This is the album that divides Alex Chilton fans. On the one hand, there are people who revere the Big Star albums as the ultimate revisionist take on British-Invasion and west-coast pop music. "#1 Record" and "Radio City" certainly derive from the Byrds, Beatles, Zombies, Who, Kinks, as well as from the Beach Boys and Moby Grape. And the Big Star albums are untouchable. On the other hand, there are fans who, in my opinion, get the bigger picture and see how "Like Flies on Sherbert" and other solo works by Chilton ("Bangkok," "Walking Dead," "Take Me Home and Make Me Like It") are the next step past mere reverence for the admittedly storied past.I'm of the opinion that "Sherbert" is one of the great albums of the late '70s, or indeed of any era. As a corrective to the mere reverence I referred to earlier, it's unbeatable; and of course it fits in with the so-called psychobilly of bands like the Cramps. Yet "Sherbert" is unique because it combines a lingering affection for the somewhat naive products of men like Ernest Tubb and Jimmy C. Newman with a desire to reveal the rather unpleasant or at least geographically and romantically fraught realities that lie beneath seemingly artless songs like A. P. Carter's version of an old Civil War song, "Lorena," that later became, through some alchemy, a song about slavery called both "Way Down in Alabama" and "No More the Moon Shines on Lorena."
Many, including the obviously challenged folk at AMG, simply dismiss this album. Goodness gracious, what delicate sensibilities one must have to be offended by the twanging guitars and sprattling synthesizers of "Sherbert." And merciful heavens, sometimes the singing is a bit out of tune, and on the brilliant cover of K. C. and the Sunshine Band's "Boogie Shoes," Chilton even starts singing a bit early, and he didn't correct the mistake. Of course, "Boogie Shoes" is such a sacred object, such a classic, that the desecration is unbearable.
There are a few other artists who, having recorded such sublime and well-crafted pop music, have chosen to bare their souls in such a manner while remaining essentially unknowable; and few who have been brave enough to take a romp through the pop-music past in a way that actually shows respect for it. What I think the detractors of "Sherbert" miss is that true respect is not always solemn.
This record was originally released in late 1979 on Sid Selvidge's Peabody label, in a limited editon of 500. Aura Records released it in a sonically inferior version, in 1980, leaving off Ross Johnson's "Baron of Love pt. II" and "No More the Moon Shines on Lorena," and replacing them with "Boogie Shoes." There have been various reissues since then. Reviewer: Roger Duprat "R. D." (Cleveland)
featuring:Alex Chilton, Lisa Aldridge, Lee Baker, Jim Dickinson, Ross Johnson, Mike Ladd, Jim Lancaster, Richard Rosebrough, Sid Selvidge, Titeling: Gustavo Falco
Produced by Lx & James Luther Dickinson
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1. Boogie shoes 2. My rival 3. Hey! Little child 4. Hook or crook 5. I've had it 6. Rock hard 7. Girl after girl 8. Waltz across Texas 9. Alligator man 10. Like Flies on Sherbert
The Del-Magnums hail from the frozen tundra of Northeastern Wisconsin. Formed in 1998 by four friends, the band quickly made it their mission to develop a unique style of surf Rock N Roll. They learned to harness their energy and perfect their performing in clubs across Wisconsin. The band soon found themselves opening for great pop acts such as The Figgs and The 45s.
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...Together, he and March have created a wonderful, modern interpretation of the French pop sounds of the '60s. In fact, other than in the case of some of Serge Gainsbourg productions and the odd Françoise Hardy single, they have topped the sounds that inspired them here. Burgalat uses standard rock instruments plus a wealth of strings and funky old analogue synths to create a variety of moods for March to work her magic on. They range from the outer space hip-hop of "La Nuit Est Là," hard-rocking garage sounds on "Somewhere up Above," and laid-back, soft rock on "Le Code Rural" to the funky grooves perfect for go-go dancing on "Triggers," spy music on "Coral Bracelet," which has a chorus that shines like the first day of spring, and the glittering "Zero Zero." Every track is like a production textbook dated 2003. Brilliant is the word that springs instantly to mind. People should be beating a path to his studio to beg him to work his magic on their music. Certainly March must be glad she did. Though at times she seems like a role player on her own album, upon repeated spins her charms become readily apparent. She uses her wisp of a voice perfectly whether during breathy spoken word bits or while melting hearts or belting out (in a demure way, of course) those tricky French lyrics. And her visual style is unerringly glamorous and spot-on in recreating the era. Everything about this album just works -- nearly perfectly. It is highly recommended that anyone who is a fan of '60s French pop or great pop made with imagination and style needs to get this record into their collection as quickly as possible. - AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra
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...If a label can be termed a one-hit wonder, then perhaps Apt Records is it. A subsidiary of the mighty ABC-Paramount, it was launched in 1958 to release pop singles and made the very top of the Billboard listings with one of its first four single releases. It continued to put out 45s (no albums) until it was shelved in 1966, but never duplicated that success. With tracks from The Elegants, Donnie La Near and The Fawns - Apt Records joins the long list of labels that briefly gave us some amazing music before their time was up. (Record Runner)
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A bit about her latest album from Micky Hampshire:
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Absolutely "killer" surf guitar tracks, all high energy up to date take the surf genre. The disc is instrumental works with just a few spoken word lyrics bits. Even if your not a fan of, or familiar with the surf sound, if you like ripping guitar you will be glad you bought this. A few years back my brother gave me an incomplete copy on a taped over low bias cassette tape (thanks Pete) and I very glad to now have a good quality original. - By james kenny
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...As such, the record has a pasted-together feel, largely due to the sheer number of collaborators March has worked with -- but at points, it's a lovely showcase for her re-creations of 1960s French pop and yè-yè music. Case in point: the track "Chick Habit," which adapts English lyrics from Serge Gainsbourg's "Laisser Tomber les Filles," originally sung by France Gall. March's more modern tracks are a hit or miss affair here -- those which later appeared on Chrominance Decoder are slick, unique and thoroughly worthwhile, but some of the earlier work collected on the album (and the closing track "Jesus and I Love You," from the Orgazmo soundtrack) seem like tacked-on throwaways. - AllMusic Review by Nitsuh Abebe
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Louisiana had a long heritage of making exciting and innovative music but rarely recorded in the first half of the 20th Century until Specialty and Imperial "discovered" New Orleans Rhythm & Blues; but the field was also open for a more rural based young artists ready to claim the rich seam of Country and Rockabilly. This volume on our regional Rock And Roll series is about those early Bayou State rockers.(El Toro)
"Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as sporadically attempting a solo career. The fact that he never quite broken through to stardom, except in his native England and parts of Europe, and in professional music circles, is more a result of bad timing and worse luck than any lack of talent or commitment on his part." - Allmusic
Excellent volume for surf music fans and collectors from the sundazed surf guitar legends series, lets hope for more volumes in 2008 , SHOCKWAVE- ZORBA AND THE GREEKS rare surf from northern california with intense reverb and keyboards, blast it loud! AVENGERS IV- HEARTBEAT, TIME BOMB, AVENGERS STOMP three rare and far out surf tunes filled with plenty of mind blowing reverb! MOON RACE- CITATIONS total awesome and rare tune and band from the mid-west with a space truckin rockin vibe complete with a high pitched ear piercing reverb that will leave you stoked! TRUANTS- two more rare surf tunes TRUANT- fantastic fast paced and menacing reverb and SUNSET SURF-moody reverb and way cool as if just sitting on your surfboard and waiting for the next wave , BEACHBOUND- CORNELLS very cool sax and drums in this one FALL OUT- STAGEMEN rare dry surf guitar sound with cool space sound affects of a rocket blasting off! HEARSE- AL CASEY, well know session guitar man wails out a very wicked reverb tune! CHIFLADO- THOM STARR AND THE GALAXIES - rare surf tune, nice sax and lounge surf tune perfect for relaxing by the surf or pool, tiki lamps or barbeque after the surfing is done calling it a day some other cool tunes and a very nice booklet with photos and info comes with the cd… surfs up! - BySurf Forever
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...There is little rock influence to be found on Chrominance Decoder, only go-go organs, twirling horns, rolling drums, faux-jazz piano, and hollow-knock percussion of the sort that one finds in France's reaction against rock & roll, ye-ye. Burgalat is a master of delightfully giddy cartoonishness, ultra-smooth, undoubtedly continental, and oh so Parisian. The music may not be substantively French, but songs such as "Charlatan" and the fabulous "Pas Pareil" can't help but bring to mind an aloof woman in sunglasses smoking a cigarette while walking down the Left Bank, or a cafe jazz quartet accompanying the lazy afternoon sunshine in Paris. "Sugar" does nothing short of swinging, swooping up the listener in its swirling palette of day-glo music, and "Mignonette" (and its virtual English rewrite, "No Parachute") can only be called adorable, while "Mon Petit Ami" is a wonderful, ceremonial march. The Dust Brothers remix a few cuts on Chrominance Decoder, and it is easy to see what might have attracted the duo to April March. Besides marvelous songs, there is plenty of room in the music for kitschy, smiling samples and rhythms. Indeed, the Brothers make "Nothing New" a sweet ballad the first time, then turn around and graft hip-hop beats (albeit muted hip-hop beats) and a buzzsaw guitar onto the song, completely changing its context in the remix. "Sugar" is altered much more substantially. Although the Brothers cannot alter the nature of the song's melody, they dispense almost entirely with Burgalat's delightfully woozy music, instead opting for sharper and less "cute" elements such as rock-steady (and double-tracked) drums, even inserting a break. These may not be dramatic revisions, but they are nice to hear and put a slightly different slant on the overall tone of the album. In general, there is a little bit of the giddy sweetness high of Kahimi Karie in April March -- a certain attractive tweeness -- but Chrominance Decoder is not simply empty calories. Blake can also affect a distanced, chanteuse quality reminiscent of Vanessa Daou, and that increases the listener's desire to get inside the music to figure out what April March is all about. She is certainly not as erudite as Edith Piaf, but you might say Blake sounds something like a teenage girl doing her best impression of the French legend, especially on "Mickey Et Chantal." That song is everything the definition implies: cute, refreshing, and slightly humorous, but fun, if somewhat less significant. Chrominance Decoder, at the very least, should put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step. - AllMusic Review by Stanton Swihart
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The initial line-up was Mike Levy (vocals, bass) and Matt Carges (guitar) adding English drummer Daniel Swan, formerly of The Cortinas by 1986. The band showed influences from the likes of The Zombies, The Left Banke and The Easybeats, all of whom had tracks covered by The Sneetches. They signed to the London-based Kaleidoscope Sound label, and debuted in 1987 with "Only For a Moment", followed by the mini-album Lights Out! With The Sneetches. They were then signed by Creation Records in the UK and Alias Records in the United States, who issued the band's debut full-length album, Sometimes That's All We Have, in 1989, described by Allmusic as "a masterful album highly recommended to all fans of the style". Levy switched to guitar with the recruitment of former Sting-Ray Alejandro "Alec" Palao in 1988. Slow followed on Alias in 1990, the band then moving on to the Bus Stop label for three singles between 1991 and 1993, later compiled on the Think Again compilation.
I do not know all the inside info on all those obscure bands that hit the surf in California in the (esp. early) 60s. But I do know a lot about other music, Classical, Jazz, 70s & 80s disco, or in other words, the sound of good stuff! This is! The Cowabunga 4 CD set to me seemed unbeatable. Until this issue by Sundazed records came out. What an absolute GREAT sound the surf music is! Guitars, slow or rough, the melody, it truly captures the unspeakable beauty and excitement of surfing in the Pacific! Loaded with info, the booklet is a wealth of information about all those bands you do not know the names of. Now you do, and you can check them out on individual albums if you want. Go for this set, all 4 of them! And check out the Rare Surf volumes 1-2-3 too! My favorite on this cd3 is Spanish Moon by Travellers, one of the best instrumentals so far, ever! Conclusion: 60s surf to me is the coolest, greatest sound around! - ByMartijn13Maart1970
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...A large number of musicians contribute, with guitarist-producer Andy Paley leading the group and a guest appearance by Jonathan Richman on "Le Temps de L'Amour." The set kicks off with the brilliant "Chick Habit," which sets France Gall's Serge Gainsbourg-penned hit "Laisse Tomber les Filles" (which shows up in its original French later on) to a "Peter Gunn" guitar line and a smart-alecky English translation that's actually not far removed from the original French lyrics. The other 13 songs mix ye-ye classics and Blake-penned originals in the style, and it says something for the album that it's impossible to tell the two apart. Brilliant stuff, and a highly recommended album for all lovers of '60s French pop. 
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...Yakima’s Wreckless caused a stir in Seattle after they became the Visible Targets, scored a New Wave and college-radio hit with “Life In The Twilight Zone,” and toured widely, opening for Simple Minds. Meanwhile, a Spokane power-pop band, Sweet Madness, also relocated to Seattle where they reemerged as Next Exit, playing the town’s clubs and cutting the fun and quirky gem, “Static Cling.” (from: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7490)
The Visible Targets:
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…In a year’s time, the Bottletones has musically turned some corners. The chemistry among the band members is more complete than it was in 1995. They have attacked Chicago and people are noticing, listening and rocking. People were surprised of the fact that we are from Carbondale, Ill., founding father Ace Bottletone said. They can think backwards all they want to, but we are here to kick your ass! We played a show in Chicago, lead singer Scratch Bottletone said. It was Wicker Park’s version of PK’s, and they had a pool table in the way. And we were trying to figure out what they were going to do with it. We ended up turning it over and using it as a drum riser. We can sell more beer than any band, Ace gloated. You gotta have somethin’ to be proud of other than the music. The Bottletones does more than just play good ol’ rock n’ roll. The band puts on an entertaining performance, a show. With a fast-paced melody, the band is pulling back to the roots of what they originally wanted to do make good rock n’ roll music. There’s a real big roots rockabilly scene in America and in Europe, stand-up bass player Thunk Bottletone, sporting a Schlitz belt buckle, said. There is a real psycho-rockabilly scene also; there is a more commercial edge to that psychobilly scene. The thing is, we just write a song and it comes out the way it comes out, drummer Speed Bottletone added. We don’t sit down and say, we’re going to write a psychobilly song.’ The Bottletones don’t try to play psychobilly. Sometimes they will play more traditional, some nights they might feel a little more hard-edged, and don’t be surprised if they throw in a little surf as well. When in the studio, we think we are playing for a certain thing, or we are trying to write a certain song, Crash Bottletone said. When we get out, we sound like psychobilly, whether we like it or not. We are working on a musicianship, Scratch explained. Our goal is a clean, crisp and cut sound. Rather than fuzzy, noisy and distorted, which a lot of people would consider psychobilly. The missing image to the Bottletones’ rockabilly sound may have been the purchase of an upright bass to complete the puzzle to this bands’ future. Before, I was playing my 20-year-old Rickenbocker left-handed fretless 4001, Thunk said. It was good while we were writing songs and stuff, and then last spring we decided to get an upright. Since we’ve gotten it, it’s been fabulous, Ace said. It’s exactly what we’ve wanted all along. An upright bass is like a loaded gun, Thunk said. If you’re going to use it, you better be prepared to use it correctly. It demands an awful lot of respect just being there and not being used at all. It took me about two months to where I was comfortable playing out with it. And now I’ve just gotten better at it since. Whether the members of The Bottletones are greasing their hair back, sporting Schlitz belt buckles and black leather jackets, or just playing an upright bass, it is a performance for the whole family to see. - By Gus Bode (Daily Egyptian)
The Bottletones:
I do not know all the inside info on all those obscure bands that hit the surf in California in the (esp. early) 60s. But I do know a lot about other music, Classical, Jazz, 70s & 80s disco, or in other words, the sound of good stuff! This is! The Cowabunga 4 CD set to me seemed unbeatable. Until this issue by Sundazed records came out. What an absolute GREAT sound the surf music is! Guitars, slow or rough, the melody, it truly captures the unspeakable beauty and excitement of surfing in the Pacific! Loaded with info, the booklet is a wealth of information about all those bands you do not know the names of. Now you do, and you can check them out on individual albums if you want. Go for this set, all 4 of them! And check out the Rare Surf volumes 1-2-3 too!
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…Paris in April followed in 1996, as did the formation of a new band, the Haves. Superbanyair was released in Japan in February 1997, April March Sings Along with the Makers arrived one month later, and May 1998 saw the release of April March and Los Cincos. Chrominance Decoder was issued in 1999 via the Dust Brothers' Ideal Records, with additional remixes by the brothers themselves. This album gave Blake her first significant record label push in America, and 2002's Triggers heightened her profile with a blend of classy production and lush, nostalgic French pop. April March reached new ears in 2007 with "Chick Habit," her reinterpretation of Serge Gainsbourg's "Laisse Tomber les Filles," which appeared in the Quentin Tarantino film Death Proof. The following year saw her teaming up with Steve Hanft for the creation of Magic Monsters. Her next move was to appear in two films (Slap the Gondola! in 2009 and Cet Air La in 2010) by French experimental filmmaker Marie Losier, and provide vocals on Laetitia Sadier's The Trip and Mehdi Zannad's Fugue. In 2013, a collaboration with French psych-prog group Aquaserge, titled April March and Aquaserge, was released on Freaksville Records. - Artist Biography by Stanton Swihart
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Though the title is a little vague, Running Wild is a unified collection of 30 hard-rocking, country-influenced (if not necessarily rockabilly) numbers dealing with guys who have one thing on their minds and the girls that helped put it there. Starting with Red Moore's electric version of "Crawdad Song," the sounds are pretty hot and heavy. The Country G-I's "Go Girl Go" is a pretty hot, raunchy number as well, with a leering mood and a loud guitar solo. Cliff Nash, who gets three songs on this one volume (maybe a Buffalo Bop first) looked like a greasy sub-Gene Vincent punk, to judge by his picture, and had a raw rock & roll sound, kind of like a white Ritchie Valens (think "Ooh My Head") that fails him only on "Cincinnati Rock," which comes off as amateurish. But "Jennie Lou" and "Tell Me Baby" are late '50s punk anthems. One or two of the acts represented tried a little too hard to sound like Elvis with the Jordanaires, with that smooth backup chorus, but most are closer in spirit to Johnnie Fuller on "No More-No More" with sheer reckless abandon on the guitar, vocals, and sax as he complains about life and revels in his own lust. Ronnie Ray manages to come off a little more like Johnny Cash than Elvis on "Mean Mama Blues," and it makes a difference in his effectiveness: he's quieter and more convincing. Sid Starr's "Bandera Twist" is one of the cooler twist numbers, all guitar-based and pretty hard-textured despite the dance beat it tries for. Johnny Harris' "Tired of Crawling, Start to Run" puts and acoustic guitar in front of a rock-hard bass and drum rhythm section, all pounding out a Bo Diddley beat in this predecessor to "Take this Job and Shove It," all pretty impressive for its time and for Harris' attitude. The sound is surprisingly good for virtually all of this volume, which never lets up in its pace or its passions. (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
Real Rockin' (or Reallll Rrrrockin', as the title appears on the cover), is billed as a collection of "original early rockers," but is actually quite varied in its presentation of independent and private label singles from the late '50s and '60s. The program veers between the instrumental rock & roll of the Pastels and the Legends, the piano boogie of Earl Craig & the Downbeats, the rockabilly of Bill Swing, and the Bill Haley-style rock of Rand Parker & the Strollers. Phil Gray is an Elvis Presley sound-alike, and Judy Layne turns in a rock version of Irving Berlin's "Always." Uncle Alvis' 1968 single (an outlier, chronologically speaking) is straight country. The recordings are mastered from vinyl, and the booklet provides no information beyond a few photos and label shots. Real Rockin' differs from Buffalo Bop in its presentation because it provides both the A- and B-sides of many singles and multiple songs by single artists, which is not usually the case with Buffalo Bop titles. Most of these original singles are difficult, if not impossible, to find, so Real Rockin' provides a service for oldies rock & roll collectors. (Greg Adams, Allmusic)
The first time I witnessed the terrifying spectacle that is Deadbolt was in Las Vegas. They we're obviously tore up from the floor up, and being a drunk degenerate I was impressed with their ability to stand upright after a night of the kind of debauchery our city delivers 24/7. At one point Harley Davidson walked off stage mid-song to buy a drink, and comes back, drunk, and picks up just where he should be. The album, like any album, has hits and misses, but more hits. The title song is worth the album price alone, a shockabilly horror story of pawn shops and seedy bars. - amazon
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Sundazed has made a name for itself by specializing in re-releasing vintage 45s from the 1960s, and they've really struck gold with the "Lost Legends of Surf Guitar" collection. All three volumes are simply brilliant, and will leave you salivating for more. Unfortunately, some of the artists on this collection are so rare that this is pretty much all you can find!
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...Blake's interest in France took root in nursery school, where she began learning French from a puppet named Monsieur Hibou (translated: "Mr. Owl"). Her Francophilia increased in 1979, when she briefly attended junior high in France as an exchange student. She graduated from Phillip Academy Andover in 1983, after which she moved back to New York City to become a cartoon animator at Archie Comics. She graduated to the animation department on Pee Wee's Playhouse in 1984, and even animated Madonna for the "Who's That Girl" video.
Chick Habit
...Endless Sleep stands out for having the largest number of Reynolds' early Demon recordings, which include his two hits, "Endless Sleep" and "Fire of Love," as well as the rockabilly favorites "Beulah Lee" and "Daisy Mae." Both sides of an instrumental rock & roll single Reynolds recorded with the Storms are here, as well as 14 demos and unreleased recordings in a variety of styles from doo wop to barroom country-rock, some of which sound like they were recorded long after the surrounding tracks. Reynolds is an inductee of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, but only a handful of his recordings really qualify as rockabilly; most are rough-hewn teen ballads and mild rockers. "Endless Sleep" is often categorized as a teen tragedy song even though no one actually dies in it, and this collection features another of Reynolds' songs in that vein, "Don't Jump," the title of which is self-explanatory. "The Whipping Post," too, tells the tale of an averted crisis, so Reynolds might have become a specialist in songs of near-tragedy had any of these cuts produced hits in the wake of "Endless Sleep." (Greg Adams, Allmusic)
...Includes Teddy Reynolds, Johnny Stewart, Jimmy Fox, The Vibrators (two fine rocking instrumentals with hot guitar), Jimmy Trotter (tough vocal and exciting guitar work), Terri Lee (superb female vocalist), The Stacattos, The Bees (fine down home blues with excellent harp), Jimmy Anthony & The Jap Curry Blazers (really!), Roosevelt Grier (football star proves to be a fine blues singer on his version of the Lil Green classic Why Don't You Do Right), Little Boyd & the Blues Bees (more down home harmonica blues), The Classics, Bob Mosley (great piano boogie), The Penguins and more. Excellent sound and four page booklet with label shots. (Frank Scott, Roots & Rhythm)
Gerry Mohr (Miracle Workers) joins former members of Sprinkler and Dharma Bums for a spastic, explosive jolt of never-say-die garage rock. It is Sprinkler guitarist Chris Slusarenko that dishes out the freak-out fuzz guitar in this lineup. The Dharma Bums rhythm section of Jim Talstra (drums) and John Moen come along. Like the Miracle Workers, the Cavemanish Boys become so frenzied in their rawk as to border on punk ("Come on Baby"). ~ Tom Schulte, Rovi
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