RIP Series - Dick Dale

A little late on this one.  It actually got mainstream coverage - probably because I live in Southern California.

Dick Dale can probably be credited with creating surf music.  His guitar tone combined with heavy reverb defined the sound.  His technique of playing leads on the bass stings (probably because he was left handed and didn't reverse the strings on his guitar) was also highly influential..

One wouldn't normally think of Orange County, California as a hotbed of any music scene.  Dick Dale held court at a ballroom in Newport Beach where he became a big hit with the local surfers.   Word of mouth spread and he routinely packed the place.  Add to this synergy the close proximity to the Fender Guitar headquarters in Fullerton.  What better advertisement could a company get than to place it in front of a genuine innovator.

This is the album that was a huge hit

Dick Dale and His Del-Tones - Surfer's Choice (Del-Tone 1962)

Recorded live with overdubs.  It includes Dick's hits Peppermint Man, Miserlou and Let's Go Trippin'.

A very fine record indeed.  Deltone records was setup my Dick's father to showcase his son.  It was initially sold at gigs.   This was the only album released on the label.   Shortly thereafter, he was signed to Capitol and the company no longer had a reason to exist.

Some of Dale's later records, most notably 1993's Tribal Thunder, are pretty incredible.  He never stopped playing and gigged constantly up and down the California Coast with chops firmly intact.

And as a side note - Rickenbacher Guitars also came from Orange County.  

Rock on Dick Dale

Other Records You WILL Enjoy #3 - London

Another in the series of advertising inner sleeves.  This comes courtesy of London Records and The Rolling Stones.   A great selection of records appears on the left.  In my typical 'count how many of these do you have' mode, I spy 12 under the teen beat column.   If I ever saw that Los Bravos title I'd probably pick it up.   

In column 2 we get Popular and International.   For some reason John Mayall's A Hard Road is in that column.  I've got that one. If features Peter Green later of Fleetwood Mac.

On the back side we get Mantovani.  I still only know him from The Rolling Stones inner sleeves.  He sure put out a ton of records.   The second column consists of titles using Decca's 'Phase 4' gimmick of recording.   I have that circus record!

RIP Series - Hal Blaine

Hal Blaine probably played on more #1 hits than anyone else.   He drummed for The Beach Boys, The Monkees, They Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and The Papas, all those Phil Spector records, etc.   Often someone else got their picture on the album cover as the drummer. 

I picked up this record long ago  - before I knew who Hal Blaine was.

Hal Blaine - Psychedelic Percussion (Dunhill 1967)

I was attracted by the cover, the title and the price (99 cents).   It's a pretty fun listen with only percussion instruments for the entire thing....

Incidentally, the photo on the back is not Hal.

Other Records you WILL enjoy #1 Atlantic/Atco

As stupid as these things were, I loved them.  Inner sleeves advertising other albums on the label. 

I'll present a few of these in the future.  Today we have one from Atlantic/Atco probably from the mid '70's.

the Queen movie

Much praise in being heaped on this.  The facts were jumbled.  Queen was gigging only a few months before Live Aid ("Children of the 80's, this is your Woodstock!").  They released four albums after.  Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS a few years after.  Outside of changing the timeline to suit dramatic purpose, it was filled with rock movie cliches.  We should have played a drinking game.  We'd be plastered by the end.

Here are a few.

1.  The disapproving father
2.  The van breaking down.
3.  The record executive who didn't believe their best song would become huge.
4.  THE TOUR MONTAGE
5.  Different concerts in different cities that appeared to be in the same venue.
6.  The disapproving father coming around in an emotional moment at the end.
7.  Some sort of naturally occurring rhythm that inspires a big hit.
8.  The early concert where a disapproving and inattentive audience comes around when the band starts playing.
9.  Overcoming odds (in this case race and teeth).
10.  One band member throwing star fits.
11.  THE RISE TO SUCCESS MONTAGE!
12.  The threat of a solo career followed by the Prima Donna realizing it couldn't do it without his mates.
13.  The wrong era labels on gold records (ie the Elektra butterfly label on early Doors releases).
14.  The sleazy manager.

A few I didn't see in the movie:
1.  The first wife/girlfriend who didn't believe in the talent.  I call this character Mrs. Buzzkill.
2.  The main focus expertly portrayed while supporting players don't emulate who they're supposed to be. They actually did OK in the Queen movie.
3.  A drug bust or drug problems.
4.  A rise in the charts montage.
5.  The smashing (or snorting coke off) of the gold records.

I propose making a rock biopic bingo card.

This is supposed to be a record blog.  Queen isn't all that present in my collection, so I'll show some photos below of the collaboration with David Bowie.  Too bad Bowie wasn't in the movie. It would have been a hoot to watch someone try to portray him.   Mark my word.  It will happen one day.

Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure b/w Soul Brother - (Elektra 1981)

One of two collaborations.  Bowie demanded his contribution to the other one not be released.

Echo and the Bunnymen - It's All Live Now

I've always said you can tell where a band came from by the songs they cover live.  Here's a band I've always loved with an album of covers from their live sets of yore.

Echo and the Bunnymen - It's All Live Now (Runout Groove 2018)

Recorded in the '80's on one of their last tours.  The cover is so glossy I couldn't get a good photo without reflective glare. 

Lots of energy here with covers of The Rolling Stones, The Modern Lovers, The Velvet Underground, Television, The Doors and Bob Dylan.   There's even '60's garage band one hit wonder The Litter covered here.   Echo and the Bunnymen had pieces of all them.  One of the only post punk bands from that era that I really liked.

The runout groove recreates the two version of their label, Korova.  Korova, for those who are unaware, is the drug infused milk consumed in A Clockwork Orange.  Hence the cow.

RIP Series - Lorna Doom

A little belated on this one.   A few weeks ago, we lost Lorna Doom, the bass player for LA Punk band The Germs.   I have a few of their early 45's.  This is the first.

The Germs - Forming b/w The Germs Live (What? Records 1977)

I mean no disrespect for anyone who tries to start a band on their own from nothing, but The Germs were pretty awful.  I saw them live more than once.   Apologies to Ms. Doom.

Singer Darby Crash (known as Bobby Pyn on this release) went for a 'died young' headline by purposely taking a lethal heroin dose.  Unfortunately it was the same night John Lennon got shot.  As you can imagine (no pun intended) Darby's attempt at fame barely had any press coverage.

The guitar player, by the way, went on to join Nirvana and is currently a member of The Foo Fighters.