Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later?
Jul 092007
Jul 092007
Simply beautiful
The other day, I scored a significant haul of dusty old 45s at the local Value Village — the stuff of which will form the core of a couple of upcoming Thrifty Music editions. One single in particular, however, proved itself so noteworthy that I felt compelled to feature it separately.
The song in question is called “Moody”, by one Scuffy Shew, from 1973. I urge you to give it a listen. As you do, please think of all the tortured, self-important, pretentious artistes whose causes have been championed ’round these parts. I’m especially looking at all of you who endure every cheek-flapping fart Lou Reed ever committed to vinyl, or those of you who revel in every hollow, clanging note to be found on sides one and two of Television‘s first album. Fans of Be Bop Deluxe, Sparks, and Neu! — I charge you in particular with the duty of opening your ears to some real music for a change.
Scuffy Shew, “Moody”
What we’ve got here in Shew’s “Moody” is something different. Something simple, vital, beautiful, and ultimately, genuinely important, like a first kiss or the smell of the ocean on hard-earned vacation. I don’t know where to begin explaining why it’s as Great as I think it is; all I know is that if you can’t wrap your head around its simple charm, you need your ears — not to mention your brain — thoroughly irrigated.
Come on, guys, be real about this rock and roll thing for once, willya? Sheesh. I know E. Pluribus will understand what I’m getting at here.
I look forward to your responses,
HVB
Jul 082007
Saw Berlyant’s purchase of Plurb’s Three O’Clock on fireworks night, and then ran into this video after work late tonight through another friend (completely coincidentally) and thought of sharing it with my fellow Townspeople! Another great link I was sent, http://chocoreve.blogspot.com if you haven’t seen it first – enjoy your Breakfast With the Beatles, your breakfast in the afternoon, and have a great Sunday, guys!
Jul 062007
This surprisingly lucid slow-burner really picks up speed with about 1:04 left to go, as Lou cranks out a nasty Rock Porn Soloing Face. From that point forward, the sound Lou always had in his head is evident.
Jul 062007
Archivist in Spain Strikes Paydirt
Home recording and the ease of indie releases have made for the ready sharing of our own private yesterdays. Some yesterdays are better left forgotten, but when shared with passion and craft, there’s no need to get hung up on the degree of retro-authenticity of the lo-fi recording, any anachronisms that sneak into the retro-themed lyrics, and the stitching on the band members’ Beatle boots. It was through this combination of passion and craft that the Unknown Mystery 60’s Group was able to pull the wool over the eyes of garage-collector sheep with their first release, which was successfully launched as having been culled from an unknown, mysterious tape at found at an outdoor flea market. With the newly released Volume III: Love Songs (Birdhouse Records), the band’s anonymous archivist in Spain has unearthed more recordings by these mysterious lads that sound richer, in parts, than their first two sets of recordings.
The sound of the latest from Unknown Mystery 60’s Group is as homemade and quaint as ever, but there’s more room for the songs to breathe and the imagination to wander. This is especially evident on gentle songs like “Butterfly” and “Having You Here With Me”, which are fleshed out by light touches of orchestration (shades of Dave Gregory’s underrated work with XTC) and detailed harmonies.
Accusatory [Insert mid-60s “The” Group] Do Dylan-like rockers continue to be a staple of the band’s output. My favorite is “You’ve Changed”, which hints at Moby Grape’s “Omaha” if that San Francisco band spent less time worrying about giving us the finger and more time on their songcraft. Beatles’ movie-era-styled numbers also reign, the most “photogenic” of which is “Three Hurtful Things”.
As you hum and toe tap along with this CD, you’ll not need to break down the meter of the lyrics or plum literary depths for hidden meanings. The Unknown Mystery 60’s Group sing about stuff they know in a straightforward, sometimes humorous manner. For private memories, it’s hard to be much more inviting.
“Having You Here With Me”
“You’ve Changed”
“Three Hurtful Things”
Jul 052007
If you’re not familiar with the Last Man Standing game, we throw up one answer at a time in response to the day’s theme until all answers are spent. It’s time we come clean with every cheesy stage move done to death by rock bands. May I kick things off with one that always bugs me?
Multiple guitar picks taped to the mic stand, ready to flick out to fans
What have you got?
Jul 052007
At a recent “live” gathering of a handful of Townspeople, we picked up on the then-burning “Worst of the Great Stones albums” and got into a brief discussion of Worst of the Great Albums by other great artists. So, for a handful of you, you’ve already chimed in on some of these artists, but this topic might interest other members of the Hall.
Here’s the deal: What’s the worst of the great albums by any of the following artists? It should be pretty clear where the line on “great” albums is; if not, we’ll be sure to point it out for you. Here are some artists to kick off the discussion:
- Elvis Costello & the Attractions (My Aim Is True included)
- The Clash
- XTC
- Wire
- Bob Dylan
- Joy Division
Feel free to suggest others we could discuss. As a special bonus question, What’s the worst of the great songs that populate side 1 of Television’s Marquee Moon?
