Name: Sumner
Album: s/t
Year: 1980
Style: New Wave, Blue Collar Rock
Similar Bands: John Mellencamp, Nick Gilder
"One-Word" Review: Wispy Power Rock
Based Out Of: Los Angeles
Label: Elektra/Asylum, Warner Communications, Nonesuch Records
Cover, Record
Back, Record
Sumner (1980)- Radioland 4:22
- Dynamite 2:46
- Wishes 3:28
- Hot Night 7:28 /
- No Time to Stop 3:24
- Run Cindy Run 3:00
- It Ain't Up to Me 2:56
- You Excite Me 4:18
- More Beer 3:14
Members & Other Bands:
- Sumner Mering - Vox, Guitar (Lauren Wood, Rock Along)
- Larry Treadwell -Guitar, Backing Vox (Thomas Dolby, Lost Toy People, Repairs, J. Eric Freedner, Peter McCann, Lauren Wood, Tom Franzak, Allee Willis - Pee Wee Herman, Pointer Sisters, Ofra Haza, Mona Lisa, Cyndi Lauper, Fiorella Terenzi, Honey Pig, Jeff Larson, David Vidal, Gerry Beckley, America)
- Novi (Ilene) Novog - Keys, Electric Viola (Rebecca & the Sunny Brook Farmers, Nilsson, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Indigo Girls, Violent Femmes, David Poe, Flat Duo Jets, Cynthia Clawson, Kenny Loggins, Holly McNarland, 10000 Maniacs,
- Robert Louis DiChiro - Bass (Les Deux Love Orch, America)
- Mark Sanders - Drums (Jah Wobble, Asunder Trio, Atlas, Badlands, Bruise, David Tucker Group, Dean-Trovesi Double Quartet, Deep Whole Trio, Dirty Songs, Elton Dean Quartet, Foils Quartet, Georg Graewe Quintet, Howard Riley, John Law, John Lloyd, London Improvisers Orch, Lunge, Minnow, Nick Stephens, Orch Entrophy, Paul Dunmall Moksha Big Band, PAURA, Predicate, Riverloam Trio, Rope, Santers, SFE, Six-In-One, Speeq, English Roots Band, Kris Wanders, The Number, Trevor Watts, Thomas Borgmann, Trio Nang Naak, ZFP Quartet more)
- Jack Nitzsche - Producer
- Bill Evans - Engineer
- David (Gino) Giorgini - Second Engineer
- Gregory J. Edwards - Prophet Programming
- Wally Traugott - Mastering
- Ron Coro - Art Direction & Design
- Jeffrey Scales - Photos
- Steven Steinberg - Mgmt
Album Review: Sumner's vocals are slight and struggling. He seem a little pained, either like he's just getting over laryngitis or that the vocals will faint or dissolve away into thin air. Music this is pretty straight forward power pop/new wave. The theatrical Hot Night is unnecessarily 7 1/2 minutes long and is sparce, leaving a lot of room for anticipation and experimentation, and even though it builds slowly to a back alley, street walker rock jam, it really lacks anything exciting to look forward to. The album ending track is fratty in it's overly masculine chanting of the title "More Beer." "Radioland," "It Ain't Up to Me" and "No Time to Stop" (with is two note Simpsons theme sound-alike) are some catchy pop songs. While there are some strong, fun, bouncy bass lines throughout the record, and it definitely rocks at times, as a whole, it feels slight, like the vocals.
While Sumner may not be that popular, his daughter, as Weyes Blood, has become very popular over the past couple of years. Apparently she did not know her father was a touring musician (dated Joni Mitchell apparently) until she was about 6 when they lived in Doylestown. But it sounds like Sumner lived fast on the roller coaster ride that burned out many bands in the late 70s: from talented bar band to major label to one-(or two) album-and-done, then back into obscurity.
Stand Out Track: No Time to Stop
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