The Jam — To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have A Nice Time)
from All Mod Cons (1978)
One of my favorite songs by The Jam, with some terrific rhythm changes. They really rip it up on this track…
Talking Heads — Love → Building on Fire
from Love → Building on Fire 7” b/w ‘New Feeling’ (1977)
Hadn’t heard this before—the first single by Byrne & Co., released in Feb 1977, seven months before their debut LP, Talking Heads: 77. (This track didn’t appear on the LP until the 2005 reissue, whereas the b-side ‘New Feeling’ did get a spot on the original release.)
Characteristically strange and lovely Byrne lyrics. Again, the obsession with buildings!
Been listening to this on repeat lately. Infectious.
It’s not love, which is my face, which is a building, which is on fire.
Greatest weird song ever. Or weirdest great song ever.
Aztec Camera — Oblivious
from High Land, Hard Rain (1983)
My new favorites, Scottish new wave group Aztec Camera. So, so good.
The Human League — Don’t You Want Me
An unforgettable performance by The Human League on German TV in 1982. Red lipstick, rouge and eyeliner are really the key to this song!
(the Hollywood footprints are a little extraneous, yes, but then again so are the fake palms)
Cube — Two Heads are Better Than One (1982)
Ready, set, dance. Very catchy synth-driven Italo-disco from Bologna in the early 80s. The trio is Englishman Paul Griffiths on guitar and vocals, backed by his Italian buddies Rudy Trevisi and Serse Mai, who play everything else, mostly stuff requiring a plug.
Chrisma — Aurora B.
from Hibernation (1979)
More from Chrisma, this time more glammy synth-pop than minimalist rock, with a Lynch-style video to match. Be warned that the video is slightly spicy.
Chrisma — C-Rock
from Chinese Restaurant (1977)
Electrifying Italian New Wave performed by the husband-and-wife team Maurizio Arcieri and Christina Moser. (Chris-Ma, get it?) The duo formed in 1976 in Milan, and relocated to London shortly thereafter, where they teamed up with the producer Vangelis (who scored Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire).
Working with Vangelis and his brother Nico, they recorded this debut. This song isn’t terribly complex but it’s what it leaves out that makes it so epic. A bare-bones masterpiece with pared-down drums (the high-hat trill is great) and muted electric guitar. Sounds almost Krautrock-like in its simplicity. The stage antics, however, were not so elegant:
During the promotional tour for Chinese Restaurant, Maurizio was known to perform a trick onstage in which he appeared to cut off his finger with a razor. The trick, referred to as a “finger job,” attracted considerable press attention.
On their next album, Hibernation, they whipped out the hairspray and the glam jams. More to come…stay tuned.
Their website isn’t pretty to look at but it has plenty of information if you want to dig deeper. (These two Chinese Restaurant promo shots are from there).
The Jam — That’s Entertainment
from Sound Affects (1980)
A friend turned me on to The Jam… and I haven’t been able to turn them off. Holy smokes.
Confusional Quartet — Beguine sulla Luna
from Confusional Quartet LP (1980)
I can’t for the life of me remember how this album ended up on my computer, but the fact is, it did. It’s a bizarre Italian prog/new-wave/jazz group from Bologna, who performed in white jumpsuits.
This number sounds like a slow, spacy rumba. In fact, it’s a beguine (on the moon), as the title indicates—a combination of latin folk dance and French ballroom dance popular in the 1930s, hailing from the Caribbean. Cole Porter has a tune called ‘Begin the Beguine,’ for starters, sung here by the lovely Sardinian singer Lia Origoni.
André Cymone — Kelly’s Eyes
from Livin’ in the New Wave (1982)
Epic squiggly-synth dance track about a long-distance affair, from Prince’s childhood buddy and onetime bassist André Cymone. With what may be one of the best lyric couplets ever:
I’m sick and tired of this phone affair
I just wanna get into your underwear!
They don’t make ‘em like that anymore, do they? Though WALSH sampled this track on his tune ‘Birthday Girl.’ So maybe they do.
Twin Sister — Bad Street (2011)
Was listening to the excellent new yvynyl summer mix yesterday, and this tune jumped right out, because I thought Mark accidentally threw a Tom Tom Club b-side on there.
Which, to my ears, means Twin Sister has locked into their best work yet. They’ve come a long way from their (also awesome) free-floating space jams—this is rock-solid new-wave funk, punctuated by glittery synths and staccato contributions from the rest of the band. And Andrea Estella’s vocals are better than ever—ultra-confident, alluringly deep. Dance party, anyone?
Zru Vogue — Nakweda Dream
from Nakweda Dream 7” (1981)
A four-minute, thirty-seven-second ride down a twisting water slide, eyes closed, arms crossed, plunging into dizzy blackness. The hypnotizing lyrics won’t slow you down…
The Palo Alto new wave/post-punk group Zru Vogue released this track in 1981. Sub Pop declared it the best indie single of the year, back when Subterranean Pop was just a fanzine Bruce Pavitt wrote for college credit, and the label was but a flicker of dust on his record player needle.
Picked this up on the excellent blog Murky Recess, thanks to a tip from Doug Schulkind’s always-illuminating show on WFMU, Give the Drummer Some.
D.A.F. — Der Mussolini (Tanz den Mussolini)
from Aufbruch In Die Endzeit (1980)
D.A.F. power through ‘Der Mussolini,’ in a video that, along with The Fall’s ‘Totally Wired,’ should be required viewing for anyone who wants to start a rock band. Gabi’s dance moves are worthy of serious study.
This was taped for Aufbruch In Die Endzeit (Advent of the End Times), a documentary of the Neue Deutsche Welle or New German Wave and punk scenes in 1980. The Apple II-style credits are precious.
Student Teachers — Past Tense
from Easter ‘78 - Halloween ‘80 (1981)
This is a great track — despite the cassette tape hiccups — and the story of how these 16-year-olds plotted to start a band while hanging out at CBGBs is great too. (read below) They went on to open for Iggy Pop, Richard Hell, The Ramones, before breaking up in 1980. If you like them, you’ll want to explore their website — some great posters and handbills, plus a few live tracks.
I found the Student Teachers on ROIR’s terrific “Singles: The Great New York Singles Scene” tape, which I bought for a single (get it?) dollar at In Your Ear Records in Cambridge about a decade ago. I suggest buying anything you see with their logo on it (as well as buying a tape player).
I’d give you the background here, but I think the band themselves do a good job:
In the fall of 1977 at a John Cale concert at CBGB the opening band was the Mumps. Sitting in the front row was the president of their fan club, Bill Arning. He was 16. A couple of other teenagers named David Scharff and Phillip Shelley, who came in from the suburbs to see Cale, arrived early to get good seats. They sat at the table next to Bill, and ended up befriending him.
A week or so later they saw each other again, this time at a Patti Smith poetry reading. Bill was accompanied by his friends Lori Reese and Michael Alago. They became fast friends. Soon they were planning what shows they would see, and when they would see each other.
Before long they decided that the easiest way to continue going to all of the shows they wanted to see would be to start a band. Bands could get into the clubs they played for free, you see, and so soon they joined ranks and decided to become the Student Teachers. Bill and Lori brought in their friend (and Bill’s schoolmate) Laura Davis. Alago decided he would rather photograph than perform. Now all they had to do was decide what instruments to play. Only Bill had an instrument, an electronic ELKA keyboard he was practicing on. Phillip wanted to play guitar. Lori and Laura decided to become the first girl rhythm section in a mixed gender band. That left singing for David.
The Readymades — Terry Is a Space Cadet (1978)
The Readymades were a San Francisco punk/new wave band in the late 70s. They landed impressive opening gigs for the Talking Heads, the Police, and Roxy Music…but never got their due. (Possibly due to the mic incident mentioned in yesterday’s post)
This song is totally different from Spy but I love it. Whimsical. Thanks to Shotgun Solution for uploading the vinyl single.
The one thing that enrages me about the Readymades is their determination to release their music exclusively on vinyl…which means I still haven’t been able to hear their LP, San Francisco Mostly Alive. If anyone wants to rip it to digital and upload it…well that would be awesome.
Terry, Terry, you’re my space cadet
Dairy queen of the saucer set
I’m your planet…I’m your planet
