Rec | TOO BAD - DOUG AND THE SLUGS (1980)

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TOO BAD - DOUG AND THE SLUGS (1980)

If you didn’t grow up in Canada it’s likely you’ve never heard of this Band. If you did, like me, well you might have memories of your parents playing their 1980 debut album “Cognac & Bolonga” on repeat and have formed a deep nostalgic tie to that LP cover bizarrely adorned with mustard dripped stacks of bologna. Fronted by former magazine cartoonist Doug Bennett - an everyman with the appeal of a quirky used car salesman and a distinct golden voice - they had something truly special going on that sadly went under the radar outside of the great white north. Doug And The Slugs have an overall style that’s hard pin down, it’s rock but it’s playful pop, it’s soulful, complex and at times it’s even a little bit influenced by ska and reggae but not in the most obvious of ways. Their music videos were always comedic and quirky and really well thought out. They reminded me a bit of monty python sketches. A blue collar guy at work gutting fish, an trip through classic tv shows, a gang of sci-fi space rangers sticking it to the music corporation and team of on call sex therapists for when you need help “makin’ it work” As silly as they could be they had a poetic depth evident on tracks like “Dangerous” and “Partly From Pressure” - a song I’ll quote to close off my ramblings… ”Tell me another tale Of how a man succeeds I know the way he fails You're on your way to what it means Partly from pressure Feelings undefined Don't follow me you'll throw it all away..”

@visceralsuspicion

May 26, 2025

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