The Wire Issue 214 December 01 (UK) By Edwin Pouncey The Electric Eels "Eyeball of Hell" (Scat Records 2001) CD and Vinyl Mirrors "Hands in my Pockets" Overground 2001) CD Previous valiant attempts to get to grips with the slippery recorded history of 70's Cleveland group The Electric eels have resulted in a series of collections which, although they got close to the truth, never managed to tell their whole grisly tale The Eyeball of Hell, however, is the definitive edition, complete with bonus tracks, extensive sleevenotes from co-frontman John Morton and an excerpt from guitarist/vocalist Brian McMahon's memoir Jaguar Ride, named after the title of their most celebrated song. "Jaguar Ride" itself sounds phenomenal in all its raw-red glory, with its New York Dolls-like energised guitar grind, over which Morton screams his impassioned vocal about a car, a girl and an act of mindless violence. The music and songs of The Electric Eels perfectly encapsulated the 'Clepunk' sound. Unlike their contemporaries such as Rockets From The Tombs (who later transformed into Pere Ubu) and the Dead Boys, the Eels were a law unto themselves and the wild, flailing, electrically spiked minimalist rock 'n' roll they specialized in has lost none of its power. The previously unreleased "Zoot Zoot" — where they unexpectedly burst into free jazz — and the totally improvised "Jazz Is (Part 2)" show that they were eager to experiment, while the closing "Natural Situation" looks death straight in the skull to produce a stinging song that even outshines "Jaguar Ride". Stemming from the same period and place, Mirrors were more of a mystery. The group released one highly sought after single for David Thomas's Hearthen label ("Shirley" backed with "She Smiled Wild", both included here. Other than that, a handful of tracks on recent Cleveland retrospective, Those Were Different Times, gave an inkling of their awesome power. Drawing from their stalled first album and other rareties, the full length collection Hands In My Pockets fleshes out their underground reputation. With less of a gnarly sound than The Electric Eels, yet every bit as dynamic, Mirrors (led by vocalist/guitarist Jamie klimek) effortlessly blended "Pale Blue Eyes"- style ballardry with swathes of Pink Floyd-like psychedelic punk that tilted towrd Krautrock. This collection also includes a fine lo-fi live cover of the Electric Eels' "Jaguar Ride", thereby knotting together a lost strand in 'Clepunk ' history.