I figured this would be as good of a time as ever to post
about these guys. Eric recently
wrote about the 4 seasons in a not-so-passive-aggressive attack on me. It’s true I’m not a big fan, and can’t
really name to many tracks, but I’d have to have a heart of ice to not enjoy
some of those tracks. It did make
me think, however, about how crazy and important certain acts can be to
people. They are sacred, and the idea
of not likening or knowing them is just blasphemous. I know for a fact a lot of you readers don’t know these
guys, but that doesn’t make me any less upset at you for it.
The
Dead Milkmen make some of the best acid punk of the 80’s. Straight out of Philly (Represent!)
these guys are loud, weird, fast, funny and damn good when you least expect it.
You don’t think of punk, especially the “poppyer” stuff, as being really
technically impressive. Most of
the time the band is trying to be as fast as possible, but Butterfly Joe really
manages to impress me with finding the medium between fast while still being
strong. Another great thing
about these guys is their song range especially relative to their genre. Anyone in the same category as the
Ramones, and the Sex Pistols don’t really have to have extreme song diversity,
but these guys still manage it without loosing a signature sound.
I
didn’t think you’d notice that I made my pick two albums…but since you brought
it up I guess I have to explain myself.
I just could choose between them OKAY! I’m only human.
They each had their strengths, and since I’m the James Dean of the blog
I decided they are both getting into this post.
First
we have Big Lizard. This is their
first album, and is full of really fast songs about a bunch of random subjects
like disliking the beach, taking acid, and of course having a big lizard in
your backyard. All the tracks are
pretty solid, and is to me one of their most consistent albums. The biggest downside is probably there
isn’t really a major hit on this album.
Check out this track about his new car…sort of.
Beelzebubba is kind of a different animal. It’s a bit more hit and miss in my
opinion. There are some FANTASTIC
songs, but then there are some that I’ll almost always skip. The Milkmen’s best song is on this
album, so even if it’s not the strongest there is no way to ignore it:
In summation: I’ve loved these guys
for years, and always will, and because of this everyone in my vicinity will be
made aware of them (consider this your warning.)
One would argue that a band that rivaled The Beach Boys (not The Bleach Boys) in album sales would be a bit more known than a band that was popular for a month in the Midwest, but that's splitting hairs.
ReplyDeleteThe point isn't that a band is more popular or influential it's about how a band is more important to bloger. I just thought I'd make an interesting transition.
DeleteFair point, and I respect you for that
Delete