427:, where the band moved for some months. Morton has claimed that this move was caused by death threats he had received in Cleveland for sleeping with "one too many married women". When gigs did happen, promoters were known to pull them half way through. On their debut show the band were arrested by police for being drunk and disorderly. Morton resisted arrest and gained a broken hand, which caused him to play their next gig, three weeks later with an improvised splint made from a slide rule and a wrench.
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In late 1973 McMahon left the band, replaced by Paul
Marotta, who was a competent musician on both guitar and keyboards and was simultaneously a member of Mirrors. Drummers came and left during the history of the band, but bass guitar was always absent. By early 1975, Marotta had quit and McMahon had
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The electric eels played only five public shows, but during their brief existence they earned a reputation locally for being angry, confrontational and violent. They were notorious for starting fights with audiences which drew police attention; members were also abusive to each other off-stage. Their
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The
Electric Eels featured unconventional instrumentation initially, with no drummer nor anyone who was technically competent on any musical instruments. Their rare performances did feature at various times, sheet metal hit with sledgehammers, anvils, a power lawnmower and fist fights. This led to
493:. This gig marked the public start of a new and unique Cleveland punk rock scene. However the repeat event in January 1975 would see the eels banned from the last bar that would have them, due to their use on stage of a gas-powered lawnmower. This led to the departure from the band of Marotta.
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literature were used as an inspiration sheet for extemporaneous lyrics in the song "Spinach
Blasters" (AKA "Spin Age Blasters"). Marotta: "It was shock tactics, it was confrontational art, it was meant to be satire". This presaged the use of similar shock tactics and images by other punks in
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Morton, in particular, had an inclination for violence that often led to physical fights and temporary splits in the band, or he and Dave E would go to a working class bar and provoke a fight by dancing together as if a homosexual couple.
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was particularly influenced by the vocal styling and stage presence of Dave "E" McManus. While the eels didn't play many shows, they rehearsed often, eventually making many recordings which were released many years after their demise.
504:. They made their peace with Marotta, who went on to record some of their rehearsals in early 1975. It is these sessions which make up most of the eels material released since their demise, including the 1978
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Later that year the original three eels members, Marotta and two members of
Mirrors formed a new band, The Men from UNCLE, but this lasted only two rehearsals before splitting again. Marotta went on to form
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gig and been unimpressed enough by the support band (Youngstown's Left End) to decide that they could do better themselves. Unlike other rock groups of the era, Morton had also been influenced by
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Eventually the
Electric Eels got a gig at a Cleveland venue which would support original music, The Viking Saloon's "Special Extermination Night" 22 December 1974 with
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in 1975 (sources differ as to whether this was in May or
September of that year), before finally splitting there and then due to a Morton-inspired fist fight.
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Along with Morton (guitar), other original members were Dave "E" McManus (vocals, clarinet) and Brian McMahon (guitar; not to be confused with
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single "Agitated" b/w "Cyclotron", which was their only released recording for many years. The song "Cyclotron" has a lyrical reference to
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returned. Marotta would record the band throughout that year and play during some August recording sessions that also included a bass.
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However, the Knox line-up of the band was short-lived, performing only one gig – the band's fifth, overall – at
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Electric Eels, 1975. Left to right: Brian McMahon, Dave E., John D Morton and Nick Knox Photo:Michele
Zalopany
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The deliberate provocation and controversy of the band also saw them use the
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The Beast 999 Presents The
Electric Eels in Their Organic Majesty's Request
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From the
Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-Punk History for a Post-Punk World
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Having a Philosophical Investigation with The Electric Eels
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512:whose music and style often crossed over into the
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372:member), all ex-pupils of Lakewood High School,
277:style was a discordant, noisy amalgam of hard
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265:band active between 1972 and 1975, formed by
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356:Learn how and when to remove this message
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
257:(written with lowercase e's in honor of
715:(contains explicit language and images)
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768:Musical groups disestablished in 1975
380:in 1972. The three had been to see a
633:Morton, John; Marotta, Paul (2001).
579:"Spin Age Blasters"/"Bunnies" (1981)
334:adding citations to reliable sources
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713:John Morton's Electric Eels website
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763:Musical groups established in 1972
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656:Warwick, Kevin (April 13, 2017).
416:the description of their act as "
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521:Case Western Reserve University
41:needs additional citations for
778:1975 disestablishments in Ohio
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576:"Agitated"/"Cyclotron" (1978)
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412:at the local record store.
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753:American punk rock groups
748:American protopunk groups
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65:"Electric Eels" band
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606:Heylin, Clinton (1993).
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16:American protopunk band
150:Background information
487:Rocket from the Tombs
410:Rocket from the Tombs
582:"Jaguar Ride" (2014)
330:improve this section
50:improve this article
635:The Eyeball of Hell
564:The Eyeball of Hell
459:American Nazi Party
261:) were an American
587:Compilation albums
21:Electric Eel Shock
758:Noise rock groups
637:(CD liner notes).
593:Die Electric Eels
552:God Says Fuck You
448:William Burroughs
382:Captain Beefheart
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694:December 11,
692:. Retrieved
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529:The Styrenes
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402:Albert Ayler
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328:Please help
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254:
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243:Paul Marotta
227:Past members
198:Years active
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106:January 2015
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48:Please help
43:verification
40:
680:"Eels 2007"
535:Discography
506:Rough Trade
476:Sid Vicious
452:Lenny Bruce
287:Stiv Bators
279:garage rock
232:John Morton
732:Categories
643:References
510:Elton John
502:The Cramps
470:, such as
298:Background
188:noise rock
76:newspapers
514:glam rock
498:Nick Knox
421:terrorism
394:John Cale
386:free jazz
346:June 2018
317:does not
283:free jazz
246:Jim Jones
240:Nick Knox
178:punk rock
173:Protopunk
664:3 August
444:swastika
425:Columbus
374:Lakewood
183:art punk
723:Discogs
600:Sources
571:Singles
516:scene.
491:Mirrors
338:removed
323:sources
237:Dave E.
212: (
204: (
90:scholar
622:
595:(2014)
468:London
456:racist
398:Sun Ra
166:Genres
155:Origin
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370:Slint
210:–1975
97:JSTOR
83:books
696:2014
666:2017
620:ISBN
489:and
478:and
466:and
450:and
440:Nazi
400:and
378:Ohio
321:any
319:cite
281:and
263:rock
253:The
214:1975
206:1972
202:1972
69:news
418:art
408:of
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269:in
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