Suicide Commandos
Carrying on in the “suicide” theme (in name only), it seemed like a perfect opportunity to discuss Minneapolis’s Suicide Commandos. Ostensibly the first “punk” band to come out of the Twin Cities (someone, somewhere can always point to something earlier in most cases), the Suicide Commandos were guitarist/vocalist Chris Osgood, drummer, Dave Ahl, and bassist Steve Almaas. Forming in 1974, the Commandos would release two 7″ records on the PS label before landing on Mercury’s short-lived punk subsidiary Blank (the only other Blank release was Pere Ubu’s The Modern Dance). 1978 saw the release of Suicide Commandos Make A Record, 15 tracks of high energy rock punctuated by Osgood’s stun gun guitar and Ahl’s animal like drumming. In 1979 the Commandos completed their run, releasing a live platter The Commandos Commit Suicide Dance Party (the first release for TwinTone records) and a couple of tracks for Big Hits of Mid-America III compilation One of the tracks on the comp was “Complicated Fun” - years later this track would turn up in a Target commercial. Anyhow, have a listen:
from 1978’s Suicide Commandos Make A Record
Suicide Commandos - Attacking the Beat.mp3
Suicide Commandos - Mosquito Crucifixtion.mp3
Suicide Commandos - You Cant.mp3
A couple from the band’s first two 7 inch releases, more in the straight rock vein than the album 1977’s “Match-Mismatch” is a long one - 5+ minutes - that kinda drags for the first two minutes before hitting it’s mark. “Emission Control” is from the very first 7″, released in 1976
Suicide Commandos - Match-Mismatch.mp3
Suicide Commandos - Emission Control.mp3
Notes:
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I remember the Suicide Comandos when I was 16 or 13, can’t remember, not living in MN but heard them on an alternative radio station from the Viliage in NYC and thought “Oh my God” Attack the beat is great. Ended up in MN years later, age 24.
Thanks for including “Match/Mismatch”. I got the single mail order from Bomp in 1977 when I was 15. Any chance of putting up “Mark, He’s a Terror”? In my view that track had one of the most menacing guitar intros I’ve ever heard.
Oh yeah! This was one of the first bands where I felt “where’s the justice? These guys should be famous.” Quickly I discovered that being a great band is no guarantee of fame. They are still criminally underexposed. Thanks for this!
I worked at the Ambassador Hotel just off Hwy 394 (Hwy 12 back then) with Steve Almaas. This was in 1973, he worked in Room Service and I was a Busboy. A few years after they formed the band they did a free concert at the hotel in the basement banquet room–it was a blast. I also saw them many times at the Longhorn Bar. Steve eventually moved to NY to start a band called the Crackers. Thanks for this website!