If Lovey captured Evan Dando as he found his signature blend of punk-pop, jangle pop, and folk-rock, It's a Shame About Ray is where he perfected that style. Breezing by in under half an hour, the album is a simple collection of sunny melodies and hooks, delivered with typical nonchalance by Dando. None of the songs are about anything major, nor do they have astonishingly original melodies, but that's part of their charm — they're immediately accessible and thoroughly catchy. Dando's laid-back observations of middle-class outcasts are minor gems. The heartbroken title track or "Confetti," the crushes of "Bit Part in Your Life," the love letter to substances "My Drug Buddy," or the wonderful "Alison's Starting to Happen," where a girl finds herself as she discovers punk rock, capture the laconic rhythms of suburbia, and his warm, friendly voice, which is offset by Juliana Hatfield's girlish harmonies, gives the songs an emotional resonance. [It's a Shame About Ray was later re-released with a competent punk-pop remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" added as a bonus track. As Dando approached stardom, the album was repressed again with the title of "My Drug Buddy" truncated to "Buddy." It was later restored to its original title.] -AMG
We at Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More think this is great and are really looking forward to the forthcoming album!!!!
Thee Vicars believe that life is too short for boring music. They have self-belief and faith in what they are doing. They started out by wanting to stomp on all the crap music they heard week in, week out in their small little town. They say they are “ready to, if it comes to it, to kick kung fu style all the shit bands into orbit! We will set the bullshit bands’ hair straighteners on fire...make them melt, and their hair go curly! Make them go out and buy a belt for their jeans! So they sit at the right height! Not with their arses hanging out! So kids, do you wanna be the problem? Or do you wanna be the solution?”
Following two singles and two albums, on Dirty Water Records, the band has been working hard at their sound, rehearsing, playing countless live shows, writing dozens of new songs...and have progressed along the way, from hard-hitting but trashy sixties influenced punk rock towards a more melodic but still teen-garage sound. They’ve shed a few members along the way but in their current line up as a trio with great girl drummer Alex they are sounding their best yet.
One of the hardest working bands in the UK, they are constantly travelling around Europe and the UK, and have also toured the USA, including appearing at a Vice Magazine music festival in Portland, Oregon. The Horrors chose them as support act for their first gig in a year for the live debut of the songs from their Mercury nominated second album Primary Colours. And the Black Lips chose them as their European tour support last summer. If you haven’t taken note of Thee Vicars already where have you been hiding?!
Writing about their second album Clash magazine said that, “Ironically, in displaying barely a drop of originality, Thee Vicars actually sound fabulously fresh when set against the current crop of synth-pop bunnies...” and that it “reveals both glorious tunes and a sense of mischief. Mindless, and endless, fun.”
Meanwhile, the Guardian said, “They might dress smartly, all suited and booted, but Thee Vicars create an unholy, unruly row. They are much like the Cribs’ new favourite proponents of back-to- basics rifferama, the Strange Boys. You can also hear echoes of the early Stones here, as well as of more contemporary outfits such as the Hives, and there is something in Whittaker’s snarling vocals that reminds us of Pete Shelley. Together they create a decent fuzzy racket, full of energy and heavy on the treble, with a low-end throb that does the job.”
Fans of the early- and mid-'60s Merseybeat sound (the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Searchers, etc.) will probably love this 21-song compilation, which assembles the Allusions' complete recorded output over a four-year period. At their best, as on "Gypsy Woman," they had a fresh, original sound somewhere midway between the romanticism of the Beatles, the dynamism of the Kinks, and the Who's early ballads, with a unique vocal sound and good attack on their instruments. "Fever (Burns My Brain)" is a strange, yet workable, mix of two seemingly conflicting themes, a harsh, smooth farewell main lyric bridged by an achingly beautiful chorus reminiscent of Gerry & the Pacemakers vocally and the Zombies instrumentally. "The Dancer" is one of those odd low visibility numbers, like "I'll Remember the Night" by the Roulettes (whom these guys also resemble) that are such smooth and catchy examples of the Merseybeat sound that they belong on any anthology of the era and the music. "Roller Coaster Man" sounds like a Searchers outtake or a Gerry & the Pacemakers reject, with a guitar part that resembles "You Can't Do That." "Looks Like Trouble" owes a bit to "I Feel Fine" in its intro, although it also includes a thoroughly American garage-band style guitar break. Some of the later numbers, such as "Roundabout," are less interesting as songs, although even this wimpy ballad offers a catchy chorus and, overall, resembles nothing less than a decent Micky Dolenz-sung Monkees song. And "I'll Be Home" is the kind of song with which Ringo Starr could have done wonders, especially with the Beatlesque harmonies at the end of each line. The album's later songs are an interesting mix of subdued, moody ballads and high-energy rockers, such as "I Gotta Move," which may be the most Kinks-like cover of a Kinks track that you will ever hear. This disc's sound quality is excellent and the annotation extremely thorough.
The Cycle Paths. Formed in April 2011,the line-up is Stace Rose(guitar/vocals) Ian 'Edde' King(bass/backing vocals) and Andrew 'Bungle' Hardwick(drums).
Stace and Ian had been messing around trying to put something together for a couple of years but both being guitarists, it was going nowhere. Ian dabbled with drums to try and kick start things,but,despite being adequate, it wouldn't have worked. Next up was the bass guitar for Ian,which he took to like an escaped con in a knocking shop! Around that time Andy Hardwick asked on the off chance if the band needed a drummer. Thus The Cycle Paths were born officially(even though the name had been with Stace and Ian for 2 or 3 years).
The next 6 months were spent getting songs ready until the debut gig,playing 2 sets to an enthusiastic crowd. More gigs have followed since around the Sheffield/Chesterfield/Nottingham area with the band growing in confidence and playing electrifying sets.
On 22nd Jan 2012 the band went into G2 studios in Sheffield. The day was a success with 5 self-penned tunes turning out really well. This is to result in a debut ep due out soon (March) on Dizzy Holmes' Detour Records subsidiary label Paisley Archive. "Last Tram To Halfway" also features "You Must Be A Devil" "Living With My Guilt" "Getting Better" and "Time To Say Goodbye."
The band play anything from 60s garage to mod revival stuff plus they have their own takes on soul tunes and anything that takes their fancy. Such songs like, You're Gonna Miss Me, Frustration, Billy, The Magic Touch, Maybe Tomorrow, What A Way To Die ,Tube Station etc.
The whole point of this band is enjoyment, both for the band and the people that go to see them. The band have a healthy following of people that go to their gigs, which usually end up in dancing and drinking and much merriment!
Upcoming gigs are-25th Feb,Three Horseshoes in Brimington, near Chesterfield. 24th March-Ashleigh Club, Clowne near Chesterfield. 25th April-Viper Rooms,Sheffield. 8th June-The Cremorne, Sheffield.
You can contact and find out more about The Cycle Paths here Facebook and Myspace
The upcoming EP has had extensive play on the 6 Towns Glory Boy radio show which airs on Sunday evening 7pm to 9pm GMT, so if you enjoy your Mod, Mod Revival , 60's Garage, Freakbeat and The Cycle Paths, check it out HERE
The weed bus takes us on a wiggy ride out of London, accompanied by the rustlings of Rizla and the popping of beer caps. We watch the dopey mess that is Help on the telly, and when we stagger off the charabanc we're properly pie-eyed and disoriented. Just about ready for planet Liddypool.
OK, so this may be an exceptional night at the (replica) Cavern, but it gives you some kind of crash course in the stuff that's both great and lacking in the music of this city. You realise just how schooled the bands are, so attentive and finicky about the tones and details that characterise beat music and early prog-rock. They're complete fans. What isn't so healthy is the way this can become so obsessive, how introverted and out-of-it the whole scene can be.
Anyway, The Stairs represent the better end of all this. They bounce around and give the impression that they're having an terrific time. Ged Lynn is a little waif of a bloke, but he goes into twang frenzy from the start, while another guy who looks like Eric Idle in tne Rutles twats his tambourine and then Edgar opens his enormous gob and produces a mass of growling, gut-bucket effects. The Stairs are fun.
I guess it was a mistake to do a set of covers before the 'real' show. It was a revelation to see them biffing out 'Over, Under, Sideways Down' - squint a little and see Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck shaking it with the Yardbirds in '66. But presently you get The Stairs' own songs, and you find that they're not so hugely different. 'Weed Bus' and 'Take No Notice...' have funny, spliff-suckin' storylines, but they sound like the other old things, and they haven't yet got the beauty in their writing - like The La's have - to transcend this.
The Stairs are good, but a wait-and-see band, deffo. They need some kind of perspective. Maybe - with all due respect - they should get out more. -[Stuart Bailie] New Musical Express
"Life is likea carousel" is thethird album from the group, LosGuajes, passionategaragerevivalandSpanish soundsof the 60's. For recordingthe thirdalbum, LosGuajeshave reliedagain onthe demolishingmachinery of theCircoPerrottianalog studies,and have beenback inthe hands of thegreatJorgeexplosion, whichruns music production.
"Life is likea carousel" albumat hand,isa clear example ofthe qualities of thisconsolidatedcombo.Still applythe immediacy and freshness of thebeginning of the band, anddoes not stopthe imagination tomakehis lyricssunginauthenticdramas,Hispanics vaudevilles .Their songscan range froma pure exercise instyle as "Nothing in the world" tothe vibrantmelodies of "Carousel"or "See youis like dying",without neglectingits mostvillaininsongs such as "Employee of thehome"or "Marcelino"and without sacrificing the rawnessmoregarajeraof its chordsin "Poison"or "nerves",or approachesto thepsychedeliaof"Crazy"and "Fiesta",or musicallandismowho demonstrate, in effectmorethan ever in"Afineguy."And of course,if youforget,his expertisein recovering the classics,whichin thisexampledemonstratesa superbmicrogroovesand riskyversion of"Is ItTrue"by BrendaLee. All this,combined with the excellentartistic design ofthisLPby JohnRoller.
You can find more information about Los Guajes at the bands official website: HERE
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Chusin Crochette is bass player with Mod/Power Pop band "Stanley Road" who you can check out HERE and HERE
After posting the Arthur album yesterday I went off on a right Kinks trip playing all my vinyl albums back to back and wondered what I was missing in amongst all the general releases and bootlegs and after very little research I came across this, I wondered how I managed to miss it.....maybe the clue is in the title?
The Great Lost Kinks Album is an Unreleased Compilation Album by the British Rock Band The Kinks.
The Kinks changed Labels. From Reprise Records they jumped to the RCA Label. Losing The Kinks was of course a great revenue loss at the time, so Reprise in an attempt to continue to capitalize the name, released this compilation, unauthorized by the Band Members. It consists mostly of Songs discarded on some sessions, the ones who weren't removed ended up appearing in the Album The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, alias the name The Great Lost Kinks Album, was the name Fans gave to the Album that was supposed to be released in 1969 but ended up becoming the Village Green Preservation... But this is not the only source, some of them were recorded to appear in British TV and Films, and of course two songs from Singles. Davies and his crew only got to know of the existence of the Album when they saw it on the billboard Charts and they immediately sued the company, forcing Reprise Records to discontinue the Album in 1975. Of course right after this it became a Collector's Item, even though it stayed in circulation for 2 years. As the songs were recorded in a 4 year span it is hard to say who were the Members that participated in this Album. I'll just put the names of the Members of the Band that played at the Time.
Best Tracks - "Til Death Do Us Part", "Lavender Hill", "Rosemary Rose", "Mister Songbird", "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" and "Plastic Man". The Cover is pretty weird, and it isn't as good as most Kinks Covers. Some strange looking ghosts and some Neon Letters with the Name of the Band.
