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Featured News
Marianne Faithfull 1946-2025
By Harvey Kubernik Singer, songwriter, actress and author Marianne Faithfull passed away on January 30, 2025. In 2000 I discussed Faithfull with her first record producer Andrew Loog Oldham, the 1
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Featured Articles
The Beatles: Their Hollywood and Los Angeles Connection
By Harvey Kubernik JUST RELEASED are two new installments of the Beatles’ recorded history, revised editions of two compilation albums often seen as the definitive introduction to their work. Or
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Where to buy Ugly Things
Ugly Things magazine can be purchased online at our webstore: http://webstore.ugly-things.com
It can also be found at many good record stores, book stores and magazine stands, including the ones listed below. This list is by no means comprehensive. If your store carries Ugly Things and is not listed below, please contact us at uglythingsmag@gmail.com and we’ll add you to the list.
If you’re interested in carrying Ugly Things at your store, please call or email us for details.
USA
CALIFORNIA
Carlsbad
SPIN RECORDS
370 Grand Avenue
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760-434-0807
www.facebook.com/spinrecords
Hollywood
AMOEBA MUSIC
6400 Sunset Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-245-6400
http://www.amoeba.com/
Long Beach
FINGERPRINTS
420 E. 4th Street
Long Beach CA. 90802
562-433-4996
http://www.fingerprintsmusic.com/
Los Angeles
CAVEMAN MUSIC
Attn: Eric Stollsteimer
650 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-625-9999
http://caveman-vintage.com/
THE DAILY PLANET
5931 1/2 Franklin Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-957-0061
http://www.thedailyplanetbookstore.com/
ROCKAWAY RECORDS
2395 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 664-3232
http://www.rockaway.com/
Oakland
ISSUES
20 Glen Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
510-652-5700
http://www.issuesshop.com/
Sacramento
BEERS BOOKS
915 S Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
916-442-9475
http://www.beersbooks.com/
PHONO SELECT RECORDS
2312 K Street
Sacramento, CA. 95816
916-400-3164
http://www.phonoselect.com/
San Diego
M-THEORY MUSIC
827 W Washington Street
San Diego, CA 92103
619-220-0485
http://www.mtheorymusic.com/
VINYL JUNKIES RECORD SHACK
2235 Fern Street
San Diego, CA 92104
http://vinyljunkies.net/
San Francisco
AMOEBA MUSIC
1855 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-831-1200
http://www.amoeba.com/
AQUARIUS RECORDS
1055 Valencia Street,
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-647-2272
http://www.aquariusrecords.org/
CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE
261 Columbus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-362-8193
http://www.citylights.com/
Santa Ana
LEFT OF THE DIAL RECORDS
320 French Street, Suite B
Santa Ana, CA 92701
http://www.leftofthedialrecords.com/
Sherman Oaks
FREAKBEAT RECORDS
13616 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
http://freakbeatrecords.com/
Ventura
GRADY’S RECORD REFUGE
2546 E Main Street
Ventura, CA 93003
805-648-5565
http://www.gradysrecordrefuge.com/
COLORADO
TWIST AND SHOUT
2508 E Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80206
303-722-1943
http://www.twistandshout.com/
FLORIDA
BOB’S NEWS & BOOKS
1515 S Andrews Ave.
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33316
http://www.bobsnewsandbooks.com/
ILLINOIS
Chicago
DUSTY GROOVE
1120 N Ashland
Chicago, IL 60622
773-342-5800
http://www.dustygroove.com/
LAURIE’S PLANET OF SOUND
4639 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago IL 60625
773-271-3569
http://lauriesplanetofsound.com/
LOGAN HARDWARE
2410 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago IL 60647
773-235-5030
http://www.logan-hardware.com/
QUIMBY’S
1854 West North Avenue
Chicago IL 60622
773-342-0910
http://www.quimbys.com/
RECKLESS RECORDS
26 East Madison Street
Chicago IL 60602
http://www.reckless.com/
RECKLESS RECORDS
3126 N Broadway St
Chicago IL 60657
http://www.reckless.com/
RECKLESS RECORDS
1532 N Milwaukee Ave # 1
Chicago IL 60622
http://www.reckless.com/
SAKI
3716 W Fullerton Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
773-486-3997
http://sakistore.net/
SHAKE, RATTLE & READ
4812 N Broadway St
Chicago IL 60640
773-334-5311
VINTAGE VINYL
925 Davis St
Evanstown IL 60201
847-328-2899
http://vvmo.com/
INDIANA
HEIRLOOM RECORDS
516 Wilson Square
Evansville, IN 47715
812-228-7456
http://www.facebook.com/HeirloomRecords
MARYLAND
BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSELLERS
Towson Circle
1 E. Joppa Rd
Towson MD 21286
EL SUPRIMO! RECORDS
1709 Aliceanna St
Baltimore MD 21231
443-226-9628
http://elsuprimo.com/
GURU TOO RECORDS
1635 Lancaster St
Baltimore MD 21231
443-844-5896
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BOOK CENTER
3330 St Paul Street
Baltimore MD 21218
JOJOSOUTH RECORD SHOP
718 W. 36th St.
Baltimore MD 21211
410-889-1759
http://www.facebook.com/jojosouth.recordshop
NORMALS BOOKS AND RECORDS
425 E. 31st St
Baltimore MD 21218
410-243-6888
http://www.normals.com/
THE SOUND GARDEN
1616 Thames St
Baltimore MD 21231
410-563-9011
http://www.cdjoint.com/
MASSACHUSETTS
NEWSBREAK
581 Gar Hwy
Swansea, MA 02777
RED LION SMOKE SHOP
94 Washington Street
Salem MA 01970
978-745-2050
http://www.redlionsmoke.com/
NEWBURY COMICS
240 Andover Street, Rte 114
Peabody, MA 01960
978-531-9713
http://www.newburycomics.com/
MICHIGAN
WAZOO RECORDS
336 1/2 S State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-761-8686
MINNESOTA
ROADRUNNER RECORDS
4304 Nicollet Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55409
612-822-0613
NEW YORK
ACADEMY RECORDS ANNEX
96 N 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-218-8200
http://www.academyannex.com/blog/
BOP SHOP
1460 Monroe Ave.
Rochester, NY 14618
585-271-3354
http://www.bopshop.com/
QUIMBY’S BOOKSTORE NYC
536 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
https://quimbysnyc.com/
ROUGH TRADE NYC
54 N 9th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11249
718-388-4111
NORTH CAROLINA
BULL CITY RECORDS
2600 Hillsborough Road
Durham, NC 27705
http://www.bullcityrecords.com
919-286-9640
OHIO
CULTURE CLASH RECORDS
4020 Secor Road
Toledo, OH 43623
http://www.thecultureclash.com/
419-536-LOVE
OREGON
THE CITY READER
3050 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97202
https://www.the-city-reader.com/
INDENT
3636 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97227
https://www.indent-magazines.com/
JACKPOT RECORDS DOWNTOWN
203 SW 9th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
503-222-0990
http://www.jackpotrecords.com/
JACKPOT RECORDS HAWTHORNE
3574 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214
503-239-7561
http://www.jackpotrecords.com/
MUSIC MILLENNIUM
3158 East Burnside Street
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 231-8926
http://www.musicmillennium.com/
POWELL’S CITY OF BOOKS
1005 W Burnside St
Portland OR 97209
http://www.powells.com/
READING FRENZY
921 SW Oak St.
Portland, OR 97205
info@readingfrenzy.com
http://readingfrenzy.com/index.php
PENNSYLVANIA
POSITIVELY RECORDS
4153 Woerner Ave
Levittown, PA 19057
215-945-8063
TENNESSEE
GONER RECORDS
2152 Young Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901-722-0095
http://www.goner-records.com/
TEXAS
WATERLOO RECORDS
600-A N. Lamar
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 474-2500
http://waterloorecords.com/Home
WASHINGTON
BULLDOG NEWS
4208 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-632-6397
http://bulldognewsstand.blogspot.com/
WASHINGTON DC
CROOKED BEAT RECORDS
2116 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
http://www.crookedbeat.com/
SMASH RECORDS
2314 18th ST NW 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202-38-SMASH
http://www.smashrecords.com
WISCONSIN
RUSH MOR RECORDS
2635 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53207
414-481-6040
http://www.rushmor.com/
AUSTRALIA
BIG STAR CDS & RECORDS
160 Magill Road
Norwood SA 5067
http://www.facebook.com/bigstarrecords
CANADA
NEPTOON RECORDS
3651 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5V 3N4
http://neptoon.com/
ZAP RECORDS
14 King St East,
Cobourg, Ontario K9A 1K7
http://www.zaprecords.com/
FRANCE
BIMBO TOWER
5, passage Saint-Antoine
Paris 75011
http://bimbo.tower.free.fr/
BORN BAD
17 rue Keller
Paris 75011
01 43 38 41 78
http://www.bornbad.fr/
DANGERHOUSE
3 rue Thimonnier
69001 LYON
http://www.dangerhouse.fr/
GIBERT JOSEPH
26-34 Boulevard St-Michel
Paris 75006
http://www.gibertjoseph.com/
SONIC IMPORT
15 avenue du Maréchal Foch
Nice 06000
04 93 53 48 39
http://www.sonic-import.com/
GERMANY
ROCKINFO SHOP
www.rockinfo.de
JAPAN
WAREHOUSE
Shinmei Bld. 2F 7-7-33
Nishi-Shinjyuku, Shinjyuku,
Tokyo 160-0023
http://warehouse.shop-pro.jp/
NORWAY
BOOGALOO
Skostredet 16
5017 Bergen
boogaloobergen@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/boogaloobergen
SPAIN / PORTUGAL
UNITED KINGDOM
BLACK VINYL RECORDS
47 Main Street
Symington
Biggar ML12 6LL
Scotland
http://www.blackvinylrecords.com/
ROUGH TRADE SHOP
130 Talbot Road
London W11 1JA
http://www.roughtrade.com/
ROUGH TRADE EAST
Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London E1 6QL
http://www.roughtrade.com/
George Gallacher – 1943-2012
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It is with deep sorrow and incredible sadness that we learned of the death of our dear friend George Gallacher, lead vocalist and founder member of the Poets, who died suddenly from a heart attack while driving home from watching his favorite football team, Partick Thistle, on Saturday August 25, 2012. On the day “The Jags”, as Thistle are known by their fans, won 3-0 against Dumbarton at their home ground Firhill, in Glasgow, so George would’ve been pretty ecstatic. He was such an avid supporter that, unusually, the club held a half-time tribute to him on the day of his funeral, playing Poets songs, while former Scotland player Alan Rough read out tributes.
George was born in the Garngad (later Royston) area of Glasgow and would’ve celebrated his sixty-ninth birthday on 21 October.
In 1964, The Poets were quickly signed to Decca by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who produced for them a brace of highly-innovative singles, all co-written by Gallacher, and guitarists Hume Paton and Tony Myles. Forever etched in the minds of beat fans is the group’s scorching February 1965 single, “That’s The Way It’s Got To Be,” and its sublime, truly haunting counterpart, “I’ll Cry With The Moon.” This showcased both the tough and romantic sides of the young Gallacher’s talent, across intense, creative, and thoroughly mesmerizing material. The weird baroque-beat stomp of “Now We’re Thru,” their debut from late the previous year, would give them their only Top 30 placing. The Poets followed manager Oldham into his new Immediate label venture, cutting two singles there including the spellbinding “Some Things I Can’t Forget,” the group’s preferred choice for the topside. This was over-ruled by ALO in favor of “Call Again”—“depressing stuff… and we were depressed that it was going to be our single,” recalled Gallacher in 2011.
In early ’66 after “Baby Don’t You Do It,” Gallacher left the Poets, disillusioned by lack of direction and momentum within the group, and the mess of ongoing management wrangles. He stayed in London until the end of the ‘60s singing back-up on sessions for such as Keith Relf and Spencer Davis, doing A&R work, writing and recording for labels including United Artists, Fontana and Major Minor. Gallacher also taped some excellent songs of his own with backing by the pre-White Trash group, the Pathfinders, who included former Poets guitarist (and by then Gallacher’s brother-in-law) Fraser Watson. At least four titles exist on acetate only including “The Tailor,” “A Weathercock’s View Of Life,” and the more well-known “Dawn (A Portrait).” A little-known fact, however, is that in 1968 Gallacher also supplied lead vocals for an album project by a group called the Illusive Dream which remains unreleased to this day.
When George returned to Glasgow, married with children, much of his free time was spent playing junior league football. As early as 1963, before the Poets broke out, George’s prowess on the football park had already been noted and he signed up for trials with Leicester City’s youth team alongside England’s future goalkeeping hero Gordon Banks.
But music was in Gallacher’s soul, and after a brief stint playing with old pal Alex Harvey, he and Watson formed the hard rocking, politically aware Dead Loss Band, also the Dansettes, The Blues Poets and, more recently, the Nearly Men. His friend, award-winning author James Kelman, had also cast him as the leading role in his acclaimed 1994 play One Two Hey!, the story of a struggling blues group, mirroring that of the Poets.
Gallacher also returned to education, gaining degrees in both English and Philosophy at the University of Strathclyde, before becoming a teacher, and mentoring to asylum seekers, many from war-torn Kosovo.
A unique vocalist until the very end, George was blessed with a thoroughly commanding stage presence, as evidenced by those in attendance at recent concerts given by the reconstituted Poets line-up where George and Fraser were backed by longtime friends and fans, the Thanes, in Glasgow, London, and at what would turn out to be their last ever appearance, at Festival Beat in Italy on 30 June, playing almost all of the group’s ‘60s repertoire before jubilant, receptive audiences.
On a very personal note, as one of George’s and his family’s friends for the last twenty five years, I’d like to say that life has been richer by far having known him. George Gallacher was a very generous, gracious, wryly funny, heart-thinking individual, an extraordinary spirit with an astonishing musical gift. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him. He journeys on leaving behind his dear wife Anne, and their two sons, Craig and Fraser. RIP George, you were some man. (Lenny Helsing)
Benny Soebardja – Strawberry Rain reissues
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Due in great part to the compilation release of Those Shocking, Shaking Days (Now Again, 2010), the exposure and subsequent interest in unknown and/or long forgotten Indonesian psych/hard rock groups of the late 1960s to early-mid 1970s has been growing in recent years. A virtual treasure-trove of lost tracks and obscure bands, one can only wonder why these Indo treasures weren’t excavated sooner. One of the stand-out tracks on …Shaking Days is undoubtedly Shark Move’s “Evil War”, an incredibly eerie, psychedelia drenched gem that just oozes monster tones and thumping bass. Lest we forget, during the early 1970s, Southeast Asia was very much in turmoil and littered with devastating violence. “Evil War”, a song written in the very backyard of that seemingly never ending conflict, speaks volumes about the people who endured so much, yet who persevered in spirit, as evidenced in their their music. And so, in 1973, against the backdrop of war, Shark Move laid down their one and only album, Ghede Chokra’s.
One of the members of Shark Move, a cat by the name of Benny Soebardja, would go on to work with another well-known Indonesian band of the period, Giant Step. It was with Giant Step that Benny almost caught his “big break”, when they came painfully close to signing with Virgin Records (UK). However, as with most Indo acts of the time, this was not to be; the world just didn’t seem ready. Eventually, Giant Step ran its course in relative ambiguity, being contained, and ultimately lost, within the confines of mid-70s Indonesia. Refusing to lay down his pen, however, as well as his guitar, Benny would go on to crank out some of the most phenomenal solo music the Indonesian music market has ever been hit with. Much like his earlier work with Shark Move and Giant Step, Benny’s seminal solo recordings of the 1970s were released without label support, making them essentially private pressings. Between 1975 and 1980, Benny recorded five albums, all of which have never seen any official vinyl issuing…until now. Thanks to the salvage divers over at Strawberry Rain, Benny’s first three solo albums, Benny Soebardja & Lizard(1975), Gimmie a Piece of Gut Rock (1977), and Night Train (1978), have been released on vinyl for the first time ever.
BENNY SOEBARDJA – Benny Soebardja & Lizard (1975/2012) [Ltd. Ed. 250] (Strawberry Rain) LP
Where to begin? Well, for starters, this was Benny’s first “official” solo release. And, with no label backing this sucker, the creative freedom was flowing — and man, can you hear it. Hell, you can feelit! Backed by Lizard (a group made up of essentially mystery musicians, although I personally suspect some Sharkmovers are present), what you hear on this album is beyond amazing. Standout tracks include “18 Years Old” and “Cynthia”; “Cynthia” will leave you wondering if you’ve ever really heard a love song before. Upon its original release (if you can even call it a release), Benny Soebardja & Lizard appeared on cassette only, in sudo-bootleg form, and was ultimately absorbed by the sands of time. Enter Strawberry Rain records! This reissue has everything going for it. One, it’s a limited edition pressing of 250 copies (however, the Indonesian market had reserved 50% of those pressings, leaving only 125 copies available worldwide). Two, the sleeve on this LP sports the original banned artwork. And three, the album (as well as the other two re-releases) is housed in a vintage tip-on style jacket! How cool is that?
BENNY SOEBARDJA – Gimmie a Piece of Gut Rock (1977/2012) [Ltd. Ed. 500] (Strawberry Rain) LP
Ah, Gimmie a Piece of Gut Rock. Just the title alone is far out! Recorded in just 30 days — rumor has it that Benny was given unlimited studio time — the sound you get off Gimmie… is layered, at times complex, and not necessarily what one would expect coming off of Benny Soebardja & Lizard…but it works! It works so well in fact, that some collectors argue this to be his finest hour. While I personally don’t adhere to that opinion, it is nonetheless an epic ride and one definitely worth buying a ticket for. Hey, speaking of Lizard, guess who backed-up the noise on this effort? You got it! But what most people don’t know is that Benny also had help from some even older pals on this one, with Giant Step filling the gaps.
BENNY SOEBARDJA – Night Train (1978/2012) [Ltd. Ed. 500] (Strawberry Rain) LP
Recorded in 1978, Night Train may very well be the rarest thing that Benny Soebardja ever laid down. Cassette copies of this creature fetch an upwards of three figures on the Indonesian market! The first track, “Wise World”, is a testament in itself; it’s also a track that paves the way for the rest of the album, preparing you for some amazing fuzz as well as other trippy musical dealings. Laced in classic Benny Soebardja psychedelic style, Night Train stands out as one of his most crowning achievements. Thanks to Strawberry Rain, this “Benny at his best” title has finally seen a proper vinyl pressing, although it is limited to 500 copies and is getting harder and harder to track down nowadays. (Bryan O’Keefe)