The Soul of the Soviet

Thanks to Mr Ben for turning me on to this video of some very groovy Soviets wearing some very dapper threads. The tune is nearly a medley of "Papa was a Rolling Stone" by the Temptations and "Money Runner" by Quincy Jones with some traditional Caucasian folk thrown in. I particularly dig the angled up Vox organ a la Sun Ra. The band's name and the song's title are a mystery, although the clip was tagged with Chervona Ruta and Marichka. Na zdorovje!

Back to the Country: Corrections

My dear friend and listener Simon from Brighton has flagged up a few inaccuracies in this programme first broadcast on November 9.

Firstly, the Kentucky Colonels' Appalachian Swing was originally (and famously) released by World Pacific. (Established by Richard Bock and Roy Harte in Los Angeles, 1952 and sold to Liberty in 1965. FYI)

To add insult to injury, Clarence White of the Kentucky Colonels doesn't play the b-bender guitar on the Byrds' Yesterday's Train (I should have picked Truck Stop Girl, on which he sings). It is of course Sneaky Pete Kleinow's pedal steal. Although, I'll wager he plays the acoustic guitar on the recording.

And finally, the Louvin Brothers is pronounced Loo-van to rhyme with toilet, rather than Low-vin, to rhyme with how, as in, "How on earth should I know how Louvin Brothers is pronounced?"

I stand corrected.

Motorbikin'

My bike, until Steve Winterton took it.

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Now that I think of it, this is a somewhat obvious theme. Not only is motorcycling a passion of mine, but the association with bikes and music is as old as rock and roll itself. I've tried to steer away from too many obvious songs (note absence of Wanted: Dead or Alive and Bat Out of Hell), but the Shangri-Las is a must. Also of interest is reggae's fascination with the iron horse, although I couldn't find a dub paean the the Suzuki. Let's kick-start the programme with the Beach Boys....

1. Little Honda, The Beach Boys, All Summer Long, 1964, Capitol
2. Leader Of The Pack, The Shangri-Las, 7", 1964, Red Bird
3. Motorcycle Irene, Moby Grape, Wow, 1968, Columbia
4. Devil's Motorcycle, The Chocolate Watchband, One Step Beyond, 1969, Tower
5. High Heeled Wheels, Neon Boys, The Neon Boys/Richard Hell and the Voidoids, 1973, Shake
6. Yamaha Skank, Shorty the President, 7", 1973, Soul City
7. Motorbikin', Chris Spedding, Chris Spedding, 1975, RAK
8. CB 200, Dillinger, CB 200, 1976, Island
9. Ghost Rider, Suicide, Suicide, 1977, Red Star
10. Motorcycle Mama, Neil Young, Comes a Time, 1978, Reprise
11. Motorbike Beat, The Revillos, 7", 1980, Snatzo
12. Drive Blind, Ride, 12", 1990, Creation
13. Speeding motorcycle, The Pastels, 7", 1991, Paperhouse
14. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, Richard Thompson, Rumor And Sigh, 1991, Capitol
15. Superbike, Fat Truckers, Coletten No.3, 2003, Roadtrain
16. The Motorcycle Song, Richard Hawley, Lowedges, 2003, Setanta

Normal service has been resumed

After being away for couple of weeks, the last few programmes are now up and running. Also, as pointed out by C, the Under the Covers edition cut off after the Spacemen 3 tune. Hopefully, that has now been fixed.

However, there may be some disruption in the coming weeks as the Acik Radyo studio has been forced to move in order to make way for a hotel (as if this city needs another one). And while we're talking of the best open access radio station in Turkey, the new book celebrating the 15-year history of the station and the people behind it is out now.

Inexplicably, I can't seem to post comments in response to yours. Perhaps someone can tell me why, but in the meantime, thanks for you remarks and keep them coming. Feedback is always appreciated, not least to reassure me that someone/anyone is actually listening.

FX, noodling by illusion

The Boss. (pic courtesy of luigi at www.guitarfx.it)

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This weeks we will be listening to the wonderful and frightening world of effects; those handy go-to studio gadgets that are always there when original ideas aren't. From the early days of tape recording effects (turning the tape over to get that swooshy backwards sound, a la J. Hendrix) to the horrific quantities of crisp, sparkling digital reverb (Bongwater). So, gaze at your shoes and we will begin.

1. Are You Experienced, Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced, 1967, Track (Backwards masking)
2. Rainbow Chaser, Nirvana UK, All Of Us, 1968, Island (Tape phase)
3. 1969, The Stooges, The Stooges, 1969, Elektra (Wah)
4. Well Alright, Blind Faith, Blind Faith, 1970, Polydor (Roto-cabinet)
5. Roxette, Dr Feelgood, Down By The Jetty, 1975, United Artists (Overdrive)
6. 49 Cigars, Nick Nicely, 7", 1982, EMI (Flange)
7. Passion Of Lovers, Bauhaus, 1979-1983, 1985, Beggars Banquet (Chorus)
8. Little Lighthouse, The Dukes of the Stratosphear, Psonic Psunspot, 1987, Virgin (Tremolo)
9. Too Much Sleep, Bongwater, Too Much Sleep, 1989, Shimmy Disc (Reverb)
10. A Little Lost, Arthur Russell, Another Thought, 1994, Point Music (Echo)
11. The Equator, Tortoise, TNT, 1998, Thrill Jockey (Envelope filter)
12. Black Cobra Pt. 2, Curly Davis and The Uniques, Chains and Black Exhaust, 2002, Memphix (Desk fuzz)
13. Pendulum, Broadcast, Ha Ha Sound, 2003, Warp (Delay)
14. Coast To Coast, Elliott Smith, From A Basement On The Hill, 2004, Domino, (Double-tracked vocal)

Nice and Sleazy

It is with regret that TUWSJ learned that Peter Christopherson, founding member of Throbbing Gristle and Coil, passed away on November 24, 2010. His contribution to electronic and avant garde music is immeasurable.

Guitar Hereos

The master

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This week, a listen to some serious axemanship. From the glorious g-string twanging of the 1950s through the raucous dueling of Wayne Kramer and Sonic Smith on The MC5's American Ruse to the measured performances of Verlaine and Lloyd. The Easybeats' Sorry must surely feature the best sounding guitar intro of all time. Comments greatly appreciated. A thoroughly riff-tastic 50 minutes.

1. Rebel Rouser, Duane Eddy, Rebel Rouser, 1958, London
2. Rumble, Link Wray, 7", 1958, Cadence
3. Sorry, The Easybeats, 7", 1966, Parlophone
4. Nobody, Johnny Guitar Watson, 7", 1967, Okeh
5. Sudden Life, Man, Revelation, 1969, Pye,
6. The American Ruse, MC5, Back In The USA, 1970, Atlantic
7. Cannabis (Instrumental), Serge Gainsbourg, Cannabis, 1970, Phillips
8. Bootie Cooler, Shuggie Otis, Here Comes Shuggie Otis, 1970, Epic
9. Down on the Street, The Stooges, Fun House, 1970, Elektra
10. Laundromat, Rory Gallagher, Rory Gallagher, 1971, Chrysalis
11. In The Street, Big Star, #1 Record, 1972, Ardent,
12. Black Maria, Todd Rundgren, Something/Anything?, 1972, Bearsville
13. Motorbikin', Chris Spedding, Chris Spedding, 1975, RAK,
14. 10538 Overture, Electric Light Orchestra, Light Years, 1977, Harvest
15. Killer Without a Cause, Thin Lizzy, Bad Reputation, 1977, Vertigo
16. Foxhole, Television, Adventure, 1978, Elektra