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pssst....my own cozy alcove to review the Ob Tenners...
https://www.obner.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=39458
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Author:  toots [ Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:32 pm ]
Post subject:  pssst....my own cozy alcove to review the Ob Tenners...

PRE-RAMBLE
i'm not gonna pretend i know all these bands. in fact, a good deal of them i know in name only, a few i've never even heard of, and a handful i know i'm going to fucking hate. and i'll be honest, i tend to favor more eclectic 'n' abrasive-tasting artist mixes a la shiv, dalen and thisotherkingdom more than the roots rock monger mixes of, say, radcliffe or dumpjack. that's just...the way that i am.. i'm giving everything a fair listen, and i can't guarantee i'll get through them all (esp since the thread keeps growing like digital fungus), but i, along with Wikipedia (my faithful squire), accept the challenge.

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RATING SYSTEM
i rate on three planes: 1) blind date test (is this bitch even my type to begin with?); 2) durability (it may be good tonight, but will i respect it in the morning?); 3) get-through-it-tiveness (will this bitch ever shut up, or am i gonna hafta feign taking a piss then leave early out the back door?)

and i also give marks based on a self-devised ivo-meter, which is a pictorial declaration of my overall opinion of a given mix, similar to the opposable-digit system devised by critics Ebert & Siskel, and goes as follows:

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i will not only keep this mix in its unadulterated form for at least 2 weeks, but i will most likely send some money the artist's way in the form of a merchandise buy because you've made me a fan. congratulations, you.

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good, but not great. thanks for at least helping me populate my own personal mixes with a modicum of cred.

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i didn't hate it, but a once-through while i format the obits is about all the play it's gonna get in mah 'pod.

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ok...i hated it.


...more soon...

Author:  toots [ Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:17 pm ]
Post subject: 

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by shiv

blind date test
i love touch n go shit to begin with. sex was in the air from the start.

durability
i may listen to this again in the future

get-through-it-tiveness
being that it was weird and angular, much like Crispin Glover, i had no problem maintaining my attention throughout its 10-song entirety, much like Back to the Future.

IVO-METER
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It's too bad over a decade has gone by before i gave these Ohians the time of day. i know i should be absolutely thrilled with this collection, but, like watching Citizen Kane, my tastes have been skewed by what's come since, though i know i'm hearing seminal mid-90s greatness.

Author:  toots [ Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:48 pm ]
Post subject: 

Heavenly
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by bort

blind date test
i went into this already wanting a C86 moment, so heavenly is the next best thing i suppose

durability
like undercooked spaghetti thrown against my ear drums (won't stick)

get-through-it-tiveness
got through it once. ok, i'm done.

IVO-METER
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as much as i tried to imagine myself surrounded by cute scottish girls named Raoghnailt, i don't think i'll find myself listening to Heavenly again unless by accident whilst eating forfar bridies at Molly MacPhersons.

Author:  toots [ Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:43 pm ]
Post subject: 

16 Horsepower
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by TheTheory

blind date test
collection hit the ground running with presumptions of nick cave and gothic americana

durability
i predict i will listen to this, or parts of it, until at least late september

get-through-it-tiveness
i kept waiting for a "happy" moment that thankfully never came.

IVO-METER
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overall, a refreshing surprise from these previously-unknown-to-me King James Version moonshiners of morosity. equal parts Stuart Redman and Randall Flagg. i don't think i could take much more than a 30 minute concert, but i could certainly wile away a backporch night with some 16HP and a fifth o' bourbon, stropping my straight razor in a sweat-stained undershirt.

Author:  toots [ Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:49 pm ]
Post subject: 

Midnight Oil
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by no guru

blind date test
my only pre-emptive memory of this band is hearing their radio hit(s) on the schoolbus ride to 3rd grade, and even in my little 3rd-grade head i thought it was pretty mehriffic.

durability
if peter garrett sang more like joe strummer like he did in Put Down That Weapon, i'd probably listen to this one more time. but he didn't, so i won't

get-through-it-tiveness
it was tough. sorry spoony.

IVO-METER
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Midnight Oil is not the angle of my jangle, it seems, although Put Down That Weapon is a pretty creepily good tune. no new fan here, alas.

Author:  no guru [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:26 pm ]
Post subject: 

Oh well, I still like 'em. The second mix is much more "Put Down That Weapon" and much less "Beds Are Burning" in nature but lots of people can't get past Garrett's uber-Aussie croak.

Author:  toots [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:14 pm ]
Post subject: 

well i may like round 2 then...which reminds me, i should really put tracklistings up here to keep things clear

Author:  toots [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:43 pm ]
Post subject: 

Psychedelic Furs
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by no guru

blind date test
i used to have the greatest hits, which of course had 'pretty in pink,' my makeout jangle well before i ever got the courage to actually make out with anyone

durability
more hits than misses, i'll probably pick and choose from this one depending on if i want to feel nostalgic or cool or both

get-through-it-tiveness
"You said you couldn't be with someone who didn't believe in you. Well I believed in you. I just didn't believe in me. I love you... always. "

MOLLY-METER
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the furs bring back all the stomach-swimming crushes i ever had in fifth-grade.

Author:  toots [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:49 pm ]
Post subject: 

Alejandro Escovedo
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by billyg

blind date test
i've seen the name several times, but always confused him with ruben garcia (don't ask).

durability
recycle bin for 'jandro

get-through-it-tiveness
made it through, only because i'm tied to a chair at work. had i been at home, i'd've switched over to gama bomb 9 tracks ago.

IVO-METER
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i don't understand how someone can go from something as fucking cool as The Nuns, to sounding like the opener on a three-band bill with elvis costello and the boss. and hey! there's 11 tracks on here...wtf

Author:  toots [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:24 pm ]
Post subject: 

Angry Samoans
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by nobody

blind date test
familiar only in seeing them on the same flyers as black flag, et al. early LA hardcore punk is usually a hit with ol' toots.

durability
'they saved hitler's cock' is my new keep-it-real classic. beat's 'bitchin' camaro' by a long shot.

get-through-it-tiveness
i can get through any mix from any band that can put out a 17-minute album

IVO-METER
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huzzah to the shopkeep!

Author:  toots [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:35 pm ]
Post subject: 

Al Kooper
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by Dumpjack

blind date test
didn't ring a bell, and i honestly thought it was an informally fraternal reference to alice cooper, much like some refer to the democratic nominee as 'barry.' imagine my surprise!

durability
3 of 10 will be listened to again, i predict

get-through-it-tiveness
the terminal happiness kept me going. i was nearly turned off by the happy hillbilly tracks in the beginning, but once the 70s party vibe simmered to the surface and the sesame street horns chimed in, i was hooked.

IVO-METER
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more meh than yeah, but some gold in these here hills. parts of this actually reminds me of a band my dad was in in the late 70s called high spirit, while other parts remind me of the best parts of CTA, before they started singing about the glory of love.

Author:  no guru [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:46 pm ]
Post subject: 

That may be the first time I've heard Al Kooper compared to early Chicago, but since a bunch of early Chicago tunes kick ass as much as later ones suck ass, that's okay.

Author:  toots [ Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:55 pm ]
Post subject: 

i almost said chuck mangione....


but it was just parts, mind you. parts

Author:  billy g [ Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:03 pm ]
Post subject: 

toots and the midols Wrote:
IVO-METER
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i don't understand how someone can go from something as fucking cool as The Nuns, to sounding like the opener on a three-band bill with elvis costello and the boss. and hey! there's 11 tracks on here...wtf


I guess it makes sense if you like the Nuns and don't like Bruce or Elvis that you wouldn't like this. Still, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they actually prefer the Nuns to AE's solo work.

And the 11 tracks were just to throw that live cover track on there mainly for DJ and the GA boys. It wasn't worth taking something off so i just called it a hidden bonus track.

Author:  toots [ Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:53 pm ]
Post subject: 

the connection did surprise me. the two directions are miles apart...usually it seems like if someone goes solo they retain at least a little of their former musical identity

i imagine i'll like your buzzcocks mix though

Author:  toots [ Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:36 pm ]
Post subject: 

The Aghan Whigs
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by Timis

blind date test
when the whigs hit their stride in the 90s, i was too busy listening to 'eaten back to life' to notice.

durability
i've listened to this three times in its entirety already, which should be telling

get-through-it-tiveness
i'm vacuuming my living room to it right now, which should be telling

IVO-METER
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looks like i missed out on a late great band in my late great teens. at least i have the gutter twins to broaden my dulli horizons. in all, a very well put together mix with a strong feeling of beginning, middle and end, almost as if the band compiled it themselves.

Author:  toots [ Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:44 am ]
Post subject: 

Artful Dodger
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by Radcliffe

blind date test
never before heard, unless you count the blokes that did "The Revenge of Popeye"

durability
gets better with age, like a good monger should

get-through-it-tiveness
listen me once - tolerated it, listen me twice - dug it, listen me thrice - adored it

IVO-METER
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i'm pretty sure i've become attached to this band because their frustrations of 1975-76 sound like a page out of my band's book - firmly entrenched in the starmaking machine, yet somehow never making it to greener pastures. "forever" should have been playing in the background the day i walked out on my band, broke, depressed and estranged from my wife.

there's monger hope for me yet. damn you, radcliffe.

Author:  toots [ Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:59 am ]
Post subject: 

Antestor
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by TheTheory

blind date test
i've been aware of Antestor for quite some time now, as I've always kept my ear to the ground in the metal scene like some young Potawatomi brave

durability
track 2 deserves repeated listens, but the rest is forgettable, nay regrettable

get-through-it-tiveness
i thought the Gorgorothery and general above-averagedness of #2 would carry through and listened all the way through hoping it was so, but i was let down

IVO-METER
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believe it or not, i'm aware of holy unblack metal. but as far as i'm concerned, the only band of that ilk worth listening to is Horde. or maybe Drottnar because they look so cool:

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see?

would've been one star, but #2 was a little over the top, so 2 ivo's by a thread.

Author:  Radcliffe [ Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:05 pm ]
Post subject: 

toots and the midols Wrote:
Artful Dodger

listen me once - tolerated it, listen me twice - dug it, listen me thrice - adored it

i'm pretty sure i've become attached to this band because their frustrations of 1975-76 sound like a page out of my band's book - firmly entrenched in the starmaking machine, yet somehow never making it to greener pastures. "forever" should have been playing in the background the day i walked out on my band, broke, depressed and estranged from my wife.

Yeah, IMO they're deceptively simple. Not that it's simple to create the sort of seemingly effortless pop hooks AD excelled at, but there's more going on than that initial listen suggests.

And their Rave On album from 1980 - their last - probably articulates the frustration and desperation of a band about to give up better than anything this side of "The Ballad Of Mott". Glad you caught that in "Forever" - because otherwise it's just a sorta corny love ballad.

Author:  toots [ Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:15 pm ]
Post subject: 

Radcliffe Wrote:
Glad you caught that in "Forever" - because otherwise it's just a sorta corny love ballad.


yeah, i was about 90% sure i read that song right

Author:  toots [ Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:46 pm ]
Post subject: 

Paul Westerberg
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by rparis74

blind date test
spent quality time in the past with the replacements, but not with mr. westerberg

durability
i chuckled at "she's a hot.....uuuuuuuunnnnnnn", which usually translates into repeated listens.

get-through-it-tiveness
Good for a weather-page-buildilng soundtrack, but not much beyond that. i'll grab "hot un" and "AAA" and be done with it

IVO-METER
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Westerberg solo comes across to me like when an aging rocker figures out how much money there is in writing kid's show theme songs. Brian Causey and Dan Zanes both got it, and i'm sure they're swimming in breakfast cereal by now. Tommy Gets His Tonsils out could take on a new, educational slant.

Author:  toots [ Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:10 pm ]
Post subject: 

Dave Alvin
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by Radcliffe

blind date test
i know X, i know the blasters, i don't know dave alvin. he seems to belong to that circle of floating artists that spend a fleeting moment playing on a seminal 70s or 80s punk album before slinking back to solo-dom, gaining themselves a mention and a link in the album's wiki-page

durability
i may not listen to this tomorrow, but i may email it to my uncle

get-through-it-tiveness
who am i kidding...i'm stuck in a chair for 8 hours a day. i can get through all these.

IVO-METER
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is there a secret society of graduated punks that includes mr. alvin and mr. escovedo that have made a blood pact to water down their sensibilities after the age of 45? is this a depth of irony i have yet to plumb? is this best experienced bookended within the context of barbecue, old style, and folktales about tim armstrong and jerry lee lewis? pardon me, but a barn party is a barn party is a barn party. sorry, even the johnny-n-june duet with syd straw couldn't save this one for me.

Author:  toots [ Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:34 pm ]
Post subject: 

Art Bears
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by TheTheory

blind date test
for a minute there, TT, i thought you were sneaking in some new skool fringe folk. but the joke was on me. this here's the rill dill.

durability
a couple of neat ones. the best are the nasally-articulated odes to the common people and their rightful claim to the fruits of their own production

get-through-it-tiveness
got through it

IVO-METER
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Complex, engaging, yet generally oatmill-ish in tone. Art Bears may have, like so many bands, become victim to the sorts of Helsinki-cum-Brooklyn output that have come in the decades since. Smacks heavily of Joanna Newsom kicking off the Arirang Festival in Pyongyang.

Author:  Radcliffe [ Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:36 pm ]
Post subject: 

toots and the midols Wrote:
is there a secret society of graduated punks that includes mr. alvin and mr. escovedo that have made a blood pact to water down their sensibilities after the age of 45?

Happens well before they hit the age of 45. The smart ones just learn how to write a song; the others find employment elsewhere.

Author:  toots [ Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:47 pm ]
Post subject: 

or write kids' show themes

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