Steel Pole Bath Tub's existence is mired with instances of infamy. First (and simplest) of all, they were a punk band from Montana. Second, their rather bizarre smattering of influences and chaotic songwriting never seemed to be the sort of material destined for major labels, and yet managed to be one of the umpteen bands to be caught up in the post-Nevermind signing spree. Blanketing all those who bothered to listen in an unyielding sticky film of fuzzed out bass, droning howls, chaotic noise and (of course) offbeat film samples, this rather eclectic mixture of styles left many scratching their head when it came time to try and categorize the band. This didn't stop Slash Records from eventually trying to make a buck, however. They were signed in 1995 and almost instantly became the bane of Slash's existence. After releasing 2 albums largely compromised by their label, Steel Pole Bath Tub decided they were going to do something unique with their next major label effort. This record-to-be would serve as a tribute to New Wave predecessors, The Cars. This would not be a mere nod in admiration, oh no. The band decided to recreate The Cars' first album in its entirety. Suffice to say, things didn't end so swimmingly.
Tulip, however, captures the band in their prime. Their second full length, Tulip encapsulates the various qualities of the band that fans adored and major label executives could never really comprehend. Slow, durgy and delightfully redundant, this album is yet another example of a vein of punk rock that was immensely under appreciated at the time of its release and, today, is 'admired' to the point of blatant copping.
The bizarre psychedelia turn driving rhythms of 'Quark', for example, show a band with a severe case of musical ADD. The beauty of it all, I suppose, is this seemingly unrelated string of influences works, and it works well.
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