Man Sized Action was a

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

group from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. John Leland of ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' described the band as an "unpretentious lot" in the vein of Hüsker Dü who "opened up punk structures with distorted, ringing guitar, some off-kilter rhythms and ... a neanderthal, propulsive attack to fundamentally poppy songs." Influential musician and producer Steve Albini of

Big Black Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Nake ...

called them "one of the finest bands in Minneapolis or anywhere."

Career

Man Sized Action was formed by vocalist Patrick Woods, guitarist Tom "Tippy" Roth, bassist Kelly Linehan, and drummer Tony Pucci, all part of the same punk-rock scene that spawned Hüsker Dü. Their sound was influenced by

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and Mission of Burma, setting them apart from other Minnesota hardcore bands by adding stronger melody and pop structures. The band's first gig was in 1981, a seven-song set put together only a few weeks after all four musicians had first learned to play their instruments. Nevertheless, they developed a following which included Albini, who praised their music as "the sort of sound that comes about spontaneously, devoid of mimicry." The band released two records in 1983 and 1984. The band drew on its Hüsker Dü connections for debut record ''Claustrophobia'', which was produced by Bob Mould and featured an album cover designed by

Grant Hart Grantzberg Vernon Hart (March 18, 1961 – September 13, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-songwriter for the punk rock band Hüsker Dü. After the band's breakup in 1988, he released his first solo album '' ...

. Second guitarist Brian Paulson joined for 1984's ''Five Story Garage''. ''Five Story Garages distinctive cover art was the result of an unintentional error in preparation for the four-color printing process. Both albums, as well as two compilations on which the band appeared, were released by

Reflex Records Reflex Records was an American independent record label formed by the members of hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü and Terry Katzman. It was formed to help promote independent bands, after Twin/Tone Records rejected Hüsker Dü's first single in 1 ...

. The band broke up amicably in 1984 when Pucci left Minneapolis for college, but reunited several times for reunion shows in subsequent years, including an annual Christmas show that gathers many 1980s-era Minneapolis punk bands. Kelly Linehan later played bass with Dragnet. Paulson became a

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

best known for albums by

Slint Slint was an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986. The band consisted of guitarist and vocalist Brian McMahan, guitarist David Pajo, drummer and vocalist Britt Walford, Todd Brashear (bassist on ''Spiderland''), and Etha ...

, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and Wilco.

Critical reception

Leland wrote that ''Claustrophobia'' "sets up powerful grooves, but never escapes its murky dynamic." He called ''Five Story Garage'' an improvement, saying that it "generates a surge of momentum that threatens to explode its punky pop hooks, making the album fast, powerful and surprisingly accessible." Writing in the zine ''Matter'',

Albini Albini or de Albini (of white) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Abramo Albini (born 1948), Italian Olympic rower * Alessandro Albini (1568–1646), Italian painter * Alfred Albini (1896–1978), Croatian architect * Carlo Alb ...

criticized ''Claustrophobia'' as "raw and thin", lacking depth, but praised the record's "huge killer songs with balls as big as houses treading the water between

Mekons The Mekons are a British band formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of ...

/ Fall-styled practiced amateurishness and Joy Division/

-styled controlled creepiness." Jim Fitzsimons of the ''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...

'' praised the band's "swirling guitars and driving beat", calling the two albums "good ol' Minneapolis do-it-yourself punk rock."

Albums

* ''Claustrophobia'' (

Reflex In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus. Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs ...

) 1983 * ''Five Story Garage'' (Reflex) 1984

Compilations

* ''Barefoot and Pregnant'' v/a compilation CD (Reflex) (1998) - "Yea!", "Everybody's Happy", "Pressure Relief", "I Hit Girls" * ''Kitten: A Compilation'' v/a compilation CD (Reflex) (1999) - "Only You", "Self-respect"

References

External links

*http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/card/0,,515998,00.html American post-punk music groups Rock music groups from Minnesota Musical groups from the Twin Cities {{US-punk-band-stub