Loretta – “Bleach My Brain”
There’s a song by the Nervous Eaters. They were and are, one of the best bands of the early Boston punk scene and they still play gigs and record to this day.
And their most popular song, was and is, “(When I Talk To) Loretta.”
And it still is one my favorite locals songs of all time. Lots of energy, passion, swagger and excitement with falsetto, New York Dolls backing vocals that emulate the early sixties “Girl Groups” who made great music, too.
This band is an all female punk band called Loretta.
And I’m guessing they don’t even know that song. But, in fact, I’m really hoping that they don’t. Because it would just be more poignant that a band, that so perfectly expresses the sound and wildness of the early Boston punk scene, just happened to pick that name.
A lot of this bands rhythms are a little shaky. A lot of their song arrangements go off the expected track. While the vocals veer off the conventional key pattern, at times.
That being said, I think this recording is nearly perfect.
Because it’s punk in all it’s overflow of passion, it’s punk in its’ pure, naïve honesty. It’s punk in its’ knowing snarling, sarcastic bite- jaded and innocent at the same time.
Loretta has captured the sound and the feeling of punk. And there’s nothing more than that I love to hear.
Let’s take this recording for a test drive:
After some slammin’, garage-in’, punkin’ guitar chords and a drum beat that will not hold back, “Don’t Wanna” storms in with a Ramones like tornado of sound with the lyrics, “Stopped by a liquor store to grab some beer. Didn’t expect to see you here. We make small talk, ask what’s new? You’ve got a new girl. Hey! Good for you.” I don’t wanna walk around tonight if I’m gonna see you!” Snarling, dissonant vocals, rocking guitars and boisterous beats smash into your brain and senses, causing audio excitement and over-sensory ectasy and elation. In conclusion, you get a great, punk rock song.
“On The Loose” moves with a more hardcore beat that reminds one both, of early X and the great, Connecticut all-female hardcore band, Damn Broads. It’s a perfect combination of catchy melodies with abrasive turns, kind of the sweet with the sour. “I was a nice girl but I can’t take it no more. I was a nice girl, but now I say no more.” Lyrics that relate to women being treated as second class and a song that relates the anger and fury of being treated as such. And though the righteous notion to change this hasn’t come to fruition- yet. This song has certainly succeded.
“Dentist said I’d look all right if it wasn’t for my smile. I don’t smile, anyways, “How about my scowl?” “Jeans Too Tight” rips at a hardcore pace but with punk vocals and attitude. There’s an instrumental part towards the end of this song that is true, magical ectasy. The song lyrics say, “Going out tonight, looking for you.” But also implies, that if you don’t acccept me for who I am, you might be the one going to the dentist! But if your encounter matches the worth of this song, then paradise awaits you! My favorite song on this release.
“I’m flat broke despite all the damn overtime. I can’t sleep with all this shit on my mind. Don’t need the news, I’m already sad. I’ve got the blues, never had them so bad.” This is a garage/punk/riot grrl blues taken at a moderate speed. This is “Laundromat” a song to listen to when your life is stuck in the spin cycle. “Gimme Chlorox, bleach my brain and wring it out.” (Of all of its’ negative energies). This song rocks and punks in a riot grrl kind of way. It seems to suggest a wonderful collaboration between Poly Styrene (X-Ray Spec) and Johnny Thunders that never happened. But still, this song is rich in value, even without one second of overtime.
This band is pure, perfect punk because, to my ears, and I was there at it’s immaculate conception- they sound and write like an early punk band. Whether it be from New York, Boston, London or L.A. They have the riot grrl sound within them, too- which to me, saying this is just redundant.
They make my ears perk up, my lips form a smile, maybe cause me to drink too much, get my engines revved up.
Is punk dead some folks ask? Well, I don’t think so. Not until passion, excitement and fun is a thing of the past and there are no more misfits in the world.
I see and hear the same kind of folks and music that I did back in ’77. So explain to me how it’s different?
And maybe when the Nervous Eaters were writing that song “Loretta” they were actually, singing about this band, after all.
(Slimedog)
