Better late than never, I guess...

Slow "Lookin' For Something Clean" -- 4* This is the second Slow track you've sent me, and each one is a killer. Someone on the planet has got to get their act together and release thier material.

The Dragons "Three Steps From The Bar" -- 4* Two strong tracks in a row. I had "Whoah Yeah" as the opening track in one of the early drafts of my mix exchange missive.

Crash Kelly "Penny Pills" -- 2* "Nice" enough, but not really a stand-out. There's a tad too much 70's AM radio in the chorus, and the lead guitar verse doesn't work for me.

Amy Rigby "Dancing With Joey Ramone" -- 3* I dig this track every time I hear it, but I'm worried that the rest of her material won't stand up, and that this track works more as a novelty than a rocker. She's got the background cred, but there's something intangible that keeps me from pulling the trigger and buying any of her stuff. Any guidance on this?

Southern Culture On The Skids "Double Wide" -- 4* Digs me some SCOTS. I'm a sucker for rockabilly jangle and organs, and this tracks has it in spades.

The Dee-Rangers "Miss My Girl" -- 4* Excellent garage-y stuff, right up my alley.

The Honey Dogs "Glee" -- 3* Nifty little tune with fantastic guitars. I knocked it down a peg because they ran it too long, had they wrapped it up at around 3:20, it'd've been a solid 4*.

Deadstring Brothers "Sacred Heart" -- 2* Pleasant enough with good harmonies, but I'm not a huge fan of the Stones-y honky-tonk twang--don't dig it when the Stones hit it, don't dig it here. It's another one that I dinged from dragging too long.

Rich Hope and His Evil Doers "Sweet Vanilla" -- 5* Whoaaah Nellie! This is the best track on the mix. I grabbed this album right away and love it. I've seen you sell him a bit short in other posts, and can't fathom why, I think the album is tremendous, and the "Stray Cat Blues" cover is dynamite.

The Deadly Snakes "Sissy Blues" --3* Great title, song is okay. I can't tell if it lost something in production--sounds like it should have been more crisp.

The Fuzztones "Bad News Travels Fast" -- 4* Man, I've been diggin' this band for close to 20 years, never gets old. I'll have to shoot you their live cover of "Gloria" with Rat Scabies on drums.

The Diodes "Red Rubber Ball" -- 5* Another lost classic. Whatever happened to them? Probably disintegrated because they sound as great as the Rich Kids. Thanks for including this.

GodfaTHErs "This Damn Nation" -- 5* They should've been huger than they got. "Hit By Hit" is a frighteningly good record, and made IIRC my Listmania. Incindentally, The Saints were the opener when I saw 'em.

The Sinners "Barbed Wire Heart" -- 4* This sounds like it could have come from "Mars Needs Guitars" or "Stoneage Romeos". Who are these guys? I dig it.

Madness "John Jones" -- 3* Nothing wrong with a little Madness, a bit of a left turn in the flow of the mix, but still solid. Shame no one no one on this continent knows more than three of their songs.

The Creeps "Down At The Nightclub" -- 3* More solid garage, these guys must have, or will need to have opened for The Fleshtones. Even the jazzy piano breakout at the end works.

The Oranges Band "White Ride" -- 5* It's a total [i]je ne sais quoi[/b] with this one, but I love it. The vox, the rhythm section, the lead guitars--it all simply gels.

C.C. Adcock "Y'All'd Think She'd Be Good To Me" -- 3* Doesn't really strike me. Doesn't repulse me, but doesn't hook me in either.

Nikki Sudden & The Last Bandits "Looking For A Friend" -- 4* Solid rock and roll here.

Kevin K "I Fell For You" -- 4* You shot me some of his stuff on an earlier mix, and I've been buying everything I can find. What shocks me is that I heard absolutely *nothing* of or by him during all my years in NYC.

The Hangmen "Bliss" -- 5* As with the Rich Hope, I grabbed their records immediately. Excellent track.

Starz "Tear it Down" -- 2* This one is a nanogram away from being Boston.

Freddy and the Foregone Conclusions "Come On Over (To My Side)" -- 3* Suits the mix's garage motif very well. Like it, but don't love it.

Martin Gordon "Love Power" -- 2* This one's all over the map and very difficult to sit through. It's as if he took everything he's done in the last 30 years and dumped it into one song--however, rather than an interesting melange, it's a mess.

All in all, an excellent mix, even the tracks I ding-ed are hardly clunkers. A bunch of old friends, and a fair amount of new stuff--and most importantly a half dozen or so leads to pursue.

Thanks and cheers!

Love that "Double Wide" toon.

Love SCotS in general.

Billz, did you hear about Our House, the Madness tribute musical they showed in London's West End two or three years ago? It was actually a proper musical (as opposed to the overproduced theme park show that is "We Will Rock You"). I actually saw it when Suggs was in the cast. Awesome.

Whoa - I almost missed this thread.

Damn, Billz, I thought I sent you a copy of their only ep? Oh well, I'll send it in some future package. Other than the Against The Glass ep they only released one other single - plus a rare flexi-disc of a rockin' version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town", which you NEED for your Santa's Sack mix. I'll try and collect 'em all for you.


Well, I guess one man's trash is another man's junk.


There is an admittedly high cute factor in all of Amy Rigby's stuff, which will either attract or repel depending on your tolerance of such things. Most people consider Diary of a Mod Housewife her high water mark, but I think 05's Little Fugitives is her best one yet - but it's definitely all cut from the same cloth as "Dancing w/ Joey R.", so take that as a warning (or a recommendation).


I don't remember selling him short, but it's true that I'm a little disappointed with this album. I suppose I might've had unrealistic expectations for it, though. Whether as the Evil Doers or John Ford, these guys keep coming so close to perfection but *just* fall short. I'll keep holding out hope. Erm, pun actually NOT intended.


Awesome - I'd love to hear that. It's facking unbelievable to me that I picked up Lysergic Emanations exactly 20 years ago - and just acquired the LSD - 25 collection this spring. I mean, goddammit, where does all that time disappear to?


They tried to hang on as long as they could. I picked up the "Strange Time" single back in '83 or so - and it sounded like they were only getting better. But I don't even think they got it together to put out a full length to house that single. Same old story, innit?


I'm totally envious over you seeing that double bill. BTW - have you heard Spoon's cover of "This Damn Nation"?


I know nothing about the Sinners other than this song is one of the absolute standouts on the Children of Nuggets box set. They somehow sound Australian though.


Yeh, it is a bit of a departure - but I needed a link between sound levels here. "John Jones" is from last year's The Dangermen Sessions, which got pretty much ignored.


FINALLY someone agrees with me on this one. I'm not a huge Oranges Band fan, but "White Ride" hit me right between the eyes as soon as I heard it.

Billzebub Wrote:

Kevin K "I Fell For You" -- 4* You shot me some of his stuff on an earlier mix, and I've been buying everything I can find. What shocks me is that I heard absolutely *nothing* of or by him during all my years in NYC.

I would've never heard of the guy either if it wasn't for my swap connection in Detroit. Odd how some folks just fit so easily through the cracks.

Billzebub Wrote:

Starz "Tear it Down" -- 2* This one is a nanogram away from being Boston.

Ha ha! That's actually extremely astute. Starz were like a poor man's Aerosmith back in '76. They were just behind the times, adding an extra bit of drive and aggression to '70s arena rock, completely oblivious to the encroachment of punk. I can't say I'm much of a fan, but as a curio (and cheap nostalgia) it supplies a small kick.

Billzebub Wrote:

Martin Gordon "Love Power" -- 2* This one's all over the map and very difficult to sit through. It's as if he took everything he's done in the last 30 years and dumped it into one song--however, rather than an interesting melange, it's a mess.

The song, of course, is from Mel Brook's [i]The Producers, and I can't deny anything you said about it - but I still kinda like it.

Thanks for the review, Billz! Glad there was some stuff you liked.