Terrific entry in the BBC series The Seven Ages Of Rock.
The story of how artistic and conceptual expression permeated rock. From the pop-art multi-media experiments of Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground to the sinister gentility of Peter Gabriel’s Genesis, White Light, White Heat Place traces how rock became a vehicle for artistic ideas and theatrical performance. We follow Pink Floyd from the fated art school genius of Syd Barrett through the global success of Dark Side of the Moon to the ultimate rock theatre show, The Wall. Along the way, the film explores the retro-futurism of Roxy Music and the protean world of David Bowie.
Janet Greene was the Joan Baez of the 1960’s anti-commie movement. The music director of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, Greene released one album on the Chantico label in 1966, a collection of red-baiting ditties with titles like ‘Fascist Threat’, ‘Poor Left Winger’ and ‘Commie Lies’.
“Be careful of the Commie lies, swallow them and freedom dies: The USA must realize that she’s the biggest prize.”
There’s a nifty article on Greene at Conelrad.com here.
And now for your listening pleasure, music to have a tea party to, Janet Greene…
Iggy and Debbie singing Cole Porter’s “Well,Did You Evah!’.
Iggy: so… have you ever been out to L.A. lately?
Debbie: well no, not recently.
Iggy: well, I went there and had a rent-a-car and all…
Debbie: oh, really?
Iggy: yeah and I got invited to Pia’s house… Pia Zadora’s house…
Debbie: really? oh.
Iggy: yeah.
Debbie: was it nice?
Iggy: well, I didnt… I didnt go!
Debbie: oh! hehe.
Iggy: it woulda been swell though!
Debbie: shoulda gone!
Iggy: it woulda been elegant!
I never took much notice of Flying Saucer Attack as I was busy plowing similar fields at the time, but having just found this cover of glam-douche band Suede’s The Drowners, a song I happen to love (along with nearly every other Suede A-Side, truth be told) I feel some self-education might be in order. it might simply be that it’s a great tune that lends itself to such a noisy and introverted reading, though.
Attention UK Dangerous Minds readers! A possibly once in a lifetime occurrence; a festival dedicated to and featuring nearly all original and main participants in the legendary LAFMS will happen the weekend after next in London. There’ll be tape loops and homemade instruments and creaky old synths by the barrel-full, even a couple of workshops ! So nice to see these DIY warriors get their due, international style.
Dead Or Alive’s Pete Burns has gone through quite a transformation since his early days of pop stardom. This video is of a recent London performance by the plastic fantastic Burns.
A strange little ditty from an even stranger record company. Homer The Happy Little Homo was released on Camp Records sometime in the early 1960’s. Here’s a brief history of this obscure novelty label:
Almost nothing is known about the mysterious 60’s record label Camp Records. They released an album and 10 45 rpm records of gay parody songs, most done with effeminate voices. I believe they were issued in the early 60’s, as they all appeared in an ad in the gay magazine Vagabond, dated 1965. The address on the album record jacket was PO Box 3213, Hollywood, California, and it credited all selections to Different Music Co, Hollywood.
The artists singing most of the songs were uncredited, or with names obviously made up, like Byrd E. Bath and B. Bubba, but one name stands out, Rodney Dangerfield. That name credited on one of the songs, and possibly another. This would have been very early in Dangerfield’s career, as his website bio says he decided to devote his career to comedy at age 40, which would have been in 1961. But I don’t think it was the comedian we know; just a prop name used for the release. Dangerfield disclaims any knowledge of it.
A second album released on the label was called “Mad About the Boy.” It was filled with mostly well-known Broadway and cabaret songs that were originally sung by women. This album kept the pronouns intact, making them very gay. They were done in lounge style, without a campy approach…in other words, done “straight.” The liner notes state: ‘The primary reason for doing this album was to prove that good songs could and should be sung by everyone. Gender should not be the determining factor as to who should sing what.’ The notes later say that the male soloist and other artists on the album are well-known ‘Hollywood, TV, and screen personalities’ but ‘we are not at liberty to reveal true names.’ I have no idea if all this is true, or simply hype. The album probably came out in 1964 or 1965, as it pictures on the back all the previous releases of the label. And it is also advertised in the 1965 issue of Vagabond (see more, below), so I believe it was the last record they released.
JD Doyle
As requested by our own Tara M., here’s a quick Pere Ubu post. You really can’t go wrong with anything they released in their first incarnation (‘75-‘79 or so) but these first 2 7” A sides are total rock classics by any sane person’s standards (of rock). I personally spent many teen hours thrashing about in suburban bedrooms with my pals to these deathlessly perfect monster jams. True American masterpieces.
A mash-up long before the term was coined, “Stairway to Gilligan’s Island” by Little Roger and the Goosebumps came out briefly in 1978 but was quickly pulled from the market due to legal threats from Led Zeppelin’s attorneys. Ultimately it became known due to repeated plays on the Dr. Demento radio show. (I sheepishly confess to owning this 45. I’ve had it for at least 25 years and haven’t played it once since the day I bought it)