A REAL COOL TIME REVISITED ON RPM INTERNATIONAL

Back in 1985, the compilation album A Real Cool Time: Distorted Sounds From The North defined the sound of Sweden’s garage rock revival. Bands like The Nomads – whose song A Real Cool Time leant its name to the album – The Creeps, The Shoutless and Watermelon Men showed that Sweden was Europe’s garage-psych hot bed. This was recognised in 2005 when Rhino’s Children of Nuggets box set featured many of the Swedish bands.

Now, for the original album’s 25th anniversary, RPM International is pretty damn pleased to be issuing A Real Cool Time Revisited outside Sweden. It’s the definitive overview of the country’s garage rock phenomenon. Release date is 24 May.

Compiled by Swedish music maven Ulf Lindqvist, with liner notes by Sonic magazine’s L-P Anderson and an intro by me, A Real Cool Time Revisited is the perfect companion piece to Do The Pop, the history of Australian 80's garage punk and (of course) Children of Nuggets. This era-defining set is rounded off with pics of all the original covers of the tracks included.

Here’s the tracklist:
Disc 1
1 Nomads - I'm 5 Years Ahead Of My Time
2 Shoutless - Insane
3 Wayward Souls - Unknown Journey
4 Backdoor Men - Out Of My Mind
5 Crimson Shadows - Even I Tell Lies
6 Dolkows - Silent Woods
7 Sonic Walthers - No Lies
8 Hijackers - When I Get Home
9 Sinners - When She Lies
10 Voodoo Dolls - That's The Breaks
11 Legendary Lovers - King Of The World
12 Watermelon Men - Your Eyes
13 Wylde Mammoths - Help That Girl
14 Friends Inside - Where Are You Sleeping Tonight?
15 Stomachmouths - Don't Put Me Down
16 Psychotic Youth - Love Machine
17 Wilmer X - Motorbike Drivin'
18 Union Carbide Production - Cartoon Animal
19 BottleUps - Ramblin' Wreckless Hobo
20 Bangsters - Strangers

Disc 2
1 Screaming Dizbüsters - This Ain't The Summer Of Love
2 Problem - Uppskärarjack
3 Slammers - Don't Push Me Around
4 Creeps - She's Gone
5 Maryland Cookies - Don't Lie To Me
6 Dr. Yogami - Plastic Surgeon
7 Highway Slugs - Just Another Loner
8 Public Vein - Carry On
9 BottleUps - Too Much Talk
10 Playmates - Days After Tomorrow
11 Pyromaniacs - Lost Revenge
12 Slobster - Sudden Death
13 Preachers - Thirtynine Steps
14 Pushtwangers - She Blind (But I Don't Mind)
15 Cornflake Zoo - Hey Conductor
16 Highspeed V - Sally
17 Livingstones - Fastest Car Around!
18 Rumblers - Bopalina Bopalina Ow Mow Mow Mow
19 Sator - Pigvalley Beach
20 Leather Nun - Prime Mover

REVIEW - EMILIE SIMON AT THE JAZZ CAFE, LONDON

Tuesday’s show at The Jazz Café demonstrated the gulf between Emilie Simon and our electro ladies. Doing it all herself, everything was seamlessly used for the songs – it’s about the songs.

Beyond material from The Big Machine, it was incredible to see older songs like “Fleur de Saison” and “Désért” performed at a grand piano. They were received reverently by the French contingent – the moment you suddenly release she’s part of the French national fabric.

Review here (with an eccentric version of the writer’s name):
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/emilie-simon-jazz-caf-london-1951705.html

MOJO APRIL 2010 REVIEWS: THE MICRAGIRLS AND THE KISSAWAY TRAIL

Finland (the wonderful Micragirls) and Denmark...

JOHNNY HALLYDAY ON RPM INTERNATIONAL: LE ROI DE FRANCE, JOHNNY HALLYDAY, 1966-1969

The next RPM International CD is pretty special: the first comp of Johnny Hallyday’s best ‘60s stuff to ever be issued outside France.

Some of this rips. He might have arrived 1960 as France's very-own Elvis, but Le Roi De France pulls its cuts from the era when Hallyday had left the rock ‘n’ roll template behind and was recording red-hot, driving pop. He’s helped by a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page on the scorching Psychedelic and A Tout Casser. Mod titans The Small Faces back him on three cuts. British session legend Big Jim Sullivan is heard here too. Otis Redding's band appear on Je Crois Qu’il Me Rend Fou. Hallyday knew how the pick the right musicians for his records.

Essential. Really.

Release date is 31 May. Tracklist below:
1. Psychedelic (Philips 437380, 10/67) +
2. A Tout Casser (Philips 437428, 4/68) +
3. Voyage Au Pays Des Vivants (Philips 437480, 8/69)
4. Je Crois Qu’il Me Rend Fou (Such A Fool For You) (Philips 437304, 3/67)
5. Don’t Need Somebody (Philips 840586, 10/66)
6. J’ai Crié La Nuit (Philips 437341, 6/67)
7. C’est Mon Imagnation (Philips 437371, 8/67)
8. Son Amour Pour En Jeu (Philips 842157, 7/67)
9. Noir C’est Noir (Philips 437260, 9/66)
10. Jeune Homme (Philips 437439, 6/68)
11. Au Pays Des Aveugles (Philips 437439, 6/68)
12. Mon Fils (Philips 437380, 10/67)
13. Je N’ai Pas Voulu Croire (Philips 437439, 6/68)
14. Mal (Hush) (Philips 437395, 1/68)
15. Regarde Pour Moi (Philips 844971, 5/69) ++
16. Réclamation (Philips 844971, 5/69) ++
17. Amen (Philips 844971, 5/69) ++
18. Je N’ai Jamais Rien Demandé (My Way Of Giving) (Philips 437371, 8/67)
19. La Géneration Perdue (Philips 437260, 9/66)
20. Le Mauvais Rêve (Philips 437395, 1/68)
21. Quand L’Aigle Est Blessé (Philips 437428, 4/68) +++
22. Cheval D’Acier (Philips 437428, 4/68)

+ with Jimmy Page
++ with The Small Faces
+++ with Big Jim Sullivan

REVIEW - JOHN AND JEHN: TIME FOR THE DEVIL

J&J's second album is pretty hard to like.

That's not because of the peculiar '80s slant they've given it - if they'd pulled that off, all would be fine and dandy. It's just so wooden, so deliberate, so po-faced.

Like the review says, it's dessicated, with hardly any life:
http://www.rockfort.info/content.aspx?cid=213