Early Days In Morton’s Garage

I don’t have many Vice Barons records but the material I’ve heard is stupendous and I must make an effort and locate more items, be it vinyl or CD, I’m not too fussed one way or the other.

The two singles I have in my archive by this fine group from Brussels, Belgium are from their early incarnation as a very competent ’60s influenced spy-surf-dragstrip instrumental combo using their vintage instruments in combination with lo-fi fuzzy production.

In other words the kind of gear that will have you breathing uneasy and perhaps frothing at the mouth at their sheer brilliance. Remember that these records were released during the mid-nineties. I don’t recall any other outfit choosing this style of garage-surf indoctrination during that period in time.

Back sleeve liners:

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: This is now and that was then! So what’s the use in putting out some early stuff recorded by The Vice Barons?

There’s no use at all, just pure fun listening to what Chester, Marky, Ricky and Vince sounded like a few years ago on a hot Sunday afternoon.

Later that day they all went to a strip joint downtown and as soon as they got there, a Chinese bookie was torn to pieces right in front of their eyes by three or four mobsters in a black Eldorado.

There was blood all over the place and his brains were hanging on the walls. Real slaughter.

tracks on disc:

Palisades Park
The Cape
Sweet Sam

“Arrowheads!” (Screaming Apple Records SCAP 029) 1994

The Vice Barons created a wonderful four-song EP in 1994, covering three obscure Davie Allen & the Arrows tracks and included one of their own numbers.

All instrumentals are delicious fuzzy ‘arrowheads’ coming straight at your brain to tease your mind. “Skaterdater Rock” is a number from the 1966 ‘Skaterdater’ movie soundtrack, and is the earliest Davie Allen & the Arrows track covered.

Next up is the fairly well known instrumental “Shape Of Things To Come” from the movie ‘Wild In The Streets’. The instro was also a song with lyrics, recorded by Max Frost & the Troopers.

The band original “Street Action” keeps up the ravin’ fuzz-a-delic standards of the EP while the end cut “Another Cycle In Detroit” is from Davie Allen’s ‘Cycle-Delic Sounds’ LP from 1968.

other information:

Music recorded on 8 tracks by A. De Palma at the Sing Cinati studio with no overdubs and produced by Joe Sacramento and The Vice Barons.

line-up:

Ricky Farfisa (6 and 12 string guitar)
Vince Vincent (Farfisa organ)
Chester Morton (bass and percussion)
Paul Morton (drums)

Arrow Dynamic Music – a word from Davie Allen
“I can’t tell you how flattered I am by this terrific band. On listening to some of their demos, there were a couple of times that I almost thought I was hearing a lost Arrows track that I don’t remember recording! – Thank you Vice Barons!”