5/08/2011

WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER & THE CONFESSIONS - Autre Chose Live

WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER & THE CONFESSIONS Autre Chose Live 2 lp's/cd 1982
Tennesse Waltz / Kids are jagging / Be Bop a Lula / Home is / Killer in a Trenchcoat / Hit & run / Eyes crossed / AAWW / Hit her wid de Axe / Kerouac / Working Hard / Take me away / Autre Chose / Gin / Radio Heart / Dirty Eddie / Close Enough / B.U. Baby.
Recorded live at the Printemps de Bourges, France, April 3rd 1982 by A. Français & mixed by P.Abadie.
W. L. Alexander & The Confessions: Willie Loco: vocals & piano / Mathew MacKenzie: guitar & vocals / Walter Powers III: bass & vocals / Ricky "Rock It" Rothchild: drums & vocals.
In memory of Mathew MacKenzie & Ricky Rothchild.
"...Willie Loco Alexander is a V.I.P. in the underground, a musician whose name has been around since the Sixties. A renegade specialising in a slightly warped rock, he is a man who lives outside of time, fashion and compromise. In spite of that, he keeps on recording discs that pass the test of time and are regularly reissued. The part he played in the very last days of the Velvet Underground is probably one of the facts that carved his name in golden letters in the minds of the "Believers". Luckily for him, there are other chapters in his book. You're holding one of those in your hands.
Recorded during the annual French music festival the "Printemps de Bourges", "Autre Chose "(something else), was first issued in June '82 on the New Rose label. It's an important record, one which concluded a 13-date tour of France, that followed a few months of bad vibes and which was made despite Willie being neglected in his homeland. In another time, not too long ago, France was a real land of opportunity for the tender eyed rockers.
"Solo Loco", the first Willie Alexander lp for New Rose, was issued in October '81. And if "Solo Loco" has such a synthetic sound, it's because the artist wanted to prove that guitar wasn't the only attribute of the binary beat. A tour was then booked with a band baptized the Confessions especially for the occasion. Walter Powers was on bass, along with two ex-Taxi Boys, Ricky Rotchild on drums and Mathew MacKenzie on guitar (the latter had already been part of a blues band with Willie in 72/73, Bluesberry Jam). The tour started with three shows in the capital city, on March 23rd and 24th at the Rex Club, as part of the "Actuel" (a famous underground/leftist French magazine) nights, then at the Gibus on the 25th. It was followed by some ten gigs in France including the "Printemps de Bourges" on April 3rd, recorded for posterity..." Source
"That specific tour was set up by one of the "Printemps de Bourges" bookers, Bernard Batzen. In fact that recording almost never happened, as the previous night Willie Alexander was playing in Toulouse, in a club called Le Pied (the Foot). It's such a nice place it's almost impossible to leave it, specially after enough beers. Which is why in the early morning we missed the train. So we hit the road by car and Willie made it to Bourges an hour before going on stage. Back then there was no highway and we thought we'd never make it there. And as it often happens, these were the perfect conditions for a marvellous show" Source
The Press was unanimous, it's a great record, a "live" that'll stick around and that you can spin again and again. SourceLienBuy it HERE!

9 commentaires:

MIDNIGHT RAMBLER a dit…

WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER & THE CONFESSIONS: "Autre Chose Live" 2xlp/cd 1982

"On the set list were eighteen songs including an old country classic recorded by the late Patti Page in the very early Fifties, "Tennessee Waltz", previously the work of Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King. Because there are boundaries among Willie's influences he then goes for a raging "Be Bop A Lula" borrowed from Gene Vincent. What comes next are the more expected numbers. Including his best-loved songs : "Home Is", "Kerouac", "AAWW", "Hit Her Wid De Axe", "Radio Heart", "Dirty Eddie"..."

roberto a dit…

Thanks,you've make my day.i had this and stupidly sold years ago,i've regret it ever since,never been able to find at record fairs...thanks again.

MJG196 a dit…

Always nice to see what the latter-day Velvet Undergrounder was up to!

DEE DEE a dit…

My first "New Rose" record! Brings back old memories, lonely drunken nights with Willie Loco singing kerouac and Radio Heart... Thanks

ratboy69 a dit…

Ceux qui sont intéressés par le bonhomme ne manqueront pas de jeter une oreille sur son premier groupe, THE LOST, qui incluait déjà Walter Powers III à la basse.

http://phrockblog11.blogspot.com/2011/02/lost-lost-tapes-1965-1966-us-garage.html

styreneboy a dit…

Thanks a lot for this one - great show. Do you have any of the following 'Loco' singles that I'm missing... Hit Her Wid De Axe/You Looked So Pretty When (Garage 1976), Dirty Eddie/She Wanted Me (Somor 1978), Cherry Pie/In The Rain (Three Torches 1981) and AAWW/Bass Rocks (Pure & Easy 1982). If you have you'll make an old man very happy.

Anonyme a dit…

MONTPELLIER !!!!

geololo a dit…

Salut Rambler! Excellent post, comme d'hab! Justement je récoutais hier mon vinyl de leur album intitulé "Solo Loco", sorti en 1981 chez New Rose (le 3ème album sorti par New Rose, je suis fier de l'avoir !!): très bon, très "bizarre", assez psyché finalement, loco quoi !!!
Merci beaucoup pour ce disque.

MIDNIGHT RAMBLER a dit…

Solo Loco est vraiment un disque bizarre, c'est le moins qu'on puisse dire...je ripperai ça un des quatre !