Alas! The Bomb Voyage ... Mad Tab

Mad Tab is a punk - ska band from Huntingdon Beach, California and the band has exactly these two faces. On the one hand relentless punk music and on the other the ska rhythms from Jamaica, perhaps by way of the U.K. circa 1979.

It is quite a stretch to follow the band's punk side. The album link I received presents the songs in alphabetical order and punk is what the wind blows. At the time of writing, I can't find the album's formal 17 song track list.

Not so long ago, I wrote, in single's review of another punk band, that I did not know if I was able to stomach a whole album by that band. I was getting to that point with Alas! The Bomb Voyage ..., when the mood changed and the first ska track came in.

My track selection starts with 'All Live'. My attention goes out mostly to the drummer. Google's AI tells me his name is Rob Wheeler, the bio coming with the album doesn't mention the name, so I don't know for certain. Fact is, that the dry sound is so tight, so extremely intense that it just leaves me in awe. How can anyone play this fast and so dominant and still be on the beat the whole time and have time for accents? The rest of the band follows the rhythm of course and seems more like a machine than a band.

At the same time there are interesting vocal melodies over the onslaught of music (in the most positive sense of the word). Surprising addition is the keyboard / synth that comes with and sounds through the music, which is pretty unusual for a punk band. According to Google it consists of, beside Wheeler of course of Graham “Gram Tab” Kirlin on guitar, Dave" Dave Tab" Malyjurek  on keyboards, analogue synth and Scott Beattie on bass. All four alternate on vocals, the differences can be heard quite clearly. In that the band reminds me most of Rancid and System of a Down. Production was in the hands of former Fishbone bassist Norwood Fisher.

By the time we've reached the letter G in my order, 'Gone' is still up tempo and punk and then the change sets in 'Good Boi' has a ska rhythm and would have fallen in nicely with a band like The Specials. Jumpy uptempo and very danceable. Both two tones and nutty boys would have enjoyed themselves with the track and the same goes for 'Loose Teeth'. By that time I have gotten into the pace of Alas! The Bomb Voyage ... Is it an album that I can play a lot at home? No, there would be too many objections. Is it an album that I can play when on my own? Hell, yes!

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

Madness live. Dinsdag 7 juli, AFAS Amsterdam

Veertig jaar na je laatste grote hit de Afas Live nog steeds uit verkopen. Dat doen niet veel bands Madness na. De ska-revelatie uit begin jaren tachtig, is op een paar jaar na (eind jaren tachtig, begin jaren negentig) nooit echt gestopt. Commerciëler dan genre-genoten The Specials, iets meer flauwekul in clips en op het podium dan hun tijdgenoten en vrienden van UB40, maar net als zij een ongelooflijke rij aan hits en album-megasuccessen geboekt. Daar moesten we toch een keertje bij zijn, zwelgen in een vrolijk verleden, voor mij tijdens de laatste klassen van de lagere school.

De heren stelden niet teleur. Tien man op het podium, met zanger Suggs (Graham McPherson) nog steeds als beeldbepalende frontman, die overigens goed bij stem was. De muzikale breinen zaten achter de toetsen en bliezen de saxofoon. Toetsenist en mede-oprichter Mike ‘Monsieur Barso’ Barson bleek ook een goed mondje Nederlands te praten, na een tienjarig verblijf in Amsterdam. En de andere overgebleven mede-oprichter, saxofonist Lee Thompson (‘El Thommo’) was ook zeer prominent aanwezig. Verder bestond de band ook uit prima muzikanten, met een drie man sterke blazerssectie.

We kregen grotendeels waar we voor kwamen: een greatest hits show. Dus het begon met One Step Beyond, waarna Embarrassment en The Prince volgden. Het laatste nummer was de debuutsingle uit 1979 en is een eerbetoon aan de Jamaicaanse ska-zanger Prince Buster, de inspiratiebron van de band. Vervolgens NW5 en My Girl. Daarna kwam een deel met minder bekende (Grey Day) of blijkens de respons van het publiek onbekende nummers (Wings Of A Dove), uit de latere jaren van Madness. Het slot van de set was weer bekend terrein met nummers als House Of Fun, Baggy Trousers en Our House. De toegift was kort maar krachtig: Madness (is all-in the mind) en Nightboat To Cairo.

Helemaal prima, erg leuk om Madness een keer live gezien te hebben, het was mooi.

HareD

Jammah Tammah. Jammah Tammah

Some time ago, I received an email about the band Jammah Tammah, forgot about it and now have to fit the news into the heavy release schedule before the summer break. But believe me, it is worth it to do so. I almost became consistent, as Jammah Tammah passed me by for 99.5% in the time it was active (1991 - 2003), because it was only the name that rang a faint bell, nothing more.

Reading the Wikipedia page of the band, which isn't up to date, it is clear that what was and is Jammah Tammah is not an easy answer. Fact is the band started in 1991 around singer Eddy Huizing, formerly of The Boegies, another 99.5% band for me, and Thuur Caris and focused on playing ska, rocksteady and mix it with European polka and punk. The drummer was an Atari machine! After many changes in the line up the band folded in 2003, although there are still former members working under the name Jammah Tammah Groove Experience since the 2010s.

Come 2026, and here is a live compilation album or so it often seems. It is not. It's far more complex. I'll get back to that. What you hear, is a complete dam burst of energy released through the decades, from the early 90s right to the mid 20s and all from a band that does not exist any more. I'll get back to that later also.

First, the music. Kicking off the album is a song called 'Black Monster'. It sounds like a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention track that is going completely off the rails, something Zappa would never have allowed under any circumstances on penalty of ostracisation from the band. Not Jammah Tammah, the punk attitude is showing through for one 100%. The copper is everywhere, the rhythm absolutely leading, the seeming chaos is everywhere. The ska element ever more present. The secret is it is all under control, as this music really works. I can see Eddy (Piepke-Speedy-Mousie) Huizing bouncing across a stage in my mind's eye energising stages every time he climbs on one.

When the band started in 1991, ska, and especially the English Two-Tone version, was a thing of the past for some years already. All the bands had folded by that year. Enter Jammah Tammah. The band released three albums at the time. It must have been somewhere around that period, I came across the name but never heard any music, as far as I can remember.

When some of the band members decided to have the records on the digital platforms in 2023, they found a host of recordings that were never used, mostly of poorer quality. This is a relative comment. The reason these songs were never released at the time, is that the band always recorded live, to capture the energy. Somehow, the band never managed to record these songs without too many mistakes being made. The band couldn't fix at the time, so discarded the recordings. This led to a cunning plan.

What we hear on this album is a recreation of the past. Nearly all original members recorded their parts a new and separate from each other. That is what we hear today and despite this new version, the energy is captured as if this is a live recording. The only practical problem Jammah Tammah encountered was that singer Eddy Huizing, in this phase of his life, does not want to be associated with his past lyrics any more.  Enter modern technicalities. With the same sort of software programme Peter Jackson used to create 'Get Back', The Beatles documentary, Huizing's vocals were isolated from the recordings and mixed over the new recordings, including from real live recordings, audience and all. The result is as if the listener is in a venue listening to Jammah Tammah going at it. Do expect sudden fade outs but that takes nothing away from the fun had by all.

It may well have been, that I would not have liked the original recordings, as I wasn't into this kind of music. There is however a Gruppo Sportivo link every once in a while, so who knows what the answer would have been? Fact is, I never have learned of Jammah Tammah's (ja maar, toe maar in Groninger dialect) music at the time. Today I have and 'Jammah Tammah' is one huge party, from beginning to end. It's 2026 and it's never too late to get to know a new band. Wow!, is the word here.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Terry Hall (1959 - 2022)

When Terry Hall broke big in 1979, I wasn't interested, really. I have 'The Specials', for a very long time, but when I played it last could well be over 40 years ago today. It just wasn't may music, really.

I put it on today and found an album that was so exciting, I could not believe my ears. What did I not hear at the time? With it's debut album The Specials played a mix of ska, rock and roll and things British and played it in a kind of blend that created new music. Together with Madness, always my favourite, The Selecter, The Beat and just down the musical road, UB40, The Specials were the amalgam of a new British society, in which the local youth had become a mix of Brits, West Caribbean and south Indian children who started to combine their musical traditions.

What was the first hit of what we called Two Tone at the time? In my recollection that is 'Gangsters'. A song that was different from all I'd ever heard before. This wasn't exactly Bob Marley or Peter Tosh, was it? So much faster and much more aggressive this music was. It was also far removed from the punk that we only got to hear every once in a while on our national radio or tv. What was it? Ska, we were told. Everything on the back beat and that little organ and lead guitar doing whatever they wanted it seemed.

'Gangsters' is still an exciting song today, as it has a pace that is phenomenal. The singer is Terry Hall, who is obviously working hard to find his voice on the album. Sometimes found, sometimes searching. After two albums it was all over for The Specials. Terry Hall went on to form Fun Boy Three but ask me to name one single and I can't think of a single one. I'm sure I have an album, not played since the 80s as well. What I do remember is the single with Bananarama, 'It Ain't What You It's The Way That You Do It'.

From that moment on Terry Hall was someone from the past for me. Never heard from again. Except that The Specials regularly went on reunion tours in the past ten years. It was not for me. It is only today that I'm thinking for the first time I might have missed out on something.

Reading twitter it is obvious that Terry Hall was well-loved by his colleagues. For us, we have the music and that is an extremely good thing. I am left with one question. Why does 'Monkey Man' sound so familiar to me? Except for the three singles on The Specials, I recognise nothing. Enter 'Moneky Man'. Anyone any suggestion? A movie, series?

Wout de Natris

Week 38, 10 singles

Another week and 10 more singles are highlighted on WoNoBlog. Once again, a very varied set, although I have to add that for once more singles did not make this list than did. Perhaps I was not in the mood for them, then I apologise but I had the idea they were just not speaking to me. Not all music is meant for me. That said there are simply too many singles being released to keep up with. There's only a spot for 10 here. From serious rock, you'll find dreampop, country pop and what not. It all ends with a big bang and a truly fantastic drummer. Hearing is believing here! Kim Coffel, remember that name.

Cold Killer. Redlight King

Can hardrock and pop go together? I hope I'm not offending anyone but yes it certainly can. Redlight King is combining the two perfectly. The tough guitar sound sets the tone. Together with the rhythm section it makes sure that the verses have the air to breath, to go for it in the choruses. No matter how cold the title is, the feel of the chorus is simply great. Fans of rock music will recognise elements from Guns 'N' Roses right up to Muse and that's only the start of this song. What I particularly take a liking to, is the little details in the song. The top of a cymbal, the extra, extra harmonies behind the front voice and harmonies. Redlight King knows how to embellish a song in all the right places and ways. As I wrote, pure pop. Be on the lookout for the Canadian-American band's fourth album later this year,'On Our Blood'.

Push. Cash Savage and the Last Drinks

Just because of the video it is good to listen (and look) to Push at least once. A band plays in a small apartment while the singer, in a semi-normal way goes about the apartment, doing things she would ordinarily do and sing as well. She may not be "feeling to hot today", the Last Drinks are. The band is on fire in this alternative rocking song. Musically the band strokes against your hairs half of the time while at the same time building this tension of which you know is in search of a release. When it comes it is still close to the edge of my musical tastes but so full of energy that giving is is an easy thing to do. For me Cash Savage and the Last Drinks is a totally new name and I can't even find out any more how the band got on my radar. It doesn't matter, the steam is getting out of my speakers and ears. Excitement is another good word for what I'm hearing.

The Seventh Daughter. Ryan Traster

With Low Miranda not out for another two weeks, here's a little taster in the form of the album's single, The Seventh Daughter. It is an ideal mix of country, pop and indie rock. You will hear a twangy lead guitar, playing in a song that with only some minor alterations could have been by R.E.M. or my fave country singer Karen Jonas. At the same time Ryan Traster adds this pop element to his song that makes it so easy to listen to. He manages to hover between the light and the shade and makes the light win on points. Listen to what the piano is doing, as accompaniment and solo notes. As a whole the song is extremely well-balanced making the listening experience sheer fun. It took me a while to acknowledge, but his voice sounds a lot like Vancouver's Tim Claridge of Death Goldbloom and Hymalyan. Extra points scored because of it. The Seventh Daughter is a great introduction to Low Mirada which I'll certainly start listening to soon. Out on 30 September.

Gin Joint Jukin'. Hambone Skinny

Duo Hambone Skinny, Skinny Mike on guitar and vocals and Stepth F. on drums (and a shout here and there), present nothing more than what they are, a duo. Skinny Mike plays his one riff over and over on his distorted guitar. One chord seems enough for the verses and chorus. The change comes when he throws in his slide for the solo's. Steph F. pounds away on her drums making sure that every inch of the sound not filled by the amp cranked up to 10.5 is filled by the drums. Behind Skinny Mike's voice, rough from wear and tear, she repeats a word here and there. If Hambone Skinny does one thing right, it is recreating the sound of the southern juke joints on a Saturday night. Gin Joint Jukin' is a s close as you'll get these days.

Double Helix. Ronan Conroy

Dubliner living in Brooklyn releases a single from his upcoming album 'The Slow Death Of The LoveMyth'. It is a song, on the dark side of the song spectre, that is quite heavy to digest. Let me start with the thing that irritates me no little: that long held, high keyboard note that is there for the whole song, hardly ever changing at all. With that out of the way, the rest of the song is fascinating. With singer Juli Dicterow of Oh Halo in a Stevie Nicks kind of role. She leads the way despite being somewhat in the middle of the music going on around her. The music comes across as one huge cloud that envelopes me completely. Yes, there are different instruments. They come across as one big whole. A monolith of sound, led by that one note. Listen more closely and a rich musical tapestry appears. With the many layered vocals of Dicterow and all the other instruments behind her. Double Helix is fascinating music in several ways.

I Guess You Had Enough. Kevin Stevenson

I'll be honest and write that Kevin Stevenson's album 'Reality Alley' is a bit too much for me. This single shows why individually his songs can be fun. They tap into a style of song that went out of fashion about 40 years ago, when bands like The Specials, The Selecter and Madness were, almost, past their short-lived hey day. Stevenson adds some pop to the whole and comes up with a mix of pop and slow ska, horns and all. Enough to bring a smile to someone's face instantly. Live this will undoubtedly go down very well. This music is fun. Nothing more but certainly nothing less.

Abstract Oils. Crush

More from New Zealand. Abstract Oils is the title of the latest single of the band Crush. Title and music faintly reminds me of Japan and the early solo works of David Sylvian. Warpaint is a name of the last 10 years that comes to mind immediately. The dreamy music is mixed with the mystical. At the same time there's a down to earth element in the music with thanks to the drummer and percussionist. Things happen that move towards reggae and dub, while singer and synths warble around as there's only sky and wind to sooth and carry you. Put Abstract oils on and let yourself be carried away. Just drift away, softly but surely into the trance the rhythm and warbling synths can bring you in.

Better By Now. Brooke Annibale

Listening to Brooke Annibale's single I get a feeling that The Cure has lost all its effect pedals somewhere on the road and in sheer desperation recorded Better By Now any way. The result is an alternative pop song that is instantly pleasing yet missing something. When I chuck my The Cure association out of the window, I hear a singer that is pining for something better. She wrote the song in January 2021, with the Christmas tree freshly out of the door and a hope for a new fresh year and on came the storming of the Capitol. (And Covid far from over yet of course.) The song expresses the faded hope for a better year in all the right ways. More bitter than sweet and more sad than happy. Better By Now is a song for those moments, without forgetting the silver lining is there somewhere. Hope does shine through. "How we wanted to believe it, somehow". Keep that thought when in the situation Brooke Annibale was in in January 2021. And listen to what came from it.

Dead Trajectory. Black Market Karma

London band Black Market Karma releases a single ahead of its album 'Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' (29 September), it's 10th. On Dead Trajectory singer Stan Belton delivers the right tone for the song. Do not expect a host of emotions on the single. The music is a more intricate affair. You will hear several guitars all playing off and against each other. Rhythms, leads, solo notes, wide chords and strums, it can all be found any moment in the song, without it ever becoming a jumble of noise. In the background the drums and bass keep it all on track and nicely going. Black Market Karma is in line with a band like Teenage Fanclub here without the intricate vocals. At the same time the band that hardly anybody has seen live, is quite present as well. The Velvet Underground is in the music and vocals. The pop and the dark come together in Dead Trajectory in quite a surprising way.

The Call. Hoaxed

Hoaxed is a duo, Kat Keo and Kim Coffel, that produces a song that sort of is a perfect blend of everything going on in modern rock music. Kat Keo sings like an angel in The Call and would have fitted with any of the dreampop bands of today. Kim Coffel batters her drumkit in such a way that Lars Ulrich could retire from Metallica any moment knowing that the kit would be filled a formidable way. Together they play metal in such a way that The Call is instantly a sing-a-long kind of song. Yes, it's hard and loud, while being pure pop, 24 carat gold. The best songs of Earth & Fire came to mind immediately in the moments the keyboards ring out, think 'Seasons', 'Wild and Exiting' and 'Maybe Tomorrow Maybe Tonight'. Hoaxed is a totally new name for me but instantly liked. The album. 'Two Shadows' is out on 28 October. Let me put the spotlight once again on drummer Kit Coffel. This is really sick stuff.

Wout de Natris

 

Henny Vrienten (1948 - 2022)

Het was in de zomer van 1981. Met twee vrienden reed ik in mijn auto naar Brouwershaven, het eindpunt van het VARA's Lijn 3 programma. Een radioprogramma waarbij de VARA door het land reed en live rapportages maakte. Die eindigden altijd met twee live shows. Wij gingen voor Dexys Midnight Runners, de Engelse soul en post punk band die in transitie was tussen de soul toeters en de Celtic soul van één jaar later.

In het voorprogramma stond Doe Maar. De band had net een radiohitje met 'Sinds Een Dag Of Twee (32 Jaar)'. Of misschien wel nog net niet. Ik weet het niet zeker. Wel kon ik me vaag een ander nummer herinneren, maar nu niet meer. Die eerste plaat heb ik nooit gekocht.

Er kwam een totale ska show over ons heen, die stampte en dampte. Eigenlijk was ik best wel onder de indruk van de vier heren, plus toeteraar Joost Belinfante. Deze mannen wisten duidelijk hoe een show op te bouwen en te swingen. Eigenlijk was ik helemaal niet verbaasd, toen een jaar later de hits kwamen in de vorm van 'Doris Day' en 'Is Dit Alles'. Die LP kocht ik direct en daarna brak de gekte al snel uit. Daar paste een jonge man van 20 en een beetje niet tussen. Ik heb Doe Maar nooit meer live gezien en daar heb ik eigenlijk wel spijt van. Ik had ook in Ahoy moeten zitten in 2000, de eerste van die waanzinnige comebacks, die lieten zien hoe ongelofelijk populair Doe Maar was en is.

Niet lang geleden zat Henny Vrienten bij Matthijs van Nieuwkerk in de 'Forever Young' rubriek. Of hij toen al wist dat hij ziek was, vertelt het verhaal niet, maar in mijn herinnering werd de laatste Doe Maar toer maar een paar dagen later gecanceld, met de mededeling dat hij ook nooit meer gespeeld zou worden. Henny Vrienten was ziek en zo'n mededeling doet het ergste vermoeden. Dat blijkt dus ook het geval.

Wat blijft, is een verzameling prachtige nummers die hij met Doe Maar maakte. Ja, ik geef toe dat ik verder niets heb. Ik mag de meeste van de nummers die hij en Ernst Jansz maakten nog steeds graag horen. Zijn typische, hese stem met Tilburgse tongval, de ska bass, het doet het nog steeds heel goed. Iedereen die Doe Maar anno 2022 nog steeds wegzet als meisjesband heeft of poep in de oren of is nog steeds niet over zijn jaloezie heen.

Dat brengt mij terug naar begin maart 2020, de Haarlemse Philharmonie, het optreden op een donderdagavond van Vreemde Kostgangers. Boudewijn de Groot, George Kooijmans en Hennie Vrienten. Alle drie staan ze nooit meer op een podium, De Groot zelfverkozen, de anderen noodgedwongen. Over een legendarische avond gesproken. Door Covid, dat dan wel.

Is dit alles? Nee, want deze muziek leeft voor altijd voort. Doe Maar was niet alleen een stijlicoon, maar is de vaandeldrager van een generatie, die de tijd heeft overleeft.

Een paar dagen terug Jan Rot en Arno Hintjes. Daar ben ik nooit fan van geweest, maar zoals iemand op Tritter opmerkte: mag het nu weer even stoppen? Heel graag, dank u.

Wout de Natris

Rude Rebels. Neville and Sugary Staple

It's 2019. Anyone having lived through the late 70s and early 80s will recognise the lay out of this cover art immediately: 2 Tone. The label that gave the world The Specials, Madness, The Selecter. Bands that played ska on speed and all in black and white. The typical small hats and too short pants over white socks.

Neville Staple was one of the two singers of The Specials together with Terry Hall, with colleague Lynval Golding they went on to form Fun Boy Three. On this album The Specials guitarist Roddy Radiation is present. I haven't heard the new The Specials album (yet). This 2018 variation is one to be heard.

I haven't listened to ska for decades, so Rude Rebels is quite a nice surprise. The album offers a mix of some great fun kicking party tracks with more serious tracks that despite the ongoing beat are clearly contemplative. On this record Staple works together with his wife Christine Sugary Staple. Together they delve deep into the music from Jamaica making full use of the developments of the past 40 years.

Promo photo: John Coles

Sadder is the fact that the, for me distant, messages from the U.K. that so many youths die in knife fights gets a distinct personal twist here. This album came with a personal message from Neville Staple who lost his 21 year old grandson Fidel to a knifing incident in Coventry. His message makes the fact extremely personal. Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to a parent. It happened to his daughter. How to stop youths from doing these horrible acts with consequences they are still unable to oversee fully?

The album had already been made before this devastating loss. It seems to have brought out the best in the couple. Not a few times the super group Superheavy came to mind while listening to Rude Rebels. This album is far more down to earth. It has an enormous vibe, like in for example 'Original Rudegirl Sound'. This song has such a positive drive, so light-hearted while keeping that Jamaican rhythm going with enough U.K. sounds to make it a total hybrid beast. Sugary Staple makes for a huge party and pulls it off like it doesn't cost any energy at all. Were I to be asked what is the positive difference between The Specials and this album, my answer would be positive vibes and party time the music exhumes on Rude Rebels.

Rude Rebels took me totally by surprise in the most pleasurable ways possible. It is so much fun. More so than The Specials ever were. 2 Tone in 2019? It is found on Rude Rebels.

Wo.

You can buy Rude Rebels here:

https://nevillestaple.bandcamp.com/album/rude-rebels


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

On Two-Tone, Ian Dury and Ry Cooder. A conversation

Wo., 16-10
Last Sunday I visited my old record store in Leiden. Especially to look at the second hand section. The prices are so much sweeter than in my new town. Literally two to three times less for records that are usually in better condition as well.

So, I came home with a copy of She Loves You, 55 years old without a single scratch on either side. For only €3. Another The Beatles single scratched off my list. It is the EPs that are extremely costly. They easily do €40-50, if I ever run into them. A bit steep.

The Imagine box is in stores I noticed. The White Album on 9 November. The price they dare to ask is phenomenal. I heard something like €280! That will take a while before I'll go that way. In the end for outtakes of outtakes. The Analogues experience in February this year will have to do for now.

What I wanted to write about really is the copy I bought of I just can't stop it by The Beat. I had never contemplated buying the album before. I knew and somehow liked the singles 'Mirror in the bathroom', 'Tears of a clown' and two others. It stood there for €3 and I thought, well, why not. Reconsidered and decided to bring it home.

The ska/two tone thing was funny around 1980. Yes, I have a copy of Madness' first two albums, a few singles of The Specials and The Selecter, but that is about it. I'll throw in The Police here as well, as they played a fair mix of punk and ska/reggae when starting out and UB40. It never really was my thing, although all bands produced some great singles, even fair albums, with Madness being my favourite, followed by The Police. The Beat came as a sort of fifth wheel on the wagon at the time. When all had been said and done, it seemed to me then. I shelved them in the same league as Fine Young Cannibals and thought them of the same "age".

This album is from 1980 I discovered. So a few years older than FYC. It is 2018 and I found to have discovered the best ska/two tone record made, ever, 39 years late. This album is so alive, so full of great songs and with a great sound as well. I haven't stopped playing it in the past two days. The singles aren't even the best songs on the album.

Would I have liked it then? Obviously not (enough). Time does change ears and perceptions I find.

So, how are your black and white blocked two tone hats keeping up in 2018?

Gary, 16-10

Never really been into two-tone (my wife is a big fan though), punk although I enjoy traditional 70s reggae occasionally. I do like The Police and The Stranglers…. I used to know Jean-Jacques Burnel in the 70’s when he worked as a temp for the Department of the Environment… he was then in The Guilford Stranglers (the original name of The Stranglers)… He was a bit ‘full of himself’ but pleasant enough! If you are not familiar with the Stranglers listen to the No More Heroes album… one of my favourites! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuBYqvVEcYn8N3XQVf-m1K7QdvmF_kHxr and Rattus Norvegicus  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRRe_urOjL__6_qS79-4qlCgr6tTYcem4 . You may have heard one of my favourite tracks 'Golden Brown’ from the album 'La Folie’. The keyboard player Dave Greenfield was a big Yes fan! 

Wo., 17-10

Nice story knowing JJ Burnel personally and through work as well. I had skipped punk more or less, being fully into my Pink Floyd, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones period, it just didn't match well. The The Sexpistols' album and Iggy Pop's 'Lust For Life' aside, I had nothing at the time. With The Police I did move into the ska/reggae/late punk movement. I forgot to mention Joe Jackson yesterday, who I still sort of follow again since the 00s. A new album is announced for early Spring next year. His last one was so beautiful.

Another hero was Ian Dury of course. He produced a few fantastic singles that I love playing right up to this day.

So I have I think three The Stranglers albums, but all from the 80s when the band started scoring hits over here. 'Golden Brown', 'No Mercy', Skin Deep'. Songs I still love. 'No More Heroes' was the punk hit single over here. Yes, perhaps it is time to get myself acquainted with the two albums you mentioned. Just never got around to it. And I like punk a lot more since Green Day and The Offspring broke big in the mid 90s. So why not The Stranglers?

Through the blog and the living room shows we host regularly I am getting to know more musicians personally. Most from more or less obscure bands. It is nice but to some extend astonishing to see the dedication these musicians have for what they do. The believe they show in their own work and how hard they have to work for it.

In this direction there is a novelty for the blog. I am quoted on the cd sleeve of The LVE's new album and mentioned in the thank you section. Now that is fun. The release is next week Friday.

---

Mark, 18-10

In the deserts of Sudan, and the gardens of Japan.........wonderful! Timeless perfect single; amazing musicianship - mainly down to Chas Jankel but don't hear much about him these days.

The Beat: John Peel played them a lot which is why I've got the Go-Feet 1981-2 lps and 12 inch singles - Stand Down Margaret (T!) is a classic. Somewhat in the shadow of The Specials and Madness but they were incredibly tight. My record shelves are also strong on the original Specials: Ghost Town is a masterpiece "Government leaving the youth on the shelf..."   -some things never change. But Nelson Mandela was freed eventually. 

I came across another, more recent, masterpiece out of the blue watching an inflight movie recently: She's Got You High by a band I'd never heard of called Mumm-Ra from Bexhill-on-Sea (!). They put out an album in 2007, disappeared for a while but re-surfaced in 2013 apparently. Sheer perfection - just like The La's There She Goes. It's a great film too: (500) Days of Summer  - an American "rom-com" as they say that I could connect with which is a rarity: the soundtrack, also including The Smiths, The Doves and Simon & Garfunkel, is a bonus!

Going to see Ry Cooder tomorrow: his latest album The Prodigal Son has some tremendous guitar work and reminds me of the eclectic folk/blues/jazz albums he put out in the 1970s like Paradise & Lunch, if you are familiar with them.  My treasured Into The Purple Valley gatefold dates from my last year at university and the last time I saw him in concert was The Slide Area tour which was 36 years ago (gulp!) when I was still enduring my first civil service job liquidating companies in the Insolvency Service (such sweet memories....). Ry Cooder also introduced me to the beautiful sounds of Hawaiian slack-key (records are very hard to find in Europe - and expensive on eBay). I'm meeting up with David Souter (IGF, UNESCO and folk music aficionado) at the concert by the way. We went to see Steve Earle together.

See you at the Paris IGF, Wout? It will be my last IGF actually. We could check out again that record shop you found off the Blvd Garibaldi. I might be low on funds though after shelling out for the must-have Dylan More Blood on the Tracks 6 cd boxset which is released in a couple of weeks' time. And I've just got the Imagine box actually - still working my way through that (except the two blu-ray discs that I don't have the technology to play: they should have allowed the option not to have those) - and as you say there's The White Album one coming too which will be a treasure trove. 50th anniversary box sets - doncha just love them! No time to play them and I'm running out of shelf-space (again). 

Wo., 19-10

Yes, I love the lyrics of 'Hit me with your rhythm stick'. They sounded so exotic to my 19 or 20 year old ears. I pictured all these places he sings about in my mind and envisioned bent, little Ian Dury there as well. It's years that I thought about Chas Jankel. When he split with Dury, the latter certainly became less interesting.

I have a Chas Jankel solo album even, with AI no corrida on it. A great song at the time as well. It's unplayed since the early 80s for sure. So what condition is it in? Some of my older records have somehow leaked from within themselves it seems, turning them unplayable. No scratches but all blotches of whatever chemical reaction the substance is. Most are fine though, even after decades. So what the cause could be I don't know.

At the time I liked Madness best. The nutty sound quite appealed to me and still does. Although I do not need to see the band play in 2018 for too many euros. Ghosttown by The Specials was a great single. It captured the title extremely well. At the same time the New Romantics started out, dwarfing the far better song, I remember. New Romantics? Whoever thinks about them now?

My introduction to Ry Cooder was with 'Chicken Skin Music' in 1976. My first record 'The Slide Area', but the first album I truly liked was 'Paradise And Lunch' with the formidable 'Jesus on the main line' on it. I have most of his oldest albums now, bought second hand in the early 90s I guess. His output is so eclectic that I have given up in the past few decades. And not being the greatest fan of his voice, does not make me play him a lot these days.

My upcoming shows are all in smaller venues. Blaudzun, Johan, Broeder Dieleman (although he sings in an incomprehensible dialect for me also, check 'Komma' out. A formidable album!), Sophie Hunger, TMGS and Amber Arcades are all on the line. A lot of them on the guestlist. Having a blog comes with some privileges. Before that first a show with Sweetwood this evening. Our fourth gig this year. More than all the previous years together. It is so good to see how much tighter we become because of the gigging. It provides focus and we all work harder at becoming better.

Your last IGF, Mark? Tell me all about it there. Yes, I am and invite you to join my workshop of course.

Mark, 20-10

It was an exhilarating concert - one of the most important for me of the last....10 years. One night only in a small church-like venue (Cadogan Hall) - we were perched in a gallery with wooden pews so  it was an intimate setting with wonderfully clear and balanced sound. During the slower bottleneck guitar work-outs you could hear a pin drop. The rousing gospel and soul items were sheer joy with a trio of black singers in shimmering soulful harmony setting off his workman-like vocals - such as on the closing I Can't Win from Bop Till You Drop (I think that was his biggest seller - and I believe the first digital album recording - unbelievably from 40 years ago now). He dug only a little into his back catalogue - but including, yes: Jesus on the Mainline - …"...tell Him what you want:  the line ain't never busy!" - because his new album The Prodigal Son - definitely a religious feel to the night!)  is so strong. He extended his classic rendition of Woody Guthrie's Vigilante Man (from Into the Purple Valley) with some despairing Trump witticisms. Alas no slack-key but he didn't have the band for that (Yellow Roses on Chicken Skin Music, a song recorded in Honolulu, sends shivers down my spine every time I play it).

Now in his early seventies, Ry Cooder looked strong and was in fine voice. The concert was one of those rare occasions when you sense you are in the presence of a great musical spirit and authority - and an absolute master of his art: Eric Clapton was spotted in the audience paying homage. I hope we won't have to wait so long to see him perform again in London.

Wo. 22-10

That sounds like one magical show. My experience is that the smaller the venue the more in awe people are of what is on offer. The anonymity disappears with silence as a result. When the artist is in great form the result is a dedication on both sides getting stronger and stronger. Those are the moments to cherish. Impossible to achieve in a hall or stadium and usually in a medium size venue. Too many people seem to tag along who are not really there for the music, but to come with friends or just socialise. Sometimes the talking is so bad, that the whole experience of the show is destroyed. Why pay all that money instead of going to the pub and shout over the music there and the other noise?

Glad you've enjoyed this, Mark!

a P.S. by Mark, 22-10:

See below for the latest from the Neil Young archives out in December..... (Pointing to an email by "Neil Young" announcing another archive live album for December 14 called 'Songs For Judy', Wo.)

McCartney is also releasing two archive boxes in December: Wings Wild Life (a much under-rated album) and Red Rose Speedway which is the patchy, largely overlooked release prior to Band on The Run - stand-out track is My Love with a beautiful guitar solo from Henry McCullough who passed away in 2016.

I can also recommend a freebie - well almost, you do have to buy a magazine to get it:  this month's Uncut mag has a Dylan "Best of Bootleg Series" free cd - includes one "Blood-y" out-take from the latest 6-cd box, the touching You're a Big Girl Now and concludes with the majestic ode to the blues (and much more besides) Blind Willie McTell (which Dylan inexplicably cut from the final choice of songs recorded for Infidels) - and another favourite of mine Born in Time (a far superior version than the one on Under the Red Sky). Like no other love song of regret I know this conveys how for the rest of your life - in the foggy web of destiny - you can be haunted by a fateful decision (or reckless, selfish, unforgiveable indecision in my case....). Sounds depressing but it's also a great melody paired with peerless lyrics that read as poetry, recorded against a shimmering musical backdrop:

In the lonely night
In the stardust of a pale blue light
I think of you in black and white
When we were made of dreams.

Best regards (and go on, put "Reasons to be Cheerful Part 3" on the record player!)

Sunday At Eight. Sunday At Eight

It is a little over two years ago. The band I play in, Sweetwood, was going through the final rehearsal before we would do our first ever gig, at The Jammer Festival in Zoeterwoude. In the cabin next to us another band was working hard, the music seeping through when we had small breaks inbetween songs. In the break we happened to meet four youngsters who were also rehearsing for their show at the festival.

Their band was called Fort Da, a bit strange name for a band that played a set that was extremely eclectic. From early The Beatles pop, to Billy Joel MOR and Madness ska. It was as if Fort Da could not make a choice what it wanted to be, not in the least because it did not only surprise me, it also convinced totally in each genre. So why choose?

Fort Da has become Sunday At Eight and at the cd presentation show of The Stream late August the band also played a show. The cd I am currently listening to is produced by Jan Stroomer of The Stream, so no coincidences there. Musically Sunday At Eight fits in well with The Stream, so no coincidences there either.

'Sunday At Eight' provides the listener with the right mix of what Sunday At Eight has to offer. All the sides of the band show on this mini album. The album opens with 'The Thrill', a song released as a single in 2017. 55 Years of pop music come by in 3 minutes and a little. The piano of singer Damiaan van Noort is central on the song. An organ in the background gives the song a warmer feel then when played live. Wouter Bontje's guitar solo is very George Harrison, warm and fitting.

The intro of 'Rain' is very 60s. What happens is even older somehow. The vaudeville sort of music that inspired Paul McCartney or Ray Davies many times. The piano rolls in a very pleasant way. The tight rhythm section keeps the song very much together, allowing the piano and the vocals to take off in the right places.

Somewhere on the Internet can be found that it is the record collection of fathers that inspires Sunday At Eight. There's simply no denying there. These four young men, bass and saxophone player Bas Janson and drummer Antonio Kamerling complete the band, love music from a time long before they were born. Listening to 'The Game' a lot of these influence come together. Jan Stroomer lends some musicians from his band on strings. The guitar solo brings the best of Kayak and Focus to mind. Some early Dutch prog has not gone by unnoticed.

The ska side comes through also. Except for drummer Kamerling all the band members switch instruments to play this music that is carried by Janson's sax. He may not be the very best saxophone player, the mood of ska or better Two Tone, is captured with ease.

Four songs into the album, I find that Van Noort's voice on record does not sound as good as it does live. It may be more, at least that's my impression, from his singing too self-consciously in the studio, something that may change with experience, than a real problem for the band. Time will tell. The changes in the arrangement of 'The Game' show how adapt Sunday At Eight at working on its songs. These variations really work well.

'Turn The Tide' has a fantastic intro, wide and sweeping. Again a totally different song from all the others. Here it's the guitar(s) that are dominant, changing the mood and the sound of the band. The whole of the song is not as good as the intro seemed to promise me yet this is a fine song, deserving to be heard by a larger audience. Again the band surprises with the direction the song takes as well.

The mini album ends with a pastiche with a jazzy feel. Something 50s, something The Beatles, a little The Kinks.

'Sunday At Eight' is only six songs long, yet it seems to hold many more songs and in a way it does. As this is the band's first album, that is certainly excusable. Sunday At Eight shows the world what it is capable of. The album reminds me of the work of Jan Stroomer. The more he took Goethe's famous phrase to heart, the better his albums became. With "Sally" as greatest example to date. There is a lesson there for Sunday At Eight as well. In the here and now though I am listening to an eclectic first album showing exactly where Sunday At Eight is at: here and there at the same time and somewhere in the middle as well.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Sunday At Eight here:

https://sundayateight.bandcamp.com/releases


Here's the link to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

Can't Touch Us Now. Madness

The nutty boys are back three years after their previous album 'Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da'. The sound is instantly recognisable, but don't expect the music that graced Madness' first two records, 'One Step Beyond' and 'Absolutely'. The tempo is down to a pace that suits men approaching their sixties. No matter how shocking that sounds. It's what it is.

The cover is very much London as suits a band coming from Camden Town of the 70s. What is amazing that in 2016 the band is back to its formation at the time of its breakthrough in 1979, with the exception of Chas Smash, who has disappeared from the line up somewhere after the previous record. One of the two original producers, Clive Langer, is even on board. Older, musically wiser and in a form that is certainly acceptable.

It's the Madness of the years that the band still scored, major, hits in the U.K., but sort of had disappeared from consciousness in NL. 'House Of Fun', 'Cardiac Arrest', that sort of songs and even then we have to drop the sort of sharp corners that these songs held. So I would certainly not call the music found on Can't Touch Us Now ska or 2 Tone. Madness in 2016 excels in piano driven pop songs with hints at funky stuff in the rhythm guitar.

What is striking that in the lyrics Madness shows the sort of observing skills Ray Davies had in the 60s. Just listen to a song like 'Mr. Apples'. The Rotary Club is aligned to capitol punishment and modern day stress. It's the kind of lyric that adds to the quality of the album. Musically the rhythm is interesting and the lead guitar, organ and sax add very much to the pleasure. Another example is 'Another Version Of Me', where life has changed despite having all the things that seem to have remained the same. The lyric is extremely elementary though 100% recognisable.

On the other hand I have to admit that I have to be in the mood for Can't Touch Us Now. At the wrong moment I truly think that the album is converging on the boring. Too much of the same thing. It gives me a hard time to convince myself why it is a good thing that Madness is still releasing records. At the other moments like right now I'm having a great time. With just Madness in my ears and nothing much disturbing my mood, things are quite alright. The soft ska of 'I Believe'  and the ska mixed with a surf lead guitar in 'Grand Slam' make me wave in my chair while trying to tye, you see what I mean, in the meantime. The number of typos becomes shocking I can tell you.

With the shift of musical focus Madness becomes a more "normal" band, with a more general pop focus. There are even 60s "la la las" to be found. When 'Mumbo Jumbo' starts with its somewhat more up tempo ska rhythm it comes almost as a surprise. The song is fun, but not for nostalgic Madness reasons. Simply because it is fun in 2016. The hooky rhythm, the strong accents in the playing of the instruments, the cut off way of singing. It fits, rough lead guitar, organ and all. The 'Ghost Town' mood of 'Herbert' brings back fond memories. So there's a little 2 Tone after all.

In short, despite having second thoughts at some point, I'm glad Can't Touch Us Now is here. The album is not as good as 'The Liberty Of Folton Newgate', that totally took me by surprise, but certainly as good as 'Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da'. Fulfilling is the right word here.

Wo.

You can listen to 'Mr. Apples' here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKNGKNBYs0&list=PLiF0kTVfCbi9JkTPxPCclYb9mDXp44j9r

Music like dirt. Desmond Dekker & the Aces

Since some months WoNoBloG runs a special series with albums from 1968 and 1969, with the likes of Blue Cheer, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Spooky Tooth. Here's another contribution to this series.

In spring and summer of 1969 I was exposed to a sort of music for the first time in my life of which I only learned two or three years later that it went under the name reggae. Thanks to a special on Belgium television. Desmond Dekker (& the Aces) scored a number one hit with the song 'Israelites' in the Radio Veronica Top 40 in the spring of 1969. A very atypical song for the time, but followed by several other songs by Max Romeo and Jimmy Cliff. Being 9 years old, I assumed that the song was about Israel. It is not. It is about working hard for money to keep a family, were it not that the wife left with the children and the "I" does not want "to end up like Bonnie & Clyde". In other words about life on the fringes of society. Later in the year Desmond Dekker & the Aces scored a second hit 'It mek' of which I do not have any recollection. 'Israelites' is a song that can be heard to this day.

Looking for music by Desmond Dekker & the Aces I found this album: Music like dirt or 'Intensified '68, what appears to be the original name of the album. An album without 'Israelites' on it. Desmond Dekker produces music that is standing on two principles. On the one hand there is an older form of reggae, rocksteady and ska, while other songs are more reggae as the world would get to know it in the 1970s thanks to Bob Marley. Not unlike the music UB 40 unleashed on the world with its first 'Labour of love' album in the 1980s, that spawned so many (no. 1) hitsingles.

Music like dirt is an upbeat album. On the one hand because of the music that is so deliciously fun sounding. This has nothing to do with the quality of the recording. This is mono, with a sense of depth of instruments stacked behind each other. No, it is the backbeat that invites me to move my limbs. Even when sitting down typing this post, I'm moving my head, neck and shoulders. To the rhythm, but also to the guitar eruptions or the horns that kick in every once in a while.

The other hand is about the voice of Desmond Dekker. Dekker simply has a very pleasant voice to listen to. A bit high perhaps, but far from irritating. This is the only way to listen to Desmond Dekker that is left though. He died in 2006 at the age of 64 of a heart attack in London. He was born as Desmond Adolphus Dacres in Kingston, Jamaica in 1941 and started recording in 1963. His first hit in the U.K. was in 1967 with '007 (Shanty town)'.

Reggae has never particularly appealed to me. Somehow to serious and monotonous. This problem is nearly taken away by Desmond Dekker. The way the reggae rhythm is played on Music like dirt, it is infused with a pop element and the joy of singing harmonies. Dekker and his Aces, Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard, weave their voices together in intricate ways. High, low and in between.

A few songs stick out. I just love 'Rudy's got soul'. What a fun track. 'Personal possession' is heart felt, and I can only imagine what it could have sounded like nowadays. There's a lot of tape hiss on these recordings. And the hit? As said it's not on this album. The other one is. 'A it mek' was a logical choice listening to it in 2014. The rhythm and sound resemble 'Israelites' up to a certain extent. Having said that, the song has it's own quality. Just listen to the horn section and is just a little bit more upbeat. It can never compete with the impression imprinted in me 45 years ago, but may actually be a nicer song.

The more Music like dirt moves on, the more the songs turn into "real" reggae, while at the same time a song like 'Don't blame me' is so 1950s non-rock & roll U.S. music. A blend of two cultures and a good as well as nice blend it is.

Music like dirt is an unexpected pleasure. I expected nothing from this album, was presented with a sort of music that I know little about and was hardly familiar with. It managed to surprise me. This will not be the last time I've played Music like dirt, no matter how poor the recordings sound. Music like dirt is fun and has quality.

Wo.

You can listen to 'It mek' here.

Top 10 shows of 2012

The WoNo Magazine logo by Tineke G.

In 2012 I've been to shows from arena size to a one person with a guitar on a small podium show, but most were in the so called Dutch "club circuit". All of them were fun to be at, but these ten stood out for me. To keep up the suspense I'm presenting this top 10 bottom - up.

I made this list the week before Christmas knowing full well that I had one show to go: The Kik in Het Paard van Troje. The Kik rocked really hard and deserves to be in this list. So I'm cheating and doing an ex-aequo here as you will see.

10. The Shakedown 8, Q-Bus Leiden
Supporting Melbourne based The Resignators, The Shakedown 8 laid down an almost perfect show, building the atmosphere up step by step towards a great climax. As I wrote then: "The Shakedown 8 is a Dutch band with one foot cemented so firmly into ska, that it allows them to explore almost everything else, as long as the backbeat is within hearing distance". This sentence really says it all.

9. Blaudzun, Patronaat Haarlem
Looking back I remember this solemn performance, almost churchlike in its seriousness. The songs from breakthrough album 'Heavy flowers' totally shone through, with band members switching instruments all the time to emulate the richness of sounds. Great show. Blaudzun deserves to be heard beyond Dutch borders.

8. Girlyman, Q-Bus Leiden
What a wonder of singing, melody and harmony! Girlyman gave its all and was presented near devotion in return by the audience. A great surprise and treasure to remember.

7. Zita Swoon Group, Patronaat Haarlem
The Belgian - African mix of Zita Swoon Group worked wonderfully well. The almost mathematical rhythms Antwerp based Zita Swoon produces blended the African vibes to a potent danceable mix of jubilation.

6. The Walkabouts, Paradiso Amsterdam
Circa six years after The Walkabouts' last show on Dutch soil, the band returned in glorious form. The new material of the album 'Travels in the dustland' blended in a perfect way with older songs. The audience was caressed softly and rocked hard at the Paradiso as the band showed it's Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jackell sides in a superb and convincing way.

5. The Fudge, Het Paard van Troje Den Haag
Uncanny how well the stops and starts, the intricate rhythms and complex breaks of 'Morning comes again' were reproduced by this young band for far too less people. Perhaps the comparison to System of a Down is justified, at the same time The Fudge knows how to bring in all the right pop elements into its wall of sound.

4.b Tim Christensen and the Damn Crystals, Het Paard van Troje Den Haag
And again another great show by Danish Tim Christensen and band. This man deserves world fame, his songs are fantastic and the live presentation is meticulous. Need I say more! It looks like I have to, but in the mean time I can still see him play from very up close. In February he's in The Netherlands again. Don't miss out!

4.a The Kik, Het Paard van Troje
This was so much fun and so good. The beat music set to Dutch lyrics works wonders. They are easy to sing along with and played very well. So many fun 60s details in the singing and playing that The Kik is a feast of recognition while totally new.

3. Larry and his Flask (first show), Q-Bus Leiden
What a surprise, what fun and what good music! Larry and his Flask came and swept the Q-Bus off its feet in a surge of energy, enthusiasm, punky attitude and awe. Where usually middle aged people sit admiring the music produced on stage, now a mosh pit of jumping kids was created in front of the stage.

2. The Resignators, Q-Bus Leiden
A night of perfect ska. This Australian band was so uncannily tight, 100% professionalism and at the same time very, very good and totally alive. Horns, guitars, organ and a great rhythm section that packed everything together. Surprise shows sometimes are the best.

1. Paul McCartney, Ahoy Rotterdam

Photo, Wo.

Photo, Wo.

An evening in which everything in my life blended together. Early youth, discovering my own music as a teenager and fond memories of people who I've listened to his music with through all these years. At 69 McCartney is still at the top of his game and gave a perfect greatest hits show, which basically touched upon a lot of who and what I am. So easily the best show of 2012 in many ways.

Wo.