GREAT OPENING TRACKS ON LPs (Part 4)

Continuing the series of great non-singles which open up LPs.

Back at the beginning of the 1990s, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine vied for my favourite act of the moment. As much as I loved their punningly-clever lyrics over some incredibly catchy, machine-driven tunes, it really was all down to the energy, vibrancy and sheer fun of the live shows that made Jim Bob and Fruitbat so special.

The first time I caught them live was in early 1991 at the old Glasgow Tech Students Union, when I was quite possibly (at the age of 27!!) the oldest person there. It wasn't by any means the first time they had played in my home city, but it was certainly the last tour they did relatively unnoticed as it was just a few months before the release of the LP that provided the commercial breakthrough. Within six months or so, they were selling out the Barrowlands.

They were certainly an act that played for the sheer hell of it. It was just two men with loud guitars backed by a drum machine, having a good time and ensuring their audience had as much fun as they did.

Oh and they were accompanied by their good mate and road manager, Jon the Beast - an overweight bespectacled bloke who took off his shirt and introduced the band each evening....

It was the constant touring that paid off for the band - they seemed to constantly be on the road playing every town in the UK, turning up at places where no other pop/rock acts had seemingly been in years. They certainly worked hard for the money.

The early releases came out on a small London-based indie label, but in 1991 they signed to the daddy of the indies - Rough Trade - and set out to conquer the charts. Then it was onto a major label in the shape of Chrysalis...

Over the next three or four years, they burned relatively brightly with a succession of Top 20 singles and regular appearances on Top of the Pops. And still they constantly toured.....

But just as suddenly as they had found themselves flavour of the month, they soon fell out of fashion, and by 1997 it was all over.

Listening nowadays to Carter USM remains a very enjoyable experience. I think its fair to say they were a better singles band than album band, but every release does have a handful of non-singles songs that were pretty special.

Including this fabulous tribute to Jon the Beast, which became the traditional opening song of so many tours:-

mp3 : Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine - Surfin USM

The opening monologue is taken from 90s UK sci-fi spoof Red Dwarf. It's an observation that I certainly can attest to......

A full story of the band can be found at this official website. You should also check out one of the best books ever written about being in a rock band.