While we’re all in a Wallflowers frame of mind, here’s another Phase One Wallflowers gem freshly excavated after a quarter-century beneath the Canadian permafrost. “Rubber Room” is essential Wallflowers material,” writes bassist Paul Howland. “This one and ‘Funland’ (along with any of the many Stooges cover tunes) encapsulate the Wallflowers sound nicely.
Stooges
The Wallflowers: “Raw Power”
I’m pretty sure I met the Wallflowers at an apartment party — maybe in Kensington? — in early summer 1983. I believe Dave Ellison brokered my introduction to the most joyfully subversive band in the whole Che Underground circuit.
The Wallflowers weathered a few personnel changes during their run and came back each time renewed and ready with new surprises: an electric cord of pure rock-‘n’-roll snaking through an eclectic combination of horns, harmonicas and other musical breaths of fresh air in our guitar-dominated scene. (Not to discount potency of the Wallflowers’ core lineup; bassist Paul Howland was the spine of the band, and every guitarist and drummer to join the Wallflowers was like a new birthday present for the audience.)
Here’s what Wallflowers vocalist Dave Rinck recently called “the raw stuff, the real steak Tartar of the band”: Wallflowers Phase One demolishing the Stooges’ “Raw Power”! Man, I’ve missed these guys.
Wallflowers in the house!
Another missing piece of the Che Underground puzzle fell into place last night in Los Angeles when Rockin’ Dog-turned-ace-designer Dave Ellison joined forces with Wallflower-cum-mad-barber Todd Lahman. The fruits of the meeting: a handoff of long-awaited and freshly digitized Wallflowers audio tracks.
The three live cuts represent the first incarnation of this great band and comprise the Stooges’ “Raw Power” and “TV Eye” as well as the Wallflowers’ own signature “Wall Drugs.” (I’ve heard the latter so far, and it rocks!) I’m hoping Messrs. Rinck and Howland can provide details on the date and location of this performance.
We’re all doing Wall Drugs!