6/25/2009

WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER - Taxi-stand Diane

WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER Taxi-stand Diane mini lp 1984 New Rose records 320 kbps
Taxi-stand Diane / Dream° / Telephone sex / Walkman woman"°/ Just another fool* / So innocent / Don't give it up now (bonus Lyres cover) / Blues for Vanessa (bonus).
Produced by Willie Alexander.
W. Alexander : lead vocals & keyboards / B. Loosigan : guitars / B. Pritchard : bass / E. Lindgren : keyboards & strings on°/ A. L. Drake : drums & percussion / M. Day : saxo on" / B. Harrington & E. Marshall : backing vocals on*.
"Don't give it up now" appeared on the double lp compilation by New Rose artists singing other New Rose artist's tunes (never released on cd)
"Blues for Vanessa" appeared on a New Rose compilation called "La Vie En Rose" (a double lp on pink vinyl in a pink box & also never released on cd - I think)
Although relatively unknown outside Boston, Willie "Loco" Alexander is familiar to rock trivia experts as the answer to the brain-teaser: Who took Lou Reed's place in the Velvet Underground? He was born in Philadelphia in 1943, but emigrated to Boston in the '60s, where he formed the folk duo Baba & Willie Loco. Alexander founded the Lost in 1964, one of Boston's most popular garage bands of the period, and recorded for Capitol during the mid-'60s. By 1967, he was playing in Glass Menagerie with Doug Yule (who joined the Velvets one year later, replacing John Cale); in 1970, Alexander was invited to join one of the most influential bands of the '60s after its leader departed. He played keyboards and sang until Yule and the rest of the skeleton crew called it quits in 1972, after the album "Squeeze".
Willie Alexander recorded three solo singles beginning in 1975, and formed the punk-oriented Boom Boom Band the following year. The group recorded two albums for MCA, but broke up in 1978. He released "Solo Loco" (New Rose & Bomp) in 1981 , and then formed the Confessions, who also recorded two albums, "A Girl Like You" and "Autre Chose" in 1982 (New Rose). W. Alexander continued in his solo status throughout the '80s with the mini lp "Taxi-stand Diane" in 1984 ,"Tap dancing on my piano" in 1986 (New Rose) & then "The dragons are still out" in 1988 always on New Rose records .
He formed the Persistence of Memory Orchestra in 1991 , recorded a few albums . Maybe the best is "The East Main Street Suite" (1999) .
From the Lost, a 60's garage-band that made a couple of records for Capitol, to the psychedelic late-60's Bagatelle, to a brief stint in the post-Lou Reed Velvet Underground, the Boom Boom Band in the punk 70's, which recorded for MCA, to an introspective take on the 80's recording for the French label New Rose, and renewed band energy in the 90's with the Persistence of Memory Orchestra, Willie has maintained a consistently high level of emotional and artistic integrity. In 2005 the original Boom Boom Band reunited 23 years later, only to go into the studio owned by the Neighborhoods' guitarist/vocalist David Minehan recorded a new lp "Dog Bar Yacht Club" The results were phenomenally great, only proving that had the rock & roll minefields not existed to stand in this juggernaut's way, Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band would have emerged as Boston's answer to the Rolling Stones, and then some.
Source : here & here .

5 commentaires:

MIDNIGHT RAMBLER a dit…

WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER "Taxi-stand Diane" 320 kbps + covers

Another request : enjoy it & leave comments !

Anonyme a dit…

This was a shockingly good release, thanks so much for all the Willie rarities. Enjoyed the site for a couple of years, never thanking for the obscure brilliance you've shared, so belated thank yous... greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Anonyme a dit…

Thanks so much. Je l'avais que sur cassette, disparue depuis longtemps...

Zvone a dit…

These are all great, thanks a lot! Would You happen to have any of his early stuff from the seventies, like LOCO LIVE 1976 or WILLIE LOCO BOOM BOOM GA GA 1975-1991 compilation?

Zvone a dit…

These are all great, thanks a lot! Would You happen to have LOCO LIVE 1976 or WILLIE LOCO BOOM GA GA 1975-1991?