Crazyhead - Desert Orchid

There will always be those that are hopelessly stuck the past. They say things like “They just don’t write songs like they used to,” or “The scene was so much better back in the day.” After a while, it becomes as cliché as the new music they’re criticizing in the first place. No matter how much I might think it sometimes, I don’t say it, because everyone has their own special time with discovering music that reminds them of a certain period in their lives, and I am in no position to pass judgment. On top of that, I just don’t want to be that annoying old guy. But one thing I will say without reservation is that the way we used to shop for music (and still do to some limited extent) blows away the current practice. I’m referring specifically to the practice of shopping at real record stores to discover and obtain one’s music. And buying is just a part of it. Record stores provide exposure. You have to pick through columns and stacks to find what you want, thus discovering new stuff along the way.
It was through this process as young record store hound that I discovered the little-known UK band Crazyhead. Its original release hit during a very cool time for rock ‘n’ roll. Various sectors of punk, hard rock and other subgenres had begun to come together to forge a temporary underground scene that would see the likes of Jane’s Addiction, The Cult, Guns N’ Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers soon become mainstream. There were many copyists who’d also rise the ranks, as well as other bands that would never truly get their due. Crazyhead was one of those latter bands. I discovered the band by scouring the bargain bins for stuff to fill out my collection. I remember seeing copies of the band’s Desert Orchid album, which is generally an indication that no one really bought actual copies, just the opened promos that littered the stores. I decided to take a chance, mainly because the mangy looking band had an image that was similar to some other bands I liked. The sounds, however, were different from anything I’d ever heard.
The band was part of the short-lived “Grebo” scene that included other Anglo oddities such as Zodiac Mindwarp, The Wonderstuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Gaye Bykers on Acid. Largely thought to be a creation of the UK music media, the scene consisted of bands too smart for their own good, some of which mixed genres such as rock and punk with hip hop and/or industrial production effects. From the outside, the only commonality this clutch of impertinent young bands had was a penchant for scraggly hair, bad hygiene and mismatched clothes. In spite of the fact that it hailed from the same confines, Crazyhead had its own thing going altogether. Mixing a toxic combination of classic punk, ’60s garage rock and street glam with a heaping dose of black humour, courtesy of vocalist Anderson, the sound was dirty and lean, but surprising hooky and melodic (Think The Cramps meet Cheap Trick).