Monthly Archives: June 2011

Bo Diddley: Bo Diddley’s Beach Party

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Bo Diddley laying it down live in 1963

The dense, primitive, and at times overmodulated sound of this 1963 live recording might be a negative if it didn’t reinforce the guttural punch at the core of Bo Diddley’s rock ‘n’ roll. Seemingly recorded with a single microphone, you can make out the drums, bass and guitar, as well as Diddley’s vocals, but it’s the combination of the instruments with hard driving rhythms and the incessant shave-and-a-haircut rhythm that gives the record its power. Diddley sounds fired up for these two summer performances at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, singing with abandon and giving his guitar a real workout. The crowd’s raucous response hints at the frenetic dancing that must have accompanied these performances, and Diddley works hard to keep the audience fired up.

The song list includes Diddley favorites “Gunslinger” and “Road Runner,” but also adopts and integrates folk tunes (“Old Smokey” and “Goodnight Irene”) and popular novelty hits (Larry Verne’s “Mr. Custer”) to the cause of keeping dancers on the floor. If you wondered why 1950’s parents were alarmed by rock ‘n’ roll, this rough, raunchy and ready live set will give you a hint. Diddley howls – literally – on “Bo Diddley’s Dog,” and his take on “I’m All Right” shows the Rolling Stones version on the T.A.M.I. Show to be more copy than cover. Originally issued in 1963, this album has been a tough find until this mono reissue brought the show into the digital age. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Big Star Tribute to Alex Chilton

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A couple of months after Alex Chilton’s passing in May, 2010, the latter-day lineup of Big Star (Jody Stephens, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow), along with a number of special guests, played a tribute concert at Memphis’ Levitt Shell. Though the entire concert was recorded, clearing the performance and song rights for release has proven too difficult to undertake all at once. Instead, Stephens, along with mastering engineer Larry Nix and Big Star’s engineer, John Fry, have released an initial EP of John Davis’ three performances: “In The Street,” “Don’t Lie To Me” and “When My Baby’s Beside Me.” Fortunately, the sound is terrific; unfortunately, it’s only being released on 7″ vinyl at this point. You can pick it up from Ardent Music, and hear a sample of the music on the video, below.

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David Serby: Poor Man’s Poem

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Folk-country song cycle relates 19th century issues to today

David Serby’s 2009 release, Honkytonk and Vine, was a welcome blast from Los Angeles’ honky-tonk past. The pointy-toed cowboy boots he wore on the album cover were matched by twangy country two-steppers that recalled the mid-80s Southern California roots renaissance of the Blasters, Dwight Yoakam and others. His follow-up retains the country melodies, but drops the rhythm-driven honky-tonk in favor of acoustic guitars, accordion, mandolin, banjo, dobro, fiddle and harmonium.

The ten songs essay the economic and social concerns of nineteenth century workers, but find repeated resonance with contemporary issues: union turmoil, damaged soldiers returning from war, displaced populations, and investors swindled by financiers. Though the specifics have changed – Iraq rather than Gettysburg, gentrified neighborhoods rather than the Sioux Nation, computers rather than assay offices – the results are despairingly the same. But so too is the spirit and bravery that Serby’s characters demonstrate, as miners return to the dark recesses of their work, and a destitute teenage mother turns from tears to a hopeful prayer.

This is an imaginatively written record, the sort that Johnny Cash pioneered with his historical travelogues at Columbia. The CD package is superbly finished, with the cover’s weathered edges complemented by the booklet’s vintage typography and poster reproductions. Those looking for another whirl around the dance floor may be disappointed by the introspective nature of the project, but anyone who enjoyed the craft of Serby’s earlier releases will find even deeper artistry here. Where Honkytonk and Vine spun clever song titles into smoothly rhyming lyrics, Poor Man’s Poem tells stories from the characters, and in doing so reflects on the struggles we all face today. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

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Mel Tillis: The Best of Mel Tillis – The Columbia Years

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The missing chapter of Mel Tillis’ singing career

A decade before Mel Tillis found 1970s fame as a singer on Kapp and MGM, he recorded a number of terrific, often adventurous sides for Columbia. Tillis had been writing hits for years charting sides with Webb Pierce, Bobby Bare, Stonewall Jackson and others, but his own singles, including “The Violet and a Rose” and “Sawmill,” found only limited success. Legacy’s 24-track collection, a digital download reissue of Collectors’ Choice’ out-of-print CD, is a treasure-trove of Tillis originals, many co-written with Wayne Walker. Many of these titles were hits for other singers, including eight for Pierce, and while it’s a treat to find Tillis’ original versions of “Honky Tonk Song,” “Holiday for Love” and “A Thousand Miles Ago,” it’s even more interesting to hear the range of styles he tried out. There are Louvin-inspired harmonies inn “Georgia Town Blues,” a twangy proto-rock guitar in the tall tale “Loco Weed,” a calypso beat for “Party Girl,” and a cover of “Hearts of Stone” (which was also recorded by Elvis Presley, Connie Francis and Red Foley) that has wailing sax and Cameo-Parkway styled backing vocals. Tillis’ lack of hits at Columbia no doubt contributed to his stylistic flexibility, and though he sounds most deeply at home on honky-tonk sides “Heart Over Mind” (a hit for Ray Price) and “Tupelo County Jail,” he remained engaged and enthusiastic when singing the Johnny Horton styled historical tale “Ten Thousand Drums” and teen tunes like “It’s So Easy.” Tillis would found tremendous fame as a singer and personality in the 1970s, but these earlier sides for Columbia show convincingly that his success in the spotlight should have come much sooner. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

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Towerbrown: I Wanna Know (What You’re Gonna Do)

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Wild ‘60s Boogaloo and Freakbeat from France

This fantastic French foursome is back with a new EP of 1960’s-inspired boogaloo, freakbeat and swinging R&B. Isabelle Lindqwister (from Rodeo Massacre) provides the title track’s guest vocal, but it’s the hot, soulful Hammond and driving rhythm section that really heats things up with the instrumental “Emma’s Theme.” There’s a new dance step stomp, “Do the Jungle Jane,” that perfectly transplants a riff from the Munster’s theme, and though the tempo slows for “Lion Club Boogaloo,” the temperature doesn’t drop a degree as the ride cymbal adds a soul-jazz backing to the organ’s heavy chords and throaty stabs. This band has so authentically recreated the mood of mid-60s discothèque, it’s almost scary. Available as a vinyl 7” (email the band for info) as well as a digital download. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

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Willy DeVille: Come a Little Bit Closer – The Best of Willy DeVille

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Moving collection of live performances drawn from 1977-2005

At first it seemed only a matter of timing that had Willy Deville and his band, Mink DeVille, part of the New York punk rock scene. Though they shared a stage with the Ramones, Patti Smith and Television (and toured with Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello), their music drew more from the Brill Building than CBGB. Signed to Capitol, the band’s first four albums were produced by Phil Spector protégés Jack Nitzsche and Steve Douglas, and each brilliantly melded the Drifters’ romanticism with electric blues, Latin influences and the downtown edginess of the Velvet Underground. What really made DeVille fit among the punk rock scene was his artistic daring; the band’s fine-tuned productions were the polar opposite of punk rock’s DIY aesthetic, but their music was a comrade in the sort of emotional authenticity that challenged the reign of corporate rock.

DeVille provided a visual center point for the act with his bouffant hair and pencil-thin mustache, crooning perfectly crafted originals and well-selected covers. Those who saw them in club dates, or touring concert halls with Lowe and Costello were regularly blown away by DeVille’s showmanship and the resonance of his music. Eagle Records’ seventeen-track set cherry picks live performances from 1977 through 2005, collecting along the way many of DeVille’s best originals, including “Venus of Avenue D,” “Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl,” “Spanish Stroll,” “Just Your Friends,” “Just to Walk That Little Girl Home” (co-written with Doc Pomus) and a moving version of his Oscar-nominated end-title theme for The Princess Bride, “Storybook Love.” Also included are covers of songs he made his own, including Moon Martin’s “Cadillac Walk” and Barry & Greenwich’s “Little Girl.”

Though DeVille issued live albums and DVDs of specific concert dates, this is the first set to draw across his early years with Mink DeVille and his later years as a solo artist. With his passing in 2009, his recorded legacy remains a shining light for fans to revisit and new listeners to discover. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Eddie and the Hot Rods

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Some days it feels as if Eddie and the Hot Rods was the hardest rocking band of the 1970s. Rising between the craft of pub rock and the back-to-basics energy of punk, the Hot Rods had chops, hooks and fire, especially on their second album, Life on the Line. They weren’t afraid of guitar solos, stretching out on record and stage with tremendous magnetism and power, but never falling into to the hackneyed antics of arena rock.