Wipers "The Power in One" 1999***

Greg Sage at Rodon Club in the spring of '89 was among the first dozen concerts I ever witnessed. I remember it as one of the greatest, too. Sometimes I wonder if those early concerts impressed me so much because I didn't have much by way of comparison - but no, up to that time I had already seen Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, Nick Cave, Pink Floyd, Eric Burdon - that really was awesome competition. Before the concert I was a bit letdown because I would just get to see Sage and not The Wipers as a band. Little did I know that Greg Sage (plus any bassist and drummer) was the Wipers. I couldn't tell you which songs he played that night and I don't think he was a great showman, I just remember being mesmerized by the amazing sounds he produced by his guitar and thinking one don't need a great voice to be a great singer as long as he sings with genuine feeling. The Wipers were labelled "punk" because they were a loud, underground band appearing in 1977, punk's year zero. But really, they were either a decade too late or a decade too early - channeling the spirit of Jimi Hendrix and presaging the coming of Grunge (Cobain was a huge fan). Their trademark was the galloping riffs and torrential distorted guitar sound. "The Power in One" is their last release and, as far as I know, the last record featuring Greg Sage. A big loss for alternative rock, despite few have noticed his absence. He would have been younger than 50 when he stopped and should still be no more than 62-63 (so one can still hope for a comeback, however unlikely). As a final statement, this album is neither a swan song nor does it betray any withering of his art. If there's any criticism to be thrown its way, it'd be one of complacency.  It's vintage Wipers from start to finish, the only difference being that by this stage the band has shrinked to a duo - Greg Sage in vocals, bass and multitracked guitars and Steve Plouf at the drumkit. So I guess this album is aptly titled - no offence to mr. Plouf, but this really is a one-man-show. It opens with the metallic chug of "The Fall" and continues with the darker "Power in One" (imagine early Cure with Hendrix on guitar). "Shaken" and "Rest Of My Life" are vintage Wipers:as good as what they did in their heyday, but they sound too much alike - this is what I meant by complacency. "Rocket" and "Ship Of Dreams" are also cut from the same cloth. "Misleading" is a fiery garage-rocker and "I'll Be Around" a very short (2'18'') song with a memorable chorus - for a change. If only rock DJ's were listening... "Still Inside Of Me" is another strong performance featuring a crunching riff, snaky lead guitar and passionate vocals. For the rest of the album, the pace lets up a little and gives way to the slow heavy riffs of "Losers' Revenge" and hazy psychedelia of "Stay Around". The last songs could have come out of Sage's semi-acoustic solo album. The mid-tempo "Take It Now" also kinda reminds me of the atmospheric early Cure, while two slow "ballads" close the album: the distortion-inflected "What's Wrong?" and acoustic "Too Many Strangers". I'll present most of the Wipers' discography in this blog but you don't have to wait until then for a full picture - I'll give you a hint: the first four albums are masterpieces and the rest are all worth having, so if you happen upon one, don't hesitate and add it to your collection.

**** for Power In One, Shaken, Misleading, I'll Be Around, Still Inside Of Me, Rest Of My Life, Take It Now

*** for The Fall, Rocket, Ship Of Dreams, Too Many Strangers

** for Losers Revenge, Stay Around, What's Wrong?