Sunday, April 1, 2012

Hyts - Backstabber

Here at ERV, we realize that there is a wide range of videos that could be considered rare, and we try to run the gamut.  In fact we even put some not-so-rare stuff up occasionally (the cover songs, for instance).  However, there can be little doubt that "Backstabber" is rare by any definition, and we suspect that most of our readers have never heard of the band or the song.

Hyts were a foursome out of California who signed to Gold Mountain Records in the early 1980s.  The band was made up of Pat Little (lead vocals, guitars), Stan Miller (bass), Tommy Thompson (keyboard, guitar) and Roy Garcia (drums).  Their self-titled debut album was released in 1983, and had a minor hit, "Backstabber" that reached #48 on the rock charts (it did not chart in the Hot 100).

The video is something else.  A "Psycho" inspired schlockfest, complete with a lead singer singing in the shower, dancing skeletons, and dancers who transform into mother (complete with knives) ... it really has to be seen to be believed.  Oh, and did we mention that the guitarist and bass player have matching outfits?  [We also love the video clip that it comes from, as it starts with a promo for a Duran Duran concert ... cool, old MTV].

At any rate, Hyts went on tour to support the record, but had to stop when drummer Roy Garcia was injured (he fell off the stage).  The follow up record (Looking From The Outside) was delayed by the label, and when it was finally released in 1986, it did not sell well.  The band was subsequently dropped by the label and faded from view ... until now.

13 comments:

  1. I saw this video ONCE on MTV, and later that week when I saw the single at Tower Records, I went ahead and bought it. Not the greatest song, but kind of fun. It made it onto a few mix tapes I made, with the reaction always being, "What the hell is this???"

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    1. Corky, I had the exact same reaction to the video -- "What the hell is this???" seems like a totally appropriate reaction.

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  2. Have you seen this (even more rare) concert video? Recorded at a high school venue that hosted some amazing concerts in the early 1980s. https://youtu.be/E_QdaUcCdjw

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    1. No - I have not seen that and it is really cool. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Cameo appearance of John Lennon at the end of video.

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    1. Haha - excellent - I had forgotten about that.

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    2. There backstabber video makes billy squier rock me tonight look like a master piece lol

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    3. Amazingly - we think that this might be true! To be fair, we suspect that Hyts did not have a lot of money to work with (we're guessing $250).

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    4. John Lennon's video for "Nobody Told Me" played immediately after this video (I am watching the MTV broadcast from February 25, 1984).

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  4. Both of their albums were reissued on CD in 2005. But, before that, in 1988, there was The "Eleven Bloody Men" CD.
    My thanks to Discogs for the following:

    Eleven Bloody Men is a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, USA, that is really called Hyts. This band name was used by producer Matthew King Kaufman to release a compilation of some of the band's songs without approval by the band itself.

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    1. Thanks for the comments, James! We have updated the post.

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  5. BTW, The design on the bassist's and guitarist's outfit was actually part of Hyts original logo.

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    1. That's awesome - thanks for letting us know.

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