The Magnificent Seven Live at Johnny Yee's Cape Cod Records #3

The Magnificent Seven "Featuring" Dave McKenna and "Presenting" Lou Colombo and Dick Johnson. A jazz album recorded on Route 28 at a Chinese restaurant? The cover is a classic. Check the sideburns! What is a bigger surprise is the opening track a rare groove cooker called "Yum Sing" -an "original jazz rock blues" according to the boys. I figured my Cape Cod records series would be a labor of OCD love rewarded with very little good music, but this album might change that opinion. 4 originals and 5 covers make up this set. "In a Mello Tone", "Wave", "Yellow Bird","Noboby Knows the Trouble I've seen", "Yellow Bird"(which was Johnny Yee's favorite song!), and "Stormy Weather" are the covers. All well done.
"Soul Street West" is another original. That has an Oliver Nelson feel to it. The liner notes call it a "an original soul,rock tune" and I'm not going to argue. Lou Colombo reels off a hell of a trumpet solo and Sonny Cain is no slouch on the trombone either.
"She's Gone" opens side 2 with a bluesy swing that again calls to mind Mr.Nelson. Dave Mckenna steps out on the electric piano and again the liner notes strike gold with this observation, "Dad's Wurlizter never sounded like this). Genius.

This is the kind of record that 1.might legitimately be called private press and 2.should go for big bucks amongst those who can find it. The good news is if you ever see this it will probably be in a box at a yard sale somewhere on the Cape for a couple quarters. If you are lucky enough to see it grab it. Sadly Johnny Yee's is gone replaced by a comedy club if I remember correctly. Rik Tinery Productions appears to be the label out of Cohasst Mass. Catalog number is RFT#1001. Happy hunting!
Norm Nathan's liner notes let you know that Lou Colombo played with both Perez Parado and the Brooklyn Dodger's farm system.
I almost made it through this without a juvenile comment about Dick Johnson. So close.

Sat Cycling Notes

Tour of Picardie first stage goes to Barloworld's Robbie Hunter with Fabrizio Guidi in second. Slipstream are contesting this race and their best place rider was Taylor Tolleson in 40th. This is a 4 stage race with the last day being a split stage. Even if it is ranked a 2.1 Nick Nuyens and Leif Hoste are both racing!
Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt wraps up tomorrow.
No surprises at the Giro today, a sprinter stage was won by Pettachi. Hushovd in 2nd must be recovered from his crash and Bettini got third after Quickstep did most of the work to bring back the break.
T-Mobile turn what looked like a trainwreck into another day in the maglia rosa. Pinotti might be able to hold it until Thursday, but the road to Briancon that day should heavily rearrange the GC.

Not to beat a dead horse but Floyd is proving to be a total scum bag and I wonder how he can look his family in the face. Check O'Grady's Foaming Rant for a view I agree with on this subject. I have been suprised by how many idiots have been trashing LeMond and making light of this abuse story on the Velonews forum. The Velonews forun used to be one of the best boards for cycling tech questions and getting good info. Now it pretty much blows and is usually OT on some politics and bullshit.
Gotta drop another great cycling quote I saw on the cyclingnews.com site. MTB Adam Craig race a single speed in a race and dropped this nugget,"That was some getting in shape..."

Bovachevo

These guys kick ass.

Bovachevo 7 song CD

If band names like Patience,One Small Dog, or Guerroro mean anything to you, you will be excited about this CD. It also probably means you are a late 30s nerd from Massachusetts. If powerful heavy post punk rock in the Bitch Magnet/Johnboy vein is something you enjoy than this will be right up your ally. Insturmental Power Trio. Definite SST/Flag vibe, but with a super melodic metal component. This is a fucking killer record-it makes you want to go skate or drive around all night.
Check their myspace page for shows and info and to find out how to grab this record and other upcoming releases. And as if all that isn't good enought they have 2 videos on youtube. Get stoked!

Dick Gomes Songs of Praise LP Cape Cod Records#2

Dug this out from under a sewing machine in the back of an antique coop in Dennis. Would have put it back if not for my desire to compulsively document Cape Cod related records. 10 songs of Gospel praise nurtured in the West Harwich Trinity Church (typo'd on the back as West Hartford). Executive Produced by a retired lawyer who probably harbored aspirations of being a big time record man.
This record will not be turning up anytime soon on my turntable and is only getting mentioned as part of the Cape Cod Records series. This is basically some midpaced gospel with hockey rink organs. Don't want to make you jealous, but this is an autographed copy, and yes the autograph is located in Dick's ample collar. More installments on the way......including one that might be good! Stay tuned Cape people.

Black Widow III LP

I had super high hopes for this record. I had heard rumours the band was proto-Sabbath heaviness. The album cover lead me to believe this- a twisted painting worthy of a Burzum record. Right out of the gate, I was confused. I am hearing more Tull and Yes than anything else. The record opens with a three part epic called "the battle" which was a battle to get through. The last song on side one kicks in with a funkier groove and some decent flute work. It might make the cut for a comp tape.
Side 2 opens with a super slacker prog track called "the sun" that you could picture Pavement playing. That is not a good sign if you were looking for some early 70s heaviness. King of Hearts is up next and might be my favorite track on here. This one also reminds me of pavement until it busts into some uptempo standard prog moves.
Get Back did a great job with the packaging on this gatefold LP. I haven't reviewed too many records that I straight out didn't like and I don't think I'll make a habit of it, but I was really surprised how far this record was from my expectation.Not my kind of music.

Michael Yonkers Band Microminature Love CD

"rays of sun can melt your head". So sang Mike Yonkers who based on this CD spent a fair amount of time in the sun. Sub Pop reissued/released this back in 2003. Microminature Love originally got unleashed on the world in 68 by Sire records. Yonkers bridges garage rock influences into a 70s pre or proto punk/ post -psych type sound. Kind of a mid paced groove somewhere between the 13th Floor Elevators and the Stooges.(not as trippy as the 1st, not as heavy as the 2nd) You have to wait until track 3 for Yonkers to blast off into some Spaceman 3 worthy feedback blasts that fade ou the song. Sometimes brings to mind Sonic Youth. Maybe even Simply Saucer if I felt like name checking another lost wierdo ensemble. Not hard to understand why this fell through the cracks. "Puppeting" works a basic blues stomp into the ground with some killer fuzz. Demo material is also strong "My House" has a nice Hendrix groove to it. Overall this is a pretty amazing record, grabbing from a lot of influences it creates a sound that is still compelling 29 years later.
This disc contains the original 7 tracks from the LP, plus six bonus tracks. Netting you 13 slabs of outsider skronk and roll. He still lives and performs in Minneapolis.
You can check a couple tunes on the SubPop page
Thanks to devoted WWDIS reader Ur Trommler for the tip on this one.

Cyling quote of the day

"Then on the ascent it was harakiri. Just ride brutally, don't think about it. I don't know how often I tangled with Napolitano and we bumped into each other. In the press conference the Italians wanted to make something of that, but it was nothing unusual. Sprinting is a hard business."
Robert Foster winner of yesterday's Giro stage (from cyclingnews.com)

That pretty much sums up race tactics. Just ride Brutally. Dont' Think. JRB! So much better than Just do it. That statement is worthy of my other favorite cycling quote machine -Vino.

Tinkoff and more cycling news of the wierd.

"He's suspended now," Tinkov continued. "The situation is so complex, with the media, the police. We just want to support these young beautiful Russian guys. We don't have to have those negative stories anymore."
The above quote is from the Velonews site. Is there a not-creepy way to interpret the young beautiful Russians guy thing? I am at a loss.
No matter how creepy he may be, he has the team riding like he is holding their families hostage. Tomorrow's stage should favor a breakaway and I can only hope Pavel Brutt is up to the challenge.
Hamitlton has some BS posted on his site about being confused. He might be the last guy to find out his "career" is over. He needs to shut it down and just hang out with his dogs.
The Landis hearing took another twist into bizarro world. Landis and his crew are some serious scum bags if this is true.
Today's stage ended in a rough and tumble sprint and I could hear Paul Sherwin talking about the old "Argy-Bargy" as I followed the race online.

Brazil Today LP Xavier Alberto and his Orchestra

Picked this up on a swing through some antique and junk stores. 10 songs on Crown. Swinging Latin Jazz featuring the flute. Got it for 3 cents more than the sticker on the cover. Not bad.
"Bongosville" opens with a nice flute groove, but then lives up to its name with some percussion breakdowns. "Pesadilla" has a wicked groove and a guitarist doing his best Wes Montgomery imitation. "Azul" is another stand out on this record. Overall this record is pretty predictable -nice groove, percussion breakdown, repeat. Fairly tame with some nice flute grooves, but a nice weekend choice for chilling in the afternoon.

Cachoa Dos LP Salsoul Thursday double shot of Latin grooves

Picked this up in a thrift shop basically after reading the Wax Poetics run down on the label. Figured, why not roll the dice. 5 tracks of Cuban music from 1976. It clearly has a groove going and apparently they are loosely structured jams. "trombone melancolico" on side 2 is the big jam. The last track on side 2 "Chambelona(pot pouri de congas)" has got some trumpet work that recalls Dizzy's latin stylings and has a huge percussion breakdown for the beat diggers.
There is some bongo or conga overdubbed in a weird arrhythmic way that makes me think my computer is messing up as I type. Maybe those are "poly rhythms" and I am just too uptight to get it. There is a shitload of percussion on here and it is enjoyable except for that one thing. I have enough trouble clapping my hands along to Blitz songs so this sounds very crazy to me. I am sure to experienced ears it is pretty straight forward.

Mid Week Cylcing News

DiLuca scores big and Liquigas flexed some muscle today, but for me the big news was in Germany where Sergej Lagutin scored a huge win for Navigators in International Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt. This is also a huge win for Uzbekistan. Tashkent stand up!
Back to the Giro, Bettini crashed again today in Stage 4 and lost 5 minutes. Curse of the rainbow jersey???? He had an awesome quote about not judging his season til after the tour of lombardy-so you know the cricket will keep fighting.
Riccardo Ricco had a great day and is continuing to push to the next level. Telekom has lost 2 riders and it looks like their trip to Italy will be a big waste. Despite DiLucas move today, the decisive stages are still a ways away. No surprise to see Pavel Brutt in a breakaway. Tinkoff is going to have to do something to get out of Tyler's shadow.
Tomorrow's stage looks like one for the sprinters but a climb about 15K from the finish could give a breakaway some hope and at the least keep it interesting.
I am hesitant to discuss Landis's last ditch arbitration move, but the incompetent translator is worth a mention. WTF? Wouldn't you check if the translator could speak French before this thing started?
One final bitch, cycling magazines seem barely able to keep up with the fast breaking doping news. The most recent VeloNews has a Tyler's back column that is already pointless and Pro-Cyling's Giro cover story is on Basso. Ouch.

Specialized helmet and glove review

My theory on helmets is that 1.I don't like wearing them, 2. I am cheap, 3. I know I need to wear one. So in a counter intuitive stroke of genius, I have discovered that if I buy an expensive helmet I feel compelled to wear it at all times or I feel like I have wasted my money. So that is one way to trick your cheap ass into safety.
I have worn Giro helmets for the past 6 years so I was ready for a change. Of course some cool euro import (las, spiuk,catlike, etc) would have been cool, but I wasn't ready to mail order a helmet. Off to the bike shop. I have liked the looks of the new Decibel from Specialized and it was expensive so seemed like a worthy replacement.
I have been wearing it for about a month and can give it a thumbs up. The "Pro-fit2 retention system" is close in function to the Giro, but just different enough to fool you-kind of like when you jump on Shimano equipped bike if you are used to Campy. None the less it fits well. Venting seems acceptable and it is light. I expected a more dramatic breeze from the big scoop on the front called the mouthport, but I can't say my head was hot. I will report back in August.
I have also been intrigued by the "body geometry" concept Specialized has been rocking, but I am a Sidi man and having just bought new shoes was not ready for a $300 experiment. The shop did have the BG Pro glove which I decided to try out. I don't usually wear gloves except when it is cold, but figured why not. What other gloves on the market share a name with a former Hot Boy? It has been a while since I bought gloves(it might have been a pair of Santini Polti replicas??) and was surprised they didn't have a strap on the back-I must have been dazzled by all the bumps and padding and not noticed. Just like Vince Neil's spandex pants you just slip them on and they hold tight. I liked their light weight, but they have not held up well. My first complaint is the "micro-suede" thumb for "wiping away sweat", I think we all know that you wipe away as much snot as sweat with gloves and I was disappointed by the absorbent capacity of these gloves. Second complaint, durability. I have only been wearing them for a month and they are already starting to fray and get tattered at the wrist. Perhaps since this is a "minimalist glove" for "high intensity racing" they aren't meant to last, but less than 15 rides seems weak-espeically when very few of those rides could be classified as "high intensity racing" So Specialized goes 1 for 2. Thumbs up for the helmet. Thumbs down for the gloves. But thanks to some fact checking for this review I discovered this shirt on their site. This bit of bike nerd buffoonery, gets 2 thumbs up!!
As a side note Bettini crashed again today in Stage 4 and lost 5 minutes. Curse of the rainbow jersey???? He had an awesome quote about not judging his season til after the tour of lombardy-so you know the cricket will keep fighting.

British Cyling Special

Some classic old footage brought to my attention by fixedgearhead. Rad

Jabladav Dead as Duck CDR

Aquarius records rarely runs short of off-kilter super limited black metal releases to hype and that is how this record came to my attention. Black Metal with a Black Flag influence? Obvious nod to SF's Weakling. All right, I will bite. First track on this 14 track CDR (limited to 100!) hits hard. Production is strong and the drums are pounding away. In fact the bass and drum work have a real post punk feel(Chicago style not English). The 2nd track starts to show the SST or Black Flag influence(maybe in the vein of Left Insane. Some of the tracks have the feel of the heavy intro track that so many late 80s early 90s hardcore bands felt compelled to drop(at least in Boston). Guitar is heavy with an about to blow practice amp kind of overdriven quality. The odd keyboard blasts are unique and seem kind of disjointed. Vocals are a twisted rasp low in the mix. Song titles show a sense of humor running underneath it all ("burzenjoinem" and "ginn kin" for example") This is black metal but with a lot of other influences lurking in the background and occasionally making there presence felt.
I guess this is the work of one man down in Boone NC. Not surprisingly he/they have a myspace page.