Lobe
Formed in 1971, Lobe was a contrived concept band born of the era of filler concept albums.
Origins
"Psycho Steve" McGee and Evil "Ted" McGinty met as freshman at the University of Manitoba. With shared interests in neuropsychopathology, masturbation and extreme crochet, they hatched a scheme to convince girls to take off their clothes as part of "an important government-sanctioned exploratory research study with great potential to tangibly improve the general welfare of all mankind".
After expulsion, 30 days imprisonment (minus 7 hours for good behavior), and 5 years supervised probation, they decided than a new approach to getting girls naked was in order. After minutes of careful consideration, they decided to pool their respective talents and start a band -- one comprised entirely of Psychology majors.
Auditions
From the initial audition pool of nearly 5 hopeful applicants, three (3) additional members were to be selected. Potential joiners were required to submit official transcripts, a thesis, three (3) letters of reference, an original composition, and agree to undergo ritual tattooing of Freud's head on the buttock of their choice.
Members & Instruments
- "Psycho Steve" McGee ~ Primal screaming, cathartic self-exposition, & stream-of-consciousness psychobabble
- Evil "Ted" McGinty ~ Pots, pans, & Pringles® cans
- "Philthy" Phil Franklin ~ Lead electric tambourine, ukelele, armpit noises & harmony grunting
- Guy Ouioui ~ Didgeridoo, sitar, gourd tree, bic® lighter flatulence & other pyrotechnics
- Brenda Dickinson ~ Kenny Rogers® impersonator
Discography
- 1971
| Journey To The Center Of Your Mind | |
| Stimulate My Amygdala * | What's Your GPA, Baby? |
| Brain Stew ** | Crash Course In Brain Surgery ** |
| Rabbit In The Box | Hate Your Parents |
| Sign The Waiver | If I Only Had A Brain ** |
| Billboard® Rank: (trace) | |
"Too cerebral..."
~ Harry Sphincter, The Chihuahua Provincial Examiner
- 1972
| Do You Know What I'm Thinking? | |
| Mental Radio * | If You Could Read My Mind ** |
| You Were Always On My Mind ** | I Keep Forgetting ** |
| Dissertation in D minor | Don't Dream It's Over ** |
| Imagine ** | Out Of Time, Out Of Mind |
| Billboard® Rank: 11,023,934 | |
"Mindless pomp..."
~ Dick Hertz, Saskatoon News & Views
- 1973
| Astral Movie Projector | |
| Daydream Believer ** | Think ** |
| Dream Police ** | Lobotomy, D.I.Y. * |
| Academic Suspension Bridge * | You Make My Dreams** |
| A Rush of Blood to the Head ** | Unfinished Thought ** |
| Billboard® Rank: 11,023,929 | |
"It's over my head..."
~ Shanda Lear, Rolling Stone
- 1974
- LIVE and Demented in Memphis
- Single: "The Gambler" (new, original song by Brenda) **
"Jesus H. Christmas, give it a rest..."
~ Eve Hill, Winnipeg Wiccan Weekly
* = Designates a released single. ** = Has been covered by other artists.
Breakup
After a series of bad reviews, low album sales (23 copies, 9 returned), numerous investigations by PETA, and sporadic fan turnout (attendance was only guaranteed by offering a buffet lunch), the band met to consider their future.
Brenda's assertion that Freud was really just an incestuous and decrepit piece of human filth with occasional heterosexual tendencies caused infighting, division, custody battles over the digeridoo, and an eventual mediation initiated by the University Ombudsman that as of this writing is still in progress.
Brenda and Phil went on to minor success in the British punk band Stench.