Legendary, that is, to those of us lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time, catching hold of them in the few months between their meteoric rise to fame and their spectacular drug and alcohol fueled demise. If you didn't have your ear to the ground at this particular time you probably missed them - and your life was no doubt poorer for that!
So how do you describe them? One obvious touchstone is Guns 'n' Roses. The Sea Hags emerged from the glam-sleaze-hair-(insert your preferred label here) era where every major label was trawling the sunset strip for their own bargain basement GnR. As a result, the Sea Hags were unfairly labeled by some as opportunistic bandwagon jumpers. There are also pop (particularly Cheap Trick) and psychedelic influences to their sound, and a punk element to both their attitude and sound. A punk element coincidently mirroring the Sex Pistols, with their implosion after one album proper and the subsequent death of bassist Chris Schlosshardt from a heroin overdose. But please don't let the glam-metal reference put you off. I'm not a fan of the genre at all (give me GnR, Sea Hags, and Vain, forget the rest). I love the Sea Hags because they f%@#ing rock!
The Sea Hags cut their teeth in a parallel universe to GnR - the parallel universe of San Francisco, where a much more diverse and interesting local music scene (think Faith No More, Primus, etc.) was happening than the derivative, careerist scene of LA. The Sea Hags developed their schtick well before GnR made it big, and were already playing many of the tracks from their debut album at that time. Albeit as a three piece, with vocalist Ron Yocom also handling lead guitar duties - or as he describes his playing in the albums re-issue liner notes "abstract noise and no real technique!" The band and their sound was tarted up a little for major label release to the great unwashed masses - Mike Clink of GnR fame was brought in to produce their album, on the condition they replaced their drummer and brought in a lead guitarist - enter Adam Maples and Franky Wilsey, respectively.
What we have here is the Sea Hags collector's re-issue, comprising the debut album and two bonus demo tracks. The album kicks of with Half the way valley, described by Yocom in the liner notes as "our answer to GnR's It's So Easy" (except better in my opinion!), though the main driving riff shares some similarities to GnR's Reckless Life, albeit slowed down a fraction. Doghouse follows, described by some as a Stooges rip-off, but sounds more like Toys in the attic era Aerosmith to these ears. This track was originally titled Hammer in the bag, based on a revenge fantasy dreamt up by Yocom regarding a junkie who stole his hidden stash of cash! One of the standout tracks is the poppy Someday, written by Brian Marnell of local San Franciscan legends SVT. Poppy, but also sexy and sinister - the unholy trinity in one song! Other highlights include the sleazy In the mood for love, another slice of pop-rock heaven in Miss Fortune, and my personal fave, the punky, driving Three's a charm, again in the vein of GnR's It's So Easy (except, you guessed it, better!). The two demos, Doghouse and Half the way valley, provide an intriguing glimpse of the band prior to selling their soul to the big bad major labels.
I've also included a live recording the band made for Westwood One. This includes some non album cuts such as Red blue jeans and a pony tail by Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps (from 1956!) and The Yardbirds/Aerosmith's Think About it.
Sea Hags - Self titled (collectors re-issue)
1. Half the Way Valley
2. Doghouse
3. Too Much T-Bone
4. Someday
5. Back to the Grind
6. Bunk bed Creek
7. In the Mood for Love
8. Miss Fortune
9. All the Time
10. Three's a Charm
11. Under the Night Stars
12. Doghouse (demo)
13. Half the Way Valley (demo)
MP3
FLAC Pt1, FLAC Pt2, FLAC Pt3, FLAC Pt4
Sea Hags - Westwood One High Voltage In Concert
Broadcast June 1991
01 - Half the Way Valley
02 - Doghouse
03 - Back to the Grind
04 - Three's a Charm
05 - Miss Fortune
06 - Too Much T-bone
07 - Red blue jeans and a pony tail
08 - Bunk bed Creek
09 - Think about it
MP3
FLAC Pt1, Pt2, Pt3
