mardi, septembre 19, 2006
Scott Goddard
"Cowpunk"
album: Your Fool
Enigma, 1984
In college radio, I was at first on the air during the wee hours of the morning, hypnotically watching those vinyl discs go round and round on the turntables with headphones on, soaking up every note of the new wave, punk, and indie music that my pre-college experience listening to rock radio hasn't taught me.
There were a handful of bands on Enigma Records I discovered I liked--Game Theory, Rain Parade, and Green on Red among them--so I kept my eye out for that odd logo, usually emblazoned in red, on the back of album jackets.
One night, I spotted an Enigma EP in the new release bin called Your Fool, from someone I hadn't heard of: Scott Goddard. A sticker on the front declared him to be a former member of the Surf Punks. Although I had vaguely heard of them, I didn't know the Surf Punks--and in those pre-internet days, information was either from a magazine, learned via word-of-mouth, or in the Trouser Press Record Guide.
"Cowpunk" was the song we began playing at 'ICB, and I loved it. I learned every word, even though I hgad no idea the song's bridge was liberally quoting Hank Williams and was only vaguely aware of Bakersfield's location.
Even though most DJs at the station played only "Cowpunk" from the EP, I branched out to other cuts like the Dickies cover "Manny, Moe & Jack" and especially "Panic in Van Nuys."
When Goddard's full-length album Eleventy Billion came out in 1986, I rushed out to buy a copy. Although tracks like "Two Triple Cheese" and Goddard's cover of "Ballad of Jed Clampett" were enjoyable, much of the album was covers or written by album producer (and future half of The Rembrandts) Danny Wilde and Rubber City Rebel Rod Firestone. The only Goddard-penned track was the previously-released "Cowpunk" itself. The album simply didn't have the same zing as the best songs from the Your Fool EP.
The other day, though, I was saddened to read this webpage which says that Goddard passed away last spring:
"Cowpunk"
And I look over younder, tell me what do I see
Can it be a special angel built 'specially for me
With that long black hair, yeah, her eyes are so bright
Yeah, she looks real good underneath the bar lights
She drives a new Thunderbird, owns a stack of credit cards
Yeah, she parties real cool, she parties real hard
I've been to Bakersfield twice and four county fairs
But I've never seen a woman like that anywheres
All those night in Fillmore, who could ask for anything more
Saw you dancing in the heat, you threw my love right out on the street
Oh, cowpunk, that girl was much too tough
She's cowpunk
She's cowpunk
Yeah, she's my little sugar and we have so much fun
Yeah, we'll hit the bowling alley when the work day is done
She's my little baby and she loves me so right
Yeah, she holds me in the morning right on into the night
I got a hot rod Ford and a two dollar bill
And I know a joint right over the that hill
Well, they got loud music and the band's really good
Yeah, they drive here d'rectly from North Hollywood
All those night in Fillmore, who could ask for anything more
I saw you dancing in the heat, you stopped my heart like it's hamburger meat
Oh, cowpunk, aw, that girl was much too tough
Cowpunk
Cowpunk
Hey, let's party and get funky with these folks dagnab it
How 'bout it?
Cowpunk, cowpunk
Cowpunk, cowpunk
Cowpunk, cowpunk
Cowpunk, cowpunk
And by the way, since even All Music Guide doesn't have a tracklisting for Eleventy Billion, here it is to feed the hungry maw of Google's databanks:
Eleventy Billion
(818 Records)
Side 1
Two Triple Cheese (George Frayne)
Ballad of Jed Clampett (Paul Henning)
Some Kind of Miracle (Winorowski/Lara)
Running Bear (J.P. Richardson)
Only Hurts When I Cry (D. Wilde)
Talk Talk (Sean Bonniweil)
Side 2
Get Rhythm (Johnny Cash)
Cowpunk (S. Goddard)
Beverly (Rod Firestone)
Get Away (D. Wilde)
Stuck on You (Firestone/Wilde)
I wish I had a copy of Your Fool to include info about it, but I recollect it being a six song EP featuring "Cowpunk," "Manny, Moe & Jack," "Panic in Van Nuys," the title song, plus two others. Please add info in comments if you can.
album: Your Fool
Enigma, 1984
In college radio, I was at first on the air during the wee hours of the morning, hypnotically watching those vinyl discs go round and round on the turntables with headphones on, soaking up every note of the new wave, punk, and indie music that my pre-college experience listening to rock radio hasn't taught me.
There were a handful of bands on Enigma Records I discovered I liked--Game Theory, Rain Parade, and Green on Red among them--so I kept my eye out for that odd logo, usually emblazoned in red, on the back of album jackets.One night, I spotted an Enigma EP in the new release bin called Your Fool, from someone I hadn't heard of: Scott Goddard. A sticker on the front declared him to be a former member of the Surf Punks. Although I had vaguely heard of them, I didn't know the Surf Punks--and in those pre-internet days, information was either from a magazine, learned via word-of-mouth, or in the Trouser Press Record Guide.
"Cowpunk" was the song we began playing at 'ICB, and I loved it. I learned every word, even though I hgad no idea the song's bridge was liberally quoting Hank Williams and was only vaguely aware of Bakersfield's location.
Even though most DJs at the station played only "Cowpunk" from the EP, I branched out to other cuts like the Dickies cover "Manny, Moe & Jack" and especially "Panic in Van Nuys."
When Goddard's full-length album Eleventy Billion came out in 1986, I rushed out to buy a copy. Although tracks like "Two Triple Cheese" and Goddard's cover of "Ballad of Jed Clampett" were enjoyable, much of the album was covers or written by album producer (and future half of The Rembrandts) Danny Wilde and Rubber City Rebel Rod Firestone. The only Goddard-penned track was the previously-released "Cowpunk" itself. The album simply didn't have the same zing as the best songs from the Your Fool EP.
The other day, though, I was saddened to read this webpage which says that Goddard passed away last spring:
Robert Scott Goddard, a true original, peacefully left this life March 19, 2006 in Santa Barbara, California, succumbing to liver cancer.So I pulled out my old Eleventy Billion vinyl (and the unfortunately out-of-print compilation CD You Break It, You Bought It) to appreciate his talents.
Born July 9,1952 in Van Nuys, Scott lived many lives in his brief stay on Earth: surfer, hippie, punk rocker, counselor, born-again Christian, and family man.
An innovative musician, composer and producer, he worked with Leon Russell, The Spinners, Mike Johnstone, Kim Fowley, McCoo & Davis, Dennis Dragon, The Dickies, Danny Wilde and Art Laboe.
"Cowpunk"
And I look over younder, tell me what do I see
Can it be a special angel built 'specially for me
With that long black hair, yeah, her eyes are so bright
Yeah, she looks real good underneath the bar lights
She drives a new Thunderbird, owns a stack of credit cards
Yeah, she parties real cool, she parties real hard
I've been to Bakersfield twice and four county fairs
But I've never seen a woman like that anywheres
All those night in Fillmore, who could ask for anything more
Saw you dancing in the heat, you threw my love right out on the street
Oh, cowpunk, that girl was much too tough
She's cowpunk
She's cowpunk
Yeah, she's my little sugar and we have so much fun
Yeah, we'll hit the bowling alley when the work day is done
She's my little baby and she loves me so right
Yeah, she holds me in the morning right on into the night
I got a hot rod Ford and a two dollar bill
And I know a joint right over the that hill
Well, they got loud music and the band's really good
Yeah, they drive here d'rectly from North Hollywood
All those night in Fillmore, who could ask for anything more
I saw you dancing in the heat, you stopped my heart like it's hamburger meat
Oh, cowpunk, aw, that girl was much too tough
Cowpunk
Cowpunk
Hey, let's party and get funky with these folks dagnab it
How 'bout it?
Cowpunk, cowpunk
Cowpunk, cowpunk
Cowpunk, cowpunk
Cowpunk, cowpunk
And by the way, since even All Music Guide doesn't have a tracklisting for Eleventy Billion, here it is to feed the hungry maw of Google's databanks:
Eleventy Billion
(818 Records)
Side 1
Two Triple Cheese (George Frayne)
Ballad of Jed Clampett (Paul Henning)
Some Kind of Miracle (Winorowski/Lara)
Running Bear (J.P. Richardson)
Only Hurts When I Cry (D. Wilde)
Talk Talk (Sean Bonniweil)
Side 2
Get Rhythm (Johnny Cash)
Cowpunk (S. Goddard)
Beverly (Rod Firestone)
Get Away (D. Wilde)
Stuck on You (Firestone/Wilde)
I wish I had a copy of Your Fool to include info about it, but I recollect it being a six song EP featuring "Cowpunk," "Manny, Moe & Jack," "Panic in Van Nuys," the title song, plus two others. Please add info in comments if you can.
note: in most cases, link for songs are active for only a week. all music is for evaluation and educational spelunking use only. you are encouraged to support all artists wherever possible. if copyright holder would like the file removed, please let me know. album purchasing link here.
dimanche, septembre 03, 2006
The 25th of May
"What's Going On"
album: Lenin & McCarthy
Arista, 1992 [out of print]
The 25th of May were another in a long string of cool Brit dance-rock groups that appeared in record bins in those days before grunge effectively killed the genre, Following the footsteps of Pop Will Eat Itself, Happy Mondays, Carter U.S.M, or Happyhead, the 25th of May were based in Liverpool and led by the frontman Steve Swindelli.
"What's Going On" started off with a sample from The Terminator ("there's a storm coming in") and quickly established a syncopated piano rhythm alternating with guitar power chords on the chorus. Lyrically, the song was an ecstacy-fueled hippy political anthem, spouting lines like "you got to ride the storm, man/kick some doors in/take a fall, but never get used" (appropriately, my copy is autographed by Swindelli and amply decorated by him with peace and anarchy signs).
Six of the album's tracks (including this one) was co-produced by Marius de Vries in one of his early production projects, long before his notable work with David Gray, Rufus Wainwright, and others.
Swindelli later tried again five years later with the group Manbreak, yet another band which succumbed to obscurity after only one album. By the end of the decade, he apparently also recorded dance music under the name Omaha. Lately, I've heard tell that he was doing musical theater in ther U.K.
album: Lenin & McCarthy
Arista, 1992 [out of print]
The 25th of May were another in a long string of cool Brit dance-rock groups that appeared in record bins in those days before grunge effectively killed the genre, Following the footsteps of Pop Will Eat Itself, Happy Mondays, Carter U.S.M, or Happyhead, the 25th of May were based in Liverpool and led by the frontman Steve Swindelli.
"What's Going On" started off with a sample from The Terminator ("there's a storm coming in") and quickly established a syncopated piano rhythm alternating with guitar power chords on the chorus. Lyrically, the song was an ecstacy-fueled hippy political anthem, spouting lines like "you got to ride the storm, man/kick some doors in/take a fall, but never get used" (appropriately, my copy is autographed by Swindelli and amply decorated by him with peace and anarchy signs).
Six of the album's tracks (including this one) was co-produced by Marius de Vries in one of his early production projects, long before his notable work with David Gray, Rufus Wainwright, and others.
Swindelli later tried again five years later with the group Manbreak, yet another band which succumbed to obscurity after only one album. By the end of the decade, he apparently also recorded dance music under the name Omaha. Lately, I've heard tell that he was doing musical theater in ther U.K.
note: links for songs are for limited duration. all music is for evaluation and educational spelunking use only. you are encouraged to support all artists wherever possible. if copyright holder would like the file removed, please let me know.
