You could do a lot worse in 1966 and early 1967 than worship at the altar of the Rolling Stones and if anyone ever wondered what the music of Aftermath or Between the Buttons might have sounded like sung with authentic American accents, they could do no better than this Seattle quintet. Stones copyists to a man, The Makeup Sects not only purchased their orange corduroys from the same haberdasher that Brian Jones did, they made sure Jones’ bangs and muttonchops were never longer than those of their rhythm guitarist Derek Linseed’s at any given time. Sometimes that emulation ate through the band’s living funds–purchasing all the exotic instruments the blonde Stone mastered and then discarded with every new Jagger-Richard composition.
“Strength Was Always Your Weakness” is a prime example of The Makeup Sects’ slavish devotion to the bad boys of rock—fuzz bass, ghostly Chuck Berry licks, snarky lyrics about a messed up chick, simple but insistent drumming—had they remained true to these punky R&B roots, the Sects would’ve been in a very good position to usurp the genuine article, soon to abandon those very same earthy sounds for the folly of Their Satanic Majesties Request. But devotees they were to the end, following their heroes up the primrose paisley path with a disastrous psychedelic opus of their own, Demonic Renaissance Minstrels At Your Service, that all but eroded their fan base. Felled by audience disinterest and the the crippling cost of the floral arrangements for the album cover, The Makeup Sects were but a grimy memory by the end of 1968.
Needing a song about a mystical girl that could rival “Ruby Tuesday” for irrationality, The Makeup Sects whipped out their cheap recorder flutes and came up “Drop of a Hat,” a haunting ballad about a girl who thinks the undead are trying to drag her into the cold earth and imprison her as one of their own. It turns up here as a BONUS B-SIDE OF DUBIOUS DISTINCTION since the folks at Fission Records felt there were already too many songs on the pop charts tackling that subject matter already.
lyrics
Music by Serene Dominic, Lyrics by Ed Masley
I recall the first time that I saw you
You had your head held up so high
Now after all the pain you’ve gone through
I still ain’t never see you cry
Oh but strength was always your Weakness, oh-oh
Give us all a break, let us see you ache no no
Somebody somewhere must have hurt you
Somebody really messed up your mind
You don't like talking about your virtue
You think you left it far behind
But strength was always your Weakness, oh-oh
Ain't no body goinna get the best of you , the rest of you
A little tremble in your upper lip
Ain’t gonna sink no ship
Let it slip away.
A little tremble in your lower lip
Ain;t gonna give your secrets away
As I recall, the last time that I saw you
You'd barely look me in the eye
You thought I might want to declaw you
As though I'd ever even try
Strength was always your Weakness, oh-oh
Give us all a break, let us see you ache no no
Guitars sparkle like distant constellations on the latest from Scythe, who delivers dazzling space rock on their latest LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 3, 2024