Thursday, January 28, 2010

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1



You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore vol 1
1. The Florida Airport Tape (1:04)
2. Once Upon A Time (4:38)
3. Sofa #1 (2:53)
4. The Mammy Anthem (5:41)
5. You Didn't Try To Call Me (3:39)
6. Diseases Of The Band (2:22)
7. Tryin' To Grow A Chin (3:44)
8. Let's Make The Water Turn Black/
Harry, You're A Beast/
The Orange County Lumber Truck (3:28)
9. The Groupie Routine (5:41)
10. Ruthie-Ruthie (Brock/Berry) (2:57)
11. Babbette (3:36)
12. I'm The Slime (3:13)
13. Big Swifty (8:47)
14. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow (20:16)
15. Plastic People (Zappa/Berry) (4:39)
16. The Torture Never Stops (15:48)
17. Fine Girl (2:55)
18. Zomby Woof (5:39)
19. Sweet Leilani (Owens) (2:39)
20. Oh No (4:34)
21. Be In My Video (3:30)
22. The Deathless Horsie (5:29)
23. The Dangerous Kitchen (1:50)
24. Dumb All Over (4:20)
25. Heavenly Bank Account (4:06)
26. Suicide Chump (4:56)
27. Tell Me You Love Me (2:09)
28. Sofa #2 (3:01)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)



Nighthawks at the Diner is a 1975 album by Tom Waits, released on Asylum Records. The title was inspired by Edward Hopper's 1942 painting Nighthawks.

The album's working title had been "Nighthawk Postcards from Easy Street," but it was shortened to Nighthawks at the Diner.

The album was recorded live in Record Plant Studios, in front of a small invited audience. This gives the record an intimate feeling as Waits spends time telling stories, jokes and explaining the stories behind his songs through seven separate introductions.

Side One

1. "(Opening Intro)" 2:58
2. "Emotional Weather Report" 3:47
3. ""(Intro)" to "On a Foggy Night"" 2:16
4. "On a Foggy Night" 3:48
5. ""(Intro)" to "Eggs and Sausage"" 1:53
6. "Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)" 4:19

Side Two

1. ""(Intro)" to "Better Off Without a Wife"" 3:02
2. "Better Off Without a Wife" 3:59
3. "Nighthawk Postcards (From Easy Street)" 11:30

Side Three

1. ""(Intro)" to "Warm Beer and Cold Women"" 0:55
2. "Warm Beer and Cold Women" 5:21
3. ""(Intro)" to "Putnam County"" 0:47
4. "Putnam County" 7:35
5. "Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission)" Waits, Chuck E. Weiss 6:25

Side Four

1. "Nobody" 2:51
2. ""(Intro)" to "Big Joe and Phantom 309"" 0:40
3. "Big Joe and Phantom 309" Tommy Faile 6:29
4. "Spare Parts II and Closing" Waits, Weiss 5:13

Personnel

* Pete Christlieb – tenor sax
* Bill Goodwin – drums
* Jim Hughart – upright bass
* Mike Melvoin – piano, electric piano
* Tom Waits – vocals, piano, guitar

Monday, January 25, 2010

Jack Kerouac - Reads on the Road (1999)


While Rhino's compilation might mark a better place to start, Reads on the Road is certainly a worthy collection of some of Jack Kerouac's narratives and poetry, embellished by some actual singing. Kerouac is a more enjoyable author to hear reading on disc than most, since his prose had much of a jazz rhythm, and since he was an engaging reader/performer himself. The big find on this 74-minute CD is the 28-minute excerpt from On the Road his most famous and widely-read book, found on '50s acetates that had been thought lost. "On the Road" is presented as it was discovered, with just Kerouac's voice, but guitarist Vic Juris and Hammond organist John Medeski recorded music in 1998 for his early-'60s musical song-poem "On the Road" (a separate performance from his reading of material from the book). It's unexpected, and amusing if not brilliant, to hear Kerouac sing three jazz standards by the likes of Sammy Kahn, Johnny Mercer, and Gordon Jenkins in the late 1950s (presented with the original musical backing, by unknown musicians). David Amram, who had provided musical backup for Kerouac's readings in the late 1950s, wrote and recorded music in 1998 for two more Kerouac poems, cut by Kerouac in the back of a record shop, including the previously unpublished "Washington D.C. Blues," which runs for 17 minutes. Ending the set is Tom Waits, backed by Primus, doing yet another "On the Road," for which Waits put music to Kerouac's prose.

1 Aint' We Got Fun 02:34
2 On the Road (Jazz of the Beat Generation) 28:45
3 On the Road 02:18
4 Come Rain or Come Shine 03:42
5 Orizaba 210 Blues 09:34
6 When a Woman Loves a Man 02:57
7 Leavin' Town 03:04
8 Washington D.C. Blues 17:46
9 On the Road 03:58

Friday, January 15, 2010

Bonzo Dog Band - Normal Hawaiians



11 Mustachioed Daughters
Blind Date
The Strain
Cygnet Committee
Sail Away
Lead Us
Go Out Into the Open
I've Got A Braun New Girl
Ready Mades
Mattress Man
Dr. Rock
Brain Opera

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Frank Zappa - Pregnant (1972, Compilation)


There seems to have been a double-LP version in the US (note: most people are quite certain that there never was a US Pregnant), but all we have here is a track list for the single LP version:

1. Hungry Freaks, Daddy (03:30)
2. How Could I Be Such a Fool? (03:28)
3. Uncle Bernie's Farm (02:09)
4. Son of Suzy Creamcheese (01:37)
5. Love of My Life (03:05)
6. Who Needs the Peace Corps? (02:46)

7. Mother People (02:34)
8. Jelly Roll Gum Drop (02:17)
9. Who Are the Brain Police? (03:30)
10. I Ain't Got No Heart (02:35)
11. Trouble Comin' Every Day (02:35)
12. Motherly Love (02:47)

The cover, credited to a Jürgen E Gesang (funny name), is by far the ugliest ever on a Zappa album (and it also appears on a various-artists compilation from Argentina called Sound Monsters

Monday, January 11, 2010

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - Keynsham (1969)




Side 1 Side 2
1. YOU DONE MY BRAIN IN (Innes) 1.40
An Affirmation of madness.
2. KEYNSHAM (Innes) 2.20
"We" are introduced.
3. QUIET TALKS & SUMMER WALKS (Innes) 3.15
All the romance of the novel.
4. TENT (Stanshall) 2.30
A penetrating inquiry & some recreations.
5. WE WERE WRONG (Stanshall) 2.30
Nostalgic routine. Spot the deliberate fag.
6. JOKE SHOP MAN (Innes) 1.23
The Armoury of Deception.
7. THE BRIDE STRIPPED BARE BY "BACHELORS"
(Stanshall/Innes) 2.35 Welcome t' Club Foot
8. LOOK AT ME, I'M WONDERFUL (Stanshall) 1.45
A warning.. 9. WHAT DO YOU DO? (Innes) 3.15
Nihilist chant before deciding, decoding, decanting,
n' chanting, N' baku, disgorging, dat's gorging piglets!
10. MR. SLATER'S PARROT (Stanshall) 2.18
Own-up Time. A paradox. Homely fun.
Demands for the right to live like a civilised human-bean.
11. SPORT (Stanshall) 3.20
(THE ODD BOY) Unusual flash-back.
Rehearsals for the Rape of the mind.
12. I WANT TO BE WITH YOU (Innes) 2.15
Sounds reasonable.
13. NOISES FOR THE LEG (Stanshall) 2.15
Procession of the Freaks. A horrid dream.
14. "BUSTED" (Stanshall/Innes) 5.40
Finale & extravaganza. Pate & Putty. The "ballet" of the
streets & an astounding wind-up. The End.

THE LINER NOTES

By Prof. Harvey J. Satan

WELCOME TO KEYNSHAM!

Population: 6 Bonzo's, their instruments, their songs, and YOU.

[ Whereas most people are NOT aloud to talk about "Keynsham"....I knew the right palms to cross with silver....and can henceforth reveal as much as I was aloud to be told by the locals.....at least until the full moon comes out. ]

Now read on....

SIDE ONE: Our journey begins with the cryptical warning, "I have personally won over....". This personal overthrow seems to have been achieved with the help of heavy machinery! Have androids taken over Keynsham? The first song, "You Done my Brain In", is all Neil, and a rocking good song about the alienation of relationships. Our singer loves the object of his affections so much, he can't even bare to be near her! We are then given our first warning about NOT mentioning the secrets of "Keynsham". And then we are given the very psychedelic song of "Keynsham" which weaves intricate word plays into lyrics, not unlike John Lennon's works, but tells us precious little about "Keynsham". This is followed by the very gentle, "Quiet Talks & Summer Walks", a song about the world seen through the eyes of a flower...yes, in "Keynsham" even the flowers are watching! Next the local dentists seems to be extracting not only teeth, but information as well! We are then treated to the wonderfully looney and loud, "Tent"! "Tent", I believe has always been a fan favourite just because it is so obnoxious in it's intentions and lyrics, and Vivian's vocals! ( He is very much loving singing this song! ).Next is, "We Were Wrong", a hilarious duet, with a lyric exchange between a couple....the twist here is, the couple is "Legs" Larry Smith & Vivian Stanshall. This song has a sort of 50's sound to it, and a great Neil duet on piano & organ. We then run into, "Joke Shop Man", a bit of a creepy song. It sings the virtues of the items a novelty shop sells, and then ends with a sort of haunting mantra of sound, that seems to indicate all of the Joke Shop's wares are suddenly marching on the city! "Bride Stripped Bare By "Bachelors", the next track in your song book, is a look at The Bonzo's themselves, as they arrive in "Keynsham" and receive a less than warm welcome. This may be the only song in which all the Bonzo's sing a solo line. We round out this side with, Look At Me I'm Wonderful", another coupling of "Legs" Larry Smith and Vivian Stanshall. This time it's a delightful poke at smarmy showbiz singers. ( And we fade out to the sounds of more machinery.....was the singer a machine trying to be a human? )

SIDE TWO: Our flip side starts off with the gently inquisitive, "What Do You Do?", Neil's look on the drudgeries of daily life. We are then treated to a really bad pun, followed by: "Mr. Slater's Parrot". This song is a delightful throwback to the early Bonzo sound, you can almost picture them all running about the stage squawking like parrots. Next, with the help of some simple hypnosis, we are reminded of our youth via, "Sport ( The Odd Boy )". This song is unique in it's change in styles,it starts off as baroque with the harpsichord, then becomes medieval with the recorder and drum, and then progresses into a rocking jam for bass and bells! Also amusing is the lyrical commentary that boys whom do not indulge in sport, are basically useless to society. Neil then indulges us in a rock ballad, "I Want To Be With You". ( You might almost think of this as his first song for Yvonne, his wife.). But all is not hearts and flowers, we soon learn that the local military have become werewolves! And to accompany this revelation, we are given "Noises For The Leg", an eerie horror film instrumental, featuring Roger Ruskin Spear on the theremin. Closing out our trip to "Keynsham", is the show stopping, "Busted", a commentary on Youth, Alienation, and The Police....it's actually more comical than it sounds. And as the song fades out, we hear our train taking us out of "Keynsham", and on to pastures new.

Afterward: It's hard to say if this album was ever meant to be a fully realized "concept" album or if it was altered in the final stages and quickly cobbled together. The complete "story", as read in the gatefold sleeve of the album seems to suggest this album was originally going to be both songs and words, rather than songs and bits of chat. The album works in it's final form, the spoken bits seem to add more mystique to it all, but one wonders how the fully completed narration would've sounded? ( Of course, if you are sitting around with friends, you could all get together and act it out for yourself! )

The score so far: At this point "Do Not Adjust Your Set" was over. The Bonzo's had done extensive touring, with bands like "Cream", "The Who", and the up and coming "Led Zepplin". The toils of touring were beginning to take their toll, and the differences in music styles between band members was also becoming a strain. ( How does one hold together a band who's members want to play "Trad. Jazz", "Rock" and "Avant Garde" ? ) This album was a good mix of styles, but it was becoming harder to accommodate all in the band. Not to mention the comings and goings of some band members, making it difficult to keep track of who wanted to still be a Bonzo!

EPILOGUE: As the lads exited the serene, yet slightly terrifying confines of this land known as "Keynsham", they found themselves at a true fork in the road. Three roads to take, three choices to make. The signs up ahead read thusly: "The Brain Opera", "The Break Up", and "The Contractual Obligation". Which would they choose? In true Bonzo form, it would be ALL three! ( More on that below and in our next episode, titled: "Let's Make Up And Be Friendly" )

Saturday, January 9, 2010

NEIL INNES




Plenty of Time
This Love of Ours
Slaves of Freedom
Lamour Perdu
Godzilla's Return
God Is Love
Let's Go Crazy
Mississippi Moon
Children's Song
When Does A Dream Begin
Don't Make Me Use My Imagination
Elvis & The Disagreeable
Backing Singers
Early Morning Train
Paranoia
Keep On Rockin'
Something To Say
Another Lonely Man
Caveman's Dream
Godfrey Daniel
Drama On A Saturday Night
Humanoid Boogie
La Vie En Rose
Now She's Left You
I'm the Urban Spaceman
9-5 Pollution Blues
Dream On
Happy Ending
All In The Name Of Love
Amoeba Boogie
Blue Suede Schubert
Boring
Catchphrase
Et Cetera
Kenny and Liza
Knicker Elastic King
Love Is Getting Deeper
Montana Cafe
Spontaneous

also:
Vivian's "Great Life" with Neil Innes - Neil Innes discusses the life of his Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band colleague and friend Vivian Stanshall

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Songs The Bonzo Dog Band Taught Us - Various Artists














A collection of original 1920's and 1930's novelty jazz and British Dance Band recordings that inspired, influenced and were covered by The Bonzo Dog Band


1 Leslie Sarony With Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - Jollity Farm
2 BBC Dance Orchestra, The - Mickey's Son And Daughter
3 Savoy Havana Band, The - I'm Gonna Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight
4 Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - Button Up Your Overcoat
5 Percival Mackey And His Band - On Her Doorstep Last Night
6 Rhythmic Troubadours, The - Ali Baba's Camel
7 Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - By A Waterfall
8 Hal Swain And His Band - Hunting Tigers Out In India (Yah)
9 Albert Whelan - My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies
10 Jack Hylton's Jazz Band - Laughing Waltz
11 Whispering Jack Smith - All By Yourself In The Moonlight
12 Noël Coward - A Room With A View
13 Bebe Daniels & Ben Lyon - Little Sir Echo
14 Jack Payne And His Dance Orchestra - Make Yourself A Happiness Pie
15 Jay Wilbur And His Band - We'll All Go Riding On A Rainbow
16 Billy Cotton And His Band - Skirts
17 Continental Five, The - The Sheik Of Araby
18 Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - Bell Bottom Trousers
19 Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers - Dr. Jazz Stomp
20 Ray Starita And His Ambassadors - The Flies Crawled Up The Window
21 Jay Whidden And His Band - I Lift Up My Finger And I Say "Tweet Tweet"
22 Savoy Havana Band, The - Masculine Women And Feminine Men
23 Leslie Sarony - Misery Farm
24 Roy Leslie - Omar Khayam's Cave
25 Jack Hodges The Raspberry King - Everything Is Fresh Today
26 Savoy Havana Band, The - Last Night On The Back Porch
27 Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians - I Love To Bumpity Bump

By Jingo It's British Rubbish






'











This unusual and very amusing CD features the well matched Alberts, Temperance Seven, and the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. The song, "Ukelele Lady" stars Peter Sellers. Whereas some of the music is American, The Alberts proclaim, "it may be rubbish, but at least it's English rubbish". Songs are mainly from the 1920s. "On her doorstep last night" also appears on the Music of the 20th Century CD performed there by Jack Payne and his Band (1929). The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band started their career in offbeat trad jazz before branching off into areas of rock, blues, and the just plain wonderfully weird for weird's sake. "You're driving me crazy was a 1960's number one for the Temperance Seven.

1. Morse code melody - Alberts
2. Sahara - Temperance Seven
3. Ali Baba's camel - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
4. Everybody loves my baby - Temperance Seven
5. On her doorstep last night - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
6. Hard hearted Hannah - Temperance Seven
7. Sleepy valley - Alberts
8. Jazz delicious hot disgusting cold - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
9. Vo do do de o blues - Temperance Seven
10. I'm going to bring a watermelon - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
11. To my girl tonight - Milligan, Spike & The Massed Alberts
12. You gotta go now - Milligan, Spike & The Massed Alberts
13. You're driving me crazy - Temperance
14. Dr Jazz - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
15. Pasadena - Temperance Seven
16. By a waterfall - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
17. Kaiser drag - Temperance Seven
18. My brother makes noises for - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
19. Talkies - Sellers, Peter & The Temperance Seven
20. Ukelele lady - Sellers, Peter & The Temperance Seven
21. Blaze away - Alberts
22. Running wild - Temperance Seven
23. Jollity farm - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
24. Thanks for the melody - Temperance Seven
25. Laughing blues - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
26. TCP (That certain party) - Temperance Seven
27. Hunting tigers out in Indiah - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
28. Goodbye dolly gray - Alberts

Monday, January 4, 2010

Happy New Year 2010!


















New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions. - Mark Twain