In the 80's it seemed that just about anything was possible. Sunday nights you had a few choices on television, (we didn't have 900 channels back then) and some of the best were found on MTV. YES I SAID MTV.
This was before rap and shoot em up culture became the "in thing" in the commercial entertainment industry. MTV was not sucking up to the lowest case denominator as badly as they were then. Sure, they were showing popular videos and promoting the crap of the hour but they weren't glorifying the killing culture.
In short, music was fun. Pure and simple. It was chaotic and loud and if you watched Peter Zaremba and, "The Cutting Edge" then you knew it wasn't pretentious. This show came on once a month and it featured some great stuff from the IRS label. There was a ton of bands and the show was presented mondo style.
Every month they would pick a town and showcase the bands that made the nightlife work. They also would go into interviews with the bands and show you their day jobs which were far from glamorous. This show was amazing.
The FLESHTONES represented a big part of that mindset. Not only were they the house band for the show but also created the ecstatic legacy that it endured. Sadly, IRS records fell apart in the early 90's. And I missed the ecentricity that this label brought to the music scene. They weren't afraid to shatter the boundaries and create something loud and relevant. They had real balls.
The Fleshtones were a rehash of R&B mixed with loud garage Americana. In short, they were fantastic and brilliant. THey had a huge following in France. They are powerful even today and in fact... a little dangerous. They can really kick out a sound.
AH.. AS PETE WOULD SAY... THE MAJESTIC SOUNDS !!!
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