The Zulus "Back"

Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.
Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.

The Zulus
Down on the Floor
CD
(Slash Records, 1989)

Human Sexual Response were fronted by openly gay lead vocalist & lyricist Larry Bangor, but I already featured them a couple of years ago.

After HSR split, Bangor, along with guitarist Rich Gilbert and drummer Malcolm Travis, went on to start The Zulus. I've not heard their first 12" EP, but I have their (lone?) album, Down on the Floor, and it rocks. Their sound was more hard rock than the new wave/post punk of Human Sexual Response, but bein' a rocker, I'm not complaining. I suppose one could call them proto-grunge, as the rise of grunge (I hate that genre name) came around 1990. They're still perhaps a bit too arty to be grunge, though.

Oh, whatever!

The future-openly-gay Bob Mould, past-openly-of Hüsker Dü, produced Down on the Floor, and Malcolm Travis went on to pound the skins in Mould's next ensemble de rock, Sugar.

I was just doing some research for this post, and discovered that Human Sexual Response are playing a reunion show at The House of Blues in their home of Boston on November 10! Man, I wish I could go. If you're in the area, or feel like travelling, tickets can be purchased on-line here.

---

Appropo of nothing, here's a picture of my foot at a Hüsker Dü show in 1983.

7 or 8 Worm Hearts "Shack of Hate"

7 or 8 Worm Hearts All Writhe cassette (self-released, 1989)

What is it with my blog and bizarre coincidences lately? I was on the phone with my friend James on Sunday, right? And he mentioned that Glenn Jones and his (James's) band had played a show the night before. We got to talking about this and he mentioned that Jones had been in a band with Phil Milstein when James moved to the Boston area in the late 80s, and they'd released a cassette. "I think I have that!" says I. So, I went to the shelf and pulled down my copy of the source of today's song to confirm band membership. "7 or 8 Worm Hearts?" asked I. "That's it!" confirmed James. Why is this a coincidence? Well, I'd already ripped said tape to a wav file for use on this here blogger device; I just hadn't yet picked a song. So, without further ado, I present "Shack of Hate" by 7 or 8 Worm Hearts (not to be confused with the also great song of the same title by White Zombie on their 1987 debut LP, Soul Crusher).

Human Sexual Response "Pound" (Extended version)

Human Sexual Response
Pound
12" single
(Passport Records, 1981)

The non-extended version appears on their second album, In a Roman Mood.

Major Stars "When You Leave"

Major Stars
Early Major Stars 1997-1998
CDR
(Twisted Village, 2002?)

Major Stars are yet another killer, hard rockin', psychedelic combo led by guitarist Wayne Rogers, formerly of Connecticut, just like my daddy, and Crystalized Movements & Magic Hour, unlike my daddy, who is 80-years-old and does not like rock music.

I bought this CDR from them when they blew Acid Mothers Temple off the stage at a show back in 2002. Only one of the five songs, "Deep End," has appeared on another release. This is one of the four limited solely to this fine lil' puppy.

---

NOTE: Those are the Bremen Town Musicians on the cover, a musical and crime fighting combo from Bremen, in northern Germany.

The Dresden Dolls "War Pigs"

Oh, dear! You must not have a compatible version of flash!

The Dresden Dolls
War Pigs
digital EP
(The All Blacks B.V., 2004)

I saw The Dresden Dolls play an in-store at a local record store when they were touring for their first album. Actually, it was more of an out-of-store, as they played in the parking lot. At some point, Amanda (vocals and piano) announced they were going to play "an American classic." I wasn't really sold on them at that point, so I chuckled derisively to myself at her egregious error, when it turned out she meant this lil' tune. As it turned out, though, their version killed.