Friday, April 07, 2006

Concentrated Cleaning Power!



I'm going to make a more concentrated effort to start putting up more of my old vinyl...and is so often the case with this stuff, there isn't always a lot of info about some of these bands. Especially the ones on 45. Such is the case with Oswald 5-0, of which I know so little about. All of the info I know is gleaned from this small write up ( from Up Records):

(EUGENE, OREGON) - In 1989 Robert Christie was writing more songs than ever, despite the fact his band of the previous five years, snakepit, had recently disintegrated. His friend Diane Beck had been bugging him to start a band since she had acquired and learned to play Matt Colgans bass. They together agreed, now is the time. Oswald 5-0 is born. Rounding up Joe Brooks and Gary Sharts to man the drums and lead guitar respectively, O 5-0 booked some gigs and hit the basement. In the ensuing year a single was recorded in Portland at Mike Lastra's Smegma studios and released on the Imp label. "A Love Supreme" may not have burned up the charts, but music fans with an ear for Oregon's rich rock history heard an instant classic in the vein of the Wipers and the Rats. Change is inevitable, and by 1992 Brooks and Sharts had left, motivating Christie to return to his original instrument, the drums. Enter Nick Tucker, a California transplant and friend of sometime Oswald lyricist Greg Rios. Tucker took over the guitar and male vocal duties, lending an 'SST' edge to the combo's northwest sound. This line up recorded the full length "For Lover's Only" and toured the U.S. with compatriots Some Velvet Sidewalk and the Spinanes. Sadly Oswald 5-0 never received the recognition that was accorded some of their big city neighbors and quietly called it quits in the late 1990s.

Lineups:
Robert Christie Vocals, Guitar
Diane Beck Vocals, Bass
Gary Sharts Lead Guitar
Joe Brooks Drums

Robert Christie Drums, Vocals
Diane Beck Bass. Vocals
Nick Tucker Guitar, Vocals


I always filed these guys under that sort of early Built to Spill/NW indie rock sound...

Oswald 5-0 - A Love Supreme REMOVED
Oswald 5-0 - Crushproof REMOVED

Both of these tracks are from an early 45. Robert Christie, the main songwriter, was also a member of Snakepit and one of the original members of Some Velvet Sidewalk.

You can still purchse one of their later 45's over at Up records.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just found the cassette of the Sidewalk/Spinanes/Oswald tour in 1992, from some radio appearance. It's awesome!
I saw this tour in Brooklyn and have the fondest memories... but I never heard their official releases...

I just found this site by googling "oswald 5-0".

4:28 PM  

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