For whatever the reason, my expectations were high for the Radio Bandits, and luckily the first half of this ep is very much commendable - three scoops of deftly crafted power pop, illustrating that this trio (not counting the drummer) truly had "the knack" for what they were attempting to convey. "Cellophane Girl" is some highly catchy shit, I might add. As for side deux, our half-hour session plummets rapidly. "Takes Two Fools" shifts the Bandits into pedestrian gear, tantamount to an AOR holdover from the late '70s. "Mark of Cain" is an organ laced ballad that could practically pass for a Bruce Springsteen outtake, and the long and oh-so languid "Doublecrossed" barely registers a blip on the enthusiasm meter. I cannot find a morsel of info on the Bandits anywhere, and for better or worse, this record appears to be their only release in circulation.
01. Suzy
02. Cellophane Girl
03. Tidal Wave
04. Takes Two Fools
05. Mark of Cain
06. Doublecrissed.
Hear
11 comments:
Didn't realize you had written this up. Definitely the proverbial mixed bag.
Hi,
I have only listened to this once (just now)?
What the hell happened on that second side? Were there two songwriters and this is how they split it? Or had the band made some switch from "rock" to "new wave"?!
"Mark Of Cain" would have fit right in on the Eddie and The Cruisers soundtrack as faux Springsteen, and on the final one I expected to see them ridin' on those backstreets at any moment (to steal a line from a review of Willie Nile's very good "Golden Down" LP).
Side 1 didn't overwhelm me (by now this blog has set that standard a lot higher than it would have been five years ago), but it's definitely good enough to give it a few more listens.
Ace K.
Ace, you are spot on! I'm pretty certain that two of the members wrote, so your assertion is probably correct. Musical differences surely tore them apart, as there was apparently no follow-up.
Any chance of re-upping the Radio Bandits ep when you can?? Thanks. Great blog by the way.
All three band members were also in a group called Lt. Elmo that put out a 12" EP the same year.
Appreciate the info. Thanks Pea!
Lt. Elmo is firmly in the power-pop vein, and is in my opinion better than the Radio Bandits LP. https://www.discogs.com/Lt-Elmo-Lt-Elmo/release/4356603
If you have digital files of this record please feel free to share! Thanks.
Here ya go: https://www.dropbox.com/s/i773dega3aw1275/Lt.%20Elmo.zip?dl=1
Awesome! Just saw this now. Thanks Pea!
I first heard this band in High School. My English teacher was a good of the band. I think Suzy is definitely a great song.
Post a Comment