Durango 95: Lose Control

While I've always had mixed feeling about the precise value of the garage-rock revival, there's no doubt that Durango 95 played their own fierce brand punk-garage. The band - Greg Weir (vocals), Rob Sweeney (guitar), Paul MacNeil (guitar), Roger Branton (bass), Darren Smith (drums) - hailed from Oshawa, Ontario and released Lose Control in 1983 on Star Records. I first bought this album when I was in the thrall of the Og Records' grimier, anything-goes take on garage rock, so this album sounded too staid to me. Now it sounds more impressive, with its touches of folk-rock ("Goodbye Girl") punk ("I Don't Need It"), rockabilly ("Lose Control") and those sing-along backing vocals ("Don't Look At Me", ). For a deliberately retro album, it's aged damn well.




Lose Control L.P.



Recorded in 1984 (on Mother's Day) but not released by Star Records till 1991, this was Durango 95's last recording before getting turned into the Purple Toads. This album finds the band moving towards a more pure garage-rock revival sound.



Mothers Day CD

Let us offer up a thunderous chant of approval for Alcolm X over at the fearfully well-designed A Reasonable Guide To Horrible Noise for providing not just the fine vinyl rips but also these hi-res cover scans that make a post worthwhile.