Mumps - How I Saved The :: Not Lame Recordings - power pop and melodic rock record label, music and CDs

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Mumps - How I Saved The

Amazing CD and DVD combo from The Mumps, who were anthologized back in 1995 by Eggbert Records. Too pop for punk, too "old school" for the New Wave. Mumps were a 70`s era New York rock band, out of time. Think Sparks, The Quick, The Modern Lovers and Jim Carroll. This takes all those tracks on that CD, adds a ton more and a really, really fun, complete DVD filled with all sorts of insanely enjoyable performances, live, video, backstage. Why they never got a record deal at the time, is still unfathomable considering the sub-mediocre bands that did. They released 2 singles and studio demo-ed a ton more(all included here). Lead singer Lance Loud was the key character in "An American Family" -- the first "reality" show in 1973, folks over the age of, say, 43 should remember this. Read on, find out the story!

"4 1/2 stars.. The Mumps were the sort of band who were destined not to fit in wherever they landed -- their particular combination of pop hooks, rock guitar figures, full-on glam flamboyance, wickedly funny lyrics and unashamed charisma added up to music that was a little too smart for the house no matter where they played. The fact their lead singer Lance Loud was both America`s first reality TV star and an unabashedly out-of-the-closet gay icon probably didn`t encourage many folks to take them seriously, either, but How I Saved the World makes an excellent case for the argument that they were the "Great Lost Band" of the mid- to late-`70s CBGB`s scene. While they were very decidedly not punk rock, the Mumps obviously shared their scene-mates desire to upend mainstream rock as it stagnated in the 1970s, and they certainly hit the ground with a sound all their own -- suggesting rock cabaret that had actually learned how to rock, Kristian Hoffman and Lance Loud`s songs took the pop outrage of Sparks, stripped off some of the gingerbread, and ultimately improved on their model on nearly every level, while their smarty-pants wit was a good bit funnier than anyone else mining similar territory. Almost 25 years after the Mumps called it quits, "Crocodile Tears," "Fatal Charm" and "Rock & Roll This, Rock & Roll That" sound like they should have been hit singles, "Brain Massage" is the anti-psycho-babble song Jello Biafra spent most of his career trying to write, and "I Like to Be Clean" and "Muscleboys" were prescient examples of Loud bringing the minutiae of the gay experience into rock. How I Saved the World is a souped-up version of the out-of-print 1994 collection Fatal Charm, which preserved the lion`s share of the Mumps` repertoire through single sides, unreleased demos and rehearsal tapes. This edition is enriched with two unreleased songs and a bonus DVD that demonstrates the Mumps were an impressive live act, and Loud was a genius frontman. A real labor of love, How I Saved the World saves the Mumps from an oblivion they certainly didn`t deserve, and this material sounds as gloriously off kilter today as it did when it was recorded, which, assuredly, is a compliment. R.I.P., Lance."-AMG. Fans of this era, this is Extremely Highly Recommended, even for folks exploring this time period a bit deeper, will find a lot to recommend almost as highly.

I Like To Be Clean - mp3

Crocodile Tears - mp3

Anyone But You - mp3

Before The Accident - mp3

Dutch Boy - mp3

Customer Reviews

Reviewer: Liz Ireland

The Mumps have been unfairly written out of the history of the 70s New York band scene. Running concurrently (but not by any means inimically) with the "new wave" scene you have heard of was a parallel pop scene you have not. Together with the Fast, Mumps pretty much topped this scene. It's axiomatic that bands fronted by music critics are quite often not very good. Mumps is the exception. Lance Loud was not only a talented music writer but also a charismatic frontman who was capable of delivering Kristian Hoffman's complex melodies with style and conviction. Taking their cue from Sparks, Orchestra Luna, early Bowie and the glam movement, Mumps were one of the few bands to determined carry that concept forward in the face of the doctrinaire punk onslaught from the U.K. We're so glad they did. How much thinner and more one-dimensional would our musical life be without the challenging melodies and lyrics of the fabulous Mumps?? If at times their musical reach exceeds their grasp, one finds that rather commendable in the context of the times. This compilation could not possibly be any better. The effort put forward by Kristian and his team is genuinely a labor of love, and it shows. The packaging is stunning, the remastered tracks sound SO much better than they did, and the great, grainy video brings memories of that time period stunningly alive for those who were there, or provides a window into the past for those who were not. It's rare that extra video commentary actually adds to the viewing experience, but Kristian's commentary both beguiles and amuses, just as one would expect. Highly recommended whether you are familiar with the Mumps or not.