Reverb Mother Fuckers: Route 666

1988 Race Age Records
Limited Edition 666 copies

80's NY Scum Rock....so much better than Tears for Fears. While we may remember greats forging their way out of the NY scum rock scene as well as their bongs, such as the Butthole Surfers and the dressed for success White Zombie, many of the forerunners of this lovely tickle of rock and roll remain unheralded for their pain and suffering as they shed years off their life making dirty rotten rock available for us all to consume whilst paving the way for the watered down, I just bought my torn jeans at Macy's, Im so sad because I have to eek out a living on heroine and a major label contract, homogenized corporate grunge to follow.

Still, to this day, the best named, dirtiest, scummiest, most confusing mass of wtf and where did it come from, inventors of NY scum rock was and always will be the Reverb Motherfuckers. How can you not win with a name like that? How did the Butthole Surfers come out on top?

The Reverb Motherfuckers release Route 666 is a limited edition of 666 copies, day glo silkscreen covered, tribute to everything you should be afraid of if you take, or are planning to take LSD. You get so much more than scum rock. Tracks on this album go from heavy post punk NY tasiness, to sample driven swirling tape loopy craziness. I think this album is trying to tell me somethign, Im not sure what it is, and im not sure I really want to know. Don't you love getting that feeling from your music collection.

This is the original s*#t featuring Wild Man, 4Skins, and Bubble -- the nicknames listed on the cover for Roy Edroso, Ray Sage, and John Terhorst. You may recognize the name John Terhorst as he went on to form other amazing bands like Shaved Pigs - no, you still don't remember him? - anyways the Shaved Pigs are awesome as well and maybe, just maybe, that is a post for another day.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the soothing sounds of the Reverb Motherfuckers Route 666.

Ear|Trumpet - Bring on the Dirt

Data Terminal Systems Records - DTS|001
London, England

Stephen S.: organ piano, synth
Neil M.: vocals, drums, organ, tapes
Tony B.: bass, organ
Geoff V.: bass
BC Gilbert: guitar
Gary G.: dolak

This album has been a long time resident of my record collection, having braved great tortures since the late 80's when it was acquired and ignored for almost 15 years until recently.

What do you get when you take a Tony Barber of the Buzzcocks, BC Gilbert of Wire/Dome/Wir etc etc, and Steve Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees/The Glove and mix them together with a few other sordid chaps. Well...you actually get an album that serves as a reference point for what a lot of others would do and as a historical document of what many had done already. Suprisingly, it isnt a fearful pseudo-goth celebration of drab masturbatory illness.

This album sits in a dark stew of possibilities and presents itself as some bizarre missing link of alternative art rock. One part Wire, one part Fall, a dash of PIL, a tip of the hat to Bauhaus...there are so many bits and pieces of the easily recognized sounds of this time period but it plays as original. I really didn't think this album would stand the test of time but when I placed it on the turntable I was more than pleasantly surprised. I have always been surprised that I do not see Ear|Trumpet in more record collections and, cited more as an influence or recognized for it's "supergroup(?)" qualities.

Well then - have a taste of Ear|Trumpet

Various Artists: The Peter Fonda Album

10’’ vinyl LP (25cm) * Original 1994 issue * CONTAINS XEROX BOOKLET

This gem of a 10" was purchased at the original Aquarius Records location in San Francisco in 1994. It was most likely not purchased and more likely a trade at the time as I remember being somewhat overwhelmed with my record collection and was really trading in extras of rare items and miscellaneous junk so I could dump new sounds into my ears every week.

At the time there was this silly little garage-psych type revival going on and what better than to do a 10" slab of vinyl garage-psyche tribute to Peter Fonda? Every band included is from San Francisco and most had only cassettes available on the market at the time. There is also an association here to underground filmmaker John Moritsugu. Moritsugu's films were defined by their "lo-fi" aesthetic, and often shot on very poor, 16mm film stock to give them a homemade, muddled quality. Moritsugu's films were absurdist comedies - seems like this project is an extension of that same idea. Several tracks were also produced by Paul Hoaglin who made a name for himself over time as a producer and member of The Mother Hips.

OK...so I still am not sure why but it seemed reasonable at the time. Either way you cant beat a 6-track 10" hose cover is just a simple folded printed piece of heavy stock in two colors ink (ugly red and black). Oh...it had a small booklet to! 8.5x11 folded xeroxed cut and paste typewriter wonder graphics and scrawls - cool!

This is still a cool piece of vinyl to break out every so often on a rainy Sunday and still holds up as a cool piece of San Francisco nostalgia from the time period. K-Tel Wet Dream's track Sissy Bar will just warp your head and the Zip Code Rapists contribution Her Majesty is really a cover you just couldn't imagine if you tried.

TRACKLISTING
1. Fondu : Peter Fonda!?
2. Benjamin Kitestring : Feel So Good
3. Moritsugu, Jon : Where It Goes Down
4. Broom : Pumpkin Eater
5. K-Tel Wet Dream : Sissy Bar
6. Zip Code Rapists : Her Majesty

Enjoy the tribute to Peter the Great