Haven't heard from Ib for quite some time. He's taken time out to write two books: A Reign on Chimney Poets, a volume of short stories from on & off the Bleachers; & Safe as Milf, a volume of poetry. I heard from Ib today, letting me know that SaM had been released September 28th. You can find both on Amazon...search Ian Begg. They both are available there for Kindle, the latest in book form as well or you can go directly to siblingshot.com. I believe there are even a few signed copies left to purchase.
Although Ib is a dyed-in-the-wool Glaswegian, one of his favorite bands is American alternative band Thin White Rope. I am posting this for him, for all of you, & it fits perfectly into the theme I have going. Weird October. They are definitely on the weird side but hopefully as with the rest of the weirdness going on here, you find them to be fantastic as well.
Ib, this one's for you, brother.
Thin White Rope took their name from William Burroughs's description in The Naked Lunch of male ejaculation. From the opening song on their very first record, "Down in the Desert" from Exploring the Axis, a sun-baked, looping Tex-Mex groove of intense heat & shimmering mirage, TWR set the template for the sonic & emotional themes they carried on throughout their short history (I've added it here as a bonus track to set things off right).
Thin White Rope, powered by the twin guitar attack of singer/songwriter/guitarist Guy Kyser & lead guitarist Roger Kunkel, were a tragically under-appreciated band from California. Unfortunately for us, they never really rose to the level of appeal that surrounded other US breakout alternative bands. Their sound proved much too idiosyncratic for the masses, but now almost 30 years after the band's swansong, those eccentricities are exactly what keeps them so listenable & makes them so memorable.
Their five albums roamed over desert rock, warped psychedelia, fucked-up country, jangle-pop, & lysergic blues. They covered Jimi Hendrix, Can, Suicide, Jimmy Reed, Duke Ellington, the Byrds, Hawkwind, Lee Hazlewood, & Marty Robbins.
I have chosen their sophomore effort Moonhead to showcase here. This is the 1989 re-release with the remastered long cut of "Take it Home" & 4 additional tracks not on the original Zippo version.
Not Your Fault
Wire Animals
Thing
Moonhead
Wet Heart
Mother
Come Around
If Those Tears
Crawl Piss Freeze
Waking Up
Valley of the Bones
Atomic Imagery
Ain't That Lovin' You Baby
Take it Home (long Version)
Sittin' on the bleachers with a wet heart,
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ReplyDeleteThank you, brother Nathan. Greatly appreciate the added tracks, which I do not have. You're so right about TWR travelling short of the reception they deserved. Still can't quite believe that one. I will give this a spin and think of my friend and fellow ghost at the time this was a staple on the turntable. Unfortunately, he died of cancer related problems earlier this year, on my birthday to be precise and, or, pedantic. Take it away, Ken...
ReplyDeleteYou know I love your Ghost musick. Sorry to hear about your friend. On your birthday kinda sucks. A friend of mine died on mine as well & every year as the date approaches, I think of that before my own anniversary joy. It is a great way to commemorate their passing but I still say it kinda sucks.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new book, ib!
ReplyDeleteThin White Rope's live album (The One That Got Away) is the one that made a convert out of me.
You Do Right. Great song, both the original straight out of the Can, and the TWR variation. Thanks, jonder.
ReplyDeleteGreat band, bought all their records and saw them live. Funny where they got their name from, my girlfriend called them "Dünne weisse Raupe" this is a weird translation in german language. Thanks for the extra tracks, I have the vinyl, and a great big thank you for this wonderful blog. Now it´s back to DUB for me, still working through this wonderful collection you provided last month.
ReplyDelete@ dormouse: somehow, Dünne weisse Raupe sounds way more dangerous. Props to your girlfriend.
ReplyDeleteGreat band, great album! Was lucky enough to see them live in someone's living room in Davis, CA around 88 or 89. My longtime friend roommate/bandmate (fantastic drummer) played in a very cool instrumental band called Acme Rocket Quartet with TWR guitarist Roger Kunkel in the late 90s early 00s. I think they're pretty dope and maybe other TWR fans would like them too. So here they are:
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/8vaU2V9byUu