Butch - The Bitch Of Rock & Roll (1977)

For a more exhaustive bio on this obscure Utica quartet, Butch, I suggest you click HERE.  In a nutshell, the core of Butch consisted of Joe Goodman, Mike Surprenant and John Chapman, all of whom grew up together in upstate New York.  Butch was an offshoot of a mid-sixties pop combo called The Ravens.  The Ravens, essentially a teen band, managed an appearance on cable access program, Twist-A-Rama before splitting sometime in the late sixties.  From the ashes arose Butch, who by 1972 had landed a three year house band gig in Rome, NY.  It was during this period that the band would develop a provocative stage show, creating enough buzz and confidence to prompt a move to California in search of greater opportunity.  Chapman remained in NY and area bassist Angelo Alati was drafted in his place.

Upon their arrival in Lancaster, the band hooked up with drummer Steve Taylor, who would prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle.  Shortly after getting comfortable in their new surroundings, the band found themselves at Goldmine Studios in Ventura, CA.  Sessions for the album went quickly and within a week, "The Bitch Of Rock & Roll" was finished.  Through Taylor's association with Lancaster based label, Sunndial Records, the band were signed and 5,000 copies of the record were pressed.  A string of promotional gigs followed but the band began to fragment within a year.  Goodman and Surprenant returned to New York but efforts to regroup never came to pass.  Goodman returned to California and hooked up with Alati to resurrect Butch.  

By 1980, the band had morphed into a performance art punk act, which perhaps was more befitting of their established irreverent stage show.  The duo added drummer, Cliff Martinez (Captain Beefheart, Dickies, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and frontwoman Cherie Greene to the lineup.  The following year would see the band making appearances on the infamous New Wave Theater TV program.  More recording took place at Doug Moody's Mystic Studios, which led to the band's inclusion on 1982's "The Sound of Hollywood" cult classic punk compilation.  By the mid eighties, Alati would return to NY and Butch were effectively done.

Goodman would eventually find notoriety in a different medium, writing books and articles as a holocaust denier.  He passed away in October of 2013.  Alati returned to working as a hairdresser in Utica before passing away from an extended illness in December of 1991.  Surprenant would become a corrections officer in upstate New York.  Chapman went on to work in high profile entertainment promotions where he presumably remains to this day. Taylor is reportedly retired and still living in Southern California.

Much ado has been made of this album over the years, perhaps alone due to its rarity.  All that aside, the album itself really appeals to me.  It has all the trapping of a homegrown private pressing.  Murky production, off-the-cuff performances, a virtually unknown label and generic cover art.  At the core though, some of these songs ROCK.  Surprenant's earnest tenor plays well against Goodman's charismatic baritone, giving the album enough diversity to keep it interesting.  The guitars are fuzzy and Goodman's soloing is just reckless enough to make it charming.  Tracks like "You're Gonna Die", "I'm Your Slave" and "You've Never Had It Like This Before" are the clear standouts here but others may enjoy the dirges "Girl From The City" and the eight minute "Fire King".  Either way, it's time this gem reveals itself to the public.  This album has remained lost for far too long.  It's my pleasure to bring you this quality rip @ 320kbps for your judgement.

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