Paul Messis: Case Closed 2013 + Songs Of Our Times 2017

 

UK based, singer-songwriter Now living in Spain, well established underground musician who

writes 60s garage, folk-rock, psychedelia and 60s punk sounds. Has had a number of vinyl releases on both, State and 13 O Clock records and also is the founder of his own Market Square Records. That is Paul Messis, a Billingshurst boy “stuck in a 1960s time warp”. Paul plays a form of psychedelic garage guitar rock with an authentic, jangly guitar sound.
                            

Originating from the wild depths of West Sussex; Paul Messis is a singer-songwriter who writes and

creates authentic 60s styled garage songs which perfectly suit as a soundtrack, the zeitgeist of his society and generation. While he may be a new face to some, or perhaps a self-described 'unknown', the fact of the matter is Paul and his songs are the real deal! Paul encapsulates many different styles of the garage genre in his songs and music, whilst still sounding new and fresh, songs written from the heart with a hint of personal influence and emotion, all in all making Paul Messis one of the lost great songwriters of his generation and the current underground music scene.
                      

His old favourites include The Dovers from LA, and the 13th Floor Elevators from Austin, Texas.

Funnily enough, that’s where his record label is based. He’s a bit Old School. It’s not just the sound of the sixties he is in to - it’s the look and the whole recording process too. He’s very particular in recreating an authentic experience. Paul said: “This is my look. I really am stuck in that era. I'm not trying to be anything - it's just what I'm into and what I'm all about.”
                           

Paul said: “My Grandfather used to listen to old jazz records, my uncle was into the German electronic

bands like Kraftwerk, and my dad was into Pink Floyd. So there were all those different influences. When I started school I thought I would find something that no one else was into. That took me to indie music, and that inevitably it took me to the sixties. Ever since then I've been trapped in the sixties and trapped in "Billingshurst!”. firmly rooted in his solid bedrock of sound, meshing jangly '60s-style garage-punk with folk-rock/folk-punk moves. This isn't a cookie cutter retro trip."

                                        

PAUL MESSIS - CASE CLOSED 2013

                          

He is currently one of the best at recreating the garage-punk sounds of the mid-sixties so expertly that ‘Case Closed’ could have been promoted as being some long-lost unheard classic and few would have

raised objections. But Messis breaks out of the garage and takes us on a surprisingly exciting and rewarding journey on ‘Case Closed’. With titles like "I Hate the World Around Me" and "(Don't Wanna Be) Scene Or Herd" and a press release where Messis admits to being angry as hell, you might expect this to be full of more punkish fury than it actually is, but the reflective nature of Messis' lyrics makes this a much more thoughtful affair than anticipated - the world's first existential garage psych LP? Who knows?
                              

Paul Messis – Case Closed
Label: State Records – THSLP-005, State Records – THS LP-005
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Mono
Country: UK
Released: Apr 15, 2013
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Garage Rock, Folk Rock

SIDE A.

                               

                                
A1. I Hate The World Around Me     1:46
A2. A Matter Of Opinion    2:31
A3. Happy This Way    2:10
A4. The Tables Have Turned    3:24
A5. Nickels And Dimes     2:47
A6. Sad How A Love Fades Away     3:01

SIDE B.

                           

B1. Further From Yesterday    2:37
B2. (Don't Wanna Be) Scene Or Herd    2:10
B3. No Use In Trying (Written-By – Kerr, Rose, Hearn)   2:36
B4. Sowing Seeds     2:19
B5. It Doesn't Matter To Me    2:33
B6. Goodbye    3:42

NOTES

Limited to 500 copies on 180 gram vinyl.

Flac Size: 203 MB

PAUL MESSIS - SONGS OF OUR TIMES 2017

                            

Since the release of his first single, back in 2009, Paul Messis has been a whirlwind of musical activity. Along with his own work as a songwriter, he is still an active member of The Higher State and The

Suburban Homes. Now he's back full circle with his third full-length album, containing a dozen songs firmly rooted in his solid bedrock of sound, meshing jangly '60s-style garage-punk with folk-rock/folk-punk moves. This isn't a cookie cutter retro trip. It isn't just some trite retro trip either, it's 100% heartfelt & genuine -honestly, it really doesn't get much better than this, with the tunes to match the sound & cool as fuck aesthetic. A little masterpiece!! Highly recomended!!!
                                

Paul Messis – Songs Of Our Times
Label: 13 O'Clock Records – 13OC-028
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, clear red Jan 5, 2018
Country: US
Released: 2017
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock

SIDE A.

                          

A1. Yesterday's Confusion   2:40
Songwriter – Paul Messis
A2. Sign Of The Times   2:52
Songwriter – Paul Messis
A3. Societies Games   2:33
Songwriter – Paul Messis
A4. The Last Reflections Of Fall   3:21
Songwriter – Paul Messis
A5. Back Against The Wall   3:15
Songwriter – Paul Messis
A6. Apathy's Callin'   2:04
Songwriter – M. Ratcliffe

SIDE B.

                                 

B1. Games People Play   2:18
Songwriter – Paul Messis
B2. The Ballad Of A Strange Cat   2:41
Songwriter – Paul Messis
B3. Mainstream Lifestyle Blues   2:37
Songwriter – Paul Messis
B4. Stuck In The Past   2:45
Songwriter – Paul Messis
B5. Mistress Of Death   3:30
Songwriter – Paul Messis
B6. Don't Follow The Man   3:42
Songwriter – Paul Messis

NOTES

295 copies on clear red colored vinyl.

Flac Size: 194 MB

Janis Joplin: I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! 1969 + Pearl 1971

 

Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-

soprano vocals and her "electric" stage presence. In 1967, Joplin rose to prominence following an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, where she was the lead singer of the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. As well as being one of the finest rock singers of the 1960s, Janis Joplin was also a great blues singer, making her material her own with her wailing, raspy, supercharged emotional delivery. 
                                   

Joplin was raised in the small town of Port Arthur, Texas, and much of her subsequent personal difficulties

and unhappiness have been attributed to her inability to fit in with the expectations of the conservative community. After releasing two albums with the band Big Brother and the Holding Company, she left Big Brother to continue as a solo artist with her own backing groups, first the Kozmic Blues Band  and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band. Joplin's first album, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, was recorded with the Kozmic Blues Band, a unit that included horns and retained just one of the musicians that had played with her in Big Brother (guitarist Sam Andrew).
                       

She performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival and on the Festival Express train tour. Five singles

by Joplin reached the US Billboard Hot 100, including a cover of the Kris Kristofferson song "Me and Bobby McGee", which posthumously reached number one in March 1971.
For years, Joplin's life had been a roller coaster of drug addiction, alcoholism, and volatile personal relationships, documented in several biographies. Musically, however, things were on the upswing shortly before her death, as she assembled a better, more versatile backing outfit, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, for her final album Pearl (ably produced by Paul Rothchild). 
                     

Pearl was solid evidence of her growth into a mature, diverse stylist who could handle blues, soul,

and folk-rock. "Mercedes Benz," "Get It While You Can," and Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" are some of her very best tracks. Tragically, she died before the album's release, overdosing on heroin in a Hollywood hotel room in October 1970. "Me and Bobby McGee" became a posthumous number one single in 1971, and thus the song with which she is most frequently identified.
                           

01.  JANIS JOPLIN - I GOT DEM OI' KOZMIC BLUES AGAIN MAMA! 1969

                                      

Recording began on June 16, 1969, in New York City and ceased on June 26. For the album, Joplin

recruited guitarist Sam Andrew of the Holding Company to take part in development, along with the Kozmic Blues Band. Joplin installed a brass and horn section into the tracks, a feature her previous band would not allow. It was a total contrast to Joplin's previous psychedelic rock as the compositions chosen were more soul and blues driven. All but two tracks were cover versions that producer Gabriel Mekler and Joplin chose. The other two tracks, "One Good Man" and "Kozmic Blues", were written by Joplin herself. 
                                

Janis Joplin – I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
Label: Columbia – 492864 2, Legacy – 492864 2
Series: The Janis Joplin Collection
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1999
Country: Europe
Released: 1969
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock

TRACKS

                                     

01. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)   3:55
Written-By – C. Taylor, J. Ragavoy
02. Maybe   3:39
Written-By – R. Barrett
03. One Good Man   4:10
Written-By – J. Joplin
04. As Good As You've Been To This World   5:25
Written-By – N. Gravenites
05. To Love Somebody   5:13
Written-By – B. Gibb, R. Gibb
06. Kozmic Blues   4:22
Written-By – G. Mekler, J. Joplin
07. Little Girl Blue   3:49
Arranged By – Gabriel Mekler
Written-By – L. Hart, R. Rodgers
08. Work Me, Lord   6:36
Written-By – N. Gravenites

BONUS TRACKS            

09. Dear Landlord (Session Outtake)   2:31
Written-By – B. Dylan
10. Summertime (Live At Woodstock)   5:04
Engineer [Location Recording] – Edwin Kramer, Lee Osborne 
Mixed By [Reissue] – Vic Anesini
Written-By – D. Heyward, G. Gershwin
11. Piece Of My Heart (Live At Woodstock)   6:31
Engineer [Location Recording] – Edwin Kramer, Lee Osborne 
Mixed By [Reissue] – Vic Anesini
Written-By – B. Berns, J. Ragavoy

LINE - UP

                          

Janis Joplin - lead vocals, guitar
Sam Andrew - guitar, vocals
Michael Monarch - guitar (uncredited)
Mike Bloomfield - guitar on "Maybe", "One Good Man", "To Love Somebody" and "Work Me, Lord"
Brad Campbell - bass guitar, brass instrumentation
Richard Kermode - electronic organ, keyboards
Gabriel Mekler - electronic organ, keyboards
Goldy McJohn - electronic organ, keyboards (uncredited)
Maury Baker - drums
Lonnie Castille - drums
Jerry Edmonton - drums (uncredited)
Terry Clements - tenor saxophone
Cornelius "Snooky" Flowers - baritone saxophone, backing vocals
Luis Gasca - trumpet

NOTES

Originally released September 1969 as Janis Joplin - I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!.
Track 9: Recorded June 17, 1969 (outtake from Kosmic Blues sessions).
Tracks 10, 11: Recorded live at the Woodstock Music & Arts Festival, August, 1969. 

Flac Size: 570 MB

02.  JANIS JOPLIN - PEARL (Recorded July 27 – October 4, 1970 - Released January 11, 1971)

                           

Janis Joplin's second masterpiece (after Cheap Thrills), Pearl was designed as a showcase for her

powerhouse vocals, stripping down the arrangements that had often previously cluttered her music or threatened to drown her out. Thanks also to a more consistent set of songs, the results are magnificent -- given room to breathe, Joplin's trademark rasp conveys an aching, desperate passion on funked-up, bluesy rockers, ballads both dramatic and tender, and her signature song, the posthumous number one hit "Me and Bobby McGee." 
                           

Janis Joplin – Pearl
Label: Columbia – COL 515134 2, Legacy – 5151342000
Series: Legacy Edition
Format: 2 x CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2005
Country:Europe
Released: 1970
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Classic Rock

CD1.  PEARL 

                         

            
01. Move Over   3:44
Written-By – J. Joplin
02. Cry Baby   3:59
Written-By – B. Berns, J. Ragovoy
03. A Woman Left Lonely   3:30
Written-By – D. Penn, S. Oldham
04. Half Moon   3:54
Written-By – J. Hall
05. Buried Alive In The Blues  2:27
Written-By – N. Gravenites
06. My Baby   3:46
Written-By – J. Ragovoy, M. Shuman
07. Me And Bobby McGee   4:31
Acoustic Guitar – Pearl 
Written-By – F. Foster, K. Kristofferson
08. Mercedes Benz   1:48
Written-By – J. Joplin, M. McClure
09. Trust Me   3:18
Acoustic Guitar – Bobby Womack
Written-By – B. Womack
10. Get It While You Can   3:28
Written-By – J. Ragovoy, M. Shuman

BONUS TRACKS        

    
11. Happy Birthday, John (Happy Trails)   1:11
Written-By – D. Evans
12. Me And Bobby McGee (Demo Version)   4:47
Written-By – F. Foster, K. Kristofferson
13. Move Over (Alternate Version)   4:27
Written-By – J. Joplin
14. Cry Baby (Alternate Version)   4:59
Written-By – B. Berns, J. Ragovoy
15. My Baby (Alternate Version)   3:59
Written-By – J. Ragovoy, M. Shuman
16. Pearl (Instrumental)   4:27
Written-By – Full Tilt Boogie Band

Flac Size: 353 MB

CD2.  LIVE FROM THE FESTIVAL EXPRESS TOUR, CANADA         

                               

   
01. Tell Mama   6:47
Written-By – C. Carter, M. Daniel, W. Terrell
02. Half Moon   4:38
Written-By – J. Hall, J. Hall
03. Move Over   4:42
Written-By – J. Joplin
04. Maybe   3:57
Written-By – R. Barrett
05. Summertime   4:40
Written-By – D. Heyward, D. Heyward, G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin
06. Little Girl Blue   5:10
Written-By – L. Hart, R. Rodgers
07. That's Rock 'N Roll   5:04
Written-By – Full Tilt Boogie Band
08. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)   9:11
Written-By – C. Taylor, J. Ragovoy
09. Kozmic Blues   5:29
Written-By – G. Mekler, J. Joplin
10. Piece Of My Heart   5:22
Written-By – B. Berns, J. Ragovoy
11. Cry Baby   6:32
Written-By – B. Berns, J. Ragovoy
12. Get It While You Can   7:21
Written-By – J. Ragovoy, M. Shuman
13. Ball And Chain   8:15
Written-By – W. M. Thornton

Flac Size: 487 MB

LINE - UP

FULL TILT BOOGIE BAND  

                            

Janis Joplin – vocals, acoustic guitar on "Me and Bobby McGee"
Richard Bell – piano
Ken Pearson  – Hammond organ
John Till – electric guitar
Brad Campbell – bass guitar
Clark Pierson – drums

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS

Bobby Womack – acoustic guitar on "Trust Me"
Bobbye Hall – bongos, congas
Phil Badella, John Cooke, Vince Mitchell – backing vocals

Sandra Crouch – tambourine

Big Brother And The Holding Company on Urban Aspirines HERE

The Last Drive: Heatwave 1988 + F*Head Entropy 1992

 

Garage Rock band formed in 1983 in Athens, Greece. Disbanded in 1995 and reformed in February 2007.
On 23/12/1983 they made their first live appearance at Rodeo Club (Athens). On 27/12/1983 they performed live at Cult Club (Athens).
On 21/6/1986 they performed live at Θέατρο Δάσους (Thessaloniki), along with 'Villa 21', 'Noise Promotion Company', 'The Mushrooms', 'Anti Troppau Council' & 'Dark Bay'.

On 27+28/12/1987 they performed live at Rodon Club (Athens) along with 'The Creeps'.
On 26/2/1989 they performed live at Rodon Club (Athens) along with 'Deja Voodoo' & 'Κεφάλαιο 24'.
On 20/1/1990 they performed live at Φιλοσοφική Σχολή (Thessaloniki), along with 'Τρύπες, 'Deus Ex Machina' & 'Πίσσα Και Πούπουλα'.
On 21/5/1993 they performed live at Θέατρο Κήπου (Thessaloniki), along with 'Flowers Of Romance' & 'Deus Ex Machina'.
On 26/09/2010 they participated in a solidarity concert at Θέατρο Πέτρας (Πετρούπολη, Athens) , along with 'Deus Ex Machina', 'The Raindogs', 'Δημήτρης Πουλικάκος', 'Τζίμης Πανούσης, 'BMW Rockers 57', & '9mm'. On 10/2/2011 they performed live at An Club (Athens), along with 'Sex Beat', 'Deus Ex Machina' & 'Soundkrash'.
                                        

The Last Drive formed in Athens, Greece, in 1981 by Αλέξης Καλοφωλιάς [Alexis Kalofolias] (vocals, bass), Chris "B.I." Michalatos (drums), Nick "Pop Mind" Kapetanopoulos (guitar) and Panos "P.PEP" Kasiaris (guitar). They were heavily influenced by 60's Garage at first, but after two albums their sound turned to a heavier version of Alternative Rock. Kasiaris soon gave his place to

Γιώργος Καρανικόλας [George Karanikolas], and the band released the single Poison / Midnite Hop / Right by My Side in 1985, followed by their debut album Underworld Shakedown in 1986. The same year, the band released a self-titled 12" EP by their Suicide-influenced offshoot, Το Φως και η Σκιά Του [To Fos ke i Skia Tou]. Kasiaris returned, taking the place of Kapetanopoulos, and the band released their second album Heatwave in 1988. This album was co-produced by The Fleshtones' Peter Zaremba, and put out by German label Music Maniac Records. The same year, two of the band's songs were featured in Θόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος [Theo Angelopoulos]' film, Τοπίο στην ομίχλη [Landscape in the Mist].
                                              

In 1990, the band returned with the album Blood Nirvana, marking a slow change in their sound. Kasiaris gave his place to Θάνος Αμοργινός [Thanos Amorginos] and the band released its fourth record, F*head

Entropy, in 1992. Both of those records were produced by Paul B. Cutler of The Dream Syndicate. The final record of their initial run, Subliminal, was released in 1994 by RCA Records, and the band broke up the next year. Kalofolias and Amorginos went on to form The Earthbound, while Karanikolas continued work with his band, Blackmail. In 2007 the group reunited and put the album Heavy Liquid out in 2009. After the release of the 2012 EP News From Nowhere, Amorginos left the band, with Stefanos Flotsios taking his place. Flotsios and Karanikolas released an album with their own project Omegaray in 2017. In 2018 the group released their last album, The Last Drive.
                                   

01. THE LAST DRIVE - HEATWAVE 1988
                                

The Last Drive – Heatwave
Label: Hitch-Hyke Records – LIFT 007, Hitch-Hyke Records – 91101
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Greece
Released: 1988
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Psychobilly

                          

SIDE A.

                              

A1. I Love Cindy     3:29
A2. Heatwave '88   2:53
Organ – Stefan
A3. Joe Espositoe's Gun    3:11
A4. Devil May Care   4:24
Guitar [Some Guitar] – Nick 'Pop Mind'
A5. Gone Gone Gone    2:36

SIDE B.

                            

B1. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue   7:17
Written-By – Bob Dylan
B2. Blue City Shores    3:53
B3. Whisper Her Name    3:20
B4. Baby, It's Real    2:48

LINE - UP

                               

Lead Vocals, Bass [Ripper Bass] – Alex K 
Drums – Chris B I
Engineer [Sound] – Manolis Vlachos
Guitar, Effects [Feedback], Vocals – George
Guitar, Vocals, Other [Etc] – Pep
Percussion – Peter Zaremba(The Fleshtones), Stefan Kronenberg
Producer – Peter Zaremba (The Fleshtones), The Last Drive
Written-By – The Last Drive (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B4)

NOTES

Recorded during February and March 1988, Athens Greece. 

Flac Size: 221 MB

02. THE LAST DRIVE - F*HEAD ENTROPY 1992
                    

The Last Drive – F*head Entropy 
Label: Hitch-Hyke Records – LIFT 026 CD
Format: CD, Album
Country: Greece
Released: 1992
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock

TRACKS

                              

01. Shot With Crystal Balls In My Hands   3:01
02. Novocain Rush   5:49
Autoharp – T.H.
03. Jailbird   3:51
04. Sinner   3:44
05. The End Inc    2:45
06. 8ball   3:01
07. Killhead Therapy   6:39
Voice – George
08. King Of Jokers   3:22
09. Offshore   4:51
Keyboards – Paul/Voice – George
10. Thirteen   3:48

BONUS TRACK

11. May This Bullet (CD Only)   3:10

LINE - UP

                     

Drums – Chris B.I.
Guitar, Vocals – T.H. Lime, George
Voice, Bass – Alex K 
Written-By – The Last Drive

Flac Size: 524 MB

 The Last Drive: Blood Nirvana 1992 + Heavy Liquid 2009 HERE 

The Last Drive: Underworld Shakedown 1986 HERE 

The Last Drive: Midnight Hop 2007 HERE