No Buzzcocks, No Big Star, No Mission of Burma, No Replacements, No Wire, No Pixies, No Love, No Zombies, No X. No Saints.That's just the tip of the big dumb iceberg folks. I mean what are the Vegas odds on the Butthole Surfers being inducted before Pink?
I've been spending the last few days listening to an 80's band from Cleveland that I've recently found out about. Completely stunning music that I cannot believe has not been heard by me before. The Mice are a simply excellent roughed up pop group that has to be heard to believed. Their Cd For Almost Ever Scooter is compendium of their two releases, the e.p. For Almost Ever and their LP Scooter and was released by Scat Records in 2004.. The e.p. is only quite great. The followup full length is jaw droppingly great.
As opposed to the folks in Cleveland I guess I would employ much mellower bouncers at the door. Poor local Ohio artists like Pere Ubu, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, Devo, Guided ByVoices, The Cramps, The Dead Boys, Mark Eitzel and The Mice are outside looking in while a new generation of superstars don their laurels. Devil's advocates may argue that I am picking on a straw man here, but if I like something I might as well say it. I'd rather celebrate the vitality of music, the energy creativity and excitement there, than create a mausoleum to be filled with a bunch of mummies with their guts long removed. They should have interactive rooms there where ticketbuyers can smash hotel rooms, or shoot TV sets like Elvis used to. They should induct people who had one really great song as opposed to someone who made 20 mediocre albums. I guess what I am saying is that having a rock and roll Hall in Ohio is fitting because so many great bands come from places like Cleveland, Columbus, Akron and Cincinnati. It's just too bad that it's not being celebrated enough.
Well as I said before, The Mice are a truly superb rock band, who made some great recordings led by Bill Fox, songwriter, singer, and guitarist. Tommy Fox is on drums and Ken Hall is on bass and backing vocals. It's easy to say they sound like the Replacements, and they sort of do. But at their best they sound like Husker Du with vocals by The Records. There are fantastic harmonies on this record, and they sound so raw and ready, as though they were shouted out on one take. To a degree you say they sound like Guided By Voices, Neutral Milk Hotel, or maybe even Vancouver legends The Pointed Sticks. I can't imagine a rock fan listening to this energetic recording and disliking it.
On a collection like this it's not that easy to single out songs as the whole recording sounds like a greatest hits compilation. Probably most notable is the extraordinary Little Rage, a pop song for the ages, a post punk September Gurls. The second song from Scooter, Bye Bye Kitty Cat is very nearly as great, with big fat guitar riffs, a gripping three minutes of Who-like adrenaline rush. Right now my favorite song of theirs is Second Best, but that could change by tomorrow. Bill Fox is one hell of a songwriter.
From For Almost Ever, you have the excellent opening number Downtown, the perfect power pop of Rescue You Too, the sugar thrash of Not Proud Of The USA. But then you get great songs like Guarding You, Crystal Silence, Ancient Mystery and More Than I Can Talk About. You really can't go wrong with these guys. The Mice apparently split up with a partly recorded album which has still not been released. Bill Fox came out with two solo albums in the 90's that are also well worth checking out. I've listened to so much music, so it's always great when I stumble upon something really special. After a while your ears can get a little jaded. Though I got around to it quite belatedly, For Almost Ever Scooter is one of the best things I've heard this year. Congratulations to the worthy inductees. Speeches are optional.
No comments:
Post a Comment