The Tubes

Posted by: jayd on 02 July 2004

No, not those quaint glowing thingies some folks use to power their stereophonicaphones. I'm talking about Fee and the boys, those wacky musical satirists from the days of skinny ties, Members Only jackets and Vuarnet shades. I was listening to a compilation I picked up for a dollar at a yard sale yesterday...

These guys were good.

I never saw their performance-art live shows. For anyone who did - aside from the spectacle - how were they live? Also, any hints on recordings to try would be appreciated. I already have Outside/Inside and Completion Backwards Principle on my list.

Posted on: 02 July 2004 by Rasher

I used to love The Tubes and saw them live once during the time that I was most into them (Remopte Control period), and they were magnificent. I tried one of their albums a while back, but it didn't do it for me anymore. White Punks On Dope is still OK though. Bit dated.

Posted on: 02 July 2004 by monkfish

Hi
"Young and rich" still sounds fresh and is a superb recording so well worth checking out. I still also have a soft spot for the first album titled "The Tubes" complete with "White punks on dope".
Regards
Jim

Posted on: 02 July 2004 by throbnorth

I think they were magnificent. Although I'd say that their sensibility was a bit dated right from the beginning [in the same way as The Rocky Horror Show - IMHO a coach party sort of a thing, nice as it is] they did it with real style - very reminiscent of the best northern British Christmas pantomimes. When the dwarf and the one-legged ballerina came on during the encore, I was in heaven.

The first two albums encapsulate the whole thing, really, & the rest while often good are a bit superfluous. Wire suppoted them at the Hammersmith Odeon when I saw them in 198?. Just how good is that?

throb

Posted on: 03 July 2004 by Fisbey

I saw them once sometime during 80's and thought they were OK - the double live album around that time I thought was pretty good and very funny in places - sorry I can't be more precise - the 80's were a bit of a blur....
(pass me the bong man...)

Posted on: 03 July 2004 by Vik

(upbeat) decent music, good showmanship, good musicianship, (deliberately) questionable sexuality, spectacular production. Those were the Tubes.

Fee Waybill later co-wrote with Richard Marx. A bizarre but effective match.

Posted on: 03 July 2004 by jayd

Looks like Steve Lukather (of Toto fame) was on the two hit albums I mentioned above - that would explain some of the solid guitar playing I remember.

Anyone know if he toured with them?

Thanks for the info, guys.

Posted on: 05 July 2004 by Leopold

and let's not forget the immortal 'Vince [Welnick]' whose keyboard probably suited the tubes somewhat more than any other bad he might have played with...personally quite liked white punks at the time but don't think it has aged that well [mind don't think much music of that era has - apart from the obvious Ubu, Heads, Television, Wire, JD, TG, Ramones].

Leopold