Hindu Love Gods

Hindu Love Gods was an American rock band that was, in essence, an occasional side project of members of R.E.M., with (at various times) Warren Zevon and Bryan Cook. The band debuted with three scattered gigs (all in Athens, Georgia) in 1984. The group played mostly cover tunes, though a few unreleased originals also made it into the mix. The first gig took place on Valentine's Day, 1984, and featured Bryan Cook (vocals and piano, a member of Athens bands Oh-OK and Time Toy), and R.E.M. members Bill Berry (drums) Peter Buck (guitar) and Mike Mills (bass). The follow-up gig took place two weeks later; added to the line-up was R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe on vocals and drums, and Warren Zevon on vocals. Zevon performed his hit "Werewolves of London", as well several other songs that were, at that point, unrecorded (including "Boom Boom Mancini" and "Trouble Waiting To Happen") The final 1984 gig took place in June, and featured the Cook/Berry/Buck/Mills line-up. The group entered the studio as a quintet that summer, with the line-up of Berry/Buck/Cook/Mills/Zevon. They recorded two songs for release as a single, which were eventually released in 1986. The A-Side, "Gonna Have A Good Time Tonight" was a cover of an Easybeats tune; the B-side, "Narrator," was a Bill Berry composition that R.E.M. had played live, but never recorded. (The song's composition was credited to Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe).

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