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	Original Soundtrack - Dr. No [Remaster] [2/11]
	"Monty Norman goes to Jamaica"	2007-06-11
If ever a movie desperately NEEDED an "upgraded" version of a soundtrack album, DR. NO (1962) is it! Only 7 of the 18 tracks on the album actually appear in the film, and most of the music in the film is not on the album! The current "soundtrack album" is more like one of those modern items that say "Music inspired by the film" (like the one Prince did for BATMAN in 1989). Monty Norman did 2 recording sessions for the film: the first, a lightweight, bouncy & moody score rich in Jamaican styling; the second, a sombre, intense, exciting "orchestral" score in the classic "crime jazz" style. One of his compositions, "The James Bond Theme", based on his own "Good Sign Bad Sign" (from an unproduced play) turned up here and there in the score, but it was also re-recorded at the request of the producers by John Barry, and this version was so satisfying, it wound up being used at least 5 times over the course of the picture, and reappeared in every Eon Production since. The album breaks down as follows: 1)"James Bond Theme"-- by The John Barry Seven; surely the best recording of this ever made, it appears in the film's opening and closing credits; when Bond leaves the casino and arrives at his office; as Bond drives to Miss Taro's house (before he's ambushed); and when he arrives at Miss Taro's house. This recording was even reused as-is in OHMSS (the assault on Piz Gloria) and on some prints of THUNDERBALL (the end credits). For decades it was disputed whether Norman or Barry really wrote it, but it has apparently been proven in Norman's favor (and if one listens carefully, snippets of it can be heard in other pieces in the film-- none of which appear on this album, unfortunately). 2)"Kingston Calypso"-- by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires; this variation on "3 Blind Mice" is heard during the opening credits as 3 killers stroll toward their target. 18)"Love At Last"-- you have to listen VERY carefully to hear this, buried in the soundtrack as Bond makes inquiries at Strangways' club and meets Prof. Dent for the first time. 14)"Under The Mango Tree"-- vocal by Monty Norman, this is heard earlier as James follows Quarrel to Pusfella's club. 4)"Jump Up"--a really upbeat, catchy dance tune performed at Pusfella's club when James has his talk with Felix & Quarrel. Performed onscreen by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, a band who've been around since 1956 and became a huge force in Jamaican music-- still around today! 6)"Under The Mango Tree"-- sung by Diana Coupland, this is heard on the record player at Miss Taro's house while James prepares for Prof. Dent's arrival. 13)"The Island Speaks"--the most ominous, moody bit here, heard as James & Quarrel approach Crab Key Island. This is the ONLY piece from the "orchestral" session included on the album! The rest of the tracks do not appear in the film-- not necessarily a loss, but really... "Jamaican Rock", "Audio Bongo" and "The Is Boy Chase" (3,5,15) are more irritating than anything else (and I wonder where they were intended to go?). Several tracks are alternate versions, perhaps recorded to give the producers a choice of what to use where. These include "Jamaican Jazz", an instro. version of "Jump Up" (8), while (10) is an alternate take with a different singer & lyrics; (12) and (16) are both alternates of "Kingston Calypso", one with Diana Coupland singing and the other instrumental (the latter oddly re-named "Dr. No's Fantasy"); (9) is an instro of "Under The Mango Tree". 2 more versions of this appeared in the film, a more uptempo instro at the end of the film, and the scene on the beach where Bond meets Honey, sung by Diana Coupland (dubbing Ursula Andress) and Sean Connery himself-- but neither of these appear on the album. And why isn't it "UnderNEATH The Mango Tree" (as in the lyrics and various cover versions)? Perhaps most intriguing are (7,11,& 17), three different versions (under 3 different names) of what may well have been the original, UNUSED "James Bond Theme". "Twisting With James" (7) would have fit at the nightclub; "Dr. No's Fantasy" (11) reminds me of something from THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN; and "The James Bond Theme" (17) could have fit well in the jungle (or somewhere in the film LIVE AND LET DIE); but NONE of the 3 versions of this catchy tune turn up in the film! In addition to the obvious mess described above, the LP only had Norman's name listed in tiny type on the back (absurd, considering he wrote ALL the music on it); there were no credits indicating "Arranged & Orchestrated by Burt Rhodes"; "Conducted by Eric Rogers"; that track 1 was "Arranged by John Barry" and recorded by the John Barry Seven; and no listings for the vocals by Diana Coupland, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires or Monty Norman! (The latter was confirmed when I visited Norman's website; on a new recording of "Mango Tree", it's obviously the same singer!) Nor was there a credit for "Album Producer: Noel Rogers", but with all that's wrong here, I'm not surprised nobody wanted to take the blame for this! I've just put together my own "custom" version of this from tracks on the album plus the "missing" music (with dialogue) from the movie; but I would hope that some day, someone at Eon would see to it that an "official" release like that may see the light of day!
	Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
	"VILE Abomination!!"	2007-05-26
Hammer's 5th Baron Frankenstein film is, by far, their nastiest-- and in some ways, I must admit, perhaps their cleverest. Gone is any pretense of sympathy in the character-- in this, he's devolved into irredeemably evil. What kind of a "hero" (protagonist at best) DECAPITATES an innocent passer-by to aid in an experiment? Long way from digging up dead corpses, isn't it! What horrible fate brought dear, sweet, gentle Peter Cushing (Van Helsing in HORROR OF DRACULA and others, Sherlock Holmes in HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, a 60's tv series & MASKS OF DEATH) to such an utterly dispicable (and frighteningly convincing) portayal??? With such an outrageous title, you kinda know what you're in for. The film really lives up to (or is down to?) its name. Focused on brain transplants, the Baron blackmails a young couple to help him. What follows involves theft, murder, 2 kidnappings, another murder, deceit, rape (how'd THAT get in there?) and, finally, arson. (It's a horror film-- how ELSE would it end??) You feel sympathy for Simon Ward and Veronica Carlson, whose only original crime involved trying to get money to pay for her hospitalized relative. You feel NO sympathy whatsoever for the Baron, as he cold-bloodedly violates every law he can (among other things) on the road to "scientific knowledge". Among the supporting cast are George Pravda as the Baron's insane collegue. Pravda was clever if wimpy as the atomic scientist in THUNDERBALL, and brilliant as the police chief in the DOCTOR WHO story, "The Deadly Assasin". Here he's merely a pathetic victim. Also on hand are Freddie Jones (the scientist who sent Clint Eastwood on a spy mission in FIREFOX), who brings true sympathy to his role as the Baron's "creation". I watched the film several times without even noticing the parallel with the Mary Shelly story, as the "monster" seeks revenge for the man who thoughtlessly "created" him. (With Hammer films, sometimes it's hard to recognize the original source materials!) Peter Copley, a veteran of several DOCTOR WHO stories, has a small role as the head of the asylum. Blink and you might miss (I did) Frank Middlemass-- "Rocky Hardcastle" from AS TIME GOES BY, as one of the 4 ejected houseguests. Also hard to spot is Windsor Davies ("Sergeant-Major Zero", my favorite character on Gerry Anderson's TERRAHAWKS series), one of the policemen who search Carlson's house. More of a standout is Geoffrey Bayldon, one of my favorite character actors (HORROR OF DRACULA, TO SIR WITH LOVE, CASINO ROYALE, THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, and "The Creature From The Pit" on DOCTOR WHO) as the "Police Doctor". He's harrassed by the boisterous, loud-mouthed police inspector played by Thorley Walters. Here's an actor who's really gotten around-- over the years he's played Dr. Watson opposite 3 different Sherlock Holmes (Chris Lee, Douglas Wilmer & Christopher Plummer), was a psuedo-Renfield type (in DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS), played the Baron's assistant (FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMEN) and here, a well-meaning cop who's so abbrassive you almost HOPE he doesn't get his man (and sadly he disappears about halfway thru the film). I swear, watching this film again, I found myself thinking-- I used to WORK for that man!!! (The character reminds me EXACTLY of a software writer I know in Cherry Hill who shall, of course, remain nameless.) Legend has it director Terrence Fisher thought the film was getting a little dull in one spot, thought about it for awhile, then suggested, "HOW ABOUT A RAPE SCENE?" Said scene was quickly written & shot, at the objection of Peter Cushing, who felt it not only offensive, but not properly built up to, plot-wise. Someone agreed, as it was cut from all original release prints. But its noteriety was such, apparently, that it's been restored to the latest prints (just as 5 different offending scenes were eventually restored to the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN). The plot is one of those "rat-maze" affairs, as characters are trapped in a bad siaution that just keeps getting worse, and the audience is forced to suffer thru one horror after another for an hour and 40 minutes... before the climax, which almost makes it worthwhile! In a sequence that only now reminds me of the climax of HALLOWEEN 5, the overweight, balding character (the creature) lures his intended victim to a large house. But where Dr. Loomis wanted only to capture Michael Myers, here, nothing less than the DEATH of the Baron will suffice. In true Roger Coman tradition (which also goes back to the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN!), before you know it, the house is ablaze. Somehow, the Baron escapes... only to be stopped by a vengeful (if completely inept) Simon Ward, who's kicked aside by the creature. Then, hefting the Baron over his shoulder, he walks, straight back INTO THE FIRE, the Baron screaming "No! NOOOOO!!!!" the whole way. The first time I saw this, I stood up and CHEERED as the end credits rolled! The whole time, I was thinking, it was TOO GOOD for him! Love it or hate it, this is one not to be missed.
	Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
	"VILE Abomination!!"	2007-05-26
Hammer's 5th Baron Frankenstein film is, by far, their nastiest-- and in some ways, I must admit, perhaps their cleverest. Gone is any pretense of sympathy in the character-- in this, he's devolved into irredeemably evil. What kind of a "hero" (protagonist at best) DECAPITATES an innocent passer-by to aid in an experiment? Long way from digging up dead corpses, isn't it! What horrible fate brought dear, sweet, gentle Peter Cushing (Van Helsing in HORROR OF DRACULA and others, Sherlock Holmes in HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, a 60's tv series & MASKS OF DEATH) to such an utterly dispicable (and frighteningly convincing) portayal??? With such an outrageous title, you kinda know what you're in for. The film really lives up to (or is down to?) its name. Focused on brain transplants, the Baron blackmails a young couple to help him. What follows involves theft, murder, 2 kidnappings, another murder, deceit, rape (how'd THAT get in there?) and, finally, arson. (It's a horror film-- how ELSE would it end??) You feel sympathy for Simon Ward and Veronica Carlson, whose only original crime involved trying to get money to pay for her hospitalized relative. You feel NO sympathy whatsoever for the Baron, as he cold-bloodedly violates every law he can (among other things) on the road to "scientific knowledge". Among the supporting cast are George Pravda as the Baron's insane collegue. Pravda was clever if wimpy as the atomic scientist in THUNDERBALL, and brilliant as the police chief in the DOCTOR WHO story, "The Deadly Assasin". Here he's merely a pathetic victim. Also on hand are Freddie Jones (the scientist who sent Clint Eastwood on a spy mission in FIREFOX), who brings true sympathy to his role as the Baron's "creation". I watched the film several times without even noticing the parallel with the Mary Shelly story, as the "monster" seeks revenge for the man who thoughtlessly "created" him. (With Hammer films, sometimes it's hard to recognize the original source materials!) Peter Copley, a veteran of several DOCTOR WHO stories, has a small role as the head of the asylum. Blink and you might miss (I did) Frank Middlemass-- "Rocky Hardcastle" from AS TIME GOES BY, as one of the 4 ejected houseguests. Also hard to spot is Windsor Davies ("Sergeant-Major Zero", my favorite character on Gerry Anderson's TERRAHAWKS series), one of the policemen who search Carlson's house. More of a standout is Geoffrey Bayldon, one of my favorite character actors (HORROR OF DRACULA, TO SIR WITH LOVE, CASINO ROYALE, THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, and "The Creature From The Pit" on DOCTOR WHO) as the "Police Doctor". He's harrassed by the boisterous, loud-mouthed police inspector played by Thorley Walters. Here's an actor who's really gotten around-- over the years he's played Dr. Watson opposite 3 different Sherlock Holmes (Chris Lee, Douglas Wilmer & Christopher Plummer), was a psuedo-Renfield type (in DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS), played the Baron's assistant (FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMEN) and here, a well-meaning cop who's so abbrassive you almost HOPE he doesn't get his man (and sadly he disappears about halfway thru the film). I swear, watching this film again, I found myself thinking-- I used to WORK for that man!!! (The character reminds me EXACTLY of a software writer I know in Cherry Hill who shall, of course, remain nameless.) Legend has it director Terrence Fisher thought the film was getting a little dull in one spot, thought about it for awhile, then suggested, "HOW ABOUT A RAPE SCENE?" Said scene was quickly written & shot, at the objection of Peter Cushing, who felt it not only offensive, but not properly built up to, plot-wise. Someone agreed, as it was cut from all original release prints. But its noteriety was such, apparently, that it's been restored to the latest prints (just as 5 different offending scenes were eventually restored to the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN). The plot is one of those "rat-maze" affairs, as characters are trapped in a bad siaution that just keeps getting worse, and the audience is forced to suffer thru one horror after another for an hour and 40 minutes... before the climax, which almost makes it worthwhile! In a sequence that only now reminds me of the climax of HALLOWEEN 5, the overweight, balding character (the creature) lures his intended victim to a large house. But where Dr. Loomis wanted only to capture Michael Myers, here, nothing less than the DEATH of the Baron will suffice. In true Roger Coman tradition (which also goes back to the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN!), before you know it, the house is ablaze. Somehow, the Baron escapes... only to be stopped by a vengeful (if completely inept) Simon Ward, who's kicked aside by the creature. Then, hefting the Baron over his shoulder, he walks, straight back INTO THE FIRE, the Baron screaming "No! NOOOOO!!!!" the whole way. The first time I saw this, I stood up and CHEERED as the end credits rolled! The whole time, I was thinking, it was TOO GOOD for him! Love it or hate it, this is one not to be missed.
	The Oblong Box / Scream and Scream Again
	"OBLONG BOX: Stylish, Complex, and Senselessly Violent!"	2006-08-16
The opening premise of THE OBLONG BOX is almost identical to the Peter Davison DOCTOR WHO story, "Black Orchid". A man returns from Africa, cursed by tribal magic, disfigured & insane, and kept a prisoner in his own home by his family. But whereas on the WHO story that was the punch line, here's it's just the springboard. Said victim secretly pays some friends to help him escape his brother-- Vincent Price-- who comes across as much nicer than most of these films, but all the same seems to be hiding something. Via more witch doctor "magic", the man fakes his own death... but then things go astray. SERIOUSLY astray. He's buried alive, then his "body" is stolen by grave-robbers in the employ of an unscrupulous medical adventurer. (One expects Peter Cushing in such a role, but NO! --it's Christopher Lee!) WHY his "friends" failed to follow-thru on their plan is a complete mystery to me-- I blame an unpolished script. It would have been a much more entertaining (and sensible) twist if they'd actually TRIED digging him up only to find the grave-robbers got their FIRST...! But no. The result: in addition to wanting to find out WHY he had a jungle curse put on him, Price's brother now wants REVENGE on everyone involved. Armed with a mask and a VERY sharp knife, his antics in the film's 2nd half make this seem like a Victorian-era installment of the HALLOWEEN series!!! I understand the late Michael Reeves was scheduled to direct; this may explain why Price, Rupert Davies (DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE) and Hilary Dwyer (CRY OF THE BANSHEE) are all together again following WITCHFINDER GENERAL-- and why there's so much pointless VIOLENCE in the story. While that film disturbed me in the EXTREME each time I sat thru it, OBLONG BOX is a LOT more "fun"-- if you can get past the growing number of bodies, most of which were killed in particularly brutal and senseless fashion. 2 interesting things I noticed about this plot, as it goes on nearly every character seems to be BLACKMAILING somebody (it seems EVERYBODY has some secret they don't want known), and the sympathetic-yet-INSANE victim/SLASHER only seems to kill people who've done wrong. (The sweet, innocent housekeeper gets terrified and dragged thru the woods, but nothing REALLY happens to her!) Interesting cameos to watch for: Colin Jeavons (Inspector Lestrade on the Jeremy Brett HOLMES series) plays a police inspector, as does Ivor Dean (Inspector Teal on the Roger Moore SAINT series!). With this film, producer Louis M. Heyward & director Gordon Hessler began a string of collaborations, all of which were somewhat iffy. Like WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP (which Heyward produced) OBLONG BOX feels like the script could have used to fine-tuning. (WHY did Price do what he did before the picture started? HOW was it nobody at his brother's viewing realized the body on display was SOMEBODY ELSE? etc.) All the same, I find it more watchable than most of these.
	Cry of the Banshee / Murders in the Rue Morgue
	"BANSHEE: Witchfinder vs. the Werewolf!"	2006-08-16
I was really surprised when I watched this again after 23 years. I thought it was better than it was... In a seeming redo of his role of Matthew Hopkins, Vincent Price plays a corrupt, power-mad magistrate who flaunts his authority by persecuting "witches", even though he doesn't believe in them. So when he attacks a GENUINE coven, real trouble begins. CRY OF THE BANSHEE has a look and feel about halfway between WITCHFINDER GENERAL and MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH-- but with none of the style of either. The story is relatively simple and straightforward, with more nudity than violence (though the former got completely CUT when run on TV). The script, unfortunately, gives Price little to do except display multiple levels of NASTY, and for once, it seems to me nearly every actor in the film turned in a terrible performance. The one exception, I'd say, was character actor Hugh Griffith, as a drunken grave-digger who makes extra money on the side as a grave-ROBBER. The one potentially redeeming scene in the film comes when the lead witch, Oona, is confronted by Price's son, and arrogantly declares no one can stop her. Except-- he DOES! Dying, she suddenly realizes that revenge and violence only breeds MORE revenge and violence, and she bids her cover disperse to the hills and do what they can to find their former peaceful, love-filled lives. This really does feel like a tip-of-the-hat to the hippie/love generation movement. Tragically, as any viewer of DARK SHADOWS can tell you, once set in motion a magic curse is almost impossible to stop. The film works its way to what, in the late-60s/early-70's became all too common an occurance-- a "surprise bad ending". The classiest part of the film turns out to be the opening credits-- and the music by returning composer LES BAXTER! One of these days someone should assemble a collection of just movie credit sequences. Nobody seems to do really good ones anymore!
	War Gods of the Deep
	"Poe meets Jules Verne (sort of...)"	2006-07-28
For once, I found myself in agreement with every other reviewer here. Read 'em all, they know whereof they speak! Having just polished off all 8 Roger Corman POE films (plus CASTLE OF BLOOD), I set my sights on this, hoping it might turn out better than I remembered. As it happens, it was EXACTLY as I remembered. Can't win 'em all. AIP refused to let their POE series end with Corman's departure, and plowed on. There does seem to be a lot of talent involved here... except, like the 3rd season of LOST IN SPACE, it feels like it was shot from a 1st-draft script that could have used a LOT of extra work. The story, involving a seaside mansion, secret tunnels, underground caverns, and a secret "world" lorded over by a megalomaniacal madman will no doubt remind the viewer of several other films, most of which are better than this one. Using a POEM as a jumping-off point (they'd done it before with THE RAVEN) this seems to borrow ideas from such Jules Verne stories as JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, and perhaps others less well known. Price is classic as always, though his character shows virtually no admirable qualities. Tab Hunter seems to be walking thru the picture. Susan Hart is a DOLL, but gets VERY little to do. I like David Tomlinson, generally... just NOT HERE. He's annoying, and so is his chicken, oddly named Herbert (is that a reverse on "A Boy Named Sue"?). John Le Mesurier, who I've seen in many films & tv shows, actually gets a chance to exhibit more depth and emotion in his brief scenes as the long-kidnapped preacher than I've ever seen from him, and perhaps more than anyone else in the film! I often get frustrated with characters like Price's "Captain" who simply CAN'T be reasoned with. He issues Tab Hunter an IMPOSSIBLE task and deadline, then quickly condemns him to a watery grave. (Was anyone surprised?) He kidnapped Susan Hart because she's a DEAD RINGER for his long-dead wife. While a staple of late-model DRACULA films (including those with Gary Oldman, Frank Langella AND William Marshall), I wonder where this idea really originated, as the earliest use of it seems to be the 1932 Karloff classic, THE MUMMY. While the basic premise is interesting, the cast adequate, and the sets & props excellent, the writing drags it down unforgiveably, leaving no room for the director or the actors to go with it. I was also confused by the layout of the tunnels (considering how important they were to the plot, it's a point of confusion that should have been better handled). And of course, the climactic underwater action scenes are just impossible to follow. (This is no THUNDERBALL-- made the same year!) A shame... this makes THE PREMATURE BURIAL look like 5 stars by comparison!
	Castle of Blood (Uncensored International Version)
	"One Night of Mystery... Love... and TERROR!"	2006-07-26
A journalist takes a bet that he can't spend an entire night in a "haunted" castle. How many times have we seen this plot? AH, but such a premise may never have been done with such style, mood, sensitivity, etc. as seen here. Based on Edgar Allan Poe's "Danse Macabre", this film reeks atmosphere and spookiness in every single frame of film. I suspected it was Italian --hard to be sure, as my old TV copy had all English-sounding names ("Anthony Dawson", it turns out, is NOT the English actor who appeared in 1962's DR. NO). Barbara Steele (PIT AND THE PENDULUM, the 90's remake of DARK SHADOWS), frustrated with the attitudes of Hollywood types, thumbed her nose and had more success overseas. Some of the voices used for dubbing sounded familiar to me... I suspect the actors involved also dubbed such shows as SPEED RACER. The plot builds slowly, inexorably... First the journalist wanders an empty house... OR IS IT? Then he meets the beautiful and lonely Steele, and the two fall in love so quickly one wonders if there isn't something in the air. Then a noted doctor appears and begins explaining what's REALLY going on... except, there's more to HIM than meets the eye as well. Throughout, the lead character refuses to take anything at face value, despite the growing number of mysteries, impossibilities, and MURDERS. Only at the very end, perhaps, does it finally sink in that-- YES-- the house IS haunted! But too late... It wasn't until the climax that I realized just how much the entire story structure (and even the photography!) reminded me of a story I used to hate but came to appreciate as the years went by... "THE GUESTS" from the classic 1st season of THE OUTER LIMITS. Creepy house... creepy inhabitants... one man lost in it all... and a girl he falls for, who does all she can to help him escape. It would appear this film and that one were made the SAME year! Could they both have been inspired by the same source material? It took a bit tracking this down here, simply because-- HOW MANY ALTERNATE TITLES do some films need? Depending on the print, this one's been known as CASTLE OF TERROR, LA DANSE MACABRE, CASTLE OF BLOOD, LONG NIGHT OF TERROR, TOMBS OF HORROR and TOMBS OF TERROR ! (I had to consult another website to see WHICH one it might be listed under here!) A CLASSIC! When you're done watching all 8 of Roger Corman's POE films, put this one on next. They make a good fit.
	The Haunted Palace / The Tower of London
	"Poe meets LOVECRAFT"	2006-07-22
What a COOL film! Very different feel to the other 7 Corman-Poe films, perhaps because it's really an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward". Corman hated repeating himself, but AIP kept saying "Do another Poe film!" TALES OF TERROR was an anthology-- 4 stories adapted into 3 segments (tricky how they combined 2 similar stories into one, although, I noted how the film version LOST some of the "logic" of both originals), and THE RAVEN was done with a lot of humor. This time out, Corman wanted to do another writer... but the studio STILL wanted Poe, so they changed the title to market it AS a "Poe", and had Vincent Price reciting lines from the poem of the title to reinforce it. Price-- Lon Chaney Jr.-- Elisha Cook-- and a number of other less-known characters actors I recognized (but don't recall by name). What a cool cast. I know Lovecraft had some running themes in a number of his stories, about "the elder gods" who ruled Earth in the dim past who wanted to return and used men to try and "open the gates". This film really encapsulates all of that so perfectly, I don't think I've ever seen a better use of the themes, except perhaps in Archie Goodwin's VAMPIRELLA comics (which in turn were, I feel, SWIPED by the 1st BLADE movie!!). Compared to all the "characters" he created in the other films, Price almost seems to be playing HIMSELF this time-- at least, when he's Ward. When he's Ward's ancestor-- returned as a ghost and POSSESSING Ward, then he's like Price, "plus". There's a scene where the guy, who can't seem to get rid of "Ward's wife", decides to "exercise his husbandly perogative"-- and as the scene progresses, I was reminded of the behind-the-scenes stuff on FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED, where, legend has it, someone said, "This part's kinda dull. How about a RAPE scene?" In Price's case, it never goes too far, but it definitely works. The doctor character who befriends the Wards keeps coming up with logical, "rational" psychological reasons for what's going on-- but I feel sure the wife believed her husband REALLY WAS possessed by someone else. Which he was! By the way, if you've ever seen it, NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS-- the 2nd DS film, the one with David Selby & Kate Jackson-- is really an updated swipe of THE HAUNTED PALACE. The DS film ends badly and pointlessly... It was only later when I saw PALACE the 1st time, that I realized the stories were almost identical. Except-- where NoDS ends, that's the point where PALACE really gets good! PALACE also has a "bad" ending-- but it's a much more SATISFYING one.
	The Invincible Iron Man - The Death of Tony Stark & The Crimson Dynamo
	"Iron Man's 1st cartoon series"	2005-12-31
My first exposure to IRON MAN were these 6-minute episodes, part of the syndicated MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SHOW. Done by Grantray-Lawrence, they featured extremely limited animation that utilized many actual comic-book panels from the original comic-books! The cartoons on this tape, "The Crimson Dynamo" and "The Death Of Tony Stark", were adapted from the stories in TALES OF SUSPENSE #46 (Oct'63) and #61-62 (Jan-Feb'65). These can be found reprinted in ESSENTIAL IRON MAN Vol.1 (in B&W) or IRON MAN Masterworks Vols.1 & 2 (in color), for anyone wanting to compare the 2 versions. The latter story, in particular, is a major highlight of the early career of Iron Man, as he faces off against his #1 arch-enemy, the would-be world-conqueror and Fu Manchu-wannabe, The Mandarin. All the art on these episodes was done by DON HECK, who was, to my eyes, the "definitive" I.M. artist (even though Jack Kirby tended to do the covers). Voices were supplied by John Vernon as Tony Stark (later famous for such films as DIRTY HARRY, THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES and especially ANIMAL HOUSE) as well as Peg Dixon as Pepper Potts & Paul Soles as Happy Hogan. Dixon & Soles would later supply the voices of Betty Brant & Peter Parker (among others) when G-L did the SPIDER-MAN series in 1967, and continue in those roles when Krantz Films (with Ralph Bakshi) took over in '68 after G-L went bankrupt. Personally, for such short cartoons, I'd have thought they could have fit the ENTIRE Iron Man series on one tape!
	Meatmen Volume 21
	"Vol.26: Not-So-Special "SM" Edition"	2005-08-26
The latest installment of MEATMEN was a bit of a disappointment. No Zack! No Patrick Fillion! And for the first time since Vol.12, no John Blackburn! Oy. Let's see what's left... Highlights: "NEWCOMER Part Two" and "MOVE YOUR ASSES" by "STEPAN ZUBINSKI" - The follow-up to the stunner from last time features more submissive "training" in a far future world. The 2nd story involves a new guy on a football team. The art looks rushed on these; I'm not sure if less was put into it, or if the reproduction is just seriously "off". I'm wondering what the original art looked like? "DADDY'S HOME" by "FARRADAY" - light-hearted romp where fantasy meets "true love". As usual, Farraday's writing far outshines the art. "HAWK: BACK STAIRS" by GREG GARCIA - The biker returns to the house where he "served" 10 years earlier for a reunion and reminisce about the years in between. "BAWDY BUCCANEERS" by "MIKE" - Pirates are the subject this time, with far more detail in the art than usual. "GOLDENLOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS" by GERALD DONELAN - a 4-page variation on the fairy tale, plus 7 more of Donelan's light-hearted cartoons. This book can be ordered direct from A Different Light Bookstore, or direct from Leyland Publications.
	Meatmen Volume 10
	"Surfers, Sci-Fi, and SEX (in general)"	2005-07-30
Another fun collection of gay comics, from 1991. Highlights include: "UNFAIR EXCHANGE" and "HARRY THE FLYING PYRAMID", both by STEPHEN LOWTHER, who brings his "mainstream" art style to tales involving unrequited lust, mind-swapping, and a very peculiar alien from outer space. Lowther also supplies front and back color covers for this volume! "WORKING THE SHAFT" by "SEAN" -- elevator repairmen get sidetracked from the job at hand. Other highlights: "MURPHY'S MANOR" by Kurt Erichsen; "JAYSON" by Jeffrey A. Krell; "KAKE: HIGHWAY PATROL" and "NIGHT FLIGHT" by "Tom Of Finland"; "POPPERS" by Jerry Mills; "CATHARTIC COMICS" featuring The Brown Bomber & Diva Touche Flambe by "Prof. I.B. Gittendowne", a super-hero parody; 5 cartoons by A.J.Toos and 10 by Gerald Donelan.
	Meatmen Volume 14
	"On the Streets and into the Sewers!"	2005-07-30
Another fun collection of gay comics from 1991. Highlights include... "TUNNEL OF LUST" by "SEAN" -- sewer workers find more than their work to keep them busy below the streets. "JACK MASTERS: DIAMOND STUD" by "JOVEN" -- The "Private Dick" takes on a missing-persons case which leads to danger, villence, and S E X. "BROC IN THE STONE AGE" by "MIKE" -- well-muscled cavemen & plenty of dinosaurs. "FORCED ENTRY" by "STEPHEN" -- An apartment break-in leads to a non-stop orgy! One of the hottest stories in the book. "COLEY ON THE EDGE: ROLLER BOOGIE HOTROD" by JOHN BLACKBURN -- The 2nd MEATMEN installment with Coley Cochran, voodoo-endowed blonde bi-boy has him putting on a street exhibition on wheels, then tactfully hitching a ride from a pair of admirers before the cops arrive. Next thing you know, they're back at the guy's place for a hot "69" while his girlfriend watches. This also appeared as the 3rd episode (of 5) in Blackburn's COLEY: WILD IN THE STREETS book. The dialogue in the last panel has been altered; originally it acted as a lead-in to the complex soap-opera, BREATHLESS. Other highlights: "KAKE: SEX ON THE TRAIN" by "Tom Of Finland"; "CONSTRUCTION CREW" and "JUST DESSERTS" by "Hozer"; "MURPHY'S MANOR" by Kurt Erichsen; "JACKIN' OFF WITH HANK" by "Joe" (well-rendered well-hung studs in the gym & in the showers); and 8 cartoons by Gerald Donelan.
	Roy Wood & Wizard - Main Street
	"Progressive mistep; WIZZO got better!"	2005-04-23
I've been such a huge fan for Roy Wood in all his incarnations for so long... yet getting my hands on this was SUCH a disappointment. I admit, I'm more into "top-40 pop" structured songs, and tend to get into the "experimental weird stuff" if such artists will meet me halfway first. Roy has done some extremely "strange" records over the years, including LOOKING ON, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA and WIZZARD'S BREW. All of them grew on me over time. For whatever reason, this one just isn't. I DO love "Indiana Rainbow", and even included it in a personal custom Roy Wood comp. But the rest? (sigh) This "new" sound that mixed jazz with rock didn't end here, however. 1977's SUPER ACTIVE WIZZO ("new improved formula!") turns out to have been a SERIOUS step up from this. I initially ranked it along with the other "strange" albums I mentioned above, with only 6 songs, 2 of them over 11 minutes long, but while it's STILL one of his most "out there" albums, it did work its way into my psyche (even if it took quite a while). Sadly, this was never released in the US, and has yet to be reissued on CD. (I just transferred it to CD for my own listening TODAY... what are the actual record labels waiting for?) Equally overdue for CD reissue is the follow-up to SUPER ACTIVE, Roy's ON THE ROAD AGAIN. On that, he took the same sound heard on the previous 2 albums and put them to use on top-40 rock & pop tunes. THAT's been one of my top fave Wood albums since it came out in August '79!!! If these 2 albums were available, I'd give SUPER ACTIVE 3 stars, and ON THE ROAD AGAIN-- 5! (Yeah!)
	Chooglin': A Tribute To The Songs Of John Fogerty
	"FUN with FOGERTY!"	2004-03-03
John Fogerty's CCR songs (let's face it, would there have BEEN a CCR without him?) are classic and timeless, and I wonder if ANYONE could do wrong by them (Tina Turner notwithstanding). CHOOGLIN' presents 17 "alternate-country" bands giving their best shot at celebrating some of his best-- and a few obscure ones as well. Ray Mason Band's "Don't Look Now" reminds me of the sound of Doug Clifford's songs from MARDI GRAS (a CCR-that-might-have-been, had Fogerty not burnt himself out too soon and quit). Melinda McPeek's vocals on Calico Band's "Lodi" remind me a bit of Bonnie Tyler (who covered "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" on her FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF NIGHT album). John Jorgenson's "Lookin' Out My Back Door", one of CCR's most laid-back-but-upbeat "fun" songs, sounds even more countrified (or just plain "hillbilly") with the emphasis on banjo & fiddle. The Weisstronauts-- that very unusual alt-country-SURF band (that means instros!) do an ALMOST-instro cover of "Born On The Bayou". Cool-- though NOTHING can beat Dash Rip Rock's cover (see DRR's GOLD RECORD). The real surprises on this are Scott McKnight's "It's Just A Thought" (from PENDULUM), Star City's "Penthouse Pauper" (from BAYOU COUNTRY) and Backpack's "Fight Fire" (okay-- WHERE have I heard this song before???). These are not generally on any "best of Fogerty" list that comes to mind, and nice to see someone give them a spin. A few of these are too down-tempo for me, but it just reminds me of why I love the CD format so much. For more in this vein, check out PAPA NEZ (Mike Nesmith tribute), Star City's debut album, The Weisstronauts' FEATURING JAUNTY and AMERICANA MOTEL (which features my favorite Scott McKnight vocal, on "Don't Take Advice").
	Guitar Ace Link Wray Tribute
	"ASTONISHING Nexus of Talent!"	2004-03-03
Announced way back in 2000, GUITAR ACE is finally here! Some of the bands here have changed styles since this project began, while others are no more! But it was worth the wait. MuSick Recordings has a tradition on doing some of the best various-artists comps & tribute albums I've heard in recent years, and this is a fine addition to their catalog. There's a lot more variety in styles present than one might expect from a "surf" album, as Link Wray went through many different genres in his long career. In this case, some wonderfully obscure surprises are side-by-side with covers of well-known classics. SO MANY highlights!!! Spy-Fi's "The Shadow Knows" (with Phantom Frank, of Holland's The Treble Spankers); "The Outlaw" and "Comanche" by The Hellbenders and The Volcanos (would you believe they're the same band?); The Space Cossacks' "Mustang" (my #2 surf band, now departed); Dave Wronski's "Ace Of Spades" (sounding like it came right out of a Clint Eastwood western); Fifty Foot Combo's "Slinky" (Belgium!); Hypnomen's "Rumble Mambo" (Finland!); The Downers' "Genocide" (also Finland-- really, also the Hypnomen!). Then there's "Deacon Jones", a wild romp that, to date, is my favorite Woggles track; Calexico's "Fallin' Rain" (a gorgeous piece which reminds me of The Byrds in their "country" period). A few of these are so popular I've heard better versions elsewhere; Southern Culture On the Skids' "I'm Branded" doesn't hold a candle to Los Straitjackets' version, and Jackie & The Cedrics' "Run Chicken Run" pales besides The Planet Rockers'. These aren't bad-- I just strongly reccomend seeking out the others for your own comparison! I can't help it-- THE highlight for me is Evan Foster operating under 3 different names & styles: "Raw-Hide" (Mystery Action), "The Girl Can't Dance" (was this song originally trying to out-do Little Richard's "The Girl Can't Help It"?) and-- my personal favorite-- an ASTONISHING version of "Fire And Brimstone" (Boss Martians). I recently put together a pair of BM comps containing songs not on any of their 9 albums to date, and this song was one of BEST I included. Other comps I'd highly reccomend: CHINESE CHECKERS (Booker T & The MGs tribute) THAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT (Burt Bacharach tribute) SURFIN' SENORITA (Herb Alpert tribute) SWINGIN' CREEPERS (Ventures tribute) AN EVENING IN NIVRAM (Shadows tribute) SHOTS IN THE DARK (Henry Mancini tribute) SPAGHETTI: "DUCK, YOU SUCKERS!" (spaghetti-western; one of the best various-artists comps in my collections!)
	Ain't No Grave: A Tribute To Traditional & Public Domain Songs
	""Moldie Oldies": ALIVE and KICKING!"	2004-03-03
I grew up listening to The Limeliters, so Folk Music is something I can relate to. One person I know did inform me that their brand of "Folk" was too "classied up for popular consumption" for his tastes. I SUSPECT (tho' no way to be sure), that AIN'T NO GRAVE might be more --ahem-- "authentic" for his sensibilities. Here, a group of modern "alternate country" (and other) bands carry on the tradition of breathing NEW LIFE into songs that, as Hal Levy once put it, "Nobody wrote it, nobody remembers it, and everybody sings it." Good example: I first heard "John The Revelator" in the movie BLUES BROTHERS 2000 ! I first heard "Corine, Corinna" done by Lawrence Welk on his classic 1960 album CALCUTTA! --and have been wondering what the lyrics might be ever since. I believe "Rose Connelly" by Ware River Club was recently mentioned on a CMT documentary that focused on "songs about murder" in country music. I first heard it done by, of all people, Art Garfunkel, on his 1973 album ANGEL CLARE, as "Down In The Willow Garden" (and it's even MORE disturbing here). I think my favorite song on the disc is Mark Erelli's "The Drinking Gourd". (The word "gourd" always makes me think of the movie LIFE OF BRIAN-- how far back in history do some of these things go?) Trying to think of something appropriate to reccomend with this, the one album that comes to my mind is John Fogerty's BLUE RIDGE RANGERS, which is a lot more country than folk, but also does its best delving into "the old classics".
	Boss Martians - The Set-Up
	"LOUD, man-- LOUD!!!"	2004-03-03
Comparisons with Cheap Trick are very apt; I doubt I've heard a previous band THIS loud who were also so REFINED-- and MELODIC. So what's Rick Nielsen done good in the last 15 years??? Move over-- Evan Foster's here now!! This is-- depending on your POV-- either the 8th (or 9th) Boss Martians album, OR the 3rd Mystery Action album (certainly the near-complete shift in style from hot-rod-&-surf to power pop started on HERE'S TO ANOTHER YEAR). The tone, and the VOLUME, on display here is so consistent (not quite monotonous) that this is taking a bit to digest and grow on me. However, there's ALREADY a few songs that are becoming fast favorites for me-- among them "I Wanna be Your Addiction", "Walk Away" and "I Am Your Radio" (picked as "Coolest song of the year 2003" by the listeners of Little Steven's nationally syndicated radio show The Underground Garage). It's a sure sign of how screwed up the music biz is when stuff THIS good isn't ALLOWED to be played on most stations!!! With the variety of styles the BM have hit over the last decade, I woudn't mind seeing another shift on Evan's next project. In the meantime, check out the Link Wray tribute, GUITAR ACE, on which he contributes 3 covers of wildly varying styles, including an astonishing version of "Fire And Brimstone", which I like even MORE than anything here! (Meanwhile, my favorite BM album, LOCKDOWN PARTY, is still only available as an import LP from Italy. I've already had to make my own CD copy, fans should nag his label to do an official version!)
	Steve Howe - Mothballs
	"Early Steve Howe: from R&B to Psychedelic & beyond"	2002-11-22
I've found so many cases where an artist's early work grabs me MORE than what they later became famous for, MOTHBALLS was right up my alley. There's something wonderfully goofy about a bunch of white ENGLISH guys singing black AMERICAN songs, and The Syndicats' cover of Chuck Berry's "Maybelline" fits that description! Call me mad, but Tom Ladd's vocals blow Berry's out of the water. Sadly (and that goes for the record label at the time) Kevin Driscoll soon replaced him as lead singer and did some positively awful wailings, which may have helped sink the group in the long run. Just before Steve Howe quit to join The In Crowd, Johnny Lamb sang lead on a cover of Sam Cooke's "On The Horizon", another real highlight here. If there's anything about this disc that bugs me, it's that I already had the TOMORROW and BODAST discs, and the songs from those later bands here were redundant. Also, I'd have liked to have the earlier In Crowd singles before Steve joined (they can be found on the EXCERPTS FROM KEITH WEST package!). The In Crowd, of course, "evolved" into Tomorrow, and Howe & West made a formidable team. "Why Must They Criticize" is very much in the Dylan tradition; "I Don't Mind" is at least a slightly better cover of the James Brown song than The Moody Blues had done around the same time; "Finger Poppin'" (originally unreleased) may be the catchiest "get up and dance" tune here. Of the later material, "Revolution" appears to be the 45 version (it's not quite either version that turned up on the '99 EMI TOMORROW featuring KEITH WEST reissue). Keith West's solo "The Kid Was A Killer" is moody & fascinating, and opens with the identical chords used on a later Bodast song. It also has the distinction of turning up on 3 DIFFERENT repackages; this sort of thing leads me to wish someone had done a more "complete", organized reissue of all this wonderful material. (But, I guess that's what home CD-writers are for, EH??) I reccomend this-- despite its flaws-- but that's just me. But absolutely ESSENTIAL are both the TOMORROW and BODAST albums in their entirety. For someone who grew up on top-40 rock & roll in the 60's & 70's, I've enjoyed those 2 albums MORE than most of the the entire output of Yes since I first heard them!
	Uncanny X-Men: Marvel Masterworks Vol. 3 (#22-31)
	"Fun, if "average" stories of Marvel's "Hard-Luck" Heroes"	2002-05-20
Writer Roy Thomas & artist Werner Roth had a tough act to follow when they became the regular creative team on X-MEN in the mid-60's (following Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and-- at times-- Chic Stone). These early stories may come as a shock to anyone used to the overly-complex, darkly angst-ridden nightmare world that the ever-growing number of X-books have become over the last 25 years. They tend to finish in 1 or 2 issues, and Roth's art is almost refreshingly "clean", light and upbeat! With most of Marvel's books getting more visually "spectacular", X-MEN may have seemed an "outsider" to the rest of the line at the time. (Next to art by Jack Kirby on FANTASTIC FOUR, THOR & CAPTAIN AMERICA, Gene Colan on IRON MAN and DAREDEVIL, John Romita on SPIDER-MAN and Jim Steranko on S.H.I.E.L.D., these X-MEN stories have a Saturday-morning cartoon look by comparison!) Between X-MEN and THE AVENGERS, Roy was learning how to write comics on-the-job! His dialogue is something I can only take in small doses here, as he tries to cram every available space with word balloons, whether it's called for or not. Without Stan's sense of humor, Roy's plots have to stand on their own-- at times it feels like someone imitating a Marvel Comic more than an actual one. Roy improved over time, as his later work on this series with Neal Adams proved. A strange thought hit me by the end of the volume-- many of the featured villains were "borrowed" from other heroes' series! This is evident in my favorite story here, the 2-parter with Count Nefaria and a group of hired super-villains. You've got The Plantman and The Eel (Human Torch baddies from STRANGE TALES), The Scarecrow & The Unicorn (Iron Man foes from SUSPENSE) and The Porcupine (an Ant-Man & Wasp villain from ASTONISH, for cryin' out loud!). They're all pretty much 2nd-stringers, yet it's fun seeing them almost act like a "team"! One story has Jack Sparling art in such a different style it looks really odd in here-- all the rest are by Werner Roth. Judging from some of the "off-duty" scenes it appears Roth may have been more comfortable with romance than superheroics (a trait he shared with Iron Man artist Don Heck). One thing caught my attention reading this book-- Werner Roth's version of Jean Grey (Marvel Girl) bears an UNCANNY resemblance to actress Famke Janssen, who played the character in the recent X-MEN movie! It was as though he'd used her for his model-- I wonder if the producers used Roth's art as reference while casting the film?
	Boss Martians - Making the Rounds
	"CRANK IT UP, baby!!!!!"	2002-05-07
On their 7th album (8 if you count Mystery Action's HERE'S TO ANOTHER YEAR) Seattle's Boss Martians toss aside the instros and focus entirely on loud, blaring, exciting late 60's-early 70's garage-style ROCK & ROLL!! Their previous album (which had been delayed for nearly 2 years) only hinted at the new sound on a couple of songs-- here it's POWER-POP all the way!!! 11 new songs (and 1 remake) fill out a disc so energized it's hard to believe it's the same band from 10 YEARS ago! I have to admit, at the moment I prefer the original version of "She Moves Me" to the new one, but I've had years to get used to the 45. (It's kinda like when Chicago did their 1986 remake of "25 Or 6 To 4", which I'm sure some thought was outright blasphemous!) As usual, even with the sound cranked up to the max, Evan Foster manages to display just enough "polish" to raise his band above the pack (loud & raw has its merits, but loud & refined just adds to the appeal for me). They now sound more like Philly's Mondo Topless than ever-- WHO'D have believed it possible? Does this album mean that Evan's "other" band, Mystery Action, is now redundant? Time will tell.
	Chipmunks - Chipmunks Sing Beatles Hits
	""The Early Beatles"-- CHIPMUNKS style"	2002-05-03
Considering all the artists who've done covers of Beatles songs or even entire albums worth of Beatles covers, it's not really surprising that Alvin, Simon & Theodore should have tackled these 12 songs back in 1964. Especially considering their already-in-evidence rock & roll leanings ("The Witch Doctor", what the did to "Comin' Thru The Rye" and the immortal rocker "The Alvin Twist"). That said, this is far from my favorite Chipmunks album, or even my favorite Beatles tribute album (though it's a FAR sight better than, say, BUGS & FRIENDS SING THE BEATLES, in part because at least this one features the "original" Chipmunks). Of the songs covered here, my favorite by a wide margin is, surprisingly, a slow one-- "P.S. I Love You", which I included on a "Beatles Tributes" comp tape I made up for myself some time ago. If you're an absolute "completist" when it comes to The Chipmunks or Beatles tributes, you'll probably love this. As a fan from the early 60's, I think they fared far better (thanks to Ross Jr.) on the 1980 & 1982 albums CHIPMUNK PUNK and CHIPMUNK ROCK (both infuriatingly out-of-print at the moment!).
	Glenn Yarbrough - Glenn Yarbrough - All Time Favorites, Vol. 1
	"Great remakes of standards"	2002-04-11
By no means a "greatest hits" collection; rather, Glenn has, like so many others, done an album containing new versions of other people's songs. And WHAT an album! It's rare when I find myself knowing nearly every song before-the-fact. I recently had the occasion to play EVERY Limeliters and Yarbrough LP or CD in my collection, and to my surprise, THIS wound up being one of my favorite of his "solo" albums. Pretty impressive! I should admit that Glenn's solo music is NOT really among my favorite stuff; but I think THIS album will be getting a lot of play. I notice that, oddly, this is available in either 2 separate CDs (Vol.1 & Vol.2) or as a 2-CD set. For whatever reason, the 2 separate volumes, together, are... less than the double-album! No idea why, but that makes this and its companion disc a bargain!
	Boss Martians - Move!
	"Wild Eclectic Bash!"	2002-03-26
After being the "clean-cut" members of the Surf-&-Hot-Rod music scene for all these years, The Boss Martians have decided to cut loose & charge things up. This is evidenced on the 2 best tracks on MOVE!, "She's In You're Gone" and "I Want More". Radio stations should be playing stuff like this!!! The rest of the album is one surprise after another-- MOVE! is in the same ballpark as such classics as REVOLVER, PISCES AQUARIUS CAPRICORN & JONES LTD and BETWEEN THE BUTTONS-- every song almost sounds like it was done by a different band! There's bossa-nova, country-western, even (why am I surprised?) hot-rod music. Of the BM albums widely available, this is by FAR the best yet-- although, my personal fave to date is the previous outing, LOCKDOWN PARTY (available only as an import LP), which features an even better version of "Little Sally Tease" than the one here. Fans who dig the "louder" sound here have lots to be happy for-- the NEXT album (coming SOON from MuSick Recordings) promises to go even more in that direction, to match their current stage show. And for anyone looking for their more obscure releases, I'd recommend you do a "Yahoo Search", as I've found the JETAWAY SOUNDS and the "XKE!" single are still available at the Hillsdale site; INVASION OF THE LIVE BOSS MARTIANS can be found at the Vagrant site; and the BOSS MARTIANS / SURF TRIO ep and the HOT RODS TO HELL comps can be found at Blood Red's site! Seek 'em out, ye hot-rod fanatics!
	Catfight! - Kitty Glitter
	"In-Your-Face All-Girl FUN!"	2002-01-19
From Atlanta, GA comes this all-girl band whose material runs the gamut from bashing sex-crazed men to celebrating sex-crazed women (HEY, isn't that a double-standard??). Jennifer Kraft & Katy Graves equally contribute to the loud, roaring mayhem, along the way coming up with some of my favorite lyrics of recent memory. There's "Conquest" "Big Blue Truck" and the best rocker of the album, "Back Seat Baby" I only found this band in late 2001, but I've been playing KITTY GLITTER almost non-stop since I got it! For more wild girl fun, check out their 2nd album, FRUSTRATED, as well as anything by The Friggs, Sit N' Spin, The Barbarellas, The Diaboliks, The Vendettas, and-- oh yes-- the JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS movie soundtrack!
	The Limeliters - Tonight: In Person
	"SENSATIONAL!"	2001-12-04
In the early 60's, my Dad hated Folk groups. UNTIL the day Ed Sullivan introduced these guys. And almost overnight, he started BUYING their records. That really says something to me! The Limeliters became a big part of my early years, and I'm sure Lou Gottlieb had a huge influence on the way I think. It's probably hard for today's music listeners to comprehend, but before The Beatles, this singing group was possibly the MOST exciting thing on the American music scene! And to put them in their proper historical context: when they appeared on the same bill during the 70's, The Kingston Trio was the WARM-UP act! TONIGHT:IN PERSON was their 1st Live album, and their 1st with RCA. There's so much I love here-- great melodies, amazing singing, sharp intelligence & humor. While I ran across this one comparatively "late" (1970!) it's been a favorite of mine for over 30 years now. So many highlights: "There's A Meetin' Here Tonight" (rousing), "Molly Malone" (romantic & tragic), "The Monks Of St. Bernard" (dramatic & hilarious at once), "Hey Li Lee Li Lee" (Lou's "audience-participation" song), "Headin' For The Hills" (one of my favorite historical ballads, about the American Revolution), "Rumania Rumania" (perhaps the most exciting-- and funniest-- on the album) "Have Some Madeira M'Dear" (would this be out of place on Monty Python?) and "Proschai" (the multi-lingual "farewell" song). The strongest statement I can make about this-- is I feel TONIGHT: IN PERSON is one of the greatest live folk albums EVER recorded. And it's NOT even their BEST one!! (Also check out their Elektra debut, THE LIMELITERS, recently reissued in its entirety on CD by Collector's Choice Music!)
	Meatmen Volume 19
	"Vol.19: Jack Masters, Coley, Gang Bangers, etc."	2001-10-01
More of the same, for better or worse! Highlights this Volume: "Hot Shot Seamen" by "Joe", whose art is more "pin-up" than "sequential storytelling" in nature; "Jack Masters Private Dick: Love" by Joven, in which the P.I. (P.D.?) is hired by a jealous wife, only to find it's not other women her hubby is cheating on her with; "The 23rd Century Lovers" by Farraday continues the "Cryogenics" story from Vol.15-- as usual, the story far outshines the amateurish art; "Coley: Riverboat Boy" by John Blackburn, in which the blonde voodoo boy loses at cards-- AND loves it; "Little Red Riding Crop" by Kurt Erichsen-- more fun, humorous work; "Gang Bangers" by Sean-- in which a lost biker runs into a wild bike gang; and 12 more cartoons by Gerald Donelan.
	Meatmen Volume 23
	"Vol.23: Roman Orgy, Swamp Sex, etc..."	2001-09-06
Following up on Vol.22's "Bike Boy" is "Message To The Emperor" by Zack, a 30-page mini-epic which takes an innocent youth down a long road in ancient times toward a truly spectacular climax, with amazing art that really raises the book's standards a few notches. (I only wish I could see it all in color, like the cover illo!) As usual, the other highlights this time are Gerard Donelan's single-panel cartoons and the latest installment of John Blackburn's blue-eyed blonde bi-boy, Coley: "Voodoo Swamp Angel". Disturbing violence is portrayed side-by-side with incredibly erotic sequences-- standard stuff for Coley! Between Zack & Blackburn it's a toss-up as to which artist's work is "better" or "hotter", but who cares? I only wish ALL the work on display here was of this high quality! (As for the rest-- oh well...)
	Meatmen Volume 22
	"Vol.22: HOT mix of fantastic & execrable"	2001-09-06
Winston Leyland's MEATMEN books each contain a widely varied mix of styles among their contributors. With 160 pages on good paper with slick covers, they're a sizeable package (to borrow a turn of phrase), although I question the choice of some of the material. Amateurish below-fanzine-level hackwork is presented side-by-side with stunning, exceptionally high-quality art, and this may turn off some potential paying customers. Highlights of VOL.22 include: "Bike Boy" by Zack, very European-in-style art I only wish was printed in its original full color (as I discovered on a website); "Coley On The Lost Coast" by John Blackburn, one of the nicest and hottest Coley short stories to appear in MEATMEN (Blackburn has appeared in every collection from #13-up, often contributing the best work in each book); cartoons by Gerard Donelan (cute and funny, another "regular" in this series); and "Straight Man's Burden" by Kurt Erichsen (very entertaining with a cartoon style reminiscent of Phil Foglio's). I've been buying the MEATMEN books mostly to have a complete run of "Coley" stories. While I've enjoyed quite a few of the other features, if I had my druthers I'd enjoy seeing somebody collect all of Blackburn's short stories in a single volume (color optional!). But until then, these are the only place to read them.
	Meatmen Volume 21
	"Vol.21: Bathhouse Heat, Camp Antics, etc."	2001-09-06
As usual, great & terribly amateurish art is presented side-by-side. Which is which may be a matter of personal taste, but I know what I like, and I keep wishing the excellent will one day outnumber the dreadful. Highlights this volume: John Blackburn's Coley in "Body Heat", wherein the voodoo bi-boy helps a confused husband come to terms with who he really is; "Visitation Rites" by Sean, where leather-clad bikers meet (and "meat") campground guys; "The Sons Of Ramus" by Joe, a dive into Greek mythology with decent art if not very strong visual storytelling; "Link Up" by Kurt Erichsen, a fun story about a computer nerd with some nice cartoony art; and one-page cartoons by Gerard Donelan. Blackburn gets to shine IN COLOR on both front and back covers this time, and in fact the back is possibly my very favorite single illo of Coley I've seen to date. Can you say... "HHHHHOT"??
	Los Straitjackets - Utterly Fantastic & Totally Unbelievable Sound
	"My #1 Instrumental Surf Album!!!"	2001-08-26
Mention "surfing music" to most and they'll think you mean The Beach Boys. So did I, until a friend introduced me to these guys at Philly's Khyber Pass. WHOA!!! I had my mind completely blown that night. It's LOUD! It's EXCITING! It's MOODY! It's MELODIC as all get-out. And most importantly-- it's FUN! When you have 4 guys onstage playing entirely instrumental guitar music while wearing Mexican wrestling masks, how could it NOT be? Starting out with the explosive "Fury", the power and quality of this debut CD never lets up. Through slow & mysterious ("G-Man"), quirky ("Straitjacket"), cool ("Jetty Motel"), powerful & awesome ("Caveman"-- this contains the only lyric-- yes, singular-- on the disc, a much-improved remake of an Eddie Angel song from '93) you're taken on a wild roller-coaster ride you don't want to end. High-speed powerhouses like "Tailspin" (a single in Finland!) are breathtaking and hypnotic at the same time. The outrageous fun of "Itchy Chicken" shows a sense of humor all too lacking in most of today's so-called "popular" artists! And listen to the sheer clarity and beauty of "Calhoun Surf"-- can 95% of the rock guitarists out there play anywhere NEAR this good? LOS STRAITJACKETS quickly became my #1 album of 1995, and led me to discover several hundred other bands playing variations of the surf / instro genre. But-- incredibly-- NOBODY's topped them yet! With Danny Amis & Eddie Angel, LS boasts my picks for the 2 most EXCITING guitarists anywhere, and I rank drummer Jimmy Lester (who's always UP FRONT onstage!) as THE #1 most exciting drummer I've ever seen! These guys are SO GOOD onstage and off I sometimes wonder if producer Ben Vaughn has nothing more to do when he works with them than point a microphone and roll tape. (Hey-- they're HIS #1 fave surf band, too!)