The Weirdos - "Destroy All Music" Compilation, Vinyl, 2007 (BOMP!)

 

In England, there were the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Here in Los Angeles, and in the 1970s Punk era, it was The Screamers and The Weirdos. There were many other bands in Southern California at the time, but those two were the ones that I found to be the most interesting. The Screamers were keyboard electronic orientated theater band. The Weirdos were rock n' roll but with a sense of absurdity. At least on stage, they were outlandish with their trashcan clothing style. On record, they are a powerful rock band. 

It's amusing now to think of Punk as being one type of music. It never was. One would think it's all "One...Two...Three, and Go," but the truth that there were a lot of subtle differences between all the groups. The Weirdos will be placed in the Punk Rock section of a music store, but they are also a classic hard rock band. It is always backed by a powerful drummer such as Nicky Beat and the wonderful Danny Benair of The Quick/The Three O'Clock fame. Their music had a slow built-up tension, and then one approaches the chorus as it builds and builds to a sense of ecstasy. Listening to it now reminds me a bit of Howard Devoto's Magazine. There are intelligence and a fair amount of humor in how they presented their music and visuals.  The other memebers of the band are Cliff Roman, Dix Denney, and his brother the vocalist John Denney. 

"Who? What? When? Where? Why?" the six-song EP that is part of the compilation is superb. "Happy People," "Big Shot," and "Idle Life, among the others, are classic rock. Not far off from Slade or the hard glam sound of the early 70s. An artifact from my past, but when I listen to this record now, it takes me to a very contemporary present. 

Bowie -"Rare" 1982, Compilation, Italy (RCA)

 

On one level, a knock-off compilation of bits and pieces of David Bowie's music career output in the year 1982, issued and compiled in Italy by Carlo Basile and Fabrizio Ferrucci. It depends on how one defines 'rare' these days, but finding these recordings on one vinyl disc is rare. Although I have a few on 45 rpm singles, I didn't have any of them on an album. 

Basile and Ferrucci, whoever they may be in the Italian music world, did a fine collection of Bowie songs. Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola  (translated title into English is Lonley Girl, Lonely Boy), the Italian version of Space Oddity. The pleasures of hearing Bowie singing in Italian and German for Helden (Heroes) are worth the package for me. But it's really having Velvet Goldmine, Holy Holy, Moon of Alabama, and the instrumental Crystal Japan that makes it a must-buy. 

"Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg - Musiques De Films 1959-1990"

 

There are many fine compilations out there regarding Serge Gainsbourg. I listed my favorite collections in the past, but this specific Gainsbourg is essential because it focuses on his soundtrack work. The cinema is very much part of the Gainsbourg landscape. This is a boxset with three-CDs, including bonus cuts, from the year 1959 to 1990. "Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg - Musiques De Films 1959-1990" is a superb and a must-have retrospective of some of his more nuanced and even masterpiece works. The obscure to the famous is in the collection. - Tosh Berman

The Bachelor Pad: "All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad (Emotional Response)

 

"All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad - The Bachelor Pad (Emotional Response)

There are moments in life when one is confronted by something familiar but so beautiful. The Batchelor Pad is a band from Scotland, who released a handful of singles and one album "Tales of Hofmann." They recently released "All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad," a compilation of their old recordings from 1987 -1991, but sounds like a solid album, not a collection of old recordings. It starts off with the song "The Album of Jack" that references "She Loves You" by the Fab Four and ends with "I Want To Hold Your Head," which lightly comments on "I Want to Hold Your Hand." In-between those two songs, you are taken on a ride through the 1960s/1970s UK pop music but never losing the touch of The Bachelor Pad's originality and humor. To define their sound, I could say they're noisy with irresistible pop melodies. Psych-rock in the most real sense, but their canvas is much larger than that.  

Listening to this compilation, I can hear various artists' presence, but not necessarily a full-end tribute. It's more like a Richard Hamilton college or a Joseph Cornell box sculpture where there are individual pieces that tie to a specific visual or sensibility, but as a whole, it becomes an original artwork. The Bachelor Pad is the same in that they are part of their influences, but the way they put their songs together, it becomes un unique aural sound piece.  

All the songs are layered with guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums, but merge into a sound that is partly Joe Meek meets classic Move (Roy Wood) when they did their early singles. The songs are written by Tommy Cherry and Martin Cotter, and both are credited for guitars and vocals. Due to the sonic qualities, I can't tell who or what guitar is playing; it all blends in such a style as an early Associates recording. They throw in the bathtub and sink, but the sound is chaos with plenty of hummable melodies. "Do It For Fun" sounds like a demented Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich song, but even crazier.   

There are no weak cuts on this compilation, but the stand out is what I believe was their last recording, and it was solely written by Cherry "Meet the Lovely Jenny Brown." The definition of this song is 'Perfect Pop." A beautiful build-up to the catchy chorus, it's a hit song that somehow fell through the cracks of time. A remarkable song on a perfect compilation that sounds like an amazing album. -Tosh Berman.