It’s hard to dislike a band like Plan 9. This eight piece psychedelic commune (with five guitarists!) toured extensively in small east coast USA clubs in the 1980’s. All kinds of rumors surrounded them: that they funded their recording sessions and hippie lifestyle by producing porno flicks, that guitar guru Eric Stumpo had played in a band in the 1960’s which had been featured in the Pebbles anthology and that they had ties with motorcycle gangs. They held a weekend long rock festival in the Shannock Rhode Island VFW (their home town) called The Love Party where every band that had shared the bill with them the previous year was invited to play a set and stay as long as the mushroom supply held out.

Plan 9 burst onto the paisley underground in the early 80’s with a two sided 7 inch version of The Third Bardo’s “Five Years Ahead of My Time” (not included on this LP). It is 7 minutes and 47 seconds fuzz soaked guitar and B‑3 organ swirls that became a staple on late night college radio shows.

Plan 9 was plagued by several logistical and contractual problems. First, trying to keep an 8 piece band fed on the road made touring a financial nightmare. Second, they were tied down to a crappy contract with Midnight Records that prevented them from signing with a decent label until 1986. And third, leader Eric Stumpo was never comfortable being the band’s main singer which caused them to bring on several mediocre singers (including a bad Jimi Hendrix sound alike who didn’t play guitar) who had no idea what psychedelia was all about. 

In 1986 they were signed to Enigma which gave the band access to better studios and allowed them to tour with better accomadations. But the semi-major label deal also increased the pressure on them to sell lots of albums. In an era when the US charts were dominated by the likes of Bon Jovi psychedelic guitar jam sessions had little chance of getting commercial radio airplay.

“Dealing With the Dead” is the best of their pre-Enigma studio releases. It features the band with their definitive five guitar lineup. Vocals are provided primarily by Eric Stumpo and second guitarist guitarist Mike Ripa, sparing us some of the lesser talents who sang on their later releases. Plenty of fuzz laden guitar solos to go around. If one listens to the album long enough you can begin to learn the personalities and quirks of each guitarist as they trade riffs and solo two at a time. The standout tracks are “I Like Girls”, “B‑3–11” and “Dealing With the Dead”, which opens with a creepy poem by Kenne Highland set to cauldron bubbling sound effects.

Check out used record stores on the east coast USA for this release by these forgotten psychedelic legends.