Tuxedomoon was a local art-punk band that I found by way of The Residents. Ralph had signed them and then of course I just had to have their whole back catalogue.
Their first couple of EPs, Tuxedomoon and Scream With A View were particularly great because they seemed so enigmatic. Self-released, hardly any liner notes, bizarre cover images, and the band seemed to change identities completely from song to song. Check today’s offerings below from Tuxedomoon’s scarce debut EP, which has them swinging from Kraftwerk-y electro-pop to prog to Wire-style freakouts. (Compounding this, the other tracks on the EP were avant-garde classical and a Cole Porter cover.) Plus they were the only ‘punk’ band around sporting a line-up of melodramatic actor lead singer, alto saxophone, bass and viola.
Once they were on Ralph, the production started to de-muddy and I gradually lost interest in them, especially after 1981′s Desire. Tuxedomoon’s sometimes lead singer, Winston Tong, could also be just… a… bit… TOO MUCH TOO MUCH TOO MUCH TOO MUCH. That last sentence is a pretty good demonstration of Tong he might have sung that line.
The reason I bring them up is because the band is making its first appearance in San Francisco in a very long time this weekend. I’m committed to a birthday party, but I’m thinking I’m going to go out and see these guys, as I was too young to pay my respects at the time. Tuxedomoon picked up and left the Bay Area for Rotterdam shortly after Ralph’s implosion in 1981, so this is really a rare thing. Always more popular in Europe, this should prove to be a classic “triumphant homecoming.”
As far as I know, Tuxedomoon has no material available in the US right now, though there is a re-release program under way in France. With all the other Class of 1980 folk coming around, surely some enterprising label should have an interest in cleaning up the original tapes and re-issuing them.
[Soundtrack - tracks from the debut EP]
Tuxedomoon – New Machine.mp3
Tuxedomoon – No Tears.mp3
Confessional: Tuxedomoon’s Half-Mute is the only item I ever shoplifted. From Rasputins Records. So now my secret is out. Ken Sarachan, if you want your $7 back, drop me a line.
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TM is the greatest band in the world…
cabe from Argentina.
Ah, it all makes sense now.
The Residents, this track i had Luther Blisset, excellent.
Thanks so much for this post!
Nice life you have here.
Shawn-
Yah beat me to it…I’m gonna link your post, if you don’t mind. Good choice of songs as well. I’m looking forward to the show this Saturday, let me know if you go, we should at least say hi to each other.
darren
they’re playing a ‘secret’ show 48 hours from now (ie wednesday) at rickshaw stop (155 Fell at van ness)
http://www.rickshawstop.com
Really? Desire is where you lost interest? Why, I think it’s their best one! Not such a big fan of Half-Assed, although “What Use?” is one of the best singles of the decade.