We are pleased to present our 128th installment of Sound Advice featuring Alice Bag. Alice is an author and musician who is most famous for being a member of pioneering Los Angeles punk band, The Bags.

Sound Advice 128

01. No Soy Monedita de Oro by Miguel Aceves Mejia
02. Yo Soy Aquel by Raphael
03. Band of Gold by Freda Payne
04. That’s All by Thee Midniters
05. Metal Guru by T. Rex
06. Life on Mars? by David Bowie
07. First Episode at Hienton by Elton John
08. Your Mama Won’t Like Me by Suzi Quatro
09. Looking For A Kiss by New York Dolls
10. Gloria by Patti Smith
11. Judy Is A Punk by Ramones
12. Life of Crime by The Weirdos
13. Orphans by Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
14. We Will Bury You by The Bags

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1. No Soy Monedita de Oro- Miguel Aceves Mejia. One of my Dad’s favorites and possibly one of the first songs I can remember hearing. The meaning of the song boils down to “if you don’t like me, too bad – I am who I am,” which is pretty punk if you think about it. I kind of adopted this as my motto.

2. Yo Soy Aquel – Raphael. This song would have been a favorite of my mother’s. Raphael is a Spanish singer who, aside from having an amazing range was known for his over the top showmanship. He didn’t just sing a lyric, he acted it out. I was influenced by his emotive style.

3. Band of Gold – Freda Payne. My older sister exposed me to Motown and soul music. This 45 was my very first record purchase and I wore out the grooves. Still have it, still love it.

4. That’s All – Thee Midniters. Growing up in East LA in the sixties meant you listened to plenty of oldies but goodies and slow jams like this tune by Thee Midniters. This is the classic sound of East LA.

5. Metal Guru – T. Rex. My whole world turned stereophonic when a junior high pal introduced me to Glitter and T. Rex. Glitter sounded like it came from a different planet, or at least a long, long way from East Los.

6. Life on Mars? – David Bowie. Bowie was the common thread uniting the kids who would form the early LA punk scene. Being into Bowie in the early seventies meant you were truly different from 99% of the other kids in school.

7. First Episode at Hienton – Elton John. I had a hopeless, mad crush on Elton, who I was certain was straight. In fact, I planned to marry him someday and this made me want to become a famous singer so I could meet him on equal terms. The thought that I could possibly be as famous as him and that I imagined he was straight tells you just how crazy I was.

8. Your Mama Won’t Like Me – Suzi Quatro. There weren’t a lot of hard rocking female role models for me when I was growing up. Suzi Q was the exception.

9. Looking For A Kiss – New York Dolls. I bought the first NY Dolls record on the strength of the cover. They looked different from everyone else and they had a hard-edged sound that was pointing the way to something new, just around the corner.

10. Gloria – Patti Smith. Another milestone record for me. I saw Patti play at the Roxy in 1975 and she destroyed every preconception I had of what a female could be and do onstage. She changed everything for me.

11. Judy Is A Punk – Ramones. People have claimed that punk started in London or somewhere else but for me, it all started with the Ramones. Suddenly, anyone could do it. So we did.

12. Life of Crime – The Weirdos. Seeing the Weirdos play in April 1977 was the match that lit my punk fuse. I HAD to start a band after that show. The Weirdos were unmatched live and are the single most underrated band from the LA scene, in my opinion.

13. Orphans – Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. This song was a favorite of mine and my roommates at the Canterbury. We used to dance around, screaming and shouting along with Lydia, the volume turned up to 10. It sort of captures the madness and destructive energy of that time and place.

14. We Will Bury You – The Bags. This is an unreleased recording of my band from 1978. I think it comes as close to capturing our chaotic energy as anything I’ve heard.