The Squirrels

Seattle rock & roll ironists the Squirrels were led by singer Rob Morgan, a longtime veteran of the Pacific Northwest underground scene who previously fronted local punk legends the Fishsticks. After further honing his goofy bubblegum-punk approach with the Pudz, in 1984 Morgan formed Ernest Anyway and the Mighty, Mighty Squirrels with members of the Young Fresh Fellows; the group's 1986 debut Sing the Hits of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates/Five Virgins juxtaposed renditions of material by the aforementioned Kidd with covers of psych-era hits like "Spirit in the Sky" and "Hair." As the Young Fresh Fellows' own notoriety grew, Morgan was forced to assemble a new lineup, dubbed the New Age Urban Squirrels; subsequent incarnations included Squirrels Group '87, Ron Voyage and the New Squirrels, and finally, around the 1990 release of What Gives?, simply the Squirrels. Two years later, the group issued a Christmas album, Son of Snowman/Don't Fear the Snowman, followed in 1993 by Harsh Toke of Reality. In the wake of the Scrapin' the Hits retrospective, Morgan disbanded the Squirrels in late 1997, but a year later teamed with keyboardist Tom Morrison to record a new track for a Sparks tribute LP; the project ultimately resulted in the formation of a new Squirrels lineup which issued the Pink Floyd potshot The Not-So-Bright Side of the Moon in 2000. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide