Harvey Dog says thanks for the comments, Randy sends a stash and I'm freaking out on Cosmic Jokers

First of all...thanks for all the comments while I've been gone a few days. Thanks to Chris Moonbeams for his kind words and also for providing a link to Arctic Monkeys CDs. Definitely rocking! From England! Check them out. There are 4 songs there for your listening pleasure and I'm impressed. Arctic Monkeys Home Page. Do I hear some Bowie "Scary Monsters" influence in "Fake Tales of San Francisco"? The last classic Bowie album.

Mole!? What can I say? You dogged me out. Yes, I have the Simply Saucer lp, which the Mole correctly points out in his comments...had, shall we say, other purposes.

OK...Mole, I'll confess!!!!!!!!!

It was used to roll joints on. There. It's done...I feel pure once again.

And Mole...believe you fucking me...I ain't rolling joints on it anymore! I have a pipe now.
***

The picture was taken this past week by the Guru and if you look closely you can spot Poobah.

Hey, it's my blog and every so often I need a picture of the Poo on it. What can I say?
***

Yesterday, I received an incredible package in the mail. My friend Randy in rainy Vancouver sent me tons of music, tons of music dvds and I am in complete rapture and hardly know where to begin and I want to dance and I want to sing and I want to make music
and I want to listen
to every fucking thing
all at once

Thanks Randy!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's why I hardly know where to begin. Amon Duul II, more Ash Ra Tempel (favs) !!!, Band box set (1st cd was fantastic), Boredoms, Ornette Coleman (the 6 cd Beauty Is a Rare Thing!!!), Cosmic Jokers!!! (which I'm listening to right now as I'm typing this and it's blowing my fucking mind...as I'm sure you can tell), Betty Davis, Bill Fay, Jackson C. Frank, Garcia, Godz, Grateful Dead's Golden Road!!!, Gris Gris (when he sends me a surprise...it's gonna be awesome), Henske & Yester, Gary Higgins (I had it on my amazon "to be ordered later" list!!), Mission of Burma, Mountain Goats (you got me curious Vaspers), Psychic Ills, Red Krayola (yes!!), Silver Apples (again...yes!!), Six Organs of Admittance, early Tangerine Dream (my first...I'm so ashamed), some awesome Soul Jazz comps and finally...some Warlocks.

And I'm haven't yet mentioned the dvds! Woodstock, Monterey, Grateful Dead's new (old) movie, John Lennon in the T dot 1969, The 6th disc (dvd) of The Band's box set, The Miles Davis Story, Miles Electric, Jimi and Otis at Monterey and the always lovely and relaxing Gimmie Shelter.

Signing off, but will return tomorrow with some off-kiltered thoughts on some of this new stockpile.
***

The Cosmic Jokers are still fucking freaking me out. Cosmic Jokers web presence on an Ash Ra site!
***

Simply Saucer...The Hated Uncles...The Mole...Hamilton's to blame!

Simply Saucer: Cyborgs Revisited 1974-1977 (2003) ****1/2 My friend Mole released the original Cyborgs Revisited in 1989 on lp on his Mole Records. He is still to this day their #1 fan and group-eye. He can be found dee-jaying a show like only the Mole can dee-jay a show on Creative Radio Central. And check out Mole at Wikipedia!!! This is great! The Mole's on Wikipedia! Call your parents and warn them
of
the
coming apocalypse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nazi Apocalypse!!!!!!

In spite of all this....I have learned to love this lp the more I listen to it.

The influences are apparent (Syd Barrett, Velvets, Can)...however, they amalgamate it all into a stew uniquely their own. To draw comparisons like the critics love to do, I would say they could be considered a garage rock version of Can.

[Self-involved aside: The Hated Uncles actually played some shows with a later day edition of Simply Saucer with Edgar Breau and Kevin Christoff in the band. I remember them being really good, and also nice guys...through the haze of smoky bars, alcohol fueled gigs, concussions and broken bones. * cough * well, maybe NOT broken bones.]

The bonus cuts actually lower the quality somewhat. I have the original lp (thanks Mole baby...your Can and Ash Ra Tempel cds are on the way!), the original cd and now the cd with bonus cuts! And Edgar's solo cd. Which is pretty great too. Guru T-Lu is also a fan.

You should be a fan too. Support Hamilton bands!!!

...motherfucker.
***

It's been a hectic (well, if not hectic, a little stressful) time for Harvey Dog, but hopefully things are back to normal now. Extremely busy for the Guru at work as well. If only she could be a full-time photographer and I could do fun music web stuff for myself full time or work in an independent music store. * sigh *

Did I mention job interviews suck...* blech *

OK. I feel better now.
***

Mole also gave me The Electric Eels cd "God Says Fuck You" as a gift. Really cool, if somewhat difficult listening. In fact, I gotta give this a listen to...it's been ages!
***

Job interviews get in the way of life, Uncut's Essential music of 2005 gets dissected and Iggy Pop gets Stooged

Harvey Dog had a job interview today...

OK.

Get a load of this. I have to do a 5 minute presentation before the "committee", and as I start (more nervous than I usually am), I notice one of the women staring intently at me. I continue on, and look over and sure enough she's still staring. What the fuck! And I mean intensely. That made it worse so it was a struggle. It got better, but I hope they went with the last impression and not the first impression. [aside: didn't get the job...oh well]

Stupid job interviews. 40 fucking 3 and ya still gotta answer bullshit questions that just beg for bullshit answers. I hate the formal unnatural process...seems so fake...

Then again what do I know? I know nothing. (or something like that from The Monkees "Head" when Peter Tork talks to some non-lu guru)
***

Uncut: The Year's Essential Music: 2005 (2005) Harvey Dog doesn't just listen to music over 30 years old. I am quite aware of new music and am constantly exploring. There is some awesome motherfucking music being made today...ya just gotta find it.

Devendra Banhart: "I Feel Just Like a Child": Who the fuck is this guy? He's great! Actually, I've heard some of his stuff, but this blows me away. I LOVE IT!! I need some Banhart..NOW! Great start to this cd.
Josh Rouse: "Winter in the Hamptons": Pleasant enough. I'm not rushing to the store for this, but I'm not turning the station either.
The National: "Lit Up": This is 2005? Not 1980?
John Cale: "In a Flood": I loved the last Cale, and based on this, I'll love the new one too. A definite pickup.
Bright Eyes: "Another Travelin' Song": One of Guru T-Lu's favs. Rather Dylanesque, which is prob why she likes it so much. I like it too.
Big Star: "Hung up with Summer": Big Star's comeback. Cool song, and if the rest of the album is of this quality it's a worthwhile comeback.
Robert Plant & the Strange Sensation: "Tin Pan Valley": ***SURPRISE PICK*** One reason I love Uncut and MOJO cds, is that you always find something surprising or a new discovery. Well, R. Plant sure isn't a new discovery, but this is a surprise. I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG! It's ominous, it rawks, it takes you for a ride...it sounds like typical (but good) Plant briefly on the break, but the verses are what makes it. Gotta check out the rest of this album to see if it maintains this quality or the song is some fluky aberration.
Hal: "I Sat Down": Catchy fey pop...actually, quite catchy pop.
Ry Cooder: "Chinito Chinto": Well, it's Ry Cooder so the quality is supreme. I like the concept of this album too. Check it out.
Antony & the Johnsons: "My Lady Story": What an awesome voice. This guy is good, even though Lou Reed endorses him. [Aside: Lou Reed is in the "Top 10 rock stars that are fun to make fun of" category.] Beautiful song.
My Morning Jacket: "Anytime": The Guru is a fan of these guys. I like them, but not totally sold. It's a little more rockin' than usual, so I like this a bit better. OK. Here's the nitty-gritty. I think they're looking for a direction and if they find it they could become pretty awesome, but then again they could just flounder and be forgotten about quickly.
Sufjan Stevens: "The Man of Metropolis Steals our Hearts": Wow. Very interesting.
Black Mountain: "Don't Run Our Hearts Around": I have this and it's already been talked about on Harvey Dog's blog, but not yet rated. It's good enough for an easy ***1/2, and possibly ****. Cool rocking stuff.
Franz Ferdinand: "Eleanor Put Your Boots On": Hype or not? Still unsure. They're somewhat catchy...but do they have staying power?
The Arcade Fire: "Neighbourhood #2 [Laika]: These guys get great reviews. I've heard a couple of Arcade Fire songs and they just don't stick to me. Over-rated?

fuck Maxim, fuck Rolling Stone, fuck AP...the best mags (NOT counting fanzines) for music come from Britain. MOJO, Record Collector and Uncut to a lesser degree. The cds that come with the MOJO and Uncut are usually great...I'm not sure about the one of Beatles interviews (that was weird), and the Paul McCartney personally picks cd was pretentious and boring.

Temporary fucking Secretary indeed...

Support the mags that love music.

Remember: Maxim would sell your sister's virginity if they could make a nickel off of it.
***

This blog is not connected in any way with MOJO, Uncut or Record Collector.
***

When Iggy Was a Stooge
(song inspired by Neil Young's "When He Was the King" aka "I'm sucking Elvis' cock")

iggy was the best
iggy was a stooge
i loved the way
he smeared
peanut butter
all over his body
in cincinnati
and the
rest as they say
was history

iggy was the best
iggy was a stooge
the crowd all
cheered
when he cut
himself up
and bled
and shot up
in alleyways
with johnny
thunders

iggy was the best
iggy was a stooge
all the women
wanted to
suck his cock
and all the
boys wished
they could
be like him
and the last time
i saw iggy

iggy was the best

iggy was a stooge
***

Iggy Pop's official web site.
***

Amon Duul jam supremely and record store of choice closes...ahhhhh

Amon Duul I: Para Dieswarts Duul (1970) ****1/2 Guru T-Lu has started a brand new hobby. Collages! At least it's only paper and not paint. The Guru is somewhat, shall we say...not neat when it comes to her hobbies.

On to Amon Duul....and a brand new head space. Float along with the music and it can take you into some beautiful places.

love is peace
freedom is harmony

A nice refrain to wrap your head around. "Snow Your Thirst" is a lengthy meandering guitar solo. I love it. It's like jazz man. A lot of this krautrock strikes me as being close to freeform jazz.

You can see the influence on "Second Edition" by Public Image Ltd. And fucking right it's a paramechanical world!

Amazing stuff. Amon Duul II official home page. There wasn't a home page on Amon Duul I, but this site has info also about the original Amon Duul.

Get the cd, cause the bonus tracks are awesome. Fuck that! Get the cd AND the lp. If I see the lp I'll be purchasing. Motherfucker!
***

My fav record store "Rock Your World" is closed now, but I'll still be buying from Steve's home, so the nice steady flow of lp purchases will continue. I picked up 9 records yesterday (2 doubles). 3 James Gang records (2 w/ Domenic Troiano & 1 w/ Tommy Bolin...already have all the Joe Walsh ones), Argent "Encore" 2 lps, Lonestar "Firing on all Six" (NOT the modern day country band, but rather a late 70's prog band...Never heard of them), Nektar "Recycled", Status Quo "Status Quo", Thin Lizzy "Live and Dangerous" 2 lps and Wishbone Ash "New England". "Rock Your World", as you can tell, specializes in 70s rock stuff. A good way to feed the basic rock need still in me.

I thought the Tommy Bolin James Gang was quite good and the Troiano James Gang was fine. The Joe Walsh is still the best.
***

Deviants say Ptooff!!

The Deviants: Ptooff!! (1967) ****1/2 I read Mick Farren's "Give the Anarchist a Cigarette" and loved it. So, having heard of, but never actually heard The Deviants I was anxious to hear them.

OK. After that bit of grammatical awkwardness, let's continue. I also read a review of this album that compared it to Zappa's "Freak Out" which, of course, is a positive.

I wrote a resume yesterday, and have gotten into, the habit, of using too many, commas,,,,,

Forgive, me,

This album starts off awesome with some humorous repartee then into some ridiculous psychedelic guitar playing. Mick Farren isn't much of a singer, but so what? He has a nice stony slur going for him. I tell you, the jam sessions must have been a blast. Imagine the drugs...
* sigh *

Shit, I'm a sucker for this dated psychedelic stuff. Even the "sensitive" ballads. "Charlie" is funky for white boys on speed.

Nothing Man is profound disturbing
fucked up goodness
more and more

And please..............buy some garbage before

we die.

Where are the Deviation Streets of today? Is it in the cutups? The mixing of today? If so, that certainly shows a possible influence of The Deviants on the music of today. Could it be?

This is a penultimate freak classic. Support Mick Farren and The Deviants. Now, I need to get some Pink Fairies. Really cool Mick Farren site. Last thing: What is Pete Townshend talking about at the end of the album?
***

Bow down to the Captain! Dog farts smell!

Captain Beefheart: Railroadism 1966-1981 (2003) ***** It's about time to get the new year started properly and review a Captain Beefheart cd.

Old Black Snake: 1972 OK. This starts off the cd pretty fucking awesome. The Captain's voice is deep and powerful and resonant and we are all little peons in comparison.
King Bee: 1973 Focus on the bass and you'll think you're having a heart attack. Don't worry though. It'll only be a stroke. Why wasn't this a hit single? And it's fucking live recording!
The Blimp: 1975 I feel weak and insignificant. This is strong and vital. It's the FUCKING BLIMP and I am now flying over the Captain's desert. I swear to God I just heard Ornette Coleman join in...really...
Booglarize: 1975 The Guru just called me from the tub and said: "I know you're blogging like a madman but I love this song." Why wouldn't you?
Carrot: 1977 Is that really the Captain at the beginning of the song? He DOES have an 8 octave range! Beautiful.
China Pig: 1977 The Captain is also quite the storyteller. And a political historian. How can I not give this collection 5 stars?
Dummy: 1977 Short and deep
Grow Fins: 1977 OK. 5 fucking stars!
Floppy Boot: 1977 The Captain once replied to a band member enquiring what this song meant that it was about sex...like all his songs. Well, maybe it wasn't this song.
Harry Irene: 1978 The Captain is a very deep man. I hope the future children of this planet listen to what Mr. Beefer has to say.
Dust: 1978 so true so true so true
Ashtray: 1981 Dirty Blue Billie Jean: 1981 Smithsonian: 1981 Red Rose: 1981 Poppy: 1981 Beans from Venus: 1981 Avalon: 1966 Fuck it. Nothing more needs to be said. I love this...oh my God!!!!!! As I'm typing this the dog actually farted a 3rd time!!! 5 stars 5 stars I hope the Captain is receiving royalty on this. Bye.
***

So, I'm sitting in the computer room with Guru T-Lu on the computer, Poobah and myself. The cat is sleeping in the other room. Suddenly the Guru asks: "Did you let one go?" I replied: "It wasn't me."

The potency increased alarmingly as the dog innocently licked her bone while Guru T-Lu and Harvey Dog clutched each other hoping to survive the onslaught.

You hear about it, but until you actually experience it you cannot appreciate the power of a dog's fart.

Guru T-Lu added after a second fart incident in the bathroom: "It's like the fart is attacking you and you can't run away."
***

David "Poindexter New York Doll" Johansen, Johnny "it's good to be here! where? it doesn't matter" Thunders and some poetry

David Johansen: Live It Up (1982) *** David Johansen is quite the guy. I mean, who else can become well-known for 2 totally distinct personalities. Compare: lead singer of The New York Dolls and then the over-the-top (is he serious? of course not) Buster Poindexter.

This live album came out after a couple of solo albums as a more trad rocker. Well, in comparison to the Dolls how could it not be more trad??? I remember at the time, it was quite difficult to get his 1st (and best) self-titled solo album. I ended up finding it on 8 track! Remember 8 tracks kids? All my 8 tracks are long gone...God, weren't 8 tracks crap! I had some awesome releases on 8 track though. Off the top of my head, I can remember having the classic "Modern Lovers" album on 8 track, I had Mott the Hoople's "Rock 'n' Roll Queen" compilation, Neil Young ("On the Beach" & "Time Fades Away" which still isn't released on cd!) and of course, the 1st "Boston" record...you can still find 8 tracks in your finer pawn shops and value villages. My advice: cassettes are better, and cassettes are still shit.

Oh yeh...we were talking about this record which I just picked up at our fav record store "Rock Your World"...which is closing Jan. 15th, but good news! He's still going to sell records out of his home and hopefully, open up a store in a different place this summer. Good luck, Steve! You know, I'll be supporting you.

Just to show you how great this place is. I picked up this record, Mott the Hoople "The Hoople", Julian Cope "My Nation Underground", Thin Lizzy "Johnny the Fox" and a Graham Parker live bootleg all for $25. What can you say? 5 bucks each for some hard to get stuff.

Um...I seem to be all over the place. Let's talk about this record shall we? It sure doesn't "rock" like The Dolls did, but it's really not fair to compare. This is definitely more mainstream, but you can feel the enjoyment and excitement of David and the band. They sound like they're having fun, which is vital for "good" live albums. There's an awesome "Animals" medley, which completely suits his voice. I sorta wish it wasn't a medley, but rather full versions of the songs; however, it's done very well. Frenchette, Reach out I'll Be There (made famous by The Four Tops), Funky But Chic, Bohemian Love Pad (which has a bit of a Dolls feel to it), Stranded in the Jungle and Personality Crisis are all good.

Thinking about it---the best thing about this live album is how it builds up to a rocking second side.

Oh, I forgot. David Johansen also released an album of blues songs as "David Johansen & the Harry Smiths". I've heard a few songs from it, and it sounds great! I can't believe there doesn't seem to be any New York Dolls or David Johansen official web sites out there. Weird. 2000 interview with David Johansen.
***

I saw Johnny Thunders live (sort of) in Toronto. He was backed by Hamilton's own Teenage Head, doing the old Chuck Berry routine of not touring with a band, instead grabbing a local band that knows New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders songs. God knows, every major city will have a band like that. Hey, if they didn't would Johnny have noticed anyway?

The Viletones opened the show and they were hardcore punk. Steve Leckie, the singer, was flashing a knife a little too often, and was in fine punk form. Personally, I was a mess. During The Viletones set Leckie threw a guitar onto the empty dance floor and after the next song started berating the crowd for not smashing it to bits! So, being in fine "alcoholic punk" form myself, I got up and started stomping on it and proceeded to fall on my ass. Literally. That was pretty funny.

Johnny Thunders came on and the place all of a sudden seemed to magically get packed. I was staggering around and got into some kind of "non-violent" confrontation, sweated an incredible amount and loved the show. Johnny was barely there, and looking at him, it's a surprise he lasted almost another 10 years! He certainly had lots of charisma and rocked pretty good for a heroin addict.

An old but good site of Johnny Thunders info.
***
An old poem.
It's A Wonderful Life
sitting around a cafe table
spilt wine the only tablecloth,
words slurred from cheap red wine,
sighing at the skirts that pass us by,
we lie to each other about
our sexual proficiency,
stumbling out of chairs
to take a piss
and brush the waitress' ass.

Oh yes, we are a brave lot.

brave faces putting up a brave front,
"The future's ours!" someone slurs
and we bang the table
with our half filled glasses,
"More wine! More wine!"

the waitress rushes over
and places the bottle
in front of our salivating mouths,
flies buzz around oblivious
to the chatter of loud drunks.

Oh yes, we talk a good game.

eyes become droopy and the conversation
stalls frequently like
Jimmy Stewart's famed oratory prowess,
some stagger and leave
mumbling about goddamned work,
others stay and focus blurry eyes
wondering where all the wine went.

the lights dim and we weave
towards the exit
wondering where all the girls went.

in the morning,
hungover and sweaty and shaking
we avoid our bosses and look forward
to another night of drinks
and bullshit and half-assed aspirations
which are flying out of our grasp
as we become older
and become the drunks we once
made fun of.

Oh yes, it's a wonderful life.

By: John Harvey
***