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One of my very favourite songs is Jeffrey Lewis's The History of Punk on the Lower East Side. From the early folk compiler Harry Smith through to New York Dolls he brilliantly runs through the story of the development of the music that eventually led to punk with little renditions of some of the standout tracks.

Here I've set out Jeff's words and included a download of as many of the songs or songs by the artists mentioned as I can - including, of course, a download of A History of Punk on the Lower East Side itself. Check out Jeff's site here


"OK. This is August 26th 2004. We’re gonna try and go through this in one live take.
The Complete History of the Development of Punk on New York's Lower East Side from 1950 to 1975.
We start with Harry Smith in 1950, a beatnik weirdo living in New York City
His huge collections were insane, of Easter eggs and paper airplanes
And rare records, he had around a million and sixty
to change America through music was his hope
and to make some money because he was broke
he compiled a triple decker collection of songs from his records
released as the Smithsonian anthology of American folk
....... On Monday morning just about 9 o 'clock the great ship Titanic began to reel and rock husbands and wives, little children lost their lives wasn't it sad, wasn't it sad, when that great ship went down?
>>> there's downloads here of a following tracks either featured on Harry Smith's Anthology or by artists featured :
Dock Boggs - Country Blues
Carter Family - Worried Man Blues
Richard 'Rabbit' Brown - James Alley Blues
Buell Kazee - The Butcher's Boy (The Railroad Boy)

Smith's plan began to work as foretold.
This weird music began to take hold
that sparked an interest in these forms of life underground from the norm
and soon millions of folk records were being sold.
By the early sixties, Dylan ,Baez, Phil Ochs
were doing intellectualized copies of the old folks
get downloads here of:
Bob Dylan - Maggie's Farm live Newport Folk Festival 1965 - 1st electric performance
Joan Baez - Dona Dona
Phil Ochs - Cops of the World
Then one strange folk band downtown called The Holy Modal Rounders
Began to make it more anarchistic, with weird voices and drug jokes.
..... Mom's out there switchin in the kitchen and Dad's in the living room, fussin' and a-bitchin' I'm out here, kickin' the gong for euphoria Euphoria - when your mind starts reelin' and a-walkin' Inside voices start squealin and a-squawkin' Floatin around on a belladonna cloud. singin' euphoria.
there's a download of the Holy Modal Rounders - Boobs A Lot here

In '64 that was, then in '65, Lou Reed and John Cale in a Ludlow Street dive
Had a similar musical spin, also on acoustic guitar and violin
with even more New York street drug jive
..... Hey white boy, what ya doing uptown Hey white boy, you chasin' our women around? 'Pa-pa-pardon me sir, nothing could be further from my mind Im just waiting for a dear dear friend of mine Im waiting for the man'

In '65 the Rounders met other beatnik intellectuals thugs on East 10th Street
who call themselves The Fugs
In April, they were recorded by Harry Smith doing the punkiest songs yet to exist
Lo-fi noisy shit about poetry, sex and drugs
. ....I don't have a bad time, I don't need to cum for I have become an amphetamine bum. If you don't like sleeping, and don't want to screw then you should take lots of amphetamine too.
downloads of Fugs - Nameless Voices Crying for Kindness and Fugs - I want To Know here

Smith recorded two live Fug sessions including Tuli Kupferberg's amazing nihilist song Nothing
..... Monday nothing, Tuesday nothing Wednesday and Thursday nothing Friday for a change a little more nothing Saturday once more nothing Fucking nothing, sucking nothing Flesh and sex, nothing Church and Times Square, a whole lot of nothing Nothing, nothing, nothing
The Fugs were real poets with real topics to speak out
and through the underground scene this crude music could leak out
Beginning the punk idea that anyone could do it
without need much musical ability to it
and this new crude music was labeled Freak Out
In '66 The Fugs signed to New York label Esp
The same label put out a band called The Godz, with a 'Z'
The Godz accomplished the feat of making even The Fugs music sound sweet
With the least musical folk-rock racket in history
..... mrrrrr---ow meow

downloads of Godz - Riffin' and Godz - Where? here
Far from the West Coast hippy scene, New York underground music was far from mainstream
It was intellectual but noisy and hectic, and then The Velvet Underground went electric
and made folk-punk even more beautiful and more extreme
..... I'm waiting for the man, twenty-six dollars in my hand Up to Lexington 125, feel sick and dirty more dead than alive Im waiting for the man.

download Velvet Underground - Waitin' For My Man (from lost 1966 “demo”/acetate version of the their first album) here

Nothing could stem New York’s strange folk-punk tide
In '68 came David Peel and The Lower East Side
He recorded an album on the streets, screaming and sloppy
Danny Fields signed him to Electra
sold almost a million copies
With songs like "I like marijuana"
and "Up Against the Wall, Motherfucker" inside
..... Mother, where is my father? Where is my brother? They're at war, theyre at war. You made them join the dirty U.S. Army You told them all a filthy white lie You gave them all the bullshit and baloney And now my brother and my father are gonna have to die

Strangest of all on East 10th Street in '68
where the duo Silver Apples, who managed to create
two futuristic albums of noise, rhythm and poetry
creative to the point of underground obscurity
it doesn't sound like punk or anything else but it sounds great
.... Isolation Isolation (?) Electronic evocation The sounds of reality Spinning magnetic fluctuation Wave on wave configuration that dance between the balls of sound And find my world to saw (?)

The Stooges were a Freak Out band
in Detroit and folks ignored them
until Danny Fields brought them to New York
and had John Cale from the Velvets record them
Almost all acid rock was turning into progressive
The Stooges, instead, pushed the raw and aggressive
And Iggy Pop sang about degradation and boredom
.... Well 1969 okay, all across the USA Another year for me and you Another year with nothing to do another year for me and you Another year with nothing to do

In 1970, David Peel's second album came
with some amazing songs and some a little lame
In most pre-punk histories, Peel gets forgot
coz he was a hippy singing songs about pot
but his second album was the first album
with the real sound that electric punk rock became
..... We are from the Lower East Side We dont give a damn if we live or die We are from the Lower East Side We dont give a damn if we live or die

And even though it was seven years before
it was something The Clash would do
Peel mixed punk with reggae
and the amazing song "I Want To Kill You"
..... We call the people of the future generation You call the people in a world of aggregation You call the people in a life of demonstration We gotta change the world before annihilation Gonna get a rifle and I'm gonna get a gun I am out to kill you and I'll have a little fun I am out to murder you, I'm going to attack I'm going kill you Your the monkey on my back I wanna kill you Kill, Kill, Kill I wanna kill you Kill, Kill, Kill

>>> here's the Clash covering the classic Pressure Drop

In '71, Lester Bangs first writes the word 'punk'
to describe '60s enthusiastic teenage rock junk
72, Lenny Kaye puts out the '60s Garage comp. Nuggets
and coins the phrase 'punk-rock' in the liner notes of it
Though punk-rock would soon come to mean something different
from what Lester and Lenny thunk
(They meant raw 60s punk songs)
..... I feel depressed, I feel so bad Coz your the best girl that I've ever had I can't get your love, I can't get affection O little girl, psychotic reaction

Lenny Kaye was also a guitarist who began playing music
with an East Side poet named Patti Smith who would use it
to mix wild poetry with simple rock stuff
like The Fugs in a way, but less rough
A postmodern way to take high art and low art and fuse it
..... Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine
Gloria
>>> you probably have just about everything by our Patti so I stuck this of her doing a Poem for Jim Morrison and Bumblebee here
72, '73 was when the New York Dolls start
mixing trash and drag fashion
with a pure rock and roll heart
That David Johansen and Johnny Thunders sound
mixed old-style simple rock
with the new New York underground
And sorta defined the moment when
stupid on purpose became the new smart
..... You're a prima ballerina on a springtime afternoon
Change on into a wolfman howlin at the moon
All about that Personality Crisisyou got it while it was hot
But now frustration and heartache is what you got
download New York Dolls - Personality Crisis here

The Lower East Side began punk fashion as well
with ripped clothes and spiked hair
worn by a poet named Richard Hell
Hell was in Television, The Neon Boys
The Heartbreakers, The Voidoids
And he wrote the song that gave the new
70s punk generation it's first anthem yell
..... I was screamin get me out of here before I was even born, it's such a gamble when you get a face
It's fascinating to observe what the mirror does but when I die it's for the wall that I set a place
I belong to the blank generation but I can take it or leave it each time I belong to the _______ generation but I can take it or leave it each time

Richard Hell - Don't Die here

74, CBGB's starts having punk shows
With Television, Patti Smith and The Ramones

Jemima Pearl & Thurston Moore - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker here

75, punk fanzine begins and the whole thing moves over to England
England steals all the credit
That's how it goes
The End
This is Jeffrey Lewis, Jack Lewis, our friend Tyler
Thank you "

At long last I have managed to get these live tracks sorted out and on my blog here. The ever wonderful Efterklang, perhaps the best live band around at the moment, put on another joyous show at the Ruby Lounge back in April. There are ten tracks recorded live available for download here.
(If anyone can help me with the names of the first two it would be much appreciated. I know I should know but hey it's only taken me almost 10 months to get this far!!)

Tomorrow, Saturday 25th October 2008, is the fourth anniversary of the death of John Peel. Much has been said about Peel's contribution to music in the UK and there is little I feel I need to add. On a personal note though John Peel is by far the single greatest influence on my musical journey. As music is central to my very existence that makes him very, very important indeed. His influence undoubtedly lives on but nothing has, or could come, close to replacing him. I for one miss him very much.

I have posted a small selection of session tracks on my blog. I expect that most of these tracks are already out there and I apologise if I am not adding to the greater sum of Peel show mp3s. This, though, is by way of a personal tribute.


On 19th October 1988 Peel broadcast a Sonic Youth session in which they only played Fall covers. Somehow this seems to encapsulate a great deal of what music meant to me back then.

You can download Psycho Mafia, My New House, Rouche Rumble and Victoria here.

or link to stuff about the originals by the 'mighty' Fall - Psycho Mafia, My New House, , Rouche Rumble, and Victoria

Way back in 1975 (on 19th May), before I was listening to John Peel shows, Can recorded two session tracks; geheim and Mighty Girl. It would be about 10 years later that I got seriously into Can and othe krautrock bands via a mate's love of all things Amon Duul.

you can download Can - Geheim here

A band that I remember Peely having a particular fondness for were Quickspace. They released just three albums but recorded four sessions. For me, they never got the attention they deserved. Here is the last of those sessions from 29th September 1999.

download They Shoot Horses Don't They?, The Lobbalong Song, The Flat Moon Society and Gloria Clip > here

Finally, less than six weeks after John's death the BBC put out a session by Shellac. Their song The End of Radio is incredibly poignant.

download it here


THANKS JOHN.

One of the earliest releases on Mortarhate (MORT 2) the label founded by Conflict, this is a terrific EP by Hagar the Womb fuelled by anger but never despair. Sometimes it feels almost like an historic document of a time when people still felt thay had the power to change society through positive action and constructive revolt... and through music. But the songs do still resonate today with powerful critiques on celebrity culture and the empty pursuit of fame, the dangers of religious fundamentalism, personal freedom and our unceasing willingness to subjugate ourselves to a flawed system.

As it says on the sleeve: Be aware, be happy, be optimistic - THINK!

downloads available from my blog

Approximately Infinite Universe (named after the 1973 Yoko Ono album) is billed as A Caravan Of Raw Sound Magic From Finland & The US and reached Manchester on Thursday 25th. Part of an eight date tour the concept is one of collaboration. Centred around the acts on Sami Sänpäkkilä's Fonal Records label these collaborations worked to perfection. Introduced by the films of Sami Sänpäkkilä' set to the music of Kemialliset Ystävät in the lovely setting of the Contact Theatre the evening promised much from the very start. Nor were we disappointed.

First up the combined enormity of Islaya, Blevin Blectum and Samara Lubelski. Islaja (Merja Kokkonen) is/has been part of Avarus, Kemialliset Ystävät and Hertta Lussu Ässä. Blevin Blectum is a electronic musician of well deserved renown having released groundbreaking records as half of Blectum from Blechdom. Multi-instrumentalist Samara Lubelski is part of German psychsters Metabolismus and has worked with such luminaries as Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth , Tower Recordings and Matt Valentine. The three were joined on stage by an unheralded bass player - anyone know who that was? - and produced a beautiful set of tight as a drum quietly funky psych doodlings with some breathtaking Nico-esque vocals from Islaya. Lovely stuff.

Finland's Jan Anderzen of Tomutonttu, Kemialliset Ystavat and Avarus and California’s Spencer Clark and James Ferraro of The Skaters performed together under the Dream Triangle moniker. Their set consisted of a single "song" of complex drone and low end rumblings. Unfortunatley as with much of this type of music it does not always translate to live performance in a larger venue. To fully appreciate the subtlety and complexity of their sound demands close attention and a couple of people in front of me got a little distracted and chatted, quite loudly, throughout which rather spoiled it for me. Grr!!

Es is Sami Sänpäkkilä aforementioned film-maker and Fonal Records head. Fursaxa is Tara Burke from Philadelphia who on her records plays among others dulcimer, accordion and guitar. Taking to a stage fronted by a ring of tealights, Sänpäkkilä and Burke combine to produce beautiful, melodic, rambling songs of a rare intensity.

Kemialliset Ystävät (Chemical Friends in translation) from Tampere, Finland and Axolotl is Karl Bauer from New Jersey closed out the show with a set of motorik krautrock inspired riffs interwoven with folkish detailing that worked superbly well.

No-Signal and Lamb and Wolf deserve all the plaudits for putting together these shows and on the choice of venue in Manchester. Though I should mention that the tour was sponsored by the ever excellent Wire magazine. I hadn't seen a gig at the Contact before but the place was a brilliant choice for this one and added to the atmosphere and ambience of the evening.

It was a fantastic surprise to get an email from Geoff Watts once of The Different Eyes and Hibi Yaki who had come across my entry about the Tuzmadoner DIY post punk compilation 'Folk Music'. He very kindly provided additional info about the various bands on the LP and the scene happening in North London in the late 70's and early 80's. I think the most appropriate thing for me to do is to post Geoff's email in full (with a few comments and links added by me). Cheers Geoff:

'Simon Gilham and Royston were at school together in north London, Des McManus and Geoff Watts met whilst working at WH Smith and met up with the other two.
Simon, Des and Geoff (Bass, Drums, Guitar) formed The Different Eyes (later the DIFFERENT I's) and were driven to rehearsals by Royston. The Different I's rehearsed and performed live around North London around 1977-1979, recording various sessions and releasing two records - Shish EP and Folk Music.
As a side project, Royston sang some songs backed by the Different I's but as a different band. Royston never gigged.

The four members were friendly with Scritti Politti and regularly met up at Scrittville in Camden north London and drank and swapped musical tales with the Scrits, Gang of Four, Door and Window as well as many individuals, Simon Booth as well as a net work of musicians including Robert Wyatt. Inspired by the Desperate Bicycles (great link here), this band of merry musicians set about in 1979 to record the London Collective LP. Many bands were at the time releasing their own funded releases. The London Collective was a fraught notion - we spend many months and meeting discussing "why" rather than "how" and as a consequence it was abandoned.

The Shish EP was recorded in an attic room in Streatham, South London, recommended by Robert Jones of The Upset and The Bureau. Two additional tracks remain unreleased, one probably lost forever now.

Simon was now squatting with Mark O Brien, and another allegiance formed - Simon and Des backing Mark on his songs. Again Mark never gigged.

I can't recall how Simon met his partner in in Chancellor of the Exchequer but they took then selves off and recorded the two tracks.

Infra-Red Ice Cubes was Royston's project with Tim and Tom (names long gone) and Des on drums. They failed to record two tracks for the album artwork in time so we gave them names and they recorded songs to fit!

Mark O Brien was responsible for the cover art.

The EP received some acclaim, and fan letters were received from as far afield as Germany and Holland .

The Different I's were the main musical core of the collective and after a break and reunion they went their different ways.

Geoff and Roy as you state to Hibi Yaki who recorded around 3 - 4 demo sessions and gigged in north London. Simon you have the details and toured Canada with Colin Newman of Wire and then formed Interferon (check U Tube)'
There are 2 free downloads from the Tuzmadoner compiliation 'Folk Music' at www.tearsandmemory.co.uk/blog

The Tuzmadoner label put out just two releases (as far as I can tell) 1978’s Shish EP by DIFFERENT I's and 1980’s Folk Music compilation. The latter a truly fascinating document of the post punk DIY ethic featuring two tracks each by DIFFERENT I's, Infra-Red Ice Cubes, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mark O'Brien.
I can find virtually no information about any of these except Different I’s and I must thank Hyped2Death.com's Messthetics pages for what I do know:
- Simon Gilham, Des McManus and Geoff Watts got together in late 1977 along with 'non musical' friend Royston
- John Peel promptly hailed Shish as the worst record-sleeve he had ever seen
- "This Week" probably features the world's first-ever duck call solo
- Geoff Watts and Royston went on to Hibi Yaki (who are equally obscure), while Simon Gillham played with Colin Newman and later paired with Simon Fellowes in New Wave duo Intaferon who released 3 singles but never an album.
- Tuzmadoner? was the stock response at the corner kebab-stand when the skint band members ordered two small doner-kebabs between three.

All of the 8 tracks share a post punk feel and are characterised by heavy bass, an experimental structure and a genuine musical ambition.

Of the four artists, Infra-Red Ice Cubesare perhaps the most edgily experimental. Secrets is a 5'22" instrumental piece reminiscent of This Heat and the krautrock of Neu!. Common Garret seems to me to be before it's time with its use of an Eastern European folk style violin sound over drone.
Mark O'Brien offers more immediate song based fare with a pop-(post-)punk flavour.
DIFFERENT I's perhaps best exemplify the willingness of these artists to flaunt conventional song structure with their employment of a huge range of styles, technique and instrumentation (including the aforementioned duck call solo).
Chancellor of the Exchequer have elements of Joy Division in Yellow Room but are more interesting on Scientific American which juxtaposes a bewildering array of vocal styles to great effect.

Two free downloads available at www.tearsandmemory.co.uk/blog
Buy this album at www.tearsandmemory.co.uk

Some of the more interesting musical discoveries I have made over the past few weeks with downloads available at
www.tearsandmemory.co.uk/blog

Gabo Brown & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo- It's a Vanity
This is a track from an unlikely album of 70s fusion from Benin and Togo. African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin & Togo 70s was released in March on AnalogAfrica and on the strength of this track is well worth checking out.

Autistic Daughters - Hotel Exeter Dining Room
Taken from the second album Uneasy Flowers on the ever dependable Kranky label. Autistic Daughters are a New Zealander Dean Roberts (guitar, vocals) and Austrians Martin Brandlmayr (percussion, computer) and Werner Dafeldecker (guitar, bass).

Five Fold Shade - Girl Loves Me
Terminally obscure late 60s German psych-garage band about whom I know nothing more than what I found on the excellent roots and traces blog where you can find more tracks as good as this raw beauty.

U-ni - Akasanta
From the album Samadhi on Vital Records an offshoot of Poseidon. U-ni is Tatsuhiro Honmura who plays guitar and bass through a series of effects and delays. If you like the motorik charms of krautrock and have psych leanings then you will probably like this.