THE NEIGHBORHOODS – Reptile Men – (Emergo) – 1987

A post powerpop band.

I’m not sure what that makes them.

Don’t say "post powerpop"

They are a 3-piece (naturally enough for a powerpop band)

The Neighborhoods were formed in 1977 and hail from Boston. Apparently, they were quite popular regionally and put out a handful of LPs which betray a Who influence. My general antipathy to the Who is well known but I can’t really hear the Who influences on this album anyway. Apparently (again – I can’t say as I havent heard any music) they started off with a punky powerpop sound before moving to a more mainstream rock n roll sound. I can’ say if that is accurate but this album certainly suggests at the very least an indie rock n roll sound. (Postscript : in hunting down youtube clips it became obvious that the band indeed have powerpop and punk origins)

Side note: Indie rock = college rock.

The music isn’t underground but it certainly isn’t mainstream.

The power pop come rock n roll sound has a meaty backbeat and there is a bit of spit in the lyrics so it would be tempting to call the music punk-fuelled garage-rock.

Tempting but not quite.

At least not on this album.

There are clear elements of the same.

What is most odd is that I cant think of too many American bands (even fewer English bands) from that era playing this sort of music.

But I’m from Australia and there were at least a couple of dozen well known (in Australia) bands playing similar music – The Screaming Tribesmen from Brisbane and The Hitmen from Sydney being the most obvious ones.

And some of them were making inroads onto US college radio.

I’m not being parochial when I say the Australian bands did it better but there seemed to be a lot more of this indie guitar rock in Australia at the time.

That is part of the trouble with this album – there is an element of deja vu. Even though it is good deja vu.

The difference is at least these guys looked indie whereas a lot of the Australian bands looked like American heavy metal poodle rockers.

Don’t get me wrong this is tightly played music but a great lost garage punk rock album it isn’t – a good solid indie rock album (with punk overtones) from the 80s it is.

I’m sorry about all the archaeological musical dialogue but I had never heard of this band prior to this album. I suspect many an American would be in the same boat, unless they lived in the Boston (or Massachusetts) area.

Like many bands from the 80s and 90s The Neighborhoods’ career has been revived by the internet and they have reformed for the odd gig. ie: they are old enough to have existed in another era but not too old to not get out and play music.

Tracks (best in italics)

Pure And Easy – a good (later) powerpop sound. That is : powerpop with some 80s concessions. Catchy and energetic this a great example of the powerpop genre as it moved into the 1980s. It sounds like a specific song I can’t put my finger on ….
Modern Cowboy – high energy with nice thumping bass and drums. Not a million miles removed from Australia’s Hoodoo Gurus
Reptile Man – a little bit of cock rock creeping here. But the cock rock is of the indie type. Think Australia’s Screaming Tribesmen without the attitude.
Tommy – duff, but pleasant and … not the Who song
Dangerous – not likely, unless you trip over a Fischer Price toy in the middle of the night.
The Man – this is more like it, Muscular rock
Peeping Tom – more muscular indie rock with some guitar wankery half way through.
Out Of Your Reach – a slight rockabilly (meets Motorhead) feel to this tune ….
Wailing Wall – blah.
Cliches – the ballad – and a convincing one.

And …

Whether it was intentional or not there are a lot of Australian influences here. There are some excellent tracks and maybe just enough to make it a keeper. It certainly is growing on me, albeit in a nostalgic way (if that makes any sense).

Chart Action

Unlikely in a world (circa 1987) dominated by George Michael

Sounds
Pure And Easy
live, recently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Zp2_iUKSo
mp3 below

The Neighborhoods – Pure and Easy

Modern Cowboy
live, recently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM68gfhN8wA

Reptile Man
live, recently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLJ-aiY6UdA

Dangerous
live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7y0VR9uxJ8

Out Of Your Reach
live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vIGJSqPVuc

Wailing Wall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olYy17cfH_g

Cliches
live 1992
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kck-rMPCQWU

Others
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Mia0yvVmw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqLjLSbuPMk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDHzEqNdn38
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48UXJp_s1wM