Tang Ice Cream Cone: Lou Waxman Discovers Al Deal

Brian at The Vogue hipped Lou to Al Deal’s Tang Ice Cream Cone, a nice scoop of local eccentricity.  Brian sold it to Lou as Zappa influenced and this is less “Muffin Man” with its virtuosity than Zappa’s zoo crew of the GTOs, Wild Man Fischer, and the more slapdash Captain Beefheart recordings.  With Tang, Lou was hoping for Ted Nugent, but what Deal is, in essence, a sonic Buzz Aldrin, a space(y) cowboy.  He is a primo example of outsider art, like Daniel Johnston or even Ween  The LP itself is super cool looking, and one wonders how much it cost to produce and how it was done.  Lou doubts Deal went into a recording studio, and this has all the hallmarks of a self-tracked album that was sent to a pressing plant via MP3.  Lou could be wrong.

For the most part the LP is various versions of “Tang Ice Cream Cone” and “Rabbit Hole”.  The title track is not Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man” but something more like John Brim’s original.  The album with all its version cuts reminds Lou of deluxe reissues by old, dead bluesmen, where every single track and version they ever recorded is included.  “Tang Ice Cream Cone”with its five versions or so is like a prog sweet a la Genesis done lo-fi and on the down low in a home recording studio.  Inspiring stuff in the sense that you listen to it and think you could do something like this too.  This is DIY at its finest.  

Googling Al Deal you come up with some Soundcloud material and some YouTube videos with all of 14 to 18 views.  This reminded Lou of all the stories about Sex Pistol or Bruce Springsteen shows at their inception where they played their hearts out for an audience of friends and girlfriends.  Or aspiring musicians.  Despite the single digit audiences, these shows are considered some of the most influential and important in the history of rock and roll and you get that entering at the ground floor feeling when you listen to Deal.  You are in for something special.  Something intimate.

Lou would like to be the John Landau to Deal’s Bruce Springsteen.  Lou listened to Tang Ice Cream Cone, and he heard not the future of rock exactly but an important part of rock’s past.  That DIY spirit and sheer joy of playing, not for the fans or the finances, but for the fuck of it.  Because you love to do it.  And it is fun.  Deal’s album is a fuckload of fun.  He is a true amateur and the key to being an amateur is amor.  Love.  Al Deal is all about love.  As his songs make clear.

This reminds Lou of the time he produced a couple of flexi-discsof an old drinking buddy of his.  Lou wishes he could tell you guys all about it, but the singles got all mixed up with lawyers and red tape and a whole lot of bad juju.  In fact, Lou thinks those singles may have been recorded on red tape given all the trouble they caused.  Liens and bad scenes.  Bad feelings and bad vibes.  Broken dreams and lost friendships.  Think of the scene in Boogie Nights where Dirk just needs to get his masters in order to pay the recording fees which will result in the release of the songs.  It is a vicious circle.  Lou’s experience as a producer was something like that.  Somewhere the acetates of those sessions spin on a sound system in purgatory.  Round and round.  Like a vicious circle.

Lou’s not bitter.  Not one bit.  It was worth a try to be a George Martin or Phil Spector to the he-who-will-remain-nameless Beatles.  Listening to Al Deal’s record, Lou has nothing but good memories of those times and Deal shows Lou once again why it was worth it.  Lou loves music, so why not take a chance doing something yourself?  Al Deal has done it himself and he has done himself proud.  Recommended.  Get a copy at The Vogue.

— Lou Waxman

Suggested Sites and Sounds:

Tang Ice Cream:  How to make Tang Ice cream | Tang Popsicle Easy Recipe

Tang Mango Ice Cream:  Dessert Recipe: TANG MANGO ICE CREAM

Ice Cream Man:  John Brim-Ice Cream Man

Albert Deal:  https://soundcloud.com/albert-deal-212982895/albums

Give Us the Tapes:  Give Us The Tapes