Unclean Records, 1985.Dead Silence were (are?) a Boulder-based rad-lib peace punk band of the type that permeated the 80's punk scene to an almost overwhelming degree at one point. At its best rad-lib punk (or conservative skinhead punk for that matter) combines innovative lyrics (or at least stirring sloganeering) with engaging rock und roll, well played - and rehearsed. Examples of this are early Dead Kennedys, MC5 and Skrewdriver (the other extreme). At its worst, it's merely some budding politicians who have picked up instruments, transcribed the latest cause into "lyrics" as the easiest means for self-affirmation and since there was an anti-critical stance in the mid'80s punk underground a lot bands got away with this. The Big Boys said "start a band" but some people shoulda thought twice. It's..y'know, pick up yer guitar and practice sometime why doncha instead of reading MRR or PETA pamphlets.
Dead Silence falls somewheres in between those extremes. Most of the songs aren't worth but a listen or two but they make a little money with "Patriot's Fight", a mid-tempo, 6/8 rhythm'ed coarse-throated rant about what? being drafted to go fight in Nicaragua? which thankfully didn't happen but I guess that was the politics of the time. Reminds me of UK hardcore of the time - Exploited and such.
The other cut is their Crass-wanna-be song, "Mad Scientist's Ball" which starts with a tape from one of those awfully boring and excrutiating PETA tapes people used to play before shows - but it's decent generic hardcore and I digit the perhaps unintentionally minimalist (because they didn't know enough to do anything else?) baseline and guitar break that's incidentally supporting the political lyrics.
They aren't the most original group of their time nor do they have a way of "innertaining while eddicating" like early Dead Kennedys (and Sex Pistols, UK Subs, etc.) but it's some way 'kay hardcore from Unclean Records - home of NOTA and early Rhythm Pigs (and their Boulder contemperarities Anti-Scrunti Faction)
The album's cover features the grim after-affects of a hanging and the title song, "Stress" addresses the suicide of a "roommate" (presumably depicted on the cover). If only the band were willing to explore
this theme further or with perhaps a bit more zeal and intelligence. Instead this title song is just another "anti-" song and anti-suicide? who can't get behind that one (Hemlock Society and Hunter Thompson excluded)?
Um, that's Bear (bass and milk container), Vulture (vocals and duh pose), Ted Silence (of course the drummer, couldn't you tell?) and Steve (aka "Steeeeevvvvee on guitar").Songs
"Patriot's Fight"
"Mad Scientist's Ball"
Links
- Here's some more MP3s from an early incarnation of Dead Silence and an interview in which they trash all the "sellouts" like Black Flag who I might say, with all undue respect, they aren't fit to clean the bottom of Greg Ginn's sandals but I'll be nice and chalk it up to the folly of yoot.
- A short history of the semi-great Unclean Records who started in Boulder and moved to Austin
13 comments:
Regardless of how boring and generic their sound, the intro to "Mad Scientists' Ball" has made a young convert to ending human/animal exploitation here.
Maybe you should have taken a stand. A later album was unique and epic. Capturing the issues of the Native Americans, anti-nuclear war, and the holocaust.. Maybe you are stiil just 'Wasting Energy! Wasting Time! A wake-up call song by Dead Silence.
Dead Silence also released a 7 in called Freedom, which rocked as well. Just dug out my copy from the dusty crate.
Dude, you describe Dead Silence pretty horribly. My father is/was the drummer from Dead Silence, so I know what's right and what is wrong. So, take you useless good for nothing descriptions else where and go write a nice well detailed description about Slipknot or something.
Who is this Slipknot you talk about and what is their opinion on Ronnie Reagan?
I don't know who original poster Jim H. is or was, but I'm guessing that he tried to get in for free to a show because he spent all his change on shitty beer. Too bad! Better live than recorded, but not bad recorded, either. Never tried to be Black Flag - thank dog - but much of the CO scene did. Anyway, better than Jim remembers...an axe to grind, and what better place than the Internet to do it...
It's funny that these grandpa punks can't take a little criticism given how willing they were to dish it out at often pretty stupid things.
Here's a recent article on DS. http://punkerbob.blogspot.com/2015/03/ted-silence-talks-about-dead-silence.html
Great interview -- too this day, I don't really understand why people hated this blog post. I thought I was pretty fair about what I liked and didn't like about Dead Silence. If it came across that I just uniformly disliked them - it ain't true, read the review again. On other hand, I'm not raving crazy mad for this record. I thought it was funny in the interview about the 45rpm vs. 33.3rpm. There were a bunch of records at the time that didn't say what speed they should be played at - some of them to this day I'm not sure.
As a young kid just growing into the punk scene I got to see Dead Silence in 1985/1986 when they came to Butler, Pa (north of Pittsburgh). This was one of the best shows I have ever scene. I still listen to them and still thing it is one of the best punk bands of the 80's.
Yeah, we never got the energy we had live on record...but we tried! I don't the Jim H. review, although, if I may say so myself, he missed an awful lot of what the band had to offer. Nope, we weren't fit to wipe Greg Ginn's shoes...nor would we want to, even 20 some odd years later. We cold have had an easier path signing about being mad (a.k.a Black Flag), but we chose to have something to say. I'm sure we - I - sometimes got annoying...I even annoyed myself sometimes. Not perfect, but hot damn, we had a great time! Glad to see we still generate some thoughts now and again. I keep hoping this Trump era (error) creates the next punk rock thing...fingers crossed! Peace!
If it's really important, I can delete the review. I realize that there's not alot of about your band out there on the damnable Internet so it may be distressful that a negative review comes up on google searches.
You guys were amazing live and recorded. Still one of the best pick shows I've ever seen and you dated my best friend briefly in the early 90s.
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