HARMONY IN MY HEAD

If you heard the show tonight, you might remember that there's some news, there will be a re-broadcast of the show on Thursday nights at midnight. That's pretty cool. Tonight was fun. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the letters and thanks for listening. Henry 07-12-04

Astronauts? - Astronaut Song: I don’t know who did this. Is it any good or is it just funny? I like it for the “Go man, go!” part. I taped this from Ian 21 years ago. I don’t know where he got it from. So here it is, for what is most likely its last time getting airplay. It’s at least as silly as Governor Bush’s desire to go to Mars that will be paid for by us somehow. Keep looking up!

The Big Bopper – Big Bopper’s Wedding Day: This guy’s a huge part of Rock and Roll history. He was in the same plane with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens that crashed on 02-03-59, killing all three. There’s a cool page of concise info on the man, http://www.tsimon.com/bopper.htm. The big man does a great job singing White Lightnin’ but he’s not the only one to cover this song as you’ll hear tonight.

The Fall – White Lightnin’: A great single for the mighty band from Manchester, The Fall. This came out a few months after their very fine Extricate album. I think of all the bands whose websites I visit, the best and most well maintained has to be the Official Fall Website. Amazing. What?! You’ve not been?! Go!!!: http://www.visi.com/fall/

Dee Dee Ramone / King – German Kid: From the now famous Dee Dee King Standing in the Spotlight album. Dee Dee raps in German and English. Great backing vocals by none other than Debbie Harry. I get a lot of requests to play something else from this record so here ‘tis!

Hawkwind – Motorhead: Great early single from Hawkwind. Lemmy was in this band for awhile. Hard to find this one on CD. It was on some comp. CDs for a minute there but they seem to be out of print now. Not all Hawkwind sounds like this but there’s some
Hawkwind records that I think are great: Space Ritual, Fasolatido, In Search of Space, Hurry on Sundown are great ones. This web address will give you good info on Hawkwind releases: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hawkwind/hawkwind_discs.html.

Motorhead – Louie Louie: Hawkwind doing Motorhead, Motorhead doing Louie Louie, sounds like a good time to me. This was an early single for the band. It’s been on comp. CDs here and there and always sounded really bad but on the All the Aces Best Of CD that you’re hearing this from, it sounds better than I’ve ever heard it on CD.

Sods – Pathetic: This is off their one record called Minutes to Go. Rare as hell on LP but back in print on CD. I don’t know if it’s made in America but you can get in Denmark where the band is from. Ian MacKaye picked up this album at one point many years ago and he turned me onto it. The rest of it’s really cool. The Sods changed their name and became Sort Sol and still make records in Denmark. I like them as well. Tonight we will listen to Sort Sol do a song called Abyss off their Dagger and Guitar album.

Sort Sol – Abyss: From the Dagger and Guitar album. This is one of my favorite Sort Sol albums. I think I first heard it in 1984. Still works for me. There’s a lot of Sort Sol records, a box set as well. I tried to find a website for them and there is one but it’s all in Danish and I don’t know if that’s of any use to you. I have met the band a couple of times over the years and they were really cool.

Embrace – Dance of Days: This was Ian MacKaye’s post-Minor Threat pre-Fugazi band. I don’t think they toured or did many shows but thankfully they made a cool record. This is my favorite song on it. It’s in print on Dischord. This takes you right to their page on at the Dischord site: http://www.dischord.com/bands/embrace.shtml

Cigarettes – Here They Come Again: Hard to find single. Have been playing this one for over twenty years. A double CD of all their stuff just came out, it’s called Cigarettes Will Damage Your Health and it’s on Detour records. There’s a little bit about them on the Punk 77 info site but not much. They had some really cool pop/punk songs. Well written stuff. Worth checking out.

The Mob – Shuffling Souls: I got this single because I thought the sleeve looked cool. It was on a label called All the Mad Men. I didn’t know that was a Bowie song title at the time. This song and its b-side Witch Hunt are both great. You can find these songs and all their other stuff on a CD called Let the Tribe Increase. Another one of those records I have been playing since 1980 or so.

The Stooges - Scene Of The Crime: This song is on a few Stooges CDs. I have it on a single. The b-side of the I’m Sick of You single and on a CD version of Kill City. This band could do no wrong. I really want to play Gimmie Some Skin from the I Got a Right single but we would have to bleep it too many times. No one says, “Get fucked baby!” as poetically as Iggy. The undisputed heavyweight champion.

The Sounds - Charlie Chan: I don’t know much about the Sounds. I have this song on a doo-wop comp. CD I got many years ago. The line, “Charlie Chan is a real gone man” is real cool to me.

Killing Joke – Change: From the Classic 1st album. I have a few of their records but this first one is the one for me. I always thought that was one of the coolest band names I ever heard. Played with them outdoors at the Fleadh Festival in 1991 I think it was and they were intense. Jaz Coleman the band’s singer is an inspiration. He never calms down. For more: http://www.killingjoke.com/

Georgia Tom Dorsey – Crow Jane Alley: This is my favorite song of his. It’s on Tex Vol. 1 on Document. I don’t know much to tell you about Georgia Tom. I got into him by checking the CD at a store once and deciding that it looked interesting and also, I have never been let down by the Document. There’s a little info on the internet about him if you type in Georgia Tom.

Jimmy Rushing – She’s a Wino: I don’t know a lot about Jimmy Rushing. This is the only song I have of his. Chris Haskett put it on tape and gave it to me many years ago and I play it now and then. There’s quite a few CDs I was able to find on of his Amazon but I couldn’t find this song. It’s a good one.

Tom Waits – Sea of Love: Kinda hard to find. Tom Slipped this one in on the Sea of Love movie soundtrack. I have a lot of movie soundtracks, sometimes just for one song and sometimes because they are great records, like the 2CD version of the American Graffiti soundtrack. Most likely you have heard the original Phil Phillips and Twilights version of Sea of Love. Tom his version a beautiful, risky blues feel. Great song, great version. Ever heard Iggy do it on his Party album? Not to be missed.

Gene Vincent – Woman Love: This is one of the best vocals I have ever heard. Back in the 50’s you couldn’t say much on a record, in a movie, even in books, you had to watch it compared to now so it was more of how you put it across. There’s so much emotion in Gene Vincent’s voice on this track. There’s many best-of’s for Gene Vincent at this point. I got this off the Gene Vincent Complete Capitol & Columbia Recordings box set.

Alan Vega – Be Bop A Lula: Continuing on the Vincent theme, this is Alan Vega’s version from his Jukebox Babe album, one of his early solo albums after temporarily splitting from his other band, the legendary Suicide. This has always been one of my favorite Vega vocals.

Alternative TV – Action Time and Vision: From the first ATV LP called The Image has Cracked. Back in Print again thanks to the kind folks at Anagram Records. Alternative TV is sometimes hard to get to as Mark Perry, the band’s leader just does what he wants. I think he’s great and have all his stuff. The 2nd ATV album, Vibing Up the Senile Man can clear the room but I think it’s great. This song might be their big a-side “hit” but ATV and Mark Perry are really worth checking out. Mark was one of the at the very beginning of Punk Rock in England. His fanzine Sniffin’ Glue is classic. Here’s Mr. Mark P’s web address for all kinds of info: http://www.markperry.freeuk.com/

James White and the Contortions – Design to Kill: From the Buy Contortions album. Years ago this album was rare on the collector’s market. I released it with extra tracks on a label I had at Warner Bros. called Infinite Zero in an effort to get James’ music back out into the world for a good price. We ended up releasing a lot of his work. James was part of a great scene in New York. Mars, DNA, Lydia Lunch, Suicide. If you ever see it, check out a comp. called No New York, really great snapshot of that scene. A great label called Tiger Style is taking very good care of the catalog now. James White also goes under the name James Chance and recorded a prolifically under both names.

New York Dolls – Don’t Start Me Talkin’: This is from the Lipstick Killers CD on ROIR. It’s also called the Mercer Street Sessions. Great, raw Dolls. They rip this version of Sonny Boy Williamson’s Don’t Start Me Talkin’. If you like the Dolls and you don’t have this record, you might want to check it out.

Art Attacks – Animal Bondage: Of course for radio, we couldn’t put in the whole beginning which is. “Fuck you Jack, who needs ya?!” Great song. This is from the Live at the Vertex record which is several bands and in my opinion, is all great. The Art Attacks material, two singles, their live cuts from Vortex and other stuff has been put onto one CD called Outrage and Horror on Overground records. Also, the very cool punk77 website has a page on the band: http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/artattacks.htm

Public Enemy – You’re Gonna Get Yours (Getaway remix): I’ve never seen this one on CD. It’s on the back of a 12” off Yo! Bumrush the Show. Great stuff. That’s a great record, I wish they would re-release it with this on it. I took this off the 12” and put it on CDR for the show.

Richard Berry – She Wanted to Rock: I got this from Raymond Pettibon. He was listening to Berry being interviewed on the Johnny Otis show and Berry brought this single in with him. Ray taped the show luckily. I made a tape of the tape twenty years ago and put it onto CDR recently. I have not been able to find this song anywhere else. It’s a great one. There’s two really cool Richard Berry CDs I have been able to find. Get out of the Car and Have Louie Will Travel. Great stuff.