Hell's Belles

Vintage sounds, dusty grooves, and 21st-century freaks.

Davy Jones and Frank Zappa - still from Head

Another one of those tag-a-bunch-of-your-friends things on facebook. Reading lists of albums is ok, but it would be a bit more fun with some context, or at the very least, some tunes. So here’s some tracks from mine, minus Led Zeppelin (because judging by the lack of Zep on Spotify and iTunes, I’m fairly certain they haven’t released digital rights to their catalogue).

The rules: Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you’ve heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes, one album per band. Tag fifteen friends, including me because I’m interested in seeing what albums my friends choose. To do this, go to your Notes tab on your profile page, click “Write a note”, paste title and rules in…

15 Albums by hells-belles

And my Zep selection:

1. Love. Forever Changes.
2. The Stooges. Funhouse.
3. R.E.M. Murmur.
4. Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin II.
5. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. B.R.M.C.
6. 13th Floor Elevators. The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators.
7. The Smiths. Strangeways Here We Come.
8. Sonic Youth. Goo.
9. Nick Drake. Five Leaves Left.
10. The B52s. The B52s.
11. The Pixies. Come On Pilgrim / Surfer Rosa.
12. The Cramps. A Date With Elvis.
13. Jimi Hendrix. Axis: Bold As Love
14. Babes In Toyland. Fontanelle.
15. The Monkees. Head.

I think of Bob Seger mainly as a star of the 8-track cassette, with the Silver Bullet Band constantly on rotation in my Dad’s Lincoln.  Yes, we had an 8-track deck in the car, which was a Lincoln Town Car, no less. Want a late 70s/early 80s specimen of the stereotypical Italian-American family? Look no further than my dad’s “Land Yacht”.

Anyway, prior to the AOR stylings of Live Bullet, old Bob was quite the Detroit monster in his first (well, first semi-famous) guise as The Bob Seger System.  ”Ramblin’ Gamblin Man” could easily sit alongside Mitch Ryder or the MC5.  It’s hardly an obscure track – Bob resurrected it for the aforementioned live album in the 70s – but the original rocks way harder, even more amazingly so when you consider it’s accomplished without guitar. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be readily available on CD. Admittedly I haven’t looked very hard, having scored a fine VG+ vinyl specimen of the 1969 album on eBay for a tenner . *smug*

TESTIFY:

MP3: The Bob Seger System – Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man

Edited for the benefit of my UK friends unacquainted with the late-seventies American suburban road leviathan, the Lincoln Town Car.  Picture yourself cruising past the Burger King parking lot with the windows rolled down and blasting “Turn The Page” :

…they was funky.  And just a wee bit psychedelic.  Between 1969-1971, The Sweet had a handful of unsuccessful singles.  Then they signed to Parlophone, dropped a definite article from their name, discovered shiny fabrics and made girls all over the world swoon.

“The Juicer” is the B-side to one of those unsuccessful* singles, 1970′s “All You’ll Ever Get From Me”.  The guitar groove is Deep Purple, with an extra side of Funk.

GROOVE.

The Sweet – The Juicer by hells-belles

MP3: The Sweet – The Juicer

* = one record label nitwit’s “unsuccessful” is our AWESOME.  Just sayin’.

At least for the US.  Can’t find any UK listings for the Runaways film yet.  Is it any surprise that all of Tits of Death are dying to see it?

MP3: The Runways – Cherry Bomb

(Of course.)

And here’s the film trailer.