A difficult listening post.
Haven't had one of those in a bit now have we.
At least this is pretty damn funny...
This band consists of two fine upstanding gentleman known to the record buying public as Mr. Anus & Mr. Horribly Charred Infant.
We all have regrets. One of mine is that I didn't pull the trigger fast enough to purchase the first Happy Flowers single with "Mom, I gave the Cat Some Acid" because it's still one of the things that make me giggle uncontrollably whenever I listen to it.
Just tickles me pink.
Alas, I was too late for that first gem, but did manage to snag the follow up. This one. It has such lovely little toe tappers as "Mom and Dad Like the Baby More Than Me" and "Daddy Melted" which unfold slowly and painfully over a bed of excruciating noise. Just like spending time with your own family.
Only this is actually funny along with being painful.
At least I did get a very sweet hand written poem with my copy of this gem which I can only assume is a one of a kind piece of art that will not increase in value anywhere in the world
except my heart:
Excuse me a sec. I may cry. Too much beauty....
Meanwhile let's take a moment to remember that difficult listening comes in many forms
So here's Hardattack.
It's sometimes billed as a "rare US punk" record.
I'm less convinced.
First off the b-side "Me and You" is some kind of extra shitty wacky white guy reggae concoction that generally causes me to bruise a shin or something scrambling for the "next track" button.
The band sounds like approaching middle aged guys trying to catch up with the latest sounds of 1981 so they can regain some kind of relevance. (which I say from a comfortable middle age myself as someone who was never relevant to begin with)
which leads us to the second thing
The better side is the A-side "Sick and Tired of my Friends"
(and presumably why some optimistic and perhaps slightly delusional soul thinks that this single should command a minimum of fifty five US dollars on Discogs. Which is itself an improvement on the whopping hundred previously offered copy. You can ask a million, but there has to be takers....)
It's a relatively fast number with a beat and a certain New Wave bent, a bit of a misanthropic slant lyrically.
And features the inimitable punk rock guitar stylings of guest artist Jorma Kaukonen who approaches this old person New Wave/Punk thing like he's playing in a Blue Oyster Cult cover band. (which I also say as a fan of B.O.C. "Secret Treaties" gets a fair amount of play around these parts.
But in this case context matters.)
The whole aging hippie who was in Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna thing kind of kills that "punk rock" vibe for me. But I'm snootier than most.
Punk rock was invented because of people like this. To spite and despite them. It was my generation's thing. Fuck off, poser.
Fucking Baby Boomers ruin fucking everything.
That ranted, I mean, it's still probably not the worst record ever made in this vein at the time, but it's far from the top.
At least now you can save your fifty five dollars for something better.
Like tacos.
Go buy yourself some tacos.
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