Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Ynysbwl Rock City & Tit Alert!

I really don't know where to start these days. So I kinda randomly picks my albums by topics such as members, producers, what I play just now, how I stumble over them in backups or the vinyls stacked in the closet. A way to help my desicions are requests or feedback on what you like or are interested in more of. There's a lot I don't have, ofcourse, but then again... I really have a lot. But I must repeat, some of the long lists in the comments here, have stuff I've never heard about. Now I can help look for those, so it's a good thing anyway. And things asked for, that's not suited or fits this blog in music style or taste, I'll answer in the comments with a link where to DL it. So, please drop by once in a while, you never know...

KOOGA

A quick cut'n'paste from the mighty net 'bout this rare gem:

RockDetector:
'A Welsh Melodic Rock act from Ynysbwl, KOOGA formed in 1981 (originally as PREACHER) who impressed many in 1986 with their sole vinyl offering on the French independent record label Black Dragon's Melodic Rock arm.'

Metallian:
'Wales’ Kooga was formed in 1982 as Preacher before changing monicker and signing to a French label across the water. The hard rock band could not obtain another deal however and would again change its name, this time to Cougar.The band would release an EP on its own and play at The Reading Festival in 1987, but with Howells and Garland following each other out of the door things would soon crumble to disintegration.'




Kooga - Across The Water. 1986.
Not my own rip. Good Quality.

1. Across The Water
2. Lifeline
3. Fall From Grace
4. Lay Down Your Love
5. Lockjaw
6. She Walks In Beauty
7. Gabrielle
8. Like I've Never Known

Neville MacDonald - Vocals, Guitar
Neil Garland - Keyboards
David Howells - Bass
Martin Williams - Drums
Gerwyn Howley - Guitar


Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/46285848/Kooga-AcrossTheWater_.rar


MR. BIG (UK)

Since the moment I got their single 'Wonderful Creation' in '75, Dicken & his band have amazed me. And still do. Since my native tounge aren't english, my tiny vocabulary prevents me using the words I'd like to describe how much I love this album and all of Jeff Dicken's work & music. Let's just say it's simply amazing. It got everything. Awesome songs, a range of styles & performence hardly matched by none, two drummers and a perfectly fit band, a singer/songwriter of another world, it's creative, it's performed from the heart and soul, it's hard rockin' when needed, it never stop delivering never heard musical enlightment the way many performers could die for. Definately one of my top 10 best albums ever! I remember reading some reviews back then, and they often mentioned 'too much Queen', which could'nt be more far from the case. Not a second of his work ever reminds me of Queen, but I can see how critics desperately needs to place the band, and Queen was a real happening phenomenon at that time. And in fact, Mr. Big even played support for Queen in '75. I got a recording of that Queen gig (stunning!), at Hammersmith Odeon (I think, not sure), but sadly no recording of the supporting band. Mr. Big only released 2 albums (before becomingBroken Home, in the early eighties), and both are among the world's best kept secrets of stunning releases. It makes me just sad. And what do I do when I'm sad? I put on Mr. Big!!! LOUD! Now you can do the same, if you're not one of those who already got this. Maybe you even never have heard Dicken's work or voice, for your own best, do something about it! More Dicken later.

"Kerrang" (issue 2, August 1981)

If you remember Mr.Big at all it'll probably be because of their 1977 wimp-out chart hit 'Romeo'. "I am the morning, you are the light. You make the morning such a beautiful thing" crooned vocal leader Dicken with sickening sentimentallity, as if he was singing the verse of a Valentines day card. It's icredible to think that two years earlier, in the context of their debut album 'Sweet Silence', Mr.Big produced a track that even today can stand up proudly alongside the likes of 'Paranoid', 'Smoke on The Water' and 'Whole Lotta Love' as an all time heavy metal classic. You think I'm kidding? No way, Jose. If an HM DJ with an eye for the bargain bins picked up this LP, he would discover a real Soundhouse showstopper at the end of side one. It's the title track and goes like this; 'Aaaagh you look so sweet - Gotta move into rock 'n' roll beat - Such a crazy honey blowin'' my mind - Sweet Silence all MIIIINE!' Dicken, far from being the tender romantic balladeer, spitsout the lyrics like a mouthful of broken teeth and the band, spurred on by two drummers (Glitter Band style) create a racket so frantic, so crazed, so thunderous behind him that they sound like the modern day Plasmatics. And after he's sung the essential vocal lines, Dicken just spits, slurps and farts into the microphone like some noisome, ill-mannered spikey-hair. 'Sweet Silence' is a glorious momentin what is, truthfully, overall an erratic and prettylacklustre LP. Songs like 'I Aint Bin A Man' hint at the disappointingly soft-hearted standpoint that was to come. Such a shame, because Dicken had (still has in fact, even with his current band Broken Home) one helluva rock 'n' roll voice, a real Noddy Holder holler that'd be perfectly suited to metallic material. So if you're reading this Dick, stuff the soppiness and just SCREAM! That's my valueless advice.



Dicken - Lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica, cow bell
Pete Crowther - Bass & acoustic guitar
Vince Chaulk - Drums, percussion & backing vocals
John Burnip - Drums, percussion

feat.
Ian Blunsdon - Keyboards
John Punter - Synthesizer, additional percussion
Robert Hirschman - Trombone & double bass
Dave Pain (Dicken's brother) - Backing vocals
All songs written & arranged by Dicken.

Mr. Big - Sweet Silence. 1975.
Produced by John Punter.
My own rip. BitRate 192.

01 - Time Base
02 - Wonderful Creation
03 - Golden Lights
04 - Uncle John 'B'
05 - I Ain't Been A Man
06 - Sweet Silence
07 - Zambia
08 - Enjoy It
09 - Violet May
10 - For The Fun To Find
11 - Appeared A Shining Throne
12 - Throne Second Amendment

Link:


NITZINGER

I said more Nitzinger, and here it is. Good rocking stuff. With Bonus tracks. More info about Nitzinger in a recent blog here. Have fun!

Here's John Nitzinger, still rockin', 27 years after this album,
at Texas Music Nation Celebration 3, June 5-7, 2003.

Nitzinger - Live Better Electrically. 1976.
(The bonus tracks were recorded in 1999)
Not my own rip.

01 - Control
02 - Are You With Me
03 - Live Better Electrically
04 - Around
05 - Gimme A Wink
06 - Yellow Dog
07 - Tell Texas
08 - Vagabond
09 - No Way Around You
10 - The Writing On The Wall
11 - Ticklelick (Bonus)
12 - Fingers In The Fan (Bonus)
13 - Rap Is Crap (Bonus)
14 - Louisiana Cok Fight (Bonus)
15 - Jellyroll Blues (Bonus)
16 - Control (Bonus)
17 - L.A. Texas Boy (Bonus)
18 - Little Bitty Girl (Bonus)

Link:


NO DICE

Here's the second of my three No Dice albums. Again, a great album by a great band, with great songs, that I really don't know a lot about. But I love it!

No Dice - No Dice. 1978.
Produced by Robert Wace and Phill Brown.
My own rip. BitRate 192.

01 - Why Sugar
02 - Crystal Clear
03 - Foolin'
04 - Silly Girl
05 - Down N'Dry
06 - Happy In The Skoolyard
07 - Spacey Romance
08 - Salt In The Wound
09 - Someone Else's Gold

Link:

Peaches: Singer
Deezal: Guitar
Gary Strange: Bass
Kitty Wyles: Drums

Backing vocals: The Dice Section!
All keyboards: Dave Moore
Harmonica 'Silly Girl': S.T.E.V.I.E. Smith

All songs written by Gary Strange


MOTHER'S FINEST

This great funk rock band don't need any more presentation. But if you've never heard this hard rockin' album produced by Jeff Glixman, I really think you should do something about that.

Mother's Finest - Iron Age. 1981.
Produced by Jeff Glixman.
Not my own rip.

1. Movin' On
2. Luv Drug
3. Rock N Roll 2 Nite
4. U Turn Me On
5. All The Way
6. Evolution
7. Illusion
8. Time
9. Gone With Th' Rain
10. Earthling

Link:

NWOBHM Bonus single 4:


Praying Mantis - Cheated.
Double Single. 1981.

Side A: 01 - Cheated
Side B: 02 - Thirty Pieces of Silver
Free Bonus Single. Recorded at the Marquee.
Side A: 03 - Flirting With Suicide
Side B: 04 - Panic In The Streets

Link:

(I know I forgot to tag the previously posted EPs, but now I remembered it!)
That's all this time. More goodies when I get the time. Keep on listening to good music, and if you like something, please leave a comment. Thanks. :)

12 comments:

Scottibrother said...

Hi,Do you have any singles by the UK Pop/Rock group Seven? They had 2 singles produced by John Parr in the late 80s Inside Love & Man With A Vision. Thank you Scottibrother

Anonymous said...

Nice to see the Praying Mantis 7'' here; I got "cheated" when I bought it 2nd hand in London, and found out that the 2nd single was missing. Luckily, I paid almost nothing for this gem :)
Thanks also for the rest of the stuff

Anonymous said...

Man i love the post with No Dice, and you caught me with my "pants down" with the coverart as the cover of my copy (when i had it) looked totaly different. It was mostly white with a picture in a picture in a picture (hope you catch my drift) of an gentleman standing outside a shop or something, crap it's hard to explain. And the tunes, hell how can one not just be blown away by stuff like Why Sugar, Foolin, Happy in the Skoolyard and last but not least the blusey Salt in the Wound (actually reminds me of a tune from Six Stings, Nine Lives with Walter Rossi).
I totaly digg your blogg, keep up the great work done here.
Last but not least, saw you mentioned Broken Home in the text to Mr. Big, you don't happend to have their 1st album in your hiddings, man i haven't heard that since the beginnings of the 80's.

madeiras said...

Hello . Do you have Randy Bishop , The Kite, Lisa Bade Gary O or The Producers ?
Thanks also for the albun of Kooga

Anonymous said...

love your blogspot . thanks for turning me onto touch & other great bands . how about headpins lps?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Mother's Finest album I was looking for this for (iron) ages.
Greetings from Holland.

Anonymous said...

Her you can find Touch - The complete works:
bryonsplace.blogspot.com
Greetings and thanks for the Blinddate album.

Anonymous said...

looking for some stuff from head easts' US 1

Anonymous said...

Thanks muchly for the No Dice, haven't heard it in many a year. What a great single Why Sugar was, shoulda been an enormous hit.
I saw you listed a couple of Widowmaker albums with Steve Ellis - you dont happen to have the 2 albums he made with his band Ellis do you?
Thanks again
Donno

Alocacoc said...

THANKS ALL!

Scottibrother:
Sorry, haven't any Seven singles. Didn't know John Parr produced them. I LOVE Parr's first album. A huge classic!! A quality never to be touched again by his later work. Hope to hear Seven sometime. :))

Lumpensammler:
Yes, GREAT band! I bought their Come Dancing / Bad Boys single first, loved it, bought the album. Searched for years before I found their two previously ones. Too bad not many heard this band back then...

madeiras:
Have a Randy Bishop album. Blogging that later.

Headpins? Sure... not the most hard to get stuff, but good enough. Fits among the canadian topic here... :)

Dutchboy:
Thanks. I have that one too. Touch's first album are a true 10/10 if there is such a thing. Awesome. Their later stuff & Drive, She Said are... more standard ok AOR. But not bad.

Sorry, no Steve Ellis solo stuff. Hope to find that too... always a lot of goodies to search for out there. And the blogsites sure make things like that better. Some amazingly good sites've popped up lately. :D

KEEP IT NWOBHM!!! said...

Thank you for Kooga and NWOBHM bands!!!

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