Maggots: The Record

Maggots: The Record is the fourth studio album by American singer Wendy O. Williams and her band Plasmatics, released in 1987 by Profile Records. It was the last record by the band released as a special "9th Anniversary Album". Despite being labeled a "Plasmatics" album, it is often regarded as another Wendy O. Williams solo album, largely in part because her name is over that of the band, the merchandise for the tour has the WOW logo from her solo career, and the only other original member is Wes Beech on rhythm guitar.

Maggots: The Record was recorded in 1987 and is a concept album set 25 years in the future, where environmental abuse and the burning of fossil fuels have created a greenhouse effect, leading to an end of the world scenario. The album features various scenes of The White Family over the course of three days. The family is devoured while watching a TV game show. Valerie, the girlfriend of hot-shot television reporter Bruce is devoured by three massive maggots while lying in her boyfriend's bed. The final scene of the record shows the entire human population is headed for imminent annihilation. The album was released through Profile Records under the WOW label in the United States and overseas by GWR Records, which had been started by Motörhead's longtime manager Doug Smith.

Composition

Maggots: The Record is often credited as being the first "Thrash Metal Opera." This comes largely because of the album follows the rock opera formula done in a form of thrash metal. Every other track on the album is spoken-word and is used to describe various scenes between songs.

The central theme of the album is that a group of scientists trying to eliminate trash in the rivers and oceans develop a breed of maggot designed to eat the garbage and then, when the trash is gone, the maggot dies. Melting glaciers bring floods that carry the maggots into contact with land creatures. The genetically engineered maggots continue to eat and breed, growing larger with every cycle. By the album's end, human beings are extinct and the maggots have taken over. Scientists and politicians are overheard discussing exactly what can be done, trying to calm the doomed populace.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Kerrang!

Upon its release, Maggots: The Record received generally positive review from music critics. A review in Kerrang! gave the album 5 out of 5 Ks, "Quite simply a masterpiece... a work of genius." Wendy's vocals "reduces Celtic Frost's Tom G. Warrior's 'death grunts' to mere whimpers" it went on coupled with "a mixture of hedonistic operatic melodies..gut forged to some of the heaviest armadillo beats you're ever like to hear committed to vinyl."

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Overture / Introduction (Narrator)"	Rod Swenson Wes Beech Michael Ray	0:59
2.	"You're a Zombie"	Swenson Ray	2:45
3.	"The White's Apartment / Full Meal Diner"		2:46
4.	"The Day of the Humans Is Gone"	Swenson Ray	3:31
5.	"The Central Research Laboratory / Valerie and Bruce on the Phone"		3:06
6.	"Destroyers"	Swenson Ray	3:07
7.	"The White's Apartment / Bruce's Bedroom"		1:40
8.	"Brain Dead"	Swenson Ray	2:33
9.	"The White's Apartment / Bruce's Bedroom"		2:30
10.	"Propagators"	Swenson Beech	3:00
11.	"The White's Apartment / Fire Escape"		2:02
12.	"Finale"	Swenson Beech Ray	4:06
Total length:			32:05

References

↑ Curtice, Craig. "Maggots: The Record - Plasmatics, Wendy O. Williams". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved on April 3, 2015.

External links

Maggots: The Record at AllMusic
Maggots: The Record at Discogs (list of releases)

Plasmatics

Wendy O. Williams Wes Beech Chris Romanelli Ray Callahan Richie Stotts Michael Ray Michael David Chosei Funahara Jean Beauvoir Greg Smith Stuart Deutsch Neal Smith

Studio albums	New Hope for the Wretched (1980) Beyond the Valley of 1984 (1981) Metal Priestess (1981) Coup d'Etat (1982) Maggots: The Record (1987) Coup de Grace (2000)

Compilation albums	Fuck You!!! And Loving It: A Retrospective (1988) Put Your Love in Me: Love Songs for the Apocalypse (2002) Final Days: Anthems for the Apocalypse (2002)

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