Never Been Caught is the only full-length studio album by the American garage punk band the Mummies, released by Telstar Records in 1992. After their first attempt at recording an album, they judged the recordings too professional for their "budget rock" aesthetic and recorded Never Been Caught instead. Originally released only as an LP record, it exemplified their lo-fi, monaural sound and features several cover versions of songs from the 1950s and 1960s. The band broke up shortly before the album's release and, though they have reunited since for intermittent touring and performances, Never Been Caught remains their only officially-released studio album. In 2002 the Mummies allowed Telstar to re-release the album in compact disc format with five additional tracks, the first Mummies release (and only one other than their 2003 compilation album Death by Unga Bunga!!) to be issued on CD.
Background and recording
Having released several singles the prior year, the Mummies entered the studio in February 1991 to record their first full-length album for the Crypt Records label. They judged the results too clean and tidy for their lo-fi "budget rock" aesthetic, and the recordings went unreleased until the bootleg recording Fuck the Mummies some years later. They made another attempt later that year, resulting in Never Been Caught.
Only eight of the album's 17 tracks are originals, all written by organist and saxophonist Trent Ruane. The other nine are cover versions, mostly of rock and roll, garage rock, and pop songs from the 1950s and 1960s. The oldest of these is "Jezebel", written by Wayne Shanklin and first recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951. "Skinny Minnie" was a Top 40 hit by Bill Haley & His Comets in 1958, while "Justine", also from 1958, was written and originally recorded by the duo Don and Dewey and was a staple for the Righteous Brothers beginning in the mid-1960s. "She Lied" was a 1964 single by the Rockin' Ramrods. "Stronger Than Dirt" was originally recorded by the Memphis, Tennessee group Tommy Burk and the Counts in 1965 under the pseudonym A. Jacks & the Cleansers, as the phrase "Stronger than dirt" was the slogan for Ajax brand household cleaning powder. "Come On Up" is a song by the Young Rascals from their 1966 debut album, while "Shot Down" is by the Sonics, from their 1966 album Boom. "Mariconda's a Friend of Mine" is a traditional song with a new arrangement written by the Mummies. Finally, "Sooprize Package for Mr. Mineo" is a 1991 song by the South San Francisco garage rock band Supercharger, who were contemporaries of the Mummies; the Mummies were fans of Supercharger and toured Europe with them in 1993.
Release and reception
After recording Never Been Caught, the Mummies played many shows on the West Coast of the United States and toured Washington and Canada with Thee Headcoats. After a brief tour of the East Coast with performances in New York, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, they returned to San Francisco in early January 1992 and broke up, shortly before the album's release on Telstar Records. Though they subsequently reunited for European tours in 1993 and 1994, and have performed intermittently since 2008, Never Been Caught remains their only officially-released full-length studio album.
Never Been Caught was released by Telstar in 1992. In keeping with the band's lo-fi aesthetic, it was given a monaural sound mix. In accordance with their disdain for the compact disc format, it was released only as an LP record and, like their other releases, bore the slogan "Fuck CDs" on the back cover. Also on the back cover was the message "If you liked this album at all, get the debut Supercharger LP. It fucking rules over this crap." The liner notes were written by Shane White of the fanzine Pure Filth.