28 June 2008

What the Frightwig?

 UPDATE: Re-upped 11/30/2023 with two additional releases.

 Subterranean gives up another one...
 

"Some wild women that rock pretty hard...arguably the rowdiest, raunchiest, & just plain best bunch of female rock 'n' rollers in the U.S. Funny, furious, & Flipperesque. Check it out"
     (Subterranean Records sexist Mailorder flyer)

Ladies & Germs,...Frightwig!!!

Deanna Ashley (bass) & Mia Levin (vocals & guitar) formed Frightwig in San Francisco in 1983 because they "were bored with the cheezy male dominated rock scene & the growing number of 'hair' bands". The duo were then joined by Cecilia Lynch (drums) & were now ready to kick serious ass! 1984 saw the release of their debut album Cat Farm Faboo.

"Anyone interested in doing a genealogical study of the roots of riot grrrl rock must include this tremendously influential San Francisco band. Ferocious, funky feminists, Frightwig's debut LP was a brain-burning chunk of white-hot noise rock, loaded with unsubtle sexual politics ("My Crotch Does Not Say Go") & fueled by punk rock bravado that never let up. Flying in the face of every conventional (i.e., male-defined) attitude of a woman's place in contemporary rock, Frightwig simply got in your face & stayed there. A lot of feminist-inspired women rock bands of the '90s, like L7, Bikini Kill, & Bratmobile, owed a debt of gratitude to this pioneering band."                                                     ~ John Dougan, All Music Guide

Frightwig - Cat Farm Faboo, Subterranean Records SUB 46, 1984.
all decryption codes in comments


Side 1:
The Wanque Off Song
My Crotch Does Not Say Go
Jeri's Song
I Got Lost
Hot Papa
A Man's Got to Do What a Man's Got to Do


Side 2:
Vagabondage
Only You
Take This & Fuck Your Head
I'll Talk to You & Smile
Tomorrow Never Comes
Something's Gotta Change

Enjoy,


UPDATE: This link has been dead for years. It is now re-upped, as well as the following...

 

Frightwig - Faster, Frightwig: Kill! Kill!, Caroline Records CAROL 1334, 1986.


Side One -
Beverly
Crazy World
Big Bang
Punk Rock Jail Bait
Manifest Destiny

Side Two -
Booby Prize (Dedicated to Linda Lovelace)
American Express
I Don't Want to Be Alone
Freedom

 

 

 

 

Frightwig - Phone Sexy, Boner Records BR19, 1989.

Side A -
AMX89
I Wanna Live
Public Baths

Side B -
Just One Look
I Support You
Frightwig Luvs Ya Baby


Enjoy more Fright,

What the F? - part - What the F?

Was going to post up 45 Grave Autopsy but I realized all you purist would start bitchin' that 45 is a #
but I still think it starts with an F'ing F!

All that being said, I never could have come close to the glory of this post, I leave you with this...

BONITO CADAVER
(everything 45G you can imagine & more...
Black Cross & Phantoms eps
& pre-45G The Consumers)

45 GRAVE,
our favorite Heavy-Metal-Psychedelic-Post-Punk-What-the-Fuck-Ghoul-Rockers.
by Zombs














Zombs sez...
Some folks can see dead people...
I live among them!.
Welcome to ovens of hell!!!
¡¡¡THE DEATH IS MY LIFE!!!

Ver todo mi perfil

The following poem appears under the heading...

Aquel día me desperté
y a mi entorno nada ví
Una oscuridad profunda
rodeaba todo mi ser
Un frío recorría mi cuerpo
y un sudor bañó mi piel
Estaba enterrado vivo ...

Puse atención a todo
y nada pude oir
Quise levantarme
y no pude mover los pies
Quise mover las manos
y nada pude hacer
Estaba enterrado vivo ...

Habré de morir desesperado
o de asfixia tal vez
Los gusanos me comerán
y yo me pudriré
Estaba enterrado vivo
Estaba enterrado vivo
Estaba enterrado vivooo..

(roughly translated)

That day I awoke
& around me I saw nothing
The deep darkness of obscurity
surrounded all my being
A cold crept cross my body
& a sweat bathed my skin
It was buried alive…

I put my attention to everything
& nothing I could hear
I wanted to rise
& I could not move my feet
I wanted to move my hands
& nothing I could do
It was buried alive…

I will have to die of desperation
or perhaps of asphyxiation
The worms will eat me
& I will rot

I was buried alive
I was buried alive
I was buried aliveeeeeee...

Ciao,

21 June 2008

What the F? - part 4 - More Flipper

UPDATE: This post was re-uploaded 08/30/2013. Enjoy, NØ.

Here's some more Flipper.



















No game this time...just the Flipper van, the band & their equipment
to cut out & tape together 3D.
I posted up the images large enough
that if you want to make the cut-outs yourself, you can.



















Also an actual photo of the Flipper van & members




















Flipper - Gone Fishin', Subterranean Records, SUB-42, 1984.
decryption code in comments

Side 1 -

The Light, the Sound
First the Heart
In Life my Friends
Survivors of the Plague

Side 2 -

Sacrifice
Talk's Cheap
You Nought Me
One by One

Enjoy,

15 June 2008

What the F? - part 3

 UPDATE: This post was re-uploaded 08/30/2013. Enjoy, NØ.

Most of the time (other than original poetry & fiction by yours truly) I just write about the particular musick I've uploaded in a mish-mash of: facts I've garnered from various sources; my own opinions; information from covers, inserts, liners, etc. from the album itself; my own opinion; & any random esoterica I might know.
Most of the time...

Most of the time I don't get all, like...PERSONAL...

Most of the time...

Right now, I just want to say...

If you don't GET (understand, comprende, verstehen, get) this awesome slab of vinyl...4 raging sides of the most glorious musick you'll ever hear, if you don't get what Flipper mean, if you don't get the supreme power of "If I Can't Be Drunk", then just...

Go somewhere else. Go check out some other blog & don't bother coming back.

I'm Fuckin' SERIOUS!

Is that, like...PERSONAL enough?

Public Flipper Limited...that kinda reminds me of Public Image Limited, so what's the deal?
























First, Flipper released their debut (brilliant, unbeatable) album, Album - Generic Flipper, in 1982. It has a plain yellow cover that made it look like so many no-name grocery items.
























Then, a few years later, PIL released their Album (or Cassette or CD) with a plain white cover that looked like so many no-name grocery items. Well, John Lydon (nee Rotten) & Public Image Limited (PIL) were accused by many of stealing Flipper's idea for an album title.

So as a bit of retort, in 1986, Flipper retaliated for this apparent act of concept theft by releasing a live album entitled Public Flipper Limited Live 1980-1985. There was no legal battle or anything, but it's an interesting story.

Public Flipper Limited is a collection of crusty live tracks recorded over a few years while Flipper toured, did a lot of drugs, & played a lot of tunes. It features tons of hilarious stage patter, half-assed songs that start somewhere & go nowhere, everyone getting off rhythm, recordings so hilariously skewed that all you can hear is Ted smashing the hell out of his guitar, drug references aplenty, obscenity, noise, yelling -- in shorts, CHAOS & ANARCHY. Nowhere else will you find Flipper so hilariously loose & stupid. The 14-minute version of "Sex Bomb" is as good as it gets, & an equally long version of "Shine" (on the same record side, strangely) sounds quite tight...as tight as any Flipper song could be in those days.You'll find some Flipper tracks here that never appeared on their studio albums. If you've been dying to hear "Southern California" or "If I Can't Be Drunk", this might be the only place you ever get to hear them.



Flipper - Public Flipper Limited Live 1980-1985 ,Subterranean Records SUB 53, 1986.
all decryption codes are in comments

Side 1 -

New Rules No Rules (Target,San Francisco,CA,2/24/80)
Hard Cold World (9:30 Club,Washington,DC.,3/14/82)
I'm Fighting (Target,San Francisco,CA,2/24/80)
The Game's Got a Price (Target,San Francisco,CA,11/15/80)
[outtake from the soundtrack to the film "Emerald Cities" by Rick Schmidt]

Side 2 -

Love Canal (Berkeley Square,Berkeley,CA,9/6/80)
Oh-Oh-Ay-Oh (Target,San Francisco,CA,2/24/80)
We Don't Understand (On Broadway,San Francisco,CA,2/6/82)
[originally broadcast live on KUSF,San Francisco,CA.]
If I Can't Be Drunk (On Broadway,San Francisco,CA,6/22/82)

Side 3 -

Sex Bomb (CBGB's,New York,NY,12/31/84)
Brainwash (9:30 Club,Washington,DC.,3/14/82)
Shine (On Broadway,San Francisco,CA.,4/1/82)

Side 4 -

Southern California (On Klub,Los Angeles,CA.,1/26/85)
Life (Ruthie's Inn,Berkeley,CA.,8/6/83)
The Wheel (On Broadway,San Francisco,CA.,2/6/82)
Flipper Blues (Larry's Hideaway,Toronto,ONT.,1/5/85)




















An additional FUN!!! part of the album is the packaging itself. Public Flipper Limited has its own off-the-wall packaging concept. The cover folds out into a large game board, with cards inside that are intended to be cut up & shuffled to play the game. Some cards read: "Spend the day sober. Minus 5 points. Go back 3 spaces."; or "Ted disappears for 3 days, walks into club just as band goes on stage. Plus 10 points."; or "Band busted for looking weird. Minus 10 points. Go to New Jersey." (man, minus 10 points & go to NJ, bummer). It's a lot of fun to play with your friends while listening to the songs & over-indulging in your favorite over-indulgence.



















Enjoy,



p.s.---check the comments for more great Flipper from around the blogsphere.

p.s.s.---most of the links in the comments are long gone. Here are a couple more.





09 June 2008

What the F? - part 2

One year of this "B" log today, guess I'm feelin' lucky, punk.

Posted up the first "F"ing thing, The Fuzztone's Nine Months Later, & got a request from Nazz Nomad over at Bleedin' Out for The Fleshtones.
























Always try to oblige.

The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 by Keith Streng & Jan-Marek Pakulski, two Queens, New York roommates who discovered that a previous tenant had left behind some instruments in their basement. Streng, on guitar, & Pakulski, on bass, were soon joined by neighborhood friends Peter Zaremba on harmonica, keyboards, & vocals, & Lenny Calderon on drums. The Fleshtones quickly became famous locally for their basement dance parties fueled by Blue Whale cocktails.They are famous for their high-energy live shows & dedicated celebration of party music.













The Fleshtones debuted at CBGB on May 19, 1976, & began touring in earnest in the early-80s. Starting in 1978, the group was often joined on-stage, as well as on record, by Action Combo: brothers Gordon (alto sax & harmonica) & Brian (tenor sax) Spaeth. Gordon Spaeth became an official band member in 1983.

In 1980, The Fleshtones were signed by Miles Copeland at I.R.S. Records where they would work with producers Richard Mazda & Richard Gottehrer. The band replaced Calderon with drummer Bill Milhizer, appeared in the British Punk/New Wave concert film Urgh! A Music War, & released its first EP Up-Front. Four discs on I.R.S. followed: Roman Gods (1982), Hexbreaker! (1983), & the live Speed Connection & Speed Connection II (1985).

For your listening pleasure...

Speed Connection II - The Final Chapter, I.R.S. Records IRS-5627, 1985.

The Fleshtones were meant to be seen live, so in order to capture that essence, it was necessary to do a live album, smearing as much sweat & personality on the vinyl as possible. It took two attempts: the first Speed Connection was issued in France but deemed inferior (by the band as well as critics & fans) to the second, which was recorded at a different 1985 Paris show & released in the U.S. & U.K. Although technically casual, Speed Connection II is a stupendous, old- fashioned warts'n'all concert record, loaded with all the chaos & frantic rock panache the Fleshtones can muster. Especially potent is their brilliant "Kingsmen Like Medley," as well as "Return to the Haunted House" & "Wind Out," the latter featuring guest guitar by Pete Buck of R.E.M.

What Others Say

"There's a difference between being a great band & making great records, & that's the rub that's long dogged the Fleshtones; they're smart, funny, & a great live act, but they haven't always had the best of luck in the studio, where their best qualities often evaporate in overly sterile conditions. Speed Connection II, recorded live in front of a well-oiled crowd in Paris, doesn't perfectly capture the charm & wild energy of their stage show, but it comes close enough to be one of their most purely enjoyable albums -- when the band starts shouting out "5! 10! 15! 20!" like it's the Rosetta Stone, as Bill Milhizer's drums stomp out the beat & Jan Pakulski's bass makes with the fuzz in the opening seconds of "Hide & Seek," you know you're hearing the Fleshtones the way they were meant to be heard. You get a "Kingsmen Like Medley" alongside one of the greatest fake Kingsmen tunes of all time ("Return to the Haunted House," which, true to '60s form, appears to be a stray studio cut overdubbed with crowd noise), an "Extended Super Rock Medley" that lives up to the billing, a frat-rock classic waiting to happen in "B.Y.O.B.," & Peter Buck from R.E.M. adding extra guitar power on two songs (including the Athens boys' own "Windout"). & no matter what the songwriting credits might say, that isn't T-Bone Burnett's "When the Night Falls" they're covering, but the mod classic by the Eyes. At one point, an especially drunken fan bellows, "We haven't had enough! We want intoxication of the Fleshtones!" Peter Zaremba, cool as a cuke, responds, "We're workin' on it, baby." & you know what? By the end of the album, they just about make it. (By the way, Speed Connection II is a decidedly different album than its European counterpart, Speed Connection, & in this case you're better off with the domestic edition." ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide





"The Fleshtones: "The Super Rock" kings have been kickin it since 1976 & are still going strong. Still touring as well! The Fleshtones style was high energy dance oriented r'n'b with a healthy dose of the 60's garage sound. By the early 80's, The Fleshtones were already successful. They had been signed to IRS records & were featured in the 1981 concert film Urgh A Music War.
They had already released two albums nationally on IRS (Roman Gods & Hexbreaker) . They also were featured on the soundtrack for the Tom Hanks movie Bachelor Party. Lead singer Peter Zaremba also hosted 120 Minutes on Mtv for some time in the late 80's. The Fleshtones would often bill themselves as The Hexbreakers when they played at the Dive." Nazz Nomad, Bleedin' Out blog - CAVESTOMP! - New York City branch, April 30, 2007.

The Fleshtones are: Bill Milhizer, Jan-Mareck 'Buck' Pakulski, Gordon Spaeth, Kieth Streng 'The Beautiful Angel', Count Peter Zaremba. Tenor Sax: Geoff Blythe, Trumpet: Sid Gould, Guitar on "When the Night Falls" & "Windout": Peter Buck.

WARNING: USE ONLY UNDER STRICT ADULT SUPERVISION. LAY ON GROUND, LIGHT FUSE, ROLL AWAY.


Side 1:
Hide & Seek
Watch This
Kingsmen Like Medley:
[Trouble (is her Middle Name)]
[Haunted Castle]
[Twelve Months Later]
Return to the Haunted House
Hope Come Back
B.Y.O.B.

Side 2:
One More Time
The Dreg
Extended Super Rock Medley:
[Stop Fooling Around]
[Theme from 'The Vindicators']
[Hexbreaker]
[Roman Gods]
When the Night Falls
Wind Out
La La La La Reprise



Enjoy

03 June 2008

Devil Musick

UPDATE:  This post was re-uploaded 09/01/2013. Enjoy, NØ.


Big Beat Records WIK 18, 1984.
decryption code in comments



This is quite simply one of the best compilations ever. This is the raw sound of some of the wildest rock n' roll tunes ever scraped up off the recording studio floor. It's a collection of original songs that were later covered by The Cramps. If you are a fan of them, then this is a must have, but even if you're not familiar with The Cramps, this is great just for the song by Hasil Adkins alone. The primordial unhinged oozing & throbbing of a complete cerebral meltdown.

The tracklist & song selection on the record (posted here) varies from that of the available cd.
The cd has 16 tracks with three different songs (marked *).
[1. Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen
2. Psycho - The Sonics
3. The Crusher - The Novas
4. *Scream! - Ralph Nielsen & The Chancellors
5. Paralysed - Legendary Stardust Cowboy
6. She Said - Hasil Adkins
7. *Hidden Charms - Link Wray
8. My Daddy Is A Vampire - The Meteors
9. Red Headed Woman - Jimmy Dickinson & The Cramps
10. *Run Chicken - The Milkshakes
11. Radioactive Kid - The Meteors
12. Dateless Night - Tav Falco & Panther Burns
13. Jack On Fire - The Gun Club
14. Folsom Prison Blues - The Geezers
15. Catman - The Sting-Rays
16. Just Love Me - The Guana Batz]

The record has only 14 tracks & begins with a classic not on the cd. So, ripped from glorious vinyl for your listening pleasure...

A1 - Love Me - The Phantom (1:28)
" 'Love Me' by The Phantom, the record that warped a generation 20 years after its release, launches this collection of psychotic delights & nervous disorders. Written in 10 minutes as the b-side to schlock ballad 'Whisper Your Love' by self confessed accidental bigamist & singer Jerry (aka Marty) Lott aka The Phantom, it was recorded in three takes & finally released by Pat Boone on the Dot label 2 years later in 1960.
A2 - Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen (2:21)
'Everybody's heard about the bird', the 'Surfin' Bird' by the Trashmen out of Minneapolis, out of the Rivington's 'Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow' & 'The Bird's the Word'. A Top-5 smash for Dal Winslow (rhythm guitar), Tony Anderson (lead guitar), Bob Reed (bass), & Steve Wahrer (drums) in 1963.
A3 - Psycho - The Sonics (2:10)
Tacoma's Sonics - Bob Bennett (drums), Gerry Rosalie (vocals & keyboards), Rob Lind (sax), Larry Parypa (guitar), & Andy Parypa (bass) cut three albums for Etiquette & 'Psycho' was featured on the third, entitled rather surprisingly Introducing The Sonics.
A4 - The Crusher - The Novas (1:58)
The Novas, a teen band from Minneapolis, cut this dedication to a local wrestler 'The Crusher' in 1964. Contrary to rumor, it is not The Crusher doing the lead vocal.
A5 - Paralysed - The Legendary Stardust Cowboy (2:25)
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy is from Lubbock, Texas, home of another great singer, Buddy Holly. According to Major Bill Smith, the Cowboy used to dress up in his 16-gallon hat & yellow chaps, go down to the drive-in movie with his guitar & trumpet & perform during the intermission standing on the hoods of cars. He cut three singles for the Major & an, as yet unreleased (1984), album, all in his unforgettable style.
A6 - She Said - Hasil Adkins (2:40)
Hasil 'Haze' Adkins, the one-man band, was born & raised at Jack's Branch, about 9 miles outside Madison, West Virginia. He made his first guitar out of a bucket at the age of seven & never looked back. 'I taught my ownself how to play & I change chords & beats whenever I think I should change...like for instance, you hit down on your strings & count 1-2-3-4, then change to another chord, well, I don't play that way.' Hasil has released 9 singles. The track on this album, 'She Said' was recorded in 1964.
A7 - My Daddy Is A Vampire - The Meteors (3:46)
The Meteors were formed in 1978 by Nigel Lewis (slap bass) & P Paul Fenech (lead guitar), with drummer Mark Robertson joining some time afterwards. Their debut recording was the sound track to a very B-movie short 'Meteor Madness', which included this track. The version featured here was recorded live in Paris in 1982, when drummer Woody had replaced Mark
B1 - Red Headed Woman - Jimmy Dickinson & The Cramps (2:59)
James Luther Dickinson has been recording his 'suburban rock' sound around the Memphis area since the 1960s. He was a member of The Jesters, who cut one of the last records released on the Sun label. It was while at the Sun recording studio that he recorded this track in 1977. The backing group used on this session was The Cramps - one of their earliest recordings. Jimmy Dickinson played piano & sang lead, as well as producing the record in an all night session, the band being locked into the studio by a time lock mechanism.
B2 - Radioactive Kid - The Meteors (1:42)
This track by The Meteors is the Chiswick single in its original form. The band split finally in 1982, with P Paul retaining the name of the group & Nigel eventually forming The Tall Boys with Mark.
B3 - Dateless Night - Tav Falco & the Panther Burns (2:49)
Called 'the brilliantine of American music, smoothing out the rough edges & greasing down the beat', Tav Falco recorded this song with Alex Chilton (guitar), Ronald Miller (bass), & Raw Johnson (drums) in Memphis in 1980. This track was recorded live as part of their debut EP on Frenzi Records & is very rare. The original band re-formed recently (1984) after Tav had cut several tracks with different Panther Burns line-ups.
B4 - Jack On Fire - The Gun Club (4:43)
This song is from the Gun Club's debut album recorded for Slash Records of Los Angeles in 1981. This version featured group leader & ex-Blondie fan club secretary Jeffery Lee Pierce on slide guitar & vocals with Ward Dotson (guitar), Rob Ritter (bass), & Terry Graham (drums).
B5 - Folsom Prison Blues - The Geezers (2:01)
Originally known as Grant & the Geezers, under which monicker they recorded one single, 'Monster Stomp', The Geezers came to the U.K. in 1983 & cut some sides for Big Beat Records. The band consisted of Grant Cleaver (lead vocals), backed by Kevin Daly, Chuck Holder, & Mark Fridland alternating guitar, bass, & drums. The Geezers were from Tempe, Arizona while Grant was from Lewisham, England. Grant was know for his strange stage antics, spending most of the time lying on the floor.
B6 - Cat Man - The Sting-Rays (2:26)
The Sting-Rays are from Crouch End & this song is a cover of the Gene Vincent classic. This version is from their last studio session with bass player M.K. shortly before he left the band to continue his medical studies. The band has cut an album & two singles as well as being featured on a number of compilations. Their unique blend of psychedelic, rockabilly, & Walker Brothers music has created a huge international following. The band features Bal (vocals), Alec Palao (snare, tom-tom, & cymbal), & Mark Hosking (guitar).
B7 - Just Love Me - The Guana Batz (2:14)
The Guana Batz are relative newcomers to the music scene compared to most of the acts on this compilation. The Batz formed in 1982 & are based in the Feltham area. The line-up is Pip Hancox (vocals), Stuart Osborne (lead guitar), Mick White (bass), & Dave Turner (drums). The track featured here was recorded during the sessions for their first EP on Big Beat. This song brings the album to a close with one of the best of the new bands (1984), suffering from the same kind of rockabilly psychosis & garagr disease that haunted The Phantom all those years ago."

Enjoy,