Today’s episode has a completely different format than the other episodes of The Little Lighthouse. The entire show is a bit longer today and it’s fully dedicated to one book. The book is called Early ’70s Radio, The American Format Revolution and it’s written by the good friend of our show Kim Simpson from Austin TX. Some of you may remember him as a solo artist and as a band leader of The Mad Dukes. He was a guest on our show a few years ago in Salt Lake City. Today he and I chat about his book about the early ’70s radio in USA, what led to it and how it influenced the world around it and the radio of today. The book is a result of Kim’s several years of research and it’s based on his doctoral dissertation in media studies. Although it’s an informative and detailed academic work, it is also full with trivia and stories about forgotten moments in history of pop music that it feels as if shopping in a fun thrift shop. We also had Kim playing on his guitar five ’70s medleys which parallel the chapters of the book. So, we hope this is will be fun for you all and perhaps you will also consider getting Kim’s book as well. All info about the book can be found on Kim’s blog www.early70sradio.com.
All songs performed by Kim Simpson:
Rubber Duckie;
Brand New Key;
You’re Having My Baby;
School’s Out;
We’re an American Band;
Walk on the Wild Side;
Close to You;
Fire and Rain;
I Am Woman;
(For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People;
Living for the City;
Me and Mrs. Jones;
The Fightin’ Side of Me;
Uneasy Rider;
Behind Closed Doors.
Today’s show is dedicated to the 80s new wave scene from Georgia and the South of the USA. Everything is peculiar in the South, so is the new wave scene. The direct inspiration for today’s show is the LP called Jericho Go, a compilation record that was put together jointly by The DB Records in the US and the Stiff Records in UK. Now, it can only be found in rare used records bins in these two countries, and it’s probably not an easy task. Still, it’s an obscure, but a cherished item in my record collection. This show brings every single song from that LP and the rest of the time is filled with some other related tunes either by other Southern new wave bands or related acts from a different era. I hope you will enjoy the second installment of the Vinyl Junkyard.
Sweet Apple is a side band for John Petkovic of Cobra Verde, J Mascis of Dinosaur JR and Dave Sweetapple of Witch. It happened in a bitter moment when the trio of these rock’n’roll greats desperately needed a break not only from the music that they worked on in their original bands, but also a break from the situations in life that at the time seemed to choke them. Sometimes the best cure is to run away which a pack of friends, experience something new and return as a richer person. This is exactly what this pack did. A weaker person would cut his wrists, but these three people poored their hearts into a rocker that bursts with energy and desire for life. Casual atmosphere in the record creation allowed J to switch over to drums, totaling only three solos on the entire record. Still, there’s plenty of brilliant guitar work on the record courtesy of Tim Parnin of Cobra Verde and John on his purple Gretch (which he used in the songwriting process). Nothing is forced here, songs are charged with energy, crispy riffs are everywhere only to slow down on Dead Moon which stands out as a dark reminder that a man needs light to live, even if that light comes from a stage light show.
In four years, Eamon McGrath changed two cities – he moved from Edmonton Alberta to Toronto and produced over 20 “albums” that he recorded in his bedroom and distributed on his gigs around the town. Legend of McGrath slowly started to happen – people started to talk about his incredibly strong songwriting skills with influences anywhere from Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Warren Zevon to Darby Crash and Greg Ginn. The way out of his bedroom into the ears of thirsty rock’n’roll enthusiasts all over the world happened last year when he put out a compilation of his best work from the bedroom years on Canadian White Whale label. This is precisely what 13 Songs of Whiskey and Light is. The story reached The Little Lighthouse only in 2010, when he also published a new record Peace Maker. Although this is also a wonderful record, it falls a bit short from the compilation which we’re discussing here. Absolutely every song on it is a perfection. We will definitely keep an eye on this guy in the years to come.
Harlan T Bobo hails from Memphis and in the past several years, he established himself as the most consistent songwriter on the rock scene, with only his Memphis buddy Greg Cartwright to rival that crowning position. But, while Greg has a strong pop streak, Harlan T Bobo takes things more seriously it seems. I guess, what I’m trying to say here, it’s hard to imagine Harlan writing songs for anyone or anything else besides his albums. The approach is hundred percent personal and we can only be grateful to be in it for the ride. His first album recorded back in 2003 was a painful breakup story. Harlan T Bobo is now a married man and blissful intro Life is Sweet accounts to his new found peace in family life. First half of this short record (only 30 minutes), is mostly folk oriented, interrupted only with the perfectly twisted pop tune Hamster in a Cage, which indeed sounds written in the key of Greg Cartwright. But things get twisted later on with two uncompromising rockers back to back Bad Boyfriends and Energy. And then we have an epic Drunk which is by far the longest on the record and key that creates a perfect contrast with the disarmingly beautiful opening song. And then, at the very end, as if demonstrating once for all that Bobo is equally talented in multiple musical genres, the record officially ends with francophone chancone Mille Chatte. Yes, Bobo is definitely the strongest songwriter today.
Dirtiest record in 2010 is this one. It reminds us that one of the duties of rock’n’roll is to shock and embarrass. It sounds as an outtake from early 1970’s glam rock scene in New York – The Dolls with Wayne County on vocals, but it is 2010 and it is the San Francisco scene. Snotty lyrics paired with serious riffs and great melodies will make you want more. Strong rhythms will make it hard for you to sit down. My great hopes are that some of the Cleveland music promoters will bring this band to the city so we can check how it all sounds live, as it seems that this is the best setting for this motley crowd. Party on with the Apache!
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.
smRts come from Perth, Australia, and they are a brain child of Pedja Delibasic who’s been a part of the Perth music scene for more than ten years now. He’s been in various bands and he is an avid record collector, especially the records from Yugoslavia. His great knowledge of various kinds of music allowed him to come up with a clever instrumental concept of three guitars and drums, lead by his playful one string guitar picking. Album is filled with thrilling quotations from the Yugoslavian sub-culture, although they are subtle enough to be completely missed by a casual listener. With all this, the most fun, dance-able record this year, comes from Perth, Australia.
When Endless Boogie appeared out of nowhere in 2008 borrowing the title of Johnny Lee Hooker’s album from 1971, and retooling the old Captain Beefheart concepts, they were a complete mystery. Very little presence on line, virtually no reviews, the word about the band literally was the word of mouth. In the meantime we found out that their bass player Mark Ohi played with Naked Raygun and that their singer Top Dollar works in New York City as a dealer of used LP records. The grassroots fan-base was waiting for the second album with great suspense. It came this year and it lifts off where the previous album ends. Or maybe the previous album never ended? The endless groove simply spilled over the physical boundary of a CD into the new release. The full on energy is only interrupted with the title Slow Creep that builds up like a foggy night and chills out the spine. Endless Boogie is not only the most fun band in the past five years it is also band with the strongest concept which they stick to without a compromise.
First part of the Green On Red stroy ends on a tour that followed their album Too Much Fun. Dan Stuart couldn’t take the pressure of touring any longer, band split, Dan relocated to Spain where he recorded a masterpiece album Can O’ Warms. Ever since then, all we could hear about Dan were rumors. But in 2005, Dan reunited Green On Red, finished that tour that was abruptly broken, the second Danny and Dusty album followed in 2007. This year Dan seems stronger than ever. This time he joined forces with producer JD Foster (also a former of True Believers) and two Italian musicians Antonio Gramentieri and Diego Sapignoli. The result is a new band called Slummers and another masterpiece album Love of the Amateur. The sounds range from Green On Red ramshackle, slow Americana and most refreshingly glam rock riffage of the first degree. Dan, welcome back!