King Missile: Bowery Electric, New York, NY (9/15/2017)

My first exposure to New York band King Missile was via the Video Jukebox Network. The video for "My Heart Is A Flower" from The Way To Salvation converted me fairly easily. I went out and bought the cassette not too long afterwards. I took my time in investigating their back catalog and the next thing I knew Happy Hour (which is approximately 60 minutes in length) was released. Happy Hour featured the major MTV hit "Detachable Penis" and the minor MTV hit "Martin Scorsese". After 1994's King Missile I kind of checked out and was basically done with King Missile. So was lead singer John S. Hall apparently, as the band broke up not too long after this album. 

Since the breakup of King Missile, Hall went to law school and is now an Intellectual Property Analyst. He also formed King Missile III and King Missile IV and released records under that moniker as well. The current incarnation of KM feature longtime members Dave Rick on guitar and Roger Murdoch on drums (apparently keyboardist Chris Xefos does in fact play with the band when he's on the East Coast as he lives in California now). So, King Missile is basically a hobby for Hall and his bandmates. 

The sound at Bowery Electric is, like any teeny-tiny venue, hit or miss. The band themselves sounded fine. Hall's vocals were kind of drowned-out in the din. From where I was standing - front and center - I had to strain to hear him. That said, he made the best of the situation, freely roaming into the audience and interacting with the patrons, mid-song.  

The band tackled many a classic from the Shimmy Disc years ("Sensitive Artist", "Take Stuff From Work" and "Jesus Was Way Cool") and classics from the Atlantic years ("My Heart Is A Flower", "Detachable Penis", "Socks" and "Martin Scorsese"). They tackled items they've covered on record ("Mr. Johnson" and "Betrayal Takes Two") as well as covers by local legends ("Rockaway Beach"by The Ramones and "Gratitude" by Beastie Boys) . They ended the show with a cover of The Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get". 

Despite the wonky sound and the somewhat halfheartedness of the entire performance, it was a fun show. It was nice to finally see the band as I'd never seen gotten around to seeing any incarnation of King Missile. I got to meet John before the show and buy a copy of the new KMIV disc (This Fuckin' Guy); he's very approachable and makes himself very available to his people. 

An entertaining show.

Hüsker Dü: Candy Apple Grey (Warner Brothers/1986)

Hüsker Dü's fifth album Candy Apple Grey is their major-label debut for Warner Brothers. The band released three albums and an EP for legendary indie SST signing a lucrative deal with Warners in 1985. There isn't anything on the album that screams sell-out; it was produced by Grant Hart and Bob Mould, recorded in Minneapolis, and contains the same approach as Flip Your Wig does.

The album starts off with the Mould scream-fest of “Crystal” which clearly indicates the band isn't going soft just because their sudden major-label status. The albums two singles are both written by Hart and they are absolute classics; “Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely” is a perfect kiss-off pop song and even charted at number 96 on the UK singles chart. It was later covered by Green Day and is featured in the series Halt And Catch Fire and the film Adventureland. “Sorry Somehow” features mournful minor-key organ and a mid-tempo arrangement.

“I Don't Know For Sure” sounds like Mould was trying to rewrite “Makes No Sense At All” and Hart's “Dead Set On Destruction” doesn't really go anywhere memorable. “Eiffel Tower High” references getting high and going to the movies and “All This I've Done For You” is a perfect slice of Du PopPunk. The album features three acoustic classics;“Hardly Getting Over It” which deals with death in a mature, thoughtful way, “No Promise Have I Made” a stately piano piece that is a nice lyrical example of what makes Grant Hart such a special songwriter and “Too Far Down” is a Mould song that is almost a blueprint for his solo work. All three work well within the cold, Wintery-feel that pervades the album as a whole.

The album was well-recieved at the time by the mainstream music press but was generally snubbed by the bands hardcore following. It charted at a dismal 140 in the Billboard Top 200. It is generally overlooked after the acknowledged classic trilogy of Zen Arcade, New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig.

It certainly deserves wider-currency.

Here's the video review:

The Smiths: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (Warner Brothers/2017)

The Smiths haven’t really issued any really noteworthy product in many, many years. Johnny Marr remastered the four Smiths studio albums (and four compilation/live albums) in 2012. And The Sound Of The Smiths compilation in 2008. This year marks the first real year that The Smiths have a reissue campaign that will entice all Smiths fans alike.

Later this year the band will reissue The Queen Is Dead package that will include three CDs and one DVD. Earlier this Summer the title track was issued as a 12” and 7” single. And for Record Store Day The Boy With The Thorn In It's Side was released in a limited pressing of 12,000 copies. It's a teaser for the forthcoming box set. The A-Side is a “Demo Mix” of the well-known studio version. And isn't too different. The B-Side “Rubber Ring” is an “Early Drone Studios Version”, which was recorded at Drone Studios and very string-heavy.

Overall a very nice release. Cover star Albert Finney makes yet another appearance in the Smiths cannon. The truly noteworthy thing about this record is the political message that reads; “Trump Will Kill America”, which is etched in the runout groove of side A.

All in all, a wonderful release.

Here's the video review:

Special thanks to: Laurel.

Redd Kross: Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY 5/4/2017: Beneath The Valley Of The Teen Babes From Monsanto Tour

Hawthorne California's Redd Kross have been on tour this Spring, celebrating the reissue of their classic Teen Babes From Monsanto album. The band is one of the key figures from the late 70's LA punk scene (their first show was opening up for a Keith Morris-fronted Black Flag) who later morphed into a trashy, glammy, power pop, alt-rock outfit. After returning after a nearly ten-year hiatus with their Researching The Blues album in 2012, Kross have been going strong ever since.

The band graced Bowery Ballroom last week and put on an enthusiastic, ninety-minute, twenty-song set. The band had a new drummer (Roy McDonald was unavailable for the tour) in the form of Melvins drummer Dale Crover and touring lead guitarist Jason Shapiro (Robert Hecker, is a teacher and can't just up and tour anymore). The McDonald brothers, Jeff and Steve had a great on-stage rapport, with Steve providing a lot of funny anecdotes. The band were very well-rehearsed (except for one song, "It Won't Be Long", where there was a discrepancy over key and necessitated a few false starts).

The band played plenty of their loved singles; "Switchblade Sister", "Annie's Gone", "Jimmy's Fantasy" and "Lady In The Front Row". Plus a few deeper cuts; "Annette's Got The Hits", "Peach Kelli Pop" and "Neurotica". But the real treat was the band performing the entire Teen Babes all-covers album (ahem, "Rock And Roll Retrospective") in its' seven-song entirety (it's a short album). Hearing them perform "Ann" by The Stooges, "Saviour Machine" by David Bowie and "Citadel" by The Rolling Stones was a very nice treat for hardcore-fans, of which I am one.

They put on a great show with a very-well considered setlist. If you have to opportunity to see the band, by all means do.

The Upper Crust: Bowery Electric, New York, NY (3/19/2016) Retroactive Review.

Boston, MA's The Upper Crust put on quite possibly one of the most fun shows you can possibly attend. Allmusic aptly describes The Upper Crust as "AC/DC meets The Buzzcocks at a theater showing of This Is Spinal Tap", so I shan't attempt to better that, since it's so right on the money. They dress in 18th century attire; wigs, pancake make-up, songs about being affluent and the like.

The song titles alone simply don't do justice to material; "Little Lord Fauntleroy", "Tell Mother I'm Home", "Come Hither Fair Youth", "Eureka, I Found Love" and "We're Finished With Finishing School" are just some of the titles from this fantastic live band.

Here's a plethora of photos and videos that I took at the show from stage right. Because they're taking up an obscene amount of space on my phone...so here you are. 'Twas a great show.

Photos by Bill Wikstrom.