Tuesday, July 7, 2009

VV.AA. - The Moonlight Tapes (1980) LP vinyl-rip

Compilation of tracks of various bands (including the Damned as ‘School Bullies’) recorded live at the Moonlight Club, West Hampstead in 1979.

Ripped from LP at 320 kbps
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Mary Lou Lord - Some Jingle Jangle Morning/Western Union Desperate (1993) 7" vinyl-rip

Playing her way from the subways and streets of London and Boston, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Mary Lou Lord broke into the indie-rock scene in 1994 on the Kill Rock Stars label. After appearing on a KRS compilation, Lord released a self-titled EP in 1995 and a second EP, Martian Saints, in early 1997. Got No Shadow, her major-label debut with Sony Music's WORK Group, was released in 1998.
Lord's interest in music started when she worked as a DJ for a college radio station in the Boston area as a teenager. When the station changed format, she decided to concentrate on making her own music. After a stint at Boston's Berklee School of Music, she moved to London and learned the art of busking in the subway. She moved back to Boston and continued to play mostly acoustic covers on city sidewalks and in subways. In eight years of busking, she refined her talent and determined what music she liked to play. A KRS executive heard her play and eventually signed her to the label.
While most of Lord's live shows have been just her and her acoustic Martin guitar (even those beyond the subway), with the recording of Got No Shadow, she moved in the direction of electric pop-rock. She has recorded songs for two tribute albums -- "Power to the People" for Working Class Hero, a John Lennon tribute, and "Jump" for Everybody Wants Some, a Van Halen tribute released in fall of 1997.
Lord made the leap to the majors in 1997, signing with the Sony subsidiary Work. Her major-label debut and first full-length album Got No Shadow was released in January 1998.

Mary Lou Lord jumps from sentimental folk that lures you in with her sweet voice to a bouncy pop flavor of punky riffs that remain blissful in it's entirety. The word "pop" could be used so many time in order to describe this single that it would eventually lose all meaning. Both "Some Jingle Jangle Morning (When, I'm Straight)" and "Western Union Desperate" are a nice structure of delicate arrangements that are hands down, probably some of the best material Mary Lou Lord has ever recorded.

Ripped at 320 kbps from 7" vinyl
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Monday, July 6, 2009

Celibate Rifles - Pretty pictures/Kent's theme (1983) 7" vinyl-rip

Pretty rare 7" from one of the best bands from Australia

Playing stripped-down, loud, and fast Ramones-inspired guitar rock, the Celibate Rifles were one of the earliest punk bands to emerge during the post-Radio Birdman/Saints era. Taking their cues from these Aussie bands, along with the American hard rock of the Stooges, MC5, and Blue Oyster Cult, the Rifles were led by the twin-guitar attack of Kent Steedman and Dave Morris, and the deadpan baritone of vocalist Damien Lovelock. They exploded out of the gates in 1982 with a series of records (released in Australia only) fueled by high-speed guitars, wah-wah-strangulated solos, and cartoon-ish, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Playing initially for crowds of hard rock-loving surfers, it didn't take long for the Rifles to develop a following. Outside of the continent, however, they were virtually unknown. That changed in 1985 with the release of Quintessentially Yours, a lengthy EP that was a collection of tracks from earlier albums. Although the Rifles didn't receive the attention of many lesser American and English bands, the releases kept coming, and they were all excellent. What didn't help was a seeming disinterest the band had in touring America. But when you're an Australian band, it's easy to see why: it's expensive, it takes forever to get there, and why bother when the records aren't getting the kind of reception they deserve? As a result, the Rifles last toured America in 1987, which is too bad, because their great live album (Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang), recorded at CBGB's on that tour, proves them to be a white-hot live band.(from Allmusic.com)

Ripped from 7" at 320kbps
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