Oriphiel

It's been while since last we met, hasn't it? But now i'm back, and the garage is open for business once again! See! The most odd and jarring videos from around the universe! Hear! The fantastic sounds of the wild undercurrents of human existence! Taste! the cosmic burgers and milkshakes of the galactic diners we visit as we cruise through the stars in our Interstellar Hot Rod!

The first order of business is an announcement. The Post Punk category is now Punk/Post-Punk, including both genres, since the line between them can be pointless and narrow at times. Similarly, Rockabilly now has Psychobilly attached to it. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I think I owe you all some more of that western story, to the tune of two weekly updates that I failed to upload! Here they are!

Western Part 4



Rachel’s life changed quite a bit from that point on. She now had to walk with a cane, and traveling any distance beyond her immediate surroundings was a painful task. She grew older, and the boy who her parents had groomed her to wed had long since moved on to a women of softer features, and better means. This didn’t discourage her parents, who sought continually for a man who would have her, though they oft sought in vain. However, the day came when they did indeed find a man who took an interest In her. He was a young widower, a kind man who was fairly well off in life, and made a point of meeting with Rachel whenever possible.

Though her suitor was more than her parents could have ever asked for, and she knew that only a fool would turn down such an offer, as her disability and lack of means virtually insured that there wouldn’t ever come another chance, Rachel held off. Though her injury had taken a good amount of freedom from her, in her dreams she was still a gunslinger, a legend. Rachel knew that before she died and faded away, she had to become the one thing she had always dreamed of becoming, to do what she was made to do. But she could never find the strength or the courage to follow her ambitions. Eventually, for her parent’s sake, she agreed to wed her suitor, and attempted to cast away the flights of fancy from her youth.

Now a young woman, after years of practice she was able to walk on her own, albeit with a limp. Still, she felt her freedom drift further away as the days passed by in the blur that most forgettable days in a lifetime are lost in. The wedding day gave way to night, and she burned under the hot darkness of a July midnight. Her new husband was, as he put it, “settling an account”, and had promised to be back within the hour. She lay alone in a bed that had entirely too thick of a blanket for a summer night such as this. She was lost in a feeling, the kind that exists between a thought and a dream, and she seemed to become one with all of her joys and fears. Suddenly, she noticed something above her; a small puff of smoke, tinged with the scent of tobacco. Looking to her side, she saw Lady Fate sitting in a chair by her bed. “Hey, little chalk.”

Rachel blinked, not sure what to say. It had been quite awhile since she had seen Lady Fate last. “You’re back?” she asked. Lady Fate nodded while dragging on her cigarillo, and after exhaling the smoke gave a reply. “Yes, I suppose I am. And that can only mean one thing, hm? Life is about to get exciting. Good things are just itchin’ to happen.” Rachel sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes, saying “Not really. You know, I should be mad at you for all you’ve done to me. Destroying my leg, ‘n all.” Lady Fate exhaled quickly and smiled, saying “Yes, well, lucky for me you’re not one to hold a grudge. You’ll listen to me, because you’re curious as to what I’m doing here, what I have to say.” Rachel smiled back, and asked “And what makes you say that?” Lady Fate let out a laugh, snubbing out her cigarillo, and replied “Because you’re bored! Even if I end up leading you into hell, it’ll be better than just sitting around and wasting away. You’ve got a home, money, a man who loves you… some would consider this heaven, the ultimate goal, but you,” she rested her chin on her upturned palm, and leaned closer to Rachel, “you’re in a cell, body and soul. You know, I can’t tell if you’re selfish or selfless, but I know for a fact you’re tired of all this. So let’s get down to business, hm?”

“Alright,” replied Rachel. Lady Fate smiled, and repeated “Alright.” She stood up, and walked over to a cabinet across the room. “It’s time for you to leave,” she said to Rachel, “time to become something grand.” Rachel laughed, and said “What, like a hero? Like when I was a child, and found that revolver? If I recall, me tryin’ to be a hero didn’t work out so well.” Lady Fate opened the cabinet and reached inside, saying “I never said you’d be a hero. I said you’d be grand, a legend.” She withdrew her hand from the cabinet, a revolver in her grip. Walking over to Rachel, she dropped it by her leg. “Here y’ go.” Rachel looked at Lady Fate, who simply smiled and nodded her head toward the gun. Rolling her eyes, Rachel picked it up and spun the wheel, saying “So?” Lady Fate shook her head, laughingly saying “What do you mean so? That right there is your future, and it’s in your hands. It’s my gift to you. Now, this life you’re living,” she shook her head, “It’s not a life at all. You’re just sittin’ around, miserable, waitin’ to die. Maybe if you go out to try and bag yourself a destiny, things might not turn out so well. But if you stay here, then you’ll never have any destiny at all. And you may disagree, but it’s my opinion that a bad destiny is better than no destiny at all.” Rachel stared ahead as if in thought, and spun the wheel again until it finally came to a stop. “You’re not real,” she said. “Maybe,” replied Lady Fate, “but does it matter? If my words are true, then who cares about the source?”

Rachel spun the wheel once more, and shrugged. “Okay,” she said, “You win again. What’s the plan?” Lady Fate gave her a wide smile, saying “Oh, good! Now we can finally close the exposition and get to the action! You know, I was starting to think this moment would never come.” Rachel narrowed her eyes and gave her a blank look. Over the course of the next half hour, the two partners in fate gathered up everything Rachel would need for her journey; food, water, a horse from the stables, sturdy clothes fit for riding in (as she didn’t have any, she simply borrowed a work shirt and pants from her husband), bullets, and a hat (as the only kind her husband had was a derby, she had to make do with it). That being accomplished, Rachel packed her supplies on her horse and got into the saddle, while Lady Fate stood nearby. “Goodbye little chalk,” said Lady Fate, lighting up another cigarillo. Rachel tipped her hat towards her, and spurred her horse onwards. Lady Fate laughed lightly, saying “That’s the spirit. Now go live your story.”


Western Part 5



Without any specific destination, Rachel simply picked a direction and rode, until the sun woke up and brought the heat of a mid-west summer with it. After riding for some time, she stopped at a spring so that she and her horse could rest, and took out a cast iron pan from her saddlebag to draw some water. After she had drank deep, she couldn’t help but smile; she was now at the beginning of her own tall-tale, completely lost yet completely content, and knowing fully well that one day this scene would be among the pages of a dime novel. She took out her revolver, looking down at it with excitement and pride, and attempted to flip it around her hand like the gunslingers back at the saloon used to. Of course, it flew out of her grasp, and she simply laughed as she picked it up to try again.

In time, she rode on, across the fields and through the valleys, until she arrived at the heart of her first chapter; atop a rocky hill, she bade her horse to stop, as her vision caught the plight of a stagecoach in the process of being robbed along the side of a road. This was the moment she had dreamed of, the scene laid out for the actress to heroically gun down the bandits in the name of justice, or honor, or fun (but at least in the name of something). And yet Rachel became cold despite the heat, as if her veins had filled with ice. Her gut became heavy and her head became light as she found herself stunned with fear.

She saw herself turning around, in her mind. Just riding away to wherever the sun shines the brightest. And yet she managed to stay, determined as she was to claim an adventure for herself. Dismounting, she walk lifelessly towards the chaos, limping painfully as she did so. The bandits didn’t notice her approach, as they were gratifying themselves with an unfortunate passenger of the ill-fated coach. She walked on until she was unbearably close, close enough to see the pain on the face of their victim. Sweating from the pain of walking on her injured leg, Rachel took a few more steps, and then stopped.

The bandits hollered and laughed, and Rachel’s hand hovered above her holster. She found her hands and knees physically shaking, something she thought was purely an expression until she truly felt it. She pulled out her revolver, this time strong enough to lift it with one hand, and pointed the barrel towards the largest of the bandits. She squeezed the trigger lightly, breathing in, the hammer already pulled back. The trigger came closer and on towards her, until the tension was broken by the firing of the revolver. It was a loud noise, quite a bang, and the sound of it cracked across the open expanses around her.

The shot tore through the first bandit, and his two accomplices turned around and scrambled for their guns. Luckily for Rachel, the bandits in their revelry had let their pants and belts slip down to their feet, leaving their large revolvers out of reach. Now on the auto-pilot of adrenaline, she felt a strange calm as she effortlessly moved the barrel towards the second bandit, and then the third. Both bandits joined their comrade in the afterlife, their bodies falling to the ground. Rachel stood like that, holding her gun as if ready to fire, even after her enemies had perished. Like a statue, she was wed to stillness, basking in something that appealed to her dreams, yet seemed unsatisfying as it was brought into the flawed and immaterial reality before her.

The survivor of the attack, who had been the target of the late bandit’s revelry, was relieved to be alive though she found herself unable to stop crying. She leaned back, sobbing lightly with closed eyes, the hot sunlight falling down upon her as a cool breeze blew past. She was just as still as Rachel, although mentally rather than physically. Eventually, the survivor opened her eyes and thanked Rachel, causing her stoic spell to break almost audibly. Rachel lowered her revolver and looked down at the survivor, not sure of what aught happen next. She remembered the dime novel heroes talked about in the saloon back home, and how they always parted company with words of audacity, and so she tried to live up to their example. And yet, not a single word came to mind. Flustered, she put her gun away and set about rummaging through the loot the bandits had gathered, collecting as much money as she could find. The survivor looked on in disbelief as Rachel left in the direction she had come, limping past cacti back to her horse. However, before she had gone far, Rachel stopped in her tracks. She turned to face the survivor, and threw her a cut of the money. “Buy a gun,” she said in a dry voice. The survivor looked down in confusion as Rachel turned to leave, yet she stopped once more and threw the survivor another cut, adding “And a shirt.” The survivor looked down; she had completely forgotten that her blouse had been ripped apart by the bandits. She covered herself with her arms, cleared her throat, and held her head a bit higher. “The nearest town is twenty miles away,” spoke the survivor. Rachel turned to face her again, and asked “Do you know which direction it’s in?” The survivor nodded, and said “Down this road apiece, to the east.” Rachel smiled and started for her horse again, saying “Then what are you waiting for?” as she left. The survivor looked on helplessly as Rachel rode away towards the horizon. Maybe she had been a bit harsh, but at least she had been clever, and for that the heroes of old would surely smile down on her.

Oriphiel

I know what you're thinking. "Enough with the Western stuff! Get back to the music!" Well, i'm happy to oblige. Here's a fun band that I stumbled upon while I was away...

On Tar Beach



The Deadbeats! While some fans of The Cramps may recognize their brief Psychobilly stablemates, very few people know anything about this obscure band. Formed by singer Suzy May sometime in the late seventies/early eighties, they were determined to become apart of the growing Rockabilly Revival scene. With the exception of Suzy May, who was an American, the band was comprised of English chaps with a taste for psycho-americana. With Mark Robertson on drums, Kevin Green on bass, and Tony Berrington playing lead guitar, they put out just one LP before breaking up in the mid-eighties. Over the years they have faded into almost complete obscurity, but interest in the band has grown significantly due to the fantastic Big Beat/Ace Records reissuing their LP in CD format. Their website (The Deadbeats - On Tar Beach - Ace Records) was the main source of information for this entry, and I have to admit that I wouldn't have known where to start without it! Now, slick back your hair and step on the gas, 'cause it's time for some greaser rock!

1. "Crazy When I Hear That Beat" - Kicking things off, this one has a great Psychobilly sound to it with the haunting guitar playing. Suzy's frantic singing and Wanda Jackson-esque hiccuping are perfect for the overall tone of the song! This one isn't far off from what The Cramps were putting out at the same time. It has a few references in it, like the lines "Be-bop-a-lu-la" (Gene Vincent's song of the same name) and "He was just seventeen, and you know what I mean" (The Beatles "I Saw Her Standing There"), and part of the guitar solo has the main line from "Rhapsody in Blue" stuck in there!


Here's a short music video movie that they made! It contains the songs "Crazy When I Hear That Beat", "Fall in Love Tonite", and "Swan Lake".

2. "New Girl" - Time for a change of pace, with a slow song that has more of an eighties-pop feeling to it than the previous track. It's alright, but lacks the inspiration and energy that the first song had, leaving it rather unremarkable.

3. "Don't Tell Joe" - With fuzz-guitar work and electric organs, this one has a really fun Garage Rock sound to it! Reminds me of The Starlets take on the classic "You Don't Love Me", way back in Girls in the Garage. The vocal patterns and the main guitar riff are a bit similar. I love it!

4. "Fall in Love Tonite" - Another wild and frantic number with twangy guitars and heavy drumming, the Rockabilly tone of the first song returns. The smooth vocals and the bassist's rock 'n rollin' back beat are the perfect complement, and everything combines together to make a very strong and memorable addition to the album!


Suzy May!

5. "Johnny Reb" - This strange track takes a stab at being a slow and haunting Rockabilly crawler. However, it quickly turns into an eighties-pop number for the chorus. The piano work is a nice change of sound. This one is an odd song, with twists and turns of tone, and a few strange choices (like when "Dixie Land" is randomly played by the guitarist in the background).

6. "Bobby" - Do you like songs that sound like they're ripped right out of a Spaghetti Western? How about the sound of running-horse-drum-rolls and whips cracking? Then you'll absolutely love this fun and wild number! Personally, I loved the electric organ that popped up every now and then.

7. "Delilah" - Another slow number, this one stays firmly in Rockabilly territory with it's classy-yet-rough sound. Everyone is in top form here, with the bassist in particular nailing the old school rock 'n roll sound (and the guitarist has a great solo, which is always a nice addition to a song).


The Deadbeats!

8. "When You Dance" - Another number influenced by sixties Garage Rock, this one sees the return of the electric organ, and has a vocal harmonic break here and there! Reminds me of the early Bangles, which is definitely a good thing.

9. "Swan Lake" - A very frantic instrumental, with The Deadbeats' signature Rockabilly sound giving it a nice edge. Definitely one of their most solid songs, and a great song for any fan of Psychobilly!

10. "Sexy Sadie" - No, this has nothing to do with The Beatle's "Sexy Sadie". Finishing off the album, this one is a Psychobilly foot stomper with a lot of attitude, and stands out as a very fresh and exciting track!

And now our foray into the Rockabilly Revival has come to an end. I have to say, this is definitely one of the better Psychobilly albums that I've heard, and it really manages to capture your interest right from the start. Still, while the experimentation manages to mix things up and keep the album interesting (With the Garage Rock-y "When You Dance" and "Don't Tell Joe", as well as off-beat tracks like "Bobby" and "Delilah"), it also produced a few songs (Like "New Girl" and "Johnny Reb") that were simply out of place and uninspired compared to the rest. Despite it's faults, it's high-points and successes are soaked in old-world glitz and energy, and I very highly recommend this album to all lovers of Rockabilly/Psychobilly!

Unknown Soldier

Six pages in and this is one of the most impressive journals on the forum.

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Oriphiel

Thanks, that really means a lot! It's all been pretty fun so far, especially when people give me recommendations that I've never heard of before (like when Moss recommended Lee Hazlewood, and Pet Sounds turned me on to Dantalian's Chariot).

Oriphiel

I just realized that "Stuck in the Garage" reached the thousand views mark while I was away! This absolutely needs to be celebrated! Instead of another wave of the EP Madness that came in honor of reviewing over twenty albums, I thought that I should do something new.

Lately, I've thought about trying something out for the journal. The idea was to go to a big used CD store and grab a bunch of albums at random, then sharing my thoughts about them after giving them a good listening-to. Well, a few days ago, I did just that, and now I've got five random CD's here to examine! I won't be breaking them down into a song-by-song analysis like I do with my regular entries, as that would result in a massive wall of text. Therefore, I'll dub this "Mystery Shots", as i'm essentially just giving you a quick dose of random music. I have to admit, I was nervous at first, because I thought that I'd end up with a bunch of bands that I'd never heard of before. Luckily for me, I started in the B section of the CD's, and somehow grabbed two albums by bands that I know fairly well! Anyway, let's get started...

The Chains - On Top of Things (2002)



A solid album by a pretty talented rock band, I believe I picked this one out of the miscellaneous C's. They have a clean and modern sound, yet throw curveballs at the listener with songs influenced by 1960's Folk-Pop and Garage Rock ( For example, "Disappearing Man", "Nothing Left Behind" and "Try, Try, Try"). There's also a fun cover of Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown! I'd never heard of this band before, but they seem like a pretty solid outfit. The CD's liner notes place them in Montreal.


Gotta love that guitar solo!

Underground Oldies Volume 7: Rare and Hard to Find Soul Oldies (2000)



Normally I steer clear of Soul (although Honey Ltd. really left an impression on me), but this is what I picked out of the assorted oldies section. And as you might have guessed, I really didn't care much for it. Every single song sounded the same, as the CD went from one slow and sappy Soul/Funk love ballad to the next. Every. Single. Song. I suppose this would be a good album to put on if you were making a porno, but otherwise it just lacks any excitement, energy, and variety among the various songs included. Soul can be a very riveting and varied genre, and this compilation fails to do it justice.


Turn the lights down...

The B-52's - Time Capsule: Songs For a Future Generation (1998)



Hooray! The B-52's! This one came out of the miscellaneous B's, right alongside another CD that I'll talk about later in the entry. With a title taken from their number "Song for a Future Generation", this CD is essentially a greatest hits anthology of their work. And honestly, it's exactly what you'd expect. It has songs from all of the different periods of their career, from "The B-52's" to "Mesopotamia, "Whammy" and beyond. Before you ask, yes, it has "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack" on it. It's a very good introduction to their music, with my favorite tracks being the odd-ball "Mesopotamia" and the catchy "52 Girls".


As anyone whose ever plugged with me before knows, I never pass up a chance to play "52 Girls"!

Koffin Kats - Self-Titled Debut (2003)



Just like with The Chains, I'd never heard of these guys before, even though they're apparently pretty well known in Psychobilly circles. I got this one out of the assorted Psychedelic/Psychobilly section (and yes, that's an actual section that the store has. I love them!) The Koffin Kats hit very hard with Psychobilly that, at times, almost crosses the border into furious Punk Rock. Their songs are all very solid and energetic, and their relative lack of variety is saved by the fact that it's a fairly short album. I had a blast with this one, and I think most Rockabilly/Psychobilly fans will get a kick out of it.


I'm in love with that intro!

The Bangles - Sweetheart of the Sun (2011)



Why didn't someone tell me that The Bangles had come out with a new album just a few years ago?! It seriously took me pulling this one out of the miscellaneous B's along with the B-52's to discover it. I must be their most clueless fan. Anyway, as I listened to it, I crossed my fingers and hoped for songs that were more in vein with their earlier and rougher music, rather than their mid/late eighties pop numbers (which are catchy in their own right, but not my cup of tea). While the album is pretty mellow (with Folk-Pop songs like "Anna Lee", "Under a Cloud", and "Circles in the Sky"), I got what I wished for! "Sweet and Tender Romance", "What a Life", and "Ball 'n Chain" definitely have a fun edge to them, calling back to the band's Paisley Underground days, and they really help to keep the album fresh and exciting! All in all, it's a fun album, and i'm glad that I discovered it by chance.


Reminds me of their debut EP. I really like it!

And thus ends the music! I really had a great time with all of these random CD's (even the Soul compilation was fun in it's own way), and I can't wait to see what bands and genres pop up the next time around! Now, I'll finish things off by giving out a big 'Thanks!' to everyone on Music Banter, and I hope that the journal gets even more strange and exciting as time goes by!

Tomorrow, as usual, I'll bring another great album with me. Since Rockabilly/Psychobilly has two albums so far in this journal, it only seems fair that Punk/Post-Punk gets another entry to even things out...

Oriphiel

The west coast has seemingly always been a hotbed of musical activity, on the cutting edge of the current of culture. During the 1960's, there was a surge of Folk and Vocal-Pop bands. During the 1970's, Southern-Rock bands like The Eagles and CCR attacked the charts with their brand of Pop-sensible caterwaulin', and as the 1970's moved on Punk and Post-Punk bands sprang up seemingly out of nowhere. When the 1980's came around, west coast rockers were trying their hands at Pop-Rock, Ska and Hair Metal, which with the coverage provided by MTV became the hot new genres. Alternative Rock and Post-Punk were driven underground as the 1980's rolled on, thriving in local club circuits as various "scenes" flourished. Record labels began taking notice of these underground bands and their growing fanbases, and naturally decided to capitalize on them.


After raising levels of commercialism among musical acts, some would say that the effect of MTV on the various musical scenes of the world was a big step back for mankind. Heh, I couldn't resist making that joke. Sorry MTV, I love ya'!

During the late 1980's into the early 1990's, there was a large wave of underground bands that suddenly found themselves with record contracts, and the "Do It Yourself" mentality of the original Punk Rock movement returned in charming style. From the mid 1980's onward, so-called "Cult" movies once again became the next big thing (essentially being to the 80's and 90's what drive-in flicks were to the youth of the 50's, 60's and 70's), with figure-heads like John Hughes focusing on making quirky coming-of-age movies rather than massive-budget dramas.

These odd-ball comedies often had soundtracks provided by not only famous musical acts, but also unknown and independent artists, and the trend continued into the 1990's. The band we'll be looking at today was apart of this second wave of Punk Rock, and was featured in the cult classic movie "Clueless", as well as in the most well known cult TV show of all time, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". It's time for...

The Muffs



Yup, The Muffs! After the 1960's Revival came to a slow-down, the all-girl band The Pandoras decided to try their hand at Hair Metal. Bassist Kim Shattuck and keyboardist Melanie Vammen weren't ready to turn their backs on the underground Punk scene, and left to start a band of their own. Kim became the defacto leader, serving as the main songwriter and lead vocalist, while Melanie became the lead guitarist. Ronnie Barnett and Criss Crass joined up, taking bass and drums respectively. After releasing a slew of singles and EP's, they joined the Warner Brothers label and cut their first LP, titled "The Muffs".

After their debut, Melanie was at odds with the band over issues of creative control, and left to join the cult Punk band "The Leaving Trains". Criss Crass left as well, and drumming duties were taken up by new-comer Roy McDonald. With Kim as vocalist and lead guitarist, Ronnie on bass, and Roy on drums, they have stayed in this line-up to this day. Now, it's time for the music...

1. "Lucky Guy" - Starting the album is a great Punk number with rough guitars and uncompromising screams, balanced out by some nice vocal harmonies in the chorus. The Muffs are off to a great start!


The Muffs! Clockwise from bottom right: Kim Shattuck, Melanie Vammen, Ronnie Barnett, and Criss Crass.

2. "Saying Goodbye" - This is another fast and hard number, with a splash of the energetic yet melodic Skate-Punk that came to define much of the youth of the 1990's. Apparently, this song is all over the place, popping up in the cult show "What's New Scooby Doo?" and the love-it-or-hate-it "Bye Bye Love".

3. Everywhere I Go" - A little softer than the first two tracks, this one still has a nice Punk attitude to it. Fun fact: This song was used in a Fruitopia commercial, back in the day! Man, The Muffs' songs just pop up everywhere, huh?

4. "Better Than Me" - Speeding up again, The Muffs lash out with another catchy melodic Punk number. Love the screaming at the end!


Few Punk Rockers have the courage to wear a Burger King crown on stage!

5. "From Your Girl" - Changing things up a bit, this Punk track opens with a fun keyboard intro! Other than that, however, it's in the same vein as "Everywhere I Go".

6. "Not Like Me" - Ronnie's bass playing and Criss' drumming are really fantastic here, along with Melanie's thrashy guitar work. Kim's vocals are great as well, being pretty clean and catchy! Love the guitar solo, by the way.

7. "Baby Go Round" - The Muffs are pretty good at hitting a nice balance between smooth and rough! This is a Pop number with an injection of grit, and is a great track that stands out very well!


Thought you all might like a video of them playing live! Warning, there is some damn swearing in it.

8. "North Pole" - I've got no clue what's up with this one. It's an instrumental with sleigh bells and gusts of wind, lasting about thirty seconds.

9. "Big Mouth" - A fun song about the inevitable wave of karma that hits you when you spread rumors. It's definitely got energy to it!

10. "Every Single Thing" - This is a great song in it's own right, but I wonder if a lot of these tracks would have been stronger if they'd been a bit more varied. The wall of sound created by the guitars, bass, and drums is top-notch Punk work, but makes every song sound very similar.

11. "Don't Waste Another Day" - I really like this one, simply because it tries to mix things up from the formula of the other tracks. Opening with a clean guitar riff, the very distorted and dirty guitars come in bursts later on. It's not a huge change, but even a little variety can do wonders in keeping audiences interested.


Yup, the Muffs are still going to this day. And apparently Kim found the fountain of youth!

12. "Stupid Jerk" - Another roughly thirty second long track, this one has nice slamming drums, and changes things up by having a male vocalist. I'm not sure who exactly is doing the vocals, but I'd bet on Criss Crass, seeing as how he's sung the occasional song for The Muffs (Like "Do the Robot").

13. "Another Day" - Changing things up once again, this song drops the Punk wall of sound in favor of a relatively clean and compelling number that takes it's cues from the 1960's Revival bands, like The Bangles. It still has a fair bit of grit to it, and the vocal harmonies work very well. Probably my favorite track of the album so far!

14. "Eye to Eye" - Back to the Pop-Punk thrashing and distortion that The Muffs are known for! Not bad. Apparently, this is one of the few songs that has Melanie Vammen credited as a song writer (and may actually be the only one).

15. "I Need You" - I wish this one was a cover of The Kinks' Garage Punk classic (how fun would that have been?), but this one is a very rough and wild original. Still, it has a bit of a Garage Rock feeling to it, especially with the vocal patterns and the fuzz-guitar in the background. Definitely one of the stand-out tracks of the album! This is one of only two songs on this album that Ronnie helped pen, the other being the odd-ball "North Pole.



16. "All For Nothing" - The last song of the album! This one kicks off with an acoustic guitar riff that reminds me of The Beatles' "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away". The change of pace is welcome and effective, and this is a solid and catchy number.

And now we've come to the end. I absolutely loved this album, however it does have it's fair share of issues. While The Muffs do experiment and mix things up (especially from the halfway point onwards), much of the album still comes off as sounding very homogeneous. While fans of Punk Rock will be able to find and appreciate the variety of sounds that The Muffs worked with, outsiders to the genre will probably find it very repetitive, and difficult to listen to in one sitting. As a collection of individual songs, this is a great album to get and I highly recommend it, as each one is very catchy and energetic. But as an album, it could have used more variety.

Oriphiel

It's time to get back to Garage Rock! While it's certainly fun looking at albums, the true heart of Garage Rock has always been in singles. Most independent bands back in the day didn't get a chance to release a full fledged LP, and their legacies have been perpetuated by those who have a taste for the wild and obscure, daring to delve into mountains of vinyl as they travel from one seedy thrift store to the next. Thanks to their efforts, hundreds (if not thousands) of vintage singles have been discovered and re-released on various compilations, giving us the opportunity to listen to them today! So in the spirit of single hunting, here are a few 45's. Some are by acts you may recognize (like Gene Vincent and Los Rockin' Devils), while others are pretty obscure.

The McKinleys - Sweet and Tender Romance/That Lonely Feeling - With the assistance of guitar idol Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Yardbirds fame, Sweet and Tender Romance takes on an incredible amount of depth for a Vocal-Pop number! The clean vocal harmonies layered over a rough and distorted guitar riff and a heavy drum beat create a very compelling and Garage-y sound. On the flip side, That Lonely Feeling is a more soft and traditional Pop Ballad, serving as the 'smooth' to the first track's 'rough'.



Gene Vincent - Bird Doggin'/Ain't That Too Much - Opening up with the Garage Rock mayhem of Bird Doggin', Gene Vincent proves that he can effectively experiment outside of his Rockabilly roots. After the great build-up of the intro, it's a fantastic track with rough vocals and distorted guitar work. The B-Side, Ain't That Too Much, is a twangy number more in the vein of his classic sound. However it still has the fingerprint of the 1960's on it, following the successful "Riff-Rock + vocal harmonies + Harmonica solo = Far Out" formula of the times.



The Pandoras - About My Baby (I Could Write a Book)/New Day - This vintage all-girl Garage-Pop outfit has nothing to do with the 1980's Revivalist punks of the same name! About My Baby is a catchy and bouncy Pop number in the trademark Beat style of the sixties. Unfortunately, I can't find their B-Side, New Day, anywhere.



The Pandas - Walk/Girl From New York City - The Pandas waste no time in drenching your ears with fuzz-guitars and slamming drums, using a back beat that sounds awfully similar to the signature riff from Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman". The song culminates into a few great musical explosions preceding fun guitar and harmonica breaks! Turn the 45 over, and Girl From New York City starts up with a more Pop-sensible sound. Even if this B-Side isn't as energetic as the opener, the fuzz-guitars and steady drums work well with the clean harmonies to create a song that's easy to like.



Los Rockin' Devils - Gloria/Perro Lanudo - While the band Them hit the UK charts, and the Shadows of Knight attacked the U.S. billboards, Los Rockin' Devils brought the Garage Rock classic to the radio waves of Latin America. Their version isn't as rough as the original, however it still has a very fun energy to it with raw vocals and a Psychedelic electric organ! Their cover of "Shaggy Dog", titled "Perro Lanudo", is an odd-ball scramble that apparently did very well for their popularity back in the day. It's got fun electric organ work, and just as the name suggests, has vocalists barking like dogs!



The Mystery Trio - Willie Joe/Raindrops - I don't curse often, but all I can say is holy ****! That second guitar solo in Willie Joe is some of the fastest and fiercest Rockabilly noise I've ever heard! Excuse me while I search the floor for my jaw... As with many obscure 45's, the B-Side is nowhere to be found. I'll have to track it down someday!



State of Mind - Move/If He Comes Back - Move is a smooth Garage Rock number with a Blues-y tone to it, and a killer guitar break! I believe it appeared on one of the first issues of the Pebbles series of compilations, but got lost in the translation of the series from vinyl to CD. If He Comes Back is a straightforward Pop number, and it sounds like something The Rolling Stones could have made in their early days.

Oriphiel

From the mid-1960's to the early 1970's, the west coast was a playground for Pop sensations, Folk heroes, Surfin' cats, Garage band rogues, and Psychedelic explorers alike. Every town had it's share of guys and gals playing the local club and party circuit, and while not all of them went on to attain fame and fortune, there were a few that developed almost mythological reputations, despite having never (or at most rarely) been recorded. One such band were The Ace of Cups, an all-girl group from the ever-experimental San Francisco scene. While west coast female bands like The Hairem found a niche in Garage Rock and the Blues, occasionally dipping their toes into the emerging Psychedelic sound, The Ace of Cups dove head-first into the exploding "Hippy" culture of the times, experimenting with a very wide array of sounds. They were comprised of Denise Kaufman, Marla Hunt, Diane Vitalich, Mary Gannon, and Mary Ellen Simpson. With the support and encouragement of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, they joined the live circuit of notorious "drug bands" like The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, where they stirred up the crowds with their musical proficiency and attitude (apparently, they were even injured during live performances, like when Denise Kaufman was hit in the head with a bottle and suffered a skull fracture).

When the 1970's rolled around, reality set in for the girls of the Ace of Cups. While they were well known in Psychedelic circles, they never joined a professional record label, as they weren't keen on losing their control over creativity and touring schedules (seemingly the only record label that they appeared on was "Wee Records"). While this certainly kept them as exciting an act as ever, it did no favors for their popularity and commercial success, and they constantly remained out of the spotlight. One by one, the original members left, until the band finally fell apart in 1972. Their legend, however, lived on among those who remembered their live performances, and bootlegs of various demos and raw recordings made the underground rounds. These tapes were collected and issued by (Who else?) Big Beat/Ace Records as a CD titled...

It's Bad For You, But Buy It!



Fun name, huh? Before we begin, the infamous Denise Kaufman of the Ace of Cups was indeed the Denise from "Denise and Company", who are credited for the title track to Girls in the Garage, way back at the beginning of the journal. That recording is a bootleg of a rough take for the song "Boy, What'll You Do Then", which was released as an almost unknown 45 for Wee Records (apparently, only about 100 copies were pressed, and so singles for "Boy, What'll You Do Then" with "Chaos" as the B-Side typically sell at auctions for thousands of dollars!). To whoever wrote the liner notes for Girls in the Garage... the mystery has been solved!


The Ace of Cups!

1. "Music" - A beautiful track that consists solely of raw and unedited vocals. Probably meant as a vocal demo, or to have instruments layered over at a later time. It's quite stark, and despite it's raw simplicity, it has a kind of unashamed power to it.

2. "Boy, What'll You Do Then" - Rather than go with the cleaner and more Pop-sensible take used on the original 45, the version included here is the same bootleg used as the opening track for "Girls in the Garage: Volume 1". Still as wild and wonderful as ever!

3. "Glue" - A great Psychedelic number with the excitement of a live track, being an unedited demo. It's got a bite to it, but is otherwise pretty smooth. This is where the title of the CD comes from, as the background singers chant "Buy it! Buy it! It's bad for you, but buy it!" while the lead vocalist reads a fake commercial that makes fun of companies who try to convince people that buying products will make them a better and more fulfilled person. It has it's fair share of odd twists and turns, and ends with a gloomy wind-down.

4. "Taste of One" - Another track with the feeling of a demo, this one is a happy yet melancholy Ballad with an emphasis on the vocals. Unlike the first track, this one has instrumental accompaniment, with drums, an acoustic guitar, and an electric organ.



5. "Stones" - A fantastic Psychedelic foot-stomper, the Ace of Cups decide to try their hands at the sound of the Blues Revival, and this wild track should definitely satisfy your inner hunger for the Garage sound! My favorite track so far, it's the perfect merging of rough and smooth, with dirty guitar playing and slamming drumming backing up the clean vocalist. It's got some fun lyrics too, like the line "I'm in love with the Rolling Stones, because their grass is greener!"

6. "Looking For My Man" - This one is actually a very surprisingly interesting track, and is kind of a Soul/Funk epic. Starting off as a slow piano-backed Ballad with smooth vocals and background harmonies, this one spices things up with a complete change of pace early on, as it becomes a fast and powerful Soul/Funk number. I really liked how the drummer starts playing a solo, followed by the bassist, and then the electric organ player, and finally the guitarist; instead of one solo giving way to the next, they all keep going and layer on top of each other. From there, the track slows back down into the melancholy Ballad that it began as. Before the ending, however, they speed up one last time and part with vocal harmonies.

7. "Afro Blue" - This is one of the best Vocal-Pop numbers I've ever heard; I didn't even think they could have this kind of depth and experimentation. The mood is immediately set with excellent vocal harmonies. I suppose they should make the song sound happy and energetic, but they actually have the opposite effect; this begins as a very haunting and depressing song. The vocals fade as a Jazz-style shuffle takes over, backing up the guitarist and keyboardist as they jam. Every now and then, you can make out a fuzz-guitar in the background, and the keyboardist changes effects here and there. What's more impressive than the depth is that this is a live track (you can even hear the audience throughout the song, especially around the five minutes and thirty seconds mark and beyond). Apparently, this is a cover of a well known song popularized by John Coltrane.

8. "Pretty Boy" - After those two long and experimental tracks, here's a rough cut of a soulful Pop-Rock number! The backing vocalists do a great job of harmonizing with the lead voice, who goes for a Janis Joplin-esque sound.



9. "Waller Street Blues" - A very odd track, this one is an unusual merging of Folk, Funk, and Blues. They sound like they had a lot of fun with that intro, though!

10. "I Wanna Testify" - An upbeat Soul number with the rough imprint of the Garage on it! The organ work is a nice touch, and the guitar solo has a great tone to it.

11. "Gospel Song" - This one sounds like one of the Gospel drenched Ballads that figures like Elvis popularized in his heyday. The vocals are clean and powerful, and help to create an altogether solid song.

12. "Circles" - I love it! This track is a fast number with a very strong back-beat as provided by the loud and solid drumming and bass work! In true Ace of Cups fashion, they change the tempo up about halfway through with a slow-down and speed-up, and they throw a harmonica solo into the mix as well.



13. "Catch You Later" - Another live track, the Ace of Cups always seem to hold up very well on the stage! Dripping with energy, this is a great rocker with solid vocal work, and a healthy amount of political yet lighthearted lyrics.

14. "Simplicity" - Slowing down with another melancholy number, this track starts off very simple, however it boasts exceptional vocals and meaningful lyrics. The speed up at the end is very effective way to finish things off.

15. "Life in Your Hands/Thelina" - Here is another lengthy and live Soul/Funk epic, and it's just as full of emotion and purpose as the first. Apparently, it's a medley of two different songs, but they mix very well. Of course, there is a generous amount of jamming throughout the song. Right around the four minute mark, the track takes on a definite Folk tone as the medley switches from "Life in Your Hands" to "Thelina".

16. "Hear Every Sound" - Ending the album is a bittersweet Ballad, with both a piano and keyboard accompanying the vocalist. While not as wild and exciting as their other songs, this one still has a simple charm to it.


Here is a sample of the range of their material: Their songs can go from Jazz/Folk, to Garage Pop, to Psycho-Soul, and beyond.

The Ace of Cups are one of the most ecclectic bands I've heard so far, trying their hand at pretty much every genre of the 1960's. Their odd fusion of Soul, Funk, Blues, Gospel, Vocal-Pop, Folk, Garage Rock and Psychedelia give them a unique sound, and a wide variety of tones to summon up throughout their songs. While most of the tracks are very raw and obviously unedited, being demos and live recordings, the rough quality actually gives these songs a powerful charm and authenticity. I highly recommend this CD to everyone, as it's the kind of album that is very interesting to listen to, and is bound to raise a few eyebrows.

Pet_Sounds

This journal is an absolute treasure trove. Seriously, thanks for all this. I've really been enjoying sampling all of these obscure groups. Too bad you didn't start a bit earlier, or it would have received a lot of nominations for "New Journal of the Year".

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Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Oriphiel

Thanks! I really appreciate the encouragement! Here's looking forward to a new year of even more odd and obscure bands!