LPs From the Attic: Simply Saucer — Cyborgs Revisited

Simply Saucer — Cyborgs Revisited (Snu, 1994; originally recorded 1974-1978)

[Jay St. Orts currently burns up the highway en route to a wedding that he agreed to officiate months ago and yet forgot. As per the usual, he may or may not arrive on time.

Today's LPs from  the Attic arrived just moments ago in  the form of several hastily constructed texts, via a gopher's fancy-schmancy smart-phone thingy. Also, an early congrats to Gloria and Phil from Peoria, IL! Cheers!]

The intersection of VU and early Pink Floyd (you know the Floyd that was differently unhinged with Syd still at helm—both of himself and the band that he and Rogers started. Quite analogous to early Iggy and the Stooges. A slightly smarter Hawkwind, maybe.  Obviously, the badly dyed roots of Spaceman 3 and later, Spiritualized. Jammable blues rock cranked up and then some more. Some coke and a sneer, maybe. Proper fear of cyborgs.

Droning, repetitive guitar patterns and lyrics, but the meaning is wrangled out of the delivery rather than a narrative twist or curveball. But here’s the interesting divergence: SS could drone out on a 3 or 4 chord progression for 5 minutes, like a punkily-retooled Velvet Underground, but THEN launch into an all out blues-solo spectacle with just enough cock-shure sloppiness to cruise menacingly with a shabby majesty. Comes across like disaffected mastery to me. Bored brilliance.

They can go from sounding like VU, to the early Stones, to Black Stabbath’s salad days, back to early Floyd in one song. Tell me that isn’t scary/compelling. Here’s the part that caught me off guard: they were a Canadian band from the mid-to-late seventies, rather than the British Isles in the late sixties–or some DIY contempo metro NY band–I assumed them to be. I don’t mean to slight our brothers and sisters to the north. What I mean is this: why didn’t I know before now that they were Canadian? That they were a functioning entity form 1973 to 1978? That they were so awesome? [Ed. note: the band reformed to record a reunion gig and album. Reports of their current awesomeness are as yet unconfirmed.] Dunno. I’m just stupid, I guess. But, I’m beginning to see the light.

Differences exist, of course. Floyd was beautifully stoned, compellingly disillusioned. VU was just beautifully, compellingly stoned and street-bleak. Sabbath was jazzily aggressive and satisfyingly drone-y. Simply Saucer gets angrily psychedelic. Beautifully aggressive. Drivingly detached. Always melodic. Plus, there are songs about dancing mutations and the looming cyborg invasion. It’s quite a party. And this music could work at a party.

For all this hasty name-dropping, they somehow manage to be a band like no other of their time. As Tim Sendra put it (if I recall correctly; Intern Guy, look this up with that damned phone of yours.), this is truly an “earth-shattering, important record.” [Ed. note: close enough.]

If “Bullet Proof Nothing” was good enough for Sonic Youth, then….