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August 15, 2004
Record Weirdo - Rhino Westwood Collectors Expo
Rhino Record Collectors' Expo (a.k.a. R/RCEXPO!)
March 21, 2004
By Kevin Hillskemper
The Rhino Records store in Westwood has always had periodic parking lot clearance sales, but I don't know exactly how often. This time it was combined with the first Rhino Record Collectors' Expo (a.k.a. R/RCEXPO!).
The action, so to speak, was mainly at the clearance sale. It was mostly cutout, used, and promo CDs for one to three dollars each, some fifty-cent vinyl albums, and a smattering of videos. I saw the usual geek types pushing wheelbarrows and pulling little red wagons to haul their loot but I would have been disappointed if I hadn't. Having recently sold a big chunk of my collection, I was determined to be more selective. I'll cut to the chase, here's a brief rundown of my haul:
Streetwalking Cheetahs - "Maximum Overdrive"
I am guilty of prejudging this band on their name alone, especially when they released an album entitled "With a Heart Full of Napalm". How stinking obvious can you get? I bought this anyway. It was a safe investment since it was only three easily recoupable bucks. Guess what? I like it. It's one of those leftovers type collections that I like better than most "real" albums. In addition to what you'd expect from them, they have some nice pop stuff too. One standout is cover of the Runaways anthem "Cherry Bomb" with guest vocals by Cherie Currie. I forgive them for taking their name from an Iggy lyric. You could do a lot worse than Iggy. Just imagine, they have been "Some People Call Me Maurice" or "Sucking On A Chili Dog Outside The Tastee Freeze".
Joe Jackson "Live 1980-86"
I forgot that I bought this. I remember picking it up to look at it but I thought I put it back. However, my merely showing interest in it makes it worthy of merit. I've always liked his stuff, but I think it was too complicated musically for me to really appreciate. This has aged well. He made some really good Elvis Costello/Graham Parker meets XTC type rock before he got bored with it.
George Jones "Greatest Hits"
These are some of his really early songs. The packaging is cheesy, the sound is muddy, and it's only about 20 minutes long but it's good for the price.
Bob Marley and the Wailers "In the Beginning"
See above.
Buddy Blue "Sordid Lives"
Here is a jazz album from the original Beat Farmers guitarist. The songs are good, well played, well recorded and everything, but I don't like his singing. It sounds like he's trying too hard to be "authentic". For all I know, it could be authentic but it just sounds fake. I want my dollar back.
Rhythm & Blues All Stars Vol. 4 "Jump the Boogie". A various artist compilation of late 40's R&B from L.A., Chicago, New Orleans, and other hot spots. Some of these people I've heard of, some I haven't. It has great titles like "Wake Up Old Maid", "Bar Fly Baby", "Fly Chick Bounce", and "Fat Girl Boogie". You can't go wrong.
Various Artists "Program Annihilator II - A Soundtrack for Destruction"
Yee haw. This historical oddball is from SST Records during their short-lived flirtation with heavy metal. Featured artists include Soundgarden, St. Vitus, SWA, BL?AST, Bad Brains (okay, I can see that), and the Descendents(?!). The late 80's were a very confusing time.
I GOT VINYL
From the fifty cent vinyl bin I got
Johnny Doe "Sings The Million Seller Country Sound Made Famous by Johnny Cash". Brilliant. I like the canned audience noises. I wonder if John Doe of X has this album. He really should.
There were less than ten dealer tables selling vinyl, but they were more than worthwhile. I upgraded my copy of the first album by The Damned on Stiff with a slick German pressing for only three bucks. For the same price, I also found the R&B/Sleaze/rockabilly compilation "Born Bad Vol. II". It was put together from a very Cramps-centric point of view, but it's good enough to stand on it's own merit. And then there's "Sitar Power" by Ashwin Batish. It's the rocking-est sitar album ever if you don't mind the new wave electric drums.
I bought a bootleg/counterfeit 4-song Dangerhouse EP by The Bags. I realize that The Bags never put out a 4-song EP on Dangerhouse, but it's kind of a cool artifact anyway. It was fairly cheap (about the cost of a CD) and I believe that original Dangerhouse 7-inchers currently change hands in the low billions.
The highlight of the day was meeting one of my personal guitar heroes -- Davie "King of the Fuzz Guitar" Allan. If you are not familiar with Davie Allan and the Arrows and their unique brand of pre-psychedelic fuzz-tone instrumental garage rock, then you have probably already fallen asleep reading this. Probably their best-known album is the soundtrack to the American International biker flick "The Wild Angels". Davie was at the show selling some sealed original copies of his albums, which command some serious bucks from serious collectors.
I guess I'm not serious enough because I didn't buy any of them. I already have a few of them and, as great as they are, they all pretty much sound the same.
Another highlight of the day was eating a gyro for lunch at Astro Burger in West Hollywood. The meat was seasoned and cooked to perfection, the dressing was abundant yet not overpowering, and the vegetables were fresh and crisp.
Posted by Big Kev at 3:34 PM
Hoot '04 - Worth The Effort?
HOOTENANNY 2004
Was it worth the effort? I think so.
By Kevin Hillskemper
A lot of people had a hard time getting there. Enough about that.
I arrived in time to catch most of Deke Dickerson�s set on the side stage. He did his usual aw-shucks, gee-whiz, Mid-western corn fed countrybilly rock thing and did it well. It�s the same old bag of groceries, but he delivers it on time and with the courtesy to ensure continued customer satisfaction.
I wanted to see the Kingbees but I didn'�t. Did they even play?
I caught a little bit of Ricky Warwick. He had a song that went something like "�three sides to every story � yours, mine, and the truth"� over and over for about six years. I wonder if he has seen "�The Kid Stays in the Picture�?"
I liked James Intveld. Not only is he an accomplished musician and songwriter, but he makes a strong fashion statement with his grizzled old prospector look. He�s only about 40, but it seems like any second now he�s going to lose his teeth and start walking all hunched-over and bowlegged. See him now before he changes his name to �Muley�.
Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys were next. Very good as expected. It takes a lot of talent for a man to remain so cool in a black suit on a hot day.
Then came the Blasters. Phil Alvin was drenched in sweat before the band even started playing. I'�ve seen the �Blasters Mach II or whatever� several times and they'�ve never really overwhelmed me �until today. Something clicked in place after a few songs and they just caught fire. It was one of those things that could only be described with a mixed metaphor. Part of the greatness of the Blasters legacy has to be Phil Alvin�s repertoire of rock grimaces. Mick Ronson may have invented the highly influential �rock guitar solo face� (watch the �Ziggy Stardust� concert movie and �Spinal Tap� back-to-back sometime), but Phil Alvin has given birth to countless facial contortions for singers that few could ever come close to duplicating. It must be said, however, that very few people would actually want to.
I watched the Horrorpops for a few minutes. They really had a good visual thing going on with the dancing skeleton chicks and stuff. They were a little too goofy for me so I ventured back over the side stage to see Jesse Dayton. It was a wise decision.
His recordings that I�ve heard do not do justice to his live show. He�s an amazing guitar show-off and he whooped the tar out of the rinky-dink sound system.
The Supersuckers belong outdoors. They have great larger-than-rock stadium anthems. In a club setting they can come off as overblown and obnoxious but at an outdoor festival they make perfect sense.
The Reverend Horton Heat reminds me of Ted Nugent. Don�t ask me to explain it because it doesn'�t make any sense.
The Cramps were a powerhouse rock and roll machine. Former Blaster Bill Bateman played drums and he made them even stronger. They�ve become downright legitimate and that�s bound to offend somebody.
Anyway, Lux and Ivy are aging tastefully. Lux Interior looks eerily like Boris Karloff and I�m sure he would take that as a compliment. Boris Karloff was a consummate professional. As is Lux.
It doesn�t matter what songs The Cramps played. What matters is that when a pair of panties were thrown on stage, Lux put them on over his face and chewed through them. He also crawled on his belly like a reptile, chugged a bottle of wine, dropped his pants, bent a mic stand into a pretzel, climbed the PA speakers, ripped his clothing into shreds and all the other things that Wayne Newton should be doing if he really wanted to wow them in Vegas.
I enjoyed the show very much.
Posted by Big Kev at 12:21 PM
