Smokey How far Will You Go? The S &M Recordings '73

Vinyl version. The first ever reissue for wild and outlandish 1970s LA pre-punk icons Smokey. Featuring cameos from James Williamson of the Stooges, Randy Rhoads of Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne and members of the Motels, King Crimson, David Bowie's Tin Machine, Suburban Lawns a,m.o., the Smokey story has to be heard to be believed. John "Smokey" Condon was a bewitchingly beautiful Baltimore transplant and EJ Emmons was a budding record producer from New Jersey. Released in 1974, the band's first single 'Leather' b/w 'Miss Ray' wasn't just openly gay, it was exultantly, unapologetically gay, examining front-on the newly-liberated leather and drag scenes thriving in America's urban centres. Smokey formed S&M Records, with a logo featuring a muscular arm encased in studded cuffs, and "S&M" tattooed on the bulging bicep. They went on to selfrelease five singles that span pre-punk, stoner jams, disco, synth-punk and more, all stamped with Smokey's fearless candour. The 1976 single and compilation title track 'How Far Will You Go...?' features guitar from EJs studio buddy James Williamson, fresh from his adventures recording Raw Power with Iggy & the Stooges in London with David Bowie. The live band played almost weekly at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, with a band featuring 14 year old future Quiet Riot-ers Randy Rhoads and Kelly Garni. Then there's the raft of unreleased recordings, including a 9-minute disco workout entitled 'Piss Slave', and two versions of 'Million Dollar Babies'.