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TAMPA TRIBUNE

SPIN THIS: CD reviews
ROMMIE
Published: Jul 27, 2001
LP: SWIMMING POOL Q'S: THE DEEP END (DB) A-

The Deep End,  released in 1981, reminds us that punk used to be a starting point, not a destination. Atlanta's Swimming Pool Q's wouldn't fit in with the rigidly defined punk bands that will be on display Sunday at the Warped Tour. But this quintet took the lesson of the Sex Pistols and Ramones to heart: Do what you want, write about what you know.

That means Jeff Calder sang in his natural, sardonic baritone. It means the Q's wrote lyrics that twisted Southern themes around, as on "Big Fat Tractor'' and "Walk Like a Chicken.'' And it means that "Rat Bait'' could fool a Captain Beefheart fan at 50 paces.
Central Florida residents can take pride in the band's regional roots (Calder is from Lakeland, some of the bonus tracks were recorded in Lakeland and Tampa). The Q's aggressive, smart-alecky rock never caught on the way its East Georgia cousins' jangle-mumble did. But this lovingly assembled reissue makes clear that the Q's debut deserves recognition.