It’s become something of a cliché over the past few years, to celebrate the exhumation of an album that you never thought you’d see reissued with a triumphant cry of “back from the dead.” It’s very rare, however, that those words can be taken literally, which means the appearance of Wayne County’s At The Trucks! album should serve to reassure us that absolutely nothing is beyond the realms of possibility anymore. Because, in the world of lost causes, At The Trucks! was beyond all hope of salvation.We won’t get into the actual politics behind the album’s recording and original disappearance — audience-member (and Psychotic Frogs frontman) Jimi Lalumia’s liner notes do that very nicely. Suffice to say, when this album was recorded, in New York in 1974, County seriously believed that the management company that he shared with David Bowie would be releasing it very soon. Instead, the tapes were shelved, an accompanying film was forgotten and, when a fire swept through the warehouse where the recordings had been buried, that was the end of the tale. Or was it? Fast forward 30 years, and somebody passing by a recently-closed down studio found an old acetate disc in a box on the corner. Of course they listed it on e-bay, from whence one of County’s UK fans purchased it for $600; a copy was passed onto County, who in turn passed it on to the Spanish label Munster. The end of the rainbow had been located.But was it worth looking for? Well it was, if you love (a) Wayne County, (b) rock history and (c) finding out where Bowiegot some of his best period ideas. Only seven songs are from the Trucks concert itself, including a deliciously primal “Man Made Woman”, early versions of later County favorites “Wonder Woman” and “Stuck On You” and, fascinatingly, “Queenage Baby”, a song that County has always insisted was a profound influence on Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” and… guess what? It probably was.The remainder of the disc is equally intriguing. “You Gotta Get Layed To Stay Healthy” is the sole survivor from projected 1974 single, produced in New York by Mick Ronson; “Putty” is a demo from around the same time, and “Man Enough To Be A Woman” was recorded live in 1978, by County’s best known band, the Electric Chairs — and is included here, presumably, to prove that what the rest of the world called “punk” in the late 1970s was exactly the same as Wayne had been doing all along.The albums ends with four songs recorded by County in more recent years, and they’re as much fun as you’d hope. But it’s the Trucks show that opens your eyes the widest, and makes you believe in miracles while you’re at it.
The Registrators formed in Japan in the late ’80s, influenced by the leading punk rock bands of the time. Lead vocalist Hiroshi, alongside bassist Ren, guitarist Jun, and drummer Deira started by mainly playing covers of bands like the Damned, the Clash, or the Sex Pistols. During the following times, the band managed to record several singles, also appearing on Chloroform, a Japanese punk rock compilation. In the midst of the ’90s, the squad offered its first full-length album, Terminal Boredom, propelling their tunes to wider audiences all across Japan and Europe. In 1998, the EP 4 Vibrate strengthened even more of the band’s cult following. In 2000, the Japanese crew offered its second major recording, Sixteen Wires From the New Provocate. In that same year, Rip Off records offered the first of two compilations presenting the band’s first Japanese releases, Singles. Two years later, Rare Tracks, yet another collection of some of the band’s better tunes, hit record stores.
Hailing from Akron, Ohio, home to the huge tire industry (hence the name “Rubber City”) came a tight knit rock band that oozed attitude, rebellion and plain old reckless abandon. The Rubber City Rebels piloted the punk plane and DIY spirit and took matters into their own hands. They created one of the first punk venues in Akron, gave DEVO their big break and the took a chance and help develop the L.A. punk underground by relocating to Los Angeles in the late ’70s. They released some hard to find seven inches and then released a critically acclaimed full length that really didn’t prosper commercially. Now close to 25 years later, The Rubber City Rebels do it to us again with possibly the best album of the new century “Pierce My Brain”, a hard rocking soon to be punk classic that once agin sets the standard for what great rock n’ roll is about.
Pittsburgh’s Cynics have matured a great deal, musically speaking, in the decades they have been around, and it’s a tribute to guitarist Gregg Kostelich and singer Michael Kastelic that the group’s ’60s garage/punk/folk/psychedelic visions of tender love and hard breakups has endured. Utilizing a revolving lineup of bassists and drummers, Kostelich and Kastelic have released five genre-spanning albums on Kostelich’s own indie-wunderkind label, Get Hip. Learn to Lose, like albums by many bands that thrive in concert, fails to capture the Cynics’ energy. The tracks are frequently lifeless, too clean and rational. However, Kostelich does crank up the fuzz on “Right Here With You,” and Kastelic works himself into a frenzy on “Pressure.” “Haunted” comes closest to reaching their potential, but it never fully takes off. Although most of the songs are the group’s own, the disc does include a cover of the Nuggets-worthy “You Must Be a Witch” and the Troggs’ “I Want You.”
‘77 style punk sounds from Jeff Dahl (Angry Samoans), Mike Metoff (The Pagans), Allan Clark (Lazy Cowgirls) and Keith Telligman (Lazy Cowgirls). This album features a mix of originals which sparkle with energy and a few well-known cover songs (”Celluloid Heroes,” “The He Kissed Me”) which receive a makeover MoFo 666 style!
Warming up for the delivery of their masterpiece, the Things Your Mother Never Told You album, Jayne County & the Electric Chairs are nonetheless at the top of their game across their sophomore album. An artful blend of County’s characteristic outrage and the pure pop genius that lay behind the garish accoutrements, Storm the Gates of Heaven jams its eight tracks between two undisguised classics, the anthemic title track and a so-optimistic reading of “Tomorrow Is Another Day.” The energy scarcely dips in between times, however, as a mold-breaking cover of “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night,” the freakish “Mr. Normal,” and the self-affirming “Man Enough to Be a Woman” all deliver career-defining moments (incidentally, the latter was elevated to title track upon this album’s release in Canada). Then there’s “Trying to Get on the Radio,” a positively buoyant confection dedicated — musically and lyrically — to exactly what it says on the label. Prior to release, it was easy for critics, should they be so disposed, to simply write County off as a New York-centric circus sideshow. Storm the Gates of Heaven brought an end to all such condemnation. This was rock & roll at its most fiery and dramatic — and things were only going to get better.
Jayne County’s comeback through the early- to mid-’80s never received the attention it deserved — or demanded. Indeed, by the time this album finally appeared in 1986, many of the fans who’d hooted through her live shows of two or three years previously had already moved away — meaning they might never have gotten their hands on one of the finest collections of songs County had ever put her name to. “I Fell in Love with a Russian Soldier” and “The Lady Dye Twist” might have jokey titles — indeed, the latter had jokey lyrics as well, as County demands a wedding “just like Lady Diana.” But both songs are a solid pop master class regardless, a mood that stretches over the remainder of this infuriatingly seldom-seen album. Several of the songs are familiar from past outings — the live Rock ‘n’ Roll Resurrection included both “Bad in Bed” and “Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl,” but the new versions are at least as powerful as those renditions, and Private Oyster’s only real downfall lies in the less than lavish production that is draped across the grooves. An album like this needed a genius at the controls — Phil Spector or Andrew Loog Oldham should have produced County, or, failing that, Todd Rundgren or Bob Ezrin. Instead — the record still sounds good. But it should have been better.
The original line-up of the band consisted of Rod Firestone (vocals), Buzz Clic (guitar), Donny Damage (bass), Stix Pelton (drums) and Pete Sake (keyboards). In their early years, the Rebels were fans (and friends) of fellow Greater Cleveland-area bands The Dead Boys and Devo. Their breakout show was opening for The Dead Boys at legendary New York City rock club CBGB in 1977. This led to a split EP with The Bizarros, entitled From Akron, which was released that year. Firestone and Clic would go on to open the Crypt in Akron, at the time the only punk rock club in the Midwest. Bands including The Dead Boys, Devo, Pere Ubu and the Bizarros played at this club.
The Woggles aren’t trying to reinvent the garage rock wheel, but after slogging it out in every dive club imaginable since 1987, they realize that bringing new spins to the formula neither dilutes it nor opens them up to the dreaded sellout finger-pointing. Recorded at Rick Miller’s (Southern Culture on the Skids) Kudzu Ranch in North Carolina, produced by Jeff Walls (ex-of Guadalcanal Diary), and mastered by the near legendary Rodney Mills, the quartet has a formidable backline for its first album in four years. The guys rise to the occasion with some of their finest material. The Woggles have experienced a surge in popularity through exposure on Little Steven’s weekly radio show. Since this album is released on his Wicked Cool label, that is likely to continue. Little has changed in the group’s approach, though a bit more British Invasion mixed with American garage invigorates the sound of these 12 originals. There is even a spaghetti Western throwback with reverbed guitar and mariachi trumpet (”El Toro”). Occasional horns on a few other tracks also prove that different ingredients added to their established jittery rock & roll stew can bring much needed spice to the concoction. Lead singer the Professor Mighty Manfred is in fine trashy shape, as is the foursome’s recent guitarist, known only as Flesh Hammer. Songs such as “Time of My Own” and the title track boast singalong hooks and lyrics that veer toward the members’ obvious love of an earlier time and their dedication to saving the purity of rock & roll. You won’t need any convincing that they are up to the task after one spin of this raw, rollicking slab of retro-rocking. It’s a trip back to the ’60s when the Standells, the Seeds, and all the other bands on the Nuggets collection were making music that might have seemed disposable at the time but is now considered classic. Add the Woggles to that pack, because they are every bit as committed, brash, and raw — and Rock and Roll Backlash is all the evidence you need.
In their early years, the Rebels were fans (and friends) of fellow Greater Cleveland-area bands The Dead Boys and Devo. Their breakout show was opening for The Dead Boys at legendary New York City rock club CBGB in 1977. This led to a split EP with The Bizarros, entitled From Akron, which was released that year. Firestone and Clic would go on to open the Crypt in Akron, at the time the only punk rock club in the Midwest. Bands including The Dead Boys, Devo, Pere Ubu and the Bizarros played at this club. The Rebels moved to Los Angeles in 1978, minus Pelton (who was replaced on drums by Mike Hammer) and Sake (keyboards were deemed unnecessary for the band’s change to a “heavier” sound), and gained considerable fame on the Sunset Strip. They would frequently headline at the famous Whisky A Go-Go for bands such as The Knack, Fear, The Kats, The Nu Kats, The Dickies and The Plimsouls. The band was signed to Sire Records in exclusive company like The Ramones, however a clash between band and record label ensued and the recording contract was terminated before the Rebels could record their debut album. Following some personnel changes in the band (Damage and Hammer left, replaced by Johnny Bethesda and Brandon Matheson respectively), the Rebels signed a deal with Capitol Records helped in no small way by Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack (who were also signed to Capitol) and a self-professed fan of the band. Matheson and Fieger had previously been members of The Sunset Bombers and had one album released on Ariola Records. The Rebels debut, self-titled album was released in 1980. Although praised by critics, sales of the album never vaulted the band past its underground status and they did not follow up with a second release. The Rebels faded from the scene and ceased touring in 1988, although they never officially disbanded.
Years before the New Wave movement of 1976/1977 handed them a wider public platform for their distinct brand of confrontation and notoriety, The Stranglers were already trundling around the UK in the back of an ice-cream van, performing loud and foul-mouthed (and, some say, Doors-inspired) punk-rock to aghast audiences at Roehampton Convent and Purley Conservative Club. The Early Years, then, is an intriguing, though low-quality, memoir of those formative and commercially fruitless years. The three numbers from a 1974 seven-song demo tape, featuring not only Cornwell, Burnel and Black but also original keyboard player Hans Warmling, show an early flair for songcraft and melody (”Strange Little Girl” was a Top 10 hit eight years later and the band even considered re-recording “My Young Dreams” as the follow up single). The 1976 studio demos of “Go Buddy Go” (a hand-clapping glam-stomp) and “Bitching” (with dodgy bottleneck-guitar) plus a strangely bowdlerised live set from a Patti Smith support-slot at Hammersmith Odeon, benefit from the jacuzzi-like bubblings of Dave Greenfield’s keyboards and are only a fine-tune away from the fully-fledged Stranglers sound. And for the fan that must have everything, there’s a 1975 live version of “Princess Of The Streets” recorded from inside Hugh Cornwell’s coat-pocket
Vinyl LP pressing. 2008 reissue of this album from the all-girl garage band, one of the many projects created by the eccentric musical genius Billy Childish. Four feisty girls from the Medway towns, Kyra Rubella, Holly Golightly, Ludella Black and Bongo Debbie started life as mates of Childish’s Thee Headcoats. Whenever Thee Headcoats played Thee Headcoatees also did a set, and at one time, it seemed like they were more popular that the boys! Originally released in 1997, Bozstik Haze contains 12 instant classics including ‘We Are Thee Headcoatees’, ‘I Need Loving’ and ‘Just Like A Dog’. Damaged Goods.
One of L.A.’s much-loved metal acts, Betty Blowtorch, came to a tragic end in late 2001 when frontwoman/bass player Bianca Butthole was killed in a high-speed car accident. Last Call is a rock-solid tribute to Butthole and the band, and a great look at one of the scene’s rising stars. Betty Blowtorch was one of those bands that never cared to apologize or soften their crass professionalism. They were as nasty as they wanted to be and ten times more. Alongside Butthole was Blare N. Bitch, Judy Molish, and Sharon Needles, and together they composed some of the edgiest punk-inspired grit since L7. Last Call captures such raw appeal; offering live cuts, demos and interview snippets as well as favorites from Betty Blowtorch’s Get Off EP and debut full-length Are You Man Enough?. They weren’t serious songwriters, but they were wild live players and the rowdy explosions of “Rock My World” and “Size Queen” will more than convince you. Several Butt Trumpet standouts such as “Teenage Whore” and “I’ve Been So Mad Lately” are added goodies, but spoofing on Ethan Hawke, Johnny Depp, and not being so ladylike (”Changing Underwear”), showcases Betty Blowtorch’s unique humor. They wrote about what they knew, and what they knew. . . and lived for, was life on the road, drinking, having sex, and playing crazy rock & roll. Last Call toasts Butthole’s contribution to the SoCal scene, making for a touching homage to a hot metal band who was on the brink of doing something great.
An indie-rock subversive who has been known to perform in dresses almost as much as his ex-wife Courtney Love, Falling James (Moreland) has led the Leaving Trains with a revolving lineup since the group formed in 1980. Originally in a Los Angeles punk band named the Mongrels during 1978-79, Falling James formed the Downers in 1980 (with David Roback, later of Mazzy Star, and John Hoffs, the brother of the Bangles sisters) and then the Leaving Trains later that year, with guitarist Manfred Hofer, bassist Tom Hofer, keyboard player Sylvia Juncosa and drummer Hillary Laddin. The band gigged around the area during the next three years, but included only the Hofer brothers by the time Leaving Trains debuted on vinyl with 1984’s Well Down Blue Highway, on Bemisbrain/Enigma Records. In contrast to Falling James’ earlier material, the first album practiced a kind of restraint in short supply on the West Coast punk scene (restrained only in comparison, of course). After the group’s first LP for SST, Kill Tunes, however, the Hofers were replaced with musicians of more energetic means, guitarist Mike Barnett and bassist Eric Stringer. Over the course of 1987’s Fuck, the following year’s Transportational D. Vices and 1991’s Sleeping Underwater Survivors, Falling James concentrated on the most vigorous, self-loathful material available to him, amplified considerably by a new guitarist even more in-tune with noise, Bobby Belltower (formerly of the Nymphs). After both bassist and drummer left the band in 1991, Falling James formed a new band, the Power of Sky, with bassist Whitey Sims. The Power of Sky proved short-lived as well, and later that year James returned to Leaving Trains with Sims, Belltower and new drummer Lenny Montoya. The confusion stalled recording until 1993, when The Lump in My Forehead appeared on SST, with Sims taking vocals on several cuts. Predictably, that version of the band also disintegrated, replaced by bassist/producer Chaz Ramirez and drummer Dennis Carlin, who began recording 1994’s The Big Jinx. In the span of about a year, Ramirez was killed in a warehouse accident, James finished the LP, played in a side band named Sluts for Hire, was kicked out of the group, and formed a new Leaving Trains, with keyboard player Melanie Vammen, bassist Jimmy Green and drummer Allen Clark. Following 1997’s Smoke Follows Beauty, the eighth album by the group, SST released the compilation Favorite Mood Swings. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Combine a splash of surf, a pinch of rhythm and blues, a few fistfuls of soul, a whole lotta 60’s-inspired rock n’ roll, and you get the musical phenomenon that is The Woggles. From songs that shake the rafters to shows that tear the roof off, The Woggles are a four-man delivery system for 200-proof butt-shakin’ r-o-c-k.
Wailin’ with the Woggles enabled the band to play Europe for the first time in late 1998. A video for “Ramadan Romance” shot at the Star Bar in Atlanta GA got a lot of airplay overseas, primarily on the German video show “Viva” and later MTV Europe. Unfortunately, rock and roll’s return had yet to be heralded by the British music press and One Louder shortly went out of business. However, the Woggles have made it back once a year to Europe ever since.
