Now to clarify, because I have been asked before, believe it or not I am not making this up. I am really Rick Anderson’s niece. And I am proud of the fact that I have a family member who has helped to shape the face of music heritage in the Valley.
The Tubes were musicians made up of an amalgamation of members of previous local Phoenix bands. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s there was a growing musical counter culture in Phoenix as in many parts of the country. Musicians were being inspired by the social upheaval and political tones of the times. In Phoenix, musicians such as Alice Cooper were working to create a new sound. Out of this idealism and musical awakening came the bands The Red, White and Blues Band and The Beans, both Phoenix groups that converged and gave way to the founding of the Tubes.
The band was made up of a motley crew of musical personalities. Bill Spooner, or Sputnick, was a gravely voiced guitarist. Roger Steen was and remains the glasses wearing blues guitarist backbone of the band. My uncle, Rick Anderson, came to the group from the local pyschadelic group, Superfine Dandelion and was known to fans in the early days for his hip length straight hair, duck walk on stage, and the nickname “Gator.” Drummer Prairie Prince brought not only strength in rhythm to the group but also added his artistic flare to the group. Keyboardist Vince Welnick provided his distinct key style to the songs and stage show. Synth player Mike Cotton also added energy, cutting edge synth sounds, and artistic input to help keep the band innovative and unique. Out front was Fee Waybill who entered the band first as the lanky roadie and later as the familiar lead singer who would become synonymous with his stage alter ego, the drunken stumbling British glam rocker, Quay Lewd.
The band transitioned early from Phoenix to San Francisco on the heels of the psychedelic revolution there. They quickly became known for their over the top stage shows that included copious amount of nudity and innuendo along with rocking performances. The band offered songs that were often slanted heavily toward the satirical, and much of their commentary holds true today.
The band released 4 studio albums on the A&M label before moving on to Capitol records in the early 1980’s. The A&M releases included classic anthems such as “White Punks on Dope” and the theme album “Remote Control,” which explored the love hate relationship between people and television. Following the reality television revolution this album seems eerily prophetic.
In the 80’s they had pop success with “She’s a Beauty” which many people recognize by the chorus line “One in a million girl.” The 80’s also saw the disintegration of the original lineup. Since then, the band has been playing in one form or another, and while they retired the trademark stage show for a while the band has been back to their old antics in recent years. Yes, even the long since retired Quay Lewd has made an appearance on occasion.
The band will be playing the Compound Grill on Friday August 27th for a hometown crowd. For those of you who are too young to know who I am talking about I suggest you make your way to the show to experience a group who was punk before we all were.
