Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Liimanarina - Lantinen Pornokatu 25 B 13




Liimanarina Lantinen Pornokatu 25 B 13 7" (Bad Vugum, 1991)

I'm a big Fall fan, one of my five favorite bands ever really, even made sure on a trip to the UK (pre-ebay, friends) to go out of my way to secure minty copies of the early 45s on Step Forward at Portobello Road prices, even willing to offer limp apologies for Mark E.'s continuing assault on Human Decency (which makes liking the Country Teasers easier as well, its like I'm bombing that part of my brain with anglophiliac poisons). Having said that, the Fall from about 89-93 suck. Suck like Madchester sucked. Beep-boop digitalis and Mr. Smith make for lumpy gravy, and I'll stick to the meat. Into this temporary void in the World Sound leapt Liimanarina. These heroes fashioned a caveman-level Finnish take on the chopped-line, mussed-hair, skeletal-rockabilly-period Fall that everyone goes glassy-eyed over, the 80-83 period. Liimanarina came out with their first EP in 1989, and followed up with two more that are all indistinguishably great. The Scando lingo adds alot to the "indistinguishably" part of that assessment, of course, but since I barely listen to lyrics 90% of the time (thanks indie rock poets with lyrics that only mean something to the three people involved) I couldn't care less.

Liimanarina are one of the bands that kick-started the idea of doing this blog, a totally primal punk band that people either missed because of the deluge of 7" at the time, ignored because of the name/country/lack of industry buzz or just couldn't find due to the rather hit-n-miss American distribution of their record label, the now-legendary Bad Vugum. Since all of their 7" are hot poop, I may try to bend the rules of time and space to allow the inclusion of their debut platter in later days, despite the late 80s pub date. That thing didn't really register with too many ears over here till 1990 at the earliest anyhow. Well, Tom Lax heard it, but we mere mortals...

So, they got an LP out on Drag City eventually, a record that the band apparently hated, but sounds fine to me (and everyone else). Liimanarina, who were essentially just one guy and whoever he could bribe to play with him, subsequently retreated back into the cave for another 2000-year sleep, waiting for conditions conducive to world domination to re-ripen I 'spose. If anyone has a copy of their rather elusive live tape, send it on over, I've got a perfectly good kidney with low mileage, available for trade. -Ryan W.


Comments:
Minä en ymmärrä suomea.
 
Now now, "Madchester" had a lot of good moments.
 
Liked it very much. Thank You.
 
Where would we be without "Madchester" to inspire EMF? Name a good "Madchester" moment that's still good...YOU CAN'T!
 
i'm afraid that live tape doesn't really exist (likewise the panomeluu -98 tape) but i'd love to find out that i'm wrong... liimanarina were the greatest band ever!

-a madchester fan (at least the happy mondays...)
 
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