Steve McBean Retrospective
[Note: This post is originally from April 28, 2005, but, after seeing the McBean fronted Black Mountain earlier this week, I feel the need to revisit the songs. The band managed to play an outstanding set despite being forced to play on borrowed instruments - their own had been stolen in New York a few days earlier - and despite being on the tail end of what seems like an eight or nine month tour schedule. Anyway, for those of you who missed this post in April, these are easily some of my favorite songs.]
With the well-deserved success of Black Mountain and the Pink Mountaintops, Steve McBean is finally starting to get some recognition. I've been listening to McBean fronted bands for a long time now and have been waiting patiently for the rest of the world to catch on. My first punk rock show in grade nine was to see McBean's early punk band Gus, whose album The Progressive Science of Breeding Idiots for a Dumber Society on Nomeansno's Wrong Records is still among my favorites. Ex-Dead Teenager, McBean's next band after Gus, broke-up after only putting out a few self-released cassettes, although thankfully you can download their posthumous new wave/hardcore album at the Hive Studios website here. The unfortunately named Jerk with a Bomb marked a major change away from the punk rock noisiness of McBean's earlier bands to a stripped down rock/folk format. The early JWAB shows, with band mate Joshua Wells playing simultaneous drums and keyboards, were amazing and the first two albums Death to False Metal and The Old Noise are both great in their own right. However, their next album, Pyrokenisis, moved the band to a new level of quality and was marked by the addition of a full time bass player. I can't recommend the album highly enough and, given that it’s still in print, suggest that you purchase it here. I won't say much about Black Mountain and the Pink Mountaintops because they're getting a lot of press and you can read about them elsewhere. I will, however, strongly urge you to buy their albums and see them live if you get a chance.
Gus - Bad mouth expands (1995)
Ex Dead Teenager - Bon Scott (1998)
Jerk With A Bomb - I believe in mutilation (1999)
Jerk With A Bomb - Fine health is at home (2002)
Pink Mountaintops - Rock'n'Roll Fantasy (2004)
Black Mountain - Druganaut (2005)
With the well-deserved success of Black Mountain and the Pink Mountaintops, Steve McBean is finally starting to get some recognition. I've been listening to McBean fronted bands for a long time now and have been waiting patiently for the rest of the world to catch on. My first punk rock show in grade nine was to see McBean's early punk band Gus, whose album The Progressive Science of Breeding Idiots for a Dumber Society on Nomeansno's Wrong Records is still among my favorites. Ex-Dead Teenager, McBean's next band after Gus, broke-up after only putting out a few self-released cassettes, although thankfully you can download their posthumous new wave/hardcore album at the Hive Studios website here. The unfortunately named Jerk with a Bomb marked a major change away from the punk rock noisiness of McBean's earlier bands to a stripped down rock/folk format. The early JWAB shows, with band mate Joshua Wells playing simultaneous drums and keyboards, were amazing and the first two albums Death to False Metal and The Old Noise are both great in their own right. However, their next album, Pyrokenisis, moved the band to a new level of quality and was marked by the addition of a full time bass player. I can't recommend the album highly enough and, given that it’s still in print, suggest that you purchase it here. I won't say much about Black Mountain and the Pink Mountaintops because they're getting a lot of press and you can read about them elsewhere. I will, however, strongly urge you to buy their albums and see them live if you get a chance.
Gus - Bad mouth expands (1995)
Ex Dead Teenager - Bon Scott (1998)
Jerk With A Bomb - I believe in mutilation (1999)
Jerk With A Bomb - Fine health is at home (2002)
Pink Mountaintops - Rock'n'Roll Fantasy (2004)
Black Mountain - Druganaut (2005)
posted by ian at 8:43 PM
14 Comments:
Nice! You beat me to it! I had this idea on the backburner. I would have have picked 'tourist in your town' for Pink Mountaintops I love that song.
I'm a rock and roll fantasy kind of man myself, although I'm not sure what those songs say about our respective personalities.
i've definitely been enjoying the black mountain album and have just recently discovered pink mountaintops. i would never have made the connection to gus though. good shit.
as for pink mountaintops, i'm more of a can you do that dance kinda guy.
Regarding Pink Mountaintops - Jay sent me Rock n Roll Fantasy and Can You Do That Dance to turn me onto them. What does THAT mean?
i think it means Amy is cool, and should post more.
i recently got into the Pink Mtntops, and have been meaning to check out black mountain. thanks.
Gus has always been about "Thermos Love", "Cattle Prod Romeo" and "Fucking Nazi" for me. The latter still makes me want to break things and scowl at fake punk wannabes.
i think the melodies were much stronger during the jerk with a bomb days. i can't get into the mountain stuff the same way.
what about mcbean's 80's thrash outfit mission of christ?
I've totally never heard any of the mission of christ stuff, although I have heard Red Tide, which I'm pretty sure McBean played in. If you want to hook me up with a mission of christ song, though, I would be more than happy to post it.
MOC was awesome.
Gus = WOW!
So, it was good to hear what McBean has been upto & Thanks for the pointer to the Ex Dead Teenager also... cheers!
I (Fuck) Mountains, =).
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