Ending the Summer with Novelty and Sadness

Here's a little fun music as Summer grinds to its 2013 conclusion.

Here's a little Boston Surf Comedy from the late 70's. One of my roommates had this single. I'm pretty sure there are a few future members of The Cars performing on this.







Here's Voyage of the Aquanauts by The Posies. It's their song "Flavor of the Month" with new lyrics from an episode of Bill Nye the Science guy, who recently appeared on Bill Maher's Real Time on
HBO.






On a more serious note---Martin Phillips with some string arrangements from Van Dyke Parks. From the excellent "Soft Bomb" album by The Chills. My favorite New Zealand group. Submarine Bells should be owned by everyone.

Human Sexual Response--not completely forgotton?

I just got the Rykodisc reissue of Boston's Human Sexual Response from way back when just the other day. I haven't even listened to it yet. They were a pretty huge band on the Boston scene in the early 80's--our College radio station used to play them quite a bit. But it dawned on me that these guys in fact put out a pretty good second album that hasn't seen the light of day. I have it on vinyl, but it just surprises me sometimes what comes out and what doesn't. I think that this band is pretty overdue for some attention, and I don't think I'm the only one out there who shares this opinion. Here's a tune that I completely forgot about---I listened to it for the first time in years and it still blows me away.

That's Andy Fell, from In A Roman Mood. I feel as a graduate from a College with a renowned Classics department (and with an erudite Classics scholar of a roomate to boot!) that I need to voice my opinion on this subject.

There's Nothing Underground----Moving Targets---Brave Noise/Burning in Water

Now that First Night has passed, it's time to showcase a great Boston band. The Moving Targets were one of the groups that slipped through my radar, but I have made up for lost time in the last 5 years.

I remember as a kid, wishing that The Who's Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy comp had 5 albums in it rather than 1. Of course, I didn't realise then that if a band put out an album every 2 weeks, maybe I wouldn't want to hear all these songs, that they would in all likelihood not get a passing grade in quality. Unless of course, Robert Pollard happens to be involved. I'm surprised that he hasn't made a Christmas album yet. I figured the odds would be good that he would have put one out accidentally, maybe just as a consequence of basic probability theory, (you know, the old monkeys on typewriters thing). Anyway, when your favorite bands implode or move on to other musical ventures, it's always good to find a great band to pick up the slack. And Moving Targets never disappoint.

Always Calling, Always Calling...

So, Mission of Burma only put out one album in its first incarnation. Husker Du rocked our worlds for a few years and imploded. The Clash were the only band that mattered for a while, but then they went on permanent hiatus. The Minutemen shone as bright as a supernova, until tragedy struck. So the fact that Moving Targets also walked the earth and put out a number of fantastic albums is good news for fans of these aforementioned bands. I know that putting the band in this position is doing them a bit of a disservice, because the comparison is really a starting off point. This two-fer Cd of Moving Targets second and first albums Brave Noise/Burning in Water are essential, essential listening. On the Taang! Records label. Kenny Chambers is a monstrous guitarist, pounding out inventive molten hooks and riffs over the blazing rhythm section of Chuck Freeman (bass), and Pat Brady (drums). The drums are impressive, brawny,  a lot of the time seemingly on the verge of destruction. Yet within all the chaos, the music is actually pretty tuneful.

There is a certain loud and fast nature to the music, but the music is so complicated and unsamey, that you can't really call it hardcore. But definitely informed by the scene. Some hardcore I like, but I think that a lot of it sounds the same, and it is music with a purpose, in the same way that disco is for people to dance to. The best hardcore is fantastic and inventive, but the good bands in every type of music tend to inspire lesser imitators.

Never saw these guys play, but I sure wish I had. They must have been unbelievable on stage. You be the judge.




27 songs here folks, and not a lot of filler. Nothing Changes is a superb song from Brave Noise, sounding a lot like one of Grant Hart's better tunes. The drums really power this song to another level. It's insane that the next three songs are just as excellent. Separate Hearts has to be one of the most high energy love songs you might ever hear. At least I think it's a love song. Burning in Water, their first, is also loaded with quality. The powerful opener, The Other Side completely rips. Always Calling, with its buzzsaw singalong pop is another great 80's moment. The hard hitting Urban Dub is another favorite with its pastoral beginning descending into a blur of Ruts/MOB glory. Underground features Pat Leonard, the original bassist of the band, and performs on Burning in Water. A song with a real anthemic quality to it. Less Than Gravity is another great one, amidst an abundance of great music.



This collection is simply fantastic. Probably some of the best music of the 80's, and too few people know about it. I've had this record for a while, and I've been listening to it in my free time for the last three days, and every listen I hear new things, and get a deeper appreciation of what these guys were all about. Dedication, heart, and no small amount of talent. And the contributions of the entire band are what makes this record stand above so many other bands of the era. If you can get a hold of this, pick it up immediately. You will not be disappointed.

That's When I Reach For My Remote:Not A Photograph: The Mission of Burma Story

Not seeing Mission of Burma back in 1983 was another one of my brilliant moves.

One of my friends called in and won four free tickets to see them perform in Boston. But I was too busy with schoolwork and bowed out like an utter fool. My priorities were so skewed back then. Of course, not long after this the band called it quits due to the tinnitus problems of guitarist Roger Miller. Tinnitus is a condition that is a symptom of ear damage, in many cases from extended exposure to loud noise. It is the perception by the ear of noise in the absence of noise. Bob Mould of Husker Du also suffers from this affliction, which produces unremitting annoying tones. Makes it hard to sleep.  I had assumed I would get the opportunity to see the band, but the joke was on me. At least temporarily. Fast forward to the New Millennium.

They reformed! And not in an obligatory, make-money nostalgia fest. These guys broke out of the box as big and bad as they were twenty years earlier! And they were recording new material!!! But alas, these events did not occur because a cure was found for tinnitus. Because of Miller's affliction the band (and no doubt also because of job commitments) was not going to be doing extended touring, maybe only a few weeks at a time. So I made sure I got to see these guys. They are one of the most important American bands, influential but never imitated. Popular in the Boston Area, misunderstood an even reviled in their day in other areas (read their chapter in Michael Azerrad's awesome book on Post Punk, Our Band Could Be Your Life).

I saw the band in a fairly small club in New Haven, Toad's Place. I left work on a Thursday, but traffic on I-95 was utterly horrendous. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to get there. But it was worth the drive, believe me.
They were absolutely tremendous--I was so excited to see this band after all these years, and they exceeded my already high expectations. Miller was awesome  playing a million low end chords a minute on guitar while wearing those big headphones that they use on airport runways to protect his hearing. Clint Conley jumping around on stage like he had never put his bass down for a few decades, and the mighty Peter Prescott hammering the drums and shouting along to the beautiful chaos. Hearing That's When I Reach For My Revolver, Trem Two, Peking Spring, That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate, Academy Fight Song, and much more. I'm pretty sure they played Mica, which is my favorite Burma song. I even got the t-shirt.



One of the best shows I've ever seen. It makes me a little teary thinking about it. So if you get the chance, go see this band while you can. They are one of the most interesting innovative intelligent American bands out there who are an astonishingly powerful live act, the closest this country ever got to having a band like Wire. And they rock harder than most current bands who are a generation younger than them.

So when this short documentary on Mission of Burma, This is Not a Photograph came out I was all over it.

It's a nice genial documentary, not a warts and all expose. The filmmakers recount the history of the group, beginning before the band existed when Miller and Conley played in Erik Lindren's band Moving Parts. They then go through the early days of the band, their recordings on Rick Harte's Ace of Hearts label, and finally to the band's breakup. Then they move to present day, where they interview and film the days leading to the bands rebirth as a touring entity.



All the band members contributed to this documentary, and it seems like they reassembled the band with little bad blood or baggage. No one seems to be able to explain why they decided to restart the group after so many years and so little appreciation beyond the Boston area. Martin Swope, who originally did the tape loops in the group, who was a significant part of the Burma sound was not able to participate in the band reunion and Bob Weston was brought in as a replacement. In addition to the band's commentaries there are cameo spots from friends, fans, music critics and fellow musicians, including Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo, Mike Watt, Moby, Dave Minehan of The Neighborhoods, and Hugo Burnham from Gang of Four.

One of the interesting aspects of the reunion  was that Clint Conley was now an executive at a local cable news station, and that after the original demise of the band he put down his bass and never picked it up again for 20 years. He built a new career for himself and raised a family. Some people at the cable station had no idea that he was previously a local rock star. Peter Prescott was working as a buyer in a local record store. Hearing the commentary from the band is illuminating and often warm and funny. The fact that they came back to critical adulation and packed venues is like a punk rock fairytale come true. As was stated in the aforementioned Our Band Could Be Your Life, they went on tours and played before practically nobody, or they performed and people there petitioned the owner to get them off stage so they could play the jukebox.

One of the amazing things about Mission of Burma is the variety of qualities they brought to the musical table. As one fan said in the DVD, they were experimental, almost punk-progressive, but they were also a noisy abrasive hard rocking band. Finally on top of this there was a pop harmony element there also. I'm not saying that did this all at one time, but it was all definitely part of the package. You can see the tremendous enthusiasm in the faces of the people in this documentary when they talk about the band. And that's not just fans and friends either. There is a lot of concert footage intercut throughout the documentary, both from the past and from the reunion, including practice reunion shows and the big show at Irving Plaza in 2002. My only regret was that there was not a full bonus disc of just live performances by the band, instead of a few tracks appended onto the documentary.

And by seeing the live footage it is evident what a special group they were. They were questing to try different things, and they used a full musical palette to accomplish their goals. Time changes, Tempo changes, multiple chord changes, abrasiveness, aggressiveness, use of space, volume changes. The songs don't particularly sound the same. It's refreshing when you hear a band that makes uncompromising songs that don't pander to the flavor of the week or the fickle fleeting tastes of the general public. It's difficult to do and it requires a lot of bravery. And it took a long time for people to catch up to the visionary music they had made.



So let me repeat. See this band and be amazed. Check out this DVD and you'll see what I mean. They have just begun recording album number 5 so be prepared.

The Neighborhoods--The Last Rat--Beantown Idols Incendiary Last Show on Cd

The Neighborhoods were a great Boston band with a huge local following, replete with a lot of airplay on radio stations in the 80's. The song Prettiest Girl which was originally issued by Ace of Hearts was very familiar to anyone who lived in the Boston metropolitan area. They were one of the top bands in the area. The original lineup was Dave Minehan on guitar and lead vocals, John Hartcorn on Bass, and Mike Quaglia on Drums. I was lucky enough to see them perform, probably in the winter of 1983-84 in a small bar in Auburn, Mass. just outside of Worcester. The name of the venue escapes me as it was the only time I was there.

I have to say they were simply excellent. Dave Minehan had amazing guitar chops and electrifying stage presence. The band had that charismatic star quality that every aspiring band wishes they had. I was certain that this was a band that was destined for success. But that did not exactly happen. Certainly they were given a shot to some degree. They were signed to a major label, at some point it seemed that Brad Whitford of Aerosmith became a fan of what they were doing and tried to put some of his influence on their behalf. I don't pretend to be an insider here, but it does seem that something happened to the band in their quest for the brass ring, to be megastars. Somehow all of the great things that band did, all of the things that made them such a revered band in their hometown, were pushed aside in favor of a more commercial, hard riffing,
hard rock style. Say Aerosmith Lite. Their earlier material was what got them noticed, and I think the new trend made them sound undistinctive and less charming, less fresh. And with the stylistic changes they still never got to do the beer commercial.

And so it goes with this 1992 Live Album released in 2010 on 2 discs. The band was in fine form that evening, playing at Boston's Rathskeller in Kenmore Square in front of a legion of adoring fans. The quality of the live recording is excellent. I like a lot of the music here, though on both discs I find that in general the quality is better at the end. The lineup of The Neighborhoods at the time was Minehan with Lee Harrington on Bass, and Carl Coletti on Drums. Tracks 10-17 on the first disc have Dave reuniting with his original cohorts Quaglia and Hartcorn. Not to disparage the other musicians, who are terrific here, but I really enjoyed this part of the album. Some of the other music doesn't move me as much, though I don't wish to overgeneralize.

Certainly on the first disc, Pure and Easy is one of the standouts. In my opinion, it's the best thing they ever did, a bona fide classic rock tune, as good as anything you could ever expect to hear. The opening cut Real Stories is another super song in the vein of The Replacements. Great Great Great!! The minute I heard this song I knew that this Cd was a worthwhile purchase. At their very best they were like America's answering salvo to the Jam, as can be seen on the heart pounding pop of No Place Like Home. With a song like that, I'm not surprised why Boston loved this band so much. The band does a nice cover of Ready Steady Go during this set, but it actually pales in comparison to their A-list originals like She's So Good.




Of course they perform Prettiest Girl and it is wonderful, as you would expect. An irresistible song that always forces a smile out of me. Terrific harmonies. From the demeanor of the crowd, you would have thought the Celtics just won another ring during the set. And right before that Milestone, you get to hear Monday Morning and Innocence Lost. I guarantee that when you hear this portion of the set you will wish you had been an eyewitness to this night. I really wish there was a DVD for this.

But with the good, there are some of the more pedestrian hard rockin' songs of their latter days. It may be to the taste of some, but I'm not that thrilled with Nancy, Hookwinked, Roxxanne, Diane, their version of Walkin' The Dog, their particularly crude song The Pipe. I do like Tommy though, and also Arrogance and Hangin', and the Burma-ish mess. The disc concludes with an apparent tribute to some of the other great Boston bands of the day. They perform Spymaster by La Peste, Hot Steel and Acid by Nervous Eaters, and That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate by Mission of Burma. All in all a very good and well recorded set by a band that more people should know about. For just a 3 piece band, they certainly raised a ruckus live. If you go to hoodsnoise.com you can buy a copy and find out for yourself.




This post is dedicated to my legendary college roommate, Boston's truest son.

Neats--The Ace of Hearts Years 1981-84--Monkey's Head Soup

God, I was a handsome child

Neats were a great Boston band that put out an ep The Monkey's Head In The Corner Of The Room and a self-title LP in the early 80's on Ace of Hearts records. Ace of Hearts of course is the recording label that released music by notable Boston bands like progpunk icons Mission of Burma, farfisa powered garage popsters The Lyres, and shoulda been contenders The Neighborhoods. And of course the Neats, a band that was popular at the time and also well received critically. These days they are not nearly so well known outside of the Boston area. They play a dark eerie form of garage pop, in some ways like R.E.M., The Feelies, The Outnumbered and not unlike some of the bands on the Flying Nun label like The Clean or early Chills. I'm even reminded of some of the more melodic tunes by the Pixies. Vocally, Eric Martin does actually sound a bit like Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate. But unfortunately this music has never been available in Cd format, until 2009, when Rick Harte of AOH finally released their 2 recordings on his label plus 6 extras in one convenient package.

Neats were comprised of Phil Caruso on guitar, Jerry Channel, bass & vocals, Terry Hanley on Drums, and Eric Martin, vocals, guitar, and organ. Never saw them perform, but I played their two records way back when an awful lot. This record is chock full of dark melodic goodness. Of particular note is the fluid melodic bass lines of Jerry Channel and the drumwork of Hanley, a rhythm section whose level of musicianship helps set the Neats apart from their peers at the time.

Of the music on the Monkey Ep, of note is the first track Red and Gray, which is a classic song of the Boston scene. Chiming guitars, more melodious and less dark than most of their songs with a big chorus. Same, Lies and Monkey's Head are also outstanding tunes from the Ep.

The first Lp, with the great Escheresque cover sleeve is step up in the Neats development. This is a very very good record, not in a class with Burmas Vs. (understand that Vs. is one of the most important albums of the last 30 years), but nonetheless a very excellent and interesting album from start to finish. It may be merely that they had a bigger budget on this one, with a lot more organ on this and the songs seem more fully realized because of it. The band seems tighter than before. Martin's vocals are measurably better on the Lp, singing with intensity as before, but with a lot more subtlety and nuance. And Phil Caruso's guitar work is as always stellar.

I have to confess that I hadn't listened to the Neats in a while. I'm relistening to them as I write this. The Lp is great from start to finish. If you are into the Boston scene of the 80's or are huge fans of the bands I have compared them to, this is an essential purchase. The album is a long ignored classic. Maybe the last song Water, drags on a bit, but still not too bad. But everything else is top shelf. The first song Sad, is a fantastic leadoff, with sharp jangly guitar, melodic complex bassline and passionate confident vocals. They continue on a winning streak, with Sometimes, A.B.D., and Now You Know. Caraboo is one of my favorites here and is one of the intense highlights of the album, as is the jangle pop of Ghost.



In addition there are some extras here that are of the same quality as the Ace of Hearts releases. The song Harbor Lights seems to be a loungy goof cover of an old standard song which is unrepresentative of the rest of the music on the album. I don't have a problem with that though as it is is quite good. Six is a precursor to the Ace of Hearts releases, and is a organ swirling seemingly satanic (6-6-6) psychedelic tune. Very good. The other songs are from 1984, and for people who own the vinyl already, a good reason to be redundant in your purchasing. Of particular note are confidently understated vocal performance of Eric Martin on Saturn.
But these are all pretty superlative.

If you have any interest, you can buy this directly from Rick Harte at the Ace Of Hearts website. I definitely think you will enjoy this one.