Dumptuck - Positively Great

Dumptruck is one of those bands that never got the recognition they probably deserved. Here and gone in a flash, they released three albums – d is for Dumptruck (1985), Positively Dumptruck (1986) and For the Country (1987). The first album is OK, the third is quite good, but Positively Dumptruck fully captures the essence of the band and is one of my favorite albums from the ‘80s. Dripping with fuzzy guitars, snaky bass lines, crashing drums and matter-of-fact singing, Dumptruck didn’t emulate any contemporary bands or musical styles. They had a unique sound all their own, as driving arrangements and catchy hooks housed sardonic, dark, sometimes even bleak lyrics. There’s not a bad moment to be found on Positively Dumptruck, from the snappy opening bass riff of “Back Where I Belong” to the alternately delicate and propulsive “Winter” to the rousing “From Where I Stand,” in which a tense musical build-up climaxes into the repeated lyric of “And here I sit, waiting, thinking of things to take up my time.” This isn’t Peppy G. Feelgood and Super Happys.

I just picked up the remastered CD of Positively Dumptruck and it sounds spectacular. Kudos to whoever did the work on that. On a personal side note, if anyone from Dumptruck ever reads this, I want to formally apologize for drunkenly accosting you in Dallas in 1987. I was the idiot who came up to you after a sound check and asked if you remembered the letter I had sent. The reply? “Uh, yeah…. Sure… You’re that guy.”

Kill me.