TEENAGE HEAD - Trouble In The Jungle

TEENAGE HEAD Trouble in the jungle LP 1985

Frantic romantic / Let her dance / Drive-in / Save your love / I can't pretend / Weekend /Splatter man / Jam up & jelly tight / Parasite / Teenage heaven / Sloppy drunk / I need your love / Little sister.

Produced by Dave Desroches & Gordon Lewis .

MCA picked up Teenage Head the next year and tried to market them to the American audience - biggest example was the adding of an 'S' to the band's name to appease those who were trying to clean up rock & roll. 1983's "Tornado" was a 6 track EP which made Head-fanatics cringe. Their previous image of 'party til you puke punks' now more closely resembled a group of Potsy Webbers - just not as cool. Featuring production work by David Bendeth, who'd filled in here and there in various capacities over the years, label execs tried to gear the rockabilly-twinged record to the college yuppies ... with disasterous results.

The band signed with Ready Records after MCA lost faith that same year. Back to their original name, a new version of the debut was re-released before year's end, with "Top Down' the single - again. The aptly-titled "Endless Party" hit the shelves in 1984, and was quickly heralded as one of the better albums in capturing a band's live stage presence. A third version of "Top Down" was now on the airwaves but again the band watched their label fold when Ready Records went under later that year. Their woes continued when Venom's living the rock and roll lifestyle a little too much led to him being fired around the same time. He went on to a number of new groups, including The L7's & Frankie Venom & The Vipers to little success. Head meanwhile shopped around for a new label.

With new vocalist Dave 'Rave' DesRoches, ex of The Shakers, they cut "Trouble In The Jungle" in 1986 on Warpt Recrods. Still doing the 'white punks on beer' they were caught in the middle of a musical change of tide, and the single "Frantic Romantic" did nothing to improve the situation. Their second release with Warpt was CAN'T STOP SHAKIN' the next year. A total commercial failure, the band foundthemselves on Fringe Records a year later, releasing "Electric Guitars" .... same result. Again the guys found themselves label-less and this time went their seperate ways, with DesRoches going on to form The Dave Rave Conspiracy and then Rave & Agnelli (with Lauren Agnelli) in later years.

Various incarnations of the band resurfaced now and then, seeing Attic reissue "Frantic City and "Some Kinda Fun" in a special combined package in 1990. A deal with OPM Records also saw the release of the debut a third time in '96. They reformed in '98 to release "Head Disorder", more mature but just as rowdy, the album featured an unlikely cameo by Burton Cummings on a pair of tracks. That same year "Bonerack" from the 1977 debut made the soundtrack to the independant film "Hardcore Logos". As well, New York's The Fleshtones covered "Tearin' Us Apart" (also from the debut) a year later. The Vapids, one of Toronto's hottest new talents, paid their own tribute by re-recording Head's entire first album in 2002. A greatest hits package is also currently in the works.

Buy it HERE!

Re-up & new rip in flac !