The Plugz - Better Luck

I recently went and saw a re-showing of the 1984 cult classic film, Repo Man, starring a young Emilo Estevez as a punk named Otto. I remembered liking the soundtrack a lot when I was younger, but I had forgotten what was all that good about it until I was sitting in the theater a few weeks. I immediately went and grabbed it online the next day. In addition to good songs from Iggy Pop, The Circle Jerks, and Suicidal Tendencies, there were a three songs by The Plugz. Outside of the movie I hadn't heard any of their material previously, but the song "El Clavo Y La Cruz" particularly caught my attention. The hook was just so catchy, I couldn't keep it out of replaying in my mind. I went searching and found that the band had released two albums, Electrify Me (1979) and Better Luck (1981). Both horribly out of print and way expensive if you find yourself a copy (I think you can find both at Amazon or eBay for around $100 each). Luckily, I was able to find both albums free for download, and I'll link it down below as well since the albums are out of print as I mentioned.

The Plugz were a Chicano punk band from the Los Angeles area that existed primarily from 1977 through 1984 where the band then formed The Cruzados. The band was a three-piece with initially Tito Larriva (of Tito and Tarantula fame) on lead vocals and guitar, Charlie Quintana on drums, and Barry McBride on bass/backing vocals.
McBride would leave the band following the creation of the first album, Electrify Me, and was replaced by Gustavo Santaolalla on Better Luck along with a few other musicians providing keyboards and a horn section. On Better Luck, the band had progressed in their sound, moving away slightly from the simpler punk arrangements of the first album, and adding a bit more variety, with various levels of success. The Latin sound is present, along with more of a focus on the clean vocals and harmony. There are some excellent stand out songs, some decent ones, and then a few that don't seem to work as well. The ones that are on the mark are worth a listen for sure. I'd consider the first album a better album in general through and through, but my favorite Plugz songs are on Better Luck.


The Plugz - "Better Luck"

The title track and opening song on the album immediately demonstrates the shift in writing away from the fast paced punk of the first album. The riff is strong, yet simple, and the high-hat play is surprisingly not annoying, but rather perfect for this song. There's an interesting plucking from what I assume is acoustic guitar that is almost inaudible at first but rises just a touch from the right side and adds a nice warm element to the initial build-up prior to the vocals starting. The vocals and lyrics are beautifully matched with the songwriting. Little accents like the acoustic guitar, and quick breaths in before delivering a line add color and character to the song. The lyrics "Then we get lost, then we find each other again" illicit comfort amongst uncertainty for me. My favorite lyrics on the album.


The Plugz - "El Clavo Y La Cruz"

Sung in Spanish and with a bouncy almost ska beat, it's the funnest song within the album. The tempo of the song is upbeat and decently quick, but also features a few changes where it slows down then abruptly shifts back to the initial fast pace. Once again here, the accents (by the whole band; guitar, bass, and drums) throughout the song are perfect in grabbing the listeners attention and powering the chord changes. The keyboard and horn play toward the end of the song works well to reinforce the Latin sound and the overall catchiness of the song.

You can download this album and the first album by clicking on the links. The band has a myspace music page available, and there is more information on the background of the band here and here.