Author Archive

Rodriguez “Cold Fact”

| Folk,Psych

Cold Fact

Cold Fact by Sixto Rodriguez was recently reissued by Light In The Attic – an excellent reissue at that.  Over the past few years this lp has gained quite a reputation, probably due to its unique sound, which is still fresh even by today’s indie rock/folk-rock standards.  Cold Fact was originally released by Sussex in 1970 and while it didn’t sell too well in the U.S. , the record gained a new lease on life in 1971 when A&M repressed the lp in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand – where it sold well (he would eventually play to sell-out stadium crowds in South Africa!).  Rodriguez was born in Detriot MI, his parents were both Mexican immigrants – his first name was chosen because he was the sixth child. 

Cold Fact is a s0lid record all thru – a real four star gem. One can tell that Dylan was a major influence but this should by no means discredit  Rodriguez’s originality and talents as a songwriter.  The album led off with “Sugar Man,” a drug addled masterpiece full of intriguing lyrics, twisted electronic sound effects, and soulful vocals.  “Sugar Man” is a very dark composition that has stood the test of time well and probably the lp’s standout track – a true classic.  Other tracks are worthwhile though like the fuzz guitar driven garage rocker “Only Good For Conversation” or the horn laden “Crucify Your Mind.”  “Hate Street Dialogue,” “I Wonder,” and “Forget It” are also excellent with good accoustic melodies and lyrics that really hit home hard.  This is real outsider music that is sung so eloquently and played so well it’s almost hard to notice the despair – you really have to listen to the lyrics. 

Prior to the Light In the Attic reissue there was a so/so RCA repress from the late 80s.  Light In The Attic have done a great job with Rodriquez and will also be reissuing his second lp, Coming From Reality.  Cold Fact is singer-songwriter material at its best with beautiful vocals, catchy songs, string and horn arrangements that compliment rather than harm, great downer lyrics, and just the right amount of psych-folk residual.  Distinctive soul searching stuff.

“Sugar Man”

:D CD Reissue | 2008 | Light In The Attic | buy from attic | amazon ]
:) Vinyl Search | ebay ]

It’s All Meat “It’s All Meat”

| Garage,Psych,Punk

It's All Meat

It’s All Meat were a late 60s/early 70s band that hailed from Toronto and released this excellent album in 1970 (Columbia).  Prior to that, It’s All Meat had been known as The Underworld.  The Underworld released a superb, crude garage single (“Go Away”/”Bound” – the label is Regency) in 1968 and also recorded some fine unreleased material captured on acetate.  As mentioned before, some of the members of The Underworld would form It’s All Meat.  In 1969 this new group would release their debut 45, “Feel It” coupled with “I Need Some Kind of Definitive Commitment.”  The A-side combined MC5 energy with New York Dolls-style swagger and features plenty of feedback and great guitar breaks.  It’s one of the great proto-punkers. 

Their album was released the following year and feartured 8 fresh original numbers written by drummer Rick McKIM and keyboard player/lead vocalist Jed MacKAY.  There are a bunch of good, solid stonesy garage rockers that form the axis of this lp: “Make Some Use Of Your Friends,” “Roll My Own,” “You Brought Me Back To My Senses,” and “You Don’t Know The Time You Waste.”  The latter track would be released as the group’s second and final single but “Roll My Own” and “Make Some Use Of Your Friends” were just as good, featuring fine psychedelic guitar work and raw vocals.  Other note worthy tracks flirted with blues (“Self-Confessed Lover”) and folk-rock (“If Only”) but the lp’s brightest moments were its two 9-minute marathon compositions.  “Crying Into A Deep Lake” was full-blown Doors psychedelia with spacey keyboards and spooky Jim Morrison influenced vocals.  The other lengthy track, “Sunday Love,” sounds like a strange Lou Reed/John Cale concoction with lots a great psychedelic guitar noise and soft folk-like passages sprinkled with light garage keyboards.   So while these last two tracks are very long, they never wear out their welcome and are required listening for both garage and psych fans.  The album’s production teeters between a primitive recording sound and the typical major label gloss, making it just right.

It’s All Meat is a fine, consistent trip all the way thru.  It’s one of the best late period (really late) garage rock albums I know of.  The album’s hard rock and proto-punk sounds give it a nice,  visceral edge.  It’s All Meat was reissued in 2000 by Hallucinations though originals are not hard to come by either.

“Make Some Use Of Your Friends”

:) Original Vinyl | 1970 | Columbia | search ebay ]

Sheridan/Price “This is to certify that….”

| Art,Pop,Psych,Sunshine

This Is To Certify That...

This is one of the better albums coming from the Move family tree. It was released in 1970 though it has a clear 1967/1968 sound and is one of the best albums of its kind. Rick Price entered the Move sometime in the late 60s, contributing bass and guitar to “Shazam“, “Looking On” and “Message From The Country.” Mike Sheridan had previously been leader of the Nightriders which were a Birmingham group that specialized in the merseybeat sound and 50s rock n roll.

The Nightriders were sort of a breeding ground for future Move members, most importantly Roy Wood. During Price’s tenure with the Move, he and Sheridan started writing songs together for the above album. Both Sheridan and Price share vocals and writing chores on an album that veers into power pop, psychedelia, sunshine pop and progressive pop. There are horn and string arrangements on this beautiful album that recall some of Paul McCartney’s soft moments on the Beatles’ classic White Album (think “Martha My Dear” or even the Move’s great “Beautiful Daughter”). Some of the heavier moments like “Sometimes I Wonder,” “Lamp Lighter Man,” and “Lightning Never Strikes” sound like excellent 68/69 era Move outtakes. In fact, “Lighting Never Strikes” was released as a Move single at the tail end of the 60s. Sheridan and Price’s version is just as good though not as trippy, with a splendid backwards guitar solo, slashing acoustic guitars and crashing drums. Other songs such as the string laden pop number “Davey Has No Dad” or the trippy “Picture Box” have a beautiful child-like, story song whimsy that hints at a Ray Davies influence.

This is an exceptional if little known Move album that will appeal to fans of the Beatles, Kinks and even lovers of soft, sunshine pop sounds.

“Lightning Never Strikes”

:D CD Reissue | 2007 | Ace | amazon ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1970 | Gemini | ebay ]
8-) Spotify link | listen ]

The Scruffs “Wanna Meet The Scruffs?”

| Pop

Wanna' Meet The Scruffs?

The Scruffs were a late 70s power pop band who released this great debut album in 1977 (off the Power Play Records label).  Even though the Scruffs looked like a group of hip New Yorkers they actually hailed from Memphis, Tennessee. All 13 tracks were written by guitarist Stephen Burns though lead guitarist Dave Branyan gets partial credit for three numbers.  Other important members of the Scruffs included bass player Rick Branyan and drummer Zeph Paulson.

The Scruffs sound is similar to Big Star (especially their great sophomore effort), wild, careening and reckless with neurotic lyrics about masturbation, boy-girl relationships and teen alienation.   While the playing may come off as sloppy it’s still engaging and in a weird way calculated – these guys were a pretty tight group who knew exactly where they wanted to take their music.  Tracks like “Break The Ice,” “This Thursday,” and “I’ve Got Something” are relentless, loud rockers that cut like a sharp switchblade but remember this was 1977, the punk era.  Most of the other tracks are anchored down by ringing guitars, great hooks, and vulnerable, heart broken vocals; in fact, every song on Wanna Meet The Scruffs has something on offer, whether it be a catchy guitar riff, stinging solos, or an anthemic chorus.  “My Mind” and “She Say Yea” were influenced by the Beatles and Byrds but also early 70s American power pop greats like the Raspberries and Big Star.  Those two tracks are all-time power pop classics but other numbers like the album closer “Bedtime Stories” isn’t far behind with its beautiful intro and timeless melodies – these are magical songs.  Also, many tracks wield an uncompromising sense of humor with strange lyrics like “Im a failure and my entire life was meant for killing time” (from “I’m A Failure”) or  “Dear Jean, all I ever wanted from you was a little revenge and your phone number” (from “Revenge”).  This music is elegant but at the same time shambolic, and while phoney, manufactured groups like the Knack and Rubinoos completely disappoint, the Scruffs were the real deal, delivering 13 fine, romantic power pop tracks.  Wanna Meet The Scruffs is ace from start to finish, making it one of the best lps from 77.

Rev-Ola records did a nice straight up reissue of Meet The Scruffs back in 2002, no significant bonus tracks though, just a couple of alternate takes.  They would record material for a second album but these tracks would not see a release till the late 90s (Teenage Girls) and while good, are not up to par with the songs on Wanna Meet The Scruffs.  A true classic.

“She Say Yea”

:D CD Reissue | 2002 | Revola | buy at amazon ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1977 | search ebay ]
8-) Spotify link | listen ]

Buck Owens And His Buckaroos “Bridge Over Troubled Water”

| Americana,Country Rock,Folk

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Bridge Over Troubled Water (Capital, 1971) wasn’t Buck’s first foray into rock n roll music.  In 1957 he cut a handful of rockabilly sides under the name Corky Jones – and good sides they are!  Buck had once vowed to “sing no song that is not a country song” but in 1965 he released a great charging version of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” on the classic I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail lp.  Some fans felt that he had broken his pledge by covering “Memphis” but Buck didn’t see it that way: “I see Memphis as being rockabilly.  Listen to the lyrics….If they’re not country lyrics….the melody – if that ain’t a country melody….” I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail along with 61’s Sings Harlan Howard and 66’s The Carnegie Hall Concert are usually what fans cite as his best ever lps.  These recordings went a long way in establishing the Bakersfield Sound and making Buck Owens a household name.

Bridge Over Troubled Water is not on par with the above classics.   It’s a good record though with some interesting experiments that see the Buckaroos trading in their beloved Telecasters for an acoustic folk-rock sound – though country music is still their foundation.  The album is roughly divided between covers of current rock standards and Owens originals.  The production is beautiful, the guitar work is stellar, Buck is in great voice and the harmonies are nothing short of amazing.  There’s the occasional organ or Moog but for the most part the arrangements are sparse and the playing is less aggressive when compared to earlier records.  My only complaint is the weak cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “I Am A Rock” and the album’s short running time, which hovers around the 25 minute mark.  Renditions of the title track, “Love Minus Zero,” “Homeward Bound,” and “Catch The Wind” are suprisingly good.  “Catch The Wind,” with its droning Moog and angelic vocals is so good it may even surpass the Donovan original.    Buck’s own material blends nicely with the above mentioned tracks, making this a strong listen all the way thru.  All the original material is good, though “Within My Loving Arms,” “The Devil Made Me Do That,” “San Francisco Town,” and “Everything Reminds Me You’re Gone” stick out for their contemplative approach, brittle acoustic guitars, and gorgeous harmonies.  Throughout the album Buck’s vocals are world weary, it’s a quality that makes this record special.

Buck would take some heat from the C&W squares for revamping his style and covering current rock n roll songs.  But the C&W crowd would prove to be wrong over time as Bridge Over Troubled Water reeks class and Bakersfield sophistication.  It was this willingness to experiment that made Buck and his group so great and pioneering.  This open-minded approach has made the Buckaroos music age so well whereas many of their contemporaries sound dated and hokey.  In 2004 Sundazed released this solid album on cd, it’s certainly well worth a spin for fans of country-rock.

“Within My Loving Arms”

:D CD Reissue | 2004 | Sundazed | buy from sundazed | amazon ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1971 | Capitol | search ebay ]

Lou Christie Sacco “Paint America Love”

| Americana,Pop

Paint America Love buzz

This is probably Lou Christie’s greatest artistic statement to date.  Paint America Love was an ambitious statement by Christie, a total departure from the Four Seasons influenced bubblegum pop he had been releasing throughout the 60s.  His best known songs from the mid 60s were the hits “Lightning Strikes” and “Rhapsody in the Rain.”   Christie was a truly great, underrated artist though and it’s worth noting that he would reinvent his career from bubblegum to sophisticated pop to country, always with great success artistically and commercially. 

Paint America Love was released in 1971 on Buddah.  All the songs were written by Christie and they are a complex, sprawling mixture of pop and Americana.  The arrangements are adventurous and lush as heard on the gorgeous instrumental Campus Rest.  This was no doubt Lou Christie’s Pet Sounds though in musical style, it’s much closer to Sunflower or Surf’s Up.  Christie’s vocals are still wonderful (he has a magical falsetto) and a definite highpoint on this lp.   One can hear shades of his 60s work in the country-rocker Chuckie Wagon – there’s some interesting fiddle and a great chorus on this one.  Some of these tracks take on ecological themes like the pop friendly “Paper Song” while others are a bit more complex like “Lighthouse,” “Paint America Love” and “Wood Child.”  Many consider these tracks the best of Lou Christie’s career although after this lp he would release a good country lp which is also recommended (Beyond The Blue Horizon from 1973). 

But there are other pleasures to behold on Paint America Love,  like the astonishing Beach Boys inspired “Waco” and the achingly tuneful “The Best Way To See America.”  Every track is inspired, the lyrics are personal and the songcraft is very strong.  Paint America Love was one of the best off-the-radar releases from 1971 – it’s as good as early 70s pop gets.  The album finally saw a cd release by Re-Ola in 2008.

“The Best Way To See America”

:D CD Reissue | 2008 | Revola | buy at revola | amazon ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1971 | Buddah | search ebay ]

Brave Belt “I”

| Country Rock,Psych

Brave Belt I

Randy Bachman had abruptly quit the Guess Who in the midst of a winning streak.  After two classic albums, Canned Wheat and American Woman, and a host of excellent pop/hard rock singles he decided to get up and leave.  Rock critics panned Bachman’s decision to leave this very successful pop group and more often than not, wrote off this fine debut album from Brave Belt.  Brave Belt was a conscious attempt to create something a bit more experimental and less hard rock oriented.  It was the first time Randy Bachman (lead guitar and bass) and Chad Allen (vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin) had gotten together on record since 1966’s classic It’s Time album.  Allan was a great vocalist and one of rock’s truly underrated talents.  The remaining members of Brave Belt were Bob Bachman on drums and Ron Holldorson on pedal steel guitar.

The first lp was recorded in Winnipeg and released off RCA in 1971.  Gone was the hard rock stylings of American Woman or the breezy jazz-pop of Undun.  Instead the group offered up a brilliant mix of quiet country-rock and psychedelia.   Both of these worlds collided on the excellent album opener “Crazy Arms, Crazy Eyes.”  This track rocks pretty hard with its Bo Diddley-like beat, attractive pedal steel work and phased drums – one couldn’t ask for a better debut opener.  Personal numbers such as “It’s Over” and “French Kiss” were written by a revived Bachman/Allan partnership.  These tracks along with the more country oriented material recalled the early work of Neil Young or Poco’s reflective numbers on their great debut lp.  “Wandering Fantasy Girl” and “Scarecrow” are a bit more psychedelic in nature with lots of Bachman fuzztone and a nice, druggy studio production.  Another track, “I Am The Man,” is an intoxicating, complex masterpiece with psychedelic guitar work reminiscent of late 60s George Harrison and even some creative mandolin flourishes that give the song an exotic flavor.  The album is great all the way thru though Guess Who fans may be disappointed if they come here looking for a hard rock blowout.

Brave Belt would record one more solid album in 1972 before giving way to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  Randy Bachman once summarized his experience with Brave Belt: “Too much garbage had been laid down about me that Brave Belt never really had a chance.  Radio stations wouldn’t play us, magazines wouldn’t do stories on us. ”  Rock journalist Larry LeBlanc also added, “Randy got a real shellacking from the music press when he left the Guess Who.”  Many rock fans refer to Brave Belt’s music as Randy Bachman’s bridge from the Guess Who to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  It’s much more than that though, as this album is arguably more consistent then either of those groups’ best work.  Brave Belt is more experimental and has definitely earned it’s “lost classic” status over time.  Both albums have been reissued in the past though 2009’s Wounded Bird twofer is the easiest way to obtain these recordings.  Highly Recommended.

“French Kiss”

The Guess Who featuring Randy Bachman and Chad Allan (1965):
mp3: I’d Rather Be Alone

:D CD Reissue | 2009 | Wounded Bird | 2fer | amazon ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1971 | Reprise | ebay ]
8-) Spotify link | listen ]

The 13th Floor Elevators “Live”

| Garage,Psych

Elevators Live!

International Artists released this live album of dubious quality in 1968.  Live is in fact studio outtakes with applause dubbed over the beginning and end of each track.   At this point the 13th Floor Elevators were crumbling due to drug complications and other legal disputes.  New material was short and International Artists knew this.   So a live album must’ve seemed like a good idea at the time – it would satisfy hungry fans of the group and fulfill contractual obligations.  In the end the above LP didn’t sell and the sound quality is a bit iffy but for the Elevator fan this disc is mandatory listening.  It’s a solid album with quality performances and 5 songs that are unique to this disc only.

“She Lives In A Time Of Her Own,” “Tried To Hide,” “Roller Coaster,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and “I’ve Got Levitation” are certainly familar and had been on the Elevators’ prior two groundbreaking LPs.  These cuts are all classic performances that capture the band at the peak of their powers.  But you’re buying this record/CD for the five outtakes that make Live unique.  The Elevators do excellent covers of Buddy Holly’s “I’m Gonna Love You Too” (Erickson nails Holly’s vocal style)  and Solomon Burke’s “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love.”  The latter is given a raunchy garage rock rendition and is one of the LP’s clear highlights.  The two originals are classics too.  “You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore” must have been an outtake from the first album as it’s loaded with crazed vocals,  primitive sound quality, and a tremendous energy (pure mid 60s garage rock at its best).  The other track, “You Gotta Take That Girl,” is more of a folk-rock ballad: an excellent one that shows a sensitive side to this great group.  Note:  Before You Accuse Me and I’m Gonna Love You Too would be released as IA singles in 1967/1968.

Live has been marginalized for many years, perhaps for its fake crowd sound FX, but I think it’s held up pretty well over time.   Much has been made of the Elevators in recent years.  Some say they were the very first psychedelic group and their music represents the purest form of this experience.  Others have acknowledged Erickson’s vocals and personality coupled with Stacey Sutherland’s acid leads as an enormous influence.   If anything, this release proves the 13th Floor Elevators were a great, down-to-earth rock n roll band that knew how to have fun.   Live is recommended to both the novice and experienced fan.

“You Gotta Take That Girl”

;) MP3 Album | Elevators Live! ]
:) Original Vinyl | 1968 | International Artists | search ebay ]
8-) Spotify link | listen ]

PODCAST 11 Masterpiece of Nonsense

| Podcast

TRS Podcast Logo

Running Time: 51:37 | File Size 70 MB
Download:  .mp3
To subscribe to this podcast: https://therisingstorm.net/podcast.xml [?]

PLAYLIST

1.  Mind Your Own Business – Hank Williams (2008 Unreleased Recordings)

2.  Mary Of The Wild Moor – Louvin Brothers (Tragic Songs Of Life – 1956)

3.  Indian Summer –Brewer And Shipley (Weeds – 1969)

4.  Try A Little Sunshine – The Factory (CBS 45 From 1969 – taken from 2009’s Upside Down World of John Pantry)

5.  Dark Thoughts – The New Dawn (There’s A New Dawn – 1970 – taken from 2009 Jackpot Records Reissue)

6.  Children Laughing – Wendy & Bonnie (Genesis – 1968 – taken from 2008 Sundazed reissue)

7.  The Migrant – Tony Joe White (Train I’m On – 1972)

8.   I’m Up and I’m Leaving – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (s/t – 1972)

9.    House Of Mirrors – Mandrake Memorial (s/t – 1968)

10.  I’ve Been Through It Before – The Plagues (Fenton 45 – 1966 – taken from Scream Loud!!! The Fenton Story)

11.  Tree House – Timebox (Unreleased – 1968/1969 – taken from RPM’s 2008 Beggin)

12.   Ride On – The Rokes (Che Mondo Strano – 1967 – taken from 2009’s The Rokes In English 1966-68)

13.  Marley Purt Drive – The Bee Gees (Odessa – 1969)

14. You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore – The 13th Floor Elevators (Live album – 1968-)

15.  Small Faces – Public Nuisance (1968 – Unreleased – Frantic Records 2 cd anthology of the group)

16.   Brains In My Feet – The Purple Canteen (1968 – sole 45 taken from Psychedelic Minds Volume 1)

The JuJus “You Treat Me Bad 1965-1967”

, , | Garage

The Jujus

Of all the regional garage bands that were never given the opportunity to record an album, the JuJus were amongst the very best.  They formed in 1964 and played a mixture of frat rock, British Invasion influenced teenbeat and classic garage rock sounds all around the local clubs of Grand Rapids.  Their early tracks can be heard on the above 2009 Cicadelic reissue, it’s an excellent sampling of the group’s career.   The early tracks have saxophones, sappy lyrics and muddy sound but are good for what they are – great frat rock and teenbeat. 

In 1965 the group would cut vocalist/guitarist Ray Hummel’s “You Treat Me Bad/Hey Little Girl” for Fenton.  Fenton was a local label run by electronic/production genuis  Dave Kalmbach and business partner Bruce Smith.  Fenton would cut many, many garage classics but You Treat Me Bad stands out as one of the label’s best.  The vocals are snotty and the tempo is driving; You Treat Me Bad would eventually hit number 2 on local radio.   The JuJus second 45 was cut in Kingtones guitarist Phil Robert Jr.’s basement studio and issued in a picture sleeve on the United label in 1966.  Both sides of “I’m Really Sorry/Do You Understand Me” are superb.  Do You Understand Me has guitar lines straight out of the Stones’ Last Time and is achored down by a nice fuzz solo.  Both recordings sound very crude and primitive but hold a special place in many garage fans’ hearts – this was some of the best rock n roll being pumped out of Michigan at the time.

The JuJus lineup would change quite a bit from 1964 to 1967.  Eventually the group would break up after losing core band members Ray Hummel, drummer Bill Gorski and saxophone player Max Colley.  But before throwing in the towel they would cut a few more songs in 1967 for a possible single release.  The JuJus were constantly evolving and by this time they had grown into a more experimental unit.  They would record two songs that year:  Sometime Or Another and If You Really Love Me.  The latter was a nice slice of power pop with pretty vocal harmonies and a quality guitar oriented arrangement.  Sometime Or Another, a song that was good enough for an A-side release, was the JuJus at their most psychedelic and adventurous.  This track could compete with any “big group’s” best single and was notable for its distorted vocals, blazing fuzz guitar solo and introspective lyrics.  It sounded like a hit but was probably a bit downbeat and too experimental for top 40 radio. 

The above reissue is one of the best garage rock offerings I’ve heard in quite some time.  Cicadelic gives you the classic singles, a good 1965 Ray Hummel Fenton 45 ( in which he is backed by the JuJus) and a slew of quality outtakes.  There are no lame covers and the sound quality is excellent.  The JuJus were a great group whose music still burns brightly in the memories of Michigan locals.  This is mandatory listening for anyone interested in pure rock n roll.

“I’m Really Sorry”

:D CD Reissue | 2009 | Cicadelic | buy from cicadelic ]