Some Personal Favorite LPs by my Favorite Artists

A
Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
Laurie Anderson - Big Science
Joan Armatrading - Me Myself I
Louie Armstrong - The Hot Fives and Sevens
Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity


B
Stiv Bators - L.A., L.A.
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Beatles - Revolver
Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds [Deluxe Edition]
Boogie Down Productions - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop

David Bowie - Station to Station
James Brown - 20 All Time Greatest Hits
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
The Butthole Surfers - Live PCPPEP

C
Caberet Voltaire - Voice of America
Johnny Cash - Unchained
Ray Charles - Genius Hits the Road
The Clash - The Clash
The Clean - Vehicle
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Elvis Costello - Get Happy

D
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Dead Boys (Stiv Bators) - Young, Loud and Snotty
The Doors - L.A. Woman
Nick Drake - Fruit Tree
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

E
Steve Earle - El Corizon
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets

F
The Fall - Perverted By Language
The Feelies - The Good Earth
Flipper - Generic Album Flipper
Fred Frith - Gravity

G
Gang of Four - Entertainment
Dizzy Gillespie - Groovin' High
The Grifters - Ain’t My Lookout
Go-Betweens (Grant McLennon,Robert Forster) - 1978-1990
Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
The Gun Club - Death Party EP

HHalf-Japanese (Jad Fair, David Fair) - Fire in the Sky
PJ Harvey - Dry
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
Gil Scott Heron - From South Africa to Southern California
Billie Holiday - Quintessential Billie Holiday
Holy Modal Rounders (Michael Hurley, Peter Stampfel) - Have Moicy
Husker Duh (Bob Mould-Sugar, Grant Hart) - Zen Arcade

I
Isley Brothers - That Lady

J
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues
Joy Division - Closer
Jungle Brothers - Done By the Forces of Nature

K
King Crimson - Beat
Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies
Kronos Quartet - Pieces of Africa

L
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

M
Magnetic Fields - The Charm of the Highway Strip
The Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun
Minor Threat - Minor Threat
The Minutemen - Buzz or Howl
Mott The Hoople - Mott
My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything?
Mekons - Rock `N' Roll
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
Thelonius Monk - Brilliant Corners
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls
Nirvana - Bleach

O
Phil Ochs - All the News That's Fit to Sing

P
Charlie Parker - Now's the Time
Parliament-Funkadelic - Mothership Connection
The Pastels - Mobile Safari
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
Pink Floyd - The Piper At the Gates of Dawn
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Nation of Millions
Public Image, Ltd. - Second Edition
Tito Puente
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted

R
The Ramones - Rocket to Russia
Lou Reed - Growing Up in Public
REM - Life’s Rich Pageant
Replacements - Let It Be
Residents - Third Reich and Roll
The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Henry Rollins/Black Flag - My War
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Collosus


S
The Saints - I’m Stranded
Pete Seeger - Pete
The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
Elliot Sharp - Errata
Michelle Shocked - Short Sharp Shocked
Patti Smith - Horses
Sonic Youth - EVOL
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Spacemen 3 - Playing With Fire
Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift For You
Bruce Springsteen -
Stereolab - Emporer Tomato Ketchup
Karzheinz Stockhausen
The Stooges - Fun House
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

T
The Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Television - Marquee Moon
Television Personalities
Richard Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights
Throbbing Gristle -
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Peter Tosh -
Toots and the Maytals -
T-Rex -

U
Undertones - The Undertones
Unrest - Perfect Teeth

V
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground

W
Wire - Pink Flag
The Weavers - Wasn't That a Time?
Kurt Weill - Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill
Tom Waits - Bone Machine
The Who - Who’s Next
Hank Williams -
Stevie Wonder -

X
XTC - Oranges and Lemons

Y
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Neal Young -

List of bands/performers I've seen live

List of bands/performers I've seen live (in alphabetical order):

I saw my first "rock concert" in the mid 1960s - the 3rd tier British Invasion band Freddie and the Dreamers, known in the states for their one hit "I'm Telling You Now." Here they are doing the freddie - what a goofy dance that one was. My family and I saw them at an outdoor show in the pre-gambling Atlantic City.

(I may have also seen Paul Revere and the Raiders, around the same time, but my memory is hazy on this one.)

Here is a (mostly complete) list (with dates, opening bands and venue, where these are recalled, and also, drawing upon various net searches, the band playlists).

Aerosmith (Golden Earring - MSG November 24, 1978) Here appears to be some vintage live Aerosmith from 1978.

Bad Brains - Boston (early 1990s)
Marcia Ball - Lowell Folk Festival 1985
Marcia Ball - Lowell Folk Festival 1986
Beck (Belle and Sebastian, Raveonettes, Polyphonic Spree, Gang Gang Dance
Whirlwind Heat - Coney Island, NY October 2, 2005)
Pete Best Band - Maxwells, Hoboken, NJ . Pete Best was the Beatles original drummer, and after many years out of the public spotlight, he's now performing songs done by the early Beatles, back when they were playing the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg. If you close your eyes and listen, it feels like you've stepped back in time and gone to the Cavern club. Anyway, I got a chance after his set to meet him and to get an autograph; I can now say that I met a Beatle.
Black Sabbath (Van Halen Aug 27, 1978, NYC - Madison Square Garden. black sabbath set list Symptom of the Universe, War Pigs, Never Say Die, Dirty Women, Rock & Roll Doctor,
Guitar Solo, Electric Funeral, Embryo / Children of the Grave, Paranoid, Snowblind, Black Sabbath, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (instrumental), Iron Man, Fairies Wear Boots, Hand of Doom, N.I.B. ,Gypsy, Shock Wave, Swinging the Chain )
Blondie
Bongos (Chesterfield Kings)
Eric Burden and the Animals
Butthole Surfers (Redd Kross, Das Damen, Ritz, NYC, 1987). Here are the butthole surfers doing the song "hey" in 1985; and here is a short video for redd kross showing what they looked and sounded like in the mid 80s.

I couldn't find any videoclips of Das Damen but here is what they looked like; they were pretty decent band

Buzzcocks - Boston (early 1990s)
Buzzcocks - Irving Plaza 2006

Celibate Rifles (Dumptruck) (CBGB, July 1986; note, this was the Celibate Rifles only on their only U.S. tour, and it was at this show that the band recorded the tracks for the live release "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" about which CD Universe.Com says it is "considered by those in the know to be one of the best live albums of all time. 13 tracks including the definitive version of Radio Birdman's supercharged Aussie punk anthem, 'Burn My Eye'.") Here are the celibate rifles still rocking out. Even though this is from around 20 years after I got to see them, they still have the raw high energy, which is good to see.

Cheetah Chrome, Bad Brains, etc. (free in Central Park, early 1980s)
Chicken Legs (ex. Little Feat)
The Chieftains

Eric Clapton (Elton John)
The Clash (Steel Pulse, Boston 9/19/1979 setlist City of the DeadI'm So Bored with the USAComplete ControlLondon CallingWhite Man In Hamm PalaisKoka KolaI Fought the LawSafe European HomeJail Guitar DoorsThe Guns Of BrixtonEnglish Civil WarClash City RockersStay FreeClampdownPolice and ThievesCapital RadioWrong 'Em BoyoJanie JonesGaragelandArmagideon TimeCareer OpportunitiesWhite RiotJimmy JazzWhats My Name) . And here they are , from the British show Top of the Pops, from early 1978
The Clash (Kurtis Blow, Gregory Isaacs NYC, 1982/3?)
The Clean (The Minders - Maxwells, Hoboken, September 2001)

Das Damen
Ray Davies (Irving Plaza NYC 2005) (here he is from this show doing Oklahoma USA)

Miles Davis - summer, 1983. Here's the later Miles with musicians. The DBs
Carmaig de Forest
Carmaig de Forest (Barbès - Park Slope, Brooklyn) . Here is his wonderful song George Bush Lies

Del Byzantines
Del Fuegos (New Hampshire)
the Du-Tels (i.e., Peter Stampfel and Gary Lucas )

Feelies (Ritz, NYC, 1987-90) Here they are live in New York doing "deep fascination" and here's another early classic

Fleshtones (Peppermint Lounge - NYC) Here's a really rocking performance from French TV.
Steve Forbert - Ship Bottom, NJ (free outdoor show, with the audience sitting in beach chairs)
Peter Frampton - 1977
Freddy and the Dreamers (Atlantic City, mid 1960s)
Robert Fripp (free show, Central Park, summer 1990?)

Gamelan Orchestra (Madison, WI)
The Gang of Four - summer, 1983
Dizzy Gillespie
Indigo Girls
Green
Guided By Voices (w. Ambulance)
The Gun Club (here doing Brother and Sister)

Guns and Roses/Faith No More/Metallica (early 1990s Giants Stadium)

Hermans Hermits
Hot Tuna

King Crimson (summer, 1983) (here is the version of the band I saw live- Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford and Adrian Belew.)

Kiss (Madison Square Garden, 1978)
Kronos Quartet (Madison, WI 1988)

Lach
Live Skull (Here's a music video). I saw this Sonic Youth-esque band at CBGBs some time in the 1980s.

Los Lobos
Nick Lowe (free show, Boston, summer, 1995)
The Lunachicks (here's a video for this highly underrated band). I saw them at an outdoor show in Hoboken in around 1990 or 91.

Lyres (Maxwells - Hoboken) Here they are live doing "I want to help you Anne." I'm not sure when this was filmed, but they sound like they did when I saw them.

Meat Puppets (with a live clip of the song "swimming ground")

The Membranes (Madison, WI, 1989/90). An obsecure, barely remembered but highly original band. Here is their All Music Guide page.
Paul McCartney
Roscoe Mitchell
Morphine

The New Barbarians
New York Dolls
New York Dolls - Hoboken street fair Fall 2006

The O'Jays
Old Skull
Outlaws (Mama's Finest, The Stanky Brown Group)

Pere Ubu - Hoboken, 1990/91(?)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Boston, 1980)
Iggy Pop (Boston, 1980)
Pop Will Eat Itself

Queen (Piper December 1 or 2, 1977, MSG)

Ramones (Tuff Darts, Runaways - March 25, 1978 Capital Theater, Passaic NJ)
Ramones (Syl Sylvain)
(Here is the classic Ramones lineup (Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Marky) doing blitzkreig bop from what appears to be the late 70s or early 80s; here's the Runaways live from around the same era.)
Todd Rundgren (Hall and Oates)

Pete Seeger (Washington, DC)
Pete Seeger (NYC)
Pete Seeger (Beacon NY)
Pete Seeger (local activist Connie Hogarth’s living room, at a fundraiser for John Hall's congressional campaign; Pete sang this anti-war anthem and those of us there sang along.)

(Here, also, is Pete,June Carter, and Johnny Cash from a TV program from the early 1960s)

Scrawl
Shriekback (live Nemesis)

Soft Boys (reunion tour, Maxwells, Hoboken, October 2002)

Sonic Youth (NYC club, 1987)
Sonic Youth (Central Park, 2003; here's a brief clip; and here's the legendary Richard Kern directed Death Valley 69 video)
Soundgarden (Madison, WI, 1989/90) (some live music from them)
The Spanic Boys
Bruce Springsteen (Madison Sq. Garden, 1980, the "River" tour)
Peter Stampfel Until I find something else to post, this will have to do - some flash animation for the silly, but very catchy, Fugs/Holy Modal Rounders tune boobs a lot.

Sugar - Boston (and here is a great clip of Bob Mould and Lou Barlow doing a Sugar song.)

Matthew Sweet - Boston, 1993
Matthew Sweet - NH 1995

Here's Matthew Sweet live on MTV.

Talking Heads - NYC, Radio City, 1980 (with live performance)
Television (reunion tour, 1993, Boston) Here's a live performance from one of the reunion shows.

Tin Huey
Derek Trucks Band
Richard Thompson - Here he is doing one of my favorite of his songs 1952VincentBlackLightning which he did when we saw him

The Tubes - Central Park
The Turtles

U2 (March 9, 1981 - the Ritz, NYC: setlist The Ocean, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Touch, An Cat Dubh, Into The Heart, Another Time, Another Place, The Cry, The Electric Co., Things To Make And Do, Stories For Boys, Twilight, I Will Follow encores: Out Of Control, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, The Ocean)
U2 (The Alarm) outdoor show July 1, 1983- NYC)

Dave Van Ronk (Socialist Scholars Conference, NYC, early 80s) I wish this clip were a bit longer, but it gives a fine taste of this legendary folk singer.
Tom Verlaine (Ritz, NYC)
Tom Verlaine (Ritz, NYC)
Here is Verlaine doing a wonderful version of the Television song "Glory"

Doc Watson (with John Herald) Here's some Doc Watson live

The Who (Madison Square Garden, 1979)
Johnny Winter

Yo La Tengo (Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 6/7/2002)
Yo La Tengo (Northsix, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, December 16, 2003, Onion Holiday Party, with David Cross, the Walkmen, Dev Attack, Tyondai Braxton)
Yo La Tengo (Maxwells, 12/12/2004 w. the Coctails, 12/30/2005 w. Volcano Suns, 12/28/2005 w. The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen)
Yo La Tengo (Beacon Theater, NYC 2004)
Yo La Tengo (Battery Park, w. Steven Malkmus and the Jicks ) July 4, 2005
Yo La Tengo (NYC)
Yo La Tengo (March 29, 2005: Tonic Benefit, Tonic NYC)
Yo La Tengo ( THE JOSHUA WHITE AND GARY PANTER LIGHT SHOW. )

a really nice live clip of Yo La Tengo doing "little eyes"

Also, various music festivals and multi-artist performances, including:
-Lowell Folk Festival
-New Orleans Festival (NJ)
-Williamson Street Block Party, Madison, WI
-Halloween, Madison, WI
-Central Square Block Party, Cambridge, MA
-Hoboken Alt. Rock Festival
-Central Park Rock Against Racism
-Caribbean Day/Labor Day Festival – Brooklyn, NY
-Copley Square Summer Fest
-The American Songbook – music of Arthur Schwartz, Lincoln Center
-Anti-Folk/Howlfest – Lower East Side
-TibetHouse benefit - w. David Byrne, Keb Mo, Yo La Tengo, Phillip Glass, Bright Eyes, Angelique Kidjo (2/25/04)
-also, miscellaneous British bands at the Marquee Club, London, UK 1994

Some political punk (and proto-punk) LP reviews

Music wedded to politics can work very well, or it can backfire. Here, in my opinion, are four examples that work very well.

I've posted these elsewhere and am now posting them here.



The Ex - Singles. Period. The Vinyl Years, 1980-1990

The Ex are committed philosophical idealists and political activists, who also happen to be a long existing and deeply influential punk band. The Ex - from the Netherlands - formed in the late '70s, and began recording in the early 80s, releasing singles, EPs and LPs on various indie labels, and participating in the creation and maintanence of politcal punk scenes in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. This recording compiles much of their early work, and sounds very raw and abrasive, as well as minimalist and lo-fi. Most of the songs are sung in English (though some, such as Lied Der Steinklopfer, are not), and offer socially critical and political themes and topics. While a number of the songs sound a bit same-ish, some do stand out. Among these are Human Car, which explores the analogy of man:machine, and does so over classic hardcore punk riffs, and some of the more explicitly topical or political songs, such as Cells, Weapons for El Salvador, Enough is Enough (which also features a kind of Middle Eastern sounding motif within the song), and the dirgelike Memberhips. Highly recommended for fans of noise bands and/or leftist message oriented punk. Perhaps less so for the casual listener.

The Ex's members have included: G.W. Sok, Andy Ex, Tom Greene, Terrie Hessels, Terrie Ex, Katrin Bornfeld, Wineke T. Hart, Luc Klaassen, Jos Kley, Sabien Witteman, René, and Geurt

The Gang of Four - Solid Gold


When I saw the Gang of Four perform live in the early 80s, bassist Dave Allen, a brilliant musician, was, sadly, gone, though in his place was a fairly decent replacement, Sara Lee. The Go4 were true post-punk progressives, who sought to elevate women rock musicians as the equals of men, at a time when this was still a novel concept. In fact, the Gang of Four's progressivism was partly the result of the earthshaking consequences of 1970s British punk, of which this band was definitely a part (their first recording - the Damaged Goods EP - was released in 1978, still the punk heyday). Their progressivism was also a result of their university education in philosophy, and specifically, in the neo-marxist critical theory of scholars like Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse, and Antonio Gramsci, all of whose work informs the Gang's lyrical content and sensibilities. But these were also smart young men, loaded with talent, living in a world in which they felt alienated. Seeing them live was great! They rocked, and they connected with the audience, a large gathering of mostly Americans who were deeply in to them. And lead singer John King certainly had the funky white guy thing going on, as he was constantly in motion on stage, as guitarist Andy Gill riffed away, fearlessly and energetically.

Here, on Solid Gold, mixing punk, postpunk, funk, dance, and just a bit of free jazz, the Gang of Four wildly succeed in producing one of the 80s finest musical hours. The key to this record are probably the tight rhythms which the band produces. In fact, the bass lines here are anything but simple, whereas the guitar lines are effectively simple, and sharply rhythmic. Also, the band's messages are a bit less cryptic and thus a bit clearer than on Entertainment, which seemed so immersed in social theory (though, of course, this recording has a song called Why Theory?, about praxis, with the clever split of the vocals between King and Gill). The messages of song's like Capital (It Fails Us Now), History's Bunk!, and If I Could Keep It For Myself are pointedly clear, not to mention very insightful.

One other observation. This has some of this band's best, and best known, songs, including What We All Want (which they've recently re-recorded), In The Ditch, Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time, and To Hell With Poverty.

The MC5 - Kick Out the Jams

Throughout rock history, there have been a number of bands, particularly from the Midwest, vying to be known as *the* all American, working class "people's band." This is a trend which, I would say, probably accelerated with Grand Funk, continued through the 70s with groups like the Michael Stanley Band, as well as Bob Seger (whose Get out of Denver is a classic, and whose Night Moves remains for me a personal favorite of its era), and others, and then picked up steam in the 80s with John Mellencamp (an aside - there is a contemporary punk band, I don't know what they sound like, but they call themselves John Cougar Concentration Camp, which I find amusing, albeit in a non-PC way), and probably dozens of others. Most recently, we've had Kid Rock.

However, I've always thought the true representatives of the repressed condition of the heartland working class were more the rebels and miscreants like the MC5 and the Stooges, (or in England, Black Sabbath from the industrial city of Birmingham would have been more or less the equivalent) and then later on, bands like the Dead Boys and even Pere Ubu , or today, the novelty-rap act Insane Clown Posse. No disrespect intended to the working class, or for that matter, the Midwest; I come from working class roots myself, and spent three enjoyable years of my life in the Midwest.

Listening to this blend of garage band power chords, proto heavy metal and protest rock, what you hear, beyond a somewhat murky sound, is the blood, sweat and tears of a fine group of rebel rockers. These guys deserve to be thought of as a seminal precursor to punk, particularly the more politically driven punk of bands like the Clash, Dead Kennedys and Millions of Dead Cops. Here, then, is a chance to hear what the MC5 sounded like live. It may have been the 60s, but mellow is not a word to describe them.

Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombation In 12 Bursts

I got first turned onto punk in the late 70s, while in high school, after hearing the first two Ramones records. I then tried to listen to and read about punk, and particularly favored bands that had some originality or a style all their own.

In the eighties, as punk went in at least two directions (i.e., postpunk/noise and hardcore), there were many bands but few standouts; Husker Duh, Black Flag, the Flesh Eaters, X, P.I.L., Gang of Four were among the standouts.

So here it is, early in the 21st century, and what is punk, now? Some would argue that its glory is largely a thing of the past, and what passes for punk now is basically a rigid formula and a pale imitation of what once was. While that may be largely true, I know that its also always possible to over idealize the past and to not see it as it actually was. In fact, there were mediocre punk bands in the 70s and there are at least some excellent ones in the late 90s/early 00s; Refused are one such band.

I recently got turned onto this band, and this record in particular, and boy is it good, really good in fact. Sounding a bit like a combination of Fugazi, the Rollins Band, and a number of punk-metal bands from over the years with just a sprinkling of jazz and techno thrown in to enhance the recipe, Refused play really tight, have a wide variety of arrangements to keep things from getting monotonous (a problem with a lot of bands), and offer sharply satirical lyrics containing a sort of anarchist rage at global capitalism and forms of repression. All in all, a complete package on a record which will likely wind up on a lot of critics lists of the best punk of all time. What this all proves: punk lives!