A guy named Brian Lindgren from the South Carolina band Chump sent me this video. It's a live version of their song "Living in Squalor."
I like it.
However, this ain't the first chump to sing about living in squalor:
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, May 19, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Spitting'Fire by Sons of Hercules
You're the One by The Ugly Beats
Diggin" Bones by The Go Wows
Goin' Ape by The Texrays
Goin' Ape by The Texrays
Job by Iggy & The Stooges
Our Little Rendezous by The Downliner Sect
Neither Fish nor Fowl by Thee Headcoats
No Respects Rev by The Fall
El Circo by Los Tigres del Norte
I'll Be Back by Question Mark & The Mysterians
69 Faces of Love by King Khan & The Shrines
I'm Gonna Put You Down by Sonny Boy Williamson & The Animals
Red Head Walking by Beat Happening
I Come from the Mountain by Thee Oh Sees
Wild Thing by Figures of Light
Vietnam Nam War Blues by The Oblivions
My Baby is a Pole Dancer by The Barbarellatones
Black Thoughts by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Andres by L7
The Smithsonian Institute Blues by Captain Beefheart
It's Been a Long Time, Mama by The Blues Against Youth
Wide Open Blues by Big John Bates
In This Rubber Tomb by Mudhoney
Cat Party by Shannon & The Clams
Yeah by The Alarm Clocks
Bloody Mary by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Cut the Mullet by Wesley Willis
Howl by JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
Tell Me by Joe "King" Carrasco y Los Molina
Betti Moretti by King Salami & The Cumberland Three
Going' Down by The Monkees
How Soon Now by Harry Perry
We"re a Happy Family by The Ramones
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Like the Terrell's Sound World Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Like the Terrell's Sound World Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Friday, May 17, 2013
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
IFriday, May 17, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Back from the Shadows Again by The Firesign Theatre
Too Many Bills by Figures of Light
I Like Drinkin' by The Beaumonts
Too Many Bills by Figures of Light
I Like Drinkin' by The Beaumonts
Creek Cats by Legendary Shack Shakers
Country Hixs by Leon Bass
Darling Nellie Across the Sea by Hylo Brown & The Timberliners
Chew Tobacco Rag by Jim Pipkins
Crazy Boogie by Merle Travis
Rubber Room by The Frontier Circus
Mama Hated Deisels by Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen
Fred the Rabbit by Rick Brousard & Two Hoots and a Holler
Let's Face the Music and Dance by Willie Nelson
Roly Poly by Rod Moag
Roly Poly by Rod Moag
Wine Wine Wine by Stompin' Riff Raffs
There to Stay (Small Town Girl) by Electric Rag Band
Crazy Cause I Love You by Spade Cooley
Invisible Stripes by Eddie Noack
My Neighbor Burns Trash by Southern Culture on the Skids
Something to Brag About by Jesse Dayton & Brennen Leigh
Tall Tall Trees by Roger Miller
Beatin' on the Bars by Travelin' Texans
Fair Weather Blues by Wayne Hancock
You're Still on My Mind by The Flying Burrito Brothers
Artificial Flowers by Cornell Hurd
It's All Over by Joe West
Soldier Boy Johnny by The Imperial Rooster
Only a Fool by Mose McCormack
Long Lonely Road by Honky Tonk Hustlas
Rosa Del Rio by Erik Ness & The Desparados
(Stay Away from) The Cocaine Train by Johnny Paycheck
Always Lift Him Up by Ryan Cooder
Woodpecker by The Handsome Family
After The Ball by Dave Davies
Amanda/A Couple More Years by Waylon Jennings
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Best Music I Saw in Austin Last Week
I was in Austin, Texas last week. When I arrived in town the only show I knew for certain I'd been going to was Purple Stickpin -- a band led by the infamous T. Tex Edwards and which includes my pal from Santa Fe, Tom Trusnovic. The show was in San Antonio, some 80 miles south of Austin, but I'd been wanting to see this band for some time.
However, due to circumstances beyond their control, Purple Stickpin got bumped. Tom called me when I was about halfway there. Oh well ... I heard a couple of other bands in Austin that night, but nothing really notable.
The Sons of Hercules |
Headlining was The Sons of Hercules, a San Antonio band led by singer Frank Pugliese, who, like T. Tex, has been a Lone Star punk-rock fixture since the 1970s.
In fact, one of Pugliese's claims to fame is that he was in a band called The Vamps that opened for The Sex Pistols in San Antonio during their doom-ladened 1978 American tour.
But that's ancient history. Like his hero (and major influence) Iggy Pop, Pugliese, now in his 60s, has more wild energy than rockers half his age and has incredible charisma for a guy with a mug that reminds me of Shemp Howard.
Some of that comes through in this video, shot at the Continental Club about a year ago.
Also playing at the Continental that night was The Ugly Beats, whose guitar and electric organ-driven sound is nothing short of infectuous.
Guitarist Joe Emery provides the lead vocals, while Jeanine Attaway's '60s-garage-style organ gives the sound a zing.
Though the Nuggets-era garage sound is their backbone, The Ugly Beats also veer off into Byrdsy folk-rock now and them. They did a a surprisingly good cover of "If I Were a Carpenter" at the Continental.
That night, May 11, was The Ugly Beats' 10th anniversary as a band. Indeed there was a celebratory atmosphere that night.
Here's a video, also from a Continental Club gig, from three years ago.
I thought that the opening band, The Go Wows, sounded familiar when I heard their first few songs.
Then I realized, I'd heard this group before -- at least the singer -- but in a previous band, The Texreys, who I'd met through The Garage-Punk Hideout. They sent me their CD Cave Girl, which I've played on Sound World as well as The Big Enchilada podcast.
The Go Wows feature former Texreys Brendan 'Wig' Kibble, the Australian-born front man, and lead guitarist Eddie Best.
Check out the video below.
And of course no trip to Austin is complete without a night at the Broken Spoke, the classic honky tonk on South Lamar.
Last Thursday I caught a couple of sets by Jesse Dayton. He did several tunes by the late George Jones, an obvious influence on Dayton, including "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and more obscure numbers like "Ya Ba Da Ba Do (So Are You)."
I was hoping that that Dayton would do some Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures songs, which sprang from a strange collaboration with Rob Zombie.
But near the end of the night, he did do "I'm Home Getting Hammered While She's Out Getting Nailed" from another Zombie project, Banjo & Sullivan: The Ultimate Collection. Here's a video of that song.
Friday, May 10, 2013
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, May 10, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Kit Kat Clock by The Bottle Rockets
That's How it Goes by The Meat Puppets
Do Right by Lydia Loveless
Let's Elope, Baby by Kelli Jones-Savoy
Bad News by Whitey Morgan & The 78s
I Ain't Got Nobody by Don Walser & Asleep at the Wheel
Let the Jukebox Keep on Playing by Carl Perkins
High, Low and Lonesome by The Dinosaur Truckers
Pete, the Best Coon Dog In The State Of Tennessee by Jimmy Martin
Under the Jail by Mose McCormack
Meat Man by DM Bob & The Deficits
Here Comes My Ball and Chain Again by Cornell Hurd
Baby. Buggy Boogie by The Milo Twins
Brain Cloudy Blues by Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys
It's Nothing to Me by Sanford Clark
Oh You Pretty Woman by Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies
Collegiana by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
How Far Down Can I Go by T. Tex Edwards & The Swingin' Kornklake Killers
Whoa Sailor by Hank Thompson
Frogs by The Handsome Fmily
Big Black Cat by R.D. Hendon & The Western Jamboree Cowboys
Take This Hammer by The Howlin' Brothers
Whole Lotta Things by Southern Culture on the Skids
I Spent All My Money by Shannon McNally
Can't Go to Heaven by The Dirt Daubers
Song of Lime Juice and Despair by Shineyribs
The Marching Hippies by Guy Drake
Change Them Gears by Hasil Adkins
Serafino by The Goddamn Gallows
Blood Red Velvet by Joe West & The Santa Fe Revue
I Miss Mississippi by Rayburn Anthony
Designated Lover by Country Blues Revue
Stranger in the House by Elvis Costello
I'm Not Ready Yet by George Jones
Apartment #9 by Tammy Wynette
Ramblin' Man by Hank Williams
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Thursday, May 09, 2013
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: The Present Day Stooge Refuses to Die
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
May 10, 2013
One of the most remarkable rock ’n’ roll comeback stories in recent years is that of James Williamson, who was best known — really, only known — as the guitarist for Iggy & The Stooges on Raw Power, their last studio album to be released (in 1973) before the group broke up. A few years later, Williamson quit the music industry altogether, went to college, and started a career in Silicon Valley, retiring a couple of years ago as a vice president of technology standards for Sony Electronics.
But in 2010, Williamson rejoined The Stooges for the first time since the Metallic K.O. days, and now, on Ready to Die, Williamson and Iggy are creating new music together. The two co-wrote every song on the album.
It’s the first Stooges studio album with Williamson since Raw Power. But on an unhappier note, it’s the first Stooges album ever without guitarist Ron Asheton, who died in 2009.
This is the second album by the reconstituted 21st-century Stooges. The first was 2007’s The Weirdness, in which the brothers Asheton — Ron and drummer Scott — reunited with Iggy, with Mike Watt (the Minutemen, Firehose) on bass. The critical consensus was that the album was a disaster and a disgrace to the Stooge legacy. Personally, I didn’t think it was that bad. Heck, it was a lot better that the latest album by the re-formed New York Dolls.
But Ready to Die is surprisingly good. Young whippersnappers might smirk that it's old-man rock. Well, it’s true. The band clearly was acknowledging this fact with a defiant chuckle in choosing the title for this record. The truth is, these are old men who can rock. And the image of a stern, shirtless Iggy on the cover wearing a suicide belt of explosives suggests these are geezers with attitude.
Maybe the music here isn’t blazing new trails like the original Stooges did in the late ’60s and early ’70s. But, with drummer Asheton and bassist Watt providing an invincible rhythm section and old Stooge sax man Steve Mackay back in the fold, this band frightens most younger competitors.
The Stooges come out of the chute like a crazy rodeo bull on the opening track “Burn.” This is followed by the equally scorching “Sex & Money,” (“A darkness is on my mind/When reason is going blind … I’m looking for a reason to live/ When I’ve only got but two things to give,” Iggy growls.” This is followed by a couple of reckless rockers in which the lyrics look outward at contemporary society. “Job” is about underemployment (“I’ve got a job but it don’t pay [excrement]/ I’ve got a job but I’m sick of it,’ Iggy spits.
Then on ‘“Gun,” Iggy sings “If I had a fucking gun, I could shoot at everyone.” As the song progresses, Iggy takes aim at “Stand your Ground” laws and the place of guns in the American psyche: “Yeah, we killed the Indians … Watch out for the Mexicans … Now it’s time to duke it out, nuke it out, and black it out …”
Later in the album, there is “Dirty Deal,” a cold-eyed indictment of con men in the music industry. (“The system’s rigged to favor crooks/You won’t find that in civics books.” Iggy snarls.) But don’t worry. It’s not all grim politics here, as Iggy and crew prove on “DD’s,” a lusty ode to top-heavy women. It’s shamelessly dumb, but it’s the most lighthearted song on the album.
Not all the songs are crunching rockers. There are three tunes where The Stooges slow it down and pretty it up. Something tells me I’ll tend to push the skip button on these in the future.
However, the final cut is more than worthwhile. “The Departed” is a sad eulogy for Asheton. As part of the tribute, the song starts and ends with acoustic versions of Ron’s famous “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog” guitar riff. The song is a sober look at the rock ‘n’ roll life: “The life of the party’s gone/The guests who still remain/Know they’ve stayed a little too long/Party girls will soon get old/Party boys will lie/Both the sexes soon grow cold.”
There’s truth in these words. But despite their advancing years, I just can’t look at Iggy & the Stooges as guests who have stayed too long.
Also noted:
* TV Smashing Concert, July 23, 1970 by Figures of Light. I never like to quote record companies hyping their own products. But I have to make an exception here, because Miriam Linna of Norton Records hit the nail on the head. According to the band’s bio on Amazon.com, she told the band this LP “makes Metal Machine Music sound like Mantovani.”
Of course, she meant that in the nicest possible way. Meanwhile, the blurb for this record on Norton’s website says “be aware that the vocals are buried in the original mix.” Actually it sounds more like the vocals were cremated. I mean that nicely also.
Who is this band? Quick recap: They came from New York City, influenced by The Velvet Underground and other pre-punk, post-garage acts of that era. At their first concert in 1970, the group destroyed 15 television sets onstage at Rutgers University.
They broke up soon after that, went their separate ways, and the Figures were just a flicker of a memory until the Norton Records crew discovered an ancient 45 of FOL’s only single, “It’s Lame,” and persuaded singer Wheeler Winston Dixon and guitarist Michael Downey to reunite and get back in the studio.
No, the fi ain’t hi on this live album, and I staunchly believe that any potential new converts to the Figures cult should start out with their previous albums, 2008’s Smash Hits, which includes old material from the ’70s, live stuff, and songs recorded in the studio shortly its release, and the excellent follow-up, 2012’s Drop Dead.
But TV Smashing Concert —the group’s complete debut show, all 26 minutes or so — will have a damn-I wish-I’d-have-been-there effect on those who already are fans of the Figures. At least it did on me.
The album is available only in a limited edition of 300 colored vinyl LPs. To paraphrase the Firesign Theatre, if you asked for this record in stores, they’d think you were crazy. But you can find it at Norton Records.
BLOG BONUS: My radio interview with Wheeler and Michael of Figures of Light is below
May 10, 2013
One of the most remarkable rock ’n’ roll comeback stories in recent years is that of James Williamson, who was best known — really, only known — as the guitarist for Iggy & The Stooges on Raw Power, their last studio album to be released (in 1973) before the group broke up. A few years later, Williamson quit the music industry altogether, went to college, and started a career in Silicon Valley, retiring a couple of years ago as a vice president of technology standards for Sony Electronics.
But in 2010, Williamson rejoined The Stooges for the first time since the Metallic K.O. days, and now, on Ready to Die, Williamson and Iggy are creating new music together. The two co-wrote every song on the album.
It’s the first Stooges studio album with Williamson since Raw Power. But on an unhappier note, it’s the first Stooges album ever without guitarist Ron Asheton, who died in 2009.
This is the second album by the reconstituted 21st-century Stooges. The first was 2007’s The Weirdness, in which the brothers Asheton — Ron and drummer Scott — reunited with Iggy, with Mike Watt (the Minutemen, Firehose) on bass. The critical consensus was that the album was a disaster and a disgrace to the Stooge legacy. Personally, I didn’t think it was that bad. Heck, it was a lot better that the latest album by the re-formed New York Dolls.
But Ready to Die is surprisingly good. Young whippersnappers might smirk that it's old-man rock. Well, it’s true. The band clearly was acknowledging this fact with a defiant chuckle in choosing the title for this record. The truth is, these are old men who can rock. And the image of a stern, shirtless Iggy on the cover wearing a suicide belt of explosives suggests these are geezers with attitude.
Maybe the music here isn’t blazing new trails like the original Stooges did in the late ’60s and early ’70s. But, with drummer Asheton and bassist Watt providing an invincible rhythm section and old Stooge sax man Steve Mackay back in the fold, this band frightens most younger competitors.
The Stooges come out of the chute like a crazy rodeo bull on the opening track “Burn.” This is followed by the equally scorching “Sex & Money,” (“A darkness is on my mind/When reason is going blind … I’m looking for a reason to live/ When I’ve only got but two things to give,” Iggy growls.” This is followed by a couple of reckless rockers in which the lyrics look outward at contemporary society. “Job” is about underemployment (“I’ve got a job but it don’t pay [excrement]/ I’ve got a job but I’m sick of it,’ Iggy spits.
Then on ‘“Gun,” Iggy sings “If I had a fucking gun, I could shoot at everyone.” As the song progresses, Iggy takes aim at “Stand your Ground” laws and the place of guns in the American psyche: “Yeah, we killed the Indians … Watch out for the Mexicans … Now it’s time to duke it out, nuke it out, and black it out …”
Later in the album, there is “Dirty Deal,” a cold-eyed indictment of con men in the music industry. (“The system’s rigged to favor crooks/You won’t find that in civics books.” Iggy snarls.) But don’t worry. It’s not all grim politics here, as Iggy and crew prove on “DD’s,” a lusty ode to top-heavy women. It’s shamelessly dumb, but it’s the most lighthearted song on the album.
Not all the songs are crunching rockers. There are three tunes where The Stooges slow it down and pretty it up. Something tells me I’ll tend to push the skip button on these in the future.
However, the final cut is more than worthwhile. “The Departed” is a sad eulogy for Asheton. As part of the tribute, the song starts and ends with acoustic versions of Ron’s famous “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog” guitar riff. The song is a sober look at the rock ‘n’ roll life: “The life of the party’s gone/The guests who still remain/Know they’ve stayed a little too long/Party girls will soon get old/Party boys will lie/Both the sexes soon grow cold.”
There’s truth in these words. But despite their advancing years, I just can’t look at Iggy & the Stooges as guests who have stayed too long.
Also noted:
* TV Smashing Concert, July 23, 1970 by Figures of Light. I never like to quote record companies hyping their own products. But I have to make an exception here, because Miriam Linna of Norton Records hit the nail on the head. According to the band’s bio on Amazon.com, she told the band this LP “makes Metal Machine Music sound like Mantovani.”
Of course, she meant that in the nicest possible way. Meanwhile, the blurb for this record on Norton’s website says “be aware that the vocals are buried in the original mix.” Actually it sounds more like the vocals were cremated. I mean that nicely also.
Who is this band? Quick recap: They came from New York City, influenced by The Velvet Underground and other pre-punk, post-garage acts of that era. At their first concert in 1970, the group destroyed 15 television sets onstage at Rutgers University.
They broke up soon after that, went their separate ways, and the Figures were just a flicker of a memory until the Norton Records crew discovered an ancient 45 of FOL’s only single, “It’s Lame,” and persuaded singer Wheeler Winston Dixon and guitarist Michael Downey to reunite and get back in the studio.
No, the fi ain’t hi on this live album, and I staunchly believe that any potential new converts to the Figures cult should start out with their previous albums, 2008’s Smash Hits, which includes old material from the ’70s, live stuff, and songs recorded in the studio shortly its release, and the excellent follow-up, 2012’s Drop Dead.
But TV Smashing Concert —the group’s complete debut show, all 26 minutes or so — will have a damn-I wish-I’d-have-been-there effect on those who already are fans of the Figures. At least it did on me.
The album is available only in a limited edition of 300 colored vinyl LPs. To paraphrase the Firesign Theatre, if you asked for this record in stores, they’d think you were crazy. But you can find it at Norton Records.
BLOG BONUS: My radio interview with Wheeler and Michael of Figures of Light is below
Monday, May 06, 2013
Barrence Signs With Bloodshot
Live in Santa Fe 2011 |
A new album, Dig Thy Savage Soul, will be released this summer. (Confession: I've heard it. It's mighty fine.)
Loyal readers of this blog and my column etc. know there's a New Mexico connection here. Savage guitarist Peter Greenberg, formerly of Lyers and DMZ -- not to mention Manby's Head -- lives in Taos.
Dig my savage interview with Barrence a couple of years ago.
And here's a video from last year's European tour
Sunday, May 05, 2013
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, May 5, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Sex & Money by Iggy & The Stooges
Radioactive Boy by The Meteors
As Long As I Have You by The Detroit Cobras
Rock 'n Roll Murder by The Leaving Trains
Be My Baby by Proto Idiot
Pump by The B-52s
7 and 7 Is by Love
Watch Your Mouth by King Salami & the Cumberland 3
Mas Mas by Joe "King" Carrasco & El Molina
Lonely Avenue by Sam Samudio
23 Hours Too Long by Sonny Boy Wiiliamson & The Yardbirds
Good for Nothing by Hipbone Slim & The Knee-Tremblers
Garbageman by The Cramps
Thelma and Louise by HorrorPops
Demon Seed by Demented Are Go
Station Blues by Dead Man's Tree
Red Rosé Tea by The Marquis Chimps
Holland by The Black Angels
Everybody Lets Me Down by J Mascis & The Fog
Tiger Phone Card by Dengue Fever
Douchebags on Parade by Mudhoney
Gangster of Love by Johnny 'Guitar' Watson
Sheila Na Gig by PJ Harvey
Stoned by The Black Lips
I'm Too Amazed by Figures of Light
Big Shot by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Creeping Away by Swamp Dogg
Swamp Devil by Gitlo Lee
Tell Me Why by Elvis Presley
Welfare Bread by King Khan & The Shrines
Crucify Your Mind by Rodriguez
Lucky Day by Tom Waits
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Like the Terrell's Sound World Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Saturday, May 04, 2013
More eMusic Downloads
* Sam Hard and Heavy by Sam Samudio. His real name is Domingo Samudio, but you probably know him best as Sam the Sham, the voice of "Wooly Bully," "Ju Ju Hand" and (even though it's my least favorite Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs hit), "Little Red Riding Hood." Sam was a Chicano-rock icon, a garage-rock pioneer, who, with The Pharoahs blended a Tex-Mex sensibility with Memphis soul.
Hard and Heavy was Sam's attempt in 1970 to establish himself as a serious solo artist. He was picked up by Atlantic Records, which brought in producer Tom Dowd (who'd just produced major records by The Allman Brothers and Derek & The Dominos) and hired musicians including Duane Allman, Jim Dickinson with his band The Dixie Flyers, The Memphis Horns and even The Sweet Inspirations (Elvis' background singers) for this record.
The result was a horny, soul-soaked, blues-stewed record with Samudio wailing and growling. Shoulda been a hit. It wasn't. And Samudio sank into unjustified obscurity, remembered mostly when his songs popped up on oldies radio.
For those of us who actually bought Sam the Sham albums in the '60s, the musical direction of Sam Hard and Heavy shouldn't be a surprise. Before I actually heard it, I was afraid it woulds be an overstuffed early '70s supergroup fustercluck. It's not.
There's several covers of familiar songs here. -- It's hard to screw up "Lonely Avenue," but even harder to make it sound truly fresh. But Samudio aided by The Sweet Inspirations bring out the hidden joy inside this Doc Pomus classic.
Wisely, Samudio's take on "Key to the Highway" doesn't sound like Derek & The Domino's more familiar version. There's a repetivie grating guitar lick and a cool electric organ bouncing off the rest of the band. I'm not sure who's playing the harmonica, but it works.
The best songs here are the longer jams where sam and band get to stretch out. there's John Lee Hooker's "Goin' Upstairs," performed as a Canned Heat-style boogie. Even better is the urgent, hard-driving "15 Degrees Capricorn Asc." Despite it's goopy hippie mystic title, this is one tough slab of rock 'n' roll. "Come on, push! Come on, work!" Sam commands as the organ, guitar and horns battle it out.
There's a couple of cuts that aren't so "hard and heavy," but are tasty treats. The acoustic cover of Randy Newman's "Let's Burn Down the Corn Field' is soulful and spooky. And the country/conjunto of "Don't Put Me On" is irresistible.
My only complaint here is that a bonus track that appeared on some reissues of Sam Hard and Heavy -- a cover of "Me and Bobby McGee" featuring Duane Allman -- didn't make the eMusic version. Otherwise, this album is a real treasure.
(All Sam the Sham fans should read this wonderful 1999 interview in Salon.)
* Cookin' Up a Party by King Salami & The Cumberland Three. The band's always been called The Cumberland Three, but the album cover clearly shows four guys beside the limboing King Salami. As the late Jonathan Winters might say, "Where's the other two?"
I'll leave that mystery to the numerologists. All that matters is that on this, their second full-length album, the King and his men continue on as one of the best party bands coming out of the British Isles in who knows how long. Admitted devotees of Barrence Whitfield & The Savages, Salami and crew specialize in a frantic, early R&B-infused sound.
Every dang tune here is a moneymaker-shaker. "Monkey Beat" features crazy bongos; "Yosemite Sam" is a spirited tribute to one of the real heroes of the wild west; "Howlin' for My Woman" could wear you out just listening to it.
All those songs are originals. but King Salami does a decent cover of Louis Prima's "She's a Kukamunga."
* Indigo Meadow by The Black Angels. Once again The Black Angels prove that a band can play psychedelic music without sounding campy or even all that retro.
Granted, on its new album, the Austin band certainly employs some sonic tricks from the psychedelic era: lots of reverb, lots of fuzz, some Mideastern/East Indian-sounding guitar licks and melody lines here and there, creepy electric organ — and in a couple of places you’ll hear that electric jug sound pioneered by the Angels’ Texas forebears, The 13th Floor Elevators.
The band’s music is strong enough that it doesn't seem defined by these musical embellishments. ...
Sound familiar? I reviewed this in Terrell's Tuneup not long ago.
Also
* Egyptian Rats by The Paint Fumes. This is a 3-song EP from garage-punk trio from Charlotte, N.C. They were one of my favorite bands I'd never heard of before off the new (free) Slovenly Records sampler. They make The Black Lips sound like The Jefferson Starship.
* "Bluebird" by Leon Russell. Just a song I've loved since it came out in the mid '70s.
Hard and Heavy was Sam's attempt in 1970 to establish himself as a serious solo artist. He was picked up by Atlantic Records, which brought in producer Tom Dowd (who'd just produced major records by The Allman Brothers and Derek & The Dominos) and hired musicians including Duane Allman, Jim Dickinson with his band The Dixie Flyers, The Memphis Horns and even The Sweet Inspirations (Elvis' background singers) for this record.
The result was a horny, soul-soaked, blues-stewed record with Samudio wailing and growling. Shoulda been a hit. It wasn't. And Samudio sank into unjustified obscurity, remembered mostly when his songs popped up on oldies radio.
For those of us who actually bought Sam the Sham albums in the '60s, the musical direction of Sam Hard and Heavy shouldn't be a surprise. Before I actually heard it, I was afraid it woulds be an overstuffed early '70s supergroup fustercluck. It's not.
There's several covers of familiar songs here. -- It's hard to screw up "Lonely Avenue," but even harder to make it sound truly fresh. But Samudio aided by The Sweet Inspirations bring out the hidden joy inside this Doc Pomus classic.
Wisely, Samudio's take on "Key to the Highway" doesn't sound like Derek & The Domino's more familiar version. There's a repetivie grating guitar lick and a cool electric organ bouncing off the rest of the band. I'm not sure who's playing the harmonica, but it works.
The best songs here are the longer jams where sam and band get to stretch out. there's John Lee Hooker's "Goin' Upstairs," performed as a Canned Heat-style boogie. Even better is the urgent, hard-driving "15 Degrees Capricorn Asc." Despite it's goopy hippie mystic title, this is one tough slab of rock 'n' roll. "Come on, push! Come on, work!" Sam commands as the organ, guitar and horns battle it out.
There's a couple of cuts that aren't so "hard and heavy," but are tasty treats. The acoustic cover of Randy Newman's "Let's Burn Down the Corn Field' is soulful and spooky. And the country/conjunto of "Don't Put Me On" is irresistible.
My only complaint here is that a bonus track that appeared on some reissues of Sam Hard and Heavy -- a cover of "Me and Bobby McGee" featuring Duane Allman -- didn't make the eMusic version. Otherwise, this album is a real treasure.
(All Sam the Sham fans should read this wonderful 1999 interview in Salon.)
* Cookin' Up a Party by King Salami & The Cumberland Three. The band's always been called The Cumberland Three, but the album cover clearly shows four guys beside the limboing King Salami. As the late Jonathan Winters might say, "Where's the other two?"
I'll leave that mystery to the numerologists. All that matters is that on this, their second full-length album, the King and his men continue on as one of the best party bands coming out of the British Isles in who knows how long. Admitted devotees of Barrence Whitfield & The Savages, Salami and crew specialize in a frantic, early R&B-infused sound.
Every dang tune here is a moneymaker-shaker. "Monkey Beat" features crazy bongos; "Yosemite Sam" is a spirited tribute to one of the real heroes of the wild west; "Howlin' for My Woman" could wear you out just listening to it.
All those songs are originals. but King Salami does a decent cover of Louis Prima's "She's a Kukamunga."
* Indigo Meadow by The Black Angels. Once again The Black Angels prove that a band can play psychedelic music without sounding campy or even all that retro.
Granted, on its new album, the Austin band certainly employs some sonic tricks from the psychedelic era: lots of reverb, lots of fuzz, some Mideastern/East Indian-sounding guitar licks and melody lines here and there, creepy electric organ — and in a couple of places you’ll hear that electric jug sound pioneered by the Angels’ Texas forebears, The 13th Floor Elevators.
The band’s music is strong enough that it doesn't seem defined by these musical embellishments. ...
Sound familiar? I reviewed this in Terrell's Tuneup not long ago.
Also
* Egyptian Rats by The Paint Fumes. This is a 3-song EP from garage-punk trio from Charlotte, N.C. They were one of my favorite bands I'd never heard of before off the new (free) Slovenly Records sampler. They make The Black Lips sound like The Jefferson Starship.
* "Bluebird" by Leon Russell. Just a song I've loved since it came out in the mid '70s.
Friday, May 03, 2013
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, May 3 , 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Gone to Texas by Terry Allen
Daddy's Moonshine Still by Dolly Parton
Sweet Georgia Brown by Johnny Gimble with Merle Haggard
The Railroad is Calling My Name by Bill Hearne
Billy's First Ex Wife by Ronny Elliot
You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry by Ernest Tubb
Where's the Dress? By Moe Bandy & Joe Stamply
Cornbread, Molasses and Sassafras Tea by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Hey Joe by Carl Smith
Mule Skinner Blues by Van Morrison
Candidate for Suicide by Hank 3
Tiny Studded Red Designer Belt by The Dinosaur Truckers
April by The Imperial Rooster
Liquor and Whores by The Misery Jackals
Lilly Belle by The Calamity Cubes
Don't Let It Get You Down by Joe West & The Santa Fe Revue
Deal Gone Down by Wayne Hancock
Auctioneer Lover by Wendy Powers
Don't Put Me On by Sam Samudio
I Can't Give You Anything But Love by Willie Nelson
Jack's Truck Stop and Cafe by Dale Watson
Texas Talking by Shinyribs
Octopus by The Handsome Family
Kangaroo Blues by Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers
Late Night Lover by Rachel Brooks
Blue Gums Calling Me Back Home by Roger Knox & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Just Suppose by Kris Kristofferson
Don't Leave Me Now by Luther Wright & The Wrongs
We're Gonna Hold On by George Jones & Tammy Wynette
The Long Goodbye by David Bromberg & Los Lobos
Oh Lonesome Me by Anna Fermin
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, April 28, 2024 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM, 101.1 FM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrel...
-
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican January 14, 2011 Junior Kimbrough is dead. R.L. Burnside is dead. Paul “Wi...
-
Remember these guys? I'm not sure how I missed this when it first was unleashed a few weeks ago, but Adult Swim — the irrevere...
-
Sunday, May 15, 2022 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM Em...