Something for the Weekend: The Stranglers "Rok it to the Moon"

Lambasted by some at the time for not being a "proper punk band" due to their pub-rock origins, the Stranglers are one of the last surviving bands from the first generation of punk.  

Although best known for the single "Golden Brown", taken from their sixth album La Folie, the earlier years of the Stranglers saw the grasp a far more aggressive approach.

With this method of raw energy and zero-compromise, the Stranglers took to recording feverishly, eventually releasing two albums in 1977 (Rattus Norvegicus and No More Heroes), as well as a few non-album singles around the time of No More Heroes.  This period of high activity saw two more albums released within the following eighteen months.

One of those non-album singles was "Five Minutes" and while the A-Side is rather good, it is in this case topped by a fabulous B-Side called "Rok it to the Moon".  Strangely enough, the band saw fit to record a video for "Rok it to the Moon", albeit on the same set as for "Five Minutes".

The Stranglers "Rok it to the Moon"

Gigs: Big Monster Love (Shebeen Chic, Dublin; Feb 4th)

Big Monster Love will be releasing his new album, Game Over, at the Shebeen Chic in Dublin next Friday night (February 4th).

Support comes from the sexual Moutpiece and Brian Kelly. There will also be a DJ set from the chaps within the Popical Island collective.  Doors are 9pm and it's €5 in. If you do not go, it's quite possible that you may catch some sort of rabies-type virus!!

Something for the Weekend: Broadcast "Winter Now" / "Come on, Let's Go"

Having being a fan for several years, I finally got to see Broadcast twice in the last couple years, just as they were doing the Focus Group material - just brilliant stuff.

They had gotten to the stage where their set was split in two - the first half would be a short film, soundtracked live, followed by a set proper thereafter.
Amidst all the obtuse gadgetry and ageing synths, James Cargill's stark form of playing guitar and bass, sat Trish Keenan's voice.
Always haunting and quite serene; dark and beautiful, bleeding subtly into its surroundings.

One of my favourite bands of all time, lead signer Trish Keenan passed away today at the age of 42. I will miss them.

Broadcast "Winter Now"

Broadcast "Come on, Let's Go"

Trish Keenan (R.I.P.)

Broadcast's Trish Keenan passed away this morning following complications from pneumonia.  I am completely stunned - simply do not know what to say.
A statement from Warp Records can be found here.

Something for the Weekend: MC5 "Kick Out the Jams (live on Beat Club)"

If ever the world needed a definition for "kick-arse rock 'n' roll", then here it is. Born in mid-60's Michigan, MC5 - along with the Velvet Underground and others - punctured a decade that was slowly descending into slow, soft rock hell.

By fusing soul with an uncompromising blues ethic, MC5 beat the shit out of many listeners that happened to be sat within several feet of a large, loud speaker. Black eyes and everything!!
There were other breakaways from convention too. Rather than record their début album in studio, the band decided to make their opening long-player a live album (recorded at the tail end of 1968), thereby giving them the opportunity to showcase their energy and raw power. That début, Kick Out the Jams, has gone on to be one of the greatest rock albums of the 20th century and in turned spawned the album's brilliant lead single of the same name.

The performance of "Kick Out the Jams" is taken from the German music show Beat Club in March 1972 - recorded several months before the band split up. MC5 did eventually reform in 2003, but did so without lead-singer Rob Tyner and guitarist Fred Smith; both of whom died of heart attacks in 1991 and 1994 respectively.

MC5 "Kick Out the Jams (live on Beat Club)"