Editorial Reviews Grow Up was released on a small English label called Shakin' Street, which promptly went belly up after only 1, 000 copies were pressed. Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Weasel got Lookout! label owner Larry Livermore to sign the Queers, and in 1993 Lookout! released the Ben Weasel-produced "Love Songs for the Retarded." "Love Songs..." was followed by a yearly salvo of bubblegum-punk, from 1994's "Beat Off" to 1996's magnum opus, "Don't Back Down," the best late-'70s-era Ramones album the Ramones never recorded. After a long bout with brain cancer, O'Neill died on January 21,1999; "Later Days and Better Lays," issued that spring, collecting unreleased Queers material recorded during his tenure with the band. In 2001 The Queers returned to Lookout! with a brand new EP, "Today" produced by Ben Weasel marking a renewed energy for the band. Now, the band have followed up last year's EP with "Pleasant Screams," a full-tilt full length of classic Queers' styling with revved-up and revamped attitude. "Pleasant Screams" features leader Joe King's own version of the Wrecking Crew, a crack team of punk stars that help realize his own brand of punk rock. Ben Weasel and Joey Ramone are both contributing writers to the latest album. Philip of The Teen Idols and Mass Giorgini of Squirtgun, Common Rider and Screeching Weasel handled the production. And last but not least, Dan Vapid and Matt Dreschl join the band on the recording too. Still touring incessantly and still loved by kids all over the world, The Queers truly won't back down!
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About the Artist
The Queers got together at a time when punk rock was irreverent, sometimes shocking but always fun and they've ever abandoned that approach. But the Queers have never stagnated either. From early proto-Angry Samoans- style songs like "We'd Have A Riot Doing Heroin" to the 60's pop harmonies of "Little Sidewalk Surfer Girl" the Queers have continued to develop and refine their own unique kind of punk. Formed in 1982, this New Hampshire group ambled their way through the 1980s, recording a few singles and compilation tracks along the way, many of which were collected on Lookout!'s "A Day Late and a Dollar Short." Before recording their first full-length studio album, "Grow Up," the group finally settled on a permanent lineup consisting of singer/guitarist Joe King/Queer, drummer Hugh O'Neill and B-Face on bass.
Album Description
"Pleasant Screams" is a non-stop punk and pop-punk affair, produced by Mass Giorgini at his Sonic Iguana Studio in Lafayette, IN and featuring the usual gang of contributors and guest stars. This is the best new Queers album since "Don't Back Down." How can you not have a soft spot for a band that can so swiftly play sweeter than sweet poppy love songs just as well as they can crank out Ramones-y, buzz-saw guitar punk with adolescent boy-who- won't-grow-up lyrics? "Pleasant Screams" features guest vocals from Gretchen of the Smears on the track "You Just Gotta Blow My Mind." Another song, "I Wanna Be Happy," was written by Joe King and Ben Weasel around an unfinished Joey Ramone demo, and drum and second guitar duties are handled by Matt Drashl (Teen Idols) and Dan Vapid (Mopes, Screeching Weasel) respectively. The Queers are one of the few bands that effectively blend classic rock'n'roll elements - think Doo Wop, Phil Spector, The Beach Boys - with punk rock's energy, power and attitude. They deserve your ears, eyes and hearts!