Sunday, August 29, 2010

Screaming Broccoli - s/t (1987, Ruling Factor)

If this isn't a misanthropic punk record then I don't know what is.  Born and bred in the wilds of Vermont, Screaming Broccoli were a trio of adolescents waxing on women, political unrest and corn (okay, "Maize").  Sounds like the intermingling of various lower-rung SST Records bands of the era.  S/B certainly strive for something approaching tunefulness, and come close to achieving it on the closing "Good Old Days."  There's a Beatles cover that kicks off side two, and of course, the gotta-love-it album jacket.  Apparently, there was also a Screaming Broccoli single for "Lets Bury Bob" containing a b-side entitled, "(I Made Love To A) Vulcan."  I'm sure these fellows are doctors and lawyers now.

01. Screwball
02. Let's Bury Bob
03. You
04. On a Sunday
05. Good Idea
06. Eleanor Rigby
07. Maize
08. Fashion is a Virtue
09. Knucklehead
10. Good Old Days

Hear

31 comments:

The Big Hand said...

I still have this on vinyl, one of my favs in college. Thanks for all great memories!

joseph kyle said...

your description sounds intriguing, but that utterly horrid band name is equaled only by that utterly horrid cover art...and i am afraid....

spavid said...

I'm surprised that anyone is familiar with them. Cool. Sorry about the album jacket metaphor. There's simply nothing you can do about it, so you better get used to it.

joseph kyle said...

and I thought the Strawberry Zots! tape I had back in the day had horrid cover art!

okay, actually it was pretty cool. but that period of 80s college rock wasn't known for the best artwork...

Neal said...

i only got this record because my version is on positive force records (kev seconds' label). didn't know there was a different pressing. not that i'm rushing out to track it down. i'll have to listen to this again.

Unknown said...

I knew the artist, and saved my vinyl.

People said the broccoli stalk looked like one of the screaming band members. (That member has since become a University biochemist.)

I still have a homemade tape from a live radio show--even better than the album--and photographs I took of a very energetic club performance.

I remember Screaming Broccoli as an intense, serious, fun band with some very catchy songs.

Unknown said...

Could you please repost- "Let's Bury Bob" track two is not correct. Thanks for posting this fantastic album.

originalredfly said...

I remember these guys. They once crashed at my friend's place in Rochester, NY in '87 when they were in town for a show. My band and I were putting together our own recordings at the time and we had an impromptu jam session with them in the attic. Good times!

FLAMEAPE said...

As the artist of the cover- I take j metaphor's comment with humility. It was one of the first things I was hired to draw waaaay back in my high school days- and was proud of it. Hey Hilberg! Thanks for remembering.

Spavid-

Steve Flemer, Bassist of SB is now a tenured proffesor of Chemistry at University of Vermont. Joe Slaby(drums) is a technician for bands like Natalie merchant, Lilith Fair, The mars Volta and many others. Not doctors and lawyers but doing well enough.

kdj said...

I used to play this on college radio! Ack been looking for this but appears the link no longer works. I've been searching for this album -- even asked about it at Record City in San Diego just last month.

spavid said...

Just updated the link. Thanks for the request.

kdj said...

Fantastic! Thanks for updated link.

Unknown said...

Some Broc highlights were touring with the Milkmen and opening for Rollins and 7 Seconds (hence the connection to Kev's label: he did a repress, got it out to places we never made it to). I remember that jam sesh in Rochester! We met a lot of cool bands and generous people who let us crash on their floors. Greg's cover art literally helped us sell that record and later he did an amazing drawing which we used for T shirts, which in turn got us gas money to tour. Some of the best times of our lives, playing gigs at colleges, cafes, all ages shows. Nice to see some people have good memories of the band. Also great to read the story about 242, made many long time friends there.

FLAMEAPE said...

Thanks Joe Slaby for the kind words!

joeMCmaster said...

I can't believe I found this! Thanks to my friend Jim for sending it to me. My dad has this old guitar that me and my friends always messed around with, and he would always tell us that this band called Screaming Broccoli had needed a guitar to either record their album or tour with ( I can't remember which). So he let them borrow it. I've looked a few times but could never find anything about them. Now I have! I'd love to get my hands on a copy of this record.

Unknown said...

Any chance you could re-upload? Been looking for this everywhere, but the new link seems to be dead now too. Thanks!

Avant Garble said...

I like the cover art. Their name is Screaming Broccoli. What would you have them put on the cover!? It's supposed to be sardonic, dummy.

FLAMEAPE said...

@Avant Garble Mixtapes-

Thanks man! I still stand by my 17 year old first paid gig- no regrets.

jeff said...

There was a band of the same name -Screaming Broccoli- comprised of students who were at Plattsburgh State University (SUNY Plattsburgh) in 1987 while I attended there, haunting the campus radio Station, WPLT. Is this the same band?

Jeff Codella

Anonymous said...

reup please. Thanks!!

MFD said...
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MFD said...

I worked my college radio station back in the day (Lowell, MA), and these guys came in to do live sets/interviews, etc on my friend's show. Loved the band, and I remember them as being cool guys. I bought a cassette tape from them, and guess what I just found while cleaning out some stuff! I'm listening to it as I write this. Still fun, still great.

Jack Wallace said...

Steven is my chemistry professor at UVM, one of the questions on the test was picking him out of a band photo...had no idea he was a rocker 🤟😂

Jack Wallace said...

Steven is my college Chemistry professor haha. A question on the final was picking him out of that picture 😂

Jack Wallace said...

Steven is my college Chemistry professor haha. A question on the final was picking him out of that picture 😂

Austin P said...

Any chance we could get a reupload? The link doesn't seem to work and I can't find this album anywhere else. Thanks for sharing all this great music!

Ryan said...
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Ryan said...

full lp with bonus tracks https://youtu.be/banDabgHzG4

Go said...
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Go said...

Great shows in the 80s in Burlington! Especially w the Dead Milkmen.

I still have the sticker pictured here somewhere:
https://www.discogs.com/artist/1623584-Screaming-Broccoli

Scootermac said...

I was there in the late 80s and I would always pick broccoli and lambsbread. Or anything at the teen center over phish people like like flemmer cutty keg always put on a fun show