SCOTT MORGAN'S POWERTRANE WITH DENIZ TEX & RON ASHETON - 'ANN ARBOR REVIVAL MEETING'

Formats

• GUWDM0003 - 2xLPs

  9346948040038

• GUWDM0004 - CD

  9346948040045

Details

For fans of Radio Birdman, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, The Stooges, The Hellacopters Living up to its title, “Ann Arbor Revival Meeting” is a cross-generational project from 2002 that brings to life Ann Arbor & Detroit’s rock legacy through a combination of some of its key protagonists. Scott Morgan, who leads the band at the core of the record, Powertrane, goes back to mid ‘60s days, to The Rationals, who ruled the local teen scene alongside the likes of Bob Seger & The Last Heard. Scott is one of the great white soul singers. In the ‘70s, he fronted the seminal Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, alongside Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5 and Scott Asheton of The Stooges. Deniz Tek, guest for the entire show, is an Ann Arbor native who spent most of the ‘70s in Sydney and led the mighty Radio Birdman. Birdman invested Australia with its love of all things Ann Arbor/Detroit, and had themselves a huge influence on successive generations internationally. Ron Asheton, the special guest who appears playing guitar on the handful of Stooges tunes here is the man who played on them originally, the great and sadly now late guitar innovator who was at the core of The Stooges’ huge influence across of the ‘70s and beyond. Ron’s phenomenal appearances with Powertrane and Deniz got him back in the saddle and no doubt inspired Iggy to get Ron and brother Scott “Rock Action” Asheton back onside and reform The Stooges in 2003. Representing the younger generation are Powertrane’s rhythm section Andrew “Box” Taylor on bass, who instigated the band’s shows with Tek & Asheton, and Andy Frost, a great drummer who was mentored by Scott Asheton. Frost sadly passed away in 2010. Additionally, local identities Robert Gillespie and Hiawatha Bailey are present. Robert Gillespie is Powertrane’s regular lead guitarist, a long time sideman for original white R&B belter Mitch Rider and a former member of Rob Tyner’s new MC5 in the late ‘70s. Hiawatha, who sings a couple of the Stooges covers, was a Stooges roadie back in the day and later front man of local punk-rockers The Cult Heroes in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. In addition to the Stooges material, the album includes a selection of tunes spanning Scott Morgan’s career from Sonic’s Rendezvous through to records he made with Nicke Anderson of Sweden’s Detroit-obsessed Hellacopters as the Hydromatics, the brilliant Rob Tyner/Robert Gillespie co-write “Taboo”, and a bunch of songs from Tek’s illustrious career, including a possibly definitive “What Gives?”, a “Smith & Wesson Blues” that swings like an out of control train on a winding track, and intense versions of a couple of his post-Birdman tracks, “Outside” and “Blood From A Stone”. Originally released on CD only by Real O-Mind Records in 2002, this is one of the great live albums. As a measure of the Detroit/Sydney connection in the high-energy rock world, it’s probably better even better than the monolithic 1981 recording “The First & The Last” by Radio Birdman/Stooges/MC5 supergroup New Race. Yes, it really is that great, and now it’s available with extra tracks and on vinyl to boot! Now featuring 3 extra tracks, remastered for maximum impact, and available on vinyl for the first time as well as CD again with new notes, “Ann Arbor Revival Meeting” is an essential listen for anyone who loves Detroit high-energy rock’n’roll. FIRST 500 LPS ON RED VINYL

Tracks

Side 1
01. Love and Learn
02. RIP R&R
03. Hanging On
04. Runaway Slaves
05. Ready To Ball
06. Blood From A Stone

Side 2
07. Taboo
08. Smith & Wesson Blues
09. Earthy
10. Shellback
11. What Gives
12. Dangerous

Side 3
13. Outside
14. 1969
15. I Wanna Be Your Dog
16. Down On The Street

Side 4
17. No Fun
18. TV Eye
19. New Race
20. City Slang

Press

**** - MOJO, Record Collector, UNCUT and more..

Audio & Video

SCIENTISTS, THE - 'NOT FOR SALE: LIVE 78/79'

Formats

• GUWDM0002 - CD

  9346948040021

• GUWDM0001 - 2xLPs

  9346948040014

Details

For fans of The Scientists, The Flamin’ Groovies, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, The Undertones, The Boys, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Hollywood Brats. The Scientists’ pre-“Swampland” days in Perth are brilliantly encapsulated on this collection of mostly unreleased live material from ’78 and ‘79. These were the days when former Victims and future Hoodoo Gurus drummer James Baker led the band alongside guitarist/singer Kim Salmon, and when their poster read "Rock’n’Roll in the tradition of The Groovies and The Heartbreakers". The Perth-based line-ups of The Scientists recorded the brilliant "Frantic Romantic" single and self-titled EP highlighted by "Last Night." They also recorded a posthumously released LP - the 'pink album' - which came as a massive disappointment due to bad production and a reduced line-up. “Not For Sale: Live’ 78/79” is a collection of live and rehearsal tracks that captures the band making the same noises as on those 45's, and presents live versions of the fan faves and vastly superior versions of most of the LP tracks as well as coughing up a bunch of hitherto unreleased originals and covers to boot. This is "The Legendary Scientists" - as they were dubbing themselves within months of forming - as they should be heard. The main set comes from late 1979; a live-to-air broadcast from Melbourne’s 3RRR. "Frantic Romantic" was in the shops and the EP was in the can. If you only know tracks like "It’ll Never Happen Again," "That Girl. "Making a Scene" and, "She Said She Loves Me" from the limp pink album versions you’ll be knocked sideways by the raucous and rocking versions here. Covers of The New York Dolls, the Groovies ("Slow Death" and their version of "Have You Seen My Baby") and The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" are a bit throwaway but show where their heads were at. And yes, a couple of these appeared back on the 'fan club' cassette "Rubber Never Sleeps" back in '82 and have since appeared on other collections, but those were third or fourth generation cassette dupes. What we have here is the whole set, taken directly from 3RRR's master reels. The same line-up is also present on a handful of primitive live recordings, made by a friend at one of the group's regular haunts, the Governor Broome Hotel in ‘79. What they lack in clarity they make up by letting us hear some otherwise lost original tunes. Play this really loud and it sounds like you're right there in the pub - shitty PA and all. The original "Kinda Girl" is maybe the pick here; it's James and Kim channelling their beloved Troggs. Also included, for the first time anywhere, is a Scientists’ version of "Drop Out", a Baker/Salmon song that its writers later made famous with The Beasts of Bourbon. The 2LP edition also includes some covers from this show: The Velvet Underground’s "There She Goes Again", The Searchers’ "When You Walk In the Room", and the early '70s Masters Apprentices rocker “Turn Up Your Radio”. First 1000 copies pressed on PINK VINYL The band's short-lived original line-up, featuring Roddy Radalj on rhythm guitar and Boris Sujdovic on bass, also finally gets proper representation here in the last bracket of songs, which presents, for the first time (minus a couple of tracks on the CD), the complete 'Loft Sessions.' This was the name informally given later to a 1978 tape recorded live - in a loft. The undoubted jewel here is the lengthy "Baby You’re Not For Sale," an ambitious Velvet Underground-inspired piece that namechecks the Groovies and gathers momentum to end more than 10 minutes after it starts, in a beautiful racket. Again, a couple of these recordings have appeared on other Scientists collections, but not “Baby You’re Not for Sale”. Packaged with rare and unseen images, an original 1979 Roadrunner magazine feature by Kim Williams (of the Summer Suns, and co-writer of “Swampland”) and additional notes by Grown Up Wrong!’s Dave Laing. “Not For Sale: Live ‘78/’79” provides a thrilling glimpse into what an album by the "Legendary" Scientists might've sounded like if it had been recorded in 1979. With the current incarnation of the band touring the US again and performing the likes of "Last Night" and "Frantic Romantic”, this collection is an essential listen for all Scientists fans, no matter which line-up they prefer. 

Tracks

SIDE 1
1. Have You Seen My Baby?
2. Melodramatic Touch
3. That Girl
4. Shadows Of The Night
5. She Said She Loves Me
6. It?s For Real
7. Last Night
8. Teenage Kicks

SIDE 2
1. Slow Death
2. Frantic Romantic
3. Shake (Together Tonight)
4. Makin? A Scene
5. Girl
6. Pills
7. It?ll Never Happen Again

SIDE 3
1. Kinda Girl
2. There She Goes Again*
3. Make It
4. Drop Out
5. Walk In The Room*
6. Pretty Girl
7. Pleasure Boy
8. Turn Up your Radio*
9. I?m Looking For You
10. Sorry Sorry Sorry

SIDE 4
1. She Said She Loves Me*
2. Girl *
3. Don?t Lie To Me
4. Frantic Romantic
5. Walk The Plank
6. Baby You?re Not For Sale

* LP edition only

Press

**** - MOJO, **** - Shindig!

Audio & Video

BIG STICK - 'LP'

Formats

• DRU004LPX - LP

  5060446123218

• DRU004CD - 2xCDs

  5060446123201

Details

***First 500 LP on clear vvinyl with bonus SOME OF THE BEST OF BIG STICK sampler CD ****First pressing of CD comes as deluxe four fold CD package, and containing a bonus SOME OF THE BEST OF BIG STICK sampler CD 's been fifteen years since Big Stick's last proper record release. That's an even longer period of time than some winged cicada bugs take to rise from the deep depths of earth and sing us their noisy repertoire of songs. Big Stick's dynamic duo of John Gill and Yanna Trance are pleased to finally have a new LP's worth of material to share. This new album is simply titled LP. It's a long playing collection of Big Stick selections cultivated over several years. This release is a joint effort between Big Stick's new Drag Racing Underground record label and Forte Music Distribution. Gill and Trance performed most of the vocals and instrumentation on the album's fifteen tracks. Some of Big Stick's musician friends appear on select songs. Much of the recording was done at their own studio, using a vintage Otari MX-70 16-track analog tape machine. Big Stick are self-produced. Gill plays guitar and keyboard. Trance performs percussion, bass, and keyboards. Both of the duo write and compose. Big Stick's new LP includes a retrospective collage of Big Stick photographs and images, along with photos of Gill's and Trance's artwork as well as liner notes describing curious facts and trivia related to the duo and the featured songs. This long playing release is available on 12" vinyl & CD. Both formats include a special bonus "SOME OF BEST OF BIG STICK" EP CD with ten 'classic' Big Stick tracks. Some appreciation of the guest musicians who've contributed to this new release...Fred Schneider of the B52s has long expressed a desire to record with Big Stick. John and Yanna have always admired Fred's unique vocal approach, so when they penned "HOT SAUCE" it seemed like an appropriate time to bring in Fred. Another admired vocalist is Groovie Mann from My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. In the mid-90's Big Stick toured with the industrial pioneers. Big Stick wrote "VENOMOUS VOODOO PRINCESS" as a duet for Groovie and Yanna. The track also features longtime friend Tom Timko on bari sax. Timko also plays on "MARLIN IN A MAIDEN'S DRESS." Tom's credits include gigs with Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder, among others. John and Yanna have an endearing friendship with Jerry A of Poison Idea. Jerry contributes vocals on "DARLING RAVEN." Drummer Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative notoriety is a like-minded hot rodding friend who hangs out at the local drags with Big Stick. Kelly handles the drums on "HOOCHIE EXPRESS." Other musicians featured on selected tracks include “first lady of sass brass” Paula Henderson on bari sax, “the man of sensual trombone” Dave Smoota Smith, Satoru Ohashi and Alicia Rau on torrid trumpets, Jim Sorensen of El Muchacho on percussion, John Thompson on bass guitar - and last but certainly not least, Shawn Banks and Mark Lopez finessed their aesthetically accelerating fingers on bongos.

Tracks

01. Burning Rubber
02. Calamari Coco Butter
03. Darling Raven
04. Hoochie Express
05. Hot Sauce
06. Koochie Koochie Time
07. Marlin In A Maiden?s Dress
08. Metaphysic al Speaker
09. Pleased To Meet You
10. Potato Chip Dip
11. Rascal
12. Soul Shaker Town
13. Stop The Ball Shit
14. Venomous Voodoo Princess
15. Whiplash

Press

**** - Record Collector, Wire feature and review, Echoes and Dust. BBC6 Radio Play inc. Gideon Coe.

Audio & Video

CROSS RECORD - 'S/T'

Formats

• BING150X - LP (COLOURED)

  600197015018

• BING150 - LP

  600197015018

• BING150CD - CD

  600197015025

Details

“What is your wish? What do you expect?” Cross Record’s self-titled third album begins with Emily Cross’s disembodied voice intoning from an otherworldly vacuum. In the three years since her last album, Cross has divorced, quit drinking, become a death doula, started the observational podcast “What I’m Looking At,” and toured with Sub Pop’s Loma, the trio she formed with Dan Duszynski on drums and Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater) on guitar/vocals. On Cross Record, she guides the listener like a sonic Virgil, delivering a textured soundscape of meditative curiosity, akin to Low’s Double Negative, Broadcast’s The Noise Made By People and Radiohead’s Kid A. Having recorded 2016’s Wabi Sabi at home between work and sleep hours, Cross did the opposite for Cross Record, writing the album while living on a secluded part of Mexico’s coast. The collaborative atmosphere of Loma challenged Cross to experiment with her sound, detuning her voice and obstructing its clarity in specific moments. As such, Cross Record is primarily a showcase for Cross’s singing, as she pushes her range and engages with a multitude of approaches at every turn. Following her time in Mexico, Cross returned to the states with vocal-heavy demos in hand and finished the record with musician Andrew Hulett and producer Theo Karon. Karon assisted with production and arrangements throughout the creation of Cross Record, and the songs realized their ultimate forms at his Hotel Earth in Los Angeles. Though her voice is always central, Cross’s songs developed with percussion, string arrangements and expanded production. The instrumentation is as nuanced and experimental as her voice. In her songs, Cross reconciles her present state of being with her experiences of the past few years. “PYSOL My Castle” was inspired by a visit to an overstimulating Mexican street market teeming with people, and describes Cross’s search for an unencumbered mindspace. “An Angel, a Dove” frames death as spiritual departure; a haunting synthetic soundscape gradually gives way to increasingly dissonant, urgent melodies as Cross envisions herself alight on a dove she suspects may be an angel carrying her from life. “The Fly,” which envelops the listener in filtered drum loops and synthesizers, considers the fragility and the resilience of the mind. On “Face Smashed, Drooling,” Cross mourns her alcohol dependence. “There was a sort of grieving process to quitting drinking,” she says. “I associated it with comfort, fun in the evening time and fond memories.” The song slips in and out of consciousness before resolving in a place of clarity. “I Release You” lives in the same sonic chamber as late-stage Talk Talk, and explores the acceptance of change. Cross Record’s themes of departure and separation were inspired by changes Cross made in her career. After years of work in as a nanny and in customer service, Cross recently embarked on studies to become a death doula. Similar to the services provided by birth doulas, a death doula helps clients navigate decisions and hardships at the end of life. In her new role, Cross has created a three hour ceremony called a Living Funeral, which guides participants through the rituals of their own deaths. Cross’s work in helping others face their greatest fears inhabits the same space as her art, which has always explored the metaphysical in the everyday. The eerie experience of listening to Cross Record and the unsettling sense of songs slipping from coherent grasp share these same sensibilities. The oddness of these songs is nonetheless honest and truthful, and to understand them requires acknowledging notions of alienation in ourselves. Cross doesn’t know what your expectations are, and she is still figuring out her own. Cross Record attempts to examine these questions with a lucidity that sometimes blurs into the realm of the unreal. The trip is extensive and finishes where it started, but the foundation has changed, clarified; while no closer to an answer, we have a greater sense of the question. Separate from the shows, but in complement, Cross will be performing Living Funerals along her tour route.

Tracks

1. What Is Your Wish?
2. Licorice
3. Face Smashed, Drooling
4. PYSOL My Castle
5. I Release You
6. The Fly
7. Hollow Garden
8. Y/o Dragon
9. An Angel, a Dove
10. Sing the Song
11. I Am Painting

Press

9/10 review and covermount UNCUT , MOJO & Uncut review, Gold Flake Paint and more TBC...

Audio & Video