When most people think of concept albums, a few things may come to mind . Usually, images of the past are conjured up. Bands and artists from the 60’s and 70’s singing about strange things like Pinball Wizards, brick walls, and such. Most people probably wouldn’t think of a punk band from the early 90’s. That’s where The Vindictives came in. Formed by singer Joey Vindictive in 1990, The Vindictives were known for sporadically releasing  7″ inch records and not touring on a regular basis. In 1999, that changed with the release of Hypno-Punko™. This is truly a unique document in rock ‘n roll. Not just of the idea of a punk rock concept album but also of Joey Vindictive’s struggle with mental illness and everything happening in his life at the time.

At first listen, it gives off the feel of 90’s punk. But the real beauty of Hypno-Punko™ comes with the more you listen to it. The style on this record was dubbed  “Punk Floyd” by Joey Vindictive during the making of this album. The meaning of the title is a satire on the hypnosis tapes that were popular at the time while the album art itself harkens back to carnival and magician aesthetic. The inside liner notes speak of the powers of Hypno-Punko™ and warnings how powerful it can be. The concept of the record is about using Hypno-Punko™ or punk rock to eliminate negative things in your life that you don’t want to be apart of or avoid that you otherwise couldn’t do without the aid of it.

Preceded by visits to psychiatric hospitals, a traumatic car accident, and other serious health issues, had created doubt on whether Joey Vindictive would continue. The original intention for all these songs was to create a punk rock musical. This is a culturally accepted idea now but not so much in the late 90’s. A large portion of the album and lyrics originated while Joey was hospitalized. During rehearsals for recording, the band relentlessly practiced the music while Joey provided musical direction from a distance. Despite having hardly a budget to create a concept album, the production of the album and overall song structure is something of incredible worth that is rare to find.

The album begins with “Medication Time” which is a take on the effect and the relationship between people and various pills that are widely consumed.  Leading into that is the key track on the album, “I Will Not: Pt I (sections A & B). Much like “Another Brick in the Wall”, various “I Will Not” tracks appear in four separate parts as a reoccurring  theme in the album (and is one of the greatest rock screams of all time). Through the use of Hypno-Punko™,  the story’s protagonist (and perhaps the listener) can stand up and say “I Will Not” to various controlling factors in his life. So much of the struggles and conflict in the album is directly pulled from Joey Vindicitive’s life at that time. It has deeply personal touch throughout the album, including his kids singing on “I Will Not: Pt. 4” and using an edited voicemail of his mother complaining about punk rock friends hanging out in front of her apartment building .

Stylistically, this album is so eccentrically diverse and yet flows together like they all belong under the same album and band. The sound can shift radically from fast punk rock, to an a capella harmony track, Benny Hill-esque music, and even a cover of Bing Crosby’s “Accentuate the Positive”. Along with layered guitar and sound effects throughout the pieces, there are various tracks done to give the effect of a hypnosis tape  so they drone on for long periods of time (In Pursuit: Pt. 2 which is the last track on the album and loops for 43 minutes straight).

The best part about this album is that it has a timeless sound. Much like albums that are classics, Hypno-Punko™ has a sound that could be played at anytime and still sound great. This, I believe, accounts for the new discovery of this album by many music fans of today’s generation. As a music fan, to experience something different, or just hear what people missed out on, I highly recommend this album.

Thank you to Jughead’s Basement for providing the background on this album. If you’d like more info on this record, visit this podcast:

http://jugheadsbasement.com/2014/12/19/hypno-punko/