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:: Ich Hab' Ehrfurcht Vor Schneeweißen Haaren ::

:: La Mamma ::

:: Mamatschi ::

:: Schwalbenlied ::

:: Ja, Ja, Wenn Mutter Lacht... ::

:: Weißt Du Muatterl, Was I Träumt Hab'? ::

:: Gute Nacht, Mutter ::

:: An Die Freude ::

:: Wenn Du Noch Eine Mutter Hast ::

:: Ave Verum Corpus ::

:: Ich Möchte Dir So Gerne Sagen ::

:: Ais Die Alte Mutter ::

:: Ave Maria ::

:: Schlafe Mein Prinzchen ::

Born with a mug only a mother could love, Heino pays tribute here with a full LP of songs dedicated and devoted to mommas all over. The full album title translates to, “Dear Mother…the bouquet that never wilts.” I was gonna give it to my own momma on Mother’s Day, but I’m afraid she’ll take a look at it and decide not to love me back. So, she’s getting one of those fruity Yankee Candles instead, and I’m giving the music to you.


Phil

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:: I've Got You Under My Skin ::

:: You Are My Sunshine ::

:: Ikaw ::

:: A Lot Of Livin' To Do ::

:: La Bamba ::

:: Drumology ::

:: Just One Of Those Things ::

:: River ::

:: Girl From Ipanema ::

:: You Gotta Love Everybody ::

:: San Antonio Rose ::

Firstly things firstly, that's one awesome cover. If by chance this record was putrid, I knew I had, at the very least, yet another wall decoration to confirm how much of a music nerd I am. I had a pretty good feeling about this one, though, and overall this is one of the cooler things I've found recently.

What do we know about The Sun Spots? Not much. Four lively lads from Manila who came over to try to make it big in the States in the early 1960's. They hooked up with Bobby Morris, a local Vegas drummer who'd played with some big names and got a nightclub act together. On the liner notes, he's referred to as their "big brother," and from some poking around it seems he's still making music in Las Vegas. God bless ya, Bobby.



Musically, the formula here seems to be uptempo arrangements with plenty of harmonies. Although the picture shown has them sporting instruments, I am guessing they probably only sang at the shows, backed by their big brother's crack band. The overall sound is interesting, and apart from the one number sung partly in Tagalog (Ikaw, which means "you",) you wouldn't know these guys were from somewhere else. OK, maybe you can hear their accents every once in a while.



Finally, I have to show you the picture from the back cover of a review by a man named Forrest Duke, who is now going to be one of my favorite obscure pop culture figures. Seems in addition to writing Vegas entertainment columns, he also had a late night TV show there. I have to assume he's no longer with us, but just look at that magnificent bastard - The Visting Fireman!




Tony

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:: Galveston ::

:: Wichita Lineman ::

:: By The Time I Get To Phoenix ::

I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was when just after having seen Mike complete an impressive run of nine Wichita Lineman covers, I stumbled across another. OK, it wasn't that exciting, but my eyes did light up a little, and I immediately turned to my friend and stuck it in his face. He's a veteran of record stores, and the first thing he noticed was that it was on Marble Arch, so he told me that the vinyl was going to be flimsy. And it is. In fact, the surface noise on this record sounds like sizzling bacon, and I haven't had breakfast. Shit.

I knew immediately this one was one of those godawful budget records, haphazardly thrown together every step of the way. But I love Glen Campbell, and I love bad covers: $2 well spent. When I looked up the Nashville Country Singers, I found a hilarious recounting (with a few song samples) of another piece of their putrid output. Check it out.

The man they chose to sing on this is an odd choice to tackle the songs of Glen Campbell. He kind of reminds me of a flat version of Jack Sheldon or Burl Ives. Even though I have no idea of his age, he sounds like someone's grandfather. And these aren't really grandfatherly tunes, y'know? Yeah, I have to mention the lady on the cover. My guess is that that look on her face is the result of being absolutely stunned by all the Aqua Net they put in her hair.


Tony

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:: Chinook ::

:: Earth ::

:: The Stars ::


‘Tis Spring, ‘tis Spring! Flying bugs have materialized in my living room to announce it. Ants are making their yearly pilgrimage from the dirt outside and through the walls to my kitchen. Pollen floats in the air directly towards my reddened, itchy eyes and my increasingly sneezy, snotty nose. Hooray! Spring is here!

Let us celebrate with the music of Danny and Joyce, for they knew how to sing out the joys of nature. With songs of the wind, the earth, and the stars, let us commune together and be at one with the universe. And no, let’s not stare at that album cover for too long, because yes, it’s kind of creepy.


Phil

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:: Yellow Submarine ::

:: Over, Under, Sideways, Down ::

:: Sunshine Superman ::

We've covered easy listening heavyweight Enoch Light before, and I am sure we'll cover him again. You remember him, the guy that liked to experiment with stereo separation and record onto 35mm film, with a definite weakness for the Cha Cha and other dances the kids definitely weren't doing.

There are probably no circumstances under which I wouldn't feel that I absolutely had to hear what Mr. Light and easy had done to groovy 60's staples like Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" and the Yardbirds' "Over, Under, Sideways, Down," and the fact that he tackled "Yellow Submarine" makes me quite happy.

It certainly didn't hurt to have the considerable talents of Tony Mottola on these sessions; if this music could be considered to have an "edge" of any kind, his guitar work is it. It's often interesting to hear songs in which vocals play such a huge role turned into instrumentals. Sometimes the horns carry the vocal melody, other times an organ does. In kind of a funny way, these versions sound like they could come from a Beatles movie, in some strange place where adults listen to more palatable renditions of the young peoples music. And no doubt wear monocles and generally dress like the little Monopoly guy.


Tony

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:: Die! Die! Die! - Blue Skies ::

:: High Dependency Unit - Stupormodel ::

Die! Die! Die! is a band us here Robots like very much. Personally, I've seen them 5 times in the last 2 years. Not bad for a band from New Zealand who don't tour the States all that often. Fronted by guitarist/vocalist Andrew Wilson, the trio is anchored by bassist Lachlan Anderson and drummer Michael Prain. While Anderson and Prain lay down the heavy grooves, Wilson goes nuts, flailing himself around the stage, then moving into the audience, climbing tables, chairs, walls, anything that might get in his way. At one show I saw him scale a ten foot wall and disappear into the night, leaving his guitar to wail on its own.

On the surface they're a punk band, full of youthful abandon and angst, but they go so far as to describe themselves as "blues", and a close listen to the lyrics explains why. Beyond that, there are elements of Gang of Four, Wire, The Fall and other late 70s/early 80s post punk prototypes.

Their new album, Promises, Promises (available in vinyl format!) is highly recommended. The song from this 7", "Blue Skies" is included on the album, but this is an earlier version. The other side of the split, by fellow NZ band High Dependency Unit is called "Stupormodel". A quick look at their myspace site seems to indicate they're not nearly as active as their splitmates, but a new album is promised for next month. I hope you enjoy these tart slices of kiwi.



Mike

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:: Anna ::


This has been a very emotional, painful few days for me. You see, the SXSW festival is occurring right now, and I’m not there. Right about now I should be cracking open another Lone Star tall boy, and having my ears bludgeoned by the 20th band of the day after having quaffed down a tasty Buffalo burger at Casino el Camino. How does one cope? Bacon flavored lollipops just weren’t doing the trick, so I’m doing what any normal person in my mental state would do. That’s right. I’m turning to Myron Floren. The Happy Norwegian gives of himself and asks nothing in return. Myron heals all wounds and repairs broken spirits with each mighty squeeze of his stomach Steinway.

Why, I’ve just listened to his joyful rendition of “Anna” and am now filled with peace and tranquility. No more crying myself to sleep on my pillow! South by South what? It’s too much damn money anyway.


Phil