(In preparation for the band’s July 31 reunion at the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend, founding Answer Dave Fleminger unvaults a historic track and the story behind it.)
Contrary to what this post’s title implies, the Answers did indeed exist; it was just too tempting to suggest that here was a band that never existed in order to introduce a recording few knew existed of a song entitled “Never Existed.” Enough of that …
During the summer of 1982 the Answers had the pleasure of performing a number of times at the Kings Road Cafe, previously known as the International Blend. Among the audience at some of these shows was Terry Marine, who enjoyed our noise enough to mention us in his mag Be My Friend, referring to us as “tight, nervous new stuff.”
Terry was also working at the time as an artist and Repertoire scout for Doug Moody’s Mystic Records, and Terry offered the Answers the opportunity to record a song for an upcoming Mystic punk compilation. We decided to record “Never Existed,” as it was our fastest song. The lyrics are almost entirely cut-up phrases taken out of an issue of The Plain Truth I picked up from a street stand in PB. … I often included found lyrics in songs. I think I still do that.
The Answers play “Never Existed”: Listen now!
The sessions were held at the legendary Hit Single Studios, located in the basement level of the Lemon Grove shopping center. It was my first time playing in a professional recording facility.
Each artist was allotted about an hour to set up and perform a cut for the album. Not a lot of time by normal studio standards, but clearly the staff there was experienced enough to dial it in and move on to the next in short order. It was sort of like setting up onstage to play a one-song set and then immediately tearing down your gear to make way for the next band waiting in the wings. Before our part of the session started, we filled out forms that effectively signed us to what would be the first and only recording contract the Answers ever had.
We tracked the song live, including vocals (sung in a booth with the guitar cable coming out under the door), and recording it all at one time meant we got through the whole process even faster … so much so that they allowed us to blow out a single take of a different song (“History”) before we had to finish our part of that day’s cattle call.
The Answers play “History”: Listen now!
As always, Dave Anderson’s drumming is awesome. You can hear how by the age of 14 he was already well-versed in playing solidly energized, punk-style drums, but along with simply driving the tempo he orchestrates, pulls back the speeding train at all the right moments, kicks it back into overdrive … all with supreme ease.
I had met Dave and Tony at an I-Spy gig — they were a powerhouse rhythm section for that band as well — and I was thrilled they were into putting together a new band with me. By the time these recordings were made we probably had been playing together about three or four months.
Ultimately we weren’t included on the released compilation, and the master recording of the songs may possibly still exist in the Mystic vaults, or it may have since been lost to the sands of time. But I did leave the studio that day with a cassette … Otherwise this recording may otherwise have been destined to effectively never exist … It would have been history.
The Answers:
David Fleminger: guitar, vocals
Tony Suarez: bass
David Anderson: drums
— Dave Fleminger
More Answers MP3s:
- The Answers play “Color Notes”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “You Are There”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “It’s OK”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “Annual”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “Home”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “Electric Flowers”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “Lucifer Sam”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “Nowhere”: Listen now!
- The Answers play “Teenage Problems”: Listen now!
“never existed” great track. cant wait to see what the set list will be july 31st.
Fun
I find it ridiculous that (1) you were all so young and (2) the Answers never made it onto vinyl.
PS: I believe the waiters at Emilio’s Cafeteria Musical used to refer to me as “tight, nervous new stuff.”
San Diego in ’82. No one could have made up the juxtaposition.
Tony: Brown-suede Chelsea boots. Dave A: Striped button-down and desert boots.
Fleminger: Impossible blue synthetic-brocade coat.
Flem, Pat and I were out-of-school, forever that June. Well, Dave went to UC. 🙂
It would be hard to explain that summer to someone who wasn’t there. Too-young-to-drink and out-on-the-town for three gigs a week, in an environment that was tuned more to the frequency of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
The praise for Dave Anderson’s drumming really hits the mark. He was Keith Moon, with the added benefits that come from sobriety.
I would love if Doug Moody could afford us access to the Mystic vaults. The last time I successfully roused him on the phone was more than a year ago, and the results were inconclusive. Is anyone here in contact with him?
Tony has very kindly reminded me that the Answers session was not my first time in Hit Single Studios…earlier that year I was there for a demo session with Manual Scan…thanks for the brain jog Tony! Some of those Hit Single demo tracks appear on the Manual Scan “Plan of Action” CD compilation.
My memory (which clearly isn’t always accurate) had the Answers recording for what was originally going to be a vinyl album release, although I vaguely recall the compilation ultimately came out on cassette, yes. But I don’t recall whether it was called “Our Blow Out”, only that Social Spit had at least one song included on the release.