Celebrating Labor Day through the Anthems of the Rust Belt Part 2: Home of the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame

When referencing Detroit's influence on Rock music, one immediately thinks of 2 other industrial centers that rivaled the motor city as the hot bed of Rock'n'Roll angst: New York City & Cleveland, OH. Like Detroit, Cleveland also witnessed a kind of hard rock renaissance that seems intimately tied to the city's "rust belt" economy & history. Like Detroit there is so much material from the Ohio state to explore, but I will focus on a trinity of interconnected projects: Rocket from the Tombs, Dead Boys, & Pere Ubu. But before that, let's look at a short-lived, legendary project that later influenced Stiv Bators, frontman of the band Dead Boys:

electric eels

In terms of irony, negation, & disorderly conduct, Cleveland's the electric eels were as punk rock as anything else circa 1975. They were a short-lived project that only played 5 live shows, but apparently the live antics of someone like Anton (of Brian Jonestown Massacre) had nothing on the electric eels; they were known for fighting each other or the audience and often had run ins with the police. In spirit of Punk, they were uncompromisingly offensive. (For example, examine the free usage of swastikas on the album art below. This is something the Dead Boys will model in their image as well. Stiv Bators obviously got many ideas by watching eels' frontman Dave "E" McManus.)

(Dave "E" McManus of the electric eels on right)

Although the electric eels are cited as one of the early Proto-Punk bands of the Cleveland Rock scene, their music explores more than sped up, stripped down bluesy rock'n'roll. McManus was said to be influenced by Ornette Coleman and other Free Jazz performers. The electric eels definitely experiment with song form, and one can hear anticipations of what later becomes noise rock in their material. They never recorded a full-length album, but many of their songs have been collected on the CD release, The Eyeball of Hell (which collects recordings from 75-76; don't know year of release nor the label, however. If someone knows, please comment!). The recordings are raw single takes of some rowdy garage rock free jazz with some punk rock attitude. Check out the track "Agitated":

It's pretty raw & rowdy. Like stated before, McManus & the eels were a great influence on another young Cleveland rocker, Stiv Bators. You might hear it in the above track. They're a great addition to any Proto-Punk library. Definitely listen to the whole collection.

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Rocket from the Tombs

Rocket from the Tombs were contemporaries of the electric eels and had a similarly short-lived career. Like the eels, they were only together for a couple of years, and they too never recorded any studio albums during that time. Many of their recorded songs have been collected on a CD release as well: The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs (Smog Veil Records 2002). Unlike the electric eels, the members of RFTT went on to form other much more successful projects, most notably the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. Stiv Bators, however, was not in this band; the most notable lineup was Cheetah Chrome, Johnny Blitz, Peter Laughner, and David Thomas.

Here's a track off the above mentioned collection:

Their recordings are pretty raw as well, but that's what is to be expected from 70s underground Proto-Punk. Definitely check out the entire collection; Dead Boys & Pere Ubu fans will recognize some of the songs. Both bands re-recorded selections from the RFTT catalog.

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Dead Boys: When Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz left RFTT, they joined singer Stiv

Bators to form the group Frankenstein. They later renamed the band Dead Boys and eventually moved to NYC. The Dead Boys are considered one of the major 1st wave American Punk bands. Stiv Bators took much from the live antics of Steve "E" McManus and Iggy Pop and performed many memorable (and controversial) shows at clubs like CBGBs. He was known for cutting himself on stage, for instance. (I would have just stuck to the peanut butter personally...) Like the electric eels, Stiv and the crew would often make us of provocative forms of pastiche, sporting swastika signs for instance. When I first discovered them as a 13 year old pimply kid with a skateboard, I naively thought: "Holy crap! these guys are skinhead nazis!" So I never explored their music for a brief period of time. I wasn't too keen on semiotics and the creative signifying practice of negation at that point in my East Texas experience.

Dead Boys released their 1st studio full length, Young Loud and Snotty, in 1977 on Sire Records. On that album, they re-recorded the song "Sonic Reducer" (as well as other RFTT songs), which became a favorite pick for classic Punk Rock mixtapes.

Here's a great clip of Dead Boys performing at New York's CBGB's:

Dead Boys released a 2nd album from Sire Records in 1978 called We Have Come For Your Children. The recording experience supposedly caused the band to break up. There was pressure from the Corporate label to tone down their "disturbing" image to make possible more marketability in the mainstream. Sound familiar? So they called it quits soon after the album's sessions. Despite its history, it's a punk classic as well. Both albums are great for any classic Punk collection.

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Pere Ubu

When Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz left RFTT eventually to form Dead Boys, Peter Laughner and David Thomas started a new project as well: Pere Ubu (David Thomas still performs as the act today...). Like their source's name, their artistic vision directed them towards the more experimental side of things. (Their name comes from the avant-garde play Ubu Roi by French proto-Surrealist Alfred Jarry.) The group formed in 75, and over the years, their music has explored genres such as new wave, post-punk, electronica, and noise. Their discography is overwhelmingly large, but their early period has gained the most attention from critics and popular listeners alike. Their first album, The Modern Dance (1978 Blank Records), received much praise from various rock critics. It's definitely an essential for Post-Punk & (even) Garage Rock enthusiasts. Here's the track "Street Waves":

Pere Ubu immediately released their 2nd full length, Dub Housing, in 1978 on Chrysalis Records. One can hear the band's departure from Garage-like sounds towards more experimental elements of Post-Punk & New Wave. Check out the track "Navvy":

The band continued to release albums, and like stated before, David Thomas (the only constant member) is still active today. An earlier post made mention of Mayo Thompson & Red Crayola/Red Krayola of Houston, TX. In 1980, Mayo Thompson joined Pere Ubu to record the album The Art of Walking (Rough Trade Records). If you liked Mayo's material and the above videos, you should definitely check out this album as well.

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Once again, there are so many other bands one could mention in this posting. Perhaps later I'll post something on the super-group Lords of the New Church. But for now, Happy Labor Day and enjoy the music!

Celebrating Labor Day through the Anthems of the Rust Belt Part 1: Detroit Rock City

Wherever there is labor, one can immediately find the roots of rock’n’roll’s greatest innovations. Marx was right; there is a deep connection between economic realities and the products of culture that inhabit those realities. The Bolsheviks like Alexander Bogdanov, however, were way off the mark to insist that artworks from societies of Bourgeois Capitalism were useless for the interests of the average Industrial worker. No better example to illustrate the point than the musical culture of America’s industrial epicenter: Detroit, MI.

MC5

In honor of Labor Day, let’s take a look at 1970s Detroit proto-punk, and when discussing the origins of America’s punk rock tradition, one has to start with Detroit’s MC5. I always cringe at the “origins of punk rock” conversation because, most of the time, people debate the issue without ever making sure there is some agreed upon definition for the umbrella term “Punk Rock.” To me, the term applies more accurately to say the Sex Pistols than (and here we go with immediate yells of disagreement) say the Ramones. Punk designates more than a stripped down, up-tempo music genre; it implies a whole package of irony, negation, pastiche fashion, and uncompromising political radicalism. This is why the Pistols defined Punk Rock (for a little less than a year...), and I credit their famous (or is it infamous) manager, Malcolm McLaren (RIP...), who was steeped in French Situationism and the European tradition of nihilism, radicalism, and the avant-garde. With this said, MC5 were also so much more than a hard-playing proto-punk band.

They were the whole thing. If anything was “Punk” at this time, it was Motor City Five. They were known for supporting the Black Panthers and the Panther’s form of Maoist-Marxist politics (I believe their manager, at one point, tried to start a White Panthers organization to support the radical movement), and the band famously played at the riots of 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. They are the closest thing to “true” Proto-Punk Rock. Although Back in the USA (recorded in 1970; released by Atlantic) was not their 1st full-length, it was their first studio album. One of my favorite tracks is their protest song against the US involvement in Vietnam, “The Human Being Lawnmower”:

Their album, Back in the USA, is a must have for ALL rock enthusiasts, and what better time to rock these tunes than on Labor Day! (Definitely check out the live debut Kick Out the Jams as well.)

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Can you guess who’s next?

The Stooges

When asked about the 1st American Punk band, I think most people would respond with the answer, Iggy & the Stooges. To me, MC5 was way more “punk”; they are the godfathers, but the Stooges are definitely the drunk & disorderly godmother. When considering the bands as a pair circa 1970, UK rock’n’roll had nothing on the motor city (with the exception of maybe the Deviants or the Pink Fairies, but that’s another post....). These two acts (along with the New York & Cleveland rock scenes) redirected American popular tastes towards sounds of larger & angrier proportions. The Stooges debuted on Halloween in 1967, signed to Elektra in 68, and released their 1st studio self-titled full length in 1969 (which was produced by Velvet Underground’s John Cale). It tanked for the most part, but it has seen a second life with the explosion of punk a decade later. The album definitely dates the Stooges, for one can still hear the conventions of 60s San Francisco fuzz rock. Check out the track “No Fun”:

The Stooges immediately released a 2nd album, Fun House, in 1970 with the addition of a saxophonist (yawn). It was around this time the Stooges began to turn heads in the music world. That year they played the famous Cincinnati Pop Fesitival where famously Stiv Bators (of Dead Boys....we’ll talk about them next time...) handed Iggy a tub of peanut butter that the Stooge’s frontman proceeded to wipe all over his chest. (Of course, this is now an iconic image of the legendary Proto-Punker.) I believe the band was performing the track “T.V. Eye”:

Oh Iggy... (I love the tv announcer’s perspective... classic!)

The Stooges re-signed with Columbia (due to David Bowie’s urging) and recorded their most successful album, Raw Power (1973). Of course everyone, as well as every dive bar jukebox, knows the famous single “Search & Destroy.” I have to say I listen to Raw Power more than any other recording. Musically, it is excellent Proto-Punk Rock. All rock enthusiasts should own it (so get it!!!).

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The Frost

The Frost were a late 60s rock group from Alpena, MI. They released 3 albums and were led by guitarist Dick Wagner (who later played with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and others). They were a lesser known act that was also part of the prolific Proto-Punk scene of the motor city region. Their most famous record was probably Rock and Roll Music, released 1970 on Vanguard. Here’s their opening title track of the album (the sound should be familiar by now):

A great album for one’s collection if you like that whole Detroit rock thing....

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Death

Death was a Proto-Punk band of the early 70s formed by three brothers (the Hackneys!) out of Detroit, MI. The wonderful world of Wikipedia informed me that they actually started as an R&B group and then they saw Alice Cooper (another Detroit rocker) in concert and understandably proceeded to change their approach to raw rock’n’roll. Ah Alice Cooper, you have impacted so many of us, and we thank you for that. (“We’re not worthy; we’re not worthy!”) Death recorded very little in their short-lived run. In fact, they entered the studio in 1974 to record an album for Columbia Records, but due to their insisted refusal to change their name, the Corporate slime of a label dropped the band. The album was recently released by Drag City, and it is entitled ...For the Whole World to See. Here’s the opening track:

If you like everything else about this post, then you NEED this album. It’s great!

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There are so many other great bands of this era & scene to check out: Frijid Pink, Amboy Dukes (even though Nugent is a douche...), Alice Cooper, and many many others... Perhaps I’ll post some more later.... Enjoy! (Oh, and Happy early Labor Day!)