((( CRASH #1 )))
Hosted By Psychedelic Elvis

It's been a while since I posted some actual music, so here's a new mix of free tunes. I kept it a bit shorter this time, and a bit more focused (by my own standards.) There's a bit of an underlying theme here...

Hey, if you download this and dig it (or hate it,) return the favor by leaving a comment. I just wanna know if anyone actually grabs these or if I'm wasting a lot of time creating and posting them for no one.

::: Crash #1 :::
1. Link Wray - Hidden Charms
2. The Fanatics - Woman
3. The Electric Prunes - Get me to the World on Time
4. Bobby Freeman - Big Fat Woman
5. The Zombies - Tell Her No
6. The Rolling Stones - Dandelion
7. Arthur Brown - I Put A Spell On You
8. Shadows of Knight - Bad Little Woman
9. The Pretty Things - Honey, I Need
10. Mitch Ryder - I'd Rather Go To Jail
11. The Nightcrawlers - You're Running Wild
12. The Music Machine - The People In Me
13. Gary U.S. Bonds - New Orleans
14. The Kinks - I Gotta Move

DOWNLOAD: CRASH #1

PsychedelicElvis

BLUES MAGOOS - One By One / Dante's Inferno - Mercury - 1967

This record's B-side is really the most noteworthy thing about it. More B-sides should be treated like this. I guess the standard practice was to pick the hit for the A-side, then stick a boring, pales-in-comparison track on the flip side and I guess that's the most functional approach if your main objective is to sell a song, but where's the fun in that? Blues Magoos got something right when they stuck 'Dante's Inferno' on the flip of 'One by One.' This isn't even a song. No melody, no harmony, no structure of any kind. Just noise, effects and yelling. Right on. Why waste a side of vinyl on something so boring when you could release something completely retarded and amazing? Kudos, Blues Magoos. This single is right on.

PsychedelicElvis

ALVIN CASH & THE CRAWLERS - Twine Time / The Bump - Mar-V-Lus - 1965

This record is pretty cool. I first heard 'Twine Time' on The Arrows' 'Apache '65' record and it really stood out (which is saying a lot, since that record is basically flawless.) So when I learned that it was originally recorded by Alvin Cash & The Crawlers, I started looking for it, and actually found it pretty easily, and cheap.

The Crawlers' version of the song is rad. It's a bit more of a tradional instrumental than The Arrows version, with some horns and such, a sparse vocal, and a stupid sax solo that I surpringly don't hate. I might actually even enjoy it, somehow. (What happened to me?) On certain days I would actually prefer this version over The Arrows'. Strange how that works..

The flip, unfortunately, isn't another instrumental, and really not as good. At first I REALLY didn't care for this song, but it's grown on me with some time. Nothing great, nothing horrible. 100% meh.

I've been a bit torn about looking for other Alvin Cash records. It seems he re-recorded 'Twine Time' later on, and that version sounds like shit. (modernized. gross.) Also, I have a feeling that 'Twine Time' may have been a bit of an anomaly, and worry that the bulk of his songs lean a bit closer to 'The Bump.'

However, he did release a Muhammad Ali tribute record, and I'm curious to know what that's all about. If anyone knows something about that, do tell.

"Let's twine, baby."

PsychedelicElvis

MOUSE AND THE TRAPS - Cryin' Inside / Ya Ya - Fraternity - 1967

It's been quite a while since I updated the blog properly. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've done much of anything properly. I don't think I would call it laziness exactly, but more like a lack of motivation, or maybe more accurately a general indifference to practically everything. Nothing feels good or right anymore and this summer is killing me. Those Gershwin brothers are full of shit; it's summertime and the livin' is certainly NOT easy. The livin' is actually kind of a drag, honestly.

Yea yea yea yea, shut up.

Here's a record I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. I had been previously acquainted with Mouse and the Traps though various psych comps, most frequently their song 'A Public Execution,' which never did much for me. I hadn't heard either of these songs before until I picked this up, and they're actually really good, especially the A-side. I guess what surprised me most is that they don't sound much like the other songs I've heard by them, which was always too blatantly Dylan influenced for me. Here they're sounding more garage-poppy and it suits them quite well.

The sad bastard in me really latched onto 'Cryin' Inside' pretty quickly. The title sums the song up pretty effectively and I don't think there's much to dissect about this. It's a really well written pop song with classy garage-ish production and lyrics about not letting some no-good-girl know that she got you down. They really covered their bases with this one.

It's surprising to me that this band didn't get a lot bigger. It's been suggested that they were possibly TOO diverse for their own good, which I guess makes sense in a very sad way. Apparently being too capable has it's downside. Oh well.

Cheers, ya jerks.

PsychedelicElvis

It's my birthday and it's terrible. Yeah!!!

THE ROLLING STONES - Street Fighting Man / No Expectations - London - 1968

There's not really a whole lot that I could say about the Stones that hasn't been said before in about a hundred different ways, so I'm not going to try too hard here. Here's the thing, I happen to love pre-70's Stones, and I also happen to think 'Street Fighting Man' is one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time.

The note-worthy thing about this single is that "Street Fighting Man' is a different mix than what I'm used to. The music is about the same, but Mick's vocals are noticably different, the mix is very dirty. You can see why they remixed it, but I think it sounds great. I can't tell for sure if it's a completely different vocal or just a peculiar mix, but it sounds really raw. Super cool.

'No Expectations' seems to be the standard mix, and it's a good song, just not a favorite Stones' song of mine.

Alright.

PsychedelicElvis

BOB DYLAN - Knockin' On Heaven's Door / Turkey Chase - Columbia - 1974

I've recently been placed, rather abruptly, into a situation that is forcing me (or encouraging me, depending on how you look at it) to examine my life, or life in general, with a different point of view. Some things that I may have viewed as certainties have been shaken up and now I'm re-assessing the whole thing. The Big Picture.

This process has inevitably led to a spike in the amount of sad-bastard music I listen to, and being the chronically morbid person that I am, I'm stearing clear of the sad songs that are merely about love lost. I'm jumping right into the heart of darkness; death songs.

While I can't deny the immediate appeal of pure despair and pain that some of these songs recall, there are a few that surpass that and end up being truly beautiful. 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' (strictly Dylan's own version) is one of these rare gems.

Inside the simplistic structure of this song is the story of a man who feels his time running out, and though there is nothing outwardly optimistic in the words that are sung, somehow his voice conveys a sense of acceptance. Paired with some of the most haunting and beautiful backing voices I've ever heard, this song kicks the shit out of me when I'm listening with the right ears.

Times like these, I'm all bruised up.

PsychedelicElvis