Roman Gods

 

It was in 1982 when me and a couple of friends made a break from work to take a five-week round trip through the western United States. It was a great experience for us to explore the country in a motorhome to get to know all the sights that the country has to offer.

The last days of our journey we spent in Los Angeles and I couldn't resist to go downtown in a record shop to buy me some albums. I found a little shop away from the main road and and it looked a little threatening from the outside with the visitors. Nevertheless, I entered and was greeted by a concentrated load of garage rock. 

I was overwhelmed by the power this band had and asked the owner for their name. He told me that they played Roman Gods, the debut album by The Fleshtones and recommended it to me, not only because he saw them live a couple of days ago. And indeed, it is one of those albums that stamped garage rock. The Fleshtones are deeply rooted in Rock 'n' Roll with the power of punk. Sharp guitars, a bit of organ and the voice of Peter Zaremba made them worth listening to. 

The Fleshtones - The Dreg

The Fleshtones - I've Gotta Change My Live

The Fleshtones - Stop Fooling Around

They proved that they can also impress live at their performance in Urgh! A Music War and also years later when I was able to see them live in Germany.

The Dreg

When I went the first time to the United States back in 1982 I couldn't resist to visit the local record shop. It was not different to the shops I used to visit but the music they played were. Lots of garage bands sounded from the speakers and the stuff kindly introduced me to one of their favorite bands. New York's The Fleshtones were the big thing stuff. And I  have to say their album Roman Gods was great and perfect in its way. A deep bass, noisy guitars and the voice of Peter Zaremba is enough to make some timeless songs.