W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Rice Krispies T.V Jingle (The Rolling Stones 1963)

Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
.
Rice Krispies (known as Rice Bubbles in Australia and New Zealand) is a breakfast cereal that was created by Eugene McKay for the Kellogg company, and later marketed by Kellogg's in 1927 and released to the public in 1928. This cereal is widely known and popular with a long advertising history, with the cartoon characters Snap, Crackle, and Pop touting the brand. In 1963, The Rolling Stones recorded a short song for a Rice Krispies television advertisement and is a very Obscure recording.  This is a real find folks!

The Stones sound like the "Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World" on this one. Actually, Brian Jones co-wrote this jingle with the J. Walter Thompson ad agency (who had Rice Krispies as a client) for the princely sum of 400 pounds. It was only shown in the United Kingdom in '64 which is why no one from the States can remember seeing this when it was shown.
Features Brian Jones really wailing on harmonica on this one and Keith Richards playing some really funky guitar.
.
Included is a rip of the Krispies Jingle at 320kps along with an avi YouTube clip of the B&W T.V advertisement (including all of the snap, crackles and pops that you would expect from such old footage!)
.
Krispies Jingle (3Mb)

Supernaut - Selftitled (1976) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1976-1980)
.
Against all odds, Perth band Supernaut became one of Oz's most popular bands in a matter of six months. The four original members (Randall Murphy on bass was replaced by Phil Foxman) came to Melbourne with their manager from Perth, in April 1976 and sunk every cent they had into recording their first single "I Like It Both Ways" at the Armstrong Recording Studios.
Appearances on Countdown plus controversy and various bans over the song's lyrical content combined to make the song a national hit, reaching #1 in the Australian Charts.
Supernaut consisted of singer Gary Twinn, guitarist Chris Burnham, drummer Joey Burnham and Phil Foxman. Their coast-to-coast assault of Australian audiences along with Hush ensured that their debut album went gold and in fact sold an unbelievable 8,000 copies on the day of it's release.
In addition to this success they coasted in with the award for the Most Promising New Name in the 1976 RAM magazine Rock Poll. RAM writer Mark Alchin was in attendance at a press reception for the band in November and reported the following:
.
Phil contacted the band after it was advertised in these hallowed pages (read - RAM mag) that they needed a new bass player and bang, he was in. It was the old 'I'm doing my Higher School Certificate but I'd rather be playing in a R&R band' frustration, but this time it was fulfilled.
At that time Phil was a member of the highly rated, but now defunct Sydney band White Heat.
In talking about the band's current amazing successes and the obvious effects this has on the guys' lives, Phil admits to being a bit pissed off with the trimmings, such as this press reception at which he is now a featured attraction.

"I just want to be a musician and not a pop star. I like playing but I don't like all this sort of thing" (he indicates the room full of people we're standing in).
Actually Phil's attitude and dress indicate the general rebelliousness evident in most of yer average street punk heroes. He says that the other three feel basically the same way, but they deal more in compromise than does he. "I love the guys in the band, they're like brothers now" was his parting statement.
Indeed the guys live together when they're not touring and they have a sort of brotherly relationship. When one of them looks at another across the room they have an instinctive signal code that keeps them in contact without them having to say anything.
The guys are remarkably 'together' for a band that was thrust from being unknown to a two-hit-single-and-top-concert-band atmosphere in a matter of months. They tend to communicate fully only between themselves and their manager Robbie Williams and outsiders are given a nice but shallow treatment from them.
Official announcement. The joke about their name being Super-Naught (as in zero) can now be forgotten. [article by Mark Alchin, RAM #48, p7 'Supernaut: Too hot to be touched']
.
Album Review
This is an amazing mature album for a band so young, in age as well as in years in the business.
The cover unfortunately enhances their reputation as a teen band which, in fact, they are not. At least musically, if not in general appeal.
Both the singles, "I like It Both Ways" and "Too Hot To Touch" are included and there are a number of stage favourites like "Space Angel" and "Leftover Ladies".
Overall the pleasing feature of the album is the imagination poured into much of the production (which is largely by the group themselves). They haven't fallen into the trap of throwing so much into the tracks that they are unable to recreate the sound on stage. In fact, I saw them at a concert recently and they reproduced most of the sounds here almost exactly.
Generally the performance is professional and polished. 18 year old Joe Burnham's drums are a standout while brother Chris carries rhythm and lead guitar with sureness of someone twice his age. New member Phil Foxman's bass playing fits exactly into the mould that the band have made for themselves. Gary Twinn's vocals are at once youthful and seasoned and his squeak mannerism which is prevalent throughout is all interesting characteristic.


"Living A Lie" has an impressive synthesiser part but isn't really catchy enough to stick in the mind. "Too Hot To Handle" of course is the current single. 
It features imaginative lyrics and is well structured. "Space Angel" is basically unmemorable, it's an old song of theirs which may explain that. "Mountain Song" is the most immediately impressive track (apart from the two singles) it features a stable shift from electric to acoustic, some impressive vocals from Twinn and a break in the middle where it becomes a sort of Mountain Song Part 2 - the beginning of which is highly reminiscent of parts of Tubular Bells.

"Contacts" and "I Like It Both Ways" continue the run of plus tracks with good beats and memorable melodies. Another minus track ends the run, "Mover" does everything but move. It just lies there.
Status Quo would do well to incorporate "Left Over Ladies" into their repertoire as much of the song has that familiar Quo four-beat-in-the-bar-rock-em-up sound and some interesting vocal exchanges on the title line. "Goodbye" closes the album and is, for me, the LP's finest track. The chord changes, vocal harmonies and overall sound are immediately appealing and it makes a good going out track.
Thank God that the band has not fallen into the 1001 traps that most young bands fall into when recording debut albums. Here's looking forward to Supernaut No.2 [Reviewed by Mark Alchin, RAM #48 Dec 31, 1976]
.
In 1978 Supernaut relocated to Sydney and shortened their name, their hair and changed their attitude. They opted for punk/new wave garage style and became "The Nauts". They released an album (produced by Robie Porter) called 'The Nauts' in 1978. The album was widely acclaimed by critics but sales were not forthcoming and they disbanded in 1980.
.
Rip taken from CD in full FLAC format with full album artwork and photos. Also included is a scanned copy of the album review as published in RAM No.48.
.
Track Listing

01 - Living A Lie
02 - Too Hot To Touch
03 - Space Angel
04 - Mountain Song
05 - Contacts
06 - I Like It Both Ways
07 - Mover
08 - Left Over ladies
09 - Goodbye
[Bonus Tracks]
10 - The Kids Are Out Tonight
11 - Young & Innocent
12 - Lets Spend The Night Together *

13 - Lick My Lolly *
.
Band Members:
Gary Twinn - Vocals
Chris Burnham - Guitar
Phil Foxman - Bass
JoeyBurnham - Drums
.
Supernaut FLAC Link (320Mb) New Link 25/04/2019
.

Budgie - Peel Sessions (1972), Walsall Townhall (1980) and Loughborough (1986) 2CD Bootleg

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)
.
This post is a compilation of three Budgie performances which span the first 14 years of their classic years together, featuring some rare radio dialogue by the famous Radio One DJ - John Peel. His thirty-eight year career as a radio DJ for Radio One and wildly popular Radio 4 show 'Home Truths' is the stuff of legend and the bands that he championed through the years are too numerous to mention - David Bowie, Roxy Music, T-Rex, Joy Division, the Smiths and of course Budgie.
The John Peel sessions were done when Budgie first hit the airwaves in England with their 2nd LP 'Squawk' and it is interesting to hear John struggle with the pronunciation of Tony Bourge's surname. Actually this seems to fit his profile perfectly, from what I have recently read in his autobiography 'Margrave of the Marshes'. John struggled throughout his whole school life and was not academically inclined. Needless to say, his achievements in life did not come easy, and it was his passion for music that drove him to the top.
I suspect the 4 tracks which John played were taken directly from Budgie's LP's and not pre-recorded in the studio as some bands would do in later years.
Note: These 4 tracks were previously released on the long-deleted 'Heavier Than Air - Rarest Eggs' in 1998, which was a compilation of tracks culled from BBC and US radio sessions between 1972 and 1978.
.
The second section of this post is taken from a gig that Budgie did in the Walsall Town Hall on June 6th 1980, exactly 30 years ago to the day! It is interesting to note that the track "Can't Get Up In The Morning" was not released officially until the 2004 on the 'The Last Stage' album.
Most of the tracks played at this gig came from their then current EP 'If Swollowed Do Not Induce Vomiting' and soon to be released LP 'Power Supply'. It is also worth noting that the lyrics for several of their new songs ended up being different on the LP, namely "Time To Remember" and "Reaper Of The Glory" which was deferred for their 1981 release 'Nightflight'
It is also worth noting that Budgie's latest arrival, 'John Thomas' on guitar, is featured heavily in this recording, giving their older material a new lease of life, in particularly "Breadfan" and "Napoleon Bona-Parts One And Two".
.
Finally, the third section of this post was recorded at a time when the band was at a low and disbanded some time shortly after. The gig starts with Steve Williams thumping out a repetitive beat which almost becomes annoying before leading into "Crime Against The World" and the quality of playing there on is a little 'average'. One can almost sense the tension in the air during the concert and comes to a climax when Shelley screams at the crowd "Come on ya #@ucker's, let me see ya" towards the end of Breadfan.
Nevertheless, the concert covers a good selection of material with most tracks coming from their last three albums, and another new track "Rock Your Blood" is showcased which would only be released officially on their 'Last Stage' album in 2004.
So there you have it, a double CD of rare and live material from a band that really can knock you down with a feather ! Play it loud.
.
The rip was compiled from several sources on the web (thanks to the original uploaders) and the album artwork was sourced from prockrarecollectionfetish.blogspot.com along with photos by Steve Jones. The mp3's vary in bitrate from 160kps to 320kps but the quality of recordings are still very good (probably soundboards).
.
Track Listing
CD1
[John Peel Sessions, 1972]
01 - Hot As A Docker's Armpit
02 - The Author
03 - Whiskey River
04 - Nude Parachutist Woman
.
[Walsall Town Hall, 1980]
05 - Panzer Division Destroyed
06 - High School Girls
07 - Can't Get Up In The Morning
08 - Forearm Smash
09 - Time To Remember
10 - Napoleon Bona-Parts One And Two
11 - Reaper Of The Glory
12 - Melt The Ice Away
13 - Lies Of Jim (The E-Type Lover)
14 - Wild Fire

CD2
[Walsall Town Hall, 1980]
01 - Breadfan
[Loughborough, 1986]
02 - Crime Against The World
03 - Don't Cry
04 - Gunslinger
05 - Rock Your Blood
06 - Panzer Division Destroyed
07 - Truth Drug
08 - She Used Me Up
09 - I Turned To Stone
10 - Superstar
11 - Wild Fire
12 - Breadfan
13 - Outro (We'll Meet Again)
.
Budgie Link Part 1 (143Mb) New Links 29/10/2015

Budgie Link Part 2 (93Mb) 
.

Budgie - Napoleon Bona Parts 1 & 2 (Live in Sweden, 1999)

Burke Shelley - Vocals, Bass (with short hair !)
John Thomas - Guitar
Steve Williams - Drums

Taste - Knights Of Love (1977)

(Australian 1975-1977, Present)
.
Every band has its influences but Taste 's current passion for hand-me-down silks from Queen, circa the Ogre's Battle and days of Queen I and Queen II albums, is astonishing.
Queen themselves were caught out throwing Led Zep and Yes into the milk blender on their first album, but Taste zip right between the cosmic thrill of Jon Anderson and the dinosaur bellow of Robert Plant to end up in the most twee reaches of Freddie Land. And really, it just doesn't suit them at all. As headed by Ken Murdoch they can be one hell of a snotnosed, hard edged, street rock band - capable of delivering a sneering rush of energy, better than most young bands around Oz.

So why they've gone all passionate for such pretentious moments as "Teenage Anthem" [riff sounds alot like Zep's Black Dog] and "Just As The Water Flows" and "Witches Brew" (the later replace with Uriah Heepish chorus trills) without ever once letting on the whole thing is just a joke is puzzling. I mean, it's gotta be a joke! These guys are a fighting little combo, who exist on youthful guitar pyrotechnics and one night knee-tremblers. Sure they try to dress up such moments in winsome melodies (eg. "Rebecca", "A Little Romance") but these guys are punks at heart, have been for years.

And it's truly awful to hear them waste good backing tracks on ornate, flim flam like "Long May Love Reign Over Me" and "Over The Glen (& Far Away)".
The best plan by far is to somehow blot out the lyrics and concentrate on the music, which is all second-generation Britrock riff-erama. But they play it very well.
On the credit side, "A Little Romance" does feature a most appealing, wistful melody, plus a top arrangement. It deserved better than the lowly chart placing it reached as a single. So what if it's a schmuck - it's still better schmuck than most of what's on the hit parade these days.
Same goes for "Boys Will Be Boys" and "Rebecca"
And guitarist Joey Amenta does throw off his satin cloak for just a moment to deliver a blast of chunky, frantic blues guitar in "Mainstreet". [Review by Anthony Grady, RAM magazine #66, Sept 9, 1977]
Taste have reformed recently and have completed a new album of 10 new originals. "Rock Is Dead" is now released and available on their website.
.
Rip taken from Vinyl at 192kps and includes limited artwork. RIP Source Unknown (Thanks to WoodyNet for Artwork).
.
Track Listing
01 - Teenage Anthem
02 - Rebecca
03 - Mainstreet

3XY April 8th 1977

04 - Long May Love Reign
05 - A Little Romance
06 - Boys Will Be Boys
07 - Just As the Water Flows
08 - Witches Brew
09 - Over the Glen
.
Band Members:
Ken Murdoch ( Lead Vocals / Guitar)
Joey Amenta (Guitar / Vocals)
Michael Tortoni (Bass Guitar)
Virgil Donati (Drums)
.
Taste Link (51Mb)  New Link 16/10/2023
.

W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Bart Sells His Soul - In The Garden Of Eden (The Simpsons)

.
Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
.
.In the episode of the Simpsons entitled "Bart Sells His Soul", the hit track "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida", by Iron Butterfly is used as a hilarious parody during a church scene. The show was the fourth episode of Season 7, and first aired on October 8, 1995. The episode was written by Greg Daniels and was directed by Wesley Archer. The plot of the episode is a parody of the book "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.", by Judy Blume.
The Simpsons serve as church ushers one Sunday morning. Bart uses the opportunity to switch the intended hymn with a song called "In the Garden of Eden" by "I. Ron Butterfly"; actually, the song is Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".
Reverend Lovejoy initially fails to notice anything amiss (or the lewd behavior of congregants) but he eventually catches on, noting "This sounds like rock and/or roll". At the end of the 17-minute song (shortened in this episode of course), the exhausted organist collapses on the organ.
Reverend Lovejoy demands that the perpetrator step forward, and Milhouse names Bart. As punishment, Lovejoy assigns Bart and Milhouse to clean the organ pipes. Bart is indignant with Milhouse, who claims he feared for the fate of his soul. Bart proclaims that there is no such thing as a soul and agrees to sell his to Milhouse in the form of a piece of paper saying "Bart Simpson's soul". After the deal is made, Lisa tells Bart that he will regret selling his soul, but Bart does not believe her. Bart soon finds that his dog, Santa's Little Helper, will not play with him, automatic doors fail to open for him, and when he breathes on the freezer doors at the Kwik-E-Mart no condensation forms. He begins to suspect he really did lose his soul, and sets out to retrieve it.
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was a psychedelic rock epic by Iron Butterfly, released on their 1968 album 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', and is one of my all time time favourite psychedelic tracks. At a little over seventeen minutes, it occupies the entire second side of the 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' album. The lyrics are simple, and heard only at the beginning and the end. The track was recorded on May 27, 1968, at Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. The recording that is heard on the album was meant to be a soundcheck for engineer Don Casale while the band waited for the arrival of producer Jim Hilton. However, Casale had rolled a recording tape, and when the rehearsal was completed it was agreed that the performance was of sufficient quality that another take wasn't needed. Hilton later remixed the recording at Gold Star Studios in LA. The single version (included here) reached number thirty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
So for this posting, I have included both the 'Simpson's version of 'In the Garden Of Eden' along with the shortened 'single version' released by Iron Butterfly - and therefore classify this WOCK on vinyl posting under the category of 'Korny' but still very, very Cool !
.
The Simpsons Link (7 Mb) New Link 07/08/2024
.

Arktis - On The Rocks (1976)

(German 1973-1985)
.
Arktis was formed in March 1973 by Karin Toppig on vocals, Klaus Blachut on guitar, Klaus Gollner on bass and Harry Kottek on drums. They came from the area of Bonn devoting themselves to progressive rock. In March 1974, Arktis independently released their self-titled debut in a vinyl edition of 300 copies. In 1975 their second album "Arktis Tapes" was released in a limited edition of 1000 copies. Meanwhile both albums have been rereleased on CD, in 1993 and 1994 respectively and both highlight bonus tracks not available on the LP versions.
Due to internal differences, Blachut and Gollner split from Arktis in 1975 and went off to study at a university in the south of Germany. Kottek and Toppig decided to continue with new personnel they found in Manni Dick on guitar, Alex Maurer on keyboards and Bernd Kolf on bass. As a result the third Arktis album "On The Rocks" was released in 1976, independently again and a very limited edition of 250 copies (produced by Conny Plank).
.
A Hammond organ was added to all songs on this album. They took alot more time in the studio than their two previous albums and this is clearly apparent by the album's song compact structures. Their psychedelic and underground feeling was influenced by their new guitarist Manni whose idols were Cream and Hendrix.
A pounding rhythm section, swirling keyboards, powerful, understated female vocals (in English) and some truly great electric guitar make this an album that I listen to on a regular basis. The 20 minute long "Loneliness" is a highlight. Well, maybe "Dangerous Love". Actually, the whole album is terrific!
Arktis's "On the Rocks" is an album which with you can easily imagine knights fighting on the landscape drawn on the cover while listening to the music. It's a pity they only made a few albums. Very enjoyable and accessible album. To all Kraut and progressive rock lovers!"
.
It is enchanting 70s' progressive rock from Germany. Although featuring simple melodies and not hard progressive rock with complex arrangements, such as, say, Rush, Arktis' sound is interesting for two reasons.
The first reason is that their powerful guitar playing sounds Jane like for a mid 70s band and catches the attention at once. The second reason is that the voice of Karin is both very powerful and enchanting and sounds androgynous, which give the tracks a feel of fairy-tales. The highlight here is 'Please Call Me' with its catchy tune and lyrics and 'Loneliness', a beautiful powerful epic lasting 20 minutes. The tune is both heavy blues and melancholic passages in the vein of Pink Floyd. The doomy bonus track Y.T.T is reminiscent of Black Sabbath and complements the rest of the album's tracks.
.
Rip was taken from CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork and lyrics, along with choice photos of the band. This album should not be missed - you won't be disappointed.
.
Track Listing
01. Dangerous Love (4:31)
02. Since You've Been Gone (5:35)
03. Never Come Back (5:00)
04. Please, Call Me (5:26)
05. Loneliness (20:01)
06. Y.T.T. (Bonus Track 5:57)
.
Band Members:
Karin Toppig (vocals)
Harry Kottek (drums)
Manni Dick (guitar)
Axel Maurer (keyboards)
Bernd Kolf (bass)

Arktis Link (122Mb)
.