The CRAMPS - Human Fly (1978)
16/09/2022
Greetings Children of the Headsound,
Today is the ghoulish splatter platter courtesy of messrs Interior, Rorschach, Knox and Gregory…
Ladeez and Gentlemen, The Cramps!
Their second self-released 7” horror on Vengeance before the collated Gravest Hits 12” of the first two singles.
Minimal is the maximal here.
No frills but plenty of thrills.
Sleazy, but all in good taste.
They made so many covers their own, but when they penned their own tunage, it was everything and more.
Up til A Date With Elvis, they could do absolutely no wrong, and even if their rekkids pailed a little after that, their live shows were still a hootenanny of high value.
Lux was the Mr Hyde to Iggy’s Dr Jekyll, both wanton terrors of the stages far and wide and seemingly as active in older age as in their depraved youth.
Sadly, an Aortic dissection took him away from us at a relatively young 62.
Primo Crampage here guys and gals!
Wash it down with a Black Witch and check out the thought to be long lost promo clip of ghoulish splendour.
Ciao bambinos,
RH X
Wire - Map Ref. 41°N 93°W (1979)
09/09/2022
Good Day to You, Soundheads!
Where to begin with my love of WIRE?
Probably well documented elsewhere enough to get straight to the point.
Many albums have significant effects on our lives, those life changing/affirming motions of time and place.
154 just spun my head.
There’s a lot of others of course, but even for a dyed in the wool fan already after the oblique curiosities of the previous Chairs Missing slab of wonders, 154 brought upon new light and shade.
WIRE play POP!
No, it isn’t a joke.
This is pop, just from another realm.
Post punk had taken a darkish turn with Joy Division, PiL had gone down a dubby Can like route, The Cure were getting more monochrome by the day, agit scratchers Gang of Four lit large angular metallic fires… I could go on.
154 played its cards pretty much right from the start, it went all over the shop, and there’s some choice pop in there.
But this isn’t about histories of 1979.
And it shouldn’t be about albums in a singles column either.
So here it is…
A slice of watery cartography that feels as mysterious today and humming loudly as it did way back when.
One of the reasons where a smallish circular vinyl tablet remains essential, it captures an entity for the few glorious minutes and is gone.
If you had an old style record deck, you could leave the turntable stacking arm open and the record would repeat ad infinitum… those were the days.
The ref is in fact Centreville, Iowa, pretty much the centre of the Midwest in the US fact fans.
It came late in the running order of the album, but was an obvious choice for a major label’s desire for a pop smash, however unusual the context.
You could have chart success with unusual then (sigh), but consequently this did diddly.
Like other fabulous pop fuelled orientations by the group (Outdoor Minor anybody?) it embraces all slices of oddness however you cut them.
WIRE, ladies and gents…
You gotta fucking love them because they still straddle everything and still nobody else sounds like ‘em and never will.
When I Say I’m in Love you Best Believe I Mean I’m in Love L-U-V!
I fucking love WIRE
Goes perfectly with a no frills, straight down the line G&T
have good ones friends!
RH X
Billy Hawks - O Baby (I Do Believe I'm Losing You) (1968)
02/09/2022
Hola Soundheads!
Welcome back me after a week off.
Now this thing ‘ere, is one of those that slays before it’s even hit the vocal.
What a start!
Another sadly, that is as rare as hen’s teeth, due to it originally only being available in France in 1968.
Yep, you heard that right!
Only available elsewhere on the album Heavy Soul.
Reissued later due to its popularity on an Acid Jazzer compilation in the 80’s.
That my friends, is probably one of the greatest crimes in soul history.
I don’t mean the acid jazz connection, although Galliano definitely needed a punch in the face for being a dick.
But I digress…
As you can imagine, I don’t think the French ( god knows how much I love that country ) knew how to take it, rug steppers were few and far between back then and the dear ol’ French were probably still in the thrall of Jazz and Georges Brassens.
Both equally excellent, but let’s face it, even the most hardened be-bop didn’t swagger like this baby-o and Miles was still cooking his bitches brew and it’s pulse never got anywhere near this slammer.
Two albums with his name on them and Billy disappeared.
That my friends, is yet another crime.
So let the organ swirl around you, let the sublime vocal take you there… and listen to those fucking amazing breaks.
Have something painfully alcoholic that might have fruit in it and funk on down to the riverside
Outtasight!
RH X
Shriekback - My Spine is the Bassline (1982)
19/08/2022
Ciao Soundheads,
I trust this hopefully finds you in fine spirits and health.
So, who’d have thunk that you’d have an ex XTC man and an ex Gang Of Four in the same band?
Well, you got it in Shriekback.
Mr Barry Andrews and Mr Dave Allen joined forces and had a go at making some great early singles and albums and did their very very best to avoid any success at all.
At one point, you couldn’t go to any shows and not hear this over the PA whilst awaiting for your favourite pop band to take the stage.
They laid their punk-funk art bock out in the market when fellow Y label funster funkers Pigbag had been riding high in the charts with their skittering joy, but this was far more serious and deep.
Rightly now hailed as ahead of their time ( they most certainly were ) they created density when others had simply had hooks.
Much like A Certain Ratio, there was something else to be had behind the bass baps, but only a few decided to jump on their bus for the ride.
Their output was intense and they knew where they were going but it seems it was often falling on deaf ears.
A lot of it still sounds fresh and innovative and they are very much deserving of a bit more cred.
The refrain of No Guts, No Guns, No Brains At All could be the new GOP scenesters thick fucks Taylor Greene and Boebert’s theme tune.
But I’d write far worse…
Have fun you lot
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!
Burn Motherfuckers
RH X
Four Tops - 7-Rooms Of Gloom (1967)
12/08/2022
Hello Hello Hello Heads of Sound
I trust you are all melting and keeping cool with healthy dashes of spirit alcohol drench with ice.
So, with the passing of the legend that is Lamont Dozier, I felt it only correct to pay tribute to the songwriting genius who had his greatest slabs of majesty sharing the bill with the Holland Brothers.
Prime Motown here with the ever glorious Four Tops and one of my altime favourite soul singers, Levi Stubbs at the helm.
The usual unusual off beat backing as an intro, the trade mark of the songwriting but made flesh by The Funk Brothers.
What I love about this astonishing period of Detroit’s finest, is that there is so much off kilter throw everything in plus the kitchen sink in the arrangements and these slices of gold that never lasted more than three or three and a half minutes actually had chapters.
Fucking chapters!
Such was the craft of these three, they made complete stories that had depth, emotion and killer hooks.
I could have chosen a myriad of entries for this, but I’ve opted for one of the lower key hits for the Tops because it’s simply fucking righteous.
Don’t be put of by the title, because once that backbeat hits, it souls out and rocks at the same time
So sisters and brothers, it’s too fucking hot to even move your arm to lift a drink to your lips, let alone dance.
But enjoy a stonking tunage from one of the very best
So long Lamont.
I grew up with Motown in my life from a very early age.
I used to know all the words before I even really knew what it was all about.
So for me, this hits deep.
As mentioned before in other selections, Berry Gordy could be a bit of a berk at times, and he managed to piss off his greatest writing team and for them to up sticks and leave, because he simply didn’t pay them enough even though nearly every hit the label had, was penned by the imperious Holland – Dozier – Holland.
Fucking idiot.
RIP LAMONT DOZIER
soul out
RH X