WHEN WORDS AREN'T ENOUGH!

ANOTHER MAN DOWN...

RIP - GILDAS COSPEREC

Sorry to hear about the exit of a lifetime supporter of rock n' roll. 

I never met Gildas in 'real life' but we fought on the same side for forever. Always a bummer to hear about the good guys reducing in number. My condolences to his family and friends. He was a big supporter of my endeavours over the years. 

If you're not aware of his position with regard to 'all this' then head over to Dig It! for a crash course.

DAD'S DANCEHALL

Professor of Costellology, Kjell Magnusson found himself in Glasgow as part of his ongoing pursuit of Wee Declan McManus. Always good to see this guy and he gifted me a copy of this fantastic hardback book that he and his associates have assembled. It’s called No Action but I’d sat there was quite a bit of action in the 12 months it documents regarding activity in a Malmo venue called Dad’s Dancehall. 

It’s so important that places like this are remembered and this is a labour of love to be sure. There are Ramones pictures in there that you haven’t seen so that should be enough for some of you to take notice. Do it now because there is unlikely to be a reprint.

The info is in Swedish but if you send an email to info@bilderisyd.se then overseas order info will be supplied. (click the image)

MARK THE DATE CLOSEST TO YOU ON YOUR DOCKET!

THE THINGS YOU FIND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE...

I'M NOT SURE I EVER HEARD THIS BEFORE

XV FOREVER!

JAMES HUNTER IN THE KIND OF GROOVE HE DOES BEST...

GO KENNY!

RUBBER TO BURN!

Is punk deid? Or does it just sometimes smell funny? The Phobics are often lumped in that particular pigeonhole but what they are is an archetypal rock n roll ensemble. It’s  a common mistake though and perhaps there’s a hint of a resemblance to that 40 year old plus neighbourhood disturbance but truly what they do bucks any trend brought upon by nostalgia. They belt out the truth with no small amount of love without giving a hoot about what purists or your average thumbheid (of which I’m one in the haircut department). Their joyous racket must surely appeal to anybody with an ear for rambunctious pub tuneage. 

Short, sharp and bloody furious, these Phobic fellas might well boot your jaded arse into action because you plain figured that this stuff wasn’t made anymore. “Whatever Comes My Way” is as good as anything yon alleged ‘last band that mattered’ ever recorded while the title track borders on pushing Scandinavian Rock to the man. 

As good solid rackets go of the sound variety - not the ongoing fleecing - the band is steeped in the stuff it takes to crank out anthems that might just restore your faith in a band’s ability to give you a good-natured slap about the hearing gear. The band is incapable of putting a foot wrong to my mind. they’re doing it for themselves. I can tell you from experience that you’ll have no finer time than to witness them in a London boozer or some other such hostelry.

"Burning Rubber" is something I hope these fellas will continue to do for a bloody long time to come. You can get a copy of this (CD only for now) direct from them if you drop a line to Tom via malonecrossley@aol.com. Ten quid postpaid in the UK but tell him where you are and he’ll sort you out.

AMY RIGBY GIRL TO CITY - EDINBURGH

AMY RIGBY GIRL TO CITY - GLASGOW

KJETIL JUST SENT ME THIS LINK... IT'S A BELTER!

You can buy it here!

TIBURONA

WHEN THE WORLD YOU THINK YOU KNOW IS FALLING DOWN...

COMING SOON...

DON'T MISS DLL IN AULD REEKIE!

AMY on NPR

ROY TRIBUTE IN SF

THE STEMS ON RTVE 3!

                       

   
   

       
       
       
       
            The Stems

INTRODUCING JACK CRUZ

Did you watch What Did Jack Do? yet? 

RIP - DAVID OLNEY

RIP - BOBBY COMSTOCK

THE COURETTES ARE COMING!

THEY SAY YOU"LL HAVE TO REGISTER BUT YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO GO!

RIP - TOM ALEXANDER

RIP - BUCK HENRY

THE SPEEDWAYS - IT'S A (DOUBLE) HIT

THE LONG GOODBYE AND 2020 JUST STARTED

SYD STRAW AND THE SKELETONS REMEMBER CBGB's AND THE REVELONS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY MILLER!

RIP - NEIL INNES

LOS RAMONES!!

NOW AVAILABLE AS A VINYL 45!!

BRIAN HOGG on ROY A. LONEY and his significance in this particular universe!

Roy A, Loney, Miriam Linna, Don Ciconne - NYC 1979 - Photo: Tom Bessoir 

I never met Roy Loney, nor to my regret, did I see him onstage, but as a member of the Flamin’ Groovies he played a vital role in my life. Yet, despite such a forthright statement, I can’t exactly recall how I first became aware of the group. I’m fairly sure it was via Lester Bang’s review of Supersnazz in Rolling Stone, but at that point I paid scant regard to his opinion – this was the man, after all, who’d panned Kick Out The Jams – which is perhaps why there’s some dubiety over the timeline. However, that same Groovies’ album was on my radar in 1970 and, during a fetish for the unknown, I opted to order an import copy, unheard, alongside the debut from Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks. I felt then, as I still do now, that it’s a patchy collection but it was one I kept returning to, sensing a hidden potential.

True fandom kicked in the following year when Flamingo and Teenage Head were paired for British release. There’s little point in extolling just how great these records are; if you are reading this you know it already, but their distillation of Detroit high-energy, rockabilly, garage bands and British R&B was utterly captivating. Roy’s vocals, almost Zelig-like, could be Dr. Ross or Mick Jagger, but they were imbued with his unique swagger and poise, tongue slightly-in-cheek, yet always affectionate. I was hooked and would play these records at any opportunity; at home, at friends and in Bruce’s Rose Street branch where I worked part-time. It was while there I discovered via United Artists that Roy had parted company from the band he co-founded, but that a revised line-up would move to the UK and record here. A package containing ‘Slow Death’ duly followed, as would ‘Married Woman’ some months later  -  I also saw them live at the mudbath that passed as the Bickershaw Festival.

And so it continued. In 1974 I travelled to London’s Rock On stall to buy the Skydog releases and was in Paris the weekend Sire unleashed Shake Some Action into the world, although that was a coincidence – honest.  This, however, takes us a bit ahead of the tale. These years were not quite as bleak as Pop orthodoxy now determines, but there’s little doubt music’s overriding tenor then was that of sullied complacency. Contemporaneous compilations of 1960s’ material such as Nuggets, the Creation’s 66-67 and Mersey Beat ’62-’64 teemed with an inventiveness, purpose and excitement so lacking in most mid-70’s releases. Fired by their content and inspired by Who Put The Bomp and The Rock Marketplace, I laid plans for a fanzine to celebrate the era. As always with such matters, choosing a name took forever. Several pop art-type options were tried but rejected and I instead found myself drawn towards song titles found on records never far from my turntable. Cue the Groovies.  Perfect! Here was a band I was passionate about condensing everything I thought great and so it was decided - the fanzine would be called Yesterday’s Numbers. It stayed that way for around a week, but I gradually thought that too specific and wanted something punchier. Having pulled Supersnazz from the rack, my eyes immediately fixed on the penultimate track and from then on in there was no question – the magazine was now Bam Balam.

Issue 1 appeared in February 1975, fourteen in all would trickle out until 1982 after which I began writing liner notes, often for labels run by people - Andrew Lauder, Roger Armstrong - I’d first met on the trail of Flamin’ Groovies’ releases. As for the band, they had continued under Cyril Jordan’s unbending stewardship but, much as I care for those late 70s' recordings, they increasingly showed signs of stylistic paint and corners. It was also sad to hear members deny their early work and, by extension Roy, when much of it was at least the equal of that which followed. Indeed a succession of archive releases from the period, live and studio, as well as a repackaging of Sneakers, the group’s magnificent debut, confirmed just how special this first line-up was. Any difference between the two was of emphasis; Cyril wanted his music to be of a time while Roy preferred to celebrate it. That he would continue to do, beginning in 1978 with the excellent Artistic As Hell, maintaining it over the years with various aggregations, notably The Phantom Movers and The Longshots. Perhaps he never regained the artistic heights of the Groovies’ halcyon period but, to quote Joseph Heller when asked why he hadn’t written something the equal of Catch 22 – who has?

Although wary of such get-togethers, I was genuinely excited at the thought of seeing Roy reunited with Cyril to take Teenage Head on tour earlier this year, perhaps even shaking his hand to say “thank you.” Alas, it was not to be, but any personal disappointment pales into insignificance with the sad news of his passing. 2019 was already a bitter year for the Flamin’ Groovies following the death of Mike Wilhelm but the loss of Roy Loney has extinguished the spirit which forged them. I will hear those early records a little differently now but will always love the music within and be thankful for the personal paths they introduced.

Brian Hogg, December 2019

RIP - HUGH McKENNA

ONE THING WORSE THAN THE ELECTION RESULT HAPPENED LAST FRIDAY - THE WORLD LOST ROY LONEY

THE JAY-VONS

LAST OF THE ROCK STARS...

BAD SCENE! GOOD TIMES!! (Click The Image)

AMY AND BONNIE RAITT TALK ABOUT MOSE ON NPR

CHILL - MADRID GLAM'S FINEST DEBUT!

MEXICAN RADIO

The Nomads on the Radio in Mexico City on November 22nd (2019). They're on around 18 minutes in.

SEDATION - THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN IDEA!

YOU DON"T KNOW ABOUT ART BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE - RIGHT?

JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE THIRD MIND

GP's best since Mercury Poisoning (with Special Guest Star)

LOU REED HAS A MESSAGE FOR YOU...

THE YEAR WAS 1959...

VIVA SPAIN! (Part 489)

WELL NOW...

GOLD AND PSYCHEDELIC!

L.H.D. ARE HERE!

VIA JOHN HOLMSTROM!

JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Eric. And Elton.

RIP - NICK TOSCHES

RIP - STEVE CASH (Ozark Mountain Daredevils)

A NEW ONE ON ME...

NO HOLIDAY

A REVELATION!

IT'S A HIT! (Thanks for the tip Susana)

SYD and DAVE from 1989

RIP - KIM SHATTUCK

RIP - BARRIE MASTERS

RIP - MIKE KORBIK (Twang Records)

ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT BABY SHAKES!

Cotton Goes Kaurismäki!

IT"S A HIT! Picked by Joe Presedo

WURLI IS (LUCKY) XIII!!

KING OF OBLIVION

Wreckless Eric's tribute to his friend...
Larry Wallis.

SHINGALING YOUR "ARRIS TO MADRID!

RIP - LARRY WALLIS

RIP - HANS INGEMANSSON (The Creeps)

IT'S A HIT!

ENTIRELY NEW TO ME...

RIP - EDDIE MONEY

RIP - DANIEL JOHNSTON

GIRL TO CITY BOOK TOUR

DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TICH plus VAL!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Info here

RIP - DAMIEN LOVELOCK

RIP - ALISTAIR "BREEKS" BRODIE

Sad news that the man behind the legendary Groucho's record shop in Dundee had died. 

From The Courier

IS ALL HOPE LOST?

THE TRAILER FOR THE EVENT OF AUTUMN 2019!

LX KICKSTARTER!

Starts at 4.38....

IT'S DAVE ALVIN DAY!

THESE KIDS ARE PRETTY GOOD!

IT'S A HIT!

"TRICERATOPS OF THE POPS!"

THIS WAS A SURPRISE!

REMINDER - TICKETS ON SALE TONIGHT!

THIS NEEDS TO BE A SEVEN INCH SINGLE!

SOME WEEK - FIRST ROKY AND NOW THIS, RIP- DR. JOHN

MORE INSTRUMENTAL STYLINGS

WHERE DID THOSE 17 YEARS GO?

OUR FAVOURITE MARTIAN...

My poster is in a frame on the wall and the
glass is reflecting so I pinched this one
from the web.

Where to begin with Roky? 

The first time I heard The 13^th Floor Elevators “You’re Gonna Miss Me" on Nuggets was the introduction and I’m fairly sure my reaction was much akin to your, the first time you heard that voice, that otherworldly purr. This would have been 1972 when the import of the Elektra comp appeared at the record store I worked in.

I became an instant fan but those records weren’t easy to access. It would really be the advent of his 70s resurgence that would make them available. When he played shows and got in tow with The Aliens was when it really hit warp speed.

As incredible as those early recordings were, he really hit his stride when the songs that would make up the CBS album in 1980 were taking form. When that record came out, it caused a ripple that should have been a tsunami. Whatever his mental state, he was crafting beautiful ballads worthy of Buddy Holly and epic, ripping rock n’ roll songs. He was a devil angel from an alternate universe or plane or wherever the heck such rarefied creatures dwell.

As time went on, more and more material became available. Often the same songs with different arrangements and takes but we hoovered it all up There was a documentary that I know some people rate but that I found very disrespectful. You get one chance to do something like that and this was not celebrating the subject to my mind. It merely gave precedence to the man being a weirdo. But not in a good way.

Thankfully, somehow it became possible for the demons to be reigned in and Roky was able to perform across the world. Those first few outings were particularly transcendent. I regret to this day not seeing them play with The Nomads but those that did make it were treated to something akin to what a religious experience might be like.

The only time I saw him was at the Royal Festival Hall in 2007 where I got something in my eye several times. I met him too thanks to Bill Allerton lending me his pass. My friends Bigor and Viva were there from Ljubljana and I managed to get them a ticket autographed during that brief encounter.

It was great that he got to roll in the thunder these past years to catch a glimpse of how important he was. That he was able to function at all to the degree that he did was nothing short of something that could rightly be called a miracle. Particularly following how he was depicted in the film. The recent clip of him performing “Night Of The Vampire” with an orchestra and choir was a hell of a testament to that song and I bet I wasn’t the only one that hoped we might hear more of his songbook tackled in the same manner. Does anyone know if anything else was recorded?

It’s another sad reminder that our heroes are disappearing and they really are not being replaced by individuals with anything like the chops. His music will live on far beyond all of us provided that there’s still a planet to hear it on. 

ZAGREB INSTRUMENTAL STYLINGS

LOOK WHO"S HERE!

RIP - ROKY ERICKSON