NEW BLOG

I've created a new blog that will concentrate more on live music. I'm running out of things to post here. So please check out:

GREAT WHITE WONDERS

THEE EVILTONES - Thee Eviltones (video)

Found this by accident. Some nice garage punk. The lead singer looks like he has an MC5 fixation though. Nice hair!

NATURAL SCIENTIST - Anaesthetic Of Love

Natural Scientist - Anaesthetic Of Love

(Dental Records DREP3184 - 1984) Out Of Print

01. See Thru You

02. Love Jungle

03. Pleasure

04. 7 Not 17 Ways

05. (Let's Hear It For) The Natural Sciences

Personnel:

Stuart Baldwin - Guitars, Vocals

Neil 'Fee' Crossley - Bass, Lead Vocals

Boris Forrest - Guitars, Lead Vocals

Pete Marsh - Keyboards

Marek Gabrysch - Drums

Here's a band I've been able to find absolutely nothing about. All I can tell you is it was recorded in Rochdale, England and Dental Records were based out of Silver Springs, MD. The sound is very early 80s New Wave without being overly 'sythizised.' (Caveat emptor - there are a few small skips that I have not been able to remove)

Natural Scientist - Anaesthetic Of Love

01. See Thru You

DEAD BOYS - Ain't It Fun (video)

Originaly written and performed by Cleveland's Rocket From The Tombs, which included Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome. RFTT also included David Thomas who went on to form the influential Pere Ubu. This has become a punk standard covered by everyone from The Replacements to Pearl Jam. Vocalist Stiv Bators formed The Lords Of The New Church after leaving the Dead Boys.

LIVE - Public Affection Demos

Live (aka Public Affection) - The Death Of A Dictionary
(Action Front Records - 1989) Cassette Only. Out Of Print. 2,000 copies

01. Saviour For A Day
02. Who Put The Fear In Here?
03. Good Pain
04. Morning Humor
05. Paper Flowers
06. The Hands Of A Teacher
07. Sister
08. Raising A Man
09. Libra
10. Ball & Chain

File Under: Alternative, College Rock, Indie
RIYL: REM, U2

Straight outta York, PA. Released on August 17, 1989, Death Of A Dictionary was the first release by the band that would become known as LIVE. They were still in high school. And they look like it. But any young girls purchasing this release because of the floppy hair hoping to hear New Kids On The Block, would have been pissed. Look at the song titles. There’s no sign of Hangin’ Tough anywhere. And these aren't your typical indie kid demos/recordings. This is a fully realized album. And the sound is near perfect, no hiss, etc. Good Pain was eventually reworked and included on their first ep, Four Songs. The remainder of the songs are still only officially available on this cassette. Between 2005 and 2007 the average eBay selling price for this tape was $593.00. Well worth the download.

AMG: Live rose to chart success on the strength of its anthemic music and idealistic, overtly spiritual songwriting, two hallmarks which earned the group frequent comparisons to U2. Live first formed in the early ‘80s in their hometown of York, Pennsylvania, when future members Chad Taylor (guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums) began playing together under the name “First Aid” while attending middle school. After losing an area talent contest, they decided to enlist singer Ed Kowalczyk, and as a foursome the group played under a series of names before settling on Public Affection.

After earning a rabid local following, in 1989 Public Affection released a cassette, The Death of a Dictionary, on their own Action Front label. After graduating to CBGB and other famed New York clubs, they earned a demo deal with Giant Records which proved unsuccessful; the completed demo earned them a deal with Radioactive, however, and before drawing their new name out of a hat, Live recruited Talking Head Jerry Harrison to produce their 1991 debut, Mental Jewelry. A collection of songs based on the writings of Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, the record made Live one of the key players in the post-Nirvana alternative music scene thanks to singles like “Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)” and “Pain Lies on the Riverside.”

Three years later, Live returned with the muscular Throwing Copper, which lingered a number of months on the charts before pushing the group into the rock mainstream; after a series of popular singles like “Selling the Drama” and “I Alone,” the album’s slow build climaxed with the funereal “Lightning Crashes,” which propelled the album to the top of the charts and paved the way for the hits “White, Discussion” and “All Over You.” Secret Samadhi, the third Live LP, followed in early 1997, but failed to match either the commercial or critical success of previous efforts. Released in 1999, The Distance to Here went platinum on the strength of “The Dolphin’s Cry,” which peaked at number two on the Mainstream Rock singles chart. The bandmates continued to refine their ambitious, spiritual sound over the next four years, with both 2001’s V and 2003’s Birds of Pray cracking the Billboard Top 30 as a result. However, the band’s seventh studio effort, Songs from Black Mountain, effectively spelled the end of Live’s popularity in 2006, with less than 100,000 copies sold in America. The album fared considerably better overseas, prompting Live to devote more time touring Europe during the decade’s latter half.

Live (Public Affection) - Death Of A Dictionary

 03. Good Pain

GASLIGHT ANTHEM - Live On Letterman (video)

The Gaslight Anthem played about an hour set last night (June 27, 2012) on the Late Show with David Letterman. Here's the link to watch the complete performance.

NEW MUSIK - Sanctuary

New Musik - Sanctuary
(GTO/Epic - 1981) Out Of Print LP - Never On CD

01. They All Run After The Carving Knife
02. Areas
03. Churches
04. Sanctuary
05. Science
06. Division
07. Luxury
08. Straight Lines
09. This World Of Water
10. Dead Fish (Don’t Swim Home)
11. While You Wait
12. Back To Room One

File Under: Synth, New Wave
RIYL: Ultravox, Heaven 17, Humna League, Thomas Dolby

A compilation of New Musik’s first two albums. I got nothing on theses guys - This AMG review sums it up pretty well.

AMG: New Musik’s near-total lack of commercial acceptance is one of the great mysteries of early-’80s pop. Their music, rooted in classic pop songwriting but with a forward-looking interest in shiny electronics, is both instantly accessible and coolly forbidding. This dichotomy is most clearly expressed in the split between group leader Tony Mansfield’s melodies, which are hummable, welcoming, and often quite bouncy, and his lyrics, which even Joy Division’s Ian Curtis might have sometimes found a little too alienated.

New Musik formed in 1977, growing out of a casual band of south London school friends who jammed together under the name End of the World; singer and guitarist Mansfield, keyboardist Nick Straker, and bassist Tony Hibbert drafted drummer Phil Towner, who had played on the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Rather than hotly pursue a record deal, the newly christened New Musik wisely chose to hone their craft first. Working during down times at a south London studio where Mansfield was informally employed as a session musician and apprentice engineer, the foursome recorded most of what would become their first two albums before approaching the British label GTO Records with the finished master tapes. However, before GTO released the first New Musik single, “Straight Lines,” in August 1979, Straker had left for a fusion-oriented solo career, scoring a minor U.K. hit with the jazzy disco instrumental “A Walk in the Park” and working on reggae sessions with Dennis Bovell and Linton Kwesi Johnson, among others. He was replaced by Clive Gates, who had previously played pub gigs with Mansfield’s King Crimson-inspired teenage band Reeman Zeegus. The new lineup completed New Musik’s debut album, From A to B, released in April of 1980.

Because GTO was a CBS subsidiary, Epic Records had first dibs on releasing From A to B in America; they chose not to, instead releasing an entry in their short-lived NuDisk series of 10” EPs that collected “Straight Lines” and the group’s second U.K. single, “Living By Numbers,” along with both B-sides. After another pair of U.K. singles, “Sanctuary” and “Luxury,” the group’s second album, Anywhere, was released in April of 1981. Again, Epic declined to release the album as it was; instead, the label gathered a side’s worth of material from both From A to B and Anywhere and released the compilation Sanctuary. While Sanctuary does contain most of New Musik’s best early material, both of the group’s first two albums are strong enough that they deserve to be heard on their own.

After Anywhere’s disappointing commercial performance in the U.K. and Sanctuary’s instant oblivion in the U.S., New Musik went through a period of turmoil. Hibbert and Towner both left the band, leaving Mansfield and Gates to record the third and final New Musik album as a duo with a hired drummer. Unlike From A to B and Anywhere, which blended synthesizers with acoustic guitars, live percussion, and other classic pop elements, Warp is almost entirely electronic. One of the first albums to be recorded primarily with digital samplers and emulators, Warp sounds a bit more dated than the first two New Musik albums, but the songs, among the most lyrically pessimistic of the band’s career, are quite strong. New Musik split after this album, as Mansfield’s sideline career as a producer started taking more of his time. Through the first half of the ‘80s, Mansfield produced hit singles for Naked Eyes, Mari Wilson, the B-52s, After the Fire, and others.

New Musik - Sanctuary

08. Straight Lines

EDITORS - Racing Rats (video)

One of the better bands of the new post-punk scene. I really like these guys a lot. All three of their albums are really good and they are even better live.

BLUR - Shepherd's Bush Empire 1994

Blur - Shepherd’s Bush Empire 1994

May 26, 1994 - Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (Broadcast)
01. Sunday Sunday
02. Jubilee
03. Tracy Jacks
04. She’s So High
05. Girls & Boys
06. London Loves
07. Trouble In The Message Centre
08. Chemical World
09. Popscene
10. To The End
11. Advert
12. End Of A Century
13. Parklife (with Phil Daniels)
14. There’s No Other Way
15. For Tomorrow
16. Bank Holiday
17. This Is A Low

File Under: Britpop, Alternative, Indie
RIYL: Oasis, Suede, Elastica, Gorillaz, Charlatans

I was always an Oasis guy. I got so sick of hearing and reading about Parklife in all of the UK mags it turned me off even more. The funny thing is, I hadn’t even heard them yet. I remember the first time I heard  Girls & Boys I could have sworn it was an old song - it just sounded like a song that always existed. I finally succumbed and bought Parklife when I saw it in a used bin at the local indie store. It was brilliant. It was like Oasis, but then again it wasn’t. I went back and picked up their two previous albums and was a fan up to their album 13, even though they started to lose me around the time of their 1997 self-titled release. They were always proud of their English pedigree, yet they started to emulate American indie bands around this time. This live recording took place one month after the release of their landmark Parklife. The britpop hysteria has already kicked in following the Blur vs. Oasis media created feud. This is the height of britpop and even though I don’t think they capture the live experience like Oasis did, it’s still pretty damn good.

AMG: Modern Life Is Rubbish established Blur as the heir to the archly British pop of the Kinks, the Small Faces, and the Jam, but its follow-up, Parklife, revealed the depth of that transformation. Relying more heavily on Ray Davies’ seriocomic social commentary, as well as new wave, Parklife runs through the entire history of post-British Invasion Britpop in the course of 16 songs, touching on psychedelia, synth pop, disco, punk, and music hall along the way. Damon Albarn intended these songs to form a sketch of British life in the mid-’90s, and it’s startling how close he came to his goal; not only did the bouncy, disco-fied “Girls & Boys” and singalong chant “Parklife” become anthems in the U.K., but they inaugurated a new era of Brit-pop and lad culture, where British youth celebrated their country and traditions. The legions of jangly, melodic bands that followed in the wake of Parklife revealed how much more complex Blur’s vision was. Not only was their music precisely detailed -- sound effects and brilliant guitar lines pop up all over the record -- but the melodies elegantly interweaved with the chords, as in the graceful, heartbreaking “Badhead.” Surprisingly, Albarn, for all of his cold, dispassionate wit, demonstrates compassion that gives these songs three dimensions, as on the pathos-laden “End of a Century,” the melancholy Walker Brothers tribute “To the End,” and the swirling, epic closer, “This Is a Low.” For all of its celebration of tradition, Parklife is a thoroughly modern record in that it bends genres and is self-referential (the mod anthem of the title track is voiced by none other than Phil Daniels, the star of Quadrophenia). And, by tying the past and the present together, Blur articulated the mid-’90s Zeitgeist and produced an epoch-defining record.

Initially, Blur were one of the multitude of British bands that appeared in the wake of the Stone Roses, mining the same swirling, pseudo-psychedelic guitar pop, only with louder guitars. Following an image makeover in the mid-’90s, the group emerged as the most popular band in the U.K., establishing itself as heir to the English guitar pop tradition of the Kinks, the Small Faces, the Who, the Jam, Madness, and the Smiths. In the process, the group broke down the doors for a new generation of guitar bands that became labeled as Brit-pop. With Damon Albarn’s wry lyrics and the group’s mastery of British pop tradition, Blur were the leader of Brit-pop, but they quickly became confined by the movement; since they were its biggest band, they nearly died when the movement itself died. Through some reinvention, Blur reclaimed their position as an art pop band in the late ‘90s by incorporating indie rock and lo-fi influences, which finally gave them their elusive American success in 1997. But the band’s legacy remained in Britain, where they helped revitalize guitar pop by skillfully updating the country’s pop traditions.

Originally called Seymour, the group was formed in London in 1989 by vocalist/keyboardist Albarn along with guitarist Graham Coxon and bassist Alex James, with drummer Dave Rowntree joining the lineup shortly afterward. After performing a handful of gigs and recording a demo tape, the band signed to Food Records, a subsidiary of EMI run by journalist Andy Ross and former Teardrop Explodes keyboardist Dave Balfe. Balfe and Ross suggested that the band change its name, submitting a list of alternate names for the group’s approval. From that list, the group took the name Blur.

Blur - Shepherd’s Bush 1994

10. To The End

PETER MURPHY - Cuts You Up (video)

A darkwave/goth classic from the ex Bauhaus master. I'm sure this is being played somewhere in the world right now, as a girl puts on eyeliner and fishnet stockings....

THE HISS - Panic Movement

The Hiss - Panic Movement
(Polydor 2003) Out of Print CD

01. Clever Kicks
02. Triumph
03. Listen To Me
04. Back On The Radio
05. Not For Hire
06. Riverbed
07. Ghost’s Gold
08. Lord’s Prayer
09. Hard To Lose
10. Step Aside
11. Brass Tacks
12. City People

File Under: Garage, Indie, Alternative
RIYL:  Oasis, White Stripes, The Warlocks, Stereophonics

I first heard The Hiss on MTV’s Subterranean show in 2003.  They stood out because they actually rocked during a time when a lot of alternative music had become soft and ironic for the sake of being ironic. The Hiss kicked ass. They toured with Oasis in the UK, which I find pretty amazing for a band from Atlanta, GA with one album. It’s a good one. The recorded a follow-up, Chocolate Hearts which can be found here. I don’t believe it was officially released. Lead vocalist Adrian Berrera has recently formed the Barreracuddas.

AMG: On its debut album Panic Movement, Atlanta’s the Hiss crafts a snarling brand of garage rock that isn’t quite as raw and urgent as, say, the Von Bondies, but isn’t as polished and premeditated as the D4. Named for an avant-garde art movement, the album finds the band trying to weld some challenging lyrics and imagery to its loud, often dense music; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. “Imagine being stabbed by all your friends,” sings Adrian Barrera on the paradoxically named “Triumph,” and it fits the song’s sense of claustrophobic menace; however, “We know what you’ve been eating in your fancy restaurants and we don’t like it” just detracts from “Not for Hire”’s angry-young-man stance. Likewise, the Hiss also borrows from other styles of music with mixed results; as its name implies, “Riverbed” is a bluesy, Led Zep-inspired outburst that borders on metal, while “Ghost’s Gold” is a plodding epic that tends to diffuse into psychedelic haze as it unfolds. Like many garage rock bands, the Hiss is most powerful in small doses, and at this point, the band’s most straightforward songs work the best. “Clever Kicks” is a fierce statement of purpose, and while “Back on the Radio” and “Brass Tacks” aren’t as dynamic or fully formed, they’re still decent enough examples of garage rock revivalism. Not coincidentally, the breathers the band takes between Panic Movement’s rockers end up being some of the album’s highlights. “Hard to Lose” boasts sweet vocals and even sweeter guitars; on songs like this and “Listen to Me,” the Hiss sounds like a harder-edged Oasis -- not a bad thing at all. Alternately too predictable and too quirky, Panic Movement reveals the Hiss as an ambitious band that can’t always deliver on its goals. Perhaps the group’s next album will have a better balance of firepower and finesse.

One of a very few bands to list garage rock and surrealist art as their inspirations, the Hiss formed in 2001 out of the ashes of vocalist/guitarist Adrian Barrera and drummer Todd Galpin’s previous outfit, Centipede. Originally from Gainesville, FL, the duo moved to Atlanta and hooked up with guitarist Ian Franco and bassist Mahjula Bah-Kamara. The band began practicing and performing locally, and also ventured into the studio. The garage rock craze started by bands like the Strokes and the White Stripes also added momentum to the Hiss’ career, as well; a U.K. tour with the like-minded Sights resulted in the Hiss becoming the first signing to Polydor’s Loog imprint. The band spent early 2003 recording their debut full-length album with Oasis producer Owen Morris. From there, the band was picked by Noel Gallagher to support Oasis on the German dates of their 2003 European tour, and by the White Stripes as the opening act for their appearance at 99X’s Big Rock Festival that June. Singles like Triumph and Clever Kicks paved the way for that summer’s full-length, Panic Movement, which was named after an obscure branch of the Surrealist art movement of the ‘60s. The group’s U.K. success continued that fall with the release of the Back on the Radio single, and with appearances on NME’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Riot Tour with the similarly garagey Jet. Panic Movement made its US debut in early 2004. They released a new LP Chocolate Hearts, all songs written in Atlanta after their recording studio in Florida’s Key West area was evacuated because of hurricanes. The band split up in November 2008.

The Hiss - Panic Movement

01. Clever Kicks

THE KNACK - Live In Los Angeles 1978

The Knack - Live In Los Angeles 1978
(Omnivore Records 2012) Limited ED Record Store Day Release OOP

1. Let Me Out
2. My Sharonna
3. Romeo Eyes
4. Art War

You know who the knack are... This was sitting on my desktop so here’s a Monday bonus.

The Knack - Live In Los Angeles 1978

1. Let Me Out

THE KNACK - Baby Talks Dirty (video)

We've all heard My Sharonna a billion times by now (and it's still a great power-pop song), but whens the last time you heard this one? The first single from their second album ...But The Little Girls Understand. Unfortunately Doug Fieger passed away a few years ago so there won't be any reunion anytime soon. These guys would have been great to see in their prime.

AFGHAN WHIGS - Debonair Gentlemen

Afghan Whigs - Debonair Gentlemen (aka Flip Your Whig)

Italy, 1994
01. If I Were Going
02. Debonair
03. Turn On The Water
04. Gentlemen
05. Be Sweet
06. My World Is Empty Without You
07. When We Two Parted
08. Retarded
09. Fountain And Fairfax
10. Come See About Me
11. You My Flower
12. What Jail Is Like
13. Tonight
14. Miles Iz Dead
15. Money (Backbeat Band live)
16. Long Tall Sally (Backbeat Band live)

File Under: Alternative, College Rock, Black Soul Gentlemen
RIYL: The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr.

Living in Ohio, I’ve had the opportunity to witness The Whigs in bars, clubs and theaters over the years. The Whigs always had soul to spare, especially for a bunch of white boys from Cincinnati. Sometimes thrown in with the grunge crowd because of their early association with Sub-Pop Records, the Whigs were so much more than that. Lead singer and song writer Greg Dulli had a huge appreciation and knowledge of what came before him. You can hear the influence of Stax and Mowtown pulsing through the underbelly of their songs. The Whigs have recently reunited, let’s hope for a tour and new music soon.

AMG: The performance is decent, if a bit somewhat meandering, which pretty much comes with the territory of most Whigs shows. Singer/guitarist Greg Dulli injects enough barbs from to keep things interesting in lieu of the mediocre recording. Battling a language barrier and introducing “Retarded” to an inactive crowd, he muses, “This song is from our first record called Up in It. You ever heard of it...on Sub Pop? Does anybody care? No? Okay.” Quality-wise, there’s an uneven emphasis between the guitars of Dulli and Rick McCollum, and John Curley’s bass gets completely lost from time to time. A major deciding factor in the purchase of Whigs’ bootlegs is the covers; on most occasions, the track listings provide no indication of what they might be, since the Whigs often incorporated verses and snippets into their own material. Add uninformed bootleggers to the pot, and there you have the lack of info. Such is the case here. A fair amount of the lyrics to the Spinners’ “I’ll Be Around” is tucked inside of a breakdown during “Turn on the Water.” Lyrics from Prince’s “When Doves Cry” gets mixed into a nine-minute version of “You My Flower.” And to a much lesser extent, Dulli throws in a couple lines from Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” during the Supremes’ “My World Is Empty Without You,” as well as Madonna’s hop-to-it snips from “Into the Groove” and “Express Yourself” during a rip-roaring “Miles Iz Ded.” As far as the overall set list is considered, it’s favored toward Gentlemen, with a fair amount of attention paid to the records that preceded it.

Evolving from a garage punk band in the vein of the Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., and Mudhoney to a literate, pretentious, soul-inflected post-punk quartet, the Afghan Whigs were one of the most critically acclaimed alternative bands of the early ‘90s. Although the band never broke into the mainstream, they developed a dedicated cult following, primarily because of lead singer/songwriter Greg Dulli’s tortured, angst-ridden tales of broken relationships and self-loathing. the Afghan Whigs were one of the few alternative bands around in the late ‘90s to acknowledge R&B, attempting to create a fusion of soul and post-punk.
the Afghan Whigs were formed when the members -- vocalist/rhythm guitarist Greg Dulli, bassist John Curley, lead guitarist Rick McCollum, and drummer Steve Earle -- were attending the University of Cincinnati. Dulli, who was raised in Hamilton, OH, was studying film at the university, where he met fellow students McCollum and Earle. Unlike the rest of the band, Curley didn’t attend the University of Cincinnati. He arrived in the city to intern as a photographer at the Cincinnati Enquirer, which his father -- who published USA Today -- arranged for him; for the next few years, Curley continued to shoot pictures for the paper, quitting only when the band’s schedule became too busy for him to work both jobs. Dulli happened to meet Curley when visiting a friend’s apartment building. Eventually, the pair formed the Afghan Whigs in 1986, along with McCollum and Earle.

Afghan Whigs - Debonair Gentlemen

04. Gentlemen

PETE TOWNSHEND - Slit Skirts (video)

Those first four Townshend solo albums are classics. This one is from All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes.

THE NEON JUDGEMENT - Mafu Cage

The Neon Judgement - Mafu Cage

(Play It Again Sam/Bias 28 - 1986) Out Of Print

01. Awfull (sic) Day

02. The Man

03. He's Gonna Drop

04. Be Nice To Me

05. Rise (I Hope One Day)

06. 1958

07. Voodoo Nipplefield

08. Dead Friends Body

File Under: Synth, EBM, Electronic, GothRIYL: Sisters Of Mercy, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Depeche Mode

I almost passed this one up. The cover looks like some really bad indie hardcore band from the mid 80s. Taking a closer look I saw that it was on Play It Again Sam, and the band was actually a duo from Belgium. That didn't sound too hardcore. This is actually a pretty good snapshot of where the EBM/Industrial Dance genre was at the time. It has some really driving beats and the obligatory cold, alienated vocals. You can almost smell the clove cigarettes and black leather jackets ... 

AMG: Belgian duo Neon Judgement [sic] veered between minimalistic industrial drones and odd, new wave-ish synth pop and dance music, underlain by cold, mechanical rhythms. Consisting of keyboardist/vocalist Dirk Da Davo and guitarist/vocalist T.B. Frank, the Neon Judgement recorded most of its output for the Play It Again Sam label in Belgium, beginning with 1986's Mafu Cage. Although they began recording back in 1981 (an era documented on the 1989 compilation General Pain and Major Disease), their first American release did not come until 1987, with the sex-themed concept album Horny As Hell. Subsequent recordings included Blood and Thunder (1989), The Insult (1990), and Are You Real (1992). The duo took a three-year hiatus to rethink the direction of their music, after which they returned in 1995 with At Devil's Fork, an LP recorded with percussionist Ben Forceville entirely in a wooded area.

The Neon Judgement - Mafu Cage

01. Awfull Day

THE NEON JUDGEMENT - Chinese Black (video)

Belgian EBM/industrial duo. I always thought it was interesting that they looked nothing like they sounded. This is their "big hit" from 1987. (yes, that's how they spell judgment)

THE HIVES - United States Of The Hives

The Hives – United States of The Hives
$2 Bill MTV Concert Series
June 2, 2002, Recher Theatre, Baltimore, MD

01. Introduction
02. The Hives Declare Guerre Nucleaire
03. Outsmarted
04. Hail Hail Spit n’ Drool
05. Main Offender
06. A Get Together To Tear It Apart
07. Die, All Right!
08. Statecontrol
09. Knock Knock
10. Hate To Say I Told You So
11. Inspection Wise 1999
12. Supply And Demand
13. Here We Go
14. aka I.D.I.O.T.

File Under: Garage, Indie, Alternative
RIYL: Mando Diao, International Noise Conspiracy, White Stripes, The Strokes

One of the funniest bands I’ve ever seen live. These guys know how to put on a show. Great broadcast quality show. Grab it!

AMG: Eight years into their career, the Hives rose from garage rock stalwarts to one of the trendiest bands of the early 2000s, along with the Strokes and the White Stripes. Mixing arty contrivances such as a strict black-and-white dress code and the guidance of a (possibly imaginary) Svengali named Randy Fitzsimmons with Stooges-inspired rock, the Hives -- Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction, Vigilante Carlstroem, and Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist -- formed in 1993 in Fagersta, Sweden, while they were still in their teens. After signing with a subsidiary of the Burning Heart label in 1995, they released their debut EP, Oh Lord! When? How?, the following year. The group switched to Burning Heart for their first full-length, Barely Legal, in 1997; that year they also embarked on their first U.S. tour. After the release of 1998’s A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T EP, changes in the band’s management put things on hold for a time. However, the Hives returned in 2000 with their second full-length album, Veni Vidi Vicious, which featured the singles “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Main Offender.” The album, along with tours with the like-minded International Noise Conspiracy and the Hellacopters, generated serious buzz around the group, leading to praise from stars as diverse as Noel Gallagher and Courtney Love, and a deal with Alan McGee’s Poptones label in 2001. Stateside, Gearhead Records reissued Barely Legal, A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T, and Hate to Say I Told You So. More touring and the re-release of their singles in the U.K. culminated with the Top Ten debut of Your New Favourite Band, a compilation of songs from their two previous albums and EPs, upon its release in spring 2002. That summer, the Hives returned to the U.S. for another round of live dates before playing the Reading and Leeds festivals, among others. The band spent most of 2003 in the studio and out of the limelight, but they returned with a vengeance in 2004: Your New Favourite Band was reissued in the States by Sire Records; Interscope released the Walk Idiot Walk single and the Hives’ third full-length, Tyrannosaurus Hives. Late in 2007, The Black and White Album, which featured production work from the Neptunes, arrived. In 2012, after playing a series of secret shows in Stockholm, the band released their fifth album, Lex Hives, on their own Disque Hives label.

The Hives – United States of The Hives

05. Main Offender

RANK & FILE - Amanda Ruth (video)

How punk was this? In the middle of new wave, Michael Jackson and Born in the USA the Kinman brothers invented cowpunk. Their first two albums Sunrise and Long Gone Dead are essential listening.

NINE INCH NAILS - Still

Nine Inch Nails - Still (And All That Could Have Been)
(nothing/Interscope 2002) Limited Edition - Out Of Print CD

01. Something I Can Never Have
02. Adrift And At Peace
03. The Fragile
04. The Becoming
05. Gone, Still
06. The Day The World Went Away
07. And All That Could Have Been
08. The Persistence Of Loss
09. Leaving Hope

File Under: Industrial, EBM, Alternative, Ambient
RIYL: Ministry, Front 242, Gravity Kills

Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor

Still is a limited edition album originally packaged with the live album And All That Could Have Been. These nine tracks feature Trent Reznor stripping the songs down to their basic core - some feature Reznor only on piano, singing songs that had previously been immersed in industrial chaos. It’s NIN unplugged! Others are stripped-down re-interpretations of songs along with several new pieces of music. Some of Still originated in Reznor’s unreleased score for Mark Romanek’s film One Hour Photo.

Nine Inch Nails - Still

01. Something I Can Never Have

THE HIVES - Go Right Ahead (video)

New Hives? But of course...

THE WAKE - Mask

The Wake - Masked
(Cleopatra 1991) Out of Print CD

01. Harlot
02. azarene
03. Locomotive Age
04. Sideshow
05. Masked
06. Silent Siren
07. Audrey
08. Watchtower
09. Sheet Metal Eyes
10. Submerge

File Under: Gothic Rock, Alternative
RIYL: Sisters of Mercy, Mission UK, Rosetta Stone, Fields of the Nephilim

If you like the Sisters of Mercy, Rosetta Stone or The Mission, you’ll like these guys. Classic goth ROCK (not the wimpy Projekt stuff) made for smoke filled clubs. These guys used to be on the local access TV station all of the time.

Wiki: The Wake is an American gothic rock band from Columbus, Ohio. Formed in 1986 by Troy Payne (lead vocals) and Richard Witherspoon (lead guitars), their initial line-up was completed by the addition of James Tramel (bass), Daniel C (drums) and Robert Brothers (keyboards).

Their first release was a self-titled cassette EP, released via the local Blaylox Records label in 1990. The Wake had a significant impact on the gothic/alternative club circuit in the United States, and the group were soon opening for bands like And Also The Trees, Skinny Puppy, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Shadow Project and Nine Inch Nails.

Two subsequent 7” singles (Harlot and Sideshow) increased their fanbase, and in 1993 they released their first full-length album, Masked, on Cleopatra Records. Appearances on a number of compilation albums exposed them further to audiences in France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.

A second album, Nine Ways, emerged in 1996. By this time Steven Creighton had replaced James Tramel on bass, although the album sleeve notes thank Tramel “for his extended tour of duty”. Nine Ways was preceded by the Christine CD EP, which featured six tracks remixed by Rosetta Stone. (An additional Masked-era track was also included.) A video for Christine also exists, and is set amongst the Spanish and Aztec landmarks of Mexico City.

A third release, although not entirely new material, BLACKlist, a best of compilation containing both released and unreleased songs, live concert footage, and two studio produced videos, was released in 2008.

Presently the band are on a hiatus; new material is promised in the near future.

The Wake - Mask

02. Nazarene

THE TOUCH - Shut Up And Dance (video)

This is pretty funny. I used to work at McDonald's with the drummer and the tambourine player. They were actually pretty popular in the local scene. Love the mall new wave clothes! I always thought the song was pretty damn catchy - I used to sneak it into the playlist of college parties and everyone loved it.

MANDO DIAO - Back To Hamburg

Mando Diao - Back to Hamburg

February 24, 2011, Rolf Liebermann Studio, Hamburg, Germany
01. Welcome Home Luc Robitaille
02. Amsterdam
03. Misty Mountains
04. How We Walk
05. No More Tears
06. Down In The Past
07. Sheepdog
08. Losing My Mind
09. Gloria
10. High Heels
11. Never Seen The Light of Day
12. Dance With Somebody

File Under: Mod, Britpop, Garage, Indie
RIYL: Oasis, The Hives, The Jam, The Kinks

I’ve made no secret that these guys are my favorite band that no one has heard of. If you like quality pop/rock/garage with huge hooks, please check these guys out - especially live. They are one of the hardest working bands I’ve come across in awhile. Dancing With the Stars actually used Dance with Somebody in their promos - even though the album wasn’t even available yet in the states. At least someone at the TV station has a clue. Not sure of the circumstances around this recording - it sounds like a large studio audience. It must have been broadcast because the sound is nearly perfect. Grab it.

AMG: Mixing garage rock sneer and Britpop sass -- along with a truckload of other influences -- Borlange, Sweden’s Mando Diao formed when its members were all still in their teens. The band’s germination dates back to 1995, when singer/songwriter/keyboardist Daniel Häglund and singer/songwriter/guitarist Björn Dixgärd were in a band called Butler. Even after that group broke up, the pair continued playing and writing together, eventually bringing bassist Fredrik Nilsson, guitarist Gustaf Noren, and drummer Anton Grahnstrom into their fold; Nilsson and Grahnstrom were replaced by Carl Johan Fogelklou and Samuel Giers. By 1999, they were known as Mando Diao, having taken their name from one of Dixgärd’s dreams.

The group continued to hone their sound, blending pop, mod, soul, R&B, and Britpop elements into a style that was quirky yet timeless. In 2002 they released their first EP, Motown Blood, through the Majesty and Capitol imprints; the acclaim for the EP and the similarities in their sound to the Strokes and the Hives raised Mando Diao’s profile considerably, and the band went on tours of Sweden with the Hellacopters and Kent. Later that year the band released the singles Mr. Moon and The Band to stoke anticipation for their full-length debut album, Bring ‘Em In, which was largely recorded in their basement practice space. The following year, Mute Records released Bring ‘Em In in the United States. The sophomore effort Hurricane Bar was released in the band’s native Sweden in 2004; a stateside release followed in 2005, and Ode to Ochrasy was issued the next year. While touring in support of the album, Mando Diao found time to record their fourth studio effort, Never Seen the Light of Day. The album was released internationally in late 2007, coinciding a solo tour by Björn Dixgärd.

Mando Diao - Back to Hamburg

07. Sheepdog

ROSETTA STONE - The Witch (video)

One of the better second wave of Goth Rock bands. Obviously influenced by The Sisters of Mercy and The Cult.

NITZER EBB - Basic Pain Procedure

Nitzer Ebb - Basic Pain Procedure
(Demo Tape 1983) Rare/Out of Print - Never officially released

01. Faded Smiles
02. Tradition
03. The Home
04. Star
05. The Pass
06. The Book
07. Crane
08. Trust Ran in Colours

File Under: New Wave, Industrial, Snyth, Electronic
RIYL: Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, Front 242, Human League

Nitzer Ebb are one of my favorite EBM (Electronic Body Music) bands. I had no idea this existed and just discovered it a few days ago. NE were one of the early purveyors of EMB, characterized by hard and often sparse danceable electronic beats, clear undistorted vocals, shouts or growls with reverberation and echo effects, and repetitive sequencer lines. This translated well to the dance floors. Of the eight tracks here, Crane was the only one to ever see an official release (reworked) as the b-side of the 1985 single Isn’t It Funny How Your Body Works.

I became a fan in 1989 after wearing out my copy of Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine. I was looking for more music like NIN. My brother-in-law to be suggested Belief by Nitzer Ebb which includes the classic track Control, I’m Here. I liked it right away and have followed them every since, seeing them several times in concert.

Wiki: Nitzer Ebb began when Bon Harris and David Gooday asked Douglas McCarthy to sing in their band. They shared an interest in witchcraft, talking to trees, and collecting runestones in Chelmsford and Little Baddow.[1] Their inspiration were bands such as DAF, Killing Joke, and Bauhaus. In August 1983, the group recorded its first demo tape, Basic Pain Procedure. This rare demo tape included eight songs. (“Faded Smiles,” “Tradition,” “The Home,” “Star,” “The Pass,” “The Book,” “Crane,” “Trust Ran in Colours”) The trio began with shows in small local venues, but its arresting stage presence, military-like image, and energy garnered a growing base of followers and soon led to appearances in larger clubs and concert venues. Combining the energy of punk with the electronic pulse of DAF, it released its debut single “Isn’t It Funny How Your Body Works” on 7 January 1985 on its own label, Power of Voice Communications, and its music soon became a fixture on the club scene. A double-A-sided single, “Warsaw Ghetto”/”So Bright So Strong,” followed in 1985 to similar critical and dance floor acclaim. Two further releases, “Let Your Body Learn”/”Get Clean” and “Murderous” were released on Power of Voice Communications before the group signed with Mute Records. The group’s recordings were licensed to Geffen Records in the United States, which kept the band on its roster when that label switched distributors from Warner Bros. Records to MCA Records.

Nitzer Ebb - Basic Pain Procedure

03. The Home

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - Alternative Ulster (video)

According to The UK Guardian, Alternative Ulster is "possibly the greatest punk rock song of all time". I don't know about that, but it is pretty damn great!

SMITHEREENS - Jeannie (Bottom Line 1988)

The Smithereens - Jeannie (Bottom Line 1988)

May 6, 1988, The Bottom Line, New York, NY
01. Drown In My Own Tears
02. Green Thoughts
03. Groovy Tuesday
04. Alone at Midnight
05. The World We Know
06. I Don’t Want to Lose You
07. Something New
08. Cigarette
09. Deep Black
10. Stranges When We Meet
11. band introductions
12. Behind the Wall of Sleep
13. Hand of Glory
14. Only a Memory
15. Time and Time Again
16. Blood and Roses
17. House We Used to Live In
18. The Seeker (The Who cover)
19. White Castle Blues

File Under: College Rock, Power Pop, Alternative
RIYL: R.E.M., The Replacements, The dB’s, Hoodoo Gurus

I first heard the Smithereens in 1986 when I was college. I was looking for something new to listen to and the guy across the hall gave me a tape of Especially For You. I loved it right away. It was different than most college rock (as it was called at the time) I had been listening to - it was new, but had all of the hallmarks of classic bands like The Beatles and The Who. I saw the band play in a gymnasium of a Catholic girls school either in 1986 or 1987. A friend of mine was a freelance photographer for the local newspaper and managed to get a photo pass. After the show we made our way ‘backstage’ and met the band who were very gracious. Pat actually sat down, had a drink and asked me what I was studying in college. I still have my ticket stub he autographed and drew a martini glass on. Great guys...

This is a fantastic FM radio broadcast from the Green Thoughts tour.

AMG: Dressed in leather, brandishing heavy guitars, and exhibiting an unabashed fetish for British Invasion pop, the Smithereens were an anomaly in the American college rock scene of the late ‘80s. Lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Pat DiNizio stood out not only with his strange beatnik goatee, but also because his catchy hooks were haunting, not punchy, and because his lyrics were morose. As time wore on, the group became more straightforward, turning into an excellent bar band, one that attacked pop songs with the weight of AC/DC. A few hits followed, but the Smithereens seemed hopelessly out of date in the alternative rock explosion of the early ‘90s, and they quietly faded into a working cult band.

Green Thoughts review: The Smithereens’ excellent sophomore effort picks up where their debut, Especially for You, left off, with Pat DiNizio delivering another impressive batch of superbly constructed pop gems; tracks like “Only a Memory,” “House We Used to Live In,” and “Drown in My Own Tears” are immediately ingratiating -- instantly familiar, yet performed with more than enough energy and flair to sound new and exciting. Equally compelling are Green Thoughts’ curveballs, like the countryish “Something New,” the lovely ballad “Especially for You,” and the dark, atmospheric “Deep Black,” all of which deliver intriguing variations on The Smithereens’ basic power pop formula. Another winner.

The Smithereens - Jeannie (Bottom Line 1988)

16. Blood and Roses

THE SMITHEREENS - Behind the Wall of Sleep (video)

"She had hair like Jeannie Shrimpton..." Classic track from their first album, Especially For You.

THE CURE - Entreat Plus

The Cure - Entreat Plus
(Entreat - Fiction 1991, Out of Print CD)
(Entreat Plus - Polydor 2010/Elektra 2011, Out of Print LP)

1989, Wembley Arena, London, England
01. Plainsong
02. Pictures Of You
03. Closedown
04. Lovesong
05. Last Dance
06. Lullaby
07. Fascination Street
08. Prayers For Rain
09. The Same Deep Water As You
10. Disintegration
11. Homesick
12. Untitled

File Under: Goth, College Rock, Post-Punk, New Wave
RIYL: Bauhaus, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes

You know who The Cure are. This is essentially the Disintegration album recorded live. The history of this release is pretty convoluted, so I’ll let others explain.

AMG: Essentially a Cure live album, recorded at Wembley Stadium in 1989. All of the cuts compiled here were distributed through a series of Cure CD singles alongside extended remixes and other B-sides. The performance is noisily energetic, with quirky moments. Entreat was released only as a promotional item, and is fairly difficult to find.

Slicing Up Eyeballs: When the reissue of The Cure’s landmark album Disintegration arrived earlier this year, the vinyl edition featured none of the bonus material included on the 3CD and digital editions — which is why it perhaps comes as no surprise that Entreat Plus, the expanded edition of the band’s 1990 live album, now will be released as a separate 2LP set.

According to MusicTAP,the 12-track, remixed version of Entreat that was included on CD and digital versions of the expanded Disintegration set will be released on vinyl on Jan. 11 by Elektra Records. Furthermore, the site speculates: “My guess is that these remixed tracks will be also available on CD/DD with an announcement coming soon.”

Originally released as a promo disc in 1990, the eight-track Entreat — recorded at London’s Wembley Arena in July 1989 — was later released commercially in Europe. The expanded edition included with this year’s reissue fleshes out the album to replicate a full live performance of 1989’s epic Disintegration, with tracks remixed by Robert Smith.

The Cure - Entreat Plus

07. Fascination Street