OFF: '90's vs '80's

[Doug Pearson]

On Thu, 9 Mar 2000 11:40:51 -0500, K Henderson <henderson.120 at OSU.EDU> wrote:
>OK, so what *were* the space/psych groups from the 80s (other than BAS) that
>never found an audience around the world?  Pick the handful you liked best,
>and give us a short description if you would.

As someone else said, you had to look harder (in some ways) to find the
good bands in the 80s, but there were *many* excellent space/psych-oriented
bands during that time that were fairly well-known in the non-punk/hardcore
rock underground (and well-documented in zines like 'Conflict' and 'Forced
Exposure', which was a publication long before it was a label or mail-order
operation).  Some of the ones I was listening to:

The Wipers - started as a punk band in the late 70s, but the title track of
their second album, 'Youth of America' is an amazing piece of minimalist
blanga.  Reissued on Sub Pop, I'm pretty certain.

Flipper - ultra blanga, but maybe too sludgey for some folks here.  They
could drive a riff into the ground as well as circa 71/72 Hawkwind, and
their classic/signature tune "Sex Bomb" features some freaky noises going
on throughout its 7 minutes of madness.  Still in-print on Subterranean.

Savage Republic - sort of what I *hoped* Einstruzende Neubauten would sound
like.  Heavily percussive (banging on flaming oil drums long before it
became cliche), with ringing, droning guitars.  Almost like
ear-splittingly-loud ambient music at times.  Probably still available
through their Independent Project label; their stuff also turns up pretty
cheap used/cut-out.

Viv Akauldren - from Detroit, with Detroitrock (MC5) and goth (seem to have
been a common thing among 80s spacey bands) influences mixed in with the
spacerock.  All stuff way out-of-print.

The Girls & Shut Up - two related Boston bands (actually, the Girls were a
late 70s band mostly, who were the only non-Cleveland act to have a single
on Pere Ubu's Hearthan label, but their one LP didn't come out until the
early 80s) featuring synth god Robin Amos (now in Cul-de-Sac).  The Girls
were very upbeat and somewhat new-wave "quirky" - Inner City Unit fans
would probably like 'em alot.  Probably out-of-print, unless Forced
Exposure mailorder still has copies.

Plasticland - more psych than space (with a fixation on English freakbeat
ala Tomorrow, etc. and 60s fashion), but some of their mellotron-driven
stuff ("The Mushroom Hill" from their first LP) was reminiscent of 70s
space/krautrock, but with catchier tunes and without the excesses.  Leader
John Frankovic played with F/i on their first European tour.  Mostly
out-of-print, unfortunately.  Possibly available in Europe since they were
bigger in Germany than the US.

Butthole Surfers - don't forget that they were truly underground in the
80s, and were probably the most lysergically-damaged American rock band at
the time.  Seeing them live in 1986 was a life-changing experience for me.
Currently being remastered/reissued, as the band just successfully sued
their former label (Touch & Go) to get the rights back.

Camper Van Beethoven - definitely had very nice psychedelic overtones
before they signed to a major label and got boring.  Check out their
version of "Interstellar Overdrive" (with Eugene Chadbourne guesting) from
their third album.  (leader David Lowrey's post-Camper band, Cracker, are
utterly AWFUL, however)  Not sure how much of their stuff is still
available, but some type of hits/outtakes compilation was recently released.

Opal - Founded by ex-Rain Parade (another great 80s psych band) Dave Roback
and ex-Dream Syndicate Kendra Smith. 'Happy Nightmare Baby', their album on
SST, was one of (if not THE) best psych albums of the 80s.  Heavy & droning
when it needed to be, but also light & folky with great female vocals when
appropriate.  After Kendra Smith quit, Dave recruited a new singer and
changed the band's name to Mazzy Star.  Still in-print on SST.

And finally, don't forget that both Alien Planetscapes and F/i started in
the early 80s and released numerous (dozens, in both cases) cassettes
during the decade.  Helios Creed started his solo career on Subterranean
records (home of Flipper) mid-decade, too.  And that's only American
artists; someone else can fill in the Euros/Brits/Japanese/Aussies/Kiwis/etc.

My next message will be about how great pre-1967 rock and roll was
(including my appreciation for Pet Sounds and the rest of the Beach Boys
back catalog, and for Bubblegum music, especially the B-sides of the hits).

        -Doug
         ceres at sirius.com