A Reminder...

So it sounds weird to admit this but I just spent a over month listening to a single cassette in my car.   Over and over, over and over.   

What is weirder is that the tape was Substance - Joy Division's singles collection.  

I don't have anything specific that I need to get across about that tense body of music at the moment, I am just glad to finally be out from under its spell.  

The tape that broke the brown study was a mix that was made for me by G$ back in 1994.  I was living in Iowa City at the time, and G titled one side of the mix - "A Reminder" 

A reminder of what exactly?  Well, since many* of the acts got their start in Chicago, my guess is the motif was to remind me to get my ass back to Chicago at my first opportunity.  

*I can't confirm 100% of the acts - G$ didn't go to a catholic grade school like I did so his penmanship and spelling suffers. 

1) The Stalker - Urge Overkill
2) Out of the Fun (?) - Titanic Love Affair (or maybe Titanic Hoe Affair?)
3) Reap What You Sew (sp) - Otis Rush
4) Walking the Dog - Luther Johnson
5) Crack - Big Black 
6) Vanilla Blue - Naked Raygun
7) Emmeline - Urge Overkill
8) Obscured - Smashing Pumpkins
9) Hello Kitty Kat - Smashing Pumpkins
10) Because - Mere Mortals (?)
11) Kids These Days - Phantom Helmsmen

******

Today, G$ is preparing to move his life to Indianapolis.   Much like Iowa City, it is not that far from Chicago BUT I would like to make him "A Reminder" mix -updated for 2012 - as musical encouragement to visit often.  

So what current Chicago acts would you put on such a mix?

I know one band I would be most excited to share is one that G$ has already prematurely dismissed as being too self indulgent.  He listened to some 30 second snippets on iTunes and came to that snap decision. 

This is not unusual for my friend; he sometimes arbitrates his musical taste like he is a judge on The Gong Show.  You better Wow him before they have to pause for station identification - G$ is a busy man and we have a lotta vinyl to get through before midnight!

But Tight Phantomz worked on this double album for SEVEN YEARS and to my ears it sounds like a cross between Urge Overkill and Modest Mouse.   Lots of beautiful loser swagger as they cross the street from the liquor store back to the home studio for another all night session.  These dudes love the 70s cock rock (and maybe secretively some pockets of 80s hair metal) like I do - unabashedly and with a sense of humor.  

Now granted, 36 songs is a lot to make your way through.  Still, I tried to digest it as an album and I am glad that I did.  

But if you want to know some of my favorite songs I would have to say the following are good representations of the band working their best mojo - give them more than 30 second snippets and their charms will be revealed:

Part One (aka Sides 1 & 2)

Black Seas at the Crib

Seek Thunder 

Kiss Your Way Inside

Waiting For

There Goes My Protege

Kid Crimes 

You're The Diamond

Part Two (aka Sides 3 & 4)

She Talks to Fire

Sickening

Silk Prison

Bondo Cred

Nobody Is Inside

Accidental Girl

Someone Believes In Me Somewhere

And HEY! While writing this post I went hunting for the band's website and discovered they are playing TONIGHT at the Empty Bottle.  

That is too great of a coincidence - this band is notorious for only playing on average twice a year and they played the Bottle on Black Wednesday less than a month ago.   

SO, my loyal readers (all four of you) will be getting a call to see if I can rouse you  for a night of merrymaking before G$ leaves us for Indianapolis. I can guarantee it will be more memorable than a night with the Phantom Helmsmen. 

The Days and Nights of Gary & Flipper

As promised here is my first report from the archealogical dig that is my collection of cassettes. 

This mix tape was made for me by my good buddy CJB and its re-discovery could not be better timed since I am going to see the Afghan Whigs perform at Metro this Friday night. 

There are actually five Whigs tracks on the mix even though only four are listed.  The untitled track that ends Congregation comes directly after "Kiss The Floor" at the end of Side A.  

So I am going to say with five tracks off of that landmark Whigs album that it is likely that this mix tape was compiled sometime late 1992 or early 1993; this tape would have been a "correspondence tape" between two friends.  A way to close the miles apart and share what the current soundtrack to your days sounded like. 

This is a really solid, rocking tape and it holds up very well. The only tracks that feel off to me are the Big Star contributions which are a little too sparse and fragile in comparison to the more muscular sounds of their surroundings.

I like the limited palette of this mix which is surprising because often I consider that a faux pas or at least laziness.

Six of the 14 bands get two cuts or more with the Afghan Whigs being the clear winner.  (Gary?  Flipper?)

CJB did an undergrad stint at downstate University of Illinois.  This is significant because the three tracks attributed to H. are by a band called Honcho Overload that was pretty decent and deserved to make it beyond the local scene but didn't.  I am glad to have some audio record of them. 

 

I also really dig the having such a great example of CJB's precise handwriting.  While there isn't much to say in the way of cover art, you can tell he took his time to transmit the important information with care.  

The inside of the J-card has this quizzical thing on it:

This has to be an inside joke that has been obliterated from my memory bank. 

All in all, "The Days and Nights of Gary & Flipper" is a great mix that is evocative of the Grunge Boom (& its forebears) despite having just one band from Seattle present and accounted for. 

Nice one CJB!