Maybe it's better off to remain totally small minded about music, so you're not so overwhelmed by all the choices out there.

trashman said:

getting a good lesson here because there are some of these groups I only know by mp3s so had no clue they were masked marauders.  Knuckel Drager and Apemen good examples (thought the apemen only wore masks for the album cover until I saw the embedded youtube).  So many groups so little time.

DammitDave said:

 Don't forget Phantom Surfers!

 

and the Bubble Men! (?????)

 

trashman said:

So many groups so little time.

Oh yeah, the Bubble Men, too. :D 

getting a good lesson here because there are some of these groups I only know by mp3s so had no clue they were masked marauders.  Knuckel Drager and Apemen good examples (thought the apemen only wore masks for the album cover until I saw the embedded youtube).  So many groups so little time.

Lost Acapulco from Mexico City.

Knuckel Drager!

 

Don't forget Phantom Surfers!

 

The Apemen.

A good choice!

trashman said:

--and for pure fun I need to throw the Neanderthals into the mix of masked bands.

 

ZZ en de Maskers (ZZ and the Masks)

Dutch band - started out doing Shadows style instros, later added vocals. They always wore little masks in their early days but in this clip of their song "Dracula" I think only the bass player is still wearing a mask.

 

Chicago's own The Goblins:

(And The Mummies, Kongsmen and Los Straitjackets are a given)

 

Nice to meet a fellow KISS fan.  And I like pre-78 KISS too:)

The Ultimatemost High said:

KISS (pre-'78)

yup!!

whatwave dave said:

Los Straitjackets

KISS (pre-'78)

The Damned Evangelist from New Zealand is pretty cool. 

Can someone give me some insight to the Zombie IV?  They were (are) an obvious Mummies emulator, much of the same as the Flying Dutchmen, but zombie IV also wear masks.  I love the one 7inch they released but don't know anything about them or can dig up anything on the web. 

--and for pure fun I need to throw the Neanderthals into the mix of masked bands.

 

LOL, trashman!  That story is priceless:)

trashman said:

Oh man.  I have to share a story - the night KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park aired for the first time I walked into a room and found my babysitter changing her top into a halloween costume.  First boobies ever.  As an 9yr old it probably changed my life.  I always link that movie with that event.  I can re-envision them now. 

 

MikeL said:

I'm probably going to get some shit for this, but I still like KISS.  Keep in mind that I was in elementary school back during their 70s heyday, and I was drawn to their super hero image.  Before you ask, yes, I did have the Marvel comic book, and I also watched "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" when it was aired on NBC in October 1978.  Back then, I thought it was the second greatest movie ever made, after "Star Wars."  Yes, please feel free to laugh;)

 

Oh man.  I have to share a story - the night KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park aired for the first time I walked into a room and found my babysitter changing her top into a halloween costume.  First boobies ever.  As an 9yr old it probably changed my life.  I always link that movie with that event.  I can re-envision them now. 

 

MikeL said:

I'm probably going to get some shit for this, but I still like KISS.  Keep in mind that I was in elementary school back during their 70s heyday, and I was drawn to their super hero image.  Before you ask, yes, I did have the Marvel comic book, and I also watched "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" when it was aired on NBC in October 1978.  Back then, I thought it was the second greatest movie ever made, after "Star Wars."  Yes, please feel free to laugh;)

 

Los Straitjackets

I'm probably going to get some shit for this, but I still like KISS.  Keep in mind that I was in elementary school back during their 70s heyday, and I was drawn to their super hero image.  Before you ask, yes, I did have the Marvel comic book, and I also watched "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" when it was aired on NBC in October 1978.  Back then, I thought it was the second greatest movie ever made, after "Star Wars."  Yes, please feel free to laugh;)

 

Now that I'm a little older and wiser (although the latter claim is still open for debate), I now realize that KISS was, at their best, a musically mediocre band with a clever gimmick and marketing plan.  I still occasionally listen to their classic albums.  They did have a few moments of brilliance, i.e. Paul Stanley's great Stones' rip-off "Tomorrow and Tonight," along with his other brilliant rip-off of the Nazz's "In My Eyes" with "Love Her All I Can," and lets not forget Gene Simmons' brilliant bubblegum/glam homage to statutory rape, "Christine Sixteen."  Aside from that, their material really left a something to be desired.

 

BTW, liking KISS is one reason why I like bands like the New York Dolls and the Ramones.  Yes, both of those bands are considered to be cutting edge, underground, proto-punk bands, but they also had images that were totally cartoonish, and even at my age, I still like cartoonish rock bands.

Hewhocannotbenamed

 

Dead Elvis certainly plays along with the image well. The Torpedo Monkeys are cool, but surely the Dwarves should be on here as a gimmick band.

I think a lot of ugly guys get into rock n roll because it is the only way to get girls, the Ramones have faces chiseld from stone compared to the Rolling Stones.

swt said:

The Ramones!

What? That's their REAL faces?

Never mind.

The Ramones!

What? That's their REAL faces?

Never mind.

The Mummies.  End of discussion.

British Columbia's finest albu-men, The McRackins!!! Eggstravagantly ace!!