Morningstar Venus Columbia 1979

Morningstar Venus Columbia 1979 CAT # JC 35713

I can tolerate Kansas City's brief foray into the realms of arena and studio rock.  Shooting Star, whatever.  Missouri, better than you think.  Kansas, they got the prog rock thing and that's cool.  But, this band is awful.  The Kansas Music Hall of Fame states they barely missed their moment.  The band's contemporaries like Styx, Journey, and Foreigner had all opted for a ballad driven sound while the rest of the musical landscape was filled with disco and punk--the hard rock sound of Morningstar was destined to be overlooked.  Really?  That may have been true on the pop charts, but last I checked, AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Who, and Led Zeppelin were putting out "hard rock" albums and staying both successful and enjoyable without support of pop radio.  Last I checked, most of those bands put out good music in the late 70's.  Morningstar just isn't that good.

I mean, they seem like competent players.  They sound slick and polished.  They have cool facial hair and great bangs on the back cover.  One problem, they didn't write good songs.  What they do well is showcase the ineptitude of major labels, even at a time when record labels were still successful. The band  appears to be a case of major labels keeping up with the Joneses.  Whenever and wherever something is successful, the labels always find a way to saturate the market with sound alikes.  The band Kansas scored substantial hits in the mid-70's.  Shooting Star was signed by Virgin and being thrown out there in heavy doses.  The band Missouri had a moderate hit without even having major label support.  So, Morningstar seems like Columbia's attempt to cash in on the Kansas/Missouri rock sound.

Even worse, the label just threw them into the melting pot.  You can tell the band was forced to step outside their comfort zone in hopes of finding a hit song.  There's the Styx moments on the record, the moments that try to be the working man's tune, and the moments that get sappy.  This was their second album, so they tried everything.  Overall, it just created an uneven album and history suggests that Columbia gave up on the band shortly after it's release.

Angel

Micronotz Smash! Fresh Sounds Inc. 1983

Micronotz Smash! Fresh Sounds Inc. 1983 CAT# FS 206

One year after the band debuted as the Mortal Micronotz, they became simply, the Micronotz.  At this point, band featured the same line up, just a change in name.  They were still Lawrence teens, still hanging out with William Burroughs (pictured with the band on the lyric sheet), and still bored about being teenagers.

The speed through 8 songs on this release, they are a tad bit more seasoned, but still keep it juvenile and give a nod to Iggy Pop by covering "I Got A Right."  They are a punk band, but there's pop sensibilities buried in all the charging guitars and strained vocals.  Just too young to slow down at this point, no teenager wants to slow down, so it's full throttle the whole way through.  It never sounds forced, perhaps a pop song would have, but I would have loved to hear them give it a try.

Still, you get some great punk tunes.  Stand out punk in terms of the early 80's since by this point, punk had lost touch with actual "music" by going hardcore.  And, while I wouldn't call Dean Lubensky's vocals good, when compared to the scream alongs that flanked them on every side, he's a bit more emotive and well, actually sings.  The first track, "Procrastination," is where you can hear a pop song dying to get out, instead, it would have fit in fine with the SST crowd.  "Feels Like" is a super charged attack on boredom.  They take Iggy Pop's "I Got a Right" and make it a teenage garage raver.  Time should find this band gaining more street cred, in terms of 80's punk, there's really fast or really bad and most had an agenda, there weren't enough teenage rockers like the Micronotz out there keeping it raw and punk by default.

Earl Robinson and the Five Scamps Live at the Sni-Blue Lounge Volume #1 Paul Grey Productions

Earl Robinson and the Five Scamps Live at the Sni-Blue Lounge Volume #1 CAT# PG-102

Not sure what year this came out, but it's likely late 70's, early 80's.  There's a lot of stuff like this floating around in KC.  The jazz scene was a distant memory to most at this moment in time, but many of the players remained and played locally on a nightly basis.  A number of brave souls decided to fund private press recordings of these old timers, I can't imagine any of them had success.  By this time, Jazz was on its last legs as a genre, not just a distant memory in Kansas City.

Earl Robinson and the Five Scamps date all the way back to 1937 and were generally referred to simply as the Five Scamps.  The founding members met each other working in Kansas based Great Depression work camp.  They put the Scamps together and released work as Five Scamps on Columbia, O'Keh, and a few other small labels.  Their early work is great jump blues and was regulated to the R&B scene that played second fiddle to Kansas City Jazz.

This release finds the band playing jazz.  It doesn't swing too hard, the Sni-Blue Lounge was located next to the Sports Complex far away from Kansas City night life.  The crowd would have been causal drinkers and dinner patrons.  They find moments to swing, but keep it pretty in check throughout the recording.

Missouri S/T Panama Records 1977

Missouri S/T Panama Records 1977 CAT # PRS-1022

Missouri was a Kansas City band led by Ron West. In the late 60's, West fronted a fairly cool garage band called the Chessman.  He and his brothers played the local scene relying on British Invasion covers and a few originals.  After the garage scene ended, Ron couldn't quite the music business.  Like many former garage rockers, when AOR gained favor, West went in the same direction.  His brother, Gary West, actually did the same helping to form the band Shooting Star.

The album Ron West created is a nice little success story.  It was put out by Panama Records in Kansas City.  It doesn't appear Panama Records did much outside a handful of local releases, however, despite being independent in a time where major labels dominated, the song "Movin' On" became a modest hit on AOR stations in the late 70's.  While most the success was regionally based, it got the band onto Polydor records for the second album and on national tours as a supporting artist.

Another thing the lack of major label money did was create an enjoyable album from start to finish.  In an era of progressive rock and overly produced studio rock, Missouri sounds like roots rockers.  The recording sounds organic and live.  Gives the LP a timeless feel and wins over the likes of other KC bands like Shooting Star and Morningstar.  The band would get a slicker sound on their major label LP, however, the didn't completely lose touch with the sound on this album.

What I can't stand about the album is the cover.  I get that the Arch is a Missouri landmark, but the Kansans and Missourians in Kansas City can usually agree on two things and two things only; Kansas City is great and St. Louis sucks.  Missouri is a Kansas City band, not cool to try to sell yourself as a St. Louis act.  And, where the hell are those mountains from?  Oh wait, they're from fucking Arizona.  I suppose, I could make the connection as the last in the lower 48 to become a state, Arizona represents Manifest Destiny better than any other state, but that's a lot of explaining for an album cover and probably isn't right.

Movin' On
I'm Still Tryin'

Slackjaw Drugmaze 7" Medical Records 1991

Slackjaw Drugmaze 7" Medical Records 1991 Unknown Cat #

Not really searching out Slackjaw releases, this one just came about at a reasonable price.  One problem though, my copy only has the front part of the sleeve.  Don't have any credits for this release or the catalog number if there was one.

I'm pretty happy about the price, I would've hated paying more the $3 for this thing.  Awful music.  The song "Drugmaze" is a jocktacular anti-drug song.  Really?  Sludge metal needed to enter the anti-drug realm?  The song attempts to portray a druggie that regrets the decision to use while set to a repetitive jock metal back drop.  The flipside features the songs "Traitor" and "The Question".  At 45 RPM, the songs have the advantage of ending before you realize you'd be better off listening to something else.

However, as stated in the last release I discussed; this band was way ahead of it's time.  Had they came about just a few years later their brand of jock-punk and metal influences would have got them signed and put them on tour with the likes of Limp Bizkit and Korn.  While I wouldn't consider Slackjaw "innovative" their reliance on heavy metal and hardcore punk cliches would've fit in perfect with the slam dancing, backward cap wearing, youth of the late 90's.  In fact, they would have improved the scene.

A few notes, it appears that Slackjaw's catalog is a continuous string of "sides."  The sides on this release are 3 and 4.  The 1994 release I tracked down and discussed previously has sides 7 and 8.  Despite the fact that I'm not a fan of the band, I'm now motivated to collect all sides.  Another interesting tidbit, there are like 5 bands in Discogs that go by the name of Slackjaw.  None of which are Lawrence Kansas' own.

Vitreous Humor S/T 7" Geerhed Records 1993

Vitreous Humor S/T 7" Geerhed Records 1993 No CAT#

Well, this may be the last I bring up Jeff Matlow.  However, I can't make promises, despite not being a Kansan or Kansas Citian, the guy did a ton for local scene with his record label.  His first label, Geerhed Records, was a joint effort between himself and a friend, soon after this release, the friend would bow out and Jeff Matlow would rename the label, Crank!  As such, this 7" is the inaugural Crank! release and the first from Vitreous Humor.

It came out in 1993, I wasn't anywhere near cool enough to know that a hip, underground scene was brewing in Lawrence, KS and Kansas City.  I couldn't even drive in 1993.  Wouldn't be for another year or two until I started getting in tune with this stuff.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure Vitreous Humor knew they were hip yet, either.  They sound young on this release.  Further, when Matlow discovered them he initially wanted sign them to a major label.  The songs, "Harbor" and "Stay Tuned for the Holidays" actually sound a bit more controlled than the band's later efforts.  Kind of grungy, Danny Pound sounds likes he's trying to sound professional, the guitars get some twang and don't stray too far off, it's all kind of boring.  And while, "Bu-dah" is a silly throw away, its far more representative of what the band would become.  The other tracks sound like major label try out material.

Harbor

Chris Connor Chris Bethlehem 1955

Chris Connor Chris Bethlehem 1955 CAT # BCP 56

Kansas City Native, Chris Connors was born Mary Loutsenhizer. She started going by Chris Connor while working as a stenographer and performing as a singer in the Kansas City area. She stuck around KC for awhile but would later move to New York City with the intention of making it as a super star vocalist. Of course, hitting the big time right away was a bit far fetched and she had to start small. She sung harmonies in a background capacity with local New York big bands until she was heard singing on the radio by June Christy. Christy had been singing with Stan Kenton's band and was leaving to pursue her own solo career. She recommended Connor to Kenton and Connor was booked singing for Kenton's big band in the early 50's. By 1953, Connor grew tired of constant touring with Kenton and abruptly quit. She stayed in New York City and was able to secure a gig at Birdland. Legend goes, that during her stay at Birdland the owner of Bethlehem records, Gus Wildi, heard her and offered a recording contract on the spot.

She stayed on Bethlehem for a number of albums before leaving to Atlantic Records in 1956. The Bethlehem albums are far stronger. The Atlantic stuff is a bit toned down, less swing, more pop, whereas the Bethlehem catalog offers more punch and showcases Connors' cool jazz delivery far better. It's still vocal jazz, so the differences sound slight and torch songs are found throughout her catalog.

This album also features some key players, Kai Winding, J.J. Johnson, Osie Johnson, and a young Herbie Mann on flute to name a few. Her early music education from the University of Missouri pay dividends as she's a signer that is in tune with her supporting band, not just bashing out vocal tracks. She finds the tone of the band and replicates it vocally, distinguishing herself not just as torch singer, but a cool jazz vocalists.
I Hear Music