This is 1 of the top books of 2011 easily. It's a look back at punk bands (mainly garage-y) from about '86 to '00. It's informative, funny, and fairly comprehensive. Anyone else read it?

There's an interview w/ Eric in my Blog (I just found out about this group 5 minutes ago).

Quickie Interview

Wow, Comprehensive! Just looked up UV Race, added homo to my youtube channel. Thanks!

Alison said:

2011 has been a fantastic year for garage/psych/punk fans.  Here are some great 2011 albums you don't want to be without:

1)  The Peoples Temple - Sons of Stone (HoZac)
2)  Indian Wars - Walk Around the Park (Bachelor)
3)  UV Race - Homo (In the Red)
4)  Night Beats - S/T (Trouble in Mind)
5)  Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread (Drag City)
6)  Apache Dropout - S/T (Family Vineyard)
7)  Mikal Cronin - S/T (Trouble in Mind)
8)  Woods - Sun and Shade (Woodsist)
9)  K-Holes - S/T (HoZac)
10) The Beets - Let the Poison Out (Hardly Art)
11) Shannon and the Clams - Sleep Talk (1-2-3-4 Go!)
12) Bad Sports - Kings of the Weekend (Dirtnap)
13) Acid Baby Jesus - S/T (Slovenly)
14) Mickey - Rock n Roll Dreamer (HoZac)
15) Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream (In the Red)

Thanks, I'll look this stuff up! I like wooden shjips as well, they do that great cover of Neal Young's Vampire Blues. Rock on!

Nicholas K said:

I'm so in love with Psychic Paramount - II

I almost never see it anywhere, so underrated.

I mean, it isn't as noisy as their last album, but it's some solid and fairly vital psychedelic noise rock.

Radio Moscow- the great escape of leslie magnafuzz

^errybody look this up. not the most original, but damn if it isn't great to listen too. seen it described as Blue Cheer meets Hendrix

Wooden Shjips - West I kinda liked, but not a fan of the band name lol.

I'm so in love with Psychic Paramount - II

I almost never see it anywhere, so underrated.

I mean, it isn't as noisy as their last album, but it's some solid and fairly vital psychedelic noise rock.

Radio Moscow- the great escape of leslie magnafuzz

^errybody look this up. not the most original, but damn if it isn't great to listen too. seen it described as Blue Cheer meets Hendrix

Wooden Shjips - West I kinda liked, but not a fan of the band name lol.

2011 has been a fantastic year for garage/psych/punk fans.  Here are some great 2011 albums you don't want to be without:

1)  The Peoples Temple - Sons of Stone (HoZac)
2)  Indian Wars - Walk Around the Park (Bachelor)
3)  UV Race - Homo (In the Red)
4)  Night Beats - S/T (Trouble in Mind)
5)  Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread (Drag City)
6)  Apache Dropout - S/T (Family Vineyard)
7)  Mikal Cronin - S/T (Trouble in Mind)
8)  Woods - Sun and Shade (Woodsist)
9)  K-Holes - S/T (HoZac)
10) The Beets - Let the Poison Out (Hardly Art)
11) Shannon and the Clams - Sleep Talk (1-2-3-4 Go!)
12) Bad Sports - Kings of the Weekend (Dirtnap)
13) Acid Baby Jesus - S/T (Slovenly)
14) Mickey - Rock n Roll Dreamer (HoZac)
15) Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream (In the Red)

Again , hard to say. Still listening to the new Dave "Baby" Cortez album. It kills.

Also , The Downliners Sect "Dangerous Grounds" , Electric Prunes "Feedback" , other stuff. I'd have to go thru all the stuff scattered on the floor.

Please give me some input! I am stuck in the '90s, and looking to expand my horizons beyond King Khan :)

Dave

El Sol in Madrid is amazing...perfect size club (maybe 400 capacity) to see a great band, and the crowds are some of the most enthusiastic in Europe.

 In the present day , I would say , Ugly Things is a MUST . Shindig is always consistent , but the writing , tho ' good , is sometimes a bit , um , overly proper. Galactic Zoodossier is a fine Psych / Garage / Comics zine that takes about two years between issues , but , is worth it.

There's Scram , if they're still around , and anything by my friend , Beverley Paterson.

Some of these zines only get distributed locally , and are often only released once. The bullshit  anti - book , anti - magazine trend isn't helping.

I would ask that you check out Roctober , and not just because I'm a contributor.

Now , if you're lucky , keep your orbs peeled for back issues of Black To Comm , Bad Trip , Here 'Tis , Freakbeat , Next Big Thing , Ptolemaic Terrascope ,  and , of course , KICKS. But , don't stop there , keep your fingers crossed for some Back Door Man and BOMP action , two of the mags that really got the ball rolling , to say nothing of PUNK , OR THE MORE OBSCURE NEW ORDER.  You may be able to access some of these older ones on line. While you're at it , do yourself a favor and check out Ryan Richardson's Rock Scene magazine site. Good luck.

Great news. Can't wait !

Wow! Nice.

Kinky Friedman about a week ago. 

And a couple of weeks before that I saw Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. I shot this video:

Not much going on , really. I can't even think of any shows I've just got to go to. I'd go see Motorhead , but ,they're opening for Megadeth , and the venue has terrible acoustics (You may say that would'nt matter with Motorhead , trust me , it does.).

Best shows of 2011 - Jerry Lee Lewis and Question Mark and The Mysterians , BOTH playing at the top of their game, and on the same night !

A VERY close second - Michael Monroe - "ROCK LIKE FUCK !!!".

Tied for second place - Black Oak Arkansas. 

Also very good shows included : The Fleshtones (Only 30 people showed. FOR SHAME.) , The Cynics ( About 40 people made it. FOR SHAME. Chicago has this Garage - o- centric self - image , but these two still - great bands , AND ? and The Mysterians are'nt even drawing 50 people.) , Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds (Opening for Jim Jones Review , whom I'd love , if they were'nt always playing in the red. I know painfully loud , undiscernible guitar and bass parts are so "Garage" , but even Thee Hypnotics were'nt this gratuitous . ), Motorhead with Reverend Horton Heat (Even Motorhead knows the art of sound control. ) ,  The Styrenes (This year's model featured John Morton of The Electric Eels , as well as Paul Marotta of the Eels and Mirrors , and Jamie Klimek of The Mirrors.), Pierced Arrows , etc. 

cool I love the guitar!  I listened to another song on youtube.  The singers voice is cool too!

larseny said:

Sure why not!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEC79_sJZWA&feature=related

King Julia is a very special woman

I like the "It's Only The 3rd Album" graphics OK , the kind of 60's neo - cubist graphics so popular in The New Wave era , typified by Joe Jackson's "Beat Crazy" cover , then co - opted by the not New Wave a'tall "Instrumental Madness" and "New Wave Surf Party" comps. Another misleading LP sleeve is the "Ear Piercing Punk " cover with the flourescent graphics and cover shot of Sue Catwoman , or somebody like that , when it's a SIXTIES PUNK COMP ! I LIKE ALL THOSE COVERS , BUT , I COULD SEE WHERE OTHERS MIGHT FIND 'EM HIDEOUS. That's what I'm talkin' aboot.

Anything ya don't like aboot an LP, doesn't matter...

kopper said:

I'm confused... do you mean ugly as in the people are ugly? Or the cover art itself is ugly? Because I always thought the MC5 and Saints covers were pretty cool.

As far as ugly band members goes... well, hell, this is rock'n'roll. It ain't supposed to be played by pretty boys.

Hi, yes, I like that Buzzcocks cover, too. Guess I just don't like dark, smeary, collage-type covers, ha!

Mina said:

Lol @previous comment :D

I actually like the Buzzcock cover, it's abstract and I like abstract paintings in general. Kandinsky as my favorite artist. 

Oh, yeh, the zine forum, shut down by staff, but they put up a link for zines in the comments. Visit there. Dave

John Battles said:

Thank you , Dave....I was going to reply to your blog on zines , but , it says it's not accepting comments(?). But , thank you for putting Bad Trip and Roctober up at the top.

You'd be surprised , sometimes I don't know who , outside of my immediate circle of friends and family , has been reading ANY of this stuff. Appreciate the kind words , will comment on the zine blog when it re - opens.
 
dave said:

Hey, man, I like your writing! No problem w/ opinions, that's why I put up the question. Yeah, the Sir Douglas Quintet will always be cool, and unique. Good to see you on this site. Best, Dave

John Battles said:

 

I'm not here to argue , just to reply....I always thought "Eternally Yours" was a cool cover , in a moody sort of way (Imagine , moody and Chris Bailey together...). And I think "Kick Out The Jams " was a great use of glitter and collage from various live shots. It presented the band as very commercial and very uncommercial at the same time , like The Alice Cooper band 's "Love it To Death"....Take this , and the uncensored liner notes to "Jams",with the band wearing White Panther buttons IN THEIR SKIN ,  it blew my shit away when I was a kid and checked out my Brother's copy.

 

This is'nt the original Sir Douglas Quintet , on this album cover , but , the early 80's reunion lineup (Which also included Doug Sahm's Son , Shawn.).

Men are'nt my thing , but , while some guys are obviously handsome , others are'nt ugly , but don't really stand out too much , either . I met Doug Sahm , twice , and he looked like what he was , cool. He did'nt look like a boiler , that's for sure. Speedy Sparks (On the far right.) , I used to know him pretty well in the 80's and 90's. Like all of us , he's aged since then , but , he was always a pretty average looking guy , maybe some would say , a little better than average , in person , I don't know. His Godsons are the too pretty for words Charlie and Will Sexton , which means nothing or plenty . Augie Meyer is a friend of mine , and we should ALL look as good after we've hit 70. I guess I never gave his looks much thought , again , men are'nt my thing , but I will break code , here , concerning Alvin Crow (Second from Right.). I don't think I've EVER seen a good picture of him. But , I saw him play , once , and he was an average looking , somewhat older guy. The SDQ had BAD ASS long hair , long before most US Garage bands. Arguably , only Richard Tepp (Richard and The Young Lions) or Moulty could have touched Augie for massive long locks in 1965. And , he was bad enough to keep 'em , too.

But , this LP looks like a rush job on a small European label , and , while it's not the most flattering photo of the band , ca. 1981 , a lot of other , unauthorized LPs like this came out of Europe in the 80's. I've got one that's also , misleadingly , called "Mendocino (It's not a re- ish of the  album of that name , but , it has some then - rare material. I told Speedy Sparks about some of the tunes , and he confessed to being unfamiliar with them. I did'nt have the heart to tell him , he's on the cover - a much better , pro shot of the same lineup.).

 

Country , Polka , Religious , Xmas , Psuedo - Ethnic vocal , Bad Lounge , and many others is where the ugly hides....And it's not even hiding.    But , sure , there's some UGLY Rock'n'Roll records , too.

Thank you , Dave....I was going to reply to your blog on zines , but , it says it's not accepting comments(?). But , thank you for putting Bad Trip and Roctober up at the top.

You'd be surprised , sometimes I don't know who , outside of my immediate circle of friends and family , has been reading ANY of this stuff. Appreciate the kind words , will comment on the zine blog when it re - opens.
 
dave said:

Hey, man, I like your writing! No problem w/ opinions, that's why I put up the question. Yeah, the Sir Douglas Quintet will always be cool, and unique. Good to see you on this site. Best, Dave

John Battles said:

 

I'm not here to argue , just to reply....I always thought "Eternally Yours" was a cool cover , in a moody sort of way (Imagine , moody and Chris Bailey together...). And I think "Kick Out The Jams " was a great use of glitter and collage from various live shots. It presented the band as very commercial and very uncommercial at the same time , like The Alice Cooper band 's "Love it To Death"....Take this , and the uncensored liner notes to "Jams",with the band wearing White Panther buttons IN THEIR SKIN ,  it blew my shit away when I was a kid and checked out my Brother's copy.

 

This is'nt the original Sir Douglas Quintet , on this album cover , but , the early 80's reunion lineup (Which also included Doug Sahm's Son , Shawn.).

Men are'nt my thing , but , while some guys are obviously handsome , others are'nt ugly , but don't really stand out too much , either . I met Doug Sahm , twice , and he looked like what he was , cool. He did'nt look like a boiler , that's for sure. Speedy Sparks (On the far right.) , I used to know him pretty well in the 80's and 90's. Like all of us , he's aged since then , but , he was always a pretty average looking guy , maybe some would say , a little better than average , in person , I don't know. His Godsons are the too pretty for words Charlie and Will Sexton , which means nothing or plenty . Augie Meyer is a friend of mine , and we should ALL look as good after we've hit 70. I guess I never gave his looks much thought , again , men are'nt my thing , but I will break code , here , concerning Alvin Crow (Second from Right.). I don't think I've EVER seen a good picture of him. But , I saw him play , once , and he was an average looking , somewhat older guy. The SDQ had BAD ASS long hair , long before most US Garage bands. Arguably , only Richard Tepp (Richard and The Young Lions) or Moulty could have touched Augie for massive long locks in 1965. And , he was bad enough to keep 'em , too.

But , this LP looks like a rush job on a small European label , and , while it's not the most flattering photo of the band , ca. 1981 , a lot of other , unauthorized LPs like this came out of Europe in the 80's. I've got one that's also , misleadingly , called "Mendocino (It's not a re- ish of the  album of that name , but , it has some then - rare material. I told Speedy Sparks about some of the tunes , and he confessed to being unfamiliar with them. I did'nt have the heart to tell him , he's on the cover - a much better , pro shot of the same lineup.).

 

Country , Polka , Religious , Xmas , Psuedo - Ethnic vocal , Bad Lounge , and many others is where the ugly hides....And it's not even hiding.    But , sure , there's some UGLY Rock'n'Roll records , too.

Wow , That's so cool that you've got so many Cle bands on your list. I played in Brian McMahon's band , Das Volt , 15 years ago. We only did one Eels song , Jag you are , ride.

The Bass player had briefly played with Sky Saxon , The (Other ) Guitarist turned up in Functional Blackouts and Daily Void (Counting myself and Brian , we had a three guitars , the classic Black Oak Arkansas setup.) , and the keyboard player was in The Velveteen Loveseat. Brian's doing OK , MAINLY PRODUCING.

I'D HAVE A HARD TIME NARROWING IT DOWN TO TEN....Have to think about it....

It's the obsessive/compulsive in me! Mebbe the Dictators' Top 10 infected me w/ the meme...

1 Ramones

2 Angry Samoans

3 The Saints

4 Crime

5 Electric Eels

6 Rocket From The Tombs

7 Gories

8 Mummies (that's a no-brainer)

9 The Urinals

10 The Stranglers (OK, first 4 or 5 albums)

I heard really good things about these guys , too. I heard right . I think he's just saying "Turn on ! Turn on , baby!", but the rest of it....That's like trying to figure out "Get Out of Denver" !
 
The Raw Cuts said:

But what I really wanna know is...what is he singing? The mighty Hurriganes!!!

Somehow , that still sounds hilarious (Great song , mind you) , but , that 's what it's all about , here , misheard lyrics. BTW , I just read that Laibach ordered a LIGHT BEER. Is that possible?
 
The Raw Cuts said:

You heard that wrong, it's 'as' like in 'Las' not 'aus' ;-)

Soda in Germany is often used when someone wants sodawater. Just one of many mistakes zee Germans do when speaking Änglisch.

Or , not exactly misheard , but , The Rattles with "Las Vegas"- "LA LA LA LA , AUS ! AUS ! LAS VEGAS !!"  ("From , From Las Vegas ?!") , and "HAVE A WHISKEY ! HAVE A SODA !"  (I THINK THEY MEANT "HAVE A WHISKEY SODA" OR "HAVE A WHISKEY AND SODA", but , maybe it did'nt break down that way , to them......For which , I'm grateful.
 

But what I really wanna know is...what is he singing? The mighty Hurriganes!!!

You heard that wrong, it's 'as' like in 'Las' not 'aus' ;-)

Soda in Germany is often used when someone wants sodawater. Just one of many mistakes zee Germans do when speaking Änglisch.

Or , not exactly misheard , but , The Rattles with "Las Vegas"- "LA LA LA LA , AUS ! AUS ! LAS VEGAS !!"  ("From , From Las Vegas ?!") , and "HAVE A WHISKEY ! HAVE A SODA !"  (I THINK THEY MEANT "HAVE A WHISKEY SODA" OR "HAVE A WHISKEY AND SODA", but , maybe it did'nt break down that way , to them......For which , I'm grateful.