I always liked The Suburban Lawns. I remember hearing “Gidget Goes To Hell” on WPRK-FM college radio in 1981, and made further note of their song “Janitor” when I.R.S. Records came sniffing around, because who else in 1981 would have shown the slightest interest in signing these highly poised malcontents. This lot sounded like they wore their DEVO influence on their sleeves and that went pretty far in my world back then. And now. And they had a great frontperson in Su Tissue. A woman outré enough to make Lene Lovich seem like a shrinking violet in comparison.

But in spite of my interest, I didn’t bite on the records. For years. But by the 90s, I made sure I had copies of their indie 7″ of “Gidget Goes to Hell,” as well as both I.R.S. releases; “Suburban Lawns” and “Baby.” Good thing too, because in the bubble of the now, I’d have needed hundreds of dollars to obtain those records.

I wanted to get the 2015 Futurismo CD of “Suburban Lawns.” It came with “Baby” as bonus material but was sadly lacking the “Gidget Goes To Hell” single tracks. While this may have been a mitigating factor for me, the bigger one was simply that Futurismo were a UK label and the shipping was onerous! Even then. But it went OOP in record time and now is a three figure disc. I resolved to eventually make my own REVO bespoke CD edition, and no lawyer could stop me! Here’s what it’ll entail.

A RECIPE FOR A REVO CD

Suburban Lawns – Gidget Goes To Hell

Suburban Industrial | US | 7″ | 1979 | 6379

1. Gidget Goes To Hell 2:04
2. My Boyfriend 1:40

Producer – E. J. Emmons, Suburban Lawns

The “Gidget Goes To Hell” single was notable for being conspicuously absent from the Futurismo CD and LP. It’s a shame that this iconic, nearly 4 minutes of strident New Wave, is still only to be found on the scarce 7″ in the generic white sleeve. Did I pay more than $3-5.00 for this in the early 90s? I doubt it! And I actually have it on CD on one of the fine Richard Blade New Wave compilations that I have! So I’ve been scratching that itch on CD for 30 years now!. Interestingly enough, the 8 mm music video for this song was directed by prominent film director Jonathan Demme! And this was even after he had gotten an Academy Award nomination for “Melvin + Howard!” Demme got the favor returned by asking Su Tissue to play a small role in his magnum opus, “Something Wild.” A film I just couldn’t stop seeing in the theater for four weekends in a row back in 1986! Had I ever seen a more thrilling film? No! It’s tonal shifts are legendary.

Suburban Lawns – Janitor

Suburban Industrial | US | 7″ | 1980 | 91680

Janitor 2:30
Protection 1:50

Producer – E. J. Emmons, Suburban Lawns

A wildcard in my Suburban Lawns collection is the “Janitor” single. Extremely wild because I don’t have a copy! I also heard “Janitor” on WPRK-FM but until 2018 when deep diving in Discogs, I had no idea that it was ever issued as an indie single by the band after “Gidget Goes To Hell” but before their eponymous album. I see that the single tracks are almost exactly the same length as the same songs on the I.R.S. album. With the same production team credited. So can we assume that these were in fact the same takes of “Janitor” and “Protection” that came out the next year on the album? I’d like to think that, since there’s no way I am going to be guying one of these currently and I’d prefer to think that I wouldn’t need the tracks for the proposed CD I’m discussing here. If anyone knows otherwise, then feel free to pipe up in the comments.

Various – Sharp Cuts – New Music From American Bands

Planet | US | LP | 1980 | P-6

Single Bullet Theory: Keep It Tight 3:19
Billy Thermal: I’m Gonna Follow You 2:50
Bates Motel: Live Among The Dancers 3:24
Peter Dayton: Last Supper 4:16
The Alley Cats: Black Haired Girl 2:08
The Know: I Like Girls 2:07
The Willys: She’s Illegal 3:43
The Fast: Kids Just Wanna Dance 3:44
The dB’s: Soul Kiss 2:18
Suburban Lawns: Unable 1:23

Producer: The Planet Group

It was some time two years ago when researching the history of Gleaming Spires for Gleaming Spires Week, that I ran across the “Sharp Cuts – New Music From American Bands” album with a rare Bates Motel [proto Gleaming Spires] song… and a unique version of Suburban Lawns “Unable” which came out on the New Wave Sampler from Richard Perry’s boutique label a full year in advance of its appearance on “Suburban Lawns” Tellingly, it has a production credit of The Planet Group and was 1:23 instead of 1:21, so we are confident that it’s a buried treasure. I need to source one of these LPs. They are still affordable – the only Suburban Lawns on wax that won’t set you back at least two hefty figures, so one I get one of these I’m in a position to actually make this disc. Though with my budgetary hardships last year and this, who knows when that will be.

I always got the first Suburban Lawns album confused with the Swollen Monkeys album due to the similarities in the art. I think I saw the Swollen Monkeys album first as it may have come out in 1980 on Cachalot Records. The Futurismo reissue opted instead for the great portrait of the band on the B-side of the disc instead. Looking back, it was impressive that their vision still allowed the band the economy of scope that saw them delivering 14 songs in just about 28 minutes. Possibly my favorite song here was “Jam The Controls;” a wise and valuable ethos that saw the song’s title and chorus being delivered as fast as humanly possible [unless Joe Meek tactics were happening]. I played my copy once, to make a cassette when I got it 30+ years ago.

Suburban Lawns – Suburban Lawns

I.R.S. Records | US | LP | 1981 | SP70024

Flying Saucer Safari 2:12
Pioneers 2:05
Not Allowed 2:16
Gossip 2:29
Intellectual Rock 2:05
Protection 1:54
Anything 1:38
Janitor 2:30
Computer Date 1:06
Mom And Dad And God 1:56
Unable 1:31
When In The World 2:48
Green Eyes 2:53
Jam The Controls 1:06

Suburban Lawns: Baby EP

I.R.S. Records | US | EP | 1983 | SP-70503

Flavor Crystals 3:45
Enjoy 3:08
Hug You 3:46
Baby 3:55
Cowboy 4:30

The “Baby” EP was always a mystery to me. It’s the only Suburban Lawns record that I never heard even a single time in any context. I note that Richard Mazda was the producer here instead of E.J. Emmons and the band. Mazda was an I.R.S. staffer who guided Wall Of Voodoo to their brush with the Top 40 that same year. My eyes widen when I see the lengths of the material: all three to five minutes long. Skirting Prog for this economical band! When I poked around for Demme’s “Gidget” video I found this recent opus that was memorably synched with “Flavor Crystals” from “Baby.” Let’s watch!

Very…interesting. A post-modern video clip for an ancient Suburban Lawns track. Who knew? Join us hopefully in the next year when we can make this CD and report back with out findings. Meanwhile, the enigma that was Su Tissue is apparently a thing on teh interwebs! Could this point to the reason why those record cost so darn much money? It’s brain-straining that a band with under 59 minutes of recorded music can be capable of generating such a cult.

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