Welcome to Breakdown, an unofficial resource and discussion list about the innovative guitarist/producer Michael Brook. This site is infrequently updated, but contains a great deal of background info which will remain online. For up-to-date news and information, visit Michael Brook's official site and MySpace page.

Discographies Full details on every record featuring Brook

The Last Pogo

various artists

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credits | tracks | notes

Credits

Bomb Records
1978 (reissued 25 February 1997)

Michael Brook - guitar

Tracks

compilation of various artists, including:

  • I'm in a Coma (Davey)
  • Rock and Roll Cliche (Davey)

Notes

From Steven Davey:

After being amazed by MB's virtuosity and the fact that he was underused in Fliva I formed a band after my previous band THE DISHES disolved. THE EVERGLADES existed for two years playing regularly on the club scene here in Toronto. We did at least 50 gigs and even opened for the B-52s, Talking Heads and the Troggs (!). We recorded a demo that was never released and appeared on a sampler of Toronto "New Wave" bands that came out in 78 called THE LAST POGO on BOMB Records. We do two songs (both my compositions) I'm In A Coma and Rock And Roll Cliche. MB wails! This LP is long out of print - it sold about 10,000 copies and isn't that rare; it shows up in used record stores here [Toronto] regularly and goes for about $25 - But a slimey local CD label Other People's Music apparently own the rights and are planning to re-release it. It's been re-mastered by Chris "Buy-me-drugs-and-I'll-do-anything" Spedding of Sex Pistols / Roxy Music infamy. Michael can be seen on the inner sleeve in a Hawaiian shirt and beard.

The Everglades were not a conventional band. Our drummer had never played before and Michael was not allowed to practice the songs. He had to play spontaneously off the top of his head while the rest of us slogged through Mott The Hoople covers. I have lots of live tapes - he was quite phenomenal! On stage, he looked like a computer geek, his eyes would roll back in his head, and after the rest of us would come to the end of the song he'd still be screaming away. And he played really LOUD.

Michael quit the band after the LP came out because the band started becoming more serious music industry-wise and he had never intended to stay as long as he did - over a year. Originally, the band was formed just to record my songs, then we started playing, etc. Also, at this time he was starting to work with Eno and Daniel Lanois.