THE GREATEST ROCK MUSIC OF ALL TIME

Detailed Twang is going on another one of its extended hiatuses following this post. At this point, it feels like I’ve digitized and posted most of the five-star 45s, comp tracks and strange rarities in my collection that aren’t already on CD or posted elsewhere by other blogs. It only took two years of mp3-rich posts 2-4 times per week, but I’m done tapped out – or at least it feels that way. Sure, I could shift the focus here to politics or beer, but I already carry two blogs under those weighty subjects – check them out at FIRST PRINCIPLES and HEDONIST BEER JIVE if you’re interested. Thing is, I’m sure the ‘Twang will be back sooner rather than later. I’ll find some box of 45s in the garage somewhere, or gather inspiration from some musical obsession or another, and be right back in this space, ranting and spewing.

Meanwhile, let me at least take my leave with the single greatest 45rpm record of all time, 1975’s masterwerk from PERE UBU, “30 Seconds Over Tokyo / Heart of Darkness”. This is, for me, the rock and roll record to end all records. If I had to choose, I’d take the uber-masterpiece B-side as having the edge over the masterpiece A-side. I have no further comment, as none is necessary (plus, I already wrote a bunch here). Thanks, enjoy, and please work your way through the archives, as all mp3s are still live and ready for taking.

Play or Download PERE UBU – “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” (A-side)
Play or Download PERE UBU – “Heart of Darkness” (B-side)

FLEXIDISC TIME!

In 1988 an "indie rock" magazine much in the vein of today's MAGNET or yesteryear's PUNCTURE called REFLEX included a 6" flexidisc of a 1979 MISSION OF BURMA demo inside all copies. It was a huge surprise, given as how around that time, all the archival Mission of Burma material was spilling out onto LPs and EPs on Taang! Records, save for this one fantastic demonstration recording of one of Burma's finest songs. Nope, that was saved for a flexidisc in some crap magazine with the Cocteau Twins on the cover. Still hasn't been compiled anywhere, so I just went ahead and digitized it for you so you can add it to your collection of mp3s & such. Enjoy!

Play or Download MISSION OF BURMA - "This Is Not A Photograph" (demo, from 1988 Reflex magazine flexidisc)

THE MOTARDS' "I'M A CRIMINAL" EP

The 1990s garage punk eruption was already totally on when this thing arrived in my mitts, but it was no less of an upside-the-head wallop for its tardiness. THE MOTARDS were an Austin, TX quintet who played stupid-simple, "learning to play" rock of the highest order, and who never made one this good again (though their follow-up 45 was still pretty hot). Total gargles-with-gravel, treble-heavy, DWARVES-style room-clearing punk rock and roll. I played it over and over and over that year (what was it, 1994?), and now, fourteen years later, I’d like to provide you with the same opportunity.

Play or Download THE MOTARDS - "I'm A Criminal" (A-side)
Play or Download THE MOTARDS - "The Fast Song" (B-side, Track 1)
Play or Download THE MOTARDS - "My Love Is Bad" (B-side, Track 2)

DUST DEVILS: DU YOU REMEMBER???

From my old blog, Agony Shorthand, March 22nd 2003:

Decided to make myself a CD-R of the 1990 DUST DEVILS LP “Struggling Electric And Chemical” this afternoon, and tacked on a four-song 7”EP from the year before called “Dust Devils Is Big Leggy”. Remember this band? Always shackled by frequent, relatively accurate comparisons to Sonic Youth, the Manhattan-based Dust Devils got a bit of late-80s notoriety in Europe, released a few long-gone 12” records out there, put out the aforementioned “Struggling…” on the young Matador label (actually a co-release with Teen Beat), and then churned through a bunch of new members for a few years before packing it in (there may have been another LP in there somewhere, I don’t remember). One time on a visit to New York, I went to see them at CBGB a year after seeing them put on a great, loud-as-hell show in San Francisco with their “Struggling..” lineup of Lower East Side poster girl Jaqi on vocals & guitar, Mark Ibold (later of Pavement) on bass and Michael Duane on guitar (and oh yeah, a drummer). In New York, I walked in to find a band with a DUDE on vocals – no guitar in his hands - and Gerard Cosloy, Matador head, on bass (!). The end was definitely near.

Anyway, so how’s it hold up in 2003? Always a relevant question. Not too bad, I’d say, though this act was always pretty hit and miss. They had a knack for texturing washes of droning, ringing guitar in dense, noisy sheets very very well, and when they applied that to actual songs like “Throw The Bottleful” or “Love You Like a Rock”, it sounded pretty great. They also start the LP with an outstanding 10-minute cover of The Fall’s “Hip Priest” – a bold move that paid off handsomely. Lots of noisy, quasi-experimental filler in there as well that is produced well; that’s about the best I can say of it. I’d put them near the upper 20% of the era’s bands, and if you find a copy of this one used for under ten bucks, hey, why not give it a whirl.

(2008 postscript - no need. Here they are.)

Download DUST DEVILS - "Struggling, Electric and Chemical" LP
Download DUST DEVILS - "Dust Devils Is Big Leggy" 7"EP