Pink Lincolns - Back From The Pink Room (Reissue)
I recently read an interview with Iggy Pop where he was quoted as saying “Miami’s a good place to eat a banana.” I have no idea what that means, but the first song on this album is called Miami, and Iggy once drew the album art for one of the band’s other releases, so I figured that this quote was somehow relevant.
“Back From The Pink Room” begins with the sounds of sirens, alarms, and gunfire and goes from there. The Pink Lincolns are punk rock in the ‘80s hardcore vein. Fast, angry, no bullshit, fuck everybody, 2-3-4. Originally released in 1988 this is the Lincolns’ first album and definitely one of their best. The re-release comes to us from Jailhouse Records on a really nice lookin’ slab of splatter vinyl. It’s got three bonus tracks not on the original (Paper Girls, Obscene Phone Call, and I Do (German Version). And it also contains one of my favorite punk rock songs of all time… but more on that later.
The Lincolns hail from Tampa, Florida which judging by songs like I’ve Got A Gun must have some rough areas. Miami can’t be all that safe either as they refer to it as an “urban battleground” and let everyone know that “the only way to walk my streets is with your hand around a gun.” So I guess Disney World is out?
Other song topics range from not selling out (Not For Sale), to wasting your life in an easy chair (Bad T.V.), to the trappings of suburban life (Suburbicide), to stealing things at rummage sales (Velvet Elvis), and to being so polite that you hate yourself and everyone else (I’m So Polite). The icing on the cake however is I’ve Got My Tie On. It’s not only my favorite Pink Lincolns song; it’s arguably one of the best punk songs of all time. There was a brief period of time when I was in college working a desk job at a brokerage firm that I would listen to this song all the damn time. It’s one of the number one reasons I quit and changed majors. If you’ve never heard this song, this album is worth buying for just that. And next time you go to Florida to visit your grandparents, bring a gun.
Popularity: 9% [?]
