The Smugglers are a rock band from Vancouver Canada. They have been extremely active in their 22 year existence. Writing, recording and touring have been second nature to these fellas with a vast array of official releases under their belt and often times doing multiple tours a year. The Smugglers are truly “a band’s band” having so humbly started their music careers playing shopping mall parking lots, bars and practically any place that would let them setup. In their early days they were boo’d off the stage quite a few times but eventually things came together and now-a-days they are probably one of the more lively live acts out there in terms of pure rocking and rolling.
Founded in 1988 The Smugglers are a five piece comprised of three core members Grant Lawrence(vocals), Nick Thomas(guitar) and David Carswell(guitar). The other two positions of bassist and drummer have changed a few times through the life of the band and as of late Beez and Graham Watson are filling those roles respectfully. Regardless of the lineup the energy and playfulness of their shows comes across even in their studio recordings. To me they seem like a party band the kind of guys that you could have over to play your birthday party and when they left there would be a turd in your toilet reservoir, if you know what I’m saying. Their music itself is pop punk crossed with energetic mod rock, something along those lines.
One thing that the Smugglers have never done is rest on their laurels. They have a huge discography of live and studio recordings. Unlike many bands who wait to put out material to be paid and backed by a major label The Smugglers never have had such reservations. They have music standard compact discs as well as on all sizes of vinyl. I’m not sure if all the vinyl releases were done on purpose or if it was dependent on the budget of the band and independent labels they were recording with at whatever time. Unfortunately due to their sheer output of releases it’s hard to figure out what is what. There are some original songs on comps and seven inches but then there are some dupes too. You’re best bet is to do a little research before you make a purchase to see if you already have the songs or not. That’s one of the things that have kept me away from their seven inch singles and splits. I’d recommend starting with their 1996 release “Selling the Sizzle”. It’s a really solid album and easy to get a hold of.
1) Up and Down [1990] *vinyl 7-inch
2) At Marineland [1991] *vinyl 10-inch
3) At Germany [1992] *vinyl 7-inch
4) Atlanta Whiskey Flats [1992] *vinyl 12-inch
5) Wet Pants Club [1993] *vinyl 12-inch
6) In the Hall of Fame – All Time Great Golds [1993]
7) Gotta Gotta Gotta [1994] *vinyl 7-inch split with Hoods
8) Party Party Party Pooper! [1994] *vinyl 7-inch
9) Tattoo Dave [1994] *vinyl 7-inch split with Bum
10) Wet Pants Club [1994] *compact disc
11) Senor Pantsdown [1995]
12) Talkin bout You [1995] *vinyl 7-inch
13) Whiplash! [1995]
14) Selling the Sizzle [1996]
15) Summer Games [1996] *split with Hi-Fives
16) Buddy Holly Convention [1997]
17) Growing Up Smuggler [1998]
18) Rosie [2000]
19) Smugglers/Mach Pelican [2001]*vinyl 7-inch split
20) “Useless Rocker” [2002] *vinyl 7-inch
21) Mutiny in Stereo [2004]
Harry Belafonte is a multi-genre artist who was at the height of his popularity in the sixties. While best known for his Calypso tunes Harry performed gospel, blues and even folk music to varying audiences. Through the years Harry has drawn the attention of presidents, global leaders and celebrities of all types. Besides music he has also done a great deal of activism for a multitude of movements, some controversial, some not. Whether you agree with him or not in more recent years his activism work has cast a shadow on the performing and recording he did early in his career, not necessarily in a negative way but his name isn’t as immediately identifiable with the lively music he used to create.
Harry was born in 1927 in New York City. He was born to working class parents, his father being a Jamaican immigrant. At the age of eight Harry went to live with his grandmother in Jamaica for a number of years and returning when he was thirteen. He attended high school in NYC and then served in the Navy during WW2. It was upon his return from the navy that Harry’s life started leaning towards music. Harry wanted to be an actor, so he enrolled in the New School’s drama program alongside some other kids looking to make names for themselves, Marlon Brando, Bea Arthur, Sidney Poitier and Walther Matthau, were all in his class. While attending classes he needed a job to pay the bills so Harry started doing some theater work on the side, even winning a Tony for some work he did during this period. Besides acting Harry also performed with pure musical acts and this is how he got his start in the music world. Things really went well for him and by 1952 he was signed to RCA Victor.
I know it’s cliche but I first heard Harry Belafonte through his songs that were featured in the film Beetlejuice. If you haven’t seen it you really should, it’s a great Tim Burton movie. Without going into it two of Harry’s songs (Day-O and Jump in the Line) are featured in major parts of the movie and are really high points for me and that film. They are both calypso songs and I hadn’t heard of calypso prior to seeing the film(I was only a lad at the time). Even though it would be close to a decade after until I’d purchase my first Belafonte album that first listening experience is burned into my mind.
Like many artists of his age and stature his present day record offering is mostly Best Ofs and Greatest Hits collections. Which is all I currently have of his. That’s not to say that there isn’t merit in his legacy releases though. I’d say anything prior to 1961 is worth a listen and after writing this I think I’m gonna grab a few of his early ones. He was really on a roll in those early days with most of his releases back then being of high quality. What set him back though was the British Invasion around 1960. Once the British invasion hit full swing the demand for Harry’s music fell accordingly and he never really recovered. Of particular interest to me is his 1956 release, “Calypso”.
1) Mark Twain and other Folk Favorites [1954]
2) Belafonte [1956]
3) Calypso [1956]
4) An Evening with Belafonte [1957]
5) Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean [1957]
6) To Wish You a Merry Christmas [1958]
7) Belafonte Sings the Blues [1958]
8) Love is a Gentle Thing [1959]
9) Belafonte at Carnegie Hall [1959]
10) My Lord What a Mornin’ [1959]
11) Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall [1960]
12) Swing Dat Hammer [1960]
13) Jump Up Calypso [1961]
14) Midnight Special [1962]
15) The Many Moods of Belafonte [1962]
16) Streets I Have Walked [1963]
17) Belafonte at The Greek Theatre [1964]
18) Ballads, Blues and Boasters [1964]
19) In My Quiet Room [1966]
20) Calypso in Brass [1966]
21) Belafonte on Campus [1967]
22) Belafonte Sings of Love [1968]
23) Homeward Bound [1970]
24) Belafonte By Request [1970]
25) The Warm Touch [1971]
26) Calypso Carnival [1971]
27) Belafonte…Live! [1972]
28) Play Me [1973]
29) Belafonte Concert in Japan [1974]
30) Turn the World Around [1977]
31) Loving You is Where I Belong [1981]
32) Paradise in Gazankulu [1988]
33) Belafonte ’89 [1989]
34) An Evening with Harry Belafonte and Friends [1997]
Deadguy was a hardcore band born in New Brunswick New Jersey in 1994. The band was founded by a bunch of guys that happened to room together, not exactly the most stable foundation and was perhaps why the lineup changed so many times in the band’s relatively short existence. What made Deadguy so special was their ability to mix elements of both the hardcore and metal genres. The result was a music that appealed to both audiences and became a major influence for many bands to follow. It’s funny though because if you read about Deadguy you’ll find they received little recognition from the community at the time they were together. It seems only the people in “the know” knew of and appreciated their efforts. It would be almost ten years after their break up that they would begin to be named in “top ten” lists and gain some of the fame of their compatriots.
The original Deadguy lineup was something like this, Dave Rosenberg, Chris Corvino, Tim Naumann, Keith Huckins and Tim Singer. The lineup change quite a bit for a band that only lasted three years but the core of the band stayed the same, Dave, Chris and Tim Naumann. As mentioned earlier the original lineup was comprised of roommates. Some of the guys joined the band because they simply had nothing else to do with their spare time. This weak foundation showed itself on their first tour. While touring down the west coast two members decided to leave the band and move to Seattle after having such a nice time touring through the city.
If I’m in the right mood and I’m listening to Deadguy while driving it makes me want to drive 120MPH into a tree. I don’t know it’s just an urge. Is that an unhealthy thing? I don’t think so. There is a certain rawness that comes across in the tracks that can really get you going. Song lyrics are about standard hardcore-type topics, like dysfunctional families and the drudgery of a day job. What’s different is you get the feeling that they are written and delivered by people that are honestly venting their frustrations with their lives. Many of their songs build up to crescendo. I didn’t realize this when I first listened to “Fixation on a Coworker”(Deadguy’s first album) and I wrote off a few songs because I didn’t like how they started. Then after having the album for a while I listened to it in it’s entirety and boy was I surprised. The last song on the album “Crazy Eddie”, has an absolutely fantastic crescendo, a little reminiscent of Slayer’s build up on “Reign in Blood”. You can’t listen to it strait off though, you gotta listen to the whole album and then that song. You too will want to drive into foliage.
Deadguy has two primary attainable albums, a full length “Fixation on a Coworker” and a EP “Screamin’ With the Deadguy Quintet”. They have a few other live albums and singles but they’re tricky to get a hold of. I strongly recommend the full length. The Ep is good too but the full length is fantastic, not a bad song on it. I had a lot of trouble finding it when I was looking for it back in the day and ended up getting at a Virgin in Boston, of all places. Now you can get it on Amazon with free shipping, oh the convenience of modern life.
1) Work Ethic [1994] *ep
2) Fixation on a Co-Worker [1995]
3) Screamin’ With the Deadguy Quintet [1996] *ep
4) I Know Your Tragedy-Live at CBGBs [2000]
Cream where a band of firsts when they entered the rock scene in London England in 1966. Comprised of three very accomplished musicians in their own right they were one of the first “super” rock groups. Any one of these guys could have easily fronted their own band, and would in the future, but for this brief period of time they decided to join forces. They knew they were something special from the start hence the name Cream, the cream of the crop. In addition to being comprised of rock n roll royalty Cream was also one of the first “experimental” bands. They changed up their style almost from song to song, perhaps not as drastic as some more recent bands but you gotta take things slow when your trailblazing. They also experimented with their format for live performances by favoring songs with a jam factor. This meant that at a given Cream performance they may go off on a twenty minute interlude jamming on a particular tune. To sober people this may sound like a chore but when it was the late sixties and your most enthusiastic audience was comprised of psychedelic transfixed hippies, these extended jam tunes were near nirvana.
Cream’s three man lineup went like this… Eric Clapton of the Yardbirds. Eric was a guitarist and was well connected in the rock community being friends of George Harrison and Steve Winwood to name a couple. Then there was Ginger Baker of the Graham Bond Organization and Jack Bruce from a band called Blues Incorporated. Both Ginger and Jack were gifted jazz musicians playing the drums and bass respectively. It was this three man lineup that made Cream what it was. Each person threw his full weight into the song writing and performances. It’s safe to say that without any one of them Cream wouldn’t have been what it was. It just happened to be the perfect formula of people at the perfect time. In the three years of their existence Cream put out four full length albums, all selling very well and hit albums each in their own right. Unfortunately for us the boys couldn’t keep keep the pace at the speed they were going and decided to call it quits due to artistic differences.
Looking back at the artists from that period it’s hard to find one with as many consistent songs as Cream. Their song writing, musicianship and delivery were all top notch. One of my favorite elements of Cream, besides the obviously rockin guitar licks would be Jack Bruce’s vocals. I can’t think of any other acts from the period that went for the angle he took. With the rockin solo’s and heavy psychedelic elements to their music you’d think the vocals would be heavily slanted towards one extreme or the other, heavy theatrics or melodramatic mumbling but that’s not the case at all. Jack sings in a strong clear voice, every word is easily heard, clear, concise. Often times he sings in a higher pitch then necessary, in almost a mocking manner, adding a slight comic under tone to the tunes. The vocals combined with some seriously rocking instrument work going on behind makes for a top notch listening experience.
1) Fresh Cream [1966]
2) Disraeli Gears [1967]
3) Wheels of Fire [1968]
4) Goodbye [1969]
Peter Gabriel is a singer/songwriter from Chobham England. He was born in 1950 to a upper middle class family. His father was a electrical engineer and was able to send Peter to private schools for advanced education. His mother was very musical and taught him clarinet at a young age. He took this early exposure to music and expanded on it during his schooling eventually coming to fruition with the form of Genesis, a band Peter and some of his Charterhouse buddies put together. Genesis did really well and Peter stayed with them from 1967 to 1975 when he left as a result of various differences. His relationship with Genesis remains good to this day and some of the Genesis guys can be heard on Peter’s solo albums, particularly Phil Collins, the drummer for Genesis. At any rate Genesis is deserving of it’s own discussion so I won’t dawdle.
For those of you to have lived through the eighties you may remember the 1989 film Say Anything. In that film there is a scene where a male character trying to connect with a female of interest stands on her front lawn while holding up a eighties style silver boom box blasting the Peter Gabriel song “In Your Eyes”. The scene really embodies Peter’s songs as the quintessential relationship music. Not necessarily lovey-dovey music and not necessarily break up music, but it fills that void in between. That area of uncertainty and second thoughts, mistakes and advances. He has an ability to write about topics not regularly visited by major artists. Things like unemployment or trying to connect with his daughter whom he had become estranged, both very personal yet he presents them in a way that anyone can identify.
One of the things that sets Peter Gabriel apart is his use of unique instrumentation. Unlike many artists that delve into new forms of instrumentation in Peter’s music it’s not in your face. In fact in most cases you don’t even notice Peter’s voice is being staged by synths and specialized drumming. Not surprising Peter was a major front runner of new techniques to make music in the early mid eighties, at the height of the new wave storm that was engulfing the popular music scene at that time. Perhaps it was him following in the footsteps of his electrical engineer father but Peter became quite proficient in producing tracks with subtle but effective electronic assistance. For you music nerds out there Peter Gabriel’s third album was actually one of the first commercial albums to be recorded entirely on digital tape, Sony brought a specialized truck to Peter’s studio specifically for the task.
When you look at Peter Gabriel’s discography you can’t help but be underwhelmed. Seven albums in thirty three years isn’t exactly a monumental task in comparison to some of the mammoth catalogs of his contemporaries. In Peter’s case it’s truly a case of quality over quantity. I’d recommend starting with his fifth album “So”, there’s not a bad song on it.
1) Peter Gabriel [1977] *aka 1 or Car
2) Peter Gabriel [1978] *aka 2 or Scratch
3) Peter Gabriel [1980] *aka 3 or Melt
4) Peter Gabriel [1982] *aka 4 or Security
5) So [1986]
6) Us [1992]
7) Up [2002]
| Category: Rock, Rock n' Roll | Tags: beez, canada, cub, david carswell, graham watson, grant lawrence, lookout, mint, nick thomas, vancouver | 
