Live at Adam and Eve's - The Cult Maniax

Everyone knows that when it comes to the late 70s and early 80s explotion of *REAL* punk rock, the UK held a stranglehold on the world, with afew american exceptions to the rule, for the most part, the UK owned punk rock, that is untill punk sort of faded away and became a thing that stands for rebelion and standing up against the major leaders of the world and speaking what you believe. I don't really count this modern version of punk as true punk rock, there are afew bands that are good, but for the most part its like chewing bland flavorless gum thats been pulled out from under someone's old living room chair, there is no real taste to it, and no matter how greasy or hairy and just plain nasty it looks, its all just bubblegum on the inside. Thats what happens when major lables the world over get their teeth into something, they'll push it as best they can, till they can find a cheap easy and quick way to market it to all ages. Take a real good look at the bands on the charts these days that are labled as "punk" they're basically boybands that look like they don't shower and take dressing tips from Kevin Fedderline. It makes me really sick inside. That is why I present to you, the following album, a rarity that I am privlaged to share with all of you.

First off, my reason for giving this jem away is because, well, I listen to people go on and on about all these other bands that shaped punk out of the UK, but no one ever seems to mention The Cult Maniax, now thats not to say they aren't good, infact as far as old school punk goes, they're one of the better bands I've heard, but like with all genres of music, there are always those incredable bands that get forgotten through the sands of time. Saddly unless you are hardcore punk or well versed in musical history (thats where I fit into this), you won't know who they are. SOunding like a garage band version of The Sex Pistols mixed with the overly hyper and energetic ramones like band and a somewhat drunken sounding british vocal, its abit hard to hear what the lyrics are, but really, in punk you don't care about lyrics unless its the parts you yell along with the singer, so that works out brilliantly here, even though I'm not a fan of live ablums, this shines really brightly just for the fact you really feel like you're there, if you close your eyes and listen all the way through, somewhere around the second verse of "Psycho Rocker" you can actually smell the B.O and leather mixed with sweat and spiked hair gel.

And I think really thats why I picked this album, because it gives you a feel of what punk rock used to stand for, and what it used to be about, the music and being rough ready to fight and raw, about being real. Punk was never about the lyrics, punk is always about the emotion and the music, its fight music for lack of any other term to define it as, and thats where this album, and more so, this band, excels, they may not have been as big as The Sex Pistols, or any of the other bands that followed them out of the UK with their fists in the air and screaming in anger, but they deserve their place in history, least I think so.

Saddly though, Live At Adam and Eve's is their last album, released in 1986, it was their final album as a band, they unoffically broke up to seek out other projects not long after its release. Leaving to the ages an incredable final live record. They end the album with the song that brought them to me in the first place, the raunchy as hell yet so sexy in its anger and hyper tempo beat "Lucy Lou", an anthem that should be put up there with the best in its genre, even if you'll never hear it on a radio.

I would say that if you're up for a musical throw back to a time of unique music and unique people that spiked up their hair and went about in leather screaming at the top of their lungs, then give this a try, it can't hurt any, and who knows, you might like it.

Live At Adam and Eve's by The Cult Maniax

Artist: The Cult Maniax
Alubm: Live at Adam and Eve's (in Leeds UK 1986)
Genre: Punk Rock, Classic Punk Rock


By BC