eli@uw-june (Eli Messinger) (02/10/84)
In response to many mail requests, I thought I'd post a summary of some of
the new-psychedelic/60's-punk discs that are currently floating around.
Unfortunately this is somewhat incomplete (I just noticed that the new
disc from The Seclusions isn't listed)... I'll try to keep up with what's
coming out.
... uw-june!eli
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s = single ... e = EP
e Bangles--Bangles--Faulty
s --The Real World (Remix)--Faulty
Chesterfield Kings--Here Are The-The Chesterfield Kings--Mirror
e Dream Syndicate--Dream Syndicate--Down There
--Days of Wine and Roses--Ruby(?)/Slash/Warner Brothers
s --Tell Me When It's Over/+3 Live--Rough Trade [English Imp.]
e 84 Rooms--84 Rooms--Rackit
Roky Erickson & The Aliens--Roky Erickson & The Aliens--CBS [English Imp.]
Fleshtones--Hexbreaker!--IRS
e Green On Red--Green On Red--Down There
--Gravity Talks--Slash/Warner Brothers
Hypstrz--Hypstrization--Voxx
e Long Ryders--10-5-60--PVC/Jem
e The Lyres--The Lyres--Ace Of Hearts
s --I Want to Help You Ann/I Really Want You Right Now--Ace of Hearts
e Neats--The Monkey's Head in the Corner of the Room--Ace of Hearts
--The Neats--Ace of Hearts
s Rain Parade--What She's Doing To Your Mind/Kaleidoscope--Llama
--Emergency Third Rail Power Trip--Enigma
Salvation Army--Salvation Army--Frontier
e The Three O'Clock--Baroque Hoedown--Frontier
--Baroque Hoedown--Lolita [French Import]
The Three O'Clock--Sixteen Tambourines--Frontier
--Sixteen Tambourines--Lolita [French Import]
s True West--Lucifer Sam/maS reficuL--Bring Out Your Dead (?)
e --True West--Bring Out Your Dead
--Hollywood Holiday--New Rose
e The Unclaimed--The Unclaimed--Hysteria
(Various Artists)--Radio Tokyo Tapes--
(Various Artists)--Rainy Day--Llama/Enigma
(Various Artists)--Warf Rat Tales--Warf Rat
e Wednesday Week--Betsy's House--Warf Rat
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Bangles--Bangles--Faulty
--The Real World (Remix)--Faulty
Outstanding five-song EP from a four-piece band out of L.A. This
disc owes a lot more to the folk scene of the sixties, such as
Peter, Paul and Mary, than to the punk sound. Excellent harmonies
and fairly competent musicianship (though I don't think that's
really the point of this disc) combine with unbelievably catchy
hooks to make a very potent debut. The 12" remix is the same
length as the EP track, but with a slightly different sound--I
think the EP version is much better. (The death of Faulty records
has apparently left the Bangles on IRS so keep your eyes peeled).
Oh--since it's an all-female band they'll likely be thrown into
the Go-Go's bin, but they are not clones.
Chesterfield Kings--Here Are The... (Mirror)
The cover of this package, from its perfectly faded colors to
the swingin' Brian Jones haircuts, says it all. The look of
this record is so authentic it's hard to believe that it isn't
a reissue from 1966. In fact though the 'Kings have a contem-
porary version of the punk sound that was the early Rolling
Stones and vintage Standells. Their material is virtually all
(if not all) cover versions--many obsure sides borrowed from
the Pebbles series. The Seeds and Electric Prunes are gone now,
but their music is all but forgotten. The ultra cheesy production
on this disc makes any stereo sound like an AM car radio.
Dream Syndicate--Dream Syndicate--Down There
--Days of Wine and Roses--Ruby(?)/Slash/Warner Brothers
--Tell Me When It's Over/+3 Live--Rough Trade
Darker psychedelia ala The Velvet Underground. Excellent "free-
style" guitar pyrotechnics from Karl Precoda--that meaning I can't
tell if he's a genius of feedback and distortion, or just a sloppy
guitarist. The A-Side of the Rough Trade EP is the same as the
album, but the three live tracks on the B-Side make it well worth
the price of admission. Original bassist Kendra Smith, who put
together the Rainy Day project [see below] is gone--apparently so
she could tour with her boyfriend David Roback [Rain Parade].
The new Dream Syndicate LP on A&M Records (yes, they jumped ship
on Slash) should be out very soon.
84 Rooms--84 Rooms--Rackit
Not really a psychedelic revival LP in the same way as some of the
other discs listed here, but certainly this could fall under the
umbrella. This is a 5-song EP of two instrumentals and three vocal
tracks, all of which have a rather snappy pop sound with undertones
of psychedelia. Apparently the band is named after a sign on a
transient hotel near their practice room.
Roky Erickson & The Aliens--Roky Erickson & The Aliens--CBS [English Import]
This disc has also been released domestically--though I expect it's
out of print by this point. Roky continues his drug induced (some
might say mentally incapacitated) days as lead singer of the Thir-
teenth Floor Elevators. A very scary album of post-Elevators psych-
edelia. 'Creature With the Atom Brain' would make an excellent theme
for a B-grade horror film.
Fleshtones--Hexbreaker!--IRS
A more contemporary version of the Standells buzz-saw sound than
the Chesterfield Kings, but with the same spirit of FUN and some
great organ. Some of this sounds a bit too modern in its phrasing
and not quite snotty enough... There's just something about mid-
dle class kids lamenting about life that's not quite captured here.
Oh well, I guess The Fleshtones love of professional wrestling should
give them a few extra points.
Green On Red--Green On Red--Down There
--Gravity Talks--Slash/Warner Brothers
The second (WB) release takes a more polished approach than their
first EP (which is getting harder and harder to find). There are a
lot of flavors to this band--certainly The Velvet Underground would
be central--but there's a much glossier sound to the new LP, a finer
sense of how to arrange their songs. The smoother sounds of the music
makes an interesting combination with Dan Stuart's often-out-of-tune
vocals and morbid/depressing lyrics. One of my top 3 for 1983.
Hysptrz--Hypstrization--Voxx
I'm a bit confused about this band. Originally I thought they were
from Los Angeles--but apparently they're from Minneapolis as a few
cuts of their's showed up on "Big Hits of Mid America, Vol. 3" on
the Twin Tone label. Anyway, this disc is a fine live set from
around 1980. Mostly 60's standards, with rave-up versions of
'Riot On Sunset Strip' and 'Shake', as well as others.
Long Ryders--10-5-60--PVC/Jem
The Long Ryders first showed up on the Radio Tokyo Tapes compilation
album [see below], and have now signed with Jem for this EP. A very
strong 5-song release with a diversity of styles: Two (pop) rock
tracks, a ballad complete with autoharp, a country-tinged track, and
one rather psychedelic piece. I would bet on this band (out of the
L.A. bunch) for artistic longevity.
The Lyres--The Lyres--Ace of Hearts
--I Want to Help You Ann/I Really Want You Right Now--Ace of Hearts
From the East Coast--Boston. Apparently both the 4-song EP and the
single were recorded at the same time (~1981-2?), but the single was
only released recently. The EP features four tracks with a slightly
more metal sound and a slightly less psychedelic/60's-punk rock sound.
The A-Side of the single features a wild tremeloed guitar punctuated
by stinging gun-shot snare beats and a good vocal. The B-Side is a
bit more sedate, with some excellent triple-tracked vocals at the end.
Neats--The Monkey's Head in the Corner of the Room--Ace of Hearts
--The Neats--Ace of Hearts
Another great band from Boston--though not quite in the same vein as
earlier Boston bands such as The Remains. Definitely 60's oriented,
but not really as psychedelic as what's coming out of Los Angeles.
The Neats come off as a very 'regular' group of guys who just happen
to have Voxx guitars and organs and a handful of single from the
60's that they like to listen to.
Rain Parade--What She's Doing To Your Mind/Kaleidoscope (Llama)
--Emergency Third Rail Power Trip (Enigma)
Both of the tracks on the Llama single appear in a slightly wimpier
re-recorded form on the LP. Lots of fuzzed, Voxx'ed guitars that
sound just like sitars ("...it's the NOW sound, it's WHAT'S HAPPEN-
ING."). Obviously a lot of Byrds influence here, but as with most
of the "revival" groups it's just a starting point. David Roback,
who rumor has it has been booted from the group, writes some fine
songs, and has a studio engineer's touch as a producer. Occasionally
this disc seems to go just a tad too far--but in general it's a
rare find among today's synthodiscoschmaltz. Another top-3 pick
of 1984. Two additional Rain Parade tracks appear on the Warf Rat
Tales compilation, and one on the Radio Tokyo Tapes [see below].
Salvation Army--Salvation Army--Frontier
Two members of the Salvation Army eventually evolved (with two
new members) into the Three O'Clock [see below], but not before
releasing this acid induced work. Unfortunately out-of-print
and getting hard to find, this disc finds front-man/vocalist/
bassist Michael Quercio just starting to find his way. The
production isn't nearly as clean as the two Three O'Clock discs,
and the songs are much less poppy--and more acidy (sample titles,
"While We Were in Your Room Talking to Your Wall," "I am Your
Guru," "Happen Happened"). A good record for watching the re-
frigerator melt into the floor.
The Three O'Clock--Baroque Hoedown--Frontier
--Baroque Hoedown--Lolita [French Import]
The first EP/LP from the Three O'Clock. The import version fea-
tures three tracks not on the domestic release--two from a fan
club single, "Lucifer Sam"/"In Love In Too," plus their version
of "Feel A Whole Lot Better," recorded as a present for LA-KROQ
Dj Rodney Bigenheimer. The rest of the EP is an incredible col-
lection of pop-psychedelia (including an amazing cover of the
Easybeats "Sorry") with the fine production work of Earle Mankey.
The Three O'Clock--Sixteen Tambourines--Frontier
--Sixteen Tambourines--Lolita [French Import]
Only one extra track on this import, "All in Good Time," which
also appears on the Radio Tokyo sampler [see below]. With this
disc the Three O'Clock seems to have lost some of their fans.
Much less flower-powery than the initial EP, and more straight
ahead pop. Some people feel that a lot of this material is as
wimpy as Barry Manilow on Seconal--but I found on the fourth or
fifth listening that every track was surprisingly good. Some
experimentation with horns--that I think worked out fine, and a
great cover of the Bee Gee's "In My Own Time." I expect that
this record will get picked up by a major and propel them into
some national light.
True West--Lucifer Sam/maS reficuL--Bring Out Your Dead (?)
--True West--Bring Out Your Dead
--Hollywood Holiday--New Rose
ANOTHER import with extra tracks--three on this one. Plus a
much better pressing. Originally (still?) from Sacramento,
California, True West refers to themselves as a "guitar band."
Production (or mis-production) by Steve Wynn of the Dream Syn-
dicate is a bit muddy, but the songs still come through. Their
first single (which appears on both the EP and LP) is a good cover
of an old Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd song--the single containing a
backwards version for the B-Side. The rest of the EP/LP is much
in the same style, guitar dominated--psychedelic influenced, in
much the same manner as the Dream Syndicate.
The Unclaimed--The Unclaimed--Hysteria
Apparently this band has been kicking around LA for eight or nine
years, honing their psychedelic sound. This EP features plenty of
stinging fuzzed our guitars and whiny organs. Includes a psycho
version of "Baby Elephant Walk" entitled "Phunt." Unfortunately
the production values and/or pressing quality is very low. Former
member Sid Griffin is now in the Long Ryders [see above].
(Various Artists)--Radio Tokyo Tapes
From the Radio Tokyo studio of Ethan James comes this fine com-
pilation documenting the current L.A. scene. Not completely
psych-pop bands, but featuring tracks from The Three O'Clock,
The Rain Parade, The Long Ryders ("Still Get By"--a killer) and
The Bangles (pitching for "No Magazine"). Plus some great tracks
from newer age bands such as The Minutemen and Savage Republic.
(Various Artists)--Rainy Day--Llama/Enigma
Some of LA's finest psychedelic musicians come together to pay
tribute to their musical roots. Kendra Smith, the original bass
player for the Dream Syndicate got members of the Bangles, the
Three O'Clock and the Rain Parade (as well as others) in the studio
to do covers of traditional folk classics (e.g. John Riley, Sloop
John B.) as well as covers of songs penned by Dylan, Townshend and
others. This record comes off as being so very honest, so heartfelt,
that it just becomes very very enjoyable listening.
(Various Artists)--Warf Rat Tales--Warf Rat
One of the first compilations to show the L.A. garage band scene
in full swing. Excellent tracks from The Rain Parade, The Question?,
The Point, Wednesday Week, and many more. Sound quality is okay
for having been (actually) recorded in someone's garage.
Wednesday Week--Betsy's House--Warf Rat
Three piece female pop band much in the vein of Oh-Ok. Very
quirky folk-rock-pop. Inevitably they'll be compared to the Go-Go's
and the Bangles, but they really don't sound like either--very
unique five song EP (one track of which appears on the Radio
Tokyo Tapes).erice@tekig.UUCP (E Burrito) (02/11/84)
The Cramps? What about The Cramps. I've heard a couple good albums by them, Off the Bone (compleat with real horrorshow 3-D jacket), and Psychedelic Jungle, both of unremembered label. They have a load of albums out, do the others have any good stuff on them? Also, The Liars (from Boston) have some good tracks, though I don't know the album they are from, or the names of any of their albums. Channel 3? Their After the Lights Go Out album is great and that is the only album of theirs I've heard anything from as well.