Song Of the Day: July 21, 2005
The Nashville Ramblers - The Trains
Ca. 1983 (?) Available on the Bomp Records compilation CD The Roots of Powerpop!
This is exactly what I think of when I hear the words "power pop." Not so much power chords and punky tempos, but actual emotional power, y'know. "Wednesday Week" was always my favorite Undertones song. I've heard exactly two songs written by Carl Rusk, but that's enough to know that this guy pushes all the right buttons.
This gem, put together with some of the San Diego revo-garage scenesters (Crawdaddys, Tell-Tale hearts, etc.) may be my favorite power pop song of all time. Rusk's vocal makes his longing sound positively apocalyptic. Everything about this song is perfect, from the Who chord-voicings of the opening to that wonderful Beatle chord that snaps your bent heart in half at the end. Great lyrics, brilliant production, get out the checklist, yep, it's all there.
Dennis Pash of the Leopards loaned me a video of this being performed live on some local LA(?) TV show hosted by Dominic Priore(?). It was pretty cool, and also featured Dennis and the lads running through "Psychedelic Boy." Anybody know what I'm talking about?
I've heard rumors of other Nashville Ramblers stuff existing, and that the band was also called the Black Diamonds at one point. I do know that with some of the Tell-Tale Hearts Rusk had a band called the Mystery Machine, whose great "She Is Not Mine" is on Voxx Records' Battle of the Garages CD, as well as the Roots of Powerpop! CD. I also would swear that I saw a 7" version of this listed on eBay once. Was I high?
This was at one point scheduled to be on Rhino's forthcoming Nuggets III: Children of Nuggets box set, which it now appears will be released on August 30. I've not been able to find a current tracklisting online, so I don't know exactly what's going to be on it, but we'll try to keep you updated. I'm sure Mr. Cat will have a few comments about his favorite Vipers song they didn't use, as well as a host of other gripes.
posted by Jon Harrison at 5:47 AM
10 Comments:
That "NO!" that kicks off the bridge made me sit up a little straighter in my chair.
In my cubicle.
Good thing I have headphones.
Brilliant indeed! Mr. Carl Rusk can also be spotted in the film "So I Married An Axe Murderer," in the beat band backing Mike Myers. Ta!
yep - this one of my favorites too - think they shared members with Manual Scan, as I remember trying to track down as much of there stuff as I could after hearing this one for the first time, it never really measured up.
I am trying to contact with Dennis Pash for an interview and talk about the Leopards ... Do you have some kind of email where I could find him?
please if so, send it to me to this email: sabonis@hotmail.com
thank you
Thanks for the nice compliments. Just for the record, the song was recorded to 3-track by the great Mark Neill. 1- live backing track, 2- Ron Silva on lead vocals with me behind his shoulder singing harmony and playing acoustic, 3- Ron and I singing ahhhs. That same night in '85 Ron, Tom and I recorded "Nashville Ramblin" and a cover of the Golliwogs song "Fragile Child". I have been planning to do a "History of the Nashville Ramblers" CD for ages. Maybe I will someday.
The show you are talking about is called It's Happening and was hosted by Domenic Priore and Audrey Moorehead. We are looking for Dennis Pash to release the tapes. Please contact us at http://www.myspace.com/switchedonaudrey
We also filmed the Nashville Ramblers, Untaimed Youth, Unclamined, and many others.
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you don't seem like you do this anymore. i am starting to do the same sort of thing, but with old albums mostly, instead of songs. but i was going to write about this song (Trains) for a series of entries about the best 100 new songs i heard this year, only two of which came out this years...blah blah blah, anyway i came across your blog. i hope you pick it back up.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjTgd7VDVIE
I agree - this is an archetypical, classic, soul-stirring song for the ages. Believe it or not, I had a Nashville Ramblers RP from Germany yers ago, with a few other, obscure cuts on it that escapes my memory!
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