[bomp] (no subject)

[ItsBoss9@xxxxxxx]

THE LEOPARDS "Kansas City Slickers" LP on Moon 
Rds, from 1977.... astonishing Kinks-like (late 60s/early 70s era) LP, and 
surprizing to see such a "revival" LP on this kind out much before the 
mid-80s garage explosion. Fabulous pop songs, not a filler, an absolute must 
have for pop fans...  and in my opinion much better than its follow up on 
Bomp ("Magic still exists").

I think it was Paul Grant who said that the Leopards cut the best Kinks album 
of the '80s -- speaking of MAGIC STILL EXISTS.  The demo tape they cut for 
that was actually better than what was done for Bomp, my gut feeling.  That's 
where "Psychedelic Boy" comes from, and Bomp pretty much used that take because 
it had already gotten tons of airplay on Rodney Bingenheimer's KROQ radio show 
when it mattered.  The KANSAS CITY SLICKERS album, well, this was originally 
three singles, then an LP came out.  The group was pure at the worst juncture 
of the '70s, they didn't need Punk Rock to "inform" them.  Melody was always 
first and foremost, and they were pretty savvy with lyrics.  They were very 
rooted in traditional American music, much like the stuff Ian Whitcomb is always 
talking about in books like AFTER THE BALL.  Leader Dennis Pash had an 
incredible record collection of everything from blackface records done near the turn 
of the century to, well, his pad was the first time I'd ever seen the 
Applejacks album, o.k.? 

Dennis Pash, last time I spoke with him, is living in the college town just 
west of Kansas City, Kansas in what I call a little blues shack next to the 
railroad there.  I visited him a couple of times.  He is now playing traditional 
string music on a Riverboat with another member of the original Kansas City 
lineup of the Leopards, that's what he does for a living.  The band had a 
different lineup in L.A.  Ross, the bass player in the L.A. lineup, was living in 
San Francisco during the '90s and I used to run into him there a lot.  I'm 
pretty sure that all that exists on the Leopards is KANSAS CITY SLICKERS, MAGIC 
STILL EXISTS and that demo tape which is to me, better than the Bomp album.  One 
cut that never was recorded again or released was "Steam Locomotive," which I 
think should go on one of these Rhino children of nuggets or '80s Garage 
comps.  It's the only Yardbirds-influenced track (they do a cool rave up) and dig 
this, Dennis Pash wrote that song in 1967... when he was like, 8 or 9 years 
old.  That's why he didn't want to release it, he thought "nothing I did at that 
age could possibly be good enough to release now," but he was wrong on that 
one, I think.  Good enough for a best-of-80s Garage if  you ask me.

Domenic Priore

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