Monday 11 September 2023

Melvins – "A Tribute To The Kinks" ( Amphetamine Reptile Records – SCALE 138)


Those infuriating Twats in America banned the Kinks from entering their charmless country because they were thought of as too violent????...Ironic coming from the most violent place that isn't actually at war on the planet,then, and now!? 
This led to the Kinky ones to be rather a cult item in the USA in the late sixties.So Buzz,being the type who eeks out anything subterranean,obviously homed in on the Kinks,and recognized that they had obviously invented 'Punk Rock'.......They didn't, because,as I've argued many a freakin' time, that there was no Punk Rock before it had a name,a look, and a manifesto. The argu-ee often came out with stuff like "Wot about Blue Cheer,Wot about MC5,Wot about the Stooges, Wot about The Dolls......well first The Dolls were american Glam,and The Stooges were American Glam, and Blue Fucking Cheer were a poor man's Led Zep.MC5 looked like the biker rock revivalist Hippies they were.All can be lumped in the proto Punk category, along with Kinks and The Troggs and The Who and many,many, mooorrrre yaaawwwn.
Change the question as to who were the earliest 'PROTO-Punk'band,now ya talkin', Yeah ,we got a toss up between The Kinks ,The Troggs and the Who?
I mean, how far do these fools want us to go back....Al Jolson, Mozart? Kunta Kinte?.....what a bunch of Kunta Kinte's!
The Melvins ,clearly understand this,being obviously conversant in rock'n'roll history, and so deliver these two Kinks classics as if they were done by the UK Subs in 1982. (they were always 2 or 3 years behind bless 'em.) 
Like all these Rocker conformist types always say about, (punk saying I can't stand number #1) "The Punk Thing"...scheech.....(punk saying I can't stand number #2)....."It's an Attitude"....OMFG.
It's all ,in fact, none of these things,especially The Punk Thing.
Once its defined by such bollocks as "It's an Attitude maaan",it dies and becomes embossed in the dictionary of Rock filed under 'P'.
And then we have "The Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame" to tell us allll about it.The most Rock'n'Roll thing that place could do is burn itself down...wherever the fuck it is? Anyone ever been there? And why?...answer the last question first.

Tracklist:

A -Atitude
B -Victoria

3 comments:

Ifor Biggwn said...

Sex Pistols were a New Yorks Dolls rip-off band, Johnny Thunder even told Kris Needs from what song they stole the riff, before that they were playing songs by The Kinks, Who, Creation, Small Faces and Chuck Berry ditties till Lydon showed up. Him with reggae and Status Quo records.
The Kinks did social commentary songs, Richard Hell ript his clothes and said don't shoot me please! after asking the audience to kill him! John Lennon, MC5 all swore on vinyl. Nothing new about punk. Except the gobbing, Weller started that, he had catarrh and some Fleet Street wag said them punks are disgusting, spitting at each other!
You forgot The Sonics who were a great proto punk band and Kinks and Little Richard fans, their Louie Louie is better than anyones, Kinks, Motorhead, Sisters of Mercy, Clash, etc.

Jonny Zchivago said...

O Gawd...see what I mean?
Well Johnny Thunder was a kinks song (village Green I believe)...and which NEW YOrk dolls song wasn't a ripp of of Chuck Berry?
Cross Status Quo with the Bay City Rollers and what do you get...the Ramones?
Yeah Good call for the Sonics....Maybe The Monks?..was gonna say The Seeds, but they were just British Invasion impressionists.....y'know, Nuggets.
The best 'Louie Louie' was obviously by Three Day Stubble:
https://youtu.be/okCI2JFK5wo?si=v8HtoKeLmC-d2Vuy

For the Pistols,the music was a side issue really.There was only ever one punk in the pistols,the rest were just props for the concept...but the music was extrordinary in the context it was made and performed....no-one like them before or after i'm afraid. Punk Rock as we know it today started the day The Pistols started. All the other pretenders were blatantly envious...including little Johnny Thunder

Jonny Zchivago said...

oh yeah forgot...The Dolls.....Rolling Stones tribute band or wot?