Such a charming 45 by Stuart Moxham's post-Young Marble Giants project, and perhaps the high point for the Gist. Something about this seems like a prototype for several mid-80s synth-pop bands, though again, I can't say exactly what it is. It just has the feel of something somebody like the Fixx might have done, although I never thought that that particular band had any songs this good.

The Letters 45, like the Nasty Facts record discussed earlier, may well be worth the silly prices it fetches on the eBay. (I've never been able to score an original at a point when I had the disposable income, but I do have a nice boot.) Very typical of the era, with a bit of the then-pervasive Jam influence. Great fun.

The Letters re-united a few years back to make an LP for Detour Records which was well-written and well-executed beyond any reasonable expectation. It could have been one of the great lost albums of 1981; the band sounds confident and assured, but also as if they're having a really good time.

The first disc by the Pearly Gatecrashers has some 60s element to it that we can't quite get our hands and paws on, though others may hear Blondie as the main reference point. The songs were written by singer Lenore Betteridge and guitarist Tim Butt. The latter, if memory serves, was also a member of The Whole World. Apparently the PGCs have a not insubstantial discography, but the only other thing we've heard is the highly recommended "Handy Hints EP" on Spain's Elefant Records.

This Gomez is not that Gomez. Chuck Cleaver led this interesting Ohio trio and then formed the Ass Ponys with ex-members of the Libertines when both bands splintered. As far as I know, this EP is the only evidence of their existence, a charming and low-key little record that fell through the cracks.

Lazy day today, so we'll cover ourselves by fulfilling some requests. The Bird Nest Roys B-side is here. And here is another Primitons tune from the EP. Love Ya!

In the summer of 1982 my brother Matt gave me a TDK AD-90 cassette marked “New Wave, Vol. 5,” consisting of songs he’d taped off KJHK, the radio station at the University of Kansas. “Let me know what you think.” He said. I took it with some skepticism; though my brother had rarely steered me wrong, I was pretty convinced at this time (I was 15) that there wasn’t any worthwhile contemporary music being made, and that whatever was on this tape, it probably wasn’t as good as the Dave Clark Five, or the Hollies. Although I’d already discovered and enjoyed things like the Pretenders, and even the Embarrassment from nearby (well, an hour and a half drive, anyway) Wichita, I was pretty convinced that there couldn’t be much else out there, and that rock music was a spent force as of about 1967.

This tape quite literally changed my life. I heard for the first time the Clash, the
Specials, the Cramps, Pere Ubu, the Only Ones, and many more. I asked for more, and my brother continued to supply tapes; eventually I believe there were 11-12 of them. I heard almost every important band of the late 70s/early 80s on these tapes, as well as quite a few insignificant ones. These cassettes were perhaps my biggest formative influence musically, as well as a dearly loved source of entertainment.

The tapes were flawed, however. One serious problem was that they’d been recorded on a cheap jambox that had only one speaker, and one stereo channel of all of the tapes (which were basically mono anyway) was largely hiss. But the most significant problem, was that Matt very rarely bothered to record the announcer’s voice, so I was generally left to my own devices as far as trying to figure out who the artists were. In many cases this was fairly easy, and in others quite difficult. I’ve come across many of them accidentally. I cannot adequately explain the giddiness I’ve felt when a likely looking record came in to Love Garden, and I dropped the needle on it to the sound of some long-lost tune from one of these tapes. However, a few have remained unidentified for years, and I am absolutely haunted by them. The tapes have long since disappeared, but bits of certain songs still flash in my mind.

A couple of years ago, I decided to try to re-create these tapes to the best of my memory. The idea was that they would be a Christmas present for Matt. (I sort of always thought that despite the sound quality, he always regretted giving me these tapes and letting me play them to death and lose them.) I decided to do some detective work in order to procure as many songs as possible. I posted vague descritions of some of the songs that I could never establish the identities of on the Audities Newsgroup and the Trouser Press message board. Someone kindly identified one of the songs as "Detroit Tonight" by the Necessaries.

Frankly this project involved dredging up a lot of material that was not nearly as good as I remembered it, but this track proved to be a big exception. It's not an Instant Pop Classic, but more of a slow grower. It was a great song to be young to; the images in the lyrics identified with my adolescent ennui and throbbing hormones, and at the same time suggested a bigger, more exciting world out there somewhere.

A beautiful, stunning fiesta of swirliness from the very necessary only LP by the Bird Nest Roys, which is not only one of the best looking LPs on the label, but one of the most under-appreciated. The flipside, which doesn't appear anywhere else to my knowledge, is a similarly thickly strummed version of the Hollies' "Bus Stop."

Perhaps some of you who love the Flamin' Groovies Sire LPs like Shake Some Action may have missed this obscure 45 on an Australian label which not only fits in pretty seamlessly with those records but also features a wonderful cartoon picture sleeve by lead singer Cyril Jordan. Mr. Jordan has a cool website dedicated to his artwork. You can see the paintings he did for many of the Groovies releases. Also, I found another object to add to my collection of rock related coffee mugs.

This one cracks us up. Great guitar solo too.

The first few seconds of "My Girl and Me" suggest an a-Ha single, or something equally trivial, but the first time I played it, I found myself smitten after about a minute, a feeling that only grew stronger as the record neared it's conclusion. It's just a terrific song, although the lyrics may hit a little too close to home for some of you. I know nothing about Gangway, except that they have a considerable discography and are fairly popular in their native Holland. All the info you want is here. Thanks to Brian Kirk for recommending this one.

The Primitons first record is exactly the sort that made us think about starting Little Hits. It's one of those records that gives great mileage, y'know? One of those records where your favorite track changes about four or five times, and all of the songs end up on mix tapes, and you eventually memorize every note. Despite having only seven tracks, its depth and variety make listening to it as emotionally satisfying as many a classic LP; the lyrics, contribued by non-performer Stephanie Truelove Wright mesh perfectly with Mots Roden's music to create incisive, thoughtful comments on the two subjects most often on the minds of the college-rock audience who heard this, those being parties and love (or some combination thereof). Please don't think that's any small thing. Please note also that this might be Mitch Easter's best ever production. Not as busy as some of his later stuff, but very sympathetic, with typically great guitar sounds and a big spotlight on the hook.

They had two subsequent releases on What Goes On, which I'm currently re-evaluating, but my gut instinct is that any band would have a hard time topping this record.

Dolly Mixture certainly knew some of the right people; this record was released on Paul Weller's respond Records and produced by Captain Sensible. Unfortunately, this celebrity hob-nobbing failed to catapult them to success despite their obvious talent and skill which is on full display on "Everything and More." They released an album, four singles, and an EP; There is a detailed discography/history here.

Would anyone have a CD-R of Demonstration Tapes: A Double Album to swap? I had a cassette some time back but the boys unspooled it all over the house in a frenzy of early morning playfulness. When I scolded them they acted kind of sorry, but pointed out that "It's a crap format."

It is interesting how some power pop singles, despite being a product of the DIY spirit of the punk explosion, sound as if punk rock never happened. A good example is the Action, an Ohio band who must have been the world's biggest Raspberries fans. The three 45s they released on their own Radiogram label are the kind of thing I expect some of you to hate, but they do have some serious devotees amongst power pop collectors. Trivial fact: Singer/guitarist songwriter Michael Purkhiser is the brother of Eric Purkhiser, also known as Lux Interior of the Cramps.

...is the new Pernice Brothers CD, Discover a Lovlier You. Joe Pernice is perhaps the best American lyricist in the game today, as well as a brilliant tunesmith who knows just when to throw in a minor chord. The band weaves a warm blanket of ringing guitars and layered harmonies (and an occasional Chills-like keyboard bit). Brian Wilson once stated that he wanted to produce an album of sounds hat "make the listener feel loved." He would surely be proud of the Pernice Brothers. Their fourth consecutive masterpiece? We don't know, but we are all hovering about six inches off the floor when this one plays in the vicinity.

Check out the band's very cool and amusing website, making sure to stop at the video for "Weakest Shade of Blue" and Joe's episode of "Cribs."

This Smart Remarks 45, more than any other, is responsible for my insatiable need to search out and own obscure pop singles. When I was in high school (around '83-84) I ordered a handful of 45s from the huge catalog of some failed distributor/mail order place back east. They consisted mostly of no-longer cool punk/wave titles. (A KBD collector could have cleaned up. Among the things I passed on were the Vains' "School Jerks," the Electric Eels, and, I seem to recall, Cracked Actor's "Nazi School".) Most of the ones I recognized were pretty expensive, say $2.50, which seemed like an awful lot back then, so I stuck to the unknown cheap stuff. I really had no idea what I was getting into, so I made my selections based on whether or not the band names and song titles sounded like they might appeal to my sensibilities (i.e. girls names in song titles, band names that hearkened back to the pre-Sgt. Pepper 60s). I scored big three times; among my selections were the Paper Tigers 45 featured a few days ago and the Riff Doctors' lovely "I Don't Want To Go Back." As great as those were, this one was special.

You know how so many punk and power pop records of the era have "ironic" lyrics about taking you out to the drive-in or meeting your parents, or whatever? This one evokes an innocence that seems completely real, an un-selfconsciousness that not even the fake British accents can negate. Perhaps that's why I like it so much; I don't mean to get all David Marsh on you, but it reminds me of that rare (and I do mean rare) hopeful feeling I occasionally had in high school that my interest in some girl might possibly be mutual. This is absolutely one of my very favorite records that ever lived.

Oh, produced by Tom Marolda, of the Toms. They had a 12" EP in 1985 which is rumored to be rather more slick.

The guys and I were discussing which of the Set's 45s we like best. Casey opts for the classic self-titled single (it appears on Rough Trade's Post-Punk 01 compilation), Shammy for "Alphaville," and Mickey and I like this one. I appreciate it for it's devilishly clever lyrics (a Monochrome Set hallmark) and spy theme ripoff chorus. I think Mickey likes it because of the reference to eating bugs.

Note to trainspotters: The version used for the 45 is the one from the Volume Contrast Brilliance LP. There is a longer version on Eligible Bachelors that was used on the Ambition: The Cherry Red Story compilation. It has a whistling intro and a longer guitar break. Just so you know.

Boston's Outlets were a beloved scene fixture at about the same time as the not terribly dissimilar Neighborhoods. They were definitely a pop band, but with more of a sneer than most. Several singles, an album for Enigma, and assorted compilation cuts were rolled out, but today Guitarist Rick Barton has much more notoriety with the Dropkick Murphys. I hope this doesn't blow his street-punk cred.

Casey wants to know "Would Chuck Warner put this on Teenline or Homework?" I remember seeing an article in Matter (still my all-time fave 'zine) about this obscure outfit back in the mid-80s, but the recorded output is scant, and a search of the internet reveals little. What we do know is that the mastermind appears to have been one Tony Kola, who was from Chicago.

Fowler Jones suggested this one. I saw the Balancing Act open for the Hoodoo Gurus in 1987 and enjoyed them far more than the headliners. In retrospect, they are far closer to Crosby, Stills and Nash (No Young) than I would ever have admitted at the time, but I find this LP, their first, to have maintained enough oddball charm that there are several songs from it I could have used without misgivings.

Playing catch up again today, so here are two of our favorite musings on the current season. The Da Biz track was also released as "Can't Wait 'Til the Summer Comes " under the name Ronnie Mayor, whom longtime Little Hits watchers may remember from the Tours track we ran a while back. Chris Stamey is of course one of our biggest heroes. This record was produced by Alex Chilton; the mix is erratic and effective in a way that recalls Big Star's 3rd, although the material obviously isn't nearly so dark. I was overjoyed to hear Mr. Stamey perform this song at his recent Bottleneck show, despite the depressing fact that it was atteneded by about five people.

The original dBs have reunited, and an album and tour are forthcoming. See the dBs website for details.

Record collectors know that this one is about as common as the Boyfriends single on Bomp, but we love it for its absurd juvenile delinquent pose and classic pop bridge. This is of course Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls, who subsequently made two LPs for RCA after he jettisoned the Criminals moniker. Probably appropriate; while those recordings draw upon the influence of the same trash-rock sources that the Dolls did, Sylvain's solo stuff was considerably less edgy than "Personality Crisis" and that ilk, especially in the vocal department.

I have been absolutely obsessed with this bit of Marxist jangle-pop for about the past two months, but I don't think it's the snippets of socialist imagery that move me nearly as much as the incredible drumming. McCarthy has a fairly lengthy discography by the standards of indie-pop bands of the era, but they are most famous for contributing Tim Gane and Laetittia Sadier to Stereolab. You might want to check out some of their CD re-issues at the Cherry Red Records website.

One of the many enchanting artifacts from the initial era of Creation Records was this disc by the Revolving Paint Dream, which included members of some of the other Creation notables of the era like Primal Scream and Biff! Bang! Pow! They took a long break after this single, then resurfaced with another terrific single ("Sun, Sea, Sand") and a couple of albums a few years later. Like some of you other folks, I first heard this song on the I Love the Smell of Napalm compilation, which introduced many of the wonderful 45s Alan McGee had corralled to the US for the first time.

A. More, AKA Anthony More, formerly of British Art rockers Slapp Happy (post-Henry Cow), released a terrific pop LP in 1979, Flying Doesn't Help, that suggested that he was a pop scientist in the realm of Brian Eno, Thomas Dolby or John Cale. This 45 version of "Lucia" is quite different from the one that appears on that LP, and sounds more like a Bowie track than the lush, less driving album version. His next effort, World Service, was much more difficult, suggesting a return to his prog rock background.

Here's a double header from one of my favorite compilation albums; two tracks by two great bands that are unavailable elsewhere. The first Radio Tokyo Tapes compilation has a mess of great stuff: "Paisley underground" bands like the Rain Parade, Bangles, and Long Ryders, punk tracks by the Minutemen and Wurm, arty postpunk outfits like 100 Flowers and Savage Republic, and more. There were two subsequent volumes which were eventually mashed along with the first into one CD, which for the most part preserved the very best songs but lost a little bit of the spirit and diversity of the LPs. There were a bunch of great comps coming out of LA at about this time; Joe Nolte of the Last/Happy Squid Records says that two of the best of them, Warfrat Tales (Last, Rain Parade, 100 Flowers and others) and Keats Rides a Harley (Gun Club, Meat Puppets, Human Hands, many more) will be re-issued on CD this year. Watch the Happy Squid site for details.

It is likely that we haven't heard the last of the Last or the Three O'Clock on Little Hits.

According to the liner notes of Dive Into Yesterday, a fine anthology of this amazing UK psych band, "Jenny Artichoke" was written as a desperate attempt at a hit single, and you can sort of tell. It's just absurdly catchy in a way that probably would have driven you nuts had you been forced to hear it over and over, but for some reason, like several other brilliant Kaleidoscope records it didn't sell. My wife Kit and I absolutely love this song; several other friends have also admitted a fondness, albeit with a sheepish expression. It's easy to tell your hipster friends you like "Flight From Ashiya," but something like this might be closer to what we mean by the term "guilty pleasure."

This awesome version of the Patti Smith classic later appeared on a promo 12" for a track from the Only Life LP; it may be the best of their B-side covers. I've also got nifty versions of "White Light White Heat," Jonathan Richman's "Now I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms," and Neil Young's "Barstool Blues." Does anyone have their version of "Egyptian Reggae?" I've never been able to track that one down.

Also, in their brief performance as the party band in the movie Something Wild, the Feelies (possibly as Yung Wu) performed "Fame" and "I'm a Believer." Has anybody ever heard the complete versions of those? I assume that they exist...

You know what I'm tired of? I'm tired of hearing rock music everywhere I go.

Sure, part of this rant has to do with the occupational hazard of working in a record store, but that's hardly the full extent of it. I go into the Chipotle to get some iced tea and I hear Sly and the Family Stone and James Carr. I go to the grocery store and I hear Aztec Camera or Roxy Music. I don't go to the Gap but I'm told you might hear the Fiery Furnaces there. When did we decide that we need to have rock music, much less relentlessly hip rock music accompanying every mundane aspect of our lives?

An excess of any commodity makes it less precious. As a pre-pubescent I remember pulling the clock radio under the blankets at bedtime, keeping the volume low to avoid parental hassles, hoping to hear just one more song before I went to sleep. Mine surely must have been the last generation to do this. Why would anybody bother doing that now? For heavens sake, tomorrow you can watch TV all day, and the commercials have plenty of cool tunes in them. When I used to check groceries, I couldn't wait to get home at the end of the day, because then I could play a record. If I still worked at that same grocery store, I'd get to bask in yuppie-friendly edginess ("Wow, man, Prefab Sprout. That's crazy!") all day long, and I'd probaby feel like doing what I do now when I get home from work, which is anything but listening to music.

And when did we all get so hip? Are all advertising agencies and marketing firms run by former college radio DJs these days? "But wouldn't you rather hear the Smiths than Britney Spears while you're waiting in line for Tacos?" Maybe. But maybe not. I don't have any emotion invested in Britney Spears; it's white noise to me. But to have something I actually loved used to create an ambience of hip so that white, college-educated people will know that this is a good place for discerning people with sophisticated taste to spend their money...well, that siphons some of the magic from those times when I may decide to play that music in an environment of my own choice. And if the process is repeated enough, the magic disappears completely. If something is used as background music long enough, it ceases to be capable of being anything else. If something is saturated for long enough, no matter how beautiful and powerful it may be, it will grow tired and trivial. Witness the destruction baby boomers have wrought upon the catalogues of the Beatles and Motown Records.

Don't think it can't happen to Joy Division.

Martin Newell is a fascinating figure with an extensive discography, as his entry at the Trouser Press site attests. It has never been easy to find his Cleaners From Venus recordings, especially the homemade tapes they were issuing in the early 80s. In 1997 Jarmusic of Germany released Don't Step On My Rainbow, a box set consisting of 5 7" EPs with four songs each, that purported to be some of the best tracks from the Cleaners' cassette-only period. It's a pretty cool object really, there's a photo book and a postcard and some other odds and ends. The music is great too, recalling the Beatles, the Jam, XTC, and on a cover of Syd Barrett's "Late Night," the Cure.

A while back I received in the mail a package from my old pal Debby Vanderwall containing a book by Giles Smith called Lost In Music, and I think it's fair to say that if you're the sort who has ever had an argument with your significant other about how long you've been in the record store, you need to get your hands on this. It offers Smith's thoughts on some vital matters including his youthful obsession with Marc Bolan, the lies people tell about what the first record they ever bought was, and his tenure as a member of Cleaners From Venus. It is an absolute delight.