NoMeansNo: Rarities 1980-1995 (+ Top Ten Videos)

For my list of ten great NoMeansNo videos, 
please come visit The Big Takeover

In 1988 music sucked like an open chest wound. Mainstream radio neared one of its cyclical nadirs and the complete co-option of the underground by cheese-metal continued unabated. That was the year I bought Sex Mad in hopes that NoMeansNo would be 1-2 Fuck-You kinda punk band. No. NoMeansNo appropriated the insularity, anger and independence of hardcore punk but followed its rigid structures only momentarily before spitting out bursts of skronk-noise, bebop time-signatures, almost funky bass lines and a cappella breakdowns without notice. Sex Mad had the horrifying “Dad” (legend claimed a band member had been a battered child, though the black-humoured closing line made that doubtful) but it was, and remains, a musically and psychologically dense record. Since Sex Mad baffled me, I skipped their next two releases, Small Parts isolated and Destroyed, and The Day Everything Became Nothing.
 
However, in 1989 when NoMeansNo played at the legendarily grotty Royal Albert Arms I still had to go. Partly, I just wanted see what they looked like since, as with any good prog rock band, they didn’t plaster their LP’s with band photos. So, I’m standing by the stage, the air supply clogged with thick smoke and the stench of spilled beer, when this forty-something guy with grey hair (parted to the left) steps on the stage. I was sure it had to be some teenage runaway’s dad, since back then the Albert had a legendarily lax i.d. policy. When he approached the mike, I imagined him saying, “Suzy. I know you’re here. Your mother is really upset and we just want you to come home…” Then he strapped on a bass. Either he was going to serenade Suzy or…. Then the drummer took his place – not hidden behind the band but right on the frontline. Finally, a spastic-faced guitarist suited up and they tore off. That show remains amongst the most devastating performances I’ve ever witnessed. What we’ll call the classic line up (Andy Kerr on guitar and vocals, John Wright on bass and vocals and Rob Wright on bass and vocals) played a set built around the just-released album, Wrong. The set included, the tiniest, sliver of a guitar solo (preceded by an announcement), gut-wrenching bass playing and the most precisely articulated drumming of all time.

Caught in the band's clutches, I went back and purchased Sex Mad (again), no to mention the rest of their discography. Yes, I also bought the T-shirts, the posters and the stickers as well - merch was a habit back then. I also discovered that NoMeansNo were one of the few hardcore-associated bands that women could love (maybe it was the feminist inspired band name or that almost-danceable bass or...) and wanted to borrow the t-shirt you bought that first night…

I shall not drift too far into nostalgia here, because albums like Wrong are so powerful and jagged that no Little Chill sentimentality could dull them.

Whether Wrong is their high water mark or just another facet of their genius is a highly contested subject amongst fans and critics. Whatever side of the fence you fall on,  remember that their entire catalog is at once deranged and shining. So listen to this fascinating bootleg of OUT-OF-PRINT singles, comp tracks and live versions from the eighties and nineties and then go see them on tour and buy some music!

(click to enlarge)

So what's the best NoMeansNo album? Let us know in the COMMENTS section (where you'll find the Rarities link).


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