Showing posts with label 120 minutes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 120 minutes. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2007
AHOUSE - CALL ME BLUE
"not a high traffic level band -- BUT A DAMN GOOD ONE !!!"
What happens to originality when you need it most? The best part about being a band in this period is that you had real tenacity. There was very little pressure from record companies to create standard schlock. And the big reason for that was that nobody really know what these bands were really trying to communicate. There really was a magical time in music because of the lack of big label pressure to be categorized.
Seeing a video for this group AHOUSE is extremely rare. Finding this particular release requires another phenomenal feat. You can find some of these tracks on compilations but the complete releases are hard to come by.
Enjoy,
Cantu 2007
Monday, December 18, 2006
JAMES - SOULFULLY CHARGED
James is a popular alternative rock band from Manchester, England, formed in 1981. After an uphill struggle throughout the 1980s, they went on to become one of the most consistently successful acts of the 1990s, scoring a string of hit singles throughout the decade including "Sit Down" and "Laid". Following the departure of lead singer Tim Booth in 2001, the band has been inactive, although a split has never been officially confirmed.
Source Wikipedia.
These guys were also on 120 Minutes - A LOT in the early 90's. Yet when you go to search for them on www.CDUniverse.com nothing comes up -- you actually have to search for them by song title. And when you finally get there you will see something about.... 20TH Century Masters. Funny how in America you can be labled a 20th Century Master so quickly. I think I figured out the formula.
1. Be a sensation from some other country
2. Get one or two songs on American FM Radio
3. Get that same song included in a film
4. Disappear for 14 years.
5. Wait patiently and BOOM ...
6. Congratulations lad, you're a 20th Century Master.
I remember the clips in the early 90's heyday from the EP "Sit Down". In those clips I also remember seeing screaming fans and a myriad of lights. These were packed houses. The song, "Laid" from the same album also got a lot of airplay and made it into a few film soundtracks.
They may resurface again.
_---------------------------
Ted Cantu fascube 2006
Source Wikipedia.
These guys were also on 120 Minutes - A LOT in the early 90's. Yet when you go to search for them on www.CDUniverse.com nothing comes up -- you actually have to search for them by song title. And when you finally get there you will see something about.... 20TH Century Masters. Funny how in America you can be labled a 20th Century Master so quickly. I think I figured out the formula.
1. Be a sensation from some other country
2. Get one or two songs on American FM Radio
3. Get that same song included in a film
4. Disappear for 14 years.
5. Wait patiently and BOOM ...
6. Congratulations lad, you're a 20th Century Master.
I remember the clips in the early 90's heyday from the EP "Sit Down". In those clips I also remember seeing screaming fans and a myriad of lights. These were packed houses. The song, "Laid" from the same album also got a lot of airplay and made it into a few film soundtracks.
They may resurface again.
_---------------------------
Ted Cantu fascube 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - Essential Psychobabble
SPIN MAGAZINE really came down hard on these guys. When the Jesus and Mary Chain became big news they were slammed for being another noise band. They weren't taken very seriously. But the funny thing is that you can actually understand J and M lyrics and its not just feedback.
This band sort of vanished from view but their sound has left a legacy for new bands. Well..... not lately... but... they did briefly. The Pixies adored these guys as well they should. Black Francis even covered one of their tunes on the very last release, "Head On".
Compared to the grungey noise bands that came out later these guys were actually musical. Some death metal bands sound like they let a live bear in the studios and attack the microphone. BIG DIFFERENCE !!! Jesus and Mary Chain made a lot of noise too but they did it with a lot of precision and style.
Depeche Mode put a lot of mechanical sounds in their music too. It sounded like a lot of steam engines and metal shop experiements gone array. JMC followed the same path and this was done when it all seemed interesting.
This music had a lot of moxy. Hair bands were trying to stay afloat with, "Shes My Cherry Pie" but I don't think too many people were listening. Meanwhile, JMC were really pushing the boundaries in the areas of what was allowable. By doing so they were not only getting a lot of attention but opening the gate to a lot of new bands that had originality. Sire records helped make alternative music a real thing. Heavy Metal hair bands took serious body blows thanks to the JMC. Hair bands basically became extinct.
Another good thing about the JMC was that they were complete in every way.
They were unpretentious too in a way. They didn't have the strong ego stance of Echo and the Bunnymen. I feel that they were in many ways more approachable.
----------------------
cantu fascube 2006
This band sort of vanished from view but their sound has left a legacy for new bands. Well..... not lately... but... they did briefly. The Pixies adored these guys as well they should. Black Francis even covered one of their tunes on the very last release, "Head On".
Compared to the grungey noise bands that came out later these guys were actually musical. Some death metal bands sound like they let a live bear in the studios and attack the microphone. BIG DIFFERENCE !!! Jesus and Mary Chain made a lot of noise too but they did it with a lot of precision and style.
Depeche Mode put a lot of mechanical sounds in their music too. It sounded like a lot of steam engines and metal shop experiements gone array. JMC followed the same path and this was done when it all seemed interesting.
This music had a lot of moxy. Hair bands were trying to stay afloat with, "Shes My Cherry Pie" but I don't think too many people were listening. Meanwhile, JMC were really pushing the boundaries in the areas of what was allowable. By doing so they were not only getting a lot of attention but opening the gate to a lot of new bands that had originality. Sire records helped make alternative music a real thing. Heavy Metal hair bands took serious body blows thanks to the JMC. Hair bands basically became extinct.
Another good thing about the JMC was that they were complete in every way.
They were unpretentious too in a way. They didn't have the strong ego stance of Echo and the Bunnymen. I feel that they were in many ways more approachable.
----------------------
cantu fascube 2006
THE SMITHS - STRANGEWAYS HERE WE COME
ITS BEEN A LONG TIME......
When I first heard this it sort of floored me. Well, is that really it?
No. It tormented me and I tried vainly to get out of my mind. It was
really disturbing.
From the album, "Strangeways Here We Come". The title lost complete meaning in America. Strangeways is actually a mental hospital in East Manchester. The video retraces all the familiar steps of Morrissey and The Smiths from their inner sleeve graphics for, "The Queen is Dead". This video shows a bunch of kids who took on Stephen Morrisseys disillusioned persona.
The bike ride thing really sort of confused me when I first saw it. It took the sting out of the song.... somewhat. The streets are cold and barren. The shot of the girl pushing the carriage through the dirty alley and holding a bag of trash is sad and a little reminescent of the line, "... in the cold dark streets that trap them". A line from the song, "Ordinary Boys".
Sometimes in life.. or often, depending on your position in this world you come to the realization that people, (for what ever reason) will choose not to love you back. This thing will jar you from your sleep if you let it.
Course past a certain age this sort of attachment fades. Hormones are a strange thing. Director, Franc Roddam, (Quadrophenia) said that young people are strongly attached to certain people but after a certain age it slips. That is to say that it doesn't last -- at least not at that intensity. This song sort of captures that.
It's a very desperate song -- and album too for that matter. It would prove to be the Smiths last LP. The band was caught up in a rush of stardom and fame and lots of things started to overshadow the band, (Morrisseys popularity, Andy Rourkes Heroin addiction.... more possible tours etc.) New Music - or post punk was becoming the IN THING to a lot of kids at this time. Then the band broke up in a pub from an argument which stemmed from being served "mushy peas" of all things.
These songs stood up and stand out -- even today. I still find this album disturbing for another reason. It was the same locale where child killers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady lived and worked. Some of the victims were Morrisseys age and this left an impression on him for life.
Morrissey said he would never move from this area no matter how famous he got. These streets inspired him to write the songs. He was inspired by these very streets that we see in this video. To finally see them in full color, (and not the pea green overcast like in the Queen is Dead shots) are somewhat alarming.
Its so stark and barren.
-------------------------------
cantu fascube 2006
When I first heard this it sort of floored me. Well, is that really it?
No. It tormented me and I tried vainly to get out of my mind. It was
really disturbing.
From the album, "Strangeways Here We Come". The title lost complete meaning in America. Strangeways is actually a mental hospital in East Manchester. The video retraces all the familiar steps of Morrissey and The Smiths from their inner sleeve graphics for, "The Queen is Dead". This video shows a bunch of kids who took on Stephen Morrisseys disillusioned persona.
The bike ride thing really sort of confused me when I first saw it. It took the sting out of the song.... somewhat. The streets are cold and barren. The shot of the girl pushing the carriage through the dirty alley and holding a bag of trash is sad and a little reminescent of the line, "... in the cold dark streets that trap them". A line from the song, "Ordinary Boys".
Sometimes in life.. or often, depending on your position in this world you come to the realization that people, (for what ever reason) will choose not to love you back. This thing will jar you from your sleep if you let it.
Course past a certain age this sort of attachment fades. Hormones are a strange thing. Director, Franc Roddam, (Quadrophenia) said that young people are strongly attached to certain people but after a certain age it slips. That is to say that it doesn't last -- at least not at that intensity. This song sort of captures that.
It's a very desperate song -- and album too for that matter. It would prove to be the Smiths last LP. The band was caught up in a rush of stardom and fame and lots of things started to overshadow the band, (Morrisseys popularity, Andy Rourkes Heroin addiction.... more possible tours etc.) New Music - or post punk was becoming the IN THING to a lot of kids at this time. Then the band broke up in a pub from an argument which stemmed from being served "mushy peas" of all things.
These songs stood up and stand out -- even today. I still find this album disturbing for another reason. It was the same locale where child killers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady lived and worked. Some of the victims were Morrisseys age and this left an impression on him for life.
Morrissey said he would never move from this area no matter how famous he got. These streets inspired him to write the songs. He was inspired by these very streets that we see in this video. To finally see them in full color, (and not the pea green overcast like in the Queen is Dead shots) are somewhat alarming.
Its so stark and barren.
-------------------------------
cantu fascube 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
HUSKER DU - THE END OF SILENCE
Bob Mould made the solo look so easy in this video and the song has real fluidity. This was the last chance to see this band cook -- for this was their final Warner Bros. release. SONGS FROM THE WAREHOUSE.... was incredible, brief and the grand finale.
The other classic, "Candy APple Gray" takes on a different energy. Its not quite the same as SONGS. I liked the directions in this release and it translated well on stage, (I actually saw this tour as well).
Bob Moulds solo releases sounded completely different. Still strong but very introspective and a little dark at times. It was like looking through someones diary. It lacked the power punch that this time period created. This was a great way to end it.
=====================
T.Cantu - Fascube - 2006
The other classic, "Candy APple Gray" takes on a different energy. Its not quite the same as SONGS. I liked the directions in this release and it translated well on stage, (I actually saw this tour as well).
Bob Moulds solo releases sounded completely different. Still strong but very introspective and a little dark at times. It was like looking through someones diary. It lacked the power punch that this time period created. This was a great way to end it.
=====================
T.Cantu - Fascube - 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
THE PRIMITIVES - ANYONE REMEMBER?
Before you could even register it in your recent memory they were gone in a flash! The Primitives, (led by Tracy Tracy) were a poppy group coming out of the brilliant late 80's. The other bands that surrounded this brief but interesting period were Poi Dog Pondering, the Proclaimers and The Jack Rubies.
They had an interesting edge over the stuff that permeated the airwaves in the entire 1990's decade. These songs stood on their own. Each one was different and took some thought and imagination in putting them together.
The Primitives were featured in the movie Dumb and Dumber along with Echobelly. These songs were brilliant on their own but also helped lift up the film. They dissolved very quickly after this movie was released.
They had an interesting edge over the stuff that permeated the airwaves in the entire 1990's decade. These songs stood on their own. Each one was different and took some thought and imagination in putting them together.
The Primitives were featured in the movie Dumb and Dumber along with Echobelly. These songs were brilliant on their own but also helped lift up the film. They dissolved very quickly after this movie was released.
Monday, December 4, 2006
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