01 March 2015

Separating the Boys from The Girls





The Girls (Mark Dagley, George Condo, Daved Hild, & Robin Amos) were a Bizarro World band from Boston that existed from 1976 until early 1980, terrorizing local clubs & loft parties with their strange sound & stage antics. At a Thayer St. party, the entire band was dressed as chefs, complete with cliche poofy chef hats (see above). The Girls were probably the best Boston band of the early punk era. They, along with Human Sexual Response were the house bands of The Punkt Data Gallery (an artist collective of crazy young mostly UMass Art students). The Girls also had connections with The Museum School, the other big Boston Art School. Their shows variously careened from rock holocaust to performance art insanity.

This high strung synth punk/art rock unit only managed to put out one single during their brief life span. Pere Ubu's Hearthan Records imprint actually put out The Girls' 45, "Jeffrey I Hear You b/w The Elephant Man", the only non-Cleveland release the label ever thought worthy of releasing.

Side 1 –
Jeffrey I Hear You
Side 2 –
The Elephant Man

The Girls – Reunion album is purported to be the documenting of a reunion gig circa '86. This however is rock mythology. The band never reunited & the tracks on this album are material they had recorded during their short existence that had never seen the light of day. Abaton Books did release 2003s Live At The Rathskeller CD from a May 17, 1979 show The Girls did that features four of the songs from Reunion.

The Girls – Reunion, Brasch Music BR102, 1986.
decryption code in comments

Side One –
Jeffrey I Hear You
Doggie Auto
Vietcong Women
Pedestrian Walk
Keep it Simple
Fresco Lounge

Side Two –
Methodist Church
Now’s Now
Golf
Okey Dokey
Down Syndrome
These Things
Cubist Gold


By 1980, The Girls guitarist Mark Dagley had moved to New York City & formed Hi-Sheriffs of Blue, a No Wave Blues band (Elliott Sharp was one of a changing cast of players). They recorded two 7''ers & one split 7" with John Miller in the early 80s. Feeding Tube Records released most of their known recorded material on 2013s Hi-Sheriffs of Blue – NYC 1980.



Face A –
Cold Chills part I
Face B –
Cold Chills part II



Bassist George Condo also moved to New York City. He left the music world & went on to have a high profile career in the visual arts world. He became friends with Jean Michel Basquiat & Keith Haring in the blossoming Street-art scene blossoming in New York in the early 80s. His work can be found in the permanent collections of modern art museums worldwide.






Vocalist Daved Hild (whose vocals rank among the most neurotically wound up ever) would do several collaborative LPs with Akron, Ohio-based Tin Huey's Ralph Carney & notorious crazy man & Shimmy Disc head honcho Kramer. The Carney-Hild-Kramer release Black Power is probably the most well known (?). Kramer & Hild released one called Rubber Hair, but I’m featuring Hild’s first collaboration with the two, Happiness Finally Came to Them, because of the song ''Nothing''. (I am posting the Shimmy Europe CD version as it contains the fantastic 9+ minute ''Blood Drinking Head Choppers'' that is not on the LP.)









Shimmy Disc Europe SDE9027/CD, 1990.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –
Hands
Telephone
Clown
Nothing
Bank
Slowly
Wanda
Larry
Name
Barometer
Treefrog
Turkeyfaced
Javalena
Disguise
Lotto
End
3-D
Blood Drinking Head Choppers



Vocalist & keyboard/synthesizer wizard Robin Amos co-founded the equally bent synth punked outfit Shut Up. I only have the following two tracks from Shut Up.

Shut Up – Hell in a Handbasket, Brasch Music BR101, 1985.

Side A –
track 2 “All Alone”
track 4 “Thalidomide”

In 1990, Amos formed the band Cul de Sac with fellow Bostonian, guitarist Glenn Jones. The two have been the bands only constant members, with assistance through their storied career by many other great musicians. They have worked extensively with guitarist John Fahey & Can vocalist Damo Suzuki. Most of their recent material is available ofrom the Strange Attractors Audio House label. SAAH re-released the bands 1991 freshman outing in 2006 with several bonus tracks.

Cul de Sac – ECIM CD, Strange Attractors Audio House SAAH043, 2006.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –

Death Kit Train*
The Moon Scolds the Morning Star*
Stranger at Coney Island+
Homunculus*
The Portland Cement Factory at Monolith, California*
Nico’s Dream*
The Invisible Worm*
Song to the Siren+
Electar*
Lauren’s Blues*

bonus tracks –
Cul de Sade
The Bee Who Would not Work
Negligee
* on Capella vinyl PELL0011, UK 1992.
+ on Capella CD PELL0012, UK 1991.



Cul de Sac – China Gate CD, Thirsty Ear THI57023.2, 1996.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –

China Gate
Sakhalin
Nepenthe
Doldrums
James Coburn
Virgin Among Cannibals
…his teeth got lost in the mattress…
Hemispheric Events Command
The Fourth Eye
The Colomber
China Gate (reprise)
Utopia Pkwy

Enjoy,


15 comments:

  1. Reunion
    uFS5uV5UM0ZfK4SklXCLLbhARNbZfZcNRBnZA9_4oh4
    Happiness
    W5DGaEHUvBwvJg7ZStKXibfJC757Tlr-7FJghPoinWM
    Mice
    uRHe9HTi0q6ZvWBi0term7a9xRGzYJ3Xs8kKe23FaKQ
    China Gate
    TR44ulJ0Zihmj9F80OBZAi7_dFhL2QgHv0ZORbLrS6c

    ReplyDelete
  2. A post which has me scratching everywhere. I like Glenn Jones, Cul De Sac a great deal... but "China Gate" is wholly new to me, as is The Girls, the silver threads thereof creeping back to Hearthan. That single is pretty fucking wonderful. I'm looking forward to hearing "Reunion" on the back of it and joining those dots you've highlighted.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! Great job tracing the evolution of these musicians' work. The portraits in the background of the George Condo photograph remind me of some of Saul Steinberg's more intricate drawings. I will have to check out more of Condo's art in addition to this wealth of music! "Jeffrey I Hear You" is the only song I've heard before.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Holy crap, I am loving The Girls. Do you happen to have the live disc too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do have Live at the Rathskeller. Give me a couple days. Watch here abouts.

      Delete
  5. Sorry to bother you but I don't seem to be able to use the girls -reunion link. It doesn't give me a download or import option after clicking it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just checked the link & it is fine. Takes me to MEGA, then entered the uFS5uV5UM0ZfK4SklXCLLbhARNbZfZcNRBnZA9_4oh4 decryption code.

      the mega link for Reunion is https://mega.co.nz/#!ENoimS4B

      If you continue to have trouble, read my April 1, 2015 MEGA MESS post (as well as all comments). If you're still having trouble, let me know & I'll try to upload it elsewhere

      Delete
  6. i saw the girls in 1979 in mpls at the m-80 2 day happening. They left a deep impression. they destroyed the drums only a few songs into the set, and looked confused. Singer said in mic "it looked so good on paper"

    ReplyDelete
  7. is a re-up of shut up out of the question? great post, thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, it's like this.

      There is a post somewhere about mein weblog
      (https://nathannothinsez.blogspot.com/2019/07/shut-up.html)
      called Shut Up, July 11 this anno.

      Not just the two tracks that were here, but the whole kielbasa.

      No, really, shut up!

      Delete
  8. this is the most important day of my life. The day i learned to shut up! Thank you kindly

    ReplyDelete
  9. geez...my beloved the girls are a yawning chasm.......a wellspring! did you find the mentioned somewhere live recording? hope you are well this is the shit!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. April 02. 2015

    By Request

    https://nathannothinsez.blogspot.com/2015/04/by-request.html

    the mentioned Live at the Rathskeller.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The Girls are so fucking great!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so correct. Thanks for the comment & kind words. Stay safe.

      Delete