Long before the Jerky Boys hit, there was a bootleg tape being passed around in the mid-'80s that was commonly referred to as the Tube Bar tape. Mark Robinson's Teen Beat label released a version of it, Scat records released a version of it, Chris Gore's Film Threat studios based a short film on... [+] Expand

Long before the Jerky Boys hit, there was a bootleg tape being passed around in the mid-'80s that was commonly referred to as the Tube Bar tape. Mark Robinson's Teen Beat label released a version of it, Scat records released a version of it, Chris Gore's Film Threat studios based a short film on it, and Matt Groening based Bart's prank calls to Moe's Tavern on The Simpsons on it. Bart and Moe's angry exchanges don't even come close to vulgar and vicious shouts and threats between the Bum Bar Bastards and the Tube Bar's owner, Red, on this, the first official release of the original tape. Jersey City's Tube Bar was a rough place with no chairs, one bathroom, and a tough bartender who only let whiskey drinkers stand at the bar (beer drinkers had to lean against the wall). In the mid-'70s, the two pranksters who are the Bum Bar Bastards started a series of calls to Red, asking if he could call patrons like "Ben Dover," "Al Koholic," and "Phil Latio" to the phone. Red falls for them all here, bellowing out the names at the top of his lungs, and only catches on when one of the Bastards starts giggling. When they do, Red lets loose with an amazing string of vulgar insults, threatening to kill the caller and do horrible things to their mother, all in a voice that sounds like he's been gargling with Drano. That's all that happens during the Tube Bar calls, but what makes it funny is how often Red falls for it and how he can rattle off the expletives so effortlessly. What's surprising about the bootleg tapes' official release is that it's edited. The curse words aren't taken out by any means, but some calls are removed and the running order of them is totally different from any prior releases. There is a newly unearthed bit where the Bum Bar Bastards play some cassettes over the phone to Red that's truly weird and nice to have, but the bootlegs packaged the whole thing better. Besides that, the official release breaks the Tube Bar calls into two tracks -- one at the beginning and one at the end of the disc with some really stupid filler in-between. Still, it's the easiest way to hear these infamous calls and a great way to honor the late Red, who passed in 1983. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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