Punk Rock Flea Market edition
In order to raise funds for shows put on by R5 Productions, they host a bi-annual (once in the winter and once in the summer) “punk rock flea market” where vendors sell their wares. This year’s winter version, though twice delayed and moved to a different venue, attracted 140 tables and thousands of attendees. Naturally, alongside all the crafts vendors and what not, the flea market includes lots of tables with vendors selling Lps and CDs. Items 1-9 on this list are all things that I bought there last Sunday.
Claudine Longet – Cuddle Up with Claudine Longet: The Complete Barnaby Records Sessions 1970/74 (VampiSoul)
I’d heard her version of “God Only Knows” (included on this disc) before, but otherwise I bought this on a whim as I was largely unfamiliar with Longet’s music beforehand. Anyway I like this a lot. This 24-track disc includes just about everything, sans a few songs, that Longet recorded for her then-husband ANDY WILLIAMS’ Barnaby label. Most of these are insane covers, the most bizarre being a medley of JOHN LENNON’s “Jealous Guy” and THE BEATLES’ “Don’t Let Me Down” that renders the latter barely recognizable.
Jesse Winchester – Jesse Winchester (Ampex)
I’d been wanting to hear this 1970album from the time I heard ELVIS COSTELLO’s version of “Payday” (the first track here) back in 1995. The most moving track here is “Black Dog”, an eerie track that Costello said in the liner notes to Kojak Variety that he still couldn’t listen to in the dark (and understandably so). The rest of it is stellar, too, and features support from THE BAND’s LEVON HELM and ROBBIE ROBERTSON.
Rob Tyner and the Hot Rods – “Til the Night is Gone” EP (Island)
My most interesting find last Sunday was this 7” gem, which I never even knew existed. Apparently, Tyner was commissioned by the NME to come to England to cover the burgeoning punk scene and also because of the re-release of his old band THE MC5’s 3 albums back in 1977. At some point along the way, he met up with EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS and the result is this rockin’ slab of proto-punk/pub-rock.
Juice Newton – “Queen of Hearts” EP (Capitol)
To some, this would qualify as a “guilty pleasure”, but for me purchasing this 45 for $1 was simply a way for me to reconnect with what was probably my favorite song when I was 6 and I used to hear it on the radio on the 1st grade bus ride to my school in Houston. Anyway, nowadays I prefer DAVE EDMUNDS’ version (on his Repeat When Necessary album, which also features his version of songs by Elvis Costello and GRAHAM PARKER), but this is still pleasant and worthy of repeat spins.
The Nils – The Nils (Rock Hotel)
I know that JACK RABID is a big fan of these guys and I’ve seen other great reviews over the years (they’re also frequently cited as an influence on acts like SUPERCHUNK, DOWN BY LAW and BOB MOULD), but honestly I tried this record and while it’s decent stuff, it just doesn’t move me. It’s one of those records I should like given what it reminds me of (mid-period REPLACEMENTS and later GUN CLUB, especially), but for some reason it just doesn’t connect. Maybe I should try the earlier EPs or maybe I should keep listening.
Ministry – The Land of Rape and Honey (Sire)
The first Ministry album I really like (I never cared for their synth-pop era stuff or 1986’s Twitch), this is the album that created their signature industrial metal sound, influencing lots of ‘90s acts (most notably NINE INCH NAILS) and paving the way for later, more successful efforts like 1989’s The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste and 1992’s Psalm 69. This set features classics like “Stigmata,” “The Missing,” and “Deity”. Honestly, though these versions are great, I prefer the versions of those songs on the excellent live album In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up….
MDC – Smoke Signals (RRadical)
This is one of the first hardcore punk records I ever bought, so it’ll always have a special place in my heart. At some point, I got rid of it, but in recent years I’ve had an urge to hear it again. Although I was able to find a download of it a few years ago, it’s nice to have a physical copy again.
This isn’t MDC’s best album (that would be their debut, 1982’s Millions of Dead Cops), but it’s a stellar effort that features a cover of THE SUBHUMANS classic “The Big Picture” and a funny, vegetarian-friendly remake of LITTLE RICHARD’s “Tutti Frutti” called “Tofutti”.
The Exploited – Punk’s Not Dead (Secret)
I’ll be honest here. I never really liked The Exploited. In fact, everything I’ve ever heard past this debut album has ranged from unmemorable to awful. Yet I somehow have a soft spot for this album. Perhaps it has to do with how I first heard it. When I was 16, a metalhead I knew in my high school gave me his copy of this album when he heard I was into punk. Of course, being a 16 year-old punk rocker, it was easy to love simplistic, chanted jams like “Army Life,” “Sex and Violence” and “Exploited Barmy Army”. I played the record often, even though it had a visible snot on the 1st side!
Anyway, much like the MDC record mentioned above, I got rid of at some point along the way, but when presented with a pristine copy for $3 or so, I couldn’t resist. Does it hold up? Sure it does, as a blast back to youthful nostalgia. This is really all you need by The Exploited.
Crucial Youth – Singles Going Straight (New Red Archives)
Along with GRUDGE, who also formed in the late ‘80s and released one absolutely killer and hysterical 7”, the Jersey shore’s Crucial Youth were the leading lights in the straight edge parody genre. Although I would argue that you also need their great full-length The Posi-Machine, this set (as the name implies) includes all of their 7” singles. I used to have some of them back in the day, so it’s nice to have them all in one place. What does that mean? You get “Christmas Time for the Skins” (set to the tune of IRON CROSS’ “Crucified”), “Me and Mr. T,” “Shave Clean” (i.e. “if you don’t shave clean, you’re not in the scene”), “Positive Dental Outlook” and so much more, including 8 live tracks and 7 demos. Did I mention that they also do (appropriately enough) THE MODERN LOVERS classic “I’m Straight”?
It was always funny meeting people back in the day who thought that these guys were actually serious and not a vicious satire/parody of the conformity of the late ‘80s straight-edge scene. Anyway, this is essential for those with a sense of humor.
The Cramps – The Songs that Lord Taught Us (I.R.S.)
As a tribute to LUX INTERIOR, who passed away last week, I spun my copy of this 1980 classic. 1978’s Gravest Hits EP, 1981’s Psychedelic Jungle and the 1984 compilation Bad Music for Bad People are all excellent and essential as well, but I think that this is their best record. RIP Lux.
