1. An alterna… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists that have used the name Electric Six
1. An alternative rock band from the United States
2. A musical group from South Africa
1. Electric Six is a six-piece Detroit-based rock band consisting of Dick Valentine (vocals), Tait Nucleus? (synthesizers), Johhny Na$hinal (guitar), Da Ve (guitar), Percussion World (drums), and Smorgasboard (bass) who play a mix of rock, funk and disco.
The band's first notorious formation comprised Valentine, Rock and Roll Indian (guitar), Surge Joebot (guitar), Disco (bass, former member of Detroit Cobras), and M (drums). Dick Valentine (real name Tyler Spencer) has always been the primary songwriter (both music and lyrics) of Electric Six, currently and under their former incarnation, when they were known as the Wildbunch. During the band's temporary split at the end of the 1990s, Spencer formed his own band called The Dirty Shame and released one CD entitled Smog Cutter Love Story which featured, among other tracks, a first version of Fire track "Vengeance and Fashion". The band reformed by 2001 to record and release the first release of 'Danger! High Voltage' and record the track 'Dealin' With Death N' Stealin' In The Name Of The Lord' with Troy Gregory for his Sybil album.
Electric Six fuses rock and punk with the laid-back funky rhythms and falsetto vocals of disco, and a distinctly comic touch. However, they tend to reject such genre classifications as disco-metal and disco punk. They formed the band in 1996 and were initially known as The Wildbunch, eventually dropping that name due to pressure from the Bristol trip-hop collection of the same name. Throughout the latter half of the '90s, they played about once a month at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, Magic Stick, and the now-defunct Gold Dollar in Detroit, the center of a scene that produced breakout acts like the White Stripes.
Electric Six's 2002 breakout single "Danger! High Voltage" was an infectious dance-rock number, and Jack White from The White Stripes helped sing back up vocals to this track. White has denied this, though Spencer has confirmed it in several interviews. The single reached number 2 on the UK singles chart, and they enjoy icon status in that nation.
Their second single, "Gay Bar", released in 2003, became a hit as well in the UK, reaching #5 in the charts and further aided the group's growth. Curiously, in the American Radio Edit of this track, The words "Nuclear War" are censored with whip-crack sound effects. After fulfilling their recording duties (namely their debut album) three members left in June, leaving Dick Valentine, Tait Nucleus? (synthesizer), and M.
The Colonel (Zach Shipps, guitar, ex-member of Brendan Benson and Mood Elevator), John R Dequindre (guitar and whose stage name is a combination of two Detroit streets) and Frank Lloyd Bonaventure (bass) subsequently joined the group, though they had all been credited on the album and most had been associated with the group for some time. At that time, they were touring in the UK, and they managed to seamlessly replace the members without interrupting the gigs. In time, Johnny Na$hinal joined the group on guitar, Dequindre switched to bass, and Bonaventure switched to law school.
The band's sophomore album, Señor Smoke, was released in the UK on February 14, 2005. Percussion World replaced M on drums around the same time.
The first single from the album put the band at the center of controversy, especially with Queen fans following a cover of the Queen hit song "Radio Ga Ga". The controversial music video shows lead singer Dick Valentine as the ghost of Queen's flamboyant lead singer Freddie Mercury and a backing band of poodles. Queen drummer Roger Taylor, who wrote the song, said that he was "unimpressed" with the video; however, Queen guitarist Brian May reportedly liked it. Electric Six claims they were contractually obligated to commit the song to the album. Issues with Warner Brothers caused a switch to Metropolis Records, who released Señor Smoke in the US.
Switzerland was released in September 2006. A plethora of videos have also been released, and a fan contribution contest led to the video for the single "I Buy the Drugs."
I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me From Being the Master was released in October 2007. Their next album, titled Flashy, was released in October 2008. In October 2009, their sixth album, KILL, was released. The 7th album, Zodiac was released on September 28, 2010, with one tour-exclusive single ("Jam it in the Hole") and the 8th, Heartbeats and Brainwaves, on October 11th 2011.
A double live album is set for release in 2012.
2. Electric Six was a Soweto-based South African combo active in the 1960s and 1970s
The Rubberband Man
Electric Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hand me down my hat
Hurry now and don't be late
'Cause we ain't got time to chat
You and me, we're goin' out
To catch the latest sound
Guaranteed to blow your mind
So high you won't come down
Hey, y'all, prepare yourself
For the rubberband (rubberband) man
You've never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You're bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam
Oh, Lord, this dude is outta sight
Everything he does
Seem to come out right
Once I went to hear them play
At a club outside of town
I was so surprised, I was hypnotized
By the sound this cat's puttin' down
When I saw this short, fat guy
Stretch a band between his toes
Hey, I laughed so hard
'Cause the man got down
When he finally reached his goal
Hey, y'all, prepare yourself
For the rubberband (rubberband) man
You've never heard a sound
Like the rubberband (rubberband) man
You're bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam
Got that rubber band
Up on his toes
And then he wriggled it up
All around his nose
Doo-doo-doo-doo
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Doo-doo-doo-doo
Playin' all that music, yet keepin' time
Where in the world did he learn that, oh, Lord
Lord, help him get away
Hey, y'all, prepare yourself
For the rubberband man
You've never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You're bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam
Rubberband man, rubberband man
How much of this stuff do he think we can stand?
I don't know
So much rhythm, grace, and debonair for one man,
Lord, and then he had the nerve to wiggle his left toe
Slip it through his knee, got the feeling in his head, y'all
Aw, come on, baby
Hey, y'all, prepare yourself
For the rubberband man
You've never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You're bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam
Rubberband man starts to jam
Moving up and down cross the land
Got the people all in his wake
Everything probably seems outta place
Just move it, just move it
Just move, move, move it
Just, rubberband, rubberband man
Just move it, just move it
Just move, move, move it
Just, rubberband, rubberband man
Get down
Oh, get down low
Ah ha
The Rubberband Man by Electric Six is an electrifying song that is all about enjoying the latest sound and losing control. It starts off with a request for a walking cane and hat as the singer encourages the listener to hurry up because there is no time to chat. The song is all about going out to hear the latest sound, which is so high that it can blow your mind. The Rubberband Man is introduced as a guy who has a unique sound that listeners are bound to lose control to when he starts to jam. The lyrics go on to describe the Rubberband Man's unique style, with him using a rubber band on his toes and nose to create a sound that surprises and hypnotizes the singer. The Rubberband Man's music is so good that the listener is urged to move, move, move to the rhythm.
The song encourages listeners to let loose and get lost in the beat, to forget their troubles and focus on the music. The Rubberband Man is a representation of how music can transcend boundaries and bring people together. The Rubberband Man's sound is so unique and captivating that it is guaranteed to blow the listener's mind. The Rubberband Man is an example of how music can help people forget their problems and enjoy life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hand me down my walkin' cane
I need my cane to walk
Hand me down my hat
I need my hat to wear
Hurry now and don't be late
Let's go quickly and be on time
'Cause we ain't got time to chat
We don't have time to talk
You and me, we're goin' out
You and I are going out
To catch the latest sound
To listen to the newest music
Guaranteed to blow your mind
It will be amazing
So high you won't come down
It will be so good you won't want to leave
Hey, y'all, prepare yourself
Get ready
For the rubberband (rubberband) man
He's coming
You've never heard a sound
It's a new sound
Like the rubberband man
It's like nothing you've heard before
You're bound to lose control
You'll be so into it, you'll lose yourself
When the rubberband starts to jam
When he starts playing
Oh, Lord, this dude is outta sight
He's really good
Everything he does
All his actions
Seem to come out right
Are perfect
Once I went to hear them play
I went to see them perform
At a club outside of town
In a club far from the city
I was so surprised, I was hypnotized
I was dazzled and captivated
By the sound this cat's puttin' down
By the music he's playing
When I saw this short, fat guy
When I saw this man
Stretch a band between his toes
He put a rubber band on his toes
Hey, I laughed so hard
It was so funny
'Cause the man got down
Because he started performing
When he finally reached his goal
When he finally mastered his performance
Got that rubber band
He's got a rubber band
Up on his toes
On his toes
And then he wriggled it up
He moved it upwards with his foot
All around his nose
And all over his face
Doo-doo-doo-doo
Non-lyrical part of the song
Guaranteed to blow your mind
It will surprise and amaze you
Playin' all that music, yet keepin' time
Playing the music while keeping rhythm
Where in the world did he learn that, oh, Lord
How did he learn that?
Lord, help him get away
God, let him escape
Rubberband man, rubberband man
The man with the rubber band
How much of this stuff do he think we can stand?
Will we ever get enough of his music?
I don't know
I'm not sure
So much rhythm, grace, and debonair for one man
He's so talented
Lord, and then he had the nerve to wiggle his left toe
He even moved his toe in a cool way
Slip it through his knee, got the feeling in his head, y'all
He moved his toe up to his knee and it felt good
Aw, come on, baby
That's amazing
Rubberband man starts to jam
He starts playing the music
Moving up and down cross the land
Performing all over the country
Got the people all in his wake
Everyone is following him
Everything probably seems outta place
Everything seems different
Just move it, just move it
Just start dancing
Just move, move, move it
Keep on dancing
Just, rubberband, rubberband man
Just dance to the music
Get down
Start dancing
Oh, get down low
Dance lower
Ah ha
Expressive sound
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LINDA CREED, LINDA DIANE CREED, THOM BELL, THOMAS RANDOLPH BELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stephane Baelde
Wow your lip synching editing skills are AMAZING, its like they're actually singing the exact song the band is... ... o, it's a cover. >.>
Scott Beto
one of the few songs i been caught dancing like a jack ass too as i clean... fantastic remake!
frank riccardi
Dork.
Giuseppe
you jack ass in live song its no you problem
Giuseppe
wtf man (
Blatherskite
Awesome track, awesome album :)
EDIT: Sorry, almost forgot to say - awesome video too! Fun idea to sync E6's cover-version to gloriously retro archive footage of the original act, and nicely done too. Thumbs up for the concept and the execution :)
Shipoopiism
I did NOT know Electric Six did this song. So happy this makes me. The feelings that I feel.
Jeff L
Wow, The Sync is perfect. Nice Job. I always thought this was a great cover tune also.
Tom G
this is amazing. the sound is so full, and the Spinner's choreography really spices it up.
Bob Papadopoulos
I went to see them live in Dublin once, thinking they were a bit of a joke and not knowing all that much about them. As a massive Spinners fan (and Philippe Wynne especially), they really gained my respect on this song.