The U-Men

The U-Men was an American rock band, formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1981 and active until 1989. They toured extensively across the United States. Their musically "dirty" sound was a forerunner for the later grunge bands to come out of Seattle.

History

Drummer Charlie Ryan performing with The U-Men in a Seattle club

The U-Men were fronted by vocalist John Bigley and included Tom Price, Charlie "Chaz" Ryan, Robin Buchan, Jim Tillman, Tom Hazelmyer and later Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom. Their alternative rock sound was credited by Allmuic for helping to inspire the Seattle grunge sound. They had a song by the Butthole Surfers named in their honor, "The O-Men", from the album Locust Abortion Technician.^[1]

Tom Price moved on to form Gas Huffer, and also play in The Monkeywrench. John and Charlie would co-found The Crows. Jim Tillman, whose work with the band included the self-titled e.p. "The U-Men" (1984), "Stop Spinning" (1985), and the Deep Six compilation (1986) track "They" resurfaced to play bass for various other local bands, most notably Love Battery. Tom Hazelmyer who had briefly considered the idea of relocating to Seattle join the band in Tillman's absence, chose instead to remain in his hometown of Minneapolis (performing live just once with the band when they opened for Big Black at the Showbox Theater in March 1987) to promote his record company (Amphetamine Reptile Records) and band, Halo of Flies.

Band members

• John Bigley – vocals
• Tom Price – guitar
• Robin Buchan – bass (1981–1982)
• Charlie Ryan – drums
• Jim Tillman – bass (1982–1986)
• Tom Hazelmyer – bass (1987)
• Tony Ransom – bass (July 1987 – 1989)

Discography

The U-Men performing at the Metropolis in Seattle in 1983. From L/R, vocalist John Bigley, bassist Jim Tillman, and guitarist Tom Price.

Albums

• Step on a Bug (Black Label Records, 1988)

Singles/EPs

• U-Men EP (Bomb Shelter Records, 1984)
• Stop Spinning EP (Homestead Records, 1985)
• "Solid Action" b/w "Dig It A Hole" (Black Label Records, 1987)
• "Freezebomb" b/w "That's Wild About Jack" (Amphetamine Reptile, 1988)
• Sugar Daddy Live Split Series Vol. 1 (Amphetamine Reptile, 2012; split with the Melvins)

Compilation

• Solid Action (Chuckie-Boy Records, 1999)

Compilation/Soundtrack contributions

• "They" on the Deep Six compilation (C/Z Records, 1986)
• "Shoot 'Em Down (live)" on the Woodshock '85 compilation (El Jefe Records, 1986)
• "Gila" on the Sub Pop 100 compilation (Sub Pop Records, 1986)
• "Bad Little Woman" on the Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking In The Streets, Vol. 1 compilation (Amphetamine Reptile, 1988)
• "Bad Little Woman" on the Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking In The Streets, Vols. 1-3 compilation (Amphetamine Reptile, 1989)
• "Dig It a Hole" and "Solid Action" on the Hype! soundtrack (Sub Pop Records, 1996)

References

Further reading

• Yarm, Mark (2012). Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 9780307464446. 
• Prato, Greg (2010). Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music. ECW Press. ISBN 9781554903474. 

External links

• The U-Men @ AllMusic.com