Thursday, April 3, 2008

Getcha Headcoat On Again



THEE MIGHTY CAESARS - John Lennon's Corpse Revisited


I was gonna write a lengthy screed about this album, but since I already covered Billy Childish months ago, I figgered what be the point? I also realized after rereading Lester Bangs' "Guide to Becoming a Rock Critic," that I'd already written the review a few weeks ago-- all I needed to do was make a few alterations:

…And Rob Tyner Brian Jones Saith from Thee Golden Halls of R&R Valhalla:

“Let there be young Japanese British men who would don thee garb of their native gangsters Thee Yakuza R&B purveyors the Downliners Sect! These torchbearers of Thee Rock shouldst also worship at Thee Altar of DEEE-Troit High Energy Exponents of Revolution like mine Olde Outfit, Thee MC-Fuckin-5 my once-viable outfit, the Rolling Stones! And so shall it be that these Young Men cannot pronounce “Machine Gun Etiquette,” thus giving them an original Nom de Guerre! And it shall be carved in Sacred Tablets that these Vessels of unbridled fury shall permanently bear blisters on their fingers! A-fucking-Men!”

But before this could come to be, Link Wray, drunk on the Holiest of Sacraments–Maker’s Mark, according to many an Ancient Hymn– chopped at the air with his Powerful and Much-Calloused Mitt:

“Silence, Robert Brian! I hath a Proclamation!”

After far too many moments of chilling quietus, interrupted only by occasional hiccups:

“Out with it Father Link! This chipping shit into stone with a spike and hammer is really fucking time-consuming!”

And Father Link rose from thee Pulpit, uncoiling himself to his full, Godly height, and fighting off a stagger howled into thee Hallowed Halls, “These little bastards are guilty of pinching many of my finest flash moves! Yet, they Doth Kicketh Mucho Hiney… So it is Good!”

Get Thou to thee comments. And speaking of St. Lester...


LESTER BANGS & BIRDLAND


...here he is with Joey Ramone's little brother, Mickey Leigh. The two of 'em put together Birdland over several rounds o' cocktails at CBGB. Now let it be said that as a R&R singer, Lester was a great rock writer-- that doesn't mean that this platter ain't worth yer attention though-- particularly if ya dig the idea of early Patti Smith without Patti, which to me, is a damn good thing (not a fan of hers, sorry. In fact, I think she's absolutely fucking dreadful-- not to mention pretentious without peer). With the mounds of incisive wit that he spewed all over the pages of CREEM and (to a lesser extent) the Voice, you'd expect some damn fine lyrics, right? Well that's whatcha get-- as well as a rare look at the man with his guard down-- his Jehovah's Witness upbringing, his father's early exit in a house fire-- all of the demons are put on display, albeit in Lester's ambiguous yet poetic prose.

In comments.

16 comments:

  1. CAESARS: http://lix.in/947bcff5
    LESTER: http://lix.in/4c498a00

    pw for both = sln2008

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  2. Thanks for posting!

    This was the Childish record I have been waiting for for months!

    Keep on your work. Although I dont like everything you like, it's always fun to read your blog.

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  3. as someone else who grew up a JW and then escaped, thanks for the lester!

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  4. Thanks for both of these. I found your blog through Totally Fuzzy, I like what you got going on here.

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  5. Didn't yer mom know LB, like before you were born? But not TOO long... ;D

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  6. That'd explain my less than stellar hygiene if nothing else.

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  7. Billy Childish AND Lester Bangs in one post? Truly you are a man of wealth and taste! Keep up the good work, Jake.

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  8. Thanks for disliking Patty as much as I do. i don't have this Childish stuff, so thanks for that too. Oh, as I was reading this post, "Davey Crockett" by The Headcoatees came up on random. Fitting.

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  9. Love the Birdland record...Mark Prindle turned me onto it. Do you have the Jook Savages record as well (or whatever the fuck it's called)?

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  10. "Jook Savages on the Bravos"-- which for some reason has never been reissued. I have a bootleg CD-R of it, the quality is pretty decent (though obviously dubbed from vinyl). I dunno, a future post mebbe.

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  11. Personally, listening to this compilation - http://rideyourpony-twighlightzone.blogspot.com/2007/12/bertil-once-again-many-thanks-ryp-for.html - SERIOUSLY threw Billy Childish out the window. I like him, some of his shit anyway, but I am very bored with these established artists who claim that they never lsitened to any other music like EVER!!! Bollox. Anyway, check out this comp because for being from where it is as well as from 1963-1968 well damn I think it even puts Sonics (their LP was relased in 1965) as well as the (US) Nuggest in perspective....

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  12. Hmm. Dunno about that-- since when did Childish ever deny being influenced by other artists? He's done tons of covers-- I put up a Headcoats LP (linked in this post) that had nothing but old punk and garage stuff on it-- Johnny Moped, Electric Eels, Richard Berry, Buzzcocks etc. Having said that, I'm a bit burnt out on garage punk in general-- I mean, how many ways can you play those same three chords? Mind you, I've been listening to it almost daily for close to three decades now...

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  13. well, childish is a originator on his field, and most of the time do records with integrity, great playin' and singin', but i gotta go with ya: i pass most of his new stuff - or the old one i dont know, for this matter - on spite that i simply cant stand the same three chords recicled over and over. for a memory, this was too my problem with the last four ramones records - i'm not counting the THREE FUCKING FAREWELL LIVE RECORDS - they never got bad, but redundant...

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  14. I was chatting about Billy Childish with a fellow record dealer earlier today.
    We decided that he & Mark E Smith are probably the only 2 geezers in the past 20 years (or is that 30?)who could be considered as genius
    I'm proud to say that i still have my rare hand made copy of the 1st Pop Rivets album in my vast record collection.
    As for the 3 chord whinge in the comments,what about Chatham Jack,which is one of only 2 albums to utilise the accordion without sounding like shite
    Fun in the UK ?,you betcha smelly ass !

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  15. Thanks for the Wild Billy Childish!!

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