Translator - Heartbeats and Triggers

Name: Translator
Album: Heartbeats & Triggers
Year: 1982
Style: Post Punk, New Wave
Similar Bands: Alarm, Jonathan Richman, Clash, Jam, Rifles, The dB's, Wire Train
"One-Word" Review: Solid Punky Art Rock
Based Out Of: San Francisco, Los Angeles
Label: 415 Records, Columbia, CBS

Cover, Record

Record, Back

Heartbeats and Triggers (1982)

1. Everywhere That I'm Not 4:03 (single)
2. Necessary Spinning 3:41
3. Everything You See 3:35
4. When I Am With You 3:06 (single b-side)
5. Nothing is Saving Me 5:16 /
6. Sleeping Snakes 3:37
7. Favorite Drug 3:32
8. Everywhere 3:19
9. Dark Region 2:31
10. My Heart, Your Hear 3:43

Album Rating (1-10): 10.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Steve Barton - Guitar, Vox (The Oblivion Click, Present Tense, Blow Up, Waking Bartonomous)
• Robert Darlington - Guitar, Vox (The Lies)
• David Scheff - Drums (Teatro ZinZanni, Dead Kennedys, Bang Bang Men, Half True, Winter Hours, Wilma, Bounty, Slow Children, American Music Club, Sachiko, Ramona The Pest, Flying Color, Billy & Dolly)
• Larry Dekker - Bass (Bang Bang Men, Map of Wyoming, Sachiko)
• David Kahne - Producer, Engineer
• Philip De Lancie - Remote Assistant
• Paul Stubblebine - Mastering
• Robin A. Spear - Cover Concept & Design
• Trudy Fisher - Photos

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. While the date is 1982, the cover looks like a millennial angular pop-punk offering. The bleak two tone color scheme give them a darkness to the music, potentially. But i really don't know what's going to be on here...based on their pics, they look like a new wave band, so let's go with that.

Album Review: This record is really great. Two vocal styles from two vocalists round out the good with a Jonathan Richmond style voice, and a Peter Weller style vocal, with music to complement both styles. The songs can be a little jangly like the Alarm, but a good recent comparison would be to the UK band, the Rifles. It feels like the third or fourth catalogue offering of a previously raucous punk band who has aged well and lost a bit of their driving, angsty edge, yet this is their debut.

This record received substantial airplay for college and underground radio stations via the record label's connection to CBS/Columbia, particularly their anthem "Everywhere That I'm Not." They release 4 albums in the 80's then quit, and reformed 26 years later to release another album, two best-ofs and a handful of new singles. One of their biggest inspirations was the Beatles, and they sounded so much like them, that many Beatles fan thought their 1983 cover of "Cry for a Shadow" was a new recording by the living members in time for the Beatles Anthology release in 1995.

Stand Out Track: Everywhere That I'm Not, Necessary Spinning, Everywhere

Links:
Wiki
Discogs
Allmusic
Steve Barton Music
Music Alternatives
Facebook Friends & Fans
Furious: Darlington Interview
Washington Times
Unrated Magazine 2018 Barton's solo albums interview
Cryptic Rock Barton Interview 2018
Alchetron
Stereo Embers Barton's 2018 release review/stream
Songfacts 2012 Barton Interview

Yachts - S.O.S.

Name: Yachts
Album; S.O.S.
Year: 1979
Style: New Wave
Similar Bands: Devo, Majik, 3-D, Romantics, XTC, Squeeze, the A's
One-Word Review: Spinning-Top-Bouncy-Anxious-Pop
Based Out Of: Liverpool, UK
Label: Polydor

 Cover & Record

Back & Record

S.O.S. (1979)

1. Yachting Type 2:49
2. Semaphore Love 2:40
3. Love You, Love You 3:07
4. Tantamount to Bribery 2:16
5. Mantovani's Hits 3:05
6. Box 202 3:28 /
7. Look Back in Love 2:20
8. Then and Now 3:50
9. I Can't Stay Long 3:52
10. In a Second 3:19
11. Heads Will Turn 3:15
12. Suffice To Say (live) 4:17

Album Rating (1-10): 10

Members & Other Bands:

• Martin Watson - Gutair, Vox (Albert Dock, Alber & The Cod Warriors, Chuddy Nuddies)
• Henry Priestman - Keys, Vox (Albert Dock, Alber & The Cod Warriors, Bette Bright & The Illuminations, Its Immaterial, Wah!, The Christians, Chuddy Nuddies)
• Martin Dempsey - Bass, Vox (Albert Dock, Alber & The Cod Warriors, Pink Military, Chuddy Nuddies, Mel-O-Tones)
• Bob Bell - Drums, Vox (Albert Dock, Alber & The Cod Warriors, Chuddy Nuddies)
• Richard Gottehrer - Producer
• Lawrence Diana - Mixing
• Nick Walker - Asst Mixing
• Richard Boote - Fire Extinguisher
• Malcome (Able Images) - Sleeve
• Clive Langer - Producer (look back in love)
• Tom Sheehan - Front Cover
• Bob Gruen - Pics

Unknow-ness: Never heard of them. Like the collage of images and thematic Yachting artwork. Looks like there is a lot of fun, goofy energy in this band, so i am hoping that translates to neurotic new wave.

Album Review: And the music does not disappoint. It's albums like this that keep me buying dollar records to see what lost gems there are out there. The anxious, jittery keyboards remind me of the A's and Elvis Costello's exciting stuff at times, and the harmonizing and fast tempo would have made them a fun band live I imagine. Interesting to see Clive Langer as a producer on a track, which fits their style, along side acts like Dexy's Midnight Runners and Madness. Apparently an early incarnation of this band opened for Sex Pistols in '76 or so, and their first gig as Yachts was supporting Elvis Costello. This SOS album is the US release, and was self titled in the UK.

Stand Out Track: Heads Will Turn [*]

Links:
Discogs

Wiki
Nostalgia Central
Punky Gibbon
Psych Baby Mag

3-D - s/t

Name: 3-D
Album: s/t
Year:1980
Style: New Wave, Power Pop
Similar Bands: The A's, Code Blue, Cars, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker
"One Word" Review: Surfy Piano Synth Pop
Based out of: New York
Label: Polydor, Polygram Distribution

3-D - Cover, Liner Notes, Record

3-D - Back, Lyrics, Record

3-D (1980)

1. Telephone Number 2:47
2. It's No Fun 4:09
3. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 3:24
4. Pin Up Girl 4:00
5. Back to You 3:58 /
6. X-Ray Eyes 4:25
7. All American Boy 4:21
8. Carnival 4:13
9. All Night TV 4:20

Album Rating (1-10): 10

Members & Other Bands: (Wonderland Band, Trans-Lux)
Rick Zivic - Vox (Red White and Blues Band)
Ted Wender - Keys, Vox (White Cloud, Loudon Wainwright III, Doobie Brothers, Red White and Blues Band)
Mike Fink - Drums (Ronnie Wood, Bo Diddly, Whippersnapper)
Keiv Ginsberg - Vox, Guitars (Boffalongo, Blues Brothers Soundtrack)
Ken Scott - Engineer, Producer
Nick Stevens - Bass, Vox(Impulsive Manslaughter, Holy Heart Failure)
John Doumanian - Management
Premier Talen - Booking Agent
Phil Jost - Asst. Engineer
Tim Garrity - Asst. Engineer
Bernie Grundman - Mastering
David Alexander - Cover Photo
Chris Callas - Inner Sleeve Photo
Rod Dyer - Design
Andy Engel - Design
AGI - Art Coordination

Unknown-ness: I've never heard of this band, but from the looks of the album artwork, it will be some sort of new wave act. I like the angular, chaotic chunks of broken mirror reflecting the band. Makes me think that the contents will be fun, angular hooks as well. The logo of the name looks as if it was quickly written, which keeps me optimistic that the music will be fast paced too. 1980 is a good year for the style, so I’m looking forward to this one.

Album Review: So this band had a bunch of tour dates opening for bigger bands such as J Geils and the Ramones, and they even reached critical success as a performer on SNL back in May of 1980. There were three singles from the album: “Telephone Number” “X-Ray Eyes” and “All Night TV.” And thourhgout the album, they follow the mold set by Elvis Costello and Graham Parker and the A’s with nasally pop new wave. There is not one bad song on this record. Nothing comes close to being bad. The main two musicians Ted & Ric have moved on to form their own production company, and it looks as if drummer Mike Fink is more known for his album designing (20^th Century Millennium Masters Collections) rather than drumming.

“Telephone Number” begins with a jaunty piano intro, followed by drums and a upbeat piano pop somg. The vocals are nasally like a nice balance from Elvis Costello and Richard Bush (from the A’s). This is very shiny, pleasant and catchy song. And has a general naivety present in most of the late 50-early 60’s pop songs, but sung with a distinct late 70’s early 80’s new wave style.

“It's No Fun” enters with a bass line, and the same nasally vocals. After the first verse follows through, instrumentation bridges the gap into the second verse, and the bouncy organ and a singular, non-harmonized doo-wop melody carries through the chorus. The bass line carries the song through, presenting the back bone for the light ska harmonies and a bit of laid back island/surf tempo.

“Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” has a self-paced drum and keyboard melody creating a steady driving tempo. The piano and synth combination bring a lot of hooks and keep the songs feet straddled perfectly between pub piano pop and odd new wave. Bottom line, the song is a straight forward pop song, full of energy. The song is generally fun with throwaway hooks buried deep and burned up without thought.

“Pin Up Girl” again embraces simple surf elements possible in new wave synth. This song sounds just like Richard Bush. I would be hard press to do the “cola challenge” and not guess that this was an A’s song.  Except there is a falsetto section in the chorus that is unique to the band.

“Back to You” feels like a much more pub rock style song, built on guitar and drums. The song is driving, with a cars like tempo, with minor broken moments in the steady beat, which amplifies the urgency in the song. After an instrumental punctuated with a rolling drum section, the guitar melody borrows from Mony Mony.

“X-Ray Eyes” drives right off of side one with a pounding drum beat in a nervous rhythm, and it is coupled with synth sounds and a rapid pulsing bass line. This is some fine breeding of powerpop and new wave, and to wave the fear of sounding repetitive, it sounds just like the A’s first album material. This might be the catchiest hook on the album, as the chorus melody is just a clarified version of the verse.

“All American Boy” has an anthemic like intro, and delves into a creepy relaxed pace with a dark synth sound. The vocals are basically spoken at a marching cadence leading up to the chorus, which does not quite deliver all the energy it builds up. But the second time through, it is a little better. There is a music box like breakdown, twinkling and light. Dammit, even the theme in the song is ripped directly from the middle American plots to the A’s songs. There must have been a build-a-band kit available in the late 70’s that both bands purchased.

“Carnival” brings back the atmosphere of island/light ska keyboards from “It’s No Fun,” and rather than be creepy and carousel-like, it is a nostalgic trip to carnivals from the early 60’s with a playful bass line and hand clap percussion. On top of that I thoroughly enjoy the singer’s percussive throat flourishes of “Uh-Oh-Uh-Oh.” It adds a great accent to the melody.

“All Night TV” brings the straight forward power pop sound to the album finally with some powerful chord changes. The guitar chords are supplemented with a keyboard changes once the verse gets going. The song embraces the strutting, marching tempo by the second verse, and just when it might go on for too long, the prog-ish breakdown reinvigorates the song, and it come marching back with a stronger energy. The harmonized chorus of the word Television evokes a bold, Bee-Gees or Supertramp comparison. 

Stand Out Track: Telephone Number

Links:
Wiki
SNL episode IMDB
Ric's Linkedin page
Red White & Blues band's reverb page
Brooklyn Vegan's RWB band description
Ric & Ted productions
newspaper show review from 1980
allmusic
Discogs
Rate Your Music

Marshmallow Way - s/t

Name: Marshmallow Way
Album: s/t
Year: 1969
Style: Bubblegum Pop
Similar Bands: Lemon Pipers, 1910 Fruitgum Co, Jellyfish, Bubble Puppy, Beach Boys, Monkees
"One-Word" Review: Sickning-Sweet-Candied-Pop
Based Out Of: New Jersey
Label: United Artists

Marshmallow Way - Cover & Record

Marshmallow Way - Back & Record

Marshmallow Way (1969)

1. C'Mon Kitty, Kitty (Let's Go To The City) 2:35
2. Keep My Fingers Crossed 2:27
3. (Like the Love Of) Romeo & Juliet 2:45
4. Michigan Mints 2:40
5. Give & Take 2:33
6. Sugar & Spices 2:03 /
7. Sweet Thing 2:14
8. Wild One (Show Me The Way to Your heart) 3:04
9. She's A Dandy 2:27
10. Good Day 2:54
11. I Wish I Was 2:56
12. Music, Music 2:37

Album Rating (1-10): 10.0

Members & Other Bands:

Billy Carl - Producer, Composer, Arranger (1910 Fruitgum Co)
Mike Consi - Engineer
Reid Whitelaw - Producer, Composer, Arranger (1910 Fruitgum Co)
Harry Yarmark - Engineer
Jim Calvert - Conductor
Norman Marzanno - Musical Coordinator
Paul Naumann - Musical Coordinator
Ken Laguna - Musical Coordinator
(little) Joe D'Andrea - Musical Coordinator

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of them, but I have a feeling I’m going to love this record. The psychedelic and candy mixture of the band being stuck in a gumball machine, and then floating away on a marshmallow over top a plate of candy corn and marshmallows is enough of a give-away. This will be bubblegum pop, pure and simple. Reminds me of the look that many of the psychedelic bands on the Elephant Six record label tried to mimic. And from the date of 1969, plus their outfits, the music is something that I’m looking forward to and that I specifically hunt for in dollar bins. Exciting!

Album Review: “C'Mon Kitty, Kitty (Let’s Go To The City)” is immediately toe tapping and insanely catchy. Ok, so I’m going to try to not use the term insanely catchy again, but that is an apt description. It continues to drive as the bass and piano bounce along with harmonized humming and bopping backing vocals. Unfortunately my version skips.
“Keep My Fingers Crossed” rolls and floats right by with a Motown back beat and melody. The falsetto chorus of backing vocals singing the title stands out, and is a great hook that brings the song together. The song unfortunately ends in a fade out, rather than some creative ending, but I’ll still take it!
“(Like the Love Of) Romeo & Juliet” is again basically Motown filter through bubble gum pop. It is a touch slower, like a loving ballad verse that builds to a roller coaster melody of the chorus, which again, is just the title. Lots of harmonized Oooo’s support the lead vocals.
“Michigan Mints” is very side-to-side bouncy, and has the most complex melodies grouped together of any other song on the album. This band yearns to have a Motown name like So-and-So and the So-and-Sos.
“Give & Take” right off sounds like the Beach Boys with the harmony. And that’s what this entire song mimics.
“Sugar & Spices” starts with a steady, driving drum beat, and a great vocal hook of Na-Na-Nas that leads up to the title. There a lot of candy and sweets name dropped in the song, and the song feels very much like a 1910 Fruitgum Co song.

“Sweet Thing” is more of Motown bubblegum, and there are so many catchy sections all layered upon each other, it’s hard to keep up with the changes. Its just really good.
“Wild One (Show Me The Way to Your Heart)” is a call and response song that has a consistent drum and bass beat. Most of these songs do fade out, which seems like a bit of a cop-out, but they are still very good songs.
“She's A Dandy” brings back the center stage Motown singer with a backing guy group of Ooo’s and echoing the lead’s singing of “Dandy.”
“Good Day” reminds me of a chilled, hippy Davy Jones song. Or perhaps it sounds like Junior Senior’s “Shake Me, Baby” with all the hard edges sanded down.
“I Wish I Was” has an older feel to it when the chorus flattens out and the backing harmonized vocals accompany the lead. It makes the song feel like a Bachelors song, or any other of the 50’s vocal groups.
“Music, Music” is making me run out of ways to describe these songs, because they are all so good, yet so similar, there are only so many times I can call it Bubble Gum Motown. But this song is just as catchy. The bass beat is continuously bouncing, and reminds me of Of Montreal for some reason. This song is very literal, singing about pretty music. And it too fades out like the rest of the album, leaving the listener wanting more, or at least some kind of closure.
Any one of these songs could really be the stand out track, so I’ll just pick one.

Stand Out Track: Michigan Mints

Links:

Rate Your Music
Bubblegum Music
red telephone 66
discogs

Allmusic

Gruppo Sportivo - Mistakes

Name: Gruppo Sportivo
Album: Mistakes
Year: 1979
Style: New Wave/Post Punk
Similar Bands: Blondie, Delta 5, Human Hands, ? & The Mysterians, The Daves, Berue Review, Brian Ritchie, INXS, Kinks, B-52's, Beatles, Sugarplastics, Bonzo Dog Band, Ween, Mosqitoes
"One Word" Review: Awesomly-crafted-new-wave-oldies
Based Out Of: The Hague, Netherlands
Label: Sire, Warner Bros.

Mistakes - Cover & Sleeve

Mistakes - Back & Sleeve Notes
Mistakes - Record

Mistakes (1979)

1. Mission A Paris 4:17
2. Dreamin' 4:17
3. Henri 4:21
4. Hey Girl 2:25
5. I Said No 4:14
6. I Shot My Manager 2:50 /
7. Blah Blah Magazines 2:01
8. Beep Beep Love 2:54
9. P.S. 78 3:00
10. Superman 6:22
11. One Way Love (From Me To You) 3:07
12. Bottom Of The Class 2:04
13. The Single 1:13

Album Rating (1-10): 10

Members & Other Bands:
Hans Vandenburg - Vox, Guitar, Producer
Peter Calicher - Keys
Eric Wehrmeyer - Bass
Max "Climax" Mollinger - Drums
Josse Van Iersel - Grupettes, Backing Vox
Meike Touw - Gruppettes, Backing Vox
Robert Jan Stips - Producer (the Nits)
Aad Link - Engineer
Jan Schuurman - Engineer
Robin Freeman - Engineer
Young & Ugly - Art Direction
Dorien Van Der Valk - Design & Photography
Anton Corbijn - Design & Photography
Van DeFruits - Writing
John Van Vueren - Management

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of these guys before. From the cover and nice condition of the record, I though the band was going to be a wacky 80’s college radio band with their goggle-eyed picture on the front. But the date on the record is 1979, so that was what really stood out. It could be something really good. With their potentially foreign background, I was really not too sure what I was going to be listening to. But the whole packaging, the minimal template front and back image & text was appealing.

Album Review: Grupo Sportivo is somewhat of a silly inspired new wave act from the Netherlands. This is a US release of the “best of” compilation from their first two non-US albums, which date back to 1976. Apparently the main singer still holds some variation of the band together to this day. After listening to this album the first time for recording purposes I knew I liked this album.

“Mission A Paris” begins with a great new wave organ and a jittery bouncy “96 Tears” style melody. The female vocals lead us in a monotone singing, like Delta 5 or Blondie. The chorus is absolutely grand. And the verse and rest of the song is like an incredibly garage psych trip. There are buzzing kazoos that accent the melody. This is the perfect bit of new wave pop I could dream of, including the reworked sections where the bass has a watery rubber band effect added. The harmonized Wooos in the background add the perfect pop touch.
“Dreamin'” picks up a different aspect of new wave, where the driving melodic organ is transplanted with rhythm guitar franticly strummed, and a bass groove that both calm and shift as the vocals begin. The vocals are similar to the masculine vocals of Human League or Brian Ritchie from the Violent Femmes. They, like the female vocals in the background are sung with a monotone. Once the synth is added, the female vocals repeat a selection that together, gives the song a disco vibe.
“Henri” is like an oldies, side-to-side ballad. It is sung in female falsetto, and the loving and simultaneous longing for Henri is palpable. The vocals come down to a more aggressive singing in the “chorus,” which really functions as a bridge back to the verse, without a chorus. It is a very pretty song, even if it has twangy alt-countryish guitars in the background. A sax or two are brought in to enhance the mourning and sad vibe that this slow-dance is trying to evoke. It folds nicely back into the swaying verse, and smoothly ends in a falsetto held note.
“Hey Girl” is a nervous energy pop song, that is part 80’s synth (I say this remembering that this is like 1978, well before bands like INXS perfected the style). In fact this whole album so far is way before its time by a good 6 years or so. It is not a very complicated song, and the brass and sax just heighten the nervous tension, rather than breaking it.
“I Said No” begins with vocals and bouncy piano only, like a Billy Joel song, and picks up with a darker stomp beat with guitar and bass playing in sync. More horns are added. The vocals here remind me of the Kinks. The vocals are part sung and part spoken. But the boldness of the chorus is what really mimics the Kinks. It is supported and harmonized by the female backing choir. The female “whoooo’s” end the track.
“I Shot My Manager” is a spoken/sung verse, where the male and female leads take turns and overlap in the chorus. The style is very folk-pop, I’d say again like Brian Ritchie. Then, all of the sudden, once the song reaches the song title, the tempo slows down and it becomes parody of “I Shot the Sherriff.” There is a constant organ note held throughout the background that raises or lowers in pitch as the song progresses.

“Blah Blah Magazines” is back to the jittery new wave. The vocals are light and seem unsure of themselves. The lyrics seem like they are just thrown off without too much care or thought. This song’s pace is maintained not just by the staggered drum/bass beat, but by the piano whose individual notes stand out, as if the song is being played with children’s play instruments. The keyboard sound on the synth is bright and fun.
“Beep Beep Love” blends seamlessly from “Blah Blah” with the same jittery piano, but the lyrics are about a future lover, and you know the new song had begun a while ago. The chorus is a very funky, near disco female sung section. The melody of the Beatles “All You Need Is Love” is borrowed for a section of the verse. But there are many individual sections all blended together with the bouncing bass and guitar that it all makes perfect sense, like a song with ADD, it cannot remain on a single section, but it is the changes that make it so perfect. Both of these tracks are fantastic. “All you need is Beep Beep love. Love is such a Beep Beep feeling.” Some great lyrics: there has got to be a metaphor there somewhere. The song has a couple of fake endings. Both times the chorus brings the song back for a couple more go-rounds, and it is completely fun, repetitive chorus that could continue forever
“P.S. 78” borrows a lot of energy from Blondie’s disco style and the surf vibe of the B-52’s. This again, seems to be their formula. Take an oldie rock n’ roll melody and modernize it with fun, upbeat synth effects, and sing the vocals with high energy that seem to beg for listener participation. The song slowly devolves into a greaser rock n’ roll tune complete with cheerleader chanting of the chorus.
“Superman” follows up with that oldie surf vibe that actually reminds me quite a bit of the Beatles soundtrack work. Female “La La La’s” are added and at first appear to be the only vocals in this simple catch a wave tune. Many of the effects are famously used in older songs (think Palisades Park). The vocals finally begin, and it completes the image of a bad boy cool singing to his pack of fawning female admirers. They capture that 50’s poodle skirt and cig-pack sleeve rolled greaser quite well. At any moment the song could turn into the Monster Mash. The last 30 seconds the song breaks form and the vocals become bombastic, outrageously entergetic, like the cool, calm hip boy is defending his honor and wants to be the chick’s superman.
“One Way Love (From Me To You)” is a quieter, less confident ballad. It needs to be since the topic is unrequited love. The vocals remind me of the LA band, the Sugarplastics, and even the melody does as well. This song is yet another oldies inspired ballad. But it has more character and substance than a throwaway forgettable ballad with its only use to coerce a slow dance from some victim. It has a lot of minimal elements that make it a fun song to listen to and a complicated production.
“Bottom Of The Class” is a soft, minimal story-song featuring metronome percussion, and the light geeky, non-offensive vocals. The melody of the vocal is instantly catchy, and rolls up and down so familiarly that it feels natural, almost like home in a song. The voice reminds me a lot of the male singer from the band the Mosquitoes. It is the main carrier of the melody, as the bass and guitars gently plow underneath. The end of the song, the verse is accompanied by a choir of children, singing “Do your homework and your parents love you” It is a Beach Boys positive school song.
“The Single” is a barely over a minute long instrumental jittery surf song, a surf song that places you down in the south, rather than west coast. It kinda feels like a throwback or b-side to one of Ween’s 10 Golden Country Hits. Actually, it sounds remarkable like a Ween b-side called “I’m Fat.”

Stand Out Track: Mission A Paris

Links:

Wikipedia

Allmusic
Myspace

Hans Youtube Channel

Official Site

Last FM

Trouser Press

Live 2008 Kill Ugly Radio

Mission A Paris song of the day

J. Geils Band - s/t

Name: J. Geils Band
Album: S/T
Year: 1970
Style: Bluesy Pub Rock
Similar Bands: Blasters, Del Fuegos, Ace, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Rolling Stones
"One-Word" Review: Bluesy Dance Rock
Based Out Of: Boston, Mass
Label: Atlantic

J. Geils Band - Cover & Record

J. Geils Band - Back & Record

J. Geils Band (1970 )

1. Wait 3.25
2. Icebreaker (For the Big "M") 2.15
3. Crusin For A Love 3:22
4. Hard Driving Man 2:18
5. Serves You Right To Suffer 5:01/
6. Homework 2.45
7. First I Look At The Purse 3.54
8. What's your Hurry 2.44
9. On Borrowed Time 3.03
10. Pack Fair & Square 2.01
11. Sno-Cone 3.24

Album Rating (1-10): 10

Members & Othe Bands:

Peter Wolf - Vox

Seth Justmam - Piano, Organ, Vox, Producer

Magic Dick - Harp, Harmonica, Trumpet (Bluestime)

J. Geils - Guitar (Bluestime)

Danny Klein - Bass

Stephen Bladd - Drums, Vox

Jay Messinam - Recording Engineer

Geoffrey Haslam - Remix Engineer

Stephan Paley - Photo

Lloyd Ziff - Album Design

Fred Lewis - Special Assistance

Dave Crawford - Producer

Brad Sharpiro - Producer

Unknown-ness: Now, this is one of those curious bands that I have definitely heard of, but never really heard them. I was familiar with their 80’s hits, however was never fully aware of their back catalogue and the completely different style. I’ve grown to love this debut album, and retrospectively, like I did with Thomas Dolby, I will review this album knowing I like it already. But when I got it, I had no idea it was good or bad, so it qualifies in that way. When I first saw it at the thrift store, I had a small inkling that they were more than “Centerfold” and “Love Stinks.” But I did not know how different it would be from what I knew or how good they used to be. So I bought the beat up, written on, once loved copy and took it home to check out. I was surly impressed and raved about them to my housemate who claimed that his parents liked them.

Album Review: “Wait” starts their debut record, with a barroom piano, bass and drumbeat and harmonica. The gritty vocals begin the bluesy tune. The call back response in the chorus hooks the song into your memory, as does its start and stop musical play. This is blues mixed with rock and roll oldies, and illustrates that sometimes, there ain’t much difference. This is one of those catchy songs that could potentially go on forever. But after a flurry of the harmonica over top of the vocals, the song fades. “Icebreaker (For the Big "M")” begins with a repetitively strummed single guitar note and the harmonica and guitar parallel each other musically. The harmonica and guitar separate and take turns in the spot light for this instrumental. The organ gets a chance to shine too, adding to the upbeat danceable bar bluse sound. The song winds down before it has a chance to get going, but the harmonica makes up for it in the next song “Crusin For A Love.” It is a basic storytelling blues number. The gruff, gravelly vocals drop off syllables when it seems appropriate and the instruments are given ample time to represent the melody. “Hard Driving Man” is a faster train engine like driving song. The chorus is repetitive and melodically breaks form from the steady chuggin’ verse rhythm. “Serves you Right to Suffer” gets down to the true blues; with its slow sulking bass and guitar accompaniment. The vocals are struck down, sullen and sadly deep and quiet. It slowly slinks along, and the harmonica is played representing the strain and inner emotional strife. The piano is repetitively beaten, and picks up the emotional mood, followed by guitar. The instrumental section takes up a good portion of the song, leaving the vocals to sound like sporadic fill-ins.

“Homework” is a blues cover done right by converting it through a classic rock filter. It possesses a slightly evil beat, and deep dirty vocals. This is going to be hard picking out a stand out track. This song is just a great, solid song. The sections are short and compact; there is no excess or indulgement. It is all tied up in a nice neat package. Next comes the oldie Motown cover “First I Look At The Purse.” They make it sound like they can covert any song into a great bar room rock song. The quick Motown ending sounds great as a rushed guitar and drums bring it to the fade out in the end. “What's your Hurry” sounds like another oldie, but is an original. It combined Motown and 50’s Rock N Roll, which makes it seeming to be able to fit in the movie “Stand By Me.” Such a solid song, again, this whole album is fantastic. The bluesy and gospel “On Borrowed Time” follows as the next original song. It is repetitive and drives home the theme of a blues crooner accepting his own end. It reminds me of the Stone’s “Time is on My Side.” “Pack Fair & Square” plays with its rockabilly beat, and feels like the song “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” A bongo-drum sound begins “Sno-Cone,” followed by the harmonica and guitar. Quickly the organ chimes in, making the danceable blues song fully fleshed out. A drum solo is planted near the end, just in time for all the instruments to come back and finish off the song, and subsequent album.

Stand-Out Track: Wait 

Links:

Wikipedia

Allmusic

Website

Funky Judge Fan Site

Geils Files

Artist Facts

A's (the) - self titled & A Woman's Got the Power

Band: The A's
Albums(s): The A's~ & A Woman's Got The Power (AWGTP)*
Year(s): 1979 (1st album) & 1981 (2nd album)
Style: Rock & New Wave. First album~: That classic blend of pop and jittery angst that only survived a few years in the late 70's to early 80's. If XTC covered Cars songs. The second album* was more relaxed and sedated, with the exception of one song...
Similar Bands: XTC, Cars, The Knack, The Jam, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker

"One Word" Review: A's: Jitter-Pop AWGTP: Small-townie-rock

Based Out Of: Philadelphia, PA
Label: Artista, Columbia Pictures

The A's & A Woman's Got The Power Front

The A's & A Woman's Got The Power Back

The A's Slip Front & Side 1

The A's Slip Back & Side 2

A Woman's Got The Power Sides 1 & 2

A's - 1979~

1. After Last Night - 4.11
2. CIA - 4.03
3. 5 Minutes In A Hero's Life - 3.28
4. Words - 3.20
5. Parasite - 4.35/
6. Artificial Love - 2.39
7. Who's Gonna Save the World - 2.39
8. Teenage Jerk Off - 3.09 (reverse order with "Grounded" on cover)
9. Grounded (Twist and Shout Interpolation) - 2.34
10. Nothing Wrong With Falling In Love - 5.00

A Woman's Got the Power - 1981*

1. A Woman's Got the Power (sample) - 4.43
2. Electricity - 3.40
3. Heart Of America - 4.10
4. How Do You Live - 3.51
5. When The Rebel Comes Home - 3.48/
6. Johnny Silent - 3.49
7. Little Mistakes - 5.32
8. Working Man - 2.45
9. I Pretend She's You - 3.37
10. Insomnia - 4.44

Album Rating (1-10):
A's: 10~
A Woman's Got The Power: 7.5*

Members & Other Bands:
Rocco Notte (Clutch Cargo)
Richard Bush (the Peace Creeps current)
Rick Di Fonzo (solo current)
Mikey Snyder
Terry Bortman
Rick Chertoff-Producer
O. Tim Bomba - Asst. Engineer~
Thom Panunzio - Asst. Engineer~
Julie Last - Asst. Engineer~
Ross Frankel - Asst. Engineer~
Greg Calibi - Mixing~
Apple/Chipetz - Personal Direction~
Randy Green - Photography~
Veronica Reilly - Stylist~
Eleanor Laurin - Make Up~
Howard Fritzson - Art Direction~
Nick Garvey - Producer*
William Whittman - Assoc. Producer*, Engineer~*
Brian McGee - Asst Engineer*
Steve Marcantonio - Asst. Engineer*
Peter Corriston - Art Director*
Hubert Kretzschmar - Pictures*

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of these guys when I bought these records years ago...I think they were 10 cents each. Not only are they the first thrift store band to review alphabetically, but they were the first unknown band I took a chance with. And perhaps because this discovery was so good, I grew passionate about finding other unknown acts. I picked up their albums because of their appearances. I tend to take more of a chance on records made in the late 70's, early 80's because there was a lot of good records made then. That time period possessed a specific sound and urgency that will never be recreated or recaptured. With their look and the perfect copyright years, I was hoping to score something that would be rocking, poppy, and full of energy. As if I needed more convincing, it was then that I read the back of "A Woman's Got the Power" and the address to get more info on the band was based on a familiar street in Philadelphia. The local touch just put me over.

On a more recent turn of events, they recently had a reunion show where they opened for the Hooters on two dates (11/21/07 & 11/23/07). If I thought they were an unknown band before seeing them, I was justifiably wrong. My mind was blown when I saw how many fans were there (like me) just to see the A's. And the songs still sounded great.

Album Review: Together these albums mark a dynamic range that any band could wish to have. They show growth from a young jerky band into more relaxed, mellower song craftsmanship over 3 years. Depending on what you prefer, that could be good or bad.

The first album starts off with their two big songs: “After Last Night” and “CIA.” Both songs (as well as the whole album) are held together by the sound of the organ-like keyboard (used so well by Elvis Costello & Attractions). Urgency, Jittery, Nervousness, and pure adrenaline fueled energy are all apparent here. The key thing about the A's is that they churn that feeling out with a tremendous radio pop sense and catchy hooks that make these songs stick in your head. The repetitive chorus of “Words” feels like the repetitive ending in Elvis Costello’s “Accidents Will Happen.” And in truth, if the lyrics were a little deeper, diverse and metaphoric, this first A’s album could have been a great Elvis record. “Parasite” has a great Violent Femmes style baseline, with the organ-keys following up, dribbling down the musical note scale. And my favorite track is Teenage Jerkoff. Borrowing a short but great bass hook from XTC’s Science Friction, this song has all the bouncy energy that 70’s punk/new wave continually displayed.

From the start of the second album, we hear a difference in Bush’s voice. If only displayed in the title track, “A Woman’s Got the Power (sample),” his deeper, seasoned, more confident voice tells of how this album will compare. With an underlying Motown feel, A Woman’s Got the Power is a great single. Its style was untouched on the first album, and is an unexpected addition to the band's arsenal. A definite growth. Although, if you like the herky-jerky appeal of the first, then this might be growth in the wrong direction. Through the album’s journey, you get hit with a sad tale of Little Mistakes. The song's theme seemed to be a staple of the 80’s music. A country town boy and girl get together and experience a life full of differences that tear them apart (John Cougar Mellencamp). We also get the feeling on “When the Rebel Comes Home” that we should be proud of and take care of our armed forces soldiers. Taken as a whole, this record has the feel of a small-town America concept album ("Heart of America" "Working Man"). So, once you get to the last song, Insomnia, you are jerked back and reminded of their first album. And I do mean jerked, because the song itself starts out with :33 seconds of slow painful lament. Then the good ole organ-keyboard comes to follow along with the bouncy bass line, and we are taken along a carnival rollercoaster. It pulls us along the bumpy course, up the first incline, followed by a downhill chant of the blasting, angry, shouting, chorus “Insomnia.” And just when you think the ride is winding down, it starts over again, up that hill of anticipation and the down the other side with climactic delivery (the pure ability to produce anticipation of a particular music or lyric section, and then delivering it with perfect timing is a talent I personally love. Anticipation/Delivery is my favorite way to experience a hook. To have that build of energy and the release of melody in a song is a wonderful auditory trick).

Stand Out Track:

A's: Teenage Jerkoff
AWGTP: Insomnia

Links:The A's All Music page
Rick Di Fonzo's Web Site
Youtube page with lots of footage
A Fan recalls seeing them
Blogger's Review AWGTP
Trouser Press Review
A's/Hooter's Reunion Show Philly Inquirer Review
11/22/07 Richard Bush/Philly Inquirer article