Big City Soul Club presents - "A Night Of Rare Soul" at D.C.s Tavern

Hello Y'all,
D.C.'s Tavern couldn't get any luckier than this. On July 8th Gene Merideth is going to flood the tiny bar with soul sounds for moving, grooving and boozing. Gene has acquired a list of accomplices that on any other night you would run out to hear them spin on their own. If your ass has a mind of its own it won't let you sit for very long. Please join us for a soul and ass shaking night of music and drunken conversation.

Big City Soul Club presents - "A Night Of Rare Soul" at D.C.s Tavern
Come on down for a few beers and to listen to rare soul from the
collections of:
Dave Withers (UK Northern Soul DJ)
Connie T Empress (Empire State Soul Club)
Greg Tormo (Solid Hit Soul Club)
Gene Merideth (Solid Hit Soul Club)

From Atlantic to Zodiac, The Ad Libs to ZZ Hill, from Los Angeles,
Chicago, Memphis, New York and of course Detroit. Rare soul for
everyone!!

D.C.'s Tavern
505 8th Street
Between Jefferson and Madison
Hoboken, NJ
PH: 201-792-5550
http://www.dcstavern.com
http://www.myspace.com/dcstavern
GOOGLE MAP: http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=505+8th+Street,+Hoboken,+NJ+07030
!Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Schedule to 8th Street Stop!: http://www.njtransit.com/rg_spr_lr_stations.shtml

DON'T FORGET!
Saturday July 22nd The D.C.'s Tavern Record Swap and Bar-B-Que!
POSTER: http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=66209

Recent Crack:
Jimmy McGriff - "Main Squeeze" b/w "The Sermon" (Groove Merchant cat. SGDJ 1029)
I have about 30 Jimmy McGriff 7's so I can easily say he is my favorite Soul Jazz/ Jazz Funky organ grinder. How this little gem alluded me is unknown but I am happy I have one now. "The Sermon" is a just OK run through of Jimmy Smith's brilliant tune BUT (and that is one big ole' butt); "THE MAIN SQUEEZE" is a whole other story. Super loose, very live recording with the band kicking real hard and with a purpose. Sometimes when you are playing, some of the most aggressive moments come when you are being more tough than loud and that is exactly what is going on here. Each player allows space between the notes and beats giving it that more funk than Jazz feeling. Big round bass, plucked guitar, guttural screams, and slapping drums kick things off followed by an immediate sax riffing solo. McGriff chooses to stab and dance around the band with his keys but is never lost in the mix or left out. The guitar seems to be the real lead on this but then again everyone seems to be doing their own thing.

Funkadelic - "Red Hot Momma" b/w "Vital Juices" (20th Century Records / Westbound Records cat. WT-5000)
"Red Hot Momma" is one of my all time favorite songs. Hands down. I have always had a promo of the 20th Century/Westbound version and had "Vital Juices" on a few comps and boots. Now I have a pristine copy all my own on the best format... 45 that is. I only wish there was no fade on on this screaming guitar soaked instrumental of the note perfect "A" side. I still get chills when I hear "Red Hot Momma" and "Vital Juices" just extends that feeling for another 3:13.

Marva Whitney - "I Am What I Am" Part 1 and 2 (Monaurail & Empowerment cat. RDBV-025)
This makes more sense then you may think. I have a few 7's by the backing band here, The Osaka Monaurail, and they are very, very, very influenced by James Brown as well as his many bands / side projects. Some of their originals are too close sounding to JB's cuts that they sound like second rate James Brown compositions but sometimes they can really hit the nail square on. This is one of those times. Being fronted by one of Soul's greatest and most powerful voices doesn't hurt, and oh yeah she played with that James Brown guy quite often. This cut is delivered in two very heavy parts and has a recorded quality creepily similar to the sound on Marva Whitney's It's My Thing LP. Straight forward and belted out like the best of 'em. Popeye has a new theme song.

The Soul Snatchers - "Get Yourself Together" b/w "Sniffin' & Snatchin'" (Social Beats cat. Social 701)
These guys bust out fully charged and with a big sound including a horn section and some really driving percussion. The band is as tight as a duck's ass and has real fine tuned quality to both the playing and the recording. I'd love to hear these guys score a film. "Sniffin' & Snatchin'" is a bit slower but is also a bit heavier than "Get Yourself Together." This time out flute is added nicely to the mix and it has a bit of a conversation with the organ before slamming back into the drum heavy groove.

Hi Fidelity - "Hi Fidelity" b/w "Samboogaloo" (Tramp Records cat. TR-1005)
"Hi Fidelity" sounds really familiar but I just can't place it. Its got a smile in its grooves but never gets too corny. the sax saves any possibility of that as it rips things up for a good portion of the song. After a restatement of their happy theme the trombone is just as intent on keeping things funky as hell like its predecessor. Sometimes I just can't wait to share a song with others.

Big City Soul Club presents - "A Night Of Rare Soul" at D.C.s Tavern

Hello Y'all,
D.C.'s Tavern couldn't get any luckier than this. On July 8th Gene Merideth is going to flood the tiny bar with soul sounds for moving, grooving and boozing. Gene has acquired a list of accomplices that on any other night you would run out to hear them spin on their own. If your ass has a mind of its own it won't let you sit for very long. Please join us for a soul and ass shaking night of music and drunken conversation.

Big City Soul Club presents - "A Night Of Rare Soul" at D.C.s Tavern
Come on down for a few beers and to listen to rare soul from the
collections of:
Dave Withers (UK Northern Soul DJ)
Connie T Empress (Empire State Soul Club)
Greg Tormo (Solid Hit Soul Club)
Gene Merideth (Solid Hit Soul Club)

From Atlantic to Zodiac, The Ad Libs to ZZ Hill, from Los Angeles,
Chicago, Memphis, New York and of course Detroit. Rare soul for
everyone!!

D.C.'s Tavern
505 8th Street
Between Jefferson and Madison
Hoboken, NJ
PH: 201-792-5550
http://www.dcstavern.com
http://www.myspace.com/dcstavern
GOOGLE MAP: http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=505+8th+Street,+Hoboken,+NJ+07030
!Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Schedule to 8th Street Stop!: http://www.njtransit.com/rg_spr_lr_stations.shtml

DON'T FORGET!
Saturday July 22nd The D.C.'s Tavern Record Swap and Bar-B-Que!
POSTER: http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=66209

Recent Crack:
Jimmy McGriff - "Main Squeeze" b/w "The Sermon" (Groove Merchant cat. SGDJ 1029)
I have about 30 Jimmy McGriff 7's so I can easily say he is my favorite Soul Jazz/ Jazz Funky organ grinder. How this little gem alluded me is unknown but I am happy I have one now. "The Sermon" is a just OK run through of Jimmy Smith's brilliant tune BUT (and that is one big ole' butt); "THE MAIN SQUEEZE" is a whole other story. Super loose, very live recording with the band kicking real hard and with a purpose. Sometimes when you are playing, some of the most aggressive moments come when you are being more tough than loud and that is exactly what is going on here. Each player allows space between the notes and beats giving it that more funk than Jazz feeling. Big round bass, plucked guitar, guttural screams, and slapping drums kick things off followed by an immediate sax riffing solo. McGriff chooses to stab and dance around the band with his keys but is never lost in the mix or left out. The guitar seems to be the real lead on this but then again everyone seems to be doing their own thing.

Funkadelic - "Red Hot Momma" b/w "Vital Juices" (20th Century Records / Westbound Records cat. WT-5000)
"Red Hot Momma" is one of my all time favorite songs. Hands down. I have always had a promo of the 20th Century/Westbound version and had "Vital Juices" on a few comps and boots. Now I have a pristine copy all my own on the best format... 45 that is. I only wish there was no fade on on this screaming guitar soaked instrumental of the note perfect "A" side. I still get chills when I hear "Red Hot Momma" and "Vital Juices" just extends that feeling for another 3:13.

Marva Whitney - "I Am What I Am" Part 1 and 2 (Monaurail & Empowerment cat. RDBV-025)
This makes more sense then you may think. I have a few 7's by the backing band here, The Osaka Monaurail, and they are very, very, very influenced by James Brown as well as his many bands / side projects. Some of their originals are too close sounding to JB's cuts that they sound like second rate James Brown compositions but sometimes they can really hit the nail square on. This is one of those times. Being fronted by one of Soul's greatest and most powerful voices doesn't hurt, and oh yeah she played with that James Brown guy quite often. This cut is delivered in two very heavy parts and has a recorded quality creepily similar to the sound on Marva Whitney's It's My Thing LP. Straight forward and belted out like the best of 'em. Popeye has a new theme song.

The Soul Snatchers - "Get Yourself Together" b/w "Sniffin' & Snatchin'" (Social Beats cat. Social 701)
These guys bust out fully charged and with a big sound including a horn section and some really driving percussion. The band is as tight as a duck's ass and has real fine tuned quality to both the playing and the recording. I'd love to hear these guys score a film. "Sniffin' & Snatchin'" is a bit slower but is also a bit heavier than "Get Yourself Together." This time out flute is added nicely to the mix and it has a bit of a conversation with the organ before slamming back into the drum heavy groove.

Hi Fidelity - "Hi Fidelity" b/w "Samboogaloo" (Tramp Records cat. TR-1005)
"Hi Fidelity" sounds really familiar but I just can't place it. Its got a smile in its grooves but never gets too corny. the sax saves any possibility of that as it rips things up for a good portion of the song. After a restatement of their happy theme the trombone is just as intent on keeping things funky as hell like its predecessor. Sometimes I just can't wait to share a song with others.

Primitive Sound System - Manual Comics & Kaiju Big Battel - Saturday June 23rd 8-10PM

Hello Y'all,
I draw pictures. I buy records. SO... this gig combines the best of both worlds. I scratched out some lines for the newest edition of Manual Comics "Mauled!" series. This one is called Mauled! #4: 'True Reports of Mechanical Mishaps' - http://manualcomics.com/manual_main.htm and features some machinery acting as stupid as humans and in most cases killing someone. The publishers of Manual Comics are planning to throw down and lay waste to the folks of Kaiju Big Battle who co-host this all out cage match at the R Bar in celebration of the end of the MoCCA Art Festival. By-the-way, MoCCA stands for Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art which I guess is impressive but they have nothing to do with this gig so drink up, watch some H.R. Pufnstuf looking motherfuckers smack each other about the place and don't forget to steal some comic books. I hate to be so simple about it but I am stoking the fires with songs about Super Heroes, Villains and other fine characters of the sequential arts as well as any song I can think of about fighting, action and Space! How many times can I play "Kung Fu Fighting" in two hours? I'm guessing almost forty before they wrestle me away from the tables.

Let's get animal, animal,
I wanna get animal, let's get into animal
Let me hear your body talk,
Your body talk, let me hear your body talk.

- pat.
Primitive Sound System

Manual Comics & Kaiju Big Battel
Co-host the 2007 Dangerous MoCCA Afterparty!
Saturday, June 23 8PM
R Bar
218 Bowery
NYC ...just a quick walk from the Puck Building!

Check out their websites:
Manual Comics
http://manualcomics.com

Kaiju Big Battel
http://www.kaiju.com
The video section is amazing - http://www.kaiju.com/video.htm

R Bar
http://www.rbarnyc.com

45's:
Carl Douglas - "KUNG FU FIGHTING" (20 Century Records cat. TC-2140)
Hopefully this 70's AM radio hit needs no introduction. But if you have never heard it you are in for the most gentle ass kicking ever. Carl Douglas koos us with some ohs that sound more like yodeling than a call to action. To his credit Mr. Douglas is apparently hiding under a table as he is watching the "Funky Chinamen" kick some ass in the name of Mr. Big. The mood is mid paced despite the action being described as fast as lightning the band is in no hurry to change the laid-back pace. "IT WAS A LITTLE BIT FRIGHTENING - HUH!"

The Archies - "Sugar, Sugar" (Calendar (A Division of Kirshner Entertainment Corp.) cat. 63-1008)
The Archies were a Don Kirshner fabricated band to give a sound to the animated version of the Archie's Comics. Talk about getting right on the first try because "Sugar, Sugar" went to number one in 1968. And like the Batman theme many people have tried there hand(s) at it with some pretty great results including Chet Baker, Jimmy McGriff, Big Youth, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Tom Jones, The Germs, and the list goes on and on.

Sea Monkeys - "Everything's Archie" (Vital Music Records cat. VMS-4)
Everything's WHAT? Everything's ARCHIE! The insanely entertaining Dave The Spaz and his manic band of Punk idiots crank through the theme to The Archies. Simple, stupid and hopping mad and out of control. Dave squeals through the last few choruses of ARCHEEEE while Pope John splinters his sticks, busts heads and nothing could be more perfect. I don't remember the year this came out but being very drunk and jumping up and down certainly didn't help me keep focused. Thanks Sea Monkeys, thanks Olympia Beer.

Man... or Astro-Man - World Out Of Mind! ep (Estrus cat. ES-169 ("Is the Phase One of Project Infinity?")
Space Surf Music is like a Maple Bacon Doughnut. At first it sounds impossible, then the attraction is too much but you know it will only hurt you later. Well, grab your board and let's hit the asteroid belt baby. The fabulous Man...or Astro-Man pull off the sling shot to the outer solar system and then cruise effortlessly for light years. Big guitar sounds crash into pounding drums like they are playing a very evenly matched game of tag. Every song has a slightly similar sound and some songs seem to only have different names but hell isn't that what Surf music is all about?! These guys are always amazing. (Maple Bacon doughnut only available at Voodoo Doughnut - http://voodoodoughnut.com)

The Mummies - "You Must Fight To Live On The Planet Of The Apes" (Sympathy For The Record Industry cat. SFTRI 196)
I have the longest list of "Top Ten Songs of All Time" of pretty much everyone... BUT... HOLY CRAP! This song makes me want to go fucking crazy and bust everything in my path. I think the last time my brother and I were in the same room and it was playing I hoisted him over my head and he kicked me in the head with his boot. Damn, that was one hell of a night. No blood, no fun is what I say. I saw The Mummies pretty much every time they made it out this way. They NEVER washed there Mummy wraps and that is pretty much all you need to know about these guys. Most bands doing garage music listen to the Nuggets series or Back From The Grave and spit it out no different than an anarchy t-shirt sold at Macy's. Not The Mummies, these guys live and breath the stomping sounds echoing from the cave. "Get your stinking paws off of me, you damn dirty ape!"

The Dickies - "Banana Splits" (A&M Records cat. AMS 7431)
The Dickies played faster than any band I have seen. Live these guys doubled the already break-neck speeds on their records. If I remember right ( and I probably don't) a song like this or "Nights In White Satin" were over in at about a minute thirty. When I last saw them their version of "Paranoid" was over so fast and ended on a dime the entire audience was caught of beat and practically fell down. Luckily at the time of this recording the world hadn't slipped into it's complacency with mediocrity and these guys were on a major label! Pure Punk recorded as if they were Steely Dan. Their first record is so good only a few discs come close.

The Banana Splits - "Doin' The Banana Split" (Kellogg's Presents a Hanna-Barbera Production cat. Extended Play #34579)
The two eps and LP by The Banana Splits are must haves. The sounds range from heavy Soul to Garage and they do all of it with equal passion. "Doin' The Banana Spits" is penned by Barry White so I can only assume Gene Page is involved in some way as well. From the first time I heard this I was blown away. It was so not the children's tune of the Tra La La Song but a blistering burst of Pounding Soulful Dance that could make the most uptight parent bop around with a smile while telling the kids to behave.

Rhythm 'N' Blues Classical Funk Band - "Monster Walk Part 2" (Mankind cat. 12001)
Screams from one of the Horror Sounds I have lead off this slamming awkward instrumental. A brief fight breaks out and ends with the maniacal laugh jof what we could only guess is the victor and a really bad man. A heavy organ riff sets the pace but is immediately interrupted by the sounds of traffic and sirens. The band fights its way to the top and plays without disruption for about a minute and a half. And what a minute and a half it is. This ranks pretty high with my favorites and I wonder if there is an unaffected version as well. SUPERBLY CREEPY!

Hoctor - "Uncle Fester's Blues" (Hoctor Records cat. H-2783)
Several times over the 14 years I stood behind the counter at Finyl Vinyl the Adam's Family album hung on the wall. I would take it down and give it a listen and then return it to its place. There was always something just slightly off or missing from the sound to not make me take it home in lew of a days pay. My home phone rings one day and next thing I know I am digging through thousands of records at a Dance Studio in Warwick New jersey. As we started through each record with a title even slightly interesting we kept coming up with one winner after another. Then we started on the cover versions. "Cissy Strut," "Moving World," "Black Belt Jones" and suddenly The Adam's Family. We flipped it over and the Go-Go moves spewed out of each groove. There is an obvious "Night Train" sound to it all but with a Batman icing. Even better is there is a flute solo, frantic drums and a sharp organ that seems ready to launch at any second but holds back as if it has something better to do.

Nervous Norvous - "Transfusion" (Dot cat. 45-15470)
I guess this is a "Novelty Record" but I gotta tell ya this aint no Weird Al or "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." Nervous Norvous packs car crash after car crash into this Countrified Car-tune about Gas, Speeding, a disregard for the Rules of The Road and empty promises. Seems like every-time he says "I'm never never gonna speed again," he plows head first into something. Throughout he begs and pleads for more petroleum and believe my grade does not matter. He is hooked and not only is he a speed junkie but he needs the juice as well.

H.R. Pufnstuf - "H.R. Pufnstuf" (Kellogg's presents Creative Products / Capitol Records cat. CP-57)
Josie & The Pussycats - "Josie" (Kellogg's presents Creative Products / Capitol Records cat. CP-59)
The Gaylads - "Popeye - The Sailor Man" (Audan Records cat. A-120)
Gate Wesley & Band - "(Zap! Pow!) Do The Batman" (Atlantic cat. 45-2319)

and many, many more

LP's:
Tee Vee Toons Presents Television's Greatest Hits 65 TV Themes! From the 50's and 60's (Tee Vee Toons Inc. cat. TVT 1100)
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Paramount Records cat. PAS 6012)
The Pointer Sisters - "Pinball Number Count" (Ninja Tune cat. ZEN 12143)
The Electric Company - "The Electric Company Theme" (Children's Television Workshop / Sesame Street cat. CTW 22052)
Henry Mancini - The Party (RCA Victor cat. LSP-3997)
The Globe Trotters - "The Globe Trotters Theme," "House Party" (Kirshner cat. KES-108)
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids starring in Creativity (Kid Stuff cat. KS021)
Bill Cosby - "Get Out My Life Woman" (Warner Bros. Records cat. 1728)
Ramones - "Pinhead" (Sire cat. SA 7528)

Louie Ramirez en el Corazon de Harlem Espanol - "The Boogie Man" (Mecury Records cat. MG 21121)
Martino-Brighetti - "Dracula Cha-Cha" from the film Tempi Duri Per i Vampiri (RCA Victor International cat. FOC-4)
Frankie Stein and his Ghouls - "Monster Motion" (Monster Sounds and Dance Music by...) (Power Records cat. 340)

The Big Boss (TAM Musical Industries cat. YX - 7303)
Dennis Coffey and Luchi De Jesus - Black Belt Jones (Warner Brothers cat. 7771)
Lalo Schifrin - Sudden Impact and the Best of Dirty Harry! - "Scorpio" from the movie Dirty Harry (Viva Records cat. 23990-1)
Lalo Schifrin - Enter The Dragon (Warner Bros. Records Inc. cat. BS 2727)
The Cramps - "The Crusher" (I.R.S. cat. PFSX 1008)
Roy Ayers - "Coffy" (Polydor cat. PD 5048)
The Rezillos - "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" - Can't Stand The... (Sire cat. SRK6057)
Sammy Davis Jr - "John Shaft" (MGM Records cat. SE-4832)

Repo Man (San Andreas Records cat. SAR 39019)
Perrey - Kingsley (Electronic Pop Music of the Future created by...) - The In Sound From The Way Out! (Vanguard cat. VRS-9222)
NRBQ - "Rocket Number 9" (Columbia cat. 9858)
Milton & Anne Delugg - "Rise Robots, Rise" - Gulliver's Travels Beyond The Moon (Mainstream cat. mono 54001)
Robert Hazard with Link Wray - "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll" (Private Stock Records Ltd. cat. PS 2030)

The Kinks - "Powerman" (Warner Bros. Records cat. 6423)
Jimi Hendrix - "Astro Man" (Warner Bros. Records cat. MS 2034)
Black Sabbath - "Iron Man" (Warner Bros. Records cat. 1887)

Primitive Sound System - Mixed Tape Sessions at Maxwell's Tuesday May 2nd 9PM-2AM

Hello Y'all,
Somewhere around 1990 or maybe a little earlier or later I met Phillip Lehman while he was trying to convince Robert Cohen (the owner of Finyl Vinyl in NYC) to carry his compilation, "PURE!" Phillip's knowledge of Soul and Funk was beyond impressive and he had the collection to back it up. After a while his compilations plus the Break Downs, Vinyl Dogs and The Sound of Funk series on Goldmine became checklists for me. I had been collecting Funk / Soul and Jazz since the mid-80's but who knew that all these small batches had been brewed up in every corner of the states. A few years later he began to record his own bands and tried to pass them off as original artists; claiming them as unreleased sessions recorded in the late 60's early 70's. He told me he never thought anyone would take the music seriously if they saw him first and then listened to his music. Well, fake names aside and despite their belief that they actually sounded as good as the JB's, these guys weren't half bad. There was something really appealing about them playing out live and they began playing regularly at the Lounge at CBGB's. I had already been going to Giant Step events and to see current Acid Jazz and Soul Jazz shows (including seeing Neil Sugarman at Windows on The World before he and Phillip met). Weirdly the raw and unpolished sound the Desco crew (Phillip's newly formed label) were getting was far more appealing than anything I heard prior in the unchartered terrain of new funky sounds. Acid Jazz was becoming exclusively a slick affair so someone needed to crawl back into the cave.

I started buying singles by bands not part of the Desco / Soul Fire stable. To this day releases come out fast and furious and it's getting harder to keep up. Impressively, the quality is going up with each new release. Bands like The Calypso King and The Soul Investigators seem truly unstoppable and are by far and away the most creative of the genre. Their latest release is nothing short of brilliant. Creatively, look no further than the amazing Didier's Sound Spectrum LP on Lifesaver. Didier is the multi instrumentalist and house producer of the amazing Timmion Records (based in Finland) for whom The Soul Investigators record. The Didier LP is an experimental outing that seems to be able to hold a groove as well but never seems forced. Similar releases have come out of Chicago from Directions in Music, Tortoise, Isotope 217, Euphone, 5ive Style, etc... Recently I picked up the Little Barrie LP, "We are The Little Barrie." and talk about perfection. Tony Joe White, Faces, Rolling Stones, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (and the obvious influences that come with that comparison), even early G. Love and The Special Sauce, and a heaping bucket of pure Funk all simmered slowly to create their own incredible sound. After almost 5 years The Bamboos form Australia have FINALLY released an LP. Their debut 7" "Eel Oil" has been in constant rotation since its release in 2001. Luckily for those who do not have the 7" it is included on the LP; UNFORTUNATELY for me I feel I am owed two more songs... I'm waiting. The point to all this is that I realized something very important to this record collecting thang. My passion for Punk came from many sources but one that now seems most important is the fact that the music was current. Produced by people like myself. Buying the records and going to the shows meant we were sharing the experience. So, being able to find new Funk and Soul records had the same excitement to me as those early Punk obsessed days. Picking through the multitude of releases and bands to find the ones that really touch my soul keeps it all interesting. So this week I am bringing some of my favorites and unlike a rare $100 record most of these are still currently available.

- pat.
Primitive Sound System Mixed Tape Sessions from 9PM - 2AM
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken New Jersey
(201) 653-1703

A very partial list is below:
The Other Side - (Don't Look Back) Behind The Shack
When Phillip gave me the final mix / promo cassette of this the band was listed as The Funky Pack. Wow, that is a horrible name. Luckily the music on the tape and subsequently the released LP was so great it could have been called anything. In retrospect, it is apparent where many of the later New Funk release faltered; they assumed as long as you have the beat (or break beat) right the rest of the song doesn't matter. The Other Side LP is complete with compositions with resolve and also include some fine soloing. The playing on the record is never hurried, players lay back and create a groove with feel as much as they do with musicianship. The LP flies by leaving the listener wanting more.

Joseph Henry - "Who's The King (You Know That's Me) (Desco Records cat. 45-1009)
Naomi Davis & The Knights of Forty First Street - "Forty First Street Breakdown" (Desco Records cat. 45-1014)

Sugarman Three - "Funky So-And-So" (Daptone Records cat. DAP-1003)
Charles Bradley and The Sugarman Three - "Take It As It Come Part I & II" (Daptone Records cat. DAP-1005)
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - "Genuine" (Daptone Records cat. DAP-1016)
Sharon Jones - "I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Is In" (Daptone Records cat. DAP-1022)

Not wanting to seem to anxious Mr. Sugarman waited until Daptone's 3rd release to strut his stuff; Daptone was of course his new venture with former Desco partner Gabe Roth and a second attempt at getting everything James Brown down. The Sugarman Three are hugely talented and would sound amazing playing nursery rhymes. Here they go for a bit more Southern feel in the guitar and organ while the drums pump as if the life of the band depended on it. A slightly New Orleans groove is especially noticeable on the breaks. As would be suspected Mr. Sugarman grabs a grooved solo before the drums get one more break on the fade.

Calypso King and the Soul Investigators - "C'mon Boot-It" (Jive cat. ????)
This was the second outing for the Soul IG's and I knew these guys were destined for greatness. Like the Other Side, The Soul Investigators seemed less worried with trying to imitate the James Brown sound as much as it was just one of many, many influences. Since this release the Soul Investigators have put out one great song after another. "C'mon Boot-It" opens with a nice deep plucking guitar which along with the drums keep very constant throughout the song. The organ takes a very note filled, rolling solo that double times everyone else but some how never disrupts the pace.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators – “Keep Reachin’ Up” (Timmion cat. LP-002)
The new Soul Investigators LP features Soul singer Nicole Willis and it is nothing short of brilliant. The whole thing has a raw quality and one that can easily be said is true to the late 60’s early 70’s sound most of the New Funk / Soul outfits go for yet Ms. Willis’ vocal experience with labels like Mo’ Wax help keep things very current sounding. “If This Ain’t love (Don’t Know What Is)” reached number 4 on the charts in their home of Finland. I have had the CD for over a year and welcome its return to constant rotation with the release of the vinyl version. The ever developing and constantly changing Soul Investigators expand their signature stripped down raw Funk sound to include strings, horns, flute and some occasional studio tricks and effects. The recent single from the LP is, “My Four Leaf Clover” b/w “Holdin’On”. The “B” side of this Soul-Popped gem is now my current New Funk favorite. “Holdin’ On” gets started with an open guitar riff but suddenly picks up the pace as the drums skitter across the dance floor. Syncopated horns punctuate the organ and Ms. Willis’ sharp vocals equally before the organ grabs a little solo action. The cut is simply unstoppable and one that will get a lot of platter time.

I should begin this by saying I am not the biggest fan of The Poets of Rhythm. The following two records have a connection to that band which leads me to believe that the parts are better than the whole.

The Whitefield Brothers - "In The Raw" (Soul Fire Records cat. SF-018)
"In The Raw" starts as if the band is being wound up before being able to play. The song is bloody red raw with a nice small group sound made up of guitar, drums, organ and congas. The organ solo is one of the few "old" sounding organ parts on any of the New Funk records. How they got this amazing sound is beyond me but I am very grateful they did. This ranks in the top 5 of my favorite New Funk records and probably ranks pretty high against the forefathers as well. Slow, tight, dirty and mean. (The LP by the same name is just as great. )

The New Process - "Freedom" b/w "Bus People Theme" (Tramp Records cat. TRI 1001)
Originally recorded in 1993 but not released until 2003 this slamming little slice of funkiness best anything I have ever heard from The Poets Of Rhythm. Maybe it's the raw tin can sounding drums or the over modulated bass but whatever it is, it's raw and I like it. Both sides are hard and genuine.

The Soul Destroyers - "Blow Your Top Part II" (Stark Reality cat. Stark-008)
The Soul Destroyers - "Armadillo" (Stark Reality cat. Stark-011)
Part 2 of "Blow Your Top" is decidedly slower than part 1. The band seems more together and has an all round better feel. The instruments are able to breath and interact with each other. There is a real nice difference with the way the recording of the voice was handled compared to the band; the voice is raw and gritty and I wouldn't say the band recording is slick but is definitely cleaner.

Breakestra - "The Gettin' To It" (Ubiquity Records cat. UR7184)
The Breakestra have a very tough sound with the emphasis on the "break" half of their name as the Arkestra half seem s to be a tribute to Sun Ra's band more than an influence and you know what, that's not a bad thing. Most of their cuts are fully fleshed out compositions which move along at quite a clip punctuated with sharp horns, organ and very tasty guitar. The band has improved steadily over the years but that is not to say that their debut "Getcho Soul Togetha" isn't still one of my favorite cuts. "The Gettin' To It" rolls in with a smile on its face and a bounce to its walk. The horns seem to be leading the show here. Deep throaty sax is teased by the trumpet for most of the cut before the trumpet steps out and gives us a real taste. Of course we are treated to a short but sweet break before the theme is stated one last time and we are out.

Speedometer - "At The Speakeasy" (Freestyle Records cat. FSR7004)
Speedometer - "Lazy Susan" (Raw Wax cat. RW45-001)
Speedometer have quite a lot of releases under their belt on many different labels and any one of those releases could have been listed here including an amazing 10" on Kennel Klub. "At The Speakeasy" is a very deceiving name to me. I expected something a bit Jazzy and even mellow Loungey. Oh, how I was wrong. "At The Speakeasy" slams open with an interplay between the band and the guitar which is eventually used as the theme throughout the song. After the brief opening the doors are thrown open to reveal quite a party going on. Drums push along the horns in a tight groove complimenting the steady bass and powerful organ as the percussion holds everything together. They come back to the theme very soon in the happening as almost to remind you where it all began. No complaints here because not only are we treated to a great sax solo but a quick interplay between drums and congas gives the whole thing an extended feel before a partial stating of the theme.

Big Boss Man - "Sea Groove" (Blow Up cat. BU017)
"Sea Groove" opens with a beat and feel very reminiscent of "Apache" but certainly comes into its own as things get moving. A guitar solo precedes the bridge and then guitar and the really sweet sounding organ grab a hold of the action and get down to business. There are hand claps through out which threaten to get in the way but never really do.

The New Master Sounds - "Better Of Dead" (Cooker Records NMS7002)
That electric sitar thing is one cool sounding instrument. Here the New Master Sounds make great use of it over a very funky backing. The coolest thing about this track is that they don't seem concerned to make the track sound even the slight bit Eastern. They are using the electric sitar no different than they would have used a second guitar. Nicely it is the lead throughout most of the track and makes quite a nice racket. Only during the fiery organ solo does it take the back seat but does pop in at the very end just enough to remember the bizarre ride we just took.

Ravi Harris And The Prophets - "Path Of The Blazing Sarong" (Gemini Records cat. 13005)
When Phillip Lehman first brought these into Finyl Vinyl he really tried to convince us that these were old. There was something about the sound that just didn't sound old to me and then I noticed that the United Pressing number was not that far off from the one recently issued to my bands 7". Phillip was bummed but he did bring some by one day that I helped him dirty up the covers of (by stepping on them and rubbing them on the disgusting carpet of Finyl Vinyl) because there were a lot of people who believed him and really did think they were old. The sound here is very simple but very tastefully done. Take equal parts James Brown, equal parts Ananda Shankar and equal parts Sound Library music and you get one hell of a Lounge Funk record. Years later when I worked for Grooovy Sounds Unlimited this got a whole lotta spins at the weekly "Air India" party we threw.

The Jimi Entley Sound - "Charlie's Theme" (Espionage Disk cat. ESP00I)
Some where there is a spy movie waiting for this song as its theme. The drums are recorded really well and the guitar, organ and horns seem to hang just below the surface. Because of its incredible measured slow groove it can feel at times that you are getting a contact high or the sensation that you are walking through a vat of Jell-O. There is some sort of Portishead connection here that seems very possible in the treatment of the horns and drums. Regardless this is one great slow funky 45.

Damn, I am slowing down and falling to sleep so I have to end here. I also packed a bag of LPs.

Primitive Sound System: The Mixed Tape Sessions at Maxwell's Tuesday April 4th from 9PM-2AM

Hello Y'all,
For some reason (maybe the Contortions version of "I Can't Stand Myself") I brought a whole lot of cover versions spanning many genres and years. This week could be one of my favorite yet for the Mixed Tape Sessions. Please read on.

"Come out to show them..." *
A very good friend gave me a copy of Soul Jazz Records / Universal Sounds No Wave comp "New York Noise Vol 2" which was a bit freaky since I have been talking about and listening to more experimental music again. With so much music to choose from sometimes things that most influenced us or simply make us happy get put away and forgotten. This happens on occasion but I am always excited to get back and listen again. The No Wave name is not as much a reference to New Wave (which was at first one and the same as the Punk movement) but simply an appropriation of the moniker. The No Wave movement was nothing more than educated appropriation and music without a wave but more importantly they weren't looking to catch one anyway. The music was meant to be uncommercial as much as it was music being performed by artists who were playing for themselves rather than putting the audience or listener first and certainly not the critics. If they didn't want you to buy it or hear it they wouldn't have recorded it. They were not only inspired by musical genres obscure to the mainstream but literature, film, dance, etc which all played a part in the creation, execution and performance of the music. I would assume that reading Alfred Jarry as opposed to making your way through Oprah's disturbing picks can tend to broaden your horizons as well as increase your palette and expand your mind in the process. Applying these influences would then result in nothing short of creative musics rather than pedestrian tunes.

James White and his Contortions steal easily from James Brown as they do from Archie Shepp. Hell, today almost every young Jazz artist does that and by no means does it seem shocking (Frank Zappa was doing it in the 70's). Lydia Lunch's tortured wail is more inviting to me than any song by The Eagles or Brittany Spears but because the large majority of the population doesn't feel that way Teenage Jesus and The Jerks are discordant, disturbing, and unlistenable. No Wave happened in 1978, a good 20 years after Free Jazz and Musique Concrete, almost 10 years after the musical experimentations from the early parts of the Prog Rock era, the Velvet Underground and The Stooges, and if you blinked it seemed to disappear before it even got started. Luckily it didn't really disappear but continued to influence several genres from Noise Rock, Post Punk, the sadly named Post Rock and 100s and 100s of bands. Obviously someone cares or finds No Wave / Noise Rock interesting, collectible or even enjoyable because there are two volumes of the Soul Jazz compilation. I had heard about the first volume of "New York Noise" but didn't seek it out. Volume two is pretty impressive and I have already played it over and over so I am curious to see what was on volume one.

If you are bored with the culture around you, change it. Believe it or not it's not that hard. Ironically you don't even have to have musical experience, education or natural talent. Hey, if those rules don't apply for the mainstream any more why should they apply to the fringe. I have no problem with those happy with three chords and a back beat, "It's got a great beat and you can dance to it...." but I'll catch the No Wave.

*[In 1966 Steve Reich composed his brilliant 12:58 reaction to the re-trial of six youths in Harlem tried for murders during the 1963 riots entitled "Come Out." Two channels with the same recorded phrase of "Come out to show them" (a clip from a recorded statement of one of the youths, Danniel Hamm) slowly drift apart as one of the channels incremental speeds up causing eventual aural confusion and eventually the two channels meld to a single tone. Come out and show them indeed. (From "New Sounds In Electronic Music" (Odyssey - Music Of Our Time cat. Stereo 32 16 0160)]

This very abbreviated time line and discography can put it in some perspective... maybe?:
1958 - Something Else!!!! The Music of Ornette Coleman
1966 - The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
1967 - New Sounds In Electronic Music
1967 - The Velvet Underground & Nico
1968 - Soft Machine release their brilliant first LP
1968 - James Brown - I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me
1969 - James Brown - It's A Mother and James Brown sings and dances with the James Brown Band - The Popcorn
1969 - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica
1969 - Can - Monster Movie
1969 - The Stooges
1975 - Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music
1976 - Ramones
1978 - Various Artists No New York
1978 - Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
1979 - Gang Of Four - Entertainment
Seems logical enough to me. Obviously there are 100s more that can fill this in but the puzzle seems weirdly complete.

- pat.
Primitive Sound System Mixed Tape Sessions from 9PM - 2AM
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken New Jersey
(201) 653-1703

Musical Wares:
Various Artists - No New York (Antilles AN 7067)
For the longest time I couldn't get past the opening cut by The Contortions ("Dish It Out"). Not because I was put off but quite the opposite, I thought this was the most aggressive, raw song I had ever heard and for some reason couldn't imagine how someone composed such a thing and then actually recorded it. It's not that I was necessarily awed as much as drawn to it. I wanted to be a part of something like it. The fact that I was not musically inclined made this even more frustrating. I punched my sax teacher in sixth grade and a few years later I really didn't care for the piano lessons but did enjoy listening to the hippy teacher play as I pretended to pay attention. When I did play drums I felt even more creative and expressive than doing my artwork which came naturally. Eventually I really played drums thanks to a series of fortunate situations and The Pixies "Come On Pilgrim" ep. But enough about me. Back to The Contortions who also do the most insane arrangement of James Brown's "I Can't Stand Myself" on No New York which brings a whole other aspect into the mix further confusing defining the No Wave genre. The Contortions, DNA / Arto Lindsay, etc, could throw in a groove here and there that could be out and out Funky or at a minimum Swinging or Soulful which mixed perfectly with the cacophony of sounds. Teenage Jesus utilize stops and starts to create tension causing confusion to when one song ends and another begins, If she wanted to, Lydia Lunch could give Minnie Pearl a run for her money but instead decides to demand you to listen with a taunting meter. The instrumental "Red Alert" flies by in about 20 seconds and is a perfect intro to the stuttered and slow groove of "I Woke Dreaming." "I Woke Up Dreaming" has been imitated by many Noise bands but weirdly it seems none have the balls to really make it this infectious and bombastic. Of all the bands on the No New York comp Mars seems to be the least concerned with playing music or creating traditional song structures. That is not to say that they are not playing music. The bass and drums on "Helen Fordsdale" are mesmerizing, so much so that you sometimes don't hear the endless audio knife fight happening between the guitars and vocals. The guitars churn out white noise over repetitive drums and sporadic vocals on "Tunnel" and this formula is repeated on "Puerto Rican Ghost" but with surprisingly different results. "Tunnel" is abrasive where "Puerto Rican Ghost" is is melodic and trippy. D.N.A. seem to have the same skillful swagger as The Contortions. "Egomaniac's Kiss" is plodding, head bobbing, evil and silly all at the same time. Go figure. Like the amazing Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, D.N.A. can compose and nail an instrumental proving they need not rely on screeching, screaming, unintelligible vocals to achieve their desired effect. Arto's guitar sound is as recognizable as his voice and both can cut you in half.

Contortions - "Design To Kill" and "Contort Yourself" (ZE Records / Buddha / Arista cat. ZEA 33-002

DNA - "Blonde Redhead" (American Clave cat. 1003EP)

Teenage Jesus And The Jerks - "Freud In Flop" (Migraine Records cat. CC-334-INST)

8 Eyed Spy - "Lazy In Love" (Fetish cat. FR2003)

Bush Tetras - "Too Many Creeps" (99 Records cat. 99-02)

Golden Palominos - "Hot Seat" (Celluloid cat. CELL 5002)

Massacre - "Legs" and "Bones" (Celluloid cat. CELL 5003)

The Lounge Lizards - "Do The Wrong Thing" (Editions EG cat. EGS 108)

Sonic Youth featuring Lydia Lunch - "Death Valley '69" (Iridescence cat. I-12)

Sonic Youth - "(Over) Kill Yr Idols (I Killed Christgau With My Big Fuckin' Dick)" (Forced Exposure cat. FE-001 (hand colored cover))

Arthur Russell - "Place I Know / Kid Like You" and She's The Star / I Take This Time" (Upside Records cat. UP 60009-1)

The Offs - "Everyone's A Bigot" (415 Records cat. ?

This Heat - "Horizontal Hold" (Piano Records cat. THIS-1)

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats (Bizarre / Reprise cat. RS6356)

Silver Apples - "Lovefingers" (Kapp cat. KS-3562)

Hugh Hopper - "Minipax I" (CBS cat. S 65466)

Suicide - "Ghost Rider" (Red Star Records Inc. cat. RS 1)

The Pop Group - "She Is Beyond Good And Evil" (Radars Scope Records cat. ADA 29)

Dymaxion - "Mice In Drain" Duophonic Super 45's cat. SE22)

New Crack also along for a spin:
La Mosca (The Fly) npk2 (Guerssen Records cat. GUPEN005)
The Bongolian - Blueprint (Blow Up Records LTD. cat. BU 028LP)
The Bamboos - Step It Up (Tru Thoughts / Ubiquity cat.URLP187)
J.C. Davis - A New Day! (The Complete Mus-I-Col Recordings) (Cal-Tex Custom Production / Quannum Projects)

The Mixed Tape Sessions: The First Tuesday of Each Month at Maxwell's in Hoboken NJ
No stone unturned and no vinyl format left unspun or unsung. Crawling, spinning and stumbling through the decades finding the connections between 50's - Now Instrumentals of all shapes and sizes, Funk 45's, Raw Soul and R&B, Soul, Gospel, Blues, Country, Latin, Brazilian, African, Dub, Rock Steady, Ska, Reggae, Indian, Jazz (of all types), Lounge / Moog, Hawaiian (slack key and Pop), Vocalists, Singer Songwriters, 50's – 70's Pop, Garage Rock, Psych, Surf and Drag, Soundtracks (OST), Comedy, 70's Rock, Prog, Punk, Hardcore, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, Noise and some Metal old and new. I'm mostly drawn to the instrumental side of life favoring the "B" side to the "A." Heavy as hell beats and exquisitely subtle moments side by side to entertain, educate and elate.

Primitive Sound System and Peter Gunn spinning nothing but Punk - Thur. March 23rd at DC's

"Just what does 'Eat my fuck' mean?!"

Hello Y'all,
That's right kids it's time to break out your Pogo. Mr Peter Gunn and myself (Primitive Sound System) will be poking holes in your eardrums with over 30 years of Punk Rock grooves. The combo of Primitive Gunn have over 1000 years of collecting between them so you are in for a treat. Here's the twist, Mr. Gunn will be representing Boston and the UK while I'll slam the other 49 states and a few other choice places. I don't get to do this that often and I think I can say the same for Gunn so if these are classics from your childhood or you are just discovering how lame Blink 182 is this should be one hell of a night.

If you are driving don't drink and If you are drinking don't drive. Please mind your manners, always tip your bartenders and remember Jersey still smokes... I think.

Peter Gunn and Primitive Sound System
9PM - 2AM (Closing)
DC's Tavern
505 8th Street, Hoboken, New Jersey
PH: 201-792-5550 - Operators are standing by!
http://www.myspace.com/dcstavern

(Some of) The Music:
Pere Ubu - "Final Solution" (Hearthan cat. HR102)
Out of Ohio comes one of the biggest influences on me musically. Pere Ubu play music as twisted as their namesake. Alfredd Jarry stood just over 4' tall and put away 3 bottles of Absinthes a day with hardly anything to eat. He concocted the tale of the corrupt and disgusting King Ubu when he was just a boy and it followed him throughout his life. Jarry's bent reality and pseudosciences influenced many prog rock bands but it is Pere Ubu that wrap themselves inside and out with his essence and churn it into Punk brutality spit in your face by a Poet Behemoth. "Final Solution" is a desperate coming of age story detailed by an outcast. Intro'd with a thudding bass and pounding drums the guitar builds and squeals creating the tension. Dave Thomas slowly pleads his case and begs us to understand that his is just different. As much as life seems to scare the hell out of him (and us) it is apparent he his looking for answers to make sense of anything even one thing that may lead to ultimate bliss and not necessarily an untimely demise. SO-LU-TION! I can play this song over and over and ever time I get chills.

Boys From Nowhere - "Beg" (Young Lion cat. no #)
Listening to Bill Kelly on FMU and going to the Dive in NYC in the 80's opened my ears to so many of the new Garage / Psych bands and the Boys from Nowhere remain a favorite to this day. I got to see them play in the mid-80's at a 99th Floor Magazine release party at The Dive in NYC. "Beg" comes close to their raw live sound but live this stuff cut like a knife and made me crazy. Primal and genuine.

Rapeman - "Marmoset" (no label cat. no #)
Steve Albini and Rapeman took Big Black to the next level with precision and angst in equal measure. A Marmoset is one of the oddest looking monkeys on earth. Knowing Albini's reputation this song is about someone and not the odd lil' monkey as he refers to the subject as a red eyed dirty little rat. Rapeman consisted of the greatest rhythm section EVER with David William Sims (Scratch Acid) on bass, and Rey Washam (Scratch Acid, Big Boys) on drums. Albini bands are the few bands that can actually stand toe to toe with The Melvins.

Husker Du - "Statues" (Reflex Records cat. no #)
Even from the first bass notes Husker Du hinted that they were not going to sound similar to other bands. Flipper influence aside there is still something weirdly Poppy about this rage filled teenage blast. Simple and to the point wagging their finger at the popular kids but even more so they really seem to believe the Statues are listening. So young, so naive.

Husker Du - "In A Free Land" (new alliance records cat. NAR-010)
By the time of "In A Free Land" Husker Du sound like a completely different band from their humble beginnings. The pace is kicked up to nothing short of break-neck and Bob Mould begins to develop his shout and sing style. Hey narrator, this is Hardcore to me. "What Do I Want" gets back to some nice Noise Rock influences without slowing down in the least and M.I.C. is full throttle similar to their previous release the aptly titled "Land Speed Record."

Minutemen - "Joe McCarthy's Ghost" from Paranoid Time ep. (SST cat. SST-002)
Minutemen, Pere Ubu and Mission of Burma are three of the most important rock bands to me. Few bands have inspired me enough to want to play music and Minutemen make me want to play every time I hear them. Grooves tight enough to be called Funky, political lyrics with real social messages and songs short and fast enough to be considered Hardcore.

Minutemen - "If Regan Played Disco" from "bean-spill" e.p. (new alliance / Thermidor cat. T8)

Meat Puppets - "Teenager(s)" from the Take It! Magazine flexi "In Full Cry"

Wayne County & The Backstreet Boys - "Max's Kansas City" (Max A County Line Production cat. 1213)

Dead Boys - "Sonic Reducer" from "New Wave rock 'n' roll - Get behind it before it gets past you." (Sire cat. Pro 696 (promo only double 45 compilation))
Patti Smith - Piss Factory" b/w "Hey Joe (Version)" (Sire cat. SRE 1009)
Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer" (Acoustic) (Sire cat. SRE 1013)
The Ramones - "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" (Sire cat. SA-746)

The Cramps - "Drug Train" (Illegal Records cat. ILS 0021)
Memphis Gothic, Rockabilly, Blues Drenched, Slop Rock via NYC!

Killer Kane Band - "Don't Need You" (Whiplash cat.EP-200)

Television - "Little Johnny Jewel" Part One and Two (Ork cat. 81975)
Richard Hell - "Blank Generation" Ork cat. 81976)
Idols - "Girl That I Love" (Ork / WEA cat. NYC 2)

Richard Hell & The Voidoids - "The Kid With The Replaceable Head" (Radarscope Records cat. ADA 30)

The Heartbreakers - "Chinese Rocks" (Track Record / Polydor cat. 2094 135)
I can't be sure but Johnny Thunders could have been sent here to change the world and weirdly enough... he did. At least the world of music. Thunders changed the face of music (audibly and visually) with one of the greatest rock bands ever, The New York Dolls, and after that band imploded or exploded (depending on where you were standing) and returns with The Heartbreakers to change it all again. The Heartbreakers probably never thought of themselves as a Punk band but I can't imagine The Stooges did either. Vicious NY street slang put to music and delivered by a gang in a dark alley stealing your wallet, throwing you a beaten and leaving you for dead. Oh yeah, they also sing about drugs, lost love and PIRATES!

The Heartbreakers - "One Track Mind" (Track Record / Polydor cat. 2094 137)

Outsets - "I'm Searching For You" (Contender Records cat. PPI 351)

Criminals - "The Cops Are Coming" (Sing Sing Records cat. S1001)

Snatch - "All I Want" b/w "When I'm Bored" (Lightning Records cat. LIG 505)
Patti Palladin and Judy Nylon get some help from Heartbreaker Jerry Nolan on this shared vocal plea for some action. Oi - Eh - Oh - Eww! "The stuff I learned I got real fast, what I can't use I left in the past!" Piano, fiery guitar and one of the coolest 45 covers in my collection.

Lester Bangs - "Let It Blurt" (Spy Records cat. SPY 003)

The Victims - "Head" (Golden Disc Records cat. GDR 1002)

Beastie Boys - "Egg Raid On Mojo" from Polly Wog Stew e.p. (Ratcage cat. MOTR 21)

Detention - "Dead Rock N' Rollers" (Rigor Mortis cat. RIG-1)
Can be found on Killed by Death: Raw Rare Punk Rock, Vol. 2. My brother and I attended Newark School of Fine Arts in the mid 80's where we hung out with a varied group of creative types including Mark Medvetz the replacement guitar player for Detention. Medvetz was wound incredible tight and eased his pain with bottles of cough syrup.

Ed Gein's Car - "Brain Dead Baby" (Ed Gein's Car cat. EGC-3355)

Bad Brains - "Pay To Come" (Bad Brains Records cat. BB01)
Is it possible for an entire genre to be defined by a single song? I don't think so. I do think it is possible for some songs to encompass the heart soul of a genre to help define it. "Pay To Come" is one of those songs. Thusly the self titled ROIR cassette and "Rock For Light" are perfect LPs and unfortunately most Hardcore records pale in comparison.

Minor Threat - "I Don't Wanna Hear It" from s/t ep (Dischord Records cat. No. 3 (blue cover))
Speaking of perfection DC Hardcore legends Minor Threat came out of the box with an instant classic. "I Don't Want To Hear It" should be played loud enough for all to hear and especially for those not listening. The roar of the masses could be farts!

Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (DRI) - "Violent Pacification" (R-Radical Records cat. DRI-7)

Dils - "I Hate The Rich" (What? Records cat. WHAT 02)

The Weirdos - "Destroy All Music" (Bomp cat. 112)

Dead Kennedys - "California Uber Alles" b/w "Man With The Dogs" (Optional Music cat. opt 2)

Love and Respect - "Hey" from Deep + Heartfelt e.p. (Penultimate cat. PEN009)
Thurston Moore chased me around Pier Platters when I bought the only copy of this they ever had in stock. In retrospect I of course understand that level of musical obsession and you know what, this record is that good and holds up to this day. Hopefully he got a copy of the LP when it eventually came out on eMpty. "HEY" is the standout but there are no misses. Sounding very 70's Punk but with a foot firmly planted in the majestic North West. Just another single to sadly remind me how much most new Punk bands really do suck.

Cat Butt - "64 Funny Cars" (Penultimate Records cat. )
James Burdyshaw played guitar for some of the best Garage / Punk bands in the late 80's and early 90's in the Seattle scene. Cat Butt's sound seemed to pick up where U-men left off with a little less Goth.

Green River - "Together We'll Never" b/w "Ain't Nothin' To Do" (Tasque Force cat. ICP-01)

Tad - "Jack Pepsi" (Sub Pop cat. SP1000)
Simply the greatest song to come out of the "Grunge Years."

Melvins - "Grinding Process" (C/Z Records cat. CZ-1705)
Holy crap, no wonder these guys eventually covered Flipper. "Grinding Process" is like waiting for ketchup too make it's way out of the bottle and rectifying that by smashing the fucking thing. I bought this sometime in "86 or "87 and it was one of those records I couldn't stop listening to but didn't really have many things like it. I was not a fan of Heavy Metal in High School well, that is other than Black Sabbath which scared the shit out of me the first time my cousin played my brother and I their first LP (I was 9 or 10). He shut off all the lights and blasted it in his bedroom while my brother and I could barely move from fear and he air guitared the whole record. Then, I couldn't get enough of it, thank you Chard.

Iggy and The Stooges - "I Got A Right"
Destroy All Monsters - "Bored" (IDBI Records cat. EEEE 1)
Radio Birdman - "What Gives" (Sire cat. SRK 6050)
The Saints - "Stranded" (Power Exchange cat. PX 242)

Some LP's as well...
Meat Puppets - "New Gods" from Meat Puppets II (SST cat. 019)
Germs - (GI) (Slash Records cat. SR-103)
Red Cro$s - "White Trash" from Born Innocent (Smoke 7 Productions cat. SMK 7-103)
Flesh Eaters - No Questions Asked (Upsetter Records cat. UPCJ 34)
Fear - The Record (Slash Records cat. SR-111)
The Crucifucks - s/t (Alternative Tentacles Records cat. Virus 38)
Adolescents - s/t (Frontier Records FLP 1003)
etc.
etc.
etc...

Damn I am bringing WAY too many records as always.

Primitive Sound System at the Hoboken Historical Museum Sun March 12th at 4PM

Hello Y'all,
As Hoboken is slowly stripped of its... soul the following may seem very unlikely . Believe it or not the corner of 1st and Monroe once housed Club Zanzibar. Some of the greatest talents of Soul Music's finest hour graced the Zanzibar's stage. Active from 1961 - 1975 the club remained a neighborhood watering hole until 1981 and then closed its doors. Let's face it, those were the premier years for Soul music and artists as famous as Kool & The Gang, The Drifters, The Coasters, etc all gigged at The Zanzibar. More historically notable are the lesser known talents that came and went unnoticed by the masses but noteworthy none-the-less. I have not yet spoken to Ms. McNeil but it would seem that The Zanzibar was a great gig for any touring band at the time because it provided a second show to a NYC area audience. Of course this would be similar to Maxwell's which for the most part started having live performances as The Zanzibar fell from popularity. Do all good things really have to come to an end? Does time make everything nostalgically interesting? In the case of The Zanzibar I think something great came to an end and thankfully the good folk at The Hoboken Historical Museum have enlightened us to yet another significant establishment and the culture that surrounded it. I have lived in Hoboken for close to 20 years and NO ONE has ever mentioned the Zanzibar to me. It's time to change all that.

Sunday March 12th - 4PM - 6PM
The Hoboken Historical Museum - 1301 Hudson Street, Hoboken, NJ - FREE Admission
Dorothy McNeil - Discussion and remembrances of Club Zanzibar
This event is part of the Museum's Working People series which explores the life and culture of workers in Hoboken and the greater metropolitan area through fiction, poetry, film, and two oral history publications (chapbooks).
For more info visit the Museum's site

I'll be spinning selections from acts that played The Zanzibar as well as music significant to the time period and to the Northern NJ scene.

Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters - "What'cha Gonna Do" (Atlantic cat. 45-1055)

Little Johnny Taylor - "Sweet Soul Woman" (Ronn Records cat. Ronn 43)

Billy Bland - "Do The Bug With Me" (Old Town cat. Record No. 1109)

Sterling Harrison - "P's and Q's" (Astroscope (Distributed by All Platinum) cat. AS 108)

Nu-Sound Express, Ltd. - "Ain't It Good Enough" (Silver Dollar Records cat. SD 152)

Kool & The Gang - "Dujii" (De-Lite Records cat. DEP 561)

Dyke And The Blazers - "You are My Sunshine" (Original Sound cat. OS-90)

The Coasters - "Soul Pad" b/w "Down Home Girl" (date cat. 2-1552)

Rufus Thomas - "Sophisticated Sissy" (Stax cat. S-221)

Lloyd Price - "They Get Down" (GSF Records cat. 6904)

Wilson Pickett - "Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do) (Atlantic cat. SD 8129)
Wilson Pickett - "Take A Closer Look At The Woman You're With" (RCA cat. DJHO-0049 (APBO-0049)

Baby Washington and Don Gardner - "Baby Let Me Get Close To You" (Master Five (MC5) cat. 9110)

Primitive Sound System - Mixed Tape Sessions - Maxwell's Tuesday March 7th from 9PM-2AM

Hello Y'all,
This was the first year in about 5 years that I didn't get to spin on Mardi Gras, hell I'm fat every Tuesday so I figure I can do this, this week. The other thing that popped into mind while pulling Betty Harris' "There's A Break In The Road," Cyril Neville's "Gossip" and Curley Moore And The Kool Ones' - "Shelley's Rubber Band" was that a set of heavy ass guitar and groove was in order. I have no idea what the bands playing in the back sound like this week but I bet you that they all have a guitarist. So if anyone requests anything "interesting" this week that will be my answer. "Hold on, yeah this song has a guitar too. Will that do?"

Primitive Sound System Mixed Tape Sessions from 9PM - 2AM
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken New Jersey
(201) 653-1703

The Mixed Tape Sessions:
No stone unturned and no vinyl format left unspun or unsung. Crawling, spinning and stumbling through the decades finding the connections between 50's - Now Instrumentals of all shapes and sizes, Funk 45's, Raw Soul and R&B, Soul, Gospel, Blues, Country, Latin, Brazilian, African, Dub, Rock Steady, Ska, Reggae, Indian, Jazz (of all types), Lounge / Moog, Hawaiian (slack key and Pop), Vocalists, Singer Songwriters, 50's – 70's Pop, Garage Rock, Psych, Surf and Drag, Soundtracks (OST), Comedy, 70's Rock, Prog, Punk, Hardcore, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, Noise and some Metal old and new. I'm mostly drawn to the instrumental side of life favoring the "B" side to the "A." Heavy as hell beats and exquisitely subtle moments side by side to entertain, educate and elate.

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OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sunday March 12th at 4PM at The Hoboken Historical Museum - 1301 Hudson Street, Hoboken, NJ
Dorothy McNeil reminisces about the Soul Club she co-owned in Hoboken, NJ from 1964 - 1975, The Club Zanzibar. I'll be spinning records of artists she will be speaking about and ones who passed through her fine establishment and some that just fit the mood. For more information call the Museum at (201) 656-2240 or visit them online at http://www.hobokenmuseum.org/

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Stuff I'll be spinning Tuesday:

Jimi Hendrix - "No Such Animal" (Audio Fidelity cat. AF-167)
More of a 60's Garage / Soul Instrumental but definitely when that really kicks. Hendrix is far more in the Billy LaMont / Lonnie Youngblood / Isley Brothers sound here but he tosses off lick after lick without ever losing his way. A steady pounding rhythm and sharp sounding organ give space to his chunky riffs which act at times like the vocals but occasionally a hoot and a holler can be heard giving it a bit of a party feel.

Iron-Knowledge - "Show Stopper" (Tammy Records cat. T-1043)
I just got this so of course I can't stop playing it. If you Like 70's Heavy Rock or its modern spawn known as Stoner Rock then this could be the best thing you have ever heard. You can feel the Armadillo in the lead vocalist's trouser with ever half ass lyric spit out of each groove. He should be commended because you can picture the stage presence ripped from the Aerosmith how to handbook with ever inane syllable. Of course it all opens with a guitar riff, but this one is weirdly slow handed and very very Stoner, the drums can almost be perceived as timid comparatively but don't you fret they will have their day in the Sun just you wait. We are dragged through mindless words and choruses of dancing, cocaine and possibly incompetence, though I can't be sure. It doesn't really matter as this is just a lead into the SHOW STOPPER! The blazing guitar solo...DUDE! Wait, what is this at the foot of Cock Rock Axe Slinger Mountain... the break. That's right, sleepy, tappy guy throws in a nice clean break just because he can. We are treated to another chorus of "Show stopper, show stopper," before it all comes to a very sudden end. Thank you Iron Knowledge for knowing that one day Stoner Rock would resurrect you from 70's Sir Lord Baltimore obscurity.

The BBC - "Upside Nwod (Down)" Mono b/w Stereo (Mega cat. 615-0091 (wht lbl promo))
"Upside Down" is not as Stoner as "Show Stopper" but the guitar is certainly handled with more skill and that never compromises the weight. The whole band here is in the pocket and crashes its way through some really nice changes including a deeply soulful organ solo that gives me chills. The BBC is The Bill Black Combo in disguise and personally I think they should have hid more often.

"Super Cirkus" - "Bubblegum March" (Super K cat. SK 9)
This song goes through so many changes in 2:24 it needs therapy. Easily one of my favorite Funky guitar driven instrumentals.

Blackrock - "Yeah, Yeah" (Select-O-Hits cat. 104)
The intro of Blackrock, although a bit moody, doesn't really foreshadow the early Parliament-esque sounds you are about to be pummeled with. The drums are sickly heavy and make me want to pound out the rhythm right along with them but really it is the guitar player here who goes for it and takes the spotlight. Screaming, head bobbing licks that get sweeter and sweeter as he fuzzes things up just float, dart and cut you in half without ever loosing the funky groove. I picture him being carried Christ like over the crowd before being gently returned to the stage still playing wildly where he suddenly fades away and it is debated for years whether he existed at all. Actually, I spoke with him on the phone once. He said it was just him and his buddies messing around in his families studio and called it Blackrock because at the time "that was the thing to do."

Joe Savage and the Soul People - "All Power To The People" Pt. II (Jacklyn Records cat. 1010)
Another brutal guitar attack finishes out this song that I bring quite often to play.

The New Establishment - "Slums Of The City"
For one reason or another I always have to play these three in a row.

I packed a lot of Garage records as well including some fine guitar moments like:

The Bubble Puppy - "Hot Smoke & Sassafras" (International Artist cat. IA-128)
Frijid Pink - "End Of The Line" (Parrot cat. 45-PAR-349)
The Rugbys - "You, I" (Amazon Records cat. AM #1)

I recently knocked off 3 Want List items all in the top ten of that list so I am pretty excited:

Eddie Floyd - "Big Bird" (Stax 45-246)
A clean copy of this bad boy has alluded me for about 10 years but thanks to my brother's keen eye and a very packed Smallchange box at the last record swap I now can spin until my heart's content. A pounding Al Jackson beat, throbbing bass and screamed horns are all lead by one of the coolest guitar riffs in any song thanks to Steve Cropper. Eddie Floyd sounds anxious, nervous and even a bit worried which just pushes this song to a whole other level. Pure perfection.

Mickey Lee Lane - "Hey Sha-Lo-Ney" (Swan cat. S-4222 H)
I have not only been wanting this FOREVER but also had to figure out what the hell it was. Weirdly about 2 years ago I stumbled across a CD copy of a compilation put out on Candy Records and THERE IT WAS! Oddly I had asked Todd-O-Phonic over the years (after hearing him play it in sets) what the hell it was. I would do my best to describe it but unfortunately with very bad results and never any closer to the answer. "You know it's garagey and party like." That's like describing friends of mine with, "Shaved head, weird beard, wears a lot of black... you know 'em." So you can imagine my surprise to find out that he was involved in said comp which of course he replied, "Oh yeah, great song." Yes, a great song indeed and thanks for the info kind sir. Another deceiving guitar line intros this Garage / Soul Party tidal wave. I have certainly overused the words "pounding drums" over the years but... that is exactly what you have going on here. Mickey Lee Lane has one hell of a raspy voice that is a perfect foil for the chorus which sounds almost sweet in comparison. This could go on for half an hour and I don't think you would bat an eye and you would certainly not get bored, maybe tired, but not bored.

Syl Johnson - "Take Me Back" b/w "I Take Care of My Homework" (Twinight Records cat. 116)
I am not a completest when it comes to collecting but in some cases the music is just that good. The Syl Johnson 45's released on Twilight / Twinight are all must haves. I don't know how or why I missed this one over the years but I did. "I Take Care of My Homework" is on the Collectibles Records comp I have so it's not like I didn't know the song and it is on every discography I have copied down over the years. Odd and no real explanation. Regardless, my good friend Stephen laid this copy on me for my birthday. Thank you sir. "Take Me Back" kicks with horns, tight drums and of course Syl's distinctive guitar and vocals. This one is slightly reminiscent of "Come On Sock It To Me" but that is OK with me. There is a short sax solo that is not really common to his records of this time and adds a really great element to the whole thing. Superb.

Primitive Sound System Spinning 78's and Swapping Wax - Fri. Feb. 24th & Sat. Feb. 25th

Hello Y'all,
Two big nights this weekend to tell you about. First up is Friday February 24th for the Soul Station Party at 58 Gallery in Jersey City. Aside from Hammond B grooves pumped from an actual B and its conjoined twin the Leslie; my Brother Michael and I will be spinning 78's and nothing but. We spent the better part of Saturday night going through some 2-300 78's in preparation and I gotta say I was extremely impressed with what we have and truth be told he has a massive collection at this point. The 78's breath new life into listening to music. Big, full sound that wraps you in the recording studio's atmosphere with clarity you have never known if you have never experienced the grooves deep in that shellac. Take that you MP3 listening lemmings! "I can fit 10 million songs I my iPod. So what that it isn't the best fidelity" Ehh, go on! One Big Joe Turner 78 is enough sound for a lifetime. "What's the matter the groove to big fo' ya?!"

Second up is our quarterly bin flip at DC's Tavern. Saturday February 25th is the next installment of the DC's Tavern Record Swap. We have got these on a pretty regular schedule at this point (though May's date is still a bit flexible) and I know there are folks who truly look forward to the day. If all works out we'll have several DJ's including Greg Tormo, Mr. Fine Wine, Joe Belock, Peter Gunn and myself. I know there is someone I missed so I apologize. Please come by regardless if you have anything to buy sell or trade... heck there is always alcohol and smokes.

- pat.
Primitive Sound System
FULL DETAILS: http://www.primitivesoundsystem.org

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DETAILS:

February 24th 9PM
Soul Station Party
On Friday February 24th my brother Michael and I will be kick'n it way Ol' Skool! That's right bitches we're breaking out... the 78's! Dun' get all up'n my grill 'cause... 78's are very delicate. They're shellac dammit. This is a dream gig if there ever was, we'll be spinning 78's in between Jazz Organ sets on Matt Barton's 78RPM DJ Coffin.

Bryan Beninghove & The B3 Explosion are having another Soul Station Party at 58 Gallery and they are dragging a real Hammond B3 along for the ride. It doesn't get any better than this. The details are below or visit the gallery site for directions - http://www.fifty8.com/About/about.html
Joe Kapp plays a vintage Hammond B-3 w/ Geoff Clapp & Gene Segal
The Longo Brothers spin rare 78's on a modded up DJ coffin with a tube amp!

58 Gallery
58 Coles St, Jersey City, New Jersey - $10 at the door

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February 25th around 2PM (or so) until closing
DC's Tavern Saturday Record Swap
At DC's Tavern we look for reasons to stay out of the light with plenty of alcohol, good music and the pleasant company of friends... at least until they have had one too many. The swaps are one of the few days we shut down Michael's iPod (the jukebox) and cover the pool table but of course this is for the noblest cause of all... the amicable exchange of vinyl recordings (styrene or shellac is also allowed). Bring a box to sell or trade. Bring a friend. Bring money for alcohol. Remember, if you're drinking don't drive, if you're driving don't drink and always tip your bartenders. (Jersey still smokes... for now, I think.)
Fun for girls and boys!
Music and money will be exchanging hands from 1:30PM-8PM. DJs spinnin' an unholy mix from decades past and present, taps pournin' beer to help you rationalize your purchases. Come for the music come for the beer but come often.

[Keep in mind, not everyone is a hardcore collector. Just some guys and gals who want some good tunes whether it is rare or not is not an issue. Condition is not always everything when you are looking for records to listen to! Of course rare gems and mint condition records are always welcome.]

DC's Tavern
505 8th Street, Hoboken, New Jersey
PH: 201-792-5550 - Operators are standing by!
http://www.myspace.com/dcstavern

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Some junk in the trunk...
Sadly all my 78's are in a different storage area so I wouldn't do the justice with long distance descriptions but here are some titles I am bringing along:
Charlie Parker - "Carving the Bird"
Slim and Slam - "Flat Foot Floogie"
Louis Jordan - "Caldonia" and "Boogie Woogie Blue Plate"
Ike Quebec - "Hard Track"
Milt Jackson - "Bag's Groove"

All I know is I have a box and my brother has two! You gotta be there when I whip out my big 10 inch... record of a band that plays the blues. You aint nothin' if you aint makin' the scene Daddy-O!

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Record Swap spins:

2 new finds join the set...
J.J. Jackson - "I Dig Girls" Calla Records cat. C-125)
I heard this song long ago and for some reason never figured out who it was and always forgot to ask the right person at the right time. When I would remember to look into it I would always come up with Booby Rydell, and no offense to Mr. Rydell I knew that is not what I was looking for. Oddly a very current piece of technology gave me the answer. While torturing Pandora ( http://www.pandora.com/ ) with diverse genres and obscure artists to see what it would play I some how formulated the right question for the right person (?). Starting off with a Dragnet Groove, the organ and drums try to keep up with Mr. Jackson's throaty, gravelly style. Simple lyrics about all kinds of "girls" are pushed around the floor by the aforementioned drums and organ and not to be outdone the horn section has a secret weapon in the sax section. He slowly builds with some traditional honking style but when given his moment he takes it and wails with the rest of them. I wonder what else Pandora has in her box?

Boogaloo Joe Jones - "Right On!" (Prestige cat. 45-733)
I can never get enough of Soul Jazz / Funk Jazz. I have a longer version of "Right On!" on a comp but never found a clean enough copy of the LP to drop the money for it. In the long run I'll stick with this fine little record since, hard as I try, I can't sit through Jazz interpretations of Pop songs and this era of Prestige and Blue Note are full of them. One of the ways I have kept a limit on my collection (HAHAHA, no really...) is that when it comes to LP's if I can't listen through them from start to finish out they go. Unfortunately in the world of Jazz this happens a lot. I digress. Nice echoey drum starts off this cut followed immediately by guitar and bass. The horns jump in to state the theme and off Mr. Jones goes soulfully and skillfully tossing off lick after lick without ever losing the groove. His extended solo reminds me of Bill Mason's insane organ solo on Rusty Bryant's "Fire Eater." It all comes to a head but not before the bass gives you a little taste of what is to follow on the full length version that is.

Hank Marr - "No Rough Stuff" (Federal cat. 45-12538)
Hank Marr was one of the featured artists on the James Brown LP "Jump Around with James Brown and other great artists." I had the LP for a very long time before finding a copy of this 45 and we have been friends for a very long time now and it is still a favorite. Organ and drums jump up right from the start on "No Rough Stuff" followed quickly by the horns. I am a sucker for screaming sax and organ solos and this 2:41 tune is jam packed with both. There is a Spy Theme feel to the chorus that pushes this one into Top Ten status for me. Smoking!

Hank Jacobs - "Monkey Hips and Rice" (Sue Records Inc. cat. 45-795)
Animals and food all in one title, how the hell can you go wrong?! Piano and organ all in one song... holy shit I think I am going to explode. This little number bounces along in a total party mode. Hand claps and hoots punctuate this unchanging garagey jam. Bouncing, jumping and skipping are all welcome. (The other side ("So Far Away") is a moody instrumental that I love as well.)

Betty Wright - "Shoorah! Shoorah! (Alston cat. 3711)
I first really took notice of this song on Mr. Fine Wine's show on WFMU - ( http://wfmu.org/playlists/sv ). Then I discovered it made my lady dance and I had to have my very own copy. I have since burned through about 4 copies. Penned by Allen Toussaint and driven by an undeniable New Orleans groove (me), Shoorah! Shoorah! is filled with shouted choruses and hand claps that give this medium tempo tune a party feel hard to pull off at such a pace. The lyrics are a game of cat and mouse which I think anyone would be lucky to play with Ms. Wright.

"King" Coleman - "Loo-key Doo-key" Pt. 2 (Dade Records cat. Record No. 1807)
"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha... IS YOU READY?! King Coleman sounds like he would be a blast to hang out with. From what I know he was a DJ and a recording "personality." What a great life. As nutty as part one is, it is tame compared to his mood on part two. Much to Coleman's delight the sax gets to go off on part two which prompts him to exclaim that he can do the Loo-key Doo-key all day. Classic.

Andre Williams - "Humpin' , Bumpin' and Thumping" (Checker cat. 1187)
If there ever was a title that warrants the, " 'nuff said" description more I can't think of it. Call me crazy but does Andre really ask at the intro, "Does anyone gotta raw egg?" The drums are heavy and out front and punctuated by gritty organ lines. The sax solo is weirdly Coaster-esque but all in all this song is down right raw, dirty and funky all over.

Something old, something new, something found on the internet...
The Victims - "Head" (Golden Disc Records cat. GDR 1002)
Here's one of those incredible stories for you. A good friend of mine was extremely surprised to find out that is estranged father was a one off member of The Misfits. He joined the band for a brief time in 1978 for the Canadian leg of the tour plus a stop in Detroit. My friend had, for all intensive purposes, never met his Dad. Pop skipped when he was not even two and apparently there was a reunion, albeit brief, when he was five. Searching some info on The Misfits he stumbles upon a timeline and there it is; 1978 Rick Reily replaces...etc, etc. The rest really didn't matter. His fucking dad was a member of The Misfits! The Misfits, one of Punk Rocks most legendary bands and one that any kid getting into Punk / Hardcore is required to hear. Turns out Rick Reily was the leader of another legendary band of sorts; The Victims. A true Punk band from the late 70's. The Victims have the dubious honor of being the only non-Misfits act to record for Danzig's Plan 9 Records. And speaking of dubious, their LP came out after their day in the sun (1979) but includes from what I can tell the original (and FAR superior version) of "Real Wild Child" a song later slaughtered for commercial purpose by Iggy Pop and worse yet the remake of Josie and the Pussycats. "Real Wild Child" is the "A" of this 45 but "Head" (previously known as "I Want Head" for the Plan 9 release) shows the band's true Punk ethic. "Head" starts off with a revved up KISS sound taken at double time but that is broken by the wailing 60's Garage harmonica and Arthur "Killer" Kane sounding vocals. The lyrics are perfectly stupid and the chorus is pounded into your brain until you embarrassing sing it publicly ("I WANT HEAD 'TIL I'M DEAD") while the band kicks the shit out of the bands you never heard of from this era and most of the ones you have. (Thanks to Vin Li of Generation Records for filling in the pieces).

Primitive Sound System at Maxwell's - Tues. February 7th 9PM - 2AM

Hello Y'all,
Back at Maxwell's for another evening of genre surfing madness. It's been a while and I think this may actually be the first time this year. One upping the jukebox isn't easy at Maxwell's but I do try to give the people what they... may not know. I've gotten some really great records since last manning the hot seat at Maxwell's as well as reacquainting myself with some sides that I have neglected in the past and can't wait to play again.

Primitive Sound System Mixed Tape Sessions from 9PM - 2AM
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken New Jersey
(201) 653-1703

The Mixed Tape Sessions:
No stone unturned and no vinyl format left unspun or unsung. Crawling, spinning and stumbling through the decades finding the connections between 50's - Now Instrumentals of all shapes and sizes, Funk 45's, Raw Soul and R&B, Soul, Gospel, Blues, Country, Latin, Brazilian, African, Dub, Rock Steady, Ska, Reggae, Indian, Jazz (of all types), Lounge / Moog, Hawaiian (slack key and Pop), Vocalists, Singer Songwriters, 50's – 70's Pop, Garage Rock, Psych, Surf and Drag, Soundtracks (OST), Comedy, 70's Rock, Prog, Punk, Hardcore, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, Noise and some Metal old and new. I'm mostly drawn to the instrumental side of life favoring the "B" side to the "A." Heavy as hell beats and exquisitely subtle moments side by side to entertain, educate and elate.

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UPCOMING EVENTS
February is chock full of nights that I am looking forward to.

Soul Station Party:
On Friday February 24th my brother Michael and I will be kick'n it way Ol' Skool! That's right bitches we're breaking out... the 78's! Don' be all up'n my grill 'cause... 78's are very delicate. So this is a dream gig if there ever was, we'll be spinning 78's in between Jazz Organ sets on Matt Barton's 78RPM DJ Coffin. Bryan Beninghove & The B3 Explosion are having another Soul Station Party at 58 Gallery and they are dragging a real Hammond B3 along for the ride. It doesn't get any better than this. The details are below or visit the gallery site for directions- http://www.fifty8.com/About/about.html

Friday February 24th at 58 Gallery
Soul Station Party
(Poster - http://www.fifty8.com/Images/soulstation.jpg )
Joe Kapp plays a vintage Hammond B-3 w/ Geoff Clapp & Gene Segal
Mike & Pat. Longo spin rare 78's on coffin dj booth!
Can Not Be Missed! $10 at door.
58 Coles St, Jersey City - Doors open 9PM

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DC's Tavern Record Swap:
On Saturday February 25th we will be having our next Dc's Tavern Record Swap. We have a few DJ's lined up and more are always welcome (just drop me an email). So, if you have records to sell or swap, looking to buy or swap or have a hankering for a cold one (two, three, four...) please come on by. The day starts around 2 PM and goes until... well at this point it's safe to say, closing. For more info visit myspace.com/dcstavern or www.dcstavern.com. If you need to talk to a friendly phone attendant call 201-792-5550 and ask for J.

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Some records I'll be bringing by Maxwell's:
45's

Alvin Robinson - "You Brought My Heart Down To My Knees" (Joe Jones Records cat. JJ 1)
I picture Alvin Robinson to be a very big man. He sounds a little like a raspy Ray Charles at points but I get an image of him from his shouted style. He imagine him built like a heavy weight boxer. I don't know why but maybe it is the swagger in his voice and the steady hits he gets from his drummers. His songs all have a definite New Orleans feel and that alone should be enough to tell you there is a groove. Every time the band drops out during "You Brought My Heart Down To My Knees" you can feel poor Alvin recovering from his pain but it doesn't sound like he is giving up... without a fight.

Charles Mintz - "Give A Man A Break" (Up Look cat. U-12270)
Full speed ahead for Charles Mintz on this pounding groover. From what it sounds like, no matter what he does to please his lady, it just aint good enough. With odd references to the Man of Steel and our poor friend The Thing (a man of stone) Mr. Mintz seems to be lost about just how far he needs to go to please his woman and how much he is supposed to put up with or endure. Unfortunately it sounds like he has resorted to begging and pleading. Hey, you can't win 'em all. The band, on the other hand, doesn't sound too upset. Organ, horns, amazing drums and scratchy guitar never give up the party during Mr. Mintz relationship woes. Aren't friends the best?!

Dede Soul and The Spidells (Arr. by Bobby Workman) - "Soul Chills Part 1" (Julmar Records cat. JU-254)
The slow handed drums and guitar that kick off this cut give me chills... Hey, look at that! Hints of "It's Your Thing" flow through this tune but it never loses it's own voice or style. This is another one of those tracks that demands you bob your head along. Nicely done gentlemen.

Jablonski - "Soul Makossa (Part 1 & 2) (Randy Records cat. VC-011)
This version stands out from the piles and piles of renditions of this endlessly funky tune. Hell, I even have smooth, Lounge Music god Sam "The Man" Taylor doing a version and it grooves along nicely. Jablonski keep the music raw all the way through with several instruments grabbing the spotlight throughout. What really keeps it popping is the female background vocals which take on a bigger roll than just background because the lead vocals are so sparse and spaced out. Trippy, funky madness.

Joe Walls - "Sound Success" (J and N Records cat. JN101)
This instrumental fades in, in a way that makes you feel these guys were warming up or jamming between takes and the engineer caught a little improved studio magic. The drums pound out a steady unchanging groove as different instruments are added to the mix. On top of the bass and wild organ we are first introduced to some sweet solo flute which eventually gives way to screaming Garage / Punk guitar layered over moody horns. I'd say this is certainly a sound success.

Ruff Francis & The Illusions - "Give Me Mercy" (Essica Records cat. 002)
I heard this crazy little tune long ago and had no idea what the hell it was called or "who done it?" despite the fact that it begins with shouts of "GIVE ME MERCY! I said give me mercy...GIVE-ME-MERCEEEE!" The problem is I can never stop listening to the drums and sax on this damn thing. The track pounds it out with the best of the Garage party tunes. Great guitar, silly lyrics, hand claps, and screaming sax play off each other while or vocalist begs for Mercy. I have seen a photo of these guys and let's just say you aint gonna beat 'em in a tug-o-war. Also I am so happy as a big fella that men don't have to wear suits all the time.

The Mothers Of Soul - "It's Over" (Good Times cat. 7-81688)
This starts out a bit uncertain but then it builds in that "Gloria" kind of way. It takes a bit but eventually the band picks up the pace and the guitarist jumps to the front with a sound that can only be described as fuzzy. This is by no means a song that will pack the dance floor but I love this odd little tune none-the-less.

The Wild Ones - "Come On Back" (instr.) (Sears cat. BRS 2181 (Produced by Sears, Roebuck And Co. Chicago Ill.))
Here's a great organ ditty from the "Music Section" of your local Sears. It doesn't get any happier than this delightful instrumental but that never compromises the driving groove the groove. Caught somewhere between Soul Instrumental and Garage Instrumental the organ cuts loose halfway through gets a bit wild by the end as the band slowly brings up the volume as well. One of my favorites and I can't even remember the last time I played it.

Tony Joe White - "Roosevelt And Ira Lee" (Monument cat. Mn45-1169)
I will never grow tired of Tony Joe White and his Womper Stomper Guitar. Each song is a story and the music is always soulful and usually pretty damn raw. "Roosevelt and Ira Lee" is no exception. This one is about two bored guys hanging out by the river with nothing to do which can only lead to trouble. Pared down guitar, bass, drums, organ, and harmonica provide the perfect soundtrack to Mr. White's unmistakable voice.

LPs: I was working on a logo for someone and it inspired me to grab some Spy Grooves...

Jerry Goldsmith & Randy Newman - "Galaxy A Go-Go! - Or - Leave it To Flint" from Our Man Flint (20th Century Fox cat. TFM 3179 (monaural))

The Agents - "Theme For Secret Agents (Sunset / Liberty cat. SUM-1184)

Herbie Hancock - The Spook Who Sat By The Door (United Artists Records cat. UAR-7370)

Hugo Montenegro and His Music Orchestra - Come Spy With Me (RCA Victor cat. LPM-3540)

Count Basie And His Orchestra - Basie Meets Bond (United Artists Records cat. UAS 6480)

Ray Barretto - Senor Soul (United Artists Records cat. UAS 6478)

Al Caiola... Sounds For Spies And Private Eyes - (United Artists Records cat. UAS 6435)

Monty Norman - "Twisting With James" from Dr. No (United Artists Records cat. UAS 5180)

Lalo Schifrin - More Mission: Impossible (Paramount cat. PAS 5002)

Teddy Randazzo - The Girl From U.N.CL.E. (MGM Records cat. SE-4410)

Primitive Sound System Thursday December 29th at DC's

Hello Y'all,
Nothing could make my vacation more complete than a night of spinning records at DC's Tavern. The lingering gases of the Christmas spirit and the fumes from those diesel powered menorahs may have you still a bit dizzy, if not completely comatose, so I'll do my best to rejuvenate you all for New Years...or not. So get out, prime the pump, enjoy the music and as always; if you're drinking don't drive, if you're driving don't drink. Please always tip your bartenders. (Jersey still smokes.) See you there.

- pat.

Thursday, December 29th 10PM -2AM
DC's Tavern
BOOZE - POOL - JUKEBOX
SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM
505 8th Street
Hoboken, NJ
PH: 201-792-5550
eMail: dcs@dcstavern.com
http://www.myspace.com/dcstavern

Some ear-delicious tunes:
Johnnie Taylor (The Soul Philosopher) - "Doing My Own Thing" (Part II) (Stax Records cat. STA-0122)
OK, Stax Records is and always will be one of my favorite labels. Side one of this is a pretty standard Blusey, Soulful take with a Gospel style build-up but part two is just insane. Part two has a slamming drumming intro (most likely Al JAckson) that doesn't let up for a second. The drums aren't even noticeable in the mix on side one so it is like they felt like righting this injustice with this bare drums and guitar take. The background is filled with the angelic backups and horns from the first side but seem to be reverbed a bit more while the drums and guitar are as raw as clams on the half shell. Mmmmm.

Swamp Dogg - "Total Destruction To Your Mind" (Canyon cat. #53)
One of the craziest Soul songs ever. "Sittin' on a corn flake, Riding on a roller skate." This is some tripped out Dr. Seuss shit set to one of the grooviest backing tracks. Political between the lines and delivered with a smile. Swap Dogg's (a.k.a Jerry Williams) voice has an oily quality that is just as distinctive as it is slightly off making it one of my favorites. Writer, Producer, Arranger, Performer! Let's here for the Dogg!

Etta James - "Out On The Street, Again" (Chess cat. )
Replacing a very worn copy of this one with this nice new shiny one warms my soul. After Inbetween played this at 12" bar I realized that I just don't play this enough and now I have no reason not to. I have listened to it about 10 times tonight alone. Some performances just sound inspired and even though Ms. James rarely misses the mark or gives a mediocre performance something about this take just does it for me. Opening with an extended intro lead by drums the track builds to quite an epic. Back alleys, craps, shady characters and Black Magic. Hopefully some one has been smart enough to use this in a soundtrack. It's probably safe to assume that no one has so that is my tip of the day.

King Floyd - "Let Me See You Do THat Thing" (Chimneyville cat. CH NO. 442)
Why some people are relegated to the "One Hit Wonder" category is a real crime. King Floyd's first two records are great. His first LP is nothing short of perfect if you ask me even though "Groove Me" was originally rejected by Stax and Atlantic. This track is off his second effort. Driven by a slow bass line reminiscent of the sound from his first LP, with a heavy Muscle Shoals influence and of course that sweet raspy voice that entices the ears with every note.

I have a selection spanning 5 decades including some Blues, Country, Garage, Psych, Rock-N-Roll, Punk, New Wave, Hardcore, R&B, Soul, Funk, Gospel, Jazz and Latin.

Some Latin cover versions along for the ride:
El Chicano - "Brown Eyed Girl" (Kapp cat. K-2173)
Ricardo Ray - "Nitty Gritty" (Alegre cat. X-4024)
Cal Tjader - "Evil Ways" (Fantasy cat. FANT-659)
Willie Bobo - "Sunshine Superman" (Verve cat. VK-10448)
Orchestra Harlow - "Larry' Complaint" (Me & My Monkey) (Fania cat. 495)
Joe Bataan - "Es Tu Cosa" (It's Your Thing) (Fania cat. 535)
La Lupe - "Touch Me" (Roulette cat. R-7043) Dare me to play it, just dare me.

Primitive Sound System - Maxwell's - Tuesday December 6th

Hello Y'all,
I'll be holding court at Maxwell's once again on December 6th for their "Turntable Tuesdays". After a two month absence I get to pull the plug on the jukebox and try to avoid any of the herald boxes contents. I have been DJing for my son a lot and it turns out he has great taste... he loves my record collection. So, I have grabbed some of his favorites as well as a whole bunch of records I have acquired in the past two months. I'l also be sharing the decks on Monday December 12th for the Maxwell's Holiday Party. Some of my favorite music in the world are Christmas songs and I pretty much only get to play them for about two weeks every year.

By the way the last time I was at Maxwell's I had quite an experience so let's hope the cast of Hoboken's The Real World stay the fuck home. Unfortunately the face of Hoboken has changed and it isn't pretty nor is it even interesting.

Primitive Sound System Mixed Tape Sessions for Turntable Tuesdays (9PM - 2AM)
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken New Jersey
(201) 653-1703

LPs:
The Animated Egg - "A Love Built On Sand" "I Said, She Said, Ah Cid" and "Sock It My Way" (Alshire Presents cat. SF-5104)
The Animated Egg were on of a few bands that gave some of the 101 Strings records balls if not at least a dose of acid. This LP let's the band showcase its talents from very original sounding material to the "sound-alike" songs they were usually called upon to produce (i.e Gimme Some Lovin' = "T" omorrow" on this particular LP). The guitarist and keyboards get the most play (if you will) and they certainly are deserved of the spotlight. Organ and guitar wrestle in soulful interplay throughout the LP. The few stand out tracks are also the most aggressive tracks. "Sock It My Way" is more commonly known by the title "Flameout" which appears more famously on "Astro Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000" (cat. 5119) but is presented here (preferably (for me at least)) without the sharp strings which bury most of the track. Many of the tracks from the Animated Eggs LP appear throughout the catalog of 101 Strings but are lost behind the wall of strings created by using 101 of them. All in all this is a pretty great Rock Instrumental record.

Other 101 Strings / Alshire Records LPs worth checking out are:
"Hank Williams & Other Country Greats" (cat. S-5103)
"Sounds Of Today" (cat. S-5078)
"...Play Million Sellers Written By The Beatles And "Other" Now Writers" (cat. S-5111)
"Astro Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000" (cat. S-5119)
"Famous Songs of Hank Williams... a return trip with Modern Sounds" (Cat. S-5136)
(There may be others let me know!)

Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids - Starring In "Creativity" "The Fat Albert Theme" (Kid Stuff Records KS021)
Plot: "The famous Junk Yard Band is organized when the kids are unable to afford musical instruments." This was always one of my favorite episodes. Weirdly the theme is a different version than the one we are all used to. Taken at a slower pace with a vocalist who seems to be struggling to jut get through the song and it does lack that deep "Hey, Hey Hey" that is the signature of Fat Albert but it is still quite a groover. What is weirdest of all is musically the backing track sounds very very close to the original. It seems to be a alternate take with a scratch vocal.

Urbie Green And His Electric Bone - "Fantastic Stereo Volume 6 - Green Power" songs: "Lumps" "Green Power" and the Bob Dorough track "Comin' Home Baby" (Barclay cat. 920.262 T)
Like the 101 Strings his is also a record you can probably still find this for a buck. "Lumps" is the real winner here. Super clean production allow the Grady Tates drums to stand out and are pretty upfront for a "Jazz" record. A variety of keyboards keep everything grooving even on the slower songs which compliment the Varitone sounding Trombone. "Comin' Home Baby" highlights the keys and drums best and it is a non-stop mover and groover with some great Tony Mottola electric guitar added to the mix. The title cut would fit in with any Muse or even Tribe Soul Jazz LP with some expressive solos that never disrupt the flow.

Dominic Fontiere - Music From The Film "On Any Sunday" songs: "On Any Sunday" and "Cross Country" (bell cat. BELL 1206)
My brother gave me this LP a long time ago for two reasons. It's the soundtrack to a Steve McQueen recommended motor cross movie and because it has some genuinely funky songs. With Carole Kaye on bass and Larry Bunker on drums it should be expected that there would be at least some soulful moments but better still you also get fast passed Garagey trips through the dunes. The theme is a slamming monster opening with a signature Kaye line which quickly builds to an ensemble fuzz guitar lead funk number. "Cross Country" is not much different dynamically and it is always hard to choose which of these gems to drop the needle on.

The Nucleus (Galt MacDermot) - S/T songs: "Golden Apples - Part ," "Duffer" and "Love Scene" (Kilmarnock KIL 72001)
It would take 3 emails to really explian this LP and how I got it so I'll keep it short. I have about 8 Kilmarnock LPs and 6 45s. All of them were given to me by Eothan "Egon" Alapatt and Galt himself. "Golden Apples - Part 1" is a raw cut from 1971 with a very simple theme that leads into funky segments either lead by Galt or Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. All the while Billy Nichols and Ted Dunbar slash guitars over Gordon Edwards steady bassline that seem to ground most of the songs. The record is a moody one with a few really amazing moments from some truly great players.

45's
The Turtles - "Buzz Saw" (White Whale cat. WW292)
Jack Hansen & His Orch. - "The Jerk" (Dance Along Records cat. P-6088)
"Uncle Festers Blues" (Hoctor Records (Division of Dance Records, Inc.) cat. H-2783)
The Pastel Six - "Bandido" (Zen Records cat. 102)
The Sunglows - "Happy Hippo" (Sunglow Record Company cat. SG 107)
The Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over" (Epic cat. 5-9656 (w/ pic sleeve))
Tommy Roe - "Jam Up Jelly Tight" b/w "Moontalk" (abc RECORDS cat. 45-11247)
Devo another fine product of The De-Evolution Band - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" b/w "Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Getting" (Booji Boy Records cat. 75677)
Mongo Santamaria - "Hot Dog" b/w "Chili Beans" (Columbia cat. 4-44653)
Jimmy Brown - "Funky Funky Boogaloo" (A-Bet cat. 9426)
One-Der-Ful Band - "Honey In The Be-Bo" (One-der-ful! cat. 3264)
Scott Bros. Orch. - "A Hunk O' Funk" (Toddlin Town Records cat. 125)
The Globetrotters - "Everybody Needs Love" (Kirshner cat. 63-5016)
The Combinations - "Bump Ball!" (Rca Victor cat. 47-9482)
Little Eva - "Let's Turkey Trot" (Dimension cat. 1006)
Jackie Lee - "The Duck" (Mirwood Records cat. 5502)
Calvin Arnold - "Lovely Way To Go" b/w "Scoobie Do" (Venture Records cat. VE-610)
5ive Style - "Waiting On The Eclipse" (Sub Pop cat. SP 271)
Stereolab - "Heavy Denim" (Duophonic UHF Disks cat. D-UHF-D07)