Specimen - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Artist: Specimen
Album: Batastrophe EP
Genre: Deathrock/Glam/Batcave

[@wildechild5]

My husband and I met early 80s and this is one of our songs and to this day we are still married and every night comes to me he says kiss kiss and I give him two 💋💋 then I say bang bang. It's Goin on 35 + year tradition . Damn that makes us old.

[@zetovidillard]

Awwwwwn

[@dystopian2153]

That's sweet. 💞

[@wildechild5]

@@zetovidillard 💋💋

[@wildechild5]

@@dystopian2153 🥰💋💋

[@zeldapeax8311]

That's so f'n cool. True love.💋

[@shattersbossk]

This bassline is the sexiest thing I've ever heard.

[@Ghosty._._.]

Real :) I learned this bass line cause my boyfriend loved the song and I fricking love to play it

[@desireec.crooks78]

This song is a drug! Playing it perfectly on my matte black Demon Schecter bass is 1000x better than any pharmaceutical drug.....

[@charlesloomis2224]

Slap’n the hell out of it!!

[@edwardtruman4981]

I went to the Batcave regular and privileged to see Specimen perform there. At the time Ollie own it. Brilliant nights.

[@StephanieDK13]

🎉 WowYowZa 💀🖤💀

[@user-if4dr1fm9s]

You are living the dream

[@onimunchkin987]

That bass though... Ugh! It's beautiful!

[@countesscalypso23]

cosmic_disaster27 yessss!!

[@scrimdaddy]

Agree

[@stephaniesalazar3313]

Maybe that’s the point... to make it sound raw and grimy in other words “Dark”

[@sheydoll]

💖💖💖

[@lydieluck7753]

Bat Cave is not a sub genre haha. It was a goth London night club in the 1980’s! I saw some discussion about that. Anyway Specimen is an amazing band that I think of as a wonderful mix of goth and glam!

[@GothicElf68]

True, originally the Batcave was a Goth nightclub. However, a lot of people grew to associate the name with a specific subgenre of Goth that was played there, and the definition morphed.

[@johnstag2030]

Raigh DarkHawk Exactly. It IS a sub-genre of goth, named after a goth club night. Bat Cave is essentially the British equivalent to LA's deathrock.

[@bellazonna6510]

Honestly, in my experience it was more broken up into Jocks/Popular Trendy kids who usually hated us Punks and Goths and New Wave/New Romantics, who usually went to the same parties and intermingled pretty freely. Then their were Heavy Metalers also known as Hessians. I liked metal and was sometimes called a traitor for that. If there was a fight and a goth or punk was in trouble then the others would usually help out. We all pretty much stuck together.We didn't get too obsessed with the real subtleties of genres and subgenres back in the day. There was NO internet so it was a lot less easy to verify what someone else was calling stuff or what they were doing or wearing across the country or world. It would be more like you look "goth" because you wear all black/black nail polish whatever (which was way rare) and you are generally spooky and stuff and people would ask what bands you liked. I might describe myself as really digging some of that bat cave type stuff like Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend and just death rock stuff like Christian Death. The sub genres were not written in stone yet. But Bat Cave was definitely used to describe a style of hair. clothes and music. Specimen is the ultimate Bat Cave band because Ollie the singer, started the Bat Cave. Even glam rock metal heads would hang around with thrash metal fans (Believe me I know, because I had to listen to some shitty ass glam metal (Bon Jovi, Winger, Ratt) at times. There were labels but they were more descriptive and less restrictive in many ways. Although there were those lines that were rarely crossed like Heavy Metal to Punk and Hip Hop to Rock.

[@fiend2423]

Das stimmt schon, aber man sagt ja auch das z.B. Dark Wave ein Genre ist. . . obwohl es eigentlich ja die Dark Wave Bewegung war, also eine Zeit in der sich etwas musikalisch verändert hat, oder ? Bat Cave ist zwar kein richtiges Genre, aber der Club hatte trotzdem einen gewissen Stil von der Musik her (der sich dann ein bischen verbreitet hat)

[@tintomara6209]

I always thought of Goth as an offshoot of Glam

[@dragonvampseatingcake2116]

Rest in peace Olli. So long and thanks for all the music. 🖤🖤🖤

[@desireec.crooks78]

I just cant....

[@d3athr0ck3r]

I love this goth/glam mixture it’s amazing.

[@syahaz7088]

Farewell Olli. Gonna miss you now and forever.

[@jonhillman871]

i always wondered how did specimen get such big budget for the batastrophe ep. the sound is huge and polished and mixed with great care. every song is catchy and memorable. but they didn't tour much and only got radio play on underground stations in metropolitan areas.

[@RustyEgan]

I signed the specimen as songwriters and then got them a deal with London Records and Sire in America . I financed the club and the Batcave Album.

[@eatyourcereal4134]

@@RustyEgan cool

[@mrniceshoes2118]

England !

[@jimbates3837]

@@RustyEgan so you would be well qualified to answer jon hillman's query, but yet ...

[@viciouscircle7802]

They didnt need to tour tjey made the batcave lol

[@Angel_swagz]

Is it just me or does this music make y’all feel like you can rule the world? Like imagine walking around in the dark night as you listen to this song. O_O

[@arithechild5722]

for me the song that makes me feel like i can rule the world is my ordinary life by the living tombstone ✨

[@EvatronX]

til you come up against the first group of teens that make you feel insecure and make you double down and go back home.

[@ryanreeves8931]

I can smell the clove cigarettes.

[@nancyhanson5620]

Done it!❤

[@nancyhanson5620]

Done it❤

[@bolmsp]

goth never will die ,fuck the haters !!!

[@vanessatorres1998]

Amen 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@eddiezavala5577]

LOVE IT

[@chrismc.893]

bolmsp Death Rock! Goth wasn’t even a word back then.

[@goopie8282]

Fuck those haters hard!!!!!

[@yoongi7854]

Im a gen z teen and goth is so cool

[@zzGRENDELzz]

Friends, "Batcave" isn't the sub-genre - it was the London nightclub the band ran in the 80s and focal point for the post punk crowd. I'm sure its mention is in the interest of giving a view of yesterday's scene.

[@thatbabybat1253]

Actually, the term Batcave music is used to describe all the bands which rose to popularity in the club and beginning the goth scene.

[@kiani-maebell7512]

ThatBabyBat I agree with you

[@mrfry3]

If you grew up in Seattle in the mid 80's we called ourselves "Batcave." I first heard the term "Goth" in 1990ish.

[@johnstag2030]

Bat Cave the subgenre is named for the club/night. But yes, it IS a subgenre now, essentially equating to UK deathrock, as opposed to say the Cure or Sisters Of Mercy, or all of that EBM shit that belongs at a rave instead of a goth-night. Like American deathrock, Bat Cave falls somewhere on a spectrum between the post-punk influenced sound of Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the Banshees, and the horror punk sound of Misfits, Samhain, The Undead, Rudimentary Peni, and the Screaming Dead.

[@42t16]

@@johnstag2030 agree with the OP

[@stevendphoto]

I was lucky enough to see them on their first US tour, very small number of songs but they played them great...!

[@jadeipissedoffnow]

I remember dancing to this song in like 1987...that bass player is awesome!!! I wish there was a video to this song..so bad!!!

[@midnightsun1864]

there now is a video on yt for this song:)

[@goatvxx]

Kiss, kiss, bang, bang Kiss, kiss, bang, bang, kiss this and hang Kiss, kiss, bang, bang Kiss, kiss, bang, bang, kiss this and hang A beautiful sight, we lay down inside My head it never believed the tide, tide Kiss, kiss, bang, bang A beautiful sight, we lay down inside Our head it never will leave the tide You understating, understand your undeceiving And it's sad the breach comes with the peace It makes you like you want. hear this Kiss and bang, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Kiss, kiss, bang, bang I know you're watching So why you could wear that leather? Our friends talk talk about the weather I know your waiting, why you waiting to exist? Scar, scar and now you take chances? Since you're a suicide my bro Trash trash my gash, oh it's the gas Kiss, kiss, bang, bang Kiss, kiss, bang, bang

[@LorenStClair]

This 80, 2?

[@Nicole-bd4pd]

That bass♡

[@jcoup1215]

Awesome isn't it ?

[@Ghosty._._.]

@@jcoup1215it totally is

[@GothClassics]

Rest in peace Olli. Thanks for the music!

[@mrfry3]

I learned this song as it was played at the club I went to in Seattle 1984ish. I didn't even know what a goth was till someone called me that in the early nineties.

[@mrfry3]

@@jasonguild9306 Jason is that you?

[@gregh.251]

I have this. Been played once, no scratches. I recorded it to cassette then put it away. memories, tx for the post.

[@kokob9197]

I love old school deathrock

[@chrismc.893]

Koko B Thank you for not calling it goth! It is death rock yes!!!!!

[@facgce960]

@@chrismc.893 Specimen is gothic rock band as well. They don't classify into one genre

[@fionadewulf1359]

Dont we all

[@_.yoonie_.6392]

fr!

[@AudiSportFan1970]

Thank you for calling it what it is!

[@matthewreese8064]

Guitarist John Klein went on to play in Siouxsie and the Banshees from late 1987 to 1995.

[@TOM6871KD]

Turn UP that BASS

[@SophieValentineBlack]

The bass it's awesome!!! I just Love it!

[@phatzwave4424]

I bought the Batastrophe EP when it was released in '83 (I still have it). I didn't think then that I'd have to wait 24 years for them to finally release their 1st full album, Electric Ballroom (great album btw). Better late than never.

[@Krucek6666]

R.I.P Olli

[@geneclark3600]

Saw these guys at 17, at "The Scream " club in LA, ....used to live there, great times, great band.

[@kat6748]

So much elitism in the comments. Guys just enjoy a good tune!

[@moldvox]

No.

[@IncredulousMisanthrope]

@@moldvox what do you mean no?

[@moldvox]

@@IncredulousMisanthrope the comment above mine suggested I "just enjoy a good tune" and I don't do what other people tell me to do. Lol.

[@IncredulousMisanthrope]

@@moldvox wow you're so rebellious....

[@StephiexNightningale]

@@moldvox careful with that edge kid, you're gonna cut yourself

[@TGIFxGREASE]

Forever in search of the bass tab

[@gurkenwambo4026]

xDD yes

[@katbatbat3319]

I gave up and now I play by ear

[@TGIFxGREASE]

Katarzyna Barejko Same here, I got it down for the most part, the intro is fun to play on bass.

[@Leuka_]

Ear players rise up

[@salvaquinteros]

play it by ear.

[@maryt82003]

El tiempo no pasa cada ves que la escucho como si fuera ayer cuando la oí por ves primera......80´s por siempre!

[@evanb2679]

The fellow from this band sort of sings in the same style as Rozz Williams

[@jacqulinwilliams3542]

Yes; Yes, he did.

[@sammyg6920]

This fucking Bass...kills me Everytime, just Delicious

[@hypnaslaurent3003]

R.I.P. Olli Wisdom

[@williambroer8548]

Saw these guys live at a small club in Waikiki in Hawaii back in 1985? Awesome concert! Lead singer came out on crutches ans looked like he needed them. Dude was so skinny. Maybe it was just a prop. Loved this song to this day.

[@gunfuego]

I have this on a Goth and Industrial anthems album. That album introduced me to a ton of awesome groups.....

[@KATROCKCOUNTRY]

I remember Specimen visiting us here in Reno, Nv ('80s).. We All got our freak on at Circus-Circus, Reno 💋🎶

[@foryouiridmyselfofevil]

rest in peace, olli! 🖤🖤🖤

[@kaius1523]

I am elite because I'm 13 and listen to this song religiously

[@emlynffrenchmullen3713]

Long live trad goth!!!!

[@penguinsentinel8508]

Thought I'd lost this song to the memories. Still love it.

[@nahumeliyahu3116]

Rest in peace legend Oliver olli Wisdom ❤☯️

[@mariaelena-dq8kb]

Love the bass

[@kucukbalik2771]

quarantine days bring me here

[@sharonchamberland7090]

How exciting that these guys were seriously pushing the boundaries with their music back then. Wow, who knew there was a good eighties song about a gay couple or gay rights? You go guys, for being ahead of your time!!!

[@mharris1503]

RIP Olli

[@starrrzzz2905]

I have no words for this, it is just too perfect for words.

[@Specimen1334]

i love this song more and more every single time i listen to it, its so amazing

[@madhousemortuary]

dude, im from penang, malaysia (its the country between singapore and thailand) VERY few people know about music like this. clubs here all play the same generic mainstream crap. i was born in the wrong place and in the wrong decade

[@Morbidlynx1]

Don't worry, today they are all about the same here even.

[@prototyrant3335]

Start a goth scene there

[@cindigonzalez7350]

Me too. Except minus the place part...

[@coochiemama]

madhousemortuary sith i’m malaysian yey

[@izzatinajihah273]

omg so true

[@lorenzohernandez9281]

90's baby here with no intent on pushing knowledge on someone, and I just wanted to say that it doesn't matter if youre in love with the darkness or just the music, you can look like anything you want as long as we can be reasonably dreadfully together! 🦇🦇🦇

[@andariel1099]

Love de bass

[@ThePola055]

[@CateOmg]

Kiss kiss bang bang! 👽

[@gabrielagoa2748]

r.i.p Olli Wisdom

[@ian-online]

our head it will never leave the tiiiiiiiideeeee

[@timothyrogers2744]

Definitely a Badass tune. 🦇🤘😎 They're playing on a 5 - string bass 🎸 to get that deep rich Gothic sound ...

[@theeightleggedabbess]

Come on humans! You are not afraid of us arachnids, your fear comes from a sutile red spider that walks around your dreams when you go naively across 4D.

[@jakemotionless6119]

Ty Madison for Reccomending me this song. Its pretty awesome, so if you ever see this I give you a standing ovation

[@phantomcyborg5747]

sounds so badass !

[@Luisa_san]

Esse slap no baixo deveria ser um crime :o ♥

[@cianperry6152]

My dad loves this song I can see why

[@vanessatorres1998]

The bass 😍

[@thebeatsbizarre5680]

RIP Olli wisdom.....

[@alexsiozopoulos9955]

R.I.P. Oliver, and thanks for all the bats!

[@brosi25071990]

Oh Phoenix, There was! Back then it was called Positive-Punk and it means the early raw punk influenced goth sound like Southern Death Cult, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and so one.Today there are differend names for the first wave of goth bands. ''Goth Punk'' ''Batcave'' ''Positive Punk'' It all means the same deathrock is a bit differend.

[@maktpl1341]

RiP Olli

[@brenda14300]

this takes me way back!

[@soylent_purple]

This song is a good example to proof that Dark Wave originated in punk rock. You can clearly hear the punk influences here, imo. 🔥

[@edwardtruman8327]

I first saw Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend at the Bat Cave. Great times.

[@madhousemortuary]

i wish club music could be like this....

[@trysometruth]

The bass is deliciously out of tune.

[@plasticsoul9051]

***** but it sounds f'ing amazing!!! the tone, the grit...I would kill for that bass sound on one of my tunes :)

[@ERICF66]

Plasticsoul A J bass with low action can get that feel and sound. 👍

[@BREEDINGGROUND1]

Just a wee bit.

[@thewrinklingbrothers]

Do you mean out of tune or out of key for a note?

[@enkicarbone3769]

That's not a bug; it's a feature.

[@monster_demon431]

Amo dms essa música

[@NebulosaPlanetaria]

Perfect song !

[@charlesloomis2224]

This is my internal theme song when I’m walking down the street.

[@cleiton1016]

This is wonderful. Thanks for to post

[@HydromelRaptor]

Gosh, can't leave the replay button :D

[@TheDevilinabluedress]

AAAHHHH YES! Thank you!

[@JasonMontell2501]

Rest In Peace olli

[@darielagimenez7593]

soy ENRIQUE..un temazo...como suena el BAJO...me encanta,..suban mas de este grupo..gracias

[@Asphyxious666]

wonderful. thank you

[@olcheekybastards]

I love this !

[@klaussklemann]

GOTH FOR REAL!

[@42gamiii]

Deathrock is just Goth marinated in Punk, after all.

[@chrismc.893]

Klauss Klemann Nope! Death Rock! Goth wasn’t even a word back then.

[@bolmsp]

awesome n great sound quality ,ty

[@baileygregg6567]

This tune is so dam good for lately🇺🇸🎶💀🍀📉💜

[@Loc2thabrain805]

this is amazing

[@72729_]

this song suddenly pooped up in my head without any reason lol i haven't listened to it in years

[@free-the-whales]

I love 80s music so much

[@bonehead5769]

Wow freaking awesome song!

[@xXxPurpleDreamXxx]

AMAZING SONG

[@danielpayne500]

Classic It is under rated And well But still one of my all time Classics in my Record Box

[@Bludreamgirl]

♡♡♡♡I LOVE the list! ♡♡♡♡♡

[@MonstersMaster]

Bauhaus got famous, Specimen got forgotten ...

[@jackkoffin1]

I see a lot of discussion about Goth rock here, which I am rather bemused by. Now, I love the oldschool Goth and Deathrock bands of the late 70s and early 80s, and I enjoy Specimen, but they never *sounded* very gothy to me, whatever that means. I think they were more interested in writing glam-style tunes, while dressing like Goth fashionistas... which isn't a bad thing, don't get me wrong. But they certainly didn't sound quite as wild as they appeared.

[@evilspin]

Yes there is debate on many deathrock/glam rock/punk/post-punk bands being slumped as goth rock and the reason why is because these bands which at the time were unknowingly being pioneers in music, were playing a unique sound that manifested in between the transition of punk-rock to the new term goth rock. Many of these bands were called post-punk artists but did not incorporate the angst, political and rebellious lyrical context, guitar work that derived from rock n roll/garage rock or the attitude and shouting instead of singing as Punk music did. Post-punk derived from punk but had more singing and melody and different guitar work. They later developed a sub-culture and fashion sense that came with the musical style that was influenced by Punk and Glam rock. These very same post-punk bands evolved into different formats themselves and influenced new bands into a more melancholy and darker tone in music implementing droning or flanging guitars, effects such as reverb and echo, darker, bleaker or menacing basslines and synth work, that often resulted in a cold, harsh, desolate, melancholy or haunting sound that contrasted well with the image and rock style from before. They changed their image & lyrical sense to a more romanticism, religious symbolism, vampiric imagery that played along between love and death subjects as well as changed their vocal approach into deeper voices with echo effects that complemented with the emotion and sounds they produced that resulted in vampire-esque or depressing sounds that went along with the sounds atmosphere. These bands at the time were known as Post-Punk. But people and journalists noticed the darker sounds, lyrical and fashion change of some post-punk bands and therefor deeming the term Goth/Gothic Rock. These pioneering bands were Siouxsie & the Banshees, Joy Division, The Cure, Bauhaus, 45 Grave, And Also The Trees, Christian Death, The Birthday Party, The Damned, Sisters of Mercy, Suicide, The Virgin Prunes, Kommunity FK, Specimen. All deriving from Punk/Glam Rock Music and changing or incorporating Gothic sounds/imagery to their music which formed Goth/Gothic Rock. So in essence that's why Specimen also bare the Goth Rock label. They have influenced and continue to influence many bands that at that time Goth Rock genre was coined and caught on. Not all of their songs have the Gothic rock sound and that's why many people debate that they are not Goth Rock. Besides the Punk/Post-punk/glam rock sound, if you listen to some of their songs and understand that at the time the genre didn't exist, you can hear why and how they have influenced Gothic Rock artists and can be tagged as Gothic Rock as well since they were one of the bands that paved the way for the genre. The label started from a place and it is not fair to not give credit to the artists who helped develop it weather people dislike the genre or the label. The debate of labeling them only goth rock or any other genre is a question of who and how people want to or don't care to for the sake of just categorizing their music collection and following the trend and find similar tastes. Since most artists and fans are generally not into one overall label as it seems to type-cast an artist as one form of style and to not disparage or undermine an artists work, the term Goth Rock was never meant to just be one label to categorize an artists full body of work nor make an artist seem like that's all they were capable of producing but just another genre as every other. Hope this helps anyone understand Goth Rock and its history

[@jackkoffin1]

evilspin Thanks, very well written. I've listened to a lot of post-punk bands and have a lot of the artists you mention in my cd collection, so I know exactly what you mean. I suppose when I commented about Specimen I erred in looking back on the 'goth' label through the lens of 30 years of music, instead of mentally placing myself at the time the song was made.

[@LordDagger]

evilspin Very, very well written indeed.

[@LuckyLadybugWheels]

+evilspin Thank you for writing this, good to read whilst listening.

[@fatgaijin1888]

This is really well put, evilspin. When I think back to going to "goth" clubs of the 80s, so much of what got heavy rotation would not be considered Gothic proper today. There was so much genre mixing that went into defining what goth proper would become. I can remember hearing everything from punk to new wave to goth to early industrial and even house at the clubs in Los Angeles at the time. So many fringe genres came together in the formation of what we consider goth today that there are bound to be many outliers who were important in defining the genre but no longer necessarily seem of the genre.

[@leahsmith6610]

Omg this song makes me feel like a shadow in the dark

[@Yuri-tq4oc]

first time listening to this and i looove it i cant believe i didnt listen to it before

[@zhannadaae5608]

RIP Olli ❤️

[@zzzdeprivedgang9723]

im not even goth but I LOVE this style of music. Idk people assmune its something like grindcore lol.

[@alexandratronic7793]

Brutal bass 🖤. I'm looking for the notes, but there's nothing on the whole internet.

[@syahaz7088]

Guess someone gotta made it by ears.

[@alexandratronic7793]

@@syahaz7088 Yes, I have tried it like this :). Tkx.

[@heyheychuchu6466]

i loved this music!! :D

[@sucktastic]

I picked up the guitar because of Specimen. Fuck yeah.

[@timothyrogers2744]

This music makes me want to walk the streets playing the 5 - string bass 🎸 to get the proper Gothic Dirge sound ... Yeah Be'be! ... 🍻🤘😎

[@psyk0path0_ofwizzdoom27]

I'm getting Faith No More vibes on some of the background instrumentation on the chorus!

[@diaxgvantsa_]

ისეთი მაგარი ბასია, კოცნის მერე ბუმ უფრო იქნება ვიდრე ბენგ