Question Men - We Could Be Wrong LP, 1983
Here again I'm posting album covers with flaws because like I said before, if I tried to fix these flaws in photoshop, it would fuck up other cool things about the sleeve.
This band from San Francisco were just plain dinky and wacky. And I mean look - the saxaphone player is named Butch and they have TWO Seths playing bass & drums! Two Seths in the band! Yikes. And look at that sleeve. I mean get one art designer, right? And quit with the Miami Vice clothes. Seriously. But I give these guys points just for being bizarre. This is like Devo's younger, square brother with an Ivy League education. This probably came from the same planet B-52's did. In some ways, they're unsufferably bad, but I still think this entire album should be the soundtrack to some creepy Twilight Zone movie set in a SF apartment.
Trouser Press Record Guide gave it high marks:
Although bands who name their record label after a Kafka character are immediately suspect, the casual cover photo of We Could Be Wrong rules out any grand pretensions this unique San Francisco quartet (which contains some former Units) might harbor. An uncommon lineup — bass, drums, sax and keyboards — provides a fascinating jazzy rock sound which underscores the songs. The title track, unlike its surroundings, is bouncy, likable and routine; otherwise, an uneasiness derives from the hollow, rhythmically complex arrangements and amelodic sax excursions. A slowly pulsing version of the Beatles' "Getting Better" pushes the mood a bit more upbeat, but is not likely to be mistaken for the original. Fans of offbeat rock will find the talented and inquisitive Question Men well worth a listen.
Check out their insane (and sterile) cover of Beatles' "Getting Better".
I'm delighted they have a song called "Spring Cleaning" because I found this a particularly nice album to listen to while cleaning my apartment.
These guys were never destined for fame, but they tried. And that's more than a lot of us do. Also the synths are srsly LOL on side 2.
6 comments:
Wow. It's trippy, to see someone reviewing this album just a few months ago. I had a good laugh with this one about a year ago with friends while we were a bit drunk. Now it's a running joke, singing the chorus of "I could be wrong" randomly just to conjure up the image of Butch and the Seths. Oh lordy.... Thanks for the in depth look at the Question Men and their gem of an album. I just wish there was some YouTube fodder.
Haha, thanks for your comment! I'm really glad to share the knowledge of this record with someone else. Yeah, it never occured to me to look on You Tube for these guys, but that would have been great to see.
Geez-- it'd be fantastic if you could repost this. I first encountered the LP in 1993 and have wanted to hear it again ever since.
Yeah, I'll be happy to repost this one soon.
For years I thought I'd been hallucinating the video I saw something like 25 years ago on, I think, 'Night Flight' for these guys' song "K. Goes Surfing." But no, you've confirmed my sanity (or at least my ability to recall '80s music ephemera). Now if only aomeone would post THAT on YouTube. T'anks for the memories, dude...
Oh, I know I'm tired of this album, but I'd soooo like to see a video of these guys. I mean, I can't even describe how much.
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