Goin' Down...The Tubes CD - Import

Before the Tubes nabbed an MTV-fueled pop hit in 1983, this art rock group from San Francisco was one of the cultest of cult favorites. Led by the flamboyant and glammy Fee Waybill, the Tubes were initially more a collective of performance artists who came together in music, blending the bizarre with the hilarious, creating a live show that became an underground sensation. A generous double-disc set, GOIN' DOWN...THE TUBES, captures the aura of the act's 1970s incarnation, one of the unique musical forces of the rock era.

Although they are known to modern listeners as the band behind the new wave gem "She's a Beauty," the Tubes had an entirely different career during their mid- to late-'70s tenure on the A&M label. Working with gifted producers like Al Kooper and Todd Rundgren, the group created a body of work that fused prog rock instrumental virtuosity, the sarcasm of new wave, and Frank Zappa-styled musical satire into a style all its own. Listeners get a great chance to sample the Tubes' ambitious style on Goin' Down, a generous two-CD compilation that includes all of their radio favorites, album tracks from each of their A&M releases (including the Remote Control album in its entirety), and most of the rarities that had previously appeared on T.R.A.S.H. (Tubes Rarities and Smash Hits). The end result is one-stop shopping for any listener who wants to get all the highlights of their 1970s work without having to hunt down the group's often inconsistent albums. Songs like "What Do You Want from Life" and "Don't Touch Me There" sound as eccentrically witty as ever, but the real surprises are the album tracks: "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" is a surprisingly subtle ballad full of hypnotic synthesizer textures, and "This Town" skewers big city life over a tune that re-creates the vintage Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin lounge pop sound with surprising faithfulness. The package is rounded out by brief but informative liner notes and a selection of provocative pictures from the group's notorious 1970s stage shows. All in all, Goin' Down may be a little too much Tubes for the casual listener, but it remains the definitive portrait of the group's 1970s era for serious fans. [Cherry Red reissued the album in 2008.] ~ Donald A. Guarisco

2008 digitally remastered reissue of this classic compilation taken from The Tubes' golden period during their time with A&M Records in the late '70's. This double CD takes from all their best loved albums and includes the entire Remote Control album, originally released in 1979 and produced by Todd Rundgren. The CD features five of the band's best known singles: 'White Punks On Dope', 'Don't Touch Me There', 'Prime Time', 'TV Is King' and 'Love's A Mystery (I Don't Understand)'. Cherry Red.