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THE LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY
Tokyo (Cracked Piston)
Reviewed by Alan Wright
To say the Ledge (real name: Norman Carl Odam) is an acquired taste is an understatement. I acquired this taste way back when I first heard his "Paralyzed" on the classic Rockabilly Psychosis & The Garage Disease compilation in the '80s. That song, a demented piece of rockabilly from 1968, features perhaps the only recorded bugle solo in the genre, and was recorded by a young T-Bone Burnette when the Ledge stopped into his tiny studio on his way to try and get on "The Tonight Show." That didn't happen, but he did get on "Laugh-In." Oddly enough, the Ledge was signed to Mercury Records who rereleased his "Paralyzed"/"Who's Been Knocking On My Door" single, as well as two follow-ups singles, all of which flopped and got him dropped like a hot potato.
A bizarre fascination with "Paralyzed" caused me to eventually locate and purchase his 1984 Rocket To Stardom LP where he was backed up by some local Texas musicians that later became the Leroi Brothers, as well as later LPs like Retro Rocket Back To Earth (1989) and Rides Again (1991). Last year, Pravda released the Live In Chicago CD where he is backed up, as on this disc, by the Altamont Boys. This was recorded and produced as well by ABs member and Dead Kennedy's bassist Klaus Fluoride. And you know what - I have some advice for Klaus: that pseudo-Dead Kennedy's thing you have going without Jello is lame. You should stick to stuff like this.
That said, this is a pretty good CD. It's certainly got that ramshackle quality that seems to permeate all of the Ledge's work. Songs like "Play My Guitar" and "Down In The Wrecking Yard" are, well, completely unhinged. You may be aware that on his most recent album, David Bowie, who is a longtime Ledge admirer - his "Ziggy Stardust" character was in part influenced by the Ledge - recorded a version of "I Took A Ride On A Gemini Spaceship." The Ledge returns the favor by covering "Space Oddity," well if "covering" could be considered the right word. The song is barely recognizable as the melodic, spacey, semi-acoustic piece that launched Bowie's worldwide career. In the Ledge's hands, it becomes a twisted, chaotic work of sheer genius. Or insanity. You be the judge!
[Pick this up at www.cdroots.com.]
© 2003 - Alan Wright