Show #34 June 5, 2010

My Bonnie lies over the ocean...

Bonnie- Big Dipper Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology
This Far Before- Material Issue International Pop Overthrow
Burnt Orange- Hoodoo Gurus Purity Of Essence
I Want You- The Moberlys Sexteen
Your Imagination- Shoes Shoe's Best
Every Night Of The Week- Seventeen A Flashing Blur Of Stripped Down Excitement
You Were So Warm- Dwight Twilley Band Sincerely
Talk About Nothing- Farrah Moustache
^Found Out About You- Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience
Way Out World- Shrapnel Go Cruisin' 7''
La La La- The Cavedogs Joy Rides for Shut-Ins
Cool City- The Cute Lepers So Screwed Up
Why- The Strand Seconds Waiting
I Wanna Get Married- De Cylinders I Wanna Get Married Single
*Phenomenal World- The Orbits Make The Rules 45
*Tell It All- The Wigs File Under: Pop Vocal
*When I Was Younger- The Shivvers Teen Line 45
*Body Language- The Haskels Haskels The E.P. 7"
Tall Trees- Crowded House Woodface
Culture Shock- Shake Culture Shock 10" EPTreat Me Right- Sass Radio 45
No Promise- The Flashcubes Bright Lights
Have You Seen Her- The Colors Rave It Up EP
After The Fire- Little Murders Stop Plus Singles 1978-1986
>Mama Weer All Crazee Now- Slade SladestEmpty Faces- Push Ups Empty Faces 45
Waiting To Shine- Adam Schmitt IlliteratureHeartache- Protex I Can Only Dream 7''
Ultimato- Crackers Sir Crackers!
Looking Forward to Destroy- Mad Turks Cafe Istanbul
Someday's Gonna Come- The Reducers Cruise To Nowhere
This Is The Way- The Stilettos Shake Some Action Vol. 3
Sticky Sweet Girls- The Zeros 4-3-2-1-The Zeros
Are You Sleeping- Hoodoo Gurus Purity Of Essence

^Power Pop Prototype: #25 Billboard Hot 100 1/15/94

*SacroSet: Milwaukee Early 1980's Power Pop

>Power Pop Prototype: 1972

Let's face it- All Kindsa Girls is NOT a new music  radio show. So it seems like an embarrassment of riches to have not only a new Hold Steady album but also a new one from The Hoodoo Gurus (who are pictured above). Being on the other side of 50 hasn't dulled Dave Faulkner's pop sensibilities any, in fact some of the ballads on the record are as good as any he's written. There is also a scorching song about getting older called "Burnt Orange" that I played tonight:

When I was 17 my blood was gasoline

No matter where I turned, I got my fingers burned
I wouldn't go back there if I could

But then I turned 21, no fear of anyone
I always let them know if they were friend or foe
I wouldn't go back there if I could

I remember very well, way back then I went through hell
Always thought I was smart, never played it from the heart

I never listened to my Daddy's point of view
And though I wish I had, things they turned out so bad
I wouldn't go back there if I could

When I was in my teens and early 20's I used to hate the Rolling Stones and other groups that were still touring despite becoming musically irrelevant. I'm sorry but a 12" Disco Mix of "Miss You?" Or how about "Emotional Rescue," which to me makes Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music sound like London Calling. Part of the problem was people were listening to these dinosaurs when I thought they should be listening to something new, like say London Calling. Another thing I disliked was how the Stones were trying to ignore the passage of time, especially Mick at 45 jumping around like an anorexic teenage girl. I've since mellowed quite a bit and fully admit that taking Jack to see AC/DC in 2008 was the equivalent of going to any Rolling Stones tour after 1976. Furthermore, while nowhere as skinny as Mick, I have been known to jump around the stage while playing with my band The Dadz.

One of the things I find so cool about Dave Faulkner and The Hoodoo Gurus is that they acknowledge the passing of time and their songs benefit from the different viewpoint of guys who have been around a few years. Craig Finn and The Hold Steady do the same thing- they aren't afraid to act their age but still rock...hard. Hopefully these guys are exploding the myth that rock and roll is only a young man's game.

Click to stream this show, or to download right click and "Save Target As:"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #34

Show #33 May 22, 2010

Alison- my aim is true....


Alison- Elvis Costello My Aim Is True
Imposter- The Moondogs Imposter Single
Benediction- The Weakerthans Live at Burton Cummings Theatre
Crystal Girl- Slaters The Big Black Bug Bled Black Blood
Damn- Research Turtles Research Turtles
Dirty Girl- The Krinkles 3 - The Mordorlorff Collection
Please Believe Me- LMNOP Elemen Opee Elpee
Outta My Mind- Puppet Rulers Shake Some Action Vol. 2
^Everyday I Write The Book- Elvis Costello Punch The Clock
I Forgot Who I Forgot Who I Was- Psycotic Pineapple Where's The Party?
Pirate Love- Heartbreakers L.A.M.F.
Wrap Up The Rockets- The Freshies Wrap Up The Rockets Single
New Teller- Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers 23 Great Recordings
Lips Are Sealed- The Front Lines Where Do We Go From Here? EP
*Big Tears- Elvis Costello & The Attractions Pump It Up 7"
*Crawling To The USA- Elvis Costello & The Attractions Americathon Soundtrack
*From Head To Toe- Elvis Costello & The Attractions From Head To Toe 7"
*Clean Money- Elvis Costello & The Attractions Clubland 7"
No One Else- Weezer Weezer
Soul Redeemer- The Motors Airport - The Motor's Greatest Hits
Let's Away- The Shazam The Shazam
Amsterdam- Stew Passing Strange (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Barely Breathing- The Hold Steady Heaven Is Whenever
Mystery Date- The Bees Mystery Date EP
>Mystery Dance (Demo)- Elvis Costello Honky Tonk Demos
High School Never Ends- Bowling For Soup The Great Burrito Extortion Case
Teenage Treats- The Wasps Teenage Treats 7"
It Doesn't Matter- Strangeways! Powerpop!
Everywhere That I'm Not- Translator Heartbeats And Triggers
Started- Big Kid All Kidding Aside
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding- Elvis Costello & The Attractions Armed Forces

^Power Pop Peak: #36 Billboard Hot 100 8/20/83

*SacroSet: Elvis Costello & The Attractions B-Sides & Rarities

>Power Pop Prototype: 1976

"BIG NEWS! This weekend some Power Pop Royalty comes to town when Elvis Costello plays the Sonoma Jazz+ Music Festival! (Elvis isn’t really Power Pop and there’s no “jazz” at the festival but why get hung up on labels- for our town this is BIG NEWS!) Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes close out the weekend with a Sunday night show ."

When I wrote this in the bi-weekly All Kindsa Girls e-mail I was fully intending to go and see the show (the picture of Elvis above was taken that night). The (Mighty) Bulldogs, the softball team Nica plays on and I coach, were playing in a tournament that weekend and the field is right beside the Jazz+ tent. During one of our Saturday games we got to hear Earth,Wind & Fire sound check "Boogie Wonderland" which was very cool. Here's the thing though- it was a double elimination tournament and we lost our first game on Saturday. That means on Sunday, the day of Elvis' show, we had to keep winning to keep playing. We won the first game at 10am, ending The Aztecs' season, then we sent The Hurricanes home at Noon. We beat The Cougars at 2pm but since that was their only loss, we had to play them again at 4pm. By that time the girls are completely worn out and despite a late inning rally, we lost the fourth game and took second in the tournament.

So, four softball games followed by the medal ceremony and end of the season party- I was a dead man walking (and I didn't even have to play.) That's not the whole story, though. You see that Sunday night was also the series finale of LOST. It's one of my favorite TV shows and something Jaime and I, with Jack joining in Season 4 or so, have been watching for years. What it comes down to is this: Elvis Costello was playing a mile from my house and I didn't go because I was tired and there was something good on TV. I have no doubt that my 20 year old self would stomp my 45 year old ass at this affront. In my defense though, LOST was awesome that night...

I'm happy to say I did get into The Fillmore to see The Hold Steady earlier this month. It was a great show, but not the life changing experience I had last time I saw them in 2008. Franz was a goofball but he added a lot to the live show and I missed seeing him up there. I also don't like the new record as much as Stay Positive, which has become one of my all-time favorites. Still, seeing The Hold Steady always reinforces my belief in the power of rock & roll and we all need more of that in our lives.

One other thing about this week's show. I downloaded an album by a Lake Charles, LA band called Research Turtles and played a song from it tonight. You may think that "Research Turtles" is a very dumb name for a rock & roll band and you'd be right. Yet, thinking about it more, it's probably pretty important to have the kind of name that is easily searchable on the Internet these days. I was trying to find some information on The Bees, another group I played tonight, and it was tough going. In the future perhaps bands will choose a name by simply picking a few random words that will quickly come up in search engines. You can't get much more random than "Research Turtles." (You can download their debut album for free at: http://researchturtles.com/)

You can download Hour 1 of tonight's show here (Right Click and "Save Target As"): http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-05-22__20_59_57.mp3

And here's Hour 2: http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-05-22__21_59_57.mp3

Show #32 May 8, 2010

For Leslie and All Kindsa Guys!



Leslie- Robert Johnson Close Personal Friend
We Got Something- Tinted Windows Tinted Windows
Get Over You- The Undertones The Undertones
Anything For My Baby- Kiss Dressed to Kill
Our Whole Lives- The Hold Steady Heaven is Whenever
To Be A King- Any Trouble Wheels In Motion
20th Century Boy- T-Rex The Very Best Of T-Rex
Useless- Denzil Pub
^Joey Concrete Blonde Bloodletting
To The Bone- The Sunnyboys The Sunnyboys
This Modern Love- Bloc Party Silent Alarm
It Hurts- The Zippers A Six Song Mini Album
On My Own- The Three O'Clock Sixteen Tambourines
Always Comes Back- SVT Extended Play
*Frederick- The Patti Smith Group Wave
*Terry- Farrah Moustache
*Denis- Blondie The Complete Picture
*Jerome- Ruth Ruth The Little Death
Modern Kicks- The Exploding Hearts Guitar Romantic
I Don't Want To Live Without You- Tom Dickie & The Desires The Eleventh Hour
Coast To Coast- Ducks Deluxe Glitterbest
Have An Idea- The Heats Have An Idea
Catch Me- The Jetz Catch Me 7"
No Thugs In Our House- XTC Fossil Fuel The XTC Singles 1977-92
>Louie, Louie- The Kingsmen Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era
Weekend Love- The Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars
Obsession- The Last Fade To Black
Sight & Sound- Chris Von Sneidern Sight & Sound
Red and Grey- Neats 1981-84 The Ace of Hearts Years
We Can Get Together- The Hold Steady Heaven is Whenever

^Power Pop Peak: #19 Billboard Hot 100 8/18/90

*SacroSet: All Kindsa Guys

>Power Pop Prototype: 1963

I'm always on the lookout for songs for All Kindsa Girls' weekly features, so I've been collecting "guy" songs for a while now. The funny thing is, I had already picked Robert Johnson's "Leslie" as this show's dedication and only just now realized that it's a guy's name as well (the actors Leslie Nielsen and Leslie Howard, guitar player Leslie West, etc.) There's no doubt that Robert Johnson is singing about a girl, but I think it's still kind of a cool coincidence.

For the All Kindsa Guys theme, I went with the same "rule" as the girl dedication song for each show- the title must be limited to a male name. I realize I cheated a little bit on "Louie Louie" tonight, since it repeats the name, but how could I not play that record, it's one of the greatest guy songs of all time. The Kingsmen recorded "Louie Louie" in one take; the whole session was only an hour and that included recording the b-side. I especially love how singer Jack Ely comes in early after the guitar solo and they left this mistake in the final mix. Since the slurred lyrics were largely unintelligible, the powers that be decided they must be obscene and the record was banned on many radio stations and in the state of Indiana. The FBI even investigated- how awesome is that!

My daughter Veronica joined me in the studio when I recorded this week's show and that's her you hear helping me sign-off with a "Goodnight Leslie." As we were finishing up in production, Ken Brown was in the main studio doing "Que Pasa Sonoma" with his co-host, who happens to be named Leslie. Now, Leslie is very pretty and her attractiveness is amplified by its contrast to her surroundings. I don't know if you've ever spent much time in sweaty college/public/community radio stations but I can vouch for the fact that they are generally staffed by a bunch of dudes who look like they just came from a comic book convention, though we are a little less likely to wear sci-fi costumes. I pointed Leslie out to my wife Jaime at a Tuesday Night Market a while back and Jaime said "oh yeah, she's hot" while elbowing me in the ribs.

Anyway, before Nica and I left the station that day I stuck my head in the air studio and made a point of telling Leslie that my show this week was dedicated to "Leslie." We joked around a bit and talked about some of the groups I was going to play. Was I flirting? Maybe, but I've been married a long time so I'm really out of practice and no doubt pretty bad at it. In any case, I must have had that big "I just made a pretty girl laugh" smile on my face because when I turned around to leave, Nica has this really funny look on her face. I didn't think anything of it, but as Jaime and I were getting ready for bed that night I mentioned the "Leslie"/Leslie thing and she says "yes, Nica told me ALL about it as soon as you got home." My eleven year old narced on my lame 45-year old married guy flirting! I know- it's pretty funny and I really like the whole "don't mess with the sisterhood" aspect. My little girl is growing up.

You can download Hour 1 of tonight's show here (Right Click and "Save Target As"):http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-05-08__20_59_57.mp3

And here's Hour 2: http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-05-08__21_59_57.mp3

Show #31 April 24, 2010

For Josephine's historical and otherwise...

Josephine- Abbreviated Cieling Abbreviated Cieling 12" EP
Teenarama- The Records Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses
Hurricane J- Hold Steady Heaven is Whenever
(I Live For) Cars & Girls- The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!
Let Your Fingers Do The Talking- Billy Karloff And The Extremes Let Your Fingers Do The Talking
Miss You Baby- The Yum Yums Sweet As Candy
It Won't Do Any Good- Happy Hate Me Nots It Won't Do Any Good 7"
Cold Wind- The Bis-quits The Bis-quits
^He Could Be The One- Josie Cotton Valley Girl: Music From The Soundtrack
Die Trying- New Math Die Trying 7"
Frustration- Purple Hearts Frustration 7"
Sick of Brick- Kevin K And The Hollywood Stars Cool Ways
Private Army- Richard X. Heyman Hey Man!
Tell Me Why (Can't Understand You)- 20/20 20/20
*Downtown- The Cuban Heels Downtown 7"
*Burning Love- The Wild Giraffes Right Now
*Singing In The Rain- Just Water Singing In The Rain 7"
*Cool Jerk- Human Sexual Response Fig. 15
Paper Dolls- Rubber City Rebels Rubber City Rebels
Feel So Good- Spelling Mistakes Feel So Good 7"
Baby It's Cold Outside- Pezband Pezband
I've Gotta Change My Life- The Fleshtones It's Super Rock Time!
Hey! (Not Another Face In The Crowd)- The Thrills DIY: Mass. Ave. - The Boston Scene (1975-83)
Soft in the Center- Hold Steady Heaven is Whenever
>Wayside- Artful Dodger DIY Come Out And Play: American Power Pop I (1975-78)
Diamonds In The Rough- The Vertebrats Jackie's Gone 7"
Rhythm Guitar- Ben Vaughn Mood Swings
Big Brown Eyes- The dB's Stands for deciBels
Mesmerized- The Cold Mesmerized 7"
What's The Point- Sussex Treat Me Kind 7"
She's So Cynical- Modulators She's So Cynical 7"
Running Away- The Romantics Romantics And Friends-Midwest Pop Explosion
That Girl- The Scientists The Scientists
Very Temporary- Bob Mould District Line

^Power Pop Peak: #21 Billboard Hot 100 6/29/79

SacroSet: Power Pop Cover Songs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1975

While I love digging up obscure musical gems from the past, there's nothing like having a new release to look forward to. It doesn't happen very often these days because, I'm sorry to say, I've just lost touch with a lot of new music. When I was in college I could read Boston Rock or The Boston Phoenix and know something about nearly every band in the reviews and club listings, but those days are long past. As I've gotten older, I simply don't have time to keep up on current music. For starters, there seems to be so much more of it today. When I was a teenager you'd go to Newbury Comics and there would be about 10 or 15 new LP's and 45's each week, of which I'd be interested in 2 or 3. Now the Newbury Comics e-mail blast has about 40 new cd's every week, and that doesn't count imports and 7" records. Back then, it seemed like you could have a comprehensive understanding of a genre like Boston Rock, Punk, New Wave or Power Pop. Now it would be a full time job trying to focus on one genre from one country and even then you'd probably miss a lot.

The other issue, and I know I'll come off sounding like an old man here, is that I don't like a lot of the new music I hear. I've lost count of the times someone has told me "you've got to hear this amazing band" and when I do, I'm underwhelmed. Having worked with commercial radio stations for years, I've come to the conclusion that people's music tastes are established between the ages of 16 and 24. For a huge music fan like me, you could probably broaden it out to age 10 to 26. I imagine that for the rest of my life the new bands I discover and love will share some characteristics with those I loved when I was younger. That certainly is the case with The Hold Steady, who have a new album Heaven Is Whenever out May 4th. When I listen to them it often feels like I could have written the songs myself. Not the ones about being wasted on drugs and alcohol, of course, but a lot of the ones about music:

From "Constructive Summer"
Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer
Sometimes I feel he was our only decent teacher
Getting older makes it harder to remember
We are our only saviors

From "Massive Nights"
We had some massive highs
We had some crushing lows
We had some lusty little crushes
We had those all-ages hardcore matinée shows

From "Stay Positive"
There's gonna come a time
Where the true scene leaders
Will forget where they differ and get big picture
'Cause the kids at the shows
They'll have kids of their own
And the sing-along songs will be our scriptures

From "Certain Songs"
I guess you're old enough to know
kids out on the east coast,
roughly twenty years old,
got coaxed out by a certain perfect ratio
of warm beer to the summer smoke
and the Meatloaf to the Billy Joel.
Certain songs they get so scratched into our souls

From "We Can Get Together"
Heaven is whenever we can get together
Sit down on the floor and listen to your records
Heaven is whenever we can get together
Lock your bedroom door and listen to your records

In the last 10 years I've been much more prone to be emotionally moved by films and books than by music. That's why Craig Finn's lyrics and The Hold Steady's music are such a revelation to me; they take me back to my first love, rock & roll. The great thing is that The Hold Steady isn't nostalgia. This music meets me where I am now- a 45 year old suburban dad- which is the thing I love most about it.

The other great thing about The Hold Steady is they are one of the few bands that can get me out to the clubs. The group is incredibly powerful live and I'm really looking forward to seeing them at The Fillmore in San Francisco next week. The last time I saw them was a mind-blowing experience that I will never forget.

Here's the link to download Hour 1 of tonight's show (Right click and "Save Target As" http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-04-24__20_59_57.mp3

And here's Hour 2 http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-04-24__21_59_57.mp3

Show #30 April 10, 2010

 

Oh Hillary, tonight we rock for thee... 

 

Hillary- The Quick Mondo Deco Crash- The Primitives Lovely 

Tie Me Up- Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin Crawfish 7" 

What Can I Do- Fast Cars Coming, Ready or Not! 

 Zero Ambition- Back Seat Romeos Zero Ambition 7"  

All That Matters- Pointed Sticks Part Of The Noise 

Just A Chance- Badfinger Wish You Were Here 

Monkey Suit- Pernice Brothers Overcome by Happiness 

^Is She Really Going Out with Him?- Joe Jackson Look Smart 

Baby You're A Star- Gidgets Ga Ga PPO 2009 Top Ten 

Suspicious Minds- The Sports Don't Throw Stones 

Schooldays- The Starjets God Bless Starjets 

Stay Close To Me- Bad Brains Pay To Cum 7" 

Comeback- The Rockers The Rockers E.P. 7" 

*No Place Like Home- The Neighborhoods 12 Classic 45s 

*1+1<2- Classic Ruins 12 Classic 45s 

*I Want To Help You Ann- The Lyres 12 Classic 45s 

*Academy Fight Song- Mission Of Burma 12 Classic 45s 

One For The Road- Travoltas Endless Summer 

New Difference- Manual Scan Plan Of Action EP 

Searching For Affection- Contraband In The Night 45 

Wig In A Box- Hedwig And The Angry Inch Soundtrack 

You Say You- The Pencils Watching The Tears 7" 

Is It Over- The Fevers Love Always Wins 

>Shape Of Things To Come- Max Frost & The Troopers Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 

Paper Girl- The Jets Lover Boy 45 

Telephone- Transistors Telephone 7" 

Lost in the Supermarket- The Clash London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition 

Bad Indication- Off Broadway On 

Don't Dictate- Penetration DIY Don't Dictate 

One Of The Kids- Paul Warren & Explorer One Of The Kids

 

^Power Pop Peak: #21 Billboard Hot 100 6/9/79 

 

*SacroSet: Ace of Hearts Records

 

>Power Pop Prototype: 1968

 

Alright! We went two weeks without a major figure in Power Pop shuffling off this mortal coil! I have to say, it was great to get back to straight up rocking this week. The Quick's "Hillary"gets us off to a fine start and Joe Jackson provides another Power Pop Peak from the genre's 1979 heyday. As the blog post from Show #28 proves, the Davis In The 80's SacroSet got me thinking about late 70's/early 80's music scenes across the country, especially the one in my hometown, Boston, Massachusetts. 

After The Real Kid's first album (which of course includes the opus "All Kindsa Girls"), my favorite early Boston rock records were the singles on Ace of Hearts. Classic Ruins' "1+1<2," The Neighborhoods "Prettiest Girl," Mission of Burma's "Academy Fight Song-" these are amazing records that I would put up against the releases of any label anywhere in the world.  The songs, the production, the artwork, the packaging- Ace of Hearts singles were second to none. I'm not alone in this assessment; The Neighborhoods single sold 10,000 copies and the Burma record sold out its first pressing of 7500- these are amazing numbers for 7 inches on a regional independent label.

Ace of Hearts owner Rick Harte is an eccentric dude but he knew enough to go out and find which bands were driving them wild in the clubs and he had the money to do something about it. You'd hear stories about his Phil Spectoresque tendencies in the studio (minus the firearms of course) like a 28 hour mix down session on "Max Ernst," the flipside of the first Burma single, that wasn't even the one they eventually used.

 

I met Rick Harte in the mid-80's when I interviewed him for acollege project. He gave very cryptic answers to all of my questions and only loosened up when he could see I was a huge fan of the label. Then I blew it by asking him about having The Lyres (who he was managing at the time) play on my radio show, WERS' Boston rock showcase Metrowave. Apparently the band's last performance on the station was bootlegged in the Netherlands or Sweden and he was still pissed off about it. Anyway, before I left he gave me the rare color sleeve of Mission of Burma's "Trem Two" single and an uncut "Academy Fight Song" sleeve that still had all the registration marks which was VERY cool. 

 

(Adding insult to injury when they bootlegged the Lyres show, they put a picture of the stolen WERS radio tape on the back cover!)

 

The early Ace of Hearts singles are compiled on the 12 Classic 45's CD pictured at the top of this post. In my opinion, it's

Rick Harte

really only nine classic 45's as I don't care for most of the non-reissue releases on the label after the mid 80's. I'm not sure what happened, but it seems like Harte kind of lost it around that time. Still, from 1978 to 1985 the dude was a bona fide genius and he helped document an important musical era for which I'm deeply thankful. 

 

Click on this link to stream tonight's show, to download, right click and "Save Link As":

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #30 

Show #29 March 27, 2010

Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton...

Alex Chilton- The Replacements Pleased To Meet Me
Free Again- Alex Chilton Bach's Bottom
The Happy Song- The Box Tops Soul Deep: The Best Of The Box Tops
September Gurls- The Bangles Different Light
Don't Lie To Me- Big Star Nobody Can Dance
Mine Exclusively- Big Star In Space
Back Of A Car- Gin Blossoms Big Star Small World
Take It Off- Alex Chilton Top 30
^The Letter- The Box Tops Soul Deep: The Best Of The Box Tops
Interview- Big Star Live
The Ballad Of El Goodo- Big Star Live
That 70's Song- Cheap Trick That' 70's Show Presents That 70's Album: Rockin'
No Sex- Alex Chilton Top 30
When My Baby's Beside Me- Kelly Willis Big Star Small World
*Feel- Big Star #1 Record
*Thirteen- Big Star #1 Record
*Watch The Sunrise- Big Star #1 Record
*Give Me Another Chance- Big Star #1 Record
Hey, Little Child- Tommy Keene The Real Underground
Take Me Home And Make Me Like It- Alex Chilton Bach's Bottom
She Might Look My Way- Young Fresh Fellows Not The Singer But The Songs- An Alex Chilton Tribute
Life Is White- Big Star Radio City
I'm In Love With A Girl- The Popes Not The Singer But The Songs- An Alex Chilton Tribute
Baby Strange- Big Star Nobody Can Dance
>Neon Rainbow- The Box Tops Soul Deep: The Best Of The Box Tops
Jesus Christ- Teenage Fanclub Small World Big Star
Bangkok- Alex Chilton Top 30
Dony- Big Star In Space
Nightime- The Afgan Whigs Big Star Small World
Motel Blues- Big Star Live
Volare- Alex Chilton Top 30
Thank You Friends- Big Star Big Star's 3rd: Sister Lovers

^Power Pop Peak: #1 Billboard Hot 100 8/12/67

*SacroSet: Big Star's #1 Record

>Power Pop Prototype: 1967

Only three months in and 2010 has already been a rough year for Power Pop legends. First, Doug Fieger of The Knack, who wrote "My Sharona," arguably the biggest Power Pop hit of all time, dies on Valentine's Day. Then we lose Alex Chilton just over a month later on St. Patrick's Day. (Needless to say, this makes me anxious about the upcoming Easter, Mother's Day, 4th of July, etc., especially as I remember Peter Case had major heart surgery last year.) It's hard to think of a better reference point for Power Pop than Alex Chilton's group Big Star; initial critical acclaim, enormous historical impact, zero commercial success. Of course, Alex already had been down the pop star road a few years earlier and he didn't seem to care much for it.

In 1966, Memphis band The Devilles were looking for a lead singer and drafted 16 year old William Alexander "Alex" Chilton after hearing about his stand out performance at a Central High School talent show. The group later changed their name to The Box Tops and within a year recorded and released "The Letter," which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and the top record of 1967. The song was also a huge hit around the world, hitting #1 on the charts in Chile, Israel, Norway and Poland while reaching the Top 5 in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden and the UK. The Box Tops would go on to release six more Top 40 hits including "Cry Like A Baby" and "Soul Deep." At 16 years old Alex Chilton was an international superstar, which seemed to leave a lasting negative impression on him the rest of his life.

After The Box Tops broke up in 1970, Blood, Sweat & Tears offered Chilton the lead vocal position in their group but by then he'd had enough so he rejected the offer as "too commercial." Instead he set himself to the task of learning to play the guitar, recording some demos in Memphis before moving to New York City. Returing to Memphis in 1971, Chilton asked local musician Chris Bell to join him in a folk duo, but Bell declined as he was playing in a band with Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel called Icewater. After seeing the group live, Chilton played some of his songs for them and was asked to join. Copping the name from a local supermarket chain, Big Star was born.

The ironically named group released the ironically titled #1 Record in June of 1972 to rave reviews but label Stax Records did a poor job promoting and distributing the record so it sank without a trace. Here's the thing, though- #1 Record is perhaps the single greatest Power Pop album of all time. I first heard the record in 1986, buying the British import CD at Tower Records in Boston. Chris Bell's "Feel" gets the album off to a rocking start, but it's the second and fourth songs, Chilton's "The Ballad of El Goodo" and "Thirteen," that really blew me away. I'm a sucker for underdog stories like "El Goodo" and "Thirteen" is a beautiful story of young love:

Won't you let me walk you home from school
Won't you let me meet you at the pool
Maybe Friday I can, get tickets for the dance
and I'll take you

Won't you tell your dad, "Get off my back"
Tell him what we said 'bout 'Paint It Black'
Rock & Roll is here to stay, come inside where it's okay
and I'll shake you

Won't you tell me what you're thinking of
Would you be an outlaw for my love
If it's so, well, let me know, if it's "no", well, I can go
I won't make you

These lyrics, combined with Alex's plaintive voice and finger picking make "Thirteen" one of my all-time favorite songs. The third song on #1 Record, "In The Street" was used as the theme song for the first season of TV's "That 70's Show," replaced in subsequent seasons by Cheap Trick's version, re-named "That 70's Song," which I played on tonight's show.

Chris Bell left Big Star after #1 Record, but made some contributions to the group's second album Radio City, which is also a great record that critics loved but Stax failed to distribute. In my opinion, that was the end of Big Star because even though Third/Sister Lovers was released under the group's name, I consider it more of an Alex Chilton solo record. A lot of bands cite Third/Sister Lovers as a work of staggering genius but to me it's all over the place, which pretty much sums up rest of Alex Chilton's recording career.

On his own it seems like Chilton's demons sometimes got the best of him which often didn't translate into great music. Alex was an eccentric guy and you'd hear about him living on the streets of New York or Paul Westerberg's story about the difficulty Alex had trying to get young ladies to accompany him "back to his tent" in Memphis. On a trip to New York City in the late 80's I convinced my then girlfriend, Laura Zurowski, to go to the Knitting Factory to see Alex perform. I was very excited to see him and had pretty big expectations going in. Unfortunately, the show was a total mess- Alex was loaded and played mostly sloppy versions of obscure R&B tunes for about 45 minutes before stumbling off stage. My problem was I'd convinced Laura to forego seeing whatever trendy indie rock band was playing that night, so I had some 'splaining to do. Thanks Alex.

Despite that negative experience, I ponied up again for the Big Star "reunion" (Alex & Jody along with Jon & Ken from The Posies) at The Fillmore in 2004 and boy am I glad I did. Alex was sober, in fine voice and he played brilliantly. Getting to hear those songs performed live, especially Alex's solo version of "Thirteen," made for a night I'll never forget. I don't think he ever reached the heights of Big Star but still, as tonight's show proves, Alex Chilton recorded quite a few great songs over the last 30 years. He will be missed.

Here are the links to download this week's show (right click and "Save Target As")

Hour 1 http://sonomasunfm.com/showarchive/public/2010-03-27__20_59_57.mp3
Hour 2 http://sonomasunfm.com/showarchive/public/2010-03-27__21_59_57.mp3

Show #28 March 13, 2010

 

She's some kind of angel, you know what I mean... Evangeline! 

  

Evangeline- Matthew Sweet Girlfriend 

Woman's World- The Jags Woman's World 7"

 Gotta Tell Me Why- The Slickee Boys Gotta Tell Me Why 7"

 Without You- Rudi Big Time 

She Say Yea- The Scruffs Wanna Meet The Scruffs 

Knew You- Neats 1981-84 The Ace of Hearts Years 

I Can See It Now- The Wigs File Under: Pop Vocal 

Tourist Information- Tours Tourist Information 7" 

^Dreaming- Blondie The Complete Picture 

Southern Streets- The Nice Boys The Nice Boys 

Lost Angels- The Sweet The Collection 

I Need Somebody To Love- The V.I.P.'S I Need Somebody To Love/Beat Crazy EP 

Places That Are Gone- Tommy Keene Songs From The Film

Page 3- The Lambrettas Beat Boys In The Jet Age 

*Talking Loud- Suspects It's Up To You 45 

*Beach State Rocking- Alternate Learning Painted Windows 

*Macy's Window- Thin White Rope Exploring The Axis 

*Two For One- Meantime Two For One 45 

Gold Into Straw- Brendan Benson The Alternative To Love 

You- X See How We Are 

Life Is A Song- The Rousers A Treat Of New Beat 

Run Away- Critical Mass It's What's Inside That Counts 

If It Were Up To Me- Rooney Rooney 

Confidential- Modernettes Teen City E.P. 12"

 >Gotta Keep Movin'- MC5 High Time 

Everybody Loves A Loser- Battered Wives Battered Wives 

Eloquent Spokesman- The Spongetones Beat & Torn 

Hungry For Love- The Revillos Rev Up 

Perfect Life- Boy's Life Boy's Life vs. The Outlets EP 

Hit the Floor- Earthquake DIY Come Out And Play: American Power Pop I (1975-78) 

Hormones In Action- The Neat Hormones In Action 7" 

So Long Baby Goodbye- Blasters The Blasters 

 

^Power Pop Peak: #27 Billboard Hot 100 9/29/79 

 

*SacroSet: Davis, California 80's Music Scene 

 

>Power Pop Prototype: 1971 

 

When I first got into rock & roll growing up on Massachusetts' south shore in the early 70's it seemed like there were a limited number of bands, most from exotic places like London, New York and Los Angeles. Aerosmith were from Boston (and now a couple of the guys in the group have homes in Duxbury, where my Mom lives), but even they seemed a million miles away. 

 

When punk rock broke, it also seemed geographically remote
but then a very cool thing started happening. My Cousin Rich and I started hearing about bands playing in the Boston clubs that were as good as, if not better than, a lot of the London and New York bands whose records we were buying. Thanks to college radio stations like MIT's WMBR and WERS at Emerson College (where I would eventually go to school) we heard seven inch singles and unreleased radio tapes by Boston bands like La Peste, Pastiche, Lou Miami & The Kozmetix, The Neighborhoods, Classic Ruins and more. 

 

The new Boston Rock magazine gave the local bands as much coverage as those from other places and a fanzine called The Noise (which is still going today) was dedicated exclusively to Boston rock & roll. It seemed like every "record run" into Boston and Cambridge, Rich and I would find a new release by a local band, sometimes sold to us by a member of the group. I once bought a Human Sexual Response album from Rich Gilbert, the band's guitarist, at a store called Looney Tunes. I tried to act cool at the time, but my mind was blown. Aimee Mann (Young Snakes, 'Til Tuesday) and WMBR DJ Tami Heidi (who would go on to work at WBCN and legendary LA station KROQ) worked at Newbury Comics, while Barrence Whitfield was over at Planet Records, so you never knew who'd be behind the record store check out counter. (Even two years ago, Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott sold me some records at Looney Tunes in Cambridge, which I still found VERY cool.) 

 

When the "all-ages show" was born we actually got to see groups like Del Fuegos, The Atlantics and The Real Kids (whose opus "All Kindsa Girls" is this radio show's namesake) play live in the clubs. It was amazing to buy a group's record one day and see them play live the next- up close too, not from row NN in the balcony. 

 

It wasn't until a few years later that I realized this was not a rare phenomenon. Between 1978 and 1982, there were local music scenes sprouting up across the country. Bands inspired by punk rock's do-it-yourself aesthetic were putting out records and packing the clubs. Compilation albums released at the time and subsequently, documented scenes in place like: 

 

Akron, OH (The Akron Compilation) 

Atlanta, GA (Standardeviation) 

Buffalo, NY (This Is It! Greater Buffalo's Greatest 1977-1984) 

Milwaukee, WI (History In 3 Chords) 

Minneapolis, MN (Big Hits of Mid-America Vol. III) 

 

 

New Haven, CT (It Happened But Nobody Noticed) 

New Orleans, LA (N.O. Experience Necessary) 

Portland, OR (Trap Sampler) 

Seattle, WA (Seattle Syndrome Vol. 1) 

St. Louis, MO (Test Patterns) 

 

 

Washington, DC (Connected) 

Toronto, ON (And Now Live From Toronto...The Last Pogo) 

Vancouver, BC (Vancouver Complication) 

 

How cool is that? 100's of bands playing for thousands of people in sweaty, packed clubs all over the country...all over the world. If we'd had the Internet back then, some of the bands might have been able to actually make some money for their efforts. 

 

The Suspects

Davis, California is a small city between Sacramento and the Bay Area that is home to the University of California Davis, a school probably best known for its agriculture program. Like the cities above, Davis had a thriving music scene in the late 70's/early 80's. College station KDVS and campus paper the California Aggie attracted student Steve Wynn who, after seeing the Sex Pistols infamous Winterland 1978 show in San Francisco formed a band called The Suspects. After moving to LA, Wynn and Kendra Smith of The Suspects went on to form the legendary PaisleyUnderground group The Dream Syndicate. Fellow Suspects member Russ Tolman joined Meantime, also in tonight's SacroSet, before forming True West with Gavin Blair, another Suspects alumni. True West were another big group of the 80's college rock era and their first 12" was co-produced by Steve Wynn. I have to say I never really got Thin White Rope's appeal, but they were one of the most successful Davis groups. More to my liking is Alternate Learning, Scott Miller's first band before he went on to Game Theory and The Loud Family. Alternate Learning, or ALRN, also included Joe Becker who was a member of Thin White Rope. 

 

ALRN

Steve Wynn, Scott Miller and Russ Tollman are all still making music today. Davis, California in the late 70's/early 80's never got its own record compilation, but I'd be hardpressed to name another city it's size that had as much long term musical impact. Here are the links to download this week's show (Right click and "Save Link As"): 

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #28