Frozen Warnings/A Given Voice

Well, it's that time of year again. The Bob Dylan Covers project I began last year will continue this year. However, the point of that project is that Dylan has become perennial and that his covers are ubiquitous. At the moment I have realized that there is something more pressing, at least to me.

Later this year will be the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Nico. It is unlikely to be observed in mass media. Although her music is widely respected by other musicians and fans of innovative music, it is not likely to ever be widely popular. I've written in this blog before about the mix of confusion and vindication I've felt watching music I had been told for years was "commercially unviable" becoming the soundtrack for actual television commercials. Ramones, Nick Drake, Joy Division, the Stooges and even Syd Barrett were licensed for ads in the last 20 years, but Nico, who was featured in a series of television ads in Europe before becoming a musician? Not so much. Wes Anderson soundtracks, maybe, but Nico wasn't going to get onto broadcast television unless it was in one of the three Velvet Underground songs she sang on or a track from her first solo album, "Chelsea Girls". Both sets of songs were released on the Verve label and the recordings would be licensed through UMC, presumably. But going through Warner Music isn't the reason TV shows and ads don't license tracks from "Marble Index". There's also the fact that however fascinating her life has been she had spent much of it as an unsympathetic figure. Heroin addicts and pathological liars are a dime a dozen on basic cable scandal shows but rarely get network retrospectives or tribute concerts.

Despite all of that, I still contend that Nico is overdue for a comprehensive career retrospective of her music. In fact, I felt that way over twenty years ago when I compiled the two-cassette, three hour overview that appears in the scans on the right. Like most of the compilations I made in the 90's it was a compilation of hits and rarities plus representative album tracks in roughly chronological order of their recording. In this case, 'hits' translates to anything released on a single or songs that became concert staples.

One should be aware that creating a compilation such as this, drawing on as many different sources held by so many different interests, for retail purposes is markedly different from me creating these tapes for my own enjoyment. Since I never sold these I never had to pay licensing fees or royalties. I also didn't have to locate the original masters from numerous points around the globe. These songs were all dubbed from standard store-bought CD's and vinyl. They were individually equalized and the volume levels had to be readjusted when changing sources, but the differences between formats of pre-recorded music are minor compared to trying to mix from one song to another from reels that have differing numbers of tracks recorded years apart on equipment sometimes separated by generations.

The expense of engaging capable engineers on top of the expenses of providing them with the original recordings in question all has to be balanced against the likelihood of the end results selling. Also, the more sophisticated and attractive the packaging, the higher the suggested retail price and the smaller the pool of potential customers despite its greater desirability.

Below are the final drafts of the notes for the compilation, handwritten on notebook paper (keepin' it classy). You should note that each side of the 90-minute cassettes are about the length of an LP and I saw fit to correspondingly give each side its own title as though it were a self-contained album. The particular selection of tracks allowed me to make a clean break between sides at points where Nico changed labels in different years.

In the coming months I hope to look at each track considered for this compilation and why they did or didn't make the cut. I'll also try to look at the releases made since these were compiled and consider how the retrospective might be expanded or improved. If I can complete these posts before the anniversary of her death in July, perhaps someone in a better position than I might assemble a fitting commemoration for her (likely) 80th birthday in October.

See you soon.

Cramps Box personnel key

.....The posts for October 20 and November 16 of this year are the two halves of a theoretical career retrospective boxed set for the band The Cramps. Each track is preceded by an alpha-numeric code that designates where it would be located on either tape or disc format and ends with a letter that stands for the line-up performing that particular track. Here is the key detailing those line-ups. I intended to include the real names of the band members when possible but I discovered that many of them also used different pseudonyms when playing in other bands, so what follows their Cramps performing name is my best guess as to their actual name. Bear in mind that some (or even all) may just be alternate pseudonyms that were chosen to sound more realistic. The dates of activity accompanying each line-up are also approximations. A few can be corroborated down to the day, others are shots in the dark.

.....A (Feb. 1976- Aug. 1976) Lux and Ivy were scenesters in New York at the time and had already gone through a blizzard of assumed names and identities before they had even started performing. Bryan and Pam were brother and sister.

• Lux Interior (Erick Lee Purkhiser): vocalist [continues through all line-ups]
• Poison Ivy Rorschach (Kristy Marlana Wallace): guitarist [continues through all line-ups]
• Bryan Gregory (Gregory Beckerleg): guitarist
• Pam Balam (Pamela Beckerleg): drums

.....B (Sep. 1976- Aug. 1977) Miriam has posted a blog about her experiences in New York before, during and since her year in the Cramps. The only official release to include recordings with her is HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER but numerous bootlegs claim to have demos and live recordings with her because collectors look for the earliest versions of songs and she is known to have left before the first official releases were recorded. Some of them do, some of them don't. As always with bootlegs, caveat emptor.

• Bryan Gregory (~): guitarist
• Miriam Linna: drums

.....C (Sep. 1977- Jun. 1980) This is the first line-up to release recordings.

• Bryan Gregory (~): guitarist
• Nick Knox (Nicholas Stephanoff): drums

.....D (Jun. 1980- Nov. 1980)

• Julien Griensnatch (Julien Hechtlinger): guitar
• Nick Knox (~): drums

.....E and F (Dec. 1980- Sep. 1983) This is the first line-up with an intentionally provisional member. Terry was a member of the Gun Club who sat in for much of 1982 while Nick had medical issues and returned to them when Nick had recovered.

• Kid Congo Powers (Brian Tristan): guitar
• Nick Knox (~): drums (E)
• Terry Graham: drums (F)

.....G (Oct. 1983- Jul. 1984 and Aug. 1984- Feb. 1986) The recordings used on the compilation come from the second period and are presumed to be studio recordings in which Lux and Nick perform their parts but Ivy plays additional guitars or bass in overdubs. During this period there were at various times three other musicians but it is not clear that they appear on any finished recordings.

• Ike Knox (Michael Metoff): guitar (Ga; Oct.1983- Jul. 1984 except for Gb)
• Click Mort (still using this pseudonym as an outsider fine artist): guitar (Gb;filled in Dec. 1983 or Jan. 1984)
• Touch Hazzard (Tim Maag): bass (Gc;briefly in studio, 1985)
• Nick Knox (~): drums

.....H (Mar. 1986- Jun. 1986) There are television appearances but no studio recordings released.

• Fur Stokes: bass
• Nick Knox (~): drums

.....I (Jul. 1986- May 1991) Technically they made only one live and one studio album together, plus about an LP's worth of other recordings that now live on as bonus tracks. But at nearly five years this was, I think, the longest consistent line-up. Touring on the strength of ALOHA FROM HELL and STAY SICK, they have their fair share of bootlegs as well.

• Candy Del Mar: bass
• Nick Knox (~): drums

.....J (Jun. 1991- Sep. 1991)

• Slim Chance (Victor Willden): bass
• Jim Sclavunos: drums

.....K (Oct. 1991- Dec. 1993)

• Slim Chance (~): bass
• Nikki Alexander: drums

.....L (Jan. 1994- Summer 1998?)

• Slim Chance (~): bass
• Harry Drumdini (Harry Misenheimer): drums

.....M (Sep. 1998- Feb. 1999)

• Doran Shelley: bass
• Harry Drumdini (~): drums

.....N (during 2000)

• Sugarpie Jones (Tim Ferris): bass
• Harry Drumdini (~): drums
• Jen Hanrahan: percussion (Jun. 2000- Aug. 2000)

.....O (2000?- Aug. 2003)

• Chopper Franklin (Scott Franklin): bass
• Harry Drumdini (~): drums

.....P (Sep. 2003- May 2004)

• Chopper Franklin (~): bass
• Jungle Jim (Jim Chandler): drums

.....Q (Jul. 2004- Aug. 2006) This line-up is the one on the live DVD released last year. That makes it the most recent recording I know of, perhaps the last authorized recording made.

• Chopper Franklin (~): bass
• Bill Bateman: drums

.....R (Aug. 2006- Sep. 2006) The same as O; Harry briefly returns.

.....S (Oct. 2006- Nov. 2006)

• Sean Yseult (Shauna Reynolds): bass
• Harry Drumdini (~): drums

.....T (Dec. 2006- Feb. 2009) The same as O; Lux passed away on February 4, 2009 and while Ivy is capable of assembling an exceptional touring unit it is not at all clear that she wants to. She would be in demand as a solo act instead, and certainly welcomed by many as a studio guest. She and Lux spent 33 years performing together and a few years more as partners in life. Losing him has to have had some impact on her. It would not have diminished her considerable, often underestimated skill with a guitar, nor the fervor of the Cramps' fan base. The only question is where she wants to go from here. Solo act? Recording mogul (she still owns Vengeance and has extensive producing experience)? Axe for hire? Grande dame of a demimonde subculture? All of the above?

Cramps Box suggested program Part 2

.....This is the second half of the playlist for a theoretical Cramps boxed set. The first half was posted on October 20, 2011 and there will be a third post containing the band's line-ups. I'd recommend reading the paragraphs preceding the first post before examining this one because they explain how the tracks are numbered for both tape and disc formats. The finished set should contain either four 90 minute cassettes (eight sides) or five audio compact discs.

1. [T5:01/D3:10-I] 1:54 EVERYTHING GOES - From a rehearsal recorded at Cahuenga Blvd. Shack, Studio City, CA in Summer, 1988 {*}.
2. [T5:02/D3:11-I] 3:20 BIKINI GIRLS WITH MACHINE GUNS - A-side 7" Enigma ENV17 (UK) 01/90.
3. [T5:03/D3:12-I] 3:17 JACKYARD BACKOFF - B-side 7" Enigma ENV17 (UK) 01/90.
4. [T5:04/D3:13-I] 2:57 HER LOVE RUBBED OFF (Carl Perkins) - B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV17 (UK) 01/90. There are live versions of both this song and "BIKINI GIRLS..." that were used as B-sides later that same year. They are the only tracks from official singles I've knowingly left off this compilation, mostly because I chose to adhere to chronology as much as possible in order to organize all this material and they were released too close to the studio originals. Also, while not as common as these versions they were more widely available than later B-sides, having been released both on CD singles and vinyl as well as the very comprehensive Vengeance edition CD for STAY SICK.
5. [T5:05/D3:14-I] 2:39 DAISYS[sic] UP YOUR BUTTERFLY - From LP STAY SICK Enigma ENVLP1001 (UK) 02/90.
6. [T5:06/D3:15-I] 2:34 MAMA OO POW POW - From LP STAY SICK Enigma ENVLP1001 (UK) 02/90. This track may have also been the version used as a B-side for a Spanish 12" in 1994. (For more details, see the Livejournal posts from Feb. and Mar. 2011, also under the name pblfsda.)
7. [T5:07/D3:16-I] 2:51 SHORTIN' BREAD (public domain) - From LP STAY SICK Enigma ENVLP1001 (UK) 02/90. I couldn't (or shouldn't) just list this song without acknowledging that when it was released it met objections from some because it is one of dozens of traditional American songs that survived into the twentieth century because they were habitually included in minstrel shows, which is unfortunate since it was certainly catchy enough to deserve surviving on its own. Listeners too young to have experienced the song in the minstrel context of racial caricatures probably wouldn't understand the objections, since, in the hands of The Cramps, this dusty standard about rape, cannibalism and dead children has become something in which the possibility that one of the characters might be wearing a doo-rag would have to be the least disturbing image about it. One note about mixing: when using this album track it should quickly fade up at the beginning since the previous track carries over slightly.
8. [T5:08/D3:17-I] 3:08 ALL WOMEN ARE BAD - A-side 12" Enigma 12ENV19 (UK) 03/90. Also available as a 7" single.
9. [T5:09/D3:18-I] 2:29 KING OF THE DRAPES - B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV19 (UK) 03/90. This track and the next two are collectively known as 'The Crybaby Suite', since they were once intended for use in the John Waters movie "Crybaby".
10. [T5:10/D3:19-I] 3:04 TEENAGE RAGE - B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV19 (UK) 03/90. (see above) This track was also the B-side of the 7" format for "ALL WOMEN ARE BAD".
11. [T5:11/D3:20-I] 3:52 HIGH SCHOOL HELLCATS - B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV19 (UK) 03/90.
12. [T5:12/D3:21-I] 4:50 JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF A GIRL - A-side 12" Enigma EPRO-287 (US) 1990, promo only.
13. [T5:13/D3:22-I] 3:12 CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON - A-side 12" Enigma 12ENV22 (UK) 08/90. This track is actually available in a variety of formats, including variant CD EP's, sometimes listed in databases and commercial sites and catalogues as mini-albums. I would advise listening to this track carefully several times before attempting to dub it into the compilation. As an album track it bleeds both out of the previous track and into the next one. I was disappointed to find the bleed was replicated on my copy of one of the CD singles. It must be faded up and faded down, thus the playing time of 3:12 I've put here is just a guideline; your time may vary by a few seconds depending on your tastes and reflexes.
14. [T5:14/D3:23-I] 2:26 BEAT OUT MY LOVE - B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV22 (UK) 08/90.
15. [T5:15/D3:24-I] 2:31 JAILHOUSE ROCK (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV22 (UK) 08/90, but released previously on VA2LP THE LAST TEMPTATION OF ELVIS New Musical Express NMELP 038/039 (UK) 02/90. The recording of most of the tracks on cassette side 5 were completed by the fall of 1989 after an extensive period that yielded STAY SICK and most of its contemporary single tracks. This one track was recorded in a separate facility in the US, probably later and shortly before leaving for a UK tour and at first was only available in the UK for that Elvis tribute album. I placed it here in the play order to reflect the presumed order of the recording, which coincides with the release order of the single. (I can't remember, but I think in the Livejournal pages I erroneously gave this song the songwriting credits for "HEARTBREAK HOTEL". If you've been following the project this long, sorry about that.)
16. [T6:01/D3:25-I] 3:01 MULESKINNER BLUES (Jimmie Rogers) - Recorded live at Brixton Academy, South London on Feb. 12, 1990. The studio version of this cover is the only track from the compilation A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CRAMPS which I haven't included. I used this version because, like the live version of "TEAR IT UP" from the movie "Urgh! A Music War", the momentum of the performance was more of an asset than the fidelity of the studio. That, and the fact that the STAY SICK album was already overrepresented.
17. [T6:02/D3:26-I] 3:31 YOU'VE GOT GOOD TASTE - Recorded live at Brixton Academy, South London on Feb. 12, 1990. This is from the same performance of the track above, but this was broadcast on BBC-TV's "Snub TV" shortly after it was recorded.
18. [T6:03/D4:01-Lux] 0:08 (PK excerpt) "GET OUT YOUR MAGIC DECODER RINGS..."
19. [T6:04/D4:02-J] 3:21 EYEBALL IN MY MARTINI - A-side 12" Big Beat NST135 (UK) 09/91.
20. [T6:05/D4:03-J] 4:20 I WANNA GET IN YOUR PANTS - B-side 12" Big Beat NST135 (UK) 09/91.
21. [T6:06/D4:04-J] 4:56 WILDER WILDER FASTER FASTER - B-side 12" Big Beat NST135 (UK) 09/91.
22. [__:__/D4:05-J] 2:40 MINISKIRT BLUES (L. Belden, Simon Stokes, L. Starr) - From CD5 Restless RPRO 012 (US) 1992, promo only. This one has a guest vocal from Iggy Pop. Either this track or "JELLY ROLL ROCK" must be withheld from the cassette configuration in order to fit the 90 minute limit. They are the two shortest tracks on side 6 and this is an album track. It's also the kind of track you'd also put on an Iggy Pop compilation anyway.
23. [T6:07/D4:06-J] 4:06 BEND OVER, I'LL DRIVE - From LP LOOK MOM, NO HEAD! Big Beat WIKAD (Germany) 1991.
24. [T6:08/D4:07-J] 4:36 DAMES, BOOZE, CHAINS AND BOOTS - This track comes from the same album as the previous one, but later in the year it would be the lead track for an EP on which it effectively replaces the song "HARD WORKIN' MAN" on the BLUES FIX EP. So, if you're having a hard time finding that EP (you shouldn't, but if) you can find the other three non-album songs by looking for this song's title or by searching for CD5 Intercard Record Service IRS 977-506 (Germany) 1992.
25. [T6:09/D4:08-J] 4:03 HARDWORKIN' MAN (Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder, Paul Schrader) - From CDEP BLUES FIX Big Beat CDNST136 (UK) 1992. Yes, that's the movie director Paul Schrader. This song was written specifically for Captain Beefheart to sing for the soundtrack of the movie "Blue Collar".
26. [T6:10/D4:09-K] 3:16 IT'S MIGHTY CRAZY (Otis Hicks, Jerry West) - From CDEP BLUES FIX Big Beat CDNST136 (UK) 1992.
27. [T6:11/D4:10-K] 2:26 JELLY ROLL ROCK (Jack Wilks) - From CDEP BLUES FIX Big Beat CDNST136 (UK) 1992. (see the note accompanying "MINISKIRT BLUES")
28. [T6:12/D4:11-K] 2:57 SHOBALOR (E.Sheriff, Aki Aleong) - From CDEP BLUES FIX Big Beat CDNST136 (UK) 1992.
29. [T6:13/D4:12-K] 3:34 WHAT'S INSIDE A GIRL - Recorded live at CBGB's, NYC on Dec. 10, 1993. From VACD5 CBGB'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SAMPLER Giant/Warner Bros. PRO-CD 7059 (US) 1994. As I noted in the Livejournal posts, this sampler was supposed to promote an album, but I'm not entirely certain the full album shipped commercially.
30. [T7:01/D4:13-L] 3:48 ULTRA TWIST! - A-side 7" Medicine 7-17976 (US) 1994.
31. [T7:02/D4:14-L] 2:29 NO CLUB LONE WOLF - B-side 7" Medicine 7-17976 (US) 1994.
32. [T7:03/D4:15-L] 3:40 SWING THE BIG EYED RABBIT - From LP FLAMEJOB Epitaph 86449-1 (US) 09/94. The simultaneous CD release was on Medicine 9 24592-2 (US) 09/94.
33. [T7:04/D4:16-L] 2:28 INSIDE OUT AND UPSIDE DOWN (WITH YOU) - Same source(s) as above.
34. [T7:07/D4:17-L] 3:55 LET'S GET F*CKED UP - A-side 7" Medicine 7-18045 (US) 1994. Despite the standard catalogue number, this isn't a stock release; it's actually a jukebox single. This also means that it's release date is more fluid than usual and probably varies regionally. You may notice that this single is located after the next on the cassette configuration. The reasons for that will become more obvious by the end of this cassette side.
35. [T7:08/D4:18-L] 2:17 HOW COME YOU DO ME (Jason Joiner) - B-side 7" Medicine 7-18045 (US) 1994. (see above)
36. [T7:05/D4:19-L] 2:45 NAKED GIRL FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS - A-side 7" Medicine 7-17932 (US) 1995.
37. [T7:06/D4:20-L] 2:59 CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHOCAT - B-side 7" Medicine 7-17932 (US) 1995.
38. [T7:09/D5:01-L] 14:53 SURFIN' BIRD (Sonny Harris, Turner Wilson, Carl White, Al Frazier) - That's not a typographical error; this track is nearly fifteen minutes long. It was recorded live at The Academy, NYC on Nov. 23, 1994. After the release of the FLAMEJOB album the band toured as usual and these three tracks from those shows spiced up CD singles the following year. This track was released on CD5 Creation CRESCD196 (UK) 1995. I haven't been able to locate these three tracks but I'm including them specifically because of their rarity. While there are many items in the Cramps history with lower print runs and higher collectors' prices, these songs are among the few that have never been collected on an album length CD. The problem with not having heard them in advance is that a song of this length is probably a medley of some kind, or at least incorporates familiar riffs to keep things interesting rather than just vamping for three times the normal length of the song. Because of that I can't be certain if the songwriting credits are exactly accurate. Feel free to comment if you know otherwise.
39. [T7:10/D5:02-L] 2:55 NAKED GIRL FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS (live) - From Medicine PRO-CD-7344 (US) 1995.
40. [T7:11/D5:03-L] 3:45 I'M CUSTOMIZED (live) - From Medicine PRO-CD-7344 (US) 1995.
41. [T8:01/D5:04-Ivy] 3:20 PETER GUNN (Henry Mancini) - From VACD SHOTS IN THE DARK Donna Records DOCD 2113 (US) 04/96. This is an instrumental solo recording by Ivy Rorschach. Fortunately you can find it as a bonus track on the Vengeance edition CD of BIG BEAT FROM BADSVILLE.
42. [T8:02/D5:05-L] 3:06 LIKE A BAD GIRL SHOULD - From CD5 Epitaph Europe 6527-2 (The Netherlands) 1997.
43. [T8:03/D5:06-L] 3:37 WET NIGHTMARE - From CD5 Epitaph Europe 6527-2 (The Netherlands) 1997.
44. [T8:04/D5:07-L] 2:49 I WALKED ALL NIGHT (Hargus Robbins) - From CD5 Epitaph Europe 6527-2 (The Netherlands) 1997.
45. [T8:05/D5:08-L] 3:39 MONKEY WITH YOUR TAIL - From LP BIG BEAT FROM BADSVILLE Epitaph 86516-1 (US) 09/97.
46. [T8:06/D5:09-L] 2:45 SHEENA'S IN A GOTH GANG - From LP BIG BEAT FROM BADSVILLE Epitaph 86516-1 (US) 09/97.
47. [T8:07/D5:10-L] 2:54 HAULASS HYENA - From LP BIG BEAT FROM BADSVILLE Epitaph 86516-1 (US) 09/97.
48. [T8:08/D5:11-Lux] 2:24 BAD HOROSCOPE (Dee Dee Ramone) - B-side 7"Blackout BLK 5008E7 (UK) 1997. The same version is also on Dee Dee's album CD ZONKED! Other People's Music OPM2118 (Canada) 10/97. Lux provides guest vocals.
49. [T8:09/D5:12-Lux] 1:32 UNDERWATER SUN - This song originally appeared on a special episode of "SpongeBob Squarepants" called "SpongeBob's House Party". Unlike most episodes, which contain two short cartoons, this one contained one short cartoon ("Party Pooper Pants", the title commonly used in channel guides) and a live action framing sequence including this song being performed by The Bird Brains, a rock band of marionette birds whose vocalist was voiced by Lux Interior. There are no songwriting credits given specifically for this, although 'original music' is credited to Jeremy Wakefield. Imdb lists Carlos Palazio and series creator Stephen Hillenberg as Bird Brains performers, separate and distinct from otherwise credited puppeteers. That's the closest I can get to a band credit. The episode originally broadcast on May 17, 2002 and was eventually released on DVD Sep. 27, 2005. The audio was included on VACD THE YELLOW ALBUM Nick Records 73974-2 (US) 11/15/05.
50. [T8:10/D5:13-O] 3:37 BIG BLACK WITCHCRAFT ROCK - A-side 7"Vengeance 676 (US) 03/03. The playing time for this track as it appears on the album is 3:29 on CD. The eight second difference may be an error, a different edit or a different take entirely.
51. [T8:11/D5:14-O] 3:16 BUTCHER PETE (Henry Bernard, Roy Brown) - B-side 7"Vengeance 676 (US) 03/03.
52. [T8:12/D5:15---] 2:32 FUNNEL OF LOVE (Charlie McCoy, Kent Westberry) - From the Wanda Jackson album CD HEART TROUBLE CMH Records CD-8708 (US) 10/14/03. This track was also available on the vinyl edition: Sympathy For The Record Industry SFTRI724. On this track Ivy plays guitar and both she and Lux provide backing vocals. They play with Jackson's studio band, Larry Taylor on bass and Stephen Hodges on drums. This song and the one below were actually recorded after the album tracks that close out the compilation but I felt that the last track should not only be original but more importantly be recorded under their own name.
53. [T8:13/D5:16---] 2:25 RIOT IN CELL BLOCK #9 (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - This second song recorded with Wanda Jackson was one of three songs from her album HEART TROUBLE that were omitted from the vinyl edition. Otherwise the information accompanying the above track is the same for this one.
54. [__:__/D5:17-O] 3:00 SHE'S GOT BALLS - From LP FIENDS OF DOPE ISLAND Vengeance 675 (US) 04/03. I'm omitting this album track from the cassette configuration due to time constraints.
55. [T8:14/D5:18-O] 4:22 DOPE FIEND BOOGIE - From LP FIENDS OF DOPE ISLAND Vengeance 675 (US) 04/03.
56. [T8:15/D5:19-O] 3:19 ELVIS FUCKING CHRIST - From LP FIENDS OF DOPE ISLAND Vengeance 675 (US) 04/03.
57. [T8:16/D5:20-Lux] 0:50 (PK excerpt) DOES YOUR CONSCIENCE BOTHER YOU...? This is the first half of the Lux's last spot on the Purple Knif radio broadcast (the second half involves identifying the records he had just finished playing and signing off with Ghoulardi phrases). I couldn't think of a more appropriate final track: "Okay out there all you simple life-forms, thanks for tuning in. Does your conscience bother you 'cause you did? You've been on a detour to nowhere with the Zulu king and his vigilantes. Hope you liked it. We'll see you soon. Thanks for tuning in."

.....FINALLY. 119 tracks including interstitials and approximately six hours. That's several months of my life I'm not getting back, but frankly, I'd just as soon have this box than those months. In the middle of all this I calculated that if I had abandoned the cassette format entirely and restricted myself to using only A-sides and non-album tracks that have not since become bonus tracks on the standard albums, the whole thing would have fit on two CD's. The problem with that is that many longtime concert favorites like "I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF" and "TV SET" wouldn't be represented by any versions. Also, the listener wouldn't hear the gradual changes the band made in their approach to covers from psychotronic deconstruction to nearly faithful reproduction in some cases. I have to admit I enjoyed listening through the full albums repeatedly and rediscovering songs left of the original compilation tape due to space limitations. The theoretical format is obviously more liberating but it is just as conducive to indulgence. With a little more discipline I might be able to whittle this down to three CD's without hurting the overall impact. Let me know in the comment section. What would leave off? Is there anything you'd add? (Really?) I'll be leaving the performance credits in the next post, but aside from that (and answering any questions you might have) you can all have the last word on this for the foreseeable future. To paraphrase Douglas Adams, I've spent a year dead for Lux purposes and I want to steer this blog back to its original mission.

Cramps Box suggested program

.....I'll catch up with the Checklist Of Shame for the Hall Of Fame omissions later. I've got until April for those, after all, and I really want to get this Cramps project off the back burner before Halloween. Here are some ground rules: all songs are written by Ivy Rorschach and Lux Interior except as noted in parentheses after the song titles; tracks marked "PK excerpt" are taken from an hour-long guest spot Lux spent as a DJ (details below); tracks marked {*} are currently available on 2CD HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER Vengeance 677 (US) 09/21/04; and each track is preceded by a format code showing where the track would be found on the compilation. The format code is simpler than it looks and while you might be able to figure it out from context, I'd rather just spell it for the sake of completeness. "T" stands for "tape format", meaning a 90-minute chromium oxide cassette. "D" stands for"digital format", meaning a standard audio compact disc, typically with a 80-minute upper limit. Following each of those letters will be a volume number, colon and track number. The format code ends with a letter A through T which stands for the line-up of the band playing that particular track. I've largely ignored video sources in the hopes that someone can compile a comprehensive theoretical DVD with every video document prior to the 2006 concert video. This compilation is intended to be more of an over view.

.....The Purple Knif Show was broadcast from a Hollywood radio station in July, 1984. Lux Interior sat in as a guest DJ for an hour, temporarily renaming the show "Purple Knif"after an expression used by a childhood hero, midwestern TV horror show host Ghoulardi. ('Knif' is just 'fink' spelled backwards, but was enough to establish a synergy with artist Big Daddy Roth, creator of Rat Fink.) Much of what he played was from the late 1950's and early 1960's and not surprisingly reflected the rockabilly sensibilities he and Ivy brought to the Cramps. (They are or were both fanatic record collectors.) The entire show has been sold on CD several times from a variety of labels in different territories. My own copy is from Munster Records (MR CD 151, 1999) but was licensed from Skydog (CD 62 246 2).

.....Because this post is going to be unusually long, I'm going to post the band line-ups A-T on a subsequent post.

1. [T1:01/D1:01-Lux] 0:34 Introduction, probably from VACD TRADEMARK OF QUALITY VOLUME 3 Warner Bros. PRO-CD 7206 (US) 1994 and currently available on the 2001 Vengeance edition of BIG BEAT FROM BADSVILLE as the introduction to "CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHOCAT".
2. [T1:02/D1:02-A] 1:15 LUX'S BLUES - From rehearsals, Summer 1976 {*}.
3. [T1:03/D1:03-A] 2:57 SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK (adapted from Dwight Pullen and "FAT BACK" by Link Wray; also attributed to James Noble) - From rehearsals, Summer 1976 {*}.
4. [T1:04/D1:04-B] 3:11 I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF - Recorded live at Max's Kansas City, NYC Jan. 14, 1977 {*}.
5. [T1:05/D1:05-B] 2:34 I'M CRAMPED (The Cramps) - Recorded live at Max's Kansas City, NYC Jan. 14, 1977 {*}.
6. [T1:06/D1:06-C] 5:08 SURFIN' BIRD (Sonny Harris, Turner White, Carl White, Al Frazier) - A-side 7" Vengeance 666(US) 04/78.
7. [T1:07/D1:07-C] 2:43 THE WAY I WALK (Jack Scott) - B-side 7" Vengeance 666(US) 04/78.
8. [T1:08/D1:08-C] 2:15 HUMAN FLY - A-side 7" Vengeance 668(US) 11/78.
9. [T1:09/D1:09-C] 3:09 DOMINO (Sam Phillips) - B-side 7" Vengeance 668(US) 11/78.
10. [T1:10/D1:10-C] 3:16 LONESOME TOWN (Thomas Knight) - This outtake was recorded Oct. 1977 with the two singles above but not released until the EP GRAVEST HITS and is now on the compilation OFF THE BONE.
11. [T1:11/D1:11-C] 3:01 RED HEADED WOMAN (Sonny Burgess) - Recorded with James Luther Dickinson in Oct. 1977 during the same excursion to Memphis but in a different studio from the singles session. Dickinson's project wasn't completed but this eventually surfaced on VALP ROCKABILLY PSYCHOSIS AND THE GARAGE DISEASE Big Beat WIK18 (UK) 06/84.
12. [T1:12/D1:12-C] 3:01 WHAT'S BEHIND THE MASK? - Recorded live at CBGB's, NYC Jan. 13, 1978 and first released on the promotional LP FRANK FURTER AND THE HOT DOGS Medicine/WB PROA-6736 (US) 12/10/93 {*}.
13. [T1:13/D1:13-C] 3:02 BABY BLUE ROCK [early version of DRUG TRAIN] - (see above)
14. [T1:14/D1:14-C] 2:54 SUBWIRE DESIRE [aka UNDER THE WIRES] - (see above)
15. [T1:15/D1:15-C] 2:31 TWIST AND SHOUT [early version of DRUG TRAIN] - Demo produced by Alex Chilton, probably from Ohio in July 1979. Commonly found as a bonus track on the CD for SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US.
16. [T1:16/D1:16-C] 2:39 MYSTERY PLANE (original mix) - This may have been the version on the B-side of a known test pressing in Dec. 1979 coupled with the original mix of "GARBAGE MAN". The entire first album was remixed and the planned single was cancelled, but this track was also a bonus track on the CD for SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US.
17. [T2:01/D1:17-C] 3:27 FEVER (John Davenport, Eddie Cooley)(edited) - A-side 7" Illegal ILS 0017 (UK) 03/80. This 7" edit is not available on CD. The album edit is 4:16 and will easily fit on the CD configuration here.
18. [T2:02/D1:18-C] 3:32 GARBAGE MAN - B-side 7" Illegal ILS 0017 (UK) 03/80 and A-side 7" I.R.S. IR9014 (US) 05/80.
19. [T2:03/D1:19-C] 3:12 TV SET - A French B-side and US compilation BAD MUSIC FOR BAD PEOPLE. Most commonly found on LP SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US I.R.S. SP007 (US) 04/80.
20. [T2:04/D1:20-C] 1:55 ZOMBIE DANCE - From LP SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US I.R.S. SP007 (US) 04/80.
21. [T2:05/D1:21-C] 3:47 MAD DADDY - From LP SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US I.R.S. SP007 (US) 04/80.
22. [T2:06/D1:22-C] 1:47 ROCK ON THE MOON ("Burden"; also credited to Jimmy Stewart) - From LP SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US I.R.S. SP007 (US) 04/80.
23. [T2:07/D1:23-Lux] 0:15 (PK excerpt) "THE DE-LUX EDITION OF THE NIGHT TRAIN"
24. [T2:08/D1:24-C] 2:38 DRUG TRAIN - B-side 7" I.R.S. IR9014 (US) 05/80 and A-side 7" Illegal ILS 0021 (UK) 09/80.
25. [T2:09/D1:25-C] 2:02 LOVE ME (Marty Lott) - B-side 7" Illegal ILS 0021 (UK) 09/80.
26. [T2:10/D1:26-C] 2:43 I CAN'T HARDLY STAND IT (Charlie Feathers, Jody Christian, Jerry Huffman) - B-side 7" Illegal ILS 0021 (UK) 09/80.
27. [T2:11/D1:27-C] 2:28 URANIUM ROCK (Warren Smith) - From VA2LP I.R.S. GREATEST HITS VOLUMES 2&3 I.R.S. SP70800 (US) 01/81. This is more commonly found on the US compilation BAD MUSIC FOR BAD PEOPLE and some later editions of OFF THE BONE.
28. [T2:12/D1:28-D] 3:59 TEAR IT UP (Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette, Paul Burlison) - Live recording from VA2LP URGH! A MUSIC WAR A&M SP6019 (US) 05/81.
29. [T2:13/D2:01-E] 3:32 PRIMITIVE (Steven Venet and The Groupies [Norman Desrosiers, Pete Hendleman, Ronnie Peters, Gordon McLoren and Bobby Cortez]) - From LP PSYCHEDELIC JUNGLE I.R.S. SP70016 (US) 04/81. This is also the only track from the rare promo-only compilation A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CRAMPS that hadn't made it onto the first draft of this theoretical boxed set. I had originally tried to emphasize original compositions when selecting representative album tracks since covers were already inevitable among the singles.
30. [T2:14/D2:02-E] 2:49 ROCKIN' BONES (Jack Rhodes, Don Carter, Dub Nalls) - From LP PSYCHEDELIC JUNGLE I.R.S. SP70016 (US) 04/81.
31. [T2:15/D2:03-E] 2:04 DON'T EAT STUFF OFF THE SIDEWALK - From LP PSYCHEDELIC JUNGLE I.R.S. SP70016 (US) 04/81.
32. [T2:16/D2:04-E] 3:59 BEAUTIFUL GARDENS - From LP PSYCHEDELIC JUNGLE I.R.S. SP70016 (US) 04/81.
33. [T3:01/D2:05-E] 3:07 GOO GOO MUCK (Ronnie Cook, Ed James) - A-side 7" I.R.S. IR9021 (US) 05/81.
34. [T3:02/D2:06-E] 3:17 SHE SAID (Hasil Adkins) - B-side 7" I.R.S. IR9021 (US) 05/81.
35. [T3:03/D2:07-E] 1:48 THE CRUSHER (Bob Nolan) - A-side 12" I.R.S. PFSX 1008 (UK) 09/81.
36. [T3:04/D2:08-E] 2:57 SAVE IT (Mel Robbins, Mary Biggs) - B-side 12" I.R.S. PFSX 1008 (UK) 09/81.
37. [T3:05/D2:09-E] 3:32 NEW KIND OF KICK - B-side 12" I.R.S. PFSX 1008 (UK) 09/81.
38. [T3:06/D2:10-E] 1:50 RUMBLE BLUES (Milt Grant, Link Wray) - From rehearsal at Modern Music Studio, Hollywood,CA in Fall, 1981 {*}.
39. [T3:07/D2:11-F] 3:03 SOMETIMES GOOD GUYS DON'T WEAR WHITE (Ed Cobb) - Recorded live in Seattle, WA May 20, 1982.
40. [T3:08/D2:12-F] 2:11 I'M FIVE YEARS AHEAD OF MY TIME (Rusty Evans, Victoria Pike) - From secretly recorded demos, probably recorded Oct. 1982 {*}.
41. [T3:09/D2:13-F] 4:36 CALL OF THE WIGHAT - (see above)
42. [T3:10/D2:14-E] 3:03 THEE MOST EXALTED POTENTATE OF LOVE - From EP SMELL OF FEMALE Enigma 21 (US) 1/83.
43. [T3:11/D2:15-E] 2:31 {2:47 on LP} FASTER PUSSYCAT (Bert Schefter) - A-side 7" New Rose NEW28 (France) 02/84. The single edits for these four songs are not commonly available on CD (for details please read the Livejournal entries from Feb. and Mar. 2011, also posted under the name pblfsda). The slightly longer edits from the Vengeance CD for SMELL OF FEMALE are included in brackets and the total additional time, should you choose to employ them in assembling this compilation, is only 0:42 and should not exceed the time limits of either format.
44. [T3:12/D2:16-E] 3:21 {3:33 on LP} YOU GOT GOOD TASTE - B-side 7" New Rose NEW28 (France) 02/84.
45. [T3:13/D2:17-E] 3:02 {3:16 on LP} I AIN'T NOTHING BUT A GOREHOUND - A-side 7" New Rose NEW33 (France) 02/84.
46. [T3:14/D2:18-E] 2:33 {not on LP} WEEKEND ON MARS - B-side 7" New Rose NEW33 (France) 02/84.
47. [T3:15/D2:19-G] 4:12 SURFIN' DEAD (Ivy Rorschach, Lux Interior, Nick Knox) - From VALP RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD Enigma 72004-1 (US) 06/85.
48. [T4:01/D2:20-G] 3:19 CAN YOUR PUSSY DO THE DOG? - A-side 7" Big Beat NS110 (UK) 11/85 and A-side 7" New Rose NEW66 (France) 11/85.
49. [T4:02/D2:21-G] 2:39 BLUE MOON BABY (Meridan?, Satalsky, Rowe) - B-side Big Beat NS110 (UK) 11/85. By most accounts this was originally recorded by Dave Diddle Day, but I've found conflicting songwriting credits, none of which include first names. In at least one case, Satalsky's name was spelled "Sétalsky".
50. [T4:03/D2:22-G] 3:20 GEORGIA LEE BROWN (Hafner, Zinn, Hafner) - B-side New Rose NEW66 (France) 11/85.
51. [T4:04/D2:23-G] 2:36 ALOHA FROM HELL - From LP A DATE WITH ELVIS Big Beat WIKA 46 (UK) 02/86.
52. [T4:05/D2:24-G] 3:18 THE HOT PEARL SNATCH - From LP A DATE WITH ELVIS Big Beat WIKA 46 (UK) 02/86.
53. [T4:06/D2:25-G] 3:47 PEOPLE AIN'T NO GOOD - From LP A DATE WITH ELVIS Big Beat WIKA 46 (UK) 02/86. Improbably, this one is performed with The McMartin Preschool Choir. And the title is not ironic.
54. [T4:07/D3:01-G] 3:23 WHAT'S INSIDE A GIRL? - A-side 7" Big Beat NS115 (UK) 04/86.
55. [T4:08/D3:02-G] 3:12 GET OFF THE ROAD (Herschell Lewis) - B-side 12" Big Beat NST115 (UK) 04/86.
56. [T4:09/D3:03-G] 2:26 GIVE ME A WOMAN (Willie Jacobs) - B-side 7" Big Beat NS115 (UK) 04/86 and above.
57. [T4:10/D3:04-G] 3:02 KIZMIAZ - A-side 7" New Rose NEW71 (France) 06/86.
58. [T4:11/D3:05-G] 4:11 HOW FAR CAN TOO FAR GO? - B-side 7" New Rose FREE7 (France) Spring 1986. This album track was the flip of the promotional copy of "KIZMIAZ". The stock copies of the 7" and 12" used the B-sides from the UK "WHAT'S INSIDE A GIRL?" singles.
59. [T4:12/D3:06-I] 4:50 CORNFED DAMES (based on the novel by Dave Stuckey) - Recorded live at The Galaxy, Aukland, NZ on August 30, 1986. From LP ROCKINNREELININAUKLANDNEWZEALANDXXX Vengeance 669 (US) 09/87.
60. [T4:13/D3:07-Lux] 0:07 (PK excerpt) "OO-WEE-AHH, LISTEN TO THAT CLICKIN'; TIE ON THEIR BIB NOW AND LET'S HAVE SOME CHICKEN." This is a tough edit, but worth it. Lux interjected this snippet into the play order while guest DJ-ing as an introduction to the original version (by The Spark Plugs) of the next song.
61. [T4:14/D3:08-I] 1:37 CHICKEN (Traditional, arranged by IR/LI)(live) - From the same source as "CORNFED DAMES".
62. [T4:15/D3:09-I] 2:44 DO THE CLAM (Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, Delores Fuller)(live) - From the same source as "CORNFED DAMES".

.....I'm going to cut off here at the half-way point and continue tomorrow. This project is so overdue that I'm anxious to let people to know I haven't abandoned it.

[Posted November 16, 2011 after editing and revision.]

V04-T15 Seven Deadly Finns

.....In the previous post I said something along the lines that I never met a pun I didn't like.

Eno - Seven Deadly Finns - album cover">

Volume 4: "THE LITTLE BROWN ONES ARE THORAZINE, GEORGE", track 15

• 03:11 "SEVEN DEADLY FINNS" (Brian Eno)
• performed by Brian Eno
• original source: A-side 7" Island WIP 6178 (UK) 03/74
• and my source: 3CD BRIAN ENO II: VOCAL Virgin ENOBX 2 (72438 39114 2 4) (UK) 11/93

.....[NOTE: Virgin is one of many labels that gives individual product codes to each disc in its multi-disc sets. The code above that follows the 3CD box catalog number identifies the set. The song is from the first disc, 72438 39115 2 3.]

.....From my notes in 1994: "Of course, the song is a joke about Finnish sailors so promiscuous that they'd contracted countless venereal diseases and become 'deadly'. Today the song wouldn't be a joke-- promiscuity is no longer necessary. Thus, this little non-album track has become a quaint reminder of a (relatively) more innocent past in spite of itself."

....."For a recording that's made the rounds as often as this one, it's damned difficult to come by. Released as a single in England on Island (not a conglomerate, but they carried Roxy Music, Bob Marley, Traffic and other big sellers in England), but not in the US." In 1982, "JEM distributors issued an E'G artists compilation, including Eno, King Crimson and various ambient or art rock performers. 'SEVEN DEADLY FINNS' was used, but... it was a radio-promo only album to acquaint out-of-it radio programmers in the US with material that JEM was reissuing (in some cases the albums were US debuts). I was lucky enough to find a used copy and and enjoyed it for a few years. It was not, however the source for this compilation." Later, "in 1984, it was reissued on an EP of rarities. Unfortunately the EP was only available in a boxed set with ten albums entitled WORKING BACKWARDS 1983-1973." That was also not the source I used. "That would be the fourth configuration, but the first on CD. The minute I saw it (marked down on sale!) I had to have it: ENO II: VOCAL, a three-CD import box. Much of the material I already had, on inferior sounding JEM CD's mostly. I had been reading about the box (and its counterpart, a three-CD box of instrumental and ambient music) for months, annoying salespeople with questions about it (do you have an arrival date? what will it cost?) for weeks until it showed up. The actual item turned out to be uninspired programming in a disarmingly beautiful package. The package you'd have to see (and feel) for yourself. To illustrate what I mean about the programming: the entire second CD is drawn from two albums already available on disc; the songs appear in their original track order, remastered but not remixed, with only a few songs missing, among them one of my personal favorites. My question is this: why reproduce so much of any album and fall short of reproducing the entire album for the sake of two or three songs? Keep in mind that these albums, good as they are, were drawn from to the neglect of some sources and the omission of others. That would be acceptable in a budget compilation, but not in a career retrospective. I could do a better job. And I'm going to (maybe in 1995). So in the meantime, enjoy this deadly seven-incher."

.....I never made that Eno retrospective. In 1995 I moved and then moved again a year later. It was a situation that split large chunks of my collection. At any given time it was in at least three different cities. For an artist like Eno, who does so much in collaboration, a serious career retrospective would include a ton of material released by other artists and I never had it all in one place at one time. For more on him, check out the enoweb link on the right, which didn't exist back then.

.....You may also have noticed that the second paragraph of quoted material is fragmented. That's largely due to an error in the original that I didn't want to perpetuate. The reference to the "radio-only promo" is more complicated. What I have is LP FIRST EDITION Editions E'G EGED 15 (US) 1982, and I have a promo-only copy. A similar album was released commercially in England. It had the same title and jacket art but three songs were different and it didn't include "SEVEN DEADLY FINNS". There are further details on that version on the blog Version Crazy. I think the page is:

http://www.versioncrazy.com/2008/01/31/compilation-lp-first-edition-eg-records-1982/

.....I was led to believe that the US edition followed WORKING BACKWARDS 1983-1973 but I can't remember why. The editing I did above amounts to changing the order of the quotes and the corresponding syntax. Otherwise it's my thoughts at the time. I hope to post again Friday.

V04-T12 Pinheads On The Move

.....For anybody who remembers Bill Griffith's "The Punks and the Monks"...

Volume 4: "THE LITTLE BROWN ONES ARE THORAZINE, GEORGE", track 12

• 02:51 "PINHEADS ON THE MOVE" (Blaine Reininger, Steven Brown)
• performed by Tuxedo Moon
• original source: B-side 7" Tidal Wave Records TWR101 (US) 1978
• and my source: CD PINHEADS ON THE MOVE Cramboy CBOY 5050CD (Austria) 1987

.....Tuxedo Moon would be more accurately categorized as avant garde jazz rather than punk if not for the fact that they played punk venues like The Deaf Club and released records on small independent labels to retain creative control. I could only find one other release on Tidal Wave Records, another 7" from one of several bands called SST, except that this one had the guitarist for Flipper (Ted Falconi). The Tuxedo Moon single was reissued the following year as Time Release Records TR 101 (US) 1979. I have to assume that the same recordings of each song were used and not newly recorded. I have learned that at some point the master tapes were destroyed in a fire. I've also found out that there are at least two other labels called Tidal Wave that were started since 1990, but that's more of a symptom of the problems of modern data retrieval than anything illuminating. An internet term search is such that its greatest strength (it doesn't presume to know your intentions) is its greatest weakness (it just gives you everything). Your best bet is to be happy with whatever the creators can tell you. For instance, here's an interview with Steven Brown from the blog Totally Wired:

http://totallywiredbysimonreynolds.blogspot.com/2009/03/totally-wired-runner-up-transcripts-1-q.html

.....Granted, he also doesn't mention if the two pressings were identical because it's more of a general interview about the period, but it's nice to have someone confirm that the 'pinhead' term is self-referential. That's not the sort of thing you want to assume.

.....My original liner notes began with a lengthy and ugly diatribe about Los Angeles pseudo-punk bands which, while I still believe it was an accurate description of the time, is a little indulgent even for a blog. It only really served to set the tone for this:

"San Francisco bands, by contrast, tend to have a lot more focus and direction and are usually in a band not to obtain money, but to obtain what money can't. They are often political (Dils, Dead Kennedys) and, as with Tuxedo Moon, their music is not derivative even if it is reminiscent of an earlier band or evocative. Tuxedo Moon specifically were a band that evolved...very quickly. Actually, 'evolved' is probably exactly the wrong word to use, since the changes were not due to environment or outside forces. 'Metamorphosed' is more accurate, as in a cocoon. They seemed more attuned to the internal coherences of film music than the dreck coming over the radio in the late seventies. They obviously weren't concerned with audience feedback."

.....And it goes on:"Although a track like this is no doubt scandalous to the condescending and sanctimonious self-appointed advocates of 'the handicapped', the fact is that such people have themselves never produced a positive popular image of microcephalics (pinheads) and would blanche at the suggestion that a group of pins be 'allowed' to do anything as independent and self-directed as pile into a car and drive to L.A. ("Are you really Clark Gable?...") This, much more than any 'energetic rhythms' you may read about in some Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Top Lists of Things We Can Be Bothered To Half-ass Recall Encyclopedia of Rock 'N' Roll is why punk held on as long as it did, even with small numbers that would spell doom had it only been a fad. The idea of pinheads on the move comes much more naturally to a culture where everyone is a hero if that's what they want and nobody gets hidden away in the shadows, as opposed to our larger popular culture where certain persons are determined to need 'our help', which usually translates to restricting them to a structured environment so that we don't have to look at them. The Tod Browning film "Freaks" is strongly recommended viewing."

.....At the time I wrote that last paragraph, things had already been improving for people with non-standard bodies and abilities. It was really intended to describe the environment at the time the original single was released in 1978. Understanding was a long time in coming for many people and many didn't live long enough to see it. Today things are that much better, largely due to the efforts of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who, if faced with the prospect of a group of microcephalics piling into a car for a road trip, probably would have packed them a lunch. Hell, she probably would have piled in with them. The most revolutionary thing about Eunice is that she understood that what she was doing wasn't revolutionary at all. It was basic Emily Post. Whenever you can't remember the finer points of etiquette or are in an unfamiliar situation, default to the primary rule of treating other people as you wish to be treated. Now all that remains is to remember that those who are not us are people.

Hüsker Dü "...Means 'Do You Remember?'"

.....Happy Record Store Day! Vinyl has been making a bit of a comeback in recent years and no one has been more surprised than the retailers who sell it. In retrospect it makes a perverse kind of sense that a generation who grew up downloading music for free would be mystified that there is a format out there that isn't even capable of supporting anti-copying encryption. Not only that, but there's tons-- literally tons-- of back catalog being sold by the pound in thrift stores and yard sales all over the world. It hardly matters that it can't be transported if you can transfer it to an iPod or other device. In fact, if you're accustomed to listening to the AM radio-like flatness of an MP3 signal, then the old bugaboo of surface noise is probably a non-issue as well.

.....This blog started about a month after last year's Record Store Day, so I never really referenced it. I didn't want to just pass it by, even though the blog is about a series of cassettes that weren't compiled for retail purposes. The fact is, many of the songs I've blogged about (and will continue to, trust me) made their way onto the tapes because I could only find them on vinyl (or flexis) and wanted to make them more portable and accessible. Record stores, including those that sold used (well, especially those that sold used), were an irreplaceable source for those. Finding new music you might like is infinitely easier if you can spot a familiar name in the liner notes or jacket credits while browsing in a store. Electronic sources often don't include liner notes and those that do only reveal them after loading times which, no matter how powerful your computer is, can't compare to the ease of holding something and flipping it over.

.....So, how to celebrate records with just one day's blog? Well, I could always renew my call to reissue the Giorno Poetry Systems catalog on CD. There's fewer than 100 vinyl titles total, maybe no more than 60 or 70, yet less than a dozen have made it to CD. Because their excellent anthologies always contained otherwise unavailable recordings by both famous and obscure artists, I routinely consulted my sparse collection of GPS titles when planning a career retrospective tape or looking for some kind of change of pace track for a 'various artists' tape. If reconfigured, the entire label might fit on 40 CD's, and many of them could be devoted to single artists. There are some musicians who have larger catalogs than that just by themselves (Zappa and Bowie come to mind). Many more artists only appeared sparingly. Some had recording commitments elsewhere, some generally worked in other media. One of the many bigger names to make a rare visit was Hüsker Dü.

.....Warner Brothers is issuing a special "Side By Side" vinyl single for Record Store Day that will pair Green Day's last-decade cover of "DON'T WANT TO KNOW IF YOU ARE LONELY" with the Hüsker Dü original on it's silver anniversary. My hair turned a little more silver when I heard that one. Since Green Day probably has fans who weren't born when that song came out, maybe I should share a crash course on Hüsker Dü in the form of a compilation program. It could be timely; Bob Mould just appeared in a Foo Fighters documentary in which he's seen contributing vocals to the recording of their recently released album. They've been hitting the talk show circuit pretty aggressively, so it's not impossible that Bob's name and his old band might pop up. Weirdly, the FF's appeared on the Daily Show without dropping his name (Mould wrote and performed the familiar Daily Show theme music). I'm not certain when I put this compilation together, but I can confirm that it was after the last of the "So, What Kind..." cassettes. (For what it's worth, the previously posted Cramps compilation was probably put together at the time I was finishing the tape with Volumes 3 and 4.) I'll put it at ten years ago. So, gather all the spiky-haired grandkids around, here we go...

.....For the uninitiated, Hüsker Dü was three people:

• [M]= Bob Mould: Guitar and vocals
• [N]= Greg Norton: Bass and vocals
• [H]= Grant Hart: Drums and vocals

.....I'll use those initials for songwriting credits. Anyone unfamiliar with my format notation will find a helpful key at the bottom of the page. My apologies to anyone using automated translating software to read this, since my use of abbreviations might confuse the software. I can only suggest first reading this verbiage in your own language, then reverting the page to English so that the notation will remain unaltered. The compilation was made with two 90-minute cassettes. I'm going to precede each track with an alpha-numeric. If this compilation had ever been pressed on vinyl, the letter would represent the 'side' and the number would represent the track. Every two vinyl 'sides' complete one side of the cassettes. After listing the programs, I'll suggest configurations for CD formats.

....."Everyone Is An Authority"

• [A01] 01:57 DO YOU REMEMBER? (M)
• .....demo recorded live by Bill Bruce in a St. Paul Basement, 1980
• [A02] 04:54 AMUSEMENT (M)
• .....B-side 7" Reflex [no#] Recorded live by Terry Katzman at Duffy's, Minneapolis, October 1980
• [A03] 04:33 STATUES (H)
• .....A-side 7" Reflex [no#] Recorded at Blackberry Way, Minneapolis, 1980
• [A04] 01:53 LET'S GO DIE (N)
• .....outtake from "Statues" sessions
• [A05] 02:02 ALL TENSED UP (M/N/H)
• [A06] 00:54 GUNS AT MY SCHOOL (M/N/H)
• [A07] 01:50 DO THE BEE (M/N/H)
• .....from mini-LP "Land Speed Record" New Alliance Records NAR007 (US?) 1981
• [A08] 02:52 IN A FREE LAND (M)
• [A09] 01:15 WHAT DO I WANT? (H)
• [A10] 01:11 M.I.C. (M)
• .....7" New Alliance Records NAR010 (US) 05/82
• [B01] 01:40 FROM THE GUT (M/N)
• [B02] 02:14 EVERYTHING FALLS APART (M)
• [B03] 01:42 TARGET (M)
• [B04] 00:30 PUNCH DRUNK (M)
• [B05] 01:24 AFRAID OF BEING WRONG (M)
• .....from mini-LP "Everything Falls Apart" Reflex [no#] (US) 01/83
• [B06] 02:25 REAL WORLD (M)
• [B07] 04:40 DIANE (H)
• .....from EP "Metal Circus" SST Records SST020 (US) 12/83
• [B08] 01:59 WON'T CHANGE (?)
• .....an outtake from the "Metal Circus" sessions, recorded 01/83
• .....from VALP "A Diamond Hidden In The Mouth Of A Corpse" Giorno Poetry Systems GPS035 (US/C) 1985
• [B09] 03:56 EIGHT MILES HIGH (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby)
• [B10] 02:54 MASOCHISM WORLD (H/M)
• .....7" SST Records SST025 (US) 04/84

....."All The Ways Of Communicating"

• [C01] 00:47 ONE STEP AT A TIME (M/H)
• [C02] 03:58 WHATEVER (M)
• [C03] 04:27 WHAT'S GOING ON? (H)
• .....demos recorded Summer 1983
• [C04] 01:24 GRANTED (?)
• [C05] 02:08 SOME KIND OF FUN (?)
• [C06] 03:12 DOZEN BEATS ELEVEN (?)
• .....outtakes prior to "Zen Arcade" Sessions, recorded Fall 1983
• [C07] 01:41 NEVER TALKING TO YOU AGAIN (H)
• [C08] 02:03 THE BIGGEST LIE (M)
• [C09] 02:32 SOMEWHERE (M/H)
• [D01] 00:54 MONDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME (M)
• [D02] 02:43 PINK TURNS TO BLUE (H)
• [D03] 04:28 TURN ON THE NEWS (H)
• .....from 2LP "Zen Arcade" SST Records SST027 (US) 07/84
• [D04] 04:03 CELEBRATED SUMMER (M)
• [D05] 03:05 THE GIRL WHO LIVES ON HEAVEN HILL (H)
• [D06] 02:48 BOOKS ABOUT UFO'S (H)
• [D07] 02:08 IF I TOLD YOU (H/M)
• [D08] 02:34 NEW DAY RISING (M/Hüsker Dü)
• .....from LP "New Day Rising" SST Records SST031 (US) 01/85
• [D09] 01:40 ERASE TODAY (?)
• .....outtake from the "New Day Rising" sessions, recorded 07/84
• .....from VALP "The Blasting Concept Vol. II" SST Records SST043 (US) 1986

....."All This We've Done For You"

• [E01] 05:06 HELTER SKELTER (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
• .....recorded live at 1st Ave., Minneapolis on 01/30/85
• .....B-side 12" Warner Bros. 9 20446-0 A (US) 02/86
• [E02] 02:42 MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL (M)
• [E03] 01:46 LOVE IS ALL AROUND (Sonny Curtis)
• .....7" SST Records SST051 (US) 08/86
• [E04] 03:03 FLEXIBLE FLYER (H)
• [E05] 02:46 HATE PAPER DOLL (M)
• [E06] 02:36 FLIP YOUR WIG (M)
• .....from LP "Flip Your Wig" SST Records SST055 (US) 09/85
• [E07] 02:43 TICKET TO RIDE (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
• .....recorded live at 1st Ave., Minneapolis on 01/30/85
• .....from VA7"EP "NME's Big Four" NME GIV3 (UK) 02/86
• [E08] 03:29 DON'T WANT TO KNOW IF YOU ARE LONELY (H)
• .....A-side 12" Warner Bros. 9 20446-0 A (US) 02/86
• [F01] 08:24 ALL WORK AND NO PLAY (M)
• .....B-side 12" Warner Bros. 9 20446-0 A (US) 02/86
• [F02] 06:07 HARDLY GETTING OVER IT (M)
• .....from LP "Candy Apple Grey" Warner Bros. 9 25385-1 (US) 03/86
• [F03] 04:27 SORRY SOMEHOW (H)
• [F04] 03:09 ALL THIS I'VE DONE FOR YOU (M)
• .....7" Warner Bros. W8612 (UK) 09/86

....."Coming Back For The Sake Of Retrieving"

• [G01] 02:39 COULD YOU BE THE ONE? (M)
• .....A-side 12" Warner Bros. W8456T (UK) 01/87
• [G02] 01:28 [track A2, introduces members and double LP]
• .....from 2LP "The Warehouse Interview" Warner Bros. Music Show WBMS145 (US) 1987
• [G03] 02:47 EVERYTIME (N)
• [G04] 03:13 CHARITY, CHASTITY, PRUDENCE & HOPE (H)
• .....B-side 12" Warner Bros. W8456T (UK) 01/87
• [G05] 03:20 FRIEND, YOU'VE GOT TO FALL (M)
• [G06] 03:33 SHE FLOATED AWAY (H)
• .....from 2LP "Warehouse: Songs And Stories" Warner Bros. 9 25544-1 (US) 01/87
• [G07] 01:25 [track D5, losing your mind on tour]
• .....from 2LP "The Warehouse Interview" Warner Bros. Music Show WBMS145 (US) 1987
• [G08] 04:22 ICE COLD ICE (M)
• .....A-side 7" Warner Bros. W8276 (UK) 06/87
• [H01] 02:34 [track B1, regarding printed lyrics]
• .....from 2LP "The Warehouse Interview" Warner Bros. Music Show WBMS145 (US) 1987
• [H02] 08:51 HARE KRSNA (H/M/N)
• .....from promo-only compilation CD "Do You Remember?" Warner Bros. PRO-CD 6853 (US) 1994
• [H03] 02:47 AIN'T NO WATER IN THE WELL (M)
• [H04] 02:11 IT'S NOT FUNNY ANYMORE (H)
• [H05] 03:22 NOW THAT YOU KNOW ME (H)
• [H06] 02:25 BACK FROM SOMEWHERE (H)
• .....from CD "The Living End" Warner Bros. 9 45582-2 (US) 04/94
• [H07] 01:30 [track C2, assessing your own work]
• .....from 2LP "The Warehouse Interview" Warner Bros. Music Show WBMS145 (US) 1987

.....There are no songwriting credits for the interview segments, obviously. For more information on the band, I recommend the link on the right side of the screen. Now, that's a proper discography.

.....Earlier I promised recommended CD configurations for those of you playing at home. Here they are:

1. CD1: Use tracks A(all), B(all) and C01-C06
2. CD2: Use tracks C07-C09, D(all), E(all) and F01
3. CD3: Use tracks F02-F04, G(all) and H(all)

.....Most of the singles can be found on the albums. There should have been a comprehensive boxed set for the group years ago, but due to their catalog being almost evenly split between SST and Warner Bros., that's not likely to happen in my lifetime. What should be made available is a CD collecting all the Warner Bros. non-album tracks. I think some of those songs have never been released in their native U.S., let alone on disc. 90% of what's here should be readily available with a little hunting, though.

The Cramps "Highlights For Lowlifes"

.....From February 17th to March 9th of this year I laid out a pretty extensive discography of the band The Cramps on my Livejournal page (also under the name pblfsda) with the intention of picking from it 2 to 3 hours of songs to compile into a definitive career retrospective and replace a well-worn and well-loved cassette compilation I put together in the mid 1990's. (See the previous post on this blog for details.)

.....My plans were to return to each of my blogs in turn and slowly get them back onto some semblance of a schedule. This one would complete Volume 4 (interrupted some time late January), then give my progress report on the new compilation before beginning posts for Volume 5 in April. Unrelated news preoccupied me elsewhere and none of that happened. To keep a toe in I'm going to fill a request from a comment on the previous post and give the track listing for that earlier first edition of the Cramps compilation. It was compiled before the release of FLAMEJOB (I think) and only goes as far as 1991. Also, as I posted a couple months ago, it omits "JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF A GIRL" and some others for reasons a new compilation should make moot. In spite of everything else, it makes for great listening:

....."HIGHLIGHTS FOR LOWLIFES" Side A

05:07 SURFIN' BIRD (Sonny Harris, Turner Wilson, Carl White, Al Frazier)

----- A-side 7" Vengeance 666 (US) 04/78

02:15 HUMAN FLY

----- A-side 7" Vengeance 668 (US) 11/78

03:01 RED HEADED WOMAN (Sonny Burgess) [backing James Luther Dickinson 10/77]

----- from VALP ROCKABILLY PSYCHOSIS AND THE GARAGE DISEASE Big Beat WIK18 (UK) 06/84

02:41 MYSTERY PLANE (original mix)

----- unreleased B-side scheduled for 12/79

03:12 TV SET

----- from LP SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US I.R.S. SP007 (US) 04/80

03:37 GARBAGE MAN

----- A-side 7" I.R.S. IR9014 (US) 05/80

02:36 DRUG TRAIN

----- A-side 7" Illegal ILS0021 (UK) 09/80

02:27 URANIUM ROCK (Warren Smith)

----- from VA2LP I.R.S. GREATEST HITS VOLUMES 2&3 I.R.S. SP70800 (US) 01/81

03:59 TEAR IT UP (Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette, Paul Burlison)

----- from VA2LP URGH! A MUSIC WAR A&M SP6019 (US) 05/81

02:49 ROCKIN' BONES (Jack Rhodes, Don Carter, Dub Nalls)

----- from LP PSYCHEDELIC JUNGLE I.R.S. SP70016 (US) 04/81

03:05 GOO GOO MUCK (Ronnie Cook, Ed James)

----- A-side 7" I.R.S. IR9021 (US) 05/81

01:48 THE CRUSHER (Bob Nolan)

----- A-side 12" I.R.S. PFSX1008 (UK) 09/81

03:31 NEW KIND OF KICK

----- B-side 12" I.R.S. PFSX1008 (UK) 09/81

02:48 FASTER PUSSYCAT (Bert Schefter)

----- A-side 7" New Rose NEW 28 (France) 02/84

03:16 I AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A GORE HOUND

----- A-side 7" New Rose NEW 33 (France) 04/84

....."HIGHLIGHTS FOR LOWLIFES" Side B

04:12 SURFIN' DEAD (Ivy Rorschach, Lux Interior, Nick Knox)

----- from VALP RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD [OMPS] Enigma 72004-1 (US) 06/85

03:21 CAN YOUR PUSSY DO THE DOG?

----- A-side 7" Big Beat NS110 (UK) 11/85

02:41 BLUE MOON BABY (Satalsky and Rowe?)

----- B-side 7" Big Beat NS110 (UK) 11/85

03:22 WHAT'S INSIDE A GIRL?

----- A-side 7" Big Beat NS115 (UK) 04/86

03:13 GET OFF THE ROAD (Herschell Lewis)

----- B-side 12" Big Beat NST115 (UK) 04/86

03:01 KIZMIAZ

----- A-side 7" New Rose NEW71 (France) 06/86

03:18 BIKINI GIRLS WITH MACHINE GUNS

----- A-side 7" Enigma ENV17 (UK) 01/90

02:31 JAILHOUSE ROCK (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)

----- from VA2LP THE LAST TEMPTATION OF ELVIS New Musical Express NME LP038/039 (UK) 02/90

03:09 ALL WOMEN ARE BAD

----- A-side 7" Enigma ENV19 (UK) 03/90

03:04 TEENAGE RAGE (2-track demo)

----- B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV19 (UK) 03/90

03:52 HIGH SCHOOL HELLCATS (2-track demo)

----- B-side 12" Enigma 12ENV19 (UK) 03/90

03:13 CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LEATHER LAGOON

----- A-side 7" Enigma ENV22 (UK) 08/90

03:21 EYEBALL IN MY MARTINI

----- A-side 7" Big Beat NS135 (UK) 09/91

04:19 I WANNA GET IN YOUR PANTS

----- B-side 12" Big Beat NST135 (UK) 09/91

All songs not otherwise credited were written by Ivy Rorschach and Lux Interior.

.....All but a handful of these songs are either album tracks or bonus tracks on the Vengeance label CD editions of their albums. Good luck finding the rest, if you want to piece together the tape yourself. Of course, most folks would likely opt to download a slightly shorter selection to burn to CD, so it's just a matter of how much you can find. Or you can wait two months and look at the revised edition here after Volume 4 has finished posting.