Blackouts - Lost Souls Club
Seattle's contribution to a fractured late seventies US new wave scene were The Blackouts who after two rare single/EPs and a one rather good single on the Situation 2 label in the UK headed east and eventually linked up with Ministry's Al Jourgensen.
The band's sound had matured from unremarkable garage new wave/punk to post-punk dub, much akin to the output of early Public Image and The Pop Group. The band's Men In Motion 12" EP (released in 1980) is a long lost classic which tends to fetch silly money on the second-hand market.
Lost Souls Club is a three track EP released on Wax Trax Records after the band split in 1985. The band's sound had matured further with Al Jourgensen at the production desk. Everglades is a twelve and a half minute dubset with frontman Erich Werner's Lydon-like screams and chants making it very clear the band had spent a lot of time listening to Metal Box.
Flip over to dirge ridden, goth-grunge toe tappers Idiot and Writhing - not this scribes cup of tea, but you can see how Ministry's sound developed as three members of The Blackouts joined Ministry with Jourgensen and were also to figure on Pailhead and Pigface releases.
Ripped from a three track 12" vinyl EP released in 1985 on Wax Trax! Records (WAX 006) to high resolution and high quality 24-bit FLAC audio.
A. Everglades
B1. Idiot
B2. Writhing
