Bizarre Bands You Wish You Had Heard: 1960-1990

Bizarre Bands You Wish You Had Heard: 1960-1990

60s
The Elastik Band- ‘Spazz’
The band that couldn’t travel Europe due to upsetting the disabled |
Formed in 1965, this Welsh five-piece supported the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd which heavily influenced their musical direction and inevitably, their drug consumption. The Elastik Band are known mainly for their controversial track, ‘Spazz’. This song alone prevented the band from being able to travel Europe as it was suggested that the track “made fun of mentally retarded people” and touring with that song would be “dangerous”. The controversial song begins with a frightening mumble before the arrival of confused tempos and a blues breakdown. With ‘Spazz’ causing sensitive controversy, possessing a terrifying aura and a beat you will find yourself over-involved with, The Elastik Band are one you need to hear.

70s
Maggie Bell- ‘Wishing Well’ 
The woman destined to supress Janis Joplin that just didn’t 
If funk and rock ‘n’ roll combined sound a good combination to you, Bell is one to listen too. Bell was the lead singer of Scottish band, ‘Stone the Crows’ who split after their guitarist, Leslie Harvey got fatally electrocuted on stage. A solo career soon came into the horizon for Bell as Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin) managed her and Jerry Wexler (Aretha Franklin) decided to produce her debut album.  Some considered Bell the heir to Janis Joplin however Rolling Stone Magazine stated, “the only way she surpassed Joplin was by staying alive”. With raving reviews following her debut album, it seemed Bell was on the way to success however Rolling Stone also stated, “If Maggie Bell makes another album this good, her problem will become living up to her own reputation”. Bell still has two unreleased albums.

80s
G.G. Allin- ‘Bite it You Scum’
The man who had booze and drugs poured into his corpse
If true punk attitude and underground alternative is something you crave, G.G. Allin will hit the spot. Described as the “extremist jackpot”, G.G. Allin was known for his vile onstage reputation that involved defecting on stage and consuming his own waste. His gigs were known for violence and danger and saw G.G. Allin beating up his own fans. AllMusic described him as, “the most spectacular degenerate in rock ‘n’ roll history”. His music was poorly recorded and his voice slowly deteriated from substance abuse so, his onstage antics took the lead role at his gigs. Allin’s last gig was June 27, 1993 where it was cut short by the venue owner due to him trashing the place. Allin wandered the streets almost naked and then later overdosed on heroin.  At his funeral, Allin’s bloated, unpreserved corpse was dressed a leather jacket and a jock strap. His friends then places drugs and whiskey into the mouth of his unpreserved, unwashed corpse (which smelt strongly of faeces).


90s
Brian Jonestown Massacre -'Anemone'

The band that f*cked every chance they had at making it big
After the rockumentry Dig! showed the twisted relationship between this American outfit and The Dandy Warhols, the reputation of vocalist Anton Newcombe became almost legendary. His erratic behaviour saw him fighting fans and fellow band mates on the regular and purposefully sabotaging the bands chance of a record deal. Success and fame was on the cards for this seven-piece but Newcombe had other plans. After numerous fights within the band, portrayed accurately throughout Dig!, Brian Jonestown Massacre are currently still a band and released their most recent album, Third World Pyramid in 2016.
Image: feedtim.wordpress.com

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