Gone

Over the past few days , have been reading and watching the many reviews of 2009 including a truly awful one last night on ITV (how long is this station going to survive ?) with the absolutely loathsome Piers Morgan and they all at some point have a list of notable lives that have died over the previous year . Just wanted to put a few You-Tube vids up to honor a few guys that made a difference to me and who rarely got mentioned , if at all, in any of the mainstream medias round up of 2009. A touch sentimental maybe but sod it , it's the season for it . Have a good one .

Ron Asheton

John Martyn

Lux Interior

and from the telly

Tony Hart

Keith Floyd

Mentions for Alton Ellis ,Steven Wells,David Carradine,Michael Jackson and Bobby Robson

Abattoir Dogs Rock N Roll Weirdness

Now and again the compilation freebies given away with the music mags can throw up some real goodies and for me this was one is bang on. This compilation was give away with the now defunct Vox magazine in 1995 . A sort of imaginary soundtrack in tribute to Quentin Tarintino , I think Pulp Fiction had just come out at the time ,and there isn't a duff track on it . All tracks were licensed by Ace records so there is a strong slant to some brilliant rockabilly along with cajun , surf,Link Wray,The Cramps,garage, and a little country.There is a bit of Tarantino/gangster like narrative between some tracks which probably seemed like a good idea at the time but these can be safely skipped or deleted . Try here .

Link Wray - Deuces Wild
Johnny Allen - The Promised Land
Richard Berry - Big Break
John Lee Hooker - Hoogie Boogie
The Run-A-Ways - Night Creature
The Phantom Chords - Screaming Kid
Sparkle Moore - Flower Of M Hart
The Embers - I Waked All Nght
Link Wray - The Wild One
The Cramps - Everything Goes
The Gladiolas - Little Darlin'
Elmore James - Can't Sop Lovin' You
Margaret Lewis - Reconsider Me
The Fatback Band - (Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop
Tommy McLain - Sweet dreams

Link Wray

Part Shawnee Indian one lunged former Korean war veteran Link Wray was as much as an innovative guitarist as Hendrix but hardly known outside the muso community . He was using distortion, feedback and overdriven guitar nearly ten years before Hendrix and Townshend .The US and British hit "Rumble" had the mighty distinction of being banned on many radio stations at the time for "glorifying juvenile delinquency" despite being an instrumental .Neil Young and Bob Dylan both witnessed Link play live early on and have both cited him as an influence as has Jimmy Page,Jeff Beck,Townshend,Hendrix,Marc Bolan,Billy Childish and Mark E Smith amongst many others.There are seven track on this compilation recorded in the eighties that really don't stand up (way too much drum machine) but the other sixteen tracks including Rumble,Ace Of Spades and the storming Jack The Ripper more than make up.Wiki here.Link Wray Original Rumble here.

Rockabilly Psychosis And The Garage Disease

Just listened to this again for the first time in near on twenty years and am now a total convert to the track I initially hated on first listening all those years ago on a C90 tape , The Legendary Stardust Cowboy's "Paralysed" . Not sure if its a work of total genius or complete insanity ( I like to think both ...) but it puts a smile on this particular face . An absolute outsider music gem along with Hasil Adkins' "She Said" , another track included on this compilation issued on Big Beat in 1984.The first side has 60s garage classics - The Trashmen's " Surfin' Bird" , The Sonics' "Psycho",and The Novas' "The Crusher" . The second side has tracks by Psychobilly greats The Meteors , The Sting-Rays, The Guana Batz and a rare recording by The Cramps backing Jimmy Dickinson - "Red Headed Woman ". Also included , maybe a little out of place , "Jack on Fire" a track from The Gun Club's storming classic debut album . A very influential compilation at the time which led to an oubreak of flat tops , quiffs ,spikes and horns all perched on top of shaven heads (and that was just the girls ! boom boom !). Sure still sounds good to me . As this is a CD rip , I have included "Love Me" by The Phantom (Taken from "Songs The Cramps Taught Us") as this was on original vinyl issue and omitted from CD reissue along with cover scans and sleevenotes. For "The Most Devastating Trip Into The World's Most Warped Musical Minds " go here ......

Here is a clip of The Legendary Stardust Cowboy being mocked by a popular American comedy duo in the 60s' , I guess they'd never come across the likes of The Cowboy at their members only golf club .