Land of the Glass Pinecones by Human Sexual Response

[deadmanswife2]

I want to wear a pair of dark sunglasses

[Hildy2E]

In memory of New York City's alternative radio personality Lynn Samuels. RIP <3

[TheGlasspinecone]

I was named after this song

[blah5651]

This should be the new classic Christmas song.

I miss those early 80s days.

Boston was musically incredible from 1974-1996.

[aprilglaspieable]

Rich Gilbert, genius. Larry Bangor a great singer, and the chick backup singers are superb.

[gymnastix]

@aprilglaspieable Also, a blond guy backup singer named Wendell.

I didn't like everything this band did, am more of a Chuck Berry-Stones-Ramones style rock & roll fan. So Boston bands such as The Lyres and The Real Kids were more my cup of tea.

But HSR had a few hooky songs--this one, "Jackie Onassis," and "What Does Sex Mean To Me?"

And they also did a good cover of "Cool Jerk." Unfortunately for HSR, around the same time, I think The Go-Go's also covered "Cool Jerk."

[bone666138]

as i understand it, this song was about the beer glasses you'd find strewn about fenway park after a game. apparently the glasses were shaped like grenades/pinecones...

[SellsTS]

I totally forgot about this song - thank you for posting!

[lakeviewviking]

I remember seeing them do this song on Evening at the Improv around 81; strange TV moment...still remembered the song 30 years later enough to look this up...

[aprilglaspieable]

Brilliant. I'm pretty sure this is about broken beer bottles.

[willywalstone]

its all apart of nature's plan

[willywalstone]

This is my theme song

[Setebos]

Always my favorite from this group

[nique61]

bold810--you have stated what I would want to state. this was talent. this was fresh. this was the power of usamerican youth music culture before (but not much before) everything became commodified and corporate driven. not every track HSR ever wrote was genius... but a good number of them were...

[goforwand]

FN Great !!!!

[eddy102469]

where is noman gagne now? when is their next gig?

[eddy102469]

where is noman gagne now?

[bold810]

two years after finding this on youtube,and watching this when I'm really drunk,I still marvel that this level of talent existed. why does mainstream america worship pre-fab pop,preening rap stars and Disney-fied crapola,when there was/is still such inventive talent in the world?

[jamesonh1]

love this. i've been addicted to this track for days now :)

[aprilglaspieable]

Land of the glass pinecones is about broken beer bottles, I think. Whatever way, I saw them play this and it was astounding.

[speedyspooley]

Victory happens at precisely 3:06

[speedyspooley]

they smash on the grass when the wind blows......

[yamatodog1]

I saw this peformed a the first First Night,I think it was at Berkley school of music

[cubistblues]

i'm getting a strong Sparks vibe...



[bzzzzap]

Cool unique and underrated band. Their multi-vocalist thing is amazing.

[speedyspooley]

behold.......the genius of Rich Gilbert on guitar......

[TheGammalight]

Wow! Fantastic! I remember -BCN with Charles....great times had and music made it better!

[aiscluchfc1]

Ir was on SNL

[jStrat7]

i love the eight-bar dance break. everyone just loses it for a few seconds. haha.

[fatogre1369]

dear jesusisded --

i have not seen this clip in 27 years (if it is, indeed, the same one),

since it was shown on AN EVENiNG At thE iMPROV, which started

mi on a lifelong love affair with HSR, one which most of mi friends

never understood. thANk YOU thANk YOU thANk YOU for posting it!

[IamMICHAEL1234567890]

i need to learn how to play this on guitar

[niceguywdtm]

Great to see live performances of HSR. Best of the early 80's Boston bands. Glad I got to see them once at the Rat. Mission of Burma a close second.

[tutorturtle]

Regular staple on 104.1 WBCN-FM. I Think "Streets" referred to Lansdone Street, the seedier part of Beantown, Along With Ratsculler (sp?) perfect for Boston's growing Puke scene.

[tc4sure]

Love this band! It was an era in Boston that is surely missed. Glad I was there to see them and other great Boston bands such as The Cars with the late, great Ben Orr. RIP Ben!

[luckyshow]

I saw this on TV. I forget if it was on SNL, or something really odd, like The Midnite Special. It was amazing for television in America at the time (1979 or 80)

[tuber3019]

@luckyshow Might have been that local show on channel 68 called "Video Disc" hosted by Marc Parentau, 1979ish, just before the MTV debut in '80.

[gmrios]

@luckyshow

I bet it was on "Night at the Improve"! I saw it too! I just recalled this song while I was pumping gas at the convienent store! Wacky! I Love it!

[Lonnyhaze]

Great Song Nice to hear again..Love to find a studio version.

[MaraDolan]

I LOOOOVE THIS SONG!!! Now if someone can find "Over the Hill" by Berlin Airlift my life will be complete.

[MaraDolan]

I LOOOOVE THIS SONG!!!

[NODARRYL]

I love this one and I also think it needs a comback and soon.

[Scottitude]

Pay attention kids, this is from a time when music was actually art and not some pop-song fluff (search Pop Song @jonlajoiecomedy) manufactured by record labels and their "producers".

[slavomir7]

Brilliant! Brings back some good memories - when Pacifica radio was worth a damn and would play new stuff not just dribble their tired neo-Bolshevist wannabe BS.

[fritay007]

Been looking for this, Awesome !, Many thanks for posting.

[brainbark]

excellent--time machine quality

[BostonFastJack]

F-ING Wonderful.

[bigcar88]

A Nugget. For fun, check out the band, Laughing Clowns doing Eternally Yours.

[bigcar88]

Yep, if you dig far enough, you'll always find a nugget like this.

Here's a crazy one... Laughing Clowns, Eternally Yours. Very cool.

[parachuteclubbed]

OH MY GOD. This has a video?!! AWESOMESALAD. In still have an original, cellophane-wrapped copy of "In a Roman Mood".  This is great. Cheers.

[bricebu]

Awesome. I have this on vinyl...

[wacoflyer]

Hey..I'm 59 and still LOVE this song.

WBCN in Boston was the only station that gave them airplay in the early 80s.

C'mon kids! Get creative with some good music!

[FerociousSheep]

.. I'm 14 and I love this song. I'll try to make sure it lives on.

[randomteensx2]

it was 21 years ago when i first heard this song live on an evening at the improv. i was only twelve and half asleep and was hoping i didnt imagin it because i thought it was a great song.

[number23alltheway]

Carol Zak!!! ohhhhhhhhhhh and Dini... priceless!!!!

[Leviathan0999]

Isn't this the song that _should_ have been behind the "Safety Dance" video?

[margems]

My favorite song by them... What a great video and sound. Thanks for posting.

[haggendaaaz]

Great Live sound by Michael Whittaker

[eospam]

Not sure about that. Muse might get shown up, and Matt might agree. HSR and the Zulus owned the underground Boston scene, a powerful artistry that kind of got lost in the wash of Nirvana-STP-PearlJam-RHCP that followed them in the 90s, IMO.

[GardnerGoldsmith]

I was just thinking about how the music of HSR and the even more intense material by the Zulus seems to have been reborn in some of the great work by MUSE. When I see Matt Bellamy work his guitar, I'm reminded of Rich Gilert's amazing style. Would love to see MUSE pick up the Zulus or HSR for a tour!

[donnalethal]

Rich was amazing then and now - why isn't this on CD?!

[prh7]

These guys were so creative and edgy. I remember seeing them at Tufts where they opened with "i wanna be your cow" and came out on all fours mooing. Hilarious!

[TheHammeredOne]

Ahhh, thanks for posting this. Their ode to all the broken beer bottles on Landsdowne Street in Boston after the clubs would close on a friday night. I haven't heard these guys since seeing them live back in the early 80's at the Channel club in Boston....

[michmelle]

I thought I was the only one in Houston in the eighties who heard this! I heard it on Rice radio-KTRU. I love it still today...

[rterrell10]

No I guess there are still a few LEFT on earth who know about and LOVE this tune! I remember listening to this down in Houston back in the early 80s. I always thought it was just great, and am so glad to get to hear it again!

[dwtime]

This band was so fun to go see in concert. New Years Eve 182 83? at The Paradise Mission of Burma opened, what a show!

[boliverful1]

The drummer for this band, Malcom Travis was the drummer for Sugar, Bob Mould's band. This is positively awesome, they had amazing vocals. Thanks for posting.

[hoyvenmavin]

This song definitly needs a comeback!

[leeraconteur]

This song, buried as track #10 on Roman Mood, along with Trem Two by MOB on Vs, launched what is now called Progressive Alternative Rock.

Honestly at the time I preferred Marone Offering, Andy Fell, and Pound from this LP.

30 years of alternative music later, I can see how this song was ground-breaking.

[flampalite]

Brilliant band; brilliant tune.

[voluntaryistguy]

jesusisded, you are the coolest hep-cat on earth for posting this! Thought I was the only one LEFT on earth who knows about and LOVES this tune! LAND OF THE GLASS PINE CONES!!!! YEAH!!!!!

[mkervelegan]

heard this first in 1983 on WRCT in Pgh, "it's better at CMU"

[hoyvenmavin]

CMU?

[GardnerGoldsmith]

I missed the NY State reunion! Can't Wait for an appearance by them! I ALSO WANT THE ZULUS TO RETURN, TO RECORD IT IN DIGITAL, AND OFFER IT on ITUNES! I WANT "OUT OUT" in DIGITAL!!!!! BTW, this vid appeared a long time ago, and then was lost. GREAT TO SEE IT BACK! Oedipus plays it every Christmas, and it stands astride the music of Boston like a Colossus!

[mfreeman43]

This was the best band EVER!! Revival's coming toooooooooooo!!!

[futuregirl45]

really? a revival? kewel

[dannyiall]

grew up in boston, and ill always remember looking out my 3rd grade school window at the tree across the street with all the bud bottles hanging from the tips of it's branches, 10 of them at least 2 stories high up in the tree... when i was in high school and this song came out, i knew exactly what they were singing about...great song...

[esmichelson]

hoped to find this live! loved them! Thanks!

[WhiteBoy41]

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Stigbool]

wish I could have attended HSR's reunion in upstate NY.

[libertyconspiracy]

I'm with ya, man. And then I want to see the ZULUS return to Boston and smash all buildings with their power.

POUND POUND POUND

[mfreeman43]

There's going to be another one I hear!

[Stigbool]

No shit...that's wonderful.

[slanche]

rich gilbert rocks hard!!!!!

[eks1966]

used to hear this on WFNX a whole lot. love the song. thanks for posting!

[bold810]

AH HA HA!! FINALLY FOUND IT!! I've been telling folks about this bizarre song for almost twnty years. Saw it on evening at the improv on a&e in nineteen 89,they filled in for a comedian who didn't show. stuff like this proves how useful the net is! HA HA HA!

[Starlook124]

Yeah Ive been looking this song to, its not often that you don't find a song on youtube, but its on now =)

[msmith2036]

I saw that same episode and have always remembered this silly tune and the way the singer yodels is hiliarious!

[thunderwolf19]

Cosign!! This WAS a bizarre song. I'm trying to find music by a band called BLUE IN HEAVEN - they're out of Ireland and U2 signed them to Island records sometime in the mid 80's and I can't find them ANYWHERE :(. YOutube and google don't find them.

[libertyconspiracy]

Oedipus plays the song every year on his Christmas Nocturnal Emissions program on BCN. For a while BCN was even better than college radio in Boston, thanks to guys like him. We got to hear Mission of Burma, HSR, Condo Pygmies, The Five, Lyres, DMZ, and Prime Movers.