Oh my goodness, this song rocks! I’m a long time fan of The Hellacopters and “Sign of the Octopus” from their new record Head Off is already one of my favorites. Listen closely for the cutting guitar lick at the end of the chorus. It only happens twice for a cumulative four seconds of rock and roll bliss. Be ready to rewind because you’re going to want more, more and more! And more!
If you’re still standing after “Octopus” check out more of their new stuff at their MySpace page, especially “No Salvation” and “Veronica Lake” and “I’m Watching You” and, well, all of ‘em. I gotta get the scratch together to add this to my Hellacopters record collection.
Hellacopters! Rocket From the Crypt! When I’m having a good day these bands are part of the imaginary soundtrack of my life. I can’t get enough roots rock/punk rock. This 1999 double band single, Hellacopters’ “Crimson Ballroom” and Rocket From the Crypt’s “Delorean,” was put out by Gearhead Magazine, and included with issue #10. In my fantasy life Gearhead is the “lifestyle” magazine.
This record is a seven inch vinyl disk to be played at 45 revolutions per minute. I’ve included a pic of the vinyl so the kids can see what I’m talking about. I’m doing it all for the kids.
There are some great Bobby Darin classics on this disc from 1997 but the recording quality is lame. It sounds live, and maybe even bootlegged. I didn’t buy this album. When I was working at The Motley Fool a year or so after the dotcom bust I wandered up to one of the then-empty floors. I saw this CD sitting on a long-abandoned desk. I decided to relocate it to my desk on the one floor of our office building that held the lay-off survivors. After the first listen I could see why it was left behind. It still sounds as bad as I remember. The Fool on the other hand has only gotten “harder, better, faster, stronger.”
The title track, “Mack the Knife,” has an interesting story behind it. The Delancey Place newsletter recently emailed an excerpt from The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross. It discussed how strange and unlikely it is that this song, essentially a psychotic murder ballad, eventually became a pop standard sung by Darin, Sinatra and others.
I’m throwing out a lot of “10″ ratings but these records all deserve it. This right here is the greatest band you’ve probably never heard of. Nine Nine Nine. Concrete is one of the most fun, sing-along, punk pop rock and roll records ever. It includes two great covers: “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Fortune Teller.” But the best songs are the originals. A couple favorites are “So Greedy” and “Break It Up.” The musicianship and song craft are tops. Every song leaves me wanting more. Hearing damage or blown speakers, which will come first?
Nine Nine Nine is still kicking it. I need to get their latest.
I’m all out of official Fleshtones records, but Peter Zaremba’s Love Delegation is pretty similar in sound, and personnel. I’m not sure if I should file this under Z for Zaremba or L for Love Delegation. In the real world I just file right after the other records by The Fleshtones. Fleshtones guitarist Keith Streng is a part of the core band, and drummer Bill Milhizer also contributed some. There are a lot other folks too, but the most well-known would be Dave Faulkner, front man of the Hoodoo Gurus.
I got to see the Hoodoo Gurus a few times and they put a on great show with a heavy crunch rock sound that doesn’t come across on their albums. Once I saw Mr. Faulkner at a Fleshtones show. They were playing at a small bar in Norfolk, VA called the King’s Head Inn. Faulkner was carrying their gear onto the stage! Apparently he was just hanging out with them for a while. This was when the Hoodoo Gurus were at their most popular in the States, and in Australia they were playing arenas. I even got to talk to him a bit. Later in the Fleshtones set Dave came on stage to play guitar with the band. Peter Zaremba announced they were “combining the rock and roll forces of two continents!”
Back to Spread the Word. This is a great record. About half of the songs are covers. It’s similar to The Fleshtones sound but overall it’s more pop and soul.
New music, old records, live shows, stories, memorabilia, garage band demos, anything and everything else related to music. Brothers and sisters... start clicking.
