The Electric Eels were formed by John Morton (guitar), Dave "E" McManus (vo… Read Full Bio ↴The Electric Eels were formed by John Morton (guitar), Dave "E" McManus (vocals, clarinet), and Brian McMahon (guitar), all ex-pupils of Lakewood High School, Cleveland, in 1972. The three had been to see a Captain Beefheart gig and been unimpressed enough by the support band to decide that they could do better themselves. Morton was also influenced by free jazz: "I remember listening to Ornette Coleman, John Cale, Sun Ra and Albert Ayler. That's what the Eels was supposed to be, but we didn't really understand it." This had also led to early meetings with Peter Laughner of Rocket from the Tombs at the local record store.

The Electric Eels featured unconventional instrumentation initially, with no drummer nor anyone who was technically competent on any musical instruments. Nevertheless they were heavily influenced by bands like Sweet, T. Rex, Slade, and Roxy Music, as well as Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie, and the New York Dolls. Their rare performances did feature at various times, sheet metal hit with sledgehammers, anvils, a power lawnmower and fist fights. This led to the description of their act as "art terrorism". Much of 1973 and 1974 was spent, mostly unsuccessfully, trying to get gigs in bars that normally booked top-40 covers bands in Cleveland and then Columbus, where the band moved for some months. Morton has claimed that this move was caused by death threats he had received in Cleveland for sleeping with "one too many married women". When gigs did happen, promoters were known to pull them half way through. On their debut show the band were arrested by police for being drunk and disorderly. Morton resisted arrest and gained a broken hand, which caused him to play their next gig, three weeks later with an improvised splint made from a slide rule and a wrench.

Morton, in particular, had an inclination for violence that often led to physical fights and temporary splits in the band, or he and Dave E would go to a working-class bar and provoke a fight by dancing together as if a homosexual couple.

In late 1973 McMahon left the band, replaced by Paul Marotta, who was a competent musician on both guitar and keyboards. Drummers came and left during the history of the band, but bass guitar was always absent.

The deliberate provocation and controversy of the band also saw them use the Nazi imagery of the swastika, Morton later claiming that this was influenced by William Burroughs and Lenny Bruce: "That is something we wanted, to have that provocation, we wanted to confront those issues." In addition, controversial lyrics taken from American Nazi Party racist literature were used in the song 'Spinach Blasters' (AKA 'Spin Age Blasters'). Marotta: "It was shock tactics, it was confrontational art, it was meant to be satire". This presaged the use of similar shock tactics and images by other punks in New York and London, such as Sid Vicious and Siouxsie Sioux, as well as nonpunk glam rockers like David Bowie.

Eventually the Electric Eels got a gig at a Cleveland venue which would support original music, The Viking Saloon's "Special Extermination Night" 22 December 1974 with Rocket from the Tombs and Mirrors. This gig marked the public start of the Cleveland proto-punk scene. However the repeat event in January 1975 would see the Eels banned from the last bar that would have them, due to their use on stage of a gas-powered lawnmower. This led to the departure from the band of Marotta.

After Marotta left the band, Brian McMahon rejoined and they also recruited drummer Nick Knox, later to find fame with The Cramps. They made their peace with Marotta, who went on to record some of their rehearsals in early 1975. It is these sessions which make up most of the Eels material released since their demise, including the 1978 Rough Trade single 'Agitated' b/w 'Cyclotron', which was their only released recording for many years. The song 'Cyclotron' has a lyrical reference to Elton John whose music and style often crossed over into the glitter rock scene.

However, the Knox line-up of the band was short-lived, performing only one gig - the bands 5th overall - at Case-Western Reserve University in 1975 (sources differ as to whether this was in May or September of that year), before finally splitting there and then due to a Morton-inspired fist fight.

Later that year the original three Eels members, Marotta, and two members of Mirrors formed a new band 'The Men from UNCLE', but this lasted only two rehearsals before splitting again. Marotta went on to form The Styrenes, of which Morton was also an occasional member.

Cyclotron
Electric Eels Lyrics

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Giant doors

Hiding in a dresser and pursuing my success,

Hide with the roar

Shaving with two razors will help make quite a mess,

T.V. set

Watch yourself on video, see me on the big beat show

Daffy Duck

You know a steaming bowl of washers

On a nice hot day like this would be a nice suprise

Sewing set

Little baby tie up and I'm through for one day,

War is fun

Going down the turnpike and I laugh at the jets,

Benny boy

Falling on a liquorice, dancing on a cyclotron

Your mouth is a vast wasteland

You're a little baby bore

Candygram

Standing on a corner with a flashlight in her hand,

I hate girls

Climb into the canister and warn me in the morning,

Pasty faces

Amyl nitrate on your brow

Barbie Doll

Kelvinator, Kelvinator, Kelvinator,

Your mouth is a vast wasteland

Baby burp gets on your dress

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Cyclotron" by Electric Eels are incredibly enigmatic, with seemingly no clear narrative or subject matter. However, upon closer examination, the lyrics seem to be a stream of consciousness, expressing the band's frustration and contempt for various aspects of society. The opening line, "Giant doors hiding in a dresser and pursuing my success, hide with the roar," hints at a desire for privacy and isolation, while also suggesting that the pursuit of success is overwhelming and suffocating. The next few lines seem to be a jumbled collection of random thoughts, including shaving with two razors, watching oneself on TV, and the mention of Daffy Duck. These lines suggest a feeling of boredom or apathy, with the band mocking the mundanity of everyday life.

The middle of the song mentions war, laughing at jets, and falling on liquorice, all of which could be interpreted as a critique of the glorification of violence and war, as well as the shallowness of modern society's obsession with entertainment at the expense of real issues. The line "your mouth is a vast wasteland" is particularly poignant, as it seems to be a condemnation of the lack of meaningful communication and discourse in society. The song ends with more seemingly nonsensical lines, including "Barbie Doll/Kelvinator," which could be a comment on the superficiality of societal ideals and the trappings of consumerism.

Overall, "Cyclotron" is a complex and cryptic song that encourages listeners to think about the meaning behind the lyrics and draw their own conclusions. It could be interpreted as a lament for the lost innocence and idealism of the 1960s counterculture, or a critique of the shallow and commercial nature of modern American society.

Line by Line Meaning

Giant doors
Enormous openings

Hiding in a dresser and pursuing my success,
Seeking triumph while concealing oneself within a wardrobe

Hide with the roar
Conceal accompanied by noise

Shaving with two razors will help make quite a mess,
Using two razors while shaving results in a big mess

T.V. set
Television device

Watch yourself on video, see me on the big beat show
Observe oneself recorded, observe me performing live

Daffy Duck
A famous cartoon character

You know a steaming bowl of washers On a nice hot day like this would be a nice suprise
A hot bowl of laundry machines would be a pleasant surprise on a warm day like this

Sewing set
A collection of tools for sewing

Little baby tie up and I'm through for one day,
Finish work for the day after dressing an infant

War is fun
Engaging in battle is enjoyable

Going down the turnpike and I laugh at the jets,
Traversing a particular roadway while finding amusement in planes flying overhead

Benny boy
A name or nickname for someone named Benny

Falling on a liquorice, dancing on a cyclotron
Tumbling onto a black licorice, while dancing on a cyclotron

Your mouth is a vast wasteland
Your speech is devoid of substance

You're a little baby bore
You are an uninteresting infant

Candygram
A message or gift of confectionary

Standing on a corner with a flashlight in her hand,
A female figure positioned at an intersection holding a handheld light source

I hate girls
I strongly dislike females

Climb into the canister and warn me in the morning,
Enter the container and alert me in the morning