The Tubes

Holerbot6000 · 09-03-2012, 12:27 PM

Funny how different your perspective can be. I was in High School when the first Tubes album came out and we adopted 'White Punks on Dope' as our unofficial class anthem. Actually got sent to the Principles office once for playing it as our basketball team took the floor during a tourney. The first three albums were kind of fun/eccentric; very glammy and the musicians were obviously very good. Bill Spooner, Prairie Prince and Mingo Lewis were all featured on various avant rock albums of the time (including 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'). And then they started chasing the hit record and became infinitely less interesting. 'Remote Control' - Todd took a ton of **** for that one because he basically made a Todd Rundgren album with Fee Waybill on vocals, and then Completion Backwards was just a complete sellout, an awful awful record, which, of course was the most popular thing they've ever done. I've gone back and listened to a few things and their music was very much of a time and place and doesn't really hold up very well. I'm sure they're still fun to see live, but I think the best thing they ever did really was that picture of naked Re Styles in the inner tubes.

if i had to vote for best Tubes song, it would probably be 'Space Baby'.

09-03-2012, 12:27 PM	#12 (permalink)
Holerbot6000 Music Mutant Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: near a record store Posts: 327	Funny how different your perspective can be. I was in High School when the first Tubes album came out and we adopted 'White Punks on Dope' as our unofficial class anthem. Actually got sent to the Principles office once for playing it as our basketball team took the floor during a tourney. The first three albums were kind of fun/eccentric; very glammy and the musicians were obviously very good. Bill Spooner, Prairie Prince and Mingo Lewis were all featured on various avant rock albums of the time (including 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'). And then they started chasing the hit record and became infinitely less interesting. 'Remote Control' - Todd took a ton of **** for that one because he basically made a Todd Rundgren album with Fee Waybill on vocals, and then Completion Backwards was just a complete sellout, an awful awful record, which, of course was the most popular thing they've ever done. I've gone back and listened to a few things and their music was very much of a time and place and doesn't really hold up very well. I'm sure they're still fun to see live, but I think the best thing they ever did really was that picture of naked Re Styles in the inner tubes. if i had to vote for best Tubes song, it would probably be 'Space Baby'.