I agree with you. You need to find a balance between lo-fi and clarity. When I recorded my 45 in the basement I just went for the sounds I was looking for and didn't settle until I had them. No baffles, deadening, gtrs and amps mic'ed except bass went direct to board since you can be clean with bass and not have it be noticeably different from the rest of the recording. Drums with one mic, then mic'ed to the mixer thru small ghetto blaster playback to get the sound I was looking for. The a-side drums were recorded in a drum room at a friends' house because I needed better drummer than me for that side and sounds from about 1968 with more umph to 'em. It is a matter of taste. You can be lo-fi w/o sacrificing clarity if you want but too clean will get you the wrong sound sometimes. Lo-fi is definitely cheaper. This was a solo project except for the better drummer on the top deck. Recording a band live can be done well too in a lo-fi way. We've done some decent stuff in the basement on 4 track. Just have to tweak the knobs right. I guess you need the right audience who knows how the music you play is supposed to sound. Reminds me of the idiots who can't tell a great song they never heard before and dismiss it because it wasn't a hit so it "can't be good". 
 
Nic Rodriguez (Gloom Merchants) said:

It's frustrating to me that most people seem to care more about the quality of a recording than the composition and performance. Sure, I love the sound of good instruments, good equipment and a good audio engineer, but I would rather be a lo fi shitty recording of Jimmy Hendrix than a clean and clear Jonas Brothers. It may just be the mix but sometimes clean rnr/punk just sounds boring. I like it when garage, blues and punk bands got that live sound. I think its a matter of taste and the music style. 

In the case of my band, the vocalist often times wants more distortion. I would like more clarity but we can't afford it, we don't have the equipment, time or money. We record everything live, we do one takes. My interface has 2 inputs, and there are 4 sources of audio when we record; a shitty little line 6 amp for guitar, an identical line 6 amp for the vocals, a snare and floor tom. So, there's 2 mics for 4 instruments. We never get to jam so when we do we just record new songs as we go almost improvised, then I overdub bass guitar and keys/lead guitar when my band mates are not here. Sure I would like to have more control of the mix but we still like the product even know we know the vast majority of people will not give it a listen after 3 seconds just because of quality alone. It's what it is. 

I think it's a matter of taste. It depends on the style of music. An orchestra would want every single detail and the full spectrum of dynamics. A psychedelic rock band may want enough clarity to hear the harmonics and psychedelic overtones. But for punk rock, garage and blues rock the recording, more often than not, sounds better live; the level or rawness is up the artist. 

It's frustrating to me that most people seem to care more about the quality of a recording than the composition and performance. Sure, I love the sound of good instruments, good equipment and a good audio engineer, but I would rather be a lo fi shitty recording of Jimmy Hendrix than a clean and clear Jonas Brothers. It may just be the mix but sometimes clean rnr/punk just sounds boring. I like it when garage, blues and punk bands got that live sound. I think its a matter of taste and the music style. 

In the case of my band, the vocalist often times wants more distortion. I would like more clarity but we can't afford it, we don't have the equipment, time or money. We record everything live, we do one takes. My interface has 2 inputs, and there are 4 sources of audio when we record; a shitty little line 6 amp for guitar, an identical line 6 amp for the vocals, a snare and floor tom. So, there's 2 mics for 4 instruments. We never get to jam so when we do we just record new songs as we go almost improvised, then I overdub bass guitar and keys/lead guitar when my band mates are not here. Sure I would like to have more control of the mix but we still like the product even know we know the vast majority of people will not give it a listen after 3 seconds just because of quality alone. It's what it is. 

I think it's a matter of taste. It depends on the style of music. An orchestra would want every single detail and the full spectrum of dynamics. A psychedelic rock band may want enough clarity to hear the harmonics and psychedelic overtones. But for punk rock, garage and blues rock the recording, more often than not, sounds better live; the level or rawness is up the artist. 

Ari Up

Spit Stix , Derf Scratch , SKY SAXON !!!! , Joey Shithead (Someone probably mentioned that one.) , Jean Caffeine , Farrah Fawcett Minors , Alice Bag , Nicky Beat , NICKY SIXX (Jon and The  Nightriders , not Motley Crue.), John Doe , Billy Zoom , D.J. Bonebrake , Sue Tissue , Frank Ennui , Jack Starr , Dane Bramage , Nicky Beat , Carlos Caballero  , Chuck Wagon , Bootsey X / Bobby Beyond , Niagara , DAVE.

Playlist 06/15/13

I will be on the air and the web on Saturday June 15th from 1:00-3:00PM EST playing your favorite punk and garage tunes. You can listen at 89.7 WITR-FM in Rochester, NY or streaming live at http://witr.rit.edu/.

That song was HUGE in the states.....But ,  being a "One - Hit wonder" , here , most people were probably unaware they were English....So "The Land of the Dollar Bill" , I don't think that phased anyone. Now , as a kid , it had me thinking that Al Capone tried to literally take Chicago over, and wasted 100 cops a throw , as opposed to rival gangsters.....

"Billy" is a sad damned song. I thought it was about Vietnam , not The Civil War , so , it hit close to home for a young boy who'd later be accused of "Not remembering Vietnam.".

Even if you hate the song (Not saying I don't) , death discs were back - Last Kiss (Wednesday's version ), Last Game of The Season , Rocky , Emma , Run , Joey , Run , Seasons in The Sun , and so on......

I do recall "Billy Don't Be A Hero", and I'm somewhat ashamed to say that it made me sad (as it was supposed to, not sad that a band had recorded it) at the time, and I really liked it.  But this Chicago thing - it's so bad, it's almost brilliant; don't they mention "in the land of the dollar bill"?  Did anyone in the US buy this record?  If so, were they arrested and tried in court for failing to spot the corniest reference to their own country by (a band from) the country that always thinks of itself as massively superior?  Heh heh - in the land of the dollar bill, indeed!

John Battles said:

YOU'RE JUST NOW HEARING IT? Boy , I feel old.....It's one of those 70'S HITS I'M KINDA NUMB TO , NOW....Paper Lace actually had a few sorta Glam hits in Europe , like "The Black Eyed Boys". But , they commited the big blunder at the very beginning of "The Night Chicago Died"    -   "...My daddy was a cop , on the East Side of Chicago..." . The East Side of Chicago is Lake Michigan !!!! We can also thank Paper Lace for the original version of "Billy , Don't Be a Hero" , which was'nt a hit in The US.  When Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods' version was a hit , here , I thought , "Is that a girl singing?" , even moreso when their lesser , follow - up hit , "Who Do You Think You Are?" came out ..... Jello loves 'em.
Pete Sottrel said:

"The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace. Please, if you don't know this song, do not ever listen to it."

Of course, I have now listened to it.  Can I ever be the person I was five minutes ago, before my soul was stained with the musical spew that constitutes this song? Why, why, why did I not follow the clear advice in the OP?

It is.....The ultimate demoralization for me was when I was DJing at this dive bar on New Years' Eve . Only the "Regulars" showed up , none of the younger people who later turned the place into Punk Central. The owner asked me to take five ,so the regulars could play the jukebox. You guessed it , "Hotel California", the LIVE version , yet, think I heard it three times that night.
Ghislaine said:

Hotel Cal is the worse...AAAARRRRGGG!

YOU'RE JUST NOW HEARING IT? Boy , I feel old.....It's one of those 70'S HITS I'M KINDA NUMB TO , NOW....Paper Lace actually had a few sorta Glam hits in Europe , like "The Black Eyed Boys". But , they commited the big blunder at the very beginning of "The Night Chicago Died"    -   "...My daddy was a cop , on the East Side of Chicago..." . The East Side of Chicago is Lake Michigan !!!! We can also thank Paper Lace for the original version of "Billy , Don't Be a Hero" , which was'nt a hit in The US.  When Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods' version was a hit , here , I thought , "Is that a girl singing?" , even moreso when their lesser , follow - up hit , "Who Do You Think You Are?" came out ..... Jello loves 'em.
Pete Sottrel said:

"The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace. Please, if you don't know this song, do not ever listen to it."

Of course, I have now listened to it.  Can I ever be the person I was five minutes ago, before my soul was stained with the musical spew that constitutes this song? Why, why, why did I not follow the clear advice in the OP?

I first heard about Pebbles in , like , 81 -2....BUT , I HAD NEXT TO NO DISPOSABLE INCOME , THEN , TO SPEND ON RECORDS I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT , BEYOND A FEW BAND NAMES , AND WHAT KIND OF MUSIC IT WAS.....I REMEMBER SEEING Floyd Dakil's name , and knowing he'd had a lounge in Dallas a few years earlier. It may have still been open.
I spoke to him a few times , and , like a lot of people , he did'nt know he had a song on "Pebbles" , but he did'nt seemthat bothered by it. 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Actually, I never heard of Pebbles until 1988 and I didn't realize they had a connection to the Highs in the Mid 60s until after the 90s.  Nuggets I became aware of sometime in 1986.  I only knew all the hits throughout the 80s and read about some of the other groups from a book called Wax Trash (or something like that).

Actually, I never heard of Pebbles until 1988 and I didn't realize they had a connection to the Highs in the Mid 60s until after the 90s.  Nuggets I became aware of sometime in 1986.  I only knew all the hits throughout the 80s and read about some of the other groups from a book called Wax Trash (or something like that).

Maybe it's time for ye olde Gringo Starr to weigh in here. The first time I heard the phrase "Sixties Punk" was around 1982-83 uttered by David Klowden (drummer of The Tell Tale Hearts). I was into The Byrds and folk rock/psyche before I heard those words which led me to records like Turn On The Music Machine and Web Of Sound by The Seeds. Of course the Pebbles records were incredibly important to all of us in the '80s.

Yeah , The Cramps broke my brain , but that was when i was starting to listen to Rockabilly and Garage , too. I used to be really into some of the UK Psychobilly bands , but , I never thought they had much to do with The Cramps. Neither did The Cramps. Neither did Paul Fenech. Alot of those bands just sounded like Traditional Rockabilly , played faster , before the jacked up Metal rhythms so many of those bands have  , now....I went to a "Psycho" show , once , because a good friend of mine was doing merch for Mad Sin , who , as bad as they were , were still the best of 5 bands that played. The audience thought that stuff was new....It was already like nostalgia when I saw The Meteors in '96 , tho' it was a very good show , and Fenech actually turned out to be a nice guy. But , the Psychobilly thing bridged the gap between Punk and Rockabilly in Europe. People started going , wow , we like the same things . We don't have to beat the crap out of each other , anymore. Not that everybody did. But , that Mad Sin show , Jesus Cristo , people were beating the ever luvin' fuck out of each other, I'm not talking moshing or wreckin' , just picking fights , left and right. OK , IT'S VERY "HIPPIE' TO ABHOR VIOLENCE , but I live in a city with 5 major sports teams , that's enough testosterone , right there.
 
Pete English said:

It has to be finding the Cramps and realising there was a huge history behind it all. To a lesser degree the British pyschobilly scene also revealed a large covers catalogue. Seeing these bands live really brought it all into focus and the vibe was really exciting. It was great to feel like you had found something totally different and there were other like minded misfits out there. It's great to find new sounds but its even better to show them to someone else.

It has to be finding the Cramps and realising there was a huge history behind it all. To a lesser degree the British pyschobilly scene also revealed a large covers catalogue. Seeing these bands live really brought it all into focus and the vibe was really exciting. It was great to feel like you had found something totally different and there were other like minded misfits out there. It's great to find new sounds but its even better to show them to someone else.

That's basically what happened in Dallas....A very good Oldies station actually turned up a few years , later. They played ALL the "Nuggets" hits , as well as "Over , Under , Sideways , Down" , "Call Me Lightning" and even , sometimes "See Emily Play " !!

However, the one  DJ allowed to play Punk , New Wave , etc. , George Gimarc , told me he tried to get a Garage - heavy show on the Oldies station. He told them wanted to play regional hits , like "You're Gonna Miss Me" , "Evol , Not Love" by The Five Americans and "Bad Girl' by Zakary Thaks. Then , he said he wanted to play "Let's Talk About Girls" by The Chocolate Watchband , to which they replied "WHO are The Chocolate Watchband" . He told 'em , this conversation is OVER.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

We had a similar show in Seattle that was called, for some reason, "Electric Lunch" which from 1982-1986 featured a lot of the harder 60s stuff like you mentioned but also the hard 1965-1967 British songs.  Everything was basic stuff though, but you didn't hear a lot of these songs during the rest of the day.  This was on the rock station.  By 1987, they started to drop all that and play album tracks from late 60s and early 70s albums (rock oriented) and I quit listening to that station.  That host moved to a classic rock station and hosts a Saturday morning show which combines Nuggets, psychedelic rock and British Rock 1964-1968.  It's alright, but it isn't the same magic that it was in the early 80s.

Radio What Wave Playlist June 13/2013

We started this show 30m early, ie 5:30 PM as the DJ before us called in sick.

1. 63 Monroe...At The Boot...from Slippery's Club Hits, the cassette that comes with the latest edition of What Wave zine, #24.

Markii and Rooster from 63 Monroe, Cedar Lounge 1982

2. Radio 4...New York City...as above.

3. The Stoves...Can't Slow Down...as above.

4. Marvelous Beauhunks...Sticky Kisses...from the CD, Who Said The Kids Are Alright?

5. 905s...Under A Spell/Stay Inside...from the Radio WW Sessions, originally aired 5/16/13.

905s at Call The Office, 4/21/07

6. The Johnnys....Motorcycle Mama...from the Rock CD.

7. The noble Savages...Gimme A Kiss...from their latest demo.

The noble Savages 4/21/12 Brennan's Beer Bistro

8. King Beez...Jack The Ripper...from the Deathproof Volume 1 CD, this is the hidden track.

9. The Blue Demons...Cougar Country...from their 7" on Boppa Do Down Records. Caught the Blue Demons live at The Backstage in Hamilton on 6/8/13, absolute Killer show!!

The Blue Demons, Backstage Stratford 6/8/13

10. The Greasemarks...Bloodshot Eyes...from their Griddle Greasin' Daddies CD. They also played with The Blue Demons and were Excellent!!!  Catch this band live if you get a chance!

The Greasemarks, Backstage, Stratford 6/8/13 and out of focus.

11. Tijuana Bibles...Custom Made Man...from the CD of the same name. For an indy wrestler who used to ply his trade around this area.

12. The Von Drats...So Long Stinktown...from their Boppa Do Down single.

The Von Drats, London Music Club, 4/25/09

13. Chris Houston...Einstein's Brain's In Hamilton...from his latest single. Chris Houston opens up for Tav Falco and The Unapproachable Panther Burns on Wed June 19th at This Ain't Hollywood in Hamilton.

14. Chris Houston...Surfin' On Heroin...from the Hate Filled Man LP.

15. Sam Squid...People Food...a demo of a song written by Chris Houston and Chris does vocals on this one. Sam Squid is in The Squids, a real cool 2 piece outta Hamilton.

The Squids, This Ain't Hollywood, Hamilton 3/2/13

16. Panther Burns...Pantherman....from the Blow Your Top EP. As mentioned above, Tav Falco and The Unapproachable Panther Burns appear at This Ain't Hollywood, Wed June 19th at This Ain't Hollywood. I'll be up front with a shit eating grin!

Panther Burns, Silver Dollar, Toronto, late 80's.

17. Panther Burns...She's The One That's Got It...from Behind The Magnolia Curtain LP.

18. Panther Burns...Dateless Night...from the Return of The Blue Panther LP.

Panther Burns, Silver Dollar, Toronto, late 80's

19. Panther Burns...Surfside Date...from The World We Knew LP.

Artwork by Dave Clarke. This appeared in What Wave along with a Panther Burns interview.

20. Panther Burns...She's The One To Blame...from the Red Devil LP. Hope you enjoyed our little spotlight on Panther Burns. They did appear in London, probably about 1982 at Fryfogles Tavern on Dundas St. They walked in carrying their instruments, set up on stage and proceeded to blow away the small but appreciative crowd!! Anybody got pics of this gig??

Next time we saw Panther Burns was at The Silver Dollar in Toronto. Interviewed Tav that eve and the interview appeared in What Wave many years ago.

About this time Mad Anthony invaded the Radio WW studio to talk about their non-ending tour and visit to the area. Check the Mad Anthony facebook page for the latest list of gigs around this area.

21. Mad Anthony...Bear Attack...from their latest CD, which is self titled.

22. Mad Anthony...Teeth...from the I Spent All My Money on Death Metal CD.

23. Mad Anthony...Million Miles Away...from their latest CD.

24. Mad Anthony...Solution To The Indian Problem...from the I Spent All My Money On Death Metal CD. The band explained this song, the historical connotation of their name and how this all fits together. It finally all makes sense!

25. Legend Killers...Cry Cry Cry...from Thee Cave Comes Alive LP from Action Records in Greece. This is a compilation LP of some of the garagiest tunes that were on the cassettes that came with What Wave zine... this came out in 2004.

And a play at the Fringe Festival here in London, Beautiful View features some live sounds from The Legend Killers in one of the scenes early in the play. Checked it out last night, little too arty for our tastes, but fun nonetheless and well worth checking out if you're into live theatre! The last showing is sunday at 6:30PM.

26. Orie Hitt Machine...Killer Inside Me...demo from some local crazies.

27. Gatgas...Back To The Assylum...from their demo, more local crazies!

28. The Shakers...Do Anything...from a 7" on Warpt Records from the late 70's/early 80's. Hamilton based combo that featured Dave Rave (Teenage Head, Dave Rave Conspiracy and presently solo).

That's a wrap. Big thanx to Mad Anthony for coming into the studio and keeping us posted on all the area gigs. Thanx for all the phone-ins, emails, Heys etc!!

Back again next week with more noise to annoy!

All pictures from What Wave Archives, please do not reproduce on postcards and try to sell them without permission.

And here's a link to the podcast:

http://chrwradio.ca/content/radio-what-wave#prev-shows

LOVE Larry Williams...must get that album!
 
John Battles said:

God , you know what ? I remember when I could have bought that as an import.....I did'nt , I was never a huge fan. Then, I learned , later , that it's a stone cold killer.....But I've never actually heard it.
 
Ben E said:

Has anybody heard Larry Williams' Live in '65 album? Sounds like it might be classic..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53nf4V824dM

God , you know what ? I remember when I could have bought that as an import.....I did'nt , I was never a huge fan. Then, I learned , later , that it's a stone cold killer.....But I've never actually heard it.
 
Ben E said:

Has anybody heard Larry Williams' Live in '65 album? Sounds like it might be classic..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53nf4V824dM

Has anybody heard Larry Williams' Live in '65 album? Sounds like it might be classic..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53nf4V824dM

OK ,WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT....BUT , IT'S TOO EASY TO TAKE SHOTS AT THE FUZZTONES. NOT MANY OF THEIR PEERS ARE STILL AT IT , AND MAKING GOOD ALBUMS NOW AND AGAIN (PARTICULARLY "SALT FOR ZOMBIES").....Since their first US releases , we've had The Makers , Mono Men, Mortals , The Go , Mooney Suzuki , Deadbolt , Reigning Sound , Mummies , and a zillion others I'm supposed to worship , apart from buying some of their records , then finding they had a short shelf life , I don't get it.  

Try anything with Grady Martin paying guitar on it, it bridges country, jazz, western swing, rockabilly in that particular early '50s way.

I just heard about this flick from a band's Facebook.  I  guess I missed this thread the first time around.  The film really looks incredible - Dirtbombs, Hentchmen, Detroit Cobras, et al. - so I hope it sees the light of day sometime soon.  The filmmakers are raising funds for distribution, with a tentative release date of August 2013.  I threw some bucks to their Kickstarter, and it looks like they're about halfway there with 19 days to go.  Anyway, the trailer looks fantastic, have a look-see:

Sounds amazing and they're hitting Santander on Sunday. 

Can't wait!!!