The Mentors – “Houses Of The Horny” Cassette (1994)
Here’s another one of those latter-day Mentors tapes that the band put out on their own dime and, once again, the sound quality on some of the tracks isn’t the greatest. But it matters not, as no amount of hissy demo-quality sound can detract from this band’s brilliance. Well, there isn’t much to say about these guys that I haven’t already said, except that this one actually has the full band—not just Dr. Scum and El Duce. I might also add that, aside from the typical stumblebum drunken nonsense found on most of these recordings, Duce appears to be doing some good coke or some other “upper” or happy drug on songs like “Kings Of Sleaze” and “In And Out Of You”. He was definitely on something, but there’s nothing new about that. Musically, it’s the standard Mentors shtick which, of course, means sheer excellence, the standout tracks for me being “Service Me Or Be Smacked”, which is a fine return to their old form, and “Fresh Off The Vine”, an engaging tale of intergenerational romance.
SAMPLE TRACKS:
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Maggot Sandwich – “Suckcesspool” 7″ EP (1985)
I’m sure this has been posted elsewhere, but it wouldn’t be right for me not to show some love for this great band. This is actually their second 7”, the first one featured a different singer and, while it’s an OK record, it never rocked my world as much as this one or the LP. This record was their crowning glory in my opinion and the song “Social Reject” wound up on the “Killed By Florida” compilation LP and, indeed, it is a fine little ditty with hilarious, insightful lyrics. My favorite would have to be “Termination”, though, a nice boppin’ Punker in the vein of early Angry Samoans. Stack these guys up right along Roach Egg Invasion for bands that really capture the small town mid-sized city Punk thing.
THE TRACKS:
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Tommy Cash – “The American Way Of Life” LP (1971)
Would you believe I finally found a job? After lazing around on Uncle Sam’s dime for a year and a half, I found myself on my very last day of unemployment benefits with no hope in sight, when I got a call from a recruiter I hadn’t talked to in months and had written off as a lost cause. Turns out this company needed a guy with my skills immediately, so I went home, shaved, put on the ole “interview suit”, drove out to the place and, after about two hours of negotiations, walked out with a job and started the next day. So why am I bringing this up? Well, a lot of people are out of work right now, can’t get a job, can’t feed their kids, are losing their homes, etc., and I just want to make sure that people remember that there are powerful, unseen forces working in the world that regulate our existence AND THEY FAVOR ME AND HATE YOU!!! HA!! Naw, I’m just kidding, folks. Mr. Poopy is the friend of all working people—just like Tommy Cash.
This is another concept LP and, while it isn’t nearly as stellar as “The Man Behind The Badge”, it is an entertaining listen. Generally, I’m a sucker for concept LPs—especially when the guy gives a little speech or intro before each song and even more so when he just kind of mumbles it like Tommy does. And, yes, Tommy is Johnny’s brother. Basically, the record attempts to pay tribute to the working people that make America great, although his America appears to leave out doctors, cops, migrant workers, and politicians, among many others. The importance of women in the workforce isn’t lost on him, however, as he has two songs dedicated to working chicks: “The Housewife” and “The Waitress”. Actually, the tale of old Nellie, the waitress, is probably my favorite track. I mean, sure, her grammar sucks and she’s inefficient and screws up the orders, but she’s a good ole gal with a sweet smile and good manners who’ll take a dime for a tip.
Workin' Men
SAMPLE TRACKS:
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Poopy Endorsements 2010
Tutu And The Pirates "Sub-Urban Insult Rock For The Anti/Lectual 1977-1979" LP
Sorry folks, no freebies here! It seems that every year I manage to find a couple new releases that are worth picking up and I figure it can’t hurt to let other people know about them. So am I saying that there are new bands out there that I like? Fuck No! At least not in the Punk/HC genre and probably never will be again, although I am impartial to some newer Metal. Generally, music these days is fucking terrible—these are releases of old stuff. First off, we have Tutu And The Pirates and their long overdue release of “suburban insult rock” from the early days of the Chicago Punk scene. These guys are generally hailed as the first Punk band to come out of Chicago and, happily, they were pretty good, as were many of the Chicago bands from that era, although the less said about what followed later the better. I saw these guys live once, followed by a little chit-chat with the lead singer and the guy was totally hilarious and a true inspiration to my uncooperative, perpetually juvenile ass . So what does it sound like? Picture an entire LP of Cheech and Chong’s “Earache My Eye”! If you enjoy dumbass Punk in the vein of Chainsaw, this will do something for you.
The Mentors "Oblivion Train" b/w "Cornshucker", released on Stool Sample Records.
Secondly, we have an unexpected release my one of my all-time faves, The Mentors. Here we have two early songs recorded in Dr. Scum’s basement in 1977 and, amazingly, it sounds a hell of a lot better than those tapes I’ve been posting here. I was very happy with this and at 500 pressed, you’d better get while the getting’s good if you want this thing. However, the best thing about this release is the band photos on the back, with afros in lieu of black hoods and a much skinnier, albeit inbred-looking El Duce and a Dr. Scum with no glasses. I’m dying to hear the rest of this recording session and I hope this “Stool Sample Records” label remains solvent long enough to release it! And that’s it! Two new releases! Wow.
Youthful Mentors
Sound Of USA Cities #1 Washington D.C. – “The Savages Are Loose” LP (1986)
Yes, I’ve been slacking on the posts of late—I’ll try to keep up in the future, but I make no promises. So here we have another one of those Mystic “substitutions” I referred to earlier, a sample of bands from Washington DC. So let me think here. Washington DC? Washington DC? Oh, yes, Washington DC! I think a band or two came out of that town back in the day. Let me see here, there was this one—what were they called again? Lemme think! Miter Thread? Mylar Treat? Oh, yes! Minor Threat! Of course! They were from DC—I think they had a record. And I think there were a couple of other bands, too. Maybe. Or maybe not. All I do know is that, aside from Madhouse, Asbestos Rockpyle, and The Platinum Slugs, I’ve never heard of any of the bands on this thing and I bet you haven’t, either! Not that there’s anything wrong with that except that the sound quality on many of the tracks is piss poor. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say all Mystic did was solicit ads for bands to send them demos and then put out the record without paying them a dime, but I could be wrong. There were a couple other records in this “series” that I’ve never heard so maybe that was the whole shtick with these records—perhaps someone out there knows the story behind this one. And, of course, none of these bands really sound like what is popularly known to have been going on in DC in 1986—they could have been from anywhere, although they aren’t without their retro charm. And don’t say I didn’t warn you about the sound quality!
Track Listing
I Didn't Participate!
SAMPLE TRACKS:
Painkillers – I’m Living On Bulk Food
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Bizarros / Rubber City Rebels – “From Akron” LP (1977)
This is one of those early US Punk releases that never seems to get its due for some reason. Both bands on this split were kicking around the “scene” prior to the Punk “explosion” in 1977 and I tend think their songs would have “happened” whether Punk had given them a launching pad or not. Undoubtedly, this record would be a household name if they had cranked it out a year or two earlier. The Bizarros sound like a cross between Television and The Velvet Underground—but I like them anyway! Ha! Not a big fan of The Velvet Underground folks and, unlike most people who followed this band, I like the LP they put out on Mercury the best because it sounds the LEAST like VU. Rubber City Rebels, on the other hand, were an entirely different ball of wax, with a more familiar Class of ’77 sound and general dumbassitude to which my ears tend to soften—not to mention the awesome pose of the bass player on the front cover. I really dig that switchblade action—all bands should have at least one dude posing like that! Like The Bizarros, Rubber City Rebels went on to put out a major label release, substituting another guitar for keyboards, and is actually quite good and worth tracking down.
They Call Me Blade!
Pretty Boys.
SAMPLE TRACKS:
Rubber City Rebels – Such A Fool
Rubber City Rebels – Kidnapped
The Bizarros – White Screen Movies
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The Bizarros – 1st 7″ EP (1976)
So, as a follow-up to the above post, I suppose it can’t hurt to put up the first Bizarros 7”, as well. Released in that not-so-great year of 1976, this thing was way ahead of its time and, yet, doesn’t get talked about much for whatever reason. Again, there is a strong Velvet Underground influence to this stuff, but I forgive them, as they still stand head and shoulders above most bands of the era. Actually, in all fairness to The Velvet Underground, they had some good songs and I have a couple records by them that I play once in a while, however, they suffer from an affliction that I refer to as “Stairway To Heaven Syndrome”, a malady in which a band puts out one lame song that gets overplayed to the point where it becomes so completely annoying that it makes all their other stuff almost unlistenable—even if it’s actually good! In the case of The Velvet Underground, that song would be “Heroin”. I hate it—and so should you!
THE TRACKS (recorded with new software–I think it sounds good!):
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The Spokesmen – “The Dawn Of Correction” LP (1965)
I suppose everyone who ever listened to an oldies station has heard the song “Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire or, perhaps, you’ve heard The Dickies version of it. If not, you’re not missing much—it’s inane Commie / Hippie drivel. On this LP, these three ROTC-looking lads offered their retort to this Hippie gloom and doomer with a message of hope for the future and support of our boys in Vietnam. Unfortunately, the folks at Decca employed a practice of many major labels during that time and saw fit to mix it up with some covers of popular artists like Donovan and The Beatles to try to give it some broader appeal, resulting in the loss of considerable punch in my opinion. Actually, the band’s original tunes aren’t too bad, copying the Bob Dylan / Folk Rock style that was popular at the time—I’ll post most of them in the samples below. Aside from the fact that their stance on the three pro-America tunes seems somewhat forced, it’s a solid try. However, the real gem is “It Ain’t Fair”, a plaintive and funny burst of teen angst that wound up lost, buried and basically forgotten in the mess.
SAMPLE TRACKS:
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