THE LIPS ARE BACK - s/t 7"

"The Lips Are Back existed from 1978-81 in the rural Michigan village of Battle Creek. Main Lip, John 'Rank Confusion' Conley, hailed from the Detroit area but was pursuing an engineering degree at Kellogg College. TLAB played throughout the state but primarily in and around the first wave Detroit punk scene. Unlike the terminal zilches with which they shared bills, the Lips had an urgent, crazed sound, comprised of equal parts Gene Vincent-yelp-greaser-rock and Bomp Records era Weirdos. I witnessed two unforgettable shows in early spring of 1980. The first on March 8 in Detroit at Bookies Club 870 and the second on March 24 in Ann Arbor at the Second Chance. I had just turned 17 and Yvette, a.k.a. Mrs. Confusion, snuck me into both venues. I recall a drunken recklessness to the performances, hopped up indeed. I’m not sure if the band was inebriated, however, as the musicianship was sharp yet loose simultaneously. Listening to these tracks in 2024 brings me back to the pre-dawn of the new thing: Hardcore. And knowing that a botched PCP deal delayed the release of this stone cold jam by 45 years is a punk rock story for the ages. Whose wise idea was it to flip Sherm for a profit? How many dust heads could there possibly have been in Battle Creek, circa 1980? Rank would go on to front the much bootlegged Midwest HC maniacs Latin Dogs." -- Barry Henssler

Out on Radio Raheem Records.

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