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  1. 2023/4 Albums Thing 439 - The Zulus “Down On The Floor”

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    Here we are, the final entry in this Thing that started out as me writing a piece about each record in my album collection. It’s taken 1 year, 9 months and 5 days And I haven’t really covered all of them because I haven’t started on the compilations. I may take a short break while I sort out some stuff on this web site and then begin on an “Occasional Albums Thing”, but let’s finish this off first…

    The Zulus by 1989 had signed with Slash Records and produced their first full length album. It was produced by a post Hüsker Dü, pre Sugar Bob Mould, giving it a much fuller sound than their self produced debut. It was only released in the US, Canada and Australia so I’m guessing the cassette copy I used to own was acquired while on tour in the US. There is some crossover with that first mini album as the songs “Kings In The Queen City” and “Gotta Have Faith” also both appear on this album in re-recorded versions. Other highlights would be “I Love This Life” and (again) track 1 side 1 “Never Again”.

    This record didn’t sell much more than their first and The Zulus split in 1992. Drummer Malcolm Travis joined Bob Mould in Sugar and guitarist Rich Gilbert played with such New England heavyweights as Frank Black (& The Catholics) and Tanya Donnelly.

    In 1993, while I was on tour with The Wonder Stuff I was chatting with tour support band the Gigolo Aunts guitarist Phil Hurley about this and that. The Gigolo’s were from Boston and Phil was amazed I knew who The Zulu’s were and told me that he was friends with Rich Gilbert. He put us in touch and Rich sent me a CD of his then new band the Concussion Ensemble (an all instrumental outfit featuring 4 drummers !) and we’re still connected via the wonders of Social Media. You never do know what an impacted Wisdom tooth could lead to.

    Kings In The Queen City - https://youtu.be/IoFp0F7AaZk?si=Eysnfk7t_srd5UYm

    And that’s it…well actually not quite as I suggested at the top…I’ve had a couple of new things arrive that I’ll share with you soon, after I've updated the Blogging page on the site and continue (maybe not so frequently) with something else…watch this space…

  2. 2023/4 Albums Thing 438 - The Zulus “The Zulus”

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    In the spring of 1986 I was in hospital to have impacted Wisdom teeth removed, an operation that resulted in my being able to pass, facially, as Henry VIII for a good few days. This stay in hospital resulted in two musical milestones. Firstly on waking up from the anaesthetic the fella in the next bed said to me “You’re a music lover aren’t you ?” I nodded yes, “Thought so, you’ll be pleased to hear that Wham! are splitting up” ! The second was that while staying in the hospital for a couple of days I discovered The Zulus.

    I was laying in the bed one evening listening to the John Peel Show on Radio One (some of you may not remember the days when Radio One was anything other than a wallpaper music obsessed shite-fest) when he announced music from a new band from Boston, Massachusetts called The Zulus, the song was called “I Can't Wait To Tell You The News” and he would be giving out contact details after he’d played it. Halfway through the song I was convinced and scrambled around for a pen and paper.

    I then did something I’ve not done before or since, I wrote to a band expressing my admiration for their song and enquiring how I might get my hands on a copy. This missive I sent off to the US address Mr Peel had furnished me with and then promptly forgot all about it. Around 2 months later a package arrived at our house for me from the United States, what on earth is this I thought. Inside was a copy of this 6 track mini album, a bunch of photo’s and press cuttings and a letter from the band (the extras all since lost) expressing their disbelief that their independently released record had made itself heard in the UK and please have this copy on us.

    The Zulus grew out of revered Boston outfit Human Sexual Response (about whom I know almost nothing) and comprised of singer Larry Bangor (formerly of HSR), the quite brilliant Rich Gilbert on guitar, drummer Malcolm Travis and bassist Chris MacLachlan. After this mini album they signed with Slash Records and released the following “Down On The Floor” before splitting in 1992. 

    “I Can't Wait To Tell You The News” is a fantastic Punk rush, all stampeding drums, spiky guitars and Larry Bangor’s dramatic delivery. “Kings In The Queen City” seems to deliver a manifesto for the singers lineage “I belong to the ruling family, I belong to the Bangor dynasty” and the final “Gotta Have Faith” is an uplifting, driving, droning ender. It’s all very American, this isn’t music you might ever think was made anywhere but the USA.

    I Can't Wait To Tell You The News - https://youtu.be/1xCYEJngwRs?si=8-L--hyxijwhZXA9

  3. 2023/4 Albums Thing 437 - Townes van Zandt “Rear View Mirror”

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    And so this thing reaches that last letter of the alphabet... 

    Townes van Zandt (no relation to the Skynyrd boys BTW) wrote and released what has come to be known as “Pancho & Lefty” (his song was originally titled “Poncho And Lefty”) in 1972. It has become a Country music standard. It has become a Country music standard. I have versions of it by Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Steve Earle and Jason Isbell. I know of other versions by Roseanne Cash, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Frank Turner and many others. It’s a fabulous story song in the great Country tradition, the tale of two outlaws, Lefty sells Pancho out to the federales and lives out his life up North in the cold of Ohio. I don’t now remember whose version I heard first but once I found out it was written by Townes van Zandt I made a mental note to find out about him.

    TvZ was a singer and songwriter from Fort Worth, Texas. Much of his career was spent playing bars and living in motels, for a time he lived in a shack with no electricity or telephone. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had issues with drugs and alcohol throughout his life. He died in 1997, from heart problems bought on by drug and alcohol abuse, at the age of 52. He never had any great success himself in his lifetime but Steve Earle, who met van Zandt in 1978 and regarded him as a mentor, said of him “<he's> the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that” (Dylan is a fan BTW).

    In 1981 Emmylou Harris and Don Williams had a #3 Country hit with Townes song “If I Needed You”. In 1983 Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard recorded an album together which not only included “Pancho & Lefty” but that’s what they titled the album. Steve Earle recorded an album of 15 TvZ songs in 2009 titled “Townes” (it’s part of a series including “Guy” the songs of Guy Clark, “Jerry Jeff” the songs of Jerry Jeff Walker and “J.T” the songs of his son Justin Townes Earle, spot what he did there ?). This guy obviously knew how to write a song and people love to keep recording ‘em.

    “Rear View Mirror” is a live recording (a sparesly attended performance by the sound of things) of 17 of Townes best known songs including the two we’ve already talked about alongside “Our Mother The Mountain”, “Tecumseh Valley”, “Waiting Around To Die”, “Colorado Girl” and many more. It was originally released in 1993 with the recording apparently made in Oklahoma in 1978 (this issue is on Pink vinyl too). He’s accompanied by Danny Rowland on second acoustic guitar and Owen Cody on fiddle, a very simple setting for some quite beautiful songs. From what I’ve read and been told about other TvZ performances he is on fine form for this one, sober and engaging. These may not be the best recordings of these songs but they are honest, graciously performed and show what a great writer Townes van Zandt was. An American Folk music giant in the great Texas Troubadour tradition.

    Pancho & Lefty - https://youtu.be/cOctHMWoYyc?si=ruiolfMCH1m4CoHA