Little Records: July 1995
Archived
Another month and another stack of little records has appeared on my doorstep. This month starts out with a couple from the most fav label on the planet—Estrus.
The Tiki Men
The Good Life, Farfield Fiasco/Theme From The Unknown and That’s The Way It Goes.
Estrus Records
As all good Estrus bands must, The Tiki Men play variations on the tried and true garage, surf, dragster theme. Bring that reverb into play boys, use that vibrato, throw in a sample of a revving motorcycle engine, a siren and a few screams. “The Good Life” sounds just like something of a Del-Fi reissue. They follow up with a classic from a 1960s biker flick – except it is 1995. Flip it over for a cover. Hugo Montenegro meets Davie Allan. To close, they get where the action is and the go go girls are frugging around the pool. We are off to a good start this month!
Famous Monsters
Monster Girls Are Go!, Blood Of Frankenstein/Monsters Over Tokyo,” “The Werewolf Wiggle”
Estrus Records
Pull out that copy of the Marketts doing the Batman theme and review the music. Famous Monsters appear to be from that school of instrumental music. They can play, but what makes the record good is the girls carrying on into the vocal mikes as they kick out the rockin’ good music. Trashy music from a girl on bass, a girl on guitar and Frankenstein on drums. The experience is like watching a porno video starring the casts of the Munsters, the Addams Family and the Batman television series doing it with the Brady Bunch. Boris Karloff, Vincent Brice and Alfred Hitchcock direct the video. Ever hear a duo of hoarse females screaming “do the werewolf wiggle”? I think not! Trashy music at its best.
I’m earning my SLUG wages for the next three records.
Walleye/Damnation
Split 7”: “Fuzzyhead”/”In The Flesh”
Jade Tree Records
It’s time to re-enter the present and have a listen to some heavy metal punk rock. I think this record is defective, there are some huge pops all through both sides, but that’s the joy of vinyl isn’t it? Walleye reminds the listener of the crazies all over the streets. (Venture into downtown Salt Lake City to view a few.) The music is your average everyday rawk and the pops and crackles are completely out of sync with the drums and bass. Can we fix that next time? The heavier of the two is Damnation. This is where the neurosis and C.O.C. references from the typewritten note come into play. They are evil boys from the D.C. area. Michael McTernan, vocals, needs to gargle. “In The Flesh” is a love song. “I’m your drug/I’m what you need to survive/abuse me, when your done throw me aside.” (The spelling is correct) That’s what I call self-esteem.
Let’s continue our exploration of the Jade Tree output.
Edsel
“No. 5 Recitative”/“Laugh Here To Scorn”
Edsel is extremely heavy at 33 ⅓. If you are buying this record try it at the wrong speed first. At 45 they emerge as a pop band with a couple of ear charming songs. The A side is the uptempo number, the B is the ballad. The ballad is the more interesting of the two – it has prettiness mixed with noise which climaxes in admirable crash extension of the crash and burn climax.
Rear Admiral
“Drive Me Crazy,” “Fix It Boy”/“One Man Riot,” “(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care”
AHOY Records
OK, Estrus hasn’t won yet. Rear Admiral shocked me to my senses with their tasty little EP. It is the first of the batch to have a big hole and these boys are from the garage! No it isn’t more ‘60s garage. This one is inhabited by an entire army of past ghosts with energy and three chord knowledge. Everyone from Johnny Burnett through the Astronauts to the Dolls and even—God forbid—the leather-lunged Lemmy are paid homage to by Rear Admirable. It rises to the top of my heap because I love the old school. The one cover song doesn’t hurt either.
After all this 7” nonsense, how about we move on to a big 10”? I picked this one up over at Raunch, the only store in town where any of these records might be available. (Write the check Brad, or I’m cutting out the free advertising)
The Cowslingers
That’s Truckdrivin’
Sympathy For The Record Industry
They bill the record as country music and dedicate it to “the men who keep the big rigs rollin’ – and to the girls in their lives.” That’s a good one, because the only truck drivers this record will appeal to are driving corporate rock busses back and forth across the country or they’re in a band listening on a Ford Econoline cassette stereo system. I’ve given up trying to categorize the shit by now. It ain’t country, it ain’t punk and it ain’t rockabilly—the only term that fits is garage. The Cowslingers have a CD out that demonstrates their talents with the thrashabilly form. The only song demonstrating that side of their persona is the final cut on side two. “One Cup Of Coffee” is the token tune for greasers. The rest of the record brings forth an entirely new side (or two) of The Cowslingers. The songs address the trials and tribulations faced by big rig drivers all over America. The music is filled with nasty, dirty guitar and vocals relying heavily on reverb. They touch down in country every now and then and totally destroy the image Commander Cody has worked 20 years to perfect when they cover “Truck Drivin’ Man” in complete thrashing garage fashion. Holy Cow!… is a bar I avoid. The term sums up the record. The Cowslingers win this month!