DALE JENKINS - Undesirable Element [USA post punk, psychedelic 1985] 2021 Got Kinda Lost Records GKL009CD

 

Dale Jenkins’ Undesirable Elements, issued privately in the Washington, D.C. area circa 1985, is a homespun effort deserving of the audience and attention it never received upon initial release. Undesirable Elements—here expanded as Undesirable Element with appended bonus tracks—is a desolate and deconstructed album which touches on the subtleties and extremes of the human condition, and the nuances in between, across gnarled bits of proto-punk via abrasive, fuzzed guitars, and refracted mutant strains of British post-punk through a distinctly American underbelly sensibility. 

Dale

NRBQ - Ludlow Garage 1970 [USA rock, jazz rock, rhythm & blues live 1970] 2006 Sundazed Music SC 11082

 

Right out of the box NRBQ were a different kind of band. Their self-titled 1969 debut album opened with back-to-back covers of Eddie Cochran's rockabilly classic "C'mon Everybody" and Sun Ra's exploratory jazz adventure "Rocket #9," and things only got weirder from there. Very few people got it at first, but from the start "the Q," as they're often called, garnered a cult following that cherished their anything-except-crap-goes approach to music making. Wildly unpredictable, often chaotic, jaw-droppingly inventive and non-stop gobs of fun, NRBQ quickly became one of those you-have-to-see-them-live-to-understand-their-greatness bands that never quite managed to capture their particular genius in a studio setting. In keyboardist Terry Adams and guitarist Steve Ferguson, NRBQ boasted writers of stunningly eclectic (probably the word most often applied to NRBQ) taste and each member of the band -- which also included at that time vocalist Frank Gadler, bassist Joey Spampinato, and drummer Tom Staley -- was a virtuoso who didn't need to prove his virtuosity; and all were natural showmen who didn't need to strut to hold an audience's attention. NRBQ, even at this early stage (the band was still going strong more than 35 years later, with Adams and Spampinato still aboard), possessed an uncanny ability to handle any kind of music thrown at them. In 1970, that should have meant long guitar and drum solos, pretentious lyrics, a lot of preening and general bombast, but NRBQ were the anti-Woodstock and had no interest in falling in line with convention. Steeped in everything from deep soul to out-there jazz to roots rock & roll to harmonic pop to whatever oddball stuff came into their orbit, NRBQ shed rock's heft, threw their collective influences into the hopper, shuffled them around and created something new and refreshingly original -- and that approach has never been altered. This January 1970 concert recording found the original Q -- augmented, as they have often been, by horn players Donn Adams (Terry's brother) and Keith Spring -- in sizzling form at Cincinnati's Ludlow Garage. It's circulated among the faithful for years but the official release is a stunning reminder of just how sweet fate can be -- that such like-minded players (hailing from Kentucky, the Bronx and Miami) could not only serendipitously find one another, but use their collective the-hell-with-preconceptions attitudes and encyclopedic discographical knowledge to their advantage is a blessed thing. At Ludlow, on a bill with blues guitar master Albert King, NRBQ unleashed all of their madness on a crowd undoubtedly comprised of those who'd already been indoctrinated, those who'd soon be bowing at their altar, and those who'd spend the set scratching their heads. After all, this was a band that slid easily from a tough but smooth take on the Falcons' pre-soul, gospel-esque ballad "I Found a Love" right into Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "Here Comes the Whistleman," and later on followed up "Ida," co-written by Terry Adams and jazz artist Carla Bley (the latter also appearing on that debut album), with the old Hank Ballard R&B stomper "Finger-Poppin' Time." And a band who, midway through their set, snapped off a string of half-a-dozen songs ranging in length from under a minute to just over two, unheard of in the era of the Fillmores. As musicians, the Q were peerless -- you can hear the template for the secret behind the band's long run in the looseness that characterizes their playing here. Whether covering Little Richard's ripping "Rip It Up," the Billy Stewart soul ballad "Sitting in the Park," or hammering through a nine-minute epic expansion of Terry Adams' "Kentucky Slop Song," in which the horns take off on a Dixieland-gone-crazy ride, these guys never fail to keep things lively. Following a "Rocket #9" opener even more extraterrestrial than the studio version, Ferguson, in his own "Flat Foot Flewzie" (also from the first album), demonstrates how a guitar solo can be both economical and inspiring, while Adams' Thelonious Monk-like keyboard fills exhibit both a strange randomness and a consummate understanding of his instrument's possibilities. Staley's drumming is muscular yet a bit loopy (in a good way) and Spampinato's bass provides a solid but melodic anchor. Gadler, meanwhile, proves a commanding singer who avoids rock clichés. A year later, changes would begin within the lineup, and by the mid-'70s Gadler, Ferguson and Staley were all gone, and NRBQ became the long-running quartet of Adams, Spampinato, guitar giant Al Anderson, and drummer Tom Ardolino. But that's another story for another time. This Ludlow show is the earliest official live Q on record, and as such is an essential document, not to mention one kickin' set of live music.

NRBQ

BANNED FROM CHICAGO - 1978 [USA punk rock 1978] 2018 Alona's Dream Records ADR CD 026

 

BANNED FROM CHICAGO formed in Chicago’s nascent punk scene circa 1977. Not content with their hometown, they decamped for NYC in early 1978. But before they departed Chicago, they recorded a set at a studio on the south side. The eight songs sat unreleased until rediscovered in 2017. Banned From Chicago is twin guitars, throbbing bass, heavy drums and a unique take on punk’s early sound.

Chicago

THE MIAMIS - We Deliver - The Lost Band Of The CBGB Era (1974-1979) [USA rock, glam, punk 1974-79] 2016 Omnivore Recordings OVCD-162

 

Led by brothers/guitarists/vocalists James and Thomas Wynbrandt, The Miamis were the band all the other bands went to see. Now, for the very first time, their music can be heard outside the shadows of long gone Lower East Side rock’n‘roll dives.

We Deliver absolutely does. Culled from various sessions, some produced by Craig Leon (Ramones/Blondie/Suicide) and Genya Ravan (Dead Boys/Ronnie Spector), as well as an excellent soundboard recording from CBGB, it tells the story of a tough band who weren’t afraid to show a softer side. Gritty New York Dolls-style rockers alternate with Phil Spector-inspired ballads, as musings on French art and overpopulation intermingle with Dictators-esque celebrations of pizza parlors and pop culture icons. It’s the street art of inspired youths driven by the desire to overcome the bleak reality of their neighborhood.

Where every other band that ever graced the stage of a certain Bowery dive bar has been immortalized in the annals of punk – even The Mad are revered by certain uplifting gormandizers, The Miamis have been tragically ignored. Well, now it’s their turn.

Miamis

UNCLE WALT'S BAND - Recorded Live at Waterloo Ice House [USA folk, rock, country 1982] 2021 Omnivore Recordings OVCD-407

 

Originally released in 1982 as a 14-song set recorded at Austin's Waterloo Ice House, this expanded edition of 21 tracks by the trio of Walter Hyatt, Champ Hood and David Ball is an entertaining mix of originals and nicely chosen covers.

Hyatt contributes one of the stronger country compositions with "Georgia Rose," later covered by Jimmie Dale Gilmore on his 2000 album "One Endless Night," a tear jerker about lost love ("Tonight I'm drinking while I'm thinking/Until the beer joints close/And I'm thinking of someone/I called my Georgia Rose").

 Hood injects some rock and roll into the mix with "Lose Me Baby" and even a touch of Motown with "Eddie's Girl." Ball delivers the strongest vocals on the bluesy "Bye, Bye Baby" featuring a nice guitar solo from Hood, and the jazz flavored "Just A Little Understanding" that recalls Paul McCartney.

Standout covers are "Snowing Me Under," written by Steve Runkle (a bandmate of Hyatt and Hood in the '80s Nashville-based The Contenders) with a soulful vocal by Hyatt, and Ball's take on the ballad "Since I Fell For You'' that was a pop hit for Lenny Welch in 1963. Other highlights are the 1960 Elvis Presley hit "I Gotta Know" and the obscure Fats Domino 1968 album cut "Honest Papas Love Mamas Better." The diverse repertoire of the band is best exemplified by the closing cover of Brazilian jazz artist Moacir Santos' "Early Morning Love" that in particular showcases the sweet harmonies of the trio.

 As with previous reissues of their studio albums "Recorded Live at Waterloo Ice House" gives long overdue exposure to hidden gems from Uncle Walt's Band. Gilmore is quoted in the liner notes declaring "the three best singers in Austin were all in the same band," an observation given credence by this release.

Ice

THE RAVES - Past Perfect Tense - The Recordings 1980-1989 [USA power pop 1980-89] 1992 Hologramophone Music Ltd. none

 

The Raves are a great Power- Pop group with tight vocals, soaring and jangling guitars, powerful bass and a driving beat… but it’s really the songwriting that sets them apart. The songs are instant classics and as immediate today as when they were recorded. In the world of Pop music a few great bands still need to be given larger exposure to the pubic. You are about to discover one of them.

Raves

LARS LUNDBERG & MATS LODEN - Rebecca [Sweden hard, psychedelic, folk 1974-76] 2013 not on label BD 002

 

Lars Lundberg and Mats Lodén were buddies already from first grade in Luleå, located in northernmost Sweden. Although they were good friends, they did not share a musical interest during the first three school years. Lars was lucky enough to have a very special dad, who presented him a Hagström Standard 80 White Pearl electric guitar and a small amplifier on his eighth birthday in 1964. In 1973, Lars and Mats formed a new band together (Savannah) with old classmate Benny Sjödin. All three played the guitar. This was of course not an ideal setup for a band. The situation was solved by recruiting the one year younger Peter Larsson on drums. Lars played the bass guitar, as well as harmonica, recorder and alto saxophone. Benny and Mats doubled on the bass guitar when Lars was busy singing or playing another instrument. After the split of Savannah in 1975, Lars and Mats became heavily oriented towards early British progressive music. Lars was fond of bands like Pink Floyd, Traffic, and Curved Air, while Mats favored music made by for example David Bowie, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and The Doors. All songs on the album are written by Lars and Mats. With one exception, all titles and song texts are in English. There are no political ambitions whatsoever. The songs can rather be described as whimsical and psychedelic, which makes the album rather unique at the time, when Swedish music was either commercial with lyrics in English or anti-commercial with lyrics in Swedish and an outspoken political message. The album was originally pressed in 200 copies only, as it was intended to be a demo album. However, at the time no major Swedish record company showed any interest in the music. Lars sold his four-channel tape recorder, in order to afford the pressing. Most of the records were sold to friends and schoolmates in Luleå. There are very cool electric underground songs but others go in the direction of the best Tony Caro & John. A great and rare Swedish album which appears in Hans Pokoras's 7001 Record Collector Dreams book with a six-star value.

Lars - Mats