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According to the always excellent Pop Catastrophe this 3 track 45’s recordings “are all exclusive to this release. “History of Sex” appears to be a live version whereas “Write A Song” and “Smoke Cigarettes” are both very lo-fi demo-style recordings.” Emphasis on the “very lo-fi.” It’s a hot mess of a release, gloriously ugly, full of warts, squeals and dissonance. A “big” blues explosion for sure. Pop Catastrophe goes on to say about this super-early release that “Crypt Style [released in ’93] and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion [released in ’92] included studio recordings of both “History of Sex” and “Write A Song” but A Reverse Willie Horton [1991] only featured “History of Sex.” The front cover [of the] “Recorded in Person” artwork is also used in the booklet of Crypt Style (CD, JAPAN). On 10 August 2010 all songs from this single were released on the compilation Year One.”

I always like to post an old picture of Judah (I don’t have that many) so here’s one our mutual friend Cristian (in the middle, not sure who the kid on the right is) shared with me awhile back, taken when they were around 11 or 12 years old, so ’82-ish. I’ve shared it before but sharing again because it’s just too adorable.

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“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.

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 Jukebox Explosion: Rockin’ Mid-90s Punkers! is a compilation of mostly releases from 7″ singles and rarities from the 90’s. We have a fair number of the singles from JSBX’s Jukebox series but a few of the selections on this comp are über-rare or are totally unavailable elsewhere. That would include the tracks “Caroline” and its b-side “Curfew Blues.” The story behind these two tracks is pretty great – to quote directly from the liner notes: “Caroline” – “Independent record label Caroline was the accurately rendered subject of what was originally intended to be the A-side of Jukebox single number three. The single made it as far as the test pressing stage (only four exist) before the humorless pussies at Caroline threw a hissy fit and began to threaten the band and label with legal action. Now this sneering stomper can finally be given a proper release.” From “Curfew Blues” – “This super-charged number was the B-side to the aborted “Caroline” single. Recorded at a VPRO session during a tour of Europe. On the trip, while under the impression that it was a particularly rarified variety of European cheese, Judah happened to eat an entire bar of soap that belonged to the Devil Dogs.” (🤣🤣🧀 – you can take a boy out of Wisconsin but he’ll still look for cheese) Also of note on this comp, though not nearly as hilarious, are the tracks “Naked” (again from the liner notes: “This ultra-frantic monster was the A-side to a limited edition giveaway single, inspired by avid nudist David Yow of the Jesus Lizard, who the Blues Explosion toured with early in their career. 100 copies were pressed and given to the lucky attendees at the Blues Explosion’s Third Anniversary show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey), “Push Some Air” (“Side A of a rare single released in 1995 on the short-lived Brazilian label Barulho del Mal, to coincide with the band’s first tour of Brazil. The single was only available on the band’s merch table, and all copies were sold out by the second date, an outdoor show in Fortaleza. Unfortunately the majority of the pressing was warped and only a handful are presently in playable condition.”) and “Dig My Shit” (“…recorded as a backing track for a planned Blues Explosion appearance on the television program Saturday Night Live. Due to a miscommunication between the band and NBC’s representatives regarding the use of profanity, the whole performance had to be scrapped. The song was later included on an otherwise completely worthless compilation on Matador Records.”). My top tracks, which are still interesting! are “Shirt Jac” (the first In the Red jukebox series, produced by Steve Albini), “Bent” (the B-side to the second jukebox single “Son of Sam“) and “Get With It” (Jukebox single #4, recorded during the Now I Got Worry sessions).

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I saw JSBX for the first time about a month after Extra Width‘s release, on June 19th, 1993 in Madison, WI. (Thanks to the always excellent pop-catastrophe.co.uk for the exact date as my memory from 30 years ago = hazy). The club, O’Cayz Corral (long burned down), was loosely packed, mostly with friends from – or formerly from – Appleton, WI to see Judah Bauer. It was a very small venue and small show: the band wasn’t well-known at this point, especially in the Midwest.  But a bunch of Judah’s family and friends were there, including his brother Donovan, who I hung out with at the bar.  After the show Russell came over by us and was looking for a place to crash for the night so I introduced to him to a friend of mine, John W., who had an extra couch (Russell, in a whisper, “Is this guy OK, like not weird?” I assured him that John was indeed not weird). Russell stayed there and I popped over in the morning to bring breakfast and nab a copy of the new album (I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t buy one at the show) which they threw on the record player. The other recollections I have from old JSBX shows (having a few opportunities to be backstage or, in the case of the O’Cayz show: no backstage, just a little recombobulation corner) were Spencer’s extreme quiet and reserve offstage, basically looking exactly like the cover of “Extra Width,” but given the guy’s amazing stage energy and outlandish bravado, I’m guessing he saved it all for the audience. More recently with his solo/HITmakers tours, Jon has been far more outgoing and engaging, happy to pose for ridiculous selfies and sign records.

Joe, me and Jon Spencer, 2018

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Honeymoon Killers “Kansas City Milkman” 1991. Insipid Records. Sludgy noise rock from Jerry Teel (guitar/vocals; Chrome Cranks, Knoxville Girls, Little Porkchop), Jon Spencer (guitar, trombone!!!; JSBX, Pussy Galore, Boss Hog), Russell Simins (drums; JSBX, Butter O8, SERVICE) and Lisa Wells (bass, vocals; Little Porkchop). The single appears on their ’91 LP Hung Far Low. Side A’s “Kansas City Milkman” is dark and grungy, with some Ministry-esque industrial noise-rock thrown in for good measure. Side B’s “Nothin'” is less beaty, more chaotic noise rock, still really dark and sludgy. While I can’t find a link for “Nothin,'” I did find a shitty-quality concert video from a ’92 Honeymoon Killers show in Germany in which they perform a bit of “Kansas City Milkman” and instead of Jon on guitar, Judah Bauer (JSBX) is playing.

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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion “Meat + Bone” released 10 years ago yesterday, September 18th, 2012. Pre-order from Mom + Pop Music that came with a limited edition Meat + Bone apron, which I obviously had to have, and took this photo 10 years ago when I got the package:

About the apron from an article/interview on The Agit Reader with Judah Bauer: “You’ve got to come up with stupid ideas. The apron idea was mine, and I tried to kill it. I thought it was too domestic, but it ended up happening. Maybe that’s savvy, though, because maybe our fanbase is more domesticated now…” It’s funny because it’s true and I have absolutely worn this apron to bake cookies.

Meat + Bone is JSBX’s ninth(ish) LP and, I’ll be honest, one of my less-listened to of their catalog but as a huge fan, it’s still great. The lead track “Black Mold” (which is something I’m unfortunately literally dealing with today) was “pulled…from the Damage [2005] outtakes pile” (Bauer). The rest of the tracks were written in 10 days between July and August 2012 in between Spencer’s touring with Heavy Trash and Bauer’s tour with Cat Power. The record’s title reflects the sound: just the meat and the bone, no fat, no filler: basic (but JSBX is never basic) punk blues. Besides “Black Mold” my top tracks are “Boot Cut” which is raw and funky, the bluesy, buzzy “Ice Cream Killer” and the frenetic “Danger” with its wild and pounding piano and screaming guitar. Warning: the video below for “Black Mold” is beyond disturbing.

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Crypt Style! and John Spencer Blues Explosion (shown below on CD, Caroline Records) both came out in ‘92, and both in April I believe. The albums are intense, heavy and experimental. There are a few cuts that made both releases, such as “Chicken Walk,” “’78 Style” and “Comeback.” Because I’m from Wisconsin, my favorite track is, of course, “40lb Block of Cheese,” mainly because I envision the writing process that went into the song involving some late night with the guys sitting around an apartment in NYC, Judah regaling Jon and Russell with tales of growing up in a smallish Wisconsin city with nothing much to do other than eat cheese (not totally wrong).

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Orange, my favorite JSBX record and their third or fourth (depending upon how you count the first two releases from 1992) LP, is at times sparse, chaotic, funky, punk, bluesy but always amazing. The lead track, “Bellbottoms” swells with strings and a funked out groove before hitting the staccato’d “bellbottoms” anthem. The song inspired Edgar Wright to write the 2017 movie Baby Driver, the soundtrack to which was nominated for a Grammy (the song “Chase Me” in the movie is a remix of “Bellbottoms” by Danger Mouse featuring Run the Jewels and Big Boi). “Wright laid in his bedroom listening to the song on repeat, visualizing a car chase set to “Bellbottoms.” He also started coming up with the idea of a character: a getaway driver for a bank heist, who cannot do his job properly without the right music playing.” (IndieWire) “Ditch” is hip-shaking sexy and “Dang” has fantastic, crazed harmonica solo by Judah, matched by Jon Spencer’s insane theremin. The first of two excellent instrumentals on Orange comes next: “Very Rare” slows down the beat to a hypnotic rhythm overlayed with Spencer’s signature guitar twang. “Sweat” is iconic JSBX giving us the classic line “That’s the sweat of the Blues Explosion!” “Cowboy” is weirdly mangled country-western (not my favorite track on the album) but the title track “Orange” returns to the slinky JSBX groove (Spencer name-drops ‘Star Trek’ and manages to make even that sexy). Side B leads off with “Brenda” with Spencer singing longingly, just a little too high out his range, for a girl and her money. “Dissect” is thick with musical chaos and “Blues X Man” is a “12-bar back-country roadhouse blues and back-alley back-seat eros to Lower East Side boasting about the Blues Explosion’s musical virility. It begins sparse and skeletal before adding a female backing chorus and DJ turntablism, turning traditionalism upside down and scraping country and city down to their nubs in order to make everything bleed.” (Allmusic) “Full Grown” is balls-out insanity beginning with the line “Baby baby you sure like to fuck FUCK!” and “Flavor” is hilarious, rattling off all the cities where the Blues Explosion is number one and the band gets Beck on the phone to croon out “flavor.” (The remix of “Flavor” is even better, featuring Beck and Mike D in a wicked funny video.) Orange concludes with my favorite JSBX track, the instrumental “Greyhound” which is monstrously awesome, best played at 11.

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