Flipper is one of my long-time favorites. They were an early West coast punk band, but they were a little different. They had the humor and politics of early punk, but their music set them apart. They played a bit slower than the fashion of the time, and their songs were usually driven by the rhythm section (including simple bouncy bass lines), with grinding and distorted guitar filling out the sound. They were hugely influential on other bands (one example you may have heard of: Nirvana).
Digging through the Trapezoid vault, I ran across the three Flipper singles I own. These were the only singles they released in the early 80’s and they were different. Not only musically as noted above, but these singles had a very DIY feel. They all had basic paper covers (including artwork from the band members). The “Sex Bomb” single (I just rediscovered my copy is on red vinyl – woohoo!) featured individually hand-made covers with hand stamped Flipper logos. (You can see more photos here on my facebook page.)
So what do you get with these three singles?
Their first single “Love Canal” is definitively NOT the humorous song in this bunch; it’s a brutal commentary on the Love Canal disaster that emerged back in the 1970’s. The grinding music and vocal delivery perfectly deliver the message. The flip side “Ha Ha Ha,” on the other hand, does have humor, commenting on the banality of the predictable lives led by some, what with their shopping and cheating on their spouses.
Next up is the classic “Sex Bomb.” A repetitive lyric line (slight variations on the phrase “She’s a sex bomb, baby, yeah!”) and lots of yelps and yelling and other loud vocal gymnastics, the grinding guitar, and the simple but really catchy bass line. They add some sound effects, including the whistle of falling bombs, car crashes and other background effects to increase the chaos as the song goes on. Funny and great, and surprising cathartic if you want to sing along. The B-side is “Brainwash” a 25 second song that’s a got little faster beat than their other tunes. Did I say 25 seconds? Actually, it ends and, after a moment of silence, repeats exactly again…and again…and again…for about six and a half minutes. The run out grove on the single kept going, repeating “you wouldn’t understand anyway” until you turned the record off. Theoretically you could listen forever.
The third single in the group is “Get Away.” It maintains the same style of bouncy rhythm and grinding distorted guitar, with lyrics about friends who seem to be having a tough time. The traditional children’s song “The Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly” is on the other side. It’s not only a test of your stamina, but brings out the absolute weirdness and sickness of the song. The vocalist, appropriately, gets more incredulous as song goes along. And one little unusual feature of this 7-inch record, “Lady” is 33rpm vs. the normal 45rpm. You can get all these songs (and more) on the compilation “Sex Bomb Baby.” That and “Album – Generic Flipper” would be the best places to start if you are new to this.
As a side note, before she became Mrs. Trapezoid, my talented then-girlfriend knew the way to a man’s heart was through his music. She made me the most excellent shirt you see above. The quote on the back was from something on the cover of their “Gone Fishin’” album: “Flipper suffered for their music, now it’s your turn.” Perfect.