PLASMATICS - "New Hope for the Wretched" - (Reconstructed original version - acetate line-up).

A crazy post to close a crazy year.. Plasmatics? .., Who were they ?. For some, it was just a crazy American punk band. But no, they were something else. A countercultural revolution that did not leave anyone indifferent to where they were going because their shows were anticipated in time to what people could see, hear and the authorities allow. The world was not yet ready for such a degree of madness

It was in 1977, in the heart of New York, in Times Square, where Rod Swenson, a graduate of Fine Arts from Yale University, who had already worked with The Ramones or Patty Smith, met the singer Wendy O. Williams after her accidentally finding a copy of Show Business Weekly that someone had thrown on the floor of the bus station. In that magazine, he saw an advertisement for a casting call for Rod's theater show, Captain Kink's Sex Fantasy Theater. Days later, Wendy showed up and her performance convinced and caught Rod's attention so much that he decided to hire her.

Soon after, Wendy and Rod thought of forming a music group in the wake of the punk movement and began looking for possible candidates. In July 1978, the group, a trio, called the Plasmatics gave their first performance at the CBGB club.on the Bowery in New York City.After the concert, Wendy and Rob realized that they needed another guitarist, shortly after. Wes Beech joined the group.plasmatics for better or for worse born.

Wendy O. Williams – vocals, saxophone, chainsaw, machine gun  / Richie Stotts – lead guitar  / Wes Beech – rhythm guitar /  Jean Beauvoir – bass guitar  / Stu Deutsch – drums, synthdrums

The band's show soon became famous as they were chaotic, destructive and outrageous high voltage live performances. These included chainsaws, smashing guitars, loudspeakers, mallets hitting televisions, firing rifles over the heads of the public, and blowing up cars - something that had not been seen until then.Quickly rose in the New York City punk underground scene of the time.with  sold-out shows each night. The success was such that Plasmatics headlined the Palladium on November 16, 1979, the first group in history to do so at full ticket prices and without a major label recording contract

In addition, the singer who was already beginning to have her first contacts with the porn industry. In 1979 he starred in his first porn movie "Candy Goes to Hollywood" with renowned actors like John Leslie, of the five he did in his short career until 1987.

During the shows, she began to masturbate in public with simulated orgasms or not in front of the audience., sometimes allowing herself to be touched without caring. She always showed her breasts, with her nipples covered with black tape, for attitudes like these she was arrested by the police on more than one occasion for public scandal.

These attitudes made many American record labels were reluctant to sign with the band.Only Britain's Stiff Records dared, but first they flew to New York City to watch a show in person and determine if what they had been reading and listening to could be real. The day after watching the performance, Stiff made an offer and a deal was signed within a month.The Plasmatics began recording songs in New York City for what would become the album "New Hope for the Wretched" with producer Jimmy Miller, who was fired for abusing drugs.

On April 29, 1980, Plasmatics already had a 1st album in acetate of what should be their first studio album, but it was still far from being the definitive copy. This was the original acetate´s line-up:

Side A: (18:21)

1 Want you baby. (1:58) / 2 Dream Lover (7:37) / 3 Sometimes I (3:48) / 4 Corruption . (2:28) / 5 Butcher Baby. (3:10)

Side B: (16:53)

1 Tight Black Pants. (1:41) / 2 You Think Tou´re Comin´.(1:49) / 3.Suburban John (live). (1:48) / 4.Monkey Suit. (3:20) / 5..Living Dead. (1:40) / 6. Test Tube Babies. (1:50) / 7.Won´t You. (2:23) / 8.Concrete Shoes. (2:49) / 9.Fast Food Service. (1:33)

In September, with producer Jimmy Miller out. A revision of this acetate was made bit.ly/Plm80Ts and some songs were discarded like: "Suburban John" replaced by a "Squirm" recorded with better means.In addition to new mixes.Leaving the album as follows:

Side: A: (18:13)

1 Want you baby. (1:54)

2 Dream Lover (alternate). (3:14)

3 Sometimes I (alternate) (3:41)

4 Corruption (alternate). (2:23)

5 Butcher Baby. (3:29)

6 Tight Black Pants. (1:42)

7 You Think Tou´re Comin´.(1:47)

Side B: (17:06)

1 Squirm (live). (3:25)

(At The Pier, NYC. US. September 12.1980)

2 Monkey Suit. (3:24)

3.Living Dead. (1:35)

4.Test Tube Babies. (1:49)

5.Won´t You. (2:25)

6.Concrete Shoes. (2:53)

7.Fast Food Service. (1:31)

The Plasmatics visited the UK for a tour, which met with opposition from some quarters including the Greater London Council (GLC), particularly for their intention to blow up a car on stage and Williams' semi-nudity. The GLC canceled the band's show at the Hammersmith Odeon after fire inspectors decided the show would not meet safety requirements

The album was finally released on October 2, 1980 with a June single from "Butcher Baby" that landed at No. 55 on the UK Singles Chart. The US edition of the album was packaged with a poster for the canceled Hammersmith Odeon show

Jimmy Miller – producer, percussion  7 Ed Stasium – producer, engineer, mixing /   Rod Swenson – producer, management, mixing  and Trevor Hallsey – engineer

"New Hope for the Wretched" would become the Plasmatics' most successful album, charting for 10 week and peaking at 134 on the Billboard 200 in 1981.The album proved a bigger success in the U.K., peaking at 55 in November 1980. The complet discography, are five studio albums and multiple EPs between 1980 and 1983 ; more a postmortem CD following the suicide of singer Wendy in 1998, released in 2000 called: "Coup de Gracia".

We could spend a lot of time talking about the history of plasmatics because of the amount of anecdotes and excesses that they had between 1977 and 1983, the date of their dissolution and what later Wendy O. Williams' solo career meant. As a final note to say that Wendy due to her chaotic life acquired a suicidal tendency that she managed to consummate on April 6, 1998 when she committed suicide by shooting herself in the head.

Anyway, here you have a reconstruction of what the album "New Hope for the Wretched" looked like from the end of September 1980, shortly before being modified for the last time before its official release.

Finally a few bonus tracks, rejected from 1st acetate.:

1 Want You Baby (alternate). (1:17)

2 Dream lover. (full lenght mix). (7:37)

3 Suburban John (live). (1:34)

(live at My Father´s Place Roslyn, NYC. US. August 22.1979)

(Rejected by due to poor quality)

Enjoy it.., if you can.., if you haven't had a headache after.