Wayne County & The Electric Chairs "Man Enough To Be A Woman" 1978****

This is one of these cases where the music is eclipsed by the personality of the artist themselves. You see Wayne (later known as Jayne) County was famously the first transgender rocker, and that's inevitably more interesting than his band's legacy as proto-punk pioneers. It also creates some confusion e.g. as to which gender pronoun to use. Wayne is now Jayne, but back then he/she still used a male name. She/he performed in drag, but on the cover photo of the band's debut he/she wears men's clothes. Doesn't make the choice of pronouns easy for a writer. Going back at the beginning, there was a Southern queer named Wayne Rogers who arrived in New York some time in the late 60's. Then, in the words of Lou Reed, "Holly...plucked her eyebrows on the way/ shaved her legs/ and then he was a she"; that song was written for Wayne's New York roommate Holly, another drag queen in Andy Warhol's social circle. Despite the Warhol connections, Wayne's initial theatrical and musical attempts were deemed too extreme for New York stages. They'd have to wait until 1976 and the dawn of New York's proto punk scene, when clubs like Max's Kansas City and CBGB opened their stage to all kinds of misfits, including Wayne County and his/her new band The Electric Chairs. Even among punks, their show must have been quite shocking. Usually the rough edges of songs are smoothed over during recording, but in this case even the finished product shocks with its vulgarity. No wonder, then, that their records were never released in the U.S. What we have here is a German compilation taken from two UK sources: the band's eponymous debut LP, and an EP containing some of their edgier material, called Blatantly Offenzive. On the record cover, the singer is pictured in both male and female character. The songs are often celebrations of sexual perversion ("Toilet Love") or hilarious putdowns of ex-lovers ("Bad In Bed"). Opener "(If you don't want to fuck me, baby) Fuck Off" is the band's signature tune: starting off as heavy blues with electric guitar and boogie woogie piano, it culminates in a Ramones-like punk coda, while Wayne heaps insults on the object of his/her "affection", e.g."you think you're hot shit, i heard/ you ain't nothin' but a cold turd", how's that for a rhyme? The band's playing overal is quite heavy, with glam, hard rock, and punk influences. The New York Dolls and The Dictators come to mind. "Night Time" is a raucous 60's garage cover, followed by "Mean Mutha Fucking Man", a satire of the macho rednecks that made Wayne's life miserable when he/she was still living in Georgia. Side One closes with an excellent rocker called "Out Of Control". Side Two is not as lyrically outrageous as what preceded it, but still very similar musically; 50's pastiche "Eddie & Sheena" and the Ramones-y riffs of "Rock & Roll Resurrection" stick out. On purely musical terms, this is as fun a punk'n'roll record as you can find. Beyond that, it's really unique; an album that retains its edge and ability to both shock and entertain, 35 years after its inception.

P.S. Apparently, there's a Canadian release with the exact same title and cover as this one, but completely different content: that one really is the band's second album Storm The Gates Of Heaven in disguise. Then again, there's another LP with the title Blatantly Offenzive; its cover is identical to The Electic Chairs LP, yet the content is exactly the same as the compilation reviewed here. That's probably an indication of Wayne/Jayne's chaotic liscencing procedure, but it could just as well be a prank; confusing people seems to be his/her favorite hobby.

***** for Fuck Off

**** for Night Time, Mean Mutha Fucking Man, Out Of Control, Eddie & Sheena, Rock & Roll Resurrection

*** for Bad In Bed, Toilet Love, Max's Kansas City, On The Crest, Plain Of Nazca, Take It

Stepson "Stepson" 1974****

I found this LP at the used section of my my neighborhood record shop. Just by looking at the young street urchins on the cover, I thought "OK, I'll bet this sounds like early Aerosmith" and took the record to the listening station to confirm my thought. As it turned out, I wasn't far off the mark: it's blues-based hard rock played with lots of swagger. It might even qualify as proto-punk, thanks to the energetic performances and irreverent attitude, as in the opener "Rule In The Book" with its tremendous fuzz guitar and nice hammond organ. "Lil' Bit" is bluesier with lots of harmonica, but still keeps the energy level high. "Rude Attitude" is reminiscent of The New York Dolls, at least concerning the vocals. This is followed by a fuzzed-out cover of The Animals' "It's My Life", which was also the label's choice for a lead single. It certainly doesn't show much confidence in the band, making them record a cover and choose that one to represent the LP. A mistake, in my opinion. Their own compositions may not have been spectacularly original or memorable, but at least 3 or 4 of them are catchy enough to warrant a single release. Side One closes with "I Apologize", a bona fide R&B ballad with soulful vocals and groovy Hammond. Side Two opens with a heavy blues reminiscent of Free, called "Suffer". "Back To 'Bama" is a rowdy rocker with lots of boogie woogie piano, "Man, I'm A Fool" is forgettable electric blues, and "Turnpike" is countrified boogie. These last three tracks were rather underwhelming, but Stepson kept the best for last, and so they go out with a blast: "Burnin' Hurt" is a glam metal dynamite powered by a monster fuzz riff and passionate singing. Unfortunately, despite the quality of the musicianship and some really good songs, the LP didn't sell. Lack of promotion and lack of touring were probably the main reasons. By itself, the fact that a really good rock'n'roll LP got lost in the mid 70's isn't surprising - especially in California which at the time was in thrall to the more laid-back sounds of The Eagles and Doobie Brothers. What surprises me is that a bunch of talented guys like these just decided to give up after their first album failed to make them famous. I searched for info on them: before Stepson, some of them were in obscure but critically acclaimed psychedelic bands like Touch and Blue Mountain Eagle. As Stepson, they played for a while in legendary Sunset Strip clubs in LA, and just disbanded soon after the LP came out. Afterwards, they all seem to vanish - with the exception of guitarist Joey Newman making a couple of Christian LP's for a tiny specialty label. It is a pity, because this album could have been the springboard for a great rock'n'roll career, instead of just providing inspiration for another "Hidden Treasure" column in music magazines. My copy is part of a limited 500-piece vinyl edition from 2002, while there's also been a more recent CD reissue, also under the radar. For the time being, it's safe to say that this remains a "cult" record known only to a select few. Listen to the youtube extract below, and you'll be one, too.

**** for Rule In The Book, Lil' Bit, Rude Attitude, Suffer, Burnin' Hurt

*** for It's My Life, I Apologize, Back To 'Bama, Turnpike

** for Man I'm A Fool

Yesterday and Today "Yesterday and Today" 1976***

When I saw this used LP at my neighborhood record store it didn't ring any bells: I couldn't remember ever coming accross this album cover before, and the band name was also unfamiliar. So I took it to the store's listening station and gave it a listen, which was satisfactory enough for me to buy the record. I left the shop convinced that I had discovered an obscure 70's band, one of many that disappeared after a promising debut. As you can imagine, I felt rather stupid when I realized that Yesterday And Today were actually Y & T, a band I've known since my teens. I was never a fan, but I had seen their videos on MTV during its classic 80's hair metal period. Well, apparently this is how it all began: with a bunch of friends in California, naming their covers band after a Beatles LP lying around. After some personnel changes, they started writing their own songs, supported stars like Journey and Queen, and finally got a recording contract from London Records. This was their first album, released in 1976. My first impression on hearing it was that these guys sounded a lot like early Van Halen. Both bands had very talented and extremely fast guitarists - in this case, Dave Meniketti, who is also the lead singer, and a pretty decent one too. If there any downsides to this record, they'd have to do with the lyrics and somewhat generic hard rock compositions. Well, even if they aren't always original, the best of them are upbeat and catchy, perfect material to be performed live: "Alcohol" is a humorist boogie that reminded me of Alex Harvey, especially the lead vocal (by drummer Leonard Haze). "Earthshaker" is a turbo-charged rocker with propulsive drumming, and "25 Hours a Day" an ultra-catchy boogie that rightfully remained in the band's setlists for decades. Also interesting are blues ballad "My Heart Plays Too" which gives Meniketti the chance to show his emotional side, and  "Game Playing Woman" which features an experimental psychedelic bridge a la "Whole Lotta Love". The album closes with its arguably most accomplished track, "Beautiful Dreamer". Great song, with a soaring guitar solo. The band would record another LP for London Records, which subsequently dropped them. Undaunted, they'd bounce back in the 80's under the shortened moniker Y & T, and slowly work their way to international success. Their first couple of albums seem to be forgotten - which is a gross injustice, judging from this sample. For my part, this makes for a much better listening than their 80's hits like "Summertime Girls". 

**** for 25 Hours a Day, Game Playing Woman, Earthshaker, Alcohol, Beautiful Dreamer

*** for Animal Woman, My Heart Plays Too, Come on Over, Fast Ladies (Very Slow Gin)