I'd heard of The Wipers. Back in the late 80's their name came up pretty frequently in the underground/indie/punk press. They were generally thought of as one of the Good Ones. And as a bit different from the hardcore run of the mill.
Still, for one reason or another, I just didn't hear a Wipers track (or at least one that I can recall) until this year. My ears were open, but these kind of records weren't easy to hear until recently, unless you went looking for them.
Well, the point is, I did, as part of a project I'm currently working on. And what I heard left me pretty impressed. Still I feel like I missed the boat. Aside from the obvious fact that The Wipers are no more, the truth is, if I'd heard them back in the day, I suspect they would have quickly launched themselves into the upper echelons of my favorite bands of the time. My hunger for hard-driving, high-energy, angst-ridden music has abated.
That's not the same as saying I don't like such music anymore, though. And no doubt, The Wipers made exceptional hard-driving, high-energy, angst-ridden music. Leader Greg Sage says he never thought of what he (Sage was the The Wipers, for all intents and purposes) was doing as "punk". Fair enough - but none of the better "punk" bands did. A better way to put it might be that The Wipers were doing something closer to "punk" in the 70's sense than hardcore (they most definitely were not a hardcore band). Closer comparisons might be The Ramones (in terms of stripped-down, high-speed attack) and the early Wire albums (think "Dot Dash" and "12 X U" and you're getting the idea). I've not seen where Sage ever cited specific influences.
The Wipers have been long gone for many years now, and a return doesn't look likely. Greg Sage records and produces in Arizona, and continues to march to the beat of his own drummer. More power to ya, Greg. Me, I'm sorry I never got to see The Wipers live.
Wipers Official Page
Wipers Wiki
Allmusic: The Wipers
Essential Listening
The Wipers Box Set is the one to get, containing the first three albums (Is This Real?, Youth of America and Over The Edge), all of which are excellent, as well as contemporaneous singles, EP's, etc. The later Wipers albums and Greg's solo albums are worthwhile, but frankly less compelling to these ears. Your mileage may vary. I do not particularly recommend the Best Of collection. It's just not that representative.
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