Friday, May 1, 2009

BLACK RANDY AND THE METROSQUAD - PASS THE DUST, I THINK I'M BOWIE (1980)


Here's a very strange and special album from the early days of the whole new wave/punk movement. Black Randy and the Metrosquad were something of an enigma in L.A. in the late 70's and early 80's, a supremely offensive yet brilliantly orchestrated bit of funk/jazz/satire madness that would be impossible to cram into any one genre. If pressed, I would call them equal parts Black Flag and Frank Zappa, but with a no-holds-barred sense of humor that would would shame either of the two.
DO NOT download this album if you are easily offended. Although it's all in jest, Black Randy takes shots at just about everyone, from male prostitutes to African Americans to Idi Amin. The band even covers James Brown's "Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud)", which isn't all that offensive until you consider that everyone in the band was white. That being said, I highly recommend checking this stuff out. It's some truly fucked up/angry/funny/eclectic/stupid/crazy/interesting shit, definitely not for everyone but essential for those in on the joke.
Black Randy himself passed away in 1988, due to a drug-related HIV infection. Do your part to keep the memory alive (that is, if you have the stomach for it).

Download HERE

Black Randy and the Metrosquad perform one of their poppier numbers, "I Slept In An Arcade", in the recently re-released cult film Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains:

2 comments:

Rune said...

Thanks for posting this! Everyone should hear this album, don't see how anyone could get offended by anything as weird as this is.
I firmly believe that the background vocals at the end of I Slept In An Arcade are the foundation of all the tough-guy crew backing vocals later found in hardcore.
Also, the song Loner With A Boner (not on this album) is probably the greatest piece of recorded music so far in human history.

Shelby Cobras said...

Loner With A Boner is on this one, too. And i agree.