Suicidal Tendencies - An Evolution
My introduction with Suicidal Tendencies began in the early 90s. I was partially aware of some of the skate and punk movements, but I wasn't as interested as most of my peers. I remember the ethos of style, attitude, and locality. Many of the skate bands came from the Southern California coastal areas, which shaped a lot of the underground scene (at that time).
A lot of the attitude relied on surf culture, but also a urban aspect that carried over to the suburban lifestyle. This is my understanding of the birth of that style.I feel its been young persons interest, as I haven't kept up as youthful angst doesn't fit a forty year old mindset.
Of the entire Suicidal Tendencies era, I lean more toward the self titled record. Following all the way through until their last with the major label Epic records: Suicidal For Life in 1994. What the group produced in the later half of the 90's I was aware of, some of it was okay, I didn't connect with any of it.
The first S.T. record I could relate because of the angst, hormones, and frustrations with finding an identity in a world with so many contradictions. This splintered outwards at my awkwardness, and those songs in that world to me felt more allegorical, and spoke more closely to my predilections.
Each record up til Suicidal For Life had a kind of evolution. I postulate that they moved from a garage Do It Yourself (DIY) hardcore/crossover mechanic (indie), eventually morphing and settling into an extremely well polished and heavily produced studio machine.
I got the brief opportunity to seeing Suicidal Tendencies play during their The Art of Rebellion jaunt with Megadeth with the Headbangers Ball tour in 1992. A critical issue/fault I had was frontman Mike Muir was barely audible, and in a live setting tended to be drowned out by the overpowered amps, drums, and bass.
Plus Mike's definitely can be a bit redundant with bravado, as he preached at that time (i.e. material off of Controlled By Hatred, Lights, Camera, Revolution, and The Art of Rebellion). The musicianship was always the focal point, and I couldn't fault their performance based on Mike's hard to decipher vocals.
The band could play their asses off, yet I think they were a studio band and I may have been a tad too late to their brand (shtick). I think if I had lived in the Venice Beach area and seen this band starting out, it wouldn't have felt like a strange experience.
Studious pieces of this band I liked were the guitar tones of Mike Clark, and Rocky George. bassists Louiche Mayorga, and Robert Trujillo. These gents stood out to me as they really gave their style and sound around the ethos of the band.
Many drummers have come and gone, but I can distinctly tell which record is from which era. The production is very much in line with the times it was created (80's raw, higher treble mixed, early 90's more bass driven, drum snare pops).
One guitarist that I think stood out for them was Rocky George. His time with Suicidal Tendencies brought soul to the wild noodle fest that permeated so much of the crossover style. His work with Join The Army and until Suicidal For Life have tone that punch which stands out.
Rocky's style (I believe) has this tendency of elongating notes and feeling out the performance which stood out to me, I still feel he accentuates Mike Clark's playing, and they feed off each other with a push pull component, kind of like a mechanical gear. After 1994's Suicidal For Life he dropped off the face of the Earth for awhile. It wasn't until the late 2000's I found out he was in Fishbone, and to me that is super cool. I will also say he is a hard gentleman to talk to.
Their older material levied an informative component to it. Though Suicidal Tendencies are still around, being on either a fourth or fifth incarnation, and with a different line ups, they still pack them in outside of the U.S.
The way we look at bands and how they evolve is a testament in how we ourselves develop over the duration of those careers. Because I can be a brutally honest with assessing the overall complexion, this band was another solid beacon for me in troubled times.
Though time and distance have elongated from when they were fresh, and distinctly off center. With Mike's blatant street macho aspect, they were something to take notice in a field of flooded sameness. It was nice to marvel in they're individualism, but that comparison I think ends where the words are concerned. I feel much different about their message now, in that there are gems sprinkled about, but by no means is their work perfect.
Reflective at looking at this band, what it represented is that still underground exposure, as validates what I was thinking about a lot at that time. It has bludgeoned me with a sense of loss, as the passage of time has hit, the realities of capturing lighting in a bottle. These seemed to have a direct effect on my outlook on the band. Thanks for reading.
Up next Infectious Grooves.
B.
