File Under Pop

I got a call from someone doing a phone survey. The question? What is your favorite triad radio station? Of course, I gave my vote to WQFS. I gave my second place vote to WUAG. Truth be told, I couldn't name a local commercial radio station if I had to. I don't listen to commercial radio. They did ask if I worked at a radio station, and I disclosed my conflict. However, the tele-surveyor seemed to think that work meant "get paid", so apparently I wasn't disqualified.

I'll be on again Wed., March 10 from 8-10 PM playing all British post-punk and then again Fri., March 12 from 10-12 PM doing a regular show.

1. Gaunt, "Spike", Anyway Records and Datapanik Records: I have sought to acquire all of the issues of Columbus, Ohio's Datapanik label. It was essentially a limited issue 7" punk label of the late 80's, early 90's, releasing predominantly Columbus area bands. The label was obviously influenced by Pere Ubu, what with the name (named after the Ubu ep Datapanik in the Year Zero) and the layout of the label which is an obvious homage to David Thomas' Hearthan Records. The most important bands to get their start on Datapanik are Gaunt and the New Bomb Turks (which happens to be the best punk show I've ever seen . . . Gaunt and the New Bomb Turks upstairs at the Hong Kong restaurant in Harvard Square at the height of their powers in 1992 or early 1993). I believe Anyway Records was run by Columbus' Used Kids Records. I recently acquired this 7" and the next one I played on tonight's show. I now have all the releases except Big Red Sun, New Bomb Turks/Gaunt split, v/a Cowtown Volume One. I should be there soon.
2. Girly Machine, "O.K.", Datapanik Records: From the Girly Machine/Pica Huss split 7".
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3. Rocket from the Tombs, "Muckraker", Smog Veil Records, 2004: From the record of new recordings of old Rocket tunes by the (non)reunion line-up.
4. Nervebreakers, "My Girlfriend Is a Rock", Wild Child Records, 1978.
5. Undertones, "Family Entertainment", Strange Fruit Records, 1986: From the Peel Sessions recorded January 1979.
6. Blondie, "X Offender", Private Stock Records, 1976.
7. Kind of Like Spitting, "We Are Both Writers", Barsuk Records, 200?.
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8. Antelope, "Crowns", Dischord Records, 2004 (new release).
9. Frances Gumm, "Mercy", Sweet Portable Junket Records, 1991.
10. Killing Joke, "The Wait", EG Records, 1980.
11. No Trend, "Reality Breakdown", self-released, 1984.
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12. Sorry, "Listen", Radiobeat Records, 1984.
13. Deerhoof, "Milk Man", Kill Rock Stars Records, 2004 (new release).
14. Mountain Goats, "Home Again Garden Grove", 4AD Records, 2004 (new release).
15. Cul De Sac, "Doldrums", Nuf Sed Records, 1992.
16. Numbers, "Disease", Tigerbeat6 Records, 2004 (new release).
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17. Demob, "No Room for You", Round Ear Records, 1981: Supremely anthemic OI.
18. Mission of Burma, "That's When I Reach For My Revolver", Ace of Hearts Records, 1981.
19. Stereo Total, "Lunatique", Kill Rock Stars Records, 2004 (new release): A reissue of material originally from 1997.
20. High Risk Group, "Flag", Harriet Records, 1989.
21. Electric Eels, "Refrigerator".
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22. Scissor Girls, "Atomic Boys/Love-Sick", TSG Records?, 1994.
23. TV on the Radio, "Bomb Yourself", Touch & Go Records, 2004 (new release): Playing Thurs. the 11th at Ace's Basement.
24. Stranglers, "Hanging Around", A&M Records, 1977.
25. The Casual Dots, "Mama's Gonna Make Us a Cake", Kill Rock Stars, 2004 (new release).
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26. Village Pistols, "Big Money", Nylon Records, 1981: Greensboro's first "punk" record (the Flies were earlier but not pure punk). I took this off Killed by Death #7. See this site for more on the Village Pistols, this site for more on first generation North Carolina punk in general, and this site for a discography of first generation Carolinas punk. If anybody could hook me up with a copy of this 7" (or the Flies or any of the other NC records), I would be eternally grateful (and would pay a fair price). I collect original punk from the places I have lived, so I need this record.
27. Fire Exit, "Time Wall": Scottish band.
28. The Jam, "In the City", Polydor Records, 1977: The Sex Pistols ripped off the riff from this song.
29. Pylon, "Driving School", Armageddon Records, 1980.
30. Olivia Tremor Control, "Memories of Jacqueline 1906", Flydaddy Records, 2004 (new release): Re-issue of the first record.
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31. Drunks with Guns, "Punched in the Head", Cheap Beer Records, 1985: From their first 7".
32. Cosmic Psychos, "Down on the Farm", Mr. Spaceman Records, 1985: Perfect sludge from these Australians.
33. Geza X, "Isotope Soap", Alternative Tentacles Records, 1982: From the "Let Them Eat Jellybeans!" comp.

The QFS webpage used to horrible. No information. No graphics. Never updated. Black and white. Now there is a shiny new page. There is a concert calendar, information about WQFS events, and the top thirty. There is an updated schedule that has a link to this page. Naman really did a great job with it. Now all we need is a live webfeed so that people everywhere (which really just means my mom) can listen.

I have gotten a number of great UK post punk/ art records (Fire Engines 12", Fatal Microbes 7", Crispy Ambulance 10", Swell Maps 7") recently. I am doing a spring break fill in show Wed. the 10th from 8-10 pm, so I have decided to make it all UK post punk/ art. Lots of big names, lots of obscurities. Get in your requests.

Spring Break starts next week, and there is a temporary schedule. The Record Hospital will be on the air:

Fri., March 5th from 10 pm to 12 am
Wed., March 10th from 8 pm to 10 pm
Fri., March 12th from 10 pm to 12 am

WQFS is back to regular schedule starting Mon. the 14th and for my show on Fri., March 19.

In his "Sound of the Industry" column, Douglas Wolk in the Village Voice recommends that we all take our $13.86 settlement that was mailed out this week for the CD price-fixing class action suit (everyone who registered online as having bought a CD in the past couple years was a class litigant) and go buy a used or budget-line CD (because a new CD would cost more than $13.86) from our favorite struggling record store, but he points out that it is too late to use the settlement at two New York indie stores (Holy Cow in Park Slope and Midnight Records in Chelsea) that have recently shut down. Alternately, if you no longer have an indie record store, you can buy a 50 pack of CDRs to burn DJ Danger Mouse's "Grey Album" (and I suppose 49 other records that you won't have to buy).

The problem is that even if you wanted to take your $13.86 (and supplement it with a buck or two of your own) and buy a legit copy of the Grey Album, you couldn't. In case you haven't heard, the Grey Album is a mix of Jay-Z's vocals from "The Black Album" over samples of the Beatles' "White Album" (officially "The Beatles"). Jay-Z released his album in a vocals only version as an invitation to mixing, but EMI will never consent to a use of Beatles material, and there is no right to use the material for sampling even with a fee.

Now, I have not heard the Grey Album, but with all the ballyhoo, I am curious. As I noted in a post a few days ago, I don't download. For one thing, I have dial-up, it would take forever. I would also like to think I have some respect for copyrights. Most importantly though, I like the album (or the single) with the art work. I relate to the physical object of the record as much as the music (that is the collector in me). I like to own the original punk 7" that was released in 500 copies. It is part of history. It is a connection to the music. I experience it the same way enthusiasts experienced it 25 years ago. That 7" was placed in the sleeve by the band, sold at a show, or sold at some hole-in-the-wall shop in London. Someone loved that record for a month, played it a few times for the rest of the year, and then grew-up and didn't care for punk. It went into storage for 20 years only to show up at a yard-sale or a used shop. Someone who knew what he was looking for found that little gem and placed it on ebay. I won it, and it flew all the way across an ocean only to spend a little time with me on my turntable.

Similarly, in part, I don't like CDs because they lack the physical connection of placing the stylus on the record. The CD goes in the black box, and who knows what is going on in there (well, I'm sure some engineers know, but that's not the point). You can't see tracks on a CD. With a CD you only have beginning, middle, end. With an LP, you have beginning, middle, minor ending, minor beginning, middle, end. It is much more dramatic. With a CD, the art work is 4.75 inches square. With an LP, the art work is 12.25 inches square. That is 6.7 times as much art. There is also something tragically sad but noble about the slow degradation of vinyl. You have a responsibility to care for the vinyl in order to keep it in good condition. But once again, I'm a Luddite, and my opinion on these matters should be ignored.

People who (illegally) download music that is readily available, instead of buying at their local indie store, are leading to the demise of said stores. However, that isn't true of Grey Album. Here, the record industry is leading to the demise of the indie store by keeping innovative music off the shelves and forcing people who want to consume it to become outlaws (many indie stores did good business in mixes until the record companies started raiding stores and confiscating their stock). What's more, once you are forced to become an outlaw just to hear what this Danger Mouse thing is about, it is probably all the more tempting to remain an outlaw for other releases. I imagine the first bank is the hardest one to knock off. Putting a needle in your vain has to be most difficult the first time you attempt it. In that, the industry isn't just destroying the indie stores (which they see as a nuisance), but they are taking away their bread and butter. I also find poignant Douglas' observation that the Beatles probably didn't seek permission for the samples they used on "Revolution 9."

I got my $13.86 the other day. I was excited because it is the only time I have received a legal settlement. I can't say I'm going to buy a record with it because I was going to buy the same number of records whether or not I got the settlement. But, hey, $13.86 is, well, $13.86, and who turns down $13.86, especially when it is coming from the music industry that won't let me hear the Grey Album?

1. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, "New England", Beserkley Records, 1976.
2. Young Marble Giants, "Ode to Booker T" and "Searching for Mr. Right", Z Block Records, 1979: From the "Is the War Over? A Cardiff Compilation". YMG's first appearance on vinyl. Rough Trade heard them on this comp and called them up. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. Television Personalities, "Arthur the Gardener", Rough Trade Records, 1981.
4. Homosexuals, "Hearts in Exile", ReR and Morphius Archives, 2004: Retrospective reissue.
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5. Olivia Tremor Control, "Jumping Fences", Flydaddy Records, 2004 (new release): Reissue of their first full length.
6. All Girl Summer Fun Band, "Jason Lee", K Records, 2003.
7. Girls, "Jeffrey I Hear You", Brasch Music, 1986: Off the retrospective lp, but it was originally a Hearthan 7". See this post for write up of this record.
8. Antelope, "The Flock", Dischord Records, 2004 (new release).
9. Helmet, "Born Annoying", Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1989.
10. Skewbald, "Grand Union", Dischord Records, 1991: Recorded between iterations of Minor Threat in 1981. Features Ian Mackaye and Jeff Nelson.
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11. Numbers, "Dance Attack", Tigerbeat6 Records, 2004 (new release).
12. Contortions, "My Infatuation", ZE Records, 1979: From the classic "Buy" lp.
13. All Astronauts, "Glassening", LookaliveRecs, 2004 (new release): Winston Salem band.
14. Tiny Desk Unit, "I Tried", 9.5 x 16 Records, 1980: DC No Wave band.
15. Twisted Nerve, "When I'm Alone", Playlist Records, 1982: Scottish punk band.
16. Spizzenergi, "Where's Captain Kirk?", Rough Trade Records, 1979.
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17. October Days, "West Coast", Clutch Records, 1981: Connecticut band.
18. Dead Kennedys, "Kill the Poor", Cherry Red Records, 1980.
19. Finks, "Hal Knieval", Self Release, 2004 (new release): Winston Salem band.
20. MC5, "Shaking Street", Roir, 1983.
21. The 13th Floor Elevators, "You're Gonna Miss Me", International Artists Records, 1966.
22. Warsaw, "Leaders of Men": Joy Division was called Warsaw before they changed their name. A London band called Warsaw Pakt quickly put out an album, so the Manchester band had to change its name. These are demos for a would be album recorded in May 1978.
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23. John Vanderslice, "Up Above the Sea", Barsuk Records, 2004 (new release).
24. God is My Co-Pilot, "Frauen U. Nichtfrauen", Dark Beloved Cloud Records, 1993.
25. Reptile Ranch, "Waterhole", Z Block Records, 1979: Another track from the "Is the War Over?" comp. Reptile Ranch were responsible for the label. The band featured Spike who later joined up with the Young Marble Giants' Alison Statton in the band Weekend.
26. C*nts, "Why Do You Live on My Block", Pravda Records, 1988: From a retrospective lp.
27. Groodies, "Count Your Dreams", Red Line Distribution, 2004 (new release).
28. The New Form, "On the Edge", Z Block Records, 1979: One last track from the "Is the War Over?" comp.
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For the last set I played the first six releases on Akron, Ohio's Clone Records in order.
29. Bizarros, "I Bizarro", Gorilla Records, 1976: This 7" was first released on Gorilla and then reissued on Clone 1.
30. Tin Huey, "Puppet Wipes" and "Cuyahoga Creeping Bent", Clone Records, 1977.
31. Bizarros, "Laser Boys", Clone Records, 1978.
32. Tin Huey, "Robert Takes the Road to Liebernawash", Clone Records, 1978.
33. Harvey Gold, "Armadillo", Clone Records, 1978.
34. Waitresses, "Slide" and "Clones", Clone Records, 1978.