Who the hell you calling crazy?
You wouldn’t know what crazy was if Charles Manson
…was eating Fruit Loops on your front porch
As a suit-wearing office workin’ father of two* I often find myself consumed by an overwhelming desire to stick it to the man, to tell it how it is, to flip off the cops who hassle me, the TV preachers hasslin’ for my money and just the whole system that’s playin’ my skinny white ass** for a sucka. You know how it is dudes, you roll back home in your favourite ride and you find that some MF has moved your slippers, or that no-one in your lazy good-for-nothing family has fed the chickens or put out the recycling, or you really need to sort out your home insurance renewal, or even worse some know-nothing little ass gee has borrowed your Collected Works of John Keats and creased the spine – Man, that hurts!!
I hear you asking me what the cure is for these particular blues, it’s easy, you just have to lie back, close your eyes and trust Dr 1537 whilst he gives you a shot. A shot of pure 1990 teenage rave-a-rama Suicidal Tendencies Lights … Camera … Revolution! You want an adrenalin charged thrash around that gets so angry at the injustice of it all that it just trashes everything in sight and gets so wrapped up in the enjoyment of the anger that it forgets what the argument was and has a great time? then seek no more.
Incidentally, they’re probably the band I’d least like to get into a barroom brawl with – especially their 1990 line-up. They’d just stomp you.
Originally a terrifying hardcore crew who were universally loathed on the scene because of the way they and their fans just destroyed everything at hardcore punk shows, Suicidal Tendencies mutated further and further towards metal as the years slammed on. Rocky George joining on guitar really seemed to speed the transition and by the time they cut Lights … Camera … Revolution! they were fully thrash ready. Even better though was the fact that the band could call on their hardcore punk influences as well as the funk influences their brand-new bassist, Rob Trujillo bought into the mix with him. The upshot was this uppercut of an album, which for my money was way more diverse and exciting than any of the other big thrash beasties at the time^, just like the band’s own ethnic mix.
Just take the awesome teenage headcharge of LP opener ‘You Can’t Bring Me Down’, which after a tuneful gentle opening, Mike Muir brings the RAGE. I lovely every single nano second of this track, this is exactly why I am and always will be a metalhead – it is just so gloriously, wonderfully over the top, every spare second has been soloed over to great effect. There is a real punk drive to the tune too and Muir’s closing rant was straight out of the Sebastian Bach play book. Warning: the attached video has a gratuitous scene of a pencil being snapped:
Next best track is the frankly earthquaking, ‘Send Me Your Money’ which I can remember hearing for the first time ever in a very cool comic shop in Swansea. The best bit of this track is the bass playing of Rob Trujillo which takes way down into thrash punk territory, Muir half sings, half raps, no-one else sounded like this, coupled with the shooting-fish-in-a-barrel subject matter really packs a potent punch.
Now how much you give is your own choice
But to me it is the difference between a Porsche and a Rolls Royce
I want you to make it hurt when you dig into your pocket
‘Cause it makes me feel so good to watch my profits rocket
Another highlight of Lights … Camera … Revolution! for me is the thrashcore gem ‘Disco’s Out, Murder’s In’, it hurtles along all proud and angry and then there’s a great bit where Muir sings a bunch of, very tuneful, ‘La de da’s’:
La da de da da de de da da
All kind of la de fuckin’ das
I know it’s daft and rather childish but it rocks. I also rather like the way ‘Go’n Breakdown’ pretty much rips off their own hit ‘Institutionalized’, except with added Beavis and Butthead noises in the background. ‘Get Whacked’ also qualifies as a highlight because its mental thrashing 2.50 is proceeded by the sound of an orchestra tuning up, Ace! Couple that with the lines ‘I’m one quarter Scottish, three-quarters insane / Ay, think I’ve gone a little flat in the brain’ and we’re onto a winner here.
Okay so there are a couple of less successful cuts on Lights … Camera … Revolution! I have no time for the, surprisingly wussy ‘Alone’ and I have to be in the right mood for ‘Lovely’ with it’s oddball singing and strange funk strumming but overall this is a really good, interesting LP and a major part of my stepping up to harder, harsher metal sounds. I really think Suicidal Tendencies don’t get the credit they’re due for what they did in this period.
One note of caution I used to work with a guy whose best friend was a massive fan of the band and who got his friend to ink their name across his shoulders, that’s a hefty 18 letter commitment and a mark of a true fan. Except, his mate got 19 letters for his money … it turns out that the tattooist may have been great at pictures of winged demons, Ankhs and Aramaic script but wasn’t so hot on the old spelling front. So let us, dear friends, salute SUICIDEAL Tendencies!
726 Down.
PS. This post was inspired by this review on 80’s Metalman’s Blog. Good on ya.
*NB. see how dropping the ‘g’ makes me look 20% more rock.
**’skinny white ass’ is a description that is (alas) only 50% true. I blame the man for that too.
^Seasons In The Abyss notwithstanding.
ST was all about the groove, man. Yeah! Also, Trujillo had some horrible taste in shorts.
I never got into these guys but when there videos were played i watched…have no idea what tune it is but when Muir Chirps “lets skate” hahaha..all bets are off….
Posessed to Skate:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pMCmu6Ov1k&w=560&h=315%5D
hahaha…thats it…!
Yeah! Stick it to those parents!!
Thats funny….man imagine if Axl wore his bandana like that….haha
Mike, you definitely need to get some Suicidal Tendencies into your collection and I need to get this one out and listen to it again. While I have to agree with 1537 totally on this, I still prefer the debut by miles.
Cheers J. Try the song ‘Sens Me Your Money’, if you have time. Go on!
Well, well, well. As I mentioned over at Metalman’s place, I heard this lot years ago and I was probably too interested in more refined alternative rockery to dig the crashing and thrashing sounds of this lot. Still don’t think they’d be my cup of coffee, but I dig your enthusiasm and I’m tempted to at least go listen.
Plus, I didn’t realise that Metallica’s bass man was in this lot. There you go, eh?
Great post! Love this album… not so sure about ‘Lovely’ either. But my main problem is ‘Get Whacked’. First time I heard it I was sure he was singing “wank” instead of “whack” and I found it phenomenally amusing. I still can’t unhear it and listening to this album on the move is a risky proposition as I’m likely to just burst out laughing when that song comes on.
Thrash bands just shouldn’t have songs called Lovely. Did no one learn anything when Deicide did that track ‘Cuddly’, or Leprosy did ‘Snuggle Pumpkin’.
Apparently not! On Sacred Reich’s ‘The American Way’… I misheard the chorus of “Love… Hate” as “Lovely” too. Another one I can’t unhear. This is why I mainly listen to bands with unintelligible vocals now.
From one cyco to another, thanks for your lovely post. Suicidal for life!
Cheers! Ever seen them? I haven’t had the pleasure.
Yes, I saw Muir’s gang in 2014 and 2016.
At least that suicideal Ink should be one-of-a-kind!
I quite like the lego guy’s knowing smirk/arched eyebrow in the band photo, I wouldn’t mess with him
No, he’s hardcore – that smirk? The last thing a lot of folks will ever see.
A classic. Dig everything up to this album. ‘Join The Army’ was in particularly great. Check out “Possessed To Skate” for proof.
Out of all the punk/metal guys Mike Muir scared me the most. He was like the Ice Cube of metal. He lived it. And this album brought the metal heads and skate punks together…at least in my high school. This and Death Angel ‘Act III’ were highlights from 1990. “You Can’t Bring Me Down” is a hell of a song.
I went to work wearing a bandana over my eyes, shirt with top buttons done up only, shorts and long white socks. Good job the Man didn’t cross me today, he couldn’t have brought me down.
Mike Muir would have been proud. Or he would’ve wanted to beat you to death with a bat. Either way, good on you.
Damn. Forgot the other ‘also’.
Wasn’t Rob Trujillo the dude who got the bass gig in Metallica, as viewed the the rather marvellous doco?
Indeed Rob was.
Yup, great player – he funded the Jaco Pastorious documentary too.
For which we love him like a brother.
Suicidal Tendencies had a song that could be described as wussy? I’m going to have to hear that.
Don’t tell them I said that please!
‘Skinny white’ horse? llama? Not donkey, surely?
Another funny thing. I have a Charles Darwin album called “Lights Cameras Evolution”. Who knew he copped it from Dickens?
Also, I really loved this post even though I’d doubtless hate the music. That’s why I just cannot leave you. Well, that and the white lace thong-backed cat suit and brogues.
Couldv’e sworn that caption said ‘Dickens’. I must need a holiday.
Thank you Bruce and I love you too. Those are some pretty heavy duty Charles’ to be mixing up – throw in Atlas and Chaplin and you’ve got the complete set.
Dude, you forgot Tina Charles. Sing now, “I love to love…”
Damn right. Oh and Rennie Mackintosh too.
You wear a suit? I always pictured you in Hawaiian shirts and Birks.
This is two Suicidal Tendencies posts in a week (80s Metal Man being the other). I think you guys are trying to tell me something, as I don’t own any ST.
Here’s to Suicideal.
Not very often, I usually wear a white lace thong-backed cat suit and brogues for work.
I think you’d like this one. What’s not to like about Mike Muir? he’s so angry it’s funny!
True! Angry and funny — a rare mixture to get right. Do it wrong and nobody laughs.