supplement to 200 LB UNDERGROUND
reviews by Tony Rettman

AHORA MAZDA LP (PSEUDONYM)
This Dutch psych gem from '70 was 'unoffically' re-released back in the early 90's, but I was too busy jumping on someones' head at a Sick Of It All show to pick it up. That might of been a good move on my part 'cause this time around it comes on hockey puck like vinyl and sounds quite crisp. SO THERE. These wooden-shoed motherfuckers have enough rattlers, maracas, shakers, flutes, lutes, and congo bongo fury to stop a Chemotherapy fan dead in his/her tracks and with all these elements they sometimes come off like early 70's Brit spiritual rockers Quintessence with all their screws unloosened. Polyrythmic grooves unfold into the great unopened on the tune 'Oranje Vrystaent' where The No Neck Blues Band, the fore mentioned mighty 'Q' and Coltrane mesh together in a stormy moment of grace so effortlessly, you'll never see it coming along (Unless you're a total nerd) Certainly a gem in the mounds of crap re-issue stuff I get suckered into buying. Hey, anything else by these guys? Other bands? Solo shit? Just curious....

VARIOUS ARTISTS: I Hate The Pop Group LP (VERTICAL SLUM)
A more than welcomed 'Killed by Death' styled comp. of late 70s'/early 80s' post punk/post sanity type-a-stuff that features aloota folks I always heard of, but never hoid. Side one openers Prats (A group of fifteen year old Scots from '77) sorta beats The Shadow Ring at their own game without a drop of sweat from their brows (and not to mention fifteen years or so before the fact). From there on in you're treated to such twisted treats as Happy Squid recording artists Brent Wilcoxs' new age music for psychopaths, Noh Mercys' no-wavesque anthem 'Caucasian Guilt' and The Janet and The Johns' provide the perfect soundtrack for the next black mass you throw that breaks out into a conga line. Other gems include AK Process' electronic waste lay, Orchid Spangorforas' truly fucked and disturbed tape looping and the beautifully inept Band T Plus Instruments' Words' which sounds like an out take from ATVs' 'Vibing Up The Senile Man'. And speaking of which, The Door and The Window are on here (And belt out quite a nice tantrum I might add) and a member of that band (Neg) played tambourine on Mark Perrys' highly fucking excellent solo lp 'Snappy Turns'. If you don't but this disc just for that reason alone, you won't be invited to my next clam bake.

THE BABY HUEY STORY: The Living Legend LP (CURTOM)
This was re-issued (Uh-hum) by the brits awhile back, but luckily someone here in the U.S. has 're-re-issued' it (Cough, cough, splutter) as well, so basically that means poor fucks like myself can now pick this up, minus the huge import price (Ho-freakin'-ray) Anywhos...Baby Huey was a four hundred pound rhythm and soul monster who caught the eye of Curtis Mayfield (How could he not catch Curtis' eye!?! The guy was a house!) Curtis recorded some tunes wth Baby for Curtom but unfourtunatly, Huey bought the farm before the tunes were released, This still doesn't explain the record being titled 'The Living Legend' but, HEY! 'his music lives on' and all that jazz, and mighty fine music it is...
       It says here on the inside of the gatefold that Huey was down with Hendrix and it sounds like they shared the same vision of merging Psych-o-Delia with the heavy monster of soul. Whether Hueys' vision was as astrologically derived as Jimi's is hard to say. Straight in your face raw shit like Hueys' rendition of Mayfields' 'Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey)' says ONE thing, but the acidic take on Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Going To Come' comes off so damn spacious and baked, it makes me think Huey might have beat Jimi in alotta drug taking olympics they held. I can't think of any proper stoner household being without a copy of this. Some of this might be too much for the squeamishly caucasian, but fuck them...right?

DONNY DENIM: "Hey You" b/w "Rock 'N' Roll Love Affair" 7" (RADIO X)
This isn't the sorta thing you'd expect form an ex-member of Supercharger, but, hell, it's what you get. And what is 'it' you ask? Christ....cheeseball power-pomp stomp rock...and it rules! The A Side twists the riff of 'Fox On The Run' into something of an even guiltier pleasure and it comes complete with low cost phasing and dumbo lyrics. Side B is of equal caliber and sounds like something that would of spun long into the night at one of the infamous 'Summer Dance Parties' that were thrown in my hometowns' own 'Stonewall'' club, City Gardens back in '80. So throw this on and remember those days when 'boys' used to whip each other with skinny leather ties and girls would sit around bored.

FLASH TO A YEAR LATER-

Manic Depressive Playlist-
(i.e. top tunes as of 8/20/01)

Deep Purple-'Black Night'
Humble Pie-''You're So Good For Me'
The Association-'The Nest'
Spirit-'Love Has Found A Way'
Red C-'Pressure's On'
Harpers Bizarre-'I Can Hear The Darkness'
Todd Rundgren-'A Dream Goes On Forever'
Gene Clark-'The French Girl'
Shuggie Otis-'Strawberry Letter 23'
Pezband-'Love Goes Underground'
The Impressions-'Seven Years'
Wings-'Juniors' Farm'
Thin Lizzy-'Romeo and the Lonely Girl'
Raspberries-'I Wanna Be With You'
Dusty Springfield-'All The Kings' Horses'
Motorhead-'Dance'
The Shins-'New Slang'
The Dirtbombs-'Ode To A Black Man'
Al Stewart-'Amsterdam'
James Gang-'Again'
Tubeway Army-'My Shadow In Vain'
Spooky Tooth-'I Am The Walrus'
Clock DVA-'White Cell'
Accept-'I'm A Rebel'
Beautiful Skin-'Harsh Distractions'

I've listened to all these tunes in one sitting....help.

Editor's Note: The top-notch zine 200 LB UNDERGROUND hasn't gone away, editor Tony Rettman is just using the "lazy bastard" excuse. I know that's not true, because the guy is doing top-notch work for this here mag, and did you read his piece on the Vibracathedral Orchestra for Perfect Sound Forever? Any other lazy bastards out there with excellent taste in music write this good?