Velvet Underground - Squeeze (1973)

Everybody who talkes about it goes through the same motions, so I will to: this is not a Velvet Underground album, its a Doug Yule solo album, it shouldn't be in the Velvet's discography, blah blah blah...

Well, you know what? Who cares! This album is great, and Doug Yule is an extreemly tallented song writer. Every one craps all over this album and I bet they've never even listened to it. Just because they don't see Lou "I wrote Metal Machine Music" Reed in the lineup, they call it not a Velvet Underground album. Doug Yule wrote a bunch of the songs on Loaded and even sang lead on a couple of the tracks.
Ok, ok, so none of the other Velvet Underground members are on this album either, just a man named Ian Piece on drums and Doug Yule playing everthing else. So what I say, its all about the music, and as evident of Loaded the sound on Squeeze is the direction the band was heading in any ways. No droaning vodoo-mantras, no backwards three songs played on top of each other, just meat and potatoes rock and roll.


In fact, the only possible complaint I might have with this album (and its hardly a complaint), is that it sounds like Abby Road-era Beatles. Yes this seems more like a compliment, and largly it is, but a few of the songs sound a bit too suspiciously like some Beatles songs... I don't have speakers hooked up to my computer right now so I can't tell you exactly which ones, but whatever don't get hung up on this one, fuck the Beatles, fuck Lou Reed, this album rules and that's all you need to know.

- review by Denez



Tracklist:

1. Little Jack
2. Crash
3. Caroline
4. Mean Old Man
5. Dopey Joe
6. Wordless
7. She'll Make You Cry
8. Friends
9. Send No Letter
10. Jack & Jane
11. Louise

I didn't rip this myself, I have yet to find this on vinyl. I got this from somewhere in the deep dank dark corners internet.

This is where I'd normaly tell you that you can buy it here, but they don't seem to have it on Amazon.com. fuck 'em.

So here's the next best option:

http://rapidshare.de/files/21906454/Velvet_Squeeze.rar.html

Groundhogs - Split (1970 - hard and heavy acid-blues)

Due to the popularity of the the last Groundhogs post, Thank Christ for the Bomb, I'm going to post the next album buy this underrated band.

Admitedly I don't think Split is as good as Thank Christ, and even I'm suprised at the reasons why. Split is definatly heavier, noiser, and more rocking. All qualities that normaly turn me on. But for some reason, with this band i like their more melodic meterial better. Split does have the bands biggest hit, "Cherry Red" which nicely combines both hard rock and molodic elements perfectly. It sort of reminds me of the Golden Earings "Radar Love."

The first side of this album, the "Split"'s parts 1-4 are the louds tracks on here, but only "Split, pt. 2" realy sticks in your head thanks to a stong melodic part. Side 2's "Junkman" is similar - loud and heavy shifts into a nice back poarch melody. The last track, "Groundhog" is also a highlight sounding like authentic Delta Blues.

- review by denez

Tracklist:

1. Split, Pt. 1
2. Split, Pt. 2
3. Split, Pt. 3
4. Split, Pt. 4
5. Cherry Red
6. A Year in the Life
7. Junkman
8. Ground Hog

128 kbps, ripped from vinyl.

If your a sucker, you can buy it here.

or else, you know the drill:

http://rapidshare.de/files/21442479/The_Groundhogs.rar.html

Tomorrow - (1968)

Over at Psychedelic Cinnamon there's a new post for Tomorrow first album. Amazing Brittish mod-psych stuff, that featured a young Steve Howe from Yes. Don't make fun, Yes wasn't THAT bad of a band.... I promice this is good though. "My White Bicycle" is a must have clasic of the genre, and they even had the balls to cover the Beatles "Strawberry Fields".

Check it out right over here.

And if you so wished to buy it you can do so here.

Simply Saucer - Cyborgs Revisited (1974-1975 - Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett Pink Floyd, Silver Apples)

This is a band that would be next to impossible to over hype, but dag-nabbit, I'm going to try. The reason for this is because Simply Saucer's Cyborgs Revisited is not only as earth shatteringly great as anyone has ever said in some pompus british hype-machine mag, Simply Saucer is better....

The catch-all comparisson of the band sounding like White Light/ White Heat -era Velvet Underground trying to out-noise-fuck Syd Barrett -era Pink Floyd is not only an accurate comparison - it's a promice!

Formed in Hamilton, Ontario Canada (god-bless 'em) in 1973 by Edgar Breau on lead guitar and vocals, Kevin Christoff on bass, Neil DeMerchant on drums, and Ping Romany on electronics.

Yes, I said it ELECTRONICS. Don't be afraid... no wait, be very very afraid. Just thank god Lou Reed didn't have access to the electronic oscilloscpoe madness that these Canucks had or we might haver never had a clear-headed pop album like Loaded. Oh, wait he did record that album Metal Machine Music.... gah.

It's these very snarled-guitar solos, and space-ray wobbles that put this album in the catagory of Krautrock comparisons like Can, but the songs won't put you to sleep. Infact, Cyborgs Revisited maintain a strong sense of melody mixed with chaotic-kamikaze blasts that only very few bands could manage to keep in perfect ballence.
Add Cyborgs Revisited to any list of vital proto-punk, post psychedelic, future-obsessed space rock, what, ever.... like i said i can't over hype this album. Just get it and let the music do the talkin'. Crank it up and blow your speakers out.

- overview by Denez






Tracklist

1. Instant Pleasure
2. Electro Rock
3. Nazi Apocalypse
4. Mole Machine
5. Bullet Proof Nothing
6. Here Come the Cyborgs (Part 1)
7. Here Come the Cyborgs (Part 2)
8. Dance the Mutation
9. Illegal Bodies

128 kbps, ripped from vinyl.

Buy this monster-motherfuck here.

new link! Right HERE! It works! Praise Lord Seth!

Budgie - Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (1973)

Time Traveller bloged about Budgies absolutly amazing 3rd record. Came out in 1973 and it one of the most Metal ablums of its time. Yes metal with a capitol M.

Here the link to Time Travellers blog --------> Here

and here a link, if you insist on buying it and supporting the artist. And Amazon.com

Groundhogs - Thank Christ For the Bomb (1970 - heavy and bluesy)

Lead by Tony (TS) McPhee, this band played a brand of melodic heavy blues, that at times had more conventional song structions and other times moved into prog/pscyh teritory, and in either case the Groundhogs tore it up with their nearly un parralled playing. The guitars hand pick notes like sound like they were made just for the song, the drums are often all over the place making use of every available part of the instrument. Amazing vocals.

There's a chance that on first listen, the Groundhogs migh not realy "do it" for you, but there more of a sit-and-listen type band thay will require some consideration before their impact is fully able to sink in.

Bands that i could compare them to.... um....: Stray, Blue Oyster Cult.... maybe. Sorry im doing a horrible job at discribing this band. There sort of unique and not so unique at the same time. You've just got to get into them i guess.

- pathetic review by Denez



Track list:

1. Strange Town
2. Darkness is No Friend
3. Soldier
4. Thank Christ For The Bomb
5. Ship On The Ocean
6. Garden
7. Status People
8. Rich Man, Poor Man
9. Eccentric Man

128 kps, ripped from vinyl.

Buy it here.

http://rapidshare.de/files/20735940/Thank_Christ_For_The_Bomb.rar.html

Screaming Lord Sutch - And Heavy Friends(1970 - Led Zep, Yardbirds)

From my rateyourmusic.com post:

Not half as bad as some people make this out to be. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, John Bonham (the Yardbirds & Led Zepplin) , Noel Reddings (Jimi Hendrix Experiance) and the rest effortlessly put out top notch material that sounds like some unused Led Zep tracks. I used the phrase eforlessly because there are the ocational tracks that seem like the band wasn't trying very hard, but even when not trying, these guys still produce the goods.

Then there is Lord Sutch himself. Easily the weakest link here, but many times his off key yelp sorta works. Remember, rock and roll isn't necessarily a singing-man's sport (Dylan, Neal Young, Ozzy, for example) and Sutch works best when the band is rockin hard enough to mask his flaws. He's got Chutzpah, you've got to give him that. And some times that's all it takes.



- review by denez

Tracklist:

1. Wailing Sounds
2. 'Cause I Love You
3. Flashing Lights
4. Gutty Guitar
5. Would You Believe
6. Smoke and Fire
7. Thumping Beat
8. Union Jack Car
9. One For You, Baby
10. L-O-N-D-O-N
11. Brightest Light
12. Baby, Come Back

Be nice and buy it here.

But in the mean time you can here it here:
http://rapidshare.de/files/20662059/Screaming_Lord_Sutch.rar.html