DEADBEATS- Kill the Hippies 7″EP (Dangerhouse Records, USA, 1978)
Let’s play around with that figure of the “simultaneity of the non-simultaneous” a tad more.
Not long after THE DESPERATE BICYCLES had released their first two 7″ers, a band from L.A. released theirs. Same phenomenon here, although this time, the main time line reaches into the future rather than in the past. The DEADBEATS just ripped shit up with this one! To me this is still one of the most radical records I have ever heard. The compositions and the great, dry sound are totally timeless. I mean, does this sound or feel like it’s been recorded 30 years ago?
This is the inside of the sleeve they don’t want you to see.
“Kill the Hippies” is the instant hit here and yes, this runs me shivers down my spine! How fucking intense is this!!! The stakkato rhythm proves the 70s are over now. A bit more on the experimental side is “Brainless”, but nevertheless, you can’t get the chorus out of your head no more. On the flip, we have the high light of this. “Final Ride” has got to be heard to be disbelived. The intensity and utter destructiveness of this song nearly crushes me and it’s unreal to think that there are still enough idiots around who mock guitar solos to be a Metal thing, a bad thing, a not Punk thing – just listen to the solo part in “Final Ride”, doesn’t this make you want to do things, things?!
Yes, this has been on some blogs before (for instance on Joe’s “Last Days of Man”), but do yourself a favor and comnpare the song files, will ya.
Kill the Hippies.mp3
Brainless.mp3
Final Ride.mp3
Deadbeat.mp3
::beatMe:: wrote:
yeah that’s what i want to hear. amazing record!
Posted on 13-Apr-08 at 11:43 am | Permalink
Peter - KBD Records wrote:
This sat right near Angelic Upstarts-Murders of Little Towers at a records store called Skivfabriken/Stockholm/Sweden in 1979. As a little fat punk kid I bought them both. Brought them home and Deadbeats did something to me. Can you believe when you’re 12 years old and hearing this? I had nothing to compare it to. I was into Rush as younger kid but this was something totally different when it came to progressive music.
Kill the Hippies is the hit but over the years I’ve come to favor the other tracks more. Especially Brainless and Deadbeat. I can spin them over and over again ANYTIME.
Scott Guerin had the test press up for sale for 99 dollars a couple of years ago. As a wise man he ended the auction early and keept it.
Posted on 13-Apr-08 at 12:03 pm | Permalink
Frank Mossi wrote:
Posted on 13-Apr-08 at 12:22 pm | Permalink
S.R. wrote:
Oh great! One of the records I always wanted to hear. Weird jazzy and arty but I like. Kill the Hippies is sort of a tribute to the FUGS my uncle told me when I played him the song on the phone (he’s some old time punk from o.c.)
Posted on 13-Apr-08 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
fred wrote:
The two full length Deadbeat CDs are great as well, the Live at The Whisky and the reunion one from ‘95!. The reunion one has mostly tunes from their old set, and includes the follow-up, “Let’s Kill The Hippies Like We Did Last Summer!” And hey this single is done with an old fashioned stand-up bass!!
Posted on 14-Apr-08 at 7:32 am | Permalink
justin wrote:
This one didn’t grab me as quickly as the Desperate Bicycles post. Three posts with your commentary, is a lot for burnt out minds to take in. Erich when you said, “does this sound or feel like it’s been recorded 30 years ago”, I had to honestly answer no. The context of this music makes it incredible. Thanx for another mind openning post.
Posted on 15-Apr-08 at 6:57 am | Permalink
Pär wrote:
this was by far much better than the bicykles, Kill the Hippies is an instant hit! I love the weird background noises from the trumpet.
Posted on 15-Apr-08 at 12:40 pm | Permalink
Fernando wrote:
“The stakkato rhythm proves the 70s are over now”. Well, strangely enough (but it adds to the “simultaneity of the etc” theory) it appears that “Kill the hippies” is a cover version of “Kill for peace” by The Fugs (1966). Or so they say (I’ve heard some Fugs but not that particular tune).
Posted on 15-Apr-08 at 7:41 pm | Permalink
Joe Stumble wrote:
Hey Erich! My sound file was pretty good for its day (2005). Back then I was ripping everything at 128 kb! I agree yours sounds vastly superior tho.
The best part of Kill The Hippies is how the joke ends up being on the listener. Throughout the song they list off all the reasons why you should hate hippies then right before the solo they say…
“kill em cuz ya need a scapegoat”
which is just a total rip on the punks. Cracks me up every time.
Posted on 29-Apr-08 at 10:27 am | Permalink
Joe Stumble wrote:
Oh Fernando — The Fugs LP is their second and best. Its classic 60’s punk. Very reminiscent of the Monks but with more offensive lyrics. If you buy one Fugs LP this should be it…
http://www.thefugs.com/second.html
Not much of a fan of the 60s but this album is pretty good.
Posted on 29-Apr-08 at 10:30 am | Permalink
fernando wrote:
Hey Joe, thanks for the tip! Now that I’ve heard the Fugs’ song, I’m a bit undecided - yeh, the Deadbeats song seems a cover version, but of the kind I like!, i.e. completely changed and unrecognizable and better than the original!
Oh, another related trivia - I read that Siniestro Total took inspiration from the Deadbeats’ title for their own (and different) “Mata jipis en las Cíes” (Kill hippies in the Cies, some Island in the coast of Galicia, where hippies used to hang around). Peter KBD had the EP with that song…
Posted on 07-May-08 at 1:20 pm | Permalink
hilton wrote:
the Meatmen covered kill the hippies on the toilet slave album not as good
Posted on 10-May-08 at 11:59 am | Permalink