Salem 66 - Natural Disasters, National Treasures (1988) Salem 66 - Down the Primrose Path (1990)
Led by two Massachusetts singer/songwriters, Salem 66 played generally delicate electric guitar music that embraced folk more than rock traditions. The trio's six-song debut EP — produced by Neighborhoods guitarist David Minehan — has plenty of poetic ambience and some surprisingly complex arrangements, but consistent jangly-trebly sound makes it hard to stay engrossed, and occasional bum notes also interrupt the mood. Guitarist Judy Grunwald and bassist Beth Kaplan both sing, but their voices don't harmonize all that well.
With the arrival of a new guitarist, the Salems became a quartet for A Ripping Spin, a full-length LP also produced by Minehan. The songs and playing are better, but the vocals are still hit-and-miss. Kaplan takes an indecisive approach to the issue; Grunwald's gurgly warble can also be a trial. The brief "Fragile" shows their potential, but other tunes are less mellifluous.
A guitarist switch brought Stephen Smith into the lineup for Frequency and Urgency, which resulted in noticeably improved music on the Ethan James-produced album. With stronger, more assured p
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Throwing Muses are an alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originally fronted by two lead singers, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, who both wrote the group's songs. Throwing Muses are known for performing music with shifting tempos, creative chord progressions, unorthodox song structures, and surreal lyrics. The group was set apart from other contemporary acts by Hersh's stark, candid writing style; Donelly's pop stylings and vocal harmonies; and David Narcizo's unusual drumming techniques eschewing use of cymbals. Hersh's hallucinatory, febrile songs occasionally touched on the subject of mental illness, more often drawing portraits of characters from daily life or addressing relationships. - from Wikipedia (read ... Read more »
San Francisco, mid/late 80s: a
"secret" scene is burgeoning. World of
Pooh, Glorious
Din, Caroliner
Rainbow, Archipelago Brewing
Company are some names that made amazing, original and
uncompromising music. Eric
Cope, had already moved with his band White
Front from Iowa to SF and was already part of this. After forming
Glorious Din (a band between Bauhaus and REM, as it was said), he
founded Insight Record and Tapes label to release his (and others)
music. Except the two Glorious Din records, Cope released records by
Spahn Ranch from Detroit,
Beatnigs and Comic Book Opera and his magnum opus,
this 2LP compilation with 30 songs by 15
bands.
Almost 20 years ago, I was in a record shop
specializing in difficult reco
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Hollowmen proves that there was definately Midwestern sound in the 80s - a guitar driven, heavy rocking yet melodic sound. Although their Husker Du infuences are obvious, they should be considered among the trademark bands not only for Iowa, but for the whole Widwest. Tremendously strong, extraordinary guitar playing, solid rhythm section and superb vocals - what more could anyone ask for? Although they've been together and worked hard for 5 years, they released only 2 albums and then joined the X-files with the great bands that remained unknown without explanation.
Formed in 1984 in Des Moines from the remains of The Chant. Played many shows in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Cedar Falls. Considered by many to be the band from Iowa that was going to become a breakout success. Their sound was infectious - with a unique combination of tremulous appregiations, heavy rhythmic structures and haunting vocals. Despite the heavy guitars, they had a distinct pop sensibility and
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HBTs side is a stumbling, white-knuckled barrel ride through myriad soundscapes as diverse as Amon Dl, Kalacakra, Portsmouth Sinfonia, Steve Marcus & Door & The Window, sometimes all at once! (Siltbreeze press release)
I can't imagine how this record released by Siltbreeze, but I guess that's why these labels are great: they don't try to built a trademark sound, they put out whatever they like.
Press releases are overexagerating usually and this is no exception. But I can tell you that you'll wonder if you're listening to some Magic Band session (rather warming up) from 1965. Mike 'Rep' Hummel is the producer of this (and he provides a primitive rhythm by banging on assorted things he calls percussion), Stu Sinn plays the horn (and he's apparently the one to blame for this record) and Roger Time plays lead guitar (well, don't expect any riffs). And there's Sam Esh - former Woodruff Ave. bl
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The Singing Spoons sound a little
like what Violent Femmes might have sounded like if they'd tried to be
Husker Du. This is not to say that Singing Spoons always reach
heights so lofty, but they do manage to forge a distinctive sound or
two amid the swirling, fuzzy guitars that dominate their music. (Audio
Bits, March 1990)
Well, Singing Spoons could never
be a big name. Not because the music they made wasn't good, but because
they never took themselves seriously. Judging by their live shows and their
recording sessions to their million cassette releases, I'm sure that
the first they had in mind was to to have a great time and then came
everything else.
The music in 1989's Resin Cabin,
their only "proper" (almost private pressing) release, is no joke at
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I missed seeing Antietam the one time they came 'round my particular place in the universe. That makes me sad. But I vividly recall trying to buy the first album when it came out. The clerk had no idea what band I was asking for. I kept saying "I want that Antietam album, you know, on Homestead!" and he looked at me blankly. Then he said, "Oh, you want the Anti Etam album!" I guess it was just a case of mistaken identity.
"...Antietam Comes Alive! hits with the room-spinning displacement of a furious tequila buzz. The ropy guitar soloing that permeates the Dream Syndicate-styled instrumental "Track 13" lets Key set an ecstatic (in the spiritual sense) tone straightaway as she trance-ports the band through a 50-minute firewalk that reaches peak intensity on a cover of Patti Smith's "Ask the Angels." Truly revelatory." ~ David Sprague, Trouser Press
Tracklisting:
Track 13 Monica Open Letter George Stomp Glide Angels & Strangers Sample for Sara Ask the Angels Teleplay Sink or Swim Eat
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I like dialogue between bloggers. So, this post
is a responce to Fritz Die Spinne, who yesterday posted Deathride
69's "The CD", mentioning the LP version with different cover
and a different track. This is the first vinyl version of
Deathride 69's album, released in 1998 on Gymnastic Recordings and the
next year on vinyl again on Flipside records and on CD on Little Sister
Records. Both 1989 versions are identical but the 1988 version not only
has "Drums Along The Mohawk" (which was replaced in the later versions
by "Chain of Abuse") but it contained earlier and rather different
remixes. While 1989 versions are more "professionaly" remixed - i.e.
the sound is more clear and the vocals in front of the instruments -
the first version, although a bit muddy, is more richer instrumentaly.
Both remixes are based on the bass of Don Diego, but in the earlier
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April 30 1987 Fed up with hearing "proud Mary" and "We've Only Just Begun" every night for twelve consecutive years, Dennis Plinn abandons his lucrative position as musical director of a carribean cruise ship. He moves to Boston, taking a job as piano accompanist for a strip tease act at the Naked I Cabaret in the city's notorious combat zone. Although the money isn't good, Plinn finds his new occupation spiritually uplifting.
October 1 1987 Lawrence Dersch is financially ruined, alcoholic and homeless. Once a well respected radio and television technician, his skill have become obsolete with the advent of the microchip. Desperate, Dersch turns to panhnandling in Boston's subway corridors. On this evening, though, his fortune takes a turn for the better...Dersch discovers he can triple his income by beating out rhythms on the foreheads of passing commuters. Dersch becomes a local celebrity overnight.
October 21, 1987 5:45 PM Timothy Ratdiet, importer o
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The Burning World is the sixth full-length album by the Swans. It was released in 1989 on MCA and was their only major label release. Produced by Bill Laswell.
From AMG:
Review by Ned Raggett
Swans' first major-label record, for Uni/MCA, turned out to be their last, and Gira especially has been bitter about the experience ever since; his commentary about the album often involves his anger over Uni's insistence on having noted New York musician Bill Laswell oversee the recording sessions (Gira himself states that he enjoys Laswell's work in general, and thinks Burning was a case where agreement over how best to work together simply wasn't there). Ultimately Burning sounds more like a compromised major label Laswell project than a Swans album, to its overall detriment. To be sure, Gira's complex, increasingly mythic and mystical lyrical images still retain their power, while his singing and Jarboe's still each have their own, often gripping appeal. However, Westberg's playing, whether b
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Love of Life is the eighth full-length studio album by the Swans. It was released in 1992 originally and also saw release as part of a limited edition with White Light From the Mouth of Infinity.
From AMG:
Review by Ned Raggett
Interspersed with a variety of instrumental pieces and loops which add nicely to the album's overall flow -- including a number of random interview clips which would become an even more central motif to the band's work in future albums -- Love of Life continues the astounding creative roll Swans found themselves on with White Light. As with that album, the group here consists first and foremost of Gira and Jarboe, with a variety of assisting performers: Westberg has finally left the picture entirely, leaving Steele as the new main guitarist, and interestingly enough, two long-time veterans return -- the rhythm section of Kizys and Parsons -- though other bassists and drummers perform on the album as well. Again, though, this is very much Gira and Jarboe's
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In the case of Fourwaycross nothing seems to follow a streight timeline. From the mix of post punk/early industrial british sound with the 60s heritage and the always present West Coast psychedelia to their chronologically confusing discography, everything helps the time factor disappear. Maybe this is the reason why their music can be easily sound interesting and special even today, over 20 years after their beak-up. Fourwaycross started in 1985 with Tom Dolan, Steve Gerdes, Biff Sanders and Courtney Davies, created their own studio and label (Motiv Communications), released a cassette, two LPs (Fill The Sky, 1985 and Home 1986) and one EP (Shimmer, 1987 - without Tom Dolan) and seemed to disband in 1987. In 1988 Nate Starkman & Son released their first cassete (titled Product One) on vinyl. In 1989 they released another LP (On the Other Hand) with songs written between 1986 and 1989 and in 1990 another release (the 10' Pendulum) came out with old recordings (1984-89). Fourwaycross and Motiv Communications were part of a community which inclu
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Lone Cowboys evolved out
of the band New Toys, when singer/songwriter/guitarist Doug Tyler left
the band in late 1983 (continued on as a three-piece until early 1984).
This brought about a dramatic change in the sound of the band, now
having lost their "pop" sound, they would become an edgy, hard-driving
"alternative" 3-piece. There new sound would eventually get them
noticed by Caroline Records after they charted number 20 on Sweden's
independent music chart with a remake of the Debbie Boone classic, "You
Light Up My Life." In 1986 they recorded Voodoo Dolls &
Cadillac Fins on the Caroline label and prepared to launch a European
tour. However, the tour was cancelled when Caroline was sued for
parallel importing. What would have been tour support money was used
instead on legal fees.
In December 1986, they returned to being a 4-piece
with the addition of former Dirty Looks (former Stiff Recording
Artists) bassis
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I was just re-listening to some Sonny Sharrock boots the other day and pulled this out to give it another spin. Either my tastes have changed or an alchemical transubstantiation took place - this album is now pure gold! I thought it was great before, but it knocks my socks off and then eats them in front of me now.
Last Exit were a monstrously punky free jazz supergroup (cribbing a bit from their Wikipedia article here), "composed of electric guitarist Sonny Sharrock, drummer/occasional vocalist Ronald Shannon Jackson, saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, and bass guitarist Bill Laswell." This list of names alone should be enough to make your ears bleed and your slack-jawed mouth drool. There is probably no kind of music these fellows can't play or haven't played - and extremely well at that.
This album is the result of a crazed tour of Europe and, uh, Pennsylvania, in 1987 - all live recordings with great sound. Here's a multiply misappropriated review from AMG (via Get Music, via ... Read more »
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