Texas new wave band D-Day were most famous for their controversial 1979 single Too Young to Date, which included inspiring lines such as "Got an older guy and his name is Michael/He just told me 'bout my menstrual cycle." All Music Guide reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes it as "tastelessly vulgar, even for those with a taste for the tasteless, especially since it sounds like it's sung by a 50-year old divorcee." I personally think that makes it all the more charming. Oh well, to each his own. Anyway, the song reached the top spot on KROQ in Los Angeles before being banned thanks to complaining mothers (I wonder if they were the same ones who protested Garbage Pail Kids a few years later).
In any case, the song is a new wave classic, but D-Day didn't release anything else until 1982's 7" single Right to Know / Your History Complete. Both Too Young to Date and Right to Know applied a definite raw punk vibe to pop hooks, but by the time the band released their first and only LP in 1983 they had turned less punk, more straight-up new wave.
Thankfully, that didn't mean the music lost any appeal. In fact, the D-Day album is entertaining all the way through and contains some true lost new wave gems. The bouncy Desperation, for example, is a hit single that never was. Lead singer De Lewellen shines with her unique vocal delivery, really belting it out and at times sounding like a Broadway star who decided to sing off-kilter new wave music. The energetic Dream Song offers up some really cool imagery of bizarre sleep-time visions. Secret World is a catchy little ditty with lead vocals by bassist John Keller. More Than That is ska-pop bliss. Hold On and Lonely People are cold synth-rockers.
Unfortunately, the album didn't take off and D-Day didn't produce anything else. It's a shame, as the LP and its preceding Too Young to Date and Right to Know singles are high quality new wave. Too Young to Date can be found on a new wave compilation CD, but the LP was never released on CD. Here is a high quality vinyl rip I made of the album from a sealed copy I recently found:
D-Day - self-titled album (1983)
Track list:
1 - Dance It Off
2 - Strange Feeling
3 - Join the Ranks
4 - Dream Song
5 - Desperation
6 - Radio On
7 - Secret Worlds
8 - Do You Read Me
9 - Hold On
10 - More Than That
11 - Lonely People
D-DAY LINEUP:
- De Lewellen - lead vocals
- Will Fiveash - guitar
- David Fore - drums
- Glover Gill - keyboards
- John Keller - bass
FOR FANS OF:
The Waitresses, Blondie, Martha and the Muffins, Holly and the Italians
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
D-DAY - Self-Titled LP
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
For what it's worth, you can also find "Right to Know" on one of George Gimarc's "Tales from the Edge" compilation CDs - it was also the only place to get the one legitimately released track on CD from the Judy's up until this last Christmas.
More info on D-Day can be found here:
http://www.madmartian.com/music_dday.htm
BTW, thanks for the positive comments. To be honest, it makes me a bit sad when I listen to that album because I knew at the time the thing was overproduced and time has not changed my mind. I think David's take on what happened (on the Mad Martian site) is pretty accurate.
Will Fiveash
Hey Will, thanks so much for commenting! The album may be overproduced, but in my opinion the songs are excellent so it doesn't matter all that much. I've played the record for a few people and they all liked it a lot.
Wish you guys would have put out more music.
Post a Comment