Dunno much about the band. I’ve got this singles compilation called “Crime Pays: Rock ’n’ Roll in the Demonocracy”, and I can’t seem to get rid of it. (I mean, I can get rid of it, of course. Hell, I’ve successfully gotten rid of it twice... But I keep needing to buy the damn thing again. Worst part is, I don’t even know why.)
Nerdy, Gang-of-Four-indebted English punk-funk. With John Langford of the Mekons, who I don’t really give a shit about, except for “Where Were You” and “Never Been in a Riot”. Similar to the Membranes and/or the Screaming Blue Messiahs, in a pre-grebo, we-want-to-be-American-but-not-really kinda way. I like it. Maybe you do too.
yes, dug em. “Death of (the?) European.” Langford’s best side project.
Yeah, them’s the one. “Death of the European” is ace, but I’m most in love with the earliest trax: “English White Boy Engineer” and “Pink-Headed Bug”. Killer drum-machine + guitar scrape dance punk. Some of it grates (“Men Like Monkeys”), some of it drags (“Rooster Blue”), but a lot of it rhules.
Other worthwhile LPs?
sounds like the first is for you, Atom Drum Bop
That makes a certain amount of sense. If I ever see a copy, I’ll buy it. Unfortunately, the crewel winds of history seem to have worn away all but the faintest traces of interest in this perhaps-once-mighty band, and with them, all hope for this thread. Ah, well...
I believe they’ve toured a bit over the last year. “The Death of Everything” is a good record to pick up too, with a classic version of “Moonlight on Vermont” and an enjoyable intro.
I can’t say I ever got way into them, but they had their own unique charm. When I first bought “Death Of The European” I didn’t like it, then gradually it started to make sense.
“Never And Always” is also an excellent 12“ single.
mp3 blog Phoenix Hairpins had Atom Drum Bop up a while back, I think it’s still there.
Cheez! Thanks, sleeve, I’m defrauding the copyright holders as we speak.