Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Metal Moo Cow

First off, big thank yous to Nano Chavez and Chris Reed. Nano found this comp on eBay and quickly let me know of it, and Chris Reed, who had a copy, ripped it and shipped it. Both these guys rule, why can't you be more like them? This has been on my wishlist for a long time, and now it can come off. Thanks, gentlemen.

So why was I so anxious to get a hold of a copy of this compilation of unknown Texas bands? Well, simply because it's really good. This was a favorite LP of mine when I was younger, and hearing it now fills me with weird nostalgic feelings. Although Metal Moo Cow is a regional compilation, it showcases the sort of eclecticism of the Let Them Eat Jellybeans compilation. It was released in 1984 by Matako Mazuri records. Did the label ever release anything else? I don't believe so.

First up is The Fearless Iranians From Hell with their sludgy, sun-drenched pseudo-metal cut "Burn The Books." The Fearless Iranians, as you may know, released some great records on Boner Records run by Tom of Fang.

Napalm are next with "Sons Of Noise," a blistering track with some overly silly vocals. I know nothing of this band, though they rule. Never heard anything else from them or about them other than their contribution to this comp. Anyone?

Heather Leather are next doing a different version of "We Came To Destroy" than appeared on their self-released 7". Heather Leather were three Mexican-American sisters from San Antonio playing some poorly executed, but totally endearing metal.

Come on, you know The Offenders. They were friends and shared some members with DRI and made a couple of fantastic LPs on R Radical and Rabid Cat records. Pretty great hardcore band they were, but their contribution, "Fed Up" seems a little out of place next to all the art-damage and outsider metal here.

The Jeffersons, never heard of 'em. Is their track, "Gotta Walk The Dog" a skronky, acid-fueled retort to Rufus Thomas' classic "Walk The Dog"? Shit I don't know and it's kind of hard to think or write while the song is playing, those guitars...

The Hickoids had the idea to infuse country into their punk. The band had the legendary Wade Driver (Corduroy, 50 Million) amidst their ranks. Their track, "Animal Husbandry" is awesome.

Scratch Acid should need no introduction. David Yow went on to front The Jesus Lizard. "The Greatest Gift" is perhaps their best known song and it appeared here first. Kind of like '60s surf/garage pounded into unrecognizable mushy darkness. So fucking ahead of their time was Scratch Acid.

Never heard of Feast of Fools before this comp, but fuck if they don't sound a lot like Florida's Morbid Opera with their apathetic femme vocals and jangly clean-tone guitars. They sound like they were in college at the time. I can't clarify that statement, they just do.

The Technicolor Yawns offer up "Social Disgrace," sounding kind of like a lesser Simpletones. This is the dud of the album, but not because it's bad per se, it just seems that this wasn't really a band so much as a group of folks having a laugh at punk.

Okay, so Toejam is the most intriguing thing here, sounding like GISM being fronted by Colin of GBH. Any Texans out there want to tell me how I can hear more Toejam? This band was just too fucking cool to not have done more.

So there you have it, a trip through Texas's weirder punk scene of the '80s in just a pussy hair over 25 minutes. Again, big props to Nano and Chris Reed for hooking this up. I have said it before and I'll say it a thousand more times, motherfuckers like these two keep the hearse running. Awesomeness.


25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
this is a pretty cool comp, can't tell you much about the bands but I do know that Matako Mazuri released at least one other record, the Bang Gang - She Ran... But We Ran Faster 7". Napalm had one track on the Bands On The Block comp LP. I have a Toejam tape from 1984 with 7 or 8 songs on it, let me know if you want a rip of it and i'll try and get you a copy. I think the tape is just called Toejam '84 or something.

Thanks for the cool records,
Simon

Nish said...

Nice post Aesop.I've had a few requests for this one but couldn't find it anywhere.A real rarity!

nano247 said...

dude, man your like way way way welcome
idk for some reason i had been pouring over your 'wish list' and thought the 'metal moo cow' had to be one of the wierdest sounding names for a comp (i mean how punk are cows now, come on)
so i just typed it in search and boom there it was, so it was all meant to be.
although i have to admit when i hear 'cows' i think more of wisconsin than texas, wisconsin being a state that i was stuck in from age 14 to 22, but thats an entirely different story
anyway, glad to have been of service
now i truel feel like i am th 'opposite of a didk'
..and not in the physical sense
have a good one and i'll grab this later, i gots to be getting off to work...

Anonymous said...

Yeee-Hawwww! I had this way back in 1987,it was a regional comp so there were always copies in the used bin at the alt/rock record store in Norman,OK. The Hickoids were the first "real" punk band I ever saw live,they sounded better than their recorded efforts,wall of twangy noise!!!Mikey/ex Subsanity

Aesop said...

Simon, please rip that Toejam tape. Pleeeeeease.

skullgrid said...

great comp. thanks again as usual... i remember seein this mailorder ads that used to show up in those late 80s thrash-metal rags i'd pick up at the local corner store and the Hickoids were always in those... always wondered what they sounded like but don't think i ever bothered to find out til now... of course there's the mighty Scratch Acid and Fearless Iranians who I already knew, but otherwise most of these bands are new to me as of today... again, nice work, as usual...

Curious Guy said...

aesop, here's a partial label discography:
http://www.grunnenrocks.nl/label/m/matakomazurirecords.htm
M.M#6 is Texas Instruments - Thing In Apartment B 12". Don't know what M.M.#7 is.
I do have an album of Meat Joy if you're interested.

Curious Guy said...

Found a complete list on discogs:
http://www.discogs.com/label/Matako+Mazuri+Records

Toxik Boys said...

great post man!
this is a fuking rarity!

downloading...

Greetings man!

Arf Ortiyef said...

man this different version of the Greatest Gift is really a hidden gem. it sounds rough and sloppy - what a treat to hear this. scratch acid is one of my all time faves - i even love them more than the jesus lizard.

consistently awesome uploads - thanks aesop!

Aesop said...

Curious Guy, I would love to hear more of any of these bands. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

thank you!!!
p.s. toejam tape please
jay

Curious Guy said...

Aesop, just found this blog with another MM comp. called Bands On the Block:
http://nathannothinsez.blogspot.com/2008/08/austin-in-80s-bands-on-block.html

Anonymous said...

This and the Cottage Cheese From the Lips of Death comp. were very influential on many later bands, not least of which is the Cows, I know for a fact that after hearing some of this stuff (from my copies) Shannon Selberg bee-lined it to Austin and lived under a bridge for awhile in order to soak this shit on up...yo.

MikeS

Aesop said...

MikeS, were you a member of The Cows?

said...

Aesop,

Thanks for the comment over at NSS.
Glad you posted some more of these great Texas bands. I've been looking for this comp. for a while. Used to have it, then bye-bye. Matako Mazuri is a great label & a treasure for "unknown Texas bands" as you say. Fearless Iranians..., Hickoids, Scratch Acid are all high up on my list of great bands.

Added your blog to my links, I see lotsa shit here I'ma gonna havta grab.

Late,
Nate

Anonymous said...

this link is gone
can you please repost it?
thanks

ph

Aesop said...

Zshare is having some tech issues lately. I'm going to wait a few more days before I start re-upping links.

Anonymous said...

link's still dead
pleease

Aesop said...

New Link put up, ENJOY!

keepsanantoniolame said...

matako mazuri was jeff smith's (hickoids singer) label - he put out the "bands on the block" comp, woodshock '85 comp, hickoids "we're in it for the corn" lp, and 7"s by loco gringos, texas instruments, plastic patrick and a few others i am probably forgetting. growing up in san antonio these records were all a big influence on us. jeff now runs the saustex (ie: san antonio & austin, texas) label.

adding one more voice to the please for a rip of the toejam tape - one of my favorite bands to see back then.

Aesop said...

Toe Jam tape is here:

http://cosmichearse.blogspot.com/2008/10/toe-jam.html

Manney said...

The Jeffersons were The Dicks (original) sans Gary Floyd after he res-erected the new Dicks line-up in SF.
Not sure who's singing on Gotta Walk The Dog. Buxf? Glen?

The Hickoids still had Arthur Hays on drums during this time. Wade Driver came later.

Unknown said...

I really miss The Technicolor Yawns!
Only that band could get kicked out of The Red River Crossing a gay bar for Ray Bidet eating a Barby Dolls pussy while next door G.G.Allin could drop buckets of piss and fling shit in your face at The Cavity Club!
All hail Ray Bidet,Artell,Piggy, Sherry Baby and Scooter Komali for all the good times at The Beach in austin and anywhere else they were not thrown out-Love Dave G.

Anonymous said...

I used to hang out at ESR records on South Lamar at Oltorf with the late H. Bryce Parker III whhe was mixing this up. Got to know Bryce at the ERS studios on the fringes of downtown Dallas during the "Are We Too Late for the Trend" period. I understand that facing time at the TDC for a drug conviction, HBP III decided to off himself prior to incarceration. Fuck Texas and its penal system.

And yes, the Technicolor Yawns were awesome, especially Piggy and Artell at The Beach.