From: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org (idealcopy-digest) To: idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Subject: idealcopy-digest V10 #303 Reply-To: idealcopy@smoe.org Sender: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk idealcopy-digest Sunday, February 10 2008 Volume 10 : Number 303 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [idealcopy] Groundhogs fanatics ["Keith A" ] RE: [idealcopy] Groundhogs fanatics ["Keith Knight" Subject: [idealcopy] Groundhogs fanatics So...what's the feeling on The Groundhogs then? They were a band I knew of, but that was pretty much as far it went thinking they'd be a bunch of third rate hairies, but must confess I really liked the track that was featured on a free UK mag cd a couple of years ago. There was no pondering beat or anything like that. It, er, rocked! Anyway, I knew Julian Cope was a fan (though as much as I love the guy that is not necessarily a recommendation!!), but didn't know that The Groundhogs was a possible reason for the breakdown in his relationship with Ian McCulloch! "Like contemporaries such as Todd Rundgren, T.S. McPhee did not burn out on the one riff but hurled himself projectile-like into experiment. He played with Amon D||l 2, he bought Mellotrons and synthesizers, and took his music off into the reaches where even his fans and the rest of his band could not follow. Damn! I for one bore the brunt of his commitment to experiment during the punk era, when, as a member of Liverpool failures A Shallow Madness, I bought a copy of T.S. McPhee's solo album from a second-hand shop in Belmont Road. Our singer, the pre-Bunnyman Ian McCulloch, jeered me all the way back to rehearsals and, from that moment on, the cracks in our relationship began." And, to get things on topic, he also said this... "The members of Wire and Spiritualized, even the comedian Vic Reeves; they're all proclaimed Groundhogs fanatics." Really? Full article here... http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/feature/the_groundhogs K. np Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 11:48:02 -0000 From: "Keith Knight" Subject: RE: [idealcopy] Groundhogs fanatics They were, until I saw Swans, the loudest band I'd ever seen live. Split is the album to go for but it's not a classic - one great song 'Cherry Red' and the rest is OK heavy rock of the early 70s ilk. Another the Keith - -----Original Message----- From: owner-idealcopy@smoe.org [mailto:owner-idealcopy@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Keith A Sent: 08 February 2008 11:59 To: idealcopy@smoe.org Subject: [idealcopy] Groundhogs fanatics So...what's the feeling on The Groundhogs then? They were a band I knew of, but that was pretty much as far it went thinking they'd be a bunch of third rate hairies, but must confess I really liked the track that was featured on a free UK mag cd a couple of years ago. There was no pondering beat or anything like that. It, er, rocked! Anyway, I knew Julian Cope was a fan (though as much as I love the guy that is not necessarily a recommendation!!), but didn't know that The Groundhogs was a possible reason for the breakdown in his relationship with Ian McCulloch! "Like contemporaries such as Todd Rundgren, T.S. McPhee did not burn out on the one riff but hurled himself projectile-like into experiment. He played with Amon D||l 2, he bought Mellotrons and synthesizers, and took his music off into the reaches where even his fans and the rest of his band could not follow. Damn! I for one bore the brunt of his commitment to experiment during the punk era, when, as a member of Liverpool failures A Shallow Madness, I bought a copy of T.S. McPhee's solo album from a second-hand shop in Belmont Road. Our singer, the pre-Bunnyman Ian McCulloch, jeered me all the way back to rehearsals and, from that moment on, the cracks in our relationship began." And, to get things on topic, he also said this... "The members of Wire and Spiritualized, even the comedian Vic Reeves; they're all proclaimed Groundhogs fanatics." Really? Full article here... http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/feature/the_groundhogs K. np Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 18:06:49 +0100 From: Bart van Damme Subject: Re: [idealcopy] If it ain't Stiff The story of Stiff records, an independent British record label created in 1976, which had an extraordinary influence on the emerging Punk and New Wave music scene. At a time when labels were mostly owned by corporations, the independent Stiff records signed and launched the careers of Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Kirsty MacColl, The Pogues and Madness. Features interviews with Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Captain Sensible, Stiff fan Jonathan Ross, Suggs, Shane MacGowan, Tracey Ullman and label founders Jake Riviera and Dave Robinson. Narrated by Adrian Edmondson. Sat 9 Feb, 11:35 pm - 1:05 am 90mins http://tinyurl.com/2hvjjj Bart ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 09:47:56 -0800 From: "johnny clash" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Groundhogs fanatics we are talking the mighty groundhogs then? thank christ for the bomb.......................friggin' great group. i've got all their stuff! np: hardrocksampler....head heritage mp3 stream...............wish wire had a page like this On Feb 8, 2008 3:59 AM, Keith A wrote: > So...what's the feeling on The Groundhogs then? > > They were a band I knew of, but that was pretty much as far it went > thinking > they'd be a bunch of third rate hairies, but must confess I really liked > the > track that was featured on a free UK mag cd a couple of years ago. > > There was no pondering beat or anything like that. It, er, rocked! > > Anyway, I knew Julian Cope was a fan (though as much as I love the guy > that is > not necessarily a recommendation!!), but didn't know that The Groundhogs > was a > possible reason for the breakdown in his relationship with Ian McCulloch! > > "Like contemporaries such as Todd Rundgren, T.S. McPhee did not burn out > on > the one riff but hurled himself projectile-like into experiment. He played > with Amon D||l 2, he bought Mellotrons and synthesizers, and took his > music > off into the reaches where even his fans and the rest of his band could > not > follow. Damn! I for one bore the brunt of his commitment to experiment > during > the punk era, when, as a member of Liverpool failures A Shallow Madness, I > bought a copy of T.S. McPhee's solo album from a second-hand shop in > Belmont > Road. Our singer, the pre-Bunnyman Ian McCulloch, jeered me all the way > back > to rehearsals and, from that moment on, the cracks in our relationship > began." > > And, to get things on topic, he also said this... > > "The members of Wire and Spiritualized, even the comedian Vic Reeves; > they're > all proclaimed Groundhogs fanatics." > > Really? > > Full article here... > > http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/feature/the_groundhogs > > > K. > > np Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 10:00:32 -0800 From: "johnny clash" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Groundhogs fanatics > http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/feature/the_groundhogs > > > > while there check out hardrocksampler....a few notes > > > > > > > > *Note 1:* As a heathen motherfucker who wants to bid 'Bad Riddance!' to > > organized religion, it does my heart good to know that some loon somewhere, > > even as I write this, is currently wailing up an electric storm from hell on > > a loud and distorted solid-bodied guitar, mercilessly wringing the neck of > > some poor axe in the righteous service of dissing the Sky Gods. > > > > *Note 2:* As Unsung is mainly read by Sonic Navigators of the first > > order, on HARDROCKSAMPLER, I've included no Sabs, no Zep, no MC5, no Grand > > Funk, no Blue Cheer, no Pentagram, no Blue Oyster Cult nor anything else > > that might have already been discussed here in detail. Instead, I've tried > > to include a few class obscurities that many will have heard about but not > > actually heard, plus some heavy stuff that mighta been overlooked because > > the artists in question were better known for other styles of music. > > > > > > > > *It's the Devil's music* > > > > In 1970, Peter Green's 'The Green Manalishi' opened a door into the > > Underworld. Tragically, the door slammed shut on the artist himself, leaving > > Green stranded downstairs. > > While in Armenia, I purchased this book of Black Sabbath lyrics > > translated into Arabic. The 'obi' strip on the cover of HARDROCKSAMPLER is > > reproduced from this book. They are Tony Iommi's lyrics from 'After > > Forever': "Would you like to see the Pope on the end of a rope? Do you think > > he's a fool?" > > Jimmy Page. Obviously, it's only the really bad guys who wear this > > headgear. > > The dude on the back of the first Bang LP is way scary. > >  and it scares the shit out of Christians and Muslims because the > > electric beat pummels your heart-driven (and already pulsating) body, > > exciting your adrenalin into play, with the immediate effect that your > > awareness of your animal side has been awakened. Indeed, one of the bands on > > this compilation, Bloodrock, had to stop playing their most famous song > > 'D.O.A.' (included herein) because the new Christian singer was too yucked > > out by the chords and the death imagery. Fuck him, guys. Shoulda sacked the > > sad cunt. Why'd he apply for the job in the first place, etc etc. Iggy Pop, > > in explanation for his obsession with rock'n'roll performance, once stated: > > "Speakers push the air, and push me too." Fuck me, you should share a stage > > with Sunn0))), Jimmy. Anyway, the better the technology got the louder the > > amps got, and the more we all came closer to barking at the Moon. Of course, > > even without the rise of rock'n'roll, those already deeply paranoid > > religious leaders of the previous two centuries had been barely keeping a > > lid on us. So when electric music took over as the main populist > > entertainment in the mid-50s, the new amplification was already on the way > > to allowing rock'n'roll temples to surpass the size of cathedrals, and the > > music could challenge Christianity at last. Nice. Louder and louder and > > louder it became, until the Beatles' legendary 1964 Shea Stadium show was > > eclipsed in summer 1971 by the brute force of the Uber-populist power trio > > Mark, Mel & Don AKA Grand Funk Railroad. During that period, the term > > 'Rock'n'roll' was sidelined, used only when referring to the hoary '50s > > originators. Modern people played Rock exclusively, and the harder the > > better. Indeed, time was  around 1970 and 71  when Hard Rock/Heavy Rock > > was so pervasive that every popular musician who was not playing reggae, > > bubblegum or opera, was inevitably informed somewhat by Hard Rock. By > > default. Every week, perverse cartoon hairies invaded the BBC's Top of the > > Pops studios, the show  throughout 1970 and 1971 - featuring such > > anachronisms as Frijid Pink's fuzz-fest versh of 'House of the Rising Sun' > > (#6 in the BBC's Top 40 in May 1970), Peter Green's swansong/descent into > > hell with Fleetwood Mac's 'The Green Manalishi' (#10 in July 1970), Black > > Sabbath's seminal 'Paranoid' (#4 in October 1970), Deep Purple's sludgy > > 'Black Night' (#2 in October 1970), the recently deceased Jim Hendrix's > > 'Voodoo Chile' (#1 in November 1970), Deep Purple again with 'Strange Kind > > of Woman' (#8 in March 1971), Family's Roger Chapman bellowing out the > > beginnings of 'In My Own Time' (#8 in June 1971), and Atomic Rooster doing > > 'The Devil's Answer' (#4 in August 1971). To the dismay of the general > > public, these were performers whose idea of recreation involved ingesting > > massive amounts of illegal drugs (J. Hendrix, B. Sabbath), balling horny > > broads (early '70s slang for shagging groupies, all you youngsters), > > investigating the Underworld as a possible future home (Peter Green), or > > even committing suicide (Vincent Crane of Atomic Rooster). And I'm only > > mentioning the truly hairy heavies who struck the esteemed BBC Top 10, > > motherfuckers! Which is why, in 1970, even the ever career-opportunistic > > Dave Bowie had still felt it necessary, nay, essential to address the genre > > with his 'She Shook Me Cold' (included herein). And supremely crafted and > > nailed to the floor it is, too. But when everything is heavy, you gots to > > question just how much of it is real, and how much was just informed by the > > spirit of the time. Take Deep Purple, for example. I mean, while Ritchie > > Blackmore had started back in the early '60s with Screaming Lord Sutch and > > the Savages, and had always played the Occult Godfather of Guitar lunacy to > > some extent, new boys Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had previously been neato > > short-hair harmony singers in the saccharine sweet Episode Six. So long hair > > and screaming was deffo a sensible career move back then. Talking of > > saccharine, even the disgraced entrepreneur Jonathan King struck big in 1971 > > with his anthemic/anaemic fuzz-guitar version of the Archies' 'Sugar Sugar', > > which I saw him perform on Top of the Pops under a pink Afro wig; the name > > of this Hard Rock-styled project? Sakkarin! Yowzah. Which brings us to where > > Hard Rock went afterwards ------------------------------ End of idealcopy-digest V10 #303 ********************************