Okay, let's get hypothetical here:
You are the singer of a popular and influential political hardcore band in the late 80's and early 90's. Things are going well. You're touring, getting written up in Maximumrockandroll, putting out records. All is well.
And then, at the peak of your career, the band breaks up. Do you:
(A) Put together a watered-down version of the same band, with less talented members churning out tired versions of your old material, grasping in futility at the coattails of your former notoriety?
(B) Quit music altogether, claiming that all your old friends are "sold out", the "scene" is corrupted, and that no one will ever compromise your pure and untarnished artistic integrity?
or (C) Gather together a bunch of mutants with two left hands, remove your pants, put a cardboard box on your head, and start composing songs about Ronald Reagan, Vietnam vets, fecal matter, and old sofas on a pile of broken synthesizers, out-of-tune guitars, and Casio drum machines?
If you answered "C", then you are most likely Sam MacPheeters from Born Against, and the aforementioned malfunctioning-robot of a musical collective is none other than Men's Recovery Project.
I was not ready for MRP when I first heard them back in the mid-90's. I don't think there's really any way to be truly "ready" for MRP. This is the textbook definition of some NEXT LEVEL SHIT.
The Frank Talk About Humans double 7" was my introduction to the band, and if you've never heard them, I feel as though perhaps it should be yours as well. The minimalist artwork and brilliant lyrics ("They Found My Naked Body By The River", "All Music Is Shit To God", "Problem?", "Homo?") spin my dome to this very day, and the fact that these records were 33 RPM on one side and 45 on the other is kinda neat, too. The CD version is packed with "remixes" (which bear very little resemblance to the original songs), so that it contains 45 songs as compared to the vinyl version's 14. I prefer the more concise version, but here's both, just for the fuck of it:
Download the original 14-track double 7"HERE
Download the 45-track remix-heavy CD version HERE
Purchase HERE
Best. Music. Video. Ever.
PS I used to put this record on to fuck with my friends who were tripping on acid. It never went very well.
Good times.
The Loom of Ruin
MRP on Wikipedia (?)
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10 comments:
This is awesome, the kind of stuff I love but only when it's done right. Sounds like it was done really right.
Problem? Both of those compressed files are corrupt on my end.
Give me a couple hours, I'll see what I can do...
I replaced the 14 track version (and realized I left one of the best songs, "Clark In My Car" out on accident!), is it working now?
Both links replaced. Let me know if there are still issues.
Yes and hell yes. Thanks Cobras, this is great stuff!
BTW I spent most of my day on Saturday reading through old posts, great fucking site man. Enjoyed the Meter Maid Me Mad/Massacre post immensely, thanks for bringing these things to the Illogical Masses.
Thanks man, welcome aboard.
Funny you should mention it, I juat ran into Cecil (the director of MMMM) for the first time in a couple years on Saturday night. The lattice of coincidence strikes again...
Oddly enough, I just brought this post up in conversation with my work friend and he actually edited that video together. Fuck yes it's a small world Cobras, a small world indeed.
Heavy.
awesome. i've been looking for their stuff. i had no idea what to make of this "band" when i saw them as a teenager. in retrospect it was pure genius.
if you enjoy this, check out some releases by Bastard Noise, which is the "power violence" group Man is The Bastard mutated into some kind of post apocalyptic computerized caveman meltdown.
oops...that last comment was by me, i'm on my girlfriend's computer and don't know my way around a mac so well, i guess...
anyway, cool blog, keeeps it up!
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