THE FORTUNE TELLERS - F.T.F.F.

THE FORTUNE TELLERS F.T.F.F. (Fortunes Told For Free) lp 1986
Blue Condition / I Wanna Know / 32-20 / Gi-Me / Broke in the USA / Think Twice / No Fuss / Dreamin'/ Please Louise / Can't Control Myself / Bo Diddley Put the Rock in Rock'N'Roll (bonus track).
Produced by Dino Lee.
The Fortune Tellers: B. Kolliopoulos: vocals, guitar / M. Kolliopoulos: lead guitar, slide / M. Newberry: drums / V. Goetz: bass.
Interesting notes from the back cover:
The Fortune Tellers would like to say thanks to: Philippe Marcade, Steve Shevlin, Billy Pigeon, Don Ledy, Keith Ferguson, Kim Wilson, Jimmy Vaughan, Fran Cristina, James Arnold, Dino Lee, Antone's, Alejandro and Xavier Escovedo, Johnny Reno, Kevin Hinks, Jennifur and Gary Dickson, Bill Bateman, Dave Alvin, Rosco the Man, Shelby Hurt, Billy Shipley (Roadie No. 1), The Fortune Cookies, And our Friends in OKC, last but not least, the man who put the Rock in Rock and Roll, Mr. Bo Diddley!!!

The Fortune Tellers were an american band from Oklahoma. They recorded three albums from 1986 to 1990. "F.T.F.F. (Fortunes Told For Free)" in 1986, issued only on lp on the french label New Rose Records, "Musick Without Tears" one year later also on New Rose (lp only) . Both were recorded in Austin, Texas and produced by Dino Lee for the first & Mike Stewart for the second. Their third and last record, in 1990, was produced by their guitarist & singer B. Kalliopoulos and was called "Lively Up" (always on New Rose Records: cd exists). All are rare long out of print albums, but can be found on the net.
The bonus track "Bo Diddley Put The Rock In Rock'n'roll" is extracted from the New Rose compilation: "Play New Rose for me".
"...The Fortune Tellers are playin' and makin' like lightnin' to that spot. One o' the select passel o' combos dishin' out a juicy original variant of the "rock" thang in these parts (the Lips, Defenestration and Doug Powell bein' most of the few others), The Fortune Tellers blast out a heady blend of ferocious r&b, psycho-whang guitarisma, and wild card Crowley, Beefheart and Coltrane influences..." J. Mooneyham (Source)
Check the Reverb Brothers, the new band of B. Kolliopoulos here !
Cd covers by Max!

MICKEY JUPP - As The Yeahs Go By

MICKEY JUPP As The Yeahs Go By cd 1991
Standing At The Crossroads Again / No Place Like Home / All Sorts To Make A Woman / Nothing Happened Today / Not Wanted Anymore / The Someone Special / From A Barstool / Old Rock 'n' Roller / There's A Thing / Till Honky Gets Tonky Again / Rock 'n' Roll Peg / Doo Wop Shang-A-Lang Shimmy Shimmy / Funny Old World.
Produced by M. Witham & M. Jupp.
M. Jupp: vocals & guitar / T. Comer: bass guitar / E. Deane: lead guitar / F. Mead: sax & harmonica / The Big Figure: drums.
"Like Dave Edmunds, guitarist/pianist/vocalist Mickey Jupp was a champion of traditional rock & roll during the late '70s, a time when it had been all but discarded. Unlike Edmunds, Jupp wrote the majority of his own material, which updated '50s rock & roll with a tongue-in-cheek irony.
Jupp began his career with the Essex-based British R&B group the Orioles in the early '60s. The band earned a devoted local following in the early '60s, yet they never had the opportunity to record. The Orioles broke up late in 1965 after Jupp was arrested for not making alimony payments to his wife. Three years later, he returned to music, forming Legend, who laid the groundwork for English pub rock of the early '70s. Following the release of their third album in 1971, Legend disbanded and Jupp took another lengthy break from music. When he was coaxed back into performing in 1975 by Lee Brileaux, the lead singer of Dr. Feelgood, pub rock was in its last days yet Jupp was well respected in the scene, since both Ducks Deluxe and Dr. Feelgood had recorded versions of his songs ("Cheque Book" and "Down at the Doctors," respectively).

Jupp released his first solo single, "Nature's Radio," on Arista Records in 1978. The single led to a contract with Stiff Records, who released the "Old Rock 'N' Roller" single and the "Juppanese" album in 1978; the bulk of "Juppanese" was recorded with Rockpile and produced by Nick Lowe. Released the same year as his debut, Mickey Jupp's Legend featured material from his previous band. Following the release of "Juppanese", Jupp joined Stiff's Rail Tour, although he left the lineup before it hit the U.S. because he was afraid of flying. Shortly afterward, he left Stiff Records and signed with Chrysalis in 1979. The same year he released "Long Distance Romancer", which was produced by 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme; like "Juppanese", it failed to gain a large audience. Jupp moved over to A&M Records in 1982, releasing "Some People Can't Dance". After releasing one more record on A&M, 1983's "Shampoo Haircut and Shave", he was dropped from the label. Jupp spent the rest of the '80s and '90s touring the U.K., releasing the occasional album on independent labels like Line Records." Allmusic
Buy it here !

VA - I Only Play Rock'N'Roll For kids To Dance

VA I Only Play Rock'N'Roll For kids To Dance cd
Cosa Nostra Band: Cosa Nostra / Little Bob: Downtown / Elli & Jacno: It's Not Enough / Axel Bauer: So Alone / The Weird Sins: She's So Untouchable / Blankass: Sad Vacation / Dominic Sonic: You Can't Put Your Arms 'Round A Memory / The Kingsnakes: Born To Lose / Bebe Buell: Little Bit O'Whore / Posada: Chatterbox / The Pogo: Baby Talk / La Souris Déglinguée: La Fille De New York / Dogs: I Wanna Be Loved / Chris Wilson: Crime Of The Century / Steve Dior & Sylvain Sylvain: Overloaded / The Jet Boys: Pirate Love / Barry Jones: Goodbye Johnny / Jeff Dahl: Chinese Rock / Ze Watchmain: Personality Crisis / F.F.F.: Cool Operator.
Produced by M. Zermati (Executive producer: Freddy Lynxx)
"...Holy Ghost or Holy Terror? Johnny was no angel as Wayne Kramer admitted when he came forward to set the record straight regarding his side of the Gang War partnership (see Chapter 6) during his participation in the Thunders’ tribute album I Only Wrote This Song For You.
Wayne Kramer - "If I’d have wanted to go along with someone to improve my career, it wouldn’t have been Johnny Thunders! My interest in playing with him was because I could see the sheer excitement in what he could do and the thrill of the audience. It was a right brain, left brain thing, my sense of what could work, because I knew he was out of control but I also knew that it could be a great rock ‘n’ roll band. It was a struggle for me to be in a band with him because he managed to fuck everything up. I’m not into kicking Johnny, he was capable of being very charming." Wayne Kramer
In death, Johnny has become the critic’s choice, and has a place in the pantheon of deceased icons. Like the man said in Disappointed In You, ‘the only way you get respect is when you die’. Whenever there’s a wreath attached, Rock ’n’ Roll gets serious. Not only has a genuine tenderness misted up the type, but even the old guard have come forward to reassess with peppery lamentation. Tony Parsons remembered Johnny for the Daily Telegraph (Sept.’94)… ‘In death Thunders is managing something he never truly achieved in his lifetime. Finally he is emerging as more than a bad imitation of Keith Richards. Self-destructive, stupid, supremely selfish - Johnny was all these things. But he was also closer to the dark essence of rock and roll than almost anyone. And when that talent shone through the fog of heroin, he was mesmerising..."
"Johnny Thunders - In Cold Blood"
N. Antonia’s introduction to her update of the official biography of J. Thunders
Buy it here !

VA - I Only Wrote This Song For You

VA I Only Wrote This Song For You cd 1996/2003
Patti Palladin: Leave Me Alone (Chatterbox) / Michael Monroe: Disappointed In You / Arthur Kane: In Cold Blood (Not In Vain) / Wayne Kramer: Children Are People Too / David Johansen: Some Hearts / Sylvain Sylvain: Society Makes Me Sad / Alison Gordy: Just Another Girl / Filthy Lucre: Can't Kick / Willy DeVille: You can't put your arms around a memory / Die Toten Hosen: Diary Of A Lover / The Ramones: I Love You / Walter Lure And The Waldos: Let Go / Michael Monroe: So Alone (only in 1996 edition) / Los Lobos: Alone In A Crowd / The Screwballs (featuring Jayne County): Help The Homeless / Glen Matlock And The Philistines: Little Bit Of Whore* / Sigue Sigue Sputnik: Personality Crisis* / Marc Almond: Hurt* / Johnny Thunders: I Only Wrote This Song For You (hidden track).
* bonus tracks 2002 edition
"Nothing left but infinity.some great records. photos filed in neat sections. ny dolls. heartbreakers. gang war. oddbals. solo shots. press cuttings in platic bags. gotta keep the hungry mites out. hanging in the wardrobe is a vibrant blue cowboy shirt made for jt in bangkok. he liked to shop and to swop. had more chic than than chanel. i came into posession of the lone ranger shirt during a frenzied trade session when johnny got the hots for a chinese print blouse of mine and went trawling through a stuffed to breking point suitcase. turning a friend's living room into a pick and mix disaster area. we were late for a photo session. assaulted the damn bag into repacked submission and headed to the the studio. a peeling maida vale basement. we had to have something for the last page of the "in cold blog" biog. a pic of me and him. the photographer looked like leonard cohen. it seemed appropriate in late december. so much for hollywood. this was more like a squat. not a scent of mtv technology. just johnny and i blinded by the lights and a storm of loose face powder that he liberally applied. afterwards we went out for dinner. thunders gave great restaurant scenes: although usually polite. he was given to committing first degree menu crimes. ordering triple icecream to start with spicey prawn something for dessert. johnny thunders taught me a lot more than just how to misbehave in restaurants. he was so witty. with that funny crackly razzo voice of his. snapping the filters off full strengh cigarettes for a stronger smoke. buying me banana daquiris. make sure i had enough money to get home. he knew the world could be colder than the arctic circle. whenever we got together. it wasn't." N. Antonia (from the sleeve notes of "VA - I Only Wrote A Song For You")

This post is dedicated to C. !
Buy it here !

CBGB PUNK ROCK HISTORY: Blank Generation Screening

The Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan is screening Ivan Kral's fabulous BLANK GENERATION film this July 29. General Admission is $10. Let's all go back to the 1970's when rock n roll rebellion was in full swing. By all means punk out for this show!

Presented by the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County

Blank Generation is a 1976 clip compilation on punk’s birth in New York. Shot by insider Ivan Kral (ex-guitar Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Blondie) this rare gem is packed with legendary rebels in their humble beginnings...

Debbie Harry of Blondie

The film includes ultra-rare footage of the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Television and others performing at legendary nightclub CBGB.

This D-I-Y time capsule was filmed by one of punk’s very own - for his personal home movies. It reads like a bunch of friends onstage, because that's what it truly was. Though Kral’s pawnshop camera didn’t record audio, Poe scored band’s demo tapes to create this un-synched 16mm labor of love. Each band’s unique style shines - visually and musically. Historians and filmmakers rely on The Blank Generation for its accuracy. 55 minutes. Not Rated.
Tickets for the BLANK GENERATION screening only are $10 and $7 for Michigan Theater members, available in advance at ticketweb.com and at the door.
Tickets for the pre-show reception are $50. To purchase, contact Alison Oumedian at 734-662-2829 ext. 227 or oumediana@ewashtenaw.org. Pre-show reception will benefit the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.

Official Trailer:

ADVANCE TICKETS HERE

Approved by the MACHINEGUNTHOMPSON blog !

THE FRENCHIES - Lola-Cola

THE FRENCHIES Lola-Cola cd 2000-1974
Dillinger's Coming / Rock'n'Roll Fascination / Mike's Bike / Detroit Palmtrees / Love Is A Game / Lola Cola / Waiting For Mary-Lou (To Join The Band) / Sweet Face / Lana Turner Cheap Dreams.
The Frenchies: Morgan Davis: guitar / Martin Dune: vocals / Linn Lingreën: guitar / Kiss Olivier: drums / Michaël Memmi: bass, vocals.
La seule fois où j'ai vu les Frenchies, c'était à Paris, Porte de Pantin, aux Halles de la Villette, les 17 et 18 octobre 1975, pour la fête de Rouge qui lançait son quotidien. L'affiche était alléchante: Dr Feelgood, John Cale, Captain Beefheart, Higelin (époque BBH 75), Little Bob Story... et les Frenchies qui passèrent bien tard cette nuit-là, sur la grande scène!
Des Frenchies avec au chant la belle Chrissie H. qui remplaçait M. Dune (J.M. Poiré) ! Moulée dans un 501, majestueuse dans son perfecto, la belle hautaine aux cheveux de jais fait encore courir un long frisson dans nos mémoires!
Lire absolument ici l'interview du bassiste M. Memmi, donnée en 2009, à l'excellent mag en ligne Gonzaï!
The Frenchies were flashy ... they were a real rock band , they were precursors in the infinite boredom of French rock of this time ! Maybe the Frenchies did not played perfectly but they had something that nobody had: an attitude and a look!
Buy it here !

EARTH QUAKE - Sittin' In The Middle Of Madness

EARTH QUAKE Sittin' In The Middle Of Madness cd 2000
Friday On My Mind / Tall Order For A Short Guy / Mr. Security / Finders Keepers / Little Cindy / Savin' My Love / Motivate Me / Hit The Floor / Don't Want To Go Back / Lovin' Cup / Emma / Julie Anne / Kicks / Train Ride / Street Fever (live) / Knock On Wood / Tin Soldier / Power Glide Slide / Head Held High / Sittin' In The Middle of Madness (live).
Most listeners who remember them think of Earth Quake as a mid-'70s band, but the group's roots go back a decade earlier. Indeed, the band started out as part of the mid-'60s band scene in San Francisco, where originally known as Purple Earthquake, they were more than a little bit unusual. The most visible groups working in the city at the time tended to put a combined druggy/folkie spin on electric music, but Earth Quake, consisting of J. Doukas (vocals), R. Dunbar (guitar, piano, vocals), S. Miller (bass, vocals), and S. Nelson (percussion, vocals), were more of a power-pop-cum-hard-rock outfit. They were much closer in spirit to the Flamin' Groovies or the Chocolate Watchband than, say, to the Grateful Dead. They were good enough to attract the attention of Matthew King Kaufman, an aspiring manager who hoped to carry them to national fame and, toward that end, landed them a contract with A&M Records in 1970. At the time, A&M, which had specialized mostly in MOR pop and light jazz releases, was signing some acts with harder and more diverse sounds (it was around the same time that Tarantula was added to their roster), and Earth Quake was among the first hard rock bands on the label. Unfortunately, the label never knew how to market them, and a pair of albums, a self-titled debut and "Why Don't You Try Me?", failed to ignite any interest from the public. They left the label in 1972, frustrated with their lack of success, though there was one fortuitous event during this period that enabled both the band and their manager to move past this experience in short order, for reasons that are not exactly clear, the makers of the movie The Getaway (1972), a high-profile, big-budget (and highly successful) thriller starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw, used some of the band's music without getting all of the necessary clearances from the parties involved. When the smoke cleared, this accident proved profitable for the band and, even more so, for their manager.
Kaufman used a portion of the settlement money to set up his own record label, Beserkley Records, in 1973. And Earth Quake, along with Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, the Rubinos, and Greg Kihn, comprised the core of the company's roster. Their debut album for the new label, "Rockin' the World", was assembled from live performances and captured the group, now a five-piece with the addition of Gary Phillips (late of Copperhead) on guitar and vocals, in some pretty inspired moments, and got them more notice than either of their A&M LPs had. They became something of the house band at Beserkley, playing behind Richman on his signature tune, "Roadrunner" (a song that, as much as any other, defined what he and the label were about). Their later records for the label also included backing vocals by Greg Kihn. The group's final album, "Two Years in a Padded Cell", showed up in 1979, and the band finally called it quits a couple of years later. In 2003, two decades after that breakup, a pair of compilations: "Purple: The A&M Recordings", assembling their two A&M albums, and "Sittin' in the Middle of Madness" , covering the Beserkley recordings were released, showcasing the two halves of their history.
Buy it here !

THE CRUMBS - Last Exit

THE CRUMBS Last Exit cd 2003
Hobos / All Chocked Up / Drunken Call / Teenage Con Artist / Trouble On My Trail / The Anticipation / Nasty Child / One Last Score / Overload / Wrong Hand Again / Dead Guy Boogie / Dangerous Distractions / Tonight We Bleed / Till Next Day.
Produced by J. du Bois
The Crumbs: R.Classic: vocals & guitar / Johnny B.: guitar / M. "Grim" Gemelli: drums / T. Vargas: drums.
Miami, FL's, the Crumbs formed out of their love for the Ramones, '50s rock, and an excessive habit of coffee and alcohol. Consisting of Raf Classic (guitar/vocals), Johnny B (guitar), Emil 4 1/2 (bass), and former Chickenhead vocalist Chuck Loose (drums), additional inspirations of the Dead Boys, the Pagans, Crime, the Stooges, the MC5, and other pre-1977 punk acts paved the way for the Crumbs' sound. Recess Records released the band's first EP," I Fell in Love With an Alien Girl and I Think I'm Goin' to Mars With Her", in 1995, which was soon followed by the Far Out Records 10", "Get All Tangled Up", that same year. After signing to Lookout Records, the EP "Shakespeare" was released in 1996 as was their 1997 self-titled full-length. Chuck Loose eventually departed in 1997 to focus on the Drug Czars, while his replacement, Grim, was swiped from fellow Miami punkers the Basicks. By 1998, Lookout Records followed with the "Crumbs' second album entitled "Low and Behold". Allmusic
Other records: "Out Of Range" (2000); "Hold That Shit Right" (2006);
"Dade County Trash" (2008); "Live In Baltimore" (2010);"Gator Kicks" (2010)...
Classic Crumbs tunefull punk rock with that outlaw rocknroll edge that only they can capture. This is high energy, raw, in your face rocknroll, a must have... Their best release to date, 5 stars, two thumbs up, dude!" cdbaby
Buy it here!

ROCK CITY MORGUE - Some Ghouls

ROCK CITY MORGUE Some Ghouls cd 2003
Beware / Cut You Loose / Falling Appart / Guilt Trip / Shattered / Hot Shot (live)* / Look At You Now (live)*
Produced by Daniel Rey.
Rock City Morgue: R. Slave: vocals / R. D'Ablo: guitar / J. Brashear: guitar / S. Yseult: bass / A. Baker: drums.
A few years on from her rude dismissal from White Zombie, New York City underground fixture Sean Yseult (piano, bass) began collaborating with former Man Scouts of America singer Rik Slave; and when the couple relocated to New Orleans in late 2002, the seeds of Rock City Morgue were sown. Teaming up with locals Johnny Brashear (guitar) and Keith Hajjar (drums), they proceeded to channel their grimy Lower East Side musical experiences through the soggy decrepitude of their new bayou surroundings -- eventually concocting a unique and often humorous gothic rock sound. That sense of humor became evident with their 2003 EP Some Ghouls, which parodied the Rolling Stones' Some Girls by replacing the female headshots with those of famous movie monsters (Dracula, Wolfman, etc.), and for their first full album proper, 2005's Dead Man's Song, Rock City Morgue went back to their New York roots by calling upon producer Daniel Rey (Ramones, Iggy Pop, etc.) and former Zombie associate J. Yuenger for assistance. Allmusic
Buy it here!

FILTHY LUCRE - Popsmear (re-up)

FILTHY LUCRE Popsmear 1997 Neat Metal 320 kbps
Ariata / Outta control / Black Cadillac / Baby I want / Hollywood / Milk my honey / Brand new deal / Sucksex / Can't kick / Ladbroke groove .

Filthy Lucre : Phil Lewis : guitar, vocals / Steve Dior: guitar, vocals / MC Bones: percussion / Jim Writ: bass.
Phil Lewis had kept busy over his five year hiatus from LA Guns. In 1997, he and Michael "Bones" Gershima (now calling himself MC Bones) formed Filthy Lucre along with guitarist Steve Dior (ex London Cowboys) and released the album "Popsmear" on Pulse Records (Neat Metal for UK).
"In 1993, I formed a band with my friend Steve Dior from London Cowboys called Filthy Lucre. We recorded a cool record called "Pop Smear", drank a lot of tequila and drove around America in a van playing clubs and having a blast..." P. Lewis
Buy it here!