The first single from Reno Bo’s debut album, Happenings and Other Things, is graced with this artist-animated video. Bo’s paid homage to Terry Gilliam’s moving collages, Yellow Submarine‘s psychedelic juxtapositions, Shel Silverstein’s drawings, and the artwork of Schoolhouse Rock. Oh– and the song is a great slice of 70s-inflected rock! Full album review forthcoming, but for now, enjoy the video:
Tommy James’ third solo LP offers Nashville-bred country-soul
After charting fourteen Top 40 hits with the Shondells, Tommy James began a solo career on the heels of a temporary group hiatus that turned permanent. His second solo release, Christian of the World, yielded two big hits (“Draggin’ the Line†and “I’m Comin’ Homeâ€), but this third solo effort – recorded in Nashville, produced by Elvis’ guitarist Scotty Moore, and featuring the talents of Music City’s finest studio players – didn’t catch on with either pop or country radio. And that’s a shame, because it may be James’ most fully realized album. With a band that included Moore and Ray Edenton on guitar, Pete Drake on steel, Pig Robbins on keyboards, Charlie McCoy on harmonica and DJ Fontana and Buddy Harmon on drums, James cut a dozen originals, mostly co-written with co-producer Bob King, and a cover of Linda Hargrove’s “Rosalee†that features some fine fiddle playing by Buddy Spicher.
There are numerous country touches in the instruments and arrangements, but also the sort of country-soul B.J. Thomas, Joe South and Elvis recorded in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. James didn’t re-fashion himself a nasally country singer, instead finding the soulful style he’d developed on the Shondells’ Travelin’ fit perfectly with the textures created by the studio players and the gospel-styled backing vocals of the Nashville Edition. James’ voice is easily recognized as the one that graced the Shondells’ hits, but it sounds just as at home in this twangier setting. The productions are remarkably undated (except, perhaps, Pete Drake’s talking guitar on “Paper Flowersâ€), and though not up to Nashville’s current classic rock volume, they still feel surprisingly contemporary.
James and King wrote songs of faith, romance, lost-love and lovable scoundrels, but in the pop idiom rather than the country, so while their topics fit Nashville norms, the words didn’t ring of 17th Avenue. In James’ hands, even the Nashville-penned “Rosalee†sounds more like Memphis or Muscle Shoals than Music City. The religious and spiritual themes of Christian of the World are revisited in songs contemplating the hereafter, the call to community, and the sunny warmth and peaceful satisfaction of belief. Unlike the preceding album, however, none of these songs managed to grab the ear of radio programmers or singles buyers. Perhaps no one was ready for James to fully graduate from his career with the Shondells, but in retrospect, divorced from the pop and bubblegum hits that led him to 1971, one can readily hear the new level of artistry he achieved.
Collectors’ Choice’s straight-up reissue clocks in at nearly 44-minutes, making this the longest of the four Shondells/James reissues in a batch that also includes I Think We’re Alone Now, Gettin’ Together, and Travelin’. The six-page booklet features full-panel reproductions of the album’s front- and back-cover, and newly struck liner notes by Ed Osborne that includes fresh interview material with James himself. While Shondells/James neophytes might pick a greatest hits album (such as Anthology or Definitive Pop Collection) as a starter over the Shondells’ original albums, anyone who enjoys country-rock with a soulful backbone should check out James terrific accomplishments on this release. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com] 
Pop band’s swansong muscles up heavy rock and soul
By the time of this album’s 1970 release, Tommy James and the Shondells had morphed from the garage/frat-rock of “Hanky Panky†to the bubblegum of “I Think We’re Alone Now†to the pop psych of “Crimson and Clover†to the gospel-soul of “Sweet Cherry Wine.†For this last album as a group – James would fly solo with a self-titled album later in the year – they reduced the psychedelic quotient from Crimson & Clover and experimental flights of Cellophane Symphony and muscled up some heavy rock ‘n’ soul. The album is surprisingly funky and progressive, especially when compared to what the band had been recording just a few years earlier.
Opening with the near-instrumental title tune, the sound is funky progressive rock, complete with a lengthy syncopated organ-and-drums breakdown and even a short drum solo. The heavy sounds continue with James effectively refashioning himself into a soul shouter and blues crooner. Mike Vale propels the album’s second single “Gotta Get Back to You†with his bass line, and arranger Jimmy “Wiz†Wisner deploys a backing chorus to terrific effect. The band’s mid-60s garage-rock roots turn up in the “Little Black Egg†riff of “Moses & Me,†but topped with a processed vocal that’s very end-of-the-decade, and the bluesy “Bloody Water†borrows the guitar hook of “Tobacco Road†and roughs it up nicely.
The album’s pre-release hit, “She,†is also the tune that fits least with the album’s heavy vibe. Co-written with Richie Cordell and bubblegum kings Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, the lush ballad is a throwback to the Shondells’ earlier work. James and Bob King’s originals were significantly more grown-up and gritty than the pop songs the group recorded a couple of years earlier, and suggested the expanded horizons James would explore in his solo career. Traces of the group’s earlier studio experiments are still to be heard here, but with the psychedelic fog lifting, the focus is more firmly on song craft. Casual listeners may want to start with the hit anthologies Anthology or The Definitive Pop Collection, but fans will want to hear the distance the group traveled to this final collaborative album.
Collectors’ Choice’s straight-up reissue clocks in at under 34-minutes, leaving one to wish they’d doubled-up with a second album (or add bonus tracks), as they did for recent reissues of Jackie DeShannon, Waylon Jennings, B.J. Thomas and others. The six-page booklet includes full-panel reproductions of the album’s gatefold front cover (with a terrific Ron Lesser western painting depicting James and Shondells’ stagecoach being chased on horseback by Roulette label head Morris Levy), but the thematic inside cover panels aren’t included. The track list restores the album’s intended ordering, swapping the two album sides and leading off with the album’s title track. Newly struck liner notes by Ed Osborne include fresh interview material with James himself. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]
James and company solidify and refine their pop
Capitalizing on the success of the previous year’s pop-oriented I Think We’re Alone Now, Tommy James and the Shondells paired again with producers Bo Gentry and Richie Cordell to cut their second album of 1967. The album cover depicts the group in a field of blossoms, but that’s as close to flower-power that the Shondells came on this album. There are production touches of the era, including the tight segue between the first two tracks, the feedback, fades and false endings of “Happy Day,†and the audio markers closing “Side 1†and opening “Side 2,†but the melodies and lyrics remain teen-pop. The seeds planted here would fully bloom the following year on 1968’s Crimson & Clover.
For now, the band polished the transition from garage and frat rock to production-oriented pop they’d begun earlier in the year. James finds more space to unleash the power of his vocals, the band’s harmonies fit together more tightly, and arranger Jimmy “Wiz†Wisner’s touches add decoration without distracting from the chewy pop-rock center. The title hit opens with a riff copped from the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’,†but lightened to the tone of a 1910 Fruitgum Company production. James and Shondells’ bassist Mike Vale contribute four originals, including the galloping rocker “Love’s Closin’ in On Me†and the frenzied “You Better Watch Out.â€
Though many of the tracks verge on bubblegum, as Ed Osborne’s liner notes point out, the album’s ballads reach to the more sophisticated vocal arrangements and considered tempos of what would become known as West Coast Sunshine Pop. Like their previous album, these sessions were recorded on a 4-track at Allegro Sound, and though most of the instruments are still panned hard left-and-right, the sound is smoother, the band sounds more settled into their surroundings, and the album more cohesive. For many listeners the hit collections Anthology or The Definitive Pop Collection are better places to start, but fans interested in getting past the hits will enjoy finding that the group’s albums are fleshed out with more than the typical singles-band filler.
Collectors’ Choice’s straight-up 12-track reissue clocks in at under 30-minutes, leaving one wishing they’d doubled-up with a second album (or add bonus tracks), as they did for recent reissues of Jackie DeShannon, Waylon Jennings, B.J. Thomas and others. This is one of four albums (also including I Think We’re Alone Now, Travelin’ and James’ third solo release, My Head, My Bed & My Red Guitar) billed as an initial offering from the entire Shondells and Thomas solo catalogs. The six-page booklet includes full-panel reproductions of the album’s front and back covers, and newly struck liner notes by Ed Osborne that add fresh interview material from James himself. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]
Rock singles-band transitions to studio pop
Tommy James and The Shondells kicked around their Michigan stomping grounds for several years before finding regional success in 1963 with a cover of Barry & Greenwich’s “Hanky Panky.†By the time the single was rediscovered two years later by a Pittsburgh radio station, the original Shondells had gone their separate ways. James recruited a band to be the new Shondells, and in 1966 toured behind the single, cut a deal with Roulette Records and turned their flop into a chart-topping hit. Line-up changes ensued and the band hooked up with songwriter Richie Cordell who gave them the hit title track of this 1967 release, their third studio album.
Cordell wrote or co-wrote (often with an uncredited Bo Gentry) ten of this album’s dozen songs, filling out the track list with covers of the Riviera’s “California Sun†and the Isley Brothers’ “Shout.†Like the title tune, Cordell’s songs tended to pop melodies and adolescent professions of love, creating strong appeal for teens and pre-teens. Cordell later contributed more explicitly to the bubblegum genre with songs for Crazy Elephant and the 1910 Fruitgum Company, but the seeds were sewn here as he helped Tommy James and The Shondells’ transition from garage-styled frat-rockers to studio-produced pop. The album’s second hit, “Mirage,†borrows most of the hooks from “I Think We’re Alone Now,†and they were fetching enough to merit a second visit to the Top 10.
The album’s songs stood in contrast to the psychedelic works of 1967 (Sgt. Pepper’s, Are You Experienced?, Surrealistic Pillow, et al.), but unlike the group’s previous albums, which consisted mostly of material drawn from the label’s publishing catalog, these titles were fresh. Better yet, the band and their arranger, Jimmy “Wiz†Wisner, added some great instrumental touches. Wisner’s strings and horns lift “Trust Each Other in Love†beyond its bubblegum roots, and the ‘50s-styled ballad “What I’d Give to See Your Face Again†is given a terrific twist by the country piano and fuzz-guitar break. There’s a Stax-styled rhythm guitar on “Baby Let Me Down,†and the harmony vocals of “I Like the Way†are topped with a perfect horn-line.
The sound quality of these tracks varies, with most in stereo that suggests 3-track recording (instruments panned left and right and vocals in the middle), despite the 4-track studio. Tracks 1 and 11 are mono, with the latter subtly shifted to one side, moving sloppily towards the center at the 24-second mark, and popping fully into the center at the 35-second mark. The original mono single mixes of “Mirage†and “I Like the Way†can be found on the collection 40 Years: The Complete Singles (1966-2006). For most listeners, the singles collection, or hit anthologies Anthology or The Definitive Pop Collection are better places to start; but starting with this album, the band and its writers and producers had something more to say than would fit on the singles charts.
Collectors’ Choice’s straight-up 12-track reissue clocks in at under 30-minutes, leaving one to wish they’d doubled-up with a second album (or add bonus tracks), as they did for recent reissues of Jackie DeShannon, Waylon Jennings, B.J. Thomas and others. This is one of four albums (also including Gettin’ Together, Travelin’ and James’ third solo release, My Head, My Bed & My Red Guitar) billed as an initial offering from the entire Shondells and Thomas solo catalogs. The six-page booklet includes full-panel reproductions of the album’s front and back covers, and newly struck liner notes by Ed Osborne that add fresh interview material from James himself. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]
Teriffic Merseybeat sounds from the heart of the punk era
Amid the skinny ties, safety pins and DIY ethos of late-70s punk rock, a few brave souls stood in contrast with well-crafted pop and tunefully sung harmonies. Among them, the Poppees most visibly swathed their sleeves with Beatles influences. Well, “influences,†is probably an understatement. Though they weren’t a Beatles tribute band, per se, “homage†is a more accurate description of the group’s sound. Like the bands sprung directly from the Beatles’ wake (e.g., Uruguay’s Los Shakers, Poland’s Czerwone Gitary and New Jersey’s Knickerbockers), the Poppees didn’t so much take a cue from the Beatles as they took whole pages of music, along with the Fab Four’s fashions and haircuts.
The Poppees actually got their start in 1974, a year before the downtown New York City scene exploded with new music. Their first single,†If She Cries,†was produced by Bomp head-honcho Greg Shaw in 1975, and opens tellingly with the same guitar strum with which the Beatles led their cover of “Do You Want to Know a Secret.†The flipside, helmed by soon-to-be-Ramones-producer Craig Leon, was a cover of Lennon and McCartney’s “Love of the Loved†that features the winsome qualities of Gary Lewis & The Playboys. In short order the group was playing CBGB and Max’s Kansas City alongside punk and new wave bands who would soon become icons. The following Spring the Poppees cut their second – and last – single, the original “Jealousy,†backed with a cover of Little Richard’s “She’s Got It.†Produced by Cyril Jordan, the single is even hotter than the debut.
Only a few months after their second single was released, the band split, sending lead guitarist Arthur Alexander to start the Sorrows (soon to be joined by drummer Jett Harris), and bassist Paddy Lorenzo and rhythm guitarist Bob Waxman to start the Boyfriends. Bomp’s CD fleshes out the band’s two singles (which, on their own, are worth the price of the disc) with demos, live performances and an unreleased studio track. The extras are often as good as the original singles, highlighted by the Harrison-esque volume pedal of “Sad Sad Love,†the flaming hot (and crisply recorded) CBGB live cut “She’s So Bad,†a harmony call-and-response take on Dusty Springfield’s “Stay Awhile,†and demos of “If She Cries†and “Jealousy†whose charms may be even greater than that of the finished singles.
Unlike fake Beatles bands (such as the Buggs, Liverpools, and Beatle Buddies) whose budget labels sought to fool unsuspecting buyers, the Poppees celebrated the Beatles with their original echo of the Merseybeat sound. There are Rutles-like moments of “spot the Beatles,†such as the “All My Loving†guitar figure in “I’ll Be Loving You†and the “This Boy†riffs in a cover of “Since I Fell for You,†but like those who earnestly rode the wave in the mid-60s, it’s affectionate and terrifically infectious. By the time they played “Woman†at Club 82, the group was moving towards a harder rock sound, having exhausted their exploration of Please Please Me and With the Beatles. But those early sounds are great to hear, and sound as fresh as they did in 1976 and 1963. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]
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Throwback power-pop and rock with modern energy
Okay, their white shirts say “children of The Knack,†which would also make them grandchildren of the Beatles. And with Doug Fieger having passed away last month, it’s great to hear the next generation carrying the torch for power-pop and rock. Raised in Lake Charles, LA, the Research Turtles could easily have been an Americana or redneck rock band, but they latched onto classic pop and rock sounds of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, kicked up the tempo and turned up their electric guitars. You can hear the Ramones in the opening riff of “Mission†before it breaks into a power-pop harmony rocker that will remind you of the Greenberry Woods. Remember the scene in Bring it On where Torrance dances on her bed to a song written for her by Cliff? Well you should, and then you’d understand the sort of effervescent abandon the Research Turtles can inspire. Great hooks, powerful playing, tight harmonies and terrific production add up to some truly great power-pop. On the heavier side they have a Lenny Kravitz-styled number called “The Riff Song,†hit a driving Nirvana-styled groove on “925,†and show off their lead-guitar chops on the closing “Break My Fall.†Calling all fans of Matthew Sweet, the Plimsouls, Smithereens, Teenage Fanclub, Material Issue, Sloan, Rooney, Fountains of Wayne and, of course, The Knack – take a listen and join the horde of fans that wonders how this band could still be unsigned. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]
MP3 | Mission
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One of rock’s great voices returns with something to say
Peter Wolf’s first new release in eight years will instantly make fans realize just how big a hole his absence left in their lives. It will also make you long for a time when cool rock music was everywhere, could be heard regularly on the radio, and didn’t need adjectives to claim it independent of the mainstream – it was the mainstream. Wolf’s solo works have always retained the fire of his earlier sides with the J. Geils Band, but they were also the product of an adult voice. Together with longtime producer Kenny White, Wolf’s crafted a sleek album of rock music that draws heavily on its R&B, soul and blues roots. He’s written or co-written all but one of the fourteen tracks, and covers Alan Toussaint’s “Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky.†The latter is a perfect vehicle for the Wolf showmanship.
Wolf duets on the opening “Tragedy†with Shelby Lynne, calling, responding and harmonizing as a couple dancing passionately on the razor’s edge between reconciliation and extinction. The song opens with Wolf singing against rich guitars, giving listeners a moment to luxuriate in the qualities of his voice. But as Lynne and the band kick-in, she proves herself the perfect foil and the arrangement builds and subsides with the song’s exhilarated and exhausted emotions. Romantic turmoil and opportunities are considered alongside Wolf’s thoughts on mortality. “There’s Still Time†is resolute in making the best of current opportunities, while “Lying Low†looks forward. The themes twine together in “Green Fields of Summer,†a duet with Neko Case that realizes the actions and relationships of the here and now echoe into the hereafter.
Mostly it’s women that are on Wolf’s mind. He dreams and chases, fights and makes up, keeps an eternal flame in “Always Asking for You†and laments losses in “Then it Leaves us All Behind.†There’s hard-won experience in both his optimism and heartbreak, and he expresses this with humor on the motor-mouthed soul rap “Overnight Lows.†The album closes with a pair of honorifics, the retrospective tribute to Willy DeVille, “The Night Comes Down,†and the beautifully crafted Merle Haggard duet, “It’s Too Late for Me.†Wolf sounds great throughout the album, in good voice and reveling in his blue moods; his new songs are crafted to tell stories with their arrangements as well as their lyrics. Let’s hope the next triumph isn’t eight years away! [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]
Carefully constructed production pop with echoes of the ‘60s
This 7-song album seems to have drifted into the market than havebeen launched. Originally recorded in 2004 by songwriter and Cat Power bassist Erik Paparazzi with a seven piece band, the project was shelved for several years. Paparazzi deconstructed and remixed the tracks and finally came up with some lush pop that suggests the production-bound work of Brian Wilson and mid-period Beatles, but also touches of chamber pop and even the snappy 60s-isms of Herb Alpert (check out the horns that end “Up, Up and Awayâ€). There are short, contemplative instrumentals, glam rockers and minor key crawls, and though the album’s title might suggest the tracks are ornate, Paparazzi’s final constructions are carefully decorated rather than overdone. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]
Surfing the Baltic Sea
French… English… Esperanto… the world’s true lingua franca is apparently surf music, as shown by this Russian Federation group’s impressive instrumental chops. Hailing from St. Petersburg, their music is inspired by some tasty Baltic Sea waves. The brainchild of artist/musician Oleg Gitarkin, the band has previously collaged a variety of musical and spoken sources, including surf rock, soundtracks and film dialog. A few fragments of the latter remain, but this is primarily an instrumental surf music album stoked by spring reverb, tremolo and vibrato bends. There are a few vocals, sung and recited, dialog clips and sound effects, but its twangy guitars and pounding drums that keep things rolling. Gitarkin’s fascination with horror films is evoked in the titles “Vincent Price Bible,†“Bruce Lee vs. Christopher Lee,†and, invoking both Herbie Hancock and 1950’s 3-D, “Rock It, Creature from the Black Lagoon.†The original “Twin Peaks Twist†brings the atmospheric creepshow to the dance floor where you’ll already be working on your surfer’s stomp. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]