Burn Tony Black

One of the silliest song ever, ain't no doubt about it. Still cracks me up every time I play it, which is not too often by the way. From 1978, on the legendary Stiff label. For those not in the know: Tony Blackburn was a famous British disc jockey.

Binky Baker & The Pit Orchestra - Toe Knee Black Burn

Snuff

For the best spoof ever on early British punk, look no further than the impressively monikered Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, a comedy band from Manchester. Their Snuff Rock ep, released in the magical year of 1977 on the mighty Stiff Records, features some razorsharp parodies of the musical movement that shocked the nation at the time.

In Gobbing On Life - "living is a cliché, it´s all been done before..." - they do a nice take on Rotten and the Pistols, but it´s Kill, their hilarious take on the Damned, that steals the show. "I´m gonna cut me liver out and shove it in yer face..."

Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias - Gobbing On Life

Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias - Kill

Wazmo

Ring-a-ring-a-ring-a-ringa-ring ring... Anyone remember this neurotic gem? Wazmo (real name Larry Grennan) was a singer from Chicago who wore two ties around his neck for some reason. This didn´t stop the mighty Stiff Records from releasing his debut single Tele-tele-telephone in the UK back in ´78. Would make a great ringtone for your mobile...

Wazmo Nariz - Tele-Tele-Telephone MP3

Scratch & Sniff

All this talk about the mid to late seventies Cleveland scene - and the great Pere Ubu in particular - on the inspiring Siblingshot on the Bleachers blog made me think of another Ohio scene: the Akron one. Known as the rubber capital of the world, Akron was famous for its local sphere of musical activity for a short while when the mighty Stiff label released a showcase called The Akron Compilation in 1978. The album cover featured a scratch & sniff rubber tyre in the right-hand corner, and believe it or not, three decades later my copy still smells faintly of rubber when I rub a fingernail over it.

None of the featured artists really managed to hit the big time later on, and as far as I know Akron never produced any band of note since. But The Akron Compilation still stands as a worthy testimony of what once was, and definitely deserves a cd release. Just check out the following gems by Rachel Sweet (a great singer), Tin Huey (Ubu-inspired weirdness), Jane Aire & The Belvederes (nice pop, complete with a searching-the-radio-waves intro) and the Waitresses (funky!) for proof.

Rachel Sweet - Truck Stop Queen MP3

Tin Huey - Chinese Circus MP3

Jane Aire & The Belvederes - When I Was Young MP3

The Waitresses - Slide MP3