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 ]

Classic Gear: Harpsichord

Baroque,Classic Gear,Psych

HarpsichordIt’s by no means an essential piece to the quintessential rock band, nonetheless the harpsichord, dating from the 1500s and the predecessor to the piano, served a distinct sound on plenty of essential late sixties records, earning it “classic” status, and the first acoustic spot in our ongoing series on classic gear.

The first difference you’ll notice from the piano is the inverted keys. The black and white keys are reversed (a sleek effect, almost as sexy as grey and white). The sonic difference from the piano results from the way the keyboard vibrates each string. Piano keys “hammer” the string, while harpsichords “pluck.” This plucking action gives the harpsichord the extra bright tinny sound so often associated with classical music and what would become known as “baroque pop.”

Examples
Besides the standards (Yardbirds “For Your Love;” Stones “Lady Jane,” “Yesterday’s Papers,” “In Another Land;” Kinks “Two Sisters,” “Session Man;” Beatles  “Lucy In The Sky,” “Because” (actually a Baldwin Electric Harpsichord) and “In My Life” emulates the harpsichord with a sped up piano solo — find more here) below are a few examples that put this ‘ancient’ instrument to good use in the 60s:

Lords of ‘baroque pop,’ the Left Banke frequently rocked the harpsichord, decorating many of their gems with that other-timely sound. The Left Banke Anthology comes highly recommended.

The Left Banke – I Haven’t Got The Nerve

The End might have borrowed the Stones’ harpsichord for the Introspection sessions, which were produced by Bill Wyman. This performance is from legendary session man, Nicky Hopkins (the subject, and harpsichordist, of Ray Davies’ “Session Man” indeed).

The End – Loving, Sacred Loving

Curt Boettcher set out to make the greatest album of all time when he finally got a chance to record Begin in 1968. Harpsichord gets used and abused on this powerhouse leadoff, an unbelievable track for all first timers:

The Millennium – Prelude

And of course Rod Argent and the Zombos, they used harpsichord as well as piano, organ, harmonium, and Mellotron all over Odessey and Oracle. Come to think of it, it’s hard to find a psychedelic masterpiece without harpsichord on there somewhere!

The Zombies – I Want Her She Wants Me

Read the rest of this entry »

Moby Grape “The Place And The Time”

, Classic Rock,Country Rock,Pop,RnB

The Place And The Time

If you’re not convinced Moby Grape were one of the hippest, baddest, realest, and rawest bands of the late 1960s then grab this new outtakes and live cuts compilation from Sundazed and try to explain otherwise.

The Place and the Time collects unissued recordings by Moby Grape and presents them more or less chronologically from 1967 to 1968 over 2 LPs. Side One combines auditions (“Indifference,” “Looper”) and demo cuts (“Stop,” “Loosely Remembered”)  with “Rounder,” an instrumental outtake from the sessions for the Grape’s legendary debut album. Side Two focuses on outtakes from the Wow album sessions, ending with a scorching version of Bob Mosley’s “Soul Stew.” Side Three rounds out later 1968 Grape demos, many of which would form the Moby Grape ’69 album, and Side Four includes a triplet of killer live cuts from 1968 – just listen to the overwhelmed crowd react to the onslaught of “Changes.”

I love the Sundazed mono pressings, but the stereo live cuts are particularly atmospheric; it puts you right on the stage with the band and hearing these tracks pressed to vinyl (for the first time in their sadly neglected lifespan) is a real warp zone. Moby Grape fans who haven’t picked up the recent reissues (where some of these are bonus tracks) should clamber to get on board with these discs, the recordings are rock solid in sound and it’s a treat to spin these dusty gems and listen to the mighty Grape tear shit apart.

“Soul Stew”

:) 180 Gram Vinyl | 2009 | Sundazed | buy from sundazed ]
:D CD | 2009 | Sundazed | buy from sundazed | amazon ]

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 ]

uReview: The CCR Discography

, , Country Rock,uReview

I gotta be honest. I grew up with a ton of Creedence, but I’m not exactly familiar with their LPs. My experience with the band comes largely thru massive classic rock radio exposure and the Chronicle I and II collections. Late last year Fantasy Records reissued CCR’s first six albums on CD and MP3, but I want to hear from you before I dive in:

[poll id=”3“]

Q. Give us your low-down on CCR. What was your runner up album?

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)

Death “For The Whole World To See”

Punk

For The Whole World To See

Death’s 1974 demo album, released for the first time last month on Drag City, is rupturing the walls of the reissue scene, partly due to the recent NY Times article and its aftermath, but mostly for their obvious claim to one of the first slots in the history of punk.

Death was brothers Dannis, Bobby, and David Hackney, who started off playing RnB but switched to aggressive power-pop after witnessing an Alice Cooper show. Their after-school garage practice sessions soon yielded a trio that was tight, ferocious, and way ahead of its time.

The brothers managed to get signed by Groovesville and even got as far as Clive Davis’s interest but refused to change their name from Death for more commercial opportunity. In 1976, after a dissolution with their record company the Hackney brothers pressed 500 copies of their single: “Politicians In My Eyes” b/w “Keep On Knocking,”  reportedly trading  for $800.  Sadly, brother David, the group’s spark and fervent leader passed away in 2000, too soon to get the recognition he knew would one day come.

Bobby Hackney’s sons, members of Rough Francis, are responsible for digging up the old demo tapes that would become For The Whole World To See, and promoting Death’s music in their live performances. This is the kind of recording that’s usually only rumored about, a thing of legends. Listening to unearthed recordings is always magical, but when it’s something as blisteringly hot and grossly unheralded as Death, the experience is flat-out jaw dropping. 

Thanks to all who sent this in. Death’s record is a mind blower on first listen and a clear early contender for reissue of the year.

“Politicians In My Eyes”

:D CD Reissue | 2009 | Drag City | buy from drag city | amazon ]