Underrated: Hollywood Brats

For 30 years the only thing I knew about the Hollywood Brats was that they had a track on the "punk" compilation We Do 'Em Our Way (which, as it happens, is great - it has I Heard It Through The Grape Vine by The Slits, (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone by Sex Pistols, Walk On By by The Stranglers, Nights In White Satin by The Dickies and Money by The Flying Lizards - all cast-iron, 100% nailed-on classics, I digress).

So the Hollywood Brats, one-album-wonders (1973), were billed (to anybody that was paying attention) as the UK's answer to The New York Dolls. Yes that is true but I would say they are every bit as good as the Dolls yet they never seem to get mentioned when you see those 'Fore-runners Of Punk' programs. Maybe it's because they were placed in the shadow of the Dolls (they dressed in a similar way and sounded a bit like the Stones / Ziggy era Bowie) but all accounts they just happened to come up with a similar idea at a similar time (early 70s).

As well as sounding brilliant they had a song  called Sick On You (1973) - how punk is that? It sounds like it could have been recorded Live At The Roxy - indeed, if you didn't know you'd probably think it was The Adverts.



Other goodies include Nightmare:



Chez Maximes is pretty punky sounding too




The aforementioned And The He Kissed Me



Casino Steel (keyboards) went on to form The Boys who had their moments (I guess).

Here's some blurb about them: http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/hollywood_brats.htm

Aren't Flats brilliant

I'm not talking about height-challenged dwellings, I'm on about the best noisy band in the world called Flats.

Flats have got a new single out called Country which is a total epic clocking in at over 4 minutes. (When they play this track live it must double the length of their show!)

It is completely brilliant, I think it is going to be my favourite track of the year; I cant see how it will be topped. I look forward to the LP at the end of April.

I heard Flats for the first time last year (2011) on the wonderful Tom Ravenscroft show on 6Music. He played the single 'Never Again'. Then they did a session for Marc Riley and did a load of live-on-air-accidental swearing. This was also brilliant - the session, not the swearing although, credit where credit is due, they do a good line in expletives followed by sheepish apologies.

Then I was fortunate to see them in Oxford at the Jericho Tavern. It's a good job I didn't need the toilet whilst they were on as I'd have probably missed the whole set - they only played about 20 minutes, but it was twenty minutes of sheer brilliance.

To me they sound like Discharge around the Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing era which is the era of Discharge to sound like. Normally I don't like bands that sound like other bands but in this case it is fully justified.



It's also refreshing that a band that cite Crass, Chron Gen and Anthrax as influences don't feel the need to sport mohicans and metal-studded leather jackets, not that I mind that but its all a bit 1979 and it doesnt really make the music sound any different.

Since I can't find any more Flats, I'll offer you some Discharge for your listening pleasure. Flats actually make them sound fairly sedate.

Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing



Hell On Earth



Time to listen to Country again.

Billy Strange is dead & best duets ever

I must confess I knew nothing about Billy Strange until I read the obituary in the Guardian then it turns out the guy was a bloody genius. I say that because he arranged Some Velvet Morning by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra, one of the most fabulous duets ever.

Billy Strange also played with the Beach Boys on Good Vibrations, appeared on numerous Phil Spector records, played on Forever Changes by Love and arranged and conducted most of Nancy Sinatra's recorded work including her duets with Lee Hazelwood.

Here's another nailed on classic that he arranged, The Boots Are Made For Walking:



Actually, on reflection, there's not many duets that make it into my ears: Marc Bolan and Cilla Black - Life's A Gas,



and Mark Langegan and Isobel Campbell - Who Built The Road? I always think these two must have been heavily influenced by Hazelwood / Sinatra.



In a desperate attempt to find some more duets I looked at a Dairy Telegraph article which just serves to highlight how crap duets generally are, however, I was reminded of the fabulous Bonnie and Clyde by Serge Gainsbourg and Bridgitte Bardot.



The Telegraph Article isn't all Bonio and Freddie Mercurial, it does also mention what I claim is the best number one record ever: Uptown Top Ranking by Althea and Donna. It's one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Universe how that got to number one.



I've been scoffing at the Telegraph article, especially when I found out that John Travolta and Olivia Neutron-Bomb were at number 5 and Mary J Bilge collared the number 2 slot, then, lo-and-behold, what's that at number one? Some Velvet Morning by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra!

Surely there must be some more good duets??

That telegraph article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3606080/50-best-duets-ever.html

I'll tell you who still sound good ........ Wire

Early era Wire stuff sound as good as it ever did.

Chairs Missing is the one for me: its a cross between New Wave and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. Outdoor Miner, how brilliant is that track?

I forgot about I Am The Fly , how could I?

The third LP, 154, is also worthwhile as is Behind the Curtain which compiles Peel sessions and demos from that era.

I was in an Irish bar in Amsterdam last summer and nearly fell off my chair when the barman played their first LP Pink Flag in its entirety. To be honest, it is not as full sounding as the other LPs from this era but there's still much merit in it.

I kind of lost track of Wire after they split and reformed but was mightily impressed with  2002's Send and again with last year's Red Barked Tree. They're right back up there.

Ceremony: the new Oasis / Sex Pistols?

Well, maybe the title is a bit over the top but 'BraceYourself' by 'Ceremony' has 'that' sound, you know the vibe that you get when listening to Cigarettes And Alcohol or Liar / Submission. There's also a hint of Wire's Chairs Missing in the mix.

There doesn't appear to be a copy of the song on You Tube or anywhere else so you're going to have to buy it!!