IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS - London 1979

Feeling sneezy 'n' sniffly today...but a bit of Sir Ian always cheers and chuffs and puffs me up. A unique individual in rock history was old Ian, who died in 2000. He's sorely missed.

Despite being leaders of Stiff Records' legendary 1977 roster, Dury and his crack band The Blockheads were as much about reggae, funk, English music hall and even disco as they were punk. Dury was a hell of a comic too, a witty and raunchy lyricist -- like Ray Davies' loony, horny, drop-dead funny drunk cousin from up north (North London, that is). For a tasty nibble, click here.

If you love British rock music -- truly, madly, deeply, essentially, eccentrically, ecstatically British music -- then, as you must love The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Jam and/or The Smiths, you simply must love Ian Dury.

IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS
Hammersmith Odeon - London, England - August 11, 1979 (FMB)
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND - San Francisco, CA 1973

I'll be seeing the A-Bros. tonight at the gorgeous, glorious Greek Theatre for my first and most likely last time. Well, what's left of the Brothers, anyway -- I guess three outta six ain't bad, not after 40 years of road wear.

For those who can't be there, and those who will, here's an EPIC!!! face-melter of a New Year's show from way way way back in the day. Four solid discs of blooze-rawk power jammin', with guest shots by no less than the Dead's Jerry Garcia and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as that ol' smoothie Boz Scaggs.

You read that right: we're talkin' Brother Jerry on "Whipping Post"! (A very mellow, Coltrane-does- "My Favorite Things"-style "Whipping Post" jam, at that).

I tells ya, it's a monsta, this thing! Get some!

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
The Cow Palace - San Francisco, CA
December 31, 1973 - January 1, 1974 (SBD)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3 / DOWNLOAD 4

GREEN DAY - Dublin, Ireland 2005

Got a ton to say and not a minute to say it, so the music will have to speak for itself. Green Day's nifty new one comes out today (on a Friday, just like a movie)!

With that in mind, here's some classic FM broadcast bootage from the Emerald Isle. Rip it up!

GREEN DAY
The Point Theatre - Dublin, Ireland - January 31, 2005 (FMB)
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PINK FLOYD - "Rhapsody in Pink," BBC In Concert 1970

I'm warp-speeding out in a sec to see what manner of Green Alien Chickage might be featured in that big new Star Trek joint...I hear it's a pip. At any rate, given the hurry, here's a quick scan on today's space rock extravaganza:

"This is the collection of material to hunt for if you're looking for unreleased Floyd from the post-Barrett, pre-Dark Side era. Bootleg fidelity doesn't come any better than this; it's one of the very few occasions where you could argue that the sound may actually be better than most official releases. These BBC airshots from the late '60s and early '70s focus on rather obscure material: 'Julia Dream,' 'If,' 'Green Is the Colour,' 'Embryo,' and the never-released 'Murderistic Women' (a blueprint for 'Careful with That Axe, Eugene'). There are also full-bore workouts of 'Echoes' and 'Atom Heart Mother Suite' that, depending on one's taste, could be argued to exceed the officially issued versions. "

Can't beat that with a Mek'leth, now can ya? Also, be sure to keep an ear out for one line in "Point Me at the Sky": "And if you survive 'til 2005..." Think about it: the Floyd's last-ever performance, at Live 8, was when...?

Infinite gratitude to Blogstoned for this cosmic trip-ship. As Mr. Nimoy said on Late Show last night, "Live long, prosper, and keep on hangin' and bangin'."

PINK FLOYD "Rhapsody in Pink"
BBC In Concert - London, UK - 1970 (SBD @ 320 kbps)
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PS -- One more thing, please: help a brother out by looking to the upper-right, clicking on the new link there, and buying a T-shirt or some such. Your Green Alien Chick will thank you!

BLUE OYSTER CULT - Cleveland, OH 1991

If you can beat an FM broadcast (at 320 kbps, no less) that begins with the DJ shouting "Good evening, Cleveland!" -- totes fo' real! -- then please let me know.

Until then, content thyself with a fierce live boot from the Steely Dan of heavy metal (I'll let you figure that one out). It has everything you need right now, including "Astronomy"...that epic space-rock classic known as "Astronomy". The celestial shreddage of Captain Buck Dharma reaches a particular apex on this number.

Space is the place, truly...speaking of which, why not do us a solid and check out the hot new Green Alien Chick Store!

BLUE OYSTER CULT
Empire Concert Club - Cleveland, OH - August 24, 1991 (FMB @ 320)
DOWNLOAD 1 / DOWNLOAD 2 / DOWNLOAD 3

RAR unzip password: Career of Evil