Screamin' Mee-Mees GARBAGE COLLAGE (Gulcher 422)

Hey, it's time to play it loud on yer cheap stereo again! The Screamin' Mee-Mees basement vault has been re-opened, and whaddayagot GARBAGE COLLAGE! Mr. Jon Ashline (vocals, coffee cans, plastic lamp shade, metal lawn table, snare drum, organ, piano, guitar) and Mr. Bruce Cole (vocals, guitar, keyboard) playin' jammin' stumblin' through 23 previously unreleased chunks o' St. Loo brain-spill mangled Midwestern (sub-)folk/(pre-)punk basement-rockin' (anti-)wizardry from these masters of their own universe. It was all recorded 'tween 1975 and 1980. But they start in '78 with "Struck Out (Again)," a redo of a tune from their debut LIVE FROM THE BASEMENT EP ('77) this new version's given a cheezy surf-wave arrangement with two-handed keyboard-whiz by Bruce Cole and guest bonehead Wolf Roxon. Then Jon Ashline switches to piano for the beatnik-cellar-operatics of the duo's "Be Retarded." Jump back to '76 for "C'mon Jimmy," which features the other guest appearance of the CD: "Mean" Gene Scott sings his own punky DIY campaign ditty rootin' for Jimmy Carter (who ran for Prez in that Bicentennial year). The next six tracks come from '75, with Bruce on acoustic guitar and Jon on assorted kitchen-counter percussion. This batch sometimes sounds like early T. Rex ("Ride A White Swan") with Marc Bolan mutated into 1920s hillbilly singer Dock Boggs. This is especially true of the fabulous "Money Back Guarantee," which features Fahey/Page-style finger-pick guitar brilliance from Bruce that'll shock you when heard. There's some 50's greaser stuff here 'n there too. "A Group Of Women," "No Known Antidote," "Mouth Song," "I Drink Sody," and even the obvious parody "Disco For Drunks" all have the Mee-Mees odd "folk" vibe (also abundant on their PRENATAL 1972-1976 CDR, which kinda works like a companion volume to this disc). From '78 is "Too Young To Shave Part Two," an acoustic version of a tune from the HOME MOVIES EP. Then we get a cool batch of electric duo stuff from 1980, with Bruce doin' lots of great guitar noise and Jon bangin' mostly on a snare drum. The Stones are evoked in big-slop fashion on "Breathin' Bag" and "I've Been A Rollin' Stone," while surf music provides the skeleton for "You Wish That You Was You." Then Bruce turns up the reverb for the real thing on a killer version of the Chantays' "Pipeline"! They also cover an early Seeds tune ("Daisy Mae"), do a bit o' free diddle ("Untitled"), and offer up more of their free-spazz story-tellin' balladry ("Dirty Socks," "Smokey Nightclub," and "James Brown"). The final tracks come from '76, and to these ears, have a C&W/outlaw- country feel Willie & Waylon & The Legendary Stardust Cowboy?! It's bitchen stuff too. "The Radiator Song" is a classic, as is the paganesque and very looney "Why Can't A Watermelon Pray?" Plus "The Jerseyville Bake-Off" and a very stoopid version of the standard "I'll See You In My Dreams." Ain't it funny how good leftovers can taste? And ain't it groovy how funny-inspired these guys always seem to be? Yes, and yeah yeah yeah. Keep it cheap, kidz! (Eddie Flowers/Slippy Town)