Electric Eels / Spin Age Blasters (2 x Vinyl LP)

Description

2 x Vinyl LP / Compilation – Black vinyl version

Ltd Edition

1973/76-US

Format: 2 x Vinyl LP

#Ref: 89

Release date: 2023

Release notes

A world unto themselves, Cleveland’s beloved art terrorists the electric eels did so many things first it boggles the mind. Though they never entered a recording studio, there is a wealth rehearsal recordings engineered by Paul Marotta from the spring and summer of 1975 that have cemented their legacy.

The electric eels were the first punk band, full stop. They may not have “started” the genre, but they were the first to tick all the boxes. The eels rejected every 1970s rock convention – professionalism, virtuosity, subject matter, image. Dave E.’s caustic vocals, complete with an aggressive lisp and a head full of snot, would become de rigeur a few years after the group disbanded. Meanwhile, the songs’ focus on car crashes, suicide, neuroses, and generally hating people were as far out of the mainstream as possible.

It’s been nearly 10 years since any of this material was commonly available, so we’ve assembled what we consider the be-all, end-all of electric eels compilations. Think of it as one lifelong fan’s perfect mixtape – all the best tracks in their best versions in a sequence that flows while providing differentiation between the 4 sides. Mastered by John Golden.

” To say that the ELECTRIC EELS were ahead of their time is at once a statement of the obvious and a vast understatement. Pressing play on the new Spin Age Blastersdouble LP compilation, I’m struck by the gut feeling that we still haven’t quite caught up to the unintentional proto-punk prodigy of John Morton & co. They created in a way that was shockingly free at a time when even the supposedly uninhibited hippies were largely constrained by popular conventions. This monster 27-track collection is a “best of the best”-style follow-up to 2001’s The Eyeball of Hell, which was the most thorough EELS experience up until this point. This one plays like a connoisseur’s guide to the group, showcasing the finest representations of the band’s greatest hits plucked from previous comps and expertly sequenced to deliver a gourmet spread. To me, the band’s jazzy, ragtag sound computes as a mix of rock as art, art as art, and rock as weapon of provocation to baffle and fascinate in the best way possible, and it’s wild to think that these tunes were captured in 1975. They were ruder than the STOOGES, more flamboyant than the NEW YORK DOLLS, and violently unconcerned with what you thought of them. We’re lucky that this brief and brilliant blaze of original punk glory has been preserved with such meticulous care. ” – Maximumrocknroll.

Tracklisting