Now I

Owen in Rock 2012 - Now I by Owen In Rock on Mixcloud

Welcome to the LAST EVER blog for Owen in Rock

"WHY LAST?!"

I'll tell you shouting Jeremy - because in the next show (Sixties II) I will resume my talking and there will be NO NEED for this essentially superfluous tie-in blog.

"HURRAH!"

Now could you please leave Jeremy you're horrifying the cats.

Witchcraft are one hell of a band. Also, they're fucking Swedish. They are so vintage that they make my face hurt. The album cover here is obviously what I butchered for the show there, and it itself is a modifcation of Aubrey Beardsley's pen-and-ink drawing of Merlin in a lateVictorian version of  the Death of King Arthur. So there. No help from Wikipedia.

Chrome Hoof are my favourite band. I fucking love them. Vapourise is a song from 2010's Crush Depth - a kick arse doom-electro-funk-psychedelic-space-rock record of sublime odditude. I recommend you investigate them. Also Ford Prefect joins them at the end (from the early noughties re-invention of Hitchhiker's that I also recommend).

Anthrax here, "remastering" some of their old songs through the medium of smearing John Bush on them. Sod John Bush. Can't beat early Anthrax though, no matter who's bellowing it - and it sounds nicely current at the very least. And this has a better cover than Fistful of Metal (which Panic was originally on) by about ten miles. I mean look at it.

Seriously what the fuck is that about? The physics are ridiculous let alone the fact that the hand is tiny. Is that a child's hand? Why is a child punching out through the back of that guy's head?! The voice you hear between this and the next song is Mrs Gunderson. Obviously.

Interglacial Spell is by Amplifier - a sorting of plodding neo-prog band from t'Manchester. I saw them recently in Sheffield and they had this octopus thing on a tie. I wanted to buy it. I didn't. Maybe I'll always regret it - but that's something for FutureOwen to deal with. You can listen to the entire of last years The Octopus album on BandCamp - for FREE. IF YOU FEEL THE NEED.

You Already Know were a Scottish sort of ... instrumental (?math) rock band. I think they've folded now but last year's Petrol Money is a bloomin' lovely record. Full of great (?math) tunes - that you can attach any name to. Math you could call it. Sludge probably not. It's a bit of a game. Gludder is my favourite genre.

This is a live version of World Wide Suicide from Pearl Jam's sprawling "Live at the Gorge" live album - which is seven discs long and VERY MUCH WORTH IT (don't listen to me I'm massively biased). This track is from... the sixth disc. July 23rd 2006 it was, a hot and sticky night in the Gorge Amphitheatre by all accounts and one where much Pearl Jam was played. The song is, of course, from 2006's "Pearl Jam" album.

These Bees I Breed (Know What I Need) is a neat little ditty from a duo known elusively as Dan Shandy and The Shambling Dandies - they were big in 2010 for about a day I think but since then I don't know what's happened to either of them. Although the guitarist Ron Lamp highly recommends Gilmore Trail

I don't actually know who Mitch Laddie is, I'll be honest. I guess he's one of those new blues guitarist. One of those types - he showed up on one of those Classic Rock cover CDs that have loads of new blues guitarists on them. That are all not Joe Bonamassa. He's got a very youthful voice though and This Time Around has got a nice restrained swing behind it. Could be good. Also - look out for a wee bit of Vic Reeves at the end. I put that in. Wow.

Joe Satriani is the big boots of instrumental mainstream rock records. All of his are bloody good - also he's got a head like a plucked falcon.

This is The Atomic Bitchwax with Cloning Chamber from their second record. It's heavy-as-hell stoner 'n' roll and I'm addicted to it. Also worth tracking down is their live "Boxriff" compilation which is like this only superfuckinglive.

Dozer are underrated as hell - another Swedish heavyband that I've got all the time in the world for. This track which I DELIGHTFULLY misspelled but am unwilling to correct is called Octanoid and it's from 2001's "Madre de Dios" - if you like it I politely request that you go and hoover a lot of it up because it's magic.

The Hidden Hand were a sort of... conspiracy-stoner band formed by the legendary Scott "Wino" Weinrich who makes literally every other musician in the universe seem lazy. Apart from Devin Townshend.
Most songs are about conspiracies and whatnot but it's all a lark. This is from 2005's "Divine Propaganda"

Now - I'm fairly indifferent to The Black Keys whose take on Blues Rock doesn't really sound any different to any other band that have ever called themselves Blues Rock. Apart from the fact that they're massive with the AWFULLY TRENDY. Dan Auerbach however, recorded a fucking spectacular solo album in 2009 full of atmospheric mournful tunes that kicks the living arse. This is the prettiest of them but the album is actually quite raw. Neat.

Finally - it wouldn't be a now show without ...uh, Bruce Dickinson. Seriously though, love the man and his solo stuff is excellent. Tyranny of Souls came out in 2005 and this is a track from it. Although, of course that's a Hans Memling painting on the cover. It's a demon. It's what Hans Memling thought demons looked like. The nutter.


That's it - !

Nineties I

Owen in Rock 2012 - 90s I by Owen In Rock on Mixcloud

WELL I NEVER - who knew that the nineties could fit into one show...and avoid all the groundbreaking things being done by shoegazers, trip hoppers, indie poppers and art rockers? Instead I focus on the heavy dogs, the lardy canines wot dominated the lank-haired greasy eared headphones of those in shirts and jeans.

Magic Roundabout by Acid Reign. Off of "The Worst Of" which this show's cover is STOLEN from. Except instead of Les, the bald mute assistant of Vic Reeves' Big Night Out fame, it's me. I have no fear of chives, I have no love of spirit levels. All I feel is a trepidation that I'll potentially go bald. Acid Reign were prime "silly thrashers" from t'North. It's a barren land and needs all the silliness it can get.

Megadeth, on the other hand, are not that silly. Well actually yes they are. This song isn't too silly though - the title track from 1992's Countdown to Extinction. Here they are ECONOMICALLY ANXIOUS thrashers. Admire the melodies and carefully dissect the Mustaine drawl to access the meat within.

Stevie Salas is a funk guitarist - who as a young man toured with the Parliament Funkadelic P-Funk roadshow - on this here record, he and a bunch of mates recorded covers and basically had a lark. It's good fun - and here Zakk Wylde plays the solo and VINCE RUBY sings - it's a Rick Derringer song. WHO'S VINCE RUBY you ask? I don't fucking know.

and then Arcturus appeared and ruined the party by freaking out. This seminal Norwegian bunch of AVANT GARDENERS tramped about Europe in the dark nineties days and bugged people. Garm sang, Hellhammer drummed, and I was at school. Knowing little about it. It's an incestuous thing, Norwegian metal, and you'll find a veritable who's who of them swanning about the Arcturus family tree. Stepping on apples.

What happened to Anthrax in the nineties I hear you ask with barely any interest - well they got less silly and hired John Bush. That was it.

Groove metal.

What's that?

I don't know. It's what they call Pantera.

Why?

Not sure. Sounds good though.

Does it?

To me it does.

Why do you like it?

It's heavy.

Fair enough.

Animal by Pearl Jam - from that TRICKY second album - a short sharp blast of grungy fury that I'm rather fond of. It's basically Eddar Veddo (actual name, look it up) ranting about record company bosses. Or something. He liked to rant that boy. Now he likes to surf, which I understand is much harder to do and therefore more rewarding.

Ah... stoner. My favourite of all nineties musical movements - the heavy riffage, the grooves, the obligatory use of the word "stoner". By all accounts Orange Goblin are more drinkers than tokers - by god I love them hairy bastards. Also - possibly the best album title in recorded history.

What is this?! The Zakk Wylde show? No, no that would be awful. Pride & Glory are a sort of countrified metally type project by the bikery bloke - it's all good solid fun and great to play the popular drinking game "SPOT THE OVERUSE OF PINCH HARMONICS" ahh yea mamma lawd

Morphine. A sort of strange laid-back "low rock" trio from Massachusetts formed by the now-dead amazingly-named Mark Sandman whose sonorous tones and two-string slide bass playing make Morphine ALRIGHT WITH ME.

Talking of "low rock" no other early band from the early nineties make such a fucking horrendously muddy racket than White Zombie - culty as the day is long. Interesting fact: The album appeared in it's entirety on the soundtrack to "Way of the Warrior" an ultra violent beat-em-up on the rarely-seen 3DO console.

I mean... WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?! Why has it got a bright orange revolver?!

Lord of Putrefaction were Jus Oborn's first band (that's RIGHT Electric Wizard's Jus Oborn)ad it's foul funeral doom of the grimmest order. It was recorded in '91 for a split EP with Mortal Remains - who as far as I can tell never did anything ever again. None of them. They just dug holes and climbed in them and stayed there. The compilation record Pre Electric Wizard also contains two other pre-Electric Wizard bands "Eternal" and "They Grief Eternal" and is ordered backwards so it gets harder to listen to the further it goes on. Which is, you know, basically what the entire genre is about. Doom, it's a beautiful game.

...now for ANTI DOOM. The Black Crowes - a sort-of nineties revival blues band who produced feather-shakin' tamborine-tappin' retro rock for people who were FAR TOO TRENDY to like The Allman Brothers Band. That's alright with me though, lawdy mamma. After all, is this not a BOB MARLEY song?! Oh my my.

Look at that pretentious sod. It's Steve Vai - guitar botherer and producer of DISTINCTLY nineties sounds. If I had to define the early nineties gloss - that sort of eighties hangover with more fringes - I'd go here. Neat little tune is this.

THAT'S IT - THIS WAS THE NINETIES. Next week, we'll be dipping our face IN THE NOW


O