Never heard this before, never released they say. Why not I wonder. Another good song to punk up.

When I was going through yesterday’s mix disc that had Avi Buffalo on it, I also ran into a fave for a while in My Morning Jacket, Jim James’ band out of Kentucky.

I like them a lot–at least I love a pair of their albums, Z, and Evil Urges–which were in regular rotation and recommendations from Mojo, as was Avi Buffalo.

I will keep it short as the video pretty much speaks for itself, but how can you not love the pop, harmonies, reverb, and cranked guitar?

I can’t get away from all this political bullshit – yeah, “both” “sides”  – so might as well join in. I represent the Reverb Party. I might have posted this before but I love it because it rocks LAMF AND it’s pop. And the words that I can understand are great. I don’t want to understand all the words at first, it’s better when you discover them gradually. It took me 25 years to figure out that Jagger was saying “burns like a red coal carpet” in the 2nd verse of Gimme Shelter. I never looked at a lyric sheet, which are often wrong anyway, especially with the Stones and others who are hard to decipher.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the first six Star Wars films. In fact I saw the new one, The Force Awakens last Friday, and I will review the film at my Mastersball site Wednesday.

But, the local rock station was doing Star Wars for lunch last Friday which meant space songs mostly, but this one cracked me up because it is such a stretch, so right, and a pretty tight little sort of pop tune for Metallica (whom we rarely cover, if ever here).

(BTW, reading the comments under the video is a very strange seemingly non-sequitur randomoness that is kind of funny in a sad and weird way.)

I think I posted this before, but hadn’t heard it in a while and it is some smoking spew. This is where I really line up with Steve, at least I would expect him to love this as I do. Even the words aren’t bad considering but the guitars are right in my garage.

More classic rock, inspired by reading Bob Lefsetz’s post about last saturday’s gig in LA. It looks like they’ve got one more show in the states, in San Francisco. I wish I could be there.

“I bet two dollars on her nose, one dollar on her tail, if she don’t win by a nose she’s bound to win by her tail.” All the DFS gambling talk makes me wanna go to the track with Champion Jack Dupree. Jack played the percentages cannily by moving to Europe in 1960. He died in 1992 at the age of 78 or 82 maybe.

IGNORED OBSCURED RESTORED

The SotW features lots of cool bands that have been undeservedly destined for obscurity. The reasons are varied, but none is more peculiar than that of the mid 60s, Lynn, MA psych band, the Flat Earth Society.

The Flat Earth Society was discovered by a Boston advertising agency that was running a campaign for the F.B. Washburn Candy Company. The idea was to find a hip, young band to record an album and a jingle for their Waleeco candy bar. If you sent in 6 Waleeco bar wrappers and a buck and a half, you got a copy of the album. It wasn’t sold in stores. Needless to say, that wasn’t a strategy to get the record heard by the masses. (Most of the copies ended up in a landfill.)

But the album survived and is recognized by serious collectors as a psychedelic rock classic.

My choice for the SotW is “Four and Twenty Miles.” A rewrite of this song was the basis for the Waleeco bar jingle.

Inspired by acts like the Jefferson Airplane, it has all the hallmarks of 60s psych/garage rock – fuzz guitar, a solid beat, etc. While it’s not particularly unique sounding, you have to admit that these high school kids could play and sing.

By the way, a Waleeco bar was F.B. Washburn’s take on a coconut macaroon – sort of like a Mounds. If you grew up in New England you (or your parents) may remember it.

Enjoy… until next week.

I was going to do a Wilson Pickett post, because he seems in danger of falling down the Memory Hole, when I came across this fairly amazing bit of of television from 1969. You guys might remember the post of Tom Jones with Jack White doing Howlin Wolf – it was damn good, right? This is TJ dueting with Wilson Pickett and TJ holds his own all down the line. I’m not exactly a big Hey Jude fan but damn if they don’t show it off in its best light.

If TJ holds up with the Wicked Wilson, then Wilson holds up with James Brown. The sound is muffled, you’ll just have to turn it up.

Which brings me to my fave Pickett tune, an early version (rarely if ever topped imo) of smooth Philly Soul, a very cool swinging funk.

Pretty excited about seeing Uncle Acid Sunday night in Philly. Just got the new album yesterday and this is my favorite so far:

The typical Uncle Acid Lennon/Sabbath mix works particularly well on this poppier-than-usual tune. The verse reminds me of Cinnamon Girl a little. Don’t see how you can’t keep from bobbing your head by the time the Iommi outro guitar solo is singing.

The tour has just started, the album just came out. If these guys are playing in your area, you really owe it to yourself to go. Tickets are cheap and, for me, there’s nothing like seeing a so-far somewhat undiscovered band still in a small venue on the way up. Paying $150 a ticket to watch dots on the stage or the TV screen has never been my cup of tea.