Ween A Peel

Ween produced two sessions for John Peel's BBC radio show.
The first in 92 the second a year later.

There is a bootleg version of these tracks that apparently exists but this collection comes from my own cassette versions of the sessions, including a couple of Ween related Peelisms.

The recording is top rate; complete tracks with no sibilance.
Obviously captured while on tour - both sessions were recorded at Maida Vale - Ween are tight and hot; moving from the absurd to psyche to metal to folk to a kind of variety style, all within eight tracks; disregarding genre barriers as if they were purely abstract.

Which of course they are.
I just wish more of the contemporary scene would take that on board.

Ween - Peel Session: 20 Feb, 1992

Pork Roll Egg and Cheese
Nan
Captain Fantasy (includes Peel's reaction)
Don't Get Too Close To My Fantasy

Ween - Peel Session: 25 Apr, 1993

What Deaner Was Talking About
Vallejo
Take Me Away
Buckingham Green (includes Peel's outro)

Excellent cassette rip @320kbs
Peel here

Rude Boys

Apologies for my absence - just in case anyone is interested - time wasted, I'm afraid: merely wasted.

Anyhow, to get things rolling again I thought I'd post something with some real balls.

This album could be considered Ween's Smile, so to speak; and there are various versions as to how it came about, and eventually, unofficially, released.

Leaked on to the net by Dean Ween, perhaps; ironically it is now quite hard to track down, so I figured I'd make it available again

This isn't really the best place to start if you are a Ween virgin - my previous Ween post would probably be a better way in, preparing you for a good run up to this little collection.

Even for a Ween album, the profanity rating here is incredibly high - the titles kind of give that away - and as Exile on Main St. was essentially Keef's album, this is most certainly Deaner's album.

Always the most profane of the Weeners, on this album there's no holding back; not that it debases the quality of the music; this, as with all of Ween's material, is superbly executed, including some wicked twisted funk numbers, concluding with a manic-Prince-like version of 'Monique the Freak'.

Several of the tracks collected here do appear in different forms on the officially released Shinola Vol. 1; but in my opinion this is a far more coherent and superior collection, making for a much better album.
More akin to God Ween Satan than any of their later releases.
And for me, that makes this one of their best.

Ween - Craters of the Sac (1999)

All That's Gold Will Turn to Brown
The Pawns of War
Big Fat Fuck
Put the Coke on My Dick
Making Love in the Gravy
How High Can You Fly?
The Stallion, pt 5
Sucking Blood - From the Devil's Dick
Monique the Freak

Excellent cassette rip @320kbs
Embrace the sac here

Spud U Like

Devo are releasing a new album (Yes!), the first for twenty years (Criminal!).

Click on the pic to find out all about it and you can have a listen to the opening track.
Sounds promising.
To celebrate I figured I'd post some Devo; just to join in with the spirit of the thing.

Captured in 1996 at one of their special reunion gigs, appearing in the 'Mystery Band Slot' at one of the Lolapalooza festivals, they play some blistering, real ballsy versions of early material.

Every track is played with great gusto and energy; no stale performances here; the versions of 'Smart Patrol' and 'Mr. DNA' blow the originals away completely.
Check out that oscillating synth solo; damn near screws your head off.

The audience really seem to appreciate this performance; which is in stark contrast to the time I saw them back in 1978.

Devo were part of the line up for the Knebworth Festival, playing alongside Jefferson Starship, Genesis and Tom Petty!
Yeah right, Devo really fitted the bill.

They managed to get half way through 'Pink Pussycat' when it seemed the most proactive part of the mainly disgruntled audience decided enough was enough, and proceeded to hurl all manner of shit at the stage.
Cans, mud, plastic beer bottles filled with piss, whatever detritus they could desperately lay their hands upon rained down upon poor ol' Devo.

They left the stage.
Moaning something about the lousy sound set-up.

My mate and I seemed to be the only people who were pissed off about it; but then again we were only fourteen, what did we know?
Man, we didn't even have beards!

Devo - Live at Lolapalooza (1996)

Uncontrollable Urge
Blockhead
Mongoloid
Jocko Homo
Smart Patrol
Mr. DNA
Gut Feeling
Slap Your Mummy
Gates Of Steel
Come Back Jonee

Excellent cassette rip @320kbs
Devolve yourself here
Unfortunately this download does not come with a free toy.

Now Let's You Just Drop Them Pants

From one of the first female rock bands, The Runaways, to one of the best: L7.

Known primarily as a punk band, this 1992 Butch Vig produced album is very grungy; almost metal; a similar sound to Tad in many ways: very downbeat: very, very 'eavy.

Fronted by Suzi Gardner and Donita Sparks, the founder members, share vocals and guitar; but Sparks was the talent when it came to songwriting.
The best tracks are all hers: 'Pretend We're dead', 'Shitlist', 'Diet Pill' and her true masterpiece 'Wargasm'; a brilliant opening track; a track that seems even more relevant now than it was when recorded.
In my opinion, definitely their finest song.
They had a big impact on the British audience while promoting this album.
Whilst appearing on the hip yoof show The Word Sparks decided to drop her trousers towards the end of their performance of 'Pretend We're Dead', and hey, she was going commando.
Giving new meaning to a guitarist using a Big Muff.



Yes, it did have quite an impact; I'd never seen Terry Christian so gob-smacked.

L7 - Bricks Are Heavy (1992)

Wargasm
Scrap
Pretend We're Dead
Diet Pill
Everglade
Slide
One More Thing
Mr. Integrity
Monster
Shitlist
This Ain't Pleasure

Excellent vinyl rip @320kbs
Be part of the square and get L7 here

Cherie Baby

Boy, I've been a lazy devil of late.
Take today for instance.
I lounged around in bed for most of the day getting stuck into Cherie Currie.

Something I can highly recommend.

Yes, her book is highly enjoyable; very entertaining; and makes an interesting comparison and pleasant change to the regular macho posturing to be found in so many rock autobiographies by the likes of Slash, Ozzy and the rest.

Okay, so it ain't Greil Marcus, and despite the slightly alienating Jackie like beginning (I am a bloke in his mid-forties after all; and I did feel rather peeping-Tom like, a little sordid even, while reading about her early teen years [although I'm sure that could be an attractive element for some potential readers]), but once The Runaways story begins the book turns into a right good romp.

There's some great moments captured (the delineation of Kim Fowley is particularly interesting), told well enough to inspire me, at least, to return to their music - which I hadn't listened to for some time - and much to my surprise, sounds just as good now - in fact better in that wonderfully naive way - as it did at the time.

It also reminded me as to just how punk their sound was.
Sure, they were a glam-metal band, but their songs were very pared down; very 'rock n roll'; and I think quite comparable to a lot of the bands involved in the American blooming punk scene.

So here's an early show from 76.
An excellent recording, capturing the band at their most enthusiastic and energetic.
Revealing a sound that soon allowed then to shake off the "Novelty" tag Fowley had labeled and marketed them with.
Proving to the world that an all girl band (not one of them is over eighteen during this gig) could play with just as much balls as so many of their male contemporaries.

The Runaways - Cleveland 76

California Paradise
Cherry Bomb
Take It Or Leave It
Secrets
You Drive Me Wild
C'Mon
Blackmail
Wild Thing
Don't Use Me
Rock and Roll
Is it Day Or Night
Johnny Guitar
Dead End Justice

Cd rip to mp3s, art included.
Run-run-run-run-run-Runaway here