So Long, Frank Larry and Pip

It seems rather churlish of me to have not paid tribute to Larry Fischer, whose first album inspired the title of this blog, and whose music made me laugh all the time I was feeling his pain. He died earlier this year, to almost no media attention.

A deeply troubled individual, his "An Evening With Wild Man Fischer" album has been out of print for over forty years. There are some people I have met who agree with me that it was better than anything its producer, Frank Zappa, ever recorded himself, and the consensus of opinion seems to be that it is his widow, Gail, who has prevented its re-release since then.

The link to the album which was the first post I did on this blog seems to have died, so I'll have a go at finding my rip of the album and putting it up again (along with the Science Songs album which has been requested).

Since I signed off last, two of my favourite maverick artists have also checked out, Pip Proud, who I came across when a friend bought his "Adrenaline and Richard" album while in Australia purely because the shopkeeper had put a sticker on the cover reading "the worst album ever made", which might not be far from the truth. His music comprises a flat nasal drone over an almost mechanically strummed acoustic guitar which never quite sounds in tune. He appears to have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity towards the end of his life, although he was far from in good health for the last few years.

Also gone is Frank Sidebottom, who I saw several times at festivals in the late eighties and early nineties. He was a bit like George Formby would have been if Formby had sung with a clothes peg on his nose and wore an enormous papier mache head on stage. He was a marvellous performer, I feel sad when I think about him now, but only have to hear his music to put a big smile back on my face. He made an album called "Frank Sidebottom Salutes the Magic of Freddie Mercury and Queen and also Kylie Minogue, You Know, Her off Neighbours", which is an extraordinary listen, but was impossible to find when it was released. I recently found it posted on another blog, I'll put a link up to it when I've a few minutes to find it again.

Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

It's been a couple of years since I've even looked at this blog, but today I had an urge to come back and see if it's still here, maybe come up with some ideas for new posts, and share some more sounds. Was surprised to see how many hits it's had since I last looked, and amazed that so many of the links are still active.

To everyone who has had a look around this little corner of my world, I'd like to say thank you for popping by. It feels to me like the time is right for me to be here again.

I've been hanging out at the Rock Town Hall blog, if you like it here why not pop over and check it out?

Slip Slidin' Away

I'm having trouble getting inspired at the moment, so I've decided to rest this blog until I've got something to say, which may be tomorrow, may be next week, next month, whatever.

Take care, and catch you soon, hopefully!

Neko Case's New Single - officially available for free!

Having discovered the blogosphere about 18 months ago, I've been eagerly investigating all sorts of music I either heard a long time ago and wanted to hear again, or checked out artists I'd read about and whose music was - until now - all but impossible to obtain, and having heard it was usually glad that I hadn't parted with huge amounts of money for the original vinyl.

Very occasionally I'll download something by someone who I've never heard of, and am not usually impressed, but sometimes I find someone whose music puts a big smile on my face and makes me want to jump around like a teenager again - one of these has been Neko Case.

She's giving $5 to the Best Friends Animal Society charity for every blog which links to the giveaway download of her new single, "People Got A Lotta Nerve".

It's twangy, it's countrified, it bounces along like the Rockingbirds at their finest, she has a fabulous voice - and it's in a great cause.



Read all about it.

Download it here.

And the misses keep on coming!

Thanks to Eddie for this one!

So Whatever Happened to the Rockingbirds?

Any friend of Jo-Jo is a friend of mine!

On the basis that any fan of Jonathan Richman had to be alright with me, I went and bought The Rockingbirds' first single, 'Jonathan, Jonathan', on no more than a good review in the NME, whose opinion I had already been wary of since 1978 when I bought an album by The Pop Group (or it might have been The Birthday Party) on the strength of a glowing write-up by someone who I assume was either profoundly deaf or doing it as a joke.

Returning the album to the shop within the time it would have taken to listen to it in its entirety, I was allowed to exchange it for The Fall's 'Totales Turns', which - while not without its challenging aspects - remains a favourite today.

The Rockingbirds single didn't disappoint, and the album which followed was an absolute belter. I went to see them play their last gig, and heard about the death of Kurt Cobain on the way there.

When Nirvana's 'Nevermind' came out, I borrowed it from the local library on CD, and remarked to the chaps I was lodging with at the time that if the band came over to the UK I wouldn't mind seeing them. They pointed out that we'd all seen them a few weeks before at the Reading Festival, but try as I might I could remember nothing about them, unlike most other bands there they had made no impression whatsoever. The next year they headlined, I lost interest after a couple of songs and went to see Tindersticks in the little tent instead, and have no regrets about doing so. Unlike, say, The Rockingbirds, or Tindersticks, they just didn't do it for me live.

The Rockingbirds gig was fantastic, it's a real shame that nobody bought their records, which seemed to be the main reason they split - they certainly appeared to have no problems with each others company during that last hoedown. I was wandering around the stone circle on the sunday of Glastonbury this year, and heard Rockingbirds songs blasting across the field between the circle and the Park Stage, and realised that it was Alan Tyler (the band's singer) playing in one of the guest spots. In good voice, too.

Doubting my stamina would allow me to get there and back and still remain upright for the rest of the day's anticipated fun, I sat and listened in the sunshine, grooving to the ideal summer soundtrack.

I still dust this first album off regularly, and - having checked its availability (zilch, apparently) - thought that I'd put it up here.

Hope you like it!

The Rockingbirds

Tracks are:
Gradually Learning
Further Down The Line
Standing At The Doorstep of Love
Jonathan, Jonathan
The Day My Life Begins
Searching
Restless
Time Drives The Truck
Halfway to Comatose
In Tall Buildings
Only One Flower
Drifting

It's on Mediafire, here.