“Zounds! I was Never so Bethumped with.... the Soundz of Punk Rock’n’roll!!”

Some time ago I posted the proclamation that Wire's Pink Flag (1977 Harvest) may be the best punk rock album of all time.  I still stand by that, but making such claims can be complicated and ultimately unconvincing.  There’s so much great punk (as well as sooooo much bad stuff...) out there, and much of it - contrary to popular perception - is  extremely diverse in sound and attitude.  Case in point: meet Zounds, the best anarcho-punk band of the early 1980s.  They were very different from Wire in all senses of style and sound, but they too are on my top 5 list of best punk bands of all time.  

Whereas Wire explored the artpunk aesthetics that paved the way for bands like The Fall, Zounds   cultivated their sounds in the communes of anarcho-peace punk - a second-wave movement of UK punk rock that took seriously the political and cultural principles of philosophical anarchism.  Anarcho-peace punk exposed the John Lydens of first-wave punk for the media sellouts they’d become by offering a more politcally-charged, stripped-down-and-sped-up form of punk music that was uncompromising and intentionally uncommercial. The thing that gets me about Zounds, however, is there’s real musicianship and artistry in their songs - they’re a politically and stylistically focused band that proves just as aesthetically clever as groups of the artpunk tradition.

       

Zounds was formed in the Reading area of England in 1977 by the frontman Steve Lake.  Early in their career the band became friends with fellow rockers and activists, Crass, and even lived at their famous Commune, the Dial House, for a period of time.  The group released their first Ep, Can’t Cheat Karma, on Crass’s label (of the same name) in 1980.  Here’s the title track of that release:

A song like that has as much in common with artpunk & postpunk sensibilities as say the sounds of their Crass Records contemporaries. It reminds me of Gang of Four more so than Rudimentary Peni or Flux of the Pink Indians - and perhaps that’s why I like it so much...

I was inspired to make this post, however, due to another recent vinyl acquisition: Rough Trade’s 1981 release of Zounds first Lp The Curse of the Zounds. If Pink Flag’s my number #1, this one’s the runner-up, so I was thrilled to find it in the used record bins in such great condition.  Here’s the track, “Die He Jump” followed by "Fear" and lastly "New Band":

Zounds definitely sits on the mellower side of the Crass Records sound spectrum.  The guitars are cleaner, for instance, and the rhythms are less grinding.  Yet their message and attitude were just as uncompromising; they’re definitely punk rock. This album deserves a listen - as do their many singles and 7”s... Check it out:

Curse of the Zounds!

Also, the Wire Pink Flag link has expired on the previous posting page, so here’s a new one:

Wire's Pink Flag

Enjoy! And feel free to comment!

Best Punk Record Ever: Wire’s Pink Flag, No Question About It!!

Punk Rock is an overwhelming genre; it’s difficult to navigate around all the hackneyed cliches that pass off as Punk acts. I feel sorry for the recent teenager that's just discovered the stripped-down, 3 power chord phenomenon that first shocked the music world in the late 70s; there’s just too much junk to wade through these days in this digital information age. A student asked me recently for a list of punk rock essentials; I’m not sure I ever answered that daunting question, but here’s an attempt to begin an answer.

The first on my list, without a doubt, would be England’s more artsy punk rockers, Wire. Members, Colin Newman and Graham Lewis, formed the band in London in 1976. They released 3 seminal full lengths in the late 70s, disbanded in the 80s, and reunited in the 90s to record several more albums, the most recent being released in Dec. 2010. Most critics and musical enthusiasts celebrate the first three albums (of the late 70s) as their most important material. Their debut Pink Flag (1977 Harvest/EMI) is by far the best album of the 1st wave Punk movement; the next two releases, Chairs Missing (1978 Harvest) and 154 (1979 Harvest), moved more towards Post-Punk/Art Punk sounds and away from the minimalism that distinctly defines 1st album's style. They’re great albums as well, but Pink Flag is a dead serious essential for all rock collections! Here’s the opening track “Reuters”:

What an awesome opening to an album that continues to be good the whole way through! Here’s the song that cost the 90s Britpop band, Elastica, a lawsuit (see Elastica’s strikingly similar song “Connection” - a big radio hit in the mid to late 90s...); Wire’s song is called “Three Girl Rhumba”:

And now Elastica:

Hmmmm. That guitar rift is almost exactly the same, for sure, but I don’t know if I would sue Elastica over it....

In the song, “Mannequin,” one can clearly hear their nascent movement towards Post-Punk sensibilities. Here’s the track:

That’s a good song. Wire has obviously had a major, widespread impact on many musicians over the years. R.E.M., for instance, has covered the song, “Strange,” from the Pink Flag Lp on their album, Document (1987 I.R.S.). Here’s the Wire version:

That song almost reminds me of early Velvet Underground or early Stooges; it's good stuff... Also, Dischord Records enthusiasts may notice that Minor Threat, at one point, covered the Post-Punky track, “12xU,” from the Wire debut:

Minor Threat really plays that song hard and fast. Definitely check it out as well. 4 Men With Beards rereleased the Vinyl version of Wire’s debut album in 2006; it sounds really good! I cannot recommend it enough. This is the best punk album ever! Enjoy!

http://www.mediafire.com/?arkzmtcllli

Now, before we depart, I must leave you with this:

Ahhhh, American hardcore...

Hipsters meet your Godfathers: Dan Treacy & Ed Ball of the Television Personalities & Teenage Filmstars

Television Personalities playing live

So the story begins at the discount bookstore. I was flipping through records and came across the popular Teenage Filmstars album Star (1992 Creation Records).  The price was right, so I purchased it.  I’ve always been a fan of Dan Treacy’s and Ed Ball’s post-punk project, Television Personalities, but so far, the later reincarnation of the artists’ side project (Teenage Filmstars) has proved disappointing, but why??  I like loud, fuzzy, textured psychedelia as much as the next person, and the band explores such aesthetics to the point of sheer fetishization. The obsessive fetishizing of 60s culture isn’t what bothers me, however; in fact, I probably participate in this social practice.  I think the problem is I’ve listened to the Television Personalities for many years now, and I love their campy, minimalist take on post-punk rock.  And that’s what’s missing from their later project...

Here’s my favorite track on the later Teenage Filmstars album; it’s entitled “Kiss Me”:

It’s good psychedelia for sure, ahead of its time in relation to the recent, neo-psychedelic revival.  But it doesn’t have the enduring quality of their previous, more kitschy approach to Lo-Fi, garage-style post-punk.  Their more known project, Television Personalities, began releasing singles as early as 1978.  Their debut album, And Don’t the Kids Just Love It, was recorded in 1980 and released in 1981 on Rough Trade.  It’s rawness, minimalism, and irony is almost too much, and as a result, it’s an awesome album!!!  Check out the opening track, “This Angry Silence,” of their debut full length:

It’s like early Beatles-y Brit Pop mixed with the irony of post-Sex Pistols music culture.  In other words, it’s the songs of innocence and songs of experience all in one pop song formula.... Incredible!

The Television Personalities were (or are... I think they’re technically still together?....) the brainchild of Dan Treacy and Ed Ball.  They were an English group that was very much part of the emerging Punk (and later Post-Punk) music scene.  In the early years, they released singles under several varying band names: Television Personalities, Teenage Filmstars, The Times, The O Level....  By the time of their debut album, they seemed to have settled on 2 names for separate projects: TV Personalities and The Times.  Later, they re-formed under the name previously (but briefly) used, Teenage Filmstars.  I have always preferred the early material of their project, TV Personalities.  Here’s another great track, “Geoffrey Ingram,” from the 1st album:

The band continued to release more albums through the 80s, each release moving more and more away from their post-punk roots, exploring instead sounds of the previous decade: namely the psychedelic 60s.  My favorite moment in this transition of sound was captured beautifully in the following video, a clip I recently discovered when surfing the ole net.  The song is called “The Painted Word,” and it’s from their 1985 album of the same name (Whaam! Records):

Oh my God!  That video just made my day when I discovered it.  21st century hipsters eat your heart out. You can’t get more ironically pastiche or self-consciously campy than that!  Davie Crocket hats are as hip as it gets! (Ricky, you know what I’m talking about.... sorry, inside joke for a friend of the blog....)  In fact, this video (and not the aforementioned record purchase) is what really inspired this post; I had to share it with my small world; hope it warms your heart as well.

Here’s one more track from the debut TV Personalities album; it’s called “Silly Girl”:

If you like raw, Lo-Fi post-punk - like recent acts such as Let’s Wrestle or Art Brut - early TV Personalities albums are for you, especially the first one.  Check it out and feel free to comment.

Teenage Filmstars:

http://www.mediafire.com/?loemjkmzjdz

Television Personalities:

http://www.mediafire.com/?lnwmrygqss2

Emo Diaries - Entry 3: Chris Wollard & Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music

Most people don’t remember Gainesville, Florida’s Hot Water Music as an Emo band, but that is due to their career’s later move towards mainstream-sounding pop punk.  The Hot Water Music of the late 90s, however, was steeped in the 90s post-harcore/emo tradition.  The group formed in the early 90s by two frontmen, Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard, and their raspy dual-vocal approach immediately reminded listeners of Fugazi-style post-hardcore.  HWM were poppier than the angular, dissonant-sounding bands of the DC scene, however, but their sound fit perfectly with the line ups of Doghouse & Jade Tree records.  In fact, what I think to be their best album, Forever and Counting, was originally released on Doghouse Records in 1997 as their 2nd full length. I remember the day I put the new cassette on while in my car.... I was blown away to say the least.  The first 3 tracks are some of the best emo/post-hardcore songs I have ever heard, and it has everything to do with George Rebelo’s drumming.  Check out the opening track, “Translocation”:

So that song was the first sounds of HWM to rip though my tattered car-stereo speakers.  I was immediately hooked, for I was a sucker (and still am) for the dramatic drumming breakdowns... I wanted more, and the 2nd track of the album, “Better Sense,” was no disappointment; check it out:

Another great track with drumming perfection and heartfelt, vocal emotion.  At this point, I wanted to push rewind and relive the 1st two songs all over again, but the track, “Just Don’t Say You Lose It,” began sounding through the speakers.  It was at this point that I realized that Forever and Counting was one of the best, freshest Emo Rock albums I had ever heard:

I would love to play drums to that song; talk about a great, climactic drumming breakdown!! That’s too much fun... But seriously, what an amazingly intense beginning to a nearly perfect Emo album!  Hot Water Music released other great albums such as their debut, Finding the Rhythms (1995 Toybox/No Idea Records), 
and the 3rd & 4th releases, Fuel for the Hate Game (1997 Toybox/No Idea Records) and No Division (1999 No Idea Records).  After their 4th album, the band moved to the mainstream punk label, Epitaph, and not surprisingly, the band’s sound became less and less interesting.  They disbanded around 2006, and the members (minus C. Ragan) formed the Draft, an attempt at mainstream pop punk much like the later efforts of HWM.

The Blacktop Cadence live

The band formed other side projects as well, the most “emo” being Chris Wollard’s and George Rebelo’s “after hours” group, The Blacktop Cadence.  The group were more subdued, playing slower tempos and less over-driven guitars.  They released in 1 full length, Chemistry for Changing Times, on Keystone-Ember & No Idea Records in 1997.  One of my favorite Blacktop Cadence numbers is not found on the full length; it appeared on one of the original Emo Diaries compilations of Deep Elm Records, “Cold Night in Virginia”: 

That song is so Emo, but in a good way... If you like the slower, quieter, more contemplative side of Hot Water Music’s emotional music, check out Blacktop Cadence’s full length; it’s a great late 90s Emo record.  HWM members also formed an acoustic side project Rumbleseat during the years 1998-1999, and they released one full length collection of their songs, entitled Rumbleseat is Dead (2005 No Idea Records).  The music itself fails to keep my interest, but it serves as an obvious precursor both to Chuck Ragan’s & Chris Wollard’s later folk-related solo projects.  Chuck Ragan released his first studio solo album, Feast or Famine, in 2007 on Side One Dummy Records.  Ragan’s solo music signals a radical departure from the post-hardcore styles of his early rock career.  The music of Feast or Famine is extremely stripped down and contains country/folk-like undertones.  Here’s the track “Geraldine”:

You either love it or think it’s unbearably cheesy and cliche.  I lean towards the former perspective; sometimes predictable simplicity is the best formula for musical expression, and Chuck Ragan demonstrates that well.  He has released 3 other full lengths in the last 4 years, and each release continues to explore Ragan’s softer, more low-key compositional tastes.  Chris Wollard has pursued a recent solo career as well, most notably as Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves.  The project released a single studio album that was self-titled in 2009 on No Idea Records.  I really love this album; it incorporates elements of indie rock, folk, country, and the emo-influenced roots of Wollard’s earlier career.  Check out the track, “Same to You”:

That’s a great album; it vaguely reminds me of the later solo work of Bob Nanna as City on Film.  Both are seasoned post-hardcore rockers playing softer, more mature indie rock in the later parts of their career.  Wollard, however, employs more elements of folk and country much like his former bandmate, Chuck Ragan.  Check out the track, “Reason in My Rhyme”:

That’s good stuff. So this post is another entry on the “real” bands of Emo Rock, but like the other entries, the posting has ended with music far removed from the tradition of poppy, 90s post-hardcore.  That is a further testament of the quality of these showcased musicians. They developed the sounds of Emo but did not rely on its conventions to sustain their musical success.  Instead, these musicians moved forward to explore new sounds.  If you like the material of Ragan & Wollard, definitely check their eclectic discographies; they were many other projects as well (especially Chris Wollard...).

Albums discussed:


HWM's Forever & Counting: http://www.mediafire.com/?acdtmdnavbx
Hwm's Fuel for the Hate Game: http://www.mediafire.com/?ep254aw2ao87wqq
Blacktop Cadence: http://www.mediafire.com/?0gtizmxt4ti
Chuck Ragan: http://www.mediafire.com/?d29dwobzpou

Chris Wollard: http://www.mediafire.com/?umlyzmrmzxj

Feel free to comment and please enjoy!

Celebrating Labor Day through the Anthems of the Rust Belt Part 2: Home of the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame

When referencing Detroit's influence on Rock music, one immediately thinks of 2 other industrial centers that rivaled the motor city as the hot bed of Rock'n'Roll angst: New York City & Cleveland, OH. Like Detroit, Cleveland also witnessed a kind of hard rock renaissance that seems intimately tied to the city's "rust belt" economy & history. Like Detroit there is so much material from the Ohio state to explore, but I will focus on a trinity of interconnected projects: Rocket from the Tombs, Dead Boys, & Pere Ubu. But before that, let's look at a short-lived, legendary project that later influenced Stiv Bators, frontman of the band Dead Boys:

electric eels

In terms of irony, negation, & disorderly conduct, Cleveland's the electric eels were as punk rock as anything else circa 1975. They were a short-lived project that only played 5 live shows, but apparently the live antics of someone like Anton (of Brian Jonestown Massacre) had nothing on the electric eels; they were known for fighting each other or the audience and often had run ins with the police. In spirit of Punk, they were uncompromisingly offensive. (For example, examine the free usage of swastikas on the album art below. This is something the Dead Boys will model in their image as well. Stiv Bators obviously got many ideas by watching eels' frontman Dave "E" McManus.)

(Dave "E" McManus of the electric eels on right)

Although the electric eels are cited as one of the early Proto-Punk bands of the Cleveland Rock scene, their music explores more than sped up, stripped down bluesy rock'n'roll. McManus was said to be influenced by Ornette Coleman and other Free Jazz performers. The electric eels definitely experiment with song form, and one can hear anticipations of what later becomes noise rock in their material. They never recorded a full-length album, but many of their songs have been collected on the CD release, The Eyeball of Hell (which collects recordings from 75-76; don't know year of release nor the label, however. If someone knows, please comment!). The recordings are raw single takes of some rowdy garage rock free jazz with some punk rock attitude. Check out the track "Agitated":

It's pretty raw & rowdy. Like stated before, McManus & the eels were a great influence on another young Cleveland rocker, Stiv Bators. You might hear it in the above track. They're a great addition to any Proto-Punk library. Definitely listen to the whole collection.

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?zynygz3ky0d

Rocket from the Tombs

Rocket from the Tombs were contemporaries of the electric eels and had a similarly short-lived career. Like the eels, they were only together for a couple of years, and they too never recorded any studio albums during that time. Many of their recorded songs have been collected on a CD release as well: The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs (Smog Veil Records 2002). Unlike the electric eels, the members of RFTT went on to form other much more successful projects, most notably the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. Stiv Bators, however, was not in this band; the most notable lineup was Cheetah Chrome, Johnny Blitz, Peter Laughner, and David Thomas.

Here's a track off the above mentioned collection:

Their recordings are pretty raw as well, but that's what is to be expected from 70s underground Proto-Punk. Definitely check out the entire collection; Dead Boys & Pere Ubu fans will recognize some of the songs. Both bands re-recorded selections from the RFTT catalog.

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?yltm1jnyomm

Dead Boys: When Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz left RFTT, they joined singer Stiv

Bators to form the group Frankenstein. They later renamed the band Dead Boys and eventually moved to NYC. The Dead Boys are considered one of the major 1st wave American Punk bands. Stiv Bators took much from the live antics of Steve "E" McManus and Iggy Pop and performed many memorable (and controversial) shows at clubs like CBGBs. He was known for cutting himself on stage, for instance. (I would have just stuck to the peanut butter personally...) Like the electric eels, Stiv and the crew would often make us of provocative forms of pastiche, sporting swastika signs for instance. When I first discovered them as a 13 year old pimply kid with a skateboard, I naively thought: "Holy crap! these guys are skinhead nazis!" So I never explored their music for a brief period of time. I wasn't too keen on semiotics and the creative signifying practice of negation at that point in my East Texas experience.

Dead Boys released their 1st studio full length, Young Loud and Snotty, in 1977 on Sire Records. On that album, they re-recorded the song "Sonic Reducer" (as well as other RFTT songs), which became a favorite pick for classic Punk Rock mixtapes.

Here's a great clip of Dead Boys performing at New York's CBGB's:

Dead Boys released a 2nd album from Sire Records in 1978 called We Have Come For Your Children. The recording experience supposedly caused the band to break up. There was pressure from the Corporate label to tone down their "disturbing" image to make possible more marketability in the mainstream. Sound familiar? So they called it quits soon after the album's sessions. Despite its history, it's a punk classic as well. Both albums are great for any classic Punk collection.

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?1uddzx1yyew (YLAS)

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?mjdizzwtotc (WHCFYC)

Pere Ubu

When Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz left RFTT eventually to form Dead Boys, Peter Laughner and David Thomas started a new project as well: Pere Ubu (David Thomas still performs as the act today...). Like their source's name, their artistic vision directed them towards the more experimental side of things. (Their name comes from the avant-garde play Ubu Roi by French proto-Surrealist Alfred Jarry.) The group formed in 75, and over the years, their music has explored genres such as new wave, post-punk, electronica, and noise. Their discography is overwhelmingly large, but their early period has gained the most attention from critics and popular listeners alike. Their first album, The Modern Dance (1978 Blank Records), received much praise from various rock critics. It's definitely an essential for Post-Punk & (even) Garage Rock enthusiasts. Here's the track "Street Waves":

Pere Ubu immediately released their 2nd full length, Dub Housing, in 1978 on Chrysalis Records. One can hear the band's departure from Garage-like sounds towards more experimental elements of Post-Punk & New Wave. Check out the track "Navvy":

The band continued to release albums, and like stated before, David Thomas (the only constant member) is still active today. An earlier post made mention of Mayo Thompson & Red Crayola/Red Krayola of Houston, TX. In 1980, Mayo Thompson joined Pere Ubu to record the album The Art of Walking (Rough Trade Records). If you liked Mayo's material and the above videos, you should definitely check out this album as well.

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?avjzxtjjbz0 (TMD)

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?ykoghjmutct (DH)

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?cha36mthn4sr37o (TAOW)

Once again, there are so many other bands one could mention in this posting. Perhaps later I'll post something on the super-group Lords of the New Church. But for now, Happy Labor Day and enjoy the music!

Celebrating Labor Day through the Anthems of the Rust Belt Part 1: Detroit Rock City

Wherever there is labor, one can immediately find the roots of rock’n’roll’s greatest innovations. Marx was right; there is a deep connection between economic realities and the products of culture that inhabit those realities. The Bolsheviks like Alexander Bogdanov, however, were way off the mark to insist that artworks from societies of Bourgeois Capitalism were useless for the interests of the average Industrial worker. No better example to illustrate the point than the musical culture of America’s industrial epicenter: Detroit, MI.

MC5

In honor of Labor Day, let’s take a look at 1970s Detroit proto-punk, and when discussing the origins of America’s punk rock tradition, one has to start with Detroit’s MC5. I always cringe at the “origins of punk rock” conversation because, most of the time, people debate the issue without ever making sure there is some agreed upon definition for the umbrella term “Punk Rock.” To me, the term applies more accurately to say the Sex Pistols than (and here we go with immediate yells of disagreement) say the Ramones. Punk designates more than a stripped down, up-tempo music genre; it implies a whole package of irony, negation, pastiche fashion, and uncompromising political radicalism. This is why the Pistols defined Punk Rock (for a little less than a year...), and I credit their famous (or is it infamous) manager, Malcolm McLaren (RIP...), who was steeped in French Situationism and the European tradition of nihilism, radicalism, and the avant-garde. With this said, MC5 were also so much more than a hard-playing proto-punk band.

They were the whole thing. If anything was “Punk” at this time, it was Motor City Five. They were known for supporting the Black Panthers and the Panther’s form of Maoist-Marxist politics (I believe their manager, at one point, tried to start a White Panthers organization to support the radical movement), and the band famously played at the riots of 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. They are the closest thing to “true” Proto-Punk Rock. Although Back in the USA (recorded in 1970; released by Atlantic) was not their 1st full-length, it was their first studio album. One of my favorite tracks is their protest song against the US involvement in Vietnam, “The Human Being Lawnmower”:

Their album, Back in the USA, is a must have for ALL rock enthusiasts, and what better time to rock these tunes than on Labor Day! (Definitely check out the live debut Kick Out the Jams as well.)

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?dejvyldl2qm (BITU)

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?z3ltfmtinne (KOTJ)

Can you guess who’s next?

The Stooges

When asked about the 1st American Punk band, I think most people would respond with the answer, Iggy & the Stooges. To me, MC5 was way more “punk”; they are the godfathers, but the Stooges are definitely the drunk & disorderly godmother. When considering the bands as a pair circa 1970, UK rock’n’roll had nothing on the motor city (with the exception of maybe the Deviants or the Pink Fairies, but that’s another post....). These two acts (along with the New York & Cleveland rock scenes) redirected American popular tastes towards sounds of larger & angrier proportions. The Stooges debuted on Halloween in 1967, signed to Elektra in 68, and released their 1st studio self-titled full length in 1969 (which was produced by Velvet Underground’s John Cale). It tanked for the most part, but it has seen a second life with the explosion of punk a decade later. The album definitely dates the Stooges, for one can still hear the conventions of 60s San Francisco fuzz rock. Check out the track “No Fun”:

The Stooges immediately released a 2nd album, Fun House, in 1970 with the addition of a saxophonist (yawn). It was around this time the Stooges began to turn heads in the music world. That year they played the famous Cincinnati Pop Fesitival where famously Stiv Bators (of Dead Boys....we’ll talk about them next time...) handed Iggy a tub of peanut butter that the Stooge’s frontman proceeded to wipe all over his chest. (Of course, this is now an iconic image of the legendary Proto-Punker.) I believe the band was performing the track “T.V. Eye”:

Oh Iggy... (I love the tv announcer’s perspective... classic!)

The Stooges re-signed with Columbia (due to David Bowie’s urging) and recorded their most successful album, Raw Power (1973). Of course everyone, as well as every dive bar jukebox, knows the famous single “Search & Destroy.” I have to say I listen to Raw Power more than any other recording. Musically, it is excellent Proto-Punk Rock. All rock enthusiasts should own it (so get it!!!).

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?tm5wk2jozjw (s/t)

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?nnyfvzmiy5d (FH)

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?etfdm1jny9t (RP)

The Frost

The Frost were a late 60s rock group from Alpena, MI. They released 3 albums and were led by guitarist Dick Wagner (who later played with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and others). They were a lesser known act that was also part of the prolific Proto-Punk scene of the motor city region. Their most famous record was probably Rock and Roll Music, released 1970 on Vanguard. Here’s their opening title track of the album (the sound should be familiar by now):

A great album for one’s collection if you like that whole Detroit rock thing....

dl: http://www.ilivid.com/lp_bna.htm

(wait 20secs before clicking file link...)

Death

Death was a Proto-Punk band of the early 70s formed by three brothers (the Hackneys!) out of Detroit, MI. The wonderful world of Wikipedia informed me that they actually started as an R&B group and then they saw Alice Cooper (another Detroit rocker) in concert and understandably proceeded to change their approach to raw rock’n’roll. Ah Alice Cooper, you have impacted so many of us, and we thank you for that. (“We’re not worthy; we’re not worthy!”) Death recorded very little in their short-lived run. In fact, they entered the studio in 1974 to record an album for Columbia Records, but due to their insisted refusal to change their name, the Corporate slime of a label dropped the band. The album was recently released by Drag City, and it is entitled ...For the Whole World to See. Here’s the opening track:

If you like everything else about this post, then you NEED this album. It’s great!

dl: http://www.mediafire.com/?mmn1ikmndiw

There are so many other great bands of this era & scene to check out: Frijid Pink, Amboy Dukes (even though Nugent is a douche...), Alice Cooper, and many many others... Perhaps I’ll post some more later.... Enjoy! (Oh, and Happy early Labor Day!)