I.R.S. Records (International Record Syndicate) was formed by Miles
Copeland in 1979. With distribution from A&M records, it was the
most successful independent label (although its ties with A&M
conflicts the notion that it's an "indie") of the 1980's. Nonetheless,
it brought The Go-Go's, R.E.M., The Cramps and The Fleshtones to the
general public at large (and responsible for distributing albums by The
Buzzcocks, The English Beat and The Stranglers to a U.S. audience).
I.R.S.
could sometimes be a little gimmicky to offset their impressive
innovations. One such little gimmick, for want of a better word, was
their 33 & 1/3 7" Mini-Album series (the 7700 Series). That's an EP to the rest of us. It lasted for
all of two records: Play by The Humans and Introducing by Payola$ both released in 1980.
The Humans were a Surf-y New Wave band from Santa Cruz, California. They'd played together previously in the surf band Eddie & The Showman, who had released singles in the 1960's. Play (7700) is a fine little four-song album (an EP in all but name). "I Live In The City" is a fantastic New Wave relic that vocally recalls Wall Of Voodoo and even The Dead Milkmen (or vice versa). The title track and the cover of "Pipeline" are well-worth hearing as well.
Payola$ were a Vancouver, BC band that featured producer Bob Rock (Areosmith, Motley Crue. Metallica) and had the hit "Eyes Of A Stranger", that was in the Valley Girl movie & soundtrack. Introducing Payola$ (7701) is a pretty fine release. The lone stand-out track is "Jukebox", which is better than it has any business being. It's excellent. It was also re-recorded for their debut album In A Place Like This.
Very nice little collectables and true anomalies from I.R.S. Records. If you love New Wave (as I do), fetch these up.
A very special Halloween edition of Talk About Pop Music: Vinyl Views. I'll be reviewing four Halloween-themed vinyl. recordings
Mondo Zombie Boogaloo: 100 Years of Roc is a Yep Roc Records Halloween-themed various artists compilation. It contains four tracks by The Fleshtones, five by Los Straitjackets, five by Southern Culture On The Skids and one track ("Que Monstrous Son" - "Monster Mash" en Espanol) featuring all three bands. All three bands are also signed to Yep Roc records as well. The album holds-up surprisingly well with tracks by The Fleshtones ("Dracula A Go Go" & "Ghoulman Confidential) and Los Straitjackets ("Ghostbusters" & "Theme From Halloween") as the big winners here.
There's satisfying flow of consistency in surf, garage and rockabilly that has always suited Halloween or Horror-themed rock. It's a nice modern addition to this tradition. The double-vinyl is colored green and purple. The vinyl also comes with an enclosed CD copy of the album too!
Halloween Horrors: The Sounds Of Halloween (A&M 1977) is a nostalgia-placeholder for many a thirty-something. It's not a terribly good release, however it could also be a lot worse, I suppose. Side one is an ostensibly would-be scary story that doesn't add up to too much (I guess it can't be too scary). And side two is a collection of seemingly-synthesized sound-effects. Some of these are quite nice; the "Pipe Organ" track is excellent. Most of them are run-of the mill sound-effect tracks.
Recommended if it's very cheap or very free.
Monster Rap - Bobby (Boris) Pickett Featuring Bobby Paine (Easy Street Records 1984) is a cheesy stab at exploiting the Halloween market via the hip-hop genre in the mid 80's. Aside from it being Pickett's last release (famous for his 1962 novelty release "Monster Mash") there's virtually no redeeming qualities to this curiosity. The claymation artwork on the sleeve resembles the hologram figures in the chess game played in Star Wars.
Not really recommended for lovers of even the most dire kitsch.
Last but not least is "Screamin' Skull" (I.R.S. Records 1983) by The Fleshtones. The lyrics are basically about amphetamines and living fast in Los Angeles, as the band was doing at the time. It's set in a faux-horror garage rock setting, complete with honking saxophone and spooky organ intro.
It's the second single release for the band's amazing Hexbreaker album. Despite it's very "American-sound" the label made the possibly wrong-headed decision to only release this (and the first single from this album) only in the U.K.. The B-Side is a nice cover of the John Lee Hooker atheist rave-up "Burning Hell", which also nudges the single into Halloween/Horror genre. An excellent should-have-been-hit-single from Queens New York's finest purveyors of "Super Rock".
