Sure I love the Beatles and the Byrds and the Velvet Underground, but can there be any doubt that it is actually the Embarrassment who were the greatest band that ever lived? I'd read bits and pieces about this band in the Wichita Eagle-Beacon, and was intrigued by the notion of a band from a city I could actually travel to in an afternoon playing original music. I thought all bands in Kansas played covers, mostly of REO Speedwagon or Van Halen. But it wasn't until I saw a review of "The Embarassment EP" in Stereo Review, of all places, that I decided to send a letter to the address asking how I could get one. Thanks to Jake Euker, it arrived shortly, and I found disconcertingly that after playing it, my Cars and Gary Numan records (the manifestations of "new wave" that were available at the Alco Discount Store) seemed drab and colorless. It was so exciting that after hearing it I had to go out and walk around the neighborhood in an attempt to dissipate the energy and/or try to tell somebody about the epiphany I'd just had. ("Just ignore him and he'll go away," was, I'm sure, the most common reaction.) A few months later my brother would come along with his KJHK cassettes (alluded to in earlier posts) and completely blow my mind. It was an incredibly exciting time, and I've still feel very lucky and grateful to have experienced it.

By the way, although it is currently out of print, Bar None Records was still planning to press more of the Heyday CD the last time we talked to them.

I was going to say something about the underrated Walkabouts, but then I looked at my shelf and saw that I only have a two of their 37 or so albums, so apparently I'm as guilty as anybody. Cataract is a fantastic LP, updating traditional folk changes and topics and then pushing them through overdriven amps, but "Goodbye..." stands out by revving the speed of their open-chord flailing to near-Feelies levels. I saw them at the Bottleneck during the Early Sub Pop years, and they were as likeable in their "aw-shucks" between song patter as they were ferocious in tearing into the next song. Wonderful.

Some may disagree, but of this UK outfit's two 45s, I actually prefer this one to the more often-comped "Go Ahead." There's something in the melody at the end of the verse that reminds me of Crabby Appleton's "Go Back," certainly a pleasant evocation. More jangle than power chording, sort of like "I Don't Wanna Cry" by the Keys.

Friends-

I really wanted to put up a song every day, so that folks could have one to look forward to on a daily basis, but obviously I'm falling behind; between school and work there are some days I just can't find the extra 20-30 minutes to get one done. I will be trying to catch up however, so please keep looking.

Also, thanks to you folks who have contributed to the comments. I truly appreciate all of the corrections, additions, and musings, and I owe some of you a response. Unfortunately I find myself wanting to put off responding until I have enough time to write a decent note, and of course, I never find the time. Everyone's kind words have meant a lot though.

Coming soon: An in-depth response to the Children of Nuggets box set, and a look at coming releases by artists featured on Little Hits.

Best wishes,

Jon

The Hollies had some real strengths besides their lauded harmony blend. They also had one of the most underrated drummers of the British Invasion in Bobby Elliott, and a not insignificant amount of songwriting chops. By 1966 there wasn't much fluff to be found on their albums; I would gladly throw down for a double CD from the Imperial years that contains not only the hits (My favorite is "I'm Alive," What's yours?) but the many great non-45 tracks from their first few years. This one is perhaps my favorite, but there are others from this same album like the oft-covered "You Know He Did," and "We're Through" that cruise past the era standards for "filler." Great cover of "Mickey's Monkey," too.

One of the sleepers from the much-beloved NME C86 compilation that unintentionally gave name to a particular indie-pop sound. This track arrived later than some of the others, but has stuck around for years, and sometimes on sleepless nights still hovers around my dimly-lit living room during the quiet wee hours. Their records aren't terribly easy to find; despite sporadic bouts of intense searching this is the only one I've come up with. Anybody care to comment on the quality of the rest? Brian?

I'm not sure if this is the Penelope Houston's first post-Avengers effort, but it revealed an unapologetic turn into 60s-derived folk which continues to this day. This is the B-side of a charming '86 single which was very popular in my dorm room; both tracks are on the Birddboys LP (Subterranean, 1988) which I enjoyed quite a bit as well.