Savage Republic

Figures of considerable repute within the Los Angeles post-punk community of the 1980s, Savage Republic grafted tribal percussion, industrial drones, and raga-like guitar lines together to craft an idiosyncratically moody sound with flashes of both desolation and eloquent grandeur. Capable of both harsh dissonance and shimmering textures, Savage Republic's guiding force was guitarist Bruce Licher, a founder and constant presence in their shuffling lineups. Alternating between cyclic instrumentals and quasi-industrial assaults with gruff, chanted vocals, their records were unavoidably inconsistent, but most contain some enduring highlights. 

 
Savage Republic were founded by former UCLA students Licher and drummer Mark Erskine in the early '80s. Adding new members Jackson Del Rey, Jeff Long, and Robert Loveless, the group members originally called themselves Africa Corps, changing the name to Savage Republic just before releasing their first record in 1982. Exotic percussion would always play a big role in Savage Republic -even in the early days they were using oil cans, metal pipes, and 55-gallon drums. Their early singles, and their debut LP 'Tragic Figures' (1982), show the group at its least accessible, though there are hints of the more mysterious and melodic elements to come. 

 

 

After some personnel changes (some members went off to form 17 Pygmies), Savage Republic regrouped with a more guitar-oriented sound. On 'Ceremonial' (1985), the band shifted its focus to mostly instrumental material, usually piloted by oddly tuned guitars (the group sometimes used guitars with six identically tuned strings). They'd never wholly abandon those droning, angst-driven chants, though. Combined with the fact that their instrumental material wouldn't break much new ground over the course of the decade, that can make their studio albums uneven listening. In any case, Savage Republic were best experienced live, where they would burn trash cans of pampas leaves, play on Los Angeles' Skid Row, and use all sorts of unexpected objects for percussion in their quest to make each concert a unique event. 

 
Savage Republic's albums, which were individually hand-letterpressed and numbered by Licher himself, received as much attention for their packaging as their music. Licher would perform the same services for other bands on his Independent Project label, even getting a Grammy nomination for his work on the first Camper Van Beethoven LP. Savage Republic were not destined to become nearly as big as Camper (not that this was ever their intent), and disbanded around 1990. A small reunion tour brought the band back in the fall of 2002, but the band only played a few random dates. After relocating to Arizona, Licher continued to run the Independent Project label, and design sleeves (his most famous work in that department has been for an R.E.M. Christmas fan club single). Musically, he resurfaced with the trio Scenic, which played entirely instrumental material that blends the exotic flavor of Savage Republic with influences from Ennio Morricone and Southwest border music. 

 
The group re-formed in the 2000s, although Licher was involved only with an initial reunion tour and Erskine was not involved at all; this lineup comprised a trio of mid-'80s members -Greg Grunke, Thom Fuhrmann, and Ethan Port- along with new recruits Alan Waddington, Val Haller, and Kerry Dowling. This lineup recorded the full-length '1938', which appeared in 2007 on the Neurot label. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

 

Stitched-Back Foot Airman

Stitched-Back Foot Airman started in the early eighties as a side project to the Southampton UK based band Games To Avoid led by guitarist and singer Simon Vincent. Stitched was initially an "occasional" band Simon formed with his younger brother Robin Vincent and Mike Farmer and film maker/visual artist Crimp Beringer. The name was taken from a headline in the Southern Evening Echo relating to a small plane pilot who had crashed and had his foot re-attached to his leg, the full headline was "Stitched-back Foot Airman on the mend". 

 

The band operated without boundaries, constantly swapping instruments and experimenting with many different sounds. Their first ever gig at The Kingsland Hall in Southampton (circa '83) has become a legendary boundary busting event. As time passed Games to Avoid and Greeting No.4 both dwindled and Stitched became the main focus. 

 

In '83 or '84 the band migrated to London and several records were released on their own label Very Mouth including the sublime mini album 'Seven Egg Timing Greats' and the 7" 'Wouldn't You Like to Know'. They then signed to the Manchester based label In Tape and released 12" 'Shake Up' and the 12" 'Costa Del Sol'. 

 

Stitched-back Foot Airman played many gigs, mainly in London in the mid-eighties and were regulars at early Club Dog and Whirly-yGig events also sharing bills with the likes of Mekons and Psychic TV, and supporting luminaries like The Smiths just before they hit the bigtime. They also played at a WOMAD festival in Carlyon Bay, Cornwall in 1988. Life's needs meant that jobs were found and around this time Simon moved to the Welsh borders where he has lived ever since. Mike Farmer worked for EMI publishing for a couple of years in their West End studios before setting up home in Sussex and earning a crust writing library music. Robin has pursued an active career as an academic. All are still making music and both Mike and Robin played on Simon's album 'Out of Here' released in 2004. The band have never split and still occasionally get together to record. 

Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience

Paul Groovy & The Pop Art Experience are a garage-rock band who formed in the early ‘80s, performing with the likes of The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Pastels, The Mighty Lemon Drops, The Shop Assistants, The Prisoners and The Cannibals. 

 

Singer Paul Groovy was part of the early Creation Records scene, helping Alan McGee hand-fold and wrap 7″ singles and chronicling that early scene in his Groovy Black Shades fanzine (hence his Paul ‘Groovy’ moniker, given to him by McGee himself). Paul also sang with the Creation house band backing him at legendary venues like The Living Room and Ambulance Station. 

 

Paul and guitarist Steve also have their own radio shows, drummer Jane was in The Green Hornets and Tone E wrote the book "Twenty Missed Beats". 

 

The band use Beatles harmonies and key changes, and with their stand-up girl drummer, they have often been compared to The Velvet Underground. They add 70s Punk sensibility to a 60s Paisley Underground vibe. [SOURCE: SPINOUT PRODUCTIONS]

 

The Saints

Roaring out of Brisbane, Australia in 1977 with the punk-era classic "(I'm) Stranded," The Saints, despite going through numerous incarnations, were a part of rock & roll for more than 20 years, thanks mainly to their indefatigable leader (and founder), Chris Bailey. Although they didn't play anything that passes for punk rock after about 1978, and despite extended dormant periods, The Saints never officially broke up, and Bailey always seemed to have another version of the band and another record ready to release. Saints' fans generally fall into two distinct camps: the punk-era fans (up to about 1980) and the mature pop fans, which for American audiences begins with the release of 'All Fools Day' in 1987. After co-founder Ed Kuepper left in 1979 and the band became Bailey's show, the twists and turns he took them through (horns, folk/blues arrangements, as well his numerous solo excursions) produced some good music, but it was mostly scattershot and lacked focus, though Bailey did record two fine records with the late-'80s incarnation of the band. 

Punk-era Saints were exactly what you'd expect: buzzsaw guitars, Bailey's pissed-off, nasal vocals, and locomotive rhythms supplied by bassist Kym Bradshaw and drummer Ivor Hay. After the LP '(I'm) Stranded' became a modest hit in England, the follow-up record, 'Eternally Yours', showed some changes (more varied tempos, acoustic guitars) that would set the stage for their third record, 'Prehistoric Sounds', which combined horn arrangements into a punk-ish sort of R&B. It was at this point that The Saints were beginning to change enough to not resemble the band they were just a scant two years earlier. Kuepper left to form the arty Laughing Clowns and eventually made a number of records as a solo act. Bailey, however, got to keep the name the Saints and soldiered on, taking time here and there to record his own solo records.

 

 

To most Americans, The Saints were a dead issue, if they were still an issue at all. '(I'm) Stranded' caught on with punk aficionados, but hardly anyone else; 'Eternally Yours' came and went without a trace; and 'Prehistoric Sounds' was never domestically released (neither were any of the post-Kuepper Saints records of the early '80s). So, by the time 'All Fools Day' was released in 1987, there were many who thought The Saints were a brand-new band, and they were right. Gone were the rapid-fire guitar sound and bellowing vocals, replaced by sophisticated pop arrangements and more technically accomplished singing. The music was strong, intelligent pop that was better than much of the late-'80s "new wave." The next LP, 'Prodigal Son', wasn't as good, but did nothing to hurt the reputation of the "new" Saints. Oddly enough, Kuepper got together with Celibate Rifles guitarists Kent Steedman and Dave Morris and performed under the name The Aints. Gigging in Sydney, they generally played a set of '(I'm) Stranded'-era material and even recorded a couple of lo-fi live discs, all done for laughs. 

It took almost a decade, however, for the next Saints (meaning Bailey plus others) album, 1997's 'Howling', to come out. The record portrayed a louder, edgier band than what had been seen on 'Prodigal Son', and was followed soon after by 'Everybody Knows the Monkey'. In 2002, 'Spit the Blues Out' was released, and three years later, with The Church's guitarist Marty Willson-Piper on board, The Saints issued the rocking 'Nothing Is Straight in My House', followed by 'Imperious Delerium' (without Willson-Piper) in 2006. The original members of the group were reunited in 2007 for some shows, presumably to boost sales of a box set titled 'The Greatest Cowboy Movie Never Made'; otherwise, The Saints remained relatively quiet for the remainder of the decade. In 2012, Bailey teamed up with Barrington Francis and Peter Wilkinson to record a new Saints album, 'King of the Sun'. When the album was issued in the U.K. and the U.S. in 2014, it was accompanied by a bonus disc, 'King of the Midnight Sun', featuring the same set of songs but re-recorded in a rougher and rowdier fashion. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

A Riot Of Colour

Jangly North London-based indie-popsters A Riot Of Colour initially pulled off a major coup: they rapidly secured a John Peel BBC radio session off the back of their first, self-released two-track flexi disc. Unfortunately, though, things then went downhill all the way. The group briefly signed to Dan Treacy’s hip indie label, Dreamworld, during the summer of 1986, but their self-titled debut EP was delayed until spring ’87 (thus missing out on the C86-related buzz) and a mooted second 12” EP, for Brighton-based Playroom Discs, then remained unreleased due to a series of distribution-related difficulties. Of the band’s 80s gear, the spiky, post-punk-ish "Newtown" and the nagging, bittersweet "Sign O’ The Cross" are still the obvious stand-outs. [SOURCE: RECORD COLLECTOR]

Sado-Nation

The year, 1977; a small group of individuals had been waiting for a change in music to happen. The Sex Pistols broke out and a few bands quickly picked up on the energy and angst that the Pistols had exibited in their music. This was the birth of the Punk Rock scene in Portland, Oregon. Mark Sten, John Shirley and others began putting shows on around town. Corboy saw Shirley perform with the band Terror Wrist. Corboy approached John to listen to some songs he had written. The two set a time to play. Mark Sten was on drums, and Dave Propp, bass. Corboy said he wanted to call the new group Sado-Nation. It was winter of 1978. 

Sado-Nation had a total of three singers, four bass players, and three drummers. The band was most stable between the years 1980 - 1984. This was the period with vocalist Mish Bondage, Propp and Steve Casmano on bass, Chuck Arjavac on drums, and Corboy on guitar. In 1982 Mish Bondage joined Sado-Nation. She was recruited from the all female band, The Braphsmears. Previous to this time Corboy had been the main writing force in the band. Mish was able to contribute lyrics to the musical compositions that Corboy wrote. Mish Bondage is still a powerful singer and performer. Her stage presence was commanding. She was famous for her prowling movements as she spat out lyrics. 

In 1984, Corboy started to play guitar for the Psychobilly band, The Jackals. Sado-Nation was up and running, but members of the band wanted to expand. Sado-Nation broke up under the pressure. 

Mish and Corboy talked about reuniting Sado-Nation as interest began to stir in their music. Corboy was approached to headline a Legends of Portland Punk show in January of 2001. As more interest perked about Sado-Nation, Mish and Corboy began to work on releasing both new and older material. [SOURCE: REBEL NOISE]

 

Sacred Cowboys

Sacred Cowboys formed in early 1982 in Melbourne with Terry Doolan on guitar (ex-Fizztops), Janis Friedenfelds (aka Johnny Crash) on drums, Mark Ferrie on guitar (both ex-Models), Ian Forrest on keyboards (ex-True Wheels), Garry Gray on lead vocals (ex-The Reals, The Negatives) and Andrew Picouleau on bass guitar (ex-Metronomes, Popgun Men, X-Ray-Z). Gray and Ferrie based the name from watching "The Groovy Guru", an episode of the US TV comedy series, "Get Smart". In it, the Groovy Guru and his rock band, The Sacred Cows, use psychedelic music to control the minds of young people. Initially the group were a covers band playing Creedence Clearwater Revival, Alex Chilton, The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, Suicide and Bob Dylan. They built a reputation as "one of the most confrontational live outfits" in the local scene.

Within six months, Sacred Cowboys had signed with Mushroom Records' White Label and recorded a single, 'Nothing Grows in Texas', which appeared in November 1982. After a performance on TV pop show, Countdown, the host Molly Meldrum described them as "the worst group I've seen in five years", a title the band knew meant they were on the right side of the wrong side of the tracks. Gray responded with "[Meldrum] had a very good medium at his disposal but he never really used it to benefit the broad spectrum of music that was available in the country". According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, Meldrum's assessment had "instantly cemented their nefarious reputation as the local scene's enfants terribles. The band's music mixed post-punk moodiness and country raunch over a mutant swamp-blues backbeat". In July 1983 they released a second single, a cover of Chilton's "Bangkok". In the next month they supported US hardcore punk band, Dead Kennedys, at their Melbourne gig.

In December Sacred Cowboys followed with a six-track self-titled extended play on the White Label, which was produced by Tony Cohen (Models, The Birthday Party). At that time Chris Whelan replaced Forrest on keyboards. Early in the next year, a self-titled album on French label, New Rose Records, was issued. Meanwhile, Nick Rischbieth (ex-Related Mechanics) replaced Picouleau on bass guitar and at the same time the band decided to work without keyboards. In 1985 a live, demo compilation, 'We Love You . . . Of Course We Do', named after a cover of The Rolling Stones single, "We Love You", appeared on Man Made Records. However, by that time the group went off the road and Gray entered a drug rehabilitation centre to treat his heroin addiction.

 

Late in 1984 Ferrie and Friedenfelds formed The Slaughtermen, as a post-punk, alternative, southern gospel group. Late in 1987 Sacred Cowboys reformed with a line-up of Doolan, Ferrie, Gray and Rischbieth joined by Stephan Fidock on drums (ex-The Reels). Ash Wednesday briefly joined on keyboards (ex-JAB, Metronomes, Einsturzende Neubauten) but left after recording the album, 'Trouble from Providence'. They signed to Sydney-based label, Citadel Records, which released the album in August 1988. It was produced by Ferrie, Doolan, Cohen, and Martin Armiger (Paul Kelly & the Dots, Stephen Cummings). McFarlane described it as "one of the best independent releases of the year". It was also issued by Germany's Normal Records, both in the standard nine-track vinyl LP format and as a CD with six bonus tracks. The band issued two singles from the album, the title track in July and "Hell Sucks" in December. The latter was more popular and became the group's signature tune. Forrest rejoined on keyboards, late in 1990, but the group disbanded again at the end of the following year.

From early 1994 Sacred Cowboys reformed with a line-up of Doolan, Ferrie, Fidock and Gray, joined by Spencer P Jones, then Penny Ikinger on guitar (ex-Wet Taxis, Louis Tillett's Aspersion Caste). They released a compilation CD, seven-track EP, 'Black City', early that year on the Siren label. In 1997 the Australian edition of Rolling Stone listed it as one of the Top 100 albums of the 20th century. Another album, 'Things to Come', was released in July 1996. It was recorded at Atlantis and Espy Studios for Greasy Pole Records and distributed by Shock Records. By that time Spencer P. Jones had joined on guitar (ex-Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls). At various times Sydney-based alternative rock, blues rock band, Beasts of Bourbon, has included Doolan, Ferrie, Friedenfelds or Jones of Sacred Cowboys. By 1997 Sacred Cowboys had gone off the road again, Gray moved to France and was living in Montpellier.

In 2005 "Hell Sucks" was selected for Clinton Walker's compilation of Australian punk and post-punk music, 'Inner City Sounds'. Sacred Cowboys reformed in August 2006 with the line-up of Fidock, Gray, Ikinger, Jones, Rischbieth and Wednesday and in 2008 with Mark Ferrie. They played a series of shows in Melbourne, and the remaining line-up recorded the finishing touches to the album, 'Cold Harvest', which was released on Bang! Records in January 2007. In February 2008 they issued a compilation album, '1982–85: Nailed to the Cross'. The group toured in support of the release until August that year. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

Saccharine Trust

Although Greg Ginn's record label SST was, early on, associated with the angry, overamped guitar rant of SoCal hardcore (some of which came courtesy of Ginn's own band Black Flag), SST was also recording bands that pushed the limits of hardcore. Bands like the Minutemen, Universal Congress Of, and especially Saccharine Trust gleefully tossed in chunks of '70s progressive rock, avant-garde jazz, and funky kicks and pops into a stew already percolating with heavy(ish) metal riffing, shouted vocals, and extreme volume. Not all of the boundary-pushing that Saccharine Trust did was good (in fact, some of it is downright awful), but when they kept their tendency toward grandiose self-indulgence in check, they were a pretty formidable proposition, especially live, and recorded at least one indispensable record, 1986's 'We Became Snakes'. 

Formed in the early '80s by Joaquin (aka Jack) Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza, Saccharine Trust metamorphosed from a dissonant, noisy, anti-rock quartet into a more sophisticated, but still jagged and noisy rock-jazz band. Frequently, the band's "songs" were semi- or wholly improvised using a basic riff or simple drum pattern for guidance, rapidy expanding into uncharted territory. Not the most important band to emerge from Los Angeles in the early '80s, Saccharine Trust is interesting for incorporating varied textural elements into a genre that was defined by volume and simplicity. This band took risks that many of their SoCal brethren would never have dreamed of taking. This, however, does not make Saccharine Trust better than their peers, simply different, and a little more intriguing. By the early '90s, Brewer started his own band called, big surprise, The Jack Brewer Band. Joe Baiza formed the fine, funky, and exciting Universal Congress Of. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

The Ruts

With their unique blend of raucous punk rock laced with reggae and dub, The Ruts were one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Britain's late-'70s scene. Their career was cut cruelly short by the death of their singer in 1980, but still the group released six crucial singles and a seminal album in their short lifetime, while the surviving members soldiered on as Ruts D.C. They were also a powerful force within Britain's Rock Against Racism movement, ensuring a political legacy at least as vital as their music. On classic tunes like "Babylon's Burning" and "In a Rut," the band delivered rough-and-ready punk rock as strong as any of their peers in the first wave of U.K. punk, but "Jah War" showed they were similarly expert with reggae rhythms and dubwise production, and "Staring at the Rude Boys" showed they could blend punk sounds and West Indian themes, honoring each side equally. 

Formed by four West London schoolmates in early 1978, the quartet of vocalist Malcolm Owen, guitarist Paul Fox, bassist John Jennings, and drummer Dave Ruffy initially gigged around their neighborhood with a fairly unremarkable post-punk/early Oi!-ish set. However, the rise of the neo-Nazi National Front and its deliberate recruitment of young people saw the bandmembers take on an increasingly political stance of their own, adding their own voice to the growing grassroots opposition to the fascist threat.

 

 

It was from this grassroots response that Rock Against Racism sprang, informing and raising political awareness via musical events. The Ruts plunged into the organization very early on in their career, playing benefit shows and festivals, and it was at one such event that the group was introduced to the South London reggae band Misty in Roots. It was through Misty's own People Unite label that The Ruts' debut single, the driving 'In a Rut/H-Eyes', was released in late 1978. 

The single barely hinted at what was to come, and when the group performed a radio session for Radio 1 DJ John Peel a few months later, the song didn't even appear in their set. Even so, Virgin Records was one of several labels that recognized The Ruts' potential and signed the band in the spring of 1979. 

They were immediately rewarded when the group's next single, 'Babylon's Burning/Society', seared its way into the U.K. Top Ten. Inspired by the political and societal upheavals taking place across the country, the song perfectly caught the mood of rage simmering just below Britain's surface. Following a national tour supporting The Damned and the release of their Top 30 follow-up single, the rabble-rousing 'Something That I Said', The Ruts' debut album, 'The Crack', arrived in October 1979. With its seminal blend of punk, roots reggae, dub, and hard-rock-meets-hardcore sound, the album slammed its way to number 16 and into the national musical lexicon. 

 

Pulled from the album as their next single was the seminal 'Jah War'. Written in response to the riots that had ripped across London's Southall neighborhood the previous April, resulting in one death and numerous injuries, the song was a masterpiece of deep dub, a righteous riff, and an anthemic chorus. Filled with fury and despair, it encapsulated a bitter moment in Britain's history, much as The Specials' "Ghost Town" would do with equal brilliance the next summer. 

Amazingly, the single didn't chart; the song touched too raw a nerve and was thus informally banned from Britain's airwaves, but this disappointment didn't slow down the band. A headlining tour was followed by the quartet joining Jamaican ska legend Laurel Aitken for his first new U.K. single in years, "Rudi Got Married." The Ruts themselves reentered the Top 25 in April 1980 with "Staring at the Rude Boys," their own expedition into 2 Tone territory, albeit on a lyrical, not musical, journey.

 
The Ruts were preparing to begin work on their second album, an American tour was also in the works, while their latest British outing was sold out long in advance. Life should have been good, but Owen's own was in tatters. His marriage had fallen apart and his longtime heroin habit now raged out of control. The Ruts were forced to cancel a number of U.K. tour dates, and in desperation opted for a tough-love approach. They fired the singer, shortly after completing work on their proposed next single, "West One." 

 

This wake-up call seemed to work -Owen cleaned up and met with his bandmates to discuss a reconciliation. The meeting was a success, but Owen's own resolve was weaker. On the weekend of July 11, 1980, Owen returned home, got high, and suffered a fatal overdose. The remaining trio would continue on without him as Ruts D.C. (from the Italian "Da Capo," meaning "from the beginning"), but in a decidedly different musical vein. However, The Ruts' legacy lived on. A month after Owen's death, "West One" broke into the U.K. chart. Virgin began collecting up outtakes and non-album cuts for the 'Grin and Bear It' album, which also appeared later in the year. Ruts D.C. released a pair of albums, 1981's 'Animal Now' and 1982's 'Rhythm Collision', the latter produced by noted dub artist Mad Professor. Ruts D.C. folded in 1983. 

In 1987, Strange Fruit gathered up the group's three Radio 1 sessions for 'The Peel Sessions Album', as another reminder of the band's impact; it was reissued on CD in 1990. The following year brought 'BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert' (Windsong), a much preferable live set to 'The Ruts Live' (Dojo) and 'Live and Loud!' (Link), which both appeared in 1987. In 1995, Caroline released the compilation album 'Something That I Said'. An essentials collection, tribute album, and more live recordings followed into the 2000s, as well as a collection of unreleased early demos, 2000's 'In a Can'. 

On July 16, 2007, the band re-formed for a benefit concert in honor of Paul Fox, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Henry Rollins filled in on lead vocals, and The Damned, Tom Robinson, and Misty in Roots were among the opening acts. This inspired the band to return to the studio, with John Jennings and David Ruffy joined by guitarist Leigh Heggarty. They would record material over the next five years at Mad Professor's studio; 'Rhythm Collision, Vol. 2' arrived in 2013. A concert album, 'Live on Stage', appeared in 2014, while a new studio album, 'Music Must Destroy', arrived in 2016, with Henry Rollins performing guest vocals on the title track and Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers and Kirk Brandon of Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny appearing on "Kill the Pain." The same year saw another Ruts compilation, 'Babylon's Burning', which repackaged the 'Live and Loud!' and 'In a Can' albums as a two-LP set. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

The Turncoats

The Turncoats was a British Post-Punk band that made a fuzzed-out garage rock sounding like if The Jesus and Mary Chain meet Echo and the Bunnymen, dishing up a roiling storm of ominous distortion. They released the 12" EP 'Motor Ball Meltbeat' in the Noise A Noise label in 1986 and 'The Fridge Freezer E.P.', shared with Dog Faced Hermans, Sperm Wails and Membranes, in 1987. 

The Rubinoos

An American power pop band whose undying love for hooks and harmonies was wed to a sly wit that was never far from the surface, The Rubinoos were widely regarded as one of the best and smartest acts to come from the 1970s pop scene. Like The Raspberries and Pezband, The Rubinoos wrote and performed songs that affectionately honored the mix of irresistible melodies and spunky guitars pioneered by The Beatles and bubblegum, crafted with care and with a subtle yet clear wit that never quite turned snarky. The Rubinoos were at their best on their self-titled 1977 debut album, 1998's 'Paleophonic' was a reunion effort that replicated the magic of their first era, 2000's 'Anthology' was a fine career overview, and 2021's 'The CBS Tapes' was a charming look at the group's first trip to the studio. 

The Rubinoos were formed by Tommy Dunbar (guitar, keyboards, and vocals) and Jon Rubin (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), who would be the band's leaders and constant members throughout their history. The first incarnation of the group debuted in 1971, when Dunbar and Rubin put together a band with their friends to play a dance at their high school in Berkeley, California. The set was dominated by oldies of the '50s and '60s and was the first manifestation of their fascination with vintage pop sounds. Dunbar and Rubin soon formed a more stable edition of the band that focused on original material, with Dunbar and Rubin joined by bassist Tom Carpender and drummer Donn Spindt. As it happened, Dunbar's brother Robbie Dunbar was a member of the band Earth Quake, an established act signed to A&M Records, and The Rubinoos became their little brother band, often opening their shows and learning the ropes of the musician's life. When Earth Quake's deal with A&M came to an end, the group's manager, Matthew "King" Kaufman, decided to form his own label, thinking the band would be better served working with a small company, and he began recruiting talent for the nascent Beserkley Records. The Rubinoos were given the nod, and their debut single, 'Gorilla' was recorded in September 1974. By the time it was released, Tom Carpender had left the group, and Greg "Curly" Keranen took over on bass. The single would later appear on the Beserkley sampler album 'Beserkley Chartbusters, Vol. One', which also featured two tracks from Jonathan Richman with The Rubinoos serving as his backing band. By 1976, Keranen was out of the band, having opted to join Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers, and Royse Ader signed on as bassist in time for the recording of The Rubinoos' first album. 

 

'The Rubinoos' was released in 1977, and earned enthusiastic reviews from the rock press; it also included a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now," which became a hit, rising to number 45 on the American singles chart and earning the band an appearance on American Bandstand. 1979 saw the release of the second Rubinoos album, 'Back to the Drawing Board', which included the single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," which enjoyed plenty of airplay in England and Europe. Once again the album was a hit with critics, and the band supported the release with plenty of touring, including a long run of dates opening for Elvis Costello as his album 'Armed Forces' was becoming a breakthrough hit. In 1980, Royse Ader left the group, and Al Chan took over on bass as the band started work on a third album. However, the project never got past the demo stage, and it was abandoned after Al Chan and Donn Spindt dropped out. Dunbar and Rubin continued on as The Rubinoos, and they landed a new record deal with Warner Bros. The 1983 EP 'Party of Two' was produced by Todd Rundgren, with members of his band Utopia helping fill out the personnel in the studio, giving the songs a glossier, synth pop-influenced sound. One of the tracks, "If I Had You Back," was in rotation on MTV, and its success led to The Rubinoos being invited to write two songs for the soundtrack to the film "Revenge of the Nerds", "Breakdown" and the title tune. 

In 1985, The Rubinoos went on hiatus, though Dunbar and Rubin always insisted the group never broke up. Dunbar teamed with Al Chan and Donn Spindt to form a band called Vox Pop, and Rubin sang with a doo wop group, The Mighty Echoes. In 1994, two collections of unreleased Rubinoos material were released, 'Garage Sale' and 'Basement Tapes: Studio Demos Circa 1980-1981', the latter featuring the demos for the abandoned third album. The collections helped stoke new interest in the group, and in 1998, they released a long-gestating comeback album, 'Paleophonic', which reunited Dunbar and Rubin with Al Chan and Donn Spindt. From this point on, Dunbar and Rubin would periodically reconvene The Rubinoos with Chan and Spindt for touring and recording when they felt so inclined. They cut an album of covers, 'Crimes Against Music', in 2002, and a tour of Japan from that year was documented on 'Live in Japan', issued in 2004. A new studio project, 'Twist Pop Sin', was issued by Air Mail Music in 2005, and in 2007 they were in the news when they filed suit against pop star Avril Lavigne, claiming her hit "Girlfriend" plagiarized "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend." The matter was settled out of court. 

In 2010, they delivered their first children's album, 'Biff-Bop-Boing!' The same year, they also issued an album for their more mature followers, 'Automatic Toaster', produced by fellow power pop hero Robbie Rist. The Rubinoos signed with the noted independent label Yep Roc Records for 2019's 'From Home', which was produced by singer/songwriter and longtime fan Chuck Prophet. 'The CBS Tapes' was a 2021 release that gave the first public presentation to a 1976 live-in-the studio session the band recorded as they were getting accustomed to the studio where they were about to cut their debut album. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

 

Rowland S. Howard

Rowland S. Howard was a pivotal figure on the Australian punk and post-punk music scene, helping to give birth to a fiery, original sound as a member of The Birthday Party, Crime and the City Solution, and These Immortal Souls along with a wide variety of collaborations and solo projects. Howard's blunt, reverb-drenched guitar sound gave his music a dramatic impact that few could match on the instrument, and he was enjoying a resurgence of interest in his career when he died in late 2009 at the age of 50. 

Born in 1959, Howard began playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager, and in 1975, he formed the band The Young Charlatans. They played little more than a dozen shows before breaking up, but in 1978, Howard joined The Boys Next Door, a Melbourne-based act led by singer Nick Cave, and brought a number of songs with him. The Boys Next Door cut a 1979 album, 'Door, Door', for the Australian Mushroom label that included Howard's song "Shivers," which became an underground hit. As Howard introduced a more aggressive sound to the group, they relocated to London and changed their name to The Birthday Party. The Birthday Party's feral sonic attack, dominated by Howard's jagged guitar lines and Cave's howling vocals, went beyond the boundaries of early punk rock, and they earned a passionate following in Australia and the U.K. But the band lived as hard as they music they made, and in 1983, they broke up amidst personal squabbles and mounting drug abuse. 

 

Several members of The Birthday Party joined Cave in his new band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but while Howard contributed to a few of Cave's recordings, he opted to strike out on his own. He formed the group Crime & the City Solution in 1984 with singer Simon Bonney, Mick Harvey (another Birthday Party alumnus), Epic Soundtracks (ex-Swell Maps) and Harry Howard, Rowland's brother. Howard cut a pair of EPs with the group ('The Dangling Man' and 'Just South of Heaven') and an album ('Room of Lights'), as well as appearing in the film "Wings of Desire", before Howard, his brother, and Soundtracks left to form their own act, These Immortal Souls. These Immortal Souls cut a pair of memorable albums, 1987's 'Get Lost (Don't Lie)' and 1992's 'I'm Never Gonna Die Again', before they began to unravel; by this time, Howard was already in demand as a sideman, having recorded with the likes of Lydia Lunch, Fad Gadget, Jeremy Gluck, and Barry Adamson, and he continued to work with like-minded artists such as Nikki Sudden, Epic Soundtracks, and Henry Rollins; he also contributed to a pair of Nick Cave albums, 'Let Love In' and 'Murder Ballads'. 

In 2000, Howard released his first solo album, 'Teenage Snuff Film', and continued to record and tour on his own and with a variety of collaborators. However, later in the decade Howard began experiencing serious health problems, and was eventually diagnosed with liver cancer. He didn't let the grim diagnosis stop him, and recorded a second solo album, 2009's 'Pop Crimes', while he was in treatment (in one interview, Howard said he was motivated to finish the album quickly after thinking that he didn't know when or if he could record again). However, the advance of Howard's cancer prevented him from touring extensively in support of the album, and he was enjoying a new interest in his work thanks to enthusiastic reviews for 'Pop Crimes' when he lost his battle with cancer on December 30, 2009. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Rubber City Rebels

Rubber City Rebels are an American punk band from Akron, Ohio that formed in 1976. The original lineup of the band consisted of Rod Firestone (vocals), Buzz Clic (guitar), Donny Damage (bass), Stix Pelton (drums) and Pete Sake (keyboards). Firestone was previously known as "Rod Bent" when he was performing in the band King Cobra at a bar called The Crypt. When he and Clic began playing originals there, the band became the Rubber City Rebels.

 

In their early years, the Rebels were fans (and friends) of fellow Greater Cleveland-area bands the Dead Boys and Devo. Their breakout show was opening for the Dead Boys at legendary New York City rock club CBGB in 1977. This led to a split album with the Bizarros, titled 'From Akron', which was released that year and received praise from Robert Christgau. Firestone and Clic would go on to open The Crypt in Akron, at the time, the only punk rock club in the Midwest. Bands including the Dead Boys, Devo, Pere Ubu and the Bizarros played at this club. 

 

The Rebels moved to Los Angeles in 1978, minus Pelton (who was replaced on drums by Mike Hammer) and Sake (keyboards were deemed unnecessary for the band's change to a heavier sound), and gained considerable fame on the Sunset Strip. They frequently headlined at the famous Whisky a Go-Go for bands such as The Knack, Fear, The Kats, The Nu Kats, The Dickies and The Plimsouls. 

 

The band was signed to Sire Records; however, a clash between band and record label ensued and the recording contract was terminated before the Rebels could record their debut album. Following some personnel changes (Damage and Hammer left to form The Hammer Damage Band, replaced by Johnny Bethesda and Brandon Matheson, respectively), the Rebels signed a deal with Capitol Records, helped in no small way by Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack (who were also signed to Capitol) and a self-professed fan of the band. Matheson and Fieger had previously been members of The Sunset Bombers and had one album released on Ariola Records. 

 

The Rebels eponymous debut album was released in 1980. Although praised by critics, sales of the album never vaulted the band past its underground status. They can be seen near the end of the 1982 movie "The Assassination Game", performing "Born Dead" and "Rebel to the Rescue" behind the curtains in the theater. Linda Hamilton's character runs through the crowd at the show, attempting to escape from a pursuer. In 1983, Firestone released a 12" EP, 'Trouble', with his band the Firetones. 

 

Eventually the Rebels faded from the scene and ceased touring in 1988, although they never officially disbanded. Despite not touring or recording any new material through the 1990s, the Rebels' reputation and support among fans remained strong and in 2001, Mind Control Laboratories released a remastered 'Rubber City Rebels' which featured improved sound quality and the addition of several bonus tracks. White Noise Records also released 'Re-Tired' that year, a collection of live tracks and the Rebels' half of the 'From Akron' LP. The band toured to support the new releases, featuring a reunion with former members Hammer and Damage. Boosted by the popularity of their reunion tour and the 2001 releases, the Rebels returned to the studio to record their second album, 'Pierce My Brain', which was released in 2002. The album track "(I Wanna) Pierce My Brain" was included on the soundtrack for the 2003 skateboarding video game "Tony Hawk's Underground". Although Damage left the band following the first reunion shows, he was quickly replaced by Bob Clic (Buzz's brother and member of The Lewd) who plays on 'Pierce My Brain'. The Rebels still play infrequent shows across the United States and Europe. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

The Hit Parade

A duo of singer / songwriter Julian Henry, who plays guitar, and producer Raymond Watts, who plays keyboards and handles the programming, London's Hit Parade were perched on the divide between indie acoustic guitar jangle and dancefloor-friendly electronics for most of their career. Even more than St. Etienne, The Hit Parade make plain the connections between two styles often seen as widely disparate. 

Henry and Watts got together in the early '80s and began making bedroom recordings which they issued on their own JSH Records beginning with 1984's 'Forever'. A string of singles followed over the next two years, including 'My Favourite Girl', 'The Sun Shines in Cerrards Cross', 'You Didn't Love Me Then', 'See You in Havana', and 'I Get So Sentimental'. After a years-long silence, most of these singles were collected on 1990's 'With Love From the Hit Parade' on the U.K. indie Vinyl Japan. The same label released the holiday single 'Christmas Tears' later that year, which was included in two versions (one with Amelia Fletcher of Talulah Gosh and Heavenly singing lead) on the 1991 album 'More Pop Songs', which put Watts' keyboards more prominently into the mix. (A slightly reworked version of this disc, with tracks from the early singles, was released in Japan in 1992 as 'Light Music'.) 

Possibly through their relationship with Fletcher, The Hit Parade hooked up with the estimable Sarah Records, which released their next single, 'In Gunnersbury Park', in January 1992. By this time, however, The Hit Parade had again slowed down their output, and with the exception of the 1993 single 'Hitomi' on Chicago's Minty Fresh label, the duo weren't heard from again until 1994, when Sarah released the EP 'Autobiography', followed quickly by the full album 'The Sound of the Hit Parade', with which it shares no tracks. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

The Romantics

Such power pop founders as The Raspberries and Big Star may have been woefully underappreciated during their initial run in the early '70s, but by the end of the decade, several of their offspring had taken the style to the upper reaches of the charts -including Cheap Trick, The Knack, and The Romantics. But what set the group apart from their similarly styled peers was their inheritance of the high-energy attack of their Detroit forefathers, as well as their affinity for bouffant hairstyles and matching retro outfits. Formed on the east side of Detroit during 1977, The Romantics' original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Wally Palmar, singer/drummer Jimmy Marinos, guitarist Mike Skill, and bassist Richie Cole. 

Building a local following with their live show, The Romantics issued a single on their own (via Spider Records) -'Little White Lies b/w I Can't Tell You Anything'- while a spirited performance in Toronto led to a brief union with the renowned punk/power pop indie label Bomp!, which issued another single shortly thereafter with 'Tell It to Carrie b/w First in Line'. Both singles helped bring the quartet to the attention of several other labels and The Romantics inked a deal with the Nemperor/Epic label in 1979. The band's self-titled full-length debut surfaced a year later (recorded in just three weeks) and is often considered to be the quartet's best due to the inclusion of such gems as "When I Look in Your Eyes," a cover of Ray Davies' "She's Got Everything," and one of The Romantics' best-known tracks: the power pop gem "That's What I Like About You." Although the latter track peaked at only number 49 when originally released as a single, it later became an early MTV favorite and classic rock radio standard and in the '90s, was used in several commercials.

 

 

A sophomore effort was issued the same year, 'National Breakout', which saw the band expand their sound to include such other styles as surf and classic Motown and was supported by an extensive world tour (including The Romantics' inaugural visits to both Europe and Australia). Also issued around this time via the Quark label (a subsidiary of Bomp!) was a compilation credited to Romantics & Friends, entitled 'Midwest Pop Explosion!', which featured several early tracks. 'Strictly Personal' in 1981 signaled The Romantics' first lineup change with Coz Canler replacing Skill, and while the group's audience continued to grow, the album failed to break the band commercially, something that would be corrected on their next release. 

'In Heat' (1983) would become The Romantics' best-selling album (going gold shortly after its release) on the strength of such Top Ten hit singles as "Talking in Your Sleep" and "One in a Million" and the quartet shed its early raw energy in favor of more streamlined songwriting. Although they had finally obtained breakthrough success, problems between the band and their management became an issue, leading to Marinos' departure. The Romantics decided to soldier on with a new drummer, Dave Petratos, resulting in 1985's 'Rhythm Romance', an album that saw the group move even further away from their power pop roots and embrace more mainstream rock (both musically and, judging from the album's cover, visually). 'Rhythm Romance' would also prove to be The Romantics' last studio album issued via Nemperor/Epic as a complete falling out between the band and its management led to a lawsuit that prevented the group from touring or recording on a regular basis, leading many to assume that the group had split up. During this period of downtime, a ten-track best-of set was issued, 1990's 'What I Like About You (& Other Romantic Hits)'. 

By 1990, The Romantics welcomed former Blondie drummer Clem Burke into the fold and the lineup was featured on a five-track EP three years later, 'Made in Detroit', which featured originals mixed with a few classic Funkadelic covers (additionally, the group played at the memorial service for the MC5's late singer Rob Tyner). In 1995, The Romantics finally settled their lawsuit against their former management and were granted control of both their publishing rights and music catalog once more. A year later, Marinos briefly rejoined the group, but by 1997, their original drummer was out once more and Burke was back in. During the late '90s, several additional best-of collections were issued (1996's 'Breakout' and 1998's 'Super Hits'), as well as several in-concert sets (1996's 'King Biscuit Flower Hour' and 2000's 'Live', the latter of which was reissued a year later as 'Hits You Remember: Live'). Despite not having issued a full-length studio album in two decades, The Romantics continue to tour. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]