John Cale: Guts/Caribbean Sunset

John Cale: Guts

1977

Island Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Guts  2. Mary Lou  3. Helen of Troy  4. Pablo Picasso  5. Leaving It Up To You  6. Fear Is A Man's Best Friend  7. Gun  8. Dirty Ass Rock 'n' Roll  9. Heartbreak Hotel


I first became aware of this album a couple decades ago when I was looking at the Island Records sleeve insert included in the "Harder They Come" soundtrack, which I'm certain I went over this before (http://fridaynightrecordparty.blogspot.com/2013/11/jimmy-cliff-harder-they-come-soundtrack.html)... I used to sit in my bedroom and stare endlessly at this colorful, exciting list of Island Records releases and solemnly swore to buy every single record depicted....Particularly exciting was some album by John Cale entitled "Guts" depicting him playing a Flying V while dressed as Jason Vorhees...

Anyway, I kept my eyes peeled for a good twenty years and never encountered a copy until early last year when it practically jumped out of the "New Arrivals" section at Eastside Records and right into my perennially grubby hands...

Turns out this album is a compilation that collects all of the down and dirtiest tracks from John Cale's post-Velvet Underground solo albums from the Island Records era..In reality, John's albums also contained gentle baroque pop and even some country & western touches, but punk was all the rage in '77, so I'm sure this was the record company's not so-so-subtle reminder that John helped invent the genre back in the 60's...And as someone who is naturally inclined towards harrowing rock, this shit is fan-freakin'-tastic...Check out the title of the 8th track: "Dirty Ass Rock 'n' Roll "...That's a pretty apt description of what you're getting...A lot of it has the suave-yet-abrasive feel of  early Roxy Music...There's also a bit of Brian Eno's jerky, experimental pop in its DNA, which makes a lot of sense considering the band line-up consisted largely of Roxy alumni (the musicians credited to this album is pretty staggering...).

Best tracks? "Fear is a Man's Best Friend" is pretty incredible...It starts out as mildly unhinged boogie pop that slowly unravels under the weight of nervous shouting and the most out of control basslines I've ever heard and ...Although best known for his shrieking viola, John's Velvet Underground vocals were always so mannered and composed...As a result, it's super fun to hear him lose his shit here...Who knew that he was such a fine rock n' roll screamer? The campy, staccato melody of "Gun" has also managed to worm its way into my subconscious and I kinda like it there..."When you've begun to...Think-like-a-gunnn..." Super fun stuff...You should also check out his sinister cover of "Hearbreak Hotel" that shines a light on how creepy the lyrics are...

 Yea, so fans of Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, or lovers of dirty ass Rock N' Roll will love the hell out of this...I was expecting so much less for some reason...I think the only other John Cale album I had ever heard prior to this was 1990's "Songs for Drella," which was more in line with what I was expecting...Totally worth the 20 year wait...

Here's "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend"...Enjoy

John Cale: Caribbean Sunset

1984

Mango Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Hungry For Love  2. Experiment Number 1  3. Model Beirut Recital  4. Caribbean Sunset  5. Praetorian Underground  6. Magazines  7. Where There's A Will  8. The Hunt  9. Villa Albani


Shortly after buying (and falling in love with) "Guts" I found this at the same record store and took a momentary glance at the cool dude on the cover: Bitchin' shades,  Cosby Sweater, chillin' on a  beach with his hands behind his head, not a care in the world...I  momentary thought to myself, "Yup, generic yacht rock and/or 80's pop," before noticing the name "John Cale"...What?!?!!

Was this some joke?" To me, when I hear the name John Cale, I expect some nervous energy...Maybe a few dark, urbane observations...Was he really capable of taking the Jimmy Buffet route and writing an album of callow beach-pop called "Caribbean Sunset"? There was no way on Planet Earth that I was not going to buy this album...I had to know...

And I'm here to report that yea, he is fucking with you...Kinda....

It is marginally more accessible than most of the other stuff I've heard, but "Experiment Number 1" and "Praetorian Underground" are hardly "Margaritaville"...I'd describe the bulk of the album as gritty new wave...Opening track "Hungry For Love" recalls both Joy Division, Roxy Music and Talking Heads...The song seems to be aiming for inspiring grandeur but touches like an ominously out of tune piano solo kind of undermine the feel-good spirit, which of course is the entire point...You know John's never going to make things that easy for you...

Who  knows maybe this is John Cale's twisted idea of a pop album...Perhaps he did expect the middle eastern funk of "Model Beirut Recital" to be plastered all over MTV...Although, I'm sure radio programmers probably balked at all the coked-out jabbering, clench-jawed proclamations and shouting...Oh well...

For some reason, this album never even gained the respect of John Cale fans..The general consensus is that its a bit of a mess...Which I can see to some extent. Check out "The Hunt" for a prime example of this: It starts out like its going to be a good-time J Geils band "Freeze Frame" type of thing before the sprightly keyboard figure starts to turn into something closer to the Munsters theme...Then it becomes shouty punk punctuated with primal screams...I don't know though...To me, it sounds great...Tons of energy and intriguing atmosphere...I say give this thing a long overdue CD release, forcing a reassessment of the album...It strikes me as one of those records that would make more sense now than it probably did at the time of release...I hear bands putting out stuff in the vein of "Villa Albani" all the time now...A mysterious, Kraftwek-y type of world music...I think this would go over great now...

Anyway, let's wrap things up...Here's "Praetorian Underground" by John Cale...Enjoy...

The Business: Saturday's Heroes

The Business: Saturday's Heroes

1985

Taang! Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Spanish Jails  2. All Out Tonight (Remix)  3. Never Be Taken  4. Shout It Out  5. Harder Life  6. Frontline  7. Foreign Girl  8. Nothing Can Stop Us  9. Freedom  10. Saturdays Heroes  



"SAT' 'UR 'AY'S!  SAT' 'UR 'AY'S 'EROES!"

Look at that cover photo! They look like perfectly respectable, alligator-logoed, polo-shirt-clad fellows...I bet you'd never guess they were a bunch of  lager-'eaded 'ooligans! Playing burly, mid-tempo oi punk.... 

Keep in mind, I haven't heard every Business album, but I'm probably pretty close at this point...So barring any heretofore unheard-by-me electonica or hip-hop albums, I'm safe to say these guys fall into the ultra-consistent category...The AC/DC of Oi...Whenever I pick up an album by the Business I know it's going to be packed with loud guitars, terrace-ready chants and songs about football and broadly political sloganeering...But this is a good thing! I wouldn't want them to do anything else! They're so good at anthemic punk...I guarantee you'll be shouting along to each and every song on here by the second chorus, even if you've never heard the song before...

Oh yea, I should mention that the track listing on this Taang! version is more mixed up than Hogan's goat...I was a little confused on first listen but it's pretty easy to figure out once you realize the song title of each song is just whatever line they chant for the chorus...

Alright, I don't really feel like discussing the intricacies of some old Business album tonight...I'm ready to drink some Friday juice, so I'm making this extra short today: Title track good, Spanish Jails good, Business rocks, go Tottenham!

Here's "Spanish Jails" by the Biz...Happy Friday!

Burning Spear: Mek We Dweet

 Burning Spear: Mek We Dweet

1990

Island Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Mek We Dweet  2. Civilization  3. Garvey  4. Elephants  5. My Roots  6. Take A Look  7. Great Men  8. One People  9. African Women  10. Mek We Dweet In Dub


I think I've covered my Bud Light & Clamato Chelada addiction (aka: alcoholism) in previous posts...

Couldn't get enough of the damn things...

Anyway, one night I was at the local Pride station (which has the most supernaturally low beer prices I've ever seen...I have no idea how they do it) and ran across these...

Foam Michelada cups! This wasn't the exact brand (the brand I usually  bought  somehow does not exist online...wha?), but the concept was similar...A foam cup filled with spicy powder and a couple of Saladitos (dried, salted plums) that you fill with beer and tomato juice (optional)...And oh my God!!! So great...I never even bothered with the tomato juice...It was so delicious as is...

I spent the last year or so buying them like freakin' crazy!  But then roughly a month ago I went to Pride to pick up my usual $14.99 30-pack of Rolling Rock and Michelada cup, but this time something was wrong!  The rack that was usually filled with Micehlada's wasn't there anymore...Just a shelf with a bunch of crappy wine! What?!

"Are you out of Michelada's?" I asked the girl at the counter.

"Oh, yea...I don't see 'em...We must be out..."

Alright...A minor setback...My weekend would seem a little empty, but no big-ola...I can go back to Bud Light Chelada's for a weekend...But over the following weeks, I kept going back and going back and still...Nothing but crappy wine...

I hate you yellow wine!!!

Out of desperation, I went to every other liquor store I could think of, but to no avail...No place carried the damn things anymore...So I decided to take matters into my own hands...

Well, I had plenty of beer...And Saladitos are no problem to find...Any gas station sells those...

But what was that powder? Chili powder? Cayenne pepper? I wasn't 100% sure, but last weekend I was at Walmart and saw this...

Fruit Seasoning!! One look at it and I could tell it was the seasoning inside the Michelada cup! I opened it up and tasted it right on the spot to be sure (Note: I would have bought it, even if it wasn't, since I did open it...The Friday Night Record Party never condones theft (chops stealing hand off thieving infidel))...And yup! This was it...I bought it along with a bottle of Worcestershire sauce...

I got home, mixed the Saladitos, Fruit Seasoning, Worcestershire and beer together in a big cup and YES! I'm stating this mixture is roughly 90% accurate...I think I know what's missing...I think a bit of lime would put this over the top, so I'll pick up some next time I'm at my local grocers...I'm also missing the Tamarind, which I remember seeing as in the ingredient list on those old foam cups, but what I have is close enough...I've been happily gulping this stuff down by the bucketful  since I first made them...Try it at home sometime if you like, it's delicious as hell...

But I didn't invite you here to swap recipes, I invited you here to talk about some Burning Spear...

Well, I enjoyed "Marcus Garvey" so much I decided to jump ahead 15 years and a dozen albums and get right down to the nitty gritty...1990's "Mek We Dweet"!

Nah, I didn't plan on making this my second Burning Spear album...It was just the only other one I've found so far...I played this over and over, reading and re-reading the album title, trying to figure out what in the hell "Dweet" meant...I've listened to enough Jamaican albums to pick up a bit of patois and could usually decipher any new words that would come up, but this one had me stumped...

Dweet, Dweet, Dweet....

 Turns out I was over-thinking it..."Dweet" is exactly what it sounds like..."Do it"...And "Mek" is "make," and "we" is "us," so I think what's being said is essentially "Make Us Do it"..."Let's Do it"?  "Let's do it for Jah Jah Rastafari"... I dunno...Anyway, for awhile this was a thing keeping me up at night...

Boy, listening to this back to back with "Marcus Garvey" would be jarring if the opening track wasn't so immediately likeable...This album is bright, happy shiny, slightly synthetic  late 80's-early 90's reggae...But it's among some of the best I've heard from that particular subset of reggae...See, if the music seems a bit synthetic it's not a problem because Spear himself brings such deep, rootsiness to it all...

Still, it's the type of album you listen to while lying on a beach while you're drinking a pina colada out of coconut with a little umbrella in it....The title track just makes you so happy to be alive... Winston's semi-toasting style fits this sunny style to a tee..."Mek we dweet, make me dweet...." Great shit if you any love whatsoever for 80's reggae (yes, I'm aware this came out in 1990, but it sounds very 80s')...

Then the second track, "Civilization" storms in with pop metal guitar riffing and I had to make sure someone didn't replace my Burning Spear record with a Winger record...But it turns out it's just a bit of set dressing and the light reggae starts up again...

I'll give you three guesses as to who the third track (titled "Garvey") is about...

 Ding! Ding! You guessed correctly...Again, Burning Spear is at his/their best when singabout Marcus Garvey, so I'm not going to complain...If it ain't broke don't fix it, I guess...

All in all, I'm pretty happy with this album..Could have been worse...I think even if you have a deep hatred for 80's production you might be able to dig the title track at least...It's hard to hate on something so positive, even if its never going to be in the same ballpark as his classic "Marcus Garvey" album...

Here's "Mek We Dweet" by Burning Spear...Enjoy..

Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey

Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey

1975

Total Sounds Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Marcus Garvey  2. Slavery Days  3. The Invasion  4. Live Good  5. Give Me  6. Old Marcus Garvey 7. Tradition  8. Jordan River  9. Red, Gold & Green


This album always seems to be a fixture on everybody's list of "greatest reggae albums of all time" but I had never really gotten around to hearing the whole thing. Just a few listens to the title track on ye olde Limewire and youtube (is that the RIAA I hear knocking?)...

Given the amount of Jamaican music I consume, its absence from my record shelf seemed somewhat odd...Anyway, I rectified that oversight about a year ago when I found a used copy...To be honest, even if I was utterly unaware of its reputation, I probably would have been so enticed by the shiny silver cover and stately drawing of Marcus Garvey that I would have bought it anyway...That pic of Garvey is incredible...It looks like it should be on a dollar bill or something...

 

And man, are people right...This is an excellent album...Deep, deep roots reggae...Thick, spare and hazy with heavy political lyrics...Although the thickness, spareness, and haziness may vary based on the version you buy...The common Island records version was remixed and cleaned up...I don't have that particular version, but I have listened to it online and it is indeed clearer and punchier, which may enhance or detract from your enjoyment based on your tolerance for murkiness...See, I love the stormy feel of the original mix so I'm glad I have the version I have (minus the mis-drilled hole which is basically a given when you purchase Jamaican vinyl)...

 Singer Winston Rodney (who I believe was originally just a member of the band Burning Spear but eventually started referring to himself as Burning Spear) kinda reminds me of a chantier version of  Culture's Joseph Hill (although I should point out that Burning Spear predates Culture)...Often finding that sweet middle ground between singing and toasting...

 The best tracks are any one that has "Marcus Garvey" in the title (by my count, Burning Spear has written around a dozen songs about Mr. Garvey)...The title track (just plain ol' "Marcus Garvey") is one of the defining moments in reggae history...Did roots ever sound deeper? Did a reggae performance ever sound more righteous?  Although "Slavery Days" is just as potent...The lyrics are incredibly brutal and to the point:

"Do you remember the days of slavery?

And how they beat us,
And how they worked us so hard,
And they used us,
'Til they refuse us..."

So yea, if you're drawn to reggae for the good vibes and "one love" mentality this album might be a hard pill to swallow at times...But y'know what? People should swallow some hard pills every once in awhile...And without a glass of water to wash it down...

 Just a big, dry pill...Swallow it, baby!

So yea, total classic...I'll throw it in the top-whatever reggae albums of all-time...Nary a Friday Night has gone by where I haven't spun at least one track from this album, so that's got to count for something...

Here's "Marcus Garvey" by Burning Spear (Island mix...I can't find the Jamaican mix on youtube and I don't feel like converting the vinyl...I have things to do...TV to watch...)...Enjoy...

Bram Tchaikovsky: Sarah Smiles

Bram Tchaikovsky: Sarah Smiles

1978

Criminal Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Sarah Smiles  2. Turn on the Light  3.Bloodline


This is Bram's earliest solo recording, done while he was still in the Motors.  Theoretically, I should have covered this one earlier, but I just bought it last weekend and my time machines in the shop, so here we go...

I was digging through the used record bins at Eastside and saw a Bram Tchaikovsky album I didn't own and was like, "Fuck yea!" However, I took a quick look at the cover and noticed that I already had all of these songs on "Strange Man, Changed Man..." As a result, I was this close to passing this one up.   But then I noticed the album was credited to "Bram Tchaikovsky's Battle Axe" which was such an overly bad-ass title for such a harmony-rich power-pop band that I was immediately sold...

And I'm glad I took the plunge on this...These are completely different recordings...More scrappy, spare and energetic than the versions on "Strange Man..." Although I always liked "Sarah Smiles," the song never fully popped for me until I heard this 12" version...My god, those harmonies jump right out of the speakers...The version of "Bloodlines" on here similarly tops the later re-recording...

"Turn On the Light" is neither an improvement or a disappointment...This type of throwback rockabilly rave-up is impervious to any and all recording approach....

Energetic enough for when you're in the mood for punk, fizzy enough for when you have a sweet tooth for pop and rootsy enough for when you're in a pub rock frame of mind...Good stuff all around...Pick it up, even if you have "Strange Man..."....

Here's "Sarah Smiles" by Bram Tchaikovsky...Enjoy...

Bram Tchaikovsky: Funland

Bram Tchaikovsky: Funland

1981

Arista Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Stand and Deliver  2.Shall We Dance?  3. Heart of Stone  4. Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache  5. Model Girl  6. Why Does Mother 'Phone Me?  7.   Used To Be My Used To Be  8. Soul Surrender  9. Together My Love  10. Miracle Cure  11. Egyptian Mummies


A sliiiight drop-off from the previous two albums, but still pretty damn stellar..I think the loss of Micky Broadbent and his ultra-slick harmonies might have impacted the band a little, but it's not a killer blow when you have Bram supplying his own back-up harmonies...

You can also hear a bit of softness slip in,with some blue eyed soul touches on "Together My Love" and "Soul Surrender" but mostly it's all hook-laden power-pop...Anyone who loved the first two albums would love this too..And a couple of my favorite Bram tracks appear here: Namely, "Stand and Deliver" which is just a perfectly crafted piece of understated pop...It escaped my attention the first time, but every subsequent play reveals a different facet of the hook catches my ear...

My other favorite is the completely bonkers "Why Does Mother 'Phone Me?" Built around a muted guitar riff and a pathetic-sounding Bram bemoaning the fact that his Mother calls just to remind him that she doesn't like him...He also wonders why he's the only happy person in the world and when it finally gets around to a triumphant mariachi trumpet solo you just can't help but marvel at what you're hearing...Do not miss this...

 There's plenty of other highlights too...Like the light and rootsy "Used To Be My Used To Be" which reminds me of "Cowboy Outfit"-era Nick Lowe (which is always a good thing)...When I initially heard the verses of  "Model Girl" I thought it was going to be a bum track. It kinda reminded me of a bizarre, stiff hybrid of "Baba O'Reilly" & "Addicted to Love" (although it predates the latter by many years) but suddenly the catchiest chorus ever starts pumping out of my speakers and I'm left with no choice but to declare it an album highlight...

Unfortunately, this was Bram's final album to date...He just stopped making records as far as I can tell (outside of Saxon's "Solid Ball of Rock" which I think I've covered in another post), which is the biggest damn shame I can possibly think of. How many more killer chorus could this guy have come up with?! I directly blame the record-buying audience of 1981 that decided to put Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" at the top of the charts instead of Bram Tchaikovsky who wrote some of the greatest, catchiest tracks ever committed to tape...And to add insult to injury, "Funland" was never even issued on Compact Disc...What?!?! Luckily, I don't think it's too difficult to find a copy on vinyl...I managed to find one, anyway...And I recommend you do too, although you might want to start with the first two albums, but if this is all you can find, this one's almost as good...

Here's "Stand and Deliver" by Bram Tchaikovsky...Happy Frizzledicks!

Bram Tchaikovsky: Pressure

Bram Tchaikovsky: Pressure

1980

Polydor Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Let's Dance  2. Heartache  3. Letter From The USA  4. Can't Give You Reasons  5. Pressure  6. The Russians Are Coming  7. Hollywood Nightmare  8. Missfortune  9. Jeux Sans Frontieres (Game With No Rules)  10. Mister President  11. New York Paranoia


 Alright! Some more Bram Tchaikovsky...I did a post on his first album awhile back, which you can read here: http://fridaynightrecordparty.blogspot.com/2014/02/bram-tchaikovsky-strange-man-changed-man.html  

 "Pressure" is the U.S.version of Bram's second album, "The Russians Are Coming"...The title of the UK version is muuuuuch cooler, however, I have to give the edge to the US cover art, which continues the Russian Propaganda art theme, but does it with an attractive deep red. Much more striking than the British version which resembles the first album's color scheme a little too closely...

I've seen copies of the UK version at my local record store and the first couple of times it just scanned in my mind as the first album...Then I was confused when I turned it over and discovered it had the same songs as "Pressure" except they were just out of order.  I actually don't really see the point in this shuffled track list, since this record is so consistent...Probably even more so than their first album, however there's not really a song on "Pressure" that tops "Girl of My Dreams," or "Strange Man, Changed Man"...But I don't view that as a real drawback when there's stuff like "Jeux Sans Frontieres (Game With No Rules)" and "Can't Give You Reasons" on here...Power pop fans will lose their shit when they lay their ears on these songs...So much chime and jangle topped with liquid chrome harmonies...

Come to think of it, barring "Hollywood Nightmare," the singing isn't quite as jagged as on the previous album...The harmonies are extra smooth and blend together seamlessly this time...That's probably the reason this album is usually seen as the slightly weaker follow-up to "Strange Man..." It doesn't quite have the same raw excitement that album had...Again, not a big problem for me...A degree of slickness is practically a given in this genre...

Trust me, if you like guitars and harmonies, you're gonna need this record...Sure, not every track is a hit single, I could probably live without the trudging "Mister President" and the tracks where they dabble in old-timey rock n' roll are a bit weaker...But then you run across the perfect pop of "Let's Dance" or the positively epic "The Russians Are Coming" and you have no choice but to kick yourself for not hearing them sooner...Bram's CD catalog is woefully out of print, but you can still find this on vinyl for a pretty reasonable price, so I say comb the used bins and pick up both this and "Strange Man..." for a great pop-rock double-feature for your Friday night record party...

Here's "Can't Give You Reasons" by Bram Tchaikovsky...Enjoy...

Bouncing Souls: Anchors Aweigh

Bouncing Souls: Anchors Aweigh

2003

Epitaph Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Apartment 5F  2. Kids and Heroes 3. New Day  4. Sing Along Forever  5. Born Free   6. Inside Out  7. Simple Man  8. Better Days  9. Night Train  10. Todd's Song  11. Blind Date  12. Highway Kings  13. Anchors Aweigh  14. I Get Lost  15. The Day I Turned My Back On You  16. I'm from There


I was very interested to hear this again...I think this was really the album responsible for getting me out of the Bouncing Souls. Which was quite an achievement, given the endless hours  I'd spent listening to their run of albums up to "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"... I've done previous posts about many of those albums and I think that I briefly touched on my "bleh" feelings toward "Achors Aweigh.".

But I don't blame the band...Again, I think I touched on this subject in my post for the self-titled Blink 182 album, but I kinda categorize this whole era of music as the "bleh" period where most music felt overly morose or hollowly uplifting...9/11 was still a very raw wound back then and a good-time party band like the Bouncing Souls were going to sound like boneheads if they put out an album bragging about wearing Adidas as the world was falling apart around them...Plus, they're human beings too, as far as I know...I'm sure bragging about wearing Adidas was the last thing on their minds during this time too...As I recall, most folks were still paralyzed by fear in 2003...

"Anchors Aweigh" almost pulls it off though...It's a mix of some of my favorite and some of my least favorite Bouncing Souls stuff...I'll start with the least favorite stuff first, so I can end this on a positive note: Songs like "New Day" and "Born Free" sound like your typical Bouncing Souls fist-pumpers but somehow come off as empty...And "Sing Along Forever" urges us to sing along, but to what exactly? The melody is just...bleh......Compare this to "87" or "Kid"...Now those were proper sing-a-longs...They had gusto...spirit...This just sounds like a rousing shrug...Then there's a series of bleak, ugly hardcore-ish tracks like "Inside Out," "Blind Date" and "Better Days" which also don't do much for me...

But just when you're ready to give up on the whole thing,  the second half of the record shocks the hell out of you by being absolutely full of awesomeness...Some of the best tracks show the Bouncing Souls were surprisingly adept at emo..."Night Train," "Todd's Song" and the title track have tons of autumnal atmosphere and towering instrumentation...Big, heartfelt sing-a-longs that give the impression that if the band had dropped the hardcore and all the hollow-anthems-striving-for-universality and  made a mellow, more introspective album they might have had a real-deal homerun here...My God, is the title track stunning...Suddenly they achieve that moody,  moonlit feel of the front cover...Probably my all-time favorite Bouncing Souls song...My other favorite track is "The Day I Turned My Back On You" which is no-bullshit punk where they finally summon up some of that old fighting spirit, but take it so much further with a bit of hard-won wisdom..."I Get Lost " is another anthem that would stand shoulder to shoulder with anything on their previous albums... The "Whoa-oh-oh's" at the end of "Highway Kings" also deserve a shout-out for sheer transcendence...

So in the end what we have is a rare example of that elusive creature, the back-loaded album...It's a huge chore for me to get through the first half and the second half makes me wish it wouldn't end (despite the false ending after the knockout "I'm from There")...I'm glad I revisited this, although it's still a little odd to hear a Bouncing Souls album that's no fun whatsoever...But if you can stomach the idea of a more mature Bouncing Souls, then go for it...I still haven't listened to a single Bouncing Souls album that came out after this one...Still taking recommendations...

.

Ken Boothe: A Man and His Hits

Ken Boothe: A Man and His Hits

197?

Studio One Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Thinking  2. Tomorrow  3. Live Good  4. You're On My Mind  5. Moving Away  6. Without Love  7. The Train Is Coming  8. Danger Zone  9. Oh Babe  10. Lonely Tear Drops  11. Crying Over You  12. Give Me The Right


I don't really know all the details  about this release... I can't really find much info online because apparently there was a more widely-released CD issued in the 90's with the exact same title, but totally different tracklisting...

...But after buying the "Mr. Rocksteady" album I was aching to hear some different Ken Boothe stuff .I eventually found a copy of some album called "A Man and His Hits" that had a pink and maroon cover that I can only describe as both hideous and beautiful...

All I know about it is that it came out sometime in the 70's (I see 1970, 1972 and 1974 pop up as release dates on various websites) and that it's packed with 60's Ken Boothe Studio One goodness...Lots of uplifting, midtempo chunk-chunk-chunk...Plus, there's only one overlapping track with the "Mr., Rock Steady" album (Give Me The Right), so score for me!

 I guess the big highpoint here would probably be "The Train Is Coming" which is notable for featuring an early appearance by the soon-to-be-legendary Bob Marley and the Wailers...And it's a good one!  Choogling forward, locomotive-like, with train-whistle backing vocals...The "I say the train is coming baby, I say the train is coming now..."  mantra eventually taking up permanent residence in your brain and I haven't been able to stop singing it since...It's so much fun to endlessly repeat it in that deep breathy voice...Try it sometime...You'll feel a lot better...

 Other favorite moments: That chirpy organ-line on "Live Good." I also love "Danger Zone" which is such a strong,  authentic soul track that I can't believe it's not a cover...If I'm not mistaken, I think this was originally the B-Side of the "Train in Coming" single, which must have been one fuck of an amazing 7-inch...Huh, looking it up on youtube, apparently he did a remake of this with Shaggy...Remind me to never hear this version...Before Shaggy, Ken did a pretty cool duet with Delroy Wilson, where they do a skanking version of an old Fats Domino song ("Oh Babe"), which is included here...

Fats Domino was cool! And fat! A pretty formidable combination if you ask me! We'll be getting to the Fats Domino section in about oh one billion years based on my current rate of two posts a week (while buying approximately 5 records a week)...I was thinking of doing a catch-up week where I just do a ton of short succinct, one-paragraph reviews for a couple weeks to get through some of the backlog...Just cut down all the screwing around and bust through, like, 50 albums..Maybe covering 10 albums in a single post....I can't tell if that sounds like an exciting experiment or sheer laziness...Also I kinda think that all the screwing around is what makes this challenge of listening to all my records in a row and writing about every single one so much fun for me...I'm still undecided....

Wait, what was I talking about?

 Oh yea, being fat...Del Taco is good...I don't know where else you can get tacos and crinkle-cut fries in the same value meal...But wait, wasn't I talking about something else earlier?

That's right...Ken Boothe! Now that I think about the release date of this, I think I have to put it at 1974 or later, based on the inclusion of "Crying Over You," a gentle love song that was a smashola for Mr. Boothe in '74...So, there...We accomplished something here today...We disproved two out of three common release dates that are often given online...Or that I'm 100% wrong...Either way, let's crack a beer and  listen to some music...

Here's "Train is Coming" by Ken Boothe...Enjoy...

Ken Boothe: Mr. Rock Steady

Ken Boothe: Mr. Rock Steady

1967

Studio One Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Puppet On A String  2. I Don't Want To See You Cry  3. Don't Cry Little Girl  4. Let The Water Dry.  5. My Heart Is Gone  6. When I Fall In Love  7. The Girl I Left Behind.  8. Home, Home, Home  9. This Is Rock Steady.  10. Give Me Back My Heart  11. Mustang Sally  12. Give Me The Right.  13. Run Coming Back.  14. Artibella.



Welcome to the Secret Society of the Record Party....

Only a handful of people know of its existence, while the population at large remains willfully ignorant  of our machinations (callously ignoring our facebook invites)....To gain entrance, you must perform the secret handshake...\

(slips chocolate coin into handshake)

You're just in time for our Sunday fish fry and human sacrifice...But first we must review the sacred text...

 Yes! It's Mr. Rocksteady himself, Ken MF-ing Boothe! A wonder of steady, mid-tempo Jamaican soul sweetened with that smooth voice Ken utilized early in his career...Folks who stumble upon this via the reggae route may be a bit put off by the vocal-centric approach, since its recorded and presented like old soul or doo wop. (vocals often way out front...Less of an emphasis on instrumental groove, although the groove is nice too) ...Your grandparents would probably be more comfortable with Ken Boothe than say, Lee Perry...Take a listen to "Give Me the Right" or "Give Me Back My Heart" for an example of the often pronounced doo-wop vibe...

Just about every song on Ken's debut full-length (he had a mighty run of singles prior to this) is pure classic Studio One.  Hell, "This is Rock Steady" pretty much helped to define the era, although I can imagine any one of these tracks burning up the Jamaican charts...The only song that doesn't do a lot for me is his take on "Mustang Sally" which sounds awfully mild compared to Wilson Pickett's sweaty, superior version...He sounds much more natural with cooler, more laid-back standards-type material (See his haunting, spooky take on oldie "When I Fall in Love")...

One thing I've noticed in my time buying Jamaican records is that its not uncommon for them to contain unlisted bonus tracks...The back cover (and the front cover, now that I look at it again)  only lists 12 tracks but there are actually 14....Which is great, since "Run Coming Back" (their spelling, not mine) is probably the best track on the album...That bass is just about the deepest thing I've ever heard...It practically shakes the entire apartment building whenever I play it (which may be why my neighbors openly curse the day I was born)...The other bonus track is another scorcher..."Artibella" which was also an important track in Boothe's discography...So if you see this record in a used bin, take it out and count the grooves...You're going to want this particular pressing...

"Mr. Rock Steady" is a fine place to start if you're looking to getting deeper into the roots of reggae...And its very diverse...The most common complaint I hear about the genre is the sameyness...No such problem here...

Oh yea, wasn't I doing some Secret Society gimmick today?

Well, here's a top-secret coded message for members of the Secret Society of the Record Party:

D X R X I X N X K  M X O X R X E  BX E X E X R !!!

The first person that wins it gets...oh, I dunno... Five Hundred Friday Night Record Party Bucks...

Which buys up to .05 seconds of false hope when you give them to the wino on the corner (until he figures out it's not real money)...

Alright, enough of this tomfoolery...Here's "Run Coming Back" by Ken Boothe...Enjoy...