Release Date: 1978
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes

Impressions: Sadly, I’ve never really considered these guys as, like, an actual band of musicians. Like ZZ Top and their long beards, their nerdy, red siren hat wearing image has overshadowed their tunes in my mind. This should be interesting… “Uncontrollable Urge” blasts out of the gate with some rocking, angular guitars and their version of punk. I’m impressed. They follow it up with their super-awkward, herky-jerky take on “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” Coming in 1978, this sounds like a foundational record that helped set the tone for other dorky New Wave acts like They Might Be Giants or even “Weird” Al Yankovic, but with more bite. Weird keyboards and surf guitar riffs in “Praying Hands” make them sound like a nerdier version of Pixies mixed with Kraftwerk. Their music is more guitar-heavy than I would have guessed, the band plays with a blitz of nervous energy and the halting vocals might not be for everyone. At the time, I could see the cool kids who like Steve Miller Band, KISS and Cheap Trick not digging this, but this record speaking to the geeks who like Talking Heads and Violent Femmes. Still, these tunes are not merely nerdy or funny. Songs like the tightly-wound “Too Much Paranoias” or “Jocko Homo” are tense and menacing in their own way. Also, has anyone ever used “Gut Feeling [Slap Your Mammy]” as outro music for a movie? This debut album shows they were a solid punk/new-wave/nerd rock band before they got too deep into synthesizer-land.

Starred Songs: “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” “Jocko Homo,” “Uncontrollable Urge”
Sneaky Tracks: “Mongoloid,” “Gut Feeling [Slap Your Mammy]”
Should this album be on the list? Yes!

Will you listen to this again? Yes

Verdict: Nerdy ’70s icons can actually play in this rocking, enjoyably spastic proto-new wave record.
Rating: ★★★★1/4