Tape Trade Review

[Doug Pearson]

I got a pretty cool tape from Alun Hughes, and although he hasn't sent me
all the artists' names yet (I asked him not to), I thought I'd post a
review based on what I've heard so far ...

Side A

"Descent Into The Maelstrom" - Radio Birdman
GREAT song to kick off a boc-l tape with!  Totally driving, great
atmosphere, and lyrics that are the most BOC-ish of anything RB ever wrote.

"Phototropic" - ?
A cool sorta subdued psychedelic guitar piece and lyrics about staring too
hard into the light?  The chords remind me of the Alchemysts' "Blind Side"
and My Dad Is Dead's "Cool Rain"

"Singapore-Lore" - ?
Nice synth-heavy instrumental with a slight eastern feel (appropriate for
the name).  Probably the mellowest track on the tape.

"Boats" - ?
Ooh! Did someone put Wheaties in Glen Danzig's steroid breakfast?  Dunno
who the singer is, but he's a real throaty howler.  Good blues- and
metal-tinged heavy sludgerock.

"These Old Bones" - ?
Another mellower tune.  A folkish male/female duet, very nice sounding.
It's not Rose McDowell (sp?) on the female voice, is it?

"Day To Ride" - New Christs
Thanks Alun!  I hadn't picked up the latest New Christs album yet, so it
was a real pleasure to hear this track - from the first notes, I knew it
HAD to be Radio Birdman related, and Rob Younger's voice is unmistakeable.
Great driving rock and roll, just as you'd expect from the NC's.

"Hunter's Moon" - Thin White Rope
A live version from the same album as their cover of "Silver Machine".  Guy
Keyser's younger brother, John, is a friend/neighbor, whose housemates I've
been in bands with and frequently jam with (in fact, said housemates are on
one of the tracks on the boc-l trade tape that I made).

"Wolf Moon" - Type O Negative
Didn't know this band 'cause this track is pretty Goth, which just is not
my cup of tea (San Francisco has a lot of goths, and the only local
subculture that invites a higher level of abuse are the Grateful Dead
hippies), although I've been known to (when no one else is around), hook up
a CV pedal to control a noise filter on one of my synths and make spooky
"wind" noises while playing the 3 notes of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" on bass. ;^)

"Zodiac" - Inner City Unit
Everyone should buy the 'Complete Works' CD-R from Steve Pond. 'Nuff sed.

"Sputnik" - Roky Erickson
An approprate choice for a boc-l tape, since this is one of Roky's most
sci-fi songs.  Not quite sure what he means by "...your theory of Alien as
Creator," but it sounds cool!

"Blitzkreig Bop" - The Ramones
Live version from "It's Alive".  Simply one of the best and most important
bands ever.  Saved my life when I was 11 (and had to hide my affection for
them from my Styx-lovin' friends).  1-2-3-4 ... Hey! Ho! Let's Go!


Side B

"I Come Cheap" - ?
Is this an Australian band?  It sounds a lot like some of those
post-Birdman Aussie groups like the Hitmen or Died Pretty.  Don't recognize
it, but it rocks.

"Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody" - ?
The token metal song on the tape?  I'm not a big metalhead, but this is
cool - real crunchy, and a cool tremelo effect sequence during the last
guitar break, instead of the wanky solo that I was expecting.

"Archangel's Thunderbird" - Amon Düül II
>From their 'Yeti' double LP, one of my all-time favorite psych records (and
thanks to the list member who scored me a vinyl copy a few years ago!).
Dave Anderson on bass.  This song totally rules; if you haven't heard it,
you're missing out!

"A Child's Christmas In Wales" - John Cale
The lead-off track for his great 'Paris 1919' album, possibly his most
"pop" or "polished" record ever.  I've been a huge Velvet Underground fan
for nearly as long as I've been a huge Hawkwind fan, so it's nice to have
this song here.

"Tattoo'd Lady" - ?
Can you say BIG BAD BOOGIE? (that's a compliment BTW 'cause this rocks)

"Looking At You" - New Race
Lots of Rob Younger vocals on this tape and I ain't complaining!  I will
complain that this isn't the best version of this song (although it smokes
all over the MC5's redone version on 'Back in the USA').  The original
fuzz&feedback-drenched single version has been re-issued as the title track
of a 10"EP, so you don't need to find an original, impossibly-rare 7".
Everyone should own it 'cause it's the ULTIMATE MC5 recording, and one of
the greatest rock moments EVER.

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges
Another more-than-classic tune.  This is what ROCK'N'ROLL is all about.

"Takin' LSD" - The Deviants
A tip of the hat to Alun for using the live version from the 'Human
Garbage' LP, which is far superior to the Pink Fairies version of 'Kill 'Em
And Eat 'Em".  Brother Wayne Kramer on twin-guitar assault duty with Larry
Wallis - undoubtedly a killer combo.

"I Dunno" - ?
Who's this?  Sort of Pub Rock-ish, but definitely with a punkish sneer.

"Sonnenschein" - Harmonia
And we finish with a bit of relaxation from this krautrock supergroup; this
is what synthesizer music (electronica?) should sound like.

And what's with the "mystery bonus track" with lots of thudding drumming
that, after brief xylophone? and synthesizer? breaks goes into a bit of
rocking before the tape cuts out.  Not a bad fragment at all!


There you go - sorry this was so long, but I hope that it will encourage
others to do the same for the tapes they received!  So Andy - when do we
receive our instructions for the next person to send the tapes to?

        -Doug
         ceres at sirius.com