Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance - Brother Can You Spare A Dime? / Ain't No Lady 7" (1975)

We are in April 1975 and the situation becomes dramatic for Ronnie Lane. His burlesque and circus-like tour with Slim Chance has been a financial disaster, his last album (called Slim Chance and released in January, not really satisfying musically) failed to sell as failed his previous single "What Went Down". So here he tried a cover of a very old song composed and played during the Great US depression (in 1931) and featuring in the play called New Americana. The idea was not really a good one when one remember 1975 was this awful year every band wanted to sound soul and funky (and actually didn't sound either). Maybe the SAHB success and their inclination toward revival of old songs could have helped (the Kinks beginning their rock turn) but the modest and roots approach of Ronnie Lane would have been more appropriate in the US where Randy Newman and Nillson could do that with some success. So here is another failed attempt. Not a gem but a nice version that was not included on any LP, contrary to "Ain't No Lady", the B-side (rather weak this one, sounding quite like the Mungo Jerry) which was on the Slim Chance album. Enjoy it here. Once again, since the 7" had no cover, I did one with a picture taken at the time of the Great Depression and that I think fits Lane's universe.



Lyrics. They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob, When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job. They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead, Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread? Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time. Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime? Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime; Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime? Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell, Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum, Half a million boots went slogging through Hell, And I was the kid with the drum! Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time. Why don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime? Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell, Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum, Half a million boots went slogging through Hell, And I was the kid with the drum! Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time. Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Kim Fowley & Snow Mercy - Live In Overdrive (2012)

Recorded on the stage of the Skinnys Noho on last April 3rd, it was said that "the audience beheld a "Giant Baby Doll" version of Bettie Page interacting with a "Nuclear Frankenstein" backed by a surf garage band version of The Doors featuring Mike Wolf, Cosmo Topper & Steve Darrow". Actually, it seems pure impro based on "Gloria"'s and "Wild Thing"'s riffs played approximately and on which, during never more than 1 min 1/2, Kim and his "dame" talk about naughty things. Not one of the best thing to hear at home that has been done by the great man but after all, the important is to participate. It's short and simple and shows the man has decided to fill the year with (virtual) albums. He can go on, I love it. Hope an LP with jfg (he played last month with him in Bordeaux and in Nantes, you can listen to his solo and band stuff here) will be released this year, sure it would be one of 2012's highlight. Meanwhile, listen here to this piece of experimental 60's garage by mister Kim and miss Mercy. And then, as usual, go to buy it here or there. Kim needs it. You would be naughty not to do it (except if you don't have the money for).

Family - Complete BBC Sessions (1968-73)

Some years ago, sessions (live or in studio) recorded by Family during their "career" were at last issued in 3 volumes (1968-69, 1970 and 1971-73). Quite expensive and a little arbitrarily released in 3 different CDs, it was a fine way to listen to the entirety of what the band has done for this radio. Rather uneven, there are some gems that deserved to be available. Another strange point one of this CD (the 1971-73) has been rather hard to find lately. Of course the band changed so much during these 5 years that it's a travel across styles. Here all these recordings are gathered in 3 volumes too (mf doesn't allow me to dl them in one file only). The last one must be read by VLC (ogg format). So find part 1 (1968-69) here, part 2 (1970) here and part 3 (1971-73) there.

Emily Wells - Passenger / Let Your Guard Down 7" (2012)

I'm really in love with the last Emily Wells LP called Mama. I don't really dig her previous works (the last LP was released in 2008 I think) but this later one is totally thrilling, stunning, moving. And among the 10 songs, "Passenger", the first single will be without a doubt one of my fave song of the year. I don't stop listening to it and each time I shiver like a young teenager although I'm not one for a long long time now (but in my inner self, I can't really say I'm feeling so far from my teen years). Somewhere between Bolan, Kate Bush and Danielle Dax (personal choice of influences, maybe I'm wrong but I hear them in her), but with a lo-fi and experimental approaches that none of these brilliant masters adopted, she shows that all the female singer-songwriters are not naive muppets playing the romantic, evanescent and sexy (and silly) creatures. She would deserve to have the same success than Lana Del Rey (and I rather appreciate Miss Rey) but sure she doesn't fit in the mainstream instrumental codes to reach such a notoriety. I post this single (with a do-it-myself cover sleeve taken from the first picture of her clip), only a virtual one I think, to which I added a B-side with one of the other highlights of her LP, the wonderful "Let Your Guard Down". If you don't fall for these, it's quite desperating. Hope I won't be forced to remove the link. I'm sure that I help her in posting  this here but I know many don't agree.

Law of the Tongue - s/t (2012)

Is there a special climate in Australia that make sludge bands the best of the world these days? I dunno but after Iron Worzel here's another one (from Canberra). Rather different, much more Black Sabbath-influenced, but the voice is guttural as could be a real bear singing. Once again, Acid Bath is floating around like a sonor ghost. Another reference is Yob, but since they are more than ever Sabbath sons, the circle is closed. It's full of Iommi's riffs but tightly stuck and sent in our face like a gun its bullet. Never boring although a little bit repetitive on the lenght, it's a fantastic piece of metal shit you can't miss if you want to say that you've heard the best of the year. Strange as it is never really heavy in the bad meaning of the term. There's something dancing in the way they play it. A band to follow, encourage and support. You can dl freely their LP here or if you want there.

Patto - Live In Concert (1971)

This recording could have been included in the BBC sessions (here) but it's quality is incredibly superior and moreover I only found it recently on the Flawed Gems reissue of the great Roll'em Smoke 'em LP (there for the original LP setlist and album). "The Man" is missing but I prefer not to add the low quality I have (and included in BBC sessions). So here we have the band at their debuts (they had only their first self-titled LP out) and sounding as a raw-jazz version of Family. The complexity of their melody lines is still really fascinating today and leaves them unaltered by the decades (just listen to "Sittin' Back Easy" below, you'll hear Steely Dan and Prefab Sprout's foundations). Some may be a little bored by the jazz guitar solo parts from Ollie Halsall (and I am) but all in all, it's still a wonderful testimony of how great could be prog-jazz UK rock at this period. Enjoy it here. I promise the sound quality is stunning. And there are 2 songs never put on studio LPs. The cover sleeve was done (by me with drawings from Phyllis Bramson, a site here)

Iron Worzel - s/t (2012)

This late weeks I begun to be quite desillusioned with what I heard in the doom-sludge-stoner style. Too much of similar gimmicks, not much credibility. But suddenly, Iron Worzel filled my room and it was clear there was something special coming here. The brutality of this band is totally stunning. It's sludge at its best. Imagine the best of EyeHateGod and UpsideDownCross with a bit of Acid Bath and even Brutal Truth or Obituary and you got the incredible sonor tempest that will drown your bitter suicidal mind better than any Mort Brutale and any other strong stuff made to stone you and get you out of this mess. What's incredible is that it's only a demo, free to dl (here) and without even a cover sleeve (usually, even for demos, bands try to propose a visual for a possible hard version of their virtual version). So I did one (sorry for the band if they don't like it) with a painting/picture I find absolutely fantastic and done by the great Ivan Sloyaev (here). I find it fits well with the music. This band deserves to find a label releasing this 6-track set fast that we can have a CD or vinyl version. One of the most ear-destructive band of the year. Enjoy it here.



Latest tracks by Iron Worzel

Ronnie Lane - What Went Wrong (That Night With You) / Lovely 7" (1975)

This 4th single didn't do better than the previous one in the charts. Strangely, both songs (the B-side is called "Lovely") are not on the LP that was released in the same period (and called Slim Chance), showing that Ronnie was not short of ideas when it came to songwriting. Both are really good and it's a shame nobody seemed to notice at the time. Both are of course very influenced by Georges Harrison but Ronnie Lane's personnality was now quite enough installed to be a style in his own. Although the name of the band was the same, the crew was totally different with Steve Simpson on guitar, mandolin, violin, keyboards, harmonica, Ruan O'Lochlainn on organ, piano, saxophone, Charlie Hart on violin, keyboards, piano, accordion, Brian Belshaw on bass, Glen LeFleur on drums and Jim Frank on drums (but it is written Colin Davey and Steve Simpson on the Ain't No One Like Ronnie Lane compilation for the credits of this session so I'm not sure). The important is that these songs on this underrated and forgotten single can be listened to 35 years later with the same pleasure. Since there was no cover sleeve, I did one the best I could. Enjoy it here.

Al Kooper - Easy Does It (1970)

Released in September 1970, this double vinyl LP is again a great underrated one from Al Kooper, the first of a long series of albums on which time finally does no harm (it's also the case with Leon Russell, Dr John, Todd Rundgren or Randy Newman). A wide variety of styles are treated but there's something special in Al (the mark of great musicians) that makes the whole homogeneous and consistent. Strangely the album is cut in its middle. The 8 first and the 13rd and 14th songs are recorded with the same musicians (Stu Woods, Rick Marotta and David Bromberg), when from the 9th to the 12th (and on the 15th) you have various backing musicians. It would have been a better idea to put all the songs recorded with different musicians on the same side but it was not Al's choice. There are several gems in this set but I leave you to choose which ones. Note an incredible version of "Baby Please Don't Go" totally forgotten by completists who cite the covers of this song. A shame. Enjoy all this here.

Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance - Roll On Babe / Anymore for anymore (1974)

Some months after the half-succesful "The Poacher", another single is issued from the album Anymore for Anymore, and this one will fail miserably, signing the end of the Pandora's box in which hope is kept deep inside. Sad since once again it's a delicious couple of songs. "Roll on Babe" was written and sung by an American folk singer called Derrold Adams (in the 60's) and was covered some years ago by a band called Vetiver (apparently pals of Devendra Banhart) in a version that honestly is nothing else than a pure (and boring) plagiarism of the Ronnie Lane version. The B-side is (strangely) the song title of the eponymous album and a very good one too. Of course, it's mainly a George-Harrison-goes-accoustic approach of music but who cares if it's played and sung with such elegance, emotion and beauty. Enjoy it here.

Rituals - s/t (2012)

If, like me you're in the Skullflower era Orange Canyon Mind, your mind will be blown by the first track of this LP ("Cognitive Dissonance"). It's one of the most breathtaking thing I heard for quite a long time. Afterwards, the post-rock à-la Isis dimension is more pregnant but the wilderness of what's played (à-la Neurosis) avoids any rubbishness so frequent in this music style (but now frequent in most of what I listen to, whatever the school the newcomers adhere to). If you are users of this blog, you won't be surprised by my choice, cos' you got here what I love in this mix of extreme sludge-doom-noise I consider the only music providing a credible sound equivalent to our times. All else honestly seems to me rather out of subject (I'm half a century old but don't want to listen to recycle music and needs relevant music as I wanted it when I was 13 and listened to Black Sabbath or Procol Harum). Except some melancholic singers who explore their innerself with all the deadly content (from Melanie to Lana Del Rey). But here we have the soundtrack of our purulent times. There's something of a tribal approach (I'd said Indian, the civilisation and the band) in the drum beat that makes it sound all the more wild and non-WASP. Sometimes it's strangely very very calm and beautiful (the bridge on the end of "Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy", whatever Takotsubo may mean, or the first part of "It Was All Very Sudden").If you miss it, it's a real waste. Enjoy it here. And then go there to support them the best you can (they're from Washington DC). After Vestiges (here) and Alda (there), Replenish records show they are one of the best label of the times.

Patto - Roll' Em Smoke' Em Put Another Line Out (1972)

I repost this album cos' today I found it (at last) in a CD version. It's true that it seems less difficult to find it than it used to when I posted it first. But the important is that you can have it in good quality enough, so now it's in 320 kb taken from the CD. Enjoy it here Here what I wrote about in in December 2010 when I posted it the first time. And I think it's a much better album that I wrote, my fave from this incredibly orginal and innovative band actually. "This is the 3rd album by Patto, a band that should have deserved much more recognition that he got, and, for a reason I ignore, this album is not available in CD format for decades. You can find it at quite high price on some e.record sellers but any official reissue seems to have been ignored. It's true that it was considered a deception after the first two LPs (the self-called Patto and Hold Your Fire) but it's only because it's a strangely heteroclite album with so much genres in it that most were lost in a time where all bands had to install a very narrow universe to be popular. Not Patto, sometimes sounding like Joe Cocker, sometimes like a pre-SAHB, sometimes like the Beatles going funky, sometimes like Third World War, sometimes like the Kinks (actually Ray Davies borrowed a lot of things from this album to create his Preservation suite eg. the vocals on "Cap'n 'P' And the Attos"). All in all, today, this album can be considered as a great lost gem. I remind that the band was also known for an incredible guitarist called Ollie Halsall, who collaborated with Kevin Ayers all his career (he died in 1992), will be briefly in the band Tempest, and will rejoin again Mike Patto for the deceiving Boxer experience. Since I got neither the vinyl, neither the CD, I took this rip from a blog sometimes ago (forgot which one) and I regret that the quality is quite low (128 kb) but I got no better. It's enough to appreciate this great piece of music I think". I add that "Mummy" is surely the most disturbing thing i ever heard on a rock LP (the description of an incestuous relation).

Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance - The Poacher / (Bye and Bye) Gonna See The Kings 7" (1974)

In May 1974, a second single from Ronnie Lane and his band Slim Chance (in which Gallagher & Lyle had been replaced after they went to form an eponymous duo) is issued. A-side is one of the most delicate and elegant pop song ever released, but unfortunately it will fail to reach summons in the charts for a reason I ignore. Lyrics may seem old-hippie style (but Ray Davies' were not different at the time) but what remains is this extraordinary clarinet (English call it French clarinet), this subtile violin subtitles and this aerial melody. The kind of aeternal pop sweety tune that will put some joy in future generations minds as it was able to do when it was released, and as it is still able to in mine tonight. And there's a lot to do in the shitty state of mind I'm in. Enjoy it here (hoping that it'll not be removed too fast by our vigilant PPP ( protectors of private property)). It's in flac for a better sound quality. I won't put it in this format everytime but for singles I'll sometimes try. Below an interesting document from the Melody Maker, one MM file about Slim Chance published between the single and the album. PS. Since the single had no cover sleeve, I did one with the superb picture from the Anymore For Anymore LP from which both sides of the singles were taken. 

Ice Dragon - Tome of the Future Ancients (2012)

Surely one of the most impressive album I'll listen to over the year. Not without weak moments, not without technical approximations in the production and playing, but creating a really deleterious atmosphere all the way long. Imagine this album is about 73 min long (finally a double vinyl album) and keeps all along the way a doom path based upon Black Sabbath with a kind of Electric Wizard treatment, but with a much more artisan approach, I would even say lo-fi, far from metal actually and its obsession of efficiency, grandeur, pomposity, technicity. In other ways, I totally adhere to this kind of project. If you're in 70's old shit and you come on this site to catch some, please be curious enough to listen to this gem, I'm sure you won't regret it. And then go here to buy it please. Before, enjoy it here. 

Ronnie Lane - How Come / Tell Everyone / Done This One Before 7" (1973)

After leaving the Faces, Ronnie Lane formed a band called Slim Chance (maybe the chance he thought he had to have success) and released this first 3 song single that was actually quite successful, staying 3 weeks between the 11th and 12th position in the charts. When I feel the world is really too thick and vulgar, I often listen to Ronnie Lane, one or the most delicate singer songwriter of history. His style may seem a little soft and naive and too much Harrison-influenced, but actually you got here the germs of the Jacobites, the Waterboys, Tom Petty and so much more. Times being quite rough in France these days with the fascist party reaching more than 30% of votes in some parts of the country, I needed Ronnie Lane gentle and nice approach of music to cure my head from this shit (and shit is much more sane than these sub-human brains). The first post about the singles he released during his brief period with this band. To note that the files are in flac. I don't change them in mp3 cause the quality is too much deteriorated afterwards. You just have to have VLC to listen to them. Enjoy it here. Note that "Done This One Before" has been covered by ex-Acid Bath Dax Riggs.

Romero - Cough Lock 7" (2012)

I was sure I would find the music I needed tonight to consolate me from the load of bastards that live in my country and where 1 from 5 votes for a xenophobic and sub-nazi party (it was election day today, I loathe this stupid ritual but for once, I participated to it but it's again a disaster). So Romero does perfectly the game with this fantastic new single. I posted their previous one here and this one is again a gem. Actually, what I love with this band is that you never know what's coming next. They are quite unpredictable, sometimes Melvinians, sometimes Sleepians, sometimes Kyussians, always good, never in the pale copy. This single is free to dl so don't hesitate to ask it here or take it there directly.

Kim Fowley & Burning Bones - Grease (2012)

Here what Kim Fowley wrote about this album last January "Check out Burning Bones...I'm their lead singer. They are all burn victims that I met in the hospital when I was doing rehab from Bladder Cancer Surgery. We are the ugliest band in Rock N' Roll. We can never play live because 2 guys died since the session, & the other ones are still doing the "skin graft boogie" Pain is the secret element in Rock N' Roll :) ♥". Can't say whether this is the fucking truth or one of this legendary way to rewrite reality that Kim is so good at but what I know is that this 3rd offer from the man in 2012 is another winner, a Kim-Fowley-goes-voodoo-blues that nobody should overlook. There are some immortal gems in this album and more good songs in it than in any of the so-called masterpieces of boring singer-songwriters that the music industry defecates on us all the year long. If I post it, it's not for you to steal money from Kim who needs it to survive but because you'll be able to be sure that it's for you. So take it here, and then go and buy it here or there. And go to hell with your Tom Waits, hear the real shit, not arty one dressed in fake crazyness.

Mott The Hoople - Live In LA (1973)

Almost a year after the Philadelphia show, it's a very different band we find here. Verden Allen and Mick Ralphs are gone (the latter to form Bad Company with Paul Rodgers), and in are ex-Spooky Tooth Luther Grosvenor (who had to change his name god-knows-why for Ariel Bender), Morgan Fisher and occasionally Blue Weaver. This live show in Los Angeles, caught during their Autumn US tour, is only 4 tracks long (sad but I didn't find more, if you have, let a comment), and has been broadcast it seems by the Midnight Special TV show. The reason why you can see the 4 videos of the songs here, here, here and here (sorry, the guy has desactivated the integration of some of them for some stupid reasons). The sound is not totally satisfying but it can be listened to without too much effort. It's clear (if I may use this term for a so sludgy sound) that the band is much more aggressive that it was in the Bowie period featuring Mick Ralphs. And it's for me the best era of the band, although many (and Ian Hunter first) say that retrospectively Ariel Bender was not the good choice. It's heavy and light, it's bubble gum and pompous, serious and totally weirdos, it's at the best of what glam could be. Enjoy it here. Sorry for the cover sleeve, that's the kind of stupid visuals I do when I feel like a little erotic-kitsch. I thought it was fine with this offer, surely a dude called Angeline driving to Memphis.

Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Can't Get Enough unissued LP (1974)

In 1974, the band had to find a decent following to the great Next LP, in other words, something next, and more than anything else, had to find the studio formula that would help them to be more than the "best live band of the country" since the labels wanted their "products" to sell records to keep them signed. So an idea was to find a producer and the choice was Shel Talmy, a rather forgotten one in 1974, but a legend for being the man behind the Who and Kinks records in their beginnings. But actually, the sessions that were intended to give birth to an album called Can't Get Enough, would turn into a disaster, at least according to the band, since Shel Talmy didn't respect how they wanted to sound and turn them in a sort of "Louis Prima and his big band for the seventies" that mainly horrified Alex, who wanted to be part of the band and not the frontman. So everything was recorded again with another produced (their friend David Batchelor) and this gave the famous Impossible Dream. Everyone thought the tapes had been lost and destroyed but actually Shel Talmy had one, and this was released 3 years ago by MLP under the strange name of Hot City with a rather ugly cover sleeve. Strange since the album had a name, and for the cover sleeve, it was not difficult to imagine that the US cover for The Impossible Dream would have fitted for the LP (but I guess they didn't own the rights). Is this album a complete miss? Not really but sure it would have been a complete failure at the times, since in 1974 nobody would have received this sort of mix between old comedy and burlesque jazz, progressive music, and hard rock with a real enthusiasm. Just remember the way were received the 2 Preservation albums (from the Kinks) the same years. And it's true that Shel Talmy didn't catch the point in making SAHB sounded as a compact outfit when they were cultivating this particular dismembered approach of music. There are some good surprises however, such as "Long Haired Music" or "Tomahawk Kid", in versions rather better than on the official album. But all in all, it was not a success. But too much words. Enjoy this out-of-oblivion testimony of one of the greatest band in history, here. All pictures below are from a show in April 1974 and were taken by Dan Cuny.