If you’re as frustrated as I am with all The Stooges repackaging that’s going on then maybe you’ll find some solace in Mike Rep and The Quotas. As important as those Elektra artefacts are to me, I almost never have to hear them again. Would I go to see The Stooges? Yes, if they played Barrowlands – but I wouldn’t really travel to see ‘em. Truth is I can’t even really look at Iggy any more. He’s become a caricature and before you wade into me for this sacrilicious slur, I’m entitled to my opinion. If I could go see the guys without him, playing instrumental versions of the songs then I’d buy into that. Wee Jimmy I can live without, I guess it’s actually been that way since "The Idiot" and "Lust For Life" when he went eurodisco. The only time I saw him that he was any good - in my opinion - was the time when Andy McCoy of Hanoi Rocks was in his band.
Anyway, Mr Rep deals in that kinda blistering dirty rock that the Stooges spirit begat. One day he may benefit from his back catalogue being milked but for now he’s blasting out some primo riffage from his Ohio silo. "Black Hole Rock" is the title and may well serve as a billet to hang a name on his particular brand of rockist hootch. “Rocket Music On” kicks off the set to reach quite an altitude. Spartanly recorded, the imbibing of this should involve maximum volume wherever possible. You’d never be able to tell that it was recorded in 2004, I believe - according to the good offices of Dr Hesske - that it's "lovingly fucked with" to achieve this compressed, potentially dangerous energy. It’s like some great lost artefact from the wastelands of 1974 delivered like the Rocket From The Tombs gear that Smog Veil/Glitterhouse laid on us. Mike looks like Kris Kristofferson’s evil twin on the cover and his combo’s smokin’ scuzz rock is an example of what can be achieved when something is quite obviously delivered from the heart. The lyrics to “HM My Mind” are bleedin’ sublime and you get the feeling that he means it “Maaaan”. There are also elements of MX-80iness which makes it even cooler. I know Goner in Memphis has copies and Volcanic Tongue also (probably). Write to MIKE if you have any problems in tracking it down.
Likewise retro but making scary sense here in the wilds of 2005 are George Brigman and Split’s “I Can Hear The Ants Dancin’” and his “Jungle Rot” on the specially reactivated for the occasion Bona Fide imprint. Expanded and improved to counteract some nasty bootleg version of Brigman’s guitar slingin’ exploits. Chris Stigliano has covered both volumes at length but it remains to be said that these cd’s could eat up the faux-70’s output of boy-band prog like those Kings Of Leon for the first meal of the day. “Ants” was mostly recorded in 1977 and was somewhat at odds with the punk explosion that was happening around it. It sounds more like it was made in maybe 1972. Like Zappa or Hendrix footprints being found in Tom Verlaine country, some of this comes dangerously close to being noodly but there’s a psychosis evident that makes it seem somewhat dangerous. “Animal Dope” is like Nirvana dipping into some Stalk Forrest Group chops. The spliffmungous sounds of this Groundhogs fixated Baltimorian could make for some uneasy listening if you aren’t in the right mood.
“Jungle Rot” is billed as “the original fuzz-fried acid blues punk classic!”, if anything it sounds even more contempt-orary than “Ants”, it has a peculiar compression that stunts the overt ugliness of the blues-rock that perhaps offered up some sacrificial influence to the altar/mixing board that captured it. Sit right down and make yourself purposely uncomfortable. It’ll be worth it.
1 comment:
Lindsay (and readers) - just to clarify--"lovingly fucked with . . ." is a Mike Rep signature phrase which he uses to describe his producing philosophy. As near as I can tell LFW incorporates the heavy use of tape hiss, amp crackle & buzz and beer during the "recording process."
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