Lenny Kaye Presents: Lightning Striking

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• There are probably fewer pundits more qualified to opine upon popular music’s past than Lenny Kaye. A keen observer of, and participant within, rock music’s continued manifestations since its birth pangs in the early 1950s, Kaye’s deep knowledge, erudite analysis and infectious enthusiasm for the many tributaries whence and to where this behemoth of popular culture has flowed is something any aficionado should pay attention to.

• There is no better place to start than “Lightning Striking”, Kaye’s new book that is part history, part memoir and one hundred percent engaging from start to finish. It is not the generalist flip through rock’s back pages, but instead surfs the flashpoints of inception and development that have lightning-struck Lenny the most. Each section devours the history and excitement of specific moments in rock’n’roll evolution, and with chapter headers such as “Memphis 1954”, “Detroit 1969” or “Seattle 1991”, the thrust of “Lightning Striking” is unequivocally, unapologetically concerned with rock’n’roll in its most basic and thrilling incarnations.

• In collaboration with Ace’s Alec Palao, Lenny has also assembled an Original Soundtrack to “Lightning Striking”; the perfect playlist to spin whilst one peruses the pages. Like the book, it is a mixture of the familiar but essential and the fascinatingly unpredictable: in other words, not dissimilar to Kayes’s curatorial triumph of yore “Nuggets”, the compilation that established the garage rock genre. The earliest entry is the Boswell Sisters’ 1934 prophetic ‘Rock And Roll’, the most recent ‘Gimme Chocolate!!” by hard rock/J-Pop hybrid Babymetal. In-between we hear a nuanced selection of the finest vintage R&B, pop, psychedelia, punk rock and heavy metal, from an intriguingly diverse selection of bedfellows.

• The sound quality is second to none, with plenty of ear-wrenching rarities – for instance, the unissued stereo take of the MC5’s blitzkrieg ‘Looking At You’ peels paint faster than even the original mono A-Square single. Not to mention curios like ‘Crazy Like A Fox’, the author’s very own 1966 “nugget if you dug it”. Yes, “Lightning Striking” is the perfect companion to the tale Lenny tells, but it is also an energizing, inspiring listen in of itself, and a reminder once again of the life-affirming power of the music we all know and love. Hail, hail rock’n’roll!

Tracklist

Disc One

1. LIGHTNIN’ STRIKES (Album version) - Lou Christie
2. ROCK AND ROLL – The Boswell Sisters with Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra
3. SIXTY MINUTE MAN - The Dominoes
4. I’M SO HAPPY – Danny Cobb with the Paul Williams Orchestra
5. THAT’S ALL RIGHT - Elvis Presley
6. I’M GONNA MURDER MY BABY
(CHEATING AND LYING BLUES) - Pat Hare
7. DOG ME AROUND aka HOW MANY MORE YEARS – Howling Wolf
8. HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL – Jerry Lee Lewis & His Pumping Piano
9. GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT (Alt) – Roy Brown with Bob Ogden & Orchestra
10. LOOK WHAT YOU’RE DOIN’ TO ME (OOH-WEE, BABY) - Professor Longhair
11. TUTTI FRUTTI - Little Richard & His Band
12. WALKING TO NEW ORLEANS - Fats Domino
13. MARCELLA - The Castelles
14. TIGER - Fabian
15. A BOY WITHOUT A GIRL - Frankie Avalon
16. MOVE IT! - Cliff Richard & The Drifters
17. I HEAR A NEW WORLD - Joe Meek & The Blue Men
18. CAVERN STOMP - The Big Three
19. STUPIDITY - The Undertakers
20. FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY - Gerry & The Pacemakers
21. PRIDE OF MAN (Demo) - Quicksilver Messenger Service
22. SOMEONE TO LOVE - The Great!! Society!!
23. 3/5 OF A MILE IN 10 SECONDS - Jefferson Airplane
24. CREAM PUFF WAR - The Grateful Dead
25. COO COO - Big Brother & The Holding Company
26. CRAZY LIKE A FOX - Link Cromwell

Disc Two

1. LOOKING AT YOU - MC5
2. LEAVIN’ HERE (Version 1) - The Rationals
3. BLACK SHEEP - SRC
4. 1969 - The Stooges
5. PISS FACTORY - Patti Smith
6. ROCKIN’ ON THE BOWERY - Startoon
7. BEAT ON THE BRAT - The Ramones
8. DOWN AT THE ROCK AND ROLL CLUB (Alt) – Richard Hell & The Voidoids
9. ONCE I HAD A LOVE aka THE DISCO SONG (1978 version) - Blondie
10. ORGASM ADDICT - Buzzcocks
11. YOUR GENERATION - Generation X
12. OH BONDAGE UP YOURS! - X-Ray Spex
13. GARAGELAND - The Clash
14. LIGHTIN’ STRIKES AGAIN - Dokken
15. EDGE OF A BROKEN HEART (Album version) - Vixen
16. FREEZING MOON - Mayhem
17. GIMME CHOCOLATE!! - Babymetal
18. TOUCH ME I’M SICK - Mudhoney
19. ANACONDA - Melvins
20. JINX - Tad
21. WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT - Mark Lanegan
22. SO YOU WANT TO BE (A ROCK ‘N’ ROLL STAR) – Patti Smith Group