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| Illustration by Coop |
I really should have included Roky on my Do Ya Think I'm New Wave comps, because he was one of the first musicians from the 1960's to embrace punk rock. When Roky was asked in an interview to name his favorite Sex Pistols song, his answer was "Hot Cars" -- so the Angry Samoans wrote a punk song called "Hot Cars" in honor of Roky's imaginary Sex Pistols song!
Gregg Turner from Angry Samoans has an "A&R" credit on Roky's 1977 "Bermuda" single, and there's an Angry Samoans cover of Roky's "White Faces" which is only available on the cassette version of the 1990 Roky/Elevators tribute Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye. I couldn't find it online to share with you, but Gregg later recorded another version of "White Faces" with his band The Blood Drained Cows. (Gregg Turner also covered "Starry Eyes" on one of his solo records.)
It's interesting to see who else has covered Roky more than once -- Jad Fair, Mike Watt, Mark Lanegan, Pauline Murray (Penetration), Nick Oliveri (QOTSA, Mondo Generator), Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, Entombed), Antiseen and The Electric Six are definitely Roky fans.
The most recent Roky tribute album, 2021's May The Circle Remain Unbroken, was put together by the same guy who assembled Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye, which is kinda cool!
It's hard to top Bongwater's cover of "You Don't Love Me Yet", so I included the Peel Session version. The cover of "Cold Night For Alligators" appeared on the Scandinavian Roky tribute album, and there's a track from the shoegaze tribute album -- but the rest of these two dozen Roky nuggets have not appeared on other tributes, making this collection kinda sorta unique, more or less.
CONFIDENTIAL (not really) to Anonymous: the Smokey Hormel links you requested have been reposted.
ROKY KOVERS: https://pixeldrain.com/u/WJaG49aZ
ReplyDeleteI always thought the line that opens "Burn The Flames" ("Here I sit, a vampire at my piano") would be good for playing Mad Libs.
Here I sit, a narcoleptic at my oscilloscope
Here I sit, a funambulist at my calliope
Here I sit, a superannuated Islamophobe at my teleprompter
Give it a try!
I saw the Angry Samoans - White Faces on Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye online multiple times, and it is also on the double elpee not just cassette. Not on cd
ReplyDeletewarms the cockles of an old man's heart, whatever the hell a cockle is.
ReplyDeleteHere sits Eric, a cold-hearted old man at his cockle-warmer
DeleteThanks
ReplyDeleteHere sits the writer, pen is in the hand
ReplyDeleteWhen I got my hands on Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye, I played that CD a hell of a lot, still a brilliant tribute. Thanks Jonder!
ReplyDeleteI agree, still one of the most memorable tribute records from an era that was oversaturated with them. I still listen to John Wesley Harding's version of "If You Have Ghosts". Thanks, Koen!
DeleteI found the Angry Samoans' version of "White Faces" on youtube. and it's not particularly angry or Samoanesque. I can understand why it was left off the CD (and the Angry Samoans' "Unboxed" retrospective). Good Roky song, though! https://youtu.be/NI63Kpal9I4?si=Vyp2NS8K6Qin452j
It's one of my favorites, as well. My favorite tracks are the ones by The Lyres, The Judybats, & Lou Ann Barton.
DeleteThanks Jond's. I saw this post over the weekend but I don't download on my phone and am off the grid for my recording PC so you inspired me to chill an hour and listen to Roky on you tube. First song I picked was "Please Judge" and from that search I found the CD someone had upped there called "All That May Do My Rhyme" CD which I HAD NOT SEEN from 2017!!! (also had longer version than my 7" did) Thus I am reminded now to download it all! Going to check the links you got too!! CHEERS!!!! [Thanks Again!]
ReplyDeleteMy favorite has always been "Bloody Hammer." "The baby ghost in the 1900s says beat it with your chain, The baby ghost says don't drag your spoon, don't drag your chain away..."
ReplyDeleteI went fetch for "All That May Do My Rhyme" on youtube to get the songs then ebay to get covers. Great CD I had missed and mentioned above....Enjoy All !!! https://bestfile.io/Coaaer7TrrNzqPT/file
ReplyDeleteA pretty perfect record, VCMD! Thanks for the link!
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