The Electric Eels, Rocket From the Tombs, Pagans, Dead Boys, the Mirrors, Pere Ubu, etc.

This was a great scene (esp. the '70s proto-punk stuff), and it's documented really well on this site: www.clepunk.com

What's your favorite ClePunk record? "Young, Loud & Snotty" is pretty hard to beat!

Violet Times ,

I must have mentioned Peter Laughner , a long time ago ,  but , if I did'nt , it sure was'nt a slight on him. Laughner was the rare sort who remained friends with members of nearly every key non - bar  band in Cleveland at the time , up until his untimely demise . Most people I've spoken to or read things by , that were "There" , had good things to say , even if his behavior (By his own admission.) was frequently over the top.  
 
Violet Times said:

Definitely Pagans over Dead Boys, easily.  Dead Boys only made one great LP, while Pagans have a few LPs worth of greatness.  Besides that, i'm not so into the production on their 1st LP, actually prefer the 'Younger, Louder, Snottier' LP version released later on Bomp.  That live set from CBs released on DVD years back is pretty hard to beat tho.  That's the kind of thing that could put them at the top of any list of greats, no question.  (pretty sure the whole thing is on youtube, check it if you haven't seen it)  

Mirrors and eels (w/ a nice side dish of Styrenes w/ whom they shared members) over everyone tho.  

Here's an interview i did w/ Morton in MRR last year http://www.violet-times.com/2011/06/i-interviewed-john-morton-in-ma... w/ links there to read more about electric eels as well.  Do yourself a favor, esp if ya don't know about 'em. 

Also at the top of that page you can click to the purchase page for Poli Styrene Jass Band (aka: Styrenes) 'Drano In Your Veins' 45 reissue that we did awhile back if you're interested in 1975 pre- punk, proto- punk, baseball bat in the face lysergic madness, a bonafide classic.  Less than 20 copies remain.

Not punk, more rock n roll / soft psych, but i actually just put on Stone Harbour 'Emerges' LP right before i saw this thread/group.  Nearby town of Cleveland- Youngstown, OH 1974.

Also surprised no one mentioned Peter Laughner in here?  Maybe i missed it, and again, not so much "punk" sounding overall but his 1 million (and counting, as more are found) unreleased recordings (and the few released thus far) have many choice cuts.  He was a driving force in tying to make that a "scene", or at least promoting his own music, and by default taking those other wild sounding bands to the top along w/ himself.    

I also enjoy the fact that The Cramps, Pagans, and electric eels are all related by blood- that's some kind of royal bloodline there!

Definitely Pagans over Dead Boys, easily.  Dead Boys only made one great LP, while Pagans have a few LPs worth of greatness.  Besides that, i'm not so into the production on their 1st LP, actually prefer the 'Younger, Louder, Snottier' LP version released later on Bomp.  That live set from CBs released on DVD years back is pretty hard to beat tho.  That's the kind of thing that could put them at the top of any list of greats, no question.  (pretty sure the whole thing is on youtube, check it if you haven't seen it)  

Mirrors and eels (w/ a nice side dish of Styrenes w/ whom they shared members) over everyone tho.  

Here's an interview i did w/ Morton in MRR last year http://www.violet-times.com/2011/06/i-interviewed-john-morton-in-maximum.html w/ links there to read more about electric eels as well.  Do yourself a favor, esp if ya don't know about 'em. 

Also at the top of that page you can click to the purchase page for Poli Styrene Jass Band (aka: Styrenes) 'Drano In Your Veins' 45 reissue that we did awhile back if you're interested in 1975 pre- punk, proto- punk, baseball bat in the face lysergic madness, a bonafide classic.  Less than 20 copies remain.

Not punk, more rock n roll / soft psych, but i actually just put on Stone Harbour 'Emerges' LP right before i saw this thread/group.  Nearby town of Cleveland- Youngstown, OH 1974.

Also surprised no one mentioned Peter Laughner in here?  Maybe i missed it, and again, not so much "punk" sounding overall but his 1 million (and counting, as more are found) unreleased recordings (and the few released thus far) have many choice cuts.  He was a driving force in tying to make that a "scene", or at least promoting his own music, and by default taking those other wild sounding bands to the top along w/ himself.    

I also enjoy the fact that The Cramps, Pagans, and electric eels are all related by blood- that's some kind of royal bloodline there!

OK , if anyone's interested , I found a Blue Ash LP , I think , their 2nd. Blue Ash were a Power Pop band , to generalize , comparable (In ways.) to The Raspberries , but with a harder guitar crust than even the last two Raspberries records , and some REAL ballsy vocals.

Their Guitarist , Frank Secich (sic) later went on to play with Stiv Bators , on his great early solo stuff , and in the revamped Dead Boys lineup , ca . 1980. In his last interview (In Black To Comm) , Stiv stated that his first band , Mother Goose , opened for Blue Ash in 1972. 

 Oh , yeah , I saw Death of Samantha , once , but , that was in the very late 80's. I never associated them with the early days  of Cle Punk , but , maybe I'm missing something....

....I've seen the remake/remodel Rockets , Cheetah Chrome , Styrenes (With ex - Mirrors , Eels and Pagans) , David Thomas with Allen Ravenstein , Tony Maimone and (then) yet - to - join Pere Ubu , the late Jim Jones , and I even played in former Electric Eel , Brian McMahon's , backing band , Das Volt , but, somehow , I have never seen Pere Ubu. It was'nt personal. 

....No Ghoulardi , No Cle - Punk. 

I should add , Miriam Linna , not The Cramps' first drummer , but their second , was also based in Cleveland , before relocating to NYC .
 
John Battles said:

"Having an Intellectual Discussion With..." and , later "Eyeball of Hell" (Electric Eels.) , "The Modern Dance" (Pere Ubu) , "The Day The Earth Met Rocket From The Tombs", and a recent Mirrors collection - I forget the name.....

The thing about the earlier bands , they did'nt have many places to play , much less , a visible following beyond friends and the few who'd had it with cover bands.  and a lot of them LOATHED each other , or at least , individual people did. I've spoken with enough of them to know.  The Electric Eels played a total of five times. I doubt that Rockets played too many more times than that , but , I could'nt tell you , one way or the other....

 The Dead Boys had to defect to New York City to make a name for themselves , as did Pere Ubu , and The Cramps , who were'nt all Clevelanders , but , of course , Lux and Ivy were based there , as was later member , Nick Knox (And much later member , Mike Metoff , his Cousin , from The Pagans.), before forming The Cramps in NYC.

Michael Weldon (Mirrors , Psychotronic Video magazine.) told me recently , "I've got all these people asking me for interviews about the early 70's Cleveland scene.....It was'nt even a scene !".

"Having an Intellectual Discussion With..." and , later "Eyeball of Hell" (Electric Eels.) , "The Modern Dance" (Pere Ubu) , "The Day The Earth Met Rocket From The Tombs", and a recent Mirrors collection - I forget the name.....

The thing about the earlier bands , they did'nt have many places to play , much less , a visible following beyond friends and the few who'd had it with cover bands.  and a lot of them LOATHED each other , or at least , individual people did. I've spoken with enough of them to know.  The Electric Eels played a total of five times. I doubt that Rockets played too many more times than that , but , I could'nt tell you , one way or the other....

 The Dead Boys had to defect to New York City to make a name for themselves , as did Pere Ubu , and The Cramps , who were'nt all Clevelanders , but , of course , Lux and Ivy were based there , as was later member , Nick Knox (And much later member , Mike Metoff , his Cousin , from The Pagans.), before forming The Cramps in NYC.

Michael Weldon (Mirrors , Psychotronic Video magazine.) told me recently , "I've got all these people asking me for interviews about the early 70's Cleveland scene.....It was'nt even a scene !".

Can't argue with "Young, Loud & Snotty" as #1. Does it get any better that year than 'Sonic Reducer'? (if memory serves?)

Wow, gotta say it's all super, but I blew a gasket when I heard the Electric Eels God Says Fuck You, and that Pagans record on Treehouse, also RFTT Life Stinks. Dave

since young loud and snotty was one of my first "punk" albums i gotta go with that!!! it was years later before electric eels or mirrors showed up here in small town australia... what a hell of a scene cleveland had!!  but DAMNED AND DEMONIC DEADBOYS all the way!!

I am a proud owner of a lot of CLE stuff, including the amazing Cleveland Confidential comp, which is my favorite of all. 

Agitated (Electric Eels) is up there near the top, but "Boy Can I Dance Good" (Pagans) is a mighty slab of mightiness.

 

Having seen Mirrors and the Pagans, Pere Ubu (later version), Human Switchboard, and Death of Samantha, I thought the Pagans brought the house down, but Pere Ubu just blew me away, even if it was not entirely the "original" band.

 

Stiv forever!

really like the Dead Boys, during the same year I got into Velvets, Television, MC5, New York Dolls etc

Dead Boys are awesome, but I don't think the Pagans got nearly enough credit. They just didn't go to New York. Shit St. is such an awesome album. Eyes of Satan is brutal.

And yet another vote for the Dead Boys. Young Loud and Snotty is so full of attitude, great album!

Thanks for the link.

Another vote for the Dead Boys, though I feel the Pagans are a close second with songs like "Shit Called Love" and "Not Now No Way".

I thought that pre Dead Boys "Frankenstein" release (Sympathy or Dionysus????) was pretty cool too.

The Pagans stuff is pretty cool but yeah, really gotta go with that Dead Boys album.

I didn't really know much about that scen until I read From the Velvets to the Voidoids 15 years ago. At that time, it was still hard to come by (except Dead Boys and Pere Ubu).