“The Vipers are back. With their signature blend of ’60s pop hooks, garage grit and psychedelic edge, the New York City legends return with a newly remixed and remastered edition of their lost 1986 album “How About Some More”. Born from the same scene that made them kings of Irving Plaza, The Ritz and The Peppermint Lounge, this record captures The Vipers at full throttle — raw, melodic, timeless. Once buried, now revived: The sound that could’ve ruled the world.”
NYC’s Vipers saga can easily fill an entire book. Caught in the tumult of the early 80s garage scene, the band forged a solid reputation of delivering incredible live performances matched with some stellar song writing. A talent that not surprisingly brought them to the very brink of national recognition. However, in a moment the sudden passing of their manager set off a chain reaction that slowly ate away at the band. The Vipers limped along for a few more years, but disagreements, dissatisfaction, and a hard-living 80s lifestyle took a predictable toll. Eventually, the members all went their separate ways.
Teaming up with label owner (and former vocalist of 80s Long Island surf-punk band Immortal Primitives) Bob Cantillo, this year saw the release of the first 45 of “new” Vipers material in over 30 years. “Pretty Lies” (as well as the flip, “Find Another”) is a classic example of a hungry garage band at the height of their powers. Sounding closer to their rough live sound than the full-length platters, the single is an astounding reminder of the talent of the early band and makes an essential addition to The Vipers discography.
While The Vipers catalogue has always been available in some form or another, it was only in recent years that guitarist Paul Martin took it upon himself to remix and remaster much of the original material so that it better represented the band. Among one of his first projects was to properly release material from the sloppily mixed, cassette-only “Cryptic Vaults/Not So Pretty, Not So New.
TRACKS 00:00 You’re Doin’ It Well 02:29 Rules Of Love 06:02 Don’t Try To Mend It “10:17 That Ain’t Fair! 12:46 Need Some Lovin’ 15:20 Try Me 18:25 How About Somemore? 23:09 Too Bad 26:47 Silver Linings 30:02 Talking To Stone 33:11 She’s Comin’ Home
The Fat Angel Sings 