Wednesday, December 24, 2008

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (BORED)

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that this test press is a pretty rare record . I always wondered how many of these exist ? Rarity aside , Its a monster , no pun intended , punk record . your gonna die is one of my favorite female fronted punk songs . I think you can still find the official version of this record for a reasonable price . Formed in 1973, the first edition of Destroy All Monsters was formed by University of Michigan art students Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw, Niagara and filmmaker Cary Loren. They performed in the Ann Arbor area from 1973-1976, and their only release was a one-hour cassette of their recordings available only through Lightworks magazine. Their early music was Influenced by Sun Ra, Velvet Underground, ESP-Disk, monster movies, beat culture and futurism' their sound was experimental, psychedelic, darkly humorous and droning.
On New Year's Eve of 1973, the first Destroy All Monsters concert was held at a comic book convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At the time the instruments were a violin, a sax, a vacuum cleaner and a coffee can. They performed a demented version of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and were asked to leave after ten minutes. The group performed "Guerilla Style" setting up for free at parties, playing for food along Ann Arbor's frat row. They used modified instruments, a drum box, tape loops, hot-wired toys, cheap keyboards and broken electronic devices. The only formal gig they had (beside the comic convention) was at the Halloween Ball at the University of Michigan art school in 1976.
Kelley and Shaw left the band during the summer of 1976 to attend graduate school at CalArts in Los Angeles, California. Both have gone on to lead successful solo careers in the art world. Their work is held in major collections around the world. In 1976, Niagara and Loren recruited guitarist Laurence B. (Larry) Miller and saxophonist Benjamin (Ben) Miller; both had been in the short-lived Sproton Layer with their brother Roger Miller (who later went on to found Mission of Burma). They invited Mike (Jett) Powers on bass but he soon left for Harvard University. Not long after, members of two important Detroit-based groups signed on: guitarist Ron Asheton, earlier of The Stooges, and bass guitarist Michael Davis of the MC5. Their presence garnered the group more attention than ever before.
In 1978, Destroy All Monsters were preparing to release "Bored", their first official recording, when the group began to fall apart. Niagara ended her romance with Loren in favor of a new relationship with Asheton; Loren quit the group, and the Miller brothers left soon afterwards. The "Bored"/"You’re Gonna Die" single earned some attention in the UK music press, but the band was able to capitalize on the notoriety, and spent many years riding the punk/new wave era. They formed an alliance with the Ramones, The Dead Boys, and Pere Ubu, all seminal punk bands. They would tour together and open for each other in their respective home towns. This punk version of DAM disbanded in 1985.
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1. BORED
2. YOU'RE GONNA DIE
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1DB1 RECORDS ? 1978
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