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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Yeah, I have that one and, as I recall, the RCR track is the best thing on it. Actually, I should give that thing a spin again–I haven’t played it in years. Hard to believe anything cool ever came out of that town–if the earth were to swallow that place up I don’t think anyone would notice it was gone for a day or two!
Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn’t mean the circus has left town.
Music from my home town! This and the Bizarros were on my “list” of things to post over on D.U., but I keep skipping over them. Love R.C.R., but never been much of a Bizarros fan…that might be why. The song “Rubber City Rebels” is one of my all-time faves (the best version is on The Akron Compilation from ’78). Might be an Akron thing.