The Avengers – “Pink Album”
The Avengers is an early San Francisco punk band that was popular enough locally to open up for The Sex Pistols on their last show of their first American tour, right before they split up. Along with Richard Hell & The Voidoids they are my favorite early punk bands.
They displayed passionate, emotional vocals along with intense, political lyrics and exciting, energetic, electrifying punk music. And they didn’t forget to put meaningful lyrics along with catchy, anthemic choruses in their songs.
And they still play some gigs to this day.
Let’s commence with the dual texting of their only true album, seems The Pistols had only one true album, too!
Slimedog- I first became aware of The Avengers through an EP they made, produced by Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, that was played on local college stations in the late seventies. In fact, The Avengers opened up for The Sex Pistols in San Francisco, which turned out to be the Pistols last gig as a band.
Andy- Ya apparently they formed in 77 and only lasted a couple of years. But once their tunes started getting some play, they grew in popularity. I guess they occasionally gig to this day.
Slimedog- I found a tape in a used record store, sometime in the eighties, that had the EP songs, plus about ten other songs recorded at the same time. After hearing that I became a huge fan. They finally toured for the first time in the nineties. I’ve seen them twice in Cambridge (TT the Bears) and once at Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. I even befriended the singer, Penelope, a bit. She suffers from a bit of stage fright and the second time she played TT’s, she gripped my arm, just before heading towards the stage. I still recall that!
Andy- Cool.
Slimedog- Meeting her was equivalent to what most people would have meeting some big star like Bono or Mick Jagger or whoever. Anyways, I just thought they had wild energy and passionate punk songs. Were you familiar with them?
Andy- I only became aware of them from you raving about them. They have some cool tunes and a nice edgy early punk vibe.
Slimedog- Like “We Are The One.” Does the lick sound familiar to you?
Andy- Ya the entire song sounds familiar. Kinda reminds me of The Go Go’s.
Slimedog- I hear that- but it’s the same exact lick for “Better Off Dead” by the great, early Boston punk band La Peste.
Andy- Hmm, I’ll take your word for it. The lyrics however are slightly different.
Slimedog- Folks have to understand, these were two unknown bands on different coasts of America. I doubt either band was aware of the other in their forming stages. This was the first song I heard by them. With its’unique chorus this song is eccentric, exuberant with mounds of energy!
Andy- True. Penelope sings with a lot of passion and I’m sure influenced a lot of young ladies to take up the punk torch.
Slimedog- She said her big influence was Patti Smith, which makes sense though her songs don’t reflect this influence. Joan Jett has been a huge influence on female musicians and the next song, “Car Crash” sounds to me like Joan Jett fronting The Stooges.
Andy- Ya a bit more abrasive with a really cool guitar. I like how the vocals add soft melodic inflections to an other wise loud hard charging tune.
Slimedog- Another different and great chorus and I always like when a song self-destructs into pure noise.
Andy- Ya that’s vintage Stooges stuff.
Slimedog- “The American In Me” starts with a kind of surf lick that reminds me of The Dead Kennedy’s, another great SF punk band, that arose a few years later. This song is intense and political with a twist on a John F. Kennedy quote.
Andy- At first I thought it was “R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.” Then it was like I was listening to Green Day with a female singer.
Slimedog- Ha, Billie Jo Armstrong is a big fan of hers and they have collaborated together. This song has a fairly, straight forward rock beat but with a lot of bite, both lyrically and musically. To me it sounds like Patti Smith singing with The Sex Pistols! Next is “I Believe In Brie.”
Andy- A positive tune with a lot of attitude.
Slimedog- Yes, I’m positive I like cheese.
Andy- All cheeses or just brie?
Slimedog- All- cheese is my favorite food, at least, next to head lice. But, alas, the song is actually called, “I Believe In Me,” a nice mix of bravado and vulnerability, which a lot of early punk songs contain. I love the chorus, “I believe in me, I make my dreams- real.” The verses were improvised on the spot at the recording as they still are when they perform live, today.
Andy- There are some stinky cheeses like Limburger that I don’t care for. I see what you mean about the verses. Just seems to be spouting stuff on the fly.
Slimedog- Patti Smith did that a lot. All cheeses are not tasty but head lice I find, uniformly exquisite. Local band, The Spoilers, about ten years ago, I liked so much because I thought they sounded like The Avengers. Turned out they had never heard of them!
Andy- I think they had similar vocals and pop punk vibe.
Slimedog- True, and The Spoilers played “Thin White Line” by The Avengers at my going away party, eleven years ago. Well, next time it’s your pick and I hear you’re leaning towards The Eagles, “I Got A Dreary, Dreadfully, Dull Feeling.”
Andy- Well, I was, but now you got me thinking about cheese so I may have to switch it up and go with “The Cheese Song” by The Moldy Peaches. If you haven’t heard it you’re in for a treat.
Slimedog- That’s so cheesy!
