BIS - "Tell It To The Kids" (1997)

 

Bis (rhymes with this) are from Scotland, and they came out with "The New Transistor Heroes" in 1997.

I don't know where they got all their energy from but Sci-Fi Steven, Manda Rin, and John Disco really put the power in the term power pop.

 

 

Bis broke up in 2003, and reformed in 2009, and have been playing off and on ever since, and have gigs coming up this year. In October they'll be playing at "The Royal Hotel, Whitby."

 

In November you can catch them at the "Shiiine On Weekender" festival.

BIS - "Tell It To The Kids" 

STEWART COPELAND & STAN RIDGWAY - "Don't Box Me In" (1983)

 

Rich here. Those of a certain age may remember the classic Young Adult novel from 1975, "Rumblefish," by S.E. Hinton, the author that seemed to authentically express the feelings of post-Sixties alientated youth. You may also remember the noirish film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola in 1983.

 

Coppola's film featured up-and-coming young stars like Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, and Diane Lane, and was filmed in a sleek-looking black and white that recalled the classic film noir movies of the 1940's. 

 

And in a genius move for the soundtrack, Coppola enlisted the talents of Stewart Copeland, the drummer from the Police, and Stan Ridgway, the lead singer & songwriter for the quirky new wave band Wall of Voodoo. The film and the soundtrack were edgy, with the duo of Copeland & Ridgway capturing a catchy early '80s post-punk theme song for the movie, "Don't Box Me In." The song featured an angular guitar hook and Ridgway's spooky harmonica and quirky voice -- a combination that helped emphasize the film's theme of youthful alienation.

STEWART COPELAND & STAN RIDGWAY - "Don't Box Me In" 

AGONY COLUMN - "Love In The Head" (1980)

 

Agony Column isn't a band name I would have expected there to be more than one of, and actually it's not really a name I would have ever expected to be used once. Shows you how much I know.

The Agony Column I'm talking about was a New Wave/Post-Punk band from Leeds, West Yorkshire in the UK. They formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1982. 

This song, and I think it's a pretty good one, was released in 1980.

AGONY COLUMN - "Love In The Head" 

 

What you really need to know so that you don't get them mixed up is that in the late 1980's there was a hillbilly death metal band from Austin, Texas who also called themselves Agony Column.

The members were named Crow, Red Wing Viper, Bat Lord, and Devil Chicken.

 

And if that ain't enough, there is currently yet another The Agony Column band which is a gothic doom/dark metal band from Belarus.   

THE DARTELLS - "Hot Pastrami" (1962)

 

The Dartells hailed from Oxnard, California. Their single titled "Hot Pastrami!" made it to #11 on the charts in 1962. After the single gained so much popularity, they were able to come out with this album of the same name.

Simplicity personified! 

THE DARTELLS - "Hot Pastrami!" 

 

The "Dartell Stomp" didn't have any success, but was just as cool as "Hot Pastrami!" I always thought.

The band didn't last long and broke up soon after the record was released. 

THE DARTELLS - "Dartell Stomp"

JACO PASTORIUS - "Come On, Come Over" (1976)

 

There are two words that describe world class bassist Jaco Pastorius to a T, and those two words are talented and troubled. It was his talent that took him to the top of his game, and it was trouble that ended his career and life at the age of thirty-five.

It's sinful enough that this song wasn't a number one hit, and it's completely ludicrous that it never even made the charts.

Enjoy one of the funkiest bass lines you'll ever hear, and great vocals by Same & Dave.

JACO PASTORIUS - "Come On, Come Over" 

DANGERMAN - "Let's Make A Deal" (1999)

 

Dangerman is one of those kinds of groups that makes you wonder what's wrong with the world.

Dangerman was a duo from New York comprised of Chris Scianni, vocals and guitar, and Dave Borla playing the drums.

This self-titled album from 1999 was their only release. They had a couple of singles the same year, but that's about it. It does look they went on to do some other things as individuals with other people, but not a whole lot.

Here's a great song from them for you! 

 DANGERMAN - "Let's Make A Deal"

ALBERT KING - "Crosscut Saw" (1967)

 

It ain't Friday, so Saturday is gonna have to do!

Just in case you ever wondered, No, B.B. King, Freddie King, and Albert King are not related.

 

 That just might be the King Sisters you're thinking of.

 

I did not know this until now, and it's info like this is why we have the internet. It was supposed to be information and communication, not ads, ads, ads.

Anyway, Albert King's real name was Albert Nelson.

He adopted the last name King in 1953 as an attempt to be associated with B.B. King, and sometimes he was billed as "B.B. King's brother."

He didn't really need to go to those lengths as he was a standout guitar player on his own without the hype.

ALBERT KING - "Crosscut Saw"