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[Single] sever black paranoia - illuminate your light (16.10.2011)
TrackLisT
1- illuminate your light
2- Experiment Box
DownloaD
credits to Deathangel
Living in The Age of The Reissue offers a variety of benefits for the musically-minded person. Now, you can get to know Carl Perkins in the same way that the public at large knew Elvis Presley back in the day. The constraints of what is popular now no longer dictate the kinds of music we are familiar with, in spite of sales figures, the proliferation of music videos (distributed through whatever means is popular at the time), or even their inclusion in TV and film. The Age of The Reissue liberates us from the stale conformity of Top 40, and allows our musical dollars the chance to flow in obscure, seldom traveled paths, and in many cases, offer us a chance to excavate the past in a way that was never previously thought possible.
It is with this in mind that The Numero Group persues their catalog. This will not come as a surprise to any of the moderate-to-late-stage Collectors out there; anymore, a well-rounded collection demands at least a passing familiarity with their releases. Which is why when something like this Alternate History collection comes along, it is important to take notice. This is not merely a casual compilation of old musty 45s, nor is it a sort of Sampler Collection that allows you a chance to "get to know" The Numero Group. In fact, the title really does say it all: this compilation allows the listener to experience An Alternate History of Popular Music, taking us from 1959 (with the invention of the blues by a woman named Niela Miller, all the way to 1985, the year that disc died with this swan-song track by Golden Echoes. If those names aren't familiar to you, don't worry. The music in between is just as - if not moreso - unheard of.
The beauty of The Numero Group releases is their careful selection. While the artists may be unfamiliar, these tracks embody the zeitgeist of the era in a way that feels entirely appropriate. You can picture this history unfolding, as black artists dominate the charts, while later white artists integrate into this form of music. A world where funk and soul were the standard pop tunes to arrange yourself around, and where gospel is even more tied to mainstream culture than ever... through music. It is all here, and it is a fascinating document of what could have been. And than, in and of itself, is the primary benefit of living in The Age of The Reissue: experiences like this are possible. The Numero Group understands that collectors are not merely obsessive compulsives with an eye for small pressings and imported vinyl (though that may be the case, too). In collecting, we ourselves are assembling a musical universe all our own, where certain artists loom larger than others, according to our own vision of Popular Music.
In this collection, you can sit back and listen as someone else's musical universe assembles before your ears. How cool is that? (Austin Rich, KPSU | Reviews)
Check out this great label and order some fine music: Numero Group
trax:
CD1
1. Baby Don't Go To Town - Niela Miller 2. Strange Things Are Happening Every Day - Fern Jones 3. Moaning And Crying - The Dontells 4. Oh Baby - A.C. Jones 5. Try Me - Syl Johnson 6. Show Me What You Got - Frank Williams & The Rocketeers 7. The Devastator - Stormy 8. Am I A Good Man - Them Two 9. Temptation Is Hard To Fight - George McGregor & The Bronzettes 10. Motley Mary Ann - Pisces 11. Oh Yes My Lord - Voices Of Conquest 12. World Of Soul - The Chantells 13. Mini Skirt - The Performers 14. There's A Light - Shirley Ann Lee 15. Same Kind Of Thing - Syl Johnson 16. Where's Love Gone Today - The Mourning Sun 17. Benashaw Glenn - The Mourning Sun 18. A Flower For All Seasons - Pisces 19. Sam Pisces Featuring - Linda Bruner 20. Calling Me Home - Donald Thomas 21. Maybe In Another Year - Jennie Pearl 22. Is There Any Love - Trevor Dandy 23. Concrete Reservation - Syl Johnson 24. It's A Dream - Lil' Ed & The Soundmasters 25. Who Knows - Marion Black 26. Speak On Up - Joe King 27. Don't Make Me Kill You - Angela Alexander & J.D. Saddler 28. Mama - Annette Poindexter & The Pieces Of Peace 29. I'm Not Afraid Of Love - Sharon Clark
CD2
1. Wait A Minute - Eddie Ray 2. Like A Ship - T.L. Barrett & Youth For Christ Choir 3. Heaven - Deliverance Echoes 4. Crystal Illusion - The Creations Unlimited 5. Lizard - Lowlands Studio Band 6. Soul & Sunshine - Harvey & The Phenomenals 7. I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You - The Kool Blues 8. Dirt And Grime - Father's Children 9. If I Had A Little Love - The Majestic Arrows 10. Eternal Life - Shira Small 11. I Thank You Lord - Little Chris & The Righteous Singers 12. I'm Not Ready For Love - The Promise 13. Try Me - Wee 14. Give Me One More Chance - The Procedure 15. Plena Matrimonial - Ebirac All-Stars Featuring La Calandria & Ramito 16. I'm So Happy Now - Willie Wright 17. Coit Tower - Millionaire At Midnight 18. Please Change Your Mind - The Boys 19. Invisible WInd - Jackie Stoudemire 20. Kiss Another Day Goodbye - David Kauffman 21. Packing A Grip - Golden Echoes
...served by Gyro1966...
The last great San Jose, Calif. band has a debut album at last!Always mentioned in the same breath as the South Bay's hallowed trio-the Syndicate Of Sound, the Chocolate Watchband and Count Five-the Mourning Reign has been woefully under-represented on wax-until now. We've recently uncovered three powerful 1967 cover versions-the Who's "Run, Run, Run," Cream's "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and Love's "Signed D.C."-to complete a package combining the band's first, ultra-rare Contour single "Evil-Hearted You"/"Get Out Of My Life, Woman" with all of the fuzz-drenched Golden State Recorders material, like "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Our Fate." Mourning Reign guitarist Steve Canali uncorks the band's story on the sleeve, assuring that you (and Dionne Warwick) will never again forget the way to San Jose.traxfromwax:
01 evil-hearted you 02 get out of my life woman 03 satisfaction guaranteed 04 our fate 05 light switch 06 run run run 07 tales of brave ullyssus 08 signed d.c. 09 cut back 10 light switch
…originally served by Gyro1966...
San Francisco Rhythm & Blues from 1957-1959. (Complete liner notes included)trax:
1. 100 Years From Today - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 2. Come Back Home - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 3. Everynight - The Lyrics 4. Over The Rainbow - Ollie "Yul" McClay & Mondellos 5. Never Leave Me Alone - Ollie "Yul" McClay & Mondellos 6. Daylight Savings Time - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 7. That's What I Call Love - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 8. Ruby Ruby - Little Willie Littlefield 9. Happiness Street - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 10. Hard To Please - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 11. Never Let Me Go - Bob Jeffries 12. Promise Me - The Tempos 13. Never Let Me Go - The Tempos 14. Take Me Back - Bob Jeffries & Marcels 15. Betty Lou - The Marcels 16. "If I Had A" Wishing Well - Paliya DeSantos 17. Marvella - The Spinners 18. My Love And Your Love - The Spinners 19. Sunday Kind Of Love - Rudy Lambert 20. My Heart [ Audition Copy ] - The Mondellos 21. That's What I Call Love - Rudy Lambert & Mondellos 22. You'll Never Know [ Unissued ] - The Mondellos 23. To Love Again [ Unissued ] - The Tempos 24. 100 Years From Today [ Alt ] - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 25. Come Back Home [ Alt ] - Alice Jean & The Mondellos 26. Everynight [ Alt ] - The Lyrics
...served by Gyro1966...
if this nice set of rockabilly and country-flavored rock 'n' roll came with any notes at all, I'd feel a lot smarter right now. But, since it doesn't, let me piece together what little I can. The four featured artists are Billy and the Hot Rods with five cuts including "She's 18" and a cover of Chuck Berry's "Johnny Be Good"; Don Feger with the Embers, doing four numbers including the title tune here and "Look Out Baby"; Charles Underwood with one track, "The Wrong Way"; and a group known variously as the Jokers, the Clefs, and the Five Spots doing 15 numbers, several of which are offered in two or more versions, including "Say You're Mine" and "Little Mama". The only source labels that I've been able to locate are Future for the Five Spots and Grace for the Jokers. And I'd say the sound is late 50's to early 60's. T'ain't bad music. (DH)
trax:
Billy & The Hot Rods
1. She's 18 2. Instrumental 3. My Baby 4. Johnny Be Good 5. I'm In Love Again
Don Feger w/The Embers
6. Date On The Corner 7. Don't Be Mad 8. Look Out Baby 9. I'll Love You
Charles Underwood
10. The Wrong Way
The Jokers (Aka The Five Spots)
11. Do You Care 12. Little Mama 13. Say You're Mine 14. I Ain't Gonna Be Your Fool 15. Say You're Mine 16. Say You're Mine - Acetate 17. Little Mama 18. Red Headed Woman 19. Red Headed Woman-Acetate 20. It's You - The Jokers 21. Get With It - The Jokers 22. Arkansas Twist 23. It's All Your Fault 24. Mr. Fortune 25. Black Rock
...served by Gyro1966...
Nineteen sixty-six was the year pop’s voice cracked, when its squeaky clean Beatles complexion broke out in the pimply scruff of garage rock all over North America. From the Chocolate Watchband out in San Jose and the 13th Floor Elevators in Texas to the Unrelated Segments in Detroit and the Remains in Boston, a plethora of scrawny kids fumbled with chords on their used Telecasters while aping Mick’s already affected snarls. Canada had its share of garage/psych bands whose discs now orbit the stratosphere in collectors’ values. And whereas Montreal’s the Haunted can lay claim to both the coolest single (the local smash ‘1-2-5’) and the priciest vinyl (four figures for their 1967 album), the Ugly Ducklings emerge as the better of the two, scoring hits on Toronto’s legendary CHUM-AM radio station with their debut platter, ‘Nothin’, eventually reaching number 18 in 1966, and ‘Gaslight’, peaking even higher the following year.The Duckies, surfing on the success of ‘Nothin’, even opened for the Rolling Stones at (Toronto’s hockey shrine) Maple Leaf Gardens in front of 15,000, no doubt providing them with fodder for a lifetime of middle-age boasts on their local pub nights.
In 1965, however, the Ugly Ducklings were little more than a teenage Stones cover band with the cheeky monicker the Strolling Bones (for what its worth, perhaps a more apt name for Mick and crew these days), but a year later they had changed their names and begun penning their own songs. They struck both chords and pose well, especially with rhythm-guitarist Glynn Bell’s blond mophead making him the spitting image of Brian Jones and no doubt upping his groupie cachet a few notches.
Released in early 1967 but containing the band’s three 1966 singles, Somewhere Outside skirts the cusp of ‘66 r’n’b and ‘67 psychedelia. The LP opens with ‘Nothin’ and its prototypical garage riff, allegedly recorded on a two-track machine for $300 and pushed into regular rotation just a few weeks later by local deejays. Other tracks, such as the revved-up ‘She Ain’t No Use to Me’ and the searing ‘Just in Case You Wonder’, their third single, capture on vinyl the hegemony of cool the Ducklings had over the Yorkville scene in Toronto at the time. Still other tracks like the Rascalesque, harmonica-tinged ‘Not for Long’, add a quieter balance while the closer ‘Windy City (Noise at the North End)’, an acid-blues rave-up, echoes Paul Butterfield’s excursions of the same year. (Michael Panontin, www.canuckistanmusic.com)traxfromwax:
1. nothin' 2. do what you want 3. she ain't no use to me 4. just in case you wonder 5. not for long 6. ain't gonna eat out my heart anymore 7. hey mama (keep your big mouth shut) 8. 10:30 train 9. that's just a thought i had in my mind 10. postman's fancy 11. windy city (noise at the north end)
...served by Gyro1966...
Another fine volume of Philly Soul. This collection is now out of print.trax:
1. World Of Happiness - Ann Robinson 2. You´re Gonna Miss A Good Thing - John Bowie 3. Honest To Goodness - Herb Ward 4. Baby I Need You - The Exceptions 5. Ever Again - Bernie Williams 6. Oh Yeah Yeah Yeah (Inst) - Vivian Caroll 7. I Wanna Know - Bill Horton 8. I´d Like To Have You - Norwood Long 9. There´s No Love Left - Herb Ward 10. At The End Of The Day - John Bowie 11. This Is Magic - The Ballads 12. Honest To Goodness (Inst) - Herb Ward 13. You´re The One - Ronnie Walker 14. I Bear Witness - Vince Apollo 15. You Said Yeah - The Dynamic Three 16. I´m In Trouble With My Heart - The Agents 17. Oh Yeah Yeah Yeah - Vivian Caroll 18. Look In Her Eyes - The Exceptions 19. If You Got To Leave Me - Herb Ward 20. If I Told You - The Casinos 21. That´s Not Half Bad - Joe Adams 22. Baby You Know I Need You - The Exceptions 23. Honest To Goodness (Alt Take) - Herb Ward 24. Love I Hold - The Agents 25. The Shag - The Exceptions 26. If You Got To Leave Me (Alt Take) - Herb Ward 27. That´s Not Half Bad (Alt Take) - Gene Woodbury
...served by Gyro1966...
Excellent collection of sides from the late 50s and early 60s recorded by Chance Drum for his Drum, Elgin and other labels. Most of the tracks are high class doo wop including several tracks by the excellent Five Chesnuts featuring lead by former Five Satins vocalist Bill Baker. This group also is featured here backing Marvin Baskerville, Vicki Lee and Rodney Gallant. There's also fine vocal group sounds from Anne Watts, Jimmy Mack and Betty Watts accompanied by The Watts - Mack's I Believe I Love You is a beautiful performance that is on the cusp between doo-wop and soul. There are also a couple of fine rockabilly tracks featuring The Cool Notes - one with vocals by Paul Kepler and one with Peter Concillo. There are also a couple of fine rock 'n' roll ballads by Ralph Miranda & The Deltoros including a fine stripped down cover of Elvis's Don't Leave Me Know. There are also a couple of girl group sides from The Baby Dolls which are the weakest here. Sound quality is excellent and there are brief notes on the label and artists. (FS) (Roots & Rhythms)
trax:
1. Chapel In The Moonlight - Marvin Baskerville & 5 Chestnuts 2. Betty Lou - Paul Kepler & Cool Notes 3. Wonderful Girl - Bill Baker & Chestnuts 4. Boyfriend - The Baby Dolls 5. The Flame - Ralph Miranda & Deltoros 6. Chit Chat - Bill Baker & Chestnuts 7. Billy (My Kind Of Baby) - The Five Chestnuts 8. Crying My Heart Out - Vicki Lee 9. Do Me A Favor - Betty Watts & The Watts 10. Don't Leave Me Now - Ralph Miranda & Deltoros 11. Hey Good Looking - The Silvertones 12. I Believe I Love You - Jimmy Mack & Watts 13. I'm So Glad - The Five Chestnuts 14. Let It Be - Anne Watts & The Watts 15. Moonlight Rock - The Walcoes 16. My Life With You - Rodney Gallant 17. Pete's Blues - Pete Concillio & Cool Notes 18. Love Is True - The Five Chestnuts 19. Tell Me Little Darling - Bill Baker & Chestnuts 20. Is This The End - The Baby Dolls 21. Chi Chi - The Five Chestnuts 22. S'Cuse Me Baby - Rodney Gallant 23. Tell Me Why - The Walcoes 24. True Loved Girl - Jimmy Mack & Watts 25. With All My Heart - Vicki Lee 26. Won't You Tell Me My Heart - Bill Baker & Chestnuts
...served by Gyro1966...
The Chocolate Watchband is one of a number of highly influential bands that were both short-lived and practically unknown at the time, but over the years has become a frequently mentioned influence. Plagued by personnel changes, tinkering by management and label incompetence, they are now regarded as one of the earliest punk bands and one of the best bands of the late '60s Bay Area psychedelic scene......The original Chocolate Watchband was formed in 1965 by guitarists Mark Loomis and Ned Torney, who had worked with each other in a band called the Chaparrals. The band gained some attention, but quickly fell apart due to a number of different situations. Bassist Rich Young was drafted, while vocalist Danny Phay, drummer Pete Curry and organist Jo Kemling were all poached by a San Francisco folk outfit called the Topsiders, which itself soon collapsed. Most of the former members of the Watchband that had left for the Topsiders then from the Other Side, which would become a rival group to Loomis's reformed version of the Watchband.
After performing for a time in a surf band called the Shandels, he and that group's bassist Bill "Flo" Flores gave the Chocolate Watchband another go in 1966. Adding Gary Andrijasevich, who had briefly taken over drums for the first version of the band, they also grabbed Topsiders guitarist Sean Tolby and vocalist David Aguilar, who was currently with a band called the Mourning Reign.
The new band patterned themselves loosely after the Rolling Stones, with a strong R&B influence to their music. In their live shows, they were known to seamlessly blend a number of different songs, both originals and covers, creating a song all their own. A performance at the Fillmore in San Francisco so impressed promoter Bill Graham that he offered to manage them and include them on the roster of bands performing both at the Fillmore and Fillmore East, but, having signed to Ed Cobb's Green Grass Productions, declined.
The Watchband were getting regional airplay with a cover of Davie Allan and the Arrows' "Blues Theme", but the original version was having difficulty finding a label for distribution. Cobb quickly renamed the Chocolate Watchband "The Hogs" to cash in on the biker movie tie-in and the sound of Harley Davidsons in the recording, and had the single released on HBR, a music label subsidiary of Hanna-Barbara, known largely for releasing children's music.
Despite the strange setback, the band continued to perform under its real name, and landed itself a spot in the movie Riot on Sunset Strip, contributing two songs and a performance. The continued exposure got them signed to Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records. Confusion over the race of the band, however, resulted in Tower releasing the band's first single under their true name, "Sweet Young Thing", on the Uptown label, which was their R&B imprint. The confusion stemmed from the band's name, with the label thinking that "Chocolate" referred to the band being black - leading to them being booked to perform at a soul festival in 1967.
Following that debacle, the next single, "Misty Lane", featured a b-side called "She Weaves a Tender Trap". Written by Cobb, lead singer David Aguilar was put in the unusual position of singing a bland pop song, with later orchestral overdubs added. The band hated the single so much that they took turns using the 45's for skeet shooting practice. However, it was a sign of things to come, as future recordings, particularly on their full-length albums, would be tinkered with by Cobb.
This was not the case, however, with their next release, "Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In)". Written for inclusion in the 1967 tribute to Haight-Ashbury, The Love-Ins, the song became one of the Watchband's signature tracks, and the first to be properly released on Tower. It also turned out to be the closest they ever got to a true hit record.
1967 also saw the release of the band's first full-length album, No Way Out. However, very little of the Chocolate Watchband was featured. David Aguilar's vocals were largely wiped and replaced by those of Don Bennett, and two of the tracks being performed by an unrelated group of musicians. Frustration with the album and the band's direction lead to Loomis and Andrijasevich's departure to form the Tingle Guild. Their departure lead to Aguilar also quitting.
Tolby and Flores decided to continue with the band, bringing in members from the San Francisco Bay Blues Band as replacements. Chris Flinders became the new vocalist, with Tim Abbott and Mark Whittaker on guitar and drums, respectively. Flinders and Abbott soon left, with Aguilar rejoining briefly, but the band as a performing unit broke up by the end of the year.
The band's breakup did not prevent their management from putting out another album, The Inner Mystique, in 1968. Don Bennett was again put on vocals, fronting a group of studio musicians reworking studio demos and half-completed songs by the proper band, and a couple of finished songs by the original group. Despite using very little original group material (or the group at all), the albums became highly regarded relics of the psychedelic era.
Despite marginal sales, Tower decided to go with a third Chocolate Watchband album. Tolby and Flores recruited Loomis and Andrijasevich as well as as original vocalist Danny Phay, who was currently working with the latter two in the Tingle Brigade. Completing the line-up was another original member, guitarist Ned Torney. The resulting album was One Step Beyond, which saw the band performing in a folk-rock vein. Loomis left again in 1969 due to health reasons, and was replaced by Hydraulic Banana guitarist Phil Scoma. The band limped along, breaking up in 1970.
The cult status of Riot on Sunset Strip and the appearance of Chocolate Watchband singles on Nuggets and other garage and psychedelic compilations renewed interest in the band, with their albums and singles becoming highly sought-after collectors items in the 1980s. Rhino released two compilations, while Sundazed re-released their original albums.
The renewed interest led to the band deciding to reform for live shows. In 1999, David Aguilar, Bill Flores, Gary Andrijasevich, Tim Abbott and Michael Reese (replacing Sean Tolby, who passed away in 1990) performed for the 66/99 festival in San Diego, and have been frequently touring and doing festival concerts since. The band also released an album of new material, Get Away, in 2000.trax:
01 Let's Talk About Girls 02 Sweet Young Thing 03 No Way Out 04 Baby Blue 05 Expo 2000 06 In the Past 07 I'm Not Like Everybody Else 08 Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In) 09 Don't Need Your Lovin' 10 Misty Lane 11 She Weaves a Tender Trap 12 Sitting There Standing 13 Milk Cow Blues 14 I Ain't No Miracle Worker
Great collection of 50's upbeat & rocking' R&B and rock 'n' roll. Many songs have not been comped and are hard to find. (This collection has been long out of print.)trax:
1. I've Got My Sights On Someone New - Roddy Jackson 2. Dance Dance Dance - The Cavaliers 3. All The Way Home - Bobby Darin 4. Billy Boy Bop - The Elliott Brothers 5. Sometimes I Feel - Joe Maxon 6. Hey Little Schoolgirl - The Paragons 7. Mumbles Blues - Big Moe 8. Mighty Mighty Man - Bobby Darin 9. Ain't That Just Like A Woman - Lloyd Price 10. All Right Miss Moore - Jimmy Witherspoon 11. Merry Go Round - Rusty Bryant 12. Rock A Way - The Treniers 13. Hey Now - The Flamingos 14. Do You Wanna Rock - The Cadets 15. You're Just Wasting Your Time - Jimmy Bowen 16. Hangin' Around - Fay Simmons 17. Let's Rock 'n Roll - The Cadets 18. Let's Make Up - The Flamingos 19. Satellite - Jesse Belvin 20. Football Rock - Jack Hammer 21. Let's Talk About Us - Grady Chapman 22. Hey Miss Fannie - Dean Webb 23. Let 'em Roll - Jimmy Cavello 24. Bim Bam - B.B. King 25. Rock 'n Roll Call - The Four Tunes 26. Romeo - The Cadillacs 27. Saturday Night - Roy Brown 28. Hello Little Boy - Ruth Brown
...served by Gyro1966...
A collection of 30 tracks recorded for the New York based Unart label in the late 50s. A mix of R&B, doo-wop, pop and blues. It includes three tracks by the superb Falcons including their classic hit You're So Fine, it includes the obscure Ritchie Valens tribute song A Letter To Donna by The Kittens and a couple of hot blues tracks from Wendell Smith and Bobby Long. It also features The Five Delights, Delicates, Del Knights, Bobbi & The Beaus, The Acorns, Embers, etc. (Roots & Rhythm)
trax:
1. Okey Dokey Mama - The Five Delights 2. Hearts Desire - The Avalons 3. You're So Fine - The Falcons 4. A Letter To Donna - The Kittens 5. Ronnie Is My Lover - The Delicates 6. Angel - The Acorns 7. Calling (For The One I Love) - Bobby Long & Group 8. Compensation - The Del Knights 9. Crying In The Chapel - Mary Swan & Group 10. Country Shack - The Falcons 11. Losing Game - Bobbi & The Beaus 12. Ring A Ding - Delicates 13. Your Name And Mine - The Acorns 14. Everything - The Del Knights 15. Goddess Of Angels - The Falcons 16. Melvin - Bobbi & The Beaus 17. It's All Over Now - The Kittens 18. You're Mine - The Falcons 19. Ebb Tide - The Avalons 20. Black And White Thunderbird - The Delicates 21. Loveable You - Willis Sanders & The Embers 22. Nashville Tennessee - Wendell Smith & Group 23. There'll Be No Goodbye - The Five Delights 24. I'm Gonna Stick To You - The Acorns 25. Did You Ever Dream Lucky - Bobby Long & Group 26. Dancin' - Mary Swan & Group 27. Honey Bun - Willis Sanders & The Embers 28. Meusurry - The Delicates 29. Walkie Talkie - Jackie Clark 30. Please Come Back - The Acorns
...served by Gyro1966...
This was the first record from Liverpool's Boo Radleys. Recorded at Out of The Blue Studios, Manchester, March 1990. Limited pressing of 500 copies.The Boos' first album was never officially reissued or reprinted after its initial low-level release, while the band consistently downplayed it in later years, describing Ichabod as being little more than rough early sketches by Dinosaur Jr. wannabes. While there's no question Ichabod is thoroughly derivative of J. Mascis and other musicians besides, by no means is it a disaster -- in fact, it's quite entertaining, good fun. Just under half an hour long, its eight songs rip right along through mountains of feedback, buried-but-still-there melodies and Sice's sweet vocalizing. Sometimes the production is astoundingly murky, but whether the low roar of "Hip Clown Rag," for one, is meant to sound like that or just simply an accident is a mystery. Carr and Sice's combined guitar work is actually well along its way to achieving the heights of later releases, with shuddering solos, acoustic/electric mixes and strange pauses, stops and starts breaking up what might otherwise be a general if not generic indie-pop rush at points. Various flecks of the Boos' incipient talents crop up throughout -- the lovely vocal arrangement on the chorus of "Catweazle" (named after a legendary British TV kids' show character) is a clear sign, though the nuclear-strength guitar distortion Carr ends the song with is as distinct. "Walking 5th Carnival" stands out for its initially restrained sound and crisp, hip-hop tinged drumwork. One song from Ichabod actually ended up being rerecorded later -"Kaleidoscope," which though shorter and rougher sounding here still has the great combination of grit and soar from the more familiar version.
trax:
01 Eleanor Everthing 02 Bodenheim Jr. 03 Catweazle 04 Sweet Salad Birth 05 Hip Clown Rag 06 Walking 5th Carnival 07 Kaleidoscope 08 Happens To Us All