Sean Yseult Book Review

Sean Yseult, bass guitar player for defunct band White Zombie, has recently published a coffee table book of her years in White Zombie. Even though it has been almost 20 years since White Zombie became nationally known and 14 years since the band broke up, they still seem like a new band to me. Some form of time distortion, no doubt. Lead singer, Rob Zombie, has stayed in the public eye: releasing albums under his own moniker, touring and directing four major motion pictures while the others in the band quietly faded away. Sean didn’t disappear immediately, though. I was lucky enough to have access to a kick ass record store, circa 1998, that stocked odd, indie music. Browsing, I happened on a CD by a band called Famous Monsters. The album was called. “In the Night!!!” and I was intrigued. After all, there were three exclamation points. The cover featured three hot girls dressed all Halloween like, standing on the hood of a car from the sixties, floating in a cosmic background. There was a little sticker that read: Featuring Sean Yseult of White Zombie. I asked the always knowledgeable, if a bit dour, shopkeeper called Jeff, what he knew about the band. He said it was a surf rock band and it didn’t sound anything like White Zombie, matter of factly. That was fine, I was still intrigued and I bought it. It was surf rock but with a Halloween horror humor about it and it was excellent. Sean had remade herself into Devil Doll, guitar player and singer for Famous Monsters. It was a dramatic change but in keeping with the horror element found in White Zombie and I began to suspect Rob Zombie was not solely responsible for that particular aspect of the band. Up till then, I presumed Rob called all the shots in the band. Sean’s new book, I’m In The Band: Backstage Notes From The Chick In White Zombie, tells the story behind Famous Monsters and proves that Rob Zombie was only a part of what made the band interesting and unique.

The book is a colorful collage of photos, notes and memorabilia Sean collected over the years. Most interesting is Sean’s story, well written and informative: it has changed the way I look at White Zombie and Sean Yseult. I know it’s been in vogue for awhile to bash Rob and everything he does but I have always admired him as a renaissance man. Rob was brave enough to step into unfamiliar territories and has been rewarded with a certain degree of success. Perhaps people are just jealous? But Rob was not the only renaissance man in the band. After reading I’m In The Band, it was evident that Sean was every bit as much a renaissance “man” in her own right.

Since releasing the book, Sean has gone on a press tour promoting her book and making herself available for interviews. These interviews have been as interesting as the book as Sean is forthright, smart, charming and candid with her answers. She is also on a mission of sorts: To tell the story of White Zombie, the story untold. She felt the White Zombie box set, released in 2008, cheated the fans by not including any liner notes whatsoever from the band. Sean was contacted for input, but she and the rest of the band were snubbed out of the loop and the box set was released without their input. She decided to put her book together to fill the void. She seems to be enjoying the press tour and one can hope she will put together a larger book delving a little deeper into her time with the band.

Whether a fan of White Zombie or not, it’s an interesting story of a talented and multifaceted girl named Shauna Reynolds who became Sean Yseult: The Chick in White Zombie.

Men Without Hats: The Good Albums Digitized

I have finally digitized my two Men Without Hats Vinyl LPs: Rhythm of Youth (1983) and Folk of the 80s (Part lll) (1984). Since buying my Ion iTTUSB Turntable in 2006 I have had a list of records I own that must be digitized. The records on this list include bootlegs, rare promos and albums that are unavailable on CD or as a digital download. My Men Without Hats albums fall into the “unavailable” category. That is to say they are not available anywhere as a new sale in North America. It may be possible to find them used online or at a garage sale but unlikely. Ten or so years ago there was a CD that had much of these two albums material on it along with some less worthy songs that came after these albums. It is out of print, too. What a shame. They are lost glittering gems of a bygone, musically adventurous, era. Looking back with a new perspective on all things musical, Rhythm of Youth and Folk of the 80’s (Part lll) were bold musical statements. I always liked them and, even then, they were really different. I’m glad I stumbled on them. These were very eclectic, forward thinking albums. Listening to them now, I’m amazed at how good they are but, alas, they are forgotten. You see, Men Without Hats were a one hit wonder band.

Their big hit was “The Safety Dance,” a big hit on MTV, back when the “M” stood for “music.” It’s hard to describe the song: think early 80’s synth rock but sung like it was a 60’s protest song, Folk style. (Hence, Folk of the 80’s?) Lyrically the song is a bold individualist statement about dancing. The video rounds out this incongruous stew of disparate elements. In the video, the singer strides about confidently through a Medieval/Renaissance landscape. Jesters, wenches and townspeople dance at the singer’s passing and fall into line, following until they reach a town square, where they dance together in joyous communion. I was hooked the first I saw the video and sought to purchase the album. Rhythm of Youth yielded 10 distinct and interesting songs that sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before. Sadly, as popular as “The Safety Dance” was, it would not “break” the band and they faded from the public’s fickle eye.

I followed the band regardless and was rewarded a year later when Folk of the 80’s (Part lll) was released. This album was just as good as Rhythm of Youth; done in the same style but distinctly different as well. Excellent music! I eagerly awaited their next album. And I waited. And waited.

Finally, 1987 brought Pop Goes the World, the long awaited and eagerly anticipated follow up to Folk of the 80s (Part lll). I couldn’t admit it at the time, though I felt it, I was greatly disappointed with the album. The lineup had changed and the music, including Ivan’s vocal delivery style, had changed. Now it was candyfied, late 80’s, pop dreck. The next album followed suit and they pretty much disappeared. But I always had these albums, which I was careful not scratch. My old turntable died at a time when turntables had become unavailable and USB Turntables hadn’t yet arrived. I was exiled from the wonderful world of vinyl for a time.

When I finally secured a USB turntable, Men Without Hats were some of the first records I pulled out. But I was long in recording them, possibly holding off until the albums came available. That never happened so I finally sat down and recorded them onto my computer. Actually, I did it twice. A warning to Audacity users: Check your channel settings before you record! I hastily recorded these, and other, albums in a marathon recording session only to realize, after the fact, I had recorded everything in Mono! Wanting these songs as much as for enjoyment as for backup purposes, I was forced to rerecord everything. Doh! But it was well worth the effort. Now I can listen to this great music anywhere and am no longer limited to the availability of a turntable. Also, if my young daughter decides to do horrible and unspeakable things to these records, I will still have a copy of the music.

Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, et al

I was amazed to learn that there is a plethora of old recordings of Ronnie James Dio on the web. Unknown for most of Dio’s latter day career as a premiere hard rock/heavy metal vocalist, which started in 1975 when he became the vocalist of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow; he was a crooner of the late 50’s and early 60’s. Back then he was known as Ronnie Dio and he fronted or was a member of several bands, most notably: Ronnie Dio and the Prophets.

I discovered Dio in 1980 when I heard “Heaven & Hell,” the first Black Sabbath album to feature Ronnie James Dio as vocalist and lyricist. Since then I have been a fan of his and have watched his career. Later, I discovered Dio had sang for Rainbow, whose seminal song, “Man on the Silver Mountain” was always on the radio and I loved it. I was young then and didn’t know much so it took me a while to figure out it was the same guy in Black Sabbath. Actually this made Dio more interesting to me. Later I learned that Dio fronted a band called Elf in the early to mid 70’s which disintegrated when he quit to join Rainbow. That was it. Before Elf there was nothing. Not all rockers view interviews as confessionals. Dio would comment on Black Sabbath and Rainbow after he went solo with his own band DIO, but usually he discussed the now, what was happening in his life at the time of the interview.

But then the internet came along and as the technology improved and it became the primary means of communication and entertainment. The internet was a thing of the future but it’s greatest quality is as a resource of the past. As more people became involved, they not only downloaded their knowledge of a given subject but their pictures and sounds, as well. I am delighted by what is now available regarding Ronnie James Dio: Recordings of him singing in the early sixties copied from old 45’s.

Copied from old 45’s! Truly vintage and rare. Dio is considered the quintessential singer of Heavy Metal music and to think he started his career in the late 50’s?! It boggles this fan’s mind. And you know what? These songs from the early 60’s are good. YouTube has some songs posted as videos with still photos of Ronnie Dio & the Prophets. Truly shocking! I can’t stress how much of a shock it is to realize the true length of this man’s career. Ronnie Dio passed away in May 2010, ending a 50+ years run in music at the age of 67. Dio has been with many bands and has been quite prolific in his career and it would be an amazing Anthology that collected songs from the whole of Dio’s long career.

Here is a list of some of the songs I found (Enjoy!):
Songs:
-Ronnie Dio & The Prophets LOVE PAINS 1962 (45 label says Padavona for credit)
-Ronnie Dio & The Prophets - Will you still love me tomorrow
-Ronnie Dio and the Prophets - Blue days blue nights
-Ronnie James Dio & The Prophets - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
-Ronnie Dio And The Prophets - The Way Of Love 1964
-Ronnie James Dio & The Prophets - An Angel Is Missing
-Ronnie Dio & The Prophets - Gonna Make It Alone
-Ronnie And The Prophets - Don't Take Your Love From Me
-Dio And The Prophets - 10 Days To Brenda
-Ronnie Dio and The Prophets - Love Potion 9
-Dio - Red Top 1963
-Ronnie Dio And The Prophets - Everybody's Got A Dance {feat. RONNIE JAMES DIO}
-RONNIE JAMES DIO - Welcome to My Nightmare
-Ronnie James Dio - Dream On
-Kerry Livgren-Ronnie James Dio -To Live For The King