This isn’t so much a record review as a memoir of my adolescence. There are lots of records that have changed my life (every record bore could say that), but this album represents a sea change for me personally. This was a gateway to a world beyond my parents’ record collection and dollar store records. I just pulled out my first copy (yeah… I have 4 copies of this on vinyl, 2 on CD, and 1 cassette… don’t judge), and just the smell of it makes me feel like I’m back in my old bedroom listening to this album and studying the liner notes for some deeper meaning. All these years later, I really think most of my musical tastes can be linked back to this record.
Personal bias aside, this record is a pretty perfect blend of garage and pop-punk. Not as trashy the Mummies, not as rock and roll as the Smugglers, but more garage than anything else Lookout Records released (except for other Dener/Imlay incarnations), the Hi-Fives’ first album is well paced, with a beat that ebbs and flows but keeps your heart pounding.
Track by track:
Side A:
- Welcome To My Mind : The title track with a very sharp Childish-esque riff that immediately pulls you in. As opening tracks go, this one is a great example of how to hook the listener into what’s about to come. It’s also a great song to dance to.
- Transister Sister : A pretty classic Denery song about a girl. This was always a crowd favourite. Good to sing along and dance to, but not quite a floor stomper. It’s the sort of song that a lot of girls wish boys would write and sing to them.
- Seven Years : A complicate song about loving somebody who loves another… How can you compete with 7 years of history? Another song with the classic garage style riff, and mentions Nietzsche’s Zarathustra. (It’s why I made myself read it in high school.)
- Gone Gone Gone : A cover of Thee Headcoats’ “We’re Gone”, this version is much faster and more frenetic with Judith (from Judy and the Loadies) providing the “No”s. I probably like it more than the original because I heard this version first and it’s more punk. You sort of need a moment to rest when it’s all over.
- How Narvell Felt : This song is a bit of an odd duck for the album. It’s more mid tempo and definitely the breather you need after the previous song. It’s talks about the old country guy Narvel Felts and nothing at all. The beat is interesting and actually one of the best songs to run to. Try it.
- Mr. Moto : The first instrumental. Not to be confused with The Ventures song, it’s actually a cover of The Astronauts’ “Baja”. It really shows how accomplished Chris Imlay is at the surf guitar and nods to past work with Thee Shatners and The Ne’er Do Wells. A very pleasant song.
- You’ll Screw The Pooch : This is another really fast, floor stomping punk song. It’s how I learned about the phrase “screw the pooch”. It’s sort of like a punch in the face, but in a good way.
- Love You Better : This is really one of the best love songs ever and belongs on every courting mix-tape. The main guitar part get stuck in your head and the lyrics are really in that sweet spot of endearing, affectionate, loving, without coming on as cheesy or creepy. Listen to it, it’s magic.
Side B:
- I Go Feral In Just 3 Days : Kicking off the second side with a classic punk drum beat, this song is one of the more straight forward Hi-Fives songs. It’s not quite like a feral cat scratching your face (in a good way), but it’s energy level is pretty damn close.
- Angie : A song for pill poppers, sort of? This song has an interesting mix of feels between the jam packed, popping verses, and the sort of melodic sing-song choruses. It’s seems like it’s over in the blink of an eye.
- Humping Away : This was a Judy and the Loadies song that stayed around. Dr Frank called it “The shortest (1:53) epic rock song ever recorded.” It really has a little bit of everything and there’s a lot of tension going on, and the whole thing just builds and builds to a great crescendo.
- Let’s Hear A Cheer : A song about going on tour with the Queers. It’s one of the rare Hi-Fives songs that’s got straight forward story telling with a clear narrative. It’s definitely more traditional pop-punk than a lot of their stuff (read: it’s not garage).
- Beauty Is The Mind : The second instrumental and perhaps their best? Every time I accidentally play the bass hook intro the song just haunts me. This song also shows Imlay’s surf guitar prowess, but Jess Hilliard’s spoken part always gets me without fail. (And then makes me want to go listen to their version Poseidon. )
- Losing Sleep : Don’t kick me out! This song is also more pop-punk than garage. It’s very simple, very short, and very fun. It’s a good song to sing along to. I used to always bug them to play it live, but they never did. Apparently it was a throw-away filler song on the album and was written in the studio? Maybe that time crunch is what makes it so good?
- Out Of Control : The second Childish cover on the record, which some people might say surpasses the original. It’s definitely faster, sort of controlled chaos. A really fine way to end the album, leaving you sort of gasping for breath.
- And then there’s sort of the throw away not quite hidden track that kicks in with the refrain from “Let’s Hear A Cheer” and then some weird thing about go-go action. SESKIA!
So that is my song by song memory of this album off the top of my head. I ran in summer school to this album every morning. We had to do 30 minutes of continuous running. This album was 27 minutes and some change, so I always topped it off with their side of the Summer Games EP. Of the Hi-Fives’ catalogue, I’d say this album is the one you should listen to the most. I really like the others, but there is just something special about this record. I’d even argue it’s the apex of Lookout Records. Yeah… I went there.
Band: The Hi-Fives
Album: Welcome To My Mind
Label: Lookout Records, LK113
Year: 1995