WIPERS

It is easy to admire the dedication of someone who learned to cut records on their own lathe before learning to play music. So it was for a teenage Greg Sage who grew up in Portland, Oregon and whose band Wipers are cited as one of the most significant West Coast punk influencers.

Formed in 1977, Wipers released their first single in 1978 and debut album in 1980. The raw garage punk sound of the trio garnered them an underground following. This was not a problem for Sage, who saw his band as an artistic statement and had absolutely no interest in jumping on the record industry hamster wheel.

Over The Edge was Wipers’ third album, released in 1983. Due to single "Romeo" getting some airplay on indi radio stations, the band’s low profile crept a little higher. They remained a cult, but an influential one. Artists who have had positive things to say about Wipers include Kurt Cobain, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr, Courtney Love (Hole) and Nick Saloman (The Bevis Frond). Melbourne punk legends Bored! covered the title track and Cobain listed Over The Edge in his Top 50 albums of all time. So 'influential' is definitely a fair call.

The Wipers sound is powerful, muddy, direct. There is no messing about. Sage’s songs are aimed straight at the listener, a demand that you sit up and listen. There is plenty of guitar infused with lashings of distortion. Lyrics are delivered with passion and conviction. Make no mistake, however. The sound may be grungy but the songwriting skill is clear. "Romeo" catches you like a flick knife in the ribs while the killer rock riff in "Messenger" shows an underground pop sensibility.

This is an accessible blast of angst and anger that could resonate with the disaffected as easily today as it did some forty years ago. "No-one wants an alien" speaks loudly to, ahem, alienation while "Doom town" bubbles with toxic misery. There is even a deliciously tortured ballad in "The Lonely One". If you love masked melodies and riffs emerging from the racket, this should sound your klaxon, big time. The one-sided bonus LP adds some non-LP tracks and a live cut, plus a neat version of "Romeo" with the horns higher in the mix. It’s pink, with an etched 'fourth' side.

Trap/Zeno Records and Jackpot Records have done a fine job with this re-issue. The vivid/livid red melt of the primary record fits the iridescent cover perfectly, making the package an essential for anyone who thrives in the punk/pop/garage/lo-fi zone.

© Bruce Jenkins—July 2022