Ian Hunter

Ian Hunter & The Rant Band
'Soul Of America'
Rockefeller Park, NYC
June 24 '09
Andy Burton - keyboardss
MC Bosch - guitar
Ian Hunter - vocals, guitar, piano
Steve Holley - drums
Paul Page - bass
James Mastro - guitar

North Fork Sound Top 20 July 19th 09

Dave Alvin
Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett, NY
7/12/09
photo: ht

1. Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women: Downey Girl
2. Big Joe Turner: Long Down Dog
3. Kim Simmonds: Out Of The Blue
4. Matt & Kim: Lessons Learned
4. Burning Spear: Man In The Hills
5. The Dirty Strangers (feat: Keith Richards) : She’s A Real Botticelli
6. The Rainman Suite: Valerie Is A Vampire
7. Ian McNabb (feat. Mike Scott): New Light
8. Jack Oblivian: Sweet Thang
9. False Virgins: Saviour Of The Pleasure Beast
10. Tracie Hunter: Religion (original version)
11. Randy Parsons (feat: Nancy Atlas): Sweet Motion
12. Mac Gayden: It’s All Right
13. Donnie Elbert: A Little Piece Of Leather
14. Mickey Murray: Shout Bamalama
16. Lori Carson: Something’s Got Me
17. Matthew Sweet & Suzanna Hoffs: I’ve Seen All Good People
18. Johnny Cash: The Beast In Me
19. The Liverpool Scene: Batpoem
20. Bell XI: A Better Band

NoFoSo Alb o’ The Week:
Ian Hunter: Man Overboard

Ian Hunter & The Rant Band
'Man Overboard'
Rockerfeller Park, NYC June 24th '09
Andy Burton - keyboardss
MC Bosch - guitar
Ian Hunter - vocals, guitar, piano
Steve Holley - drums
Paul Page - bass
James Mastro - guitar

The Guilty Pleasure:
Marijuana Hemp Techno: Quit Playing Games With God

Dialog excerpts “Joe Curran” (Peter Boyle) from ‘Joe Speaks’ (OST)

Last 2 Week’s Listener Thumbs-Ups:
Alex McMurray: You’ve Got To Be Crazy To Live In This Town
The Fugs: Kill For Peace
Mick Ronson: Growing Up And I’m Fine
Tim Buckley: Get On Top
Mink Deville: Spanish Stroll
Ninian Hawick: Scottish Rite Temple Stomp
Terry Anderson: 37 Miles In Reverse
Mary-Margaret O’Hara: To Cry About
Squeeze: Up The Junction
Mickey Jupp: Down In Old New Orleans
Ian Dury: Bed O’ Roses #9
Kris Kristofferson: In The News
Roky Erickson: Click Your Fingers Applauding The Play
NRBQ: I Found A Love
If: Dockland
The Social Climbers: Chicken 80
Squeeze: Another Nail In My Heart
The Low Anthem: Cage The Songbird
The Fools: Psycho Chicken
Elvis Presley: Too Much Monkey Business
Big Maybelle: One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show
Steve Gibbons Band: Speed Kills
Kristin Hersh: Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
Keith Powell And The Valets: Too Much Monkey Business
Johnny Cash: The Chicken In Black
Chicken Coop sound effect(!)
David Johansen: Space Monkey
Amy Rigby: Don’t Break The Heart
Gillian Welch: One Monkey
Bees Make Honey: Kentucky Chicken Fry
Gene Casey & The Lone Sharks: Pretty Thing
Lou Reed: I’m So Free
Wanda Jackson: There’s A Party Going On
Bo Diddley: Googlia Moo
Dr. John: Monkey Puzzle
Delbert McClinton: Monkey Around
Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women: Marie Marie
Booker T & The MG’s: Chicken Pox
Jimmy Murphy: Baboon Boogie
Johnny Kidd & The Pirates: Shakin’ All Over
Big Al Anderson & The Balls: Pawn Shop Guitars
22 Pistepirrko: Birdy
ManBreak: Future Days
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band: Canyons Of Your Mind
James Hunter: Don’t Come Back
Show Me Action: Sebastian And The Island
The Resentments: Too Much Monkey Business
Wesley Reynolds: Trip To The Moon
Reverend Organdrum: Strollin’ With Bones
Iggy Pop: Girls
New York Dolls: Better Than You
The Rolling Stones: Can’t You Hear Me Knocking
The Dirty Strangers: South Of The River
Terry Allen: The Pink And Black Song
Suicide: Touch Me
The Versatiles: Let Me Through (Mr. Gateman)
The Ramones: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
Yellowman: Body Move
Ian McNabb: Merseybeast

North Fork Sound Top 20 - June 28th '09

1. The Low Anthem: Charlie Darwin
2. Fleetwood Mac: Albatross
3. Graham Parker: Bullet Of Redemption
4. Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & The True Loves: Ace Of Spades
5. Jim Jones Revue: Rock ‘n’ Roll Psychosis
6. Ray Davies & The Crouch End Festival Chorus: Do You Remember Walter?
7. Tapper Zukie: MPLA
8. Swamp Dogg: Total Destruction To Your Mind
9. Ian McNabb: You Must Be Prepared To Dream
10. Björk: Declare Independence
11. Steve Reich: Music For 18 Musicians (excerpt)
12. Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers: Bustin’ Loose
13. Amy Winehouse: Do Me Good
14. Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3: Goodnight Oslo
15. Muddy Waters: (I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
16. Sandy Denny: For Shame Of Doing Wrong
17. Gene Casey & The Lone Sharks: Who's Sharing The Moon
18. Suicide: Be Bop Kid
19. Hank Jacobs: East Side
20. Peggy Lee: I’m A Woman

NoFoSo Alb o’ The Week:

Amy Allison: Sheffield Streets (Urban Myth Records)

AA meeting
Lindsay Hutton, Amy Allison, Avy Carroll
photo: Karen McBurnie

The Guilty Pleasure:
Girls Can’t Help It: Baby Doll (Virgin Records, UK)

Last Week’s Listener Thumbs-Ups:
Jill Sobule: A Good Life
Spirit: Prelude/Nothing To Hide
The Flamin’ Groovies: Shake Some Action
Paul Westerberg: Dyslexic Heart
Andy Fairweather-Low: Wide Eyed And Legless
Peter Hammill: Ghost Of Planes
The White Stripes: Icky Thump
Billy Fury: Wondrous Place
AC/DC: Stiff Upper Lip
Pink Floyd: Careful With That Axe Eugene
Café Tacuba: El Punal Y El Corazón
Led Zeppelin: Communication Breakdown
Jackie Wilson: Doggin’ Around
Ike & Tina Turner: River Deep Mountain High
The Yayhoos: A Bottle And A Bible
Willie Nelson & Winton Marsalis:
Garbage: Special
Pete Townshend: Let My Love Open The Door
The Seeds: Up In Her Room
10,000 Maniacs: Scorpio Rising
John Doe & The Sadies: I Still Miss Someone
Bob Seger: Get Out Of Denver
New York Dolls (w/Iggy Pop): Gimme Luv (And Turn On The Light)
Doug Sahm & The Tex Mex Trip: Beautiful Texas Sunshine
Rickie Lee Jones: Walk Away Renee
Tim Buckley: Dolphins
The Psychedelic Furs: Pretty In Pink
ZZZ: Lalala
James Hunter: Don’t Do Me No Favours
Van Der Graaf Generator: Interference Patterns
Blur: Parklife
Alex McMurray: Where K-Doe Lives
Dusty Springfield: Your Love Still Brings Me To My Knees
Carlene Carter: Every Little Thing
Ian Hunter: Girl From The Office
Amy Allison: Dream World
Chairmen Of The Board: Give Me Just A Little More Time
James Brown: Out Of Sight
Wilbert Harrison: Let’s Work Together (Pts 1&2)
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band: I’m Going To Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight
Bonnie Raitt: Let Me In
Buddy Holly: Not Fade Away

Ian Hunter & The Rant Band
'23A Swan Hill/Sweet Angeline'
Rockefeller Park, NYC
June 24 '09
Andy Burton - keyboardss
MC Bosch - guitar
Ian Hunter - vocals, guitar, piano
Steve Holley - drums
Paul Page - bass
James Mastro - guitar

It could have poured, but it didn't. And a freshly turned 70 year-"officially old" Ian Hunter could have phoned it in, but he didn't. Instead, he and his superb band kicked out the jams Wednesday night to a strong-in-numbers and appreciative crowd in the shadow of Battery Park City and what was once the World Trade Center.
Starting with 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy' he pulled songs from most stages of his career, including a few choice Mott The Hoople tunes. However, despite a rousing encore of 'Saturday Gigs/All The Young Dudes', the song of the night - no question - was the title track from his new album, 'Man Overboard'. It just might be his best song ever and it's no fluke, as the new album - out July 21st, and previewed here on North Fork Sound - is chock-full of classic Hunter tunes.
Finally, one of the people I went to the show with, Ed Hamell (of Hamell On Trial), has a new dvd coming out soon. Check this trailer:

North Fork Sound Top 20 April 26th ‘09

1. Sam Cooke: Little Red Rooster
2. John Lydon: Dog
3. Bob Dylan: It’s All Good
4. Huw Gower: Memory Lane
5. Roy Harper: Sgt. Sunshine
6. Toots & The Maytals: Reggae Got Soul (remake)
7. Jimmy Witherspoon: You Gotta Crawl Before You Walk
8. Tracey Curtis: If The Death Penalty Were An Olympic Sport
9. Robert Medici: She Said Drive
10. Jill Sobule: Nothing To Prove
11. Joey Ramone & General Johnson: Rockaway Beach
12. Hugh Cornwell: Beat Of My Heart
13. Willie Nelson: Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down
14. John Adams: Short Ride In A Fast Machine
15. The Mermen: Blue Xoam
16. Sara Leport: Beethoven Pathetique Son. #8 in C Minor 2nd Movement
17. Brett Smiley: Va Va Va Voom
18. Timi Yuro: What’s A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You)
19. Neil Young: Johnny Magic
20. Alan Vega w/A.R.E. Weapons: See Tha’ Light

NoFoSo Alb o’ The Week:
Charlie Haden Family And Friends: Rambling Boy (Decca)

The Guilty Pleasure:
Raquel Welch: I’m Ready To Groove (Hanna-Barbera Records)

Last Week’s Listener Thumbs-Ups:
Doug Powell: A Prayer For Ray Davies
Wheatus: Punk Ass Bitch
Syd Straw & Marc Ribot: Whole Wide World
3 Aces And A Joker: Booze Party
Lou Reed & John Cale: Nobody But You
Mac Gayden: Morning Glory
Tomorrow: My White Bicycle
Booker T Jones: She Breaks
Dion: Your Own Backyard
The Fun Lovin’ Criminals: The View Belongs To Everyone
The O’Jays: Back Stabbers
Angel Corpus Christi: Surfer Girl
Jook: Crazy Kids
Thomas Dinger: Für Dich
John Cale: Pablo Picasso
Gregory Isaacs: Mr. Cop
The Tornados: Telstar
Shawn Sahm & Augie Myers: Mendocino
Tinsley Ellis & The Heartfixers: Hong Kong Mississippi
John Lydon w/Leftfield: Open Up (full vocal mix)
Patto: The Man
The Liverbirds: He’s About A Mover
Wynder K Frog: Green Door
The Tubes: Don’t Touch Me There
The Phobics: Lipstick
Tim Buckley: Look At The Fool
The Wolfmen: Jackie Says
Tragic Mulatto: Hardcore Bigot Scum Get Stabbed
Timmy Thomas: Why Can’t We Live Together
Delbert McClinton: Texas me
Bruce Anderson: The Inherent Beauty Of Hopelessness
The Yardbirds: Baby What’s Wrong
Dave Alvin: Dynamite Woman
The Star Spangles: Tear It To Pieces Girl
Tracey Ullman: They Don’t Know
Illusion Fields: Feral Pups Of Frenchman Street
Hamell On Trial: Sugarfree
Joe South: Games People Play
The Firecharmers: The Rainbow Song

Mr. Blonde (ManBreak, The Firecharmers)
Bateman St, London, April 5th '09

This week, we celebrate the opening of the North Fork’s much-needed Red Rooster Bistro with Sam Cooke’s ‘Little Red Rooster’. Additionally, taking their place on the play-list are versions by Howlin’ Wolf, the Rolling Stones and The Jesus And Mary Chain while ex-Housemartins and Beautiful South singer, Paul Heaton, gives us an entirely different tune with the same title.

The New Release Bin offers entries by Bob Dylan, Jill Sobule, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Hugh Cornwell, Alan Vega w/A.R.E. Weapons and Sara Leport while a great remake of ‘Reggae Got Soul’ by Toots & The Maytals and a re-worked ‘Sunday Morning Comin’ Down’ by Willie Nelson (from the original masters) show how a couple of classics can be updated most effectively. The same applies to Rockaway Beach, which gets the ‘beach music’ treatment by Joey Ramone and (The Chairmen Of The Board’s) General Johnson.

Kevin Patrick, Joey Ramone
W. 23rd St, NYC
photo: ht (scanned from a lenticular 3-D print)

Duane Eddy turns 80 today and if it weren’t for him (and Dick Dale) we probably wouldn’t have The Mermen, whose 'Blue Xoam' is pulled out of obscurity for the occasion.

Tracey Curtis names and shames 63 nations who still favour capital punishment in our protest song of the week, ‘If The Death Penalty Were An Olympic Sport’.

John Lydon, ht
photo: Michael Halsband

John Lydon got short shrift when his solo album came out in 1997 but we don’t care and this week, ‘Dog’ is dedicated to Sophia.

Timi Yuro shows up because we can never get enough of ‘What’s A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You)’. Thanks to Christine Ohlman for sending it in. Can't wait to play her forthcoming album which features Ian Hunter, Dion DiMucci, Levon Helm, Andy York, Marshall Crenshaw and GE Smith, to name a stellar few.

In 1974, Brett Smiley, “the most beautiful boy in the world” (according to Disc Magazine) appeared on the UK’s Russell Harty Show performing his new B-side (!!!), ‘Space Ace’. His whispy performance made David Bowie look like Haystacks Calhoun. I have no idea why I had to rush out and buy his one single on Anchor Records, but I did. The A-side, 'Va Va Va Voom', features guitar by Steve Marriott which manages somewhat to make up for being the fey-est 45 ever made. Produced by NoFoSo favourite, Andrew Loog Oldham.

Brett Smiley 7" picture sleeve

Christine Ohlman

Christine Ohlman
Bridgeport, CT
Sept 4th '08

Immediately after the 15 seconds it took to do this ID, some officious twerp in an orange jacket came over to tell us we weren't allowed to film there. Never mind that only 50 feet away, several people were taking pictures and filming friends and family as they were disembarking the ferry. How anyone could have thought we were dangerous terrorists scoping out a potential target near the trash dumpsters is way beyond me but, then again, I would never have thought one of the people up for election in November goes to a church where they speak in tongues, believe humanity is in its 'end times' and think it's "God's plan" to fight the war in Iraq, either.
On a more important note however, 'Re-hive', a collection of Christine Ohlman's best work with Rebel Montez is coming out shortly and right now, she's hard at work on a new one featuring Levon Helm, Dion, Ian Hunter, Andy York and Marshall Crenshaw. My vote's with her.

Mick Ronson

During my first week on the job at Trident, David Bowie came in to cut 'Hunky Dory'. David cut quite a dashing figure with his long blonde tresses, his yellow patent leather Mary-Janes and Oxford bags. He was confident, outspoken, handsome, eager to give an opinion about anything, approachable and very easy to talk to. Thanks to a batch of dodgy tea I'd made (due to some milk that had gone bad and tasted fishy) David decided to call me Harry Kipper and from then on, everyone at the studio called me Kip. When he wasn't bust singing, he'd talk about the music that influenced him and pointed me in the direction of The Stooges and The Velvet Underground. I wasn't really familiar with either, although a neighbour, Veronica Curry, had the first VU alb and I'd seen the Stooges discs at Harum Records in Crouch End. In return for the excellent tips, I lent him a couple of albums by The Pretty Things and The Yardbirds and never saw them again, much to my dismay. During my time at Trident, he also recorded The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (that's me, turning the phasing knob for the strings in 'Moonage Daydream', an 8-hand mix), Pin Ups and Diamond Dogs. The last time I got to work with David was when he came by to get some acetates of 'Rebel Rebel' made. By this time, I was working in the disc-cutting room at Trident, as Ray Staff's #2.
Mick Ronson was quiet and introverted in person...even humble. He was one of the nicest people I ever met. He was genuinely friendly and I really enjoyed the times I spent with him, watching him work. When he wasn’t tracking his guitar parts, he’d be reading 'The Theory of Music', pencil in hand, 'staff paper' on his lap, learning how to write the notes for an orchestral arrangement. I vividly recall him (stiffly, but successfully) conducting his first 40 piece orchestral session. Mick's arrangements were beautiful and helped David reach a much wider audience. Check out the strings on 'Starman'. His parts for Lou Reed's 'Transformer' gave Lou's career a massive boost, too. Mick smoked roll-ups, liked his tea and, while every one else would send me out to get curries from the Shahbag or sandwiches from The Sandwich Scene, he liked me to cook him beans on toast for his dinner during the overnight sessions. His thick Yorkshire accent was undisguised and as real as it gets and sounded funny coming from a man who wore the tightest Stirling Cooper jeans and shirts you could ever imagine.
The first time I ever came to Manhattan in the mid 70s, I was walking up 7th Avenue in the West Village enjoying the sights when I hear, “Kip! what’re you up to?” It was Mick. We chatted, and I immediately felt at home. On my second visit to Manhattan, I’m walking along Broadway, this time, looking for Stirling Sound and out of the blue, there’s Mick again, smiling and carrying on as if both of us had just bumped into each other outside The Ship on Wardour St. The last time I saw him, he was very sick with liver cancer, his golden aura now a faint yellowy-grey. We were in the bar at the Halcyon Hotel on Holland Park and he was looking for some production work. Later, Ian Hunter wrote 'Michael Picasso' about Ronno. It's a real tear jerker for anyone who met him.