Produced by Al Kooper, this debut by the notorious San Francisco group is best known for the blazing anthem "White Punks on Dope." Although the Tubes' raison d'être was their shock-rock stage dynamic, Bill Spooner, Fee Waybill, and company could, on occasion, deliver some offbeat pop splendor. A good example is the song "Haloes," co-written with Kooper, a tough power pop jewel that sounds like Todd Rundgren colliding with Roxy Music. Also of note is "Boy Crazy," which shows off Spooner's guitar skills. But for every "Haloes" and "Boy Crazy," there's a novelty number consciously created for the stage and that ultimately embarrasses, such as "Mondo Bondage" and "Space Baby." Kooper's production is faultless, however, as are the horn and string arrangements by Dominic Frontiere (Frontiere did the original score for the '60s cult sci-fi show The Outer Limits). ~ Peter Kurtz, Rovi
The Tubes is the debut album of The Tubes. Songs from this album which received significant airplay include "What Do You Want From Life" and "White Punks On Dope". The latter song peaked at number 28 on the UK singles chart.[2]
The line "hang myself when I get enough rope" in the song "White Punks on Dope" later inspired the title of the 1978 album by The Clash, Give 'Em Enough Rope.
The first verse of Mondo Bondage contains what is perhaps the first ever use of the Gated reverb snare drum sound.[dubious– discuss] This recording technique was later made famous during the early 1980s by drummers such as Phil Collins of Genesis. Another well-known example is the 1984 Bruce Springsteen hit Born in the U.S.A..
Mötley Crüe covered "White Punks On Dope" on their album New Tattoo, and performs it live in concert on their "Lewd, Crued, & Tattooed" DVD. Nina Hagen interpreted the song in a German-language version, translated to "TV-Glotzer" (with re-written lyrics about being a couch potato who stares at television all day) on her self-titled debut album.
T.R.A.S.H. (Tubes Rarities and Smash Hits)·The Best of The Tubes·Goin' Down The Tubes·20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection·Hoods from Outer Space·White Punks on Dope·Mondo Birthmark
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