SPOONER - Every Corner Dance

Having just been to a vinyl show and almost picking this up, but passing because the seller wanted too much, the AZ Local blog tapped into my mind and has made it available.

Spooner is most widely known for the fact that Garbage drummer Butch Vig and guitarist Duke Erikson started out in it. The band was a pure power pop outfit that formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1979 and lasted through three LPs into 1990. The first album, Every Corner Dance, came out in 1982 and sounded something like a more aggressive Shoes or a less experimental dB's. In fact, the album was produced by Gary Klebe of Shoes.

Every Corner Dance has a few moments that hold up among the power pop greats, including opener Will You Remember Me?, as well as Jackie and Poor Harold. The entire LP is an enjoyable slice of power pop history that any fan of the genre is sure to enjoy.

A big "thank you" to AZ Local for posting! Head on over to check it out.

Track listing:
1 - Will You Remember Me?
2 - Temptations
3 - Member of the Family
4 - Jackie
5 - Doing Time
6 - Every Corner Dance
7 - Cruel School
8 - Poor Harold
9 - Oo My My
10 - Way the Stories Go

FOR FANS OF:
Shoes, The dB's, The Plimsouls

SUE SAAD AND THE NEXT - Self-Titled LP

If you had a listen to the Laurie and the Sighs album I recently posted about, you'll have a good idea of what Sue Saad and the Next sound like. In the same way as the Sighs, Sue Saad and company take a high energy, not quite power pop, not quite new wave and not quite basic rock and roll but somewhere in-between approach on their one and only album, 1980's self-titled release.

The band is best remembered for the lead single from this LP, Gimme Love/Gimme Pain, which is a catchy mid-tempo rocker. There's plenty more memorable hooks on the album, particularly in revved-up cuts such as It's Gotcha, I I Me Me and Your Lips-Hands-Kiss-Love.

Sue Saad and the Next did not last long enough for a sophomore LP, but Saad went on to perform the theme song to the 1981 film, Looker.


Sue Saad & the Next - self-titled (LP, 1980)

Track listing:
1 - Gimme Love/Gimme Pain
2 - It's Gotcha
3 - Prisoner
4 - Young Girl
5 - I I Me Me
6 - Your Lips-Hands-Kiss-Love
7 - I Want Him
8 - Cold Night Rain
9 - Won't Give It Up
10 - Danger Love

FOR FANS OF:
Pat Benatar, Laurie and the Sighs, Scandal, Genya Ravan, Spider

TOM DICKIE AND THE DESIRES - The Eleventh Hour

Tom Dickie and the Desires were a New York City band that released two LPs, Competition in 1981 and The Eleventh Hour in 1982. I recently picked up the latter in record shop for just 25 cents (!!) simply because I thought the album art was interesting and seemed pretty new wave-ish.

It's difficult to pinpoint this album as new wave, power pop, or anything else because it doesn't follow a single direction. It jumps from blatantly 80s new wave (Victimless Crime, So Mystified) to pure power pop (I Don't Want to Live Without You, Gone to Stay, Twisted Years) to earnest slow tunes (If I Could Paint, They Don't Know Anymore).

That being said, there's some fantastic moments here - namely the tracks on which the band aims for a more straightforward power pop approach. The best is arguably I Don't Want to Live Without You, which is melodic ear candy through and through and boasts the record's strongest hook. Gone to Stay and Twisted Years take a similar approach and are almost as good, while Stolen Time has a great sing-along chorus.

The copy I picked up was a DJ promo, which included a biography from PolyGram Records that had this to say:

If one feels an urgency in the second album by Tom Dickie and the Desires, appropriately titled "The Eleventh Hour," it probably stems from this important new group's intention to make rock 'n' roll that matters. "There was this general feeling about everything that was going on while we were making this album," explains Dickie, "almost like - will we get it down on vinyl in time?"
"It's something we not only felt in our lives, but everywhere around us - in New York City, with the Yankees, in the Falklands...everywhere. That sense is found in the songs on the album, the urgency of people trying to accomplish something before their time is up."
...Dickie feels "The Eleventh Hour" reflects the band's experiences "living in New York where everything is always happening. You sometimes feel like you're living a day ahead of everything else, always on the eleventh hour."

Tom Dickie & the Desires - The Eleventh Hour (LP, 1982)

Track listing:
1 - Victimless Crime
2 - Stolen Time
3 - Gone to Stay
4 - Our Eyes
5 - So Mystified
6 - I Don't Want to Live Without You
7 - What Happened
8 - Twisted Years
9 - Patience Is a Virtue
10 - They Don't Know Anymore
11 - If I Could Paint

EXPRESSOS - Promises and Ties

First of all, I must send out a big thanks to Music Ruined My Life for turning me on to this gem of an album!

Just when I feel like I'm beginning to close in on all the best lost records of the late 70s-early 80s new wave era, I come across something like Promises and Ties by U.K. band the Expressos and realize that the treasure chest is pretty much endless.

1981's Promises and Ties was the first and only LP by the Expressos, and this album is so good there's absolutely no reason it shouldn't have been a smash hit. Its cocktail of new wave, power pop and 60s girl group, during its strongest moments, stands up to classic tracks by the likes of Blondie and The Pretenders.

The album kicks off with the infectious, energetic single Tango in Mono, which Elvis Costello supposedly selected as his second favorite pop song of all time. My Yesterday follows with tasty slice of power pop, and There She Goes is a gorgeous track featuring Byrds-like guitar. Another single, By Tonight, is highly melodic 60s girl group, as is the clever ballad B Side. The true centerpiece of the album, though, is the title track. It's a soaring pop masterpiece just begging to be covered by someone. Other highlights include yet another single, the sing-songy Hey Girl, the jangling beauty of Miss You Melody (The French Song) and album closer The Trap, which sounds like it could have been on Pretenders II.

What's really amazing about this record is that for something that went largely unnoticed, the songwriting is consistently superb. It features one luscious pop tune after another, and the bright vocals of Rozzi Rayner gives them even more life.

Every fan of melodic, 60s-influenced new wave and power pop should discover this album! Check it out at Music Ruined My Life.

Track listing:
1 - Tango in Mono
2 - My Yesterday
3 - There She Goes
4 - By Tonight
5 - B Side
6 - Promises and Ties
7 - Kiss You All Over
8 - Want
9 - Hey Girl
10 - Missing You Melody (The French Song)
11 - Thumbs on the Ground
12 - The Trap

FOR FANS OF:
Blondie, The Pretenders, The Sinceros, The Photos, The Tourists

LAURIE AND THE SIGHS - Self-Titled LP

Take one listen to the first and only LP by Laurie and the Sighs and it won't surprise you to learn that vocalist Laurie Beechman is best known as a Broadway star. The 1980 album is a showy burst of energy that mixes hard-edged arena rock a la Pat Benatar with spiky, tongue-in-cheek power pop to create consistently fun results.

Prior to the album's release, Beechman played in famous theater productions such as Annie and The Pirates of Penzance. After signing with Atlantic Records, Beechman and the Sighs hoped to find success venturing into rock and roll territory. During a time when Benatar was at the top of the charts, it would seem that Beechman, whose physical and musical similarities to the popular singer were not exactly subtle, would be a marketable act for her label. Unfortunately, Laurie and the Sighs received little support from Atlantic and soon faded into obscurity.

The LP rocks harder than you might expect, and it's clear that Beechman put everything she had into belting out the tunes. Some of the material, such as the brief jolt of Face to Face, an amped-up cover of the 60s Claudine Clark hit Party Lights and the aggressive Stop Telling Me No, even shows traces of punk. The LP only slows down once with the rock opera ballad Your Bridge Is Burning.

After the album failed to make a dent, Beechman turned back to musical theater, going on to star in Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Les Miserables. Unfortunately, after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 1988 - which went into remission and then returned in 1995 - Beechman passed on in 1998 at the age of 44.


Check out a vinyl rip of Beechman's one and only foray into rock, which has never seen reissue on CD. Update: The album has been released on CD by Wounded Bird Records! Get it here.


Laurie and the Sighs - self-titled LP, 1980

Track listing:
1 - Midnight Love
2 - Touch Me
3 - Party Lights
4 - Love Hostage
5 - Face to Face
6 - Never Go Back
7 - Your Bridge Is Burning
8 - Runaway
9 - Stop Telling Me No
10 - Burning Up

FOR FANS OF:
Pat Benatar, Scandal, Sue Saad and the Next, Spider

3-D - Self-Titled Debut

What would happen if Marshall Crenshaw's 60s pop melodies mated with the up-front new wave synths of The Cars? You'd probably get something that sounded like 3-D.

3-D were a little known new wave band that produced two albums in its short existence. The first was the band's self-titled debut from 1980, and the second, See It Loud, came the following year.

The debut record has its share of catchy new wave gems, including the singles Telephone Number, X-Ray Eyes and All Night Television. Also noteworthy are the jubilant Pin Up Girl and the breezy Carnival. This is light, uncomplicated pop that makes for a consistently fun and entertaining listen.

3-D (debut LP, 1980)

Track listing:
1 - Telephone Number
2 - It's No Fun
3 - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
4 - Pin Up Girl
5 - Back to You
6 - X-Ray Eyes
7 - All American Boy
8 - Carnival
9 - All Night Television

FOR FANS OF:
Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, The Cars

THE SPORTS - All Sports

I stumbled across a very cool Australian new wave band, The Sports, over at the excellent I Supply the Country With Butter blog.

The Sports, based in Melbourne, were together from 1977 to 1981, and over that time recorded a good amount of early Elvis Costello-styled new wave-infused pub rock, scoring minor hits with songs such as Boys! (What Did the Detective Say?), When You Walk in the Room, How Come and Who Listens to the Radio.

1982's All Sports compiles the band's greatest moments over 16 songs. There's even a great cover of Wedding Ring, a classic Easybeats tune. Thanks to I Supply the Country With Butter for making this available. Head on over to check it out!

FOR FANS OF:
Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Bram Tchaikovsky, Joe Jackson

CD Fit for Vinyl: MICHELE ARI - 85th and Nowhere

There is no doubt that Michele Ari's debut six song EP, 2005's 85th and Nowhere, sounds like it were made for vinyl. Ari is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, but not one you'll likely find playing coffeehouses solo with an acoustic guitar. Her preferred style is rocking out with a full band, and her tuneful songs feature clear new wave and power pop leanings.

The six songs on 85th and Nowhere are fresh and captivating, while calling upon some of the most sonically pleasing elements of rock and roll's past. Not only does Ari reference late 70s new wave and power pop, she also looks to R.E.M.-styled early alternative rock and the sweet, impeccable melodies of 60s pop. Think Debbie Harry meets Ronnie Spector with a dash of Michael Stipe.

The EP begins with the smoky My Sleeping Beauty, which has a bit of a Killing Moon vibe, and the jangling, pretty pop gem Please. The title track and Nevermind are a bit more straightforward and aggressive in a Nick Lowe sort of way, setting off the dreamier numbers nicely. Pretty is a bluesy slow burner that crescendos into something truly special and serves as an effective centerpiece to the collection, while the sweet, vulnerable 1000 Kisses closes the EP on an upbeat note.

Ari's vocals are relaxed and unpretentious, exuding 10 times more emotion and inspiration than any of mainstream radio's current pop crazes.

She is currently working on a full-length album, due for release later this year.

Check out some tracks from 85th and Nowhere on MySpace, and pick up a real copy on CD Baby or a digital copy on iTunes.

FOR FANS OF:
Blondie, Nick Lowe, R.E.M., Patti Smith, Ronnie Spector

MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS - This Is the Ice Age

It's hard to describe exactly what makes canadian new wave band Martha and the Muffins' 1981 LP This Is the Ice Age so special, but it's one of those albums that definitely has a sound all its own and sticks with you from first listen.

This album gets a five star rating from me because it is completely effective in connecting beyond the surface level of the music listening experience and conjuring very distinct feelings. There is a sad, cold nostalgia to the music, even on the more upbeat numbers such as Women Around the World at Work and You Sold the Cottage.

The Muffins' Ice Age is a time without human warmth and connection. It is open, gray and lonely - feelings reflected particularly well on Swimming, Boy Without Filters, Jets Seem Slower in London's Skies and One Day in Paris. The arrangements are sparse and the vocals are stoic. The beautifully sad One Day in Paris is particularly nostalgic, with its singer yearning for a sense of completion in another time and place. It is unspecified and unimportant whether that place is in the past or future - all that matters is that it is away from the present "Ice Age."

Casualties of Glass is another highlight, and becomes especially effective near its end with the chant of "don't lose hope."

You sold the Cottage is the closest the album comes to being lighthearted, and at first seems out of place. Even so, its themes of looking back into the past and finding a sense of dissatisfaction works nicely with the LP's overall sense of cold nostalgia.

Also noteworthy are the lengthy title track and Three Hundred Years/Chemistry. The first is almost tribal, while the latter begins as a minimalist instrumental that bursts into a melodic tune that gives a true sense of completion to the album.

The music itself is not the only thing that makes this This Is the Ice Age so effective. The album's title relates perfectly to the mood of the music, as does its cover art. It is austere and desolate, intermingling a space seemingly devoid of any specific time and place with a space that is notably modern (illustrated by the tall office building in the distance). In this sense, the entire package conveys a modern "Ice Age."

This Is the Ice Age is ambient, introspective new wave art pop at its finest, and an essential record for any fan of the genre.

Check out a vinyl rip at Fantasmi Macchina.

In 2005 the album was released on CD, but already looks to be out of print. However, copies seem to be pretty easy to track down (see Amazon).

Click here for my recent post about another Martha and the Muffins release - the About Insomnia single.

PAULINE BLACK - I Threw It Away (7" Single)

In 1983 ex-Selecter vocalist Pauline Black released I Threw It Away, a soulful single that traded in the two-tone ska of her previous band for more of a pop type of balladry. The song is a perfect showcase for Black's one-of-a-kind vocals, and was later covered by Joe Cocker!

The B-side is a fun, synthy cover of I Can See Clearly Now.

Pauline Black - I Threw It Away (7" single, 1983)

Track listing:
1 - I Threw It Away
2 - I Can See Clearly Now