The 1970s weren't all Elton John, America, disco and (later) punk. There were many little-known songs that touched on my teenage years in a twisted way. Today, I get to share 'em and you get to hear 'em. Tonio K - The Funky Western Civilization ("they put Jesus on a cross, they put a hole in JFK...") John Miles - Highfly (my UK pals are gonna snicker on me for this one, but what a melody!) The Hounds [...]

My first memories of The Tubes , was hearing Radio Caroline play 'Don't Touch Me There' back in 1976, at a time when BBC Radio & the UK's fledgling commercial stations bent over backwards to ban anything that was remotely risque, or questionable... well anything! A number of The Tubes band members were students at the same high school in Phoenix, Arizona, as Alice Cooper, what were they putting in the water back there and then? This recording was made at a time when The Tubes were arguably moving towards their [...]
These day DJs are all over, almost everybody is a DJ. But few decades ago it was really a unique thing to do. Look, this is the first ever... visit APC to read the full post, THX!!!

Goethe once said, "A useless life is an early death" - I couldn't disagree more, it's how you live it that's most important. My best friend died in a motorcycle accident when we were both twenty-one; he touched endless people and fit more into life than anyone I've met since. Most of our friends have retired to couch surfdom, they've about as much life in 'em as a Norwegian Blue parrot pining for the fjords, yet destiny plucked a kid with wisdom of The Buddha off this mortal coil just as he was spreading his wings. I didn't think it [...]
The Tubes - White Punks On Dope With great respect to any American blog readers, I felt that some kind of tribute was needed to the John McCain - Sarah Palin ticket which came so close to winning the White House in 2008, a mere 6 percentage points of the popular vote behind Obama - Biden. Senator John McCain, a fresh and exciting anti-Washington "maverick" voice, brought a level of energy and vigor to the campaign not witnessed in any major industrialized country since the similarly sprightly [...]

Way back in 1982 an adorable little rock and roll movie called Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains quietly emerged. The film received a limited theatrical release, and, after that, was only occasionally aired on TV and cable. Due to contractual complications it was never released on video and is only now seeing the light of day on DVD for the first time. There are a handful of rock and roll movie from this time period that, similar to The Fabulous Stains , are more fascinating in regards to [...]

When I first heard that Fee Waybill, the charismatic, definitively wacky lead singer of the Tubes was going to be a guest on our very own Ripple Radio Show , I was giddier than a troop of girl scouts in a cotton candy factory. I mean this was Fee Waybill. The Fee Waybill. . . Johnny Bugger. . . Dr. Strangekiss. . . Quay Lewd. . . here on our very own show (you can hear it live October 29th 8-10 pm Pacific Ripple time, available for free download after than just by [...]
1. The Fall - Totally Wired 2. A Certain Ratio - Do The Du (John Peel Session, 1979) 3. Talking Heads - Life During Wartime 4. Rumspringa - Goldmine 5. Black Mountain - Stormy High 6. Fat Boys - Fat Boys Scratch 7. Pere Ubu - Final Solution 8. Guided By Voices - As We Go Up, We Go Down 9. Yeasayer - 2080n 10. Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Tumour 11. The [...]

The folks over at The Ultimate Bootleg Experience have a sllllllllew of great Bruce boots up. Unsatisfied Heart - Born in the USA outtakes Feb 75 at Bryn Mawr New Years Eve 1980 New York Dec 78 at Winterland/SF etc etc etc! And if you're a Def Leppard or Dino Jr fan, they got you covered there too. Tags: bootlegs , bruce springsteen [...]
Filed under: News , Exclusive Spinner.com : You remember the female punk band the Stains from the early '80s -- a trio of girls in their teens who ran away to tour with the bands the Metal Corpses and the Looters? The Stains were best known for songs such as 'Waste of Time' and... Read more
During the '70s, San Francisco's The Tubes garnered quite a reputation for their performance art-styled rock which translated better through their manic stage shows than on record. A half dozen albums during the decade failed to earn the band more than a cult following and only a minor radio hit with the song White Punks On Dope . However, upon signing with Capitol records in 1981, The Tubes enlisted pop producer David Foster to give their sound a glossy sheen and that year's album, The Completion Backward Principle , became their biggest hit, even spawning their [...]
Today marks the third anniversary of my father's passing. And since he was the person who taught me to love music, I thought it might be appropriate to post some songs. They are not hip. At all. Which is why they are awesome. My earliest childhood memories involve my father at the piano playing Joplin (Scott, not Janis; she came later) and me dancing like only a three-year-old can. When I was a teenager, it was all about the classic rock – us discussing how thoroughly Stephen Stills beats Neil Young's guitar-playing butt in their duel of a [...]
Praise Him! Praise Him! Tags: Exercise , god , GodTube , Him , Jesus , Praise , Tube Related posts Tree man 'who grew roots' may be cured ?!?! WTF!! (5)
The late Godfather of Soul may have proclaimed that "this is a man's world," but Black Beauty (no other name given) has her own ideas about her place in the social hierarchy... ...and woe betide anyone who stands in the way of this belle dame sans merci... (from Captain Marvel Adventures #142, March 1953; by Otto Binder & C.C. Beck) The Tubes - She's a Beauty [...]

As my longtime viewers can attest, when I post something from an album, I'll usually go for the deep tracks; the stuff you wouldn't normally hear. My intent is to broaden your musical horizons, not reinforce what you already know. I recently got hold of White Punks on Dope , a 2003 Tubes album that is basically a re-release compilation of their first two albums. To be fair, I really wasn't too familiar with the early Tubes, other than what I'd heard years ago on the radio. After listening to the album, I don't feel like [...]

So today's 5 is really a byproduct of the insane shuffle on my iPod. Hmmmm, iPod byproducts, I guess that's better than meat byproducts. The Van Halen song came on the other day and with the impending VH tour coming up I just had to work it into a post somehow. Hence today's acronymtastic spectacular. Got a favorite acronym titled song ? Leave a comment and let me know what i missed. 1 : Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - CIA [...]
Great Jazz Rock Fusion Streaming Music Video with Brand-X . Part one of a 1997 performance in Tokyo of Born Ugly. One of the greatest Fusion Bands Ever. I found this fun video at YouTube . Watch the video here or go to the YouTube Video Page . WPvideo 1.10 You can hear Brand X and music like this at Latch Music Radio . Go [...]