Many years ago, I received in the mail an awesome compilation titled The Violence Inherent in the System that contained 22 killer European garage and punk rock tracks that were compiled by the ever resourceful Steve Gardner of NKVD Records. It’s certainly one of the better compilations that I’ve ever heard and the last I checked Steve was all but giving them away (although in some cases he was doing that as well).Anyways, out of all the bands contained on the comp., the ones I gravitated towards the most were put out by a French label called Closer Records, a label of which the internet provides precious little information although over the years I’ve been able to obtain some of their record (e.g., Scuba Drivers, Chameleons Day, City Kids). One of their releases and bands I only recently discovered earlier this year was Fixed Up and their absolutely stunner Vital Hours LP.
This power trio plays a mix of 60s RnB and 70s punk with an underlying swing of rockabilly to their songs, miming a fair bit from pub-rock bands like Eddie & The Hot Rods and Dr. Feelgood. There also seems to be an allegiance to the 80s Aussie Rock scene and bands like the Sunnyboys and the Stems which is probably no great stretch as Radio Birdman’s Rob Younger produced a fair bit of Fixed Up’s material, Vital Hours included. This probably explains why the album is meant to be played LOUD which I did all throughout this past summer.
The Vital Hours LP was given the…ahem…expanded treatment a couple of years ago by the folks over at…ahem…Sons of the Dolls by tacking on all of the non-album tracks released around the same time, this song included. While guitarist Francois Lebas’ power chords gives the song its thrust, the real melody that’ll have you humming comes from Mephisto’s intricate basslines. The female backing vocals only add to the fun.
Fixed Up “Who Is Innocent” (mp3)
(from the Closer Records via Sons of the Dolls blog LP, Vital Hours (Expanded), 1987 (2008)
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