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
NØ