Johnny and the G-Rays - Every Twist Reminds (1980, Basement)

My initial glance at this strangely iconic sleeve suggested that I could appropriately sandwich this album between my 20/20 and Shoes LPs, if not, next to the Feelies or Talking Heads at the very least. Not so in fact. Toronto's Johnny and the G-Rays to a certain extent predicted such rootsy purveyors as The Del Fuegos and Green on Red, who would follow in the ensuing years. Frontman Johnny MacLeod works out his inner Tom Verlaine, on the opening, and furthermore standout cut, "Trying to Chew My Head," but the quartet's Television-cum-Velvets dabblings are the exception not the rule on Every Twist Reminds. On the other side of the coin, Johnny and the boys aren't wont to be tethered to a bar stool either (though they kick up some serious dust on rockabilly-ish hoe downs like "It Can't Be Right" and "Who Scared John"). Definitely not a band to judge by their jacket sleeve.

Every Twist... was released on Basement Records, a relative of the Attic label that issued the Numbers Add Up LP around the same time. Axe handler Harri Palm and skinsman Bent Rasmussen would eventually materialize in the Diodes. Click the hyperlink in the introduction for a detailed and fun filled biography on Johnny and Co. According to Palm's Myspace page, Every Twist... was remastered last year, and available for purchase on CD via Palm.  You can message the band via Facebook for ordering info.
 

Update:  You can now buy the reissue of Every Twist... on Bandcamp.