A quick note: I was unhappy with the quality of the first two sides, so I re-recorded them. These new recordings are available to download now.

Alright, it’s time for side 3 of the Urgh! soundtrack, my favorite side of the album, featuring a few of my favorite artists of all-time.

Devo – Uncontrollable Urge
Ah, Devo, the best thing to come ouf of Ohio since…well…probably ever (I should know I’m from the freaking shithole). They made lampshades and jumpsuits cool, created some of the best videos ever and even managed to piss off Gloria “I give left-wingers and feminists a bad name” Steinam, because she thought the video to Whip It was sexist. That’s like, some awesome triple-crown of rocking out in my book.

Echo And The Bunnymen – The Puppet
I’ve already mentioned that Echo And The Bunnymen are probably the best-named band of all time (Number 2: Butthole Surfers, Number 3: Deadboy & The Elephant Men) and they are also one of the best bands of the decade. I sadly did not discover them until seeing Donnie Darko a few years ago, and I don’t know how I made it so long without them. They’re like a less-depressing version of The Cure to me.

The Au Pairs – Come Again
I don’t know much about The Au Pairs, but any left-wing political post-punk band fronted by a liberal feminist lesbian has my vote. This MP3 has some skips in it, but it’s the best I could do, it’s the only one on my album that’s scratched. If anyone has a better copy email me and I’ll replace the link.

The Cramps – Tear It Up
They practically invented ‘Psychobilly’ music and did it better than anyone else ever did (Sorry Rev. Horton Heat fans.) This freaky live cut shows that lead singer Lux Interior moans into a microphone like nobody’s business. His freakish gyrating and aural antics create one of the highlights of Urgh! and it is his incredibly intense face that graces the cover of the VHS release.

Joan Jett & The Blackheats – Bad Reputation
Sure, almost all of her greatest hits were covers…but they were really good covers. I don’t think anyone could do better versions of “Crimson & Clover”, “Do You Wanna Touch Me”, and of course, “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” than Joan Jett did. Her newer stuff is surprisingly solid too, with her X-rated hard-rocker “Fetish” from 1999 a career highlight.

Pere Ubu – Birdies
Without Pere they’d be no Frank Black. Okay, well maybe not – but Pere was the FIRST pudgy bald punk-rocker to make an impact on the music scene. I don’t know much about the Cleveland native, but everything I’ve heard I’ve like.

Gary Numan – Down In The Park
Time for me to gush uncontrollably. To say I love Gary Numan is an understatement. He’s probably the most underrated musician of his generation, and anyone who calls him a one-hit-wonder needs a serious kick in the crotch. His first three albums are three of the best electronic albums ever recorded, and without his amazing influence modern rock music would be a very different place. He’s been unfairly viewed as pretentious and selfish, when in actually he has a mild form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome which severely hurts his social skills.

He did hit a pretty bad career slump that lasted through the second half of the 80s and into the 90s, but his reinvention as a gothic/industrial artist sparked a creative rebirth in his music that continues into his most recent release, the very excellent Jagged. If you’re looking to get into Gary Numan, the 1997 greatest hits comp Premier Hits is a good starting point. I could gush about the genius of Gary Numan all night so I’m just going to stop now. But this isn’t the last time Gary Numan will grace Lost Turntable…not by a long shot.

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