Tag: Frantic

I remember hearing about this Canadian band but I didn’t start listening to them until recently. Deke and Dave my Canadian friends have mentioned them while following their blogs. Teenage Head was sometimes known as Canada’s answer to the Ramones.

They are from  Hamilton, Ontario and met in Hamilton Weston High school… friends Frank “Venom” Kerr and Gord Lewis formed the group in 1975 with bassist Steve Mahon (later changed his last name to Marshall) and Nick Stipinitz on drums. They took their name from a Flaming Groovies song title and quickly gained a loyal following on the Ontario club circuit for their raw energy, highlighted by Lewis’guitar work and front man Venom’s antics and natural charisma on stage.

Signing with Attic Records, Teenage Head issued their sophomore effort, Frantic City, in early 1980.

They played a show at the Ontario Place Forum, a prominent outdoor venue situated in a Toronto park. Over 15,000 people showed up but they venue wasn’t large enough to hold them. A drunken crowd tried to storm the entrances, sparking a battle with the police officers on hand…multiple injuries and arrests followed. The band woke up the next morning with their name in the papers. They lost some gigs but the publicity pushed “Frantic” up the charts and to gold status.

Teenage Head released Let’s Shake in 1980 and it made it to #88 in Canada.

Let’s Shake

OOH

Give me that opener, pass me that beer
C’mon move your ass on out of here
Well I guess you know I need some money
But you are just too fat and ugly

C’mon shake
Oop, Well let’s shake
C’mon shake
Yeah baby let’s shake

(music)

Well you can’t dance, can’t keep up the beat
Well that’s because you got size twelve feet
Well don’t make me run, well don’t make me blush
You’re just that girl I hate to touch

C’mon shake
Ooh baby let’s shake
Yeah c’mon shake
Well let’s shake

(Bop! We do the bop. Go… Push down. Woo! Yeppy. Yeppy. Yeah… Bla.)

Well every time I see you dance
Hey! Where’d you get those great big pants
Just one ear, well just one eye
Just one glance and I could die

So let’s shake
Mmm let’s shake
C’mon let’s shake
Yeah baby let’s shake

(Bop! We do the bop. I really lie. Act proud.)
(music)

Let’s shake
Let’s shake
Yow let’s shake
C’mon baby let’s shake
Let’s shake!