As much as I love them, I'd argue that the Cramps really took a nosedive after Smell of Female. At least to me, that's where they began to lose their "sound" and started to move closer to a typical psychobilly style.

To be fair , REM , for me, jumped the shark after their first album. I admit , this is like an intervention , but , I liked the "Chronic Town" EP and the "Murmur " LP , but , that was 30 years ago.....They seemed different when they first came out.
Stipe's unintelligible drone was novel.  For a short time.

 
John Battles said:

That was early REM ? How many millions of albums had they sold when that appeared on the well - intentioned , but vastly disappointing, "When The Pyramid Meets The Eye".?...I guess it was right around that time that REM went from being huge in our eyes , to HUGE in the eyes of the whole goddamn universe , that early 90's turning point for them......I thought it was fair , I guess. I could probably name four or five tracks on that comp that I'd say were very good. I thought ZZ Tops' "Reverberation" was the best , and I have'nt been a ZZ Top fan since the late 70's.
 
IDON MINE said:

What did you all think of REMs version of Roky's "I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE"? I know, it's one of their earlier ones, but you know, it never hurts ta ask.

John Battles said:

Thank You !!!!! I always liked what Jim Heat (Horton Heat) said , "I liked REM , until they became a GENRE".  They were getting carbon - copied by 85 - 85 like Nirvana was by the early '90S.
 
Alison said:

Well thank god R.E.M. finally broke up.... dudes jumped the shark years ago, and now Peter Buck is finally unleashed...

That's the same band?  I know they wanted to sound a bit more sophisticated on NOW DIG THIS! but man this one really stinks.  How ironic though that they call the song "Right back on Track"  when that could be furthest from the truth. 
 
Gringo Starr said:

They went from garage gods to boy band - Well, I'll let the music speak for itself:

1986:

1990:

Chris Henniker said:

How did that happen?

Gringo Starr said:

One of the saddest cases was The Creeps. I'm surprised that John didn't include them in his list. I'm sure that he will elaborate.

Well, I just listened to the R.E.M. version of "I Walked with a Zombie" on youtube for the first time.  I think it sucks, but I rarely enjoy R.E.M. cover songs.  Also, I think derangement should be a prerequisite for singing any Roky song.

Of course "I Walked With a Zombie" , comprised of the title , sung repeatedly , which Roky pulled off , if you're going to cover that , you have to bring something new to the table.  The Hate Bros.' (Very) little known version was really good. I know The UK Subs did it  , but , I've never heard it.....
 
John Battles said:

That was early REM ? How many millions of albums had they sold when that appeared on the well - intentioned , but vastly disappointing, "When The Pyramid Meets The Eye".?...I guess it was right around that time that REM went from being huge in our eyes , to HUGE in the eyes of the whole goddamn universe , that early 90's turning point for them......I thought it was fair , I guess. I could probably name four or five tracks on that comp that I'd say were very good. I thought ZZ Tops' "Reverberation" was the best , and I have'nt been a ZZ Top fan since the late 70's.
 
IDON MINE said:

What did you all think of REMs version of Roky's "I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE"? I know, it's one of their earlier ones, but you know, it never hurts ta ask.

John Battles said:

Thank You !!!!! I always liked what Jim Heat (Horton Heat) said , "I liked REM , until they became a GENRE".  They were getting carbon - copied by 85 - 85 like Nirvana was by the early '90S.
 
Alison said:

Well thank god R.E.M. finally broke up.... dudes jumped the shark years ago, and now Peter Buck is finally unleashed...

That was early REM ? How many millions of albums had they sold when that appeared on the well - intentioned , but vastly disappointing, "When The Pyramid Meets The Eye".?...I guess it was right around that time that REM went from being huge in our eyes , to HUGE in the eyes of the whole goddamn universe , that early 90's turning point for them......I thought it was fair , I guess. I could probably name four or five tracks on that comp that I'd say were very good. I thought ZZ Tops' "Reverberation" was the best , and I have'nt been a ZZ Top fan since the late 70's.
 
IDON MINE said:

What did you all think of REMs version of Roky's "I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE"? I know, it's one of their earlier ones, but you know, it never hurts ta ask.

John Battles said:

Thank You !!!!! I always liked what Jim Heat (Horton Heat) said , "I liked REM , until they became a GENRE".  They were getting carbon - copied by 85 - 85 like Nirvana was by the early '90S.
 
Alison said:

Well thank god R.E.M. finally broke up.... dudes jumped the shark years ago, and now Peter Buck is finally unleashed...

BTW: Nothing against Earl Slick , except that he lives up to his name.
 CONTE , WHILE NO HACK , EVEN MADE MISTAKES IN THE RIGHT PLACES.
John Battles said:

MikeL , I hate to , but I have to agree about "Cuz I Said So". A total of two great songs , the first one and the last one. The first reunion CD was so good , if you did'nt hold it up to the the two Mercury albums , obviously. It was varied , cool guests - Bo , Iggy (Could have done without Michae Stipe , but, hey.) , and you got a lot of bang for your buck.

I was really surprised by that Live Royal Albert Hall CD /DVD. It was such a tall order , to call themselves the New York Dolls .....But , Sam Yaffa and Steve Conte really helped it make sense , musically. But , of course , they're better suited , now , in Michael Monroe's band.

But , I saw the band four times (I was uber - lucky , in that I got to attend the Soundstage taping. It was really exciting , like being at Don Kirschner's Rock Cocert or In Concert.). No complaints , but , I guess a combination of the Motley Crue / Poison tour , Earl Slick taking over on guitar ( I know Walter Lure had better things to do , like climbing over people to get to work , but , he should have been first draft pick , anyway.) , a half assed album , followed by one that was so bad , my friends told me "Don't bother", then charging $30 AT THEIR MOST RECENT HEADLINING SHOW  , WHEN INTEREST WAS DECIDEDLY ON THE WANE .

WOULD I GO SEE 'EM , AGAIN , ANYWAY ? Probably , but , under radically different circumstances.

MikeL , I hate to , but I have to agree about "Cuz I Said So". A total of two great songs , the first one and the last one. The first reunion CD was so good , if you did'nt hold it up to the the two Mercury albums , obviously. It was varied , cool guests - Bo , Iggy (Could have done without Michae Stipe , but, hey.) , and you got a lot of bang for your buck.

I was really surprised by that Live Royal Albert Hall CD /DVD. It was such a tall order , to call themselves the New York Dolls .....But , Sam Yaffa and Steve Conte really helped it make sense , musically. But , of course , they're better suited , now , in Michael Monroe's band.

But , I saw the band four times (I was uber - lucky , in that I got to attend the Soundstage taping. It was really exciting , like being at Don Kirschner's Rock Cocert or In Concert.). No complaints , but , I guess a combination of the Motley Crue / Poison tour , Earl Slick taking over on guitar ( I know Walter Lure had better things to do , like climbing over people to get to work , but , he should have been first draft pick , anyway.) , a half assed album , followed by one that was so bad , my friends told me "Don't bother", then charging $30 AT THEIR MOST RECENT HEADLINING SHOW  , WHEN INTEREST WAS DECIDEDLY ON THE WANE .

WOULD I GO SEE 'EM , AGAIN , ANYWAY ? Probably , but , under radically different circumstances.

The reunited New York Dolls jumped the shark with their "Cuz I Sez So" album.  The album gets off to a good start, but then it takes a really weird left turn.  "Dancing Backwards in High Heels" was also disappointing.  I saw them live for the last time in June 2010, and the set list sucked and the sound was terrible that night (although that has to be blamed on the venue).

The Pipettes jumped the shark when Rosay and Riot Becki left the band, and Gwenno decided to keep it going with a more contemporary dance sound.  

On a related note, sometimes I get angry about favorite bands breaking up or going on hiatus for all of eternity, but on the bright side, at least they called it quits before they disappointed me.  At least I will always have happy memories of Manda and the Marbles and the Takeover UK.

Personally i like "I walk with a Zombie" by Roky (although less than other songs he made) but the REMs version it´s really a bore to me!

IDON MINE said:

What did you all think of REMs version of Roky's "I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE"? I know, it's one of their earlier ones, but you know, it never hurts ta ask.

John Battles said:

Thank You !!!!! I always liked what Jim Heat (Horton Heat) said , "I liked REM , until they became a GENRE".  They were getting carbon - copied by 85 - 85 like Nirvana was by the early '90S.
 
Alison said:

Well thank god R.E.M. finally broke up.... dudes jumped the shark years ago, and now Peter Buck is finally unleashed...

I'll be a dork and make a list:

1.  Ty Segall - Twins

2.  King Tuff - S/T

3.  Boomgates - Double Natural

4.  JC Satan - Faraway Land

5.  Ty Segall - Slaughterhouse

6.  Tiger! Tiger! - Cut Them Where They Bleed

7.  Digital Leather - Modern Problems

8.  Thee Oh Sees  - Putrifiers II

9.  Mind Spiders - Meltdown

10.  Ty Segall & White Fence - Hair

11.  Radar Eyes - S/T

12.  Subsonics - In the Black Spot

13.  Liminanas - Crystal Anis

14.  OBN IIIs. - S/T

15.  UV Race - Racism

2012 is the year of Ty Segall!! Best label: In the Red. Best State: California.  Best Country: Australia.  Best Videos: King Tuff.  Best Cover Album: The Velvet Underground & Nico by Castle Face and Friends. Best Blog: Get Bent!.  Worst Break Up: Bare Wires.  Most Overrated: The Men - Open Your Heart Lp. Biggest Disappointment: Gentleman Jesse - Leaving Atlanta Lp.  Biggest Weirdos: Goat.  Worst news: Norton Records Flood.  Best/Saddest Film: Better Than Something Jay Reatard. Most "punk" band: Pussy Riot.  Best Garage Fashion item: Pork Shop Buttons.  Most Anticipated Album Release: the Oblivians. Best Comic: Neil Hamburger. Best TV: BRGR TV.  Best Radio: Garage Punk Pirate Radio!!!

Yes!

Last Night said:

JC SATAN -  Farewell Land 

http://teenagemenopause.bandcamp.com/album/faraway-land

ORDER IS RESTORED IN THE KINGDOM. I JUST FOUND THAT LINK WRAY 2 45 SET , PICTURED ABOVE , AND A LITTLE CHEAPER THAN IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ON RECORD STORE DAY..... The stores are'nt to blame , but they're finding out only a finite amount of new singles , of previously VERY available material , are going to go for $11 a pop.

I know - I only found out recently when I was at a friend's record store and he happened to have one. I'm pretty sure you can really only buy them from Chunklet. They are pretty classic Astro-Man material. The artwork and stuff is really cool as well. Highly recommended.

IDON MINE said:

SAY WHAT?? Didn't even hear of those coming out... so, thanks.

NOTE to all: And I'm spamming this thread, SORRY!

Greg Hanson said:

The two new Man or Astro-Man? 7"s are awesome! They are probably my favorite releases of the year.

Lot's of stuff I've missed in this thread that I need to look for! Here's a few off the top of my head that I've enjoyed from this year.

The Normals - So Bad, So Sad LP on Last Laugh records

Great vinyl release of some Normals studio tracks from '78

Normals - So Bad, So Sad

Midnite Snaxxx - self titled Lp on Red Lounge Records

Been playing this a lot as well as their singles. Couldn't find a youtube vid off the new LP so here's a song off the 1st 7"

Midnite Snaxxx - Like Lightning

Dicks - Hate the Police 7" on 1,2,3,4 Go! records

Legit reissue for those of us who missed it the first time around and don't have $600 to drop on it.

The Shit - Dingleberry Fields Forever LP on Subsersive Records

The Shit - "Get Out"

Best LP - "Bless This Mess" by Prima Donna.

While this album is not as good as "After Hours," I have to give Prima Donna credit for trying to expand their sound with their second release.  The title track is a great Bowie-esqe rip off.

Best Song - "Feral Children" from "Bless This Mess" by Prima Donna.

T-Rex guitars with a Gary Glitter drum beat.  What more could a glam rock fan ask for?

Best Show - Manitoba at Wavestomp.

This was a show that took place in a boat that sailed around Manhattan in the middle of the summer.  Manitoba is a band formed by Handsome Dick Manitoba, along with fellow Dictators Ross the Boss and J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson, and they play Dictators' songs.  The show in itself was great, but the really cool part was sailing around Manhattan and getting a great view of the NYC skyline.

Honorable mentions:  I'd just like to give a shout out to Prima Donna for their excellent show at Now That's Class in Cleveland, OH, last March, along with their other excellent show here in Pittsburgh last September at the 31st Street Pub.  Another shout out goes to Biters, who played here in Pittsburgh at the Hideout at the end of June.  I'd also like to give a shout out to my friend Bobby LaMonde, who put together a really cool T-Rex/Slider tribute show here in Pittsburgh that took place the day after Thanksgiving.

JC SATAN -  Farewell Land 

http://teenagemenopause.bandcamp.com/album/faraway-land

"The musical imagination is the only thing that knows no bounds. Unless you're talking about art , paintings and stuff...." Joey Ramone.

"Punk Rock just means wanting to see the system change. Elvis did it in the 50's." Sky Saxon.

"When I did "Girl (You Captivate Me)" , I changed the words to "Girl , You MASTURBATE Me " , because everyone was havin' love songs , and life is a little more REAL than that. When I did "Loose" by The Stooges , I changed it from "I'm burnin' to you , straight from Hell" to "I'm FUCKIN' to you , straight from Hell." , bacause , you got to give it that ATTITUDE , and Iggy ain't got no attitude !!!". Question Mark.

" Sam Lay , from The Butterfield Blues Band , was the first person I looked up when I moved to Chicago. He taught me how to play the drums." Iggy Pop.

" I LIKED the kid , but , I never gave him a lesson in my life !" Sam Lay.

"We tried to find John Lennon and get him back into the scene. I mean , what the fuck is Lennon doing , farming cows in Upstate New York?!"   Keith Richard.

Thanks for reposting. That is so funny. Even all the turds in that cartoon of GG did'nt tip this guy off .

Leco Rezende said:

Haha, that's a good one. Sorry for the video did it wrong

here's the right link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBpmDWf3rw

I loved it, it was so funny when fell for it. They never knew who he really was. It shows the ignorat are always worthy of a laugh. 

Leco Rezende said:

Haha, that's a good one. Sorry for the video did it wrong

here's the right link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBpmDWf3rw

Violencia , Alcoholismo , Drogas , Crimen y......LA POLKA ?!!!

Think you've got something there with that medley idea , Rockin' Rod. "Call Me Lightning" ALWAYS GOT SWEPT UNDER THE RUG , even tho' it was a lesser US hit. I doubt it was ever in their live set , but , WHO NOSE , I MEAN , KNOWS?

The Who (and the High Numbers), 1964-1968, is one of my favorites of all time.  Almost all of that early stuff is fantastic and there are alot of interesting gems on the b-sides even if they aren't KILLER.  Call Me Lightning is definetly a great song and fits in so well with My Generation, Run Run Run, and Magic Bus.  What a great medley that would make.

Advising a new compilation "XV : Le Diable", horror themed :). With, amongst others, The Cramps, The Fuzztones, New York Dolls, The Gun Club, Mick Farren, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Max Romeo & The Upsetters, Alien Sex Fiend, Throbbing Gristle, Bad Brains, Slaughter And The Dogs, Peter And The Test Tube Babies, The Damned.
Enjoy :)

Yeah I like this newe toon , a modern swinger/junk/garagey groove