Virtual Unreality

Until December 22, 2020, Leslie West was my favourite living guitarist with his impeccable tone and larger than life persona.

I was always surprised that he’d make it this far, whenever that was, what with the excesses of being in an early 70s hard rock band with the booze and drugs and a massive weight problem. But, he cleaned up his act in the 80s and remained a potent force doing some killer albums right through to the end. He lost a leg to diabetes and smoking, but still rocked.

There’s no way I could play all I wanted to in two hours, but WTF, I gave it a shot.

Vale Leslie West, you were a genuine original and I always had a soft spot for you.

Listen!

Track list

• Leslie West – This wheel’s on fire
• Leslie West – Dreams of Milk and Honey
• Leslie West – Long Red
  From the first solo album Mountain produced by Felix Pappalardi, released in 1969.

• Mountain – Mississippi Queen
• Mountain – Theme for an imaginary western
  From Climbing! the first Mountain LP (1970)

• Mountain – Don’t look around
• Mountain – Taunta (Sammy’s Tune)
• Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride (to Owen Coffin)
  From what many consider to be their masterwork – Nantucket Sleighride (1971)

• Mountain – Flowers of evil
• Mountain – King’s Chorale
• Mountain – One last cold kiss
  From Flowers of Evil (1971). It started off as a concept albums about drugs and Vietnam vets, but I suspect the band was starting to fall apart and side two is live. Pity, because side one is brilliant.

• West, Bruce and Laing – Why dontcha
  After Mountain broke up, Leslie and Corky Laing (Mountain’s drummer) teamed up with Jack Bruce when he wanted to play rock star again. Released in 1972, this is title track of Why dontcha, the first of two studio albums. The second one isn’t as good.
• West, Bruce and Laing – The Doctor
  From the ironically titled Live ‘n’ Kickin’ (1974) because the band hand broken up by the time it was released. 

• Mountain – Never In My Life
  From the monster double live album Twin Peaks (1973). No Corky, no keys.

• Mountain – Whole lotta shakin’
• Mountain – Alisan
  From the last “proper” Mountain album with Felix – Avalanche (1974). Corky back on drums. Felix was murdered by his wife in 1983 and got away with it. HTF did that happen?

• Leslie West – Don’t burn me
• Leslie West – High Roller
• Leslie West – Honky tonk women
  From the second solo album The Great Fatsby (1975). Mick Jagger plays rhythm guitar (true) and High Roller is co written with Corky, Mick and Keef, and (I think she was his wife at the time) Sandra Palmer.

Leslie West – Dyin’ Since the Day I Was Born
Leslie West – Busted, Disgusted or Dead
From the second to final solo album Still Climbing (2013). Busted, Disgusted or Dead has Johnny Winter playing on it.

The Leslie West Band – We gotta get out of this place
From The Leslie West Band (1976). Mick Jones (no – not that one, the one who went on to form Foreigner) also plays guitar. Corky on drums.

Playlist

• TEKETEKE – Chidori
• The Guess Who – Heart broken bopper
• Partner – Rock Is My Rock
• The Feminine Complex – Hide And Seek
• Carrie Phillis & The Downtown 3 – Spend it with You
• Johnny Casino – Dropping Like Flies
• The New Christs – Pedestal
• Peter Black – BC Rich Shredder
• Peter Black – Incident at Rozelle
• The Fleshtones – Alex Trebek
• The Fleshtones – Child Of The Moon
• Nada Surf – Come Get Me
• Neutrals – Personal Computing
• Matthew Sweet – Come to California
• Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Yarian Mitji
• Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys – Rosie
• Melody Moko – Coming Up Roses
• Chuck Prophet – Get Off the Stage
• Interview – Valerie Vande Panne
• The Allman Brothers Band – Statesbro Blues
• On the stoop – Hard Town
• Suburban Bukowskis – Up Shit Creek
• Stevens – Memory
• Los Straitjackets – Space Junket

On today’s show we have the legendary Peter Black who’s releasing two albums on November 27.

Valerie Vande Panne gives us her analysis of the shitshow stateside.

Plus lotsa new music!

Playlist

• The Doors – People are strange
• NO ZU – Talking to Stranger
• Cong Josie – Leather Whip
• The Casanovas – Reptilian Overlord
• Dave Alvin – Albuquerque
• Peter Black – Sky with Diamonds
• Blackie interview (part 1)
• Peter Black – Procedures must be met
• Blackie interview (part 2)
• Peter Black – Song for Mum
• Hard Ons – Harder and Harder
• Hits – Bullet Train
• Lazy Afternoon – Wild
• She Beast – The sadness will last for ever
• Nancy Wilson – The Rising
• Emma Donovan and the Putbacks – Crossover
• Young Fresh Fellows – Becky Doll
• Jimmi Carr – Chemical Rain
• Kimberley Wheeler – Ordinary Shoes
• Caitlin Harnett and the Pony Boys – Don’t Give Up On Me
• XTC – Melt the guns

Playklist

• Alice Cooper – Elected
• Matthew Caws – When History Comes
• Nada Surf – Stories Going Around
• The Soft Boys – I wanna destroy you
• Em George – America
• Melody Moko – Last Cigarette
• Elsie Lange – Talk to me
• Russell Morris – Mr America
• 2 Inch Tape – Loneliness
• Allison Forbes – Bonedigger
• Natalie D-Napoleon – Cut your hair
• Luke Sinclair – Running on the wheel
• William Alexander – Streets of Forbes
• Nancy Wilson – The Rising
• Heart – Crazy on You
• Glitoris – Trump Card
• Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers
• The Dream Syndicate – The Longing
• The No Ones – Going back to Stockholm syndrome
• The On and Ones – Menacing Smile
• Partner – Honey
• Kim Gordon – No Home Record

On today’s show we have…

• Philip Foxman on his band Distant Drum and his time in 70s glam rock band Supernaut
• Lachy Dooley on his new album and his 10 years as a solo artist.
• Caitln Harnett on her band being awarded New South Wales best live act and her forthcoming album.
• American correspondent Valerie Vende Pann on the US election.

Playlist

• Matthew Caws – When history comes
• The Spencer Davis Group – I’m a man
• Spencer Davis – So far
• Lachy Doley Group – Gimme Some Lovin’
• Lachy Doley Group – Voodoo Chile
• Lachy Doley Group – SOS six feet under
• Skinner & T’witch – (I’m not your) superman
• Franky & Wendy – One of your schemes
• Distant Drum – Reaching for air
• Distant Drum – Junkies in the rain
• Distant Drum – I don’t wanna know about love
• Caitlin Harnett & the Pony Boys – Make you feel blue
• Caitlin Harnett & the Pony Boys – 5am
• Jaguar Jonze – Rabbit Hole

On today’s show, we talk to Angus Gill about his genre-hopping new album “3 Minutes Movies”.

And we talk to Mick Medew about his new dripping with psych album “Psychopharmacologist”.

Valerie joins us to give us the oil from States.

Playlist

• Justin Townes Earle – Can’t hardly wait
• The Replacements – Alex Chilton
• Los Straitjackets – Bus Stop
• Dave Alvin – Peace
• Angus Gill & Seasons of Change – Daylight Robbery
• Angus Gill & Seasons of Change – Skin Story
• Angus Gill & Seasons of Change – 3 Minute Movie
• Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys – 5 am
• Liza Richards – Eulalia
• Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Don’t Give Up On Me
• Mick Medew – Psychopharmacologist
• Mick Medew – Red Head
• Mick Medew – When The Wood Is Brown (Full Return)
• Matthew Caws – When history comes
• The Silence – Electric Meditations

On today’s show, we talk to deadset legend Deniz Tek about the new album he’s done with former Stooge James Williamson.

We also catch up with Emma Donovan. She and her band the Putbacks have a new album coming out month.

Valerie joins us from Florida and we have lots of new music. Read Valerie’s story on the young seminole tribe member suing Ron Desantis

Palylist

• Dave Alvin – Highway 61 revisited
• Leslie West – Going Down
• Bob Dylan – False Prophet
• James Williamson and Deniz Tek – Jet Pack Nightmare
• James Williamson and Deniz Tek – Small change
• James Williamson and Deniz Tek – Climate Change
• Ornette Coleman – Lonely Woman
• Penny Ikinger – Gin no suzu
• Kawaguchi Masami’s New Rock Syndicate – Melt
• Mick Medew – When The Wood Is Brown (Full Return)
• Elsie Lange – Talk to me
• Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Pink Skirt
• Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Don’t give up on me
• Los Straitjackets – Venus
• Janis Joplin – Me and Bobby McGee

On today’s show we have a long chat with Brisbane-based songstress Melody Moko about her new album.

We also talk to Edwin Garland about his return to recording and his new project Moonlight 5.

And Valerie on the “debate”.

Playlist

• Jerry Lee Lewis – Hello Hello Baby
• The Million Dollar Quartet – I Shall Not Be Moved
• Hoodoo Gurus – Get Out Of Dodge
• The Soft Boys – I Wanna Destroy You
• The Soft Boys – Old Pervert
• Robyn Hitchcock – I Pray When I’m Drunk
• Romeo Void – Never Say Never
• Melody Moko – Like Hank Would
• Melody Moko – Mama Mix
• Melody Moko – Better Than This
• Melody Moko – Coming Up Roses
• Fats Kaplin – The Fatman Cometh
• Hank Williams – Moanin the Blues
• Moonlight 5 – Lockdown Blues
• Waxworks – Madman
• Interview – Valerie Vande Panne
• Helen Reddy – Fool on the hill

On today’s show we have:

Northern beaches songstress and multi-instrumentalist Mihka Chee who is releasing some new music today.

We talk to one of the people behind a new Monday-night show streaming out of the MoshPit in Newtown.

And we find out about a new petition to prod the New South Wales into doing something about a live music scene that is on the verge of collapse.

Plus lotsa new music.

No Valerie due to technical issues.

Links

• Monday Evening Gunk
• Save our Stages petition

Playlist

• Angis Gill – The New Old me
• David Schaak – Honey Pot
• Kelley Stolz – The Quite Ones
• The Sensible Gray Cells – Get Back into the world
• The Smart Folk – Saturday Morning Slow Starts
• Mihka Chee – Mess!
• Mihka Chee – Consumate Performer
• Mihka Chee – Coattails
• The Exponents – La La Lulu
• James Williamson & Deniz Tek – Jet Pack Nightmare
• James Williamson & Deniz Tek – Climate Change
• Mi’ens – Future Child
• The No Ones – (Going back to) Stokholm Syndrome
• The On and Ones – Menancing Smile
• Mick Medew – Psychopharmacologist
• The Third Mind – Reverberation
• Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Cornflake
• Patti Smith – Free money
• Sonic Youth – Kool Thing

On today’s show – Mike Elrington talks about his new album – Aftershock.

Valerie on hurricane classification and lotsa new music. Read Valerie’s article here.

Playlist

• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Little Wing
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Fire
• Mihka Chee – Mess!
• Distant Drum – Reaching for air
• Young Fresh Fellows – Gear Summer
• Mike Elrington – It Still Burns
• Mike Elrington – Don’t give me a dime
• Mike Elrington – She don’t want nobody to love
• Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Pink Skirt
• Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys – 5 am
• Partner – Big Gay Hands
• Johnny Cash – The Mercy Seat
• Johnny Cash – Hey Porter
• Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
• Nikki Hill – I’ve Got a Man
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Voodoo chile (slight return)