Formerly known as Urusei Yatsura, Yatsura is not a Japanese rock band, although their name does come from a Japanese cartoon series. Yatsura is a Scottish band that blends low-fi indie-pop with wailing guitars and feedback. We Are Yatsura opens with the manic-paced "Siamese," then rolls into the slower and more melodic "First Day on a New Planet." "Pow R. Ball" is insane mayhem, and "Black Hole Love" is a sonic ballad. While there are a couple of fillers, Yatsura manage to pound out a smashing racket of a debut. Source: [AMG]
Urusei Yatsura - Kewpies Likes Watermelon
Track Listing 1. Siamese 2. First Day on a New Planet 3. Pow R. Ball 4. Kewpies Like Watermelon 5. Phasers on Stun/Sola Kola 6. Black Hole Love 7. Velvy Bood 8. Plastic Ashtray 9. Death 2 Everyone 10. Pachinko 11. Untitled 12. Kernel 13. Road Song
La Mano Cornuda, or the horns of the devil, is The Supersuckers' most ambitious record to date as the intense guitar chord explosion first heard on The Smoke of Hell is joined with a more aggressive lead guitar attack that almost verges on The Supersuckers' closet dream of heavy metal machismo. Every song on La Mano Cornuda (with the exception of the limp punk-pop slacker anthem "On the Couch") embraces an overpowering rock jock attitude that will either disgust you or leave you rolling on the floor. Source [AMG] Supersuckers - Creepy Jackalope Eye
Track Listing 1. Creepy Jackalope Eye 2. Seventeen Poles 3. High Ya! 4. On the Couch 5. Clueless 6. Sugie 7. Mudhead 8. Gold Top 9. How to Maximize Your Kill Count 10. I Was Born Without a Spine 11. Glad, Damn Glad 12. She's My Bitch 13. The Schmooze 14. Untitled
The Crawdaddys started their recording career properly, releasing a record with nothing but '60s R&B, British Invasion, and blues standards (in addition to two original compositions). The Crawdaddys offer a precise account of 1960s R&B with appropriate versions of John Lee Hooker's "Let's Make It Right Now," and Willie Dixon's "Tiger In Your Tank," and Chuck Berry's "Oh Baby Doll." The CD reissue in 1994 features bonus tracks, including The Crawdaddys' entire follow-up 5x4 EP, which features the best Crawdaddys original, "I Can Never Tell." Source: [AMG]
Track Listing 1. I'm A Lover Not A Fighter 2. You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover 3. Down The Road A Piece 4. Let's Make It 5. Rainin' In My Heart 6. I'm Movin' On 7. Mystic Eyes 8. Oh Baby Doll 9. Bald Headed Woman 10. Come See Me 11. Got You In My Soul 12. Times Are Getting Tougher Than Tough 13. Down In The Bottom 14. Crawdaddy Express 15. I Wanna Put A Tiger In Your Tank 16. There She Goes Again 17. Why Don't You Smile Now 18. Pretty Face 19. Lolette 20. I Can Never Tell 21. I'm Gonna Leave You 22. I'm Dissatisfied
One couldn't throw a brick around rock critics and college rock types in 1992 without hitting somebody who would talk about how Come was the new incarnation of the blues, often loudly and at great length. As in other cases where good bands were overburdened by hype, this both set up the quartet with impossible-to-realize expectations (Come plays anything but straight blues purism or revival à la Alligator Records) and wrote out Zedek's own unique artistic skills from the equation. To be sure, the CD version includes both sides of the "Fast Piss Blues" single, the flip being the Rolling Stones' own "I Got the Blues." But it's the Stones and acts like Patti Smith and Black Sabbath, not to mention the confrontation of no wave and other punk-inspired acts, that provide more of a touchstone to what's going on than Robert Johnson. It's a uniquely sludgy, electric, and strong fusion of sounds and styles, combining extreme angst and commanding power. Zedek's often twangy singing is both harsh and cool, the sound of someone burnt out but not crushed, and her guitar work suggests something more of bruised majesty -- consider the steady, despairing flow of "Brand New Vein" -- than anything else. Her introduction to "Submerge" may be "Now we sing so softly," but her voice cuts through the dark chime of the music even while talking about sinking to the bottom as things fire up even more. With Brokaw contributing equally strong feedback blasts (and vocals on the searing "Sad Eyes") and a sometimes lumbering but still good enough rhythm section rounding things out, Come takes things directly to a listener on Eleven: Eleven with fine results. Other good numbers include the lengthy drive of "Off to One Side" and the concluding surge of "Orbit," confronting demons with a roar. Source [AMG]
Come - Submerge
Track Listing 1. Submerge 2. Dead Molly 3. Brand New Vein 4. Off to One Side 5. Bell 6. William 7. Sad Eyes 8. Power Failure 9. Orbit 10. Fast Piss Blues 11. I Got the Blues
After pushing the buzzsaw abandon of their earliest records to its logical extreme on the masterful No Pocky for Kitty, Superchunk begins reinventing itself with their third full-length, On the Mouth, a record as invigorating as it is frustrating. Without sacrificing any of the energy or conviction of past efforts, many of the disc's 13 songs harness Mac McCaughan's breathless pop-punk melodies into tighter, more demanding contexts -- highlights, like the singles "Mower" and "The Question Is How Fast," introduce a new arsenal of shifting rhythms and explosively tense dynamics which reveal unexpectedly limitless possibilities within the classic Superchunk approach. The problem is that On the Mouth equates to something less than the sum of its parts -- while tracks like the blistering "From the Curve" and "Package Thief" barrel forth with the sheer recklessness of old, their adherence to the band's past makes for an ill-fitting match alongside the album's more ambitious moments. More problematic, the slow, plodding "Swallow That" -- while an admirable departure from the norm -- is simply tedious. Still, more often than not On the Mouth comes up with the goods, and remains a pivotal turning point in Superchunk's continued evolution. Source [AMG]
Track Listing 1. Precision Auto 2. From The Curve 3. For Tension 4. Mower 5. Package Thief 6. Swallow That 7. I Guess I Remembered It Wrong 8. New Low 9. Untied 10. The Question Is How Fast 11. Trash Heap 12. Flawless 13. The Only Piece That You Get
You always got the feeling that Billy Childish wanted to make freaky garage come out of the sky even if he had to try to convince that post-punk never happened in order to do so. And yet, Acropolis Now, existing near the end of the first act of Thee Mighty Caesars' run, showed that the old beliefs were becoming inconsistently satisfying. Whether or not "Loathsome 'n' Wild" and "When the Night Comes" were crude enough to outweigh their Kinda Kinks lifts, the addition of Sarah (Delmonas) and organist Fay Hallam (The Gift Horses, Makin' Time) gave many of the other songs new room to breathe. "Lil' Red Riding Hood" was secured by an oogie-boogie bottom swing, and "I Feel Like Giving In" was droll church lady music. While it entirely failed to propel the genre or the band in a new direction, in its best moments Acropolis Now was sonically uncluttered and candid, if all too reliant on a New York City high end. Source: [AMG].
Track Listing 1. I've Got Everything Indeed 2. Now I Know 3. When The Night Comes 4. I Can Judge A Daughter 5. (Miss America) Got To Get You Outside My Head 6. Lil' Red Riding Hood 7. You Make Me Die 8. Loathsome 'n' Wild 9. Ask The Dust 10. Despite All This 11. I Don't Need No Baby 12. I Feel Like Giving In 13. Dictator Of Love 14. I Was Led To Believe
The Stems formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1983 and played music that was heavily influenced by 1960s garage rock and 1970s power pop. The band broke up in 1987 and then reformed (twenty years later) releasing a new album in 2007.
The band, with a new drummer, David Shaw, on board spent most of 1986 touring to promote their EP, including national tours supporting The Flamin Groovies and the Hoodoo Gurus, and also seeking a label deal. Mushroom Records signed the band and the band booked into Platinum Studios with producer Alan Thorne at the end of 1986. The recording process didn’t go smoothly and stretched from the planned one month to three, with a new producer brought in to complete the record. At First Sight, Violets Are Blue was released in 1987, their first recording for the White label. The album debuted at Number 1 on the Australian alternative charts. It also received national and international critical acclaim and would be one of the best selling Australian albums of that year despite the lack of commercial airplay in the corporate FM dominated 80’s. Leaning toward a stronger pop sensibility the album highlighed the talents of Dom Mariani and Richard Lane as skilled tunesmiths of the guitar pop genre. The album was nominated in the top 100 Australian albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine and the title track "At First Sight" remains a bonafide Australian classic. 1987 also saw the band embark on another national tour, appearances on national television – including playing the final episode of Countdown and the lead single "At First Sight" making the Young Einstein soundtrack. The band seemed to have the world at their feet, an album which went on to become the third top Australian album of 1987. Following the success of the album there was an increase in interest in the band from overseas, particularly in Europe.
Unfortunately, in October 1987, on the eve of a six week European tour the band mysteriously disbanded. Dom's explanation was:
"I was not very happy with the way things were going towards the end of the Stems. We got quite big, and there are the usual problems that happen with that. People tend to drift apart, there are internal conflicts, egos going wild, and bad management was probably the major factor that contributed to the Stems breakup."
Mathews offered a similar explanation
"In the end it was total burn-out. By the time the band broke up, all of us had had enough. Any of us could have quit at any time. There was also this pull to do other stuff away from the band. Source: [mad parade]
The Stems - For Always
Track Listing 1. Make You Mine 2. She's A Monster 3. On & On 4. No Heart 5. All You Want Me For 6. Don't Let Me 7. The Power Of Luv 8. Love Will Grow 9. Just Ain't Enough 10. Jumping To Conclusions 11. Can't Resist 12. Tears Me In Two 13. Under Your Mushroom 14. For Always (Original Demo Version) 15. Hey Joe (Live) 16. Stepping Stone (Live) 17. Does It Turn You On (Live) 18. Lon Chaney Junior's Daughter
If, in the 1990s, you went to a CD swap meet that sold a lot of bootlegs, the amount of Nirvana titles could be staggering. The most obsessive collectors wouldn't hesitate to spend $500 or more on Nirvana alone and walk away with at least 20 or 25 Nirvana bootlegs, whereas collectors who were more budget-minded would try to determine which ones had the best sound quality and make their purchases accordingly. One Nirvana bootleg with which you can't go wrong is Roma, recorded live in Rome, Italy on February 22, 1994, the concert occurred less than two month's before Kurt Cobain's tragic suicide. A digital soundboard recording, Roma boasts excellent sound quality -- not just decent, but excellent -- and the band's set is outstanding. At the time, Cobain was battling his demons and losing the battle; he would unsuccessfully attempt suicide on March 4, but succeed in killing himself on April 5. Despite the emotional hell he was going through, Cobain gives first-rate performances throughout the concert, singing with as much conviction as ever on "Rape Me," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Heart Shaped Box," and other angst-ridden grunge gems. Roma was hardly the only bootleg that resulted from Nirvana's European tour of February 1994. There are many others, and the sound quality varies from one to the next, but those who come across the Rolling Disc label's version of Roma can rest assured that they won't be disappointed by either the sound or the performances. Source: [AMG]
Nirvana - Rape Me Track Listing 1. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter 2. Drain You 3. Breed 4. Serve the Servants 5. Come as You Are 6. Smells Like Teen Spirit 7. Sliver 8. Dumb 9. In Bloom 10. About a Girl 11. Lithium 12. Pennyroyal Tea 13. School 14. Polly 15. Very Ape 16. Lounge Act 17. Rape Me 18. Territorial Pissings 19. All Apologies 20. On a Plain 21. Scentless Apprentice 22. Heart Shaped Box 23. Demolition
Another remastering of a classic piece of mid-'60s British rock & soul, and as important and enjoyable a record as, say, the Beatles' Rubber Soul or the Stones' Aftermath, even if the album itself was slapped together by Decca in an effort to undercut the band's first new release for rival Immediate Records in 1967. Steve Marriott's honest, agonized cover of the Del Shannon classic "Runaway" almost makes up for the fact that neither Otis Redding nor Marvin Gaye ever got around to applying their respective talents to this jewel of a song. That's just the opening number, and there's some stuff even better than that here. There are some songs that overlap with the Immediate stuff, including some really spaced-out psychedelia ("Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow"), cool dance numbers ("Have You Ever Seen Me"), some repeated tracks ("What'cha Gonna Do About It," "Sha-La-La-La-Lee") from the Decca Small Faces album), killer Motown paeans ("You've Really Got a Hold on Me" -- picture the early Who on a really, really good day covering this), and one original ("All or Nothing") that should be required listening for anyone who thinks they know the best music of the British invasion. And then there are the five bonus tracks, four from French-issued EPs that are completely different (and better) takes of "Baby Don't You Do It" et al, and a live BBC-recorded version of "What'cha Gonna Do About It." Marriott's playing on the latter is so loud and powerful, it could have melted the instruments of any American garage band this side of the Litter. Source: [AMG]
Small Faces - All Or Nothing
Track Listing 1. Runaway 2. My Mind's Eye 3. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 4. That Man 5. My Way of Giving 6. Hey Girl 7. (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me 8. Take This Hurt off Me 9. All or Nothing 10. Baby Don't You Do It 11. Plum Nellie 12. Sha-La-La-La-Lee 13. You've Really Got a Hold on Me 14. What'cha Gonna Do About It? 15. My Mind's Eye [*] 16. Hey Girl [*] 17. Take This Hurt off Me [Different Version] 18. Baby Don't You Do It [*] 19. What'cha Gonna Do About It? [*]
