This Week in Strange Music - Episode 3

This Week in Strange Music - Episode 3

1.) Song: "Walk Without Me"
Artist: Scattered Limbs

I know, Scattered Limbs might sound like the name of a death metal band (and guess what, there IS a death metal band from Australia named Scattered Limbs), but the Scattered Limbs I'm talking about here is a garage rock band from York, Pennsylvania. Truth be told, I don't know how much of a "band" they were -- this song, which I came into contact with courtesy of the 1980s garage rock compilation record The Deadly Spawn*, is the only recording of theirs that I can find. (And there's some text on the backside of the album cover that suggests the band only played once.) Nevertheless, this song rips, as does this entire record. Lucky for you, the link I provide below is to a YouTube copy of the entire album, so you can check out the other tracks on it. Dig it:

"Walk Without Me" - Scattered Limbs

Note: this song starts at 32:30

Other notable songs:

The Velvet Monkeys "Rock Party" (first song)
The Creeping Pumpkins "Better Off Without You"  (begins at 09:01) 

 

2.) Song: "Circuit Breaker"
Artist: The Pastels

I'm not gonna lie: after hearing the stuff on The Deadly Spawn, I decided I'm really into garage rock and proto-punk, and so I've been spending some time here and there looking for more of it. That was how I came across the record Gone Garagin' Vol. X, a compilation of "60's garage rock and roll." Truth be told, the bands on this record aren't as cool or weird as the bands on The Deadly Spawn (that's right, I'm going to see how many times I can mention that record in a single post ... I love it that much!). A lot of the bands on this record have a sort of "Monkees" vibe (but then again, it was the 60s). Still, there are some notable tracks on this LP. That brings me to "Circuit Breaker" by The Pastels. I don't know much about this band, either, but I when I listen to this jam, I can really hear the proto-punkness, which helps explain the existence of the punk bands born in the 70s. Maybe you can too. Once again, the following link is to the entire album. (Circuit Breaker is the first song.)

"Circuit Breaker" - The Pastels  

Other notable track:
Don't Blow Your Mind - The Spiders (Begins at 20:43)

3.) Song: "Real Cool" (Instrumental)
Artist: Ted Russell and His Rhythm Rockers 

I am not sure whether this song qualifies as garage rock (I don't think it does), and it's not really all that "strange," but hot damn, if this isn't a cool, old tune that no one you know has heard. My wife thinks it sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis. I hear that too, but there's something about this song, perhaps the reverb/delay effect on the guitar, that gives it a slightly dangerous, slippery feel. In fact, when I listen to stuff like this, bands like The Cramps (one of my all time favorites) suddenly make a lot more sense. This song also makes me think of the party scenes in those movies from the 50s and/or 60s about teenagers who go nuts and then die while drag racing along Deadman's Curve. (You know what I'm talking about.)

And hey, here's something cool: I found out about this 45 from my friend Steve, and Steve knew about it because his dad played drums on it -- when his dad was just 14 years-old! (According to Steve, the other guys who played on this recording were much older.) How cool is that? Anyway, check this jam out. You'll be glad you did.   

"Real Cool" - Ted Russell & His Rhythm Rockers 

PS.) On the other side of this 45 is a song called, "Brang," which you Apple music subscribers can listen to here.  Personally, I think Brang is the better tune, but for some reason, most of the Internet puts its money on "Real Cool." (Probably because "Real Cool" is on side one).

PSS.) But wait, there's more! The "Ted Russell" of  Ted Russell & His Rhythm Rockers (real name: Duane Theodore DeSanto) also went by the name Wade Curtiss, and according to the website Last.FM, ol' Wade:

"... personified the D.I.Y. spirit of the music better than most who came in his wake. Spending his entire life in a wheelchair with his hands and arms severely deformed, Curtiss taught himself to play rock & roll on a converted steel guitar and formed his first band, the Rhythm Rockers, in the late '50s.... And in one of the stranger turns in rock & roll history, Wade took his show business acumen and reinvented himself as Dr. Master Curtiss, an "evil" wrestling manager. Wreaking havoc on his opponents in his motorized wheelchair."**

Punk fuckin' rock! 

Alright,  that's it for this installment, babies. Until next time, stay strange and don't let the bastards grind you down.

 

Notes: 

 * The story of how The Deadly Spawn came into my possession is worth noting, as it's a tale of commitment, drive, and the power of the Internet. Here's the story: On December 2, 2023, while visiting Buffalo, New York, I went into a record store with my brother and I saw the album. I should have purchased it. I wanted to purchase it, but I let it go and instantly regretted it. Later, in 2025, I went back to the same store and asked the proprietor about the record. He didn't know what I was talking about, and by the look on his face, thought I was a little nuts. I was out of luck ... or was I? 

Several months later (now in 2026), while scrolling through the image library on my phone, I realized I had taken a photo (see image at right)  of the track listing on back cover of The Deadly Spawn because I was intrigued by some of the band names (e.g., The Creeping Pumpkins, Mutant Drone, etc.) and wanted to look them up. However, by the time I discovered the photo, I had forgotten the name of the record. So, with just this single piece of evidence, I searched and scoured and stalked the wilds of the Internet looking for some connection between the bands mentioned on the album, and the album itself -- an album I didn't know the name of! I recalled what the cover looked like, I just couldn't remember it's title! Sacré bleu! 

Days later, while doing a deep dive on the band Mutant Droid (which is from Washington, DC), the Discogs website informed me that one of their songs appeared on a compilation called The Deadly Spawn. I clicked on the link and, boom, there it was! I had done it. I was so excited, I texted my brother to tell him the good news. He did not care, but so what, I was thrilled with my sleuthing abilities. But knowing the name of the record was just the first step. I now had to get it. Enter my own (not-so-deadly) spawn. Father's Day was just around the corner and I unabashedly informed my eldest daughter that I'd really, really, really like the record as a Father's Day gift. (It wasn't even that expensive.) She came through and the rest, as they say, is history.   

** My friend Steve thinks the good people at Last.FM maybe confusing this Wade Curtiss person with someone else. For example, Last.FM says Curtiss was from Indiana, and Steve says (based on information he got from his dad), that the leader of Ted Russell was from the Buffalo, NY-area.