09 February 2013

Bomb!

Bomb was a psychedelic punk rock band from San Francisco (1986-1993). Bomb's Hits Of Acid is among Nirvana founder Krist Novoselic's favorite albums. Their Happy All the Time and Hate Fed Love were in massive overplay at Oddio NYC headquarters for many years.

Bomb was made up of Michael Dean (vocals, bass), Jay Morgan Crawford and Hilsinger (guitar), and Tony Fag (drums. Dean has been sharing much of Bomb's music on his sites for years (featured at Oddio in 2007), and we are happy to find the albums are still posted at his most recent site.

Here's the Bomb history from his site:


Bomb, was the name of an acid fueled San Francisco based hard rock band started in the late 80's. They toured extensively, released several albums, including one on Warner/Reprise in 1992, but began their career with a vinyl only LP on their own Boogadigga Records in 1987 entitled "To Elvis In Hell".

The band were known for intense music & wild onstage antics and occasional nudity featuring diminuitive, deranged, drugged & demonically caterwauling singer/bassist Michael W. Dean. The guitars were a squall of affected and eerie riffs provided by Jay Crawford & Doug Hilsinger, with explosive drumming that was ominously thunderous, repetitive and tribal via the pounding of Tony Fag ( aka Short).

Their first LP caught the attention of Rock and Roll Confidential scribe and historian Dave Marsh, as well as a slew of indie zines and punk rock fans across the American heartland where they toured. They signed to Bay Area based Boner Records in 1988 who put out "Hits of Acid" on vinyl and cassette, followed up in 1989 with "Happy All The Time" a vinyl & cassette EP. They were one of San Francisco's most popular local acts outdrawing local faves like Primus, Chris Isaak and 4 Non Blondes, and worked out a European deal with Gary Held's Revolver to release "Lucy In The Sky With Desi" in 1990, the band's first CD combining material from both earlier Boner releases.

While on tour in Germany the band recorded a cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus", released as a ltd edition 7" in Europe, and on a Thrasher Skate Rock compilation stateside. In 1991, they attracted the attention of former Jane's Addiction manager Charley Brown, who got the band a deal with the Warner Bros. side imprint Reprise, originally founded by Frank Sinatra. The CD/Cass that resulted was "Hate Fed Love" ponderously produced in Brooklyn by world music remix czar Bill Laswell.

Lack of tour support, non-existent radio and retail promotion, infighting, spiraling speed and heroin use all doomed the band. They broke up in 1993, but eventually emerged out of rehab and ruin to play some celebratory San Francisco shows in the late 1990's and released a fan farewell CD only EP called "Lovesucker" on indie Wingnut Records.

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