Volume 16 - Spring 2016

Volume 16 kicks off our matchbook series. The cover images for this and the next several volumes are taken from the wonderful collection of Mr. Craig Baxter. He's a local artist, former DJ on Berkeley's KALX, and lastly, a phenomenal matchbook collector.

As we begin this series, I want to point out we are still trying to catch up to the present day of King Bloodstone's ongoing and endless quest for instrumental and murky vocals. Songs from the past to soothe the poor souls of our fading rock. The tunes I culled last year (2016) saw many fine catches, especially in the Spring, as V.16 is the third volume from that season alone. I intend to bring us up to date sometime this year so that a new blog post will reflect a present-day completed set of music.

And now to this volume.

We'll start off with the sidemen band name of the month contest. Many contenders fighting for the crown this time out. I want to note this title has to go to an exceptional song, not just any damn fancy name.

The Ambers (and Duke) serve up a saucy sax-laden dose of lava in your glass with Volcano. The drunken, psychobillogical guitar is there as warning that more than two servings per night may be detrimental to your health.

Not these Nocturnes

The next contestants are The Nocturnes (and Don) with a heat-wave blast of Summertime. Yes, there was a surf band of the same name, but we won't hold it against them. Plus, my meager research show the surf band to be a different combo than those with Don. This is not the best quality here, and I think it's playing at 41rpm, but it's one hell of a version nonetheless. I think the sibling Gershwin corpses are ringing their coffin bells when they hear this one. They want back out!

Finally, another standard from The Zodiacs (and Red Garrison). Haunting and seductive just as Taboo must be. The shimmering guitar and sultry sax work effectively dulls the pain.

Since we have three contenders I'd like to put this one up for a vote, dear readers. However, there appear to be only three or four of you out there reading this blog alarm judging by the "likes" when I post a new volume. [I'm looking at you, Miko, Frankie Fink, Mr. B. Gone, and Debbie D.!] And so, King Bloodstone shall make a decree: The Ambers have the win! I may have been partial to their royal bandleader.

OK. Back to the music to watch the shrinking barrier reefs by.

G'day and g'bye!

Lots of standards here, except The Irridescents make Bali Ha’i less South Pacific and a little more outer-frickin’-space. Please Mr. Kennedy, I don't want to go!

Black and Blue by The Gigolo’s is nearly as good as Satchmo does it. The song gets cut short to remind us all the end is nigh, and we'll be bruised all over when the time comes.

Our pair of "Jazz in…" tunes come courtesy of Office Naps. (At least one, I think.) Exotica and foreign lands were all the rage back in the mid-century. It seems that adding "jazz" into your landscape was legitimizing the beats, the Jet Setters, and United Airlines. Just make sure you have your plane ticket booked ahead of time. The skies, they ain't so friendly.

Watch it burn, folks.

Plenty of other fantastic instros. I can't mention them all. There are a handful of slow, melancholic dirges to draw you in like a butterfly to a solar flare, a swollen heart to a black hole. Be sure and keep that cover open while striking. What's else is there to lose?

Strike match here.

Volume 15 - Spring 2016

RIP Walter D. Shafer

Due to the death of the planet this blog will not be closed for the next four years (at minimum). 
Welcome to the next installment of music for your mayhem. Vol. 15 is ripe to send us over the edge with both hard and soothing foreign-y sounds to soften our hearts and ears as we land in Ragnarok.

There are no Nordic instros to be found here. Nor are there tall blondes. Nonetheless, seven sick tunes start us off by locking eyes with our minds. The vision is Middle Eastern, sad vocals, and surf darkness. A duo of exotic doozies begin the set by blasting us into the blank void. Algiers, by the Bambinos, takes us through a clouded looking glass, opaque from years of burned incense, tobacco, and petroleum. Arabian Camel Walk finds us parched of thirst and dying in the desert. Follow the horns, children!
(Side note: Algiers can be found on the lovely Lavender Jungle comp, but this one seems to be at a different, perhaps more accurate, 45 rpm speed.)

The Bash is a nice rip off of Peter Gunn, paying homage with a throbbing bass line while throwing in a slick guitar solo. You see, after the 10 o'clock news we can all get bashed tonight. Beat Girl will increase the bludgeoning to where you’ll wish you were disembodied from your aching head come next morning. This was originally composed for film by John Barry, the swank ‘60s tunester who gave us wonderful instros and melodies. My personal favorite is another dark and melancholic (what else) dirge called Saturday’s Child. Personally folks, if you ask King Bloodstone, we’re all Wednesday’s children these days. Full of woe. 

The fifth track, Bedlam speaks for itself---were f*#king living in it!

Then, Rodney Scott reminds us that we've nothing left, but to shed Bitter Tears. And batting clean-up in the septet of lifesaving instros are The Mali Bus--it's our fatal Uber ride to the end, in a Caravan from Malibu beach to the rising waters in Miami. 

Door Banger is another big favorite of King Bloodstone. A dark, dreamy surf bit. Ride the night swells lit by the raging, riotous fires on the Golden Gate. Not sure which came first, but The King Pins have a vocal version of this, first heard and smitten by yours truly on Romulus Records' sublime comp. The liner notes for 94 Second Surf on Surfer's Mood: "Jimi Hendrix wasn't the first guitarist to sing and 'follow the leads.' This is luxury, this is plush, THIS IS WEIRD!!! Who are those girls in the chorus (and verses), and what are they doing after the session..."
 
The DC5 gets our blood flowing, adrenaline pumping, and our nervous system primed for PTSD. “I’m a Chaquita banana and I’m here to say if you wanna kill the planet, here’s a brand new way…” Also, the Marc-Antonians will help out as well. Get ready for a dose of venom, straight from Cleopatra’s asp. It may alleviate that hangover. “Oh I say.”
 
We’ve got a clear winner for this month’s side-men band name contest - The Irrationals. Like King Bloodstone said earlier, things are *&^%$#@! The ratio is about 1 sane fella for every 12 nut jobs. Gene Sikora & his Irrational males had the crazy plan to start their own sovereign nation. [Oh jeeze.] Melancholy Boy is how we’ll all be feeling in the end, without love and without an Earth. Jack Hammer drives the point home figuratively and, you might say, literally.

Dig here until next time, people of Earth...

Volume 14 - Spring 2016

V14 goes all Eastern on ya!
We start off with one of two versions of Bamboo and Rice (one vocal, the other instro). I split them up by adjusting the title, so they wouldn't play back to back. Got hip to this moody tune from one of the sets by the Buzzsaw Joint team of fiends on Mixcloud. I forget which one, but I'll never forget my first bowl of rice.

A-Rab is a fine instro to follow Bill Osborn, and set us up for a dark, shimmering trek across the night desert sands. This may be the only "A-rab" you see or hear for the next four years, so treat it (them) gently.

Cha Cha Cha Au Harem by the Leo Clarens Orchestra has my fave la-la-lady singin' style, but throw in the Eastern horn and you've got me charmed to where I'll shimmy and shuffle as your cobra to your heart's content.

Lest we forget, the world's end IS nigh. Sopping wet reverb starts off Emy Jackson's Crying in a Storm. A deluge of tears, acid rain and spit fill the clouds, to pour down on our screaming Earth for 40 days and 40 nights. Better inflate that air mattress in the spare bedroom, grab one boy or one girl, a cat and dog, 'cause that's all the creatures the Great Bearded one has plans for. Bees, polar bears and bald eagles are on their way out anyhow. Get to know Echo Valley by The Marauders, while you're at it. It'll be a good tune to whistle when you drift out in the middle of the Pacific, headed for the Great Garbage Patch. 

Speaking of large bodies of water, Gitchee Goomee by The Abstracts is named after Lake Superior (spelled Gitche Gumee). I only found this fact when I scoured the interwebs looking for this fabulous instro. I can't recall which I heard first, this or the flipside (The Beard), but after Howie Pyro hipped me to both of these tracks, I searched for many many moons. So long was this hunt, I only recently found The Beard this winter. Look for it on volume 19...

One Love is generally too straight ahead of a Doo-Wop jawn for King Bloodstone to include, but (again, about flipsides) Jimmy Oliver's flipside is the ever-maniacal The Sneak. A classic, found on the Vegas Grind series that started it all for this fool. If someone can please tell me the origin of the suspenseful "sneaking melody" heard across many genres, I'll bequeath my kingdom to ya!

No sidemen band name of the month this time 'round, but we'll give a nod to the Music Men, with Dale McBride for trying their best to bring this volume back to its exotic start on Speak Low. Martin Denny, eat your heart out.

Noble "Thin Man" Watts gives us a wildly swingin' tune with Teen Scene that it almost gives me hope of a future for our little adolescents. Then again, a few tracks later, The Man with the Golden Arm, by Link Eddy, reminds us of the pitfalls, euphoria, and perils to be found in the poppy fields of the East.

Open your eye to Shiva here.

Volume 13 - Winter 2016

King Bloodstone will make this a quick post. A note about the photo. Somehow, Mancini's Experiment in Terror was included on this volume. Don't know why really. It's not exactly an obscure instro. I kept the cover pic, but removed the tune. The terror remains however. As 2017 inches forward, the end indeed seems nigh, so you'll need a double dose for the month. Monarch's orders.

And twice the meds you'll get! Namely, three pairs of 2-Part songs. There's Drum Twist parts 1 & 2--a rolling and rumbling instro to make Sandy Nelson proud, including the gentlemen at the end telling us what we just heard. We have Image 1 & 2, which is pretty sweet, swanky and swingin'. Hank Levine brought us the utterly fantastic Midnight on V. 1. He shows up later with the jazzy bounce of Swingin' Village. Finally, let's raise our tiny cups and "kampai!" to a double shot of Saki--and pretend it's spelled correctly.

Side-Band-Name of the month prize goes to The Hub Caps. As things fall apart it's expected to lose a few wheel covers along the way. Dorky sounds like they're already driving with a missing gear, or a missing guitar string.

Things descend into Madness as The Blue Lights hypnotically lure us into the dark corners of our skulls. By the time we reach both sides of the 45 from Cacique and his Tribe, we just don't know where they hell we are. Cacique and his pals sound like the beatnik brethren to Nervous Norvus. Spooky Doo b/w Don't Make Waves is some kind of early warning system designed to put goatees on our chins as some kind of totemic protection. We may need it against all the orange faces coming our way.

Enjoy, and as the outgoing Chief told us, "Good luck!"

Tico Tico here, Daddy-O!

Volume 12 - Fall 2015

Sit back. Take a ride. Watch the road recede. The night lengthens and when you press play and gaze above, you will see the stars have aligned for this set. The tunes on volume 12 are all absolutely stellar, many of them twinkling vocals.

I Was a Fool has my most cherished vocal style, the siren song. Wordless female strains, luring you home, to another home, your celestial death. Love's Dream and Flamingo are also sublime. But wait, V.12 has more--to knock you out! You'll surely awake all black and blue. Black Night by Cheryl Thomson starts like a twangy rendition of Taboo, but swiftly leads into a dark midnight. Tears rolling down your face will be the only thing your senses will detect. Blue Carnation by Dennis Roberts is another twanger to give solace to your busted, lonely heart. Sorry for the volume drop on this one. Just listen closely, turn it up, and pin the flower to your bare chest.

If you're ready to leave this place, to take flight, Comet by Les Jimmy Guitars will be a good one to throw into the rocket's audio system. Make sure to keep the stereo playing, because Link Wray's subsequent tune will propel you further into the cosmos. I first heard Cross Ties during my nascent days as an instromaniac on Ben Vaughn's juicy collection of cover songs. The bastard child of Philly and South Jersey helped point the way for Prince Bloodstone's journey into night.

 

Without a doubt, this month's side-band name prize goes to The High Tensions. Not only is it a great moniker for Instros to End the World By, but the song itself, Lost Horizon, is an exalted call out to the slow, surf dirges of The Lively Ones. Wandering by The Expressos first broke my brainwaves when I picked up the Surfer's Mood comp on the fab Dionysus label. My knowledge of surf is relatively dim, but a bit of research shows that The Expressos would eventually become The Lively Ones.

Cuban Jungle is a fine mix of Martin Denny, Yusef Lateef, and Sun Ra. I think of this inclusion as a short, but literal, shout out to Frankie Fink's cat calls, hoots and howls from our days in The Vipers. 2017 will be the 20th anniversary of The Vipers one and only release. Stay tuned to King Bloodstone's blog for a special post.

Some final notable vocals to send you to bed: Sleepwalk by Betsy Brye comes close to Santo & Johnny's original in soliciting ripples of somnambulism into your nightlife. Vocal renditions of well known instros are always a fun and surprising find. Check out the WFMU fan-made comp out there somewhere. Here is a taste from the defunct blog.

St. James Infirmary by Miss Johni Naylor is a glorious prayer to dying souls. Naylor's voice calls out from atop the mausoleums of New Orleans to all the greats that have covered this classic standard. Miss Naylor did the equally transcendent Red Wine for My Blues found on V. 1. Now that we know (nothing of) her story, "let's have another shot of booze."

If your tears are not watering down your drink by the end of this collection, then go back and replay Billy Ward and The Dominos. Bells is dug up from the oldies micro-genre: weeping and wailing doo-wop (e.g. Death of an Angel - see V. 9 or LAIF #1).

As a logistical note, I'm now averaging one post a month. V. 12 was culled back in 2015. I'm currently at volume 18, so we should finally catch up to the present sometime this year. May 2017 bring us there to End the World!

Ride the mortal tsunami here!

Volume 11 - Summer 2015

Welcome to the end of the world. The start of a life shooting toward a fading light of a final, burning setting sun. Orange. A bright, bright orange sunset. With a red tie.

I missed October. I apologize for those waiting to have new emerging tunes from the faded era of instromania. We here are in mourning, missing Ike, Truman, and Kennedy—leaders from the past era of instros. Not that I was alive then, in this life, but figures like them stand like giants compared to our new guy headed for the White House—a reality star. 

Soon we’ll all be getting a stiff dose of reality. Perhaps, as some cyber friend said, these times will feed the creative souls, leading to an emergence of great tunes. Until then, however, we have our instros from the time when people were seeing the cracks in the American facade. The glory of a great America that won big on the world stage against Germany, North Korea. Maybe we do need to have the US to be great again to herald in new music…to end the world by. Alas, until that happens, or as the world ends, we have King Bloodstone’s blog. 

We’re going a bit “summer of love" here, after 18 months of hate and divisiveness that unfortunately may continue to play out. Normally I trim away the fat that is late ‘60s instros from my collections, but what better excuse to turn away, tune in, and drop dead? Bring back some loving goddamn spoonfuls of lovey doveyness. Sounds Incorporated and, whom I am assuming is their tripped out alter ego, Sounds Nice, give us their peaceful, hallucinogenic melodies. The Ventures also want to turn on a dead man in this volume with Endless Dream. Hopefully, the nightmare we’ll soon be living will not be without end.

Before you think ol’ King Bloodstone has gone all 5th chakra on ya, the wafting dark fog will promptly drift into our naked city. First off, two evening themed titles are included in V.11. A long Night Walk with Dick D’Agustin will lead you to the warm dark heart of town center. There, be sure to hit a little dive called The Mix. The Rockin’ R’s are the house band. They don’t take gratuities, but you can toss a lit cigarette into the tip jar to show your appreciation. Switchblade by the Playboys and Showdown by Tony March inject some further danger into the night. Call me when you get home so I know you survived. Use a landline—the internet is not to be trusted.

Duane Eddy gives us his version of Caravan here. The Czar of twang sends us on a mission to swing with the mid-East folk. Just don’t tell Mr. Orange we’re going or we may not be allowed back. While we’re Way Out East with Jack Porter, be sure an knock a couple back and attempt a drunken, brassy rip off of Miserlou.

Some good European instros to here, especially the lullaby from the Shadows. I wish I can remember where the hell I first heard Jack’s Good by the Krew Kats. I recall a female DJ with a French accent. I’m almost sure it was back on the East coast, so my best guess is Princeton’s WPRB. Pabpst Blue Ribbon for the mid-Atlantic seaboard. Krew Kats remind me of the Belgian band the Jokers, so, given that a European sent this across the airwaves, I’d say it should be titled Jacques’s Good.

Some good contenders for side-band name of the month: Honorable mention goes to Porky’s Fantabulous 5, but Bill David’s Roommates gets the nod. Or wait, is the band playing Show Down entirely comprised of Bill AND Tony March’s roomies??? Perhaps Bill and Tony weren’t invited to the session.

We close our tidy volume with another touch of late ‘60s psychedelic gleam. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by the Roulettes. Tomorrow never knows, does it? Spin the wheel, because our chances of living after four years is slim. I wouldn’t bet against the (great white) house.

Vote for Volume 11 here!

Volume 10 - Spring 2015

Volume 10 is chock full of instro and vocal zanies! It tops out at 38 tracks, many of these culled from the multiple comps on the Surfadelic blog. The nut job behind it posted a bunch of maniacal American and European collections. I could never tell if these were his or legit comps, but nonetheless I selected the ones I liked most and plugged them into my volumes--deaming them worthy listening as the Earth dies screaming.

I can’t recall how I was ever able to find the web image for this volume’s cover, but it belongs to a post card I first spotted pinned to the wall of a juice bar I tended in Philadelphia. eSoon after arriving there I highjacked the brunch stereo and played CDs from my jazz collection. I might even have slipped in the occasional instro by John Barry, which I recall buying at the time. I do remember week after week of tuning into Sunday with Sinatra though.

Speaking of jazz, on volume 10 The Journeymen give Milt Jackson’s Bag’s Groove the sleezy instro once-over. Here in instroville you don’t often get a crossover into the land of the jazz giants. It’s short, raunchy and sweet. Just the way King Bloodstone likes ‘em. The Red Julian Quartet’s “Dave’s Blues” and “Easy” by Hub Brando and the Dreamers* also add some apocolyptical swing to our juke box. And don’t worry folks, we won’t go too long between posts without throwing in the jazz standard, Caravan, into a world-ending volume!

*Hub’s sidemen, the Dreamers, get’s this month’s prize for best band name. Let’s just pretend Hub is some long-distance relation to Marlon and all our nightmares will fade...until the final curtain falls on the blue marble. "And now, the end is near..."

We’ll stick with the jazz theme and take a trip to the Beatsville neighborhood. Dr. Horse knows how to spin a yarn. Just don’t ask him about why they call him Horse. It’s a long story involving jockeys and a spent canister of hairspray. On the other hand, Doc Jazroc has got the best prescription for ya, especially if you have symptoms related to restlessness, staring at the sun, and excessive persperation.

Don’t forget to get your fill of screamin’ sax as you leave town. “Shawnee” is familiar to you listeners of Rex’s great show on WFMU. Still got a little scream left in you as the Earth fades to night? Not enough of a dose from the meds of Jazroc or Horse? Just see Mr. Hawkins at the corner of Dysthymia and Vine...




Meet the soundtrack to your fate right here.