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Vengeful Beats

The Bad Beats - His Vengeful Hand (2016)

The legacy of Canadian Fuzz is in good hands -- The Bad Beats debut album proves it. The lessons from their Canuck grandfathers -- The Painted Ship, Les Lutins, The Haunted, and so many more 1960s legends from the Great White North -- have been consumed, digested and spit out with a new ferocity that dispels for once and for all the social myth that Canadians are polite people.

No, these Bad Beats are nasty people, with nasty sounds -- born quite literally in their garage -- where car fumes, cold beer, a fuzz box and a beat up Farfisa organ have pushed them to blast out the album you hold in your hands right now.

"Knock Yourself Out" is a perfect theme to start the mayhem, equal parts spittle and beer-fueled party fun. "His Vengeful Hand" has a cool voodoo vibe, and "She Don't Talk To Me" will have you bopping all the way to the keg and then back to the dance floor. The BBs also pay homage to the classics, with the Miracle Workers' "Love Has No Time" given a reverent treatment worthy of garage royalty.

Yes, Canadian Fuzz is in good hands. The Bad Beats are here. - Timothy Gassen / liner notes

01. Knock Yourself Out
02. Send Me A Postcard
03. Puttin' It Down
04. His Vengeful Hand
05. She Don't Talk To Me
06. Watch Outside
07. It Breaks Me Down
08. Hipsville 29 B.C.
09. Jackies Place
10. Love Has No Time
11. Done Me Wrong
12. Up At Night

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turned already FIVE ?

Yeah!!!! BURNING FLAMES turned FIVE years old today and we celebrate with a mega, mega post. 
Lots of treats for all. C'mon and join the party!

 !!! HAPPY  BIRTHDAY BURNIN'  FLAMES !!!

THE MOFFS - The Moffs (1985) vinyl

Influenced by bands like Pink Floyd (Piper at the Gates of Dawn in particular), King Crimson, early Yardbirds, the Byrds, the Beatles and various blues & psychedelic bands and artists from the '60's, the Moffs, a Sydney band, were around from 1983 to 1989 and they released a whole lot of vinyl on the Citadel label. Their shows were wonderfully laid back - you could easily sit on the floor with your eyes closed and just groove along to their music, or you could take a whole lot of illicit substances and REALLY get into it. They were surreal, atmospheric and groovy; think of jangly guitars, bass guitar octave runs, Farfisa organs and the occasional bells and chimes.

THE UNTOLD FABLES - Every Mother's Nightmare (1985) vinyl

The Untold Fables were Paul Carey on voice, Jon Niederbrach on guitar, Robert Butler (later of The Miracle Workers) on bass and Paul Sakry on drums. Although The Fables were mainly associated with the mid-’80s L.A. psychedelic/garage revival scene that grew out of a club called the Rave Up and later moved to Greg Shaw’s Cavern Club, their music also included strong influences from ’70s punk and ’50s rhythm & blues. In the spring of 1985 they recorded their first LP, Every Mother’s Nightmare, for Lee Joseph’s Dionysus Records at West Beach Studios in Los Angeles. Lee Joseph produced it with a lot of input from Robert Butler and sound engineering by Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion).

THE MAGNOLIAS - Dime Store Dream (1989)

Of all the records that have been recorded at Paisley Park, this one has got to be the most raucous, the most fun, and the most rock & roll. The Magnolias really hit their stride with Dime Store Dream, perfecting their blend of power pop/punk and straight-up street stories with the keyed-up energy of their spirited performances. Yes, many bands have come before and many will follow (probably unknowingly) in their footsteps, but the Magnolias played from their hearts, and left an endearing, singular mark in doing so.

THE PETALS - Cadis Center (1994) vinyl

This is yet another psych-pop masterpiece! The songs vary from delicate folky tracks (such as Silver) to music with a strong rock influence (such as Old Blue Dress and Tim's Song) as well as a whole host of more poppy tracks, such as Project Magnet, a supremely catchy song about flying saucers, which comes complete with UFO sound effects, and which makes me grin from ear to ear whenever I listen to it! I've had this song on the brain so much lately! Once again, there's not a duff track to be heard on this album. I've come to the conclusion this band can do no wrong! by Kim Harten @ Bliss Aquamarine

AUTOMATIC-Transmitter (1996)

 

Depending on who you talk to, Australian rockers are stereotyped as either AC/DC-ish headbangers or quirky new wavers a la Men At Work. But neither stereotype fits Automatic, a hard-driving alternative rock unit that was formed in Ocean Grove, Australia (two hours west of Melbourne) in 1994. Produced by Nick Launay (who had worked with everyone from the Posies to Midnight Oil to INXS), Transmitter is a riveting disc that's far from predictable. Whether tearing into catchy, punky power-pop grooves on "Five," "Fade Away" and "Slipstream" or being more abstract on "Does She Kiss Like You, ""Blown" and "Aeon Flux," Automatic is gutsy and risk-taking. Launay clearly did right by the promising band. 

MATT PIUCCI - Hellenes (2000)

Matt Piucci was one of the guitarist/singers in the Rain Parade, the Los Angeles band that was identified with the underground psychedelic revival of the early 1980s and which also gave birth to Mazzy Star. He's also an occasional member of Neil Young's Crazy Horse. On HELLENES, all these sounds and more come together under Piucci's guidance.

VA - The Spooky Records Bootlegs - Volume One (2002)

The most important thing to remember is that what's on this disc is something rare and extremely unique in this day and age. These bands actually give a fuck about rock n roll. A collection of prime cuts, some from live gigs, some from upcoming albums, rare 7" singles, some too good to simply be left in the can and others scraped right from the bottom of hell. Features Spencer P Jones w/ Mudhoney, Dallas Crane, the Drones, SixFtHick, Hugo Race and the True Spirit, Minced Meat w/ the Panther Burns, the Double Agents, Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side and more.

GIANT ROBOTS - Too Young To Know Better. Too Hard To Care! (2006)

From the French Part of Switzerland comes this ye ye Garage Beat fuzz farfisa Groupe ... They sing in English and French and turn every Dancefloor into a beat-club !!!
The organ player drips with sexuality, the bass player’s mini dress leaves just enough to the imagination, and, apparently, there are a couple of guys in the band that I must’ve overlooked in the album artwork. The Giant Robots are a good-lookin’ foursome from Lausanne, Switzerland with the musical chops to make you forget…okay, you’re not going to forget how pretty they are, but they’re not getting by on looks alone. Too Young to Know Better… will make you think you’ve time warped back to Paris, circa 1966, and are attending an all-night, garage-pop party. The songs on the CD are conveniently labeled with a title and the style in which they are played. Track one, for instance, is called “Come on Back” and is played in the style of “garage jerk.” I don’t know what “feudecamp hip” is, but “Share My Love with You” is one of the standout tracks. The perfect soundtrack to your next ‘60s dance party.

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - I'm In Your Mind Fuzz (2014)

 This Australian beast of a band with a bear of a name and a thick herd of band members delivers many things to us on this warped song cycle - a skeleton of propulsive kraut-beat fleshed out with a liberal dose of citric sweetness, flutes and harmonicas bleeding through the mix often and welcomingly, tons of wah and a hero’s journey/Heavy Metal early 80’s fantasy sort of vibe, and many lovely left turns into psychedelic mellowing, both groovily and sometimes with just a dash of DMT dread. The whole thing is just gooey with tape manipulations, phase shifts, and saturations, but there are clearly many tasty tidbits that bubble to the top, and they’re sticky.

DESTINATION LONELY - No One Can Save Me (2015)

 A dirty full-length from a drugged out garage-punk'n'roll trio from Toulouse and Bordeaux in France. Imagine a mixture of early Motörhead, the Stooges and Hawkwind, sent on a bad LSD trip to Rockabillyville. The members previously spent time with legendary bands such as Blew Up, The Fatals, Space Beatnicks, Jerry Spider Gang, Beach Bitches, and Kung Fu Escelators.

Heart Attack Alley - Living In Hell (2012)

Heart Attack Alley from Auckland New Zealand originated in 2009 in a series of blues jam sessions on Kristal G's front porch. Kristal provided the guitar, and was joined by Dr. Karl Steven ( yes he's a Doctor and yes he did Play for Sweden's Crossover Rap Band: Supergroove) on harmonica and stompbox, and Caoimhe Macfehin on vocals. United by a appreciation for dirty, grinding music, Super Simple Spooky and Mysterious Guitar Riffs only Poison Ivy ( the punk answer to Angus Young) of the Cramps where able to do and a Harp by Dr Karl Stevens a Voodoo Harmonica how he calls it as sharp as Little Walter's back in the Days when that Instrument was a Dangerous Sex Pistol against Squarism and Authority and then : CAOIMHE's Vocals a Hot Lava River Of Feelings and words as sharp as a Butchers knife both Ultra Powerful in Lyrics and Melodies all 3 Together a Unbeatable Combo They have played at all kinds of bars, ballrooms and front parlours around New Zealand, supporting powerhouses like the Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson, Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis and playing alongside Voodoo Rhythm larrikins Delaney Davidson and Reverend Beat-man . they did their 1st European Tour in 2011 where they went to Matt Brodin's Outside Inside Studio in italy to Record that Album for you, HAA sound like the demon child of Polly Harvey and Screamin Jay Hawkins - the hottest ticket in town" (Volume Magazine) (source)

1. Too Hot Blues
2. Cryin
3. My Beating Heart
4. Touble
5. New Instrumental
6. living in hell
7. Slave to your Mojo
8. Spit It Out
9. I am Touble
10. Aint It Funny
11. Don't Waste My Time
12. Where You Been
13. Dream Walk

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Various - Just A Taste : a summershine records compilation (1995)

There was just so much great pop in the early-to-mid 90's that sometimes it's easy to forget all the names, to get lost in the back catalogs of the Sarahs and Creations and overlook the lesser-known labels that also made it happen. Australia's Summershine was one of those labels, lovingly run by Jason Reynolds and dedicated to releasing classic pop records. They succeeded admirably, putting out single after single of amazing pop and making it look so easy. And he's still at it, with groups like Birdie and The Steinbecks.

The 18 songs on this lovely compilation are drawn from the first 30 or so Summershine releases, and include loads of rarities and unreleased cuts. Almost all the tracks are unavailable elsewhere on CD, making this disc an essential introduction to the varied pleasures of this fine label. It's hard to know where to start: the three Sugargliders songs are rare-as-hen's-teeth and of course brilliant. The Orchids-ish folk-pop of The Rainyard and Tender Engines still sounds great today, up there with all our favorite Sarah releases. The shoegaze drone of Jupiter is pure bliss, and the Ride-style loud-pop of Afterglow and Blindside makes a splendid racket. Autohaze and The Earthmen rock out, too, adding a dose of Dinosaur flavor.

It's a great mix of sounds, and a perfect snapshot of the state of mid-90's pop. (source)

Respected U.S. indie Slumberland releases this 18-song overview of Summershine, which could be loosly described as Australia's answer to Sarah or K, only better than either, with a host of tasty 7"s. These nine bands tend to the winsome, fresh-faced side, but with a competence and confidence rarely shown by their U.S./U.K. counterparts. Tender Engines and Earthmen are enormously entertaining. Will the world listen? Also here: Sugargliders, Autohaze, Blindside, Rainyard, Jupiter, Ripe, and Afterglow. - Jack Rabid, All Music Guide

1. The Sugargliders - Give Me Some Confidence
2. Tender Engines - Girl From The Hinterland
3. Autohaze - Hanging Around
4. The Earthmen - Stacey's Cupboard
5. Blindside - To Be Found
6. Tender Engines - A Legend Never Fails
7. The Rainyard - Hell Bent Suicidal Over You Baby
8. The Sugargliders - Police Me
9. Blindside - Ether
10. Jupiter - Lost
11. Autohaze - Undecided
12. Tender Engines - Pop Song I
13. The Rainyard - 1,000 Years
14. Ripe - We're All Trying To Get There
16. Jupiter - Leave The Ground
17. Afterglow - Fall Behind
18. The Earthmen - Too Far Down

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Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side ‎- The Sober Light Of Day (2005)

     Into the half light and smokey haze of a darkened and wet street emerges a gaunt and disturbed figure. He's all crumpled lounge suit, glaring red eyes and disheveled hair. He carries a broken gin bottle in his hand. There's a smell of what might be cheap whiskey on his breath and maybe a substance-affected sway in his step. His sweat is profuse and foul smelling. No real way of telling what reduced him to this state, but there's no mistaking the murderous intent as he stumbles up, waves the jagged glass in your face. There's a chill down your spine as it stops a centimetre short of your face. He asks: "Have you heard my album on Triple Jay?"

Welcome to the world of Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side...

     Gentle Ben is aka Ben Corbett, one half of the singing brotherly frontline of Brisbane's revved up, testosterone-a-billy Six Ft Hick. The Hick are right in your face, a flat-out and fucked up death machine on the road to who knows where. When Brother Ben yields to His Sensitive Side, on the other hand, the destination board on the front of the bus clearly reads Hell. He's just taking a different and less obvious route.
     These songs are alternatively reflective ("Filling in the Ditch"), dark and dispossessed ("Song of Drowning Man"), melodramatic ("Help Me Make It Down the Street" and the ripper single, "The Dogs of Valparaiso") and just overflowing with utterly black humour. Musically, it's mid-tempo rock and roll laced with a Latin feel and swampy, spaghetti western tinges.

It's a fair bet Spencer P. Jones might dip his stetson to their cover of his "Execution Day".

     This is a band tempered by a previous album ("The Beginning of the End") and lots of live work. They're all great players. But let's give it up, folks, for guitarist Dylan McCormick (also of The Polaroids) who understates his hand in the right places and adds the essential light and shade. And of course you have Gentle Ben who makes the most of the spaces his band delivers and delivers a stellar vocal performance.
     A Great Moment in Lyrics: "Grab a pick and shovel and meet me at dawn/Tell that real estate agent to get off that lawn" (from "Filling in the Ditch"). There are plenty others if you're willing to take time to dig.
    The most interesting music is by bands that ignore expectations and defy pigeonholing. That's what Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side do, switchblade in one hand and six-string in the other. More power to them. One of the most intriguing Aussie albums of 2005. - The Barman

01. The Song Of Drowning Men
02. The First Song Of The Last Day Of The Rest Of Your Life
03. Help Me Make It Down The Street
04. The Dogs Of Valparaiso
05. Filling In The Ditch
06. Punishment
07. Carpark
08. Execution Day
09. The Shimmering Hand
10. Summertime
11. Plaza De Armas

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Fuck Knights - The Recorded By Gary Burger From The Monks EP (2010)

This EP is 4 super fun songs of soulful garage punk, and that’s what rock and roll is all about! Gary Burger did a great job recording and mixing the tracks. This EP is far less psychedelic than their previous release, a cdr 7” called Abrasions, which is also worth checking out. This raw and energetic EP doesn’t let up until the short slow parts on the the last track “Don’t Exist”. Overall a great listen! (Bob Scott)

1. Baby Get Lost
2. F.M. Eyes
3. Poor Boy Do
4. Don't Exist

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Phantom Limbs - Not In So Many Words (2000)

Not to be confused with the later California death rock band of the same name, the Phantom Limbs were an indie-label rock combo from Tucson, AZ, influenced primarily by Bob Dylan and the Violent Femmes, plus touches of new wave and pre-British Invasion rock & roll. Formed in 1982, the Limbs' initial lineup featured guitarist/lead vocalist Jefferson Keenan (whose distinctively high, nasal warble was an important part of the group's signature), bassist Jim Parks, and drummer Andrea Curtis. They moved to San Francisco for a short time to test out the club scene, then returned to Tucson, where Curtis was replaced by Howie Salmon. On their second trip to San Francisco, the Limbs recorded their debut album, Romance, released on the Modern Masters label in 1983. It received generally good reviews, and the song "Suicide" got a bit of airplay on college radio. During the mid-'80s, Salmon's place at live concerts was often taken by Cheryl Graham, but he returned to the studio with the rest of the band for their second album, 1986's Train of Thought (released by CD Presents and also recorded in San Francisco). In support of the album, the Phantom Limbs undertook their first official tour, gigging through California, Texas, the East Coast, and even Canada. For the tour, they recruited second guitarist Gene Ruley and drummer Peter Catalanotte, both from fellow Tucson band the River Roses. Afterwards, the Limbs took a hiatus from recording, mostly playing locally with their four-piece touring lineup. A new album, Not in So Many Words, was recorded over 1994 to 1996; after it was completed, Catalanotte retired from the band, returning to play their farewell gig in 1998. Not in So Many Words remained in the can for a few years before finally finding release on San Jacinto in 2000. (source)

01. Letters
02. Burden Of Proof
03. Tailspin
04. Flashflood
05. Not In So Many Words
06. Hector
07. I Forget
08. Airstream
09. Two Days
10. Beautiful
11. My Six Friends

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New links

 Dream Syndicate - Syndicated Dreams - Vol.6 (1986)

Giant Sand - The Love Songs (1988)

House Of Freaks - Monkey On A Chain Gang (1988)

Spencer P. Jones - Fait Accompli (2003)

 Two Saints - In Nomine Solis (1989) new rip

Dramarama - Live At The China Club (1990)

Recorded as something of a stopgap between albums, Live is just that, a great six-song document of the band in its 1990 incarnation, touching briefly on all its previous albums with fire and panache. Perhaps inevitably, "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)" leads off the disc, and while it's a brilliant performance of a brilliant song, it's not the sole reason to pay attention (indeed, the even quicker rush of the live take may signal a desire on the band to get it over with). Another highlight of the first album, "Some Crazy Dame," barrels out nonstop from the speakers, sly cool and high-speed power intact, while the sly, Stooges quoting Box Office Bomb cut "Spare Change" gets a well-deserved rampage. Meanwhile, more recent history is touched on with a commanding rave-up and burn-down-the-house rip on "Last Cigarette," as well as another Stuck in Wonderamaland number, "Would You Like," its slow, reflective pace the one moment of breath in the otherwise nonstop rush of the EP. The one rarity is a fun, kicking version of "Private World," the New York Dolls classic, whose studio version didn't surface on a Dramarama release until the reissue of Box Office Bomb some years later. Easdale's vocal abilities really shine here, his just raspy enough but never burnt out singing taking deserved charge. Meanwhile, the Mr. E Boy/Wood guitar team blasts along loud and proud, one of the most underrated combinations since Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander of Cheap Trick first plugged in and fired up. Original drummer Jesse takes what turned out to be his final bow with the band here, style and power intact and still working hand in glove with bassist Carter. A full album would have been fantastic, but in its absence this is a more than fine substitute. (source)

1. Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)
2. Last Cigarette
3. Some Crazy Dame
4. Spare Change
5. Private World
6. Would You Like

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