Happy Birthday Hermon Hitson!

Raising a glass to soul singer/guitarist Hermon Hitson with a discussion of his buddy Jimi Hendrix and a couple of his classics. 

Dave "Robbo" Robinson talks about Stiff Records and much more

Listen to Stiff Records mainman Dave Robinson talk about working as a photographer, band manager and label honcho. 

You can catch Dave Robinson on his UK speaking tour. Read an interview with Dave Schulps right here.

New 'Failure Not Success' album from Wild Billy Childish due Feb 24

Billy Childish reprises some old faves by Richard Hell and Jimi Hendrix on his new Failure Not Success album on Damaged Goods.

Here's the scoop...
Failure Not Success is the new studio album by Wild Billy Childish & CTMF featuring our man at his songwriting best! The 12-track album includes covers of tunes by Richard Hell ("Love Comes In Spurts") and Jimi Hendrix ("Fire") along with a newly recorded version of the classic "Bob Dylan’s Got a Lot to Answer For." It's coming out February 24th via Damaged Goods. If your local record shop won't stock it, you can mail order a copy right here.  

Check out the full track list below followed by a two-part radio interview with Marc Riley and two songs from the new album, the title track "Failure Not Success," and a cover of "Love Comes In Spurts." 

Failure Not Success – Wild Billy Childish & CTMF

1. Love Comes in Spurts

2. Failure Not Success

3. Beneath the Flowers Serpents

4. Walk of the Sasquatch

5. Hanging by a Tenuous Thread

6. Fire

7. The Old Long Bar

8. Come into My Life

9. Skinwalker

10. Becoming Unbecoming Me

11. Moon of the Popping Trees

12. Bob Dylan’s Got a Lot to Answer For

Patti Smith chats with Malcolm Gladwell for Broken Record podcast

Patti Smith returns to NYC's Electric Lady Studios to share some memories for an hour with Malcolm Gladwell. 

R.I.P. Barbara Moore, 1932-2021

Remembering UK singer/composer/arranger Barbara Moore who passed away recently at her Bognor Regis home.  

LINKS

The Guardian The overlooked musical magic of Barbara Moore

Barbara Moore talks about The Saint and other film work

Happy Birthday Jimi Hendrix

Here's the rippin' instrumental "Hornet's Nest" which Jimi cut with Curtis Knight's band in 1965.

Best Reissues of 2010, Part 2: Single Artist Collections

Top 100 Re-released Albums and Artist Retrospectives

1. The Psychedelic Aliens - Psycho African Beat (Academy)
2. Hank Williams - Complete Mother's Best Recordings... Plus! (Time Life Music)
3. The Triffids - Come Ride With Me... Wide Open Road: Deluxe Edition (Domino)
4. Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology (Numero Group)
5. Buck Owens - Open Up Your Heart (Bear Family)
6. Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. [Deluxe Edition] (Universal)
7. Patsy Cline – Sweet Dreams: The Complete Decca Studio Masters 1960-1963 (Hip-O Select)
8. Jimi Hendrix - West Coast Seattle Boy (Sony Legacy)
9. James Brown - The Singles Volume 9: 1973-1975 (Hip-O Select)
10. Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol. 9: Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (Columbia)
11. David Bowie - Station To Station [Special Edition] (EMI)
12. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story (Columbia)
13. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew [40th Anniversary Edition] (Sony Legacy)
14. Joe Tex - Singles A's & B's Vol. 2: 1967-68 (Shout!)
15. Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power (Columbia Legacy)
16. Neu! - Vinyl Box Set (Grönland)
17. Jimi Hendrix - Valleys Of Neptune (Sony Legacy)
18. Velvet Underground - The Quine Tapes (Sundazed)
19. The Outsiders - Afraid Of The Dark + You Mistreat Me EP (Pseudonym)
20. Gram Parsons - The Early Years Box Set (Sierra)
21. Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run [Deluxe Edition] (MPL)
22. Rikki Ililonga and Musi-O-Tunya – Dark Sunrise (Now Again)
23. The Uniques - Absolutely Rocksteady (Pressure Sounds)
24. Syd Barrett - Introduction To Syd Barrett (EMI)
25. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – Mecca and the Soul Brother [Deluxe Edition] (Traffic)
26. Abbey Lincoln - Through The Years (Verve)
27. P.E. Hewitt Jazz Ensemble – Winter Winds, The Complete Works: 1968-70 (Now Again)
28. Dinah Washington - The Fabulous Miss D! The Keynote, Decca and Mercury Singles (Hip-O Select)
29. Kenny Graham and his Satellites - Moondog and Suncat Suites (Trunk)
30. Anibal Velasquez y su Conjunto - Mambo Loco (Analog Africa)
31. Los Saicos - Demolicion!: The Complete Recordings (Munster)
32. Lloyd McNeil Quartet - Asha (Universal Sound)
33. Tony Joe White - That On The Road Look (Rhino Handmade)
34. Bruce Haack - Farad: The Electric Voice (Stones Throw)
35. Dick Khoza - Chapita (Matsuli Music)
36. Steve Young - Rock, Salt & Nails (Big Pink)
37. Jackie Lomax - Is This What You Want? (Apple)
38. Soul Brothers Inc - The Story of the Soul Brothers Inc 1968 to 1974 (Tramp)
39. Phil Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble — Zulu 45s Collection (Jazzman)
40. Marvin Peterson & The Soulmasters - In Concert (Century/Jazzman)
41. Dennis Brown - The Crown Prince of Reggae: Singles [1972-1985] (VP)
42. Bill Fay - Still Some Light (Coptic Cat)
43. Green Pajamas - The Complete Book Of Hours (Green Monkey)
44. Junior Wells & The Aces - Live in Boston 1966 (Delmark)
45. Omar Khorshid - Guitar El Chark [Guitar Of The Orient] (Sublime Frequencies)
46. Melvin Davis - Detroit Soul Ambassador (Vampi Soul)
47. Sun Ra - Strange Worlds In My Mind / The Sub-Dwellers / The Outer Darkness (Norton)
48. Peter Gordon - Love Of Life Orchestra (DFA)
49. Poobah -  Let Me In (Ripple Music)
50. Johnny Heartsman & Circles - Music Of My Heart (Jazzman)
51. Jeff Phelps - Magnetic Eyes (Tomlab)
52. Alice Clark - The Complete Studio Recordings 1968-72 (BGP)
53. Jean Pierre Massiera - Horrific Child (Finders Keepers)
54. Bola Johnson - Man No Die (Vampi Soul)
55. Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth For Christ Choir - Like A Ship... [Without A Sail] (Light In The Attic)
56. Witch - Introduction (Shadoks)
57. Morly Grey - The Only Truth (Sundazed)
58. El Gran Fellove - Mango Mangüé (Vampi Soul)
59. Zakary Thaks - Passage To India (Cicadelic)
60. Tommy McCook and the Aggrovators - Brass Rockers (Jamaican Recordings)
61. Metronome Quintet - Plays Swinging Mahogonny (Sonorama)
62. Al King & Arthur K. Adams - Together: The Complete Kent and Modern Recordings (ACE)
63. Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights (Rhino Handmade)
64. Jimmy Hughes - Something Extra Special: The Complete Volt Recordings 1968-71 (Kent) 
65. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Orange (Majordomo)
66. Bobby Jackson - Bobby Jackson's Cafe Extraordinaire Story (Ninth Note)
67. Phil Cohran & Legacy - African Skies (Captcha)
68. Angelo Michajlov - Saxana OST (Finders Keepers)
69. Waylon Jennings - The Dark Side Of Fame (Omni)
70. Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet - Live At The Union 1966 (Reel Recordings)
71. Hasil Adkins - White Light / White Meat (Norton)
72. Bharat Karki & Party - International Music (Em)
73. Blaze Foley - Sittin' By The Road (Lost Art)
74. Hedzoleh Soundz - Hedzoleh (Soundway)
75. Lazy Smoke - Corridor Of Faces (Jackpot)
76. Basil Kirchin - Primitive London (Trunk)
77. Spur - Spur Of The Moments (Drag City)
78. Frankie Zhivago - The Age Of Flying High (Superfly)
79. The Up - Rising (Applebush)
80. Roland White - I Wasn't Born To Rock 'n Roll (Tompkins Square)
81. Moby Grape – Historic Live Moby Grape Performances 1966-1969 (Sundazed)
82. Pavement - Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement (Domino)
83. Ozzie - The Parabolic Rock: 1975-1982 (SSR Records)
84. Madeline Bell - Voice Of Soul/Sound Of Soul (Vocalion)
85. Wooden Shjips - Vol. 2 (Sick Thirst)
86. Ted Lucas - The Om Album (Yoga Records)
87. Mirrors - Something That Would Never Do (Violet Times)
88. Jon Wayne's Texas Funeral - Jon Wayne's Texas Funeral (Third Man)
89. Sons Of Truth - Message From The Ghetto (Truth/BGP)
90. Riley - Grandma's Roadhouse (Mo-Folk/Delmore)
91. The Wipers - Out Takes (Jackpot)
92. Minits - Follow Your Heart: The Sound Of Memphis Recordings (Kent)
93. The Young Lions - From The Vaults 1982-84 (Schizophrenic)
94. Claude Lombard - Claude Lombard (MPLS, Ltd)
95. Sweet Talks - The Kusum Beat (Soundway)
96. C'mon - C'monpilation (Blown Speaker)
97. Jim Sullivan - U.F.O. (Light In The Attic)
98. The 5.6.7.8's - The 5.6.7.8's (Third Man)
99. Kris Kristofferson - Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos (Light In The Attic)
100. Jacky Chalard – Je Suis Vivant Mais J'ai Peur de Gilbert Deflez (Finders Keepers)

A new Jimi Hendrix album... that doesn't suck!

Like many people who've purchased posthumous Jimi Hendrix releases of dubious origin in hopes of hearing some overlooked bit of brilliance only to be disappointed, when I heard about the Hendrix estate's claim that there were enough unreleased recordings to release a new album every 12 to 18 months for the next decade, I wasn't overly optimistic about the quality of the material.
Sure Jimi was a workaholic who spent countless hours in the studio putting down tracks but not everything captured on tape was pure gold and I've got the bootlegs loaded with wanky jamming recorded on what could be a dictaphone hidden under a pillow in the next room to prove it.
So even though the new Valleys Of Neptune (Sony Legacy) album – in stores March 9 – boasts "12 previously unreleased studio recordings" and it was being mixed by Hendrix's engineer of choice Eddie Kramer, I was still skeptical about the performances captured, especially since there's a number of alternate versions of well-known Hendrix classics such as Fire, Red House and Stone Free.
Well, I'm happy to report that not only did the shockingly good Valleys Of Neptune far exceeded my low expectations, there are some genuinely revelatory "holy shit" moments sure to floor even the most jaded heard-it-all-before Hendrix fanatics.
Those who check the track listing and assume that Hear My Train A Comin' is just a cleaned up version of the 12-string take that's been floating around for ages will be pleasantly surprised to find that this is rollicking full-band blast with Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding attacking as if their jobs were on the line while Hendrix rips away like he'd been listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Ohio. Only this was evidently recorded in April of 1969, over a year before the Kent State shootings which inspired Neil Young to write the song Ohio in the first place. Interesting, n'cest pas?

And I know some are dreading the appearance of yet another rendition of Fire but trust me, you've never heard Hendrix and crew rocket through the changes at such a blistering clip. Our man can barely spit out the phrases while the Experience rhythm section thunders away, ignoring Jimi's plea to slow down and continues forth in a flailing frenzy that comes within spitting distance of punk rock.
If you're thinking that the instrumental take of Sunshine of Your Love included here is just one of the familar versions stripped of the vocal track or a rehearsal demo, guess again. Hendrix cuts loose at a quicker than usual tempo and takes the opportunity to playfully one-up his friendly rival Eric Clapton six ways to Sunday in a delightfully non-challant show of string-bending bravura.
Hendrix spotters will note that the title track, Valleys Of Neptune, was previously included with 1991's Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story (Warner) five-CD box. However, that was just a demo and here we finally get to hear a more fully realized version although it still doesn't seem finished. While there are a number of intriguing twists and turns and Hendrix belts his apocalyptic vision with soulful authority, the conspicuous absence of a hallmark solo and the ponderous fade at the end suggests Hendrix wasn't yet done with the track.  
While Mr. Bad Luck may initially look like an unknown song, it's actually an early incarnation of Look Over Yonder dating back to 1967 with rhythm accompaniment added by Mitchell and Redding in 1987. To their credit and that of Kramer, everything flows together so seamlessly, you'd never know that Mr. Bad Luck was a salvage job unlike the moody closer Crying Blue Rain which sounds like a patchwork quilt, albeit artfully assembled. On the whole, the hour-long Valleys Of Neptune is a much more enjoyable "new" Hendrix album than anyone could've hoped for in 2010, 40 years after his tragic demise.   
Along with the release of Valleys Of Neptune on CD and numbered limited-edition 180 gram vinyl (5,000 copies) currently available for pre-order at the link below, Experience Hendrix and their new distribution partner Sony Legacy are re-launching the catalog titles Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland and First Rays Of The New Rising Sun on CD/DVD and limited-edition vinyl.

LINK
http://www.jimihendrix.com/