I'll kick things off by admitting that
Neurotica is, and is likely to remain my
Redd Kross album of choice...although there wasn't much to complain about when they turned in their follow-up,
Third Eye was there? Well, now that I think about it, I suppose I do have
one gripe about
Third Eye - it tanked commercially, thanks to a seemingly indifferent Atlantic Records, but I digress. 1987's
Neurotica is really where R/K began to dabble around the fringes of pop music, particularly the Paisley variety. Fast forward three years, and the
McDonald clan had
totally immersed themselves in bright chords and saccharine harmonies, much to the chagrin of longtime listeners who were groomed on Redd Kross' nascent punk yammerings. The genesis of the songs comprising
Third Eye weren't quite as shiny as the finished product, as evidenced by this set of demos, which include gritty, early takes of "Annie's Gone" (two versions in fact)," "Bubblegum Factory," and "1976." Better yet, there are FIVE tracks here that never even made in onto said album: "Crazy Horses," "Baby Save Me," "Hope You Feel Better," "Teen God in an Oily Cocoon," and "Left Out in the Cold Again," (that last one exhibiting some pronounced audio issues, due to a presumably dodgy source tape). Look for another Redd Kross post in the near future. By the way, unless you've been living under a rock, bassist
Steven McDonald has been lending his talents of late to
OFF! an amazing hardcore punk revival "supergroup" (a la pre-Rollins Black Flag) featuring the Circle Jerks' Keith Morris as frontman, who sounds like he hasn't missed a friggin beat.
01. Annie's Gone
02. I Don't Know How To Be Your Friend
03. Crazy Horses
04. Shonen Knife
05. Bubblegum Factory
06. Baby Save Me
07. 1976
08. Left Out in the Cold Again
09. Elephant Flairs
10. Hope You Feel Better
11. Zira (Call Out My Name)
12. Teen God in an Oily Cocoon
13. Annie's Gone
https://rapidshare.com/files/448141482/reddkross_thirdeyedemos.rar
