Redd Kross (Garage Punk)
English version · automatic translation
Anachronique: Redd Kross (Garage Punk)
Redd Kross was (is) a band from the Los Angeles suburbs. Led by two brothers, Jeff and Steve McDonald, aged 18 and 14 respectively when they released the band’s first album, it remains today one of the most influential garage punk albums in all of history.
So, where to begin when reviewing a giant? By listing the contents of its 7 albums? By mentioning its influence on the Burger scene? By pointing out the young age of the band members as a guarantee that you are listening to a prodigy’s music? Because Redd Kross is indeed one of the giants of the underground world, one of the most absolute references when it comes to garage. Without it, odds are the scene would not be what it is. And I am particularly thinking of the French scene, which seems the most faithful of all to its contribution to the garage world. Many of the songs on this album will be familiar to you, partly because they have been widely covered, but also because the Redd Kross sound has been imitated many times.
Born Innocent, its first album, remains by far the best of all. Released via Smoke Seven Records in 1982, a label that never made much noise, it is much rawer than the following ones, which leaned toward glam of the I-wear-a-bit-too-much-makeup kind.
“Linda Blair“, the very first, makes the guitars screech in a way rarely heard. As for “White Trash“, it is already post Jay Reatard garage, with its punk influences, its relentless rhythm and a chorus that takes up 80% of the space. And then there is that rounded bass sound you will find throughout the album. “Everyday There’s Someone New” is even more creative, a little punk gem that already had nothing to do with the ’77 scene. And then “Burn-Out” probably sounds like what a monarch cracking under pressure from the people must be like. “Charlie“, for its part, is Redd Kross’s more experimental side, already into post-punk.
With “St. Lita Ford Blues” comes one of the best songs on the album. At that time, Redd Kross had in it the madness of the slashers of the 2000s, that of Fidlar, Mean Jeans & co. It screams, it moves in every direction, it sweats and drools, it’s Redd Kross just the way we love it. And then, of course, it changes rhythm many times, something it has always done with precision. “St. Lita Ford Blues” deserved to be held up as an anthem for warming up a little cellar club of the kind we love so much in France. “Self Respect“, there is no more.
“Pseudo-Intellectual” is another punk song par excellence, another expression of how Redd Kross knew how to stick to the strictest minimalism of the genre. “Kill Someone You Hate” expresses all of Redd Kross’s genius in barely 1 minute and 30 seconds. The guitar is still played just as fast, the post-Ramones stage. As for “Look On Up At The Bottom“, it was one of Redd Kross’s lyrical songs.
“Cellulite City” (welcome to Australia) is a little sonata preaching the benefits of a life of debauchery. Convinced? “Charlie” has not disappeared, he is “sitting on the couch”. Redd Kross still neglects the vocal part as much as ever; it’s dark and overexcited, not to be handed to a hyperactive person at the risk of a near heart attack.
“I’m Alright“, similar to the Soft Boys, is an exercise in the Coué method: I’m fine, everything’s fine, I’m fiiinNNN! In reality, Redd Kross seems to be singing here the nursery rhyme of a madman locked in his cell. Once again, isn’t that all you ask of a good rock’n’roll album, that feeling of insanity never far away? “Cease To Exist” (a Manson cover) is the logical follow-up to the previous track, where everything was going swimmingly. Strangely, Redd Kross is more controlled on it, brushing against the pop of Toy Love. “Notes And Chords Mean Nothing To Me“, to finish, is one of the edgiest songs; the guitars foreshadowed the glam rock the band would later adopt.
A bit like the first Pink Floyd, Redd Kross left its mark on the legend of a genre with its first album before abandoning it, something strange when others strive their whole lives to get their name into the ideal discography of a musical style without ever managing it. Redd Kross then adopted the rock diva side, see its album Neurotica, on which we will comment no further. The quality of Born Innocent remains no less brilliant. This album is one of the major punk albums in history, because it actually belongs to the scene that would appear 30 years later. AND few have done that!
Related links:
Anachronique article on Toy Love
Link to all the anachronique articles
Original version (French)
“Linda Blair“, le tout premier, fait crisser les guitares comme il était rare de l’entendre. Quant à “White Trash“, c’est déjà du garage post Jay Reatard, avec ses influences punk, son rythme sans relâche et un refrain qui occupe 80% de l’espace. Et puis, il y a cette basse au son arrondi que l’on retrouvera tout au long de l’album. “Everyday There’s Someone New” est plus créatif encore, un petit bijou punk qui n’avait déjà rien à voir avec la scène de ’77. Et puis, “Burn-Out” ressemble probablement à ce que doit être le craquage d’un monarque pressurisé par le peuple. “Charlie“, pour sa part, c’est le penchant plus expérimental de Redd Kross, déjà sur du post-punk.
