Monday, January 31, 2011

Captain Beefheart-Vancouver (9-17-1971) (FLAC)


Captain Beefheart-Vancouver (9-17-1971) (FLAC)

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART 1971-09-17
Jasper Place Arena - Vancouver, BC
24Bit Transfer

Captain Beefheart: vocals, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, harmonica
John "Drumbo" French: drums
Zoot Horn Rollo: guitar
Art Tripp III: marimba
Rockette Morton: bass guitar, guitar
Elliot Ingber: guitar, slide guitar

Low Gen Maxell XLII cassette > Tascam Professional Cassette Deck Model 130 analog out > Apogee
Mini-Me @ 24/48 Hz spdif out > Digigram VX Pocket V2 (in data mode = no resampling of bits) > Samplitude
Professional 8 @ 24/48 Hz > resampled to 16/44.1 Hz w/ Samplitude > FLAC Frontend Encode level 6

No EQ or hiss reduction has been used. Only minor edits and fades to remove tape flip clicks and crowd noise.
Please Note:
I reduced the frequency 15,738 Hz by -16.0db because it was extreme tape hiss. The frequency 15,738Hz still exists, but it was minimized to an acceptable listening level.

Very rough,but instruments come through pretty good. One of my favorite versions of "When Big Joan Sets Up" is here! Even though the vocals are almost inaudible.

1. Drums/Soundcheck
2. Alice in Blunderland
3. When Big Joan Sets Up
4. Hair Pie Bake II (bass solo)
5. Black Snake Blues
6. Steal Softly Thru Snow
7. Hair Pie Bake II

Baked Tapes 2006

Part 1-
http://rapidshare.com/files/442484272/CB91771.part1.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0MFEDE2P
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/za75vw1a4
http://uploading.com/files/41dc53ma/CB91771.part1.rar/

Part 2-
http://rapidshare.com/files/442484096/CB91771.part2.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M3EX50EZ
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/oift5ypvf
http://uploading.com/files/43b97dc2/CB91771.part2.rar/





Posted by
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at
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Saturday, January 29, 2011

JIMMY PRUETT "RAMROD"

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com





JIMMY PRUETT RAMROD




bebopcapitol



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May 27, 2010



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2 likes, 1 dislikes


JIMMY PRUETT guitar instrumental RAMROD
TOWN HALL PARTY ROCKABILLY

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Kinks Live Paris 1965 / Germany 1966

The Kinks Live Paris 1965

THE KINKS

Le palais de la Mutualité, Paris France April 24, 1965

1. Bye Bye Johnny 
2. Louie Louie 
3. You Really Got Me

 

THE KINKS

Le palais de la Mutualité, Paris France
April 24, 1965 

4. Got Love if You Want It 
5. Long Tall Shorty 
6. All Day and All of the Night

 

Le palais de la Mutualité, Paris France
April 24, 1965

7. You Really Got Me 
8. Hide and Seek

 


Kinks Koncert

kinks koncert on Beat-Beat-Beat, german tv show. songs:Well Respected Man, and Milk Cow Blues. Part 1 of 2

 

kinks koncert on Beat-Beat-Beat, german tv show. songs: Till The End Of The Day, I'm A Lover Not A Fighter, and You Really Got Me. Part 2 of 2

Posted via email from up against the flooring

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Alice Cooper Group - "ABC In Concert" 1972 LIVE

via EricSilverman




The Alice Cooper Group - Hempstead New York ABC In Concert 1972
Setlist
01 Eighteen (6:15)
02 Gutter Cat/Street Fight (5:35)
03 Killer (7:20)
04 Elected (3:42)
05 School's Out (5:02)

In Concert was a US TV show. The first show featured Curtis Mayfield, Seals & Croft, Bo Diddley, Jethro Tull and Alice Cooper. Four tracks were broadcast from a show at Hofsta University in Long Island, NY and it included the Hanging Scene in 'Killer' and The 'Gutter Cats' fight.
When it originally aired it created quite a stir due to the over the top theatrics of Alice Cooper:
News Report:
ABC kicked off its first In Concert, pre-empting the Dick Cavett Show, on November 24, 1972, featuring performances taped a few weeks earlier at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. On the bill was the Senior General of Rock, Bo Diddley, acoustic duo Seals and Croft, R&B man Curtis Mayfield and for the opening act, shock rocker Alice Cooper.
Rock fans in Cincinnati, however, didn't get to see beyond the first few minutes of Alice's violent theatrics. Lawrence H. Rogers II was so mortified by what he saw that he ordered the ABC affiliate he owned, WKRC-TV Channel 12, to yank the show off the air immediately. Channel 12's decision to protect its viewers was responded to within minutes with a phoned-in bomb threat and several car loads of youths picketing the station. Some 4,000 letters of protest, many profane, poured in over the next few days, the biggest mail load that station officials could remember.
Station manager Ro Grignon told TV Guide that he wasn't opposed to rock concerts. "In fact, we think they're going to be a smashing success. We simply found Alice Cooper a little tense."
Meanwhile, the ABC affiliate in Kingsport, Tennessee complained to the network about the performance but ran it nonetheless. WPVI-TV Channel 6 in Philadelphia ran the show on tape delay at 1:30 a.m. Channel 12 in Cincinnati later televised an edited version of the show, sans Alice, to give viewers a chance to enjoy the other, less offensive acts that were on the show. The next In Concert show was sent to affiliate managers via closed-circuit for approval before broadcast
The Footage starts with 'Eighteen' and shots of Alice struggling to get to the stage through the audience, the police pulling him through the crowd, seemingly by his hair at times. The song proper starts with Alice lying on the stage in front of Dennis before sitting with his legs hanging off the front of the stage to sing the song. Eventually he stands up and plays to the camera a bit, swigging from a beer bottle before conducting the final fanfare by pointing to each band member as they play their final three note motif. An advert break followed before Dennis is seen picking out the opening bass notes to 'Gutter Cat Vs The Jets'. Alice throws around a trash can before starting the lyrics lying across it for the second verse.and wielding a nasty looking switchblade which he teases Dennis` hair with.
Then it`s into the taped backing of 'Streetfight' as Neal leaps over the front of his drums and attacks Alice in a very realistic fight scene, with them both wielding switchblades. Neal is victorious and plays to the audience before Alice creeps up and takes him out from behind. Dennis starts the intro to 'Killer'.
If what had already been seen wasn`t enough, this is where the band really blow you away. Alice moves around the stage, seemingly dazed after his fight before snapping out of it and snarling the words at the camera. He kneels at the front of the stage, playing off the audience. The gallows sequence begins with Alice begging the audience "I didn't want to get involved in this". He seems to go limp, as if resigned to his fate before the military drum rolls announcie the appearance of the gallows. Alice is dragged kicking and screaming up the steps and his head is placed in the noose by Glen as Dennis, in vicars outfit now, reads from a prayer book. A crash of thunder and Alice drops. Stunning.
The footage then cuts quickly into 'School's Out' with Alice in top hat and tails and bubbles floating across the stage. He`s right up against the front rows of the audience, interacting and egging them on. The balloons appear as Alice teases the front rows with posters which he throws into the audience while showing the evilest grin you could ever imagine as they tear each other apart trying to secure a poster. He sings the chorus to camera before encouraging everybody to sing along.
And then it`s over. A tour-de-force that shows just how good the original band were at that stage. It`s criminal that the footage has never been officially release. Hopefully one day someone will see the light and release it.








Alice Cooper RARE LIVE DVD 1969 to 1972

Segments from a RARE 4 hour / 2 disk DVD set!
An awesome compilation of early footage of the great original ALICE COOPER BAND.
Get this DVD! useemusic@yahoo.com
Send a request for my awesome rare DVD list!
Contains: Stone Pony 1970, Detroit Tubeworks 1971, Medicine Ball Caravan 1971, Beat Club 1972, Rock-a-Bye 1972, Toronto Pop Festival 1969, France 1972, "In Concert" show 1972, Cincinnati Pop Festival 1970 & more!


Saturday, January 22, 2011

Captain Beefheart - Rarities

Boot Sale Sounds


Captain Beefheart 1941 - 2010

An old bootleg tape with various odds and ends from Don Van Vliet and various bands including early work with Frank Zappa. I was lucky enough to see Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band back in the early 70's at the Royal Albert Hall ( with Foghat who were awful ) and it was amazing - even better live than on record despite the sound problems. Always a fan since hearing a terrific session on the John Peel show in 1967.

Wikipedia says -

"Born January 15, 1941(1941-01-15)
Glendale, California, U.S.
Died December 17, 2010(2010-12-17) (aged 69)
Arcata, California, U.S.[1]
Genres Experimental rock, blues-rock, avant-garde, psychedelic rock, progressive rock,[2] free jazz, protopunk, surrealist, spoken word, outsider, alternative rock,
Occupations Songwriter, singer, musician, artist, poet, lyricist, composer, record producer, film director
Instruments Vocals, harmonica, saxophone, clarinet, oboe, french horn, shehnai, recorder, flute, piccolo, piano
Years active 1964–1982
Labels A&M, Buddah, Blue Thumb, ABC, Reprise, Straight, Virgin, Mercury, DiscReet, Warner Bros., Atlantic, Epic
Associated acts The Magic Band, Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, The Tubes, Jack Nitzsche

Don Van Vliet (pronounced /væn ˈvliːt/), born Don Glen Vliet (January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians he called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12 studio albums. Noted for his powerful singing voice with its wide range, Van Vliet also played the harmonica, saxophone and numerous other wind instruments. His music blended rock, blues and psychedelia with free jazz, avant-garde and contemporary experimental composition. Beefheart was also known for exercising an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians, and for often constructing myths about his life.

During his teen years in Lancaster, California, Van Vliet acquired an eclectic musical taste and formed "a mutually useful but volatile" friendship with Frank Zappa, with whom he sporadically competed and collaborated. He began performing with his Captain Beefheart persona in 1964 and joined the original Magic Band in 1965. The group drew attention with their cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Diddy", which became a regional hit. It was followed by their acclaimed debut album released in 1967 on Buddah Records, Safe as Milk. After being dropped by two consecutive record labels, they signed to Frank Zappa's newly formed Straight Records. Zappa as producer granted Beefheart the unrestrained artistic freedom in making 1969's Trout Mask Replica, ranked fifty-eighth in Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 1974, frustrated by lack of commercial success, he released two albums of more conventional rock music that were critically panned; this move, combined with not having been paid for a European tour, and years of enduring Beefheart's abusive behavior, led to the entire band quitting. Beefheart eventually formed a new Magic Band with a group of younger musicians and regained contemporary approval through three final albums: Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978), Doc at the Radar Station (1980) and Ice Cream for Crow (1982).

Van Vliet has been described as "one of modern music's true innovators" with "a singular body of work virtually unrivalled in its daring and fluid creativity". Although he achieved little commercial or mainstream critical success, he sustained a cult following as a "highly significant" and "incalculable" influence on an array of New Wave, punk, post-punk, experimental and alternative rock musicians. Known for his enigmatic personality and relationship with the public, Van Vliet made few public appearances after his retirement from music (and from his Beefheart persona) in 1982 to pursue a career in art, an interest that originated in his childhood talent for sculpture. His expressionist paintings and drawings command high prices, and have been exhibited in art galleries and museums across the world. Van Vliet died in 2010 after many years of suffering from multiple sclerosis."


Captain Beefheart - Raities Side One





Posted by
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Richard Thompson OBE

Amplify’d from www.davidbelbin.com

Richard Thompson OBE

This is an extended version of the interview that appears in today’s Nottingham Post. You can read the shorter version here.


Richard Thompson is in Manchester, about to embark on three days of band rehearsals for his new tour, which comes to Nottingham next Thursday. He doesn’t like rehearsals generally, but this time should be more straightforward than usual. For his new album Dream Attic was recorded on the road, in the USA last year (quote about advantages/disadvantages).


‘People often come up to me after shows and say the studio versions are great but we prefer the live versions of songs. So this one’s looser. There’s the odd mistake on there. I hadn’t realised that it would involve so much work for the band. In the studio you can focus on one song at a time, do retakes, overdubs, fix stuff pretty much anywhere you want to. When you’re doing it live you pretty much have to learn 75 minutes of music then play it flawlessly. We chose the best versions from eight nights. We didn’t want to do a lot of tweaking with the finished results, so there are mistakes, some tuning issues, but the upside is that you get the energy from the audience.’


Another upside is that he’s touring with the same band, so the rehearsals can be cut down from three days to two. ‘I hate rehearsals. The process is usually as short as possible.’ He chooses which old songs to play in advance but ‘often I’m wrong and we swap songs around as the tour continues. You think you know the pace of the show but sometimes you need a bit more energy and sometimes you need something that’s slower and more reflective.’


Thompson has a thorough approach to gigging, keeping a card index (‘haven’t got this computerised yet’) where he notes every song played at every show, including all of his visits to Nottingham. ‘If I’ve played twenty shows over thirty years in a town, it’s nice to know exactly what I’ve played so that I can tweak the set to suit the audience. Especially in acoustic shows.’ His most memorable Nottingham visits were the two acoustic shows he did at the Old Vic in the 1980’s. ‘That was always fun.’ I write these set lists and it’s a bit of a fantasy really, a security blanket. I get to the third number and throw them out of the window, and play what I feel like or the audience start shouting requests and I do requests. But at least I have a plan, even if I don’t stick to it.’


Does he have trouble remembering all the songs from his vast repertoire.


‘It is hard, without resorting to autocues and that kind of thing. Sometimes I have to admit defeat and say I can’t remember a particular song. But if I’ve written four or five hundred songs, the audience is only going to request from 250 of those and more likely from 150. So I can just about know 150 songs.


How does he feel his songs have changed over the years.


‘They’ve evolved some. I think I’m a better songwriter than I used to be. I’ve explored more areas and I’ve got to some stranger places. Your songs have to be accessible to an audience but, having said that, it’s rewarding to write a song where you think no-one’s been in this area before. It’s a different chord sequence or a different kind of topic. But it’s hard for me to say how I’ve evolved. I’m not sure I have perspective on what I do in that way.’


I tell him I’ve just been listening to his son Teddy’s new album, ‘Bella’.


‘Great singer, great writer, great musician. New album’s probably his strongest album and it’s good to see him getting some success. Fantastic.’


I mention seeing his daughter Kami support Tim Robbins in Nottingham last year and ask whether there are any more Thompson family musicians in the pipeline.


‘My son, Jack, who’s nineteen, is an extremely good bass player. Plays with various bands. My grandson, Zack, is seventeen. He’s an excellent singer and guitar player.’


We discuss the relatively few covers of his work. He’s pleased that he’s had a few country hits and enjoys covers of his work on the UK folk scene, but his favourite cover is of early song ‘The Great Valerio’, as covered by Swan Arcade, a three piece, unaccompanied group. His favourite of all of his albums is ‘Mock Tudor’. ‘It got very close to my intentions. On that album, we got lucky and a lot of things worked really well in the studio.’ He feels that his most under-rated album is one he made with Phil Pickett and the guys from Fairport, ‘The Bones Of All Man’, a synthesis of early music and rock music. ‘I think that’s just a fantastic record, really exciting and original.


I congratulate him on being awarded an OBE. Was it a surprise?


‘Totally. A shock.’ Was it odd, getting it from a Tory government? ‘It’s not a political thing. I think this comes from a different kind of committee and had nothing to do with government. It’s recommendations from the community.’ He hasn’t voted in the UK for a while. ‘I live away and it would feel hypocritical to do so. But I used to vote Labour, and I would today.’


Since leaving Fairport in 1969, he has not been tempted to join another band, apart from helping out with friends like the late Sandy Denny and Fairport reunions. But is it true that he was asked to join The Eagles?


‘Apparently, yes. A request came through management.’


And you turned it down.


(Exasperated American teen voice). ‘Well yeah.’ (Back to normal, sardonic voice). ‘Who wants to be really rich and famous?’


Is there any band after Fairport that you might have been tempted to join?


‘There were a lot of things that I could have done that would have seemed more like a job, something to pay the rent while I was doing other things. But I’ve always wanted to pursue my own musical direction and I’ve always been able to just about earn a living doing that.’ He worked on tours with Sandy Denny and Iain Matthews but ‘to be in a more serious band would have been a distraction. I’m glad I didn’t have to do that.’


Does he still have any ambitions left to fulfil?


‘A lot. It’s difficult to talk about because it’s really about projects that I’m envisioning in the future. It doesn’t involve other people, like collaborations with Yehudi Menuhin or something. It’s stuff that I’m still figuring out how to do or how to structure. So it’s just kind of personal stuff and not stuff I can talk about really.’


I pass on James Windsor’s offer for him to play an acoustic warm-up show at The Maze for Cosmic American Music and keep all the door receipts (‘I’ll bear it in mind’) and make a suggestion for an old song I’ve never heard him do that he might slip into the set next week (‘A Heart Needs A Home’), which gets an equally cagey response. Then our time is over. You have to be wary of meeting your heroes, but this was a treat. After listening to his music for thirty-five years, I just spent half an hour talking to Richard Thompson and, though I must have seen him play twenty times, I can’t wait to see what his new tour will be like. Here’s my favourite track from the new album with another from the album that Richard told me was his favourite, ‘Mock Tudor’. This is one of the bitter, dark songs that takes Richard into territory that only writers like Randy Newman cover regularly. There’s another cracking Richard song in the post below. On Sunday, I’ll be paying tribute to another fine singer/songwriter from Richard’s generation, one who’s about to turn 70.


Stumble On – Richard Thompson


Richard Thompson – Hope You Like the New Me






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Friday, January 21, 2011

Sammy Harris on Freedom 1539

http://wired-for-sound.blogspot.com/2011/01/sammy-harris-on-freedom-1539.html
Wired For Sound

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011

Sammy Harris on Freedom 1539



Sammy Harris And Orchestra - King Zulu / Fatso (Freedom 1539)
"King Zulu" (vocal by Leon Whitehead)

"Fatso" (vocal uncredited)

Time has not been especially kind to Houston's African-American orchestra leaders of the 1940s and '50s. Sammy Harris, I.H. Smalley, Sherman Williams, Ed Golden, and others were the biggest names on the scene of their time, but they recorded little (if any) and made the unfortunate career move of playing saxophones instead of guitars. This is pretty much unforgivable. Even worse, they appear to have had no influence at all on the Blues Brothers. Strangely but perhaps significantly, all of them ignored Don Robey (or vice versa).

Sammy Harris is only mentioned once by his peers in Alan Govenar's hugeTexas Blues book, in a passing reference from Grady Gaines, who remembered Harris as his high school band instructor. Grady apparently didn't think it worth mentioning that Sammy, who played alto sax, also led one of the most popular and exciting bands in town for many years. They were regulars at hotspots like the Eldorado, Club Matinee, and Club Ebony.

Below: Houston Informer, February 10, 1951.



It probably didn't help matters that Harris only made this one record, but if you're going to make just one, you should make it count. "King Zulu" and "Fatso" are pure fun. There is a strong Louis Jordan and Amos Milburn influence working here. (Who cares if the brass are a little out of tune?) It was recorded at ACA in 1950 and probably released around September of that year. The record itself is a high quality flexible vinyl pressing by Gold Star/Research Craft.

Other than Harris and vocalist Leon Whitehead, the personnel here is unknown. The Houston Informer wrote in its November 22, 1952, issue that the group included Richie Dell Thomas (nee Archie or Archia) (piano), Henry Sloan (trombone), Paul Wallace (temor sax), Roy Patterson (trumpet), Leon "Popeye" Whitehead (vocals), and Duke Barker (drums), so perhaps some of these men were present on the "Zulu" session. A Club Matinee ad from early 1951 (shown above) cites Roger Wallace as the group's "sensational tenor sax" player; I presume he's the same person as Paul Wallace. Richie Dell Archie/Archia was the sister of Tom Archia, the Chicago saxist who helped launch the Aristocrat label.

Below: Houston Informer, February 6, 1954. Click to enlarge. 


Below: Richie Dell Archie in the Houston Informer, February 10, 1951.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Alice Cooper - Studio Demo's 1970 - 1973 (FLAC)


Alice Cooper - Studio Demo's 1970 - 1973 (FLAC)

Alice Cooper - Studio Demo's 1970 - 1973

Disc 1
1.Fields of Regret
2.I'm Eighteen
3.Black Juju
4.Is It My Body #1
5.Is It My Body/My Very Own #2
6.Second Coming
7.Sun Arise
8.Instrumental Jam
9.Be My Lover #1
10.Be My Lover #2
11.Halo of Flies
12.Desert Night Thing #1
13.Desert Night Thing #2
14.You Drive Me Nervous #1 (partial)
15.You Drive Me Nervous #2
16.You Drive Me Nervous #3
17.You Drive Me Nervous #4

Disc 2:
1.Killer
2.School's Out
3.Luney Tune #1 (partial)
4.Luney Tune
5.Gutter Cat vs The Jets
6.Blue Turk
7.My Stars #1 (partial)
8.My Stars #2
9.Public Animal #9
10.Never Been Sold Before #1
(partial)
11.Never Been Sold Before #2
12.Hard Hearted Alice #1 (partial)
13.Hard Hearted Alice #2
14.Workin'Up A Sweat
15.No Respect For The Sleepers
16.Man With The Golden Gun
17.Teenage Lament '74
18.Woman Machine
19.Baby Please Don't Stop

CD1 1-8: Love It To Death Demos
CD1 9-17, CD2 1: Killer Demos
CD2 2-9: School's Out Demos
CD2 10-19: Muscle Of Love Demos

Part 1-
http://rapidshare.com/files/435006697/AC7073.part1.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S2YWCGND
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/42lcd84ur
http://www.zshare.net/download/835176070ef08a04/


Part 2-
http://rapidshare.com/files/435006869/AC7073.part2.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6TZ2E2ZW
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/4l33qr04t
http://www.zshare.net/download/835180412be5cbaa/


Part 3-
http://rapidshare.com/files/435007051/AC7073.part3.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6Q5U3Z0E
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/6bjoyckcl
http://www.zshare.net/download/8351763914ebcb8e/


Part 4-
http://rapidshare.com/files/435007157/AC7073.part4.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AA3XHWFB
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/49qd6hqic
http://www.zshare.net/download/83517864da67f85c/


Part 5-
http://rapidshare.com/files/435007003/AC7073.part5.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KN9WPIGM
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/bozs3j70l
http://www.zshare.net/download/83517664d0d8a900/






Posted by
Hal Jalikeakick
Read more at halsprogressiverockblog.blogspot.com
 

Monday, January 17, 2011

We Got To Stick Together

junk shop juke box

Monday, January 17, 2011

Mr. Jimmy Reed and friends with a nice low-down slow burner in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I chose this one based on the title alone. Even though you can't understand Jimmy Reed's drunken mumble-mouth singing, especially on this duet (is that Mama Reed singing with him?) it seemed fitting anyway.

Enjoy the day off if you get one!


Read more at wopbopaloobopalopbamboom.blogspot.com

Collecting John Fante

Amplify’d from www.undiepress.com
Undie Press

Collecting John Fante

by Mark Cashion

This month I’m featuring an author you’ve probably never read but who deserves your attention.


Neither of my parents were very literary. They weren’t illiterate, but there weren’t many books in the house. I don’t recall ever seeing my father read a book. Not once!


There was a 20-year lapse when I didn’t see or hear from dear old dad. Towards the end of his life my sister took me to visit him. He was gravely ill and she insisted that if I didn’t talk to him, I would regret it. That was—I don’t know—about 15 years ago and in hindsight, if I hadn’t gone to see him that day, I doubt it would have made much of a difference. I wouldn’t have any regrets, but at that time it sounded plausible.


He was monstrously overweight and quite sick. When we arrived he was sitting shirtless in his backyard in a lawn chair hooked up to a portable oxygen tank. There was the ever-present Pall Mall straight burning between his two fingers. At one point in the conversation, I mentioned that smoking near an oxygen tank could be quite dangerous. He could blow up. He threw his hands up and said, “Look at me. Do I look like I care?” A prince among men.


I am only a second-generation American. My dad’s parents immigrated from Poland and my mom’s from Italy. (Italy and Poland; the two most inept armies in World War II. Perhaps that contributed to the self esteem issues I had when I was younger.) Because of my father’s indifference, I felt nothing for the Polish side of my family. But I did bond with the Italians.


We have an Anthony, a Vito, a Francis and my grandfather was Rocco. I remember seeing my uncles and grandfather occasionally embrace and kiss each cheek. A crop of authentic old world Dagos! Early in my relationship with my wife, I, on complete autopilot, leaned in to kiss my staunch Irish-Catholic father-in-law on the cheeks. He recoiled back. I’ll never forget the look of abject horror and disgust on his face. It wasn’t my fault! I was a victim of my culture!


There’s a family story that in the 1930s, one of our relatives was rubbed out by the Steubenville, PA mob. He was sitting in a barber chair. The barber wrapped a hot towel around his head, stepped out, and a couple of wise guys walked in and shot him dead. I can’t confirm if it’s true, but my Grandma Lucy would never discuss the matter, so I choose to believe it happened.


* * *


John Fante’s second coming would likely never have occurred if it hadn’t been for Charles Bukowski. Fante is the guy who inspired Bukowski. On Buk’s suggestion (insistence?), John Martin, editor/owner of Black Sparrow Press, reprinted Fante’s titles and introduced him to a new audience. Fante is considered by some to be even more of a Los Angeles writer than Raymond Chandler or Bukowski, himself.


Fante’s first book is Wait Until Spring, Bandini (1938). This marks the first appearance of the character Arturo Bandini, who is Fante’s doppelganger. He would appear in three more novels. Personally, I believe this is where the Bukowski/Henry Chinaski character is derived.


Wait Until Spring, Bandini a great, funny read, but what really hooked me in to Arturo Bandini’s world—into all of Fante’s books—is that he writes about the Italian immigration experience. I saw my grandfather and uncles in these stories. There are common threads that run though Fante’s stories and the stories my uncles told me; Catholicism, Italian-American families, the working class experience, eating, Catholicism, Italian immigrants and, finally, Catholicism.


Because I had already been collecting Bukowski rarities for years, collecting Fante seemed like a natural progression. Collecting Fante can be a pretty dicey and expensive affair. Frankly, aside from the first editions that were published by Black Sparrow starting in 1982 (most of them posthumously), his true first editions are almost impossible to come by, particularly in collectible condition. The first editions were printed in small runs of, perhaps, 3,000 copies. The copies you do find on the market are almost always beat to shit. I’m particularly fond of my copy of Wait Until Spring, Bandini. The jacket is clean and undamaged. The design is simple and elegant.

His next book, Ask the Dust (1939), is arguably his best-known novel. It’s considered to be one of the touchstones of L.A. literature. In 2006 they filmed it with Colin Farrel as Bandini. My first edition is, perhaps, the best brag of my entire book empire. I’ve never seen a copy that didn’t have a badly faded spine and damaged dust jacket. But after years of searching I found a perfect copy.

Additionally, my copy is inscribed by Fante in the year of publication to Milton Melin, who was a book reviewer for the Los Angeles Times. There is also a black and white publicity photo laid in.

Ask the Dust was to be Fante’s breakout novel but his publisher, Stackpole Sons, had to use all the publicity money allocated for this book to defend themselves in a lawsuit over the unauthorized printing of Hitler’s Mein Kampf. The novel went largely unnoticed. (Fante’s. Not Hitler’s.)


A collections of short stories, Dago Red (1940), followed. Fante’s short stories had been published in H.L. Mencken’s The American Mercury. Mencken was Fante’s literary mentor.

Fante adapted his novel Full of Life (1952) for the screen. It was the start of his career as a screenwriter. He was mostly dissatisfied with his work for the movies, freely admitting that he did it for the paycheck. His adaptation of Nelson Algren’s Walk on the Wild Side for the screen is considered a wasted opportunity.

Here’s one of the Black Sparrow issues. Dreams of Bunker Hill was the last novel published in Fante’s lifetime.

There was a signed limited edition. Fante, blind and gravely ill, signed the pages from his hospital bed.
[Editor's note: Inscribed copies of the first edition of Ask The Dust in fine condition currently command between $6,000-$8,000. Source: abebooks.com]
Read more at www.undiepress.com
 

Luther Grosvenor - Under Open Skies (1971)

http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2011/01/luther-grosvenor-under-open-skies-1971.html

Turn on,tune in and drop out! Blog about music I love!

Luther Grosvenor - Under Open Skies (1971)

Really good hard rock/prog album from a guitarist with rich history.

Luther Grosvenor aka Ariel Bender was one of the most inventive guitarists of his generation, one of the clutch of flashy young axe-slingers who emerged at the tail end of the 1960s, and turned everything on its head. Up alongside Brian May, Mick Ronson, and Paul Kossoff, Luther Grosvenor rewrote the guitar players' rule book, simply by remembering that technique isn't everything; you have to have some fun as well. Grosvenor grew up in the English town of Evesham, where he and the young Jim Capaldi formed their first bands together, before traveling down to London together, where their band Deep Feeling attracted the attention of producer Giorgio Gomelsky. It was separately, however, that the pair established their names, Capaldi as a founding member of Traffic, Grosvenor aboard Spooky Tooth, one of the most influential British rock bands of the late '60s/early '70s. Releasing four albums, including the million-selling Spooky Two, the band toured extensively both in the U.S. and Europe, building a loyal fan base which even included the Rolling Stones -- who contacted Grosvenor as a possible replacement for Brian Jones in 1969. He turned them down.Grosvenor quit Spooky Tooth in 1972, and released his first solo album, Under Open Skies, before deciding that the solo life was not for him. A brief spell alongside Gerry Rafferty in Stealers Wheel was followed by an invitation to join the band which was, essentially, the decade's answer to the original Rolling Stones, Mott the Hoople. And this time, there was no hesitation. He even changed his name for the occasion, to Ariel Bender. Ariel Bender was the ultimate rock guitarist. In an age when even the most pedestrian guitarist was tarting up beneath barrels of makeup and finery, Bender went completely over the top, visually and aurally. His name was gifted to him by singer Lynsey de Paul, a friend who shared his vision of the world's most Over the Top guitar player, and it fit like a glove. Except he didn't simply bend ariels. He could break them with a single chord. In the studio, Bender transformed Mott, firing them through one more studio set, 1974's The Hoople, a storming live album, and a clutch of immortal hit singles. But it was on-stage that Bender made the greatest impression, with his mane of hair flying, literally battling Ian Hunter for the center stage spotlight, and peeling off riffs as raucous as they were riotous. Posthumous exhumations from the band's live archive have heightened awareness of Bender's brilliance even further -- the 30th anniversary edition of Live, swollen from one short LP to two stuffed CDs, includes some of his most ferocious playing ever.Grosvenor left Mott in 1974 (to be replaced by Mick Ronson), and immediately formed Widowmaker, a hard rock band that plunged straight into the spotlight when they were invited to open for the Who's latest U.K. tour. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got. Although Widowmaker made what Grosvenor still remembers as "two great albums," by 1979, bored with the bullsh*t, he didn't simply quit the group. He walked out on the music industry altogether. The idol of millions became a legend instead, and would remain one for the next 17 years.
 !!!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

"I'M A BAD, BAD GIRL" Seven Dozen Dusky Divas 1939-1953

http://twilightzone-rideyourpony.blogspot.com/2011/01/im-bad-bad-girl-seven-dozen-dusky-divas.html

JUST FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2011

"I'M A BAD, BAD GIRL" Seven Dozen Dusky Divas 1939-1953, Vol. 1

Great collection of R&B from a wide variety of talented women ranging from the well known to the very obscure! A history lesson in R&B.trax:
1. Drive, Daddy, Drive - Little Sylvia 2. Too Tight Mama - Mabel Smith 3. I'm In My Sins This Morning - Myra Taylor 4. Fluffy's Debut - Fluffy Hunter 5. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues - Billie Holiday 6. Waiting To Be Loved By You - Lula Reed 7. He's My Daddy - Wini Brown 8. Worry, Worry, Worry - Rosetta Perry 9. Pay Day Blues - Cathy Cooper 10. I Would If I Could - Ruth Brown 11. Every Time - Lil Green 12. Jump And Shout - Erline Harris 13. Sittin' Here Drinking - Christine Kittrell 14. Beer Bottle Boogie - Marylin Scott 15. Palmer's Boogie - Gladys Palmer 16. Come On Daddy (Let's Go Play Tonight) - Pearl Traylor 17. Race Horse - Tiny Davis 18. It's Been A Long Time - Mildred Jones 19. Let Me Keep You Warm - Flo Garvin 20. Rock Me Daddy - Laurie Tate 21. Black Man's Blues - Helen Andrews 22. Papa Tree Top Blues - Little Miss Cornshucks 23. Monday Morning Blues - Lil Greenwood w/The Four Jacks 24. Oop-De-Doo - Helen Foster 25. Roll 'em - Mitzi Mars 26. They Call Me Big Mama - Big Mama Thornton 27. Yes! I Know - Linda Hayes 28. Cannon Ball - Nora Lee King
...served by Gyro1966...
(see comments at link above for help)


SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011

"I'M A BAD, BAD GIRL" Seven Dozen Dusky Divas 1939-1953, Vol. 2

Great collection of R&B from a wide variety of talented women ranging from the well known to the very obscure! A history lesson in R&B.trax:
1. Stop Talkin' And Start Walkin' - Annie Laurie 2. Baby I'm Doing It - Annisteen Allen 3. Body Rocking Daddy - Joyce Jackson 4. I Want A Lavender Cadillac - Bea Baker 5. Just Give Me A Man - Mabel Scott 6. 3 X 7 = 21 - Jewel King 7. He's Gone - Dorothy Ellis 8. This Joint's Too Hip For Me - Bett Hall Jones 9. I'm Gonna Play The Honky Tonks - Marie Adams 10. Streetwalkin' Daddy - Alma Mondy 11. Edna's Blues - Edna McGriff 12. Goin' For The Okey-Doke - Marion Abernathy 13. Come On And Get It, Honey - Nellie Lutcher 14. Allotment Blues - Willie Lee Patton 15. Six Foot Papa (Whole Lotta Woman) - Violet Hall 16. Young Women's Advice - Sister Rock-A-Way 17. Messin' Around With The Blues - Alberta Adams 18. Please Send Me Someone To Love - Dinah Washington 19. I Ain't Gettin' Any Younger - Martha Davis 20. Rock Daniel - Sister Rosetta Tharpe 21. Little Red Rooster - Margie Day 22. Til My Baby Comes Back - Ella Johnson 23. I Need A Man - Thelma Cooper 24. House Of Blue Lights - Ella Mae Morse 25. I Got Your Boogie - Sarah "Fatwoman" Dean 26. Brooks' Boogie - Hadda Brooks 27. Good Man - Kitty Stevenson 28. Rockin' And Jumpin' - Honey Brown
...served by Gyro1966...
(see comments at link above for help)

http://twilightzone-rideyourpony.blogspot.com/2011/01/im-bad-bad-girl-seven-dozen-dusky-divas_16.html

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2011

"I'M A BAD, BAD GIRL" Seven Dozen Dusky Divas 1939-1953, Vol. 3

Great collection of R&B from a wide variety of talented women ranging from the well known to the very obscure! A history lesson in R&B.trax:
1. I'm A Bad, Bad Girl - Little Esther 2. I Ain't In The Mood - Helen Humes 3. Happy Home Blues - Baby Davis 4. You Ain't Nothin' Daddy - Etta Jones 5. A Letter In The Blues - Varetta Dillard 6. King Size Papa - Julia Lee 7. Bedroom Blues - Sippie Wallace 8. Nightshift Blues - Zilla Mays 9. He May Be Your Man - Miss Rhapsody 10. Where's The Money, Honey - Chubby Newsome 11. Shake A Hand - Faye Adams 12. Lovin' Man Blues - Lillie Mae & The House Rockers 13. Easy Baby - Little Miss Sharecropper 14. Hard Working Woman - Connie Allen 15. Why Don't You Tell Me So - Iona Wade 16. Just Want Your Love - Big Maybelle 17. Kissin' Boogie - Beverley Wright 18. Don't You Feel My Leg - Blu Lu Barker 19. Around The Clock - Numa Lee Davis 20. I Want To Know - Vivian Verson 21. Money Blues - Camille Howard 22. The Three Men In My Life - Eleanor Franklin 23. Pretty Papa Blues - Paula Watson 24. You Made Me Love You - Rosetta Howard 25. Please Don't Touch My Bowl - Gladys Hill 26. Hey Little Boy - Albinia Jones 27. Bettye Jean's Blues - Bettye Jean Washington 28. Bowlegged Boogie - Vivian Greene
...served by Gyro1966...
(see comments at link above to get help)