Sunday evening, and finally some time for a short update from this end. The reshaping of HQ is (so far) a surprisingly smooth affair, so much so, that over the past couple o' weeks I've frequently wondered "hey, where's the catch?". Still far from finished, but we're gettin' there. While typin' this I'm enjoyin' the luxury of central heating for the third night in a row !. Downside has been the movin' about of my records 'n books, you hardly ever consider the sheer weight of the stuff until you have to carry it around !. I almost considered dumpin' it all and gettin' one of those handy dandy modern iPod thingies for a while!, heck, it would've saved us the trouble of gettin' an extra floor in the first place... Oh well, truth is I'm too old to ever consider down sizing the collection and walk around with all my records stuffed in a matchbox, it just wouldn't be the same.
OK, on to more important things; more new records 'n books !.
First off: Ramones' tourmanager Monte Melnick's new book on his time with the band is a must read, no two ways about it. 'On The Road With The Ramones' is a bizarre rollercoasterride thru' what must be one of the most twisted stories in r'n'r. Even for know-it-alls like myself, this throws up plenty o' new details to keep you glued to its pages from the git-go. Couple that with a plethora of previously unseen pics 'n memorabilia and you've got the ultimate Ramones bible in your hands.
It almost feels like it was a previous lifetime when I first picked up those French 70's re-prints of the original Gene Vincent footlongs in a local supermarket and got my first taste of Gene's "sweet Virginia whisper". Not sure if Norton's issues of these discs will reach your local 7-11, but by all means try to nail these platters ASAP if you're still un-acquainted to 'em, 'cause they contain information you desperately need !. 50's rockabilly hardly comes better than this.
Gearhead has a solid collection of loose ends 'n stray tunes by the New Bomb Turks available. 'Switchblade Tongues, Butterknife Brains' offers truckloads of unreleased goodies includin' no less then two Devil Dogs' covers. A DVD is in the works.
Rhino's No Thanks! 70's punk rock box-set is easily the equal of their Nuggets and/or the Loud, Fast and Out Of Control sets. A solid collection put together w/ the original focus in mind. Meanin' that you also get to hear tunes by the likes of Mink DeVille and Eddie & The Hot Rods, stuff that'll have your average Good Charlotte fan screamin' in dismay.
As for me, I could happily spend the rest of my life without ever wantin' to hear stuff like the Stranglers again, and even with some of my all-time favorite bands I'm often too familiar w/ the tunes included to still really enjoy 'em. But as a launchin pad for those lookin' for a guide into this stuff, this is really hard to fault on any level. Tho' the purist in me is somewhat infuriated 'bout the inclusion of several laterday "remixes"....
OK, there you have it. I'd better go catch some sleep before those construction workers start knockin' on our door again at 6:30 in the morning...
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