I recently got 4 new SHM CD kami sleeve releases by 60’s UK pop band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.I read recently that Mr. Dave Dee passed away.In the 80’s, I found an original LP of their 2nd album, “If Music Be The Food Of Love…Prepare For Indigestion” (Fontana) in New Zealand, a mono copy.When I popped in the new CD of it, the whole album is in stereo, and it sounds marvelous.I think they are a very under-rated UK 60’s band.
So, I’ve been casually working on my DDDBM+T collection for about 25 years.It will take a few weeks to fully listen to the 4 x new CD’s I just got.The sound is so good!Same era, studio, instruments (?) as Manfred Mann, The Who et al.
If you’re one of those downloadin’ folks, try “He’s A Raver” to see what I am talking about!
BROWN, ARTHUR / KINGDOM COME – Superficial Roadblocks
C.M.U. – Dream
QUATERMASS – Post-War Saturday Echo
CARAVAN – C’Thlu Thlu
GROUNDHOGS – Sins Of The Father
LEAFHOUND – Growers of Mushroom
OLDFIELD, MIKE – Hergest Ridge (excerpts)
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – Man-Erg
BROWN, PETE / PIBLOKTO – Station Song, Platform Two
This is where I was at this week. It was a busy week, involving contacting the Franchise Tax Board, having dental work done and getting a flat tire in my car. Busy week. So, I took refuge in the 70's.
There always seems to be an underlying idea that I must take everything with me.When I moved to England in 1990, I made dozens of cassettes (C-110 Type IV Metal cassettes) to take with me.Didn’t want to leave my tunes behind.Did I play them?No, I tried recording over them, trying to get stuff off of British radio.Barry Dransfield etc.
I continually return to the idea that I have a paired-down “Perfect Collection”, like I am preparing for a journey (my own death?).What gets on the list?Did I choose correctly?Who cares?So, what makes it on to these lists?
Not compiled to be representative of anything other than my own personal interests, my lists lean towards music from the year of my birth forward (1958 to the present, with emphasis from age 8 to age 30, apparently).18,250 titles for 50 years – and I figure I’m at 2/3 of my journey – with 22,528 in hand.Never going to get to everything one more time before I shuffle off.
To make the theoretical possible, let’s imagine that someone gifted to me the highest-possible capacity iPod.What do I put on it?What am I going to want to listen to, for the rest of my life until I croak?(Or after I croak?)
My interaction with pop music has been nearly a life-long pursuit.How to pick a limited amount of material from a lifetime of listening?And wouldn’t it change?Well, at some point – it will no longer change.You discover my body on the floor of some Tokyo record store, there’s an iPod in my pocket.What's on the playlist?
When I have posted playlists on my other blog, that’s not what’s on my eternal iPod playlist.That’s just me listening to my record collection.And my eternal iPos selections will be selfish, too.Not trying to impress anyone else, I just want what I want to hear…again and again.Nice (of me) that I seem to think I will fill an iPod and then get to listen to it eternally!Boy, I sure hope it sounds good.I will miss my vinyl records and compact discs.
How much Elvis?What Beatles to leave out?Only 60’s Stones?First 3 x Magazine albums?How much Hermeto?Tachibana “H”, of course.Monochrome Set.And these are just what I thought of in the first 10 seconds!Dylan.Dury.Celentano.But it’s serious business deciding.I mean, I’m going to get to take it with me when I go!
Shame I never got that big Sony hard-drive recorder.That would’ve been awesome.But – my luck – the thing would’ve needed servicing about 5 minutes after Sony no longer supported it.So, iPod it is – for 2009’s rumination.
OK, what’s the biggest, baddest iPod I can get?Do you think I could get them to cook one up for me special – with even more bytes?I don’t really want to go for more tunes at a lower ‘rate’ – I want ‘perfect’ audio!That’s right, I want to dub my Elvis Presley “Shake, Rattle & Roll” RCA 7” EP right to my iPod!It’s gotta sound like that!
So, armed with my favorite reference works (almost any Joel Whitburn book and the Guinness LP/45 charts), let’s begin.What goes on my eternal iPod, henceforth referred to as “The Book”?And, like being specific with George Spiggott with ‘what you want’ – and, no, I won’t be using iTunes.I already have all of this stuff on CD / vinyl.That’s a whole ‘nother topic – what my perfect collection would cost on iTunes!
MAINFRAME – Five Minutes (Polydor UK 80’s 12”)
PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND – Born In Chicago (Elektra US 60’s album track, either the regular album track, or the version Paul A. Rothchild uncovered recorded earlier)(note: I am playing a Paul Butterfield CD in my car at present, hence him cropping up so early in the process – RK) “Paul Butterfield Blues Band”
MAGAZINE – Definitive Gaze (Virgin UK 70’s album track) “Real Life”
MONOCHROME SET – Fun For All The Family (Cherry Red UK 80’s album track) “Eligible Bachelors”
ROLLING STONES – Dandelion (Decca UK 60’s 45)
DONOVAN – Epistle To Dippy (Pye UK 60’s 45)
BOB DYLAN – Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Columbia US 60’s album track) “Blonde On Blonde”
RONNIE ROSS – Cleopatra’s Needle (FontanaUK 60’s album track) “Cleopatra’s Needle”
HERMETO PASCOAL – Little Cry For Him (Warner Brazil 70’s album track) “Slave’s Mass”
FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION – Hungry Freaks Daddy (Verve US 60’s album track) “Freak Out”
So, those are the first 10 tracks on my heavenly iPod, “The Book”.I’m not even sure if all of those are on iTunes or not, as of this writing.I am willing to keep all of these songs.Let’s have another go!
CHARLIE RICH – Mohair Sam (Smash US 60’s 45)
ELI – Never Mind (Parlophone UK 60’s 45)
YELLO – Goldrush (Vertigo / Mercury DE 80’s 12”)
SPLIT ENZ – Maybe (White Cloud NZ 70’s 45)
LUCIO BATTISTI – L’Interprete Di Un Film (Numero Uno IT 70’s album track) “Io Tu Noi Tutti”
JIM PEMBROKE – IslandTown (Love Finland 70’s album track) “Corporal Cauliflower’s Mental Function”
ASTRAL BODIES – Bad Vibrations (Megadisc NL 80’s album track) “Astral Beat”
THE NITS – Hook Of Holland (CBS NL 70’s album track) “Tent”
LIO – Amicalement Votre (Ariola FR ’80 45) also on her debut album “Lio”
LES DRELLAS – Serenades (Philips FR 90’s CD Single)
Wow, I got hung up on European music in the 2nd set, didn’t I?This is going to be an interesting process.Maybe I should restrict how quickly I add 10 titles at a time...?
Stiff’s 2nd Wave: Jona Lewie, Lene Lovich, Rachel Sweet, Mickey Jupp, Wreckless Eric (and all of ‘em are still alive, as far as I can determine!)
Move over Elvis Costello and Ian Dury…
It’s taken me a few decades to get around to the “Son Of Stiff” artists.The only one I followed at the time was Rachel Sweet.I only recently got her debut British 45, “B-A-B-Y” b/w “Suspended Animation” (BUY 39).I saw her perform live at the Whisky A-Go-Go, with Fingerprintz as her band (at least, that’s who I remember it being) – I think she was the opening act for 999.I have always been a big fan of “Fool Around” her Stiff debut LP.I have both the UK & US versions, as well as a Japanese paper sleeve CD, and a white vinyl UK original LP.Thumbs up for her work on JohnWaters’ “Hairspray” and “Cry Baby” films.Never cared much for her 2nd album, but I have a UK copy, and I suppose I could give it another try.
I think Lene Lovich’s “Stateless” is Stiff’s blue vinyl release in this series.I once found a US Epic / Stiff copy that was autographed at a tiny record store in San Francisco (for $1).I like it better now than I did back then.Like Rachel Sweet, I never got into her 2nd LP – though I do own it on both LP & CD.
But I guess why I’m writing this today, is because I have become somewhat interested in the works of Jona Lewie.I have his Stiff debut LP of “On The Other Hand There’s A Fist” (orange vinyl) and I recently mail-ordered a CD of it (which isn’t here yet, as of this writing).I even recently found a Lewie 45 from the early 70’s by Terry Dactyl & TheDinosaurs “Seaside Shuffle” that’s pretty good.I guess they were really Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts!Some readers may be familiar with Lewie’s ‘Xmas single’, “Stop The Cavalry”.Because I never paid attention at the time, I didn’t know he was a keyboard player (as opposed to a guitar player).“On The Other Hand There’s A Fist” is a fairly quirky keyboard player’s record, worthy of my closer attention.I’d like to find all of his Stiff 45’s that I don’t already have.I’ve really enjoyed all of the Jona Lewie Stiff 45’s that I’ve found; good pop songs.I don’t think he ever came to the U.S.
Wreckless Eric…I suppose I am OK with his Stiff 45 “Whole Wide World”, but I don’t own a copy.The only thing I have by him (other than songs on samplers) is his self-titled 10” brown vinyl Stiff debut.Very ’78 UK punk-rock-looking stuff.
I knew that Mickey Jupp had been in Legend, a band on Vertigo.I’d had their debut LP (the one with the shoe on the cover) and didn’t think much of it (after all, it wasn’t progressive rock, my style of choice for the early / mid 70’s).Was “Juppanese” Stiff’s green vinyl release?I don’t know.I’ve never owned a copy.I guess I’d buy an LP copy if it was inexpensive.I remember seeing that some Mickey Jupp songs were being covered by Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker on one of his solo albums.
I have kept my PAL VHS copy of “Stiff Visions” for years – so I have clips for most (if not all) of these artists.That’s also where I was fully awakened to Tenpole Tudor!
I just noticed that there is a Punishment of Luxury website.
I read that their recorded-but-never-released 2nd album, "Gigantic Days" in on CD in England. I have a CD of demos called "Revolution By Numbers" which is pretty good (most songs are 'cassette-quality'). And, of course, all of their UK singles and LP.
I think it was Mike McG who recommended them to me. I never saw 'em live, but Eric in Amsterdam saw them and said they were very good, leading the audience into the streets, chanting "Hoo haw hoo haw!".
1987 13 TRK Collection (mostly, if not all, 70's recordings)
LPCOCKER HAPPY (Collection)FLY UKHIFLY 3
1970 12 TRK Collection
7"CRY ME A RIVER / GIVE PEACE A CHANCEA&M USAM-1200-S
1971? 2 TRKS with pic sleeve
CDGREATEST HITSA&M USCD 3257
1987 12 TRK Collection (70's recordings)
CDJOE COCKERA&M USCD 3326
1969 10 TRKS ('86 issue) 2nd album
LPJOE COCKERREGAL ZO UKSLRZ 1011
1970 10 TRKS UK original, stereo - 2nd album
LPLIVE IN L.A.CUBE FR2326 041
1972 9 TRKS Live, '76 issue
CDx2MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMENA&M US6002.2
1970 19 TRKS Live – so, this isn’t a re-master, but it has more songs?Or just different indexing?
LPx2MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMENA&M DE80813 XT
1970 14 TRKS Live
7"MARJORINE / NEW AGE OF THE LILLY, THEREGAL ZO UKRZ 3006
1968 2 TRKS no pic sleeve
CDMILLENNIUM COLLECTIONA&M US541606.2
2000 11 TRK Collection
CDWITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDSA&M US490419.2
1969 12 TRKS ('99 issue) (2 x bonus tracks) 1st album
LPWITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDSCUBE DEINT 136.305
1969 10 TRKS re-issue, 1st album
7"WOMAN TO WOMAN / MIDNIGHT RIDERCUBE UKBUG 25
1972 2 TRKS no pic sleeve
I don’t remember if I first saw or heard of Joe Cocker via the Woodstock film, but it was around that time.I also certainly heard him on the FM radio, or playing in hippie record stores.More white R&B than ‘rock’, it still sounded unique to my young ears.I wonder if he’ll ever write an autobiography?I, for one, would buy / read it.
The new century is moving forward, Mr. Cocker is still alive – and the newest record by him that I can fully support is his ’72 song “Woman to Woman”, which I heard played a lot at the time.Which album is it on?I’m not sure that I have that one.
I never saw the “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” film at the time – I believe my intro to LeonRussell was either hearing him with Joe Cocker or in the Bangla Desh film.Certainly by ’72, Mr. Russell had “Tightrope” on the radio – and he came into his own in a very mainstream yet acceptable way.And I have a legit DVD of the “Mad Dogs…” film.
Hip-O Select, a custom label of Universal – has released a 6CD set of the concerts that the 2LP/2CD of “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” was culled from.$60.I wonder if I’ll find a cheap one of those in a used bin somewhere?They’re also finally re-releasing the CD of “Joe Cocker!”, his 2nd album – but no bonus tracks (the re-issue of his debut, “With A Little Help From My Friends” has 2 x cool bonus tracks).And Mr. Cocker is a “Millennium Collection” artist – so can I get rid of the other two collections I have on CD?I definitely want to keep “Woman to Woman” on both vinyl and CD (and I don’t think it’s on the “Millennium Collection”).
