Figures of Light
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Figures of Light is an American proto-punk band formed in 1970 by Wheeler Winston Dixon and Michael Downey. The band's first single, "It's Lame," was released in 1972, and re-released on Norton Records in 2006. With a style of two chord rock prefiguring The Ramones by several years, the band performed gigs for two years in and around Rutgers University before disbanding in 1972.
The group's signature tune, "It's Lame," has been described as " . . . one of the ultimate proto-punk basement rock singles of all time . . . [l]ike the dinosaur etched into relief at Angkor Wat, it shouldn't be there. It's either 6 years behind it's time or 27 years ahead . . . They cite the Stooges and the Velvet Underground as influences . . . During their first gig, where they played such unreleased material as "Why Not Knock Yourself Off?", "Seething Psychosexual Conflict Blues" and "Black Plague Blues," they rode up to the stage on a motorcycle, played their songs and destroyed 15 television sets . . . They sound nothing like the 1st Captain Beefheart LP, Debris, The Electric Eels or Memphis Goons, but if any of that appeals to you, you shouldn't be caught dead without this . . ." by Mike Sniper of the Terminal Boredom website.
The first concert of July 23, 1970 was recorded in stereo, complete with the television smashing finale. Listening to tapes of their first concert, Norton Records producer Billy Miller commented, "you guys make [the Velvet Underground's epic 17 minute song] Sister Ray sound like [ Richard Harris's 60s pop hit] MacArthur Park!"
In March 2007 critic Jill Hubley wrote that the band's first single "was raw, loud, and nothing like the prevailing music of the time. Dixon and his band had their own vision and interpretation of the times, and they’d be damned if they weren’t going to make it heard . . . Without the snarling closeness of the vocals, the music might sound aloof—merely sloppy rather than out of control. As the song progresses, there are many mixed metaphors, a rhyme scheme that would make Shakespeare cry, and an overabundant use of reverb . . . It’s also incredibly catchy, the instrumentation serving as a glorified metronome to which you can keep your head bobbing steadily . . ." (see full review below as link).
In the February 2007 issue of Mojo, the British pop monthly, Figures of Light's first single was described by Ian Harrison as "a treat . . .throbbing with real 1972 mockery and boredom . . . "It's Lame" casually dimisses everything with Holden Caulfield sang-froid, sounding like a surly cousin of The Electric Eels' "Agitated" and rejoicing in two false endings. A whiny B-side does much the same job with Bo Diddley chugging and lots of guitar distortion."
In the 2006 Pazz and Jop year end poll in the Village Voice, David Sprague, rock critic for Variety, voted "It's Lame" the number one pop single of 2006, beating out Kelly Clarkson and Gnarls Barkley.
On July 7, 2007, the core members of the band reunited in the N.Y. Hed studio under producer Billy Miller of Norton Records to record a batch of new and old songs, including "Gimme Gimme Gimme," "Nothing to Do," "Seething Psychosexual Conflict Blues," "I'm So Sick of Everything," and "Angeline," backed up by Miriam Linna on drums, Marcus "The Carcass" Natale on bass, and Matt Verta-Ray on lead guitar.
Some songs from this session can now be heard on the band's new MySpace page; see the link below.
On December 15, 2007, Figures of Light performed live for the first time in 35 years at the Brooklyn, New York club Southpaw, as part of the Norton Records Holiday Spectacular.
The new Figures of Light album,"Smash Hits," will be released on July 22, 2008, containing all the July 7, 2007 New York material, some live material from the December 15, 2007 Southpaw Concert, and a chunk of the infamous 1970 TV smashing concert, plus some early, rare demos.
