Forums » Shakin' Street

List of newest posts

    • November 16, 2010 11:55 AM CST
      Browse

    • "Garage rock" song? I'm starting to really despise that term. It's just way too contrived and too limiting. After all, any band can take any song (any genre) and cover it, and turn it into something that's completely unique and their own, and open a set with that. Why does it have to be a "garage rock" song?

    • November 16, 2010 6:59 AM CST
      Browse

    • my old band used to open with Pipeline.. great song to start with - but all downhill after that!!

    • November 16, 2010 1:16 AM CST
      Browse

    • The one I would END the set with, would be a ten minute jam medley of Louie Louie/Wild Thing. They just blend together perfectly, as they do have the same chord proggresion. Just imporvise and jam that thing like, pardon my french, a crazed motherfucker.

    • November 15, 2010 9:14 PM CST
      Browse

    • Even if your not in a band, I'm curious to know what you think would be the best garage rock song to open a show with. It can be from any era, just pick one that will really set the mood for a rocking show. I'm hoping to find some songs I haven't heard yet. My pick is, DEVIL DOGS - BIG FUCKING PARTY!

    • November 16, 2010 4:50 AM CST
      Browse

    • jack of heart
      J.C satan
      yussuf jerusalem
      movie star junkies
      ty segall

    • November 15, 2010 11:06 PM CST
      Browse

    • hahahahaha good stuff

    • November 15, 2010 6:40 AM CST
      Browse

    • I second that choice. Fantastic comp. It's got a young, unknown Jimmy Page as session musician, it's got the Muswell Ravens (the Kinks before they were the Kinks), and a ton of great tracks by bands like Q65, The Outsiders, etc.


      Isabella Gloria said: 'Searchin' in the Wilderness' is a comp of faaar out European garage.

    • November 14, 2010 7:21 PM CST
      Browse

    • I'm really digging the Joe Meek Freakbeat comp...perfect man for the job! Too bad he blew his stack shortly thereafter, though.

    • November 14, 2010 4:29 PM CST
      Browse

    • A British comp I like a lot that has about five or six really amazing tracks on it is called "I Walk The Lonely Night: 20 Obscure Gems From The British Beat Era" from Psychic Circle. The title track is great. And I love Bachelor Boy by Lee Bennett and the Sunliners and "It's My Problem" by the Chevlons. Both are on my playlist at the moment if you want to hear them. Great for minor key love song types. Also, if you don't mind a bunch of really REALLY choice 50s songs mixed in with your 60s then get Songs The Cramps Taught Us Vol. 1 - 3. Some of the songs on those are so amazing I don't even know where to start. A few you've heard before but still well worth it. Hardly a dud on the whole series. In the old days they were called "Born Bad" but the BB CDs only had 14 tracks a piece on them. STCTU have well over 20 songs a piece.

      Peter Best said:

      Hi Isa and Morgan

      sorry for the late reply...but the September flu. Thanks a lot for your posts. Of course the BFTGs are the best, I own the records and the CDs but thanks to your tip I found the FWTS on iTunes and indeed they are great. Raw, simple and
      mono. Must admit, have never heard before about the Teenage Shutdowns, but ordered them right away from Amazon.

      In any case...thanks again

      Isabella Gloria said:
      'No No No' isn't my favorite, but to each his own (; BFTG is a MUST MUST MUST have! All garage.. 'noisy and unpsychedelic'! Probably my favorite series. The volumes of the Quagmire series are bitchin' too, especially the first one. Also try some 'Psychedelic States' comps.. Alabama vol. 2 and Mississippi are the best I think! Morgan was right about the TS comps--a lot of the songs are just filler, but my favorite is vol. 4 ('I'm a No-Count!'). 'Get Lost #3' is real raw, but I don't think there are other volumes.. 'Lost Generation vol. 2' is the better of the installments. Trash Box is GREAT and if you ask me, the crappy quality is what MAKES it great. All the 'Garage Beat' volumes have some absolutely amazing songs, but most of them can be found on other comps. And of course, OF COURSE, 'Fort Worth Teen Scene' vols. 1, 2, and 3! And if we're talking about single-volume comps, 'Hang It Out To Dry!' is one of my absolute favorites ever, as well as 'Total Raunch'. 'Searchin' in the Wilderness' is a comp of faaar out European garage. 'Scum of the Earth' is one side of crazy garage and one side of crazy junk.. but it's all good save for a track or two :p Okay I'll try to contain myself from anything further & let other people answer (; but those are my favorites!

    • November 14, 2010 8:51 PM CST
      Browse

    • TOO BAD THE PURPLE ONION (SF) AINT OPEN STILL!! NOTHING COULD TOUCH IT IN THE NINETIES!!

    • November 10, 2010 1:15 PM CST
      Browse

    • Also, I agree about a good jukebox being a plus. Another plus is not waiting for drinks for an eternity.

    • November 10, 2010 1:05 PM CST
      Browse

    • I've never seen anyone "glassed." That type of behavior would probably be greatly frowned upon.

      I have seen people "canned." In the early 90's at an outdoor festival in my home town, the band Too Much Joy got involved in a beer can fight with the crowd. It escalated into involving full cans (not as much of a waste as you’d think – it was mostly Bud Light and Keystone Light from the frat boys).

      I’ve been told that “canning” is done in Chicago (using empties) as a sign of approval like spitting on the performers shoes in some parts of Europe.

      This seems counterintuitive to me.

    • November 14, 2010 1:46 PM CST
      Browse

    • Stiv forever!

    • November 14, 2010 8:44 AM CST
      Browse

    • Great discussion, I can see both sides of the argument. (what rock and roll fan would not??)

      However I think a lot of people are selling a lot of old records short by calling them lo-fi and by thinking by doing a sloppy job recording they will capture magic. Make no mistake those engineers knew how to use their limited equipment. If you think your going to get a Gary US Bonds sound by recording poorly with ironically bad choices your sadly mistaken. The 45's are so well engineered that they sound great un-amplified with your ear 3 feet away picking up the sound directly from the needle.
      lets not forget that even many of the classic old Motown records are in fact by todays standards lo-fi and raw.

      I will not get into slagging any bands records, however I personally find the lo-fi thing, especially on vocals is often little more 'REAL' or "RAW" than whatever that annoying voice effect "Usher" uses. (love in this club) Dare I say it can be gimmicky in the wrong hands, not that there is anything wrong with it. Some bands/ people can brilliantly pull it off and some can't.
      Its dangerous territory to aim low. A good lo-fi sound for vocals (for me and not everybody admittedly) Is when it is just on that fine line and it is the perfromance that pushes into the red. Same goes for a guitar. Devil Dogs' "Saturday Night Fever" album by example a great raw recording to my personal tastes.

      But this is just my opinion. And the label "garage rock" is quite wide it seems and there is room for everybody's taste from Rock and rollers to Rockers to Punk Rockers to the current Hipster interest in lo-fi.
      It sort of like saying you like Motorhead and people assuming you also like Pantera. Or saying you like Joe Tex and people assuming your into 70's disco. Not that there is anything wrong with it.

      It takes all kinds.
      At the end of the day the only thing that will stick around is good rock and roll. trying NOT to sound like Huey Lewis here but most likely failing so yeah "the heart of rock and roll is the beat" I said it. However to be clear I disagree on Mr. Lewis' other famous opinion song. it is NOT "Hip to be square".

    • November 12, 2010 12:36 AM CST
      Browse

    • the vibrators..
      the damned..
      the boys..
      johnny t and heartbreakers..

    • November 11, 2010 1:28 PM CST
      Browse

    • Definitely easier to earn cash doing all covers particularly when you play in a city with no real scene and/or crappy/limited choices for venues such as my city. Hell even in a music haven such as Atlanta, etc. its not easy to do original songs but much hard in smaller cities. Also some musicians just arent ready to take a risk.

      However I saw Woven Bones in one of the best venues located in Birmingham, AL. Played all original music and I was one of 8 people at the show. Disappointing.

    • November 11, 2010 9:05 AM CST
      Browse

    • I just came accross Dillion Guitars from the U.S.A., hand crafted in Korea. Does anyone here own one? What's your opinion on them?

    • November 10, 2010 12:02 PM CST
      Browse

    • I can't enter but, I would name it "Stag".

    • November 10, 2010 11:26 AM CST
      Browse

    • Hey, I've just remembered this discussion.

      Still listen to the GaragePunk Podcasts (and a few others) in my bathroom, believe it or not, except for THE HAUNTED SHACK THEATHER, that I usually listen locked and loaded in my cave.
      And oh, I sometimes listen to MOJO WORKOUT laughing and driving in my so-called rusty car (ok, ok, sometimes I'm locked and loaded in my car too...).

    • November 10, 2010 9:53 AM CST
      Browse

    • years ago in a thrift store i saw an lp that had a lime green sticker that read "punk rock." it was one of those disco-styled sleeves. would anybody know what i'm taking about? anyway i'd like to reproduce the sticker for an upcoming lp project.
      anybody?

    • November 10, 2010 7:12 AM CST
      Browse

    • That was my initial reaction as well, but that didn't stop me when Experience Hendrix's publicity guy offered me a copy of it. I was pleasantly surprised by it and it is far superior to most of the posthumous albums. But I do think this will probably be the last major release for quite a while. There can't be that much more left in the vaults after a set like this.

    • November 10, 2010 12:48 AM CST
      Browse

    • Wow! This sounds great. When I first heard about this project my initial reaction was "Oh no, they're recycling Jimi again." But the way you describe it sounds very interesting.

    • November 9, 2010 11:43 PM CST
      Browse

    • Originally posted on No Depression.


      Very few artists have recorded as much worthwhile music in as short a time period as Jimi Hendrix. Beginning his solo career in 1966, by the time of his death in in September 1970 Hendrix had already released four albums that can only be described as classics and had wowed audiences throughout the United States in Europe. When he died, he left a vast vault of recordings in varying degrees of completion that have made up countless albums beginning with 1971's Cry of Love and going through to Valleys of Neptune from earlier this year. While the early posthumous albums have been successful among fans and collectors, they have also been harshly criticized in some circles for providing only abbreviated snippets of longer songs and containing controversial overdubs. Enter West Coast Seattle Boy, the new four-CD and one-DVD box set from Legacy and Experience Hendrix which will be released on November 16. The set attempts to correct the aforementioned problem while also providing fans with alternate takes of released material, live recordings, studio jams, home demos, and early recordings showing Jimi's prowess as a backup musician.

      It is the latter which comprises the set's first disc. This disc displays Hendrix backing up several soul and R&B artists, most notably Little Richard and the Isley Brothers. While the Isley Brothers tracks are a far cry from the legendary group's best work, the numbers by Little Richard will offer those listeners only familiar with his seminal '50s work a completely different, and decidedly more soulful, view of the man's music . Even without Jimi, this disc would make a fine collection of mid-'60s R&B and it is the numbers by artists like Ray Sharpe, Rosa Lee Brooks, and Jimmy Norman that truly make up the heart of the disc. In fact, there are songs in which Hendrix's presence is nearly indiscernible and you could be listening to any good studio guitarist. But there are others where he gets a brief moment in the spotlight and we know from the first notes that it can't be anyone else.

      This initial disc may be the most interesting to fans of forgotten '60s recordings, but the least interesting to Hendrix aficionados. Whichever category you fit into, it is a good look at the beginning of Hendrix's career and a glimpse into why he was so great in the first place. Unlike so many of today's self-proclaimed "guitar gods," Hendrix paid his dues on the road and in the studio with seasoned veterans prior to striking it out on his own and it is that experience that made his playing among the best ever.

      The second disc comes closer to the Jimi we all know and love, kicking off with an alternate take of the classic rock staple "Fire," before delving into lesser-known material. Among this material is "Little One," an instrumental recorded for Electric Ladyland featuring Dave Mason on sitar, a hard rock comedy track titled "Calling All the Devil's Children," which finds Hendrix portraying a minister, and a wonderful alternate take of "Mr. Bad Luck." Also included are the initial backing tracks of "Are You Experienced" and a slower version of "Castles Made of Sand" featuring only Jimi and drummer Mitch Mitchell. These numbers were very interesting to me and displayed beyond any doubt how far ahead of his time Hendrix was. In fact, these backing tracks aren't too far detached from what a new generation of Seattle musicians would be doing a few decades later when they created grunge.

      The best parts of disc two, though, are the six demos Hendrix recorded solo inside his hotel room in March 1968. While I had long suspected that "Long Hot Summer Night" would make a damn good folk song, I was surprised that "1983 (A Merman I Shall Turn to Be)" also makes the transition very well. Neither are as good as the finished studio versions, but that is to be expected. Perhaps the best of these demos are an emotional cover of Dylan's "Tears of Rage" and Jimi's own "My Friend," which ranks as his best song lyrically.

      Disc three is something of a mixed bag, although the good far outweighs the unnecessary. Near the beginning of the disc, the listener is treated to a seemingly spontaneous medley of "Room Full of Mirrors" and "Shame, Shame, Shame" and an amazing cover of Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog Blues." We also hear several very promising unreleased songs such as the metal-like "Messenger," the Curtis Mayfield-inspired "Mastermind," and an instrumental simply titled "Untitled Basic Track." But just as the disc shows glimpses of Hendrix at his best in the studio, it also displays the worst of his musical excesses. A case in point is the 20-minute-plus jam with jazz organist Larry Young that shows flashes of brilliance at points, but for the most part, is simply aimless jamming.

      The third disc also contains several live recordings, including a pre-Woodstock version of "The Star-Spangled Banner"/"Purple Haze" medley and three outtakes from the legendary Band of Gypsys shows on New Years Eve '69 that extends onto to the next disc. While the former bunch do not measure up to the Woodstock versions, they still make for great listening and the latter numbers once again reiterate the need for a set of the complete Band of Gypsysrecordings. The best among these is a scorching fourteen-minute version of "Stone Free" that opens the set's final disc.

      The remainder of the final disc explores the direction Hendrix was heading in his final months. The best tune on the disc, and perhaps the entire set, is the beautiful instrumental "Burning Desire" which is hard-rocking in its brilliant delivery and jazz-like in its complexity. The great material continues with the blues-rocker "Lonely Avenue," and the uncompleted "All God's Children." We also get to hear the last instance of Jimi as a backup musician as he adds guitar to Arthur Lee and Love's "Everlasting First," released here for the first time in it's complete form. The set ends with an acoustic home demo of "Suddenly November Morning" from the legendary "Black Gold" sessions. The tune ranks as one of the box's most intriguing numbers and one which had the potential to be a true classic.

      The fourth disc was my personal favorite and while the songs on it were never completed and therefore can't warrant a comparison to Jimi's four original albums, having listened to the entire set and hearing the alternate takes of classic numbers and the way Hendrix worked in the studio, it is hard to not draw the conclusion that he was just starting to reach his peak in the late summer of 1970. While we may never know what Hendrix would have released in '71, I am almost certain that it would have been his masterpiece.

      The music on the four discs enhanced my already immense level of respect for Hendrix's music and, likewise, the DVD which accompanies the set enhanced my respect for Hendrix as a person. The documentary Voodoo Child features photographs and footage of Jimi as funk legend Bootsy Collins narrates, allowing Hendrix to "speak" in his own words through interviews and never-before-seen writings. The film shows a man confident in his talents but, at the same time, very humble regarding his success. I would highly recommend the film to anybody who likes Hendrix's music and wants to know more about the man behind it.

      The biggest question is whether this set is meant for the completist or the casual fan. I would actually say that the largely successful intention was to win over both camps. While the completist will certainly want to have it in their collection, there is also surprisingly little here that wouldn't also appeal to those with little knowledge of Jimi's posthumous catalog. This isn't the place for beginners to star there collection by any means, but this is something they will want to pick up somewhere along the way. It is perhaps the most personal glimpse yet of Jimi in the studio and also offers a fascinating view of how his music continued to evolve until his tragic death.