VINYL REVIEWS
Reviews by Jaime Pina
The Saints I’m Stranded
In The Red Records
Formed in 1973 in Australia, The Saints were pioneers of punk with a unique sound that was hard but had some catchy hooks. In The Red Records has put together an amazing vinyl box set featuring the released version of the “I’m Stranded” album, the brutal original mix of the album, a third disc collecting singles and live tracks and a fourth disc of a live show from The Hope & Anchor in London circa 1977. This set is a real treat for fans and it was put together with the collector in mind as it contains a booklet, 8×10 promo photo of the band and a sticker. The discs are on heavy vinyl and sound great. For me, the jewel of the set is the original mix disc. While not the revelation that it was the Ramones first album in mono, I will more than likely go to the original mix when I want to hear the songs. Like I said, this set was put together with love, care and respect and In The Red was the perfect label for the project. I asked label head Larry Hardy about how he managed to put the whole thing together. “Tim Pittman (Hard Ons manager) manages Ed Kuepper now. Ed wanted to do the box set for a long time as he felt that the record was due for some recognition,” he says. “Tim thought my label would be good since I’m a big fan and he thought, since I do contemporary bands, it could bring attention from people unfamiliar with the band.”
Kuepper and original drummer Ivor Hay have enlisted Mick Harvey of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Peter Oxley of Sunnyboys and Mark Arm of Mudhoney to perform the album for the 50th anniversary under the name The Saints 73-78 and they will be playing in the US soon. Hardy was in Australia to catch the shows. “The three shows I saw in Australia were awesome!! Mark Arm is, obviously, not Chris Bailey but he was a great choice,” he exclaims. It is hard to imagine that anyone familiar with In The Red would not already be a fan of The Saints but I get it. Second bassist Algy Ward later went on the play in The Damned and The Saints set the template for punks who would add horns to their sound with their second album “Eternally Yours”. So if you are a fan, this is an item you will want in your collection because it is so cool but, as per Ed’s wishes, you are unfamiliar with the band and love punk rock then you can’t go wrong picking this up. It will make you a convert.
Juanita & Juan Jungle Cruise
In The Red Records
At this point everyone is well aware that Juanita & Juan are none other than Alice Bag (The Bags, Stay At Home Bomb) and Kid Congo Powers (The Gun Club, The Cramps) in disguise. When they perform Alice looks like she runs a bodega and Kid is dressed sorta like Thurston Howell III. The music they create is a bit different from the music that made them famous, but it makes sense when you hear it and it is a completely fun experience live and on record.
With Alice on keyboards and Kid on guitar they share the vocals while playing to electronic beats. Kid cranks up the delay pedal on the opener “Aftertaste” while Alice plays a passage that would fit right in on a low budget 80’s horror film soundtrack. It’s a great track but don’t get comfortable with the evocative sound because they switch gears on the next track with
a bit of a modern hip-hop beat and 60’s type “doot-dooo” back up vocals. Throughout the record they pull the rug out from under the listener by not staying in one place too long and they conjure up many exotic moods as the record progresses. There is even a fun tribute to Kid’s previous career as President of the West Coast Ramones fan club. My copy came on orange vinyl with a fun cover created by label chief Larry Hardy and it totally reminded me of those records Disney would release on their own label in the 60’s and 70’s of songs from their films. An offbeat release by two beloved characters from punk rock once again stepping out of the box and bringing their extensive musical knowledge out on display for your pure enjoyment. File under FUN!