"It's on T.V"

The BBC’s Glastonbury coverage of Bruce Springsteen was great. He rocked out in the most brilliant rockist way possible, to some he’s the Boss, to others just Toss. The hour and a half BBC 1 showed was one of the best bit of live music I’ve seen on telly for a long while. Personally I’d rather my licence money was spent on that sort of thing rather than a lot of overpaid celebs and press junket bonuses etc. I don’t have BBC 3 so I dunno what the rest of the coverage of the festival was like. In typical fashion some newspapers are critical of the cost and how many people it took to cover the event. Fuck Off! Don’t start punishing the viewer cos of your bonus and expenses culture has been exposed and yer gonna cut back on live music coverage in the future. Anyway back to The Boss The Beebs coverage started with Bruce saying “that was for Joe” before he launched into Badlands “Lights out tonight trouble in the heartlands” what a song. It’s a shame the beeb didn’t show the opening number which had been a cover of Joe Strummers Coma Girl, a song he wrote, about walking around at a festival. Why is this important why am I even bothering to write about any of this well for one I thought the Americans have got their musical man of the people, where's ours? then in a week when Steven Wells, Sky Saxon, and thousands of other people, and yes Michael Jackson died, I remembered a few friends who’ve passed away over the years, and people like Nikki Sudden, Johnny Thunders and I thought once again Where’s Joe Strummer now? and what would he have to say about the world today, but I’d like to think there’s a bit of Joe in all of us! (Bruce is even starting to look at bit like him) and we’re keeping up the fight. No I’m not gonna end with a dodgy joke about Michael Jackson But I wouldn’t mind seeing Jo Willey, Mark Radcliffe and co’s expenses receipts, just to check they weren’t taking the piss with my money.

"It's gonna be a long hot Summer."

What a gloriously warm, hot and sunny day it’s been. Did you know, well as far as I am aware, that there are no Health and Safety limits as to how hot a workplace can be before people have to stop working, but there is a minimum temperature that workers can be expected to work in. Interesting….especially as there are severe weather warnings being issued due to the heat, also I wonder how long it will be before the country comes to a standstill when the trains can’t run because the rail tracks are too hot?

TWO SEEMINGLY RANDOM SLICES OF 12" VINYL FOR YA.

Right then! A Sunday double bill for ya. First up from we’ve got LOVES YOUNG NIGHTMARE Not a lot to say about this nifty little beat combo, cos very little is know. Here’s what we do know. One of the members played in Preston’s premier Rock’n’Rollers The Genocides. The A-Side of this single, a cover of George Harrison’s All Too Much was produced by Only One Peter Perrett, the B-sides Tomorrow Will Be Fine and How The Mighty Have Fallen weren’t, and are the bands own numbers and mighty fine in a 1991 pop, punk, psychedelic way they are to. I have a vague recollection of seeing 'em support someone at a great little venue in Croydon called The Underground, way before this single was released, but this is a hazy memory.

The second part of today’s double bill is from GARY HOLTON. This single is slightly different from his work with Casino Steel, but still just as much fun. The A-side is a cover version of Perry Como's Catch a Falling Star. Garry worked with Slade bassist Jim Lea on this, which unsurprisingly is a little glam pop stomper of a track. On the B-side Angel (no relation to She’s no) Gary teamed up with Ray Mcveigh from The Professionals to produce a sort of rock/pop/rap little number. Production wise this single has a pure 80’s sound, well it was released in 1984 after all, as was the norm then both tracks are Extended Versions. Enjoy! Destroy! Whatever!

THE BLAIR HITLER PROJECT.

Lets not take our eye of the ball, what with fiddling MP’s the death of Michael Jackson and what ever else the media decide they want us to see. Tony Blair has designs on becoming the First President of Europe, what! He oversaw an illegal war, and with the help of his unelected buddy Peter Mandelson he’s trying to cover up his compliance in at all, after all we don’t want Europe’s President to be guilty of crimes against humanity now do we. I mean who was that last fella who wanted to be in charge of Europe with his one world vision? Ah yes, that’s it…Adolf Hitler, and he professed to being a socialist as well. Then lets look at someone Blair would have to work along side; French Prime Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, with his dubious views and cultural/religious attacks on The Burkha, by wanting it banned in France.
How will these sorts of opinions effect our special relationship with America after all in a recent speach Obama asked for the West have an understanding of Islam. Yeah right! The only understanding that Blair and Sarkosey have is that their views are right and everyone else’s are wrong.
Yes some of the more fundamental and radical parts of the Islamic faith have a poor view of women, but that’s their faith, not ours. Immigration brings with it different cultures I don’t hold with this when in Rome attitude, yes when it comes to speaking in the host nations language, but as for imposing all our values, like for example the Romans did, (where do think the saying “When in Rome do as the Romans” comes from?) It’s their lives and their faith so it should have no baring on our lives and faiths. But our leaders are gonna try to push their cultural/religious genocide on the grounds of national security, by saying that terrorists can hid behind the burkha and after all it’s the radical arm of Islam that hold the extreme view on women in society. That should square things up nicely with Obama, “see it’s not the whole Islamic faith we have no understanding for it’s the radical ones we don’t like.” What our leaders fail or refuse to understand is that continued attacks on Islam just fuel the fire of radicalism. Or do they understand this and continue to do so in order to keep the terrorist threat real so that they can use The Fear of Terror to control their free democracies, and ultimately certain areas of the globe with a one world vision/order like the Romans did and Hitler tried to do. If we take our eye off the ball we will creep further into a new form of fascism for the 21st Century.

"EVERYONE TALK ABOUT POP MUSIC"

Here’s some Pukka Pop. Forget the insurance ad and his latest album, this is were it was at with Iggy, in the year of 1977. Here we find him live and loud in Paris and at The Rainbow Theatre in London. This is some good shit! Enjoy!!

Are you gonna remember Michael Jackson......

...and where you were when you heard the news of his death? Me I was in the same place when I heard about Princess Diana’s death; In the kitchen, making a cup of coffee and getting ready to go to work. It’s what us mere mortals do unlike Queens of Hearts and Kings of Pop. Both of ’em meant nothing to me, so that’s what I’ve got to say about Michael Jackson….nothing.
Shit maan! After finishing off the above I just found out that someone who did mean something to me, Steven Wells, writer, music journalist and sometimes poet died earlier this week. He first came to my attention through his poetry in the early 80‘s, when he was known as Seething Wells. When he first started writing for the NME he was known as Susan Williams, by the 90’s when he was giving Scum Of Toytown a blinding review for their single he was just plain old Steven Wells. A true Punk Rock performer who pushed the barriers with his wity, passionate, political, provocative and expletive laden pieces of prose. RIP Steven

I ran.

So who’s more pissed off about the results of the election in Iran? The Iranian people or Western governments like America and Britain? Looks like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is going to be a continued thorn in their sides for a few more years. Ironic really as both counties have done their best to get into bed with him and the Iranian people. British and American television stations have being pumping propaganda in to Iran over the last year and Channel 4 even had Mr Dinnerjacket giving an alternative queens speech last year. Why? Is it because he wants to be like the Western powers and go Nuclear, and only western approved democracies, and North Korea are allowed to have it. Look what happened to the last bloke in the Middle East region who had nuclear weapons, oh wait up…no he didn’t actually have any, but the leaders of our free Western Democracies lied, and told their people he did and went to war. The British government is gonna carry out an enquiry into the war, it may be public, it may not; they can’t decide, they don’t want to compromise National security. Diplomats are being expelled from both Britain and Iran. Once again the West meddles into areas it knows nothing about in a bid to spread the words of their freedom and democracy. Then there’s the young Iranians fuelled on dreams of liberal democratic ideals through Western propaganda.
It’s not right that protestors are attacked and killed in Iran, but it’s not right that it happens in other countries like Greece, the birth place of democracy for example, and lest we forget Ian Tomlinson the protestor killed at the recent G20 demo in London and the others that were attacked by our democratic police with their identification numbers hidden. As for rigged elections the Americans are masters at that, look at the Florida fiasco when Bush got elected, as ballot papers were being dumped in the swamp, and as for treating people, what about the Prisoners who have been held captive without trial and tortured in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay by the British and US governments Democracy? more like hypocrisy!

Anyone for Tennis?

THE VIBRATORS - The Past, The Present, The Future

What can I say about The Vibrators? Punk Rock band wagon jumpers…..blah, blah, blah! yeah whatever but at the end of the day it’s all Rock’n’Roll, and The Vibrators were one of the best, much maligned by their peers and the 77 scenesters, for their pub rock roots, working with session muso Chris Spedding and generally not fitting the mould of a ‘Punk Band’ for example While The Clash were singing about Capital Radio being in tune with nothing, The Vibrators were singing Happy Birthday to the tower in the heart of London, possibly not one of their finer moments, but hey it’s only a bit of fun. The first two sessions on this download come from the time the band spent playing with Chris Spedding, the rest come from when they were doing their own ‘pUNK RoCK’ thang, including their capital radio tribute! Right, that’s the past dealt with, now the present. Knox is currently not too well suffering from a heart condition, but despite this the band have released their latest album a 14 track blast of garage punk cover versions entitled rather imaginatively Garage Punk, which does what it says on the tin. Here’s a 4 track sample of some of what’s on offer. MC5’s Shaking Street, The Members Sound Of The Suburbs, The Primitives Crash and The Electric Prunes. I had Too Much To Dream Last Night I was gonna include their take on The 101ers Keys To Your Heart, just to link it all together, but thought nah fuck it, if any of you want to hear that you’ll have to track down the album and buy it. As for the future The Vibrators are currently touring without Knox, Nigel Bennett from The Members is filling in while Knox is recuperating and planning a few things. This is what he had to say recently on his website.
“I'm going to try and sell my songs as I have to have a different career other than doing the band, because I don't think I can manage that full-time at the moment. So if anyone has any ideas about this let me know.
DESPAIR - this is a band I was in before The Vibrators, playing a lot of songs later done by The Vibrators and The Fallen Angels. A CD's worth of material is going out to record companies to try and get a deal on it.
KNOX AND THE TRAILER TRASH ORCHESTRA: "THE KNOXVILLE TAPES" - this is a Country album I made with that great band the Trailer Trash Orchestra from St Albans. We sent the album to quite a lot of record companies with no result so we're going to release it ourselves, no actual date but maybe in a couple of months?
URBAN DOGS ACOUSTIC ALBUM - Charlie and I have been hard at work recording this at Stan's studio. (Stan is guitarist with Demented Are Go.) It will probably be completed by the summer as is around two thirds or more done. Tracks include such classics as "Warhead", "War Baby", "Dragnet", as well as new songs and covers. (I'm not going to give too much away.)” Anyway all the best to Knox and here’s hoping that the stuff mentioned above gets to hear the light of day, the sooner the better if you ask me!
Many thanx to the music maestro MarkyDread with his Dreams Of Mystery Chords and Burning Sounds blogs, (Places where you can find some right little punk rock jewels and gems) for passing the Session stuff on to me.

BLOG COMMUNIQUE # 5

A few of you good folk have asked for things to be re-posted. Well you see it’s like this….cos I’m a cheapskate and have a free DivShare account it means that you guy’s’gals can only download 10gb a month of music between the lot of ya, then the downloads stop until the next month. At the moment you’ve reached yer limit and have to wait until July 7th , So pop back in a months time, but be quick, cos remember there’s only 10gb a month, and I don’t want any fighting . But just for the Anon amongst you, and anyone else here’s a re-posting of Chelsea’s Rocks Off album, purely for the fact that it’s a much better recording than the one I originally posted and it ain’t on DivShare. Enjoy!

TAKE AIM. FIRE! - Wheelie Bins? More like Looney Bin!

So some of the good people in England’s green and pleasant land are unhappy, about Wheelie Bins! Wheelie Bins, those big rubbish bins on wheels. Apparently they are an eye sore and make peoples gardens look ugly. For fucks sake! It’s an ugly old world anyway, deal with it. Paint the bin, or cover it with stone cladding or fake Tudor beams, like the front of your ugly house, with that eye sore of a 4X4 parked outside. I mean what did you do before ‘The Wheelie Bin‘?….Oh yes; used those beautiful looking black rubbish bags. You Wankers! it aint about fortnightly rubbish collections, it’s about your middle class middle England starting to look like a working class council estate.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Cover Me

Here’s something for any old punk rawkers and Bruce Springsteen fans . It’s The Boss covering Da Bruddas Ramone’s I Wanna Be Sedated and The Clash’s London Calling. He’s played them at a couple of US shows on his current world Working On A Dream Tour, which is where these recordings came from. I don’t think The Clash or The Ramones covered any Springsteen numbers, so this aint gonna be a reciprocal post, but just to slightly tie it up here’s Joe Strummer covering Blitzkrieg Bop.

KEEPING IT KONTEMPARY

Ever took a punch In the ribcage sonny? Ever met a soul Who had no shrine Keep this all in your mind And get inside my window / What do we become Trying to kill each other? You're faking it son Gonna get you tonight I suck another breath To the hearts of the Revolution Because it still ain't right / Where did all the love go? I don't know, I don't know [I bet you can't see it] Where did all the love go? I don't know, I don't know [I bet you can't see it] / Gonna see the signs Of a real change a comin' Take another sip From this hobo's wine And get yourself a million miles From the concrete jungle / This is a time Full of fear full of anger A hero's exchange for a telephone line Whatever happened to the Youth of this generation? Because it still ain't right / Where did all the love go? I don't know, I don't know [I bet you can't see it] Where did all the love go? Now I don't know why Oh why / The rivers of the pavement Are flowing now with blood The children of the future Are drowning in the flood / Where did all the love go? Now I don't know why I don't know / In this social chaos There's violence in the air Gotta keep your wits about you Be careful not to stare / Oh-oh-oh-oh Where did all the love go? I don't know, I don't know [I bet you can't see it] Where did all the love go? Now I don't know why Oh why [I bet you can't see it]

KASABIAN - Where Did All The Love Go? (Live at De Montfort Hall Leicester 30/5/09)

UNTITLED # whatever.

I heard former Conservative PM William Hague on the radio saying that the European election results in Britain were a sad day for our democracy. Ummm, Yes and No! No because it shows that proportional representation works, and fringe partys get a chance to gain some power, and Yes because it enabled an undemocratic racist party; the BNP to gain two seats in the European parliament. If anything it was a sad day for the Labour, Conservative and Liberal party's, whose faliure to address the concerns of the populous, enabled the BNP to gain a foothold in Europe and UKIP to maintain their power. Dunno what to make of the UKIP lot, but what I do know is that anyone who voted for the BNP is a Racist, because if they weren’t then surely they would have voted for UKIP, who say and want exactly the same things as the BNP, but without the racism. Then there’s the media, stirring it up with stories that fuel the fires of prejudice and show how much power they have to shape public opinions, while we’re on the subject of the media, lets take a look at the recent much publicised Gurkha and Joanna Lumley versus the Government debacle. I mean for fucks sake The Gurkha's fought and died for Britain if anyone was deserving of citizenship then these guys surely were, but no the idiot Brown and his government decided to make an example of them and say No they can’t stay in Britain, to show that he was concerned about immigration. Then when the stories in the media started and public opinion turned against them, Joanna Lumley made him change his mind and he said Yes they could stay. A celebrity sit-com actress dictates Government policy, I mean, just who runs the show? Then again if the show was being run properly...... So what do we do about it all? Ban the BNP? Curb the freedom of the media? Errr, best not cos that’d be rather undemocratic. No what we need to do is to speak out and confront the racists in the workplace, the pub, on the terraces or wherever they hang out and tell them not to believe everything they read. Yes immigration is an issue, but No it’s not a race issue! alternatively how about a bit more direct action like what went down this afternoon when BNP leader Nick Griffin tried to hold a press conference outside Houses of Parliament but had to abandon it when Anti-Nazi’s threw eggs and chants at him. I wonder what the media will make of it? Either way the rot stops or starts here because there’s gonna be an election within the next year. So perhaps it’s fortunate that the British electoral system isn’t a proportional one Do we really want Racists in Westminster? because after all Britain is a democracy……Or is it?

THE GRIP - Teenage Bride b/w England You're Dead (7" Vinyl Rip)

The Grip knocked around the same London rock’n’roll streets as The Quire Boys and Dogs D’Amour in the late 80’s. Front man Willie Dowling was a charismatic chap with an ear for a fine tune and a face women would die for, either to have his looks or to kiss him. When they played Stevenage on one occasion I remember Willie being accosted by a rather scary local lady who had muscles some blokes would kill for, not Willie though , he was in the dressing room, hiding.
Willie also played with Chelsea and appears on their 1986 Rocks Off album. I did hear tale that he wrote most of the tunes on it, how true this is I don’t know, but it could explain the un Chelsea sound of the album, either way he also helped out on their Underwraps album in 1989. Since The Grip split in early 1990 Willie played in several bands, most notably Honey crack. Now he busies himself writing music for Films, TV Shows and Stage productions, anyway its rewind time, back to 1989 and their Teenage Bride single, a romper stomper of the glam bam thank you maam variety. Slade, The Sweet meet The Stones in a bar room lock-in with Cocksparrer climbing in through the toilet window. I prefer the b-side England Your Dead which is a right royal knees up with some mighty fine sentiments. Check out the single here if you fancy some top notch Rawk'n'Roll.

A FEW THOUGHTS.

If you go around with your head up yer arse all the time all yer gonna see is yer own shit. If you bury your head in the sand, then you’ll just get fucked up the arse. So use your head wisely and watch yer arse!
People need to take pleasure with what they’ve got, and not in what they want, that’s one of the reasons we are in the shit; people getting pleasure out of getting what they wanted with no thought of the consequences of how they got it, then there’s the realisation that they probably didn’t need it anyway.
Values mean nothing, when nothing has any value.
Alright, so we’ve got the minimum wage for what it’s worth, which aint a lot, so what about a maximum wage say for example a person can earn up to £50,000 a year. This aint an economic policy, it’s a moral one! I mean if people can’t live on that sort of money a year, then there’s something wrong.
Alright so there are some jobs were rewards should/could be high, but these jobs aint a footballer, celebrity actor/popstar or banker. I mean some of these people earn £50,000, but that aint a year that’s a week……a fucking week think about it! Can this really be justified when there’s old people dying because they can’t afford to eat properly or keep themselves warm. I mean think what could you spend £50,000 a week on other than all the trappings of capitalism, were you become what you own and what you own ends up owning you. That’s what the people have been sold; the con that the freedom to consume equates to being free, a lifestyle that becomes like a heroin habit which needs to be maintained at what ever cost. That’s why the economies fucked, that’s why politicians have fucked themselves with the expenses scandal, just a bunch of capitalist junkies. Time to bring a plate of cold turkey to the table. Along with a maximum wage, there should be a maximum profit for companies and business’s, were after xxx,xxxx amount all profit have to be paid into some sort of system. Not the present tax system for governments to squander and steal from for their own ends, but one were the money goes straight into areas of society that need it.
Wealth creation for something other than creating more personal wealth.
If companies/businesses were restricted in the amount of profit they could make, then perhaps they wouldn’t make all the shit for the consumer to buy, which would mean that the supply of goods is reduced, thereby meaning that there would be less stuff for people to buy that they don’t really need, which in turn would mean that people wouldn’t feel the need for another consumer fix, and might value what they’ve got instead of wanting more of what they don’t need. A different economic system would mean a different society, realistically how this could be achieved I don’t know I’m just an idealistic malcontent with a utopian vision and some half-baked ideas in his head, who may or may not be talking shite.

THESE ANIMAL MEN - Light Emitting Electrical Wave (7" Vinyl Rip)

Here are some Saturday sounds for ya; a seven inch single by These Animal Men, which sadly turned out to be their last, a mighty fine and catchy tune. Taken from their undersold and under promoted second album Accident and Emergency, Light Emitting Electrical Wave sounds like The Only Ones meeting Hawkwind at an after show Suede party, dominated by some rather fine falsetto vocals and featuring Rob from S*M*A*S*H on drums. The B-Side is a cover of the mighty MC5’s Sister Anne, which sounds more like The New York Dolls than the 5. But hey! don’t take my word for it though check it out here for yerself. Enjoy!

http://www.dishonourable.org.uk

THINK, THINK. PRAY, PRAY. BYE, BYE

Gordon Brown really is a bastard of a Prime Minister. Illegitimately elected without the say of the people, and now those that did elect him the Labour MP’s don’t want him. Surely it’s time for him to go, he should never been given the job in the first place, and he certainly aint done a very good one.

LITTLE STEVEN - No More Party's (7" Vinyl Rip)

Political statements come in many forms, and here in preparation for tomorrows (June 4th) Local and European elections, when Labour are no doubt gonna receive a right kicking, and if people have been that stupid the BNP could gain more Council seats, and a place at the European parliament, is something to get yer teeth into and yer feet tapping. A slice of Prince topped with some Big Audio Dynamite and a sprinkling of Iggy Pop. Yep it’s some Funk, Dance Rawk from Springsteen cohort and Soprano star Little Steven, minus The Disciples of Soul, with his No More Party's single. If it sounds very 80’s, then that’s cos it was taken from his 1987 album No Freedom No Compromise. “I don’t need nobody that says they speak for me”, “Like sheep to the slaughter we keep the fat cats…. fat”, “They try to tell you don’t ask no questions and don’t use your mind” music to the ears. Enjoy! And Destroy!

TAKE AIM. FIRE! or THE LITTLE THINGS THAT PISS ME OFF! (No.1 in an occassional series)

People driving convertable cars with the roofs down blaring out either shite techno, hardcore, rap or drum and bass bollocks at deafening volume. Why is it never anything that remotely resembles a decent song? For one, I reckon most people who listen to Rock’n’Roll. Punk, Alternative or what ever you want to label it, aren’t that tasteless as to posses a convertible car, and two have a bit more respect for the rest of the world at large. If I’m wrong, come and take a drive down Intolerance Street and give me some decent music to listen to while I’m waiting to cross the road.