::: Willie Alexander :::
Solo Loco Redux Captain Trip Records, Japan 2002 Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band Loco Live 1976 Captain Trip Records, Japan 2001 Final VU (Velvet Underground) 1971-1973 Live Box Set. Captain Trip Records, Japan 2001 The New Rose Story 1980-2000 Box Set. Last Call Records, Paris, 2001 The East Main St. Suite. The Persistence of Memory Orchestra, Accurate Records, AC 5034, 1999. The Lost. Arf Arf Records, AA-81, 1999. Willie Alexander: Loco in Beantown. Tendolar Records, TDR 112. 1999. Willie Alexander: Around the World. LP, French release of Persistence of Memory Orchestra's first recording. Rockarolla, France Roc 007, 1997. The Holy Babble. Tourmaline Music, T-495C, 1996. The Lost, Early Recordings, Demos, Acoustic and Live: 1965-1966. Arf Arf Records, AA-59, 1996. Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band: Pass the Tabasco. Mau Mau Records, MAUCD 646, 1996. Willie Alexander's Persistence of Memory Orchestra. Accurate/Distortion AD-1002,1993. PRIVATE WA. Tourmaline Records, T-493, 1993. Willie Loco Boom Boom Ga Ga 1975-1991. Northeastern/Lunar Rotation, NR5502, 1992. Fifteen Years of Rock & Roll with Willie Alexander. Fan Club/New Rose Records (France), 1991. Velvet Underground, Live in Amsterdam,1971. Triangle Records, PYCD 058, 1990. The Dragons are Still Out. LP, New Rose (France) NR152, 1988. Tap Dancing on my Piano. LP, New Rose (France) NR106, 1986. Greatest Hits. LP, Fan Club (France) FC 013,1988. Taxi Stand Diane. EP, New Rose (France) NR 039, 1984. Willie Alexander and the Confessions, Autre Chose. Double live LP, New Rose (France) NR 13, 1982. A Girl Like You. LP, New Rose (France) NR 15, 1982. Solo Loco. LP, Bomp! 4020, 1981. Solo Loco. LP, New Rose/RCA (France), NR 03, 1981. Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band, Meanwhile...Back in the States. LP, MCA 3052,1978. Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band. LP, MCA 2323,1978. Sperm Bank Babies. LP, Varage, 1978. The Bagatelle, The11 p.m. Saturday LP. ABC 646, 1968. Singles
The Lost: Who Do You Love/ It is I. Stanton Park, SRE 004, 1996. You Got a Hard Time Coming/Larry Bird. Stanton Park, SRE 011, 1988. Burning Candles/In Your Car. Arf! Arf! 017, 1986. Perfect Stranger/Lonely Avenue. New Rose (France) NR019, 1983. Carol's Talking. Trash featuring Willie Alexander. Absolute 1501, 1982. Cherry Pie/In The Rain. TT 001, 1981. B.U. Baby. Radio Hearts featuring Willie Alexander, Greenline 1, 1980. AAWW/Bass Rocks. Pure & Easy 014, 1982. Gin/Close Enough. Varulven, 1980. Dirty Eddie/She Wanted Me. Somor, 1978. Kerouac/Mass. Ave. Bomp! 109,1978. Kerouac/Mass Ave. Garage 5005,1978. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin/You Beat Me To It. MCA 40861,1978. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin/You Beat Me To It. Picture Disk. MCA (UK) 362, 1978 Hid Her Wid De Axe/You Looked So Pretty When. Garage 6146, 1976. The Lost: Violet Gown/No Reason Why. Capitol 5725, 1966. The Lost: Violet Gown/Mean Motorcycle. Capitol 5708, 1966. The Lost: Maybe More Than You/Back Door Blues, Capitol 5519, 1965. Compilations
Family Circle, Family Tree. Best of the Bosstown Sound. Big Beat 9797, UK, 1996. Space Negros: Dig Archaeology, Volume 3. Arf! Arf!, AA 055, 1996. Window of Opportunity. Tourmaline T-195C, 1995. D.I.Y. Mass Ave. - The Boston Scene (1975-83). Rhino 71179, 1993. The Ruta 66 Album. Capote 15 (Spain), 1991. Place of General Happiness. ESD 80522, 1991. Electric Carnival. Kinetic Vibes Intl. Compilation, KVCD 002, 1990. Arf!Arf! Presents. Arf!Arf! 028, 1990. Everyday is a Holly Day. New Rose (France) NR175, 1989. These Dogs Live in The Garage. Arf!Arf! 021, 1987. Play New Rose For Me. New Rose (France) NR100, 1986. Arf!Arf! Contemporary Music Sampler. Arf!Arf! 009, 1984. History of the World Volume 1. (picture disk) New Rose NR 84, 1982. The Boston Incest Album. Sounds Interesting 005, 1980. Boston Bootleg #1 "All The Way To The Left" Boston Bootleg #2 "No Way Jose" Boston Rock & Roll Anthology #6 "Blues For Vanessa" Boston Rock & Roll Anthology #7 "Dirty Eddie" Boston Rock & Roll Anthology #20 " 'Cause I'm Taking You To Bed" THE DEMO THAT GOT THE DEAL tm Vol. 1 "Too Much Monkey Business"
@mrjyn
July 1, 2009
::: Willie Alexander ::: disco
Willie Alexander finds inspiration in the Beats - The Boston Globe
Alexander finds inspiration in the Beats
Willie Alexander put music to local Beat poet Vincent Ferrini's words.
GLOUCESTER - It's tough to imagine someone with more bohemian mileage than Boston rock legend Willie "Loco" Alexander. Now in his 60s but still acting like a teenager buying his first 45s, Alexander played in psychedelic garage bands in the 1960s, survived a tour of duty in the last version of the Velvet Underground, and anchored the Boston punk scene with his Boom Boom Band a few years later. Still wildly prolific, he has been indulging his experimental muse ever since.
But Alexander was always awed by another free spirit, Vincent Ferrini, the "people's poet" of Gloucester who served as the city's first and longstanding poet laureate until his death, at the ripe age of 94, in late 2007. "I miss him," says Alexander. "I'd see him around town, at parties and art stuff. He was always really encouraging for everyone here."
Last year Alexander used a grant from the local arts council to set a couple of Ferrini's poems to music. He liked the results so much he turned it into a full-blown album project called "Vincent Ferrini's Greatest Hits." It's for sale on his website, www.williealexander.com.
Working with Tony Goddess of the Rudds at his downtown Gloucester studio, Bang a Song, Alexander called on his wide travels in rock 'n' roll style, from tribal stomp to No Wave bleating to hypnotic ambience, all the while losing himself in Ferrini's life-affirming words. Words and writers have played a big part in his music over the years. Next to the classic "Mass. Ave" (one of Stephen King's all-time favorite rock songs), the Boom Boom Band's second signature song was "Kerouac," Alexander's tribute to the Beat writer who taught him to appreciate local character. When the Boom Boom Band reunited some years ago, the members led off their comeback CD with a rocking adaptation of "Gravelly Hill," a poem by the late Gloucester colossus (and Ferrini contemporary) Charles Olson.
Still, says Alexander, "I don't consciously think about poetry and rock. I'm lucky if something I've done is called poetry." His process for the new project was simple: He read through Ferrini's tall stack of published poems, looking for lines he felt he could sing. Then he let the music grow spontaneously around the words; the recording of the moody, echo-y "Always Between" was, Alexander says, "like jumping off a cliff." One track, deceptively called "Folk Song," actually comes off like an old Stones jam laid on tape while Keith was out taking a bathroom break.
Ferrini's recorded voice shows up on "Vincent & Friends," which, with its liberal use of the Brazilian cuica, sounds like a samba party in a subway station. Goddess says he was inspired by Alexander's "willingness to let it fly, throwing stuff on tape and banging on the piano." He was amazed, he says, by "how much personality Willie gets out through the microphone. Here's this guy twice my age who's twice as fired up as I am. He's been through the ringer, he's famous in France but nowhere else, and he's still totally into it."
Though "Ferrini's Greatest Hits" sounds nothing like a jazzbo spoken word project, Alexander still acknowledges the debt he owes the Beats. "It's all one big Beat bowl of soup, as Kerouac would probably put it," he says. "That's always been part of my consciousness. Not that I've tried to stay back there, but I'm proud to be a beatnik."
Willie Alexander put music to local Beat poet Vincent Ferrini's words.
By James Sullivan
April 14, 2009
April 14, 2009
GLOUCESTER - It's tough to imagine someone with more bohemian mileage than Boston rock legend Willie "Loco" Alexander. Now in his 60s but still acting like a teenager buying his first 45s, Alexander played in psychedelic garage bands in the 1960s, survived a tour of duty in the last version of the Velvet Underground, and anchored the Boston punk scene with his Boom Boom Band a few years later. Still wildly prolific, he has been indulging his experimental muse ever since.
But Alexander was always awed by another free spirit, Vincent Ferrini, the "people's poet" of Gloucester who served as the city's first and longstanding poet laureate until his death, at the ripe age of 94, in late 2007. "I miss him," says Alexander. "I'd see him around town, at parties and art stuff. He was always really encouraging for everyone here."
Last year Alexander used a grant from the local arts council to set a couple of Ferrini's poems to music. He liked the results so much he turned it into a full-blown album project called "Vincent Ferrini's Greatest Hits." It's for sale on his website, www.williealexander.com.
Working with Tony Goddess of the Rudds at his downtown Gloucester studio, Bang a Song, Alexander called on his wide travels in rock 'n' roll style, from tribal stomp to No Wave bleating to hypnotic ambience, all the while losing himself in Ferrini's life-affirming words. Words and writers have played a big part in his music over the years. Next to the classic "Mass. Ave" (one of Stephen King's all-time favorite rock songs), the Boom Boom Band's second signature song was "Kerouac," Alexander's tribute to the Beat writer who taught him to appreciate local character. When the Boom Boom Band reunited some years ago, the members led off their comeback CD with a rocking adaptation of "Gravelly Hill," a poem by the late Gloucester colossus (and Ferrini contemporary) Charles Olson.
Still, says Alexander, "I don't consciously think about poetry and rock. I'm lucky if something I've done is called poetry." His process for the new project was simple: He read through Ferrini's tall stack of published poems, looking for lines he felt he could sing. Then he let the music grow spontaneously around the words; the recording of the moody, echo-y "Always Between" was, Alexander says, "like jumping off a cliff." One track, deceptively called "Folk Song," actually comes off like an old Stones jam laid on tape while Keith was out taking a bathroom break.
Ferrini's recorded voice shows up on "Vincent & Friends," which, with its liberal use of the Brazilian cuica, sounds like a samba party in a subway station. Goddess says he was inspired by Alexander's "willingness to let it fly, throwing stuff on tape and banging on the piano." He was amazed, he says, by "how much personality Willie gets out through the microphone. Here's this guy twice my age who's twice as fired up as I am. He's been through the ringer, he's famous in France but nowhere else, and he's still totally into it."
Though "Ferrini's Greatest Hits" sounds nothing like a jazzbo spoken word project, Alexander still acknowledges the debt he owes the Beats. "It's all one big Beat bowl of soup, as Kerouac would probably put it," he says. "That's always been part of my consciousness. Not that I've tried to stay back there, but I'm proud to be a beatnik."
Willie Alexander and His Persistence of Memory Orchestra [CD Release Party - 6/13/09 Gloucester] 72 views
Willie Alexander and His Persistence of Memory Orchestra. CD Release Party. 6/13/09 at Blackburn Performance Center, Gloucester. Features new CD's Vincent Ferrini's Greatest Hits and Songs by The Fisheye Brothers.
Willie Alexander
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