Sunday, August 29, 2010

Screaming Broccoli - s/t (1987, Ruling Factor)

If this isn't a misanthropic punk record then I don't know what is.  Born and bred in the wilds of Vermont, Screaming Broccoli were a trio of adolescents waxing on women, political unrest and corn (okay, "Maize").  Sounds like the intermingling of various lower-rung SST Records bands of the era.  S/B certainly strive for something approaching tunefulness, and come close to achieving it on the closing "Good Old Days."  There's a Beatles cover that kicks off side two, and of course, the gotta-love-it album jacket.  Apparently, there was also a Screaming Broccoli single for "Lets Bury Bob" containing a b-side entitled, "(I Made Love To A) Vulcan."  I'm sure these fellows are doctors and lawyers now.

01. Screwball
02. Let's Bury Bob
03. You
04. On a Sunday
05. Good Idea
06. Eleanor Rigby
07. Maize
08. Fashion is a Virtue
09. Knucklehead
10. Good Old Days

http://rapidshare.com/files/415949083/screamingbroccoli.rar

9 comments:

The Big Hand said...

I still have this on vinyl, one of my favs in college. Thanks for all great memories!

j metaphor said...

your description sounds intriguing, but that utterly horrid band name is equaled only by that utterly horrid cover art...and i am afraid....

spavid said...

I'm surprised that anyone is familiar with them. Cool. Sorry about the album jacket metaphor. There's simply nothing you can do about it, so you better get used to it.

j metaphor said...

and I thought the Strawberry Zots! tape I had back in the day had horrid cover art!

okay, actually it was pretty cool. but that period of 80s college rock wasn't known for the best artwork...

Neal said...

i only got this record because my version is on positive force records (kev seconds' label). didn't know there was a different pressing. not that i'm rushing out to track it down. i'll have to listen to this again.

D Hilberg said...

I knew the artist, and saved my vinyl.

People said the broccoli stalk looked like one of the screaming band members. (That member has since become a University biochemist.)

I still have a homemade tape from a live radio show--even better than the album--and photographs I took of a very energetic club performance.

I remember Screaming Broccoli as an intense, serious, fun band with some very catchy songs.

Patrick said...

Could you please repost- "Let's Bury Bob" track two is not correct. Thanks for posting this fantastic album.

originalredfly said...

I remember these guys. They once crashed at my friend's place in Rochester, NY in '87 when they were in town for a show. My band and I were putting together our own recordings at the time and we had an impromptu jam session with them in the attic. Good times!

FLAMEAPE said...

As the artist of the cover- I take j metaphor's comment with humility. It was one of the first things I was hired to draw waaaay back in my high school days- and was proud of it. Hey Hilberg! Thanks for remembering.

Spavid-

Steve Flemer, Bassist of SB is now a tenured proffesor of Chemistry at University of Vermont. Joe Slaby(drums) is a technician for bands like Natalie merchant, Lilith Fair, The mars Volta and many others. Not doctors and lawyers but doing well enough.