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

GEORGE EDWARDS - Norwegian Wood / Never Mind, I'm Freezing - Dunwich - 1966

Once again, here's a record I picked up for totally superficial reasons. During one of my thrift store rummages I found a record on the Dunwich label with a song titled 'Never Mind, I'm Freezing' by some guy I'd never heard of before. Seeing that the flip side was another cover of 'Norwegian Wood' didn't exactly inspire confidence, but the record was a buck, making it worth checking out something else from the Dunwich label with a cool song title.

Here's the problem though: My first experience with Dunwich was the Shadows of Knight 'Gloria / Dark Side' 45, so without fully realizing it, I put this record on expecting something similar, some garage-y filth, or at least something mean. So... I played the record, catagorized it almost immediately as sappy folk, and didn't even bother listening to what was surely a shitty version of a Beatles song. I took the record off and shoved it into a box where it sat for quite some time.

Then a few months ago, for whatever reason, I decided to pull this single out and give it another shot. What a difference a change of perspective makes. I actually started wondering what the hell was up my ass when I first listened and met this record with such disdain. Never Mind... certainly isn't as nasty as the title may suggest, but it's still a pretty good song, negative but charming, in the folky, light-psych vein. After a few more listens it grew on me a bit more, now I actually dig the song.

I was impressed enough to try out the other side (actually it's A-side) and see if this guy could come close to pulling off a Lennon tune. Well, it's not great, but much better than I had expected. He does the song justice and there's a pretty cool sounding harpsichord part. Not a total failure, as I had expected.

With just a touch of research I learned that George actually sang backups on the Shadows of Knight recording 'Oh Yeah' which was recorded directly after the Never Mind single was finished. After his very brief solo career he started H.P. Lovecraft and had a bit more success with that.

It's not worth going crazy to try to find, but I'd suggest picking it up if you ever happen to come across this little slab.

PsychedelicElvis

(Side Note: Actual picture is coming soon-ish (my copy of the record isn't pictured.). Sadly, I have very limited access to my records & the internet right now, as I technically don't live anywhere in particular, so the blog may be neglected until I have my shit re-situated. It won't be abandoned though.)

THE MIGHTY HANNIBAL - Hymn No. 5 / Fishin' Pole - Josie - 1966


Woo child, I got fuzz in my brains this morning. Went out last night to meet Benoit at some shitty magazine's launch party, hurdled the spazz with the guestlist and drank as much free Belvedere as possible until the place was dry. Now I have the luxury of being hungover at work, sitting next to the goon with a chain wallet who picks his nose and chokes up phlegm all day, staring at a very unforgiving computer screen, pondering the cruel necessity of a 40-hour work week.

To the issue at hand; I've been sitting on this review for over a week now, rewriting it, consistently unhappy with it. But ya know what? I'm hungover now and I don't care anymore. Sorry, Hannibal. Here's all I got, quickly:

Hymn No. 5 is certainly one of the best anti-war songs ever recorded, Fishin' Pole is a good B-side, and Hannibal is grossly under-rated. I didn't even know the man existed until I saw him in the Norton Records catalog. Oh, and he did a lot of junk.

Fin.