The Next Big Thing

Well, the gallavanting is over and I don't have time to go into last night's TFC thing so will leave it until later... meanwhile there's this...

NORTON RECORDS • DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Hey everybody! Now that we’ve started to descend from Cloud 9 (Sonics brain sprainer on November 4), we’re rallying to stay airborne with a mess of wildass shows and stuff! Check out the Sonics on the Norton myspace page—in this dame’s mind, 11/4/07, will remain engraved in memory as PURE BRAIN SPRAINING FLAME-ON SUPERBOSSITY!!!

• NORTON HOLIDAY SHOW & ASST. MAYHEM!
• HELL OFFICIALLY FROZEN OVER! NORTON GOES DIGITAL TODAY DEC. 4!
• BOBBY FULLER ON "20 UNSOLVED MYSTERIES" THIS WEEKEND!

• NORTON RECORDS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR SAT. DEC. 15 - SOUTHPAW, BROOKLYN!
Join us as Mason meets Dixon as the Reigning Sound (with very special guest Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las) joins the A-Bones All-Star Revue featuring Roy Loney (original singer of the Flamin' Groovies), Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators, soul legend the Mighty Hannibal, the Great Gaylord (the celebrated Sultan of Squat), the inflammable and chartbustin' Figures Of Light of It's Lame fame (first show in 35 years!) and introducing rock n' roll sensations Luis and the Wildfires making their East Coast debut plus the double barreled soul stylings of the Nouvellas (ex-Dansettes), four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree! This won't be no silent night, baby! Washable duds recommended! All the hep stars will be hawking their records, shirts and assorted sundries at the show so you may want to attempt one-stop lazyboy holiday shopping at the event! We have been told by the club that this show will sell out - GET YOUR TICKETS NOW http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&pl=&eventId=222099

FRI. DEC. 7 - KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW/LIVEFASTDIE at Don Pedro's 90 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn. The twin terrors are at it again at Brooklyn’s wettest watering hole yet! Don’t miss these super talented lads as they sing and swing their way into your lobes with their fantastic songs and heart-stopping delivery! Be sure to pick up Norton's latest yuletide single - Black Lips - Christmas In Baghdad/King Khan and BBQ Show - Plump Righteous complete with festive holiday sleeve! http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/46352-black-lips-king-khan-bbq-show-split-xmas-7

SUN. FEB. 17 - THE A-BONES HIT THE WEST COAST!
BOSS HOSS BLOWOUT AT MR. T's BOWL, LOS ANGELES A-Bones attack LA at this fabulous Presidents Day three night (Feb. 15-17) festival featuring the Premiers of Farmer John fame (!!!) plus the unbelievable Flakes, Nikki Corvette (Miriam's teenage pen pal), Haunted George (Norton A&R genius who discovered the U-Turns), Ape City R&B, Rock N' Roll Adventure Kids, Guilty Hearts, Les Hormones… and much mo'! Look for updated info news next time! This is a rare chance to catch the A-Bones as they tear it up on the West Coast!!!

SAT. FEB. 23 - THE A-BONES BAM NEXT MUSIC FESTIVAL, MAGNETIC FIELD, BROOKLYN Back from their surfin’ safari, the A-Bones return to their tip top home stompin' ground hangeroo sporting tans, possibly but not probably!

HELL OFFICIALLY FROZEN OVER! EXTRA! EXTRA!
Direct from the press release:
Norton Records Digital Singles Collection In Stores Now!
Today, Norton Records blasts forth into the digital world with the release of I Hate CDs, a digital-only collection of forty-five 45RPM singles available at the click of a mouse for the very first time. Included in the collection are garage rock luminaries like ? and the Mysterians, power pop progenitors Big Star, distortion-inventors like Link Wray, original Shangri-Las lead singer
Mary Weiss, raunchy hillbilly weirdo Hasil Adkins, and punk rock touchstones the Ramones, whose original 1975 demo of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is easily one the collection’s standouts. For a sample of the rare recording, have a listen to a mock radio spot created by Norton, also including tastes of tracks from Herbie Duncan, Incredible Kings, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Shades of Night.What the press is saying about I Hate CDs:
"In my book, vinyl's not portable enough, and MP3s are barely there, so the CD is a perfect middle-ground medium. Obviously, a fair portion of the music consuming and producing public doesn't agree, including the folks at 21-year-old label Norton Records, who will release I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection Vol. 1 on December 4. I Hate CDs is a digital compilation of 45 45s from Norton's history, including tracks by the Ramones, Big Star, Screami
n' Jay Hawkins, Link Wray, ? and the Mysterians, Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las, the 5.6.7.8's, the Sonics, and the Dictators. Okay, I'm convinced!" - Pitchfork

"This 45 track digital-only collection covers roughly 50 years of popular music history in nearly two hours of singles released by Norton in the last 20+ years. It juxtaposes the familiar (Judy is a Punk by The Ramones) with the fun (Readyman’s nightmarish take on Shortnin’ Bread) without neglecting the freaky (Don "Pretty Boy" Covay's ode to wife-swapping, Switchen in the Kitchen) or the basically frightening (Hasil Adkins). I don't care how much music you own,
unless you work for Norton, you are certain to hear something new. Plus, you likely won't have more fun listening to music this holiday season, unless of course you're doing the devil's business and listening to I Hate CDs." – My
Old Kentucky Blog

I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection Vol. 1 Tracklist:
01. DICTATORS - WHO WILL SAVE ROCK AND ROLL?
02. READYMEN - SHORTNIN’ BREAD
03. LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY - I HATE CD’s
04. BUNKER HILL - THE GIRL CAN’T DANCE
05. HERBIE DUNCAN - HOT LIPS BABY
06. ANDRE WILLIAMS - THE MONKEY SPEAKS HIS MIND
07. INCREDIBLE KINGS - THE LIMP
08. SCREAMING JOE NEAL - ROCK AND ROLL DEACON
09. DALE HAWKINS – NUMBER NINE TRAIN
10. RAMONES - I WANT TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND
11. DON "PRETTY BOY" COVAY - SWITCHEN IN THE KITCHEN
12. 5.6.7.8’s - HARLEM SHUFFLE
13. DARYL BRITT AND THE BLUE JEANS - LOVER LOVER
14. JACK STARR - CHICKEN
15. MARY WEISS - A CERTAIN GUY
16. SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS - I HEAR VOICES
17. WADE CURTISS AND THE RHYTHM ROCKERS - PUDDY CAT
18. KID THOMAS - ROCKIN’ THIS JOINT TO-NITE
19. SHADES OF NIGHT - FLUCTUATION
20. BIG STAR - SEPTEMBER GURLS
21. TRIUMPHS - SURFSIDE DATE
22. JOHNNY CLARK AND THE FOUR PLAYBOYS - JUNGLE STOMP
23. DOUG SAHM AND THE PHAROAHS - SLOW DOWN
24. REIGN - ZIPPERED UP HEART
25. ESQUERITA - ROCKIN’ THE JOINT
26. HASIL ADKINS - CHICKEN SHAKE
27. SONICS - BUSY BODY
28. DANNY ZELLA AND THE ZELL ROCKS - SAPPHIRE
29. JOHNNY POWERS AND THE A-BONES - NEW SPARK
30. MONACLES - I CAN’T WIN
31. LONG JOHN HUNTER – HEY MRS. JONES
32. REAL KIDS - ALL KINDSA GIRLS
33. RAMONES - JUDY IS A PUNK
34. SCOTTY McKAY - BAD TIMES
35. QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS - ARE YOU FOR REAL?
36. ROY LONEY AND THE A-BONES - STOP IT BABY
37. STUD COLE - THE WITCH
38. ALARM CLOCKS - MARIE
39. CREATIONS - BETTER WATCH OUT
40. SABRES - MY HOT MAMA
41. HENTCHMEN - HOT ROD MILLIE
42. JERRY McCAIN AND HIS UPSTARTS - A CUTIE NAMED JUDY
43. UNKNOWN GROUP - I’VE HAD ENOUGH
44. NEANDERTHALS - TWINKLE TOES
45. LINK WRAY AND THE RAYMEN – VENDETTA

Go Here To Buy I Hate CDs:

iTunes
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=267268959&s=143441

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Hate-CDs-Records-Singles-Collection/dp/B000XXU5FO/ref=sr_f3_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1196778624&sr=103-1

eMusic
http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artists-I-Hate-CD-s-Norton-Records-45-RPM-Singles-Collect-MP3-Download/11109228.html

Check out the nifty radio spot (featuring boss DJ Rex from Fool's Paradise!)
for the set at:
http://www.myspace.com/nortonrecords

BOBBY FULLER FANS! THIS SUNDAY- SUNDAY- SUNDAY!
Hot on the heels of Norton's pair of early Fuller albums (Norton ED-325 and ED-326) comes a TV special on unsolved crimes and mysteries which includes Bobby, among others. Let's see what they've come up with! Check out E! Entertainment television's 20 SHOCKING UNSOLVED CRIMES at the times below: Sunday December 9th at 8:00 PM (ET/PT)
Repeats Wednesday, December 12th at 8:00 PM (ET/PT)
Friday December 14th at 9:00 AM (ET/PT)
Saturday, December 15th at 1:00PM (ET/PT)

FOND FAREWELLS TO A COUPLE OF TRUE STARS....

FABULOUS MOOLAH
By Miriam Linna
Mary Lillian Ellison, known to all of us as the Fabulous Moolah, passed away at the age of 84 on November 2, apparently of complications from shoulder replacement surgery. If anybody’s shoulders needed replacement, they’d be Moolah’s, top womens wrestling champion icon who was known for her savage flying head scissors and flying drop kick. My dear friend Michelle was a great fan of
Moolah’s Flying Mare move, which she practiced routinely on my mane. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Moolah: "A flying mare is when you get a girl by the hair of the head and pull her over your shoulder, then slam her to the mat as hard you can. And I love doing that." We all had the enormous thrill and privilege of meeting Moolah at a Cauliflower Club Dinner in 1997, where she glided about in a sizzling sequined gown, perfectly coifed and preened, a soft-spoken star with pizzazz to spare. Moolah, thanks for showing what a girl can do! PS: One of the original band named considered by the Dictators when they were starting out making a racket, was THE FABULOUS MOOLAH!! Just ask Manitoba!

****************
JERRY DALLMAN
by Billy Miller
We received shocking news of the recent passing of Jerry Dallman, the DC area rock n' roll star who scored a solid 1958 hit with The Bug (dig it in John Waters' HAIRSPRAY). It was the A-Bones' long time pal, film director Jeff Krulik (HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT) who'd first hooked the band up with Jerry in 1991. We all became fast friends. Our group backed Jerry up about ten times, usually at the late, great DC Space in Washington DC. Whenever we'd go to DC, the local gang wanted to know if Jerry was making the scene and it was always a huge thrill for all of us whenever he did. I'll never forget Jerry and the Great Gaylord bringing the house down with Don and Dewey's A Little Love at DC Space. We covered Time Machine on our Life Of Riley LP, which was originally done by Jerry's band the Knightcaps. Jerry had an unreal knowledge of early DC rock n' roll and always thrilled us with wild tales of Link Wray, Bunker Hill, Terry and the Pirates and so many others. The A-Bones last backed Jerry at the Link Wray Tribute night in Rockford, Maryland in 2006 and he was, as always, fantastic. Jerry, on behalf of Bruce, Miriam, Lars, Marcus, Gaylord and myself, I thank you for the inspiration, friendship and may you forever rest in peace.

MORE NORTON WAX COMIN' IN JANUARY…

Vinyl reissue of the Dictators' 1977 platter MANIFEST DESTINY complete with original doofus cover and incredible Andy Shernoff anthems like Science Gone Too Far, Exposed, Heartache, Young Fast And Scientific and mo'!

THE BO-KEYS - CONGRATULATIONS/ROYAL PENDLETONS - TELL ME
Our popular Rolling Stones 45 cover series continues with our 19th nervous breakdown, yes the 19th single in the series! This double dip of slow drag burners showcases the Mad Lads lead singer John Gary Williams teaming up with Memphis soul sensations the Bo-Keys on the terrific topside, while Southern slop lords the Royal Pendletons tell us they're coming back to us in grand style!

For More Nortonic Information:
http://www.myspace.com/nortonrecords