"I'm making $5000 baby - so screw you!"

That quote will be familiar to anyone with a copy of Metallic KO, half of which comes from the final Raw Powerr Stooges show. Here's proof that five-grand was indeed the Stooges' going rate.

ReV RuSSeLL (not his real name) of New York City started his music industry career working at the Michigan Palace in the early '70s and happened to souvenir this contract for a Stooges gig at that venue.

Now working as a guitar tech for a number of bands he'd rather weren't named, he saw the Stooges in all their decadent, burning-the-candle-at=both-ends, desperate glory an enviable 13 times in the Michigan area. The gig that the contract is for pre-dated his working at the Palace.

ReV RuSSeLL has been out to Australia as a touring band crew member and knew this piece of memorabilia would strike a chord.

Click on the document for a detailed look. Then drool at the thought of the shows he saw that you and I missed.

Halfway Round The World

Been a long time between posts but don't take it personally. The Barmaid and I have been holidaying overseas, paying a visit to London, France and Kruger Park in South Africa just to mix things up.

In London, I was lucky enough to hook up with an ex-flkatmate Captain Philpott, my Birdman-obsessed Pom mate Jelly and Carlton Sandercock of Easy Action Records. Pints of beer were consumed.

In Paris, we were scheduled to meet up with Eric and Vinz of Holy Curse only to spot them in the unfamiliar vicinity of the Picasso Musueum, running an errand for Radio Birdman, believe it or not. We went to a dinner party hosted by Vinz and his wife Sophie and populated by heaps of mutual friends, and I caught Vinz playing with Dimi Dero Inc the night after. Dimi Dero Inc supported The Drones on European and Australian tours in 2007 and will be back in Australia in March '08.

A side trip to expat Aussie Greg Bowen's Funhouse Pub in Morlaix, on the Brittany coast, was a diverting cultural experience (piss up.)

As for the African leg of the trip, visit the blog of noted Australian author and our hostsAfrica Man and his wife Africa Woman for details. Suffice for me to say that you've not lived until two lionesses have sprung up out of the grass 30m away from you while you're on foot and all wine, beer and spirits should always be a third of the price it is back home.

Closer to home, the Klondike's North 40 CD "The Straight Path" was launched via gigs in Sydney and Melbourne while I was overseas. Thanks to all concerned. The album is available in the I-94 Bar Shop and all good retail stores.

Further afield, lovers of Detroit music will doubtless be interested in The Metro Times' lkist of the Top 100 Detroit Songs here. These lists are always academic but this one does give a measure of the quality of the music that's come out of the Motor City down the years.

And in a similar vein, the next album from trans-Atlantic (that'd be Michigan-via-Sweden) soul big band The Solution is out on December 27. This is the band led by Hellacopters guitarist Nick Royale (behind the traps) with Scott Morgan on vocals. I've been lucky enough to hear an unmastered version and it smokes.

Death of a download site

If you can't get your music illegally (technically speaking), get angry. This guy has some valid things to say about the need for a new music industry model.

How do you spell Wanker?

My Basque Country mate Juan of Bang Records spotted this. One for the guitar wankery fans and I can't see them getting a start on Juan's label:

Do Some More Pop

More news from the Shock Records camp (the desk of Dave Laing, actually) and you know you're going to need this:

DO THE POP! REDUX CONFIRMED FOR DECEMBER!
Acclaimed collection of '70s/80s Australian Punk & Garage Rock to return in new 3-part series, while classic '81 & '82 albums from the great post-Radio Birdman/pre-Hoodoo Gurus band get the deluxe treatment.

2002's acclaimed collection 'Do The Pop! The Australian Garage Rock Sound 1976-67' returns in October on Savage Beat! Records though Shock under the name 'DO THE POP! REDUX'. Like the original collection - which received substantial acclaim internationally, including a full page feature review in 'Mojo' and a rave review from David Fricke in American Rolling Stone - the new set differentiates itself from other Australian punk and post-punk collections by following the unique high energy rock'n'roll sound that spewed forth here in the late '70s and '80s, following the lead of Radio Birdman and The Saints. The new project will be spread over 3 new double discs each released two/three months apart, and is set to feature over 150 tracks, none of which appeared on the original set in 2002 .

'DO THE POP! REDUX Part One' will kick off with the first ever CD release of a rare track from Deniz Tek's pre-Radio Birdman outfit TV JONES before showcasing THE SAINTS and BIRDMAN themselves (Birdman are profiled with the album's title track as well as a rare live track from one of their legendary Paddington Town Hall shows). Punk era acolytes including THE PSYCHO SURGEONS, THE SURVIVORS, THE VICTIMS, JOHNNY DOLE & THE SCABS and RAZAR follow, as do X, perhaps the only Australian band of the original punk era whose reputation rivals that of Birdman and the Saints in some quarters.

Part One then proceeds to revel in the rock'n'roll spirit that took hold in Australia at the turn of the decade, at the very time the rest of post-punk world was proclaiming rock dead. THE SCIENTISTS, THE FUN THINGS, THE SUNNYBOYS, THE LIPSTICK KILLERS are amongst the bands of this period, as are Birdman offshoots including THE HITMEN, THE VISITORS and NEW RACE. Rare tracks from Brisbane's THE 31st (fronted by Ron Peno) and Perth's ROCKETS will also be featured. Melbourne fans will be happy to note that their hometown, which wasn't represented on the original set because of its narrower focus, is represented by a number of punk era bands, including BABEEZ, THE CHOSEN FEW and even the legendary REALS, featuring Garry Gray, Chris Walsh and Ollie Olsen, recordings of whom have never previously seen the light of day.

Volumes 2 & 3 will follow, covering the multi-faceted garage rock scene of the 80s as it explodes out of Sydney and takes hold around the country, and ultimately around the world. Expect killer tracks from a range of bands big and small - from THE HOODOO GURUS, GAS BABIES and WET TAXIS to THE JOHNNYS, CELIBATE RIFLES and SPIKES -all of whom drew heavily on the influence of 60's and 70's garage and punk rock.

Hitmen re-issues out next week

November 2 is the street date. Shock have done a stunning job with re-issues of the first two albums ("The Hitmen" and "It Is What It Is") with more bonuses that a doomed Aussie telco with a dozen directors on the gravy train. Here's a little something to whet your appetitte.
Don't forget - the Hitmen are touring Australia in December and there'be be a preview live at the I-94 Bar as early as next week.

Can't say too much but...

The Don't Look Back offshoot of the All Tomorrows Parties festivals is landing in Australia. This is the series where a notable band reprises one of its best-loved albums from go to whoa. Local promoter Feel Presents has opened the Aussie franchise. Read more here and bookmark it as the announcements aren't far off.

Since 2005 Don't Look Back internaitonally has included The Stooges (Funhouse), Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation), Belle & Sebastian (If You're Feeling Sinister), John Martyn (Solid Air), Ennio Morricone (Classic soundtracks), Slint (Spiderland) and even Australia's own Dirty Three (Ocean Songs).

Can't say too much but let's say people will be pleasantly surprised by some of the acts treading stages again early in 2008.

The Eastern Dark live 1985

A missive juts lobbed from ex-The Eastern Dark bass-player Bill Gibson who put this up on YouTube, less than half an hour ago:

The only known live footage of The Eastern Dark, at the Caringbah Inn in Sydney on November 2nd, 1985, performing their single Julie Is A Junkie. Thanks to Gerard Saliba for the footage.

RIP James Darroch 1960-1986.

Enjoy it. I did - that night and again now.

Inner Head Flight Royale (it's a podcast)

Get a load of the Inner Flight Head Royale podcast for some righteous Rock Action goodness. They run the gamut of all sorts of cool '60s sounds and the current one focuses on the Motor City. Download or strema it here.

The Playlist (and there's plenty more when this came from):

THE STRANGE FATE - Hold Me Baby
QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS - Girl (You Captivate Me)
THE SOUTHBOUND FREEWAY - Psychedelic Used Car Lot Blues
THE THYME - Somehow
THE BLUES COMPANY - Experiment in Color
THE MISTY WIZARDS - It's Love
THE ORANGE WEDGE - From the Womb to the Tomb
THE SCARLET LETTER - Mary Maiden
RARE EARTH - Magic Key
THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM - Tales of Lucy Blue
SRC - Daystar
ORMANDY - Good Day
THE MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
THE UP - Come On
THE STOOGES - Not Right
MAGIC - Keep On Movin' On
GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - High On A Horse
POWER OF ZEUS - The Sorcerer of Isis

Nomads DVD on the way

Big news. Munster Records (in Spain) are releasing a DVD about The Nomads, a still sporadically-functioning band that was a reference point for anyone north of the equator who was playing so-caleld garage rock in the '80s.

So great was their influence that their records also made it down to Australia and everyone from the MC5's Wayne Kramer to Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra has paid tribute. Here's a preview and the sage words in brogue come from Lindsay Hutton, esteemed ex-editor the the Next Big Thing zine and keeper of the blog by the same name:

KN40 not far away

You can pre-order it here.

The legendary Monks make it to the movies

Apparently, a rarely-seen German documentary about original beat-punks The Monks is making it to theatrical release in Europe.

If you don't know The Monks, do yourself a favour and track them down. A bunch of G.I.s serving in Germany in the '60s, they learned to play while in the military, got de-mobbed and signed to a local record company. To stand out from the crowd, they wore habits and shaved their heads, Friar Tuck-style. And played bizarre, over-amped beat music - with banjo as a lead instrument.

Here's the German theatrical trailer. Here's hoping the doco gets wider release or makes it to DVD.