SAHB - Next

From the opening riffs of Swampsnake you know this is Pub/boogie  rock with a Glam take . It was later hailed as Vambo rock .
Link to playlist on Spotify ; spotify:user:virtualolav:playlist:4BXeoHBVB3WvXZcwYLsLwM , so you can listen as you read .

I`m normally not a big fan of Boogie Woogie music , but here it works fine with the guitar of Zal Cleminson and the harmonica more as the boogie “piano”. 

Alex Harvey born in Glasgow in 1935 did have roots from the cabaret , skiffle scene , which comes quite apparent in most of his music . Gang Bang the next track is kinda continuing the pornographic takes on the pub/glam rock , so is the title track Next with also a heavy Tango feel  . I do remember vividly one of the parties at my parents house at Solhøgda where we where dancing or at least trying to dance tango to this track  (Next), wizzing around the whole apartment including the hallways and toilets , great fun .

I have had the pleasure of seeing Alex and the band live in Oslo in the early 70 (74 to be exact) and it did lasting impression not only the energetic performance of Alex but also the circus like dressing up of the rest of the band , timely in line with the Glam Rock period , But SAHB  as they where called (Sensational Alex Harvey Band ) did a stunning performance . You can watch yourself here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG6aLs8zzrs

And you should also notice the trademark horizontal striped shirts he was “always” wearing. And the make and dress  up of the rest of the band.

Well back to Next , I probably could have written about other albums from SAHB but because of the Tango party  link it had to be this one . The title track Next is based on a song  by Jacques Brel , and is quite political about prostitution and anti military , to see the original click here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O0D4Fnb_s4

Faith Healer is a lengthy track with a never ending intro , but burst out into a chorus almost like a Psalm and then back to Zal`s easy guitar riffs , with Alex almost talking on top.

“The last of the teenage idol`s” It´s almost like an Alice Cooper song . (Alex did Schools out )  Especially in the beginning , but it converts to a typical Harvey Vambo rock  track in the end .

As I said there are a  lot of good songs spread around other Harvey Album´s . For instance on Framed the first SAHB there is Framed and Hole in her stocking  and not least Midnight Moses .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNwLxwZHMOw

On The impossible dream , there is Man in the Jar and Weights made of lead possibly the 2 best songs for me . 

Watch here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cutbD7Eb-Lo

You also have the cabaret type Sergeant Fury . Money Honey and Tomahawk kid.

A Live album came in 1975 and included probably his biggest hit the Tom Jones cover of  Delilah.

On Tomorrow Belongs to me , you have Action Strasse and Snake bite and not least Anthem , watch here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zuuwG7NuPk

In 1976 he released and albums of covers with the Penthouse Tapes , where you find Schools out and a unlikely cover of The Osmonds Crazy Horses. Funny enough Delilah is not included .

This was the last album I bought I think and the ones after that was not that good .

Alex ,died of a heart attack in 1982 on his way back from a concert in Belgium . RIP

The band still carries on  watch : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Z64gElhwA,

web site here :

http://www.sahbofficial.co.uk/home.htm

This is next album , guess witch ? (in comment field or email )

Naked as sin


an army towel, covering my belly


Some of us weep, some of us howl


Knees turn to jelly


But ***********


I was just a child
 A hundred like me


I followed a naked body 
a naked body followed me

***********


I was just a child when my innocence was lost


in a mobile army whorehouse 
a gift of the army,

free of cost
 *********

The Tubes and the Tubes Young and Rich

Thanks to Torkel for suggesting the Tubes I almost had forgotten about this great band .  Again this was as many others a band found in the record shop I was working at . Released in 1975 and 1976 respectively, I guess the Tubes where kind of a  glam USA band but with kinda funky feel  and little bit  of cabaret thrown in . Mostly from phoenix Arizona not far from golf mecca of Scottsdale , but based in San Fransico. Also  not totally unlike early Talking Heads in the rythm parts and Bran Van 2000 in the disco/funky  parts  . The Tubes had some great songs and some really bad ones , and I think that`s why they did not have great success. They had some satirical lyrics like on ie “what do you want from life” where first verse goes like :

What do you want from life
To kidnap an heiress or threaten her with a knife
What do you want from life To get cable TV and watch it every night
or later in the song 
How can you tell when you're doin' alright
Does your bank account swell While you're dreaming at night .
Then it all ends with 
a solid gold Kama Sutra coffee pot, or a baby's arm holding an apple?
What more can you ask from a lyric J
And I belive this satirical type carried on in most songs and they where often about media , porn and  ways of life etc . 

I never got to see them live witch I think would have been very interesting. As they had some performances banned in the UK. I don`t really know much of the names of the band members (of course I could look it up) , but know that one of them went on to join Greatful Dead and probably had more fame there . They are as most 70`s bands still performing . But never really had any success to boost about .

Best songs
Up from the deep
White Punks on dope
What do you want from life
Slipped my disco
Don`t touch me there
Prime time
Talk to ya later

Web site : http://www.thetubes.com

The mother of Party tents

Last night was time again for the traditional New Year Party at Playa Golf , this is a party for the urbanisation and friends here in Peru . Last year was good but this year at least the tent was 100 times better . The size of a football field with a dance floor the size of a HUSBANK house . about 3 stories high celing . The normal crowd was there ie Santiago the wine/pisco maker , the Canepa`s with their husbands and some others that I really don`t remember their names . We stumbled home around 4 am . It`s funny though we arrived at 23:28 (yes I looked at my phone ) there where hardly anybody there . At 24:00 the place was packed I`ll estimate 5-600 people most of them on the dance floor at Midnight .
The above picture is from what they call "hora loca " which means crazy hour , that`s when they share out hats , baloon`s, etc etc .