We (Mary) have so many Nick Cave records I feel like we’re never going to get through them all and move on to the other “C” artists. But Tender Prey is a really good one and I suppose I shouldn’t complain. The usual Bad Seeds suspects are here including Kid Congo Powers who was in another band I really liked, The Gun Club. The biggest hit is “The Mercy Seat” and if you haven’t heard Johnny Cash’s version check it out. He makes the lyrics sound even more grim. Another “hit” is “Deanna,” which I really like, but my favorite may be “City of Refuge.”
Mary and I went to see Nick on tour for Tender Prey at the 9:30 Club in D.C. I remember digging the show, and seeing Blixa in person was very cool. But the most salient moment for me is when Nick first walked out on stage in his trim dark suit with a bottle of water and exclaimed with a big smile “I feel great!” Not the first thing I expected Nick Cave to say.
Acquired: 1987 – Promo when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
Keeper: Yes
The Bags put the rawk in punk rock, and there’s a trace of Motorhead-style metal in there too. There is a great review excerpt of Rock Starve from Playboy at Wikipedia. This is the only Bags record I have, but I also have a record by them under the name Swamp Oaf. I got this one as a promo and it included something like a media kit, really just a copy of a few articles about the band.
I never got to see The Bags live but I’m sure they tear the roof off at every show. The good news is, despite some extended breaks, the band still exists. I just came across their page at MySpace. Lyrically, they seem to have moved more in the direction of Spinal Tap and I can’t say I like the new songs quite as much as the now 20 years old Rock Starve, but they’re still rocking it. I like all of the songs on this record but my favorite is “Spread It Around.”
I’m gonna pass it on to strangers
And give it to my friends
Lay low for a little while
Until it comes my way again
Why-y-y-y-y-y should I keep it to myself
When I could be sharing it with someone else
Acquired: 1989 – Bought it at our store RIP Records in Norfolk, VA
Keeper: Yes
Moss Side Story is a film score by Barry Adamson for a three act murder mystery that doesn’t exist. Most people that have this album seem to really love it. I really love most of it, but I have to tell you that the opening cut “On The Wrong Side Of Relaxation” really gets on my nerves. Which, based on the title, seems appropriate. I played Moss Side a number of times over the last week and most of the time I put the needle down on the right side of that song. He has also done music for real movies as well as performing on many albums with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
I have had Gogol Bordello’s “Start Wearing Purple” stuck in my head for months. For a few reasons, I haven’t gotten around to buying the album to review it, but I can no longer in good conscience keep them a secret from my millions of devoted readers. If you haven’t already heard of them, this is your lucky day. If you act now, you get the song with the video included for free. Just click the player below. For a limited time, as an added bonus you can also hear all the songs from their new album Super Taranta. Operators are standing by.
Acquired: 1986 – Probably at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
Keeper: Yes
No camera can capture the intense greenness of this album cover. I enjoyed The Blasting Concept Volume II more than I expected. I forgot how metal-sounding, a high compliment, some of these bands were back then. I have records by most of the bands on here, but it’s worth keeping for the few good songs I don’t have, like “Watch the Tractor” by Gone. My favorite is the Minutemen’s punkish cover of Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talking About Love.” I’ve never heard a bad version of that song, even from the garage band I played drums for in junior high.
Zvuki Mu? Ever heard of them? They are a modern art band from Russia that started in the 1980s. This is their debut album and it was produced by Mister art rock himself, Brian Eno. This album is very eclectic with everything from strange pulsing dirges punctuated by sporadic drum and vocal outbursts to accessible but nerdy art disco. Yes, it is that good. The lyrics are in Russian. I’ve read descriptions of singer Pyotr Mamonov’s lyrics as “absurdist”, but how would I know?
My two main memories associated with Zvuki Mu are that my brother and I played it a lot at our record store. We got it as a promo from our Warner Bros rep. She also got us into a live show with Zvuki Mu at the 9:30 Club in D.C. We got to meet Mamonov and the other guys, and in hindsight they did seem somewhat absurdist. In their proper business suits they reminded me more of the Dadaists seen in old photos than the average rock band. Mary thinks we also went to dinner with them, but I think that was another band. Ah, the perks of owning a record store.
Steve Weisberg -- I Can't Stand Another Night Alone (In Bed With You)
Artist: Steve Weisberg
Title: I Can’t Stand Another Night Alone (In Bed With You)
Year: 1986
Format: Vinyl 12 in.
Rating (1-10): 8
Owner: Tracy
Acquired: 1988? – I think I got this at the record store my brother and I had.
Keeper: Yes
I wasn’t sure this was going to be a keeper, but after playing it again, several times, I now remember how good it is. I can’t really remember how I got the record. Steve Weisberg is from the same town our record store was in so there must’ve been some awareness of him, maybe one of our customers told me about it. Anyhow, I Can’t Stand Another Night Alone (In Bed With You) is a very ambitious record. It’s hard to believe he was only 22 when this was recorded. And the list of contributing musicians is just as impressive. There are lot of jazz world big shots and just generally famous musicians like Hiram Bullock and Anton Fier. The music sounds somewhat like a film score, similar to The Cat by Jimmy Smith. It combines big band and jazz with Bullock’s shredding guitar and doesn’t sound the least bit pure. Which is great.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble -- Couldn't Stand the Weather
Artist: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Title: Couldn’t Stand the Weather
Year: 1984
Format: Vinyl 12 in.
Rating (1-10): 9
Owner: Tracy and Bob
Acquired: 2005 – Inherited from Bob Bobala
Keeper: Yes
Oh, too many to blogs to keep up with. I haven’t been posting as often as I want. It’s too late and I’m too tired to do this record justice. Suffice it to say that Stevie Ray Vaughan was a massively talented genius and Couldn’t Stand the Weather is an excellent album. I think if I listened to it for another day I’d probably rate it a “10.” From memory I was thinking that this record wasn’t quite as good as the first, but now I’m not so sure. Stevie and Double Trouble (Tommy Shannon on bass and Chris Layton on drums) are slamming on all eight tracks. My favorite is the heavy funk title track, “Couldn’t Stand the Weather.” And their version of Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” is phenomenal. I’m a huge Hendrix fan, but I like listening to this version just a little bit more. Vaughan’s tone is super fat. This is another record Bob should have kept.
Based on the track listing, according to Wikipedia, we have “Version 3” of this “Pride” 12 inch by U2. But that page doesn’t mention anything about it being a Japanese promo, which it is.
Side 1
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” (Single Version)
“Boomerang I” (Instrumental)
“Boomerang II”
Side 2
“11 O’Clock Tick Tock” (Long Version)
“Touch”
The “Boomerang” songs sound more like Duran Duran than what you would expect from U2. I like them. “11 O’clock” is a previously unreleased version. I don’t recognize “Touch” at all; it sounds very early. We’re going to keep this one. It has some interesting extras, a great package, and it appears to be a “collector’s item.”
Want to know what it's like to have brain surgery? Well here's the long version of my experience. Complete with pictures and videos! Read all about the Brain Surgery Experience.
