I've been down the rabbit hole of new New Zealand rock thanks to The Beths. Of course, I've been a huge fan of the Flying Nun record label out of New Zealand for decades so I will include some awesome tunes from those groups too. So, here's a treasure trove of incredible music from there.
First up here's some Hans Pucket. Their videos are witty and their music is fantastic. As D.D. Blank told me one evening via text message: "somebody under the age of 50 has listened to skinny tie pop. Maybe, there's hope." I will try and do a full post on this band of phenoms soon.
Comfort
Straight To My Heart
The Chills will live forever in their "Kaleidoscope World." They have stereos and electric guitars...
Kaleidoscope World
Bailter Space's 1995 release Wammo has just been reissued on vinyl. I highly recommend this Flying Nun band with their sweet shoegaze rock.
Splat
Bird Nest Roys were brilliant one album wonders. They were said to be one of the Flying Nun bands that had the Dunedin sound, but were actually from Auckland.
Ain't Mutatin
Speaking of mutating, the Verlaines line-up is an ever-changing carousel, but as long as Graeme Downes is writing the tunes we're good. I do love when Jane Dodd was in the band though.
Doomsday
The Clean! This band's music came to me later than other Flying Nun acts, but it was instant love. Their songs helped me through a rough patch of life and are right at the top of my favorite New Zealand bands.
Anything Could Happen
Platypus
Here are a plethora of classics from The Beths. Liz Stokes writes the tunes. The band arranges them and guitarist Jonathan Pearce produces the records. The albums sound incredible and the songs are magic. I have purchased them in every format from Bandcamp. Now I need to find a G & L Fallout guitar and a Jansen amp.
Those sounds from my adolescence still sound amazing to me all these years later. It's the sound of electricity in the air. Fast cars and the wind blowing feathered hair while your speakers blow......musing as I often do on the mighty Van Halen....party anthems with soul.
Photo from inside the trailer I was living in around this time.
I know exactly where I was 37 years ago. I was at Municipal Auditorium to see the mighty Van Halen on their 1984 tour. The Gonz's mom took us to Nashville and dropped us off. Autograph was the opening band and they didn't make it through their set. Chants of Eddie rang out loudly and bottles rained down on the stage. I felt bad for Autograph, but it didn't keep me from joining in after an empty whiskey bottle rolled against my right foot. I picked it up and chucked it at the stage in the direction of the drums.
There was a commotion either before Autograph or right before Van Halen came on when the crowd noticed Valerie Bertinelli was there. I didn't see her, but the word went around down the front of the stage like the telephone game. The Gonz and I were about 10 rows deep in just about center stage. There were no floor seats so we stood the entire night and I don't recall either of us leaving once we had our spot staked out. The Gonz had got to see Elvis play Murphy Center when he was in primary school, but I had never seen a big rock concert before. The closest had been seeing Kiss on HBO.
We had spent most of the afternoon wondering what songs would be played that night. I think the Gonz even wrote out prospective setlist's. This pre-internet era was one of endless speculation and wonderment. We both worshipped at the altar of Edward Van Halen and the Gonz especially was excited since he had been playing guitar for a year or so by this time. Both of us had been concerned about all the talk of keyboards before 1984 came out, but once the album was released we were onboard with wherever Dave and the boys wanted to go.
I'm in a Van Halen group on FB and John Watts posted some amazing photos from the show that night (0r were they?...as it turns out the photos may have been from the July Evansville, Indiana show) and he has given me permission to share them. He had smuggled his camera in and he ended up on the floor not that far away from me. I was thrilled to see the photos. Here's the view well before the show began. The Gonz and I would have already been in the crush of people near the front.
The lights dimmed and then....Edward Van Halen in the spotlight, then there was Dave making that legs outstretched leap from the drum riser as the riff from "Unchained" tore the roof off. My favorite band then and now was live in person. We were close enough to the stage that not only could you hear the sound you could feel it. Bass tones vibrated right through our bodies. The temperature inside Municipal rose into a swelter even though it was still winter. Alex Van Halen (who was an absolute beast) kicked into the drum intro for "Hot For Teacher" and the frenetic boogie charged the atmosphere even higher and boom...just 2 songs in and we get a drum solo at the end. Van Halen didn't need to play "On Fire" for us to know they were blazing, but that was next, which was awesome because part of our pre-concert setlist pondering was how many older tunes we'd get.
Michael Anthony pounded out the bass intro to "Runnin' With The Devil" and it didn't matter if Dave screwed up any of the words as we all were singing along. The Nashville stop was their 3rd night in a row of playing after gigs in Louisville, KY on the 9th and Knoxville the night before. I later ended up learning guitar myself and have played shows in clubs for awhile and for these guys to go out night after night and play with so much energy is just insane. It's no wonder the Dave era imploded after this tour. I was just so lucky to get to see this tour.
Diver Down always gets put down as the worst original Dave era record, but I always loved it almost as much as the rest so I was thrilled to see Eddie get the miniature Les Paul out and play "Little Guitars" which was my favorite tune from that album. I would sometime make mix tapes made up of the original Dave era and that song always made the cut. It was tunes like "Little Guitars" that made Van Halen so different from other hard rock/heavy metal bands. It is truly sublime with great lyrics from Dave showing off a rare romantic/mystical side.
"Cathedral" followed with Eddie deploying the tray under the guitar which was a nifty invention. "House of Pain" followed and it rocked. Then Michael Anthony brought out the Jack Daniels bass and everyone went crazy since if you either live in or happen to be in the great state of Tennessee you better love Jack Daniels whiskey which is made in Lynchburg. His bass solo was okay and it was expected, but I kinda wish we had gotten more songs instead of the bass, drum, and Dave solos. Another one of my mix tape favorites was up next: "Jamie's Cryin'" is just a perfect pop tune. How about a break from this review of the concert to listen to it.
if you don't see a video click on web version at the bottom of this post
The 1984 tour stage was cool with an catwalk that ran above and behind the drums. There was keyboards on each side and this is where Eddie and Mike went to play "I'll Wait" which was interesting, but was the one tune I could have done without. I stand corrected; maybe more bass or drum solos would have been better than "I'll Wait.". It was okay as "Everybody Wants Some" was next. Some keyboard indulgence can easily be excused in the wake of this behemoth (or show we say mammoth) song. Dave shared an almost x-rated story about Alex and some larger groupie during the middle and we all had a laugh. I believe it was after this that Dave performed his solo which was some choreographed sword dance. It was cool, but it did leave us scratching our heads.
Years later I would see videos of Eddie and Alex jamming parts of "Girl Gone Bad" on the previous tour, so perhaps it wouldn't have been as big of a surprise when the whole band tore through the tune. Suddenly, a song that was not much of a favorite on 1984 showed all its glory to us. It was back to the keyboards for "1984" and "Jump" had become a surprise mega-hit and I don't believe it ever came out of Van Halen's setlist even during the Sammy Hagar years. It was a vindication for Eddie who had been pushing the music for years. Dave's lyrics were always great. If you get a chance to read Ted Templeman's book you'll find out much Dave brought to the table beyond being the master of ceremonies at their shows.
The moment that lots of people were waiting for was next: the Edward Van Halen guitar solo which delivered and then some. "Eruption" was mind altering when it came out on Van Halen's debut album. You get way more than just that in an Eddie solo. When he started playing the intro to "Mean Streets" the Gonz's smile shattered into millions of little smiles as he picked his face off the floor. I can't emphasize enough this was the pre-internet days and neither of us had seen Van Halen in concert before so we didn't have a clue how he had played that intro on the Fair Warning album.
It's odd that I can still remember feeling like when the band went into "(Oh) Pretty Woman" the night was almost over which made me sad. I never wanted the concert to end. "Panama" was the last one before the encores. "You Really Got Me" ended with Alex setting the gong on fire which was cool. If you want a feel for what the Nashville show was like beyond the photos you can (as of today's post) still see a boot of the entire later Montreal show on YouTube. The Nashville setlist doesn't note that the band played the short instrumental known as "Growth" that night, but they did before launching into "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love." Our ears would ring for days, but it was great. I bought a baseball jersey shirt which my children now take turns wearing and I bought the tour program which is in a box somewhere.
My oldest wearing my 1984 tour shirt several years ago.
Before the decade was over I'd be the singer in a band with the Gonz and his younger brother and we'd go back to our old high school and play for the entire student body. I don't know if we ever performed "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" live, but I know we used to practice the song. I later learned to play guitar and led a few bands that played local clubs, but I could never play like Edward Van Halen. Sure, I can do some finger tapping and other tricks, but Eddie was more than the tricks. His music along with Dave's words was the soundtrack of my youth and it never fails to pick me up if I feel down. So here's to 37 years ago which will soon turn to 38, 39, and on to 40 years back. As long as I'm alive I will celebrate that evening in 1984 when I first saw Van Halen live and remember the absolute elation of that night. Thanks to John Watts for sharing his photographs.
Van Halen's debut album was released on February 10, 1978. Rock and roll would never be the same again. An entire sub-genre was birthed from this dynamite slab of wax. I loved Van Halen from the moment I heard them. I have a big post coming up tomorrow on seeing them in concert in 1984. So, for now just some videos visible if you're looking at the web version of this post.
It's another Monday so here's some tunes I've been digging over the last few days/weeks/whenever...time seems both maddeningly fast and slow these days.
First up is The Front Bottoms "Fairbanks, Alaska." They remind me of the Mountain Goats, but with a more pop bent. I think it was about a decade and a half ago that I became obsessed with Alaska. I read many books on the state and even subscribed to Alaska magazine for a year. It still fascinates me and I hope to visit there one day. Right now, this great song can take me there.
The Front Bottoms
Better Oblivion Community Center is Phoebe Bridgers and Conner Oberst and I really dig their tune "Dylan Thomas" for various reasons. It has this great mid-Nineties indy music vibe reminding me a lot of Bettie Serveert and I love the line "strapped into a corset, climbed into your Corvette." Plus my father was a big Dylan Thomas fan....I suppose poets can have fans, right?
Better Oblivion Community Center
Jefferson Starship's "Stranger" is a rocking tune from their 1981 Modern Times album.
Jefferson Starship
The Beths are a great band from New Zealand led by Elizabeth Stokes. The "Future Me Hates Me" video puts me in mind of a Wes Anderson movie. This dreamy pop kills me every time. I don't know if its the pure water in New Zealand, but so much great music comes from there.
The Beths
The self-titled Genesis album (often called "Shapes") from 1983 has been in high rotation the last week or so (a dirt cheap "target" West German cd pressing) and it blows my mind that the 4th single "Taking It All Too Hard" didn't really receive much of a push. Sure; you make a video that will offend loads of people years later (see "Illegal Alien" for reference), but this wonderful tune didn't merit one. I'm generally not that keen on fan made videos but this one featuring scenes from the movie Career Opportunities is quite good.
Genesis - Taking It All Too Hard
One of my favorite YouTube channels is the NewRetroWave one. If you like 80's style synth music check it out. Here's a nice short instrumental from Gab Manette which dropped a week or so ago. Plus, if you put a photo of 80's era Molly Ringwald as the thumbnail for your video I will probably watch it.
I'm sure I've posted this before (maybe just on my FB page...maybe not), but this is my blog so my rules. I'm not for shoplifting, but the moment at 4:02 in this video when she plays the purloined record is pure Wizard of Oz inspired magic. This is what music does for me. It turns the darkest day into technicolor.
I know what I was watching 45 years ago. It was the beginning of February sweeps and the networks were pulling out the stops to attract viewers. Here's the local Nashville guide for February 1, 1976. It was a Sunday and I was 9 years old. My dial was probably tuned to WNGE 2 ABC for most of the day. The Three Stooges at 9AM was a must watch. The Superstars sports competition came on at 1PM and I really enjoyed that show too. The big show for me on Sunday nights was The Six Million Dollar Man and the episode airing on February 1, 1976 was a huge part one of a two-part arc that would conclude on Wednesday February 4, 1976. I was really surprised to see no advertisement for this first of the Bigfoot episodes. There was a really nice ad for Rich Man, Poor Man which was premiering on this night. My father would watch all of that mini-series. Monty Python's Flying Circus came on local public television at 10PM.
Rich Man, Poor Man was a sensational hit, but it wasn't popular with me. Since it had adult themes I wasn't allowed to watch it. It was also pre-empting some shows I liked. I know my father enjoyed it. I wouldn't see the tale of the two Jordache brothers until many decades later as I caught it without commercials on some cable station. It was good television, but it still can't compare to Steve Austin battling Bigfoot.
Here is the synopsis for the first part of The Six Million Dollar Man "The Secret of Bigfoot: Part 1" which featured the great Andre the Giant as the giant hairy beast. Every boy I knew in grade school wanted to be Colonel Steve Austin and most of us were also obsessed with Bigfoot. The tabloids would feature Bigfoot sightings in them with some of them even originating in Tennessee. The Patterson film of Bigfoot was something I had seen on a TV special and it fascinated and frightened me. The only nightmare I can ever remember that made me run to my parents room was one in which I dreamed Bigfoot was on our front stoop trying to get into the house. That had happened a few years before and I was determined to not let Bigfoot scare me away from one of my favorite television shows. Colonel Steve Austin would easily win this battle...or would he?
YouTuber Dave Sundstrom shares his memories of the episode and about how he was scared of Bigfoot just like I was back then. I think it's a pretty common thing with the Generation X cohort. He has the official TV Guide print ad too!
Do You Remember...
The two-part episode inspired a Bigfoot action figure from Kenner. Here's a great look at the toy.
Here's all of the music extracted from the Secret of Bigfoot two-parter. Lots of bongos and bionics!
The Six Million Dollar Man Secret of Bigfoot music
The Six Million Dollar Man and Bigfoot would become fodder for parody/homage on The Venture Bros. decades later. It's a brilliant combination of irreverence mixed with reverence. Strange yet delightful.
The Venture Bros.
So that's what I was watching 45 years ago. The global satellite in my mind swoops in for a closeup of a tiny yellow house at 405 Lynn Street. The high temperature that day had been 49 and it would drop to 13 overnight so the little wall heat unit would have been glowing orange that night. I think there was also one in the master bedroom and a small one in the bathroom. There may have been one in my bedroom, but I don't remember. I do remember having a tiny black and white television and Peanuts characters on my curtains (the curtains had been left by the previous owners). I got to watch The Six Million Dollar Man on the color TV in the living room. I probably watched it from under a blanket on the couch. The same couch with a blanket draped over it would become the tunnel which led to Bigfoot's hideout. I never had any of The Six Million Dollar Man action figures as they were too expensive, but it never stopped my imagination. What would you have been watching on this date 45 years ago?
