Two shows ago we had new music from the sixties bands. Today we have new music from the eighties bands! Boston was one of the big music centers at the end of the 80s with Lemonheads and Blake Babies. Two bands shared members too. They are all back! Lemonheads have a new single and it’s their first original song in many years. It’s Evan Dando’s tribute to Dan Lardner of QTY who passed away in June this year. John P. Strohm drummed in Lemonheads and in Blake Babies. Now he’s back with a brand new solo record as a singer songwriter. Juliana Hatfield made a tribute to Jeff Lynn and ELO. Fuzztones are back with a strange album of what sounds like remixes of other bands. Divine Horsemen have a second album together after Chris D and Julie Christensen reunited. Peter Case of The Nerves and Plimsouls has a new album and so does Jon Dee Graham of Austin’s Skunks. Ska legends Madness are also back. All that in today’s show.
Association – Windy
The Fuzztones – Windy with The Association
Divine Horsemen – Dirty Like An Angel
Divine Horsemen – Devil’s River
The Plimsouls – Zero Hour
Peter Case – Downtown Nowhere’s Blues
Jon Dee Graham – Where It All Went Wrong
The Skunks – Cheap Girl
QTY – Living Things
The Lemonheads – Fear Of Living
John P. Strohm – Troubleland
The Lemonheads – Clang Bang Clang
Blake Babies – Swill And The Cocaine Sluts
Juliana Hatfield – Bluebird Is Dead
Madness – Beginners 101
Madness – Mad Not Mad
Electric Light Orchestra – Bluebird is dead
The Fuzztones – We’re Pretty Quick
Today’s show is dedicated to Sid Selvidge. He was a part of the Mud Boy and The Neutrons, a group of highly influential Memphis musicians. Lee Baker on guitar and Jim Dickinson on piano both passed away relatively recently, and Sid, who was the lead singer, just died in May this year. He was an incredible talent and a great singer who did not put out a lot of records, but nevertheless, influenced many. We also have Bassholes with their new record called Boogieman Stew and King Khan also with his new record called Idle No More. We also introduce a new super-group, consisting of Eddie Munoz from Plimsouls, Clem Burke from Blondie and Keith Streng from Fleshtones. It’s called The Split Squad. Our Australian favorites, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizzard are back with a new Internet single, a cover of T. Rex song Lean Woman Blues.
Peter Case is a long standing figure in the history of rock’n’roll. He indebted us with bands like The Nerves and The Plimsouls, plus his rich solo recording career and occasional production work. This year he returns with Wig!. Somewhat surprisingly (although pleasantly), Peter Case reinvents himself on this one as an uncompromising blues-man. Hallmark of this reinvention is the song New Old Blue Car, which artistically defines this record. Melancholic folk-blues tune Old Blue Car from his first solo record now has a very different taste. Let us also mention that this record is also embellished with several subtle quotations from rock’n’roll standards – for example Money in I Ain’t Got No Dough. That’s a wonderful trick that creates an immediate bound for a true rock listener. A hired gun on this album and someone who definitely left a strong mark on it is DJ Bonebrake with his rough beats. Another one who must be mentioned here is the guitarist Ron Franklin who even co-authored some songs on Wig!. I only wish the same line up was out there to tour with this record, as this kind of gritty blues is best consumed live.