MR. EVIL BREAKFAST
(released on Geffen Records in April 1984)
Frustrated and exhausted, Plaastik resisted the music business for some time after their disastrous Playtime Tour. It was widely doubted they would ever perform again; the band's belated return to the studio in 1984 was a modest affair at best. With no producer on hand, it was essentially an attempt by the band members to decide whether or not they wished to continue.
Jeff Jooce: "Nick went to the microphone, just said offhandedly 'I have a new song,' and he went into 'House in the Forest.' And then we knew." Although Plaastik swore off touring (permanently, they said), they informed Geffen that they would record a second album... a major relief for a record company that had experienced its biggest success in some time with Plaastik's debut LP.
For a producer, the band chose Mitch Easter, known for the southern-gothic undertones of his enigmatic recordings, better yet as a member of Let's Active. Plaastik was primarily interested in "playing rock & roll," and they wanted sonics that were straightforward but fragmented and minimal. Easter was the perfect man for the job.
Nick Parker was struggling with a bout of writer's block at this point and was unable to come up with much new material. Thus, seven of the ten cuts were live favorites, some dating back to the band's earliest gigs. However, many of these were stellar and had been waiting for the ideal producer; Easter was sympathetic to the material and did them proud.
Of the three remaining tracks, Parker only wrote one, "House in the Forest." "Hollywood" was Janet Kieran's work, and "Ridiculous Fool" was by Kevin Keys. However, Parker took all of the lead vocals.
The results pleased the band immensely and critics hailed it as their best work to date. "We even liked the b-sides," Jay Kay Ray has said. Unfortunately, that didn't translate to significant sales; the moody, angular rock didn't enjoy mass appeal. None of the singles became Top 20 hits when all three from the previous album had reached at least #11. The band probably wasn't too upset about this, but Geffen felt they had been let down (although the album did go platinum) and insisted the band's next record be "more commercial," firing Easter and again leaving their future in doubt.
tracklist:
1. Southern Eye
2. Child Actor (single 3)
3. Hollywood
4. The Middle of the Desert (single 1)
5. Ridiculous Fool
6. House in the Forest (single 2)
7. Free
8. Should Can Will
9. Window to the World
10. Heavy Heart
Middle of the Desert b-sides
Meat
Ecch!
House in the Forest b-sides
Common Prompt (Write Me)
Ear Pop
Child Actor b-sides
Catch Me
Sunday Bloody Sunday