W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Dkarn: Mothership / Tadpoles (1997)

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Before things get too serious at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be considered to be either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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Here are a couple of tracks by a heavy, grunge band from Perth, Western Australia released in the late 90's.  I haven't been able to find any specific information about this band other than they are a 4 member band, two guitars, bass, drums and sampler with a unique vocal style and vocal effects. They have been together since 1997, and have had a few line up changes since. They have played at many of Perth's best original venues (eg. Grosvenor Front Room) and are planning their first interstate tour early next year to co-inside with their first release.
I came across their first independent release  "Mothership" by accident, sometime ago, and was totally blown away by its raw power and awesome riff. The vocals are well suited to the style of music and enhance the overall affect, as does the feedback and sampling.
So, this month's WOCK selection is founded on the Obscurity of this band (or at least here in Victoria they are) and I hope the boys decide to come across and tour the Eastern side of Australia real soon.
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Song Listing
01 - Mothership
02 - Tadpoles
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Dkarn Link (11Mb)   New Link 18/06/2022

Prince - Let's Go Crazy: Live Unapproved (1993) Bootleg

(U.S 1976 - Present)
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He's been called "His Royal Badness" and "His Purple Highness," and for several years he was simply called by an pronounceable symbol, or as the "Artist Formerly Known As Prince." Reclusive man of mystery, self-proclaimed messianic zealot, sex symbol, flamboyant rock star, Prince--when he was Prince the first time around--was at the top of the music world, giving Michael Jackson a run for his pop dollars. Although completely unpredictable, highly controversial, and self-indulgent, Prince is also an extremely accomplished musician, producer and composer, one of the 1980s' true musical originals.
A virtual one-man band, Prince sculpted and created the Minneapolis Sound through his keyboards, screeching, almost pleading, vocals, erotic live shows, and explicit sexual lyrics. Named after his father's jazz group, the Prince Rogers Band, Prince Rogers Nelson had music in his blood from birth. When his parents divorced, his father left his piano behind, and at the age of 7, Prince began mimicking television themes on the keys.

As a teenager, he ran away from home, moved in with a friend, formed a band, and taught himself how to play bass, guitar, and drums. By the age of 18, he had recorded several demos, and by 19, he had struck an amazing deal with Warner Bros. Records, one unheard of by an unknown; the artist, dubbed a prodigy, was not only given a six-figure, several-album contract, but also an inordinate amount of freedom--as a songwriter, musician, and producer.
'For You', released in 1978, featured Prince on every instrument, but still wound up going over budget. His next album, Prince, released a year later, increased his reputation well beyond a meager cult following thanks to the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover," which landed Prince an appearance on American Bandstand. Things slowed down slightly when 1980's Dirty Mind failed to spawn a Top 40 single (inexplicably, the album's catchiest track, "When You Were Mine," was never issued as a 45), but it was the record that put critics firmly in the Prince camp. He bounced back commercially with 1981's Controversy, which cleverly capitalized on the fuss being made about his X-rated lyrics and androgynous persona. That same year, he gained his first exposure to the mainstream rock audience by opening a few shows for the Rolling Stones. Taking the stage in a trench coat and bikini briefs, he faced down nearly 100,000 Stones fans at the LA Coliseum, and was booed off the stage.
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The stage was set for a complete crossover to the pop mainstream, and 1982's double-album 1999 provided it. Led by its three brilliant singles "1999," "Little Red Corvette," and "Delirious" the album put Prince all over the radio and the just-hatched MTV, and stayed on the Billboard charts for almost three years. With a successful tour and an album perched in the Top 10, 1983 was a great year for Prince, but it couldn't hold a candle to what he would achieve the following year. With the July release of Purple Rain, Prince moved into territory only Elvis Presley and the Beatles could relate to: at the age of 26, he simultaneously had a single ("When Doves Cry"), an album, and a movie in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard and box-office charts. Purple Rain didn't just visit the top of the charts, it moved into the penthouse and spent a staggering 24 weeks there, good enough for the fourth-longest stay in history by a pop album. The Purple Rain era ended triumphantly the following February when Prince won the Oscar for Best Score. A scant ten months later, he followed up his blockbuster with a more subdued effort, Around the World in a Day. It, too, topped the charts, this time for a more reasonable three weeks, and was the first release on Prince's new label imprint, Paisley Park. 

 
In 1987, Prince's most explicit record ever, The Black Album, was scrapped either because the artist or the label found the songs too controversial. (Dedicated fans heard the material anyway, as it was heavily bootlegged.) Just a few months after the withdrawal of The Black Album (it finally saw official release in late 1994), Prince was back with another record, 'Lovesexy', and a full-scale European tour with an elaborate stage that included a basketball court.

 

Called the 'Sign O' The Times' tour, it marked a huge transition period in the career of Prince. Gone were the Revolution, in particular long-time band members Bobby Z. (who was there from the start in 1978), Brown Mark, Lisa Coleman, and Wendy Melvoin. The only holdovers from the "Counter-Revolution" line-up were Miko Weaver, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, and long-time keyboardist Doctor Fink. Sheila E., who Prince had been using in studio, took over on drums, while another session player, Levi Seacer, Jr., who had been playing in Sheila E.'s band and was also a member of Prince's jazz-fusion project Madhouse, was added on bass. Boni Boyer was brought on board to play keyboard and organs and the Star Search phenom Cat Glover rounded out the group as choreographer, dancer, and backing vocals. It wasn't until much later that Prince's newest band was referred to as the "Lovesexy Band" by most long-time Prince fans.
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Album Review
I have been unable to find any other Prince bootlegs that exactly match this release, however the track listing implies that the recording was made sometime in 1987 during his European 'Sign O' The Times Tour
I also suspect that this recording is probably a rehash of those made during the Paris concerts. Other bootleg titles are Wonderboy (Moonraker release shown below - first left), Paris Affair and Paris 17.06.87. 
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So, was this Prince's best tour? Maybe. Certainly, 1987 will go down as perhaps his second best year ever (1984 will always be number one). 1987 featured his best album and a tremendous tour then followed up by an incredible concert movie. Put this CD set next to your official copy of Sign O' the Times and you will end up with a perfect document of Prince in his prime. Sound quality on this reissue surprisingly surpasses the original release of  Wonderboy by a very noticeable margin, and that says a lot because the original had sparkling quality. The bass response and guitar both seem to be deeper and crisper respectively. I've always thought the SOTT film was mixed poorly (by Sheila E.) and had a very flat sound on the low end. This recording set furthers my opinion.
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The missing songs on this incomplete Paris show are badly missed, in particular "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and "Forever in My Life". Forever was perhaps the musical highlight of the film and tour and it would've been nice to have an additional copy of that song with this quality. What's here on the Paris show is great though, most notably the rendition of Girls and Boys, a killer guitar solo during "I Could Never Take".. and a sizzling run through of the "Purple Rain" medley. Another track missing from this release is "Little Red Corvette", however this is not surprising as the track was cut short on the other bootleg releases - probably due to some technical difficulty.
Packaging is very poor of course, but if you are looking for a better presentation package, you can't go past the Moonraker release of 'Wonderboy'. [Extracts from pureviolet.free.fr]

This post consists of mp3 (320kps) ripped from CD and includes both artwork for this release and related bootlegs (as listed above).  I am open to feedback on whether this recording was in fact made in Paris.
Although Prince is not one of my favourite artists (too flamboyant for my liking I'm afraid), I have enjoyed some of his bigger hits such as 1999, Purple Rain and Cream, and this live recording certainly documents his talent while on stage.
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Track Listing

Band Members:
Prince: Lead vocals, Piano, and Guitar
Miko Weaver: Guitar
Levi Seacer, Jr.: Bass
Matt Fink: Keyboards
Boni Boyer: Keyboards, Organ, and Vocals
Sheila E.: Drums, Percussion, and Vocals
Eric Leeds: Saxophone
Atlanta Bliss: Trumpet
Cat, Wally Safford and Greg Brooks: Dancers and Vocals
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Prince Live Link (117Mb)  New Link 01/01/2024
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Paul Norton - Let It Fly (1992)

(Australian 1980 - 1994)
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Paul Norton (aka McNaughton) started playing bass in various bands in his teens, which led to the formation of Melbourne band The Runners. After a couple of years of constant live work The Runners were signed to Mushroom records in 1981 and released their first single "Sure Fire Thing" in 1982 followed by The album 'Hitting the Wall' and the single "Endlessly". The Runners toured constantly throughout the early eighties and went through many line up changes before disbanding in 1985.
Paul spent the next couple of years playing with various bands (Wendy and the Rocketts, Steve Hoy and the Hoy Boys) before launching a solo career in 1988. Again signed to Mushroom Records, Paul released his first single "Stuck On You" which received immediate airplay and got to number two on the Australian charts. Paul then went to London to work with producers Paul Muggleton and Mike Paxman on the next single "I Got You" (#34) and the album 'Under a Southern Sky' (the song "Southern Sky" (#32) was later chosen for Australia Day Celebrations at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney).
Paul worked live with his band for the next couple of years before teaming up with American musician/producer T-Bone Wolk (Hall and Oates Carly Simon) to work on his second album 'Let It Fly' which was recorded at Metropolis studios in Melbourne and mixed in New York at Electric Lady and Bearsville studios. Let It Fly was released in 1992 with the singles "When We Were Young" and "Lil Red Riding Hood". Paul worked live with his band over the next couple of years touring extensively throughout Australia including many aboriginal communities and Arnhem Land.
In 1994, Paul met Peter Wells RIP (Rose Tattoo) and Cletis Carr and together they formed Hillbilly Moon and later that year released the album 'Hillbilly Moon Volume One' with the song "She Left Me" receiving solid airplay on Country Music Television.
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Paul was Musical Director and wrote the score for The Australian Shakespeare’s production of Much Ado About Nothing and the finale for the critically acclaimed comedy Certified Male. Paul has written for and with some of Australia’s finest performers including Debra Byrne, Gerry Hale, Wendy Stapleton, Donna Fisk and Michael Cristian, Dobe Newton and Colleen  Hewitt. In the last few years Paul has divided his time between writing producing and working live and is currently working on a new album.
2006 saw Paul tour Australia with The Countdown Spectacular, featuring 27 of Australia's top rock acts of the 70's and 80's performing to 100,000 people nationwide. [extract from Paul's Website]
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Album Review
This album is easily the equal of 'Under A Southern Sky' and it's excellent lead single "When We Were Young" combined the cruisey, catchy feel of his earlier hit "Stuck On You" with a nostalgic lyric that teenagers young and old could relate to.
And yet for some inexplicable reason, radio stations ignored it, bar a few scattered plays in Melbourne, resulting in neither the album nor the single taking off. As a follow up single Paul issued the old Sam The Sham hit "Lil' Red Riding Hood", the album's only cover/remake. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time in that it was a nicely rockin' little version, it had recognition factor and Paul and the band, with Nick Barker guesting on vocals, sound like they're having fun too. But another of Paul's originals would have been a much better option.
With his gritty voice, the occasional use of fiddle on some tracks and the music's hybrid of country and rock styles, Paul does at times remind me of John "Cougar" Mellencamp (especially in the track "What Are We waiting For"). Without slavishly copying of course. In fact there's a downright Stones-like blues-rock swagger on a couple of my favourite tracks like "Little Miss Understood" and "Lie To Me". Elswhere there's a stomping soul style feel on "Nothing She Can't Do" featuring some nice blues harp and the down-home country stylings of "Too Many Angels", with an incongruous but strangely befitting sax solo by Joe Camilleri
All up a great album to be sure, not a synthsizer to be found anywhere and it should have made him huge. The backing cast is also of major note as first of all, it was helmed by noted US producer T Bone Wolk (Hall & Oates/Carly Simon/Elvis Costello/Billy Joel/Wendy Matthews/UK Squeeze etc).
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His band on the album is top notch too and includes his ex-Runners band mate Mark Greig on guitar, wife Wendy Stapleton on backing vocals and drummer John Watson (Kevin Borich/Renee Geyer/Aussie Crawl). Plus guest appearances by the aforementioned Nick Barker and Joe Camilleri, with drummer Freddie Strauks (Skyhooks/Jo Jo Zep), Jen Anderson (Black Sorrows) on violin and finally Mike Brady providing backing vocals on a track or two.
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Paul went on to form Hillbilly Moon with Peter Wells RIP (Rose Tattoo) who issued one acclaimed album as well as writing for and with the likes of Debra Byrne, Gerry Hale, Wendy Stapleton, Donna Fisk and Michael Cristian, Dobe Newton and Colleen Hewett.  [thanks to Micko at the Midoztouch forum for this great album review].
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This post consists of an mp3 rip (320kps) taken from CD and includes full album artwork. A great album and well worth the listen, even if you haven't heard any of Paul's solo material. The more you listen to it, the more it grows on ya. Perhaps the radio stations should have given it a better listen.
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Track Listing
01.  When We Were Young
02.  When The Kingdom Comes
03.  Too Far Gone
04.  Fly Away
05.  Star
06.  Lil’ Red Ridin' Hood
07.  Too Many Angels
08.  Getting Away With Murder
09.  Little Miss Understood
10.  What Are We Waiting For
11.  Lie To Me
12.  How Great It Is
13.  Nothin’ She Can’t Do
14.  Ain’t That The Truth

Band Members:
Paul Norton (Bass, Guitar Vocals)
Mark Greig (Guitar)
T-Bone Wolk (Bass, Keyboards, Vocals)
Tim Millikan (Percussion and Drums)
John Watson (Drums)
Dino Baptiste  (Harmonica)
Backing Vocals: Wendy Stapleton/Mike Brady/Nick Barker/Nikki Nicholls/Bobby Mayo/Kasim Sultan/Mark Rivera
Additional Drums: Peter Luscomb/Freddie Strauks/Michael Braun/Doug Bradly
Keyboards: Bobby Mayo
Violin: Jen Anderson
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Paul Norton Link (118Mb)
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Tim Hardin - Tim Hardin 1 (1966) + Bonus Tracks

(U.S 1965 - 1973)
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Tim Hardin was born in in Oregon, and at the age of 18 joined the marines. He was briefly in Vietnam, which is where it is said he discovered heroin. He moved to New York City after his discharge in 1961, and started to focus on his music career, becoming part of the fabled Greenwich Village folk scene. His style of folk-blues at this time was distinctive and really quite good, and recordings from this period were later released as This Is Tim Hardin - they rank high against the recordings of other solo folk performers of the era. By 1965 he was signed to Verve Records.
With his sobbing voice and introspective, almost reticent compositions, Tim Hardin was one of the more memorable singer-songwriters of his day. A cult figure who never really broke through to a wide following, he is now chiefly remembered via cover versions of his best songs, especially "If I Were A Carpenter" and "Reason To Believe". His failure to become renowned for performing his own work is mainly attributable to his heroin habit, which helped cripple his career after a couple of promising albums in the late 1960s.
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By the time Hardin debuted on Verve with Tim Hardin 1 (1966), he'd  found a more pop-folk songwriting voice. His backing band included Lovin'  Spoonful leader John Sebastian on harmonica and jazzman Gary Burton on vibes,  but Hardin claimed to be so upset by the strings that were overdubbed on some  tracks without his consent that he cried when he first heard them. Still, it was a  strong set with a tender low-key, confessional tone, and contained some of his best  compositions, such as "Misty Roses", "How Can We Hang On To A Dream", and  especially "Reason To Believe", which became something of a signature tune.Strings also occasionally graced Hardin's next LP, Tim Hardin 2 (1967), in a  more subtle fashion. Another solid collection in much the same vein as the debut, it  contained perhaps his most famous song, "If I Were A Carpenter", which was  taken into the US Top 10 in a faithful cover version by Bobby Darin.
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These two albums, sadly, represented the apex of Tim's career; almost all of his  best work is contained on them, although he would live another dozen years.  Heroin problems and general irresponsibility often made him miss shows or  perform poorly; he suffered from pleurisy in 1968, and a tour of England the same  year had to be cancelled when he fell asleep on stage at the Royal Albert Hall,  shortly after dismissing his backing group in front of the audience. The live 'Tim  Hardin 3' (1968) was a decent set with jazzy backing musicians that introduced some new material along with reprises of previously recorded favourites. But Hardin didn't record another set of fresh songs in the 60s, although he did perform  at Woodstock, where he lived for a while (his performance, however, didn't make it on to the film of the event).
Hardin did record a few albums in the early 1970s that were not without bright  moments; but, whether due to dope or other factors, his music seems to have withered; the 1973 record 'Painted Head' didn't even contain a single original composition. 'Tim Hardin 9' (also 1973) was his last LP; after years of bouncing  around England and the West Coast and fighting health and psychological  problems, he died in Los Angeles in 1980 at age 39. [This biography courtesy of  The Rough Guide To Rock]
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Album Review
Tim Hardin's debut album was something of a happy accident, a killer record at least a third of which was comprised of tracks intended as demos, while another half utilized a string orchestra that the artist knew nothing about. Whatever its origins, Tim Hardin 1 is one of the most powerful and compelling records of its era, encompassing deeply personal and compelling poetry, blues, rock, and folk in settings ranging from stripped-down Sun Records-style rock & roll to lightly orchestrated folk-rock. The beautiful, briskly paced "Don't Make Promises" -- which, along with "Reason to Believe," became one of the two huge songwriting hits here -- opens the album on an ambitious note, its sound mixing a small-band and string section behind a confessional lyric. "Green Rocky Road" and the rollicking "Smugglin' Man" are both more in a traditional folk-rock vein, showcasing the darker and rougher side of Hardin's singing, while "How Long" carries listeners into electric blues that is as raw and stripped down as anything coming out of the British blues boom of the same era, and which could've passed muster on Chess' Fathers & Sons blues showcase. Hardin wasn't happy about the presence of the blues-style demos on the finished album, but when they're placed alongside such startlingly original and personal songs as "Reason to Believe," "Misty Roses," "While You're on Your Way," "It'll Never Happen Again," and "Hang on to a Dream," they vividly show off the sheer range of Hardin's singing and his musical sensibilities.

The string accompaniment on most of those songs reportedly wasn't to Hardin's liking, but Artie Butler's arrangements are models of restraint, and the bluesier cuts here keep the album from going too far in that direction. And so what if "Ain't Gonna Do Without" was Hardin's informal joke based on "Hi Heel Sneakers," never intended for release?
It offered some of the best blues harmonica that John Sebastian ever laid down on a record. The result is a seminal folk-rock album, every bit as exciting and urgent as it was in 1966, and as important a creative effort as Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited. And this wasn't even Hardin's best album, though it set the pattern for everything he did after. [Reviewed by by Bruce Eder]
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This post consists of a vinyl rip in mp3 format (320kps). Also included is full album artwork and 2 bonus tracks - the first being Tim Hardin's most successful and widely covered single "If I Were A Carpenter" and a live medley of songs taken from his 1973 Reading Festival performance. It was this live rendition of  "Hang On To A Dream" and "Person To Person" that first introduced me to his music.
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Tracklisting
01 - Don't Make Promises    2:22   
02 - Green Rocky Road    2:20    
03 - Smugglin' Man    1:56   
04 - How Long    2:56    
05 - While You're On Your Way    2:17   
06 - It'll Never Happen Again    2:35   
07 - Reason To Believe    1:59   
08 - Never Too Far    2:15   
09 - Part Of The Wind    2:12   
10 - Ain't Gonna Do Without    2:12    
11 - Misty Roses    1:59   
12 - How Can We Hang On To A Dream    2:06   
Bonus Tracks
13 - If I Were A Carpenter (Single)    2:43
14 - Hang On To A Dream / Person To Person (Live at the 1973 Reading Festival )  7:23
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Band Members:
Tim Hardin (Vocals, Guitar, Piano)
Walter Yost and Bob Bushnell (Bass)
Buddy Saltsman and Earl Palmer (Drums)
John Sebastian (Harmonica)
Gary Burton and Phil Krauss (Vibes)
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Tim Hardin Link (84Mb)  New Link 16/10/2023

David Bowie - Unauthorised Live (Vol 1) Ex. Bootleg

(U.K 1964-Present)
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Born David Robert Jones in 1947 in South London, David Bowie was playing sax on a semi-professional basis by 1963, while working for a London ad agency. In the same year he formed his own group, Davy Jones & the Lower Third, who released a couple of obscure and now very valuable R&B flavoured singles in the mid-Sixties.
In 1966, after signing to Pye he changed his surname to Bowie to prevent confusion with David Jones of the Monkees. Around this time he worked with Lindsay Kemp's mime troupe picking up many of the theatrical techniques that were to later become integral to his work.

After a handful of disappointing singles with Pye he moved to Decca, where he released quirky pop hits "Rubber Band" and "The Laughing Gnome" before "Space Oddity" became a Top 5 hit in 1969. Although a melodic tune, its success could be attributed to Bowie's uncanny knack of tapping into the spirit of the times: the single roughly coincided with the first man to land on the moon. The accompanying album, 'Man Of Words, Man Of Music' (1969) was retitled to cash in on the single's success.

Bowie's second album, 'The Man Who Sold The World', a much heavier, more compelling work, was released a year later. He had, by now, assembled a more permanent band comprised of Mick Ronson guitar (pictured right), Trevor Bolder bass (later to join Uriah Heep) and Woody Wood-Mansey drums. In 1971, this line-up released the critically acclaimed 'Hunky Dory', but the following year saw Bowie's real breakthrough when 'The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars', became his first million-seller in the UK and - later - the US. A highly theatrical stage show and outlandish costumes meant that Bowie began to rival Marc Bolan as ruler of the glam-rock roost. Bowie was rarely out of the charts for the next eight years or so, and had his first hit single since "Space Oddity" with "Starman" (1972). He was in demand as a producer and songwriter, performing these duties on Lou Reed's Transformer' and Mott the Hoople's 'All The Young Dudes' respectively.
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After the massive success of 'Ziggy', 'Aladdin Sane' (1973) was inevitably something of an anti-climax. 'Pin Ups' (1973) was however, a genuine disappointment; a scrappy collection of cover versions, it preceded Bowie's decision to stop working with the Spiders. Instead, he regrouped with new musicians to record 'Diamond Dogs' (1974), a doom-laden concept album based on George Orwell's novel 1984. In the summer of 1974, Bowie returned to live performance with a lavish US tour, later commemorated on the million-selling live album 'David Live' (1974).
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As the tour progressed, Bowie started to move toward the more soul-funk orientated sound of his next album 'Young Americans' (1975), which provided two massive hits in the shape of the title track and "Fame" (co-written with John Lennon).
'Station To Station' (1976) was Bowie's masterpiece, an astute collection of anguished ballads and aloof, crystalline funk. It was accompanied by a stunning tour, and despite the ill advised 'jocular' Nazi salute to fans on his arrival at Victoria station in London, Bowie's standing was maintained by an excellent performance in Nic Roeg's film 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'.

After 1976's excesses Bowie decamped to Berlin, where with ex-Roxy Music synth player Brian Eno, he fashioned a trilogy of innovative albums: 'Low' (1977), 'Heroes' (1977) and 'Lodger' (1979).
The title track of 'Heroes' was one of his most romantic songs and was a worldwide hit single and 'Lodger' spawned the UK Top 10 single "Boys Keep Swinging".
Little was heard from Bowie for the next year or so, until "Ashes To Ashes" (1980) became his first UK Number 1 single since the 1975 re-release of 'Space Oddity'.
This was followed a few months later by his last great album, 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)', which spawned more hit singles in the title track "Fashion" and "Up The Hill Backwards". At the same time, he made an acclaimed appearance in the New York production of the play The Elephant Man.

A lengthy sabbatical followed: aside from a collaboration with Queen on the chart-topping single "Under Pressure", Bowie's only new recorded work was the 'Baal' EP, a collection of songs which coincided with his performance in Brecht's play.

A new single in 1983 "Let's Dance", produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers, topped the UK and US charts, as did the 'Lef s Dance' album which followed in its wake. Two further singles, "Modern Love", and a cover of Iggy Pop's "China Girl", were culled from the album and went to the Top 5 in the US and UK. Bowie also starred in Oshima's film 'Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence' and embarked on the triumphant Serious Moonlight tour, playing to over two million people.
Unfortunately, thereafter, Bowie's fortunes declined. "Blue Jean" was another Top 5 single, but the album which followed, 'Tonight' (1984) lacked the commercial impact of 'Let's Dance'. After a part in the disastrous musical Absolute Beginners Bowie released a new album, 'Never Let Me Down' (1987), to coincide with the hugely ambitious Glass Spider tour. Both were dismissed by the critics.

Characteristically, Bowie switched direction after this debacle and put together a back-to-basics rock band in which he was just another member, alongside ex-Iggy Pop alumni Hunt and Tony Sales and lead guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Known as Tin Machine the band's self-titled debut album (1989) was well received and reached the UK Top 5. Later Tin Machine releases fared less well.
EMI released his comprehensive hits, 'Changes Bowie' (1990), while Bowie himself announced Sound & Vision, a tour which would see him perform all his old favourites for the very last time to large crowds of appreciative fans of all ages. Since then, Bowie appeared only occasionally (he married Somali model Iman in 1992), although a new solo album 'Black Tie White Noise' was released in 1993, to some critical acclaim.

During his peak in the Seventies, Bowie was a hugely influential artist: his restless spirit, sexual ambivalence, effortless cool and unwillingness to settle into one image or style of music inspired thousands of younger musicians [extract from The Ultimate Encyclopedia of ROCK - ed. Michael Heatley, Carlton Books. 1994, p184-185]
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Bootleg Review
Based on the track listing of this Australian bootleg, it is more than likely that it consists of recordings made by Bowie for the BBC over a five year period (1967-1972).
There are several other bootlegs floating around with the same track listing - namely 'White Light / White Heat' (1990), 'Bowie At The Beeb' (1989) and an extremely rare 'Original BBC Transcription' triple LP set, 3 sides comprising the program "Bowie at the Beeb" and 3 sides with "Marc Bolan at the Beeb." Each program runs for nearly an hour and is filled with unreleased live gems and interview segments recorded for various BBC radio programs from 1967 through 1972. These were authentic BBC-produced ultra high quality discs, made in extremely limited quantities in 1988--perhaps only 50 sets--and sent to UK and Commonwealth radio stations, which generally played them only once.

More recently, there has been an official 3CD release of Bowie material, entitled 'Bowie At The Beeb' (Best of the BBC Radio Sessions 68-72) and is still available from Amazon.

During the years 1967-1972, David Bowie recorded 12 sessions or shows for BBC radio, largely for promotional purpose. When in mid-1972 he had achieved stardom, the need to do these radio performances had disappeared and Bowie did not return until 1991 with Tin Machine. Their has been some confusion surrounding the BBC sessions from the 70s. More or less starting with the bootleg Ziggy 1 - My Radio Sweetheart, tracks from arbitrary sessions were fragmentarily released on LPs and tapes - BBC Show May '72 (Avenue Records SRL BN 2378) for instance features tracks from several 1972 sessions and not from one single show. Up until the mid 90s, several sessions, like the 21-09-71 Bob Harris session, still were a complete mystery.

Some of the confusion was clarified when on 14-02-87 the BBC broadcast "Bowie At The Beeb", featuring tracks from sessions between 1967-1972.
For an accurate listing of Bowie's BBC recordings, see the following: bowiewonderworld, illustrateddbdiscography and bowieatthebeeb
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Now I've always believed that when you see " Live At The BBC " it doesn't really mean it's really 'live' if you've ever heard BBC radio presenters like John " that was quite tasty " Peel or any others you'll know that they say " and we have [musician's name] here live in the studio." It's in a studio and it will never give you a live feel for the songs. It's just BBC engineers working on Bowie's songs and in return you could, I suppose, think of them as session outtakes from his album.

This post consists of a mp3 rip (320kps) taken from CD and includes full album artwork, along with the covers for the alternative bootleg releases. The quality of the recordings are quite exceptional and probably match those of the recent official release.
Note: Even though this bootleg is entitled as Vol 1 there was never a Vol 2. released by the Mojo label for David Bowie.
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Track Listing
01 - White Light /White Heat #2
02 - Let Me Sleep Beside You
03 - Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed
04 - Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
05 - Bombers
06 - Almost Grown
07 - Kooks
08 - The Supermen
09 - Ziggy Stardust #1
10 - Five Years #1
11 - Starman #3
12 - Rock'n'Roll Suicide #4
13 - Hang On To Yourself #2
14 - Waiting For The Man #1

A majority of the tracks on the bootleg came from the following Ziggy Stardust-era tracks and their BBC sessions. The remainder were from earlier recordings in 1969-1970
#1 David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars, Sounds of the 70's, January 18, 1972
#2 David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars, Sound of the 70's: John Peel, May 16, 1972
#3 David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars, Johnnie Walker Lunchtime Show, May 22, 1972
#4 David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars, Sounds of the 70's: Bob Harris, May 23, 1972
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Musicians:
David Bowie (vocals, guitar, keyboard)
Mick Ronson (guitar, vocals)
Trevor Bolder (bass)
Mick Woodmansey (drums)
Mark Carr Pritchett (rhythm guitar)
George Underwood (vocals)
Dana Gillespie (vocals)
Geoffrey Alexander (vocals) 
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Bowie Link (94Mb) New Link  27/02/2024

Chris Turner - My Guitar & Me (1980) + Bonus Track

(Australian 1974-1982)
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Chris Turner is a London born guitarist, who started playing in 1961 around the London rock scene at the Hofner Club. He appeared on the same bill as Bowie, Frampton and The Small Faces with Steve Marriot. His band also did shows with John Mayall, and Manfred Mann to name just a few. He also played the Mecca Ballroom Circuit with his band The Consorts until 1965.
The late sixties saw the’ Chris Turner Group’ and 'The Wranglers' emerge in Auckland, New Zealand where he toured the North Island learning his trade not only as a guitarist but also as a band leader. He did a stint with hit band 'Summer Wine' and 'The Soundelles', Aukland's only professional band at the infamous Oriental Ballroom.
In 1970, Chris moved to Sydney, Australia. He signed up with a package show called ‘The Action’ and set of on a tour of The Philippines and Vietnam, barely escaping with his life!
On his return from overseas, Chris again formed his own band and toured New South Wales and Queensland, one tour lasting over 18 months.
In 1973, his eight piece band ‘Drain’, which featured two drummers and a horn section, worked around the Sydney hard rock clubs, including the world famous 'Chequers Night Club'.
In 1974, Chris was asked to join heavy rock band ‘Buffalo’, recording and writing the title track on the fifth album ‘Average Rock n’ Roller ‘. Buffalo did numerous radio and television spots and toured Australia with ‘Richie Blackmores’ Rainbow.
Throughout this time Pete Wells and Digger Royal (Rose Tattoo) were stable members of 'The Chris Turner Band' which could be seen every Monday night at the infamous night club Chequers from late till dawn.
‘The Chris Turner Band’ continued to work and tour throughout the late seventies with Chris taking time out to work with ‘Rose Tattoo’, F J Holden and the Easybeats’ Stevie Wright. Literally hundreds of musicians past through Turner's band as it relentlessly toured Australia.
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Chris was asked to record a track for ‘The Australian Guitar Album' (see left) and also featured on the ‘Concert Of The Decade ‘with F J Holden. His solo album, ‘My Guitar & Me' was released in 1980 and his band toured constantly. 1982 saw Chris release his only ever single "I’m Crazy" – his band continued to tour !
The following year, Chris teamed up again with La De Da’s veteran Ronnie Peel (Rockwell T James) to form the Scattered Aces. The ‘Aces’ released a single"Waltzing Matilda" / "C’mon Everybody" followed by the EP ‘Six Pack’, a rollicking good example of Aussie Pub rock.
Rose Tattoos’ Pete Wells augmented the line up along with Turner’s ex manic drummer, Paul Demarco ( Fred Zeppelin )
Turner and Peel surfaced with ‘Slightly Shady ‘and ‘The Chris Turner Band ‘continued!
Chris did countless sessions on radio and TV ads and produced the Lucy De Soto Album ‘Three Girls And A Sailor'
Together with Status Quo’s Alan Lancaster, Chris recorded ‘Exile’, a rock album featuring many of Chris’s friends. Chris did some recording with the Party Boys and was featured on the hit album ‘Hold Your Head Up”.
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In the late eighties, Chris recorded and produced the BB Strutt album ‘Four Play’ and toured with the band promoting the product. Chris also worked his bands ‘The Tom Cats ‘,'The Wasted Seamen'and ‘The Wolf Tones’ around NSW.
Chris produced the Adam Carl Stephens album ‘Skybrain Surfing’ and was featured on the Pete Wells album ‘Orphans’ as well as playing on albums by Rick Veneer and Tony Ryan.
Chris established The College Of Contemporary Guitar in Sydney and underwent major hand surgery.
“Natural Born Trucker ‘– Truckin’ Bill n’ Doc Guitar was Chris’s next project, the album receiving national air play and the title track was included on a compilation album called “Trucking Towards 2000” which included many overseas legends.
Stacey Morris’s CD ‘The Sweetest Thing’ and Will Scarlet’s ‘Wanted It That Way’ were two more Turner projects together co-producing ‘Shadows To The Max’ for Max Paton.
Chris Turner’s current album – ‘Guitar Stories Vol. 1’ is an instrumental record with the ‘stories’ included on the twelve page slick.
Chris produced ‘Tribute To Roy Orbison’ with The Tee Jays and Robin Lee Sinclair This is currently sold out!
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Chris Turner & The Wolftones were asked to perform at the ‘Gimme Ted’ concert at Fox Studios in March 2001. This was a benefit to raise money for fellow muso Ted Mulry who was suffering from cancer. Unfortunately Ted died before the money could be used and Chris Turner’s performance was mysteriously not included on the DVD!
Chris then released ‘No Bollocks – Just Rock!’ with The Wolftones, produced by Rose Tattoo’s Peter Wells. This album is Pub Rock at its finest and shows Chris at his rockin’ best. This album contains the notorious track "Have A Nice Day”, an underground hit for Chris.
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In 2004, Chris completed a blues album with Pete Wells & Rob Grosser titled ‘Three Good Reasons For the Blues’ The Band is called ‘Rocks Push’ and was featured at The Manly Jazz Festival. A DVD of this band and the making of this CD are planned for the future.
He was also a featured guest artist on “Sydney Blues Live” CD with Tim Gaze and Rob Grosser and his version of “King Bee” is receiving a lot of airplay in the US.
Chris Turner is currently working live with The Blues Pirates and The Wolf Tones. He also works as a freelance guitarist and does solo spots whenever time allows. He is recording three albums at this time: The Blues Pirates – “Skullduggery”, ‘A Little Bit Country’ and ‘Guitar Stories Vol. 2’.
Chris Turner’s Blues Pirates were asked to open the show for the Pete Wells benefit concert, Rock & Roll Outlaw', held at The Enmore Theatre in September 2005. The show featured a cast of thousands including Rose Tattoo, The Angels, Lucy De Soto and Dave Tice (ex-Buffalo).
As of 2010, Chris continues to work and record with The Cave Men around Sydney. A Cave Men album is imminent [extract from Big-Rock.com.au]
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Review
Released in 1980, this is the first solo album by Chris Turner who was the guitarist in
Australian rock bands Rose Tattoo and Buffalo.This great Australian blues/rock album also features Peter Wells, Dallas (digger) Royal and Geordie Leach all from Rose Tattoo. Fantastic guitar playing from Chris Turner as well as great slide guitar from Peter Wells.
The music on this album is similar to The Angels but lacks the strength of Doc Neeson's vocals. Having said this, Chris Turner can still belt out a tune and the lyrics to songs have a distinct Sydney flavor to them (ie. Oxford St. Dogs). All tracks are credited to Turner and he shows great diversity with his writing style, ranging from rocking 12 bar blues to laid back acoustic blues to pure unadulterated 'Boogie'. My favourite tracks would have to be "Oxford St Dogs" and "Ear Bleeder". Not a well known album, but a classic none the less. If you like guitar work, you'll like this album.
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Trivia
Chris is a luthier (repairs stringed instruments) and has built guitars for many people. The Australian Guitar Album had a guitar shaped like the continent of Oz (sans tassie) on the cover. Chris built that as well as a white Playboy rabbit head guitar on a very early Australian Playboy cover.
Chris's skills as a guitar maker led to him developing an act (the Chris Turner Band) where he smashed up a surreptitiously donned replica of his strat at each show. He'd repair it (sometimes with a new neck) and then do it all again. I remember a show back in 1978, at French's Tavern in Oxford St when he shoved the head stock through the canite stage ceiling and walked offstage and it just hung there, feeding back, until the roadie got up there and turned the volume
knob down. Note: 'Ricky Livid' was an alias that Chris Turner sometimes played under [thanks to Phil Jensen at Midoztouch for this trivia]
Another piece of trivia [thanks to Ice at Midoztouch] - The cover of the AC/DC album "Let There Be Rock" shows some fingers on a guitar fretboard. The fingers belong to Chris.
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl and includes album artwork and label scans. As a bonus, I have included Chris's track from the Australian Guitar Album called "Rock And Roll Man". When I purchased this album as a teenager, I had no idea who Chris Turner was - I just liked the music when I heard it played at a party. This album is hard to find and sits along side my other Aussie Rock treasures.
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Track Listing
01 - My Guitar And Me
02 - Oxford Street Dogs
03 - Backdoor Man
04 - Little Girl Lover
05 - So Far So Good
06 - Motel Gypsy
07 - Messin' Around
08 - Ear Bleeder
09 - My Guitar And Me
10 - Rock and Roll Man (Bonus Track)
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Band Members:
Chris Turner (Guitar, Vocals)
Peter Wells (Slide Guitar, Bass)
Freddie Mangion (Drums)
Dallas (Digger) Royal (Drums)
Ricky Livid (Bass, Guitar)
Stacy Kae Ellis (Backing Vocals)
Robin Jackson (Rhythm Guitar)
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Chris Turner FLAC Link  (230Mb) New Link 26/12/2022

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