ENOCH LIGHT lights the fire of Dr Liswood (aka 16 orgasms)
Driving Stupid – Fast City!
Hammersmith Gorillas – You really got me
The Blackbirds – She
Rev C.L Franklin – I am going through part 1
Rusty Adams – If Jesus played guitar
Irene Ryan – Granny’s Mini Skirt
Leona Williams – Country girl with hot pants on
Pedro Roche Y Lupe Martinez – Contrabandistas Tequilero
Los Corraleros – Baila Mi Boogaloo
Coco Lagos y sus Orates – Guajira Boogaloo
Gilberto Gil – Viramundo
Cem Caraka -Oy Babo
Johnny Hallyday – Rivière… ouvre ton lit
Claude Francois – Magnolias For Ever
Gianni Lazzaro – Si
Yoko Ono – A Thousand Times Yes
Bonus Track – Ken Nordine -Magenta
Yeah hup. Welcome back to VS 2015 and our third show for the year. We are positively exhausted from the effort. Just back from the world tour of record stores that served as our research trip for the show, we returned to our Bahamas lair with arms full of vinyl, a fist full of beats, a murder of crows and a throng of arrest warrants (all for SCSI-b). But hey, we have decided to change it up a bit. Yes, Ringfinger is in the house, SCSI-b reveals her true identity and Kurac drops in late in the day. For the first time in over 10 years we are all in the same studio, well kind of, well actually, I think we have had to do a Brandon Lee in the Crow and use some old footage of Kurac when he young and handsome. Ah, how fake is Hollywood?
We start with some stern advice from Sex Education specialist Dr Rebecca Liswood who takes is through how women organs (in her opinion) and recounts the story of scaring the shit out of canasta players. Sexy. Next up we have garage from 1966 and the Driving Stupid with the crazy ‘Fast City’ We follow that with the Hammersmith Gorillas and their 1974 cover of the Kinks You Really got me. This slab of proto-punk has been comped on a recent Soul Jazz comp called ‘Sick on You! One Way Spit!’ We finish this little bracket with the Blackbirds, a german psych band and later one of the progenitors of Krautrock, go figure. This is from 1968 if you are keeping count.
We start the next batch with one of the most prolific preachers on record, the Rev, C.L Franklin and his lo-fi “I am going through part 1’. Released on the well-0known Checker label (part of Chess), the Rev recorded with no less a gospel singer than Aretha Franklin. According to the interns ‘Tragically, he was shot during a robbery attempt at his house in Detroit in June 1979. He remained in a coma for 5 years and died on July 27, 1984’ Get’s the mood just right for the next track. On the wonderful Plantation Records, this one shot 45 from Rusty Adams implies that if Jesus was a guitar player, he would, most definitely play country music. Aside from perhaps joining Throbbing Gristle or taking the spot of Zayn in One Direction, we here at VS agree with ole Rusty. We stay country for the next two songs, both about various items of Southern pret-a-porter. We start with Irene Ryan who play Granny in the sixties TV show Beverly Hillbillies and her Grandpa destroying twist and jerk. Next up, we go for hot pants, on a country singer? Never? Country girl with hot pants on is by Leona Williams and was released on the Hickory label in 1971. And just for Kurac, it is important to note that Leona did a duet with his hero Merle Haggard in 1983. No accounting for taste.
SCSI-b explains the next batch of tracks so much better in the show, and I am lazy and can’t be arsed typing notes, especially with all those Spanish characters. So, listen to the damn show!
Oy Babo is that grand combination of Turkish music released in Germany (for the huge Turkish diaspora there). This track is from 1971 and is HUGE. And then it just so much fucking bigger with this amazing Johnny Hallyday track, it is a psych masterpiece from one of the greatest singers of all time. Produced and played on by Mick jones from Foreigner, Glyn Johns (producer of the Beatles), this track just smashes your brain with guitar breaks. Genius.
Disco now, which is no way counter to the majesty of Hallyday. We start with Claude Francois. Now this track was a huge hit for the late French singer, but has always passed me by, mainly because there are few garage motifs, psych crazy or ye-ye for my gallic tastes. But on second listening, it is a stinking disco track. 1977 (pedant). We match this with Gianni Nazzaro, Italian crooner who in 1980 dropped this little piece of funkiness. Wow. The other side is straight Italo-croon, Lord knows how this got in there. Finally, Jona Lewie with his 1976 rarity Hallelujah Europa (part 1). This is a controversial song with a very controversial clip which you can find on YouTube. You know how to search, do it yourself! Let’s take this puppy home with Yoko Ono. Really. Yoko. From 1973, and the Feeling the Space LP and the track ‘A Thousand Times Yes’. Funky, and not featuring John Lennon (on this track).
And there is a bonus track, dedicated to @donnalanclos, who reminded me of the majesty that is Ken Nordine.