Pseudonymous singer Dredd Foole (Dan Ireton) was a longtime friend and musical associate of the Mission of Burma; the Bostonian borrowed that group, redubbed it the Din and had it back him on an early single. Volcano Suns — a Burma offshoot — fulfilled the same role on Eat My Dust, originally released on cassette but reissued on vinyl. Recorded live to two-track and including covers of the Doors’ “People Are Strange,” the Animals’ “I’m Crying” and Iggy’s “I Got a Right,” the LP reveals Foole to be a tuneless bellower; his wobbly marble-mouthisms fit strangely with the skillfully played demi-punk garage music. Enthusiasm may not be a problem, but melody sure is.
Take off Your Skin, which uses the same Din (Peter Prescott, Jon Williams and Jeff Weigand of Volcano Suns, plus guitarist Kenny Chambers, soon to join Bullet LaVolta), manages to make something more listenable out of Ireton’s devolved oral emissions. By noising up the music and harnessing a more controlled singing style, the LP hits a workable — almost Crampsian — equilibrium that’s plug ugly but bracing in its forceful post-punk courage.