I know it sounds totally crazy, but seriously, Bomb may have been the best band ever to come out of San Francisco. They were formed in 1986 by singer/bassist Michael W. Dean, guitarist Jay Crawford, and drummer Tony Fag. Jay Crawford was replaced by Doug Hilsinger, but Crawford returned and the band continued with both guitarists. Bomb was like nothing else. I imagine they were a lazy record reviewer's nightmare because they could not be described by simply listing other bands. Tony's tribal tom tom-centric playing and Crawford and Hilsinger's skyward guitar swirls lay perfect under Dean's empassioned voice and greasy pulsing bass. Bomb's playing was so instinctual and odd they seemed a band without peer or influence. The lyrics were fantastic too, with Michael Dean's gift for words and his autobiographical tales of life as a down-and-out, drug addicted scumbag in San Francisco's sordid rock and roll underworld. Real names were often used with no regard of protecting the innocent. Dean was a modern day Rimbaud, drinking and fucking his way through the bars and bedrooms of the city he loves and hates. Dean's success is that he can do this without coming off as a pretentious tortured artist. Bomb was real, Bomb was fucked. Bomb had problems and they weren't afraid to let it be known, in fact, they wore them with pride like a shiner or a hickey. Bomb toured America quite a few times, and Europe once, made a few amazing records and got signed to Warner Brothers, and made a final great album that nobody bought, despite being plagued by both infighting and very public (sometimes on-stage) drug abuse. In 1993 it came to an abrupt end on stage when Tony Fag had had enough. All of Bomb's releases were special, but it is 1988's "Hits of Acid" (Boner Records) that stands out as the crown jewel in Bomb's tiara. "Hits of Acid" is way out of print and never saw a cd release and probably never will. So it is with the utmost pleasure I bring you one of the greatest albums that you never heard, Bomb's "Hits of Acid" here:http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L6NAB4W2
Hell, indeed, many years back my guitarist played this for me, and it is a classic. Nothing sounds like this at all, you are dead-on right. HAils
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That is some trippy guitar work on Nineteen. I'm enjoying this album very much
ReplyDeleteYou just summed them up perfectly. Bomb was and always will be one of my favorite bands. Thankfully I can still remember many of their shows and what they felt like - extremely powerful performances.
ReplyDeletesure sounds interesting - timo
ReplyDeleteI busted this one out last night. Hits of Acid f'in rules, and I'm glad I got to see Bomb live. Tony was a MONSTER. Doug embodies cool, Jay's a freak, and Micheal W. Dean is like none other. I'd include Toiling Midgets along with Bomb as far as best bands from SF, but, hey, it's your blog, not mine.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the Toiling Midgets were great, add Tragic Mulatto to the list. It was a great time in SF, just before everything went all funk metal.
ReplyDeletedoes anyone remeber the Tragic Mulato flyer of the dude giving himself a piss enema?
ReplyDeletei kept that flyer around for years i might even still have it somewhere if i do find it i def scan that bitch and email it to you
I shouldn't have waited so long to grab this, it's fucking awesome.
ReplyDeleteThere's something about it that is very Mother Love Bone.
"Healthfood and Herion" just lays everything to waste. Ouch.
ReplyDeleteJust found this...thanks so much for the file. I was 21 in 1988, doing college radio (WOZQ @ Smith College...and I'm male!), and loving this record. If I had a Top 25 Records Ever list, I think Hits of Acid would have a shot.
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