S&D: Grebo.

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Since no one complained when I threatened this in another thread . . .

I will mainly spend this thread attempting to defend Ned's Atomic Dustbin, particularly Are You Normal. I'd also posit that grebo tended to spit out decent / interesting / refreshing singles: PWEI's "Ich Bin Ein Auslander," Carter's "Only Living Boy in New Cross," or the Levellers' "One Way." As for the Wonder Stuff, a friend gave me a cassette of one of their records and I didn't speak to him for a week.

Nitsuh, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Anyone who says 'grebo' gets a foot in the teeth.

Andy, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Hey, don't blame me -- I have absolutely no association with the word and doubt I've ever spoken it aloud. I can put it in scare quotes, if you like: "grebo." Think of the title of this thread as "Search and Destroy: Stuff that certain people who deserve kicks in the teeth would call 'grebo.'"

Nitsuh, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Search: 'Golden Green'. Destroy: um - PWEI?

the pinefox, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

No offense intended, Nitsuh. I should have put quotes around it -- it's a Steve Albini quote.

Andy, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

PWEI is completely exempt from destruction. Well, at least _This is the Daay..._ and _Cure For Sanity_.

Dan Perry, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Is Grebo a label? The WOnderstuff are rotting farfkers.

Mike Hanle y, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

As for "Grebo",...

SEARCH: DRILL YOUR OWN HOLE by Gaye Bykers on Acid DESTROY: Fuckheads who talk shit about the Wonder Stuff.

EIGHT LEGGED GROOVE MACHINE by the Wonder Stuff was fucking brilliant, and you're a thankless twat if you think different!

...Motel Hell..., Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Does anyone sound like Gaye Bykers on Acid on acid?

Andy, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

EIGHT LEGGED GROOVE MACHINE by the Wonder Stuff was fucking brilliant, and you're a thankless twat if you think different!

-- ...Motel Hell

FUCK YES! I own that on vinyl.

Kodanshi, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

PWEI is completely exempt from destruction uhh - are you forgetting 'Beaver Patrol', anyone?

Jason, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

i'm really sorry everyone, but DESTROY ALL THAT SHIT!

gareth, Thursday, 26 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I'm with Gareth on this one. Whilst we're in destroy mode let's take out 'transit van rock' too (Mega City 4, Sensless Things).

Dr. C, Thursday, 26 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Count me in, where are the flame-throwers? :)

Omar, Thursday, 26 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

i'm with them.

cw, Thursday, 26 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

When I was 16, this mattered, because a large section of my peer group actually bought this kind of shit and I would sit in the common room scowling. Now, I think it's all quite cute as unambituous microgenres go. I think the worst thing about it was the associated wardrobe.

I like Carter, though. They don't count.

Nick, Thursday, 26 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Grebo Guru, Grebo Guru!

PWEI rock. 'Beaver Patrol' is one of the best songs ever. As is 'Def Con One'. I think it's unfair the Poppies have been forgotten when they were a very innovative and entertaining pop band.

The Wonderstuff, on the other hand: are godawful shite. I don't understand what anyone sees in them. Nor do I see any stylistic links between them and the mighty Pop Will Eat Itself.

The Dirty Vicar, Thursday, 26 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

4 months pass...
The Levellers are the only "grebos" that deserve a roasting, mainly because they are still going(!)

Ned's, PWEI, Wonder Stuff, MC4, Senseless Things, Carter - good tunes, good fun, good memories.

Problem?

BJ

Baine Jakey, Thursday, 6 December 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

8 years pass...

Does anyone sound like Gaye Bykers on Acid on acid?
― Andy, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (8 years ago) Bookmark

this question is still up for debate.
would love to hear of bands in '10 being influenced by this lot.
playing their debut album for 1st time in years, and loving it way more than i ever expected.
never noticed the driving bassline on the excellent, but dreadfully titled track, after such there's blow.
sounds amazing ..

mark e, Thursday, 4 March 2010 11:31 (3 years ago) Permalink

after suck there's blow i meant of course.

mark e, Thursday, 4 March 2010 11:32 (3 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 22:33 (7 months ago) Permalink

This is the most bizarre thing:

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 22:36 (7 months ago) Permalink

this is the rubbish you get reminded of clearing out old cupboards on a saturday night

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 22:41 (7 months ago) Permalink

Ah, I didn't realise that Andrew Eldritch was their manager for a spell, that might explain the bizarre and terrible Sisters cover. It sounds like Primal Scream trying to write a song in the style of early Third Eye Foundation.

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:01 (7 months ago) Permalink

lag∞n, Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:02 (7 months ago) Permalink

haha! god, why am i even interested in this shit?

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:03 (7 months ago) Permalink

its kind of hard to look away

lag∞n, Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:04 (7 months ago) Permalink

Reminds you of your misspent youth.

Ned Raggett, Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:04 (7 months ago) Permalink

only grebs i ever really liked were crazyhead, but not sure i even want to hear them again now

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:05 (7 months ago) Permalink

took me a while to figure out this thread isn't about greta garbo.

We demand justice: who murdered Chanel? (Matt P), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:06 (7 months ago) Permalink

so it's about methy barenaked ladies bands?

We demand justice: who murdered Chanel? (Matt P), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:07 (7 months ago) Permalink

greta grebo!

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:07 (7 months ago) Permalink

the name grebo is p incredible, also bambi slam, can you imagine having to tell people the name of yr band is bambi slam

lag∞n, Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:07 (7 months ago) Permalink

http://youtu.be/rf6-5-9efM8

Pat Ast vs Jean Arp (MaresNest), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:08 (7 months ago) Permalink

Dang.

Pat Ast vs Jean Arp (MaresNest), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:09 (7 months ago) Permalink

is it pronounced gree-bo or greh-bo, plz say gree-bo, although tbf theyre both p sweet

lag∞n, Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:09 (7 months ago) Permalink

in that first bambi slam song you can hear that they started off sharing gigs with my bloody valentine, but there was something always so crudy and cackhanded about them

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:11 (7 months ago) Permalink

it is pronounced gree-bo as it is apparently derived from the epithet "greasy bastards"

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:12 (7 months ago) Permalink

i have listened to "black planet" four times now. it is mesmerizingly bad

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:14 (7 months ago) Permalink

so still. so dark all over europe.

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:15 (7 months ago) Permalink

haha yes it incredible, the video too my lord stay off drugs everyone

lag∞n, Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:15 (7 months ago) Permalink

it was nice of andrew to lend them his hat though

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:19 (7 months ago) Permalink

If it's actually possible to be "the poor man's Crazyhead" these guys were it

~ (Matt #2), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:29 (7 months ago) Permalink

lol @ "poor man's crazyhead". were they something to do with the bomb party?

Superphysical Resurrection (NickB), Saturday, 6 October 2012 23:37 (7 months ago) Permalink

fistula-la-la (sic), Sunday, 7 October 2012 04:11 (7 months ago) Permalink

^ pronunciation guide

fistula-la-la (sic), Sunday, 7 October 2012 04:11 (7 months ago) Permalink

The Batfish Boys were what Simon Denbeigh did after The March Violets. The Bomb Party stand alone although I think there's a GBOA connection after both bands split up?

I never really saw what put any of them together in a scene apart from mainly all coming from the Midlands.

passive-aggressive display name (aldo), Sunday, 7 October 2012 10:05 (7 months ago) Permalink

I thought they were all supposed to come from Leicester, though maybe it is just MIdlands since PWEI were from further east, was it Brum?
& I thought there was supposed to be some attempt at something approaching a heavy rockish thing to tie in with the name Grebo. As in Grebo being what people called rockers, motorcycle loving hardrock listening individuals.
So when I was just looking at Grebo I was thinking pre-stoner rock but done wrong but that don't really seem to work. Think there was some psychedelic fixation with people like GBOA, Crazyhead & Bomb Party and some references to harder rock. Though not so sure with GBOA. Also influences from punk & Pop.
Wouldn't have cited Wonderstuff, Ned's and definitely Levellers as having to do with Grebo. Levellers was more crusty folk & wasn't Fraggle used for at least one of the others?

I used to go and see GBOA in '90 and get lifts back to London from them.

Stevolende, Sunday, 7 October 2012 10:45 (7 months ago) Permalink

PWEI were from further West, not East.

Stevolende, Sunday, 7 October 2012 10:46 (7 months ago) Permalink

Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Ned's Atomic Dustbin were from Stourbridge
Crazyhead, The Bomb Party, and Gaye Bykers on Acid were from Leicester
all i can remember were those awful longsleeve t-shirts everyone seemed to wear at the time

zappi, Sunday, 7 October 2012 11:14 (7 months ago) Permalink

Is this like the UK equivalent to third-wave ska?

Clarke B., Sunday, 7 October 2012 16:25 (7 months ago) Permalink

do i have to dig out my scorpio rising album to figure out if those guys were part of the grebo scene as i seem to recall they were connected to pwei in some way (same label)

also tomorrow i am digging out my GBOA cds, however, i suspect an hour later when i remember why they're all buried so deep, i'll put them back.

mark e, Sunday, 7 October 2012 17:12 (7 months ago) Permalink

To answer the thread title: Search: The first three PWEI singles, released as "Now For A Feast".
Destroy this:

everything, Sunday, 7 October 2012 19:15 (7 months ago) Permalink

The Sandkings are not part of this whatsoever. They were a baggy band. I guess the connection may be that their appeal was largely based around getting drunk and diving around like a nutter at their gigs, which is a big thing which seperated these bands from the previous generation of indie bands where gigs were more of a standing around affair.

everything, Sunday, 7 October 2012 19:22 (7 months ago) Permalink

Before they put out Circles they were similar in tone to early PWEI & Stuffies and kinda sixties influenced, but I guess not in that garage/nuggets fashion.

Pat Ast vs Jean Arp (MaresNest), Sunday, 7 October 2012 20:44 (7 months ago) Permalink

I think Scorpio Rising had at least a logo design by tDR as well as being on Chap 22? Of course the Designers Republic / PWEI team-up was post-grebo, so

fistula-la-la (sic), Sunday, 7 October 2012 21:13 (7 months ago) Permalink


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