Trackback | The Creation

The Creation was one of the most under-appreciated Mod/British Invasion bands of the 1960s. The band saw its beginnings in 1963 when vocalist Kenny Pickett and guitarist Eddie Phillips formed The Mark Four. Mercury Records picked up the group in 1964, but British sales of their two singles were sluggish, but at the same time their recordings sat quite well with German audiences, where they would frequently do residences. The band eventually disintegrated in 1966 and was left to Pickett, Phillips, and drummer Jack Jones. The trio was joined by ex-Merseybeats bassist Bob Garner to form The Creation in mid 1966.

The group’s first single, “Making Time,” was released that same year and like their previous incarnation, the single reached number 5 in the German charts, but only number 49 in the British charts. The track “seemed to have everything going for it — a killer beat…a great chorus, and a flashy, slashy, crunchy lead guitar part by Phillips that intersected very neatly with and expanded on the kind of sound that the Who were carrying high onto the charts at the time (allmusic).”

The band had been getting some press notice on the heels of their live show in which Picket would spray paint canvas followed by a member of the road crew setting the “painting” on fire along with Phillips playing his guitar with a violin bow (reputably the first to use this technique, before Jimmy Page). The Creation’s following single (“Painter Man”) in 1966 went to number 1 in Germany and made the top 40 in the band’s native England.

The Creation’s sole LP (only released in Germany and Sweden), We Are Paintermen, hit the shelves in 1967 via German imprint Hit-Ton. Criminally overlooked in it’s native UK, the album is essential for fans of Mod/British Invasion, with tracks like “Making Time,” “Painter Man,” and “Try and Stop Me” rivaling The Who’s power. Much of the record’s intensity can be attributed to Phillips’ power chords and feedback drenched guitar work. By the end of 1966, Garner had left the band and by 1968 The Creation disbanded with one LP and a handful of singles under their belt. While the debut fell on deaf ears in the UK (and U.S.) for that matter, We Are Paintermen and The Creation did extremely well in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Although not very influential during their heyday, the band was significant after their demise, with a couple of bands being named after The Creation’s songs (The Paintermen and Biff Bang Pow!) and one of my favorite labels, Creation Records, takes their name from the band. Alan McGee (Creation’s founder) admired The Creation, naming his own band Biff Bang Pow!. Check out the mp3 and live video for “Making Time” below.

[MP3]: The Creation  ”Making Time”
We Are Paintermen, Hit-Ton; 1967

Trackback | The Delta 72

Gregg Foreman, to say the least, is a pretty well known guy in Philadelphia. Sometime around Thanksgiving this year I was introduced to the new incarnation of his pioneer ’60s and ’70s soul music dance party called Turnaround, which has now joined forces with Philly’s other kick ass soul/psych party, Immediate!. To say the least, the party fucking rocked.

Around 1994 or so, Foreman took his love of Stax soul and Delta blues and formed the bluesy-mod-punk outfit The Delta 72 along with drummer Benjamin Azzara, organist (and roommate at the time) Sarah Stolfa, and later added bassist Kim Thompson (of Cupid Car Club). The name “Delta 72” comes from the stretch of the Mississippi river where the Delta blues originated and the drummer’s birth year, 1972.

The group originally formed in a DC basement but later relocated to Philadelphia and got their break when Dischord head Ian MacKaye caught the group live at a DC spotlight show for up-and-coming bands. Dischord ended up putting out the band’s first 7” titled “On the Rocks.” Azzara left the group in 1995 and was replaced by Jason Kourkounis (Mule) on drums. The new lineup played a night in New York with Girls Against Boys, who pressed Touch & Go label owner Cory Rusk to stick around for their set. The band’s infamous live show won over Rusk and Touch & Go put out The Delta 72’s debut LP, The R&B Of Membership. During the band’s sets, it wasn’t uncommon to see Foreman do splits off of ten foot speaker stacks and other tall structures. Foreman joked in a Philadelphia Weekly interview that “We had an in-band joke: An okay show would be a two-split show, but a really good show would be a 10-split show.”

The diverse The R&B Of Membership bridged barriers between R&B and punk by blending frenzied guitar riffs with soulful farfisa organs and frantic hard-hitting vocals. The record from start to finish abounds with incredible amounts of energy. Following their debut, the band released their sophomore album, The Soul Of A New Machine in 1997, establishing themselves at the forefront of the R&B punk scene. The group put out their final full length, 000 on Touch & Go before disbanding in 2001. Throughout their span, the band toured with the likes of Sonic Youth, Girls against Boys, Modest Mouse, and The Donnas.

Now relocated from Miami to Brooklyn and Philly, Foreman continues to DJ as Mr. Pharmacist and will be playing/touring with Cat Power and The Dirty Delta Blues on piano and organ. Check out “Rich Girls Like To Steal” below.

[MP3]: The Delta 72  ”Rich Girls Like To Steal”
The R&B Of Membership, Touch & Go; 1994

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Trackback | 2 Tone and Ska’s Second Wave

Above pic via evavu

I’ve been on a reggae and ska kick ever since watching This Is England a few weeks ago due to it’s kick-ass soundtrack. I figured since new releases around this time of year are usually slow (and a lot of other sites and mags are either getting their “end of year” lists together or have already posted them) I’d take some time and put up a little mixtape of some of my favorite ska revival bands. Let me preface this by saying that I’m no expert in the genre, so if you feel like ripping me a new asshole in the comments feel free to do so.

The first wave of ska, which reached its peak in the mid-60s was born and flourished in Jamaica with artists like The Skatalites, Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan, Laurel Aitken, Desmond Dekker, and Toots & the Maytals. Early ska combined jazz, calypso, R&B, and African beats, which later influenced artists like Bob Marley and Pete Tosh who transformed the sound by slowing down the tempo and adding more guitar into the mix which resulted rocksteady and eventually reggae. Reggae exploded onto the scene in 1966 making ska’s first wave short-lived.

Around the time that reggae was making a huge splash in Jamaica, the root sounds of ska made their way to shores of Britian and in the late 70s exploded onto the scene in it’s second wave also referred to as the “2 Tone” revolution. The 2 Tone era gets its name from the cultural movement’s most popular label, 2 Tone.

The label was founded in 1979 by Jerry Dammers of Coventry’s (a lot UK ska bands were based in West Midlands) ska revivalist The Specials, and included acts like The Beat (aka The English Beat in the U.S.), Madness, Selecter, Bad Manners, among others. The sound of the second wave was different from the traditional ska sound. When the first wave Jamaican sounds reached the British Isles they merged with the punk scene which added fast paced electric guitars to the traditional beat structure, while the horn section was pushed to the back of the mix. The music was popular among skinheads, rude boys/girls, and mod revivalists and many of the acts enjoyed UK chart success in the late 70s and early 80s. Like its predecessor, the revolution was short lived and in 1985 2 Tone ceased operation when The Specials broke up.

Below is a small mixtape highlighting some of the era’s best acts; The Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fail” (a nod to rude boys/girls) from London Calling is likely the movement’s biggest triumph.

[MP3]: Madness  ”Nightboat To Cairo”
One Step Beyond…, Virgin; 1979
[MP3]: The Specials  ”A Message To You Rudy”
The Specials, 2 Tone; 1979
[MP3]: The Beat  ”Tears Of A Clown”
I Just Can’t Stop, Go Feet; 1980
[MP3]: The Selecter  ”Too Much Pressure”
Too Much Pressure, 2 Tone; 1980
[MP3]: The Clash  ”Rudie Can’t Fail”
London Calling, Epic; 1979

Trackback | The Raincoats

A friend of mine mentioned to me yesterday that he had just watched “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” over the weekend. I personally haven’t seen the 2005 documentary, but it’s something that needs to be added to my Netflix queue after hearing him talk about it. One of the things that he took from the film (aside from Johnston’s manic-depressive genius) was not about Johnston specifically, but actually in relation to Kurt Cobain. He went on to say that through Cobain, he had discovered a variety of music that he might not have ever heard if it wasn’t for the Nirvana frontman. Bands including The Meat Puppets, The Vaselines, Lead Belly, and many others he owes Cobain for his discovery.

If you haven’t seen the documentary or heard anyone else talk about it, you might be wondering how this all relates. During Nirvana’s height in the early 90s, Kurt Cobain continuously wore a T-shirt advertising Johnston’s homemade cassette, Hi, How Are You?, which eventually led to a record company executive visiting Johnston in the mental hospital and trying to sign him to a record deal. My friend didn’t necessarily discover Johnston through Cobain, but you get the point. Not only did Cobain have great taste in music, he also used his celebrity status to champion the bands he loved and thought deserved more attention.

Cobain was also a big fan of post-punk outfit, The Raincoats, dropping their name in the liner notes of Incesticide and later urging DGC to reissue The Raincoats three studio albums (The Raincoats, Odyshape, and Moving) in 1993 and 1994. While the band was still together and recording from 1978 until their split in 1984, they had teetered on mere obscurity, gaining a cult following in their native UK and a small following over here in the States. After the reissues and name dropping by Cobain, the band reunited in 1994 and toured the UK with Nirvana which was followed by a solo U.S. tour and later released the reunion album Looking In The Shadows in 1996.

Like The Slits and Kleenex, the all-female Raincoats formed in the wake of The Sex Pistols and Clash madness. Their scratchy, jittery, and unconventionally melodic self-titled debut was groundbreaking. “Their eccentric sound has lost none of its unique appeal and power. With lyrics that intelligently critique consumerism and patriarchy, The Raincoats opened a door and created new possibilities in punk (Alan McGee for The Guardian).” Although they were short-lived, the band was highly influential on the post-punk scene and following generations proving that it wasn’t just a boys’ game.

The original lineup of the Raincoats consisted of Gina Birch on bass, Ana Da Silva on guitar, Vicky Aspinall on second guitar/violin, and Palmolive (Paloma Romero) formerly of The Slits on drums. After The Raincoats Palmolive left the band and was replaced by drummer Ingrid Weiss. The four-piece went onto record two more solid albums that included Odyshape in 1981, and 1984’s Moving prior to splitting up.

Check out “Fairytale In The Supermarket” from their debut and another favorite from that record, their cover of The Kinks “Lola” below.

[MP3]: The Raincoats  ”Fairytale In The Supermarket”
The Raincoats, Rough Trade; 1979
[MP3]: The Raincoats  ”Lola (Kinks cover)”
The Raincoats, Rough Trade; 1979

Trackback | Pieces of Peace

I have a little sticky note next to my desk that says “talk less, listen more” as a way to remind me to keep my mouth shut and listen to what people have to say. Over the years I’ve found that I was one of those people that just cut into a conversation and start talking about whatever I wanted to, never letting the other person speak their mind. I started catching myself doing this within the last year or so and thought that it must be really fucking annoying to be on the other end of the conversation.

I still interrupt from time to time, but usually catch myself and apologize. By allowing others to talk and actually listening I have learned a lot about other people and discovered many great new things. Just today, at a used book store, I listened to an older guy ramble on and on about Fitzgerald and Norman Mailer soaking up as much information as I could and NOT interrupting.

Some of the things I’ve written about on here have come from these sorts of discussions. Take Pieces of Peace for example. The Chicago funk-soul outfit came recommended from a friend who explained that their debut LP (originally recorded in the early 1970s) was shelved after the band broke up and is finally going to be released on September 25th after 30+ years of gathering dust.

Pieces of Peace were somewhat of a soul super-group that had their beginnings as the Constellations in the early 1960s and ran in the same crowd as Carl Davis, Chi-Lites, Barbara Acklin, and later (as Pieces of Peace) the Pharoahs. Referred to as the most important group in Chicago in their prime, Pieces of Peace had a various lineup changes throughout the 60s, finally settling on a roster consisting of Bernard Reed (bass and vocals), John Bishop (guitar and vocals), Joel Brandon (flute), Jerry Wilson (sax), King Johnson (lead vocals), Michael Davis (horn), Ben Wright (organ and piano), and Fred Crutchfield (a high-school prodigy drummer), along with members of the Pharaohs.

The band recorded only one album, which was shelved after the group split up while in Singapore during a 6-month Southeast Asia tour. Following the tour, the record was vaulted indefinitely until recently when music researchers Dante Carfagna and Rob Sevier, along with DJ Shadow, procured the original Pieces of Peace tape. The self-titled LP will finally see its release on Quannum Projects/Cali-Tex tomorrow. I read somewhere that Pieces of Peace features one of the last recordings featuring the Pharaohs (Derf Recklaw, Aaron Dodd, and Willie Woods).

The tracklisting includes: 01 Cease Fire / 02 Pollution / 03 Flunky for Your Love / 04 I Still Care / 05 Peace and Blessings / 06 Yesterday’s Visions / 07 Pollution / 08 Yesterday’s Visions (Alternate)

Check out “I Still Care” below, which features Wright on lead vocals.

[MP3]: Pieces of Peace  ”I Still Care”

Trackback | Sway’s The Millia Pink and Green EP

I completely missed shoegaze, ten going on eleven at the time when the genre was at its height and I had more important things to do and listen to. Growing up in middle of nowhere Pennsylvania and like most kids my age, grunge had the largest musical impact on me, thanks in large part to MTV. I still remember in sixth grade we had “bring a song” to music class day. Nearly everyone in class had the same cassettes; Nirvana’s Nevermind, Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, or Pearl Jam’s Ten. Sure, not everyone had a grunge album; the metal kids brought Pantera and Metallica, while others brought classics like The Beatles. I was one of the kids toting Pearl Jam.

At the same time as Nevermind, Badmotorfinger, and Ten were influencing the youth here in America, a four piece from Dublin, dropped a landmark album sparking an entire genre that I would (years down the road) come to adore.

Looking back, I find it hard to believe that there was this whole other genre out there that sat dormant (to me) for years. I cannot remember when the last time I put on a grunge record, but on average, I listen to one song that would be classified as shoegaze or dreampop everyday. The funny thing is that I realized that I’ve only scratched the surface of the genre and there are so many great records still to be discovered.

Sway’s 2003 EP, The Millia Pink and Green is one of those great shoegaze records that I discovered for the first time earlier this year. The Ventura, CA group has become somewhat of an mystery in the music world. After years of silence, ambiguity, and name change to Keepee (only to be quickly be changed back to Sway), a vinyl-only limited edition EP titled Winter Heart bearing Sway‘s name appeared on March 1st of this year via Claire’s Echo. It’s not even known if the group is still together as some of the members have moved on to forming a new band called The Northern Two. Additionally, it is unknown when Winter Heart was actually recorded – the Discogs page simply states that it was recorded at Blenginsound, whatever that means. Anyway, not that any of this really matters, as it was the short but sweet Winter Heart EP that eventually turned me onto the band.

In addition to The Millia Pink and Green and Winter Heart EP’s, Sway has one other work under their belt, a 500-copy self-titled EP. The gem of the three releases is the gorgeous Millia Pink and Green EP, on which the band paints expansive landscapes of sound. Layers of blissed-out and entrancing guitars glide over ethereal and echoed male vocals making for a lazy and relaxed listen.

Fans of Slowdive, Lush, and Chapterhouse will find that Sway’s three EP’s fit nicely in their collections. I’m not sure if the Winter Heart EP is still in print, only 300 vinyl copies made, but if you do a little digging, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the mp3’s online. If anyone has any information on the band or if they are still together let me know in the comments.

[MP3]: Sway  ”Sullust”

Trackback | The Sundays

I can’t believe that it’s been ten years since the release of Radiohead’s OK Computer. I can clearly remember the day I bought the record from The Wall (remember that place?) and drove around endlessly listening to the album, which eventually became the soundtrack of my summer. When I think of Paris, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t Montmartre or Champs-Élysées or the Eiffel Tower or the Seine, it’s Radiohead (and warm Heineken’s on the Metro). My Walkman, loaded with OK Computer was glued to my hip during my first foray into foreign lands and it seemed everywhere I looked, there was a video of “Paranoid Android” playing on a TV.

As the summer of 1997 came to a close and another school year commenced, The Sundays “Summertime” (released at the most inopportune time) began streaming across the airwaves and provided a cure for my summer hangover. Like most music of the time, I discovered the band on Matt Pinfield’s 120 Minutes (click that link for a full list of videos played on the show since 1986). Harriet Wheeler was both physically and vocally mesmerizing in the video for “Summertime” complete with its fruit stand scenery. The breezy and jangly guitars of the single made the perfect backdrop for Wheeler’s sweet ethereal vocals, “Its you and me in the summertime/We’ll be hand in hand down in the park/With a squeeze and a sigh and that twinkle in your eye.”

The Sundays formed ten years prior to the release of 1997’s Static & Silence in London with a lineup consisting of Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin, before the addition of bassist Paul Brindlye and drummer Patrick Hannan. Influenced by dream-pop bands like the Cocteau Twins, the quartet released the 1989 single “Can’t Be Sure” which received John Peel’s stamp of approval.

The band followed up a year later with their debut full-length Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. With Reading’s single, “Here’s Where the Story Ends,” the band saw mainstream success in both the U.S. and U.K. The album is a abundant dose of light and airy dream pop in which Wheeler lends her helium-pitched vocals to Gavurin’s shimmering guitar creating an expansive sound. Due to Rough Trade’s going out of business in 1991, the record was out of print in the U.K. from until 1996, when the band signed with Parlophone and it was reissued (allmusic). Wheeler and crew returned in 1992 with the long-player Blind, which didn’t really expand on the band’s sound too much but was received well among fans.

In 1997, after a five-year hiatus, during which time Wheeler and Gavurin got married and had a child, The Sundays resurfaced with Static & Silence and the hit single “Summertime.” This was my first introduction to the band which coincidentally was the group’s last recorded output and has since been dormant. Check out the inspiring “Hideous Towns” from Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic below.

[MP3]: The Sundays  ”Hideous Towns”

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