Thursday, July 5, 2012

Naked Soul (w/ Carlos Soria) - demo (1990)

I learned a couple of interesting tidbits when I was doing my homework on this long defunct Costa Mesa, CA conglomerate.  First, Naked Soul had close ties to another band from the same locale, none other than the best popcore quartet ever, Big Drill Car!  NS vox/guitarist Mike Conley served time in the Las Vegas hardcore hit machine known as M.I.A. in the mid-80s, a band that in their final lineup also included the future nucleus of BDC, Frank Daly and Mark Arnold.  I think I have my facts straight, but feel free to correct me.  Instead of going the diluted-punk route, Conley and Co. ditched M.I.A.'s blitzkrieg tempos and boilerplate h/c ethos entirely in favor of deftly crafted riff-pop, a la period Soul Asylum and the Doughboys.  Two Naked Soul releases would come down the pike in the early '90s - the Seed ep in 1992, and Visiting Your Planet a year thereafter, both on Scotti Bros.  They were destine to become bargain bin staples in the years to follow, but I digress.

I was pleased to come across an original NS demo last year, featuring the three songs listed below.  "Lonely Me, Lonely You" would be re-recorded for the aforementioned Seed.  As for my other kernel of enlightenment to share, Naked Soul's lineup included none other than Carlos Soria of The Nils - at least for the sessions on this tape.  I'm not sure how long Carlos' NS stint was, but evidently it was brief, as once he left the band had been reduced from a quartet to a trio, before they were signed.  And yes, he does seem to give these tracks a bit more of an edge than the Scotti Bros recordings, making this an extra special treat. 

01. Lonely Me, Lonely You
02. Yesterday Man
03. Raining Dreams

Hear

10 comments:

chip said...

"Helicopter Man"!!!! I remember WENZ (107.9 The End) in Cleveland playing that song a lot. I bought the CD in a used bin for $1 around that time. Found a copy not too long ago in a used bin with a price tag that, no joke, said "$0.00". I was tempted to take it up to the register to see if it truly was free :)

spavid said...

That would have been a bargain at twice the price!

96ataxic said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
96ataxic said...

Hell yeah! Totally forgot about these guys. Loved the EP. Lonely Me Lonely you is a must for any Replacements fan. The full length was meh. Thanks!

96ataxic said...

heres the vid for Lonely Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9cq4DcekXU

spavid said...

Thanks for your comments folks, and the video link 96!

Whorehouse Lucky Nick said...

Lonely Me, Lonely You is one of the great lost classics from the early 90's. It is like an even more obscure "There You Are" by the Goo Goo Dolls.


Thanks for this.

Whorehouse Lucky Nick said...

Lonely Me, Lonely You is one of the great lost classics from the early 90's. It is like an even more obscure "There You Are" by the Goo Goo Dolls.


Thanks for this.

8bitJeff said...

All these bands that used to play at the great Bogarts in Long Beach, CA! The Early 90's was a musical revolution!

Anonymous said...

reup this one please