OK. I'm back and I know why I'm a little jumpy about going anyplace these days. Fact is that there's never enough time and ergo a lot of unfinished "business" is the result. People have schedules and these have a tendancy to conflict. Reality is a nonstop kick in the stones alright. All in all though, we had a bloody chuffing ball and I salute those of our extended family that we did see. More of which later...

Meanwhile lets get back to the purpose of all this, to connect you folks with the stuff you need as a regular transfusion, perhaps antidote to the shit you get fed on a day to day basis...

"Ross McIntyre and Martin Percival, who run Rezillos.com on behalf of the band, will be interviewing the Rezillos next month for an exclusive interview to appear on the band's site. This is your chance to ask the Rezillos those questions you've been waiting half a lifetime to ask!!! Please keep it to the Rezillos (no Revillos, Shake, Human League etc at this stage). They're looking to strike a balance in the questions between looking back at the 76-78 era as well as 2001 and forwards. They'll give a name check, of course, for everyone who has questions asked in the interview. The best place to post the questions is on the Yahoo
Groups Rezillos site: RIGHT HERE.

After a good night's sleep I figure it's time to give you the lowdown on the Lille trip. Came home late last night realizing that in the previous 3 days I slept all but 9 hours, and that's tuff goin' at this advanced age... but hey, it was well worth the bother.
Arrived early on Friday morning and went straight to the excellent Musee d'Art Moderne in Villeneuve d'Ascq. I won't bore you with too many details but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of cubist stuff on display and a large number of works by the great Fernand Leger. Spend most of the afternoon strollin' thru' the city of Lille, the place had gone seriously upmarket since it collapsed as one of the last bastions of the industrial revolution several decades ago. The old city and it's numerous small shopping streets were busy to the point of being overcrowded, but the nice weather and relaxed atmosphere made sure I didn't feel the need to wipe out the busloads of tourists gettin' in my way.
When it was time to head for the hotel I took off in the completely opposite direction, thank god I ran into Steve and French Superrock fan extra ordinaire Jean Marc Rimette at that point who probably saved me from walkin' all the way to Antwerp. After shootin' the shit with these guys over a few beers and some microwaved "food" it was time to head for the main reason of our stay: The Fleshtones show at the Aeronef.
We walked in halfway opening band Toxic Waste's set and I amost started whishin' for another one of those nuked to death pizzas. Next up were French punk legends Metal Urbain, who are in the midst of some highly touted reunion tour, and I'm glad to report they did not disappoint. The two guitar/beatbox line-up was still intact and they played fiathfull versions of old classics like 'Paris Maquis' and 'Panik'. Good as it was tho', nothin' could have preparad me for the total onslaught that was the Fleshtones set, from the git go they seemed intend to tear the place up at max velocity. Hey, this Superrock stuff sure ain't for the weak of heart; jumpin', runnin', standin' still (Powerstance!) while constantly poundin' out song after great song ('Destination Greenpoint', 'Burnin' Hell', 'Hitburg USA', 'Ten Dollars More', you name it), these guys are still a force to be reckoned with. Even after close to three decades there's still no sign of 'm headin' for the rightlane, whatever fuels their engine is still in large supply.
The crowd loved it and seemed to have come from all over; including a bunch of German soccer holligans from Gelsenkirchen and a car full of Dutch kids, one of 'm apparently livin' just around the corner from HQ (!), well whadda you know?. If the Fleshtones never made it in the "real world", to a dedicated number of loonies these guys will forever be one of the finest rockin' units to grace this planet's stages. Please be sure to count me in among the latter.
(Check out Steve's tales on the Fleshtones' Hall Of Fame)

I wonder what Joey Ramone would have made of the rag tag nature of the bill that celebrated what would (no make that should) have been his 53rd year on earth? No doubting the sense of purpose but the man deserves way better. Highlight outright was finally getting to meet Karen (DFFD) Winter.

Time to close up shop for a couple o' days. What with Lindsay bein' "outta the loop" 'till the 27th, and Steve 'n me headin' for France to catch the Fleshtones (and Metal Urbain!) in action, there will be no new posts here before the 24th.
So 'till then; God bless...

I'm a bit short on time to give you the full lowdown on this disc, but please believe me when I say that BGP's Super Funk vol.4 is as wild a funk comp as you're gonna get these days. The abuse of the Hammond B-3 on the National Soul Review's 'Engine #9' has got to be heard to be believed and is worth the price of admission alone, why the thing didn't blew it's fuses is beyond me. Scorchin', screamin', wailin', this disc is the ultimate in "good god y'all" party sounds...

The "Son of a whore" Next Big "Rugmuncher" Thing. (link c/o Jan Kooi)

The Unpopular blog has news on the whereabouts of Dan Tracey. (link c/o J.M.)

Barracudas (with Chris Wilson) this Friday in London.
Just to let you know that The Barracudas are playing on Friday 21st of May at The Dirty Water Club in London. Chris will be playing more than just an encore this time...

A footnote, even though it appears above Joss's original top tip, thanks Kjell. "Concerning cleaning the old vinyls: instead of fiddling with the hands I usually use an old toothbrush (soft) for this kind of activity! It gives a more professional impression than using just the hands!!!!"

Hey, the brand new, tres sharp lookin' STAR SPANGLES site is all systems go. Pledge yer allegience and if you're in the hood, scoot to the Mercury Lounge in NY on May 20th.

Uh oh, have any of you been experiencing e-grief on the mail front this past couple of days. Both here and at work servers have been up and dying or worse. Then I schlepp into the old blog thing here and they've been mucking about with the way you post etc. but I think I'm down with it now. I'm going to be somewhat outta the loop from tomorrow until approx. May 27th or thereabouts. Meanwhile Brother Joss weighs in with this public service info...



"Stronger Than Dirt - Or, How To Clean Yer Dirty Rekkids With Good Old Soap & Water!"

Frustrated by that awesome 45 you ordered from the US of A, which turned out to be filthier than your bestest drinkin' buddy's sexual fantasies? Nabbed an outrageously kool disc at a charity/thrift store, but it's got cat sick all over it? Lovingly deposited fingerprints and snot on yer fave blast from the past? Don't wanna buy or can't afford one o'them spiffy rekkid cleaning machines? Have no fear, Dr Rekkid is 'ere!

I've used the same simple rekkid cleaning method for years, often to rescue discs which are virtually unplayable (from accumulated storage dirt/grease, fingerprints, fluff in the grooves or just plain gobs of muck), and have had absolutely NO problems whatsoever, from a storage stability, cleaning medium residue or deteriorating sound quality POV. Obviously, 45s are easier to clean with this method than LPs (which can be unwieldy!), but having compared the results between using this and a £1,000 record cleaning machine, I'd go for the sink everytime! The only things I've had probs with are UK red label Atlantic 45s, which stain your fingers a nasty shade of crimson! Obviously, this method won't work if you've got long fingernails or hands textured like a bricklayer's!

You will need:

A new/non-gritty bar of good quality, perfume/conditioner-free pure vegetable soap A small/forceful flow of cold water (i.e. a faucet or tap!) A freshly laundered linen dishcloth/tea towel/glasscloth (must be pure linen, because of the lack of 'nap' on the surface of the towel) A flat surface Two hands

1) Clean your hands thoroughly, using the soap, paying close
attention to the tips of the fingers.

2) Lay the linen towel out on a handy flat & stable surface.

3) Grab 45/LP with yer left paw, by the label/edge, and wet the first side under a reasonable flow from the cold faucet.

4) Making sure that the surface of the vinyl is still wet/holding water, rub the fingers of your right hand across the soap, collecting enuff to make a small amount of 'slip' on yer digits, i.e. a visible amount of soap without lumps or smears.

5) Lay your fingers flat across the width of the vinyl, and move them towards yourself (clockwise, following the grooves!), as you slowly rotate the vinyl anti-clockwise, making sure you clean the whole width of the record.

6) Don't let the record dry out with soap on it! Add a smidge more water / soap as required!

7) After you've gone right around the record half a dozen times or so, paying particular attention to really mucky spots, turn the faucet on full and, holding the record at approx 45 degrees, angle it into the water stream, moving the vinyl up and down across the grooves, while turning it slowly anti-clockwise. Repeat for the second side, and then give both a another swoosh under the water, just to remove any dirt contamination from side one to two.

8) Shake the record to revove any large droplets of water, and check for soap residue (there shouldn't be any).

9) Lay the record on the linen towel and, using the ends of your fingers spread on the label, turn gently clockwise. Repeat for the other side, then move the record to a dry part of the towel and repeat on both sides.

10) When dry, wipe with your desired de-fluffing device/set your record brush up, then play!

Joss "Freezing fingers / clean vinyl" Hutton "

Some upcomin'local shows: June 2nd the 5.6.7.8's at EKKO. Line-up #4929 of the Nitwitz are playin' Utrecht's DBs club on June 3th. Later that month; Zeke (22nd) and on July 5th the Reigning Sound (both also at the EKKO).

RIP: Barney Kessel.

Here's a short record update for those of you who care about such things (I know you're out there!). First off: Sony has put out a series of what they call "millenium editions" among which is the disc that includes our theme song; 'The Dictators Go Girl Crazy', nothing too special tho' except that it's housed in a digi-pack and retails for about $8.00. Same series also includes the Groovies' 'Supersnazz'. The Ramones 'Live at NYC Palladium 1978' disc has been around on CD for a while, but you might wanna check out Earmark's excellent vinyl edition. Handsomely packaged, this show was recorded only a week after the landmark 'It's Alive' set, but gives a more honest view of the original gung-ho Ramones in a live setting as that one was doctored to the point that it could almost be viewed as a studio album. Liners by Monte Melnick add to it's desirability. Thundertrain's recent Gulcher CD also get's the vinyl treatment from yet another Italian label. This fine slab of prime mid 70s pre-punk rock is not only the perfect soundtrack while reading back isues of Back Door Man, it also serves as a reminder of the wide range of sounds that made up the mid 70s US underground. More traditional than, say, Patti Smith or Rocket From The Thombs, these guys were as much a part of the undercurrent as either of 'm. I've long lost track of the KBD-styled comps that flooded the market in recent years thanks to the ever louder sound of barrel scraping on most of the wax on offer, but 'Bored Teenagers vol.3' is a nice (and legal!) exception to the rule. Well researched, this album delivers some great UK p-rock obscurities for fans of the early Jam and TV Personalities.

The Rev. Chris Stigliano's BLOG TO COMM is up and at ya... make it worth his while.

"That's right poopsnacks, Amsterdam's Nitwitz, the band that rocks a little harder and never bothers to play their own country is heading for the land of TITTIES AND TAPAS for the fourth time : 4 Juni RENNES (F) , Mondo Bizarro; 5 Juni PARIS (F), tbc; 6 Juni TOULOUSE (F), L'autan; 7 Juni BERGARA (ES), Sala Jam; 8 Juni SAN SEBASTIAN (ES) Azkena; 9 Juni CACERES (ES), Sala Aldana; 10 Juni MADRID (ES), Gruta77; 11 Juni LEON (ES), Caan; 12 Juni ZARAGOZA (ES) venue tbc; 13 Juni SANT FELIU (ES) Atzavara Club; 14 Juni MONTPELLIER (F), Taf; 20 Juni BERLIN (D) Wild At Heart. Additional Swiss, German, and Scandi dates are in the works !".

So let's see, let's have a little resume of the past week... The GEOGRAPHIC day at Triptych was the polar opposite of rock'n'roll action. The Glasgow based label has really established itself as a solid one stop shop for what might be considered "outsider music" but is in effect cinematic in scope. I can't say that I dig much of what was on show but the vibe and the djing was top notch. The action started at the very reasonable time of 5pm which meant Gran'paw here could be back home before it got too late. I'm thinking about starting a campaign for all shows to start at this time, whaddaya reckon?



Fast forward to Wednesday and the Dave Alvin/Guilty Men show on The Ferry. No prizes for guessing that it was a stone gas but in terms of utter entertainment there just ain't many of these to the pound or whatever yer favourite unit of weight might be. With Chris Gaffney now a full time offender also, the troops dragged them blues kicking and screaming into a whole new arena. Dave is a fearsome guitar player and he's out to take the crown off anybody you figure might be better. The stellar set featured a nice cross section of his catalogue and two songs from his upcoming ASHGROVE set due June 15th on YEPROC.

Fellow YepRockers Big Sandy and his Flyrite Boys took the stage at Glasgow's Grand Ole Opry the night after and seemed very at home on that stage. The locals, headed up by one John Miller esq rolled up to the stage with tequilas for the man and he got increasingly pished over the course of the set. Like a true pro though, it never encroached on his sweet, civilised western swingin'. Openers Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers have rattled up a fair old rep on the bush telegraph but I found it all a tad laboured. It's like The Polecats meet Nine Pound Hammer via The Cramps. The schtick is very pantomime inbred and the "singers" antics began to grate very quickly. Imagine Dave Gahan gurning on Stars In Their Eyes as a young Jerry Lee. Sure, it's loud and somewhat in your face but it's all been done better and way sicker. Comparisons to J. Rotten Esq. and The Stooges are wide of the mark I'd say but valid for populist inclusion. I haven't heard their record but i'm thinking that its probably a tempo tantrum too far. They went down well though and that perplexes me as much as anything. Maybe my inability to be bowled over was because of the sheer power that was on display at The Ferry the evening before but on this occaision mine boat was nada floated.

Friday and Saturday have been spent chasing around the countryside trying to cover as many bases as possible. All of which I expect to come crashing down around my heid any minute. It's unlikely that I'll make tonights LOS STRAITJACKETS extravaganza because I'm too plumb pooped to pop and the thought of getting in at midnight and rising at 6am doesn't eleicit much in the way of joy. It's becoming increasingly obvious that I cannae dae it all but I still insist on having a go at it. Maybe that counts for something?

They said it couldn't happen, but it looks like a Reigning Sound tour is upon us: June 29 NL AMSTERDAM - PARADISO, 30 NL HEYTHUYSEN - TOM TOM, July
01 NL GRONINGEN - VERA, 02 HAARLEM - PATRONAAT, 03 NIJMEGEN - MERLYN, 04 ROTTERDAM - METROPOLIS, 05 UTRECHT - EKKO.

Where the hell does all the time go? I used to have bings of it and now I'm running on empty. It's been a heckuva week, head down - straight on with the dayjob activities. No amount of kvetching is gonna change that at this point so we'll see how it all figures in the season finale. Been at a bunch of shows this week though and I'll try to give you some kinda perspective on that in due course. Bet you cannae wait?...

Important news from Star Spangle HQ for you East Coasters...

"New York City's best rock and roll show for quite a while comes to the Mercury Lounge, May 20th when The Romantics, The Chesterfield Kings, The Star Spangles and The Strines kick 'em out. If you're planning on coming, please do us a favor. Get there early, and support the whole show. You will not be disappointed. Mention The Star Spangles to the person at the door, so we can get paid."

The Spangles have just been added to these additional shows with The Romantics and The Chesterfield Kings.

May 18th: Poughkeepsie, the Chance
May 19th: Philadelphia, North Star

The new SS site will launch anyday now so we'll let you know.

Link: Mick Farren's blog Doc 40.

RIP: Sir Coxsone Dodd.

The Dutch National Archive has over 500.000 images available on line. Digging around a bit turns up some great stuff like pictures of the Sex Pistols in Amsterdam, Beatles and Stones in Holland, plenty of Shocking Blue snaps, Outsiders, Golden Earrings, you name it...
(The weirdos in the picture here are the Bumpers, a bizarre punk-rock spoof from '78)

This month's releases from Ace Records offer some seriously hot stuf...

Reigning Sound - Too Much Guitar (In The Red LP).
Almost two years after the genius 'Time Bomb High School' LP we finally get the Reigning Sound's follow-up disc. "Was it worth the wait?" you axe, bet y'r fat behind baby!, 'cause this is one fine wailin' set that delivers the goods in no uncertain terms. These guys are connected to the same energy source that fueled those legendary Memphis 45s on Sun 'n Stax, and like all great bands they take in all the right influences to create a sound that is strictly their own. Fuck the "ex-Oblivians" tag, the Reigning Sound by now deserve equal rankin'.

KINGLY does it again...

Laura's first foray into the world of CD releases is out now on SPIT & POLISH, it includes her rousing version of Homer Henderson's "Lee Harvey" so no excuses for a non-score.

LONG RYDERS shows, link provided by Mr Bjorn.

Don't forget the DAVE ALVIN visit to Glasgow this week if you're in the hood. There's only one place to be this coming Wednesday (5th) and that's the Renfrew Ferry. That "UTILITY" should read "GUILTY" of course.



The night after (6th), BIG SANDY will take the boards at the Grand Ole Opry in Glesgae as will LOS STRAITJACKETS on the 9th. That's a lot of entertainment I know, but you gotta take them kicks when you can.

Not sure how 100% this is yet but, the DKT/MC5 phenomenon will hit auld Glasgow toon at the end of August. The Garage in Sauchiehall St. apparently...

Lotta the runny stuff to flow under the brig' afore then though.

Captain Joss has provided the following info for your edification. Or edju-macation even....

Noo Yoik Dolls live & on fillum at Meltdown!

"OK, so I've always maintained that Stephen Patrick Morrissey should've been shot in the back of the head after completing woik on his New York Dolls tome (as should've Crapton, after exiting The Yardbirds, but I digress ...). Nonetheless, he remains an innerestin' cove, even if his records have always sucked a weenie (figuratively, and probably literally) - see that quite charming TV doc on him aired a coupla months ago, and recent hilarious innerviews in Grauniad/NME etc for proof of puddin' type stuff ... And anyone who's that obsessed with Diana Dors gets my vote (including PJ Proby) ...

Anyhoo, the time has finally arrived for SPM to fulfill his original destiny, and pay due respects to the band who Creem's readers once voted best AND worst of the year. Yes, peoples, I'm talkin' about those New York Dolls! With Johnny & Jerry pushing up daisies, it's left to the infatigable Sylvian, chief drongo Johansen, and a surprising still respiratin' Arthur Kane (who's now apparently living in Beverly Hills - how??? Dunno!) to do the honours, along wid onetime Axel 'dick' Rose stooge Izzy Stradlin (no' funny then, or now) and Libertines sticksman Gary Powell. Well, whaddya expect, Killer Kane's Beverly Hills neighbour Steve Jones and his old mucker Paul Cook? Well, yes, actually ... No, don't cry ...

There's also gonna be a fillum nite showing of BOB GRUEN's celluloid guff, including a "never before seen" 'Dolls documentary, and the Lipstick Killers flick used to innntroduce the band at their Valentine's Day Massacre show of 1974, plus Live At Max's '76 ... Weeeeeee! So it runs down like this (straight off'a the press release):

Wednesday 16 June at 7.45pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tickets £8 THE FILMS OF BOB GRUEN

Friday 18 June at 8.00pm, Royal Festival Hall. Tickets £22.50 - £25 THE NEW YORK DOLLS

Tickets onsale April 29th: 08703 808 300 www.rfh.org.uk/meltdown

BTW, it's a salute utilisin' big saggy tits to Iggy & The Stooges, as they couldn't be arsed to do a stand-alone show in the UK! And their tight schedule don't allow public pressure to dictate that they play one, neither ... Fuck them ClearChannel folks! Anyway, they're doing Berlin and France, so get yer asses over the water ...

If you wanna meet before the Gruen or 'Dolls shingdiggeries, I'll be in the bar (prayin' to Sam Phillips) ..."

Selah

Joss Hutton

Woke up this morning, more bloody e-mail problems. However, The Rev Dan Penniman would like a word...

Hey Mortals,
A surprise Venus Ray show for you, and a special hot tip – advance notice of Meltdown booking, so you can snap up some Dolls tickets before all those other saps...
Happy dialling, Dan xx

Tuesday 11th May
Venus Ray and Bikini Atoll play The Comedy in Piccadilly
7 Oxendon Street, Piccadilly, London SW1Y 4EE
Enquiries: 020 7839 7261 Box Office: 020 7839 7261
A Pennyblack Music presentation. www.indiemusic.co.uk Tickets £t.b.c.

And on Friday tickets go on sale at the Royal Festival Hall for an intriguing but probably misguided reincarnation of the New York Dolls, and (perhaps a safer bet) an evening of film, including the legendary “Lipstick Killers” and an unseen Dolls documentary. Call 08703 808 300 or book at http://www.rfh.org.uk

Wednesday 16th June
Queen Elizabeth Hall 7.45pm
“New York Rock n Roll”
The Films of Bob Gruen. New York Dolls film premiere and more

Friday 18th June
Royal Festival Hall 8pm
New York Dolls + James Maker with Noko 440

Sunday 20th June
Royal Festival Hall 7.45pm
Nancy Sinatra + guests

Saturday June 5th
The Borderline
Vic Goddard and Subway Sect + Venus Ray
Orange Yard, off Manette St, W1
Admission £7.00 Advance Tickets from the Borderline: 020 7534 6970
www.borderline.co.uk , Ticketmaster, or at The Astoria box office

Amen to that brother. It seems like the Franzies are perfectly level-headed people but keep their putrid weedy angular guitar tripe the heck away from me. That's not too much to ask, right? Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday to us...

Has it really been a year already?. Heck, it still feels like we've just started!.
Anyways, I still consider it an honour to be contributing to this here version of the ol' NBT. Bein' a long time, and avid, reader of Lindsay's printed wares over the years, and generally thinkin' nothin' but good about the man's taste, it still feels kinda weird sharin' the same stage, but what the hey...
The past 12 months saw a great deal of change in my life, not just turning 40, but becomin' a dad as well. But one thing sure hasn't changed; and that's the search for what Lindsay calls "the real stuff". Whatever it bein' food, wine, books, "art" or, yes, rock & roll, there's an ongoing quest for the undiluted, the kinda stuff that ain't watered down for mass consumption. I'd like to think of the NBT as the r'n'r version of the slowfood movement, that opposes the decline of our taste buds c/o Burger King and McDonalds and pointing out the, hopefully, obvious fact that there is more to life than the choice between a Whopper and a Big Mac. Just like there's an alternative to listenin' to Robbie Williams, Kings Of Leon or Franz Ferdinand....

So, I guess this internut THING is a year old tomorrow but I doubt that I'd get around to doing this then so forgive me for being a few hours premature. I like to be early for things, it's a vice of mine. Time is marching by for sure... A big round of whatever they're having then for Jeroen and Steve for keeping it all on the rails. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be doing this if it hadn't been for their kick-start and invaluable technicianship. I raise my glass also to our friends and regular visitors who stop by to check it all out. My ramblings of late probably instigate some head scratching. Of course, compared to the day to day shit that some people are dragged through - my situation is somewhat self ordained - but I'll be working on that, through that, whatever it takes to get on to the next season. If you have a mind to, then help us make this into THE one stop place for the real stuff. A place to get in, find the info and scoot. Just the facts, as Joe Friday preferred 'em.
The beat goes on and may you never, not ever, lose it...

Enter the world of THE GEATOR...

Great RAY CONDO obit by CARL WILSON.

Photo from Maximum Ink

Norton Records releases for May:

Nervous Norvus - Stone Age Woo CD.
Massive first time collection of the stone age gristle of musical genius Jimmy Drake a/k/a Nervous Norvus! Includes privately pressed platters, demos and unissued melloroonie masters, all kibble kobblin' their way into the unsuspecting ears of the universe and beyond! Giant bio booklet filled with clips, snips, facts and photos make this an essential addition to every wild dog's collection. Be Zorch, Daddy-O... GO APE!

Fort Worth Teen Scene LP/CD vol. 1-3.
Gigundo wrap up of 1964-1967 Texas garage whomp from Fort Worth, based on Larry Harrison and David Campbell’s landmark article in KICKS #4. Includes famed five star killers by the Elite, Jades, Larry and the Blue Notes, rare uncomped singles by the Gnats, Mistakes, Jack and the Rippers plus unished rawness from the Barons, Rising Suns, Mods and much, much, mo’! Brutal sound, full color label shots, gatefold LP’s and detailed bios and photos of the groups that made up one of America’s most intense garage scenes ever! All this plus two photos of the Slobs!

Johnny Burnette Crazy Date & Wampus Cat LPs.
is pair of Norton LP-only releases delivers 36 unreleased 1957-60 rock n’ roll demos-- 27 on vinyl for the very first time! Includes the original demos of Believe What You Say and It’s Late, both smash hits for Ricky Nelson! Johnny was striving for commercial success but was still aflame with his native Memphis rhythm. Essential longplay enjoyment!

Gene Vincent Sounds Like Gene Vincent & Crazy Times LPs.

Triumphs - Surfside Date (EP-104) Surfside Date/Susie In My Hist’ry Class/Surfside Slave/Memphis Baby Dig the razzamatazz of Wisconsin’s answer to Gregory Dee and the Avanties! Crazed ‘64 single plus unished pair!

Randy Alvey & the Green Fuz - Green Fuz/There Is A Land (45-115) Legendary mega-rare crude Texas garage lament on fuzzy green wax with first time re-ish of tormentuously essential flip! Interview with Randy on bio-sleeve!

Jukebox 45s: Botumles Pit - 13 Stories High/Rising Suns – I’m Blue. Raw Texas garage double scorcher! Ultra rare GRAVE blast topside paves the loud way for the unissued flip from our FORT WORTH TEEN SCENE set!. KAI RAY - I Want Some Of That/Trashman’s Blues. Immortal lunatic ode by Minneapolis bird dance kult king and inker of Trashmen’s New Generation! By the way, the T-Men copped their moniker from the flipside!.

Rolling Stones tribute series: A-Bones - Miss Amanda Jones/Rotting Stumps - My Obsession. Talk about a Boogers Banquet! Topside’s the first new A-Bones recording in ten years! The magnificent Rotting Stumps (man)handle the B-deck in rip roarin’ style! Two over the top BETWEEN THE BUTTONS hammerings!. Andre Williams and The A-Bones - The Spider And The Fly/Greasy Chickens - Andre’s Blues. Dig the Rolling Stones greasy grind favorite Spider And The Fly once Andre grabs hold of it! Keith Richards recently picked Jail bait as one of his all time favorites and Andre tips the pimp hat back at him here! Speakin’ of paying homage, the Greasy Chickens honor Mr. Rhythm with Andrew’s Blues, a reworking of the Stones X-rated classic!. 5.6.7.8’S - 19th Nervous Breakdown/Church Keys - Who’s Driving Your Plane?. Tokyo’s frantic femmes make a quick return to Norton wax with a manic reading of one of the Stones’ finest hours! On the flip, an old boozy Stones b-side reaches new blood alcohol levels in the hands of Brooklyn beat butchers, the Church Keys!. Greenhornes - Sad Day/Shams - Under My Thumb. It’s a Cincinnati slugfest! Internationally established hooligans the Green-hornes give a sorely overlooked early Stones nugget a stompin’ three chord rebirth! Thee Shams deliver a prime pounder outta their five star repertoire!.

Attention Canadian Readers! (Thanks to Tina Cooper for the heads up)



GOLDIROCKS is premiering in Toronto Thursday May 27 at the Varsity (by special invite) followed by a big rock and roll party at Lee's Palace.

THE PARTY IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Bands: Tijuana Bibles, The Chickens and Wayne Omaha (featuring one of the stoner guys from the film) will all play sets at the party AND... TEENAGE HEAD with guest singers FROM THE MOVIE - Sasha Ormond (GOLDI) will sing Let's Shake, Greg LeGros (MILES), Paula Tiberius (director of Goldirocks and guitarist of Sticky Rice), Robin Black, Dave Robinson (Chickens), John Borra - and hopefully Moe Berg and Ian Blurton schedules permitting.

The party will also serve as a CD release party for the official Goldirocks soundtrack which will be in stores across Canada (distrib: Maple Nationwide) May 25. It's 22 tracks of pure gold, baby! (distribution for the cd in the US is by Cobracide) Theatrical run of Goldirocks begins in Toronto Friday May 28th at The Carlton Cinema. It is especially important for people to go out that weekend as ticket sales that first weekend determine the run of Goldirocks in Toronto, and influence theatres in other cities as well. Goldirocks will be opening in other cities across Canada soon.

It's a great wee film. Support it already!

Looking forward to hearing the brand new AMY RIGBY composition, "DANCING WITH JOEY RAMONE". Word on the bush telegraph is that it's a cracker! They should have her perform it at Joe's Birthday Bash!!

OK folks let's get this show on the road. Onward and wherever the hell it takes us. When Frank Macdonald sent me some info on a band called THE THINGS from Dublin, I followed it up (Thanks Ruairi). After all, I've never been able to resist a combo that had a logo with a Famous Monsters-esque font. Apparently they've been doing demos for Sony UK but don't hold that agin them. They have energy to spare and are only wee. Their high octane garage-ing is spirited to be sure but I'm not sure if it's ready to be spread via a major corporation. They might wanna bone it up so it really splits some skullage some way down the line. On a more poptastic line, BRONCO BULLFROG have made an album which recalls Teenage Fanclub and The Autumn Leaves in equal measure. "WHAT PEOPLE DID BEFORE TV" is out now on REV-OLA and it's a slab of solid ent if I ever came across one. "The Savage Beat of THE SCREAMING TRIBESMEN" on SHOCK is a collection of all the bands recorded work and some live action on one of those cd things. As some of you will know "Igloo" is one of the finest 45's ever cut so if you don't got that then it's worth the price of admission alone. These Aussies are in a class of their own, always were and will be. Another country that knows what it's about when it comes to shakin' it is Sweden and CAPTAIN MURPHY are winging it aboot like the proverbial polaroid piccy. Their debut album has been produced by the great Chips K and therefore you just know its gotta swing because that guy has got the chops. The garage disease continues to sweep the globe. When THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS appear in the greatest programme on TV (The Sopranos, you twonk!) then maybe, just maybe mind, there's hope. But then again...
One other thing that flagged up some optimism was Fran Lisco's post (Reply #70) on the Muscletone website with regard to MC5/ATT. Much sense was spoken with regard to the film and beyond. This lassie knows what she's talkin' 'bout.

The wonders of technology: a Ramones Name Generator.

The Master Plan were invited to play at a wedding reception in Mexico over the Easter Weekend. Follow the link to the Dictators website for a couple a shots of the band enjoying the sun.

If things`seem rather slow 'round here, I can at least offer an explanation on my part as some kinda virus took hold of my pc in an ungaurded moment and completely wrecked the thing. In the mean time I have to make due with the wife's laptop...

RIP: Phyllis Dillon. Details are sketchy but it seems the Jamaican singer lost her battle against cancer last week in a NYC hospital. Not that it matters much, but her take on 'Perfidia' has been a long time fave of both Alice 'n me...

Hip new web-zine: Terminal Boredom.

The No-Goods - Hits Uit Het Noorden (Kuriosa 10"LP).
It seems like a good year for Dutch bands putting out cool 10" discs; first the Sack-O'-Woes (mentioned somewhere below), and now these guys. The No-Goods hail from Meppel (don't ask) and, after a couple o' CDs that didn't make any waves, put out a great 45 out last year. With this tho' it seems they're intend on claimin' pole position in the Dutch garage band stakes. If you're in anyway as much into Nederbiet as you should be, these are your guys. Forget the dull-beyond-words Waistcoats, the No-Goods deliver a sound that's somewhere halway 'between the Medway delta and age-old Op-Art 45s, not mere copyin' tho', but real inspiration.
(Available via Soundflat)

So long RAY CONDO. ERic (Mr. Rock-n-Roll) supplied this obit from Velvet Rope.com,

"It is with great regret that his close friends must report the sudden death of Rock and Roll legend Ray Condo. Ray was found dead in his apartment in Vancouver, April 15 from an apparent heart attack.

Ray did not have any immediate family but did have a family of friends that cared for him dearly; this family stretched around the world.

Ray had recently returned to an active music career after a three year break during which he worked for the Canadian National Railways. Ray was Canada's representative at the many international festivals he played and was preparing to tour the US, Europe and Australia this coming summer. His recent shows (including a sold out show in Los Angeles at the Derby) had shown Ray to be in fine form.

Ray became a country and rockabilly singer through the back door of punk, playing in Vancouver's The Secret V's. Exposure to the Cramps led him to revisit his Elvis roots and in 1984 he formed Ray Condo & The Hardrock Goners in Montreal. The group quickly became Canada's premier rockabilly act. Ray moved back to Vancouver in 1994, forming Ray Condo & The Ricochets, whose mix of western swing, rockabilly and jazz delighted fans around the world.

At the time of his death, Ray Condo was in the process of building a new group and sound with longtime guitar player Stephen Nikleva and fellow music veteran Ian Tiles. Ray was optimistic, and looking forward to the future. He will be sorely missed.

Edited by Gigliamo (04/19/04 05:50 PM)

I'm having a little trouble with the "Travis Bickle" in me. I've often been ready to snap but can't recall it ever being as bad as this. Not in a long, long while anyway. The logistical day to day operations are further hampered by the post office alleging to get "effcient" on our ass by making one delivery per day and shutting the collection office in the afternoon. In addition, they're eroding the morale of their staff and consigning a once flagship system to the dumper along with their service. I know that elsewhere, particularly in the US - people will say so what's wrong with that? It's like the hamburger to steak analogy, I dunno what that'd translate into for veggies but work with me on this willya? Another "institution", the trains now have to contend with barriers at the Glasgow and Edinburgh stations and that means that the already overcrowded, under-carriaged trains take longer to unload their cargo into the station. These London-style ticket barriers can't clear the folk like their English cousins and it's snarl up city. Nothing is easy, nothing flows and I can't be arsed with it. Things used to be better (didn't they?). Back when the scum hadn't seemed to have inherited the earth and infected every fibre of our being. Everything is so undernourished. I don't want to be a person like other people. I reserve the right not to have my back pissed up under the auspices that it might be raining and I won't. This may mean that soon, I never leave the house again but that doesn't sound too bad to me let me tell ya. I'm fast approaching the advanced "shut-in" stage and the thought divnae fill me with dread.

NO TOMORROW Records Presents THE BOWERY ELECTRIC EP

"It's three years since Joey Ramone left us and it's been a long time since we wanted to pay tribute to the greatest punk singer ever, but we wanted to do it right. It took three years but here it is at last.

A few days after Joey's death, the Ramones Creative Director, Arturo Vega heard a song that moved him deeply. The song had been written by a New York songwriter named Jed Davis to honor Joey and lamented his death while celebrating his connection with music, his fans, and New York City. Specially his own neighborhood around the avenue better known as "The Bowery" in the East Village. Arturo knew that SOMETHING needed to be done with it. But what?

Longtime Ramones/Joey producer Daniel Rey was a fan of "The Bowery Electric" as well. Daniel had heard the song while working with Jed's band, and he wanted to record it. Arturo played the song for Tommy, Marky and CJ Ramone - they all liked it and agreed to be part of the project. The idea of a tribute from "Joey's Musical Family" was born. Jed and Arturo decided to call the song "The Bowery Electric"

In March, 2002, two historic recording sessions took place in secret. Tommy, Marky, CJ, Daniel, Jed, and Arturo met at Loho Studios on Clinton Street and fired up "The Bowery Electric".

BOWERY ELECTRIC CREW - Tommy Ramone: producer, percussion, Marky Ramone: drums, CJ Ramone: bass, Daniel Rey: guitars, Jed Davis: vocals, keyboards, Arturo Vega: executive producer

The sessions were significant for many reasons (besides the obvious). This was the first time Tommy and CJ had ever worked together. Tommy's last Ramones-related production was 1984's "Too Tough to Die"; CJ joined the band six years later. "The Bowery Electric" is the first song to feature both great Ramones producers. Daniel is responsible for the best of the band's later work (plus Joey's solo album), and of course Tommy co-produced most of the Ramones' early recordings. It's also the first song Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummers Marky AND Tommy both played on. Tommy produced "Road to Ruin," but here he plays percussion over Marky's drums.

"The song existed first," Arturo says. "The power of this song made it possible for all these Ramones to get together and pay tribute". DeeDee who couldn't attend the recording sessions, decided to create a series of four paintings for the packaging of the music. The paintings were based on a poem he had written when he heard of Joey's passing.

The next step was to get the fans involved in the tribute, and to achieve this officialramones.com organized "THE BOWERY ELECTRIC FESTIVAL" The event took place in CBGB and it was a song writing contest to honor Joey, with young non-profesional bands as contestants. Five judges voted for the winner song and band NEVER FORGET/GOINGPLACES.

No Tomorrow has the great pleasure to present this very special package containing both songs honouring Joey Ramone and also a new, exclusive song by No Tomorrow artists and much talked about punkpop sensation Suzy & Los Quattro remembering Dee Dee Ramone. Pressed on coloured vinyl (500 blue, 500 pink), contained in hard euro-sleeve style cover and including an insert with the story of how The Bowery Electric Crew came to be.

What about the music? Well, let's just say that all three songs here would have made Joey proud. "The Bowery Electric" is a Ronettes styled pop gem that is bound to be the definitive Joey tribute, with highly emotional lyrics. "Never forget" is a punkpop nugget a la Green Day's first album with great double lead vocals and a snotty ending part that is pure Dee Dee. Last but not least, SUZY and LOS QUATTRO show their constantly improving potential with their best song to date, a blast of melody, powerful guitars and hooks that is and will be exclusive to this release."

* * * * *

Thanks to Agent Heiko I got a preview of The Bowery Electric cut and it's a good song begging to be sung by Ronnie Spector. That would shred. The Suzy cut (I'm not Glad To see You Go) is utterly, gobsmackingly pure punk pop that I'm sure Joe would have been thrilled with. It all comes from the heart, what's not to dig...

Couple of cool Ebay Items you may care to check out... firstly this belter from Mr. B. Milne Esq. and another wee cracker from Mrs Stim.

I just about survived the first week in the Gervais-like new setting only it's not funny, just toe-curlingly embarrassing. The chatter/carping and the general trivial pish that (most of) the denizens partake of is doing my practically hairless head in. I can't switch off and thusly hear every twitter, every flesh creeping spurt of verbal diarhorrea and cackle. Emphasis on the cack here. Then there's the mobile phone ringtone that plays the James Bond theme, is there no end to the humiliation? I'm holding back here, can you tell? Not the best environment to be creative in then, no matter what the view from the window. In the bleak midwinter, driech will be the word and the lid may well come off this pressure cooker also. However, there is much going on outwith and some folks tell me that I'm lucky to have a job at all. Aye right, don't they know the world owes me a living? The cliche mongers are sapping my will not to explode alright but I shall overcome. For my homies.

TONY SLUG's long awaited compilation album... OUT VERY SOON !!!
"That's right party people, Tony Slug is BACK !, Late as fuck, drunker than shit, and about to bust open another can of whup-ass on you. No shit freaks, the man with a cynical approach to life, hipster rock and dumb motherfuckers brings you "Here's Fifty Bucks", the ULTIMATE SOUNDTRACK TO THAT ASS BEATING YOU TOOK AS A KID in one handy package, handsomely designed by amazing Dutch underground artist Vince Ruarus !!!!

Describing most compilations around today as ‘ leaving you thinking you need to wipe, but when you do, there’s nothing there", riff-meister Slug chose all selections on ‘ Here’s Fifty Bucks ‘ *himself* over four years ago and remastered the whole bunch with fellow Slugrock Super Villain, the amazing Inspector Gadget ! Rest assured that whomp levels remain maxed at all times as a truly international star-studded cast of action rockers deliver the goods, prompt and to the face, the way your sister likes it.

"This is *real* music that'll rock hair off your ass and make you cry like a man !!! It will satisfy the most jaded of you fartsucking flames and hotrod fools out there...And just like a trip up your sister's corn chute on Prom Night, it's well worth the money, cause the $7.00 you pay gets you inside."

Now on to the track listing :

GLUECIFER (NORWAY) - God’s Chosen Dealer, PLEASURE FUCKERS (SPAIN) - Electric Fence*, GEDS (USA) - Burnt City*, NITWITZ (HOLLAND) - Rock Pusher *, CANDY SNATCHERS (USA) - Run You Down *, UNION69 (USA/SWEDEN) - Mongo Magnet *, BIG PAULUS (HOLLAND) - Love Train *,SINISTERS (CANADA) - Captain Weirdo, PUFFBALL (SWEDEN) - Finger On The Trigger *, BOSS 302 (USA) - Failure *, CELLOPHANE SUCKERS (GERMANY) - Bust Riots, STREETWALKING CHEETAH’S (USA) - Inside *, DOWN’N’OUTS (USA) - Can’t go On, TURPENTINES (SWEDEN) - She Belongs To Jesus, PLUNGERS (USA/JAPAN) - Lost City Lover, POWDER MONKEYS (AUSTRALIA)- I like Pills *, SPEEDHOLES (USA) - City Of The Walking Dead *, JEFF DAHL AND THE FRENCH CONNECTION (USA/FRANCE) - I’m in love with the GTO’s, HELLACOPTERS (SWEDEN) - Hey*. (*Previously Unreleased)."

If you still have to make holiday plans for this summer you might wanna consider headin' for Rotterdam, where a big international garage fest will take place on July 1, 2 and 3. Want some names?, The Remains, Chesterfield Kings, Buff Medways and Solar Flares. More news as it comes in.

Went out last night to catch a couple of Dutch bands in action just a couple o' blocks down the road at the Helling club.
First up was local band the Riots who suffered from a complete lack of recognizable tunes. Not that their Motorhead/Zeke-brand o' rock requires something like an actual "tune", but let's just say that most of their songs sound rather same-ish. Next up were Green Hornet who delivered a fine set of what one could call "fucked-up blues". Main man here is Andre Dodde who almost effortlessly switches 'tween organ, harp, guitar 'n vocals. Me, I like it best when he pounds the keys of his battered Philicordia to lay down a solid soul groove. Be sure to catch these guys whenever they appear in your neck of the woods... Finally the Spades rounded things up with a solid set, but it is telling that their main asset is the talents of hired hand Tony Slug, who still seems out of place among these closet metal fans. The good news is that the Slugster told me he has rounded up a new batch of Nitwitz who are ready to conquer Spain in June, and that the long promised new LP will be out someday soon (now there's something to look forward to!).
Walking home from the show I constructed some kinda "point" around which I was gonna write this review, but now (24 hours after the fact and sober) I have no idea what that point was, so I'm affraid this 'll have to make do...

This just in... so go visit the re-invigorated one stop REZILLO station!



Hi everyone out there in Rezillos land!

Thanks for the great and supportive e-mails from you since the last newsletter we sent out at Xmas. We're completing some new recordings and we're still planning to get a compilation album of all our singles put together later this year. As soon as we have more news on this we'll mail you. Currently all's quiet on the gig front but keep watching this space! At the end of last year we asked Ross McIntyre of the Rezillos Gallery and Archive website and Martin Percival, a fan of ours who's seen many of the gigs we've done in the last 2 years in the UK, US, Norway and Spain, to work with us on developing further the official band site. We were delighted when they both agreed and the results of their efforts will be reflected on updates on the site in the coming weeks. Ross is mainly doing the technical work plus graphics and Martin's working on the content. Make sure you bookmark the site. We intend to make it THE place to go to for all of your Rezillos needs! Martin will be interviewing us soon and we'd like to get as many of the questions as possible from our fans. Anyone who wants to ask a question is very welcome and we'll be delighted to try to cover as many as we can in the interview. E-mail your questions to mail@rezillos.com

In a more positive rock movie vein, the Paula Tiberius directed GOLDIROCKS is a Canadian indie movie that's worthy of your time should you ever get the chance to see it. Sorta feels like SINGLES transplanted over the border with a great soundtrack. The Tijuana Bibles "Rock'n'Roll Fighting" is particularly memorable as is Neglected's rattle through Teenage Head's "Let's Shake".

Watched the "Hey Is Dee Dee Home" documentary. What a depressing and generally pointless exercise that turned out to be. It takes an hour to tell the story of "Chinese Rocks"? For hardcore Ramoneiacs only, this isn't much of a background to the guy at all, merely a one-dimensional portrait of his dark side and a bloody boring one at that.

"Wir ain" Amy Allison on WFMU this past Friday with the one and the only J. Graboff Esq.

Cresser's shopfront photo by Dave Henniker

I guess you're all headin' out there to the hill(ocks) rollin' yer eggs or whatever it is people do on Easter Sunday? Me? I'll be attempting to sort out my stationery/packing materials that I can no longer keep at work. Those what ken me know that as well as horde-ing print, music and film - that I tend to do the same with boxes, envelopes, jiffy bags, indeed anything that can be used to transport things through the mail or whatever. All manner and all shapes and size of box just waiting for the right item. Often scoffed at but the tide always turns when the non-believer is presented with a receptacle completely fitting their specification. One thing I did do successfully the other day was to get a whole host (maybe a ton plus) of recycleable stuff to a worthy cause in Edinburgh that deals with such material for charities and organisations that use such stuff for kids craft classes and the like. Better that than for it all to end up in a skip and eventually landfill. I hate waste with a pathological gusto and all around I just see more and more of it. On a similar note, I learned this week that Cresser's - the brush store in Auld Reekie's Victoria Street, just across from The Bow Bar - is up for sale. Another casualty of the shit times we live in. Do they have Bargain Books on Rodeo Drive? A place like this should be immune from the sickness of the taste-marginalised masses who've seen to it that institutions like this just can't afford to exist anymore. It better not become a bloody mobile phone shop... This ain't progress believe me. Merely change for the worse which brings me neatly back to Monday and the circus that awaits in the shadow of Wallace's monument. Mel Gibson has a lot to answer for. End of Chapter One kids...

So yeah, it's been a funny ol' week. Pre-occupied by the end of a 23 year era which has seen my place of employment shift its collective arse to a new location. Said new location is very scenic but unfortunately the denizens will soon see to that. There goes the neighbourhood on a grand scale. The move itself was/is somewhere well south of a shambles. We'll see how it all unfolds but it's nipping my heid just to think about it. So hopefully I'll get to viewing and listening to a few things this weekend in order that I can post something you might find a little more interesting than my whining.

It feels like ages since I last mentioned some new wax here (not that there were too many discs of worth so far this year), but slowly some goodies are startin' to appear on HQ's doormat. Biggest surprise yet is a 10" LP by Dutch p-rockers the Sack-O'-Woes. Fine, fine wailin' stuff, that avoids all the trappings that spoil so much of the form's output these days, and easily the best Dutch disc of it's kind in ages, and dig their take on "A House In The Country". And speakin'of surprises; how's about a damn near perfect powerpop LP from Japan?. Let me please introduce you to Teenage Confidential, probably the best band to emerge from Nippon since Teengenerate. Even with the lyrics bein' close to incomprehensible (and thus makin' singin' along out of the question), the songs 'emselves are extremely well crafted (think Nerves, Beat, Cheap Trick, Boys, Redd Kross etc), and with a real solid production, this beats just about every powerpop-by-numbers disc put out in the past decade or so (you might wanna skip the first tune tho'). As much as the new Bobbyteens LP is a disappointment due to it's lo-fi sounds, Tina Lucchesi's other current band the Deadly Weapons offer a much better proposistion, solid west coast punk that seriously reminds me of the mighty Avengers. And while we're at it; be on the look out for two new 45s in Norton's Stones tribute series (tho' the Lyres disc contains nothin' new sadly), and a nicely executed double 10" of the Prisoners' TheWiserMiserDemelza with bonus tracks on Munster...

(from thedictators.com) Handsome Dick gets radio gig.
Handsome Dick Manitoba has joined the Sirius Satellite Network. He will be starting a three-hour show, heard nationally, in early May, on Thursday nights, 6-9 p.m. EST. The show is not yet named, so feel free to send in ideas for a name for Mr. Manitoba's radio DJ gig to DFFD123@aol.com.

Some incredible pictures of Roky Erickson and the Aliens from 1976. By Jean Constant Gindreau.
(Link c/o Stephan in Germany).

The itinerary for the forthcoming Fleshtones French Tour is now as near-as-damn-it finalised. Big Beat Sessions are open to all and will be held in:

13 May - Paris; 14 May - Bergerac; 15 May - Lyon; 17 May - Fontainebleau; 18 May - Rennes; 19 May - Brest; 20 May - Amiens; 21 May - Lille; 22 May – Cherbourg

The names of the venues and some of the support bands can by found on the Gigs page over at The Fleshtones Hall of Fame.

And while I was away we lost another bunch o' greats; RIP: Gene Allison, Jan Berry and Johnny Bristol. For obits be sure to check Phast Phreddie Patterson's Grim Reporter columns.

Awrighty!, back from the dead. Yep, I was off-line for about two weeks as my computer drew it's last breath and various parts had to be replaced.
As you can imagine I'm somewhat behind what a lot of stuff, including e-mail etc. So if you're waitin' for a reply from me; I'm workin'on it!.

brother don in frisco writes this report 'bout Magic Christian "forgive me for a sketchy report but i'm exhausted...just got home from great american music hall. most impressive debut for cyril's new band. they really rocked. cyril wore dark trousers, beatle boots and a long sleeve sort of t-shirt. he had his trademark dan armstrong plexi thru fender twin reverb and purple (!) vox ac-30. he had a pretty killer echo sound (rack stuff). alec palao in great check jacket w/velvet collar and black turtleneck played a brand new gorgeous hollow body gretsch bass. they had another guitarist who played a telecaster - but only played occasionally - he also played some keyboard (dx-7). paul - also in black t-neck and checked trousers - didn't play guitar. he belted out the lead vocals and banged on a tambourine. prairie prince - in god save the queen t-shirt- was pretty awesome on drums. they were LOUD and POWERFUL. even tho i've heard a lot of the new stuff i didn't recognize half the songs as these were super new. my fave that they did is called - i think - no time to cry - or something like that. very beatles. KILLER! cyril took a very george solo on it. oh - cyril played mostly without a pick - reminding me of mick green (from the pirates). they did a great version of the spoonful's "my gal" - dedicated to zal. originals i recognized were "too close to zero", and "here she comes". cyril peeled off some great solos -- he was in good form. i met eric and tom - from this list- in the back of the joint afterwards. very cool guys. chas was sorely missed. there were quite a few oldtimers in the crowd including KALX dj (and ex-groovies roadie) marshall stax. (he swiped the set list - as always). also spotted roy loney. cyril was great afterwards, chatting with everyone and posing for pictures during the romantics set. at one point in the show he said, "it's great to be back". and it's great to have him back. in case you're curious...the other bands were very good too -- chesterfield kings before and romantics after. romantics were suprisingly excellent -- they did great versions of the pretty things "midnight to six man" and the kinks' "she's got everything". they were really tight. all in all a great job was done by all - especially our hero. it was a real rock n' roll assault!

OK, the MC5 thing rumbles on. Dennis has posted a response on the site in the link from my post of the other day. Today, I went on to Amazon to see if they were pre-selling the DVD and they have it listed as True Testimonial and are offering it for $11.89. Nobody's gonna be getting very fat off a retail price like that. But anyway, it's all very disappointing and ugly and I hope it all gets sorted out fairly and squarely in the very near future. Surely BMG should put up the requisite licence money if they want to release it and everybody involved should get their slice of the action, particularly the musicians and their families. Being cited as a legend or being seminal doesn't pay them bills. So screw the noggins there troops...

Keeping up the theme of "returns", all hail the second coming of Kentucky's finest NINE POUND HAMMER

Ex-Mono Men Leader Returns With The Dt's - "Once the leader of America's best mid-'90s garage rock combo, the Mono Men, Estrus Records owner Dave Crider has been quietly woodshedding in his hometown of ..." Michael Goldberg - NEUMU

The other side of the story... As far as I'm concerned all I want is for people to be able to see the film. To see that it was all there, fully formed in 1969 and it's seldom, if ever been bettered. DKT/MC5!

Check out this MC5 SHOCKER! and please explain to me exactly why this could be happening? Maybe Brother Wayne meant it as an early April Fool's jape but somehow I don't think so. In these days of ever dwindling returns for artists, how could such a fine piece of film-making and indeed vehicle for the band be referred to as "unlicenced" or "bootleg"? It's rockin' time kids, we need to help David and Laurel "kick 'em out".

A bulletin from Craig at the I-94 Bar... The Morgan/Royale Soulmover tag team is on the loose!

The mighty new issue of PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO is in the racks now!

Senator John Kerry's Rock-Star Past: The Story Of The Electras

The Witchdoktors - Saturday 27th March, The Verge, Kentish Town, London

What with all of these Punk Rock documentaries on BBC Radio 2, one could be forgiven for thinking that "punk" has now become the brass band music of the 21st century. But what the hey! Last Saturday afternoon panned-out pretty nicely what with a trip over to Reckless Records in Islington and "must have" discs by the Nomads (Showdown #1), Flamin' Groovies (A Bucket of Brains) and a couple of Dr Feelgood (Gypie Mayo era) finding their way into my paws. For sure the bank balance is running close to red and pay-day is not till Wednesday but what the heck when such mighty grooves are up for grabs. Thinking that life does not get much better than scoring a vintage Feelgood's record complete with a press kit, I remembered that those other doctors, namely the Witchdoktors, were playing in the pub at the bottom of the road that night. Truth be told I haven't heard much from these guys for a good while and so it was damn pleasing to recently learn that they have a new disc, "Robots Rayguns Rock'n'Roll", in the shops. And so, after deciding to miss another rockumentary on BBC Radio 2, I ventured into the Kentish Town night to find the Doktor. Though surgery hours are out-of-hours, the practice remains: "Pinball" Geoff on turbo-charged whack, Zig C on the Fender Precision bass, Andy Last on lead howl, and guitar, and Tony Majors on guitar, harp and Roger McGuinn shades. Yes, fight fans, the Doktors' superpunkrock (tm) ethos remains undimmed by the passage of time and the arrival of many a Johnny-cum-lately. Memorable riffs, catchy choruses, a positive attitude to the punters, and a "let's have some fun" vibe. In other words should the 'Tones, Dictators or Nomads step onto these shore then the Witchdoktors would make one hell of complimentary opening band. Imagine the tribal vibes that would be generated? Hell, I have not smiled so much at a gig for ages as such skull-cracking tuneage as "Doctor John", "Neck Tattoo", and "I'm Sick" bounced off the walls. Okay folks, better hang onto the pipe and slippers 'cause I'm gonna dig out the new CD by the Witchdoktors and those other "old fart" platters. Grown-men making rock'n'roll music: Yes, please.

This just in from the Rt. Hon J. D. King! Press Release March 29, 2004

Chesterfield Kings on the Sopranos & Jimmy Kimmel Live

Psychedelic/garage-rock band The Chesterfield Kings will be making two national television appearances this weekend. On Friday April 2nd, the Rochester New York band will perform live on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, and on Sunday, April 4th the band will appear, as themselves, on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Sopranos. The band is currently on a west coast leg of a national tour, with the Romantics, in support of their new album, The Mindbending Sounds of the Chesterfield Kings.

The Mindbending Sounds Of... The Chesterfield Kings (Sundazed Music) finds the legendary band turned loose on the world once again with a snarling new album. After 20 years of leading the pack, the Kings are still the hands-down heavyweight champs of today's bubbling psychedelic/garage world.

With production help here from the scene's preeminent big daddy, Little Steven (who accompanies the guys on their new single, "I Don't Understand"), Rochester, New York's bad boys have indelibly scorched into tape 14 brand new Farfisa 'n' fuzz-laden killers. The Romantics and the Chesterfield Kings, two bands that were pioneers of the early 80's rock & roll revival, are together proving to be the powerhouse double-bill of the year. This weeks west coast dates include: Wednesday March 31st, 2004 - Modesto, CA

It's official - All My Crushes will be the next single taken from MAGIC DIRT's
fourth album, Tough Love. It's a swoon-worthy song, that can keep us youngsters daydreaming for hours about that 'cute guy' or 'cute girl'. The song was almost lost for good after being put aside at an early demo session. Later the band remembered the catchy riff and decided to finish writing the song, to be included on Tough Love. All My Crushes will be released on April 12th, with three extra tracks; Sarah May, Tough Love (never heard before!) and All My Crushes (the demo version).

NEW NORTON RELEASES HAVE ARRIVED!

• JOHN FELICE AND THE LOWDOWNS- NOTHING PRETTY (CED 302) Norton presents the great lost John Felice album! NOTHING PRETTY, originally on local Boston label Ace of Hearts, went virtually unnoticed on its release in 1987, as all copies of the LP were tied up in a distribution bankruptcy nightmare. This newly re-mastered version finds ex-Real Kid John Felice and his new band (the Lowdowns also featured another former Real Kid Billy Borgioli on guitar) on ten soul baring original tunes with a strong Stonesy feel. An essential addendum for any Real Kids fan! Catch up with the Lowdowns sound! John and the real Kids head for Spain in April! The Real Kids are at CBGB's on Friday April 2! Doncha miss 'em!

Two new Stones split flippers!

• THE SWINGIN’ NECKBREAKERS - IT'S NOT EASY b/w THE SHANKS - DONCHA BOTHER ME (45-9647) serves up Jersey’s mighty Neckbreakers and Motor City maulers the Shanks (featuring ex-Detroit Cobra Jeff Meier) on a couple of raw primo AFTERMATH shakedowns for the loud crowd!

• LYRES - NOW I'VE GOT A WITNESS b/w THE NEW CONOLLY 5 - STONED (45-9648) Boston's rompous Lyres hop up a crack instro whammy on an early Nanker Phelge dance floor R&B workout in a cage match with flip elusives THE NEW CONOLLY 5, who polish off Phelger flip STONED from their unished 1 x 5 Brit LP!The Lyres are at the Ding Dong Room on Saturday March 27! See ya there!

The Norton news page is up to the minute with new scoops so come on in! Hit the sidebar link ...from the Norton News page... SKY SAXON AND THE SEEDS in Europe... word from Sky and the boys is that all the shows are sold out and that the fans are
going ape for the STARLIGHT DATE WITH RICHARD MARSH album that serves up Sky's
wild teener pre-Seeds recordings... SEEDS entry SINGER NOT THE SONG in Norton Stones trib series arrives in April... ANDRE WILLIAMS headlines Scotland in April... PONDEROSA STOMP in New Orleans is the place to be on April 27 and 28th... all details are at http://www.ponderosastomp.com and we suggest you all get tickets, reservations and plane tickets asap because it will sell out but quick... check our wailin' Norton kings THE FABULOUS WAILERS and LONG JOHN HUNTER on tap there with RAY SHARPE, HOMESICK JAMES, BARBARA LYNN, ALVIS WAYNE, LADY BO, EDDIE BO.... and possibly Norton fave THE LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY... Snag all the boss new Norton wax (and swank old hootch, too!) in NYC on April 30, May 1 and 2 when the annual WFMU SPRING RECORD FAIR swings into the Metropolitan Pavillion (125 W. 18th St)... Plan to make the scene in Las Vegas at this year's
ROCKAROUND and dig HASIL ADKINS, SKY SAXON AND THE SEEDS, MONKS, DOWNLINERS SECT, GREENHORNES, A-BONES and many mo'! ...watch for Rolling Stones trib 45's from the A-BONES, ROTTING STUMPS, ANDRE WILLIAMS, GREASY CHICKENS, 5.6.7.8'S, CHURCH KEYS, GREENHORNES, SHAMS, SKY SAXON AND THE SEEDS and THE LAIRDS all out by May with more to follow... Coming in April: FORT WORTH TEEN SCENE VOL. 1-3 with the best snarlers Cowtown had to offer, 1964-67...two more Capitol GENE VINCENT LPs...SOUNDS LIKE GENE VINCENT plus the rare stereo CRAZY TIMES...singles from RANDY ALVEY AND THE GREEN FUZ, BOTUMLESS PIT and KAI RAY... May releases will include NERVOUS NORVUS and JOHNNY BURNETTE!!!

Be sure to reset your eBay super-snooper-scopes to our new Norton ebay handle
-- we'll be offering an uncanny assortment of original posters, paperbacks, magazines, records, and assorted cool gunk of all persuasions coming up! Low starting bids so here's your chance to get some affordable hard to find crazy stuff plus you can always combine with a Norton order! A vintage paperback set sale just went up so lookie now. Have fun and don't forget to... Crank it up!

Lotta good stuff heading for Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen as part of this years TRIPTYCH festival. Andre Williams, T-Model Ford, Dr Robert Moog and Jean Jaques Perrey are all names that run quite the gamut.

Woah. Been a hectic couple of weeks and it's about to take another twist. The place I work is relocating and it's becoming increasingly obvious that less than no consideration has been given to the fact that 250+ people are effectively starting a new job at the same chuffing time. The evil spirits from the site we occupy now are all hopped up and ready to make the move with we and actually that's not as amusing as it sounds... my routine of a lifetime is unravelling so we'll see how it flies. It's not handy but ya gotta eat, right? And you've gotta have the sheckles to fund yer habit(s), more's the pity. Only plus points this last few days is that Amy Allison has cut 10 new songs at East Kilbride which sound abso-ferking-lutely cracking even at "rough" stage. She'll be back later in the Summer to knock 'em into final shape. Also, I got a CDR of Suzy Y Los Quattro (thanks Jonathan) and they more than live up to expectations. Bleedin' marvellous and an utter tonic to most of the orn'ery gear that passes as entertainment these days.

THE BLASTERS NEWSLETTER is 10 years old and the latest edition is up and at you now! The scoop on Dave's upcoming "Ashgrove" album is there plus a whole heap more!

A documentary on Joey Ramone from Dutch tv is now available on-line. Better skip the first 9 minutes as they feature a rather dull interview with one of the makers.
(link provided by Jos de Groot).

Interested in catching Sky Saxon and the Seeds with the Fleshtones? Then get yourself over to Greece for two mind altering shows in Athens (April 2) and Thessaloniki (April 3). Rumour has it that Sky once rang Peter Zaremba back in the early 80s with the intention of recruiting the boys as a backing band. Apparently Z-man politely declined the offer after Sky had sung a song to him about a dog. Sadly, Sky's reaction to Z-man humming "Screamin' Skull" is unrecorded. A fun time in Greece is assured.

If it's coming from the direction of those STEREO-TOTAL folks then it's worthy of your time...

RIP: J.J. Jackson. While all obits mention the man's pioneering role as an early MTV jock. We here at NBT salute J.J. for his classic 60s soul sides; 'But It's Alright', 'Boogaloo Baby', 'O Ma Liddy', 'Come And See Me' (as covered by the Pretty Things) and 'I Dig Girls'. He also wrote songs for Charles & Inez Fox, Mary Wells and the Shangri-Las a.o., and had a cameo in the disco movie 'Car Wash' from which one of his few lines "I Know You're Gonna Dig This" has been sampled hundreds of times over the years.
Update: There are heated discussions goin' on all over the web about there probably bein TWO guys called J.J. Jackson. Took my info from the liner notes of a mid 80s LP which claim the MTV jock and the soul singer are the same person....

Surviving New York Dolls rehearsing for UK festival...

20 Years of GIRL TROUBLE will be celebrated throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond this weekend! Drop by and give this fine combo your best.

The latest edition of Arthur Magazine features(ao) a BIG MC 5 piece: "Detroit's visionary MC5 played like gods, lived like pigs and freed everyone they touched. Steffie Nelson interviews the filmmakers of the astonishing forthcoming MC5 A True Testimonial documentary; James Parker, Ian Svenonius and The Seth Man walk us through the 5's recordings; and Wayne Kramer, John Sinclair and Ted Nugent talk about the 5's raw volume. With artwork by Plastic Crimewave, archival photos by Leni Sinclair and vintage posters by Gary Grimshaw".
And if you can't get a copy in your neck of the woods, the site has it available in pdf format.

I am 45% Punk Rock

Well, I may know what punk is, but... Okay maybe some people think I am punk, but is that enough? Nope.

Take the Punk Rock Test at fuali.com

Ok, some Motor City Action - DETROITBLOG which should set you up nicely for a shot of MOTOR CITY ROCKS!

This past week has brought way more than is necessary in the form of bad news. I'm not even the world's second most upbeat guy but some of our "crew" are being delivered a hand that they (and theirs) really don't deserve. They know who they are (or at least I hope they do) and that there's a corner here for 'em if they need it.

Norton Records News March 2004

Greeting again, Nortonians! Here's what's shaking in our parts...

... Boston faves the Lyres make a rare NYC appearance on March 27 with Purple Wizard at the Dong Dong Room... April 2, the REAL KIDS will be at CBGB's... records due in house March 23 are a new pair of twin-spins from the Norton Stones trib singles series! THE SWINGIN' NECKBREAKERS - IT'S NOT EASY b/w THE SHANKS - DONCHA BOTHER ME (45-9647) serves up Jersey's mighty Neckbreakers and Motor City maulers the Shanks (featuring ex-Detroit Cobra Jeff Meier) on a couple of raw primo AFTERMATH shakedowns for the loud crowd! Boston braniacs THE LYRES hop up a crack instro whammy on an early Nanker Phelge dance floor R&B workout NOW I'VE GOT A WITNESS b/w THE NEW CONOLLY 5 (45-9648), who polish off Phelger flip STONED from the unished 1 x 5 Brit LP! ... SKY SAXON AND THE SEEDS are on tour in Europe... word from Sky and the boys is that all the shows are sold out and that the fans are going wild for the STARLIGHT DATE WITH RICHARD MARSH album that serves up Sky's wild teener pre-Seeds recordings... SEEDS entry SINGER NOT THE SONG in Norton Stones trib series arrives in April...The REAL KIDS head for Spain in April on the heels of new Norton CD JOHN FELICE AND THE LOWDOWNS - NOTHING PRETTY (302), the super cool post-Real Kids combo which also featured Real Kid Billy Borgioli)... ANDRE WILLIAMS headlines Scotland in April, too... PONDEROSA STOMP in New Orleans is the place to be on April 27 and 28th... all details are at ponderosastomp.com and we suggest you all get tickets, reservations and plane tickets asap because it will sell out but quick... check our wailin' Norton kings THE FABULOUS WAILERS and LONG JOHN HUNTER on tap with RAY SHARPE, HOMESICK JAMES, BARBARA LYNN, ALVIS WAYNE, LADY BO, EDDIE BO.... and possibly Norton fave THE LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY... Snag all the boss new Norton wax (and swank old hootch, too!) in NYC on April 30, May 1 and 2 when the annual WFMU SPRING RECORD FAIR swings into the Metropolitan Pavillion (125 W. 18th St).. wfmu.org for fair info...Plan to make the scene in Las Vegas at this year's ROCKAROUND and dig HASIL ADKINS, SKY SAXON AND THE SEEDS, MONKS, DOWNLINERS SECT, GREENHORNES and many mo'! The A-BONES will be on hand for a special 20th Anniversary reunion show...watch for Rolling Stones trib 45's from the A-BONES, ROTTING STUMPS, ANDRE WILLIAMS, GREASY CHICKENS, 5.6.7.8'S, CHURCH KEYS, GREENHORNES, SHAMS, SKY SAXON AND THE SEEDS and THE LAIRDS all out by May with more to follow... Coming in April: FORT WORTH TEEN SCENE VOL. 1-3 with the best snarlers Cowtown had to offer, 1964-67...two more Capitol GENE VINCENT LPs...SOUNDS LIKE GENE VINCENT plus the rare stereo CRAZY TIMES...singles from RANDY ALVEY AND THE GREEN FUZ, BOTUMLESS PIT and KAI RAY... May releases will include NERVOUS NORVUS and JOHNNY BURNETTE!!!

Be sure to reset your eBay super-snooper-scopes to our new Norton ebay handle -- we have loads of original posters, old paperbacks, magazines, records, and assorted cool gunk of all persuasions coming up there so
bookmark us and get on 'em! Low starting bids so here's your chance to get some affordable hard to find crazy stuff plus you can always combine with a Norton order!

Have fun and don't forget to...

Crank it up!

Norton staff

nortonrecords.com

Compared to folks in other far flung corners of the world, I have exactly nada to complain about. Except that having to go on a course for two days kinda sucked out my will to live and left me way behind in more important pursuits. The great Amy Allison is headed back this way to start work on her next album this coming Monday and things are beginning to take shape on a few other fronts also...

Our thoughts are very much with our friends in Madrid and around Spain who are the latest victims of the "terror" sickness. The Spanish people I know are hardy and resiliant but still shaken up mightily. Where's it all going? Whilst you can understand that checks and surveillance are necessary, our civil and satellite liberties are being eroded at a rate of knots. Conversations recorded and listened to, CCTV everywhere, lists being drawn up and there's every chance we're all on 'em for one reason or another. On top of the needless death and destruction, we're being mollycoddled into becoming blockies or worse. Soon it'll be too much hassle to go anywhere and the assholes that go around blowing stuff up will have won. No matter what governments and law enforcement or whatever does, this pond life will make the occasional score. It's the nature of the beast and there's no sign of an antidote or serum. How many acres of press and radio/TV plugs do these fuckwits get every day everywhere? Too friggin' many. We know they're out there. Creeping about, waiting for their opportunity to break on through to the other side and they're willing to take you, me and everybody (if you excuse the Belushi-isms) with 'em. Being allowed to self-sacrifice is too, too good for this scum. Madrid is a great, great city and it'll bounce back quick but the hearts of its citizens might take a little longer to fix. Like New York.

With regard to the rollercoaster of hell that the EOtC guys are on, please be advised that it's some bottom feeder outside of the RAMONES and their "family" that's the stumbling block. Bear this in mind when posting messages on any of the sites with regard to getting the film out. The response has been very positive so hopefully them scales will be tipped. Obviously, you'll be kept posted.

Ok, if you need to get an angle on why we need to have the Ramones film released then read Agent Heiko's report from the Berlin screening HERE!

And this recent message from Jim Fields should irritate you enough to want to stick it to this Mr X character bigtime. Bear in mind that "The Ramones" that had a scoob are no longer with us. Take it Jim...

Fans, friends, fellow revolutionaries,

This is a fluid situation, to be sure. It's like an emotional rollercoaster for us. One day we have negotiations with Mr. X that glimmer with hope that the film will see the light of day. The next he comes back with more impossible demands previously unmentioned that dash all chances for the film. We say, if you want another documentary made, fine. Make it. Let the audience decide which they like better.

As of today our film is just about dead. It's not quite over yet. There is still a chance. I wish I could be more specific but I just cannot right now while our negotiations continue, however the amount of hostility we're getting from Mr. X. We DO have to deal with him, though I wouldn't call it "deal". It's more like getting shouted at and told why we suck, why our film sucks and why we should give up and go away. We're not going anywhere as long as we can help it.

I ask you all to please continue to spread the word of this miserable injustice (yes, yes, I'm being melodramatic. But like I said, it's an emotional rollercoaster here.) Please continue to go to www.ramonesworld.com and enter a message about our film on the "ask/tell" section. I would ask you all to please be somewhat polite. Just tell the Ramones that the fans and even just documentary film-lovers want this movie to come out in theaters around the world and then out on DVD. Why the senseless murder of our film? It really is senseless. This thing is bigger than Mr. X, people. Let the Ramones know it. Please keep up the pressure.

So:
1. www.ramonesworld.com -enter "ask/tell" section
2. www.endofthecentury.com visit the site, download our press reviews and have a look for yourself.
3. Spread the word. Have friends, neighbors, enemies, fans, dogs, cats, etc... demand our movie get released (see step 1!)

More to come.

-Jim Fields, co-director, End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

Welcome Back PETER C. JOHNSON… after molto years in the wilderness, this Bostonian legend returns with an all new slice of his patented atmosphericana. All kindsa comparisons like Tom Waits meets Leonard Cohen etc. go some way toward extolling the virtues of his voice and twisted worldview but fact is that there’s virtually nothing out there like this. Pitching in you’ll find members of Treat Her Right and Morphine as well as Bonnie Raitt and Kris Delmhorst and even Robin Lane. (Remember The Chartbusters!) SOUL SHERPA is a mood-mottled rattle across the knuckles to conventional strands of folk and country. Sharper than yer average bayer.

So long Spalding Gray. I'll post a link to an obit in due course...