New York Rocker: The Complete Cover Scans

Austin-based collector Ryan Richardson strikes again. He's gone and given New York Rocker the complete set cover scan treatment. Not quite as deep & thorough as what he did a few years back with Rock Scene magazine, its still an impressive feast for the eyes, and a great thing to see! Check all of the covers here, and be sure to check the rest of his site, Fanzine Faves, for other long lost, um, faves. And, as always, Ryan sells collectables at his site, Ryebread Rodeo.

Stupefied: The Andy Schwartz Playlist

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© is brought to us by one of my favorite writers, and someone I'm happy to call a friend, Mr. Andy Schwartz. Andy contributes a wonderful essay & playlist based on the blue eyed soul genre. I can say with certainty that having his writing on this blog definitely classes the joint up. Thank you Andy! Hit play and read along...

Andy Schwartz by Tim Broun, 2013

Blue-Eyed Soul: Trying to precisely define the term describing black music performed by white artists can be a slippery slope - while some of the genre’s greatest practitioners are among its most obscure.

By Andy Schwartz

One night in early December, I sat with music-business veteran and fellow Hall of Fame voter Gregg Geller in a Manhattan nightclub. When the conversation turned to the topic of this essay, he reflected: “ ‘Soul’ as a vocal quality is timeless, eternal. But ‘blue-eyed soul’ is a moment in time.”

Gregg was referring to a pop–music phenomenon whose rise and fall paralleled that of African-American soul music itself. Among its spiritual predecessors were Bing Crosby, whom bandleader Artie Shaw called “the first hip white person”; Johnnie Ray, whose histrionic style borrowed heavily from black gospel and early rhythm & blues; and Elvis Presley, who scored across–the–board hits on the pop, country and R&B charts alike.

When I e-mailed some twenty music aficionados around the country, informally soliciting their favorite “white soul” artists and recordings, their enthusiastic replies cited nearly seventy artists, spanning the musical alphabet from Mose Allison to Timmy Yuro. A New York label entrepreneur’s all–British list included Tom Jones, the Bee Gees, and Simply Red. A Georgia journalist named prewar jazzmen Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden. A New Jersey memorabilia dealer vouched for Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad and the Four Seasons’ Frankie Valli. (Continued after the jump.)

Shot by: Stephanie Chernikowski

The Cramps as they appeared in the September 1981 issue of New York Rocker. 

Shot by Stephanie Chernikowski.

New York Rocker: An appreciation

Perfect Sound Forever, the online mag I very occasionally contribute to, has a new issue out, and as usual, its full of music related articles that you will not find anywhere else.

One story in particular I wanted to point to is an appreciation of New York Rocker - the local NYC music paper with national scope that was published between 1976 & 1982. Written by Jesse Jarnow (author of Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock), the article makes a strong argument for the paper having a huge hand in inventing the American indie scene as we came to know it. Essential reading for the historically minded.

"New York Rocker published 54 issues between 1976 and 1982. They had a small staff, no more than a half-dozen full-time at most. The peak of its circulation was around 35,000 copies a month. But as they say, it was incredibly influential. And more than being influential, it was just a great paper. And it still is, if you can find the back issues. The writing is excellent, the tone is smart and punchy, and it's also deadly serious. They covered national stuff really well but also managed to stay really hyper-local." Read the entire article here.

For other New York Rocker related posts on Stupefaction click here. Follow former NY Rocker editor Andy Schwartz's writings here.

Liza Minnelli at Fame Studios?!

Over at NY Rocker, Andy Schwartz takes the occasion of Liza Minnelli's birthday to tell us about the little known recordings she made with Rick Hall at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, in 1971. What a crazy idea! Read about it, and see the comments of the record executives who passed on the opportunity to release the album, here.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions

Andy Schwartz, long associated with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, takes a close look at this past Monday's induction ceremony. Above, that's him with the Stooges' James Williamson. As Andy says in his photo caption, James is oddly enlarged. That's a good way to put it. Below, Iggy Pop makes his acceptance speech.

"On Monday, March 15, I attended the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. This was hailed as “the 25th anniversary” although the first induction dinner was held in 1986. I did not attend that inaugural event but have attended the majority of inductions since 1987 including events held in Los Angeles (1993) and Cleveland (2009). I’ve never paid for a ticket — a tablemate told me the price was three grand apiece this year — but rather have earned admittance either through the largesse of my former record company employer or (more often) as an editorial contributor to the program book distributed to all attendees." Continued here.

The Real Goo Goo Muck

Fire up your RSS feed. Two new blogs were recently brought to my attention that regular visitors to Stupefaction will definitely appreciate.



First is the New York Rocker blog by Andy Schwartz. So far, it's looking like a collection of Andy's great writing & essays on specific historical sites & sounds of rock 'n roll in New York City. Just a list of the articles linked from the home page will give you an idea: The Lone Star Cafe, Blue Eyed Soul, Electric Lady Studios, CBGB, The Brill Building & Colony Records, and so on. This is a must for anyone interested in the history & culture of pop/rock in New York. Here's hoping one of these days Andy will start including stories from the old issues of New York Rocker.



Secondly is Kicksville 66...the new blog from Miriam Linna - the original drummer of the Cramps, ongoing member of the A-Bones, and with husband Billy, co-founder of the awesome Norton Records label. Her first post is entitled "My First Band: The Cramps 1976 (Pt. 1)." As my friend Spike over at Bedazzled said, "Nice first band, Miriam. Possibly the best 1st post on any blog ever." I'd have to agree.

The Cramps will either be Kiss-big or Trashmen-obscure

Our friend Lindsay over at the Next Big Thing has posted two cool links to two obits for Lux Interior by folks who ought to know:

Kid Congo Powers waxes nostalgic right here. In case you might not know, Kid played with the Cramps as well as the Gun Club. Especially notable was his work on the Cramps "Psychedelic Jungle." Kid still plays music which you can keep up with by following his blog.

Roy Trakin was a music writer for NY Rocker amongst others from the mid 70's to some time in the 80's. He watched as the Cramps arrived in NYC, and attempted to get somewhere. He should know what he's talking about. The title of this post comes from a quote attributed to Roy. He still writes although for who I'm not sure.

NY Rocker 1981

NY Rocker 1976-78

NY Rocker

NY Rocker - issue #3

And a bonus - from a Bomp! Records instore appearance by Blondie, probably about 30 years ago:



(Thanks Maritza)

NY Rocker 1981

NY Rocker, Sept. 1981

NY Rocker 1979-80

NY Rocker, Dec 79/Jan 80 issue:

NY Rocker 1982

NY Rocker 1981

NY Rocker 1980