Dead Kennedys – The Typewriter with a Missing
Key / Geiger Counter 12” Single
Cherry Red,
Secret Stash edition (limited to 111 pressings), 1979
The a-side of
this rare unearthed punk gem lies somewhere between condemnation and satire,
with perhaps a smattering of admiration thrown in for good measure. What are we
to make of the poet-philosopher-cum-soldier Gabriele d’Annunzio? He turned the
city of Fiume into a dada insurrectionist state in 1919, playing a sort of
delirious master of ceremonies while Italian troops surrounded the city,
perhaps themselves too perplexed and/or amused by d’Annunzio’s antics to take
back the city by force. The lyrics seem to celebrate the conjunction of the artist
and the psychopath, while at the same time recognizing the catastrophic effect
such a conjunction brings to bear upon the lives subjected to it. The track
begins with a militant drum beat before the caustic bass line sets in, followed
by Biafra’s acidic vocals. The enigmatic title is somewhat of a mystery,
perhaps Jello knows something we don’t? Indeed, I’m told that this record
originally came with a reproduction of an English tabloid article from the time
in which the events concerned occurred, but alas, mine is missing. Perhaps they
might provide clue? Any further information would be greatly appreciated.
On the b-side,
Geiger Counter recounts the wanderings of what may be the last man on earth as
he searches for post-nuclear survivors while trying to avoid areas contaminated
with heavy radiation. A slow and sonorous song fraught with reverb and echo,
Jello’s voice pierces through the dense fog of sound like a dagger plunged into
gasmask. The lyrics grow increasingly frantic and scattered as the song goes
on, succumbing at last to a frenzy of paranoia inclined to gibberish. Pounding
drums and jarring guitar lines pick up the pace at the very end, intensifying
exponentially as the song fades to an icy silence which continues for a good 15
seconds before the needle reaches the inner limit of the vinyl.
This record
is truly a lost gem. Good luck tracking down a copy!
WHERE WOULD YOU GET RECORDING OF THIS?
ReplyDeleteThis is a fake. There is no such recording in existence.
ReplyDeleteCertainly not an easy find, in any case. Neither Ebay nor Discogs turn up a single mention. There is a special place in Heaven for deleted records, ultra-rare bootlegs, and those especially coveted gems that have been glimpsed only once, from afar, on the back wall of a record shop in Singapore that doesn't seem to exist anymore - or was it all a fabulous dream?
ReplyDelete