort by Paul Simonon's band is not much like the Clash, and also not nearly as memorable as the Clash. Actually, Simonon is just one of the team, the material written in collaboration with Gary Myrick and Nigel Dixon, with the lead vocals taken by Dixon. As the title might lead you to believe, they do integrate a good amount of Latin influences, though it's not dominant. The guitars often have a rockabilly twang, and the vocals have a muted sense of anthemic urgency. The Clash influence does become obvious when they get into their occasional, slightly reggae-ish beats. There's a lot going on here in terms of rockabilly, Latin, spaghetti Western, and straightforward new wave rock influences mingling (Unterberger allmusic).

I think good listening will mean forgetting the Clash (you can get your fill of them with the 3 disc Clash on Broadway at tHe SkY iS sO bLuE) and enjoying the show. Though if you want to see criminally good looking Paul, you can find some live Havana 3am at Youtube :p Band info can be found here.

Havana 3am - Havana 3am

We got us some Earthquake Weather!

You can't see it but there is a huge, ridiculous smile on my face- after a long long time of my looking for this and staring in extreme confusion at that bittorent thingy- Earthquake Weather, courtesy of the endlessly amazing Jim over at Bring Me the Heads. And from my position as a Strummer-lover and as Bring Me the Heads' unofficial PR person, I say: get thee to Bring Me the Heads right now and grab it! ("Ha gitalong gitalong"- ha ha) And don't forget to let him know your appreciation.

Bring Me the Heads: Earthquake Weather!

Joe Strummer @Regnyouth

Hello. I'm back, had a great time. Saw a billion bison and elk and Mormons and even saw a moose. Blah blah blah my brain is fried.

I promised some Joe Strummer, and Regnyouth beat me to it, so go grab Global A-Go-Go right now.

In the direction of post-Clash projects, I'll get some Havana 3am up before the end of the coming week.

I sorta kinda found Earthquake Weather but I don't know what to do now- if anyone knows how to use this and is able to download it, please please let me know how what to do whatever it is you do with these things or perhaps upload it? :)
http://www.mybittorrent.com/music/bittorrent_219771_files.html

Sounding a Mosaic

I'm roadtripping up to Yellowstone for the next two weeks, so I'll be leaving you with one of my new favorite albums, Bedouin Soundclash's Sounding a Mosaic. Bedouin Soundclash is a reggae-rock outfit from Canada and their second album has been re-released on our favorite SideOneDummy. Buy it here.

Listening to Sounding a Mosaic, however, it's clear that the album's heart lies not in rock 'n' roll, but in reggae. While a slew of other über-hip rock and pop acts dabble in reggae (mostly a bastardized version of ska, which has long since died in its Jamaican homeland), Bedouin Soundclash sounds more like a reggae act dabbling in rock. Not only do they maintain a traditional reggae "stylee" for about 10 of the 15 tracks here, but they also imbue their music with a genuine soulful edge that's lacking in many modern ska hipsters.

From the opening track, the band's vibrant sound reveals a deep appreciation for reggae's roots. "When the Night Feels My Song" is a rollicking good time with a joyous melody that evokes early Jimmy Cliff as performed by Paul Simon. You simply don't hear this type of music much anymore: a frisky, strumming ska anthem that's reason alone to celebrate this album. Not stopping there, though, Bedouin Soundclash manages to follow it up with another ska-rific tune, "Shelter", which melds the Jamaican flavor with a bold '70s funk/rock attitude.

The ease with which the band moves through these sounds is indicative not only of the members' varied upbringings, but also the production of Darryl Jenifer, who had years of experience melding reggae with rock as bassist for the groundbreaking Bad Brains (source).

***Link in comments.

Also- Pirates of the Caribbean. They made Keira Knightley's character much more likeable, made Orlando Bloom less likeable and a lot more boring, brought back my favorite-Norrington :)- and now have Hans Zimmer doing the music instead of poor Klaus so at least there's *almost* an excuse for the music sounding exactly like Gladiator. All thing considered, the movie was at least fun, if long. The two big things at the end (involving two captains- don't want to give anything away) are both predictable, one in that we know what's coming and two in that we already know they've filmed most of the third film so of course so-and-so is going to happen. But it's great fun and good summer watching. If you liked the first you're most likely going to at least enjoy this one.

V

American V: A Hundred Highways

Buy it here.

Replacements and the still missing password

Hi guys!

Thanks for everyone who has kept commenting, especially on the Ellen Foley post. Really great thoughts on the album! I know I've been bad about posting, but I'll get a few albums up before I leave for vacation. And I'm still looking for Earthquake Weather, sot it will come up as soon as I get my hands on it :)

A long time ago, I posted a Replacements live album and it was recently brought to my attention that I never posted the password. Now I can't find the password. Sorry to everyone who downloaded the file and wasn't able to open it. I can't even find my file- I'm wondering if I even downloaded or opened it. . . so, wanted to say sorry. Hopefully to make up for it I can direct you to some other live Replacements, which you can find at rbally's, which says that it is from "live somewhere, at some time, from a bootleg named Hanging It Up." So, again, really sorry about the confusion. I'll keep looking for a pass (though it seems a little late) or my own file so I can repost it.

Also, grab some comps from Back On the Road. Grab the Clash one. He's also got up the Towers of London album. . . I don't know much about them, but they opened for the Pogues and were fairly awful and the crowd hated them. Especially because, I think, we were getting bored and the singer was trying to be Johnny Rotten and their hair was all so awful. Which of course means they might have been good but we weren't letting them be good. I might give them a try, but I'm not feeling optimistic.

And for those it's applicable to, have a great long weekend and fourth of July!

Dirk Wears White Sox

This was recommended to me a few posts ago-- thanks Carl! It's a great record, so grab it-- Dirk Wears White Sox - Adam and the Ants.

Original released in 1979 on Do It Records, Dirk Wears White Sox was the debut album release from Adam and the Ants and has long remained a fan favourite. In the early 1980s the rights to Dirk were acquired from Do It Records by CBS and the album has seen several re-releases over the years with tracks removed from the running order and re-recorded versions added. This expanded edition brings all of the tracks from the Do It Record's era, in their various versions together to create, for the first time, the definitive version of Dirk Wears White Sox (xxx).

Also, check out the "Stand and Deliver" vid over at Pitchfork's little video list (it's on page 1, 2nd from top) and then hop over to page 9 for the Morrissey bike tour of Manchester. You can only go if you look like him.

Rapidshare has been really slow, but I think that might be my connection? Either way, posts should be picking up again until early July, and then I'll be roadtripping for a bit, then I'll be back. And posts will be back to normal frequency when the school year starts. Thanks to whoever has kept checking back :)

Aand- grab some Biff Bang Pow! from TWILIGHTZONE! Very nice summer listening. I'll try to get some Joe Strummer up soon. Earthquake Weather was requested, so I'm trying to get that, but I've only found it on bittorrent- and I have no idea how to use that. Ha ha. . . I'll see if I can get a friend to help me with that. If anyone out there has it, I'd love to hear from you!

New Blanche

-will not be officially released until January of next year (blame label stuff and the Racontuers). An EP may be released in October.

We are finished with the new album. The working title is Little Amber Bottles. Unfortunately, it looks like it won't come out until January 22nd. There are a plethora of reasons why, among them, record label schedules, Little Jack's Racon-touring schedule, and of course, the holidays.

But fret not too much, Friend. We will have an EP with probably 4 or 5 songs and a video that will come out in October. Blanche will indeed venture overseas for a couple of weeks of touring in the fall in support of the ep, as well as an east and west coast swing of these United States. Extensive touring will follow the release of the full album next year.

Check out the website. You can download 2 tracks and see some videos here.

New Muse

-is starting to pop up- check Bring Me the Heads or this place. (Can't guarantee all the links are still working.) I haven't gotten it yet myself.

Can get "Knights of Cydonia" here. Heard it on the radio today, right after Jonesy's Jukebox :) I'm sure kroq is playing it by now too. . . but NOT right after Jonesy. Remember when Jonesy accidently played that Depeche Mode single before he was supposed to and they had to edit it out during that day's rerun? Anyway, Gary Oldman will be on the show tomorrow.

Ellen Foley's Spirit of St Louis

Another girlfriend post, though I mean that in a good way, not in a these-women-are-only-legitimated-through-their-rockstar-boyfriends way :p
The Clash Connection
Ellen Foley is known for a number of things- for singing with Meat Loaf, for dating Mick Jones of the Clash, for Broadway and cinematic roles. She's the one on "Hitsville UK", and Wikipedia claims "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is about her and Mick's relationship. Can't verify that one, though- I know Mick has said it has nothing to do with his relationship with the Clash, though.

Foley was married to singer/guitarist Mick Jones for a time (as proven by a 'marriage license' currently in the possession of a former mutual friend of Foley and Jim Steinman), though it was never deemed an official ceremony. She can be heard on "Hitsville UK," a song on the group's Sandinista! album. All four members of The Clash appeared on her 1981 album The Spirit of St. Louis, and Jones and Joe Strummer co-wrote a number of songs as well (wikipedia).

Also, you can hear Tymon Dogg on this (Sandinista!'s "Lose This Skin" guy, later with the Mescaleros). I've seen some comments that that song and some other Sandinista! numbers (they mention the version of Career Opportunities) could have been dropped in favor of some of the Strummer-Jones tracks off of Spirit. I'm more than satisfied with Sandinista! as it is, so I don't recommend listening to Foley's work with that suggestion in mind, nor do I agree that "it could just as well [have?] been Side 1, Disc 4 of that Clash collection" (xxxx).

The Album
I do recommend it, Clash fan or not. I have to be in the right mood to sit through the whole thing and really listen to it, and if I am and when I do, it's an enjoyable listen. Ms Foley has a wonderful voice, and it's a nice record to put on in the background. However, I don't recommend buying it for $150 on amazon.

Other Clash-mates also appear, as do members of Ian Dury's backing band, the Blockheads; this impressive array of talent gives the album a unity it might otherwise lack. Jones and fellow Clash-mate Joe Strummer co-wrote six songs. The standout is "Torchlight," a duet with Foley on which Jones drops some characteristically glistening guitar. "The Shuttered Palace" and "Theatre of Cruelty" also work well, logically upholding the Sandinista! era's dense, intricate wordplay. The other Strummer/Jones efforts are less distinctive. "Salvador Dali" is little more than an impenetrable grocery list of free associations, "In the Killing Hour" is a sketchy throwaway that needed a stronger arrangement, and "M.P.H."'s bumptious pub rock is fun listening, but hardly a classic. Strummer's old busking mate, Tymon Dogg, contributes three killer tune himself: his affectionate "Beautiful Waste of Time" is the best one, bolstered by an inspired Payne sax line. (The song originally appeared on Dogg's 1976's self-released Outlaw Number One album.) Foley is less convincing on a stiff remake of "My Legionnaire," but fares better on her own propulsive original, "Phases of Travel." The sound is lush and dreamy, although a little more consistent material and less artsiness would have gone a long way. Clash fans impatient for the old three-chord thunder couldn't stifle their yawns, so the album bombed -- but the rewards are there, if you care to listen. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide

I think Ralph here has got it spot on on a number of comments, though "In the Killing Hour" isn't all that bad.

You can read a good review/info at Lost Bands of the New Wave Era.

Ellen Foley - Spirit of St Louis

Pearl Harbour and the Explosions

Summer!
Summer has hit so the posts are going to be coming less frequently for the season- absolutely gorgeous outside. It took a winter in New York for me to appreciate SoCal's summer. I hope you guys are enjoying the nice weather (if you have it) and the longer days (if you have them). Or at least enjoying your Thursday.

Rancid
Remember the comments trail game? Sure you do- when awesome people leave links in the comments. Thanks to Chromerobot (part 2 of the hip-hop mix is up!), we've got more Rancid, so follow the link to get to the link and enjoy.

Pearl Harbour & the Explosions
Been looking for something by them since reading about Pearl in Fashion is a Passion- she dated/married Clash bassist Paul Simonon. The fantastic Twilightzone! posted it today, so I grabbed Don't Follow Me I'm Lost Too this afternoon. And in terms of Clash girlfriends, I'll try to put up Spirit of St Louis within the week- I've only sat through it once, don't remember a thing, but I'm going to give it another listen and see what happens :)

take me to the TWILIGHTZONE!

Speaking of the Clash...
Grab yourself some live at Bonds International Casino from the wonderful MoogPower.

101ers - demos

101ers Pathway and BBC Demos, March/April 1976

Info on the 101ers, Joe's pre-Clash band, "a gritty, R&B-styled London pub band."

Rancid

Sorry about the delay!-

Rancid's self-titled 1993 release was requested (by Chromerobot, who has a great hip-hop mix posted over at one of his blogs right now, check it out!- part 2 is on the way), and I was going to post it but luckily for me (because my stuff is strewn all over the house right now, including my external hd, wherever it is. . .) the always fantastic Weapon of Sound included it in a recent post.

Thanks to "Semi-anonymous" for pointing out the link (and for the kind words)! I should have seen it- I had the text file up the other day, grabbing those Social D live recordings.

You can find the Rancid link in the comments here, but I recommend going over to WoS and downloading the whole links file- it's got some Social D, Horrorpops, Pistols, Stray Cats. . .

It's time to. . .

. . .Kick Out the Jams - MC5

Rather than try to capture their legendary on-stage energy in a studio, MC5 opted to record their first album during a live concert at their home base, Detroit's Grande Ballroom. . . this is an album that refuses to be played quietly (Deming).

the Briefs will Steal Yer Heart

I was going to describe the Briefs, by comparing them to the Vandals, not as earnest as them, perhaps a bit more cocky, plus vocals akin to those of the Exploding Hearts. But my sister, who is the big fan in the household, describes them better, especially by pointing out that "they admit to having a Buzzcocks fixation," something that comes through on the 28-minute Steal Yer Heart, an album with a definite Buzzcocks vibe without being a rehashing of every anti-love song written.

There's the anthem-ish "Criminal Youth," the hilarious "Getting Hit on at the Bank," and the blistering "Can't Get Through." And then there's "I Can't Work" a song so nerve-jangled and strange it feels like audio panic attack. . . Romance schmomance (fictional or otherwise). The Brief's new record is a platter full of anti-love songs for anyone who has ever had a bad case of rotten love. Think of it as a soundtrack for tenderhearted hooligans and sweet-as-sin heartbreakers to break up by. Just give it a spin and you'll come crawling back for more. XX

Another review points out that the album isn't all about "goofy or sad love songs. Steal Yer Heart also holds some of the best punk anthems I've heard in a while, 'Normal Jerks', which is a typical punk song about not wanting to be a part of the 'regular world', but it's so catchy, with a great chorus to sing along to, that it keeps it fresh and fun" (XX). The frequent comparisons to the Buzzcocks and other older outfits risks suggesting that the Briefs' album is stale, something we've all heard already. But Steal Yer Heart is bursting with energy, a short and sweet romp that allows for the Briefs' own style and sound to come through.

Steal Yer Heart

buy it

hello hello everyone! moving was "fun" (and in typical fashion i ended up finishing right before they came to pick up my shit), but now i'm back home in sunny socal (where it's raining).

thank you very much for the comments and the kind words! they're always incredibly encouraging, and putting a face to readership definitely energizes me to work harder at finding good and new music. and as for the chastising- anon #1 was pretty upset that i'd dare touch the temple, even though until 50-60 years ago it was hanging out in egypt for anyone to touch. all i have to say is that it isn't about impulse, and if you've ever done something like that, you'll know what i mean. still, i can take it as a sincere expression of concern for antiquity and its material legacy. as for the met and the trek across central park, johnny rotten's sweater was ugly as ever, and i'm not sure if i found monty's house.

And, don't forget to pick up the Clash's the Clash at Regnyouth if you don't have it already. And, you're actually not seeing this plug because Jim isn't paying me, but you can grab the new Muse single at his blog, or though microcuts.net- it's being compared to everything from Britney (I disagree) to the Scissor Sisters (more applicable), but it's definitely Muse. Also, I saw Nick Cave's The Proposition this weekend with my Nick Cave-crazy sibling. You can pick up the haunting soundtrack at Pop Music, and check out the film, too. Quite good.

A few things

(the short version: 1-thank yous. 2-les nouvelles choses at bring me the heads. 3-strummer is god. 4-me and my excuses. 5-the music.)

1. Again, thanks for the comments everyone!

2. Mr. Bring Me the Heads is back from the dead with a fantastic post, so hop on over there for some nouvelle Nouvelle Vague (get it ha ha. omf). Haven't listened to it yet, but looks good, as you'd expect considering the last release.

Bring Me The Heads: Nouvelle Vague - Bande A Part

3. OK Strummer fans- if you haven't already, go get the 101'ers Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisted. Go go go!

4. There will be a lull in posts for a bit- I finished my finals, finished all that fun shit, and now I get to. . . move out. The fuckers here kick us out the day after finals. So things are being unplugged, the external HD is disconnected, and so on. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to equally distribute weight between my two College Boxes (if you're in school right now you may be using these guys too. . . i hope it works out.) I had this great idea that this week would be really sunny and I could go to Central Park or something but oh no. Either way, I'm going to go check out Montgomery Clift's house over on the East Side (no, I'm not in the habit of going to celebrity houses. I'm from LA. But it's like going to see the Joe Strummer mural downtown. Right? ps- If you come to New York, definitely check it out). And then I'm going to the Met to see Johnny Rottens' ugly sweater. . . and that Egyptian temple they've got. Last time I got yelled at for touching it.

5. So here to keep you occupied is Adam and the Ants. I had heard Deutscher Girls on a compilation, and was very impressed. Enjoy it- I've been listening to it while packing. I'm trying to figure out how to describe it to someone who hasn't heard much of them. It's like Marc Bolan, the Buzzcocks, and Louis XIV got in a horrendous car crash in the 80s with like, an ice cream truck while on acid or at least sugar. Not that that says much- anyway, very fun-pop-bouncy-cocky stuff. The weakest track is the last, but it's hardly metionable- it's a solid, consistently exciting selection.

Antmusic - the Best of Adam Ant

Ska Core, the Devil, and More. . . Noise and Other Disturbances

1st- Thanks for the comments everyone!! I'd love to hear (I'm desperate to hear) about what you think of whatever music is posted, requests, general thoughts on. . . like. . . life. So keep 'em coming!

2nd- I think I promised some Mighty Mighty Bosstones, so here are 2 albums (Ska-Core. . . & More Noise. . .) for your Monday.

2 for 1

Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg - The Clash

I got such a nice comment in the last post, I was inspired to post this. I'm quite comment-starved. Ha. . . ha. . . Also, finished Passion is a Fashion the other week. It was quite depressing (you become pretty emotionally invested), and a good read. Borrowed it through the amazing NYC public library system. You request a book and it comes to you. Back home, you gotta wait like a month to get one book, and if it comes, then it's up to your local branch to decide if they want to let you know.

ANYWAY-on to the music.

Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg Disc 1

This is Disc 1 of Mick Jones' original version of Combat Rock and currently circulates as a bootleg. It was determined to be too long and messy, and Glyn Johns was brought in to cut down the album and cut stuff out, resulting in the Combat Rock you've got in your home. Information can be found here. See comments for tracklist

Originally planned as a double album entitled Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg, the idea was scrapped after internal wrangling within the group. Mick Jones had produced the first cut, but the other members were dissatisfied and producing duties were handed to Glyn Johns, at which point the album became a single LP. X

This was intended to be a double album entitled 'Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg'. The rest of the band dismissed it, and called in producer Glyn Johns to cut it down to size for a single LP. All songs became shorter, and a lot tighter, with more pronounced vocals, a much 'tighter' mix musically, and less vague sound effects and extended rapping. Also, four tracks (Cool Confusion, First Night Back In London, Beautiful People and Kill Time) were cut. X

Anyway- anyone have Disc 2 or DOA or Clash on Broadway Outtakes?

Laurel Aitken

Laurel Aitken - Godfather of Ska

Wikipedia says-

Laurel Aitken (April 22, 1927–July 17, 2005) became famous as one of the originators of Jamaican ska music in the late 1950s.He is brother to singer Bobby Aitken. Aitken was born as Lorenzo Aitken in Cuba. He recorded one of the earliest ska records, the double A-sided "Little Sheila"/"Boogie in my Bones" (1958). It was also the first record on producer Chris Blackwell's Island Records label. He had massive hits through the 1950s to the 1970s, while recording for such renowned ska labels as Blue Beat Records, Pama Records and Trojan Records. He moved to England in the 1960s. Aitken, who is also known as "The Godfather of Ska", performed live almost until his death (he suffered from a serious illness following a heart attack about a year before he died). He had a loyal following among Skinheads and other music lovers. He died from a heart attack in Leicester, England on July 17, 2005.

So check out where it all came from, then go grab yourself some newer stuff- Plan B has a great selection, in addition to other genres. I'll try to put up some Mighty Mighty Bosstones this coming week. Credit to mystery original uploader.

Unclogged by X

Hey hey, first reader request! Which brings me to: if you ever requested something and I never saw to it, give me a heads up in the latest post- I probably was totally out of it and then the post got pushed back into the archives. So sorry this one took so long--

Unclogged - X

Live acoustic set: "The result is a setting that somehow flatters both Doe's warm neo-country croon and Exene Cervenka's idiosyncratic yowl." (C Koch)

&&&
You can find a nice big X post here. And grab yourself some Reverend Horton Heat. Those two links bring you to Lagrima Psicodelica- fantastic selection.

Enjoy :) Remember, comments appreciated, requests welcome!

is anyone there?

Anyway. Hey everyone. I'm really tired right now and listening to Copland, as in Aaron, who is fantastic.

And here's some Sex Pistols: Filthy Lucre (rapidshare, rar). Or you can buy it (but you don't want to).

Sticking to the well-flogged anthems, the lads rumble with pro efficiency and a broad wink ("fat, 40, and back," mutters a scripted Johnny) through a near-complete set list. They run low on gas halfway through these 54 minutes, but there's no denying the nostalgic kick for fans of a certain age (whose emotions will swing between glee and revulsion). --Jeff Bateman