Tuesday, 12 September 2023

Melvins – "A Tribute To Pop-O-Pies / Tales Of Terror" (Amphetamine Reptile Records – SCALE 139) 2013


With the honor of being the only American representatives on this series of Tribute records by Melvins;but What,or who, the fucking hell were Pop-O-Pies? Sounds a bit like the pies filled with abattoir floor scrapings,spines and eyeballs,that i ate at half-time during a football match in the 80's,'Pukka Pies'.So, I thought it must be some American kids TV show or something worse,with a resident teenage Punk group in tow from about 1984.Awesome Doood!?....definitely NOT! 
Y'know,the Punk Rock successor to "Josie and the Pussycats"
So, I suppose i'll have to do some research...although I'll probably prefer my estimation more than the hard facts.
The Los Angeles Times said "The Pop-O-Pies were called "absolutely the worst band in California", and having listened to this Melvins cover, I could  absolutely agree absolutely. One of those awful bratty Californian post 1980 skatecore type groops of 16 year olds,with ripped jeans and converses'. The roots of Blink 182 can be found here. Of course there will be Californians who disagree.
So, I hesitantly move on to side B, and the equally obscure Tales Of Terror (Sacramento 82-86) .
I Wikipedia'd it and saw a few keywords,"Nirvana and Grunge", that made me abandon my mission immediately.....I Quote: "Their only LP greatly influenced rock bands Green River/Mudhoney and Nirvana. Considered by many as innovators to not only the Skate Rock sound and aesthetic but as well as Grunge???.....crimes that should not go unpunished.
The only Tale of Terror I can imagine is actually being inflicted a proto-grunge gig or record upon oneself, featuring any bands like this. But at least it's not Brown Day,or No Fun 41,or Wank 182. Small mercies.

ps....sign this petition will ya?

Tracklist:

A- Timothy Leary Lives
        By – Pop-O-Pies

B- Romance

By  Tales Of Terror

DOWNLOAD these punky monkees HERE!

3 comments:

Jonny Zchivago said...

You don't talk bilge...bilge. Pop O Pies was a singular individual yes. But he had a backing band....named after himself...whatever that daft monniker means..or not?

Dyson said...

Pop O Pies and Buzz were good friends. They exchanged skateboard magazines and paraphernalia back in the days. Pop used to publish fanzine called "Sludgeridoo". Happy days.

Mr Fab said...

Pop-O-Pies! There's a name I havent heard in years. Joe Pop quit his CLASSICAL music studies after the Sex Pistols hit his native San Francisco and made the noble decision to reject the heights of Western Fine Art to play crappy, conceptual in-joke punk rock. Hated by all, since he was not in fact a bored suburban teen, so wasn't a "real punk." I loved 'em and sure you would too, Johnny. Gotta respect a Bay Area resident who included Grateful Dead piss-takes on every release, eh?