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!

Y.M.O.

7-26-10

Y.M.O. (Yellow Magic Orchestra)

I believe I was standing in the Kinokuniya bookstore in San Francisco’s Japantown Mall when I first heard Y.M.O. – circa ’80. I do not remember if I’d read about them yet or not. By ’81, I was working at an importer / exporter – and regularly ‘reading’; Japanese music magazines (notably “Music Life”, “Ongaku Senka” etc). Y.M.O. were already generating tons of releases, with their numerous solo albums. I think one time I toted up the number of YMO & YMO solo (& related) releases, and the total number was over 250!

I have many more collections, singles etc., but the ‘core’ of my Y.M.O. collection is:

LPx2 AFTER SERVICE YEN/ALFA JPN YLR-40001/2

1984 20 TRKS red vinyl, promo

CDx2 AFTER SERVICE ALFA JPN ALCA-5225/6

1984 19 TRKS ('98 issue) kami sleeve

LP BGM ALFA JPN ALR-28015

1981 10 TRKS insert

CD BGM ALFA JPN ALCA-5220

1981 10 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

CD LIVE AT BUDOKAN 1980 ALFA JPN ALCA-9051

1980 15 TRKS Live ('93 issue)

CD LIVE AT KINOKUNI-YA HALL 1978 ALFA JPN ALCA-9052

1978 9 TRKS Live ('93 issue)

LP NAUGHTY BOYS YEN/ALFA JPN YLR-28008

1983 10 TRKS insert

CD NAUGHTY BOYS ALFA JPN ALCA-5222

1983 10 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

LP NAUGHTY BOYS (Instrumental) YEN/ALFA JPN YLR-20002

1983 10 TRKS insert

CD NAUGHTY BOYS (Instrumental) ALFA JPN ALCA-5223

1983 10 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

CD PUBLIC PRESSURE ALFA JPN ALCA-5217

1980 9 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

LP PUBLIC PRESSURE clear vinyl promo ALFA JPN ALR-6033

1980 8 TRKS Live, insert; clear vinyl, promo

LPx4 SEALED (4LP boxed set) YEN/ALFA JPN YLR-80001-4

1984 35 TRK Collection, boxed set

LP SERVICE YEN/ALFA JPN YLR-28013

1983 14 TRKS Yellow vinyl promo, insert

CD SERVICE ALFA JPN ALCA-5224

1983 14 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

LP SOLID STATE SURVIVOR ALFA JPN ALR-6022

1979 8 TRKS insert

CD SOLID STATE SURVIVOR ALFA JPN ALCA-5216

1979 8 TRKS 1998 re-mastered; kami sleeve

LP TECHNODELIC ALFA JPN ALR-28030

1981 10 TRKS 1st cover, booklet

CD TECHNODELIC ALFA JPN ALCA-5221

1981 10 TRKS '98 re-master

CD TECHNODON EASTWORLD JPN TOCT-8010

1993 12 TRKS gimmix cover, original issue

10" X INFINITY MULTIPLIES (10" vers.) ALFA JPN YMO-1

1980 12 TRK EP; Snakeman Show

CD X INFINITY MULTIPLIES (10" vers.) ALFA JPN ALCA-5218

1980 12 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

LP YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA ALFA JPN ALR-6012

1978 10 TRKS insert

CD YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA ALFA JPN ALCA-5214

1978 10 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

LP YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA (US vers.) A&M US SP-736

1979 9 TRKS Yellow vinyl, U.S. mix

CD YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA (US vers.) ALFA JPN ALCA-5215

1979 9 TRKS '98 re-mastered; kami sleeve

Y.M.O. are Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. My favorite album is still “Technodelic”. I never had the opportunity to see them live. But I did buy plenty of live shows by them on legit videotape, laserdisc and DVD! And I am a huge fan of the Osaka comedy group Snakeman Show who grace a number of YMO releases. I even got to meet Moichi Kuwahara of Snakeman Show in Tokyo! (In fact, Moichi and I both have liner notes in the 2^nd Watermelon CD, “Out Of Body Experience”! Another story…)

These days, YMO sometimes get called “the Japanese Kraftwerk”, but I don’t think that’s 100% correct. And I hear they’re playing live again…as “Hasymo”.

Their solo works deserve their own pages, but I’m not going to write that now. My friend in NY, Nick, has a wonderful webpage about YMO:

http://artcontext.com/artskool/jem/ymo1.html

Paul McCartney

7-23-10

Paul McCartney – The 70’s

CD McCARTNEY CAPITOL US CDP 746611.2

1970 13 TRKS

LP McCARTNEY APPLE UK PCS 7102

1970 14 TRKS UK original issue

CD RAM TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-65501

1971 12 TRKS kami sleeve ('99 issue)

LP RAM APPLE UK PAS 10003

1971 12 TRKS UK original issue

CD WILD LIFE re EMI UK CDPMCOL 3

1971 14 TRKS 6 x bonus tracks, '93 re-master

LP WILD LIFE APPLE UK PCS 7142

1971 8 TRKS UK original issue

CDx2 BAND ON THE RUN - 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (2CD) CAPITOL US 99176.2

1973 10 TRKS ('99 issue) 25th Annv.; inserts, bonus disc etc.

LPx2 BAND ON THE RUN - 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION CAPITOL US 99176.1

1973 10 TRKS 25th Annv.; inserts etc.

CD RED ROSE SPEEDWAY CAPITOL US CDM 752026.2

1973 12 TRKS 3 x bonus tracks

LP RED ROSE SPEEDWAY APPLE DE 1C062-05311 D

1973 9 TRKS booklet

LP VENUS AND MARS CAPITOL US SMAS-11419

1975 13 TRKS poster, stickers

CD VENUS AND MARS CAPITOL US CDP 746984.2

1975 16 TRKS 3 x bonus tracks (1st US CD issue)

LP AT THE SPEED OF SOUND CAPITOL US SW-11525

1976 11 TRKS

CD AT THE SPEED OF SOUND re CAPITOL CAN 789140.2

1976 14 TRKS ('93 issue) 3 x bonus tracks

CDx2 WINGS OVER AMERICA TOSHIBA JPN TOCP-5986/7

1976 28 TRKS Live ('90 issue)

LPx3 WINGS OVER AMERICA CAPITOL US SWCO-11593

1976 28 TRKS Live, poster

LP LONDON TOWN CAPITOL US SW-11777

1978 14 TRKS

CD LONDON TOWN re EMI NL 89265.2

1978 16 TRKS ('93 re-master, 2 x bonus tracks)

LP BACK TO THE EGG COLUMBIA US FC 36057

1979 14 TRKS

CD BACK TO THE EGG re EMI UK CDPMCOL 10

1979 17 TRKS 3 x bonus tracks, '93 re-master

I can pretty comfortable with the 1970’s works of Paul McCartney. I was a big Beatles’ fan – still am. Paul’s 70’s output is pop music. I didn’t go and see Wings play live, but I sure remember it like it was yesterday. My late sister was particularly fond of Paul’s guitarist, Jimmy McCulloch.

I think “Tomorrow” on “Wild Life” is as good as anything Paul ever did with The Beatles. “Band On The Run” is a very solid 1973 pop album – no bad tracks. I think the kettle was dry for “At The Speed Of Sound”, never particularly fond of “Silly Love Songs” – even if I did chase the picture sleeve of the 45!

I still paid attention to some of Paul’s 80’s work – “Tug Of War” wasn’t bad, and the stuff he did with Elvis Costello was fairly good work for either man. I still try Paul’s new stuff, but I expect a lot less these days. And it took Paul years to get around to experimental albums, unlike the rest of The Beatles (Harrison’s “Electronic Sound”, anyone?).

New Trolls

7-22-10

New Trolls

An Italian progressive band, the New Trolls formed towards the end of the 60’s and made their best stuff from ’72 – ’76.

CD ATOMIC SYSTEM ARCANGELO JPN ARC-7023

1973 7 TRKS ('96 issue) (kami sleeve) (Italy CD)

CD CONCERTO GROSSO NO. 2 NEXUS JPN K32Y-2116

1976 9 TRKS

LP CONCERTO GROSSO NO. 2 MAGMA IT MAL 02

1976 9 TRKS

CD CONCERTO GROSSO PER UNO NEXUS JPN K32Y-2056

1971 7 TRKS

LP CONCERTO GROSSO PER UNO CETRA IT LPX 8

1971 7 TRKS orange label

LP F.S. KING JPN K28P-214

1981 9 TRKS insert

LP L.I.V.E.N.T. KING JPN K22P-327

1976 10 TRKS Live, insert

LPx2 NEW TROLLS CETRA IT DPU 4

1975 21 TRK Collection

LPx2 SEARCHING FOR A LAND CETRA IT LPX 12/13

1972 11 TRKS

LP SENZA ORARIO SENZA BANDIERA CETRA IT LPX 3

1968 10 TRKS re-issue

LP TOUR CETRA IT LPX 141

1985 9 TRKS

CD U.T. NEXUS JPN K32Y-2118

1972 9 TRKS

LP U.T. KING JPN GXF 2050

1972 9 TRKS re-issue, insert

The first thing I ever heard was the opening cut of “Concerto Grosso Per Uno” on the FM radio – it sounded like Jethro Tull – but with an orchestra! Their best album is easily “Atomic System”, where they seemed to really gel. “U.T. has some (almost) heavy metal a la Black Sabbath on one track – totally heavy guitar, whereas “Atomic System” is undoubtedly a keyboard album. It’s always so hard to talk about Italian bands without comparing them to British bands – but in the case of the New Trolls..they were their own thing – but would definitely appeal to fans of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis or King Crimson. Somewhat obviously, all of the singing is in Italian.

“Concerto Grosso No. 2” was their last album in the progressive rock style. By the early 80’s, they had become pretty much a pop band. I’ve kept all the Japanese CD’s I was able to find, but I haven’t really chased any of the post-Concerto No. 2 albums on CD. I should probably roll out “F.S. and “Live N.T.” and see if they’re worth th vinyl they’re pressed on.

There are other more impressive Italian 70’s progressive bands – Cervello, Il Ballettio Di Bronzo, Museo Rosenbach…but New Trolls were solid rock music at a time when solid rock music wasn’t past it’s sell-by date. The Concerto albums are for fans of “rock band with orchestra”, “U.T.” is for the hard rock fans – “Atomic System” is for anyone who can appreciate 70’s rock music, played by real people on real instruments.