Saturday, February 7, 2009

Hasil Adkins- The Great Lost Album

Haze signed this photo for me on our first meeting, 1983.
The cassette Hasil gave me to play on the my radio show, all un-issued stuff.
Don't bother dialing Haze's phone #, it's disconnected.
Hasil's funeral notice. 2005
Me and the Haze, from 3-D original, 1984. It was around 1994 or 5 that Hasil Adkins gave this 90 minute cassette to Norton Records' honcho Billy Miller to give to me to play on my radio show. I'd had Haze on the show on several occasions for a series of "Hunchin' Luncheon" broadcasts. Me and the Haze hit off well, we both like Mopar cars, guns and coffee, so we had lots to talk about off mike. Unfortunately, Haze was a bit mike shy about being interviewed and he was one of the hardest on-air interviews I've ever done. Soon as the mike would go on, he'd shut up and give one word answers When the e mike was off and he was quite cordial and talkative. We eventually figured out if we brought his guitar and kit, he could just shut up and play live. These broadcasts can be heard on the Hound Archive Air Check page highlighted above. So Billy gives me this cassette of Hasil's home recordings, no info, no song titles, nuthin', but every song is great. Some of his best work. Much better than anything on the Fat Possum LP (which captures Hasil on a very uninspired day). As far as I can tell none of this stuff has ever been released, so now it will escape, I being the one to unlock the cage and let it loose on you--the rest of the world. If you're a Hasil fan, fidelity isn't one of your great concerns, this stuff was recorded at Haze's house in the holler somewhere in the country side outside of Madison, West Virginia and transferred to cassette by Hasil himself. I dubbed it to digital using a program called Amadeus Pro (thanks to Brian Redman, for turning me on to this and teaching me how to use it, without Brian there'd be no Hound). Some of the song titles I made up since, as I said, there were no titles on the tape box (pictured above). These fifteen tunes were chosen from a total of twenty three, so there'll be a volume two someday (all sad ballads). The great lost Hasil Adkins album, I think I'll call it Commodity Meat and other delights, or maybe How To Do The Hunch And Influence People. Here's are the tunes (keep in mind on the original tape the tunes all run together, and some tunes cut off when the tape ran out of Hasil's machine): Waitin' For The Graveyard, Go Go Go Down The Line (Lookin' Down That Highway), Let Me Talk To You (Moo Moo Moo), Me & Jesus (Got It All Worked Out), Lee-Anne (I Wanna See You Boogie Woogie), Kill 'Em Rock, Keep On Hunchin', Way Before My Time (I Should Have Been Born A Long Time Ago), Somebody I Used To Know (and Chased Away With A Baseball Bat), Madison Boone County Blues, Old Joe, Commodity Meat & Peanut Butter, Ugly Chelsea Clinton Hunch (Feed Her Commodity Meat, Bill), Catch Me A Train, You're Too Young For Me, Reelin' & Rockin'. Enjoy, and if I catch anyone tryin' to sell this thing I'm gonna put my steel toed boot up your ass. BTW, a funny Hasil antidote: Around 1997 the late, great, Bill Pietsch brings the late, great,Hasil Adkins into the Lakeside Lounge to say hi. I'd just bought some guitars that walked in the door with a crackhead, so I gave Haze a little Fender Squire in exchange for doing a short set. To get warmed up to play, Haze asks if I have any salt. I go get him the salt shaker, he takes it, opens the top, pours the entire thing into his hand and downs it in one gulp. Then asks for the box of salt. I give him the box and he eats the entire box of salt. Swear to God.
ADDENDUM: These links are down for the moment, you can find THE GREAT LOST HASIL ADKINS album at WFMU's Beware The Blog: The Great Lost Hasil Adkins Album (their links were taken off of mine, might as well let them host it, they've got a faster connection).

26 comments:

cjohnson22463 said...

Thank you so much for that.

The Hound said...

Are you the same C Johnson who did my roof and sky lights? If so, hi, how're you?

cjohnson22463 said...

Sorry, no. I'm the Chris Johnson that puts on the Deep Blues Festival in Minnesota. 70 outsider and alternative blues bands July 15-19. We'll be screening My Blue Star in our film festival too.


www.myspace.com/deepbluesfestival


Thanks again for what you do.

Anonymous said...

thanks so much for sharing this, long live hasil!

can't wait to hear the ballads...

kogar

Anonymous said...

An amazing post and blog. Thanks, Hound!

Cheers,
Andy

P.S. Since you wrote about the great Lost Crusaders, you just might like this: http://www.nodepression.com/articles.aspx?id=5255

Anonymous said...

great stuff , any plans for norton to release this?

The Hound said...

any plans for norton to release this?

If there was I wouldn't be giving it away.....

skylolo99 said...

Thanks for the great post. I got into Hasil in the late 80s (wish I heard of him earlier). I was touring with my band through West Virginia and a couple of us wanted to make a pilgrimage to see him. We heard he lived in Logan. We asked about 10 different folks how to get to Logan and each and every person said, "You don't want to go to Logan". I always thought it was a good title but it would have been a better song if we did meet him. Love your stuff Hound. Keep up the excellence.

Anonymous said...

Hasil Adkins is still as raw and startling when I hear him today as he was the first time I ever did. I only saw him live a couple times, but it was always short and rocking and chaotic. I wonder how he ever used to play all night long in those West Virginia juke joints?
The last time I saw him was supposedly the last show he ever played, out at a festival in Las Vegas a few years back. Kim Fowley introduced Rudy Ray Moore, who in turn gave Hasil a grand introduction. Fowley, Moore and Adkins...that's an unholy trinity if I ever heard one!
Wild stuff there, Hound. Many many thanks!

Anonymous said...

hey hound, there was no need for the smart ass comment about releasing this stuff on norton. i don't download , listen to music thru a computer or i pod. i listen to music on a turntable.

The Hound said...

I wasn't being a smart ass, and I prefer music on a turntable also. I just meant that if someone was gonna put this stuff out legit I would not have posted it and messed with their potential sales. As much as I hate the big record companies and wish they'd all die, I love little labels like Norton and would never do anything that might hurt them. If it wasn't for Norton, Crypt and a few other labels there might not be any rock'n'roll at this point, my apologies if my answer came off snotty. The reason I posted this stuff is that it sat in my house for fourteen years, unheard, and if I got hit by a car today it would be lost forever, so I figured since no one wants to release it, Hasil's fans should be able to hear it one way or another.

Anonymous said...

thanks hound, i shouldn't be so sensative.great stuff , keep writing. you should do a book , kinda unsung heroes of r n r 2.

Dead Flowers Productions said...

Love the blog!!! Added a link on my blog for ya as well... Keep up the great work!

Woodworker said...

There seems to be something wrong with the links to Waitin' For The Graveyard and Go Go Go Down The Line (Lookin' Down That Highway). They seem to be reversed (mouse over them and you'll see) and I can't get Waitin' to download at all.

The Hound said...

(There seems to be something wrong with the links to Waitin' For The Graveyard and Go Go Go Down The Line (Lookin' Down That Highway).)

they were reveresed, and should be fixed now.
they've been downloading slowly because we've had way more people downloading than usual, if you try later (or wait a few days) it should be okay. I've noticed Firefox seems to work best.

Anonymous said...

I'm still shaking my head in wonder over the salt eating anecdote.

Unknown said...

Hound: you're the best for turning me on to
GREAT music that I'd otherwise never ever
have got crammed into the 'ol earholes..

I'm sure that I first heard "Hello Lucille, Are You
A Lesbian" on your radio show, for example.

I have fond memories of Haze playing two nights
at Lounge Ax in Chicago - where he abruptly
threw his guitar out into the crowd, smashing
one of the nicest fellows in town right in the
face! these shows were recorded for the live
CD on (now defunct) Pravda Records, BTW.

somebody gave Haze some brown likker the
first night and he got all tore up to the point
that he could barely play.. the crowd kept
calling for "She Said" and Haze kept saying
that he couldn't play the song but finally he
did - and it sounded JUST LIKE THE RECORD
for gosh sakes!!

what a true original, RIP Haze.

the salt story is hysterical, wish I'd seen that.

The Hound said...

I think the biggest shock the first time I saw Hasil play live (I believe it was at one of Todd Abramson's Big Combo nights at Folk City around 1985) was how much he sounded just like the record. He used the side of his guitar on the crash cymbal all night, leaving it in splinters by the end of the set. I sure miss the guy. Unique just doesn't quite say enough, we need a new word just for Hasil.
BTW when downloading the titles of "Waiting For The Graveyard" and "Go Go Go Down The Line" are reveresed on the MP3 files, you can correct 'em yourself after you put 'em on Itunes or whatever program you use.

Joe said...

Thanks for this gift.

The Hound said...

You can say that again.....

VJESCI said...

Go Go Go is broke broke broke.

Bop-A-Saurus said...

Cool thing! I wasn't expecting to find unreleased Hasil stuff when googeling for Hasil pictures. You gotta love the internet. It was cool to see a picture of the tape. I have a similar one Hasil send to me in the mid 90s. Thanks a lot for sharing, the music and the stories!

Anonymous said...

God bless you man, every garage band on earth wants to be Hasil and all their skanky bitches want to suck his zombie balls! Thank you man!

JCAM said...

This is great man. I have re-posted this on my blog 'syphilisofthebrain.blogspot.com' a blog focussing mainly on one-man-bands. I have of course referred to your blog and to WFMU. Thanks again. Great stuff.

www.muebles-camobel.com said...

Of course, the writer is completely fair.

secure tabs said...

Sounds excellent, thanks for sharing this one, it is priceless.

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