THE CLASH/Sound System: The ONLY Box That Matters! Available September 10th, 2013!

THE CLASH

SOUND SYSTEM

(Box Set)

9.10.13

Sony Music Entertainment releases The Clash's Sound System, the band’s remastered recorded works collected together for the first time, on September 10, 2013. Contained within classic boombox packaging designed by Paul Simonon, the box set contains the band’s five seminal studio albums (across eight CDs) remastered by The Clash; an additional three discs featuring demos, non-album singles, rarities and B-sides; a DVD with previously unseen footage shot by both Julien Temple and Don Letts, original promo videos and live footage; an owner’s manual booklet; reprints of the band’s original ‘Armagideon Times’ fanzine as well as a brand-new edition curated and designed by Paul Simonon; and merchandise including dog tags, badges, stickers and an exclusive Clash poster.

In this clip, newly created by the band, watch The Clash announce the release of Sound System in "The Cut Out Show." See the trailer for Sound System here. 

Conceived and compiled by The Clash, Sound System is a significant and unique collection of the complete recorded works by the 20th century’s most influential British band. Greatly enhanced by the careful remastering which renders the original recordings more vital and crisp, all contained in Paul Simonon’s iconic design, with a selection of bonus material, Sound System is the most important and unique box set to ever be released by the band.

Prompted by demand for a complete collection, Sound System is a powerful reminder of The Clash’s enduring legacy. It’s hard to think of a band before or since that have exerted such universal influence. The 1970s punk movement gave birth to some important bands, but none were more important than The Clash. Here were a band who pushed and broke musical boundaries, while fusing musical experimentation with a socio-political conscience. From their eponymously-titled debut album in 1977, the band incorporated elements of reggae, rap, jazz, dance, rockabilly and ska in their music. Their passionate, political agenda continues to inspire new fans and musicians alike. Indeed, the issues The Clash tackled are as relevant today as they were in the late '70s/early '80s. Dubbed “the only band that matters” in their heyday, the same could be said almost 40 years later.

Sound System box set contents:

1. The Clash

2. Give 'Em Enough Rope (1 CD)

3. London Calling (double album, 2 CDs)

4. Sandinista! (triple album, 3 CDs)

5. Combat Rock (1 CD)

All newly remastered by The Clash with award-winning engineer Tim Young

• Three CDs featuring rare tracks, demos, non-album singles and B-sides (track listing follows)

• DVD including unseen Julien Temple footage, early Super 8 film shot by Don Letts, all the band’s promo videos and previously unseen live footage (details below)

• Owner’s Manual booklet

• Folder containing reprints of Armagideon Times 1 & 2 and Armagideon Times 3 (new edition of fanzine compiled and designed by Paul Simonon)

• Merchandise; dog tags, badges, stickers and a Future Is Unwritten note book designed by Harland Miller 

• An exclusive photo poster

Sound System Extra CDs tracklist:

Disc One

1. White Riot (Single version) 

2. 1977 (B-side) 

3. Listen (Capital Radio EP) / Interviews (Capital Radio EP) 

4. Capital Radio (Capital Radio EP) 

5. London’s Burning (Live B-side Remote Control) 

6. Complete Control (Single version) 

7. City Of The Dead (B-side) 

8. Clash City Rockers (Original single version) 

9. Jail Guitar Doors (B-side) 

10. White Man In Hammersmith Palais (A-side) 

11. The Prisoner (B-side) 

12. 1-2 Crush On You (B-side Tommy Gun) 

13. Time Is Tight (Black Market Clash) 

14. Pressure Drop (B-side English Civil War) 

15. I Fought The Law (Cost Of Living EP) 

16. Groovy Times (Cost Of Living EP) 

17. Gates Of The West (Cost Of Living EP) 

18. Capital Radio (Cost Of Living EP) 

19. Armagideon Time 

20. Bankrobber (A-side) 

21. Rockers Galore On A UKTour (B-side) 

Disc Two

1. Magnificent Dance (12”) 5:36 (available on Singles box set) 

2. Midnight To Stevens (Outtake) 

3. Radio One (B-side Hitsville UK)

4. Stop The World (B-side The Call Up) 

5. The Cool Out (US 12” B-side of The Call Up) 

6. This Is Radio Clash (A-side) 

7. This Is Radio Clash (B-side 7” – different lyrics) 

8. First Night Back In London(B-side Know Your Rights) 

9. Rock The Casbah (Bob Clearmountain 12” mix) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

10. Long Time Jerk (B-side Rock The Casbah) 

11. The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too (Outtake) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

12. Idle In Kangaroo Court (Outtake listed as Kill Time) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

13. Ghetto Defendant (Extended version - unedited) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

14. Cool Confusion (B-side Should I Stay Or Should I Go 7”)

15. Sean Flynn (Extended ‘Marcus Music’ version) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

16. Straight To Hell (Extended unedited version from Clash On Broadway) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Disc Three

Extracts from The Clash’s first ever recording session at Beaconsfield Film School 1976. Recorded by Julien Temple 

1. I’m So Bored With The USA 

2. London’s Burning – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

3. White Riot 

4. 1977 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Polydor Demos - The Clash’s second recording session November 1976

Produced by Guy Stevens

5. Janie Jones 

6. Career Opportunities

7. London’s Burning – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

8. 1977 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

9. White Riot – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

Live at The Lyceum, London28th December 1978

10. City Of The Dead 

11. Jail Guitar Doors – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

12. English Civil War 

13. Stay Free – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

14. Cheapstakes – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

15. I Fought The Law 

Bonus DVD

Julien Temple Archive - 6:20

White Riot Interview - 7:10

Promo and interviews with Tony Parsons

1977 1:87

White Riot 1:48

London’s Burning 2:05

Sussex University 1977 

I’m So Bored With The USA 2:14 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Hate & War 1:94 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Career Opportunities 1:42 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Remote Control 2:73 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Don Letts Super 8 Medley 11:40

White Riot 1:52

Janie Jones 1:73

City of the Dead 2:04

Clash City Rockers 2:15

White Man in Hammersmith Palais 2:53

1977 1:41

Clash On Broadway - 19:50

London Calling

This Is Radio Clash

The Magnificent Seven

Guns Of Brixton

Safe European Home

Promo Videos

Tommy Gun 3:00

London Calling 3:20

Bankrobber 4:00

Clampdown (Live) 5:00

Train In Vain (Live) 2:10

The Call Up 3:10

Rock The Casbah 3:20

Should I Stay Or Should I Go (Live at Shea Stadium) 2:50

Career Opportunities (Live at Shea Stadium) 3:00

The Clash – The Clash - Hits Back 

Released simultaneously, The Clash - Hits Back features 33 of the band’s iconic tracks across a 2-CD set or a 3-LP vinyl set. The tracklist is sequenced from the band’s legendary Brixton Fairdeal show in 1982. 

The Clash – Hits Back contains the best studio recordings of the full set, plus 8 additional iconic tracks. It comes with the original setlist, handwritten by Joe Strummer which he usually taped to the back of his Telecaster before each gig. 

“Every show was different. Joe would spend a lot of time composing the running order, considering dynamics, emotional impact and the key the songs were in. This record is based on Joe’s setlist from The Casbah Club UK Tour, Brixton Fairdeal, 10th July 1982”. Mick, Paul & Topper.

Disc 1 

1. LondonCalling 

2. Safe European Home 

3. Know Your Rights 

4. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais 

5. Janie Jones 

6. The Guns of Brixton 

7. Train in Vain 

8. Bankrobber 

9.Wrong 'Em Boyo 

10. The Magnificent Seven 

11. Police On My Back 

12. Rock The Casbah 

13. Career Opportunities 

14. Police & Thieves 

15. Somebody Got Murdered 

16. Brand New Cadillac 

17. Clampdown 

Disc 2 (Joe Strummer's setlist continued)

1. Ghetto Defendant

2. Armigideon Time

3. Stay Free

4. I Fought The Law

5. Straight To Hell

6. Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

7. Garageland

Additional Tracks: 

8. White Riot

9. Complete Control

10. Clash City Rockers

11. Tommy Gun

12. English Civil War

13. The Call Up

14. Hitsville UK

15. This Is The Radio Clash

The Clash – The Clash 5 Studio-Album Set 

(Includes The Clash, Give 'Em Enough Rope, London Calling, Sandinista!, Combat Rock)

Available separately as CD or vinyl box sets, and download. CD box set includes 8 discs. Vinyl LP box set includes 8 vinyl LPs. 

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Writers On The Storm: Fans pay tribute to RAY MANZAREK

RAY MANZAREK

1939-2013

A Tribute In Words and Pictures

"I met Ray backstage at the Whiskey when my band 20/20 first started playing there. I had a million questions for him and he was kind enough to give me a few minutes. He was a great guy."- Ron Flynt (20/20)

"One big takeaway from Doors drummer John Densmore’s Riders On The Storm was that he uniquely grokked Jim Morrison’s essence, a fact tragically overlooked by everyone, most notably Jim himself. So I was glad to see Densmore back off a little and allow as to how maybe Ray kind of got it too: “It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of.” Not the highest praise, maybe, but a start. ”Holding down the foundation” is what we say about relatively undistinguished rhythm sections… I mean, did Keith Moon merely hold down foundations, or did he float on top?

One day in 1967 or early ‘68, a DJ at a San Francisco radio station – probably KYA – played the Doors’ Light My Fire about a hundred times in a row, interspersed with an instrumental version of Love Is Blue. At least, it seemed like a hundred times, and I’m pretty sure it was Love is Blue. I think it was a competition, with people calling in their votes while their choice for best song was playing. In any case, I heard Ray’s starting riff on Light My Fire over and over as 10-year-old me rode in Mom’s car that day. I can’t say I became a Doors fan on the spot, but a seed was certainly planted.

A few months later, my parents got busy sloughing off earthly possessions in preparation for our move to a new life in Soviet Russia. Records were not on the keep list, but with amazing prescience, my Dad borrowed from someone a stack of popular LPs (which included the Doors’ first two albums) and ripped them to a reel-to-reel, just in case I or my sister might want something to listen to behind the curtain. Those recordings became the soundtrack of my pre-teen years, even though there was something missing. For years, I couldn’t put a finger on it, but they sounded… less rich, especially Light My Fire, of which I still had a vivid memory.

What was missing was the left channel. The equipment my Dad borrowed to rip the albums was a mix of stereo and mono, and somewhere in the chain of plugs and cords and adaptors the left stereo channel was dropped, resulting in a high-fidelity monaural recording of only the right stereo channel. To get an idea of what I obsessively listened to in the waning months of the ‘60s, you have to throw an old vinyl disc of the Doors’ first album on a record player, and crank the balance knob hard-right. On Light My Fire, what you get is Morrison’s stark voice, Ray’s keyboard-bass, Densmore’s drums, and but a subtle whisper of Krieger’s guitar and Ray’s keyboard solos. We’re talking 5 solid minutes of bass and drums. Bum, da-da-bum, da-da-bum, da-da-bum, da-da-bum… This, indeed, was John and Ray holding down the foundation while Robby and Jim floated somewhere in a purely hypothetical realm called the Lost Left Stereo Channel. The foundation was all there was to it. So I know where John Densmore is coming from – all he ever heard, or wanted to hear from Ray was that right channel.

A couple years later, I’m not sure when or how, I was in possession of the best live concert album ever created in the history of the universe, The Doors Absolutely Live. I played those discs till you could see a glimmer through the tracks if you held them to a light. If you have this album, pop it onto your trusty Dual (you still have your trusty Dual, right?) and nudge the needle over to track 2 of side B, When The Music’s Over, and take note as Ray holds down the foundation with his rock-steady keyboard-bass. Also take note of his glorious psycho-freakout keyboard assaults as he floats on top. Take note of how Ray Manzarek manages to float on top of himself."- Greg Bratoff (fan)

FIVE TO ONE: 

My five moments with Ray Manzarek

"My love for the music of the Doors stemmed from my high school days, when the search for identity and causes for rebellion were making themselves known. As much as Jim Morrison was the perfect poster child for the similar masses, the Doors were more than that. They were a band. Each member had their own identity. Of them all, Ray Manzarek seemed the least likely to be a rock musician. The eldest member of the band, he looked more like a teacher than anything else. Well, teach he did. If you were to break down the musical structure of the Doors’ music, it would be instantly less definable without Ray’s keyboards. It was a sound that could not be found with such ferocity across the legion of sixties bands that often copied their peers. The music is still played constantly on the radio today, over four decades later. Having carried this music with me for so long, and having lived in the greater Los Angeles area where this music was born, I feel a strong bond with it and what it has always represented to me. It’s kept me good company.

With the passing of Manzarek on May 20^th, I’d like to share some of the in-person memories I have of Ray from over the years.

January 8, 1988 – With a couple close friends, I made the trek to the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles for the Rock On Film Festival that was put together by the American Cinematheque organization. A whole evening was dedicated to playing rare Doors films such as “The Doors Are Open” and “A Feast Of Friends”. Ray was on hand to host the sold out event, where he introduced the clips and spoke at length about the sixties and the positive effects of taking psychedelic drugs. Of the films he introduced, the most interesting piece was a bit of “lost” black & white footage of the Doors lip-synching to “Light My Fire” for ABC television back in August of 1967, somewhere on the beach near Malibu. Jim wasn’t too keen on the fake performance, so he simply didn’t show up for the filming. Robby’s brother, Ron, stood in for Jim with his back to the camera. The laughter that followed the story was priceless.

October 25, 1998 – An avid record collector, I found myself attending the Greater Orange County Record Show on a regular basis. They would often have music celebrities there for autograph sessions and appearances in general. In the past, I had met the likes of Laurence Juber, Jan Berry, Delaney Bramlett, Spencer Davis and others. But, it was Ray Manzarek that blew them all away. He was on another level altogether, and I could not believe I was going to have a moment to thank him for all the great music. I waited in line with a sweet Doors poster, a CD box set that had just come out, and one of those expensive gold CDs for the “L.A. Woman” album. He signed them all and quickly agreed to take a picture with me. He was as cool as you’d imagine. Having a one-on-one conversation with THAT voice was unforgettable. After all, he was the storyteller of the band… until the end.

August 5, 2011 – County fair shows are often hit or miss. Sometimes you get some A-rated talent, and other times you get complete washouts trying to revive a career. When it was announced that Ray Manzarek & Robbie Kreiger were to play the Orange County Fair, I figured… why not? Tickets were certainly not expensive, and it was promised to be a complete show of Doors music, by two of the three surviving members who MADE the music! To boot, they had recruited Dave Brock, the lead singer of Wild Child (a Doors cover band that I used to see at the Whisky back in the late 80s). My buddies and I purchased seats up in the lawn area, thinking that from that great distance… we wouldn’t be able to see how old Ray and Robby were getting… and that that wasn’t really Jim Morrison on stage. That, and a few beers helped our cause. We could fool ourselves into believing that we were back in the 60’s. However, when the opening notes to “Roadhouse Blues” kicked in, it did not matter one bit. This music was authentic and no one could play keys quite like that. I instantly wished I had gotten better seats. Still, Ray paid tribute to those of us “on the grass” in a way that only he could. My friends and I danced and sang and raised our cups to the music and the men who made it. Oh, and “Blue Sunday” was the best possible song they could have pulled out of their back pocket, and they nailed it!

January 20, 2012 – Since high school, I had devoured each and every Doors documentary I could find. I soon learned the legend of the band through interviews and shocking live concert footage. The band evolved greatly in the short time they were together, both visually and sonically. The very last official Doors documentary to be made was one that focused on the making of their very last album, “L.A. Woman”. “Mr. Mojo Risin’: The Story Of L.A. Woman” was set for home video release in early 2012, but there was to be a very special screening in Hollywood at the Egyptian Theater. I was lucky enough to get an invite. The film itself was a great way to showcase the last chapter of the quartet, but beyond that, there was a Q&A at the very end that included special guests. Among them, Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, engineer/co-producer Bruce Botnick, guitarist Robby Kreiger and the man, Ray Manzarek! As Ray was introduced to come up, the crowd cheered with excitement. He very slowly made his way to the stage, giving me the idea that perhaps he was in a weakened state. I had wondered if something was wrong, but once he spoke, there was no further indication of anything amiss. Afterward, we tried to make our way down and shake his hand, but he was quick to the exits with Robby.

August 17, 2012 – It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the L.A.-based punk band X. Their first four albums were produced by Ray. Go figure. Ray even used X lead singer John Doe in the music video for “L.A. Woman”. Their relationship goes way back, and I had always loved that about the band. This last year, I got wind of a special concert that was to be part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival in Hollywood. That year’s festival celebrated the legacy of the Doors. At the Roxy, X was scheduled to play their “Los Angeles” album in its entirety… with special guest Ray Manzarek! I was so surprised that I got a ticket to such a big show in such a small room, without much problem at all. Of course, word got out, and the thing sold out in a flash. I prepared myself for a humid evening crammed up against a sea of fellow fans. Sure enough, I made my way to the foot of the stage, watching most of the show from the side with a head-on view of Ray, who sat in for at least six full songs. He was full of energy. A definite juxtaposition to how he appeared earlier in the year. He was excited to be there, and the band was honored to have him. The Doors’ “Soul Kitchen” was played twice, leading me to believe that it may have been filmed or recorded for posterity (or future release). As Ray left the stage following his last song, he headed to my side of the stage. I held my hand up high and he slapped it with the confidence that he gave us his usual best. That was the last time I saw Ray, and it seemed as though he was as relevant and strong as ever.

Ray left us earlier this week. The anticipation that came with my tickets for the upcoming Ray & Robbie concert at this year’s O.C. Fair has turned to sorrow. If we’ve learned anything from the years of preaching from Ray about Jim’s life and spirit… it’s that we all have the opportunity to make our mark and that life is merely a celebration on this plane. Perhaps he’s with Jim now, making music together and reminiscing about the days at the London Fog or their time at UCLA film school. Regardless, we’re left with a rich catalog of music that never stops. We’ll always have that as long as we’re here. Thanks for the music, and thanks for making a difference.

Break on through, Ray." -Dave Rayburn (musician)

"The recent drummer that toured with Ray Manzarek and Robby Kreiger - Ty Dennis - was a graduate of Garden Grove High School (SPAZ's alma mater) Class of '89. When Janet (Conney) and I went to the Anaheim House of Blues Show, Ty came out and visited with us for about 15 minutes before the show, and took a couple pics. Janet and I had tickets for the upcoming Aug 10th show at the Pacific Amphitheater. We are very sad about Rays passing. I'm glad that I went to several shows over the last seven years: two at Pacific Amphitheater, two at Anaheim House of Blues and 1 at The Grove Anaheim. This pic (shown above) was taken at The Grove Show, October 2009." -Lynne Levick (fan)

"Ray Manzarek, the founding keyboardist for the Doors, was super kind and cool with me on the air as I asked him all sorts of questions about song royalties, residual checks and other questions he was never asked before. Apparently I went way over the line and he was pleased as punch to share details with the radio audience. He was always a good sport and extremely smart to have on my radio show. I grew up with the music of The Doors and it was an honor to have him on the broadcast. He was just a regular guy who played keyboards in an iconic band that sold over one hundred million albums worldwide. He was just here on Maui last February performing in concert with Roy Rogers with their brand new album "Twisted Tales" under the name Manzarek-Rogers Band. Ray, you were a fine keyboard player but most of all, a real down to Earth guy. You will be missed..." -Michael McCartney (DJ)

BROKEN TOYS and THE MILLIONS NE: Two Obscure '80s Bands Rise Again With New Reissues!

OBSCURE '80s BANDS RISE AGAIN

 WITH NEW REISSUES!

     Back in the day when most record stores sold more than just the Top 40 and hit catalog titles, you could troll through the bins and come across hundreds of albums by artists that you'd never heard of before. While some folks may have shrugged these bands off, there were many that would pick up the album, read the back sleeve notes and try to get an idea of what the band was all about.  The more adventurous music fans with a little extra money to spend often bought albums based on anything from the cover to the producer, the label or the picture on the back of the album cover.  I'm guilty of doing just that.  Back in the late '70s and early '80s, I'd buy records just because the band looked like they might be Power Pop or New Wave.  Heck, I think I bought albums from practically every band that had a 'The' in front of their name and had at least one member who wore a skinny tie.

     With so many releases every week, it was hard to keep up with new bands.  Thousands of them slipped through the cracks, never to be heard from again.  If you have a pretty large music collection, you probably have records by a lot of obscure bands.  Some of them may have been popular in other countries, but here in the good ol' U.S. of A., they never quite made a mark.  And as we all know, there are more worthwhile bands that didn't make it than there are million-selling artists. That is a given.

     But what about those bands that never scored a hit record or received much, if any, airplay apart from their local radio stations who (hopefully) supported them? We all know that just because they didn't sell albums by the bucketloads doesn't mean they weren't worthy of our attention, and that is why reissues are so damn important these days - they remind us of the bands we once loved and may have forgotten or they introduce us to an artist that we sadly missed first time around...

     Two recent reissues that I'd like to bring to your attention are ones by BROKEN TOYS from Stockton, California and THE MILLIONS NE from Lincoln, Nebraska. While The Millions NE were signed to a major label (when they were simply called The Millions), Broken Toys released their album independently.  Both bands have built up cult followings over the years and both have just reissued some pretty amazing music that will hopefully bring them to the attention of a wider audience...

BROKEN TOYS

THE CUT OF MEMORY:

XXV ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Broken Toys formed in Stockton California in 1984 and three years later, released their only album, The Cut Of Memory. Though the band never really broke out of the local scene in a big way, they did manage to play 800 shows during their lifetime, opening for some of the best of the '80s brigade including Echo & The Bunnymen, Modern English and The Church.  Their sound was definitely Euro-influenced and while they could be considered Goth by some folks, their melodies are far too pretty for that. They used synths to flavor the songs with haunting melodies that helped to accent the songs, not to carry them.  There are plenty of real drums, bass and guitars to drive the songs home.  Vocally, there had great melodies and harmonies that added even more depth to the songs.  

While the production is thin at times and there are a few flat vocal notes, The Cut Of Memory is an excellent listen for anyone into '80s New Wave, Pop and, yes, Goth.  There are many stand out tracks on the album including "Caressa Swtich", "Ileana (Imagine Me)", "Angels On Horseback", "Red Square" and others.  The nine bonus tracks add a few non album cuts mixed with alternate versions of album tracks.  At times sounding like a tasty demo, the songs are so good that the band would surely have made their mark had they recorded with a proper producer and had the support of a major label. For anyone who loves the '80s New Wave, Indie or Goth scenes should really do themselves a favor by checking this release out.  

The band that Broken Toys kind of reminded me of on first listen was another obscure American band from the same era called Digital Sex.  Led by singer/songwriter Stephen Sheehan, Digital Sex were from Nebraska.  A longtime music fan and record store owner by the name of Randy LeMasters had a lot to do with getting their retrospective  CD in the shops some two decades ago.  Coincidentally, LeMasters was also responsible for releasing...

THE MILLIONS NE

POISON FISH

OK, so technically, The Millions NE are not an '80s band, but they were born at the tale end of the decade and these recordings missed out on being '80s tracks by only one year, so I chose to include it on this feature...

The Millions NE's tale is much like a lot of other bands' bittersweet story.  A promising band gets signed to a major label but things don't go as planned... Here's a recap of their press release: 

"In 1989, The Millions formed out of the ashes of two popular groups from Lincoln, Nebraska. Greg Hill and Harry Dingman III came from the recently disbanded For Against, while Lori Allison and Marty Amsler joined from The New Brass Guns. Polygram became the first major label to pick up a Lincoln band for more than 20 years when they signed The Millions and connected them with longtime Rush producer, Terry Brown. The Smash/Polygram album from those sessions—M is for Millions—was released in October 1991. Two years after M is for Millions, the band released the album Raquel on Dream Circle, another Polygram label. In support of Raquel they embarked on a European tour opening for Sheryl Crow. However, in 1995, The Millions disbanded."

Poison Fish consists of unreleased tracks that the band had recorded before signing with Polygram. For anyone who missed the now deleted M Is For Millions, this is your chance to get connected with this mesmerizing band that hits all the right marks when it comes to moody, emotional guitar pop. If you are already a fan, then this release will reignite your passion for the band. While comparisons to other bands is difficult, it is safe to say that The Millions NE are certainly closer to All About Eve or Throwing Muses than other female-fronted bands of the era like The Bangles.  In fact, there are even hints of Siouxsie & The Banshees on Poison Fish.  Lori Allison has a powerful voice, but she doesn't attempt to win hearts with her femininity - she sings from the soul, never cooing like a baby or wailing like an angry cat.  Her voice is one with the music and doesn't attempt to fight to be heard. The songs are slow burners, sinking into your brain by the second and third listen. Poison Fish may feature recordings from 1990, but their sound is timeless.

THE MILLIONS NE promote Poison Fish with a reunion show in December of 2012. 

Peace, Love and Pancakes,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

An Appreciation: THE LAST

An Appreciation:

THE LAST

NOTE: As with my other entries in my An Appreciation series, this is not a history of The Last.  It is written from the perspective of a fan, not an insider.  So, if you are wanting to find out more in depth info on The Last, please visit their website HERE!

In August of 1979, The Last literally changed the way I listened to music. Before then, I would not give a second glance to anything released on an independent label. But then I bought The Last's debut album, L.A. Explosion the very week it was released... and my view of the music world changed....

At the time, I was 15 years old and heavily into New Wave, Punk and Power Pop music. Growing up, I had been an avid fan of The Beatles, Glen Campbell, Badfinger, The Monkees, Queen, Neil Diamond, The Osmonds and many other '60s and '70s acts that I had encountered on the radio and TV. But when I first saw The Jam on TV in '77, they blew my mind and I started following this new kind of music.   But being a pre-internet young teen, I didn't know much about independent labels.  I just assumed that they were pretty much the same thing as private press albums you'd find eccentric multi-instrumentalists like Bobby Brown selling at the swap meet on Sunday mornings. 

And no, I'm not referring to the same Bobby Brown that led Whitney down her self-destructive path... I'm referring to this psychedelic folkie who played crazy instruments and sang crazy songs... well, at least that was my impression when I first saw him when I was in my early teens. Nowadays, I love this stuff:

Bobby Brown

Anyway, I would take my weekly allowance and head over to Licorice Pizza (on Brookhurst and Chapman in Garden Grove) and buy things that were released via major labels.  This is in the days when I'd buy albums from The Records, The Cars, Yachts, Bram Tchaikovsky, The Jam, The Clash and any other band of that ilk signed to a major label.  Most of the time, I bought things based on album covers, labels, etc. I had never heard of most of the bands and I was always searching for something that would excite me. If the band members looked cool and they were signed to Polydor (for example), then I'd buy it.  I would even buy things based solely on who produced it! Anything on and indie label was avoided.  Funny thing is, many of the albums I bought were actually on indie labels in the UK (Stiff, Radar, Chiswick, etc) but were being distributed by majors in the U.S.  I was not aware of this fact at the time. 

So, one day in August of '79, I made my mid-week trek to Licorice Pizza and started going through the bins like I usually did time and time again. I was always in search of anything new that had arrived in stock. In the 'Miscellaneous L" section, there was an LP that I had not seen there before: an album called L.A. Explosion by a band called The Last.  I was vaguely familiar with the name by seeing a 7" single or two, but had not heard them, let alone knew that they were a 'local' (ie: LA.) band. Remember, I was 15 and unable to attend many gigs because of age and transportation, so I never bothered to look at gig guides to see who was in town.  Maybe in the Calendar section of the L.A. Times, but that was about it...   

But let me tell you, for some reason, the album covered grabbed me.  Their logo... the shadowed photo of the band members on the front cover.... the lyrics printed on the back... it all hit me as being really cool. When I saw it was on Bomp! Records, I was surprised.  "How could a band that looks this cool be on an independent label?", I probably said to myself.  The Bomp! name and logo were cool, too. Regardless, it wasn't in my budget for the day (which was zero) but I figured I'd think about it and MAYBE consider buying it when I got my allowance the following weekend. 

THE LAST-L.A. EXPLOSION (1979)

  

By the time I had walked out of Licorice Pizza that day, my mind was made up: I was going to buy L.A. Explosion!  The next few days were torture to be honest: I couldn't wait to get my allowance and go buy this album with the cover that had become permanently tattooed in my brain. What would they sound like?  Would it be Punk?  Power Pop?  New Wave?  I had no clue, but I was hoping it'd be a melodic delight. So, I went down the following Saturday, plunked down my money and bought L.A. Explosion. Fuck, yeah!

L.A. Explosion contained everything I love about music: great melodies, a nice variety of styles (Power Pop, Punk, Baroque, Psychedelic, etc) and songs that did not overstay their welcome. I knew then and there that Joe Nolte was a songwriting genius. He took his '60s influences, mixed them up, added a shot of Punk and then wrote from the heart. But there was more to The Last than his amazing songs. Here's what I had to say some 25 years later about the album on All Music Guide: 

"Perhaps the least known of the late-'70s L.A. pop acts, the Last rose from the ashes of the Los Angeles club scene alongside bands like 20/20, the Knack, the Nerves, the Plimsouls, et al. Releasing their debut album on a small, albeit influential, indie label didn't help them gain exposure outside of California, but the music contained on this platter is as brilliant as anything that came from that era. Led by Joe Nolte and featuring his brothers Mike and David amongst its members, the Last's secret weapon was the keyboard/flute-playing Vitus Matare, who added extra texture and flair to Joe's engaging songs. Heavily influenced by '60s pop, this album has it all: pure pop ("This Kind of Feeling," "Someone's Laughing"), sunny beach pop ("Every Summer Day"), punk-pop ("I Don't Wanna Be In Love," "Slavedriver"), psych-pop ("She Don't Know Why I'm Here"), etc. Thinly produced, this album has a charm and innocence to it that not many other artists have been able to match."

It wasn't until later that I found out that folks were unhappy with the production of the album. Live, the band were a melodic Punk band for the most part, but the album smoothed out all the edges and made them sound a lot more polished than they actually were. I've read in other places that the thin production put some listeners off. Whatever. L.A. Explosion remains one of the finest albums of it's era... and there were a lot of great albums released during the late '70s. I can assure you that almost every mix tape I made for friends back in the '80s contained a song by The Last.

It was another three years before we heard from The Last again when Bomp! released the four track Fade To Black 12" EP in 1982. The title track was written, but not used, for the motion picture Fade To Black starring Dennis Christopher, which had been released in 1980. While "Fade To Black" was a good song,  the other three tracks blew me away: "That's Just Life", "Obsession" and "Subway Song" were incredible slices of '60s influenced Pop with the added bonus of Joe Nolte's distinctive spin on things.

THE LAST-FADE TO BLACK EP (1982)

Years later, I discovered that the band had recorded, but never released a complete second album in 1980 called Look Again! And lo and behold, "That's Just Life", "Obsession" and "Subway Song" were taken from that album while the rest of Look Again's tracks languished in a vault somewhere.  Actually, the tapes probably languished in shoe box, but 'vault' sounds more dramatic.  When I finally heard Look Again some 25 years after it was recorded, I was devastated as I listened to it: not because it was bad... far from it.  It was amazing! I was devastated because it could have been the album that brought the band to the attention of a much wider audience.  It's everything I've already said about The Last and more.  Sadly, it still remains unreleased.

THE LAST-PAINTING SMILES ON A DEAD MAN (1983)

In 1983, a year after the Fade To Black EP was released, I was shopping at Aaron's Records on Melrose when I stumbled upon an import pressing of an album by The Last called Painting Smiles On A Dead Man. What? A NEW album from The Last?  I think I shat my pants then and there!  For the rest of the night, I barely thought of anything else but getting home and putting that album on. And, boy, was I pleased with what I heard. The band had continued in the same direction as the Fade To Black EP, but everything was much more raw and exciting.  Perhaps the production was not as clean as earlier releases, but the band made up for it in their energetic and passionate performances.  Joe Nolte and mates were on fire at this point.  It was such a shame that the band was getting better yet their future prospects were dimming. This was the final album from The Last before they disintegrated.

(By the way, according to The Last's official website, Joe Nolte has a completely different opinion of Painting Smiles... pretty much the opposite of mine!)

Since I didn't have an inside scoop on the band, I was not aware that they had split after Painting Smiles...  If I had known that, I would have tattooed at least two tears on my cheek in honor of the band... or not. A year or so after Painting Smiles... was released, I attended a party in Redondo Beach where my brother Mike Schnee and his band, The Leeks, were playing. The party was at the house of Leeks keyboardist Bob Mest. Bob knew I was a huge Last fan and told me that Joe Nolte was thinking of stopping by (somehow, either Bob or a roomate knew Joe).  Later in the evening, Bob took me aside and pointed to the corner of the room and said "Look, there's Joe Nolte!"  For the second time in my Last-loving life, I shat my pants!  I was far too nervous to go up to him and and say "Hi". Bah.

THE LAST-CONFESSION (1988)

In 1988, The Last suddenly reappeared with a new album called Confession on SST Records. From the original line-up, only Joe and Mike Nolte remained.  The album was well-produced by Bill Stevenson (All) and contained some great songs, but Vitus' keyboards and musical input was sorely missing.  Still, Joe proved that he was a great songwriter and passionate performer. It may have been a different Last, but under Joe's control and with Mike taking a bigger role, it was still The Last and this album reintroduced their talent to their old fans and a new generation who missed them first time around.  Sure, it was only five years since their last album, but music years are like dog years and it certainly seemed like a lifetime since Painting Smiles....

THE LAST-AWAKENING (1989)

The band returned pretty quickly the following year with Awakening, which continued on in the same tradition as Confession. The album had a load of great songs, production by Bill Stevenson and appearances from original members Vitus Matare and David Nolte. Once again, a fantastic album but missing that spark that made The Last so unique. No fault to the songs, by the way, but the band didn't seem to interested in progressing from their previous album. For any other band, Awakening would have been an effin' great album but for The Last, it was just a really, really, really, really good one. 

THE LAST-GIN & INNUENDOES (1996)

Seven years passed before a new album from The Last appeared.  Gin & Innuendoes was the musical step forward that the band should have taken after Confession. The songs, although darker, were superb and there was plenty of the old Last to be had here, at least musically.  The album was produced by the legendary Earle Mankey and his work behind the boards helped flesh out Joe's great batch of new tunes.  Oddly enough, the album had been finished since '94 but remained unreleased for two years.  That seemed to be a classic case of The Last's (bad) luck.

Since the album's release, the band has been active but has not officially released any material in the 17 years since Gin & Innuendoes hit the shops.  There was a great acoustic album from Joe and Mike Nolte (Joe 'n' Mike) that might still be available through the band's website, but that remains the final release to date.

A new version of The Last did head into the studio in the early part of the millennium and recorded an album called Shank, which remains unreleased.  One track, "I Know", was released on the Of Hands & Hearts benefit CD that I put together back in 2005. I caught them live during this period and all of their new songs were shining examples of the Joe Nolte magic.  By the way, the bill that I saw them on also featured 20/20 and John Wicks & The Records!

A few years back, most of the original line-up (including Vitus) reformed and played a series of live gigs over the span of a few years.  Most recently, Joe and Mike have been fronting a new version of the band.  

One can only hope that The Last release a new album... or at least finally issue the unreleased Look Again album from 1980 or the Shank recordings. Or maybe if I beg, they could at least send a copy of their unreleased stuff to ME!??  I promise not to shit myself again!

Oh, and I totally forgot to tell you WHY The Last changed my outlook on music: from that point on, I started buying indie albums and supporting indie labels.  There was a whole new world of music available to me once The Last showed me that it was OK to be on an independent label! L.A. Explosion was a revelation for me and remains one of my fave albums of all-time.  

Peace, love and pancakes, 

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

An Appreciation: RAY MASON

An Appreciation:

RAY MASON

The fact that many of you have never heard of Ray Mason, let alone heard his music, is an absolute shame. If his music could only be heard by a wider audience, he would be embraced and beloved by tens of thousands of new fans.  Perhaps that day will come, but if it does, I want Ray to be alive for a long, long time so he can enjoy the well-deserved adulation. I hope that happens sooner than later.

Ray Mason turns 63 this year and has been a musician for roughly 45 of those years. He's not flashy, although he certainly has the talent.  His instrument of choice is a '65 Silvertone guitar. Yes, as in the Silvertone guitar made exclusively for Sears.  If you don't think that's cool, there are musicians such as Jack White who use Silvertone equipment. Beck plays a Silvertone guitar.  Chris Isaak named his debut album Silvertone.  Other musicians who have used Silvertone equipment include  Jerry Garcia, Rudy Sarzo, Chet Atkins, Bob Dylan, David Lindley, Garry Nutt, John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Joan Jett, James Hetfield, Dave Grohl, Mark Knopfler, Brad Paisley, and many more.

But back to Ray Mason.  An unassuming but enormously talented musician, Ray has been a staple on the East Coast for many years.  Based in Massachusetts, he has pretty much built up a great reputation as a guitarist and all around performer, but he hasn't really broken out of the 'most under appreciated' category since he started releasing solo albums in the '90s.

So, what does Ray Mason sound like?  He has a very unique style that sounds like the perfect mix of Neil Young, David Lindley and NRBQ with a little dash of Rockpile (Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) and some of Ric Ocasek thrown in for good measure. The Ocasek reference may not be immediately apparent, but if you listen to The Cars, you'll notice that Ric had a tendency to recycle old Rock 'n' Roll ideas and create something new out of them.  Like Ric, Ray simply takes a bit of Rock's tapestry and sews together a new quilt!

Is he a Blues musician?  Well, some of his songs are informed by the Blues, but his songs are far too melodic for him to be classified as such. Some could say he's Americana/Y'Alternative/Roots Rock, but the best way to describe him is Rock 'n' Roll.  His influences seem to encompass the best of '50s and '60s Rock music yet everything comes out sounding like Ray Mason!

Ray covers a lot of musical ground on his albums. For example, the glorious "I Own The Ending" (from the album When The Clown's Work Is Over) sounds like it cold have come straight out of the Brian Wilson songbook yet it still manages to sound like no one else but Ray Mason. "We Don't Get Along Anymore" (from the album Between Blue And Okay) is a Power Pop delight that is distinctly Ray Mason.  This is pretty much the case for a lot of Ray's catalog.  There are no Rock pastiches in his ouvre, but there are subtle tributes to the music that inspired him.

Ray's music is far from pretentious. It is pure and it is real.  For an artist with a dozen full length albums to his name, there's not a weak one among them.  Even his most recent release, 2009's Like Bugs Chewing On Paper, sounds as fresh and inspired as his debut, the aforementioned Between Blue And Okay (1994).  When trying to decide which titles to start with, go ahead and listen to some of the samples provided on CDBaby.com

You can access the Ray Mason albums HERE 
Or you can access the Ray Mason Band albums HERE

There are a few albums on Spotify, so I've thrown together a mini sampler for you to listen to HERE

I've been a Ray Mason fan for nearly 20 years.  He sent a copy of his debut to the POPsided offices back when I was a co-editor there and I was hooked.  I'm a lifer.  Ray is the man.  Don't you forget it!

Oh, that reminds me.  I have to start tracking down albums by The Lonesome Brothers, which Ray is a member of. They have seven albums out.... and I have a lot of catching up to do!

SELECTED TITLES FROM RAY MASON'S CATALOG: 

LIKE BUGS CHEWING ON PAPER

OLD SCHOOL

WHEN THE CLOWN'S WORK IS OVER

IDIOT WISDOM

THREE DOLLAR MAN

SPAZ reviews THE BLOW MONKEYS' Feels Like A New Morning!

THE BLOW MONKEYS

FEELS LIKE A NEW MORNING

Available NOW!

The Blow Monkeys of the 2000s are very much the same Blow Monkeys of the '80s, only different.  Feels Like A New Morning is their third studio album since reuniting in 2007 and, to be honest, it's a far more consistent affair than anything they've released in their 30 year career.  

Now, don't get me wrong... I LOVE The Blow Monkeys.  I got into them back when the U.S. EP Forbidden Fruit was released in 1985.  I ended up buying their import debut album, Limping For A Generation (1984) and loved it's strange, cool vibe.  When the slick and lush Animal Magic came out in '86, I snapped it up.  "Digging Your Scene" went on to be a pretty substantial hit for the band, but apart from radio plays, it was the 'alternative' stations like KROQ who continued to play the band after that hit, not Top 40.  The album She Was Only  Grocer's Daughter (1987) was an even better album than Animal Magic, but here in the U.S., it didn't get as much attention. The band went in a House-flavored direction in '89 with Whoops! There Goes The Neighborhood and 1990's Springtime For The World (neither of which were released here in the States) but split soon afterwards.

Frontman Dr. Robert pursued a solo career and even worked alongside Paul Weller in the '90s, but by 2007, the band came back together to try to reclaim their magic.  But anyone looking for another "Digging Your Scene" were sorely disappointed.  For those looking to hear some new classic Blow Monkeys tunes were, thankfully, paid in spades.

Now, in 2013, the band offers up Feels Like A New Morning, an album that continues to avoid the gloss of the '80s and embraces the warm, earthy feel of the Doctor's solo albums.  But this is NOT a Dr. Robert album by any means... it is a band effort that succeeds on every level.

Dr. Robert's voice is deeper, richer and more expressive than the band's early work, while the rest of the Blow Monkeys - Neville Henry (saxophone), Mick Anker (bass) and Tony Kiley (drums) - leave their own individual marks on the album.

"Oh My" is the album's first single and on the surface, it may seem as if it's an average, acoustic Blues inspired track, but they throw a few unexpected chord changes in the mix, lifting the track to a different level.  Marc Bolan was great with taking a few standard Rock 'n' Roll chords and then adding a melodic twist by tossing in a fourth chord that changed the course of the song.  The Blow Monkeys pull that off here.

The soulful "Chained", with Robert's passionate vocal, sounds like a logical single and, while it doesn't sound like it came from the '80s, it might be the track that lures back their old audience that may not have been paying attention to their post-reunion recordings.  It is an extremely moving track that bears repeated listenings.  A real stunner and will certainly be one of the best tracks of the year.  

If you're looking for some upbeat tracks, then "Feels Like A New Morning" and "Shake It Off" will satisfy your cravings.  For those looking for something jazzy will fall in love with "In No Time At All".  The band offer up some wonderfully melodic mellow tunes with "Cover Me" and "Hold Everything Dear".  And there's plenty of great songs that straddle different genres here.  More Wilco than Style Council, the new sound of The Blow Monkeys is stylistically diverse and thoroughly engaging.

Feels Like A New Morning will surprise those who only know the band from "Digging Your Scene" or anything else they recorded in the '80s.  The Blow Monkeys prove here that they deserve your love and adulation.  They make it all sound so elegant with an edge..

I am totally digging their scene...

P.S. Be sure to pick up the 2CD version which features acoustic versions of Blow Monkeys classics!






Peace, love and pancakes,
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

Also available on Cherry Red:

Limping For A Generation (Deluxe 2CD Edition)

Animal Magic (Deluxe 2CD Edition)