Music Worth Noticing

Text and still images © Robert Barry Francos
Videos from the Internet

There is a lot of great music out there, though there is a far larger amount of stuff I never need to hear again. That being said, I am listing here a half dozen plus two songs and musicians who never really received the attention they deserved. Many are cult status and definitely have their fans, but never to the level of where they would be appreciated on a mass level. There is something to be said that perhaps it is better that way because then success would not “tarnish” them, a punk sentiment that is sometimes wildly wrong (such as with Husker Du) and sometimes right on (Blondie comes to mind). There is no particular order in which these are listed, and I have no idea how long the links will last, but here ya go:

[B-Girls at CBGBs, 1978]
1. The B Girls – “Fun at the Beach”
The first I saw this Vancouver band play at CBGB was in 1978, opening for the Runaways (just after Cherrie left). Like the band they were opening for, the lead singer would soon leave, and the band would fall apart. This is a shame because similar to the ‘60s surf bands that didn’t surf (e.g., The Trashmen), the B Girls embodied a California sound that they adopted and adapted. Their releases on Bomp! Records are pure pop powerhouse fun.

2. John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett – “Really Free”
Back in the late ‘70s, I had the opportunity to interview John Otway for my fanzine, FFanzeen, thanks to the wonderful Janis Shacht. Wild Willy didn’t come for the U.S. tour, which is hardly surprising since it was to promote John’s first non-Willy release, on Stiff. His show at the Ritz (if I remember correctly) was very lively and filled with motion. Otway is definitely a bigger cult hero in the U.K., with a few hits, and never made much of a dent here. Some of my fave cuts are this one, and “Beware of the Flowers Coz I’m Sure They’re Gonna Get You (Yeah).” A few years ago, Otway came out with a greatest hits album, which has become a regular on my car system, and worth seeking out.

3. Her and Kings County – “My Backyard”
This New York group is young and viable, having recently released their second CD. While listed under the country category, I would hardly call them C&W. This is a fun tune about growing up in the Bronx, being “Fifteen feet from the highway…A million miles from Nashville.” I am glad to have had the opportunity to get to hear them.

[Kim Kane of the Slickee Boys, at CBGB, late '70s]
4. The Slickee Boys – “Ya Gotta Tell Me Why”
I got to watch the Washington D.C.-based Slickee Boys play CBGB a few times in the ‘70s, and they always came across as exciting, in a Fleshtones kind of way (easily seen in this video). Vocalist Mark Noone and guitarist Kim Kane had a driving pop melody that very few have matched.

5. Lopez Beatles – “Bitchen Party”
I’m not sure where I first became away of the Lopez Beatles. It may have been this video airing on Videowave, or the Friday Night Videos program ABC used to air, when Ric Ducommun ran it – or perhaps Tom Kenny – and they showed many off-beat selections (like “”Dog Police” by the Dog Police [youtube.com/watch?v=0359hSerDeE] and Billy and the Buttons “Whole Fam Damily”). These brothers are very off kilter in a California punk pop way that make this simply charming and energetic.


[Paula Pierce of the Pandoras, at Irving Plaza, early '80s]
6. The Pandoras – “Hot Generation”
The show where they played Irving Plaza in the early ‘80s was killer. Paula Pierce was fierce in her post-garage period (before the band went more mainstream metal), fueled by Bomp! and the California surf scene. Unfortunately, Paula died of cancer at a very young age, and they never got to reach the level they were probably destined to achieve. Their most popular song is “Stop Pretending,” written about an ex-boyfriend who was a fanzine editor in NYC (and a total dick to me more than once), but this one is closer to the period when I saw them.

7. Sophe Lux – “Target Market”
This video takes a while to get going, but it is most certainly worth the wait. I first became aware of the band when I reviewed their CD for a paper that is long gone. They are certainly Baroque and ethereal, but they certainly don’t come across as pretentious to me. Again, this band is still going strong, and I am sorry to have missed them when they played in New York last year at Joe’s Pub.

8. The Cynics – “Girl, You’re On My Mind”
The Cynics are still going strong after a number of years and personnel changes, though vocalist Michael and guitarist Greg have been steady throughout. I’ve seen them play a few times in New York (and at Maxwell’s in Hoboken). The last time was with Mystic Eyes, led by Bernie Kugel, who coincidentally wrote this song (Mystic Eyes are also on Greg’s Pittsburgh homed label, Get Hip. Just about anything on that label is worth seeking, and this song especially. This is just one of the many amazing videos to be found on the documentary DVD, The Knights of Fuzz.

CD Reviews - Mixed Batch

Here are some CDs that cover the entire country, in both geography and style.

Listening to Vancouver-based CINDERPOP on “Their Skies Are Beautiful” (bongobeat.com) is just what I would imagine it would be like to float in one of those saltwater immersion tanks that gives one a feeling of weightlessness. Super powerpop that is incredibly smooth and polished as ice over glass. A substantial ‘sixties influence as deep as a homage to bands like the Association or Beau Brummels meet the Dream Academy. Kevan Ellis has a voice that glides over the music and programmed sounds. To be fair, and to their benefit, the programming is exceedingly credible and accessible, and not rinky-dink plunking as it tends to be. Very purdy. . – RBFrancos/FFanzeen

The DARK MARBLES originated, in many ways, in the garage revival of the 1980s. Lead singer Yod was in the Buffalo band, the Splatcats, and more recently in the Bernie Kugel Experience. The three cuts presented on “Let’s Go!: First Three Singles” (darkmarbles.com) are actually from that revival mold, and yet all three are different. “Run Through the Rain” is the purest of the paradigm, with cool farfisa sounds and twangy guitars. “In Angola”, written by Yod, is a moody piece, more arty than garagey, but still maintains enough to see the influence. The last cut is a cool cover of The Good’s (i.e., Bernie Kugel) first single, “Walk Around the World”. More pop than garage, the song is well covered by the DM, and they add their own touch to make it their own. Not we sit back and wait for the whole album. – RBFrancos/FFanzeen

When one thinks of “theatrics” in rock in the U.S., one may reflect along the lines of Alice Cooper. In the U.K., it’s probably more towards the Who. In fact, British rockers have more readily adopted Dance Hall than we have with, say, Tin Pan Alley. “Waking the Mystics” (zarathustrarecords.com) by SOPHE LUX, from the U.S. West Coast, is the brilliant brainchild of Gwynneth Haynes, who wrote most of the music here and mixes rock, theatric technic, a vivid imagination, and a band who is totally attuned, and has produced a collection that stands out. Song topics include a “Marie Antoinette Robot 2073” suite, our idiot president who uses religion as a guiding force (from “President”: “Countless bodies burning bridges losing liberties/For a war based on the export of democracy…/You’d turn the water right into wine.”), to a time-tripping “Lonely Girl”. The music never talks down to the listener, and certainly is thoughtful…with some killer tunes with that said theatrical touch. Plus, the CD is enhanced so one can watch their brilliant “Target Market” video, which is the opening cut and a possible breakthrough shot. – RBFrancos/FFanzeen

This is some really fun and fucked up shit. Imagine the Ramones if they had grow’d up on Hank Williams rather than the Beach Boys. Picture the Plasmatics if they had flowered on Patsy Kline rather than Black Sabbath. With fiddle and tongue firmly in place on “Usurpers of the Tradition” (unclefucker.com), UNCLE FUCKER just WHIP through their number with a ferocity that’s rare even today. To give you an example, think of Charlie Daniels’ fiddling as the devil in “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, and then triple it. Great covers of “Ya’ll Come” and “Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” just burns rubber. This ain’t yer daddy’s bluegrass, this is a country all its own. Never heard nothin’ like it before; I gotta see these guys live, too! – RBFrancos/FFanzeen

In those glorious pre-punk-entitled days when it was just underground rock, bands like the WHITE DEMONS were a fun part of going to CBs or Max’s. They call themselves “Action Rock”, which I’m willing to agree is an accurate label, as I would with bands like the Dolls, Heartbreakers, Demons, and so many others rocked their way into our hearts. These guys are pretty solid and heavy, without being cumbersome. Their songs on “Say Go” (sonicswirlrecords.com) are catchy, and this is eminently worth giving a listen. In a time when bands were held back by the excesses of studio technology, as they are again today, it’s refreshing to see/hear a band just rock out without all the bullshit that not just pads, but disguises the sound. Melodic without being sappy, rocking without being boring, and musicianship that is nut grabbing. Ahhhhhhh, thanks, WD. – RBFrancos/FFanzeen

As always comments are welcome, and feel free to send us your material to review.