Aurora’s Frantix transfixed the early 1980s Colorado punk scene with their unique sound and chaotic live show, releasing just two 7-inch EPs before evolving into the equally renowned grunge band The Fluid, Sub Pop’s first non-Seattle signing who helped lead the label’s grunge invasion of the mainstream. The group’s complete recorded works—both EPs plus rare, unreleased and great-sounding demo and live material—are collected here, most tracks appearing on vinyl for the first time ever. Though many people mistakenly believe that Mudhoney’s well-known version of “My Dad’s a Fuckin’ Alcoholic” is an original, this is the true KBD classic!
The mix of Ricky Kulwicki’s unstoppable, lava-flow guitar, Matt Bischoff’s droning, carpet-bombing bass, Davey Stewart’s train-wreck drums, and Marc Deaton’s teenage-zombie vocals is downright legendary. Frantix were never just hardcore, and one can hear it on their very first recordings from 1980: beneath the songs’ amphetamine stutter and sonic tachycardia are strands of rock ’n’ roll DNA belonging to Johnny Thunders and Keith Richards. “Dancin’ to Punk” and “FM Ear” are smeared with lipstick traces of the Modern Lovers. The classic “My Dad’s a Fuckin’ Alcoholic,” equal parts Black Flag and Flipper with a touch of the New York Dolls, sports a simple but unforgettable bass riff and sing-along chorus and was a local favorite that grew to national underground prominence after its original release. Frantix shared the stage with national acts and punk legends like Black Flag, TSOL, Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedys.