MICKEY STEPHENS & POOR BLUE - "Wasteground" (2018)

 

The first time I heard of Mickey Stephens was in 2018 when Lord Litter played one of his songs on his radio show on KWTF (Are those not the greatest call letters of all time or what?).

I thought "Wasteground" was one of the best songs I had heard lately with it's laid back feel, and ultra cool trumpet solo. 

Lord Litter kept on playing Mickey's music and one day I asked him "What's going on with Mickey Stephens?" and he told me he had completely lost touch with him, but he had heard he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.

A little over a year ago Lord Litter passed away, and I had completely forgotten about our Mickey Stephens conversation.

I started thinking about it again the other day, and there is little to find.

 

All the links I could find to the "Wasteground" site are dead, and I can't even find a reference to this music on Discogs, but I did find this extensive article about Mickey and his early history in an Irish band called The Mighty Shamrocks.

You can read it right HERE!

I can't find just the song, but here's Lord Litter's radio program that I heard it on. It's the opening song, so just give it a minute or two. It will be worth it, and by all means, go ahead and listen to the rest of the show or any of the other Lord Litter shows. If you like a wide variety of music, I guarantee you won't regret it.

The world needs more music like this Mickey, just let us know where to find it!

MICKEY STEPHENS AND POOR BLUE - "Wasteground"

LOOSE FUR - "Born Again In The USA" (2006)

 

Loose Fur was a side project of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. "Born Again In The USA" from 2006 was their second and last album together. Jeff Tweedy was joined on this record by Glenn Kotche on Drums & Percussion, and Jim O'Rourke on Bass, Keys, Guitars and vocals.

After this both Glenn and Jim ended up playing in Wilco. 

Lots of changes! 

The cover art is done by Japaneses artist Tomoo Gokita.

LOOSE FUR - "Hey Chicken" 

WHAT A RAUNCHY SONG!

 

The definition of the word "Raunchy" is earthy, vulgar, slovenly, grubby and often sexually explicit!

The instrumental song "Raunchy" was written by Bill Justis and Sidney Manker, and was released as a single in 1957, making it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and #2 on the R&B singles charts in 1958.

Oddly enough, it also made it to #6 on the list of country singles in that year. 

Bill Justis then recorded the song two more times, and it was the title of this album in 1969. 

BILL JUSTIS - "Raunchy" 

 

This version by Ernie Freeman released also in 1957 was very popular, having also reached #1 on the R&B singles charts in 1958.

ERNIE FREEMAN - "Raunchy"

 

  

It is said that in 1958 when a 15 year old George Harrison auditioned to be in John Lennon's band The Quarrymen, the song he played was "Raunchy."

 

"Raunchy" has been recorded by many artists including Duane Eddy, Santo & Johnny, Billy Strange, and The Incredible Bongo Band just to name a few, but one version I really like is the one by The Ventures" from their first album of 149 they made, released in 1960 titled "Walk Don't Run."

Unlike many versions, they didn't need a sax! 

THE VENTURES - "Raunchy"

If you'd like to hear more versions of "Raunchy" then what you don't want to do is search for "Raunchy" song on YouTube. I'll just say I thought porn wasn't allowed on YouTube, but I guess it's okay if it's in the form of vulgar songs.

NEW PUMF RELEASES JULY 2025

 

pStan Batcow has just announced that there are three new releases out on his Pumf Records label this month.

The first one is 'Cutting Wood When The Wind Is Blowing' by Howl in the Typewriter - an album of repetition, where the usual structure of music underlaid with background sounds is inverted, meaning the music is subsumed by the incidental - this gives an unsettling feel to the whole aural groove, though with enough structure remaining to hypnotise and enthrall the listener.

 

 

The second one is  'A Piece of Steam' by Quougnpt - a barrage of soundbites cluster together and create otherworlds of the imagination, track-hopping from one train of thought to another as if demented gremlins are switching the points at random. 

 

 

And the third one is the 27th volume in the amazing godspunk series.

godspunk volume twenty-seven - a double-CD compilation, featuring fifteen bands / artistes from Planet Earth, performing 41 songs in their own inimitable styles, veering wildly through punky pop to abstract sounds, electronic to ambient, noise to psychedelic and folk / country. 

You can listen to and buy any or all at these two Pumf sites, 

so what are you waiting for? 

 PUMF.NET

or

PUMFBANDCAMP.COM 

HI FI AND THE ROADBURNERS - "Wine, Women And Sin" (1996)

 

HI FI And The Roadburners was a good time band from Chicago, Illinois that was founded in 1984 by brothers Erik and Hans Kish. 

 

 Erik was the main vocalist and played Rhythm Guitar, and Hans sang background vocals and played Bass. 

The other members were Jeff Schuch on Lead Guitar, Dan Curry on Drums, and the mighty Dennis McQuinn on Sax!

The brothers Kish also owned and operated Fear City Choppers, a business that customized Harley and Triumph motorcycles. 

Sadly, the band quit recording in 2011 after Erik Kish died from a motorcycle accident. Hans passed away in 2023.

HI FI AND THE ROADBURNERS - "What The Hell" 

MORPHINE - "Cure For Pain" (1993)

 

Morphine was an amazing three piece band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. They had a sound so unique I can't even think of anybody to compare them too. In 1993, they released their second album called "Cure For Pain."

 

 

Morphine was fronted by Mark Sandman on vocals and two string bass, and was joined on this record by Dana Colley on Sax. They had two separate drummers over the years, and both Jerome Deupree, and his replacement Billy Conway played on this release.

Morphine had an incredibly big sound for only three musicians!

Sadly, exactly 26 years ago to this day, Mark Sandman collapsed on stage in Italy at the age of 46, dead from a heart attack, and the band disbanded immediately.

MORPHINE - "Thursday" 

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM - "I Could Have Danced All Night" (1968)

 

Central Nervous System was a band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They only had this one album called "I Could Have Danced All Night" that came out in August of 1968. 

The first BS&T album came out in March of the same year, so it might or might not have been an influence on this band's sound.

This is the opening number from that album, and sets the mood for the rest of the record.

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM - "Comin' To Get Ya" 

DAVID'S & DAVE'S

 

In the annals of Rock & Roll history, there have been many Dave's and David's along the way. There's way too many for me to mention them all, but here's a standout few just for fun!

Of course the ultimate David would be the band itself called The David. 

The David were from Brentwood, Ca, and released this album called "Another Day, Another Lifetime," in 1967. It's not on this album, but Wikipedia says that The David had a single called "40 Miles" that hit #19 on the local charts in Bakersfield, Ca.

"40 Miles" is a lot more accessible than most of this album. 

THE DAVID - "40 Miles"

 

Another notable 60's David would be David Peel & The Lower East Side.
I couldn't believe it when this album called "Have A Marijuana" came out in 1968.
Back then, it seemed like they were just asking to go to jail.
Of course this record is ridiculous fun.
DAVID PEEL & THE LOWER EAST SIDE - "Show Me The Way To Get Stoned"

Another Dave who I feel never got his due was another NY folksinger named Dave Van Ronk, and kind of like Phil Ochs, because people were quickly getting their fill of folkie protest songs, Dave put together an electric band called The Hudson Dusters to appeal to a broader audience.

 

Just in case you don't know what a Hudson Duster is, it's a kind of a hand pumped sprayer for spraying pesticides. They kind of looked like an old bicycle pump.

From my understanding the Hudson Dusters were also an early 1900's street gang who were trying to control the Hudson River Docks in New York.

They had lots of rivals with wild names like The Gopher Gang, The Potashes, The Boodle Gang, The Fashion Plates, The Pearl Buttons, and The Marginals.

Sounds like a 'Battle of the Bands!' 

Here's a song from this record that skyrocketed Dave Van Ronk's career to Nowheresville!

DAVE VAN RONK & THE HUDSON DUSTERS - "Head Inspector"

 

David Vanian was the lead singer of the British band The Damned, and when the band broke up in 1989, he formed his own 'Gothabilly' band called The Phantom Chords.
They didn't have a lot of success, but as this 1995 album suggests, they had what appeared to be a lot of fun, and then it was all over.
DAVID VANIAN & THE PHANTOM CHORDS - "Frenzy"

 

 

Let's wrap up all this Dave and David business with a cut from an obscure record from 1959 by a pianist from Seattle, Washington named Dave Carlson.

I don't know much about Dave Carlson, but I can tell you one thing, the man could play the piano!

DAVE CARLSON - "Dave's Blues"  

SAVAGE NIGHT

 

Rich here.

 The song blasted from the radio speaker and made me push my car's accelerator. But I didn't quite know how to label "Savage Night" when I first heard it. It featured a blaring horn section, a whammy-bar-driven lead guitar, pattering bongos, and a hipster vibe.

 

The band was The Blue Hawaiians. Were they a tiki culture band? 

 

And was "Savage Night" a surf record? A slumming jazz instrumental? A kitsch homage to grass skirts and coconut bras? A lost Henry Mancini dive into rock? The soundtrack to a noirish crime movie? I'll let you decide.

Whatever it is, it cooks.

 

THE BLUE HAWAIIANS - "Savage Night" 

WADE IN THE WATER

 

"Wade In The Water" is a spiritual that was written in 1901 by brothers Frederick J, and John Wesley Work Jr. and was first published as "New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers."

 

The Sunset Four Jubilee Singers made the first commercial recording in 1925.

It was then recorded three more times in the next six years by the Lincoln Four Quartette, the Birmingham Jubilee Quartet, and the Famous Blue Jay Singers of Birmingham.

 

 Since then, the song has been recorded by a diverse group of musicians in all kinds of styles.

Ramsey Lewis recorded a version in 1966 that made it to #19 on The Billboard Hot 100. 

 

 Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass did a version in 1967.

 

The Staple Singers did a version also in 1967.

 

 

The list goes on and on with artists like Marlena Shaw, Little Sonny, Big Mama Thornton, The Graham Bond Organization, Clover, The Rivets, Pacific Gas & Electric, Ian & The Zodiacs, etc, etc, but I think my favorite one is this very creative version from Harvey Mandel's first solo album in 1968 titled "Cristo Redentor."

 When Mick Taylor quit The Rolling Stones in 1974, Harvey Mandel was one of the guitarists that tried out for the job, and his guitar playing can be heard on two of the songs from their 1976 album "Black And Blue," "Hot Stuff" and "Memory Motel."

 Harvey lost out, and the job went to Ron Wood.

HARVEY MANDEL - "Wade In The Water"

PHIL OCHS - "Phil Ochs Greatest Hits" - (50 Phil Ochs Fans Can't Be Wrong) (1970)

 

Phil Ochs was a folksinger, a protest singer, and as he liked to call himself, a "topical singer."

When he thought his messages weren't getting through, he changed directions, and re-invented himself for his eighth album in 1970 as part Elvis Presley and part Che Guevara, and brazenly called it "Phil Ochs Greatest Hits," even though none of the songs had ever been on other records. 

On the back it said "50 Phil Ochs Fans Can't Be Wrong," a parody of  this album by Elvis Presley.

Phil even went so far as to have the master tailor Nudie Cohn design him the gold lame suit you see on the cover.

He abandoned folk music on this record, and played electric guitar on Country and Rock and Roll songs instead.

Personally, I like this record, but it was not a popular move, made his career even worse, and was the last record he ever recorded.

Unfortunately, the only way that Phil Ochs would be able to play the chords of fame, was to write a song about it. 

Fed up with everything, Phil Ochs committed suicide in 1976 by hanging himself, gone forever at the age of 35.

PHIL OCHS - "Chords Of Fame"

THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION - "Acme" (1998)

 

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion will beat you up, and make you like it!

The album "Acme" came out in 1998, and was quickly followed by "Acme-Plus"... 

 

...And "Acme-Xtra," and they both came with a lot of  B sides and remixes. 

One of those is what you get here, one of my favorites!

3:15 minutes of complete rockin' chaos!

The world wasn't ready for it in 1998, and in that regard, not much has changed! 

Just wait for it!  

THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION - "Chowder" 

RAY DAYTONA & THE GOOGOOBOMBOS - "Ray's Own Business" (1998)

 

Ray Daytona & The Googoobombos are a surf/garage band from Italy. Their surf tunes are impeccable, and the songs they do that have vocals, sound like they would have come off of one of the "Nuggets" compilation albums.

It's one thing to do classic surf and retro garage songs, but it's a completely different thing to do them as good as these guys do!

Here's a little something that was released as a surf styled single in 1998 that rocks the house!

 RAY DAYTONA & THE GOOGOOBOMBOS - "Ray's Own Business"

WHEN YOU'RE NEAR ME I HAVE DIFFICULTY RESPIRATING

 

Rich here. 

We're all acquainted with the obsessive, lustful declarations of a singer describing the effects their object of desire has on them. It's interesting how many of the descriptions have to do with breath and breathing:

 

  "Every breath you take, I'll be watching you" ("Every Breath You Take," The Police)

"So go on, come on: leave me breathless" ("Breathless," The Corrs)

"I'll take your breath away" ("Possession," Sarah McLachlan)

"You Take My Breath Away" by Queen.

 

 To be certain, there are plenty more examples.

 

But leave it to XTC to translate these sentiments into the most gawky and geeky teenage way imaginable with awkward and angular music that's catchy as hell.  

 

From their 1979 album DRUMS AND WIRES: 

 

XTC - "When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty" 

LOVE SCULPTURE - "Sabre Dance" (1969)

In 1942 Aram Khachaturian composed "Sabre Dance" as a movement in the final act of his ballet entitled "Gayane." The song became so popular in the United States that in 1948 it reached number one in the BillBoard Best-Selling Records by Classical Artists charts three times by three different artists.

 

Over the years, "Sabre Dance" has been covered by a diverse group of musicians from Spike Jones to Punk and Heavy metal bands like UK Subs and Mekong Delta.

In the 1950's the very popular Liberace played "Sabre Dance" live on TV.

LIBERACE - "Sabre Dance" 

 

 

But by far my favorite rendition of this classic will always be this manic version by Love Sculpture in 1969 featuring Dave Edmunds on guitar.

LOVE SCULPTURE - "Sabre Dance" 

HAZMAT MODINE - "Bahamut" (2006)

 

Hazmat Modine is quite an interesting ensemble from New York. This album titled "Bahamut" was released in 2006. The band is led by a fellow named Wade Schuman who is featured on Diatonic Harmonica, Lute Guitar, Guitar, and Lead Vocals.

 

Wade is joined by Joseph Daley on Tuba (How can you not love a band that has a tuba player in it?), Pamela Fleming on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, Steve Elson on Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Duduk, and Flute, Reut Regev on Trombone, Flugabone, and Slide Trumpet, Erik Della Penna on Guitar, Banjitar, and Vocals, Daisy Castro playing violin and singing, and Patrick Simard on Drums & Percussion, and also doing vocals.

And trust me, they're using almost all those instruments on every song! 

Here's a link to their website. It will be well worth your time to go there.

The outstanding music from all these fine people is all over the place so I tried to pick out one song that shows the depth of their musical knowledge, and this is the one I came up with. 

HAZMAT MODINE - "Moving Stones" 

SPREAD THE GOOD WORD!

 

Rev. Tom Frost just released another batch of his outstanding music, and I quote......

"A Circle in the Fire is a collision of sounds, a restless spirit weaving twang, rockabilly grit, and rhumba mystique into something entirely its own. Lyrically, it dances between poetry and cynicism, embracing beauty while winking at its fragility. But beneath the words, there’s an undercurrent—a quiet defiance, a lingering echo of vengeance, like the dusty trail of an Italian western where justice is slow but inevitable. Every track feels like a different turn in the maze, leading into moments that smolder, roar, and whisper."

 

That was a quote from Maria Sauber that came with the email announcing the release. 

 

There are tons of ways you can listen or stream it!

 And if you're one of those kind of people who need to have a physical copy that you can hold in your hand, then click HERE to go to the Rev's bandcamp page where you can pre-order a CD.

 

 Répandez la bonne parole et passez un bon moment!

ARTHUR RUSSELL - "Kiss Me Again" (1978)

 

It would be really easy to write off this 1978 single titled "Kiss Me Again" by Arthur Russell's Dinosaur as just another long disco song, but that would be a big mistake, because it's so much more than that!

I understand this song did get played in dance clubs a lot back in the day, so get them feet moving!

DINOSAUR - "Kiss Me Again" 

 

Arthur Russell was a musical genius! 

Born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the cello playing prolific songwriter never really got the chance that he deserved.

Arthur Russell died from AIDS complications in 1992 at the age of 40, and I read that he left behind hundreds of tapes full of his ideas.

Arthur almost joined Talking Heads, and lucky for us, they recorded this early acoustic version of "Psycho Killer" with Arthur playing the cello!

Wow! What a difference a cello can make! 

TALKING HEADS - "Psycho Killer (Acoustic Version)"

THE WORLD'S A CAN FOR YOUR FRESH GARBAGE

 

Rich here.

 

Teenage psychedelic guitar phenom Randy California (real name Randy Wolfe) missed his chance at superstardom when Jimi Hendrix invited him to go to London with him and be in his new band (which would become known as the Jimi Hendrix Experience), but Randy's parents thought the 16-year-old was too young for such a venture. 

 

But the story doesn't end there. Randy California subsequently started a new band that included a folkie, a jazz keyboardist, a rock singer, and even his middle-aged stepfather, a striking-looking bald jazz drummer who'd previously played in a trio with Taj Mahal and a very young Ry Cooder. 

 

Randy California's new band, Spirit, never found superstardom, but they did become cult-favorites for their eclectic mix of genres. Even by the kind of "Anything Goes" aesthetic of the late Sixties, Spirit's creative music was considered adventurous, as can be heard in "Fresh Garbage," with its blend of blues and rock and folk and pop and jazz and psychedelic space vibes.

SPIRIT - "Fresh  Garbage" 

MINUTEMEN - "The Politics Of Time" (1984)

 

The Minutemen were one of my favorite bands back in the 80's and I was very fortunate to see them perform live at The Anti-Club a few months before D. Boon passed away.

This album called "The Politics Of Time" escaped in 1984, and had a lot of their early short classics on it! 

They had it right in so many ways, but it just wasn't meant to be!

There are 27 songs on this record, and this is one of eleven that is longer than one minute! 

MINUTEMEN - "Working Men Are Pissed" 

THE KINKS - "Kinks-Size" (1965)

 

In the mid 60's, The Kinks were just grinding out one hit after another. They were all pretty simple but also all pretty damn infectious. 

This album titled "Kinks-Size" came out in 1965 and had two of their big hits on it, one was "Tired Of Waiting For You," and the other one was this song that has one of my favorite guitar solos in it. Dave Davies was a guitar maniac, and the solo on this song is one of the most manic you'll ever hear! 

THE KINKS - "All Day And All Of The Night" 

 

If you really want to hear some their top songs all in one package, you just can't go wrong with this record from 1966 called "The Kinks Greatest Hits."

Not only is "All Day And All Of The Night" on it, it also contains "You Really Got Me," "Tired Of Waiting For You," "A Well Respected Man," "Who'll Be The Next In Line," & "Til The End Of The Day."

What a body of work, and this is still four years before one of their most popular songs, "Lola" came out!
 

 

FLAT DUO JETS - "Sing, Sing, Sing" (1989)

 

Flat Duo Jets are no joke, but they did like to joke around. Their first album came out in 1989 and was titled "Flat Duo Jets," even though they were a trio. The band was composed of Dexter Romweber playing Guitar (who just passed away last year), a guy named Tone playing Bass, and another fellow known as Crow, playing the drums.

This song is a dichotomy unto itself. It's an instrumental, but it's called "Sing, Sing, Sing."

The original version was recorded by The Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1938. 

It swings, and I think Crow does a pretty damn credible impersonation of Gene Krupa. 

FLAT DUO JETS - "Sing, Sing, Sing" 

THE 'B' GIRLS - "Who Says Girls Can't Rock" (1979)

 

In 1979, a Canadian band called The 'B' Girls released this killer single on the Bomp label. Their story is way too discombobulated for me to try and explain, but this Wikipedia article does a good job of telling it, and is well worth reading.

In the meantime, listen to this! 

 

"Who Says Girls Can't Rock?"

That was the title of a Canadian CD of theirs that was released in 1997.

THE 'B' GIRLS - "Fun At The Beach"

MINNIE RIPERTON - "Perfect Angel" (1974)

 

"Perfect Angel" was Minnie Riperton's second album. It came out in 1974, and in 1975, the song "Lovin' You" hit number one on the Billboard charts. Sadly, and sure not fair, the perfect angel joined all the other angels in 1979, another victim of cancer at the age of only 31.

Minnie was an amazing singer and had an incredible five-octave vocal range.

"Lovin' You" is such a beautiful song, but here's the less heard title song from this fine LP. 

MINNIE RIPERTON - "Perfect Angel" 

FARMER JOHN

Another great 60's Latino band from East L.A. was The Premiers, who released this album called "Farmer John Live" in 1964, and the single reached #19 on the charts.

THE PREMIERS - "Farmer John"

 

 

Neil Young liked the song well enough that he decided to a cover it with his band Crazy Horse on this 1990 LP titled "Ragged Glory," but personally, since the original was recorded 'live,'  I like Neil's 'live' version better than his studio version. It's just got more pizazz, except it's too bad that all the screaming girls are missing!

NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - "Farmer John"