The Basements: Lost 2016

 

The Basements were formed in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2009. After various changes to their

members the current composition consists of John – vox, harmonica, maracas, tambourine, Nick – guitar, vox, Kostas – bass, Alex – farfisa organ, Dimitris – drums. Influenced by the American garage bands in the 60s, they have created a solid sound that energize with the dynamic rhythm section, wyld vocals, full of fuzz guitars, and the farfisa on red.
                                     

We are taking about real Garage Punk sound… just like those days were Wyld & Primitive! They

have played together with leading foreign bands like Sonics and Fuzztones and what characterizes their live performances is their blistering energy, dragging their audience on their frenetic rhythm. They are considered one of the most dynamic bands of the Greek scene.
                         

In 2010 they released their first 7”ep “Heart of stone”, and follow the album entitled ‘Im dead’ in 2012 and a split 7 “with Sound Explosion in 2014 by Lost in Tyme Records.
                            

‘Lost’ their brand new album delivers twelve original songs, blending the wylde garage fuzz

sounds and the moody ballads from the 60s. Their unique song-writing with the powerful rhythm section on drums & bass lines, the wild guitar sound, the farfisa and the screaming vocals delivers a mind blowing album. The analogue recording makes their sound more authentic and at the same time so fresh and unique!
                         

"Lost" justifies the very good reputation the band has gained both with their previous releases and with

their live performances. The five-member group manages to close in 12 songs the pure garage rock feeling where the organ, the "dirty" guitars, and the carelessness that characterizes the genre are the main reason.
                                            

Οι Basements σχηματίστηκαν στην Θεσσαλονίκη το 2009 και αποτελούν ένα από τα καλύτερα

garage group της χώρας μας. Μετά από διάφορες αλλαγές στα μέλη τους, η σημερινή τους σύνθεση αποτελείται από τους John – vox, harmonica, maracas, tambourine, Nick – guitar, vox, Kostas – bass, Alex – farfisa organ, Dimitris – drums.
                                        

Επηρεασμένοι από τα garage συγκροτήματα της Αμερικής στα 60s, έχουν δημιουργήσει ένα συμπαγή

ήχο που σε ξεσηκώνει, με το δυναμικό rhythm section, τα άγρια φωνητικά, τις κιθάρες φουλ στο fuzz, και την farfisa στα κόκκινα. We are taking about real Garage Punk sound… just like those days were Wyld & Primitive!
                                      

Έχουν παίξει μαζί με κορυφαία συγκροτήματα του εξωτερικού όπως οι Sonics και οι Fuzztones

και αυτό που χαρακτηρίζει τις ζωντανές εμφανίσεις τους είναι η ενέργεια που βγάζουν επί σκηνής, παρασύροντας το κοινό στους ξέφρενους ρυθμούς τους. Θεωρούνται μια από τις πλέον δυναμικές μπάντες της Ελληνικής σκηνής.
                                   

Το 2010 κυκλοφορούν το πρώτο τους 7’’ep “Heart of stone”, και ακολουθούν το άλμπουμ τους με τίτλο

‘Im dead’ το 2012 και ένα split 7” με τους Sound Explosion το 2014, στην Lost in Tyme Records.
To Pikap The Scene - Music in Thessaloniki
https://topikapthesceneinthessaloniki.music.blog/2019/01/05/the-basements/
                    

Αισίως στo δεύτερo full length album τους έφτασαν οι Θεσσαλονικείς Basements. Το “Lost” δικαιώνει

τη πολύ καλή φήμη που απέκτησε η μπάντα τόσο με τις προηγούμενες κυκλοφορίες της όσο και με τις live εμφανίσεις της. Το πενταμελές group καταφέρνει να κλείσει μέσα σε 12 τραγούδια το αγνό garage rock συναίσθημα όπου τον πρώτο λόγο έχει το organ, οι “βρώμικες” κιθάρες, και η ανεμελιά που χαρακτηρίζει το είδος.
                          

Ακούγοντας το “Lost” μπορεί να γίνει αντιληπτό ότι οι Basements έχουν καταβροχθίσει λαίμαργα τους
δίσκους μεγαθηρίων του παρελθόντος σαν τους Fuzztones, Fleshtones, Saints αλλά και των Byrds. “Since I Met You”, “Time And Time Again”, “Sad Friend” και το ομώνυμο τραγούδι του δίσκου είναι μόνο μερικές απο τις εξαιρετικές στιγμές του album και σίγουρα επί σκηνής θα ακούγονται ακόμη δυνατότερα.(ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΧΟΥΛΗΣ)

                                   

The Basements – Lost
Label: Lost In Tyme – L.I.T. 33-002
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Greece
Released: Sep 2016
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock

TRAXS

SIDE A.

                                     

A1. I'm A Man    3:12
A2. Since I Met You    3:53
A3. Time And Time Again    3:00
A4. Flash On Your Lies    2:48
A5. Don't Say Goodbye    2:18
A6. Another Chance    3:20

SIDE B.

                                  

B1. The Pill    2:09
B2. One Way Soul    2:30
B3. Lost    3:10
B4. A Sad Friend    2:50
B5. Around Around    3:53
B6. Try Something Else    4:00

MEMBERS

BM
Johnbeat 66
(Konstantinos Iosifidis)
Kostakis
Kostas  
Nikyoung
Reverend Mitch (The Oklahoma Dancer)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 89 MB
Flac  Size: 236 MB

 

Ill Wind - Flashes (Expanded 2 CD 2009) 1968

 

The band was started in 1965 in Cambridge, MA, by two graduates – Ken Frankel (biophysics) and Carey Mann (math), who were joined by folk duo of Judy Bradbury and Norm Gan. Around 1965/66

the music scene drifted from the pure entertainment of R&R and beat towards rock and psychedelia, and “Ill Wind” perfectly fit in it with their unique mixture of psychedelia and acid-folk. By that time the original singer Judy Bradbury (who helped to shape the sound of the band) quit to be replaced by another ex-folky – Conny Devanney – a singer parexcellence with crystal clear voice.
                                 

The band went through hard times (they couldn’t get jobs because they played their own songs and

refused to play covers, and they looked and dressed too “hippie” to be generally accepted). However, “Ill Wind” was gigging non-stop in the college circuit and built a solid following, finally becoming a resident act at the “Boston Tea Party” (which was New England’s response to the rock shrine of “Fillmore” in San Francisco). Because they were performing mostly original songs, and audiences were so enthusiastic, the band decided to make a demo.
                           

Terry Hanley, who had sold them their sound equipment, had just built a small recording studio and

offered to record them cheaply. Just after the band recorded their first takes, vocalist Judy decided she wasn't comfortable with the intense commitment required due to the Ill Wind's sudden success. Because of this new pressure and increasing time demands, Judy left the band.
                          

The Ill Wind's popularity was rapidly growing, performances were booked, the band's demo recording was in progress, and now they were losing their female singer. The band auditioned several replacement singers, but Conny Devanney stood out among the applicants and was immediately asked to join the Ill

Wind. Conny started singing professionally in a folk group in 1960 called the Cumberland Singers, and had performed at Gertie's Folk City and the Bitter End, as well as some smaller nightclubs in New Jersey. The line-up was once again stabilised. With Conny replacing Judy on the recordings and adding some new parts, Ken playing lead guitar, Richard playing rhythm guitar and vocals, Carey on bass and vocals, and Dave on drums, they finished their demo with Terry Hanley.
                      

“Ill Wind” recorded a few demos for Capitol (before being dropped by the label) and ended up signed

by ABC. In 1968 “Ill Wind” had played with the wide range of top musicians from Chuck Berry to The Who, thus there were many fans waiting for their debut album – which was properly delayed by label, misproduced, artwork ruined, and the label didn’t manufacture enough copies to satisfy the demands.
                           

In late 1969, when Ken (who had married Judy Bradbury, the band's original singer) moved to Marin County in Northern California (which his friend Jerry Garcia had convinced him "was the place to be" for musicians), the band broke up. In 1970 the Ill Wind reformed with all original members except Ken,

with Carey rejoining on lead guitar and organ in place of Ken, Conny on vocals, Richard on rhythm guitar, Dave on drums, Michael on bass, and Berred the road manager for larger venues. After a few months, Carey quit again and was replaced eventually by Walter Bjorkman. In this form, the band carried on doing mostly covers for nearly a year. In 1971 Richard left, to be replaced eventually with Bryant Thayer on piano. In this configuration, with Connie and Dave as the only remaining members from the ABC album and with Michael still on bass, the band probably played more performances than ever before, but finally dissolved for good in 1973.
                     

Sunbeam Records presents an expanded reissue of Ill Wind's Flashes, originally released in 1968. From

Boston, but light years away from the excesses of the notorious "Bosstown sound", Ill Wind are revered as one of America's best late '60s underground bands. Mixing taut acid rock with gorgeous ballads, and featuring outstanding guitar interplay and the beautiful vocals of Connie Devanney, Flashes is rightly regarded as one of the key artifacts of US psychedelia.
                       

Originally issued in the summer of 1968, and much bootlegged since, Sunbeam is delighted to

announce this music's first proper reissue, prepared with the band's full participation. The original album is accompanied by a second disc containing a plethora of superb contemporary bonus material, as well as a booklet featuring rare photographs and historical notes by the band's founder and lead guitarist Ken Frankel, making the package truly essential for psych fans.

NOTES

                                

Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Richard Griggs
Vocals – Connie Devanney
Bass – Michael Walsh (tracks: 2-11 to 2-15)
Bass, Vocals – Carey Mann
Drums – David Kinsman
Executive-Producer [Reissue] – Jude Holmes, Steven Carr
Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica – Ken Frankel
Producer – Dick Weismann (tracks: 2-5 to 2-9), Tom Wilson (2) (tracks: 1-1 to 1-9)
Recorded By – Harry Yarmark
Remastered By – Dave Blackman
Remix – Gary Kellgren

Ill Wind – Flashes ...Expanded
Label: Sunbeam Records – SBR2CD5065
Format: 2 x CD, Album, Reissue 2009
Country: UK
Released: 1968
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

ORIGINAL LP

                                      

  
01. Walkin' And Singin'  (Written-By – Tom Frankel)   3:12
02. People Of The Night  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   7:44
03. Little Man  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   4:31
04. Dark World  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   3:45
05. L.A.P.D.  (Written-By – Richard Griggs)   5:05
06. High Flying Bird  (Written-By – Billy Ed Wheeler)   4:58
07. Hung Up Chick  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)    5:53
08. Sleep  (Written-By – Ken Frankel)    2:39
09. Full Cycle  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)    6:10

MP3 @ 320 Size: 104 MB
Flac  Size: 253 MB

BONUS MATERIAL       

    
01. Ill Wind  (Written-By – Ken Frankel)    2:56
02. All Over Love Is One  (Written-By – Ken Frankel)   2:26
03. I Can See You  (Written-By – Carey Mann)   2:56
04. I Tell You I Know  (Written-By – Ken Frankel)   2:51
05. Tomorrow You'll Come Back  (Written-By – Ken Frankel)   2:39
06. You're All I See Now  (Written-By – Carey Mann, Sandy Darlington)   2:19
07. Are You Right?  (Written-By – Ken Frankel)   2:25
08. People Of The Night  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   2:25
09. It's Your Life  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   2:20
10. Flashes  (Written-By – Richard Griggs)   3:28
11. The Water Is Wide  (Written-By – Traditional)   3:35
12. Mauti  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   5:30
13. Waking In The Water  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   3:11
14. 1 And 100  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   4:31
15. Frosted Summer Drink  (Written-By – Ken & Tom Frankel)   3:21

MP3 @ 320 Size: 102 MB

 Flac  Size: 245 MB

 

The Leather Nun: Force Of Habit 1987

 

The Leather Nun are a Swedish rock group. Careening from garage rock to goth and pop-rock, Leather

Nun became cult heroes in their native land and wide abroad. The Leather Nun (a.k.a. "Lädernunnan") was formed in 1978 in Gothenburg, Sweden by radio DJ and fanzine editor Jonas Almquist (vocals) who, after getting agreement from Genesis P. Orridge to release a single on the Industrial Records label, recruited Bengt "Aron" Aronsson (guitar), Freddie Wadling (bass), and Gert Claesson (drums), all from punk band Strait Jacket.
                                         

Naming themselves after a London stripper and inspired by both Throbbing Gristle and Lou Reed (Almqvist's half-spoken, half-sung vocals were obviously patterned after Reed's), Leather Nun recorded

their industrial-leaning debut EP, Slow Death, in 1979. Although many people think so, Jonas Almquist says the band did not take their name from the American underground comic Tales from the Leather Nun. He also tells that it was not taken from the stage name of a London stripper, but chosen because "it felt just as a clockwork name for a band who based its music on the dynamics between the pure innocent and the black shameful ...".
                        

                                           
In the early 1980s, the band soon attracted controversy by showing adult movies as part of their live shows and often shocked some audiences by being accompanied by strippers when on stage and over

their use of hard-core gay pornography. A handful of singles followed before The Leather Nun released their first LP, Alive in 1985, a live album recorded in Denmark. A handful of singles followed before Leather Nun released their first live LP, Alive, in 1985. Their debut, Lust Games, followed the year after. The group's imported singles found their way onto U.S. college radio stations, earning substantial airplay with "Pink House," a deadpan parody of John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses." Their sophomore effort, Steel Construction, was issued in 1987, as Leather Nun's American audience began to eclipse their small following in Sweden.
                                

In 1987 the group released the top-selling compilation LP Force of Habit (consisting of the handful of

singles plus other tracks from Lust Games), first in the US, adorned with a controversial cover shot by photographer Mick Rock. Also in 1987 "Jesus Came Driving Along" appeared in the soundtrack of the film Dudes and gained them more airplay and success. 1987 even saw the release, but only in the EU, of their second studio album, Steel Construction, which was critically acclaimed and also reached No. 5 in the UK Indie Chart.
                          

In 1988 The Leather Nun were reviewed in Rolling Stone and quoted to be the first rock act to sell condoms as tour merchandise. It was during a sold-out Leather Nun-show at the legendary Scream club

in Los Angeles, that The Cult-vocalist Ian Astbury (major Leather Nun-fan) met with Swedish Leather Nun-fan and to-be video director Jonas Åkerlund (Madonna, The Prodigy, Metallica, Lady GaGa) and forming a long-standing friendship. Jonas Åkerlund used music by The Leather Nun in his debut movie Spun feat Mickey Rourke. In August 1988 the band played at the 'Glasnost Rock' festival in Tallinn, Estonia, the first international rock festival to be staged in the Soviet Union, together with amongst others Big Country and PiL.
                      

Their third studio album, International Heroes, was produced by Kim Fowley and was released in 1990,

again only in Europa! While releasing their fourth studio album Nun Permanent (produced by Mick Ronson) in winter 1991, their record company went bankrupt and could no longer deliver copies of the album. Being without a record company The Leather Nun continued to play gigs for a few years, but never got so successful again. The group finally broke up in 1995, but has reunited on some occasions since then. In 2005 they had a short very successful comeback, but did not release any new albums.
                             

The band released the Mick Ronson-produced Nun Permanent in late 1991. The band eventually split

up in 1995. While Leather Nun occasionally reunited in the years that followed -- Almqvist even formed a tribute band, Leather Nun: Reloaded, in 2009 -- it wasn't until 2015 that they returned with their fifth album, the Bowie-meets-Sisters of Mercy Whatever (Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution), their first in nearly 25 years. In 2017, they issued Vive La Fete! Vive La Revolution, a recording of their Glasnost Rock '88 festival appearance.
                          

The Leather Nun – Force Of Habit
Label: Wire Records – WRCD 008
Format:    CD, Compilation
Country: UK & Europe
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRAXS

                           

01. I Can Smell Your Thoughts   4:18
Guitar – Jim Lagneforce
Keyboards – Fredrik Adlers
Remix – Aron
Written-By – Aronsson, Almqvist
02. Jesus Came Driving Along   3:12
Written-By – Aronsson
03. Pink House   3:56
Written-By – Aronsson, Almqvist
04. For The Love Of Your Eyes   5:07
Written-By – Almqvist
05. 506   6:17
Written-By – Almqvist
06. Desolation Avenue   7:34
Written-By – Aronsson, Almqvist
07. Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)   3:54
Written-By – Andersson/Ulveus
08. Prime Mover   4:57
Written-By – Aronsson, Claesson, Almqvist
09. Death Threats   0:56
Written-By – Almqvist
10. Have Sex With Me   4:25
Written-By – Almqvist
11. F.F.A.   5:55
Written-By – Aronsson, Wadling, Claesson, Almqvist, Cazazza
12. No Rule    3:00
Written-By – Almqvist
13. Lollipop   4:30
Written-By – Aronsson, Almqvist
14. Fly Angels Fly   2:57
Written-By – Almqvist
15. On The Road   3:12
Written-By – Aronsson, Almqvist

MEMBERS

                        

Vocals – Jonas Almqvist
Bass – Anders Ollson
Drums – Gert Claesson
Guitar – Nils Wohlrabe
Guitar, Keyboards – Bengt 'Aron' Aronsson
Management – Mike's Artist Management
Producer – Aron (tracks: 6, 13), Bill Buchanan (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 10,), The Leather Nun (tracks: 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 147 MB
Flac  Size: 425 MB