Perfectenschlag – Page 5 – In an imperfect world

Pixies – Surfer Rosa

This is the other cd I took with me today. Love this cd. All the songs, all the music, all the words. Cactus is my favorite though. Classic alt rock at its best.

Today on my way out I grabbed two CDs for the road and this was one. I had re-discovered this band about a year ago listening to old mix tapes I had made in the 90’s. The song was “I’m Alive” and when I heard it I was in amazement of the vocals, music and feel of the song, but I couldn’t remember who it was. After a couple of days I finally tracked the band name down. How did I come about putting this amazing song on a cassette in 1994? I decided I must have discovered it from a Metal Blade sampler at the time.

The song “I’m Alive” has great lyrics, crunchy guitars that rip and are epic and just an overall great listen. Today I listened to the Frost and Fire cd start to finish. Very cool. There is a guitar only track half way through that seems like it doesn’t belong on the cd as it begins slow acoustic almost amateurish basement/bedroom recording but it grows into a monster but holds that lo fi quality to it all the while. The band is known for its sword and sorcery style lyrics and style but this, their debut is closer to a hybrid of 70’s hard rock and metal.

The title track is epic in one sense but all Rock and has a catch to it. The whole record is good. These guys were a little ahead of their time. The cd ends with “Cirith Ungol” played live.

When I am gone someday, add this to my ‘play on my behalf’ playlist.

Bad Brains – I Against I

Released in ’86 on SST records this is one of the most influential punk/genre bending records of all time. Combining funk, reggae and punk it is an amazing listen. This is my favorite Bad Brains record. The vocals on the title track amaze and excite me every time I hear it. Pure fury, speed and talent. “Sacred Love” a great song in its own right, is more cool when you factor in the vocals were recorded over a pay phone from prison where H.R. was serving time for a pot charge. The musicianship will astound you, the raw punk feel will amaze you and the vocal craftsmanship will leave you in awe. This is a must have top 10 record for anyone who wants to understand punk at its best.

On a personal note, I got to meet Earl Hudson at a local Atlanta ‘live’ talk show where he was a guest and that I also did the sound design for the show as well…..of course I had some Bad Brains on it but also added some Bad Brains covers.

The Slits – In the Beginning – Picture Disc

Formed in ’76 the Slits were considered avant-garde punk. Their ’79 debut album “Cut” is considered a defining release of the post-punk era. They opened for the Clash on the White Riot tour in ’77 alongside the Buzzcocks. They reformed many times always with Johnny Rottens step daughter, Ari Up on lead vocals. Ari Up died in 2010 shortly after recording a new album with the Slits. This record features a song with Nenah Cherry who joined the group briefly in ’79.

The Sid Vicious Experience – Jack Boots & Dirty Looks

The Sid Vicious Experience – Jack Boots & Dirty Looks – Limited edition white vinyl 87 of 500 printed – Live at the Electric Ballroom 8/15/78

Cool limited colored vinyl of Sids last show in England before heading to America and his untimely death. Glen Matlock on bass. Steve New on guitar. Rat Scabies on drums. Great record. Great inner sleeve.

The Sid Vicious Experience – Jack Boots & Dirty Looks

The Sid Vicious Experience – Jack Boots & Dirty Looks – Limited edition red vinyl 221 of 500 printed – Live at the Electric Ballroom 8/15/78

Iggy Pop – Zombie Birdhouse

Released in 1982, recorded on 16 track at Blank Tape Studios. Chris Stein of Blondie played guitar and produced the record. Clem Burke of Blondie played drums. Many consider this record to be Iggy’s experimental release of the 80’s. Lots of poetic free-associative lyrics/words with droning synthesizers, Afro style beats. Many say this was Iggy’s most ambitious failure but the album has legendary status as an oddity. Glad we own it.

Slayer – Reign in Blood

My favorite Slayer record. This thing will rack/rock your brain. Turn it up to 11 or more and let it rip. My favorites are “Angel of Death” and Piece by Piece

I’m done with Chemo

I tried it again on a lower level hoping it would not affect me in a way like the first time. The first couple of days seemed fine but the last two days have been hell. High fever with all the extreme fever side effects. Sore, cold, chilled, fever, headache, etc. This is not how i want to spend my time left here. It makes NO sense to me to continue chemo. Why would I want to feel like shit to live a little longer, feeling like shit? I don’t and I won’t. Whatever time I have left I will spend feeling as good as i can, doing the stuff I want to do. Without the chemo, I have symptoms but they can be controlled to a degree of reason and I feel like myself. That is the life I choose. I want quality over quantity.

Echo Lounge – Concert Venue (now closed)

551 Flat Shoals Ave SE / Atlanta GA

A recent quote from MC that went something like “This is the time to use the good shit”, stuck with me. Recently the flint went out in my Zippo, and as I was looking for a bic or something with fire, a came across this match book of saved matches from one of our favorite concert venues, Echo Lounge. Nice little silver box with a few stick matches left. Struck one up and relief for my Kools habit. Been carrying them around for a few days now, each time I strike a match I have a new/old memory of a show we saw there. We saw many. I will try to remember them but I hope MC fills in any that I forgot.

Nashville Pussy (my first time), The Briefs, The Real McKenzies, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Icarus Line, Toilet Boys, The Raveonettes, Betty Blowtorch……my mind went blank but I know we saw more bands than that….oh and Black Rebel Motorcycle Clu

We always enjoyed the Echo’s vibe. The cool little back bar with the comfy chairs and couches. Lots of fun memories from there. Getting wasted before Nashville Pussy even took the stage from drinking shots of jagermeister bought by “James Browns bass player”, walking to the next door take out joint for fried catfish so I could maintain enough to see the show. The Toilet Boys was a memorable show. Wild and crazy fun rock and fucking roll. All the shows were good we saw there.

We got to know the owner, Janet, who would often buy a round and shoot the shit with us, After she learned that I was a chef she wanted to talk to me about heading up a kitchen there as they did not serve food and it always seemed to me that was the only thing lacking at the Echo. I put together a nice little menu, made a list of what I needed in small wares, etc and took it to her. Never heard anything about it again. Only later learned she had been operating on a food license to serve alcohol but the risk finally caught up with her and was forced. to close the doors.