IMPRINT,
ARTS
Friday, May 5,1995
25
growled, “Shut up.” The audience silent confusion. Everly.
That definitely
wasn’t
sat in Don
The band ripped into “Zap O’Hell.” Soon by Brad Imprint
by Chris Imprint
AIdworth staff
The drums, two string bass and saxophone line-up of Morphine is not your normal three piece ensemble, but listening to Yes you would be hard pressed to pick out the lack of guitar. The sound that Morphine manages to coax out of this odd paring of instruments is phenomenal. Yes is more aggressive and in your face than last time out, making for a much stronger album. The sax has been turned up and set loose, making it less plodding. At points it even rocks! Throughout the album are hints of 1950’s rock and roll, blues, and what sound like T.V. show theme songs. There is a southern style swagger in the despairing vocals, but for the most part Morphine let the instruments do the talking. The bass, drums and sax do the driving and drive they do. With Morphine it is always time to get in and go cruisin’. Morphine has created a clear winner with Yes.
Hughes staff
the crowd was won over by the band’s cocky demeanour and dark rockabilly sounds. The band oozed cool. The screaming resumed. In the wings Ed Sullivan tapped his toes and snapped his fingers along with the beat.
One cannot review this album without discussing the legend behind the group. Suckerpunch was a hardedge rockabilly band way back in the late 1950’s. They incorporated rockabilly with some surfguitarlines and backed everything up with a good dose of attitude. They were virtually unknown back then until Ed Sullivan mistook guitarist/vocalist Chris Dignan and drummer Sean Dignan for the Everly Brothers. 01’ Ed thought they’d be a great act for his really big shoe and signed them personally. On March 17th, 1960 Suckerpunch was scheduled to open the show. Backstage the band told Ed that they’d start with “Bye Bye Love” and then they’d segue into “Wake Up Little Suzy.” Ed indicated that was a marveilous plan. Soon millions across North America would witness the episode on the Ed Sullivan Show that nobody talks Suckerpunch pose in the Ed Sullivan theatre about. The show opened and Ed came out and ran through the night’s acts. Then He never realized that this wasn’t The Everly with great pride he announced, “..,and now Brothers. It wasn’t until the second song, The Everly Brothers.” The crowd full of “Let’s Get Evil,” when Chris started singing teenage girls reacted by screaming and uriabout putting his hot mouth on your breast nating and doing things that excitable girls that Ed realized something had gone terribly do. The curtain opened and there stood wrong. Suckerpunch. He stormed the stage trying to stop the Chris Dignan sauntered up to the mic show but Suckerpunch kept right on playing. and, with as much sex as anger in his voice, Chris knocked him down with a swipe of his
~at~3fiag~
guitar. He then encouraged the audience to get up on stage. The army of girls responded immediately and like a sea of lemmings rushed forward to climb on the stage. They crowd acted as a shield against CBS security. The cameras kept right on rolling. Due to all the hysterics taking place in the theatre the producers forgot to cut away. The last thing America saw before the station broke the transmission to air ‘duck and cover’ public service announcements was bassist Cindy Beattie kicking Ed Sullivan in the groin repeatedly as the band played their ode to oral sex “Fun With My Tongue,” No one in the business would touch them after this display. Dick Clark cancelled their appearance on American Bandstand fearing the band would encourage inter-racial dancing. Mick Jagger, after having been barred from the Ed Sullivan Show himself, said he was proud to be included in the same category as Suckerpunch. The band just disappeared into the swamps of Southeast America. They were content to play the juke joints and revel in their infamous deed. David Letterman has been quoted as saying he hears their ghosts when the theatre is empty. On I&.&h 17th, 1995, the 35th anniversary of this legendary event, the taping of this show has been released on CD, It has been remastered so it sounds as fresh as today. It’s a great piece of music history. (Actually none of this is true. Suckerpunch is a band from Toronto. But this debut album sounds like that’s what should have happened. It’s just fuckin’ cool.)
j MAD SEASON. . .. Above : TEAPAfW .., Edae of the Niaht 1 EIASTICA I.. S/T LIVE .. . Throwing Copper WHITEZOMBIE ., . Astro Creep MY ii 70 SATI, MAY ON SALE
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