Howard Devoto Reads

The impact that Buzzcocks have had on not just punk, but music not tied to major label folk is incalculable. The band may not have been the first punk band to release a single – the Damned beat them to that by more than a year. But the Manchester based Buzzcocks were the first British punk act to release a single on an independent label. And while by 1978 in the States there were Bomp! and a few others functioning outside of the major labels axis, the Buzzcocks Spiral Scratch EP did as much musically as it did culturally.

The disc and its four songs were an obvious departure from the London punk acts – the Pistols, the Damned and the Clash – which incorporated a pop sensibility into the proceedings much like the Ramones. However, the well read and all too intellectual dudes in the Buzzcocks were still steeped in Beefheart, the Velvets and any variety of weirdo bands that not too many folks cared about. That explains Peter Shelley’s "Moving Away from the Pulsebeat." But even that sort of broadening of the punk palette wasn’t enough for founding member Howard Devoto. And after the release of the Spiral Scratch EP, he exited the group in order to work with more difficult music.

Devoto formed Magazine the same year that he left the Buzzcocks. And oddly enough, while the band does work within a different frame work, there are more than just a few passing similarities. Devoto was tired of the restrictions inherent in working as a punk band. But Magazine’s fan base, initially, was as much a part of the punk scene as anything else. The music doesn’t fit into any singular category, but the aforementioned Beefheart plays a role – they even cover “I Love You, You Big Dummy.”

The music isn’t really too outrageous. And the band’s biggest single is pretty much straight punk with a bit of political polemic thrown in for good measure. I guess there’s a guitar solo – and that didn’t always play in front of punk crowds. The rest of that first disc from Magazine, Real Life, was not at all tied to the single though. Surely, Devoto would have been as upset at being pegged as a new wave act as he was to have been in a band performing only punk. But after a listen to any Magazine disc, it’s more than apparent that Devoto’s work presaged what the industry would deem new wave.

Gone were the break neck tempos, but in its place were a wash of keyboard effects and noise. The propulsive quality that was and is so much a part of punk still works with Magazine. The drummer, Martin Jackson, while probably not a punker worked out the crazy rhythms (yes, that’s a Feelies reference) to good effect. It’s just those keyboards that are troublesome. The reconstituted band has played around the UK over the last few months and probably the keyboards are as prevalent as ever. But I saw the Buzzcocks a few years ago. They were decent. Magazine probably is still as well.

Some Wave: DNA

Without the No New York compilation, concocted by Brian Eno, the clutch of bands making a compelling racket and only tangentially tied to punk, would probably be lost to the backlog of alsorans. The Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars and DNA were featured on the compilation. And while each band has maintained a certain degree of cultural import within the underground music scene, DNA were one of the most difficult.

At the time the tracks for the compilation were recorded, the trio was made up of Brazilian born guitarist Arturo Lindsay, keyboardist Robin Crutchfield and percussionist Ikue Mori. That would be the line up that would record the band’s only proper studio work, the ten minute A Taste of DNA. And while the group would go on to incorporate former Pere Ubu bassist Tim Wright after Crutchfield’s departure, the original line up might be considered a bit more influential. Of course with the addition of a proper low end, Lindsay was given more freedom and open space to figure what noises he was capable of coaxing from his guitar. But when compared to the earlier line-up there are stark and all too noticeable differences.

Coming from a culture separate from the US in so many ways, Linday’s perception of rhythm was different than a great many of his peers. Compounding that was the fact that Mori, when the group began, couldn’t exactly be considered an all American girl – she actually didn’t play a proper drum set for a good deal of the time either.

But compiled onto DNA on DNA, the thirty plus tracks reveal the different lives of the band. The first few tracks are what actually constituted their lone studio disc. The throbbing back up to Linday’s growl and guitar skronk seem as solid as any funk group – but also easily recall LA’s the Screamers from the minute the music begins.

The musical shift coming a few minutes into the compilation is marked by Wright’s bass, which in a great many ways becomes the focus of the group. Coming for a more ‘musical’ background, Wright was still able to fit into the trio pretty effortlessly. But it is plainly clear that Lindsay and Mori are working to incorporate his ideas as much as the other way around. Lindsay’s guitar style isn’t given to melodicism and with Crutchfield’s keyboards gone, the honus of the song was solely upon him.

Even with the inclusion of what could be considered a proper musician, though, DNA remained a quixotic aural experience to say the least. And as the brief flash of No Wave soon dispersed – with Sonic Youth taking up the mantle, albeit in a different direction – DNA performed less and less frequently, seldom leaving New York. They group, in whatever configuration, wasn’t ever poised for success, but give the musical climate of today and the acceptance of pretty much anything, if DNA was able to make it out of the city, its popularity might be slighter more than it is now.

The Diodes: Canuck Punk

Hearing this backwards through the guise of time and a lot of subsequent punk groups – Canadian or otherwise – it’s difficult gauge how out of the norm music.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:h9fexqy5ld6e">the Diodes were. Today, these guys could easily been on the radio the day after tomorrow – or maybe featured on Pitchfork. But as the band got toward the end of its life a good deal of ‘80s style snuck into their punk. Of course, they weren’t the only group to suffer in this way, but by the time they reached 1980’s Action Reaction, it was pretty clear which way the band intended to move.

When the Diodes began during 1976, there weren’t too many acts treading the same territory as these folks anywhere – but certainly not in Canada. Of course there were other notable groups – Teenage Head of course. But the Diodes were instrumental in the coalescence of the punk scene there. Helping to found the venue Crash ‘n Burn – which played host to a great many touring acts of the time including the Nerves which featured a young Peter Case – was an important step.

The group began its recorded life in 1977 only to return a few years latter for the 1979 Released. But, as previously mentioned in passing, the 1980 release of Action Reaction found the Diodes working in a pretty pop inspired mold. Of course the guitar tone was most likely problematic to some, coming off a bit too fuzzy. But the tempos were sluggish at best. And while the group possessed a vocal ability that not too many other punkers had, the emphasis on (for real) singing detracted from the groups overall presentation.

Another problem the band encounters here is the fact that they work out some of their pop constructions for a bit to long. A few tracks clock in at over four minutes in length and need to be propped up by a bit too much synthesizer. The back to back offering of “City of the Dead” and “Rock It,” which both suffer from the inclusion of the synthesizer, really brings the album to a close in a not too flattering light. There’s still another track left to get through, but in the eight minutes of these tracks, listeners will presumably find something else to entertain them as much as some forced singing and keyboard lines.

There really isn’t a punk stomper to placate the devoted. And the obvious inclination of the band to work towards a more palatable sound becomes at least somewhat grating by the conclusion of the disc. A number of bands suffered in this way. The aforementioned Teenage Head, while not moving so far away from its initial sound, towards the end of their record life found a bit of a rockabilly tinge in its music. Of course, a cover of “Brand New Cadillac,” is excusable. But anything beyond that just seems like pushing it. And that’s why it’s hard to figure some bands from this era. DMZ? The Dictators? Anyone of that ilk doesn’t necessarily translate into the 21st century. And while other offerings from the Diodes might, Action Reaction doesn’t.

Sudden Death: A Punk Massacre

Even by 1982 a good deal of what punk or hardcore could be had been rigidly set out. Of course, Black Flag, Husker Du and other progressive acts weren’t ever going to be content with rehashing past works, but a great number of the second crop of American punk bands worked within very narrowly defined boundaries of what the music could be. Of course, some of those groups make those restrictions work all too well. But by and large, the mid ‘80s suffered from a glut of average discs. The So Cal punk scene might be a culprit in living by these standards and on Sudden Death that’s even bared out. That, however, doesn’t mean that the disc is void of entertainment value. And I won’t say that this is the best hardcore compilation ever released – it’s not – but the list of bands below all surpass what could have been expected of them in 1982.

Crankshaft

Easily the least known group (to me) represented here. The bandâ??s an interesting distillation of hardcore in that it seems to function in perpetual breakdown mode. But the vocals of Lino "Lousy" Ochoa are able to fill enough of the space left by the tempo to keep things interesting. And oddly enough, the guitar solos actually shred as opposed to just wavering between inept and boring.

JFA

JFA is probably the most famous group on this compilation. They also hail from Arizona as opposed to the rest of this mostly Cali-centric bands here. Interestingly enough, the bandâ??s first bassist was Alan Bishop who would go on to play with the Sun City Girls for the next twenty plus years. Here, though, JFA turns in three tracks â?? one being an inexplicable cover of â??Low Rider.â? The other two tracks are paced roughly the same and actually bleed into each other when taking a listen to the disc. But that doesnâ??t mean that it isnâ??t some pretty rough â??80s style hardcore.

The Sins

The Sins certainly arenâ??t hardcore and clearly listened to a buncha east coast punk. Over the three tracks that these folks offer up, the bandâ??s able to separate themselves from their punk brethren by having a talented bassist and a singer who can actually get melodic after unleashing a pretty powerful snarl. Lyrically, the bandâ??s the same as everyone else represented on Sudden Death. But that just means they canâ??t be faulted for it â?? even if you did though, the musicâ??s more than enough to get these San Diego dudes over.

Sin 34

A female fronted group, Sin 34 trafficked in something between straight punk and thrash. Although, at points, those drum parts move beyond what a Minor Threat homage would be propped up by. Julie Lanfeld, though, ends up sounding as masculine as could be imagined. It might be that she was concerned about the bomb for real, but who knows. The bandâ??s drummer, Dave Markey, would go on to a successful film career which included directorial credits for not only 1991: The Year Punk Broke but also the awful (ly good) Desperate Teenage Lovedolls.

The Clevo Jamdown

It would be an overstatement to figure that if not for Cleveland, punk woulda turned out completely different. Growing up there, though, old dudes liked to tell stories about the hey-day. Probably some of ‘em were more than exaggerated, but some weren’t. There was a venue on Euclid Avenue on the boarder of East Cleveland that, supposedly David Bowie and Lou Reed would frequent when they were able to just check out the Dead Boys and the Pagans. It seems plausible, but who knows? Maybe I should just take to heart all the shit that old drunk punkers told me. Anyway, the bands below don’t necessarily define the genre, but each has worked to form some part of it. And if you disagree. Fine. But I’m probably right.

Electric Eels

Before everything, the Electric Eels existed. In some sort of twisted prehistoric punk preview, the band wrecked musicality to a ridiculous degree. More likely than not, the early millennium compilation on Scat Records served to spread the band’s tweaked gospel. But if you can listen to the entirety of that offering in one sitting, you may need to see a shrink.

Pere Ubu

A splinter from Rocket From the Tombs, Pere Ubu is the longest consistently running – and only – band from this era in Cleveland. That, in and of itself, isn’t all too fab an accomplishment, but the fact that the band’s sound prefigured post-punk before punk was a genre, these dudes deserve their due deference. More over, David Thomas has remained tied to NE Ohio by recording everything that this band has put to tape in Lake County.

The Dead Boys

Probably the most famous export from the Cleveland area, the Dead Boys put out two discs of above boards punk and rock ‘n roll before disintegrating. Some dudes are still around town hocking guitars, while others tour. Unfortunately, lead singer Stiv had a run in with a car and lost, but not before he was able to front a few other bands and appear in a John Waters flick where he simply played a scum bag. RIP.

Devo

Existing well before their hit in the ‘80s, these art school guys were one of the first bands in the US to include a synthesizer in their work – and yes, I’ve heard of Suicide. The first full length from the band, Q: Are We Men? A: We Are Devo, is pretty much a start to finish classic. And while subsequent work from the ensemble would suffer from experimentation for the sake of experimentation, a few pre-record deal compilations do more than expand the band’s legacy. Those discs, which are pretty difficult to hunt down, work in every genre possible for these theoretical pseudo-punkers.

The Pagans

Even on this list of bands, the Pagans might have been the most shambolic in a live setting. And really, that’s pretty impressive by itself. But the band’s ability to come up with non-stop pop hooks and push it through the filter of warm beer and pills might make them one of the most easily digestible bands from the first wave of Cleveland punk. And even if everything else that they recorded stunk, “I’m Eighteen” might be better than the Alice Cooper version. No. Seriously.

Some Effect: Negative FX

Part of the reason that Ian MacKaye has so vehemently commented upon the fact that he never meant to spark an organized straight edge movement can be figured after only a cursory examination of the Boston punk and hardcore scene of the early ‘80s. And while the cultural as well as musical importance of the bands that would make up thee Boston Crew can’t be negated under any circumstances, some of their actions can be regarded as little more than adolescent nonsense. Of course, if I was in Boston in 1983 and said that, I probably wouldn’t have my teeth. But this pervasive and aggressive attitude can then be figured to have influenced the Dropkick Murphys and legions of dudes with jean jackets and a number one crop from the area.

SSD should be seen as the key figurehead of this movement – an all too violent, but somehow stringent one. But the most singularly important figure in all this was and remains Choke. His name is currently most oft associated with Slaphshot. But before forming that band, Negative FX was an integral part of the Boston scene.

In contrast to the New York or Washington D.C. scene at the time, Boston was focused upon the individual more so than on grand societal ills. MacKaye and Minor Threat sought to use personal politics to affect change sans the overt use of force. And while some of these political ideas – such as the nuclear problem – were present in the work of Negative FX, more pervasive was a sense of one (or your crew) versus everyone else. And while there was a definite sense of community, being ostracized seemed to take precedence over most everything else.

Having performed at only five shows during its all too brief existence, a huge mythology has surrounded this band thanks to band members associations. But one of those five live appearances came at another Boston group’s farewell gig. As lead singer and guitarist Roger Miller found his deteriorating hearing to be a substantial enough reason to dissolve Mission of Burma. But Negative FX were tapped to open the bill. And while the volume and intensity each group played with united them, stylistically, there wasn’t too much common ground. After a few brief moments, the plug was literally pulled on Negative FX, prompting Choke and a few of his crew to lash out at the soundman. The 4,000 in attendance may not have been able to hear a quality set of hardcore tunes, but they got their money’s worth.

Prior to this appearance, though, the band recorded a set of demos – 18 tracks in all – at a studio in Boston. However, the songs weren’t released until 1984 when Taang! got a hold of ‘em. The self titled disc was the labels first full length release and perhaps on of its most enduring.

The sixteen minute recording might sound amateurish and unpolished, but stood next to any work from the formative Boston Hardcore era, it’s really unmatched. As a group SSD, while probably historically more substantial, had a tendency to incorporate a bit of hard rock into its work. There would be none of that for Choke though. And whatever one makes of Slapshot, Negative FX should be perceived as a wholly separate endeavor.

Life in Vein: Johnny Thunders

Countless sad stories litter rock and roll. Some are more sorrowful than others, but that all depends upon perception. But it’s not really too difficult to figure that Johnny Thunders ascension to (semi) stardom and his subsequent two decade free fall to junkie hell ranks amongst the most sad.

Coming to fame at an all too early age, Thunders along with the rest of the New York Dolls reached a bit past what any of them were able to handle. But that was only the beginning for Thunders who would go on to front a number of not only entertaining bands, but end up shaping what punk would become in the following decades.

In the Lech Kowalski documentary Born to Lose: The Last Rock 'n' Roll Movie viewers get to look in on not only the musical travelling that the guitarist embarked on, but also the family that it effected. Thunders, who could easily pass for Welcome Back Kotter’s Horseshack, apparently was a pretty quiet kid – but serial killers generally are as well. His family, when interviewed for the film, retells instances that didn’t necessarily shape or form Thunders, but in some way affected the way in which he lived. Even some French folks get a visit.

The film basically recounts the prolonged heroin use by Thunders. Although, a number of folks – including Dee Dee Ramone – explain that it somehow didn’t negatively impact his guitar playing. There’s footage to bear that out, but at the same time, Thunders could slur through entire songs with only a few lines being anything near audible. That, though, is what people ended up wanting to see.

He was a junkie for hire. That wasn’t, however, the reason for his persistent drug use. A one time manager ends up explaining that Thunders knew that he wasn’t able to take a shot at mainstream viability ala David Johansen. In this, though, the diminutive guitarist found a way in which to rationalize his continued drug use. It was a part of his job – or at least something that his employers would tolerate.

Listening to later Johnny Thunders’ recordings – bootlegs and all – it’s difficult to not feel somewhat saddened by a man who managed to play “Pipeline” for over a decade. It is possible, though, that in his day to day stupor, Thunders found it entertaining every time. Maybe not, but he played guitar for a living. And that ain’t too bad.

His demise might not really be one of legend – and they way in which it’s described towards the end of the film seems a bit anti-climactic. Clocking in at roughly an hour and forty minutes, Born to Lose: The Last Rock 'n' Roll Movie seems a bit too indulgent here and there. After all, how long do viewers need to hear about a one time lover recount gettin’ laid? Whatever the answer is to that, the film does deliver an enervating look at this musician. And if you’re even a fan in passing, it’ll be hard to watch the live clips of Thunders playing without your entire body tensing up a bit.

Burning Chicago: The Effigies

Despite its name not being as widely known as a great deal of other Midwestern punk bands, Chicago’s the Effigies have indelibly marked the genre for a variety of reasons. And even if lead singer, John Kezdy, went on to a career as an attorney, he’s still working within a very similar political frame work as his band did almost thirty years ago.

Coming together in 1980, the Effigies were one of Chicago’s earliest punkers – it’s debatable, obviously in regards to who came first – and their politically engorged lyrical content instantly made them a formidable juggernaut. By the point in American politics when the band had an opportunity to record a single, punkers across the country were daily thinking up clever ways by which to lampoon Reagan. And while that did result in a number of good records, the Effigies worked with broader, more generally applicable concepts.

“Haunted Town,” which seems to be the namesake for the recently departed Chicago label of the same name, discusses population growth and how it affects not only the people, but the spaces which they occupy. It comes off echoing a sentiment already put to tape by Indiana’s the Zero Boys, but at this point in underground music, it might not be safe to assume that either group was aware of the other.

That one track, though, isn’t the extent of the political commentary unloosed from these Midwesterners. The way in which they packaged this message, though, is as important as what it reported. Punk comes in innumerable hues and even at this relatively early stage in the American strain, there was more than just the first wave of punk that can be heard from the recordings on the Effigies’ Remains Nonviewable. At the end of “Techno’s Gone,” there’s even a bit of acoustic guitar.

But in addition to that, there’s some pretty overt metal influence here – in the guitar sound at least. Notably present on the solos – yup, they had solos – the ratcheted up distortion didn’t surpass other groups from the era, but there’s an element of early ‘80s thrash. And for that reason, Metallica asked the quartet to join them on a tour that would have reportedly paid over a grand per gig. For that to make sense, it must be remembered that Metallica at one point were not only a good metal band, but also made its affinity for punk widely known.

By the point that this offer was levied, the Effigies had disbanded after a disastrous west coast tour. Having missed that opportunity may have in some way pushed (most) of the group’s original members to reconvene a few years back. Intentionally, they worked up some new material in order to not be seen as a throw back or a rehash. It’d be pretty difficult to skirt that categorization, but they tried. And even Kedzy came back for this second go around. He hasn’t left the law behind him - he just comes at it from two different places now. And even if that sounds a bit weird, it works out somehow.

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