VKTMS - Roma-Rocket / Too Bad!! Well, I was listening to some records with my kids tonight while my wife was at her scrapbooking club out on a drinking spree, and this one really got the crowd out on the dancefloor. Sorry, but I didn't get any photos of that.

1979 San Francisco action and probably my favorite female-fronted US punk record. And that's saying something, what with your Avengers, Legal Weapons, Nuns, Bags, etc.

Four songs. Midget was included on the Bloodstains Across California compilation, but all four tracks are great. The music is totally raw, but the true genius is in the lyrics. First you have Roma Rocket, a paean to their favorite fortified wine:

"Well we don't need no Red Jockey
And Ripple is only just ok
MD 20/20 feels like kindergarten
There's only one wine that's really got it

It's bright and red(?)
It tastes like Draino
But its purely lethal, Italiano
If you drink it you must be able
It'll put your ass right under the table

Roma Rocket Roma Rocket
Makes you throw up in your pocket, Roma Rocket
Roma Rocket Roma Rocket
Makes you throw up in your pocket, Roma Rocket"

Then you have Too Bad, which is about a wimpy synth dude's inability to get it up. To top it off, Midget is about the singer's lover who is just the right height to please her while standing.

I found this at the Englishtown Flea Market in New Jersey a long time ago in a box of crap LPs. So that explains the missing sleeve and the fact that the record skips a little. Big deal. It was kinda dirty too but I rinsed it under the kitchen faucet for a couple of minutes and it cleaned right up.

VKTMS - Roma-Rocket.mp3

VKTMS - Too Bad!!.mp3

There's a CD out with their entire recorded output. You can get it here.  ¶ 10/16/2006 4 comments

  Bo Dudley - Shotgun Rider Here's a cool mid-60s Chicago blues 45 that features some wailing lap steel by Freddie Roulette. It's weird for a blues record to feature the steel guitar, but his frenzied playing fits right in on this great record.

Roulette recorded with Earl Hooker in the 60s and also released an album called Sweet and Funky Steel on the Janus label in '72.

Bo Dudley was a stage name for Oscar Coleman, who also recorded some 45s under the name Bo Dud on his own Dud Sound label.

Both Roulette and Coleman are still involved with music. I know folks were raving about a show they played together at one of the Ponderosa Stomp events down in New Orleans awhile back.

Bo Dudley - Shotgun Rider.mp3

You can pick up Shotgun Rider and the flipside Coast To Coast on this CD.  ¶ 10/09/2006 0 comments

  Cousin Leroy - Goin' Back Home b/w Catfish Well, I promised beat up records from the flea market so here you go. Straight from a stinky wet plastic bag where I grabbed it up yesterday.

I've got a few other 45s lined up, but they're still soaking in a bath of Everclear in an attempt to remove some grime from the grooves.

I hope you're not expecting "The Cousin Leroy Story." I do know that his name is Leroy Rozier and this record is from 1955. He's got another ace song called I'm Lonesome on the Stompin' Vol.2 compilation LP.

Cousin Leroy - Goin' Back Home.mp3
Cousin Leroy - Catfish.mp3

It looks like you can get a whole mess of Leroy (including Catfish, I'm Lonesome, and probably Goin' Back Home too) on this CD.  ¶ 10/02/2006 0 comments