AN INTRODUCTION TO DISCO/GARAGE CROSSOVER

Earlier this week I picked up a 45 by Amy Bolton on the Importe/12" label, it was cheap, it "looked" right in a late-70s-NYC-DIY kinda way, but it turned out to be just a halfway decent disco tune. Imagine my surprise tho' when I flipped it over and discovered a pretty solid stab at the Music Machine's Talk Talk. No disco, just a pretty straightforward take that in other hands might have made the recent Children Of Nuggets box-set. Anyways, this got me thinking; "was there ever any garage/disco crossover?". Obviously the answer differs with whatever your definition of "garage" might be. But I'd say that Boney M coverin' the Creation's Painter Man is as a good a starting point for creatin' a discography of this new founded genre as any. Farian & Co. also took a stab at Still I'm Sad, but still, that's strictly British invasion material (as is Santa Esmeralda's Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood), and I was wonderin' about the garage stuff.
One disc that might qualify is Barry White's 1980 version of Louie Louie. Close to eight minutes of aural hell. Imagine the soundtrack to a party scene in Porky's Revenge or some such flick, all eighties horns 'n syndrums. Freighting doesn't even begin to describe it! Weirder still, but not necessarily worse is Paul Parker's 1982 version of the Seeds' Pushin Too Hard. Produced by Patrick Cowley, this is one of those Hi-NRG/gay disco kinda things. Hardly up there with either Giorgio Moroder or Bobby O, but nothing you'll instantly hate either. These are only two discs I'm aware of, but there's gotta be more. So I'd like to tax the collective mind of you NBT readers in wonderin' if there's any other examples of this under appreciated sub-genre out there...

“I don’t worry about a thing because I know nothing’s gonna be alright”, reckons the great Mose Allison. Well I’m well and truly on that bus. One good thing happened today and that came in the form of Steve Wynn and The Miracle 3’s “… tick…tick…tick” but more about that after a half dozen circumnavigations of said disc. Right here, right now the reviews for Mose’s lassie Amy are beginning to trickle in ahead of her imminent arrival upon these shores. She has a unique voice, granted but has nobody listened to Antony and the euphemism for multiple boaby’s? For fucks sake, memo to would be reviewers – if you don’t like her voice then try to temper your inability to find the expression that doesn’t include the word “nasal”. “Everything and Nothing Too” is a corking album with great songs, mostly written by Amy. Some recognise that but there’s an inherent philistinism (is that a word?) running rampant through what’s left of the business that won’t give something that sounds a little different a chance.

Her singing will get to you, if it doesn't then I fear for that ticker of yours. But then, most of you folks are open. You’re in this for the long haul, not a flakey scenester that changes horses mid-race. I tell Amy that reviews mean exactly f-all in this day and age. The people who matter will decide for themselves if they can actually hear the music. Those that still buy music or go to shows. To that end, please visit Amy’s site or Shoeshine and decide for yourselves. You’d be doing me a great favour by sending the links to any of your friends who might be interested too. Let’s try and build this thing from basement level up. Remember real songs? Well here’s a wad of them for your listening pleasure made by somebody who cares about pop music from a bloodline that more or less started what we’re all addicted to. Good music. Yeah? Yeah.

Everything is fucked though basically, I just tried to take a walk down the docks here in Grungemooth and find that it’s become something of a stockade. In these times of terrorism, pestilence and rampant arseholism (not necessarily in that order), one can no longer amble down to the dock gates, or take a shortcut to the old town because it’s become a container haven. It’s good that the docks seem to be in business again but not like this. In the not so distant past, when people had to make their own entertainment, families would walk down there of a weekend. It was a well trodden social path (as opposed to sociopath which I think might be a relevant tag for me at the minute) and not exactly for imbibing fresh air since the advent of the oil refinery but a brush with nature nonetheless. A good route for a bike ride also but all of that is off limits now. Probably for our own safety of course because there’s a telephone book thick set of regulations for everything now. I’d probably need to have a risk assessment carried out on me before I could cycle that road now. Whatever happened to common sense? When exactly did it leave the building? Did it hightail it with Elvis and I’ve only just discovered it?

So Mose foretold all this. "Nothing's gonna be alright".

And, it’s getting worse by the minute.

Check out "Friends with Low Wages". (Link courtesy of SH)

Radio Birdman new album, plus Euro and US tours.(link c/o Sander Bink)

Various - New York Noise vol.2, Various - Big Apple Rappin' (both Soul Jazz).
Two sides of NYC's musical spectrum circa 1980. The Noise disc documents the city's post-punk/no wave scenes, not all of it up to the standards of Mars or Von Lmo, but a solid document of it's time anyways. The noisiest parts come c/o Red Transistor (from their Ecstatic Peace 7"), Rhys Chatham and the Static (w/ Glenn Branca), but there's also plenty of room for the more percussive and jazzy end of things. Suffice to say that this, and it's preceding volume, fit neatly next to the age-old No New York album on the shelves here at HQ. Not sure that rap (in any format) goes down too well w/ you NBT readers, but as for me, I've always enjoyed the pre-crack/pre-gangsta world of hip-hop. A world that radiated a sense of fun and/or innocence not unlike late 60s funk or even frat-rock in it's earliest incarnation. No foul mouthed over-aggressive garbage here, think Sugar Hill Gang if you need some point of reference, and no greatest hits either, I was only familiar w/ Spoonie Gee's Spoonin' Rap (his first), and the rest of it is new to me even this far down the line. Packaged with all the style and info we've come to expect from Soul Jazz, these are both well worth the bother of checking out...

Just clocked the Vitara ad that uses Joey's "arrangement" of "(What A) Wonderful World" but not his track. Which makes it something less than wonderful. But - you're right - why would one expect any different? Par for the (insert expletive of choice here) course.

"The first MONDO a GO-GO of 2006 occurs on Saturday 28th January,

in The Loft @ The Venue, Calton Road, Edinburgh. 11pm til 3am.

£5/4 before Midnight, £6/5 after.

Guest DJ ANDREW TULLY (Avalanche Records, Edinburgh) - A dab hand at buying and selling old records, but now Andrew is dusting off some Mod, Punk, 60's and New-Wave faves from his own shelves to spin this Saturday night. Some of our older patrons may also remember Mr Tully from his days as a member of cult Edinburgh band, Jesse Garon And The Desperadoes - who came out of retirement to support Slade.. sorry SUEDE! last time they played live in the Capital.

Residents Tall Paul Robinson and Angus will also be there to play;
60's, Mod, Garage, Soul, Punk, New Wave, Surf, Psychedelia and Ska."

Hope you "beasties" can score some of the good haggis (meat or veggie, depending on your persuasion) and a decent dram this Rabbie Burns Day. Accept nae substitute.

The following Amy Allison shows are confirmed and I hope you'll attend at least one if possible. Amy will be ably assisted by the great Jon Graboff.

January 31st - Dublin - Whelan's (with Patty Griffin)

February 1st - London - The Spitz (with Camera Obscura)

February 2nd - Glasgow - ABC2
(with Lucky Luke, DJ set by Francis Macdonald)

February 7th - London - Dingwall's (with Gretchen Peters)

The new album, Everything and Nothing Too is out on January 30th, courtesy of the fine Spit and Polish imprint. You can get a copy at one of these shows or from any respected music outlet. They know who they are and there aren't a lot of 'em left but that's a grouch fo another day mayhap.

Also, in March - you can hear Amy and Christy McWilson add their vocals to the new Mudhoney album, "Under A Billion Suns" on Sub Pop.

The upcoming SCIENTISTS appearance at the Mudhoney ATP in May will feature the closest manifestation to the original that is possible in these times - Kim, Tony, Boris and Leanne. Stand by for news of additional shows...

and whilst we're on the subject of some positive noise... tonight (Sunday)!

Henry's Cellar Bar - with Shock and Awe, Paul Research and the Stivs

8 Morrison Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8BJ,UK - 4 quid

The world famous Shock And Awe and the legendary Paul Research plus The Stivs. The most accomplished guitarist Edinburgh has ever produced followed by the most basic. Full on multi-media art/punk/disco interface from Scars mainman Paul Research. Full on punk rock action like 1977 never happened from Shock And Awe. PLUS special guests "The new Edinburgh Stivs" non stop punk'n'roll jukebox pumping out classic punk covers - stooges/dead boys/ramones/heartbreakers etc.

RIP - RHINO RECORDS

(Gracias to Mrs Stim for the tip-off)



The very first time in Sweden for wild Billy Childish. The Buff Medways + Norways finest The Indikation will shake Gearclub to it's very foundation !!

Friday, February 3rd at Debaser, Stockholm

Gearclub - First Friday Every Month (F.F.E.M.)

Coming February 28th on Screaming Apple...

"Look out, here come those Wildebeests again with a whole new bunch of tunes to make you the listener perk up and take heed. Whether it be 'rivvum and bloos', 'tank pok', 'instro-mental larkabout', or 'skewed sick-stays styled beat-noise', these Lairds can KO with the best of them, fuck it, let's make with the fact that The Wildebeests, the band that features (ex)-members of the MILKSHAKES, KAISERS and THANES, can knock any and all others off the blocks anyday, anywhere, and at anytime.
After a pile of single, EP and album releases on Norton Records, Sympathy For The Record Industry and Smartguy Records in the US the Wildebeests have returned to Germany and Screaming Apple (who coincidently released their first single way back in 1995) to release this the groups 4th long-player and has taken many a long long while to arrive (often thought to have been lost in the peat bogs deep in the Tripe valley) and for that you have not to thank the efforts of the 3 goons who, heretoforeandthereafter,should be referred to as the artists, but for the efforts of record company blunders and problemos reaching near and far across the desert-scapes of days, nights, weeks, nay months I say, bouncing here and there almost resulting in a veritable record label tennis! The Lairds of the Boss Racket themselves had almost given up hope of this LP ever seeing the needle of a record player...
Holy gnu, its years now since the artists first threw this lot of rumbling artefacts onto magnetic tape after at the very least 3 long minutes of rehearsal and preparation. What could be better? Well just listen to the dim simplicity of 'Lucinda' and the untamed beauty of 'Your Mind' to say nothing of the wracked emotion of 'It Ain't Right' to get the measure of what these sensitive artists had to wade thru in order to bring their fans a steaming product of damn near perfection. The CD version of this new gnu-sound classic and bluesy beat-punk masterpiece will be out sometime later this spring."

Iggy Drab

RIP: Wilson Pickett.

Life's shit tapestry continues to trample yours truly into the dirt but there are positive things on the horizon. Just not for me. Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric will be doing a show together at The Marquee in Norwich on February 7th. Further details on Eric's site and while you're there check out his latest diary entry.

Also stand by for news on the imminent arrival of Amy Allison and her new release on Spit and Polish, "Everything and Nothing Too".

Groningen correspondent Jan Kooi send in a link to another great Kim Fowley interview, that makes me wonder once again why no one seems to be workin' on the man's biography. If in the right hands, it could be one of the best rock-reads ever..

RIP: Alex St. Claire (Magic Band).

Who woulda thunk? San Francisco's punk legends tourin' Euroland!

Avengers play Europe!
Please spread the word to all your
euro and globetrotting friends!

4-Feb Saturday Rome Penelope acoustic instore
5-Feb Sunday Road to Ruins Festival in Rome
7-Feb Tuesday Basel-CH Hirscheneck
8-Feb Wednesday Freiburg Walfisch
9-Feb Thursday Stuttgart Universum
10-Feb Friday Munster Gleiss 22
11-Feb Saturday Bielefeld AJZ
12-Feb Sunday Frankfurt Au
13-Feb Monday Koln Underground
14-Feb Tuesday Hannover Korn
16-Feb Thursday Chemnitz AJZ
17-Feb Friday Berlin Mudd Club
18-Feb Saturday Kiel Alte Meierei
19-Feb Sunday Hamburg Knust
20-Feb Monday Belgium, Gent
22-Feb Wednesday London Underworld w/Vibrators UK
23-Feb Thursday UK TBA
24-Feb Friday hanging about drinking tea with the Queen?
25-Feb Saturday UK TBA

(W/ thanks to Sander Bink for the tip-off)