Smack

This band is quite possibly thee definitive Glam Trash Punk Metal Rock N' Roll band, more so then even primo early Guns N' Roses.

A Finnish band that followed in the cuban-heeled footsteps of Hanoi Rocks in the mid 80's.

But a more overtly grittier and caustic proposition to Hanoi's sunny sound, even compare the names to get a better picture. Hanoi Rocks's being a thinly veiled reference to heroin while Smack's name being upfront and in your face.

Their sound is like Green River grunge but a couple of years earlier and more flashier and metallic owing alot to the Doors, The Stooges, Dead Boys, MC5, Alice Cooper etc. With an at times world music flavour ala Brian Jones's little touches to mid-60's Rolling Stones songs and a Jim Morrison rock n' roll poetic side to the songwriting.

A bunch of real gutter cats and society's misfits that influenced everyone from Guns N' Roses (Axl Rose particuarly enamoured with singer Claude) to Nirvana (Nirvana covered their song 'Run Rabbit Run' live), Disneyland After Dark to Warrior Soul and tons of others.

.....But are so amazingly unknown.

Their debut On You (1984) is one of the most essential Hard Rock/Metal/Punk/Rock N' Roll albums of the 80's.

Check 'em out.

http://www.myspace.com/smackonyou

Smack - Criminal live 1984

fantastic band....Thats all I can say...

Never heard of them. Essential, eh?

Damn right.

If i could describe them in the most simplest of terms, their like Green River in the image of early Guns N' Roses playing early Guns N' Roses. If that makes sense. But before any of those bands.

It's amazing how unknown they are. Their a big influence on two of the biggest rock bands of the last 20 years being Nirvana and Guns N' Roses.

I like Green River, I'll give em a try sometime.

Stender wrote:

I like Green River, I'll give em a try sometime.

Here's a myspace link

http://www.myspace.com/smackonyou

Quote :

(Axl Rose particuarly enamoured with singer Claude

Quote :

Their a big influence on two of the biggest rock bands of the last 20 years being Nirvana and Guns N' Roses

Not to be a dick here, Rattpoison, but where do you get this info from? Are you just speculating because of their look/sound or do you have some frame of reference?

While I may not be the be-all-end-all-fan-boy, I'd considder myself a pretty big GnR fan. And of any books, magazine articles or interviews I've come across over the years, I don't recall any mention of this "essential" band or their enamoured singer.

I remember him namechecking them in an old RIP interview....that's actually what made me jot their name down as a "I need to track these guys down" act at the time...

Liked the song. I LMAO'd at the kid in the crowd from 0:45 to 0:52 fighting the ninjas, and I also wondered how many pillows they used up by the end of the song.

Still good.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Quote :

(Axl Rose particuarly enamoured with singer Claude

Quote :

Their a big influence on two of the biggest rock bands of the last 20 years being Nirvana and Guns N' Roses

Not to be a dick here, Rattpoison, but where do you get this info from? Are you just speculating because of their look/sound or do you have some frame of reference?

While I may not be the be-all-end-all-fan-boy, I'd considder myself a pretty big GnR fan. And of any books, magazine articles or interviews I've come across over the years, I don't recall any mention of this "essential" band or their enamoured singer.

That's cool, i read and collect alot of old RIP, Kerrang and other music magazine's from back in the day. Izzy Stradlin called them his favourite band at the time and Axl and Slash namecheck them then i get the impression their quite influenced by them, the guys obviously had an eye towards Finland after Hanoi Rocks drew attention to that part of the world. Guns N' Roses were definately drawn to Smack's gritty street appeal and outsider/misfit status. Claude was basically the proto Axl more in attitude and image then voice (Claude's Stiv Bators snarl being different to Axl's Dan McCafferty screech)

Plus Kurt Cobain talked about them in an interview i read and Nirvana of course covered their song "Run Rabbit Run" live quite a few times inbetween their covers of Led Zeppelin songs in the early days of that band.

I've also read interviews were the guys in Disneyland After Dark and Alice In Chains have mentioned them in interviews.

One i will speculate on is that i'd be pretty sure if you ask the guys in Green River/Mudhoney/Mother Love Bone they would confirm my thoughts about Smack. Infact Smack might have been one of the few bands the two splintered groups in Green River might have been both able to agree on. Which says exactly were Smack's sound lies.

Their influence is steady and quite under recognised. A band that sadly slipped through the cracks. Their first 2 records and live record are essential pieces of shrapnel from the 80's. The real thing.


Claude backed by the 69 Eyes performing 'Run Rabbit Run'

Fair enough. Just askin'.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Fair enough. Just askin'.

That's fine.

Give their first couple of albums a go, their one of those "Dead, Jail Or Rock N' Roll" type bands. The real deal.

Fun fact, when Smack moved to Los Angeles in '88 Sami Yaffa then with JetBoy played a few shows with them on bass. But so the guys in JetBoy wouldn't know of his involvement he went under the name Ulan Bator (The name of the capital city of Mongolia).

...Stop me now their like one of my favourite bands.