Monday, December 18, 2006

Oil Tasters: "What's in Your Mouth?" b/w "Get out of the Bathroom" 45

Yes, Guy Hoffman and Richard LaValliere were both ex-Haskels (already through with said group by the time the Oil Tasters had cut this single, I think), but if you're expecting anything even closely resembling "Takin' the City by Storm," you're something up the wrong etc.

The 'Tasters' claim to infamy was guitarless avant-punk -- bass, vox, sax, drums -- and this single's a pretty good testament to their throbbing, percussive stab in the dark. "What's in Your Mouth?" almost approaches a Chancesque hate-funk level of simmer-'til-combustion (w/out the skittish guit), but the flip, "Get out of the Bathroom," really steps the mess up a few notches. Opens with a descending bassline that divebombs face-first into R. LaValliere's howl, sax unfurling itself and getting real uncomfy as Hoffman pounds the shit out of his kit and R's bass jerks in and out of consciousness. By the time we've reached the "C'mon, c'mon," it's LIGHTS OUT, folks. And the snickering juvie lyrics are only the icing on the cake, o' course. Great lil' WI artifact and certainly worth your precious time tracking it down.

2 Comments:

Blogger Swampy Verkooteren said...

Eric,

Richard LaValliere was in the Haskels early on. I dunno if Guy Hoffmann was. I dunno...

The Oil Tasters might be my favorite Milwaukee band of all time.
Seriously. I listen to them all the fucking time.

Later,
Keith

7:01 PM  
Blogger Eric said...

Did a bit more digging -- both Hoffman and LaValliere did time in the Haskels' original line-up, from what I can tell. Thanks for reading and posting.

6:06 AM  

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