A Tommy James and the Shondells original, Johnny Thunder and his crew turned the track inside out in 1968 transforming it into soul/fuzz monster you hear, below. They took the reins and they ain’t giving ‘em back.
The San Francisco ballroom scene of the mid- to late-60s produced some genuinely legendary groups — Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Moby Grape among them. But for every band that went onto stardom, there were dozens of other outfits that never hit the big time, who simply became names on posters for shows at the Fillmore. For decades, Crystal Syphon has been one of those names. But thanks to a recent release on Roaratorio Records, the group finally emerges from the mist — and they’re better than anyone could have expected.
Made up of studio, live and rehearsal recordings cut between 1967 and 1970, Family Evil is a “lost masterpiece” that actually lives up to the hype — an LP that deserves a space next to the other classics of the era on your shelf — Quicksilver’s Happy Trails, the Dead’s Anthem of the Sun, the Airplane’s Bathing at Baxter’s and the first Moby Grape release. The Grape might be the closest comparison sonically, but Crystal Syphon mines an altogether darker vein on the ten tracks here, with doomy organ work, minor key melodies and tortured fuzz guitar. The band is tight and uptight, with lyrics to match. Bad trips abound! In a good way. The live stuff that closes out the LP, recorded at the Fillmore West, suggests that they brought the goods to the stage as well. There are hints that Family Evil is just the tip of the Crystal Syphon archive iceberg. Let’s hope so. words/ t wilcox
Lux Interior: inter-dimensional, pan-sexual, time-traveling rock & roll alien. And radio host. As Halloween draws nigh we’re revving up for our annual airing of The Purple Knif Show, the one-off radio program hosted by Lux in 1984 deep in the bowels of Hollywood. As master of ceremonies, Lux runs through his personal archives spinning the weird ranging from rockabilly and garage to early punk, campy novelty and exotica. His bag of tricks was the best. So go ahead, “get out your magic decoder rings, boys and girls…” Trick or treat.
Astral blues. More freeform interstitial airwave debris transmitting somewhere off the coast of Los Angeles.
Direct download, below; subscribe to future transmissions via iTunes and/or through the RSS, here. First four transmissions can be found, here, here, here. and here.
MP3: Sidecar: Transmission / 5
Intro
White Fence – Swagger Vets And Double Moon
CAN – Mushroom
Ty Segall – The Slider (Ty Rex)
Atlas Sound – Recent Bedroom
No Age – Sun Spots
Julian Lynch – Just Enough
Arif Sag – Su Samsunun Evleri
Lou Reed – Perfect Day (demo)
Mac DeMarco – Rock And Roll Night Club
Alan Vega – Jukebox Babe
Calvin Love – Missions
Subscribe to future transmissions via iTunes and/or through the RSS, HERE.
(Sevens, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, pays tribute to the art of the individual song.)
It’s science: We live in the Age of the Sad Song. Bright melodies, major chords, and “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah-isms” are greeted with suspicion by our tired and cynical ears. We can’t help it – who’s wearing optimism well these days?
That’s part of what makes “Get Up and Go,” from Jason Lytle’s new record, Dept. of Disappearance such a rare tune. Just a few clicks over two minutes long, the song’s a brisk pop mantra repeating the phrase, “Get up and go/you can do it/everything is gonna be alright,” over bubbling new wave synthetic strings and multitracked acoustic strums.
Lytle isn’t always so sunny; one could argue that melancholy is the man’s go-to mood. His catalog with Grandaddy — the indie pop outfit he fronted from 1992-2006 (and reunited with for a series of shows this year) — and as a solo artist is mostly shaded blue, populated by characters in various states of destitution. Malfunctioning androids, drunks passed out in Datsuns, those trapped in old photos, posing with pets that have died and been buried – these are the denizens that populate Lytle’s songs.
It’s not generally cheery stuff, but that’s what makes Lytle’s proclamations of positivity feel so honestly uplifting. “Get Up and Go” feels like a sequel to “Yours Truly, the Commuter,” the title track of Lytle’s 2009 solo debut. “Last thing I heard I was left for dead/like I give two shits about what they said,” he sang then, through cracked and busted lips. “I may be limping/but I’m coming home.” Lytle has a trick, of course. That voice of his, creakier than his lyrics suggest, is a high lonesome thing, making each word sound hard earned and fought for.
Boo. 34 vintage spookers from the grey haas spanning 1957-1972. Download/tracklisting after the jump. For more undead, last year’s Halloween mixtape is still available, here.
Wednesday night, October 24th, Aquarium Drunkard presents Calexico at The Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood with the Dodos. The band is presently touring behind their ninth full-length LP, Algiers, released in September via ANTI Records. We’re giving away five pairs of tickets to the show to the AD faithful. To enter, leave your name and a valid email in the address field – winners notified Tuesday. Tickets available for purchase, here.
Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can be heard twice every Friday – Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST.
Download: Mondo Boys, here and Monster Rally, here.
SIRIUS 265: Jean Michel Bernard – Generique Stephane ++ Beach Boys – Untitled Bootleg ++ Mogollar – Cigrik ++ The Polynesians – Lani Kai ++ Ken Nordine – Lesson Number 1 ++ Gandalf – Tiffany Rings ++ Baris Manco – Tavuklara Kisst De ++ Shah Marg – There’ll Always Be Stars in the Sky ++ Mutatu Astatke and his Ethiopi – Mascaram Setaba ++ A Message From EARN-E (Wombats n’ Shit) ++ Ghostface Killah – Mighty Deadly (Siik Forces of Nature Remix) ++ Alton Ellis – If I Could Rule This World ++ Ken Nordine – Hippy Version of the 23rd Psalm ++ Damon – Don’t You Feel Me Loving You ++ The Hygrades – Rough Rider ++ J Dilla – Yesterday ++ Andrew G Pernetti – Track 2 ++ Ken Nordine – Outer Space ++ Omar Khorshid – Rahbaniyet [edit] ++ Les Gam’s – Attention ! Accident ++ Monster Rally – Slicer [edit] ++ A Message From Big Foot Henry (One Shots) ++ Madlib – African Walk (Zamunda) ++ Idris Muhammad – Crab Apple ++ Francois de Raboix – Partout L’Electricite [edit] ++ The Strangers – Two To Make a Pair ++ The Polynesians – Mahina ++ Ken Nordine – Bubble Gum [edit] ++ Barrington Levy – Sensimelia (Madlib Edit) ++ Beach Boys – Untitled Bootleg ++ Augustus ‘Gussie’ Clarke – Murderer ++ A Message From Shancy (Beef Stew) ++ Monster Rally – Right Now ++ A Tribe Called Quest – Jam ++ The Polynesians – Go Around The Island ++ Fabio – Lindo Sonho Delirante ++ Stray Phrases – Donuts Live [edit] ++ Ken Nordine – 7 + 1 ++ Shah Marg – Desert ++ Jack Nitzsche: The Lonely Surfer / Oscar Harris: Twinkle Stars Boo Galoo ++ Joe Bataan: Chick-a-boom ++ Jacques Dutronc: Les Cactus ++ The Shadows: Scotch On The Socks ++ Koldo: Disc Man ++ Vican Maneechot: Dance, Dance, Dance ++ Linda Van Dijck: Stengun ++ Carl Carlton: I Can Feel It / Janey & Dennis: Take It From A Friend ++ Donald Jenkins & The Delighters: Elephant Walk ++ Symphonic Four: Who Do You Think Youre Fooling ++ Milton Henry: Gypsy Woman ++ Lulu: Rattler ++ Monomono: Give The Beggar A Chance ++ Tony Joe White: Stud Spider / Lee Hazelwood: No Train To Stockholm ++ Marine Girls: Love To Know ++ Allen Toussaint: We The People ++ Nairobi Sisters: Promised Land ++ Ty Segall: Caesar ++ Harpers Bizarre: Witchi Tai To ++ Dirty Projectors: Swing Low Magellan / Gladys Knight & The Pips: Tracks Of My Tears ++ Doris Troy: Whatcha Gonna Do About It ++ The Olympics: Dooley ++ Bobbie Gentry: Somebody Like Me ++ Wuta Wazuri: Mondo Soul Funky ++ The Lijadu Sisters: Danger ++ Bobby Hebb: You Dont Know What You Got ++ The Kinks: Tell Me Now / Nancy Dupree: James Brown ++ James Brown: Taurus (interview) ++ Foxygen: Make It Known ++ Linda Brannon: Deep Inside Me ++ Al Stewart: Year Of The Cat ++ Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Swim And Sleep (like A Shark) ++ The Equals: Ooh That Kiss ++ The Orwells: In My Bed ++ Ananda Shankar: Jumpin Jack Flash ++ Del Shannon: Under My Thumb ++ Ariane: Tuvoudraisquejoublie ++ Witch: Like A Chicken ++ Bob Azzam & His Orchestra: The Last Time ++ Pill Wonder: Wishing Whale ++ Ramones: Dont Come Close ++ Tame Impala: Apocalypse Dreams ++ The Pretty Things: The Good Mr Square / Kyu Sakamoto: China Nights ++ Mike And Herb: Ive Been A Fool ++ Atons: Yellow Ribbon ++ The Oh Sees: Floods New Light ++ Jimmy Norman: Gangster Of Love ++ Wendell Stuart & The Downbeaters: Hey Jude / The Rollers: Knockin At The Wrong Door ++ Foxygen: Teenage Alien Blues (outro) ++ Peter Ivers: Miraculous Weekend
*You can listen, for free, online with the SIRIUS three day trial — just submit an email address and they will send you a password.
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Try to think of someone cooler than Bob Wills. You cain’t. That’s not him singing–that’s him shouting over the verses like a real jazz cat and dancing with his fiddle like it’s a sack of money. Then he tosses in a solo just because he wants you to know that he can. Charlie Daniels’ Johnny beat the devil with the third verse of this traditional, but nobody’s got any business messing with “Ida Red” while this footage still exists. That’s what makes Bob holler. words/ m garner
A collaboration a long time in the making, our guest mixtape series returns this week with Monster Rally. Self-described as a “collection of influences, prime vinyl gems, voice mails, stories, day dreams, and straight funk from across the globe”, the set is – in a word – simpatico. Monster Rally guests this Friday on our SIRIUS/XMU show.
MP3: Aquarium Drunkard Presents :: Monster Rally – A Mixtape (continuous stream)
Tracklisting after the jump…
