Rick Anderson - bass; Michael Cotten - synthesizer, design; Prairie Prince - drums; Bill Spooner - guitar, vocals; Roger Steen - guitar, vocals; Re Styles - vocals; Fee Waybill - vocals; Vince Welnick - keyboards
More than three decades after the release of their debut A&M album in 1975, The Tubes have never received the recognition and attention from rock historians they truly deserve. They have always been a cutting edge band, and the best material in The Tubes' repertoire has been able to melt quirky humor, intricate musicianship, and radio friendly pop hooks into a memorable blend. They have always been known for putting on an incredible live show, spearheaded by front man Fee Waybill's vaudevillian stage charisma.
At the end of the day, however, The Tubes' "in-your-face" theatrics were their greatest virtue and their biggest liability when The Tubes became trapped by an unprofitable stage show they had developed, they went barebones and decided to focus only on the music. Unfortunately, no one was all that interested. The indifference caused the breakup of the band in the mid-1980s, and though they tried to re-group in 1987 without Waybill, it wasn't until a new deal with BMG imprint Radikal Records in 1995 that the core line-up finally reformed.
This show was staged in the band's hometown of San Francisco, shortly after the release of their self-titled debut album in June of 1975. There is no visual aid here, but it should provide a good idea of Waybill's over-the-top showmanship with a litany of characters (which included a drug-hazed rock star named Quay Lewd).
Several of their early classics are here, including: "What Do You Want From Life?," which they kick the set off with, "Space Baby," "Mondo Bondage," "I'm Waiting for the Man / Boy Crazy," and an incomplete version of "White Punks On Dope." Give it a spin and see why The Tubes were, at this time, one of the most talked-about-live-acts on the west coast.