"Astral wailings from the black oozing pit of Cleveland's concrete hell": Chris D. on Pere Ubu's "Heart of Darkness"/Peter Laughner's mug in Slash Magazine August 1977

Although I have not reviewed it properly, the Slash Magazine coffee table book Slash: A Punk Magazine from Los Angeles: 1977-1980 (B. Roettinger & J.C. Gabel eds, Los Angeles: Hat & Beard, 2016) is essential reading, preferably by those with a magnifying glass. I could nitpick that there is no proper index to the reviews but that is my next task right? Also, I probably could use an index to the various aliases so that I could tell who was reviewing what, and who should have recused themselves from reviewing their roommate's/girlfriend's/boyfriend's band etc. Chris Desjardins' first reviews under his own name are in Vol. 1 No.3 (August 1977): Iggy and the Stooges' 1977 via 1971 Siamese "I Got a Right" single and a live review of the Dogs at the Whisky (August 15, 1977). But let's start with his September 1977 review of Pere Ubu's 1975 double A-side "Heart of Darkness/30 Seconds over Tokyo" from Volume 1, Number 4 ("hypnotic mindfuck singles" - exactly!). Or is it "30 Seconds" on the A side? Chris' question of where the lp (with the various singles) was answered the following year with Datapanik in the Year Zero. Along with Phast Phreddie Patterson's most excellent 1978 review of The Modern Dance in Back Door Man #14 (March/April 1978), there is no mistaking the psychedelic uptake by two of the most astute music writers in Southern California circa 1974-1978. Laughner was out of the band after the second 45 (with no eye contact for the unnamed photographer) and died June 22, 1977 - around 6-8 weeks before publication of this review, which no doubt he would have liked. To be continued with Chris D.'s earlier work . . .

In Defence of SWA: the Video Evidence: "Majorly, Fully, Completely SWA"

Just as I remembered.  Interview starts in second clip below:

Bob Mosley - Thanks (1972)

Bob Mosley’s 1972 self titled lp is a must for anybody into Bob’s work with Moby Grape but especially for one track. When I was living in San Diego I remember reading this about Bob and just being crushed and even trying to find him. The article is well worth revisiting. Two years later the LA Weekly had a story that I widely circulated to friends that Skip Spence was living in a half way house in San Jose. While Bob’s lp has a lot of hard rock styling and horns (both of which suit his voice), this autobiographical song with pedal steel with Ed Black for me is what makes this lp a keeper. If you know Bob’s story this one is where the divining rod struck gold and ranks up there with my favourites on Spence's Oar and with Bob's classic "Bitter Wind" off Wow. “Step inside my shoes/chase away these blues . . . before I lose my mind/thanks for leaving your guitar my friend/I was afraid I would be hung up by someone . . . there is nothing left to lose the blues for me/say hello please stay”


The Move's version of "Hey Grandma":

The Quick in the Studio with Kim Fowley and Earle Mankey (Mondo Deco sessions)/Rodney and the Flamin' Groovies/Dee Dee on L.A. & More/Blast Celebrity Rock Magazine December 1976 [Repost April 2014]

The December 1976 Rolling Stone magazine covers: Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Maurice Sendak. Almost a parody that Belushi would have had a field day with if given more writing time during the 1976-77 SNL season. Blast which billed itself as a "Celebrity Rock Magazine" (my kinda celebs for the most part, I might add) in their December 1976 issue: the Who on the cover with generous features on BOC, Bryan Ferry, Burning Spear/Toots/Marley and Tosh, as well as a 1960's SF rock family tree ala Zig Zag. Gotta say that Blast wins the December 1976 battle royale with a team including Jon Tiven, Trix A. Balm (Lauren Agnelli) and edited by Michael Gross (who had some nice NME articles circa 73'74). The Ferry piece was written by Mick Rock who also supplied the photos. Also among the contributing photographers for this issue are a who's who of rockist photographers including  Richard Creamer (who I consider the Brassaï of glitter Hollywood), Richard Aaron, Chuck Pulin, and the great Brad Elterman, my man from the SFV. For your enjoyment are two thumbnail photos by Brad a little larger for your perusal (where are the full negative sheets of these sessions!!). Historically, I think these two pictures would now get the full feature treatment given how important the events documented in the photos. The Quick at the Mondo Deco recording sessions.  The Flamin' Groovies with Rodney was taken by my guess at the joint Ramones/Flamin' Groovies bill at the Roxy, August 12, 1976. Sire Records double bill.  In the audience we can only guess the Denney Bros., Claude and Philomena, Mike Kelley, the entire nascent Masque scene, the Runaways, the Back Door Man crew, Plez and Kid Congo, Greg Shaw, Gene Scalutti, Gregg Turner (was Meltzer in LA by late 1976). Anyway, Brad WAS there to take the photos. Any crowd shots? Even better is Dee Dee's take on LA nightlife circa 1976 . . . .

The announcement of the start of Rodney on the Roq!

  [back in 2014, the much missed Don Waller confirmed that yes, the Back Door Man masthead was present at those shows!]

Johnny Thunders' 1974 Top 10 Name Check/Reunion "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)

Was this Johnny Thunders' first Top 40 exposure and at the tail end of Dollsmania in 1974? Pure bubble gum detritus that I love which hilariously places JT between the Osmond Brothers and Eric Clapton and "pedalwah wah"! Not only that but Reunion's "Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) was a Top 40 single on KHJ is 1974.  There is even Ullman's early 80's straight take of the song. Not too soon after Cheech & Chongs' "Earache My Eye" overtook Stevie Wonder and topped the KHJ single charts.

I have written before how in the documentary "Never Mind the Sex Pistols, Here's the Bollocks" there is evidence that the Ramones were barred from the KHJ playlist which would have had them at the top of the charts given how voting was kid dominated and the likes of Cheech & Chong had a hit. Makes me want to scream . . .

Del Shannon "Early in the Morning"

Been on a massive Everly Brothers and Del Shannon kick of recent.  I keep coming back to possibly my favorite Del Shannon track, "Early in the Morning." This early 70's one hits the sweet spot somewhere between Gene Clark, Vince Martin, Dion, Tim Buckley and Fred Neil. Pure gold. The only way to get this track currently is as an extra on the “The Further Adventures Of Charles Westover” cd reissue which itself is deserving of another write-up. Did Del record a whole lp in this style?

And now I can kick myself for not seeing Del when he was playing around a lot in the 1980’s, including some appearances at the Country Club in Reseda (when Steven Hufsteter from the Quick/Cruzados was in the band – see below), which was also the time Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were working with him (“Drop Down and Get Me”era).



 

Roxy Music - Would You Believe? (Live At The Bataclan, Paris / 1972)/Re-Make Remodel The Olympia Paris 1973

In the late 1980's Roxy Music VHS "Total Recall" (still not reissued to this day), there is a brief tantalizing clip of Roxy Music live in 1972 performing "Would You Believe" with both Eno and Ferry singing the chorus at the end of the song. The way the two camera shot is edited amplifies what split the band - Eno puts down his tambourine long enough to grab the mike and truly you know the end is nigh. This town aint big enough for the both us indeed. So, now in 2018 there is a 3 cd expanded version of Roxy Music's debut with a dvd including the full "Would You Believe" . . and it is from the Bataclan in Paris. Check out the second Paris clip from 1973 with Eno processing the whole proceedings through his board (except Manzanera who is just on fire) making the whole thing sound at times not unlike the electric fuckery of Hawkwind, Monoshock, Simply Saucer or Comets on Fire (name yer fave). Timeless!