Pop Art - Long Walk to Nowhere (1986, Stonegarden)

Pop Art may not have fit like a glove (or frankly, fit at all) with their hometown's burgeoning Paisley Underground fracas during the '80s, but that's ok, because these L.A., jangle-ridden wunderkinds were a notch of two above that bygone clique.  Unfortunately, not many paid much heed to P/A, and these days you rarely hear of them outside the blogosphere.  Speaking of which, PVAc blog has already covered the Snap Crackle Pop Art and A Perfect Mental Picture albums.  The record I'm featuring today, Long Walk to Nowhere, came out in between that pair of LPs, and for my money is the finest I've heard by them.  Dare I say Pop Art was California's subconscious answer to Miracle Legion?  The aforementioned albums were preceded by an ep that I'm going to try to get to in the near-future.  In the meantime, you might still be able to snag a copy of the Pop Art anthology CD, Really Blind Faith through Amazon.  Click on the first hyperlink of this article for a fairly comprehensive band bio that lays out their career better than I ever could. 

01. Mark Come Home
02. Really Blind Faith
03. Long Walk to Nowhere
04. Hands and Triggers
05. Relatives
06. If You Float
07. Rest of You
08. Feel Right Now
09. The Umentionable
10. We're Going

Hear

Pop Art ep (1984, Stonegarden)

This ep is a long overdue follow-up to Pop Art's Long Walk to Nowhere which I shared this month ago in '11.  While I wouldn't say Pop Art necessarily trumps ...Nowhere in all respects, it's generally superior.  The outright immediacy of the bulk of these jangle-drenched tunes is the key, with hearty inspiration derived from the likes of Orange Juice and a then burgeoning REM.  The chimey lilt of "Cover Me" and "Creature Comforts" predate the goodness those Pennsylvania boys The Ocean Blue would have in store for our awaiting ears in the years to follow.  Yeah, they don't make 'em like this anymore.  Something tells me that Pop Art were lazily lumped into Tinseltown's 'Paisley Underground' movement, but there's no psych-aftertaste at play here.  Take a close look at the sleeve, and you'll discern that this particular copy belonged to a radio station, hence some of the intermittent crackle.   

01. Cover Me
02. I Want to Move
03. Beautiful Girl
04. Sweet & Sour
05. Creature Comforts
06. Thinking Twice

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Elton Motello - Pop Art 7" (1980, Passport)

Elton Motello was the stage name of Alain Ward, and somewhat confusingly it was also the name of his band in total.   The UK-based Ward kicked off his career in a glam/punk combo, Bastard, before taking up the Motello mantle in 1978, a year which saw the release of their debut long player, Victim of Time.  That album's follow-up Pop Art, came down the pike two years later and also spawned a single of the same name.  The 45 in question served as my intro to E/M, and after surveying the deft chops and somewhat sardonic modus operandi of the A-side, I'd put Ward in the same league as B.A. Roberston, Donnie Iris and for that matter, Bram Tchaikovsky.  In short, a frontman brimming with character and sass, the likes of which we're in dreadfully short supply of these.  The flip, "20th Century Fox" isn't the Doors song, rather another cheeky original with a mildly grandiose sweep, a la something Motello's contemporaries The Motors might have turned in had they not been so straight-faced.  There's a lot of music floating around the halls of Wilfully Obscure, and amidst my numerous stacks and racks I may have the Pop Art LP I spoke of a moment ago, so who knows, maybe that one will materialize on here later.  Feel free to imbibe this two-songer for now.

A. Pop Art
B. 20th Century Fox

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Raspberries - Pop Art Live (2017, Omnivore) - A brief overview.

It was touted as a reunion that was likely to never happen, but occasionally hell apparently does indeed freeze over every now and then.  November 26, 2004, The House of Blues in Cleveland, OH.  That was the date and locale for the reunion of one of the foremost prototypical power pop conglomerations ever to grace a stage.  The Raspberries.  I'm not sure what accounted for the avoidance of a Raspberries pre-20004 was all about.  Perhaps it was rooted in inter-band conflicts, disinterest in the four gentleman involved, or merely the passage of three decades, and the gradual eroding of relevance an epoch like that can levy.  Thing is, to fans of the Raspberries the band in question never became irrelevant.  Despite the indifference of radio (save for two or three signature songs), the intermittent availability of the quartet's complete catalog (even on their own home turf) or the gradually diminishing profiles of it's alumni, the Raspberries were one of the go-to bands that turn-of-the-millenium adopters of power pop gravitated to after having their minds blown from their posthumous discovery of the first two Big Star albums.  Not that the 'berries were the obvious intersecting link between Big Star, and say, The Posies, but you get the idea.  By the way, if you're going to plunder inspiration from a trifecta of outfits whose monikers start with a "B" (Beatles, Bafinger, and the Beach Boys) you better make them count.  Crica 1970-75, The Raspberries certainly did.

So low and behold. it happened.  A Black Friday evening in the so-called Mistake on the Lake saw Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson, David Smalley and Jim Bonfanti gracing the big HOB stage to deliver a two-hour, early Christmas gift to a sold out and anxious audience.   On that night, even if the Raspberries decided to pull the plug after ten or eleven songs the crowd would have gotten their money's worth.  Or let's say, the four men in question were a bit rusty and worse for the wear.  I bet that would've been A-ok for most attendees.  And for a final hypothetical, imagine if the group merely ran through their setlist with nary an anecdote or thoughtful gesture to impart on the audience.  I'm 99.99% certain their constituency that night would've gladly let it fly.

But imagine if none of those pessimistic scenarios came to pass.  As miraculous as it sounds that's exactly the way things went down, and a double CD live document of the gig is captured marvelously on Pop Art Live.  Imagine if you will a dream setlist featuring not only every key Raspberries tune (including but not limited to "Overnight Sensation," "I Wanna Be With You," 'Play On," and "Let's Go all the Way") but a teaming slew of deeper cuts from all four albums.  There's no less than half a dozen "fits-right-in" covers on top of that, including the fab four's "Baby's in Black," "Ticket to Ride" "No Reply," The Who's reliable "I Can't Explain" and two songs from The Choir, a Raspberries precursor outfit who penned the oft-covered "Cold Outside."

Performance-wise you couldn't hope to encounter a band that was tighter and more on-point than this one, with all four guys sounding more aligned and at the peak of their game than perhaps even the Raspberries heyday.  And dig the harmonies, from gentleman who were doing this in their fifties at time of this recording!  An inexplicable phenomenon, but if you want the proof it was all captured on tape.  Finally, there's a bit of a Storytellers thing evidencing itself on more than a few songs, with Eric and Wally sharing the lion's share of the observations.

Technically, the Cleveland House of Blues show wasn't exactly a one-time event (select shows in other mondo American markets followed) but it was so thorough and definitive, laced with such impeccable, par excellence quality control it would have made for one of the greatest one-off reunion performances ever.  That being said, if you missed it, you missed it - but luckily all 28 magic moments that transpired on that stage are now available to experience in a more petite medium, literally at the press of a button.  Pop Art Live can be had straight from Omnivore Records, Amazon, iTunes, and hopefully a local music vendor near you. 

Elton Motello - Pop Art (1980, Passport)

Just four short months ago I posted an Elton Motello single, and was enthused enough about it to spend some quality time with his second long-player, this one.  You can refer back to that original entry for some pertinent biographical specifications.  Pop Art is a minor new wave masterpiece, exuding just about everything that was creative and incisive about that genre's nascent era, while gracefully sidestepping any of it's patently negative shortcomings that would become ubiquitous over the next couple of years.  A fantastically nervy strain courses trough virtually every morsel of this album, that sonically points to the acerbic modus operandi of some of Elton's (actual name Alan Ward) contemporaries likes Devo, Donnie Iris and to a lesser extent Gary Numan.  Some surprisingly rollicking and punky outbursts crop up here in the guise of "Pocket Calculator," "In the Heart of the City" (not the Rockpile tune but just as ripping) and "Panic in the Classroom," and if you're looking for par excellence power pop the title piece is both flashy and a hell of a lotta fun.  Enjoy.

01. Pop Art
02. Can't Explain
03. Night Sister
04. Falling Like a Domino
05. Out of Limit
06. 20th Century Fox
07. In the Heart of the City
08. Pocket Calculator
09. When All the Boys Are English
10. Queen
11. Pay the Radio
12. Panic in the Classroom

Hear

Pop Art - A Perfect Mental Picture (1985, Stonegarden)

Recently had a request for this one.  It was originally hosted on another blog, but my understanding is that the link is long dead.  At any rate, this isn't the first Pop Art product I've shared before.  I'm still hosting the records that sandwich this one, namely a self-titled ep and their second full length, Long Walk to Nowhere.  A Perfect Metal Picture might be their best, filled with wall to wall Anglophile pop homage - only Pop Art hailed from L.A....and had fake Brit accents.  This will be pleasant surprise for those of you who are craving the second coming of Aztec Camera, or Postcard Records type bands.  Enjoy (or not)

01. One
02. The Party
03. The Meeting
04. October Wind
05. Wanted Man
06. Reduced
07. Walrus of Love
08. Trapped in a Fire
09. Planting
10. Four Long Days
11. Sunshine Club
12. Anxious Call
13. The Porch
14. In Between

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Sub Pop singles triple-shot: Poster Children (1990) Tsumani/Velocity Girl split single (1992), Pond (1994)

Thought I'd wrap up my Sub Pop Records homage this weekend with a tribute to what helped brand the label, at least in the earlier stages of it's existence - singles. I never belonged to the fabled Sup Pop Singles of the month club, which from what I understand is about to be reintroduced. Nevertheless, various "editions" made their way into my collection. It wasn't the collectibility or prestige of these one-off Sub Pop 7" that appealed to me, rather the music.

Champagne, IL's Poster Children is a perfect example. Sporting an art-deco-ish sleeve and two exclusive songs, Pop Records single of the month for October 1990 featured the dexterous and rattling "Thinner, Stronger," backed with the taught, mildly dissonant "Pointed Stick." Perhaps not indie-rock manna for the ages, it was still an enormous treat for Poster Children fans, not to mention an ideal appetizer for their 1993 major label debut, Tool of the Man. Wonderful people as well. Here's hoping that Rick and Rose revive their Radio Zero program.

Pond's albums have always been growers for me, but the a-side to their 1994 non-singles club 45, "Moth" was a direct hit to the sweet spot. Perhaps it's the vinyl medium itself that insinuates this was a deliberate attempt at lo-fi punk-pop, or maybe I'm misreading it. Whatever, it was a treat coming on the heels of their 1993 self-titled debut album, which in later years I would covet as one of the single most primo recordings of the '90s. Post-grunge? Jangle? Indie-rawk? How about a scoop of each, and then some...

The aforementioned Pond 7" was independent of the Sub Pop Singles series, but by golly, the Tsunami/Velocity Girl split 45 brandished the hallowed tag for the January 1992 installment, and honorably so. Featuring two Wash D.C. area pop conglomerations that would become mightily accomplished in the months and years to come, this beautiful see-thru, ruby-ish slab of wax was a signal of sorts, sent to the hipster cognoscenti of the moment that Sub Pop wasn't just about grunge anymore. The signal resonated from the very moment the record stylus planted itself in the groove of Velocity Girl's "Warm/Crawl," the first half sublime shoegazer bliss, the latter, quintessential noise-pop. Tsunami's "Left Behind," was a valiant effort, but their best work was clearly ahead of them. Aside from this single, Velocity's "Warm/Crawl" was only available on CD in the form of a four-cut Velocity Girl sampler, ostensibly only sent to radio stations. If anybody knows how I can get my hands on an original, don't be a stranger. 
 

Poster Children

A. Thinner, Stronger

B. Pointed Stick
 

Pond

A. Moth

B. You Don't Quite Get it Do You But You're Thinking Hard 
 

Tsunami/Velocity Girl split

A. Tsunami - Left Behind

B. Velocity Girl - Warm/Crawl 

 

Pond: Hear
Tsunami/Velocity Girl: Hear

Update:  The Poster Children are now sharing both sides of this single alongside many other rarities on a Bandcamp'ed compilation, Copyright.  Since this is the case I am really no longer at liberty to share it.  Please show 'em some love!. 

V/A - The Best of the Radio Tokyo Tapes (1987, Chameleon)

Radio Tokyo was a famed L.A. recording studio that enjoyed it's heyday during the 1980s, at which acts from Jane's Addiction to the Bangles laid down classic tracks. Owned and operated by the late Ethan James (an ex-member of Blue Cheer as well) the popularity and reputation of Radio Tokyo Studios and the artists that recorded there inspired three vinyl compilation LPs released throughout the '80s. The Best of... culls together 20 songs that appeared on these records, some entirely exclusive to these compilations.

Given the locale and the period, there are several Paisley Underground luminaries that take up residence here, including The Rain Parade, Long Ryders, The Three O'clock, and The Bangs (later the Bangles, although their contribution is 30 second jingle for a local entertainment rag). Outside the Paisley scene there was plenty of other local indie talent that made a pit stop to Radio Tokyo as well - The Minutemen, 100 Flowers, Savage Republic, Wednesday Week, The Last, Shadow Minstrels, and one of my fave unheralded acts of the time, Pop Art. And what would any various artists disk be like without some music from everyone's favorite Jewish lesbian folk-singer, Phranc.

 

01. The Minutemen - I Felt Like A Gringo

02. The Long Ryders - Still Get By

03. Alisa - Silent Scream

04. Savage Republic - Mobilization

05. Animal Dance - Under Pulse

06. Linda J. Albertano - S.O.S

07. The Three O'Clock - All In Good Time

08. 100 Flowers - The Long Arm Of The Social Sciences

09. Bay Of Pigs - The Fat Lady Sings

10. The Last - It Had To Be You

11. Shadow Minstrels - Oh Senorita

12. Phranc - My Favorite Women Newscasters

13. 17 Pygmies - Chameleon

14. The Bangles - No Mag Commercial

15. The Beef Sisters - The Hermit

16. Rain Parade - Saturday Asylum

17. Wednesday Week - I Hate Lying To Mom

18. Pop Art - In My Hands

19. Fibonaccis - Purple Haze

20. Cindy Lee Berryhill - Headin' For The Border Line
 

Hear

VA - The Iodine Book Report - Virtuous Precognitions 1967-1972 (four cd-r set assembled by Robert Pollard)

A quick read of the header to this piece will indicate Wilfully Obscure is in relatively uncharted territory.  "Since when did he start covering music from 50+ years ago?" you might be asking yourself.  Indeed, this collection is a rarity in more ways than one. First and foremost The Iodine Book Report is not an assemblage of bygone punk or even proto-punk artists, and in fact traditional power pop, as we knew it by the late seventies isn't represented among this compilations 85 tracks.  So what gives?

Well, the fact that this set was curated by Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices was a major draw for me. Secondly, I'm actually partial to vintage psychedelic and garage, and comparatively less so beat music.  Though it isn't one of my fortes I'm actually a bit of a Nuggets guy.  No, you won't find me plunking down $300 for a first pressing of a 13th Floor Elevators or Seeds single, nor will I ever own an original 1967 mono copy of Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Nonetheless, I'm happy to indulge in CD reissues of the aforementioned and I have a modest appreciation of everyone from Bubble Puppy to the Creation. Regarding the album at hand however, IBR delves much, much deeper than the aforementioned acts I just mentioned. By and large it has to given it's status of an unofficial and unlicensed release, one that was printed up in an edition of merely twenty copies on cd-r. The publication date of Iodine is unknown, but almost certainly within the past two decades. It may have only gotten as far a few of Bob's close associates and friends, and I don't recall it being made available for purchase at any time/place online. And no, I don't own a physical version myself.

The scope of IBR is period specific, but geographically things get a bit more vague, drawing on a pool of artists largely from Europe and the UK, with homage paid to the Netherlands as well. There are contributions from a handful of Stateside acts, but they seem to be minimal by comparison. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison but from what I'm able to glean there isn't much overlap here between the rosters populating the Nuggets and Pebbles compendiums, and I'm not even spotting much common ground between the much loved-upon Chocolate Soup for Diabetics CD series. As prolific of a recording artist Pollard is wont to be, he's an avid record collector, with many of the tracks here presumably culled from scarce singles in his own personal archive. In fact, the total net worth of all the original vinyl copies IBR is pieced together from might be enough to mortgage a modest trailer home.

Diversity is a watchword as far as this one goes, ranging from the heavy, epic-length acid rock of  Stray's "All in Your Mind" to Gordon Waller's prim orchestral pop on, "Rosecrans Boulevard," the latter of which Zumpano went to the trouble of reinterpreting in the '90s.  If you're looking to delve into pure amped-out psych and rawer garage selections you can largely stick to the first disk. It lends itself to some of Iodine's longer, headier and frankly more ragged pieces, with recommended selections by Wimple Winch (pictured above), Juganaut, Flower Traveling Band and The Hush.

Strangely enough, this compilations other odd-numbered disk (that would be #3) houses a disproportionate share of quality songs, by worthy but unheralded Brit Invasion combos The Poets and Mandrake Paddle Steamer. The Virgin Sleep deliver a spartan dose of minimalist psych in the form of "Halliford House," The Smoke exude what can be best described as "power-folk," The Stray wow us with another uptempo banger, and The Four Kinsmen's "Glasshouse Green, Splinter Red" is harmony-laden pop that yields a colossal Beatles-esque hook. The most intriguing item on disk 3 is by the curiously monikered The Sound of Imker, a fiercely distortion-prone Dutch troupe who's "Train of Doomsday" was once described by Jello Biafra as possibly qualifying for the first hardcore punk song ever. To this day I swear it sounds likes Credence Clearwater Revival interpreting Motorhead, and has earned it's rightful spot in this collection.

For whatever the reason Iodine's second and fourth cds weren't as effective in maintaining my interest, but even they boast a small bevy of keepers including a couple of relatively renown Dutch exports, Q65 and the Outsiders (the latter pictured to your left). BTW, The Outsiders were aggressive beat enthusiasts, responsible for one of the best albums to ever emanate from the Netherlands, 1968's excellent C.Q.  Disk two's most enticing contributions come courtesy of Paul's Collection, Elli, Argosy and the aptly dubbed Euphoria. 

The fourth and final quotient of IBR, is notably limp by comparison (save for the aforementioned Q65/Outsiders). To these ears The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band sadly never lived up to their lofty premise (boy, I've wanted to get that off my chest for ages, but I digress). Nonetheless, disk four isn't a complete loss - Timebox and the Traveling Salesman channel jangly inclinations, mild as they may be. Fire's bouncy "Man in the Teapot" bears a winsome gate.  California's Millennium were downright mainstream given the standards of this other wise obscuro collection, and The Action have long been coveted by acolytes of early UK mod. 

If the Iodine Book Report strikes you as a fish-out-of-water endeavor for Wilfully Obscure it generally is.  Yes, there's a lot here that will have you reaching for the advance-button...but when the going is good you'll be hitting 'repeat' in equal amounts. Hopefully I've pointed you to some of the more worthwhile moments.

CD 1
01. Stray – All In Your Mind
02. Mother Sunday – Midnight Graveyard
03. Cloud Burst - Fragile
04. Weird Stoat – Rising Heartbreaks
05. Honeysuckle - She Brings Me Down
06. Juganaut - A Taste Of Hell
07. Blonde On Blonde – Ride With Captain Max
08. The Savage Resurrection – Thing In "E"
09. Wimple Winch – Atmospheres
10. The Ballroom – Baby, Please Don't Go
11. Flower Travellin' Band – Satori Part One
12. Wimple Winch – Save My Soul
13. Damascus – Mighty Mushroom
14. The Hush - Grey
15. Nimrod – The Bird
16. Vamp – Floatin'

CD 2   
01. The Petards – Tartarex
02. Kiss Inc. – Hey Mr. Holy Man
03. The Cool - Highway Song
04. The King Biscuit Entertainers – Stormy
05. Serendipity - Round & Around
06. Paul's Collection –    Man
07. 1st Century – Dancing Girl
08. Flowers, Fruits & Pretty Things – Wanting You
09. Chris Carpenter – Waterfalls
10. The Calliope – Ryan 5
11. 1st Century – Looking Down
12. The Ark - Poverty Train
13. Paul's Collection –    What Have I Done?
14. Elli - Never Mind
15. Whichwhat –    The Wind Out Of Nowhere
16. William Sheller – Living East, Dreaming West
17. The Exception - Don't Torture Your Mind
18. Blackthorn Winter – I Will
19. Euphoria – Hangman's Rope
20. Argosy – Mr. Boyd
21. Tuesday's Children – A Strange Light From The East
22. Andy Ellison – Cornflake Zoo
23. Tidal Wave – Spider Spider

CD 3   
01. The Poets - That's The Way It's Got To Be
02. The Klan - And I Love It So
03. The Glass Opening – Does It Really Matter?
04. The Virgin Sleep – Halliford House
05. The Executives – Moving In A Circle
06. Brains Ltd. – Change Your Life
07. The Nicols – She Had A Name To Find Out
08. Global Village – Keep Your Feathers Fine 2
09. The Smoke – Utterly Simple
10. Andromeda –    Let's All Watch The Sky Fall Down
11. St. Giles's System – Swedish Tears
12. Sound Of Imker – Train Of Doomsday
13. The Dream – The Doting King
14. Crying Wood – Blue Eyed Witch
15. Group 1850 – Don't Let It Be
16. Linda Van Dyck With Boo & The Booboos – Stengun
17. Mandrake Paddle Steamer – Overspill
18. Stray – Mama's Coming Home
19. The Four Kinsmen – Glasshouse Green, Splinter Red
20. The Poets – I Am So Blue
21. The Attack – Strange House

CD 4   
01. The Eastern Alliance – Love Fades Away
02. The Driving Wheels – One Year Ago Today
03. Primrose Circus – In My Mind
04. The Outsiders – I Love You No. 2
05. Timebox – Poor Little Heartbreaker
06. Wimple Winch – Marmalade Hair
07. Gordon Waller – Rosecrans Boulevard
08. Los York's – Mi Mente En Ti (When My Mind Is Not Alive)
09. The Third Power – Lost In A Daydream
10. Fire – Man In The Teapot
11. Now – Marcia
12. Q65 – It Came To Me
13. Bodast – Mr. Jones
14. Mandrake Paddle Steamer – Strange Walking Man
15. The Traveling Salesmen – Days Of My Years
16. Gordon Alexander – Miss Mary
17. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – I Won't Hurt You
18. The Millennium – It's You
19. Curt Boettcher – Sometimes
20. The Action – Brain
21. Wally Tax –    You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
22. Wally Tax –    The Dream
23. Wally Tax –    Last Night
24. Wally Tax – You Didn't Call Me
25. Wally Tax – I've Been Too Good To You

Disk 1  Disk 2  Disk 3  Disk 4

The Records - back catalog remasters: Shades in Bed (1979), Crashes (1980) & Music on Both Sides (1982)

It all has to start somewhere, and in this case "it" is my affection for power pop.  Thing was, back in the early '80s I was already tuned in but simply unaware of the genre.  Tommy Tutone, The Romantics and the Knack were heavy hitters on on my FM playlist.  They all qualified as practitioners of the form, but by and large the music overshadowed categorization and nomenclature.  Later on, I became a little more power-pop conscious upon adopting bands like Cheap Trick and Material issue, but I simply wasn't wed to the genre - not yet anyway.  Fast forward to 1996 of thereabouts.  A local record shop had a modest bargain/freebie section near the front cash register.  One afternoon upon checking out, I spotted what appeared to be an advance cassette of The Records Music on Both Sides album.  Since MoBS was a 1982 release, I'm not sure how an ancient promo tape was still lingering around fifteen years after the fact, but whatever, I bit.  I think at that point I was acquainted with the Records signature tune "Starry Eyes."  Other than that I was going into Music... fairly cold.  Turns out I was in for quite a startling treat, and what would turn out to be a quickly growing appreciation and adoption of power pop wholesale.  In fact, that old and worn out tape was such a gateway, I could make the argument that Music... was one of the key impetuses for me starting Wilfully Obscure.  Tonight I'm presenting you with the now out-of-print definitive CD remasters of The Records three proper albums that were reissued by On the Beach Records between 2002-07, featuring a host of b-sides, non-LP goodies and even some live material.  So far as I know these aren't available through the usual digital vendors like Amazon and iTunes, or even Spotify.

In the beginning there was the Kursaal Flyers, a mid-70s UK pub act who churned out a three studio LPs and at least twice as many singles.  The Flyers' featured future Records drummer Will Birch, and towards the end of the Flyers' tenure John Wicks (deceased 2018) on guitar.  After K/F's dissolution in 1977 both men would soon found The Records with bassist Phil Brown (deceased 2012) and guitarist Huw Gower.  The quartet's first single, "Starry Eyes" hit in 1978, and set the table not only for the band themselves, but modern day power pop with it's merger of Wick's jaw-dropping vocal hooks and Gower's jangly chords. 1979's Shades in Bed was the name of the UK version of the Records debut album, which was later released in the States simply as The Records featuring an entirely different sleeve (with less risque cover art) and an alternate track order.  As far as debuts go, it's a sheer corker, featuring alongside "Starry Eyes" another equally strong single, "Teenarama," and a devastating array of deeper album cuts like "Girl," "All Messed Up and Ready to Go," and "Affection Rejected," all of which would be live staples for years.  The Records mightily advanced and perfected what presaging bands like The Raspberries and Blue Ash had initiated, retooling the power pop formula writ large, setting the template for dozens of bands to follow on both sides of the Atlantic. No exaggeration.  The 2002 CD reissue features yet a third variation on the album jacket, and rewardingly an album's worth of bonus cuts.  Tracks 11-14 are covers by Blue Ash, The Kinks, Spirit and the Rolling Stones respectively.  This quartet of tunes was featured on a bonus disc, originally bundled with both versions of the original 1979 album.  We also get some key contemporary b-sides, the album worthy "Paint Her Face" and "Held Up High," alongside the contents of a post-Shades in Bed single - an improved upon cover of the Bay City Rollers' "Rock 'n Roll Love Letter," and another classic original, "Wives and Mothers of Tomorrow." 

Not much time was wasted for the second Records' long-player to make it onto the marketplace, specifically 1980's Crashes.  John Broack's Shake Some Action, guide to Power Pop albums (now in a revamped edition) acknowledges that as good and even seminal as Shades... was, Crashes was the band's crowning achievement, featuring an even tighter performance acumen, plus more importantly a richer and more developed batch of songs.  Despite leading off with another fantastic single, the mid-tempo "Hearts in Her Eyes" (soon to be covered by The Searchers) the album didn't take off on either side of the Atlantic, but Crashes featured a dizzying array of resonant, melodious guitar pop tunes that few bands of the Records ilk have yet to perfect upon - "Man With the Girlproof Heart," "The Same Mistakes," and "Rumor Sets the Woods Alight," all expanding upon the bittersweet affectations that cropped up intermittently on the debut.  Sophisticated, but not the least bit show-offy, Crashes is downright untouchable.  The supplemental material features two knockout b-sides, paralleling anything on the LP itself, "Injury Time" and "So Sorry."  There's also "Vamp," a mainstay of the Records live shows, appearing here in a studio incarnation for the first time, along with another solid outtake, "Faces in the Window."  I'd be remiss not to mention that the album featured a key lineup change - Huw Gower was gone, replaced by Jude Cole.  Topping off the bonus tunes are early takes of "The Same Mistakes" and "Girlproof" while Gower was still in the Records.

And speaking of lineup alterations, one of colossal proportions was on deck for the third and final Records platter, Music on Both Sides.  Not long for life as a Record, Jude Cole's stint was over by 1981, and in his stead, new lead axe-slinger Dave Whelen was brought aboard.  However the far more significant development involved new frontman, Chris Gent.  While Wicks maintained his role as guitarist it was decided upon, apparently on the band's own volition (per the liner notes), that The Records needed a more prominent mouthpiece to advance them commercially.  While not particularly known post or pre-Records, Gent was an appropriate "replacement" vocalist with a commanding but not overpowering set of pipes who more than did the bands new tunes justice, even if the vast majority of them were still written and composed by Wicks and Birch.  Ironically, the album that introduced me to the band (this one) didn't feature their original singer in his key role, however the songs didn't suffer in the least, and were largely on par with Crashes.  "Heather and Hell," "Keeping Up With Jones," and "Clown Around Town," if not perfect-tens, came within spitting distance and were out-and-out catchy as anything the band offered prior.  Both Sides lead-off (and I believe sole) single featured none other than Paul Carrack on keyboards, but interestingly enough the anthemic b-side, "Your Own Soundtrack" took on something of a life of it's own in the years following it's release.  Not so much by the BBC, but by fans like myself who really ended up taking to it - so much so that for the reissue of Both Sides it was reassigned as the first song on the album itself, not merely as a bonus cut! And rightfully so.  As for the bona fide supplemental selections, we get four original demos with Wicks singing, including the heretofore unreleased "On Time."  A clutch of randomly plucked live cuts ("Starry Eyes" among them) are bonus-ized as well, including The Records collaborating with Jane Aire of the Belvederes on "Lovin You Ain't Easy."  While vinyl copies of Both Sides are virtually worthless, the CD re-ish is going for exorbitant asking prices on all the usual sites.  In 1982 the group called it a day, reuniting in 1990 for a song on a Beach Boys tribute album.

For the time being I'm sharing these as 320 kbps MP3s, but will consider lossless versions at some point if demand is great enough.  Don't hold your breath.

Shades on Both Sides/The Records
01. Girl
02. Teenaramas
03. Girls That Don't Exist
04. Starry Eyes
05. Up All night
06. All Messed Up and Ready
07. Insomnia
08. Affection Rejected
09. The Phone
10. Another Star
bonus:
11. Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)
12. See My Friends
13. 1984
14. Have You Seen Your Mother Baby?
15. Starry Eyes (45 version)
16. Paint Her Face
17. Roch 'n Roll Love Letter
18. Wives and Mothers of Tomorrow
19. Held Up high
20. Teenarama (remix)

Hear

Crashes
01. Hearts in Her Eyes
02. Girl in Golden Disc
03. Rumor Set the Woods Alight
04. I Don't Remember Your Name
05. The Same Mistakes
06. Man With a Girlproof Heart
07. Hearts Will Be Broken
08. Spent a Week With Your Last Night
09. The Worriers
10. Guitars in the Sky
bonus:
11. Injury Time
12. Vamp
13. So Sorry
14. Faces at the Window
15. The Same Mistakes
16. Man With a Girlproof Heart

Hear

Music on Both Sides
01. Your Own Soundtrack
02. Imitation Jewelry
03. Heather and Hell
04. Selfish Love
05. Clown Around Town
06. Not So Much the Time
07. Keeping Up With Jones
08. Third Hand Information
09. Real Life
10. King of Kings
11. Cheap Detective Music
12. Everyday Nightmare
bonus:
13. Your Own Soundtrack (demo)
14. Not So Much the Time (demo)
15. Third Hand Information (demo)
16. On Time (demo)
17. Insomnia (live)
18. Affection Rejected (live)
19. Starry Eyes (live)
20. Lovin' You Ain't Easy (live with Jane Aire)

Hear

Singles Going Single # 84 - Small Factory - TLTTWT 7" (1994, Vernon Yard) + The Industrial Evolution (1996, Pop Narcotic)

For a time in the mid-90s, Providence, RI's Small Factory were arguably the flagship band for the burgeoning "twee" indie movement. A co-ed trio, drummer Phoebe Summersquash's compatriots bassist Alan Kemp and axe-slinger Dave Auchenbach were downright tone deaf in the vocal department compared to her sweet, coo-ing pipes, yet Small Factory were quite tuneful overall. Their first album, I Do Not Love You, released on Spin Art records in 1993, was a sheer charmer, chockablock with slighty fey strummy and chiming pure-pop for the ages. Virgin Records soon caught wind of Small Factory and scooped them up onto their Vernon Yard boutique label just in time for the release of their second LP, For If You Cannot Fly.

That album, sizeably more vigorous than the first, would prove to be their finale and did little to break the trio beyond their established indie-fanbase. As was the case with numerous major label casualties of the era, the band was relegated to the damaged-goods triage, broke up, and splintered off into spinoffs The Godrays and Flora Street. A nice discography can be browsed here.

As for the single that concerns this post, For If You Cannot Fly's lead-off cut, "The Last Time That We Talked" is coupled with the non-lp b-side "Movies." In fact, "Movies" is absent from Small Factory's lovingly assembled singles compilation The Industrial Evolution. Since today is Thanksgiving, I thought I'd give you an extra reason to be thankful, by sharing Industrial Evolution in it's entirety, considering it's been out of print almost as long as the singles it houses. The CD packaging includes neat little mock-ups of the 7" sleeve art for each record, that I might upload pics of later on. For now, enjoy the tunes.

Vernon Yard 7" (1994)

A. The Last Time That We Talked

B. Movies

The Industrial Evolution (1996)

01. Suggestions

02. Happy to See

03. Not Afraid

04. Want to Want

05. Here You Come

06. The Giant Merry Go Round

07. Hey Lucille

08. If You Hurt Me

09. So What About Love?

10. We Will

11. Yeah!

12. Hopefully

13. Lose Your Way

14. Scared of Love

1-3 from Collision Time single, 1991

4-6 from Slumberland single, 1992

7. From One Last Kiss compilation 1992

8. from Working Holidays split 7" (with Tsunami) 199
9-10. from Pop Narcotic 7" 1993

11. from Why Do They Call It Pop? compilation 1993

12. from Something Pretty Beautiful compilation 1993

13-14 from Slumberland/Bi-Jupiter 7" 1994

Vernon Yard single: Hear

The Industrial Evolution is now available on iTunes, Amazon and Emusic.