the bats: C/D

god 'Daddy's Highway' rules so hard. have to dig that one out now

I've been looking for a vinyl copy of 'Couchmaster' for like three years

Upthread somebody asked if the recent Verlaines records are good or not. The most recent one that I'm aware of is 'Pot Boiler,' and it is the only thing they've done that I dislike.

Daddy's Highway remains one of the great understated quirky pop records. Severe classic.

daddy's highway > before we go under > other bats records

I think I'd agree in terms of proper longplayers, although Compiletely might even have had most spins here. This is pleasantly surprising though; I've don't recall ever reading anything (praise or otherwise) about the Magick Heads. Did anyone hear their 2nd and 3rd records?

the 2nd Magick Heads record 'woody' is great. it starts off slow but around the fourth song it turns terrific. it seems as if it is more of a jane sinnott record as i think she took on more of the songwriting. i could be wrong. the 3rd record is a compilation though they left off their most famous song but it is rather good too and it has a few more of the songs they did with the dave's from the 3ds. i am not much for the most recent bats record. it is a bit dull. new minisnap ep is out. i think.

i came in with low expectations for the guilty office but i feel it's a pretty good record, if not especially mind blowing..

nned 'Couchmaster' on vinyl ... very much seeking, will pay reasonable price, thx

also, I didn't need to say it , but of course this band rules all time!!!!

(now about that 'Couchmaster' vinyl ... :-) )

Seems that there's about tot be a bunch of reissuing and remastering of the early stuff. Hope that Daddy doesn't get transformed from a sleepy gem to a monster of rock in the process. And it'd also be a treat if they found a way to get the "North by North" 12" and its amazing b-sides into the light of day. It was left of Compiletley, but it's some of their best stuff, especially "Get Fat," which has all the hooks and a little more muscle than the other early material. And I'll put in a vote for "Passed By" off the "Smoking her Wings" 7"; it's the loveliest thing I've heard by them, or pretty much anyone.

The "North by North" 12" is actually called the Four Songs EP, if anyone out there starts searching for it....

Good news, I've been looking to get Daddy's Highway for years, think it's been reissued a few times but they always seem to be gone by the time I notice. Or perhaps I keep reading it's going to be reissued and it never actually comes out?

I finally tracked down some flacs of Compiletely, which sounds like it was ripped from vinyl. Love it! I'd buy the reissues of that and Daddy's Highway. Seems like the Thousands Of Tiny Luminous Spheres comp would be enough for the later stuff.

So according to Amazon.co.uk the Daddy's Highway reissue came out May 2011 and is already of stock. WTF Flying Nun do you not want people to own this album or what?

i hope it was remastered--i have an old cd (on Communion, i think?) that sounds crappy--although, i played the vinyl a few weeks ago and it sounded thin and tinny too, so... but w/e it's a great album.

Thanks for bumping this thread, listening to "Compiletely" for the first time in years. "Earwig" is such a great, goofy left-field song. But this is just filled with gem after gem. "Mad On You", the driving "Claudine", "I Go Wild". I'm in a kiwi state of mind after spinning Able Tasmans "A Cuppa Tea" earlier.

All killer no filler for sure.

after thinking the last couple sorta dud the new album is really beautiful. at times it reminds me more of the magick heads than the bats.

US (North American?) tour now. Looking forward to seeing them live.

saw them live last night! wish they'd played longer, so much pretty guitar playing

Love this band, psyched to see them in a couple of weeks.

Anyone going to make it to the Hoboken show with me?

Going to the Washington D.C. show tonight

Oh they were so good on Monday!! Have fun.

Did they have t-shirts?

Errr, yes? I only remember tote bags

I've heard from buds out east that they've perhaps sold out of t-shirts, but Robert Scott is selling his artworks for $50 a pop.

Yes to artwork, but I saw a t-shirt taped to the wall last night with some sort of generic expression on it ("Ooh" or something in big letters, I forget). Not sure if that was a Bats shirt. CDs for $15, vinyl for varying prices.

They encored with "Block of Wood" and "North by North." The strumming and jangling was sublime as were the ocassional harmonies. Before the opener, D.C.'s Dot Dash came on, I was sitting in a diner like booth in the room when a guy asked if he could sit on the other side of the table in the booth. I said sure. He had a manila folder filled with sheets of paper, some of which he took out. Each sheet was filled with columns of words. Yep, it was Robert Scott with his songlists and lyric sheet hints. He had them at his feet during the gig, and grabbed 'em at the end and put them back in his folder. He also sang all night with gum in his mouth. Virtually everyone who was ever in a DC area Slumberland band was in the crowd, along with assorted local scribes and djs.

They said they last played DC in 1992; but I don't remember them ever playing DC nor did someone else I spoke to.

On a Trouser Press forum thread, folks were pointing out that Scott isn't an active, vibrant frontman, not sure you need an Iggy Pop or Springsteen for the type of material the Bats play.

rad, gonna see them in Seattle, last saw him playing solo at the library in Dunedin a few years back.

yeah, the bass player was doing most of the crowd interaction when I saw them, but they all looked pretty happy. and they sounded great!

Wtf is Robert Scott supposed to be doing, other than standing and playing and singing and wearing a hat?

Only occurred to me a couple of weeks ago, actually, that the Bats and the Feelies share a certain DNA. I've always heard a lot of Eno-covering-"What Goes On" in Scott's vocals, which jibes with the Feelies vibe, too.

dang i would love to see them, but they're not coming anywhere near me...
ps bats fans might dig this:
http://osr-tapes.com/images/gw.jpg
Send Away: Gordon Wallace is Robert Scott (the Clean, the Bats, Electric Blood, etc.)
he originally released this album on his tape label EST in 1987
23 songs in a soft style, an early version of "Mastery" by the Bats
what can I say, I really like it. "how many hunters can really shoot?"
artwork by Robert Scott. 60 minutes.
http://osr-tapes.com/

Dear Private Press types,

Stop releasing cassette-only things.

Thanks!

haha, well, you can go download it for free at that link too, which is nice.

Thanks for the tip- I had been eyeing that cassette and debated whether it made any sense to order it.

They were so good at The Bell House in Brooklyn last weekend. So gorgeous and moving to hear those songs live and everyone was so happy. One guy kept on going "I can't believe I'm hearing this guitar sound live" between every song which 99% of the time would be hopelessly obnoxious but came off really sweet and endearing cuz everyone was just flowin' on the good vibes.

ditto

When I saw them in Texas a few years back, I was enjoying the hell out of myself when this dude behind me, caught up in the moment, did one of those crazy two-finger whistles inches from my ear. Pure instinct, I whipped around and yelled "knock it the fuck off!!!" He was really apologetic and I felt really bad, but it was still an awesome show.

Excellent Chicago show last night! Kaye is such a great, subtle guitar player - whole band seemed to be on fire to play and enjoy the moment... Sure hope boot turns out ok.

boot?

Do you think they all work dayjobs when not touring?

I wonder this about almost every single artist I listen to.

Although this doesn't stop me from listening to musicians on Spotify from whom they receive only tiny payments

Pretty sure Paul and Kaye are a) married and b) academics.

They were great last night. Place was totally oversold, though.

Nice piece linked on Wiki: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/music/news/article.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=3515497

Wonder how much cash the bast get for this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD2UP2dZcOs

yeah - totally oversold - which doesn't happen too often for Schubas (small blessings) ... I was back near the door and when they opened it up and the bar noise came in, a bit, I was a little bummed. Then I saw that it was a pretty old couple sitting on stools - they probably couldn't fight the masses inside and the doorguy was just doing them a solid ...

Wow, I just walking home and much to my surprise I heard them sound checking "Smoking Her Wings" from a club I normally don't pass by... I freaked out and poked my head in and got yelled at for trying to take a picture. I have plans tonight but maybe I should try to check this out...

They said they last played DC in 1992; but I don't remember them ever playing DC nor did someone else I spoke to.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, June 6, 2013 6:19 AM (1 week ago)

Possibly? I know they played SF around then with Barbara Manning/SF Seals/TFUL282 opening. In fact, they stayed at Barbara's apartment that night and Robert wrote this (totally awesome) song for her:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsfW6QmL_zc

Huh, I think I'd only heard the Magick Heads version.

Supposedly the last time they'd played Chicago was 20 years ago.