AotW (7/6/14): B$G P$MP$N... The Saga of Natural Child

[beantownbubba]

Old possibly true story: MIck & Keith invited Bill to join the band because he had an amp.

[cortez the killer]

Old possibly true story: MIck & Keith invited Bill to join the band because he had an amp.

That musta been when he was a "Vox" man.

[cortez the killer]

bang your head: typical chuck berry riff played by wes traylor on bass, sped up to double time....stoking the fires of unbridled excess and fun living. sounds like a coked up, demented version of manfred mann's doo wah diddy. i banged my head, til i saw blood points to a self awareness that plays out over the next few tunes.

[cortez the killer]

Interview @ Scion Garage Fest 2010

[dime in the gutter]

great, great, great, great rock and roll record. perhaps, perfect.

1st full length lp. it is as it suggests. from the cover to the title to the blazing rock contained therein. no riddles. no big questions for the universe. just light the curtains on fire rock and roll. so fucking good. a band coming to full realization.

absolute masterpiece.

if chuck berry, deep purple, bo diddly, larry flint, don and phil everly, blue cheer, little richard, pink floyd, hawkwind, elvis, sabbath, billy gibbons, al wankovic, the beatles, carl perkins, the stooges, the crickets, and john entwtistle, were on the street corner huffing gas and then crawled into a hazy, weed smoke filled tour van driven by beavis and butthead and then went and recorded an lp at steve martin’s house.....it might sound something like 1971.


4/20/2011

95% of vocals are dual lead.

1. easy street: distorted power chords hammering down with that brilliant traylor bass twisting around the grey matter. an off tune solo barrels into the lyrical gem.......autotune my cock. a party at the moon tower has been decreed.
2. hard workin man: channeling the stooges who are channeling deep purple and sabbath. fuzzed out guitar riffs. phat blunted bass. tweaker guitar solo and twisty keys bring it home in style. dude wants it....bad.
3. woman c'mon: acoustic that would make the king himself, elvis presley, give a curly lipped sneer. and a monkey ward solo, just for fun. tambourine. i love that woman...what's she doin'...i don't know. tribal shouting and drunk keys.
4. makin' it: groove fest. again our boy, wes traylor lays down a brilliant bass line. stones riffs and cymbals. take some fucked up drugs and feel the hand of god. psych delving to close it out. wish they would keep playing.
5. chris' blues: pure punk. steered thru bo diddly’s amp. but then again, isn’t that the same for all punk rock.
6. yoko: what's she doin with my mind? lennon speaks from the grave while mainlining the bass from money/pink floyd. with a right handed tony iommi riding shotgun.
7. let it bleed: not a cover....more of a response. reminds me of dexateens/destroy me and the kiss record/destroyer. girl, i know you been steppin out, steppin out.
8. white people: opens with the hail, hail rock and roll clip of chuck berry discussing getting old, retiring and watching white boys attempt to play rock and roll. we got a problem, we don't believe in nothin'. white people got to many rules, no style, and aren't cool. this tune is the lynch pin for the whole album. offers the glimpse that these boys are completely and fully aware that they are aping and running with the secret rock and roll playbook. they stole it and then shit on the floor on the way out the door.
9. natural blues: keith must have been sitting in....and he was jealous.
10. yer birthday: ron wood this time....on pedal steel.
11. beer: like the opening of a gig on don kirzner's midnight special. crowd applauds our heroes bringing the night to a close with a party anthem about drinking beer and smoking weed.

every riff, lick and drum fill is lifted from or is directed to the all timer list of rock and roll bad asses....natural child knows this fact...and they own it. completely.

and yet, it still sounds like they walked in from the van, toked on the one hitter a few times, plugged in and started to play.

a new compound element has been created.....a new building block for life. it is called natural child.


get some, turn it up and shake that ass.




to be continued.......

[TW_2.0]

Looking forward to digging into this thread head-first...

While smoking lots of reefer.

Mission accomplished.

Tall dude's bass playing is tasty.

I am digging the 50s rock influences that are all over the place.

You're right dime, it sounds just like Doo Wah Diddy.

The Crack Mountain and Bang Your Head videos are especially awesome.

White Man's Burden is a beast of a song

[Clams]

I picked this one as my entry point, bought it yesterday on itunes and I'm loving it.

[cortez the killer]

and yet, it still sounds like they walked in from the van, toked on the one hitter a few times, plugged in and started to play.

[cortez the killer]

hard workin man: channeling the stooges who are channeling deep purple and sabbath. fuzzed out guitar riffs. phat blunted bass. tweaker guitar solo and twisty keys bring it home in style. dude wants it....bad.

get some, turn it up and shake that ass.

[cortez the killer]

white people: opens with the hail, hail rock and roll clip of chuck berry discussing getting old, retiring and watching white boys attempt to play rock and roll. we got a problem, we don't believe in nothin'. white people got to many rules, no style, and aren't cool. this tune is the lynch pin for the whole album. offers the glimpse that these boys are completely and fully aware that they are aping and running with the secret rock and roll playbook. they stole it and then shit on the floor on the way out the door.

[cortez the killer]

if chuck berry, deep purple, bo diddly, larry flint, don and phil everly, blue cheer, little richard, pink floyd, hawkwind, elvis, sabbath, billy gibbons, al wankovic, the beatles, carl perkins, the stooges, the crickets, and john entwtistle, were on the street corner huffing gas and then crawled into a hazy, weed smoke filled tour van driven by beavis and butthead and then went and recorded an lp at steve martin’s house.....it might sound something like 1971.

Don't forget Green Day & Kid Rock.

[Iowan]

I picked this one as my entry point, bought it yesterday on itunes and I'm loving it.

This was the first album of theirs I listened to much as well. Streamed it a few times and enjoyed it, but didn't take the full on dive.

Bought this along with "For the Love of the Game" and the Self Titled EP on Monday and can't stop listening. I'm going to buy "1971" and "Hard in Heaven" over lunch break and spend my afternoon mowing lawn and rocking out to Natty Chile.

[dime in the gutter]

the ass album. started my journey with natural child based solely on this lp cover.


2012/for the love of the game

so how do our rock star heroes follow up all time classic albums?

as a stated goal using stoner logic, natty child wanted to open for the rolling stones on their farewell tour...after which, becoming the greatest rock and roll band on the planet. they expected this to take place in 2011....it did not. so they decided to record an album that would make mick and keef quit. spewing stones inspiration and using a little more space than any preceding releases, the ass album chugs cleaner but still delivers the goods.

party still going on.

1. 8am: picking up the lifestyle from the night before. glimmer twins crunch and harmonies reminding of just my imagination. except the accents are real. don't sing with a fake tennessee accent. like a rolling stone....like a rolling stone....like a rolling stone....like a rolling. no shame in this bromance.
2. she got a mind: should have been on sticky fingers as an answer to can't you hear me knocking? except with 2 dudes singing. tasty freeze distortion and a coda.
3. baby: more exile era gluttony. i said baby, i'm so frustrated.....and honey, i can't take it. cable fraying bass. i could easily say that about all their songs.
4. that's how i got to memphis: reminds me of lodi with a fiddle. lazy strumming.
5. hey little girl: it's a heavy kinda party, we can split when you want. lies, lies, lies. most excellent string noodling and skin slapping at the end. bongos too.
6. no one writes sad songs anymore: front porch picking.
7. dtv: alternate harder version of beggars/live with me. cable fraying bass.
8. paradise heights: they should have stolen marley's weed and kicked him out of the van. ill advised choice here.
9. faces of death: vibing and 50's stylizations from guitar boy murray. 50's vocals also. love this song. a little early neil soloing.
10. ain't gonna stop: chuck berry in the house warning mick and keef to go ahead and retire. let them white boys play.

nicely titled lp. says it all.

scientific research indicates that this lp is 2nd only to their new one as far as poolside quality goes. or so i've heard.





to be continued.......

[Clams]

To dime and Cortez,
How and when did you first get turned onto natty chile?
Sincerely,
Clams

[dime in the gutter]

To dime and Cortez,
How and when did you first get turned onto natty chile?
Sincerely,
Clams

year or so ago......saw dee dee repeatedly posting the ass album in the listening thread. got some further deets from 3mile. emusic had them.

immediate obsession.

bubba started at the same time, but he gave up on them.

[cortez the killer]

They first registered on my radar via dee dee in the listening thread. Seems like he way playing them non-stop. Then dime jumped on board. The new one, Dancin' with Wolves, generated some buzz this Winter/Spring and I started to investigate. Dime pointed me toward Hard in Heaven. A few listens in and the hook was set. Really got into them this Spring. Almost saw them in Philly in April, as I was in Delaware for work, but couldn't work it into the itinerary. Obsession kicked into high gear in May. Dying to see them live & hope they pass through these parts once they get back from Europe this Fall.

[cortez the killer]

the ass album.

2012/for the love of the game

Definitely beats the alternative cover:

[cortez the killer]

as a stated goal using stoner logic, natty child wanted to open for the rolling stones on their farewell tour...after which, becoming the greatest rock and roll band on the planet. they expected this to take place in 2011....it did not. so they decided to record an album that would make mick and keef quit. spewing stones inspiration and using a little more space than any preceding releases, the ass album chugs cleaner but still delivers the goods.

Band, in general, was chuggin' cleaner. Another Grimey's performance, "Baby", two years later.

[Smitty]

t
4. that's how i got to memphis: reminds me of lodi with a fiddle. lazy strumming.
.

Is that the Tom T. Hall song?

[dime in the gutter]

t
4. that's how i got to memphis: reminds me of lodi with a fiddle. lazy strumming.
.

Is that the Tom T. Hall song?

smitty dropping truths. tom with a t has a spot in the van.

[cortez the killer]

ain't gonna stop: chuck berry in the house warning mick and keef to go ahead and retire. let them white boys play.

Band's 1st "official" video.

[cortez the killer]

paradise heights: they should have stolen marley's weed and kicked him out of the van. ill advised choice here.

Ahhhhh! Good ol' Natural Lion. Once opened for Thunderbitch.

Dem knew it, but dem can't do it.

[cortez the killer]

8am: picking up the lifestyle from the night before. glimmer twins crunch and harmonies reminding of just my imagination. except the accents are real. don't sing with a fake tennessee accent. like a rolling stone....like a rolling stone....like a rolling stone....like a rolling. no shame in this bromance.

[beantownbubba]

To dime and Cortez,
How and when did you first get turned onto natty chile?
Sincerely,
Clams

year or so ago......saw dee dee repeatedly posting the ass album in the listening thread. got some further deets from 3mile. emusic had them.

immediate obsession.

bubba started at the same time, but he gave up on them.

Not true. Not as obsessed as some but I think they're a great find. A big win for the ever tasteful and cutting edge dee dee. I'm actually a little surprised that it took this thread for the band to take off here - i was under the impression that they were already 3dd favorites.

[cortez the killer]

Amid the frantic touring, Natural Child found time to release their second album of 2012, Hard in Heaven. More of a ragged blues approach here than For the Love of the Game, but still that twin-vocal assault where shouting > singing. Lyrically, hidden next to and underneath some of the juvenile banter are some signs inward-looking awareness one might not expect from these guys. I'm thinking the boys are starting to ponder some Youngian advice - It's easy to get buried in the past when you try to make a good thing last. It's not heavy enough to spoil the good times, but it's somewhere buried in the back of the mind. For my money, this album is Natty Chile's pièce de résistance.


Well I smell like shit and all my money's gone. You know I spent my last dollar tryin' to get all stoned.
1. "Laid, Paid, and Strange" - Somebody must've pissed in the pool. Speaker blown right out of the gate. Blame the Wyman amp. The drummer sounds like he's been practicing. Stooges/Ramones homage. Band's mission statement in the opening line - Tryin' to get laid. Tryin' to get paid. Tryin' to get loaded enough to play. Tryin' to find something to move my brain. 'Cuz I've been bored so long it's drivin' me insane. Oh yeah!


Got me rock bottom with your black body. When you come near me, I nearly lose all control, babe.
2. "Rock Bottom" - My Lord! This one absolutely smokes. Every time this finishes playing, I find myself short of breath with an urge to break things. Plump bass ushers in the destruction here. The song starts out sounding like it might not get off the ground. Wes, Seth & Zack have met the Tent Show Queen's great, great granddaughter and are channeling it through a Raw Power filter. If you have any doubt, listen to the primal manner they close things out with dual screams of "Make me a/your man!"


I'll be your slave, but not that way.
3. "What You Gonna Do" - After launching a pair of haymakers to kick things off, the boys settle into a groove via this blues vamp. Some more great harmonizing as the boys continue their never-ending quest of love with no strings attached.


Don't take that ride...
4. "Hard in Heaven" - Things slow to a crawl, but still maintain some heft. Echos of Neil's "On the Beach" and Soundgarden's "Overfloater" color this little smoky, late-night blues jam. Elevating from the dirgey sludge is Seth's noodling which may or may not sound a little like the aforementioned Shakey's "Down By the River." Shades of regret creep into the lyrics - I had it made. Had me something good. It went away. Jus' like I knew it would. Much like Neil did with On the Beach, the boys might've stumbled upon the inconvenient flashlight illuminating the dark recesses of hedonism.


Everybody love me when I’m out at night. Drop twenty grand, see my name in ice.
5. "B$G P$MP$N" - After they lull you to sleep and drop some heavy shit on you, they knock you in the teeth with a vicious right hook. The evil stepbrother of "Johnny B. Goode" with lyrics that wouldn't be out of place on a Lil Wayne record. Y'all know be I'm just havin' fun. Bitches linin' up to just to shoot my gun. Everybody wanna see me shoot my gun. I don't cum 'til I wanna cum. World keeps turnin' underneath the sun and I'm still standin' here stoned.


I've been searchin' for a certain kinda high. You know it's all that I need.
6. "Blind Owl Speaks" - Back into blues jam territory. Suck on this one Slowhand! (Un)official stoner anthem of the 21st century. Roll it up. Light it up. Smoke it up. Snort it up. Shoot it down. Drink it up. Fill my cup. Get high. Get high. Get high. Oh yeah! Wes & Zack have a great groove going and then Seth comes in a derails everything with some furious guitar work. Great fuckin' song with my only complaint being it fades out seven minutes too soon. This one deserves the proper "Cowgirl in the Sand" treatment with space to stretch out and then settle back into the wicked groove it began with.


Got your picture in my mind. I just see it all the time. Got your number on my phone. And I can't leave it alone.
7. "Low Down Blues" - The band may have captured that mid-70's burnt-out, sleazy vibe better than Mick & the boys ever did. Might be Wes' best bass work. Their harmonizing here is right on point. They nail that Jagger throaty screech/cackle/growl/moan-y thing. Lemme tell you baby.... Owww!.


I don't wanna say goodbye.
8. "Derek's Blues" - Could easily pass as a long-lost Faces outtake. Probably my favorite track on the record. Instant ass-shaking, party song. Top-notch shredding from Seth who stares down Ronnie Wood and never fuckin' blinks.


'Cuz when the good times are over, they're all over. And I've been all over, gettin' these good times.
9. "Let the Good Times Roll" - Pure 70's Outlaw Country bliss complete with acoustic guitars, pedal steel, and brushed drums. A sneak peek of things to come. Another to add to the list about being on the road. While this one dabbles in stuff like papers, baggies, and mouths fulls of weed, it also shows some of the self-awareness touched upon on the title track. While the boys are living the dream traveling across the country doing what they love (partying & playing music), they seem well aware that window is finite. Well, I wish we were at some party back in L.A. sharing a line with Noonan and some other friends. Guess we're gonna get back to it someday. But I'll be sad and lonesome till then.

[dime in the gutter]

excellent.

[cortez the killer]

Came with original pressings of Hard in Heaven.

[dime in the gutter]

I don't wanna say goodbye.
8. "Derek's Blues" - Could easily pass as a long-lost Faces outtake. Probably my favorite track on the record. Instant ass-shaking, party song. Top-notch shredding from Seth who stares down Ronnie Wood and never fuckin' blinks.

very deserving repost.

[cortez the killer]

Mother Nature's Daughter 7'' (2012)

7'' released by Jeffrey Drag Records in 2012. Limited to 500 copies (300 black, 100 opaque lavender, 100 mixed marble). Also available were rolling papers that bovine is currently hunting down. Later released as a digital single.

1. "Mother Nature's Daughter" - All the hippies wanna shave their hair. Peace offering from Neil Young to settle long-held feud that began with "I Am a Child" and "Borrowed Tune." Outtake from Greendale sessions that is a plugged-in update of "After the Gold Rush" minus the knight in armor and the silver spaceships. Cemented my obsession with Natural Child. It's that fuckin' good.
2. "Bodyswitchers Pt. II" - Who's in my head? She's got a hold on me. Title revisits the seemingly-forgettable instrumental from 2010's Bodyswitchers. Sounds like an exorcism of some sort. It's a miracle it holds together for as long as it does.

[cortez the killer]

a hazy, weed smoke filled tour van driven by beavis and butthead