The Hassles - The Hassles + Negativland - U2 | Psychedelic Rock / Experimental | Vinyl Stream

For today’s psychedelic trip this morning I’m spinning The Hassles’ self-titled 1967 debut on United Artists. Original stereo gatefold, UAS 6631, cut at Bell Sound Studios in New York. This is Billy Joel’s first band, years before the Piano Man years, when he was 18 years old and grinding out organ in a Long Island club outfit that worked the Hempstead and Hicksville circuit. The Hassles formed in 1964 as a soul-leaning five piece. By 1966 they had lost their original bass and organ player and picked up Howie Blauvelt on bass and a 17-year-old Billy Joel on keys and lead vocals. By the time they got into the studio with producers Tony Michaels and Vinnie Gormann they were a tight blue-eyed soul and psych-garage machine. The result is 10 tracks of covers and originals - Traffic’s “Coloured Rain” off Mr. Fantasy, the Sam & Dave stomper “You’ve Got Me Hummin’”, Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “Giving Up”, “A Taste of Honey”, Little Willie John’s “Fever”. Joel wrote or co-wrote three of them, credited on the sleeve as “William Joel”. The single “You’ve Got Me Hummin’” bubbled under at #112 and that was the only Billboard noise the band ever made. They cut one more album, “Hour of the Wolf”, in January 1969, then broke up. Joel and drummer Jon Small formed the duo Attila and the rest is history. Howie Blauvelt went on to co-found Ram Jam of “Black Betty” fame. Before the Hassles I’m dropping the needle on Negativland’s “U2” EP, the 1991 SST 12" that Island Records sued out of existence within weeks of release. Two parody mixes of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” built on U2 samples and a legendary Casey Kasem outtake. Pulled, destroyed, and now one of the more collectible pieces of plunderphonics vinyl out there. Nothing like it. 00:00 Intro 05:40 Negativland "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" 14:46 Negativland "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Special Edit Radio Mix)" 24:06 Needle drops on The Hassles 39:31 Side 2 59:04 1988 Nirvana 'Love Buzz/Big Cheese' 7" RIP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinyl_piper/ Full vinyl rips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj0yF7-9YQ9pEOi1yCUyAZikNmWVdz8Hn Shop: https://vinylpipershop.com/ #TheHassles #BillyJoel #Negativland #SSTRecords #VinylCommunity