miércoles, 15 de noviembre de 2017

TELEVISION - Live At The Old Waldorf - San Francisco, 6 29 78 [USA rock punk 1978] 2003 Rhino Handmade, Elektra RHM2 7846


Television were generally regarded as the precise and arty guys of the original New York punk scene - enough so that some have (rather pointlessly) questioned just what they had to do with the punk rock aesthetic - but while the clean lines and gleaming surfaces of Marquee Moon and Adventure might have inspired such thought, the band's live show told a different story. While they lacked the bash-it-out ferocity of the Ramones or the Dead Boys, on-stage Television played a lot harder and looser than they did in the studio; the guitar interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd gained much grit and muscle (and Lloyd was given significantly more space to show what he could do), and drummer Billy Ficca and Fred Smith weren't afraid to turn up the heat and add greater color and body to the songs. While the splendid "authorized bootleg" The Blow-Up is likely to remain the definitive document of Television's awe-inspiring live prowess, Live at the Old Waldorf -- a professional recording of a 1978 San Francisco date on the band's last tour before their 1992 reunion -- runs a very close second, and the superior sound quality allows one to better appreciate the subtle textures lurking beneath Verlaine and Lloyd's Stratocaster firepower. The Blow-Up preserves a longer and more enthusiastic performance from Television, while Live at the Old Waldorf finds them playing for a rather chilly away-from-home audience, but the band seems determined to show just what it can do, and these versions of "The Dream's Dream," "Little Johnny Jewel," and "Marquee Moon" are pure joy for guitar aficionados. Rhino Handmade are to be congratulated for finally giving this oft-bootlegged recording the authorized release it deserves, and providing still more evidence of Television's enduring brilliance and innovation -- 25 years after this set was played, Live at the Old Waldorf still sounds fresher and more exciting than most anything you're likely to see at a rock club on a given evening.

Waldorf

TELEVISION - The Blow-Up [USA underground rock 1982] 1999 ROIR RUSCD 8249


Double live albums frequently come off as redundant and indulgent, but in the case of Television, The Blow-Up comes awfully close to being an essential document, simply because the band's studio albums didn't always capture the rawness and spontaneity that fueled their on-stage improvisations. Both of those qualities are present on The Blow-Up in abundance; the sound quality is not exactly pristine, but the performances, recorded in 1978 on what proved to be the band's final tour, are exciting and frequently breathtaking, capturing a side of the band that will enlighten anyone wondering how Television's intricate, layered sound was ever tagged "punk." Six songs from Marquee Moon and two from Adventure appear, plus covers of "Satisfaction," "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and the 13th Floor Elevators' "Fire Engine" (here renamed as the album's title track). It's interesting to hear the shorter songs outside of a studio setting, but the album's real treasures are the second half's nearly 15-minute versions of "Little Johnny Jewel" and "Marquee Moon," which are loaded with the improvisational fireworks that helped build Television's reputation. Anyone seeking a more complete, rounded picture of the band after digesting Marquee Moon should eventually find his way here.

The Blow-Up


CHAINSAW - We Are Not Very Nice [USA punk rock 1977-78] 2004 Bacchus Archives 1199

CHAINSAW arose during LA's '77 punk era from the early 70s legends, Christopher Milk, known for Iggy-like antics and a great single on United Artists. This collection brings you their single plus several studio tracks that never saw the light of day until these songs were released on a limited edition vinyl only LP in Italy a couple of years back.
 

FORGOTTEN REBELS - Executive Outcomes [CAN punk rock 1979-80] 1998 Bacchus Archives BA1120


One of Canada's most outrageous punk bands from the late '70s. Here is a set of '79-'80 rarities from the archives of guitaritst, Al McCombo.

Outcomes

SUNNYBOYS - Get Some Fun [AUSTRALIA power pop 1984] 2015 Feel Presents FEEL 014


1984”s “Get Some Fun” took Sunnyboys in a heavier, darker direction and took a lot of fans by surprise. Recorded in the UK and followed by the usual treadmill touring, it was a musclebound bruiser of a record. There were psychedelic touches (the sparkling “Love ion a Box”), R & B inflected foot stompers (“Comes As No Surprise”) and introspective etchings (“The Stooge”) along with all the usual ’80s production excesses, but it was as good as any rock and roll record released that year.

Once you get past those ‘80s drum sounds, the guitars really had crunch. Jeremy’s vocals are right on the money and the deft playing lives up to the adventurous songwriting.

Of course, Jeremy’s downward spiral by that point is well documented. The band itself had been rubbed raw by incessant travel and the weight of expectations. If you want to hear how great they were, grab the “Live” album or listen to the bonus tracks on this re-issue, recorded at the sodden Narara Festival north of Sydney.

The redux “Get Some Fun” adds lesser-heard but worthy songs like “Bottom of My Heart” and “Safe Life”. There are no surprises but as a package, it holds up brilliantly well.

Both re-issues are teamed with liners base don band member interviews and updated cover art that makes perfect sense

Get Some Fun

martes, 14 de noviembre de 2017

SUNNYBOYS - Individuals [AUSTRALIA rock 1982] 2015 Feel Presents FEEL 013





In 1982 Sunnyboys released their second album Individuals. Recorded just six months after delivering their self-titled debut album Sunnyboys, it showed the growth in then 21 year old songwriter Jeremy Oxley’s songwriting ability. It was an album with layered harmonies and guitar; a feel good, fun album. That is what it sounded like live, anyway. Unfortunately the vinyl (No CDs then) wasn’t the same.

Individuals was recorded in New Zealand and ultimately mixed in LA. But the final mix didn’t capture what the band had delivered in the studio. It began a long downward spiral of depression for Jeremy, and as documented in Kaye Harrison’s movie The Sunnyboy, Jeremy declared his songs had been “stolen” from him. For the rest of the band, they knew what they had done, and what it sounded like when they recorded. But what came back from LA was just not it.

But before it was taken to the States, veteran producer Lobby Loyde had provided a rough mix of the album presumably for the ears of Mushroom Records who were funding the operation. The band never heard these mixes.

30 years later Lobby Loyde passed away and his archive of tapes were discovered. Now the band has released this original “rough” mix as the new Individuals Deluxe Edition. Of the 11 tracks recorded for Individuals, eight were retrieved from Lobby’s archives with This Is Real, b-side Pain and the title track Individuals, the only songs remaining on the collection from the original release. There is also an inclusion also of a five-song radio broadcast from Sydney in 1982. Plus a bonus of the classic 7 inch version of Show Me Some Discipline, a favourite of all Sunnyboys fans…


Individuals