Havana in Hi-Fi

Richard Hayman and his Orchestra - "Havana in Hi-Fi" (1957) - Mercury Records

Hello Friends,

This record was a great thrift store find and we're enjoying the hell out of it while we suck down some mojitos and wait for the summer sun to set.

We were first introduced to bespectacled bandleader Richard Hayman on his record, Voodoo (1959).  (Review here.)  This LP, like that one, has a very soundtracky quality to it.  The heavily orchestrated arrangements are at times classical, at times jazzy, with hints of exotica and a healthy dose of spaghetti western.  (As Tiki T. points out the opening number, "Rhapsodero" would not sound out of place in a Quentin Tarantino movie!)     

The liner notes on the back of the record describe in great detail the recording process and instruments used!  In the 50's, the term "High Fidelity" was used by record labels to help market their products by promising a fuller, more authentic sound.  (Eventually, the term "Hi Fi" became pretty generic and was mostly used to replace "phonograph" or "record player.")  So if you care you can read about the "authentic"-sounding oboe on "Caminito", what kind of RCA microphones were used on the violas, or how the track "Love and the World Loves With You" is a real "treat for tweeter fans", you can! 

Plus, we love the cover!  We're always suckers for a bongos and a brunette with nice gams!

RATING: 4 Tropical Merengues out of 5

Prog Rock Saturday: Starless and Bible Black

King Crimson - "Starless and Bible Black" (1974) - Atlantic Records

Hello Friends,

We're going back to the court of the crimson king tonight on Vinyl in the Valley with King Crimson's 1974 LP, Starless and Bible Black.  It's their sixth LP and features Robert Fripp (guitar & mellotron), John Wetton (bass & vocals), David Cross (not the comedian!) (violin & keyboards) and prog drummer extraordinaire, Bill Bruford.  Lyrics were written by Richard Palmer-James, who was a founding member of the band, Supertramp.

An speaking of lyrics... with an opening lyric like, "Health-food faggot with a bartered bride / Likes to comb his hair with a dipper ride",  the record wastes no time in kicking things off on the spazzy and abrasive, "The Great Deceiver"-- which actually sounds like a vague update of "21st Century Schizoid Man."  Loud-Quiet-Loud, King Crimson-style.     

Things come back down to Earth (relatively speaking) and quiet down a bit with "Lament"-- the closest thing the record has to a ballad.  (A ballad written in the future by a race of alien-robots, perhaps!  This ain't no wedding song!) Whether playing long, elaborate solos or quiet chords, Robert Fripp's guitar always seems to sound more like a power tool than a six-stringed instrument. The way this song builds isn't too different from something from an early EL&P album like Tarkus.  Its almost as if the vocals are in competition with the rest of the instrumentation.  

"We'll Let You Know" is an instrumental featuring some more industrial-sounding guitars, some fancy bass work and some weird, out-of-kilter drums.  This song is either being played by some real virtuosos or a bunch of six year olds broke into the studio and started fucking around.

"The Night Watch" is probably the album's apex and the track that is most reminiscent of the stuff on their awesome debut record.  If you've got 7 minutes to spare, here's a live performance of the song from 1974...

Next up is the quiet instrumental "Trio" which features some more great mellotron, guitar & violin interplay.  King Crimson always seem to be at their best when it sounds like their playing at some alternate-universe Renaissance Faire.

Side One closes with "The Mincer", with its under-the-current, driving drumbeat and noodling guitar noise actually reminds us, at first, of the opening measures of "Bela Lugosi's Dead".

Side Two contains two instrumental tracks, the nine-minute, mostly improvised title track and the eleven-minute, "Fracture".  Not much can really be said about these two.  Progressive space-jazz?  I think I need something a little stronger than this red wine that I've been drinking to fully appreciate what the hell is going on here.  If tonight really was starless and bible black and you're forced to listen to this record in total darkness, I think you'd be pretty terrified. 

FUN FACTS: The name of this album was inspired by the opening lines of the Dylan Thomas play, "Under Milk Wood"- a play about the dreams of the inhabitants of a fictional Welsh fishing town.  Ray Davies also cited the Dylan Thomas work as an influence to the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society.  Neat!

RATING: 4 cigarettes, ice cream, figurines of the Virgin Mary out of 5

Pebbles volume 1

Pebbles, volume 1 (1979) - BFD Records 

Hello Friends,

Tiki T. and I have recently started collecting the Pebbles LP series courtesy of the BFD & AIP Record labels.  Awesome compilation records, first released in the late 70's, subtitled as "Artyfacts from the First Punk Era".  

They're a good companion to the more popular NUGGETS series-- records filled with 2 or 3 minute punk masterpieces mostly from the years of 1966 thru 1969.  Bands consisting of pimply-faced kids in basements and garages scattered throughout the country.  Some bands (and band members) would go on to bigger and better things, but most would only end up playing local teen centers, VFW Halls, dive bars and local college radio stations.  Only a few would be fortunate enough to open for a touring national act like Herman's Hermits, The Jefferson Airplane or The Animals.  A handful would be fortunate to record a 7" or two and then call it a day fading off into rock & roll obscurity.  

One-Hit and No-Hit Wonders. Footnotes in the Rock & Roll History Books.

Some of the greatest rock and roll songs ever written may have only been heard by a handful of ears. These records provide a time capsule into an honest and less-cynical past.  Behind every band, there's a story; some are triumphant; some are tragic; many are uneventful... but who doesn't love a good rock & roll story?    

Tonight we've got the very first Pebbles LP on the turntable.  Described on the liner notes as "a unique series of rare original recordings for the rock and roll connosisseur. Sixteen tracks that are pure garage rock gems!"    

Side One
1. "Action Woman" - The Litter.  Classic garage punk.  There's nothing not to like about this song.  Its got it all: raw, raucous lead guitar; a driving, punk rock beat; raw, raucous vocals with simple lyrics about giving your girlfriend an ultimatum-- you better put out babe or I'll find someone who does!  (coincidentally, its what my back tattoo says!)  The Litter are from Minneapolis, MN. 

2. "Who Do You Love?" - The Preachers.  Scorching version of the Bo Diddley classic by L.A. Quintet.  Hoodoo, indeed!

3. "Dance Franny Dance" - The Floyd Dakil Combo. Rockabilly treat courtesy of Texas guitarist, Floyd Dakil and his band circa 1964.  Interestingly, Floyd would later go on to become a guitarist in Louis Prima's band.

4. "I'm In Pittsburgh (and it's Raining)" - The Outcasts.  There were probably dozens of garage bands in the 1960's that named themselves, "The Outcasts".  These "Outcasts" dominated the local party and local band scenes in San Antonio, Texas in the mid-60's.  (Contrary to what the song's title implies, they are NOT from Pittsburgh!)  Fans of The Stooges would definitely be into this song!

5. "Going All the Way" - The Squires.  Not much is known about this band hailing from Bristol, CT except that they only recorded one single and its a shredder.  Punk Rock, at its finest.  We're forced to wonder, how was this song NOT a huge hit?  Our pick for best on the album!

6. "Going Away Baby" - The Grains of Sand.  We go from Going All The Way to Going Away Baby... such is the rock'n'roll life!  Fast, frenetic Bo Diddley-inspired raver from L.A. quartet.  Reminiscient of early Them.  Great, fast guitar playing and a very 60's-sounding organ (farfisa?) solo. 

7. "You Treat Me Bad" - The Ju-Ju's.  Sounds like the 13th Floor Elevators played at the wrong speed.  From Grand Rapids, Michigan, The Ju-Ju's recorded this single in 1965.  The band's singer, Ray Hummel, left the band after he got married in 1966 and other members would put their down their instruments when Uncle Sam came calling.  

8. "1-2-5" - The Haunted.  60's garage punk from Montreal, Canada.  I guess our Neighbors to the North could rock out with the best of them!  Funny, early pressings of the single misidentified the band's name as "The Hunted."      

Side Two
1. "Like A Rolling Stone" - The Soup Greens.  A three-piece garage band from Brooklyn, NY who destroy this Bob Dylan classic (in a good way, of course!)

2. "Crackin' Up" - The Wig.  Another hard-rocking band with some killer guitar playing.  Influential in the Austin, TX local band scene.

3. "Psychotic Reaction" - Positively 13 O'Clock.  Great name for a 60's garage band!  Also hailing from Texas, Positively 13 O'Clock was actually a side project for local rockabilly musician, Jimmy Rabbit, and the slightly more well-known garage band, Mouse & The Traps.  In 1967, they recorded only one single, a cover of The Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction."

4. "The Trip" - Kim Fowley.  Its hard to tell if Kim Fowley is cool or just a dick.  Son of a actor and model, Kim Fowley emerged as a prolific songwriter / producer / hustler in the early 1960's L.A. music scene.  He recorded and worked with with Spector, Zappa, Cat Stevens, Warren Zevon, Helen Reddy, etc.  In the 70's, his claim to fame was organizing and producing the all girl punk band, The Runaways.  "The Trip" is a novelty-sounding record about a psychedelic experience complete with "flying dolls and surfing cakes".  Weird song, especially by 1965 standards.  A real period piece!     

5. "Spazz" - The Elastik Band.  One of a kind psychedelic rock via the San Francisco suburb of Belmont.  The song itself is a "spazz" with its fuzzy guitar bursts, nonsensical lyrics and Captain Beefheart-y vocals.
  
6. "Rich with Nothin'" - The Split Ends.  Grimy garage rock from Tampa, Florida circa 1966 that sounds a little like Paul Revere and the Raiders.  Not to be confused with the 80's kiwi New Wave band, Split Enz.    

7. "Potato Chip" - The Shadows of Knight.  The greatest dance craze that wasn't, "Potato Chip" is a novelty recording by the British-invasion meets Chicago Blues band, The Shadows of Knight.  Formidable garage rock band, most famous for their cover of Them's "Gloria". 

8. "Beaver Patrol" - The Wild Knights. This ladies and gentlemen might be the greatest song in the history of mankind!  Unbelievable!  How did I get this far in life without ever hearing it before? "My favorite way of gettin' kicks / Go Downtown and hustle chicks / Beaver Patrol!"  Friends, have gotten our hands on a true classic! Sign me up for some Beaver Patrol!

RATING: 4.5 Beaver Patrols Getting Lots of Action out of 5
     

Movie Night: Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2012)

Hello Friends,

Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night on Vinyl in the Valley!

Tonight we're watching the documentary, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (Magnolia Pictures) directed by first timers, Drew DeNicola and Olivia Mori.  The documentary is about the band Big Star, a band formed by Chris Bell and Alex Chilton in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971.  Bell and Chilton were both moody and ambitious songwriters kicking around the Memphis area in the early 70's.  Both were incredible songwriting talents with knacks for melodies and ears for harmonies.  Both men were looking to form over a band and take over the world.  The main difference between the two is that Chris Bell was a local boy, known by some in Memphis music circles, while Chilton was already a full-fledged rock star, who provided lead vocals for the chart-topping 60's band, The Box Tops ("The Letter", "Cry Like A Baby", etc.)  This duality is what brought them initially together, but its also what drove them apart.  Bell's eagerness for recognition seemed to clash with Chilton's cynicism and self-sabotage.  The results, however, were fantastic as evidenced in their debut album, the ironically-titled, #1 Record.     

The movie goes into detail explaining how Big Star released three landmark records that due to record company / distribution fuck-ups went largely unheard by the general public. Sure the critics loved them but this is before the internet, so if your local Woolworth's didn't carry the LP chances are you never got it!  Their re-discovery in the 80's & 90's was due in large part to bands, like R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements, etc., who name-checked them in interviews and considered them on the same plane as bands like The Beatles or The Stones.  Its been said of the Velvet Underground that there were only a handful of people who bought their records when they first came out but all those people went out and formed bands; the same can be said of Big Star. 

Overall the documentary is pretty great but that has tons to do with its subject matter. After all, Big Star may be the greatest band you never heard of.  The three records they released in the 70's are all masterpieces.  Buy them all or just get their box set, Keep An Eye On The Sky (2009).  If you haven't heard them before, you're in for a real treat!  Pre-punk power pop at its absolute finest! Think of them as the stepchildren of The Beatles and The Byrds, or as Cheap Trick's estranged, but genius, uncle.  

The documentary covers most of the bases.  It seems to gloss over a lot of the dickish stuff Chris Bell did before his untimely death in 1978 and it also, in our opinion, doesn't spend enough time with the band's third album, Third / Sister Lovers, which is a melancholy masterpiece in its own right. 

Its a great rock & roll story thats marred by sadness and tragedy, but one that's ultimately about redemption!

If we had to rate it, we'd give it two enthusiastic cocktail glasses up!  Cheers!

We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.  

(* not really)

'Til the Juice Runs Down Your Leg

Ahoy Cocktailers!

Tiki T. here wanting to share a FANTASTIC discovery in the world of bar mixes.
Though I may pine for the halcyon days when our parents would fill their carts with neon margarita mix and puckery daiquiri powder in little envelopes (Thank you, Mr. Boston!) those days are done. Our generation has acquired a real taste for fresh juices, herbs and tinctures in our drinks. The words of a douchebag hipster? I hope not! I can still get down with a Clamato and vodka, no problem. But if bar mixes are evolving and getting so delicious, why not join the fun?

This brings me to the new products that Ned and I have been getting from a brand called RIPE https://www.drinkripe.com/. An upstart company from Wallingford, CT, RIPE was started by two guys who simply wanted to make a good cocktail better. These bar juices add a lot of "extra" to your standards: As in extra umami to a Bloody Mary, extra zest to a rum punch, and extra tartness to a Tom Collins. Some flavors include: Lemon Agave (Tiki's Fave), San Marzano Tomato, Agave Margarita Mix and Agave Punch. You really should try any of these. They are becoming readily available at most Connecticut liquor stores, and you'll also be supporting the local economy. I'll drink to that!

XO,
Tiki. T.

Introducing the Beau Brummels

The Beau Brummels - "Introducing The Beau Brummels" (1965) - Autumn Records

Hello Friends,

Tonight we have The Beau Brummels on the turntable.  No, not the 19th Century English dandy-fop who invented the modern men's suit worn with a necktie, but the 1960's San Francisco quintet who helped shape and define what would be eventually called the "San Francisco Sound".



Influenced by British Invasion bands like The Beatles, Herman's Hermits & The Zombies, lots of people initially thought that the Brummels were themselves a British band.  Their first single, "Laugh, Laugh" is a 1960's classic with music & harmonies very reminiscent of their English counterparts.  We love that forlorn, almost spooky-sounding harmonica that plays throughout the song!  (The song also appears on the original Nuggets LP in 1972 showcasing Original Artyfacts from the first Psychedelic Era!)

"Laugh, Laugh" was the band's first single and the song that they would ultimately be best known for.  Their second (and highest charting) single is another great track, "Just A Little".  More great harmony and some great dueling acoustic-electric guitars! Both songs were written by lead guitarist, Ron Elliot, as were the rest of the songs on the album save for a cover of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" and Don Robey/Deadric Malone's "Ain't That Lovin' You".

Also included on this debut are the songs "Still In Love With You Baby", "Just Wait and See", "Stick Like Glue", "They'll Make You Cry", "That's If You Want Me To", "I Want More Loving", "I Would Be Happy" & "Not Too Long Ago."  Very much a product of its era.  Every song is good, with harmonies and musical arrangements that sound a lot like the early Beatles covering Buddy Holly songs.  

Fun Fact # 1: This album was produced by Sylvester Stewart who would become better known as Mr. Sly Stone.

Fun Fact # 2: Hey kids, did you know that the real Beau Brummel (1778 - 1840) claimed that he took 5 hours a day to dress and insisted his boots be polished with champagne! Lock up your women!  Lock up your daughters!

RATING: 4 Velveteen Touches of a Dandy-Fop out of 5

Prog Rock Saturday: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Traffic - "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" (1971) - Island Records

Hello Friends,

Its a soupy Saturday night at ol' Tiki Bar and we've got a Rock N Roll Stew brewing courtesy of the English band, Traffic.  The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys is Traffic's sixth album and although not considered a traditional Prog Rock band in the same vein as Yes, Genesis, EL&P, etc. Traffic had a couple of albums that leaned heavily on complex, meandering arrangements; extended instrumental jams; strange & otherworldly lyrics; Steve Winwood's elfin vocals; and flute!

(In case you were wondering kids, Traffic founding member and guitarist, Dave Mason, is not on this album.  His last LP with the band would be on the previous release, Welcome to the Canteen.)

Some songs on the album, including the opener and closer, "Hidden Treasure" and "Rainmaker" are complex, folksy and jammy numbers that could pass for Peter Gabriel-era Genesis.  In Winwood's "Many a Mile to Freedom" he calls upon his reindeer to "graze here" and all of his "grain to grow", flow like a river, melt like the snow, blah, blah, blah.  Its like a laid-back, boring "Misty Mountain Hop". 

Founding member and percussionist, Jim Capaldi, contributes two sets of leads vocals on two of the more upbeat songs: the sleazy and Rod Stewart-sounding, "Light up or Leave Me Alone" and the ode to life on the road, "Rock & Roll Stew"-- the latter becoming a minor FM Radio hit.

The 12-minute title track, however, is the album's (and perhaps the band's) apex.  A slow-building epic based on a simple, repeated piano riff that features key changes from minors (the verses) to majors (the choruses); extended keyboard and piano solos between verses;  and Winwood's shrill vocals telling us about fame, the music business, Vietnam, aliens, drugs, or perhaps, a combination thereof.  Also an FM radio hit and an early 70's classic.   

Overall TLSOHHB is an interesting record that combines elements of prog, jazz, fusion and rock into something that is very much of its time in 1971.  Its laid-back and unprovocative approach is the perfect soundtrack for this swampy and sultry evening. Our drinking glasses are beaded with sweat and we haven't felt the breeze for what seems like days, another Prog Rock Saturday is drawing to its close!  Here's hoping for a little Rainmaker of our own!  

RATING: 4.5 something that looks like a star and it's shooting out of the ground out of 5

The Rum Diaries: Bully Boy Distillers White Rum

Hello friends,

Going back and forth from the tiki bar to the turntable all night long really makes you work up a mean, mean thirst!  

Tonight we're taking a break from record reviews and instead we're focusing our attention on one of the world's most delicious (and misunderstood) libations-- RUM.

Described by Marco Polo in the 14th Century as "very good wine made of sugar", the history of rum is as interesting and complex as the drink itself.  The story of Rum is the story of slavery, of pirates, of Navies, of the New World, of exploration, colonization, capitalism, rebellion and of course, hot, drunk college girls on Spring Break!  

YO HO HO, indeed!

BULLY BOY DISTILLERS WHITE RUM

Distiller: Bully Boy Distillers
Country: Boston, Massachusetts

Cost: $28.00 
Proof: 80
Size: 750 ml

Description: Handcrafted White Rum from blackstrap molasses. 

Ned Tugent says: "Nice bite with hints of vanilla and caramel.  One of the best white rums I've ever tried! A little too potent to drink on its own but also way too good to use in a sugary mixer.  Really opens up with some fresh limes and mint in a mojito! Grade: B+"

Tiki T says: "I find this rum to be a little too caustic, with a flammable finish!  But, can easily be mellowed in a mixed drink! Grade: C"

The city of Boston has quite the rum-soaked history.  In fact, Rum production was one of Colonial New England's most prosperous (and no doubt most fun) industries.  Billing itself as Boston's First Craft Distillery, Bully Boy Distillers started producing organic, hand-crafted spirits in 2011.  Brothers Dave & Will Willis have created a line of small-batch artisanal rums, whiskeys and vodkas.  If their White Rum is any indication of what's to come, we've got high hopes for these guys! Check out their website here.  Go Sawx!  

Happy Birthday 'murica!

Hello Friends,

Happy July 4th everybody!
Be careful not to burn your weenies!

Sincerely,

Ned Tugent