Ron’s Pandemic Picks – Plan 9

Ron’s back with another album recommendation to get you through that Coronavirus induced ennui. This week, 80s band Plan 9, who boast four unique guitarists.

As mentioned in last week’s column, during these self-isolation days I’ve been listening to some of my fave albums from the past 35 years or so. My selections are culled from my annual Top Ten Album lists from an all-vinyl radio show I host on CFCR-FM, called “Nightwaves”.

My number four album in 1984 was by Plan 9, a band from Wakefield, Rhode Island, who described their sound as garage-psych. Among the eight-piece group were four guitarists as well as a Farfisa keyboard player. Naming themselves after the 1950’s sci-fi flick, Plan 9 From Outer Space, the band came to the attention of Greg Shaw of Bomp Records/Bomp Magazine fame, who soon got the group started on its recording career. Plan 9 went on to release almost a dozen albums, my all-time fave being their second release, “Dealing With The Dead.” To say this is a sixties-inspired record is a vast understatement. Trouser Press Magazine heralded it as being “played with a sixties sound so convincing you’ll swear you can smell incense burning. Plan 9 knows just how to launch a magic carpet ride to the center of your mind.” And the front cover of the album features day-glo graphics which actually glow in the dark under a black light. Highlights of the record for me are two original compositions, “I Like Girls” and “Step Out Of Time”, both of which would be deemed classic sixties’ tracks today had they been recorded during that decade.

So, if guitars are your thing, check out Dealing With The Dead (available on YouTube) and prepare to be mesmerized by Plan 9’s awesome take on the sixties music scene. After all, how many rock bands can you name that feature four mind-blowing guitarists?

About the Author

Ron Spizziri grew up in Toronto in the 50s and 60s, building up a record library (which became an addiction early on and continues to this day). After moving to Saskatoon in 1979, he got into the “music biz” in a big way – running a record store (Records on Wheels), producing and hosting radio and TV shows, promoting concerts, doing some freelance writing, and starting up a record label (Rockin’ Rod records). Luddite that he is, Ron still favours vinyl analogue recordings over all other forms of recorded music.