Afflicted Man - I'm Off Me 'Ead Up to this point I'd mostly been familiar with Steve Hall's Afflicted Man from their final album Get Stoned Ezy which is three extended tracks of blown cone psych that act as a blueprint for bands like Wooden Shjips' brand of fuzz breakdowns.
The preceding album I'm Off Me 'Ead is a more desperate and savage entry into what Hall himself dubbed "Hippy Punk". The term is a bit misleading as its no peace and love embrace on I'm Off, rather its a rabbit hole full of blues skeletons clinging frantically to the fringes of punk; punk as it existed as a visceral exorcism of outsider voice. Hall amassed a small and largely unheard catalog of works in his time under the names Afflicted and later Afflicted Man before joining up with The Accursed, a band with ties to the National Front and eventually landing in prisons and mental hospitals and working under the name Called to little success or acclaim. His legacy has recently been revived by a complete collection of works and now some love for the individual pieces like this, his pinnacle of electric contortion and damage. Chicago's Permanent Records has pumped new life into the record with a scant 500 copy run so best act swiftly. Listen: Support the artist, buy it HERE