“Tiger Phone Card” is the prettiest and groovinest song I’ve heard in a long time. And the band Dengue Fever is, loosely speaking, consistent with this week’s theme of psychedelic music. Fresh and familiar strikes again, and I can’t get enough of it. This video is of a live performance at The Viper Room. They are playing at The Black Cat in DC tonight y’all! Oh, please, please come to The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC!
Hear the album version of “Tiger Phone Card” and many other great songs at Dengue Fever’s MySpace.
I think the pic I took of this record is a little out of focus. Or, maybe it’s just the psychedelic hangover I have from Wonder Wonderful Wonderland by Plasticland. I never have played this record much, but I thought I would like it more than I did. And I gave it at least a couple spins all the way through on both sides. Wonder Wonderful Wonderland has its moments, but I just can’t get into it, again. There are other “neo-psychedelic” records in our collection that I think have held up better.
Title: Best Of The Music Machine (Featuring Sean Bonniwell)
Year: 1984
Format: Vinyl 12 in.
Rating (1-10): 7
Owner: Tracy
Acquired: 1984 – Probably mail order from some place like Midnight Records in NYC.
Keeper: Yes
Since I mentioned The Music Machine in my last post I thought I would post this Best Of The Music Machine (Featuring Sean Bonniwell) record next. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it and it’s more rocking than I remembered.
This album was released by Rhino in 1984. That’s like some label today re-releasing music that was popular, or at least existed, in the late 1980s, for a new audience. I was in high school when I bought this re-issue, so it’s not like I was being nostalgic. I suppose there may be some teenagers out there who would be excited to discover music from 1988, but it seems weird to me.
Most people think the seeds of heavy metal were sewn in the late 1960s, but I think The Music Machine got there a few years earlier. They have some heavy riffs, tricky song structures, dark lyrics, and –best of all– they wore all black clothing, dyed their hair black, and wore a black glove on one hand only. The notes on the back cover describe them as being “in the vanguard of the punk rock boom.” Maybe, but after another round of listening I’m convinced The Music Machine was proto-metal. And that’s what I’m talking about.
Psychedelic? Well, that’s what I read about these guys, Klaxons. But it’s a modern psychedelic, not like The Music Machine (original) or Plasticland (neo-psych), or even like the current stoner rock bands. This is more original, although there are moments that remind me of Gaye Bykers on Acid. There are lots of strange sounds and trippy lyrics but absolutely no self-indulgent protracted freak out jam sessions. In fact, most of the songs are pretty rhythmic, even “sing-along” and dance-able. My favorite is “Gravity’s Rainbow.”
I mentioned Klaxons a good while back. And it’s taken me a good while to get into Myths of the Near Future, but now that I’m tuned in and turned on, I’m digging it… man. Just kidding! Nothing retro about Klaxons. Maybe they’re future-psychedelic.
That’s one cool dude on the cover. And speaking of cool dudes, this album was a birthday present from my Dad, a/k/a “Mr. Cool.” Just ask my Mom. I had some singles, you know, vinyl seven inches, that I had accumulated, but this was my very first full length album. That’s right, the first of thousands of records. And I can’t think of a better album or artist to start a record collection. I’m eternally grateful for my father pointing me in the right music direction. I liked Hendrix from what I heard on the radio, but this record was not something I asked for. It was his idea.
For me, Hendrix brings together everything I love most about music. Art, innovation, guitar mastery, blues, funk, acid rock, and the moments of cathartic heaviness that I just need to survive. Smash Hits by the Jimi Hendrix Experience is one of the most played records I own, and the vinyl shows the wear and tear. But it still sounds great. I did a decent job maintaining it for a 13 year old.
My favorite from this collection is a song I think was less of a hit than the others, “Stone Free.”
Acquired: 1987 – When I worked at Mother’s Records
Keeper: Yes
Hey, I know I’ve been slacking, especially on the records. But it was my birthday this weekend, and if you’re ever going to be slack that’s the time.
The Nosedive EP by Gaye Bykers on Acid only has three songs, but they are all excellent. The Grebo-metallic-psyshedelic-dance track “Nosedive Karma” is my favorite. That’s also the song that singer Mary Mary got me to sing the chorus on when I saw them at the 9:30 Club way back. The flip has “Don’t Be Human Eric – Let’s Be Frank” and “Delerium.”
Acquired: 1987 – When I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
Keeper: Yes
Not surprisingly, Gaye Bykers on Acid’s music is not for everybody, but it is for me. I have fond memories of Drill Your Own Hole and the time it came out, half my life time ago. Despite that, after posting the last GBOA record I was not expecting to like this as much as I still do. Drill Your Own Hole is excellent, starting with the first track “Motorvate” all the way to the end.
Mary, my wife, not the singer, and I were only dating when we drove up to D.C. one weeknight to see them at the original 9:30 Club. When we got there we found out the opening band, Pop Will Eat Itself, were denied visas due to “lack of artistic merit.” Whatever. Mary was pretty bummed. Since there was no opening act some of the Gaye Bykers were killing time out on the floor. Nobody was paying them too much attention so I started talking to Mary Mary, the singer, not my wife. When I told him we traveled three hours to see them play he seemed genuinely flattered. Later, during the show, when he saw me up near the stage he stuck the mic in my face and got me to sing along during one chorus. Pretty funny, and pretty fun.
For some reason the band was billed as “Gaye Bykers on Parade.” You can see that on the ticket stub below. Maybe having a drug reference in your band name wasn’t conducive to getting visas, or bookings, or something. I forgot to ask Mary Mary about that.
Acquired: 1986 – When I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
Keeper: Maybe
Live from Fayetteville, NC… where Gaye Bykers on Acid were hugely popular in the late 1980s. Who remembers Grebo? Raise your hands. OK, well I do, and GBOA was one of the first bands on the scene. The scene was possibly more about visual style than sound. The GBOA sound was a mash up resulting in a type of psychedelic punk rock. For a time I was really into the band. I think this three song record was their first noteworthy release. When I played it again the other for the first time in a long while I have to admit that I wasn’t that excited by it. After a couple days though, the lead track, “Everythang’s Groovy”, is still stuck in my head. I have a story about seeing them live that I’ll save for later.
Acquired: 1987 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
The main folks in Opal were David Roback from Rain Parade and Kendra Smith of The Dream Syndicate. Kendra eventually left the band and Hope Sandoval joined Roback to create Mazzy Star. Opal was the record for today, and it’s just a coincidence that I was at my brother’s house tonight and he was playing Mazzy Star. That reminded me how boring that recording is compared to this one. Sure, I like the hit “Fade Into You”, but I like everything on Opal’s “Happy Nightmare Baby.” My favorite is the trippy, riffing, T-Rex-ing album opener, “Rocket Machine.”
Acquired: 1983 ? – Unicorn Records in Portsmouth, VA, I think.
Keeper: Yes
Tonight I’m writing from Asheville, NC. Another house hunting mission, this time with my brother Grayson and his wife Kellie. We just left a pizza place called The Mellow Mushroom. Excellent pizza, but unfortunately we got in late and the poor staff had to eventually turn on the bright lights to drive us out.
The Yardbirds: Any band that has had Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page as members (in succession) demands that you own at least one of their records. Jeff Beck plays on “Roger The Engineer.” I think this album had a few songs that were hits at the time. I’m guessing the one song people may recognize now is “Over, Under, Sideways, Down.” Last year I even heard it in an automaker’s ad for some new car, can’t remember which. Subaru maybe?
This record is psychedelic, bluesy, and rocked-out. Everything you really need to get through life.
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.
