Jack O'Fire - 6 Super Shock Soul Songs. Estrus Records 10". ES 102

Well, here's a post with lots and lots of inserts for you to read. That was one of the great things about Jack O'Fire, their commitment to the written word. Releases usually came with the latest ramblings of Big Daddy Soul, self-appointed and inspirational leader of the Young Lions Conspiracy. Bands have played at the creating a gang / cult things over the years with various degrees of success including The Nation of Ulysses (good), Psychic TV (scary) and WU LYF (massively naive), but the best of all were the words which skipped from the fingers of Big Daddy Soul onto his manual type-writer.

The music's not half bad as well... Enjoy.

Jack O'Fire - 6 Super Shock Soul Songs. Estrus Records 10". ES 102.

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Jack 'O Fire - Bring Me The Head Of Jon Spencer EP. Undone Records 7" UR002

First insert.

Second insert.

Jack O'Fire (note the ' is in the right place here, unlike on the cover of this record) were a band I found very easy to love. Sure, they were a covers band, but such fantastic covers! On this, their debut release, we have songs made famous by Howling Wolf, Blind Willie McTell and those well-known blues artists Joy Division. No Love Lost was on 'An Ideal For Living', the first release from Joy Division. Download a superb version of it here.

In addition, the whole Young Lions Conspiracy schtick made their early releases doubly entertaining. There were two 'tracts' with this release. As is policy, I've scanned them both. Enjoy.

Jack O' Fire - Bring Me The Head Of Jon Spencer EP. Undone Records 7" UR002.

Austin jack o'fire joy division texas Tim Kerr undone records

Jack O'Fire - Soul Music 101 Chapter 3. Sympathy For The Record Industry 7". SFTRI 253-3.

More from The World's Greatest Cover Band. Jack O'Fire tear up a storm no matter who they cover, and a band who can cover The Fall and Sonny Boy Williamson with equal levels of respect are deserving of your love. Here they take on twitchy Seattle Power Poppers, The Fall Outs and deceased instrumental powerhouse Link Wray. Enjoy.

Jack O'Fire - Soul Music 101 Chapter 3. Sympathy For The Record Industry 7".  SFTRI 253-3.

blues jack o'fire Sympathy For The Record Industry Tim Kerr

Various Artists - Seattle vs. Austin 7". Static Records SR701. The Primate 5, The Statics, Jack O'Fire, The Inhalants.

What's the point of setting up a fight if there's no way to resolve it? Who wins this particularly pointless battle? Both sides have one 'heavyweight' (and I bet that's the first time The Statics were ever, without irony, referred to as a Seattle 'heavyweight') and one hanger-on. I'm not even sure of the covers to originals ratio on this. Jack O'Fire take on Sonny Boy Williamson's Western Arizona, The Statics amplify their Billy Childish fetish by covering his Kinds of Women (which he no doubt lifted from some other source, light-fingered and unacknowledged). The Primate 5 and The Inhalants? Who knows? I suspect it's their own material as they are the support acts and they have songs to burn. The second release on this label was a Japanese Tour 7" by The Statics. If anybody has it, please share. I'd love to hear Hoppenrath's take on Loli and the Chones' I Hate Your Guts. In the meantime, enjoy.

Various Artists - Seattle vs. Austin 7". Static Records SR701.

Austin garage jack o'fire seattle The Inhalants The Primate 5 The Statics

Lord High Fixers - Scat Man. No Lie Records 7". NL-006.

I never had as much time for Lord High Fixers as I did for Tim Kerr's previous band, Jack O'Fire. In retrospect that's a bit of a shame, but I was also slightly burnt out by what I perceived as a second wave of inferior garage bands and lack of quality control by some of the more prominent labels on the scene. So unlike the tower of vinyl I have for Jack O'Fire, Lord High Fixers are represented in my collection by this single only. It's a good one, though, showcasing the slightly rockier feel of Lord High Fixers and packaged with consumate care by record label, No Lie. The Cub Card shown above is membership card-sized. The inserts continue Kerr's journey with Young Lions Conspiracy USA.

In addition I've linked to a record sent to me by Tim Kerr back in the mid to late nineties. It's a clear vinyl, unlabelled 7" with just the one track on it. In the meantime I have totally forgotten what it is and who recorded it. Any information will be gratefully received. It's a departure musically, but not thematically. As you will hear. Enjoy.

Lord High Fixers - Scat Man. No Lie Records 7". NL-006.

Lord High Fixers - Scat Man Revolution - Free 7".

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King Sound Quartet - The Getdown Imperative - In The Red Records LP. ITR 052. REPOST.

This was due to be issued on CD for the first time in 2001, according to the In The Red Records website, but that never happened. A garage rock 'supergroup', King Sound Quartet includes Tim Kerr of Poison 13, Jack O'Fire and Lord High Fixers, Mick Collins of Gories, Blacktop and Dirtbombs, Stephanie Paige Friedman of Lord High Fixers, Big Foot Chester and Sugar Shack and Alex Cuervo of Blacktop and The Now Time Delegation. Heroes all. This is a bit of a mixed bag, a lot of people balking at the ten minute plus cover version of The Sun Ra Arkestra's Space Is The Place. It's worth it if only to hear Mick Collins take on Ray Charles (and lose!). Enjoy.

King Sound Quartet - The Getdown Imperative - In The Red Records LP. ITR 052.

dirtbombs jack o'fire king sound quartet lord high fixers

Jack O'Fire - 'Cool'. No Lie Records 7". NL-002.

A nice smart package from Austin's No Lie records. The sleeve is silk-screened and the scan doesn't really do it justice. The record, another great from the Texan kings of the cover version, features a rattling version of Wire's pink punk classic 12XU. Enjoy.

Jack O'Fire - 'Cool'. No Lie Records 7". NL-002.

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