George Ripley saw the legendary Sex Pistols show in San Antonio Texas in '78 (could've had a worse start!). When time ran out for George in Texas he shoved back home to Portland, Maine, with the intention of starting a band. Dave Buxton felt compelled to leave his home in Maidenhead, UK (no faux-accent on this gent). He flew to Boston as a random target, but he ended up in Portland. Where he met George. And as things unfolded, Joe and Ira and a cast of dozens.
The band condensed in early '79: their first show was a performance of The Pistols' Submission that lasted for two hours. That could only be done once, so after that they began coming up with their own material, everybody writing. The only venue for these lads (and lass Beth Blood on bass for a while) in Portland was The Downtown Lounge. The group I was in (which also started in 1979) played there many times and every time The Stains were on the bill. The audience was sympathetic - more so than many places we played - even square-dancing when they so inspired. It was good.
In 1980 the Stains moved to Boston, where they quickly became an integral part of the post-punk scene. They opened for many of the UK & US bands, and we played with them many, many times, both in Portland and in Boston. It was always an experience. Slick? Nope. Totally tight? Nope. But every time it was a new experience, one well worth attending to. But the essence of the band was always retained. Lead guitarists? Chew 'em up, digest 'em, spit 'em back out.
Social commentary Here's another point of view, indeed. Well, this disc probably cost you more than you would pay for your daily newsrag, but the perspective from the Stains was certainly more accurate than what you got from any newspaper. We all spent 8 years with Reagan in the US of A. Like all real punk rock, the Stains were definitely a response to the time. Now we've gone through 8 years of Bush: Sound the Horn!
They finally came undone in 1983, Ira went on to The Cliffs of Doneen, and George and Joe regrouped as Ghost Walks (with original bassist Beth Blood). Were they sloppy? Sure. And totally capable of playing snappy punk rock (Fallish?), droned-out dirges (J. Divisional?), and excursions into impressionism and surrealistic story-telling (Ubic?). "When a missile from behind finds its way into your liver . . . Wouldn't I be happy: not so much a question, or even a statement, but a demand. With this Stains CD, the Stains' music, instead of dying, demands life. Check out Wouldn't I Be Happy