The Raucous
Every once in a while, luck shines upon you. With me, it occurred a few weeks ago when I
was wandering around local garage sales.
I found the only public recording from the Raucous! You may not at first find it as exciting as
me, so let me give you a little history.
The Raucous were one of the major influences on the emerging
grunge scene in Seattle during the 80’s.
Their raw, hard style was emulated by some of the bands that later
became famous. Their love of music was
legendary in the local music community.
But they were mysterious and vowed never to sell out to
commercialism. Their stage was the
basement jam session. Once a year, they
would ‘find’ an abandoned building, spread the word on the street, and give one
evening of sheer musical pleasure.
Those lucky enough to hear about and attend these ‘concerts’
felt that the Raucous were the next thing.
But true to the Raucous spirit, recording devices were not allowed. These were nights for pure music, not brass
commercialization! During the last
performance by the band, someone managed to record what most considered their
best song. The tape was sent to the
Rocket magazine (the musical rag in Seattle for many years). The Rocket reviewed the song, and placed the
band’s name on the front cover (as a side note, the band Sound Garden was also
on the cover, as their first album was reviewed inside). When the Raucous found out, they were
devastated. They felt betrayed and were
never heard from again.
For those who have never heard the Raucous, I felt that their
talents needed to be shared. As you
listen to their only public recording, I think you will understand how
influential they were to the Seattle music scene.
Enjoy!
The song: Welcome To Freeway Park
The lyrics: Welcome To Freeway Park
The review: The Rocket, December 1987 …
The Raucous live up to their
names on their cassette single, “Welcome to Freeway Park.” Not a single word is understandable. It’s loud, obnoxious and loose. In other words, it has a certain merit.