Things Your Mother Never Told You

Sound DNA

• Punk
• Punk Rock

• raw
• aggressive
• punky

About

This was to be Wayne County’s last album as Wayne. Following 1979’s <i>Things Your Mother Never Told You</i>, the gender-bending frontman would return from Berlin in 1980 as Jayne County, transgender superstar of the New York City underground (and purported inspiration for the musical and movie <i>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</i>). David Cunningham of Flying Lizards fame had joined The Electric Chairs, freeing the band’s sound from its former rock ‘n’ roll boogie. Similar to how The Police, The Clash, and Blondie were appropriating reggae, the title track here plays with some overly irie vibrations in the chorus, which somehow works wonderfully with Wayne’s taunting, tacky lyrics sung in his signature nasal-toned sneer. The versatile playing of guitarists Elliot Michaels and Henry Padovani help give <i>Things Your Mother Never Told You</i> a more rounded-out style, sounding equal parts glam, punk, garage-rock, and theatrical rock. “Wonder Woman” opens with the full-throttled gusto of a Detroit band, while the more moody “Berlin” grooves fashionably with an old 606 drum machine and chilly post-punk tones.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits