More Animals that Swim --- German Shepherds

In the days before proper anger management therapy, two disaffected Zen students from Akron in northern Ohio bonded in their urban commune over their mutual distaste for the growing new age movement & their common love of many aspects of recorded music, particularly how such music was written, produced, & distributed. They moved to San Francisco, CA & what followed was an early example of DIY effort.

The German Shepherds was formed by Sandy Stark & Stephen Scheatzle in 1981. They concocted lumbering, atonal synth blorping, & stumbling drum machines patterns that serve a very loose backdrop to the flat, cynically delivered lyrics that mocked the paradigms of control: politics; morality; & religion, complete with the requisite Jim Jones appropriation that was commonplace for the proponents of Industrial Culture. They released a three song 7” in 1981 with "I Adore You", an offering of prayer & submission along with "Message from JJ", a rousing sermon by Peoples Temple chief Rev. Jim Jones on one Side A & "Booty Jones", a paean to child molester & kidnapper Kenneth Parnell on the other Side A. These songs feature Stark's menacing yet child-like vocal affectations.

In 1983 the Shepherds began work on their first LP. In early 1984 they released "THC" b/w "Quit It", a promotional single from those sessions. Scant information exists about the band. Misleading biographies & omissions are a part of their legend. For instance, they announced that Sandy Stark was arrested in June of 84 on trumped up child molestation charges. He committed suicide while awaiting trial. Shattered by Stark's death, Scheatzle enlisted German Shepherd producer Mark Hutchinson to replace Stark. The band continued on with Hutchinson replacing Stark…well sort of... as Stark & Hutchinson are in fact the same person. The Sandy Stark suicide was all just a publicity stunt to support the 1984 album Music For Sick Queers.

The Legendary German Shepherds – First 7", S&M Music, 1981.

Side A –

I Adore You

Message from J.J. (Jim Jones)

Side A(?) –

Booty Jones

I also included two bonus tracks from the You’ll Hate This Record Record compilation.

The Earthquake has Come

&

I Adore You (dub version)

Feelin’ lucky, punk?

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