In this day and age it’s rare to find any further unreleased records from the heyday of the rock era, let alone one from a unknown band that is at the absolute root of a giant rock family tree…but Yep Roc has, and it’s a doozy.
Have you ever heard the band Eggs Over Easy? They are the American group who inadvertently jump started a UK music revolution that culminated in the British punk of The Damned, Elvis Costello, The Clash and Rockpile.
If you admire The Band but wish they weren’t so damn serious, The Eggs are the band for you. Their criminally forgotten Link Wray produced LP “Good and Cheap” released on A&M in 1972 opens: “We’re gonna have a little party/It’s gonna last for a week or two”. Welcome to the pub!
Gigging the Tally Ho, their Kentish Town local, in 1971, their punchy songs, soulful singing and stripped down effect/affectless sound were a breath of fresh air in the land of Yes and Pink Floyd. A whole flock of players, writers, producers and managers that came to dominate pub and punk rock first had their heads turned ’round witnessing the Eggs’ anything-goes mastery and their rapidly swelling audience of punters. Just listen to Nick Lowe testifying how he never truly got over the effect Eggs Over Easy had on him.
I’ll never truly get over the effect the Eggs have had on me, either. In 2006, I learned that original member Jack O’Hara gigged regularly at BB King’s in Times Square. I looked in the paper. There he was. I drove down to the gig and was seated for dinner. There he was. I said hi and there was that same beautiful bass voice I knew from the “Good and Cheap” song “Arkansas”. He said we’d catch up after the show and went up on the stage and proceeded to lay down three subtly smoking hours of Jimmy Reed, Jimi Hendrix and Santo and Johnny.
But my life wasn’t filled with anywhere near enough Eggs Over Easy music. “Good and Cheap” had been reissued on CD once in the UK but there was so much more that so few had ever heard: the unreleased Chas Chandler debut record “London ’71”, “I’m Gonna Put a Bar In My Car and Drive Myself to Drink” b/w “Horny Old Lady”, a punk-as-fuck single released on Buffalo Records in 1976, and 1981’s “Fear of Frying”, a record that ranged from home recorded madness to Big Star/Steely Dan shimmer. I knew that someday some smart record company would set the record straight and get this largely unreleased/unheard trove of music on the shelves.
That day has come. Today Yep Roc is righting the wrongs of forty years of music business oversight with one big, beautiful package (double CD or triple vinyl).
Do yourself a favor, check this release out. It’s some of the greatest American music I have ever heard. It’s funny, it’s sad, its reverent, it’s irreverent. It’s the whole ball of wax. It swings and stomps. It is stripped down and dressed in the richest harmony three fellas could create. I love it. It’s spare, it’s snappy, it’s straight ahead. It’s good and cheap. It has a warmth of spirit that radiates inclusiveness so open that anything could happen and everyone was invited……even Sid Vicious.
a href=”http://yeproc.11spot.com/eggs-over-easy-good-n-cheap-the-eggs-over-easy-story-pre-order-6-24.html” target=”_blank”>Good N’ Cheap: The Eggs Over Easy Story (Yep Roc)
In The Studio + New Releases: March/April 2016
In The Studio: April / May 2016
Jon Butcher remixed. The Great Madness got on the radio. Geoff Small inflated his airbag. Telamor tracked and shot. Soul Rebel Project cut guitars. Will Vincent played all the instruments. Megan McKenzie souled the soul. Ally Doody sang the hits. Chelsea Berry worked up new tunes. Pete Minigell picked up where his brother left off.
New Releases: April / May 2016
The Great Madness premiered their newly released track “Our Town” on Radio 92.9.
Friend to all (and especially to Bang-A-Song) Willie Alexander and The Fishtones promised “I’ll Be Goode”, on their new full length LP.
Lastly, the Full Length, Red Bird, Dynamic Duo, CroonSome TwoSome release from Renee and Joe has hit the streets. The album is entitled “Red Bird” You can buy it, gift it, stream it, and even acquire it on CD. You will be gratified.
New Releases: February 2016
February was a busy release month for Bang-A-Song artists (and we’re pregnant with some March releases, too), but just to make sure you can quickly add the latest tunes to your playlists/downloads/collections, here’s the rundown.
Graham Neill / Band of Wolves has released a new track and music video entitled “She Played”, and you can even see a bit of our own Warren Babson tracking the Wolves in the studio. If this is the teaser track (featuring Megan McKenzie!), look out for the full LP!
Matt Minigell has a new single that drops in two days (Saturday, 2/27/16), entitled “Lucy” (b/w “Elivette”), and you’re going to want to head over to his BandCamp to pick that up. Set your alarms!
*Edited: The video for his new single just dropped, too, and Bang-A-Song is part of the musical soundscape….
The ever dynamic Telamor released the ten-track LP “Outside The Lines” in February, and the whole thing is available on BandCamp, Spotify, and CD Baby, if that’s your kind of baby….!
We are derelict in having not noted the release of “Mostly Awake” from The Instinct late last year. As compensation, here’s a review from Francis DiMenno in the Noise so you know that we’re not the only ones who like what these Gloucester punks are doing! (Also streaming like crazy on Spotify!)
In The Studio: March 2015
The Instinct trusted theirs and ours on the way to their 2nd Bang-A-Song recorded LP. Donald Freyleue finished up a long awaited 2-song single. Jon Butcher continued to drive his 2 Roads East. Nate Weaver and Brittany Betts got their Bang-A-Saturday session in. Telamor recorded some more. Heavy Denims laid down the glam. Lisa Manning committed more musical poetry to tape. PRAY for MOJO had their prayers answered. Daniel Dye left the Miller Road Band back home in Ohio to record some solo songs. Geoff Small made music for his Electric Ears. The A Train Orchestra swung back in. The Absolute Gentleman mixed an absolute smash. Willie Loco Alexander sequenced his big 10″. Hot Lemon squeezed out all the juice from a long weekend session. Chelsea Berry cut one and done in a fortnight. The Rockport Middle School Chamber Music ensembles brought the clarinets and cellos to record their original songs.
Finally, Bang-A-Song‘s own Warren Babson released a new record: Wren Sound. We might be biased but WE LOVE IT! Pick it up via iTunes here.
In The Studio and New Releases: December 2014
Two new releases from Bang-A-Song that missed the November “New Releases” cutoff!
Pocket Tanya implores us to “Talk About The Truth”. Starting talking by downloading the single for just 99 cents from iTunes here.
Chelsea Berry, meanwhile, has the Remedy. The solo-acoustic remedy for whatever it is that ails you personally. Pre-order now for December 12th release.
Meanwhile, underway at Bang-A-Song:
Sonic Euphoria are tracking some great Alice Cooper and ZZtop sides. Lillie McDonough is cutting a calypso with strings, oboe and marimba among other things. Telamor are nailing number 3. Geoff Small, John Jerome and High Society are burning the midnight oil. Simon Ritt is making movies. Renee and Joe are mixing their latest magic. KBMG are bring Warren out of the studio to do an on location recording of their public show at the Old Sloop in Rockport on Friday December 12th. SAFETY are leaning new songs in Studio B for their show on December 26th at the CACC. Satch Kerans is mixing more masterpieces.
New Releases from Bang-A-Song: November 2014
Here’s a list of recent albums that we’ve had the pleasure of working on at Bang-A-Song. Click the name of the artist to read more about the artist, or click the name of the album to download or purchase the album.
Telamor: Valentine to the Future and Straight Shots
Willie Loco Alexander and the Raztones: Raztonia Volume 1
Mara Bettencourt: Eclectic Soul
Jon Butcher Axis: Experienced
The Instinct: Fake It
Anna Rae: High Stakes
Alien Psychology: Alien Psychology on Sound Cloud
Renee and Joe: Steal You Flowers
Kenny Chambers and Electric Ears: Someday You’ll Be King
And although it wasn’t recorded at Bang-A-Song, it was recorded *impeccably* by Ed Valauskas at Q Division, and Sam and Tony are sprinkled throughout, so…a big shoutout for “Electric Candyland” from Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents. The album smokes, the bonus tracks that accompany it will rock your socks off (and be familiar to anyone who’s seen the Dees live), and there are even some glam new tees at Dee Store.
The Goddesses on Lieber and Stoller Tribute
No one has better taste than our pals in Brussels at 62TV Records, so when they asked us to contribute to an album of Leiber & Stoller tunes, we couldn’t say no, and we didn’t say no! (Anyone who has seen The Goddesses perform in the last five years knows that “I’m A Hog (For Ya Baby)” is one of our staple tunes, too.)
“I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind: A Tribute To Leiber & Stoller” (Benefit for the Waama Village School in Tanzania) can be found here on Facebook, and features tracks from Okay Monday, Mujeres, Kanoba, Francoiz Breut, Johnwayneshotme, Young Rival, Malibu Stacy, Bed Rugs, Lucy Lucy, Dog Bowl, Hong Kong Dong, The Tellers, Vaporellas, The Experimental Tropic Blues Band and Dez Mona, and The Goddesses.
A track a day will be posted on YouTube, so check ’em all out, starting with this one:
In The Studio / New Releases: November 2013
In The Studio:
Lisa Manning continues to sing her poems to tape. Tom Hauck‘s record #3 is sounding more like record #1. Morgan Jackson is recording his French Horn audition for a plethora of university admission applications. Litehouse are polishing of three more sound captures. Rob Garfield is layering his latest. The Instinct are coming in for a one and done session. Clock Strikes 10 are running the sets in Studio B. BAS is going remote to record a Meg Griffin interview with Bonnie Raitt for SiriusXM. Willie Loco Alexander is going to cut live with the A Train Orchestra.
New Releases:
Mexican Ape-Lord is starting to drop jams on Youtube, and KBMG has released a long brewing EP.
New Releases from Bang-A-Song: July/August 2013
We Are Good Friends from Los Angeles have released their debut long player, nearly half of which was mixed at Bang-A-Song. I think it could it could be fairly described as psychotelecate.
New Releases from Bang-A-Song: June 2013
- “Axis 3” by the newly resurrected Jon Butcher Axis was released with a rocking show at Worcester’s Hanover Theatre. Read the story in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Copies are available in all Newbury Comics.
- Renee & Joe’s debut LP “Dreamsteering” is available in hardcopy at Mystery Train Records and Gloucester Music and as files at their BandCamp site.
- What Time Is It Mr. Fox?’s latest full-length, titled “Little Bit of Blue” is available now on iTunes.
- The “Swim in The Ocean” b/w “It All Just Falls Apart” cassette by The BF’s is available on cassette…and digitally here.
- “Here Now”, the newest full length release from Kim Jennings is available now in her online store.
- Scott Tarulli’s new album “Anytime, Anywhere” was reviewed in Bass Musician Magazine after its release in September 2012.
- Tom Hauck’s 2nd solo album “Afterlife” is available everywhere.