THE DOGS - Fed Up!
Y'know that girl that lives around the corner that posted a video of herself blowing her boyfriend while chewing gum on her Whyspace? She's more famous than Lansing, Michigan's Dogs. Which is an absolute travesty that burns me up & down every time I allow myself to think about it. Our "culture" (such as it is) has become so disposable that idiots actually give a shit about talentless, exhibitionist morons who've suddenly developed huge egos (to offset their non-existent self-esteem) becuz they have a digi-cam... but I digress (and honestly, what better way to segue into yappin' 'bout an album called "Fed Up!"?).
Formed in 1969, The Dogs were comprised of Loren Molinare (guitars/lead vox), Mary Kay (bass) and when he wasn't in jail, drummer Ron Wood (They of course all used the surname "Dog"). You should/may know them for the classic "Slash Your Face" which appeared on the first volume of "Killed By Death", or mebbe even "Younger Point of View" which showed up on Rhino's "Saturday Night Pogo" comp. If not, time to get edumacatin' yourself-- this is adrenaline-fueled, MC5-informed High Energy Rock & Roll as only Michigan residents seem to be able to pull off convincingly.
Their first single (and first cut on this CeeDee), "John Rock & Roll Sinclair" was the result of their disappointment with Mr. White Panther's "establishment" attitude after he emerged from prison. Instead of descending into juvenilia, this little anthem simply encourages the former MC5 manager to return to his "Sex, Drugs & Fucking in the Streets" persona. Shortly after its release, they relocated to LaLa Land, lusting for fame. They landed steady gigs, and the 1977 show captured here, from San Francisco's legendary Mabuhay Gardens gives indisputable proof they were a booty-kickin' crew in the flesh.
Link in comments.
SONIC'S RENDEZVOUS BAND - City Slang
It's pretty hard to believe that a band of this caliber went without an official release until "Sweet Nothing" arrived in 1998-- 20 years after their demise. Sonic's Rendezvous Band was formed in DEEEE-troit, Rock/Murder City in 1975 by legendary MC5 guitarist, Fred "Sonic" Smith and ex-Rationals vocalist, Scott Morgan-- fleshed out by the killer rhythm section of ex-Stooges drummer Scott Asheton & bassist Gary Rasmussen of the Up.
With plenty o' drug abuse & long bouts of internal strife, the "City Slang" 45 was their only recorded output in their three-year existence. Labels retardly passed on 'em because of aforementioned troubles, and those of us who wanted to hear 'em hadda survive on a stream of shoddier 'n shoddier live boots-- but no more. There's a box set out there (six discs!), and this here collection of various shows recorded all over the Michigan area gives y'all a straight-from-the-soundboard taste of their soul-infected, bare-knuckled, heavy riff-rock. That immortal first single is here too, of course.
Look in the comments & remember: It's the music yer disrespectin' when you don't leave one your own damn self, not me.
Dogs:
ReplyDeletehttp://sharebee.com/7186e7cb
Sonic's Rendezvous:
Part 1:
http://sharebee.com/2287c52a
Part 2:
http://www.zshare.net/download/5321559439d575/
pw for all = sln2007
Awesome Stuff, Thanks Heaps
ReplyDelete...i'm diggin the Dogs way more than Sonic's....Jake Thee Pope in Bliss how nice for you to have an intern...what Christmas shopping taking up too much time is it...Mars, stay close to Bliss and stay away from the darkside...i'd rather stare at blazing wet sunlight pouring into my eyes than figure out shadows and personalized mythologies slapping me in the face...as i inferred the Sonic's was to put it mildly not that impressive...but the Dogs make a great racket...the Sonic's lacks the tunes and performances of Sweet Nothings...whoever was responsible for choosing the live tracks for this cd is a dick...they add little to the Sonic's story...mostly for Guitar Player readers because of Fred Sonic Smith's super talented guitaring ....
ReplyDeleteI don't entirely disagree with ya. There's some songs that are mind-bendingly dull on SLANG-- however, it's good to have the single from the master tapes & believe me, there's some songs on this baby that'll stick to yer ribs for years to come-- give it time.
ReplyDeleteHey man, just found your blog, great stuff. I don't know if you're aware of this, but the Dogs recently re-united to play a short tour in Japan to support the release of a tribute record featuring a bunch of Japanese bands covering their songs. They played a couple of warm-up shows in Lansing prior to this, at one of which my band had the pleasure of opening for them. Now, as someone who wasn't even born yet when they were around the first time, but had damn near worn out my copy of this CD since finding out about them a couple of years ago, I was excited, but had my doubts about whether they could live up to their previous glory. All doubt was eradicated when they hit the stage and played one of the most blistering, exhilarating sets I've seen any band play, regardless of age. Seriously one of the best shows I've ever seen. Also, the bar was packed with not only with 1st generation Dogs fans, but plenty of younger folks who were rocking out and singing along to every word. Just thought I'd let you know that while I agree with you about the unjust obscurity that the Dogs and plenty of other bands like them are consigned to in the vacuous wasteland that is "pop culture" in this country today, there are still a few of us out there who know our roots and appreciate quality music. Anyway, keep up the good work, and thanks for doing this.
ReplyDeleteJosh
I actually did hear a few of the reunion tracks on their Myspace (the one with the refrain "Iggy was the President" stands out for whatever reason). They seemed to show little to no new music damage, which warms an old bastard's heart.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear they're still kickin' ass & takin' names. Thanks for your response-- exactly the kinda feedback I love getting!
awesome! i read about sonic in RS a while back (i know, i know - not really much of a music magazine these days, but fricke's picks are usually worth looking into) and he mentioned 'em. couldn't find anything online, real happy to see them here.
ReplyDeleteboth of these albums are going to fuel the ride home from work ;)
am new to your blog, it's obvious how much time and energy you invest in it. keep it up, i'll definitely check in often, might even have a link or two to contribute in the comments.
cheers from NYC,
ksn