Mystery Friday Number Seven: The dog looks good.
This is Koko:
She went to the groomer’s this afternoon, and she looks very pretty. Koko’s a good dog. Isn’t that right, Koko? ‘at’s a good girl.
Welcome to another episode of Mystery Friday on Saturday! Time once again to reach into the Box of Unknown, pull out a tape, play it, and attempt to describe it.
Tonight’s subject is a Maxell Epitaxial XL II 90 cassette, unmarked and in excellent condition, encased in a slightly cracked jewel box, with no j-card.
As usual, I haven’t a fig’s clue what’s on it. Hang on while I pour myself another drink.
OK let’s listen:
Side A
1) “Crawl In Bed” by The Del-Lords. One of THE great NYC bands. Scott “Top Ten” Kempner, Manny Caiati, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, and Frank Funaro. Look ’em up if you’re not familiar and thank me later.
2) “Judas Kiss” by The Del-Lords. Well, I guess this is the 1988 Del-Lords album Based on a True Story. Here’s the cover:
And here’s the song:
3) “River Of Justice”. Oh cool, this is a different track listing. This song ends the original album.
4) “Cheyenne”. And this is #7. I did a profile of these guys for The Musicians’s Exchange when Story was released; maybe this is an advance promo?
5) “Poem Of The River”. Same spot as on the album. Folks, this record is so damn good. A shame it’s not better known.
6) “The Cool And The Crazy”. Roscoe plays several fierce solos on this one. The Del-Lords were murderous live, by the way; I saw them numerous times at CBGB and elsewhere. Here, watch this.
7) “A Lover’s Prayer”
8) “Ashes To Ashes”. This is #3 on the official release. I’m gonna assume Scott or Eric gave me this. No video for this one, for no reason whatsoever.
9) “Whole Lotta Nothin’ Goin’ On”. NYC rock n’ roll in excelsis.
10) “I’m Gonna Be Around”. The #4 song on this album concludes this alternate cassette version.
Man, what fun to hear these songs again. I hope you enjoyed listening with me! Of course, as always, I wonder if there’s anything on…
Side B
1) “Too Cool” by Tang S’Dang. From Bigger And Harder, our second album. Produced by Luke DeLalio and recorded by Gary Wade in 1992 at Soundscape studio, on 52nd Street near 10th avenue — a rough neighborhood in those days. Gary’s studio was up in the fourth or fifth floor and had no buzzer; we had to stand in the street and yell until he dropped us the keys out the window, in a Shure SM57 microphone case.
2) “Marie And The Minotaur” by Tang S’Dang. Is this alternate version night? “Marie” is #3 on the official release.
3) “Flood I” by Sisters Of Mercy. OK this is random. From 1987’s Floodland. #2 on that album.
https://youtu.be/9rtru1NkTKw
4) “Lucretia My Reflection” by Sisters Of Mercy. Released as a single, May 1988. Great damn song. #3 on the LP
5) “1959” by Sisters Of Mercy. #4 on the album. “This Corrosion” should be next. Hope so.
6) “This Corrosion” by Sisters Of Mercy. Yes. The first single, 18 September 1987. Andrew Eldritch looks cute in this video. Not as pretty as Koko, though. I think this is the extended version.
https://youtu.be/a-Z04YhaJGM
7) “Flood II” by Sisters Of Mercy. This tape would make more chronological sense without the two Tang S’Dang tracks from 1992. I wonder if they were recorded over “Dominion/Mother Russia”, the opening song of Floodland?
8) “Driven Like The Snow” by Sisters Of Mercy. I wonder if the famous Carole made this tape. She was more into the Sisters than I was.
9) “Never Land (a fragment)” by Sisters Of Mercy. Carole pointed out that we don’t own this album on vinyl, and suggested it may have been borrowed from The Music Paper. Works for me.
https://youtu.be/yVKx5eNgALU
Well, there it is. Two great, forgotten mid-’80s LPs, and a coupla Tang S’Dang songs. Could be worse.