Join me over on Wordpress

It's official!

"Music Life" is moving over to Wordpress as "The Ron Kane Files"!

It'll be just like starting over...

http://ronkanefiles.wordpress.com/

As of 8/12/10, "Music Life" is finished and "The Ron Kane Files" over at Wordpress has begun!

My thanks to regular readers Jim Donato, Brian Ware and Dana Madore!

Bye, y'all!

- Ron

We might be moving...

The Ron Kane Files may be moving shortly...

Thinking about:

http://ronkanefiles.wordpress.com

My thanks to Jim Donato for suggesting Wordpress.

- RK

Byg - Rock Generation

8-12-10

Byg: Rock Generation series

I recently completed the Byg Records “Rock Generation series!

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 01 BYG FR

529 701 8 TRKS Animals (Live, Newcastle, 12/63) / Yardbirds (Live, Marquee, London, 3/64)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 02 BYG FR

529 702 9 TRKS Animals / Yardbirds (as Vol. 1)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 03 BYG FR

529 703 8 TRKS Graham Bond Organization (Live, Klook’s Kleek, 10/64)/ Sonny Boy Williamson (w/ The Animals) (Live, Newcastle, 12/63)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 04 BYG FR

529 704 8 TRKS Graham Bond Organization / Sonny Boy Williamson (as Vol. 3)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 05 BYG FR

529 705 8 TRKS Spencer Davis Group, Rod Stewart, Long John Baldry, Yardbirds etc. (Live, 2/64)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 06 BYG FR

529 706 9 TRKS Long John Baldry, Rod Stewart, Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger etc. (Live as “Steampacket”, 12/65)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 07 BYG FR

529 707 10 TRKS Soft Machine (4/67) / Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Live. 9/64 – 3/65)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 08 BYG FR

529 708 8 TRKS Soft Machine (4/67) / Mark Leeman 5 (Live, 5/65) & Davy Graham (Live, 12/67)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 09 BYG FR

529 709 8 TRKS Brian Auger (rec. between ’64 & ’67) / Sonny Boy Williamson & Jimmy Page (4/65)

LP BYG: ROCK GENERATION Vol. 10 BYG FR

529 710 10 TRKS Julie Driscoll, Jimmy Page etc. (as Vol. 9)

For years, all I had were the 2 volumes that featured the Soft Machine – until the CD age, it was the only way you could get to hear the original demos of the original Soft Machine. What all the tracks in this series have in common were that most were recorded and / or produced by Giorgio Gomelsky, a man closely associated with the Yardbirds, in the 1960’s.

I think this series was released in France in the early 1970’s – but I am not exactly certain just when. I got the Soft Machine volumes about ’74 or so. The one that took some time – for some reason, was Vol. 4: the Graham Bond Organization on one side and Sonny Boy Williamson on the other.

I hasten to add that some of these recordings are live and not exactly what one would call ‘top drawer’. I am relatively certain that the Soft Machine tracks are ‘demos’. And the Graham Bond Organization, the Animals and the Yardbirds are somewhat crude live recordings (lots of over-loading, some distortion etc.)

This is the 2^nd set of stuff I have completed this year, the other being the Track Record UK “Backtrack” series, another early 70’s various artists LP set.

P.S. I recently discovered that this series was available on CD since 1997! I just found Vol. 1 in San Francisco last weekend!

On the road to...My Ultimate Collection

8-11-10

On the road…to My Ultimate Collection

Towards the end of July, I actually began assembling what I will refer to as “My Ultimate Collection” – titles that I will have the time to listen to again before I die, titles I would like to discuss with my friends, titles that I feel are essential to who I am. I got some nice boxes with lids given to me by a former co-worker, so: The Project has Begun!

First off, the title that represents me above all others is the third LP by Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention called “We’re Only In It For The Money” (1968) (#1). I first got this LP when I was about 10 years old – 40+ years ago. I played it to death, memorized the lyrics and liner notes, and spent the next four decades finding every possible variant edition of this title. The recent “Lumpy Money” Zappa Family Trust mail-order 3CD set is excellent, too – as it is the CD debut of the mono version of this glorious title, which is a very nifty remix of the stereo version. I have chosen the Mobile Fidelity gold disc edition to represent the beginning of “My Ultimate Collection” – it’s a nicely mastered stereo copy of the slightly-less-censored version of the U.S. stereo version of this album. I’ll probably eventually add the mono promo LP to “My Ultimate Collection”, but for now – this gets us going. This title would still be my first choice, even if I decided to only have a collection of 10 or 100 or 1,000 titles. For me, this is it. It is what I learned about music made on Earth during my lifetime that I will want to immortalize. If you are not familiar with this album, I would love to send you a copy of it, so that we can discuss it in greater detail. I have approx. 17 different versions of this title – and that’s not enough, there must be a few more that I haven’t encountered.

After placing #1 into “My Ultimate Collection” box, I opened a different box of recent purchases where I had collected the Folkways / Smithsonian CD’s that I own, and spotted my somewhat obvious #2 title for “My Ultimate Collection”: John Cage and David Tudor “Indeterminacy” (1959) (#2). This title has been contiguously available ever since it’s original release in 1959, per the directive of Moses Asch of Folkways Records – eventually the lovely 2LP boxed set (with ‘libretto’) gave way to the world’s only CD edition (a 2CD!) in 1992. Always only ever a mono record / CD, I first encountered this in the early 70’s – at a Thrifty Drug Store, probably for $1.97 – I had already been reading about John Cage, but had never heard any up to that point in my young life. It wiped away the crud from my young mind – the recent 60’s, all the ‘rock music’, all the crap on TV…it made my life interesting. I can’t even begin to imagine the job of annotating this tremendous spoken word album – who are all the people he talks about? Where are the places he lived, that he went to? Illumination occurred when I found his book “Silence” (1961) in the mid-70’s, where some of the “Indeterminacy’ stories turned up in print – with even more appearing in another Cage book, “A Year From Monday” (1967). Cage’s voice is appealing and the often cacophonous noise is manipulated by David Tudor from Cage’s works “Concert for Piano and Orchestra” (1957-58) and “Fontana Mix” (1950-59). “Indeterminacy’ was for me the most impressive introduction to the avant-garde music world. After it, I listened to everything differently.

So, to start “My Ultimate Collection” – two American masters: Frank Zappa (1940 – 1993) and John Cage (1912 – 1992). My Project has begun.

Last Night's Playlist

Some vinyl I played last night:

LEVEL 42 – Sun Goes Down, The (Living It Up) (12”)

After seeing them last week

KING CURTIS – I Was Made To Love Her

I wish my LP of this was in better shape

ROLLING STONES – Rip This Joint

From an original US LP, after hearing about the recent expensive re-issues

BEATLES – I Need You (’77 “Love Songs” remix)

I guess it did all get totally remixed in the 70's

WHO, THE – Happy Jack (mono)

From an 80's "Greatest Hits" LP, but why was it in mono?

CREAM – Politician

From an original UK LP, best sound available with this LP

JONES, GRACE – Cry Now, Laugh Later (12” remix)

Amazed that there is still 12" stuff not on CD from dear Grace

STRANGLERS – Choosey Susie

The give-away 45 from the first album

SPEDDING, CHRIS – Box Number

Album track from "I'm Not Like Everybody Else"

DEAF SCHOOL – Capaldi’s Café

Album track from "Don't Stop The World"

PROCOL HARUM – Lime Street Blues

From the "Best Of" LP, yet still in mono

JUICY LUCY – Who Do You Love

From a re-issue of their debut LP

DEPARTMENT S – Going Left Right (12”)

Slightly extended version, still excellent, as always...

My July 2010 List

8-2-10

My July 2010 List

In July 2010, I bought / obtained:

ADAMS, JOHN – FEARFUL SYMMETRIES – WOUND DRESSER, NONESUCH US CD

AQUARIANS – JUNGLE GRASS, UNI US 7" promo

ARBUCKLE, BOB / V. MIKKELSON etc. – OLD TIME COUPLE DANCES, FOLKWAYS US LP

AYERS, KEVIN – RAINBOW TAKEAWAY, BGO UK CD

BASIL, TONI – MICKEY, CHRYSALIS US 7” W/PS

BEATLES, THE – BEATLES IN MONO, TOSHIBA JPN CD13 boxed set

BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA – ATOM BOMB, REALWORLD US CD

BLIND FAITH – s/t, POLYDOR US CD re-mastered

BLONDIE / DEBORAH HARRY – COMPLETE PICTURE, CHRYSALIS UK CD

BROWN, JUNIOR – GUIT WITH IT, CURB US CD

CHEAP TRICK – I WANT YOU TO WANT ME (Live), EPIC US 7” W/PS

DAMNED, THE – LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, MCA US CD Disc #1 only

DAMNED, THE – PHANTASMAGORIA, UNIVERSAL JPN CD kami sleeve

DIBANGO, MANU – JOUE SIDNEY BECHET, CRISTAL FR CD + DVD

EDMUNDS, DAVE – I KNEW THE BRIDE, SWAN SONG UK 7"

ELECTRIC FLAG – A LONG TIME COMIN', COLUMBIA US CD

FAME, GEORGIE / BLUE FLAMES – YEAH YEAH, EMI/COLUMBIA UK 7"

FINN, TIM – CRESCENDO, CAPITOL US 12" promo

FRITH, FRED – CHEAP AT HALF THE PRICE, ESD US CD

GIANT CRAB – COOL IT, UNI US 7" promo

GOODBODY, SLIM – INSIDE STORY, CAEDMON US LP w/ poster

HIROTA, JOJI – GATE, REALWORLD US CD

HODGE, CHRIS – WE'RE ON OUR WAY, APPLE US 7”

HUBBELL, FRANK / STOMPERS – PENNY CANDY, ATCO US LP dixieland

JETHRO TULL – LIVING IN THE PAST, CHRYSALIS US 7" promo

JONES, HOWARD – THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER, ELEKTRA US 7” W/PS

KINKS, THE – YOU REALLY GOT ME, REPRISE US 7"

LIBERACE – BRAND NEW ME, CCM US CD Easy Listening

LOVICH, LENE – NEW TOY, STIFF UK 12" W/PS

MILLER, PHIL – SPLIT SECONDS, RECKLESS UK LP

MOVE, THE – SOMETHING ELSE FROM THE MOVE, CUBE FR LP collection

NOBLES & CO., CLIFF – HORSE FEVER, PHIL-L.A. OF US 7"

NOBLES & CO., CLIFF – HORSE, DIRECTION UK 7"

NORDINE, KEN – FOUR CLASSIC ALBUMS ON A 2CD SET, REAL GONE UK 2CD

NORDINE, KEN – THREE CLASSIC ALBUMS Vol. 2, REAL GONE UK 2CD

O.S.T. – STRAIGHT TO HELL, REPERTOIRE DE CD Joe Strummer etc.

ORQUESTA REVE – LA EXPLOSION DEL MOMENTO!, REALWORLD US CD

POLNAREFF, MICHEL – s/t (aka Fame a la Mode), ATLANTIC FR LP

ROSA LUXEMBURG – ROSA LUXEMBORG II, MIDI/SCHOOL JPN CD

ROTA, NINO – TUTTI I FILM DI FELLINI, CAM IT LP

SEEGER, PETE – DARLING COREY – GOOFING-OFF SUITE, FOLKWAYS US CD

SIMPLE MINDS – ALIVE AND KICKING, A&M US 7” W/PS

SIMPLE MINDS – SANCTIFY YOURSELF, A&M US 7” W/PS

SOUND FX – SOUNDS OF NORTH AMERICAN FROGS, FOLKWAYS US CD

SOUND FX – WEEK IN HAWAII – ISLAND JUNGLE, RYKODISC US CD

T. REX – RIDE A WHITE SWAN, REPRISE US 7" promo

TROPICANOS, LOS – OH QUE DELICIA Vol. 2, PARLOPHONE BR LP Easy Listening

TURTLES – GOLDEN HITS, WHITE WHALE US LP

V.A. – DISCOVER INDONESIA, FOLKWAYS US CD

V.A. – ENDANGERED MUSIC – THE SPIRIT CRIES, RYKODISC US CD

V.A. – ENFANTS, LES #2, POLYDOR JPN CD

V.A. – GARDEN OF DELIGHTS, ELEKTRA UK 2LP

V.A. – HEART OF CAPE BRETON, FOLKWAYS US CD

V.A. – MUSIC OF INDONESIA – INDONESIA GUITARS, FOLKWAYS US CD

V.A. – ROCK GENERATION Vol. 04, BYG FR LP Graham Bond Organization

V.A. – TOP OF THE STAX – 20 GREATEST HITS Vol. 2, STAX US CD

V.A. – VOICE OF TOTALLY WIRED Vol. 4, ACID JAZZ UK CD

V.A. – VOICE OF TOTALLY WIRED Vol. 6, ACID JAZZ UK CD

WHO, THE – I CAN'T EXPLAIN, MCA US 7" re-issue

WINCHELL, PAUL / JERRY MAHONEY – CHIPS OF WISDOM, AAMCO US LP

WOOLEY, SHEB – IT'S A BIG LAND, MGM US LP

XTC – MUMMER, TOSHIBA JPN CD kami sleeve

XTC – NONSUCH, TOSHIBA JPN CD kami sleeve

YOSHIDA, NAOYA / APO – SHORT PIECE, 247 / DEL GIFU JPN SACD classical

ZAPPA, FRANK – ABSOLUTELY FREE, RYKODISC US CD re-mastered

ZAPPA, FRANK – FRANCESCO ZAPPA, RYKODISC US CD re-mastered

ZAPPA, FRANK – THING-FISH, EMI UK 2CD original edition

ZAPPA, FRANK – THING-FISH, RYKODISC US 2CD re-mastered

It was during July, 2010 that my collection hit 25,000 pieces / titles.

Blogging Anniversary

7-30-10

Blogging Anniversary

I began blogging approx. July 30, 2002. That means I have now finished 8 full years of blogging. This blog is in it’s 3^rd incarnation. I think I’ll be keeping the Ronkanefiles for a while. During these eight years, I have only taken a small amount of time off from blogging.

The big differences between 2002 and now re: blogging: I can now post photos; you can tick a little box saying if you found the blog amusing, informative or pleasing; I can add ‘tags’ to my blogs, making them easier to find. Astonishingly enough, Blogger is still free-of-charge!

I may try to update my profile one day soon; I think the info on there is a few years old. Don’t worry, I’ll check it before I make any changes.

In the past, I have joked that I should change my blog to become a restaurant review or travel blog – but I’ll stick to music. Now that I am winding down my collecting, I may have some interesting new views on the music I love.

For me, the best part of the blogging experience has been the people who read my blog. Thanks for reading my stuff! Any requests? Anything special you want me to write about? Is there anything you’d like to see me re-run (or write anew about)?

Regular readers Chas & Jim have their own music blogs – I urge you to check ‘em out! (See the profile page, I think!)

When I started blogging, I think my first blog was me being somewhat dismissive about The Monkees. I have 3 x Monkees CD’s now, the first album, the soundtrack to “Head” and a latter-day “Best Of” (on Rhino). If you are not familiar with it, the original soundtrack for “Head” is an amazing piece of singer / songwriter genius meets commercial paid-for psychedelia. And you all know the hits!

I try to stay away from writing ‘bad reviews’ of artists I don’t particularly deal in. Something along the lines of “If I don’t have something intelligent to say…keep mouth shut”. It’s worked for me / us so far.

I went and saw Level 42 last night, with Joe. They were pretty darned good. The T-shirt was $25. It wasn’t ‘too loud’ of a show. The venue (“The Grove of Anaheim”) was OK – $10 to park my car, but at least it wasn’t ‘valet parking’. It was the first time I ever saw a parking stub for a venue printed with a band’s name on it!

So, on to “Year #9” for the Ronkanefiles!

I shall return on 8/11/10 – the day after my 52^nd birthday (and a visit to San Francisco). Thanks for reading my stuff!

- Ron Kane

Listening to Phonograph Records

7-29-10

Listening to Phonograph Records

The illustration I have posted today should be called “Child listening to phonograph Records” – the child in the illustration could be me. If I was young enough, I desperately wanted long hair. More than once, when I was a young person, I was mistaken for being a ‘girl’ – because of my (clean) long hair. (Illustration is credited to Ron King, Art Director, Academy of Sciences – from the book “Introducing Our Western Birds – California State Series”, 1967). Odd, I used to sometimes use “Ron King” as a pseudonym!

And I certainly listened to phonograph records when I was a child! I had a few that were ‘mine’, but I also wandered through both my parents and siblings record collections. In fact, I think each and every member of my family had a phonograph record collection (in the 1960’s). Yes, it was groovy back then – but it was the only real way to go! And I have had a life-long fascination with recordable formats – cassette, 8-track, reel-to-reel, mini-disc, CD-R etc.

What would the person in the illustration be listening to? Per the book, you’re supposed to “Listen to recordings of the songs of Western birds”. I was listening to Bob Dylan, Country Joe & The Fish, the Jefferson Airplane, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, The Fugs etc. in 1967. Sure, I didn’t get all the jokes…but the music really etched itself into my fertile young mind. I still enjoy psychedelic music!

Recorded music on phonograph records was really my window to the world-at-large. It seemed that there was nothing I needed to know that wasn’t on phonograph records, when I was young. What would I have done, if not for phonograph records?

“Beware a man who is not moved by sound”

= = =

Tonight, Joe & I will be going to see Level 42 play a live concert. They haven't toured here lately...

Too Much Stuff

7-28-10

Too Much Stuff

A short while ago, I actually got to the point where I don’t want to add any more titles to my music collection. I want to try to keep my collection at (or less than) 25,000 titles. Yes, I have over-collected and there are numerous titles that I have variants on. But I also went down a lot of dead end streets in my collecting – in some cases, entire genres that I don’t need to collect (US 50’s/60’s country & western, for instance; easy listening titles that don’t meet my criteria of having enough ‘funny’ cover versions; R&B – guess I’d better stick to the artists I actually like and want to collect a bit etc.)

While on vacation in San Luis Obispo, I saw a TLC (“The Learning Channel”) show about people who hoard stuff – “Buried Alive: Hoarding” or thereabouts. My home isn’t as bad as some of those people, but I can tell that if it’s left unattended, my home might well become a real mess.

So, I’ve been outside in the back yard, watering. I have a covered patio where I can store boxes on pallets. Very soon, I am going to empty my storage unit onto a pallet, on this patio. I bet I don’t need any of what I have been paying to store.

I guess I have hoarded a lot of music, including some stuff I am not particularly interested in. And then there’s all the paper / print…how to extract the info off of paper onto my computer? I suppose I could scan everything…or re-type it, if it wasn’t much.

The idea behind all the paper hoarding is to have all the information I ever read about (my place in) the world of music. Record label catalogues, distributor catalogues, tons of magazines – they all have info that I think I will eventually find useful. 50+ years of stuff! I still need to get to the clothes in my closets, but recently – boxes of CD’s have gotten in the way of one closet. I must clear a path!

I also want to buy a new bed (or futon – see upper left in photo). Been sleeping on the one I have for 12+ years now. In addition to getting rid of the old futon, I will have to move some CD’s (in boxes) to make way for a new bed / frame in my room. Yeah!

I could always clear out the garage and make room for more boxes to be stored out there. Dang, I really want to get rid of some of that ½ videotape! Anybody want any VHS or Betas?

But I think no tears will be shed by my getting rid of some of the titles in my music collection. I am selling at the next Claremont swap meet, in September – if you’re in California, stop on by – you may be surprised! (Email me for details)

The Deviants / Mick Farren

7-27-10

The Deviants / Mick Farren

British ‘social conscience’ band, tempered with lots of drugs (psychedelic and otherwise), primitive recorded sound, varying levels of enthusiasm, performance ability etc. Lead vocalist Mick Farren lives in Los Angeles these days, and even has a blog:

http://doc40.blogspot.com/

As a young impressionable individual, I happened across the vinyl phonograph records of The Deviants in the late 1960’s. The one I found first was “Ptoof!” – and I can’t conclusively state this is their 1^st or 2^nd album! It has some charming late 60’s anti-social rock ‘n’ roll nonsense about it – “Nothing Man”, anyone? (UK: Underground Impresarios, US: Sire)

The next one I got was definitely album #3, appropriately titled “Deviants 3” – seemed to have a bit more going on the music – again, late 60’s UK blues-based rock ‘n’ roll. Love the “nun cover”, eh? (UK: Transatlantic, US: Sire)

And at some point, I found what is likely their 1^st album, but could just as likely be their 2^nd album, ”Disposable” – on this 1967/8 LP, their association to rock music would seem to be on par with, say, The Fugs (which is a compliment!) – obscenity (actual or inferred) seemed to be the order of the day. I actually chased after this LP for a number of years, as I heard that Cream lyricist Pete Brown was on it! (He is!!) (UK: Stable, US: Sire)

These three albums, together with a Mick Farren solo album (“Mona – The Carnivorous Circus”, UK: Transatlantic, no US issue) were all I ever knew about these guys for years and years. Somehow, they got ‘popular’ in Japan, and there are now way more Deviants albums on CD than there ever were on vinyl! Yes, all three of their original albums are on CD.

A cousin band to The Deviants was the Pink Fairies – who, like The Deviants, always incorporated humor into their hard rockin’ music. A little further down the line, we can also say that the original Motorhead was a cousin band to The Deviants (Larry Wallis!)

Not as mainstream as The Who or The Stones – I always felt that one shouldn’t be ignorant of The Deviants just because their albums were obscure in the USA. It’s funny stuff, but not Zappa or Bonzo Dog Band funny. Sort of an ‘evil funny’, if you will. Take a look at Farren’s blog – with a hefty dose of tolerance and humor, lots of counter-culture rhetoric, with Farren’s oddball sexism and graphic flare.

So, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em – take out and play Side 1 of “Deviants 3” and consider that there isn’t yet a movement to re-christen it “The great lost 60’s UK LP!” that, say, The Pretty Things “S.F. Sorrow” or The Zombies “Odyssey & Oracle” transmogrified into. It could happen!