Happy Halloween!

Have a very spooky day, and be sure to check out The 80s Underground Halloween Special. Jeff has really outdone himself this year.

And here's a video for one of the songs featured on the show -- Ghost Town by The Specials.

TV Appearances this week from The New York Dolls and The Damned

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson will feature The New York Dolls tonight, and a two-night stand from The Damned on Thursday and Friday. According to the official website of The Damned: They will perform 2 songs, one old classic and one from the new album, which will be aired on consecutive nights: the 30th and 31st of October.

To get you in the mood, here's the video for Anything from The Damned.

Lost and Found Video - The Del Lords

The Del-Lords were fronted by Scott Kempner of N.Y. proto-punks The Dictators, and former Blackhearts (Joan Jett) guitarist Eric Ambel.

Here is Judas Kiss, the first single from the band's third album Based on a True Story (1988), which got some play on MTV's 120 Minutes, but otherwise seems to have fallen through the cracks. Pat Benatar's husband/guitarist/producer Neil Girardo produced the band's first three albums, and it might be interesting to find out if she sang the backing vocals on this -- she's credited, as is Kim Shattuck (The Pandoras, The Muffs).

Band Update: Kempner and Ambel have mostly been doing solo work in recent years, the latter also being a session producer, and drummer Frank Funaro has worked with Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker.

Links:
The Del Lords on Wikipedia
Trouser Press Entry
All Music Guide Entry
Scott Kempner on MySpace
Eric Ambel on MySpace

Many thanks to Paul for the contribution!

Headlines...

From Billboard:

• Jane's Addiction Rocks Tiny L.A. Bar
• Bono To Write New York Times Column
• U2 Gets Live Nation Stock Payday

From Pitchfork:

• Bjork Reveals All About "Nattura"
• R.E.M. Announce Murmur Deluxe Edition

From Rolling Stone:

• Lou Reed Goes Back to “Berlin”
• Elvis Costello and Nick Jonas Discuss Songwriting, Crazy Fans
• The Cure Debut Entire New Album At Free Concert in Rome
  

New Mullet on Monday - The Records

Well, I somehow managed to scrape up another edition of New Mullet on Monday. I don't think I will be abandoning the feature altogether, but will post the great mullets of the era whenever I happen to run into them. This particular video features a variety of seventies-era mullets, worn by members of The Records, a highly influential British Power Pop band formed in 1978. The band was co-founded by John Wicks (vocals) and Will Birch (drums).

From the 1979 album Shades in Bed, this is Starry Eyes.

Band Update: Wicks has retained the The Records' name, and in 2007, released an album entitled Rotate under the name John Wicks & The Records. Birch went on to produce music, and has also made a foray into writing, publishing the book No Sleep Till Canvey Island - The Great Pub Rock Revolution. He is currently working on a book on the life of Ian Dury.

Links:
TheRecords.com -- A website on the original incarnation of The Records, maintained by Will Burch.
The Records on MySpace
John Wicks & The Records Website
John Wicks & The Records on MySpace
John Wicks on MySpace
Will Burch's Website
Will Burch on MySpace

New Echo & The Bunnymen!!

Several live videos of Echo & The Bunnymen's latest single "I Think I Need It Too" are floating around YouTube. You can view one shaky camera-phone version here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1daoFIbmok0

The band are currently in the studio finishing up their 10th album with producer John McLaughlin. The album is entitled ‘The Fountain’ with a release date still to be announced.

Recent New Releases and Reissues

Here are a few titles for your consideration. Product descriptions are via Amazon.com.

The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium
Recorded at New York's Shea Stadium in 1982, Live at Shea Stadium captures the band at the peak of its powers and on devastating form. Bristling with energy and attitude, Live at Shea Stadium is destined to feature alongside James Brown at the Apollo, The Who at Leeds and Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison as one of the greatest live recordings of all time!The Clash, opening for The Who on their farewell tour of the US, played two nights at the legendary Shea Stadium (October 12th and 13th of 1982). Despite being the support act, the New York Post reported "there were as many Clash fans on those nights as Who fans."

This deluxe edition is a jewel-case size hard bound digi pak which includes a stunning 32-page booklet of backstage and onstage photos shot by Bob Gruen and Joe Stevens. The recording is the first and only full-show live album released from The Clash.

The Pretenders - Break Up the Concrete
Think of this long awaited studio album as if it were the first Pretenders record: musical turf that's defined by attitude, lyrical and melodic mastery, and the unexpected...and Chrissie Hynde's voice as you've always known it. "Break Up The Concrete" is an authentic slice of rock Americana, ranging from blistering punk to the most delicate storytelling as told by the queen of rock royalty herself.

U2 - Under a Blood Red Sky - Deluxe Edition CD/DVD
A Deluxe Edition version featuring the Under a Blood Red Sky CD (Disc 1) and the Live at Red Rocks DVD (Disc 2).

The remastered Under a Blood Red Sky album was originally released in November 1983, and consists of live recordings from three shows on the band's War Tour through Europe and America. Recorded at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on 5th June 1983, Live at Red Rocks will be available for the first time on DVD, and will include 5 previously unreleased songs, a director's commentary, digitally re-graded pictures and a 5.1 mix.

This is the fourth CD as part of the Amazon.com-exclusive U2 deluxe edition box set and fits into the open slot within the packaging.

The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
2008 remastered and expanded edition with bonus tracks of The Replacements' fifth album, Pleased To Meet Me, which was released in 1987. The singles from the album were "Can't Hardly Wait" (which was the inspiration for the title of a movie), as well as "Alex Chilton" and "The Ledge" (the video for which was banned from airplay on MTV due to its lyrical content about suicide). The album peaked at #131 on the Billboard Music Chart's Top 200. The album's cover art mocks the band's transition from young punks to successful musicians with a major record deal, depicting a handshake between one person clad in a suit, starched white shirt, glitzy watch and diamond ring and the other wearing a ripped workshirt. The album to some degree maintains the style of the previous album, and major label debut, Tim.

Headlines...

From Billboard:

• New Bjork Single: To Yorke, Or Not To Yorke?
• Devo Playing Rare Akron Show For Obama
• Westerberg, Stinson 'Mess Around' In Minneapolis
  
• Update: Depeche Mode Readies New CD, Tour

From NME:

• Killing Joke play first US show in 20 years
• REM package available for new 'Guitar Hero' video game
• Bono's broadway effort most expensive production in history
• Adam Ant wants to collaborate with Kaiser Chiefs
• Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger working with Eurythmics' Dave Stewart
• Duran Duran announce North American tour
• Depeche Mode announce 2009 European tour

Rolling Stone:

• Download Lou Reed’s “Men of Good Fortune” From “Berlin: Live”
• Chrissie Hynde Talks Veganism and Smoking, Plus Stream New Album
  

The Pretenders on Letterman Monday Night

See the clip for information on their new album coming out today (10/07), as well as the performance. Go Chrissie! Great to see Martin Chambers, too -- I had heard that she had assembled a completely new band.

*****

Update: My prior statement did have basis (not that anyone asked, but I thought I would share). It is said that, as a favor to Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers sat out the recording of the new album so that she could work with celebrated session drummer Jim Keltner, but Chambers is along for the tour.

Mullet Hiatus

If you follow this blog very closely (and who doesn't) you may have noticed a lack of New Mullet on Monday for the last couple of weeks. I actually did not intend to take a break from the feature, but a break seems to have developed. After roughly 70 weeks of mullets, I may just be tapped out. I don't know. Maybe I'll find more, or maybe I'll dream up something else for your early week entertainment (or lack thereof). Stay tuned. Oh, and send suggestions, if you have them -- both mullet and otherwise.

Headlines...

From Billboard:

• My Bloody Valentine Wraps Triumphant Reunion Tour
• Morrissey Inks New Management Deal
• Nick Cave To Pen Second Novel

From NME:

• Sex Pistols Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious' squat reopens
• Watch Sex Pistol John Lydon as the face of British butter
• Peter Hook: 'New Order was an empty shell'

From Rolling Stone:

• Echo and the Bunnymen Let “Ocean Rain” Fall On Radio City Music Hall
• New York Dolls: Classic Photos With Memories From Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry
• The Pretenders Unveil Raw New Songs at In-Store Show in Hollywood
• Former Replacements Drummer Chris Mars’ Dark “Tolerance”
  

Lost and Found Video - Tanita Tikaram

First off, sorry about the lack of posts this week. Looks like it will be a busy month, too, so posting may be light.

But I do have a Lost and Found Video this week -- for a song that got quite a bit of play on my college radio station circa 1988. While visiting Chicago, I also heard it quite a few times on WXRT.

From Tanita Tikaram's album Ancient Heart, this is Twist in my Sobriety.

Tanita Tikaram is still making music. Her very cool website is here, and her MySpace page is here.