04 August 2024

I Want My Mummy

 

Zer0_ii sez:
     Someone requested that I post another Mummies album a while back. So here's Never Been Caught, which should fill that Mummies craving for the time being.

At a time when a lot of garage rock bands sounded like they were drowning in a sea of paisley & Nehru affectation, the Mummies flipped the whole scene the bird with one of the most gloriously ugly garage albums ever, 1992s Never Been Caught. Sounding like it was recorded in an acoustically untreated basement on equipment that might have been state of the art in 1947, Never Been Caught is one long blast of monophonic skwank, with the needles almost perpetually in the red as four guys in mummy outfits bash out crude '60s-style rock about beer, babes, & open hostility on battered gear which was doubtless discarded by tone-deaf teenagers who got over their 15-minute delusion of possible future rock stardom in 1966.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, this album is, quite simply, a work of genius; Billy Childish was once quoted as saying the Mummies were nearly as good as the Damned. While the two bands don't have much in common musically, the Mummies certainly share the enthusiastic carelessness & "Smash It Up" energy with the Damned Damned Damned-era punks, as they set out to blow up amps & knock over drum kits just cause it seemed like a fun thing to do.

After listening to it, damned if you don't want to join in...Never Been Caught is a perfect reminder that once upon a time rock & roll was considered dangerous just for being fast, loud, & snotty. If the Mummies never quite became the new leaders of America's juvenile delinquents, it's sure not because they didn't try.

The Mummies - Never Been Caught, Telstar Records TR005, 1992.
decryption code in comments

Side 1 -
Your Ass (is Next in Line)
Stronger Than Dirt
Little Miss Tee-N-T
Come on Up
Sooprize Package for Mr. Mineo
Rosie
Shot Down
The Ballad of Iron Eyes Cody

Side 2 -
Skinny Minnie
She Lied
The Red Cobra #9
The Frisko Freeze
Justine
Mariconda's a Friend of Mine
The Thing from Venus
Shut Yer Mouth
Jezebel

I’m having a meltd0wn, a Digital Meltd0wn,

5 comments:

  1. Never Get Caught
    nO1SWSgPapezeONxd2lS38CQYCAPqOCGMCpKCAWrP_Y

    ReplyDelete
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CeRFyO9bI&pp=ygULdGhlIG11bW1pZXM%3D
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsGXecsdeIg&pp=ygULdGhlIG11bW1pZXM%3D
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFnl2US5UIQ

    And more of The Mummies there to be found.
    thank you, brilliant band

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely a great group. Thanks so much for the additional links.

      Delete
  3. aboynamedstew8/6/24, 6:27 PM

    slightly ashamed to admit i've never actually heard the mummies. time to remedy, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to be the purveyor of Mummies for ya, stew. Thanks for the comment.

      Delete