There Was No Moon But The Stars Were Bright

This entry is primarily for the benefit of a chap named Nick who tends bar at one of my favourite drinking holes, Supermild*. I was there the other evening, and Nick was putting on some great tracks for the early crowd, like Squirrel Nut Zippers and Tom Waits and there was some Elvis in there too. I generally don't request songs very often, because most of the time I when I ask, I get a blank stare in return. Also, I know how irritating it can be: I used to "DJ"** at a nightclub many moons ago, and also hosted my own radio show for a time, and people would request the strangest things that were never in the same vein as what I was playing.

But I digress. I requested 'Crawfish', by Elvis Presley, which is such a damn fine song, and it actually changed my mind about Mr Presley. I'd initially dismissed a lot of his work, as most people do, without really hearing anything other than Viva Las Vegas or Suspicious Minds or Hound Dog.

I'd done the same with his film work, too, until my significant other bought King Creole and told me I should watch it. The fact that Carolyn Jones, aka Morticia Addams, is in it helped, too.

I've digressed again. Anyway, the point is: Nick didn't have it. I said I'd help him out. So here it is.

Crawfish - Elvis Presley

And this version rules too:

Crawfish - Patti Palladin & Johnny Thunders

- Ringo

*If you're in Supermild, and you're just not feeling 100%, may I recommend the Cucumber Sandwich cocktail? Sour Apple Schnapps, Pimms (I love Pimms) and ginger ale. It's like an olde timey revitalising tonic! That stuff is amazing!

** And when I say "DJ", I mean I simply put CDs in the player and played the songs. No beat-mixing or fancy business.

Second Submission!!!

The second remix has come in!

Actually, it arrived in my inbox shortly after the first one, but I'm just really lazy.

The Pitchfork Council - Dead Bodies on the Dancefloor (Rigor Mortis Mix)

The Pitchfork Council is a producer/artist from Adelaide. You can find his myspace page here.

He's got a hell of a lot of albums available for download, too. I think he's pretty nifty.

Surrogate Flesh Engine

Wicked Dreams Of Fire

Scarred

Death Carols

Twenty Roses

Ropes Of Honey

(in case you were wondering, Cobra Kai have nothing to do with this post, I just love how happy Johnny looks.)
(and that guy, second from right, oooh, I hate him so much! "Get him a bodybag, Johnny!" grr! I hate that guy!!!)

- Ringo.

The First Remix!

A few posts ago, I issued a challenge to all and sundry to remix a track of my own creation. Steph, aka Stepharoo, took the challenge and has submitted the first remix!!!

Thanks, Steph!

And inspired by the remix, I made this visual mashup:

I'm a pretty lady!

Stepharoo - Dead Bodies on the Dancefloor (Sophie Ellis Bexter's Corpse Remix)

- Ringo Stalin.

SA Great Pt 1

SA Great Pt. 1
(this post has not been endorsed in any way by the 'SA Great' people, but surely they would if they knew about it)

Chris, over here, recently asked me if there were any Adelaide bands that I could recommend, in anticipation of his impending move down here. The fact that bands form, dissolve, and intertwine with one another in the space of a day means that any list I write would by no means be exhaustive, or even scraping the surface of what goes on in our shadowy little town.

In addition to this, it's pretty difficult actually getting hold of recordings of some of the bands I want to include.

But I'll certainly give it a good ol' college try!!! (click the pics for webpages)

HIT THE JACKPOT

These guys have been around forever. Starting as a two piece, Jess (left) and Kynan recruited Seb and they started trading instruments with alarming regularity, and with equally alarming proficiency. Seb recently moved to London (the subject of the farewell post below) and Scott has picked up the sticks...

Hit The Jackpot - Cats & Dogs

LINDSEY LOW HAND

... and that's Scott on the left, in one of the greatest album covers ever (for the full effect, see the insert and back cover too). Lindsey Low Hand are Scott, Craig and JC. Craig's from Melbourne, so I guess technically they're not an 'Adelaide band' per se, but I don't hold much credence in that whole 'Melb v Adelaide' thing anyway, so for all intents and purposes, here they are.

I guess their track 'The City' would've been more apt for Chris' arrival, but some people would argue that the track I chose instead would be too.

Lindsey Low Hand - Dull & Ordinary

Not me, though. I love this town.

BIRTH GLOW

What on earth do I say about Birth Glow?? They've been labelled all sorts of things, but nothing has really hit the nail on the head. Personally, I think the photo (taken at the tail end of a looong Halloween party) says it all.

Birth Glow - Too Slow

HOME FOR THE DEF

aka Nigel. This man is my hero. I tell this story to anyone who'll listen: I was DJing (in the sense that I put CDs in to the players and hit 'play') at an event and I played 'Harold & Joe', a Cure b-side. Nigel then played a set, one man, a guitar and a 4-track player. I was blown away by the pure creativity and sense of joy and the uniqueness (uniquity?) of it all. Then he dedicated his version of The Cure's 'Caterpillar' to me, for playing Harold & Joe. Well, I was chuffed. At the time, I was looking to form or join a band but no one was really doing what I wanted to do. So I approached Nigel after the show and asked him if he needed a Fruitbat to his Jim-Bob. Thankfully he knew what I was talking about and said yes. This was back in 1999 and we're still doing stuff together.

Here's his Elliot Smith cover, which, in my book, shits all over the original:

Home for the Def - Needle in the Hay

BABYDOLL

(no website, sorry)

Well, image searching for this one was interesting! I didn't have any luck, so I used a sketch I did for their track 'Wagon', which never got used (I was asked to do it, it wasn't an unsolicited crazy fan thing). BabyDoll went through a lot of line-up changes before they finally imploded a few years back. At their farewell show, all of the old members got up onstage and it was a bit of a rockabilly love-in, actually. Lots of fun. BabyDoll delivered some of the greatest shows I've ever seen. The crowd would usually go absolutely nuts and there were singalongs, stage-storming, the whole shemozzle. I don't think I've ever seen an Adelaide band stir up such a frenzy since.

The track I've chosen to use was actually banned from the radio, due to a possible contempt of court issue. Yeah, it's called Snowtown, and they mention barrels but I fail to see how a jury would be affected by it... apart from maybe going into a crazy trance of dancing...

BabyDoll - Snowtown

HORRAHEDD

The elusive Horrahedd! Actually a big beardy three piece, Horrahedd hail from the Barossa region and rarely play live shows, mostly due to the fact that the Wurlitzer is a pain in the bum to move.

'Take The Radio' is one of my all-time favourite songs ever and samples 'The Celluloid Closet' to brilliant effect.

Horrahedd - Take The Radio

FREQUENT SEAHORSE

I haven't actually heard much from the Frequent Seahorse in a while, which is a shame. I remember being at a show they'd organised, which showcased some of Adelaide's bedroom lo-fi electronic acts. I hadn't seen them before and didn't know what to expect. I recall I was conversing with someone in a corner, and I was a wee bit squiffy, and upon hearing Frequent Seahorse starting, I was dumbstruck and interrupted the person who was talking to me and said "Excuse me. I have to leave now. I think I need to see this." and walked away, mid-conversation to watch the band. It was a bit rude but I think it was worth it. I ended up with a copy of their CD in my jacket and listened to it repeatedly over the next few weeks. The above photo was taken at that very same show.

Frequent Seahorse - Moongear

End of Part 1...

- Ringo

Remix Challenge #1

Here's another blatantly self-promotional entry.

I'm a solo musician and also a member of a group called 'The Big Band' (find the myspace here). The rest of the members of the Big Band also have solo projects they work on (you can find them through the Big Band myspace).

A short while ago, Steev expressed an interest in remixing one of my tracks, and I thought maybe I should open the track up to the public at large and let anyone who was interested remix it, like I did with The Dead Trilogy.

So here's 'Dead Bodies on the Dancefloor'.



The individual components (sorry about the vocals, I really should re-record them) (.rar format).

The original track (vocal demo).

Oh, and there's no time limit, and I'll post the remixes here as they come in.

Cheers!

EDIT: the song is 165bpm, according to Fruity Loops.

- Ringo Stalin

Dedication of kinda random songs

One of my good-time buddies is leaving Adelaide to live in the UK for an indefinite time. The chap in question is Seb, and you can find some of his brilliant artwork here.

I now dedicate some songs to Seb. Whether he likes it or not.

Firstly, this is one of the saddest songs ever, especially when you consider it was the last song, on Warren Zevon's last album, 'The Wind'. Warren died in 2003, of mesothelioma, which also killed Steve McQueen. Warren said, on his last Letterman appearance, "I may have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years." More about Warren here.

Warren Zevon - Keep Me In Your Heart

Next comes 'This Is England', which shares the name with a recent film that Seb tells me I'd really like. I dunno if that's true, but this song is great. And it's about England! That's where Seb's going!

The Clash - This Is England

And now a remix/mash thing by Instamatic, of the previous track. I found this one on 'This One's for Joe', which contains "reinterpretations, remixes and mashups of great Strummer tracks", in dedication of Joe, on the 5th anniversary of his death, and is available here. (I plan on doing a post about Joe soon, so stay tuned for that one)

Instamatic - English Ghost

...which lead me to think of probably my favourite mashup at the moment. From what I can tell, you can put Ennio Morricone's 'Ecstasy of Gold' with anything and it'll sound amazing. Jay-Z also uses it on 'Blueprint 2', on Blueprint 2: The Curse. But this one's Nas' 'One Mic', and doesn't include Jay's awful Austin Powers impersonation (honestly, what the fuck was Hov thinking??).

DJ Erb - Ecstasy of Gold (Ennio Morricone vs. Nas)

And from there, I decided to include this Morricone track from 'Una Pistola Per Ringo', a perfect example of Spaghetti Western music, with its awkward Italo-English vocals by Maurizio Graf and equally as awkward lyrics ("Rivers, you know how is the story..."???). And hopefully when Seb hears it, he thinks of me ;)

Ennio Morricone (ftg. Maurizio Graf) - Angel Face

Lastly, I decided to include a very very very rare track, by a pairing that may not have even existed in the first place. I like to keep a little mystery to it, but I will say: two members of Sound of Mercy Killing are responsible.

The Problem with Growing Boys - Licks on the Bowl

Bye, Seb!!!


Keep licking that metaphorical Glenn McGrath Hickory Sauce Bottle!!!

- Ringo Stalin

Echoes Nobody Hears

A quick note to the faithful...

You might be aware that since 2000, Pearl Jam have released "official bootlegs" of (most) of their live concerts.

Well, I make compilations of 'em for those that don't feel like wading through all 246 of them (and counting).

You might like them... or you might very likely wonder why anyone would bother (I know I do).

You might even think "omg pearl jam, wtf?! those guys are still around?!"

Whichever, feel free to drop in if you want.

Echoes Nobody Hears

Spencer.