Us Kids

Description

Us Kids is the debut album by the American alternative rock band The Lifesavors, released on Swing Records in 1981, distributed thru Grassroots Distribution. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Thom Roy at Whitefield Studios in Santa Ana, California. Basic tracks recorded by Tim Vegvari at Studio Orange. All arrangements by The Lifesavors. (Special thanks to the kids of the Undercover Band.)

The Lifesavers features Mark Krischak on lead vocals and lead guitar, Michael Knott on rhythm guitar, Chris Wimber on bass, and Kevin Annis on drums.

Lead singer Mark Krischak would leave to form Labor of Love with Brian Doidge (who would later join forces with Knott on various LSU albums and other projects), which allowed Michael Knott to take center stage and take the band in a more punk/new romantic style on their sophomore album Dream Life, released on Refuge Records, receiving national distribution through The Benson Company.

Lifesavors – Us Kids (Key CD re-issue)

Key Records is a one-man (well actually, one-woman) company who have lovingly put into CD circulation a batch of almost forgotten releases from the early years of the Christian music underground. As any Christian rock devotee will tell you, the Lifesavors (otherwise known as Lifesavers Underground and LSU) featured seminal rock man Michael Knott. All the tracks on this 1981 debut are short, ranging from 57 seconds to an almost-epic three minutes and 23 seconds. They still manage to fit in enough lyrics to fill a page each in the booklet, mind. This version of the Californian garage rockers remind me a bit of the Motors, Rezillos (especially «Oh Yeah») and, on occasions, Boomtown Rats. In other words, it’s music when punk rock gained a pop edge (and thereby some songs to go with the energy) and morphed into new wave. Lyrically it is forthright. The tracks are full of distorted guitars, nice simple riffs and some good vocal hooks. They’re at their best when they stick to the up-tempo stuff, but the last track «Us Kids» still works well despite being slower, especially with its “lots of us kids” refrain spinning out a tale of hurt and desire for change. Rock nostalgists should investigate. [Paul S Ganney, Cross Rhythms, November 2012]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Young”
A2. “Operation”
A3. “Where You Going”
A4. “Blue”
A5. “Oh Yeah”
A6. “I Am”
A7. “Take Me Over”
A8. “New”

Side Two
B1. “Isaiah 36”
B2. “Christianity”
B3. “Life”
B4. “Genocide”
B5. “Jetstream”
B6. “Us Kids”

Note: Re-issued on CD in 1999 by Silver And Gold Indies ‎and Millenium Eight Records, featuring 9 bonus tracks: “In My Room” (2:49) / “I Have A Car” (3:44) / “Lotsa Girls” (3:05) / “A Lot Like You” (2:43) / “My Life” (4:30) / “Down Again” (3:51) / “Go Around” (4:55) / “Little Maids” (3:35) / “Fighter” (1:50).