In which everyone's favourite Canadian gay folk church band gets all purty, though, again, purversion is not far beneath the surface (and, yes, that misspelling was deliberate). The A-side combines a jangling guitar tone with minimal electric lead touches and one of Joel Gibb's most subtle and affecting deliveries, with a light touch that makes the gradual fading in of the strings at the close almost inevitable, all in the service of what amounts to a love song (sort of).
The two B-sides, "The Galatian" and "Heavy Flow of Evil" are much of a piece, with the former being exclusive to this release and the latter appearing initially in a different rendition on Ecce Homo, the band's first production (as a one man project by the singer). Very nice indeed...
Chelsea Girl (1968) was an attempt by the record company to create a Marianne Faithfull/Judy Collins out of this chanteuse, judging by the production and packaging. She thwarted that attempt, perhaps because she had power by then, and also due to the song choices. This, three years earlier, is less deviant, but not entirely icky and prefab.
The A-side is by Gordon Lightfoot, and has that strings/acoustic guitar/awkward backbeat thing heard in "As Tears Go By", with one of Nico's breezier deliveries. Her thick accent and deep tone make it a little darker than may have been intended, however. As to the B-side, it is a protest song written by Jimmy Page. It's really not very good, but the seeds of Nico's doomier side have been sown. An oddity...
It is sort of a tribute to Mariah Carey, who goodness knows should be showered with something.
Sonic Youth deliver one of their more free form scrapefests, "Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Handcream", delivered by Kim Gordon with her customary raspy speak-singing. It is not a pop song, since, after all, this is not on Gef*en.
This is my first exposure to Erase Errata, a female ensemble, in their cover of "Glitter", from the epic (mistake) movie by our heroine. It sounds like No Wave material from the late 70s - harsh, atonal and rhythmically indebted to free jazz and bands such as The Stooges ("LA Blues", not "1969"). It bears no resemblance to the original, having no sounds only dogs can hear (vocally, anyway). Dare I use the empty word "intriguing"? I think I shall...
Numbering as it does among its members former conspirators in The Softies and Tiger Trap, it should come as no surprise (to anyone for which such revelations are meaningful, anyway) that this is fun, fuzzy, lo-fi pop full of cuteness, a certain measure of irony and smidgens of bitter heartbreak and angst.
If you're looking for anything heavier, you shan't be finding it, but surely the band name, leaving alone the alumnae involved, should have given you a hint of the contents.
Put it on, get out your cheap guitars and play along...
The Cramps, Fiends of Dope Island LP (Vengeance Records)
Lux Interior (vocals/harmonica/theremin), Poison Ivy (guitar) and their bass and drums buddies return with more bad music for bad people (in a good way). If you like socially irresponsible, sexually obsessed hard edged music with tacky lyrics and way-over-the-top visuals (both in the packaging and within the band members' images), you'll love this. If not, then have YOU come to the wrong place!! Oh - the CD has Ivy clutching the decapitated head of Lux and looking crazed. Fun as that is, I kind of like his head where it is (I'm sure there's a pun in there he might like to play with, but we shall refrain...).
The Delmonas, Do The Uncle Willy LP (Get Hip Recordings, P.O. Box 666, Canonsburg, PA, 15317, USA)
Bad girls singing about debauchery on a Saturday night (a cover of The Stooges' "1970"), hints of lesbianism (covering "Farmer John"), not-entirely-convincing lamentations about disappointing their beaux ("I Did Him Wrong"), all delivered with crude harmonies, even cruder production and playing, and lots of attitude. These recordings were made by the girlfriends of The Milkshakes, Billy Childish's band, in the late 1980s, but have just been re-issued again now in a more accessible form for the North American market. Like The Gore Gore Girls, only not playing instruments themselves - not quite as pretty (I think - what do I know from female beauty?), but just as attitudinal.
Monade, Socialisme ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings LP (Duophonic Super 45's, P.O. Box 3787, London SE22 9DZ; licenced to Drag City, P.O. Box 476867, Chicago, IL, 60647)
Laetitia Sadier, from Stereolab, does her own thing here, helped by some friends over the six years it took for her to put it together, which is not that different from her main project - lots of wordless vocals, French crooning and political sloganeering, accompanied by light electronics, some jazziness, flutes and electric pianos. Nothing too world shattering, but purty...
POLYMEROUSLY PERVERSE
Flare, Hung CD (Le Grand Magistery, PO Box 611, Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48303, USA; band at P.O. Box 1532, Madison Square Station, New York City, New York, 10010)
Flare is back with another album of lushly sung,orchestrated doom and depression!!
Though Mr. L.D. Beghtol, chief conceptualist/singer/ukulelist (word?)/etc., seems to think his work depressing, I find it uplifting. Kafka and the Smiths have the same effect on me, so that may speak more to my pathology than to reality.
However, this record is closer to rock than its predecessors, be they the full-length or the EPs, in that the material has a beat and energy often missing from what went before (not that those works did not have a sense of rhythm or urgency - just a different kind...).
While it does begin with the chimes and murmur of 'All The Money's Gone', it then goes into the hopeful, wistful 'School of New York', launching themes of lust ("'Like' is a Very Strong Word"), desire (most of the tracks), melancholy ("If/Then", "Differently Othered") and anticipatory disillusionment ("Don't Like The Way We Live Now" (my personal favourite on the record), "Keep It To Yourself", "Once Borrowed") that run through the release. I don't find this a downer...though I do find it sad anyone so handsome (there is a picture of him in the booklet that makes a married Bear consider adultery...) seems to be crossed in love (though, as an English major, I should separate the narrator and the author). However, there's murder tossed in to leaven the darkness too (Incident at St. Anthony's Falls), so sublimation is in play. :)
The elegant, longing vocals are supported by a bed of strings, percussion, keyboards and saws, making it a very enveloping listening experience. It would not be your thing if you find any emotion south of Up With Peopleism impossible to handle - but, then, you would not be reading this by now if that were the case. :)
Kim Fowley, Impossible But True: The Kim Fowley Story CD (Ace Records, 42-50 Steele Road, London, NW10 7A5, UK)
Kim Fowley is both one of the oddest and most savvy figures in American music history, managing to survive nearly 45 years in the world of rock 'n' roll without becoming an absolute sell out, by remaining on the (just barely profit) margins and occasionally connecting enough with popular culture to finance his more bizarre excursions. You will know him more (if you do at all) from his work with The Runaways in the 70s, or possibly by his production of The Modern Lovers. The item in question goes much further back than that.
This collection gathers numerous songs he has been involved in the writing, production and occasional performance of (his own "Animal Man" is worth the price of admission by itself) between roughly 1960 and 1970. You will notice that "Alley Oop" is on here, as is "Nut Rocker" (one of the very first classical-rock-fusion pieces, long predating "Sabre Dance" or even "A Fifth of Beethoven") and "Popsicles and Icicles" (I was not familiar with this one, but it was apparently a hit in its day - one of his first attempts to market an 'all girl' group, The Murmaids, though it was purely hype, as they did not play on the single at all - still, a catchy surf-pop ditty...).
The Rangers (both sides of their "Justine/Reputation" 45 are here) sound like they could have been an influence on the young MC5, particularly for the A-side's frenzied R&B stomp, while The Crescents' "Pink Dominoes" has the distinction of being played by a female lead guitarist (backed by a band evidently consisting entirely of teenaged boys - the liner notes hint at some impropriety or scandal, but who cares? Kim has a dirty mind, often in a delightful way, and a man who says that he was born on July 21, 1939, and then says it was the day Hitler invaded Poland, may not always be historically or factually accurate :) ).
Vintage photographs and documents - great sound - a nice cover (and some very woofy photographs of the 6'5" genius within, may I add apropos of MY dirty mind...) - Ace has, as usual, produced a very compelling release, and shed some light on very strange and wonderful recordings (Cathy Rich's "Wild Thing" could give Tiffany a run for her money, let us just say...).
Walt Kelly and Norman Monath, Songs of the Pogo CD (Reaction Recordings/Parasol, 303 West Griggs Street, Urbana, IL, 61801-2609, USA)
Pogo was a mildly political, satirical comic, with pointed comments to make on racism, sexism and narrow-mindedness in general, though in a subtle way. This album consists of songs written by the artist, and is mostly in a sort of operetta/musical theatre genre. Imagine a cross of Tom Lehrer and Mose Allison, trying to write children's songs, and you'd get the gist of this. Cute and whimsical...
Yoko Ono, Walking On Thin Ice 2xCDEP (Mind Train Records)
These six remixes of Yoko's most well-known song are not always to my taste, because I'm not into club culture. I didn't see the appeal of Danny Tenaglia's long take, as it seemed repetitive, but it would be fun in a sweaty club full of twinks on 'E', I'm sure. Similar thoughts on Fkek, though Felix Da Housecat's concoction was peppy and fun.
I DID like Pet Shop Boys' interpretations on CD 2, especially the Electro Mix, with its cheesy New Order overtones. More for the feet than the ears, I think, but I'm sure they serve well for those so inclined...
Thanes, Downbeat and Folked Up CD (Screaming Apple Records, Dustemichstr. 14, 50939, Koln, Germany)
Scotland's native garage rock sons strike again, with a moody, minor-key masterpiece, especially on the covers, such as "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", though "That's The Story of Your Life", an original, is equally compelling.
Get it, while you can...this band's stuff vanishes fast...
