THE SUBURBS and THE SUICIDE COMMANDOS
Public on sale: Saturday, October 9 at 10:00am
THE SUBURBS
The Suburbs were formed in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, MN in 1977 following introductions by Chris Osgood of the Suicide Commandos. Following live performances, they released The Suburbs on the Twin/Tone label (the label's first release) in early 1978. The record was a nine-song 7-inch red vinyl EP. The band also saw two songs, "Urban Guerrillas" and "Ailerons O.K.", included on the compilation Big Hits of Mid-America, Volume Three. Band guitarist Bruce C. Allen did the art direction for the compilation. The band's popularity increased during the early to mid 1980s, and during this time, their new wave dance sound, eclectic lyrics, and stage presence gained a following that broke out of the Midwest and reached both coasts. In 1980 Twin/Tone released their first full length LP, In Combo. A year later they released the double album Credit In Heaven which added elements of jazz, funk, and disco to the mix.
BLOG :: FACEBOOK :: TWINTONE :: WIKIPEDIA
In 1982 the band released a 12-inch single "Waiting," which frequently found its way onto dance club playlists. An EP Dream Hog followed on Twin/Tone, featuring three new songs and a remix of "Waiting" on the B-side, all produced by Steven Greenberg of Funkytown and Lipps Inc fame. Greenberg then brought the Suburbs to the attention of Mercury Records, which added them to their roster in 1983. Mercury started by re-issuing Dream Hog. By this time, the band's live performances were muscular and funky, attracting rabid fans and keeping the band busy as an opening act for the likes of Iggy Pop and The B-52's, as well as headliners in their own right. In 1983 Polygram released Love is the Law, a harder-rocking album that included a horn section and some of their most off-beat lyrics, also produced by Steven Greenberg.
In 1986 the Suburbs signed with A&M Records and released The Suburbs produced by Prince's Revolution drummer Bobby Z (Robert Brent). Frustrated by a lack of radio play and abandoned by the major labels, the band broke up in 1987. In 1992 Twin/Tone released Ladies and Gentlemen, The Suburbs Have Left the Building, a best-of compilation, and in 1994 a live record Viva! Suburbs!. The Suburbs reunited during this period and played numerous shows in the Twin Cities, and have played on and off since that time including opening once more for the B-52's in 2003. In 2004 Chan Poling formed The New Standards with John Munson and Steve Roehm. Guitarist Bruce Allen died December 7, 2009 at age 54.
THE SUICIDE COMMANDOS
What Twin Cities band has the honor of being named both the best and the worst band by the City Pages in one issue? The Suicide Commandos formed in 1974 when guitarist Chris Osgood and drummer Dave Ahl asked bassist Steve Almaas to join their new band, thus becoming one of the very first punk rock groups of the era, one whose career roughly paralleled (rather than mimicked) the emergence of the Ramones in Queens, New York. The trio jump-started the Minneapolis punk scene with their arrival at the legendary Longhorn Bar in the spring of 1976. The Suicide Commandos released independent singles in 1976 and 1977 before becoming one of two crucial bands (the other being Cleveland’s Pere Ubu) to sign with Polydor's short-lived Blank label in 1977. Their debut LP, Make a Record, failed to capture the excitement of their live shows, and did not catch on nationally. After a West Coast tour, the band felt that they had peaked, and deemed it wise to go out in a blaze of glory rather than to fizzle out slowly. The Suicide Commandos played their last official shows together at the Longhorn in November of 1978. There are those of us who were there who will swear up and down that the Suicide Commandos remain the greatest rock and roll band to ever emerge from the Twin Cities.
