Playlist time! Well this certainly took ages to materialize, but for those of you who axed, here it is, again...
On high rotation in the past couple o' months were a trio of Patti Smith boots (I Never Talked To BoB Dylan, Teenage Perversity And Ships In The Night and Free Music Store), all showing the Patti Smith Group in their pre-'77 magnificence, adding dynamics and humor to their songs that was missing on the still genius-like, first two "legal" discs. Does anyone remember Akron misfits the Bizarros? As much as I like their Mercury LP and the split thingy they did with the Rubber City Rebels, nothing beats their 1976 EP on the Gorilla label. Both Lady Doubonette and I Bizarro kinda sound like you always wished Roxy Music would sound like. Speakin' of which, I've been groovin' to the second side of For Your Pleasure quite a bit lately. Probably the most "out there" Roxy ever got (The Bogus Man esp. bein' kinda like the short interlude on Bowie's Daimond Dogs inbetween Sweet Thing and Rebel Rebel in it's bein' ahead of the times). There is always time and a place for yet another Oblivians off-shoot here at H.Q. And the Knaughty Knights (featurin'' Jack O.) easily live up to the legend deliverin' a solid EP on Eric O's Goner imprint that holds just about everything that is lackin' on the past three years o' Rip Off releases. Wenches Of Turpentine St. is as good as anything on the first Boys LP. The Real Kids' Foggy Notion 10" on Norton might be lo on the fi, but hearin' Felice & Co tear thru' the Velvets' songbook (plus a mighty fine take on his previous employer's Fly Into The Mystery) is a real pleasure. And dig the artwork, Norton's attention to detail should be an industry standard... On to some Dutch stuff: Ivy Green is one of my all time fave bands. Why they never get the same kudos as, say, the Motions or the Outsiders, is beyond me. Their first LP is the Dutch equivalent of Stranded or Bollocks, and everything they released during the 80s has a strong Saints-like punk-with-horns feel to it that just can't be beat. The Bintangs usually get the thumbs up for their 60s stuff, but truth be told, I prefer their mid 70s Exile On Main Street inspired releases. Genuine Bull is one of the best Dutch LPs ever with its Stones' like swagger that was recorded at Rockfield. I've been gettin' a lot of flak for atmittin' enjoyin' local hero Spinvis (for you furruners: he's best compared to a Dutch language Beck), but what the heck. His Aan De Oevers Van De Tijd, is not just a great tune, but also serves as an example of how my native tongue can be used in a non sucko way.
That's it for now...