Pozatto gets win at Het Volk

My predictions didn't pan out. Flecha second, but Hoste and PVP not in the running
I didn't think Pozatto's team would be strong enough to contend with Quickstep, but that turned out to be a non issue.
Pozatto Flecha 2nd Boonen 3rd
O'Grady had a chance maybe again at KBK? If he races
Discover B Team didn't do much.
Hardman Weather

For Kurne tomorrow how about Devolder,Boonend, O'Grady on the podium with Hoste and Nuyens filling out the rest of the top 5

Minutemen Joy at Sea #10

No explanation necessary

Staring Down the Barrel US punk 79-83 LP

Nice package. Blue vinyl with bullet holes screened on the sleeve for a nice touch. Looked like a KBD knock off, but who can get enough KBD style punk? 16 tracks. No label listed. Get it if you see it.
Mind Games kick it off with a Radio Birdmanesque ode to a TV Show, not Hawaii Five O, but Get Smart. Limited to 100 single from Cali in 81. Who doesn't like an anti-hippie song? Unknown Society give you "You Hippy" LA 83. Nice lead on this track. Urban Guerilla from SF 83 sound like the Weirdos to me. Ducky Boys from Brooklyn drop 1982 ode to Heroin. "Hooked on Junk" Can't bands from NYC sing about anything else. And if you were hoping for Celtic Influenced Punk/Hardcore this ain't it. These Ducky Boys drop a kind of Pagans influenced punk gem with an overactive bass player and a guitar player with a bad effects box. The Exit's "out in the street" is pretty much a rev'd up version of mongoloid with a catchier chorus. Chicago 1979 for this one. Ralphs from Dallas Texas 1982 match some great vocals to a synth driven song that is pretty fucking catchy. Milwaukee's The Ones were holding it down in 1979 with "tight rope" which is my favorite track on side one.
Side 2 opens with the Grackles. 1979 New Mexico punk? As unlikely as the Ohio punk explosion but here it is. "Who need wildlife" complete with bird sounds. Kinda Stoogey but with some new wave keyboards and effects. J.T. IV's "Death Trip" is a standout track from Chicago 1980. Apparently this band/"basement loner" was releasing records all the way up to 87, but this is allegedly his best work and some furious guitar action. Principles drop some 1980 pro-USA fuck you Russia and Iran shit. Novelty at best, but kinda funny since thanks to music like this Communism fell. Buffalo's own Secret Savior know the pain of "Fist Love" Sounds like a metal head drummer, but the song is catchy actually has a "pop punk" feel to it. And I hope you know I mean the Descendents. Brooklyn is back on this comp with the NY Ravers 1981. Psychotic Frogs sound out of place on this comp, It is incompetent hard rock at it's absolute finest. I guess it is on here due to it's rarity as anything else but the 20 or so seconds before the vocals kick in are genius. Guitarist sounds like he is trying to play Kiss wearing oven mitts


There are no tracks on here that are as catchy on KBD 1-4, but that well has been pumped dry. There are some good ones on here for the obscuro fanatic. It is hard to believe that people would spend the cash necessary to obtain the originals, but for those who are cheap like me thank god for these comps. There is something really perfect about sitting in the house alone on a Friday night listenting to music from 25 ears ago composed by weirdos who were also all alone on Friday night. (Or maybe mumbling at the end of the bar wasted on pills......)

Jump and Shout comp LP

Looks can be deceiving, based on the cover I expected some not so exciting late 50s early 60s R&B. Must be the color scheme. But man was I wrong. 18 tracks of over the top R&B,soul, and rock&roll. This comp starts of strong and doesn't let up. A while back I bought a comp called "the roots of rock and roll", it wasn't bad but this is what I was thinking of when I saw the title. And yes I know Nick Toshces would disagree. If you loved Animal House you will love, Jesse Jame's opening track. Amos Milburn let the whiskey let him go home at least long enough to make Amos Jr and his track doesn't disappoint. I don't think you should steal from blind people, but if you are going to jack a Ray Charles's song as blatantly as Larry Bright's "Way Down Home", you better include lyrics like "where the livings easy and the chicken's greasy". What are the chances of Ray Charles's get borrowed twice on the same side of the same comp? Well, Louis Johnson makes the odds 100% when she "reinterprets" another RC original. I'll leave you guessing til you get the record or I learn how to upload songs. Damn. All in all Side one is a house party starter -just add the booze. Ruby Lee keep the party going on side 2
TB & the Germs, Jim Jackson, and Baby Jean all keep it moving. The Ideals are telling all ladies, it's the weekend "Go get a Wig" if you ain't got no hair. George Hughley cranks it back up near the end of side 2 with "What did I do". What guy hasn't had to ask that question? Well here's your theme song. Sherman Evans keeps it cooking. He does his best James Brown impression working with Chris Ortiz and the Flames. Guess they were the not famous flames. Zombie Stomp is last, so grab your girl and a couple beers and follow the directions that Danny Ware lays down. With a groove like this you might get to second base before the song ends.
At the end of the day it's comps like this that keep me buying records and digging for singles. All Killer. No label listed. Get Hip might still have it.

Het Volk Odds

Well my picks aren't looking so hot to the gamblers. Only Hoste at 20 to 1. No PVP, I made my prediction before I looked at the start list, no Ballan, I am sub'ing in Flecha. Although Steegmans or Devolder might be more realistic.
Thanks to PezCyclingnews.com for the odds

Unibet.com Odds
Boonen 4.50 - duh.
Nuyens 10.00 - can he go head to head with QuickStep?
McEwen 12.00 - does Unibet know something we don't?
Pozzato 13.00 - same question as Nuyens...
Hushovd 13.00 - looked good in California...
Steegmans 16.00 - could be the QS x-factor
Gilbert 18.00 - 2006 champ
Eeckhout 20.00 - Rambo baby!
Paolini 20.00
Hoste 20.00 - those are odds worth taking.
O'Grady 22.00
Klier 22.00
Balducci 22.00
Van Heeswijk 22.00
Flecha 22.00
Devolder 22.00
Mattan 25.00
Van Bon 20.00
Eisel 35.00

nsbm

Can a bunch of dudes who live in their parents basement and run around in Kiss make up and nail studded arm bands, really be a threat? Can a horde of maniacs dressed like medeival soldiers really purify Poland? I think I am more concerned about the PCP fueled Ricky Kasso type metal head than the ones who speak Orc.
Maybe it is naive not to get upset by the outright racism and aryan mumbo jumbo of this genre, but if Skrewdriver were easier to laugh at than take seriously how is this not a laugh riot? Ian Stuart never dressed up like King Arthur (as far as I remember). If you aren't clear on what NSBM is it is Nationalist Socialist Black Metal and wikipedia saves me the trouble of explaining. Decibel did a good job too.

PS this is another acronym that gets mis-used on Ebay to try and hype terrible bands.

Ricky Kasso the Legend of the Acid King

Crow Evil Woman b/w Gonna Leave a Mark 45

Minneapolis blues-rock late 60s. This single has a nice groove and kind of a Deep Purple/Grand Funk sound. Apparently the horns on the chorus were overdubbed by the label against the bands wishes. Either way on "Evil Woman Don't Play your Games With Me", they give away the entire lyrical content in the title. It ain't my baby, baby.
The B-side "gonna leave a mark" had a nice boogie rock kinda funky groove with a flute solo! Damn first a horn section, then flutes. Horns work on this track better than the A-Side. Actually a nice addition.
This copy is on Amaret Records. Picked it up at a thrift shop that just went out of business for 75 cents. A worthwhile investment.
In 2005 they were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame. Can't argue with that

2 Days til Het Volk.

2 days til the first big Belgian weekend Het Volk and Kurne-Brussels-Kurne. My first prediction is it won't be cancelled. But who will win? Can Gilbert repeat? It is hard not to select someone from Quickstep. Maybe Boonen rides for PVP the way he did for Nuyens and to make sure he gets support in Roubaix and Flanders? How about Nuyens himself over at Cofidis? Can Mattan bring glory to DFL-Cylingnews.com?
Haven't seen all the start lists yet. T-Moblie have Klier, Hammond, and Knaven. Wesseman will be there riding for a Continental team. Ballan and Pozzatto are both there. This would be a good breakthrough win for Ballan who was getting close last year. Het Volk while not as long as Tour of Flanders is a great race and coupled with KBK gets you salivating for April Madness.
I predict a Het Volk podium comprised of Ballan, Hoste, and Van Petegam(sentimental)

Johnny Adams Release Me B/W You Make... SSS Int 45

Johnny Adams "Release Me" B/W "You make a new man out of Me". SSS International release in the Shelby Singleton Empire. A side is an over the top cover of Elvis's "release me". Johnny is hitting the high notes for sure. Johnny is making most of the notes high notes. B side is a more traditional southern soul track. Big hook and horns. Can't go wrong.
Not as essential as the tracks on the SSS comp CD, but it is still a nice record.

The Git Down! Funk Conp

Another Soul City Records comp of 15 tracks of "raw and rare funk jams" 67-71.
It opens strong with Big Jay Bush and the House Rockers running through "soul meeting" Big Jay sounds like your big drunk uncle working it after a few too many. Bobby Smith & the Big Sounds drop "the soul of unit seven". Nonsense lyrics. Their "big sound" gives the recording an overdriven right on the edge of distorted feel that is nice.
Phil Flowers gives "like a rolling stone" an upbeat funk workout with horns. Phil even has some Tourette beat box moves that he throws into the chorus.
Side 2 starts strong with Wynfield Parker's "shake that thing" which is also ripe to be sampled. Lloyd Hendricks will tell you everyone in Tupelo, MI is doing the "Sno-Cone".
Groundhog give us the suggestive "take it off". He talks his way through the track talking a female companion out of her clothes - with good female backing vocals. Kind of a novelty track but it works. Al White and the Hi-Lites bring it with "Noise with the boys" nice opening drum break and a kind of stumbling rhythm with goofy high pitch female vocals. Smokey Brooks contribution "7 Grooves for 7 Moods" has got to be collectable just for the super clear opening drum break. Add in the JB style vocals and the flute and horn groove and you are talking a killer. Finishing off the comp is Carolyn Summers who like the last 2 tracks has a ready to be sampled drum break. A real heartbreak song. She just wants to be "Dead" and that is the name of the song.
This comp was overall stronger than the last Soul City Records comp I reviewed and is highly recommended. The cover is nice enough to throw in pictures of 9 of the labels so at least you know what to look for.....

Blue Aquarius LP Not quite krishna psych

In my search for Krishna rock records I stumbled on this Blue Aquarius LP which is a real odd ball on the Stax Gospel Truth subsidiary(GTS-2725). Calling itself "the new sound of free music". Clearly a peaceful anti-Vietnam 70s vibe on this. Based on the label and the graphics, I expected California Hippies, but I got a large British group in blue suits dedicated to Guru Maharaji Ji. Rolling Stone was apparently hip to the Guru and this article is worth checking out.
I think Dusty Groove got the review right, "The sound of the best tracks is almost in a Hair-type mode -- kind of groovy, with large chorus vocals, and a slight bit of funk in the arrangements. The album sports two great instrumental funky tunes called "Alive & Well" and "Foxfire". I would add a Bee-Gees/G.Harrison vibe as well. "Rock Me Maharaj Ji" is an odd lyric. The song "Arti" that closes side one sounds ripe for a late period Elvis to come chiming in over. "How many lifetimes" opens side two with a soft rock nod to "the red and the black" by BOC(which came out around 1973 so it's possible). Side 2 was apparently recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon. Dusty Groove is right the 2 instrumentals on side 2 are good. "Foxfire" has a good feedbacky guitar solo. "Alive and Well" is funkier and lets the organ player get some and also lets rip an ill Synthesiser solo. A kind of Afro-Funk groove to it all. "Satguru" brings it home with a HAIR meets Chicago type groove. The "live" side 2 is much better than side one and the 2 instrumentals are head and shoulders above the soft rock guru worship laid out elsewhere on the LP.
A quick google search showed that this was a very musical guru with a connection to Geroge Harrison. Hopefully I can resist the urge to track all these down.

Jimmy Smith "killing me softly" 45

During my OCD Jimmy Smith buying days I focused on LPs and only in the last year did I scoop up a bunch of his 45s (see previous post -it was a hit or miss experience). This was a stand out. Jimmy Smith works out on Roberta's "killing me softly". Not as lyrical on the organ as he is capable of, but he takes a less straight ahead approach that is nice. Smith and guitarist Ray Crawford dance around the edges of the familiar melody but never club it over the head.
B-Side is "Bro-pugh". This is a more traditional Jimmy Smith burner. Guitar and organ trade lines with extra percussion.
From the Paid in Full LP 1974

Skate Korpse

This record caught my eye-basic black screened on white. DIY/Pettibon'ish feel to it. Song titles hinted at genius. So I rolled the dice. This LP compiles 3 7"s, a demo, and some unreleased songs to give you 22 skate rock anthems. Limited runs on all the 7"s and they are a couple years old. Skate Korpse hail from Rochester NY and want to skate your pool. The 1st single has a real Cali feel to it. Snotty Adolescents/Faction style vocals. Music is more Dead Milkmen or JFA, but the instrumentals give a clear nod to agent orange. There is a real feel of teenage angst that reminds me of the less straight ahead bands on the Mystic "We Got Power" comp. That is a compliment, this has an 80s feel but isn't some retro trip. By the 3rd sinlge which ends side one, they were kiling it with the super catchy "down" More likely to hear reverb than distortion, but it is no retro-trip. The vocals on the unrealeased tracks remind me of early Descendents(ride the wild) and they get a little more anthemic over the remaining tracks.
When I picked this up, I expected Violent Ramp style noisy hardcore. This was a real pleasant surprise and Skate Korpse kick ass. They will remind you of classic skate video soundtracks and classic 80s core.
The labels were reversed on my copy. That must make it super rare. I am definetely keeping an eye out for their singles.

This compilation is a split between Feral Kids Records in Buffalo and Punks Before Profits in MI.

Buttshakes Soul Party V1 LP

16 tracks of "soul,boogaloo, and raw funk". There are some bigger names on this comp Jamo Thomas, Chuck Willis and Monk Higgins as well as some lesser known artists

Opens up with "Soul Pary part 1" by Billy Clark and the Maskmen who don't disappoint dropping a nice laundry list of items you'll need for your soul party.
Nice breakdown at the end of "Socking Soul Power" by Simtex Simmons and Wylie Dixon-good female back up vocals as well.
Pervis Lavawn & The Commanders steal the show with "crossing over". James Brownish vocals with a wicked groove and a killer sax solo. This is the kind of track that keeps me buying these comps
Soul Inc drop a single that demonstrates some challenges in the recording studio, but make up for it with a wicked drum break and solo.
Butterball "the double B" let's you know he has studied the James Brown Review very closely.
Side one finishes off with a dying to be sampled "Marvin's Groove" by B.W. Soul. Loop the first 20 seconds and your off.
Tommy Dark calls out all the skinny leg girls on "wobble legs" and also throws a jab at the "funky four corners" by Jerry O which is the next track up. Jerry O brought Fabulous Shalimars throws down and inspired JB tribute "funkyline" part one and two.
Electric Man Lionel Davis sings his song "electric man" He leaves them weak. Trust him
Chick Willis drops the track about the African animal the "Mother Foyer". Blue lyrical double entendre. Sing the chorus right and you don't have to say "shhh shut your mouth"
Buddy McKnight wraps up the JB imitators on "everytime part one"
The Other Brothers run through a list of stars seen dancing at "hole in the wall". They even throw in the Batman and Robin theme.
Monk Higgins and the Satelittes finish it off with "mister luckee", Nice organ groove that hints at where Monk would go later in his career.

The good news is there is a Vol 3 of this available and the cover is as good as Vol 1 -and hopefully so are the tunes.

respect to the numero group

One of my biggest frustrations is not having enough time to search out and listen to music. Couple that with a tight budget for purchasing and you've got the recipe for one frustrated record collector. I guess it was about 2 years ago when my friend played me the Capsoul comp. Something called eccentric soul. The music was good. Obviously heavily influenced by Motown. Numero Group Definitely hadn't heard of the label. I tracked it down at work and liked the package. Once I bought it, I was equally impressed with the liner notes and effort that went into putting it together. This much soul from Columbus Ohio?? Who would have guessed. This series of comps really opened my eyes to the facts that indie labels back then are no different that indie labels now -regional,hard to find, sporadically distributed etc. Overall the Capsoul disc starts and finishes strong. "Hot Grits" is a reference/jab at Al Green. It takes some balls to put out a record bagging on Al Green for burning himself.
The comps came fast and furious and I am going to single out a couple that I loved rather than nitpick through all of them. No matter want if you want hard to find funk and soul, well researched and presented then you can't go wrong with this label.


Big Mack (009) Opens with "bui bui" a real dirty dancer that would have held it's own on a Las Vegas Grind Comp. Edd Henry keeps it going with "your replacement is here". Soul President's "got to have it" opens with a nice drum break. Miniskirt by the Performers is standout shouter. The additional "instro" version is notable for the vocals bleeding in. That must have been a fun recording session. The New Orleans piano stylings of "Monkey Time Shine:" by l.Hollis and the Mackadoos is another highpoint. This comp might be my favorite of the bunch. Has a much more raw and urgent feel than the others. Many selections here could heat up your house party. Reminds me of some of the tracks that were on the "shaftman" comp from years ago.

Good God(010) is not technically "eccentric soul" and I have skipped discussing Numero's other Non-"eccentric" releases, but this disc (along with the Soul Jazz Gopel comps) was another real eye opener to me of a genre I didn't even know to look for. One look at the cover of Trevor Dandy's lp had me hooked and the music doesn't let down. Influences run the gamut from Ray Charles with a heavy does of Stevie. This is killer

I am now waiting anxiously for the 2CD #13 and considering the subscription series as well. Eventually I will go back and grab the cult cargo comp -when first heard the name, I was hoping it was some collection of obscure Randy Turner recordings, but you can't win them all.
Massive respect to this label which treats the original artists with as much respect as the records.

And be sure to check the "digital dig" section of their site to snatch even more rarities

Dead Child and your inner metal head

Dead Child from Louisville mine some of the same metal history as Early Man from NYC. They even share a member. Dave Pajo. The Dead Child line up has some serious Louisville all-stars including former members of Crain and Slint. But this is not some new Quartertick math rock foray, this is a straight time machine trip to the 80s. Metal Rules and Trash Metal is the king.
If you where a teenager in the 80s and you weren't a complete tool, you liked metal. Maybe it was Slayer, maybe Metallica, who knows. But glam,thrash, death , or crossover all had some unbelievable albums during my teenage years. No matter how you defined yourself "punk" "skater""nerd""jock" whatever, there was a pretty good chance you were cranking Slayer at some point. And even if you didn't own it, you know you rocked out at a keg party to some metal. Don't even act like you didn't crash your mom's car listening to Dokken.

Cold Sweat have released this EP. It harkens back to the golden age a little NWOBHM, some thrash. Not obviously stolen riffs, but a clear tribute to the old guard.
If you were a teenage metal head, pick this up. You will probably still grab that Slayer, Metallica, Priest, Sodom, or Maiden record first but this is still worth your time. Buy this and maybe more bands from Louisville will put out metal records.
Think Kinghorse Don't get me started on Kinghorse.

TOC Wrap Up. PS Hincapie is Cursed!

Levi takes the overall win. Jens second and Jason McCartney 3rd. 4 of the top 6 riders were on CSC. 2 out of the top ten were domestic teams. Pro Tour big guns definitely shook things up and took 6 out of 7 stages.
This race was definitely more exciting than I expected. Caught a couple stages on Versus on whatever OLN is called today. And then there's George
Big George breaks his wrist and will need surgery. No classics for him. When he bonks, crashes into ditches, or fails to be aggressive it is kind of funny. This is not funny. There are only so many years left for him and who knows what Discovery will be like next year. I can't see a pro tour team backing him as a classics leader.

People's Choice 45

The label on this caught me eye and the price was right so home it came. The A-side "I likes to do it" should sound familar to anyone who listened to hip hop because it was sampled for De La Soul's "tread water". Lyrics keep it a syllable above a grunt which works for me. Wicked groove.
The flip is in a similar groove.
This is great single and it seems to float around cheap.

Vinyl -Endangered Species??

Spent a good portion of the weekend looking for records down on the Cape. Surprisingly frustrating experience. One of may favorite secret spots that has 1000s of juke box 45s and LPs was closed. Not closed for the day, but closed-like the building was empty. Records gone. Damn, the last time I was there I passed on a Ventures LP that they covered "whole lotta love" on. Missed my chance on that. Even though the bulk of the 45s were in terrible condition, it always gave me a thrill digging in there. Those records are probably waiting to get sold at some South Shore flea market as we speak.
Then I hit a few other antique/flea market type spots and they were all real light on records and what they had must have been priced after a "how to make a million on ebay" class. No thanks.
The last blow was the almost non existent supply of records at the Salvation Army and Goodwill. This was a troubling sign. There used to be at least a couple hundred LPs at all these locations and now there's barely a milk crate. Could this signal the end of vinyl? Has the last grandparent's attic been cleaned out? Has the latest entrepreneur snatched them all up to make popcorn bowls or purses? This was like a canary in the coal mine moment. How long til there is nothing left except in the hands of other record nerds or stores? Endless days wandering empty handed around yard sales.
I cannot wait for spring because I will be analyzing the distribution and availability of records to test this chilling theory......................