gulcher records. gulch 101 / 15 tracks / 1980

By today’s standards, many people wouldn’t consider this split LP to be punk. The Gizmos play solid, mid-tempo melodic rock while Dow Jones pushes the envelope of avant garde experimental punk. None of the original Gizmos appear in the the four man line-up on this album. Their seven songs show this version of the Gizmos takes their music a little more seriously. Yet with classics such as “Progressive Rock” and “Bible Belt Baby,” the Dale Lawerence-led Gizmos prove they are as witty and silly as ever. Strong melodies give these songs a solid poppy edge, which may not please fans of the Gizmos’ first three 7”s but may appeal to those who find those first three e.p.s undigestable. In contrast to the Gizmos, Dow Jones & the Industrials moved at a robotic pace, yet still managed to make their songs sizzle with energy. They were truly a unique and highly underrated band. Don’t expect eight songs that sound like their well-known classic, “Can’t Stand the Midwest.” The themes of the songs and the music itself are much more heavily oriented around science and electronics. The electric bleeps, blips and vocal effects work well with guitars that burn in electrical mayhem. [9] (MM) The non-title tracks from Dow Jones' Midwest EP are a pretty good indicator of what to expect on their side of this split. (bj)

Solider, melodischer und eingängiger Punk von den Gizmos, deutlich poppiger als ihre drei Singles. Dow Jones spielen mechanischen Wavepunk; mehr Elektronik und Effekte als auf ihrer klassischen “Midwest”-Single. (MM)

Tracks: Gizmos - progressive rock / pay/ dead astronauts / rock & roll don’t come from new york / bible belt baby / reggae song / take me to the river // Dow Jones - what’s the difference? / it ain’t good enough / set yourself on fire / malfunction / dude in the direction field / rocking farmers / hold that coed / usa