Honeymoon Killers “The Loved, The Lost and the Last” 1991/2022. Bang! Records, limited edition. Today, June 18th, is Judah Bauer’s 53rd birthday (b. 1971). Judah appears on this on this previously unreleased album from the early 90’s along with Jon Spencer and Russell Simins of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, plus Jerry Teel (Chrome Cranks, Little Porkchop, lots more), Lisa Wells (Little Porkchop) and Marcellus Hall (Railroad Jerk). The majority of tracks are covers of blues and blues-based rock, stripped bare and recorded pretty lo-fi. Top covers are The Rolling Stones’ “Who’s Driving Your Plane?,” The Velvet Underground’s “Guess I’m Falling in Love” and Otis Redding’s “Love Man.” There are a few originals too, upon which Judah is playing (he’s not on the aforementioned tracks): “Dead Again” which definitely has Bauer’s chugga-chugga JSBX blues guitar sound, the exploding noise rock’d “Doesn’t Matter” and the messy garage rocker “What’s That?”

“Who’s Drivin’ Your Plane?,” “Dead Again,”  “Joe’s House” (another Honeymoon Killers original – Judah play acoustic guitar and organ on this one) and “Love Is All Around” (by The Troggs) were previously released on the Sing Sing (1984 – 1994) compilation and “Murderess In A Purple Dress” appeared on the Scientists tribute album Set It On Fire!.

From the liner notes regarding Side A: “These were songs we played for Peter and Kelly’s wedding. All love songs. This was the only time we were ever a wedding band and this is part of what was going to be our wedding album. Love was in the air and we did the best we could to make the air sound like love.” Side B: “‘Who’s Driving Your Plane” was recorded during the Hung Far Low sessions. This version unreleased until now. The rest of this side is the last session and was recorded at the end of our last European tour. We had been asked to do a song for a Scientists tribute, so the session was mostly for that. I knew this would be the last and this is how it went down.”

And because I always have post at least one old photo (I don’t have that many), here’s one of Judah from 1987 taken by me at our friends’ apartment in Appleton, sorry if you’ve seen it before.