Plasticland “Color Appreciation” 1984. Lolita Records. Today’s spin of Plasticland’s first LP in honor of drummer Rob McCuen, who died yesterday (not sure of his age, somewhere between 60 and 68 years old). McCuen was well-known in the Milwaukee music scene and while I only met him briefly once or twice, a lot of my friends knew him quite well and today my social feed has been filled with remembrances and anecdotes. McCuen played drums for Plasticland as well as other well-known Milwaukee bands like Liquid Pink, Animal Magnets, Rob McCuen and the Ruins and Wanda Chrome and the Leather Pharaohs; he was also an author and sports publication writer.  His Facebook page is surprisingly public (though maybe I can see it because we have 30 mutual friends) so I was able to see the statement that his sister posted last night regarding his death: “With profound sadness and shock, I must share that my brother, and only sibling, Robert David McCuen, left this life early this morning, 8-11-21, in a hotel room in Oskaloosa, IA. He was excited to be in the area with his new/used orange Honda (which he called his new race car!) to attend his beloved races in Knoxville. As you all know, Rob had been struggling with many health issues the last few months and an autopsy will hopefully reveal some answers. The medical examiner has ruled out suicide, thankfully. Rob will no longer be in pain in this life. He is reunited with our parents who will embrace him in their loving arms. Thanks to all for being his loving and caring friends and family in spite of many challenging and complicated times we experienced. He meant well and had a good heart. He was a talented and published writer, a recorded rock musician, and a committed lifelong lover of sprint and stock car racing throughout the Midwest, covering colorful features/driver interviews in various race car magazines for numerous years. In spite of his bipolar condition and his difficulties with many of us, he was my brother and I loved him. My grief will be deep and complicated, but I am at peace knowing he is at peace. He died while doing what he loved most – being at the Knoxville Nationals.”

Color Appreciation is hard neo-psychedelia: fuzzed out and trippy. Most of the album is composed of great originals – I especially like “The Garden in Pain” which has a killer Bo Diddley beat topped with proto-punk buzz and sneering, snotty lyrics, the weird-ass “Euphoric Trapdoor Shoes” and “Pop! Op Drops.” The album also has one great cover, “Alaxander,” originally by Pretty Things and another not quite as good cover, “Magic Rocking Horse” originally by Pinkertons Colours (it’s really psychedelic but a little too traipsing through fields of flowers 60′s trippy without any dark edge).