Well boys and girls, bloggers and bloggettes that's it from me for 2007,I'm all cozied up for Christmas and am blogging off until the New Year.
A big thank you is due to anyone who's popped by, posted a comment or taken part in any of the ol' puffery going on here. So have yourselves a swinging Christmas and rocking new year and I'll leave you with
And this internet treat - A winner if you've got little'uns
NORAD Tracks Santa NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense)have been 'tracking' Santa for 50 years, and now live updates are available the web, vi sat nav and Santa cam's - there's even a manned hotline you can call for an ETA on Santa's arrival in your own home town
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and this week is a 3 course Christmas bellyful of groovy goodies. So bloggers and bloggettes tuck in and fill your boots from the mondo menu below - then why not burn off those fatback calories by raising a glass and shaking a leg to my home made Funky minimix packed with tasty treats and seasonal shakers and stompers.
For starters
Run DMC- Christmas in Hollis
That snappy horn riff in 'Hollis' was lifted from 'Back Door Santa' by Clarence Carter.(see below)
Track Listing Marc Bolan - Christmas Message Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa Keith Mansfield - Snowman Stomp Jingle Bells - Booker T and the MG's Ramsey Lewis Trio - Here Comes Santa Claus Oscar Peterson - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Stu Hamm - Sleigh Ride Up With the People - Jingle Bell Beat Anita Kerr Singers - Jingle bell rock Soulfoul singers - Santa Claus is coming to town Soulful Strings - Sleigh Ride Edwin Starr - Snowflake Boogie The Rhodes Kids - Winter Wonderland
In the early 90's I was afflicted by a buzz for Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, brought on by tracks like 'Spanish Flea', 'Tijuana taxi', 'A Taste of Honey' and 'Bean Bag'(used as the theme from It's a knockout) - each one a piece of polite but punchy trumpet pop. The snappy arrangements, the swishy album artwork and being cheap as chips at charity shops made these dusty Mexican nuggets perfect for collecting. But it was almost impossible to find the Holy Grail of Herb albums 'The Christmas Album'*(with H looking bored in his beard and as convincing as as in store Santa) amongst the Stereo Impact, James Last and TV Theme Tune vinyl - how many versions of Onedin Line - Theme from Spartacus and Owen MD (whatever that was) can you possibly need?
*The Herb Christmas album was eventually released on CD but didn't live up to the expectation.
As an interim I decided to make do with the CD of 'Tijuana Christmas' by the Torero Band/Sound of Brass being sold at Woolworths. What an absolute winner it turned out to be, with the Toreros coming across as the most swingingest Salvation Army band EVER and starring the hardest working bass man at EMI. Using the textbook formula of cheeky key change after every verse, the uptempo thumpers could be themes for Carry On Christmas Specials, the mellow moments are like seasonal instrumental beds for Generation Game 'Potters wheel' sequences and as tight and sprightly as anything by Ronnie hazlehust.
Even now, every Christmas this is the first CD out of the Santa sack and onto the stereo at Cloudbase Mondo - 'Tijuana Christmas' is now deleted so why not treat yourself to some of these MexiChristmas classics.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo, but this week FF is different for the following reason..
It's my birthday this Sunday, so I hope you'll allow me the indulgence of loading up the A and B side my favourite Northern Soul single EVER by Luther Ingram
A - 'Exus Trek' B - 'If It's All The Same To You'
I only stumbled across these tracks six months ago, but the moment I heard them it felt like I'd known them all my life and I've had to play them at least once a week ever since. The A side 'Exus Trek' is a glorious Northern Soul stomping instrumental, but flip it over and it's even better on the B side. A vocal version of 'Exus Trek' with heartfelt lead vocals and haunting backing vocals - and for me THE perfect Northern Soul song (I really can't understand why the vocal take was tucked away on the B side)
There are few other tracks constantly in flux and contending for second place on my Northern Soul playlist..
Bobby Fuller Four - 'Magic Touch' The MVP's - 'Turnin' That Heartbeat up' The Younghearts - 'A Little Togetherness' 'Love is Like an Itching in My Heart' - The Supremes
But Luther Ingram is always there in pole position.
I don't know much about Luther Ingram except that his greatest hit was '(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right' and he appeared at Wattstax, - but I do know that 'If It's All The Same To You' and 'Exus Trek' are the distilled essence of Northern Soul and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Still feeling rough, raggy and rotten, but managed to drag myself out of sick bay to long enough to load up two more seasonal sing a longs.
The Three Wise Men - Thanks for Christmas Thanks for Christmas - b/w Countdown to Christmas (what does b/w stand for - backed with?). Was the 1983 XTC Xmas single released under pseudonym The Three Wise Men. Writing credits went to Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, and production credits went to The Three Wise Men and The Good Lord. TGL may not have interrupted his busy seasonal schedule and pitched in on production if he'd known XTC would return the favour by recording Dear God two years later. The Three Wise Men - Thanks for Christmas.mp3
Aimee Mann once managed to coax Andy Partridge out of live retirement and into a rare onstage appearance in 1993 along with XTC guitarist Dave Gregory, who has regularly appeared as Aimee's guitarist of choice for session and live work. This is her take on the Dr Seuss Christmas classic Aimee Mann - The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.Mp3
I've been off sick today, am feeling a bit grot' and grog' - so will be keeping it short and simple. Here's a couple of Christmas crackers to kick off the Christmas countdown, and continue the Punk them from last Fridays posting. PS -Why not have a peep at my other Christmas themed post here too
A snow storming Christmas anthem from The Damned, sleigh bells, "ho ho ho's" , a verse about each member of the band, and a sing a long backing vocals with the phrase Here comes uncle Nick Let's give him some stick
You'd never have got this from The Clash, but you would from the Sex Pistols (well, Cook and Jones anyway) who teamed up with Phil Lynott and Scott Gorham from Thin Lizzy formed The Greedies - short for Greedy Bastards and cracked out a festive fretfest called 'A Merry Jingle'.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and this Friday brings you two New Wave nuggets with videos and downloads for both tracks.
Given that the Sex Pistols coverered tracks by the The Who and Small Faces, Matlock's Mod roots and Lydon's love of Reggae, it was invevitable there would be some funky fallout following the Punk explosion. (An early Pistols gig was billed as Machine Bubble Disco, and the Seditionaries Vive le Rock (version 2) T shirts featured a scrawled "Punk Rock Disco" slogan). Disco and Punk were both driven by a sweaty energy,manic dance routines and a highly stylised dress code as escapism from the bleak prospects of 'No Future', 'dead end' jobs and long term unemployment - unheard of for teenagers in the 50's and 60's.
For all it's trademark jerky, angular clangings, New Wave recycled the uptempo high-hats and handclaps of Disco and Funk, with the dress down charity shop trimmings of Punk - PIL, The Clash, XTC, The Slits, Talking Heads, Eno and Byrne, Blondie, Adam and the Ants, The Police, Ian Dury and the Blockheads all dabbled with Dance or Dub rythms and Rock riffing.
And after visiting New York, the Professor Pat Pending of Punk Malcom McLaren was instrumental in bringing Hip Hop, scratching and break dancing to the UK (and as a consequence the rest of the world) in 1982 following an appearance on 'The Tube' and the release of his single 'Buffalo Girls' (McLaren also put World music on world stage on his 1983 album 'Duck Rock')
Two years later Lydon and Afrika Bambaataa put their heavily coiffeured heads together, mergered Rock, Rap and the omnipresent 80's terror of nuclear armageddon to create 'World Destruction' the first 'Rapcore' track pre dating Run DMC and The Beastie Boys by two years.
Time Zone - 'World Destruction'
The 'Hardest Part' was only ever released as a single in America, which is probably for the best as I would have become a complete wobbling hormonal mess - if this vid' had popped up on 'Tiswas' with Debbie Harry swishing and snapping her way through it like a brunette Bardot . Blondie - 'The Hardest Part'
Click on the highlighted links below to download or the Divshare link to preview
I've mentioned before that I'm a terror for bootleg remix ,(here , here and here), but as a mashup maniac it's getting increasingly tricky to track down new booties. Luckily though via The Who Boys Myspace site I've found a goldmine of goodies to grab.
Like Santa The Who Boys have have got sackfuls of winners to dish out - Podcasts, videos, original tunes several albums worth of tip top booty remixes and all available for free download via their website www.whoboys.com, these are a small sample of the boys booty nuggets I've taste tested so far
Is described by The Who Boys as "Led Zep meet Canned Heat and go for toast in the garage"
Other tempting treats include...
AC/DC meets Duke of Earl, Rolf Harris and Prince Buster, John Cooper Clarke with grooves from Roy Budd and The Who Boys The Beatles and Frankie Goes To Hollywood
The website is here, and the myspace site is here Why not get on over and fill your boots for free.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and this week brings you two youtube alternative takes on Tamla tunes, and three tracks that breakdown the mechanics of Motown classics.
Funk Brothers band leader Joe Hunter on the start of the Motown Sound
There can be an element of sniffery towards Motown from some Soul and Funk purists - the production line production, the radio friendly Funk arrangements (I feel the same about Trojan Reggae - it's good but the high frequencies and searing strings are a sweetened and diluted version of Studio One), but one of the first albums I owned when I started moving away from stand alone singles to the joined up listening of LP's was 'The Big Wheels of Motown', so I'll always have a soft spot for Motown.
The template, foundation and roots of Northern Soul can be traced back to the Motor City sound and in particular The Supremes 'Love is Like An Itching in My Heart' - Larry over at Funk 16 Corners does a great piece on this theory here.
First up is a Tamla team up with The Supremes and The Temptations vamping like crazy on a franticly funky 'I'm Losing You' - the Rod and the Faces Rock and Soul rework is also well worth a peep here.
Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' may be the definitive version of the song but Gladys knight and the Pips were the first to record it in 1967. GK and the P's version is a faster, looser, downtown shakedown and completley different 'Grapevine' to Marvin Gaye's snake hips take.
This trio of treats are instrumentals of Motown classics and have deliberate drop outs and isolated instrumental breaks which give a peep at the engine, mechanics and component parts of the Motor City sound.
There's an unreleased Motown nugget on a previous post here
And finally If you do happen to be in the sunny Southend (Leigh on Sea)area tonight, why not pop along to Weird Fantasy where Paul Sigg's, Agent Cooper and possibly even me may be spinning a few of these winners.
I was on the browse recently at my nearby Rough Trade East nosying for new nuggets - but digging through the racks soon got swift shrift when a seismic swell of rumbling sound spread through the shop from the stage area. Expecting to find a four piece gang going flat out at full volume I was almost dropped on the spot to see a solo performer sat on a delicously vintage Fender amp strumming ghostly notes and crooning moonlight mantras about Fu Manchu and red brides while taking care of business on percussion and bass at the same time. This was dennishopperchoppers playing songs from his album 'Chop' - I had discovered my new nugget.
Imagine Sergio Leone remaking El Topo on motorbikes with a soundtrack by Link Wray, Ennio Morricone and Johnny Cash - that is the sound of 'Chop'. Hypnotic, cinematic and with a voice as rich and resonant as the chimes of a church bell at midnight 'Chop' is full of melancholy confidence, lonely moonlight drives, and Death Row confessions.
'Listening to MC5' is a waltz in black, 'I Was Born' swaggers like a ghost town showdown and 'The Ballad of Fu Manchu and the Red Bride' is Venus in black furs singing songs to the siren.
There was a thread recently on the The Word site
"We just want one record that you came across this year that you have really grown to like and you suspect that hardly anybody else has heard" there was no doubt for me X marks the spot for the buried treasure that is Dennis Hopper Choppers and 'Chop'.
Dennis Hopper Choppers - 'The Ballad Of Fu Manchu and The Red Bride'
Dennis Hopper Choppers - 'If I Lied'
Check out the DHC sites for album details and gig dates.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and this Friday continues the week's theme of glam a go-go with a classic title sequence from a vintage episode of Top Of The Pops, sauce and scatter cushions from Pan's People and two TOTP related downloads.
Every one of the graphics for the top 30 numbers in the opening title sequence would make a tip top T shirt design - just picture any of them on a ringer T shirt. Once the titles are over and Tony Blackburn appears I would recommend hitting the pause button, putting the hand brake on and shimmying down to Pan's People - (not 'cos it's Tony) but because the clip continues with a chart run down set to Ringo Starr's 'Photograph' and an Alvin Stardust appearance neither of which are really five star Funky Friday fodder.
Yikes alive - It's Pan's people bumping and grinding to Buddy miles. Thankfully though, only two of them - any more would just ramp up the raunch into red light entertainment and this routine is already dangerously close lap dancing at teatime. Phew....
Not the CCS version of 'Whole Lotta Love' that appeared in the TOTP titles, but an equally funky refit of the Led Zep'thumper by King Curtis.
Led Zeppelin were always terrors for a bit of light fingered 'Poplifting', and they've borrowed so heavily from 'You Need Loving' that Robert Plant has almost cloned Steve Marriot's performance.
1977 may have been the year the world turned dayglo - but 1978 was the year the world went Disco - Rod stewart, the Rolling Stones and Blondie all got caught with a dose of the Disco fever. Bowie, as always had been years ahead of his peers and got the funk out of his system with Young Americans.
Uncharacteristically when Roxy Music released Manifesto in 1979 they seem to have been caught on the back foot rather than the good foot with the let's go Disco phonomenon and gave the movement a complete swerve on their album of the moment. The version of Angel Eyes on the early pressings Of Manifesto is an almost textbook Roxy rocker that maintains a cool cocktail gloss while giving a nod to the New Wave movement. All Sax, drums and Rock n Roll it's a world apart from the commercially successful and commonly available Angel Eyes rework which is all high hats and handclaps, and seems to highlight that Disco had almost as much punch as Punk.
As bonus I'm also including a rare remix of Virginia Plain - the Headman EDT remix made for a rewired and remixed Roxy project which never materialised and has never been commercially released
“Aaaaaooooowwww” that's me last Wednesday after being left bitten and buzzing by The Wolfmen.
Formed by Marco Pirroni (guitarist and co-writer in Adam's Ants ) and Chris Constantinou (bass playing ex Ant) I caught them strutting like roosters, and stomping like champs live and unleashed at the Islington Academy last week. Opening with a thundering cover of Eno's 'Needle in The Camel's Eye' The Wolfmen tore the place up with a snarling, snapping set of their own two fisted tunes and GlamGaragePunk all fired out with the vibe of vintage Roxy Music, and spirit of Johnny Thunders and Marc Bolan jamming down at Devil Gate Drive.
The Wolfmen's songs Cecile, Jackie Says, While London Sleeps are all hugely infectious (spin them up below) and highlight why Adam Ant went from being the King of Indie clang with 'Dirk' to King of The Wild Frontier and the Prince Charming of Pop after hooking up with Marco as a songwriter. But there’s more to this Wolf pack than tattooed knuckled sugar Pop Punk , Two Eyes is all space age breakbeats and Bhangra anthems wrapped in screaming guitars, flutes and sitars with a lead vocal from Daler Mehndi (Daler was unable to make the gig unfortunately, having being detained for something dodgy) but the celebrity credit rating was still high with endorsement from gig attendees Pete Shelley,Simone Stenfors, and Radio One's Bobby Friction all going wild for the Wolfmen.
If you like Rock that sparkles and Pop that wallops watch out for The Wolfmen in case they're prowling and preening near you soon.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and to tie in with this week's theme of hidden nuggets and covers I've loaded up a couple of obscure Youtube treats and two Rock 'n' Soul covers from Wilson Pickett and Solomon Burke.
Arthur Conley is probably best known for 'Sweet Soul Music', but this is Art's shakedown of 'Shake Rattle and Roll'.
Arthur Conley Jr - Shake, Rattle, Roll
Who is Roger Martin? Why isn't he a superstar? Why is 'They Say' a secret stomper and not a soul standard? And where can I get hold of this track?
Roger Martin - They Say
I do know the backing musicians are Freddie Kingand his band though.
Finally two funky takes on sixties rebel rock classics (click on the links to download and divshare to preview)
Air's ‘Moon Safari’ album has the original version of ‘Kelly’, which is perfectly polished and presentable. The re-tweaked single release even adds some extra snap and sparkle - but the real sizzler is buried on the B side of Air's chill out anthem 'All I Need’.
The Moog Cookbook were a duo featuring Roger Manning Jr (Beck’s keyboard player, ex Jellyfish and Imperial Drag) and Brian Kehew who specialised in taking tunes from contemporary and vintage songbooks and reformatting, rebuilding and rewiring them into bionic rockers.
‘Teen Spirit’, ‘Black Hole Sun’ and ‘Hotel California’ were all given Moogie woogie makeovers - but ‘Kelly’ is the Moog Cookbook's star turn, where they customise,reconstruct and respray Air’s moon buggy into a Starsky and Hutch space hot rod.
Some clever clogs has made a tip top home compiled and edited vid’ for the 'Kelly Watch The Stars'remix - starring Jeff Lynn!,Toto!! and Sid Little on drums !!!?
And as a bonus have a peep at the another home made vid’ for ‘Hotel California’ featuring Rory McGrath on drums! and Ol’ man Branson on double decker axe!! (Great Hot Butter/Popcorn interlude in the middle)
There's a couple of bits and bobs I've been meaning to log in the blog for an age but have become wrapped up with other bits and bobs until now - so today at last it's all go-go for;
Remake Remodel - obscure, cool or cranky cover versions.
B Side Babies - the ones that got away - B sides, alt takes or outtakes that are too good to be forgotten
Fortunately 'Watch That Man' falls into both categories. Lulu’s version of ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ seems to pop up on the sort of budget seventies comp’s sold only at newsagents, garages and Woolworths. Glamtastic as the rewired TMWSTW is, the real golden nugget is on the B side, ‘Watch That Man’ which manages to out strut and stomp Aladdin Sane original.
It is an absolute that Bowie was a musical Midas in the seventies and almost everything he touched was left glossed and glittering. (There's a moment of revelation in Ian hunters ‘Diary of a Rock and Roll Star’ where he realises he’ll never be in Bowies league). ‘Watch That Man’ is effectively a Bowie retake with Lulu fronting the band, produced by Bowie and Mick Ronson and featuring rest of the band it captures the distilled essence of the pre ‘Young Americans’ sound with a splash of extra sparkle. The cherry on top being Bowies backing vocals – which swish through the mix adding stardust melodies and space age harmonies.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo - this Friday it's the turn of guest blogger and the bloke that got me blogging Marmite Boy who brings you two thumping vintage vid's and downloads...... over to MB
Thanks first of all to Mr Mondo for allowing me to choose something for Funky Friday. When he first asked me to do something for the blog I was not altogether sure what to write about as I'm not very knowledgeble about Da Funk (although I am a long term Northern Soul fan). Then all of a sudden it hit me, way back when there were some funky tunes that got my foot a tapping along with the best of them.
In Washington DC they had there very own sub-genre of funk called Go-Go that started in the mid to late 70's and was primarily a live band based genre. Using a funky horn section, almost rock like guitar solo's, complex percussion using all manner of conga drums, cowbells, timbale and conventional drum kits and a seriously funky based line they stormed the DC night clubs. The vocals are more of a call and response affair that allowed the crowd to feel part of the music. The songs all melded into one so that the dancing kept on going (Go-Go gigs sometimes go on for hours and hours).
Go-Go was almost single handedly developed by DC soulman Chuck Brown. He had been a stalwart of the Washington soul scene and incorporated a rhythm heavy sound with the call and response vocals and never ending songs. The beat he used was inspired by Grover Washington Jr's Mister Magic. Brown had a No 1 hit on the US R&B chart (before in was filled with dreadful Kanye West records) in 1978. Bustin Loose is an absoulute Go-Go classic and is as funky as a funky thing. It even reached No 34 on the pop chart. However it wasn't until the 1980's that Go-Go had it's Golden Age.
Brown continued to dominate Go-Go with his band The Soul Searchers but other great funk outfits like Redds And The Boys, Hot, Cold, Sweat and the absolutely fantastic Trouble Funk enjoyed a lot of success too. Trouble Funk had been around in one form or another since the 60's so were well versed in creating music that people wanted to dance to. They had several sizeable hits including Hey Fellas, Don't Touch That Stereo,Drop The Bomb and Pump Me Up a song that was widely sampled with M/A/R/R/S, The Beastie Boys and LL Cool J all using the rhythms as a basis for tracks.
Go-Go made an all too brief appearence on the British scene with the NME championing it the most. In fact they released a very good double album complilation of all the best Washington bands. So for your viewing pleasure is the mighty Trouble Funk with a fantastic 9 minute version of
Don't Touch That Stereo
And the Daddy of Go-Go Mr Chuck Brown with Bustin' Loose
For your further listening pleasure is the classic
I've been shaking my troos and stomping my shoes to this winner for the last week, (which hasn't been off the Mondo Music Center since it's first spin) and as much as I want to keep it a secret it’s just too funky to stay under my dude hat.
Try and imagine Roy Budd, Brian Auger and Billy Preston making a three way tag team jamming on 'Rollerball' riffs, groovy synthscapes, hard and heavy Hammond exotica with bongo's a go-go. Well, in fact you don’t have to - The Bongolian’s rolled it all into a ready made Psychedelic space age bundle for you.
'A Psychedelic Trip To Outer Bongolia' could be the long lost soundtrack to a retro-futurist Sci Fi flick, full of Funky nuggets like ‘The Champion’ ‘Feel It’ and the anthemic ‘All Aboard’.
But don’t just take my word for what a sizzler it is - check out these two tunes.
Rock Me
All Aboard
And then beam over to these sites for all the dates, details and info.
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo - and this Friday brings you two vintage synthy sizzler vid's and three downloads from Mr Billy Preston.
Billy P previously appeared on Funky Friday showing his explosive fruggery in a storming duet on Agent Double O Soul with Ray Charles here
Billy Preston - Outta Space
The studio version of Outta Space is stomping enough, but this impeccably afroed and impossibly funky live take is so heavy hitting that it leaves The Commodores 'Machine Gun' standing in the stalls and comes dangerously close to out vamping Stevie Wonders 'Superstition'. Given Led Zep's legacy of 'poplifting'('You Need Love' - Small Faces, 'Season of the Witch' - Donovan, 'Dazed and Confused' from something I can't remember)I wouldn't be surprised to find that 'Zep reworked and rocked up the 'Outta Space riff' into 'Trampled Underfoot'.
Billy Preston - struttin'
Another 'fro fest throw down with all the shuffle and funk of The Blockheads 'Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll' meets the 'Starsky and Hutch'(Blow out version) theme tune. Now if could just find 'Creature Freature'* I'd have Billy's squeal deal synth set sorted.
(*If you do have Creature Freature on MP3 I'd be eternally grateful if anyone could pass it on).
Why not treat yourself and fill your Space boots with these three lovelies. Or shimmy over to channel mondo for some TV theme funk
Here's something to put the frighteners on those pesky trick or treaters, and Halloween party hangers on.
The Rolling Stones - Too Much Blood
The Stones go death disco in this video nasty directed by Julien Temple. Bleeding TVs, Keith looking like Captain Black and lurking like the Midnight Rambler, Easter Island Bill Wyman with a headless bass and Mick doing his voodoo dancing around the ruins. Yikes!!! Is there room for one more behind the settee?
Now why not pop over to channel mondo and check out the Trilogy Of Terror that's been showing on Channel M Or enjoy some grave shaking grooves in a Mondo mini Mix
R Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House Fabienne Delsol - I'm Gonna Haunt You Ella Fitzgerald - Knock On Wood Corduroy - The Frighteners The Ventures -Superstition Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein (edit) Amanda Shankar - Jumpin' Jack Flash The Rolling Stones - Too Much Blood
Also don't forget to check out the Halloween theme mini mix from last Friday - here
London Weekend Show Interview - Filmed at Steve Jones Flat, 6 Denmark Street
Australian Radio Ad
Never Mind The Bollocks is 30 years old today. It's an album that changed my life - you can read how here. I've added a few Sex Pistols stats and facts to the internet pile here. And have made the super rare NMTB demos only bootleg album Party Til You Puke available here( offline - apart from the 2 unreleased tracks) Rather than going over the Pistols story, I'm more interested in getting a snapshot of the time, and the perfect time traveling companion to take us back to that scene in seventies is Simone Stenfors.
Simone has impeccable punk credentials and a sizzling rock and roll CV. All the dates, details and info are on her websites www.simonestenfors.com Simones myspace
Simone is a dream to speak to and her conversation sparkles like a mirror ball with shiny stories and celebrity names - Sid Vicious, Joe Strummer, Rat Scabies, Captain Sensible, Johnny Thunders, Shane McGowan and that's just the punk period (she's got a treasure chest of Mod, Glam, Post Punk, 80' and contemporary tales too).
So how did you become involved with the Punk scene? I was married to Chris Carter from Throbbing Gristle, and when we split up I met Warren the drummer from Tiger Lily (later Ultravox). At one of their gigs at The Nashville they had a band supporting them called the Boys who dressed up as school boys they were one of the early Punk bands which was amazing, I'd heard about the Pistols and it was all very exciting I had a friend who knew Joe Strummer and Rat Scabies and went to see The Damned playing at at the Hope and The Anchor which was weird as they were meant to be on the Anarchy tour*. At the end of the evening we met Rat and Captain who invited us to the Roundhouse the next day. We started hanging round together and it all kicked off from there. *The Damned were asked to leave the Anarchy Tour after the first live date - the 6th of December - the the Hope and Anchor gig was on the 7th Did you do any tours with band? I didn't go on tour, but was with Rat for a few months and went to The Damned's and other gigs - The Roxy hadn't opened yet How did you meet Nils? (Pistol's early Tour Manager and Banshees Manager) I knew Ray stevenson (Pistols and Punk scene photographer) who would drop me off at my parents house, and Nils was helping at a Heartbreakers gig and we all went back to Nils's flat, we went to a party at Toyah's the next day and sort of fell in like that really. But that's just the way it happened in those days, and you'd see the same people all the time. It wasn't a big scene, you'd go to someone's house and always see the same people there - all the(now)legendary bands.
Nils must have been doing a lot of work with Mclaren being involved with trying to get films and record deals going? I just remember Nils managing the Banshees more than anything, they didn't have a record deal then - he was 24. Older than anybody else, well Ray his brother was older but always sensible. Did you hear ever the story that Sid (real name John) was meant suggested by Vivienne as the person to front the Pistols but Malcolm got the wrong John (Lydon) - which would have made a completely different band? Not really, I don't remember that - I remember him from Flowers of Romance with Viv Albertine.
The Pistols must have been one of the most hated bands ever teen cults and even the music industry and the media hated them.The Music press really liked them, but it was really after the Bill Grundy thing people were so shocked, the media hated them, they got banned and couldn't play anywhere it exploded after that.
Which is bizarre as the whole thing was a last minute idea, they were a stand in for Queen (also on EMI)who couldn't make it. I know it's just so strange and I don't get it, Bill Grundy being pissed and taking it that bit too far - it destroyed his career.
Did you have much to with Pistols crowd after this?I knew steve, Sid and Glen. but Steve and Paul used to hang out separately, and Rotten had his own entourage. I knew the girls Debbie (Juvenile), Tracey (O Keefe)and Shanne Bradley whose a friend of Captains.
Isn't Shanne The girl that Johnny Rotten's meant to have written Satellite about.? Well that was just a teenage thing while she was at college - nothing serious. She went out with Captain while I was going out with rat.
And what tunes were big on the Punk scene or were people into at that time? Well I loved New Rose, The Clash - White Riot, Janie Jones, Blondie - X Offender. 'Bollocks' didn't come out until later and the albums that seemed to be constantly on everybody's record players were The Clash and The Damned's first album.
What do you think of the Sex Pistols reunion? I think good for them! That three generations on people still love their music & good luck to them, I should imagine they are going to make a bomb out of this & who in their right minds would turn that down?
Simone has contibuted the stacks of magazines and books including two Sid Vicious biographies. No One Is Innocent Vicious: The Art of Dying Young And Vacant But the book I'm buzzing to read is the one Simone whose been described as 'A walking talking music encylopedia'could write. Which will be Packed full of sizzling Rock and Roll stories from the sixties to 21st Century. Check Simones website for sampler of her Rock n Roll credentials. www.simonestenfors.com
I asked Simone to choose a couple songs that were popular with pre Punk crowd or tracks that may have had some influence and shaped what became Punk. She came up with a great playlist of top tunes from Johnny Thunders, Velvets and Lou Reed but nailing it down to a two (and one extra) she came up with some inspired choices.
Alive cooper - I'm Eighteen Hugely popular at the time and the song that Johnny rotten sang when auditioning for the pistols at Sex (using a shower head as a mic' apparently)
New York Dolls - Trash Watch for Sylvain Sylvain's white Les Paul - When McLaren gave up managing the Doll's and came back to London - this guitar was given to Steve Jones and became his main axe - through out the Pistols period and used on NMTB you can see it pre pistols here .
Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo - Halloween has come early this Friday and brings you something Dusty and spooky, high camp and Hard Rock from 1969, a hidden vid' and a half hour (hellfire) Radio Mondo mix of Physc Rock , Garage a Go-Go and Freak Funk treats
Dusty Springfield - Spooky Hang on mo' isn't that Jo Whiley, and I'm sure that colour combo's from something by Lyons Maid or Wall's in the 70's. Is it me or does Spooky sound a bit like this?
Wonderland - Love's a Murder I haven't a clue who these crazy crypt kickers are, but stick with it to the end, there's a twist you see....
Radio Mondo - Tunes From The Crypt Download the Halloween themed Mini Mix here Or sink your teeth into it below
Tracklisting
Shadow Mann - Shadow Mann Marsha Hunt 22 - (Oh No! Not) The Beast Day Merry Clayton - Gimme Shelter Georgie Fame - Somebody Stole My Thunder The Coasters - Love Potion No9 Thelma Houston - Jumping Jack Flash Patti Drew - Fever The Bobby Fuller Four - Magic Touch Five By Five - Fire The Gee-Cees - Buzzsaw Twist The Sonics - Strychnine Les Lionceaux - Nowhere To Run
I really should have Stuck Al Wilson - The Snake at the end, but it's too late now. If the feedback is good and the downloads are hot I may crack out another Fright Night Mini Mix in time for All Hallows Eve
If your still buzzing for more spooky soul click here to see The Flirtations vamping it up in Hammer Horror style promo for Nothing But A Heartache - which also includes another Mondo Mini Mix
I'm a terror for a bootleg remix - especially if it's based round The Beatles, Beastie Boys or both. There's something about these home made hybrids, and bits of bastard pop that's never lost the gloss for me. Finding shiny new booties fresh out of the box is a rare treat. Luckily there's two full free albums worth over at - Gather Round Children.
'For the Beasties in the Burroughs, For the Beatles in Britain' - Booties featuring The Beach Boys, Beck, The Editors, The Supremes
'Good News For People Who Love to Get Krunk' - The voices of Outkast over the music of Modest Mouse.
It was 31 years ago today that The Damned released 'New Rose'
Written by Brian James, a first class chap who was good enough to give up some of his Sunday to speak to me about the history of 'New Rose'.
"I'd had part of the song for a while, and even been jamming it with my earlier band Bastard, who were into The MC5, The Stooges and The Pretty Things, but it was when I played the riff with Rat(Scabies) - who drummed like no one else I'd ever played with, that the energy of Rat's drumming and his style fitted the riff so well that the song came together and was created out of that moment
Jake (Riveria) signed us after seeing the Damned at Mont De Marsan, on the strength of 'New Rose' and saw it as a single straight away even though Captain (Sensible) wanted 'I Fall' as the first single. There's no demo's for it we didn't really bother with things like it we just went straight in the studio and recorded it."
Is there a real life Rose? "No, it's not about a girl, it's really about what was happening at that time the speed and the energy of the movement - The Damned were always about the energy."
We also covered all sorts of other areas during our chat - guitars, previous bands, current gigs, and future projects all of which I'll be logging in the blog soon.
Certainly I see New Rose as one of the most important singles ever released, and being equal to anything Elvis, The Beatles or the Sex Pistols ever unleashed.
I love the Pistols and their two fisted filth and fury (even though they booted the The Damned off of the Anarchy tour). But New Rose snapshots the mood, the moment and the DIY ethic of early London/Brit punk more authentically than anything else from this explosive era.
Crash! Go the drums. Thrash! Goes the guitar. Rev up the riffing and they’re off like Bash Street brats out of hell and God help anyone who gets in the way. The Damned ram raided the UK charts by releasing the first punk single and album and even appeared at the first Punk Festival in Mont de Marsan (attended by a pre Joy Division Ian Curtis, and held a month before the 100 Club Punk Festival). But it was the impact of New Rose, and The Damned being the first UK Punk band to tour America that sent a Punk rocket to the epicenter of the States causing a sonic bang so explosive that the fallout is still being felt today.
The Sonics, The MC5, Iggy and The Ramones may have already been grinding out garage anthems and had some success in their home towns – but none of them raised more than a blip on the ‘punk-o-meter’ across the States. The Damned blew the bastard thing to smoke and shrapnel.
Consider this - what speed do the first wave of US Punk bands - The Dead Kennedys, The Dickies, Bad Brains or Black Flag - play at, Damned or Pistols tempo? From here you go to Hardcore to Thrash Metal to Metallica to Guns N Roses(who covered New Rose) and Nirvana (who ripped off Life Goes On for 'Come As You Are'). Not all this may be your type of tune, and not all of it’s my type of tune, but it’s undeniable that it all leads back to the Damned and New Rose.
"I thought the Damned caught the true spirit of Punk, as understood by Punks, better than their rivals. They devoted less time to striking attitudes & never forgot, as many historians have that Punk could be quite funny as well as exciting." John Peel - 29/05/02
Brian is currently remixing The Lords Of The New Church back catalogue at Abbey Road (more on this soon). And will be playing the 100 Club on 31/11/07 with Lords Of The New Church for a Halloween Night Special - only 350 tickets are available for this special event so grab them while you can.
A special thank you goes to Brian James for his insights into New Rose, Punk and all things Damned, and also for allowing the use of Mp3's in this posting
