Record Store Visit: Soundgarden, Syracuse NY 8/31/13

Adam Ant: Goody Two Shoes/Red Scar

Format: 7" picture disc
Country: UK
Year: 1982
Price paid: $3
Purchased at: The Bop Shop, Rochester NY

 

 "Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do? Subtle innuendos follow- there must be something inside"

Adam and the Ants parted ways in 1982, although Marco Pirroni stayed with Adam in the capacity of co-wrtiter.

Drummer Chris 'Merrick' Hughes rejoined 'Dalek I Love You.'

This is Adam's first solo single after leaving Adam and the Ants. It was a
#1 hit in the UK, reaching #12 on the US charts. This would be his last #1 hit.

Interestingly some Adam solo material- such as this disc-still carry the old 'Adam and the Ants' name. This error was corrected with later releases.

Expressos: Kiss You all Over / The End

Format: 7"

Label: WEA

Country: UK

Year: 1981

Price paid: $4

Location purchased: My Mind's Eye, Cleveland OH

The Expressos were a Rather low-energy rock band that fall under the 'New Wave' monicker due more to timing than any actual progressive musical aesthetic. At least in retrospect. Maybe if you were there back in the day this stuff would seem a little more radical and dangerous? Supposedly Elvis Costello was a big fan...

To my ear though their sound has a 60s retro feel to it, rather stereotypical of bands of this period/locale. 'Kiss You all Over' lacks that patina however, coming off more as standard rock ala Pat Benatar.

It's not bad stuff actually, but comes across as rather tame and conservative when you consider all of the cutting edge music that was going on around them. I'll coin a term here and call it 'Safe Wave.'

A tour around the internets dredges up scant information other than they have a small but enthusiastic fan base. I'd consider myself fairly well-versed in female-lead groups of the period, but other than their name I knew next to nothing about them before researching this single.

It's a bit murky, but it appears that guitarist Mick Toldi formed PIL (Public Image Limited) with Keith Levine (The Clash), bringing the fresh ex-Pistol John Lydon into the fold. Jah Wobble fits in there somewhere as well. At least as Toldi tells it. He left the band (at Rotten's request) before any material was released.

Upon leaving PIL Toldi met Rozzi Rayner, the soon-to-be lead singer of the Expressos...

The band were signed to WEA soon after, but although they toured with the likes of The Jam and Squeeze and bumped shoulders with contemporaries such as Bananarama,The Boomtown Rats, and other up-and-comers, they failed to find lasting public interest or financial success. The band split in 1981.*

The late 80's band 'Escape Club' (known for their song 'Wild Wild West') included The Expressos' former bassist Johnnie Christo.

Mick Toldi died of a brain tumor in April of 2011.

Vocalist Rozzi Rayner's whereabouts are unknown. It appears that she did not continue a music career after the band's breakup.

Regarding the package- I must say I quite like the sleeve. The shocking red/green design pops and, paired with classic DIY collage artwork, really makes a dramatic in-your face impression. Pity the sounds on the disc don't live up to the promise...

*See this link for the raw story, straight from the horse's mouth. For now I'll leave the info as 'anecdotal', but fascinating-  Mike Toldi reminisces

Culture Club Title: Karma Chameleon / That's the Way

Format: 7"

Label: Virgin/Epic

Country: US

Year: 1983

Price paid: $1 

Location purchased: Square Records, Akron OH

"Loving would be easy if your colours were like my dreams: red, gold, and green, red, gold, and green."

'Karma Chameleon' is the first single off of Culture Club's second album, 'Colour by Numbers.' It was an instant international hit, going to number one in 16 countries including the US (gold) and UK (where it was the best selling single of 1983.) More impressive still it's considered one of the best-selling singles ever, having sold some five million global copies.

The song was performed by the band on an episode of 'The A-Team.'

Boy George on the 'A-Team' commercial

Cover photography was done by David Levine, who photographed many other 80s artists such as The Cure, Siouxsie, and Kylie Minogue.

*Fun Fact- There's a Sex Pistols connection here. Boy George was approached by Malcolm McLaren to play with Bow Wow Wow, which he did, performing as 'Lieutenant Lush.' Annabella Lwin (the band's lead singer) wasn't crazy about the idea so he left to form his own band with Mikey Craig and Jon Moss (Moss had previously worked with The Damned and Adam and the Ants.)

Boy George meets Mr. T. Does it get any more 80s than this?

The Now Wave Sampler

 

 

Format: 7" EP

Label: Columbia

Country: US

Year: 1979

Price paid: $3.50

Purchased at: The Vinyl Underground, Kent OH

The 'Now Wave?' Never heard of it. I think Columbia was attempting to imply that the bands presented on this disc are 'New Wave'... or perhaps even something cooler? Based on the scruffy rag-tag groups I see on the sleeve I'm not buying it, but let's see what we've got here:


Sinceros- 'Take Me To Your Leader'

The sound is sort of a mix between Blotto and Queen. Inoffensive. But wow, they've got pedigree. Their rhythm section, consisting of members Bobby Irwin and Ron Francois, are credited with bass, drums, and backing vocals on Stiff artist Lene Lovich's debut LP 'Stateless.' They even joined her on the 'Be Stiff' promotional tour in 1980. After the band's demise in 1981 member Don Snow moved on to The Squeeze, while François joined The Teardrop Explodes before relocating (in 1982?) to Australia where he worked with such groups such as The Eurogliders. New Wave rating- A

Hounds- 'Doo Wah Diddy'

American band from Chicago formed in 1975. This single reminds me of The Cars on an off day. Supposedly they were a pretty big deal in the local Illinois music scene of the 70s, but outside of their home range they were seen as anachronistic relics, survivors carrying on rock's 'old school' sensibility. New Wave rating- F

The Beat- 'Don't wait up for Me'

Known in the US as 'The English Beat.' High-profile British 2-Tone ska band with a touch of punk thrown in for good measure. Odd song choice on this EP however, as by this point in their career they three singles in the UK top-ten charts to choose from... this was not one of them. New Wave rating- B

Jules and the Polar Bears- 'Good Reason'

If I were to go solely by the sound of this track I wouldn't be very impressed. Rather standard rock stuff, with a splattering of synth keyboards thrown in at the bridge for good measure. Not exceedingly cutting edge. However... the draw here would have to be Jules Shear himself. He found success as a writer, penning hits for both The Bangles and Cyndi Lauper. He was in a relationship with singer Aimee Mann, the subject of 'Til Tuesday's song 'J for Jules', and co-writer of the title track on their third album 'Everything's Different Now.' In January of this year (2013) he released the album 'Shear Shazar' with his wife Pal Shazar, formerly of Slow Children. New Wave level- A+

Aesthetically this one's a 'bit ugly' for my tastes- if I'm any kind of music snob then I'd have to be considered the type that's somewhat bias when it comes to sleeve graphics. I won't turn away good music due to lackluster packaging but, well, this one makes me feel a bit ill. Something about all those hairy 70s-era men on a poorly designed B&W sleeve is unsettling. I'll stomach it however since this was designed as a 'demonstration' (their words) promo and not for sale as such (where concepts such as 'pretty' and 'eye-catching' would be of greater importance...)*

Regarding rarity- although this is a 'promo' item it seems to be fairly common. My guess is it was a POS (Point of Sale) freebie given away at record store counters back in the day.

*edit- After further research it appears that this was a free EP given out when you purchased an LP by one of the featured artists. 45cat

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The Creatures: Right Now / Weathercade

Format: 7"

Label: Polydor

Country: UK

Year: 1983

Price paid: $3 

Purchased at: The Vinyl Underground, Kent OH

The Creatures are a side-project of Siouxsie and the Banshees' members Siouxsie and Budgie.

When the Sex Pistols reformed in 1996 the members of Siouxsie and the Banshees were so outraged that they dissolved the band on the spot upon hearing the news, or so the story goes. After that the The Creatures became a full-time endeavor for the duo.

Amazing song, one of the best of 1983 IMO, which is saying a lot!:

The Creatures- Right Now

'Right Now', a Mel Tormé cover, is the band's highest UK charting single to date- reaching #14 in 1983. Interestingly 1989's 'Standing there' reached #5 on the US dance charts making it the highest charting Creatures single.

Artistically the sleeve design is an iconic masterpiece, but being a Siouxsie/Creatures production that should surprise no one.