The Original Sins- "Just 14" b/w "Sugar Sugar" (Bar None)

holy moly you've gotta hear this monster. I had the 7" years ago but must have sold it because i needed money for fritos or something. this bethlehem, pa. band had been around for ages (and still might be for all i know) and released plenty of scorching records but this debut 7" (that was tacked on to their terrific debut cd, BIG SOUL, which is what i have since i no longer have the single) should put these guys in the rock and roll hall of fame. the a-side, "just 14" is about 3 minutes of squeals, squalls, grunts, groans and pure lust where vocalist/leader J.T. (john terlesky) howls about following some girl home from school and how "she's just 14 and i don't care" (except when he says care it sounds like kay-uh). one of the greatest songs of the 1980's, seriously. the flip side is a cover of the archies classic. it's stripped down but still grimy enough to be included on BIG SOUL. the single is long gone but march yourselves down to the bar none office in hoboken, nj and demand a copy of the BIG SOUL cd. blurt out, in your most menacing voice possible, "I NEED TO HEAR "JUST 14" NOW!" go on....do it.

SUB POP FEST (DAY 1) PLUS KING KHAN & THE SHRINES

SUB POP FEST : DAY 1 (THE ONLY DAY I WENT)
Ok, missed constantines (who I heard were great) and eric’s trip (who I would’ve like to see) but of who I DID see:

HELIO SEQUENCE- caught half of their set….sounded great. their latest record is the first one I have liked by them.

PISSED JEANS- positively awesome…..a chaotic grunt of non-stop noise and hilarity. The set ending where the singer took all of the sweaty towels out of his pants and squeezed the juices into his mouth was pure genius (ok, and disturbing too). About mid-set the singer said “ummm…..how much of this stuff do you really wanna hear?”

FLEET FOXES- sub pop‘s new big thing band (like band of horses a few years ago). sounded awesome with killer, sweet harmonies (by why wear flannel shirts and jeans on a 95 degree day?) and the songs from the record sounded even better live.

THE FLUID- denver’s finest came out of their cave. I had not even thought of these guys in well over a decade…..they rocked but I didn’t remember any of their songs from the old days.

LOW- loved their first 2 records from the early 90’s but have barely listened to them since. Live they didn’t do much for me.

MUDHONEY- they still got it! they basically did a greatest hits set (including a set ending cover of the dick’s “hate the police”). New (well, not really new) bassist guy maddison looked like he was having a blast and I have to say, mark arm still has the coolest voice in rock.

THE VASELINES- yes, finally a gig in America ! they had Stevie Jackson on lead guitar (and I think it was belle and sebastian’s bassist, bobby kildea, on bass) and they played all of the hits: “jesus wants me for a sunbeam”, “rory rides me raw”, “molly’s lips”, “the day I was a horse”, etc. etc). frances was hilarious while eugene’s droll sense of humor made them a perfect match.
…and then later on in Portland

KING KHAN & THE SHRINES- Ok, I then high-tailed it back to Portland to catch king khan and the shrines at dantes. they had broken down in Eugene but made it to the gig shortly after midnight and proceeded to play one of the best live sets I have ever seen. Imagine the best garage band ever mixed with bits of the blues brothers and the hip-shakin’ soul of the james brown band (3 piece horn section!) and you’re in the ballpark. They even had a pom pom girl on stage with them and some nifty dance routines . next time they come to town do not miss!

Died Pretty - FREE DIRT (Citadel Records) (also the PRE DEITY ep)

ya' know, i hear a lot of people talk about how great of a record that died pretty's DOUGHBOY HOLLOW is and while i finally did warm up to that record (took a long while though) , anyone who think it's this great Australian band's best has obviously not heard their stunning debut, FREE DIRT (1986). from beginning to end the record is full of stone-cold classics like "blue sky day" (love that mandolin!), the swooping "life to go (landsakes)", the bouncy "stoneage cinderella" and plenty of others. some folks complained about ron peno's vocals but i think the guy had a lot of charisma and soul and add to it brett myer's squirrelly, ringing guitars and that active rhythm section (chris welsh on drums and mark lock on bass.... oh and let's not forget about the keyboardist, frank brunetti) and you have one crackling band. this lineup lasted for one more record (the almost-as great LOST) and then the lineup changes came in to play ( i caught them twice in 1989 and both shows were terrific). to have the whole picture though you also have to have the 7 song ep that preceeded it, PRE DEITY (1985) that included gems like "Out of the Unknown" (one of the best songs the band ever recorded) and "Desperate Hours." not sure what these guys are up to these days , for all i know died pretty could still be active? far too many great records from the 80's band have been all but forgotten but please don't forget about these two.

Union Carbide Productions- IN THE AIR TONIGHT (Radium)

hey all....welcome to the dagger blarg. yeah, i know, i know....everyone else has a blog so why not me, right? but this will be a good one, i swear. on my site, http://www.daggerzine.com/ is where i write about new records and on here i will chew the fat about old ones. today i wanted to talk about the swedish powerhouse UNION CARBIDE PRODUCTION'S classic debut record, In the Air Tonight (take a bow phil collins). the band released a lot of record over the years but none were as good as this, the most over-the-top, schizoid, Stooges inspired record i have ever heard. vocalist ebbot lundberg howled like someone took his roast beef away from him right in front of his face while the rest of the band ground their instruments into submission. one listen to bonafide classics like "ring my bell" or "cartoon animal" will be enough to make you a fan. not sure if this is even available anymore but if you can find it...buy it (my cd copy is on the radium label out of sweden).