8.22.2005

Red Spot




Various Artists Red Spot LP (Subteranean, 1981)

An associate of mine, Sgt. Slaughter, in an excellent article in the new Terminal Boredom, writes that one of the most underappreciated and underrated punk scene was the late 70s/early 80s San Francisco art punk scene. As the good Sargent points out, the box full of records that Frisco produced stands up to whatever came out of New York or Los Angeles at the same time (and I will add Cleveland). I mean, really, just the name Flipper should be enough to make one pause and give San Francisco a look-see.

In his article - which you should read - Slaughter mentions that the one compilation that best represents that scene is Red Spot, a nice run through the soil of San Francisco circa 1981. The comp contains tracks by the Wounds, Eazy Teeth, Arsenal, Research Labratories, and the very undervalued Minimal Man, as well as the bands I present to you. It came out on Subteranean Records, the very best label in the history of San Francisco and one that Slaughter thinks equals Dangerhouse (I'm not sure there but not enough to argue).

You hear cuts by the Animal Things, Micon, & the Fried Abortions. I know no more about them than Slaughter can tell you, other than Metal Mike is wearing a homemade Fried Abortions t-shirt on the back cover of the Angry Samoans' Back from Samoa.


# posted by Scott Soriano : 17:55
Comments:
fried abortions is Metal Mike and Jeff Bale, if i 'member correct
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 05:26
 
cool post. I would like to see more obscure synth-punk and strange psychedelic posted at Crud Crud in the future.

Keep up the good work Crud Crud!!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 12:42
 
I belive Fried Abortions were a precusor to Naked Lady Wrestlers. Who play a version of this same song on MRR's not so quiet comp. Max Volume the guitarist once (or maybe always) bragged about being the master of over 10,000 scales.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 14:08
 
Not to knock the other poster, but that excellent MRR Naked Lady Wrestlers song (yes also by Bale and Saunders) was Dan With the Mellow Hair!! I can't beleive I even have those memory cells!! The only other tune by NLW I ever heard was an instro. More Naked Lady Wrestlers!!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 18:09
 
This comp is great. The whole SF late 70s/80s scene was very interesting and underrated. Bay of Pigs is one of favorites.
# posted by Blogger Gregory Jacobsen : 23:17
 
The Fried Abortions track sounds more like Lennonburger, who were on "Not so quiet..." with the song Reagum (feat. the immortal lines: "Everybody knows he's doin' it, doin' it, he's picking his nose and chewing it, chewing it").

By the way, great site! Talking 'bout "Not so quiet...": my fave song on that was by Sacto's Rebel Truth!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 11:42
 
You know, it is too bad that the Square Cools never had any more vinyl entries other than the track on Not So Quiet... They were a better and much more fun band than Rebel Truth. Members also went on to form Tales of Terror, which should give you a hint of how good they were.
# posted by Blogger Scott Soriano : 13:17
 
The Animal Things songs are my favorites from Red Spot.

Hey, what about the AMAZING Church Police from 'Not So Quiet...'? I wish they had done more vinyl!!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 12:23
 
there was a 4 song boot of church police demos floating around. not too hard to find.
# posted by Blogger Scott Soriano : 16:19
 
To Fred: a good portion of Naked Lady Wrestlers songs are instrumental covers of classical music. They may release an album of old songs someday...
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 22:38
 
Metal Mike of the Angry Samoans actually played rums for the Fried Abortions. Lead guitar duties were handled by a woman named Karmen Ghia, who also worked with myself and Jack Webb on PERV, which we considered to be the 'Zine of Record for the scene in San Francisco in 1981-82. We had to shut down Perv because we had scheduled a free concert ("May Day Workers' Revolt * Barbecue") for May 1, 1982, in Marx Meadow in Golden Gate featuring the Dead Kenedys and five other bands but canceled the show at the last minute because my sister needed me to give her away at her wedding in L.A. ("I can't postpone the wedding because the dress might not fit after a week.")

Ace Thompson
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 22:01
 
Drums, not rums.

Ace
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 22:02
 
hey i like this very much.
but my question is: are there any other recordings available of animal things?
this guys are x-tra hot..

cheers, ben:E
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 13:18
 
Thanks for the comments Scott Soriano. I like to think we different from a lot of the other bands. Too bad it was too short.

Louie Drums Square Cools
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 21:27
 
Hi Scott!! I doubt that you still have Red Spot, but I am trying to get ahold of it, and have been, for years. There is no e-mail address for you, so I am posting this comment. Please let me know if there is still some way to locate this music if you can. I would pay top dollar for it, even just decent recordings of it. You can contact me at my website, www.theparadigmshifted.com Thanks...
# posted by Anonymous Paradigm : 16:19
 
Remember the vicious circle from not so quiet ? they put on awesome song called "strike out". Any infos about band, maybe demos ? i know they have an interviev in maximum rock n roll and they'd told that they have more songs ("lies" for example) if anyone heard, pleaase contact me at tomalas95@o2.pl or here. cheers Tomek
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 17:41
 
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