I can never get enough of the obscure, psychedelic sounds of Rubble, the twenty-volume Nuggets-inspired “freakbeat” and “pop sike” compilations from Bam Caruso Records and Phil Lloyd-Smee. If you like Nuggets or the British Nuggets II, there’s not a lot of overlap. I love all the Nuggets comps, too, but I’d give the Rubble collections the edge just because they required even more dedicated crate-digging. I think the effort was worth it.

One group I discovered on a Rubble comp is The Mirror, a British beat group who apparently reached the lower rungs of the German pop market as they made the scene on The Beat Club TV show with their song, “Gingerbread Man.”
 

 
Via Flower Bomb Song/Anorak Thing

 
Here’s a look at a homemade Nick Cave doll by Flickr users Rick & Mindy. And what would a Nick Cave doll post be without Bongwater’s “Nick Cave Dolls”?

“Wow! They have Nick Cave Dolls now… I waaaant ooone!”
 

 
WWHD?

Here’s an amusing sticker spotted by StickerGiant.com. Its origin is unknown.

Update: The sticker comes with the book Hüsker Dü: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock.

(via Laughing Squid)

Frank Zappa and various GTOs
 
Say what you will about Facebook but the fact that I can befriend life long heroes such as Zappa/Beefheart LP sleeve designer / visual muse Cal Schenkel and get a glimpse of his middle-of-it-all perspective is a wonderful by-product of selling out my privacy to gawd-knows who, really. Cal was gracious and generous enough to allow me to share these marvelous snapshots he took in 1968 at Zappa’s Laurel Canyon compound, known as The Log Cabin which once stood at the corner of Canyons Laurel and Lookout. The basement jam session here was also well documented in John French’s recent book as well as Bill Harkleroad’s Lunar Notes, which I quote here in order to give a small sense of what we’re looking at:

It turns out Frank was trying to put together this Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus thing, which The Stones later put together without him. I don’t know how many Rolling Stones were there at the time, but Mick Jagger certainly was, as were The Who and Marianne Faithfull. She was so ripped she was drooling - but what a babe - I was star struck! It was funny because Jagger really didn’t mean a whole lot to me at that point. I’d played all their tunes in various bands. To me he really wasn’t a signer - he was a “star”. But when I actually met him, all I can remember thinking is, “How could you be a star? You’re too little!” ....I ended up in this jam session in a circle of people about six or seven feet apart and we’re playing Be-Bop-a-Lu-La”! Done was to my immediate left wearing his big madhatter hat and to his immediate left was Mick Jagger and right around the circle all these people were playing, Frank included. So I’m jamming with these guys almost too nervous to be able to move or breathe. I started to ease up after I noticed that Jagger seemed to be equally intimidated. Then we went into Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ & Tumblin’” and a couple of blues things and that was it. It was such a strange experience - somehow just out of nowhere I’m down in Hollywood meeting Frank Zappa and this whole entourage of famous people like Jagger, Marianne Faithful [sic] and Pete Townshend. What an audition! There I was 19 years old and I’m very taken with these big important people.

 

Don Van Vliet and Mick Jagger
 

Marianne Faithfull
 

FZ and Miss Christine
 
More photos and a link to Cal’s online shop after the jump…

 
(via Letters of Note )

 
YouTuber SoftwareDR says, “This is Joy Division live on Something Else Studio. Recorded Transmission in this John Peel session. My first try to create a stop motion film. Hope you like it.”

(via ahcom)

 
The Caribbean are not only the owners of one of the most arbitrary and google-proof band names in existence but are also one of the flagship bands on the fabulous label which I call, er, home: Hometapes out of lovely Portland, Oregon. Their new CD, Discontinued Perfume, a stunning batch of thoroughly adept experimental pop songs with startlingly conversational lyrics (best song title ever: Thank You for Talking To Me About Israel), is released on February 22nd and available for pre-order today. But wait, there’s more ! Here is a song entitled Outskirts from said album featuring your not-so-humble bloggist pitching in harmony vocals, tinkly piano and a possibly wildly inappropriate guitar solo. Like a nosy neighbor stepping into a conversation he doesn’t quite understand, in The Caribbean’s world where disparate elements make for striking art it actually works. Have a listen.
 

 

 
Pre-order The Caribbean - Discontinued Perfume today, won’t you ?
 
previously on DM : The Caribbean’s Michael Kentoff on The Dream Songs of TV John

 
This is some exquisite sun-drenched psychedelia from These Trails, a Hawaiian group who released their one and only album on Honolulu’s Synergia label in 1973. It was a limited private pressing and is virtually impossible to find on vinyl or CD. If you’re a fan of Joanna Newsom, The Incredible String Band, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell or Pentangle, you’ll probably find a lot to love in these tracks. And even if you’re not a fan of any of those musicians, you’ll probably still find something in These Trails music that will surprise you.

Tablas, guitars, flutes, synthesizers, sitars and multiple interwoven vocal tracks coalesce into shimmering lysergic lullabies and ethereal ballads with an eastern raga feel. Vocalist Margaret Morgan’s vibrato is gorgeous and with the addition of studio-enhanced modulation becomes Blue Jay Way trippy.

These Trails were Margaret Morgan, Dave Choy, Carlos Pardeiro and Patrick Cockett. Morgan passed away and guitarist Patrick Cockett went on to play ukulele with Taj Mahal. Here’s an interview with Cockett that will give you a bit of the history of the band.

Track listing: 1. These Trails    2.Our House In Hanalei    3.Of Broken Links   4.El Rey Pascador   5.Psyche I And Share Your Water   6.Hello Lou   7.Rusty’s House And Lost In Space   8.Psyche II   9.Sowed A Seed   10.Rapt Attention   11.Waipoo   12.Garden Botanum
 

 
Here’s something lush. The New York Dolls hit the road in this documentary film made by rock photographer Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya Beck. Filmed over three years, All Dolled Up captures The Dolls at their height in the early seventies, following them backstage and on tour, visiting such legendary venues as the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, the E-Club, Kenny’s Castaways and Max’s Kansas City. And there are also rousing versions of “Personality Crisis”, “Who Are the Mystery Girls”, “Vietnamese Baby”, amongst others. So, kick back your high heels and enjoy.

Update: For our readers in the USA, you can find All Dolled Up in serial form here.
 

 
Previously on DM

 
This is a clip from The Venture Bros’ Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II) which aired in 2006.

I never thought back in the late ‘70s when I knew Klaus Nomi that one day he’d be a cartoon action hero. But upon reflection nothing about Klaus should surprise me. Here he is teaming up with Iggy Pop to defeat David Bowie. Tons of subtext for a cartoon.

More can be found here.

“Now you’re gonna be my dog.”

“Ding, dong, the queen bitch is dead.”