Sunday, October 23, 2011

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).


Support the band

Homepage

iTunes

Interpunk

MySpace


Amazon


Southern

14 comments:

  1. N
    O
    M
    E
    A
    N
    S
    N
    O
    !

    N
    O
    M
    E
    A
    N
    S
    N
    O
    !

    N
    O
    M
    E
    A
    N
    S
    N
    O
    !

    N
    O
    M
    E
    A
    N
    S
    N
    O
    !

    N
    O
    M
    E
    A
    N
    S
    N
    O
    !

    N
    O
    M
    E
    A
    N
    S
    N
    O
    !


    http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tdbph8dlgeka3aa

    ReplyDelete
  2. i've been intrigued by nomeansno since hearing them on a dead kennedys tribute record. they did an a capella song that is awesome. but i never jumped in and bought any of their other stuff. so i'm anxious to hear this download (thanks) AND hear what other folks think is their best record for me to get...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks and also for the great videos link as I've tried finding their best in the past too since posting their first ep at my blog du. I read about them back then as they were the new san francisco mrr maximum rock'n'roll approved house band sort of..hearing 'em now is cool. Thanks again. Peace Out.

    ReplyDelete
  4. they were awesome live !! thanks for the post, from a great blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks ! Great stuff. I've been a fan since I saw them at the Cruel Elephant on Granville Street. Still check them out till this day. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for putting this back up! The first post of this article is how I found your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sorry, should have read Jeffen's words before thinking I was so clever with my recommendation.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Favorite NMN album? Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie, especially with those last three tracks that aren't on the original CD. Maybe not the best starting point, but my personal favorite. John Wright is always good, but that's a drummer's album there.

    ReplyDelete
  9. terrific. thanks a lot for these collections - i have a lot of what's here, but the obscure stuff all gathered in one spot is great. for what it's worth, you could have tossed in a whole ton of john critchley (itch) tracks, since rob played on a few of his albums. itch also recorded with brendan canning and feist, if his stuff grabs you.

    i lobbied hard for nomeanso posts, so i really appreciate these. having been offline for a couple of days, i just got to download it all now. i think i already voiced my opinion for best releases (sex mad, wrong, small parts, you kill me), but i can listen to everything the put out and be happy. not to mention the bootlegs, live and cuddly and the hanson brothers.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Favourite NoMeansNo album? Sex Mad. Hands down. Basically Sex Mad was the perfect synthesis of their prog stuff (later expanded on with Small Parts) and their more straight forward nature (expanded on with Wrong). If we're including EPs etc then we have some competition from You Kill Me.

    ReplyDelete
  11. brink
    some below say `sex mad`but I`m sticking with `wrong`as the best starter.

    viacom
    thanks for the good words and all you do over at DU.

    GS
    So true.

    Anon
    yeah this is a bit of a re-post

    siimcha1
    Interesting choice1

    postbear
    glad to meet request of regular commenters!

    Dg
    I was surprised, but not unhappy, that Sex Mad was such a common choice

    WD
    Loved the Cruel Elephant

    ReplyDelete
  12. The file is no longer available. Could you re-upload? Thanks in advance.

    Marx

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for clicking the COMMENTS link.
Now that you're here,I should mentions that
without reader feedback blogs slowly wither and die