86 — Provocation

• Artist: 86
• Title: Provocation
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: ?
• Keeper: Maybe

Provocation is a lot better than the first 86 record I posted here, Minutes in a Day. It’s a full length album, and it’s less noisy. That said, it’s still arty and mostly devoid of hooks. I gotta have my hooks!

A Trouser Press article about 86 mentions Honor Role, a Richmond, VA band that Mary, and to a lesser extent I, knew personally. Those guys had some hooks.

The Bags — Rock Starve

• Artist: The Bags
• Title: Rock Starve
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987 – Promo when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Yes

The Bags put the rawk in punk rock, and there’s a trace of Motorhead-style metal in there too. There is a great review excerpt of Rock Starve from Playboy at Wikipedia. This is the only Bags record I have, but I also have a record by them under the name Swamp Oaf. I got this one as a promo and it included something like a media kit, really just a copy of a few articles about the band.

I never got to see The Bags live but I’m sure they tear the roof off at every show. The good news is, despite some extended breaks, the band still exists. I just came across their page at MySpace. Lyrically, they seem to have moved more in the direction of Spinal Tap and I can’t say I like the new songs quite as much as the now 20 years old Rock Starve, but they’re still rocking it. I like all of the songs on this record but my favorite is “Spread It Around.”

I’m gonna pass it on to strangers
And give it to my friends
Lay low for a little while
Until it comes my way again
Why-y-y-y-y-y should I keep it to myself
When I could be sharing it with someone else

“Spread It Around” — The Bags

R.E.M. — Dead Letter Office

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: Dead Letter Office
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: ?
• Acquired: ?
• Keeper: Yes

I have another ticket stub that doesn’t really belong with the record of the day. It’s from R.E.M.’s tour to support the 1984 album Reckoning and I should’ve mentioned it when I posted that one. For some reason I did mention the show, with opening act Dream Syndicate, on the Murmur post. I see the ticket is stamped “COMP” so maybe I won tickets on the radio or something.

The thing I remember most is talking to Dream Syndicate guitarist Karl Precoda between bands. I thought they put on a great, and surprisingly hard-rockin’ show, and I made sure to tell him that. He seemed like a pretty cool guy, but he decided to leave the band soon after this tour. At least I know it wasn’t my fault. Another memorable bit was that during R.E.M.’s set the power went out. This was a relatively small place, better-suited to conventions. I remember some minimal amount of light, and that the band carried on in some sort of acoustic mode for a while. I was glad to see they were cool like that, and not some whiny prima donnas.

To the record… Dead Letter Office is a compilation of rarities, outtakes, b-sides and covers. Despite the odds it’s a pretty listenable collection. Peter Buck also wrote some great notes about each song on the liner. Good ol’ Wikipedia has more info about it.

Gaye Bykers on Acid — Drill Your Own Hole

• Artist: Gaye Bykers on Acid
• Title: Drill Your Own Hole
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987 – When I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Yes

Not surprisingly, Gaye Bykers on Acid’s music is not for everybody, but it is for me. I have fond memories of Drill Your Own Hole and the time it came out, half my life time ago. Despite that, after posting the last GBOA record I was not expecting to like this as much as I still do. Drill Your Own Hole is excellent, starting with the first track “Motorvate” all the way to the end.

Mary, my wife, not the singer, and I were only dating when we drove up to D.C. one weeknight to see them at the original 9:30 Club. When we got there we found out the opening band, Pop Will Eat Itself, were denied visas due to “lack of artistic merit.” Whatever. Mary was pretty bummed. Since there was no opening act some of the Gaye Bykers were killing time out on the floor. Nobody was paying them too much attention so I started talking to Mary Mary, the singer, not my wife. When I told him we traveled three hours to see them play he seemed genuinely flattered. Later, during the show, when he saw me up near the stage he stuck the mic in my face and got me to sing along during one chorus. Pretty funny, and pretty fun.

For some reason the band was billed as “Gaye Bykers on Parade.” You can see that on the ticket stub below. Maybe having a drug reference in your band name wasn’t conducive to getting visas, or bookings, or something. I forgot to ask Mary Mary about that.

R.E.M. — Document

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: Document
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: ?
• Keeper: Yes

It’s taken me a while to give this a proper listen because I can’t stop listening to a new record that I’m very excited about. I’ll probably post that one next. Of course, this is a great album and it includes the mega-hits “Finest Worksong”, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”, and “The One I Love.” I can’t say I sit around the house playing R.E.M. records all the time, but I have to admit this is well-crafted music that is essentially timeless.

More about R.E.M.’s Document at Wikipedia.

The Leather Nun — Force of Habit

• Artist: The Leather Nun
• Title: Force of Habit
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Maybe

Yeah, I don’t really know much about The Leather Nun. I thought they were interesting back then because they had a hard rock edge when there wasn’t enough of that around. I would’ve guessed Force of Habit was their only album, but it’s not. If I remember correctly the pseudo-political “Pink House” was a college radio alterna-hit. I got to see them open for someone, can’t remember the headliner now, at the Richmond Mosque. Maybe I’m imagining the whole show.

Anyhow, Wikipedia describes the band as “Sweden’s dark answer to ABBA.” There’s even a cover of ABBA’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme” on side two. Singer Jonas Almqvist is really more of a talker, and the lyrics are… eh. The music is interesting, but I don’t think it’s a keeper. Is it?

The Fleshtones — Fleshtones Vs. Reality

• Artist: The Fleshtones
• Title: Fleshtones Vs. Reality
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records and Tapes in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Yes

My memories of Fleshtones Vs. Reality are fuzzier than those of the records The Fleshtones made before it. I remember the songs, just not note-for-note. Must’ve been busy that year. I did get to see the boys that same year at the great ol’ 930 Club in D.C, at its original location on F Street. Check out the ticket stub below, only $8! In 1987! That was half a lifetime ago for me, oof.

Anyhow, this record seems a little more mature, in a good way, but the good time music is still what it’s all about. Also, the horns seem bigger and badder than before. As I have said a few times before you can’t achieve maximum rock and roll, or Fleshtones’ “Super Rock”, without horns. I like all the songs, and my favorite is probably “Way Up Here” with that sweet sounding recorder riff. Side two has another Fleshtones-style club banger in “The End of The Track”, complete with wailing alarms and sirens. And this concludes the posts of official Fleshtones records… or does it?

R.E.M. — It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987 – Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Yes

Haven’t I already logged this song? Maybe it was 12 inch. Mary has a ton of singles and many of them are R.E.M. pieces. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” was, of course, a big hit. It’s hard to forget that one, but I can’t remember much about “Last Date” on the flipside. I played it a couple times before we left, and we’re still on the road. (One night to go!) I think it was an instrumental and I’m pretty sure I was digging it.

Sinead O’Connor — Mandinka

• Artist: Sinead O’Connor
• Title: Mandinka
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: Dunno

“Mandinka” is pretty solid pop song, but if I never hear it again that’s OK. I worked at a record store with a friend, Robby Lloyd, when this came out and he played it so much that I think I’m set for life. “Drink Before the War” on the flipside is Sinead’s version of a metal power ballad, but with keyboards. I’m not kidding; this song builds like it was written by The Scorpions or something. One thing for sure, Sinead O’Connor has one good looking head. I’m jealous.

Naked Raygun — Vanilla Blue

• Artist: Naked Raygun
• Title: Vanilla Blue
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1987? — Maybe when I was working at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA
• Keeper: Maybe

Christmas has made me so slack. We’re on the road now, but I played a buncha records and loaded up the pics right before we left. This one is Naked Raygun’s “Vanilla Blue.” For no particular reason I never really got into this band, but I like this song. I’m not sure how to describe it other than to say it’s interesting. The flipside is called “Slim” and it’s not so interesting. I think it’s just some samples of Slim Pickens from some old movies with some silly music backing it up. That’s three somes in one sentence y’all. Check out that sweet colored vinyl!