The
Reducers
This article is one of the more unusual pieces that
ever got written for Noise For Heroes. It was the cover feature for issue 6 in
October of 1981. It began when Mike Detmold, brother of the Reducers’ guitar player
Pete, phoned me up and told me how he had this tape of his brother’s band that I had
to hear. At this time, Noise For Heroes was tiny (hell, it was always tiny, but it was
REALLY tiny then), and we only occasionally received promo material to write about, but
even so I had heard enough live tapes of bands that were supposed to be great that I
wasn’t very enthused at the idea of hearing another one. But Mike was pretty
insistent and actually drove the tape over. I put it on and in short order was blown away.
At the time, the
Reducers had no records at all, and while they had a decent club following in Connecticut,
nobody in San Diego either had heard of them, or had any prospects of hearing them.
Nevertheless, I was so impressed by the live tape that I put the band on the cover of
Noise For Heroes. I played the tape more than any official lp released over the next year.
I’ve safeguarded the thing over the years and constantly worried about losing it or
having a tape deck eat it. Fortunately I’ve now had it transferred to a CD, so I can
breathe easier.
Subsequently, the
Reducers released three lps and a couple of singles in the mid 80s, recording many of the
songs on the tape. The three albums are all great, but somehow, to me, that live tape is
even better. The albums were self released on the band’s Rave On Records, and
didn’t get very good distribution, but that doesn’t make them any less
important. The Reducers are still going to this day, although their recording has cut way
back…there’s a CD that combines most of the tracks from the three lps, and a new
one called "Shinola" that came out in 1996. They still concentrate on playing
the east coast of the US.
I got to see the
Reducers once, at CBGBs, in 1982. I wrote a review of this show in Noise For Heroes #11 in
September of 1982. I took photos of the show and printed them with the feature, and
shortly afterwards Pete called me up and asked if they could get the photos to use on the
cover of their first lp…quite a coup for this writer, let me tell you.
Both the original
cover feature and the CBGBs review are below, with considerable editing to make up for
some pretty atrocious writing on my part…I didn’t have that much experience at
the time, and reading the original text made me cringe pretty badly. But at any rate, here
we go…
In our first issue we
rationalized our existence on the grounds that we would try to point out good bands that
nobody else was talking about. This was of course a lame attempt to disguise the fact that
this whole fanzine thing is really a big ego trip, but nobody’s complaining so we
keep it up. At any rate, here's a chance to bring you in touch with a band that you almost
certainly would never hear of elsewhere. Courtesy of Mike Detmold, brother of Reducers
guitar player Peter Detmold, I have in my hands an excellent tape of a concert by this New
London, Connecticut based band. Don’t confuse them with the UK band of the same name.
The Reducers play an
energetic brand of punk-pop that reminds me a lot of the Rezillos or the Ramones. The tape
is a mixed bag of about 25% covers and the rest originals. In their covers the band shows
enormous respect for many UK punk greats (especially Chris Spedding) but their versions of
"Get Out Of My Pagoda", "Hurt By Love", and "Wild In the
Streets" all surpass Spedding's cuts on the Hurt lp. At one point, the band
introduces "Pagoda" as a Chris Spedding tune, and right on cue a spectator yells
'Never heard of him". Other covers include the Rezillos "Somebody's Gonna Get
Their Head Kicked In Tonite", Larry Wallis' "Police Car" and a nice and
raunchy "Secret Agent Man". According to Pete Detmold, lead guitar player in the
band, they started with all covers of such bands as the Pistols, Vibrators, and Clash, and
were at first reluctant to play their own material because they felt they couldn't come
close to any of their heroes. But the real strength of this tape is in the originals,
almost all of which stand up to the covers and in many cases far surpass them. Lyrics are
invariably witty and clever; song titles include "Big Time In A Small Town",
"You're So Civilized" and "Nice Things Don't Last" ("tonight it's
about the baseball season... I'm sick of it!" goes the intro). Mixed with humorous
tracks are some more punk styled themes, paranoid songs they call them; titles like
"Out of Step", "No Ambition", or "Stand Over There". The
band has an excellent sound that successfully straddles the line between raw punk and pop,
much the way the early Ramones did. Drums are loud and jangly; lots of cymbals and a good
heavy 4/4 beat. The twin lead guitars are fat and clean, similar to Jo Callis of the
Rezillos. The vocals fit the music just right as all four band members, Pete and Hugh on
guitar, Steve on bass, and Tom on drums contribute vocals - not with any lush, soppy
harmonies, but rather with rowdy sing-alongs. Only the bass is lost in the mix here; a
shame since Pete says it’s one of the strengths of the band. The tape contains an
incredible 19 original songs, all with snappy lyrics and hook-a-minute tunes. We start
with "Rocks", a song about youth and new music with some funny lyrical imagery:
Rocks…steppin'
out of the ocean
Rocks…New London hardly ever does
Rock…so where’s the youth explosion
Rocks…we’ll put the wheels in motion
After a rocking cover
of "Wild In The Streets", their own "Big Time In A Small Town" is
another breath of fresh air, with its autobiographical ring. "Take It Away"
doesn't let up at all, though Hugh’s growling vocals are a bit lost except for the
chorus. Next up is the superb "Company Man", one of the high points of the show,
ripping apart the American success figure: He's a kiss-ass, oh, what a diplomat, he's a
hypocrite, he's got it all down pat. He's such a jerk…he really knows just where it
is at! "Small Talk From A Big Mouth" hits against the destructive forces of
the rumor mill. "Invisible Rain" has another bright and snappy tune with a great
guitar hook, but the lyrics are obscured by the rough live mix. "I'm A Big Man"
and the softer "Go To The Window" lead us up to the cover of "Secret Agent
Man", which gives us a chance to stop and think about what we've got here. Ten songs
so far, only two covers and every Reducer original a winner. Is this really the output of
a small time band with no manager and not even an indie 45 to their credit? Incredibly,
the answer is a resounding yes, and the tape isn't even half over yet. This band has a way
of spinning out song after song, each between 2 and 3 minutes long, and each loaded with
guitar hooks, great harmonies, and cool lyrics. Incredible!
Immediately after
"Secret Agent Man", "You're So Civilized" is another rollicking
number, railing against the cool facade so many people try to build around themselves.
"Black Plastic Shoes" is the first cut on the tape that doesn’t really grab
me by the throat and shake me: it’s one of the fastest on the tape, but it
doesn’t have the great hook. But it’s still OK. A Rezillos cover leads into what
ought to be an anthem for lovers of new music everywhere. "Out Of Step" is just
a fabulous song; great guitar, great hooks and great lyrics:
But there's a
pressure all the time
To go join up and stand in line
But if they think I'm one of them
Well, they must be fucking blind
Can't they see that I'm out of touch
And out of step
Great stuff for
alienated people. "Out of Step" is followed by the stupid fun of "She's A
Little Punkyhood" and two warp speed Chris Spedding covers – "Get Out Of My
Pagoda" and "Hurt By Love". Then the Reducers start positively smoking for
the next eight cuts. "Life In The Neighborhood" is somewhat akin lyrically to
the Members' "Sound of the Suburbs" and has some good rough harmony.
"Information Overload" is dedicated to returning college students. Four of the
next five cuts are paranoid songs; "Scared of Cops", "Stand Over
There", "Nice Things Don't Last" and "No Ambition", another
fabulous combination of irresistible guitar hooks and brilliant lyrics. Only
"BMW" changes the pace, but it’s a lyrical change of stride only, because
all five of these songs have a real kick to them. "Scared of Cops" and "No
Ambition" are particularly excellent. The band encores with Larry Wallis'
"Police Car", a version that surpasses either Wallis' own or the Member's cover
from their second lp. One last throwaway original is included to let you get your feet
back on the ground. The Reducers were the opening act for Dirty Looks in this show; one
wonders how that Staten Island band could possibly come close to following an act like the
Reducers. In short, this is a band that can play ball with the big boys, and from what
Pete and his brother Mike say, they're starting to move that way. The band have an ep in
the works with "No Ambition", "Black Plastic Shoes", and "Out of
Step", and have recently opened for the Vapors, Revillos and Stranglers, with a
Ramones opener in Hartford on the schedule. It's too bad they can't do an lp; this tape
cooks from start to finish, and if it was an album, I'd be inclined to call it the best of
the year. So remember, when the Reducers play Madison Square Garden, you heard it here
first.
Live at
CBGBs…
CBGB'S. The name
conjures up images of all the founders of the US punk scene. The Ramones. Blondie. Richard
Hell. The Dead Boys. Mink DeVille. Talking Heads. The Heartbreakers. Patti Smith. The Tuff
Darts. Television. All these and more paraded their acts through CBGB's doors at the
height of their power, if not of their fame. It stands to reason then that CBGB's must be
a huge hall to seat the legions of fans these bands must have attracted. But it's not the
case. The front of the club is no wider than a two car garage and their sign is all but
unnoticeable. Inside, the club stretches into the back of the building it occupies; maybe
75 feet. The bar takes up a good chunk of the room on one side. Neon Miller and
Budweiser signs hang from the ceiling. The floor is a patchwork of pieces of plywood
randomly thrown down. Way at the back is the stage, which though not big is certainly
generous given the rest of the club's dimensions. Mike and I arrive with two friends at
about 9:30. Mike is the brother of Pete Detmold, one of the two guitar players in the
Reducers, and is responsible for me hearing about the band. We take a table right under
the stage; the only other guy there is an old drunk who keeps babbling to himself about
god-knows-what. Shortly after this we spot the Reducers heading backstage and go back to
talk. The band members are relaxed and approachable as any ordinary guys. These guys are
no poseurs; there's none of this "I'm in the band, and you're not" attitude.
Pete has shoulder length curly black hair and wears glasses. He's the most talkative of
the group. Tom, the drummer, is very quiet by comparison. I'm told he has a vision
disorder that has made him nearly blind. The other guitar player, Hugh, who writes the
bulk of the songs (although Pete and bassist Steve do a fair share, too), is also very
conversational. He's more collegiate looking than the others. Steve is the only guy who
looks like he should be in a band. We spend a lot of time talking about area bands I'm
interested in. The Nastyfacts are playing in another club nearby; one of the guy's
girlfriends has seen them and says they did a great show. We talk about a lot of Boston
bands: Mission of Burma and the Neighborhoods. Talk turns to the progress of their single,
"Out of Step"/"No Ambition". Ken, their manager, says that although
it's done well on the eastern college radio circuit, he's having a hard time keeping up
with distribution since he and the band handle this themselves. Though the 45 has placed
high on many playlists, it's been hard to get into nearby shops timed right with the
airplay. The band has been looking to get a label to pick them up; Ken has been looking at
the major labels, which I would oppose. Unfortunately, though, the east coast indie
situation is not nearly as strong as that out here.
Eleven o'clock rolls by
and the band hits the stage with Pete singing "Scared Of Cops". The Reducers
roll out their great guitar driven sound drawing from the early Who, Sex Pistols, Ramones,
et al. But they add a pop element to the sound much the way the Buzzcocks did so that even
when they sing lyrics like They're gonna lock me up and throw away the key/A taste of
the fascist state in the land of liberty you still want to be on the dance floor.
Stage presence drips from their every pore; Tom provides solid no-nonsense drumming that
shows no hint of his handicap, but Pete and Steve are all about the stage, windmilling
guitar chords and leaping into the air at every opportunity, of which there are plenty in
their repertoire. By sharp contrast, Hugh plays the angry young man role on the left of
the stage, rising up on the balls of his feet to emphasize a point but generally staying
rooted to his mike stand. He jabs at his guitar with the intensity of a Paul Weller and
sings in a snarl that's quite an about face from the friendly guy I’ve just been
chatting with. In between songs the band connects with the crowd in a loose and easy
fashion. Pete says thanks to all his relatives for coming to fill out the tables and they
bait each other with song intros: Hugh introduces Pete's "Better Homes And
Gardens" with "Pete wrote this one for his mom", which Pete reacts to by
leading in one of Hugh's new numbers with "Hugh and Paul McCartney got together to
write this one". "No Ambition" is introduced as the band's theme song. For
"Invisible Rain" the story goes "This is about something we have in New
London. It's called Invisible Rain". Pete shifts his eyes back and forth furtively,
then lowers his voice. Confidentially he says "Down here it's visible!". The
crowd cracks up. The band runs through a batch of originals off their cassette, including
"Big Time In A Small Town", "Take It Away", "Company Man",
"Small Talk From A Big Mouth", "Invisible Rain", "You're So
Civilized", "Out Of Step", "Life In My Neighborhood",
"Scared Of Cops" and "No Ambition". There are also six or seven new
originals and a cover of the Flamin' Groovies "Shake Some Action". It's all
great; just too good to be true from a band that's as yet unsigned to any label, indie or
otherwise. The show is as good as any I've seen in the past three years; only the
Undertones on their first US tour showed me as much mastery of the 3 minute format. My
only complaint is that it was too short; contract with the club and all that. "No
Ambition" ends the set and the band walks off. The audience starts rhythmic applause
until the band returns for an encore of Hugh's superb "Rocks". The band leaves
once more and the crowd claps wildly even as roadies tear down equipment to set up for the
top billed Velveteens. I can only feel pity for the headliners; the Reducers are an
impossible act to follow. In short, a memorable evening. The Reducers have all the
qualities that made the original punk movement so great: they play hard and fast, they
play with fire and intensity and passion, they play hook filled songs with great lyrics.
They put on no airs; they stay right at the level of their crowd, never putting themselves
above anyone. At this moment I would rather see a Reducers show or buy a Reducers album
(if only there was one!) than see a show or buy a disc by any other band. In a year of
resurgence by the US scene, with bands like the Fleshtones, Red Rockers, Channel 3 or
what have you, the Reducers are my favorite American band. Buy the single, demand the
tape!
