Thursday, October 9, 2008

THE VIPERS (NEVER ALONE SINGLE)

The Vipers were a band Steeped in the traditions and style of classic 60’s garage, By early summer of 1981 they were playing well-received shows. Their originals were hookish, melodic, short songs - everything the mid-sixties gems they revered were. Vipers’ live sets from the beginning were a carefully mixed blend of covers, originals, and speed but their own compositions were of such quality that they were often indistinguishable from the hopelessly obscure covers they played. Old set lists included such classics as The Remains’ “Why Do I Cry?”, The Standells’ “Medication” (a song which would be a staple throughout their career), and The Robbs’ “Bittersweet”. Their first waxing was a homemade 4 track recording called “We’re Outta’ Here!” for Ron Rimsite’s ‘99th Floor’ fanzine recorded in their rehearsal studio, ‘The Nest’. Then, what would ultimately be considered their anthem, the trippy rave up “Nothing’s From Today” which was easily a highlight on one of Greg Shaw’s early Bomp/Voxx comps, “Battle Of The Garages”. Getting them more notoriety, it opened the doors for their first single release, a cover of The Five Canadians- “Never Alone” b/w an original called “You Left Your Hold On Me”, on the (then) new Midnight label. The single, in turn, received regional airplay, which further increased their East Coast penetration. This , tons of other info, and cool music is available at the vipers myspace, http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=161618592 go check it out.
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1. NEVER ALONE
2. LEFT YOUR HOLD ON ME
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MIDNIGHT RECORDS 1984
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