Sublime Flowers From The Garage--Dara Puspita-- 60's Indonesian Rock

I've been listening to this great compilation album of 60's music by Dara Puspita (Flower Girls), a four piece all female combo hailing from Surabaya on the island of Java. Alan Bishop's Sublime Frequencies label has done it again. They are definitely one of the most interesting music labels these days, introducing and making great music from around the world more easily available to, well, musically obsessed people like me. They and the Finders Keepers Label are life savers for those of us who are interesting in hearing popular music from around the globe.

PIPPIP PIPPIP, YEAH!

Though we all realize how big the Beatles were, what a giant musical and cultural phenomenon they were, I did not comprehend how far and quickly the musical diaspora spread!! Dara Puspita recorded these songs between 1966 and 1968! Off the top of my head, I can't think of any all female rock bands from that era anywhere, though I am far from an expert. So perhaps under the radar from most of the world, these women were probably rock and roll pioneers! Some folks find kitschy fun in hearing musicians from other cultures ineptly try to perform Western-style rock and roll (I am guilty of this at times). Sorry to say hipsters, but there is very little kitsch factor on this recording. First and foremost, Dara Puspita are a very good band, who played their own instruments pretty well. They were not just a manufactured group singing with backing from studio musicians. Secondly, most of the music here are original songs, though of course the music is western style pop music, not some synthesis of Indonesian music with rock. The song "Ibu (Mother)" sounds an awful lot in places like "She Said She Said" by the Fab Four. Of course some people may not get past the fact that the women don't sing in the same language as the Beatles. I say get over it. These songs are a lot of fun to hear. And the harmonies are great. And the fact that the music is not slick or overproduced is an asset in my opinion.



The band was composed of Titiek A.R. on lead guitar and vocals, Lies A. R. on Rhythm guitar and Vocals, Titiek Hamzah on Bass and vocals, and Susy Nander on Drums on Vocals. When the band first started, the Sukarno government was concerned with the influence of rock and roll and 60's counterculture on the youth of Indonesia. So for at least the early part of their career, merely playing music could be politically dangerous. Koes Beraudara (another SF reissue), another popular Indonesian band of the era actually went to prison for three months! Fortunately for Dara Puspita and for music lovers, the old government was toppled in 1965 and they were able to perform and make recordings freely under Suharto.

Headband Mania

All I can say is if you love 60's music, The Beatles, The Bangles, The Jam, New Zealand's Look Blue Go Purple, or Garage Rock, I can't see how you could go wrong with this. Dara Puspita was a lot better than I had expected them to be. I haven't heard the other Indonesian releases from Sublime Frequencies, the Koes Beraudara  and Koes Plus albums, but I am definitely interested in hearing more music from that era in Indonesia soon.

Hard Rocktober Part 2!! Union Carbide Productions---In The Air Tonight---Time To Get Some Kicks!!

So this post is a continuation of the Motor City mojo diaspora I spoke about, but this time the musical migration was to Sweden. In The Air Tonight is the first slab recorded by Union Carbide Productions a hard rocking 5 piece from Goteborg, Sweden. I remember that there was some indy buzz in the states in 1987 when this album was initially released. These days they are probably better known as the precursor to the 60's steeped group The Soundtrack of Our Lives, who have achieved some success in the independent rock circuit. There is something really nice about this particular recording; the feeling is loose and wild--it feels like they are banging out the songs in the studio.

Three Mile Eye

Lots of energy here: angry leather lunged crazed vocals by Ebbot Lundberg; big heavy riffs and psychedelic wah wah guitar courtesy of Bjorn Olsson and Patrik Caganis. Additionally Olsson and Lundberg  play sax on the album, adding some of that Steve Mackay Stooge-style free jazz runs. Per Helm on Bass and Henryk Rylander on drums round out the lineup. Like the Monarchs album I recently wrote about, it sounds like these guys are having a blast--listening to this music long enough and your clothes will probably turn to leather. Maybe not much originality here, but they do what they do so very, very, well. Fantastic album!!

Right from the start they do the music justice with Ring My Bell, simple, over the top. If you like Mudhoney, then you will love these guys. The sarcastic Financial Declaration is another stunner... a song about the corrosiveness of Greed, about never getting enough of the pie. Not about the things, but the urge to get them.
Another noteworthy tune is Cartoon Animal, which I guess is about the humanity of homeless people.



This album came out 25 years ago, but some themes manage to hold up, such as their song Teenage Bankman.

I'm sitting on Wall Street and I can smell the smog...
I look inside my wallet, there's a lot of money in it
And then I think that I'm the richest man in this town.
I was born that way, and I'm there when all things come around....


....Don't Accuse Me, it's not my fault......
I'm Sooo happy!!

Love this album a lot. They have a great philosophy about the after life, if the lyrics of  their epic final song Down On The Beach are any indication.

If you are going to heaven, you have nothing to worry about,
and
If you are going to the other place
You will be so busy shaking hands with old friends
That you will have no time to worry....


So Why Worry???



You've got to love it. These guys should work for a greeting card company. So in my final analysis, if you want to pick up a nice album to shake your head to, I think this would be a very good choice. The potential loss of brain cells is more than compensated by the sonic enjoyment.  I really think that these guys did put their own unique insanely Nordic stamp to the proceedings. Check this one out and be amazed.

A Long Long Way Down The Dusty Road...The Slasher from Shropshire still delivers...Ian Hunter Live!

Saturday night I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Ian Hunter perform on stage at Tarrytown. For the second time. The first time he made a surprise cameo appearance on behalf of Alejandro Escovedo and performed "I Wish I Was Your Mother during the encore. Wow!

When I was a senior in High School, I picked up Welcome To The Club, a double disc live album which was a de facto greatest hits collection. I really took a serious shine to the music--he was an artist who rocked hard, but could also pen a heartfelt intelligent ballad. And many of the songs even had a bit of a theatrical quality. I really wanted to go see him perform but I couldn't find anybody who had an interest back then. So in a way going to this show was a fulfillment of something I never got around to doing. And in a way I am grateful to Ian Hunter because it dawned on me recently that this music was probably a preawakening to me of the Punk world that opened up to me when I went to College.

Just as bands like The Clash did not come on the scene from a desert island sui generis, despite their protestations of "no Beatles, no Elvis",  I was probably moving in that direction before I realized it when I listened to Ian Hunter's music. Mott the Hoople was an influence on bands like The Clash. Maybe they would not be quite as we know them. (Of course the same could be said of Poison, or Kiss). No doubt he was a rock star, mind you, in that rock star way that seems to be becoming extinct. But he was a different sort of guy, a little older when he came into his own, a little smarter and a lot more reflective than most. Empathy. Sort of a rock star for everybody, not some deity who seemed to be an extraterrestrial, despite his fine rendering of  "All-American Alien Boy" on Sunday. He was somebody whose music struck a chord with me. It's no accident that he wrote Cleveland Rocks, probably better known today as the "Theme from Drew Carey", sending out the love to the people who live between the East and West coasts, where he no doubt did a lot of his touring through the years.

It was not until recently that I read his Mott the Hoople Tour Chronicle--Diary of a Rock and Roll Star. Is it a great read? I don't think so personally, because life on the road isn't scripted like a reality show. It's boring, tedious, waiting around between shows. Traveling from one town to the next, scouring pawn shops for gear, worrying about the ticket sales, and whether they would grab the golden ring dangling before them. But is an important read because it is a warts and all story, and not from the vantage point of a teenager but of a married rock n roller in his early 30's. However as a warts and all study he makes some pointed comments about the Music Biz and also about American Culture worth hearing.

Before I went to the show I was listening to a live recording of his in Oslo from 2003, Strings Attached. It is quite different from the other live album from my younger days. More reflective, nostalgic, and of course filled with strings. It is a terrific album but but it felt a bit like a final retrospective. I wasn't sure which Ian Hunter band I would be seeing on this night---the show from 2003 or perhaps a harder rocking set not unlike Welcome to the Club? After all, I knew he was not a young guy. Turns out he turned 72 this year!



Well, though I didn't think that he would disappoint, I would have to say that Ian and his band rocked pretty damned hard that night, maybe not climb into a time machine and become 35 again energetic, but very very good. And while I like his ballads, his big hits pack a visceral wallop, some of my favorite songs of the pre-Punk 70's. You know, like All The Way From Memphis, a great hard rock update of Chuck Berry rock. A great raucous party tune, as are tunes like Once Bitten Twice Shy, and Roll Away The Stone. Naturally the mega hit All The Young Dudes was performed. But he played songs throughout his career, including Alice, a Mott song from 38 years ago that wasn't often done live, because at the time he said he couldn't sing and play the chords at the same time. I know some people were probably disappointed that certain songs did not make the set list, but he has so many songs. He did come out for two encores before it was "Goodnight Irene".



Ian played guitar and electric piano, and he still has that rock star swagger, that gravitas---was he born with it, or did he pick it up along the way? The band was very very good, which included the great drummer Steve Holley, James Mastro, and Jack Petruzelli. They all looked like they were having a great time, and Ian, being an old-school entertainer, did not disappoint. He performed with a lot of heart and soul--this did not feel at all like a nostalgic set. I'm very glad I bought a ticket.

The warmup act was actually quite excellent. What was funny was that I got into the theatre just after they introduced him. I didn't know who he was. But when I go to a show I am always respectful of performers. Just because I don't know who they are and did not come specifically to see them doesn't mean that they might not be fantastic! They could be better than the opening act. And thankfully it was not some second tier glam band--I hate it when you have a bunch of bands playing together who sound the same. I went to a Fishbone concert in Poughkeepsie a few years back, and they must have corralled every punk-ska band in a three state area to open for them. It's just ridiculous to beat people up like that. Of course Fishbone came out and did a righteously booty shaking set--(a documentary on them is coming out as I type!)

I would say he was a folk guy. He looked like somebody's dad. He reminded me of Alan Ruck, the guy who played Ferris Bueller's friend as a teenager. But he played a fairly mean guitar and his songs seemed to contain some jazzy complicated chords. In a word, he was quite good, though the themes of his songs were kind of suburban, whimsical, mature. Vocally, he reminded me of Elvis Costello, and he was talented enough for me to realize that he was bona fide. And he was funny, though there were idiots talking while he was playing, people wanting him to shut up, play his damn songs, because his presence on stage was preventing us from seeing Mr Hunter and co. I wish that behavior was less typical. Toward the conclusion of his set, Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces came out an performed a song that they written together. Not so shabby, after all?

Turns out the opener act was John Wesley Harding, a folk rocker in the style of a Billy Bragg, who was an up and coming artist in the late 80's. Turns out he recently put a new one out, The Sound of His Own Voice.
From what I heard, it must be pretty good. He did a funny song called There's a Starbucks where the Starbucks Used to Be, and another song called Uncle Dad, which I think has to do with being a divorced father and being on the periphery of the daily lives of his children. I enjoyed the songs and his humorous onstage patter, which often involved his 5 year old daughter. Turns out he is also Wesley Stace, author of three novels which seem to be pretty well received. I plan to read one of them very soon.

So I thoroughly enjoyed myself that night, getting a nice set from a former folk rock sensation, and saw rock and roll royalty in the flesh.  I wish I could see more shows like this--they are hard to forget.

Visqueen Packing It In? My Recession has turned to Depression---

Just heard the news that Visqueen will be playing their final show in Seattle on November 26th.

Sad news. Their last album, Message to Garcia is fantastic; while their first two records are also pretty great, the new one branches out in so many new musical directions. The band is very talented, and if you live in Seattle you should count yourself lucky to have had the chance to see them live on many occasions.

I am very glad that I saw them last year at The BigTakeover's 30th Anniversary Party at the Bell House in Brooklyn. They methodically came out on stage for a short set, kicked our asses, and left the building. Rachel Flotard was a complete dynamo on stage, and she had some funny patter between songs. The whole band was fired up for the show, they could not have been more exciting--and I've felt that they deserved a lot more attention than they've gotten. If you don't believe me, listen to the music. It must be frustrating for a band this good not to get to a bigger level.



Anyway, I don't have any tangible information about why they are packing it in. I certainly hope they continue to make music in some way shape or form. As I've said before, sometimes when you spend years listening to bands it starts sounding the same. This band from the outset blew me away completely--if you are a young woman interested in being in a rock band, Visqueen would be a pretty great role model artistically. Hell, I even bought the T-Shirt and wore it proudly. Visqueen is a special band. If you haven't heard them, well, what are you waiting for? If you live near Seattle, see them while you can!

Hard Rocktober!! The Monarchs--What Brad Shepherd did on Hoodoo Hiatus

Brad Shepherd of Sydney legends Hoodoo Gurus released this stellar hard riff rocking album under the moniker The Monarchs, in that sad dark period when The Hoodoo Gurus were temporarily no more. Make Yer Own Fun is great heavy garage rock album made by a bunch of real pros. And I would not hesitate to assume that this album must have been a blast to make. Perhaps there is a bit of tongue and cheek aspect to the record, but when all is said and done, the music here was executed with white hot reverence.

If you heard this huge sounding aggressive record and imagined that Shepherd and company had hopped on the Seattle Grunge bandwagon, you would be mistaken. For whatever reason, there has been a longstanding love of hard rocking American bands in Australia, like The Stooges and The MC5. Bands like Radio Birdman, The Saints and The Scientists notably were onto this sound early in the game. Ignore these great bands at your peril. Or for a broader picture check out the amazing compilation Do The Pop!, which collects 50 nuggets of Antipodean goodness. A fantastic overview of a very special time.



The briefly lived band was comprised of Brad Shephard on guitar and vocals, Andy Kelly on Bass, Greg Hitchcock on guitar, and Brad's brother Murray on the drums. I'm thinking that I heard about this record from a review by Steve Gardner of NKVD Records/Noise for Heroes, who for a time reviewed records for BigTakeover magazine. He was one of the few people who touted great rock music from places like Scandanavia and Continental Europe, but also had a lot of admiration for the Australian golden era of the 80's and early 90's. And he was not wrong with his glowing review of this disc.

This just a really fun retro sounding record that is no way revolutionary or innovative. These guys just rock out, blow all the carbon out of the pipes. And the enthusiasm and energy is infectious, beginning with the hardrocking space garage of 2001. Equally exciting is '69 Monaro a neat 70's macho race car tune. One of my favorites is the more pop oriented yet still heavy Yer Movin On. That Reminds Me.... is in a similar vein and also pretty terrific. But most of the album is loaded with heavy riff hedonism,  with tunes like 1 Nite Only, Everyone's A Superstar, and Give It Up For the Band. Great album to listen to when driving. Grab it if you can find it.



As for the Hoodoos, one of the better Australian bands, who are also blessed with a great sense of humor, they are back again, with a new album, their first since 2004's Mach Shau! I was on to them early buying their 2nd album Mars Needs Guitars when it was first released, then grabbing Stoneage Romeos shortly afterward. Their new album, entitled Purity of Essence is supposed to be terrific, but unfortunately I have not picked it up yet. In 2009 Shepherd was diagnosed with cancer, but was expected to make a full recovery. Here's hoping all is well with him today and for long into the future.

Champaign Kisses and Urbana Dreams! The Outnumbered-Surveying The Damage

Young Fresh Fellows

When I first got out of the habit of listening to mainstream music, I quickly found that I could not easily get the music I wanted. It was not in any record stores near my home. So I would take the train or drive into New York, and get records at Midnight Records over on 23rd. They had a lot of interesting records, and I was into garage/psychedelic stuff a lot at the time. I recall buying a compilation album Battle of the Garages Volume II, that I really liked which may have been put out by Bomp! records. One of the tracks that stood out for me was a track by some band called The Outnumbered. Contrary to many of the other bands represented on the comp, the song actually sounded like it could have been recorded back in 1966. The song had a brooding intensity to it, an accurate distillation of teenage angst, anxiety, and boredom.

Boy on a Roof
Hot Summer night
Thinks of jumping off
Confused about his life
The future ahead he can't see
For that moment, he's unhappy....


Skip ahead a few years, and I find myself going to school in Champaign-Urbana, in the heart of corn country. When I was out there, the first Farm Aid was put on by Willie Nelson and John Melloncamp. I was a big fan of music then as now, and having the Record Stop within walking distance was a real luxury. Great music store. Well, in any event, I was interested in finding out about the local scene. There was a bit of a reputation. But when I was out there, the Elvis Brothers had disbanded as had the band Turning Curious (their album was never released on Cd). But new bands replace old bands, the circle of life....There were bands like The Arms of Someone New, The Farmboys (Adam Schmitt),Secret Goldfish, and variations on what was to eventually become Velvet Crush.



And of course The Outnumbered. They were a band that I already knew about, so when I heard they were performing I made sure I was there. I was surprised that there was not a great turnout that night. When I heard them play I was even more surprised as they were a terrific live band. I went to another of their shows at Mabel's later on and there was a much better turnout. Very entertaining. It seemed that the band was calling it quits though, either right then or in the very near future. I remember them winding the show down with a kick ass cover of Scott McKenzie's Going to San Francisco! It was so good that I wondered whether they ever recorded it. My impression at the time was that the singer, Jon Ginoli had decided to move out West.

After all this The Outnumbered to a degree dropped off my radar. I didn't realize till years later that when Ginoli went out West, he founded Pansy Division, the trailblazing overtly gay band that started the whole Queercore movement. I found out when I bought the great Rhino Cd, Punk Rock XMAS, where I noticed Ginoli's name under the hilarious Pansy Division tune, Homo Christmas. Caught me a little by surprise, but mainly because its not something I waste my time thinking about. My criteria for music is about the quality, not about somebody's orientation, or appearance, or how they vote. Have to admire his bravery--people are more tolerant overall now then they were back then.



According to the liner notes The Outnumbered were an attempt to blend the Ramones with The Byrds.
Punk rock aggressivenes with pop smarts. They were also a band with a high degree of social consciousness.
Their stance was anti-war, anti-misogyny, pro-tolerance. Thought the other issues are a stock part of the rock and roll canon from hippie/folk days, the anti-misogyny issue was a pretty unique take at the time. Unfortunately in rock iconography their is a tradition of women as a form of accessorising. And while they dealt with these topics in all seriousness, they still managed to maintain a sense of humor. Hell, in their own liner notes they make fun of their haircuts! But they were basically a voice of sanity a cornfield of mass stupidity, something needed as much today as back then. They also managed to address these issues wrapped up in a neat hook-filled package, which other similar idealistically minded bands might have ignored in their zeal. In addition to Ginoli, Paul Budin played Bass and sang, Tim McKeague was on lead guitar, and had Ken Golub on drums at first, and then Jonno Peltz, who was probably their drummer when I saw them live.

Heartland Jangle-Punk. That's what I hear on this album. I was surprised by Ginoli's comments in the liner notes about how disappointed he was when he heard Husker Du's New Day Rising album and felt a sense of failure. They were doing what he wanted to do, only better. It was a comparison that I had never really seen until then, but it makes perfect sense, only Husker Du came out of a hardcore background originally. But they also melded the sensibilities of 60's pop with punk rock, starting with Zen Arcade. The obvious example is their magnificent cover of 8 Miles High, my favorite cover song ever. A kick-ass version of a Byrds tune that also seems to be filled with subtextual meaning, a manifesto in a way. This was a beginning that was perfected on New Day Rising and Flip Your Lid. But until now I didn't see the obvious connection.

The Outnumbered released three albums in their career, Why Are All The Good People Going Crazy, Holding the Grenade for Too Long, and the posthumous Work...Buy...Die, all out of print. But good folks at Parasol records have compiled highlights of these records on Surveying the Damage, available at a very affordable price. In addition to Boy on A Roof, which is a garage rock classic, you have raveups like Why Are All the Good People Going Crazy?, and the opening track I Feel So Sorry Now. Paul Budin takes the mike on several songs here and comports himself quite well on the fiery Away From Here, and most notably on his profound take on the unequal role of women in society Passive Voice. Ginoli also contributes to the discussion with The Other Way Around and Sit With Me In The Dark. Also included here is Ginoli's anti-war tune Cover Me With Flowers, replete with Beatley "Tomorrow Never Knows" guitar.



One of my favorite songs in addition to the aforementioned is the love song Inspiration, another Budin tune.
It's definitely on the warm and fuzzy side, and a very satisfying pop confection.
After the Outnumbered, Budin and McKeague formed Last Straw, what today would be called an Alt-Country Band, but back then such a thing did not exist. They recently did a reunion show in Champaign-Urbana, where they were selling a 2 CD collection of their old cassette and unreleased songs. I thought that maybe Parasol might be hawking this, but apparently not at present. The Outnumbered held a reunion show back in 2009, some of which can be seen here, still sounding great after all these years.

We're Not Crazy But We Must Be Mad!!!--TV21--Snakes and Ladders Retro

Well, it took nearly 30 years for Edinburgh post-punk pop stars TV21 to have their recorded output re-released.

By the time the retrospective Snakes and Ladders--Almost Complete 1980-1982 was released in 2010 by Cherry Red Records, the band had since reunited and put out a new album, Forever 21!! I don't have the new one, but the press I have seen on it has been all positive. Seeing them performing again after 30 years in videos, I have to believe the reviews. They sound great. The new retrospective, which I do have, includes their singles plus their only full length, Thin Red Line.

I was really ignorant of this group, but their name was dropped quite often in Big Takeover magazine as a leading Scottish band of the era, along with bands like Orange Juice, the Fire Engines, and Josef K. I can't help but think I heard their music being play at my College Radio Station in the early 80's, as they were very big on playing new music, including local bands from Worcester, Mass and the New England Area. But sadly, I am drawing a complete. Now that I am finally hearing this great music, I am catching up quickly.

That somebody did not released this music sooner is a bit of a baffler--there probably is a story behind this.
The music is uniformly excellent on this collection. I don't think there are many surprises here. If you are fans of groups like The Jam, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, Joy Division, you have struck gold here. Over a short period of time the band changed a bit stylistically, got a bit slicker, added a horn section Ala Teardrop Explodes. Songs are still good, though I would agree with singer Norman Rodger's take in the albums liner notes that the band was best as an unadorned 4 piece. I would also argue that some of their best songwriting came later on, one song of which seems particularly relevant in 2011.

From what the liner notes say, the band achieved a modest level of success, opening for acts like The Jam, The Skids, even The Rolling Stones. Frustration ended the group, when they realized that when they opened for Jagger and Co, and no industry people came to the shows. They decided that they were not going to achieve international success anytime soon. Despite all that I saw some 2003 Scottish newspaper poll of the 100 best Scottish albums, and TV21's only full length album Thin Red Line was not included. People have short memories I guess, particularly when the album was only available as vinyl for so long.

But we have these fantastic recordings as a testament to their talents. The first song is just awesome, the combing the high energy of Stiff Little Fingers with the pop sensibilities of The Jam. Listen to the second song here, Shattered By It All, and you start to understand that this is not your run of the mill band. It doe not take long to vet out that this collection is blessed with both quantity and quality. 19 songs, mostly all top notch. For some reason one of the most noteworthy things about the band is the bass playing of Neil Baldwin. It seems to set the band apart a bit from the competition of the day. Other band members include Dave Hampton on keys, Ally Palmer on Guitar, and Ali Patterson on drums.When you hear this compilation you will find that TV21 are the equal of their better know contemporaries. I wonder if there is more that could be released. I certainly would like to hear more. (I know, its just a matter of time before I shell out for Forever 22). I do understand that they did a Peel session early on in their careers.



Now........

The song I was referring to before was What's Going On? a political screed, decrying the gap at the time between the populace and its representatives, and taking on the obsessive madness of the Cold War military buildup. Take away some of those references, and this sounds like an anthem that rings true in our economically unstable times. Something's Wrong is equally great, sounding like a harder hitting outtake from the Teardrop Explodes' songbook.



Now.....

So in a nutshell, this is a great collection of music from a criminally neglected band. I would highly recommend this music to anybody who loves the bands I compared TV21 with, or is a fan of some of the contemporary bands who have been duly inspired by their brief output, like Franz Ferdinand. Maybe with these two new releases the band will get some of the recognition they deserve.



And Then.....