John Kezdy, Earl Letiecq, Steve Economou, and Paul Zamost, started the Effigies in late 1979, playing their first show in November 1980. Influenced by both the blossoming US hardcore scene and the UK punk and Oi! scenes, the Effigies adopted a skinhead appearance and made no bones about their working-class backgrounds. Their vinyl debut was on the 1981 live Chicago compilation LP, Busted at Oz, and the band released a 12" EP later that year. Both records were on Chicago label Autumn, but that collaboration soon went sour. The Effigies formed their own label, Ruthless Records, to put out their next two releases, the Body Bag (aka "Remains Nonviewable") 7" and the We're Da Machine 12" EP, as well as material by fellow bands Naked Raygun and Big Black. By 1983, the Effigies were working with Enigma, a larger label who put out records by and helped distribute many "alternative" bands in the mid- to late-80s. Their first full-length record, For Ever Grounded, marked a the beginning of the Effigies' shift from their own mid-tempo hardcore style to a post-punk sound. (When spoken as an acronym, F-E-G, the title is "Effigy") Soon after the album's release, conflicts within the band saw the departure of guitarist Letiecq, and his replacement by Robert O'Connor. Two more records followed, both on Fever. In 1987, the band's lineup was almost completely overhauled, with Letiecq's return on guitar, Chris Bjorklund from Strike Under taking over on bass, and Joe Haggerty on drums. The Effigies continued on for several more years, disbanding for good (except for a few reunion shows in Chicago) in 1990. In 1989, Roadkill Records put out an excellent retrospective of the band's early material (released on CD in 1995 by Touch & Go with lyrics and extensive liner notes).
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DISCOGRAPHY Releases HAUNTED TOWN EP (Autumn, 1981) BODY BAG 7" (Ruthless, 1982) WE'RE DA MACHINE EP (Ruthless/Enigma, 1982) FOR EVER GROUNDED LP (Ruthless/Enigma, 1984) FLY ON A WIRE LP (Fever/Enigma, 1985) INK LP (Fever/Enigma, 1986) V.M.L. LIVE 7" (V.M.L., 1996) Reissues REMAINS NONVIEWABLE LP (Roadkill, has all the early EPs and part of For Ever Grounded) Compilations BUSTED AT OZ LP (Autumn, 1981), "Guns of Ballots", "Quota" (both live) MIDDLE OF AMERICA LP (H.I.D., 1984), "Security" THE ENIGMA VARIATIONS 2LP (Enigma, 1985), "Blue Funk" INFO Lyrics to Haunted Town - Body Bag - We're Da Machine - For Ever Grounded The Effigies Official Website Here's a site by John Kezdy - maybe not updated too often, but it's pretty good regardless. Search around for a while, it's got some cool stuff to read -- if you don't have the Remains Nonviewable CD, you can find the liner notes here. Also a link to the Effigies Touch & Go site. Effigies section on Dementlieu Punk Archive There's a great Effigies section in here, with an extensive biography and tons of other hard-to-find resources. Interview from Ripper #7 An early interview with the Effigies from 1982. Interview from The Process #2 In this article from 2000, John Kezdy talks about the history of the Effigies. |
