Blues for the RedBoy

Blues for the RedBoy Presents: The Integrated-Ass Crowd Mix!

2011-03-04T12:52:00.001-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I’m late. But if I wasn’t late, I wouldn’t be me, then where would I be!? Don’t answer that. Instead, know that I’ve been hip deep in lawyers and real-estate agents as of late and just as the deal was about to crystallize on a 250 year old mansion in Spanktown, it fell through – as in’ Through the back corner of the foundation and into the basement where it put a ten foot crack in the cast-iron septic line. Oh well, nothin’ cures a case of the doldrums like some sexually suggestive funk & soul, so please excuse me while I whip this out…

You will find scant words in this mix, which is fine by me as I have my own problems to worry about without having to listen to people bitch about the trials of life decades removed. Take Concerto in F by the Willie and the Might Magnificent for example. No bullshit here, just a “Funky Beat” that’s “In My Soul” backed by a track so thick that one might break their face walking into it unknowingly. It’s also somewhat of a mystery track as this comp will eventually divulge, as it appears on various labels, by various bands, and w/ various names. Can’t say for sure who’s hand is in it, sufficed to say that it’s in elbow deep.

If I were hard pressed to pick a follow-up to ‘Willie’, I could do a lot worse than the Dapps, ‘Bringin’ Up the Guitar’ on King records. Perhaps best known for their King collaboration with Hank ‘The Twist’ Ballard, the Dapps prove that they can headline their own discs in spades and that sometimes it pays to feed a guitarists ego (Dangerous as that might be). Seriously though, all those minor melodies get major props from me.

I’ve got a soft spot for this third track. First, the Nike label calls to mind the Nike missile defense system, who’s abandon silos scattered about NJ I have had the distinct pleasure of being drunk in at one time or another. I might have even spray painted a pentagram or two (Who can say?). Second, ‘Boogaloo Tramp’ and it’s flip are evenly matched in that they are practically the same goddamned song w/ different lyrics (Not that Boogaloo Tramp really has lyrics). It’s like my grandma always says, “When in doubt, go w/ the Boogaloo.”

Since I already broke the dam w/ a King records release, I might as well buttress a James Brown reference w/ a cool cover of the Godfather’s ‘Hold It’ on the N-Joy label. I’ve been meanin to post this track by its lonesome for some time, but not unlike a plate of eggs o'er hash browns, the beauty is in mashin’ it up and thrown a handful o pepper on it.

Speakin of mash up, it just occurred to me that this next cut, ‘Sock It To Me pt 2’ is also a James Brown ovure. I’ve always liked the flip better than the requisite pt 1. My only gripe is the band’s name. I mean, the Deacons!? What a stupid name (wink).

I know this next track as ‘Turbo Rock’ by the Turbos on Turbo Records (Clever, huh?), so you can imagine my surprise when I heard it under the name ‘Backlash’, listed as being by one George Kerr and pressed on ‘All Platinum’, a label which is responsible for the dome-piece of this-here head case mix, Soulin’ w/ the Whatnauts!

If this track sounds a lot like the dub b-side of ‘Concerto in F’ by Willie & the Mighty Magnificents, that because it is! Released on the ‘Stang’ label ‘Soulin’, like ‘Turbo Rock’ seems to have followed several soul labels around as a canned b-side. Be it by the Mighty Magnificents or the Whatnauts, it’s perfect for sealin’ the deal on this here mix.

Until next time, remember: the honey is for the eater, the aloe is for the peter and the chicken-fat make it finger lickin’ good!

BftRB Presents: The Integrated-Ass Crowd Mix! (Brought to by Kentucky Colonel’s Douche Powder)

RedBoy XL

2011-03-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

"The Point is of "No Return" and You've Reached It!"

2011-02-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

R.I.P. Tura Satana 1935 - 2011

All This AND Goat Stew?

2011-01-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

Grabbed this slab o' chevron outta Vinyl Dog's box of table scraps (Thanks) @ the last Highland Park Record Sale (AKA. Iselin Record Swap-Meet thingy) and I ain't stopped stirrin' it since. I mean, it has goat sounds in it, right? What more do you need? Awesome instrumental soul track? Done and done.

The 'Freddie' of these Kin folk would be Freddie Scott, drummer extraordinaire from that Black Lagoon down Florida way. He cut a couple o' discs for area labels before the gators got him, I guess?

Practically guaranteed not to disappoint, look for the equally awesome, if not slightly goat-less flip in an up and coming (As in it's finished, so it won't be a lifetime commin')BftRB soul mix.

You're just going to have to be content with a large ladle full o' goat in the meantime. Doesn't that sound good?

The Goat - Freddie & the Kinfolk

Welcome Aquarian Readers!

2011-01-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

You can find links to all the Del-Aires music and a whole lotta inconsequential jawin' below. Dig.

Just Wigglin' & Bloggin' pt 1

Just Wigglin & Blloggin' pt 2: The Road to Party Beach.

Shameless Self Promotion 01/19/11

2011-01-19T09:47:00.001-08:00

For all you PA punks and NJ flounders out there, be sure to check out this week's issue of the Aquarian Weekly for a RedBoy / Weird N.J. exclusive on the Horror of Party Beach, the Del-Aires and the infamous 1964 double-homicide @ the Angel Lounge! The geographically challanged can dig all the gory details here.

Falcon Crest

2011-01-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

Here's two majestic birds from that crate o' killer Doo-Wop from several months back. Weird, cause neither of these songs are particularly Doo-Wopy (Doo-Wopish!?) and are pretty much exceptions to the rule. In fact, one is a devistating blues rocker (59') w/ Ax effects in full, um, effect, whilst the Big-Wheel cut is about as close as I get to poppy (Poppish!?) soul (67') without pinchin' my nose closed and throwing up in my mouth a little bit (Better than somebody elses).

Fact: these Falcons are the same band, though with some decidedly incestious member-swappin', including Wilson 'The Pick" Pickett and Eddie "Knock on Wood" Floyd. Incidentally, listen for the chops of Lu Pine's 'Ohio Untouchables' (Pre Ohio Players) roundin' out the sound on the first first cut.

Swim - Falcons

I Can't Help It - Falcons

Currently Watching...

2011-01-17T13:07:00.001-08:00

Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1985)

"A black and white documentary film about dance and possession in Haitian vodou that was shot by experimental filmmaker Maya Deren between 1947 and 1952 and edited and completed by Deren's third husband Teiji Ito and his wife Cherel Winett Ito (1947-1999) in 1981, twenty years after Deren's death. Most of the film consists of images of dancing and bodies in motion during rituals in Rada and Petro services. Deren had studied dance as well as photography and filmmaking. She originally went to Haiti with the funding from a Guggenheim fellowship and the stated intention of filming the dancing that forms a crucial part of the vodou ceremony. The film that resulted, however, reflected Deren's increasing personal engagement with vodou and its practitioners (Wilcken, 1986). While this ultimately resulted in Deren disregarding the guidelines of the fellowship, Deren was able to record scenes that probably would have been inaccessible to other filmmakers. Deren's original notes, film footage, and wire recordings are in the Maya Deren Collection at Boston University's Howard Gotlieb Archive Research Center."

I Demand That G.L. Crockett Immediately Cease His Violent, Vitriolic Rhetoric! See, Now Doesn't That Sound Stupid In Context?

2011-01-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

(Sigh) What next? Calls to sanitize classic literature? Oh, wait...

Watch My .32 - G.L. Crockett

Dig yourselves some more G.L. Crockett down yonder.

RedBoy XXXVIV

2011-01-09T16:50:00.001-08:00

Context...

2011-01-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

"the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug?"

-Samuel Clemens

RedBoy XXXVIII

2010-12-30T12:10:00.001-08:00

The Art of Denis Peterson

2010-12-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

More works here.

Good...

2010-12-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

"Brian Aitken, who was convicted of illegally possessing three handguns he had legally purchased* in Colorado, will be out of prison in time for Christmas.

Gov. Chris Christie commuted Aitken's sentence Monday, from seven years to time served, according to an order signed by the governor. It was Christie's first commutation since taking office almost a year ago.

In 2009, Aitken was arrested for possessing three handguns and ammunition — the guns were unloaded — after state police found them in the trunk of his car. Aitken was visiting his mother in Burlington County when she became concerned about his well-being and called the police...

Aitken, who had recently moved from Colorado where he bought the guns, faced felony charges the same as if he had used the guns to commit a crime. Supporters of Aitken began a Facebook campaign to get his sentence commuted."

Too bad he didn't rape and/or kill someone, otherwise he would have been parolled in time for Thanksgiving. Mmmm, Pumpkin Pie.

Call me Skeptical...

2010-12-20T08:42:00.002-08:00

Yeah. I’m just not really ‘feelin’ Christmas this year. I mean, the day after Halloween I was already being choked-out by tinsel and red felt @ the local drugstore. More and more I fear there is not ample time for decompression between the Holidays and, as such, I think I’ll sit Christmas out this year (Don’t wanna get the Holiday bends and burst a blood-vessel, now do we?). Still, I am the giving sort, and in the interests of comity, I give you a healthy dose of SKEPTICism from Bartlesville OK circa 66’

From the G200 website:

"hands-down prize for 60's group with the most utlrarare picture sleeve 45's goes to Oklahoma's Skeptics, with a total of 3 ULTRA rare picture sleeves, each known in a quantity of less than 10 copies. Much less. This one, "Apple Candy", is probably the second-rarest, with around 5 copies known. The hands-down rarest is their release on Thrush, with only one copy with picture sleeve having ever been found. However the existence of a fourth sleeve, "Bit O' Honey" (Scratch) is now in doubt. Although listed in many discographies, no-one has ever actually seen it. We doubt it exists."

Now, if only I had the picture sleeve...

Apple Candy - Skeptics

Ride Child - Skeptics

Note: Special thanks to Gregorious from HPRS who - in a moment of greed and weakness - sold me this killer-diller disc!

Currently Watching...

2010-12-20T08:42:00.001-08:00

Black Christmas (1974)

"It's time for Christmas break, and the sorority sisters make plans for the holiday, but the strange anonymous phone calls are beginning to put them on edge. When Clare disappears, they contact the police, who don't express much concern. Meanwhile Jess is planning to get an abortion, but boyfriend Peter is very much against it. The police finally begin to get concerned when a 13-year-old girl is found dead in the park. They set up a wiretap to the sorority house, but will they be in time to prevent a sorority girl attrition problem?"

Note: From director Bob Clark (R.I.P), visionary behind such genre hits as 'Children Shouldn't Play w/ Dead Things', 'Deathdream', Porky's & the seasonal classic 'A Christmas Story'.

RedBoy XXXVII

2010-12-16T15:27:00.001-08:00

2010-12-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

Bo Diddley & 'Crack': The Straight Dope

2010-11-08T18:26:00.001-08:00

Hey all. Regular non-denominational posting will begin forthwith, but first let me get a couple of requests out of the way. First, I finally got around to typin’ up a big wordy track list for the BftRB Presents: Revenge of “Things That Go 1-4-5 in the Night” Mix. Give it a gander and put a name to your favorite tune's fractured face. Second, I’ve included, as promised, the flipside to both the Yo Yo’s Raven disc, titled ‘Crack In My Wall’ as well as the really cool flip to the ‘Trance’ by Count Drac; a filthy-ass cover of Bo Diddley’s ‘Bo Diddley’. So in lieu of diddlin’ yourselves…

Crack in My Wall – Yo Yo's

Hey Bo Diddley – Count Drac

RedBoy XXXVI

2010-11-08T18:17:00.001-08:00

Blues for the RedBoy Presents: Revenge of 'Things That Go 1-4-5 in the Night'!

2010-10-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Got time for one more post before Halloween drops so I’m gonna do my best to make it a dozy! Several years ago I posted my first BFtRB mix in honor of this auspicious occasion, drawing my inspiration from the instrumental craze of the late fifties / early sixties. And while “Things That Go 1-4-5 in the Night!” had some heavy hitters on it’s roster, I figure I gotta try and up the ante w/ this-here follow-up, a task made all the more daunting in the face of some of my fellow bloggers great Halloween posts. I will, however, do my best to set the mood with some standards and buck the trend w/ some odd hen’s teeth here and there, both of which spell certain doom as I unleash upon the earth BFtRB presents: Revenge of the Things That Go 1-4-5 in the Night!

As is previously the case, we are going strictly instrumental here and this first track is a fairly unknown killer! ‘Graveyard’ by the Blazers had been alluding me for a long time up until fairly recently. I have seen copies go for $$$ w/ the picture sleeve (Just a band photo, by the by) though I’ll settle for my new-old stock copy direct from the Blazer’s vault.

The ‘Mr. Guitar’ album by Dean Hightower might seem like a strange choice for a spooky throw down, but like every major studio effort, there always seems to be one sleeper hidden amongst the AM gold, and in this case it’s Dean showing the world his ‘Purple Monster’ (Infer what thou whilst).

‘Cemetery Stomp’ by the Essex has been makin’ the rounds on several comps for awhile now, eschewing the surf vibe that is prevalent on most of these tracks for a decidedly Go-Go take on the post mortem material. Look for a cool cover of said song on the Von Drat’s ‘Dratsylvania Album’.

I’m sure some folks out there have heard the incredibly weird Ken Nordine “Colors” album; the one where each color of the spectrum is given a track like some strange sinesthesiatic revelation, but most people don’t know that Nordine put his stamp on some straight-forward fair, or at least, as straight-forward as a track called ‘Strollin Spooks’ can be.

Now, I know you have all heard Zacherlie’s ‘Dinner w/ Drac’, and if you haven’t, then I’m afraid some of this BftRB pomp might be lost on you. Seeing as how ‘Drac’ is such a standard w/ the deification of NYC’s première horror host (The Maniacal laugh that launched a thousand cable access ships). I had to find some way to change it up a little though, hence the all instrumental version of ‘Drac’ released by Zach’ backing band ‘Dave Appell & the Apple Jacks. Warning: Do not take internally!

‘The Mummy Walks’, so proclaims the label on this Diamond records release, though I think the subtitle ‘The Walking Death’ takes the cake as the most fatalistic of all novelty titles. This track in particular has been a Halloween staple on NJ’s own 91.1 WFMU for as long as I can remember…and I got a looooong memory.

Fellow blogger and all around curmudgeon DevilDick managed to let the black cat out of the bag on this next track by the Tomkos, though it’s so good (And more importantly, mid tempo!) that I think I’m gonna co-opt it for a little shallow breathing room before launching into…

’Vampire’ by the Crystals. Some of you might be familiar w/ this tune on account of it being on a Major label for a change (Mercury), as well as pretty much every monster R ‘n’ R comp, and rightfully so. This tune is a killer, even if it is pressed on the crappiest styrene ever. Seriously, every copy of this I have ever owned, no matter how clean, sounds kinda crappy (Same for the Tomko’s disc), but I’d say that’s all part of it’s inherit charm. Plus, if I were to tweak the hell out of all these tunes before posting I’d never get anything done.

Last, but not least, my copy of ‘Haunted Sax’ by the Akies came in a killer lot of instro stuff out of Ohio, all of which is pretty off-beat and will, no doubt, wind up in these hollowed internet halls as soon as I get around to it, which if this late track listing is any indication, I wouldn’t start holding my breath just yet (Lest you turn blue). Speaking of breath, I’d say it’s about time I catch mine and say good-bye to the haunted shtick until next year. We now return you to our regularly scheduled crap….

BftRB Presents: Revenge of 'Things That Go 1-4-5 in the Night!

Won't Someone Pleeeease Think of the Children!!!

2010-10-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Great article about how overbearing parents and sensationalized media have ruined Halloween. Great read for those of us from the "Analog Generation".

"Halloween is the day when America market-tests parental paranoia. If a new fear flies on Halloween, it's probably going to catch on the rest of the year, too.

Take "stranger danger," the classic Halloween horror. Even when I was a kid, back in the "Bewitched" and "Brady Bunch" costume era, parents were already worried about neighbors poisoning candy. Sure, the folks down the street might smile and wave the rest of the year, but apparently they were just biding their time before stuffing us silly with strychnine-laced Smarties.

That was a wacky idea, but we bought it. We still buy it, even though Joel Best, a sociologist at the University of Delaware, has researched the topic and spends every October telling the press that there has never been a single case of any child being killed by a stranger's Halloween candy..."

Currently Reading...

2010-10-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (1927)

"The title character, Charles Dexter Ward, is a young man from a prominent Rhode Island family who (in the story's introduction) is said to have disappeared from a mental asylum after a prolonged period of insanity accompanied by minor, but unheard-of, physiological changes. The bulk of the story concerns the investigation conducted by the Wards' family doctor, Marinus Bicknell Willett, in an attempt to discover the reason for Ward's madness and the physiological changes. When Willett learns that Ward had spent the past several years attempting to discover the grave of his ill-reputed ancestor, Joseph Curwen, the doctor slowly begins to unravel the truth behind the legends surrounding Curwen, an eighteenth century shipping entrepreneur rumoured to have been an alchemist, but in reality a necromancer and mass-murderer."

Trance Music

2010-10-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Gonna keep this one brief on account of the fact that I gotta get my bed-roll packed and my boney ass on the road for Mr. Mike Decay’s 3rd Annual Haunted New-England Road trip! (Ghosts, lock up your ghouls!). In between arcane rituals @ Lovecraft’s grave and pissing off Lizzie Borden’s ghost I’m sure they’ll be lot to discuss, though I should preface that w/ the fact that I am a natural born skeptic (See: pragmatist) and your average speck o’ dust / lens flair does not a ghost make. So, even though I will be leaving the E.M.F. detector in the toolbox, I will be taking lots of pictures and should I happen to bump into those things which have been known to go bump in the night, you’ll be the first to know.

In the interim, here’s a little ‘Trance Music’ to keep you under my thrall until I return. Don’t bother askin’ about the particulars because neither I, nor anyone else who digs this disc seems to have any copy on it. The only thing I can tell you is that it is one of the wildest tracks my tin ears have ever heard and it is twice as frightening as any garbled E.V.P.

Trance - Count Drac

Shameless Self Promotion 08/19/10

2010-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Make sure you pick up the current issue of Weird N.J. (#35) for my little missive about Somerville NJ and the legend of Mad Charles: the World’s First Singer / Songwriter / Karate Robot! (Yes, you read that correctly).

Note: Special thanks to Mark & Mark from WNJ for the leg up!

I've Become A Warlock Just For Spite.

2010-10-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how the blogosphere – particularly that sliver of musical devotees of who’s ranks I myself patronize – set a store by obscurity? Whether it be some nameless acetate or vanity press, we (and I am as guilty as the next) tend to gravitate towards the obscure without recognizing that mainstream record labels are just as capable of releaseing bizarre platters, many of which have just as little redeeming social value as your average Susbsidary tax shelter or mafia-run narcotics front (Thank god).

Now that Poe has set the tone its time to roll up our jeans and get knee-deep in October Country. Bet you had no idea that October Country is in Canada, right? Me neither. I assumed, like everybody else that ‘My Girlfriend is a Witch’ owed its debt to Hanna Barbera, the song featured prominatly in the short-lived cartoon the ‘Cattanooga Cats’ (See below). As it turns out October Country were a full on sunshine-pop band who failed to crack the canuk market w/ their beatles-esque harmonies and thick instrumentation, finally sliding one off of American Staurday morning culture w/ this ode to a winsome witch.

Hard to say which version excels (HB v. OC), several crime fighting, bell-bottomed cartoon cats not withstanding (HB were always a one-trick pony). But in all fairness, I have sat many a time, bleary-eyed @ the Court Tavern watching the Impossibles silently on the T.V. in lieu of whatever shitty band was sulking in the basement, proslytivzing about their problems like we all ain't got our own (It is a bar, after all). Point being, I might be slightly biased. But nobody can take can hope to encroach upon October Country’s green acres without getting the business end of a some round-bottomed bass and a witch’s broom. The Cats are just incidental.

My Girlfriend Is A Witch - October Country

DeadBoy XXXV

2010-10-08T09:13:00.001-07:00

Variations of a Theme: Take Thy Beak From Out My Blog!

2010-10-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yes. It’s that time again! Time for BFtRB’s Halloween Spectacular (Suffer baby)! Normally I’d be eatin’ crow at this point of the day, but I opted to clear my plate for some stately Raven action. Dig. Edgar Allen Poe died much like he lived – Drunk in a gutter in Baltimore with more opium in his system than a Chinese Bangtail. Good on him as I have occasionally drank @ Baltimore’s Side-Bar Tavern and can attest to the fact that if the rats scamperin’ around the back alley don’t get you then the ‘Natty Bo’ will. Still, as far as ways of checkin’ out goes, it ain’t too bad for the legacy…oh, and I guess he also wrote some stuff to.

Dig the Raven, for instance. Not my favorite (That would be Masque of the Red Death), but an obstinate little poem that refuses to die, much like the titular character of Lenore (Tis the wind, and nothing more).

It really is no wonder, given the poems longevity that the Raven would come to perch upon popular music in similar fashion; an expedient way to jibb up a rhythmically sound song with little effort - which leads me to the NJ’s Glass Prism.

Much like the Electric Prune did w/ Psychedelic Mass, the Glass Prism managed to shave some time off their writing schedule by penning a concept album comprised entirely of POEms, of which the Raven naturally finds it way as the title track. Yeah, it’s a little slice o’ melodrama, but the corners are still sharp enough to get bent on. RCA records ‘Poe for Moderns’ pulls much the same trick, though it champions a much more 50's beat feel as opposed to the ‘Prisms’ circa 74' psychedelic chicanery.

The real money in this trifecta, however, is Brooklyn NYs the Yo Yos (yeah, its a stupid name) who manage to crank out a decidedly heavier take on the same Raven narrative, though the flip, ‘Crack In the Wall’ ain’t nothing to sneeze at neither, especially when one considers the thinly veiled references to ‘Fall of the House of Usher’ (Is it just me?).

Far from fallin, I got a bucket full of Halloween junk comin’ your way the entire month of October, cracks and all…and I don’t nary mind all the noise. Until then…

The Raven - Yo Yo's

The Raven - Glass Prism

The Raven - Buddy Morrow Orchestra

Bonus: He's a weird radio promotional spot for Pittsburgh Paints w/ a particular emphasis on POE. Dig.

Happy Birthday, Killer.

2010-09-29T18:19:00.001-07:00

1 Cent Records!? Must Be All That Lead Paint in Greg's Garage...

2010-09-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 29th!
3PM-8PM

THE (World Famous) HIGHLAND PARK RECORD SALE!!!
237 Volkert Street
Highland Park, NJ

Rain or Shine!

NEW ARRIVALS
Because I did the Brooklyn Record Riot yesterday, all my New Arrivals got mixed up in my genre crates SO I have a bunch of new stuff but you gotta come out and DIG!!!!! But I can tell you I priced some jazz, some more Tangerine Dream, some classic rock, and I lowered some prices on things throughout my genres.

Vinyldog has some new breakbeats, Bill Laswell material, Latin, Rock, Hip-Hop and more!

Deacon will have every record you've always dreamed of owning in Mint condition for one dollar a piece (Editor’s Note: This is a lie). Get here early!!!!

PENNY RECORDS
All of my nickel records are now ONE PENNY EACH! Jesus Howard Christ! I'm serious. Here's how you can buy penny records though.... Come to the sale with a pocket/handful of little abe lincolns. Walk up the driveway and take that bunch of pennies and slam them down on the table in front of me with furious intensity and say "I'm taking as many penny records as I want and there's nothing you can do to stop me." I will be helpless to stop you. So yea, a pile of pennies gets you as many penny records as you can carry!!!!

Sign Up for News:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119456048088052

Would you pay $500 Annually for a Constitutional Right? Me neither.

2010-09-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

"{New Jersey}State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May) introduced a bill last week that would allow residents to carry handguns if they go through a background check, complete courses in firearms safety and the lawful use of force, pass a test and pay an annual $500 fee."

N.J. gun owners already have to pay exorbitant fees for the privilege of being fingerprinted and otherwise inconvenienced to the point where one would question whether it is even worth the effort (And don't think for a second that is not the legislatures intention).

I wonder if all the Bloods in Camden will be taking these safety and proficiency courses. Maybe then they will start shooting and actually hitting each other instead of killing little kids and old ladies.

Currently Reading...

2010-09-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Melungeon [məˈlʌndʒən] n:(Social Science / Peoples) any of a dark-skinned group of people of the Appalachians in East Tennessee, of mixed Indian, White, and Black ancestry[of unknown origin].

"In Melungeons: Footprints from the Past, Author Jack H Goins revisits several events described in his previous book, Melungeons and other Pioneer Families, using new evidence from court records and DNA. Goins trails the Melungeons from Pamunkey River to the Flat River, then to the New River, Fort Blackmore, Blackwater adn Newman's Ridge."

...Smell My Feet...

2010-09-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well... been gettin' a lot of copy concerning the reposting of certain 'Auditory Materials' from last Halloween. And while I appreciate the business, here's the thing, part of my absence has been due to the general apathy that accompanies divshare summarily deleting a bunch of my audio files, which with the destruction of my last laptop, are all but gone the way of the dodo bird. Sucks to be sure, but the self- imposed exile has seen many new / old p.o.s. records come across my desk, not to mention a 4th quarter 'Hail Mary' in the form of my old cell phone which just so happens to contain some of last years Halloween input. Download em' while you can before divshare has another crisis of conscience, or I get another cease and desist order from a washed up ax-hanger w/ delusions of grandeur. And stay tuned for the 3rd annual BFTRB Halloween Spectacular! It's gonna be killer!

BFTRB Presents: Cha Cha Challoween!

BFTRB Presents: Even A Mix That is Pure of Hearts and Says It's Prayers By Night Will Become a Wolf When the Wolfsbane Blooms, and the Autumn Moon is Bright.

BFTRB Presents: She's A Haunted Beatty Boop!

Fats Will Be There. What's Your Excuse?

2010-09-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

THE (WORLD FAMOUS) HIGHLAND PARK RECORD SALE!!!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 24th
4PM-8PM

237 Volkert Street
Highland Park, NJ

As always, there will be New Arrivals....

As has been the case of late, there will be Free Records.......

No news to report on the uncertainty of HPRS. Keep standing by......

Blues for the Safety Boy, or...We Used to Be Ashamed (Imagine That)

2010-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Ain’t nobody rocks like a puppet. Perhaps it is the added incentive of a strangers hand up your ass which feeds the seemingly untapped amount of nervous energy which a puppet exudes. Add to that the stigma of being a ‘black’ puppet on a predominantly Caucasian street (i.e. Sesame) and you begin to see the allure that is Baby Ray Franklin.

Now, unlike Dr. Teeth & the Mayhem and the River bottom Nightmare Band, Baby Ray - little bro of Sesame Street regular Roosevelt Franklin - takes his beef to the street w/ a decidedly more bluesy improve, touching on such important urban mainstays as traffic safety; a cause close to my heart as I recall my complete bitch of an elementary school music teacher hammering away on a spinet (and my psyche) to the strains of the following tune. Feel free to sing along if you like…

"Play ball, play ball. Everyone loves to play ball.
sometimes you catch it and sometimes you miss
But when you miss, remember this:

Let the ball roll, let the ball roll
No matter where it may go
Let the ball roll, let the ball roll
It has to stop sometime you know
Often a truck will flatten a ball
And make it look like an egg
Although you can get many a ball
You never can get a new leg"

Hopefully you, the reader, have both your legs, cause you’d need to walk a mile in Baby’s shoes before you could even begin to dig the cultural implications of ‘Safety Blues’ flip , the ‘Skin I’m In’. Not since the ‘Rainbow Connection’ and ‘It’s not Easy being green' has a song so beautifully encapsulated the racial tensions extant in the Muppet world. From the saprophyte leanings of Big Bird to the urban blight of Oscar’s dwelling, only now, thirty some odd years after the fact, can the truth finally be told. Fight the power!

Safety Boy Blues - Roosevelt Franklin

Skin I'm In - Baby Ray Franklin

"The Smell of Alcohol Was Prevalent"

2010-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Kansas City, MO "The two 21-year-old friends were drinking and arguing about a band when Hilton grabbed the kitchen weapons and attacked, police said. The victim happened to have banjo in hand and used it in self defense, they said."

For more information regarding the tactical advantages of the Banjo, we turn to Banjo specialist Uncle Dave Macon:

RedBoy XXXIV

2010-09-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Shameless Self Promotion 07/17/10

2010-07-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

"The Improbables with our pal Mr. Unloved, DJ Christian, and 2 very special guests: always amazing, The Brimstones, and, all the way from Boston, the great Muck And the Mires! This is THE show of the summer, folks!"

Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 8:00pm
The Tritone
1508 South Street
Philadelphia, PA

Where the Wild Things Is...er, Are.

2010-06-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

If I were to say the phrase ‘Wild Thing’ and visions of feuding Troggs crept into your mind, then I’d say you stand w/ most music aficionados. If, consequently, visions of Denise Richards and Neve Campbell dikeing out w/ Matt Dillon from the Outsiders permeate your grey matter, then I’d say you watch too much Showtime Late nite and are an unapologetic pervert. In this case either one is perfectly acceptable, as the Wild Things I’m sellin are of neither camp, yet at the same time, decidedly camp -a terminally obscure, if not, unknown variety of hair-hopping garage punk monsters.

Don’t believe me? Dig the pix. I mean, these guys look like a cross between Johnny Suede, Sleazy P. Martini (from GWAR) and Congo Powers. The later, in particular, as majority of the members are of Mexican extraction, doing there best Tav Falco, sporting Gomez Addams moustaches and Teddy boy frocks.

While decidedly ‘Drape’ in appearance, these hombres are straight up amateur night garage punk, if their first single ‘Weird Hot Night (Suffer Baby) is any indication. I see this track turn up on some of the more obscure private press comps- a rare gem considering how close to the bottom of the barrel we’ve come with regards to good, unreleased garage punk tracks. The flip ain’t no slouch either, with both tracks exhibiting low production values without even the slightest regard for technicality, a surprise given Gary Us Bonds involvement in SQRLs production

The third track enclosed, Old Lady, tends to complicate matters, as this later incarnation (69’) of Wild Thing is widely regarded to be the same band as the previous single, though I can find no definitive copy to back that up (Fuck it. I’ll just assume and make an ass out of me). Despite what the mile-high hair and shtick might suggest, Wild Thing were not a studio creation, but were signed by Electra at the behest of a scene headhunter, a full length LP of covers rounding out their single input – a move ultimately considered an embarrassing failure by the Electra production team – never quite living up to the intensity of their previous singles.

While I might spare you the horrors of this lack-luster lp, these singles represent the unhinged talent (and follicles) of a true, grass-roots project - unfettered by the demands of a major label and free to let their hair down, or up, as this ridiculous picture seems to suggest.

Weird Hot Nights (Suffer Baby) – Wild Thing

Don’t Fool With My Girl – Wild Thing

Old Lady – Wild Thing

P.S. Special thanks to Vinyl Dog (Oddly enough, his real name)for inadvertantly sending me on a Wild (Thing)Goose-chase

RedBoy XXXVII

2010-06-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

There Are Two Kinds of People in This World, Those w/ Loaded Guns and Those Who Dig…You, Dig. Dig?

2010-06-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

To all 2A detractors:

Look, it’s a done deal. Guns have always been a part of our country and ideology. To suggest anything less is disingenuous, to demand anything more is arrogant. I was taught from an early age to respect guns and the power they promise, in return they have respected me; their very existence insuring me that no matter how dark the skies may get, be it political climate, or all out bedlam, I will always have a means to fight back and protect me and mine from an increasingly emboldened, ruthless, and entitled world. Happy as I am w/ today’s SCOTUS outcome, I did not need the Heller decision to enumerate this right, nor do I need today’s McDonald decision to make it so. It is an immutable fact; older than the hills and just as relentless in it permanence.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary for the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Looks like the peace-niks are gonna have to find a new ax to grind. Just as well…you should never bring an ax to a gun-fight, anyways.

Revenge: A Dish Best Served Cold (and w/ Cheese)

2010-06-21T09:18:00.001-07:00

I’m takin’ this opportunity to shine a light in my little corner of internet sky (Be it ever so humble). One-Hundred thousand hits might seem like a drop in the bucket, especially in a place where information flows like so much blood and attracts just as many rubberneckers as it does flies to the edges of its sticky imbruement, but it’s a distinction I’ll wear w/ pride. If I could turn just one noggin upside down w/ an unknown, or unknowable recording thanks to my efforts, than it is worth a thousand times a thousand computer crashes and just as many unwarranted political entanglement (I’m always right- just for future reference).

Now, if psychologists are to be believed, then we are not born bad, we are, however, every last one of us born square, and as such, we each have to start from square one.

It’s precisely for this reason that I’m highlighting – what is in my humble opinion- the greatest record ever pressed - a record which blew my mind like a cherry-bomb in a trash bin at a time where I was branching off from what I understood music to be (Totally wrong, by the by), and into a miasma of detritus popular critics would exemplify as everything music should NOT be. The record is the Rat’s Revenge; the reasons it strikes a chord, albeit, slightly out of tune, are myriad.

First, the Rats Revenge is not so much a song, as it is a meandering jam; loose in a way that seems juvenile, yet w/ the sincerity that only some wet-behind the ears 16 year old could hope to muster up. Second, Rat’s is completely spontaneous in it’s arrangement; one gets the feeling even the Rat’s themselves don’t quite know where this shit is going’, even knowing full well where this shit has been. Third, as I am a sucker for anything with a pt 2, these bookends are actually on par w/ each other, continuing the narrative (Such as it is) in lieu of just dumpin’ a slightly tweaked DUB track on the flip.

As for the Rats themselves? Word on the street places the Rats in Ohio circa 66’. Word on Tim Warren’s liner notes for BFTG vol 1 places them in the studio where, as the sensational combo the Decades, they recorded the instro classic ‘Strange Worlds’. Would that that had been enough, Mystics producer Terry Rose decided to hip the Decades to a lucrative proposition: Being that the beach party films staring Frankie Avalon & Annette Funichello were so popular, and a big part of that popularity is thanks to their antagonist, Erik Von Zipper (the late Harvey Lembeck) and his motorcycle gang, the Rats, how could a song by the Rats, about the rats, not sell a million copies? The result: after several dismal takes, the band was cautioned not to be so ridged and just have fun with the track…and thus the Rats Revenge was born. Needless to say, the disc sunk like a stone, was disavowed by the band and remains a cult classic to this day, despite the fact that “Most of the 500 copies pressed ended up in a garbage dump in Kent Ohio” …which is right where I come in…square one.

As a kid burned out on punk and ripe for some non-sensical, non-proselytizing R ‘N’ R, Rats revenge is everything I wanted out of a disc; stupid, crude and w/ absolutely no social message or redeeming value…kinda like this blog and it’s owner. SUPERGORILLA!!!

He’s to a Hundred Thousand more! Salute!

Rat’s Revenge pt 1 – Rats

Rat’s Revenge pt 2 - Rats

P.S. Fuck the Golden Pelicans!

RedBoy XXXVI

2010-06-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

Pssst! Hey Kid...Wanna Buy Some Records?

2010-06-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah? Then get your lazy ass to the Highland Park record sale Friday, June 18th (2pm-8pm)in beautiful, scenic Highland Park, N.J.

Hi-Fi for Small Fry

2010-06-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

“I want Candy”

Really, not so much anymore. They say your tastes change as you get older, and they may be right. Anyone who knows me knows I crave to most ridiculous brands of candy. Be they liquid in form, sour, tongue transmogrifying or of the gummy variety, I’m all over them- or, at least I was. These days my pallet has changed, some would argue, for the better. That doesn’t mean I can’t indulge in some auditory sugar-lumps on occasion, especially when I can’t make it to the local ‘Five Below’ for my requisite stock of Cherry Clans and Laffy Taffy (Shitty jokes not withstanding).

Note: I don’t give a fuck what Ferrera Pan calls em’ these days. They are still Cherry Clans to me)

Here we have the Candy Men, not to be confused w/ the Candy Men or the Candy Men. Now, before you jump all over my shit w/ the obligatory “But, Peter Pan Records sux” spiel, know that under any other circumstances I would agree w/ you, the majority of ‘Pan’s’ output being barely listenable kiddie dreck. But as well known collector and all around solid sender ‘Vinyl Dog’ (Co Chair of the Legendary Highland Park Record Sale) told me whilst trying to entice a trade for some Bollywood soundtracks I scammed outa the Newark Salvation Army, this ‘Pan’ track is actually pretty awesome and worth the switch. He was indeed correct.

Spearmint twist was the carrot offered for trade, but to tell you the truth, as much as I dig the instro side, it’s ‘Candy-Bar Twist’ that has really got me in a, um, twist. You better download em’ now before Joey Dee unleashed the dogs of war and takes this candy from you, baby.

Candy Bar Twist – Candymen

Spearmint Twist - Candymen

Currently Watching...

2010-06-14T09:03:00.001-07:00

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

"Roger Corman's, and most people's, choice as the best of the Edgar Allan Poe pictures. Masque offers the expected creepy atmosphere and violence against peasants, plus metaphysical ponderings and pointed satanic cruelty. (Corman was operating as much under the influence of Ingmar Bergman as of Edgar Allan Poe.) Nicolas Roeg's color cinematography and Daniel Haller's elaborate production design would be stellar in any Hollywood A-movie; the mono-colored rooms of the prince's castle are a startling effect. Vincent Price is in fine fettle as Prince Prospero, the devil-worshipping sadist who throws lavish parties while the countryside is ravaged by the plague."

Equality...

2010-06-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Knifed o'er a Pair of Jordans!?

2010-06-10T12:18:00.001-07:00

I guess it makes sense that I bought this disc in a shit-bedecked chicken coup out near Lancaster PA, as the Brothers Jordan hail for nearby Schuylkill County PA, and as anyone who has ever spent a nickel of time out in that area know, it’s a family affair.

The Jordans were a popular regional act from the inception of their first single in 54’ all the way till their disbandment in 1986; quite a long stretch for a band that never made it out of their own county. Be that as it may, the Brothers still have quite a following amongst the locals, who spend their youth pawin and pettin the local trim at their capacity gigs, strollin to the cool sounds of Basin Street Rumble, as if any of those youths had ever seen the business end of a stiletto out there in Amish county. Man, times sure have changed.

Find your way out to Lancaster now and you are just as likely to get iced by a 'Crip' or buy cocaine from a Mennonite than to see even a stitch of unmolested, verdant farmland, but that’s progress for you. Maybe now Basin Street Rumble can finally live up to it’s name. As for me, I personally think the flip, 'Sloe Gin' is cooler, but when it's six of one, half-dozen of the other, you gotta go with name recognition.

Basin Street Rumble – Jordan Brothers

Sloe Gin – Jordan Brothers

RedBoy XXXV

2010-06-10T12:17:00.001-07:00

Currently Reading...

2010-06-10T12:16:00.002-07:00

Ishi's Brain - In Search of America's Last Wild Indian

"Touted in his day as "the last wild Indian," Ishi, of the Northern Californian Yahi people, survived by adapting to a life housed within a San Francisco anthropological museum, where spectators paid to see him make arrowheads, until he died in 1916. Under 1990s repatriation laws, a group of Maidu Indians from the Sierra Nevada region sought to reclaim Ishi's ashes, buried in a San Francisco cemetery, but a rumor persisted that Ishi's brain had been removed during autopsy, pickled, and was still hidden somewhere. Duke University anthropologist Starn searched for the brain and here offers an unlikely narrative, informative and politicized, with easy-to-read, much-needed thumbnail histories of the Indian Wars. (As Starn notes, California Gold Rush atrocities against Native Americans are so recent that people remember them firsthand from their grandparents.) One of Starn's main accusations is that the widow of the important, early anthropologist Alfred Kroeber first made Ishi's story famous through "writerly liberties" as well as "careless research and made-up dramatic effects." Starn himself makes his own feelings and impressions central to the story, allowing himself to tell us, for example, that he "fell asleep at midnight with the motel swimming pool's blue floodlights glowing through the curtains like the beams of an alien spaceship." His search takes him from the University of Berkeley to the Cornucopia Restaurant in Oroville, Calif., to the Repatriation Office and "wet collection" in the Smithsonian Museum of National History, to an Ancestral Gathering at Mount Lassen National Park, to "Grizzly Bear's Hiding Place." For some readers, Starn-as-protagonist will ground this intellectual mystery, while others will find him distracting. But on the whole, the book satisfies as a quick review of sordid chapters in the nation's history, and a genuinely compelling investigation of how one culture's attempt to dominate another can take bizarre, persistent forms."

You Always Hurt the Ones You Love...

2010-06-10T12:16:00.001-07:00

Shameless Self Promotion 06/02/10

2010-06-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

What you missed Return to the Planet of GO APE?...
Don't Fret...
It's the sequel... Conquest of the Planet FANCY!
Get your primate on, swing over to and get new the issue of the FANCY! Digest It's A Caper! w/ special guests Brookline Mass. bad asses Tunnel Of Love, GO APE! recording stars THE BRIMSTONES,and THE HECKLERS. Plus hours of EYE POPPIN' SUPER ROCKIN' video from the vaults Jolly Roger Digital Video Archive.
Sat. June 5 th
9 pm
$5.00
The Delancey
168 Delancey Street (at Clinton st.)
in the basement
J,M,Z & F train to Essex
Come Get FANCY!
VISIT www.fancymag.com DOWNLOAD your own MONKEY MASK and get in FREE

Some of the videos we will be showing
HAWKWIND - Silver Machine (Promo 1972)
SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS - Trailer (1968)
SHARON TANDY with FLEUR DE LYS - Hold On (BeatClub 1968)
The IMPOSSIBLES - Intro (1966)
THE COCKNEYS - After Tomorrow (Swinging U.K. 1963)
THE VANDELLAS - Nowhere To Run (It’s What’s Happening Baby 1965)
The T.A.M.I. SHOW - Trailer (1964)
LITTLE MILLIE SMALL - My Boy Lollipop (Swinging U.K. 1964)
THE EQUALS - Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys (Promo 1971)
MONKEY MUSIC - Excerpt from Son Of Kong (1933)
MTV STARSHIP CRUISE - Commercial (1983)
THE DICKIES - Banana Splits (Tra La La Song) (Promo 1979)
JUDAS PRIEST - Hot Rockin’ (Promo 1980)
BIGFOOT & WILDBOY - Intro (1978)
THE BRIMSTONES - Shut Me Down (2009)
MEADE LUX LEWIS - Low Down Dog (1944)
THE ROLLING STONES - We Love You (Promo 1967)
RAT PFINK A BOO BOO - Trailer (1966)
ROCK ROLL - Bedrock Twitch (The Flintstones 1962)
BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA - Trailer (1952)
THE ZEROS - Wimp (LA, CA TV 1978)
DIE KREUZEN - Fuck Ups (Milwaukee, WI 1984)
GO APE RECORDS - The Brimstones Record Release Party (2010)
THE SAINTS - (I’m) Stranded • Know Your Product (Promos 1977 - 78)
JERRY LEE LEWIS - Whole Lotta Shakin’ (195?)
LITTLE RICHARD - She’s Got It • Whole Lotta Shakin’ (Paris 1966)
BLACK RODEO - Trailer (1972)
THE ROLLING STONES - Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Promo 1968)
SMALL FACES - Rollin’ Over (Surprise Partie, French TV 1968)
THE BEACH GIRLS AND THE MONSTER - Trailer (1965)
JET SCREAMER - Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (The Jetsons 1962)
CHUCK BERRY - You Can’t Catch Me (Rock, Rock, Rock 1956)
EDUARD KHIL - Trololo (USSR 197?)
APE OF DEATH - Excerpt from the Mighty Boosh (2004)
BOB SEGER & THE LAST HEARD - East Side Story (Swinging Time 1966)
THE SHADOWS - Apache (1960)
THE TORNADOES - Blue Blue Beat (Swinging U.K. 1963)
THE MILLS BROTHERS - Caravan (1942)
THE MARVELETTES - Please Mr. Postman (Teen Town 1965)
LANCELOT LINK - Rollin’ In The Clover (1970)
WOOLWORTH - Christmas Ad
MC5 - Tonight (MusikLaden 1972)
THE TUBES - White Punks On Dope (OGWT 1976)

They Got Sweet Potatos, Candied Yams, Peacan Tans, Oh Man, Oh Man!

2010-05-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

Been in dereliction of my internet duties w/ regards to bloggin’ on account of my pushin’ the new Brimstones single (Which you should buy, if for no other reason than to lampoon it on yer own damned blog).

Short of being extreamly busy, I’m pleased to report that part of my absence is due to my acquiring and subsequently sorting through a massive collection of rare Doo-Wop 45’s. Hands down the best private score I’ve had in a decade. Needless to say, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in vocal street-corner prowess...which brings us to the Tifano’s

As the first release on Jimmie Newton’s Tifco label (Run outta Tifton, Georgia) ‘Louisiana’ sets the tone on this vocal monster. While ‘Raining’ is the money side (Look for it on an up and coming BFTRB mix), ‘Louisiana’ sees the succinctly titled Tifanos doing their best Wilbur Harrison impersonation, kicking Kansas City to the curb in favor of the Gulf Coast and the ‘fair brown’ womens and the soul-food laden sideboard that comes along w/ it.

I know Doo-Wop might not be as accessible to the young folk as the rubric spawned by the British Invasion, but vocal music of the period is the very spirit of innovation; a street-wise sentiment that, unlike modern music, required actual talent to thrive in a competative market, rather than simply relying on ignorant thuggery to illustrate being street-savvy, you savvy?

Louisiana - Tifanos

RedBoy XXXIV

2010-05-31T15:31:00.000-07:00

Miss Me, Miss Me, Now You Gotta Kiss Me!

2010-05-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of The Brimstones (& Thunderbird Wine).

Regular posting shall now resume in 3...2...1...

Still hung over...be with you in two shakes...

2010-05-10T13:21:00.001-07:00

Shameless Self-Promotion

2010-04-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

ARMAGEDDON!
Abandon your leaders
Return to the Planet of GO APE!
For GO APE RECORDS' newest wax release by Satan's House band
New Jersey's THE BRIMSTONES
Friday April 30th 9 p.m.
Catch them LIVE along with special guests
THE HECKLERS
ORGANS
and the EDISON ROCKET TRAIN
4 BANDS 5 BUCKS
Hours of eye popping and super rockin' videos from the vaults of
JOLLY ROGER DIGITAL Video Archive
at the
FANTASTICO
DON PEDRO
90 Manhattan Ave.
Brooklyn New York
J,M,Z to Lorimer L to Grand
COME MONKEY WITH MONKEYS AND DANCE WITH APES IN A RING OF FIRE ALL NIGHT LONG
MUY BONITO FANCY!

A super fancy night will take flight for our newest release, 3 song S/T 45 from NJs Brimstones. We will return to Don Pedro's with a number of apes suits, 70 ape/ monkeys masks, hours of amazing rare and rocking video clips and set the place ablaze. Four bands , 5 bucks
Visit www.fancymag.com to DOWNLOAD your own MONKEY MASK and get in FREE

Some stuff we gonna show
SLADE - Hear Me Callin' (BeatClub 1971)
WONDER WOMEN - Trailer (1973)
MOTORHEAD - Bomber (TOTP 1979)
DR. FEELGOOD - Milk & Alcohol (Promo 1978)
JOHNNY BURNETTE TRIO - Lonesome Train (Rock, Rock, Rock 1956)
VINCE TAYLOR - What'd I Say (French TV 1961)
FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! - (Trailer 1965)
THE CRAMPS - TV Set / Sunglasses After Dark (Mudd Club, NYC 1981)
VICTORIA VEIN & THE THUNDERPUNKS - Live From Oklahoma City (1974)
JERRY LEE LEWIS - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (Johnny Cash SHow 1969)
WAYLON JENNINGS - Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line (Johnny Cash Show 1969)
HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE - Trailer (1973)
WIZZARD SLEEVE - Mommy's Little Baby (Spellcaster Lounge, NOLA 2009)
JESUS LIZARD - Mouth Breather (CBGB, NYC 1992)
LANCELOT LINK & THE EVOLUTION REVOLUTION - Evolution Revolution (1970)
THE ROLLING STONES - Hip Shake (BeatClub 1972)
UPHILL - Excerpts from "One Got Fat" (Music by Can)
THE LUCKY 7 - Trailer (1986)
DEVO - Satisfaction (SNL 1978)
MOTORHEAD - Leavin' Here (TOTP 1980)
SATAN'S SADISTS - Trailer (1969)
E PAK SA - Gabba NY (2000)
KING STAR ECHO - Poo Yai Lee (Chan Clan Video 1966)
SLADE - Cum On Feel The Noize (TOTP 1973)
BO DIDDLEY - Road Runner / Can't Judge A Book (Unknown Circa 1962)
CONWAY TWITTY - Hello Darling (Johnny Cash Show 1969)
NORMAN...Is That You? - Trailer (1976)
LANCELOT LINK & THE EVOLUTION REVOLUTION - Magic Feeling (1970)
THE ROLLING STONES - Tumbling Dice (BeatClub 1972)
CHUCK BERRY - Johnny B. Goode (SNL 1977)
POOR PRETTY EDDIE - Trailer (1975)
LED ZEPPELIN - Whole Lotta Love (BeatClub 1970)
TELLY - If (German TV 1975)

More info. at www.fancymag.com
The Brimstones on Facebook
The Brimstones on MySpace
The Brimstones on GaragePunk Hideout

Shameless Self-Promotion

2010-04-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Available NOW from GO APE! records.

"Prepare yourself for the all new release from Go Ape Records: three rug-cutters from New Jersey's favorite hellions, the Brimstones! In the grand tradition of records that don't suck, the Brimstones new 45 lifts and separates like a bullet bra for your soul. This is a very limited release, so get it while it's white hot. It's more fun than a barrel of drunken monkeys and only costs your sanity."

It's Hip to Be Square (Sorry).

2010-04-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

What has four sides, three parts and will hand you your ass quicker than a bare-knuckle boxer? Answer: This friggin’ record!

This mysterious disc is actually one of about a dozen I scammed recently. All white label promos; most instrumental and all strange labels w/ even stranger acts accompanying. While not the only heavy hitter out of the box, Square and its equally hip flip, Davey’s Drag, are certainly vying for the top spot of my shit-shot agenda of recent acquisitions.

As for history on this disc, I have no idea. I’ve seen it appear on Rockabilly comps before, but I take exception to the fact that this is a Rockabilly track. There is an unfortunate tendency to drop every twangy riff square into the ‘A-billy’ bucket, but as us instrumental mentalist know, this kinda dreck is in a class (and category) all it’s own.

Now, if only we could confirm a part one and two (doubtful, but…).

Square Rock pt 3 - Squares

Davey's Song - Squares

RedBoy XXXIII

2010-04-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

Spunky Onions, Boy!

2010-03-31T07:49:00.002-07:00

Spunky Onions - Bill Davis (& the Legends)

RedBoy XXXII

2010-03-31T07:49:00.001-07:00

Currently Watching...

2010-03-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

HEAD -1968

"In this 1968 film, the Monkees valiantly attempted to deflate their own myth. The plot is, essentially, about demystification. Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith - with the aid of writer Jack Nicholson (the only credited author due to legalities)- tackle such topics as filmmaking, the media treatment and madness of the Vietnam War, Davy Jones' "way with the ladies", and, most importantly, commercialization. Each group member is presented in a unique light - in every case shattering the image that had been produced by the "media machine". The Monkees went out on a limb with this film by creating an almost surreal work with a loosely bound "plot". Their younger fans, unfortunately, simply missed the point. Because of the poor publicity of the film at the time of its release, older teenagers had no clue what "Head" was trying to say. As a result, its box office showing was disastrous. "Head" is more for the film enthusiast than the casual Monkees fan in some respects. The soundtrack does, however, feature some of the finest and most sophisticated music of the group's career. And yes, they DO play their own instruments on the tunes, but receive assistance in composing and performing from the likes of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Carole King."

Marcus Antonios on Healthcare Reform...

2010-03-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Gaius Cassius Longinus: You might wish as you will. We yet have the Senate behind us and all the men of quality.

Marcus Antonius: And I… have an angry mob… that will roast and eat your men of quality in the ashes of the Senate house!

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc."

Word.

Happy Birthday to You. Happy Birthday to You. Happy Birthday Mr. Thomas Edison's Frankenstein...

2010-03-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Guess who turned 100 years young today?

"Frankenstein is a 1910 film made by Edison Studios that was written and directed by J. Searle Dawley. It was the first motion picture adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The unbilled cast included Augustus Phillips as Dr. Frankenstein, Charles Ogle as the Monster, and Mary Fuller as the doctor's fiancée.

Shot in three days, it was filmed at the Edison Studios in the Bronx, New York City. Although some sources credit Thomas Edison as the producer, he in fact played no direct part in the activities of the motion picture company that bore his name.

For many years, this film was believed to be a lost film. In 1963, a plot description (reprinted above) and stills were discovered published in the March 15, 1910 issue of an old Edison film catalog, The Edison Kinetogram.

In the 1950s, a print of this film was purchased by a Wisconsin film collector, Alois F. Dettlaff, who did not realize its rarity until many years later. Its existence was first revealed in the mid-1970s. Although somewhat deteriorated, the film was in viewable condition, complete with titles and tints as seen in 1910. Dettlaff had a 35 mm preservation copy made by the George Eastman House in the late 1970s."

"Won't You Tell Your Dad Get Off My Back?"

2010-03-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

"Tell him what we said bout' 'Paint it Black'. Rock & Roll is here to stay, come inside where it's okay...and I'll shake you..."

R.I.P. Alex Chilton

"Doctor Said I Smell Like I's Been Baptized in Silver-Satin Wine."

2010-03-16T09:07:00.001-07:00

I buy a lot of novelty records. It's a sickness, not unlike collecting every record w/ the word "bongo" in the title, or every song that has a "pt. 2". I'd be the first to admit that most novelty records are only good for a listen or two before the novelty wears off (clever), and you can only take so much of the Dickie Goodman break-in shtick (Insert 50's era top-forty sound-clip taken out of context)before suffering a psychotic break.

One of my favorite novelty discs eschews the predictable flying saucer invasion for a little Amos & Andy esque Tate ET Tate; where the shiftless 'Cornbread' is always getting the better of straight-man, 'Biscuits', all set to twelve bars of some sweet-back rhythm and blues.

First things first, I'll go for the obvious - this thing has Thunderbird product placement all over it (See: Two Birds, One Stone & and What's the Word), a fact which I find both socially irresponsible and totally awesome (Don't judge me)! Plus, Big Time Spender and the requisite Pt 2 (See, told ya!) gets extra points for not only 'weed' references, but the infinitely rarer 'heroin' acknowledgment tossed off so casually. Some copies of 'Spender' supposedly come w/ a sticker over the 'E' in Maske (Printing error)though I aint ever seen one (Can someone confirm?)

There's a sequel to this which I have yet to pick-up, mostly out of laziness. As it is my copy of 'spender' could use an upgrade, but to be honest, this kinda low-brow shit sounds better behind a bacon sizzle and a styrene fizzle, plus , you really don't have a choice...I'm just sayin'.

Big Time Spender pt 1 - Cornbread & Biscuits

Big Time Spender pt 2 - Cornbread & Biscuits

Mo' Taters, Momma

2010-03-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Woke up to my brain trying to escape through my right eye the other day (See: Chronic Migraines), yet the weather was such that after weeks of snow-bound dementia I’d be damned if I didn’t make it out into the sun to photosynthesis even a little (Gotta get that Serotonin flowin’). After and large coffee and self administer injection of Sumatriptan I made it down to a local record store, passing the time before it opened (Run by teenage punks- one can never truly count on it opening on time, and on a Saturday morning no less!) in an adjacent antique-shop. Pouring over the records there, it occurred to me that I had shuffled through all this crap before, several times in point of fact, and was just about to abandon ship when the familiar feeling came over me; every time I pass on a stack of records somebody dives in and come up w/ doubloons, so I grabbed a random stack and shuffled through…the result: Mo’ Taters.

Popularized by Crypt comp series Las Vegas Grind, this kinda late-in-the-game R&B is now generally referred to as a ‘Titty-Shaker’, though desperate attempts to quantify and categorize such a broad stroke of music seems woefully inadequate (Gothabilly and Surfabilly are two ridiculous subgenre’s that spring to mind). Unbeknownst to many, the Earthworms (Great name!) are actually Oliver Sain (of ‘Bus Stop’ fame) and his little protégé, Little Milton though one doubts he stayed very ‘little’ for very long, what w/ all that starchy intake of his (If his proclivity for Potatoes were to bear-out as the song suggests)

Be it Titty-Shaker or just plain old R&B; call it what you like, just don’t call Tater’s later for dinner, or else run the risk of a side-dish mutiny; the streets flowing w/ the chicken-gravy of the non-believers.

Look for the aptly named flip ‘Fish Tale’ on an upcoming BFTRB soul mix. Until then, pass the taters…

Mo' Taters - Earthworms

The Passing of a "Legend".

2010-03-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

Charles Pierce, writer/director of the 'Legend of Boggy Creek'and the 'Town That Dreaded Sundown' died of natural causes. He was 71.

Charles Peirce is perhaps best known as the originator of the 'Documentary Style' horror film, 'Boggy Creek' in particular setting the stage (For better or worse)for modern films such as the Blair Witch Project', as wll as the recent sucess, 'Paranormal Activity'

Hey Chuck, when you make you way to the great unknown, tell Sasquatch me and Paulie K. says wazzup!

R.I.P. Charles Peirce

RedBoy XXXI

2010-03-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Be...the 23rd Rocker!

2010-02-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

I’m sendin’ this one out to Mr. Brainpang, as he is somewhat of an authority on mad genius where musicality is concerned.

Just when I think I’ve plumed the very depths of self-styled outsider music, the bedrock beneath me gives way and I find myself in the company of yet another schizophrenic with a guitar, only this time he’s plugged in and he’s co-opted Roky Erikson’s mullet.

That last comparison, in particular, is fairly accurate for if I had to explain D.C’s Butch Willis and the Rocks, it would be that through some as-yet unknown providence, not one, but two Roky Erikson’s just happened to develop organically and wholly independent of one another on opposite sides of the continent; the prior, having become the poster child for psychedelia; the latter, being perhaps most famous for practically burning down a local cable access show with a faulty smoke machine (See: Below)

Makes me wonder if Henry Rollins will get around to replacing ole’ Butchee’s teeth as well.

Seriously though, the two sound identical, actively deal w/ the same neurological impairments and are generally singing about nothing that resembles reality as I understand it.

What makes this revelation even stranger is that the enclosed tracks were discovered on a sleeveless LP in a Redbank NJ thrift shop, far from its native DC and wholly out of place amongst myriad copies of the Firestone Christmas album and Psalms for Children. How did it get there? What kind of financial hardships would prompt someone to jettison this jewel of dementia for pennies on the dollar when it cultural value is immeasurable? Either way I am willing to take the blessing as it comes, though the journey says much more than the ultimate destination. Even the albums title ‘Of’ evokes mystery; walking a fine line between brilliant existentialism and the kind of head scratching that continually moves us record misanthropes forward…albeit by shorts steps.

I will now give you a moment to mentally prepare yourself…

Ready?

Short Steps - Butch Willis (& the Rocks)

Be the 23rd Rocker - Butch Willis (& the Rocks)

I Want'a Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star - Butch Willis (& the Rocks)

Currently Watching...

2010-02-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

HAXAN (1922)

"Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen's obsession with bizarre lighting effects reached its apotheosis with his 1922 masterpiece Häxan. Beginning in a deceptively sedate fashion with a series of woodcuts and engravings (a technique later adopted by RKO producer Val Lewton), the film then shifts into gear with a progression of dramatic vignettes, illustrating the awesome power of witchcraft in the Middle Ages. So powerful are some of these images that even some modern viewers will avert their eyes from the screen. Though obviously a work of pure imagination, the film occasionally takes on the dimensions of a documentary, a byproduct of the extensive research done by Christensen before embarking on the project (incidentally, the director himself can be seen in the film in a dual role as Satan and the Doctor). Häxan marked a parting of the ways for Christensen and the Danish film industry; thereafter, he confined his activities to the German cinema, before answering Hollywood's call in 1928. A separate version of this film exists, with a shorter running time, retitled Witchcraft Through the Ages and released in 1968. It features narration by the legendary Beat writer William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch) and a score by Jean-Luc Ponty."

RedBoy XXX

2010-02-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

Your (Fourth) Chance to Do the Hump!

2010-02-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Reposted by popular request...and then subsequently reposted again, initially because Divshare's ass sucks canal water, but subsequently because of my own incompetence. Regardless, I bring you...

Igor's Lament - Tony & the Monstrosities

Igor's Party - Tony and His Monstrosities

Round and Around and Around and Around and Around And Around and...

2010-02-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

There is a man who twists alone.... Though others might box step or (Gasp) swing languidly to the syncopated style of the Madison, this enigmatic individual twists with reckless abandon, twirling a path through a cold and incalculable stellisphere; the providence of brilliant maniacs and insane fools. There is a man who twists alone...for solitude is the Damoclesean (???) sword that forever hangs above the gyrating head of this humble folk hero. His is the thankless role of the fool, the hopeless, yet necessary fulcrum against which all truth and cosmic mystery shall be brought to bear. There is a man who twists alone...Yea, though we should know him by word or deed, he is forever an enigma, a microcosm of centrifugal force tearing a hole through the very fabric of existence. He shall be here long after we have passed into dust, for he is the lone twister.

Hosanna unto him.

Lone Twister - The Lone Twister

Special thanks to Greg for entrusting this gospel to mine hands.

P.S. Is it just me or do the vocals have this weird Mercedes McCambridge/ William ' Friedkin's Exorcist vibe goin' on

P.P.S. Around and Around and Around and Around and Around And Around and...

RedBoy XXVIV

2010-02-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

Promethean Hubris, or...Fire In A Bottle

2010-02-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

Oh, boy…

I know I said regular posting would commence shortly -- what w/ the new stereo acquisition and all-- but allow me to give you the brief rundown of the whore that is lady luck and her unfailing ability to kick me in the teeth.

Finally got the Wharfedales dialed in a little over a week ago, and I was in the process of cueing up sonic garbage for this repository of knowledge when -- and I shit you not—my laptop blew the fuck up and took my Fisher w/ it. The long and the short of it: A short (Pun) in the laptop power supply caused a surge to the Fisher, which would have generally not been a problem HAD THE FUCKING FUSE BEEN SOLDERED CORRECTLY by the joker I originally scored this from (He swore he had his tech go over it w/ a fine tooth comb, natch). The resulting arc fried the laptop and blew the output transformer without even tripping the fuse! Don’t’ fret though. After two weeks TLC w/ MY tech (i.e. the guy I go too when the shit get’s too real for me), we’re back in business, and w/ the addition of a new old-stock Soundcraftsmen PE2217 and a venerable laptop (Thanks, Sissy!) we now have twice the rock (w/ half the fat and ten times the grease).

Yeah, it might sound like a huge hassle where-as solid state is a bit more dependable, but what can I say: I’m ole’ fashioned, and besides, you can’t make rock w/o fire, and you can’t make fire w/o the venerable vacuum tube.

Thanks to Dennis @ Central Jersey Repair for bringing me back from the brink of boredom.

Now, on wit da show!

Gold Standard For A Tin Ear

2010-02-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

Having replaced my stereo receiver, of course all of the little imperfections inherent to my audio set-up have come fumbling at my head.

First up is a torn cone in one of my Sony speakers which galvanized me to get my ass on craigslist and see if any local color were offering something of note that perhaps would not result in my getting raped and killed at an area truck stop. One phone call and an unmarked panel-truck later and I was on my way home w/ a pair of 1960’s Wharfedale W60s (note: even the most firm price is negotiable, and no, I did not blow the guy). I tell ya, these speakers are sweet as hell, especially in the mids. They tend to get a bad wrap for their apparent lack of low end, but since I haven’t been listening to any Gabber Techno lately (or ever), it ain't no thang that a good sub-woofy won’t cure (to tell the truth they don’t even really need it). These walnut bastards are pretty smart lookin’ too. Hell, they even came with the original wood floor stands! IKEA would blush down to their bones at the lines of these space-age marvels.

As for the turntable situation, I usually slop 45’s around on a twin pair of coffin laden Stanton’s in the interests of throwing the odd shindig, but I have been on the lookout for a solid performer for more critical listening. At first glance, a BSR would hardly be considered a fitting candidate, especially their low end consol models, but I came across a BSR 710 at a local trading post (see: den of iniquity) and managed to point out enough flaws to talk the guy down to a more wallet friendly agreement. I realize and automatic platter-stacker might seem like a strange audiophile choice, but after replacing the needle housing for a modern equivalent and adding a more complimentary lube to the drive-train (yes, this monster uses a drive train not unlike the average car; and yes, I said “lube”) and this machine runs as quiet as the grave, and with a solid wood base, is as heavy as the requisite tombstone.

Next up is and dedicated EQ and a tube pre-amp. Anybody sellin’?

Note: Dig the periodical the BSR ad is from.

The Scream of the Butterfly!

2010-01-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

I hate caterpillars. Every summer they used to form huge communal cocoons in my families peach trees. We burned em' out with torches (WD40 and a lighter) with no appreciable decline in the local butterfly population. The peach jam which resulted was none the worse either (really good on beer bread - by the by).

Even though I abhor their squishy little bodies, and their ability to inch their way up every exposed cuff and each unguarded plate of tatter salad, it's their body of musical work which is on the plate here, with just as many legs under it (How many legs does a Caterpillar have, anyhoo?).

Here, by request, is the Stranger's Caterpillar Crawl pressed on California's Titan record label (See: Surfmen) and like those fucking' writhing viper pits which hang from the aforementioned trees, this post is practically busting at the seems w/ bonus bugs.

Case in point; I actually prefer the Roommates 59' version to the original. It kinda has a seedy locomotive vibe to it (Think 'Ghost Train' by the Swanks), and as for the Caterpillar Song by the Caterpillars, what can I really say but fuck them Beatles...the Caterpillars are where it's at... provided they don't molest my peach trees any further (There's Brandy in them thar skins).

Caterpillar Crawl - Strangers

Caterpillar Crawl - Dick Dixon (& the Roommates)

Caterpillar Song - Caterpillars

RedBoy XXVIII

2010-01-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

Lookie Loo!

2010-01-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Fresh from an all expenses paid spa treatment and hummin' like a set of dumped headers, this-here Fisher 400 has now taken the place of my dearly departed, if not much-maligned stereo receiver (It blowed up). What can I say; it sounds so good that now I have to replace all of my other second-rate audiophile crap I scammed out of area garbage cans. Regular posting to resume shortly. Stay tuned.

1 Million Served; 1.6 Critical Violations Per Inspection

2010-01-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

Four out of five recitivist offenders agree: syrup goes good w/ just about anything, even assholes. And while assholes are definitly off the menu, Waffle's, on the other hand, are a great & well balanced way to start off any post.

Being a man of my word, here is another gem from the Wafflehouse jukebox for those patient readers w/ an unnatural adoration of all things waffle-centric. Eat up...waffles, I mean.

Waffle Doo Wop - Eddie Middleton

Don't Forget to Pay Ur Exit Tax, A$$hole.

2010-01-18T15:54:00.001-08:00

RedBoy XXVII

2010-01-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

Just Wigglin' & Bloggin' pt 2: The Road to Party Beach

2010-01-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

New Year, new problems…

I was listening to some Bloodrock the other evening, when my stereo receiver exploded and started belching acrid smoke like a freshly soldered joint, suspending my vinyl postings for a fortnight (Thanks a lot Bloodrock! This is why we can’t have nice things!).

Regardless of my untimely misfortune, I was able to procure a sidetrack (When is the last time you saw and 8-track receiver in action?) until my mainline comes along (I'm gunnin' for a Fisher 400). Here is where we’re at:

I have been kinda slackin on the requests lately, so I’m gonna take this month to give back to a community that has ever supported my endeavors (when not lambasting my politics, or and threatening my life, that is).

I had previously posted some tracks by New Jersey natives and MST3K favorites the Del-Aires (of 'Horror of Party Beach' fame) figuring I’d get around to filling out their catalogue eventually. Several request later and I’m about to make good on my promise.

(Note: For the whole shebang, dig my previous Del-Aires post)

This first disc, while technically not a Del-Aires release, is the earliest incarnation of the group that would one day take Stanford Connecticut by storm. Cut in 58’ on B-Atlas, this instro featuring a then 16 year old Ronnie Linares and John Becker is a figment of a phantom, and as such, took forever to find. It is what it is, but what it is primitive and awesome.

Several years and a name change later and the boys (now christened the Dynamic Del-Aires) managed to woo several local higschool bandmates (Including organ/sax blaster Robert Osborne) with promises of steady gigs and a record contract with Paterson New Jersey’s own Block Records (Run and operated out of Block Linoleum by the bands manager Archie Block). The result: a cool crawl of an instro dubbed ‘Someplace Else’ backed by a Buddy Holly-esque vocal by the band’s then singer Jimmie Jersey titled ‘So Far, So Long’.

More than simple a document of the bands early years, these discs represent the musical maturation of some of the gawkiest garden state natives to ever swing an ax, and boy, can they swing it!

Treble Rock – Treble Tones

The Crawl – Treble Tones

Someplace Else – Dynamic Del-Aires

So Far, So Long – Dynamic Del-Aires

"Liquor Filled Statues of Elvis Presley; Screw His head off and Drink Like a Vampire!"

2010-01-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

Here's to the only musician who's decapitated effigy I'd be willing to drink skunked Jim Beam out of...

Happy Birthday, King.

Something to Consider Should This New Year Turn Out Like the Old...

2010-01-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Suspiria De Profundis (Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow)

Thomas De Quincey (1845)

"Oftentimes at Oxford I saw Levana in my dreams. I knew her by her Roman symbols. Who is Levana? Reader, that do not pretend to have much leisure for very much scholarship, you will not be angry with me for telling you. Levana was the Roman goddess that performed for the new-born infant the earliest office of ennobling kindness,—typical, by its mode, of that grandeur which belongs to man everywhere, and of that benignity in powers invisible which even in pagan worlds sometimes descends to sustain it. At the very moment of birth, just as the infant tasted for the first time the atmosphere of our troubled planet, it was laid on the ground. But immediately, lest so grand a creature should grovel there for more than one instant, either the paternal hand, as proxy for the goddess Levana, or some near kinsman, as proxy for the father, raised it upright, bade it look erect as the king of all this world, and presented its forehead to the stars, saying, perhaps, in his heart, “Behold what is greater than yourselves!” This symbolic act represented the function of Levana. And that mysterious lady, who never revealed her face (except to me in dreams), but always acted by delegation, had her name from the Latin verb (as still it is the Italian verb) levare, to raise aloft.

This is the explanation of Levana, and hence it has arisen that some people have understood by Levana the tutelary power that controls the education of the nursery. She, that would not suffer at his birth even a prefigurative or mimic degradation for her awful ward, far less could be supposed to suffer the real degradation attaching to the non-development of his powers. She therefore watches over human education. Now the word educo, with the penultimate short, was derived (by a process often exemplified in the crystallisation of languages) from the word educo, with the penultimate long. Whatever educes, or develops, educates. By the education of Levana, therefore, is meant,—not the poor machinery that moves by spelling-books and grammars, but by that mighty system of central forces hidden in the deep bosom of human life, which by passion, by strife, by temptation, by the energies of resistance, works for ever upon children,—resting not night or day, any more than the mighty wheel of day and night themselves, whose moments, like restless spokes, are glimmering for ever as they revolve.

If, then, these are the ministries by which Levana works, how profoundly must she reverence the agencies of grief. But you, reader! think,—that children are not liable to such grief as mine. There are two senses in the word generally—the sense of Euclid, where it means universally (or in the whole extent of the genus), and in a foolish sense of this word, where it means usually. Now, I am far from saying that children universally are capable of grief like mine. But there are more than you ever heard of who die of grief in this island of ours. I will tell you a common case. The rules of Eton require that a boy on the foundation should be there twelve years: he is superannuated at eighteen, consequently he must come at six. Children torn away from mothers and sisters at that age not unfrequently die. I speak of what I know. The complaint is not entered by the registrar as grief; but that it is. Grief of that sort, and at that age, has killed more than have ever been counted amongst its martyrs.

Therefore it is that Levana often communes with the powers that shake a man’s heart: therefore it is that she dotes on grief. “These ladies,” said I softly to myself, on seeing the ministers with whom Levana was conversing, “these are the Sorrows; and they are three in number, as the Graces are three, who dress man’s life with beauty; the Parcoeœ are three, who weave the dark arras of man’s life in their mysterious loom, always with colours sad in part, sometimes angry with tragic crimson and black; the Furies are three, who visit with retribution called from the other side of the grave offences that walk upon this; and once even the Muses were but three, who fit the harp, the trumpet, or the lute, to the great burdens of man’s impassioned creations. These are the Sorrows, all three of whom I know..."

The entire essay can be found here.

Repeat after me: Ze Clown is Mine Friend. He Will Not Bite Me, Und Throw Me in Ze Basement.

2009-12-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, so perhaps my last babysitting gig did not go according to plan (I can't even remeber the last time I had to give someone an emergengy tracheotomy w/ a piece of broken mirror and a tin kazoo). Still, several months and two mistrials later and somehow, Aunt John and Unkle Lancifer over @ Kindertrauma have once again found themselves en-route to the ELK's convention w/o a babysitter. Seeing as how my days are free (FBI survalience) and I am in desperate need of money (Nigerian Pyramid Scheme), I will take this opportunity to regale the youngin's with tales of that dashing folkhero, Vincent Price, and the sage-like wisdom his conservative morality plays entone. Either way it should be a memorable night. Better leave your emergency contact numbers...just in case.

Roland Around in the Stuff

2009-12-30T08:31:00.000-08:00

Roland S. Howard has passed away from Liver cancer. He was 50 years young. Howard is perhaps best known as the guitarist for Austrailian Punk band 'The Boys Next Door', and its later incarnation "The Birthday Party', both fronted by the carismatic, if not not sanctimoniously self-involved Nick Cave. If you have not indulged, I suggest you do so. The Boys next Door, and especially the Birthday Party have cut some of the most blisteringly intense music of the Post-Punk error (Note: for a sampling, see BFTRB Welcome to 1987 mix). Howards guitar work is both innovative and, at once, completely discordant. A winning combination if ever there was one.

R.I.P. Roland Howard.

Currently Watching...

2009-12-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

The Green Pastures (1936)

"The Green Pastures began life as a group of "revisionist" Biblical stories titled Ol' Man Adam and His Chillun, written in exaggerated Negro dialect by white humorist Roark Bradford. These Old Testament stories were purportedly told from the point of view of an elderly black Sunday School teacher, who translated the Biblical prose into words that his congregation ("untutored black Christians" was Bradford's description) could readily understand. Thus, "De Lawd" behaves very much like a Southern black Baptist preacher; Heaven is a wondrous bayou-like land of big cigars and eternal fish fries; "Cap'n" Noah is a languid ferryboat skipper who argues with De Lawd over the advisability of bringing along a couple of kegs of liquor on the Ark; and the court of the Pharoah is redefined as a "Mystic Knights of the Sea" type lodge hall, with Moses introduced as a "conjure man". It is, of course, a white man's perspective on black life, but both the original "Ol' Man Adam", and the subsequent Pulitzer Prize-winning stage version written by Marc Connelly and retitled Green Pastures, have a lot more clarity, profundity and spiritual reverence than most "serious" Biblical adaptations. In this 1936 film version of the Connelly play, Rex Ingram is nothing less than brilliant as De Lawd, speaking the most ludicrous of lines with dignity and quiet authority. Others in the all-black cast include Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as Noah, Frank Wilson as Moses, George Reed as Rev. Deshee, and Oscar Polk as Gabriel, who has the film's single most stirring line: "Gangway! Gangway for de Lawd God Jehovah!" Unlike many other so-called racist films of decades past, The Green Pastures nearly always charms and captivates its modern-day audiences; even the most adamant of "P.C" advocates will probably thoroughly enjoy the experience. Playwright Marc Connelly is credited as director of Green Pastures, as he was for the original stage version, but co-director William Keighley and director of photography Hal Mohr deserve most of the credit for the film's strong cinematic sense."

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nobody Wants a 'Charlie' in the Box :(

2009-12-24T16:48:00.001-08:00

It doesn't take a person with a necklace made of human ears to hear the sounds of the season rising like heat off the fronds of a primordial jungle. This evening, when you are gathered around a cozy ash-can fire, cooking M.R.E's in an empty steel ammo case and sharpening your traditional pungy sticks with an M1 mounted Bayonette, please consider, momentarily, those people less fortunate than you; those without even an ounce of Napalm to their person. Tis the season...

Merry Christmas/Non-denominational seasonal celebration (of which I make no faith-based implication in the interests of spiritual equality) to all you God-less heathens out there!

----------------------------------------------------------

Christmas In Vietnam - Charles Bowen (& The Gentlemen From Tigerland)

Christmas In Vietnam (Instrumental) - Charles Bowen (& The Gentlemen From Tigerland)

Red(& Green)Boy

2009-12-24T16:41:00.001-08:00

It's A Man Down Where?

2009-12-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Short of sniper fire and trench warfare, I think the most practical application for fingerless gloves would have to digging through 45rpms in a garage in 20 degree weather. I mean, at the very least it will buy you some choice diggin’ time before the blood fully runs out of your extremities. They said I was mad for wearing a wool-lined duck-hunter’s jacket. Well, who’s mad now (Mwwahhaahaahaa)?

Anywhoo…This next record is the kind of happy surprise that makes such selfish endeavors seem totally worth it. There is precious little info about G. L Crockett (besides this bitchin’ photo – dig the hair, man!) sufficed to say that he cut a couple of hen’s Teeth, most notably Chief records (Leather Jacket Cowboy, anyone?) in 57’ and a couple of 65’ late comers on the 4 Brothers records.

What we have here is a specimen of the latter, and lucky for us that both sides shell out some serious primitive-ass shekels you can take straight to the bank. The guitar work here is very sparse, treble-laden and loose, bringing to mind everything that is right about late 50’s R&B comported to a slightly later soul market. Both sides deserve the attention, so be attentive, will ya?

--------------------------------------------------------------

It's a Man Down There – G.L. Crockett

Every Hour, Every Day – G.L. Crockett

Who Runs Border-Town?

2009-12-21T08:00:00.001-08:00

RedBoy XXVI

2009-12-18T16:44:00.001-08:00

Currently Reading...

2009-12-18T16:05:00.001-08:00

Note: In honor of Dan O'Bannon

"Hey. These Canisters Don't Leak, Do They?"

2009-12-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

"Leak? Hell no. These babies are made by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers..."

Director / Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon recently passed away from an unknown ailment. He was 63. O'Bannon's credits include the screenplay for Aliens and Total Recall among others. In addition to his screenwriting credit, O'Bannon also directed genere favorites 'Dead and Buried', H.P. Lovecraft's 'The Resurected' and last, but not least, he wrote and directed what is in my humble opinion one of the most entertaining and enjoyable modern horror films of the 1980's, 'Return of the Living Dead'

I must say, it is rather difficult to respectfully memorialize one who's calling card happens to be a black-humored Zombie comedy, but just the same, on the off chance he's not dismembered, and subsequently cremated, it might be wise to keep him away from the Trioxin. Just a thought.

R.I.P. Dan O'Bannon

...For No Mere Mortal Can Resist the Evil of the Fillller!!!

2009-12-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

Be it Ever So Humble…

70,000 hits!? Seriously, who’d a thunk that I, of all people, would have the attention span to keep at it this long? I mean, I drift between projects like an Alzheimer’s patient so it is some kind of small wonder that I am able to focus enough to even hang this measly pap out to dry, not that I manage to do it in any semblance of a timely manner mind you (Case in point, this post) nor any semblance of decorum. Anyway, I had started piece-mealing what I thought was to be a completely random mix for the occasion only to realize upon closer scrutiny that these songs inadvertently shared the same vague antecedent, namely, each song just so happens to be late-sixties psychedelia buried at the ass end of a long-play. Yup, I’m talkin’ filler-diller, but with one small exception – these song kick ass!

No fancy arrangements; no lofty musical aspirations; just short, sweet and dirty like a Tai schoolgirl. Now, let’s open this fancy-ass can of soup-dejour w/ one of music’s more primal inspirations – misogyny! Yup, ‘Don’t Lie to Me Baby’ by Toby Ben got it in spades, as well as some of the worst harmonica since Bob Dylan strapped a tin Honer feed-bag to the hole in his face (Sorry Sister). Seriously, dig the harp at the end; it sounds like J.B. Lenore hackin’ the solo apart on ‘Mama Talk to Your Daughter’, except that it ain’t very good. Amazing!

Next up is ‘Blow My Mind’, a song so upbeat and confidant in it’s swagger that you’ll wanna smash your 8oz off on the edge of the bar and go hog-wild w/ the bottleneck. Who’d a thunk those little black eggs w/ the little white specks known the world over as the Critters could unleash such havoc? Hands off the twelve-string fellers. Stick to the Wurlitzer.

Your mind being sufficiently blown by now, we continue on w/ Syndicate of Sound’s extremely strange cover of ‘the Witch’ by the world-famous Sonics. Doesn’t quite live up to the original, but it sure is an odd choice, even for the B-side of a major label release.

Back in the Dylan camp we got we got Billy Blue and his weird-ass organ-fueled psych nonsense ‘Arcade Love Machine’, replete w/ nasally vocals and off-time delivery. Truth be told, I have no idea what the hell this guy is singin’ about, but that has never stopped me from enjoyin’ someone’s thread.

Continuing along the emerging downward spiral of pop depression we find the Paul Revere patterned ‘American Revolution’ and their moody, mid-tempo, ‘Show Me How to Cry’. Can’t say I’m a strange to such lessons, but I think I’ll keep my stoicism in check, just the same.

Funny story w/ this disc: I picked it up at a town wide garage sale (The self same one that produced a twenty-five cent copy of Dracula’s Deuce) from some crazy Cuban lady and her pack of vicious Chihuahua-dogs. When all was said and done I managed to walk out w/ a bunch of crazy regional Cuban psych, but that is a post of a different color.

I LUV this next track! Frenzy (Unrelated to Screamin’ Jay) off the Fugs second album sounds like a jug-band rhythm section headlinin’ a punk matinee @ the local VFW (Veterans of a Fucked-up World), only, last time I went to one of those some kid got his hip dislocated. Hopefully you, dear reader, fair better.

Winding this thing down is the Sir Douglas Quintet who, once famously photographed in silhouette to diminish the racial implications of their high-ass Mexican cheekbones, have taken up the smoke-wagon and bandolier against the Southwest themed Son of Bill Baety, proving once again how versatile the riff from ‘She’s About a Mover’ ultimately is. And finally we round this thing out with Them (or, Van Morrison, if his legal team is watching) and his incredibly moody, if not shamelessly copied (Animals, Anyone?) ‘I’m Gonna Dress in Black’. That’s right kids. You’ll get over that faze eventually, and then it’s Madras and Mustangs all the way!

That about does it for this installment of Filler Theatre. Hope you dig, and thanks to everyone for the patronage. Until next time...

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Blues for the RedBoy presents: Filler Theatre Vol # 1

The Adventures of Bigfoot & RedBoy! (or, drunk @ 4pm)

2009-12-11T15:36:00.001-08:00

Wait...wrong pic.

Behold, the ellusive Sasquatch in it's native habitat: The Brighton Bar.

Currently Watching...

2009-12-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

AKA: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

"the greatest film of the thirteenth century."

"Sam Peckinpah knew he couldn't call a movie Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and get away with it. That's why he did it. When he undertook this nakedly personal project, in self-exile in Mexico, the director was a deeply bitter man out of favor with critics, the media, and the Hollywood establishment, which had just released his Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid in a mutilated version. "Bring Me the Head..." sounded like the parody title of an ultraviolent Sam Peckinpah movie, and he flung it in our faces just as his onscreen surrogate tosses the titular object at the camera.

Thing is, the movie is a masterpiece--raw, shocking, beautiful, and brave--in which Peckinpah confronts his enemies and his own demons. Warren Oates plays a gringo piano-player stuck in Mexico who hears that some powerful men are willing to pay a bounty on a guy he knows. They don't know the guy is already dead, killed in a car accident. It'll be easy to exhume the trophy and collect the money--except that it will cost our seedy hero everything he has and ever wanted.

John Huston's Treasure of the Sierra Madre had always been a key legend for Peckinpah; this film is a subterranean re-imagining of it, with Oates as both the son of Fred C. Dobbs and the carnival-mirror reflection of Peckinpah himself. And Isela Vega's performance as the sainted whore Elita--bruised and worldly one minute, radiant and clear-skinned as a child the next--is an act of grace."

--Richard T. Jameson