The Wallflowers: “Walldrugs”
Yet another Wallflowers signature returns from Canada after a 25-year hiatus.
Like the rest of this cache, “Walldrugs” features the original Wallflowers lineup of Dave Rinck (vocals), Paul Howland (bass), Tommy Clarke (guitar) and Aaron Daniels (drums).
“’Walldrugs’ and [Stooges cover] ‘TV Eye’ were recorded in a ’studio’ at Music Power,” Dave Rinck writes. “‘Raw Power’ [another Stooges cover] was, too, but not until a little later than the other two.
“’Walldrugs’ is about some asthma pills we used to take recreationally. They made us so aggro and dizzy that we’d often take a handful of them before going on stage.”
More Wallflowers MP3s:
The Wallflowers play “Funland”: Listen now!
The Wallflowers play “Rubber Room”: Listen now!
The Wallflowers play “Paradise on Fourth Avenue”: Listen now!
The Wallflowers play “Survive the Jungle”: Listen now!
The Wallflowers play “Raw Power”: Listen now!
Tags: Aaron Daniels, Che Underground, Dave Rinck, Paul Howland, San Diego music, Tommy Clarke, Wall Drugs, Wallflowers
August 18th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I love this song. And with a slight lyrical retooling, I think it would be a great jingle for the Walgreens Pharmacy chain.
August 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I can picture happy families shouting out “Every DAY! … Every WAY!” Kind of like those Maxwell House “Our House” commercials (do you guys have those in Cali?) or (somewhat higher on the food chain) Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” video.
If this happens, I want a cameo.
August 18th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
This was my favorite Wallflowers song…along with Survive the Jungle. I love everything about this song… great riffs and great vocals. It sounded even better live because you could hear the bass much better.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:07 am
The thing I liked about marax (It is a combination of theophylline, ephedra, and hydroxyzine.)was that it had stimulant and sedative qualities, perfect Rock and Roll drug because if you took 2 or 3 of ‘em you could fall asleep pretty much at will, and when you woke up you’d be wired and ready for battle. The songs lyrics stirred a bit of controversy within the band, Aaron didn’t want to play on the song because he didn’t want to endorse or be seen to endorse drug use, Dave and myself believed that we should be writing and singing songs that were relevant to our lives. Very shortly after one of our conversations Huey Lewis and the News Released “I Want a New Drug” which was a very mainstream pop hit, Dave and I felt pretty vindicated after that. Aaron handled most iif not all of the engineering and bandleading chores in those days, the lyrics were by Rinck and the music and Arrangement were Clarke, Daniels, Howland, Rinck. I’ve never seen a plugged nickel for any of these releases or any other recordings that I played on which got released. I’m not bitter about it, it’s just a fact.
Remember kids, don’t take drugs, don’t share prescriptions, and stay in school.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Paul
Plugged nickel…………..
Me niether, not a single plugger or even a dime.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
People forget that when you write a song, it’s just a story. I grew up listening to country singers singing about booze, drugs, and all kinds of things that aren’t necessarily good. Johnny Cash sang “I shot a man in Reno… just to watch him die” …no one would even think to question that…but if you put the same lyrics in a rock and roll song, people would think it’s going to turn their kids into Charles Manson and start a campaign to ban it. If someone listened to the song and killed someone, they’d sue the singer.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Funny comments, all of you! But I would think the Wallflowers wouldn’t want to endorse or be seen to endorse Huey Lewis and the News.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Only for medical reasons, Ray … Its hypnotic and laxative effects can be therapeutic, but only under strict physician supervision. (Usually in the waiting room.)
August 19th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
hum…I was just listening to Woody Guthrie’s “Cocaine Blues”. Drugs have been topic since cavemen were chewin happy bark I ‘spose.
Like Dave Ellison, Wall Drugs is my fave Wallflower tune. “Is this a raid?” Ha! Rink is so snotty and great and I forgot what a mindblowing drummer Aaron was. And a nice person too.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Aaron Daniels did this extended drum solo on the Wallflowers’ version of … “Purple Haze,” was it? Some Hendrix … That totally kicked my ass. I’m not generally a drum-solo kind of guy in rock ‘n’ roll (jazz is a different story), but Mr. Daniels totally disarmed me.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Matthew: Aaron was PRO. He toured with Stevie Ray.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I would like the definitive story of how Aaron fell in with Tommy, Paul and Dave. That was an utterly unlikely, magical pairing.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I am trying to remember other Wallflower drummers. Dave Klowden practiced with them once in David Rink’s garage. Then there was this wanna-be John Bonham named John Ruman (?) who totally wanted to cover Moby Dick to get the drum solo, a little too happy on the tom-toms, you know what I mean? Plus the Wallflowers were a little too haphazard and wierd for him. They were a little whacked for Aaron too but the musical chemistry between him and Paul’s bass playing totally made it work.
Did Mark Mullen drum for the Wallflowers too? I know he was in “No Where Fast” (great name).
August 19th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
>>Did Mark Mullen drum for the Wallflowers too?
Kristen: Bien sur! Mark was the drummer immediately after Aaron — next stop, the Morlocks.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Mark was the drummer for the Wallflowers for pretty much every show the Rockin’ Dogs played with them. I never saw them with Aaron…the first time I saw them play was when we played with them at the Syndicate.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I believe I mentioned before that I ran for a keg with Aaron at one of our Che events, summer ’83 … Not only was he old enough to buy it, he ws big enough to carry it!
I b’lieve Aaron was with the band through summer ’83. Am I correct?
August 19th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
oh duh. Sorry Mark! of course you drummed with the Wallflowers…I remember now…(you know those two braincells are just floating around in my noggin out of firing range from each other.)
Then the Morlocks was a “Cream” concept supergroup: Tommy and Mark from the Wallflowers, Leighton and Ted from Gravediggers and Jeff from the Answers. Mark was super cool. He let me draw on his basedrum.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Yeah, I remember being blown away also by Aaron’s drum solo at the end of one of their songs at a gig at the Che when I first saw them. Aaron played w/Stevie Ray Vaughn? Not one of my favorite guitarists (although he did an incredible Hendrix “tribute” style) but that’s a high-powered gig.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:00 am
Aaron
Was for sure one of the good guys. He was very gifted, I did learn a lot from Aaron. Never could come close to filling his shoes.
My older brother still talks about seeing him way later working at the Planitarium -- SP? in Balboa Park………..
No where fast- Have not thought of that name in a long time. This was the first band I played in with dudes from high school, it was a sad affair.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Dave: That was one of the coolest things I have read on this site.
Please more stories.
I really am dig’n all this Wallflowers stuff!
April 25th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
That version of Raw Powers pales in comparison to the version that was done with Eric Camillo and John Mullen at Music Power.
April 25th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
>>That version of Raw Powers pales in comparison to the version that was done with Eric Camillo and John Mullen at Music Power.
Johnny: Do you have a tape?
April 25th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Not a very good version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNdqaVCohMc&feature=related
LOU SKUM does a much better cover!
April 25th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
“Raw Kitfo“ would be another good cover for Dave Rinck to perform at Dass in Nairobi!
“My mitamita could awake the dead
“Mince up my beef — always tré, never lebleb!
“Raw kitfo is sure to come a-runnin’ to you!”
April 25th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Mw6b1T50U
random
April 25th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
P Gargoyle: I would pay $50 to watch Dave Rinck and Jeff Lucas perform this scene together at Gay Denny’s.
April 26th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Have you ever noticed how Iggy rolls his big round eyes just like Mr. Snuffleupagus?
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Snuffleupagus