BREAKFAST IN BED - Sorry Babe / Going Home (7" Single)

Here's a cool little single I know next to nothing about.

What I do know is that Breakfast in Bed were an Australian band and that they released this single, Sorry Babe backed with Going Home in 1983 on Jonathon Apple Productions. I don't know if they released anything else.

The style is female-fronted power pop in the vein of other Aussie acts from around the same time such as Flaming Hands and The Dugites. For a less obscure reference, it sounds kind of like Blondie.

Breakfast in Bed - Sorry Babe / Going Home (7" Single, 1983)

Track listing:
1 - Sorry Babe
2 - Going Home

JOBOXERS - Just Got Lucky (12" Single)

JoBoxers were a British new wave group fronted by American singer Dig Wayne, and scored a minor, now mostly forgotten hit in 1983 with this joyful, soul-infused little number. Like the better-known Dexys Midnight Runners, JoBoxers had a street urchin type image, but produced crisp and bouncy soul-pop tunes.

Just Got Lucky also later appeared on JoBoxers' debut LP, Like Gangbusters. Despite a few other singles that were mildly successful in Britain, the group unfortunately never found a large audience and disbanded after the release of their second LP, 1985's Skin and Bone.

A JoBoxers best of compilation was released in 2006, and is available here.

The CD includes the album version of Just Got Lucky, but also check out my vinyl rip of the shorter, alternate single mix below. The B-side is a cool, jazzy track called Forget Me Love that did not appear on either LP.

JoBoxers - Just Got Lucky (12" Single - 1983)

Track listing:
1 - Just Got Lucky
2 - Forget Me Love

THE WAITRESSES - Bruiseology

It's unfortunate that all most people remember The Waitresses for (if they remember them at all) is I Know What Boys Like and Christmas Wrapping. Not that those aren't good songs, but the band had so many other noteworthy moments in its brief, two LP existence. Take, for example, 1983's Bruiseology, the second album. Apparently, the record was rushed to market after the first LP, Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?, and by the time it came out The Waitresses had pretty much fallen apart with the departure of lead singer Patty Donahue.

You can't really tell the band was going through troubled times by the quality of the material on Bruiseology. It's as witty and hooky as the debut, and probably a bit more unique. Guitarist Chris Butler, a man who penned all the band's songs from a woman's perspective, really came up with some excellent material, and Donahue delivered it just as convincingly as she did on Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful.

The LP contains my personal favorite Waitresses track, the melodic, thoughtful Make the Weather. Although the song was released as a single it failed to make much of a mark, which is a shame because it represents the band at its smartest and most captivating.

Other highlights include the cheerleader anthem opener A Girl's Gotta Do and the manic, anxiety-ridden title track. Luxury, a six-and-a-half-minute epic, and the biting, sardonic closer They're All out of Liquor, Let's Find Another Party, are also worth noting. Even when the band slipped in an instrumental (Pleasure) and put bassist Tracy Wormworth on lead vocals (Spin) the results are entertaining, which is quite a feat, since Donahue's sarcastic, theatrical delivery was arguably the most important ingredient of The Waitresses.

After Bruiseology was released and Donahue left the band, Butler and company continued on very briefly for some live shows with Holly Beth Vincent on vocals. When The Waitresses were officially no more, Butler went on to release some solo recordings and Wormworth could be seen for many years as a member of the house band on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Sadly, Patty Donahue passed on in 1996 after a battle with lung cancer.

Neither of the band's full albums has been released on CD. As of now, you can only find certain tracks on greatest hits compilations. Buy the latest one here or on itunes. Until it's reissued, here is my vinyl rip of Bruiseology in its entirety:

The Waitresses - Bruiseology (1983)

Track listing:
1 - A Girl's Gotta Do
2 - Make the Weather
3 - Everything's Wrong If My Hair Is Wrong
4 - Luxury
5 - Open City
6 - Thinking About Sex Again
7 - Bruiseology
8 - Pleasure
9 - Spin
10 - They're All out of Liquor, Let's Find Another Party


WEB LINKS:
- The Waitresses on Wikipedia
- Very informative Waitresses fan site
- I Know What Boys Like video on Youtube

PYLON - Chomp

Chomp, released in 1983 by Athens, GA new wave band Pylon, has one of the best album covers ever. How can you go wrong with a giant picture of a T-Rex? Fortunately, the music on the record is just as awesome.

Pylon had a sound all their own - one highly regarded by fellow Athens acts of the same time such as R.E.M. and The B-52's. It was a killer combination of Vanessa Briscoe's yelp-to-growl vocals, Michael Lachowski's driving bass, Curtis Crowe's pulsating drumming and Randall Bewley's sharp, angular guitar. The material they created is bizarre and random, yet totally addictive and danceable.

Chomp was Pylon's second LP, following 1980's Gyrate. While Gyrate was recently remastered and reissued on CD by DFA Records, Chomp still hasn't been released outside of vinyl. It's a shame because the LP is just as strong as its predecessor, taking the crunchy sound of the debut and fleshing it out with a bit more melody and experimentation.

The record kicks off with K, a crazy homage to Scrabble. The funky Yo-Yo gives the crunch and growling a break, bouncing along and sounding a bit like Devo. The two-minute, energetic Italian Movie Theme is a strong instrumental. The melodic Crazy, No Clocks, and Altitude are lyrically and musically compelling. Other songs - such as Beep, Spider and Gyrate - are reminiscent of the angular workouts on the debut LP.

Hopefully we'll see a remastered and expanded CD release of Chomp sometime in the near future. Until then, here is my vinyl rip of the album:

DELETED 10/8/09 - DFA Records is releasing a CD reissue of Chomp with bonus tracks! It's available here.

Track listing:
1 - K
2 - Yo-Yo
3 - Beep
4 - Italian Movie Theme
5 - Crazy
6 - M-Train
7 - Buzz
8 - No Clocks
9 - Reptiles
10 - Spider
11 - Gyrate
12 - Altitude


PYLON LINEUP:
- Vanessa Briscoe - lead vocals
- Randall Bewley - guitar
- Curtis Crowe - drums
- Michael Lachowski - bass

WEB LINKS:
- Pylon on Wikipedia
- Pylon official site
- Pylon MySpace site