The U-Men
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This article is about the rock band, for the X-Men villains see U-Men (comics)
| The U-Men | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Years active | 1981–1988 |
| Genres | Psychobilly Grunge Garage Rock Post-Punk |
| Labels | Bombshelter Records Homestead Records C/Z Records Sub Pop Records El Jefe Records Black Label Records Amphetamine Reptile Chuckie-Boy Records |
| Members | John Bigley Tom Price Robin Buchan Charlie Ryan Jim Tillman Tom Hazelmyer Tony Ransom |
The U-Men were a Seattle-based rock band active in the early to late 1980s. They toured extensively across America and even had a song by the Butthole Surfers named in their honor. Their musically "dirty" sound was a forerunner for the later grunge bands to come out of Seattle.
Contents |
[edit] History
Fronted by the enigmatic vocalist John Bigley, the U-Men (whose members also included Tom Price, Charlie "Chaz" Ryan, Robin Buchan, Jim Tillman, Tom Hazelmyer and later Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom) pioneered their own unique brand of alternative rock which could best be described as "swamp-o'-billy". Together with Northwest contemporaries Girl Trouble (a force of garage "hipness" in their own right), the U-Men emerged to fill the void left some 16 years previous with the disappearance of Northwest garage legends The Sonics, The Wailers, and The Ventures. They updated this traditional Northwest sound with more modern punk rock and post-punk influences most notably The Cramps and Nick Cave's original group The Birthday Party.
Largely through word of mouth, rumor, showmanship and the occasional alcohol inspired dust up, the U-Men quickly acquired a dedicated cult following and well deserved reputation for mayhem, both on and off the stage. Through it all, the U-Men managed to survive largely intact (the exception being bass players) until 1988 when the core of the group (John, Charlie, and Tom) decided that the experiment had run its course. Tom Price would move on to form Gas Huffer and also play in supergroup The Monkeywrench while John and Charlie would co-found The Crows. Tom Hazelmyer had already founded Amphetamine Reptile Records before leaving the U-Men and also played in Halo of Flies. Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom would disappear from the local music scene entirely, relocating to (as speculation would have it) Alaska, while Jim Tillman resurfaced to play bass for Love Battery, among others.
[edit] Band Members
- John Bigley - vocals
- Tom Price - guitar
- Robin Buchan - bass (1981-1982)
- Charlie Ryan - drums
- Jim Tillman - bass (1982-1987)
- Tom Hazelmyer - bass (1987-1988)
- Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom - bass (1988)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Singles/EPs
- U-Men EP (Bombshelter Records, 1984).
- Stop Spinning EP (Homestead Records, 1985).
- "Solid Action" b/w "Dig It A Hole" (Black Label Records, 1987).
- "Freezebomb" b/w/ "That's Wild About Jack" (Amphetamine Reptile, 1988).
[edit] Compilation/Soundtrack contributions
- "They" on the Deep Six compilation (C/Z Records, 1986).
- "Shoot 'Em Down (live)" on the Woodshock '85 compilation (El Jefe Records, 1986).
- "Gila" on the Sub Pop 100 compilation (Sub Pop Records, 1986).
- "Bad Little Woman" on the Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking In The Streets, Vol. 1 compilation (Amphetamine Reptile, 1988).
- "Bad Little Woman" on the Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking In The Streets, Vols. 1-3 compilation (Amphetamine Reptile, 1989).
- "Dig It A Hole" on the Hype! soundtrack (Sub Pop Records, 1996).
