Bedazzled!

Derek's Daily 45: Chris And Craig - "Isha"

"Hailing from southern California, Chris (Ducey) and Craig (Smith) were early pioneers of the type of psychedelic sounds that incorporate middle eastern sounding melodies (aka "raga rock") that were explored more deeply in 1967-68." via dereksdaily45.blogspot.com

1960s Beatles badges (and others…)

via theswingingsixties.tumblr.com

Anna Karina Photo

via theswingingsixties.tumblr.com

Dead Sea Fruit - "Seeds of Discontent" (Le Petit Dimanche Illustré 11.26.6?)

 

Dead Sea Fruit - "Combining the deadpan wit of the Bonzo Dog Band and the social-conscious lyricism of the Kinks, Dead Sea Fruit helped to bring the British Invasion of the 1960s to France. Formed in 1966, the group spent three years based in Paris thrilling French audiences with their hook-laden songs. Although all but two members relocated to Dakar, Senegal, electric bassist/guitarist/vocalist Arthur Marsh, who had replaced founding member Christopher Hall in early 1967, returned to England after three months when club owners demanded that they stick to cover tunes. Dead Sea Fruit reached their apex in 1967, when their tongue-in-jowl single, "Lulu, Put Another Record On," reached the top position on the British music charts. Their self-titled album was released the same year." (AMG)

For The Love Of Harry: Nilsson Bonus Tracks, Volumes 1-3 (2012)

"An alternate Nilsson universe. 67 glorious outtakes, demos and hidden rarities... all the bonus tracks from Nilsson's officially released CDs. We've finally reorganized these collections to include material issued in the last few years on Japanese imports - some from upgraded 2007 sources - along with a couple of odds and ends that shouldn't be left out." via fortheloveofharry.blogspot.com

Tony Ferrino - "Bigamy at Christmas" (Reprise of the very first post on Bedazzled!)

 

The very first thing I ever posted on Bedazzled! (December 12, 2004) was an MP3 of this tune. Merry Xmas Everybody!

David Bowie Lost Footage Of 'The Jean Genie' From 1973's 'Top Of The Pops' Re-Premiered (VIDEO)

 

via The Huffington Post

Presenting The Vinyl District Record Store Locator!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find a record store. Buy some vinyl. The app is FREE. Info here. iPhone download here. Android download here. Facebook page here. Happy holidays!

Dumptruck - "Walk Into Mirrors" (Live on Boston Cable Access 1986)

 

Here's me playing bass in Dumptruck circa 1986. Seth Tiven is singing and playing guitar. Kirk Swan is playing lead guitar, and Shawn King Devlin is on the drums. We're playing live in our rehearsal space for a Cable Access show called "30 Go". Here's the entire clip.

The Streams - "Today I Died" CD Release Party @ Cafe Nine In New Haven, CT - This Sat Night

The Streams will play our first show in about 20 years at Cafe Nine in New Haven, CT this Saturday night, performing our recently released, 14-song Civil War themed CD "Today I Died" (Recorded at the original Studio Red in Philadelphia by Adam Lasus).

The Streams are David Brooks - Songwriter, singer and guitarist (Dave was also in Twee-Pop faves The Lean-To's), Bill Beckett on Lead Guitar (Enokizu 78), Baby Huey frontman and original Miracle Legion member Jeff Weiderschall on Drums, and me, Spike Priggen on bass and back-up vocals.

Although the songs are Civil War themed, the music is not. The influences run the gamut from Prefab Sprout and The Verlaines to Led Zeppelin (in fact Dave composed all the songs in an obscure open tuning he copped from Jimmy Page.) You can listen to a few songs below.

This Saturday Night @ Cafe Nine, 250 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511

Pre-order Alex Chilton’s – "Free Again: The “1970″ Sessions"

"In the latter months of 1969, somewhere between the moon landing and the start of the Vietnam draft, the concerts at Woodstock and Altamont, Alex Chilton decided to take back his life. During that annus mirabilis, while the world experienced a generationally sparked social, political, and cultural upheaval, the 18-year-old Chilton was in the midst of a revolution of his own."

"For the past year, Chilton had been strapped in a creative, professional, and personal straitjacket. He was the lead singer of a million-selling band, The Box Tops, but felt like little more than a puppet of the group’s producers. In the era of free love, he’d been pressured into a shotgun marriage and fatherhood. And he’d ultimately come to see himself as the pawn of an unscrupulous business machine, sent to grind it out on the road in a series of silly lip-synched TV performances and one-night stands while someone else cashed his checks. As he entered the studio that summer to make his first solo recordings, the man who would come to define the very spirit of musical independence was still bound in chains. At a time where liberation and self-expression were rallying cries, Alex Chilton was about to break free." via www.ardentstudios.com

Join the System... Crapoutchik!

by Astro le Mocker

Following the recent reissues in limited Deluxe form of their mega-rare original LP input, three albums (at 500 copies ea.!) from the good folks at Wah-Wah records in Spain... I figured it was about time to share what may be France's best kept Pop secret : le Système Crapoutchik!

 

Système Crapoutchik ! ... One could think of a better name. And all this because one Jacques Dutronc couldn't pronounce, much less remember, his guitarist's name : Gérard Kawczynski... so that he resorted to nickname him "Crapou", Crapoutchik! In the famous singer's typical ridicule manner (... remember "Crack, Boum, Hue!" from his well known '66 hit : "Les Playboys"!)... 'Cause, before forming their own group, the boys were all part of his backing band!

They were excellent musicians in their own right who decided one day to start their own band in order to compete with the British Pop bands of the era. A tough aim, but our guys had real talent. They were : Gérard Kawczynski aka Crapou on guitar - Michel Pelay on drums – Christian Padovan on bass - Alain Legovic aka later famous French M.O.R. singer Alain Chamfort on lead vocals and keyboards  and Jean-Pierre Alarcen also on guitar. Unfortunately, like most bands of the times, no public recognition came to reward their collective efforts. Their network in the business however, allowed them to issue two EPs and one single at Vogue's, before signing for one first album ("Aussi Loin Que Je Me Souvienne..." in 1969) that came out on the young Flamophone created by Claude Puterflam. The same Puterflam who on that same occasion became the lead singer of the band. Despite the lack of success, this opus will stay on forever as the first ever French concept album (... comparable in storyline to the mighty Pretty Things' own masterpiece: "S.F. Sorrow"!). Following what, it went from bad to worse in spite of the further release of three singles. The Système then split in 1970. But, not without some sense of humour, the Flamophone label released tongue-in-cheek a year later, a double-album called "Flop", recovering all the 45s, alternate takes and unreleased tracks from the band. In 1975, Claude Puterflam reunited the band to launch a second effort, releasing a third self-titled LP in the process : "Le Système Crapoutchick".

Le Système Crapoutchik: Deluxe 2011 Reissues from Wah-Wah Records (Spain)!

Support True Pop talent out of France : Get your copies Now!
- LE SYSTÈME CRAPOUTCHIK : AUSSI LOIN QUE JE ME SOUVIENNE... ; WAH WAH RECORDS SUPERSONIC SOUNDS LPS096
- LE SYSTÈME CRAPOUTCHIK : FLOP; WAH WAH RECORDS SUPERSONIC SOUNDS DoLPS097 :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.wah-wahsupersonic.com/html/news.html

Le Système Crapoutchik - "La Vie Est Belle"

Absolute World class Classic French Sunshine Pop also from their second Vogue Ep's Bee Side, from '68 (EPL 8629) ...
Hear it on Wah Wah Records Deluxe Reissue of 1971's Flamophone Post-mortem's double-album compilation of their rare Sixties EP tracks, alternate takes and unreleased tracks then :
- LE SYSTÈME CRAPOUTCHIK : FLOP; WAH WAH RECORDS SUPERSONIC SOUNDS DoLPS097

 

Le Système Crapoutchik - "All What I Have"

This excerpt, from post-mortem compilation double-album "Flop", is in fact their English version of  "Un peu de rien" from their second Vogue Ep "Un peu de rien" ((EPL 8629) also in 1968:
(The early System were made of :  Gérard KAWCZYNSKI (aka Crapou on Guitar)  - Christian PADOVAN (Bass)  - Michel PELAY (Drums)  - Alain LEGOVIC (aka later famous MOR singer Alain Chamfort who also previously lead French Beat band : Les Mods; on keyboards and Vocals) - Jean-Pierre Alarcen (Guitar); the name of the System was given by none other than Jacques Dutronc who couldn't pronounce properly Kawczynski name, who was part of his backing band: Les Murator’s!)

 

Le Système Crapoutchik - "L'Horrible Reve"

I had too much to dream last night ... C'est la faute au Système! ;)
(No, really... this is Sixties Pop-sike of the highest order, on par with the best from the Bee Gees, and the Idle Race... only Made in France, which makes it all the more special; get it from Spain's Wah-Wah records who made a Deluxe DoLP vinyl edition... seriously criminally Under-rated POP!) :

 

The Starfires : "Linda" b/w "I Never Loved Her" (G.I)

I remember when my brother Olivier and I came to assist the mastering of the Lyres' Live album Tim Warren (Back From the Grave) was putting out on Crypt records, in the Boston suburbs, sometime during our holiday in the States of summer '87; Erik Lindgren was on the control board in his Arf Arf Records' Home-studio and Jeff "Monoman" Conolly was in the room watching the whole process... During a break, Jeff went thru Tim's rare 45 records case he had brought along, and dug up his original copy of the Starfires' "I Never Loved Her" and promptly ran out of the house with it : a $1000+ record! What a lunatic... a memorable afternoon :)
Now, I'm happy to have just a bootleg repro of this :

 

Forget the corny white boots from the alternate vid'... for some this is a religion!