Who Put The Bomp!

Greg Shaw was some kind of music fan. As a teenager in the mid-60s, he helped found the fanzine Mojo Navigator – one of the first publications to present serious writing about rock music, and a prime inspiration upon the birth of Rolling Stone. During this time, he secured the first published interview with The Doors. After Mojo Navigator folded he partnered with future wife Suzy to start up the highly influential magazine Who Put The Bomp! (later known as simply Bomp!), which Shaw then spun off into Bomp! Records, his Los Angeles record store and label of the same name.

Shaw was a true believer in the healing powers of rock & roll, and one of the early champions of the ‘garage bands’ of the 1960′s. In his world, The Standells were as big as The Beatles, and The Seeds were greater than The Stones. Incredibly, he predicted in print that the sound of his beloved garage bands would lead to a mid-70s music revival, accurately describing the punk movement three years before it happened.

Bomp! Records produced albums by many punk and post-punk luminaries, including Iggy Pop, Devo, and The Dead Boys. Shaw: “I know how to find good music that isn’t getting any exposure, and I can give it a little bit of exposure, and that gives me more pleasure and satisfaction than anything else I can think of doing.” He worked tirelessly doing just that until his death in 2004, along the way providing a guiding hand in the careers of modern day fuzzmeisters such as The Black Keys and The Black Lips.

Bomp! – Saving The World One Record At A Time serves as a scrapbook of – and tribute to – Greg Shaw’s work. Here Suzy Shaw and Bomp! contributor Mick Farren compile highlights of Shaw’s various publications, from his beginnings as a Tolkien/Hobbit geek all the way up to the lost mockup of the final, previously unpublished issue of Bomp!. It’s all presented in facsimile form, so it feels like you’re flipping through the original publications. This is a revealing look at the essence of a guy who believed that “fans should have absolute control over the direction of rock & roll” and lived his life as an example of how to make it happen.

*****

[The double-disc collection Straight Outta Burbank: The Bomp! 25th Anniversary Collection is an excellent primer on the sounds that Greg Shaw loved and worked hard to champion.]

*****

Read the New York Times’ obituary for Greg Shaw.

Donovan’s Isle

Oh, how I wish to live upon…

Masterpiece: There’s A Riot Goin’ On

[Today: Sly Stone can't get no satisfaction...]

In the early 70′s, Sly Stone looked around with heavy-lidded eyes, and didn’t like what he saw. So he did what any reasonably wealthy young musician at that time might do to dull the pain: he sequestered himself away from the world, snorted mountains of cocaine, and created a deeply funky and intensely paranoid album that reflected the state of the world around him.

In the year of production leading up to the November 1971 release of this album, newspaper headlines were littered with references to Charles Manson, Richard Nixon, Idi Amin, My Lai and Attica. From the bullet-hole riddled flag on the cover to the intoxicating, stoned grooves of the music inside, There’s A Riot Goin’ On is the product of a man futilely attempting to distract himself from the realities of a world gone mad. Few recordings have so successfully captured the trouble of their times.

The bulk of the album was created in the home studio in the attic of Sly’s Bel Air mansion. Its warped, fuzzy sound was allegedly achieved through repeated overdubbing – and later erasing – of various groupies who were allowed to ‘perform’ on the album. Sly uses a drum machine instead of Family Stone drummer Greg Errico, and it’s the only stable thing to be found here. Sly intentionally garbles ambivalent lyrics throughout, lays one impressive, slurred Hammond B3 run on top of another, and uses the wah wah pedal like that sad sound that signifies dejection in TV comedy. Sly gets it: the joke’s on him, the joke’s on you, the joke’s on all of us. But instead of a punch line, we get a state of the union address.

Listen: Thank You For Talkin’ To Me Africa

Buried Treasure: Free Beer Tomorrow

[Today: Jim Dickinson takes 30 years to record his second album...]

Having spent years making other musicians sound better, as both an ace sideman and producer, James Luther Dickinson has released just two solo albums during a long and otherwise colorful career. The first, 1972′s Dixie Fried is an undisputed lost classic that stylistically nods to country blues, soul music, protest songs, and circus sideshows without being bound by any of them. Featuring an uncredited Eric Clapton on guitar, the album was like a massive hurricane that petered out over the ocean – it coulda been huge, but it just never hit.

So Dickinson turned his undeniable musical talents toward production and backing work, midwifing albums by artists such as the Replacements, Big Star, and Ry Cooder, and playing alongside the likes of The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Free Beer Tomorrow, started in 1996 and finished in 2002, served as a musical apprenticeship for Dickinson’s sons Cody and Luther, who would go on to form The North Mississippi All-Stars. Here they help their father recapture his swampy, southern storyteller sound, while adding a jazz sparkle that underscores the gravel that the years have added to the old man’s voice.

The undeniable centerpiece of the album is ‘Ballad Of Billy And Oscar’, a nine-minute tale that imagines the meeting of Billy the Kid and Oscar the Wilde. The word ‘epic’ get thrown around a lot in popular music, but this rambling, poetic gem packs two larger-than-life personalities and all of their mental baggage into a song that is truly widescreen in scope. Dickinson himself described this music as “Tales of outlaws, train wrecks, lost love, heroic death, manly valor, prayer.” Throw in a couple of rounds of bourbon, and call it good.

Listen: Ballad Of Billy And Oscar

Hippy Dippy – The Cover Art

Here is the cover art for my compilation celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Summer Of Love. All of the songs collected here espouse some philosophical chestnut related to the counterculture movement of the 1960′s. From The Zombies’ claim that “It’s the time of the season for loving” to The 5th Dimension’s invitation to “Let the sun shine in,” every note of this music was designed to guide your inner star child. Peace, brothers & sisters…

Here’s the front cover:

[Subtitle reads: 18 songs for your inner star child]

Here’s the inside of the front cover:

[Quote reads: "Turn on, tune in, drop out." - Dr. Timothy Leary]

Here’s the back inside:

[please note: this panel is for use inside of a clear jewel case]

Here’s the back:

And here’s the track listing:

The Zombies * Time Of The Season
The Youngbloods * Get Together
The Byrds * Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
The Mamas & The Papas * California Dreamin’
The Beatles * All You Need Is Love
The Beach Boys * Good Vibrations
Donovan * Sunshine Superman
Jefferson Airplane * White Rabbit
Love * Alone Again Or
Scott McKenzie * San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers In Your Hair)
Stephen Stills * Love The One You’re With
The Electric Prunes * I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night
The Nazz * Open My Eyes
Traffic * You Can All Join In
Cream * I Feel Free
The Doors * Soul Kitchen
Grateful Dead * Uncle John’s Band
The 5th Dimension * Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In

Random Propaganda VIII

It’s time for another lightning round with the cd changers. Here’s what the gods of shuffle are throwing at me today:

6:54pm – Billy Nicholls * Would You Believe – This is a twisted little late-60′s pop confection, obviously influenced by The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, but soaked in gallons of LSD. I think this was selected by Mojo magazine as one of the great “lost” albums of all-time – no argument here.

6:59pm – Tosca * J.A.C. – Tosca is one of the best electronica bands going right now. A side project of Richard Dorfmeister of Kruder/Dorfmeister, Tosca takes a back seat to noone when in comes to assembling state-of-the-art dance tracks, and J.A.C. just might be their best album.

7:04pm – Various Artists * Guilty Pleasures – This compilation gathers many of those 70′s and 80′s tracks that you hate to love, but can’t help yourself from singing along to.

7:07pm – Jimi Hendrix * Royal Albert Hall 1969 – A sustained feedback wail that leads into the familiar refrain of ‘Foxy Lady’ – what’s not to love? I’ve listened to a lot of Jimi Hendrix shows through the years, and this one is my absolute favorite. It matches incredible sound quality with a stunning, guitar-shredding performance. Jimi’s solos on ‘Foxy Lady’ alone are worth the price of admission here.

7:13pm – Method Man & Redman * Blackout! – A great rap combo – Method Man’s lazy flow works perfectly against Redman’s assertive, brash style. These guys sound like two sides of the same voice – a badass serpent with two tongues. Their soundtrack for the movie How High made my list of The 20 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums Of All-Time, and Blackout! isn’t but a step behind it.

7:17pm – The Jam * At The BBC – I’d never even heard of The Jam until I was nearly 30 years old – but then, the group never did enjoy any significant success in the U.S. Hard to believe, considering the sheer number of great songs they put out in the late 70′s/early 80′s. This 3-disc collection of their live performances from the Beeb is testament to a great band that brought the goods on every song.

7:20pm – The Byrds * Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde – This is far from The Byrds’ finest moment on wax, but I have a serious weakness for this group, in all its scattered configurations. I hardly ever think of Roger McGuinn as one of the signature musicians of the 60′s, but he deserves to be on the short list…

7:24pm – James Taylor * Sweet Baby James – Yikes! This feels like the audio equivalent of getting caught with my pants down. What can I say? JT was an absolute staple of my parents’ collection, and I’ve inherited a begrudging enjoyment of his sugary lullabies.

7:28pm – Jay-Z * MTV Unplugged – Great segue there – a little preview of the next Girl Talk mashup. The Unplugged thing is an excellent forum for Jay-Z. This is easily my favorite album of Hova’s, though it hardly ever gets mentioned as one of his best. The flows are dynamite, although the song I was just hearing cut out midway through. Uh, waiter…

7:31pm – Faithless * Reverence – Faithless released this excellent electronica/hip-hop debut in 1996, and practically nobody heard it. The whole album has an awesome 4am grimey weirdness to it – hectic and frazzled, yet dreamlike and enchanting. This is definitely the subject of a future Buried Treasure post.

7:42pm – Fleetwood Mac * Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac Live At The BBC [Disc 2] – This early, blues-oriented version of the group was the far stronger iteration of Fleetwood Mac. Much of their music was spun out of the blues, but sounds like a spaghetti western/blues hybrid. These are really interesting songs that sound nothing like the confessional pop that the group would become synonymous with in the late 70′s.

7:45pm – David Holmes * Let’s Get Killed – I’ve written about this album in the past, and it’s one creepy listen. I Heart NYC, but there are some serious weirdos to be found in the big apple, and David Holmes has the evidence on tape.

7:50pm – Stereo MC’s * Supernatural – If they’re remembered at all, it’s probably for their early 90′s hit single ‘Connected’, but the Stereo MC’s have created a solid body of work that includes several fine albums. This group also has the distinction of being one of the earliest hip-hop groups to play all of their music live in the studio and not rely on samples.

7:54pm – The Squirrels * The Not-So-Bright Side Of The Moon – The perfect sendup of one of rock’s classic albums. Every detail is hilariously worked over, and the looney voices are guffaw-inducing.

7:58pm – RZA * Ghost Dog Soundtrack – This one took years to grow on me, but I do like it. Wu Tang Clan member RZA cuts an offbeat figure here, referencing Samuris, Ninjas, and The One True Path, and creating a spooky, chilled atmosphere that sounds unlike any other hip-hop album.

8:03pm – Ali Farka Toure * The River – When I was a little kid, I used to wonder if other countries had their own rock stars. I imagined Russian, Indian, and African bands jamming out, making crazy music that sounded nothing like the songs on my radio, and I wondered where someone would have to go to hear such things.

8:09pm – Talking Heads * Speaking In Tongues – David Byrne reminds me of my dream-world self: wigged out and searching for lord knows what, speaking in non-sequitars and wearing size XXXXXL suits. However, while Byrne has an anti-rhythm that makes everything he does sound uber-funky, I ain’t got no rhythm, even in my dreams…

8:15pm – George Brigman * Jungle Rot – This is such a fine, fuzzed-out album. It just drips with a bored, sticky, mid-summer heat that makes me want to crack open a beer and start doing bad things.

8:19pm – Ween * Koln, Germany 8/18/00 – Ween is one of the P’s favorite bands of all-time, and her love of them has definitely rubbed off on me. The group isn’t averse to tapers, so I think that a lot of their shows are floating around out there. At any rate, we’ve got a bunch, and this one is just a random pick off the pile. Good sound quality and an amusing version of ‘The Mollusk’… stop by any time fellas.

8:23pm – Ramones * On The Road To Ruin – A blistering collection of early live Ramones, and one of the selections on my list of The 20 Greatest Bootlegs Of All-Time.

8:25pm – Lee Perry * Voodooism – Lee Perry has an intimidating number of albums available on the open market, and amazingly, most of them represent no overlap with one another. The guy has been so prolific for the last 40 years, that it’s tough to figure out what’s worth getting (answer: most of it). The three disc Arkology set is a great place to start, but this single disc compilation does a nice job of distilling his 70′s Black Ark work.

8:28pm – Tom Waits * Heart Attack & Vine – I know a lot of people who don’t dig Tom Waits, but he’s just elemental for me. He always sounds like he just dragged himself out of the gutter, but those rusty razor blade blues work just fine for me.

8:33pm – Various Artists * Left Of The Dial [Disc 3] – This four-disc box collects the best of 80′s ‘alternative’ music. Someone’s gothing out here… is that you Peter Murphy?? Some of this stuff is so serious that it’s totally hilarious.

8:37pm – Run-DMC * Raising Hell – “My Adidas walk through concert doors, and roam all over coliseum floors…”

Buried Treasure: Fire On The Strings

[Today: Joe Maphis and his magic fingers...]

Joe Maphis was known as “King Of The Strings” because of his dazzling technical proficiency on a number of instruments. As the liner notes to the original release of Fire On The Strings attest, Maphis “is equally at home with a fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass fiddle, and, to top it off, is a good dancer and comedian.” His musical talents are on abundant display throughout the album, while song titles such as ‘Floggin’ The Banjo’ are proof of that sense of humor.

These 19 instrumental tracks – all recorded between 1955 and 1959 – hop around like a flea on a skillet, and play out like one long, madcapped guitar solo. Here Maphis has created some of the best chase scene music ever committed to tape – two minute blasts of barrelhouse piano, blistering banjos, swelling fiddles, and caffeinated guitars that add up to a cartoon country music cacophany that’s impossible to dislike.

Like a Grand Ole Opry version of Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Maphis plays at about 120mph – a relentless string of notes that continually build up to one remarkable crescendo after another. But unlike Malmsteen, Maphis redeems his glaring virtuosity through a wicked musical sense of humor, turning what should be an unlistenable stream of showboating into one heck of a good show.

Listen: Flying Fingers

Masterpiece: Will The Circle Be Unbroken

[Today: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band forms a new circle...]

In the early 70′s, country rock was starting to establish itself as one of the sounds of the decade, and the popularity of traditional country music was near an all-time low. So it was left to “a bunch of long-haired west coast boys” (as Roy Acuff described them) to create an album that celebrated the living roots of country music. Will The Circle Be Unbroken – the landmark triple album that brought genuine country music to the rock crowd – went platinum shortly after its 1972 release.

Earl Scruggs was a fan of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and he agreed to work with them on the album. His participation led to the involvement of Doc Watson, and from there, the pieces began to fall into place for one of the best country ensembles ever gathered in front of one microphone. Mother Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, Vassar Clements, Merle Travis, and Norman Blake (among many others) gave their talent and energy to this project. In fact, for much of the album, the Nitty Gritties wisely get out of the way and provide accompaniment as the Hall-Of-Famers do their thing.

Recorded for a reported budget of just $22,000, most of the cuts on the album were laid down in one or two quick takes. As Roy Acuff explains before lighting into ‘The Precious Jewel’: “Once [you] decide that you’re going to record a number, put everything that you’ve got into it… because every time you go through it, you lose just a little something.” That philosphy is well served here, as all the performances are spot-on.

Many other illuminating snippets of dialogue were recorded during the sessions, the best of which provide between-songs context on why a particular piece was played or how the parts were to be divvied up. The banter also captures the warm mutual rapport between The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the old-timers.

Nearly all of the LP’s 37 tracks are country music standards, and roughly one third are hard-charging instrumentals. The album opens with the ‘Grand Ole Opry Song’ – which namechecks a number of longtime stars from that show – and closes with a lovely, countrified version of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’.

The ‘circle’ mentioned in the title is a generation-to-generation passing of stories, traditions, and songs. With Will The Circle Be Unbroken, two generations of musicians created a body of work that continues to provide a picture window into the heart and soul of real country music.

Listen: Tennessee Stud

Listen II: Nashville Blues

A Tale Of Two Record Stores

Last weekend the P and I took a few moments to stop by the former home of Saturn Records so we could peer in the windows and remember what used to be. As fate would have it, the one-time Saturn Records is now a vintage clothing store. I have nothing against haberdasheries per se, but I liked Saturn better when it was a music emporium. And it was a true old-school record shoppe that primarily featured LPs – including classic rock, jazz, blues, and lots of great bootlegs. Every inch of wall space was covered in valuable, rare, and humorous record covers.

One day a few years back, the P and I were in Saturn, when she asked me what she should be looking for. “The John Phillips solo album” I told her, and turned back to the racks, trying to decide between a couple of different Leadbelly LPs. She returned not two minutes later with a copy of this ultra-rare (and incredibly good) album that was tagged at just $1.99. The P and I have received many hundreds of dollars worth of listening pleasure from that one great find.

Saturn was also the establishment where I had a true “High Fidelity” record store moment. Checking out one day, I happened into a fierce debate between the owner and two employees about the relative merits of the Los Angeles bands Love and The Doors. They couldn’t come to a satisfactory conclusion, so they asked my opinion on the matter. When I told them I thought Love was overrated and the Doors were underrated (through over-familiarity) there was much muttering and eye-rolling. Saturn’s employees were extremely passionate about music, and they knew their stuff. I always enjoyed walking into that store, and it pains me that I’ve done so for the last time.

*****

Just a few blocks away from the former home of Saturn Records sits the Groove Yard. This store specializes in vintage jazz albums, with a smattering of blues records and international music. This is the kind of record store that any fan of music should visit. Simply flipping through the ‘new arrivals’ section is like visiting a jazz museum. With pristine, original Blue Note albums and good-as-new copies of classics by all the heavy hitters, Groove Yard provides the kind of shopping experience that doubles as an educational epiphany.

Owner Rick Ballard is gregarious and knowledgable, and just as happy to suggest a good album as he is to discuss Chicago record stores or his past as a record distributor. When I asked how business was going, he had good things to say, citing a recent San Francisco Chronicle story about his store, and noting that his monthly newsletter reaches more than 2,000 people. Talking to him, it was easy to tell that this was exactly what he wanted to be doing, and that he wouldn’t trade places with anyone.

As we chatted about this and that, I flipped through the record bins, finding Wayne Shorter’s Night Dreamer (a Liberty/Blue Note reissue), and a Ben Webster LP (The Horn) that I hadn’t seen before. I also took a spin through his Latin music section, coming up with a Willie Colon LP (The Hustler) and an original-issue Fania All-Stars album (Live At Yankee Stadium, Vol 1). But more importantly, I walked away with the feeling that record stores might survive into the future, as long as guys like Rick Ballard are behind the counter, doing what they love to do.

Groove Yard: 5555 Claremont Ave * Oakland, CA * (510) 655-8400 * www.myspace.com/grooveyardjazz

On The Fence: Chicago’s Greatest Hits

To suck or not to suck? That is the question when it comes to the band once known as Chicago Transit Authority. Is Chicago’s Greatest Hits a worthy blast from the past, or an annoying reminder of everything that was wrong with rock in the 70′s??

THUMBS UP: Like many rock bands, Chicago had high points and low points. It just so happens that their highs were higher, and lows lower, than many of their contemporaries. Fortunately, Chicago IX (ie Greatest Hits) captures most of the high points and ignores those troubling lows. From its opening blasts of brass, ’25 Or 6 To 4′ is one of the coolest songs of the entire decade, and would redeem any album. But there are other great moments here as well: ‘Saturday In The Park’ is cheesy, but it’s an aged, smoked cheddar that still tastes (er, sounds) great, and ‘Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is’ boasts genuine soul, as well as a great horn chart. It’s easy to hate on Chicago, but it’s even easier to drop the needle on their Greatest Hits and just sit back and enjoy the sound of the 70′s.

THUMBS DOWN: In a decade known in part for saccharine sweet songwriting, Chicago stands out for being particularly schmaltzy. Nearly half of their Greatest Hits is given over to cloying balladry, and the kind of simple, 7th grade poetry captured in ‘Feelin’ Stronger Every Day’: “I do believe in you/And I know you believe in me/Ohhhhh yeah, ohhhhh yeah.” Feeling sick yet? For anyone who had to endure Peter Cetera & Chicago’s vapid warblings throughout the 80′s, this is an awful reminder that worse was yet to come. There’s no denying that there are some great moments to be found here, but on balance, this album is the kind of slick 70′s garbage that your friends have every right to make fun of you for playing.

[Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you've heard from both the prosecution and defense. Please retire to your chambers and take as long as you need to come up with a fair and just verdict...]