The Slickee Boys "Cybernetic Dreams Of PI" 1983

"First real album from this Washington D.C. five piece. Ten originals and two covers, featuring the single, "When I Go To The Beach." Not for serious types - just great songs, thrashing quitars, spooky keyboards, rollercoaster rhythms, and a whole lot of pure American fun.
"The Slickee Boys were a 5-piece psychedelic rock band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Not quite punk but not quite pop either, they carved out an innovative niche somewhere in between. Singing about lost love, meeting girls or just heading to the beach for kicks, these were songs that got you moving but also featured melodic hooks that would stick in your heads for days afterwards. While looking back to long forgotten bands of the "Nuggets" variety such as The Squires and The Chocolate Watchband for inspiration, The Slickee Boys gradually evolved into a distinctive guitar power pop band with songs that refused to fit into any trendy category dreamed up by slimy record executives to create a "buzz". The Slickee Boys simply rocked- and left you begging for more. Here's a perspective on why The Slickee Boys mattered-and why the uninitiated should still seek out their music today.
While continuing to play in the DC area, the band began to gain notice outside of the area as well. The sold out shows and wild, almost rabid fans at each concert was well known here, but in 1983 Minneapolis, Minnesota's Twin Tone Records caught wind of The Slickee Boys. Twin Tone records was a daring indie label which was responsible for putting out the early records of The Replacements and Soul Asylum, among many others. A 7 inch single-"When I Go To The Beach" b/w "Invisible People" was released in 1983. 5000 copies were pressed and a respectable 2,221 were sold by Twin Tone. (This was actually a re-release of a Dacoit Records single of which 3000 were pressed in DC). The song was a good time party record-Noone sings about "drinking beer for breakfast" and partying all afternoon. A favorite at many a beach throwdown! The B-side is a spooky organ driven song that offers an interesting contrast to the usual Slickee fare.
These songs were brought along for the ride on The Slickee Boys first "proper" record-1983's Cybernetic Dreams Of Pi. This record showed that The Slickee Boys had emerged out of The Cramps/Yardbirds garage and instead offered smartly crafted intelligent guitar pop with loads of hooks, careening guitar solos and good humor to boot. The record starts off with the bouncy "Escalator 66". Co-written by Marshall Keith and Mark Noone, drummer Dan Palenski later described the song as "Marshall's answer to 'Highway To Hell'. He must have figured if the other bands were taking the highway, the dumbass Slickees would be on the Escalator." Other stand-out tracks included "You've Got What It Takes" with one of the coolest instrumental "intros" of any song-period and "Time Spent Waiting". Pi is a superb debut that smashed any conceptions of what psychedelic or garage rock should sound like. This record ended up selling close to 7,000 copies. The line-up at this point consisted of Kane, Keith, Noone, Palenski and John Chumbris on bass, who also helped produce the record. For many fans this is considered the definitive line-up-but of course I'm sure there are some naysayers who may squabble on that point. from: http://www.earcandymag.com/rrcase-slickee.htm
The Slickee Boys:
Mark Noone - Lead Vocals, guitar / Marshall Keith - Lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals / Kim Kane - Rhythm guitar, backing vocals / Dan Palenski - Drums, percussion, backing vocals / John Chumbris - Bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals / Emery Olexa - Bass guitar

traxfromwax:
1. Escalator 66 2. You've Got What It Takes 3. Life of the Party 4. When I Go To The Beach 5. Pushin My Luck 6. Invisible People 7. Nagasaki Neuter 8. Say Goodbye 9. Time Spent Waiting 10. The Crawling Hand 11. Pictures of Matchstick Men 12. Marble Orchard 13 Misunderstood (bonus track) 14 Headlock on my heart (bonus track) 15 Hazy Shades of Winter (bonus track) 16 Down the line 17 this party sucks 18 Attitude 19 I'm Eighteen