barrow boy | flirting with disaster

In spite   of the glam jacket, Surrey boys Mud were too steeped in chips and gravy to turn a convincing trick in the US when hitmakers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman came calling.Between their formation in 1966 – out of the ashes of Ramainder and Les Gray’s The Mourners – and their signing with Mickie

our man flint: a breakfast of kings

montage by ib.It was so hot this morning we breakfasted in a Brazillian cafe in the Trongate. Sufficiently searing that my elderly – non portable – PPC went into thermal shutdown before we ventured out. Intel does not equate with intelligence. The Motorola is still boss, but slow. As to our prolonged alfresco fueling, not

cities of god

Originally issued on Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser’s imprint, Kosmische Kuriere, under license to parent label, Ohr and marketed in Italy as PDU. Kosmische Kuriere – a vehicle, primarily, for Polol Vuh and Ash Ra Tempel – financed sixteen releases between 1973 and 1975, and a reissue of Fricke’s soundtrack to Herzog’s “Aguirre” in 1982.Popol Vuh derives from

mind power: it is what it is

Continuing on the solid roll which began in earnest with 1972’s “Get On The Good Foot“, “The Payback” was Brown’s critically acclaimed response to director Larry Cohen’s decision to drop it as the soundtrack to his blaxploitation cash in, “Hell Up in Harlem“. On the grounds that it just wasn’t “James Brown enough”. Every inch

dr. satan’s echo chamber, part ii

“I wouldn’t hold a Midnight Mass at midnight because of the drunks. There would be too much trouble.”– Father Joseph McNulty, Glasgow.Well, nØw. I am speechless. Utterly. And more than a trifle abashed.  1000 thanks.Allegedly, this is Pablo’s melodica dub over Earl Flute and Horace Andy’s “Peter and Judas“, appearing also on the Mafia and

dr. satan’s echo chamber

From the same Success album print as featured previously, this is Rupie Edward’s “Dr. Satan’s Echo Chamber“; appearing more recently on Metro’s 2006 release, “Adventures in Dub“, and the 2004 Trojan double release, “King Tubby’s in a Fine Style“. It originally featured on the 1973 split 7″ pressing with Rupie Edwards & The All Stars

upsetter

Recorded and mixed at the Upsetter’s own ramshackle Black Ark Studio with King Tubby on the sliders, “Blackboard Jungle” showcases dub at its rawest; the fruit of the trinity of Perry, Ruddick and those house upstarts themselves.  Released only in Jamaica on Perry’s Upsetter label – a print run of just 300 copies – the

super bad: the payback

103rd street, harlem, NYC, 1947. photograph by ralph morse for “life“.And not a white sock in sight. Honestly; all these flippant comparisons with James Brown are beginning to sound rather tedious. Fred Thomas: bass; John Jabo Starks: drums;Hearlon Cheese Martin: guitar; Jimmy Nolen: guitar;Johnny Grigs: percussion; John morgan: percussion;Fred Wesley: trombone; James Brown: vocals.Written by

saturday, maybe

“Factory chimney coughs yellow smoke.Trucks and trains go rumbling.Throw down the key from your window high.Your man’s out drinking.Neighbours thinking evil.Lead me by the the light of your electric fire.Your green slips falls about your feet,and across the sheetyour nut brown curls go tumbling. We don’t have long ’til he comes home from the bar.I’ll

dos

cami: photograph by obra gráfica. “For eleven January evenings in 1973, the Morroccan sitar of Lula Cortes and the 12-string of Lailson de Holanda Cavalcanti haunted the northeastern shores of Brazil. When the fire died down and the body finally cut loose the duo went their separate ways.”– Big B. Lailson was from the verdant

phase v + counting

It has been raining, yes; nothing aberrant in that. Spitting feebly over the last couple of days. Like a judas over supper. The temperature here has fallen off here considerably too, even as the potential for biblical visitation radiates white heat and leaps from coat to coast. Secret pockets of incubation. Nervous twitching in overstuffed

boss

photograph by david l. segal. Another Fred Wesley and James Brown collaboration. Featuring the JB’s. ▼ JAMES BROWN: BOSS from “Black Caesar (Original Soundtrack)” LP (Polydor) 1973 (US)

not quite summer

photograph by jill krementz, USA. UA 35 585. They don’t come any cheesier than this. Written by Florida’s Bobby Goldsboro with a seasoned twist of Jim Webb, but served up with such a generous side order of homogenized slush it is enough to make one back off sheepishly like a dog stung on the nose

aisumasen

Not included on the original ’73 LP release, this working demo from a pre-studio home session is to my ears superior in every sense to the final recorded version. But you knew I’d say that, right ? Of course, most of the time “sorry” doesn’t cut the mustard. But just as often, it’s all that’s

a word from our sponsor

In an effort to curtail this before it turns into ‘Car Crash Radio‘ proper, my intention herein is to desist from unburdening my woes in unflinching detail. To anyone who may have received a voyeuristic kick out of my ramblings, please accept my apologies. If you work for the BBC, leave a tip on the

zero tolerance

walls. Fuck. If I sank any lower, I’d be breakfasting in the apartment directly below. It is a temporary flat, set aside for women seeking a quiet life – alone – and over the years that I’ve lived here it has housed many changing faces. Estranged partners and husbands come and go with impunity and

loudon done right

Emmett and Mike over on Art Decade have whipped up something of an Alex Chilton and Big Star limousine buffet this past week. You might not want to miss it. A good deal of those tracks (and the odd supporting link) featured are kind of hard to find. This Loudon Wainright III song – a

the ballad of mott

photograph by robert altman, 1970, san francisco. After just catching up with the sad news of Dave Dee’s demise at age 65 over on How Marvellous – and listening to Mott The Hoople’s superb 45, “Saturday’s Gigs“, there too – I felt compelled to dig out something by Ian Hunter in a similarly less raucous

crAcked

▼ DAVID BOWIE: CRACKED ACTOR (lOs anGeLEs) from “Aladdin Sane” LP (RCA) 1973 (UK)PURCHASE ALADDIN SANE REMASTERED

faust = fist

Werner Diermeier: drums; Hans-Joachim Irmler: organ; Gunter Wusthoff: synthesizer, saxophone; Rudolf Sosna: guitar, keyboards; Jean-Herve Peron: bass. ▼ FAUST: GIGGY SMILE from “Faust IV” LP (Virgin) 1973 (Germany)PURCHASE FAUST IV