THE MEOWS - ALL YOU GOTTA DO (LP)

(Promotional note included on the back cover of the album:)

I met Francis and Enric about 30 years ago. Two determined twenty-somethings who had just arrived in Madrid for the weekend, driving Francis's old BMW R65 and carrying a backpack with 20 copies of a cassette of their new demo, hoping to land some gigs and a recording contract. I later learned that, although their visit had been a social success, they'd only gone home with 19 copies of the cassette in their backpack. First things first.

If you already know The Meows, just so you know, this compilation includes some demos recorded before their first album with No Tomorrow Records, and half of these are even prior to their debut 7” for the Goo label.

If, on the other hand, you're unfamiliar with the band, their story isn't much different from that of other underground groups active for a certain period of time. In short: in the early 90s, Francis was the singer for the Revved-Up Bulls, a punk rock band, while Enric played bass in The Marmotes , a garage band. These two groups crossed paths on a joint tour, and our two heroes eventually decided to form a cover band with the sole aim of having fun. Two decades and seven different lineups later, they went their separate ways.

A 20-year career is a long enough journey, and while the band's sound showed zero evolution during that period, their stylistic changes were considerable. Over the years, The Meows broadened their musical horizons, moving from playing "fast-paced music" (listen to the last track on this album, recorded at their early second concert) to a compendium of influences encompassing the best rock 'n' roll from the 1950s to the 1970s.

I was lucky enough to see them perform live about half a dozen times during those early days. Their sets were always very short, but they played incredibly loud and, believe me, they were powerful. They might have looked like a bunch of Blue Cheer roadies, but despite that, The Meows were classy guys.

This album features previously unreleased material: various recordings from two of The Meows' earliest lineups, but none from the band's most stable lineup, the one that recorded three of their four albums. It consists primarily of demos, played in studios owned by their friends, plus four tracks recorded by the band themselves. A couple of live tracks (perhaps three) are also included, a detail not reflected in the album title, possibly to avoid negatively impacting sales.

Mario “Teenage Head” García