Plasticland

by Steve HueyPlasticlands acid-drenched neo-psychedelic sound bore some resemblance to L.A.s concurrent paisley underground scene, but instead of drawing their chief inspiration from the Velvet Underground, the Milwaukee quartet had a greater affinity for vintage garage rock and British mind-benders like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and the Pretty Things. Formed in 1980 out of the ashes of prog rockers Arousing Polaris, Plasticland included vocalist/guitarist/organist Glenn Rehse, guitarist Dan Mullen, bassist John Frankovic, and drummer Vic Demechei, who debuted that summer with the Mink Dress single on Scadillac. Several more singles and EPs followed, including 1982s Pop! Op Drops (whose material later became part of the bands first album); there were also several personnel shifts, as Demechei was replaced first by Bob DuBlon, then Rob McCuen. (Several tracks with the Violent Femmes Brian Ritchie on guitar were also recorded during this era.)Plasticlands first full-length, Color Appreciation, was issued on the French Lolita label in 1984; a year later, it was re-released in America by Pink Dust with two different tracks, titled simply Plasticland. The follow-up, Wonder Wonderful Wonderland, was released before the end of 1985, and featured Mellotron and bouzouki, among other vintage psychedelic accoutrements. By the time of 1987s Salon, Demechei had returned to the fold. Plasticland subsequently resurfaced on the Midnight label with a pair of live albums: 1989s You Need a Fairy Godmother featured onetime Pink Fairies/Pretty Things drummer Twink, and 1990s Confetti. In the late 80s, a German fan commissioned an album, Dapper Snappings, for his Repulsion label. The albums was eventually released in 1994. Some of the bands early recordings were collected on Mink Dress and Other Cats, while a career-spanning collection was issued in 2006.