The Oysters: Green Eggs And Ham (Taang! Records/1985)

The Oysters are a band that came to my attention via an entry in The Trouser Press Record Guide (1991 edition). It basically said that if Paul Westerberg had increased his drinking and Bob Stinson remained in the band, this is what The Replacements would sort of sound like. The Oysters were a band from Boston, MA and were signed to the TAANG! label (who released record by Gang Green, The Lemonheads and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones). In fact, Dickey Barret from the Bosstones is responsible for the cover art for Green Eggs And Ham. The band only released this one album and a single (Mine Caroline also on TAANG!) before breaking up.

Lead singer and guitarist Richard McKenzie sounds like a decidedly off-key Paul Westerberg. “Make It All Up To To” sounds like a mash up of The Replacements “Mr. Whirly” and “Never Been To College”. Other highlights include “Ballantine Stomp”, “On Special”, “Headhunter” and “Reeperbahn”. While the band does have their own sound, they certainly channel The Replacements more than anyone else. Highly recommended for fans of The Replacements and fans of boozy garage rock.  

Here's the video review:

The Seeds: Night Time Girl (Norton Records/2014)

The Seeds were allegedly the best live band from Los Angeles in the 1960's, so it's a mystery why their label would want them to record a “live” album in the studio and then overdub crowd noise over the results. In April of 1968 the band recorded the album at Western Recorders and would be released as Raw & Alive: The Seeds In Concert At Merlin's Music Box. In 2014 the UK label Big Beat Records released the album without the dubbed audience noise plus another earlier attempt at a full-length live-in-the studio affair, on a two-disc set simply called Raw & Alive.

The wonderful Norton Records released a 7” vinyl teaser from the album. “Night Time Girl” starts off with what sounds like an early synthesizer but it's probably just an over-modulated keyboard. The song sounds like The Stooges meets The Doors, which isn't so surprising. You can hear how Sky Saxon's vocal prowess influenced Iggy Pop on the B-Side “Gypsy Plays The Drums”. These may be my favorite recordings by The Seeds.

If you're a fan of proto-punk, garage rock or rock and roll in general this most very highly recommended.   

Here's the video review:

Gang Of Four: Songs Of The Free (Warner Brothers/1982)

Leeds' Gang Of Four released 1982's Songs Of The Free, their third album, on the heels of the excellent Another Day/Another Dollar EP. It is their first release with Sara Lee on bass, who took over after Dave Allen left the band to for Shriekback with Barry Andrews of XTC. She's a excellent replacement and is adept to playing nearly as deeply-funky as Allen did.

The album is successful in marrying the band's slashing post-punk to the funky new wave that was all-prevalent at the time. It was produced by Mike Howlett of Gong (who also produced OMD, Tears For Fears and A Flock Of Seagulls). Songs Of The Free is really only weak when one holds it up against Entertainment!, Yellow and Solid Gold. All of which are on the perfect side. Songs Of The Free is jam packed with moody, nocturnal grooves and somnambulist funk. Songs like “History Of The World”, “Life! It's A Shame” and “I Will Be A Good Boy” are my idea of perfect background music that I'd love to hear in a bar or pub. “Muscle For Brains” has a great funky guitar line. “Call Me Up”, “We Live As We Dream, Alone” and “I Love A Man In A Uniform” are easily the most effective songs on the album.

“I Love A Man In A Uniform” was a new-wave dance hit peaking at #27 on Billboard's Club Play Singles chart and became a staple of Alternative radio. The album itself is usually held up as Gang Of Fours last initial creative hurrah. Although it produced a handful of decent tracks, 1983's Hard was indeed a fairly soft affair. I've always considered Songs Of The Free part of a logical conclusion to the trilogy of Entertainment! and Solid Gold.

Recommended. Indeed.  

The Replacements: Boink!! (Glass Records/1986)

Minneapolis' The Replacements are one of few bands on a personal shortlist of a half-dozen or so bands that changed me as a preteen. They informally introduced to American post-punk rock, American alternative rock, and boozy proto-alt country. They are what The Smiths from the United Kingdom, were to American teens in the 1980's in that they were a beacon for disaffected, alienated youth looking for a spokesman to speak for them. And they found on in Paul Westerberg. Or so I've always believed in any case.

Boink!! was an eight-song compilation album released in 1986 for the UK market on Glass Records.

In consists of three songs from Hootenanny - “Color Me Impressed”, “Within Your Reach” (which had it's widest exposure in the Cameron Crowe film Say Anything... and “Take Me Down To The Hospital”. Three songs from The Replacements Stink (the should've-been-a-single “Kids Don't Follow”, the bluesy rave-up “White And Lazy” and the mini-epic “Go”) albums. Plus the B-Side to their debut single “I'm In Trouble” (the fantastic, would-be-Merle Haggard song “If Only Your Were Lonely”) and the previously-unreleased Alex Chilton - produced “Nowhere Is My Home”. Alex Chilton was almost the producer for the band's Tim album, however Sire Records wanted someone with more name-recognition so they in-turn went with Tommy Ramone. Who did a fantastic job. “Nowhere Is My Home” is a fantastic song and also appears on the 2008 reissue of Tim.

Boink!! is a wonderful, if seemingly random selection of tracks and the album is pretty rare. In fact I've only ever seen it in record stores maybe five times tops.

Here's the video review:

Off! : Live At Generation Records (Vice Records/2011)

Off! Is something of Los Angeles hardcore punk rock supergroup. Formed by Keith Morris of Black Flag and Circle Jerks and Steve McDonald of Redd Kross, Mario Rubalcaba of Rocket From The Crypt and Dimitri Coats from Burning Brides in 2009. The band quickly recorded and released The First Four Eps 7” box set in 2010 on Vice (Magazine) Records. The band is amazingly effective and and direct and have a refreshingly raw sound. Considering the bands' ages, they could come across really ineffective. Thankfully, that's not the case.

On October 22 in 2010 the band played a free show at Generation Records in New York. I attended the show and it was pretty awesome. Vice Records recorded the show and released the four-song Live At Generation Records 7”the following year on Record Store Day 2011. It's a well-performed, well-recorded affair. And it only hints at the loud greatness that was the show. The band sonically resemble early Black Flag, which shouldn't suprise anyone considering Morris was Black Flag's first ever vocalist.

Highly recommended for the punk rock set.

Here's the video review:

Barry Andrews: Town And Country EP (Virgin/1979)

Barry Andrews was the keyboard player for XTC from 1976 to 1979. He appeared on one EP (The
3-D EP), two albums (White Music and Go 2) and four singles. He was largely responsible the band's whimsical funhouse sound. He quickly grew tired of being a third wheel to dominant composers Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. Virgin Records however loved his contributions to the band and upon leaving XTC released his first three solo singles. The first of these was the Town And Country EP which was released in May of 1979.

It contains some of Barry's whizzing organs and keyboards albeit in an understated way than on his records with XTC. Colin Moulding is the bassist on the EP which features an outtake from Go 2, “Sargasso Bar”. “Me And My Mate Can Sing” is perhaps the records' catchy stand-out track and appears to reference groupies or hanger-ons. “ Mousetrap” and “Bring On The Alligators” are measured, punky, cockney mini-rave-ups.

The EP was produced by Martin Rushent (who had produced XTC's “Are You Receiving Me” single) and engineered by Hugh Padgham (who later engineered XTC's Drums & Wires and Black Sea albums). I personally like it as it fills a gap between Barry in XTC and his time in the bands Resurant For Dogs, The League Of Gentleman and his formation of Shriekback with Dave Allen of Gang Of Four.

For fans of XTC and Shriekback or late 70's Post Punk.


Here's The Video Review:

Junior Senior: D-D-Don't Don't Stop The Beat (Crunchy Frog Records/2002)

Junior Senior were a Danish duo consisting of Jesper Mortensen (Junior) and Jeppe Laursen (Senior). Ostensibly they were an indie/dance pop band. However their sound is an happy amalgamation of garage rock, breakbeat, B-52's kitsch pop, electronic music, mid 60's Rolling Stones, rockabilly and surf guitar lines, ecstasy-influenced dance pop and sprinkles of hip hop. But more than all that, their music is unabashedly lively, uninhibitedly gleeful and unpretentiously fun. The album was rightfully perceived as a breath of fresh air when it was released as it sounded – purely based on attitude alone - nothing like anything else at the time.

The band's debut album D-D-Don't Don't Stop The Beat was universally acclaimed upon it's 2002 (or depending on the market, 2003) release. I first became aware of the band when I heard their classic “Move Your Feet” single on the radio on July 4th 2003. I thought it was some new wave dance classic that had somehow escaped me and I was only just hearing it for the first time. Not surprisingly it was a universal hit that Summer (a top 40 hit in a dozen countries, peaking at #3 on the UK singles chart and #45 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart). “Rhythm Bandits”, which is possibly my favorite track on the album, was also a top 20 hit in the UK. The third single, “Shake Your Coconuts” appeared in the films Loony Tunes: Back In Action, She's The Man and Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen.

The humorously references several American pop musicians on “White Trash” nearly as much as they reference themselves on “Go Junior, Go Senior” and “C' Mon”. And they make it abundantly clear on tracks like “Chicks And Dicks” that Junior, is straight and “nasty and small”. While Senior is gay and “handsome and tall”. Junior sounds like Michael Jackson singing “Rock With You” on “Move Your Feet” sounds like Wham's “Club Tropicana” played at twice the normal speed.

The vinyl release only came out in two markets; Denmark and the UK. The Danish version of “Shake Me Baby” is an entirely different recording with different lyrics and is titled “Just Shake It Brother”. It also has alternate mixes of “Boy Meets Girl” and the American version of the album contains the single version of “Rhythm Bandits” (which again, also vary on various other editions as well). And the cover art image is flipped on various versions and the UK vinyl version has a cover unique unto itself.

If you're going to have a party where people may be inclined to dance via their own uninhibited natures or perhaps doses of MDMA or large quantities of alcohol. Combined with a good sound system and the volume turned up a ways, this is the album for you. Most very highly recommended.  

Here's the video review: