The Ledge #734: RIP Cheetah Chrome

Once I learned of the death of legendary guitarist Cheetah Chrome last Sunday (9/13), it became pretty obvious that he deserved a special show devoted to his great career. The first half of the broadcast is devoted to his time with not only the Dead Boys but also the infamous Rocket From The Tombs.

The second half deals with his post-Dead Boys tenure, which varied between solo recordings, other projects utilizing the Dead Boys name, and a few where he was a sideman. The collaborations included recordings with Ronnie Spector, Cherie Curie, UK Subs, Sonny Vincent, and many others. Many of these releases were also cover tunes, and the artists they tackled included Robert Gordon, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, Ramones, and...well, shockingly, Taylor Swift.

Much credit must also go out to the second volume of Steven H. Gardner's groundbreaking series, Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In the Seventies. His chapters on Rocket From the Tombs and Dead Boys are extensively quoted tonight.

What's your favorite Cheetah Chrome recording?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

 

1. Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

2. Rocket From The Tombs - So Cold

3. Rocket From The Tombs - What Love Is

4. Rocket From The Tombs - 30 Seconds Over Tokyo

5. Rocket From The Tombs - Final Solution RFTT

6. Dead Boys - What Love Is

7. Dead Boys - Ain't Nothin' to Do (Rerecorded)

8. Dead Boys - All This and More (Rerecorded)

9. Dead Boys - 3rd Generation Nation

10. Dead Boys - Son Of Sam

11. Dead Boys - Looking For A Kiss (Live 1978)

12. Dead Boys - Pills (Live 1978)

13. Dead Boys - Detention Home (Take 2 - 1978 Demo)

14. Cheetah Chrome & Jeff Dahl - Still Wanna Die

15. Cheetah Chrome & Jeff Dahl - Don't Wanna Understand

16. Dead Boys - All The Way Down (Poison Lady)

17. Dead Boys - The Nights Are So Long

18. Sonny Vincent and His Rat Race Choir - Down On Me

19. Sonny Vincent and His Rat Race Choir - Always A Catch

20. Sonny Vincent and His Rat Race Choir - Cinematic Suicide

21. U.K. Subs & The Dead Boys - Taxman

22. U.K. Subs & The Dead Boys - For Your Love

23. U.K. Subs & The Dead Boys - Paint It Black

24. Ronnie Spector - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

25. Cherie Currie & Dead Boys - I Can See You

26. Cheetah Chrome - Tie Your Mother Down (Queen)

27. The Brains - Rock Billy Boogie 

28. Batusis - What You Lack In Brains