I'm a recent Pillbugs convert, largely due to the tireless efforts of Power Pop blog guru Mick Dillingham. The Akron, Ohio based band has a trippy Power Pop meets Psychodalia sound approximating XTC's "Dukes of Stratosphere" side project. Some great songs in there. All of the Pillbug releases are well worth your time. Highly recommended. What follows is an anonymous guest post of an early Pillbugs side project. Thanks friend for sharing this rare find...In the late 1970s Mark Mikel and two childhood friends, Scott Tabner &; Ian McCormack formed a neighborhood garage band that eventually became Marikesh. Marikesh released two singles prior to the 1985 release of their only lp, “Love Is What You Want,” which was recorded & produced in Mikel’s home studio.
Over the next few years Mikel continued recording in his studio, occasionally able to pull together the other band members, but new Marikesh material was not forthcoming. At some point Marikesh ceased to exist and Mark, along with another friend, Mark Kelley, formed a new group: the Mark Mikel Hallucination – which also included Dave Murnen & Dan Chalmers. The home recordings continued. After a series of lead guitarists, the Hallucination added Scott Tabner and The Pillbugs were born.
This post contains the “Love Is What You Want” lp (no cd re-issue yet) one side of one of the pre-lp 45’s (Crazy on Cristmas (sic)), and several unreleased home recordings. For comparison’s sake, much of the Marikesh material tends to the heavier side of the Pillbugs (similar to the first, self-titled, Pillbugs cd), but their flower-power popsike would fit comfortably on “3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream.” Best of all, as it was recorded at home with Mikel producing, there’s no attempt to approximate the Steve Lillywhite-drum sound so prevalent at the time. If anyone has the other three 45 sides (Rock Garden/The Sky and Look) please let me know.
1 The Dr. F's Creation
2 Onto the Sea of Sound
3 Love is What You Want
4 Taking On a Day
5 Sam The Computer
6 Frogtown
7 The Policeman Can
8 When I Grow Up Ill Be a Spy
9 Mother's Eyes No. 1
10 If Someday Was Tomorrow
11 Standing Still
12 Lend Me a Flower
13 Everybody's Driving in the Rain
14 Mother's Eyes No. 2
15 Judy's Aquarium
16 She's The Girl
17 Capitol L-O-V-E
18 Don't Be Afraid
19 Where Have You Been
20 I'm Sorry Bad About You
21 Together
22 The Drive
23 Crazy on Christmas
