Alternative Tentacle
1997
1980-1986
About This Album
Though edgier than the Big Boys, the two bands provided larger than life -- literally, these were big men -- bookends for the early-'80s Austin, TX, punk and hardcore scene. The Big Boys have secured the greater portion of laudatory press, due most likely to their greater accessibility -- their more upbeat, swinging, funk-infused melodies. They were the more playful brother of the two. During their initial -- and most powerful -- incarnation, Gary Floyd's Dicks were a potent, abrasive assemblage of stripped-down, gritty rock and blues, duly punked up and served viciously, carnally. Floyd -- who later went on to form the Zeppelin-esque Sister Double Happiness and then a slew of solo efforts that gained more notoriety in Europe than the U.S. -- is a gifted vocalist with a deep, rich, natural baritone. That baritone is as menacing as it is soulful and imploring. For at least the first handful of years, the more salient trait was menace and confrontation. During their first incarnation, Dicks were rounded out by three roughnecks who played like they looked -- cutting, hacksaw guitars, straightforward rhythms, and no-nonsense attitude. At the helm, Floyd -- often decked out in a variety of strange outfits -- bellowed out tracks like "Dicks Hate the Police," the tongue-in-cheek gay sex-shop anthem "Saturday Night at the Bookstore," and "Wheelchair Epidemic," later covered by the Jesus Lizard.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 and 15)

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